Category: English

Our breakup was ugly. In the year he loved me most, I took three million dollars from his mother, terminated our pregnancy, and betrayed him. He knelt outside the operating room, crying and begging me not to be so cruel. He said he would hate me for the rest of his life. Six years later, we met again. He had a beautiful, well-connected girlfriend, and they were about to be married. And I, a complete wreck, had to find him and ask to borrow money. He forced me to come to his wedding, to watch with my own eyes as he married another woman. He asked me, “Do you regret it?” What he didn’t know was that I had been raising our son alone. And that our son was sick. He was dying. 1. Six years after we broke up, I ran into Ian Ross again at the lowest point of my life. It was a class reunion. No one expected Ian to show up. Someone joked, “Mr. Ross never keeps in touch. What brings you to the reunion this year?” “Did you hear Chloe was coming? Still thinking about her, came to find her?” Sitting in the corner, my back went rigid. I looked up and saw Ian, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his eyes cold as he stared at me. Everyone knew how much Ian used to love me. He was the rich young master of a powerful family, but for me, it was love at first sight. That year, he cut ties with his family, gave up his power and his money, and fought like hell just to be with me. We lived in a tiny apartment, sharing a single bowl of ramen, a single bowl of congee. Life was hard, but we were happy. Every night, we’d hold each other, our fingers intertwined, and swear we’d be together forever. Until I got pregnant. His mother offered me three million dollars to get rid of our child and leave him. That day, Ian knelt outside the operating room, pounding on the door. Over and over, he cried and begged me, “Chloe, my sweet Chloe! I’ll work hard, I’ll make money, I’ll provide for us. I’ll make so many millions, and they’ll all be yours to spend, okay?” “Please, I’m begging you, don’t leave me. And don’t leave our baby…” I lay on the operating table, biting my lip so hard I tasted blood, trying not to let a single sob escape. Through that thin door, I heard Ian say he would hate me for the rest of his life. 2. No one knew how ugly our breakup had been. Someone pushed me toward Ian, laughing as they did. “Mr. Ross used to love Chloe so much he would have died for her. How could you ever let her go?” Everyone was jeering, calling for us to get back together. Ian’s best friend shot me a look, a sneer playing on his lips. “Ian can have any woman he wants,” he said suddenly. “Who the hell is Chloe to think she’s unforgettable?” He told everyone that a new woman had been with Ian for three years. A woman who was gentler, more beautiful, and a much better match for Ian than I ever was. They had been together for three years, all the friends called her “sis-in-law,” and rumor had it, they were about to be married. The laughter died down. Only Ian’s friend was still smiling as he invited everyone to the wedding. He tossed an invitation at me. It hit my face before falling into my lap. I looked down and saw Ian’s name next to another girl’s. Her name was Grace. Even the name sounded lovely. I imagined she was more sensible than me, sweeter, better at caring for him. She wouldn’t always be making him miserable. It had been six years. To see him again after so long, to know he was doing well… that was good. I fought back the tears that threatened to fall and looked up at Ian. “Congratulations,” I said. He stared at me, his gaze intense. When he heard my words, a cruel smile spread across his face. He crushed the cigarette in his hand and said flatly, “Chloe, don’t bother coming to the wedding.” “My fiancée will be upset if she sees you. And I don’t like it when she’s upset.” I clutched the thin, red invitation, my mind blank for a moment. Then I smiled and nodded. “Okay,” I whispered. 3. That day, everyone said it seemed like Ian really didn’t love me anymore. No one could have guessed that after a love as deep as ours, he would be getting married, and the bride wouldn’t be me. Everyone had assumed he would wait for me forever. Now, they were all buzzing with curiosity about this girl, Grace, and what made her so special that Ian would be so captivated, so devoted to her. I knew Ian didn’t want to see me again, so I left the reunion early. On the way home, a friend sent me a picture of Grace. She looked pure and sweet. I heard she had a lovely laugh and a playful, coquettish side—exactly the type of girl Ian adored. My friend texted me: Chloe, don’t you think she kind of looks like you when she smiles? Do you think Ian still loves you? Is it really over between you two? I let out a slow breath, silent for a long time before typing back with a smile, It doesn’t matter. I don’t care anymore. I didn’t want to be entangled with Ian ever again. And I thought, he will never know that I hid it from everyone and secretly gave birth to our child. That our son was sick. He was dying. 4. This was the hardest, most destitute year of my life. I worked myself to the bone, desperate to earn enough money to get my son the best medicine, to ease his pain even a little. For money, I could swallow my pride and show up at a class reunion to hit up old acquaintances. For money, I could work at a high-end lounge, drinking with clients until my stomach bled. I thought that reunion would be the last time I ever saw Ian. But a few days later, the girl named Grace found me. She must have heard that people thought we looked alike and wanted to see for herself. She came to the lounge with a few friends and specifically asked for me. One of the girls sized me up. “So you’re Chloe? Ian’s first love?” Her eyes were filled with contempt as she took in my heavy makeup, her expression screaming one word: filthy. I clenched my fists, trying to keep my temper in check. I just wanted to get this over with. “Are you ordering drinks?” I asked. If not, they were wasting my time, and my time was money. The girl seemed to take my directness as an insult. “What kind of attitude is that?” she snapped. “I’m talking to you, are you deaf? Don’t be so ungrateful.” She pointed to a bottle of hard liquor on the table. “Fine, Chloe. You like money, right? Finish this bottle in one go, and I’ll give you two hundred thousand dollars.” Drinking that entire bottle would land me in the hospital. Grace feigned concern, trying to calm her friend. “We agreed we were just coming to see her, not to give her a hard time, right?” she said sweetly. “I know everyone says she’s good at seducing men and told me to be careful. Even Ian said I’m too naive and that she might bully me.” She smiled a serene, innocent smile. “But I’ll be fine.” I listened to her, and I understood. She was here to show me how much Ian loved her, and how much he despised me. I smiled back, saying nothing, and turned to her friend. “We have a deal? I drink this bottle, you give me two hundred thousand. Right?” Then, I picked up the bottle and started chugging. Everyone froze, stunned that I would actually risk my life for money. Grace grabbed my arm. “Chloe,” she whispered, her voice full of pity. “How can you degrade yourself like this for money? As women, we have to have some shame. I didn’t want to say this, I was afraid of hurting you, but… Ian hates women like you the most.” I finished the bottle, fighting back the searing pain in my stomach, and cut her off. “The money?” “What Ian likes or hates has nothing to do with me. I just want the two hundred thousand you promised.” Grace frowned, looking at me with disappointment. “Honestly, Chloe,” she said in her soft, delicate voice, “two hundred thousand is nothing to me. I could give it to anyone. But I can’t give it to you. You can blame me, but I’m doing this for your own good. I can’t watch you fall any further…” Her friend gave me a shove. “I was just messing with you,” she laughed. “I’m not giving you a dime. What are you going to do about it?” My face was cold, but I started to laugh with her. Then I raised my hand and smashed the empty bottle on the table. Shards of glass flew, and one piece sliced across Grace’s leg, drawing a line of red. Tears instantly welled in Grace’s eyes. The noisy group of women fell silent. The next second, the door to the private room swung open. Ian was standing there, his gaze like ice. I froze, unable to meet his eyes. He had seen me like this—caked in makeup, drinking with men, forcing smiles for money. I wasn’t afraid of what anyone else thought of me, but I never, ever wanted him to know how much of a wreck my life had become. But even that small wish was denied. I forced myself to look up, to pretend I didn’t care, and watched as Ian strode over, gathered Grace into his arms, and gently wiped away her tears. Then he turned to me, his voice low and dangerous. “Chloe, who do you think you’re bullying, right in front of me?” “You want money? Fine. Apologize first.” Watching him protect her, I remembered a time, long ago, when he had protected me just like that. I knew what he wanted. He wanted me to grovel, to make Grace happy. Fine. For the money, I would do anything. Grace, hiding in Ian’s arms, shot me a triumphant, secret smile. I looked at the cut on her leg, then picked up a large piece of broken glass and dragged it across my own arm, hard. I held out my bleeding arm, my voice calm. “Give it to me. Two hundred thousand.” Ian stared at me, and his eyes suddenly went red. Grace saw his expression, and her smile faltered. She pulled a card from her purse and pressed it into my hand. “Chloe,” she said softly, “I’m giving you this money today not because I owe you anything, but because I don’t want to be like you, making such an ugly scene over a little bit of cash.” I was done with her noble act. I took the card and turned to leave, but Ian grabbed my arm, yanking me back. He snarled my name, his teeth gritted. “Chloe, doesn’t that fucking hurt? Will you die if you don’t have money?” The way his brow was furrowed, he almost looked like he cared. I wrenched my arm free and turned back, a cold smile on my face. “I’ve always been a woman who loves money, Ian. Didn’t you know?” “Mind your own business. And control your woman. Don’t come looking for me again.” 5. Ian stared at me, his eyes terrifyingly cold, like he wanted to devour me whole. My words must have reminded him of the past—how he had given up everything for me, only for me to abandon him for money. The pain in my stomach was excruciating. I didn’t want to argue anymore. I turned to leave, but suddenly my feet left the ground. The next second, Ian had thrown me over his shoulder. He was like some kind of bandit, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he carried me out of the room. Everyone stared. I struggled, screaming at him to put me down. He slapped my ass, his voice a low growl. “Chloe, I must have owed you in a past life for you to put me through this hell!” He tossed me into his car, leaning over me to pin my legs down, and grabbed my face. “Sometimes,” he hissed, “I really just want to kill you.” His expression was one of pure hatred, but his eyes… his eyes always seemed to be telling me he still loved me. I was in too much pain to speak, cold sweat beading on my forehead as I glared at him. Ian’s frown deepened. He opened the glove compartment, took out a stomach pill, and pushed it into my mouth. In the corner of the compartment, I saw it all: the tube of lipstick I’d used up but couldn’t bear to throw away, a broken hair tie, the childish pink barrette he’d once bought for me… It was a shrine to me. In all the years I was gone, these little things had kept him company. Tears streamed down my face. I turned away, frantically wiping them before he could see. After all these years, he still remembered my stomach problems. Even when I wasn’t there, he still kept medicine for me. And yet, I hardened my heart, gathered all my strength, and shoved him away. I forced a smile. “Ian, stop this, okay? This obsession is pathetic.” “You probably don’t know,” I lied, my voice dripping with scorn. “I’ve been married. I have a kid.” “You don’t still want to get back together, do you? Don’t be so desperate, Ian.” He stumbled back, frozen. As I got up to leave, he lunged, slamming me against the car door, his hand closing around my throat. “Chloe, I don’t believe you,” he choked out, his voice trembling with rage. “You’d better tell me you’re fucking kidding. Otherwise, I swear to God, I will kill you.” I looked him straight in the eye, my voice calm. “Fine. I’ll prove it to you.” I took Ian to the children’s hospital. It was nine p.m., but the lights in the inpatient ward were still on. I stood outside a room, and through the glass, I pointed to a small child reading quietly in bed. “That’s my son.” His name was Leo. He was my precious, beloved boy. He looked so much like me, but his personality was all Ian—thoughtful, gentle, with a stubborn, domineering streak. He had all of Ian’s best qualities. He was such a good kid. But he was sick. Nearly six years old, he was painfully thin and small, yet so brave it broke your heart. Ian stared at the boy for a long, long time. Then he clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall. He hung his head, and I thought I saw a tear fall. I had never seen him so broken. The last thing Ian said to me that night was, “Chloe, you’ve got guts.” He didn’t ask who the father was. He didn’t recognize his own son.

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I was the villain’s wife. The one who died young, his one true love. Ten years after my death, a System resurrected me. My mission: to redeem him, now that he had fallen into darkness. But I had lost all my memories. So when I saw the villain from a distance, before I could even get close, his men threw me out. As I lay crumpled on the ground, a phantom comment feed flickered into existence before my eyes. 【Here we go again. I’ve lost count of how many have come to ‘save’ the villain.】 【For years, the System has been sending countless replacements to placate him, terrified he’ll destroy this world.】 【Some looked just like his dead wife, some had her exact personality, some even came armed with all her memories…】 【But every single one of them failed.】 【How long will this one, this completely unremarkable one, even last?】 1 When the System brought me into this world, the villain threatening its very stability was already thirty-four years old, with a ten-year-old son. I, on the other hand, had just woken from a long slumber. I knew nothing. I remembered nothing. All I knew was that my name was Nora, and I was twenty-three years old. The System had just told me that much. Beyond that, it had given me a thousand warnings about the villain, about how dangerous he was. It begged me not to be like the candidates who came before me, who’d lost their lives the moment they arrived. The System told me the villain’s name was Reik Thorne, a man who stood at the absolute pinnacle of wealth and power. He was cruel and ruthless, a ferocious, temperamental beast. The only shred of humanity he had left was reserved for his young son. I stared at my reflection in the mirror for a long time. “I don’t see anything special about myself,” I murmured. “Nothing that would make a man like that give me a second glance.” The System watched me in silence. After a long pause, it spoke, its tone heavy with meaning. “You’re the last chance. If even you can’t do it—” It cut itself off, its voice firming with resolve. “No. You have to be the one.” 2 The System’s endless warnings were not an exaggeration. The moment I arrived, I tried everything I could just to get a glimpse of Reik Thorne from a distance. But the hulking bodyguards trailing him spotted me instantly. Reik was dressed head-to-toe in black, a heavy coat draped over his shoulders. He was standing outside the school gates, waiting for his son. He never once glanced in my direction. I stared at the sharp, cold lines of his profile, and a strange, uncontrollable emotion bloomed in my chest. It was a sorrow so profound it brought tears to my eyes. I stood there, frozen by this inexplicable wave of grief, not even noticing his bodyguards closing in. A sharp, searing pain shot through my body as I was thrown hard against a brick wall. One of the guards, his face a mask of brutal indifference, tossed a threat at me before leaving. “Don’t look at things you’re not supposed to see.” He gave my pathetic, crumpled form on the ground a final, cold sweep. “Next time, it won’t be this simple.” 3 At that moment, the sky began to shed soft flakes of snow. I clutched my injured arm, huddled against the wall. From a distance, I saw Reik meet his son. Even seeing the boy didn’t bring a hint of a smile to his face. He just stubbed out his cigarette, looked down, and took his son’s hand. They turned and got into a car. Perhaps my gaze was too intense. Just before the boy climbed into the car, he turned his head and looked directly at me. I was a mess of blood and melting snow. Utterly wretched. Yet, on pure instinct, I managed a gentle smile for the strikingly beautiful boy. His gaze was as indifferent as his father’s. He looked me over calmly, his expression unreadable. It was just one glance. A bodyguard was already holding the car door open. It swung shut, and the car drove away without a backward glance. 4 My heart felt as if it had suddenly stepped into thin air. A deep, sinking feeling of weightlessness washed over me. Before I could even begin to process the origin of these strange emotions, lines of white text began to scroll across my vision. The text was dense, flashing past my eyes at a rapid pace— 【And here’s another new candidate.】 【Over the past decade, I can’t even count if this is the twentieth or the two-hundredth.】 【The System is seriously terrified of this guy. Terrified he’ll just decide to burn the whole world down one day.】 【So it keeps trying to shove people into his life.】 【But he only ever loved his dead wife.】 【For years, the System has sent countless ‘replacement’ candidates.】 【Some looked just like her, some had her exact personality, some even came fully prepared with all her memories…】 5 I watched the stream of comments fly by, my brow furrowed. I’d forgotten to even blink. The “guy” they were talking about had to be Reik Thorne, the man destabilizing this entire world. And all those failed candidates—that must be why the System had warned me so relentlessly about him. The System had seemingly tried everything. So why did it believe that I, so painfully ordinary, could possibly complete this mission and pacify Reik Thorne? As I pondered this, the phantom text shifted its focus to me. 【Honestly, though, the only thing keeping him stable all these years isn’t some replacement or candidate—】 【It’s the son his dead wife left him.】 【She left without a trace, except for that boy.】 【He’s Reik’s only remaining connection to this world.】 【Otherwise, with how insane he was in those first few years, he would have destroyed the world and himself, joining his wife in death long ago.】 【That’s why all those candidates failed, without exception.】 【His wife was his white moonlight, his one true love.】 【She’s the only sacred ground left in his heart.】 【He would never allow anyone to tarnish her memory by wearing her face or stealing her identity.】 【That’s why all those fakes died, each one more miserably than the last.】 【So what about this one?】 【This plain, unprepared, completely unremarkable candidate?】 【How many days will she last?】 —They even started placing bets. 【I bet she dies the next time she meets him.】 【I’m in.】 【Me too.】 Then, someone posted a laughing emoji— 【LOL, she took a pretty nasty fall just now.】 【And it’s snowing hard.】 【We don’t even know if she’ll survive the night…】 6 I lowered my gaze, ignoring the dense wall of mocking text. My eyes focused on the bloody wounds on my body. But to everyone’s surprise, my next encounter with the Thorne family wasn’t with Reik. It was his son who came looking for me. I don’t know how he found me. I only know that when I pushed open the door of my cheap motel room the next morning, he was standing there, all alone, with his school backpack on. Looking at his face, so eerily similar to his father’s, I stopped in my tracks. He tilted his head up slightly, his gaze fixed on my face. “Who are you?” he asked in a low voice. It was a strange question. He was the one who had sought me out, yet the first thing he asked was who I was. “My name is Nora,” I answered, my voice earnest. The moment the words left my mouth, his brow furrowed deeply. 7 The white text feed was relentless. The instant I spoke my name, it erupted in a unified, mocking chorus. 【Has the System just completely given up?】 【It’s tried sending girls with a similar face—】 【It’s tried sending girls with a similar personality—】 【This is the first time it’s been so blatant, sending a candidate with the exact same name.】 【The System really isn’t afraid of making him angry, is it…】 【It’s one step away from just delivering her to his doorstep and saying: You wanted ‘Nora’? Well, I brought ‘Nora’ back for you…】 Unlike the boisterous text, the boy’s face remained devoid of any emotion. He just said calmly, “My name is Noah.” After he spoke, his gaze on me intensified, as if he were observing me, waiting for some kind of reaction. Nora, Noah… His name was so similar to mine. Combined with the information revealed by the phantom text… Perhaps Reik Thorne’s dead wife was named Nora. 8 But my mind was a complete blank. I couldn’t give Noah the reaction he was looking for. The intense, burning hope in his eyes gradually cooled. Someone came rushing down the hall from the elevator. A well-dressed man in a suit, a head taller than Noah, stopped in front of him and bowed his head. His voice was pleading. “Young Master, the car is waiting downstairs. You’re going to be late for school.” Noah slowly lowered his dark lashes. It looked like disappointment. He turned to leave, his movements sharp and decisive. But after turning, he paused for a moment. His brow furrowed again. He looked at the large glass window across the hall and said, “You should get those injuries treated.” I followed his gaze to my reflection in the glass, to the crude bandages wrapped around my arm and right leg. The System hadn’t given me any special advantages when I arrived. The little money I had was barely enough for food and shelter. I couldn’t afford to go to a hospital. Noah was already gone. My gaze drifted from the window to the blurred reflection of my own face. 9 There was a mottled scar on my right cheek. The System said I had died in a fire ten years ago. The System drew its energy from the world it managed. But Reik Thorne was a man who repaid every debt, real or perceived. His wife had died in an “accident” connected to the world’s original hero and heroine. So, without distinguishing between right and wrong, he had exacted his revenge on everyone involved in that accident. The hero and heroine, the so-called “Children of Providence,” had been dead for five years. After their deaths, Reik had taken complete control of this world. The System itself was barely surviving, clinging to a thread. Its energy reserves were always low. That was why it could only restore my body to about 80% of its original state. I was healthy, but my body was covered in burn scars of various sizes that had never fully healed. I stared at the unfamiliar face in the reflection. It was a plain, even ugly, face. To choose me as the one to win over a villain like him— I couldn’t see any hope at all. No wonder the phantom text was filled with nothing but ridicule for me. 10 But whether there was hope or not, I still had to win over Reik Thorne. That was the purpose of my resurrection. It was the only way I could continue to live. But to do that, I first had to solve the pressing problem of my own survival. I managed to find a job as a night-shift clerk at the bookstore on the ground floor of Reik Thorne’s corporate tower. I worked until midnight. The lights in the tower across the street were still blazing. I sat on the steps outside the bookstore, opening a box of cold takeout. At 12:07 AM, Reik’s black Bentley glided past. The tinted windows blocked my view completely. I knew he was inside because the phantom text was buzzing with discussion. They seemed to have an extra set of eyes, able to see right through the car window to the man inside, and they used this to heap more scorn on me. 【The System gave up, and it looks like this one has too…】 【Other candidates, the second they arrive, are already scheming how to get in front of him, trying to make an impression or find an opening.】 【But her? She’s taking her sweet time finding a job, just living her own life.】 【Was she scared off by that first run-in with his bodyguards?】 【Am I just supposed to sit here and watch her organize bookshelves all day?】 【If you’re this useless, you shouldn’t have agreed to the mission in the first place…】 I lowered my eyes, ignoring the heated comments. I noticed a stray dog had padded up beside me, its tail wagging, its eyes fixed on me hopefully. I picked out the only two pieces of meat from my dinner and gave them to the dog. Together, under the dark sky, we shared the meal. 11 I worked at the bookstore for nearly a month. By the time my injuries had mostly healed, I had another unexpected encounter with Reik Thorne. It was 11 PM, and the bookstore owner asked me to deliver a stack of pre-packaged books to the tower across the street. After passing through layers of security checks and questioning, I finally set foot inside the building for the first time. I handed the books to the client and prepared to leave. The office tower was quiet at night; most people had already gone home. As I waited for the elevator, I heard a faint sound from the end of the hallway. It sounded like someone in extreme pain. The elevator was taking forever. I turned my head and looked toward the end of the hall. The text feed screamed at me not to get involved. They even suggested I use this opportunity to sneak down to the underground parking garage and wait for Reik to get off work. But listening to that faint, hoarse cry of pain, I stood there in silence for a long moment, then turned and walked down the hall. 12 No one could have expected it. Curled up on the landing of a stark, concrete stairwell, bathed in the pale, sterile light, was Reik Thorne. He was dressed in a pure black shirt and trousers, his shoulders broad and his back straight, but he looked unusually fragile. The moment I pushed open the heavy fire door, he snapped his head around, instantly alert. His brow was beaded with sweat from the intense pain, but his eyes, when they met mine, were cold and wary. —I had stumbled upon something I wasn’t supposed to see. I froze in place. Under his intense gaze, I had no choice but to force the words out. “…Do you need me to call a doctor?” Reik just stared at me, his expression icy, without saying a word. I had to raise a hand and press my white face mask tighter against my skin. Because of the scars on my face, I always wore a mask in public to avoid frightening customers or children. The pressure of his gaze was immense. I wanted to back away, to leave. But seeing the vein throbbing at his temple from the pain, seeing his deathly pale lips, I felt an inexplicable pang of sympathy. So I took a step forward and pulled a small bottle of painkillers from my pocket. I’d never seen a proper doctor for my injuries. When the pain became unbearable, I just chewed on painkillers to get through it. I never thought the pills I always carried would come in handy like this. 13 Under Reik’s unblinking stare, I placed a single pill on the step beside him. As I turned to leave, he shot out a hand and seized my wrist. His palm was ice-cold, sending a chill through me. I had no choice but to look down at him. At such a close distance, our eyes met. “Who are you?” he finally rasped. The lighting was dim, but I thought I saw something flicker in his dark pupils, a flash of light that was there and then gone. He moved too fast. Before I could consent or protest, his other hand had reached up and hooked the mask from my face. Reik’s dark eyes reflected the vivid scars on my cheek. We were so close. I saw his gaze tremble. My face was still too frightening. I reached up and hooked the mask back in place. I saw his hand suddenly go slack, and a silver chain slipped from his grasp, dangling in the air. —It was what he had been clutching so tightly in his cold palm. At the end of the chain was a silver locket. In the center of the locket, I could faintly make out the smiling face of a young girl. I looked away, not daring to stare. I left the pill and walked away. This time, Reik didn’t stop me. Before I left, I glanced back one last time from the doorway. Reik was still sitting where I had left him. Dressed in severe black, yet radiating an aura of complete desolation. 14 The white text feed was “criticizing” me again. They called me an idiot, completely clueless. 【I give up…】 【She is honestly the most useless candidate I have ever seen.】 【She just stumbled upon a golden opportunity, a perfect moment, and she didn’t know how to seize it?】 【She just left?】 【Shouldn’t she have stayed, comforted him, showed some concern?】 【She finally gets a moment alone with him, and she just walks away?】 【What is she even doing?】 Some of the comments were even more aggressive, trying to stir up trouble. They thought I should have been more direct, thrown myself into his arms, used the crudest methods to seduce him. After all, I was doomed anyway. Someone like me could never complete the mission. They were practically begging for me to anger Reik sooner rather than later, to meet my inevitable end. They didn’t want to watch a “candidate” like me anymore. If I died, a new, more capable candidate would naturally take my place.

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During the third month of my cold war with the award-winning actress Evelyn Shaw, we were invited onto a variety show. The segment required us to call the person we loved most, live on air. Spitefully, she dialed her male assistant, Leo. The internet went wild with speculation. I, on the other hand, dialed an unknown number, a line that connected to my mother in another world. The internet responded with a tidal wave of ridicule. Evelyn scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. “You’re an orphan with no one to lean on. What mother? Are you so desperate to save face that you’d hire someone to impersonate her? How pathetic can you get?” I didn’t answer. As Evelyn’s mocking expression twisted into a cruel smile, I rushed to the window and leaped. The System had told me. All I had to do was die in this world. And I could finally go home to my mother. 1 “You’re an orphan with no one to lean on. What mother? Are you so desperate to save face that you’d hire someone to impersonate her? How pathetic can you get?” [Host, as soon as your physical body in this world perishes, you can return home.] The two voices echoed in my mind simultaneously. I stared blankly ahead, lost for a moment. Evelyn, however, thought my gaze was fixed on her and let out another derisive snort. “What’s wrong? Can’t even find one person you love? What a pathetic existence.” Her words triggered a wave of laughter from the studio audience. But I couldn’t laugh. She was right. Since arriving in this world and accepting the mission to win her affection, my entire universe had revolved around her. To complete the mission as quickly as possible and return home to cure my mother, I hadn’t bothered making any friends. In this strange, alien world, she was all I had. The tabloids had even dubbed me “the world’s most stubborn limpet,” a shadow that couldn’t be shaken off. In the years when our love was at its peak, she loved making promises. “Adrian,” she’d whisper, “in this world, I am your family. I will be with you for a lifetime. We’ll never be apart.” I believed her. Until the first time I walked in on her kissing Leo. She’d explained it away with impatience, her eyes, however, were fixed on Leo, dancing with amusement. “It was just a dare from a game. Can you stop being so paranoid? There’s nothing going on between us. Don’t be so disgusting.” We had a massive fight. Then, three months ago, I walked in on them again, emerging from a bathroom together, clad only in bathrobes. I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. This time, she didn’t even bother with an explanation. Instead, she deliberately wrapped her arm around Leo. “Fight, fight, fight, that’s all you ever do! Why can’t you be more like Leo? Oh, right, I forgot. You have no parents, no one ever taught you any grace. I suppose it’s only natural you have no manners.” In that moment, I finally realized. This precarious relationship of ours was over. And this mission… I couldn’t do it anymore. Fortunately, the System didn’t force me to complete it. It readily agreed to cancel the mission, even offering me a supplemental reward as a gesture of goodwill, promising to uphold its original pledge to cure my mother. With that, my last hesitation vanished. Snapping back to the present, I lowered my gaze and bit my lip. The System’s voice echoed in my mind once more. [Host, after the call, your mother asked me to tell you that she misses you very much.] A sour sting pricked my nose, and my eyes quickly reddened. Yes. I did have someone I loved. I had my mother. And I missed her so, so much. “I want… to go home,” I murmured, my voice catching in my throat. Evelyn flinched, a flicker of pity in her eyes, but her words were still sharp. “Adrian, your acting skills are really getting better and better…” I pretended not to hear her. I stood up and walked toward the window. Amidst the panicked shouts of the crew and the crash of falling camera equipment, I didn’t hesitate. I leaped. Evelyn, I don’t want you anymore. These five years of love, I don’t want them either. I just want to go home. 2 I awoke to the sharp, sterile scent of antiseptic. Before I could even rejoice, a familiar voice dragged my thoughts back to reality. “Adrian, you’re going to jump off a building and threaten me just because I called Leo? All I did was say a few words to you! Weren’t you the one who started the fight?” “If you really wanted to die, you should have picked a higher floor! A three-story fall won’t kill you. What’s with all the drama?” Evelyn’s eyes were shot with red, her face a mask of fury. But beneath the anger, I saw a glint of genuine concern. I stared at her, stunned into silence. Before I could speak, the door opened and Leo rushed in, interrupting us. “Adrian, I’m so sorry. Evelyn was just trying to make you jealous, that’s the only reason she called me. I’ll disappear. I won’t bother you two again.” With that, he glanced at Evelyn, his eyes full of a reluctant, pained struggle, and turned to leave. He’d only taken a few steps before Evelyn grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Her expression was grim. “It’s not your fault. Why are you leaving? I’ll have Adrian clear your name.” She turned back to me, her gaze turning to ice. “Adrian, because your little stunt was broadcast live, Leo is now being crucified online. You have to make a statement and explain things. He’s innocent. He shouldn’t be dragged into your mess.” “Because of you, he’s being called a homewrecker everywhere he goes. You need to apologize to him. You were in the wrong this time, and I can’t just let it slide.” I almost wanted to laugh. Because I was with Evelyn, I had been cyberbullied more times than I could count. No matter how many times I moved, her fans always found me. It was only later that I discovered Leo had infiltrated one of her fan groups and leaked my address, my phone number, my private information. When Evelyn found out, all she did was frown. “Leo wouldn’t do something like that. As my assistant, he knows how the industry works. Someone must have been impersonating him.” Later, when I was cast in a role opposite her, I was viciously attacked online for “riding her coattails.” I couldn’t take it anymore. I gathered evidence and went to the police. When the investigation led back to Leo, Evelyn had simply looked at me with disappointment, taken Leo by the arm, and led him away. “Infamy is still a form of fame, Adrian. This is the fastest way for you to get noticed, to stand on equal footing with me. I’ll help clean up your image later. Leo was just trying to help.” That was the first time the thought of escape had truly entered my mind. But because I loved her, I chose to stay. Reality was now showing me just how laughable that choice had been. Was Leo innocent? No. But none of it mattered anymore. My thoughts cleared. I tossed my phone to Evelyn, my face a calm, empty slate. “Fine. I’m sorry. Post whatever clarification you want.” “When this is over,” I added, my voice flat, “I’m going home.” 3 The System seemed to sense my resolve. [Soon, Host. Very soon.] Evelyn stared at me for a moment, then expertly unlocked my phone and quickly typed out a statement. When she handed it back, her gaze was complicated. “Adrian, after all these years, your lock screen is still that photo.” I didn’t speak, just glanced at the screen. It was a picture of the two of us holding a birthday cake, our smiles brilliant, our eyes full of love. I felt a pang of nostalgia. Back then, she wasn’t a famous actress. She was a nobody, running from audition to audition, working as a stand-in. When my birthday finally came around, she had scraped together all her money to buy me an exquisitely beautiful, expensive cake. “Adrian,” she had said, “thank you for staying with me. I’ll buy you the most beautiful, most expensive cake every year from now on. We have to stay together forever.” Later, when she became famous, she kept her promise. But somewhere along the way, the cakes and gifts had turned cold and sharp. The sweetness was gone, replaced by a lingering, endless bitterness. I spent a week in the hospital bed, and as I recovered, I found myself scouting for a more suitable place to die. The day I was discharged, Evelyn came to pick me up. The hospital entrance was swarmed with her fans. The moment they saw me, the curses began. “Just die, Adrian! Why didn’t you die when you jumped!” “You manipulative, attention-seeking leech! You’re disgusting!” The words went in one ear and out the other. After all these years, I was used to it. Even at industry parties, when I took drinks for her and was groped by lecherous producers, I could maintain my composure, down the alcohol with a practiced smile, and say, “My conscience is clear. I’m not afraid of rumors.” Evelyn took it as truth. She thought I was thick-skinned, good-natured, with a high tolerance for pain. She praised my broad-mindedness more than once. But the truth was, I was simply numb from the pain, so hurt that my face had forgotten how to show it. After finally shaking off the fans, Evelyn’s car pulled up in front of me. The passenger window rolled down, revealing Leo’s triumphant face. “Adrian, get in, quick! Your hate mob is going to be back any second. Don’t let us get caught in the crossfire, haha.” He was teasing, but Evelyn didn’t seem to mind. She smiled at him, an unconscious softness in her eyes. The passenger seat, once exclusively mine, had long since become his. My heart still ached. But it didn’t matter. I took two steps back, hailed a taxi, and went back to the small apartment I was renting alone. 4 I sold most of my possessions and donated the money to a charity for children in remote mountain regions. I had the shards of porcelain ready. Just as I was about to drag one across my wrist, the doorbell rang. Outside stood a grim-faced Evelyn, with Leo right behind her, holding a cake box. “Adrian, are you determined to fight with me? I really don’t understand what you’re upset about this time!” she exclaimed, then sighed, her gaze heavy as she looked at me. It was a look of weary resignation. “Fine. It’s your birthday today. I won’t hold it against you. I brought you a cake. I came specifically to celebrate with you.” She gestured at Leo. “You should thank him for the cake. If he didn’t know the owner of the bakery, we wouldn’t have been able to get one made on such short notice.” In years past, I would have already pulled her into my arms. But not today. I didn’t want to. Leo handed me the cake and wished me a happy birthday. My eyes, however, were fixed on the familiar necklace around his neck. As if sensing my gaze, Leo touched it self-consciously. “Evelyn gave it to me. I saw it and said I liked it, so she just gave it to me.” Evelyn nodded, walking past me into the apartment as if she owned the place. “It’s just a necklace. It was old anyway. It was just sitting around gathering dust. If Leo likes it, he can have it. I never really liked it that much to begin with.” My body went rigid. I stared, frozen. That necklace… I had given it to her when we first got together. It had cost over two thousand, which wasn’t much, but it was all the money I had in the world. It was a matching couple’s set. “I’ll treasure it for the rest of my life!” she had declared. “It’s a testament to our love, it has special meaning! If I ever lose it, you can punish me by never letting me see you again, okay?” Every year on her birthday, she had loved wearing it with me. Last year, she stopped. I hadn’t asked why. I just never imagined I would see it on Leo. Evelyn. This time, your words are finally coming true.

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After passing the civil service exam, before I had even done the medical check and started the job, my boyfriend insisted on taking me on a road trip through Yellowstone during the one-month break I had. An adventure enthusiast, he drove our car right into a grizzly bear conservation area and told me I could feed the “cute little bears” with rice crackers. But when we actually encountered one, my naturally cautious nature kept me from opening the window. The massive grizzly before us looked to be over six hundred pounds, with a ferocious face and sharp fangs—not at all the “cute little bear” my boyfriend had described. Seeing my hesitation, he actually used the car’s master controls to lower my window, allowing the grizzly to tear the skin from my face with a single swipe of its paw. Disfigured, I lost my chance at the civil service position. My boyfriend, who was the runner-up, took my place. In despair, I chose to hang myself in the new house he was preparing for our marriage. When I opened my eyes again, I was back, five minutes before we met the grizzly bear. 01 As we drove through the grizzly bear conservation area, a few bears appeared ahead, hunched over, eating something. The edges of the leftover hide on the ground were curled—it looked like the hind leg of a pronghorn antelope. The blood on the ground had been licked clean, making the scene almost deceptively less gruesome. Quinn pulled the car over, his voice electric with excitement. He reached into the back seat, grabbed a bag of rice crackers, and handed them to me. “Here, you can open these and feed them. They’re so cute, don’t be scared! Look how fluffy they are. They look so soft to the touch.” I stared at the grizzlies in the distance, tearing and fighting over the antelope leg, and couldn’t connect them with the word “cute” in any way. The car radio crackled intermittently with a news report about the local bear population. “The Yellowstone grizzly is the apex predator of this region, known for its astonishing speed and power… and each year, these bears consume…” Quinn quickly switched off the radio. I asked anxiously, “Consume what?” He smiled innocently, patting my cheek to reassure me. “Just a few pronghorns and rabbits, that’s all. Such cute animals can’t possibly eat people, right? You’re already a bit of a worrier, don’t overthink things.” I was still a little uneasy, but I took the rice crackers from him. Outside the window, the grizzlies had savage faces and sharp fangs. Their massive paws were still caked with bits of flesh. From a distance, they looked fluffy, but up close, their fur stood up like steel needles. One of the grizzlies was watching us warily, its eyes fixed directly on me, its blood-red tongue licking the blood from its lips. Seeing my hesitation, my boyfriend, Quinn, reached over to roll down my window himself. In my past life, to snatch a coveted civil service spot, Quinn had taken me to Yellowstone to be bear food. He had convinced me the grizzlies were gentle, rolled down my window, and let one tear the skin from my face, disfiguring me and disqualifying me from the position. Afterward, he played the innocent victim, claiming I had been injured because I had underestimated wildlife, and it had nothing to do with him. Not long after, he successfully took my place at the job, started dating again, and his family joyfully bought them a new house. Meanwhile, I was in a hospital, my face wrapped in bandages, crying every single day. To spite Quinn and cause him financial ruin, in the depths of my depression, I chose to hang myself in his newly renovated house. Relying on the memories of my past life, I quickly grabbed Quinn’s hand as he reached for the window controls. I forced a relaxed smile. “You know, I’ve been thinking a lot, and I don’t think a government job is for me. I’d rather start my own e-commerce business, focusing on international markets.” 02 Quinn was visibly taken aback, but his hand remained poised over the window controls. To sweeten the deal, I continued in a light tone. “My parents really like you, you know. They said that after you get the job, they want to buy us a house. And my dad said he’d buy you a Porsche Panamera once we go back and get our marriage license.” He finally moved his hand away from the controls. He smiled, his expression softening, his whole demeanor relaxing. “Well, a great guy like me ending up with you… I guess your ancestors must have done something right.” Seeing his attitude change, I breathed a sigh of relief. According to his original plan, in two more days, his parents would fly into Jackson Hole. We were supposed to finish our tour of the northern part of the park, then pick them up and drive south to see the wildflowers bloom. He drove a few meters forward, away from the bears, and then turned the car around. “Let’s just go straight to Jackson and wait for my parents. There are too many cute little bears here. I’m afraid I might hit one.” Quinn’s eyes were filled with blatant calculation, devoid of any genuine emotion. His desire for money was on full display. But I had underestimated his determination to get that Panamera. The moment we parked at the hotel, Quinn was eager to drag me to a dealership. His expression was fawning. “Babe, why don’t we just buy the car here in Wyoming and drive it back?” “Drive it back?” I was speechless but managed to hide my impatience. “A Panamera has low clearance. I don’t think it would handle these mountain roads very well, do you?” He hesitated, his face falling. “Well, then why don’t you just transfer the money to me? I can call the dealership back home and place the order. We can pick it up as soon as we get back.” I pretended to rummage through my makeup bag, saying casually, “Oh, really? But my dad said he’d only buy it for you after we get our marriage license.” My dad wasn’t here. To ensure my survival for the next few days, I was prepared to say anything. “Then let’s get married now! Getting married in a new place, isn’t that exciting?” Quinn excitedly pulled his ID from his pocket and grabbed my arm, ready to drag me to the courthouse. To stay alive, I had to lie and say I couldn’t find my ID. Later, when he was asleep, I cut it into pieces and flushed it down the toilet. 03 A few days later, at the airport, Quinn’s mother was clearly not expecting to see me standing there, perfectly intact. The moment she saw me, her face soured. “This is so annoying. Son, why is another woman here? This was supposed to be our mother-son vacation.” Quinn, afraid of giving the game away, quickly intervened. “Mom, Chloe and I are getting our license as soon as we get home. Then her parents are buying us a house and a car. We’ll all celebrate together.” In my past life, after the bear attack, a passing park ranger had called for help, and that’s how I survived. But after being brought back to Jackson, Quinn didn’t take me to a top hospital in a major city as I had begged him to. He listened to his mother, left me in a local clinic, and took his parents on a tour of the southern sights. “It’s just her face. It wasn’t that pretty to begin with. It’s not a big deal. Don’t be so dramatic.” I was in agony every day. In the end, I had to call my own parents to come and get me and take me home for proper treatment. But it was too late. The skin and flesh torn away by the grizzly failed to graft properly. I was destined to live the rest of my life as a monster. But now that I was reborn, I would not be the same weakling I was before. This trip, everything was going to be different. This time, I would be the one feeding Quinn and his family to the bears. 04 I went on TikTok and started aggressively liking promotional videos for remote, secluded cabins in the backwoods of Wyoming. The algorithm worked its magic. Before long, Quinn’s mother started seeing the same videos on her feed. And that woman was used to getting her way. As the matriarch of her family, if she took an interest in these beautiful cabins, she would insist on staying there. Last year, at this same time of year, a large grizzly known to mimic human behaviors—like walking on its hind legs—had killed and eaten three people near this very cabin. Later, local hunters had managed to blind it in one eye. In retaliation, the bear had tracked the hunters’ scent back to their home in the dead of night and slaughtered the entire family. The locals knew that once a bear had tasted human flesh, it would never be satisfied with animals again. And this particular bear was known for its vengeful nature. People even avoided grazing their livestock in this area. The cabin had been empty for a long time. To stay there this time of year was basically serving yourself up on a platter. But Quinn’s mother, obsessed with beautiful scenery and luxury, was oblivious to all this. “Son, this cabin is so beautiful! Mommy wants to be romantic too. Let’s go stay there, shall we?” Quinn glanced at the address. It was remote, but his mother always got her way. He didn’t even think to object. He looked at the price and thought it was a bit steep. He turned to me. “Honey, I’m driving. Can you book this cabin for us?” His mother chimed in, “You haven’t contributed anything this whole trip. It’s only right that you pay for this.” Throughout our relationship, Quinn had rarely spent a dime. He always had an excuse to make me pay. By evening, we finally arrived at the “Wildflower Cabin.” Quinn’s mother, who had never stayed in such a wild setting before, was thrilled, taking pictures of everything. The cabin had a keypad entry. When Quinn asked me to book it, I had specifically said I was worried we wouldn’t rest well all in one place and booked three separate rooms. One for his parents, one for me, and one for Quinn. I had also checked local forums and learned that the one-eyed bear had been spotted in this area for several consecutive days. The news reports said grizzlies have an incredibly keen sense of smell and are often drawn to the scent of food in people’s homes. So, I took out the beef jerky I had bought in Jackson and “gifted” it to Quinn’s parents, leaving it in their cabin. Then, I went to Quinn’s cabin, ate some spicy chips, and drank a butter tea I had prepared, “accidentally” spilling it all over his floor. The strong, greasy smell of the butter and milk was potent; it could be smelled from a great distance. 05 Before going to sleep, I propped a table against my door from the inside, then pushed the nightstand and coffee table against it for extra reinforcement. I had deliberately chosen the room at the very end of the row. It only had one window, and it was pathetically small. No matter how you looked at it, a six-hundred-pound bear couldn’t possibly climb through that tiny ventilation window. That night, I stayed alert, too scared to sleep. Sure enough, at one-thirty in the morning, the distinct, heavy breathing of a wild animal came from outside. At the same time, someone knocked on the door. Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock. The sound sent a chill down my spine. This grizzly… it could even mimic a human knock. “Who is it?” Quinn’s mother, a light sleeper, heard the knock immediately and yelled out in her loud, grating voice. In my past life, his mother was a fearless, almost reckless woman. When visiting a Buddhist monastery on a trip, she had ignored local customs and taken photos of the sacred statues. When criticized, she had flown into a rage, climbed onto a statue, and screamed defiantly, challenging the local faith. The incident even made the news. Now, hearing a knock in the middle of the night, she was even more irritable and started shouting. Sure enough, the sound attracted the bear. Soon, the sounds of crashing and his mother’s screams came from her cabin. Ping. A text message. It was from Quinn. “What’s going on with my parents? You should go check on them. Show some concern, you’re their future daughter-in-law.” I pretended to agree, but instead, I slid under the bed and pulled the blankets down to cover the gaps. A quick glance wouldn’t reveal I was there. To prevent the bear from smelling me, I had already sprayed an entire bottle of perfume on the bed and curtains, hoping to mask my scent. I also turned on the shower in the bathroom to create the illusion that I was in there. “Did you go see my parents? My good little future wife.” Facing Quinn’s prodding, I lied again. “I did. It was nothing, just a wild turkey bumped into their door. They got a little scared. You should probably go check on them.” I don’t know if Quinn bought it, but the shouting and screaming had gradually died down. All I could hear was the frantic pounding of my own heart. His parents’ cabin fell silent. It seemed they were either dead or hiding. I suspected the former. In my past life, after I died, I learned that Quinn’s parents had been in on the plot to steal my civil service position. It was his father, a long-time viewer of nature documentaries, who had suggested the brilliant idea of taking me to Yellowstone to be bear food. His parents had always coveted the antique, high-quality jade pendant I wore, a family heirloom worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. After my accident, I was in no state to care about it, and his mother had swiped it while the doctors were saving my life. They had used the money from selling my pendant to buy Quinn’s new house. Thinking of this, I tucked the jade pendant from my neck into my bra. Even if I died today, I would not let Quinn’s despicable family profit.

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1 My husband, Leo, was furious when he saw the Christmas gifts I’d bought for my trip home to my parents. “Every time you visit your parents, you shower them with gifts. You’re spending way too much!” he snapped. “I make more money than you do! You earn less but spend more. It’s not fair. From now on, we’re splitting our finances. Fifty-fifty.” I didn’t argue. I just agreed and set a few ground rules. From now on, we’d have separate bedrooms. We’d each support our own parents. And if he wanted me to cook or do housework, he’d have to pay for my services. A year later, my husband, now living paycheck to paycheck, was on his knees, begging me to take him back and tear up our agreement. I just smiled and handed him the divorce papers. “I think we’re better off making a clean break.” … Leo stared at the pile of beautifully wrapped gifts by the door, his brow furrowed in a deep, angry line. “Did you really need to buy all this just to visit your family?” he demanded, his tone dripping with accusation. It set my teeth on edge. Still, I managed to keep my voice even. “It’s two identical sets of gifts. One for my family, one for yours. Everything is exactly the same.” In our three years of marriage, I had never once favored my family over his. I’d always been meticulously fair. But even my painstaking efforts to keep the peace weren’t enough for Leo. He shot me a look of pure contempt. “I pull in over seven grand a month after taxes, and you’re bringing home, what, five? On what planet does your family deserve the same treatment as mine?” he sneered. “Why should my higher earnings be used to average things out? You earn less, but you spend more. Tell me how that’s fair.” His words were a punch to the gut, stealing the air from my lungs. All this for a few Christmas presents? Did he really need to blow this so far out of proportion, turning our home into a corporate boardroom where our love was measured by income brackets? Seeing my silence, Leo pressed his advantage. “My mom has mentioned this a few times, you know. I didn’t pay much attention, but now I see her point. You really are clueless when it comes to managing money.” “So, here’s what we’re going to do,” he declared, a triumphant gleam in his eye. “To make things fair and square, we’re splitting everything from now on. AA. You can spend your salary however you want, and I won’t say a word.” I stared at him, my heart sinking. Was this really the man I had shared a bed with for three years? It was clear this wasn’t a new idea. This resentment over household expenses had been festering for a long time, no doubt fanned into flame by my dear mother-in-law. Without a moment’s hesitation, I gave him a crisp nod. “Fine. We’ll split it. But if we’re doing this, we’re laying down some ground rules. Let’s get everything crystal clear.” Leo, clearly expecting a fight, was visibly thrilled by my quick agreement. He nodded eagerly, like a bobblehead. “Yes, yes! Let’s get it all in writing. That way, there are no hard feelings.” Hard feelings? I thought with a bitter laugh. You’re getting worked up over a few daily expenses? I calmly laid out my terms. “Starting today, we have separate bedrooms. Utilities and property taxes are split down the middle. We each support our own parents.” I leaned back, my voice taking on a steely edge. “You can wash your own socks and underwear from now on. If you want me to do your laundry or cook your meals, you’ll have to pay me for it.” “My cooking will follow my standards, at a rate of no less than $15 per person, per meal. And if you want me to handle all the housework, that’ll be an extra $500 a month.” I had barely finished my sentence before Leo shot to his feet. “Five hundred dollars? For a little housework?” he sputtered. I lounged back on the sofa, giving him a cool, dismissive glance. “A professional cleaning service would cost you at least eight hundred, probably more. The choice is yours. I’ll keep my own room tidy, but the rest of the house is on you.” “Or,” I continued, a smirk playing on my lips, “if you want to save money, you can do the dishes, sweep, and mop every day, and do a deep clean of the entire house once a week…” Before I could finish, Leo cut me off, his voice tight with irritation. “Fine! I’ll pay it! Happy now?” A triumphant smile spread across my face. You thought you could treat me like a free maid, did you? Let’s see how you like it when you have to actually pay for my labor. I pointed a finger at the gifts by the door. “I bought those with my salary. You can buy your own damn presents for your family.” 2 On Christmas Eve, we arrived at my in-laws’ house for dinner completely empty-handed. Leo plopped down on the sofa and immediately started scrolling on his phone. I mirrored his posture, pulling out my own phone. My mother-in-law’s face instantly soured. “Getting more shameless by the day, are we?” she grumbled. “Showing up to your in-laws’ house on Christmas Eve empty-handed? Who do you think you are, a princess?” In the past, I would have immediately taken over the kitchen. On Christmas Eve, I’d be up at dawn, shopping for ingredients and cooking all day while the three of them—Leo, his mom, and his dad—sat around waiting to be served. But tonight, the kitchen was dark and silent, the stove cold. Were they still expecting me to perform? My father-in-law, a man with a notoriously short fuse, jumped right in. “Ava, look around! Do you know any other daughter-in-law who acts like you? Have you forgotten all basic decency?” he roared. “We used to think you were so considerate. Was that all an act? Now you can’t even be bothered to keep up appearances?” Watching them fume gave me a strange sense of satisfaction. I had poured my heart and soul into being a good daughter-in-law, and what had it gotten me? Nothing but criticism. Every gift I ever brought, my mother-in-law would find something to complain about. “This is so impractical. You have no idea how to run a household! Leo works so hard for his money, and it just breaks my heart to see you waste it like this!” “And your cleaning… you’re not even as good as a maid. I have no idea what Leo ever saw in you!” See? I was damned if I did, damned if I didn’t. So I decided I might as well be a freeloader. I let them rant until they ran out of steam, then I spoke, my voice cool and detached. “Dad, Mom, don’t look at me. Leo was the one who insisted we go fifty-fifty on everything. The deal was, we each support our own parents, and we each buy our own gifts.” I paused for effect. “We also agreed that if I do any housework, I get paid. So, for tonight’s Christmas Eve dinner… how much are you offering?” Last year, I’d wanted to have Christmas Eve dinner with my own parents, so I booked a table at a five-star hotel for both families. It should have been a joyous occasion. Instead, my in-laws ruined it. They spent the entire evening loudly boasting about how brilliant their son was, not-so-subtly implying that I was just leeching off him. They even criticized me for not being frugal enough, booking such an expensive dinner. Never mind the fact that my mother had already insisted on paying for the entire meal. Did they really need to make such a scene? But the worst part was when they started pressuring me about having children, right there at the dinner table. “Ava, dear, that little salary of yours requires you to work so much overtime. Is it really worth it? At the end of the day, this family relies on our Leo to provide,” my mother-in-law had said with a saccharine smile. “Since you don’t earn much anyway, why don’t you just quit? You could focus on getting your body ready for a baby and stay home to take care of Leo and the little one.” Every word was a thinly veiled insult, a reminder that my salary was less than Leo’s. I have my own two hands. I love my job. Why should I be the one to make such a sacrifice? What infuriated me most was Leo’s reaction. He actually agreed with them! “She’s right,” he’d chimed in. “Who pays for everything around here? The food, the bills, the mortgage… it’s all on me. It wouldn’t make a difference whether you worked or not.” His salary, just over seven thousand a month, had gone straight to his head. Did he really think his money was inexhaustible? Now, hearing that I expected to be paid for cooking dinner, my in-laws exploded. My mother-in-law, in particular, launched into a tirade that showered me in spittle. Leo, his face grim, leaned in and whispered, “Just cook the meal, Ava. I’ll pay you later. Do you really have to ruin Christmas Eve for everyone?” I remained on the sofa, unmoved. “We have an agreement. Payment first, then services rendered. No credit.” My mother-in-law looked ready to attack, but a cold glare from me stopped her in her tracks. “You’re always complaining about how much I spend, aren’t you?” I said calmly. “Why don’t you go to the market and see how much groceries cost on Christmas Eve?” “Since we’re splitting everything, you should be the ones paying for the food anyway.” You love putting on a show for everyone, don’t you? Let’s see how long you can keep up the act. 3 As was tradition, Leo’s grandparents, his uncle, and his family were all coming over for Christmas Eve dinner. I had deliberately said nothing about buying groceries. I was waiting for this exact moment of chaos. Otherwise, his family would just sit back and expect everything to be done for them. My mother-in-law’s voice rose to a shriek. “A big dinner for all these people? Do you know how much that will cost? It’s already late afternoon! All the markets are closing. Where are we supposed to buy food now?” Getting desperate, are we? I shrugged. “I assumed Leo had already told you. Since we’re splitting everything, what happens in this house is no longer my responsibility.” I’d never met parents like them, who just expected their children to provide everything without lifting a finger. Every time they knew we were coming, they prepared nothing. I never expected a hot meal waiting for me, but they literally wouldn’t even buy a single vegetable. Contrast that with my parents, who would always have a feast of my favorite dishes ready whenever I visited. And when I left, they’d load me up with bags of food to take home. The difference was stark, and it was heartbreaking. My mother-in-law was pacing like a caged animal, while I sat calmly on the sofa, playing a game on my phone. If I hadn’t seen the text messages between Leo and his mother two days ago, I wouldn’t have stooped to causing such a scene on a holiday. Leo: [Mom, it’s done! As of today, Ava and I are officially splitting everything. You don’t have to worry about her wasting my money anymore!] Mother-in-law: [Oh, my son, you finally grew a spine! I told you that woman was only after your money. Who knows how many nice things she’s secretly bought for her own family behind your back!] Leo: [I know, right? Thanks for the wake-up call, Mom. I never even calculated how much she’s taken advantage of me these past few years!] Mother-in-law: [With that pathetic salary of hers, what right does she have to buy her family the same things as ours? They don’t deserve it!] Reading those words, a hot rage had boiled up inside me. I’d forced it down, placed Leo’s phone back where I found it, and avoided a confrontation. I was saving it for Christmas Eve, to catch them completely off guard. It was now prime time for dinner prep, and there wasn’t so much as a single leaf of lettuce in the house. Leo couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door. The local market was deserted, so we had to try the supermarket. Everything was closed except for a high-end organic grocery store. I didn’t mind. I leisurely strolled the aisles, tossing all my favorite things into the cart. With every item I picked up, Leo’s face grew darker. “Do we really need that much? This is too expensive! Can’t we get something else?” Oh, so now that it’s your money, you’re feeling the pinch? I thought. For the past few years, I’d spent hundreds on groceries for this dinner, not to mention the imported fruits and desserts. Did anyone ever feel sorry for my wallet? I stopped the cart and turned to him with a placid smile. “It’s a Christmas Eve dinner for ten people. Are you suggesting we serve three dishes and a soup? I don’t mind, but it’s not my reputation on the line.” There was nothing cheap in this store. Even a couple of organic cucumbers cost a small fortune. I remembered the years I’d bought jumbo shrimp, king crab, and fresh sea bass for this meal. Not once did they ever mention the cost. In fact, my father-in-law had complained I hadn’t bought enough, watching as his family devoured everything like a pack of wolves who’d never seen meat before. I could have bought a truckload and it still wouldn’t have been enough. Leo, gritting his teeth, had no choice but to let me continue shopping. As we reached the checkout, I grabbed a pack of festive envelopes from a nearby display. “Don’t forget the Christmas gifts for your parents and grandparents. In previous years, my standard was a $300 cash gift for each of them.” “Oh, and your cousin’s kid,” I added brightly. “I usually gave him $100. Just so you know.” As the words left my mouth, Leo’s face fell, looking like he’d just been handed a death sentence.

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After graduation, I inherited the zoo my grandfather left me. It was bleeding money. I sighed in frustration. “If this keeps up, the animals will be living on air.” That night, a line of red pandas knocked on my door. “Director,” they pleaded, “we don’t want to live on air! We want apples!” The next day, a new sign stood at the park entrance. “We are against animal shows. But we can’t stop the animals from showing off.” 1 The moment I dragged my suitcase into the zoo, I was pulled into the staff group chat. The group was named “Sunflower Zoo Staff Chat,” and it showed about twenty members. I looked up at the dilapidated zoo, where even the main gate was rusted shut, and couldn’t for the life of me figure out where those twenty people could possibly be hiding. The weirdest part, though, was that aside from one normal-looking profile picture, all the other “people” had animal avatars. The Red Panda Family: Welcome, new Director! Chubbs the Leopard: Welcome! What’s for dinner, Director? Flora the Peacock: Welcome! Director, can you help me find a boyfriend? Nana the Gorilla: Welcome, new Director! Do you like poop? … The chat feed flooded with messages, a waterfall of welcomes, though the comments that followed left me utterly baffled. After dropping my bags, I started to inspect the staff dorms. It was less of a dorm and more of a small wooden cabin with three rooms. The rooms were small but cozy and clean. Grandpa had told me there was one permanent staff member living here, a young man. Once I was settled, I knocked on the door across the hall. No answer. Looked like he was out. I picked up the zoo’s recent financial reports instead. The more I read, the more my stomach sank. Finally, I slammed my hand on the table. “It’s nothing but losses! If this keeps up, the animals will be living on air.” I ran a hand through my hair, stressed. I had to think of something. I was so preoccupied that I didn’t notice a flash of green by the window. Echo the Parrot: Scouted her out. New Director is young. She’s a girl. Echo the Parrot: She just said she’s gonna make us live on air. I opened my phone and saw the two new messages. Someone was just here? I didn’t notice a thing. And what was that about “she’s a girl”? So rude. I sighed and typed out a message. Me: Hello everyone, I’m the new director, Summer. Me: And don’t worry, I have no intention of actually making the animals live on air. After sending the messages, I grabbed my pajamas and headed to the bathroom for a shower. I was halfway through when I heard a thump-thump-thump at the door. “I’m in the shower! Just a minute!” I yelled. The noise outside stopped for a second, then was replaced by a flurry of chittering sounds. “She says she’s showering.” “Do people have to shower, too?” “Of course they do, silly. People are very clean.” Hearing the commotion, I quickly rinsed off, dried myself, threw on my clothes, and opened the door. No one was there. I scanned the area. Not a soul in sight. “Director, Director! Down here!” I followed the voice and looked down. One, two… five red pandas were standing in a perfect line. The two larger ones at the front bowed to me in unison. “Greetings, Director!” The three smaller ones copied them, bowing as well. So they were the ones talking. Wait. How can I understand them? “Director, we don’t want to live on air!” the smallest one peeped, poking its head out from behind the others. “We want apples!” My brain short-circuited for a moment, then I remembered the bizarre group chat. Could it be that all the members were… animals? It would explain everything—why a nearly bankrupt zoo had so many “employees,” and all their strange comments. “Director, we can perform! Grandpa Director said performing earns money!” It was true. Animal shows could attract a lot of visitors, but it was also a very controversial practice. I shook my head, about to refuse, but then I saw the hopeful, glittering eyes of the red panda family looking up at me. “Please let us try!” I thought about my bank balance. Oh, what the hell. I’m against animal shows, but I can’t stop the animals if they insist on showing off! I led the red pandas into my room and knelt down. “So, what kind of tricks can you do?” They immediately lined up from biggest to smallest and stacked themselves on top of each other on the floor. The one on the very top even struck a one-legged “golden rooster” pose. Their cuteness was overwhelming. I instinctively whipped out my phone and captured the moment. “How was that? How was that?” “Absolutely adorable!” I found five apples in the storage room, gave one to each of them, and then ruffled the fur on each of their little heads. Such precious creatures! 2 After the red pandas left, I posted the video I’d taken online. “For just $9.99, you can see this adorable red panda family in person!” Then I dug out a dusty old sign from the warehouse and, with a can of white paint, wrote: “We are against animal shows, but we can’t stop the animals from showing off!” I set it up at the park entrance that very night. By the time I was done, the group chat had over 99 new messages. King of Monkey Rock: We can perform, too! Can we get bananas? I replied to them one by one. “What can you all do?” King of Monkey Rock: We can dance! King of Monkey Rock: And Goldie can do this trick where he pretends to eat his own tail! It’s amazing! Goldie? I wondered. A golden python avatar popped up. Goldie: No. King of Monkey Rock: You have to perform if you want to eat! No show, and you’ll be living on air! King of Monkey Rock: (Ignoring Goldie) Nana’s a great shot with her poop. King of Monkey Rock: And Flora’s tail feathers are beautiful when she fans them out, but she only does it for females. King of Monkey Rock: And Chubbs! He can do this adorable belly roll! King of Monkey Rock: And… and the tigress! She can sing! I couldn’t help but smile. “Performing is completely voluntary! I promise none of you will have to live on air!” 3 After chatting with the animals, I checked the video I’d posted. As expected, the reactions were mixed. Some were curious, while others accused me of animal abuse. “So cute! Where is this? I have to go!” “Are people still supporting animal shows? That simple trick probably cost them a dozen beatings behind the scenes.” “Only $9.99 and it’s close by. I’ll take the kids this weekend.” … I watched the view count climb. It was controversial, but at least it was getting some attention. The next day, I woke up early and followed the feeding charts my grandpa had left behind, preparing nutritious meals for all the animals. But when I got to Chubbs the leopard, I hit a snag. He had his own, separate chart: “Chubbs’ Weight-Loss Plan.” Underneath the plan, a line of text was highlighted in red. “WEIGHT IS SEVERELY OVER LIMITS! ADHERE STRICTLY TO THE MEAL PLAN!” But after he finished his meager portion, he rolled onto his back, showed me his belly, and did several pathetic little wiggles. “Director… hungryyyy.” I had to look away. I couldn’t bear it. “I’m sorry, Chubbs, but you need to lose weight.” “What’s ‘lose weight’? I’m hungryyyy~” He was acting so cute and pathetic, I could barely stand it. Was this really the king of the savanna I remembered from documentaries? He was acting like a giant housecat. “Can I pet him?” a girl’s voice asked from behind me as I was about to leave with the empty food bucket. It was only eight in the morning. We already had a visitor? “I saw the gate was open, so I came in,” she said, holding up a ticket. “Don’t worry, I paid.” Pet him? Under normal circumstances, with a normal leopard, absolutely not. But with Chubbs? I knelt down and asked him. “Chubbs, will you let this nice lady pet you?” “Petting gets me food?” “Nope.” “Oh. Okay, head pats only. No belly rubs.” I chuckled and turned to the girl. “You can pet his head, but please, no feeding.” After she promised three times, she reached out and happily stroked Chubbs’s head. I made a mental note to put up a new sign by his enclosure. “DO NOT FEED.” 4 As time went on, more people started coming to the zoo. It was just a trickle, but it was better than the emptiness of before. Since we were short-staffed, I had to stand at the gate and check tickets myself. Suddenly, my phone started buzzing nonstop. I pulled it out. The group chat, of course. Echo the Parrot: Director, Director! Petal and Sprout are fighting! The Red Panda Family: Oh no, they’re at it again! Petal and Sprout? I quickly typed in the chat, “Who?” The Red Panda Family: Our kids! I broke into a run, arriving at the red panda enclosure out of breath. The two little ones were still going at it, surrounded by a crowd of amused onlookers. “That apple is mine! MINE!” “No, it’s MINE!” It turned out they were fighting over a single apple a tourist had thrown them. Their parents, completely used to the drama, were diligently performing their stacking routine with their sister off to the side. Seeing the scene, I felt a mix of anger and heartache. But the first priority was to break them up. I leaped into the enclosure in three long strides, grabbing Petal with my left hand and Sprout with my right, pulling them apart. “It’s your fault! The Director’s here!” “No, it’s your fault! I don’t wanna go to the timeout cage!” Even as I held them, they stretched out their short little paws, trying to swipe at each other. “One more move and there will be no apples tomorrow!” I shouted. That finally got them to settle down, though they still glared daggers at each other. I sighed and carried them off. Fighting was bad behavior. A timeout in the “little black house” was unavoidable. I had just dealt with that when I received a complaint from another tourist. “What kind of zoo is this? It’s small and run-down, fine, but how can you have such ill-mannered animals? Who taught it to throw poop at people?” I managed a bitter smile. Nobody taught her. I sprinted over to the gorilla enclosure. Sure enough, Nana was standing atop a fake rock mountain, hooting and hollering, a dark, lumpy object clutched in her hand. She was scanning the crowd for her next target. Several visitors were already victims, and a foul odor permeated the air. “Director’s here! Director’s here!” a green shadow screeched as it circled overhead. It was Echo, the talking parrot. “Director, Director! Do you like poop?” My vision went dark. I was at my wit’s end. “Nana, stop throwing poop right now! One more throw and it’s the timeout cage for you!” I yelled. “Timeout cage, timeout cage! Nana, you’re in trouble!” Echo gloated, clearly enjoying the chaos. “You’re not getting away with this either!” I shot back. “Oh no, oh no! Echo’s going to the timeout cage, too!” “What a terrible zoo! That gorilla has no manners! I want a refund!” someone in the crowd yelled. A chorus of agreement followed. “This shirt is ruined! You have to pay for it!” A middle-aged man grabbed my arm. “Of course, of course. My apologies. Could you please add me on WeChat?” I said with a strained smile. “Nana, get him!” Echo shrieked. “Ooh-ooh-aah-aah! Okay!” The next second, the man holding my arm was baptized by poop for a second time. It was over. I was on the verge of tears. But I had to admit, Nana’s aim was impeccable. I was standing right next to him and didn’t get a single drop on me.

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The day of my mom’s heart transplant, my husband, Chase, redirected the donor heart. He gave it to a stranger sponsored by Lucy, his old flame, causing my mom’s surgery to fail and her to die. While making the funeral arrangements, I accidentally walked in on Chase and a visibly pregnant Lucy looking incredibly cozy. Lucy, probably afraid I’d be furious, looked to Chase. He was the one who said, “It’s not like her mom was going to die immediately without a new heart.” Clutching Mom’s urn, I confronted him. But Chase just shot back, annoyed, “It’s just one heart. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?” Tears streamed down my face. My heart felt like ashes. This failed marriage… it was time for it to end. 1 Because the donor’s family backed out at the last minute, Mom’s heart transplant failed. I knelt before the doctor, begging him to talk to the family again, but he told me there was nothing he could do. And because the surgery failed, Mom had to be resuscitated twice, but it was no use. As Mom was fading, I knelt by her bedside, sobbing uncontrollably. “It’s my fault, Mom! It’s all my fault!” She was so thin, just skin and bones, her hospital gown hanging loosely on her. “Mia, sweetie, Mom doesn’t blame you.” “But when Mom’s gone, there’ll be no one left in this world to love you. Mom worries about you… You have to remember to love yourself, okay?” Listening to her hoarse voice, my heart felt like it was being squeezed by a giant hand, aching so much I could barely breathe. “Mom…” Beeeeep— Before I could get the word out, the heart monitor let out a piercing, long beep. At the same time, the hand Mom had been struggling to lift to touch mine fell limp. “Mom!” I screamed, my voice raw with grief, but she never opened her eyes again. The medical staff gently ushered me out. Ten minutes later, the doctor gravely told me, “I’m so sorry for your loss.” In a daze, I contacted people, got the death certificate, arranged the cremation, and then, still in a fog, I came back to the hospital with Mom’s urn to take care of the remaining paperwork. But just as I was about to turn a corner, I heard a familiar voice: “Don’t listen now, we’re in a hospital. We can listen again when we get home.” I froze, peering around the corner. There was my husband, Chase, bent over a woman who was slightly showing, his ear pressed to her belly. “Okay, we’ll listen when we get back then.” He gently stroked the woman’s hair. I knew her. Lucy, the girlfriend of Chase’s deceased best friend. Lucy cooed, linking her arm through Chase’s. They looked incredibly close. In a soft, delicate voice, she said, “Chase, thank you so much. If you hadn’t redirected that heart today, he wouldn’t have made it. It’s just… Mia won’t have a problem with it, will she?” “I heard her mom needed a transplant.” Chase’s expression darkened. “It’s not like her mom was going to die immediately without it. That kid you’re sponsoring, though, he’s the one in a truly pitiful state.” “Giving him the heart… let’s just say it’s for the good of our baby.” It felt like a knife had been plunged straight through my heart. Finally, I couldn’t hold back. Clutching the urn, I walked up to them, fighting to stay calm, but tears streamed down my face. “Chase, did you give Mom’s heart to someone else?” He looked stunned to see me there, then his brow furrowed. He admitted, “It’s just one heart. Why are you getting so worked up?” “I found the donor heart. I have the right to decide who gets it.” Yes, it was true. Chase had been the one to find the donor heart initially. But that didn’t mean he could just give it away to someone else right when the transplant surgery was supposed to happen! My hands were shaking. Lucy chimed in softly, “Mia. Chase did it for me. Don’t be upset and ruin your marriage over this. Don’t worry, Chase will definitely find another heart.” I looked up at her. “What’s the use of finding another heart? Mom’s not coming back! You two killed my mom!” Chase’s expression shifted. He was about to say something, but Lucy tugged his hand and said cautiously, “Mia has every right to be angry with me. Chase, don’t blame her.” “But… didn’t you tell me before that Mia’s mom was stable and didn’t urgently need the transplant? Did I… did I really cause a delay for Mia’s mom…?” Hearing her tearful, on-the-verge-of-crying tone, Chase grew impatient. He patted Lucy, then said to me, “Mia, there’s no need to curse your own mother just to make Lucy feel guilty. You think I haven’t seen your mom’s medical reports?” “She wouldn’t have been in major trouble if she didn’t get a heart right away.” A bitter laugh escaped me. I held up the urn for Chase to see. “Then what do you call this?” “It’s my mom’s ashes! You killed my mom!” Lucy let go of Chase’s arm and stepped forward to look. But the next second, as if startled by my words, her hand flailed and hit the urn. I lost my grip, and it fell straight to the floor! Mom’s ashes spilled onto the ground. I screamed and immediately dropped to my knees, frantically trying to scoop the ashes back into the box. “Mia, I know you’re upset, but you shouldn’t be talking like that about your mother. The surgery was just today. How could someone pass away today and be cremated into ashes so quickly?” “Besides… it’s kind of bad luck to talk like that.” Her words made me tremble with rage. The moment she finished speaking, I shot up and slapped her hard across the face, then quickly grabbed her by the throat. “Say that again! Say that again!” Chase’s face changed instantly. He grabbed my wrist, his grip incredibly strong. When he saw the red marks on Lucy’s neck, he looked pained and called the cops. 2 Chase wanted to stand up for Lucy, so he called the cops and went with me to the station after they cuffed me. Before they took me away, I begged a female officer to look after the urn. Chase shot me a scornful look. He probably thought I was still putting on an act. While I was giving my statement, through the glass, I could see Chase dabbing ointment on Lucy. So when I told the officer Chase and I were married, even he looked surprised for a moment. Humiliated, I lowered my gaze, a few tears escaping. Suddenly, another officer came over and whispered something to the one taking my statement. He then put down his pen and said, “Alright, the lady you hit has decided not to press charges.” He looked at me sympathetically and uncuffed me. I mumbled a thank you. Exhausted, I walked out of the interrogation room and ran right into Chase. One hand in his pocket, he seemed to have been waiting for me. When he saw me, he said curtly, “Lucy was kind enough to forgive you. Don’t go looking for trouble with her again.” After delivering that message, Chase turned and walked towards Lucy, who was waiting for him. I stared sadly at his retreating back. Chase wasn’t always like this. He, the proud scion of the wealthy Miller family, had once knelt before my mom to marry me, swearing he’d be good to me for life and never let me down. After we got married, he kept his promise. He supported my career, respected my decisions, gave me a shoulder to cry on when I was vulnerable, and enthusiastically celebrated my joys. And I was a good wife too. I comforted him carefully when he was down, and when his company hit a rough patch, I accompanied him to all those networking dinners with heavy drinking. Back then, for his sake, I downed half a bottle of hard liquor at one of those events, which messed up my stomach for good. Until a year ago, when Lucy married his best friend. Chase got blackout drunk, and that’s when I found out I was just his second choice. Because of that, I cried to my mom about it. Mom was so furious she went to his office and chewed him out. His best friend happened to walk in on it, and they parted on bad terms. That friend went home, had a fight with Lucy, and then died in an accidental car crash. Chase blamed my mom for all of it. He started openly taking care of Lucy and gradually grew cold towards me. “Chase, do you hate me that much?” I asked, my voice hoarse. He paused for a moment but walked out without answering. My heart ached as if pricked by needles. When I walked out of the police station, dejected and clutching the urn, I realized it had started to rain. Someone called my name: “Mia.” Lucy approached with an umbrella. She offered it to me, a soft smile on her face, but her words sent a chill down my spine: “Did your mom say anything to you before she died?” I snapped my head up and stared at her. She pouted innocently. “Actually, that kid I’m sponsoring didn’t absolutely need the heart either. But who can blame Chase for caring about me so much?” She placed the umbrella on top of the urn and waved. “Get home safe, don’t get caught in the rain. See you next time.” I watched her walk away, get picked up by Chase in his car, and then slowly disappear from sight. Without realizing it, I’d bitten my lip until it bled. “Mia, where do you live? I’m heading home too. Need a ride?” I turned to see a female officer who was getting off duty. She handed me a couple of tissues, her eyes filled with kind sympathy. I wondered how much she’d seen. “Come on.” She took the umbrella Lucy had left on the urn, tossed it into the nearest trash can, and then opened her own to lead me away. Before I got out of the car, she added, “Mia, if something’s bothering you, don’t keep it bottled up. You could talk to a therapist.” “Believe in yourself. Don’t give up.” How ridiculous. A complete stranger, someone I’d just met, showed me more compassion than Chase ever did. 3 I soaked in the tub for a while, then after contacting family back in Mom’s hometown, I got dressed and lay down on the bed. Mom’s hometown was down south. Before her surgery, she kept talking about wanting to go back. I planned to bury her there. Lying in bed, I numbly scrolled through my social media feed and saw a post Chase had made earlier in the day—just one picture: a sapphire butterfly necklace on a fair, slender neck. It was like a stab to the heart. I immediately locked my phone, covering my eyes as tears streamed down, unstoppable. I knew that necklace. It used to be mine. The Millers are jewelry tycoons. Before Chase proposed, he personally designed and crafted that necklace, naming it “Devotion.” Devotion only to me. But later, when his company faced a crisis, I pawned it for a huge sum to help bail them out. When Chase found out, he held my hand and told me firmly, “Mia, I swear I’ll buy it back. It only belongs to you.” But now, it was around Lucy’s neck. “What are you crying about?” Chase’s voice startled me. I looked up, surprised, to see he’d come into the bedroom without me noticing. Seeing my tears, Chase frowned impatiently. “Today was just to teach you a lesson. What’s there to be upset about? Lucy isn’t upset.” “Your mom’s donor heart will be here next week, so stop crying. Oh, and make a pot of that pork rib soup and bring it to the office tomorrow night.” I gave a sarcastic little smile. This was the man I’d loved for years. “Chase, let’s get a divorce.” I sat up and looked at him, my voice soft. He froze for a second, then scoffed. “Divorce? Over a little thing like today? Are you serious, Mia? Without me, you wouldn’t be living so comfortably as Mrs. Miller. You want a divorce? Who are you kidding?” “You and Lucy are having a baby. Is there any point to our marriage anymore?” “Don’t bring Lucy into this. If it weren’t for your mom, Lucy would have someone else to take care of her! Now she has no one, so what’s wrong with me looking after her a bit more?” It was only then he noticed the urn on the nightstand. His face darkened, and he strode over and knocked it over before I could even react! “Mia, don’t push it! Bringing that thing into the house, aren’t you worried about bad luck?!” Chase was furious. “If you’re so keen on cursing your mom to death, then fine, let her die without the heart I found! She owes Lucy a life anyway!” Chase slammed the door and left, my words caught in my throat. At the same time, a text from an unknown number popped up on my phone. [Your mom’s heart is working out great.] Attached was a picture of a young boy in a hospital gown. I didn’t even have to guess it was Lucy. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. Buddy came up to me, his wet eyes fixed on mine, and he licked my hand worriedly. He was a stray I’d found right after Chase and I got married. I’d had him for three years; he was practically family. Now, he cared more about me than Chase did. 4 The day after that night, I left Buddy with the housekeeper I’d hired and took a flight back to Mom’s hometown with her urn. By the time all the funeral arrangements were finished, five days had passed. During that time, Chase called me over a dozen times. I ignored every call, along with his texts and messages. I found a lawyer at a firm to draft the divorce papers. After the plane landed, I went home with the divorce agreement in hand. The housekeeper told me Chase was in the study. The door wasn’t completely closed, and I could vaguely hear voices talking inside. “Chase, don’t blame Mia. It’s normal for her to be in a bad mood.” “Normal? Have I ever wronged her since she married me? It was just a small thing, and she throws a tantrum.” “Worst case, when we get in touch with Mia, just have her make soup for a few more days. Her temper isn’t great, but she’s a good cook. I’m really craving her pork rib soup…” “Alright, alright, you little glutton.” So, all the soup I’d made for Chase before had ended up in Lucy’s stomach. No wonder Chase had specifically asked me to make soup before I left. Even though I was already disappointed beyond words, it still hurt. I took a deep breath to calm myself and pushed the door open hard. Lucy was leaning against Chase’s shoulder on the sofa. “You’re finally back.” Chase stood up immediately when he saw me, somewhat annoyed. “Where have you been these past few days?” I didn’t wait for him to say more. I put the divorce papers on the table and told Chase calmly, “I’ve already signed them. I don’t want to make this ugly. You should sign them soon too. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the courthouse.” I glanced at Lucy, who clearly understood what was happening, a flicker of joy in her eyes. I gave a cold smile. “If I’d known all that soup I made was ending up in some leech’s stomach, I would’ve put something nasty in it.” “You want to divorce me?” Chase glanced at the papers, a mix of disbelief and anger in his voice. “Mia, are you really serious about this?” “Let me tell you, if you divorce me, your mom can forget about ever getting that heart transplant!” Lucy quickly tried to soothe him, then said to me in a reproachful tone, “Mia, everyone knows how much you love Chase. Even if you’re unhappy about something, you should talk it out and resolve it, not just demand a divorce. It’s so damaging to your relationship.” Chase composed himself a bit, then sneered and picked up his phone. “Zack, tell the hospital there’s no rush on the heart transplant. We’ll observe Mrs. Miller’s mom’s condition for a while longer.” Yes, everyone knew how much I loved Chase. I was a sheltered kid myself, yet when Chase had an accident, I stayed by his side for half a month straight, barely sleeping, just three or four hours a night to take care of him. I couldn’t handle alcohol, but at those business dinners, when people were giving Chase a hard time, I downed half a bottle of hard liquor for him, which led to a stomach hemorrhage and landed me in the hospital with chronic stomach problems. Because I felt guilty towards Chase about what happened with Lucy’s husband, I willingly put up with his sudden change in attitude towards me and the way he doted on Lucy, crossing all lines. “Woof woof woof—” Buddy had somehow run into the study and lunged at Lucy. Startled, she reflexively kicked out, catching Buddy right in the stomach. He yelped in pain and collapsed, whimpering by the side. “Buddy!” I was furious. I rushed forward and slapped Lucy hard across the face, sending her stumbling back onto the sofa. Tears instantly welled up in Lucy’s eyes. As I grabbed the nearest book and brought it down on her head, Chase shoved me hard. My lower stomach slammed into the corner of the desk, and a searing pain made me crumple to the floor. Chase paused for a second when he saw my reaction, but Lucy’s cry drew his attention. “Chase, my stomach hurts…” Cold sweat beaded on my forehead from the pain. The housekeeper rushed up from downstairs to the study door and screamed, “Ma’am, you’re bleeding! Don’t move, I’ll call an ambulance right away!” Chase didn’t hesitate. He immediately turned, scooped Lucy into his arms, and strode past me. His phone started ringing incessantly. He answered impatiently, “What is it? Spit it out!” He must have accidentally hit the speakerphone button, because Zack’s voice came through clearly: “Mr. Miller, the hospital said… Mrs. Miller’s mother passed away six days ago.”

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My mother was Her Grace, the Duchess, a woman of legendary beauty in her day, the King’s own sister. My father was the Duke, a man renowned for both his strategic genius and his prowess on the battlefield. Yet, though I was their legitimate daughter, my two older brothers doted on a mere servant girl, Willow Creston, to the point of obsession. To win her favor, they even allowed her to masquerade in my place. At the Spring Gala, Willow snatched the crystal scepter—a royal gift from the King meant for the Duke’s true daughter—and announced loudly, “If it weren’t for the kindness of your brothers, Ethan and Liam, letting me bring you along to see the world, when would you ever get to lay eyes on a treasure bestowed by His Majesty?” “Even though you’re just a lowly maid,” she’d lectured me, “every word and action of yours reflects on the Duke’s household.” In my previous life, I’d been cowed by my brothers’ threats, too timid to speak. But I’ve been reborn. Watching Willow’s insufferable arrogance, I strode forward, snatched the crystal scepter from her hands, and slapped her so hard she sprawled on the floor. “Who in the hell do you think you are, acting so brazenly before me? You dare to lay your filthy hands on a gift from my own uncle, the King!” No one expected such audacity from me. As shock rippled through the guests, I calmly instructed the head housekeeper, Mrs. Gable, to secure the scepter. Mrs. Gable shot me a hesitant, conflicted look, then, trembling, started to offer the scepter back to the furious Willow. “M-Miss,” she stammered, “perhaps it’s best if you return the scepter to the young lady…” I settled myself in the seat of honor, a faint smile playing on my lips. “‘Miss’? I am Annelise Thorne, the Duke’s legitimate daughter. In private, I might let ‘Miss’ slide. But out here, in public, what should you be calling me?” Mrs. Gable trembled, her eyes darting towards Willow, who was scrambling up from the floor, face contorted with rage. Before she could utter another word, I stepped forward and kicked the old crone, sending her tumbling. “Since you can’t tell master from servant, perhaps we should just sell you off.” In my past life, this old bat, emboldened by my brothers’ favor towards Willow, had made my life hell. She hadn’t just skimped on my food and clothing; after helping Willow drive me to my death, she’d stripped me bare and thrown my body into a filthy pigsty. Hearing my words, Mrs. Gable forgot all about Willow. Clutching the scepter, she scrambled to kneel beside me, begging, “It was this old servant’s transgression! Please, My Lady, have mercy!” “Annelise, dear, why must you make things so hard for the staff?” Willow’s voice, usually as sweet as a songbird, now trembled as if she were terrified of me. She looked so pitiful, on the verge of tears, a picture of wronged innocence. Many onlookers, seeing her distress, frowned in my direction. Elara Vance, daughter of General Vance and a close friend of Willow’s, was incandescent with rage. She stormed up to me, jabbing a finger in my face. “You! You worthless servant girl! How dare you act so insolently in front of Willow, the true daughter of House Thorne! You must have a death wish!” “Everyone knows how much the Duke and Duchess cherish their only daughter. Looks like someone’s about to meet a nasty end.” “I heard this servant girl was dragged in from some backwater village. Always scheming to climb the social ladder. Seems the rumors were true; she’s utterly uncouth.” When I was first brought back to the estate, I was still adjusting. My brothers, seeing my timidity, were ashamed to present me in society. That’s how all sorts of nasty rumors about me started, none of them flattering. Reborn, I finally understood. I was Annelise Thorne, legitimate daughter of a Duke, niece to the King himself—a lady of the highest nobility, precious and esteemed. Why should I be overshadowed by Willow, a genuine servant, and those two sycophants my parents had taken in, born from a lesser branch? The thought sharpened my gaze like a blade as I fixed it on Elara Vance. “And who, pray tell, are you? The daughter of a mere Brigadier General, daring to meddle in the affairs of my Duke’s household! I doubt even General Vance himself would dare speak to me so rudely!” Elara clearly hadn’t expected me to talk back so publicly. Her face flushed crimson. She lunged, hand raised to strike, but I deftly dodged and landed a stinging slap across her own cheek. “You—a servant—you dare hit me? I am a General’s daughter!” she shrieked in disbelief. The surrounding young ladies gasped. Willow clutched her chest, looking faint with fury. She snarled at the servants cowering nearby, “This girl has lost her mind! Tie her up and throw her in the woodshed, now!” I swept my gaze over the few footmen who, ropes in hand, were hesitantly approaching. A dangerous glint entered my eyes. “I am the Duchess’s own daughter. Even if you’re household servants born and bred to House Thorne, you dare lay hands on me?” Willow’s expression froze. A flicker of panic crossed her face, quickly masked by a forced sneer. “What utter nonsense are you spouting! Everyone in the capital knows you, Annelise Thorne, are just the girl who empties the chamber pots for the Duke’s household!” The others clearly didn’t believe me. “Willow’s right. She really has gone mad.” “The Duchess has spent years in seclusion at Mount Serene, deep in prayer for the well-being of her only daughter, and this shameless creature has the audacity to impersonate her.” Unperturbed, I instructed my personal maid, Summer, who stood beside me, “Go tell my eldest brother and second brother that this Spring Gala seems to be over.” Summer looked at me, her expression torn. My brothers doted on Willow; if they knew I’d humiliated her, they wouldn’t let me off easy. Seeing my nod, she hurried out, her face still etched with worry. Willow, however, couldn’t have been more pleased. She tilted her chin smugly. “If Ethan and Liam knew what you’ve done today, they’d never forgive you.” In my past life, the brothers I’d admired since childhood had stood by and watched Willow bully me, watched her steal my identity. In the end, they’d thrown me into a den of beggars. As filthy hands tormented me, I’d screamed for my brothers to save me. But they’d merely said my cries were frightening their dear sister Willow. They had my tongue cut out. When I died, there wasn’t an unblemished patch of skin on my body. Now, I’ve clawed my way back from hell. Let’s see who won’t forgive whom. 2 It wasn’t long before Summer rushed back in, her face etched with guilt. Head bowed, she said, her voice tinged with pity, “My Lady, the Young Lord Ethan and Master Liam are having tea. They said your… minor issues… shouldn’t disturb them, and that everything should be handled according to Miss Willow’s wishes.” Of course. No matter how cruelly I was treated, in their eyes, it was just a “minor issue,” not worth their attention. Willow let out a snort of laughter. “See? You even made her run around for nothing…” Before she could finish, someone else stormed into the room. It was Preston Miles, my fiancé, the legitimate son of the High General’s household. Summer, thinking he was here to help me, brightened instantly. I just gave a small, wry shake of my head. When we were children, he’d trailed after me like a puppy, begging me to marry him when we grew up. He’d pestered his father to formally propose and exchange tokens of betrothal. But ever since he’d laid eyes on Willow, he’d become utterly bewitched by her, even helping her humiliate me. Preston anxiously scanned Willow from head to toe, as if terrified she’d lost a single strand of hair. Then, he turned to me, his face a mask of disgust. “A wretched servant girl! I can’t believe I was fooled by you, actually thinking you were the high-born lady of House Thorne. Thank goodness the Young Lord Ethan set me straight. If I had actually married you…” “The Miles family would have become a laughingstock for the entire kingdom!” My own fiancé was adamantly denying my identity. This instantly changed the expressions of those who had harbored even a sliver of belief in my true status. The unfolding drama captivated the onlookers. Curious eyes darted between us, and the smirk on Willow’s face grew more pronounced. To further champion Willow, Preston’s expression hardened. He ripped the engagement locket from his neck. “Here’s your token back! Someone as lowborn as you should find a stablehand or a night watchman to marry!” Seeing Preston’s resolute determination, I remembered how, in my past life, after my death, the King had been furious. Preston had knelt before my uncle, the King, weeping uncontrollably, swearing he had always loved me, that he’d only been deceived by villains into his foolish actions. It was so laughable, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Preston’s face darkened. “What are you laughing at?” “I’m laughing at how blind you are, mistaking a fish eye for a pearl. Breaking off our engagement for a real servant girl. I wonder what your father, the old General, will say when he finds out.” A collective gasp went through the crowd at my words. “Willow Creston is the actual servant?” “But why would the Young Lord Ethan claim she’s his sister?” Murmurs erupted, all eyes fixated on Willow and me. I stood there, unadorned by makeup, yet my natural elegance and noble bearing were undeniable. She, in contrast, though dressed in finery, couldn’t hide the cunning in her eyes, the inherent vulgarity, the air of a clumsy imposter. Willow’s face turned pale. She bit her lip and hastily retorted, “If you’re really the high-born lady, why does no one here recognize you? You can’t just make up lies because you’re jealous that Preston cares for me!” Preston scoffed. “Willow has been too kind to expose your true identity, and now you have the gall to turn things around and accuse her!” Their words quickly swayed the onlookers. Elara Vance, who had just been humiliated, suddenly found her courage again. “She’s just a servant! Even if we beat you to death today, no one would stand up for you! I’ll teach you a lesson on Willow’s behalf!” Several other young ladies, not wanting to be left out, ordered their maids to restrain me. One of them kicked me to my knees. “Let’s teach her how to apologize properly,” one sneered, then forcefully shoved my head down, again and again, until blood stained the ground. Preston pulled Willow behind him. “It’s too vile. Don’t let it dirty your eyes.” Willow smirked triumphantly. “I told you not to cross me, but you wouldn’t listen. Who do you think you are to have a say in this household?” I tilted my head back defiantly, glaring at her. “My mother will be back soon! And when she is, none of you will get away with this!” My Coming-of-Age Ball was just after the Spring Gala. My mother was returning to preside over it, and my uncle, the King, was to officially grant me the title of Countess on that day. That was why all these people were scrambling to curry favor with House Thorne. In my previous life, however, I never made it to my Coming-of-Age Ball. Willow framed me, and I died without ever seeing my mother again. Willow leaned down, her voice a derisive whisper in my ear, “You’re so naive. The Miles family commands vast armies. Once I marry into their family, who would dare touch me?” The memory of how my constant yielding in my past life had only led to a horrific death fueled my resolve. This time, I wouldn’t let her escape. 3 I struggled fiercely, trying to pull out a hairpin to defend myself, but before I could, a furious voice boomed, “Preposterous!” My two brothers, Ethan and Liam, strode into the room, and my attackers hastily released me. A flicker of panic crossed Willow’s face, but she quickly composed herself and, smiling, took Liam’s arm. My second brother looked at her with doting affection. Ethan, my eldest brother and the Heir, shot her a concerned glance before turning his disgusted gaze upon my disheveled form. He rebuked me publicly, “A vulgar, worthless wench! Daring to disrespect your betters! Can’t you learn to behave with some of Willow’s grace and poise? Then maybe you could find a decent man to marry you off to.” In my past life, my brothers had said such things countless times. Desperate for their approval, I had tried to emulate Willow, only for them to mock me as a clumsy copycat. I finally understood: those who don’t care about you will never see your efforts, no matter how hard you try. At this thought, a cold smile touched my lips. “Learn from Willow? You mean her fake sentimentality? Or perhaps her talent for being an imposter?” Fearing they’d be implicated, the gaggle of noble girls all started chattering at once, heaping all the blame on me. “She even dares to contradict the Young Lord Ethan! No wonder she bullies poor Willow.” “Yes, just now she was not only rude to Willow but also tried to steal the royal gift! If we hadn’t protected Willow, who knows what outrageous thing she might have done.” Preston Miles stepped forward, his voice filled with righteous indignation. “This country bumpkin isn’t fit to touch a single hair on Willow’s head! Today, in front of the Young Lord Ethan, I formally break off our engagement!” My second brother, Liam, looked deeply apologetic. “It’s all our fault. We failed to discipline this troublemaker. It’s a disgrace to both our families.” It seemed the alliance between House Thorne and the Miles family was shattered, all because of me. Ethan frowned. “House Thorne has no daughter who would bring such disgrace upon us. Willow Creston is my only sister.” Willow’s eyes widened in delighted surprise, then she lowered her head, sighing theatrically. “It was my mismanagement… allowing a mere servant to dream of taking another’s place. It’s my fault…” Her words tugged at the heartstrings of the three men. Preston immediately produced the marriage contract and dramatically tore it to shreds. He then took the engagement locket he’d snatched from me and reverently fastened it around Willow’s waist. He announced loudly, “Esteemed guests, today it has become abundantly clear who the true young lady of House Thorne is. I, Preston Miles, now formally ask for the hand of Miss Willow Creston in marriage!” Amidst a chorus of cheers and blessings, Willow shot me a triumphant, smug glance. I ignored her provocation. If she wanted such a fickle man, she was welcome to him. Seeing no trace of remorse in me, my second brother, Liam, turned to Ethan with a cruel suggestion. “Brother, today Annelise publicly disrespected her superiors and humiliated Willow. However, out of a sense of compassion, perhaps we should just marry her off to a stablehand and banish her to one of the rural estates.” Ethan seemed to hesitate. “If you publicly admit your mistake today and then spend the night kneeling in the family chapel, we’ll let this go.” The smile froze on Willow’s face. She said with feigned grievance, “It’s alright, brothers. You don’t need to be angry on my account. I don’t care about such empty titles.” Then, turning to me, she added, “But sister, no matter how willful you are, you shouldn’t disgrace the family name.” At her words, Ethan’s impatience became visible. “You still refuse to admit you’re wrong?” he demanded of me. Hah. These were the brothers I had admired since childhood. They hadn’t always enjoyed their current status and wealth. It was because I, as a child, loved to follow them around that my mother had formally adopted these sons from a lesser branch of the family under her name, even securing the title of Heir for Ethan early on. I stiffened my neck, wanting to slap myself for being so foolish, for wasting my genuine affection on such vipers. Ethan’s face was grim. He turned and ordered the servants, “Do as the Second Young Master said. Go to the stables, pick out a groom for her to marry, then throw her out onto a country estate. If she doesn’t admit her fault, she’s never to return.” I met Ethan’s gaze, my voice cold. “What right do you have to banish me? Even the head of the Thorne clan wouldn’t dare to strike my name from the family records!” Liam snorted. “Father and Mother aren’t here. As the Heir, Ethan naturally has the authority to manage household affairs.” Ethan announced solemnly, “The Duke has only ever had one daughter, Willow. Annelise Thorne has nothing to do with us.” Willow, beaming with triumph, instructed a servant, “This is all so sudden. Later, the family carriages will be needed to send our honored guests home. Just call for a common cart from outside the estate to send her away.” Just as they were about to drag me off—

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After my parents passed away, the man who called himself my uncle took me in. Even though we weren’t blood relatives, he held me in his palm, cherishing me like a precious gem. On my twentieth birthday, I leaned in, feigning drunkenness, and brushed a kiss against his lips. He pushed me away fiercely, telling me to get out of his house: “Until you clean those dirty thoughts out of your head, don’t ever come back!” The very next day, news of Uncle Liam’s engagement broke. “Nancy, I’ve found a heart donor. We’ll get married as soon as the surgery is over.” To prevent me from causing trouble, he warned me repeatedly not to show up at the wedding, which was a week away. I smiled. In three days, I wouldn’t exist anymore. How could I possibly appear and ruin his happiness? But when Uncle Liam finally learned the truth, he single-handedly destroyed his own wedding. 1. “Mmm, Liam, you’re amazing!” Listening to the intimate sounds from next door, my entire body trembled. Ever since that night I confessed my feelings to Liam Thorne, he’d brought Sophia Price into the house. “She’s my girlfriend, and the future lady of this house. You should call her Aunt Sophia.” Sophia generously gave me a bracelet. “Liam has told me all about you. You’re his niece, Nancy, right?” The word ‘niece’ stung my heart. The truth was, Liam and I had no blood relation whatsoever. He was just my father’s closest friend, who I’d always called ‘Uncle’. After my parents died one after another, he saw how young and helpless I was, and he took me in. On the day I confessed to him, he’d warned me the same way: “Nancy Davies, I’m your uncle!” His hand went up, but just as it was about to land on my face, it stopped. Instead, he dragged me into the bathroom, where ice-cold water streamed over my head, soaking me. “Wash all those dirty thoughts out of your mind, or don’t ever set foot in this house again!” When the sounds from next door finally ceased, I got up to the living room to pour a glass of water and take my medicine. My illness had reached the point where, if I didn’t take my pills, I’d be in pain all night long. If it continued like this, I was afraid I’d be gone even before my time was up. “Nancy, are you still awake?” Sophia leaned against the doorway, her chest fully exposed, covered in messy red and purple marks. It was obvious how much fun they’d just had. My chest tightened. I hummed in acknowledgment, lowering my gaze, about to walk past her to my room, when she suddenly moved closer. Immediately, the air was filled with a sickeningly sweet scent. “How desperate are you? A niece falling for her own uncle? Have you considered seeing a therapist?” “You…” Had Liam actually told her about that? My heart, which I thought could no longer ache, now twisted in pain, making it hard to breathe. “Liam only took you in out of pity. I never thought you’d harbor such dirty thoughts. Your parents are gone, Nancy. Honestly, how do you even show your face?” “You—” Before I could even speak, Sophia covered her face and began to sob. “Nancy, no matter what, you’re Liam’s niece! How could you say such things about him?” My heart sank. Sure enough, Liam walked up behind me. He roughly bumped into me, pulling Sophia into his arms. “I…” “Nancy Davies, you don’t need to live here anymore. Get out of my and Sophia’s home!” I hadn’t even had a chance to explain, yet Liam had already condemned me. He used to hold my hand, whispering softly in my ear: “From now on, this is your home.” Now, he was telling me not to live here anymore, to get out of his and someone else’s home. Tears silently streamed down my face. Sophia shot me a triumphant look. It wasn’t until I reached my room’s doorway that Liam finally stopped. But he didn’t even turn around, only his cold voice drifted to me. “You don’t need to come to my and Sophia’s wedding next week. You don’t deserve to!” As the sound of the door locking echoed, the cramping in my stomach grew more intense. The wedding next week? Don’t worry, I won’t make it. By then, I’ll likely already be on the operating table. “Then… I wish you happiness.” Even if I might never witness your happiness. 2. As I packed my belongings, Sophia pretended to stop me, while also shoving my things haphazardly into the suitcase. “Hurry up and get out! Liam is not someone you can ever dream of!” The man who once held me close, telling me to always tell him if anyone ever bullied me. Now sat on the couch, sipping tea, not even bothering to spare me a glance. “This is nice.” Sophia took a carved wooden charm from my hand, examining it. She chuckled softly, “This is mine now.” “No!” I snatched it back. “This was the first gift Uncle Liam ever gave me. I can’t give it to you!” The charm was small, with my name and Liam Thorne’s name carved on its back. When I first arrived here, I was full of resistance and fear towards Liam. One night, I snuck out. I was lost for two whole days, and Liam searched for me for two days straight. When I saw him, my eyes were wide with fear. I was afraid he would hit me, or yell at me. But he just held me tightly in his arms, hot tears soaking my face. “Nancy, you really scared me to death. If anything happened to you, what would I do?” He meticulously checked me over, worried I might have a scratch or bruise. But in reality, he was the one covered in scrapes and bruises. I only found out later that he’d been so worried I might fall down the nearby ravine, so afraid that the rescue team would be too late, that he’d actually free-climbed down himself. This charm was something he carved for me with his own hands back then. “This way, our Nancy won’t get lost.” “Smack!” The tighter I held onto it, the more Sophia wanted to fight me for it. The charm was tossed out the window. Just as I was about to rush out to pick it up, Liam grabbed my wrist. “Nancy Davies, what games are you still playing in my house?” “The charm… the charm you gave me…” He glanced at Sophia, and a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes, but his tone remained cold as usual. “Stop playing your little games. I told you to get out, didn’t you hear me?!” I moved into a nearby apartment. Curled up on the bed, even though I was covered in a thick down comforter, I still felt cold, and my heart cramped with pain. Liam suddenly stood before me, extending his hand. “Liam, Liam…” I clutched his hand tightly. He smiled and pulled me into his embrace. Just like before, he dotingly ruffled my hair, making me cotton candy with his own hands. “Nancy, will you promise to always stay by my side?” “Yes!” My phone’s ringtone woke me from my dream. “The surgery is scheduled for three days from now. Although the success rate is less than ten percent, if you’re ready…” Three days from now? Right. Next week was Liam Thorne and Sophia Price’s wedding. He must be eagerly anticipating it by now. Suppressing the bitter ache in my heart, I softly hummed: “I’m ready anytime.” One more week until Liam’s wedding. And three days from now, I would be gone for good. 3. “Nancy Davies, how much longer are you going to keep this charade up!” When Liam Thorne’s call came, a ripple of excitement went through me. He… But as soon as I answered, his accusing voice came through the phone. “Just for your disgusting little scheme, you’re willing to make Sophia suffer like this?!” “Liam, I…” “Call me Uncle!” Liam’s words instantly snapped me back to reality. Yes, Liam Thorne was just my uncle, and would only ever be my uncle. Just like the first time I saw him. He held my hand, gently ruffled my hair, and softly coaxed me: “Nancy, will you call me Uncle?” I clutched my chest, and just like before, I obediently replied: “Yes, Uncle.” Liam seemed to hesitate for a moment on the other end, then Sophia’s soft sobs could be heard through the phone, and his angry voice resonated in my ear once more. “Go online right now and delete all that garbage you posted. Otherwise, don’t blame me for disregarding all these years of friendship!” “What online stuff?” I was a bit taken aback. “Nancy Davies, there’s no possibility between us. No matter how many tricks or schemes you play behind my back, I will never be with you.” Liam paused, his voice cold, but I still detected a slight tremble. He enunciated each word: “Nancy Davies, you’re just a pathetic orphan I adopted. I’ve never liked you, and you don’t need to hope for things you shouldn’t hope for!” Looking at the disconnected call in my hand, I gave a self-deprecating laugh. I had long stopped hoping for things I shouldn’t. Now, all I wanted was to repay Liam Thorne for his kindness in raising me. If not for him, I might not even exist in this world. I opened social media and discovered that Sophia Price had been trending. “Husband-snatcher, playing victim for fame!” “Third-party home wrecker, poor wife beaten black and blue!” It was accompanied by several pictures. Each photo was perfectly angled; Liam Thorne and Sophia Price were either too blurry to recognize or not in the shot at all, yet I was captured exceptionally clearly, my face only haphazardly blurred. The poster claimed to be seeking justice for me, saying I was Liam Thorne’s legitimate partner, threatened and bullied by Sophia Price. The comment section was filled with pity and sympathy for me, condemning Sophia Price and calling her heartless. I finally understood. Liam Thorne thought all of this was something I had put online. He hadn’t even asked me a single question, immediately assuming I was behind it all. But he used to trust me more than anyone, didn’t he? When I was little and got a cavity from sneaking chocolate chip cookies. Liam Thorne asked me: “Who ate the cookies from the table?” I shook my head, denying: “Definitely not me.” He smiled, wiping away the cookie crumbs from the corner of my mouth: “Alright, if our Nancy says it wasn’t her, then it wasn’t. Whatever you say, I’ll always believe every word.” Now, that ‘always’ had vanished in an instant. Soon, a clarification video was posted online. Liam Thorne’s face filled my screen. He embraced Sophia Price, speaking softly: “Sophia is my fiancée, not some homewrecker.” The comment section erupted in an uproar. “As for Nancy Davies…” My heart stopped. A flicker of hesitation and struggle crossed his eyes before he cleared his throat and continued: “She’s just my adopted little niece, nothing more. There’s no other relationship between us!” “This Nancy Davies is disgusting, trying to scheme against her own uncle! So shameless!” The online narrative completely shifted to me, with everyone condemning me as shameless. For Sophia, Liam Thorne chose to sacrifice me. I laughed self-deprecatingly. It turned out that when someone was so heartbroken they reached despair, they wouldn’t cry. But it was fine. Tomorrow, all of this would be over. I gently covered my heart. If it helped, I’d give it all to him, everything. Then, we would be completely even. 4. Liam Thorne came looking for me. “Nancy Davies, come back home.” “No, thanks.” I would be leaving soon; why cause them more trouble now? My refusal seemed to startle Liam. A flicker of pain actually crossed his face, but it was fleeting, and his composure quickly returned. “I’m having heart transplant surgery tomorrow. Sophia will need you to look after her more. If anything happens to me…” “Uncle Liam, don’t worry, nothing will happen to you.” I smiled. “As for Aunt Sophia, you’d better take good care of her yourself. I don’t have that ability.” “Nancy Davies, at a time like this, are you still going to throw a tantrum?!” He came forward and grabbed my wrist. “Come back with me!” “I don’t want to!” Faced with my rare resistance, Liam Thorne tightened his grip. After finally struggling free from his hand, a sharp cramp suddenly seized my stomach. Was it going to flare up again? No, not now, at least not now. I bit my lip hard, forcing myself to endure the pain, and turned to walk back. Liam Thorne impatiently grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Nancy Davies, don’t you dare…” I couldn’t hold it in any longer. A mouthful of blood splattered directly onto Liam Thorne’s face. “Nancy—” When I woke up, I was lying in bed, greeted by Liam Thorne’s face, furious to the extreme. “Nancy Davies, are you not going to keep up the act?” I looked at him, bewildered. “What act?” A stack of medical reports was flung onto the bed. My heart sank. If Liam Thorne discovered my illness, then all my preparations would have been in vain! “Nancy Davies, to make me pity you, you even went so far as to create these fake reports and deliberately fainted in front of me. Do any of these things you’ve done honor your parents in the afterlife?!” Liam Thorne actually believed these were all faked by me?! “Liam, don’t be angry. Nancy is still young, she didn’t mean it.” Sophia Price was kind-hearted, trying to persuade Liam Thorne, but I caught a flicker of triumph and calculation in her eyes. Right, she was a doctor. If she said these were all fake, if she said there was nothing wrong with my body! Faced with Sophia’s repeated provocations, I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I sprang up from the bed and pushed Sophia away. “Have you acted enough! Slandering me…” “Smack!” Liam Thorne slapped me across the face. “Nancy Davies, I never thought I’d spoil you this badly!” I covered my face, reeling for a long time. “It’s bad enough that you do these insidious and vicious things, but you even try to pin it all on Sophia. You’ve truly disappointed me!” “I…” I still wanted to explain, but Liam Thorne didn’t look at me again. He said: “I wish I had never adopted you!” Watching Liam Thorne walk away with Sophia Price, his words echoed constantly in my ears. “I wish I had never adopted you…” A single tear slid from the corner of my eye, disappearing on the floor. My phone rang at that moment. “Ms. Davies, the heart transplant surgery is all prepared.” 5. My eyes were half-closed, and an urgent voice rang in my ears. “Heart rate dropping, 60—40—” “Implement backup plan immediately!” “Rapid resuscitation—” Everything around me slowly blurred. Liam Thorne seemed to be standing before me. He extended his hand to me: “Nancy, from now on, I am your uncle…” “Uncle…” This time, I’ve repaid everything I owe you, haven’t I? We’re even now. I floated in the air, looking at Liam Thorne lying in the hospital bed. “Nancy!” He suddenly sat up in bed, clutching his chest.

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After my breakup, my best friend suggested I join a cycling club. But I never imagined this cycling wasn’t that kind of cycling. I actually saw my best friend in a highly intimate act on her bike… I didn’t run, instead, I felt a strange eagerness. Because… I had been longing for this moment for a very long time. … Ever since Jake told me he wanted to break up, I’d been utterly miserable. It wasn’t that I loved him that much, but the time we spent together was simply too exhilarating. He was the ultimate man; whether it was about stamina or sheer physical prowess, he was the most incredible boyfriend I’d ever had. The first time we went on a date, I felt an unprecedented kind of worldly pleasure, and I was shocked to discover a secret about my own body. It turned out I had discovered an almost insatiable sensuality. Once I experienced the best, I only wanted more. It was just that before Jake, it had never been awakened, not until I met someone as exceptional as him. After that, it became an uncontrollable obsession, and he couldn’t handle my constant desire, eventually choosing to leave me. After breaking up with Jake, I did try to find new boyfriends, but no one ever gave me such wonderful experiences again. Given my prolonged state of loss, my best friend, Maya, suggested I do something else to distract myself. “Why don’t you come cycling with me? Maybe after some exercise, you can finally move on from him.” When she said this, an inexplicable glint sparkled in her eyes, and the smile on her lips was odd. But at the time, I didn’t notice, only thinking she simply wanted me to work out and get over my heartbreak. Realizing that moping around wasn’t helping, I agreed to her suggestion and quickly joined a local cycling group through a link she shared. There weren’t many people in the group, only about ten or so members in total, almost all men, with just Maya and me as the only girls. As soon as I joined, some busybodies started clamoring for the newcomer to post a photo. I didn’t like exposing personal photos in unfamiliar groups, so I didn’t plan on responding. But Maya, without even asking me, directly posted my photo. “This is my best friend, Chloe, isn’t she gorgeous? She’s a straight-A student, and she used to be the college queen at our school!” “Wow! An incredibly stunning beauty! My eyes have been opened!” “Maya, why didn’t you introduce your best friend to the group sooner? If I’d known we could meet such a beautiful woman, I wouldn’t have bothered looking for a girlfriend.” “Maya’s so generous! She thinks of us single guys first when she has a hot best friend…” Someone directly tagged me, “Hey beautiful, free this weekend? Come cycling with us.” The group chat was buzzing. In the time it took me to go to the bathroom, I quickly had 99+ messages. Seeing so many people tagging me, I scrolled up, confused. When I saw the photo Maya had posted, I almost fainted. That girl! Of all photos to post, she chose a swimsuit picture she and I took together for a professional shoot. In the photo, I was wearing only a skimpy bikini, sprawled alluringly by the pool, looking up at the camera. My wet hair clung to the large expanse of bare skin, creating a sensual wet look that was incredibly sexy. I quickly messaged her, telling her to delete it, but Maya seemed to ignore my messages, chatting animatedly with the men in the group. After a while, she finally sent me a mischievous smiley face. “Why so modest? There are so many guys here, all of them regulars at the gym, surely not one of them is stronger than Jake?” “Sis, I’m doing this for your own good, I want you to find your second spring soon. Don’t worry, I’ve already vetted them for you, you’ll definitely be satisfied.” Seeing that the delete window had passed, there was no way to make her unsend it, so I gave up on the idea. But the thought of my private photos being seen by so many strangers made a part of me tingle with a strange excitement. Coupled with what Maya had said, I unexpectedly found myself agreeing to their weekend cycling invitation in the group chat. 2 Soon, Maya helped me buy a complete set of cycling gear for our weekend relaxation trip. I don’t know if she misread something when she ordered, but the cycling outfit I received was a flirty sports skirt set. However, when I saw Maya’s cycling outfit, I was truly surprised. She had specifically taken a photo to show me. It looked fully geared up, but in reality, it was a risqué piece of lingerie! I was a bit stunned and sent her three question marks. Maya replied mysteriously, “You don’t understand, this is the real joy of cycling.” “Think about it, how many loose gravel pieces there are on the road, the bumpy mountain trails combined with going commando… it can send you to heaven.” “This is a custom-made outfit just for me. Yours is a bit more conservative than mine, but it’s still great. I was worried you couldn’t handle my level.” I couldn’t help but feel a shiver of apprehension at her astonishing idea. But her description was so vivid, I couldn’t help but feel a growing warmth, and I started to anticipate tomorrow’s trip. The next morning, Maya knocked on my door. She had driven there, and our bicycles were folded in her trunk. “We have a specific cycling spot, it’s a bit far. You should get some sleep first, I’ll wake you when we get there.” Thinking about what she had said last night, I hadn’t slept much, so I was indeed a bit sleepy. I decided to listen to her and catch up on some rest. I don’t know how long I slept, but Maya woke me up. I groggily glanced out the car window and was startled to realize we had arrived at a very remote place. “We’re here. This whole mountain has been leased by the club founder. The downside is it’s a bit far, but the upside is there’s no one around, so we can do whatever we want.” Maya excitedly patted my shoulder. “The mountain road here is quite narrow, cars can’t go up. We’ll have to cycle up ourselves.” Saying that, she got out of the car and took our two bikes out of the trunk. Before we started riding, she cast a mischievous glance at my short skirt. “The mountain wind is strong, and the path isn’t very smooth. Just enjoy this unusual sensation.” With Maya’s giggle, I began my first cycling journey. Soon, I understood the wonderful sensation she was talking about. Maya was right, the bumpy mountain road added a lot of difficulty to our ride. But precisely because of this, our two specially customized cycling outfits came into play. With the vibrations of the mountain road, the already thin fabric of our underwear completely adhered to the bike seats, and occasionally, there would be little bumps. I was pedaling hard, while also having to endure waves of pleasure emanating from my lower body. For a moment, I didn’t know whether to describe it as pleasure or pain. Maya seemed used to this kind of cycling. Although it was clear her face was flushed, she was thoroughly enjoying herself. I even saw a large damp spot on her bike seat, and I didn’t need to guess what it was. I never imagined that Maya, who usually seemed so quiet and demure, could be so adventurous. If I hadn’t discussed so many intimate topics with her after my breakup, I doubt she would have ever told me. Soon, we arrived at what she called the club’s meeting point. It was a large flat area with two big tents set up, and surprisingly, there was even a small natural hot spring built nearby. Hearing us, four men immediately came out to greet us. Maya introduced them to me one by one, especially the club founder. She called him Ace. “Ace, this is my friend Chloe. It’s her first time participating in our activities, so you have to take good care of her, okay?” Maya bit her lip and winked at Ace, her eyes conveying some unspoken message. I could only shyly stand to the side and greet them. The men’s gazes lingered on both Maya and me, and soon someone noticed the clever design of Maya’s outfit. “Maya, what you’re wearing today is even better than last time…” As he spoke, two men standing beside her each put an arm around her waist, one on either side. I even saw one of the men give her a quick squeeze on the butt! 3 Sandwiched between two men, Maya didn’t resist at all; instead, she seemed to revel in it. She playfully thumped one of the men’s chests. “Chloe’s still here, we can play later, the three of us.” I watched, wide-eyed, as she flirted with the two men, a strange thought blooming in my mind. Her “play”… surely she didn’t mean that kind of play, did she? But I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Ace, as Maya called him, had already approached and was trying to put his arm around my waist. He was wearing a tight black athletic outfit, his abdominal muscles faintly visible, making him look very strong. But the sticky gaze he gave me made me incredibly uncomfortable. Especially his gaze; it was intensely aggressive, openly roaming my chest, making my heart flutter nervously. I shifted away, using the excuse that I was tired from the ride and wanted to rest in the tent. Maya gave me a knowing smile. “Well, you’ll need to pick a tent, there are only three tents here, and we all draw numbers and squeeze in.” What? So if I didn’t draw the same number as Maya, wouldn’t I have to share a tent with a stranger? A single man and woman sleeping next to each other in a tent… what would happen was self-evident. My face instantly turned as red as an apple, and I started to stutter. “That… that’s not… that’s not good, I…” Maya suddenly burst out laughing. “Just kidding, you’re sleeping with me tonight.” Hearing that, I finally relaxed. It wasn’t that I was a conservative woman, but it was our first time meeting, and I instinctively wanted to maintain some decorum. Driving to the campsite had taken up a lot of time. These people, knowing the ropes, quickly organized a picnic, then began discussing the afternoon’s entertainment. Maya suggested a competition. They’d mark off a section of the mountain path, and then the four men would each give a woman a ride on their bikes, to see who could reach the finish line first. Saying this, she looked at me, a cunning smile on her face. “The top two finishers, tonight, will be accompanied by two ladies for a hot spring soak.” “And it’s a completely in-the-nude kind of soak, you know…” I was startled by her bold suggestion, my heart pounding. I wanted to refuse, but I couldn’t resist being outvoted by so many people, so in the end, I could only silently agree. A little voice inside me mocked: You clearly want to, but you still have to put on this act. The first man to give me a ride was a chubby guy. The section of the mountain path they chose was a bit winding and steep. He quickly gave up, waving his hand and saying he needed to rest. There was no choice. Ace, who was originally supposed to give Maya a ride, swapped places with me. He looked much stronger than the others, and he seemed to have the best chance of winning. As the second round began, Ace immediately scooped me up and placed me in front of him, then sprinted ahead. I was forced to sit on the specially designed crossbar of his bicycle, feeling his rock-hard chest pressed against my back. He was truly muscular. I silently counted his abs in my mind—he had eight. Whether intentionally or not, he always seemed to run the tires over rocks he could easily have avoided. This made me bounce up and down on the bike, and soon, I felt a strange sensation in my body. Especially when I felt a distinct hardness pressing against my back, my underwear was completely flushed. I kept my head down, not daring to speak, afraid he would notice my physical reaction. Fortunately, his stamina was impressive. He easily covered the distance that the chubby guy had only managed to do halfway. In the second round, we were the first team to reach the finish line. While waiting for Maya, we chatted casually. I thought they would arrive soon, but a long time passed, and there was still no sign of Maya. The stickiness between my legs made me uncomfortable, but I was too embarrassed to directly ask for tissue to wipe away those embarrassing things. I could only sheepishly tell Ace I wanted to find a place to use the restroom. “They should be here soon. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.” I walked along the mountain path we came from, found an open spot, and pulled out some tissue from my pocket to wipe away the stickiness on my thighs. Just as I was about to stand up and head back, a casual glance caught sight of a moving bicycle. The people on the bike were Maya and her second-round teammate. What was strange was that although we had marked off a different route, they were on this one. And they didn’t seem to be in a hurry to win, just riding along slowly. Most importantly, I actually saw them sitting face-to-face, with Maya’s legs wrapped tightly around the man’s back, and a soft, breathless gasp escaped her lips, hinting at something more!

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