Category: English

My boyfriend’s startup failed. He couldn’t even afford rent anymore. When he came to beg me for help, he saw my luxury penthouse. His eyes lit up with greed, and he immediately called his entire family to move in. His parents rushed over from their rural town. The whole family lived off me, ate my food, and spent my money. Instead of showing a single shred of gratitude, they blamed me for spending too much. Just because I bought a small gourmet cupcake, his parents locked me out of my own apartment, demanding I kneel in the hallway all night to “reflect on my mistakes.” “Your money? Even you belong to my son! If you don’t obey, we’ll beat you to death!” I fought back, but during the struggle, my boyfriend pushed me down the stairs. My head hit the marble floor, and I died in a pool of blood, my eyes wide with disbelief. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the exact moment my boyfriend’s mother slapped me over the cupcake. Seeing her smug, arrogant face, I didn’t hesitate. I dialed 911 on the spot, called my personal bodyguards, and had them kick every single one of them out. “Did you really think I was a pushover? You want to suck my blood?” “I’m giving you three days. You will spit out every single penny you stole from me!”

“Are you insane? Who told you to buy an eight-dollar cupcake? Do you know how many cartons of eggs eight dollars can buy?!” A piercing, screeching female voice echoed in my ears. My vision was still a bit blurry. The voice continued to screech, “You’re spending my son’s hard-earned money! You useless spendthrift, I’m going to teach you a lesson!” I blinked, my mind in a daze, only to realize I was back in my own apartment. Brenda Miller, my boyfriend’s mother, was glaring at me. Her fleshy face was twisted with rage, and her eyes looked like they wanted to burn me alive. My hand clenched around the bakery bag, crushing the cupcake inside. Seeing my reaction, Brenda got even angrier. She raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face. “How dare you glare at me! You bitch, you need to learn some manners!” “Look at you, ruining a perfectly good cupcake! I’m going to beat some respect into you today!” Feeling the stinging burn on my cheek, the truth finally sank in. I had really been reborn. The humiliation and torture of my past life were still fresh in my mind. Looking at the arrogant Brenda in front of me, a dark, raging fire ignited in my chest. After dating for two years, my boyfriend, Justin Miller, and I graduated from college. I joined my family’s conglomerate to prepare to take over the business. Justin, on the other hand, wanted to start from scratch to build his own empire. During that time, I secretly funded him with hundreds of thousands of dollars, hoping he would succeed. Unfortunately, Justin was not business material. After six months of playing CEO, he blew through all the money. He was so broke he couldn’t even afford his rent. One evening after work, I saw Justin standing by the entrance of my building, dragging a suitcase, looking like a beaten dog. He looked at me with pitiful, begging eyes. “Chloe, you’re the only one who truly cares about me in this city.” He was handsome. Seeing him humble himself and beg me, I couldn’t bear to say no. So, I took him upstairs. How could I have known that the moment Justin stepped into my 3,000-square-foot luxury penthouse, his eyes would gleam with pure greed? He whipped out his phone and called his parents in their small hometown. “Mom, Dad! I got a massive penthouse in the city! Come over right now!” His parents moved fast. The very next day, they showed up at my door with massive bags, happily marching into my apartment. Without even asking, they took over my master bedroom. Justin moved into the guest room, while I—the actual owner of the apartment—was relegated to the tiny maid’s room. I told Justin this was completely inappropriate, but he just waved his hand impatiently. “My parents worked hard in the countryside their whole lives. What’s wrong with them wanting to enjoy a little luxury now?” “Chloe, you said you loved me and my family. Is this how you show it? My parents will be so heartbroken if they hear this.” ###

Hearing him say that, I didn’t want to seem difficult. I suppressed my discomfort and tried my best to take care of his family. During that time, they lived off me completely. His mother used my $500 La Mer cream as foot moisturizer. His father put out his cheap, smelly cigars right on my luxury leather sofa. They even forced me to kneel on the floor every night, wash Justin’s dirty gym socks by hand, and give him foot massages. They claimed it was “preparation” for me to become a good wife. I protested, but every time I raised my voice, Justin would shut me down with “family values” and “respecting elders.” I felt incredibly suffocated, but I didn’t know how to fight back against his guilt-tripping. I could only swallow my tears. On my way home one day, I saw a bakery selling delicious cupcakes and bought one. Life had been so bitter lately. I just wanted something sweet to cheer myself up. But the moment I reached my door, before I could even step inside, Brenda blocked my way, her hands on her hips. She poked my forehead with her thick, dirty finger, staring at the cupcake bag in my hand with sheer disgust. “Who allowed you to buy such expensive garbage? How much did this cost?!” “It wasn’t expensive. It was only eight dollars.” I was tired and didn’t want to argue in the hallway, so I answered quietly. But those words made Brenda explode. She lunged forward and slapped me three or four times across the face. She grabbed my hair with one hand and slammed my head against the wall with the other. As a woman who did manual labor in the countryside, she was incredibly strong. I couldn’t break free. My vision went black, and my ears were ringing. Then, Brenda kicked the back of my knees, forcing me to drop to the floor. “You worthless spendthrift! You’ll kneel out here tonight and think about what you did!” No matter how good-tempered I was, I couldn’t take her abuse anymore. I stood up and started screaming back at her. The noise brought Justin and his father out. After listening to Brenda’s twisted, exaggerated version of the story, they both looked at me with cold, dark faces. “The Miller family doesn’t need an disobedient woman like you. Kneel down right now!” I was going crazy. I looked at Justin, hoping he would say something reasonable. “Justin! Whose apartment is this?!” “Your entire family is living on my dime! I buy one cupcake and your mother acts like I committed a federal crime! Who is the one in the wrong here?!” But Justin just stepped forward, grabbed me by my collar, and said with disgusting arrogance, “Once you marry into my family, not only does your money belong to me, but you do too! If you don’t obey us, we’ll beat you to death.” I was utterly shocked by his toxic, brainwashed mindset. Once I snapped out of it, I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Go to hell! We are breaking up! I would never marry you!” “Chloe Henderson, how dare you!” In the heat of the argument, Justin lost his temper. He shoved me hard. I lost my balance and tumbled backward down the stairs. My head slammed violently against the concrete steps. Warm, crimson blood began to pool around me. Right before I lost consciousness, I struggled to look up at Justin. He was standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at me. There was no panic, no regret in his eyes—only coldness and a smug smirk. “An disobedient woman deserves to be taught a lesson.” Thinking back to that moment, I looked up at the smug Brenda, who had just slapped me. A cold smile crept onto my lips. In my past life, my kindness made me a victim, and it cost me my life. In this life, I am going to make you pay it all back with interest. I immediately sent a Snapchat message to my personal bodyguards, telling them to come upstairs. Then, under Brenda’s shocked gaze, I dialed 911. “Hi, I’d like to report a violent home invasion.” ###

My bodyguards were on duty 24/7. Within minutes of receiving my message, six massive, muscular men rushed up the stairs, completely surrounding Justin’s family. Looking back, I was so stupid in my past life. To protect Justin’s fragile male ego, I had dismissed the bodyguards my family hired for me. That mistake allowed him to push me to my death. Being blinded by love is truly a disease. Even a zombie would sniff my brain and walk away vomiting. The six bodyguards were all over six-foot-two. They stood there silently, radiating an intimidating aura. The sight immediately terrified Justin. His eyes widened in shock. He pointed a trembling finger at the guards, looking at me in disbelief. “Chloe, what is going on? Did you call these guys?!” His reaction was exactly as I expected. To protect his pathetic self-esteem, I had never told him about my family’s actual wealth. Under the cold glares of the bodyguards, Justin’s tough-guy attitude vanished. He stopped calling me names and instantly softened his voice. “Chloe…” Seeing him change his face so quickly was honestly hilarious. How did I waste two years of my life on such a pathetic, disgusting man? Since I didn’t answer, Justin cautiously took a step forward, trying to grab my sleeve. “Chloe, my mom was just giving you some advice. There’s no need to overreact.” “And I heard you calling the police about a home invasion… You weren’t talking about my family, right?” I smiled coldly and stepped back, letting my bodyguards block him. I made it crystal clear that I wanted nothing to do with him. “Who else would be the home invaders besides your parasite family?” “You live in my place, eat my food, and spend my money. I treated you guys like guests, and you turned out to be a pack of wild dogs!” “I’m giving you exactly thirty minutes. Pack your trash and get the hell out of my apartment!” My words turned Justin’s face bright red. He stared at me, his eyes full of disbelief. “Chloe Henderson! I am your boyfriend! How can you treat me like this?” “Do you want me to break up with you?!” Brenda finally snapped out of her shock. Hearing Justin’s words, she immediately stood tall, chin raised high, looking at me with absolute contempt. “Did you hear that? Apologize to me right now, or my son will dump you!” “So what if you have some money? You’re just a used, secondhand woman!” “Once my son dumps you, no man will ever want you!” I almost laughed out loud at Brenda’s sheer ignorance. I had money, a great career, and an incredibly powerful family. Did she honestly think Justin was some kind of prize? If Justin hadn’t begged and pleaded on his knees for months in college, I would have never even looked at him. Before Brenda could finish her rambling, I interrupted her impatiently. “Do you think your son is some kind of gold? In my eyes, he’s nothing but a pile of dog shit.” “Pack your bags and get out. I don’t have time to waste on you.” The moment I finished speaking, the six bodyguards took a step forward, towering over Justin’s family. Arthur Miller, who had been silent the entire time, tapped his cheap cigar and finally spoke in a low, gravelly voice. “Chloe, you and Justin have been together for two years. A young lady shouldn’t be this heartless.” “We will leave. But we can’t find a place to stay in this city overnight. Let us stay for just two more days.” As he spoke, I didn’t miss the cunning, calculating gleam in his eyes. You think you can play mind games with me? I smiled. “Sure. I’ll give you two days.” With that, I walked past them with my bodyguards and called a professional cleaning service to scrub down my master bedroom. Seeing their cheap clothes and shoes being thrown into the living room, Brenda stamped her feet in anger. “You miserable little bitch…” The moment she started cursing, six terrifying bodyguards glared down at her. She shut her mouth instantly. “Dirty woman, hanging around so many men. Disgusting,” she whispered under her breath, but her eyes couldn’t help but wander around my living room, eyeing the expensive designer decor. I saw her greedy little glances and sneered in my heart. Go ahead, keep playing. Let’s see what kind of grave you dig for yourselves. ###

The next morning, I purposely sent all my bodyguards away, leaving Justin’s family alone in the apartment while I went to work. When I returned in the evening and unlocked the door, I found the place completely trashed, looking like it had been cleared out by thieves. I glanced toward the hidden Ring camera I had installed. Pretending to be panicked, I ran through the rooms, checking what was missing. My bodyguards, who had received my message, rushed in to help me take inventory of the stolen items. By the time we totaled the losses, Justin and his family were nowhere to be found. I slammed my hand on the table, pretending to be furious. “It must be Justin! They stole everything!” Just as the words left my mouth, Justin and his parents walked in, looking completely nonchalant. Seeing the mess in the living room, a flash of smug satisfaction crossed Justin’s eyes. But he quickly forced a shocked expression onto his face. “Chloe! What happened? Did we get robbed?!” I nodded with a heavy face. “As you can see, thieves stole all the valuables.” Brenda let out a loud shriek and ran toward the guest room. She started screaming hysterically, then ran back to the living room, pointing a finger at me. “Chloe Henderson! You owe us money! Our stuff is gone too!” Even though I knew they had stolen everything themselves, seeing Brenda act so righteous made my blood boil. If I hadn’t watched the live feed on my phone earlier—seeing them carry my luxury goods out box by box—I might have actually been fooled by her acting. They were absolutely heartless! When Justin’s startup failed, I took him in out of kindness, only to bring a family of venomous snakes into my home. They tried guilt-tripping, they tried threatening, and they even tried violence. But once I brought in my bodyguards, all their little tricks failed. Since they couldn’t suck any more blood out of me, they decided to rob me blind and sell my belongings for cash. As the saying goes, “poor towns breed thieves.” I had finally witnessed the peak of human greed and malice. The loud commotion quickly drew the attention of the neighbors. People from the upper and lower floors started gathering in the hallway, whispering and peeking inside. Seeing a crowd forming, Brenda’s eyes spun with mischief. She sat flat on the floor, slapping her thighs, and began to wail at the top of her lungs. “What a tragedy! This is karma!” “We lived here peacefully and never had any issues. The moment she tries to kick us out, the place gets robbed!” “This is God punishing her for being so cruel to her future in-laws!” Her dramatic performance immediately sparked whispers among the neighbors. A well-dressed older woman stepped forward to ask what was going on. Brenda quickly pointed at me. “This terrible girl is throwing me and my husband out! She’s trying to dump my son!” “I only gave her some motherly advice, telling her not to waste money. But she threw a tantrum, screamed at my son, and even hired these thugs to beat us up!” After spitting out her lies, Brenda looked up, waiting for the neighbors to join in and condemn me. But the outrage she expected never came. Instead, the neighbors looked at her like she was an absolute idiot. Brenda froze, her voice stuttering. “Why… why aren’t you guys yelling at her?” “She doesn’t obey her man, and she respects no elders! How can a woman like this be allowed to run wild?!” Standing nearby, I let out a cold laugh. This was an ultra-luxury apartment complex. Anyone who could afford to live here was at least upper-middle class. In this wealthy neighborhood, most families only had one child. Girls here were raised like pampered princesses; their parents and grandparents treated them like precious gems. The internet even had a term for girls like us: *the spoiled trust-fund daughters*. Trying to bully a local wealthy only-daughter in front of these rich suburban neighbors? Brenda had just run straight into a brick wall.

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My wife was having an affair with a rich heir. When I caught them in the act, instead of feeling guilty, they flew into a rage. They forced alcohol down my throat, dragged me to the edge of a high-rise balcony, and threw me off, framing my death as a tragic, drunken accident. But they didn’t know one thing. I didn’t die. My soul was reborn into the body of that rich heir’s billionaire father. From that moment on, my wife’s lover became my son, and his gorgeous, seductive mother became my wife! With my new identity as the patriarch of the family, my game of absolute revenge officially began. “Arthur, what are you just standing there for? Come to bed.” The voice was soft and silky. I looked over and saw a stunningly beautiful woman lying gracefully on the bed. She had a smoking-hot body with curves that could drive any man insane. I had actually reincarnated. And of all people, I had become Arthur Carter—the billionaire father of Vance Carter, the man who ruined my life. The woman in front of me was Madeline Carter, Vance’s mother. It seemed even God couldn’t stand the injustice of my death, giving me the perfect identity to exact my revenge on that toxic couple. My real name was Leo Henderson. I was twenty-six years old. I used to have a beautiful, seemingly gentle wife named Chloe Bennett. We walked down the aisle right after graduating from college. To provide her with a luxurious life, I worked day and night. On my days off, I even delivered food, braving the scorching sun and freezing rain. I didn’t care how hard it was, as long as Chloe was happy. But I never expected that while I treated her like my entire world, she treated me like absolute garbage. On her twenty-fifth birthday, I wanted to give her a surprise. But when I unlocked the bedroom door, I caught her and another man tangled in the sheets, locked in a passionate embrace. At that moment, my blood ran cold, and my entire body shook with rage. “Chloe! Why?!” With bloodshot eyes, I rushed forward, dragged Chloe off the bed, and slapped her hard across the face. Then, I dragged her lover off the mattress and beat him with everything I had, letting out all my built-up fury. Holding her bruised cheek, Chloe screamed, “Leo! How dare you lay a hand on me! I’ll kill you!” She grabbed a heavy wooden folding tray from the bedside table and slammed it hard against the back of my head. My vision instantly blurred. A sharp, excruciating pain flared through my skull, and the world began to spin. Before I knew it, darkness consumed me, and I collapsed onto the floor. When I finally woke up, a bucket of ice-cold water was splashed onto my face. The freezing sensation made my lungs seize. Seeing Chloe clinging tightly to Vance, my chest throbbed as if pierced by a thousand needles. “Why? Why did you betray me? Haven’t I given you everything these past few years?” Chloe let out a cold laugh, as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. “You did all that because you wanted to, Leo. I never forced you to be good to me.” “And betrayal? I never loved you in the first place. How can it be betrayal? The only man I’ve ever loved is Vance, not you.” My heart shattered. “Never loved me? Then why did you marry me?!” Vance, the wealthy heir, smiled mockingly. “Why marry you? Because I love the thrill of taking what belongs to other men. I didn’t just want to sleep with your wife; I wanted you to work yourself to death raising my kid while I laughed behind your back! I just didn’t expect you to find out so soon.” My heart bled. All these years, I had been nothing but a toy for their sick amusement—a tool to satisfy Vance’s twisted fantasies. She had never felt a single ounce of affection for me. They began to mock and insult me, even trying to perform their disgusting acts right in front of my face. But when they saw the sheer, murderous hatred in my eyes, they panicked. They forced a bottle of whiskey down my throat, dragged me to the balcony of the twentieth floor, and pushed me over, making it look like a tragic accident. I fell, smashing into a bloody pulp on the pavement below.

