Category: English

At a New Year’s Eve dinner, a “bro-girl” I’d never met sat next to my husband. After the fourth time she hugged my husband’s arm, I threw up all over the floor. My husband was nervous and helped me catch my breath. But the “bro-girl” raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms: “Alex, this wife you found… she’s kinda weak, huh?” Ah, so she’s a “Pick Me” girl. But she doesn’t know. When it comes to playing innocent and manipulative, I’m the grandmaster. 1 The atmosphere in the private room became weirdly awkward. Alex frowned. “Bella, stop talking nonsense.” His hand patted my back. Bella lowered her voice a bit: “Back when we drank all night and woke up in the same bed, you didn’t throw up.” Someone in the room immediately tried to smooth things over: “Sister-in-law, that’s all in the past. Don’t listen to Bella running her mouth.” Bella paused. Then someone covered her mouth. She pried the hand off her face and pouted: “Can’t even tell the truth? Having a woman around is so troublesome.” Nausea surged again, and I choked up, tears welling in my eyes. I looked up with red eyes. “Alex, did I ruin your fun? I’m sorry…” Alex looked heartbroken. “Honey, if you’re uncomfortable, let’s leave.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella’s face change instantly. She grabbed the hem of Alex’s shirt: “I just got back from overseas! Now that you have a wife, you don’t want your bros anymore?” Alex’s face darkened. “Bella, my wife feels sick.” She craned her neck to look at me. “Sister-in-law, are you unhappy because we’re too close?” I weakly collapsed into Alex’s arms. “I feel a bit sick. Miss, if you insist on keeping Alex, can you let me go first?” He frowned deeply. Supporting my waist, he said, “I’ll take you home first.” Alex led me out. “You guys keep drinking. My wife isn’t feeling well. Next round is on me.” The woman behind us wasn’t happy. “With a family, do you have no freedom at all? Alex, you’re such a buzzkill!” Alex didn’t stop. He pulled me into the car and called a designated driver in one go. He rubbed my back in the car. “Claire, still feeling bad? Should we go to the hospital first?” The nausea subsided a bit with the cold wind. I put some distance between us. “When did you and Bella end up in the same bed?” Alex froze. He looked away unnaturally: “That was way before I knew you. Today’s dinner, I didn’t know she was coming…” He held my hand again, fawning: “Besides, we were both drunk back then. Nothing happened, I swear!” The designated driver knocked on the window at this moment. Alex pulled my hand into his arms, full of worry. “Driver, please drive a bit slower. My wife isn’t feeling well.” 2 The next day, I was woken up by nausea again. I dry heaved over the toilet a few times. Alex immediately ran out of the bedroom. “Honey, still feeling sick? I’ll go buy you medicine right now!” He ran frantically. Leaving his phone on the bed. Just then, the phone started ringing non-stop. I wiped my mouth and picked it up. I saw a group chat of four people on WhatsApp. A girl named “Bubbles” was spamming messages. [Bros, wake up! Sun’s burning your ass!] [I’m going to each of your houses for New Year’s greetings. Is Big Bro’s red envelope ready?] [@Alex, how’s your precious wife? Let’s hang out today, don’t run away again. Your family is such a buzzkill! Or just don’t bring your wife!] [I don’t care, this year you have to give me a big red envelope, bigger than your wife’s! Or I won’t forgive you, bro!] Alex ran back excitedly at this moment. “Honey, my brain! The pharmacy asked if you might be pregnant. Let’s take a test first, then go to the hospital!” His gaze fell on the phone in my hand. His expression wasn’t comfortable. I handed the phone over: “Your bro is asking for a red envelope, bigger than mine.” Thought about it. I added: “She said she’s looking for you to play tonight, telling you not to bring your wife.” Alex took it awkwardly. “Bella has no filter, she’s carefree, speaks without thinking. Honey, don’t be unhappy.” I stared at him quietly. Alex hesitated for a moment, then pressed the voice message button in front of me: “Don’t talk nonsense for no reason. If my wife doesn’t go, I won’t go.” 3 I tested my morning urine in the bathroom. Several test strips showed two lines. Alex was overjoyed, hugging me and promising: “Honey, don’t worry, I won’t make you unhappy again.” “Just happily give birth to the baby, you’ll be a great hero.” He rushed me to the hospital for a blood test. Confirmed the pregnancy. Only then did he call his family: “Mom, I’m bringing you a surprise later!” The car sped all the way to the family estate. Alex snatched the gift box from my hand, his face beaming. Before even entering the door, he shouted: “Mom, brought you good news!” Just as he stepped inside. A red figure flew over, wrapping an arm around his neck. “Alex, why are you so late? The bros have been waiting for you forever!” She hugged Alex’s neck, one hand wandering a bit too low. Then she met my face. Seemed startled, let go, and acted annoyed: “Shit, force of habit. Forgot you’re a married man.” Alex’s clothes were messed up by her. He subconsciously straightened them, then looked at me. “Claire…” Before he could finish. I walked over and smoothed his collar. Smoothing and smoothing, my eyes turned red. “Miss, do you hate the shirts I ironed flat…” Bella was stunned. Eyes widened in surprise. Alex said. Every night, seeing me iron his collar flat was his happiest moment. Hearing this, he frowned. “Bella, you’re grown up, don’t always be so rough.” My mother-in-law came downstairs at this moment. Seeing me, she smiled elegantly. “Claire is back.” Alex picked up the gift box that fell on the ground earlier. Pulled me to greet her: “Mom, you don’t even miss your son, just Claire.” The scene. Harmonious and happy. I looked back; Bella was staring at me. Her lips pressed into a straight line. I called her out by name: “Miss Bella, why do you look so unhappy?” Her expression visibly panicked. Everyone in the room looked at her. Bella stammered: “I, I… Claire, you must have seen wrong…” 4 At the dinner table. Alex couldn’t wait to announce the news of my pregnancy. My mother-in-law was overjoyed. Besides the red envelope she prepared, she transferred money to me in front of everyone. Bella’s chopsticks dropped abruptly to the floor. My mother-in-law paused. Frowned slightly: “Bella, you’re not getting any younger either. You should hurry up and get married and have kids.” Bella’s face looked bad. “Auntie Sterling, I’m not in a hurry.” My mother-in-law acted casual: “Heard your mom say she’s anxious just a few days ago, waiting to hold a granddaughter with me.” Bella forced a smile. “Auntie Sterling, I’m really fine.” She suddenly looked at me: “Besides, even if I don’t have kids, won’t Alex’s kids take care of me in old age?” My face changed. But I heard my mother-in-law slam down her juice glass. Face stern. “Even with a Western education, you can’t make jokes like that.” “Is the culture overseas so loose now that you can joke about other people’s children?” The more she spoke, the angrier she got, eventually picking up her phone. “I have to call your mom, properly manage your way of expression.” Bella really turned pale this time. Kicked Alex’s chair for help. “Say something for your bro!” I picked up the toughest fried meatball on the table and stuffed it into Alex’s mouth. “Hubby, taste this for me~”

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1 I’d been dead for four days, my body a statue of ice in a cabin buried by a blizzard. But my five-year-old daughter, Annie, thought I was just playing a game of Statues. Starving, she’d started gnawing on an expired sausage stick. Using the last bar of battery on my phone, she dialed the only number in my contacts. The call connected, and Lynn’s impatient voice barked through the speaker. “Ethan, if you’re calling to make excuses or beg, don’t bother.” Annie clutched the phone, the plastic wrapper still in her mouth, her words muffled by sobs. “Mommy, Daddy’s been playing Statues for three days. There are… there are little black bugs on him now.” On the other end, the sharp tap of fingernails against a desk. Lynn’s tone turned even more scornful. “He’s stooping to disgusting lies like that just to dodge his sentence?” “Tell him to stop playing dead, or I don’t mind coming to collect his corpse myself.” Floating in the air, I desperately tried to snatch the phone away, but I could only watch helplessly as Annie poked my rigid cheek. “But Daddy is so cold,” she whimpered. “I can’t wake him up.” A dead silence fell on Lynn’s end, followed by the frantic wail of police sirens. I sighed, a bitter smile on my spectral lips. The snow, it seemed, couldn’t hide a body forever. … The screech of tires cut through the silence outside. I hovered in the air, looking down at my own stiff corpse with a sense of relief. These were the people I had contacted before I died. I’d sent them a scheduled message: if they didn’t hear from me in three days, they were to come collect my body and take Annie to my father’s place in the countryside. My life had been a mess, and I hadn’t left Annie with a good name. If she ended up in foster care, branded as the daughter of a traitor, the other kids would bully her to death. The woman in the lead took off her hat as she saw me on the bed, her eyes red as she gave a crisp salute. Annie, terrified, shrank into the corner of the bed, her small hands clutching a fistful of my shirt. “Who are you? Don’t take my daddy!” The woman moved to pick Annie up. Annie lunged forward and bit down hard on the back of her hand. “You’re bad people! All of you! When my mommy gets here, she’ll arrest you all!” I wanted to laugh, but I also wanted to cry. My silly girl, your mother is the one who wants to arrest me most. The woman didn’t say a word, just gently covered my face with a white sheet. The moment they lifted my body, the roar of another engine echoed from outside. Several police cruisers tore through the snow, their red and blue lights flashing violently against the white landscape. Lynn, dressed in her sharp police uniform, strode into the yard. “Stop! Put him down!” She marched forward, reaching to rip the white sheet away, but the lead woman blocked her path. The two sides stood in a tense standoff, the air crackling with hostility. When Annie saw Lynn, her face lit up as if she’d seen her savior. She scrambled out from behind the woman in black and stumbled towards Lynn, hugging her leg. “Mommy! Officer! Please save Daddy!” “These bad people are trying to take him away!” Lynn looked down at the child who barely reached her thigh. For a fleeting moment, a flicker of confusion crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced by disgust. She shoved Annie away. The force was so strong that Annie fell backward, landing hard in the snow. “Who’s your mommy? Don’t call me that.” I drifted over, wanting to help Annie up, but my hands passed right through her. I screamed at Lynn, “Be gentle! She’s only five!” But she couldn’t hear me. And in that moment of distraction, the group quickly loaded my stretcher into their vehicle and sped away, leaving a cloud of disturbed snow in their wake. Furious, Lynn kicked at a nearby snowdrift. “Ethan! What a clever trick! “Faking your own death to escape? You’ll really do anything, won’t you?” She turned and scanned the small room. The simple bed was now empty, leaving only a worn-out quilt. She felt around under the pillow and pulled out a photograph. It was the only one we had together. In the picture, we were in our graduation robes, our smiles wide and full of life. Lynn stared at it, a complex emotion in her eyes that quickly soured into pure derision. “Keeping this? Trying to play the sympathy card?” “In your dreams.” Rip. She tore the photo in two. She tossed the pieces to the ground and ground them into the slush with the heel of her boot. I watched our smiling faces get trampled into the snow and felt my heart clench as if caught in a vise. That photo had been the one thing that got me through the last five years. Lynn paced the room one last time. Convinced there were no other clues, she turned to leave. Annie was still sitting in the snow, crying, her little hands red from the cold. Lynn looked down at her. “Stop crying.” “Your father doesn’t want you. He left with those people.” “He abandoned you. You were just a burden to him.” Annie sobbed, her big eyes filled with confusion. “Daddy didn’t run away… Daddy’s sleeping…” “Shut up!” Lynn grabbed the back of Annie’s collar and lifted her like a stray kitten, shoving her into the back of the police car. “Since he doesn’t want you, you’re coming with me.” “Let’s see just how long he can stay hidden when I have you in my grasp.” The car door slammed shut. I spun in a panic, forcing myself to drift into the car and stay close to my daughter. 2 The car sped back to Lynn’s home. The moment the door opened, a wave of warm air washed over us. Annie’s frozen little body finally shivered, and she let out a huge sneeze. Lynn tossed her onto the sofa, then walked to the liquor cabinet and poured herself half a glass of whiskey. “Alright, talk. Where did your father go?” Annie huddled in the corner, looking at her with timid eyes. “Daddy… was taken by bad people…” “Still lying!” Annie flinched, fresh tears welling up in her big eyes. “I’m not lying… Daddy had bugs on him, and he wouldn’t move…” Lynn let out a cold laugh, swirling the amber liquid in her glass. “Ethan taught you that, didn’t he?” “Taught you to act pathetic, to lie, to manipulate people’s sympathy?” She stood up, glass in hand, and loomed over Annie. “Let me tell you, that trick doesn’t work on me.” “You’d better tell me the truth. Where did you agree to meet them? What’s the code word?” Annie had no idea what she was talking about. She clutched her stomach and whispered, “Ma’am, I’m hungry.” Lynn froze for a second, the disgust in her eyes deepening. “Hungry? You have the appetite to eat? You really are his child. Heartless, both of you.” Despite her words, she got up and went to the kitchen. I floated in the air, taking in the apartment. Every trace of me had been scrubbed clean. A pair of men’s slippers sat by the door. Two toothbrushes were on the bathroom counter. They belonged to Leo. I remembered the last time I saw her, before I left. She was with him. I saw Lynn gently wipe a bit of cake from the corner of his mouth, her eyes filled with a tenderness I hadn’t seen in years. The study door was slightly ajar. I couldn’t resist drifting inside. A travel brochure for a honeymoon in the Maldives was spread open on the desk. Next to the picture of a honeymoon suite were her handwritten notes, detailing their wedding plans. My heart soured as I looked at it all. But I quickly pushed the feeling down. It was for the best. Truly. She had a new life now. That was so much better than being in love with a dead man. A noise came from the kitchen. Lynn emerged with a bowl of noodles. It was a simple broth with a single fried egg on top, slightly burnt around the edges. I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. I was the one who taught her how to make this, years ago. She was always clumsy, never quite getting the heat right. Back then, she’d work herself to the bone, always forgetting to eat. I was worried she wouldn’t be able to take care of herself when I was gone. So I spent a week patiently teaching her a few simple, quick meals. This noodle soup was one of them. Lynn placed the bowl on the coffee table with a thud. “Eat.” Annie was starving. She grabbed the chopsticks and began to devour the noodles, not even caring that they were hot. Lynn sat across from her, watching, her expression unreadable. After two large bowls, Annie wiped her mouth and gave Lynn a tentative, eager smile. “Thank you, ma’am.” “This is really yummy.” “It tastes like my daddy’s.” The hand swirling the whiskey glass stopped mid-air. For a second, I saw a flash of shock in Lynn’s eyes. But she quickly composed herself, a sarcastic smirk playing on her lips. “Hah. So, over there, he actually found the time to cook such common food himself?” Annie nodded earnestly, her eyes clear as crystal. “He does! Daddy makes the best noodles!” “Even though… even though we often didn’t have money for eggs.” “But Daddy would always give me the only egg we had, just like you did.” Lynn’s face darkened. She slammed her glass on the table, the dark red liquid sloshing violently. “That’s enough. He abandoned you. Why are you still remembering what he tastes like?” Just then, the lock on the front door clicked. 3 Leo walked in, briefcase in hand. The smile on his face froze when he saw Annie. “Lynn… who’s this?” Lynn didn’t even look up. “Ethan’s. He abandoned her and ran off.” Leo visibly relaxed, then looked at her with confusion. “This child… you don’t recognize her?” A knife twisted in my heart. It wasn’t that she didn’t recognize her. She had forgotten. Five years ago, she’d been in a car crash trying to protect Annie. When she woke up from her severe injuries, her mind, as a defense mechanism against the trauma, sealed away all memories of our daughter. Shock and pity flashed in Leo’s eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but all that came out was a sigh. He changed into his slippers and walked over to Annie, crouching down. “Hey there, little one. What’s your name?” Annie shrank back, a little wary. “My name is Annie.” “Annie…” Leo repeated the name, his eyes turning red. “That’s a beautiful name.” He reached out to pat her head. But Annie turned away. “Mister, I want my daddy.” Leo’s hand froze in mid-air. He awkwardly pulled it back and stood up, looking at Lynn’s back with a gentle voice. “Lynn, since the child is here, let’s just take care of her for now.” “After all… it’s not her fault.” Lynn snorted but said nothing. And so, Annie stayed. That evening, Annie timidly tugged on Lynn’s sleeve. “I miss Daddy. Can we play Statues?” Lynn was flipping through a case file, not even bothering to look up. “I don’t have time.” The light in my daughter’s eyes dimmed. She wrung her small hands. “It’s the game Daddy played with me the most… He would always make me be a statue in my room while he talked with guests outside for a long time.” She hugged her knees, her voice muffled and sad. “I know Daddy didn’t want them to know about me. He didn’t want a burden like me.” “He… he didn’t really like me. He didn’t want his friends to meet me.” “So I have to be extra good, to make him like me a little more.” As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks. I floated in the air, my heart shattering. I had always thought she was so obedient, so easy to care for. I never knew that beneath that quiet compliance lay so much fear and insecurity. I thought hiding her in her room was the best way to protect her. I never imagined it would become the darkest shadow of her childhood. I reached out, my hand passing through her face again and again. “Annie, Daddy loves you more than anything. Daddy didn’t mean it…” Leo couldn’t stand it anymore. He walked over and gently pulled her into his arms, comforting her softly. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Your daddy must have had his reasons.” Lynn looked at Leo, her gaze softening. “You’re still so soft-hearted. After everything Ethan did to you, you’re still willing to comfort his daughter.” Leo just held the child, looking up at Lynn with a complicated expression. After hearing the child’s cries, Lynn’s brow furrowed. She was silent for a long time before finally speaking to the child in Leo’s arms. “Your father… he’s not a good person.” “The people he associated with weren’t good people either.” “He probably kept you away from them to protect you.” Annie’s eyes instantly lit up. But just as quickly, she struggled out of Leo’s arms, stood before Lynn, and loudly retorted. “Daddy is a good person!” “Sometimes he would put black stuff on his face and wear weird clothes, but he never did anything bad!” “And sometimes he would cry late at night, looking at your picture!” Lynn was stunned. “My picture?” Annie pulled a small, crumpled piece of paper from a pocket sewn into her clothes. It was a clipping from a newspaper. It showed Lynn in her police uniform, receiving an award. The image was blurry, but Annie had preserved it carefully, sealing it with clear tape. “Daddy said Mommy is a superhero, that she catches bad guys.” “Daddy said that when he finished playing his last game, he would bring me to find Mommy.” Annie held up the small clipping as if it were an article of faith. “Ma’am, are you really my mommy?” “If you are, why do you say bad things about Daddy?” Lynn’s pupils contracted violently. Her hand trembled as she reached for the clipping. Just as her fingertips were about to touch it, she snatched her hand back. “Enough!” “Stop the act!” “To clean up his own name, Ethan even taught you this brainwashing routine?” “He really went to great lengths!” She strode to the door, grabbed her coat, and stormed out. The newspaper clipping fluttered from Annie’s hand to the floor. She stared blankly at the door, the light in her eyes fading, bit by bit. “Mommy… doesn’t want me either?” I knelt on the floor, my arms wrapping around the ghost of her small body. And I wept until my soul ached. 4 The next morning, before the sun was up, Lynn returned, bringing a chill with her. She had clearly been out all night, her eyes were bloodshot. “Get up. We’re leaving.” She roughly pulled the still-sleeping Annie from the bed. Leo, not yet dressed, heard the commotion and hurried out. “So early? The child hasn’t even had breakfast.” “She won’t starve.” Lynn dragged Annie towards the door. Annie didn’t even have time to put her shoes on properly; one heel was crushed under her foot. She didn’t dare cry, just clenched her small fists. My heart ached for her. I spun in a frantic circle, wanting to lunge at Lynn and push her away, but I passed through her solid form time and time again. “Lynn, what are you doing?! Let her put her shoes on right!” I screamed until I was hoarse, uselessly trying to fix Annie’s shoe, my hand passing through her tiny ankle. Seeing her stumble as she was dragged away felt like a knife twisting in my chest. On the road, Lynn drove like a maniac. Five hours later, the car screeched to a halt in front of an old, rundown apartment building. This was where I grew up. Where my father lived. To make him believe I had truly gone bad, I had stood in front of all our neighbors, called him a useless old man, and smashed everything in our home. My father had collapsed on the spot. When he woke up, he disowned me. All these years, he believed I was out there committing heinous crimes. Lynn hauled Annie up the stairs and banged on the door. After a long while, the door opened a crack, revealing my father’s old, weary face. He was stunned to see Lynn, but his expression quickly turned to ice. “If you’re here for that ungrateful son of mine, you’ve come to the wrong place.” “As far as I’m concerned, I never had that beast for a son.” Lynn pushed Annie forward. “This is his child.” “He ran off. The child is yours now.” My father looked down at the scrawny little girl in front of him. His eyes filled with immediate disgust. “I won’t accept the bastard child of that animal!” He started to slam the door shut. Lynn braced her hand against it. “Sir, you’re her grandfather. If you don’t take her, who will?” My father’s hand was shaking. After a moment’s hesitation, he looked closely at Annie’s face, a face so much like my own, and tears suddenly streamed down his cheeks. I remember my father as a man who could hold up the sky. After my mother died, he raised me alone, never shedding a tear no matter how hard life got. But now, looking at my child, he was sobbing like a helpless boy. I wanted so badly to rush over and hug him. But my hands could only pass through his shoulders, stooped from years of hard labor. Dad, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry… “What a sin…” “What a terrible sin!” “That damn kid… if he wanted to ruin his own life, fine, but to bring a child into the world to suffer with him!” His words were harsh, but he let go of the doorknob. “Come in.” “But I’m telling you now, I can’t guarantee I can provide for her. I don’t have much of a pension, and I have my own medical bills.” Lynn took a card from her wallet and threw it on the shoe cabinet. “There’s ten thousand dollars on here.” “It should cover her expenses for a few years.” With that, she turned to leave, as if staying a second longer would contaminate her. Just as she turned, a steady set of footsteps echoed from the stairwell. A middle-aged woman in a gray trench coat appeared at the top of the stairs. She was carrying a black briefcase, her expression solemn. The moment she saw Annie, her eyes reddened. She strode forward, knelt down, and touched Annie’s head with a trembling hand. “The resemblance… it’s uncanny.” “This must be Ethan’s child, isn’t she?” Lynn’s face was cold. “Director Evans, this child is a mess left behind by that fugitive, Ethan.” “I wouldn’t touch her, you might catch something.” Director Evans shot to her feet, her eyes suddenly sharp as daggers. “Lynn, you will be silent.” She snapped, cutting Lynn off. Then, she took an envelope and a deep red velvet box from her briefcase. She held them out to my father with both hands, her voice heavy with respect. “Sir, I am so sorry. I’m late.”

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I estimated my SAT score to be 1400, while Chloe, a fellow scholarship student, estimated hers at 1500. My boyfriend broke up with me on the spot, and I was promptly kicked out of the class group chat. Facing everyone’s mockery, my expression didn’t change a bit. Because in my past life, Chloe asked me for my estimated score, and I truthfully answered 1550+. I also revealed my true identity to her: I had been switched at birth with the richest girl in our class. She excitedly toasted me with a glass of wine. But when I woke up the next day, I found myself with Chloe’s face. News of the heiress of the Lin Group reuniting with her family popped up on my phone, and I watched helplessly as my own face appeared on the screen. I tried to leave, but the door was locked. Eventually, I was murdered, my body dumped in a stinking ditch on the outskirts of the city. In the end, it was the “fake heiress,” the spoiled and willful girl I had resented for so long, who sensed something was wrong and sought justice for me. Opening my eyes again, I was back at the graduation party right after the college entrance exams. 1 “Susan, tell us your score! Let us be amazed by our top student.” Chloe ran up to me, eyes shining, drawing the attention of our classmates. Someone sighed, “Susan really is a winner in life. Always top of the class, and dating the school hottie.” “Soon we won’t even be in the same world. Susan will be fighting off offers from Harvard and Stanford.” My boyfriend, Justin, couldn’t hide the smile on his face. He sat beside me, looking at me tenderly. Everyone seemed happy for me, especially Chloe, whose eyes were practically glued to me. We were similar in build, the two poorest scholarship students in our grade. I once considered her my sister, telling her everything without reservation. But I never expected that this so-called best friend was ready to swap faces and replace me tonight. “Susan, don’t hide it! Show us your estimated score. I’m ready to toast to your success.” Chloe couldn’t hold back any longer. She pried open my hand and grabbed the test paper I was holding down. But the next second, her expression froze. The multiple-choice questions were mostly wrong, and many of the long-answer questions were crossed out. Next to the science section, the score was a glaring 600 out of 1600. Chloe stumbled back two steps, looking at me in shock. “Did you fall asleep during the exam? How did you do so badly?” I lowered my eyes, pinching my thigh hard to force out tears. “I didn’t want to either, but I had gastroenteritis during the exams. I left half the math section blank…” “I just hope I can get into a community college. I estimate I’ll get around 900.” As soon as I finished speaking, Justin stood up abruptly, his face pale. “Susan, I think we should take a break.” “You know your family situation. Your dad is an alcoholic, your mom is bedridden. If you failed the SATs, what makes you worthy of me?!” He grabbed the paper from the table and smashed it onto my head, moving away from me as if I were something dirty. The sharp paper scratched my face. All I could see were looks of disdain from my classmates. “900? We’re both scholarship students, but Chloe estimated 1500!” “I thought I could rely on you in the future. Didn’t expect you to be such a failure. Just wait to rot in poverty with your loser parents!” The class president even kicked me out of the group chat right in front of me, claiming my existence lowered the class’s standard. I looked at these people calmly, my expression unwavering. I was just wondering: Chloe, where did you get the dark magic to swap faces? 2 “Susan, 900? Are you kidding me?” Chloe narrowed her eyes, her tone heavy. “You know the state scholarship alone is worth tens of thousands. With that money, your mom’s illness could be treated.” I showed a painful expression, scratching my hair hard. “I want that too! Maybe the answer key is wrong? Why did I do so poorly?” The class president and others sneered. “It shows God has eyes. We were tired of you showing off your grades. You were so smug every time the teacher praised you, right?” “Susan, why are you still standing there? Get out! You don’t think you’re still qualified to be at our party, do you?” Just as everyone was piling on the insults, a cold voice rang out from the door. “Wow, there really are people who look down on others like dogs.” The famous spoiled little princess, dressed in a black dress, strode in. Perhaps by coincidence, she stood in front of me. “I’m paying for this party. If I say Susan stays, she stays.” The girl lifted her beautiful chin slightly. I used to hate her arrogance, but right now, I wanted to hug her. In my past life, she was the only one who realized something was wrong and tried to gather evidence of my murder, only to be discovered by Chloe. Such a clean-freak girl ended up dying in the most humiliating way in a dark alley. Seeing Lily stand up for me, everyone fell silent and scattered. Only Chloe walked over, handing a glass of wine to Lily. “Lily, thank you for inviting us tonight. Graduation is coming up, I want to toast you.” I was shocked to realize this was the exact glass of wine I drank in my past life. Could the face-swapping be related to this wine, and Chloe had changed her target? Seeing Lily about to drink, I didn’t have time to think. I pretended to twist my ankle and bumped into Lily. The cold wine soaked the girl’s dress instantly. Her eyes widened, hand still holding the glass. “Susan, what are you doing?!” Justin rushed over and pushed me away. He took out a handkerchief, looking at Lily with concern. “Lily, are you okay? God, such a beautiful dress ruined. Susan is always so clumsy. You’re too kind, standing up for her just now.” “…Although Susan and I broke up, I still apologize for her.” Lily remained silent, her lips tight, as if thinking. I apologized repeatedly, glancing up at Chloe as if by accident. Sure enough, a flash of panic crossed her eyes. 3 “Don’t touch me with your dirty hands, get lost!” Lily’s temper exploded. She slapped Justin’s hand away and stormed off. I became the target again and had to leave voluntarily. After returning home, I received a message from Justin. [Susan, don’t take the grades too hard.] I raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t blocked me? What did he mean? The next second: [Tonight’s dinner cost $25 per person. Since we broke up, you shouldn’t take advantage of me, right?] I was speechless. I Venmoed him the money and blocked him immediately. That night, I locked my door tight, afraid to sleep. Terrified that if I closed my eyes, I would return to the nightmare of my past life. Fortunately, when dawn broke, I rushed to the mirror. My face was still mine. I almost cried with relief. I immediately took the evidence my adoptive parents gave me to find Lily and talk face-to-face. In the coffee shop, the girl looked at me thoughtfully and accepted the reality calmly. She murmured: “No wonder that dream felt so real. So you really are my parents’ biological daughter. Then, everything that happened later must be true too.” At this moment, I realized Lily, who also died tragically, had been reborn too. “Lily, I’m in the same situation. What you dreamed actually happened in the past life.” “Last night in the past life, Chloe swapped faces with me. She took my identity, went to the Lin family, and committed many atrocities.” I held her hand, looking at her seriously. “I hope we can form an alliance to face this together. Trust me, I genuinely want to cooperate with you.” Feeling the warmth in my palm, Lily held my hand back. “Susan, I’m sorry for occupying your place for so many years. From today on, I’ll cooperate with whatever you say.” “That damn Chloe, I really want to find someone to just end her!” 4 To avoid alerting the enemy, Lily and I agreed to pretend we knew nothing and investigate Chloe’s face-swapping technique first. When I returned home for dinner, my adoptive mother told me Chloe had visited. Specifically asking about my estimated score. My chopsticks shook. “Susan, it’s okay. You don’t have to hide your exam failure from us. We know.” My adoptive mother’s eyes reddened. “It’s all my fault for being selfish back then, switching you and Lily. When you return to the Lin family, you’ll have a great life.” My adoptive father, who loved to drink, also said seriously: “I can see that classmate of yours is full of schemes and doesn’t genuinely wish you well. Stay away from her.” “I’ve seen plenty of people like her. Don’t tell her about reuniting with your family; she’ll definitely try to ruin it.” I gratefully agreed. For this meal, my adoptive mother made my favorite braised ribs, lamb stew with eggplant, and a fragrant bone broth. To be fair, although my adoptive mother switched me back then, they really gave me the best they could over the years. I want to return to my original life path, but it’s hard for me to hold a grudge against them. After dinner, I went back to my room and checked my phone. My social media feed was flooded. Justin and Chloe had gone public. Justin even posted a long text subtly hinting that he was with me out of pity because I pestered him. Claiming he never really liked me. Now he found his true love and hoped to walk together with her. I knew Justin was realistic and selfish, but I didn’t expect him to stoop this low. I couldn’t help but comment: [? Didn’t we just break up yesterday?] Justin’s friends immediately jumped in to attack: [Come on, Susan, you still have the nerve to pester Justin? With your 900 SAT score, I feel embarrassed for you.] [Chloe and Justin both estimated 1500+. In the future, you’ll be screwing bolts in a factory while they work in offices. You’re not in the same world.] Justin liked this comment and replied to me: [Susan, we are already on parallel lines. I’ve done my best regarding the past. Please don’t disturb my happiness anymore.] Before we got together, his grades were terrible. I’ve been dragging him to study all these years. Even right before the SATs, I sacrificed my own review time to help him organize notes. I didn’t expect to get this result in the end.

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My sister was assaulted by the Mayor’s intellectually disabled son. Unable to bear the humiliation, she drowned herself in the river. To save face—and make a profit—my parents took the hush money and buried her in a rush. But on the seventh day after her death, her grave was dug up. Her body had been stolen by a neighboring family who had just lost their son, intended for a “Spirit Wedding.” My entire family charged over to snatch the body back. The family guarded the coffin, adorned with grotesque wedding symbols, refusing to let go. “I dug up this bride fair and square! She belongs to my son now!” My parents, eyes gleaming with greed, demanded fifty thousand dollars to let them keep my sister’s corpse. What they didn’t know was that the thing sleeping in that coffin… wasn’t my sister. 1 When my sister Sarah’s body was hauled up from the riverbank, the whole village of Blackwood Creek came to watch. Death wasn’t rare in these parts. What was rare was the state of her body. Sarah looked like she was eight months pregnant. Her belly was swollen tight against her wet clothes. It was unnatural. The town’s unlicensed medic, Old Doc, claimed it was pregnancy. He pointed to the dark line on her stomach. He said she must have been hiding it. But I saw the bruises. I saw the marks on her wrists and ankles, like she’d been chained. “If she drowned,” I asked, my voice trembling, “where did those bruises come from?” Old Doc insisted it was drowning. My mother slapped me across the face. “Your sister was a slut! She shamed this family hooking up with men! You want to be just like her?” I covered my stinging mouth, looking down, too scared to speak. The men in the crowd started their whispers, spitting their tobacco and their lies. “Must have been carrying a bastard. Killed herself out of shame.” “Yeah, look at her. Always was a tease.” “The Mayor’s boy is simple-minded; he wouldn’t know how to touch a woman like that.” I stood there, chest tight with rage. Just a week before she went missing, Sarah had her period. She ruined a pair of jeans. My whole family knew she couldn’t be pregnant. But my parents turned a blind eye. No one defended her. They covered my mouth. I knew why. They wanted to use Sarah’s death to extort money. Sure enough, Mom threw herself onto Sarah’s wet corpse, wailing. “My daughter was a pure girl! Who did this to her?! Who got her pregnant?!” Silence. The Mayor, afraid of a scandal, offered money to make it go away. My parents’ attitude flipped instantly. They happily pocketed the blood money, already planning how to use it to buy my little brother a new car or a wife of his own someday. Fearing complications, the Mayor ordered my parents to bury Sarah quickly in a shallow grave in the back woods. That’s when the Stranger passed through. He was a drifter, dressed in dark clothes, claiming to know the occult. He said Sarah didn’t die clean. A simple burial wouldn’t hold back her rage. He walked over, touched Sarah’s distended belly, and his face turned grim. “There is a Corpse Child inside. A malevolent spirit.” “Two lives in one body. You cannot simply bury her. She needs a Ritual of Bones.” My mom rolled her eyes. “What kind of nonsense is this? You trying to scam us?” The Stranger sighed. He took a string of black beads from his wrist and placed them on Sarah’s stomach. In a flash, the swelling collapsed. “Do not remove these beads for seven days,” he warned. “On the seventh day, you must exhume the coffin. Place part of her bones in a clay jar. The beads only suppress the resentment of the infant spirit.” “You must bury the fetal remains in your own yard.” “I will return in seven days.” Before leaving, the Stranger gave a final, chilling warning: If we didn’t follow his instructions, in seven days, Sarah and the thing inside her would return as a Skin-Walker and slaughter the entire village. 2 The seventh day arrived. It was gloomy and overcast. The Stranger returned as promised. My parents thought he was a con artist, but fear of a vengeful ghost kept them compliant. Before dawn, we hiked up the back mountain to dig up the grave. The woods were cold and damp. The trees looked like twisted human figures standing in the mist. It was dead silent. My brother, the golden child, walked leisurely behind my parents. I was the mule, carrying heavy bags of ritual paper money, mud splashing my clothes. The Stranger scattered paper money as we walked, chanting in a language I didn’t understand. Birds flew overhead, their cries sounding like a woman weeping. My brother, cowardly as always, hid in Mom’s arms. “Mom, when can we go home?” Mom stroked his forehead gently. “Soon, baby.” Then she glared at me. “Lily! Watch your brother!” He stuck his tongue out at me. If Sarah were here, she would have protected me. Just then, a voice whispered behind me. “Tired? Let big sis carry that for you.” It wasn’t Sarah’s normal voice. It sounded like it was squeezed through gritted teeth, raspy and hollow. I whipped around. Nothing but darkness. Fear made me walk faster. Ten yards from the grave, the Stranger stopped. He lit incense and candles, sticking them into the mud on both sides of the path. Ten candles in total. My mom put her hands together, muttering nervously, “Sarah, don’t blame mom and dad. Eat well, dress well, and move on. Protect your brother; he’s the only son of our family.” My dad grumbled, “Does this guy’s voodoo actually work?” Mom shushed him. After the ritual, we walked to the simple mound. Everyone’s eyes went wide. The grave had been dug up. Rain had washed the coffin halfway out. But the terrifying part was… the lid was open. Sarah’s body was gone. 3 My parents turned pale. “Where is she?! Where is Sarah?” “Did… did she walk away?” my brother whimpered. The Stranger looked grave. He peered into the empty coffin and pulled out a red cloth packet. “Your daughter was stolen for a Spirit Binding.” He opened the packet. Inside were five old coins and a lock of hair tied with red string. “A ghost marriage,” the Stranger said. “Someone wants her soul for their dead son.” Mom screamed, “Who the hell stole my daughter’s body?! That ungrateful girl, causing trouble even when she’s dead!” Dad asked around the village. Turns out, the Miller family in the next valley had lost their son recently. They sneaked up the mountain to steal Sarah for a posthumous wedding. The Stranger did a quick calculation on his fingers and turned white. “If we don’t perform the Bone Ritual before midnight, hell is going to break loose.” We rushed to the Miller house. They were in the middle of the ceremony. Two red coffins sat in the yard. A rooster and a hen were tied to a table. Suona horns blew a piercing, mournful tune. “Give me back my daughter!” My parents rushed in, stopping them from sealing the coffins. “What are you doing?! This is a wedding!” An old woman with messy gray hair threw herself at my mom. They wrestled on the ground. My mom, strong from years of farm work, pinned the woman down. “You’re bullying us! I dug her up myself! They’re married now! She belongs to our family, dead or alive!” Mom yanked the woman’s hair. “I spit on that! You want a daughter-in-law, you pay the dowry! This is theft! I don’t recognize this marriage!” Seeing my mom’s ferocity, the woman softened. “Fine! Name your price! How much to buy the corpse?” Hearing “price,” Mom stopped fighting and looked at Dad. “Fifty thousand. Not a penny less.” 4 I couldn’t believe it. Sarah couldn’t even find peace in death. The woman’s eyes bulged. “Fifty thousand?! I could get a living girl for that!” “Then go get one! Otherwise, we take the coffin!” They haggled over my sister like she was a side of beef. Eventually, they pulled the red cloth off the coffin to inspect the “goods.” I saw Sarah. She had been dead for days, yet her face was rosy and full. She wore a red dress and a flower in her hair. Cheap makeup couldn’t hide her beauty. The beads were gone from her stomach. Suddenly, I met a cold gaze. The corpse in the coffin turned its head. It opened its eyes. The sockets were empty of eyeballs, filled instead with writhing leeches. Her lips pulled back in a stiff, terrifying grin. “Dad! Sarah opened her eyes!” I screamed, hiding behind him. “Stop talking nonsense!” Dad shoved me away. Mom was still negotiating. To them, Sarah was just an object to squeeze value from. “Wait!” The woman grabbed Mom’s arm. “He was my only son. Let’s compromise.” “Thirty. Final offer.” “Fine! Fifteen now, fifteen tomorrow after the burial!” Mom took the cash, smiling greedily. “Deal.” The Stranger shook his head helplessly. “I guess I can only respect the fate of others. I cannot save those who wish to die.” “The Infant Corpse is born. The Skin-Walker awakes. Your village is doomed.”

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Tonight was my birthday, and tonight was the night I was going to give myself to Kevin. I had just slipped into a short skirt when I saw him, leaning against his Porsche just like he always did. He was flashing a lazy smile at the dorm mom. “Come on, just let me in,” he wheedled. “If my girlfriend sees me standing out here in the cold for too long, she’ll worry.” My heart did a little flip. I turned to my best friend, Sophie, and solemnly handed her a gift-wrapped box. “Sophie, thank you for putting up with all of Kevin’s antics while he was trying to win me over.” “You won’t have to anymore. I’m planning to…” The words “say yes” were still on my lips when I walked right into a solid, warm chest. Kevin glanced down at me, took a half-step back, and his expression turned cold and distant. “Excuse me. Can you tell Sophie I’m here?” “I’m picking her up for our date.” 1 Kevin was tall, and he looked down at me with the kind of indifference you’d reserve for a complete stranger. My mouth fell open, a question forming, but I was cut off by Sophie’s voice from behind me. “Chloe, your ID card!” She was holding the gift I’d just given her, her voice sweet and thoughtful. “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming back tonight? It’s easier to check into a hotel if you have your ID.” She tilted her head. “Oh, and Chloe, that skirt is so pretty on you! But it’s freezing today. Aren’t you worried you’ll catch a cold?” I could feel Kevin’s gaze burning into the top of my head. I didn’t dare to look up. Suddenly, the fabric of the skirt felt like it was lined with needles, and the cold air bit at my bare legs. “Alright,” Kevin drawled, leaning casually against the doorframe, an eyebrow arched in amusement. “You’re already an hour late for our first date.” He didn’t even spare me a glance. His eyes fell to the gift box in Sophie’s hands, and he froze. The relaxed look on his face hardened again. “What’s that?” Sophie smiled brightly. “A gift from Chloe. She said it was—” She turned to me, blinking her big, innocent eyes. “Why did you get me a gift again, Chloe? I was doing my makeup, so I wasn’t really listening.” A sour feeling churned in my stomach. I bit my lip to keep the tears from falling. In the few seconds I hesitated, trying to figure out what to say, Kevin reached out, took the box from Sophie’s hands, and tossed it into the trash can by the door with one fluid motion. He looked away, his arm snaking around Sophie’s waist as he chuckled softly. “Don’t clutter your space with junk like that.” “You’re my girlfriend now,” he murmured, his voice low. “You need to remember something—you deserve the best of everything in the world.” With that, Kevin leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Sophie’s cheek. He watched her blush, then used the opportunity to pull her tighter against him. I instinctively turned my head away, refusing to watch. I felt like a ghost, completely out of place but with nowhere to go. The strange, suffocating awkwardness was finally broken when Kevin said my name. “Chloe.” The two syllables rolled off his tongue, just as intimate and possessive as they always had before. In that instant, I remembered something Kevin had once said: “To get you, I’d use every trick in the book.” Could it be… was he just playing hard to get? Was this whole thing just an act for my benefit? The thought gave me a surge of hope, and I lifted my head to meet his eyes. “Chloe?” he repeated. Then, his face perfectly calm, he spoke each word with deliberate clarity. “We’re going camping tonight.” “So… don’t bother leaving the door unlocked for Sophie.” 2 Night fell, and the dorm room emptied out, leaving a profound silence in its wake. My other two roommates hadn’t returned from their holiday break yet. I grabbed my takeout delivery and bolted the door. I was in the middle of packing away the box of love letters Kevin had sent me when his name flashed across my phone screen. “Are you asleep?” His voice sounded distant, with the faint whistle of wind in the background. It was hoarse. “Sorry, I know you hate it when I call this late.” Hearing that familiar, gentle tone, my hand, which was gripping a beer bottle, froze. “Not yet,” I managed to say. He cleared his throat, forcing a casual tone. “I need a small favor.” “Sophie posted on her Instagram story a couple of hours ago… You never liked it, and she’s pretty upset. She’s been crying for a while now.” He took a deep breath, as if bracing himself, and his voice became pleading. “I know you don’t like me, but—for the sake of the two years I spent chasing you, could you just do this for me?” “Sophie says you’re her best friend. She really wants your blessing.” Silence stretched after his words. I could hear the ragged, nervous sound of his breathing, so different from the usual carefree Kevin I knew. I stared blankly at Sophie’s empty bed, completely bewildered. I’d never said yes to Kevin because I felt insecure. Our families were from different worlds… even though he always insisted that he liked me for me. I’d poured out all of those confused, bittersweet teenage feelings to Sophie more times than I could count. … “Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls who strings a guy along, but then can’t stand to see him happy with someone else?” Kevin’s voice turned cold when I didn’t answer. “Chloe, you can’t be that selfish.” Tears blurred my vision, dripping onto the thick stack of letters in my hands. They landed on Kevin’s strong, elegant handwriting, blurring the words “I really like you” into a black mist. Afraid he would hear me choking up, I spoke softly, slowly. “Okay. I’ll do it.” 3 After hanging up, I gathered the empty beer bottles from the floor and shoved them into a trash bag. Then I opened Instagram. The first thing I saw was Sophie’s latest post: a picture of the Porsche, its interior overflowing with roses, and Kevin holding up a mountain of luxury shopping bags. The caption read: Loving someone is like tending a garden. The one who loves you is always afraid they’re not giving you enough. Kevin looked as handsome and rebellious as ever in the photo. But the love in his eyes wasn’t for me anymore. The sight was like a knife in my gut. I quickly liked the post. Then, copying the other comments, I typed: Congrats! Wishing you the best. I shut my phone off. I stuck a single french fry into my leftover takeout, pretending it was a candle. My parents always said my birthday was the day my mother suffered most, so I’d never celebrated it. This was the first time I had ever wanted to open my heart to someone. The first time I had ever wanted to celebrate. I’d even used a month’s worth of part-time job savings to buy Sophie that gift. … Whatever. I closed my eyes and made a wish. Happy birthday, Chloe. 4 I put the pretty little skirt away in the back of my closet. And with it, a letter. A full page, written with all the care in the world. The one I never got the chance to give to Kevin. 5 To avoid Kevin, I started keeping my distance from Sophie. I became a loner again, the “weird girl” in everyone’s eyes. It felt like I had gone back in time two years. The only difference was that while I had cut off contact with Kevin, his best friend still seemed to enjoy provoking me. Every time we ran into each other, he’d scowl, shove some snack into my arms without a word, and then storm off before I could refuse. I’d grit my teeth, accept the expensive treats, and then work extra shifts to save up enough to buy him a men’s gift of equivalent value in return. After Kevin and Sophie made their relationship official, it got even worse. His friend, Silas, directly gave me a designer down jacket. I saw the price tag and nearly fainted. I was about to return it when I discovered the vindictive man had my name custom-embroidered on the inside of the cuff. I had no choice. I forced a tight smile and said, “Wow, thanks so much.” Then I immediately went to find a second part-time job. That night, just as I was about to finish my shift at the restaurant, the door swung open. “Hello, sorry, we’re about to close.” “But Kevin, I’m really craving this place,” Sophie’s whining voice drifted in. “What should we do?” I kept my head down, pulling the brim of my cap lower, praying they would just leave. But fate had other plans. Kevin just ran a hand through her hair affectionately and murmured, “Alright.” A moment later, after the flash of his fingers on his phone, my manager called to say that I and the kitchen staff would have to stay late. I took a deep breath, pasted on a fake, professional smile, and walked over to their table. “Hi, are you ready to order?” 6 I saw Kevin’s body go visibly rigid. He didn’t look up for a long moment. It was Sophie who broke the silence, grabbing my arm excitedly. “Chloe! You work here! What a coincidence, you should eat with us.” She looked completely harmless and adorable, linking her arm through mine without asking. “Kevin’s paying, so order whatever you want! You…” “That’s not appropriate,” I interrupted softly, pulling my arm free. “Everyone else has gone home for the night. Just tell me what you’d like, and I’ll put the order in with the kitchen.” “But the food might take a little longer than usual…” “Do you have to be like this?” Kevin’s face was dark, and the veins on his forearm stood out below his rolled-up sleeve. His voice was cold. “You and Sophie are supposed to be best friends. Do you have to be so cold and passive-aggressive?” “She treats you like a sister—is your heart made of stone?” I had no idea where his anger was coming from, and I didn’t want to think about it. I turned away to pour them water, then methodically set their table with silverware. By the time I was done, the tense atmosphere had thankfully dissipated. I breathed a sigh of relief. But as I was serving their food, Kevin suddenly noticed a fresh burn on the soft skin between my thumb and forefinger. He stared at it for a second, then his gaze snapped up to mine, his eyes dark and unreadable. I pretended not to see and quickly walked away. Throughout their meal, Sophie seemed to find the situation amusing, constantly calling for me in a cheerful voice. “Chloe, can you cut this for me?” “Chloe, could you get me a soda?” “Chloe, it’s a little chilly. Can you adjust the thermostat?” I served them diligently. Until she called out again, “Chloe, I saw a pharmacy nearby. Since you’re not busy right now, could you run and get me a morning-after pill?” I froze. I was about to say “okay.” But Kevin shot to his feet, his face a blank mask. “I’m done eating.” “Let’s go.” After watching them leave, I collected the fifty-dollar tip the manager gave me for staying late and started clearing the table. For some reason, the smell of chili in the air was overwhelming. My nose stung, and my eyes started to water. 7 There wasn’t much time for self-pity, though. To pay back the favor, I bought Kevin’s friend, Silas, a matching down jacket. When I dropped it off at his classroom, I thought to myself with grim determination: This is the last time. In a few months, we’ll graduate and go our separate ways. I’ll never have to see him again, and his ridiculous provocations will finally end.

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On our wedding night, Liam, who never touched a drop of alcohol, got completely wasted out of sheer happiness. Or so I thought. Just as I was wondering what to do, my best friend sent me a wall of text on how to handle it. My cheeks burned with a slight blush, but I followed her instructions, carefully soothing him. Miraculously, Liam, who had been a restless mess, quieted down. But as I reached for my phone to thank her, a pair of arms wrapped around me from behind. Liam buried his face in my neck, his voice ragged with something that sounded like heartbreak. “Robin,” he murmured, his breath hot against my skin. “It was always you I wanted to marry.” As he spoke, his shirt shifted, revealing a tattoo just over his heart. It was a small, exquisitely detailed bird, a robin, so lifelike it seemed ready to take flight. A roar filled my ears. Robin. My best friend of twenty years. And just like that, I understood. Liam wasn’t drunk with joy. He was drunk with the misery of marrying the wrong woman. 1 My mind went blank for a long time before the world slowly seeped back in. My phone buzzed against the silk sheets. I picked it up with a trembling hand. It was Robin. “Nina, don’t let him lie flat on his back when he’s this drunk. He could choke if he gets sick. You need to prop his head up…” The message went on, a five-hundred-word essay on care and concern, but the words swam before my eyes. I couldn’t read a single one. Robin was always like this, so thoughtful, so caring. When Liam had stomach problems, she’d be the one to show up with a thermos of homemade soup. When his car broke down on the highway, she was the first to arrange for a tow. Even when Liam and I had issues in the bedroom, she would just smile gently and whisper advice in my ear, sharing her worldly wisdom. She always wore this serene expression, a patient, all-encompassing smile gracing her lips. I used to thank my lucky stars for giving me such a wonderful sister. But now, a violent shiver racked my body. A hot, shameful wave of humiliation washed over me. I’d been played for a fool. When I didn’t reply, my phone started ringing, the sound echoing in the silent room, again and again. I’d never noticed it before, but that was her way. If Robin didn’t get what she wanted, she would push, relentlessly, almost defiantly, until she did. This time, though, I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. A few seconds after I silenced the call, Liam’s phone lit up the darkness. The custom ringtone seemed to have a magical effect. Liam, who had been dead to the world moments before, stirred and answered instinctively. He glanced at me, his eyes glassy, before turning off the speakerphone. I couldn’t hear what Robin said, but the tense lines around his eyes softened instantly. A low chuckle escaped his lips, and soon they were lost in conversation. One of them, oblivious to his new bride sitting right beside him. The other, seemingly forgetting it was her best friend’s wedding night. The clock on the wall struck midnight before Liam finally ended the call, the ghost of a smile still lingering on his lips. When his eyes finally found me, it felt like an afterthought, a courtesy. His gaze rested on my face for a few long seconds. For a moment, I thought he might ask why my makeup was streaked, why my eyes were red and swollen. But his next words shattered my last shred of pride. “Why didn’t you answer her? She was worried about you, you know?” I heard something inside me crack, a quiet, splintering sound. “What?” My voice was barely a whisper. A flicker of annoyance crossed his face, a stark contrast to the gentle man who had just been on the phone. “Robin was worried sick. You were just sitting here. Why wouldn’t you text her back? Do you get some kind of sick pleasure out of messing with people?” He was so considerate, so protective of Robin’s feelings, while mine were completely invisible to him. I just stared, seeing the same handsome face I’d loved for years, but feeling like I was looking at a complete stranger. Maybe it was the stunned look on my face, or maybe a sliver of sobriety cut through the alcoholic haze. Liam scrubbed a hand over his face, a wave of remorse washing over him. He moved closer and pulled me into an awkward hug. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled into my hair. “I drank way too much tonight.” I fought back the tears stinging my eyes and gently pushed him away. I pointed a shaky finger at his chest. “Why is there a bird tattooed on you?” Liam went silent, his eyes clouding over as if lost in a memory. In that suffocating quiet, there was nothing left to misunderstand. I calmly wiped away the smudged mascara from under my eyes and stood up to leave the room. He caught my arm, pulling me back into his embrace. His voice was heavy with exhaustion. “Nothing ever happened between us, I swear. It was all one-sided, on my part. I don’t even like her anymore, not like that. As for the tattoo… I’d forgotten all about it. If you don’t like it, I’ll have it removed tomorrow, okay?” My body trembled as a thousand thoughts warred in my mind. My phone vibrated again. A text from my mother, checking in. She wasn’t well, but she was always thinking of me. Finally, in the suffocating silence of our new home, I gave a slow, deliberate nod. 2 When we went to bed, Liam still tried to hold me close, but I found myself inching away from him, creating as much distance as the mattress would allow. Just as I was drifting off, the phone on my nightstand vibrated, a single, sharp buzz in the dark. I had a feeling I knew who it was. I was right. A message from Robin. “Nina, Liam didn’t yell at you, did he? If he bullies you, you tell me. I’ll come over and punch him for you.” If she truly cared about me, she wouldn’t have spent an hour on the phone with my husband on my wedding night. I stared at the message for a long moment before a competitive, bitter spark ignited within me. I snapped a photo of Liam, fast asleep, his head resting on the pillow beside me, looking for all the world like a devoted husband. I sent it to her. “Nope, he was great! Thanks for checking in, though. We’re both exhausted, about to pass out. Big day tomorrow, after all. We’re going to get that tattoo removed.” For the first time all night, Robin, who usually replied in seconds, went silent. In the dead of night, after hours of suffocating pain, I finally felt a small, triumphant breath of relief. I met Robin when we were nine. Her life was hard. Her father had abandoned her and her mother, leaving them to fend for themselves. Money was always tight, and she never had the things other kids had. But she was so full of life. When I threw a tantrum because my sandcastle collapsed, she quietly came over and built me a new one, bigger and more beautiful than I could have imagined. That’s how we became friends. I saw how skinny she was and started sneaking her milk and snacks from our kitchen. Robin would always accept them with wide, shining eyes and a whispered, “Thank you.” Over time, it became a habit. She got used to my food, my clothes… and eventually, my man. In the long, dark night, memories sliced through me like a thousand tiny cuts. I stared at the ceiling, my eyes wide open as silent tears tracked paths down my temples into my hair. The next morning, Liam and I went to the tattoo parlor. He was back to his usual self, buying me coffee on the way, handing me his tablet so I could watch my shows while I waited. “This won’t take long,” he said, kissing my forehead. “Watch an episode and then we’ll go get some lunch.” He smiled and disappeared into the back room. I watched him go, a small bit of tension leaving my shoulders. But the relief was short-lived. A moment later, Liam burst out of the room, his face pale with panic. My heart skipped a beat. I jumped up and stood in his way. “What’s wrong?” “Robin was in a car accident.” My mind went blank. Instinct told me this was no coincidence. “I’ll go,” I said, blocking his path. “You stay and get the tat—” He cut me off before I could finish. “What do you mean, you’ll go? We’re both going. Now.” The old me would have been just as panicked as he was. But the new me didn’t move a muscle. I stared him straight in the eye, my voice dangerously steady. “She’s my best friend. Isn’t it enough that I’m going?” Time seemed to freeze. When Liam looked at me, his eyes were filled with an unmistakable disgust. “Are you even human? All this over a stupid tattoo? You want it gone so bad? Fine!” He stalked over to a counter, snatched a utility knife, and held it to his chest. “I’ll cut the whole damn piece of flesh off! Happy now?” “Go to her,” I said softly, just as the blade was inches from his skin. He froze for a second, then dropped the knife with a clatter and stormed out without another word. As I turned to leave, the tattoo artist looked at me with an awkward, pitying expression. I just gave her a polite nod and walked out. A few minutes later, the sky opened up. A sudden flash of lightning was followed by a torrential downpour. I had no umbrella and was soaked to the bone in seconds, forced to hail a cab. When I got home, I was sneezing, and a wave of nausea rolled in my stomach. Before I could even change out of my wet clothes, my phone buzzed with a series of notifications. It was Robin. She’d sent a picture of Liam asleep in a hospital chair next to a bed. The caption read: “Poor guy. He ran around doing everything for me. He’s totally exhausted.” Followed by another message: “Oh, by the way, I guess he didn’t have time to get that tattoo removed, huh?” In that moment, I couldn’t even describe what I was feeling. My reflection in the dark screen was a mask of cold indifference. In the game of our relationships, I had been made the fool. So what? At least now, I was free. I drew a hot bath and was soaking in the tub, drifting in and out of a daze, when a shrill ringtone cut through the quiet. I jolted awake, fumbling for the phone. It was Robin. 3 I answered, but before I could speak, I heard it. The unmistakable sounds of two people in bed. Then Robin’s voice, usually so gentle, now laced with a theatrical, breathy sob. “Liam… we can’t. This is so wrong… What about Nina?” “Just this once,” Liam’s voice pleaded, thick with desire. “She’ll never know. Please, Robin, I’m begging you.” My heart didn’t even flutter. The parrot we’d had for two years had suddenly learned to talk, and would often squawk, “Love my Birdie! Love my Birdie!” I’d always found it strange. Liam was a reserved man; he never said things like that to me. I thought the parrot had picked it up from the TV. Now I knew the truth. It was never my birdie. It was his. They had been together for far longer than I could have ever imagined. Through the phone, I could hear Robin’s broken moans, a mix of pleasure and feigned pain. I felt nothing. I calmly recorded a snippet of the call, hung up, and started looking up divorce lawyers. Later that night, hunger gnawed at me. I found half a sausage in the fridge. But after two bites, a violent wave of nausea surged up my throat. I barely made it to the toilet before I was retching uncontrollably. When I finally stood up, my legs shaking, an alarm bell went off in my head. With trembling hands, I took a pregnancy test. When the two pink lines appeared, the last of my defenses crumbled. I lay in bed in a stupor, finally falling asleep as the first hints of dawn colored the sky. When I woke up, Liam was home. He was moving quietly through the living room, tidying the mess I’d made, pulling a blanket over me where I’d fallen asleep on the sofa. Now he was in the kitchen, making breakfast. For years, this was how he’d taken care of me. We were childhood sweethearts, our families were close. Our love story wasn’t a whirlwind romance, but it had been steady, comfortable, and deep. Or so I had believed. I had no idea when he and Robin had started. Was it when I introduced them at my eighteenth birthday party? Or had it been even earlier? The only thing I knew for sure was that they had both conspired to keep me in the dark. As if sensing my gaze, Liam spoke without turning around. “You have everything, Nina. Robin’s had such a hard life. She always gives way to you. Why do you have to make things so difficult for her?” I froze, a glass of water halfway to my lips. The accusation in his voice was so heavy, painting me as some kind of villain who couldn’t stand to see anyone else happy. I said nothing. I just went to our bedroom and started quietly packing a bag. This house was paid for by both our parents; it would be split down the middle. My jewelry, the wedding gifts, I was taking all of it. And I had no intention of returning the money his family had contributed. I’d consider it compensation for his infidelity. As I mentally calculated my assets, Liam placed a plate of food in front of me. He started making coffee, chattering on as if nothing was wrong. “Nina, we’re not kids anymore. We were planning on trying for a baby this year. You need to be more mature.” At the mention of a baby, my eyes dropped to my stomach. I opened my mouth to tell him, but the doorbell rang. Liam and I exchanged a look. He paused, then said slowly, “Did you forget? It’s your birthday. Robin made a cake to celebrate.” He hurried to the door and opened it. Robin stood there, a sweet smile on her face. Her arm was scraped from yesterday’s “accident,” but she was clearly fine. Her eyes found me, and her voice was as soft as ever. “Happy birthday, Nina.” I didn’t understand how she could be so shameless, showing up here to torment me when she knew full well how I felt. But it was my birthday. Why should I have to accommodate her? It wasn’t fair. “I’m not happy,” I said, my voice flat and cold, “when you’re here.” Instantly, Robin’s eyes welled with tears. She looked down at her feet, the very picture of wounded innocence. Liam whirled on me, his voice sharp. “That’s enough. Stop making a scene.” For the past two years, whenever Robin was involved, that seemed to be his favorite phrase: Stop making a scene. I bit down hard on the tip of my tongue and let out a small, humorless laugh. It all felt so pointless. I turned and sat back down at the table. As Robin passed me, she shot me a tiny, triumphant smirk. It was fleeting, but it was there, mocking my powerlessness. Liam gave me a warning look, but when he cut the cake, he made a point of giving me the largest slice, just like he used to do when I was mad at him as a kid, trying to win me over with treats. I mechanically took a few bites before an intense itch started to crawl across my skin. My fork clattered onto the plate with a sharp crack. I looked straight at Robin. “Did you put chestnut flour in this?” Panic flickered in her eyes, the clumsy performance of a bad actress. “What’s wrong?” I’m deathly allergic to chestnuts. Robin knew that. Suddenly, all the little details I’d dismissed over the years flooded my mind. The dress strap that mysteriously broke at a party. The final exam paper she’d “accidentally” spilled ink on. The time she’d burned a chunk of my hair while “helping” me curl it. Every single incident had been a public humiliation. How could someone so meticulous be so clumsy at the most crucial moments? There was only one explanation. She wanted me to suffer. My mind flashed to the baby. A roar filled my ears. I pointed a shaking finger at the door. “Get out of my house.” Liam scraped his chair back from the table and stood up, his face a thunderous mask as he moved to stand in front of Robin. “This is my house too. You don’t have the right to kick anyone out!” My throat was starting to close up. My heart began to pound erratically in my chest. But Liam was still yelling, his words a meaningless drone. He saw the tears glistening in Robin’s eyes, but he couldn’t see me, right in front of him, starting to suffocate. I stumbled toward the medicine cabinet, desperately searching for my EpiPen. Liam grabbed my arm, yanking me back. The cabinet door flew open, and bottles of pills scattered across the floor. He held me fast, his eyes burning with condemnation. “Nina, apologize to her right now! You have gone too far!” My fingers scrabbled uselessly on the floor, trying to reach the life-saving injection. My face was turning a dusky red. Through his look of growing alarm, I summoned every last bit of strength I had and slapped him hard across the face. My voice was a strangled rasp. “I’m pregnant. And your little friend just tried to kill me.”

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One hundred days before the SATs, my mom stayed up late with me every night, helping me study. But on the day of the test, she blocked my bedroom door like a madwoman, refusing to let me leave. My dad, who usually ignored both of us, shoved her aside and yelled at me to get going. I froze, confused, as they started screaming at each other. “Listen to me, honey!” Mom cried, her eyes wide. “I’ve come back from the future! The highway to the test center is going to collapse! If you go, you’ll die!” “Don’t listen to her!” Dad shouted back. “She’s lying! She just doesn’t want you to outshine her secret bastard child!” Mom’s face turned crimson. She pointed a shaking finger at him. “You bastard! You know that road is dangerous! You’re trying to kill our daughter!” Dad sneered. “Stop twisting the truth! In our last life, you stopped her from taking the test, and she died miserable and full of regret!” I didn’t try to mediate like I usually would. Instead, I let out a cold laugh, walked back into my room, and slammed the door shut. Neither of them knew the truth. I had come back from the future, too. And in this life, no one was going to trick me again. I was reborn. It hit me the moment I opened the door and heard my parents reciting the exact same lies from my past life. I leaned against my bedroom door, my chest heaving, my heart pounding against my ribs. Outside, I heard my mother’s triumphant laugh. “See? She listened to me.” My dad stayed silent, but I knew I couldn’t stay here. I grabbed a few essentials, shoved them into my backpack, and yanked the door open again. My mom’s smug smile froze. “Where are you going with that bag?” I ignored her and looked straight at my dad. “Are you done arguing? If you don’t drive me to the bus station now, I’ll miss it.” Dad paused, the cigarette between his fingers trembling. He tossed it aside and hurried over, shooting a gloating look at Mom as he passed her. I pretended not to see it and followed him out. Mom grabbed my arm, her voice low and threatening. “Honey, think about this. If you go with him, you might lose your life.” I looked at her, my expression flat, and shook off her hand. “I’ve studied for nine years for this day. Even if knives rain from the sky, I’m going.” Mom opened her mouth but didn’t try to stop me again. As I walked out the door, I heard her sigh. “What a pity.” Dad was in high spirits, pedaling his bike furiously as he took me to the station. When we arrived, he gave me a rare piece of advice. “Seven, do well. Don’t disappoint me and your mother, okay?” I suppressed a sneer, nodded, and boarded the bus. The driver was counting heads. I didn’t need to count. Nineteen passengers. All girls. In our town, boys and girls took their exams in different locations. I didn’t know if other places did this, but Mom said it had always been this way here. I stared out the window as the bus started moving. When we approached the stretch of highway Mom had warned about, I stood up and rushed to the driver. “Sir, can we take a detour? My mom says this road is going to collapse today.” The driver blinked, then frowned. “Nonsense. We’ve driven this road for decades. It’s never collapsed.” I bit my lip, my fists clenching nervously. “But my mom was so sure…” He cut me off impatiently. “So sure? Is your mom psychic or something?” “She… she says she’s from the future.” My words were met with a wave of laughter from the bus. Only the driver didn’t laugh. “Kid, who are your parents?” I hesitated, then answered truthfully. “My dad is John Miller. My mom is Willow Miller.” The driver let out a strange hmph and glanced at me sideways. “Alright, go sit down. I guarantee you won’t die today. Relax.” The bus was already on the highway. I had no choice but to return to my seat. Despite the driver’s confidence, the atmosphere grew tense. Everyone stared ahead, watching the loose gravel sliding down the mountainside in the distance. Chapter 2 The driver slowed down, inching toward the middle of the pass. Suddenly—CRASH! A massive boulder slammed onto the road from the cliff above. The driver slammed the brakes. The bus screeched to a halt, the bumper just inches from the rock. He wiped sweat from his forehead, glanced back at me, and got out to clear the road. The rock was moved quickly, but when he got back in, the silence in the bus was deafening. But we had made it. The collapse didn’t happen. I sat back, pretending to check my bag. After rummaging for a while, I looked up in panic. I had “forgotten” my pencils. I walked up to the front again, hugging my backpack. “Sir, I forgot my pencils. Can we stop at the next town so I can buy some?” He glared at me. “Why are you so much trouble? Everyone else is prepared, but you’re a mess.” seeing my eyes well up with tears, his tone softened. “Fine, fine. I’ll take you to the store when we get to town. Make sure you get everything this time, got it? I’m not stopping again.” “Okay.” I whispered my thanks and went back to my seat. The bus stopped in front of a small convenience store. The driver led me inside. While I was picking out pencils, the class president, Chase, walked in. He looked surprised to see me. “Seven? What are you doing here?” An idea sparked. I shoved the two dollars I was holding back into my pocket and approached him shyly. “I forgot my pencils. Um, Chase, could I borrow some money?” Chase was the rich kid of our class. Good grades, well-behaved, spoiled by his family. His allowance was legendary. His ears turned red as he dug into his bag. He pulled out a crisp hundred-dollar bill and handed it to me. “Is this enough?” Before I could answer, someone yelled his name from the door, telling him to hurry up. Chase blushed even harder, shoved the bill into my hand, and ran out. “I—I gotta go! Seven, see you at college!” I looked at the hundred-dollar bill in my hand and felt a pang of mockery. College? Would I even get the chance? When I put the pencils on the counter, I looked up at the driver. “Sir, can I buy a case of soda?” The driver and the shop owner paused their conversation and stared at me. “What do you need all that soda for?” “It’s so hot, and everyone had to wait for me. I want to treat the class.” The driver raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak. The shop owner leaned in. “You got money for that?” “I do.” I held up the hundred-dollar bill, smiling innocently. “My mom gave it to me before I left. Just in case.” The driver and the owner exchanged a silent look. The owner took the money and pointed to the corner. “Water’s over there. Grab it yourself.” I shook my head. “Sir, can I have a cardboard box? I want to buy the cold ones from the fridge.” The owner tossed me an empty box. I thanked him and ran to the fridge, filling the box with an assortment of drinks. As I packed them, I overheard their hushed conversation. “Think the girl is just being nice, or…” The driver lit a cigarette and chuckled. “Who knows? Every year someone tries to pull a fast one. In the end, it’s always a waste of brainpower.” They laughed. My hand paused for a second before I tossed the last two sodas into the box. Chapter 3 Back on the bus, I handed an ice-cold soda to the driver. “Sir, thanks for stopping for me. And for driving us.” He glanced at me, ignored the drink in my hand, and reached into the box to grab a different one. I smiled awkwardly and passed the rest of the drinks out to the girls. The ride was smooth until we neared the testing center. Suddenly, the driver’s face went pale. He slammed on the brakes. A girl in the front row asked worriedly, “Sir, are you okay?” He gritted his teeth, unable to speak for a moment. “I’m fine.” He hit the gas again, but two minutes later, he pulled over sharply. Clutching his stomach, he unbuckled his seatbelt. “Stay on the bus. I need to… go.” He jumped out and ran into the woods. I glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard. 8:20 AM. He got back on the bus. Perfect timing. We entered the city limits and turned onto Cloud Road. The traffic lights flashed. The driver kept a steady pace. I gripped the seatback in front of me, my eyes glued to the seconds ticking by on the clock. … Here it comes! A red sports car screamed out of a side street, T-boning the bus. Tires screeched. Glass shattered. Even though I was braced for it, the impact threw me hard against the seat. My head rang. I gasped for air, waiting for the world to stop spinning. When the noise settled, I stood up and walked to the front. The driver was slumped over the steering wheel, blood dripping from his forehead. I shook his arm. No response. I quickly slid his phone out of his pocket. The girl next to me, Lily, clutched her arm, looking at me in terror. “Seven, is he dead? What do we do?” I sneered. “Better off dead.” The chaotic whimpering in the bus stopped instantly. They all stared at me, eyes wide with shock. I ignored them. I pushed past Lily, opened the window, and climbed out. The crowd gathering to help didn’t question it; they helped me down and set me aside. “Kids! Jump out! We’ll catch you!” they yelled to the others. I backed away from the crowd, typing a message on the stolen phone as I walked quickly toward the edge of the scene. I heard sirens. I knew if I waited for the police, they would take me to the testing center. I looked back one last time at the faces in the window, threw the phone into a sewer grate, and ran. I had limited time. I had to leave this town before anyone realized what was happening. I hailed a cab with the change from Chase’s money. The driver eyed my clothes and smiled. “Heading to the SATs, kid? I’ll get you there.” My hand froze on the door handle. I looked at him, then bolted. He chased me for a few steps, yelling, before realizing he left his car running and turned back. “Damn it,” I cursed under my breath, diving into an alleyway. Hiding behind a dumpster, pretending to be a beggar, I overheard passersby talking. “Did you hear? A student went missing on the way to the exam. Police, fire department, volunteers—everyone’s looking for her. Huge search.” “Missing? Kidnapped? These traffickers are getting bold.” Chapter 4 The town was being swept. I kept moving, narrowly avoiding detection several times. I knew I couldn’t stay in the city. I headed for the mountains. Shadow Creek was surrounded by eighteen villages and endless, dense forests. They reacted fast. Within three hours of me entering the woods, I saw flashlights. Looking down at the snaking line of lights, I pulled a small penlight from my bag and carefully made my way back down. While they searched the mountain, I slipped back into town. Garbage cans are gross, but I needed food to survive. Just as I pulled a half-eaten bagel from a bin, a familiar voice froze my blood. “Seven?” I turned slowly. Lily stood there, eyes wide with shock. I grabbed her and dragged her into the shadows. She had hurt her leg; she was limping badly. Once we were safe, I let go. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be taking the test?” The timid Lily I knew seemed different. She wasn’t crying. She bit her lip, looking at me with a mix of fear and accusation. “What about you, Seven? Why did you run?” I didn’t answer. She grabbed my arm, her grip surprisingly strong. “Do you know they arrested your parents and mine?” “They said… they said it’s all because of you. You stole the driver’s phone. You took his things…” “I didn’t.” I pushed her hand away. “Lily, they are lying to you.” She stared at me, tears welling up. I sighed. I couldn’t send her back now. “Lily, do you trust me?” We grew up together. She relied on me. We had no secrets. But now, I hesitated. Should I tell her the truth? I stared into her eyes. The silence stretched until sweat trickled down my back. Finally, she nodded. I exhaled, gripping her hands. “The people we call Mom and Dad… they aren’t our real parents.” “And this test? It’s not the SATs. It’s a trap. A cage built just for us.” “Lily, I’m going to take you away. We’re going to escape.” Lily’s face went pale in the moonlight. “Seven, what are you saying? Are you sick? My parents…” “Lily, trust me.” I cut her off, my eyes burning with intensity. My conviction reached her. She quieted down, then nodded slowly. We sat in silence against the wall. My stomach growled. I reached for the bagel, but Lily knocked it out of my hand. “That’s dirty, Seven.” “I have money. I’ll go buy food. Wait here.” I tried to grab her, to tell her no, but she was already running. I watched her enter the convenience store across the street, helpless. Simple, sweet Lily. When she gets back, we have to move immediately. Minutes later, she ran back with a bag of bread and two cheap bottles of water. She handed me the bread, twisting the cap off a water bottle. “Seven, where do we go next?” My throat was parched. I grabbed the water and gulped it down. “We hide for two days. They’re coming.” “Who?” I started to answer, but the world spun. I looked at the water bottle, then up at Lily in disbelief. She stepped back, biting her lip. “I’m sorry, Seven. I have to save my parents.” I collapsed. Through fading vision, I saw shadows running toward us. I smiled bitterly. Lily, do you know how horribly you died in the last life?

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I bought $1 million worth of gold jewelry for my wedding from a well-known downtown jeweler. As the wedding approached, my order still hadn’t arrived. When I went to collect it, the saleswoman—Lily—told me the price of gold had risen and I had to pay the difference. “Gold is up 98pergram.Foryour1,314grams,that’s128,772. Let’s call it $130,000,” she said, showing me her calculator. I was stunned. “I paid in full two weeks ago. You offered delivery, that’s why I left it here. This is extortion.” Lily looked at me dismissively. “We’ve been in business ten years. We only sell real gold. Keep accusing us and I’ll sue you for slander.” Her words reminded me: their store’s ten-year lease had just expired. I called their boss. “Starting this year, rent is up 50%. Pay it or leave.” “Why?” he asked. “Thank your wonderful employee,” I replied, and hung up. .. I dangled my phone in front of Lily. “If I don’t walk out of here with my gold today, this store will be closing its doors very soon.” Lily, however, remained unfazed. “Don’t try to intimidate me. I wasn’t born yesterday,” she scoffed. “You’re not getting a single piece of that gold until you pay up. Not one cent less than a hundred and thirty thousand.” I was done arguing. Some people only learn a lesson when it hits them square in the face. “Fine,” I said. “I don’t want the gold anymore. Give me a refund.” There were plenty of other jewelers in the city. I had only chosen this one because the owner was a tenant of my family’s. Now, I’d rather give my business to a complete stranger than let this woman extort a single penny from me. Lily’s expression didn’t waver. In fact, a smirk played on her lips. “All sales are final. That’s the industry standard. However, given the nature of gold, we can buy it back from you at the scrap gold price.” She tapped away at her calculator again. “The current market price is nine hundred and forty-six dollars per gram. Our buyback price includes a hundred-dollar-per-gram depreciation fee. So, for 1,314 grams, that comes to one million, one hundred and eleven thousand, six hundred and forty-four dollars. Let’s just call it one point one one million.” I laughed, a harsh, incredulous sound. “I paid over one point three five million for this jewelry. Now you’re telling me I have to pay an extra hundred and thirty thousand to pick it up, or lose a quarter of a million on a refund? You run a fine business here.” “We’re here to make a profit, not run a charity,” Lily said, her confidence unwavering. “So, Miss Vance, will you be taking the gold or the refund?” She was so certain I would just swallow this bitter pill. But I’ve always been one to stand my ground. If she wanted a fight, she would get one. I walked out of the jewelry store and into the department store next door. For ten dollars, I bought a megaphone. Then I stood right outside her shop and started shouting. “This jewelry store, Gold & Co., is ripping off its customers! Two weeks ago, I bought over a million dollars’ worth of gold from them, and now they won’t let me have it! Everyone, be warned! Don’t get scammed by this place!” My public announcement quickly drew a crowd. “Is that for real? A big store like this would pull such a stunt?” “The bigger the store, the shadier the business. Gold prices are skyrocketing right now. That’s a lot of money to be made.” “Good to know. I’ll be sure to avoid this place from now on.” Customers inside the store, fearing they’d be the next victims, started to leave. Lily couldn’t stop them. She shot me a look of pure hatred. I glared right back. “I’ll be out here every single day until you give me my money back. Let’s see who gives in first.” To my surprise, she called the police, accusing me of disturbing the peace. The sound of sirens only drew a larger crowd. Lily was the first to speak to the officers, playing the victim. “It’s her. She’s been standing outside our store with a megaphone, slandering our business and disrupting our operations.” I calmly pulled out the receipt from my purchase two weeks ago. “Officer, this store took my money but refuses to give me my gold. When I came to claim it, they demanded an additional one hundred and thirty thousand dollars due to the price increase. This is extortion.” As the officer took my receipt to question Lily, she suddenly shouted, “That receipt is a fake! She’s the one trying to extort us!” She then produced a receipt from behind the counter and handed it to the police. “This is our official receipt. Each one has a security watermark. Hers doesn’t. It’s a forgery.” The officer compared the two receipts and then frowned at me. “Miss Vance, this receipt you’ve provided appears to be counterfeit.” “Impossible!” I snatched the receipts and examined them closely. The one Lily provided had a small, gold ingot watermark in the top right corner. Mine did not. It all clicked into place. This was a setup from the very beginning. No wonder she was so bold as to call the police. “Officer, I demand to see the security footage,” I said, my voice firm. “Receipts can be faked, but the cameras don’t lie. The footage will show me selecting the jewelry, paying for it, and her telling me about the home delivery service.” A smug smile flickered across Lily’s face. “Our security system malfunctioned three days ago. A short circuit. Everyone knows about it.” She turned to the police. “Officer, this woman has forged a receipt in an attempt to defraud our store. I demand you take her into custody for investigation.” The crowd’s sentiment turned against me. “So she was the one crying wolf all along!” “These scammers are getting bolder and bolder.” “She looks like such a sweet girl, too. They should throw the book at her.” Two officers approached me with handcuffs. “Chloe Vance, you are under suspicion of forgery and attempted extortion. Please come with us to the station.” I held up my phone. “I’m not a scammer! I have the bank transaction record showing the transfer to the store’s owner. You can verify it.” Just then, a black Mercedes pulled up to the curb, and the store owner, a man named Mr. Goldsmith, stepped out. “It’s true,” he announced. “I did receive a transfer of one point three five million dollars from Miss Vance.” A wave of relief washed over me. For all his gaudy taste in names, he seemed like a reasonable man. He had called me a few days ago about the expired lease. The rent in the area had doubled, and he had pleaded poverty, begging me not to raise his. I figured this whole mess was just a case of poor management. If he fired this employee and apologized, I would let it slide. But then, he added, “However, that money was a loan repayment. It had nothing to do with a gold purchase.” A triumphant smile spread across Lily’s face. She sidled up to Mr. Goldsmith, her voice a purr. “Mr. Goldsmith, thank goodness you’re here. I was about to be falsely accused.” He gave her rear a familiar pat. “Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, no one will bully my employees.” I finally saw the whole picture. They were in on it together. No wonder Lily was so audacious. She had her boss backing her up. Mr. Goldsmith turned to me, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. “I’m a businessman, Miss Vance. I believe in harmony and prosperity. If you admit your mistake now and apologize to my employee, I’m willing to let this go. Otherwise, you’ll have to take a trip downtown.” “You two are in cahoots, you stole my money, and you want me to apologize? You must be dreaming,” I shot back. The smile vanished from his face. “If you accuse us of being in cahoots without any proof, I’ll have to sue you for defamation.” Lily chimed in, her voice dripping with mock pity. “Miss Vance, your receipt is a fake, our cameras are broken, and now both my boss and I can testify that your transfer was a loan repayment. You have no evidence, no witnesses. If you apologize nicely now, maybe I’ll forgive you.” I looked at the two of them and let out a disdainful laugh. “Who says I have no evidence? I’m about to expose your little scheme right now.” I dialed my best friend and asked her to send me the video of me trying on wedding dresses and picking out the jewelry. It was her idea to document such an important day. She had brought a hidden camera and recorded everything, from the moment I walked into the store to the final payment. Furious on my behalf, she sent the video immediately. I played it for the police and the crowd to see. “You can have this video authenticated. Let’s see who’s really lying here.” Mr. Goldsmith and Lily froze. They had never imagined I would have a recording of the entire transaction. Faced with irrefutable proof, Mr. Goldsmith realized that pursuing the matter would only hurt him. He slapped his forehead in a theatrical display of sudden realization. “Oh, my memory! The person who owed me money was also named Vance, but a different spelling. When I saw the transfer, I just assumed it was from her.” He then turned to me with a practiced, fake smile. “Miss Vance, this has all been a terrible misunderstanding. I’ll have someone deliver your gold to you right away.” “No, thank you,” I said coldly. “I want a full refund. Now.” I had lost all trust in him. This was for my wedding, a symbol of good fortune and happiness. I wouldn’t let it be tainted by their dishonesty. “Business is business, Miss Vance,” he said, turning to me and the officers. “All sales are final. If you want a refund, it will have to be at the depreciated buyback price. However, since this was our mistake, I’m willing to cover the depreciation cost myself. But in return, I ask that you drop the matter and not press any charges.” I couldn’t believe it. He was still trying to protect Lily. But he was mistaken. Now, I wasn’t just after Lily. I was after both of them. The officers asked if I would accept this resolution. Pursuing legal action would be time-consuming and costly, and he could drag it out for years. It was uncertain if I would ever see my money again. I decided to take a step back for now and get my money back first. In front of the police, Mr. Goldsmith transferred the full one point three five million dollars back to my account.

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The true Sterling heiress came home. As the family’s long-standing impostor, things got awkward, fast. So I packed my bags that night and moved back to the godforsaken, 18th-tier town where I was supposed to have been born. I transferred to the local high school. Staring down at my designer coat, now ruined by a splash of milk tea, I let out a soft sigh. I pulled up the purchase history on my phone and displayed my payment QR code. “Seven thousand five hundred dollars. Pay up.” 1. Emma Sterling was home. I was still in my silk pajamas, sleepily making my way downstairs, when I saw her—a girl who was the spitting image of my mother. She stood there in a washed-out blouse, flanked by my parents. My brother, who was studying abroad, had already texted saying he couldn’t wait to fly back. I paused on the staircase, my eyes meeting Emma’s across the foyer. We both offered a smile that was polite, but dripping with mutual awkwardness. I’d always known I wasn’t their biological daughter. The Sterlings weren’t fools; our blood types didn’t even match. But since they could never find Emma, they had kept me and raised me as their own. I treated them like my real parents, and they showered me with the love and affection a daughter deserves. But all those years, the search for Emma never stopped. And now, finally, she was home. Looking at the scene of their family reunion below, I was genuinely happy for them. That evening, I went to the study to talk with my parents. Emma’s adoptive parents—my biological ones—had died in a car accident years ago. They had been poor, but they had given Emma the best life they could. The baby swap had been a tragic hospital error. My parents insisted I stay. “This house is more than big enough for a hundred daughters,” my father had said. But I shook my head. “That’s really up to Emma, isn’t it? If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t want the girl who took my place hanging around.” “Besides,” I added, “I’ve lived her life for long enough. She deserves to come home without any complications. And honestly, I want to see the place where my real parents lived.” My mother sighed, her hand resting on my shoulder. I gave her a comforting hug. “It’s just for a year. I’m a junior now. I’ll definitely come back to the Capital for college,” I whispered. “If Emma doesn’t mind by then, I’ll come home.” They finally, silently, agreed. So that night, I dragged eight suitcases out of the Sterling mansion. I wasn’t some noble martyr, leaving with only the clothes on my back. I took everything that was mine: my belongings, the allowance I’d saved for years, and a generous sum for tuition and living expenses my adoptive parents gave me before I left. I promptly rented a small, standalone villa in the best part of town. Since I was still a minor, I brought Mr. Evans, my favorite of the household staff, with me. He handled all the tedious paperwork for the lease and my school enrollment. Lying in my new bed, I felt surprisingly optimistic as I mapped out a rough plan for my future. I sent my parents a quick text to let them know I was safe, and then fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. 2. Clearwater High was the only decent school in this small town, a place untouched by airports or high-speed rail. I followed the dean of students down the hallway, my designer heels clicking sharply against the linoleum. It was break time, and eyes from every direction shot toward me. In a school this small, gossip travels faster than light. By the time I sat down, my new deskmate was already staring. “Where are you from? Why aren’t you in uniform? Is that stuff you’re wearing real?” she fired off, her words tumbling out in a rush that sounded almost aggressive. Before I could answer, the homeroom teacher’s voice cut through the noise, his accent thick as he called me to the front of the class for an introduction. I walked to the blackboard and, with a practiced, polite smile, wrote my name: Isabelle Sterling. “Hi, everyone. I’m Isabelle Sterling. I just transferred from Capital Prep. It’s nice to meet you all.” The classroom erupted in whispers. “The Capital? No way.” “Damn, she looks loaded. We should totally try to hang with her.” “It’s gotta be fake. If she were that rich, she’d be in the honors class, not with us losers.” “She’s kinda pretty, I guess. Is that makeup? There’s something about her I just don’t like.” I let my gaze drift lazily across the room, spotting the few faces I was looking for. Satisfied, I returned to my seat. The show, I thought, was about to begin. 3. First period was English. I rested my chin on my hand, bored, as I scanned the textbook. For me, English was practically a second native language, thanks to the world-class education the Sterlings had provided. High school level stuff was a joke. A flicker of concern crossed my mind. I wondered how Emma was adjusting to life at the mansion. My thoughts were interrupted when my deskmate shot to her feet and began reading a passage from the textbook. I snapped back to reality, realizing the teacher was calling on students. This girl, the one who’d interrogated me, was now reading aloud. I glanced at the name on her book. Leah. Leah read loudly and correctly, earning a nod of approval from the teacher, who then asked her to lead the class in reading the passage together. A small smile touched her lips, bringing a bit of life to her pale, sallow cheeks. She held her book up, shooting me a quick, triumphant glance. It was a look of pure, smug pride. She began reading again, and the rest of the class followed along in a disorganized mumble. The other students’ voices quickly faded into a low hum, but Leah’s remained loud and forceful. Even though, to my ears, her pronunciation was painfully clumsy. At one particularly bad mispronunciation, a small laugh escaped me. I didn’t make a sound or even look at her; I just kept my head propped on my hand, my eyes on the book, as the corner of my mouth turned up. But Leah, who must have been watching me the whole time, suddenly stopped. “Isabelle Sterling!” she barked. “Why aren’t you reading?” I frowned. Plenty of others weren’t reading, but she’d singled me out. I looked up at her. Behind her glasses, her dark eyes were fixed on me, her sallow face contorted in an ugly sneer. The teacher chimed in. “New student, you need to participate. Why don’t you read this section for us?” My smile widened. Without even looking at the book, I recited the entire passage in fluent, unaccented American English. A slow, creeping silence fell over the classroom. Even the teacher just stood there, his mouth slightly agape, at a loss for words. When I finished, I shrugged and looked directly at Leah. “The reason I wasn’t reading along is because my pronunciation was better in kindergarten than yours is now.” Leah’s face flushed a deep, mottled red. She bit her lip, unable to meet my eyes. Just then, the bell rang, and the teacher, visibly relieved, dismissed the class. A moment later, a clique of girls with over-styled bangs and uniform cherry-red lipstick sauntered over to my desk. The leader, sucking on a lollipop, gave me a syrupy-sweet smile. “So, hey, what’s a girl like you doing at a school like this?” I kept my eyes on my book. “Felt like a change of scenery.” The girl made a ‘tsk’ sound and jabbed my shoulder with her finger. “Don’t play coy with me.” My patience snapped. I smacked her hand away. I’d taken taekwondo for years, and the force of the blow left a bright red mark on the back of her hand. “What the hell! Are you looking for a fight?” she shrieked, and her little posse moved in, ready to shove me. I pulled a scalpel from my pocket, spun it between my fingers, and stopped the blade a centimeter from her eye. She let out a terrified scream. Her friends, and even Leah nearby, scrambled backward, afraid I’d actually slice them. I retracted the scalpel, a cryptic smile playing on my lips as I gave the girl a slow, deliberate head-to-toe look. Her expression soured with every inch my eyes traveled. I’d navigated the cutthroat social circles of the elite for years; dealing with a low-level wannabe like her was child’s play. A single, contemptuous glance was all it took to shatter their fragile confidence. I fanned the air in front of my face with a look of disgust. “You reek of stale cigarettes and cheap perfume. Stay away from me, you’re making me nauseous.” The whole class was watching, and at my words, a wave of laughter broke out. “Oh my god, that was brutal. Did you see Brooke’s face?” “Is anyone gonna be able to handle this new girl?” “Not gonna lie, watching her put Brooke in her place was pretty satisfying, hahaha.” “Shh, you know Brooke’s gonna get her back for this. Just wait…” So her name was Brooke. I met her furious gaze, taking in every ounce of hatred and rage in her eyes. So, what have you got, Brooke? I thought. Show me. 4. The next few days were relatively quiet. My little display seemed to have spooked both Brooke and Leah. Leah no longer tried to talk to me, though I noticed she would sneak glances at the advanced prep books I used in class and then show up the next day with the exact same ones. She started mimicking my study habits—or lack thereof. When I worked on my own material instead of listening to the lecture, so did she. The truth was, I’d been privately tutored by the best in every subject since I was a child. The curriculum here was painfully slow for me, so I worked ahead. This method worked for me, but for Leah, it was academic suicide. Not that I felt any obligation to warn her. I shook my head, deciding to ignore her, and headed downstairs to grab a coffee from the convenience store. Since my uniform hadn’t arrived yet, I was still in my own clothes—today, a Louis Vuitton coat. The stares followed me all the way down the hall, but I walked on as if I didn’t notice. I didn’t even make it to the store. A group blocked my path. It was Brooke and her friends, plus a few guys with bleached-blond hair who looked like they were trying way too hard. Brooke stood with her arms crossed, a cigarette dangling from her fingers. This part of the campus was shielded by a grove of trees and a dilapidated sports equipment shed. The perfect spot for an ambush. She smirked. “I told you not to mess with me. Get it now?” One of the guys grabbed my coat, trying to drag me somewhere more secluded. I was surprised by their brazenness, but it made a sick kind of sense. In a backwater town like this, a little bit of local influence and the shield of being a minor meant they could get away with almost anything. Their victims were usually kids from working-class families, too busy or powerless to fight back effectively. I looked at the boy holding me. His hair was a matted yellow mess, and the stench of cigarettes coming off him was nauseating. I wrenched my arm free and slapped him across the face. Crack! The sound was sharp and loud in the quiet clearing. Everyone froze, stunned that I would dare to fight back. Brooke’s face contorted with fury. She started screaming a torrent of local slang I couldn’t understand, her eyes, framed by cheap colored contacts, boring into me. Realizing she probably couldn’t win a physical fight, she snatched a milk tea from one of her friends and hurled it at me. I dodged, but most of the sticky liquid splattered across my coat. I looked down at the ruined fabric. With a small sigh, I pulled out my phone, brought up the digital receipt, and held out my QR code. “Seven thousand five hundred dollars. Pay up.” I heard a collective gasp. A flicker of panic crossed Brooke’s face before she masked it with bravado. “You think I’m gonna pay? In your dreams,” she spat. “What are you gonna do about it?” The boy I’d slapped was already moving, pulling out a small knife and waving it threateningly in my direction. I wasn’t an idiot. I spun around and ran. At the same time, a group of figures in blue uniforms came running toward me. The police. The moment I’d seen the ambush forming, I had discreetly texted 911 from my pocket. An officer saw the kid with the knife lunging at me. In seconds, they had him pinned, his arms twisted behind his back. The sight sent the rest of the wannabe gangsters scattering, which, in front of the police, was a spectacularly bad idea. An hour later, the entire group was lined up at the police station. The whole affair was a massive scandal. A fleet of police cars descending on the high school and hauling away a dozen students was not good for the school’s reputation. The principal and several deans rushed over. Brooke was sobbing into her phone, talking to her parents. From what I could piece together, her father was some kind of minor local official. It all clicked. No wonder she was so arrogant. When Brooke’s father arrived, he shot me a dark look before pulling the police officers aside. A few minutes later, one of the officers came back to me, looking apologetic. He explained that since Brooke and her friends hadn’t caused me any “substantial harm,” they could only be given a verbal warning. The boy with the knife was a minor and his “assault” was unsuccessful, so the most he’d get was a couple of days in juvenile detention. I heard the principal let out a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was one of his students getting jail time and tarnishing the school’s name. I looked at the scene before me: Brooke, now smirking triumphantly; her father, glowering at me; the principal and my homeroom teacher, just wanting to smooth things over… So this is the world Emma lived in for seventeen years. It must have been so hard, little sister. It’s okay, I thought, a quiet promise forming in my mind. It’s okay now. Every bit of suffering they put you through, I’ll pay them back for it, piece by piece.

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After getting kicked out of our house, my brother carried three-year-old me while collecting protection money on the streets. He stepped on Julian Vance’s hand, threatening, “If you don’t have the money, leave the hand!” Just as I was about to cheer him on, my vision blurred. [The villain is so pitiful. Kicked out of the Vance family the moment they found out he wasn’t their biological son. And now he runs into these awful siblings!] [No wonder he turns dark later and chops up everyone who hurt him to feed the fishes! Only the heroine ever showed him warmth.] [The villain’s real dad is a ruthless boss in both the underworld and legitimate business! Once they reunite, the first thing he does is use these siblings as bait for sharks!] Shark bait? I shivered, scrambled down from my brother’s arms, and said, “Brother, you don’t have money, so I’ll buy you a lollipop!” 1 My brother, Caleb, rolled up his sleeves, revealing a temporary tattoo he bought from a street vendor yesterday. A green dragon was sprawled across his thin arm. “Sunny, is it crooked?” Caleb twisted his arm, frowning so hard he could have crushed a fly. I stood on my tiptoes, scrutinizing the wobbly dragon. Honestly, the quality was terrible. The dragon’s eyes were smudged together, making it look like a malnourished eel. “Perfect! Super scary!” I gave him a thumbs up, lying through my teeth. Caleb grinned, showing his sharp canines. He just turned twenty-two, yet he had to shoulder the burden of raising both of us. Three days ago, my dad found a new wife who was already pregnant. She claimed she was carrying twin boys. However, she said my zodiac sign clashed with them. Hearing this, my dad kicked me out without a second thought. Caleb punched our dad, packed a few clothes, picked me up, and left. Our stepmother, Helen, seized the opportunity to cut off our allowance, wanting to teach us a lesson. She even went to Caleb’s university and suspended his enrollment. She sent people to harass us constantly; whenever Caleb found a part-time job, she’d ruin it. “Today’s target is Julian Vance from A University.” He squatted down to my level. “I heard his family owns a listed company and is super rich. And…” He lowered his voice mysteriously. “He looks really easy to bully.” I nodded, though my heart drummed nervously. Caleb was much older than me, but he had never bullied anyone. Even stray dogs barked at him. Collecting protection money seemed like a terrible idea. We camped outside the gate of A University until sunset, when a tall figure finally emerged. Julian Vance looked even better than in photos. Pale skin, high nose bridge, gold-rimmed glasses—the picture of a refined young master. “Follow him.” Caleb took my hand, trailing quietly. Julian turned into a secluded alley. Just as we were about to follow, he disappeared. Sounds of punches and muffled groans echoed from the alley. “Damn, someone beat us to it!” Caleb stamped his foot in frustration. Hiding around the corner, we saw four or five thugs surrounding Julian, kicking and punching him. Julian curled up on the ground, his glasses shattered, but he didn’t make a sound. “Tough guy, huh?” The leader, a blonde thug, grabbed Julian’s hair. “Heard you’re the Vance family heir? What, did you go bankrupt? Can’t even pay protection fees?” Blood trickled from Julian’s mouth, but he suddenly smiled. “Vance family? That’s not my family.” Enraged, the blonde thug kicked him in the stomach again. I covered my eyes, too scared to watch, until the sounds of the beating faded away. “Sunny, wait here.” Caleb straightened his collar and swaggered into the alley. Hiding behind the wall, I watched Caleb kick the broken glasses aside and look down at Julian. “Hey, time to pay up.” Caleb deepened his voice deliberately. “Those guys were my underlings. They didn’t get enough.” Julian slowly looked up. Blood from his forehead dripped into his eyes, making his gaze look particularly dark. He said nothing, just stared coldly at Caleb. “No money?” Caleb stepped on Julian’s hand. “If you don’t have the money, leave the hand!” Just as I was about to rush out and cheer for my brother, my vision blurred, and a stream of text floated by with an audio narration. 2 [The villain is so pitiful. Kicked out of the Vance family the moment they found out he wasn’t their biological son. And now he runs into these awful siblings!] [No wonder he turns dark later and chops up everyone who hurt him to feed the fishes! Only the heroine ever showed him warmth.] [The villain’s real dad is a ruthless boss in both the underworld and legitimate business! Once they reunite, the first thing he does is use these siblings as bait for sharks!] Shark bait? I shuddered, an image of a fishhook piercing my cheek flashing in my mind. “Brother!” I scrambled over and hugged Caleb’s leg. “Wait!” Caleb froze. “Sunny?” I pulled the last lollipop from my pocket and held it out to Julian. “Big Brother, do you have no money? I’ll treat you to some candy!” Julian’s gaze shifted from cold to confused. He looked at me, then at Caleb, and finally at the strawberry lollipop. “Sunny, what are you doing?” Caleb whispered. I winked at him frantically, standing on my toes to whisper in his ear, “Brother, I hear police sirens.” The text said the heroine would pass by in five minutes and call the police for Julian. Startled, Caleb pulled his sleeve down and retracted his foot. Julian slowly sat up, wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve, but didn’t take the candy. “Are you together?” His voice was hoarse but surprisingly pleasant. “No!” I shook my head vigorously. “We were just passing by! My brother… he saw you were hurt and came to help!” Caleb stared at me wide-eyed, as if asking, Are you crazy? Julian let out a cold laugh, using the wall to stand up. He was half a head taller than Caleb. Even covered in injuries, he couldn’t hide his innate nobility. “Help me?” He pointed to the footprint on his wrist. “Like this?” I thought fast. “My brother is practically blind! Yeah! He steps on me all the time at home!” Caleb: ???? Julian’s gaze shifted between us, finally settling on the lollipop in my hand. Unexpectedly, he reached out and took it. “Thanks,” he said softly. Caleb didn’t understand why I lied, but he picked me up and stepped back. “Since you’re okay… uh… we’re leaving now. Sunny, let’s go home.” As we turned to leave, I saw a jade pendant revealed by Julian’s open collar. It glowed with a warm green light, carved with intricate lotus patterns. Text floated by again: [Didn’t these siblings steal the jade pendant the villain’s grandmother left him? Why did the plot change?] [Only the grandmother insisted on keeping him after finding out he wasn’t biological. Sadly, she died of a stroke two days ago.] [The heroine, Bella, saw everything from the alley entrance and secretly called the police! They’ll be here in a minute!] [Just wait, in five days, the big boss will find him and spoil him rotten. But! The boss gets gunned down protecting the villain in a gang fight. The villain is always torn between redemption and darkness.] I trembled, nearly falling from Caleb’s arms. Steal the pendant? Wouldn’t that make Julian hate us to the bone? Thank god we didn’t! And the police were almost here! “Brother!” I tugged urgently at Caleb. “We have to help this Big Brother catch the bad guys!” Caleb looked confused. “What bad guys? They ran away ages ago!” Before he finished, hurried footsteps approached from the alley entrance. Three officers rushed in. The leading policewoman shouted, “Nobody move!” 3 A girl in a white dress timidly followed the police, pointing at Caleb. “That’s him. I saw him collecting protection money just now…” Is this the heroine, Bella? I stared at her wide-eyed. In the scrolling text, she was the only one who gave Julian warmth. “Officer, it’s a misunderstanding!” Caleb quickly put me down and raised his hands. “We were just passing by!” The blood on Julian’s mouth had dried. He looked at Bella with a complicated expression. “Student, are you okay?” The policewoman asked Julian with concern. “Someone reported you were being extorted.” Bella added softly, “I saw him step on this student’s hand, saying if he didn’t pay, he’d have to leave the hand…” I wiggled anxiously in Caleb’s arms! Oh no, if Caleb gets arrested, he can’t take the civil service exam! “That’s not true!” I scrambled down, rushed to Julian, and tugged his shirt. “Big Brother, tell the police officer my brother was helping you!” Everyone looked at Julian. He looked down at me, his dark eyes bottomless. My palms sweated with nerves, afraid he’d say something against Caleb. After a few seconds of silence, Julian spoke. “They were indeed helping me.” Bella’s eyes widened in shock. “But I clearly saw…” “The guys who beat me ran away. These two were just passing by,” Julian said calmly. The policewoman was skeptical. “Then why did this young lady report you were being extorted?” Julian pushed up his broken glasses. “She saw wrong.” Bella’s face flushed red. “I… I clearly saw…” “Let’s go to the station for a statement,” the policewoman interrupted. “This student needs medical attention for his wounds.” So, we were all taken to the nearby police station. Caleb was sweating bullets, whispering to me, “Sunny, why did Julian help us?” I shook my head, but secretly wondered… was it because of the lollipop? While giving statements, I noticed Julian kept rubbing the jade pendant. “Family’s here.” The duty officer opened the interrogation room door. A woman in a Chanel suit stormed in on high heels and slapped Julian without a word. Slap! The crisp sound echoed in the station. Julian’s face turned to the side, hair falling to cover his eyes. “Julian! You’ve already been kicked out of the Vance family, and you still dare use our name to cause trouble outside?” The woman’s voice was piercingly sharp, her nail almost poking Julian’s nose. Curled in Caleb’s arms, I saw Julian’s Adam’s apple bob, but he said nothing. The text scrolled frantically before my eyes: [WTF this adoptive mom is cruel!] [It was the hospital’s mistake, not Julian’s fault!] [The way Julian’s eyes are red but holding back tears is heartbreaking!] Then, a well-dressed boy walked in slowly, supporting the trembling woman. “Mom, don’t get angry, it’s bad for your health.” He turned to Julian, a faint smile on his lips. “Bro, strange isn’t it? You never got extorted growing up, but the moment you leave home, this happens? Unless…” The woman realized something. “You hired people to act this out?” The boy, named Adrian Vance, shrugged. “Maybe it’s a coincidence. But Bro is smart, he knows how to garner sympathy.” 4 I felt Caleb’s arm muscles tense up. He whispered in my ear, “What’s wrong with this family? Their kid got bullied…” Julian finally looked up, a bright red handprint on his left cheek. The look he gave his adoptive mother made my heart tremble. “Mrs. Vance,” he said softly. “I didn’t use the family name. The police… found out.” Mrs. Vance scoffed, pulling a stack of cash from her Hermes bag and throwing it on the table. “Officer, here’s the compensation. If he causes trouble again, treat him like a hooligan. Don’t call us.” Bills scattered on the floor, one landing near Julian’s shoe. He stared at the bill and suddenly gave a tiny smile. The text exploded again, loud enough that I covered my ears: [Ahhh that smile is torture!] [Does the mom know she just crushed his last bit of dignity?!] [In the original story, Julian put her in a mental asylum later!] “Mom!” Adrian suddenly pointed at the jade pendant on Julian’s neck. “Isn’t that our family heirloom? Why is he still wearing it?” Mrs. Vance’s face changed instantly. She reached out to grab the red string. “Hand it over! That belongs to the real son!” Julian stepped back sharply, his back hitting a metal cabinet with a loud bang. For the first time, he looked panicked, protecting the pendant with both hands. “Grandma left this to me!” “Your grandma?” Mrs. Vance shrieked. “That’s Adrian’s biological grandma! If you hadn’t taken my son’s place, this jade would have been his!” “Mrs. Vance.” A deep male voice interrupted her. The older officer taking notes stood up, frowning at the farce. “This is a police station.” Mrs. Vance restrained herself but kept glaring at the pendant. Adrian whispered something in her ear. She huffed, “Julian, don’t think this is over.” As they left, Adrian glanced back at Julian. That look chilled me to the bone. It was the same look Helen gave me when she accused me of hitting her pregnant belly. The room fell terrifyingly silent. Julian slowly slid down to sit on the floor, fingers trembling. It was dark when we finished. Streetlights stretched Julian’s shadow long as he walked alone into the night, looking incredibly lonely. Caleb held me on the steps and scoffed. “I’m a real son kicked out, he’s a fake son kicked out. Is there no justice in the world?” I hugged Caleb’s neck, eyes fixed on Julian’s retreating figure. He looked… so pitiful. Today was a bust. Caleb spent two hours helping clean a bun shop just to trade labor for five buns. Returning to our neighborhood, we smelled acrid smoke. Looking up, thick smoke poured from a window on the fifth floor of Building 3. “Fire!” Caleb exclaimed. Text exploded in my ears and eyes: [Adrian, the male lead, is so petty! He tipped off the thugs!] [Julian’s apartment was set on fire! The thugs are waiting for him in the alley!] [The male lead acts noble but plays dirty. No wonder the villain tortures him later!] “Sunny, stay in the security booth! I’m going to help put out the fire! Don’t run off!” Caleb put me down, stuffed the buns in my arms, and rushed off. As soon as he was gone, I turned and ran toward the back gate.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “388062”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel