Category: English

After some liquid courage, it was supposed to be the perfect opportunity to confess my feelings. But I walked into the wrong hotel room. From then on, I lived the humble life of the “Boss’s Sugar Baby.” 1 When I woke up again, I didn’t know how much time had passed. But I felt something in my hand. I was startled and hurriedly opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was the stunningly beautiful face of my boss. She was sleeping soundly, looking quiet and gentle, completely unlike her usual icy demeanor. I knocked on my still somewhat groggy head, regretting drinking so much last night. I was on a business trip with my team members and the boss. We had a dinner meeting and drank. Especially since I was the only guy, I couldn’t let the two women take the brunt of the drinking. So, I drank the most. The team member with me was also my goddess. It wasn’t easy to be on a business trip together, so I planned to drink a little and use the liquid courage to confess to her. But I didn’t expect that when I went back to my room last night, I was so out of it that I actually stumbled into the boss’s room. What I didn’t expect was that although the boss didn’t drink much, the aftereffects hit her, and she was also a bit groggy. Just like that, I actually mistook the boss for my goddess and groggily slept with her. At this moment, I was filled with regret. I threw off the blanket and was about to slip away. But the boss’s voice rang out behind me. “What, eat and run? Not even saying a word?” I was instantly distressed, my face full of embarrassment. I turned around and said somewhat timidly: “Boss, this… this was an accident…” “You slept with me, and you say it’s an accident? So I just got slept with for nothing?” “Boss, please don’t fire me. I will definitely work hard to repay you in the future.” I still have debts! And my mom is sick, still in the hospital, and really needs money. The boss rolled her eyes at me and scoffed: “Useless thing, get out of here.” I quickly grabbed my clothes and slunk away. What I didn’t know was that after I left, my boss finally dared to get up. Because there was actually a pool of blood underneath her. 2 We signed the contract in the morning, and in the afternoon, we drove back. I was driving, my goddess Chloe was in the passenger seat, and the boss, Serena, was sitting in the back. I kept glancing at the boss in the rearview mirror, but she acted as if nothing had happened, reading documents in the back. Now I didn’t dare to say a word. Even though I usually tried hard to find topics to chat with my goddess, I didn’t dare to open my mouth now. The atmosphere was very weird until three hours later when we returned to the company. After the two of them got out of the car, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. For the next few days, I hardly spoke. Especially when facing the boss, I often kept my head down, not daring to look her in the eye. On the other hand, my heart was full of tension, and I didn’t even want to pay attention to Chloe. I used to be Chloe’s simp, but now I wasn’t taking the initiative, which made Chloe a bit surprised and disappointed. Of course, she wouldn’t show it. A week passed, and Chloe was the one who couldn’t sit still. I had just sat down when Chloe coughed lightly next to me. I looked at her. Chloe pretended to be casual, talking to herself: “The weather is quite hot. I’ve been craving lemonade recently!” She didn’t say it to me, but I knew it was deliberately said for me to hear. I didn’t move. My psychology was very conflicted right now. Should I deal with my relationship with the boss, or continue simping for Chloe? So, because of the conflict, I didn’t respond to her immediately. Chloe didn’t expect me to continue to be indifferent and couldn’t help but look at me: “Lucas, do you want some lemonade?” “My teeth have been a bit sensitive lately. I don’t dare to drink cold stuff.” I didn’t look at her, focusing on writing the proposal. She froze for a moment, completely dumbfounded. She had hinted so obviously, and I still hadn’t taken action. How could she not be astonished? She was a bit angry, picked up her cup, and went to get water. 3 When Chloe left, colleague Maya from the neighboring desk stretched her neck curiously and looked at me. I asked her what she was looking at. Maya smiled and said I wasn’t acting right. Why haven’t I been a simp these past two days? Did I find a new target? I smiled and shook my head, saying I wasn’t in the mood lately. She immediately sighed at me, saying I lacked perseverance. Going on like this, how could I woo a girl? Wooing girls isn’t something that can be done in a day or two; you must persist. I could only smile helplessly. Lately, I had been deliberately finding excuses not to meet the boss, trying to avoid the awkwardness between us. She could pretend to not care, but I couldn’t, because I’m thin-skinned. As long as this matter wasn’t talked out and there wasn’t a conclusion, I could never get over that hurdle in my heart. I was thinking I might need to take the initiative to find a time to have a good talk with her. I was afraid and guilty on one hand, and wanted to solve the problem on the other. It was truly a dilemma. But sometimes, the more you fear something, the more it happens. That day, the boss’s personal assistant, Jenny, came over and said to me: “Lucas, I need to take a long leave of absence. I might not be able to work for these two months, so you will take my place as the boss’s personal assistant.” I hurriedly waved my hands, saying I was a copywriter and had never been a personal assistant. I definitely couldn’t do it. I can’t even take care of myself, how could I take care of the boss? I said I couldn’t do it and told her to find someone else. But Jenny shook her head, saying this was the boss’s idea, not hers. I was stunned right then. The boss wants me to be her personal secretary? Are you kidding me? What should I do? Chloe next to me was also stunned. She didn’t expect this either. I hesitated. But Jenny said: “The boss’s schedule is very tight these two months. She always has to go on business trips, so she needs a driver. You know, us girls driving isn’t always reliable; you guys driving is much safer. So, driver and personal assistant, you’re the only one who can do it. There’s no one more suitable in our company.” Saying that, she sighed, saying the boss really had an eye for talent and made the best use of everything. 4 I had a bitter expression on my face. Jenny continued to pass on the message: “The boss said, if you don’t want to do it, then pack up your things and get out. Those were her exact words.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Yeah, if I had money and power, I would immediately pack my things and quit decisively. But I have an elderly mother to support and a mortgage. I don’t dare to quit casually right now; this is my only source of income. This is the sorrow of a corporate slave. I was somewhat reluctant and followed Jenny to Serena’s office with a miserable face. Knocking on the door, Jenny took me inside. Serena didn’t even look up and directly said: “Jenny, you can go.” Jenny nodded and turned to leave. As she brushed past me, she patted my shoulder. Looking at the smile on her face, I felt a shiver run down my spine, as if I were about to enter a tiger’s den. Sure enough, as soon as Jenny left, Serena looked up at me. Being stared at by her, I immediately lowered my head. “What’s wrong? Am I going to eat you or kill you? You don’t even dare to look at me?” I awkwardly raised my head, full of smiles, and asked: “What orders does Ms. Sterling have?” Serena put down the pen in her hand and looked at me with interest: “I heard you’re not willing to be my personal assistant. Seems like it’s a bit beneath you, isn’t it?” I quickly waved my hands, saying it was my honor. She smiled and told me that as long as I did a good job, my salary wouldn’t be lower than before, but if I didn’t do well, my salary might be cut by more than half. I really wanted to cry but had no tears. I could only state that I would definitely do my best. “Then starting today, your first task as a personal assistant is to go get me a cup of coffee.” I nodded, took the boss’s cup, and walked out. 5 Everyone looked at my miserable face and immediately started mocking me. “What? Working for the boss, and you’re still not happy?” “Seems like being by the boss’s side is beneath our Lucas!” I glared at them: “Don’t you know the boss’s temper? When she gets mad, no one has a good time. Just you laugh. One day it’ll be your turn.” They shook their heads, saying they didn’t have that “blessing.” I couldn’t care whether they were envious or jealous. I went straight to the pantry and brewed a cup of coffee for Serena. But when I brought the coffee to her, Serena despised it. She said the coffee was too hot and the aroma was gone. I had to take the coffee out and brew another cup for her. But this time, she said there was too little sugar and the coffee was too bitter. I took it out again and added another spoonful of sugar for her. When I went back, she said it was too sweet and wanted to make her sick. Just like that, I ran back and forth between the office and the pantry seven or eight times before finally getting a cup of coffee that was somewhat satisfactory. As she drank, she didn’t forget to insult me: “A personal assistant who can’t even make a simple cup of coffee. I think you should start as an intern.” I quickly apologized, saying I would definitely learn and guarantee success on the first try next time. She didn’t say anything more. But I muttered in my heart: “This woman doesn’t seem like a good person. Are you the reincarnation of an evil empress? You’re even harder to serve than that old witch.” “What are you muttering about?” Serena looked up at me. I panicked. Damn it, she even knows what I’m thinking. “I mean, if Ms. Sterling doesn’t have anything else, I’ll go out to work.” But Serena pointed to a small desk by the window: “From now on, you’ll work there, so I can call you directly if I need anything.” I had to nod and went out to move my things. 6 Maya smiled: “No wonder you’re not willing to simp for Chloe anymore. Turns out you’ve already hooked up with the boss. You’re set now, getting rich overnight!” “You silly girl, stop talking nonsense. I think I’m doomed this time. I don’t know how the boss is going to torture me!” Maya asked me strangely why? Did I provoke the boss? Or did I do something to wrong her? Otherwise, why would the boss torture me? Of course, I didn’t dare say I slept with the boss. I could only shrug, indicating I didn’t know. Just like that, I moved into the boss’s office and was alone in a room with her. Who knows what it means to be on pins and needles? Even without having a relationship with the boss, just sitting in the same office with her would be uncomfortable. Every second was torture. “Do you have sores or lice? What are you squirming around for?” The boss’s voice came. I quickly shook my head and sat up straight. “Are you still thinking about what happened that night at the hotel?” Serena suddenly dropped this line. I froze, hurriedly stood up, and immediately bowed to her, constantly apologizing. Serena frowned, walked over directly from her seat, and came to my desk. At this moment, she transformed into a female hooligan, stretched out her slender fingers, and lifted my chin, looking exactly like she was teasing me. “How do you think I should punish you?” “As long as the boss’s anger subsides, as long as you don’t fire me, anything goes.” I quickly stated my position. But she changed the subject: “Since you didn’t genuinely mean to sneak into my room, I’m curious to know, whose room were you originally trying to enter?” I immediately choked up and didn’t dare to speak. I couldn’t say I wanted to enter Chloe’s room. But the boss seemed to see through everything and said it for me: “I heard you like Chloe. You probably wanted to enter her room!” My back was covered in sweat, but I still forced myself to be calm, saying I was completely drunk and had no consciousness of where I went. But the boss suddenly shouted: “Since you were unconscious, how could you think of doing that kind of dirty deed?” 7 I immediately shut up. When the boss unleashes her power, nothing grows. She is a notorious demon in the company. “Ms. Sterling, just tell me how I can atone for my sins. I’ve been blaming myself for so long, I can hardly go on living.” I was completely wilted and could only beg for mercy. Serena scoffed: “You want release, right? Let me tell you, no way. I must torture you properly to vent my anger.” I immediately felt like I had fallen into hell, feeling that life had no hope, no light. “There’s a dumpling shop on the next street. Go buy me a box immediately. However, the dumplings will lose their original flavor ten minutes after coming out of the steamer. So you must deliver it to my desk within ten minutes, otherwise 10% will be deducted from your salary.” “Ah… Ms. Sterling, it’s over a kilometer round trip, plus crossing the street and taking the elevator. Even if I were an Olympic sprinter, I might not be able to run back in ten minutes.” “That’s your problem.” Saying that, she sat back at her desk. “Female demon…” I gnashed my teeth in my heart, but humble me still set out. Then I started a new round of torture. “It’s cold!” “It doesn’t smell good anymore!” “You’re out of time!” I was panting, much more tired than usual at work. “These dumplings are really dog food!” I couldn’t help complaining. Finally, I thought of a way. I went and bought a self-heating pot, took out the self-heating pack inside, added water, and put the dumplings inside to steam. I strolled back leisurely. Until I reached the office door, the dumplings were still hot. Serena couldn’t find any faults, so she glanced at the dumplings: “I suddenly don’t want to eat them now.” I really had the urge to pin her to the ground and rub her face in the dirt. For the next few days, I suffered endless torture. Pouring tea, getting documents, checking her schedule, buying things. The key was, almost every task had to be repeated several times before she was satisfied. I knew she was taking revenge on me, torturing me, but I could only endure it. 8 I dragged my exhausted body, getting ready to leave work. Chloe walked up to me: “You look like you’re working hard. Getting paid well, huh? How much of a raise did you get?” I didn’t have the energy to joke around, so I could only ignore her. But Chloe grabbed me: “Lucas, do you still like me?” I was startled. I didn’t expect her to be so direct. I nodded numbly. The boss and I, after she finished torturing me, would inevitably kick me away. Or in three months, when Jenny comes back, I’ll move out. By then, I’ll only have Chloe. Since she asked proactively, of course, I’m willing to continue pursuing her. Chloe looked at me and said, “If you really like me, then resign from the boss. Don’t hover around her anymore. You’re capable; changing companies won’t be any worse than here.” I was stunned again. She actually wanted me to job-hop. This was completely beyond my expectations. “Is there any conflict between me pursuing you and working in the boss’s office?” I couldn’t help asking. “The boss is a woman. You two being together, spending time together day and night, it’s inevitable there will be times you can’t control yourselves.” I finally understood. Chloe was actually jealous over me. I laughed: “Just relax. Who knows how much the boss hates me! Look at how she’s treated me recently. Nothing I do is right, doing useless things over and over again. I’m as tired as a dog right now; where would I have the mind for anything else.” Chloe sighed, looking into my eyes: “It seems it’s still impossible between us. Then don’t look for me anymore.” Saying that, she turned and left. I froze on the spot. When did Chloe’s logic become so twisted? I’m just a bit busier with work, how did that get mixed up with dating?

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391016”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I’m the CEO of the Moore Group. Recently, I’ve had my eye on a celebrity and was thinking about a hostile takeover of his heart. My assistant broke into a cold sweat: “CEO, you can’t! A year ago, Mr. Walker tried to blacklist him, and his corporation went bankrupt! “Six months ago, Mr. Zola tried to get handsy with him at a party, and ended up with a bleeding head from a wine bottle! “Three months ago, Mr. Lloyd tried to drug this celebrity, and got kicked in the family jewels, ending his bloodline! “And a month ago…” Me: “…” Love is precious, but life is priceless. I’m out of here. But not even half a month later. I was the one imprisoned. In the basement of a villa. That breathtakingly beautiful face that haunted my dreams wore a lazy smile, but his eyes were cold and gloomy: “Mr. Moore, didn’t you want to keep me as your sugar baby? Why the sudden change of heart?” Me: “???” 1 “CEO, you absolutely cannot do this!” Assistant Liam looked at the photo on the desk with a terrified face. The man in the photo possessed an extremely stunning beauty. A blooming rose was held between his red lips, his phoenix eyes staring straight at the camera with a playful provocation. The texture of the black silk shirt was perfectly outlined by the light, the collar loosely open, revealing a section of pale collarbone. Lazy, yet mixed with a hint of danger. So beautiful… I suppressed my pounding heart and asked puzzledly: “Why not? Are there few people keeping celebrities in this circle?” Assistant Liam took a deep breath and smiled bitterly: “CEO, you can like any celebrity in Hollywood, but if you have your eye on Ethan Hayes, you really can’t! This celebrity is cursed!” Me: “?” Wait, I’ve been celibate for twenty-seven years, and finally found someone I like, and you tell me I can’t? “What’s wrong with him?” Assistant Liam: “Everything is wrong!” Me: “…” “CEO, you’ve been busy with work, so there are things you don’t know.” “Ethan is so good-looking, how could no one covet him? When he first debuted, many people had their eyes on him!” “Those people investigated and thought, oh, he has no background, just beauty. Isn’t that a dead end for him to be manipulated?!” “Result!” Assistant Liam counted on his fingers: “A year ago, he rejected Mr. Walker. Mr. Walker tried to blacklist him, and the Walker Corp went belly up! “Six months ago, Mr. Zola tried to get handsy with him at a party, and ended up with a bleeding head from a wine bottle! “Three months ago, Mr. Lloyd tried to drug Ethan, and got kicked in the family jewels, ending his bloodline! “And a month ago…” “Three days ago…” “But in the end, nothing happened to this celebrity!” “He seems to have a mysterious force behind him. Whoever messes with him suffers! But no matter how much those people investigate, they can’t find his specific background!” “Of course, I can’t find it either.” “So CEO, don’t tell me you want all the information on this man in three minutes.” “I can’t do it.” “However, I can compile a report on who offended him, who wanted to keep him, who wanted to force him, and who ended up bankrupt, ruined, half-disabled, or doing time in federal prison for the rest of their lives. Then you can consider carefully.” “Please be careful!” Me: “…” Assistant Liam spent three hours organizing it and sent the package to me. After reading it. Me: “…” I painfully tore my eyes away from Ethan’s photo, reluctantly put the photo in the deepest drawer, then put a few stacks of documents on top, pressing the photo to the very bottom. I am not blindly confident in my strength. There are countless capable people in the Capital. Even if I have built the Moore Group to be no less than other first-tier enterprises, I never felt I was the most powerful one. If there is more than one force behind Ethan… Then better just wash up and sleep. With so many precedents, do I still want to crash my car into the wall to see if my bones are hard? Love is precious, but life is priceless. I’m out of here. 2 I felt like I must be dreaming. Otherwise, how could I dream that I was sleeping on a bed, one wrist cuffed, locked to the bedside by a long iron chain? I pinched my thigh. It hurts TvT. Looks like I’m not dreaming. I tried hard to recall. I had been neglecting sleep and food for a bidding project recently. Finally finished, I planned to give myself two days off to rest. Returned to the underground garage to park the car. Just as I closed the car door. Sudden pain in the back of the neck. Then I lost consciousness. Me: “…” Is this the security of the high-end gated community I live in? Even kidnappers can get in! Wait until I get out and sue the property management! I gradually came back to my senses. No. Do kidnappers tie people up like this? I raised my hand silently, feeling the heavy weight of the handcuff on my wrist, and looked at this space. This seems to be a basement. Dim light, few items, and a gloom and chill seeping into the bones. I just turned my head. Suddenly met eyes with a wall densely packed with “me”! Photos taken secretly were framed and hung neatly all over the wall! Reading documents seriously in the CEO’s office, listening indifferently to people arguing in the shareholders’ meeting, calm and cold in a suit at the bidding meeting, holding a wine glass deep in thought at the banquet… There were even photos of me showering, sleeping, changing clothes, and… taking care of my morning glory! Me: “???” Me: “…” My soul flew away in fright. Holy crap!!! I met a pervert! Leaving aside public photos, how did this pervert get these intimate photos?! At this time, I also discovered. The black suit on me had long been changed into soft white pajamas. Phone, keys, briefcase, etc., disappeared without a trace. Me: “!!!” If he just wanted money, I could still negotiate calmly. If he wanted… I tried my best to calm down. My gaze fell on the handcuffs on my wrist, thinking about how to break free. However, before I could move. Creak. The door opened. I looked up subconsciously. The person revealed his figure. Tall and straight posture, broad shoulders and narrow waist. That face displayed on the giant screens of Times Square, the face that haunted my dreams, was also revealed— Extremely gorgeous, extremely beautiful. For me, this person was as beautiful as an unreachable dream. I looked at him somewhat sluggishly. Is it a dream? However. The man looked straight at me, a lazy smile on the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were cold and gloomy: “Mr. Moore, didn’t you want to keep me as your sugar baby? Why the sudden change of heart?” Me: “???” 3 My brain crashed. I stared at him absent-mindedly for a long while before speaking hoarsely: “E… Ethan?” He walked over leisurely, approaching me bit by bit, letting out a very light laugh: “Mr. Moore, finally remembered?” “So, can you answer my question now?” When he leaned over, the warm breath he exhaled, combined with his extremely beautiful eyebrows and eyes, was like a colorful and gorgeous poisonous snake slowly clinging to the skin, revealing sharp fangs, slimy and cold. Like a terrifying stalker. Goosebumps rose all over my body. Every cell in my body screamed fear and danger. My heart beat extremely fast, crazily hitting my ribs, driving me to escape and get rid of this terrible person quickly. But my body didn’t move at all. I finally recovered from his super high looks and looked at him calmly: “Because I don’t want the Moore Group to go bankrupt.” Ethan: “???” I was sincere and straightforward: “I do have thoughts about you, but as far as I know, everyone who had thoughts about you and put them into action either went bankrupt or became half-disabled, either went to jail or lost their lives.” “I don’t want to drag the Moore Group down with me.” Ethan feigned regret: “Mr. Moore, maybe you are different in my heart? Maybe I am looking forward to your ‘hostile takeover’?” Me: “…” I’m not a mind reader! “Giving up without even trying, this is not in line with your consistent style, Mr. Moore.” Me: “…” Me: “Being rejected is too embarrassing.” I actually thought about being brave once. But my mental state is not very stable. If I was blatantly rejected by Ethan, I would very likely go crazy. But I can’t afford the price of going crazy. So better out of sight, out of mind. I held up the handcuffs in front of him: “Big Star Ethan, so what do you mean?” Ethan took it for granted: “If the mountain won’t come to me, I must go to the mountain.” Me: “So, your so-called going to the mountain is kidnapping, dark room, imprisonment?” Ethan flashed a brilliant smile at me: “Yes.” Ethan is a top-level succubus. Because his smile dazzled my eyes again. Finally, I was dragged back to reality by the warm, wet, soft touch and dense stinging pain on my earlobe. At this time, I was pressed on the bed by him, pajamas messed up, exposing a large chest. Ethan was intimately holding my waist, containing my earlobe in his mouth, biting gently, muttering indistinctly: “William…” His fingers were touching my abs dishonestly, looking like they were going lower. Me: “…” I am a normal man. Being teased like this by the person I like, it would be strange not to react. I panted and pushed him away: “What exactly do you want to do?” Ethan was confused: “Isn’t it obvious?” Me: “…You want to sleep with me?” Ethan: “Otherwise, why did I go to such lengths to catch you here?” Me: “…” I was stunned by his straightforward and bold words. No, bro. Even if I wanted to keep Ethan, I planned to do it step by step. Get to know each other first, hold hands, date, watch movies, have afternoon tea. When feelings deepen, kiss on the cheek, take it slow, then kiss on the lips. Top intimate things like sleeping together were not in my initial plan. Because I was afraid Ethan wouldn’t want to, and I didn’t want to force him. And now… Under the huge surprise, I felt absurd: “Do you like me?” Ethan pointed to the wall full of “trophies,” then buried his chin in the hollow of my neck, gently rubbing my skin with his canine teeth. Warm breath hit my neck, his voice slightly magnetically hoarse: “William, I like you so much I’m going crazy.” “From the first glance I saw you at a banquet, I wanted to lock you up, strip you naked, and devour you.” Me: “…” You are really rough with your words. In consternation, my pajama pants were also pulled down. Ethan let out a mischievous laugh, his hand grabbed: “Mr. Moore, you’re hard.” Looking at the surprised and teasing smile on his face, I couldn’t bear it anymore, grabbed his head, and kissed him angrily. The person I like delivered himself to my door with a beautiful face. How could I resist? I’m not a saint. … …… 4 When I woke up. The soreness and pain all over my body indicated a fact—— I slept with Ethan, and I was the one topped by him. A bit different from imagination, but the difference isn’t big. Got the person I’ve been dreaming of, doesn’t matter if he’s on top or bottom. Ethan was still sleeping soundly beside me with his arm around my shoulder, fine black short hair floating on his beautiful eyebrows. I pinched his cheek, then pinched his nose. How can a person look so good? I pulled away his right hand holding me. His hand was also very beautiful, well-proportioned and slender, like warm white jade. A red string was tied on his wrist, appearing inexplicably erotic. Last night he used the fingers of this hand… Even held it up for me to see… He even raised his eyebrows smilingly and said: “Mr. Moore, you are so… wet.” F*ck! I dispelled the improper and chaotic thoughts in my mind. The handcuffs on my hand had been unlocked. Just saw a pack of cigarettes by the bedside table. I took one and lit it with a lighter. A little scarlet appeared and disappeared at my fingertips. Gray-white smoke blurred my obscure expression. Holding hands (more accurately, grabbing hands, shackling, interlacing fingers), kissing face and neck, kissing lips, sleeping together… One step to the destination directly. Then what? He continues to be his big star? I continue to be my CEO? “Waking up so early, looks like I didn’t work hard enough.” A lazy and satisfied voice sounded. A pair of hands hugged my waist, a furry head rested on my thigh. I ignored his dirty talk: “…What time is it now? And where is my phone?” Ethan let go of the hand holding my waist, reached out, opened the drawer of the bedside table, and threw a phone to me. I opened it and thought calmly. Good, it’s already ten o’clock. I glanced at the dense photos on the wall, thinking what a pervert, but kept a calm face: “You plan to keep me locked up like this?” Ethan: “Of course not.” Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, Ethan said happily: “Mr. Moore, let me be your canary, and you be my sugar daddy, how about it?” Me: “…” Me: “I remember the person who wanted you to be a canary last time had his head broken by you.” Ethan said disgustedly and arrogantly: “Who does he think he is? Take a look in the mirror before wanting to be my sugar daddy?” Me: “…” Ethan hugged me smilingly and said: “Only William is worthy of being my sugar daddy~” Me: “…” Ethan: “Mr. Moore, being my sugar daddy has benefits. Don’t you want to cooperate with the Zane Corp?” I frowned at him. I did want to cooperate with the Zane Corp on a project in the Waterfront District recently, but the competition was too fierce. After multiple evaluations, I wasn’t very optimistic. Moreover, Mr. Jared Zane, the CEO of Zane Corp, looked refined, noble, and gentle, seemingly easy to talk to. In reality, he had a vicious eye, outstanding ability and means, but was cold-blooded and ruthless, a hard nut to crack. He had brought down many prominent families single-handedly. I vaguely heard that he obtained genetic data from an illegal large-scale human experiment organization, went crazy and cloned himself, and then got together with that clone. I feel my mental state is sometimes worrying. But not as crazy as this bro. None of the ethics and morals. Ethan: “As long as there’s no problem with your plan, one phone call from me, Jared Zane will definitely choose you!” Me: “…” This is simply turning the world upside down. Since when does a canary give resources to the sugar daddy? I twitched the corner of my mouth: “You have a friendship with him?” Ethan hummed: “I and he are life-and-death brothers! Rounding up, you are his sister-in-law (brother’s wife)! If he doesn’t help his sister-in-law, who will he help!” Me: “…So the person behind you is Mr. Zane?” Ethan: “More than that, I have too many brothers. Sigh, I’ll take you to meet them when I have a chance in the future.” Me: “.” Ethan kissed me, pushed me back onto the bed again, and said cheekily: “Anyway, it’s still early, Mr. Moore, you are on vacation again, let’s continue~” Me: “???” I pushed him away coldly and ruthlessly: “Continue your grandpa! Are you a reincarnation of an Energizer Bunny?” My waist is sore and painful now. Do it again and I’ll be disabled. Ethan leaned over pitifully, kissed my ear, looked up and blinked his phoenix eyes, asking softly: “Really not okay?” “Mr. Moore~” “William~” “Little William~” “Wifey~” “Baby~” “Just one time, one time okay?” This gorgeous and charming face swayed in front of me. The coquettish voice was gorgeous and deep, with a hint of laziness and fawning. It formed a sharp contrast with the cold, arrogant, and invincible big star image outside. He belongs to me now… Belongs to me alone… And he is the person I have desired for so long… What’s the harm in agreeing to him? I closed my eyes, voice with a bit of hoarseness and indulgence willing to sink. “Fine.” I saw a flash of successful calmness and smile in Ethan’s eyes. The next second, the few clothes left on my body disappeared. Ethan buckled my chin and kissed me. Me: “…” I shouldn’t play myself to death… right? 5 Three in the afternoon. Ethan, looking refreshed, carried me, weak and powerless, into the bathroom to shower. 6 The next day. Ethan moved into my house with a matter-of-course attitude. Me: “…”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391032”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

1 The express train pulled out of the station. I’d just come back from the restroom, and over a thousand passengers had vanished. I refused to believe it, frantically dialing the station’s help line. The agent on the phone insisted that due to a severe blizzard, Express Train G404 had been canceled. It never left the station. But I was sitting right there, in the warmth of a first-class seat. Even more terrifying, when I tried to call my mother, the number came back as disconnected. And the world outside the window, once a snowy landscape, had dissolved into a colorless, gray void… When I opened my eyes again, I was screaming in a psychiatric hospital. The doctors increased my dosage, even subjected me to electroshock therapy, all to make me forget the train. During an exercise period, I threw myself from a tenth-story window. And now, I was back. A second chance, on the same day of the holiday rush. “Attention passengers, the train is now approaching the platform…” My head snapped up. I stared at the crimson letters on the departures board. “Train G404, now boarding.” I pinched my thigh, hard. The pain was sharp, real. This time, I would find out the truth, even if it meant dying on this train. … I looked down at the sweat-dampened blue ticket in my hand. Train G404, Car 05, Seat 12F. Grabbing my suitcase, I bolted for the gate. I tumbled through, luggage and all, just a second before the barriers slid shut. The white bullet train sat silently on the tracks. With a trembling hand, I reached out and touched its cold, steel skin. The frantic beating in my chest finally slowed. It wasn’t a hallucination. I dragged my suitcase toward car 05. Shoving my way through the crowded aisle, I finally reached my seat. A man in his forties, his clothes worn from labor, was sitting there, peeling an orange, just like the last time. He looked up as I approached, awkwardly pulling his woven duffel bag closer to his legs. “Sorry, miss. Got a lot of stuff here. Let me make some room for you.” I stared at him for three long seconds. Then I reached out and patted his arm. It was warm, the muscle beneath his sleeve firm. He was a living person. “It’s okay,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “A little crowded, but it’s cozier that way.” I let out a long breath, heaved my suitcase onto the overhead rack, and sank into my seat. I glanced out the window. A platform attendant was waving a green flag. A sharp beep sounded. The doors hissed shut, and the train began to move. I pulled out my phone, opened my map app to track our GPS location, then leaned back and closed my eyes. Just three more hours, and I’d be home. “Water, miss?” The man beside me offered a bottle of water, his smile kind. “You’re sweating. Must be in a hurry to get home for the New Year, eh?” I took the water, a warmth spreading through my chest. “Yeah. In a hurry. My mom’s waiting.” “Heh, me too,” he said, his eyes crinkling into a smile. “Been working all year. This is the day I live for. My little girl wanted cherries, so I got her a whole crate.” I twisted the cap off the bottle but only took a tiny sip. This time, I wasn’t going to the restroom. I would hold it until we arrived, no matter what. 2 Last time, they locked me away like I was crazy. This time, I needed irrefutable proof. I opened my phone’s camera and started recording. “It is currently 3:20 PM on February 16th, 2026. New Year’s Eve.” “I’m in car number 05 of the G404 Express.” I narrated quietly, panning the camera across the car. The lens captured the young couple in front of me sharing a cup of instant noodles. In the aisle, a young mother struggled to soothe her wailing infant. Diagonally behind me, a few older men were playing a loud game of cards, the snap of their hands hitting the table echoing through the car. Finally, I turned the camera on the man next to me. “Hey, want to say hi? A little holiday travel documentary,” I said with a smile. He looked a bit shy, covering his face with one hand as he offered me half of his freshly peeled orange with the other. “Don’t film me, I’m a mess. Here, have an orange. It’s sweet.” “Thanks,” I said, making sure to capture the orange, and the digital watch on his wrist, in the video. I saved the clip and immediately uploaded it to my family’s group chat, then posted it to my social media. Caption: “Full speed ahead! Mom, get the dumplings ready, I’ll be home soon!” As the replies rolled in from aunts and uncles—emojis wishing me a safe trip—the last knot of anxiety in my stomach loosened. I had video. I had witnesses. I had a GPS trail. Not even God himself could call me a liar this time. I popped a segment of the sweet orange into my mouth. It was delicious. “Miss, do you feel that…?” the man beside me suddenly asked, his brow furrowed. “Is it just me, or is this ride getting really rough?” I paused. “Is it?” I glanced down at the water bottle on the tray table. The surface of the water was vibrating violently. “And… my ears are ringing,” he said, rubbing them with a pained expression. A cold dread trickled down my spine. Last time, I’d been so focused on getting to the restroom that I hadn’t paid any attention to my surroundings. Just then, the train’s PA system crackled to life with a piercing shriek of static. “Screeeeee—” Everyone in the car clapped their hands over their ears. The baby’s cries intensified. Grumbling turned to angry shouts. “What the hell is going on? Conductor!” “They’re going to make us deaf!” I whipped my head toward the window. A dark, gaping hole loomed ahead. A tunnel. The instant the front of the train entered the tunnel, the lights inside the car flickered. An immense pressure slammed into us. It felt like my head was being squeezed in a vise, my eyeballs about to burst from their sockets. The baby’s cries became a high, thin wail. The man’s curses warped into a low, guttural groan. “Sir! Sir, are you okay?” I gasped. Just as my hand was about to touch his sleeve… Crack! A sharp snap echoed in my mind. The lights went out completely. A second later, they flickered back on. I was panting, my hand still hovering in the air. But the man beside me was gone. I shot to my feet and scanned the car. The couple with their noodles, the mother with her baby, the men playing cards… In a single second, they had all evaporated. The entire train car was spotless, as pristine as a factory model. Even the creases on the seats had been smoothed away. I was the only one left, standing alone in the aisle. The half-eaten orange was still in my hand, its juice dripping onto the floor. “Aaaah!” A scream ripped from my throat as the familiar, suffocating despair crashed down on me once more. 3 I burst out of car 05, stumbling blindly through the train. Car 04 was empty. Car 03 was empty. The dining car was also empty. Over a thousand passengers, along with the luggage that had clogged the aisles, had all vanished. Outside the window, the blizzard was gone, replaced by a churning, chaotic grayness. I couldn’t see a thing, only the roar of the train reminding me that I was still alive. “Is anyone there? Hello!” “Conductor! Anybody!” I ran, shouting, but my voice was swallowed by the silence. Driven by desperation, I reached the connection between cars and slammed the emergency intercom button. “Bzzzt… bzzzt…” Only static answered. Calm down, Anna! You’re not the same naive girl you were last time! My hands shaking, I pulled out my phone. One bar of signal. I immediately dialed my mom. Ring… ring… ring… Answer, Mom! Please, please answer! “Hello? Anna?” The call connected! The moment I heard her familiar voice, a wave of relief washed over me. I slid to the floor and broke down, sobbing. “Mom! Mom, help me! Something’s wrong with the train! Everyone’s gone!” There was a two-second pause. “Anna? Honey, what are you talking about? What do you mean everyone’s gone?” “The train! G404! I’m on it!” I screamed, the words tumbling out in a rush. “It was full of people, and then suddenly they all disappeared! I’m the only one left!” “Anna… is it happening again?” My mom’s voice was laced with a new, terrifying edge of fear. “Are you still in the city? Are you just upset you couldn’t get a ticket?” “No! I got one! I’m on the train!” “You’re lying!” she suddenly shouted. “They just made an announcement at the station! It’s all over the news! The blizzard caused a power failure on the line. Train G404 was canceled! Everyone who had a ticket is here getting a refund right now!” It was happening. It was all happening again, just like last time. My panic reached a fever pitch. “That’s impossible! I have the ticket in my hand! I’ve been on this train for an hour! Mom, look at the group chat! I sent a video! I filmed the other people in the car!” I fumbled with my phone, switching back to the messaging app. “Look, Mom! The video in the group chat! That’s my proof!” I heard my mom fumbling with her phone on the other end. “What am I supposed to be looking at? The only thing in here is a video of you talking to an empty train car!” she cried, her voice breaking. “Anna, are you sick? Please don’t scare me like this!” Talking to an empty car? My body went rigid. I looked down, my thumb trembling as I pressed play. On the screen, I saw myself, holding my phone with a bright smile, excitedly narrating to the camera. “It is currently 3:20 PM on February 16th…” The background was a car of empty seats. “Hey, want to say hi…?” my video-self said, cheerfully panning the camera to the seat beside me. It was empty. There was no construction worker, no duffel bag, no golden-yellow orange. “No… no…” I stared at the screen, my grip on the phone so tight I thought it would shatter. “That’s impossible! I ate the orange! Look! Look at my hand!” I thrust my left hand forward. I was still clutching the half-eaten piece of fruit. But the video showed something different. I watched myself pop empty fingers into my mouth and pretend to chew. A wave of nausea and cold dread washed over me, starting from my toes and crawling up my spine. Am I losing my mind? No! I refused to believe it! The sweet, tangy taste of the orange was still on my tongue. It was real! “Mom! Believe me! I’m on the train!” I pleaded. “It’s still moving! It’s going really fast!” “Anna, where are you? I’ve already called the police! They’re tracking your phone right now!” my mom sobbed. “Don’t go anywhere! Just stay where you are!” The police… yes, the police would figure it out! “Mom, tell them to check! I have GPS! I’m moving! I’m really, really moving!” I switched back to my map app. The little blue dot representing me was flying across the map at an incredible speed. The display read: 190 mph. See! That was the proof! Who on earth can run at nearly two hundred miles an hour?! 4 Ten minutes later, a call came through from an unknown number. “Is this Ms. Anna Reid? This is Detective Morgan.” “Detective! Help me! I’m on train G404, and all the passengers are gone!” I clung to his voice like a lifeline. “Ms. Reid, I need you to remain calm.” The detective’s tone was strange, as if he was trying to suppress some strong emotion. “We’ve just pinpointed your phone’s location.” “You see it, right? I’m moving! The train is heading toward my hometown!” “Yes, we see that,” he said, pausing for a beat. “Your phone is indeed moving at approximately 190 miles per hour, and its location is tracking along the main North-South rail line.” “But…” “But what?” My throat tightened. “But we have the real-time dispatch map from the national rail network. At this very moment, there are no trains operating on that line. Not even a freight train.” “What does that mean?” My tongue felt thick and clumsy. The detective’s voice hardened. “Ms. Reid, are you carrying some kind of illegal signal jammer or GPS spoofer? I need to warn you, disrupting the rail network during the holiday season is a federal offense.” “No! I’m on the train! It’s a bullet train! It’s white! Why won’t any of you believe me?” I screamed, tears and snot streaming down my face. “Ms. Reid,” the detective asked suddenly, “do you have any history of mental illness?” His question was like a bucket of ice water. Last time, that’s exactly what they had asked. “I have a history of depression, from work-related stress,” I said, my teeth clenched. “But I’m not crazy! I can tell the difference between reality and a hallucination!” “And I have my ticket!” “Tickets can be faked.” “I have a video!” “Your mother showed it to us. You’re alone in it.” “I have an orange! The man next to me gave me an orange!” “You can buy an orange anywhere.” The world had built a perfect, logical prison around me, and the only conclusion was that I was insane.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391049”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

1 Visiting a home to buy back pre-owned designer bags, I unexpectedly ran into my ex-husband’s current wife. Who was also my older sister, Sienna Hayes. Calmly, I put on my gloves, inspected the bags for wear and tear, then looked up and politely asked her, “Are all these bags for sale?” Seeing me, she froze. Tears immediately welled in her eyes. “Eliza, are you doing so badly? Why are you doing this?” “Are you… still mad at me?” When she started to cry, I knew, without a doubt, that Adam Breaux was already standing behind me. It had always been this way. Wherever Adam Breaux was, she would innocently shed tears. Then, with a few well-placed words, she would twist the situation, making me the aggressor. Her methods were as clumsy as ever. Yet, they consistently managed to blind Adam Breaux. Now, I turned back with an indifferent expression. My eyes met Adam Breaux’s. I was the first to nod. “Hello, Adam.” Once, he was the man who governed my every breath, who caused me unbearable pain. Now, meeting again, I felt no ripples. … A look of intense astonishment flashed in Adam Breaux’s eyes. “Eliza…” “Where have you been all these years?” “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?” I offered a dismissive half-smile. “What right do you have to look for me?” His gaze darkened. “Eliza Bennett, what do you mean I have no right? Our sixteen years of shared history…” I found it amusing. “What history?” “As your ex-wife? Or your sister-in-law?” His body stiffened. I had no desire to reminisce with him. I turned back. The high-quality bags felt warm in my hands. Many of these bags, during my marriage to Adam Breaux, he had secretly bought for Sienna Hayes behind my back. I still vividly remembered the first time I stumbled upon her and Adam Breaux’s apartment. In the apartment’s living room, an exquisite display cabinet showcased designer bags. It perfectly recreated the dream she often spoke of in her youth: “My future husband will definitely be rich. He’ll make me an entire wall just for my bags!” That time, my “catching them in the act” didn’t faze Sienna Hayes at all. Instead, she gave me a provocative smile. “Pretty, aren’t they?” “Adam bought every single one of these bags for me himself, from abroad.” “Poor Eliza. The moment I bat my eyelashes and shed a tear, your husband can’t help but feel sorry for me.” “Do you really think there’s still a place for you in his heart?” Five years passed. Sienna Hayes had become Adam Breaux’s legitimate wife. That wall of bags had moved from the clandestine mistress’s apartment to their openly shared home. I quietly looked at these bags that had once driven me to madness. No emotion stirred within me. I calmly pulled out my phone to calculate the price. “For these bags, the second-hand resale price is a total of ten thousand three hundred dollars.” “If you’re planning to sell, my prices here are very competitive.” Adam Breaux looked at my tools, his shock even greater. “Eliza, you don’t play the piano anymore?” I sighed. My time was valuable. “If you’re not selling, I’ll be leaving now.” I wanted to leave their house as quickly as possible, but suddenly, he grabbed my hand. “Don’t be like that, I’m just worried about you…” When he touched my two deformed fingers, Adam Breaux’s pupils constricted. “Your hand, how could it be…” This pair of piano hands, which had once won countless trophies, was long ruined. It happened during the 36 hours when he locked me in the villa to be with Sienna Hayes, who was awaiting childbirth. I missed the optimal window for treatment. “Indeed.” “I haven’t played the piano in a long time.” “After all, I had three bone-setting surgeries and two years of physical therapy.” Being able to grasp and lift objects normally was a blessing. I said goodbye, distantly yet politely. As I stepped outside the apartment, those two people came chasing after me again. Adam Breaux anxiously blocked my path. “Where are you going? I’ll drive you.” Sienna Hayes’s face had already turned ashen. Yet, she still managed a strained, pitying smile. “Let Adam drive you. “Eliza, I was going to donate these bags to charity… but I can’t bear to see you struggling so much, so I’ll give them to you. Consider it a boost for your business.” I smiled. “You don’t need to give me bags. Adam doesn’t need to drive me either.” “After all, we’re not that close.” “And I certainly don’t want to be involved with a married woman in any way.” Back at the shop, the two young female assistants were scrolling through social media. “Mr. Breaux and Miss Hayes are trending again, they’re such an attractive couple.” “Mr. Breaux is a model husband. I heard that because his wife was once bullied by her own sister, he specifically established a foundation to protect against domestic bullying!” “This time, Mr. Breaux’s beloved is even planning to donate half of her designer bags, calling for more attention to domestic violence incidents.” “They’re such a perfect match, a beautiful and kind-hearted couple!” I chuckled. So, they were now seen as a philanthropic couple, actively involved in domestic violence cases. All these years later. He still believed Sienna Hayes was the one being bullied. Adam Breaux was the man I chose for myself. I was once utterly convinced we would spend our lives together. But in the year I loved him most, he ended up in the same bed as the person I hated most in this life. When I arrived at the scene, the messy, intimate room, and two naked, entangled bodies made my stomach churn. When I clearly saw the woman’s face, which bore an eight-point resemblance to my own, my world went silent. It was my older sister. Sienna Hayes. Adam Breaux was my neighbor. He witnessed my long childhood, marked by abuse from Sienna and my stepmother. On many nights, I was driven out of the house because of Sienna Hayes’s false accusations. It was Adam Breaux who wrapped a thick coat around me. The time Sienna Hayes’s pen pierced my eardrum, it was Adam Breaux who kicked open my door first, scooped me up, and rushed me to the hospital. “Eliza, hold on!!” “Eliza, don’t be afraid. I’m here. Sienna Hayes can’t hurt you.” He knew perfectly well how much I hated Sienna Hayes, and now… I lost control, rushing forward and slapping Sienna Hayes twice. “Sienna Hayes!!” “You’ve never wished me well, since we were children. Now you’ve even climbed into my husband’s bed! Why are you always haunting me??” The third slap didn’t land. My hand was seized by a crimson-eyed Adam Breaux. He urgently embraced me, his voice trembling. “Eliza, I’m so sorry, I was drugged… I mistook her for you.” “It’s all my fault, all my fault…” Sienna Hayes shivered, wrapping herself up, her eyes misty with tears. “Eliza, you’ve misunderstood me again… How could I do anything to betray you…” Looking at her habitual expression of feigned helplessness, my vision swam. … Before I could react to the absurdity of it all, I fainted. For a long time after I woke up, Adam Breaux begged for my forgiveness every day. He repeatedly presented me with evidence that he had been set up. “Eliza, no matter how much of a scoundrel I am, I would never be with Sienna Hayes. Please believe me, okay?” I tried to convince myself it was an accident. To let it go. But just as our rift was beginning to heal with time, Sienna Hayes updated her social media. It was a blurry photo, her nestled in a man’s arms at dusk. Caption: “Thank you for spending New Year’s Eve with me.” The man’s cufflink gleamed under the light. It was the ten-year anniversary gift I had given Adam Breaux. My blood rushed to my head in an instant. This was the fifth day of Adam Breaux’s supposed business trip. He had only left me a hasty message: “Eliza, decided last minute to stay an extra day. Don’t wait for me for dinner.” He went to be with Sienna Hayes. They had never broken contact. This fact hit me like a sledgehammer, knocking me senseless. By the time I arrived in the city, it was almost midnight. I staggered towards the Great Harbor Bridge. Fireworks instantly burst into the sky. The next second, in the flickering light, the scene of the two of them watching fireworks together, nestled close, unexpectedly crashed into my vision— “Do you think it’ll be a boy or a girl?” Sienna Hayes looked at Adam Breaux, her eyes crinkling in a smile. “Will this be its first New Year’s Eve?” I felt a momentary ringing in my ears. What boy or girl? Who was ‘it’? My body reacted faster than my brain. I rushed forward and slapped Adam Breaux hard, then grabbed Sienna Hayes’s hair. “You bitch! You still claim to be innocent?!” In that chaotic moment, Adam Breaux quickly shielded Sienna Hayes in his arms. He gripped my wrist, his brow furrowed, his eyes dark and heavy. His grip was so strong it felt like my bones would shatter. “What are you doing!? Sienna is pregnant!! What’s wrong with you?” I looked at him in disbelief, tears streaming down my face. “Her pregnancy, what does it have to do with you?” “Adam Breaux, who is your wife?!” Only then did he release me, as if waking from a dream. But from beginning to end, he held Sienna Hayes tightly in his arms. “Eliza, don’t be impulsive! Listen to me.” “Sienna is pregnant because of that accident… she’s carrying my child.” “The doctor said her constitution is special, if she doesn’t carry this child to term, she might never be able to get pregnant again! She was frantic, didn’t know what to do, that’s why she came to me.” “I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d overthink it…” Sienna Hayes’s face was streaked with two lines of tears, all too familiar to me. “Eliza, Mom and Dad want me to get rid of my baby.” “Please, please let me stay, let me have my baby, okay?” “I won’t disturb you two, I just want my own child…” My head buzzed. All my sharp edges were roused in that instant. “Sienna Hayes, you’re lying again!! What do you mean you won’t be able to get pregnant if you abort the baby? Do you think anyone believes you? Do you dare to go to the hospital with me for an examination?” Her eyes were misty with tears. “Eliza, why do you always have to be so extreme? Sister doesn’t want to ruin your happiness! Sister just wants to have her own child.” Adam Breaux’s face, meanwhile, hardened inch by inch. “Eliza, do you really have to speak of your own sister like that?” “Your sister is also a victim. I’m the one who wronged her. Do you have to be so aggressive?” “How can you be so cold-blooded?” The Adam Breaux of ten years ago and the man before me now, split and overlapped in my vision. The boy who would share his earphones with me on winter nights. Now looked at me with an indifference I had never seen before. I remembered that New Year, when I was seventeen. My piano teacher, who was in charge of my intensive training, gave me a day off. I took a four-hour bus ride, holding a cake box I had ordered with three months of pocket money, and stood at my front door. The fingerprint lock beeped an error. Once, twice, thrice. I called my father. In the background, the cold female voice of an airport announcement mixed with Sienna Hayes’s clear laughter. “Dad! Look! Snow-capped mountains!” My father’s voice was distant and impatient. “Why aren’t you practicing piano at school? What are you doing home? We’re with Sienna, skiing in Switzerland. You should go back.” The busy signal as he hung up pierced my eardrum like a needle. I didn’t know when the sky had completely darkened. I only remembered my fingers freezing numb, and the ribbon on the cake box flapping loudly in the wind. Then, a beam of headlights cut through the darkness. Adam Breaux jumped out of the car, his breath condensing into white mist in the cold air. He saw the melted cake at my feet, and his movements paused. Then he grabbed my frozen hands, and without a word, tucked them inside his sweater, pressing them against his warm chest. “Are you foolish?” “Couldn’t you call me?” My lips trembled, unable to make a sound. He took off his left earbud and gently placed it in my ear. “Eliza Bennett, look up.” I raised my tear-filled eyes. Firelight danced in his pupils, his face impossibly handsome in the interplay of light and shadow. “Don’t cry.” “Happy New Year.” “Trust me.” “I’ll definitely get you out of here. To a place without biased parents, without Sienna Hayes, without nightmares.” “Every year, I’ll be the first to wish you a Happy New Year.” At that moment, for the first time in my seventeen years of bleak existence, I saw light. The earphone hummed with a faint current, the song flowing like warm water into my frozen veins. “If the whole world speaks ill of you, I will whisper words of love for an eternity.” The moment the lyrics played, my tears fell onto his hand. The flutter in my heart then was beyond words. But ten years later, at the very first moment of the New Year, he held Sienna Hayes close. And called me a cold-blooded animal. After that day, I accepted an invitation for a concert tour abroad. I packed my bags overnight and left the country. For three months, I didn’t answer any of his calls. I didn’t know how to face his change. “Eliza, where are you? Don’t scare me.” “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have left you without a word.” “Eliza Bennett, I was ready to love you for a lifetime when I was sixteen. But I’m not a saint. I’m bound to make mistakes.” “Are you really going to completely shut down our future?” And his friends’ pleas also urged me: “Adam did make a mistake, but in his situation, let alone mistaking someone for you, even if he had genuinely slept with a stranger, wouldn’t it be understandable?” “Eliza, don’t be so stubborn. Adam protected you for so many years, with all his heart. Are you going to condemn him to death for one mistake?” “Isn’t Adam’s kindness also for your sake?” “If your sister really can’t get pregnant later, and you make her abort this child, what if she holds a grudge against you?” Gradually, I began to wonder if I was the one who was wrong. Perhaps I truly was too extreme. And I had to admit, I was too accustomed to Adam Breaux’s presence. I missed our old conversations, and even more, I missed… him. I composed myself and flew back home. During the seventeen-hour flight, I practiced smiling into the cabin window. Hoping to reconcile as soon as I saw Adam Breaux. But when I returned home, unexpectedly, no one was there. I turned to get the spare key from my car, and pulled open the door. The sweet scent of camellias, Sienna Hayes’s usual perfume, wafted out. On the passenger seat, my gray wool seat cover was gone. In its place was a thick, antique red lumbar support cushion, its edges embroidered with delicate patterns. The side storage pocket was filled with pregnant-woman-specific snacks: Japanese dried plums, organic nuts, sugar-free yogurt sticks… What did this mean? They… were living together? Anger once again consumed me. I sought them everywhere, finally finding the two of them in the hospital. But I saw Adam Breaux, with one leg injured, pale and leaning against the headboard. And Sienna Hayes, showing early signs of pregnancy, busily wiping his sweat. My heart suddenly leaped into my throat. “Adam, what happened to you?” Sienna Hayes, after a momentary stiffness, quickly adopted her most practiced pitiful expression. “Eliza…” she stood up, instinctively shielding her stomach. “You’re finally back…” “After you ran away, Adam was distracted every day. Last month, he was hit by a car.” “Eliza, Adam’s eyes and heart are full of you. All the mistakes… are my fault, please don’t blame him anymore.” Adam Breaux looked at me, his eyes red-rimmed, saying nothing. Seeing his disappointed gaze and his high-slung leg, I compromised. Paying the price for my reckless departure. I accepted his cold shoulder without protest. I even agreed to Sienna Hayes’s request to live in our home. I didn’t know what had happened during the three months I was away. But amidst the absurd cohabitation of three people, I clearly sensed that Adam Breaux no longer loved me. Love, or the lack thereof, cannot be hidden. Those tiny changes were like shards of glass, scattered throughout every corner of my life. Sienna Hayes would caress her slightly bulging belly, her voice soft. “The gray tones in the house make me so depressed, my appetite isn’t good… Can we change it to a warm brown?” “Eliza’s piano is so beautiful, can I touch it? Just for a second.” She would frown, her gaze drifting to my favorite photo on the mantelpiece, “Strange, this wedding photo makes me dizzy…” I was almost driven to a breaking point by her. I didn’t like warm colors. And I wouldn’t allow anyone to touch my piano. And that wedding photo of Adam Breaux embracing me from behind on the black sand beach in Iceland was my most cherished picture. Yet, every time I tried to refuse, Adam Breaux would speak first. “No problem.” “Eliza, she’s pregnant, give her some leeway.” “It’s just changing some soft furnishings, don’t be so petty.” “Let’s put the photo away for now, a pregnant woman’s emotions are important.” So, the gray walls were covered with dark red wallpaper. My piano was moved to a corner, its lid piled high with her pregnancy magazines. The day my wedding photo disappeared, I found it in a cardboard box in the storage room, the glass cracked with a fine line. My home became Sienna Hayes’s showroom. Anxiety and resentment coiled around my heart like vines. I became someone even I disliked, paranoid and jumpy. And each time, Sienna Hayes perfectly stirred the waters. “Eliza, don’t misunderstand, Adam just wants to listen to the baby’s heartbeat…” “Alright, I won’t discuss baby names with him anymore, so you don’t overthink it.” Adam Breaux would then turn to look at me, his brow furrowed in an arc of weariness. “She’s your sister, and she’s carrying my child. Can’t you be more generous?” “Our sixteen years of affection, can’t that outweigh your suspicions?” He sighed, his gaze drifting past me to the window. “I’m very tired. Why can’t you… be as understanding as Sienna?” I became withdrawn and silent. Allowing their laughter and joy to fill my home. I thought that if I just endured this period, everything would end once Sienna Hayes had her baby. But I never expected her tricks, usually reserved for our parents, to be used on Adam Breaux. At six months, Sienna Hayes secretly ate the medium-rare steak I had cooked for myself. That night, the wail of an ambulance siren tore through the quiet of the neighborhood. Acute gastroenteritis, threatened premature labor. In the stark hospital corridor, Adam Breaux roared at me, his finger almost poking my nose: “Eliza Bennett! You know pregnant women can’t eat raw meat!” “She’s your sister! Are you trying to kill her and the baby?!” I stood frozen, chilled to the bone. “I never intended to cook it for her. That was for me to take to the office.” “She’s framing me again!!” Adam Breaux scoffed. “Always claiming to be framed! She’s six months pregnant!! What could she gain by framing you? Do you have a persecution complex?!” Not far away, Sienna Hayes winked provocatively at me. As if pressing her advantage, she became emotionally distraught, tears streaming down her face. “Eliza! When you were little, you hurt your eardrum playing around, and you blamed me!” “When you ran off with your boyfriend and missed an exam, you falsely accused me of locking you in!” “Even now! You deliberately fed me raw meat, even though Adam was home watching, and you still try to argue it!?” Sienna Hayes’s chest heaved with indignation. She was very convincing. Adam Breaux rushed back to her bedside, soothing Sienna Hayes as she gasped for breath. “Alright, don’t get upset.” “Be careful not to disturb the baby again.” When he looked up at me, his gaze had completely chilled, filled with intense disgust. “Leave. Don’t provoke your sister here any further.” A hysterical argument erupted once more. “Do you honestly believe I’m the one bullying her?!” “Adam Breaux, have you checked the security footage? Have you investigated? How can you be so certain…” My words were cut off by his impatient interruption. “Certain of what? For the few months Sienna’s been pregnant, you’ve been suspicious, wanting to watch her and me 24/7! What’s wrong with her just wanting her own child? What’s wrong with me providing some emotional support to a pregnant woman??” I couldn’t hold back anymore. “Providing emotional support to a pregnant woman requires soaking her feet? Peeling shrimp for her? Attending every prenatal appointment with her?” His face went completely dark. “Eliza Bennett, you always see problems with other people. Have you ever considered that for Sienna Hayes, that’s also a stepmother! Why do people only target you? Why do they pamper Sienna?” “Why do you never look for reasons within yourself?” “I’ve never seen Sienna Hayes bully you! It’s all something you fabricated!” I stared at him in disbelief. I almost couldn’t stand. “Adam Breaux!! You don’t love me anymore, you’ve changed your mind, just say it! Why twist the facts and slander me?!” His expression shifted. Just as a look of guilt crossed his face, Sienna Hayes’s suppressed sobbing came from behind: “Don’t argue, both of you… it’s all my fault…” He rushed back to her bedside. The only thing left for me was his back. “Eliza, just go home for now. Don’t act crazy in front of a patient.” In that instant, my decade-long affection for Adam Breaux, in his indifferent gaze, faded away with the wind. Later, the two of them acted as if they held an unbreakable shield for those last few months. They completely dropped any pretense. Adam Breaux didn’t even bother to explain anything to me. The prized tickets to the Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert, which I had cherished, were again used by him to take Sienna Hayes for prenatal music education. “Sienna says the baby has been moving a lot lately, and the doctor suggested listening to calming classical music.” “I’m taking her to listen. She’s having a tough pregnancy, she deserves to relax.” Sienna Hayes leaned against him, her fingers caressing her swollen abdomen, giving me a smile mixed with apology and superiority. “Eliza, you don’t mind, do you? Adam is just doing what’s best for the baby.” I opened my mouth, but found my throat clogged with something, unable to make any sound. That Berlin concert was playing my favorite, Brahms’s Fourth Symphony. Countless times in the dead of night, Adam Breaux and I would lean our heads together, sharing a single earphone to listen to this piece. When the second movement began, he would kiss my earlobe, “We must go hear it live someday, just the two of us.” Later, he did go to hear it live. Only it wasn’t with me, but with my sister. After that long half-month, they returned, the living room piled with shopping bags. Sienna Hayes looked remarkably well. Her skin had a honeyed glow from the European sun, and a delicate diamond pinky ring adorned her ring finger. Adam Breaux pulled out a shoddily packaged box of Mozart chocolate balls from the bottom of his luggage. “Eliza, I brought these for you.” He didn’t even look at me, instead bending down to massage Sienna Hayes’s slightly swollen calves. “Try them, they’re a specialty of Salzburg.” I stared at that box of chocolate balls, available at any airport. I remembered many years ago, when we were poor students and went to Shanghai for a concert for the first time. He clutched two student tickets, but after the show, he pulled out a small, ridiculously expensive box of Godiva, his eyes shining brightly. “Eliza, from now on, every time we go to a concert, I’ll buy you better chocolate.” My thoughts drifted back. Recalling that frantic, desperate past. Now, only a desolate calm remained in my heart. … “Eliza, do you know Mr. Breaux?” “He said he wanted to see you.” My thoughts returned to the present.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391065”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

On the day my husband, Gideon, gave our son’s life-saving meds to his childhood crush’s cat, I stopped being the wife he hated. Overnight, everything he disliked about me disappeared. He stayed out all night; I didn’t ask. His flirty texts; I ignored them. Even when we buried our son and he claimed a work emergency, I simply replied, “Okay,” and buried Jamie alone. His assistant watched my pale face with unease. “Mr. Pierce is swamped, ma’am. He’ll rush over after the meeting.” I remained silent, placing our son’s urn into the cold niche. Just before sealing it, Gideon’s car screeched to a halt. Drenched from the rain, he rushed over. “Sienna! Why didn’t you wait? I’m Jamie’s father!” My voice was flat. “Your work is important. Jamie would understand.” His heart clenched at my calmness. He reached for me, but whispers from onlookers stopped him. “Mr. Pierce only has eyes for Ms. Holloway. If she’d accepted his proposal, Sienna would’ve never married him.” Gideon turned back, urgent. “Tessa and I are just friends! I swear!” I handed him my umbrella. “I know. It’s raining. Use this.” I turned to leave. He grabbed my wrist. “If you’re angry, hit me! Why make it so damn unbearable?” Unbearable? He used to hate my tears, saying men can’t stand women who make scenes. Now that I was calm and understanding, why was he so upset? 1 I was about to shake his hand off when his phone blared, a jarring interruption in the heavy silence. Gideon frowned but answered. “I’m busy. Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow.” A tearful voice crackled through the speaker. “Gideon, Mochi is throwing up again. Can you please come see him? Please?” Mochi. That was the cat’s name. Gideon’s eyes flickered to me. When I offered no reaction, he immediately replied to the call. “Okay. I’m on my way.” He hung up. I pushed myself to my feet. My knees, numb from kneeling for so long, buckled beneath me. “Careful!” He lunged to steady me. I regained my balance and gently pulled my arm from his grasp. “Go,” I said. “A sick pet needs care. Drive safely.” I even retrieved his coat for him, holding it out with a steady hand. Gideon took it, a sharp, unidentifiable pain twisting in his chest. He walked to the door, then turned back suddenly. “I’ll be home for dinner tonight.” “Okay. I’ll wait for you.” Of course, he never came home. I made four dishes and a soup. I waited from seven until eleven. I reheated the food three times before finally scraping it all into the trash. At two in the morning, Tessa posted a new photo online. 【With you here, I’m not afraid of anything. Thank you, my guardian angel.】 The picture was of Gideon’s profile. He was frowning in concentration, giving a shot to a small cat, his expression focused and gentle. I liked the post. Then, I sent a message to my parents overseas. “The cooling-off period for the divorce ends in seven days. I’ll accept the arranged marriage you mentioned.” 2 For the next seven days, I practically lived at the office, trying to numb my hollowed-out soul with grueling work. My colleagues avoided my gaze, their whispers following me down the halls. “She’s such a workaholic. Her son just died and she’s already back at the office.” I said nothing, burying myself in spreadsheets. Tessa walked by with a coffee, pausing deliberately beside my desk. “Sienna, darling, don’t overdo it. Your health is important.” Her voice was soft, but loud enough for everyone nearby to hear her add, “She’s so focused on work, she didn’t even notice her own son was sick.” My fingers tightened around my pen. Gideon had never offered a single word of explanation about swapping the medication. He let the rumors fester, let the blame settle squarely on my shoulders. During the afternoon board meeting, Gideon’s father, the chairman, suddenly slammed a folder on the table. “Sienna, don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re my daughter-in-law!” he roared. “You worked for three straight days on a project and ignored your own son’s fever! How did our family end up with a heartless woman like you?” I looked up at Gideon. He wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Dad, this whole thing…” “You shut up!” his father snapped, slamming his palms on the table and rising to his feet. “This is all your fault for spoiling her!” He stormed over to me and his hand flew up, striking my face with a sharp crack. “This first one is for killing my grandson!” I stumbled back, my cheek burning. Across the room, I could see a triumphant smirk playing on Tessa’s lips. “And this is for losing the company the Corbin account!” He struck me again, harder this time. My ears rang, and I could taste blood in my mouth. “When Mr. Corbin heard you don’t even care about your own son, he said he couldn’t trust a family with no humanity! He canceled the contract this morning!” Gideon finally moved. “Dad!” he shouted, jumping up from his chair. “What, you’re still going to protect her?” Gideon spread his arms in front of me. “If you want to hit her, you’ll have to hit me first!” His father’s voice trembled with rage as he pointed a shaking finger in my face. “You see? He’s still defending you! I’ve been too soft on you, let you get away with murder!” The third slap never came, but I was already swaying. The world went dark, and I collapsed. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. Gideon was sitting beside me. “Tessa had a difficult childhood,” he began quietly. “Besides me, that cat was the only friend she had.” He paused. “Can’t you just let this one thing go? For us? Please?” I closed my eyes. “Sienna, let’s start over. Tonight, we can try for another baby. I’ll give you anything you want as compensation, I promise.” I finally turned my head to look at him, my throat raw. “And if I say no?” He froze, his brow furrowing in annoyance. “Don’t throw a tantrum.” I could still feel the stinging throb on my cheek. “I’m not throwing a tantrum. I just want to know. Do I still have the right to say no?” 3 His last ounce of patience evaporated. “Get some rest. I’ll come back to check on you later.” He left quickly. As the door clicked shut, I heard Tessa’s concerned voice from the hallway. “Gideon, is she okay?” “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have asked you to bring the medicine.” Gideon’s voice immediately softened. “It has nothing to do with you. She’s the one who can’t let it go.” I stared at the ceiling as a single tear escaped, sliding down my temple and disappearing silently into the pillow. I thought I had cried myself dry in the days after Jamie died, but it seemed I was wrong. The next day, a driver took me back to the Pierce estate. As I walked in, I saw Tessa sitting on the sofa, laughing with Gideon’s parents. She was cuddling Mochi, and tied around the cat’s neck was the little silver bell our son used to play with. The bell was one I had made myself for Jamie’s first birthday, with his name engraved inside. The doctor had advised me to get rid of his belongings after he passed. I had burned everything. Everything except that bell. It was the only thing I had left. “Oh, Sienna, you’re back,” Tessa said, standing up. “Mochi just loves this little bell. Gideon said Jamie wouldn’t be needing it anymore, so he let Mochi have it.” I walked past her without a word and snatched the bell from the cat’s collar. The startled animal hissed, its claws raking across the back of my hand, drawing blood. “Sienna, are you insane?” Gideon’s mother shrieked, rushing over. “It’s just a bell! Are you really going to pick a fight with a cat?” “She’s right, Sienna,” Tessa said, her eyes welling up. “If you’re upset, I apologize. Please don’t scare Mochi.” I clutched the bell, blood seeping between my fingers. Just then, Gideon walked in. His face darkened when he saw the scene. “What now?” Tessa immediately went to his side, tugging on his arm. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have given the bell to Mochi.” Gideon’s gaze, filled with reproach, landed on me. “It’s a bell, Sienna. It’s not a big deal. Why are you making such a scene?” He strode over, pried the bell from my grasp, and tied it back around Tessa’s cat’s neck. “The world doesn’t revolve around you!” I looked down at the plane ticket confirmation on my phone for the day after tomorrow, then turned and walked back to my room without another word. The next day, I went to the office. My assistant informed me that Mr. Corbin was demanding a personal explanation from me. I nodded, picked up the file, and went to the conference room. Mr. Corbin sat at the head of the table, his expression grim. “Mrs. Pierce,” he said, his voice cold. “I hear you prioritize your work over your own son. How can I trust a business partner like that?” I stood my ground. “Mr. Corbin, the circumstances of that day…” “The circumstances are irrelevant,” he waved his hand dismissively. “The entire industry is talking about it. The Pierce daughter-in-law let her son’s fever rage while she was chasing a contract. I have children of my own. I have no respect for such a ruthless woman.” The other executives in the room were whispering, their eyes on me. Gideon sat beside them, silent. I took a deep breath. “What would you like me to do, Mr. Corbin?” He pushed a glass of clear liquid toward me. “Drink this. Apologize publicly. Say you were wrong to neglect your family for your career. And we’ll consider the matter closed.” It was a full glass of whiskey, at least two shots. I have a sensitive stomach; my doctor has forbidden me from drinking. I looked at Gideon. He averted his eyes. “Mr. Corbin is offering you a way out, Sienna. Just take it.” I picked up the glass, my hand trembling. Everyone was waiting for the show. Behind Gideon, Tessa was smiling. I took a sip. The liquid burned my throat. After the second sip, my vision started to blur. When the last drop was gone, I turned the glass upside down. “I’m sorry,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I was wrong.” Mr. Corbin finally smiled. “Well done, Mrs. Pierce. Very sporting.” I turned and fled to the restroom, where I collapsed over the toilet, vomiting until my body ached. Blood mixed with the bile, and I had to cling to the sink just to stay upright. Gideon followed me in, his face a mask of displeasure. “Are you okay?” I rinsed my mouth. “I’m fine.” “If you can’t drink, you shouldn’t have forced it.” “Didn’t you tell me to?” He was silent. He reached out to wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth. I took a step back. “Mr. Pierce. This is the office. We should maintain a professional distance.” His hand froze in mid-air. That afternoon, Gideon’s father summoned me to his study. A new agreement was laid out on the desk. “You will forfeit Jamie’s shares in the company,” he said flatly. “Furthermore, your position here is terminated. The Pierce family does not support freeloaders.” I had been wondering how I would get Gideon to sign the final divorce papers. Now, it seemed, the problem had solved itself. But just as my pen touched the paper, Gideon burst into the room. “Dad! She can’t sign that!” “What? Still protecting her?” Gideon glanced at me, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. “Tessa is pregnant.” 4 The pen slipped from my fingers, leaving a long, black gash across the page. Gideon’s father stared, then his face broke into a grin of pure elation. “Really?” “We just found out. She’s two months along.” “The timing… the baby will be born right around the time Jamie passed. It must be a sign from heaven.” Tessa appeared in the doorway, her head bowed. “Sienna… I’m so sorry.” My father-in-law had already forgotten I existed. He rushed to Tessa’s side, taking her hand. “My dear girl, come, sit down.” He beamed. “Two months! Gideon, you’ve finally done something right!” I stood frozen, a roaring in my ears. Two months. Jamie passed away just over two months ago. Of course. Gideon walked over and wrapped his arms around me in a gentle embrace. “We can raise this child as our own,” he murmured. “It’ll be easier for you, don’t you think? You won’t have to suffer so much.” I looked at him, and for the first time, he seemed like a terrifying stranger. The three of them chattered excitedly about the new baby. No one noticed as I folded the agreement, tucked it into my purse, and walked out. That night, I packed my things. I had burned all of Jamie’s photos, keeping only a single small negative hidden in my phone case. But the bell was still on that cat. I had to get it back. I walked out of my room and saw Tessa standing in the doorway of what used to be Jamie’s nursery, holding Mochi. The room was empty now, and she was directing movers to bring in a large cat tree. “This will be Mochi’s new playroom,” she said, smiling sweetly when she saw me. “You don’t mind, do you, Sienna? Gideon said it was a shame to let the space go to waste.” I saw the bell, my son’s bell, tossed carelessly into a nearby trash can. My nails dug into my palms. “Oh, by the way, there’s something else I forgot to tell you,” she continued, her voice syrupy. “Don’t blame Gideon. That day, Jamie and Mochi both started coughing up blood at the same time. The vet said they both needed the medication immediately.” Her words hit me like a physical blow. Gideon had told me he hadn’t noticed Jamie was coughing up blood. “Gideon agonized over it for a long time,” Tessa purred.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391081”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

1 I couldn’t bear to look a second time at the monster in the mirror. The strength and resilience I had maintained all these years collapsed the moment I touched the cold glass. The artery was severed, blood dyeing a tub of warm water red. I sat painfully slumped by the bathroom window. Allowing my body to gradually turn cold and stiff. When I opened my eyes again, I had become a soul floating into the living room. The neighbors were laughing and chatting with my parents. “Your Chloe is beautiful and capable. She was promoted to lead news anchor this year, wasn’t she?” “The groom comes from a good family. I heard he’s a manager at a foreign company in the city. These two kids have finally ended their 7-year marathon and tied the knot.” I felt strange. Didn’t they know I was disfigured and had my legs amputated? Even if they mistook my twin sister, Mia, for me. But we both quit the radio station. Then who was promoted to lead anchor? Thinking of this, I felt a bit uneasy. My parents looked jubilant. They exchanged a knowing glance and stayed silent. After the guests left. My father looked worriedly toward my room and lowered his voice. “Good thing we didn’t tell anyone about Chloe being disfigured and amputated, otherwise we would have lost so much face today.” “But letting Mia take over Chloe’s job, isn’t that unfair to Chloe?” My mother suddenly threw down the broom in annoyance. She sat on the sofa with her head down, wiping her tears. “Isn’t it enough that she’s dragging us down? She still wants fairness? Who gives us fairness?” “We are getting old, yet every day we have to carefully feed her, give her medicine, bathe her, and empty her bedpan.” “It’s been five years. I’ve done right by her. Sometimes I even wonder why she doesn’t just die. She’s just torturing my old bones.” My father kept nodding and sighing. I simply couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Five years ago, a massive fire destroyed my career as the station’s top anchor. I specifically remember my whole body being burned black as charcoal, covered in blood. My legs had to be amputated to save my life due to severe burn infections. My parents practically sold everything they owned, spending two million dollars to pull me back from death’s door. My father endured the pain of skin grafts to save me. My mother and Ethan took turns massaging me day and night. But the pain of rehab and dressing changes terrified me so much that my whole body spasmed. Many times, I couldn’t hold on. “Just let me die!” Whenever this happened, they would cry and kneel before me, begging me to keep going. Especially my mother. She said if I died, she would jump off the building. In order not to disappoint their expectations. I gritted my teeth and held on until now. It turns out they wanted to get rid of me long ago. Looking at my transparent body, I smiled bitterly. Now that I’m dead, everyone is free. I floated around the house in a daze for a few days. On the seventh day, Mia and Ethan returned from their honeymoon. Ethan’s $300,000 car was parked at the door; my parents felt very proud. As soon as they entered, my father pulled Ethan to drink tea and chat in the living room. My mother called my sister into the bedroom. Mysteriously taking out a bank card, she gave it to her. “Mia, there’s a million dollars in this card. Consider it the startup fund we’re giving you young newlyweds.” Mia’s eyes widened. “Mom, where did you get so much money? Didn’t our family incur a lot of debt for sister’s treatment?” “And if you have a million dollars, why didn’t you use it to save sister? That way, her legs could have been saved!” My mother quickly covered her mouth. Secretly opening the door a crack, she confirmed there was no movement from my room before breathing a sigh of relief. “Keep your voice down. The family isn’t in debt at all. This is from crowdfunding donations for your sister online!” “We’ve already spent two million saving her; we’ve done right by her. But she’s severely burned all over. Even if we didn’t amputate, she’d be a cripple for the rest of her life!” “Ethan comes from such a good family. Your sister being disfigured can’t hold onto him. We might as well keep this money to support you. Between two daughters, I have to save at least one.” My spirit form trembled uncontrollably. Frantically tearing at my own face. It turns out my parents didn’t try their best to save me at all. “Why didn’t you save me? I became like this because I saved Mia!” I regretted it. If possible, I would rather have never saved my sister. What right did she have to steal my life? My mother fell silent for a moment, then added: “Fate plays tricks on people. We can only blame her bad luck.” “Keep this card safe. It will let you hold your head high in Ethan’s hometown. You’ve had a sweet mouth since childhood. Between my two daughters, you are my favorite. You living well is better than anything else.” I looked blankly at my mother, my heart shattered into pieces. When it was time to eat, the mother and daughter finally dawdled out. At the dinner table, Ethan finally noticed something was wrong. “Mom, where’s Chloe?” 2 My mother glanced at my room, humming and hawing. “On the day of the wedding, her emotions were very agitated. I was afraid she’d make a scene… so I gave her a mirror.” As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere instantly became oppressive. Mia turned pale with fright. “Mom, sister won’t be able to handle it!” Ethan frowned slightly. “She… hasn’t come out for days, hasn’t eaten?” The emotions suppressed in my mother’s heart exploded. She slammed her chopsticks down, turned her head, and wiped away a tear. “Even if she can’t handle it, she has to accept reality. She can’t keep running away. This is the perfect time for her to give up hope.” “Looking like a ghost that even a dog would despise, how could she have the nerve to ask Ethan to marry her? How much longer does she want to drag us down?” My father didn’t speak, just blindly drank his alcohol. Ethan and Mia exchanged a glance and chose to remain silent. Suddenly, I felt no emotion at all. Staring blankly at my mother, I just felt she was a stranger. “Mom, I’m already dead now. You can rest easy.” The weightless sentence scattered in the air. My mother looked up abruptly. Glancing suspiciously at my room, she continued chattering. “These past few days, I’ve been at her door trying to talk sense into her every day, even kneeling and begging her to open the door, but she just ignores me.” “I don’t dare open the door recklessly, afraid of angering her further. Tell me, is this easy for me?” After the meal, while my mother was in the kitchen washing dishes. Ethan and Mia quietly brought a bowl of rice and knocked on my door. “What are you doing?” My mother suddenly appeared. Extraordinarily angry, she snatched the rice bowl away. Ethan felt somewhat helpless. He wanted to take the rice bowl back but watched as my mother threw it directly into the trash can. Ethan couldn’t help but get red eyes. “Mom, what are you doing? When it comes down to it, we are the ones who wronged Chloe in this matter.” Mia looked at my door and lowered her head guiltily. “Mom, I feel terrible. I really didn’t do it on purpose.” “That day the power went out, Ethan and I were drunk and lost control, accidentally knocking over the candle and starting the fire…” “Mom, sister hasn’t come out for days. She wouldn’t do anything foolish, would she? I’m worried and want to go in and check.” My mother panicked and quickly covered her mouth. “Silly girl, you are newlyweds; you can’t cry.” “A huge mistake has already been made; crying now is useless. Do not tell your sister about this!” Ethan patted her shoulder gently, comforting her silently. My father looked over, then lowered his head and smoked his cigarette. I was completely dumbfounded. They all knew and kept it from me alone? Mia continued to sob, blaming herself. My mother was both angry and anxious. Walking quickly to my door, she pounded on it loudly. “Chloe Sterling, how much longer are you going to torture your sister? You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” “Don’t push your luck. The more we accommodate you, the more you bully us. When did you become so selfish?” The piercing voice made my scalp tingle. How long has it been since I heard such a loud noise? Since I was burned, my emotions have become unusually sensitive. They didn’t dare make any noise in front of me. I remember once my father closed the door a bit heavily, startling me. My mother was so angry she didn’t speak to him for three days. She stayed by my bedside 24 hours a day, terrified I’d do something foolish. But now, my mother was venting her anger, looking like she wanted to smash the door down. “Mom, don’t be like this…” Ethan couldn’t bear it and quickly came over to pull her away. Mia haphazardly wiped her tears and also ran over to help. Suddenly, she pointed at my door and exclaimed. “What is that smell? It stinks!” 3 “The mirror!” “Mom, Chloe didn’t do something foolish, did she?” Realizing something, Ethan’s face was full of horror. Mia’s face changed drastically; she lifted her foot to kick the door. My mother calmly blocked the doorway. Her face showed a tartness and meanness I had never seen before. “Don’t go in!” “It’s been so many years. If she really wanted to die, she would have died long ago!” “Maybe she’s angry with me and deliberately soiled herself in bed waiting to torture me. She won’t be satisfied until she drives someone crazy.” The more my mother spoke, the angrier she got. She pushed them outside. “It’s very late. You guys go back first.” “As soon as you come back, she pulls this stunt on purpose. If you pay attention to her this time, she’ll definitely escalate her fussing in the future, giving you no peace for the rest of your lives!” I have never felt such deep hatred. A weeping ghost cry echoed through the night sky. As they prepared to get in the car, Ethan keenly noticed something was wrong. After the amputation, I had always lived in fear, calling her every day to connect. But it had been three days. Not a single questioning phone call from me. Hesitating again and again, she tremblingly took out her phone. “I’ll give Chloe a call.” Just as she was about to dial, my mother snatched the phone and hung up. Pointing at the silhouette in the second-floor bathroom window, she snorted disdainfully. “She’s fine. She’s secretly watching us from the window now. Give him some time.” “Alright, you guys hurry back.” Everyone looked in the direction she pointed and breathed a sigh of relief. I glanced at the dark silhouette in the window. Silently crying tears of blood. They didn’t know that was just my corpse. It was early summer, and my corpse had already begun to decay. Taking one last look at the second floor. Ethan found something in the driver’s seat and gave it to my mother. “Mom, this is the peace amulet Mia and I asked for Chloe yesterday. A master blessed it, saying it can protect her safe and sound. Please give it to her.” “Okay…” My mother nodded. Waiting for their car to drive far away. She hesitated for a moment, then decisively threw the peace amulet into the trash can. My father was pale with fright. “What are you doing? Didn’t you hear Ethan say this peace amulet can protect Chloe…” My mother impatiently interrupted him. “Give it to her for what? So she can harbor unrealistic fantasies about Ethan and ruin Mia’s marriage?” It turned out that in my mother’s heart, my health was far less important than Mia’s happiness. I cried, my soul almost dissipating in the night wind. My mother didn’t return to her room but came to my door. Knocking gently, she coaxed me softly just like before. “Chloe, I know you’ve already seen from the window. Don’t blame Mom for being cruel. Looking like this, it’s already impossible between you and Ethan.” “Be good. Open the door and let Mom in to help you bathe. If you don’t clean yourself, your skin will rot.” “Good child, consider it Mom begging you.” No matter how softly she pleaded, there was no movement in my room. Until my father’s sigh came from behind. My mother hastily wiped her tears and went back to their room with him. Closing the door. My father didn’t know how to comfort her, jokingly saying: “I thought you only cared about Mia.” To his surprise, my mother’s tears fell even harder. “What nonsense are you talking about? The palms and backs of hands are all meat. I was just venting my emotions earlier.” “Calling me Mom means a lifetime of responsibility. No matter how hard it is, I will never abandon Chloe.” Saying this, my mother brought out the bankbook. As if making a difficult decision, she smiled bitterly. “I never thought of abandoning Chloe. I’ve already contacted plastic surgery experts from out of state. They’ll come tomorrow to treat her. At least give her hope to keep living.” My father frowned. “This is our retirement money. Chloe has already had her limbs amputated. What’s the point of spending money on plastic surgery?” My mother got angry. Standing up abruptly, she pointed at my father and yelled. “Because she is the child I carried for ten months! Anyone can abandon her, but we can’t!” “Chloe only has us now.” By the last sentence, my mother was already sobbing uncontrollably. My father thought for a moment, then nodded helplessly. Looking at their faces full of hardship and helplessness, my heart was filled with mixed feelings. I remember when I first got my prosthetics, my mother knelt on the ground holding my feet. My father supported my body, moving step by step for rehab therapy. Every day I was in so much pain I sweated profusely. My parents were also exhausted, panting heavily. It seems that from then on, their backs remained hunched, never to straighten again. I covered my face, shaking my head painfully. Mom, keep the money. I don’t need it anymore, and I will never be your burden again. The next day, the medical team arrived. My mother paced anxiously outside my door. “Chloe, open the door. The doctors are here to do your plastic surgery.” Trying several times, she found the door was locked from the inside. But the putrid smell in the room grew stronger. The doctors couldn’t stand it and wanted to leave. My mother panicked. Quickly calling Ethan and the others. “Ethan, Mia, come quickly! Your sister is being too unreasonable, she even locked the door. I remember you have the key.” Twenty minutes later, they arrived in a rush. The moment the door opened, everyone widened their eyes in horror. 4 A smell of blood mixed with a rotting stench hit their faces. Everyone present couldn’t help but run to the door and dry heave. My mother pushed through the crowd and entered, instantly collapsing onto the floor. The bloody water flowing from the bathroom deeply pierced her eyes. She rushed into the bathroom like a madwoman. Ethan frowned in disgust, supporting Mia as they quickly followed. The corpse had already reached the state of bloating. Eyeballs protruding, lips turned outward. The skin was bloody from the maggots gnawing on it. My mother trembled and grew cold all over, kneeling on the ground in a breakdown, howling in pain. “Ah, Chloe, my child!” “Chloe…” Mia covered her mouth in terror, hiding in Ethan’s arms with a pale face. Ethan stood frozen in place like ice. My father realized something was wrong and also rushed in in a panic. The cigarette in his hand fell to the ground the moment he saw my corpse. It was very light, but very heavy. I suddenly wanted to laugh. Didn’t they think I was a burden? Now that I’m dead, what’s the meaning of putting on this show? The people present helped call the police. The house was already in a chaotic mess. Even the neighbors gathered around, whispering to each other, looking at them with changed expressions. “What’s going on? Didn’t Chloe just get married a few days ago? Whose corpse is this?” “Look at the woman holding Ethan. She has a mole on her ear, seems only their younger daughter Mia has that.” I stared straight at my mother, waiting to see how she would explain. She just kept crying, completely afraid to look up. The police arrived quickly. The medical examiner preliminarily determined I had been dead for more than three days. My mother stood up abruptly, gasping. “So, it was on the day of Mia’s wedding that she…” The medical examiner noticed the mirror shards by my feet and couldn’t help but frown. “I heard the deceased is your eldest daughter, severely burned, disfigured, and amputated. Why did you put a mirror in her room? This is very dangerous!” “For someone who worked in radio, being disfigured is equivalent to losing half her life. You didn’t put the mirrors away, but brought one out to deliberately trigger her?” Seeing the mirror again, I felt a wave of dizziness. Actually, I knew I was disfigured, and must be very ugly. But when I saw my hideous face, and that the two misplaced holes were actually my nostrils. My psychological defenses collapsed. In utter despair, I took the path of no return. The moment I cut my wrist hurt, but for me, it was an unprecedented relief. My mother knelt heavily on the ground again, crying and beating her chest. “I gave her the mirror. It’s been five years, I thought she should be able to accept it by now…” “Chloe, Mom didn’t really want you to die. Those were words spoken in anger!” The medical examiner looked at my corpse, a look of pity in his eyes. Turning his head to reprimand: “For her, this kind of emotional trauma lasts a lifetime. It’s highly likely she struggled between life and death every day.” The emotions that had been blocking my heart burst because of the medical examiner’s words. He was right. Just staying alive had exhausted all my strength. I wasn’t being manipulative, nor was I pushing my luck. I just couldn’t control myself. My father looked at the bloodstained mirror in the medical examiner’s hand in shock, unable to hold back his tears. Ethan’s heart was enveloped by an immense guilt. He couldn’t help clenching his fists. Actually, when he helped me change my prosthetics, I had seen the disgust on his face countless times. I proposed breaking up; he was the one who disagreed. That day I rushed out just to ask clearly. I really never thought of dragging anyone down. But later, when emotions took over, I despaired. The medical examiner sighed helplessly, preparing to carry my corpse away. Just then, Mia pointed at my hand and exclaimed. “Look, sister has something in her hand!