I thought I would never get my revenge. But the heavens gave me a second chance. I was reborn as Vance’s father. This new identity was almost too perfect. I swore to myself that I would make those two monsters pay in blood. Bringing my mind back to the present, I looked at the woman lying on the bed. Madeline Carter. Arthur’s wife, and Vance’s biological mother. She was in her early forties, but because of her immense wealth, she spent a fortune on skincare and wellness. Her skin was as smooth as a baby’s. If someone told me she was in her late twenties, I would have believed them. A dark, vengeful idea sparked in my mind. With a cold, unreadable expression, I walked straight toward the bed. “Arthur, what are you doing?” “What do you think?” A slow smirk crept onto my face, my eyes burning with a wild desire for revenge. “Arthur, you have an early meeting tomorrow. Don’t push yourself!” “Don’t call me Arthur. Call me ‘hubby’.” *Vance, you took everything from me. It’s time I collect some interest from your mother first.* That night, I unleashed all my bottled-up hatred and fury onto Vance’s mother. The next morning, Madeline gently shook me awake. “Honey, time to get up. You have an executive board meeting to attend.” I opened my eyes groppily to see her gorgeous face, glowing with a radiant blush. Her voice was dripping with tenderness. From Arthur’s memories, I knew this old bastard had cared about nothing but his business and sleeping with his secretaries. He hadn’t touched his wife in years. Last night had been like rain after a decade-long drought for Madeline. She was absolutely thrilled. Hearing the word “meeting,” I yawned. My first instinct was to get dressed and go to the office, but then I remembered—I wasn’t actually Arthur. Why should I care about some stupid corporate meeting? Arthur had built a business empire worth billions, and now, all of it belonged to me. This was a level of wealth I couldn’t even dream of in my past life. In my last life, I lived like a dog. In this life, with so much money, why shouldn’t I just lie back and enjoy it? Besides, I had a cheating wife and a murderous stepson to torture. I didn’t have time to deal with spreadsheets. Without a second thought, I pulled Madeline back into my arms and lied smoothly, “Sweetheart, all these years, I poured my soul into the company and neglected this home. I neglected you. So, I’ve decided to take a long break. I want to focus all my energy on you…” Madeline froze, looking at me in utter disbelief. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Honey… do you really mean that?” Though Madeline had all the luxury in the world, she had been incredibly lonely, both emotionally and physically. This promise was the greatest gift she could ever receive. She still couldn’t quite believe it, but when I called my assistant and cancelled all my meetings indefinitely, her doubts vanished. Overwhelmed with joy, she pulled me down and rewarded me passionately. I had to admit, Vance… you had a wonderful mother. Because of Madeline’s enthusiasm, breakfast was out of the question. We didn’t get out of bed until two in the afternoon. Madeline went downstairs to cook lunch. It was just the two of us. My useless “son,” Vance, wasn’t home. As a spoiled trust-fund brat, he got hundreds of thousands of dollars in allowance every month. He spent his days partying, getting drunk, and staying out all night. He lived like a king. I pulled out my phone and did the first order of business: I froze every single one of his credit cards. He wasn’t getting another dime from me. Not even ten minutes later, my phone rang. It was Vance, his voice frantic and panicked. “Dad! Why is my card declined? You need to unfreeze it right now! I just had lunch with my girlfriend, and the bill is twenty thousand dollars. They won’t let me leave without paying!” Hearing my mortal enemy call me “Dad” sent a rush of pure, vengeful ecstasy through my veins. I sneered into the phone. “What are you crying about? I froze your cards on purpose.” Silence fell over the line for a few seconds before Vance completely lost his mind. “What?! Dad, why would you do that?!” Adopting the persona of a stern, angry father, I roared into the receiver, “You ungrateful little piece of garbage! You dare ask me why? Do you think I don’t know about the disgusting things you’ve been doing?” “I am not unfreezing your cards. Figure out how to pay the bill yourself. If you can’t, sell one of your kidneys on the black market. That should cover it!” Without waiting for a reply, I slammed the phone down. Visualizing Vance’s humiliated, panicked face on the other end of the line made me shudder with pure joy. *You piece of trash, you’re finally in my hands. The road is long, and I’m going to make your life a living hell. Good son, daddy has so many special shows prepared for you.*

Madeline spoiled her only son rotten, granting his every whim. To make sure she wouldn’t ruin my plans, I decided to brainwash her early. I played the role of a loving patriarch, telling her that Vance was the future heir to our family empire and needed tough love. If we kept spoiling him, he would end up ruined. As the master of the house—especially after my performance in bed—Madeline agreed with everything I said without a single doubt. About three hours later, Vance, who hadn’t set foot in the house for over a week, burst through the front door, looking completely disheveled and enraged. “Dad! Have you lost your mind?! Am I even your son? Why the hell did you cut off my cards for no reason? My girlfriend had to pay for the bill in the end! Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was for me?!” He paced around the living room, shouting and complaining. I didn’t say a word. I stood up, walked over, and slapped him across the face as hard as I could. *SLAP!* The sound was incredibly loud and satisfying. *Don’t mention it, son. This one’s on me!* “Ah!” Vance screamed, stumbling backward and almost falling to the floor. The slap was brutal. His cheek instantly swelled up, turning a bright, angry red, and blood began to gush from his nose. Still unsatisfied, I raised my foot and kicked him squarely in the stomach. Vance collapsed onto the floor, curling up like a boiled shrimp, groaning and clutching his abdomen in agony. Crying and trembling, he looked up at me with sheer terror and confusion. “Dad… why?” “No reason. I just felt like using you as a punching bag. I am your father. If I tell you to eat dirt, you swallow it and ask for seconds!” Vance was utterly stunned by my brutality. Even Madeline stood frozen in shock. She never expected me to lay such a violent hand on our son. Seeing her son bleeding and groaning on the floor, tears welled up in Madeline’s eyes. She instinctively rushed forward to help him up. “Don’t touch him! Let him get up on his own!” I barked, my voice cold and commanding. “The little brat is just acting to get your pity. Trust me, he’s not going to die!” I pulled Madeline back. Madeline opened her mouth to beg for mercy, but seeing my absolute, uncompromising expression, she swallowed her words and stepped back. Remembering what I had told her earlier about “tough love,” she clenched her fists and turned her eyes away. *A father disciplining his son must be doing it for his own good. I cannot let my foolish indulgence ruin my husband’s plans.* I looked down at Vance, watching his pathetic, agonizing state, feeling a wave of absolute triumph. *Vance Carter, you could never in a million years guess that the man beating you isn’t your father, but Leo Henderson—the man you and Chloe murdered.* *But did you think a single slap and a kick would be enough? No. Not even close!* *I’m going to make you wish you were dead. And Chloe, that toxic snake… neither of you will escape!* “Get up! I’m going to count to ten. If you’re still on the floor, I’ll kick you again!” Enduring the pain, Vance scrambled to his feet, trembling like a leaf. The moment he stood up, I slapped his other cheek with equal force. Vance clutched his face, tears streaming down his cheeks. He cried out in pure misery, “Dad! I got up! Why did you slap me again?!” I looked at him innocently. “I didn’t kick you, did I? I used my hand this time!” Vance looked like he was about to have a mental breakdown. He finally realized his father was out for blood today, and no matter what he did, he was going to get beaten. What could he do? Nothing. A father disciplining his son was the law of nature in this house. He just had to take it until I got tired. He comforted himself with this thought. I looked down at him, pretending to be disappointed, and yelled, “What? Are you trying to protest with silent defiance?!” “I’ve been too busy with work and neglected your upbringing. I let you run wild, and now you’ve become a complete parasite! If I don’t teach you a lesson today, you’ll either end up dead on the streets or rotting in a prison cell, throwing our family name into the mud!” Without another word, I whipped off my leather belt and began striking him ruthlessly. I ripped his expensive clothes to shreds, leaving angry red welts all over his back and arms. The living room filled with his pig-like squeals. “Ah! Ah! Dad! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Vance shrieked, begging for mercy. If I were his real father, I might have softened. But I wasn’t. The louder he screamed, the happier I felt. *This is called karma, you piece of trash. Did you think about this day when you stole my wife and pushed me off that building?* Seeing that I was actually flaying him alive, Madeline panicked. She threw herself over Vance, begging me to stop. But I was fueled by ten lifetimes of rage. Besides, she wasn’t my real wife, so why would I care about her tears? I roughly pulled Madeline away and continued to swing the belt, raining blows down on Vance. *Crack! Crack! Crack!* What a beautiful sound. “Tell me! What did you do wrong?!” “Dad, Dad, I was wrong! I really was!” “I shouldn’t have slept with other men’s wives! I shouldn’t have beaten people up and threatened them! I shouldn’t have…” Under the paralyzing fear of being beaten to death, Vance assumed I had found out about his dark secrets. His psychological defense crumbled completely, and he began spilling all his sins. Stealing married women, ruining widows, blackmailing female teachers, breaking a college student’s legs and threatening his entire family to keep them quiet… I knew he was a bad egg, but I didn’t realize he was a literal monster. Even Madeline stared at him in horror. In her mind, her son was just a spoiled playboy, but she never imagined he had committed actual crimes behind her back. She felt a wave of profound disappointment and almost fainted from shock. “Madeline, go to the kitchen and grab a knife,” I roared. “I’m going to castrate this beast myself today!”

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Five years ago, when the doctor diagnosed my two-and-a-half-year-old son with autism. My husband squeezed my hand tightly. “Don’t worry, honey! Even if I have to sell everything we own, I’ll be right here with you and our boy.” Over the next five years, I emptied my entire trust fund to pay for his therapy. But this spring, I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. Late at night, right after I barely survived my third round of chemotherapy, my husband pushed open the door to my hospital room. He threw a set of divorce papers right onto my pillow. He didn’t even glance at our son, who was seizing with a high fever on the cot next to me. His voice was filled with nothing but impatience. “I can’t carry this weight anymore. Your broken, expensive body plus a brain-dead kid? You’re going to drag me to hell with you.” “I’ve already drafted the agreement. I keep the house and the car. You and that useless kid get nothing. Sign it, or I stop paying for your chemo tomorrow.” Staring at the bright red lipstick stain on the collar of his white dress shirt, I didn’t even have the strength to scream at him. In absolute despair, I signed my name. My husband sneered, grabbed the papers, and walked out. I pulled my shaking son into my arms and sobbed hysterically. Suddenly, a small, warm hand reached up and covered my mouth. His seizures had stopped. He snapped his eyes open, and his gaze was shockingly sharp and fierce. This boy, who hadn’t called me “Mom” once in the last five years, spoke with perfect, crystal-clear pronunciation. “Mom, don’t be scared.” “In our last life, he abandoned us and let you die in agonizing pain in a damp, rented basement.” “In this life, I am going to make him wish he was dead.”

My whole body was shaking. I couldn’t tell if it was the brutal side effects of the chemo, or something else entirely. My son, Leo, sat up on the hospital bed, crossing his legs. He looked like an entirely different person. The empty, lifeless eyes he had carried for five years were now burning so bright I could barely look at him. “Mom, listen to me. We still have time.” His voice was raspy from the high fever, but every single word was sharp. There was none of the slurring or repetition typical of autistic children. “That divorce agreement isn’t legally binding yet. To finalize it, both of you have to sign the final notary papers with the lawyers at the courthouse. He’s coming to pick you up tomorrow morning.” “Do not go.” I opened my mouth, but my lips were so dry they cracked and bled. I couldn’t make a sound. “I don’t know how long I can stay clear-headed like this, so you must remember three things.” He reached out and squeezed my finger. His hand was burning hot. “First, when he registered his company, Apex Bio-Tech, back in March 2019, you were the co-founder with a forty percent stake. He made you sign a stack of papers, telling you it was just standard procedure. One of them was the operating agreement. Six months later, he forged your signature and removed your name from the registry.” I remembered that stack of papers. Shortly after Leo was diagnosed, Logan said he wanted to start a medical device company. He piled those documents on the dining table, and I just signed wherever his finger pointed. “Second, the money Grandma left you—all eight hundred and twenty thousand dollars. On March 12, 2019, it was transferred from your personal account directly to Apex Bio-Tech’s corporate account. He claimed it was a loan, but he never mentioned it again.” Eight hundred and twenty thousand dollars. That was everything my mother had left me when she passed away. “Third, there’s a firm downtown called Cole & Associates. The lawyer’s name is Marcus Cole. He specializes in corporate equity disputes and high-net-worth divorces.” “How… how do you know about him?” I gasped. He fell silent for a few seconds. “In my past life, I was dumped into a terrible state orphanage. When I was nineteen, I saw him on TV. He won a case almost identical to yours. That woman was luckier than you—she survived.” As he spoke, his eyelids began to flutter heavily. His little body went limp, sliding back down onto the pillow. Drool began to pool at the corner of his mouth, and his fingers started twitching rhythmically against the blanket. He was back to the Leo I had known for five years. He had slipped away again. The heart monitor beeped steadily. Down the hallway, a metal cart rattled past. I sat in the dark until four in the morning, then grabbed my phone and searched: *Marcus Cole, Cole & Associates.* The top search result popped up immediately: *Marcus Cole, Senior Partner. Areas of expertise: Corporate equity disputes, marital asset division.* I called. It went straight to voicemail. “Mr. Cole, my name is Chloe Vance. I’m currently undergoing chemotherapy, and my husband is trying to force me into a divorce with zero assets. But I believe I own forty percent of his company’s shares… Please call me back.” After hanging up, I stared at the ceiling, wondering if the cancer had finally crawled into my brain and made me lose my mind. At 5:03 AM, the door to my room was pushed open. It wasn’t a nurse. A young woman in a tailored designer suit stood at the door, clutching a leather folder. She glanced at Leo curled up on the bed, her brows furrowing in disgust. “Mrs. Carter, Logan sent me to collect two things. The copy of the signed divorce agreement, and your health insurance card.” She checked her gold watch. “He needs them by eight at the latest.”

I leaned back against the pillows, the IV line still taped to the back of my left hand. “I can’t find them.” The woman clearly didn’t believe me, her eyes scanning the nightstand. “Mrs. Carter, Logan was very clear. If you don’t cooperate…” She paused, choosing a much crueler tone. “Your medical insurance policy will be terminated starting today. All your hospital bills will bounce.” My heart squeezed violently. That threat hit me right where it hurt most. “I just finished chemo. My brain is foggy, and I can’t remember where I put anything,” I said, making my voice sound as weak as possible—which didn’t require much acting. “Tell Logan to come here and ask me himself.” She opened her mouth to snap back, but suddenly, Leo sat bolt upright. It wasn’t a normal, peaceful movement. He began to scream at the top of his lungs. He thrashed, banging his hands against the metal bedrails, slamming his forehead against the bars, and letting out piercing, screeching noises. This kind of sensory meltdown was common for kids on the spectrum. I had dealt with it for five years. The woman took a sharp step back, her impatient expression instantly melting into sheer panic. “I’ll… I’ll come back another time.” The moment the door slammed shut, Leo collapsed back onto his pillow. He closed his eyes, chest heaving as he breathed heavily. Was he acting? I wasn’t sure. And I didn’t dare ask. At 9:00 AM, my phone rang. “Mrs. Vance? This is Marcus Cole. I got your voicemail. Do you have a moment to walk me through the details?” His voice was incredibly calm and grounding. I explained my situation as briefly as I could. He asked three direct questions: the exact legal name of the company, the year of registration, and the bank account used for the transfer. After I answered, he said, “I’ll go to the Secretary of State’s office myself today to pull the original corporate filings. I should have the results by tomorrow at the latest. Until then, do not sign a single paper, do not go to the courthouse, and do not meet with your husband alone.” That afternoon, he came to the hospital. He was in his early forties, wore wire-rimmed glasses, and carried a slightly worn leather briefcase. His eyes were incredibly calm—the kind of calm that made you feel like you didn’t need to hide anything from him. He sat on the folding chair beside my bed, flipping through the screenshots of my bank statements and my marriage certificate. He didn’t ask how I knew about the hidden shares. Perhaps he figured that a late-stage cancer patient calling him at four in the morning was explanation enough. Less than an hour after he left, the door opened again. It was Amber Stone. She was wearing a pastel pink maternity dress, her makeup flawless, her tiny baby bump slightly showing. But what caught my eye was the bracelet on her wrist. It was a brilliant, translucent green jade bracelet. A natural, dark vein ran through it, winding gracefully from one side to the other. My brain went completely numb. That bracelet belonged to my mother. It was my heirloom. I had brought it with me when I got married, and it had always been kept in the jewelry box on my vanity. After we moved, I couldn’t find it. I thought I had lost it during the packing. Amber noticed me staring at her wrist. She smirked, offering no explanation whatsoever. She slapped a document onto my nightstand. “An emergency petition for sole custody. Logan’s lawyers already have it ready. They’re filing it next week. With your medical condition—and the kid’s issues—no judge in their right mind would give him to you.” She adjusted her designer handbag, smoothing down her dress as she stood up. “Save yourself the embarrassment and don’t fight it. It’s actually better for the kid anyway.” As she reached the door, she stopped and looked back, her tone breezy. “Oh, by the way, Logan is hosting a massive charity gala next Saturday. It’s a benefit for autism awareness. A major PR campaign for the company.” She smiled like a viper. “The main photo wall has a huge picture of your son on it. Quite a beautiful shot.” As soon as the door closed, the sharp click-clack of her stilettos faded down the hall. At 9:00 PM, Marcus sent me a text: “I pulled the original corporate records. Registered March 10, 2019. Two shareholders listed: Logan Carter 60%, Chloe Vance 40%. On September 14 of the same year, a share transfer was filed, removing you. The signature on that transfer is a blatant forgery—it looks nothing like your handwriting. Did you ever sign that transfer?” I texted back two words: *Never did.* His reply came almost instantly: “Then we have them.”

The next morning, I woke up to find my name plastered all over the local news. *“CEO of Apex Bio-Tech’s Ex-Wife Demands Exorbitant Divorce Settlement; Sources Claim Chemotherapy Has Left Her Mentally Unstable.”* The article featured a blurry screenshot of the hospital hallway security camera. My face was pixelated, but Leo’s back was clearly visible as he was pushed in a wheelchair. The comment section was vile. *“If you have cancer, just accept your fate. Don’t ruin your husband’s life.”* *“A mentally unstable mother is a danger to her own child. Good thing the dad is stepping up.”* I shut off my phone and pressed a hand to my chest. It wasn’t just anger—my heart was racing from the chemo-induced palpitations. At 9:30 AM, the hospital billing clerk walked in. “Mrs. Vance, there is an outstanding balance of ninety-four thousand dollars on your account. Mr. Carter has terminated his authorization for all payments. If this isn’t cleared in three days, we will have to discharge you.” She paused, lowering her voice. “I’m so sorry. We aren’t trying to be cruel, but the administration got a call from high up.” At 11:00 AM, a middle-aged woman walked in. She introduced herself as a social worker from Child Protective Services (CPS). “We received an anonymous tip that the patient in Room 305 might have self-harm tendencies and pose a threat to her child. We need to conduct an safety assessment.” I sat on the edge of the bed, watching her check off boxes on her clipboard. Leo lay face down on his pillow, making low, incoherent noises. After the social worker left, I stared at the ceiling, wanting nothing more than to pull the covers over my head and disappear. Logan was blocking every single exit. The press, the hospital, the state—he was squeezing me from every angle, trying to crush my spirit until I couldn’t even stand. When the room fell dead silent, Leo’s voice suddenly rang out. “Mom.” I spun around. His eyes were clear, though I could tell he was struggling to hold onto his consciousness. “The more desperate he gets, the sloppier his moves will be. Those news articles are clear defamation. Tell Marcus to preserve all the digital evidence.” After saying that, his eyes drifted shut, and his fingers began to twitch rhythmically against the sheets again. In the afternoon, Marcus called me. “I got the bank records. On March 12, 2019, exactly eight hundred and twenty thousand dollars was transferred from your account to Apex Bio-Tech’s corporate account, marked as ‘Investment.’ Furthermore…” I heard the rustle of papers over the line. “Your house. The deed is solely in your name. The down payment of one point forty-six million dollars came entirely from your personal account. The mortgage was paid jointly. Yet, in this divorce agreement, he gets the entire property. How is that fair?” It wasn’t. It never was. But when I signed those papers, my hands were shaking so hard I couldn’t even read the text. Even if I had, I was too physically exhausted to fight. “I’ve already filed an emergency motion with the family court to freeze all marital assets. My argument is that you signed the agreement under the influence of heavy chemotherapeutic drugs,” Marcus said. He paused. “At the same time, I’ve filed a lawsuit to restore your shareholder status. Once the forensic analyst proves your signature was forged, your forty percent ownership is legally bulletproof.” After we hung up, my nurse, Sarah, came in to change my IV. When the room was clear, she quickly slipped an envelope from her pocket under my pillow. “Someone asked me to pass this to the patient in 305,” she whispered. Inside was a heavy, gold-embossed invitation: *Apex Bio-Tech Charity Gala. This Saturday, Century Hotel Grand Ballroom.* I flipped it over. On the back, a sticky note was attached. No signature. Just four words: *You should be here.* At the bottom of the invitation, the theme of the gala was printed: *Shielded by Love: The Autism Family Support Initiative.* Keynote Speaker: *Logan Carter, CEO of Apex Bio-Tech.* Speech Topic: *A Father’s Sacrifice.*

By 6:00 PM on Saturday, the driveway of the Century Hotel was jammed with luxury cars. I was wearing my only clean knit cardigan over my hospital gown, which I hadn’t had time to change out of. My wig was slightly crooked, and I had to pin it three times just to keep it secure. Leo held my hand, his steps dragging, his eyes unfocused. The plastic hospital band was still secured around his tiny wrist. No one stopped us. The invitation had a VIP table number. There were about two hundred people in the grand ballroom—investors, tech journalists, medical executives, and about twenty actual families of autistic children. In the center of the main stage, a massive LED screen was looping Apex Bio-Tech’s promotional video. A photo of Leo when he was three flashed on the screen, right next to the corporate logo. I took a seat in the very back row, in the darkest corner. Leo sat beside me, humming softly under his breath, his little fingers nervously twisting the hem of his shirt. The house lights dimmed. Logan stepped up to the podium. He looked impeccable in a charcoal grey custom suit, his diamond cufflinks catching the light, his hair perfectly styled. He stood before the giant screen, right in front of the massive projection of his son’s face. “Five years ago, when the doctor told me my son was autistic…” His voice trembled slightly. He stopped, looking down at the podium as if trying to compose himself. “I felt like my world had collapsed. But I told myself, as a father, I had to be strong. I had to build a shield for him.” Several people in the front rows began to nod. Amber sat right in the center of the VIP section, her hand resting gently on her stomach, wiping her tears with a silk tissue. The emerald-green jade bracelet on her wrist gleamed under the spotlights. “And now, though my marriage has sadly come to an end due to irreconcilable differences, my duty as a father has never wavered. Tonight, I am proud to announce that Apex Bio-Tech is donating five million dollars—” The sharp screech of a chair dragging against the marble floor cut him off. I stood up. Over two hundred heads whipped around to look at me. I took Leo’s hand and began walking down the center aisle. He dragged his feet, his body swaying slightly, his fingers still clutching his shirt. His white plastic hospital wristband stood out glaringly under the chandelier lights. Logan saw me. His hands froze on the edge of the podium. “Chloe? What are you—” The security guards hesitated, unsure if they should intervene. Amber bolted upright, stepping into the aisle to block me. “Security—” I walked right past her. I marched straight to the AV control booth near the stage and slammed a USB drive onto the console. The tech guy stared at me, his hand hovering over the mouse, terrified to cut me off in front of all these cameras. I reached over and hit the spacebar. Logan’s beautifully designed PowerPoint slide vanished. In its place, two massive documents filled the giant LED screen. On the left: The original corporate registry of Apex Bio-Tech, dated March 10, 2019. Under the shareholder section, in bold black and white: *Logan Carter – 60%, Chloe Vance – 40%.* On the right: The share transfer document filed six months later. My name was crossed out, and the signature at the bottom was a messy, forged scrawl—completely different from my actual signature on the left. The two documents were blown up side-by-side on the fifteen-foot screen. The entire ballroom went dead silent. Then, the camera shutters started clicking like rapid gunfire. Logan’s face turned an ashen white under the spotlights. “This is a fake! She’s mentally unstable! Don’t listen to her—” I pulled a digital voice recorder from my pocket and held it up to the microphone. “This is what the woman he sent to my hospital room told me. And this is what Amber Stone said to me.” I pressed play. Amber’s voice blasted through the state-of-the-art sound system, echoing off the high ceilings: *”You’re going to sign those papers whether you like it or not. You really think a dying cancer patient can fight him? He doesn’t even care if you live or die, let alone that brain-dead son of yours.”* The recording kept playing, and every single person in the room hung onto every word. And then, Leo, who had been dragging his feet and swaying beside me, suddenly went completely still. He let go of my hand. He lifted his head. Two hundred pairs of eyes locked onto the seven-year-old boy. He looked straight at Logan on the stage. His eyes were clear, focused, and absolutely sharp. He opened his mouth.

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After divorcing my ex-husband, I dated four boyfriends in a row. But every time we got close to the wedding, they would call it off. The moment we were about to exchange rings, their faces would twist with disgust, and they would point at me and curse me out. “I must have been blind to fall for you! I’m not marrying you!” The people around me would also look at me with disdain and tell me to stop clinging to them. “How dare you beg them to stay? You’re shameless!” “If I’d known you were this disgusting, I wouldn’t have come.” I couldn’t make sense of it no matter how hard I tried, and I begged them to tell me why. Then, at my fifth wedding, I heard my daughter Ford’s inner voice. [Even though I’m the bride’s daughter, I still can’t bear to do this.] [If my stepdad finds out that my mom spent last night in a hotel room with nine men while still wearing her wedding dress, this wedding will definitely be ruined.] I stood on the stage, looking at my eight-year-old daughter, Ford. The officiant was reading the vows. “Groom Wilson, do you take Shakira as your wife…” “Bride Shakira, do you take Wilson as your husband…” Sure enough, her inner voice rang out again. [Even though I’m the bride’s daughter, I still can’t bear to do this.] [If my stepdad finds out that my mom spent last night in a hotel room with nine men while still wearing her wedding dress, this wedding will definitely be ruined.] The guests below exploded at once. “What? Nine men?” “Oh my God, what does that mean?” “A child wouldn’t lie, this…” My future mother-in-law Bella’s face turned livid. She shot to her feet and pointed at me as she roared, “You filthy bitch! I knew you were rushing to get married because you’d been messing around outside!” She rushed onto the stage and raised her hand to slap me. But this time, I didn’t cry, and I didn’t panic. I calmly grabbed her wrist. “Wait.” My voice was very steady, so steady it even surprised me. “What did you hear?” Bella froze for a moment. “What your daughter just said. Are you still trying to deny it?” I turned to look at the guests below the stage. “Did everyone hear that?” “We heard it!” “That kid said her mom spent the night with nine men!” “Disgusting!” I nodded, then looked at Ford. She was looking at me with a completely innocent face, as if she knew nothing. But I knew she knew her inner voice could be heard by other people. She had been using that to ruin every one of my weddings. “Ford.” I crouched down and looked into her eyes. “What did you just say?” Ford blinked. “Mom, I didn’t say anything.” “Then why is everyone saying they heard you?” Ford pretended to be scared. “I don’t know, Mom. I really didn’t say anything.” The guests below started talking. “Was that the child’s inner thoughts?” “Little kids don’t lie.” “Shakira is way too much!” Bella rushed up again. “You’re still acting! Wilson cannot marry a woman like you!” [The baby in her belly isn’t Wilson’s at all. It’s a bastard she had with another man.] The entire room instantly went silent, and everyone stared at me in shock. Bella’s face changed again. “What? The child isn’t even my son’s?” “Are you trying to make my son raise another man’s kid like a fool?” Wilson’s hand froze in midair, and the ring almost slipped to the floor. “Shakira, what is going on?” “What Ford said…” “No!” I hurried to explain. “The child is Wilson’s!” But the whispers below had already started. “The child’s inner voice doesn’t lie.” “She said she saw it, so it must be true.” “This woman is terrifying. She’d actually do something like that.” Bella rushed over and tried to drag me to the hospital. “Come on! We’re doing a paternity test right now!” “If the child isn’t Wilson’s, this wedding absolutely cannot happen!” Wilson was also confused. “Shakira, let’s go to the hospital and check.” I looked at him, tears in my eyes. “Wilson, you don’t believe me?” Wilson hesitated. “I… I just want to confirm it.” “Do you need me to prove it with my death before you’ll believe me?” Everyone’s expressions changed. Right then, Ford started again. [Mom was still on the phone with that man yesterday, saying she’d show him the child after it was born.] [She also said she’d hide it from Wilson for the rest of her life. I heard it clearly.] The crowd below got even angrier. “That’s too much!” “How can a woman like that get married!” “Wilson, run!” I was backed into a corner, trembling all over. “I didn’t!” I shouted. “The child is Wilson’s!” “I can go do a paternity test right now!”

Bella sneered. “And you think we’d believe you?” “Maybe you already bribed the hospital!” Just then, I remembered something. In my past life, I had been too anxious and forgot to take out the evidence. I pulled out my phone and opened an encrypted folder. Because my four weddings had all been mysteriously called off, I had become much more careful. “I have a paternity test report issued by an official institution here.” I held up my phone. “This is a non-invasive DNA paternity test I had done at the hospital.” “The report shows that the father of the child is Wilson.” When the people below saw the report, the noise quieted down a little. But Bella still didn’t believe it. “That report could be fake too!” I said calmly, “There’s an anti-counterfeit code on this report, and you can verify it on the hospital’s official website.” “And I had this test done without telling Wilson, just so no one could question it.” Wilson looked at me in surprise. “Shakira, when did you do this?” I looked at him. “Last month. I was worried someone would question the child’s paternity, so I had it done ahead of time.” “I used the hair you dropped at my place.” Wilson remembered. “That night I stayed at your house, and the next morning you helped me comb my hair.” I nodded. “Yes, I kept a few strands of your hair and took them in for the paternity test.” Bella took my phone and carefully checked the report. The report clearly stated that the probability of paternity between the fetus and the alleged father was 99.99%. It also had the hospital stamp and anti-counterfeit code. Bella entered the code on the hospital’s official website, and the result showed that the report was genuine and valid. Seeing this, the guests below started talking again. “The report is real.” “The child really is Wilson’s.” “Then why would that little girl lie?” When Ford saw her lie had been exposed, her face turned ugly. [My mom’s pretty smart too. She knows to bribe the testing staff in advance, so even if they test it, they won’t find anything!] Ford’s voice rang out again, and everyone turned against me once more. Bella sneered. “You think we’d believe you? Maybe you already bought the hospital off!” I took a document out of my bag. “This is my pre-pregnancy health check report from three months ago.” I held it up high so everyone could see. “The report shows I don’t have any STDs, and there are no signs of any unclean behavior.” The whispering below quieted down a little. “If I really had been messing around like Ford said in her head, this report wouldn’t be this clean.” I took out another document. “This is a record of the first time Wilson and I met, four months ago.” “And the time I got pregnant was exactly three months ago. The timeline matches perfectly.” Wilson nodded beside me. “All of that is true.” Bella’s face began to waver. “But… but the child said…” I looked at Ford. “Ford, think again. Where was I last night?” Ford bit her lip and said nothing. I went on, “Last night, Wilson and I were at home preparing wedding supplies, and Ford was there too.” “The three of us ate together, watched TV together, and Ford didn’t go to sleep until ten at night.” “Wilson can testify to that.” Wilson immediately said, “Yes, Shakira was with me the whole time yesterday.” The guests below started whispering. “Looks like it really was a misunderstanding?” “But the child’s inner voice… could she have gotten it wrong?” I looked at Ford, and her eyes started to dart away. I went on, “I’m going back to the hospital right now for another paternity test. Who wants to come with me and witness it?” Bella hesitated. “I… I will.” Wilson held my hand tightly. “I’ll go with you.” Just then, Ford suddenly burst into tears. “Mom, I’m scared!”

She ran to me and hugged my leg. “Mom, I don’t want you to marry someone else!” Seeing this, the people below began to soften. “The child might just be scared of her mom remarrying.” “Kids are like that. They’re afraid of losing their mother’s love. Maybe that really was a misunderstanding.” I crouched down and hugged Ford. “Ford, even if I get married, I’ll still love you.” So Ford was just too attached to me. I felt relieved. Seeing this, Bella’s expression eased a little too. “Fine, maybe it really was a misunderstanding.” She looked at me. “But we still need to redo the paternity test.” I nodded. “Of course.” Ford suddenly looked up, a sly glint flashing in her eyes. Ford broke free from my arms and stepped back a few paces. [Could it be that Mom can also hear my inner voice now, and that’s why she’s prepared?] [She got married four times before, and every time it was a marriage scam. She took the money and then found a way to make the man call it off.] [Each time she got tens of thousands in breakup money. That’s how she got rich.] The room exploded at once. “What? A marriage scam?” “Four marriages were scams?” “Oh my God, and she abused the child too! This woman is terrifying!” Bella’s face changed again. “What did you say? She’s been married four times before?” My heart sank to the bottom. “No!” I hurried to explain. “I really did date four men before, but it wasn’t a marriage scam!” “They were the ones who suddenly called off the weddings!” The whispers below got even louder. “She admitted it! There really were four times!” “How can you trust a woman like that?” Just then, the back door of the venue was suddenly shoved open. Four men walked in. I recognized them. They were my four former fiancés: Peter, Mario, George, and Stuart. Why were they here? Peter pointed at me and shouted, “Don’t let her fool you! She’s a liar!” Mario followed. “When she was engaged to me, she took two hundred thousand from my family, then deliberately caused a scene at the wedding and forced me to call it off!” George said, “Me too! She took three hundred thousand from my family, then said my mother treated her badly and dumped me!” Stuart said, “She’s always done this. She makes money by getting married!” The guests below were completely furious. “So it really was a marriage scam!” “This woman is disgusting!” “Wilson, run!” Bella rushed over and tried to hit me again. “You liar! Did you scam Wilson’s money too?” I was backed into a corner, trembling all over. In my last life, I had no idea what happened. I just kept getting called off for no reason. I glanced at Ford and saw her giving me a smug smile. Now I finally understood. Someone had been controlling all of this from behind the scenes. But my four weddings had indeed failed before. That was a fact. I really had taken the money, and I had returned it all. “I didn’t scam anyone!” I shouted. “I returned all the money!” Peter sneered. “Returned it? You only returned it because you were forced to, right?” Mario said, “And you always asked for extra breakup money!” George said, “I gave you fifty thousand in breakup money!” Stuart said, “I gave you eighty thousand!” The crowd below got even angrier. “Breakup money too? That’s too much! That’s extortion!” Wilson came over to my side, but his face also looked terrible. “Shakira, what’s going on?” I looked at him, tears in my eyes. “Wilson, do you believe me?” Wilson hesitated. “I… I need to know the truth.”

Bella said loudly, “What other truth do you need? The witnesses and the evidence are all right here!” “You can’t marry a woman like this!” Ford stood nearby and pretended to be scared. “Mom, why are they yelling at you?” But I heard her inner voice, and it was only for me. [Mom, go beg Dad. Only Dad really loves you.] Dad? I suddenly realized that all of this had been planned. But I had proof. I pulled out my phone and opened an audio file. “Everyone, listen to this.” I played a recording. It was Peter’s voice: “Shakira, I can’t marry you. My parents don’t agree.” “But I’ll compensate you. Is fifty thousand enough?” My voice in the recording was crying. “I don’t want money. I just want to know why.” Peter said, “I’m sorry. I really can’t do anything about it.” “Then I’ll return the money to you.” Then came the sound of money arriving. “We’re even.” After the recording ended, the room was completely silent. Each recording proved that they had been the ones to break things off. The guests below started whispering. “So it doesn’t look like she was extorting anyone.” “It was the men who offered breakup money.” “Then why did they lie just now?” The four former fiancés all looked terrible. Peter stammered, “Th-these recordings might be fake!” I sneered. “Fake? Then let’s go to the police and have them forensically verified right now?” “Dare you? You don’t dare, because the transfers in your bank records all went to me, and I returned them all.” “If I really were scamming marriages, why would I give the money back?” The murmurs below grew even louder. “Exactly, if it was a marriage scam, why would she return the money?” “Looks like the problem really was with the men.” Mario got anxious. “Then why were you recording?” I looked at him. “Because I was afraid you’d back out, so I recorded every breakup talk to protect myself.” “I didn’t expect it to actually come in handy today.” George pointed at me. “You set us up!” I said calmly, “Set you up? You were the ones who first smeared me as a marriage scam.” “I’m just clearing my name.” Bella looked at the four men, and her expression changed too. “What’s going on with you all?” “Why did you lie?” Peter stammered, “We… we…” Just then, Ford suddenly spoke up. “Didn’t you say you’d help me?” The moment her words fell, the room erupted again. “What does she mean, help her? What is this kid talking about?” The four men’s faces grew even uglier. I crouched down and looked at Ford. “Ford, what did you just say?” Ford realized she had misspoken and quickly shook her head. “I didn’t say anything.” But everyone below had heard it. Wilson walked over and asked seriously, “Ford, what were they supposed to help you with?” Ford bit her lip and stayed silent. I asked again, “Ford, did someone teach you to say those things?” Ford’s eyes started to dart around. [Dad said I absolutely couldn’t let you know it was arranged by him.] The truth was finally out.

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My childhood friend’s lover was a thug. I was sitting in first class on my way back to the country when a blanket from the seat in front of me suddenly hit my leg. The flight attendant hurried over and crouched down, her face full of apology. “I’m so sorry, ma’am. Miss Joelle says she likes it quiet and really can’t stand any noise around her.” “She’s willing to pay 100 dollars to have you move to economy. Would that be okay?” I set down my water glass, smiled faintly, and threw the blanket back hard. “I’ll pay 101 dollars for her to move.” The blanket landed right on the woman in front, and she shot to her feet, pointing at me in anger as she cursed. “Who do you think you are, refusing to give me face? Do you know who I am?!” “Garcia, my boyfriend, owns this entire Harmony Airlines!” “Let me make this clear today. If you don’t move, I’ll have the whole airline blacklist you and make sure you never step on a plane again for the rest of your life!” I lifted my brows and smiled with interest. Garcia? Wasn’t that my childhood friend with a marriage contract? So the thug Christina’s mom had been going on about, the one she told me to come back and deal with, was her?

“Are you deaf? I told you to move to economy. Didn’t you hear me?” Seeing that I hadn’t moved at all, Joelle pointed at me in anger. I smiled. “Ma’am, I was sitting here perfectly fine. You hit me with a blanket and tried to insult me with 100 dollars. Why would I move?” “Besides, I offered you one extra dollar. Why don’t you move?” After hearing me, the flight attendant sucked in a sharp breath. “Ma’am, Mr. Garcia specifically told us to meet Miss Joelle’s needs. How about you name a compensation amount? We’ll definitely make it happen.” Joelle looked proud and haughty. “Did you hear that? I’m carrying the Stevens family’s baby now. The whole Stevens family has to cater to me!” I sat back down, covered my legs with the blanket, and put my earbuds back in. “This is my seat. I’m not going anywhere.” Joelle turned angrily to the flight attendant. “Are you blind? The first-class cabin is empty except for her!” “Use your heads and you’d know Garcia booked the whole cabin for me!” “Strip her naked and throw her out. Let her learn the consequences of trespassing in first class!” The flight attendant looked troubled. Even if Mr. Garcia had given instructions, this demand was simply too unreasonable. I looked up and stared at Joelle with a hint of provocation. “What? You think only you can get Garcia to book a ticket?” Joelle’s gaze paused for a moment. “W-What do you mean?” She turned to the flight attendant. “Check her ticket! If she’s not supposed to be sitting here, call the police and arrest her right now!!” The flight attendant quickly opened the system panel and typed my name in at speed. After that, she replied a little awkwardly. “Miss Joelle, Miss Sophia’s seat is normal. It also shows that it was booked through the Stevens family’s internal system.” I snickered to myself. Christina had booked this seat for me a long time ago. A hint of panic appeared in Joelle’s eyes. “Could you be Garcia’s… new mistress?” “How shameless! You dare seduce Garcia while I’m pregnant? I just got rid of one, and here comes another!” “This time I’ll make sure all of you sluts remember your lesson!” Her hand rose into the air, and it looked like it was about to land. I grabbed her wrist. “Isn’t Garcia’s engagement next month to someone else?” “You’d better figure out your own position before you talk!” I twisted her wrist and slapped her hard in return. The crack of the slap echoed through the entire first-class cabin. Joelle clutched her face in disbelief. No one had ever dared to treat her like that. “So what if Garcia has a fiancée? Only the unloved ones are mistresses!” “Even if his fiancée were here, I’d still say the same thing!” Her face flushed red as she thought about how to retaliate. At that moment, the flight attendant suddenly stepped forward to hold her back. “Miss Joelle, the plane is still taxiing, so you can’t move around like this. You’re pregnant, so please sit down and stay calm.” “There’s a rest area in the cockpit. Let me take you there.” The flight attendant knew neither side could be offended, so she had no choice but to separate us first. Joelle was escorted away while cursing nonstop. The first-class cabin was left with just me, and my ears finally got some peace. After the plane landed, I pushed my luggage along the VIP corridor when I was suddenly surrounded by a group of tall men in black. “It’s her! She slapped me on the plane. Lock her in the holding room!” Joelle appeared with this group of people. After hearing the order, the men in black immediately pressed my shoulders down hard, and I couldn’t break free. Joelle let out a mocking laugh. “These are all private bodyguards Garcia arranged for me. Every single one of them is a pro. Let’s see how you move now.” “Today I’m going to teach you sluts a lesson myself. I’ll slap you a hundred times and rip your mouth apart so you remember it!” Her face was full of vindication and smugness as she raised her hand high. Just then, a man’s voice rang out. “Stop!” It was Garcia.

“Honey, what happened? Why did you do it yourself?” Garcia walked up beside Joelle and said with concern, “You’re pregnant. Don’t upset the baby.” His gaze swept over me, surrounded by black-clad bodyguards, and his expression suddenly froze. “Sophia, why are you back?” Joelle asked in confusion, “Honey, who is she?” She stamped her foot, about to throw a tantrum, and Garcia quickly soothed her. “Honey, she’s just my childhood friend who has a marriage contract with me.” “She’s been abroad for three years, and I’ve already lost most contact with her. Don’t misunderstand.” Then he looked at me. “Sophia, perfect timing. Let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Joelle.” I looked at him, completely baffled. “Your girlfriend is Joelle? Then what am I to you?” “Did you forget? We’re supposed to get engaged next month.” A contemptuous smile flashed across Garcia’s face. “Sophia, you and I both know this is a business marriage.” “Since when does a business marriage ever have real feelings?” “Joelle is already carrying my child. She belongs to me.” “From now on, we can do our own thing. On the surface, we’re still one family. Isn’t that better?” I almost laughed myself sick at those words. Everyone knew the Franklin family had strict values and would never tolerate something like this. “Garcia, while I was gone these past few years, did a pig eat your brain?” With Garcia backing her up, Joelle’s face grew even more arrogant. “No wonder you were so smug. So you’re just the marriage partner, not the one he really loves.” “Baby, do you know? She even slapped me on the plane. Look, my face is still red.” Joelle pouted as if she had suffered some huge injustice. “There’s even something like this?” Garcia frowned. Joelle glared at me viciously. “You’re backing me up, so I want to get that slap back!” She raised her hand again, but Garcia stopped her once more. “After all, she’s the Franklin family heir. You can’t hit her.” “Besides, what if you hurt yourself and the baby?” Joelle rolled her eyes. “Fine, then I won’t hit her for your sake.” “Just have her apologize to me, then call me sis, and I’ll forgive her.” “Let her know who the real lady of the Stevens family is.” Garcia’s expression darkened, and he nodded. “Sophia, it looks like there’s some misunderstanding between you and Joelle.” “Just do what Joelle said. After that, once the misunderstanding is cleared up, our engagement next week will go on as planned.” I let out a cold laugh. “How about this? I’ll give her one chance. If she kneels and apologizes to me, I’ll consider letting her go.” Before I came back to the country, Christina had already told me how she planned to deal with her, and that method was a lot harsher than anything I’d imagined. Garcia’s voice turned sharp. “Sophia, don’t push this too far.” “Joelle is pregnant, and you hit her. You were in the wrong first.” “Joelle has already shown you understanding and made a concession. You should know gratitude and stop being ungrateful.” I shook my head. “Looks like you really don’t have a brain. Don’t even think about making me apologize.” Garcia’s face turned stern. “Sophia, if you insist, then I can only cancel the engagement.” His tone carried unquestionable authority. At those words, a flash of delight crossed Joelle’s eyes. I sneered inwardly. A business marriage wasn’t something he could just cancel so easily. I said coldly, “Garcia, did you forget that if you don’t marry me, you can’t inherit the family business?”

“Honey, is that true?” A trace of unease flashed across Joelle’s face, and she quickly looked up at Garcia. Garcia let out a contemptuous laugh, his voice full of scorn. “Sophia, don’t think you can threaten me with that.” “Not long ago, my own company was already making millions in profit.” “At this rate, within ten years, my assets will be close to the entire Stevens family’s.” “I negotiated every deal myself. I didn’t use a single bit of family resources or connections.” “I already have the ability to make my own decisions. I don’t need to rely on anyone anymore.” He lifted his chin, looking incredibly arrogant. I remembered one night last year when Christina suddenly contacted me. She said Garcia was insisting on starting his own business, and Christina was afraid his first venture would fail and he would lose confidence later, so she specifically reached out to me. She repeatedly told me not to reveal any connection to the Stevens family. I contacted classmates overseas, and my dad also asked some more distant business partners to work with Garcia. That was how I helped Garcia earn the first chunk of money for his company. Thinking about it now was ridiculous. “Garcia, does Christina know all of this?” A little more anger entered Garcia’s eyes. “Sophia, you’re trying to use my mom to pressure me again!” “You’ve been doing this since you were little. Besides this trick, what else can you do?” “I’ve been controlled by my mom since I was a kid, and I’ve had enough of you doing the same!” “From now on, none of the Stevens family’s business is any of your concern. And from now on, I decide who the lady of the Stevens family is!” Joelle’s eyes lit up with stars. “Baby, you’re a real man!” She looked at me provocatively. “Garcia is the Stevens family’s only legitimate grandson. If he doesn’t call the shots for the Stevens family in the future, then who will?” I lowered my eyes. Garcia’s father died early. Christina had struggled alone for so many years to keep the company going, and I saw it all. The Franklin family and the Stevens family had been in-laws for generations, and the friendship and interests between our families were too deeply tied together. If this engagement were ruined because of me, I’d never forgive myself. “Garcia, I’ll give you one last chance.” “Not only does Joelle need to kneel and apologize to me, you need to kneel and apologize too.” “Not just to me, but to the Franklin family.” “As long as you apologize, I’ll act like nothing happened today. Otherwise, don’t blame me for whatever happens next.” Garcia looked utterly disdainful. “From childhood until now, I already see right through you. All you know how to do is threaten people with your family. What else do you have?” I looked calmly at them both, took out my phone, and asked one last time, “Are you kneeling or not?” Joelle laughed out loud. “You’re just humiliating yourself.” She turned to Garcia. “Honey, she’s like a crazy dog. Let’s go.” I didn’t hesitate any longer and dialed the number. Into the phone, I said calmly, “Joelle really is, as you said, an idiot.” Joelle stopped walking. “She’s rude and brainless. She doesn’t belong in any rich family at all.” Joelle stared at me in disbelief, her eyes wide. “Just like you said, it’s best to cut out her tendons and throw her to Alaska, make her an illegal resident, and never let her come back.” Joelle flew into a rage, rushed forward, and snatched my phone away. She shouted into the phone, “Who the hell do you think you are!!” “Dare to say your name, and I’ll have someone deal with you tonight so you’re kicked out of Los Angeles forever!” “You’ll have nowhere to put your ashes even after you die!!” Garcia stepped forward and held her. “Honey, don’t get worked up. She’s just trying to scare you. As long as I’m here, no one can do anything to you.” I took my phone back and turned on speaker. The voice on the other end exploded like firecrackers. “Garcia! Is this the thug you found?!” “If you insist on being with her, then never come back to the Stevens family again!!” Garcia’s pupils widened, and after a long moment, a sound finally came from his throat. “…Mom?!”

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When I was brutally killed, Mom was praying with my little sister for her final exam. She also cruelly hung up on my call for help. “This is a huge deal that decides Sarah’s life. If you want to die, then go die. You’re such bad luck!” Later, the city sent someone to inspect the school. The inspection team found hundreds of scattered body parts buried in the concrete poured under the track on the school field. To avoid causing panic at the school, they could only put it aside for the time being and dig the body parts out after the exams were over. Mom stitched the remains together on the operating table herself and pieced together a face she knew all too well. Jennifer from Class 3 at SKY High School. Her own daughter, missing for two months, the daughter she hated to the core—me. My limbs were removed from the concrete under the plastic track in the middle of the night on the day Sarah’s final exam ended, by a SWAT team that secretly came to the school. The SWAT officers wore gas masks and dug for three hours, pulling out a total of four hundred and thirty-two scattered pieces of my body. They transported the remains to the police station overnight, and several officers stayed up all night before finally piecing the body together into a rough human shape. You could barely tell it was a young girl. But the surface of the body had already turned into adipocere, and the stench was overwhelming. One rookie officer with a weak stomach only glanced at “me” before he bent over the trash can and vomited until his face turned white. Mom, who was the station’s guest forensic expert, stood nearby. She looked once, then turned away, her face full of pity. She put on her gloves, switched on the bright lights over the autopsy table, and scanned every inch of me from top to bottom, her eyes filling with a trace of doubt. My soul floated beside her, screaming and waving as hard as I could, even though I knew it was useless. My body wasn’t complete. One piece was missing here, another piece was missing there. The face that could best identify me had been slashed into vicious red marks by the killer, leaving no trace of what it had once looked like. Even a monster looked less frightening than I did now. Mom looked at my broken body so calmly, as if I were just another ordinary victim in her career. The officer beside her could see her confusion and felt a little guilty. “The body was cut up too finely. We searched all night and only found this much.” Mom cut in steadily, “It’s fine. That’s enough to tell.” After all, I hadn’t been dead for very long, and because I was sealed in concrete, the decomposition had slowed down. Even though some adipocere had formed in places, that was actually a good thing. The adipocere preserved the abuse and wounds I had suffered when I was alive very well. It was obviously helpful for solving the case. Mom suddenly froze, probably because several pieces of my body had fragments of SKY High School’s uniform stuck to them. She picked up those pieces, a flicker of hesitation crossing her eyes, and her scalpel stopped too. The owner of these body parts was a student at this school, a young girl. Didn’t she look a lot like your daughter who had been missing for two months? I stood nearby, my heart filled with emotions I couldn’t even name. Mom, did you recognize that it was me? She suddenly pulled back the white sheet, revealing my lower half. Her hand reached toward my thighs, where there were large brown marks, as if something burning hot had been pressed against me. They left behind ugly scars. She ran her fingers over the scars several times, but found nothing. Of course there would be nothing. To destroy these identifying marks on my body, they dragged me into an alley and rolled a curling iron over me again and again. I still remembered that scorching heat, a temperature so hot it felt like it could burn away a person’s soul too. Mom covered me back up with the white sheet. She took off her gloves, and the autopsy was over. She still hadn’t recognized that the inhuman monster on the table was her own daughter, who had been missing for two months, the daughter she hated with all her heart—me. I gave a bitter smile. Forget it. I was already used to this.

Mom submitted the autopsy report and went to the school, which was now sealed off by layers of police tape, and also the scene of the crime. This was a huge incident. The higher-ups took it very seriously and formed a special task force to investigate. They flipped through the files, completely overwhelmed. SKY High School was a top school, and the inspection team had used the most advanced equipment. The problem was that the equipment detected something on the plastic track. Mixed in with the concrete used to pour the track, there seemed to be human body parts. To avoid alarming the students, they didn’t confirm it right away. They only quietly gathered the list of people who had recently gone missing and started the first round of screening. But none of the missing persons matched the autopsy report. The officers were so angry they slapped their thighs. “It’s been hidden in there for two months, and the family never even reported it? Was she an orphan or something?” “Otherwise, how do you explain that none of the missing people from this period match her?” After a lot of trouble, they finally dug up a suspect. It was Jennifer, the daughter of the station’s forensic expert, Samantha. When Mom faced the officers who came to ask questions, she frowned. “My own daughter, how could I not know her? She’s the older sister. She got jealous of Sarah and just threw a tantrum and ran off. What do you mean missing?” “That’s a threat! She was dying for me and Sarah to die. How could she possibly be dead!” As she spoke, her eyes moved toward the group of people under the track. They were working in full gear, desperately digging through the concrete, and the excavated concrete had already piled up into a small mountain. She pulled the autopsy report out of her pocket. “The deceased is estimated to be between seventeen and twenty-one years old, and suffered a lot of inhuman abuse before death.” “There are multiple burn injuries, a broken leg, and three knife wounds all over the body, one of which was fatal.” “The face was deliberately destroyed, making identification impossible.” “All the fingers were chopped into tiny pieces, making fingerprint analysis difficult.” “But the remains are incomplete. There may be some fingerprints stuck to them, and we’re still sending people to look.” “DNA testing has also been submitted. We should have results within two days.” What they were digging up below was the other possible body parts. Mom held the autopsy report and looked at the officer, hatred flashing in her eyes. “Jennifer was nothing but trouble. The only person she ever bullied was others. When has anyone ever bullied her? If you say the killer was her, that would actually make some sense.” Seeing that the officers didn’t believe her, she even took out the chat history on her phone. “I’m the one who gave birth to her and raised her, but look at how she treats me?” “She sends one message on the phone saying she won’t come home and thinks that’s enough to brush me off?” “What a little bitch who can’t be tamed. Just thinking about her makes me sick for three days.” I was shocked beyond belief. I was already dead. How could I still send Mom messages? But when I leaned in to look, those messages really were sent from my account. Then I remembered the phone I had clutched tightly in my hand right before I died being snatched away brutally. I had tried with all my strength to snatch it back, but then my leg was kicked hard and broken. The bone snapped, and I collapsed to the ground in pain. Crying, I begged Mom for help over the phone. “Mom, help me. Please help me. I’m going to die!” But Mom just yelled at me impatiently, “I’m praying with Sarah for her final exam. If you want to die, then go die. You’re such bad luck!” What came next was intense pain and a wash of blood. Mom put on her coat and answered a call with a smile. “Sarah’s waiting for me at home? I’ll be back right away. I’ll bring you your favorite spaghetti. Wait for me, okay?” She turned around, and her gaze met my weak form floating in the air. It was full of cold indifference. “Jennifer only knows how to cause me trouble. She even ran away from home. If it weren’t for Sarah, I would’ve been driven to death by her long ago!” “Don’t ask me about Jennifer anymore. I don’t have a daughter like that, cold-blooded and heartless!” “Just seeing her makes me feel blocked up inside. She’s so annoying. It’d be best if she died out there.” “Don’t come home and get in the way. I don’t want Sarah upset!” I clutched my chest and bent over in pain. I had already endured the pain of being dismembered, but now this pain was many times worse than before. Mom, I died as you wished. Are you satisfied now?

As soon as Mom walked out of the school, she ran straight into Sarah waiting at the entrance. “Sarah, what are you doing here?” Mom was about to ask, but before she could finish, Sarah had already thrown herself into her arms. Her eyes were red, and her body trembled slightly. “Mom, I heard something happened at school. I… I’m a little scared.” Mom patted her back reassuringly. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I’ll protect you, Sarah.” Looking at Sarah like that, I suddenly understood where I had lost. I had lost from the very beginning. Even the slightest bit of fear from Sarah would be treated like a huge deal by Mom. But no matter how I bled in front of Mom and showed her my wounds, she remained unmoved. We had never been the same. Mom hugged Sarah and took her to the only spaghetti shop near the school. “I’ll buy you your favorite spaghetti, so don’t be scared, Sarah.” Sarah was still trembling nonstop, her eyes red like a pitiful little rabbit. And yet this harmless-looking girl had personally slashed my face to pieces. She had pressed a curling iron against my skin and rolled it over me inch by inch, making me wish I were dead. Mom was a regular customer, so the owner had already packed everything up by the time she arrived. Mom paid as usual, but when she reached out to take the box, he kept holding it and didn’t hand it over right away. “Have you seen Jennifer lately? She hasn’t come by to help me in a long time.” He turned his head and looked at Sarah, who was shrinking behind Mom. “Sarah, have you seen Jennifer?” Sarah covered her mouth exaggeratedly. “I don’t know either. The last time I saw Jennifer, she seemed really close with some guy…” The moment Jennifer was mentioned, Mom’s expression turned cold. She forced out, stiffly, “We don’t know.” Then she grabbed Sarah’s hand and left. When they got home, Sarah blinked innocently, her face full of innocence. “Mom, why wouldn’t you let me talk? I feel like that guy was weird, and between him and Jennifer…” Mom stood up and knocked over the fruit tray on the table. “Enough. Don’t bring her up to me!” Seeing Sarah flinch in fear, her heart softened and she lowered her eyes, asking after her with concern. “Sarah, you’re just too kind. From now on, stay far away from Jennifer.” “You’re going to be a top student in the future. How could you let someone like her, a total scumbag, ruin you?” She shoved the box of still-warm spaghetti into Sarah’s hands. “You’ve already finished your exam, so you should be resting. Whether Jennifer lives or dies has nothing to do with you. It’d be best if she died out there!” Sarah took the spaghetti from Mom’s hands, a smile lifting her lips, mixed with smugness. And she should be smug. She had pulled this trick many times before and had never lost. Even when she made up lies about me out of nowhere, even when she framed me for causing her injuries, no matter how absurd it sounded. Mom believed it all. I had knelt outside the door in the freezing snow, watching Sarah make faces at me through the glass with that same smile. I had tried to fight back, but nothing worked. “You’re the older sister. What’s wrong with letting Sarah have her way?” “You only think about competing with Sarah. Can’t you have some ambition?” “So what if I celebrate your birthday and Sarah’s together?” “Birthday cakes are expensive to buy two of. Can’t you save me some money?” Mom was always angry because I was a disobedient bad child. But obedience came at a price.

On my eighth birthday, I got beaten because I wouldn’t listen. Sarah forced me to play hide-and-seek with her, or she would make Mom keep beating me. I agreed. She told me to hide in the back seat of the car and said Mom would come looking for me later. I went along with it. But then the car started, and I popped up from the back seat, meeting Dad’s shocked eyes. Dad was a detective and had offended a lot of people. The brake on that car had failed because someone who wanted to hurt Dad had tampered with it. The car crashed into a tree and burst into flames. Half of Dad’s body was swallowed by the fire, and he used the last of his strength to smash the window with something sharp and get me out. I was grabbed by the police who rushed over, and I watched helplessly as the car exploded, my father’s body turning to ash with it. When Mom arrived, she slapped me and called me a jinx. At the funeral, Mom grabbed my head and smashed it against Dad’s tombstone. “If it weren’t for you, your dad wouldn’t have died!” “Why wasn’t it you who died back then? If it weren’t for you, with his skills, he could’ve gotten out!” “Why don’t you go die? Go die!” Her shrill voice stabbed into my heart like countless blades, and in that instant, I really felt like I deserved to die. I should have died when I was eight, not in that rainy night. Sarah called me crying and told me to come save her. Through tears, she said she had found the person who had killed Dad back then. I didn’t believe her, but then the person on the other end really produced evidence that the brakes had been tampered with. I had no choice but to believe it. Sarah begged me desperately, pleading for me to think of a way to get her out. So I went to save her. Before leaving, I secretly took a knife with me. I naively thought that if things really came to the worst, I would kill Sarah and then kill myself. But I was wrong. All of this had been a trap set for me. From the moment I agreed, they never intended to let me leave alive. My memories came rushing back, and I saw Sarah take out a phone in the room. It looked unbelievably familiar. Sure enough, she had taken it. Back then, I didn’t understand why she could go that far just because of a little jealousy. Why she was willing to team up with those criminals to take revenge on Dad and revenge on me. Later, I understood that from the moment she was a child, her mind had already been twisted. Her hands were covered in blood. The day Dad died, Sarah overheard that they had switched the brakes, but she didn’t warn him. She even took me into the car too. Through the back-seat window, I saw the twisted pleasure on her young face. Because Dad favored me, because I was praised for being prettier than her. She wanted to send us both to our deaths. The detective’s daughter had put on a criminal’s blood from that night on. She only needed a little persuasion, and didn’t even have to do it herself, to make someone who stood in her way disappear from this world. What a temptation. I told her to turn back. What I got in return was this: before the exam, she had people block me in an alley. Because she knew I wanted to apply to the police academy, and she was afraid that once I got in, I would expose all her crimes to the world. She killed me herself. One stab after another, I trembled in pain, but from her crazed laughter, I understood the meaning of the smile on her face at Dad’s funeral. It meant I would never beat her in this lifetime. I would have to live forever carrying the label of the man who killed my father. They threw my body parts into the concrete pit at the school field construction site. They buried me, along with my secret, at the bottom, sealed into the plastic track. Mom walked into Sarah’s room carrying a bowl of borscht. “Sarah, don’t stay up too late. Go to sleep soon. I’ve got something to do tonight and can’t stay with you.” Sarah was still clutching my phone, and in her panic, she could only stuff it under her skirt. Mom glanced at her with some suspicion, but didn’t ask further. Sarah saw that the bedroom door was wide open and a group of police officers were sitting in the living room. Her face went a little pale, and she couldn’t hide her guilt. “Mom, who are they? Why are they here at our house?” She shifted a little, not realizing that the phone under her had already exposed a corner. “They’re coworkers from the station. The owner of the spaghetti shop came to report something.” “He said Jennifer hadn’t shown up for a long time. She messaged me saying she’d gone to her grandma’s house, but her grandma said she’d never been there.” Mom’s hand shook several times around the bowl of borscht, and her voice trembled. “Sarah, do you think…” Before she could finish, her gaze suddenly locked onto one spot. She rushed forward in a few steps and pulled out the phone. Only then did I see it. Three minutes ago, Mom had sent me a message. One minute ago, Sarah replied with my phone. Mom’s eyes widened, and she unconsciously raised her voice. “Sarah, tell me. Why is Jennifer’s phone in your hands?”

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I’m dying. My mother, Eleanor, is a world-renowned oncologist specializing in stomach cancer. Yet, I developed the disease right under her nose. Every time I told her I wasn’t feeling well, she just scoffed and told me to stop acting because my performance was pathetic. My oldest brother, Pierce, is a detective. He has protected countless citizens in this city, but he never protected me. He stood by and watched as kidnappers dragged me away. My second brother, Nikolai, is a medical examiner. I once texted him: “When I die, will you perform my autopsy to prove I wasn’t lying?” He replied with a single word: “Dirty.” So, after I died, my lawyer father, Richard, found the severance papers I left behind. There was only one blank line left—the one for his signature. He frowned and ripped the documents to shreds. Even in death, he refused to let me go. I walked out of the hospital, utterly hollowed out, staring down at the medical report in my hands. Late-stage stomach cancer. The cancer cells were already metastasizing. When it rains, it pours. I learned that the hard way. Lost in my thoughts, I accidentally bumped into a teenage boy. I quickly closed my report, apologized, and turned to leave. He caught a glimpse of the hospital paperwork in my hand and looked at me with pure sympathy. “It’s okay.” I walked home in a daze. As night fell, my family’s house glowed with warm, cozy lights in the distance. Too bad none of those lights were meant for me. I stood outside the door, listening to the laughter and cheer inside. The moment I pushed the door open, the house fell into a dead silence. Eleanor turned around, her eyes flashing with anger. “You knew today was Elysia’s birthday, yet you came home this late. Are you intentionally trying to ruin our family gathering?” The living room was filled with balloons and streamers. A massive, seven-tier cake sat on the dining table. Richard, Eleanor, Pierce, and Nikolai were all staring at me with deep annoyance. My sister, Elysia, sat in the middle of them like a princess surrounded by her court. She flashed me a sweet, gentle smile. “Eleanor, it’s fine. Maybe Chloe had something really important to do that held her up?” Her sweet, understanding act immediately won silent nods of approval from the rest of the family. Nikolai sneered, “What important thing could she possibly have?” My family has hated me since the day I was born. Eleanor was pregnant with twins. But my sister, Angel, was born weak. They believed I had stolen all the nutrients in the womb, which caused Angel to pass away less than twenty-four hours after birth. My parents dumped me with my grandparents. But before I even turned a month old, my grandparents died in a horrific car crash. From then on, everyone called me a curse. In my memory, Eleanor always looked at me with disgust, weeping over the baby clothes she had prepared for Angel. When I was five, Richard brought a girl home from the orphanage. She shared the exact same birthday as me. That was Elysia. They showered her with all the love they would have given Angel, ten times over. My mother is a top oncologist specializing in stomach cancer, yet I got terminal stomach cancer right under her nose. How ironic. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out at first. Finally, I forced out the same plea I had made a thousand times before: “Eleanor, my stomach really hurts.” Eleanor rolled her eyes, her face written with sheer disgust. “Here we go again. Stop acting. It’s pathetic.” The hospital report in my hand was so obvious, yet not a single one of them looked at it. Pierce threw me a cold glance. “Do you really have to fake an illness on Elysia’s birthday just to steal the spotlight?” Nikolai clicked his tongue in disgust. “If Elysia hadn’t insisted on waiting for you to cut the cake, we would have started hours ago!” Elysia played along, smiling warmly at me. “It’s okay, Chloe. I know you’re not feeling well. Take care of yourself.” Richard frowned and ordered, “How long are you going to keep up this tantrum? Get over here!” I walked over and saw the elegant writing on the cake: Happy Birthday, Elysia! But today was my birthday, too… Elysia picked up the knife, cut a slice with her name on it, and handed it to me with a smug smile. “Happy birthday, Chloe.” Her eyes were triumphant. My family was throwing her a massive party, completely forgetting it was my birthday as well. Or maybe they didn’t forget. They just didn’t care. Seeing me hesitate, Eleanor’s voice grew sharp. “Is your hand broken? How long are you going to make Elysia hold that plate?” The others glared at me as if I were actively torturing their precious darling.

I took the plate and mumbled, “Thanks.” Only then did they look away, returning to their laughter and leaving me in the cold. I stared at the cake with her name on it. I knew that if I didn’t eat it, I would have to endure another endless lecture. Like a robot, I took a bite. Instantly, my stomach violently churned. I covered my mouth and rushed to the bathroom, throwing up into the toilet. Eleanor exploded. “Chloe! Do you hate Elysia that much? You can’t even swallow a single bite of cake she offered you without throwing a tantrum?” Pierce leaned back, his eyes narrowing. “Are you going to complain about your stomach again? Stop trying to get attention.” Nikolai stabbed his fork into the cake, his voice dripping with malice. “If you’re in so much pain, why aren’t you dead yet? Keep playing your little games.” Richard picked up my slice of cake and threw it directly into the trash. “If you don’t want to eat, don’t. Ungrateful brat.” I knelt by the toilet, vomiting violently, unable to reply. The physical reaction forced tears down my face. Their shouting echoed through the bathroom door, deafening and relentless. The double torture of my mind and body was driving me to the brink of insanity. I dragged myself up to my bedroom on the second floor, locking the door to shut out the noise. The moment I left, the living room downstairs resumed its warm, happy atmosphere. The medical report lay open on my desk, staring back at me. A sudden wave of panic hit me. The doctor’s words from this morning echoed in my head. “The tumor is metastasizing. It might put pressure on your optic nerve and cause blindness. You need to prepare for the worst.” The next day, I went to school like normal. I had begged my parents countless times for sick leave in the past, only to be met with screaming matches. Nikolai had mocked me once, “Your grades are already garbage. Now you want to skip school too?” Richard had agreed. “Look at Elysia. She actually makes us proud. Not like you, an absolute embarrassment.” But they forgot that I used to have perfect grades. Back then, they had a completely different excuse to hate me. When the school posted the exam rankings, Elysia had looked down in tears. Eleanor had rushed to the school, slapped me across the face in front of teachers and students, and screamed: “You have to steal everything from Elysia, don’t you? Even the top rank! Why couldn’t you have been the one who died back then?” Eleanor was thinking of Angel. I had stood there under the judgmental stares of everyone, wishing the ground would swallow me whole. But Eleanor had grabbed my arm, launching into a screaming tirade, digging her sharp nails into my skin until I bled. In the end, my homeroom teacher had to physically pull her off me. After that, I stopped trying. I became the “disappointment” they always wanted me to be. SLAP! I was knocked to the ground. “Chloe, I’m talking to you! How dare you ignore me?” A popular girl, Kate, stood over me, flanked by a dozen classmates. Elysia stood right next to her, pretending to play the peacemaker. “Come on, Kate. Chloe didn’t mean to. She just… really likes Scott…” Elysia turned to me, looking incredibly forgiving. “Chloe, if you liked him, you should have just told me. I wouldn’t have started dating him.” Kate scoffed, looking at Elysia with pity. “Elysia, you are way too sweet! Why do you tolerate this homewrecker?” Here we go again. My cheek burned from the force of the slap. I stood up and calmly brushed the dust off my clothes. “I don’t like him.” Scott stepped forward, pulling out a crumpled love letter. He ripped it to shreds and threw the pieces in my face. “You make me sick. I guess my last warning wasn’t enough.” Scott looked at the crowd. “This time, don’t hold back.”

They dragged me into the PE equipment room. And Elysia, just like every other time, stood outside with tears in her eyes, looking like the victim everyone needed to comfort. My old bruises hadn’t even healed, and now new purple marks were blooming all over my body. This was the girl my family raised like a princess. She had been orchestrating my bullying for over a decade. I closed my eyes, biting my lip, refusing to make a sound even when the taste of copper filled my mouth. BANG. The heavy metal door slammed shut, plunging me into absolute darkness. I fixed my torn clothes, dragged myself up through the agonizing pain, and left a trail of blood on the floor. I pulled open the dusty curtains. The schoolyard was completely empty. I spat out the blood in my mouth, walked calmly to the corner of the room, and picked up a heavy metal wrench. I smashed the rusted lock on the window, shattering the glass. A jagged piece sliced open my wrist, and blood began to drip onto the sill. Ignoring the pain, I hauled myself out of the window. “Stop right there!” I turned. It was the newly hired Vice Principal. She pushed up her glasses in disbelief, letting out a sharp gasp. She dragged me straight to her office. After flipping through my file, she immediately called my father. She glared at me, her face tense. “Why aren’t you home? Getting into trouble at your age is one thing, but destroying school property? This is unacceptable!” I looked down at my filthy clothes. Scott and his friends were smart—they never hit my face. They only targeted places hidden by my clothes. To the Vice Principal, I was just a delinquent. Yet, despite her harsh words, she poured me a cup of warm water and set it in front of me. “I am going to have a serious talk with your parents when they get here!” A few minutes later, sirens wailed outside. Pierce walked in with a couple of officers. The moment his eyes landed on me, his face twisted into deep annoyance. “We received a call from the school about vandalism. I should have known it was you.” I kept my head down, silent. The Vice Principal didn’t know he was my brother. Afraid a criminal record would ruin my future, she quickly tried to smooth things over. “Officer, she only broke the window to get out. Let’s not file an official report. We can resolve this privately once her parents arrive.” Pierce said coldly, “I am her guardian.” He turned to me, looking down his nose. “Do you have any idea how much police resources you are wasting? I have every right to put you in a holding cell.” I looked up at him, my voice flat. “I know.” I picked up the cup of water and drank it all. Did I want to fight back against the bullies? Of course I did. But every single attempt had failed. Pierce was a detective. He saved so many people, but never me. The very first time I was beaten up, I ran to him. I pulled up my sleeves to show him the bruises. He didn’t even look up from his desk. “Don’t bother me with your petty high school drama,” he had said. I thought he was just busy, so I went to the police station to file a report. But as I was taking off my jacket to take photos of my injuries for evidence, he walked in. “Who are you trying to seduce?” he had sneered. My cries for help were treated as disgusting attention-seeking. In the end, to teach me a lesson about “wasting police resources,” my righteous brother personally locked me in a holding cell for fifteen days. “Oh my god! Chloe, your hand is bleeding!” The Vice Principal gasped, staring at the cup in my hand. She quickly grabbed a first-aid kit and started wrapping my wrist in gauze. I looked up at Pierce, a tiny, subconscious glimmer of hope rising in my chest. For the first time, my wounds were laid bare right in front of him. Would he believe me this time? Pierce smirked, his eyes full of disdain. “Don’t waste your gauze on her. This self-harm act is getting old.” “If you want to die that badly, don’t bother getting treated.” He violently ripped the gauze off my wrist and dragged me out of the school.

The pain in my wrist grew sharper, eclipsing the dull ache in the rest of my body. My blood dripped onto the pavement all the way to the car. My chest felt incredibly tight. I couldn’t breathe, and my vision began to blur. When we got home, Elysia was sitting on the couch with my orange prescription bottle in her hand. She was eating the pills like candy and laughing, offering them to Eleanor and Nikolai. When she saw us walk in, she smiled sweetly and offered a pill to Pierce and me. “Why are you taking my medication?” I asked, my voice trembling. Elysia gasped in mock surprise. “This is your medication? But they’re just Skittles!” She poured a few more into her hand. “They’re so good. No wonder you love them, Chloe. Honestly, as long as you don’t get cavities, Eleanor and Richard won’t care how much candy you eat.” My heart froze. I didn’t dare look at anyone else’s expression. I slowly put one of the “candies” into my mouth. It was the exact same tablet I had been taking for the past two months. But I had lost my sense of taste weeks ago. Why were my cancer meds replaced with candy? Richard, Eleanor, Pierce, and Nikolai looked at me with smug satisfaction. Elysia just stood there, smiling triumphantly. Nikolai tossed a pill to Pierce. “See? I told you she was faking.” He popped one into his mouth and crunched it loudly. Eleanor sneered, “You eat this much candy every day, yet you haven’t developed diabetes? Honestly, that would be far more believable than your stomach cancer lie.” Richard’s face was dark, his voice dangerously low. “I don’t care if you want to play-act a terminal illness.” “But if you ever interfere with Pierce’s work again, I will personally have you committed to a psychiatric ward so you can experience what real patients go through.” I looked at Pierce. He didn’t say a word, but his cold expression showed he fully agreed with Richard. The cruel, ugly faces of my family began to warp and blur. I pushed past them, stumbling up the stairs in the dark, desperate to lock myself in my room. Elysia followed me up, holding the pill bottle out to me. “Chloe, what’s wrong? Are you dizzy? Can you not see the stairs?” Nikolai pulled her back from behind. “Why do you even bother with her, Elysia? Her little stomach cancer lie got exposed, so now she’s playing the dizzy card. It’s exhausting.” My hands shook violently as I finally slammed the door shut and locked it. As the days passed, my vision decayed further. People became nothing but blurry shadows. Headaches, vomiting, and chest pain became my daily reality. I had fought so hard to survive for eighteen years, hoping to legally cut ties with them once I became an adult. I was only a few months away. And then, I got cancer. I returned to the hospital for a check-up, only to run into Eleanor. “Unbelievable. Are you so desperate that you’re bringing your little drama to my hospital now?” I had forgotten that she was rotated to this branch this month. “I’m not doing anything.” She stepped closer, her face contorted with rage. “There is a limit to your lies. No doctor in this hospital would write you a fake report.” Before I could answer, her sharp eyes scanned me up and down, making me feel naked and dirty. “Why are you standing in front of the OB/GYN clinic? Don’t tell me you caught some nasty STD from sleeping around at your age?” Eleanor’s screeching voice echoed down the corridor, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. Only then did I realize I was standing near the women’s clinic. Under the judgmental stares of the crowd, Eleanor continued her tirade. “I don’t have a slut for a daughter. You are absolutely nothing compared to Elysia.” “You act like you’re half-dead every day. Why don’t you actually go die?” Her venomous words sliced into me. I held out my medical report to her and said softly, “But Eleanor… I really am dying.”

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1 I told my husband to take the trash out on his way, but our bag was still sitting right by our front door. Instead, I watched him effortlessly pick up the leaking bag in front of our neighbor’s apartment. He offered his usual smooth explanation. “It was on the way. Besides, she’s your best friend’s sister.” My neighbor was Stella, my best friend’s older sister. She was also a single mother. Every single time my husband stepped in to help her, he pulled out the exact same line: “She’s your best friend’s sister.” Even Harper, my best friend, would back him up, telling me I was making a mountain out of a molehill. Yet he only ever noticed Stella’s needs. Mine were completely invisible to him. Even when I practically screamed for help, he was deaf to it. For ten long years, I asked him countless times to take out the trash. He never did it once. Yet for ten solid years, he carried Stella’s trash down the hall every single day without fail. I stood there, staring at the kitchen waste that had begun to rot in the summer heat. It smelled just like our ten year marriage. I tied up the foul bag and threw it away myself. Next on my list was this rotten marriage. … That night, I brought up divorce to Derek. I had mentally prepared for every possible reaction from him, but what actually happened caught me completely off guard. Without a word, he rushed straight to the living room closet to grab his toolbox. “Babe, whatever it is, let’s talk later,” he blurted out, heading for the front door. “Stella’s overhead light is flickering. I need to go fix it.” Toolbox in hand, he didn’t even pause. “After all, she’s your best friend’s sister.” I watched his back as he hurried away, a sharp, stabbing pain blooming in my chest. A light bulb at Stella’s place was a crisis of monumental proportions to him. My request for a divorce did not even register. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. “Don’t go!” Derek frowned, looking back at me with a flash of annoyance, as if I were delaying something vital. “Stop throwing a fit, babe.” “Stella is a single mother raising a kid alone. Her lights are out. What do you expect her to do?” There it was again. That exact sentence. Whether it was moving furniture, picking up packages, or even peeling fruit for Stella, Derek was always first in line. He catered to her every tiny inconvenience with terrifying devotion. And every time, he would recite: “What do you expect a single mother to do?” Yet when it came to our own home, he was blind to everything. Faucets, light fixtures, clogged drains, I fixed every single one of them myself. He would make vague promises to handle them, but he never moved a finger. Even my best friend, Harper, used that same excuse to lecture me. “Come on, my sister has it so hard raising a boy on her own. Just let your husband help them out a bit.” “Can you stop overreacting for once?” Was I really overreacting? I watched Derek sprint across the hall toward Stella’s open door with an urgency he had never once shown for me. When I accidentally sliced my finger while chopping vegetables, he didn’t even turn his head from the TV. “Slap a Band-Aid on it.” When a heavy box fell off the top closet shelf and bruised my shoulder, he merely glanced up. “You okay?” Yet here he was, tearing out of the house just to fix a single light bulb, terrified that a single second might be wasted. I sat on the living room sofa for two full hours. When Derek finally walked back inside, I didn’t hesitate. “I want a divorce.” He poured himself a glass of water, took a slow drink, and only then seemed to process what I had said. His expression turned into one of pure bewilderment. “What are you talking about?” “I go fix one light bulb and you want to split up?” I looked down at the faint scar on my knee, left behind the last time I climbed a ladder to fix a light myself. “It’s about the trash, too.” “You never carried out a single bag for me, but you take hers out every day.” Derek let out a short, incredulous laugh. “Do you even hear yourself right now?” “We’re in our thirties, Hazel. We’re not insecure twenty-year-olds anymore.” “Are you seriously getting jealous over something this pathetic?” Before I could reply, the front door clicked open. Stella stood in the entryway, looking pale and terrified, clutching her cardigan to her chest. “Derek, are you guys fighting because of me?” She immediately turned toward me, her voice trembling with desperate apology. “Hazel, please don’t be mad at Derek.” “It’s all my fault. I’m just so useless at handling house stuff, so I always end up bothering him.” “If you’re going to blame anyone, blame me.” Tears trickled down her cheeks right on cue. I stared at our front door in utter shock. Stella knew the keycode to my home. She had punched it in with effortless familiarity. How did she get it? Even my best friend didn’t know our door code. The answer was sitting right in front of me. Derek was already at her side, gently wiping away her tears, his eyes filled with tender concern. Because of Stella’s tears, Harper rushed over in the middle of the night. The three of them sat together on my living room sofa, with Stella sandwiched right in the middle. Derek and Harper took turns telling jokes, doing everything they could to make her smile again. I sat on a single dining chair nearby like an absolute outsider, watching the spectacle unfold. A bitter realization washed over me. It had always been like this. Whenever the four of us were together, this was the dynamic. If I needed to go shopping, the trip would somehow end with Derek and Harper picking out clothes and home goods for Stella. If we went to the movies and couldn’t get four seats in a row, the lone seat in the back was always mine. The three of them would sit together. One would feed Stella popcorn, while the other handed her a drink. When the movie ended, they would walk out chatting and laughing about the plot, completely forgetting that I was trailing behind them. Every single time, I was the one running to catch up. I was the one forcing myself into a group that didn’t want me. Not anymore. Finally, Stella let out a soft giggle, put at ease by their frantic efforts. Derek and Harper simultaneously let out a long sigh of relief. Then Harper turned to me, her expression instantly souring. “I think you owe my sister an apology, Hazel.” Even Derek chimed in, his tone scolding. “Babe, you really scared Stella tonight.” “She’s fragile. She can’t handle seeing people fight.” “Just apologize to her.” I sat there, utterly speechless. I was in my own house, having a private argument with my own husband. What on earth did I do wrong? It was Stella who had unlocked my front door and barged into my home uninvited. Seeing my silence, Harper’s face darkened further. “Don’t make this so ugly, Hazel.” “We’ve been best friends for twenty years. Can’t you even apologize to my sister for my sake?” Right. Because Stella was my best friend’s sister, I had apologized to her dozens of times over the years. When she saw our wedding photos on the living room wall and burst into tears, Harper demanded I apologize for reminding Stella of her failed marriage. I not only apologized, I packed away every single wedding photo in the house. When she saw me buying baby clothes for my own pregnancy, she cried again. Harper accused me of showing off that my baby would have a father, while Stella’s son didn’t. I apologized again. And back then, Harper even had the nerve to suggest: “Maybe you shouldn’t have this baby. Otherwise, every time my sister sees your child with a dad, she’s going to cry for her own kid.” Even Derek had lapsed into a thoughtful silence when Harper said that, as if he genuinely thought it was a reasonable point. Back then, I naively thought Stella was just pitiable, so everyone felt protective of her. Now I finally understood the truth. They didn’t care about pity. They cared about Stella, and they completely erased me. I placed my hand over my lower abdomen, feeling the faint, gentle flutter inside. My resolve hardened into steel. I was divorcing Derek. I would not bring my child into a world where these people could walk all over them. My child would not be sacrificed just because Stella’s son didn’t have a father. I slowly uncurled my fists, revealing deep, red crescent marks etched into my palms. “I want a divorce,” I repeated, my voice quiet and unwavering. Harper’s face changed instantly. Without another word, she and Derek escorted Stella back across the hall. When Harper returned to my living room a few minutes later, her expression was furious. “What is wrong with you, Hazel?” “Just because Derek took out her trash and fixed a light bulb, you’re demanding a divorce? And you had to say all that right in front of my sister?” Derek sighed heavily from the doorway. “You really crossed the line this time.” “Throwing a tantrum in our own home and terrifying an innocent person.” I looked at the two people standing before me. One was my husband of ten years. The other was my best friend since childhood. A cold, mocking laugh escaped my lips. It was all so utterly pointless. I didn’t waste another word on them. I turned and walked straight into the bedroom, locking the door behind me. If Derek refused to sign the papers, I would simply hire a lawyer. Late that night, Derek slipped into bed and wrapped his arms around me from behind, letting out a long, weary sigh. “Alright, babe, stop being mad.” “I’ll take out our trash from now on, okay? Just stop throwing around the word divorce.” Was he actually trying to fix things? Just as I opened my mouth to speak, he continued softly against my ear. “By the way, babe… I’m thinking about becoming Toby’s godfather.” “That five-year-old kid has no father around. It’s just devastating to watch.” “Don’t overthink it, okay? It’s just… you have no idea how happy he gets every time he sees me…” Toby was Stella’s son. I ripped myself out of his grip, staring at him in complete horror. “What did you just say?” “You want to be his godfather? What about our baby?” What about the child growing inside me right now? Derek had never once gently rubbed my belly. He had never spoken a single word to my bump. I had assumed he was just nervous about becoming a father for the first time. Now I realized the truth. His heart and mind were entirely consumed by Stella. Even Stella’s son mattered more to him than his own blood. Looking at his guilty silence, my heart plummeted into a dark, bottomless pit. Ten years of marriage, rendered an absolute joke. We slept on opposite edges of the mattress that night, neither of us uttering another word. The next afternoon, Harper came over to the apartment carrying a bakery box. She offered a sweet, apologetic smile. “Don’t be mad anymore, Hazel. I was just stressed yesterday.” “Today is your birthday! Let’s go out for a nice lunch to celebrate!” She pulled me out the door and led me to a restaurant nearby. Derek was already seated at a table, having ordered a full spread of my favorite dishes. They sat on either side of me, wishing me a happy birthday. Until Stella walked into the dining room. I knew then that my birthday celebration was officially over. The moment she sat down, she announced excitedly, “I have amazing news, everyone!” “I’m pregnant!” With tears of joy in her eyes, she pulled out a medical confirmation sheet. Before the paper even hit the table, Derek and Harper had both abandoned their seats to crowd around her. “Congratulations, sis!” “We have to celebrate this!” “Oh, look, we even have a cake right here!” Harper picked up my birthday cake and placed it directly in front of her sister. Derek lit the candles and smiled warmly at Stella. “Quick, make a wish! Wish for a healthy, happy baby!” Stella closed her eyes, holding her hands together in prayer. When she blew out the candles, Derek and Harper clapped enthusiastically. I sat alone in the corner of the booth, watching them share their joy. I was used to it. For the past ten years, I had never once gotten to blow out my own candles or eat my own birthday cake. Every single year on my birthday, Stella would magically show up with some marvelous piece of news to share. A flower she planted had finally bloomed. A boutique she liked had opened a new branch. She had managed to buy a limited-edition coat online. No matter how trivial her news was, they would hijack my day to celebrate her. My birthday cake inevitably became her celebration cake. Except this year, her grand news wasn’t some minor detail. “Who’s the father?” I asked, my voice cutting through their laughter. Everyone turned to look at me, as if they had only just realized another human being was sitting at the table. Stella pulled a playful face. “It’s a secret!” I didn’t push further. I stood up and walked to the restroom. When I stepped back into the dining area, the booth was completely empty. All that remained was a table of leftover food and the unpaid bill. A bitter smile touched my lips. This was my birthday, exactly like every year before it. After settling the bill, I walked out of the restaurant to look for them. As I turned the corner down the hallway near the private rooms, I caught the sound of Derek’s voice. “Stella, why didn’t you tell me about the pregnancy earlier?” Stella replied softly, “I only found out today.” “What are we going to do, Derek? What about Hazel?” My mind went completely blank. What did she mean, what about Hazel? What on earth did her pregnancy have to do with me? Then Derek spoke again, his tone resolute. “Don’t be scared, Stella. I’ll lay it all out for Hazel.” “I’ll tell her the baby is mine, and that I’m going to take full responsibility.” A loud bang resonated in my ears, and my world spun on its axis. So Derek’s constant care and devotion toward Stella hadn’t been driven by sympathy at all. They were having an affair. What shook me to my core, however, was Harper’s response. “It’s fine, sis. Don’t back down now.” “I’ve watched you and Derek all these years. If you ask me, the one who isn’t loved is the real intruder.” Those words detonated right in my ears. My blood ran cold, freezing in my veins. The same Harper who had once fiercely warned Derek that he would be dead meat if he ever cheated on me was now declaring that the unloved wife was the real homewrecker. No wonder no one at the table had asked who the father was. They knew all along. I was the only fool kept completely in the dark, allowing them to mock me for years. My husband of ten years and my best friend of twenty years had joined hands to destroy me. Despite the scorching summer heat outside, I shook violently from a chilling cold. I couldn’t even remember how I dragged my trembling body back home. When I stepped through the door, Derek was busy in the kitchen. “Stella is pregnant now, so we need to step up and take extra care of her from here on out.” Ten minutes later, he placed a freshly sliced plate of fruit into a container, preparing to walk it across the hall. I grabbed his arm, tears finally spilling over. “I’m pregnant too.” Why was I never treated with this level of tenderness? Why had neither of them ever cared for me like this? Derek shoved my arm away with an impatient scowl. “Stop throwing fits, Hazel!” “It’s just a plate of fruit. Do you really have to compete with Stella over everything?” With that, he turned and walked out the door. Before Stella became our neighbor, Derek had been attentive and sweet to me. Now, every ounce of his care and affection belonged exclusively to Stella. What was the point of holding onto a marriage like this? I grabbed the divorce papers from my bag and walked across the hall to Stella’s apartment. Her five-year-old son, Toby, opened the door. Neither Stella nor Derek was in the living room. Only the bedroom door at the end of the hall was tightly shut. A wave of intense nausea hit my stomach. Before I could move, Toby suddenly sprinted forward and shoved me hard. “You bad woman! Who allowed you into my house to steal my daddy!” The sudden push threw me off balance. My heel caught on a hard plastic toy ball on the floor. I tumbled backward, crashing violently onto the floor. A sharp, unbearable agony exploded in my lower abdomen. Through the blinding pain, I watched the bedroom door remain firmly closed. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a sterile hospital bed. My baby was gone. An hour later, the three of them walked into my hospital room together. Before any of them could speak, I handed the signed divorce papers directly to Derek. “Sign it.” “I’m setting you both free.” Just moments ago, I had received a formal job offer from a major firm in New York. My flight was already booked.

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The day I became a janitor, my ex-boyfriend became the heir to a massive fortune. On the day of our reunion, he was wearing a bespoke suit and a luxury watch, radiating wealth. And me? I was diligently scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees with a rag. “Vivian, do you regret it?” I smiled at the handsome man before me. “If I say yes, will you give me a five-million-dollar buyout?” “You really are a shallow, materialistic woman!” Disgusted, Jeff kicked my rag far away and stormed off. The System mocked me in my head: “There is still time to win him back. Are you sure you want to give up?” 1. “A good horse doesn’t turn back for old grass. When I say I give up, I mean it.” Muttering to myself, I struggled to reach for the rag Jeff had kicked away. Ever since we broke up three months ago, my health had been rapidly declining. After taking several sick days, I was laid off from my office job. My landlady, worried I wouldn’t be able to afford rent, kindly hooked me up with this cleaning job at the luxury hotel. I scrubbed the grease stains off the floor, grunting with the effort. Just as I was heading to the restroom for a quick break, I turned around and saw Jeff again. Except this time, he had a girl wrapped in his arms. I recognized her from the tabloids. She was Melody, his fiancée, a high-society heiress. They looked like a match made in heaven. “Ugh, what is that smell? Jeff, is this your ex? Why does she smell like sour trash?” Melody gasped dramatically as she approached, taking a theatrical step back. The people passing by immediately covered their noses, shooting me looks of pure disgust. No matter how thick-skinned I tried to be, humiliation flushed my cheeks. I turned to walk away, but Jeff grabbed my wrist. His face wore a pleasant smile, but his voice was ice-cold. “I’m getting married. Aren’t you going to congratulate me?” My heart squeezed. I stared at him, a cocktail of bittersweet emotions swirling in my chest. The System’s voice echoed in my mind, dripping with sarcasm: “If you hadn’t called off the wedding back then, you’d be the one standing there.” “There’s still a chance. Take him back.” I ignored the System, forcing a polite smile. “Congratulations. I wish you two a long and happy life.” “Oh, by the way, since we used to be close, could you recommend me for a better job?” “You’re a billionaire heir now. I don’t ask for much. A job with a salary of three hundred thousand… no, let’s say five hundred thousand dollars a year. How about it?” The smile vanished from Jeff’s face. His gaze turned so sharp it felt like he wanted to pierce a hole right through me. “Keep dreaming.” He spun on his heel and marched off, only to stop after two paces and turn back. He wrapped his arm around Melody, kissing her hair tenderly. “Melody, starting today, you are my executive secretary. I’ll pay you ten million a year.” “You don’t even have to show up to work. Just keep your name on the payroll.” Melody blushed, planting a shy kiss on his cheek. “Oh, Jeff. I’m going to be your wife soon. I’d happily work for you for free.” “Wait, your hand just touched something dirty. Let me clean it for you.” She pulled a wet wipe from her designer bag, meticulously wiping his fingers. “Honestly, babe, your taste used to be so tragic.” “I’ve seen plenty of women like Vivian who will do absolutely anything for cash.” “She probably took this janitor job just to play the victim and make you feel bad. Don’t let her trick you again.” Jeff threw a repulsed look in my direction before pulling Melody away. “I woke up a long time ago. From now on, you’re the only one I care about.” Once they were gone, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I locked myself in the restroom and sobbed quietly. The System sighed in frustration: “What are you crying for? Go after him! The moment you marry him, the tables will turn, and he will be the one crying.” 2. I ignored the System. After crying it out, I rinsed my rag, wrung out my mop, and went back to work. The custodial duties weren’t physically heavy, but the constant sweeping, mopping, and bending down to scrub stubborn stains took a heavy toll on my fragile body. By the end of the shift, I was utterly exhausted. Because my health had been deteriorating so rapidly, the moment I stepped out of the shopping mall, my vision went dark. I collapsed right onto the pavement, nearly hitting a sleek Bentley that had just parked nearby. Jeff opened the car door. Seeing me sprawled on the ground, he froze. His hand instinctively reached out to help me up, but he stopped himself mid-air, drawing back his fingers. “Vivian, cut the act. What kind of cheap stunt is this?” When I didn’t answer, he nudged my shoulder with the toe of his shoe. “Get up, or I’m having security drag you out of here.” I fluttered my eyes open, meeting his cold, disgusted gaze. My chest tightened. System, I pleaded in my mind, why do I keep running into him today? The System replied in a dry tone: This hotel complex is owned by his family. Technically, Jeff is your ultimate boss. Ah. That explained it. Melody stepped out from the passenger seat. Seeing me in this state, her lips curled into a sneer. “Well, well, Vivian. What kind of drama are you staging now?” “When you dumped Jeff back when he was penniless, did you ever imagine you’d end up like this?” “Look at you, begging on the streets like a stray dog. Are you really trying to play on his pity?” I didn’t say a word. I waited for the sharp wave of pain in my chest to subside before slowly pushing myself up. Pulling the rag from my pocket, I looked at Melody with total indifference. “Don’t flatter yourself. I just noticed the boss’s car had some dust on it, so I decided to clean it before my shift ended.” Jeff slammed the car door shut, pointing aggressively at his Bentley. “Fine. Since you love cleaning so much, don’t go home until every inch of my car is spotless.” “Otherwise, I will have you fired immediately.” I scoffed, looking him dead in the eye. “Sir, detailing a luxury vehicle is outside my job description. If you want that done, you’ll have to pay extra.” The System panicked: Why are you deliberately pushing him away? Do you know his affection level for you has dropped to twenty percent? As expected, my words made Jeff’s face turn impossibly dark. He pulled out his leather wallet, extracted a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills, and threw them right at my face. “Is this enough?” I forced back the tears prickling my eyes. Kneeling down to gather the scattered bills, I whispered, “Perfect. Thank you, boss.” But as I reached for the cash, another agonizing cramp seized my chest. The pain was so intense that I fell to my knees, panting heavily. Melody rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around Jeff’s neck. “Oh, please. Look at her go. She belongs in Hollywood.” “Jeff, how did you ever get involved with someone so exhausting? It is pathetic.” “Honestly, she has great acting skills. Maybe we should fund an acting class for her so she can go win an Oscar.” The pain was tearing me apart. With no one else around to help, I swallowed my pride and looked up at the man standing over me. “Sir… please. Call an ambulance. I can’t breathe.” But Jeff only looked at me with deep, burning resentment. “Stop lying, Vivian! I know you. You used to run track in college without even breaking a sweat. How could you suddenly be this weak?” “For a second, I actually let myself believe you had a valid reason for leaving me. But you really are just a gold-digger.” “We are completely finished. I never want to see your face again.” He grabbed Melody’s hand and stormed into the hotel lobby without looking back. Oddly enough, the moment he disappeared from view, the crushing pain in my chest instantly vanished. The System spoke up: If you don’t complete the mission soon, this physical agony will worsen until it literally kills you within a month. By the way, his affection level just dropped below ten percent. If it hits zero, you won’t even get a month. You will vanish instantly. 3. The System tried to reason with me, its voice desperate: The man has clearly moved on, yet you still refuse to let go? I have never seen such an obstinate host. You spent ten years loving him, and just when you were on the verge of success, you threw it all away. All you had to do was say ‘I do’ at the altar, and you could have lived a long, happy life in this world. Why quit at the finish line? Are you insane? Do you know what happened to the last host who fell in love with an NPC? She was erased. Erased from existence forever. I smiled faintly. But if I had married him, Jeff would have died. I didn’t want him to die. The System went dead silent, too frustrated to speak. In my previous life, I was abandoned at an orphanage, living a cold, lonely existence for decades. After I died, I became a traveler, and Jeff was my first target. For ten years in this world, he protected me, shielded me, and showered me with warmth. He melted the icy walls around my heart. Three months ago, when he proposed to me, I couldn’t help but say yes. But on the very day I accepted, his health began to fail rapidly for no medical reason. On the eve of our wedding, his face was terrifyingly pale, and he could barely stand. Yet, he still insisted on holding the ceremony. He told me it was his promise to me, and he would fulfill it even if it killed him. To keep him alive, I had no choice but to construct a lie. I pretended to be a superficial, money-hungry woman, took his savings, and walked out of his life. In this universe, Jeff gave me a home. He gave me the courage to live, and he taught me how to love. He was a truly good man. Even when we were struggling, he would donate to charity and rescue stray animals. A man like him deserved to live. I had lived long enough in my past life. If there was only one chance at survival, I wanted him to have it. Even if he hated me now, even if he loved someone else, I just wanted him to have a long, peaceful life. With that thought, the lingering ache in my heart seemed to ease. Since the System said I only had a month left, I would spend it slipping away quietly. The next morning, I went to the hotel lobby to submit my resignation. I had worked there for over two months, so I was owed a few thousand dollars in back pay. If I budgeted carefully, it would be enough to buy pain medication to last me until the end. My supervisor was a kind man. Knowing my health was poor, he signed my exit paperwork without any fuss. But when I went to the accounting office to collect my paycheck, a phone call from Melody blocked me. Even through the receiver, her voice dripped with malicious triumph. “Oh, Vivian, I’m so sorry. When we took the Bentley for a tune-up today, the mechanic found a major scratch on the hood.” “We know you did it yesterday when you were faking that little collapse. We are withholding your final paycheck, and you owe us an additional two hundred thousand dollars for repairs.” “Don’t complain. Jeff’s car costs millions and it’s brand new. That is the standard market rate for repairs.” My head spun, and I leaned against the desk for support. “I don’t have that kind of money.” The moment the words left my mouth, Jeff’s mocking voice cut through the line. “Three months ago, you abandoned me on my deathbed and ran off with twenty thousand dollars of my savings.” His voice was thick with hatred. “Vivian, how dare you stand there and claim you have no money?” I didn’t argue. I simply turned and walked toward the exit. The receptionist called out nervously behind me, “Vivian, Miss Melody said you have to sign a promissory note before you can leave!” I looked back and smiled faintly. “Tell them to come get it themselves.” I hadn’t even touched his car when I fell yesterday. This was a blatant frame-up by Melody, and I refused to take responsibility for a lie. I quickened my pace, but before I could reach the lobby, several security guards rushed out from the elevators. They grabbed my arms roughly, pinning them behind my back like I was a common criminal. “Miss Melody said a woman was causing a scene up here. Is this her?” “Come on, sweetheart, you look like a decent girl. Don’t resort to trashy scam artist tricks.” “Stop talking to her. Get her out of here.” No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t break free from their iron grips. The commotion drew a crowd of office workers from the surrounding rooms, all eager to watch the drama unfold. With my arms pinned painfully behind my back, I felt utterly humiliated. “Let me go! I’m not causing a scene, I can walk out on my own!” But they ignored my protests, dragging me roughly across the polished marble floor. During the struggle, one of my shoes was stepped on and came off. My bare foot scraped against the cold, hard floor, sending a sharp sting through my toes. The crowd watched with sneers and whispers. I felt like a stray rat being hunted in broad daylight. Tears finally spilled over my cheeks. “Please… just let me put my shoe on.” But they kept dragging me, relentless and deaf to my pleas. Just when I thought no one would help me, a low, commanding voice cut through the whispers. “Stop.” Through a blur of tears, I watched Jeff walk toward me. He picked up my discarded shoe, knelt down on the cold floor without a word, and gently slipped it onto my foot. He looked up, his eyes containing a layer of frozen pain. “Does it hurt? My heart hurt a thousand times worse when you left.” “Vivian, I hope this is the absolute last time we ever meet.” The spectators whispered among themselves. What did this mean? Melody quickly stepped forward, wrapping her arm around Jeff’s. “Oh, you guards are so clumsy. Didn’t you know she used to be close with Jeff?” “Even though she betrayed him for money, you still shouldn’t treat a lady so roughly.” Hearing this, the guards immediately let go of me. Without their support, my weak knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the floor. The hallway erupted into gossip. “Wait, that custodian was actually the CEO’s ex-girlfriend?” “She dumped him for cash? That is so cheap.” “She looks so quiet and sweet, but she’s actually a total gold-digger.” “Well, she got what she deserved. She is sweeping floors while he rules the business world.” Their poisonous words pierced my chest like needles. A wave of dizziness washed over me, and a metallic taste rose in my throat. At that exact moment, the System’s voice echoed in my head: Warning, Jeff’s affection level has officially reached zero percent. Your erasure is beginning… Before the System could finish, I coughed violently, spraying a pool of dark red blood onto the pristine white floor. Someone in the crowd shrieked, “Oh my God! She is coughing up blood! Is she dying?” Staring at the crimson stain on the marble, my vision began to fade, and my eyelids grew heavy. Jeff, who had been walking away, spun around at the sound of the scream. When he saw me lying in a pool of blood, his face went completely pale. His body trembled, and a desperate, shattered cry tore from his throat: “Vivian!”

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My coworker, Simone, waddled over to my desk, holding her rounded belly. “Nora, could you let me crash at your apartment near the office for a few months?” “Commuting across town while pregnant is killing me. I really can’t take it anymore. I promise I’ll move out the second I give birth.” I was just about to nod when a line of floating text materialized right before my eyes. [Don’t nod.] A second later, dense streams of bullet comments flooded across my vision like a bright projection screen. [The fetus in her belly lost its heartbeat three days ago.] [The child belongs to your boyfriend, Sam.] [Tonight, Simone will collapse inside your apartment. She’ll cry to everyone that you lost your mind with jealousy after discovering the truth, pushing her down the stairs.] [At that exact moment, your home network will leak the confidential bidding price for the company’s major project.] [You’ll be suspended, dragged through the dirt online, held legally liable by the company, and branded as a monster who killed a pregnant woman’s baby and sold out trade secrets.] I stared at those glowing words, a bone-chilling cold creeping up my spine inch by inch. Simone stood there, waiting expectantly for my answer. I looked down at her slightly swollen waistline, then slowly closed my laptop. “I’m sorry,” I said, my voice steady. “I don’t lend my home out to anyone.” 1 The conference room fell into a dead silence for several seconds. Simone’s eyes instantly welled up with tears. “Did I make things difficult for you? I’m so sorry, Nora. I just thought being closer to the office would make it easier to handle late-night project changes.” The product manager sitting next to me leaned in and whispered, “Nora, your place usually sits empty anyway.” Another colleague chimed in to coax me. “Yeah, it’s only for a few months. Simone’s still pushing through work despite being heavily pregnant. It really isn’t easy for her.” Trent, sitting at the head of the table, tapped his knuckles against the mahogany surface. “Nora, we’re at a critical phase of the project right now. Supporting team members isn’t a bad thing.” I raised my eyes to meet his gaze. “Trent, if this involves an employee borrowing private property, does it need to go through formal corporate compliance registration?” Trent frowned. “There’s no need to make something so simple so complicated.” “Then it’s even more inappropriate,” I replied, clicking the cap back onto my pen. “That apartment is my private property, not a company resource.” “If Simone needs a place to stay, she can apply for a corporate housing stipend according to company policy. I’ll gladly sign off on her request.” Simone bit her lower lip, tears hanging delicately from her lashes. “But finding a place on short notice is so hard right now, and anything close to the office is way too expensive.” “Nora, I thought after working through so many late nights together, we were friends.” The moment those words left her mouth, the atmosphere in the room turned uncomfortably tense. I didn’t take the emotional bait. “Even friends need boundaries.” Someone murmured quietly in the corner. “That’s so cold-hearted.” “She’s probably just terrified Simone will steal her credit for the project later.” “Being pregnant isn’t a crime. Is there really a need to guard against her like she’s an enemy?” More bullet comments drifted across my vision. [She’s putting you on the hot seat.] [Don’t bother explaining. The more you defend yourself, the more guilty you look to them.] [Sam will call you in ten minutes.] Less than ten minutes after the meeting adjourned, my phone vibrated in my hand. “Nora, I heard you turned Simone down today?” I stood inside the quiet stairwell, staring out at the hazy, gray sky beyond the windowpane. “Word travels fast to you.” He let out a low, smooth chuckle over the line. “A lot of people at our two firms went to college together. The group chats are buzzing. Don’t take it to heart, babe. I’m just worried people will misunderstand you.” “And?” “She’s a pregnant woman, Nora. There’s no reason to sour your relationship over this. It’s just crash space. You could always have her sign a short-term agreement.” The comments floated past, icy and sharp. [Listen to how considerate he sounds.] [He still remembers the backup door code to your place.] [He literally sent photos of your living room to Simone last week.] My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles turned pale. “Sam, do you know Simone well?” There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. “I’ve heard her name around. We aren’t close.” I let out a soft smile. “Not close, huh?” “Of course not. Babe, have you been overly stressed lately? Don’t overcomplicate things or assume the worst in people.” “Right,” I said, and hung up the phone. I didn’t confront him. I didn’t scream. The bullet comments were right. Tearing off the mask right now would only warn them to switch tactics early. I walked back to my desk and sent a quick message to Audrey, our senior legal counsel. “Are you free tonight? I need your help securing some evidence.” She replied almost instantly. “What happened?” I glanced toward Simone, who was sitting a short distance away, wiping her eyes with her head lowered. “Someone wants to borrow my apartment.” “And take my life while they’re at it.” 2 After work, I drove straight to the apartment on Chestnut Street. Behind the entryway door, near the bottom frame, was a faint pencil mark. Beside it were crooked, faded numbers written years ago: Nora, age twenty. Remember to come home even when you grow up. It was the final height mark my father had drawn for me during the last year of his life. I stood in the quiet hallway, staring at those faded pencil lines for a long time. Then, I got to work. By the time Audrey arrived with two officers from the notary public, I had turned on every light in the apartment. The living room, master bedroom, study, kitchen, balcony, and bathroom were bathed in bright light. We recorded continuous video footage covering every single corner. Door locks, window latches, the Wi-Fi router, my desktop computer, bookshelves, and tamper-evident seals on the drawers were all captured clearly on camera. Audrey watched me, her eyebrows drawing together. “Who exactly are you protecting yourself against?” “A pregnant woman.” Her hands paused mid-action. “You can’t make accusations like that lightly.” “I know. That’s why I’m only collecting evidence.” In front of the notary officials, I updated the master password for the smart lock system and revoked every temporary access code ever created. The visitor pass code I had given Sam months ago was completely wiped from the system. System Notification: Access permission successfully removed. I took a screenshot and uploaded it straight to my encrypted cloud storage. Next, I restored my old home router to factory settings and requested remote technical support from Ray, the head of our IT security department. Ray listened to my instructions on the phone, remaining silent for a long moment. “Are you absolutely certain you want to wipe the authentic bidding documents from your personal local drive?” “Positive.” “Then what are we leaving on your home computer?” “A honeypot file.” “How fake are we talking?” “Fake enough to look entirely real, but embedded with tracking code so every interaction leaves a permanent digital footprint.” Ray let out a low chuckle. “Got it.” At one in the morning, a text from Sam popped up on my phone. “Still working, babe? I ordered some warm milk for you. It’s waiting at your office front desk.” A second later, Simone posted a message in the main project group chat. “It was my fault today for putting Nora in an uncomfortable position.” “Please don’t blame her, everyone. I’ll come in early tomorrow. Even if I live far away, I won’t let it slow down our project progress.” Comforting messages flooded the chat immediately. “You’re already working so hard, Simone.” “Don’t cry, take care of your health first.” “Some people get promoted into management and completely forget how hard life is for ordinary staff.” I didn’t reply. A bullet comment drifted lazily across my screen. [Don’t touch that document folder at the front desk.] [There’s a flash drive inside. The moment you plug it into your computer, it will install remote-access spyware.] I checked my phone. The receptionist had just sent a notification: “Ms. Ellis, someone dropped off a late-night snack for you along with a document folder. They said it contains important review materials.” I typed back: “Leave it untouched under the lobby security camera. I’ll have IT security collect it tomorrow morning.” The next morning, Ray walked into my office holding an anti-static bag. “You’ve got terrifying instincts, Nora.” “The flash drive contains a custom Trojan horse disguised as a PDF reader plugin. The second it touches a PC, an external party gains full remote file access.” I looked at the sleek black drive. “Can we trace the origin?” “No fingerprints on the casing, but we can trace the hardware batch number.” “Also, the courier wore a mask, but the lobby camera captured a clear side profile.” Audrey stood beside my desk, her face darkening. “Nora, from this moment on, do not handle any project materials in private.” I nodded. “I need to file a formal compliance disclosure with the company.” “Regarding what?” “My boyfriend, Sam, is the project lead for our main competitor on this bid.” Audrey let out a rare curse. “Why are you only telling me this now?” I kept my voice low. “Because I only realized today that he might be far more than just a boyfriend.” 3 The night before the final bid sealing, Trent suddenly ordered me to head to our client’s East District headquarters. “The client representative requires the project lead to confirm a clarification letter in person. It should only take thirty minutes back and forth.” I scanned the email CC list. Sam was included in the client communication thread. The bullet comments refreshed rapidly. [Classic diversion tactic.] [They’re breaking into your apartment right now.] [Don’t go alone. Take legal counsel with you and keep your GPS location active.] I turned around and grabbed Audrey. “Come with me.” Trent’s expression turned sour. “Why are you bringing legal? The client will think we don’t trust them.” Audrey clipped her employee badge onto her blazer. “Company policy requires legal presence for any offline confirmations during the blackout period before bid submission.” Trent didn’t say another word. On the drive to the East District, I activated continuous audio recording and shared my real-time location with Ray. When we arrived at the client’s corporate building, the receptionist informed us that the representative had left minutes ago. When I dialed his cell, his assistant offered a vague excuse: “He must have gotten the meeting time mixed up.” Audrey and I exchanged a sharp glance. We turned around and raced back toward the city. Halfway through the drive, my phone buzzed violently. It was Mr. Davis, the property manager at Chestnut Street, his voice trembling through the speaker. “Ms. Ellis, you need to get back here right now! Something terrible happened inside your apartment!” My blood ran cold. “Who is in my apartment?” “A pregnant woman! She said she’s your coworker. She collapsed in your living room, there’s blood on the floor, and the ambulance is already on its way!” Audrey gripped my wrist firmly. “Stay calm. Don’t say anything over the phone.” I stared out the car window at the streetlights flashing past in a blur. The bullet comments flared up, blindingly dense. [Her performance has started.] [Someone has already posted photos in your work group chat.] [The corporate security system is about to sound an automated alarm.] Sure enough, a second later, the main project chat exploded. Someone had uploaded a photo. It was my living room. Simone lay motionless on the hardwood floor, her face deathly pale, her hands clutching her stomach, and a streak of blood smearing her dress. The caption read: Something horrible happened at Nora’s place! Simone looks like she’s having a miscarriage! Immediately after, an automated IT security alert popped up on my screen. Alert: Core bidding file transmission detected. Source IP: Unit 602, Chestnut Street, Nora Ellis residential network. The group chat went completely chaotic. “Her home network? Are you serious?” “Why was Simone even at her apartment?” “Nora turned her down yesterday, and now Simone’s injured in her living room? That’s way too suspicious.” “The confidential bid was leaked from her home? Isn’t her boyfriend that project director from Nexus Systems?” My fingertips turned ice-cold. Sam’s name lit up my screen. I answered the call. “Nora, where are you? Simone said you two got into an argument… She fell.” I asked, my voice flat, “What else did she say?” He paused for a heartbeat. “She said… you found out about the baby.” “What baby?” “Nora,” he lowered his tone, sounding deeply concerned. “Now isn’t the time to assign blame. Come back right now, cooperate with everyone, and keep your attitude cooperative. I’ll help you hire a top defense lawyer.” A cold, bitter laugh escaped my lips. “You’ll help me, Sam?” “I’m doing this for your own good, babe.” “Then meet me at the scene.” I hung up. Ten minutes later, I sprinted up the stairs to the sixth floor. The hallway was packed with onlookers. Paramedics were wheeling a stretcher out of my doorway. Simone lay on it, cold sweat glistening on her forehead. The moment she caught sight of me, tears spilled uncontrollably down her cheeks. “Nora, I just wanted a place closer to work so I could help finish the project!” “Even if you found out the baby belongs to Sam, how could you do this to me?”

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