Category: English

At my sister’s eighteenth birthday gala—the grand “welcome home” for the true Blackwell heiress—I managed to steal the spotlight with a single white envelope. It was a formal acceptance letter from Stanford, complete with a full-ride scholarship. Ignoring the venom in my sister’s eyes, I took the envelope from the courier. Suddenly, a flicker of translucent text—like a live comment feed—scrolled across my vision. [This villainess is actually insufferable. She really chose this exact moment to flaunt her acceptance?] [Don’t worry, bestie, I’ve got the spoilers. This “fake” daughter is about to get dumped by the male lead at her own engagement party. She can’t handle the humiliation and ends up jumping off a building. Dead at twenty.] [Serves her right! The more she shines tonight, the harder she’s going to hit the pavement later!] My hand froze on the seal of the envelope. Okay, fine. I was the “fake” daughter—swapped at birth and raised in luxury for eighteen years while the biological daughter, Serenity, suffered in some backwater town. We found out the truth six months ago. But villainous? What had I actually done? I glanced at my fiancé, Silas, who was currently wearing a stiff, practiced smile. I immediately pulled out my phone and fired off a text: [Stop smiling at me. I just had an epiphany. Stay the hell away from me.] 1 Silas, oblivious to the message, started walking toward me. I was still trying to process the scrolling text in my peripheral vision. Jumping off a building? Me? The “villainess”? I’d been a Blackwell for eighteen years. When the truth came out, my parents—Harrison and Madeline—brought Serenity home. Today was her debut, her big “I’m back” party. I looked down at the letter in my hand, feeling a sudden urge to cry. The courier had a voice like a foghorn; everyone in the ballroom had heard him announce it was a scholarship notification from Stanford. They’d all cheered and congratulated me. How was that me showing off? I didn’t call the courier! And yet, because I opened a piece of mail at Serenity’s party, I was framed as the jealous antagonist. And apparently, I was destined to die for the sake of Silas and Serenity’s “epic love story.” The thought made me shiver. Falling from a building sounded painful. No, thank you. I instinctively folded the letter, trying to shove it back into the envelope. I didn’t want the spotlight. I wanted to live. But the feed in front of my eyes was relentless. [Ugh, Silas is still hanging onto that “childhood sweetheart” sentiment. Our poor Serenity just has to stand there and watch the man she loves hover over that fraud.] [When is he going to see Summer’s true colors?] [I just want to see the main couple together. Get this brat off my screen!] As Silas drew closer, I screamed internally: Don’t come over here! Before I could retreat, a soft, fragile voice cut through the air, laced with a bitterness she couldn’t quite hide. “Summer.” Serenity stood there in a custom couture gown, looking every bit the princess, but her eyes were cold. She held a champagne flute, a fake, practiced smile plastered on her face. “Congratulations. Stanford… that’s incredible. I guess some people are just born lucky.” Before I could even open my mouth, her voice wavered, turning thick with unshed tears. “Unlike me. Back in that town, I couldn’t even afford SAT prep books. I spent every afternoon working at the diner just to help pay the rent…” Her eyes rimmed with red. She looked like a wounded bird. The feed went wild: [Oh my god, my poor baby Serenity! She’s so strong.] [The villainess literally stole her life for eighteen years and has the nerve to brag!] [Protect Serenity at all costs!] The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. The guests’ admiring glances curdled into pity for Serenity and a sharp, judgmental scrutiny of me. My mother, Madeline, rushed over, pulling Serenity into a protective embrace. “Oh, honey, don’t think about those days. Today is your birthday. You’re home now. We’re going to make up for everything.” My father, Harrison, shot me a look of deep disapproval. “Summer, today is Serenity’s day. Your news could have waited.” Serenity wiped a stray tear, giving a martyr’s smile. “I had planned to study so hard these next few months,” she whispered. “I wanted to prove to you both that even though I grew up the way I did, I wouldn’t embarrass the Blackwell name. But I guess I’ll never be as brilliant as Summer.” She lowered her head, the picture of shattered self-esteem. My older brother, Casey—who usually couldn’t be bothered to care about anything—actually handed her a silk handkerchief. He turned to me, his jaw set. “Summer, you’ve occupied Serenity’s place for eighteen years. You should be keeping your head down, not trying to outshine her at her own party.” “It’s just an acceptance letter, Casey,” I started, my voice trembling. “It’s a slap in the face!” he snapped. “If you actually care about this family—if you care about her—you’ll turn down the spot. Give it up. Retake the year. Go through the regular admissions process next year like everyone else so you don’t make Serenity feel like a failure on her first night home.” 2 “Casey! Do you even hear yourself?” My voice was shaking with a mix of fury and pure shock. This wasn’t just a “spot.” This was my future. I had spent four years of sleepless nights, late-stage caffeine binges, and grueling extracurriculars to earn that letter. Casey let out a cold snort, looking at me with total impatience. “You owe her, Summer. You stole eighteen years of her life. Now you want to steal her moment, too?” Mother opened her mouth as if to protest, but then she looked at Serenity’s trembling shoulders and simply sighed—a heavy, suffocating sound. Father remained silent for a long moment before finally speaking. “Summer, Casey is being blunt, but… he’s not entirely wrong. You need to be more mindful of Serenity’s feelings.” The feed was a chorus of digital cheers. [Yes! Finally, Serenity has a family that chooses her!] [Casey is the best big brother. Get her!] [Hahaha, watching the villainess squirm is so satisfying. If she loses her spot, she’ll have to redo senior year, lose her mind with jealousy over Silas and Serenity, and eventually fail her finals. She’ll end up at some third-rate community college while the main couple flourishes!] I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. If I lose my education, why the hell should I care about her “feelings”? I clutched the envelope to my chest. “Dad, I worked for this. I’m not giving it up—” Suddenly, Silas, who had been standing beside me, spoke up. “Summer,” he said softly. “Serenity just got back. Maybe we should focus on her for a while. You’re smart; you’ve already proven you can get in. Why not just take a gap year? Experience life a bit? It would keep the peace.” The feed exploded in joy. [It’s happening! Silas is siding with Serenity!] [Put the villainess in her place!] [I ship it! Silas is already subconsciously protecting the real heiress!] I bit my lip so hard I tasted copper. This goddamn plot armor. Serenity could breathe, and they’d interpret it as a poetic tragedy. I took a deep breath, forcing back the scream building in my throat. I let a fragile, defeated smile touch my lips. “I see,” I whispered, letting my eyes well up. “I understand. If that’s what everyone wants… I’ll do it. I’ll go through the process again next year.” I looked at my parents, my voice small and hollow. “I didn’t mean to take anything away from her tonight. I’m sorry.” My sudden compliance caught everyone off guard. Casey’s expression flickered with a brief, uncomfortable flash of guilt. Serenity broke away from Mother’s embrace, waving her hands innocently. “No, Summer! You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s my fault for coming back and taking your parents’ love. I should be the one apologizing.” The feed turned on me again. [Look at that snake, acting all pitiful to make the family feel guilty. Disgusting!] [Serenity is too pure for this world. She’s apologizing to the person who robbed her!] [Don’t apologize, baby! You did nothing wrong!] I was genuinely stunned. When I acted vulnerable, I was a “snake.” When she did it, she was a “saint.” The sheer double standard made my vision go red. Serenity moved toward me, looking like she wanted to offer a comfort I knew was poison. In her clumsy “haste,” she bumped into the side table. Her champagne glass tilted, perfectly aimed. A stream of amber liquid poured directly onto the envelope in my hand. 3 “Oh no!” Serenity gasped, her hands fluttering as she grabbed the envelope from me. Instead of helping, she managed to tear the damp paper, ensuring the red-wine-stained liquid soaked through to the actual letter inside. “I’m so sorry! I’m so clumsy… I was just trying to help…” she sobbed. “Summer, what have I done? I ruined your letter! I’m so stupid!” I didn’t even have the energy to roll my eyes anymore. The feed was practically weeping for her. [Aww, she’s so sweet, trying to help even after the villainess was mean to her.] [Stellar move! Now she literally has no choice but to wait a year!] [Karma! That’s what you get for bragging!] Mother immediately pulled Serenity back. “It’s okay, honey. It was an accident. Don’t blame yourself.” Casey shrugged, his voice indifferent. “Exactly. It’s just paper, Serenity. Summer said she’d wait a year anyway. If she’d put it away like a normal person, this wouldn’t have happened.” Serenity looked at me with faux-anguish. “But… but now she has to wait. It’s all my fault…” I suddenly remembered what the feed said: She loses her mind with jealousy, fails her finals, and ends up in exile. So this was her game. My parents and Casey looked at me, waiting for an outburst. Casey finally muttered, “A year isn’t that long. We’ll pay for whatever tutors you need next time. It’s not like we can’t afford it.” Mother nodded in agreement. The anger finally boiled over. I wanted to slap them both—Casey and Serenity. My brother was officially an idiot. I raised my hand, my heart hammering—but before I could do anything, Silas’s hand closed around my wrist. “She’s overwhelmed,” Silas said to the group, his voice firm as he began leading me toward the grand staircase. “I’ll take her upstairs to calm down.” I struggled against him, scratching at his arm. I almost forgot about you! You’re just as bad! Once we were behind the closed doors of the upstairs study, I didn’t hesitate. I swung my hand and slapped Silas across the face. His head snapped to the side. A red mark bloomed on his cheek instantly, but he didn’t let go of me. He just held me. “Are you done?” he asked quietly. “Summer, listen to me. I just talked to a contact at the admissions office. We can get a duplicate letter sent. Don’t worry about the physical paper.” I stopped struggling. I knew I could get a duplicate. That wasn’t the point. The point was that every single person I loved had just traded my future for a stranger’s smile. The feed was losing its mind. [Get away from her, Silas! You’re supposed to be holding Serenity!] Fury spiked in me. I grabbed Silas by the lapels of his tuxedo, pulled him down, and kissed him hard on the cheek, right over the slap mark. Silas froze, his ears turning a deep, violent red. The feed erupted into a stream of curses and insults. I pulled back and flashed a cold, triumphant smile. If I’m miserable, everyone’s going to be miserable. Including you, “audience.” Silas took a moment to find his voice. “You… you’re really angry, aren’t you?” “No duh, Silas.” “Listen,” he said, looking at the floor. “I told you to go along with the gap year because… because you already have the win. Whether you go now or in a year, you’re still Summer Blackwell. I thought if you yielded, it would make things easier at home for a while. I was trying to protect your peace.” The feed glitched. [Wait, what? It’s not because of Serenity?] [Don’t be fooled! Silas is just confused. He’s subconsciously leaning toward the real heroine!] [This is the ‘childhood bond’ trope before he realizes he actually hates her.] I looked at Silas skeptically. “How do you feel about Serenity?” 4 Silas hesitated, then made a face as if he’d just sucked on a lemon. “She’s… a lot. Clumsy, loud, and she talks like she’s constantly auditioning for a Victorian tragedy. It’s exhausting.” I blinked. The feed went dead silent for three whole seconds. [What is happening? He’s supposed to think she’s a ‘delicate, resilient wildflower’!] [Is he acting? He has to be acting.] The feed had insisted Silas was hopelessly in love with Serenity, that he’d dump me publicly and call me a desperate “clingy ex.” But his current expression was one of genuine annoyance. Well, whatever. I’d deal with the future later. I leaned in and whispered a few choice instructions into Silas’s ear. When we walked back downstairs, the party was winding down. Serenity rushed over, grabbing my hand with a look of practiced guilt. “Summer, I am so, so sorry. Please, if it makes you feel better, hit me. I deserve it.” She actually picked up my hand and tried to pull it toward her own face. I didn’t miss a beat. I pulled my hand back, curled it into a fist, and delivered a sharp, stinging slap across her cheek. Serenity froze. She hadn’t expected me to actually do it. She’d planned to dodge and play the victim, but I was faster. The feed went into a hyperbolic meltdown. [OH MY GOD! The villainess actually struck our baby!] [She’s insane! Serenity was being so brave, and she just attacked her!] Casey roared, lunging forward to push me back. “Summer, what the hell is wrong with you? She apologized!” I met his gaze, my voice cold. “She literally asked me to do it. I was just being a good sister and fulfilling her wish.” Casey’s finger was inches from my nose. “Serenity was just telling us how bad she feels! She even offered to retake the year with you so you wouldn’t be alone, and this is how you treat her?” I glanced at Serenity. “Is that so? Then let’s go. We can call the school and handle your withdrawal tonight.” Serenity’s sobbing intensified. “Enough!” my father barked. He looked at Serenity with pity, then turned to me with a face like stone. “Your sister made a mistake and apologized. You, on the other hand, are being malicious. Since you clearly have no respect for this family, you will be retaking the year. That is final.” Usually, I would have screamed. I would have fought. But looking at their self-righteous faces, I just nodded calmly. If they wanted to sacrifice me at the altar of Serenity’s ego, I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of a reaction. They all looked stunned by my compliance—especially Serenity. A flash of confusion crossed her face. “Summer… you really agree? You’ll wait a year? You don’t hate me?” I shrugged. “Why not? You destroyed my letter. What choice do I have?” Serenity went quiet, a smug look carefully hidden behind her lowered lashes. The next morning, I packed a suitcase and announced I was going on a solo trip across Europe. Guilt-ridden—or perhaps just relieved to have me out of the house so they could play “Happy Family”—my parents deposited a massive amount of “fun money” into my account. I took every cent. For the next two months, I lived like a queen. I posted photos of sun-drenched Italian plazas and Greek sunsets. Meanwhile, back home, Serenity had “vowed” to get into Stanford herself. She posted photos of her late-night study sessions, her tutor bills, and her “exhaustion.” My family commented on every post, calling her “diligent” and “inspiring.” They were too busy taking care of her to bother me. In mid-July, I flew home. As I was unpacking, the housekeeper came running into the foyer, waving a priority overnight envelope. “Miss! A package from Stanford for you!” Serenity bolted from the sofa, a triumphant smirk on her face as she looked at me. “It must be my early-track decision!” My parents rushed over, beaming. “We knew you could do it, Serenity!” But when Serenity snatched the envelope and read the name on the label, her face went ghost-white. “How… how is this possible?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392077”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My twin sister eloped for love, and I was forced to take her name and marry Arthur Sterling. But I was already Arthur’s secretary. So, by day, Arthur was in a sharp suit, looking refined and abstinent, chewing me out with a cold face. By night, the moment he took off his tie, he was a total flirt. Insatiable and full of dirty talk, he’d bite my neck and whisper: “Wifey, your sister is such a drama queen.” “If it weren’t for you, I would have fired her ages ago.” Me: “…Haha.” Just before I reached my breaking point, my twin sister came home and demanded her place as Arthur’s wife back. Simultaneously, Arthur told me to get lost. “You’re always secretly trying to seduce me. Don’t think I haven’t noticed!” “For your sister’s sake, I’m saving your dignity. Resign on your own, and don’t ever let me see you again!” Me: “…Wow.” I scammed both of them out of a massive sum of money and decisively, fabulously made my escape. Three months later, while I was sunbathing on a beach, my sister called me crying: “Arthur absolutely refuses to touch me. Can you come back and help us have a baby, please?” “Chloe, I’m begging you, help me.” I hung up the phone, deep in thought. A flirt like Arthur, going three months without getting laid? Hasn’t he exploded from frustration yet? 1 I was Arthur’s secretary. But I was about ready to quit. Who would have thought that the cold, distant CEO during the day would be such a total flirt in bed at night? During meetings, his long fingers would tap lightly on the table, his face sharp and his aura incredibly oppressive. Yet all I could think about was him last night, wearing black silk suspenders, hooking his foot around mine, and whining sweetly, “Wifey, hurry up~” “Secretary Hayes. Secretary Hayes!” A colleague nudged me, and I finally heard Arthur calling me. I immediately apologized: “I’m sorry, Boss. I was just…” “You space out even during meetings? Am I paying you this much to just sit there and do nothing?” He looked utterly disgusted: “Do you not sleep at night? You look half-dead every day. Also, since when is it acceptable for a Vanguard Group secretary to come to work looking so untidy?” I was stunned for a second. Following his gaze, I realized he was talking about the hickey on my neck. The silk scarf hadn’t covered it. I pursed my lips and whispered, “I’m sorry, Boss. I…” “I don’t need explanations!” He glared at me coldly: “Secretary Hayes, I hope you understand that if it weren’t for your sister, you wouldn’t even deserve to keep this job!” “Tell your boyfriend to tone it down. I don’t want to see this kind of indecent display again. One more time, and you’re out!” With that, completely ignoring my mortified expression, he slammed the file onto the table, lifted his chin, and announced sharply: “Meeting adjourned!” 2 Being scolded made me feel very ashamed. But I still couldn’t muster any energy. I had only slept three hours tops last night, and my head felt like it was going to explode. I sat at my desk, zoning out in a depressed state. As lunchtime approached, I stumbled downstairs and went to the apartment next to the company building. From the closet, I dug out a demure, custom-made dress and a dazzling diamond necklace. Under the dim light, the yellow diamond was as rich as solidified amber. It was the set Arthur had bought for his wife at an auction last month. Valued in the tens of millions, it had made headlines at the time. Now, it was in my hands, being casually tapped against the table just to hear the sound. That’s right. The wife he loved to his core was me. The secretary he scolded until she questioned her life choices was also me. He thought we were twin sisters. But actually, they were both me. The “indecent” hickey he was disgusted by was exactly the one he had gnawed into my neck last night. Half a year ago, I had just started as Arthur’s secretary when my parents called me home. They told me my twin sister had eloped with her blonde-haired boyfriend and missed the arranged marriage with the Sterling family. They wanted me to marry him instead. Using my twin sister’s name. “Your sister will definitely regret this in the future. We have to leave a way out for her!” My mother cried and begged me: “Chloe, you grew up by our side, but your sister was left in the countryside. She wasn’t as lucky as you, she didn’t even pass the college entrance exams.” “Just consider it a debt you owe her. Pay her back now, okay?” She threatened me with her own life. Helpless, I had to agree. I originally thought I just needed to be a wife in name only, like many couples in our circle, being polite, living separate lives, perhaps even living in separate houses. At first, it was indeed like that. But later, Arthur seemed to be possessed, turning into an insatiable incubus. He pestered me every night. If I said no, his eyes would turn completely red, and he’d look at me with grievance. His lean, muscular legs would wrap around my waist, and he’d ask me in a husky voice: “Wifey, do you not love me anymore? Do you have another man on the side? Do you not want me anymore? I don’t want to live…” Sigh… What could I do? He kept pestering me, so I could only reluctantly oblige. At first, it was quite thrilling, but later, I just wanted to castrate him. Especially this past month, I averaged only three hours of sleep a night. Severely sleep-deprived, I made mistakes everywhere at work during the day, and got chewed out daily. This life of working the day shift and doing “overtime” at night was really killing me. I scratched my head, collapsed onto the bed in despair, and fell into a groggy sleep before I could figure out what to do. 3 An hour later, my alarm woke me up. Filled with resentment, I did my makeup, put my hair up, packed takeout into a lunchbox, and went to bring Arthur his lunch. He was in a video conference, listening to his subordinates in Europe report with a sharp look on his face. Seeing me, he waved, gesturing for me to come over and sit on his lap. “Why are you so late?” He buried his head in my neck, half-whining, half-complaining: “I thought you weren’t coming today.” The monotonous reporting voice was still playing on the computer speakers. Even though his mic and camera were off, I still felt embarrassed. I shifted uncomfortably and pushed him slightly, saying: “You’re still in a meeting, don’t do this.” “Afraid of what? We’re married, we don’t care if others see.” “Don’t you think it’s indecent?” He paused before reacting, his face instantly darkening: “Did your sister complain to you again?” “She’s just a young girl. Being scolded by you in public makes her feel awful too… Next time, don’t scold her, okay?” Arthur fell silent. After a long while, he kissed the corner of my mouth: “Wifey, I know you’re kind-hearted, but don’t you think she’s copying you in every way?” “Huh?” Arthur unmuted his mic, gestured to move the meeting to the afternoon, then turned back to me: “Even if you’re twins, you can’t be exactly the same in habits and preferences. “But, if you like pearls, she wears pearl earrings every day; if you have a lively and cheerful personality, she comes to work bouncing every day; if the end of your sentences hooks up when you speak, she does the same. It’s obviously with ulterior motives.” “You mean…” “She’s copying you to seduce me.” Arthur said with certainty: “I’ve seen plenty of women like her. They just rely on your trust in them to steal your man. “You’re just too kind, that’s why you think she’s a good person. She bullied you since you were little, and your parents favor her too. Wifey, you must be careful.” As he spoke, he rubbed my waist with his fingers. His tone was earnest and serious, acting as if he was educating his naive, sheltered wife. It felt like I was struck by lightning. “Are you sure you haven’t misunderstood?” I forced a smile: “Chloe isn’t that kind of person.” “I knew you’d say that.” Arthur sighed in disappointment: “Wifey, I am the person closest to you. Why don’t you believe me, but trust her instead?” Me: “…Haha.” I was speechless. Fortunately, Arthur didn’t dwell on the matter. He just kissed me affectionately and held me in that position while he ate. When I left, he even pulled me in for a parting kiss. When I walked out of the Vanguard Group building, exhausted, I had barely wiped the sticky feeling off my lips when I received a call from Arthur. I was met with a torrent of scolding: “Are you a child who hasn’t grown up? You get scolded and you run to complain to your sister? Also, how did you do the sales report for last month? It’s full of mistakes! If you don’t know how to do the job, pack your things and get out! Useless!” In that moment, the expression on my face uncontrollably turned feral. The next second, another call came in. I answered it, exasperated: “I said I’m heading back immediately, can you stop rushing me—” “Chloe.” A gentle, familiar voice came from the other end: “It’s your sister, I’m back.” 4 My relationship with my sister was very complicated. We were indeed twins, but we didn’t grow up together. I stayed with our parents in Capitol City where they did business, while she stayed with our grandparents in our rural hometown. Our parents always felt they owed her. After bringing her back from our hometown, they heavily favored her and always made me give way to her. Whenever something happened, it was always: “You stole your sister’s affection, this is what you owe her!” Later, my sister failed the college entrance exams and was sent abroad to study by our parents. I stayed in the country, so we weren’t very close. Therefore, hearing her speak to me in such a gentle, familiar tone, my first reaction was confusion: “Do you need something?” “Mom told me about what happened with our family and Arthur.” Hearing the impatience in my voice, she dropped the pleasantries: “Now that I’m back, shouldn’t you return the position of Mrs. Sterling to me?” “Coming back to reclaim your spot, huh! What, did that blonde guy dump you?” “Chloe, don’t push your luck!” She lowered her voice angrily: “Don’t forget, the Mrs. Sterling acknowledged by the Sterling family is only me, Mia Hastings. You’re just a fake, what right do you have to put on airs here?” That was true. Whether it was the daughter the Hastings family claimed they married off, or the wife Arthur publicly acknowledged, it was all Mia Hastings. Sometimes, when Arthur was in the mood in bed, he would also sweetly call me “Mia” or “Mia-baby.” It was absolutely disgusting. But: “I’m not going to clean up your mess for free!” “What do you mean?” “Give me ten million. Otherwise, let’s go right to Arthur and hash out who the real Mrs. Sterling is.” I said with a bright smile: “Ten million in exchange for the position of Mrs. Sterling. That’s a great deal, my dear sister.” Because of their guilt towards her, my parents stopped spending any money on me after I became an adult. They spent everything they had to support her. While I was working odd jobs everywhere to pay for my tuition, she was living it up abroad. My sense of unfairness meant I had to earn some of it back no matter what. However, no matter how much our parents spoiled her, they couldn’t possibly give her their entire life savings. Even if she could produce ten million, it would cost her dearly. So she hesitated for a long time before cautiously asking me: “Are you sure you’ll just take the money and leave?” “If you don’t believe me, forget it. I’ll go right now and…” “Don’t… I’ll give it to you!” She made up her mind: “I’ll give it to you, but you have to promise that you will never appear in front of Arthur again.” I readily agreed. Hanging up the phone, my mood improved significantly. I took off all my makeup, put on a blouse and a midi skirt, and admired my figure in the mirror. Thinking of Arthur saying I imitated and then seduced him, I remained silent for a moment before letting out a soft scoff. I thought it was ridiculous, but I also didn’t want to cause any more trouble. I swapped my pearl earrings for sapphire ones, dug out a long trench coat from my closet to completely hide my curves, and then headed out to work. 5 Mia’s intention was for me to resign and go to another city. But I wasn’t about to do that! This was my first job. I went through five rounds of interviews to get it. Resigning after only six months would look terrible on my resume. She tried repeatedly to persuade me, but to no avail. She could only give up. She took the phone number I used to contact Arthur and stayed at our parents’ house for a few days before returning to the Sterling residence. She also asked me about many details of interacting with Arthur, which I honestly told her one by one. Without having to “work overtime” at night, I had consecutive nights of long-lost good sleep. I was in a great mood, greeting my colleagues with a beaming smile and even buying them milk tea. Even when I ran into Arthur in the elevator, I could smile and say: “Good morning, Boss!” He looked anything but good. His face was pale and haggard, showing a sickly pallor. In the past, even if he tossed and turned with me all night and then got up for an international meeting, his complexion had never looked this bad. “Boss?” I asked curiously: “Are you feeling unwell?” He didn’t look at me, his tone cold and hard: “None of your business.” “…Alright then.” I worked energetically all morning. Just as I was wondering what to eat, I saw Mia carrying a lunchbox, walking gracefully to deliver lunch to Arthur. She had borrowed my gentle persona, wearing a pink Chanel-style tweed outfit, a silver butterfly hair clip on her forehead, and a gentle, moving smile. I watched her walk into Arthur’s office. She had been back at the Sterling house for a week now, and she had definitely slept with Arthur… Even though I didn’t like Arthur, the thought of something I had used now belonging to Mia still made me feel as sick as eating a fly. I rubbed my temples. Just as I was about to head downstairs to eat, I received a call from Arthur: “Bring in two cups of coffee.” Arthur had a sweet tooth but also loved the rich aroma of coffee, so the ratio of sugar to milk was very particular. I made two cups according to his taste. When I brought them into the office, I heard Mia’s sticky-sweet voice: “Hubby, hurry up and eat. I made it all myself, try it.” When she saw me, she clearly froze for a second, her expression slightly unnatural, but she quickly plastered on a smile: “Chloe, I’m eating with your brother-in-law. Why did you come in?” “To deliver coffee.” I had no desire to cause trouble. Seeing Arthur still sitting behind his desk, I placed his coffee on it, and handed the other cup to Mia, who was sitting on the sofa. She cooperatively reached out to take it, but the moment I let go, she flashed a smile. She deliberately splashed the coffee cup towards me. The scalding liquid splashed onto my exposed arm. My skin instantly turned red, swollen, and blistered. “Ah, Chloe, are you okay?!” She looked at me in a panic, her expression anxious and nervous: “How could you be so careless! I hope it doesn’t leave a scar.” She looked so guilty she was about to cry. Arthur walked over too, patting Mia’s shoulder comfortingly, speaking in a soft voice: “It’s okay, it’s not your fault… go to the hospital first, I’ll pay the medical bills.” “Hubby, you’re the best~” Mia took the opportunity to lean into Arthur’s embrace, crying pitifully: “It’s all my fault. If Chloe gets a scar because of this, I’ll feel guilty for the rest of my life.” Hiding in Arthur’s embrace, she raised an eyebrow and smiled at me provocatively. Just like in the past, countless times playing the pitiful victim in front of our parents and twisting the truth. I also smiled. I left the office. After simply treating the burn, I leaned against the elevator door and waited. When I saw Mia coming out looking elated, I crooked a finger at her. I grabbed her arm and, facing that face thickly covered in foundation, ruthlessly slapped her. “You—” Slap! Another slap on the other cheek. Her cheeks swelled up, her expression a mix of anger and fury: “H-how dare you—” “Just now in front of Arthur, I played along with your act, but I’m not going to take this abuse for nothing.” I crossed my arms and smiled at her: “Add another two million. Remember to transfer it to me tonight. From now on, when you and your husband do your roleplay, leave me out of it. Otherwise… you’d better not mess with me.” Mia covered her face, glaring at me with eyes full of hatred, but she didn’t dare speak out. She knew that if she pushed me too far, I would truly do something uncontrollable. Like three years ago, when I pushed her into the swimming pool and held her head down so she couldn’t surface. That feeling of near-death… If a servant hadn’t screamed, she would have really died. Our parents spoiled her, but I was also their biological daughter. She couldn’t possibly call the police. She could only swallow this bitter pill herself. “Just resign, Chloe.” She took a deep breath: “The world out there is so wonderful, why must you cling to your brother-in-law?” “Since you hate me and don’t want to see me, just stay far away from me. Leave this city, go far, far away. Wouldn’t that be better?” I realized almost instantly: “You’ve been whispering in Arthur’s ear?” She smiled at me provocatively, saying nothing. I took a deep breath, the veins on my forehead throbbing. This feeling of being played with was driving me crazy with anger— I shoved Mia hard. And turned around to walk into Arthur’s office. 6 Arthur was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring blankly. A lit cigarette was pinched between his fingertips, the curling smoke blurring his sharp features. Hearing the door open, he turned and saw it was me. He clearly froze for a second, then frowned: “What is it?” “I know my sister told you to ask me to resign.” I said straightforwardly: “You can make me leave, but you have to give me ten million.” He seemed to want to laugh. He walked over and stubbed out his cigarette: “Based on the mistakes you’ve made recently, firing you is completely justified. What makes you think you deserve ten million from me?” I took a deep breath. Then I smiled. I walked up to him, gently wrapped my arms around his neck, stood on my tiptoes, leaned in close to his ear, and said, word by word: “Based on the fact that you have feelings for me, brother-in-law.” He instinctively tried to push me away, but I clung to him tightly. His whole body went rigid as he lowered his voice to scold me: “Chloe Hastings—” “You have feelings for me, so seeing me annoys you. You scold me three times as much as the other secretaries, but you’re also afraid of wronging my sister, so you desperately want me to leave. Brother-in-law, am I right or wrong?” Because he paid extra attention to me, he noticed the hickey on my neck. Because he couldn’t betray his family, he had to fire me. Because seeing me caused emotional turmoil, he often scolded me out of frustration, hoping I would gracefully bow out. Arthur, was it me seducing you, or was it that you couldn’t control your own heart? I buried my head in his chest, acting spoiled: “Brother-in-law, that coffee was so hot. I got huge blisters, my arm hurts so much!” He closed his eyes: “Get up first, I’ll take you to the hospital.” “No~ Brother-in-law, kiss me, okay? It hurts so much~” His heartbeat faltered for a second. Then he forcefully pushed me away. He pushed me so hard I stumbled and fell onto the hard marble floor, my elbow hitting it hard enough to ache. “You can’t do this.” He pinched the bridge of his nose: “Ten million, I will give it to you. But as an elder, I must remind you: a person should have morals, not act like a promiscuous animal.” I laughed. I just sat there on the floor, propping up one leg, hugging my arms. With the posture of a victor, I looked at him triumphantly: “Brother-in-law, your heartbeat faltered. That means you love me.” “No, I don’t. I just think you and your sister look very similar…” He sighed heavily: “Forget it. It’s a good thing you’re leaving.” He sat back down behind his desk and instructed someone to transfer the money to me. Seeing my arrogant, rampant attitude, he tried to hold back, but ultimately couldn’t: “Take the money and do something proper with your life. You have a good foundation and a good education. Even if your heart isn’t in your career, don’t resort to those dirty tricks.” Dirty tricks? I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Arthur, if you knew that the “sister” wife you thought you had was actually the “sister,” and the “sister” you agonized over having forbidden feelings for was actually your wife, but then your wife was swapped for the “sister,” would you go crazy? Bagging twin sisters in one go might make another man proud, but a man like Arthur, with responsibility carved into his bones… haha. “Brother-in-law, I wish you and my sister a century of harmony and an early birth of a precious child!” I said to him with a beaming smile: “I believe your future life will definitely be very exciting.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392099”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I came back from a business trip and had a wild night with my boyfriend. But when it was over, I suddenly realized: he was in his usual spot in the bed. I grabbed him and scrutinized the details to see if he was cheating. The next second, he covered my eyes, trembling: “M-Maya… I can’t go another round today…” 1 I froze. He looked up at me, pitiful. “I have a basketball game tonight. If we go again, my legs are really going to turn to jelly…” I sat up like a corpse springing back to life. I suddenly realized the man next to me might actually be my boyfriend’s younger brother! He was still a college student who hadn’t even graduated yet! I knew something was off when I came back! My boyfriend’s build looked slightly different! A fine layer of cold sweat broke out all over my body. I yanked the covers over myself and screamed: “Why is it you?! Why are you in my apartment?!” The air… went completely silent. The young man’s eyelashes fluttered nervously. He stared at me, his voice hoarse and full of disbelief. “What… what do you mean? So just now, when you were so happy… you didn’t know who you were with?” He looked so wronged and hurt. It made the excuse of “face blindness” get stuck right in my throat. I took a deep breath. Trying hard to stabilize my emotions, I asked another question: “Where is your brother? Why isn’t he home?” Noah looked down. “My college game was nearby, and the schedule was tight. All the hotels were booked, so I could only crash at his place… He was afraid of waking me up, so he stayed overnight at his office. We didn’t know… you were coming back so suddenly…” His voice trailed off. Coupled with his expression, he looked even more innocent. Unacceptable! So he’s innocent, and this is entirely my fault?! I gritted my teeth and kept interrogating him: “Then why didn’t you explain who you were before you took your clothes off?!” Noah looked even more dejected. “You kissed me the second you walked in. When did I have a chance to explain…” “I know you’re afraid my brother will find out about us. I won’t tell him…” “Everything that happened today… I’ll just treat it like a dream…” As he spoke. He put his clothes back on, diligently stripped the bed, and smoothed out every single wrinkle, erasing all the evidence. Everything was playing out exactly according to the best-case scenario I had envisioned. It was so perfect I actually felt like I was the villain… Finally, when he was hand-washing my thong in the sink, I couldn’t hold back anymore: “Just give that to me…” As I walked over, he flinched like he’d been burned. He looked at me with red-rimmed eyes. “I got it dirty…” Damn it! I really am a monster! 2 My phone buzzed. It was a voice message from my boyfriend, Liam. I wanted to play it, but seeing Noah’s wet, puppy-dog eyes, I suddenly felt guilty. I hit the speech-to-text button. [Baby, when are you coming back? I learned a new recipe recently!] [Miss you, miss you /emoji] One of the main reasons I got together with Liam in the first place was that he knew how to cook. He was the only one who could satisfy my stomach, which was completely sick of takeout. I couldn’t help but smile. Noah floated over beside me like a ghost. “That new recipe my brother learned? I taught it to him.” Huh? I looked up, but Noah had already pulled open the fridge, desperate to prove himself. “I didn’t use up all the ingredients I bought yesterday. If you don’t believe me, I’ll make it for you right now.” As he spoke. He stripped off his shirt in three swift motions and threw on his brother’s apron. Why are you taking your shirt off to cook?! I followed him into the kitchen. Noah was already swiftly slicing, washing, and stir-frying like a pro. The apron straps perfectly covered his nipples. I could only catch a glimpse of them when he made large movements… I couldn’t help but panic. “It’s covered, it’s covered. Hey! Stop it! Why are you cooking right now?!” While I was talking. He had already plated the dish. He looked at me, full of expectation: “Maya… do you want to try a bite?” Try… what exactly? A buff, buzz-cut stud, and he’s in his prime college years. At a time like this, what kind of modern-day saint could resist?! There were two little people fighting in my head. One said, “Hurry up and taste it!” The other was violently choking me, “It’s not like you haven’t tasted it already! Doesn’t knowing who it really is make it even more thrilling?! Hurry the hell up and taste it!” Noah put the plate down. He stepped closer to me, step by step, looking down at me. “Maya, why aren’t you saying anything?” An inexplicable tension bounced around the room. I stammered, “You can… you can just call me Maya…” His footsteps stopped. His expression darkened: “You mean, when?” Well, that time, obviously— Before I could get the words out. The sound of the front door unlocking clicked loudly. My scalp went numb. The next second, a surprised voice came from the doorway, “A suitcase? Hmm? Baby, are you back?” 3 Six eyes met. The air was dead silent. Cold sweat poured down the back of my neck. I wanted to say something to explain this mess. But my quick wit suddenly completely failed me! Until Noah casually spoke up, “Oh, Liam, you’re back too.” “Maya just got in. Just in time for me to finish cooking.” Phew. I let out a massive sigh of relief. Liam took off his shoes and picked me up in a pleasantly surprised hug. “Baby, why didn’t you tell me you were coming back early? You didn’t even reply to my messages!” He spun me around twice. My energy was completely drained; I felt dizzy and lightheaded. Thankfully, Noah called a stop to it. “Liam, let’s eat.” His voice was cool and clear. He turned around, revealing his bare back. Liam frowned. “Noah? Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” Noah stopped in his tracks. I started anxiously twisting my fingers together… “I washed it.” He dropped that single sentence and went back to busying himself in the kitchen. Thank God! There actually were clothes Noah had just washed out on the balcony! Wait. Crap! My toes curled up in sheer panic. My freshly washed thong was also out on the balcony. If Liam saw it…! I grabbed Liam and kissed him hard. He was stunned by my sudden aggressiveness. But he quickly reacted, responding passionately. In the blink of an eye, his voice went husky. “Baby, hold on. Noah is still here…” 4 Crash— In the kitchen doorway, porcelain shattered. Noah stood there, his eyes instantly turning red. Liam and I immediately separated. Liam coughed awkwardly. “Your sister-in-law and I haven’t seen each other in a long time. We couldn’t help ourselves. Just pretend you didn’t see anything.” The young man’s lips trembled slightly. “Couldn’t help yourselves, huh…” Liam didn’t catch it. “What?” Noah stopped talking. He silently cleaned up the mess on the floor. From my angle, I could only see his lonely, dejected back… The food looked and smelled amazing. But I couldn’t taste a thing. My entire focus was concentrated on my right leg, which was constantly rubbing against the leg next to me. I knew that wasn’t Liam, because Liam was sitting on my left… The dinner table was completely silent. Until Noah picked up a piece of green pepper and dropped it into Liam’s bowl. “Liam, eat your vegetables.” Then, he picked up a glistening piece of sweet and sour ribs and dropped it into my bowl. Liam’s expression froze… I burst into a violent coughing fit. Liam looked at me. “Baby, I’ll go get you some water.” Yes! Anything to end this suffocating atmosphere! I nodded frantically. As Liam walked away, I finally let out a long breath. I glared at Noah. “What are you doing?!” He acted like he didn’t hear me. He elegantly chewed a grain of rice, glanced at me, and said slowly: “Maya, Liam’s fridge is out on the balcony.” The thong! In a flash of lightning! I felt like I had been struck by a thunderbolt! I jumped up and sprinted toward the balcony. Liam already had the water. His expression was normal. “What’s wrong, baby?” I gulped hard. But then I noticed his lips were slightly pale. “Were you that impatient to drink water…” 5 Sitting on pins and needles. That was the truest description of my current emotional state! Liam didn’t ask anything, but a guilty conscience makes it hard to sit still. I was terrified he was saving up his questions. Just waiting for Noah to leave so he could draw his sword on me when we were alone! The feeling of impending doom was agonizing! While I was squirming in my seat, Liam looked up. His voice was cold: “You need to leave today.” He was talking to his brother! The two men locked eyes. For a moment, even the dog barking next door went silent… My soul left my body. When I snapped back to reality, Noah was already rolling his suitcase to the door. He stopped at the doorway and looked at me: “Maya, see you next time…” The door clicked shut. Only Liam and I were left in the apartment. It was the most normal scenario, yet I instinctively looked away. He grabbed my wrist. I looked up. I saw that Liam’s eyes were already red. “Maya, you have no idea… how much I missed you these past few days…” The guilt almost drowned me. I took a deep breath. I was going to confess everything to him! But Liam sealed my lips before I could. He kissed me with a desperate devotion. Something wet dripped onto my face… This time. He was incredibly passionate. The world, rising and falling, brings people joy, but also confusion. In my hazy, dizzy state. I heard Liam murmur: “Baby… does he make you feel better than I do?” Instantly, my eyes shot wide open! “What did you say?!” Another storm of passion hit. Liam focused entirely on the physical, not saying another word, as if what I just heard was a hallucination. He knew my body too well. A few movements later. My thoughts drifted away with him again. When it was over, I was completely drained, just overwhelmingly exhausted. In my half-asleep state, it sounded like someone was telling a bedtime story. A husky voice, thick with a nasal tone: “The year Noah was born, I was four… “He seemed to be born with a better knack for making the adults happy. I couldn’t help but be jealous of him… So I stole everything he had since we were kids. Until his 18th birthday. My parents and I went on a trip, and he called to complain… “I thought he was just fighting for attention again, so I secretly turned off my parents’ phones. We only found out when we got back from the trip that Noah had acute pancreatitis. No one was there to take care of him, and he almost died at home… “I swore to him then that as long as it was something he liked, whatever he wanted, I would never fight him for it again. But Maya… why did it have to be you…” 6 When I woke up again, the apartment was spotless. Yesterday’s leftovers, even my luggage, everything was neatly organized. Liam was always like this. Silently doing things in the background. I picked up my phone. Someone had added me on Snapchat at some point. [Maya, my game tonight. Are you coming?] [If you come, I’ll be really happy.] It was obvious who it was. Noah and I had already made a mistake once… Looking around the clean, tidy apartment, I decided to cut things off with Noah completely! After that… I’d beg Liam for forgiveness. Mind made up, I called him on the app. He picked up instantly. “Maya?” His voice pitched up at the end; he sounded really happy. I stayed silent for a moment, then spoke: “After this, let’s delete each other. Let’s not contact each other privately anymore.” The call went dead silent. A moment later, a loud crashing sound erupted. Someone on the other end yelled in panic: “Noah! Noah! Quick, call an ambulance!” My heart violently clenched. “Noah, what happened to you?!” 7 The other end of the line was in total chaos. Not long after, someone hung up the phone. Something happened to Noah. That realization threw me into a panic again. I tried to call back, but no one answered. It couldn’t be because of my phone call, right? I was a nervous wreck the entire day. Until Liam came to pick me up after work. “I have to go to the hospital. I’ll drop you off at home and then head over.” The hospital?! My heart hammered against my ribs. “Who got hurt?!” Liam glanced at me: “How did you know it was an injury and not an illness?” My breathing hitched. I wanted to explain but didn’t know where to start. The light turned green. Liam started the car again. After a long, long time, he asked in a muffled voice: “It’s my brother who got hurt. Do you… want to go?” It really was Noah who got hurt! Because of my phone call! I gripped my seatbelt tightly. I didn’t even notice my voice cracking. “I have to go. Liam, take me with you!” 8 Noah really did get hurt because of me! They said Noah was on the phone, and they didn’t know why, but his expression suddenly looked awful. When the basketball came flying down, he didn’t dodge it. He fell right on the bleachers and hit his head, bleeding immediately. He still hadn’t woken up! The other guys on the basketball team were also anxious. “Noah never even has girls around him normally. But this afternoon, for some reason, he suddenly got a call from a girl!” “Otherwise, with his reflexes, he definitely would have dodged it!” In the hospital corridor. No one said another word. Liam’s expression was heavy. It was completely impossible to guess what he was thinking. I stood rooted to the spot. I couldn’t even describe what I was feeling. All I knew was that Noah was lying there entirely because of me… One mistake after another. I shuffled over to Liam. All sorts of thoughts were warring in my head. Right now, it seemed the only option was to confess. Whether it was the older brother or the younger brother, this tragedy was entirely my fault… I wrung my hands. “Liam…” He looked up. There was a raw emotion in his eyes, and he was trembling slightly. “Don’t say it.” His voice was hoarse. His fists, resting on his legs, were clenched so tight the veins bulged. “I don’t want to hear it right now…” A dull ache throbbed in my chest. I had no idea how to clean up this mess. The door to the hospital room was suddenly pushed open. The nurse said the patient was awake. Noah’s head was wrapped in bandages. From far across the room, the first person he looked at was me. “Maya, I’m dizzy.” 9 Noah suffered a concussion from the fall. Besides dizziness, he also had bouts of nausea. When Liam was ordering food, Noah dry-heaved until physiological tears ran down his face. “Liam, I want home-cooked food.” Liam put his phone away. He gave me a fleeting glance. “Then your sister-in-law and I will go back, make some food, and run it over to you.” “Liam!” Noah raised his voice and sat up abruptly. The next second, he started gagging and feeling nauseous again. I couldn’t help but pat his back. I looked at Liam. “Why don’t you stay here with him? I’ll go back, make some food, and bring it over…” After all. Noah’s injury had everything to do with me. Liam pressed his lips tightly together. He didn’t say anything, but the patient started groaning. Noah held his forehead, saying the room was spinning. Finally, he looked at me pitifully and asked: “Maya, can my current physical condition handle your ‘creative’ cooking?” “Your sister-in-law can’t stay here with you!” Before I could even react, Liam suddenly stood up. Noah blinked. His voice was soft: “Then I guess… I’ll just be hospitalized alone…” Liam’s body went rigid. He looked at me. The rims of his eyes were flushed pink. “Maya, you stay at the hospital with Noah for now… I’ll be back as soon as I can…” He walked away unsteadily, his footsteps rushed. “Maya~” Noah called me, his voice full of grievance. “Look at me.” I slowly turned my head, looking at the pitiful man on the hospital bed. “You did that on purpose.” My voice was certain. “You got hurt on purpose. You acted pitiful on purpose. You drove your brother away on purpose.” “Noah, your brother is already miserable enough!” “Why did you have to do this?!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392119”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I had been with Rowan Hayes for six years. When I got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, I heard an argument outside the bedroom door. But it was just the two of us in the apartment. Who was Rowan talking to? I peeked through the crack in the door, only to see… two Rowans? “Bro, you’ve had Lily to yourself all week. It’s my turn today.” I slumped to the floor in absolute terror, my mind a chaotic mess. The door suddenly swung open. The two impossibly handsome men stood there, both wearing identical expressions of faint regret. “Busted…” “Well then, Lily. Guess which one is Rowan?” My lips trembled, but I couldn’t form a single word. Damn it all to hell, I have face blindness! 01 They took a step closer, their tall, broad figures casting a shadow that completely engulfed me. One of the “Rowans” crouched down to my eye level, his attractive, fox-like eyes narrowing into a smile. “Lily, guess which one is Rowan?” My lips quivered, but nothing came out. Taking my reaction exactly as expected, his smile deepened. “Oh, I forgot. Our Lily has face blindness.” … I first met Rowan Hayes during my sophomore year of high school. He went to a different school and was two grades above me. I was top of my class in STEM, but compared to him, I was leagues behind. Our teachers eventually paired us up for the State Math Olympiad. Rowan was a guy of incredibly few words. During the training camp, unless I was actively asking him a question, he treated his words like they cost a hundred bucks each. But I never got tired of it. I followed him around every single day, pestering him with questions. Are you kidding? He was ranked first in the state. If I didn’t cling to his coattails now, when would I? It got to the point where Rowan would just sigh, reach out, and take my textbook the moment he saw me running over. “Which one are you stuck on?” After we won the championship, I asked Rowan what college he was aiming for. Rowan looked down at me, probably thinking to himself that he’d accidentally adopted a clingy kitten. “Stanford.” It felt miles out of my reach, but the word buried itself in my heart like a seed. “Then wait for me. I’ll definitely get in.” After spending two months together, Rowan knew exactly what I was capable of. He gave a soft “Hmm,” and then he smiled. His usually cold, handsome face softened instantly. “I’ll wait for you.” Two years later, during freshman orientation, I saw him again. He was standing on stage, giving a speech as the student representative. I waved at him. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but he quickly lowered his gaze and focused on reading his script. I figured Rowan was just shy. From then on, whenever I ran into him on campus, I’d enthusiastically greet him, never getting tired of it. As time went on, Rowan went from just giving me a polite nod to actually smiling back. Sometimes, when he smiled, the California sun would outline his sharp jawline in a soft golden halo. It made everything else pale in comparison. It felt exactly like that afternoon two years ago. That hidden seed was finally breaking through the soil. I started asking Rowan to go to the library to study. Honestly, Rowan didn’t need to study. He basically memorized things on the first read. Mostly, it was just me burying my head in endless calculus problems, and Rowan naturally becoming my unpaid private tutor. In return, I’d treat him to dinner. Even though Rowan was nearly six-foot-three, he didn’t eat that much. I, on the other hand, at five-foot-six, ate like a feral hog released from a pen. I couldn’t help but complain, “Rowan, do you work out a lot?” He looked down at me, thought for a second, and gave a soft “Hmm.” “No wonder your body looks like that.” Rowan gave me a weird look. “You haven’t even…” Then he seemed to remember something, his face flushed bright red, and he clammed up. I remember one time we were walking back from the library when a sudden torrential downpour hit. The street was empty, and there was nowhere to take cover. Rowan and I sprinted to a small park gazebo. I was wearing a white chiffon blouse that day. Rowan was brushing the rain off his shoulders, but when he turned to look at me, his gaze snapped away like he’d been burned. I was panting heavily, my pale face flushed pink from the sprint. A few strands of wet hair were plastered to my cheeks. He frantically stripped off his jacket and, ignoring my protests, forced it over my shoulders. Raindrops dripped from his wet hair, sliding down his cheek, tracing his neck, and soaking his white t-shirt. The defined ridges of his abs were faintly visible through the wet fabric. It took every ounce of my willpower to look away. In the end, neither of us dared to look at the other. We just sat there in awkward silence for two hours, waiting for the rain to stop. But the distance between us had definitely shrunk. My roommate, Chloe, couldn’t stop teasing me. “Girl, I told you! With that kind of crazy persistence, you could conquer the world.” I giggled like an idiot. “Chloe, do you think he’d say yes if I asked him out on a real date?” A weird silence filled the room. “…I’m Chloe’s sister, actually…” “…Oh.” Damn it. I really hate my face blindness. For the next few weeks, I constantly brought cream puffs and little pastries to Rowan. But Rowan didn’t have a sweet tooth. He’d take one tiny bite at most. Over time, Rowan quietly memorized all my favorite flavors, and eventually, he was the one bringing the desserts. But mostly, he just sat there quietly, watching me stuff my cheeks like a chipmunk. Rowan felt like he was raising a soft, fluffy kitten. Proud, cute, and completely food-motivated. Gradually, I started to feel like Rowan and I were just one step away from making it official. So the next day, I ordered a bouquet of red roses. When I came back with the flowers, I saw Rowan hugging another girl. His back was to me. The girl was petite, practically buried in his chest. I froze in the doorway. Rowan turned his head and clearly saw me. He frowned, his eyes dropping to the roses in my arms. He looked completely stunned. I didn’t wait for his reaction. I spun on my heel and bolted down the hall as fast as my legs could carry me. God, why do you have to play me like this? 02 When I got back to the dorm, I burst into loud, ugly sobs. Chloe clenched her fists in righteous fury. “I knew he was trash!” I sniffled. “But I haven’t even told him how I feel yet.” “Say no more, bestie. I know exactly what this is. As a veteran of the dating trenches, you’re suffering from a broken heart.” I cried even harder. I laid my heart bare, and he stomped on it. Chloe couldn’t take it anymore. She yanked me off the bed. She squished my tear-stained cheeks, looking disgusted. “Stop crying, girl. Your face is wrinkling up like a raisin.” “Come on, get dressed. We’re going out to party.” Before I knew what was happening, Chloe had dragged me to a VIP lounge and shoved me onto a leather couch between two six-foot guys with shredded abs. One was shirtless, wearing some kind of leather harness that pressed against his chest and arms, leaving faint pink marks on his skin. The other was wearing fluffy black fox ears and gold-rimmed glasses, smiling at me with devastatingly handsome features. They kept calling me “pretty lady.” My scalp tingled, my entire body went rigid, and I didn’t dare relax for a single second. Chloe started organizing drinking games. After three rounds, my head was spinning, and I passed out against her shoulder. When I woke up, I heard Chloe arguing with someone. I rubbed my eyes and groggily saw Rowan… and two girls? My head was pounding. I held my temples and sat up. What was this? Was he afraid I’d keep pestering him, so he brought his girlfriend to warn me off? I bravely raised my hand and pointed a shaky finger at Rowan. Chloe gently adjusted my arm so I was actually pointing at him. “He’s over there.” “Even though I… I like you… since you have a girlfriend, I won’t bother you anymore! Waaah…” I was doing so well, but my tear ducts betrayed me. My lip quivered, and I started wailing all over again. The girl standing next to him immediately panicked and waved her hands. “Hey, pretty girl, you’ve got it all wrong! Here’s what actually happened this afternoon…” She explained that she had been sitting down for too long, and when she stood up, her low blood sugar hit. Her vision went black, and she collapsed. Rowan just happened to catch her. After she finished explaining, she even pulled out a piece of paper. “Rowan knew you misunderstood, so he dragged me to the campus clinic to get a doctor’s note to prove I passed out.” I looked at Rowan. He was standing there, the tips of his ears bright red, looking like a little kid who’d been caught doing something wrong. Chloe, staying completely in character, rolled her eyes at him, grabbed the club promoters, and moved to another booth to give us privacy. The girl quietly slipped away too. Rowan and I sat side-by-side. At this point, I don’t know where I found the liquid courage, but I grabbed the cup in front of me and took a massive gulp. Except I grabbed the wrong cup. I grabbed Chloe’s. It was a lethal concoction of vodka, tequila, and beer. Completely unaware of the danger, I turned to Rowan. “I like you.” Rowan nodded. “I know. Aren’t we already dating?” My brain started to deep-fry. “Since when?” “Didn’t you accept my flowers this afternoon?” “Huh?” I opened my phone and saw several missed calls and a text from a delivery driver. It was a picture of a bouquet of roses left on the porch of my dorm. “You ordered flowers too?” Rowan immediately spotted the issue. We stared at each other for a second, then both burst out laughing. I pouted playfully, mumbling, “You still owe me fresh flowers.” “I already bought some on the way here.” 03 “Lily?” The familiar voice pulled me back to reality. “There’s a punishment for guessing wrong, you know.” I looked up at the two identical men standing in front of me, a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead. Their clothes, their eyes, their hair, even their exact height—completely identical. One of them crouched down, meeting my eyes. His warm thumb gently stroked my cheek. The deep affection and tenderness in his eyes felt like a net, trapping me completely. The other one just stood there. The shadow of his hair hid his expression, but I could tell he was smiling. “Lily’s spacing out like this… Doesn’t it look exactly like when she’s sleepwalking?” A lightbulb went off in my head. I do have a history of sleepwalking! I immediately let my eyes unfocus, staring blankly ahead, pretending I couldn’t see the person right in front of me. My gaze passed right through them. “Looks like she really is sleepwalking.” A regretful, amused voice spoke. The one standing up turned to leave. Halfway to the door, he stopped and said, “Rhys, make sure you turn the heat up. Lily gets cold easily.” “I know.” Rhys scooped me up into his arms. I kept my face entirely blank until he gently laid me down on the mattress. I kept my breathing perfectly even. Rhys leaned over, pressing his forehead against mine to check my temperature. “Why is she always so cold?” He shifted, wrapped his arm around me, and pulled me flush against him. I didn’t dare move a muscle, staying curled up in the crook of his arm. His bare, muscular chest was pressed tightly against me. Rhys held me, his other hand absentmindedly stroking down my back, from my neck to my spine. Like he was petting a cat. The familiar, warm scent wrapped around me, and I instantly relaxed, stifling a silent yawn. Whenever I was stressed, “Rowan” used to comfort me exactly like this. I was so used to this dynamic that once the tension left my body, a wave of exhaustion hit me. As I drifted off to sleep, Rhys opened his tightly shut eyes. There wasn’t an ounce of sleepiness in them. 04 I should have realized it. I actually met Rhys the very first time I visited Rowan’s apartment. Rowan had gone overseas for a competition and won. To celebrate, I bought a gift and rushed over to his place the day he got back. I dropped the bags, threw my arms around him, and buried my face in his chest, mumbling, “I thought you weren’t coming back until the day after tomorrow?” “Rowan” tilted my head up, kissed my lips, and gave a warm, gentle smile. “Because I missed you.” It was a simple, honest, and passionate confession. He started cooking dinner. The soft kitchen lights hit his perfect side profile, and I practically drooled. You have to understand, I’ve been chronically single my entire life. He looked like an absolute snack. So, I hugged him from behind, my hands starting to wander. A deep flush spread across his face, making him look like a shy, blushing bride. My hands roamed over his abs, poking and squeezing. “L-Lily, don’t…” “I’m just checking to see if you kept up with your workouts while you were in Europe.” Feeling mischievous, my hand slipped slightly lower and gave a firm squeeze. I nodded in absolute satisfaction. Yep, perfectly toned. He swallowed hard, letting out a low, muffled groan. The veins on the arm holding the spatula bulged against his skin. He looked like he was battling restraint, agony, and pure desire all at once. Realizing I might have played with fire, I tried to make a break for it. Without even turning around, he pinned me with one arm, pulling me back and trapping me completely against his body. My legs were locked against his, our bodies pressed flush together. I could literally feel something burning hot standing at attention, saying a very friendly hello. I froze, terrified to move. He lowered his head, resting his chin on my shoulder. “You need to focus when you’re cooking.” His hot breath tickled my ear, making me shrink my neck. He pressed a soft kiss to the tip of my ear. “Don’t get distracted. You have to make sure both sides get cooked.” He won. I couldn’t out-flirt him, and I ultimately fled the kitchen in defeat. His low, rumbling laughter echoed behind me, making my face burn even hotter. 05 During dinner, he opened a bottle of wine. I chattered away, telling him all about my week. His gaze was soft as water as he watched me. The pure affection in his eyes was completely unguarded. My throat got dry from talking, so I grabbed my glass and downed it in one go. It was a sweet, rich wine, not harsh at all. I smacked my lips. He slowly, elegantly took tiny sips from his own glass. Propping up my dizzy head, I looked at his barely touched plate and frowned in confusion. “Rowan, aren’t you gonna eat?” His eyes sparkled with amusement as he looked at me adoringly, casually replying, “I’ll eat later.” Eat later? Was he planning on having a midnight snack? I groggily picked up my phone. It was 10:30 PM. If I didn’t leave now, I’d miss dorm curfew. I sprang up from the chair, then instantly tipped over. Luckily, he had quick reflexes and caught me by the waist. My vision was blurry. Were the lights always this dim in his living room? My mind was floating, my hands instinctively resting against his solid chest. “Lily?” “Mmhmm?” I hummed softly, looking up at his worried expression and those… incredibly kissable pink lips. They looked so soft. I reached up and touched them. In the dim light, I couldn’t see how dark his eyes had gotten, completely clouded with desire. I could only feel the arm around my waist tightening like a vise. I let out a soft whine, the sound coming out far more delicate and seductive than I intended. That little sound acted like a blade, instantly severing the last string of his self-control. He scooped me into his arms and carried me to the sofa. I clung to him, my body feeling like it had melted into jelly. A torrential storm of kisses rained down on me, catching me completely off guard. I tried to push him back gently, but he caught my hand and pressed a burning kiss to my palm. A shiver wrecked through my body, making my head spin even more. “Rowan.” “Yeah?” “I love you…” “I love you too.” The rest of my words were swallowed up in a kiss overflowing with emotion. He gently but firmly claimed every inch of me. I slowly melted into a puddle. Like a small boat caught in a rising tide, I was tossed to the highest peaks of the waves, only to crash back down. When we finally reached the shore, the little boat had nothing left to give, simply drifting with the current. I clung tightly to his back, crying and begging for mercy. He kissed away my tears, slowing his pace. “Lily, the night is still young.” 06 I have no idea when I fell asleep, but when I woke up, the bed was empty. There was only a sticky note on the nightstand. Lily, I had to run to campus to meet with my advisor. Breakfast is on the table, make sure you eat it. Love you. He’d even drawn a little cartoon dog at the bottom. I couldn’t help but smile. After I washed up and went downstairs, I was halfway through breakfast when the front door opened. I happily ran over and threw my arms around him in a massive hug. Then I grabbed his collar, pulled him down, and planted a huge smooch on his lips. He covered his mouth, a look of pure shock flashing across his eyes. I didn’t notice a thing. I just dragged him to the table, complaining about how intensely we had “battled” last night, completely oblivious to the fact that this wasn’t Rowan. He raised an eyebrow. His dark, ink-black eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and suspicion as he looked at me. After a long pause, a smile finally broke across his face. It was a faint, teasing smirk, playful and a little wicked. The corners of his eyes lifted, and a dangerous glint appeared in his gaze. He reached out, pinched my cheek, and leaned in intimately, practically purring, “Want to go out and do something fun today?” His voice was a magnetic, smooth baritone, with a slight lilt at the end of his sentences. Like a cat flicking the tip of its tail to draw you in. I had never seen “Rowan” act like this. It was pure, intoxicating seduction. As we were heading out, I asked him why his advisor needed to see him. “Probably something about a competition,” he said nonchalantly. I stopped in my tracks and gave him a suspicious look. Realizing he had slipped up, he quickly backtracked, saying his advisor just needed him to fill out some forms for the next project proposal. I linked my arm through his, praising him without a second thought. “I knew my boyfriend was a genius.” “Come on, I’m taking you to the amusement park.” Because I didn’t look up, I completely missed his bright red ears and the guilty, panicked look in his eyes. He looked exactly like a Golden Retriever that had just chewed up your favorite shoes. 07 Tired from walking, we sat down on a bench. He told me to rest while he went to buy some water. I watched his back as he walked away. I felt like “Rowan” was unusually energetic today. Was it just because we were out having fun? I reached into my pocket for my phone, only to realize he had tossed it into his backpack before we left the apartment. 08 “Two bottles of water, please.” Inside Rhys’s pocket, the phone was buzzing non-stop. Looking visibly annoyed, Rhys pulled out the phone encased in a black cat phone case. He tentatively typed in his own birthday. Sure enough, it unlocked effortlessly. The lock screen was a photo of Lily and his brother. Rowan was looking down, his eyes filled with gentle affection for the girl in his arms. Rhys couldn’t explain the feeling in his chest, but it felt suffocating. If anyone had the right to claim her, he had met her before his brother ever did. When he opened her messages, the contact name “6’3, Abs, Capricorn” practically leaped off the screen. Rhys couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Who names their boyfriend that in their phone? [Lily, why aren’t you at the apartment?] [Did you go back to campus?] [My little brother got back yesterday. Do you want to meet him?] [Baby, why aren’t you answering me?] (Cartoon dog sticker) Rhys subconsciously touched his own lips, thinking about the kiss from that morning… Holding a cigarette between his lips, a wicked smile spread through the haze of smoke. With his long fingers, he swiped left on his brother’s messages and hit “Delete.” 09 He handed me the open bottle of water. I immediately caught the scent of tobacco. “Since when do you smoke?” He smoothly spat out a piece of gum, looking completely innocent. “The guy at the concession stand was smoking. I must have caught the smell standing there.” I nodded, then patted the empty space on the bench next to me, motioning for him to sit closer. He hesitated for a second before sliding over. I lifted my wrist and started rubbing it against the skin just behind his ear. He froze, his entire body going rigid. Even the tips of his ears flushed a soft pink. It was adorable. I couldn’t resist pinching his earlobe. At the feeling of skin rubbing against skin, he shivered. He leaned back slightly in shock, his chest rising and falling much faster than before. “Wh-What are you doing?” his voice wavered. I hooked my arm around his neck and pulled him back. He looked down, I looked up, and our eyes locked. His long eyelashes cast a shadow over his flawlessly sharp features, looking like a painting bathed in sunlight. My heart skipped a beat. I swallowed nervously and stammered, “I put on perfume before we left… I was just, um, sharing some with you.” I panicked, broke eye contact, and tried to yank my hand back. The moment I pulled away, he grabbed my wrist and pressed a quick kiss to it. I tried to pull free again, but he just gripped me tighter. He raised an eyebrow, a wicked, amused smile playing on his lips, and leaned in… I slapped a hand over his mouth, my face burning. “Not until tonight.” He frowned, his eyes darkening with an unreadable emotion. Tonight? He wasn’t going to be the one kissing her tonight… He pinned my hands with one arm and crashed his lips onto mine. Suddenly, the phone in his pocket started ringing. It was my ringtone. I pushed against his chest, mumbling incoherently against his lips, “My… my phone… mmph…” His gaze darkened completely. Keeping me pinned, he pulled out the phone and glanced at the screen. Caller ID: [Hubby]. He unceremoniously hit decline. “Spam call.” He cupped the back of my head and deepened the kiss. Afterward, I buried my face in my hands, curled up in his chest, blushing like a boiled lobster. Honestly, if I had just gone back to the apartment with him, I would have realized there was another Rowan waiting for me at home. But the university called an emergency meeting for my major, so I had to head straight back to campus. He saved his phone number in my phone, claiming it was just his secondary work line. After that, it felt like Rowan was spending way more time with me. One day he’d be out of state for an academic conference. The very next day, he’d miraculously appear right by my side to take me out. He took me to restaurants I had casually mentioned liking. Sometimes, though, his memory seemed a little spotty. We’d end up going to the same places twice. I just assumed it was because he really liked the food there, so I never questioned it. Our relationship only got better as the years went on. Until graduation day, our three-year anniversary. “Rowan” proposed to me. With a sparkling gold ring. He hugged me tightly, whispering, “Happy Graduation.” I grinned from ear to ear and hugged him back fiercely. “I love you, Rowan.” I felt his body stiffen slightly. Rowan? Guess it was time to put his cards on the table. He buried his face in my neck and kissed me, hard.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391839”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I had been with Liam Vance for four years, but our intimate life was always a disaster. He constantly complained that I lacked experience and made it incredibly uncomfortable for him. Desperate to please him, I bought a massive box of adult toys online, intending to practice by myself. But then, I accidentally overheard a conversation between him and a friend. “Liam, you literally hired someone to hit Mia with a car, putting her in the ICU, and then bribed the doctor to surgically sever her vocal cords so she could never sing again. Do you really not feel a single shred of guilt?” “Guilt? Why would I feel guilty that she sounds like a dying pig now?” “For the past four years, I’ve been so disgusted I haven’t even wanted to sleep with her. Every time we do, I intentionally make it as painful as possible for her.” “And guess what? She actually thinks it’s her fault! She just bought a massive box of toys online to ‘practice’!” Liam laughed cruelly as he dumped the box of toys I had bought onto the table, sparking an eruption of mocking laughter from the room. I stood frozen outside the door, my body trembling uncontrollably, feeling like I had been plunged into an icy abyss. It turned out, my entire life had been a meticulously crafted lie. 1 On the other side of the wall, the mocking laughter finally died down. Someone else spoke up. “Damn, Liam. You actually manage to intentionally hurt her every time?” “You really must despise Mia, huh?” “Aren’t you terrified she’ll find out the truth about what you did back then?” Liam’s face was obscured by cigarette smoke. His voice, when he finally spoke, was as cold as a harsh winter. “So what if she finds out?” “Permanently destroying her vocal cords was the only way Chloe could win the Golden Ear Award in the music industry.” “Besides, I’ve already promised to marry her. What more could she possibly want?” With that, Liam looked down, gazing with profound devotion at a photo of Chloe on his phone. “My heart will only ever belong to Chloe.” “I would sacrifice absolutely anything for her. Even… someone else’s life!” The room erupted in gasps again, with everyone praising Liam for his incredible devotion. But every single word he spoke pierced directly into my ears. It felt like a massive, invisible hand reached into my chest and viciously twisted my heart. I convulsed in agony, leaning heavily against the wall just to remember how to breathe. Four years ago, I was involved in a horrific car accident on my way to compete in the Golden Ear Awards. When I woke up, not only had I missed the competition entirely, but I was told my vocal cords were irreparably damaged. I fell into a severe depression, becoming incredibly volatile and prone to explosive anger. It was Liam who stayed by my side the entire time, encouraging me, supporting me. On the day I was finally discharged from the hospital, he even dropped to one knee and proposed, swearing he would love me for the rest of his life. But now, I realized it was all a monstrous, calculated lie! My entire body was trembling, and a sharp, agonizing pain radiated from my throat. I stumbled into the kitchen and, with shaking hands, logged into an account I hadn’t touched in four years. The follower count on my singing account, [Silk Melody], hadn’t dropped at all. Every so often, fans would still leave comments, begging to know when I was coming back. From there, I quickly found Chloe’s profile. Unlike four years ago when she was completely unknown, Chloe’s posts now regularly racked up hundreds of thousands of likes. Her most recent post was from three days ago. It showed her at the Paris Opera House, her arm linked affectionately with a man in a tailored black suit. [I just mentioned I wanted to see a show, and he flew me out here to experience the world!] [He said loving someone is like cultivating a rare flower, and I am his most precious bloom.] The comments section was flooded with people gushing about how perfectly matched they were, calling them a match made in heaven. I scrolled down her feed frantically, like a woman possessed. Every single post featured “him.” A “him” who never showed his face. Suddenly, my eyes locked onto a specific post, and my heart slammed to a halt. It was a series of highly suggestive, lust-fueled photos. Taken in a suite at the Hilton. A naked man and woman, strategically covering themselves, posing for mirror selfies. Chloe had written a pinned comment underneath: [His technique is absolutely incredible, and he lasts so long. Every time is pure bliss.] [It’s true what they say: when you find a man, find one with a strong dedication to ‘customer service’.] Her fans were screaming in the comments about how jealous they were, spamming reaction stickers begging for her “luck.” But on the exact night those photos were posted, I permanently lost my mother because I couldn’t speak. 2 A year ago, my mother was involved in a terrible car accident. Because my vocal cords were destroyed, I couldn’t call for help. I stood in the middle of the chaotic accident scene, dropping to my knees and desperately kowtowing to every single passing car. Finally, a kind stranger stopped and helped me rush my mother to the hospital. But we were too late. She didn’t make it. During those agonizing, critical minutes we lost, I sent dozens of frantic text messages to Liam. Because he had once promised me that no matter what, he would always reply to my texts the absolute second he saw them. But that night, I never received a single reply. Because he was busy “servicing” Chloe, utilizing every single ounce of his “technique” in bed. I locked my phone screen. It felt like a literal axe was cleaving my brain in two. The excruciating psychological pain made it impossible to breathe. Slumping against the kitchen counter, I gasped desperately for air. Suddenly, Liam’s panicked voice echoed from behind me. “Mia! Are you okay?!” “Is your throat hurting again?” He gently patted my back, slowly helping me regulate my breathing. “Mia, I told you, I don’t care what your voice sounds like. Even if you can never speak another word for the rest of your life, I will always love you.” Liam pulled me into his arms, his voice thick with tender comfort. I leaned stiffly against his chest, listening to his familiar heartbeat, feeling nothing but profound, nauseating absurdity. It turns out that mouths can lie, and heartbeats can lie too. Liam’s heart was racing, beating so fast I almost could have believed I was the woman he truly loved. But the horrific conversation I had just overheard was permanently burned into my memory. I curled into myself, trembling slightly. “Mia, let me get your medicine, okay?” Liam looked down at me, his eyes overflowing with manufactured concern. He reached up to gently touch my throat, then released me to go grab the first-aid kit. But the very next second. Both of our phones pinged simultaneously. He stopped dead in his tracks, stared at his screen for a few seconds, and then immediately sprinted toward the front door in absolute panic. Without a single word of explanation, his departure was rushed and jarring. I stood frozen in the kitchen. I pulled out my phone and saw that Chloe had just posted a new update. [I just ran into a crazy stalker fan at my hotel! I’m so terrified!] The attached photo showed her looking panicked and frightened. Every single micro-expression on her face was perfectly calculated to make her look incredibly fragile and pitiful. I let out a cynical, self-deprecating laugh as a dull, agonizing ache pulsed through my heart. Through the living room window, I watched Liam sprinting to his car and speeding off like a maniac. So he actually was capable of being this terrified for someone. Without realizing it, tears began streaming down my arms. My body convulsed violently, and I stumbled, collapsing heavily onto the floor. Several minutes later, I slowly forced myself to stand. I dug deep into the back of a kitchen cabinet and pulled out an old business card. [Professor, I want to get treatment for my vocal cords.] [I want to return to the stage.] The reply came almost instantly. [Mia, are you serious?!] [I’m booking you a flight immediately!] [There’s a revolutionary new treatment technique in the US. I know with absolute certainty that you can win the Golden Ear Award!] My professor booked my flight for the very next day. I packed my clothes and shoved the suitcase deep into the back of my closet. Once I finished, I sat blankly in the living room. It wasn’t until late that night that I heard the sound of a key in the lock. Liam stumbled in, reeking of alcohol. “Sorry, sister-in-law. Liam’s in a really bad mood, so he drank a bit too much.” “Please take good care of him.” Liam staggered into the apartment and pulled me into a crushing embrace. But the name slurring from his lips was Chloe’s. “Chloe… I know I was wrong. I never meant to hide the truth about Mia from you.” “I don’t love Mia at all! She isn’t worth a single strand of your hair.” “Chloe, how could you just tease me like that and then leave?” “Do you have any idea how much I’m burning up inside right now?” 3 Liam’s heavy, alcohol-laced breath washed over my neck. Unlike his usual brutal, aggressive demeanor, tonight, Liam was incredibly gentle. I covered my eyes with my hands, tears silently streaming down my temples. Four years ago, filled with nervous anticipation and dreams of a beautiful romance, I gave myself to Liam for the first time. And that very first time, he treated me with such brutal aggression that my body ached for days. But afterward, he actually blamed me. “Mia, your body makes me incredibly uncomfortable.” “Every time we try to do this, you completely kill my mood.” I was naive and inexperienced. Believing him, I kept trying to make it work. Terrified that any unpleasant sound from my ruined throat would ruin his mood, I aggressively suppressed every reaction. But right now, I felt absolutely no pain or discomfort. I only felt an incredible, overwhelming pleasure. And all of this was solely because Liam was currently hallucinating that I was Chloe. How hilariously tragic. I violently wiped away my tears and used every ounce of strength I had to shove Liam to the floor. But he immediately lunged at me again. This time, his eyes focused, and he realized who I was. “Mia?” “Why the hell did you push me?!” He stared at me in pure, unadulterated disbelief. His eyes, glazed with lust, gave him a feral, animalistic look. As if he had finally ripped off the refined, gentlemanly mask he always wore, Liam kissed me with savage, punishing force. I couldn’t break free, and he subjected me to his usual, violent routine. The next morning, Liam finally woke up sober. He rubbed his temples, a flicker of guilt crossing his eyes. “Mia, last night… I drank too much.” “Make sure you take your birth control.” With that, he pulled on a black dress shirt. As he walked toward the bedroom door, he stumbled slightly, accidentally kicking over the massive box of toys I had bought. The small toys spilled out across the floor, some of them accidentally turning on and beginning to vibrate violently. Liam muttered a low curse, right as his phone rang. He glanced at the screen, a soft, genuine smile instantly blooming on his lips, and walked out, shutting the door behind him. The bedroom returned to its dim gloom. Fighting through the physical pain, I unlocked my phone. Chloe had posted a new update. A photo of a pair of red stilettos resting on a perfectly tailored, black suit jacket. [Spent all night lighting fires all over him. I just love watching him burn with desire, yet still refuse to hurt me.] In the dark bedroom, my phone screen slowly timed out and went black. I struggled to my feet, nearly collapsing again, my entire body trembling violently. Once I managed to get dressed, I limped painfully to the bedroom door. Kneeling on the floor, I manually turned off every single vibrating toy and shoved them all back into the box. These toys felt like a physical manifestation of my pathetic, humiliating delusion. I lowered my head. The agonizing, stabbing pain in my heart made it impossible to breathe, and every inhalation felt like thousands of needles piercing my ruined throat. Thank God I was leaving so soon. I carried the heavy box of toys downstairs and threw it directly into the dumpster. Winters in Beijing are brutally cold. I stood by the dumpster for a few minutes, catching my breath. Suddenly, a familiar Maybach sped toward me and screeched to a halt. Liam threw the door open, his face frantic, and clamped his hand around my wrist like a vice. “Mia, get in! We need to go to the hospital right now!” Before I could even struggle, Liam forcefully dragged me into the car. He drove like a maniac, blowing through multiple red lights. When we arrived at the hospital, he dragged me straight to a VIP ward. “Draw her blood! She has the Rh-negative blood type!” 4 In the freezing, sterile hospital room, I clutched my phone, my entire body shaking uncontrollably. It turned out that Chloe had been in a car accident. Early this morning. So Liam, completely disregarding my safety or well-being, dragged me to the hospital solely to act as a human blood bag for Chloe. But Liam! After the car accident four years ago, I was diagnosed with severe anemia. And you knew that perfectly well. The overwhelming stench of disinfectant filled the air. I watched the blood draining rapidly from my arm, my face turning ashen pale. The nurse patiently asked if I was feeling unwell. I shook my head. I literally couldn’t speak a single word. But tears began streaming relentlessly down my face. “Miss, please don’t cry!” “Aren’t you a voluntary donor?” The nurse looked absolutely shocked and instinctively moved to pull the needle out. But Liam immediately barked an order to stop her. “Mia, stop being so unreasonable.” “Someone’s life depends on your blood right now. Stop acting like a spoiled brat!” Liam’s brow was furrowed in deep annoyance, his grip on my wrist painfully tight. He had a tight, reassuring smile on his lips, but his eyes were freezing cold. The nurse was startled by his tone, her hand trembling as she pulled away. I stared up at Liam, and suddenly, a cold, empty smile touched my lips. [Liam Vance, this is the absolute last time you will ever hurt me.] I lowered my head. I didn’t struggle, and I didn’t fight back. It wasn’t until several bags of my blood had been drawn that the nurse finally whispered timidly: “Sir, this should be more than enough to save the pregnant woman who’s hemorrhaging…” Liam frowned deeply. “Pregnant woman?” The nurse nodded. “Yes! We currently have a pregnant patient with Rh-negative blood experiencing severe postpartum hemorrhaging.” “Isn’t she the one you’re here to save?” Liam’s frown deepened into a scowl. Suddenly, a painfully familiar voice echoed from the hallway. “See? I told you!” “I told you Liam would definitely drag Mia here!” “Chloe, I won the bet!” Liam’s friend walked into the room, laughing boisterously. Right behind them was Chloe. Her complexion was perfectly rosy, her makeup was flawless, and she looked absolutely nothing like someone who had just been in a car crash. I sat completely frozen, my head spinning with dizziness from the blood loss. Then I heard Chloe’s sickeningly sweet, whining voice. “Liam, you aren’t mad, are you?” “It’s all their fault! They insisted on making a bet and playing a stupid game.” “I know I was wrong.” Chloe grabbed Liam’s hands and threw herself into his arms. Liam didn’t move a muscle. His eyes were terrifyingly calm. Within seconds, a suffocating silence fell over the entire room. The group finally realized they had crossed a massive line, and genuine fear flickered in their eyes. “Liam, please don’t be mad…” But suddenly, Liam wrapped his arms fiercely around Chloe, the veins on the back of his hands bulging. His voice actually trembled. “Chloe, never, ever make a joke like that again.” “I was… terrified.” In an instant, an explosive ringing erupted in my ears, drowning out all other sound. The couple embracing in front of me looked like a perfect, romantic painting, reducing me to nothing but a pathetic, humiliating clown. I was the one who shouldn’t be here! Using the wall to support my severely weakened body, I slowly walked out of the room, leaving their joyous celebration behind. When I reached the hospital entrance, a torrential downpour had begun. I stumbled blindly into the rain, my clothes instantly soaked through. Rain and tears mingled on my face. The pain in my throat was so intense I could barely breathe. But I felt completely numb. I walked back to the apartment like a hollow, soulless ghost. The moment I unlocked the door, my strength completely vanished, and I collapsed heavily in the entryway. I curled into a tight ball, wrapping my arms desperately around myself. As if that pathetic gesture could offer me some kind of comfort. But my rain-soaked phone suddenly lit up. And the tiny, fragile wall of defense I had struggled so hard to build was ruthlessly annihilated. Chloe had posted a new update. [Just a silly joke, but he was absolutely terrified.] The photo showed the flawless lower half of Liam’s face, gently kissing the corner of her eye. The comments section was flooded with people declaring that only a love this profound was worthy of marriage. Chloe even replied to one of those comments. [Marriage is already in the works!] [He said he’s preparing a massive surprise for me!] With stiff, trembling fingers, I actually ‘liked’ the post. Then, I logged into my [Silk Melody] account. This time, I didn’t use incognito mode. The “Online” indicator for [Silk Melody] lit up. I posted a photo of my boarding pass. [Goodbye, Liam Vance.] … Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Liam excused himself to the restroom and immediately dialed my number. But the call wouldn’t connect. Until a friend sent him a screenshot. “Liam! Mia is leaving the country!” “She might have found out the truth about what happened back then!” The hand holding the phone began to shake violently, and a sudden, inexplicable wave of sheer panic seized his heart. 5 In the past, Liam was absolutely, undeniably convinced that I would never, ever leave him. But in that moment, he was genuinely terrified. In the hospital restroom, his breathing grew ragged as he yanked at his tie, loosening it. But the paralyzing panic in his chest didn’t subside; instead, it mutated into a suffocating dread. In a fit of explosive rage, he punched the mirror. The glass shattered instantly. Blood streamed down his fingers, but he didn’t even seem to notice. When he finally walked out of the restroom, Chloe gasped, covering her mouth in shock. “Liam! What happened to your hand?!” Liam raised his hand, staring blankly at the blood coating his knuckles. He actually felt a bizarre, momentary sense of calm. But looking at the pure terror in Chloe’s eyes, his mind violently flashed back to me. Over the past four years, if he suffered even the most minor, microscopic injury, I would completely lose my mind with worry. Tears would instantly well up in my eyes, and I would clumsily type out furious text messages, scolding him for not taking better care of himself. And then, I would meticulously, gently bandage his wound. Thinking of this, Liam ignored his bleeding hand and dialed the first number in his favorites list again. “The number you have dialed is currently powered off…” He dialed it again, and again, and again. The panic inside Liam grew exponentially. He raised a hand to clutch his chest. It felt like something vital, something foundational, had just permanently vanished. At that exact moment, I fell into a deep, exhausted sleep on the plane. When I finally woke up and walked out of the arrival gate, the very first thing I saw was my professor waiting for me. In an instant, the dam finally broke, and years of suppressed agony and injustice exploded outward. I threw myself into my professor’s arms and sobbed hysterically, telling her absolutely everything about what Liam had done to me. Her eyes blazed with pure, unadulterated fury, her hands balling into tight fists. “Mia, you foolish, foolish girl!” “Why didn’t you tell me you were suffering so much?!” My professor’s eyes grew red as she held me in a fierce, protective embrace. “Don’t worry. I will use absolutely every resource and connection I have to help you!” “The Golden Ear Award this year belongs to you!” My professor was a woman of her word. She immediately secured appointments with the absolute top specialists in the US. “Ms. Harrison, whoever severed your vocal cords did so with the explicit intention of making sure you never recovered.” “I can treat it, but the surgical procedure is going to be unimaginably agonizing.” “We will need to perform the surgery entirely without anesthesia. That is the only possible way to guarantee the maximum restoration of your vocal cord function.” “Are you absolutely certain you want to proceed?” I clenched my fists tightly, but a massive wave of relief washed over me. Thank God. It can be fixed. I nodded, agreeing to the surgery without a microsecond of hesitation. For the next month, I underwent a brutal, agonizing surgery almost every single week. Every single procedure felt like being burned alive and reborn from the ashes. Finally, after a grueling month, I produced my first vocal sound. My voice was clear and crisp, but possessed a subtle, undeniable huskiness. It was entirely different from my previous tone. It carried a profound depth, a texture born from surviving unimaginable suffering. I touched my throat, massive tears rolling down my face. I could finally speak again. The absolute second I regained my voice, I threw myself entirely into vocal training. I practically lived in the music studio, practicing from dawn until dusk. Four years ago, I was robbed of the Golden Ear Award. This time, I absolutely refused to let it slip through my fingers. Fueled by that unyielding determination, I trained relentlessly until exactly one week before the Golden Ear competition. When my professor finally pushed open the door to the practice room. “Mia, I’ve booked your flight back home.” “This time, I know with absolute certainty that you are going to take the Golden Ear Award.” But a flicker of deep anxiety crossed her eyes. “Mia, Liam Vance is a major sponsor for the Golden Ear Awards this year. He’s on the judging panel.” “I’m worried that…” I smiled and gently interrupted her. “Professor, the judging panel for the Golden Ear Awards isn’t just Liam Vance. It’s every single netizen in the entire country.” “I believe absolute talent will conquer everything else.” My professor smiled warmly and walked over to hug me. “Mia, there is one more thing I need to tell you.” “For the past few months, Liam Vance has been relentlessly hunting for any trace of you.” “When you return to the country, there’s a very high probability he will find out immediately.” Liam was looking for me? Hadn’t he ruined my life enough? Was he trying to ensure I was actually dead? I leaned against my professor’s shoulder, my heart turning to ice. I felt like I had been violently dragged back to a few months ago. Back when I was trapped in the suffocating delusion of his “love,” serving as nothing more than prey for him to maliciously torture. But this time, I absolutely refused to be his prey ever again.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391860”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The Halloween season was approaching, and my two childhood sweethearts, who had cherished me for twenty years, abandoned my grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, at a busy intersection. She never got to see me one last time, dying in a horrific car accident. At the same time, the internet exploded with trending news: “The Two Lexington Brothers Race for Love: Who Will Win Her Heart?” It turned out they had abandoned Grandma to compete for the right to spend Halloween with my stepsister. Liam Lexington, who lost the competition, vented his frustration at me: “It’s all your fault for constantly calling me, otherwise, I would be the one spending Halloween with Mandy!” Jerry Lexington, who won, sternly warned me: “You’re an adult; act your age. Don’t dare call me on Halloween!” After Grandma’s funeral, I looked at an email in my inbox: “Ms. Phoebe Smith, please reply to confirm your participation in the Lunar Exploration Project! If confirmed, your identity will be concealed, and you will not be permitted to contact the outside world for five years.” I calmly replied to the email: “Confirm!” 1 I was at the hospital, processing a refund for a deposit, when a familiar voice rang out. “I just coughed, and you two overreacted, insisting on bringing me in for a check-up!” The two Lexington brothers, one on each side, carefully helped my stepsister, Mandy Perry. In the past, they were the two people who cared about me the most. When I was young, my mother had just passed away and hadn’t even been buried, yet my father eagerly brought Mandy and her mother into our home. Through their deliberate machinations, my father grew increasingly disappointed in me, eventually just sending me back to my grandmother’s house. From then on, I met the two Lexington brothers next door to Grandma. They pitied me, a young girl who had lost her mother and was bullied, and they guarded me like knights, showering me with all their affection and care. They promised to be good to me forever, but when Mandy returned, they broke all their promises. They knew Grandma was my only family, they knew she suffered from Alzheimer’s, yet they still carelessly abandoned her at a busy intersection. Mandy saw me first, flashing me a triumphant smile. “Phoebe, what are you doing at the hospital? Are you stalking us? Are you keeping too tight a leash on Liam and Jerry?” I clutched the settlement statement tighter, glaring hatefully at the three people before me. Jerry stepped forward, blocking Mandy. “Phoebe Smith, what are you doing here at the hospital? You told us you were busy with work and needed us to take your grandmother for a check-up, but now you have time to stalk us.” Liam looked at me with disappointment, shaking his head: “I can’t believe you’ve resorted to lying just to get attention! Phoebe Smith, how did you become so disgusting?” Hearing them mention Grandma, my heart twisted in pain again, and I lunged forward, hitting Jerry like a madwoman. “Shut up! How dare you mention my grandmother?” “You knew she was sick, yet you abandoned her alone on the road!” Jerry gripped my hands tightly, his face dark. “Phoebe Smith, can you stop being so unreasonable?” “We kindly took your grandmother for a check-up, we just left her at the intersection, it was only a short walk home. She’s not legless, why are you being so dramatic?” Even now, they were self-righteous. Grandma treated them like her own children; for over a decade, their favorite thing was to linger at Grandma’s house, eating her homemade meals. They had even promised to take good care of her. But now, they had carelessly abandoned Grandma just to compete for Mandy’s company. I couldn’t bear to imagine how helpless Grandma must have felt, facing so many people and so many cars, all while suffering from her illness. “I truly wish I had never known you!” Then there would be no hope, then I could still have Grandma! A look of shock and a hint of panic flashed across Liam’s face. “It was thoughtless of us not to take Grandma all the way home, but do you have to overreact and erase our twenty years together so casually?” Mandy’s eyes flickered, and she spoke in a saccharine voice. “Phoebe, it’s my fault for causing unpleasantness between you three! I’ll just stop contacting the Lexington brothers, please don’t be angry with them!” With that, she covered her face and ran towards the door. Liam and Jerry glared at me hatefully, “Are you satisfied now?” Then they both chased after her. Soon after, Mandy updated her social media. “It’s easy to cheer up an upset princess; all it takes is two knights and a Ferris wheel ride!” As a child living with Grandma, my greatest desire was to ride a Ferris wheel. Liam and Jerry promised they would fulfill my wish before I turned twenty-five. But due to busy schedules, it never happened. Now, they took Mandy to the place I had longed for. Watching them so intimately, with no room for a fourth person, I forced an ugly smile. I calculated that there were six days left until my departure. The day before I left was also my mother’s death anniversary. After seeing her, I could leave with a clear conscience. From now on, I would no longer bother the three of them. 2 Countdown, day five. When Grandma was occasionally lucid before she passed, she always talked about wanting to see her old house in the countryside. Now Grandma could never return, and I was about to embark on a long journey. I thought I’d go back and see her house one last time before I left. As soon as I reached the village entrance, I saw a large bulldozer mercilessly tearing down a corner of the old house. I rushed forward, wanting to stop it, but tripped over some loose stones and fell. My arm stung with a burning pain, a large patch of skin was scraped raw, and blood mixed with dirt made it particularly messy. I struggled to my feet, limping to the bulldozer and blocking its path. “This is my house! By what right are you demolishing it without my consent?” Mandy walked out from behind a large tree near the house, pinching her nose and fanning her hand. “This old, dilapidated house is an eyesore here; turning it into a rose garden would be much nicer for everyone to enjoy! Old things should just be destroyed!” Her words carried a double meaning, and her cruel face increasingly resembled the one from over a decade ago. Back then, after my mother’s death, I was helpless and could only fall asleep hugging her photograph every night. But Mandy, when I wasn’t looking, snatched my mother’s photo, forced me to crawl on the ground like a dog, made me eat slop, and in the end, she still broke her promise and threw my mother’s photo into a cesspit! At that time, she stood before me like a demon, laughing wildly. “If you want it, jump in and get it! Dead people’s things are bad luck, and your unlucky mother belongs with the cesspit!” I ran to my father for help, but was met with his merciless condemnation. After that, Mandy and her mother became even more abusive. They would punch and kick me at the slightest displeasure. My arms and back were covered with scars from their curling irons, and going hungry was a regular occurrence. Even now, seeing her still makes me instinctively afraid and wanting to hide. The two Lexington brothers walked out from behind Mandy. I remembered once, when I accidentally bumped into a lamppost, Liam and Jerry were so worried they took me to the hospital for a full check-up, terrified I might have even a minor injury. But now, they just stood by the doorway with their hands in their pockets, watching coldly. My thoughts returned, and the fresh pain mixed with old grievances made me tremble with anger. Just as I raised my hand to push Mandy away, she let out a delicate cry and collapsed to the ground. Liam and Jerry rushed forward almost simultaneously, scooping Mandy into their arms, tenderly checking her arms and ankles. When they saw the red marks from the pebbles on her hand, Jerry’s eyes turned red. Jerry, who was usually straightforward, kicked me to the ground, looking at me coldly. “Mandy is your sister, how can you be so malicious?” “Mandy, as a Perry family member, has a say in this old house. Do you intend to monopolize it?” “Just a few dilapidated rooms, even you are not worth one of Mandy’s fingers! Go apologize to Mandy, or don’t blame me for being rough!” The usually composed Liam, holding Mandy in his arms, did not stop Jerry’s actions, and his gaze at me was filled with disappointment. “Phoebe Smith, have we spoiled you too much, making you so audacious?” An indescribable sadness filled my heart. Years ago, they too had lived in this old house for a long time. Fishing in the river, picking fruit from trees – those were the most beautiful memories of our childhood. They once said they would preserve the old house forever, and one day bring their own children back to experience our childhood. Their “forever” turned out to be so fleeting. Inside the old house were still old photos of me and Grandma; I wanted to get them back. But Jerry blocked my path. “You must apologize to Mandy first, otherwise I won’t let you in!” Grandma was gone, the old house was being torn down. I just wanted to retrieve some photos of Grandma as mementos. Jerry kicked me in the back of the knee, making me fall to my knees with a thud. Mandy flashed me a triumphant look, then turned, putting on a delicate, pitiable expression. “Liam, it’s too noisy and dirty here, let’s go back, okay?” The indifference on Liam’s face faded, replaced by a gentle expression. “Okay, does your hand still hurt? Do you want to go to the hospital for a check-up?” Jerry also rushed after her, “Mandy, once this area is cleared, I’ll gather every variety of rose in the world for you, okay?” Coddled like a precious gem by the two men, Mandy raised an eyebrow at me, silently saying: “Sister, you’ve lost again!” 3 Against her, I seemed to have never won. She always effortlessly stole my things; once it was my father’s love, now it was the Lexington brothers’ affection. Countdown, day four. Returning to the apartment I rented for Grandma, her border collie, Buddy, was nowhere to be seen. The doors and windows were intact. Buddy was a very smart dog; he would never follow a stranger. I quickly checked the surveillance footage and saw Liam and Jerry had visited before I came back. They had always been good to Buddy, so I should have felt at ease, but for some reason, I felt a pang of panic. I quickly got dressed and took a taxi to the Lexington brothers’ villa. Before Grandma fell ill, I sometimes stayed at the Lexington villa. The brothers had specifically designed a room and walk-in closet for me. I pressed my fingerprint, only to realize that my print had been deleted from the villa door at some point, and even the password had been changed. It had started raining, drenching me instantly, but the unease in my heart grew stronger. Finally, just as I was about to call the police, the villa door opened, and Liam walked out, holding an umbrella. “What are you doing here? You’re drenched, are you trying to stage a drama?” I ignored him and walked straight in. But he grabbed my arm, “Mandy’s having a party, don’t go in and spoil the fun!” Stepping into the villa, I found a crowd of men and women, snacks and empty shells strewn everywhere, and even my bedroom and walk-in closet were ransacked. Seeing me enter, a guy with dyed yellow hair walked up and put his arm around my shoulder. “Whoa, is this a wet T-shirt contest? Come here, let me feel you up!” Jerry leaned casually on the sofa, carefully peeling an orange for Mandy, not even glancing at me. I remembered once, when I was out, a man merely whistled at me, and the two Lexington brothers ruined that man’s family. Now, this yellow-haired guy openly provoked me in front of him, yet he remained indifferent. It was terrifying how heartless men could be. I slapped away the yellow-haired guy’s hand and walked up to Jerry. “Where’s Buddy? Where have you hidden Buddy?” Jerry ignored me. Mandy walked over with a drink from the bar. “Phoebe, if you drink this, I’ll tell you, how about it?” I’ve been allergic to alcohol since childhood. When I was little, I unknowingly ate some liquor-filled candies and broke out in a full-body rash, which terrified the two Lexington brothers. Liam returned, carrying a box of liquor. “Tell me, where is Buddy?” Mandy poured a table full of drinks, then challenged me with her gaze. “Phoebe, you might have thought one drink was too little. Now I’ve personally poured you a table full of drinks.” “As soon as you drink them all, I’ll tell you Buddy’s whereabouts.” Drinking this much would be fatal for me. I looked up at Liam and Jerry. “Is this also what you want?” Jerry, with a casual swagger, his legs crossed, replied, “Mandy’s wish is what my brother and I wish!” Fearing something terrible had happened to Buddy, I stepped forward and picked up a glass from the table. One after another, the pungent liquid flowed down my throat, making me cough violently. My consciousness gradually blurred, but I still forced myself to finish the last glass. “Can you tell me now?” Liam and Jerry didn’t look happy; their faces were frighteningly dark. “Mandy is going to volunteer at an animal shelter, so she took Buddy home to practice.” “But that beast bit Mandy, so I beat him and sold him!” My body swayed, filled with resentment, “Jerry, are you even human?” “That was Buddy, Buddy who was with us for over ten years, how could you do that to him?” Jerry, publicly accused by me, looked annoyed and frustrated. “Just an old dog, how much is it worth? Here’s ten thousand dollars, isn’t that enough for you to buy another one?” He pulled out a wad of cash and threw it in my face. I couldn’t stand it any longer. Swaying unsteadily, my head heavy, I stumbled out. I had to find Buddy. He was my last bond in this world, the family member who would never betray me. 4 My head grew heavier and heavier, and finally, I collapsed. In a daze, I saw Liam rush over quickly. Countdown, day three. I woke up in the hospital, my whole body itching and aching from the rash. “You know you’re allergic, yet you drank so much alcohol. Do you have a death wish?” Listening to the nurse’s incessant chatter, I looked at Liam, who was guarding the bed. “Where’s Buddy?” He looked at me as if I were an unreasonable child. “It’s just a dog, why are you so obsessed?” My emotions suddenly crumbled, and I burst into tears: “No, Buddy isn’t just a dog, he’s my family. I’ve already lost Grandma, I can’t lose him too.” Liam, who had never let me shed a single tear since childhood, stared blankly at my tear-streaked face. “Phoebe Smith, can you stop always talking about Grandma? She’s so old, why do you always curse her to die?” My vision blurred with tears, “Didn’t you two kill Grandma?” Liam finally lost his patience, “Are you mentally ill? Do you have paranoid delusions?” “You truly have a malicious heart, even bringing up your own grandmother, with whom you’ve depended on your whole life, to curse her to death and gain sympathy!” I looked at Liam and gave a bitter smile. “I wish I were lying; then Grandma would still be alive and well…” “Enough. I’m too idle to sit here listening to your nonsense! Buddy was sold to the North End Farmers Market. Go ahead and be as crazy as you want!” I pulled out the IV needle from my hand, ignoring everything, and rushed out. Liam, for whatever reason, followed me. I searched stall after stall but couldn’t find Buddy. In my disappointment, I saw Buddy’s bell hanging on the door of a shop at the very end of an alley. But I was afraid, my feet incredibly heavy. Pushing open the door, I saw several people gathered around a stove inside. “Where did you get this old dog? The meat is too tough…” In the corner, a pile of fur was stacked, a color I knew all too well. “Ah…” I shrieked, violently vomiting blood, and fainted. Countdown, day two. I woke up in the hospital again, this time with a full house: the two Lexington brothers and Mandy were all there. Seeing me awake, Jerry scratched his head, looking guilty. “I just wanted to teach him a lesson; I didn’t know the person who bought him would… eat him.” Liam sighed, “This was indeed our mistake. When you’re better, we’ll go buy you another one.” How could they speak so lightly? That was the dog that had been with me for ten years, the dog Grandma and I considered family. Even if they bought a million more, none would ever be Buddy. I couldn’t shed another tear, turning my face away from them. “Alright, alright, you can’t blame the Lexington brothers. Who told that old dog to bite people so randomly!” I picked up the water glass from the table and threw it at Mandy. “My dog was fine in his own home; you’re the ones who came to steal him! Get out, all of you, get out!” They left, sheepishly. Countdown, final day. It was my mother’s death anniversary. I placed Buddy’s fur into a box, preparing to see my mother before I left. Early that morning, perhaps out of guilt, Liam, Jerry, and Mandy waited at the hospital entrance, surrounded by various offerings. In previous years, on my mother’s death anniversary, the two brothers would always accompany me, rain or shine. “Phoebe, today’s your mom’s anniversary, let us take you!” I ignored them, simply hailed a taxi, and headed to my mother’s cemetery. They followed closely, trailing behind me to my mother’s tombstone. Liam and Jerry, seeing the tombstone next to my mother’s, immediately teared up. Mandy’s eyes darted away, and she scoffed coldly. “Phoebe Smith, it’s a pity you’re not an actress. I can’t believe you even erected a tombstone here just to make us believe your grandmother died!” Liam frowned, “Today I’m going to tell Grandma that you, this unfilial granddaughter, curse her to die every day!” He pulled out his phone and dialed Grandma’s number, but it showed as off. Then he impatiently called his assistant: “Go to Phoebe Smith’s grandmother’s house now and have her call me back!” “Mr. Lexington, Mrs. Perry has passed away.” Liam and Jerry looked disbelievingly, huddling together to listen to the phone. “What did you say? We just took her for a check-up a few days ago, how could she suddenly pass away?” “Mr. Lexington, I heard she was hit by a car on the way home after her check-up. Her injuries were too severe, and she died the same day.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391905”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

As a premium private caregiver specializing in geriatric recovery, my rate is exactly three thousand dollars higher than the market average. When my prospective employer, Martha Whitaker, asked me why I cost so much more than the others, I didn’t give her a resume. I simply gave her a modest, knowing smile. “I specialize in ‘difficult’ family dynamics,” I told her. “I don’t just manage your recovery; I manage the people who make it harder. I guarantee a peaceful home.” Martha’s eyes lit up, a spark of hope cutting through her weary expression. She didn’t hesitate. “The deposit is sent. You start today.” 1 After the paperwork was signed, I followed Martha back to her suburban home. Before we even reached the front door, she leaned in and whispered a set of instructions. “Once we’re inside, please, just keep your head down. Don’t speak unless you have to. And if you do, keep your voice very low.” I nodded, keeping my expression neutral, though a wave of sympathy washed over me. It was clear why she was willing to pay a three-thousand-dollar premium. Martha wasn’t looking for a nurse; she was looking for a shield. Her daughter-in-law was clearly the type of woman who ruled through intimidation. We entered the house so quietly I felt like a burglar. Martha moved with a tentative, shrinking gait that broke my heart. The door clicked shut. A second later, a sharp, impatient voice barked from the top of the stairs. “Mom? How many times do I have to tell you? The baby and I are napping at this hour. Stop making so much noise!” Martha flinched, her shoulders hunching toward her ears. She stared at her sensible shoes for a long beat before whispering, “I’m… I’m sorry, Melanie. I’ll be more careful. This is the caregiver I hired. Her name is Tess.” I plastered a polite, professional smile on my face and looked up. Melanie looked to be in her late twenties. She was draped in a silk robe, her face perfectly made up even for a “nap,” and she held a glass of what looked like a cold-pressed green juice. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Instead, her gaze raked over me from head to toe, a cold, calculating assessment. “Hi, Tess,” she said, her tone dripping with a bored sort of condescension. “Take a seat. I’ll come down to discuss your ‘duties’ once the baby is awake.” She turned and vanished back into the master suite without waiting for a response. Martha awkwardly gestured for me to sit on the edge of the designer sofa. We sat there in a heavy, stifling silence for nearly two hours. Martha grew more fidgety and embarrassed with every passing minute, but I remained calm, sipping the water she’d given me. I knew exactly what this was. It was a power play—a “know your place” ceremony. Finally, a bedroom door opened. Melanie emerged, leading a small toddler by the hand. She walked right past me as if I were a piece of furniture, taking the child into a side room. A few minutes later, the faint, repetitive sounds of a beginner’s piano scale drifted through the house. Only after the music started did Melanie reappear, wearing a mask of practiced grace. She sat across from me, ready to strike. “So, Tess,” she began, stirring the dregs of her juice with a glass straw. She didn’t look at me. “Since my mother-in-law insisted on hiring you, I expect you to be extremely diligent. Martha is… particular. And she has her gallbladder surgery coming up in two days.” She finally looked up, her eyes narrowing with a need for absolute control. “Post-op nutrition is vital. I want her on a strict regimen. Plain white rice, steamed unseasoned vegetables, and water. That’s it. No fats, no salt.” She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a sharp, commanding hiss. “Furthermore, this house must remain a sanctuary of silence. Especially when Sophie is practicing her piano. No clanking dishes, no loud footsteps. And Martha’s movement should be restricted to her bedroom and this section of the living room. We can’t risk her tripping or catching a draft. We simply can’t have that responsibility on our shoulders.” Then came the kicker. “Most importantly, Martha gets… confused. Especially when she’s unwell. She might start rambling about the past or wanting to dig through old boxes in the attic. Just nod and ignore it. Don’t encourage her, and certainly don’t go gossiping about family business. We keep our private matters within these walls.” It was a masterclass in isolation. Under the guise of “care,” she was effectively putting Martha in a cage, cutting off her flavor, her movement, and her voice. Martha sat beside me, her face pale, her fingers twisting the hem of her cardigan. She looked like she wanted to scream, but she didn’t dare breathe. I didn’t let my smile slip for a second. I just nodded slowly. Melanie leaned back, looking satisfied. “Mrs. Whitaker,” I said, my voice smooth and warm. “It’s truly moving to see how much you care about your mother-in-law’s recovery. Your dedication to her health is rare.” Then, I shifted gears with the precision of a scalpel. “However, my contract is with Martha. She is my employer of record. Therefore, my primary focus will always be her clinical health and her personal autonomy.” 2 The look on Melanie’s face was priceless—a volatile mix of shock and burgeoning rage. I didn’t give her a chance to cut in. “Regarding the diet,” I continued, “while low-fat is essential after gallbladder surgery, ‘no fat and no salt’ can actually lead to malnutrition and depression in elderly patients. I’ll be following the specific surgical recovery menu provided by her surgeon to ensure she’s getting the nutrients she needs to actually heal. Food is medicine, after all, and a happy patient recovers twice as fast.” Melanie’s perfectly curated expression began to crack. “As for her mobility,” I pressed on, “movement is the best defense against post-operative blood clots. Keeping her confined to a chair is actually a significant medical risk. I will be personally supervising her walks to ensure she’s safe and warm, but she will be moving.” I met her eyes, my gaze steady and filled with professional “concern.” “And regarding her ‘confusion’… most seniors simply need an empathetic ear. Social isolation is the leading cause of cognitive decline. My job is to care for her mind as much as her body. As her family, I’m sure you want her to feel seen and heard in her own home, don’t you?” Melanie sat frozen. I had wrapped my defiance in such professional, “patient-first” language that she couldn’t argue without looking like she wanted her mother-in-law to suffer. The silence in the living room was deafening. The smirk had vanished from Melanie’s face. She looked at me with a simmering resentment, her eyes flashing with the realization that I wasn’t the submissive help she’d expected. Martha, meanwhile, had looked up. Her eyes were rimmed with red, her expression one of pure, stunned disbelief. It was as if I’d just handed her a key to a door she thought was locked forever. Melanie took a sharp breath, her chest heaving. She forced a jagged, unpleasant smile. “Tess, you certainly are… professional. You seem to know so much. No wonder my mother-in-law was so desperate to hire you.” She spat the word professional like an insult. I simply offered a humble tilt of my head. “Since you have such strong opinions,” Melanie said, her voice tight, “I’ll leave her in your ‘capable’ hands. Just make sure you actually do your job.” She stood abruptly and marched into the master bedroom, slamming the door. Martha turned to me immediately. Her voice was a fragile thread. “Tess… you shouldn’t have said all that. She’s going to make things so hard for you now. She never forgets a slight.” I felt a pang of genuine heartache. Martha had been a schoolteacher; she had spent decades commanding a classroom, shaping young minds. Now, she was a ghost in her own house, terrified of a woman who hadn’t even been born when Martha started her career. I reached over and gently squeezed her hand. My voice was soft but anchored with certainty. “Martha, don’t worry about me. You’re paying me to solve problems. I can handle her.” Martha searched my eyes for a long time before finally letting out a long, shaky breath. I looked around the beautiful, sterile living room. It was a house, but it wasn’t a home. Melanie had used her status as the “woman of the house” to mark her territory, but she’d made a mistake. She thought I was the help. She didn’t realize that I was the one who had been hired to take the house back. 3 That evening, as I was preparing a light dinner, Martha’s son, David, returned from work. Melanie glided out of the music room, the picture of the devoted, exhausted wife. She took his briefcase and gave him a soft, performative kiss. “Long day? Sophie was an angel at the piano today. She’s making so much progress.” David gave a distracted hum and looked toward the kitchen. “Who’s this?” Melanie’s voice turned icy. “Oh, that’s Tess. Your mother hired her with her own savings.” She leaned closer to him, her voice loud enough for me to catch every word. “Apparently, she costs three thousand more than the standard rate. I told Mom I’d take care of her, but I guess she thinks I’m not ‘good enough.’ She insisted on wasting the money.” It was a classic move. In one breath, she painted me as an overpriced luxury and Martha as a demanding, ungrateful burden, all while positioning herself as the martyr. David frowned but didn’t say anything. He just mumbled a few platitudes to Melanie. It was clear why Martha felt so helpless. Her son was a “peace-at-all-costs” man—a chronic enabler who took the path of least resistance, which usually meant siding with his wife. At dinner, I brought the food to the table and served Martha a bowl of clear, nutritious cream soup first. Melanie immediately bristled. “Tess, I thought I said light? She has surgery in forty-eight hours. That looks far too rich.” Martha looked at me, her eyes pleading for me to just take it away to avoid a scene. I didn’t stop pouring. “Don’t worry, Melanie. I’ve skimmed every drop of fat from the surface. The doctor confirmed that clear proteins are essential for her strength before the procedure.” David took a sip of his own soup and nodded. “This is actually really good, Tess. Nice work.” Seeing that her husband wasn’t biting, Melanie fell silent, though she looked like she was chewing on glass. She pointedly pushed her own salad around her plate, creating a physical divide between her “healthy” choices and the meal I’d prepared. Later that night, as I passed the study, I heard Melanie’s voice through the cracked door. She was crying—or doing a very good impression of it. “She was so rude to me today, David! She completely ignored my instructions. And your mother… she just sat there and let this stranger talk down to me. It’s like they’re ganging up on me in my own home…” I smiled to myself as I walked away. Let her complain. The more she played the victim, the faster David would eventually see the cracks in the performance. Over the next few days, Melanie transitioned from subtle snubs to open sabotage. When I cooked, she claimed the produce I bought from the organic market was “rotten.” I calmly showed her a video from a botanist explaining that a few tiny holes in leafy greens were actually a sign of pesticide-free, natural growing. She turned beet-red and stomped away. When I checked Martha’s blood pressure, Melanie claimed my monitor was defective. “If you think it’s inaccurate, we should call the manufacturer immediately,” I said. I called the company right in front of her, putting it on speaker. When the technician confirmed the device was perfectly calibrated, I looked at Melanie with wide, “clueless” eyes. “Oh dear,” I said. “You were so certain it was wrong. You must have a much more sensitive intuition for medicine than I do. I’m so sorry for the confusion.” Melanie’s jaw tightened so hard I thought her teeth might crack. The power struggle reached a peak when I made fish stew. Melanie walked into the kitchen, nose wrinkled in disgust. “My husband doesn’t eat fish. Didn’t you listen to anything I told you?” I feigned total shock. “That’s strange. I saw him have two bowls of the trout chowder yesterday.” I was lying, of course. David hadn’t been home for lunch. But Melanie was the type of person who spent the entire meal staring at her phone or eating in another room. She had no idea what he’d actually eaten. She froze, her face cycling through several shades of frustration. When David got home, she rushed to him, desperate for a win. “Tess said you like fish stew now? But you’ve always hated it!” David looked confused. “Actually, the chowder she made was fantastic. Is there more?” I smiled warmly at him. “Of course, David. It’s good for your stress levels. You’ve been working so hard lately; you need the nourishment.” Melanie was speechless. That night, while Martha and David were out for a short walk, I heard Melanie on the phone in the living room. Her voice was sharp, stripped of its “perfect wife” veneer. “I can’t stand her! This bitch of a caregiver is constantly undermining me. I can’t fire her because the old lady paid for her directly, but I’ll find a way. If I don’t get her out of this house by the end of the month, my name isn’t Melanie…” I leaned against the kitchen wall, listening to her unravel. She was getting desperate. Good. But she didn’t realize that for three thousand dollars extra, I didn’t just provide medical care. I provided justice. It was time to show David who his “angel” of a wife really was when the lights went down.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391926”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

After I died. The memorial service arranged by my only friend was smashed to pieces. Haters stood in front of my mourning hall with selfie sticks, livestreaming the wreckage. They kept muttering how “satisfying” it was. The chat rolled by in a synchronized wave of venom: Is the bitch finally dead? Good riddance. Meanwhile, my ex-husband had chartered a luxury yacht off the coast of Cabo. He and his new lover raised their champagne glasses, celebrating for seven days and seven nights. To the world, it seemed my early death was nothing short of poetic justice. Until one day, my diary was made public. Only then did everyone realize. In my entire, miserable life, I had only experienced a fleeting moment of true happiness. 1. On a hit prime-time special, the host suddenly pivoted to a question entirely off-script. “Cole, your ex-wife recently passed away from an illness. How are you feeling about it?” Cole, Hollywood’s newly minted A-lister, let out a cold scoff. “I don’t feel anything. I heard her memorial was trashed. Honestly? Good for them.” The host lowered her gaze, a faint smile playing on her lips. “You wouldn’t mind talking a bit more about your ex-wife, would you? Her passing is generating a massive amount of traction.” If a network tried to capitalize on anyone else’s recent death, they would be crucified. But they were capitalizing on mine. And the entire internet didn’t care. Cole shrugged, adjusting his designer lapel. “Ask whatever you want.” “I’m curious,” the host said. “Everyone says Harper was a toxic, irredeemable woman. So… why did you marry her in the first place?” The leading man fell silent. He probably couldn’t even remember the answer himself. The host gave a light, dangerous laugh. “We actually happen to have Harper’s diary right here. You wouldn’t mind if we shared it with everyone, would you?” Cole’s lips curled into a sneer of pure disdain. “Can someone with a high school diploma even string a sentence together for a diary? Read it. I don’t care.” When the slightly worn, faded notebook was opened on the jumbotron behind them. The entire studio froze. The handwriting was meticulous, elegant. It looked nothing like the frantic scrawls of the lunatic the media had painted me to be. The host smiled. “Then let me read it.” October 3, 2020 I’m getting married today! Who’s the groom? My Cole, of course. Who else would I ever want to marry? And who else would he ever dare to marry? If he dared, I’d chop him into tiny pieces. We’ve walked side by side for six years. Today, I finally get to marry the boy I fell in love with at eighteen. Diary, you have no idea how nervous Cole was when he slipped the ring on my finger. The tips of his ears were burning red, and his eyes welled up in seconds. They say a man’s tears are a woman’s ultimate weakness. It’s true. My smile has been permanently glued to my face all day. But, Diary, I’m not afraid of you laughing at me. When Cole got drunk at the reception and collapsed into my arms, I was the one crying the hardest. He pressed his face into my neck and mumbled, “Harper, I love you. I love you so much. Thank you for being my wife.” But the truth is, I’m the one who should be thanking Cole. Because of him, for the very first time in my life, I belong somewhere. At the wedding, Cole’s mother hugged me. When she wrapped her arms around me, the back of my throat burned. It was the first time in my entire life an elder had ever hugged me. So this is what a mother smells like. Growing up in the foster system, bouncing between group homes, I never knew what a hug was. For kids like us, it didn’t matter how well-behaved we were; nobody was coming to hold us. When we cried, we just lay on the padded linoleum floor. In school, teachers always praised us foster kids for being so quiet. But the truth was, we were quiet because we learned early on that our tears would never be answered. And the “good” kids were the ones nobody loved enough to notice. So, we learned to bury our emotions alive. It wasn’t until I met Cole that I learned I could just be myself. And that someone could still love me. Now, I finally have a home with Cole. We are dead broke. But things will get better. I looked at him today and sighed, telling him this was the happiest moment of my life. He pulled me into his chest, looking so fiercely protective. “What do you mean ‘moment’? We’re going to be happy every single day from now on.” Getting married is wonderful. I have someone by my side. I have a family. I am never going to be alone again. Oh, right! Attaching a wedding photo. It’s small, just a standard print. I’m wearing a thirty-dollar tulle dress I bought off Amazon, and Cole is wearing the only decent suit he owns. We look incredibly plain, but we have the brightest smiles. Cole promised me. Once he makes it big, he’s going to take me to the beaches of Maui to shoot proper wedding photos. The host finished reading and took a deep, audible breath. No one had anticipated that the “vicious” Harper shared memories like this with Cole. The ink on the page practically bled with youthful adoration and playful sweetness. Anyone with eyes could see the profound, unadulterated happiness I felt back then. Sweetness that has already soured is the most lethal kind of heartbreak. Cole stared blankly for three full seconds. These memories had been locked away in the darkest corners of his mind for years. There was a time when marrying me felt like he had conquered the world. Even he had forgotten that. The internet chat was equally bewildered. This was oceans apart from the venomous, calculating Harper they had been fed. “Wait, reading this… she sounds exactly like a sweet, normal girl in love.” “Fake, right? There’s no way someone like Harper wrote that.” “Wow, I didn’t know Harper was a foster kid. Guess that explains why she had no class.” The host turned her sharp gaze to Cole. “When you got married, it sounds like you two were blissfully happy.” Cole snapped out of his trance, suddenly letting out a self-deprecating laugh. “She… she used to be a decent person. It’s a shame you can know a person’s face, but never their heart.” The host smiled, a razor edge beneath her warmth. “Perhaps. Let’s move on to the second page, then.” “To be honest, I’m quite curious myself. What exactly happened to turn Harper into the unforgivable sinner everyone despises?” 2. January 6, 2021 Diary! I’ve been so busy doing background extra work lately, I’ve neglected you. Sorry about that. I’m back to ramble. Tell me, how does a person make big money? What if I take ten bucks a day and buy lottery tickets? The catering truck on set charges ten dollars for a hot meal. If I skip dinner, I save ten bucks. What if I hit the jackpot? Diary, I don’t want to rely on lottery fantasies. But I am just so desperate for money. And I can’t ask Cole. He’s already buckling under the pressure. He’s shooting night scenes every single day, and during the day, he’s editing videos as a freelancer to scrape by. He is so exhausted, yet he always puts on this relaxed face and tells me, “Your husband isn’t tired at all.” It shatters my heart into a million pieces. Never mind. I’ll figure it out myself. (Photo attached: Cole asleep, looking like a tired angel.) Whenever I feel like there’s no hope left, I just look at this picture. The host stopped reading and looked up. “Cole, I have to ask. Did you know Harper was this desperate for money back then?” Cole shook his head defensively. “I was her husband. If she needed money and didn’t tell me, she must have been doing something shady to get it.” “Though, it makes sense why she did all those filthy things later on. For a paycheck, she’d stoop to anything.” The host sighed softly, and continued to read. 3. January 10, 2021 Diary. My best friend passed away. We spent over a decade together in the foster system. And she just left me. All because we couldn’t come up with fifty grand for the experimental surgery. I told her I would find a way. I told her just to hold on a little longer. Even if I had to deliver food twenty-four hours a day, I would save her. But while I was on set doing extra work, she signed a DNR and pulled her own IVs. She left me a voicemail. She said, “Harper, we were thrown away since we were babies. Most of us don’t have good health anyway. Making it to 25? I’m already thrilled.” “Don’t cry for me, Harper. Maybe in heaven, I’ll run into the parents who dumped me.” “I’m going to give them a piece of my mind.” “You and Cole, you have to be happy.” “Oh, and remember to get your checkups. People as poor as us can’t afford to get sick.” I cried until I couldn’t breathe. I was so close. Just a little more time, and maybe I could have earned it. Diary. Tell me, why is the world so cruel? Today on set, I heard the costume department saying the lead actress’s handbag was worth fifty grand. One purse. One purse could have bought my best friend’s life. Writing this, it suddenly made me think of someone else. When I was little, I had another friend in the group home. She had the prettiest name. Madeline. She had a round face and eyes that turned into perfect little crescents when she smiled. Out of all of us ghosts, she was the only one practically bursting with life. She was so bright that when we were eight, a wealthy family adopted her. When we said goodbye, I was so genuinely happy for her. But she came back a year later. She was skin and bones. She never smiled anymore. And the worst part was, she couldn’t speak. She wrote it down for me. For a year, she had lived in absolute hell. Her adoptive father was terrified she would tell people what he did to her at night. He strangled her so brutally she suffered permanent vocal cord damage. She was completely mute. I ran to the facility director, begging for help. He beat me half to death. The director took a massive payoff from the wealthy family and buried the whole thing. Madeline didn’t last long after that. She took her own life. And now, my other friend is dead from an illness. It feels like there are hardly any of us foster kids left. Diary, I want to pour all of this out to Cole so badly. But when I look into his exhausted, smiling eyes… Forget it. I’ll wait until things get better. I won’t add to his burdens. Goodnight, Diary. I hope I wake up tomorrow to news about an audition. The host’s voice trembled slightly as she finished. The chat lit up. “Wait, she needed the money to save a friend’s life?” “Holy shit, what kind of group home is that?! Someone call the FBI.” “Feels like a PR cleanup to me. But you can tell Harper was intensely jealous. Why else would she fixate on a $50k handbag?” The host let out a long breath, turning to Cole. “Cole, did you know your wife was short fifty grand? You were both twenty-five at the time. Did you really not have any savings?” Cole’s pupils contracted. His jaw worked for a moment before he spoke. “In 2020, we had saved up a hundred grand together. I promised her I’d buy her a nice gold necklace…” “But then, toward the end of the year, my mom got seriously ill.” “It drained every single penny we had…” “After that, she never brought it up. So I never bought the necklace.” Cole lowered his eyes, his voice trailing off. The comments flew across the screen. “So Harper drained her entire life savings to save her mother-in-law, and had nothing left for her own friend?” “What are you talking about? They were married. That’s what family does.” “If they still had that money, her friend might have lived.” Actually, Cole didn’t tell the whole truth. Cole’s mother had excellent Medicare and private insurance. Most of the medical bills were fully reimbursed a month later. But when that money came back, I never saw a single dime. When my friend was dying, I debated it for days before finally swallowing my pride and begging my mother-in-law for a loan from the reimbursement money. Instead, I was viciously degraded. “Marrying a worthless stray like you was the greatest charity my son could ever give.” “And you have the audacity to ask me for money?” “You’re just an orphan. You have nobody to back you up anyway.” I had stood frozen in her living room. There was a ringing in my ears. This was the same woman who, at our wedding, had tearfully claimed she saw me as her own daughter. Now, her face was twisted in absolute disgust. I didn’t have a grand wedding with Cole. Just a small dinner with friends. I didn’t get an engagement diamond, nor a dowry. In the end, I didn’t even get basic human respect. It was only later I learned the truth. Once the ring is on the finger, the mask comes off. Especially for a girl like me, who had no family to stand behind her. The grievances omitted from my diary were a hundred times worse than what Cole ever knew. 4. The host offered a bitter, almost mocking smile. “So, the reason Harper had no money… was because she gave it all to save your mother?” The phrasing was surgical. The internet was already spiraling into a heated debate. People were starting to sense the cracks in the narrative. The chat moved too fast to read. Cole’s face stiffened. He instinctively tugged at his collar. “That’s true. And if she… if she hadn’t done all those disgusting things later on, I absolutely would have paid her back.” His voice rose, trying to anchor himself in his own righteousness. The host chuckled dryly. “Is that right?” “Then let’s keep reading.” “Let’s see exactly how Harper ‘changed’.” 5. May 20, 2021 Diary! Great news! I passed the audition! I booked the fourth lead on HBO’s massive new drama, ‘Smoke & Mirrors’. It’s my first time ever being on a prestige set! But when I ran home to share the joy with Cole… I found him sitting on the edge of the bed, looking utterly defeated. When he saw me, his eyes filled with guilt. “Harper, you know how we said we’d put a down payment on a house next month? I don’t think we can.” “I bombed my audition. They don’t even want me for a bit part.” “I think I’m stuck doing background work again.” His eyes were red. He looked entirely lost. In that moment, I suddenly remembered four years ago. When we first moved to Los Angeles. He had stars in his eyes. He was so fiercely passionate about his future. But now, the relentless rejection was grinding his soul into dust. My heart ached so badly. I held him, rocking him, promising him that everything would be okay. I swallowed the news of my own casting. Maybe the condos we were looking at weren’t that great anyway. Maybe my role isn’t as glamorous as I think it is. Maybe something better is waiting. Me? I have never doubted my Cole. He is so incredibly talented. Sooner or later, he is going to be the brightest star in the sky. As the host read this. The screen flooded with question marks. Cole’s expression completely froze. Because everyone knew the truth. The actress who played the fourth lead in Smoke & Mirrors became an overnight sensation. Years ago, a blind item leaked that I was originally cast in the role. But the entire internet mocked me, claiming I paid a PR firm to plant a fake rumor to make myself look relevant. Nobody ever realized. I was one breath away from becoming a star.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391943”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

1 The father of my son’s classmate kidnapped me. He forced me to livestream myself carving off my own flesh, all to force my husband to show his face. Instantly, the entire internet was begging my husband to step forward and save me. But what they didn’t know was that the top donor in my dark-web livestream was none other than my legal husband. Right at that moment, he was on one knee at a high-end waterfront restaurant, proposing to his young mistress. The teenager cheering them on in the background was my son. And the TV in the restaurant was broadcasting the live feed of my torture. Later, I was rescued and survived. Clutching my stomach, tears streaming down my face, I looked at my husband and son. They looked back at me with pure disgust, annoyed that I had ruined the mistress’s special day. But what they didn’t know was that I wasn’t clutching a wound. I was clutching the evidence that would send them both straight to hell. 2 I was illegally detained in a dilapidated, abandoned house by the father of my son’s classmate. He forced me to start a livestream and slice my own flesh off with a knife. In just twenty minutes, a massive, gaping gash had been carved into my thigh, exposing the stark white bone underneath. The comment section exploded: “What is she doing? Is she being forced? Blink twice if you’re being threatened!” “Didn’t the title say she won’t stop until her husband shows up? Where is he?!” “Wait, is the husband trying to kill her for the insurance money?” The kidnapper, annoyed that I was moving too slowly, snatched the knife from my hand. With a swift motion, he sliced a thick chunk of flesh from my leg and held it up to the camera. It was as if he was showing off his knife skills. Fighting through the blinding agony, I gasped out an explanation to the viewers: my husband was out of the country, accompanying our son to a competition. He wasn’t in the States. Before I could finish, my phone buzzed. It was a video message from my husband’s young mistress. “Wow, this waterfront restaurant is so romantic…” “Hubby said he loves me the most. He said I’m young and know how to please him, while you’re just a washed-up, ugly housewife.” “Oh, and Leo even agreed to call me Mom! Right, Leo?” The video showed my husband, Arthur, and my son, Leo, looking at Evelyn with absolute adoration. Leo even happily chimed in, calling her “Mom.” In the background, I could see Arthur’s colleagues, friends, relatives, as well as Leo’s friends and their parents. They were all gathered for a massive celebration. Not a single one of them realized that the woman being tortured in the viral livestream was me. The kidnapper frowned in confusion. He took my phone and initiated a video call with them. When Leo saw my name on the screen, he glanced at it and immediately started mocking me: “Oh, is the ugly housewife throwing a tantrum now?” “Auntie Evelyn said you used to bully her when you were kids. You called her the maid’s daughter and stole Grandpa’s love.” “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get on your knees and apologize to Auntie Evelyn right now. Maybe then Dad and I will actually be nice to you.” My face was deathly pale. The pain in my heart eclipsed the pain in my body. Through gritted teeth, I managed to croak out: “Leo… save me. Call the police…” “Oh, enough already,” my son rolled his eyes. “Stop playing games.” “Even if the cops come, we aren’t leaving Auntie Evelyn’s party.” Instead of hanging up, my son flipped the camera to show me the scene. Evelyn flashed a peace sign at the camera, clearly trying to provoke me: “Hey, sis. Arthur is going to propose to me in a few minutes. Do you think I should say yes? Oh my god, I’m so nervous…” It felt like an invisible hand was crushing my windpipe. I couldn’t breathe. The blood continued to pour from my leg. My body temperature was dropping rapidly. I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness. Smack! The kidnapper delivered a brutal backhand across my face. “Faking passing out? It won’t work! If your husband doesn’t show up, I’ll make you beg for death.” “If cutting your flesh doesn’t work, I’ll dig out your kidneys. If that doesn’t work, I’ll chop off your hands. And if your hands are gone, I’ll cut out your tongue.” The chat went completely insane. People were cursing the kidnapper’s lack of humanity, begging him to reconsider. But mostly, they were mobilizing, urging everyone to spread the stream to find my husband. Someone angrily commented: “Call the cops! Can anyone tracking his IP please call 911?” “To the guy above: calling the cops won’t help as much as finding the husband. This guy clearly has a massive grudge against the husband.” “If you’re a real man, go after the husband! Torturing a woman makes you a coward.” But no matter what the chat said, the kidnapper kept his focus entirely on the knife. The agony shot from my leg straight into my brain. 3 My head felt like it was going to split open. My involuntary, agonizing screams made it unbearable for the viewers to watch. The livestream donations started pouring in. Everyone in the chat begged the kidnapper to spare me in exchange for the massive tips. Just then, a live-call request popped up on the screen. “I am Arthur. Connect the call.” I let out a massive sigh of relief. Thank God. My husband finally saw it! But when the split-screen connected, the man on the other end was a stranger. The kidnapper obviously knew what Arthur looked like. Assuming he was being mocked, he gripped the knife tightly, preparing to slice into me again. Seeing this, the man on the screen quickly yelled: “Wait! I’m Mr. Vance’s paralegal. Arthur is currently busy with an event.” “Also, you’ve kidnapped the wrong woman. Mr. Vance doesn’t have a wife, he only has a girlfriend. And he’s actually proposing to her right now.” “If you have demands, state them. There’s no need to hurt an innocent person.” The kidnapper exploded in rage. He grabbed me by the hair and slammed my face toward the camera. My body was covered in deep gashes. The slightest movement tore the muscles, making me sweat profusely from the pain. But even with my body ripped to shreds, it was nothing compared to the agony in my heart. If I’m not Arthur’s wife, then who is? The kidnapper sneered. “Do you think I’m a fucking idiot? This is the biological mother of Arthur Vance’s son!” He glared at me. “Call Arthur on this stream right now. If you don’t…” He raised the knife. Hearing my terrified screams, the paralegal had no choice but to patch the call through to Arthur’s personal phone. But the person who answered was Evelyn. “Oh hubby, the diamond is so big! I’m so happy to have you and Leo… Oh wait, your phone is ringing…” Finally, my husband’s voice came through the speaker: “Hello, who is this?” The paralegal—who was actually a police negotiator in disguise—didn’t dare reveal his identity. He asked subtly: “Is your wife with you?” My husband answered without hesitation: “Yes, my wife and son are right here. Why?” The negotiator cautiously hinted that someone was claiming to have kidnapped his wife on a livestream. My husband actually laughed out loud. “Scammers are getting ridiculous these days. Grabbing some random woman and trying to extort me.” “Listen, stop wasting your time. It’s probably just two actors running a scam for stream donations. My family of three is currently at a waterfront restaurant, and I’m not leaving.” “If you’re really that worried, just ask the ‘kidnapper’ how much he wants, and pass a hat around your office to pay him off.” The negotiator pressed on. “The woman in the video is screaming in genuine agony. It doesn’t look fake. Could you please just log into the stream and verify if it’s her?” My husband paused, seemingly considering it. Just then, Evelyn let out a dramatic gasp. “Oh hubby, my stomach hurts so much! Do you think the baby is scared because we’re talking about something so bloody? It’s okay, hubby, saving someone is more important. You should go look. The baby and I will be fine.” “How could I do that? Nothing is more important than you and the baby.” My husband pulled Evelyn into a tight hug, his voice dripping with concern, and decisively rejected the negotiator: “I’m incredibly sorry, but my wife isn’t feeling well. I can’t help you…” His wife? 4 I was his legally wedded wife. But because Evelyn was younger, more shameless, and willing to spoil Leo rotten… My husband didn’t even care that Evelyn was the illegitimate daughter my father had with our former maid. He openly flaunted his affair. And now he was throwing her a massive, romantic proposal. My chest tightened painfully, like a massive boulder was crushing my lungs. On the call, the undercover cop was still desperately trying to reason with the kidnapper. It was useless. The kidnapper pinned me to the floor, his voice venomous: “If you want to blame someone, blame your sociopath son and your scumbag lawyer husband!” The knife came down again. “AHHH!” I couldn’t hold it back. My scream felt like it pierced the heavens. The blinding pain nearly sent me into shock. At that exact moment, a highly-upvoted comment pinned itself to the top of the chat. “I work with Arthur. The victim is 100% Arthur’s wife. I just texted him the stream link.” Arthur had received the link a long time ago. Then what about my son? What about our relatives and friends? Why didn’t anyone who saw the stream tell Arthur to come save me? Ignoring the blood pouring down my body, I grabbed my phone and opened the video clip Evelyn had sent me earlier. I scrutinized every single detail. And finally, I saw it. On a large TV screen mounted on the wall of that romantic restaurant… The livestream of my torture was playing for the entire party to see. The kidnapper yanked my head back, taking a sharp breath. “They’re watching this live, right there in the restaurant. And they didn’t come to save you.” “Tell me… did they not notice? Or do they just want you to die faster?” “Hahahaha…” It felt like a bolt of lightning struck me. I froze, completely forgetting the physical pain, forgetting the grief. A moment later, I lunged for my phone like a madwoman, pointing the camera directly at my face, and screamed hysterically: “Arthur! Leo! I am Leo’s mother! Look at me! Look at me!” “I am being tortured! Even if you want to cheat, even if you want a new mom, you can’t just let someone die!” “Leo, I’m your mother! I brought you into this world!” The chat went into absolute overdrive: “As a mother, I am completely breaking down watching this.” “Please, I’m begging you, let her go! She obviously has zero leverage over her husband and son!” “Are you people deaf? She isn’t his wife! The guy on the phone said his wife is the chick he’s with right now!” All over the internet, thousands of strangers were advocating for me, desperately trying to find a way to save me. But my own husband and son never showed up. It didn’t used to be like this. Before Leo turned five, we were a perfectly happy, harmonious family. But everything changed the day Evelyn appeared. 5 Evelyn used the excuse that I had monopolized our father’s love for years, demanding compensation at every turn. Sometimes it was a piece of jewelry. Sometimes a designer bag. Slowly, it evolved into private dates with Arthur, and eventually into taking Leo out on extravagant trips. Just like that, my husband and my son were stolen from me, piece by piece. I used to think that, no matter what, we were legally a family. I thought they would always have some baseline level of care for me. The kidnapper slapped me hard across the face twice, rubbing salt into my emotional wounds. “Your husband and your son threw you away.” Two of my teeth had been knocked out. My mouth was filled with blood, but I still stubbornly argued: “No… they just didn’t see the screen…” The kidnapper threw his head back and laughed. He pointed to a specific username in the chat. “Is this your husband?” The username, featuring a profile picture of Leo and Evelyn happily posing together, had just donated five massive “Rocket” tips to the stream, making him the top donor. At that exact moment, my phone buzzed with several new photos. Under a gorgeous, colorful sunset, Arthur was on one knee, holding a massive diamond ring. You could read his lips: “I love you.” Everyone around them had joyous, congratulatory smiles. Leo was wiping tears of happiness from his eyes. And in the corner of the photo, resting on a table, Arthur’s phone screen was actively playing the livestream of my torture. The exact moment of my brutalization was the exact moment of their peak happiness. Evelyn sent a barrage of texts, gloating: “Hubby said it’s best if you die out there. It saves him the hassle of dividing assets in a divorce.” “Oh, and your son said that if you don’t die, he’s going to drop out of school and work minimum wage just to support the baby in my belly.” “So do us all a favor and just die. It’d be great if you could leave a will leaving everything to Leo, so he doesn’t have to work so many shifts.” The metallic taste of blood coated my tongue. I lay sprawled on the dirty floor, letting the physical pain wash over me. “Are you furious? Does it hurt worse than death?” “I thought I was the only victim here. I didn’t realize we were in the same boat. Why don’t we team up? We can give them a massive present.” The kidnapper leaned close, whispering in my ear, while discreetly shoving a small USB drive into my hands. “The footage of your sociopath son brutally bullying my boy… and the proof of Arthur forging evidence to cover it up… it’s all on this drive. The moment this goes public, the Vance family will be destroyed.” The kidnapper’s voice grew increasingly frantic and excited, his teeth gritted as he hissed into my ear: “You brought Leo into this world. How about you be the one to destroy him? Deal?” The kidnapper forcefully shoved the USB drive directly into the open, bleeding gash on my stomach. The hard plastic dug into my flesh, sending sharp spikes of agony through my body. I processed his words in silence. The police negotiator had finally triangulated my location. Dozens of SWAT officers breached the abandoned house, with Arthur and Leo trailing far behind them. The police tackled the kidnapper and hauled him away. I lay on the floor like a puddle of mud. I let the police and paramedics step around me, their boots occasionally brushing against the pools of my blood. At one point, Arthur accidentally stepped squarely on one of my fingers—the one where the fingernail had been ripped off. I screamed in agony, but the father and son completely ignored my pain. Arthur and Leo were frantically searching the abandoned house. “The kidnapper didn’t have anything on him. The evidence has to be hidden in this room.” “Should we just burn the whole place down? That would solve everything.” “No. If investigators sift through the ashes and find…”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391960”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

During my heaviest, most innocent year of high school, I accidentally sat on the school bully and made him cry. The harder he cried, the more pumped up I got. I threw a leg over him, pinned him down, and wiggled around a few times. It felt a bit… lumpy. After that day, whenever he saw me, he ran away so fast he practically left a dust trail. Three years later, at our high school reunion, my classmates joked: “Chloe is so skinny now, she could never make Liam cry by sitting on him again.” Liam shifted forward in his seat and casually crossed his legs. My entire body flushed hot, my face turning red all the way down to my neck. 1 I had completely forgotten what Liam looked like. For the entirety of high school, he ran away the second he saw me. And he ran fast. So fast that my memory of his face was totally blurry. At the start of freshman year, my desk mate warned me about him. Liam was the grandson of the richest man in the city. He was a menace who did whatever he wanted. She told me if I saw him walking down the hall, I needed to take a detour. My mom had also told me that going to a city high school meant I needed to be humble and absolutely avoid offending anyone. I memorized that advice by heart. One day, I saw him cornered on the far side of the sports field. It was one against five. Five upperclassmen had him surrounded. He saw me from a distance and yelled: “Chloe Foster!” I squinted, taking a few steps forward. Once I realized it was him, I turned right around and walked away without looking back. Seconds later, I heard his agonizing screams. When I got back to the classroom, I felt a twinge of guilt. What if they seriously hurt him? So, I told the whole class, and then I told our homeroom teacher. By the time the teacher led the whole class out to find him, his uniform was torn, one side of his face was swollen like a balloon, and he had a black eye like a panda. It was the first time I had ever seen him up close. The girls who obsessed over him always said Liam was tall, incredibly handsome, and had deep, striking features. But right then, he looked like the guy who collected scrap metal in my home village. I couldn’t help it. I let out a small laugh. He locked eyes with me. He struggled to stand up, hissed in pain, pointed a finger at me, and said, “You just wait.” Our homeroom teacher swiftly kicked him in the butt, making him yelp in pain. The next evening, right after I walked out of the cafeteria, Liam and his lackeys blocked my path. I quickly hid the fried chicken drumstick I was holding behind my back and swallowed hard. I had just gone in for the first bite, but hadn’t even torn a piece off yet. If the chicken got cold, it wouldn’t taste good anymore. Because of that, I completely forgot my desk mate’s warning and my mom’s advice. I was incredibly annoyed. “What is your problem? Are you mad because I didn’t help you fight? If I helped you win, wouldn’t that just be more embarrassing for you?” The lackeys behind him looked down, clearly embarrassed that I had hit the nail on the head. Liam puffed out his chest and yelled, “Fatty Chloe! You’re built like a pig and you’re still eating fried chicken!” Was that it? So childish. I shoved past him to keep walking, but he grabbed my arm. I yanked my arm away, and the chicken drumstick slipped from my fingers, landing straight on the dirt. It was fine. I could just wash it off, peel off the fried batter, and the meat inside would still be good. But Liam lifted his sneaker, stepped directly onto my chicken, and twisted his ankle to grind it into the dirt. My gaze slowly traveled up from my ruined dinner and locked onto his face. Anger erupted inside me like a volcano. I let out a feral roar and tackled him to the ground. He had one arm in a cast from yesterday, and his other arm was completely useless against my sheer mass. I landed squarely on top of him, sitting heavily on his stomach. “Give me back my chicken! Give it back! I only get to eat a chicken drumstick once a year! Waaah…” Liam’s face turned beet red, and two streams of tears rolled out of the corners of his eyes. A crowd started to form. Someone yelled, “Go get a teacher!” Hearing that, his lackeys scrambled and ran for their lives. The harder Liam cried, the more pumped up I got. I threw a leg over him, straddling his waist, and wiggled around a few times. Just like he did to my chicken drumstick. For some reason, though, it felt… lumpy. Eventually, my classmates pulled me off him. I mourned that chicken drumstick for an entire month. I was so fueled by grief and rage that I studied like a maniac, ranked first in the grade on the midterms, and only then finally stepped out of my depression. 2 From that day on, the moment Liam saw me, he would bolt in the opposite direction. Liam didn’t get into our high school the normal way. His mom was on the board of directors. Rumor had it his middle school grades were so bad he couldn’t even qualify for the worst high school in the city. As a kid who had been on the poverty-assistance list her entire life, I despised people like him. Especially since he murdered my chicken. But I couldn’t actually do anything to him. In fact, I was terrified of him. I was terrified he would go crying to his mom and get my financial aid revoked. Or that they would find some random excuse to expel me. For an entire semester, I sat in class just waiting for the homeroom teacher to tell me to pack my bags. Every night, I had nightmares about being chased by a rabid dog. The dog would finally catch me, bare its fangs, let out an evil laugh, and its face would morph into Liam’s. It wasn’t until finals were over that our homeroom teacher announced he had news. Sitting in the stuffy, heated classroom, a cold sweat broke out down my spine. I was already trying to figure out how to explain my expulsion to my mom. At worst, I would just go work in the coal mines with her. The teacher calling my name snapped me back to reality. “Chloe Foster. For ranking first in the grade, you are the recipient of the school’s newly established merit scholarship. The prize is $1,200.” That wasn’t just a scholarship. It was life-saving money. Not only did I have enough for living expenses, but my mom wouldn’t have to risk black lung disease working in the mines just to scrape together an extra hundred bucks a month. The teacher then praised Liam. His rank had jumped from dead last to right in the middle of the pack. My desk mate gossiped that Liam had a crush on the most popular girl in our grade, Mia. Mia consistently ranked in the top ten and had publicly stated she would never date a guy with worse grades than her. Liam’s desk was piled high with New Year’s greeting cards from various girls. He shoved them all carelessly into his desk drawer. Except for the one from Mia. He carefully tucked that one into his backpack. After that, he totally chilled out. No more bullying, no more trouble. Whenever we bumped into each other, I didn’t have to hide, and he stopped calling me “Fatty.” Well, actually. He didn’t even look at me anymore. By the time we graduated senior year, he had become the cold, untouchable heartthrob the underclassmen obsessed over. He rejected countless confessions, all to wait for Mia to say yes. After graduation, my only interaction with him happened when I went to pick up my diploma. The homeroom teacher told me Liam’s mom had a message for me. “Thank the pretty, chubby girl in your class. Tell her that sitting on Liam finally knocked some sense into him.” I scratched my head and laughed. His mom was pretty funny. When I turned around, Liam was standing right in the doorway of the faculty office. We made eye contact. He immediately looked away, and I dropped my gaze. We brushed past each other, and I never saw him again. 3 I honestly hadn’t planned on attending this high school reunion. I was heading into my senior year of college, juggling part-time jobs and desperately searching for internships. I was way too busy. My old desk mate convinced me: “You have to come! Networking is everything. “Plus, Liam is the one hosting and paying for the whole thing. “You remember Liam, right? The guy you sat on until he cried.” I rubbed my temples and cut her off. “Can we please never bring that up again? Fine, I’ll go, I’ll go.” Standing in a quiet corner of the library, I held the phone to my ear, my face burning. It took me a few years to finally understand why it had felt so lumpy that day. On the day of the reunion, to prove how little I cared, I didn’t wear any makeup. I purposely wore a faded, washed-out tracksuit and carried a cheap canvas tote bag from a local grocery store. When I arrived, I was, without a doubt, the most underdressed person there. In stark contrast, Liam’s nearly six-foot-three frame stood out instantly in the crowd. He had broad shoulders and a lean waist. He wore a crisp white dress shirt with the top two buttons casually undone. It made me think of that chicken drumstick, and I subconsciously swallowed hard. The moment I walked in, my old desk mate dragged me right up to Liam. “Boss Liam! Do you remember Chloe?!” A wave of good-natured laughter rippled through the group. “Chloe is so skinny now, she could never make Liam cry by sitting on him again.” Hearing that, Liam’s expression faltered slightly. He shifted forward in his seat and casually crossed his legs. My entire body flushed hot, my face turning red all the way down to my neck. I frantically fanned myself with my hands. “It’s so hot in here. I’m gonna go get some fresh air.” “If you’re hot, just take your jacket off!” My desk mate, moving with lethal speed, grabbed the zipper of my tracksuit jacket and yanked it down. I had bought this jacket before I lost the weight, so it hung on my current frame like a massive potato sack. With one pull, the oversized jacket slid effortlessly off my shoulders. Underneath, I was only wearing a tight, thin camisole. And I was standing directly in front of Liam. He lowered his gaze, taking in the full, unobstructed view of my chest. I panicked and scrambled to pull the jacket back up over my shoulders. My desk mate wouldn’t stop yelling. “Damn! You lost all that weight but kept the curves right where it counts! “Honestly, if you sat on a guy now, you’d still make him cry, just for a totally different reason.” While aggressively adjusting my collar, I sneaked a glance at Liam. The tips of his ears were bright red. 4 It wasn’t until Liam gave a speech that we realized he had an ulterior motive for the reunion. “I’ve started a tech company here in the city, and we’re currently aggressively expanding our team. “The pay is highly competitive, and we offer housing and meal stipends. If anyone is interested, please send me your resume.” My desk mate nudged my ribs. She handed me her phone, showing the recruitment page for Liam’s company. “Doesn’t this align perfectly with your major?” I hesitated. I never wanted to cross paths with Liam again. I had never told anyone, but I had actually seen him at the gay bar where I worked part-time during college. I wasn’t judging, but thinking about him just made me feel a little… weird. But I desperately wanted to move back to my hometown. My mom had felt bad that I was working so many part-time jobs to pay for school, so she secretly went back to work in the coal mines and ended up contracting black lung. I wanted to move back to take care of her and keep a close eye on her. But our hometown was a traditional industrial city. Startups in emerging tech fields could be counted on one hand. And they were usually underfunded branch offices with terrible pay. The salary listed on Liam’s recruitment page made my heart skip a beat. That night, I tossed and turned, and the dreams started again. In my dream, a massive white dog bounded toward me, wagging its tail, and tackled me to the ground. It licked my face until I couldn’t stop laughing. Then the big dog looked up, and its face morphed into Liam. I woke up covered in a cold sweat. He was literally haunting me. Suddenly, my phone rang with an unknown number. “Ms. Foster, this is Stardust Tech. We’d like to invite you for an interview next week.” It was Liam’s company. But I hadn’t even submitted a resume. Right then, a text popped up from my mom’s attending physician, saying they were scheduling her surgery for next week. I said “Okay” into the phone. Since I was moving back anyway, I might as well go see what it was about. Liam wasn’t there on the day of the interview. I had a great conversation with the Chief Technology Officer. I didn’t even have to do a probationary internship; they offered me a full-time position on the spot. And my starting salary wouldn’t be docked during the trial period. I knew I was a great candidate. I just didn’t realize I was that great. It would be rude to decline an offer this good. But because my mom’s surgery got rescheduled, I had to push my start date back by a day. Bright and early on my first day, I ran straight into Liam in the elevator. I stood at attention and respectfully said, “Good morning, Boss.” His Adam’s apple bobbed twice, but he didn’t say a word. Ding. The elevator arrived at our floor. The doors had barely opened a crack when I lifted my foot to step out. Through the gap, I saw a pair of long, flawless legs waiting outside. The doors slid fully open. It was Mia. She completely ignored me and threw herself directly into Liam’s arms. “Liam! During the meeting yesterday, didn’t you say you weren’t coming into the office today?” “Something came up.” I stepped out of the elevator and looked back. Liam was holding his arms up, letting Mia hang off his neck, smiling at her with pure indulgence. 5 The second I sat down at my desk, my manager called me into his office. “Mr. Vance’s executive assistant hasn’t started yet. You have a great academic background; I need you to go up and cover the desk for a while.” “I don’t know if that’s a good idea—” “What I mean is, won’t Mia mind?” “Mia—? Oh, you mean the Boss’s wife. Why would she mind? “Mr. Vance gave you a fantastic compensation package. Be smart and play along.” Boss’s wife. Makes sense. But my chest felt inexplicably tight. My chair hadn’t even gotten warm yet. I grumbled under my breath as I packed up my things and headed upstairs. Right outside Liam’s massive office was the secretary’s desk. Since I was already here, I figured I should go in and say hi to the boss. I pushed the door open. He was facing the door and jumped slightly when I walked in. He frowned and asked why I didn’t knock. Behind him, Mia was bent over his desk, facing away from me, leaning her weight on her elbows. That position… My face instantly flushed crimson. “Sorry to interrupt!” I scrambled backward and quickly shut the door. A few seconds later, Mia walked out, giving me an amused, knowing look. She took two steps, rubbed her lower back, and let out a soft, breathy sigh. From inside, Liam called out, “Come in.” It made me jump. He was leaning back in his office chair, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand. “I was too loud just now. Don’t take it personally.” My mom always said, If someone respects you an inch, respect them a mile. I cleared my throat. “Not at all, Boss. You’re too polite. You can yell at me or hit me whenever you want.” He looked up, suppressing a smile at the corner of his lips. “I can hit you?” “Sure.” His lips parted slightly, a smirk playing on his face. “A girl like you should really protect herself better.” “I’m great at protecting myself! You should protect yourself. Have you forgotten the time we fought and I—” Why do I never have a filter? He closed his eyes and waved a hand dismissively. “Get out.” Back at the secretary’s desk, I buried my head in paperwork. Liam suddenly opened his door and tossed a uniform onto my desk. “Change into this. You’re coming on a business trip with me.” Fine. I’ll change. A crisp white blouse, a tailored blazer, a tight pencil skirt, and black pantyhose. My body proportions—specifically the ratio between my chest and my waist—were ridiculous, making it almost impossible to buy clothes off the rack. But this uniform fit me like it was custom-tailored. I looked at myself in the restroom mirror and gave myself a very serious, professional salute. Walking out of the restroom, I bumped right into Liam. He seriously must have a medical condition. His ears were always bright red. 6 It was my first time on an airplane, and we were flying First Class. I asked Liam: “Next time, could you book me in Economy and just wire me the price difference in cash?” He turned away, completely ignoring me. The plane suddenly hit intense turbulence, and I shrieked. Before the sound even left my throat, I found myself pulled tightly into his arms. His Adam’s apple brushed against my ear as he swallowed, his voice dropping from above me. “Coward.” I looked up and met his gaze. His eyes were dark and hazy. He slowly lowered his head, and it looked like he was about to kiss me. I swallowed hard and squeaked out, “I have boundaries, you know.” He immediately let go, sat back in his seat, and turned his face away. My heart was pounding out of my chest, my palms completely sweaty. He didn’t look at me again for the rest of the flight. I had no choice. He was the boss, and I was terrified of getting fired. I carried his luggage and told him jokes to lighten the mood. I also dropped some heavy-handed hints. “Mia is so beautiful. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone prettier, don’t you think? “Whoever marries Mia is the luckiest guy in the world. Anyone who doesn’t appreciate her deserves to be impotent for life.” A visible crack finally appeared in his stoic expression. He gave me a very strange look. “You really like her?” “Yeah, I do!” “Is that why you worked at that… place?” “What place?” “Mr. Vance!” The client’s representative shouted, interrupting our conversation. A guy ran over holding a pickup sign. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, easily as handsome as Liam. “I’m Carter. I also graduated from City High. “Technically, that makes me your upperclassman.” I smiled sweetly. “Hi, Senior Carter!” Liam glared at me. I pouted internally. He was the client! If Liam kept acting like an arrogant jerk, how were we supposed to close the deal? This rich kid clearly had zero networking skills. I continued turning the charm on for Carter. “Senior, your company is notoriously hard to get into. You must be incredibly smart. “We’re so honored to be here. Next time you visit our city, I’ll bring you some local specialties!” Liam’s face grew darker and darker. Did he just not want to do business? 7 The dinner banquet was a success. Everything went smoothly. Back at the hotel, I got a text from Liam. Just three dry words: [Come to my room.] The almost-kiss on the airplane replayed in slow motion in my head. And now he wanted me in his room at night. What a dog. I wasn’t going. [Come over. I’ll give you the cash difference for your flight next time.] Oh. I thought about it, went into the bathroom, and layered two thick, terrycloth hotel bathrobes over my clothes. Then, I put my winter coat over the bathrobes. I looked like a massive, shapeless dumpling. There was no way this look would give anyone the wrong idea. I raised my hand to knock on his door, but it swung open before I even touched it. He leaned against the doorframe, looking me up and down in absolute bewilderment. I quickly covered my nose. “Achoo! “I think I caught a cold. I’m freezing.” He stepped aside to let me in. I hugged my arms and sat stiffly on the sofa. He tinkered around in the kitchenette for a few minutes. He walked over and handed me a steaming mug of ginger and brown sugar tea. “Drink this first. Room service is bringing up some cold medicine soon.” Staring at the piping hot tea, I realized I was already sweating bullets under all my layers. I dutifully took the mug and pretended to take a tiny sip. I was boiling. Liam frowned, staring right at me. “Drink the whole thing.” His tone was gentle but left no room for negotiation. I tipped my head back and chugged the entire mug. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips. Remembering why I was actually here, I asked, “Why did you call me over?” He lowered his eyes. “Today on the plane, I was entirely out of line. I shouldn’t have…” “It’s fine! Let’s just always remember: you’re the boss, and I’m the subordinate.” I raised three fingers in a solemn vow. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul. Besides a promotion and a raise, I don’t want anything else from you.” He pressed his lips together so hard they turned white. His eyes were filled with deep frustration. Ha. The dog feels guilty, I thought. I stood up. “Well, I’m gonna go. Senior Carter asked me if I wanted to go grab some late-night barbecue. Want to come?” “I thought you were sick?” “I— Well, that ginger tea was amazing! I feel basically 100% better. “If you don’t want to go, I’ll just go by myself.” I took one step toward the door. His long arm shot out, grabbing me by the collar. He shoved me firmly into the desk chair and slammed a laptop down in front of me. “Since you’re feeling better, stay here and draft the project proposal.” 8 Yeah, right. Like anyone was going to believe I spent the entire night in my boss’s hotel room just writing a business proposal. Being a principled, hardworking employee requires so many sacrifices. The good news was, the company booked me an Economy ticket for the flight back. Thank god. Sitting next to the boss was way too stressful. I had just sat down when a familiar figure loomed over the seat next to me. He struggled for a minute before finally squeezing his massive frame into the tiny Economy seat. “The assistant booked the wrong ticket.” Liam looked furious enough to dismantle the plane with his bare hands. I tried to console him. “You can ask the flight attendant if there are any open seats in First Class. You can just pay the upgrade fee.” Before I could even finish my sentence, his head tilted to the side, his eyes closed, and he started softly snoring. His head was practically resting on my shoulder. I sat up completely straight, folded a blanket, and wedged it onto my shoulder to properly support his chin. I don’t know when, but I eventually fell asleep too. When I woke up, he was slouched deep in his seat, casually flipping through an inflight magazine. I was leaning entirely on his shoulder. And I had drooled a massive wet spot onto his designer shirt… The second we got off the plane, he started walking incredibly fast. I chased after him, begging. “Please take the shirt off! I’ll take it home, wash it, and bring it back to you! “I am so, so sorry. I normally never do that! “It’s all your fault anyway. You kept me up all night and made me so exhausted!” He stopped dead in his tracks. I couldn’t brake in time, slid several feet past him, and had to jog back. The corners of his mouth turned down, his lips pressed into a tight line. It took him several seconds to speak. “If you get exhausted this easily, how are we going to manage in the future?” Help. I’d only been working here for a few days. How could I complain to the boss about being tired already? “I’m not tired! I used to work three part-time jobs in college! I have crazy stamina!” He nodded slowly, then resumed his fast-paced walk. His voice floated back to me, lingering in the air. “Good to know you have crazy stamina.” 9 After the business trip, I took half a day off to be at the hospital for my mom’s surgery. While walking past the Urology and Men’s Health clinic, I glanced through a cracked door and saw a very familiar figure. Weird. I took a few steps back and stood near the door, pretending to read a medical brochure while eavesdropping. “Men have too much pride. He’d rather die than come see a doctor. My parents are worried sick.” “Are you saying the trauma might have been caused by that girl sitting on him years ago?” “It’s impossible to hold her legally accountable now, there’s no proof. “But I’ll figure out a way to drag him in for an exam. Thank you so much, Doctor.” Hearing the screech of a chair sliding back, I sprinted away as fast as I could. Mia meant that Liam had… issues. Down there. And he had issues because I crushed his equipment in high school. Back then, I was 5’5″ and weighed a solid 160 pounds. I suddenly remembered the tears streaming down his face and how red he turned… “What are you doing here?” The sudden voice scared the living daylights out of me. “What are you doing here?!” I looked up. Liam and I were staring at each other, wide-eyed. “I’m picking up meds for my mom.” “I’m looking for someone.” We spoke at the exact same time. I clutched my chest, turned around, and bolted, yelling over my shoulder: “Okay, you go do your thing! I gotta go, my mom is waiting!” If he was single, the worst-case scenario was that I’d just close my eyes and take responsibility for ruining him. But he was married. When Mia was talking to the doctor, she only sounded worried. There wasn’t an ounce of disgust in her voice. She was a good woman. But she also said she wanted to hold the culprit accountable. Liam hired me. He put me in his office. He even pretended to flirt with me. Was he just waiting for me to admit it so he could gather evidence and destroy my life?! It made sense. I had destroyed his, after all. My brain was a chaotic mess, my body felt light and numb. I had no idea how I managed to walk back to my mom’s hospital room. As I walked past the office of my mom’s lead surgeon, I saw Liam walking out of it. I quickly went inside to ask the doctor what was going on. “Your boss is taking great care of you. To ensure your mother’s surgery went smoothly, he called me yesterday, and came in person today to check on things.” When I walked out of the office, my legs felt like jelly. Was he… trying to use my mom to threaten me? 10 After the surgery, I settled my mom into a hotel right next to the hospital. Public places have security cameras everywhere. It was much safer. As I walked out of the hotel, I saw two familiar figures walking into the lobby of the five-star luxury hotel across the street. The man’s hand was resting intimately on the woman’s waist. “If he can’t even get it up, why is he booking hotel rooms? Kinky.” I grumbled to myself, resting my chin in my hand as I sat back at my desk in the office. “What are you mumbling about?” “Oh! Boss, you’re back?” I was so deep in thought I didn’t even hear Liam approach. I glanced at the time on my phone. It hadn’t even been thirty minutes since I saw them walk into that hotel. “Wow, you’re pretty fast.” “What’s fast?” “You! You’re fast.” “I’m not as good as I used to be. My hand speed was way better when I was younger.” He stretched his arms, popped his knuckles, and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. “I’m exhausted. I’m going to take a nap in my office. No one is allowed in.” “Got it.” The second his door closed, the company group chat exploded. [I didn’t know Boss was a gamer!] [He sucks but still loves to play, and then makes excuses about how his hand speed used to be better. Lol.] [He’s actually super down-to-earth. On his last trip, he told me to book him in Economy.] I was so confused. My brain couldn’t process the information fast enough. The Economy ticket wasn’t a mistake? He just wanted to sit with me? And he was just talking about playing video games? Then what was he doing with Mia… I pushed his office door open. “Boss, I have to ask you—” He had been facing away from the door, but slowly turned around. The afternoon sun spilled diagonally across his body. His tanned skin glowed in the light. He had a lean waist and broad shoulders. The sharp, sculpted lines of his abdominal muscles trailed downward, disappearing beneath a black leather belt. He calmly picked up a clean T-shirt from the coat rack and pulled it over his head. “Why are you still not knocking?” “I—” I choked on my own saliva, unable to finish my sentence. I coughed awkwardly. “Come here.” His voice had a magnetic pull. Without realizing it, my feet moved forward. “Is there something you want to tell me?” His breathing came from right above my head, slightly heavier than usual. I looked down at the tips of our shoes. We were standing so close that if we weren’t wearing shoes, our toes would be touching. I held my breath, but my chest still heaved uncontrollably. “I’m sorry.” “You definitely owe me an apology.” His breathing grew more ragged. I pulled my gaze away from our shoes. Like I was possessed by a demon, I slowly reached my hand out…

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391978”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel