Category: English

Seven years into our marriage, Daniel dropped the bomb: “Sarah, loving just one person for life is so boring, and frankly, unnatural. After we divorce, you can go find some young guy, start fresh.” I pretended not to see the dozens of gorgeous women he’d “liked” on Tinder and signed the divorce papers. After the divorce, I took my autistic son, Ian, and moved to Oceanview. Daniel, meanwhile, immediately started dating a string of women, completely forgetting to send Ian’s monthly child support. I wasn’t desperate for that pittance, and to sever all ties, I blocked him on everything. Two years later, he tracked me down, overflowing with regret: “Sarah, let’s get back together. Life just feels so meaningless without you.” But by then, I was already remarried and had my second child! I stared at Daniel, utterly taken aback. Two years hadn’t been kind to him; he seemed to have lost a lot of weight. His face was a sickly yellow. “Mom, is Dad back?” Ian, having just changed, burst out of his room, his face alight with excitement. But the moment he saw Daniel, his excitement evaporated. “What are you doing here?” “Ian, you’re talking? You’re not… autistic anymore?” Daniel’s eyes welled up with tears as he looked at our son, who had grown so much and changed dramatically. He immediately moved to pull him into a hug. But Ian pushed him away. Daniel looked confused: “Ian, weren’t you just so excited, calling me Dad? Dad’s back! I came to see you and Mom.” “You don’t know how much Dad has missed you and Mom these past two years…” Ian and I exchanged a glance. We instantly understood Daniel had gotten the wrong idea. I was about to explain, but Ian tugged at my sleeve: “Mom, we’ll be late.” Ian’s autism was cured, but he wasn’t foolish; he remembered everything. I didn’t say a single word to Daniel, just got in the car with Ian and drove him to his art class. Soon after, my current husband called: “Honey, miss me? Just wired you ten thousand bucks. Go do some shopping first; I’ll find you after the baby’s check-up.” Hunter was incredibly thoughtful, and I smiled sweetly. After receiving the money, I went to a baby store. To my surprise, when I was at the checkout, Daniel appeared. He saw the pile of baby clothes I’d chosen and froze for a second. Then, he started putting everything back on the shelves: “Sarah, I knew you were waiting for me. But can we maybe hold off on having a second child for a bit…?” “Who said I was having a second child with you?” I glared at him as if he’d lost his mind. His smile faltered, and he tried to take my hand, but I pulled away. “Sarah, I know these past two years, raising Ian alone has been tough. It’s all my fault for not doing my part. I’ll make it up to you.” He pulled out a card and pressed it into my hand. I was about to refuse, but he said: “This is Ian’s child support for the last two years.” Compensation? That was just overdue child support! I didn’t hesitate; I took the card and put the baby items I’d chosen back on the counter. He grabbed my arm again, saying: “Sarah, listen to me. I really don’t want a second child right now.” “Daniel, I’m already remarried! I have a new family and a new child! Please, stop harassing me!” “I don’t believe it! A divorced woman with an autistic kid? Who would *ever* want you, besides me?”

I scoffed. Daniel had started to resent me and Ian ages ago. Once, after too many drinks, Daniel had asked me: “Sarah, how could we have produced such a… a *burden*?” In that moment, I knew there was no going back for us. On the day of our divorce, Daniel stood at the door, a look of utter relief on his face, like a weight had been lifted. He didn’t even hug Ian, just gave my shoulder a curt pat: “Take care of yourself. Call me if you need anything.” I nodded and left. He, meanwhile, wasted no time rushing off to his dates. I found a modest apartment in Oceanview and an office job that paid about four thousand a month, with flexible hours. But Ian kept getting sick, every other week it seemed. The frequent sick leaves forced me to quit my job. What came next was even worse. Ian developed pneumonia, and I caught the flu, burning up with fever. I hired a professional caregiver, but Ian hated her; his anxiety kept him up all night. I had to shoulder everything alone. Ian finally fell asleep in my arms, but he was still whimpering “Daddy.” The fresh-faced nurse, clearly new to the realities of life, quietly asked me: “Ma’am, where’s the baby’s father? Can’t he come take over for a bit?” That’s when I remembered I hadn’t contacted Daniel in almost three months. I picked up my phone and dialed his familiar number. It rang for a long time before he finally answered. “Daniel, Ian is hospitalized with pneumonia, and I’m just completely—” “I’m tied up, can we talk later?” Loud music and carefree laughter blared in the background. The call ended. I froze for a few seconds, then called again, but it went straight to voicemail. After that, Daniel stopped sending Ian’s child support. I felt justified in confronting him, but all I got from his friend, Mark, was a lecture: “Frankly, Daniel carried you and Ian for *seven years*. He’s done more than his share.” “You’re being completely ungrateful, practically harassing him.” A chill ran down my spine. On a chilling impulse, I opened Daniel’s Instagram. His latest post was from ten minutes ago. The photo showed Daniel, an arm around a scantily clad young woman on each side. He was smiling so broadly, his eyes radiating the same confident, carefree swagger I once knew. The caption read: “Freedom at last! New chapter begins!” My fingers trembled as I scrolled down. Before that, there were pictures of him on ski trips, road trips, and lavish parties. Three months after our divorce, his life was so vibrant, it was as if he’d traded his old one for a brand new one. And me? I was in a strange city, with our sick child, being chewed out by the hospital staff.

After Ian was discharged, I made a decision—to get back into the restaurant industry. I’d been in the business before he was born. My kind landlady helped me spread the word. After three grueling months, business at the restaurant was booming, and even Ian seemed genuinely happy for me. He wrapped his arms around me and uttered his first full sentence: “Mom…my…I’ll…grow…up…fast…and…help…you.” He was true to his word. By six, when I returned with groceries, he’d be up, ready to help with whatever he could. During a follow-up visit to the hospital, the doctor was especially pleased with Ian’s progress. After chatting with Ian alone for about half an hour, the doctor handed me a drawing. He pointed to the family of three in the picture and told me that Ian still longed for a father’s love and a complete family. By then, my little diner was finally bringing in a steady income. A thought, one I still loathe myself for, crept into my mind. I thought, now that I could earn money and Ian was improving, we weren’t a burden to Daniel anymore. He’d had his fun for half a year, surely he’d had enough? Maybe we still had a chance to get back together. For Ian’s sake, I was willing to set aside all my hurt and resentment. But when I took Ian and returned to Riverton to see Daniel, he was in Iceland, chasing the Northern Lights with his new girlfriend. Ian squeezed my hand: “Mom, let’s go home. I don’t need a dad!” In that moment, I mourned Daniel as if he were dead. Perhaps fate had taken pity on us; Ian and I grew stronger. Not just my business, but his health too. Because we met my current husband, Hunter Peterson. From the moment I started planning my restaurant, needing part-time help, he was always there, working odd shifts. Later, I learned he was a brilliant business management grad. His dream, just like mine, was to open a restaurant. Naturally, we fell in love and got married. Now, with Hunter’s constant presence, Ian was practically indistinguishable from any other kid his age. We also had our own child. And my restaurant business had grown to three locations, each one more bustling and profitable than the last. So, facing Daniel’s sneering remark, I immediately retorted: “You’re wrong. A divorced woman, even one with an autistic child, *is* loved.” He laughed then. “Sarah, I’m not trying to be mean, but you? No makeup, always bare-faced? Who would even give you a second glance? And with that baggage of a kid, what man would ever want you?” I didn’t hold back. I pointed at the deep wrinkles around his eyes, clicking my tongue in mock pity: “Looks like you’re aging faster than I am! Are you too old to keep up with the young girls? Are they finally tired of your act? Is that why you’re coming back to me? I don’t recycle trash, especially not the kind that’s this utterly filthy!”

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I was bubbling with excitement, ready for our wedding, when Hugh got into a car crash. He remembered everyone else. Everyone but me. He’d forgotten me completely. I desperately tried to help him remember. But all it did was make him despise me more. He even fell madly in love with his secretary. He hurt me again and again. My parents’ company was ruined. I lost our baby. He even abandoned me, alone, in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t until I tumbled down the mountain that Hugh finally snapped awake. He burst into my hospital room like a madman, yelling that he remembered who I was! But I just stared blankly back at him and asked, “Who are you?” “I told you, I don’t know you!” Hugh ripped his hand away from mine. Seraphina, Hugh’s secretary, stood beside him, smirking at me with triumphant eyes. “Chloe, Mr. Thorne has forgotten you. Are you really going to keep harassing him?” I couldn’t understand why Hugh had forgotten only me. Before the crash, I was clearly the one he loved most. I stood there, frozen, feeling utterly pathetic, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Then, I watched Hugh clasp a necklace around Seraphina’s neck. “Is this for me?!” Seraphina asked, her voice dripping with delight. “Yes. It suits you,” Hugh said, his eyes full of tenderness as he looked at her. I squinted, a sudden realization hitting me like a punch to the gut. That sapphire necklace… Hugh had designed it himself as my wedding gift. He’d been on his way to pick it up when the accident happened. I couldn’t help but blurt out, “No!” At my outcry, both of them looked up. Hugh’s gaze, when it met mine, held an icy disgust I’d never seen before. Then, he leaned in and kissed Seraphina’s neck, right beneath the necklace. “Only you deserve such a beautiful sapphire!” I stumbled back a few steps, watching Seraphina’s bashful expression. Before the tears could fall, I fled, humiliated and heartbroken.

Back home, I ripped open the liquor cabinet and, not caring what it was, just tilted the bottle back and chugged. In a daze, I thought I saw Hugh’s silhouette. I looked at him, my eyes welling with tears, and reached out, wrapping my arms around him. It wasn’t a dream. Hugh was truly in my embrace. He froze, not pushing me away immediately. As if a subconscious whisper, he softly called my name. “Chloe…” I stiffened, snapping my head up to look at him. But before I could even process it, a powerful shove sent me sprawling to the floor. Seraphina sashayed in front of Hugh, hip-first, shielding him, her voice laced with mockery. “Chloe, have you no shame? Mr. Thorne is my boyfriend now.” Her words nailed me to the spot. I stared at Hugh, disbelief twisting my gut. The fleeting warmth was gone, replaced by a cold, hard glare. He ordered, “Why are you in my house?! Pack your things and get out, now!” His bodyguards grabbed me the moment he finished speaking. Then, they ransacked the home I’d lovingly decorated for us, utterly destroying our marital haven. Vases shattered. Desserts were flung across the room. Our matching couple’s items were all tossed into the trash bin. I bit down hard on my lip, refusing to let the tears fall. “Hugh, you can do whatever you want to me once your memory returns. But right now, you can’t do this.” He sneered at my words. “The fact that I forgot you proves you were never important to me. What else is there to explain?” That one sentence sealed my fate. I was thrown out, luggage and all. My stomach throbbed with a dull ache. I curled up on the ground, drenched in a cold sweat. Hugh never used to let me drink. Because my stomach was sensitive. He’d taken such good care of me that I’d forgotten I even had this issue. But I really didn’t want to be sober! Unbeknownst to me, a heavy rain began to fall. I lay on the ground, dizzy and disoriented, when I felt something licking my hand. I struggled to open my eyes. It was Buddy, my little golden retriever. He was soaking wet, his eyes filled with worry. I managed a weak smile. I lifted my hand, intending to pet him. Just then, a van screeched to a halt nearby. Several men rushed out, carrying nets and ropes. Without a word, they tied Buddy up and dragged him towards the vehicle. Buddy growled, a low, threatening sound, but he was no match for several grown men. Ignoring the searing pain in my body, I scrambled to my feet to stop them. But I was kicked aside. I lay on the ground, watching Hugh observe everything from a distance, cold and unmoving. I didn’t care about anything else. I crawled desperately over to him, grabbing his pant leg, pleading. “No… Please, help me get Buddy back, please…” But his eyes merely flickered. A fleeting hint of compassion, gone in an instant. He remained utterly indifferent. I lay on the ground. Watching Buddy being loaded into the van. The man in charge, grinning, pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to Seraphina, who stood under an umbrella. Then, the van sped away. I couldn’t take it anymore. I lunged at Seraphina, screaming, “How dare you sell my dog?! Give me back Buddy! Give him back!” I was sobbing uncontrollably, gasping for air. Seraphina looked down at me, triumphant. She leaned closer, her voice a low whisper meant only for us. “You always said I copied you, didn’t you? Well, now I’ve replaced you. How does that feel?” She finished, ignoring my pale, devastated face, and wrapped her arms around Hugh’s arm, pouting sweetly. “It’s raining so hard, let’s go home.” Hugh affectionately brushed her nose, scooped her up into his arms, and walked away without a backward glance. I was left alone, helpless and broken, kneeling in the pouring rain. The sound of the rain swallowed my cries. Eventually, exhausted from crying, I lost consciousness and collapsed in the downpour.

When I woke up again, Mom and Dad were by my bedside. Seeing me awake, they both let out a sigh of relief. “You scared us to death, darling. Why on earth were you out in the rain? You have a high fever…” Mom cried, pulling me into a tight embrace. “You’ve suffered so much, my child.” Dad was furious, cursing Hugh under his breath. I stared blankly at the ceiling, my mind consumed by Buddy. *Ding-dong*. I picked up my phone. It was a video from Seraphina. Bloody. Blurry. I could faintly make out Buddy, alone and helpless, being abused by someone. My hands trembled. Suddenly, without warning, I dry-heaved. Tears mixed with vomit, leaving me a wretched mess. Mom and Dad gasped in alarm. They rushed to clean me up. I clutched my head, sobbing hysterically. But moments later, the hospital room door was kicked open. People from the corporate investigators stood at the doorway, staring coldly at Dad. Dad’s face instantly paled. He gave Mom a look, then walked out with them. Mom’s eyes were bloodshot, and she held me tightly. She hadn’t wanted to tell me. But after I pressed her repeatedly, She finally explained everything. Mom and Dad couldn’t stand to see me suffer. How could their daughter, whom they’d doted on since childhood, be treated so horribly? So they stood up for me, ending their partnership with Hugh. But they never expected. Hugh to be so ruthless, using corporate sabotage tactics against our family. “It’s very tricky.” Mom said, worried, but still tried to reassure me. “It’s okay. As long as you’re well, that’s all that matters.” I clenched my fists, couldn’t help but throw back the covers and get out of bed. I was going to confront Hugh. Mom couldn’t stop me, but she was too worried to let me go alone. So she followed closely behind me. I returned to what used to be our marital home. Hugh forgetting me was one thing, But how dare he put my parents’ company in jeopardy? How dare he cause Buddy’s horrific death? *Beep—* The sound of an incorrect fingerprint echoed. I bit my lip and tried the password. Still wrong. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. Mom patted my shoulder, about to resort to force when. The door opened from inside. Seraphina stood there in matching pajamas, hickeys clearly visible on her neck. She saw me and, for once, actually smiled, greeting my mom. “Hello, Eleanor. Come on in.” Seeing her act like she owned the place, Mom was furious, about to turn and leave, But I remembered we were here to solve a problem. I quickly pulled her inside. Hugh was sprawled on the sofa, holding a wine glass. He paused when he saw me. A flash of excitement and joy flickered in his eyes. But then he clutched his head, his brows furrowed, pain making him look lost and helpless. After a long moment, he looked up. His eyes were arctic cold. “What are you doing back here?” Seraphina gave him a playful glare, then smiled and motioned us in. “I might have been a bit out of line yesterday. I was actually planning to apologize to you today, but you beat me to it.” She smiled, pointing to the dining table. “Let’s talk things over after we’ve had something to eat. Why don’t you try my cooking?” Hugh sat expressionless at the head of the table, not sparing me a glance. Mom looked at me, worried. I patted her hand, shaking my head. “I’m fine.” I also wanted to see. What she was planning. I pulled out a chair and sat down. Seraphina actively served me a bowl of meat soup, then smiled sweetly at me. “Want a taste?” I took the bowl, suspicious. But the moment the meat touched my tongue, I knew something was wrong. The taste was utterly strange, unlike anything I’d ever eaten. Seeing me take a bite, Seraphina grinned. Her eyes gleamed with pure malice. “Chloe, how do you like the taste of your own dog?”

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On my birthday, Mom and Dad presented me with a gift. It was a DNA test result, showing no biological relation. Mom’s smile was cold. “Maya,” she said, her voice devoid of warmth, “since you’re not our biological daughter, it’s time you repaid us for the seventeen years of expenses for your upbringing.” Dad snorted. “No wonder you don’t look anything like me. You’ve sponged off the Sterling family for too long. From today, you’ll be our housemaid. We’ll pay you fifty dollars a month, which will go towards your debt. Food and board are not included.” I didn’t cry or argue. I just nodded calmly. After all, last night, I’d heard it all from outside their bedroom door. My sister, Chloe, had been clinging to Mom and Dad, pleading, “Mommy, Daddy, my birthday wish is to be the Sterling family’s only child, to have all your love and attention just for me. Can Maya be our housemaid for a year? Please?” Dad, his face full of adoration, had replied, “Yes, my darling. Anything for you.” Mom had chimed in with a soft chuckle, “For this year, Mommy and Daddy belong only to our precious Chloe.” I leaned against the wall, my eyes burning with unshed tears. They didn’t remember that Chloe and I were twins, born on the same day. And my birthday wish was: To leave the Sterling home, not for a year, but forever.

My sister, Chloe Sterling, gasped, covering her mouth in exaggerated shock. “Maya, no wonder you’re so plain-looking, not like Daddy or Mommy at all! So you really are a fake, an imposter!” Her voice was loud and dramatic, as if she’d completely forgotten we were twins, practically mirror images of each other. “Oh no, you’re not my sister at all. You’re just some stray who showed up out of nowhere.”

Eleanor’s face was distant, cold. “Maya, since the truth is out, and you’re not a Sterling by blood, this birthday party is solely for our precious daughter, Chloe. You have no right to be here.” I glanced up at Chloe, her face radiating triumph. She wore a custom-made princess gown, a tiara on her head that probably cost as much as a house. Then I looked at myself: a faded shirt and jeans, frayed at the cuffs from countless washes. I smiled bitterly. Right. That word. It was something I’d never truly had, so how could I lose it now? Richard’s voice boomed, “Starting today, you’ll move into the maid’s quarters. Out of the goodness of my heart, you can stay here as our housemaid until you find your birth parents. I’ll pay you fifty dollars a month, no food or board, to start repaying us for the seventeen years of raising you.” Whispers erupted among the guests. I felt like a humiliated clown, surrounded by their mocking stares, as I bent down to pick up my backpack. Chloe rushed over, snatching my backpack with a powerful tug. The broken zipper, held together by a single safety pin, instantly burst open, spilling my things everywhere. “Aha!” Chloe shrieked. “I knew it! You are stealing from us!” Among the scattered books and papers, a pink sanitary pad lay exposed on the floor. Eleanor’s face tightened with discomfort. “Chloe, it’s fine. It’s just a sanitary pad.” But Chloe wouldn’t back down. “Mommy, I’m the only child of the Sterling family now! What is she, anyway? She’s sponged off us for years and now she’s stealing our things? I say she doesn’t deserve it, she doesn’t deserve anything!”

Seeing her anger, Eleanor immediately softened, her voice dripping with placation. “Alright, alright, darling, don’t be angry. You’re right. You’re Mommy’s only precious darling now. You can do anything you want.” Chloe, satisfied, stepped on the pad, grinding her heel into it. “There! Now I don’t want it. It’s yours.” I stared at the pad, now covered in muddy footprints. My throat felt like it was clogged with wet cotton, heavy and suffocating. In the end, I bent down and only picked up my books. After the party, Maria, the housekeeper, led me to the old storage room. It was a space barely five square meters, containing only a rickety plank bed piled with junk and a single, rust-streaked window. Maria hovered at the doorway, a conflicted look on her face. “Miss… Maya, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling do remember your good side. Once they come to their senses, you’ll still be Miss Sterling…” Before she could finish, two cockroaches scurried out from a corner and vanished. I pretended not to notice her discomfort. “Thank you. I understand.” Maria shook her head and left, muttering softly, “They look so much alike, how could she not be theirs? Sigh…” I sat on the plank bed, gazing blankly out at the inky blackness of the night. It’s okay. Just one more year, and I can leave forever. That night, my lower abdomen cramped painfully. Without sanitary pads, I had to stuff myself with toilet paper. As I came out of the bathroom, I heard Mom and Dad’s hushed voices. “Honey, do you think Maya will hate us for this? She is our flesh and blood, after all.” Dad scoffed. “It’s her own fault for always picking on Chloe. As an older sister, she never knew how to let her sister have her way. A little hardship will do her good.” “After a year, when Chloe gets tired of the game, we’ll just make up an excuse, say the DNA test was a mistake. When she’s restored to her place as a Sterling, she’ll be ecstatic, won’t even have time to be angry.” My fingertips went numb. It was absurd, ridiculous. How could they possibly think that after crushing me into dust, I would still patiently wait for them to decide my fate again?

The next day, I went out to buy sanitary pads. At the checkout, I was told there were insufficient funds. But I had $200 saved up on my card. Back at the mansion, I pushed open the door. The three of them were at the dining table, laughing and chatting. A gift bag sat on the table. Eleanor was stroking a silk scarf, a look of pure delight on her face. “Our Chloe is such a thoughtful little angel, always bringing Mommy gifts! I’m so happy!” Richard was twirling a plastic cup in his hand, grinning from ear to ear. “Daddy likes it too. You truly are my precious daughter.” Chloe pouted, leaning her head on Eleanor’s shoulder. “But these two gifts only cost two hundred dollars. You two won’t be mad that I bought something so cheap, will you?” Eleanor immediately shook her head. “Of course not! As long as it’s from my darling, even two dollars is a treasure in my heart.” Richard didn’t miss a beat, taking the chance to disparage me. “Exactly! Unlike your sister, who only knows how to spend the family’s money and never bought us a single gift. She’s an ungrateful leech. She could never compare to my Chloe…” As they noticed my return, their conversation died. Chloe tilted her head, her smile brimming with malice. That two hundred dollars… It was my allowance for two months. It was all the money I had. A cold dread washed over me. Something in my mind snapped. When I finally registered what was happening, my hand was already raised, aimed at Chloe. But before my palm could connect,

Richard kicked me across the room. My spine slammed against the sharp corner of the coffee table, and my vision blurred with pain. Chloe held up her arm, showing a tiny red mark, and wailed as if the world was ending. “Mommy, Daddy, it hurts so much! Is my arm broken?” Eleanor shrieked, “Call an ambulance!” Richard quickly interjected, “Forget the ambulance, there’s no time! I’ll drive Chloe to the hospital.” Chloe pointed at me, still sprawled on the floor. “I don’t want to ride in the car! This… this nobody hurt me! I want her to carry me to the hospital!” The nearest hospital in the city was about twelve miles from the mansion. Eleanor’s eyes were icy as she looked at me. “You orphaned stray. We took you in, fed and clothed you for years, and now you dare lay a hand on my daughter? Do as Chloe says.” Seeing that I wasn’t getting up, Richard grabbed me by the arm and yanked me to my feet. “Stop faking it! You just took a small bump! Now hurry up and carry Chloe to the hospital. If you delay my daughter’s recovery, I swear I’ll kick you out of the Sterling family for good!” I believed him. But I couldn’t leave yet. I could only put Chloe on my back and staggered towards the hospital on foot. Richard drove slowly behind me, keeping pace with my every painful step. He kept yelling, “Maya! Carry her properly! If you dare drop my precious daughter, I’ll skin you alive!” Eleanor frowned and complained, “Speed up, are you trying to starve yourself? Don’t you dare delay my darling’s recovery.”

Chloe chuckled from my back, a note of triumph in her voice. “See? Nobody in this family loves you!” Words like that used to pierce my heart easily. But now, perhaps after accumulating too much pain, I was numb, beyond feeling. Seeing my lack of reaction, Chloe fell silent. But just as we neared the hospital, a safety pin she’d hidden in her pocket dug deep into my back. I gasped, stumbled, and collapsed to the ground, Chloe still sprawled on top of me. Richard and Eleanor immediately pulled over, dashed out of the car, and scooped Chloe up, rushing towards the hospital. Eleanor, who was trailing behind, glanced back at my ashen face. She shouted impatiently, “You’re already at the hospital! Go find a doctor yourself. We don’t have time for your drama.” In the end, I never made it into the hospital. Because I had no funds. Too weak to move, I sat on the hospital steps until dusk before making my way back to the mansion. They were already back. Standing in the living room was a cowering, shabbily dressed middle-aged couple. “Perfect timing,” Richard said, gesturing to the couple. “These are your birth parents. You can go with them now.”

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I found the apartment where my husband kept his mistress. I had to see the woman who’d stolen his heart. Julian and I had built everything from nothing-from a shoebox apartment to this sprawling estate. We worked until our bones ached. I went gray before my time. Even after Leo was born, I didn’t settle into the easy life of a society wife. I kept pushing, kept working. I always believed I held my life in my own hands. I rang the doorbell. The door opened. The girl standing there beamed a perfect smile. “You must be Julian’s mother. How lovely to meet you.” Even during million-dollar contract talks, I never let a slip of emotion show. But hearing her call me “Mrs. Thorne” made me flinch. We weren’t even divorced, and she was already greeting her future mother-in-law? I spoke on impulse. “Hello.” “Please come in, Mrs. Thorne. My name is Ivy Dawson.” The moment I stepped inside, a large map drew my eye. Delicate red threads crisscrossed it, linking photos of them kissing, marking every place they’d been together. It was nearly covered. She noticed me looking and smiled. “This is our adventure map. He takes me somewhere new every month.” So Julian had been cheating far longer than I’d known. She reached over, gently taking my coat to hang in the closet nearby. The tea she offered was perfectly warm. My eyes moved through the apartment-a penthouse downtown, two hundred square meters, finished to the highest standard. This place had to be worth over five million. “Did he buy this for you?” Ivy’s cheeks colored faintly. “Yes.” “Julian said it was a gift. To thank me.” In ten years of marriage, he had never celebrated a single holiday with me. Even after we became wealthy, he never bought me anything of real value. My birthday was just a cake and a simple “Happy Birthday.” I always thought love just matured into a comfortable companionship, that quiet stability was the real deal. Turns out, love doesn’t transform; it just transfers to someone else. Seeing my silence, she looked a little flustered. After a few hesitations, she finally spoke. “Mrs. Thorne, Julian and I are truly in love. Could you… could you agree to let me marry him?” I thought I wouldn’t feel anything. But my heart gave a sharp pang, and I instinctively asked. “How did you two get together?” Ivy gushed, her eyes sparkling. Finally, I understood. That year, when I had a persistent high fever, and we were already millionaires, he still rushed off to meet a client for a mere $10,000 order. Turns out, it was just because she’d texted, “I miss you.” “Oh, Mrs. Thorne, you wouldn’t believe it. The moment Julian saw me, he said his world lit up.” “Julian is so amazing! Last time, he even helped my dad’s company solve a tricky tech problem. He said it had stumped their whole industry for ages, but he just looked at it and fixed it!” “So, Mrs. Thorne, do you agree?” She gazed at me expectantly. I asked, with a knowing smirk. “And do you know he has a wife?” Ivy’s face fell, and she bit her lip. “Julian said he doesn’t love her at all. He said she’s just a business partner, with no real feelings between them.” “He said that woman is older than his aunt, completely boring, acts like a man, and her skin is disgustingly rough.” I unconsciously rubbed the calluses on my palms, scars from lifting heavy sacks of soybeans during our startup days. Every night, he used to apply thick hand cream, massaging my hands again and again. He even called me the greatest contributor to our family’s success. “But I guess a woman like that wouldn’t really appeal to any man.” “They’re going to divorce anyway, so I don’t mind. As long as he truly loves me, that’s all that matters.” The hand holding my teacup paused mid-air, trembling slightly. We met through friends and fell in love at first sight. Julian told his friends I was the woman of his dreams. He had vowed not to marry me until he made his fortune. We started a small artisanal café and bakery together, barely sleeping through those years. I worked until my hair went gray ahead of time, my face etched with tired lines that aged me beyond my years. Once, drunk, he wept, knelt down, and held me, apologizing over and over. So that he wouldn’t feel guilty, even when I had no time for myself, I made sure to dye my roots. My heart rose and fell, then settled into a strange calm. I had seen enough. Compared enough. It wasn’t that she was so remarkable-it was that he was different now. If he insisted there was no feeling left between us, then I would make sure that feeling was gone for good.

I was about to reply. Ivy’s phone rang-on speaker. Julian’s voice came through, deep and tender in a tone I’d never heard from him before. “Hungry, baby? I picked up your favorite pho. Be there in fifteen.” I knew that place. It took three hours in line, clear across the city. Once, when I was laid up at home with a broken leg, I’d mentioned craving something light like pho. He’d just sat by my hospital bed, peeling an apple, and hadn’t even looked up. Ivy blew a kiss into the speaker. “Love you most, hubby!” They were still cooing when I stood and walked to the bathroom. I noticed there were more men’s toiletries on the counter than we kept at home. I sent a message to my assistant, instructing her to thoroughly investigate Julian’s financial records. If he thought he could spend the fortune I’d earned on another woman, he would learn what it cost. Just as I reached for the doorknob, Julian’s eager voice carried in from the living room. “Look what I got for you!” Ivy cheered. “Is it the sapphire I saw yesterday when we were shopping?!” “I only looked at it for a second, and you already bought it!” “Then I have a surprise for you too!” Ivy, feigning mystery, ran to tap on the bathroom door. “Mrs. Thorne, are you done?” I turned off the faucet and pulled open the bathroom door. Ivy bounded excitedly between Julian and me, joyfully flapping her arms. “It’s perfect that Mrs. Thorne is here too, because I have monumental news to share with both of you!” “Hubby gave me a sapphire! So I’m giving hubby a baby!” My body jolted, and I looked up at her sharply. After giving birth to Leo, I had always longed for a sweet daughter. Julian always found excuses, always put it off. Turns out, he just didn’t want to have another child with me. Julian’s smile was still wide. His gaze swept past Ivy, locking with mine. His pupils instantly constricted. The smile vanished, as if I were the villain who had intruded upon their perfect world. “What are you doing here?” I walked back to my seat, my eyes drifting between the two of them. My silence seemed to him like a challenge. He pulled Ivy behind him. “Whatever you have to say, say it to me. Don’t touch Ivy.” Ivy looked confused, tugging on his sleeve. “Isn’t she your mother?” Julian froze, then scoffed. “Silly girl, you have good eyes. She does look old.” “Unfortunately, she’s my legal wife.” Ivy’s eyes widened. She suddenly realized who I was, her face draining of color then flushing crimson. She clapped her hands over her mouth. “Mrs. Thorne… no, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it like that just now.” “It’s… it’s me…” She couldn’t find the words, her face flushing with frustration. Julian pulled her close and turned a cold stare on me. “She doesn’t owe you an apology.” “Eleanor, get out.” From the shelter of his arm, Ivy peeked out at me-a quick, triumphant glance. I drained the last sip of tea, picked up my coat, and walked over to her. “Your request from earlier? I agree.” As the elevator doors began to close, Julian rushed out, jamming his hand in the way. He looked at me, perplexed that I wasn’t demanding answers as usual. His expression was complex, with a hint of panic I couldn’t quite decipher. “Eleanor, this was an accident.” “You know pregnant women can’t handle emotional stress.” “Divorce would cost us a fortune. She won’t threaten your position.” Julian knew I treated our company like my own child, and divorce would mean splitting half of our assets. He was threatening me. I knew he wouldn’t let go if I didn’t respond. I gave a quiet hum, waving my hand to dismiss him. Julian visibly relaxed. Suddenly, a bag of trash appeared at my feet. “Take this down for me.” As the elevator doors closed, I kicked the bag right back out. Did he really think I came here unprepared today?

I returned to the office and pulled out the divorce papers I’d had prepared long ago. Actually, the first time I suspected him of being intimate with another woman, I had already consulted a lawyer and drafted them. Back then, Julian had threatened self-harm, swearing it would never happen again. Looking at the blood on the floor, my barely growing baby bump, and our fledgling business, I rationally chose to forgive him. “Eleanor, they’re here.” Sarah, my assistant, knocked on the door. After a series of negotiations, I sold all the shares I held in the company. The company was indeed my brainchild, but something tainted and broken wasn’t worth holding onto. Besides my son, I wanted nothing from him. My phone alarm went off. It was time to pick Leo up from preschool. But at the preschool gate, I saw Julian. Ivy was squatting beside my son, holding up a cool superhero-themed marshmallow. Leo’s joyful expression was one I’d never seen before. “Leo, do you like me or your mommy more?” Ivy’s voice was incredibly gentle. Leo giggled, poking Ivy’s dimple. “What if I become your mommy and have a little brother for you to play with?” My son nodded emphatically, standing on tiptoes to kiss Ivy’s cheek. Julian picked up Leo with one arm and held Ivy’s hand as they crossed the street. He spotted my car, his gaze shifting to the driver’s seat. He lingered on my face for only a moment before ushering them into his car. I sat in my car, my mind blank, my face flushed from the AC. It took a long time to shake off the daze. Julian had deliberately made sure I saw that. Ever since Leo started preschool, he had become increasingly resistant to my affection. I used to think it was my strictness that pushed him away, but now, everything made sense. It seemed my illusion of control, of a happy family, was nothing but a fragile bubble of my own making. Too bad Julian had miscalculated. He still thought I would swallow my pride and stay for our son’s sake. No one, absolutely no one, would stop me from leaving now. Back home, Leo was playing with the remote-control car Ivy had given him. Julian, as if nothing had happened, wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. “Didn’t you want another daughter?” “I’ll give you one tonight.” His hollow attempt at reconciliation, born of guilt, only disgusted me more. I struggled free of his grasp. “You should save that for Ivy.” Julian, assuming I was still angry, only pressed closer, his hands starting to roam, trying to elicit a reaction from me. Our usual pattern was that after an argument, a session in bed meant we’d made up. This time, there would be no making up. Julian gripped the back of my neck and shoved me forward. Perhaps because we were so close, the lingering scent of my work-the coffee beans and flour from our early bakery days-made him instinctively turn his head away. The more I struggled, the tighter his grip. With a thud, my head hit the wall. I instantly felt dizzy. He instinctively cupped the back of my head. My phone rang. A few seconds later, Julian released me, his face hardening, letting out a cold scoff. “Fine, I respect your wishes. Saves me the trouble of needing medication to even be interested in you.” I didn’t need to guess who was calling. Julian changed his clothes, sprayed on cologne, and stormed out, tossing a final comment over his shoulder. “That’s enough drama. Make sure everything’s ready for the annual gala next week.” Every year, he loved to make a big show of handing out employees’ annual bonuses in cash. More than once, he either gave too little or too much, causing numerous employee disputes. Once, while handling company funds, I even got robbed and ended up in the hospital. Now, with the company accounts drained by his lavish spending on Ivy, how could he save face?

Leo stood by the door, watching me pack my suitcase. I could be ruthless with Julian. But facing my son, whom I had carried for nine months, I wavered. There weren’t many things to pack, anyway. I put items in, then took them out, agonizing for over an hour. I knelt before him, gently stroking his soft, little cheek. For the first time, he didn’t swat my hand away. I asked softly, “Do you want to come with Mommy?” Leo’s eyes sparkled, but he asked me in return, “Are you leaving? If you leave, are you never coming back?” My throat tightened. “Yes, Mommy won’t be coming back.” “Come with Mommy, okay?” I pulled him into my arms. Leo’s small voice whispered beside my ear. “Yay! If you leave, I’ll have a pretty mommy!” My body went rigid. I slowly let him go and stood up. I had planned, even in leaving, to protect the boy. He was innocent. I was going to help him settle things with Ivy’s child-to make sure no one would ever try to take what was his. But with that kind of attitude from him, why should I bother planning his future? I stepped over him and walked out without looking back. The moment I landed in the Maldives, my phone lit up with Snap notifications. “Mrs. Thorne, even if I handed Julian back to you now, he wouldn’t take you.” “I’ll take good care of him and Leo.” “Oh, and it’s a boy. Julian says he’ll inherit everything.” The next message was a video. It showed Julian at her prenatal appointment. “Hubby, listen here. He can hear your voice now, you know.” I turned off my phone. This wouldn’t end with a simple divorce, Julian. I had a surprise planned for him at the annual gala. We didn’t speak for a whole week. But his social media was flooded-no less than twenty posts of him and Ivy. At the annual gala, Julian introduced Ivy to the room. His hand rested possessively on her waist, his meaning clear. A few executives rushed to flatter him. “Mr. Thorne, it’s about time you saw the light!” “Who knows what he was doing, tied to that battleaxe all these years.” “Exactly! When’s the big day, sir?” These were people I had promoted. Every one of them. Julian smiled, his gaze dropping to Ivy’s stomach. “You’ll all have cake soon enough.” They stood there like a bride and groom, accepting the room’s toasts. Someone finally mentioned me. Julian’s lips curved into a smirk. “She’ll be here soon.” When it came time to distribute the annual bonuses, Julian finally noticed my absence. He began calling my phone repeatedly. “Where is Eleanor Vance?!” My chief assistant stammered. “Eleanor… she’s been unreachable all week. And this afternoon…the company accounts were cleared out.” “We tried calling you, sir. Many times. You never answered.” Her voice faded to a whisper. Julian’s expression darkened by the second. Suddenly, the large screen behind him flickered to life, cycling through a series of images. A collective gasp swept the hall, followed by dead silence. Julian turned. His face went rigid with fury. The phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor.

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I was in a coma for three years after the car accident. When I finally woke, my family cried with relief. Their attentiveness was almost too perfect. Beneath the devotion, something felt wrong. There were men’s clothes in the house that didn’t fit me. Baby items I didn’t recognize kept appearing in my mother-in-law Susan’s shopping cart. My father-in-law David got a congratulatory text from a friend about “a newborn.” And Serena, my wife, was always working late. The night Serena left for another “business trip,” I followed her. In a warmly lit house, my in-laws and Serena sat around a table. A man who looked almost exactly like me was holding a child, gently urging them to call my wife “Mommy.” Under the soft, warm light, the man held the child beside my wife-a portrait of a happy family. My in-laws watched them, their eyes full of tenderness. “We should start planning Leo’s birthday party, Dylan. You’ve both been through so much.” Dylan hesitated. “A birthday party…are you sure that’s safe?” Susan reached over and gently squeezed his hand. “You’ve suffered enough, dear. If Julian hadn’t woken up, you wouldn’t be living like this-always in hiding.” “We’ll keep it quiet. We’re giving Leo a party. Even if we have to hide it from Julian!” My wife, Serena, also gently took his arm. “She’s right.” Watching their picture-perfect family scene from outside the window, I felt a chilling cold spread through my entire body. I’d been in a coma for three years due to a car accident, waking up just a month ago. They had all been overjoyed. A few days earlier, I’d been discharged and moved back home, only to find my bedroom completely redecorated. Even my closet contained many clothes that weren’t my size or style. Susan had explained then, “Mike came to stay for a bit, said he missed you and wanted to help take care of you. We agreed.” Mike was my best friend since childhood, so I didn’t question it. But when I walked into my in-laws’ bedroom later that night, intending to share some heartfelt words, I saw them holding tiny baby clothes and toys, laughing about something. Seeing me, their faces instantly changed. They quickly shoved everything behind their backs. Before I could say anything, David sternly barked, “Why did you come in without knocking?” I froze. My in-laws always treated me like their own son. They’d never asked me to knock before. In fact, they used to scold me if I did, saying, “Why are you treating us like strangers?” Now, their faces were clouded with anger, their tone accusatory. They quickly caught themselves, and Susan rushed off the bed to pull me closer. “We just… haven’t gotten used to things yet.” I forced a smile, pushing down the strange feeling in my chest. But I lost all desire to chat and went back to my bedroom. Serena was taking a shower, but I couldn’t understand why she’d been in there for over an hour. She used to take ten-minute showers, tops. I waited on the couch. Serena finally emerged from the bathroom, phone in hand, a sweet smile still lingering on her face. That smile. I knew it better than anyone. It used to be my favorite. I couldn’t help but ask, “What’s making you so happy?” She snapped back to reality, and her smile instantly faded. As if afraid I’d check her phone, she immediately turned off the screen and tossed it aside. Then she affectionately hugged me, but I noticed a red mark on her neck. “Mosquitoes? This time of year?” I asked, feigning confusion. Serena’s face was a mask of bewilderment. Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, her phone suddenly rang. I saw a photo of a man, almost identical to me, fill her screen as the caller ID.

I waited for Serena to explain, a knot forming in my stomach. But she didn’t bat an eye, simply smiling. “Honey, have you forgotten your own photo?” With that, she gave me a quick hug, then turned and walked out to answer the call. I might have been in a coma for three years, but I wasn’t brain-dead for three years. I distinctly remembered never taking a photo like that. Serena was lying to me! She returned quickly. “Something came up at the office. I need to go out. Don’t wait up for me, just go to sleep.” Without even looking at my face, she grabbed her coat and rushed out the door. The old Serena always said, “I earn money so my husband can relax. I’d never choose work over spending time with my husband, right?” She had never stayed out all night before. But for the next two days, she didn’t come home at all. However, during those two days, my former mentor, who had always highly regarded me, was thrilled to hear I was awake. But she was concerned about my health and urged me to go for further tests at a specialized clinic overseas, where her top student worked. I agreed to my mentor’s suggestion, deciding to go abroad after my in-laws hosted a welcome dinner for me. As soon as I got home, Serena, who I hadn’t seen for two days, was already there, seemingly preparing to leave again. She paused when she saw me. “I heard you’re going overseas.” “I just came back to tell you about-” But before I could finish, she impatiently cut me off. “Okay, company emergency. I have to go.” She was in such a hurry to leave that I didn’t press further. But the questions in my heart grew heavier. Was she really that busy? I followed her, and that’s when I saw the cozy scene, the family so joyfully together. My numb fingers stirred. I raised my phone and discreetly recorded the entire interaction. Back home, I tortured myself, watching the video over and over again. It became clear. Someone had taken my place during my years of unconsciousness. What was the point of me even waking up? Soon after, a soft click. The door opened, and my wife rushed back, a smile on her face. “On the way back, I saw your favorite bakery was open. I bought you a lobster roll.” She hugged me, the strong, unfamiliar scent of another man on her making me want to vomit. I pushed her away, forcing a strained smile. “I’m allergic to lobster. Did you forget?” I watched her freeze. I knew it. My place had been taken, and with it, my wife’s memories of me had been replaced. “Why are you still here? The party’s about to start, we need to hurry!” Just as Serena, flustered, tried to explain, Susan’s voice rang out. She walked towards me, holding a suit. “Here, put this on. I had it custom-made. It’ll look perfect on you.” I looked up, and it hit me like a lightning bolt! I had just seen that exact suit on Dylan a little while ago. I clenched my fists, asking softly, “Are you sure this is for me?” Susan nodded, quickly ushering me into the walk-in closet and gesturing for me to change. I chuckled to myself bitterly, then walked out, the buttons of the suit gaping. “Why have you gotten so fat?” Serena frowned. I didn’t explain, just looked at Susan. Only then did she realize I was much taller and broader than Dylan. She looked mortified, quickly arranging for another suit to be sent over. “Oh, my memory! I completely forgot your size. I’ll have someone buy you more clothes tomorrow.” “Our Julian is getting handsomer every day.” The tenderness in her eyes was unmistakable, but I pulled my hand away from her grasp. Susan, Susan, are you truly praising me, or the imposter out there?

At my party, I saw my childhood best friend, Mike. He walked towards me. My smile hadn’t even fully formed when I heard him instinctively call out, “Dylan…” I froze, my outstretched hand suspended in mid-air. He didn’t realize his mistake until another person appeared- Dylan. He was also at the party. Mike blinked, looking from me to him, then quickly dropped my hand as if it were a burning hot potato, his face flushed with embarrassment. “Julian… congratulations, congratulations on waking up.” I tried to swallow the disappointment clutching my heart, looking up towards Dylan. He saw me too, an eyebrow raising, his eyes filled with open defiance. My former friends quickly gathered around him. I was left completely isolated. The next second, Serena appeared. My in-laws hooked their arms through mine, their voices tinged with annoyance. “Why did you let him come? Serena, get him out of here.” Dylan looked at them in disbelief, then was quickly pulled away by a grim-faced Serena. I caught my in-laws’ probing glances, but I wasn’t in the mood to deal with them. In front of me, they were putting on a show of disliking Dylan. If I hadn’t witnessed that warm family scene earlier, I might have believed them. I made an excuse and left, following them. “You barely finished Leo’s birthday party, and now you’re rushing to throw Julian a welcome dinner. The celebration banner is still hanging right over there. What will people think of me if you keep this up?” The man’s bitter voice carried into the hall. I stood outside the door, my blood turning to ice. My eyes swept the room-and there, in the corner, still hung the bright, untouched banner from Leo’s celebration. My welcome party was almost seamlessly connected to their child’s birthday celebration? What did they take me for? I finally understood why Serena hadn’t come home for the past two days-it was for this birthday party. I tightened my grip on the doorknob. Dylan’s face was full of injustice, but Serena offered no comfort. “I told you not to let Julian find out about you!” “He just woke up. If he gets distressed and something happens to him, I swear I’ll never forgive you!” Serena’s tone was incredibly harsh. Dylan looked even more wronged. “I know I’m supposed to stay in the shadows. I’ll be more careful from now on.” Hearing his tone soften, Serena sighed lightly. “Just make sure you understand your place.” But the next second, the sound of them kissing filled the air… A sudden wave of nausea washed over me, and a feeling of profound betrayal tore my heart to shreds! I roughly wiped my face, but as I turned to leave, I met Dylan’s triumphant gaze. My mind reeled, and I wasn’t watching my step. I tripped over a plastic toy ball and fell hard to the ground! I landed with a thud. The sounds from inside ceased. I lay on the ground, my ankle twisted so badly it felt like it had snapped. The pain was so intense I nearly passed out. “Julian!” Serena stumbled out, clothes askew, then spun back to hiss into the dark room. “Don’t come out!” She helped me up, her face a mask of panic and helpless guilt at being seen. For some reason, I needed to hear her say it. “I…I just came to use the bathroom. I…I must have fainted.” Serena’s shoulders relaxed visibly. “What are you even doing here?” When I asked her the same, she just shook her head dismissively. “I was looking for something. Don’t move. I’ll take you to the hospital.” As her lies settled between us, my grip on her wrist slowly went slack.

My ankle was badly twisted. Serena’s eyes were red, and she kept repeating “I’m sorry.” Her body trembled, her voice shaking. “I’m so sorry, Julian, I didn’t take good care of you… I’m awful…” I gently pushed her away, my voice flat. “Why was there an unput-away plastic ball there?” Serena’s voice caught in her throat. Of course, she knew why. Those were the toys she had prepared for her son’s birthday party. She hadn’t figured out how to explain yet. Just then, her phone rang. Dylan’s photo, as usual, flashed across the screen with the ringtone. A man’s voice, feigning urgency, came from the other end. “Leo has a fever, Serena. Can you come with me to take him to the hospital, please?” Serena instinctively looked up at me. Her face was conflicted, but in the end, she chose to abandon me. “Something urgent came up at the office. I’ll be back soon, honey. Wait for me.” With that, she didn’t wait for my reaction and bolted out. At the same time, I received a friend request. It was Dylan. I accepted, and he immediately sent a message. “Serena still chose me, didn’t she? If you’re smart, you’ll just get lost and stop being an eyesore to our family!” I didn’t reply. Instead, I clicked on his Ins profile. The latest video featured Susan. She was kneeling before a wall adorned with religious icons, devoutly praying for Dylan’s safety. Dylan held the phone, recording, his voice triumphant. “You said you’d give anything for my safety. Would you even sacrifice Julian’s safety for mine?” Susan smiled, playfully scolding him. “What are you saying? Of course, I would.” At that, my hand went slack, and my phone clattered to the floor, its screen shattering into a spiderweb of cracks. I shakily picked up the phone, only then noticing. Dylan was wearing the very good luck charm Susan had once sought out for me. I saved everything, the despair in my heart deepening with every passing second. I suddenly couldn’t find any meaning in my existence. My in-laws pushed open the door and saw this scene. My eyes bloodshot, I looked at Susan, on the verge of breaking down. “Mom, do you truly see me as your son-in-law?” “Are you hoping I just drop dead?!” Susan stared at me, aghast. The next second, a clear red handprint bloomed on my face. David’s eyes bulged with rage. “Your mother is so worried about you! How can you speak to her like that? You’re truly no match for Dylan…” He suddenly cut himself off, a look of pure regret on his face. I laughed out loud, tears streaming down my face with the laughter. The hospital room fell silent. That suffocating silence persisted until I was discharged and went home. David’s friend was waiting at the door, holding a gift. Seeing us, he stepped forward, smiling. “Congratulations, Mr. Quinn. I couldn’t make it to the birthday party the other day-” He didn’t get to finish. David’s expression tightened as he looked at me. Soon after, Susan pulled me into a side room. “You’re just out of the hospital. You should be resting.” Her words came quickly, and she left almost immediately. They were afraid I would discover the truth. I already had. I pulled out my phone and opened the latest video Dylan had sent. Serena kissing his son. My heart went cold. I turned toward the window and called Serena. “Serena, you once said you wanted to settle overseas with me. If I asked you now to pack everything and start fresh with me…would you still go?” It was loud on her end. Her voice came through faint, but I heard the refusal clearly. Serena’s voice was a bit muffled, but I still caught her refusal. “Why fix what isn’t broken? Let’s not talk about moving abroad.” My hand tightened around the phone. That was the moment my heart closed to her for good. “Serena, how about I give you a gift you’ll never forget?”

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The day we moved into the neighborhood, our new neighbor sued me. She sobbed hysterically, accusing my son of assaulting her daughter. “My Tiffany just turned eighteen, and that sick pervert, Buddy, ruined her!” “That worthless piece of trash, clearly raised by wolves, deserves the death penalty!” Her daughter also insisted it was my son. “Buddy told me he’d choke me if I didn’t take off my clothes… I was so scared, boohoo…” At her words, the jury and the public were enraged, demanding severe punishment for my son. “That animal! This Buddy is an absolute monster!” “Punish him severely! Don’t let this demon, Buddy, get away with it!” But when the judge called my son to the stand, everyone in the courtroom froze. “You, Cassandra! Your animal son had the guts to defile my daughter, but he’s too much of a coward to show his face in court!” “Hiding him won’t do any good! I won’t let this go! Your son must get the death penalty, and you two must pay my daughter two million for emotional damages!” In court, Brenda glared at me fiercely, as if she wanted to skin me alive. Her daughter, Tiffany, was sobbing dramatically, tears streaming down her face, her eyes filled with pain and terror. I looked at the mother and daughter coolly, repeating my stance. “My son did not assault Tiffany, and he couldn’t have! Find the real culprit; don’t you dare try to pin this on my son!” Until today, I never imagined I’d be facing Brenda and Tiffany in court. The day my son and I moved into the neighborhood, Brenda was so friendly, helping me with my luggage, saying we were neighbors now and I should come to her if I needed anything. When she heard I had a son during our chat, her face lit up, and she introduced her daughter, Tiffany, calling it fate. However, that very night, she came banging on my door with a disheheveled Tiffany, accusing my son, Buddy, of assaulting her. I was stunned, then quickly explained that my son would never do such a thing. But Brenda wouldn’t listen. She was convinced my son did it, and Tiffany cried along, claiming my son dragged her from the hallway to the rooftop and assaulted her. No matter how I tried to explain, the mother and daughter were like hungry wolves who had found their prey, relentlessly clinging to my son. They even demanded a one-million settlement and insisted my son marry Tiffany, or they’d call the police and make sure he rotted in jail. I knew my son couldn’t have assaulted Tiffany, and the one-million compensation was absurd. I flat-out refused the mother and daughter’s demands. I never expected them to sue me. I firmly denied everything, and Brenda instantly blew up. “Impossible? You, Cassandra, open your damn eyes and look at Tiffany’s injuries!” Brenda tore open Tiffany’s jacket, revealing shocking, livid bruises on her body. “These black and blue marks, your animal son did this to her! My Tiffany is only eighteen!” Tiffany trembled as she looked at me, her eyes brimming with tears. “Cassandra, Buddy did all this. He even threatened to choke me if I didn’t take off my clothes. I was so scared!” Brenda hugged Tiffany, comforting her. Both mother and daughter burst into tears right there in the courtroom. And I, the mother of the alleged aggressor, watched them with cold indifference. The crowd in the jury box pointed at me, yelling. “Shameless! Her own son did something so heinous, and she’s still denying it!” “She’s clearly no good herself; the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!” “Poor Tiffany, so young to go through something like this. It’ll haunt her forever!”

The criticisms rained down on me, but I didn’t care, acting as if it had nothing to do with me. Tiffany cried even harder. “Cassandra, it was clearly Buddy who did this! Why won’t you admit it?” “I’m only eighteen! How can I face anyone after this? How am I supposed to live, boohoo…” She cried and pounded her head, her despair moving many in the room to tears. Brenda was heartbroken, pointing her finger at me. “You, Cassandra! You have a child too! How can you be so heartless? If your daughter was the victim today, would you still be this cold?” I scoffed. “My son is being slandered. What’s wrong with me defending him?” I knew perfectly well that my son, Buddy, was absolutely incapable of doing such a preposterous thing. But in their eyes, I was just making excuses. The whispers from the jury and the public grew louder. “This woman is incorrigible!” “To protect her son, she’s lost all basic conscience!” “If the mother is this shameless, what kind of person do you think her son is!” The courtroom instantly became a chaotic mess. The judge frowned and slammed his gavel down. “Order! Since both parties have conflicting statements, please present your respective evidence.” At his words, Tiffany’s lawyer immediately stood up, stating righteously, “Your Honor, my client has sufficient evidence to prove that the defendant, Buddy, assaulted my client, Tiffany.” She motioned for Tiffany to recount the events of that night. Tiffany took a deep breath, her voice trembling as she began to describe the alleged incident. “That night at ten o’clock, I was walking home from tutoring, and the elevator in that building was broken, so I had to take the stairs. Just as I reached the 26th floor, someone suddenly covered my mouth from behind. I struggled desperately, but Buddy was very strong. He dragged me directly to the rooftop, threatening me to ‘play’ with him.” I raised an eyebrow and pressed her. “How are you so sure that person was my son, Buddy?” Tiffany met my gaze, choking back a sob. “I… I definitely know. I saw his face!” “Buddy forced me to take off my clothes, and I desperately shook my head, refusing. But he just raised his hand and grabbed my neck. He said, he said he’d choke me to death if I didn’t obey him… I was too scared, so I had no choice but to give in… boohoo…” By this point, she was crying so hard she could barely breathe, clutching tightly at the hem of her clothes. Everyone sympathized with her plight, but only I knew she was lying. I pointed it out publicly. “Tiffany, you’re lying!” Tiffany flinched, trembling all over, then uncontrollably shrieked back at me. “Lying? Cassandra, why would I lie about something so sacred as my purity? Why are you so cruel and keep pushing me?” “Just look at my injuries! Look at how your son tortured me!” She frantically tore at her clothes, revealing more bruises of varying depths. Tiffany’s lawyer hugged the distraught Tiffany, sternly scolding me. “Defendant, how dare you say my client is lying? Tiffany’s injuries are irrefutable proof! Your baseless accusation is a second victimization of the victim!” I coldly looked at the indignant lawyer, saying each word distinctly. “If she had truly seen my son, she wouldn’t be saying such ridiculous things!” The day my son and I moved, the only child Brenda and Tiffany saw was me. My son, Buddy, had never shown his face to them, not once. If they had ever seen my son, they would absolutely never pin a crime like “assault” on him.

Tiffany’s lawyer scoffed at my words. “Defendant, is your son some kind of celebrity, that my client, Tiffany, would be so eager to tarnish her own reputation just to falsely accuse him?” Tiffany chimed in. “I really did see Buddy. I saw him coming out of his house when I was going to tutoring. We rode the elevator down together, and he said his name was Buddy, and he was the new neighbor.” Brenda pointed her finger at me, screaming, “You, Cassandra! Don’t think you can muddy the waters here and get your son off the hook! Tiffany saw your son with her own eyes, she even knows his name! You can’t deny it!” I watched the mother and daughter play off each other, finding it laughable. Tiffany spoke with such conviction because the hallway and the rooftop were surveillance blind spots. The mother and daughter exploited those blind spots, which is why they dared to fabricate such blatant lies. I didn’t bother arguing with them further. Instead, I turned to the judge. “Your Honor, the plaintiff’s testimony contains numerous contradictions and inconsistencies. It’s simply not enough to corroborate the alleged assault by my son, Buddy.” Brenda, seeing the judge acknowledge my point, grew anxious. She abruptly stood up from her chair, pointing her finger at me, shrieking, “Contradictions? Inconsistencies? You, Cassandra, stop trying to confuse everyone! Every word my daughter says is true, and her injuries are the proof!” I smirked. “You want to convict my son with just a couple of sentences? The law isn’t something you can fool around with!” Brenda’s face flushed with anger at my words, and Tiffany almost fainted from crying. The jury members thought I was being unreasonable, and their criticisms grew louder. “This woman is absolutely infuriating! She’s still making excuses at this point!” “Why wasn’t it *her* child who was assaulted!” “The mother is so trashy, no wonder her son is a monster!” They spoke one after another, trying to force me into submission. But I stood tall, my back straight, my cold gaze sweeping over the jury. I sneered, “Everyone, the truth has not yet been determined. Don’t let yourselves be used as pawns.” They didn’t know the facts and were just spouting nonsense based on their so-called sense of justice. Truly foolish. My words choked them for a moment, then someone retorted. “Used as pawns? Your son clearly did something awful and you’re trying to deny it!” “Exactly! Tiffany is a young girl, why would she joke about something like this?!” Brenda, seeing that someone was on her side, gained more confidence. She shot me a sinister glance, a hint of triumph in her eyes. “You, Cassandra! You kept saying there wasn’t enough evidence, right? Well, now open your eyes and look! I’d like to see how you’ll deny the evidence laid out before you!” After she spoke, she exchanged a look with her lawyer, who then pulled out a document and publicly displayed it. “This document I’m holding is proof of bodily fluids belonging to the defendant, Buddy, extracted from my client, Tiffany!”

This statement exploded in the courtroom like a thunderclap. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on that so-called report, including mine. Tiffany’s lawyer held up the document triumphantly, as if proclaiming victory: “This report shows that on Ms. Tiffany’s intimate clothing and relevant body parts, DNA highly consistent with the defendant’s son, Buddy, was detected!” “Ms. Cassandra, the evidence is irrefutable. What do you have to say now?” I looked at the lab report held high by the lawyer, not a hint of panic on my face. I hadn’t expected Brenda to go this far, even fabricating evidence. I slowly stood up, my gaze sweeping over Brenda, Tiffany, and their lawyer, who thought victory was assured. My voice was calm but held undeniable power. “The report is fake! I don’t believe it!” “Fake?” Tiffany’s lawyer sounded like she’d heard the funniest joke, as she distributed copies of the report to the judge and jury. “Ms. Cassandra, this report was issued by the city hospital and bears its official seal. It has legal validity. You just say it’s fake?” Tiffany looked up at me, resentment etched on her still tear-streaked face. “Cassandra, you don’t accept my testimony, you don’t accept the hospital report. How can you be so shameless? Do you really want to drive me to my death?!” With that, she began banging her head against the corner of the table. The dull thudding echoed through the courtroom. Brenda screamed, terrified, and lunged forward to embrace her daughter. “Tiffany, don’t do anything foolish! If something happens to you, how will I live?!” Seeing this, the judge immediately ordered people to intervene, his gavel slamming down with earth-shaking force. “Plaintiff, please control your emotions and refrain from extreme actions! Regardless, the law will give you justice!” At the judge’s words, Tiffany’s agitated state slowly calmed. Brenda hugged her daughter, her eyes fixed on me with venomous hatred. “You, Cassandra! If your son doesn’t confess today, I’ll die right here in front of you, and even as a ghost, I won’t let you or your son off the hook!” The jury and public chimed in, wishing my son would be executed on the spot. “I’m so mad! That animal Buddy must get the death penalty! Look at what he’s done to this mother and daughter!” “His DNA matched, and they still want to deny it? These Cassandras are truly shameless!” “The mother is protecting her animal son, she should go to jail with him!” …… Tiffany’s lawyer spoke righteously. “Ms. Cassandra, the law will not let any criminal go unpunished! Your son, Buddy, must pay the price for assaulting my client, Tiffany!” Everyone waited for the verdict for my son and me. The judge cleared his throat and prepared to make his final inquiry to me. “Defendant, Ms. Cassandra, regarding the DNA test report provided by the plaintiff and Ms. Tiffany’s testimony, do you have any other objections to state?” I met the judge’s gaze, answering each word clearly and distinctly. “Your Honor, my evidence is my son. I request that my son, Buddy, be summoned to testify!” The judge’s gavel came down, and the courtroom doors slowly opened. “Call the defendant, Buddy, to the stand!” All eyes were fixed on the doorway. Brenda and Tiffany stared intensely, eager to tear apart the animal who had defiled Tiffany. However, when my son walked into the courtroom, everyone present was dumbfounded.

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I was working late, starving, and ate a biscuit. For that, my manager slapped me with a $600,000 penalty! She pointed her finger right in my face, absolutely furious: “Skylar, don’t you dare think just because you closed a deal, you’re hot stuff!” “This is a workplace, not your personal kitchen! If you want to eat, do it on your own time!” “Company policy explicitly forbids snacks! You knew, and you did it anyway, making it ten times worse!” “That $600,000 commission? Canceled!” I just looked at her, calmly saying, “Whatever.” I decided to just lean into it, throw in the towel. And that’s when she couldn’t sit still anymore. Brenda was seething at my attitude. “Skylar, write an apology! A public apology in front of everyone!” I watched Brenda’s face, flushed crimson with rage, and instinctively clenched my fists. Then I calmly said, “Fine by me!” Every single colleague stared at me, disbelief etched on their faces. Brenda stormed off in her heels to the 23rd floor, leaving me at my desk. A moment later, a notice popped up in the company-wide SnapChat. “Skylar from Sales, for repeated violations of company policy, we have decided to dock her monthly commission, totaling $600,000. She is also required to issue a public apology at the company-wide meeting this afternoon at 2 PM, as a warning to others!” My colleagues looked at me in shock. Leo, from the desk across, messaged me privately: “Brenda’s totally going through menopause, don’t mind her. Just swallow your pride, that’s six hundred grand!” I just smiled. Swallowing my pride wouldn’t help. She wanted to use me up and then discard me. She had been eyeing my position for a long time. When Mr. Sterling personally headhunted me, we had an agreement: no clocking in or out, complete freedom, eat and drink as I pleased, as long as I delivered results. Most of the sales department’s revenue came from me alone. I closed the M Corp. deal, worth billions, in just one week. Brenda probably thought my job was too easy and was just plain jealous. I replied to Leo: “Just wait. This afternoon won’t just be my public shaming; someone’s also going to take my place!” Leo looked stunned. I ignored him, calmly sitting at my desk, organizing and printing all my client files. Then I wiped clean all the data on my work phone. After doing these two things, I started writing my apology. Brenda came down once during this time. Seeing me write the apology, she smirked triumphantly. At 2 PM, she came back with someone else. Over a hundred people gathered in the main conference room on the 23rd floor. Brenda’s voice rang out, clear and sharp: “I’ll reiterate—a company is a company! Don’t think this place is your personal home! We’ve told you countless times not to turn it into a garbage dump, but some people just refuse to listen!” “Don’t think just because the Chairman headhunted you, you’re special! Anyone can close a deal with a phone call and a dinner! That’s not real skill!” “Skylar, get up here and apologize! Let everyone see how you messed up!” I stood up and walked to the front, amidst a mix of bewildered and gloating stares. “Manager Brenda is right. I shouldn’t have eaten a biscuit in the office. From today on, I will strictly adhere to company rules and never cross the line again!” “Manager Brenda, I’m not exactly a wordsmith; I don’t have much else to say. If you don’t want me to eat, I won’t eat. Being a sales rep isn’t that big a deal!” “Good that you know! Given your repeated offenses, the senior management has decided today to revoke your position as Sales Director and demote you to a regular sales associate.” “This is our new Director, Chad, a Stanford graduate. He will lead you all to new heights!” A smattering of applause broke out. Brenda pulled a slick-haired man with an overly confident smirk forward. Leo and I exchanged glances. He was totally floored. Finally, Brenda added: “Skylar, organize your client files and hand them over. They’ll be reallocated!” I agreed without a word, printed everything out, and handed it over. These clients? If you can handle them, go right ahead! Seeing me so cooperative, Brenda looked a little suspicious. She double-checked everything to make sure it was correct before finally dropping it. Chad, full of himself, strutted over to my desk right after coming down from the 23rd floor and tapped his finger on my desk. “Skylar, hurry up! Pack all your stuff now. Otherwise, if anything goes missing, you’ll be held responsible.”

I got it. As Sales Director, my desk used to be with everyone else, but my row was just me, with an open view of everyone opposite. Now, it was different. He couldn’t wait to push me out, and my new spot was placed opposite him, right by the window. Even with AC in summer, I wasn’t allowed to draw the blinds. The scorching sun streamed through the glass, making the computer screen glare and heating up the entire area. But none of that mattered. I silently packed my belongings and was about to move my computer to the new spot when he stopped me. “Hold on. We need to check everything on your computer, too. What if you try to take client data with you?” “Fine, check it!” I opened my laptop and let him search through everything. Mr. Sterling himself headhunted me, and he told me one thing: “Skylar, you have absolute authority within this company!” Mr. Sterling’s health hadn’t been great in recent years, and he’d gone abroad for treatment. Everything they were doing now seemed ridiculously comical to me. I knew exactly what Brenda was thinking: use me up and toss me aside, all to cut costs for the company. Too bad cutting costs isn’t that simple. Chad couldn’t find anything suspicious, so he just waved me off. Leo texted me: “Skylar, don’t worry, we’re all rooting for you!” I replied with a smiley face. What good was their support? I didn’t believe the execs on the 23rd floor were unaware of Brenda’s actions. They tacitly approved. That meant even Mr. Sterling, all the way across the ocean, must have known. If that was the case, there was no point in arguing with them. I clocked in and out like everyone else. I didn’t know how things were before, but from now on, I’d strictly follow company procedures. No one could fault that, right? Traditionally, I’d usually meet clients for coffee or drinks after work, but not anymore. I drove straight home, collapsed onto my long-missed bed, and watched the sunset. My mood was great. I used to constantly be out entertaining clients, with endless social obligations. Now, I finally had time to myself. I pulled out my phone, searched for opera tickets, and booked one. My favorite opera singer had performed hundreds of times, and I’d never been to a single show. Now, I finally had the time. Soon after, I was added to a new sales group chat. Chad was the group admin. “@Everyone: From now on, all sales reps must submit daily sales logs. I want to see who you met, what you discussed, and if there’s any potential, every single day.” “Each month, you need to bring in 5 potential leads. Fail to do so, and your monthly assessment will drop by 20%.” Leo messaged me, complaining: “Look at him! He claims to be from Stanford, but he’s bringing back all these old, outdated methods?” “Has he ever even done sales? Potential leads aren’t that easy to find! Five a month? The entire company only closes deals with old clients nowadays!” “The economy’s rough right now, it’s not easy. And big clients? We can barely touch those. Small clients? This city only has so many people. He’s literally leaving us no room to breathe.” Seeing Leo’s complaints, I just comforted him: “Just take your time. Do whatever the boss tells you to.” “Skylar, how can you just let him walk all over you? I wouldn’t stand for it! If it were me, I’d have quit already! I can’t stand this crap!” Leo never held back. I smiled at his texts but didn’t reply. I wasn’t in a hurry. They’d figure it out soon enough.

The next day, I went to the office and submitted my vacation request form. I had worked at the company for eight years and never taken a single day of annual leave. When I handed in the form today, Chad looked at me. “What’s the meaning of this, Skylar? I just started, and you want to take time off? Are you deliberately trying to defy me?” “Director Chad, you’re overreacting. Under your brilliant leadership, I’m sure we’ll turn things around! I’ve been working for so many years without a break; I’m just completely worn out. I need to take some annual leave, give myself a proper break. My body can’t handle it anymore.” He looked me up and down, his eyes held a clear look of disdain. “Right. All those big clients you have to entertain. True, after thirty, people just don’t have the energy they used to.” He was definitely implying something. He suspected I used shady tactics to land clients. Once prejudice takes root, it’s incredibly hard to change. But I didn’t bother to explain now. Chad still signed it. “Remember your monthly assessment! If you don’t meet your targets, your base salary will be docked!” “Fail to meet targets for three consecutive months, and you’re packing your bags and out the door!” “Understood. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” Because they’re the ones who’ll be leaving! After finishing the paperwork, I packed my things and started my vacation. First stop: the capital city. Today was the day I was seeing my show; I absolutely couldn’t miss it. Two hours later, just as I got off the express train, Leo texted me: “Skylar, the Bright Horizon Group contract was finalized. Brenda says this revenue will be credited to Chad’s name.” “By year-end, they’re going to push for Chad to be the Head of Sales. That way, Brenda can get another promotion too!” “Seriously, how shameless! Are you just going to take this?” “Not yet. They can’t handle it. Just wait!” I sent that text and smiled. The Bright Horizon contract wasn’t something you could just smooth over with a few dinners and drinks. I ignored it, silenced my phone, and sat in the auditorium, looking at the stage, barely three feet in front of me. I was incredibly excited. My mood ebbed and flowed with the play, sometimes laughing, sometimes shedding tears. Two hours later, I walked out of the auditorium, pulled out my phone, and saw over a hundred missed calls and countless messages. The most recent one was from Brenda, just moments ago. “Skylar, Mr. Vance from Bright Horizon Group says there’s a problem with the contract. They’re backing out, a direct loss of billions! You’re gonna get fired!” I scoffed, replying with just one sentence: “The contract was handed over to Chad. He messes up, and I’m supposed to take the blame?” “Manager Brenda, if you want to fire me, make sure you pay me severance, okay?” After sending it, I shoved my phone back in my pocket. Leo couldn’t even reach me. I spent my time enjoying the sights and sounds, grabbing snacks, and the constant messages on my phone kept me updated. After I left, Chad tried to “build rapport” with the big client, went to Bright Horizon Group, and even brought gifts. But when he got there, Mr. Vance met him. Learning Chad was the new director, Mr. Vance asked a few technical questions, and Chad couldn’t answer a single one. Mr. Vance thought the company was unprofessional and requested to personally inspect the facility. I’d visited that site hundreds of times with him, but Chad had never even stepped foot there. When they arrived, the machine was conveniently broken. Chad told the engineers to come fix it. However, no one knew how to repair the new machine. Whenever there was a problem in the past, I’d just call in someone to fix it. Chad used this as an excuse, claiming I had intentionally sabotaged the machine. Mr. Vance immediately declared our company was fraudulent and he wouldn’t renew the contract. Not only were billions gone because he messed up this contract, but Mr. Vance also publicly ridiculed Chad and even escalated the issue to Mr. Sterling. Leo happened to call: “Skylar, please come back! They’re even talking about calling the police and saying you committed malicious fraud!”

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My girlfriend won $30 million in the lottery, then immediately broke up with me. “We’re from different worlds. You’re too low-class for me.” Then she turned around and got with the sneaky guy from the office. I just laughed. She forgot that lottery ticket was from the previous drawing. I rolled down the window of my Maserati and told them, “You two are too low-class.” 01 “It’s over, Ryan! I won $30 million in the lottery.” Charlotte stood in front of me, her expression a mix of arrogance and disdain. “That’s it?” I looked up and asked. “Yeah, you’ve never seen that kind of money, have you? My mom says people are divided into different social classes. Our family just joined the upper crust, so you and I aren’t in the same league anymore.” Seriously? $30 million and she thinks she’s upper crust? I didn’t even get a chance to tell her my dad owns a ton of buildings. His annual rent alone is more than $30 million, not to mention all the companies under his name. But it’s fine. Sticking to my rule of ditching bad people fast, I agreed to her breakup request. Never shed a tear for love, only lose sleep over money! Charlotte slowly glanced at me. “Even though the $50 for the ticket came from you, I bought the ticket! So don’t even think about getting a cut of the money!” She always bought lottery tickets, constantly dreaming of getting rich overnight. But every time it was time to pay, her phone was always dead, or she “forgot” her wallet. “My mom doesn’t really like you either,” Charlotte continued. “She thinks you’re cheap. Last time, you gave her some no-name trinkets. So tacky.” I shot back, “God was handing out brains, and your family was holding an umbrella!” At the time, I’d thought I was making a good impression on her mom by gifting her a five-figure silk scarf designed by a top Italian designer, plus a bottle of French royal perfume. Now, in their eyes, it was just “no-name trinkets.” Seriously, they think a little money makes them royalty. She kept going. “I’m not going to argue with you, I am, after all, a superior person. But since we’re broken up, let’s settle up. All the stuff I gave you? I need the cash equivalent back.” Cheapskates are always cheapskates, even when they win big! “No need! I still have everything you gave me! I’ll give it all back to you! “The $9.99 shaving kit? I was scared it would irritate my skin! “The $19.99 shirt combo? I was worried I’d break out in a rash! “The $10 box of instant noodles? I was afraid I’d get sick and the medical bills would cost more than that!” The crowd around us snickered, and Charlotte’s face flushed. She quickly snapped, “Don’t just talk about that! What about the money transfers? Didn’t I send you money every holiday?” “You certainly did,” I nodded, pulling out my phone and scrolling through my records. Valentine’s Day, $5.20. Thanksgiving, $6.60. Christmas, $8.80… “You really went all out! So generous!” I said, grinning. My little cousin, still in elementary school, gives more than that. Back then, I cared about her as a person, so I didn’t pay attention to those superficial things. Now, I realize my brain must have been seriously scrambled, like the entire Pacific Ocean got in there! Charlotte puffed herself up. “I’m telling you, that was then! Things are different now. I won $30 million! I can buy whatever I want! You’re not good enough for me anymore!” I nodded. “Alright, if that’s the case, you can give back everything I gave you too.” Charlotte laughed. “All those things you gave me were just high-end fakes, weren’t they? What are they worth?” Charlotte grew up poor. Her dad died early, and she and her mom relied on each other. To spare her fragile ego, I often cut the tags off gifts and picked out items without obvious logos. “That handbag you’re carrying? A limited edition Gucci, $30,000. “Those shoes on your feet? Limited edition Chanel, $20,000. “And that watch on your wrist? Also Chanel, $50,000.” I listed them off, one by one. Charlotte’s face changed. “You think I’m stupid? You? You couldn’t afford the real stuff! You just bought some knock-offs to fool me!” She is stupid, can’t even tell real from fake! I opened my phone. “Here are the purchase records and receipts. If you don’t believe me, you can go to the boutique to verify. “Also, the scarf and perfume I gave your mom when we first met weren’t any cheaper than what I bought for you. I’ll let those slide, but with everything else I gave you, just give me $1 million.” Honestly, over the years, the gifts I’d given her probably added up to over $2 million. But if she actually gave me $2 million, her absolutely terrible mom would probably make my life hell. Charlotte gritted her teeth. “Who knows if those things you gave me were real or fake? Besides what I gave you, let’s say $500,000. I’ll give you $100,000 now, and the rest after I cash the lottery ticket.” Fine by me. While that amount is nothing compared to my nine-figure bank balance, who doesn’t want more money? 02 After receiving the $100,000 PayPal transfer, I stood up and said to a visibly pained Charlotte: “Thanks, Charlotte. You’re being so generous for the first time!” Charlotte looked a bit hurt but still sneered at me, “Alright, don’t ever look for me again, you loser! “Let’s not keep in touch. I’m afraid your bad luck will rub off on my good fortune.” I nodded enthusiastically, making sure she saw it. After Charlotte left, I had my driver bring around the Maybach from my garage. That’s right, I’m done pretending! That very evening, Charlotte posted on Ins. There were two photos: one of a lottery ticket and another selfie she took at a Maserati dealership. The caption read: “Always do two things: work hard and love yourself. Lucky people always smile (smiley face).” Good thing I didn’t eat much dinner, or the consequences would have been dire. As I was about to delete her, I noticed the lottery ticket. The numbers weren’t fully visible, but the drawing date was clear: Drawing 38

But those numbers didn’t win in Drawing 381! I quickly checked the lottery website for Drawing 381’s winning numbers and realized the ticket Charlotte thought was a winner actually matched the numbers from the previous drawing. She probably watched a replay on TV or got the drawing date wrong, mistakenly believing she’d won $30 million! Now, this was getting interesting. I couldn’t wait to see if Charlotte would actually explode when she found out the truth. 03 Midway through my workday, just as I was about to slack off, I heard Derek Shaw, the sneaky guy from the office, telling a colleague, “My girlfriend lives at Cedar Creek Residences.” I froze. What a coincidence. My dad bought me a luxury penthouse apartment at Cedar Creek Residences, but I never actually stay there. The office was close to that area, so I gave Charlotte a key, telling her it was a rental she could use when she worked late. She moved in without a second thought, completely ignoring the fact that the rent there probably cost more than her monthly salary. I was just thinking about when I should take the apartment back when I heard Derek again. “She says I’m her lucky boy. She won $30 million after we got together!” Colleagues started murmuring enviously. Wait a minute? Cedar Creek Residences, $30 million. Could it be? With an uncertain tone, I asked, “Is your girlfriend’s last name Hayes?” Derek gave me a wary look. “Do you know her? Let me tell you, don’t even think about hitting on her just because she’s rich. She wouldn’t be interested in you!” It really was her! Charlotte! Was she hooking up with Derek while she was still with me? Did she actually think Derek was part of the upper crust? If my dad knew, he’d never stop teasing me. Derek often wore a fake watch and an obviously knock-off suit. In Charlotte’s eyes, where real and fake were indistinguishable, Derek was probably a rich, handsome, successful guy! Honestly, they deserved each other. Two gold-diggers, a match made in… well, somewhere. My blessings, may they be stuck together forever! That evening, Derek posted on Ins, as if to stake his claim. It was a photo of him and Charlotte, with the caption: “No need for spring blossoms, the one I’ve been waiting for has arrived.” Five minutes later, Charlotte quickly posted a photo of them too, with the caption: “Us.” 04 The manager of my usual luxury boutique sent me a message, saying they had a lot of new arrivals and I should come check them out. I figured I had nothing better to do, so I went. As soon as I walked in, I saw Charlotte and Derek were there too. There was only one sales associate in the store. She glanced at me, completely ignored me, and continued smiling and serving them. Indeed, Derek was wearing an overly logo-heavy suit today, even though it was completely out of style. I, on the other hand, was just wearing a simple T-shirt and sneakers, so no wonder the sales associate was totally judging me by my clothes. Derek noticed me too. “How does just anyone get into this store?” Charlotte chimed in, “Ryan, what are you doing here? Can you even afford these clothes and watches?” I smiled. “What, is this store owned by your family? Can’t I just look around?” The sales associate, sensing the animosity, immediately sided with them. “Excuse me, sir, our store’s minimum price is $3,000. If you can’t afford that, there’s no need to come in.” I mentally scoffed at the sales associate for betting on the wrong horse. After the sales associate showed off several new watches, I heard Derek whining to Charlotte, “Char, I want this watch, and the second one in that row.” The sales associate said with a beaming smile, “This gentleman is truly handsome, and these are our best-selling items. You have such great taste.” Derek, thrilled, immediately took a watch and put it on. He admired himself in the mirror, then noticed me. “Ryan, you’re a working professional now. Can you please stop wearing such cheap T-shirts? It’s embarrassing.” I was just wearing a comfortable T-shirt today because I was planning on going to the grocery store afterward. Comfort is key, for everyone. I said, “What’s wrong with a T-shirt? Are you living on the beach, minding everyone’s business?” Derek stomped over to Charlotte, annoyed. “This one, that one, and that one over there, I want them all!” Charlotte declared grandly, “Buy them! Buy them all!” The sales associate’s eyes disappeared in a wide smile. I picked up a black wristwatch, wanting to examine it closely. The sales associate walked over, her face dark. “Excuse me, sir, this watch is our latest model. It costs $150,000, and it’s only sold to our VVVIP clients. Please don’t touch it, you might dirty it.” Derek immediately perked up. “Ryan, don’t get your grubby hands all over that watch. You couldn’t afford it even if you sold yourself.” Just as I was about to retort, a sharp female voice rang out from the entrance. 05 “Who said Mr. Sterling can’t afford it?” The sales associate immediately panicked. “Ma’am… Ms. Sarah, you’re here.” Sarah, the manager, entered and immediately apologized to me. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Sterling, I was just getting your coffee. This is a new employee, a bit clueless.” Then she turned to the employee. “Mr. Sterling is our VVVIP client. All new arrivals are first presented to Mr. Sterling. Only if he declines them can we offer them to other customers.” The sales associate’s face went white. She quickly started apologizing. Charlotte’s face turned pale. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Ryan is just a regular office worker. How could he possibly afford this? Don’t let him fool you!” One of the requirements for being a VVVIP client at this store was spending over $10 million annually. Sarah’s expression turned frosty. She addressed Charlotte and Derek, “Excuse me, please leave. We need to close the store to provide exclusive service to Mr. Sterling.” Derek scoffed. “Pfft, I wouldn’t even shop at this store anyway! My girlfriend is rich, she can buy any watch she wants! You’re all so stupid, getting played by a poor guy!” With that, he dragged Charlotte out. I felt fantastic. I turned to Sarah and said, “I’ll take all the watches in this row. Please wrap them up for me.” 06 The next day at work, Derek came in wearing a new watch. He made sure to walk around the office several times so everyone would see it. It wasn’t cheap, probably around $5,000. Turns out Charlotte wasn’t completely cheap after all; I just wasn’t worth her spending money on. “Oh, my girlfriend just insisted on buying me this watch. I didn’t even want it, but she made me take it.” Chloe, a colleague, said, “Derek, your girlfriend is so good to you! When will I find sweet love like that?” Jake, another colleague, added, “Derek is handsome and well-dressed, so it makes sense his girlfriend is so amazing. It’s all relative.” Hey, he got that right. A gold-digger and a kept man, a perfect match. Derek then walked over to me. “A woman’s love for a man is measured by how much she’s willing to spend on him. Ryan, Char told me she barely spent any money on you when you were together! So pathetic!” He was right. Back then, she’d give me a $9.99 shaving kit, and I’d have to pretend to be thrilled, then gift her a designer bag or jewelry in return, while trying to protect her ego by saying it wasn’t expensive at all. I replied, “Blame it on my youth. Couldn’t tell the genuine people from the phonies. Good thing we broke up. I just tossed out some garbage, that’s all. “What brand of trash bag are you, carrying so much garbage?” Derek’s face immediately darkened. “You’re just sour grapes, aren’t you? Char said you weren’t in our league, and she was right!” 07 That weekend, I called a cleaning company, planning to go to Cedar Creek Residences and throw out everything Charlotte had used. Just thinking about her touching my stuff made my skin crawl. But when I got to the entrance and tried to use facial recognition to open the door, it kept saying “facial recognition error” after I stood there for a long time. Strange. Had I lost weight again these past few days? Is that why it couldn’t recognize me? Just as I was happily musing, I heard movement inside the apartment!

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The night before our wedding anniversary, Kevin walked into a hotel, hand-in-hand with his first love. I dialed his number, but my thirteen-year-old son, Noah, answered instead. “Dad’s in an important business meeting. No outsiders allowed!” Noah said coldly, then hung up. That night, my husband and son decided to punish me. Their reason? I’d supposedly disrupted our ‘family harmony’. They locked me out on the wind-battered open-air balcony, forcing me to stand there all night. I let the wind dry my tears. The next day, despite my high fever, I handed him the divorce papers. In the study. Kevin didn’t even lift an eyelid when he heard the word “divorce,” still engrossed in his work. I waited for him for an hour. Just as I was about to collapse, he finally spoke: “Elara, I just made you stand in the cold for a bit, and now you want a divorce?” “You were in the wrong first. Don’t you deserve to be punished?” I opened my mouth. For the first time, I suppressed the urge to defend myself. I just said: “Sign it.” Kevin calmly stated: “I’ll take custody of our son. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?” Seeing me shake my head, Kevin raised an eyebrow in surprise. But to appear ‘fair,’ he called Noah into the study and asked him: “Who do you want to live with after your mom and I divorce?” Noah was truly Kevin’s son, alright. Not just in looks, but even the way he stared at me – the same arrogant, utterly indifferent gaze. Noah said: “My name is Hamilton, not Johnson.” In the past, hearing those words would have kept me up all night, crying until dawn. But after last night. Any maternal love I had for Noah had completely vanished. I couldn’t even bother to look at him, turning to walk into the bedroom. For thirteen years of marriage, all my energy had been focused on taking care of Kevin and Noah’s every need. As a result, I had pitifully few personal belongings in this house. I finished packing in less than ten minutes. As I dragged my suitcase out of the room, Kevin was sitting on the sofa, checking the stock market. Without turning his head, he said: “Where are you going? I’ll have the driver take you.” “No need.” I fought back the dizziness and discomfort from my fever, struggling towards the front door. Just then, a golf ball flew from the second floor, hitting me hard on the back of the head. The second floor was Noah’s game room. He always practiced indoor golf after finishing his homework. Kevin and Noah exchanged a knowing glance – the kind that said, “She’s just faking it again” – as I clutched my head, curling up on the floor. They left me there, gasping for breath, for half an hour. Finally, drenched in cold sweat, I crawled out of the Hamilton house and went to the hospital alone for an IV drip. After my fever broke, I drowsily boarded a bus to the outskirts of town. Two hours later, I arrived at Grandma Rose’s house. Overjoyed by my sudden appearance, Grandma Rose didn’t ask a single question. She just went straight into the kitchen and cooked me a big pot of mushroom soup. When Noah was little, he loved mushroom soup just like me. Sometimes, after eating too much, he’d whine and demand to be held. Around six or seven, some kid in the Hamilton family told Noah: “Mushrooms? Oh, those are just cheap, unsophisticated food. Only poor people eat them.” After that, Noah stopped letting me bring home the mushrooms Grandma Rose grew herself. “Uh, uh.” I was eating too fast, clutching my chest, desperately trying to stop hiccuping. Every wrinkle on Grandma Rose’s face creased with laughter. “Such a silly child.” To make it easier for me to eat, her shaky, wrinkled hands smoothed my tangled blonde hair and braided it into the pigtails I loved as a child. That night, after years of insomnia, I finally had a peaceful night’s sleep. I knew I was finally home. Two days later, I received a call from Kevin. His voice was cold as he asked: “Where’s the suit I had custom-made in Italy last year?” I instinctively told him the exact location and suggested he pair it with the tie in the far-left compartment of the drawer. I heard the rustle of clothes from Kevin’s end.

When he spoke again, there was a hint of awkward approval in his voice: “It looks decent. I’ll wear this to the dinner party tonight.” He paused, then added: “Send me your address. I’ll have someone deliver the jewelry I had made for our anniversary.” I refused: “No need. Briar and I have different tastes.” Briar was Kevin’s first love. Ever since she returned to the country and became Kevin’s personal assistant, she managed everything around him, from his big travel plans to the smallest gift choices. Kevin’s tone turned frigid when I mentioned Briar: “Who do you think you are? How dare you compare yourself to Briar?” I let out a silent chuckle, saying nothing. Kevin was left speechless by my words. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I continued: “Please have Briar arrange a time for you as soon as possible. Just text me once the date is confirmed. No need to call again.” I was about to hang up, but Kevin quickly changed the subject: “Noah’s right here. He wants to say a few words to you.” Before Noah could even open his mouth, I pressed the off button on my phone. Just as quickly and decisively as Noah had blocked me on SnapChat that day. I put down my phone and held Grandma Rose’s hand, watching a movie with her. A week flew by in a blink. While waiting for someone at a hotel, I received a call from an unknown number. It was Noah’s school counselor. He said Noah had gotten into a fight with a classmate at school. The argument started because the other student had heard rumors and, in front of the entire class, asked Noah about the reason for his parents’ divorce. I said: “It’s not a rumor. Noah’s father and I are indeed divorced. Custody of the child isn’t with me. Please contact his father to handle this matter.” After I finished speaking, the counselor sounded awkward as he explained that Noah would only give them my number. So, I had no choice but to ask the counselor to put the phone on speakerphone. In front of the injured student and his parents, I calmly told Noah: “You were wrong to hit someone. When you make a mistake, you admit it, isn’t that the principle you and your father always believed in? Also, whether it’s your father or you, no matter what happens in the future, please don’t call me again. Noah, you need to understand, we have nothing to do with each other anymore.” With that, I hung up, and while setting my phone to ‘do not disturb,’ I waved with a smile at my best friend Chloe and her daughter, Zoe. When I was pregnant with Noah, I always dreamed the baby would be a girl. Yet, even though he was a boy, I still cherished Noah and raised him with all my heart. Before he was six, Noah would plant little trees in the backyard for the cartoon cat that died. He would also secretly hide a small red flower after preschool, then discreetly place it behind my ear when I wasn’t looking. Later, Kevin started taking Noah to the family mansion frequently. After Noah turned eight, he stopped crying, and he rarely smiled. He started complaining that Grandma Rose’s house wasn’t as modern as the city’s skyscrapers. He told me: “You grew up in a place like this? No wonder Grandma always looked down on you.” Zoe, Chloe’s daughter, brought me back to reality by offering a bite of her cheesecake. Seeing me eat the cake, Chloe said: “Now that you’ve eaten, you have to promise to come to her competition.”

I put an arm around Zoe’s shoulder and smiled: “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be there.” Over a month later, on a Friday. Kevin and I unexpectedly ran into each other on the school track field. Briar stood beside Kevin. She clung to his arm and greeted me first. “Elara, long time no see. Alex didn’t say you’d be here.” Alex was the president of the school’s track and field club, and he definitely had a race today. But I wasn’t here for him. Seeing me ignore Briar and walk straight to the spectator stands, Kevin belatedly pulled Briar’s hand away and followed, his voice dripping with sarcasm: “Elara, didn’t you say you were cutting ties with our son? What are you doing here, embarrassing yourself?” I couldn’t be bothered to waste words on Kevin. I just said: “Please don’t stand next to me. I don’t want people to get the wrong idea.” “Wrong idea about what?” “That we’re still married.” Kevin paused, then his face gradually turned ashen: “Elara, I’m warning you, don’t push it.” I didn’t understand what he meant. At that moment, I was focused on excitedly waving at Zoe on the track. Noah was standing five meters away from Zoe, and I knew he saw me. The boy clearly thought I was waving at him; otherwise, the disgust and contempt on his face wouldn’t have been so obvious. The starting gun fired, and both male and female groups began to run simultaneously. Zoe was surprisingly fast. And Noah, usually a top athlete, stumbled and fell halfway through the race – no one knew why. As soon as the race ended, Kevin and I both rushed towards the track. Kevin was a few steps ahead of me, immediately reaching Noah’s side and sternly asking the school medic about his injury. The medic was about to speak, but Kevin gestured for him to wait. Kevin turned, his face displeased, to look at me, standing not far away, texting on my phone. “Elara, what are you dawdling for? Can’t you see our son is hurt?” Kevin’s reprimand drew glances from the surrounding teachers and students. I put down my phone and stared blankly at Noah, whose lips were ashen. The boy’s knees were scraped and swollen, covered in blood. His left ankle was twisted at an unnatural angle. Noah instinctively reached out to me in pain, his eyes looking helpless. I found it a little funny. What did that have to do with me? As Noah had written in an essay last year, he was a grown man now. He no longer needed a mother like me, who only cooked and cleaned, so mediocre and useless she couldn’t even play a full piano piece, to do anything for him. Under everyone’s gaze, I walked straight past Noah, my face beaming, and embraced Zoe at the girls’ track. “Zoe, you were absolutely amazing! Congratulations on your silver medal. Come on, sweetie, your mom’s car is at the school gate. She said she’s taking us for the seafood feast you’ve been craving!” I walked out of the school gate, feeling light and happy. As soon as I got in the car, Kevin’s call came through. I didn’t intend to answer. But then he sent a text message: [Discussing divorce matters] So, when we arrived at the restaurant, I told Chloe to take her daughter inside, and I’d be there a little later. Two months later, I made the first move to call Kevin. The phone rang for only half a second before his agitated voice came through: “Elara, where are you right now?” “Wherever I am, you can tell me: when exactly do you have time to finalize the divorce?” Kevin fell silent for a moment, then deliberately softened his tone: “Come to the hospital first. Noah is seriously injured. He might not be able to compete again. The doctors need to talk to us about it.”

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My dad died a hero when I was six, saving someone’s life. Grandma’s health was failing, and debt collectors kept showing up at our door. But no matter how poor and tough life got, my mom never remarried. She always said my dad was a hero. She told me to be like him, to always do good. One weekend, a wealthy classmate I’d helped invited me to spend the weekend at her place. “Dad, honey, open up! I brought a friend home!” She knocked on the door and shouted. But when the door opened, I saw it. Her dad had a face that was identical to my dad’s. “You must be Skylar, right?” Brooke Stone’s dad greeted me warmly and politely. The resemblance was shocking, absolutely uncanny! I stared at his face, stunned, rooted to the spot. The familiar features, the slightly downturned corners of his mouth, and especially that triangular scar beneath his eye. Aside from a few more lines of age, he was almost identical to the man in the photos my mom always reminisced over. Even his English had a subtle hint of the regional accent I knew so well. “Sir, are you from the Southern area?” I asked instinctively. “How did you know that?” He looked at me in surprise. “But I left over twenty years ago and haven’t been back since.” Twenty years ago? My dad disappeared when I was six; it had only been sixteen years since then. The timing didn’t quite add up. Did my dad have a twin brother? Or could there really be two unrelated people in the world who looked exactly alike? I followed Brooke into the guest room, still feeling deeply unsettled. “Are you feeling okay?” She asked, concerned. I opened my mouth, a little speechless. It felt wrong to just blurt out that her dad looked exactly like mine. I glanced around the room. On the desk was an old family photo of their family. The date on it was twenty years ago. I would have been two years old then. Brooke in the photo must have been just a baby. Besides that, there were their names. Arthur Stone was probably her dad. My dad’s name was Arthur Grant, only the first name was similar. “I’m fine, I just think your parents are both so good-looking. How did they meet?” I carefully chose my words. “My mom said that about twenty years ago, she was on a business trip and got robbed. My dad chased them away.” Brooke seemed happy to tell her parents’ love story, quite excited. “They fell in love at first sight. After my mom’s work was done, my dad followed her to New York City…” Riverwood. I caught the keyword. I barely heard anything else after that. That was my hometown. If this was a coincidence, it was too much of one. “Do you know where your dad is from?” I eagerly interrupted her story. “I don’t know that. I heard my grandparents passed away a long time ago, which is why my dad had nothing holding him back from leaving the Southern area, and he never went back.” My grandma passed away when I was eighteen. Could he really have no connection to my father? My mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts. It was almost dinner time, so I decided to try a subtle test. At the dinner table, I casually brought up the story of my dad dying a hero saving someone. Hearing that, he snapped his head up, his mouth twitching slightly. That expression, it was so much like my dad! Maybe Arthur Stone *was* the supposedly deceased Arthur Grant!

Learning my dad wasn’t dead, my first reaction wasn’t joy. It was shame and burning anger. I wanted to grab him by the collar and demand answers. Why didn’t he come home if he was alive? He disappeared underwater when I was six, but Brooke was only two years younger than me? Even if he didn’t care about my mom and me, what about Grandma? Did he not care about her at all? Recalling the beautiful face of the woman in that family photo, and Brooke’s casual mention of her maternal grandfather’s prominent status, I ultimately swallowed the questions on the tip of my tongue. Whatever the answer, it would only be humiliating. “Sir,” I asked, “You must be very happy to have a daughter like Brooke, right?” I thought I heard him let out a subtle sigh of relief. “Happy, yes, but raising her costs a fortune,” He took my words, his voice betraying unconscious tenderness and indulgence. “I see you as a daughter too, Skylar. Tomorrow, I’ll take you two to the mall. Buy whatever you like, it’s on me.” A cold dread settled in my heart. I felt no joy from his words. Treat me like a daughter? I thought he was just guilty, trying to buy my silence. “No, thank you. You should save that for Brooke instead.” I emphasized. “But you’re our guest…” He still wanted to persuade me, but Brooke, having finished eating, stuck out her tongue at him. “Dad, you’ll put too much pressure on her!” She stood up and took my hand, leading me towards her bedroom. “But I have a lot of clothes I barely wore. You can accept those, right?” Listening to her describe which clothes she’d only worn once, and which winter coats were filled with goose down, I offered a relieved smile. My feelings for Brooke were complicated, but I held no real ill will towards her. Firstly, my father died when I was young, so I didn’t have a deep emotional connection to Arthur Grant. Secondly, she truly was a kind girl, without a hint of a spoiled rich kid’s attitude. I squeezed her hand gently, seriously saying: “Thank you, Brooke. These clothes are perfect; I won’t have to buy anything new for winter this year.” In a flash, the weekend was almost over. Staying at the Stone’s house for a few days had been an emotional ordeal. Because every time I looked at that familiar face, I couldn’t help but think of my mom, who had worked so hard to raise me, and Grandma, who, on her deathbed, had called out for her son. Brooke was still packing in her bedroom. I sat restlessly in the living room, but a single sentence from him froze me in place. “Your grandmother… is she doing alright?” He covered his face, his expression hidden. Only his eyes were glistening. Crocodile tears, I sneered inwardly. “She passed away four years ago. She was still calling out Arthur Grant’s name when she died.” He seemed shocked by the news. After a long moment, he said in a hoarse voice, “It’s my fault.” Too weary to watch his performance, I stood up and pushed my suitcase, ready to leave. But he caught up to me and pressed something into my hand. “There’s two hundred thousand dollars in here,” His expression was serious. As if the man who had just been tearing up and speaking hoarsely was merely a figment of my imagination. “From now on, we have no connection. Don’t even think about trying to cling to me for anything!” “Most importantly, you’re not to reveal our relationship to anyone.” Hearing those words, I trembled with rage. Did he think all these years of wrongdoing could be bought off with two hundred thousand dollars? If I kept quiet and didn’t expose my connection to him, it would only be because I didn’t want to, not because he’d bribed me. “My mom raised me, and you didn’t pay a single cent of child support!” “I’m graduating soon; I don’t need your money even more now.” I didn’t hesitate to throw the bank card onto the floor, then took a deep breath and looked at him with scorn. “You should be grateful you have a good daughter.” “Otherwise, I absolutely would have exposed your disgraceful actions for everyone to know!”

Back at school, I called Mom as usual to let her know I was safe. Listening to her rambling concerns on the phone, a wave of warmth washed over me. When we started talking about finding a job after graduation, Mom suddenly sighed, “If only your dad were here, he had so many friends, finding you a good job would be no problem.” Listening to her use various memories to prove how capable my dad was, for a moment, I almost blurted out the truth. Arthur Grant wasn’t dead at all. He’d abandoned everything, changed his identity, and was now Arthur Stone. He wanted nothing to do with us. He wished we believed he had passed away. But even after hanging up the phone, I still said nothing. In Mom’s heart, her husband was her spiritual pillar. He was her guiding star, an idealized figure. But the real Arthur Grant? He was an unfilial son to his mother, a scoundrel who abandoned his wife and daughter. When I discovered his true identity, he showed no remorse. He hypocritically asked about Grandma but showed no concern for Mom. If I told her the truth, how heartbroken would she be? It was better to leave things as they were. The next day, my roommate and I went to a large lecture class. Sitting in the classroom, I felt like people were talking about me. But when I turned around, all the gazes vanished. Only whispers faintly reached my ears. “Is she the homewrecker?” “Looks like it. I thought this kind of thing only happened in TV shows, but there are actually people who want to be their friend’s stepmom?” “Girls like that are always the same. As long as a guy has money, no matter his age, they’ll go for him.” I was confused. Were they talking about me? When did I become a homewrecker? “Skylar, look at the campus gossip page!” Ashley, my roommate, was full of shock, frantically tapping my arm. [Anonymous Post: Skylar Grant, a senior in the Special Education program, was invited to her friend’s home for the weekend. She then tried to seduce her friend’s father, attempting to become a homewrecker and ruin her friend’s parents’ marriage.] [Update to previous post: Skylar Grant’s friend, seeing her poor circumstances, even gave her expensive clothes. Is this how she repays her? She’s an animal.] Looking at the baseless posts on my phone screen and the malicious speculations in the comments section, I felt like my throat was constricted, barely able to breathe. Without a moment’s hesitation, I knew who the poster was. The incident of Brooke giving me clothes happened in her home. Besides her and me, only her father knew. No fourth person. But she had been so friendly to me yesterday. Why would she deliberately slander me? Weren’t we friends? I waited anxiously for class to end. Hearing that Brooke was at the gym, I stormed over, seething with anger. At first, she denied making the post. But when I pointed out that only she at school knew I had accepted her clothes, her demeanor shifted; she adopted a defiant, “what have I got to lose” attitude. “Was anything in the post wrong?” “When you were at my house, you were so broke you even took my old clothes, and you accepted a bank card from my dad with two hundred thousand dollars on it!” “If that’s not being a shameless homewrecker, what is?” Brooke glared at me hatefully. “Skylar, I’m telling you, if anything happens to my parents’ marriage, I’ll never forgive you!” As her words landed, the surrounding students burst into an uproar. They seemed surprised that I had actually accepted money from an older man. And two hundred thousand dollars at that. This seemed to confirm the rumors that I was a homewrecker and a gold-digger.

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