Category: English

1 The day I found out I was the illegitimate daughter of the country’s richest billionaire, I rushed over to his mansion to meet my dad. When I got there, I found ninety-eight other girls lined up, all waiting to do the same thing. It turned out the billionaire’s only son and heir had recently passed away. To find a successor for his hundred-billion-dollar empire, he had tracked down all his secret daughters. Now, he was holding a competition to find the best of us. Feeling completely out of my league, I was about to turn around and leave with my head hung low. Suddenly, a glowing banner unfurled in my vision: [Don’t you dare leave, sweetie! Your mother is basically the Underworld’s new queen now, and I can help you win this whole thing.] [Remember your old rival from the orphanage? She’s one of them. If you walk away now, that hundred-billion-dollar fortune will fall right into her lap.] My head snapped around, and sure enough, I saw her face. Veronica. A decade ago, she locked me in a pigsty and stole my chance at being adopted, condemning me to ten more years of misery. Hatred flooded my heart. Fine. I’ll listen to my mom. I’m not leaving. That hundred-billion-dollar fortune is going to be mine. … Veronica recognized me at the same instant. “Zoe? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be back in the pigsty where you belong?” She looked me up and down, a sneer twisting her perfectly made-up face. “Don’t tell me you’re here to steal something. A beggar like you doesn’t even deserve to breathe this air.” Her designer clothes were so bright they hurt my eyes. I clenched my fists, ready to fire back a response. Just then, my billionaire father, Alistair Finch, walked slowly to the top of the grand staircase and looked down at us all. “All these years, I have failed in my duty as a father. For that, I am truly sorry.” “As a small compensation, I’ve prepared one hundred thousand dollars for each of you. Anyone who wants it can register with my butler and collect the money.” The villa erupted. “Thank you, Dad!” “This is perfect! I desperately need the money! You’re the best, Dad!” As a swarm of women rushed toward the butler, Veronica scoffed beside me. “A bunch of greedy fools. And they think they have what it takes to compete with me for the inheritance?” After stealing my adoption, Veronica had been raised in wealth, living a life of luxury. A hundred grand was nothing to her. But to me, a girl who survived on stale bread, that money was a lifeline. Seeing my own feet start to move toward the queue, my mother’s message flashed urgently before my eyes: [Honey, this is the first elimination round.] [Anyone who takes the money is considered shortsighted. They’ll be disqualified immediately.] [Those who refuse the money prove they have the ambition and vision to enter the real competition.] I froze. I snuck a glance up at Alistair. Just as my mom said, he was watching the line of girls with a disappointed frown, shaking his head slightly. The butler’s voice then cut through the noise. “To be clear, anyone who accepts the hundred thousand dollars must also sign this document, formally waiving all rights to the inheritance.” Without a second of hesitation, I backed away from the line. The agreement, however, didn’t deter most of them. Seeing the majority of the girls eagerly sign away their future for a quick payout, Alistair let out a frustrated sigh. His gaze then shifted to those of us who remained. As my eyes met his for a brief moment, another banner appeared: [See? Mom wouldn’t lie to you.] [Just trust me and do as I say. I never got a single penny from that deadbeat while I was alive. You have to make him pay for both of us.] A moment later, Alistair’s deep voice announced, “Twenty of you have chosen to forego the money. Please follow the guards upstairs.” As I fell in line behind the others, Veronica gave me a stunned look. “Zoe, you’re an illegitimate daughter too? So that makes us… half-sisters?” I ignored her. Because Alistair was announcing the rules for the first official round of the competition. “To be my heir, you must possess exceptional financial and business acumen.” “I will provide each of you with ten thousand dollars in seed money. In one hour, the ten people with the most capital remaining will advance to the next stage. You will be my potential successors.” 2 The moment Alistair finished speaking, the other nineteen girls whipped out their phones and sprang into action. “My mother is a CEO. I’ve been learning about business since I was a child. This is in the bag!” “I have a Ph.D. in finance. I know exactly how to make money from money.” They were all in their element. Some immediately started trading stocks. Others dove into investment fund websites. One even began drafting a startup proposal on the spot, using the ten thousand as her initial investment. Another girl cleverly jumped on the social media trend and started a live stream. “Broadcasting live from the billionaire’s heir selection! Follow me for a real inside look at a high-stakes family drama!” I just stared at the debit card a guard had pressed into my hand, feeling a wave of helplessness wash over me. I never even finished high school. The orphanage forced me out to sell trinkets on the street just to survive. How could I possibly compete with these educated, cultured, brilliant women? Veronica saw the panic on my face and laughed, her voice dripping with scorn. “Everyone else is busy making moves, and you don’t even have a phone. You really think you have a chance against me?” She wasn’t just looking down on me. She looked down on everyone. “I graduated from a top business school. When it comes to making money, no one here can touch me.” She immediately launched a two-pronged attack, buying stocks with one hand while writing a detailed investment plan with the other, ready to present it to Alistair at the end of the hour. Meanwhile, my only source of encouragement was my mother’s spectral pop-ups: [Honey, have you ever heard the saying? There’s nothing more dangerous than a rich kid with a business plan.] [Let them run wild. In this round, you can win by doing absolutely nothing.] [Even if you have to fake it, you need to project an aura of absolute confidence!] She added another boost: [You’ve been out in the real world since you were a kid. You’ve seen the best and worst of people. When it comes to reading a room, none of them can compare to you.] [Use this time to observe your billionaire father. It might come in handy later.] The thought of my mom, even in the Underworld, working so hard to help me, filled me with a new sense of purpose. I retreated to a quiet corner and began to study Alistair, trying to decipher his personality and temperament. While the other girls scrambled with their various schemes, my focus remained entirely on him. My unusual calm and stillness eventually caught his attention. He sent the butler over to me. “Why aren’t you doing anything?” the butler asked. Following my mom’s guidance, I started spinning a tale. “Protecting a fortune is far more difficult than building one,” I said, my voice steady. “In today’s volatile market, I believe a conservative strategy is the wisest. My goal is to protect the wealth my father worked so hard to create.” Just as the words left my mouth, a scream pierced the air. “My stocks just crashed! How is this possible?” Someone else kicked over a chair in fury. “Scammers! This whole investment platform is a scam! They converted my money into some worthless crypto and ran!” “Who shut down my live stream? I just paid for a traffic boost!” Amid the chaos, my eyes met Alistair’s, and I offered him a small, knowing smile. A barely perceptible gleam of approval lit up his eyes, though he said nothing. The hour passed quickly. My strategy of doing nothing had actually worked. I placed fifth and advanced to the next round. Mom! Thank you! I’m one step closer to that hundred-billion-dollar fortune! As for Veronica, she had managed to turn her ten thousand into fifteen. Her business proposal also received high praise from Alistair. She advanced in first place, earning the venomous glares of the other girls. As we followed the butler upstairs again, Veronica deliberately shoved me. “You just got lucky, Zoe. It’s not too late to give up and walk away now.” “Because once I become the official heir, I will make it my mission to destroy you.” I shot her a cold look, making a silent vow. When I inherit that fortune, I will make her pay for everything she did to me. We were led into a lavish dining room. To my surprise, the butler pulled out the chair at the head of the table and gestured for me to sit. “Miss Zoe, this seat is for you.” I didn’t think much of it at first. But just as I started to move, I noticed Veronica staring at me with a smirk, as if she was waiting for me to make a fool of myself. I immediately froze, a sense of caution washing over me. 3 At the same time, my mother’s banner flashed into existence: [Honey, that’s the host’s seat! Your father’s seat! You absolutely cannot sit there!] [This isn’t about eating. It’s a test of etiquette. He’s seeing if you have the grace to belong in his world.] [Pay attention from now on. Do exactly as I say!] A shiver went down my spine. I quickly waved my hands at the butler. “Sir, that seat is for my father. When will he be joining us?” The butler’s smile was full of approval. In my peripheral vision, I saw Veronica grind her teeth in disappointment. I didn’t dare get cocky. My full attention was on my mother’s instructions. The butler assigned everyone a seat. I remained standing until Alistair entered and sat down. Only then did I take my seat, the last one to do so. My mom’s tips kept coming: [The spout of the teapot should never point at the host. When you get the chance, you have to fix it.] [When pouring wine, fill the glass. When pouring tea, only fill it partway.] [When the fish is served, the head must be pointed toward Alistair.] [Do not, under any circumstances, pick up your silverware before the host does. And never leave your spoon sticking upright in your soup. Got it?] With my mom’s help, I dominated the dinner. One of the girls rushed to pour tea for Alistair. I said nothing, but the moment she set the teapot down, I quickly and discreetly turned it so the spout was pointing at my own seat. Alistair’s expression didn’t change, but I saw a flicker of appreciation in his eyes. When it was time to pour the wine, I used the skills I’d learned as a waitress to pour a perfect, full glass without spilling a single drop. “To your health, Father,” I said, my voice clear and warm. I had a whole repertoire of toasts ready, thanks to years of listening to customers in diners. When the butler brought out the main course, a whole roasted fish, I intercepted the platter and placed it on the table, carefully positioning it so the head was aimed directly at Alistair. “May our fortunes always be as plentiful as this feast,” I added. Veronica couldn’t believe how well I was performing. She was clenching her jaw, practically vibrating with the desire to challenge me. But at a formal dinner, she couldn’t make a scene. All she could do was watch me shine. I, in turn, watched Alistair, memorizing his every micro-expression. Between my observations and my mother’s intel, I was quickly piecing together a complete picture of his habits and personality. I navigated the meal with the grace of a seasoned socialite. After dinner, as the butler led us downstairs, I noticed that our group was smaller. Five more competitors were gone. The girl who had pointed the teapot at Alistair, the one who started eating early, even one who had spun the lazy Susan too aggressively, had all been eliminated. They were forced to sign the waiver and left with their hundred thousand dollars, their dreams of a billion-dollar inheritance shattered. Veronica jabbed me in the back. “See that, Zoe? That’s going to be you.” “Don’t think you’re so special just because you showed off a few cheap tricks. I’m about to show you what happens when you overestimate yourself.” I was done being timid. I shot back, my voice as cold as ice, “You should worry about yourself, Veronica.” “Because if I win, the very first thing I’m going to do is find you a nice, cozy pigsty to live in.” “You bitch!” Veronica’s face turned crimson. She raised her hand to slap me. Suddenly, Alistair stopped walking and turned to face us, his eyes scanning each of our faces. “Before we proceed to the next round, I have a very serious question for you all.” “I expect you to think carefully before giving me your official answer.” 4 I knew instantly. This was the next test. Everyone held their breath, waiting. “If, one day, my business empire was facing a catastrophic crisis,” Alistair began, his voice grave, “and the only way to save it was for you to marry a wealthy, brain-dead man who could not produce an heir… would you do it?” “And I want you to be very clear,” he added, his gaze intense. “This is not a hypothetical. This is something that could very well happen.” Before the silence could even settle, Veronica stepped forward. “Of course I would! I would do anything to help you, Father. No sacrifice is too great!” “And I believe that with my abilities, I could not only save the company through this marriage but also leverage my husband’s family resources to elevate our own empire to new heights!” Her passionate declaration broke the dam. The other girls rushed to pledge their loyalty. “As your daughter, it is my duty and my honor to secure our family’s legacy through marriage. I would die for our family’s glory!” “A brain-dead man with no heirs is even better! That way, I wouldn’t have to bear children for his family. I could have a child of my own, one who would carry our family name!” For a moment, the scene was almost heartwarming, a group of devoted daughters surrounding their beloved father. My mom, worried I’d be too slow-witted, sent a frantic message: [Honey, don’t listen to his blustering. This is just a loyalty test.] [Just say what everyone else is saying! Be sweet, flatter him. It’s the safe play!] But as I looked at Alistair’s face, I saw nothing. No emotion, no approval. Just that same, faint, calculating look in his eyes. A seed of doubt sprouted in my mind. Alistair’s reaction felt… off. Was it really as simple as just agreeing? Something felt deeply wrong. I stood there like a statue, my mind racing, trying to understand the real question. My mom was getting impatient: [Zoe, what are you waiting for? Just say yes!] [Use that cleverness you had at the dinner table! Say something charming like Veronica did and win him over.] [I dated that old goat for six months, I know how he operates! He’s always been a sucker for a sweet talker. Hurry up and say it!] No. That’s not right. My mother was wrong. Alistair wasn’t a man who could be easily manipulated. And a pretty speech was definitely not the right answer here. I replayed my brief interactions with him, his subtle expressions, the glint in his eyes. My brain kicked into overdrive. My continued silence drew everyone’s attention. Alistair’s brow furrowed as he stared at me. “Zoe. Is this a difficult question for you to answer?” “Look at your sisters. They all answered without a moment’s hesitation.” Veronica’s face was alight with smug satisfaction. “What’s the matter, country bumpkin? Did you not understand the question?” “Zoe, if I were you, I’d take the hundred grand and run. Save yourself the embarrassment.” The other girls started whispering, all waiting for me to fail. “So much for being the star at dinner. Now we see her for what she really is.” My mom was practically having a panic attack in the afterlife, wishing she could just climb out of the ground and answer for me: [Zoe, are you trying to kill me? Just say it!] [If you just say yes, you can stay in the running for the inheritance!] Everything and everyone was pushing me toward the same, seemingly safe, answer. The air was thick with anticipation. I took a deep breath and, in a voice that rang with conviction, I gave my answer. “I refuse.” Alistair’s face instantly darkened.

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I am a walking disaster magnet. It’s a gift, really. I once helped an old lady cross the street and the rumor mill claimed I was trying to swindle her Social Security check. I was spotted feeding a stray cat outside my apartment, and suddenly I was the neighborhood cat burglar. My reputation was lower than a snake’s belly, so I figured, why polish a turd? I leaned into it, going full tilt as a professional bad guy. Does your family need to split up their assets, but someone’s dragging their feet? Is your elderly parent being manipulated by a greedy cousin? Hire me to come in and raise hell. I take the heat, you split the cash. My abrasive manner and sheer grit made me the local nightmare in a ten-mile radius. Then, the youngest Associate Professor at the city’s top university showed up at my door and asked me to marry him. “The doctor called it ‘Martyr Complex,’ but I call it ‘Total Doormat Syndrome,’” he sighed. “My mother gives away everything she owns. Our family savings are almost gone. I need the most unhinged, unreasonable, hell-on-wheels daughter-in-law in the state to manage her.” My eyes lit up. I rubbed my hands together with pure, unadulterated glee. “Say no more, brother. You just cured my fatigue.” 1 Gordon Hewitt’s handsome, refined face instantly crumpled. He let out a long, weary sigh. He pulled a timid, middle-aged woman out from behind him. She was gentle, soft-spoken, and gave me a faint, almost apologetic smile. “Frankie,” he said, using my chosen name, “I brought my mother, Cecilia Hewitt, so you could meet her.” He then pulled out a tattered red savings passbook and handed it to me. “Don’t laugh, but this is literally everything we have left.” I took the book, flipped it open, and my eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets. “Fifty-seven dollars?” “I make thirty-four bucks a month working part-time at the diner!” I protested. “You’re a university professor. Your salary has to be close to three hundred. How on earth is there only fifty-seven dollars left?” Gordon and his mother both looked at me, their eyes red-rimmed and moist. “Frankie, since my father passed, I’ve been working constantly, traveling for conferences. My mom has been home alone,” Gordon explained. “Every relative, every neighbor, every well-wisher—they all show up. They borrow a little rice today, a little cash tomorrow. They say ‘borrow,’ but they never, ever pay it back.” He paused, voice thick with worry. “I’m being sent on a three-year lecture tour overseas. I need to leave immediately. If I don’t find a tough-as-nails wife to guard the fort, I won’t just come home to an empty house. I suspect my mother will have been sweet-talked into selling herself off for scrap.” I nearly fainted in disbelief. I looked at the handsome, scholarly son and his fragile mother. I sighed, tucking the passbook into my pocket. “I’ll take the job. I can guard the fort for three years. But you have to let me set the terms. I run a wild operation. I am going to make your aunts, uncles, and neighbors miserable. If I scare one of them into an early grave, you can’t get mad.” Gordon jumped to his feet, gripping my hand tightly. “As long as the house is safe and my mother is protected, you can do whatever the hell you want.” My prospective mother-in-law rushed over, tears streaming down her face. “Thank you, Frankie. Thank you for your service.” We came to an agreement, and less than a week later, we were married. On the day we signed the papers, Gordon rushed off to catch his flight. I grabbed my battered suitcase and headed for his house. I reached the front door of the Maplewood Faculty Quarters just as I heard a shrill voice yelling from inside. “Oh, Cecilia, bless your heart, but you’re from an educated family. You’re going to be stingy about two little apples?” I peeked through the crack in the door. A smug, heavyset woman—I’d later know her as Donna Mae, the biggest busybody in the complex—was forcibly prying a net bag of apples out of my new mother-in-law’s hand. My mother-in-law, Cecilia, was pleading softly. “Donna, please, leave me two. I bought them for Gordon’s new wife.” “Don’t be ridiculous! Gordon’s gone overseas! He doesn’t have a new wife,” the woman sneered, stuffing the apples into her apron. “And I heard you bought meat yesterday. Hand that over, too! My little boy, Kevin, is going through a growth spurt!” Oh, hell no. This wasn’t borrowing. This was blatant robbery in a university housing complex. I dropped my suitcase, strode into the room, and snatched the net bag of apples back. Donna Mae froze, then flew into a rage, stabbing a finger toward my face. “Who the hell are you? You stray animal! How dare you steal from me?” I calmly pulled the bright red marriage certificate from my pocket and slapped it hard onto the chipped dining table. “The name is Frankie Hewitt. I am Gordon’s just-married wife,” I announced, my voice low and dangerous. “I’m stealing from you? No. You’re extorting my mother. Give it back.” I slammed her against the wall. “You take one more piece of thread, one more sugar cube, or one more apple from this house, and I will call your boss every single morning until you’re escorted off the property. I’ll make you the neighborhood pariah. Try me.” The air in the room solidified. Cecilia’s eyes were wide, her mouth open enough to swallow an egg. Donna Mae, accustomed to rolling over soft targets like Cecilia, had never encountered a rabid dog like me. Terrified, she wrenched herself free and looked at Cecilia with panicked, accusing eyes. “Cecilia! Look at her! She’s a criminal! Are you sure she’s not lying? Did Gordon really marry this lunatic who just assaulted me? I’m going to call the police!” Cecilia, who had been hiding behind me, finally found her voice, and it was a masterpiece of defiance. “Frankie… she’s not a bad person. She is Gordon’s wife. I consented.” With that official confirmation, I didn’t waste another second. I shoved the slack-jawed Donna Mae out the door. “Get out!” I spat, giving her a look that would curdle milk. “If I ever see you try to steal from this house again, I will break both your legs.” 2 Finally, silence. My mother-in-law was still leaning against the wall, visibly trembling. I helped her sit down, then took a long, hard look around this college professor’s house. Honestly, a rat would cry walking through this place. The large living room had nothing but a broken-legged dining table and a few low stools. Half the curtains were missing, probably borrowed by a relative. “Gordon’s wife… are you hungry?” Cecilia shuffled out of the kitchen, carefully holding a bowl. It was a bowl of pale, yellow custard, with two rock-hard, burnt cornbread muffins next to it. I looked at the custard, then at Cecilia’s bone-thin frame. Was this woman Saint Mary in a past life? She was practically starving but still offering me the last bite of food. “Mom, I’m not hungry. You eat it.” I gently pushed the bowl back, then got straight to business. “Mom, Gordon asked me to find out: Who has borrowed our things?” The very-real-life Saint Cecilia’s eyes welled up again. She turned and came back with a huge stack of crumpled, stained papers. They were IOUs. Dozens of them for cash. Plus, the next-door neighbor, Ms. Thompson, had borrowed the sewing machine for her daughter’s school uniform. Mr.Wayne, who lived downstairs, had borrowed the bicycle for his commute. This wasn’t borrowing; this was running the Hewitt home like a free community supply store. “Mom, you are the personification of ‘If I don’t go to hell, who will?’” I closed the pile of notes, trying to stifle a laugh that was half-amusement, half-rage. I stood up and cracked my knuckles. “Gordon told me before he left: As of today, I run this house.” I met her eye. “First thing tomorrow morning, we’re going collecting. What they took, they’ll cough up. What they ate, they’ll pay for.” The next morning, before the sun was fully up, I dressed in my shabbiest clothes, grabbed a borrowed bullhorn, and pulled my mother-in-law to the gate of the faculty complex. It was peak commuting time. People were streaming past. I planted myself in front of the gate, picked up the bullhorn, and started screaming. “Is that you, Mr. Thompson? Five years ago, you borrowed five hundred dollars from my mother-in-law, Cecilia Hewitt, to build a new extension on your cabin. Is the cabin comfortable? When are you going to repay the money?” “Ms. Davis! Oh, that’s a gorgeous ’74 Schwinn cruiser you’re riding! Your mother borrowed our family bike three years ago, saying you needed it for a short commute. You still haven’t bought your own? Are you holding onto it to pass down to your grandkids?” “Hey, hey, Professor Zhou, don’t walk so fast! You said you desperately needed three hundred dollars last spring. My mother is practically begging for scraps! Is this how an esteemed academic behaves?” My rant turned every named person’s face black as a cast-iron skillet. My mother-in-law watched my performance, deeply impressed, but also terrified. Every time someone tried to object, she would chime in, her eyes swimming with tears: “Frankie is right.” “My daughter-in-law speaks the truth.” “Frankie is not wrong.” The commuters started pointing and whispering. “Isn’t that Professor Hewitt’s mother? She looks so distraught.” “I heard theWaynes owe them a lot. That’s disgusting.” “Five hundred dollars is a huge sum! They’re heartless.” We stood there, a synchronized tag-team of shame, blocking the gate, refusing to let anyone pass. Within two minutes, the families of the debtors started running out, hysterical. “Stop shouting! Stop shouting!” “Cecilia! What in God’s name are you doing?” “Cecilia! We can discuss this privately, can’t we?” “Gordon’s mother! Do you have to cause a scene this early? My face is ruined!” 3 My mother-in-law recoiled, about to apologize. I cut her off, waving the stack of IOUs in the air. “Save the drama! Honor is earned, not given! You owe us money, and you’re going to pay it!” “You pay today, or I’ll go to the university radio station and broadcast this tomorrow!” The debtors looked at the crowd of spectators, gritted their teeth, and rushed back inside, returning with wads of cash that they shoved into Cecilia’s hands. “Take it! Take it and go! You ruined my week!” I let them go one by one after the money was collected. Within ten minutes, we recovered the majority of the debts that had been outstanding for years. Back at home, Cecilia nervously clutched the cash. She was happy, but worried. “Gordon’s wife, are you sure this won’t hurt Gordon’s career? People talk…” I stopped what I was doing and looked her in the eye. “Mom, listen to me.” I spoke slowly and firmly. “If you don’t stand up, people will think you’re a fool, and that will hurt Gordon’s career. Who wants to study under a spineless professor who can’t even hold his own family together? If we’re strong, people will respect Gordon more, not less.” Cecilia was stunned. She nodded, deep in thought. I knew the iron was hot. It was time for the next lesson. The next day, I dragged her to the local market. For Cecilia, this was worse than a firing squad. She had never dared to haggle and would always accept the vendor’s most battered vegetables, offering a grateful smile. We approached the butcher’s stall. The big, burly butcher saw Cecilia coming and didn’t even look up. He expertly sliced a chunk of gristle and straight-up fat—the kind you feed a dog, not a family—from the underside of his block and tossed it on the scale. “Two pounds. One dollar sixty.” Cecilia bit her lip and instinctively reached for her purse. I slapped her hand down, leaning in close, my voice a low, sinister whisper. “Mom, if you buy that piece of garbage meat, I will pull out every single one of those prized orchids your late husband left you and boil them into a broth.” Cecilia instantly stiffened. Those orchids were her most cherished link to her late husband. She guarded them fiercely. Her hand trembling, she finally looked up at the butcher. The butcher slammed his cleaver on the block. “You buying or not? Get a move on! There are people waiting!” I pinched the soft flesh on her waist behind her back. She closed her eyes, and in a voice that seemed to require every ounce of her strength, she finally yelled: “I… I won’t buy this one!” The butcher blinked. Cecilia opened her eyes, saw the crowd watching, and suddenly, she found a strange, hard resolve. “This meat is bad! It’s all fat and lymph nodes! How dare you try to sell this to people?” she demanded, surprisingly loud. “I asked for a lean cut, and I paid for a lean cut! I’m going to… to report you for fraudulent trading!” I stepped up instantly, my voice booming. “Everyone look! They just started letting people open their own businesses, and already they’re trying to rip off the elderly! Selling spoiled meat to a little old lady who can’t speak up! Is this how you repay the community’s trust? If this meat makes someone sick, you’ll be liable!” The butcher panicked, cold sweat beading on his forehead. “Ma’am! Ma’am, please! It was a misunderstanding, a mistake!” He quickly tossed the bad meat into a waste bucket, then frantically cut a gorgeous, fresh piece of tenderloin, throwing in a piece of liver for good measure. “Here! Take this! The best cut! My apologies, take it!” Cecilia held the bright, red piece of tenderloin. As we walked out of the market, her hands were still shaking. I walked beside her, casually cracking sunflower seeds. “Well? Did refusing him kill you?” “Next time someone tries to hand you rotten vegetables, smear them on his face.” Cecilia looked at the meat in her hands, then turned to me, offering a stiff but genuine smile. “No… I understand.” Good, I thought. I need to get her out here to raise hell more often. The old lady has a surprisingly loud voice. We had two days of peace. Then, early one morning, the door was pounded on so hard the frame shook. “Cecilia Hewitt! Are you home? Open up!” I perked up. Well, lookie here. More work. 4 I got dressed and came out just as my mother-in-law was being cornered at the door. This was a bigger circus than I expected. My mother-in-law’s sister-in-law, Lorraine, the greedy sister of Gordon’s late father, had arrived with her entire family—seven people in total, with bags and suitcases. This time, they were after the house. Lorraine’s oldest son, Troy, was getting married. And these moochers had set their sights on the Hewitt’s three-bedroom faculty townhome. Lorraine swept into the living room, her eyes darting around like radar, immediately locking onto the sunny master bedroom. “This sunny room will be perfect for Troy’s honeymoon suite.” She plunked herself down on the sofa, acting like she owned the place. “Cecilia, Gordon is gone for three years. You’re all alone. It’s a waste for you to live in this huge place. That little storage room has good light; Gordon can partition the living room when he gets back.” My mother-in-law went pale, but thanks to my crash course, she managed to stutter out a weak protest. “Lorraine, this house was assigned to Gordon by the university…” “And? Isn’t he still family?” Lorraine’s eyes bulged, and she started spitting. “You’re the oldest sister, like a mother to him! How can you be so cruel? You’d really let your own nephew be a vagrant just to keep an empty room?” A huge, steaming pile of ‘disrespecting the dead’ was thrown at Cecilia. She instantly went silent, nervously rubbing the fabric of her apron. My cheap mother-in-law’s combat power was still a pathetic negative five. “What is all this shouting about?” Just then, Mr. Fitzwilliam, the Associate Dean from our complex, strutted in, hands clasped behind his back. “Ms. Hewitt, I must advise caution on issues of relative abuse and property hoarding. The Dean’s office specifically asked me to investigate this matter!” Lorraine exchanged a knowing glance with Fitzwilliam, then suddenly dropped to the floor and started wailing like a siren. “Sir! Please judge for us! The oldest brother’s family is bullying the younger brother’s family! I can’t live like this! My poor husband! Open your eyes! Your wife is abusing your brother’s family!” Neighbors, hearing the ruckus, started crowding the doorway, pointing and murmuring. Mr. Fitzwilliam stood by the door, radiating self-righteous authority. “Cecilia, I’m telling you, when relatives are in need, you help them. You’re well-off; you don’t need this extra room. Look how distraught you’ve made your sister-in-law!” Fitzwilliam dropped the official hammer, his eyes hard. “If this situation proves to be harassment, we will have to reconsider Professor Hewitt’s tenure track and promotion.” Cecilia’s resolve crumbled entirely. The future of her son—the one thing she lived for—was on the line. She rushed forward to grab Lorraine’s hand, pleading desperately. “I’ll give it to you! I’ll give you the room! Don’t ruin Gordon’s career!” Lorraine gave a cold, victorious smirk, then shoved Cecilia roughly to the floor. Troy, her lazy thug of a son, stepped up and prepared to kick Cecilia. “You old fool! If you’d just given it to us sooner!” As his foot came swinging down toward my mother-in-law, I suddenly erupted. I yanked Cecilia up and rushed, like a maniac, into the back room. A few seconds later, I sprinted back into the living room, holding a red, five-gallon Jerrycan of kerosene. I jumped onto the small stone coffee table in the center of the room, holding the can in one hand and a book of matches in the other. I screamed at the top of my lungs. “No one is leaving alive today!” My shout stunned everyone into silence. “Bullying a widow and her absent son is your idea of strength?” I yelled. “If you try to steal this house, I swear to God I will light this whole faculty complex on fire! I’ll go first!” I unscrewed the kerosene cap and pretended to pour it over my chest. “I want to see who dares to touch a single item that belongs to the Hewitt family today!”

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10 years after breaking up, I found my ex-boyfriend was still offering a heavy reward for my whereabouts. I sneered and swiped the message away. We didn’t break up peacefully. The year we broke up, he got someone else pregnant. And I, because of his mother’s design, also got pregnant by someone else. After he found out, he went crazy and forced abortion pills down my throat. Crying to me: “I only beg you to understand me, born in a wealthy family, I can’t help myself.” “I can give you everything except a title.” His mother said: “Our Old Money family firmly does not accept the Working Class, let alone let the blood of the lower class multiply in our family!” He stood not far away listening, without saying a word. Since then, I disappeared from his world. In a flash of 10 years, he stood in front of me again. His handsome face was more steady and noble than 10 years ago, eye rims red. He said: “I am powerful now, parents can no longer interfere with my feelings.” “Let’s be together again, okay?” I shook my head and refused. He didn’t understand: “Why?” I said calmly: “Because, my husband won’t allow it.” … Chapter 1 He froze, eyes trembling. Pupils appeared especially clear because of a layer of tears. I thought he would completely give up, but heard. “Still the same as 10 years ago, only know how to say ugly words to provoke me.” Julian Hale’s choked voice paused, looking at me with a sudden burning, urgent gaze. “I should also treat you like I did 10 years ago.” Speaking, he strode over. I panicked and stepped back, dodging his hug and forced kiss. 10 years ago, as long as I said ugly words to choke him, he would use a kiss to block my mouth. Until I was almost hypoxic, he would proudly and unsatisfiedly release me. Facing my resisting and alienated actions. He paused, only hesitated for a second, then walked towards me again. I stepped back two steps again, pulling distance between us, voice raised: “Julian Hale!” He stopped. Expectation in the man’s eyes was instantly filled with grievance. “It’s been 10 years, I don’t believe you don’t miss me.” Hehe. I sneered in my heart. As long as the new love is good enough, there is no old love that can’t be forgotten. “That’s your business, in fact, the past is past.” “Things have long changed between us.” My breezy attitude hurt him greatly, he chuckled twice in disbelief. “I can’t get over it!” “I also thought I could forget you, but the longer time passes, the more I can’t forget!” His eyes misted over again, gently sniffed, pretending to be calm. When he spoke again, his tone softened: “I know what you are worried about.” “I divorced her, the child wasn’t kept, so you don’t have to worry, I won’t let you be a stepmother.” “And about my mom, she had a stroke and is paralyzed, won’t bully you anymore.” “I am now the person in charge of Hale Group, I have the final say in the Hale family.” “I can marry you openly and honorably now.” He said all the situations in one breath. 10 years, those scars that had long scabbed were uncovered by him. That experience prone to give me nightmares, floated in my mind, like yesterday. On my 20th birthday, he also said: “Mia, I can marry you openly and honorably!” “I want to repay you with love for a lifetime, please marry me okay?” I agreed to him, happily accepted his pigeon egg diamond ring. But the next day, my family went bankrupt because of this proposal ring. His mother, Mrs. Hale, appeared in front of me elegantly and nobly. Looking at me like despising an ant. Walked around me circle after circle, using the aura of long-term high status to oppress me with her eyes again and again: “What year is this! Still dreaming of Prince falling in love with Cinderella!” “I can accept you being played by my son, but a social bottom feeder like you, will never enter a wealthy family like the Hales even if you die!” She took out a lawsuit and smashed it on my face: “Return the ring! Or wait to be sued!” Chapter 2 Self-esteem frustrated, I immediately plucked up courage to rummage through my bag to return the ring to her. But the ring was gone. His mother arrogantly humiliated me again. Turning around, she threw the ring Julian gave me into the sea right in front of me. I suddenly realized, the ring was taken by her long ago. She deliberately humiliated and dealt with me. “You can tell Julian all this, see if he believes you or me!” Turning around, she really sued me. My parents sold the only house in the family to pay back the ring money, heavily in debt. Because of this, I had a big fight with Julian: “Your mother is a villain! She is doing evil!” First time he flushed red, fiercely scolding me without giving in: “I don’t allow you to say my mom like this!” “She just asked you to return the ring, you just follow her first, I’ll buy you another one later!” “If you took out the ring, there would be no such things!” “My mom is sick, I beg you to follow her a bit for my sake, okay?” That time, was our first conflict because of his mother. He believed his mom’s words, thought I deliberately didn’t return the ring. And thought I didn’t handle things well, not tactful. First time I experienced, filled with powerlessness towards him. And he also suffered again and again because caught in the middle. His action of stepping forward again pulled my thoughts back. “Julian Hale, impossible!” “I already have my own new life.” “Even if I don’t have a new life, even if your mom died, I can’t turn back.” “I hate her, and hate you too.” Speaking of this my emotions were slightly excited. Those scars, just thinking of them, are heart-wrenching pain. Julian paused, eyes overflowing with innocent guilt: “Things back then, each had difficulties, there were misunderstandings inside.” “Baby, listen to me explain slowly okay?” I shook my head slightly refusing, didn’t want to talk about the past by re-experiencing the scars. He was nervous to the point of red eyes. Facing my refusal, he was anxious and careful, afraid of scaring me. “Don’t disturb my life, that’s it.” I turned to leave. He caught up and grabbed my hand, pulling upstairs. “This time I say anything won’t let go of your hand again.” “I take you to see now, my mom really already had a stroke and paralyzed!” Not allowing me to refuse, he pulled me to the bedroom on the second floor. The face lying on the bed is the person who gave me countless midnight nightmares. She opened her eyes, seeing me, eyes glared excitedly. Just like back then, when she knew Julian still pestered me not breaking up. She forced a bottle of aphrodisiac drink (Roofie) down my throat, gritting teeth humiliating me: “Little bitch! Refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!” “I told you to stay away from my son! Your family made heavily in debt by me, actually still not afraid!” “I let you rot now!” “My son won’t want a rotten woman!” I was held down by her people, forced down a full bottle of aphrodisiac drink. Then, she put me in Julian’s deadly rival’s private room… My consciousness involuntary, under drug control, played by Julian’s deadly rival for several hours. When I collapsed holding my ruined body, ran to find Julian. He was lingering in bed with a girl of equal social status. I froze there, like dying. And he only stared angrily at the hickey left on my neck saying: “What, played happy yourself!” “Seeing me play, can’t stand it!” I was struck by lightning, painful then laughed. Turns out he knew all, but he chose to play deaf and dumb witnessing me sinking in pain. Chapter 3 Memory like blade, cutting my heart bloody. Looking at Julian’s mother’s face, I couldn’t help clenching my fist, biting back molars deeply. Couldn’t suppress anger in heart anymore, rushed forward and slapped her heavily: “This is what you owe me from my 20th year!” Mrs. Hale looked unhappy, glared at me fiercely. Julian’s eyes startled, didn’t expect I would hit. He hugged me from behind, comforting emotional me: “Mia, it’s all passed, these things won’t happen again in the future.” His embrace triggered my deeper hatred, turned around and slapped him on the face. “This is also what you owe me!” “Knew saving you would make our whole family live a life neither human nor ghost, I shouldn’t have saved you back then!” Five pink finger marks appeared on his cold white face. This slap made him smile. “So good, you are willing to lose temper at me.” He walked forward two steps, holding my hands, slapping his own face: “You hit, as long as you can vent anger, even beating me to death is fine!” I was confused. He didn’t mind pain. I still mind hand pain. “Enough! I should die alright!” Crackling slap sounds, terminated by Mrs. Hale’s roar. She stared at me angrily, like despising back then, just added helpless compromise. “I won’t stop you anymore.” “Want to be together then be together.” She said this sentence extremely reluctantly, gritting teeth. I laughed in anger: “Your son is garbage to me now!” “Give me for free I don’t want!” These words fiercely hurt the hearts of the Hale mother and son. He looked at me deeply, complaining eyes seemed to say, why I say such words to hurt him. Mrs. Hale snorted coldly to Julian: “See? Even I agreed, she won’t be with you!” She suddenly emotional, hate iron not becoming steel: “You half dead for such a woman! Worth it?” “Worth!” He replied very firmly. I turned and left, didn’t want to fall into the vortex of this mother and son again. Julian nervously pulled my hand again, explaining to me very fast: “I married Tiffany back then because, my mom was sick, only Tiffany could be a match for her.” “If I didn’t marry Tiffany, she wouldn’t do surgery.” “Back then I didn’t marry you, I was really helpless, not that I didn’t want to be responsible for you!” “Mia what I said is all true, beg you believe me once.” I forcefully threw off his hand, attitude still very firm: “All this is meaningless, I only hope not to be disturbed!” “If you don’t let me leave again, I will call the police.” He froze in place, smiled self-mockingly. Smiling smiling then cried. Looking at my back going away, his voice very confident: “I know you still love me!” “I will make us together again!” “No one can stop us!” Chapter 4 I didn’t take his blindly confident words to heart. I blocked all his contact information. Didn’t expect at a Charity Gala, saw the person I wanted to see least. Mrs. Hale sat in a wheelchair, still graceful and noble. Seeing me, servant pushed her towards me. Surroundings empty, she used voice others couldn’t hear. Like humiliating 20-year-old me, humiliated me again. “Playing hard to get! Hehe!” “Quite good at pretending, you came to this occasion just to attract my son’s attention right!” She glanced at me contemptuously: “I still say that, low-class goods like you only deserve to be played by my son!” “Don’t forget, you were forced a whole bottle of abortion pills by Julian back then!” “That medicine will make you infertile for life, I just let Julian be obsessed with you now.” “When he gets tired of playing, he will know you, a hen that can’t lay eggs, are useless!” 10 years ago, I not only almost infertile for life, but also almost died. When Julian knew I was pregnant with his deadly rival’s child, he was exasperated and cried forcing abortion pills on me. That time he said: “As long as not birth this child, I will persuade myself continue loving you.” “I give you chance to correct, you listen to me once, obediently drink this medicine.” He didn’t know I hoped the child in belly not born more than him. I resisted drinking the abortion medicine he brought, completely because medicine was switched by his mom, and increased dosage. And my resistance behavior, all misunderstood by Julian as, I cheated and fell in love with his deadly rival, so unwilling to drink abortion medicine. That day I lay on the floor, painfully panting, blood slowly spreading on carpet. And after Julian received Tiffany’s call asking him to accompany her to prenatal checkup, threw me alone in room. He never knew, that day I almost died because of him. Mrs. Hale’s sarcastic snort pulled my thoughts back. I had a fire in throat, couldn’t swallow, raised hand slapped Mrs. Hale in public: “Julian having a mother like you is his shame!” Mrs. Hale’s face just about to explode, suddenly changed drastically, covering face hit painful by me, crying said: “I know it was my fault stopping you before.” “I sincerely apologize to you, hope you can be with Julian.” “As long as you can vent anger, hit me however you want.” Not only Julian walked over, her voice attracted surrounding people’s eyes. Julian reached out want to hug me: “You can come specifically to see me here, I am very happy.” “Mia, give me and my mom some face on this occasion okay?” “After going back, you can make trouble however you want.” His voice very light, only let me and him hear. I alienated retreated a few steps to side, staring at him coldly: “Julian Hale, control your mom!” “Next time, it won’t be just a slap!” My warning attracted dissatisfaction from onlookers. “This girl speaks quite big tone, beating and scolding elders, really no upbringing!” Speaker didn’t know me, but I knew him! He is Hale family’s little follower, always fawning on Hale family, hoping Hale family can share some small projects to him. 40 something balding man, fawning look like a pug. “Who said my wife has no upbringing!” “My mommy is the best, you are the one with no upbringing.” 3-year-old son and husband’s voice came domineeringly at same time. Julian looked towards path crowd automatically dispersed, father and son walking in big strides, made him suddenly change color.

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28-year-old Lucas Sterling circled me in his arms, coaxing in a low voice. “Scarlett, give me a child, okay?” 35-year-old Lucas Sterling, when I was hanging by a thread, was caught by paparazzi hooking up with his little secretary in the hospital’s underground garage. Afterwards, Lucas was silent for a long time, lit a cigarette, his voice faint amidst the smoke. “Scarlett, don’t go trouble her, she’s young, doesn’t know better.” “I’ll compensate you.” I looked at the miscarriage report on my phone, numbly curved my lips. “No need, Lucas.” “Let’s… divorce.” Lucas’s hand holding the cigarette paused. “Scarlett, you’re not a child anymore.” “Consider the consequences before doing anything.” Consequences? I’ve considered them very clearly. Chapter 1 I put the divorce papers on the table, didn’t want to say anything more to Lucas, turned to leave. Lucas stubbed out the cigarette, reached out to pull me. “Scarlett, just a child.” “If you want, we can have another one later.” “Don’t bring up divorce at every turn.” My nose soured, blinked, trying not to let tears fall. “Lucas, he was eight months old, already formed!” Lucas sighed helplessly. “Unborn is just an embryo, can you not be so emotional?” I suppressed the surging emotions in my heart. “So did you think the same when you cheated with Summer? Lucas.” He gripped my wrist tightly, lowering his eyebrows. “Which man doesn’t do this?” “Cheating once, it counts as nothing, I promise you, Summer won’t appear in front of you again.” “Scarlett, we don’t need to go to the step of divorce.” Looking at Lucas’s self-righteous face, I closed my eyes, bitterness lingering in my heart. Cheating once? Lucas thought he hid it well. Actually I knew long ago. That time Lucas lied to me about a business trip, actually accompanied Summer to Malaysia to see the Kota Kinabalu sunset she always longed for. The young girl was bright and reckless, directly sent photos to provoke. She said. “Miss Scarlett, the sunset is beautiful, just Mr. Sterling is a bit fierce.” In that photo, Lucas kissed her wantonly under the warm sunset, the afterglow favored them. I was in so much pain I couldn’t breathe. I called Lucas, the phone was picked up quickly. His voice was hoarse, with lust. “What’s wrong, Scarlett.” I tried to make my voice sound normal. “What are you doing?” Lucas suppressed a groan, followed by very fast, very small sticky water sounds. My hand holding the phone trembled non-stop. I begged Lucas in my heart to tell me Summer was lying. “Exercising.” “Be good, I’m busy first, call you when done.” The phone was hung up abruptly. My heart completely cold, Lucas used action to tell me, he really cheated with Summer. I started unable to breathe, hands twisted together, numb all over. I was rushed to the hospital. In the hospital, the doctor told me I was pregnant. I pinched the pregnancy test sheet and cried for a long time. Later Lucas came back, I didn’t even have the courage to question him. Tears slid from the corner of my eyes. Lucas wiped my tears with his thumb. “Scarlett, just turn a blind eye, okay?” I was so angry my voice trembled. “Except divorce, there is no second possibility between us!” Lucas’s chest heaved constantly, he took a few deep breaths, suppressing emotions. “I won’t divorce you, Scarlett.” “You better kill this heart too.” “Calm down yourself.” Lucas threw the divorce papers into the trash can, slammed the study door loudly. Chapter 2 Snow fell heavily on the road. Lucas’s words lingered in my mind. He said “That’s just an embryo.” He said “Scarlett, don’t you have any fault?” Waves of pain came from my lower abdomen, tears smashed on the steering wheel. Couldn’t tell if sadness was more, or hate was more. Once, I was also the person Lucas protected on the tip of his heart. Lucas because of my sentence missing him. Would put down work at hand, cross half the country, knock on my door with my favorite flowers at dawn. In the second year with Lucas, I had a serious illness. Lucas, the young master who never believed in ghosts and gods, knelt 999 steps, knees knelt bloody, just to pray for my safety. Lucas to me, big to gold and silver jewelry, small to bit by bit companionship. Really spoiled me to the bone. The year I just married Lucas, wives in the circle bullied me for being young, scolded me behind my back as a market citizen from a small family, not presentable. I wasn’t willing to attend any important occasions with Lucas anymore. Later, Lucas knew the reason. He retaliated against those who chewed tongues behind backs. Lucas who always hid emotions, specially held a press conference to support me. Since then, no one dared to disrespect me openly. People in the circle envied me marrying someone who loved me so much like Lucas. I was also very lucky. Until later, Summer appeared. She was his university junior. Just sophomore. At first, Lucas just mentioned her more and more times. I asked him jealously. Do you like Summer. Lucas would kiss me. “Darling, why so jealous?” “She’s a little girl, temper is bad, how could I like her?” Perhaps at that time, Lucas’s heart had gradually tilted towards Summer. Just he didn’t know himself. We quarreled more and more because of Summer. Feelings were consumed completely in quarrels one after another. Lucas no longer hugged me gently, replaced by helplessness. “Scarlett, she’s a child, what do you calculate with her?” “I’m very tired, can you be mature?” Later, it was Summer’s blatant probing time and again. Person who loved me so much once, now indulged another person he loved to hurt me at will. Chapter 3 I returned to the villa, in the nursery prepared in advance, the small crib swayed with a gentle push. I looked for a long time, emotions burst. What’s the difference between an eight-month-old child and born? Clearly the doctor said the due date is next month. Clearly I planned everything, I read parenting books one after another at home. I bought him a Silver Rattle, even hand-made a Quilt, even the crib was polished bit by bit by designers and workers I found… I looked forward to this child’s arrival with full joy, I thought I would give him all my love, I wanted him to be happy forever. Clearly just a little bit. Just a little bit… Chapter 4 Summer came to find me because Lucas wanted to break up with her. Lucas said to her. “Summer, I will give you a sum of money, then you leave the city, don’t come back.” Summer unwilling. She cried asking Lucas if he ever loved her. Lucas kissed away her tears. “Summer, if I met you first, I would love you, just I already have Scarlett.” “Summer, don’t cry, I heartache.” After that Lucas never saw her again. Summer was forced anxious, don’t know how she found me. She came in pointing at my belly. “You think having a child can trap Mr. Sterling?!” “I tell you! You dream!” “The person Mr. Sterling loves is me! Is me!” I protected my belly backing up, wanted her to calm down. But Summer dazzled by anger couldn’t calm down. I called the nanny, wanted nanny to send Summer away. Summer pushed nanny to the ground, pounced on me. “Scarlett! Why don’t you go die?!” “You die, Mr. Sterling is mine alone!” I had no time to dodge, pushed to the ground by Summer, belly heavily hit the table corner. I sweated cold from pain. Summer like crazy, high heels kicked my belly fiercely one after another. She cursed asking me to die. I felt warm blood flowing to my thigh, panic occupied my heart, nanny climbed up pushed Summer away, called police for me, and called 911. Consciousness groggy, I dreamed a child waving at me. I couldn’t catch him no matter what. When I woke up, doctor looked at me hesitating to speak. I opened mouth, holding last trace of hope. “Doctor, my child…” Doctor sighed. “Sorry, Miss Scarlett, child didn’t keep.” Expected thing. Just hearing with own ears, I still couldn’t help emotional breakdown. Tears soaked pillow. Doctor advised me to restrain grief. Next day, TMZ exposed, Lucas and Summer hooking up in hospital underground garage. Chapter 5 I was like self-abuse, playing their video over and over again. Watching Lucas full of love, smilingly scooping her into arms. Watching Summer wearing silk nightdress, straddling him, few provocations, Lucas breath disordered. Urgent kiss, surging like waves. The Lucas I knew was restrained and gentle. Even if I once deliberately created romance wearing revealing dress, he would calmly evaluate, say this didn’t suit me. Heart seemed hollowed out a blood hole, throat gushed blood, even breathing was pain. I remembered our first night, I was nervous and afraid, movements clumsy. Lucas was not impatient, he coaxed me gently, voice steady like comforting a child. No lust fire, no loss of control, I thought it was his cherishing. But now looking, it was he didn’t want to invest passion, it was me to him, lacking fundamental attraction. Scenes of past, tearing whole body. I clearly realized, turns out Lucas never loved me. Doorbell rang non-stop. Just opened door. A slap already landed on my face. “Where is Lucas?!” Summer asked me angrily. Don’t know would think she came to catch adultery. I sneered. “How do I know?” Summer extremely angry, pushed me away walked into villa. “Lucas!” She shouted while searching. I let her roll out. Summer disregarded, until she pushed open that nursery door. Summer stunned, then held belly laughing loud. “Scarlett, look if you like a clown?” “Jumping clown!” “Hahahaha.” Summer laughed tremblingly, finished laughing, arms crossed leaning against wall looking at me. “Scarlett, I tell you, even I got rid of your child, Mr. Sterling simply doesn’t blame me.” “Do you want to know when you lay in operating room, how we had relations?” Summer approached me a step. “I called him, he blamed me at first.” “He said if your child had accident, he would kill me.” “I was so sad, how could he treat me like this?” “I cried, I cried crawling on his lap, I said, you kill me!” “I teased him while crying, you say is he too love me? Clearly you alive or dead uncertain, he still kissed me.” “He said, Summer, you really deserve to die!” “I pulled him sinking, did he not even sign surgery paper for you?” Summer eyes carried triumph. My whole body blood flowed backward. “Get out, Summer.” “What can you do if I don’t get out? Scarlett.” Summer twisted waist sat on sofa. “Right, forgot tell you, I’m pregnant.” “Mr. Sterling also knew that day, he even asked if he hurt me, also let me not say, avoid you can’t stand stimulation attack me.” My ears rang for a moment. “What did you say?” “I’m pregnant, Scarlett, you say is this your fate? Your child gone, my child came.” Summer poured herself a cup of tea. “I often think if God unfair, I liked Mr. Sterling at first sight, clearly I much prettier than you, you also just an orphan, even family don’t want you, you can have Mr. Sterling such perfect husband.” “Scarlett, I admit I jealous you.” “But now good, your child dropped, I pregnant, everything back to normal track.” Hate almost buried me. My child gone, Summer pregnant. No wonder… No wonder start to end Lucas protected Summer. No wonder our child killed by Summer, Lucas indifferent. Turns out, start to end, losing child only me one person. Damn! They all deserve die! Go to hell! I grabbed kitchen fruit knife want kill Summer. Knife about fall on Summer, caught by rushed over Lucas bare hand. Blood dripped down along knife edge. I tried pull out. Lucas held dead tight not let go. “Scarlett, are you crazy?!” Summer scared face pale, she fiercely pushed me to ground. “Mr. Sterling…” Lucas let go hand, knife fell ground. Summer looked at Lucas constantly bleeding hand, distressed dropping tears. She stepped my hand hard. I hurt speechless. “Scarlett, why don’t you go die!” Lucas pulled her. “Enough, Summer.” “She treated you like that…” Lucas frowned, bit impatient. “Stop noise, go hospital first.” Lucas looked me with pity and disappointment. “Scarlett, what difference you now with madwoman.” “You let me too disappointed.” Threw this sentence, Lucas took Summer leave. I watched their distant back, looked again knife on ground. “Lucas.” I softly called him. Lucas and Summer turned back same time. Next second, knife plunged into Summer belly. Summer softly fell down. Lucas reacted, subconsciously kicked me away. Lower back hit cabinet corner, hurt me vision black. Lucas ignored own hand wound. Tightly hugged Summer, trembling hand dialed 911. I laughed silently. Lucas saw me laugh, angry eye rims red. “Scarlett, if Summer and child in her belly have any matter, you spend rest life in jail!” I felt funny. When my eight months child killed by Summer, I wanted sue her. Lucas first step destroyed apartment surveillance, said to me. “Scarlett, ruin a girl bright life because an embryo, too cruel.” “Moreover you even no evidence, how you sue her?” He gently hugged me, sighed. “Scarlett, no need, we will have children later.” “I compensate you, okay?” Now for another woman, nervous to put ruthless words to me. Said want me sit jail bottom through. Tears slid down cheek. Lucas, I hate you.

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Dad bought a cotton candy for me and one for my big sister, Chloe. I took mine happily, but Chloe started wailing. “Why does she get the same as me? See? Now that you have a second kid, I’m not the favorite anymore!” Hearing this, Mom gently pulled the cotton candy out of my hand. “Be a good girl, Ellie. Give this to Chloe. You can eat something else later.” But I wanted cotton candy too. I started to cry, feeling wronged. Mom snapped instantly. “Can’t you be more mature? You already stole half of Chloe’s love! Can’t you even let her have a cotton candy?” “Fighting with your sister at this age… what will you become when you grow up?” Scared, I stopped crying and tugged at Mom’s coat. “Mommy, don’t be mad. Ellie doesn’t want it anymore…” Mom froze for a second, then seemed even angrier. She stormed to the stall, bought ten cotton candies, and shoved them into my arms. “Eat! Sit right here and eat! Don’t move until you finish them all!” Mom took Chloe’s hand and walked away. Dad patted my head, his voice tired. “Ellie, be good. When Mom cools down, Dad will come back for you.” I sat alone on the bench in the mall, stuffing cotton candy into my mouth as fast as I could. When I was eating the seventh one, the mall caught fire. Chapter 1 People screamed and ran toward the exits. I sat on the bench, too scared to move. I just ate faster. The cotton candy was so sweet it tasted bitter. Eat faster. Faster. Once I finish, Dad will come back for me. Suddenly, strong arms scooped me up from the chair. It was the Cotton Candy Lady. She ran outside and put me down, gasping for air. “Stay here! Don’t move! I’m going to find a police officer to help find your parents. Do you hear me? Don’t run off!” Just then, I saw Chloe. I ran over and grabbed her arm. “Chloe! Where are Mom and Dad?” Chloe shook off my hand violently. She looked at me with hate. “Mom and Dad thought you were still inside. They went back in to save you.” My brain buzzed. I turned around and sprinted back toward the fire. I had to find Mom and Dad. I had to bring them out. The Cotton Candy Lady was too far away to catch me. She screamed desperately behind me. “Come back! Child! What are you doing! Come back—!” I didn’t look back. I waved at her while running. “Thank you, Auntie!” I ran back to the bench against the heatwave. The bench was already blackened by smoke. Flames crackled all around. “Dad! Mom!” I shouted, my voice hoarse. But there was no one. The cotton candy in my arms melted into sticky syrup all over my clothes. If Mom saw this, she would be so mad. I ran desperately, looking for them. Nowhere. I couldn’t find them anywhere. I tripped and fell. I didn’t have the strength to get up anymore. Fire and thick smoke surrounded me. I curled up on the scorching floor and prayed with my last thought. “Mom, Dad, please make it out…” The pain and suffocation vanished quickly. I seemed to float up. It was magical. I thought of Mom and Dad, and suddenly, I was drifting beside them. On the chaotic street outside the mall, Mom was wrapping a blanket carefully around Chloe. “Don’t be scared, Chloe. It’s over,” Mom soothed her. Dad handed Chloe a cup of hot cocoa. “Chloe, are you shocked? Drink something sweet to calm down.” Thank goodness! Mom and Dad are safe! Dad turned to a busy firefighter, gesturing urgently. “Excuse me, have you seen a little girl? About this tall? Two pigtails, wearing a white coat…” Dad was looking for me! I rushed over to hug Dad’s leg. But I passed right through his body. “Dad! Ellie is here!” I shouted loud. I tried again and again, but I grabbed nothing but air. Just then, Chloe tugged at Dad’s sleeve. “Dad… I think I saw Ellie just now.” Dad froze. Mom turned her head sharply. “Really? Where? Is she okay?” Dad’s voice trembled with excitement as he grabbed Chloe’s shoulders. Chloe flinched, shrinking back. She whispered, “She left with a lady.” “A lady? What kind of lady? Which way?” Dad asked urgently. Guilt flashed in Chloe’s eyes, but neither Mom nor Dad noticed. “I think it was the Cotton Candy Lady…” “I wanted to scare her a little. I told her you guys thought she was inside and went in to save her.” “But… she ignored me. She didn’t even ask about you guys. She just left with that lady.” The urgency on Dad’s face vanished. His face turned gray as he let go. No! It’s not like that! I didn’t leave you! I was crying, screaming to explain, but they heard nothing. Mom was shaking with rage. “She ignored you and left?!” She hugged Chloe tighter and glared at Dad. “Listen! Just listen! This is the ‘good daughter’ you spoiled!” “She knew we risked our lives to find her, and she didn’t even ask if we were alive? She just left with a stranger selling candy!” Dad hunched his back, staring dead at the mall entrance. He said nothing. In the crowd, I saw the Cotton Candy Lady sitting on the ground, wailing. “That child… I brought her out! But she heard her parents were inside and ran back in!” “Silly child… she could have lived!” I whispered I’m sorry to her. Dad looked in her direction. He took a few steps forward. His eyes flickered. My heart tightened. Dad must recognize her! He must know Chloe is lying! But Dad stopped. He turned back to Mom and sighed. “Did you hear that?” Dad sounded so disappointed. “Someone else’s child… heard her parents might be inside. She was safe, but she ran back in.” “What a loyal, brave kid.” Dad didn’t recognize her. Chloe let out a breath of relief. Mom scoffed. “You said it. That’s someone else’s child.” “Ours is an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. Don’t compare them.” “For a bite of candy, she ignored her own parents’ lives. We wasted years raising her!” I stood there, feeling so wronged. It wasn’t someone else’s child! That was me! I am your child! Dad wiped his face wearily. “Let’s go. Let’s go home.” Chapter 2 My soul followed them home involuntarily. The house was exactly as we left it this morning. The lights on the Christmas tree twinkled quietly. The snowflake stickers I pasted were still on the window. Dad opened the fridge and took out a turkey. Mom rolled her eyes. “Why bother with that bird? None of us like turkey.” “We bought it because that ungrateful brat begged for roast turkey on Christmas Eve. It cost fifty bucks!” “And now? She doesn’t even care!” Dad sighed. He put the turkey back, thought for a moment, then took it out again. “Let’s cook it anyway.” “Maybe she’s just playing. Maybe she went to a friend’s house.” “Maybe… she’ll come back for dinner.” Dad made a feast. The roast turkey was golden, just like on TV. Too bad I couldn’t taste it anymore. I tried to grab the turkey, flying through the table. Mom suddenly looked in my direction. My heart jumped. Can Mom see me? I waved, but her eyes didn’t move. She was just staring at the dark window behind me. After a while, Mom slammed her chopsticks on the table. “I knew it! She’s not coming back!” Mom’s voice trembled with rage. She stood up, grabbed the untouched turkey, and threw it in the trash. “If she has the guts, she better never come back! I’ll pretend I never gave birth to her!” “Don’t…” I tried to stop her, reaching for the turkey. But I touched nothing. Dad patted Mom’s back gently. “Okay, okay. Don’t be mad at her. We still have Chloe.” Chloe immediately threw herself into Mom’s arms. “Mommy, don’t be mad. Chloe only loves Mommy and Daddy.” Mom hugged her tight. “Yes… Mommy isn’t mad.” “Mommy still has Chloe.” Dad stroked Chloe’s back too. Under the twinkling Christmas lights, the family of three hugged tightly. The next morning, Dad rushed into my room as soon as he woke up. Seeing the empty bed, his shoulders slumped. Mom stood behind him and sneered. “Checking what? Still fantasizing she’ll come back? Ridiculous!” On the TV, the news was reporting on the fire. “The search and rescue operation for the massive mall fire yesterday is coming to an end. Most victims have been identified. However, one young female victim remains unclaimed.” “The body was found near the play area on the fourth floor. Height approximately 3 feet 11 inches…” I screamed. That’s Ellie! Go bring me home! Dad walked closer to the TV, trying to see clearly. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Dad and Mom froze. “Is Ellie back?” Panic flashed across Chloe’s face. She ran to open the door. Standing there was my best friend, Mia. Mia held a beautifully wrapped gift box, eyes sparkling. “Morning, Chloe! Is Ellie up? We promised to exchange gifts today! It’s Christmas!” Chloe blocked the door, voice cold. “Ellie? She’s not coming back. Don’t come looking for her anymore.” Mia looked confused. “Why? Where did she go?” Chloe scoffed. “She wanted to eat cotton candy every day, so she adopted the Cotton Candy Lady as her mom. She’s never coming back to this house.” “No way!” Mia’s eyes turned red. “Ellie wouldn’t just leave without saying anything! Even if she left, she would say goodbye to me!” I floated next to Mia, feeling warm. Mom sighed. She walked into my room and dragged out two large boxes. They were filled with my favorite toys and books. “Take these. Don’t cry. Be careful making friends in the future. Don’t play with heartless kids.” Mia stepped forward and dug through the box carefully. Soon, she found the Christmas gift I prepared for her. The box had our secret drawing on it. “Found it! This is from Ellie!” Mia put the gift in her bag and looked up at Mom seriously. “Auntie, these toys belong to Ellie. I don’t want them. I just want my gift exchange.” “I’ll wait for Ellie to come back.” Mom didn’t answer. Mia walked away, then turned back. “Uncle, Auntie, my mom says trust is the most important thing in a family.” “Ellie isn’t heartless. She will come back.” Mom slammed the door. Bang. “A little brat lecturing me! Who does she think she is?” Mom was furious. She dragged the boxes out the door. “What are you doing?” Dad tried to stop her. “Let me go!” Mom shook him off. “Out of sight, out of mind! Just pretend she’s dead!” But Mom, I am dead. Chloe “helpfully” assisted Mom in throwing all my things into the community dumpster. Some kids gathered, rummaging roughly through my stuff. The doll Mia gave me was unpacked. A beautiful porcelain doll. “What is this junk?” The doll was thrown on the ground. Shattered. I wanted to stop them, but I was less than a breeze. I could only pass through them. Finally, they got bored and left with their loot. I floated back home silently. Everything related to me was gone. Mom truly didn’t want me anymore. Chapter 3 For the next few days, life went back to normal. No one mentioned me. Like I never existed. Until one day, Ms. Baker from preschool called. “Mrs. Lu, Ellie hasn’t been to school for days. Is everything okay?” Mom’s voice was cold. “Oh, nothing. She’s not going anymore. I’ll process her withdrawal in a few days.” Ms. Baker hesitated. “Is it possible… that the little girl in the viral video is actually Ellie?” “What video?” Mom asked stiffly. Ms. Baker sighed in relief. “If you don’t know, then it must not be her.” “It’s the fire video. A little girl ran back into the fire to find her parents… heartbreaking.” “The back looked like her… Good, good that it’s not.” Mom raised her voice. “Ms. Baker, we heard about that girl. It’s not Ellie. She’s not that noble.” “She fought with her sister over food. I scolded her, and she ran off with a stranger to be her new mom. Haven’t seen her since!” Ms. Baker gasped. “So Ellie has been missing for days? Did you call the police?” Mom cut her off. “Police? Her sister saw her leave willingly! Chloe never lies!” Ms. Baker’s voice turned serious. “Mrs. Lu, there must be a misunderstanding. I know Ellie.” “Besides, for such a young child, even if she left, you as a mother have a duty to find her!” Mom jumped up from the sofa. “Addicted to lecturing? You don’t even have kids! Don’t tell me how to be a mother!” “I think you’re a terrible teacher. Tricked by a kid.” “Some kids are just born bad. Two-faced little monsters!” Mom slammed the phone down. At dinner, there was a knock. It was Ms. Baker and two police officers. Mom’s face darkened. “Ms. Baker? You brought cops to my house?” “I told you, our family matters don’t need outsiders!” Ms. Baker tried to stay calm. “Mrs. Lu, something doesn’t feel right. I know Ellie.” “For the child’s safety, I must verify.” Mom glanced at the cops and crossed her arms. “She left on her own. No missing person. No fire.” “That kid is spoiled. One cotton candy didn’t go her way, and she pulls this stunt. I’m not playing her game!” Chloe, hiding behind Mom, suddenly pointed at Ms. Baker and shouted: “Ellie told me Ms. Baker is the worst!” “She plays favorites and hits Ellie! Ellie hates preschool!” She’s lying! I love Ms. Baker! Ms. Baker ignored the slander. She stared at Chloe for a long time. “Officer, this child… please look closely. Is she the one…” The officer looked at Chloe, tapped his phone, and handed it to Mom. “Is the girl in this video your daughter?” Mom looked impatient. “Video again? I said that girl isn’t…” She stopped. The screen was paused on Chloe’s profile. Mom’s hand shook as she pressed play. In the video, Chloe’s voice was full of icy malice. “Mom and Dad thought you were still inside. They went back in to save you.” Then, my tiny figure sprinted into the black smoke without hesitation. And the Cotton Candy Lady, kneeling on the pavement, screaming. “Silly child… she could have lived!” Mom looked like her soul was sucked out. She stood rigid, knuckles white gripping the phone. Dad swayed violently. He looked up, staring dead at Chloe. “You…” His words choked in his throat, blocked by immense grief and disbelief. Chloe turned pale as a sheet, backing away, shaking her head. The video looped. Even though it was just my back, how could they not recognize me? The “ungrateful wolf” they cursed for days. The child punished alone in the mall for wanting a treat. The child who ran into hell because of one sentence from her sister. The “someone else’s kid” they admired. It was their Ellie. “AHHH——!!” Mom let out a scream so piercing it deformed her face. She lunged at Chloe, shaking her shoulders violently. “Why! Chloe! Tell me why! That was your sister! Your own sister!” “How could you say that to her?! How could you watch her run into the fire?! How could you…” Chloe was terrified out of her mind. She just cried, unable to say a word. Ms. Baker teared up and shouted: “Now you blame the daughter? Where were you parents when this happened?!” Mom froze. Her hands dropped from Chloe’s shoulders. “Ms. Baker, you’re right.” She mumbled, then slapped herself hard. “It’s my fault. That day… I was in a bad mood. When I saw Chloe cry, I remembered my own childhood. Being the older sister. I was mistreated because of my siblings.” “I tried to be fair. I tried to treat them equally. But I couldn’t. I was so tired…” Slap! Another blow to her own face. “Experts say, if you can’t be fair, prioritize the older one. Because the younger one doesn’t understand. They won’t remember. You can make it up later.” “I thought Ellie didn’t understand. She’s small. She’d forget.” “So every time I lost control, I took it out on Ellie. Because she’s small. She doesn’t hold grudges…” Mom wept, slapping herself rhythmically. “I actually believed her sister. I thought Ellie was heartless… I’m not human. I don’t deserve to be a mother!” Dad stepped up and held Mom’s hands. “Don’t do this. Blame me… I knew Ellie was wronged. Why did I smooth things over? Why did I walk away? Why did I buy milk tea…” Dad cried like a child. He took Mom’s hand and slapped his own face. “Okay, calm down!” The lead officer raised his voice, separating the broken parents from the shivering Chloe. “Based on the video and evidence, we highly suspect the unclaimed child victim is your daughter, Ellie Lu.” “Please come to the station to identify the body.” Chapter 4 Hearing the officer, Mom’s dull eyes suddenly focused with a terrifying light. “Right! We haven’t seen her! We haven’t seen the body!” She started grabbing her coat, energized by denial. “The video only shows her back! A back doesn’t prove anything! Maybe we’re wrong? Maybe she ran in and ran out?” “It’s definitely not Ellie. She’s alive. She went with the lady to eat cotton candy! She loves cotton candy!” “Ellie is just mad at me. She ran away. She must be somewhere!” Dad closed his eyes in despair. He knew. But seeing Mom’s hope, he rasped out a lie to himself: “Maybe… maybe there’s a miracle?” Even if the miracle meant his daughter hated them and ran off with a stranger. As long as she was alive. Breathing. Somewhere. The police car pulled up to the back of the morgue. Mom and Dad supported each other, stumbling out of the car. Just as they reached the steps, a figure rushed out and blocked them. Mrs. Higgins. The Cotton Candy Lady. Her eyes were swollen. She still wore the coat stained with soot and sugar. “You… you people are actually alive!” “That child risked everything to save you! You killed her!” Mom ignored the accusation. She grabbed Mrs. Higgins’ arm, begging incoherently. “Ma’am! Ma’am, tell me! Did Ellie go with you? You took her for cotton candy, right?” “Where is she? Give her back to me! She’s alive, right? Please tell me she’s alive!” Mrs. Higgins froze. Then, enraged by the absurdity. Slap! A loud slap across Mom’s face. “I WISH she went with me!” Mrs. Higgins roared. “I’ve been squatting here for days, waiting to see if anyone would claim her! I wanted to see if the heartless parents who abandoned her were dead yet!” “Ask your conscience! Are you human?! Leaving a toddler alone! Forcing her to eat so much sugar! When I saved her, she was mumbling ‘can’t leave until I finish’!” Mom covered her face, lips trembling. “No… I just wanted to punish her a little… I didn’t think… I thought she could run…” Mrs. Higgins choked on her tears. “She did run! I brought her out! But then?” “You treated her like that! Yet when she heard you were inside, she didn’t hesitate! She ran into hell!” “But you? You animals are alive! Such a good child is… I can’t accept this!” Mrs. Higgins broke down, squatting on the ground, wailing. Mom stood there, eyes completely empty. Dad held her up, his own hands shaking uncontrollably. The police officer whispered to Mrs. Higgins and led her aside. Mom and Dad, like two zombies, followed the officer up the steps. My body was burned beyond recognition. Only my teeth and DNA confirmed it was me. They didn’t say a word. Mom didn’t scream or cry. She just hugged the small box and got in the car. Dad’s jaw was clenched so hard it looked like it would snap. He touched the box with a trembling hand. “Ellie, let’s go home.” “Sorry. Dad said he’d come back for you. Dad is late.”

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It was snowing heavily. I was walking down the street. Suddenly, my foot slipped. My hand accidentally grabbed onto the villain’s tofu stand for support. He looked at me coldly: “You touch it, you buy it. Ten dollars a portion.” Helplessly, I took out my phone to pay, but accidentally slipped again. This time, I didn’t dare grab the tofu stand. In my panic, I grabbed the villain’s collar. With a rip, his shirt tore open, revealing half of his chest muscles. When I reacted, my other hand was wrapped around his waist. I asked cautiously: “Do I have to buy this too if I touch it?” Before he could answer, a line of subtitles floated before my eyes: [This cannon fodder passerby is done for! Not only did she wreck the villain’s stall, but she also humiliated him. When the villain stands at the top of the pyramid of power, the first thing he’ll do is eliminate everyone who humiliated him!] 1 It was snowing heavily. The snow on the road was thick. Because I was in a hurry, my foot slipped. I accidentally grabbed onto the fermented tofu stand next to me for support. Trays of fuzzy fermented tofu were messed up by me, and a few pieces fell onto the ground. The vendor was a thin, handsome boy. He looked at me coldly: “You touch it, you buy it. Ten dollars a portion.” Helplessly, I took out my phone to pay. But I was bumped by someone rushing past. Accidentally slipped again. This time, I didn’t dare grab the tofu stand. In my panic, my hand grabbed the boy’s collar. With a rip, his shirt tore open, revealing half of his chest muscles. When I reacted, my other hand was wrapped around his waist. I asked cautiously: “Do I have to buy this too if I touch it?” The boy’s body stiffened noticeably. He looked down at his open shirt front. Before he could answer. Many bullet comments floated before my eyes. [The villain finally saved enough money to buy a cheap cotton coat, and this passerby ripped it apart just like that. Great, a week’s worth of fermented tofu sold for nothing.] [This cannon fodder passerby is done for! Not only did she wreck the villain’s stall, but she also humiliated him. When the villain stands at the top of the pyramid of power, the first thing he’ll do is eliminate everyone who humiliated him.] ? God, are you playing with me like this? I just accidentally smiled while scrolling through videos this morning. I didn’t have any happiness at all. Now, just because I accidentally slipped, you want me to die?! The boy in front of me stared at me with a gloomy and heavy gaze. The cold air was pressing, and I felt like I couldn’t escape. I let go of him trembling, wanting to take a step back. As soon as my ankle twisted, a piercing pain shot through. Seems like I sprained it. I endured the pain and squatted down, preparing to check the injury. My phone rang suddenly. I pressed answer. The boss’s displeased voice came from the other end: “Shen Wei, do you know how late you are?!” “Boss, it’s snowing today, the road is hard to walk, I…” “What you, everyone else can come, but you can’t come on time, right?” “No.” I looked at my red and swollen ankle and whispered: “I want to take a day off today.” “I told you long ago, ask for leave in advance! How about this, I’ll just approve a long vacation for you. Starting today, you don’t need to come!” The call was hung up. Damn it. Stupid company, thunderous boss. I didn’t want to work there long ago anyway. Although comforting myself like this. But at this moment, the pain in my ankle and the stinging pain of wind and snow blowing on my face filled my whole body. Tears still overflowed my eyes uncompetitively. “Are you okay?” A clear voice came from above my head. I quickly wiped away my tears and stood up enduring the pain. Not wanting him to see my embarrassment, I changed the subject: “How much is the fermented tofu I messed up just now? I’ll pay you.” I just wanted to pay and get away from him quickly. To save my life in time. But unexpectedly, the movement of entering the payment password was stopped by a slender hand. “No need.” “It’s on me.” The boy still had no expression on his face. He scraped the tofu into a small basin piece by piece with a spatula. Then added spoonfuls of sauce, mixing evenly in the iron basin. His fingers were slender, with distinct joints, a pair of very beautiful hands. But at this moment, from fingertips to knuckles, they were frozen into a kind of bluish-white red. I looked around. The weather was too cold, and not a single vendor was seen. Only he and that stall made from an old broken tricycle stood there lonely. Snowflakes fell on his black hair tips and thin shoulders, and some drilled into the ripped clothes. My foot hurt as soon as I moved. I couldn’t run even if I wanted to. Could only stand there, thinking if he would poison me. The bullet comments suddenly started to feel distressed. [The villain is actually quite pitiful. Bullied by classmates and suffering from defensive ability delay disorder. This disease makes his reaction beat slower even when raising his hand to resist bullying. He can only freeze and let others hurt him, forgetting how to struggle even in pain.] [Not only that, he was also despised by his adoptive parents. The adoptive parents’ family moved away happily without leaving a penny, leaving only him and his sick grandmother at home. He is a senior high student, and still has to make time to set up a stall to subsidize the family.] [Fortunately, he met the female lead later, untied his heart knot, and cured his illness. So even if the female lead hurt him later, he never abandoned her.] [His life is bitter like this. It’s already amazing that he didn’t have a tug-of-war with the beam with his neck.] I keenly captured the key information in the bullet comments. Is it true that as long as his defensive ability delay disorder is cured, I won’t have to die! Just thinking, the packed jar was handed to me. I didn’t take it, tentatively asking: “Excuse me, can I borrow your stall for a moment?” 2 I didn’t have much hope originally. But unexpectedly he agreed surprisingly. He rode the tricycle to take me to the hospital for a checkup. And carried me on his back, climbing up step by step to the rental room on the sixth floor. The injury wasn’t serious. The doctor prescribed medicine and said to move less and rest more. On the way, I asked his name. Liam Chen. I praised his name for sounding good, but he didn’t respond. Arriving at the door, he put me down and turned to leave. Throughout the process, his brows were always covered with a layer of coldness. Unwilling to reveal any emotion, nor willing to talk much with me. I simply had no way to start. I was anxious in my heart and hurriedly called him: “My foot hurts, walking is difficult. Can I trouble you with one more thing? There are ingredients in the fridge, can you help me cook a meal before leaving? Haven’t eaten since morning till now, so hungry.” He frowned. Remained silent for a few seconds. But still rolled up his sleeves and went to the kitchen. I thought to myself, maybe his illness is easier to treat than imagined? I shouted towards the kitchen: “Make more! I’m starving!” The bullet comments started to complain non-stop: [This passerby is really in the way, delaying the villain making money. Grandma is sick now, the job of selling fermented tofu is left to him, and he can only rely on this job to maintain life. The money earned every day, besides buying medicine for grandma, the rest is only enough to buy two steamed buns in the cafeteria to fill the stomach.] [Sigh, actually the villain was quite kind when he was young. Pity he was always bullied, suffered too much malice, and the defensive ability delay disorder became more and more serious, eventually making him lose emotions and become cold-blooded and cruel.] [This passerby better not overestimate herself. This illness didn’t happen in a day or two, how can it be cured so easily? Better accept fate early!] I ignored the bullet comments. Taking advantage of the gap when Liam was cooking, I limped to the bedroom. Dug out a men’s down jacket, a base layer, and a pair of jeans from a plastic bag. These were originally bought for my ex-boyfriend. But before I could give them to him, he broke up with me. The clothes passed the return period. So they were kept at home. Didn’t expect them to come in handy today. 3 When I walked out with the clothes. Liam was putting a bowl of steaming noodles on the coffee table. I took the initiative to smile at him, “Thank you.” “By the way, I tore your clothes. I found two pieces of clothes that no one wears at home for you. Don’t know if they fit.” I held up the clothes beside me and gestured towards him. “Try them. Although not new models, they are clean.” A trace of fluctuation flashed in his eyes, then dimmed again. “No need.” “But if you go home like this, your family will be worried seeing it.” Liam remembered grandma was still at home. He remained silent for a few seconds. Didn’t agree, but didn’t refuse either. I forced the clothes into his hands. Liam finally compromised. I thought while eating noodles, the size of the clothes might be a bit big for him. The moment Liam pushed open the bedroom door, my eyes lit up. These clothes on him were a bit loose. But he was tall and filled them out, looking stylish instead. The bullet comments suddenly became lively. [Damn, this looks much more handsome than the cheap cotton coat the villain bought for 9.9.] [I announce, throw away the previous pants, and throw that broken cotton coat even further away. What kind of quality was that.] [Who would have thought, this contrast makes me feel a trace of pity for this beautiful villain.] [Have to say, this scene is quite heartwarming.] [What’s the use of being heartwarming? The school will hold a parent-teacher meeting in a few days. Every time there is a parent-teacher meeting or home-school activity, the villain never had a relative appear at school. So those bad kids dare to bully him, especially one called Zhou Yao. They bet no one would come to hold a parent-teacher meeting for him, and even made him kneel and bark like a dog, and his clothes would be made dirty and torn again.] [Moreover, the villain goes to school on financial aid. Once he finally mustered up the courage to resist, the bullying school leaders, in order to reduce trouble, actually forced him to apologize first. As a result, his illness became more serious. Maybe this is also a defense mechanism. If he hadn’t endured all the time, maybe he wouldn’t even be able to go to school now.] [Yeah. They also spread rumors that the villain sent photos of his lower body to girls. Those rumors couldn’t be clarified, and the whole school thought he was a pervert. Because of this illness, the villain didn’t have the courage to resist, so he buried these malices in his heart until he completely blackened.] [No way, he is so smart. Originally he was material for top universities. If he gets into a good university, he will definitely have a boundless future.] [Pity there’s no chance. This parent-teacher meeting is the last straw that breaks the camel’s back. The humiliation from those bad kids will make him lose face in the whole class, his illness will worsen, his studies will also be affected, and later he was forced to drop out. This is his fate.] What? A seedling for top universities forced to drop out? My heart tightened, frowning. What fate or not. His fate is up to me, not heaven, hehe. My fist hardened silently by my side. This must be handled as a matter. I want those bad kids who bully Liam and the stupid school leaders to know. Their strictest mother is here. Liam saw my changed expression and thought I was dissatisfied. “Is it unsuitable? I’ll take it off right now.” He turned to go into the room to change. I hurriedly stopped him: “No no no, it fits very well, you look very handsome in it!” He looked away a bit embarrassedly. I took the opportunity to serve a bowl of noodles and pushed it in front of him. “You gave me fermented tofu, I treat you to a bowl of noodles, very reasonable, right?” 4 Watching Liam eating noodles. I suddenly sighed heavily: “Sigh! If my brother were here, he would be as big as you, pity.” Liam’s hand paused. “Pity, he was hit by a car and died when he was in high school five years ago.” Lying to him. Actually, my brother didn’t pass the high school entrance exam at all. He stole my betrothal gift money to gamble, causing my parents to force me to marry the fool at the village head. Later I secretly ran away from them and cut off relations with them. Liam stopped eating noodles, looking guilty: “Sorry, made you think of sad things.” I tried hard to squeeze out two tears. “Sigh, in the end, I haven’t even held a parent-teacher meeting for him, haven’t seen his youthful and energetic appearance at school, what a pity!” Liam lowered his head and pondered for a moment. Subsequently, he looked at me carefully: “If you don’t mind, can I invite you to help me hold a parent-teacher meeting?” “Just treat it as… holding it for your brother.” I smiled and nodded at him, “Of course!”

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I got pregnant unexpectedly during the cooling-off period of my divorce from my emotionally distant, mostly silent husband. Hoping to salvage the marriage, I asked, “If we had a baby, would we have been able to avoid this?” Rory Montgomery’s voice was as flat as a straight line on an EKG. “The outcome would be the same.” I nodded, the realization a cold, painful ache in my chest, and managed a desolate smile. Three months later, I went for a check-up at the clinic. And, of course, that’s when I ran into Rory. He was there looking for a colleague in the OB-GYN department. He froze when he saw me. His colleague, an older doctor, asked him, “Acquaintance?” Rory’s eyes were locked on me. His knuckles were white against the clipboard he was holding. “My ex-wife.” 01 Good news: I was pregnant. Bad news: We were in the middle of our divorce cooling-off period. My best friend, Mina, gets all the major updates first. I snapped a picture of the pregnancy test and sent it to her. Her reply was an entire screen of capital-letter obscenities. “Is it Rory’s?” I rolled my eyes. “Whose else would it be?” Mina chuckled knowingly. “Well, then, what the hell are you two divorcing for?” I hung up the phone and walked out of the clinic, the city noise immediately assaulting me. My mind was looping back to the fight Rory and I had two weeks ago. Though ‘fight’ wasn’t really the word. A fight requires two people to be equally engaged. Between Rory and me, it was always a one-woman show—me, unloading. He, for the most part, maintained a horrifying, impenetrable silence. The reason for the blowout was typical. I’d spent another night out with friends and gotten dropped off at the condo in the morning. Rory’s reaction was to call our family doctor and then head straight to his shift at the hospital. He was a doctor. A specialist, in fact. My husband. Why couldn’t he stay and help me sober up? Why couldn’t he handle the dry-cleaning for my ruined dress? Why… wasn’t there even a single word of accusation? What did I even count for in his life? I nursed my resentment, waiting for him to come home from the hospital. But Rory didn’t return until noon the next day. I finally snapped. I threw a ceramic mug against the hardwood floor and demanded to know what he meant by all this. He calmly lifted his gaze. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked profoundly exhausted. “What drama are you starting now, Zoe?” he said. I almost laughed—a nasty, wounded sound. “Don’t you have anything to say to me?” Accuse me. Yell at me. Be hysterical. Anything. Just don’t be a still, calm, empty well. Rory paused, his gaze briefly sweeping over the scattered pieces of the broken mug on the floor. When he looked back up, his voice was heavy. “No.” That was it. I lost it. Emotion flared up, blinding me. “Fine. Let’s just get divorced.” Rory stood absolutely still, just staring at me. A flicker of panic ran through me. But the words were out. My pride wouldn’t let me back down now. So, I lifted my chin and met his gaze defiantly. After a long stretch of silence, Rory’s voice was dry, almost a whisper. “Alright.” Then, he simply turned and walked upstairs. I was left there, paralyzed. It took me a full minute to process that he had agreed—just like that. He let go so easily? As I came back to reality, a shard of glass from the broken mug pierced my skin. The sudden pain made me gasp. Staring at the familiar fragments, I suddenly understood why Rory had looked at the floor for so long. That mug was the first gift I ever bought for him. 02 Irritable and lost, I drove back to the condo. My father had bought the place for me. Rory, not having the means to afford it, had moved in only after my father had finished ridiculing him and ordered him to. A little while later, one of my contacts—a frenemy—texted me Rory’s hospital shift schedule. It was almost time for him to get off. I rushed out, making sure to grab the pregnancy test report. A hidden surge of anticipation rose in my chest. What would Rory look like? What would he say? He’d probably be stunned senseless. I didn’t even realize I was smiling. At the Metropolitan Hospital, I found his familiar sedan in the parking garage and waited. Half an hour later, his tall figure appeared. Rory was wearing a trench coat. His expression was cool, aloof—he looked like a robot running on minimal operating power. I watched him approach, a greedy hunger rising in me. Since we’d filed the initial paperwork at the courthouse last week, we hadn’t seen each other. He looked thinner. The dark circles under his eyes seemed deeper. I felt a sudden, fierce urge to lock him up in the condo, keep him away from everything. Away from the hospital, away from his ridiculous job, away from anything that took his energy and time. I was about to get out of the car. Then, I saw a woman run up to him from behind. My eyes narrowed. I stopped moving. Outside, they stood there, talking. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but then I saw it—the slight, almost imperceptible curve of a smile on Rory’s lips. The report in my hand instantly crumpled, the paper gaining deep, permanent creases. In the year we’d been married, I had never seen Rory show any unnecessary emotion. He was always calm, cold, or simply oblivious to me. Even in bed, he was clinical and dispassionate, treating the act like an obligation to be fulfilled. But now. He smiled. He was smiling at a random woman. It felt as though something I’d begged and starved for was being casually picked up by someone else. Before I could fully react, the woman got into Rory’s car. A cold laugh escaped me. No wonder he agreed to the divorce so easily. He couldn’t wait to start his next chapter, apparently. In a moment of self-torture, I followed their car discreetly. I kept guessing their destination. A hotel? Rory’s new apartment? The result was a surprise. Rory only dropped her off at the entrance of a residential building. Then, he drove away. I hesitated for a moment, then sped up to follow. I managed to cut him off in the parking garage of the condo. He must have spotted my car earlier. He stopped and waited for me. “What is it?” I bit my lip, the words—who is that woman? and I’m pregnant—all getting tangled in my throat. I was about to speak when his phone suddenly rang—a harsh, immediate sound. I answered it impatiently. On the other end, a guy’s voice teased, “Princess Z, I’ve got a divorce celebration party lined up for you. All your favorites are here~” I saw Rory’s jaw instantly clench. 03 Seeing the stormy look on his face gave me a twisted sense of gratification. I was about to hang up, but I stopped myself, deliberately saying, “Oh, I’ll be there in a bit. Got some irritating stuff to deal with first.” I hadn’t even finished speaking when Rory turned to head for the elevator. I quickly hung up the phone and followed him. “What is your relationship with that woman?” Rory didn’t answer. His strides got longer. I hated this attitude the most. I trailed after him. “I’m telling you, we’re not officially divorced yet. You’d better remember the prenuptial agreement, or my father will—” Rory suddenly stopped. I slammed into his broad back. My nose stung violently, and tears welled up immediately. Rory was still facing away from me. His voice was low and rough. “I have always kept your father’s words in mind.” His tone was hard to read—a hint of disgust, perhaps a touch of numbness. I didn’t have time to process it. My fingers clutched the crumpled report. I was hesitant, yet strangely nervous. I collected myself and cautiously tried the question again. “If we had a baby, would we have been able to avoid this?” For me, the child was meant to be the culmination of our love. I had wanted one since we got married. I wasn’t sure why it hadn’t happened. We were both perfectly healthy. But I’d resigned myself to letting things happen naturally. Then, this baby arrived. Right on time for our impending divorce. A rare surge of shy hope rose in me. I held my breath, waiting for his answer. The next second, Rory simply replied, his tone chillingly distant. “The outcome would be the same.” The words hit me like a physical blow. The report I was ready to pull out suddenly became a mangled mess in my hand. The outcome would be the same? He truly didn’t care about me? Or his own flesh and blood? I gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh. Right. Rory never loved me. Why would he love a child born to me? My pride, however, wouldn’t allow me to show weakness. I pinched my palm, fighting back tears. “You’re right. A baby from you would probably be disgusting. I should look for a better father.” After dropping that low blow, I practically fled back to my car. Tears streamed down my face, blurring the images on the ultrasound report. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry… Mama shouldn’t have said that about you. You’re not disgusting, you’re my precious baby…” “It’s all your awful father’s fault. He just doesn’t love us…” 04 Back at the condo, I smashed the framed wedding photos on the wall. When the rage cooled, I was left with a tragic thought: a seed planted in bad soil can’t bear good fruit. I met Rory in college. I was visiting some of my friends at his university. I saw him speaking as the student representative for his cohort. Under the harsh spotlights, Rory wore a plain white button-down shirt. The hall around him seemed to darken, the light pooling on his face, making him the only focus. He read his speech, his voice clear and cool, just like him. My hair stirred slightly. I remember thinking, How can there be a breeze when all the windows are closed? Then I realized: Oh. It’s my heart beating. After that day, I launched an aggressive pursuit of Rory. The more he rejected me, the more obsessed I became. Eventually, I think I forgot whether I truly loved him or was just fighting for my pride and the sheer refusal to lose. Rory was the hardest person I’d ever tried to chase. Money? He didn’t care. Power? He wouldn’t submit. Love? He seemed to have plenty of that, just not for me. I pursued him relentlessly for four years. The most intimate we ever got was a forced kiss. Sometimes, I had a cruel thought: Could I be the one to bring him down from that pedestal? Perhaps the universe heard me. In his first year of graduate school, both his parents were diagnosed with serious illnesses that required urgent, expensive care. I saw it as my opportunity to break through his defenses. But Rory refused my financial help. He said his advisor would find him contacts in the industry. I was enraged, giving up on this ancient tree that refused to bend for me. On my 25th birthday, I had a perfect excuse to get publicly drunk without people suspecting it was over a broken heart. But my father delivered a massive gift. “That boy you like? I brought him home for you,” he said. With my father’s ruthless, swift intervention, Rory and I got married. I told myself he must have liked me a little. Otherwise, why would a man of such integrity agree? But it only took a few months of marriage for me to realize something was wrong. Rory’s attitude toward me was no different than before. He was still early to rise and late to bed, only answering when I asked a direct question. I couldn’t stand his coolness. One night, I tried to slip him a little something. Rory, completely calm, called a cab and headed straight to the ER. I only managed to consummate the marriage after literally tying him to a chair out of pure force. After that, Rory became even colder. No matter what I did, he accepted it with an eerie calm. I performed like a clown, desperate for his attention, only to be met with endless apathy. 05 When I told my father about the divorce, he showed no significant reaction. Instead, he said, almost with relief, “You two were never a good match. It’s better to let go sooner.” I forced a tight smile, not daring to tell him about the baby. I suspect my father had a hand in it, but news of my divorce quickly spread through the Chicago social circles. The men who used to swarm me suddenly reappeared. I was ready to turn them down. But a sudden surge of resentment gave me a cruel idea: I accepted an invitation and chose a restaurant near Rory’s hospital. As luck would have it, he was there for a staff dinner. When he walked past my table, where I was with one of the guys, his eyes didn’t even flicker in my direction. I gritted my teeth, staring daggers at his retreating back. When I saw him get up to use the restroom, I casually followed. Rory saw me and calmly looked away. Just as I was trying to figure out the most hurtful thing to say, he spoke first: “If your period is coming soon, you should skip the crab.” I was stunned. I instinctively remembered the two days before my period, when the cramps would leave me writhing in pain. Rory would always take time off to stay home with me. I gave a bitter laugh. I felt nothing but contempt. We were getting divorced. Why was he still pretending to care? I was frustrated. I nudged his leg lightly with my foot. “You still haven’t picked up your things.” Rory bent down and brushed the dust off his trousers. “Throw them away.” I clenched my fists. “Right. They’re just junk anyway. I have no use for them.” Rory fell silent. He had already walked out of the restroom but came back in. “If they’re useless, can I have the opal pendant back?” I stared at him, incredulous. That cheap opal pendant was the only thing Rory had ever given me—he shoved it into my hand on our wedding day. Though I despised its negligible value, I hadn’t thrown it away. It was sleeping alongside my designer jewelry in a box. And now? He dared to ask for it back? My chest heaved. I felt a sudden, visceral urge to choke him. I’m selfish. What’s mine is mine. So I said, “I already threw it out.” Rory flinched, then gave me a long, deep look. I couldn’t read the complex emotion in his dark eyes. But I could sense the drop in the air pressure around him. What was he angry about? I should be the angry one! 06 After that ugly confrontation, we didn’t communicate again. Wait, that’s not right. We did. He called to tell me to go to the courthouse for the official divorce. I overslept and missed the appointment. Then, I blocked his number. Three months later, my belly was beginning to show. I was planning on going to my regular clinic. But then, on a whim, I changed my mind. I efficiently checked in for my appointment, my eyes constantly scanning the room. But no. He wasn’t there. I gave a self-deprecating chuckle. When my name was called, I went in. The baby was healthy and cooperative. The doctor complimented the quality of the father’s sperm. I scoffed internally. Too good, apparently. I was about to leave. But then, I ran into Rory—he was there to see a colleague in the OB-GYN department. He froze when he saw me. I clearly saw the shock in his eyes. His colleague, noticing the tension, joked, “Acquaintance?” Rory’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His gaze fell on the ultrasound report sitting on the colleague’s desk. He finally spoke, his voice low and strained. “My ex-wife.” The air went dead. His colleague was completely taken aback. But professionalism took over, and the doctor finished the conversation. Rory stood there the whole time, listening to every detail. A strange, complex feeling welled up in me. If we hadn’t been getting divorced, this is exactly what it would have been like. As I left, Rory looked visibly upset. He changed out of his scrubs and followed me down to the parking garage. “Why didn’t you show up for the divorce?” My earlier good mood evaporated. Asshole! That’s the first thing you say to me?! He truly didn’t care about the baby? I ignored his question and snapped sarcastically, “Can’t you tell I’m pregnant?” Rory’s expression remained flat. “I see. So, why didn’t you go?” I felt like Rory and I were a match of dynamite and a lighter. We couldn’t touch without exploding. I gave a cold laugh. “Dr. Montgomery, are you really not suspicious that this child might be yours?” As the words left my mouth, Rory’s expression darkened even further. I was satisfied to see his discomfort, yet the victory felt hollow. I was about to tell him the truth—that this was indeed his child. But the next second, Rory looked up, his eyes cold and hard. He said, without a hint of emotion, “I had a vasectomy a year ago. So no, it’s not mine.”

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After forcing Felicity into the French maid outfit one more time, a line of text scrolled into view before my eyes: 【That damn villain is so shameless, always finding new ways to humiliate our heroine!】 【It’s okay, just wait until she reunites with her tycoon father and becomes a business magnate. She’ll destroy the villain and his entire family!】 【Can we get a tutorial on how to skip all the villain’s scenes and just watch the sweet moments between the hero and heroine?】 The text faded, and my hand, which had been unbuttoning Felicity’s dress, froze. She blushed, but her eyes were a pool of icy calm. “Not going to finish what you started?” I took a deep breath and began re-fastening the buttons I had just undone. “You can go.” 1 Felicity stared at me, baffled. “What did you say?” My gaze dropped, tracing the soft curve of her chest, the pale skin of her waist, all the way down to her wrists hanging by her sides. The delicate lace trim on her cuffs looked like snowflakes that had gently landed on her skin. I had spent a long time picking out this outfit for her. The top was perfectly tailored, accentuating every line of her body without being overtly revealing. In fact, with Felicity’s cool demeanor, it exuded an air of refined elegance. But according to those comments, she was supposed to be feeling utterly humiliated right now. She was supposed to believe I was degrading her. The thought suddenly made the whole thing feel pointless. I set down my camera. “I said, you can go. I don’t feel like shooting anymore.” I’m currently running a startup with my friend, Sophie. She designs the lingerie and boutique outfits, and I handle the photography. Felicity herself had personally agreed to my request to model this new piece for a photoshoot. She yanked the bunny ears from her head, her thin lips pressed into a line of simmering annoyance. “What’s your problem now, Jasper? I already agreed to let you take the pictures. What more do you want?” Just then, the floating text, which had vanished, began scrolling furiously again: 【What is wrong with this guy? The heroine already swallowed her pride for him, what’s he trying to pull now?!】 【He’s just racking up her hatred for him. The man has a death wish.】 【Don’t worry, everyone. This villain eventually jumps off the 18th floor. It’s a really gruesome death. :)】 2 The 18th floor! Because of Felicity? A shiver ran down my spine. I subtly put some distance between us. My voice was softer now. “I’m not throwing a tantrum. It just seems like you’re not really into this photoshoot. I don’t want to force you to do something you don’t want to do.” Felicity looked stunned. A flicker of disbelief crossed her face. I suppose I’d always been so relentlessly persistent with her that my sudden concession felt strange. “Really? That’s it? You’re not planning some other twisted game?” I shook my head quickly. “No, I’m not.” She studied me, her expression unreadable. After a long moment, just as I thought she wouldn’t say anything else, she pushed the bunny-ear headband into my hand. Her voice was a little hoarse. “I’m going to go study, then.” After Felicity left, the tension finally drained from my body. More comments drifted past my eyes: 【You really think the villain would let the heroine go that easily?】 【This is just a strategic retreat. He’s probably thinking up a new way to torture her.】 【Remember last time? She refused to go to the amusement park with him, so in revenge, he fired her mom. Her mom was crying secretly as she left with her bags.】 Reading that, my fingers tightened into a fist. That’s not what happened at all. The reason I fired her mother, our housekeeper, so forcefully in front of Felicity was because I had found her cancer diagnosis papers right before. Her mom didn’t want Felicity burdened with massive medical debt, and she especially didn’t want to disrupt her during her master’s defense. She was determined to keep it a secret. So when I found out, I immediately contacted the best oncology team and urged her to get admitted for treatment. The whole firing scene was just an act to help her keep the secret from Felicity. Just yesterday, her doctor told me her surgery went well and she’s recovering nicely. She should be discharged any day now. 3 In the dead of night, I woke up, parched. I headed downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of water. As I passed Felicity’s room, I saw her light was still on. An image of her involuntarily surfaced in my mind: sitting at her desk, back ramrod straight, her long fingers turning the pages of a book, her lips slightly pursed in concentration. Then, the memory of this morning’s comments hit me like a splash of cold water. I snapped out of it, shaking my head hard. Just then, I heard soft footsteps in the hallway. I ducked into the stairwell at the corner, peeking out. I saw my brother, Finn, wearing pink pajamas and carrying a glass of milk, knock on Felicity’s door. And then, new lines of text appeared: 【Ahhh, the hero is finally here! He’s so adorable, like a little ray of sunshine.】 【Sob… he’s the only one in this whole house who actually cares about our heroine.】 【My maternal instincts are kicking in, I want to have his babies!】 Felicity opened the door quickly, seemingly unsurprised to see Finn. She pushed her black, half-rimmed glasses up her nose and took the milk from him with practiced ease, murmuring a thank you with a blush creeping up her ears. When their fingertips brushed, the scrolling comments went into a frenzy about how they were “shipping them so hard.” Finn’s voice was bright. “Flick, will you come to the amusement park with me this weekend?” Felicity paused, not answering right away. She just tilted her head back and drank the entire glass of milk. 【What’s wrong with the heroine?! Why hasn’t she said yes to our sunshine boy yet!】 【Calm down, calm down. Our girl is the cool, reserved type.】 【Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!】 Seeing her silence, Finn’s lip jutted out in a small pout. “If you don’t want to, it’s okay. I can just go by myself.” Felicity leaned against the doorframe, bending slightly closer to him. “Who said I didn’t want to? I was just thinking… you get motion sickness. I’m wondering if Dramamine would help with the 3D rides.” Watching their intimate exchange, my heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. A sour, heavy feeling settled in my chest. When I had asked Felicity to go to the amusement park with me, all she said was that she didn’t want to waste time on such childish things. Now, not only did she agree to go with Finn in a heartbeat, she was also thoughtfully considering how the 3D attractions might make him feel sick. So it was never about wasting time. It was about not wanting to waste her time on me. 4 Back in my room, staring at the 99+ notifications of comments going wild, the burning sensation returned to my eyes. So, in this sweet romance novel, I was nothing more than the universally despised villain. And my non-blood-related younger brother, Finn, was the hero of this world. Felicity was his destined partner. Then… what did all my years of affection even mean? Felicity had been sickly since she was a child. To help her get stronger, I often forced her to eat vegetables and proteins she hated. Later, in high school, she started working the graveyard shift at a gaming cafe after her evening classes to earn tuition money. She’d be dozing off in class the next day. When I found out, I went behind her back, quit the job for her, and had my father set up a fund to cover her education all the way through university. Only after reading those comments did I realize. In all those moments I thought I was doing what was best for her, in her eyes, I was just being coercive and insulting. So much so that one day, she would want revenge enough to ruin my family. If that’s how it was, then I was done. I would stop loving her. I spent the next few hours gathering all the gifts Felicity had given me over the years and packed them into a cardboard box. Then I tossed it into the storage room. They weren’t really gifts, mostly just little things she’d handed me offhandedly. But I had treasured them for years. 5 Felicity and I were in the same graduate program. We even had the same advisor. I was just a year behind her. The next day, after we finished our work in the lab, Felicity was still organizing data, showing no signs of leaving. This time, I didn’t wait around for her like I usually did. I packed up my things and walked straight to the door. “Jasper.” Her voice stopped me. I turned, my expression distant. “What is it?” She walked over to me. “Are you leaving now?” “Yeah.” I made a move to leave, but she grabbed my wrist, her grip firm and unyielding. “It’s dark out. I’ll walk you home.” “No, that’s okay.” Felicity looked down at me, her eyes dark and inscrutable. “What kind of tantrum are you throwing now? Is it because I went to the amusement park with Finn? Are you jealous?” More text floated into my vision: 【Is this villain ever not annoying? He makes the heroine coddle him over every little thing.】 【She’s only offering to walk him home because she needs to buy Finn a cake from that bakery on the way.】 Ah, so that’s what it was. My heart twisted, a sharp, acidic pang. I should have known. Growing up, Felicity always called Finn by his nickname, Finny. But she always, always called me by my full name. That was the difference. I pulled my wrist free. “I’m not throwing a tantrum. And it’s your business who you go to the amusement park with.” Felicity let out a soft laugh, as if she could see right through my facade. “Still say you’re not jealous?” I was speechless. There was no point in arguing. I just turned and walked away. 6 I didn’t expect Felicity to get home before me. When I walked in, Finn was standing beside her, waving a slice of strawberry cake at me with a triumphant smirk. “I mentioned yesterday I wanted strawberry cake, and look! Flick got it for me today.” I shot him a flat, indifferent glance and tried to walk past. But as I passed, Finn suddenly grabbed my arm, his nails digging into my skin. I instinctively tried to shake him off, but he used the momentum to throw himself to the ground. The delicate cake splattered across the floor. Finn’s eyes turned red as he started to wail. “Brother, I was just asking if you wanted some cake. Why did you have to push me? I know I’m not Mom and Dad’s real son, and I know you’ve always hated me for taking your place as the young master of this house for so many years, but I really didn’t mean to!” Felicity rushed to help him up, then turned to me with a thunderous expression. “That’s enough, Jasper! Apologize to Finn!” I looked at her in disbelief. “Are you blind, Felicity? He grabbed me first!” I pushed up my sleeve, revealing the angry red marks on my arm, some spots already broken and bleeding. Felicity faltered for a second, but Finn just whimpered again. “I… I guess I didn’t realize how hard I was grabbing. I’m sorry I hurt you, brother. It’s all my fault, all my fault…” Tears welled up in his eyes. Felicity’s voice softened as she comforted him. “It was an accident. It’s not your fault.” My own eyes burned with unshed tears, my voice raspy with indignation. “Felicity, I’ve had a dog for less time than I’ve known you, and even it knows to wag its tail at me! But you?” Her face instantly turned to ice. Her expression was utterly cold. “Jasper! I am not your dog. I am a living, breathing person!” Her voice was sharp enough to draw blood. The heat that had just subsided in my eyes surged back. Felicity stared at the tears pooling in my eyes. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she remained silent. At that moment, the comments scrolled frantically across my vision again: 【Yes! Our heroine is finally fighting back! Don’t be afraid of that villain! Once you inherit your tycoon dad’s fortune, the Clark family won’t even be worthy of polishing your shoes!】 【The hero is so kind, omg. He just wanted to share cake with his brother, what did he do wrong?!】 【Someone give me the villain’s social media handle. I want to cyberbully him.】 After reading the comments, I turned and walked upstairs without another word. They were right. Once Felicity found her real family, the Clarks would be nothing to her. We couldn’t afford to cross her. 7 A few minutes later, there was a knock on my door. Assuming it was the housekeeper, I called out, “Come in.” When I looked up, I was met with a pair of deep, captivating eyes. It was my childhood friend, Roxanne. Even though it was the middle of a sweltering summer, she was wrapped in a camel-colored trench coat. I walked over in confusion and touched her forehead. “Roxy, are you sick?” Her ears flushed red, and her gaze on me seemed to shimmer. Then, she squeezed her eyes shut as if gathering all her courage and threw open the coat. My jaw dropped. I saw the bell collar around her neck. The micro-mini skirt that barely covered anything. The long, pale expanse of her legs. A size XXS maid outfit?! Roxanne looked down at me, her voice low, cool, and impossibly sexy. “I can wear this stuff too. Stop looking for someone else, okay?” My phone buzzed. It was a text from Sophie: 【EMERGENCY! Roxanne heard you were going to use Felicity as a model and took off with my latest design!】 My face went hot. I couldn’t bring myself to look at Roxanne. At that exact moment, my bedroom door was thrown open again without warning. Felicity stood there, tall and straight. And she was wearing the exact same outfit I had originally prepared for her. My mind went completely blank. The comments exploded, the notification hitting 99+. 【What the hell is happening right now!?】 【wiping drool from my keyboard】 【Holy… talk about a hellish showdown!】

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The doctor said I have six months to live, at most. When my mom found out, she cried and said: “Scarlett, Mom will accompany you on this last journey.” Then she moved into my apartment, cooking different meals for me every day. Until I saw the chat history between her and my brother on her phone: “Mom, how long does Sis have?” “Doctor said six months tops. Keep your girlfriend steady. Once she dies, the apartment is yours.” “Why serve her then? No one washes my socks anymore.” “Silly boy, we have to put on a full show. By the way, bring some gifts tomorrow to see her. Remember to cry miserably, make her offer the house to you herself.” I put down the phone and walked into the kitchen. “Mom, good news.” “The doctor just called. It was a misdiagnosis. It’s benign.” The ladle in her hand fell into the pot with a loud CLANG. Chapter 1 Mom froze in place, her face white as a sheet. “Aren’t you happy I’m not sick?” I asked. “Happy! Of course, I’m happy!” She snapped back, her voice high and floating, eyes dodging mine: “This hospital is too unreliable! How can cancer be misdiagnosed? No, we have to go to a big hospital to check again! Tomorrow! Cancer can’t be fake!” “No need to check. The doctor was very clear on the phone. It’s benign.” “Benign?!” “He says benign and you believe him? You’ve always been stubborn since you were little. Can you joke about life and death?! Did I raise you for nothing? So worrisome!” I looked at my mom calmly. My eyes grew colder. “Scarlett,” her voice softened, coaxing, “Mom doesn’t distrust you, Mom is scared! What if… the disease comes back? Better safe than sorry! You’re fine now, but what about the future? You’re alone, how can Mom be at ease?” She approached, holding my hand. “Listen to Mom. Your apartment, and your savings… put them with Mom. Mom will keep them safe for you.” “If, Mom says if, something happens to your health again, Mom can take out the money immediately to treat you! Better than you falling ill alone with no one around and money stuck in the bank, right?” This is my mom. She is waiting for me to die. Since childhood, she never liked me. I’m dying, and she’s plotting for my little property. This is the “motherly love” I secretly craved for so many years. I slowly withdrew my hand. “No need, Mom. I can manage my money and house.” “Manage yourself?” She sneered. “What can you manage? Huh? Look at you, over thirty, no marriage, no man, busy with your broken business all day! Now you almost can’t even manage your own life!” She got agitated, finger almost poking my face: “The proposal with Old Man Miller back then, what a good family! Owned three factories! Older, yes, but older men know how to care for people! If you listened to me and married him, you’d be a rich wife now, not working yourself to death and ending up sick?” “Mom,” I interrupted her, “Miller is two years older than Dad, and three wives died before him.” “So what?!” She glared. “He has a tough fate, brings fortune to the family! You? You bring bad luck! Refusing good fortune, insisting on struggling alone! Now look, an old maid, no one, no home, no one to collect your corpse when you die!” “Do you want this ‘fortune’?” She froze. “Finished? If finished, leave.” I walked to the door and opened it. “I’m tired.” “You’re kicking me out?!” She screamed in disbelief. “Scarlett! You’re rebelling! I’m your mother! I came to take care of you, and you treat me like this?!” “I don’t need your care.” “I won’t go!” She sat on the sofa, playing rogue. “This is my daughter’s house, why should I leave! Call the police if you can! Let everyone see how you abuse your own mother!” Her voice was so loud the whole floor could hear. I nodded, said nothing more, and picked up my phone to call building security. “Hello, security? I’m the owner of Unit 2801. There’s a mentally unstable person in my house harassing me, claiming to be my mother. Please send two guards to handle it.” Chapter 2 “Scarlett! You dare!” Mom bounced up from the sofa, lunging to grab my phone. I dodged sideways, pushed her out the door, and locked it behind her. She pounded and kicked the door like crazy, crying and cursing. “Ungrateful wretch! I raised you with shit and piss, now you have money and don’t want your mom!” Sounds of neighbors opening doors came from the hallway, cautious inquiries. Her crying rose immediately, every word bloody: “My daughter has cancer, I quit my job back home to serve her, cleaning shit and piss… now she’s cured, thinks I’m a burden, kicking me out!” I turned and yanked the door open. The couple from across the hall stood there, eyes complex. Mom sat on the floor, hair messy, slapping her thighs, acting the part. “I called security. Are you leaving yourself or waiting for them to escort you?” “What security!” Mom scrambled up, pointing at my nose. “Let everyone judge! Am I your mom? Did I come to take care of you?” “Care for me until I’m dead, discussing how to split my house with your son?” Her expression froze. The neighbors exchanged glances. “You, you nonsense!” Her voice got louder, fierce but weak inside. “I was… keeping it safe for you, since you were dying anyway.” “But I told you, it was a misdiagnosis, I’m not sick. Why do you still want me to give the house to Caleb?” “Do you want your daughter dead that much?” Her face turned pale. Ding. Elevator arrived. Security came. Two young guys looked at the scene helplessly. “It’s her!” Mom lunged first, grabbing the guard’s sleeve. “Comrade, this is my daughter, she’s sick, brain confused! Kicking me out, how can I live at my age!” Guards looked at me awkwardly. I took a breath, looking at them: “I don’t know her. Take this crazy woman away.” Seeing this, Mom collapsed on the floor, wailing: “God! Open your eyes! Daughter doesn’t recognize mom—” Crying echoed in the hallway. Mr. Lee from across the hall finally spoke: “Um… Auntie. Why don’t you get up first, crying won’t solve anything.” He turned to me, “Miss Scarlett, we shouldn’t interfere in family matters, but it’s not good for her to sit there crying.” His wife pulled his sleeve gently. “Don’t meddle, you don’t know the truth.” “Security,” my voice clear, “She has mental issues, harassing me for a long time. If she continues, I’ll call 911.” Hearing “911,” the guards hesitated no more, lifting Mom by her arms. “What are you doing! Let go! I’m her mom! Real mom!” She kicked, glaring at me venomously. “Scarlett! You dare! You will die badly! This house will be my son’s sooner or later! Just wait!” Chapter 3 Growing up, the phrase I heard most was “Money-loser.” When I was six, I tiptoed to hang clothes and accidentally tore Caleb’s shirt. Mom grabbed a belt and whipped my calves until they were swollen for two weeks. On my eighth birthday, there was a small bowl of braised pork, oily and shiny. While they talked, I quickly snatched the smallest piece. Before I could swallow, a slap landed. Mom dragged me by the hair to the yard. “Starving ghost! Daring to steal brother’s meat?” Her spit sprayed on my face. That night, I was stripped of pants, kneeling on a washboard. Caleb squatted in front of me with his bowl. He threw a half-eaten piece of meat on the ground, stomping it into the mud. “Money-loser, only fit to eat this.” Later I got into the best high school in the county. Dad smoked, saying after a long time: “Girls, what’s the use of studying? Go work early, save tuition for your brother.” My homeroom teacher came, banging the table: “It’s a waste if this kid doesn’t study. I’ll figure out the tuition.” Only then did I barely step into high school. I spent all free time washing dishes in the back of a small restaurant. Half the money earned had to be handed over as “food money.” What about Caleb? Grades a mess, fighting, parents called to school. Mom smiled apologetically there, came back and gave me a cold face: “It’s all you! Bad example! If you weren’t so useless, would your brother be bad?” Dad raised his hand to hit. That slap landed solidly on my face. I washed his socks, cleaned his room. He caused trouble, I got scolded. Meat in his bowl, leftover soup in mine. He could act spoiled for new sneakers. I got scolded for “being insensible” just asking for a textbook. “You’re the big sister, yield to your brother.” “Brother is the only male, the family depends on him.” “Girl, studying is useless, you’ll belong to another family.” 高考 scores came out, I was second in the county in science. Dad said: “What’s the use? Money-loser! Marrying early for a bridal price is the right way!” At night, I overheard them discussing. “Old Man Miller, over fifty, wife died, willing to pay $18,000.” “$18,000! Enough for a down payment for son in the city!” “Just a bit old…” “Older men know how to care! The girl read too many books, heart went wild, marry her off quick!” I went cold all over, got up in the dark, and ran. When the bus started, I had only one thought: Run. Run out even if I die. Never come back. Chapter 4 The day I was diagnosed, I was alone in the hospital. The doctor said gently: “Best notify family.” I shook my head: “None.” Really none. Cut off contact for ten years. Blocked numbers, deleted social media. Doctor advised hospitalization. I refused. Don’t want to treat it. Since I’m dying, I want to die beautifully. Crowded hospital, others had someone to share joy and sorrow. Me? I sat in the hallway, covering my face, tears flowing through fingers. A cleaning lady stopped in front of me, patting my shoulder: “Girl, what’s wrong?” “Auntie,” I looked up, “I’m dying.” She was startled, then hugged me: “Nonsense! Treat it if sick!” “It’s true. Dying.” “No one cares about me.” I buried my face in her faded uniform, voice muffled. “No one loves me. My dad, mom… only like my brother.” “Should I not have been born…” “Silly child, what nonsense. Parents love daughters. Misunderstanding?” She sighed, “Tell family. Blood is thicker than water. If you are really sick, won’t they come? Won’t they hurt for their own daughter?” I shook my head, then nodded, mind a mess. Maybe? Maybe if I die, they will regret, will hurt? I’m so cheap. Decided never to contact, why miss home when dying? I called my mom. Rang many times before connecting. Mom’s voice, impatient from nap: “Hello? Who?” “Mom…” My throat tight, “It’s me.” Silence for seconds, voice spiked, sharp: “Scarlett?! You know to call?! You—” “I’m sick.” I interrupted, fearing she’d hang up. “Cancer. Late stage. Doctor says… maybe three months.” Dead silence. Then, I heard her gasp. Tone changed completely. “Scarlett? Where are you? Which hospital? Child, why didn’t you say earlier!” Voice trembling, like crying. “Don’t be afraid, daughter, don’t fear… Mom is here. Tonight… come home tonight, Mom cook your favorite braised fish, okay? Don’t think about anything, come home.” “Why didn’t you contact Mom for so many years, you don’t know how worried Mom was…” Holding the phone in the busy hospital lobby, I cried like an idiot. Suddenly felt lucky. The disease didn’t seem so scary. At least Mom finally willing to look at me. Two days later, she appeared at my door with a big suitcase, dusty. Hugged me immediately, tears on my neck: “My poor daughter… Mom is here, Mom will take care of you.” She really started “taking care” of me. Up early late to sleep, cooking soups, forcing me to eat folk remedies. Tucking me in at night. In school, I hated talking. Classmates always talked about family. Parents took me to the park. Mom made celery dumplings I hate, we fought. Dad picks me up, give you a ride? … I envied, jealous, then hated my birth. If back to school days, I could say, my mom tucks me in after lights out. That night, I cried hugging the quilt. Later, I saw the chat between Mom and Caleb. Heart leaked a big hole, unpatchable.

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When I was five, Mom said she was going for a “little plastic surgery.” Before she entered the operating room, I tilted my head and asked her: “If Mommy changes her face, what if Nina can’t recognize you?” She smiled, but tears kept falling. “In the future, whoever Daddy tells you to call Mommy, that person is me.” I nodded obediently. Not long after, Dad really brought back a beautiful Mommy. I happily rushed over, but was pushed away by her. The little boy behind her threw stones at me with a face full of hatred. “Get lost! Don’t touch my Daddy and Mommy!” From then on, my room became my brother’s room. My clothes and toys were thrown into the trash. Dad was busy with work and would only occasionally rub my head helplessly. “Nina, you must listen to Mommy so Daddy won’t worry.” One time, I accidentally knocked over hot water. I instinctively wanted a hug from Mommy. She looked coldly at the third-floor balcony. “If you want a hug, jump from there.” Chapter 1 I looked up at the balcony Mom pointed to. I didn’t understand why last time she gently coaxed me: “Nina, the balcony is dangerous, don’t go near it.” But this time, she wanted me to jump. Just for a hug. But soon, I remembered Mom’s instructions before the surgery. “Mommy might have a bad temper after the surgery.” “Nina, be good then, and listen to Mommy.” So, I clenched my scalded little hand and walked step by step toward the third floor. With almost no hesitation. Under Mom’s indifferent gaze. I jumped from the balcony. My body hit the chandelier on the second floor and crashed onto the sofa in the center of the living room. A cracking sound came from my knee. I rolled on the sofa in pain, opening my watery eyes to ask: “Mommy, can you hug Nina now?” Seeing I only hurt my leg, a trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes. Her bright red lips spat out one word. “Idiot.” Not long after, Dad rushed back, panting. Seeing the private doctor applying ointment to me. Dad’s eyes turned red with anger. He slapped me across the face. “Nina! How many times have I told you to behave at home!” My face swelled up. Just as I wanted to explain. I looked up and met Mom’s threatening eyes. Although she had a gentle smile, the force she used to apply the ice pack got heavier and heavier. I grimaced in pain, daring not to cry. Dad was furious. “Are you trying to cause trouble for me on purpose?” “I remember you used to be sensible. Why have you become like this!” I held back my tears. It was them who changed. Mom wouldn’t ask me to jump off a balcony before, and Dad wouldn’t be so fierce. Mom spoke up for me from the side. “Don’t scold the child. It’s normal to be playful at this age.” “It’s my fault for not watching her closely.” Unexpectedly, her words completely ignited Dad’s anger. He called the butler and ordered: “No dinner for Nina tonight!” “From today on, all her play activities and hobby classes are cancelled.” “I think she’s just living too comfortably, always looking for trouble.” After speaking. Dad changed his face to coax Mom. “Thanks for taking care of the two kids recently. Buy whatever you want.” “And sign Caleb up for that European summer camp.” Mom happily threw herself on Dad and kissed him. At night, my brother Caleb came to the small attic with the summer camp invitation to show off. Before leaving, he poured a basin of cold water on my bedding. And stuck his tongue out at me. “You’re just like your mom, a bitch!” I jumped anxiously. “My mom is your mom! You can’t say that about Mom!” He rushed over disdainfully, grabbed my hand, and bit it hard. “Bullshit! Your mom is already dead!” I froze. Chapter 2 I heard this word from Mom and Caleb more than once. Mom used to say “death” is a bad word and shouldn’t be said casually. But now, whenever they are angry, they always talk about death. Looking at the bleeding bite mark on my arm. I used tissue as a bandage. I laid out old clothes on the floor again and lay down. Before sleeping, I thought about how to make Mom happy tomorrow. I remembered Mom used to love honey toast. Early the next morning, Dad went to the office early. I brought breakfast to Mom’s bed. She took one look. Her face changed drastically. Mom dragged me by my hair all the way to the dark room. Her angry tone sounded like she wanted to eat me. “You little bitch! You know I’m allergic to honey and want to kill me, don’t you!” I cried and struggled. “Mommy, I was wrong… Nina just wanted to make you happy…” Bang. The iron door cut off my begging. Mom’s disgusted voice came from outside. “Don’t call me Mommy when Simon isn’t around.” “I’m not that poor, unlucky woman!” I curled up in the corner. The scalded arm from yesterday scraped against the floor, peeling off a layer of skin. It hurt. So much. After this incident, I seemed to understand something. The woman in my house really doesn’t seem to be my mom. Although she looks beautiful and wears perfume. She doesn’t have Mom’s scent, nor does she feel soft. So. While she took Caleb to the amusement park. I secretly ran out, deciding to find Mom. Outside was a bustling world I hadn’t seen before. I looked up in the crowd, searching everywhere. But before I could find Mom, I bumped into a police officer. He frowned and asked why I was alone and where my mom was. I answered honestly. “My mom got plastic surgery and changed her face. I’m looking for her now!” The officer was confused. “Where did your mom get surgery?” “A white room! Many uncles and aunts in white clothes, and a small TV.” I gestured. The line on the small TV went from wavy to straight. My short sleeves revealed my scars. The officer’s face showed complex emotions. He squatted down. Voice softened. “Come with me. I have a way to find your mom.” I obediently put my hand in his. Unexpectedly, he took me to the police station. Minutes later, Dad arrived with a dark face. The officer frowned. “How do you watch your child? The injuries on her…” Dad looked angry. He ignored everyone, dragged me out by the arm, and retorted to the officer. “Those injuries are from her own disobedience!” I hung my head silently, feeling wronged again. Dad threw me into the back seat. The door slammed bang, shaking the car. Dad punched the steering wheel. “Nina! Why are you doing this? Did your dead mom teach you?” “Is she teaching you to punish me for using her dowry to start my business, or for keeping Shelby as a mistress?” “She was a woman who didn’t know how to adapt until death! Who in this circle doesn’t have a woman on the side? But she was stubborn and taught you to cause trouble!” Dad’s anger surrounded me. I didn’t understand what he was saying. In an instant, I was pulled back to when Mom and Dad fought. I was scared and cried helplessly, just like then. After a long time. He was tired of venting, and I was tired of crying. Dad turned around, wiped my tears, and spoke in a tone half-negotiating, half-ordering. “Dad is going on a business trip for two days. You must listen to Mommy.” “Don’t make Mommy and Caleb angry. If she’s unhappy, stay in your small room, eat less, speak quietly.” “If you do this, Dad will grant you a wish, okay?” I sniffled and nodded heavily. After making a wish in my heart. I took a candy from my pocket and put it in Dad’s hand. “Daddy, Nina will do it.” Dad looked at the candy, stunned for a moment. Before leaving, he smiled at me for the first time in a long while, and secretly put a photo of Mom before surgery in my pocket. “Nina, Mommy won’t come back. If you miss her, look at the photo.” Chapter 3 Now, I am very sure the mother at home is not my mom. But to reassure Dad, and not to make her angry. I still call her Mom. First day Dad was away, I kept my promise. At breakfast, I lifted the chair to avoid noise. Chewed slowly without sound. Caleb spat milk on me. I didn’t cry for Mom’s help. Instead, I took a tissue and wiped it off silently. Cleaned up the trash, bowed to Mom. “Mommy, I’m done.” After they finished, I stood on a stool to wash the dishes. The rest of the day. No lunch, no dinner. Like Dad said. Shrink in my small room. Eat less, speak quietly. When hungry, I drew pictures of my wish. To show Dad when he returns. The first day ended peacefully. Mom rarely praised me. “Sensible today. Pity, you are her daughter.” I didn’t understand. Smiled foolishly at her, fawning. “Thank you, Mommy.” Suddenly, she saw the corner of the photo in my pocket. Her smile froze. By the time I realized and tried to cover it, it was too late. Mom snatched the photo. Her face turned black instantly. “Nina, where did this come from?” Before I could speak, she grabbed my shoulders and shook me like crazy. “Did I not say, don’t let me see this woman’s shadow in this house!” “Nina! You are the ghost left by that woman!!” The photo shredded in her hands. I jumped to stop her. Mom raised her hand, Slap! Caleb clapped and cheered. “The little bitch got hit again!” My head buzzed from the slap. I bit my lip, daring not to cry. Looked up, squeezed out an ugly smile. “Mommy, I was wrong.” I turned to run back to the attic. Behind me, Mom grabbed my hair. “Hiss.” I fell backward, ceiling receding. This time, Mom threw me out the door. Freezing December. Snow piled up to my waist. I wore only thin short sleeves. Cold wind cut like knives on old wounds. I banged on the door crying. “Mommy! Nina is really wrong!” “Nina won’t make you angry again!” Inside, Mom made a call. “I can’t stand this kid for a second. While Simon isn’t here, think of a way to get rid of her.” Chapter 4 Tired of crying, I curled into a ball. Fell asleep by the pillar. In my dream, Mom hugged me by the fireplace telling stories. She was so gentle, voice soft as feathers. But next second. Mom coughed blood on the book. Tubes all over her. Going for that “surgery” again. This time, I cried snot and tears, grabbing her hand. “Mommy, don’t go! Nina can’t find you!” I tried my best, but couldn’t stop the cart pushing her into the white room. Woke up crying from the dream. I was covered in tubes too, lying on the attic bed. But there were strange uncles and aunts in white coats. A man in black asked again. “Miss Shelby, are you sure? The child doesn’t deserve this. Why use such cruel blood drawing…” “What about Mr. Vance…” From the foot of the bed came Mom’s impatient growl. “With her around, Simon will always feel guilty about his dead ex-wife. How can he love me and my son?” “I just want to live a good life with him. What’s wrong with touching his daughter?” The door slammed shut. The man in black walked to the bed. I tried to grab his pinky. “Uncle, will I see Mommy?” He frowned, unbearable. Turned away, whispered “Do it.” A needle as long as my arm pierced me. I saw blood flowing into bags. I had no strength to struggle or speak. My small head couldn’t understand. I was good enough. Why was Mom still angry? Lying on the cold bed. Bright lights blinded me. Vision darkened. In a trance, I saw Mom before surgery. I reached out. “Mommy, did it hurt this much during your surgery?” “Mommy… Nina misses you.” “But… Nina hasn’t told Daddy her wish yet…” … In the Vance mansion, Simon returned a day early with gifts. Before entering, he shouted. “Nina! Daddy’s home!” Simon brought a princess dress, cake, diamond tiara, Barbie dolls. Everything a little girl likes. Enough to grant Nina’s wish. But no one ran out to greet him. Instead, Shelby ran down from the attic in a panic. Simon gave her an expensive necklace. And a limited edition car model for Caleb. Shelby was flustered by his early return, glancing at the attic. Simon realized something was wrong. He strode up. Shelby blocked him. “She threw a tantrum and ran out!” But a bad feeling urged Simon upstairs. He called “Nina” walking down the hall. Silence in the attic. Simon opened the door. The scene made him pale, legs weak, falling to his knees. Chapter 5 Simon never expected. The daughter who pinky-swore to wait for him yesterday. Now lay pale on the small bed, floor covered in syringes and blood bags. “Nina, Daddy’s back.” “Did you hear? Get up and call Daddy.” Simon tried to stop shaking, but stumbled. On the bed. Nina’s palm-sized face had no color. Lips scary white. Simon picked her up. Body limp, lighter than a chick. He turned, eyes red, looking at Shelby who arrived late. “What is this?” Shelby argued. “She made noise all day while you were gone.” “I just wanted to draw some blood to punish her. Who knew she was so weak?” “Just like her mom, weak as hell!” Even Caleb jumped out. “Mommy didn’t sleep well taking care of her.” “Look, she has dark circles!” Simon stood there in disbelief. Facing a dying life. Shelby and Caleb could be so self-righteous. Reminding him. Three years ago, Shelby climbed into his bed after a party. The dignified Miss Shelby willing to be his lover. Until after his ex-wife died, the night he married Shelby. He thought he was climbing the social ladder. Shelby cried, confessing she was the least favored daughter and had a secret son abroad. Turns out, Shelby wanted him to be the stepfather from the start. And he accepted everything. Angered his wife to death, and now his daughter. Simon regretted it to his gut. Roared. “Get out! I’m taking Nina to the hospital!” Simon walked downstairs. Shelby blocked him. “Simon! She’s hopeless!” “If you take her like this, what will people think of me?” Simon sneered. “You, a rich miss, care about opinions?” Dropping this, he walked past her. Behind him. Shelby dragged Caleb to kneel. “Simon, I’m already despised for having a child out of wedlock. Now married to you, I can finally live cleanly. I can’t have more stains.” “If she dies, she dies. Can’t we live happily as a family?” The more Shelby tried to cover it up. The more hate surged in Simon’s heart. “I’ll say it once.” “Get out.” He shoved Shelby aside, hugging Nina tight, running to the hospital. The breathing in his arms faded. Simon begged humbly. “Nina, please, don’t sleep.” “Daddy’s back. Daddy’s taking you to the hospital.”

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