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391097”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My roommate got pregnant from messing around with guys and chose to secretly have a medical abortion in our dorm room. When I found her, the dorm floor was covered in blood, and she was lying in a pool of blood, barely breathing. To save her, I called 911. I never expected that because of this, she would be expelled from school. After everything was settled, my roommate invited me to dinner to express her “gratitude.” I didn’t expect her to add asbestos fibers to my Coke. Blood clogged my trachea, and she watched me thrash in a death struggle on the floor. She laughed maniacally and said: “Who asked you to be so nosy, letting everyone know about my pregnancy and getting me expelled.” When I woke up again, I had returned to the day before I caught my roommate secretly having an abortion in the dorm. 1 “Chloe, you guys are all going home tomorrow, right?” Fiona’s probing question reached my ears, pulling me back to reality from my daze. The sensation of my throat being slashed by blades and the suffocation of my trachea blocked by blood from a second ago felt like just a nightmare. “Yeah, we have a break this weekend. Everyone in the dorm is going home except you.” I answered absentmindedly, simultaneously withdrawing my arm that Fiona was holding. “I really envy you locals, being able to go home on the weekends,” Fiona said with an envious tone. In my previous life, I temporarily returned to school over the weekend to grab something, caught Fiona secretly inducing labor in the dorm, and ended up poisoned to death. In this life, I will never let you get close to me again. Today is Friday. After the afternoon classes, we all went our separate ways home, except for Fiona. I definitely won’t go back to the dorm this time. Let’s see how you pin this on me. On Saturday, while I was sleeping soundly, I was woken up by a ringing phone. I sleepily reached for my phone. When I saw the name flashing on the screen, my heart suddenly tightened—Fiona. In my previous life, you were the one who ruined my reputation and caused me to die full of resentment. This time, don’t blame me for leaving you in the lurch. I hit ignore, intending to go back to sleep. Unexpectedly, the phone rang over and over again, all from Fiona. Just as I was about to turn on silent mode, the phone screen showed a different name. I answered the call: “Sarah, what’s wrong? What’s going on?” “Chloe, I think something happened to Fiona,” Sarah’s anxious voice came through the phone. “Oh? Tell me the details.” “Fiona said she’s bleeding a lot in the dorm and asked me to go check on her. Can you come with me? I’m afraid I can’t handle it alone.” In my previous life, after I caught Fiona secretly having an abortion, I contacted the RA for her and called 911. As a result, she held a grudge. Vicious rumors were spread about me, my “nudes” were all over the internet, and finally, she framed me and killed me. This time, I want to see exactly what you are trying to do. “Sarah, you live closer. You go first, and I’ll rush to school right away. Don’t do anything rash before I get there.” I was worried Sarah would do what I did in my previous life—contact the RA and call 911—so I specifically told her not to act rashly. “Okay, Chloe, hurry up. I’m really scared.” “Okay, I gotta go, hurry.” After hanging up, I quickly got up, threw on some clothes, put on a baseball cap, and rushed to school. When I arrived at the bottom of the dorm building, I found the ambulance had just left. What’s going on with Sarah? Didn’t I tell her not to act rashly? At this time, there were still quite a few people gathered in the first-floor lobby and at the dorm entrance. I pretended to be a bystander and asked a student nearby: “Excuse me, what happened here?” “Did you just get back to the dorm? You missed this huge, fresh gossip. I took a video, I’ll show you.” Saying that, she opened her phone to show me. In the video, a girl was lying on a stretcher, with Sarah following behind. Wait, damn it, Fiona was wearing my shoes and my clothes, wearing my hat, and even wearing my sunglasses, covered up completely. Fiona and I have somewhat similar builds anyway. Who the hell could tell that was Fiona? I guess everyone in the school thinks it’s me now. Seeing this, I hurriedly asked: “Excuse me, what happened? Who is this?” “Seems like sudden severe bleeding in the dorm. I don’t know exactly who it is, but if we post the video and photos on the campus forum and the confessions page, we should be able to recognize who it is by the clothes and stuff.” I hurried towards my dorm room. As soon as I reached the door, I saw a pool of blood on the floor, and the bedsheets on the bed next to the blood were also stained red. Wait, a thousand curses upon her, this is my bed! Fiona used my bed! Fiona is so scheming. Wearing my clothes and using my bed, this is definitely to make everyone in the school think the person who had an abortion in the dorm was me, ruining my reputation. 2 I forced myself to calm down. First, I took a picture of my bed in the dorm. Then, I called an upperclassman: “Senior, the badminton tournament you mentioned last time is today, right? Can I still participate?” “That’s great, Chloe. A contestant suddenly said she sprained her ankle this morning and dropped out. I was just stressing about not finding anyone.” “It’s great that you can come.” “Senior, there will be photos taken at this tournament, and they’ll be posted on the school’s official account, right?” “What’s wrong? This is just the preliminaries, we weren’t planning to post anything. What’s up? You’re usually such a shy and low-key person, now you want to be in the spotlight?” “But I can contact the school PR department to publish an article. However, it might be hard to find a photographer on such short notice.” “Senior, I’ll contact the photographer. Please get the article out as soon as possible. By the way, what time is the match I’m subbing in for?” “In 30 minutes, at the school gym.” “Okay, I’ll be right there.” After hanging up, I quickly changed my clothes and shoes, grabbed my badminton racket, and rushed to the gym. On the way, I incidentally called a senior from the photography club, asking him to help take pictures of today’s badminton match. The senior originally tried to decline, but was eventually bribed by me with two meals at a hot pot place. Arriving at the gym, there were basically no spectators for today’s match, probably because it was the preliminaries. “Senior, make sure to take good pictures of me, make them look nice,” I told him as soon as he arrived at the gym. “You’re already very pretty, any picture of you will look good.” After the match, I asked the senior if he got the shots. After getting a positive answer, I took a taxi to the hospital. In the car, I scrolled through the campus confessions page and the campus forum. As expected, the campus forum and confessions page were filled with videos and photos taken by bystanders this morning from various angles and perspectives. [Who is this? What happened? Even an ambulance came?] [Don’t know exactly what happened. Heard she bled a lot in the dorm.] [Did she give birth in the dorm, or have an abortion?] [Oh no, sister, I live on that floor. If it’s true, how can we live there in the future?] [Does anyone know who this is? Begging for solid proof.] [Should be from Department A. The people living in that hall are from Department A, but don’t know which specific class.] Fortunately, no one has recognized who it is yet. As long as the article about me participating in the badminton match is published tonight, no matter how much Fiona tries to frame me, it will be impossible. Suddenly, a notification from the campus forum made me lose my calm. #Suspected Department A Chloe Lin gives birth in dorm# I suppressed my trembling hands from anger and clicked on the message. Under the huge headline, someone posted a picture of my student ID card, with the caption: This morning, the girl involved in the incident at Plum Hall is Chloe Lin from Department A. The ID card dropped from the stretcher. I was instantly thrust into the center of the storm. [So it’s her. I was wondering why those clothes looked so familiar today. They are her clothes.] They even attached a photo of me wearing those clothes from my social media. [Always dressing up flashily, you can tell at a glance she’s not a proper girl. Who knows how wild she usually is, and now she actually gave birth in the dorm.] I quickly called the senior: “Senior, have you seen the campus forum?” “Chloe, I just finished getting busy. What campus forum? What’s wrong?” “I was just about to call you. The senior from the photography club said his camera memory card broke, and the photos are gone. Let’s just skip the official account post this time, it’s just the preliminaries anyway.” “Broke? Why would it break? Did anyone else take photos?” I said, holding back tears. “No, there were hardly any people in the gym today, and I was too busy, so I didn’t take any. What’s wrong, Chloe? You don’t sound right. Is something the matter?” “It’s nothing, thank you, senior.” Hanging up the phone, I called the photography senior. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I saw the campus forum. I really want to help you, but after taking the photos, when I went back to the dorm, I dropped and broke the camera. All the photos on the memory card are gone. I’m really, really sorry.” “Is there really no other way to recover them? I’m begging you, senior.” “I’ve tried everything, nothing works. It’s not that I don’t want to help you, Chloe.” 3 Hanging up the phone, I slumped back into the car seat. Fiona had played a masterful game. We have similar builds. Before leaving the dorm, she wore my clothes, my hat, and even stole my student ID, pretending to drop it. This was the best proof to exonerate herself. “Good, good, very good.” My mind raced, trying to figure out other ways to prove that the person wasn’t me. The hospital. Yes, the hospital. As long as I can get her medical records from the hospital, that will be enough. After getting out of the car, I sprinted all the way to the inpatient department. In the car, I had already received a message from Sarah and knew which room Fiona was in. I rushed into the room. Only Sarah was there. Fiona had just finished surgery and hadn’t woken up yet. While she was still unconscious, I called and notified the RA and the other two roommates. I also took a picture of her lying in the hospital bed. I even found her medical record in the drawer and took a picture of that too, and casually posted it on my social media. I held a position in the student council, so posting on my social media would definitely be seen by a lot of people. I refuse to believe that with such solid evidence, she can still harm me. However, I still underestimated the malice of human nature. Within half an hour of posting, the post had over a hundred likes and dozens of comments. Some people even took screenshots of my post and sent them to the large school group chats. [Who exactly had an abortion? How come two people suddenly appeared?] [Neither of them is innocent. I bet both of them have had multiple abortions, they just got caught this time.] Fiona has always maintained an “innocent campus belle” persona at school. This time she threw all the dirty water on me. Even if I can’t completely clear my name, I won’t let you have an easy time either. While Fiona was still unconscious, I told my roommates and the RA about what was happening on the campus forum and confessions page. I specifically emphasized that Fiona wore my clothes, my hat, and accidentally took my student ID. When Fiona woke up and saw the roommates and the RA were all there, a flash of an expression I couldn’t understand crossed her face. I showed her the picture of the dorm bed and confronted her. “Fiona, you were lying on my bed, wearing my clothes and my hat. What were you trying to do?” “Trying to throw dirty water on me?” Fiona looked at me pitifully: “Chloe, how could you think of me like that?” “Is that the kind of person I am in your heart? I’ve been your roommate for three years, don’t you know me by now?” Saying that, Fiona started crying hypocritically. “Then tell me, what exactly happened?” “You know my bed is on the top bunk. I was feeling unwell and couldn’t climb up, so I slept in your bed.” “What about the clothes, the hat, and the student ID?” “I was bleeding a lot, my clothes and pants were soaked. I thought if the ambulance came and I was covered in blood, I didn’t want the students at school to overthink, so I asked Sarah to find some clothes to help me change into. “Sarah saw some clothes right next to the bed and helped me put them on. “The student ID might have originally been in the clothes and accidentally fell out on the way.” “That is really quite a coincidence. A coincidence that you not only wore my clothes and shoes, put on my hat and sunglasses, but even my student ID fell out halfway.” “Fiona probably didn’t do it on purpose either.” The RA’s face turned green and pale, like a chameleon. “I will handle the posts on the campus forum and confessions page. “Chloe, come out for a second. Let’s chat, and I’ll go downstairs to get Fiona’s medicine along the way.” After the RA called me out, she was still speaking up for Fiona: “Chloe, Fiona is in a very bad state right now. She probably didn’t do it on purpose either. You guys live in the same dorm, don’t be so aggressive. I’ll handle the news online immediately and guarantee it won’t affect you. I also hope you delete your social media post.” “Miss, you first handle the news about me on the campus forum and confessions page, and then I’ll delete my post.” “Okay, I’ll handle it immediately.” When I came back, the expressions on the faces of the few people were all a bit unnatural. I was alert in my heart. They must have discussed something when I left. They must be thinking about how to continue framing me. 4 During the few days Fiona was hospitalized, the RA quickly controlled the public opinion and made those people delete all the posts. The other roommates also synchronized their stories, saying Fiona just had severe bleeding due to menstrual irregularity. But all the roommates had seen Fiona’s medical record; everyone knew the real reason for her hospitalization. Yet, everyone kept their mouths shut about it. The school also disciplined and publicly announced the key figures who posted about me on the campus forum and confessions page. Everyone stopped talking about the rumors surrounding this incident. On the day Fiona was discharged, I didn’t go to pick her up. When she returned with the other two roommates, I was packing my luggage. “Chloe, why are you packing? Where are you going?” “Oh, my mom told me to move back home. I’m not living in the dorm anymore.” “Ah, that’s so inconvenient. Just stay in the dorm, we can all look out for each other. I haven’t even apologized to you for this incident yet.” Apologize. This time it’s apologize. In my previous life, she said thank you. In my previous life, after Fiona came back from the hospital, she said it was thanks to my timely arrival and sending her to the hospital that her life was saved. She acted like we were twins. We did everything together, even showered together. Blame my previous life for being too soft-hearted and naive. I innocently believed Fiona truly considered me a good friend and was completely fooled by her. I never expected that she would instruct Mia to secretly take nude photos of me, find some pornographic videos, photoshop my face onto them, and make me infamous at school. The rumors about my chaotic private life and abortion were directly confirmed. I couldn’t defend myself at all. This time, I’m staying far away. If I can’t afford to provoke you, can’t I hide? Thinking of the humiliation from my previous life, a surge of uncontrollable anger and sorrow rose from the bottom of my heart, but my face remained normal. “Chloe, how about you stay for another week before moving? I just got back from the hospital, I’ll probably have to trouble you guys to bring me food and stuff.” Fiona settled for the next best thing. I still refused. Living here, I eventually have to change clothes and shower. Who knows which corner your camera might be hidden in. To persuade me, the three of them united their front again, using moral kidnapping on me. Mia stood next to Fiona, looking righteous: “Exactly, Fiona just got back and still needs our care. We are all roommates, what’s the big deal with helping out?” Sarah stood aside and said softly: “Chloe, how about waiting a bit longer? I’ll help you move then.” Saying that, Mia started taking things out of my suitcase. “What are you doing? Who told you to touch my stuff?” My face darkened, and I shoved Mia away. “If you want to take care of her, then take care of her by yourself. “If you can’t handle it, do you want me to call Fiona’s mom and have her come take care of her?” I bet Fiona wouldn’t dare. At the hospital, Fiona begged the RA for a long time to convince her not to notify her parents. At this moment, all three of them froze in place. Perhaps none of them expected that the previously amiable me would be so aggressive. “Forget it, Mia. I don’t need your care, I can manage on my own. Don’t worry about whether I live or die. I can just buy cup noodles and eat them in the dorm.” This manipulative act made me feel sick to my stomach. “How can that be? Your body is weak right now, how can you eat cup noodles? Besides, we promised to take good care of you,” Mia said. “Promised, promised who?” “No, I promised Fiona I would take good care of her. If you move out, it will just be me and Sarah taking care of her.” “Forget it, since Chloe wants to move out, we shouldn’t stop her. But be careful when you move out,” Fiona acted hypocritically, wishing she could squeeze out two tears immediately. Safety. It’s much safer outside than in the dorm. Living with a venomous snake like you is what makes me unsafe.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391113”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The moment I found out I was the real heiress, I ran to the Ashwood estate to claim my birthright. But after eighteen years, there was already another girl living my life—a “fake” heiress, coddled and adored. My mother’s expression was a mask of indifference. “Rosalind has been with us since she was a baby,” she said, her voice cool. “She’s as good as our own. To avoid gossip, we’ll tell everyone you’re our adopted daughter.” My father added, “You should learn from your sister. Don’t embarrass the family.” And my younger brother, Tristan, shielded the fake heiress with his own body. “I only have one sister,” he snarled, “and it’s not some stray they dragged in off the street.” Blood is thicker than water, they say. And they were right. Rosalind may not have been my mother’s biological daughter, but she was my father’s. The man who had married into this family and its fortune. 1 The Ashwoods were less than thrilled about my return. On the day I came home, my father didn’t even show his face. He was “away on business.” My so-called brother Tristan glared at me with pure hatred, physically blocking my view of Rosalind as if I were some kind of predator. “Not every piece of trash that shows up at our door gets to call themselves family,” he spat. “She’s my only sister.” My mother’s gaze flickered between me and Rosalind, her lips pressed into a thin line. Finally, she pulled the teary-eyed Rosalind into her arms, murmuring soft comforts. “Don’t you worry, darling. You will always be my daughter. We would never send you back to a place like that.” Then she turned to me. Her eyes scanned my sun-bleached, straw-like hair and my rough, calloused hands. She tried to hide her disgust, but failed. “From now on, you two are sisters. Sparrow, you will learn from Rosalind. And try not to wander off.” She added, as an afterthought, “As for that woman who raised you, I’ll give her a sum of money to ensure she disappears.” That’s right. My own mother planned to pass me off as an adopted charity case. Because she was ashamed of me. I was an embarrassment, a blemish on their perfect family portrait. I couldn’t bring her the prestige that Rosalind did—the girl who was accepted into a top university at eighteen, who was cultured, poised, played the violin, and was engaged to a man from a family as powerful as the Ashwoods. And me? I was a high school dropout, sallow-skinned and scrawny, with no talents to speak of and no knowledge of their glittering world. By any measure, Rosalind was the daughter she deserved. And after raising her for over a decade, of course, there was a bond. I understood it, intellectually. But it didn’t stop the knot of pain from tightening in my chest. That pain sharpened into anger when Rosalind deliberately knocked my phone out of my hand, sending it shattering across the marble floor. I’d had that phone for almost eight years. It held everything. Messages from the few kind souls who had shown me compassion, their words a lifeline in a world that had offered me nothing but cold indifference. On so many nights when I thought I couldn’t go on, I would reread those messages, drawing strength from them, piece by broken piece. Now, all of that was gone. My fists clenched, my knuckles white. I stared at Rosalind, a fire blazing in my eyes. “Oh, sorry, sister,” she said with a lazy smile, her apology dripping with insincerity. “My hand slipped.” I knelt in silence, gathering the glittering shards of the screen, trying to piece them back together as if I could somehow restore what was lost. It was hopeless. “That’s enough,” my mother’s voice cut through the air. “Don’t be so dramatic. Your sister didn’t do it on purpose.” I saw Rosalind’s triumphant smirk, Tristan’s mocking sneer, and the undisguised annoyance on my mother’s face. In that instant, I knew exactly what I had to do. I looked up. “I’m not angry,” I said, my voice clear and steady. “Does that mean she’s going to buy me a better one?” My mother was taken aback, her face hardening. “Don’t make a scene over something so trivial. I have an old one you can use.” I said nothing, just held her gaze. “Fine,” she snapped, pulling a card from her wallet. “Take this and go buy yourself a new one. Are you happy now?” I snatched the card from her hand before she could change her mind. Seeing me fall further from our mother’s favor, Rosalind’s smile widened. She feigned concern. “I noticed you didn’t bring many clothes, Sparrow. Why don’t I pick out a few things I’ve never worn and send them over?” “Or,” she added magnanimously, “you can just choose something from my closet yourself. Tomorrow, we’ll take you shopping for new things.” My mother’s gaze softened as she looked at Rosalind, patting her hand approvingly. “You’re so thoughtful, darling. Just give her a few of your old things. She wouldn’t know what to choose anyway. We wouldn’t want her to ruin your good clothes.” They stood there, a perfect picture of motherly love and filial piety. It was sickening. I stood up. “Where’s your room, sister? I’ll go pick something out now.” 2 Seeing the displeased looks on all their faces, my mood finally began to lift. Rosalind watched with a pained expression as I selected several brand-new dresses, the price tags still attached. I could practically feel her resentment radiating across the room. “That’s enough,” my mother cut in. “Two is plenty. Besides, your sister’s clothes won’t even fit you properly.” Rosalind forced a smile. “It’s alright, Mother. Whatever makes my sister happy. She’s suffered so much all these years. She can have all of it, for all I care.” My eyes lit up. “Really?” “Sparrow, is that any way for a younger sister to behave?” my mother chided. “You just take and take! Have you no sense of humility?” I remained silent. If I’d spent my life being humble, I would have starved to death years ago. When I was little, I’d scavenged for leftovers outside of restaurants just to have a full stomach. When I started school, the woman who raised me refused to buy me so much as a pencil or a notebook. When the teacher asked her about it, she swore she’d given me the money. I tried to argue, but she just called me a liar and beat me for it. My teacher often took pity on me, buying me supplies with her own money. But the moment I got home, my foster mother would snatch them away and give them to someone else. After a while, I think the teacher just assumed I was making excuses to avoid doing my work. I’d be punished for incomplete assignments, forced to stand in the corner. So, I learned to survive. I’d rummage through the school trash cans, collecting discarded pages from other students’ notebooks and binding them together. Pencils were even easier; I could always find stubs the length of a thumb or ballpoint pens with a little ink left. A handful of those would last me a while. Even my clothes were hand-me-downs from the neighbors. I grew up terrified of poverty. Even when I started earning my own money, I could never bring myself to spend it on myself. So when she practically offered her entire wardrobe on a silver platter, you bet I was going to take a few things. Besides, she owed me. My mother couldn’t stand to see her precious daughter upset for a second. “Don’t worry, darling,” she cooed. “Tomorrow, I’ll have the designer come to the house with his lookbooks. We’ll have some gowns custom-made just for you. It’s been a month since we had anything new made, anyway.” A genuine smile finally returned to Rosalind’s face. I poked my head between them. “Wow, really? That’s great! I don’t have anything to wear.” “Didn’t you just take a pile of clothes from your sister?” my mother asked, her voice laced with irritation. “But you’re the one who said her clothes wouldn’t fit me right,” I replied innocently. “And I’ve never, ever had a custom-made dress before…” My mother fell silent, a flicker of guilt crossing her features. “Fine,” she sighed. “The designer can make something for you as well.” Rosalind shot me a look that could kill. But this was just the beginning. Did she really think I was fighting over clothes? I was fighting for what the Ashwoods owed me. I could live without their affection, but I wouldn’t be short-changed on what was rightfully mine. Every luxury I had missed out on for eighteen years—they were going to pay it all back. 3 I carried the dresses to the room they had assigned me. It was on the ground floor, a converted storage closet next to the turn of the staircase. The space was completely empty, clearly cleared out in a hurry. “You’ll have to make do with this for now, sister,” Rosalind said with a saccharine smile. “We haven’t had time to prepare your real room yet.” I stared at the cramped space, making no move to enter. Her lips curved into a smirk. “What’s wrong? Do you have a problem with Father’s arrangements?” she asked, knowing the answer. Before I could respond, she continued, her voice a low, mocking drawl. “He was being thoughtful, you know. He said you grew up in a hovel, so a big room would probably just make you anxious. He picked this one out for you himself before he left on his trip.” “So,” she purred, “are you going to reject his ‘thoughtful’ gesture?” I ignored her completely, my gaze fixed on my mother standing just behind her. I asked, with genuine sincerity, “Are we really that poor? We can’t even spare a decent guest room?” “Back at my foster mother’s house, I had to sleep in the bathroom,” I continued, “but at least when they had guests, they got to stay in a proper bedroom.” “You know what? Maybe I should just find a hotel. I wouldn’t want to put you all out.” With that, I turned and headed for the front door, luggage in hand. I knew they wouldn’t let me leave. The Ashwood family couldn’t afford that kind of scandal. Just as I predicted, my mother’s face turned ashen with rage. Forgetting all about her afternoon nap, she snapped at me and pointed vaguely towards the second floor, assigning me a guest room. It wasn’t as large as Rosalind’s suite, but it was fully furnished and comfortable. I moved in, completely satisfied. At dinner, Rosalind pulled the same trick. Standing by the lavishly set dining table, she gasped dramatically. “Oh, dear! We forgot to set a place for my sister!” The fake heiress couldn’t hide her glee. “So sorry, Sparrow. You arrived in such a hurry, we didn’t have time to prepare a seat for you. Why don’t you… eat in the kitchen with the staff?” My mother acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing, letting Rosalind’s cruel suggestion hang in the air. My eyes darted to the head of the table, where my father’s chair sat empty. Without a word, I walked over, sat down, and started eating. My mother picked at her food for a few minutes before rising. As she left, she tossed a parting shot over her shoulder. “I’ll be gone for a few days. You two try to get along.” “Of course, Mother!” Rosalind chirped happily. “Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to entertain my sister.” She lingered on the word “entertain,” her eyes gleaming with malice. My mother either didn’t notice or didn’t care. She just gave a noncommittal hum and left. I didn’t care either. What followed was all-out war. They put cockroaches in my bedroom; I answered with mice. They poured water on my bed; I got the garden hose and started a water fight. They locked me in the house; I shattered a window and screamed at the top of my lungs about a break-in. My mother, forced to cut her vacation short, returned to a scene of utter chaos. For the first time, she directed her anger at her precious darlings. “There’s a limit to your games!” she seethed. “She may have been raised like a savage, but you two were raised by me!” Rosalind and Tristan bowed their heads in mock apology. My mother didn’t even spare me a glance. “Now that you’re in the Ashwood house, you will follow its rules,” she said coldly. “Leave your gutter habits behind.” I rolled my eyes and pretended I hadn’t heard. After they realized I wasn’t an easy target, Rosalind backed off for a few days. Of course, that meant my mother and brother simply ignored my existence, treating me like a ghost in their own home. 4 My father returned for Rosalind’s birthday. He gave me a brief, formal greeting, telling me to see the butler if I needed anything. Without missing a beat, I pulled a long, folded list from my pocket. “I don’t really know what to ask for,” I said sweetly, “but you’ve given my sister such a wonderful life. So, I just made a copy of everything in her room. This should be enough to start. I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.” My father’s eye twitched as he scanned the impossibly long list. “There’s no need to get everything at once. Your sister’s things were accumulated over many years.” I immediately dropped my gaze, my voice filled with a carefully crafted disappointment. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been away from you all these years, I wouldn’t have to put you in such a difficult position.” The party guests nearby overheard, their interest piqued. “You know,” one of them whispered, “this adopted girl has the exact same eyes as Mrs. Ashwood.” “I heard she’s a dropout, didn’t even finish middle school. Amazing that the Ashwoods would take in an orphan like her.” “Well, she’s landed on her feet. The Ashwood’s real daughter has that wonderful fiancé from the Harrington family. With the Ashwood name behind her, even this orphan will be able to marry well and live a comfortable life.” My mother shot me a warning glance before clearing her throat. “We saw the poor child and our hearts went out to her,” she announced to the listening ears. “And it turned out her birthday is the same day as our Rosalind’s. It felt like fate. We treat her just like our own.” The crowd murmured in approval, praising my mother for her benevolence. 5 Listening to them call me an “orphan” who “got lucky,” I could see my mother’s smile tightening at the edges. Despite their praise, the words clearly bothered her. After all, I was her flesh and blood. Their whispers stirred a faint ember of guilt within her. Her tone softened slightly when she spoke to me again. “Alright, then. We’ll furnish your room to the same standard as Rosalind’s.” She then looked at me, a hint of regret in her eyes. “You arrived so suddenly. If we’d had more time, I would have prepared all this for you already.” “You are both my daughters,” she declared, her voice ringing with performative sincerity. “I would never favor one over the other. Whatever Rosalind has, you shall have as well.” This declaration, of course, earned her another round of applause. She beamed, gliding through the party with renewed elegance, exchanging pleasantries with her guests. Rosalind remained by her side, the picture of grace. But in a moment when no one was watching, she shot me a look of pure, unadulterated triumph. You may be the biological daughter, her eyes screamed, but I’m the one who stands by her side. I couldn’t have cared less. This was the first real birthday I’d ever had, and I was determined to enjoy it. I piled my plate high with cake, as if trying to make up for every birthday I’d ever missed. As I was taking a massive bite, Rosalind’s voice dripped with condescension from behind me. “You really have never seen anything nice, have you? I’m so tired of this cake. Here, you can have my piece too.” I took it without hesitation. “Thanks, sister. If you don’t want your presents either, I’ll take them. After all, they should have been mine to begin with.” “Hmph. Mother was right. You have no class,” she sneered, turning on her high heels and storming away. She never did say whether I could have the presents. Oh well. I’d just have to go ask my parents for more things. 6 The moment the new jewelry, handbags, and accessories arrived, I sold more than half of them. Watching the millions deposit into my bank account, my spirits soared with the balance. With money in my pocket, I laid low for a while. I paid off old debts and hired someone to do a little digging for me. It wasn’t top-secret information, but it was just what I needed to secure another windfall. I could barely contain my grin. The universe really did have a sense of justice. After all the bitterness, the sweetness was overwhelming. My grandfather had left me a hundred-million-dollar inheritance. According to his will, his company would go to my brother, but his three hundred million in cash was to be divided equally among his three blood relatives: my mother, my brother, and me. Could there be any better news? Though the Ashwoods had taken me in, they kept me on a tight leash financially, claiming they were afraid I’d “spend it recklessly.” I had to justify buying a new pair of socks. Meanwhile, Rosalind’s allowance over the years had run into the millions. Now, I was twenty. With this kind of money, I could finally move out. I could buy whatever I wanted without having to answer to anyone. A lifetime of scraping by had taught me one thing: the only thing that truly matters is the money in your own hands. That’s why I didn’t care about Rosalind’s taunts or Tristan’s hostility. I could even tolerate my parents’ blatant favoritism. As long as the money kept coming, everything was fine. And now, with a golden opportunity like this right in front of me, how could I not seize it? For the first time in my life, I thought birthdays were wonderful. There was cake, presents, and a massive inheritance. I immediately went to my parents to discuss it. My mother looked troubled. “Before we knew the truth, I promised Rosalind that money would be her dowry when she marries into the Harrington family.” “The Harringtons are a very important family,” she continued, her tone final. “A good marriage for your sister will benefit you in the long run. I’ve already made the decision. The money is hers.” “Don’t worry,” she added, as if offering a grand concession. “You are my real daughter, and I won’t neglect you. When you get married, I’ll give you a dowry of five million dollars. How does that sound?” She looked at me as if she were the most generous mother in the world. From the sidelines, Rosalind added with the air of a victor, “And I’ll add another three million, sister. As a little something from me.” “You’re too kind, Rosie,” my dear brother Tristan sneered, looking down his nose at me. “She’s just a country bumpkin. Give her a few thousand and she’ll be thrilled. What would she even do with that much money?” My father adopted a paternal, concerned expression. “A girl like Sparrow will just marry some nobody. That much money would only attract predators. It would be safer if we held onto it for her. We can give it to her when she truly needs it.” He looked at me. “Sparrow, what do you think?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391131”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

After being with Lucas Frost for seven years, he said he was bored and turned to a younger, more delicate girl. This time I didn’t make a scene. I threw away the ring and cut up the newly bought wedding dress. I boarded a plane late at night and left the capital. His friends bet on how long it would take for me to bow my head and beg for reconciliation. Lucas smiled coldly: “Within three days, she will come back crying and begging me.” But three days passed, then another three, and there was still no news from me. Lucas couldn’t sit still any longer and called me for the first time: “Chloe, come back when you’ve had enough…” But a man’s low laugh came from the other end of the phone: “Mr. Frost, you can’t wait overnight to coax a girl, otherwise, someone will snatch her away halfway.” Lucas’s eyes turned red, and he gritted his teeth: “Put Chloe on the phone!” Ethan Stone looked down and kissed me: “Can’t, she’s still passed out, I have to kiss her awake first.” 1 In the seventh year of being with Lucas Frost. I secretly bought a wedding dress, mustered up the courage, and prepared to propose to him. But unfortunately, I arrived a few minutes late at the gathering that day. Just in time to hear him chatting with friends. “You mean Chloe? I got bored of her long ago.” Lucas lit a cigarette and smiled casually: “Seven years, wouldn’t you get bored?” Those people laughed along: “True, seven years, even a goddess would taste bland.” “But Chloe is really beautiful.” “Her figure is great too. Last time at your birthday, she wore that bodycon dress, which man present didn’t stare?” “Seriously Lucas, you cherished her so much back then, can you really let go now?” Lucas’s voice was indifferent: “When have I ever lied?” “Then… if I pursue Chloe, you won’t mind, right?” “Go ahead.” Lucas casually blew a smoke ring: “As long as you don’t feel disgusted.” “Pathetic, aren’t you ashamed to pick up someone Lucas is tired of playing with?” Another burst of laughter. I didn’t enter the private room that night, just made an excuse about a headache and went home first. Lucas didn’t ask a single word more and hung up the phone. The determination to break up was probably made that night. 2 Within two days, rumors began to spread in the circle. Lucas was pursuing a sophomore girl from the Film Academy, young, delicate, and innocent. His pursuit was always shockingly grand. Just like when he pursued me back then, wishing he could announce it to the world, throwing houses, cars, and jewelry at will. How could that little girl have seen such a battle? She fell for it within two days. At a gathering organized by friends, Lucas brought her directly. As soon as they entered, everyone went quiet. A few girls who were on good terms with me looked at me with some worry. I smiled, “Why is everyone silent, looking at me for what?” Lucas put his arm around the girl and sat down, then looked at me squarely: “Chloe, today is a good opportunity, I’ll just say it openly.” “Mm, go ahead.” “It’s boring to break up and get back together all these years, feelings have faded long ago.” I clenched my hands tightly, the ring on my middle finger digging deep into my flesh, but I seemed unable to feel the pain. “Lily is young and simple. I really like her and don’t want to wrong her.” Lucas touched the girl’s hair: “I have to give her a title.” I nodded lightly: “Mm, I understand.” “We’re still friends in the future. If you have any difficulties, you can come to me. As long as you’re in the capital, I’ll take care of your affairs as usual.” “Better not.” I smiled lightly and stood up: “Since we broke up, let’s make a clean break, save the girl from misunderstanding.” Lucas raised his eyebrows in surprise, and said after a moment: “True.” “Then you guys enjoy, I’ll go back first.” “Let the driver take you?” “No need, I’ll take a taxi.” I walked out of the room. When I closed the door casually, I heard someone ask, “How long do you think Chloe can last this time?” “Two days?” “She seems really angry this time, so I bet a week.” Lucas glanced at the door that wasn’t completely closed and smiled coldly: “Within three days, she will come back crying.” “It’s been like this for so many years, I’m tired of watching.” “True, how can Chloe leave you? Who doesn’t know she loves you madly…” I smiled self-deprecatingly, clutched my handbag, and walked quickly to the elevator. 3 Back at the apartment, I went to the corner of the walk-in closet and took down the wedding dress. Looked forward to it for half a year to get it, but unfortunately, will never have the chance to wear it. This wedding dress was custom-made and non-refundable. Simply found a pair of scissors and cut it. After all, keeping it here would only be an eyesore for Lucas. When I finally left, I took off the ring and put it on the coffee table. I didn’t take many things. Except for personal items, I didn’t want anything else. Thought about it, and left a note for Lucas, He can dispose of this house and everything in it as he pleases, no need to ask me. I booked a flight for the early morning to Hong Kong. My best friend married there before the New Year, perfect for visiting her to relax. 4 My best friend asked me out for shopping and afternoon tea. There was also a small gathering in the evening, all former classmates and old friends. After three rounds of drinks, someone else pushed the door open and came in. Several female classmates’ eyes lit up immediately: “Ethan Stone? You are really a rare guest.” “Yeah, big shot, why did you grace us with your presence tonight?” “Just discussing something next door, heard old friends were gathering, so came over to join the fun.” As Ethan spoke, his gaze fixed on a spot for a moment before slowly moving away. My best friend pinched me quietly: “Chloe, Ethan came for you, right?” I looked at that man with drunken eyes. Taller than Lucas, wearing a black coat with a business suit of the same color inside. Brows and eyes were very handsome, figure very stylish, legs super long. I squinted for a while, then withdrew my gaze and shook my head: “Can’t be, we haven’t been in contact for years.” My best friend ignored me and called Ethan directly: “Big shot Ethan, can I trouble you to send Chloe back later?” “We’ve all been drinking, I’m not comfortable calling a ride-share for her.” I looked up at Ethan in a daze. Ethan’s gaze also crossed everyone and landed on my face. After about two seconds, I saw him nod: “Okay.” “Thanks, big shot.” My best friend sat down smiling and whispered in my ear: “Chloe, sleeping with one man for seven years, doesn’t seem worth it no matter how you look at it.” “If Lucas can be half-hearted and flirt around, why can’t you start a second spring?” “Besides, a superb man like Ethan, it’s a waste not to sleep with him.” “How do you know he will sleep with me?” “The way he looks at you is almost stripping you naked, baby.” “Trust me, I’ve dated eighteen guys, I have more experience than you.” 4 (Note: Chapter numbering in source repeats 4, continuing narrative) Ethan drove me back to the hotel. Downstairs at the hotel, I unbuckled my seat belt, Thanked him: “Thank you for driving me back tonight.” Ethan turned his head to look at me: “You’re welcome.” I pushed open the car door, about to get off, suddenly thought of what Lucas said that day. Ghost led me to speak: “Want to go up for a cup of tea?” Ethan kissed me in the elevator. I was already drunk, and being kissed by him so strongly and domineeringly, almost lacked oxygen. “There’s surveillance…” I panted, cheeks flushed, Legs so soft I could barely stand, could only hold his waist tightly. Ethan glanced at the camera, turned around, changed angle, and kissed down again. When swiping open the room door, he suddenly stopped me: “Chloe, if you regret now I can still stop.” “Regret what?” I looked up at him, fingers winding around his tie, pulling him closer: “You kissed my mouth swollen, now you say stop?” Ethan suddenly laughed. He reached out, finger pad lightly rubbing my slightly swollen lips, “Then even if you regret later, it’s useless.” Our first time, Ethan didn’t even wait to enter the bedroom. Back rubbing against the wall hurt a bit, I couldn’t help but bite him whiningly: “Ethan Stone are you a beast, do you know how to cherish jade and pity fragrance?” His hot palm padded my back. Finally panted and kissed the side of my neck: “Chloe, I can’t hold back anymore…” 5 Five minutes later, I understood what he meant. Ethan carried me back to the bedroom. I buried my face in the pillow, laughing non-stop, “Ethan, how long has it been since you had a woman?” Ethan looked at me with a dark face: “Quite long, busy with work these years.” I looked at him in surprise, gradually stopped laughing. After a while, tears suddenly welled up: “Sorry Ethan, I…” dirtied you. “Chloe, what are you saying.” Maybe because I cried, Ethan panicked a bit. He flusteredly wiped my tears, but my tears couldn’t stop at all. “I shouldn’t have provoked you.” “But you already provoked.” Ethan leaned over, he cupped my face and looked at me steadily, tone unexpectedly serious: “Chloe, since you provoked, you have to provoke to the end.” 6 On the seventh day in Hong Kong. Friend Jack from the capital suddenly sent me a WeChat: “Chloe, when are you coming back to Beijing?” “No plans to return for now.” “Everyone misses you quite a bit. Zhou is celebrating his birthday in two days, come back and gather.” “No, help me tell him, I’ll send a gift back.” “Alright then, take care of yourself.” In the private room, Jack handed the phone to Lucas: “Lucas, look, why don’t you call Chloe? She will definitely listen to you.” Lucas stared coldly at the few lines on the screen, Suddenly stubbed out the cigarette and stood up: “Come back or not, better die outside.” “Lucas… don’t be angry, Chloe must be feeling bad inside.” “Yeah, she took off the ring this time, looks like she’s really sad, also you and that woman went too far…” “We already broke up, what more does she want?” Lucas suddenly got angry: “Listen well, no one fucking look for her anymore, not even if she dies!” “Okay okay not looking not looking, don’t lose your temper, just hospitalized for stomach bleeding from drinking two days ago.” “Only when Chloe was here you didn’t have stomach trouble. She’s only been gone for a few days, and you tortured yourself like this…” Friends said a sentence, Lucas’s face darkened a degree. In the end, he took his coat directly and slammed the door leaving. Walking all the way downstairs, cold wind blowing on face, Lucas still felt the anger in his chest couldn’t dissipate. That woman Chloe really has guts, seven days, not a single call or text from her. Playing for real, huh? Lucas cold-facedly pulled Chloe’s number into the blacklist. You better fucking not come back crying and begging me. Because this time, I will absolutely not be soft-hearted towards you like before.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “390801”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Eight. Eight toilets in this house, and I was on my hands and knees in the last one, the sickly-sweet scent of bleach and raw sewage clinging to my uniform T-shirt. My phone buzzed on the floor, pushing a forum post to the top of my feed. “Second marriage to a wealthy man, how do I deal with a bratty stepdaughter?” The suggestions flew fast, but one comment, already flagged with 9,999 downvotes, snagged my eye. “Establish dominance. Go hard on your own kid—make an example of him. She’ll fall in line fast.” I instinctively tapped the downvote button to push the number past ten thousand. No father could be that cruel, I thought. Just as I set the phone down to scrub the final bowl, the bathroom door was kicked open. My father, Gavin, stormed in. Without a word, he grabbed the heavy leather belt I used to hold up my too-big shorts, and the pain began, lashing across my back and legs. “Did you break my razor? You can’t even clean a toilet without messing up. What good are you, you little waste of space!” “No… Dad, I didn’t…” I knelt on the cold tile, begging, but his strikes only grew harder, fueled by a rage I didn’t understand. Through the doorway, my stepsister, Patricia, stood, her face chalk-white, as she timidly called out, “Daddy?” The fleeting, ugly spark of pleasure on Gavin’s face was sickening. “It’s okay, Patricia. Your brother messed up, and he needs to face the consequences,” he said, his voice suddenly thick with false concern. Then he grabbed a fistful of my hair, dragged me toward the washing machine, and shoved me inside the drum. As he walked away, a small, black and white cat named Snowball, who had been hiding behind the hamper, crept onto the touch control panel of the machine. 1 I slammed my palms against the thick glass door of the washer. “Dad! The machine started! Let me out!” “The water is coming in! Dad, please!” I watched the doorknob turn. I clung to the glass, a surge of desperate hope flooding my chest. I knew he loved me. He couldn’t possibly let me drown in here. “D—Dad…” Click. The lock engaged—a sharp, final sound. Gavin’s roar followed instantly. “Still lying! You’ll invent any garbage story to escape punishment, won’t you?” “You’re going to stay in there and reflect on what you’ve done! You come out when you realize your mistake!” The water level rose frighteningly fast, already sloshing above my waist. My forehead cracked against a sharp plastic ridge, and everything went black for a second. “It hurts… Dad… I’m really hurt…” I sobbed, the cold water mixing with my tears and flooding my mouth. Outside, I heard Patricia’s muffled, crying voice. “Daddy, I hear water…” “Don’t listen to him, Patricia!” Gavin’s voice was suddenly loud, the tone laced with concealed satisfaction. “Your brother is a drama queen. He’s an expert at faking distress to get pity. You must never be like him.” The water passed my chest, then reached my neck. I clawed at the drum seal, struggling to gasp for air. “Dad… please… just look…” If you just looked, you’d know I was dying. But all I heard was my father’s sweet, gentle tone. “Patricia, you’ve been so good today. Daddy is going to reward you with some gourmet ice cream.” Their footsteps receded. In that moment, a raw, wrenching scream tore itself from my throat—a sound no one heard. I don’t know how long passed. Just as the frigid water was about to submerge my head, my pocketed phone flickered to life. I grabbed it, adrenaline giving me a last burst of strength, desperate to dial 911—even a one-in-a-million chance. My finger hovered over the screen when a new reply to the forum post popped up. “That ‘make an example’ trick works wonders!” “I locked my son in the washing machine, and the kid quieted down instantly. He even called me ‘Dad’ nicely afterward!” The comment section immediately exploded. “Are you insane? This is sick! That’s actual child abuse!” “He’s sacrificing his own son to please a woman?” “I’ve called the police! Get ready for jail, dude! Who puts a person in a washer?” My father’s panicked reply appeared instantly. “What do you know? It’s easy to judge when you’re not in my shoes!” “Do you know how hard it is to live with a piece of baggage like him? If I don’t please this woman, my son and I will be homeless!” “He can take a little pain so we can have a good life. What’s the big deal?” I stared at the words on the screen, and the hand I’d raised to call for help froze mid-air. In my father’s eyes, I was just baggage. A piece of dead weight. That’s what I was—the poor, disposable kid you see in old movies. I had no strength left to type. I simply stared at those three words. I thought: If I’m not here, you’ll be much happier. Then, Dad, I’ll grant you that wish. A small smile touched my lips. Air bubbles gurgled from my mouth. I remembered when I was five, burning up with a hundred-and-four-degree fever. Dad carried me on his back, running two miles straight to the emergency room. I was scared of the needle, clutching the fabric of his shirt. He squeezed my hand, his palm warm. He said, “Sammy, be a good boy. Listen to your father. You have to live.” But Dad, I can’t listen to you anymore. My body slipped down with the current, curling up at the bottom of the drum. The only sound was the deep, terrifying roar of the machine’s turning drum. My awareness began to fade. The drum lurched, flipping my body violently. The back of my head smashed against the metal wall. But I felt no pain. I sat up in the water, only to realize I was floating in the air. Looking down, the washing machine was still spinning, filled with murky water and foam. A small, thin body was curled inside, bobbing with the current. Was that… me? I reached out to touch the glass door, but my hand passed right through. 2 Fear made me instinctively search for my father. I floated out of the bathroom and into the first-floor living room. No matter how many times I apologized or called out, my father only had eyes for Patricia. “Why aren’t you eating, sweetie? It’s your favorite strawberry flavor.” Gavin stroked her hair. “Daddy will buy you this every day, as long as you promise to be a good girl.” Patricia burst into tears, dropping the ice cream cup onto the floor. “Daddy, I promise I’ll be good. Don’t lock me in the washing machine… I’m scared…” Seeing the ice cream fall, I lunged to catch it, but my hand passed straight through the cold cup. Gavin picked up the fallen ice cream, his smile growing. “Patricia is so good. Daddy cherishes you too much to ever punish you like that.” Patricia nodded furiously, snot and tears smearing her face. Standing behind them, I asked my father sadly, “Dad, didn’t you say you cherished me, too?” He didn’t seem to hear me, simply wiping Patricia’s tears with tender care. Just then, the sound of a key in the lock signaled the return of my stepmother, Tracy. Normally, Patricia would rush to Tracy for hugs and demands, but today, she just called out timidly, “Mom.” Tracy paused. “The sun’s coming up in the west? Why isn’t this kid throwing a fit?” Gavin rushed to meet her, taking her designer handbag. “Honey, I told you I had a handle on things. Kids just need the right guidance.” Tracy kicked off her shoes and walked to Patricia, reaching out to pinch her cheek. Patricia flinched but didn’t dare pull away. “Well, I’ll be. You actually did a flip. I didn’t think you could manage her,” Tracy said, a rare satisfied smile on her face. “You really know how to discipline her. She’s usually wild.” Hearing the affirmation, Gavin beamed. This was what all of it was for. The three sat down to dinner, the atmosphere unnervingly harmonious. On the table was the sweet and sour pork ribs—my favorite, which Dad had promised to make for me if I finished cleaning the toilets yesterday. Tracy paused, glancing around the room. Her brow furrowed. “Where is he? Why isn’t that kid eating?” My heart leaped. I drifted closer to Tracy. Aunt Tracy, I’m right here. I’m watching you eat. Gavin paused while scooping soup. “He messed up today. Broke my electric razor and then denied it.” “I locked him in the washing machine to reflect. A little starvation will sort him out.” Tracy looked toward the bathroom, then sniffed the air, her frown deepening. “What is that smell?” Our laundry machine was a wash-dry combo. With hot water and the dryer setting running, my body had already begun to putrefy. Tracy put down her fork and started walking toward the bathroom. “I’ll check the toilet. That smell is way too strong. It must be clogged.” Smack. Gavin slammed the ladle down on the table. “What else could it be! It has to be that brat doing it on purpose!” “Tracy, don’t go. Don’t spoil your appetite. The little monster actually relieved himself right there as a protest!” He started walking toward the second-floor bathroom. “We are eating! Are you deliberately trying to gross us out? You think shitting yourself is going to get you out of this? It won’t!” I frantically waved my hands, trying to dissipate the stench of decay. “It’s not that, Dad! I didn’t relieve myself!” “That’s the smell of Sammy decomposing… Dad, please don’t go near it.” Hearing no response from the bathroom, Gavin was instantly enraged. “Fine. Playing mute, are we? You think if you don’t talk, I’ll forget about this?” “If you like the smell of rotten filth so much, then you can stay in there and enjoy it!” He grabbed a can of air freshener and sprayed the hallway outside the door aggressively. “I was planning to let you out tomorrow morning. Now you’ve earned another twenty-four hours!” Tracy wrinkled her nose in disgust. “He’s getting completely out of hand. A boy that age, pulling stunts like this.” “Forget it. The house smells awful. I can’t eat here.” She smiled at Patricia. “Since Patricia was so good today, let’s go out for a seafood buffet.” Gavin’s eyes instantly lit up. He put away the air freshener and angrily glared at the bathroom door. “He can stay in there and reflect. Let’s see if he ever pulls a stunt like that again!” Watching them put on their shoes to leave, I spun in the air frantically. “Don’t go… Please don’t go…” “Don’t leave me alone in the house. It’s so dark in the bathroom. I’m scared…” But my father couldn’t hear me. Because I was already dead. 3 The next afternoon, they returned. I floated in the foyer, watching Dad take Tracy’s shoes, his face covered in a placating smile. “Honey, what do you want for dinner? I’ll cook whatever you want.” Tracy was in a good mood, humming as she walked toward the bedroom. “Anything. Just don’t let the house smell like it did yesterday.” Gavin’s face tightened, and he quickly laughed it off. Patricia followed, excitedly holding the huge box of Legos Tracy had bought her. Clatter. The Lego box was too big, and Patricia fumbled it, knocking over the large decorative vase in the entryway. The sound of ceramic shattering was deafening. “What was that noise out there!” Tracy’s angry shout instantly echoed from the bedroom. Gavin’s face went white. He clapped a hand over Patricia’s mouth and shouted toward the bedroom. “Nothing, Honey! Just my clumsy hand! I knocked over the vase by accident!” “Stop being so careless! Keep it down!” When Tracy didn’t appear, Gavin finally let out a long sigh. Patricia’s eyes were filled with tears, about to burst into wails. “Daddy, I’m sorry! I won’t do it again! Don’t lock me—” Gavin clamped his hand over her mouth again, whispering fiercely. “It’s okay, Patricia, you’re fine. Daddy would never lock you up.” He peered at Tracy’s closed door, then pulled Patricia toward the second-floor bathroom. “Come on, let’s go check on your brother.” I floated behind, watching Patricia’s face contorted with fear as Gavin pressed her against the bathroom door frame. The foul stench wafting from the crack under the door was stronger than yesterday. It was the smell of advanced decomposition. Gavin covered his nose in disgust and slammed his fist on the door. “You brat! Still playing dead, are we?” “It’s been a day, and you still haven’t cleaned up your mess? Making a stench like this—you deliberately don’t want to come out, do you!” The bathroom was silent. After a few more angry curses, the lack of movement made Gavin’s brow furrow, a flicker of panic in his eyes. “Did he pass out from hunger?” But just as he unlocked the door and prepared to push it open, Snowball, startled by the noise, jumped back onto the touch panel. This time, the small cat paused right on the Heavy Duty button. The clear, electronic chime of the machine starting up rang out. The washing machine violently shuddered, and the drum began to spin at high speed. Gavin froze, shocked by the sudden noise. When he realized it was the washing machine running, his panic instantly turned to blind fury. “Oh, you think you’re clever, you little bastard! I call for you, and you don’t answer, but you can start the machine yourself?” Seeing the machine whirl, I cried out in despair. “It wasn’t me, Dad! I didn’t start it!” “My body is already falling apart!” “Please, open the door and stop the machine!” But my father couldn’t hear my cries. He slammed the door shut and locked it again. Then he picked up Patricia and walked quickly toward the living room. “Patricia, you must never be naughty like your brother. Otherwise, you’ll have to be punished too.” Patricia trembled, nodding her head vigorously. I floated in the air, watching the wildly spinning machine with hopeless dread. The drum speed increased. The body, already badly swollen, was being crushed and distorted by the sheer force of the centrifuge. Finally, a strange gurgling sound came from the drainpipe. That was the sound of me clogging the drain. 4 Back in the living room, Tracy was on the sofa, her brows deeply furrowed. “Still not finished? What is that awful smell in this house?” She covered her nose, turning up the volume on the TV impatiently. “You can’t even manage one child. I have to live with this stench every day.” Gavin’s face instantly paled. He feared nothing more than Tracy thinking he was incompetent or that we were a burden. “Don’t worry, Tracy. It must be the sewer backing up. That kid was too lazy to clean the toilet.” “I’ll clean it! I’ll be good!” Patricia jumped off the sofa. She was terrified of being locked inside that roaring metal box. To prove herself, she stumbled toward the downstairs bathroom. “Clean it… If I clean it, the smell will go away…” Patricia muttered to herself, stirring the water in the toilet bowl with the brush. A gurgling sound came from the sewer. Patricia pressed the flush button. Whoosh. A reddish-brown liquid backed up and overflowed. “Why won’t it flush…” Patricia was nearly crying, afraid that failing at this simple task would lead to her own punishment. Suddenly, a fleshy, rounded object floated up with the churning water. Patricia froze, then her eyes lit up with excitement. “An action figure! It’s a superhero!” She screamed with joy. She thought this was a reward from the heavens, confirmation that she was a good girl for cleaning the toilet. She reached out her small hand, grabbed the object, and ran out. “No! Patricia, drop it! That’s not an action figure! That’s…” I lunged, trying to knock the object from her hand, but I passed through her body again and again. In the living room, Tracy listened to the scrubbing sounds from the bathroom and looked satisfied. “See? She has a sense of responsibility now. She’s proactively helping out. Much better than before.” Gavin’s lips curled into a smile. “Of course. Who do you think trained her?” Just as he spoke, Patricia’s excited voice rang out. “Daddy, look! The toilet flushed out a superhero!” “I cleaned it really well. This is my reward!” Gavin looked at Patricia. The next second, his face turned ghastly white.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “390829”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel