Category: English

Three days before our wedding, my fiancé, Ethan Vance, chartered a yacht for a game of Red and Black. The rules were simple: whoever drew a red card had to jump into the pitch-black night sea. I had almost drowned once as a child, and the dark ocean was my worst nightmare. I instinctively tried to back out, but Ethan pushed me back into my seat. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, his hand firm on my shoulder. “I checked the cards. You won’t get a red one.” My brother, Liam, chimed in, urging me on: “Since when has Ethan ever played with your safety, Evelyn?” But for five consecutive rounds, the only red card landed right in my hand. I was forced to jump into the freezing water five times. The suffocating feeling of near-death pushed me to the brink of a panic attack. As the lifeguard dragged me back to the deck for the fifth time, gasping for air, I heard my brother laugh. “Five jumps, and Evelyn still hasn’t figured out the cards are rigged?” Ethan’s voice was completely nonchalant: “So what if she does? As long as Summer wants to play, Evelyn will keep drawing red.” I trembled violently, my nails digging into my wet palms until they bled. They had rigged every single card to send me to my grave, all just to put a smile on Summer’s face. Well, this time, I’m leaving their table for good. …

I pushed open the deck door and threw the deck of Red and Black cards at Ethan’s feet. “Explain.” Saltwater was still dripping from my hair. Every breath I took burned my throat like fire. The laughter around the table died instantly. Ethan stood up, grabbing my arm to pull me toward the table. “The lifeguards were right there. You weren’t going to drown,” he said, stuffing the red card back into the box. “Don’t turn a harmless game into a pre-wedding scandal.” He reached out to touch my forehead. I flinched away, leaving his hand hanging in the air. I stared at his hand. I suddenly remembered years ago, when I was standing at the edge of a pool, terrified. He had held out his hand just like this and said, *“Evelyn, take my hand. I’ve got you.”* Because I remembered those words, I hadn’t doubted him when the first red card landed in my palm. I bent down, picked up the last red card, and pressed it against Ethan’s chest. “Then tell me, why did the lifeguards wait until I completely submerged every single time before pulling me out?” The onlookers quickly looked away, avoiding my eyes. Summer Ward was sitting in Ethan’s seat. She wore his designer jacket over her shoulders, casually twirling a pristine black card between her fingers. Ethan noticed my gaze and stepped forward, blocking my view of her. “I told them to delay it for a few seconds,” he said, looking at me. “You’ve been terrified of water for years. I thought this would finally cure your phobia. This was my call. Don’t blame Summer for it.” My fingers instinctively touched my bare left wrist. Before I went into the water, Ethan had personally taken off my customized wedding bracelet. He said the saltwater would ruin the clasp. He promised he would put it back on me the moment I came up. Right now, that very bracelet was resting on Summer’s wrist. I reached out to grab it, but Ethan intercepted me, clamping his hand over my wrist. “Summer is easily chilled, and her wrist has been aching,” he said smoothly. “She’s just wearing it temporarily to keep it warm.” “That is my wedding bracelet.” “I know,” his tone was flat, completely dismissive. “Once we’re back on land, I’ll have a new one custom-made for you.” Summer leaned back against the yacht’s railing, shaking her wrist so the initial charms clinked together. “Evelyn, Ethan said that if something is truly important, he’ll always replace it with something better for me.” The two letter charms clinked. One was my initial, ‘E’, and the other was Ethan’s, ‘E’. I had drawn the design myself. It was one of a kind. I lunged forward to yank the bracelet back. Summer didn’t flinch. Instead, she let my momentum pull her, taking a deliberate step backward. The next second, a sharp scream pierced the air. She went over the railing, tumbling straight into the dark sea. Ethan’s face went pale. Without even taking off his wet shirt, he dove straight into the water after her. Liam rushed in front of me, raising his hand as if to strike me. “Did you just push her?!” I grabbed his wrist, forcing the red card into his palm. “Didn’t you guys say that as long as there are lifeguards, nothing can go wrong?” I looked at Summer struggling in the water and slowly let go of Liam’s wrist. “Then let her experience it too.”

When Ethan carried Summer back onto the deck, she was wrapped in my customized bridal shawl. “Evelyn Miller, pushing someone who can’t swim into the ocean? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” I leaned heavily against the table, coughing up saltwater that dripped onto my bare feet. “I can’t swim either.” “The lifeguards were prepared before you went in!” “She had them too,” I said, glaring at the girl shivering in his arms. “In fact, she had two of them.” Ethan set Summer down on a lounge chair, gently wrapping the shawl tighter around her. Then he stood up, shielding her from me. “She was completely unprepared. It’s not the same.” I pointed to the ice bucket on the table. Now that the red cards had been soaked in water, the tiny scratches carved into their backs had bubbled up, completely visible. “Was I prepared?” A man in a grey designer shirt laughed. “Come on, Evelyn. You’re standing here arguing, which proves Ethan’s plan worked. Summer just wanted to see if the game would help you. Why do you have to be so vindictive?” I picked up the ice bucket and dumped the freezing water and rigged cards right over his expensive shoes. “You jump five times in my place, and then I’ll apologize.” He took a step back, his face darkening. “If you can’t handle a joke, don’t play. Don’t take your insecurities out on everyone else.” Ethan raised a hand, and the man shut up instantly. Ethan pushed a glass of warm water toward me. “Drink this. Don’t catch a cold.” I didn’t touch it. He stared at my pale, ghost-like face for a few seconds. “Apologize to Summer. Let’s end this tonight.” Summer leaned her head against Ethan’s shoulder, coughing softly. The bracelet slid out from under the shawl, its initial charms catching on the silver threads of my bridal wrap. I grabbed the other end of the shawl. “Give it back.” Ethan looked up. “She just fell into the water, and her wrist was scraped by the railing. Let her wear it for now. I’ll buy you a new one tomorrow.” I stared at him. “It’s three days before our wedding, and you’re using my things to comfort her, telling me you’ll buy me a replacement?” One of the guys at the table, clearly drunk, chuckled. “Ethan’s already spent several nights at Summer’s place. Evelyn, throwing a fit over a shawl now makes you look a bit slow, don’t you think?” Liam kicked the man’s chair hard. “Shut up if you’re drunk.” I tapped my phone screen, pulling up the Snapchat location history from his trip to the neighboring city last month. “You told me you went to taste-test the wedding wine. Were you with her?” Summer clutched the hem of Ethan’s shirt, tears welling in her eyes. “I had a high fever that night, Evelyn. Ethan was just taking care of me. The hotel only had one room left. He couldn’t just leave me alone.” “How many nights?” I asked. Ethan didn’t answer. But the guy in the grey shirt laughed again, clearly lacking a filter. “Just three nights. Besides, Ethan came back to you in the end, didn’t he?” “Shut up,” Ethan snapped. The entire deck fell dead silent. I looked at him. “So it’s true.” The night before he left, the wedding vows I had sent him were left on read. When he finally replied ten hours later, he only sent two words: *“Whatever works.”* And during those days, he was staying in a single hotel room with Summer for three nights. Ethan was quiet for a moment before stepping closer to me. “Nothing happened between us,” he said, raising his hand to wipe a drop of water from my chin. “Evelyn, I promised to marry you, and I won’t go back on my word. The position of Mrs. Vance has never belonged to anyone else.” Summer gently tugged his sleeve. Ethan’s hand instantly retreated from my face. I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth and spoke clearly, word by word: “Ethan, what makes you so confident that I would still want a man who shares a bed with another woman?” Ethan’s eyes darkened with anger. Liam’s face grew cold first. “Evelyn, the alliance between the Vance and Miller families is not a joke. You can be angry, but you cannot use our wedding to throw a tantrum.” Summer lowered her eyes, took off the bracelet, and placed it back into Ethan’s palm. “I shouldn’t have worn it. Don’t let Evelyn misinterpret things because of me.” Ethan looked at the bracelet in his hand, his thumb brushing over the charms. Then, he slid it into his pocket. “I’ll return it to her when she calms down.” The captain walked over. “We’ve entered the return route. According to the schedule, we’ll dock in twenty minutes.” Ethan’s voice was cold. “If she doesn’t apologize, keep the boat out here.” I looked at the “Whatever works” text on my screen and finally understood. He hadn’t missed my wedding vows. He was just absolutely certain that no matter how many times he abandoned me, I would always be right there, waiting for him.

As the yacht approached an abandoned pier near the island, I walked into the control cabin and grabbed the radio. “Turn back. I want to contact my parents.” Ethan caught up to me from behind, grabbing my shoulder. “Evelyn, that’s enough.” He reached over me, pulled the ignition key from the console, and clenched it in his fist. “The invitations are out, the venue is booked, the guests are confirmed, and the registry is set. The wedding is in two days,” he said, looking down at me. “This isn’t something you can just cancel with a temper tantrum.” Summer walked out of the cabin, holding a marine flare gun. She placed the gun on the table, her finger tapping the grip. “Since Evelyn doesn’t trust any of us, why don’t we play another game?” Ethan frowned. “This isn’t a deck of cards, Summer. Don’t mess around with that.” “What are you scared of? They’re just blanks.” Summer turned her gaze to me. “If Evelyn wins, we dock the boat. If she loses, she apologizes to me, and we put tonight behind us.” I stared at her for a few seconds, then let out a cold laugh. “Sure. But I’m only playing against you.” Ethan checked the safety and the barrel, giving Summer a warning look. “Keep it civil. Don’t take it too far.” Summer took the gun, turning her back to us under the pretense of adjusting her sleeves. Her body blocked everyone’s line of sight. When she turned back, she smiled at Ethan. “You checked it yourself, so it should be fine, right?” Summer pulled the trigger first. A loud click. Blank. I pulled it second. Another click. She took the gun back and pulled it a third time. Click. Summer smiled, sliding the gun back to me. “The last chamber is yours, Evelyn.” I didn’t take the gun from her hand. Instead, I grabbed the grip myself and pointed the barrel toward the empty ocean. “Since they’re all blanks, let’s keep going.” The moment my finger squeezed the trigger, Summer suddenly grabbed Ethan’s arm, using the leverage to swing herself forward. At the exact same time, she threw herself directly into Ethan’s chest. *BANG!* A deafening roar shattered the night. The flare shot past her cheek. The intense, burning heat sliced her skin, and the light fixture behind us shattered into pieces. Seeing the blood on her face, Liam lost his mind and lunged at me. *SLAP!* The force of his slap made my ears ring, and my cheek instantly went numb. I turned my face back, tasting copper in my mouth. “I didn’t load that gun.” Liam snarled, “But you’re the one who pulled the trigger!” “Check the security cameras.” Liam ripped the memory card out of the console and slid it into his pocket. “I will have it checked.” I reached out to grab it, but he stepped back. “I’m keeping the evidence until you calm down.” Summer clutched her bleeding cheek, leaning heavily against Liam’s chest. “Ethan, don’t blame Evelyn. She was just jealous. She lost her mind because she loves you too much.” Ethan stared at me. “Apologize.” I grabbed a tissue from the table, slowly wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, and tossed it into the trash. “What is she to deserve an apology from me?” Ethan closed his eyes. When he opened them, he pointed toward the dark pier outside. “Leave her on the island. We’ll bring her back when she’s ready to apologize.” The boarding ramp slowly retracted behind me. The captain tried to intervene. “Mr. Vance, the storm is hitting in thirty minutes! We can’t leave anyone on this island!” Ethan stood at the stern, watching me through the widening gap of dark water. “She’ll apologize.” The yacht faded into the darkness. I reached for the emergency locator beacon on my life vest and flipped the switch. The light didn’t turn on.

The yacht hovered a few hundred yards away, refusing to leave completely. Ethan’s voice boomed over the megaphone. “Evelyn! Just apologize, and I’ll bring you back right now!” The wind howled, sending massive waves crashing over the concrete pier. I looked down, frantically pressing the button on my locator beacon. Once. Twice. Nothing. I pried open the battery compartment. It was completely empty. The edges of the plastic cover had fresh pry marks on them. “Someone took the batteries,” I whispered. I looked up toward the yacht and yelled into the wind, “Drop the emergency dinghy!” Liam’s voice came through the megaphone, dripping with impatience. “Is a simple ‘I’m sorry’ that hard, Evelyn? Ethan is already giving you a way out!” The captain’s panicked voice drifted over the water. “Mr. Vance, we have to get her back now! The tide is going to submerge the old pier tonight, and the guardhouse on the island is completely abandoned!” Ethan’s expression changed. He reached for the megaphone. But right then, Summer gasped, clutching her throat, and stumbled into his arms. “Ethan… I can’t breathe…” Severe red hives broke out across her neck, and her breathing turned into a ragged wheeze. Ethan panicked. “Get the epi-pen and the first aid kit!” The deck fell into utter chaos as Ethan carried her into the cabin without looking back. A few minutes later, he reappeared at the stern. Summer’s breathing was growing weaker in his arms. “Evelyn, Summer is having a severe allergic reaction! We have to get her to a hospital immediately!” I stood in the freezing seawater, which had already risen past my shoes. “Leave the emergency dinghy for me first!” Ethan gripped the megaphone. “We need to keep the dinghy attached in case we need to transfer her to an ambulance on the way!” “Then give me a satellite phone!” Liam’s voice cut in coldly. “There’s only one on board, and Summer might need it to contact the paramedics!” The storm slammed into the rocks, making the yacht sway violently. I stared at Ethan. “So, you’re really going to leave me here alone in a storm?” Ethan’s knuckles turned white around the megaphone. “Captain, bring us closer to the pier! We’ll grab her first!” But the moment the yacht turned, Summer let out a painful cry, curling her body into a tight ball. “Ethan… save me… please…” Ethan froze. For one agonizing second, he looked at Summer, then looked back at me. Finally, he turned his back to me and shouted to the captain: “Head to the harbor. Now!” The blood in my veins turned to ice. Ethan’s tense voice echoed over the roaring wind. “Evelyn! Get to high ground!” “Two hours!” “Two hours max, I swear I’ll send a rescue boat back for you!” I screamed back, “What if I can’t wait that long?” “Stop throwing a tantrum!” His voice sounded strained. “Just head up the hill! Don’t stay on the pier, and don’t wander off! Find shelter and leave a marker, do you hear me?!” Summer sobbed in his arms. “Ethan, am I going to die?” Ethan immediately looked down to soothe her. “No. I’m here. You’re going to be fine.” The yacht swung around, accelerating into the storm. The lights of the boat grew smaller and smaller. I stood there, frozen, as the icy ocean water climbed past my ankles. It was always like this. On the day we were supposed to get our marriage license, he told me to wait. On the day of my bridal fitting, he told me to wait. He said Summer was sick, that she had no one else but him. Because I was always the mature one. The one who would never cause trouble. Twenty minutes later, the lights on the pier went completely black. I ran through the pouring rain toward the old guardhouse, but the door was wrapped in heavy, rusted chains. Waves were already cresting over the steps. I had no choice but to climb the rocky path up the hill. Sharp branches and broken wood sliced my knees. I fell face-first into the mud, but I forced myself to crawl back up, using the wet stone wall for support. The door of the old weather station was warped and rusted. I threw my shoulder against it three times before it finally gave way. The moment I barricaded the door with a metal pipe, a section of the wooden roof collapsed with a loud crash. In the corner, I spotted an old emergency landline phone. The screen flickered to life. With trembling fingers, I dialed the one number I knew by heart. It rang once and connected. “Evelyn?!” Ethan’s voice was frantic, trembling. “Where are you? I can’t get through to the island’s emergency rescue team! The storm is too bad, but our boat is heading back!” Outside, the waves thundered against the cliffs. I threw my weight against the shaking door. “The roof collapsed. The water is coming in.” “Get out of there! Run to higher ground!” “There is no higher ground!” I looked down at the water swirling around my calves. “Ethan, I think I’m actually going to die here.” He screamed into the receiver, “Tell me exactly where you are! I’m coming back myself, Evelyn! Don’t you dare hang up!” But before I could speak, Summer’s frantic cries pierced the line. “Ethan! My chest hurts so bad… I can’t breathe!” Ethan’s voice instantly muffled as he pulled away. “Where is the doctor?! Get her the oxygen mask!” “Ethan,” I called out, my voice barely a whisper. “Are you actually coming back for me?” There was a two-second silence over the line. “Evelyn, just give me a little more time. Summer really needs me right now.” I let out a soft laugh. My tears mixed with the rising saltwater. “But I don’t have any more time left.” The stone wall behind me suddenly cracked. A torrent of freezing seawater rushed in, the sheer force of it slamming me to the floor. The phone slipped from my wet palm, splashing into the rising water. Ethan’s panicked, distorted voice echoed faintly from the submerged speaker. “Evelyn!” “Evelyn, answer me!” I crawled desperately toward the glowing screen. Just as my fingers brushed the glass, the signal bars dropped to zero. Call disconnected. The next second, the entire wall collapsed. Cold, heavy seawater rushed over my head, dragging me down into the pitch-black drainage channel. Before darkness claimed my vision, I saw a memory from years ago. Ethan was standing poolside, holding his hand out to me. *“Evelyn, don’t be scared. I’ll pull you up.”* But this time, he had reached out for someone else. And I was done waiting.

When the current dragged me into the drainage pipe, I thought I was dead. My back slammed repeatedly against the rough concrete. A piece of debris sliced open my right leg. I clawed at the wet, slippery walls, but there was nothing to hold onto. It wasn’t until my body slammed violently against a metal maintenance ladder that I jolted back to consciousness. I wrapped my arms around the metal rung, forcing my face above the swirling water to gasp for air. The weather station had completely collapsed, blocking the entrance with rubble. The tide was still rising, pushing me deeper into the dark tunnel with every wave. “Ethan…” I whispered his name out of sheer habit, but only the roar of the water answered. He had told me to wait two hours. He had no idea that there weren’t two hours left. I grabbed the heavy metal buckle of my life vest and began slamming it against the rusted lock of the maintenance hatch. My wrist throbbed, my palm split open, but the rusted lock wouldn’t budge. As the water reached my chin, I remembered drawing the first red card. Ethan had held my shoulder, promising me he would never put me in danger. I had believed him. So I jumped. The second time, the third time, the fifth time… I kept waiting for him to tell them to stop the game. Even now, I was still waiting. That realization chilled me deeper than the freezing ocean. I jammed the metal buckle into the gap of the hatch, pressed my foot against the concrete wall, and threw all my weight onto it. With a loud crack, the lock snapped. The heavy metal door swung open, and the rush of water flushed me out into a narrow rocky cave. My shoulder scraped against the jagged rocks, and before I could even take a breath, I was swept into the open air. Suddenly, a bright beam of light sliced through the darkness. The light flashed across the cave entrance twice, and then a heavy rescue rope splashed into the water right in front of me. “Grab it!” A man’s voice roared over the wind. I reached out. For the first time in my life, I didn’t wait for someone to pull me. I wrapped the rope securely around my wrist myself. The rope snapped taut. By the time I was hauled onto the deck of the rescue boat, I couldn’t feel my right leg. I collapsed onto the wet wood, shivering violently. Someone knelt beside me, quickly cutting away my wet life vest. “Evelyn, stay with me. Look at me.” I forced my eyes open. Julian Sterling’s face appeared under the swinging searchlight. He was the deputy commander of the local Coast Guard, and the oldest son of the family that lived next door to mine growing up. “Can you hear me?” I grabbed his sleeve, my throat burning with the taste of blood. “Don’t… don’t tell Ethan.” Julian didn’t ask why. He wrapped me in a thermal emergency blanket and turned to his crew. “Disable our public transponder. Report that we found one female casualty, but keep the identity confidential. Call the hospital and have blood plasma ready.” As the patrol boat sped away from the island, several searchlights cut through the distant fog. A voice roared over a megaphone, calling my name over and over. The wind tore the sound apart, but I still recognized it. It was Ethan. He had finally come back. But as Julian held my wrist, checking my pulse, I didn’t tell him to stop the boat. I closed my eyes, letting the distant lights fade into the storm behind us. When I finally woke up, my mother was sitting by my hospital bed. Seeing my eyes open, she reached out to hug me but stopped, terrified of touching my injuries. She could only clutch the edge of the mattress, crying silently. My father stood by the window, holding a copy of the official rescue log. “The search and rescue teams haven’t officially found you yet,” he said softly. “Ethan has been tearing that island apart for eleven hours.” I looked at my bandaged wrists. “Don’t tell him yet.” My mother’s eyes widened. “Evelyn?” “I want to see how they explain this if they think I’m dead.” My father was silent for a moment before handing me his phone. On the local news, Ethan was standing outside the ruins of the collapsed weather station. He was still wearing the same white shirt from last night, his sleeves stained with dried blood. His face was completely pale, but his eyes were terrifyingly cold. A reporter asked him if they were going to call off the search due to the weather. He only said one sentence. “We don’t stop until we find her. If she’s not off this island, nobody leaves.” I locked the screen. If this had happened in the past, I might have flattered myself into thinking he actually cared. Now, it just felt pathetic. Because when I actually needed him to stay, he had already made his choice. This time, I was going to let him experience what it felt like to wait for someone who was never coming back.

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On the very first day we bought our wedding house, Ethan registered my license plate in the community’s security system. Yet, every single time I drove up to the underground garage entrance, the barrier gate refused to lift. It was the ninth time I was locked out in the pouring rain. I pulled my car to the side and called Ethan. He answered, his tone so practiced it sounded like he’d memorized a script. “I’m so sorry, babe. The system upgraded yesterday and cleared your plate. “Just park on the street tonight. I’ll get it re-registered tomorrow.” Last time, he blamed it on a clueless new property manager. The time before that, he claimed the garage database was full and they had to delete some inactive users first. Only later did I find out that Hailey had casually mentioned to him that day: “We shouldn’t register too many cars for the townhome. It might get messy in the future.” And just like that, my car was deleted. As I hung up, a BMW sped past me, splashing dirty water everywhere. The muddy water slammed against my car door, and some of it ruined the hem of my freshly washed white dress. Hailey was sitting in the passenger seat, draped in Ethan’s suit jacket. She didn’t even spare me a glance. The next second, a notification from the community management app popped up on my phone. *“Long-term parking authorization for Mr. Reynolds’ private spot has been granted to Ms. Brooks.”* Cold rainwater seeped into my shoes, making my toes go numb. If this was a world I had to force my way into, then I didn’t want it anymore. … **1** I parked my car in the furthest visitor lot outside the community. The muddy water soaked my shoes. Every step felt like walking on ice. Holding my umbrella, I walked up to the gated entrance. The security guard glanced at me, his face blank. “Visitor registration, please.” I gave him Ethan’s name. The guard tapped on his computer for a moment, his brows furrowing. “Mr. Reynolds doesn’t have any visitors registered for tonight.” I froze. “I’m his fiancée.” A flash of awkwardness crossed the guard’s face, and he tapped the screen again. “According to our system notes, the only registered family member for the Reynolds household is a Ms. Brooks. “You… you are listed as a temporary visitor. I need the homeowner’s confirmation to let you in.” Family member. Temporary visitor. I stood outside the gate as heavy rain poured down the edges of my umbrella. It turned out that in this townhome—where my parents had pitched in $50,000 for the down payment—Hailey was family. And I was just a temporary visitor. The guard called the house. No one picked up. I sent Ethan a couple of Snapchat messages. One, then another. No reply. Instead, our mutual group chat on Snapchat lit up with new notifications. Hailey had posted a photo of a dinner table. It was a lavish spread, with a plate of garlic butter shrimp right in the center. Her caption read: *“Ethan’s mom taught me how to make his favorite garlic butter shrimp tonight. Success on my first try! * A stream of teasing comments immediately followed. *“Are you sure you’re not the actual future daughter-in-law?”* *“Hales feels more like family than the actual girlfriend tbh.”* *“Ethan is a lucky guy.”* Suddenly, someone deleted a message. But I had already seen it. *“Is Chloe here yet? Don’t tell me she got locked out of the garage again lmao.”* This group chat was created ages ago when they used to play poker together. I rarely spoke in it. It had been so long that they probably forgot I was even there. I locked my phone. Just then, someone walked out from the gated community. It was Jackson, one of Ethan’s close friends. He was holding a case of seltzers and stopped in his tracks when he saw me. “Chloe? What are you doing standing out here in the rain?” I forced a smile. “The system says I’m just a visitor.” Jackson’s expression stiffened. He reached out to scan his keycard for me. But just as his hand lifted, he seemed to remember something and lowered his voice. “Actually… maybe you shouldn’t go up tonight. Hailey is there, and Ethan’s mom is in a really good mood. “If you go up… it might get awkward.” I stared at him. “Does she come over often?” Jackson opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally admitted the truth. “Yeah, pretty often. “Ethan’s mom really likes her. Thinks she’s sweet and domestic. We used to joke around, saying she seemed more like Ethan’s wife.” Realizing how that sounded, he quickly added, “I didn’t mean it that way, Chloe.” I nodded. “It’s fine.” My phone buzzed again. Ethan had finally replied. *“My mom wanted Hailey to taste-test the catering menu for our wedding. I’m caught up here right now. Find somewhere to stay dry, and wait for me to finish.”* I looked up at the warmly lit window of the townhouse. Inside, people were eating, laughing, and enjoying the shrimp Hailey had made. And I was standing out in the rain, unable to even pass the security gate. I turned around and walked away. The cold rain on my face felt freezing. **2** When I got to my apartment, I took a long, hot shower. The mud stains on my dress wouldn’t come out, and my knees were bruised red from the biting cold rain. The next morning, Ethan’s phone call woke me up. It rang three times before I finally picked up. Ethan’s voice sounded a bit raspy. “Why did you leave last night?” I didn’t say anything. He sighed. “I asked management about the license plate. Hailey made a mistake when she was registering a temporary car for my mom. “She didn’t do it on purpose.” It was always this excuse. *She didn’t do it on purpose.* I stared at the sunlight piercing through the cracks of the curtains, suddenly feeling exhausted. Ethan’s voice softened. “Let’s have dinner tonight. We still need to finalize the wedding menu. “My mom will be there, too. Don’t make her overthink things.” I wanted to say no. But then I thought about my parents, who had already booked their flights for the wedding. I thought about the $50,000. In the end, I agreed. When I arrived at the restaurant that evening, the private dining room was already packed. Ethan’s mother, Beatrice, sat at the head of the table. Hailey sat on her right, putting food onto Beatrice’s plate. “Try this, Beatrice. It’s light and easy on your stomach.” Beatrice smiled so warmly her eyes wrinkled. “Oh, Hailey, you are always so thoughtful.” When I pushed the door open, everyone looked up at me. Hailey was the first to stand up. “Chloe! You’re finally here. Come, sit.” She pointed to a seat right next to the door. “This spot is perfect for the servers to bring out the food. You can check out the dishes from here.” I looked at Ethan. He was busy pouring water for his mother, refusing to look at me. So, I sat down. Throughout the entire dinner, Hailey acted like the hostess. She picked the menu. She selected the wine. She even weighed in on what color dress Beatrice should wear on the wedding day. “Let’s go with the king crab for the main course. We should make the whole menu seafood-based. What do you think? “Seafood is a bit pricey, but it looks sophisticated. We can’t have the Reynolds family wedding looking cheap.” My mother was severely allergic to seafood. I had told Ethan this three days ago. I looked at Ethan, waiting for him to speak up. But he just smiled and said, “I trust your taste, Hailey.” Beatrice patted Hailey’s hand. “If it weren’t for Hailey helping out, I seriously wouldn’t know what to do.” Hailey looked down, blushing. “Don’t say that, Beatrice. I just want the wedding to be perfect.” Someone laughed and teased, “Honestly, Hales, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were the bride.” The room erupted into laughter. Ethan laughed, too. Only my fork hovered frozen in the air. As if suddenly remembering I was there, Hailey quickly looked over at me. “Chloe, you don’t mind, right? We’ve been joking like this since we were kids.” I set my fork down. “I don’t mind.” Ethan finally looked at me. His eyes held a look of approval, as if praising me for being “reasonable.” Halfway through the dinner, Beatrice suddenly brought up the townhouse. “The remodeling is almost done. The final payment is due in a few days.” She looked at me, her tone incredibly casual. “Chloe, that $50,000 your parents sent… let’s just count that as a contribution toward the joint household expenses.” I looked up. “What do you mean, joint household expenses?” Beatrice’s smile faded a bit. “You two are getting married soon. Why are you keeping score? “Ethan bought the townhouse before the marriage. You contributing a little bit of money is just for your future life together, isn’t it?” My hand clenched tightly around my water glass. “My dad wrote ‘down payment for the house’ in the bank transfer memo.” The room went dead silent. Hailey gently put her forks down, her voice soft and sweet. “Chloe, Beatrice didn’t mean it like that. She’s probably just trying to take the pressure off you. “You don’t need to be so sensitive whenever money is brought up.” Ethan frowned. “Chloe, we are here to finalize the menu today, not to do accounting.” I stared at him. “My parents gave us $50,000. Am I not even allowed to ask for clarification?” Beatrice’s face completely darkened. “You haven’t even married into this family yet, and you’re already calculating everything so coldly.” Hailey quickly poured her some water. “Don’t be upset, Beatrice. Chloe probably just hears her parents talk about money too much.” Those words were more insulting than a slap to my face. She made it sound like my parents were greedy schemers, like my entire family was eyeing the Reynolds’ property. **3** Just as I was about to speak, the server walked in carrying hot soup. Hailey stood up to help take the bowl. Her hand slipped, and the entire bowl of scalding soup spilled directly onto my lap. The burning heat instantly seared through my dress and onto my skin. I gasped in pain. But Ethan’s first instinct was to grab Hailey’s wrist. “Did you get burned?” Hailey’s eyes immediately welled with tears. “I’m fine, I’m fine… I just scared Chloe.” Beatrice frowned at me. “It’s just a little soup, Chloe. You were sitting so far out, no wonder you bumped into Hailey.” I looked down at my soaked dress. The hot soup was dripping down my shins, sticky and disgusting. I was just sitting there, yet somehow I was the one who bumped into her. Nobody asked if I was hurt. They were only worried that Hailey might feel bad. I stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.” The moment the door shut behind me, I heard Hailey’s whimpering voice from inside: “Ethan… is Chloe mad at me?” And Ethan’s low, comforting voice: “No, she’s not that petty.” Standing outside the door, I let out a dry laugh. It turned out that my politeness and maturity had just been their free pass to walk all over me. After cleaning myself up, I didn’t go back to that suffocating room. I walked straight to my car, my knees still throbbing with a dull pain. As soon as I pressed the unlock button, Ethan’s hand reached over my shoulder and yanked the driver’s side door open. “Chloe, Hailey isn’t feeling well. I need to take your car to drive her to the hospital.” Ethan pulled the door wide open. Hailey was standing right behind him. “I’m so sorry, Chloe. Ethan planned on drinking tonight so he didn’t drive. You don’t mind if we borrow your car, right?” Before I could even speak, Ethan had already slid into the driver’s seat. Instinctively, I reached for the passenger door. But Hailey quickly stepped in front of me. “Chloe, can I please sit in the front?” She clutched her stomach, her face pale. “My stomach hurts so bad, and I get motion sickness in the back.” Without waiting for my answer, she pulled open the door and sat inside. Ethan glanced at me. “Just sit in the back, Chloe. You can drive the car back once we get to the hospital. “It’s a good thing you were out here, otherwise I would have had to ask you for the keys.” He didn’t ask why I had left the dinner early. Instead, he was just glad my departure had made things convenient for them. I pulled open the back door and got in. The car started moving. Hailey took out a few interior design mock-ups from her bag and handed them to Ethan. “Your mom said this room has the best lighting. She suggested we don’t turn it into a nursery just yet. “I’ve been taking more design clients lately and need to film content. Can I use it as my temporary studio?” Ethan glanced at the papers. “You can just sort that out with my mom.” Sitting in the back seat, my fingers clenched into tight fists. That room was the one I had planned for my parents. They were flying in for the wedding; they couldn’t just stay in a hotel the entire time. Hailey turned around to look at me, as if she had just remembered my existence. “Chloe, you don’t mind, right? “I’ll only use it occasionally. I won’t get in your way.” I looked her dead in the eye. “You don’t get to make decisions about my townhouse, Hailey.” The car fell dead silent. Ethan’s brows knitted together. “Chloe.” Just one word, but it was loaded with warning. Hailey lowered her head, her voice turning soft and pathetic. “Never mind. I won’t interfere. I don’t want to be a nuisance.” Ethan’s face completely darkened. “Do you have to speak like that?” I looked out the window and didn’t reply. As the car neared the hospital, Hailey suddenly clutched her chest. “Ethan, my stomach is so upset…” Ethan immediately pulled over to the curb. “What’s wrong?” She leaned back against the seat, her breathing shallow. After a few seconds, she suddenly turned her head to look at me. “Is it… is it the smell of the soup on Chloe’s dress? It’s making me so nauseous…” I was stunned. “You were the one who spilled the soup on me.” But Ethan had already gotten out of the car and opened my door. “Get out for a bit, Chloe.” The cold night wind rushed into the car. I stared at him. “This is my car.” He avoided my eyes. “Hailey is really sick right now. Just call an Uber. I’ll bring the car back to you tomorrow.” I didn’t budge. Ethan’s voice turned colder. “Chloe, can you have some empathy for once?” I got out of the car. The door slammed shut in my face. The car sped away into the night. **4** My phone battery was at three percent. Standing by the curb, I was about to call a ride when a notification from Instagram popped up. It was a new post from Hailey. The photo showed a corner of the coffee table in the townhouse, taken yesterday. Next to a coffee mug lay a document. Her caption read: *“Beatrice told me that there’s a place for me in this home, too. 🏠✨”* I clicked on the photo. And zoomed in. The cover of the document revealed a few words: *“Pre-Marital Asset Confirmation Agreement.”* Further down, partially covered by the mug, was a clause: *“The transfer of $50,000 shall be deemed a voluntary gift from Chloe Evans to Ethan Reynolds.”* The moment those words registered, the coldness in my body vanished. All I could hear was the sound of something snapping inside me. I hailed an Uber and gave the driver the address of the townhouse. The driver glanced at my stained dress but didn’t ask questions. When I reached the community gate, the security guard recognized me this time. He hesitated for a second before letting me in. “Ms. Evans… Mrs. Reynolds said earlier that you wouldn’t be coming tonight.” My footsteps paused. “Which Mrs. Reynolds?” The guard blinked. “Mr. Reynolds’ mother.” I nodded and didn’t say another word. The keypad lock passcode hadn’t been changed. When I pushed the door open, the living room lights were on. The coffee table was a complete mess. My parents’ $50,000 transfer receipt had been crumpled into a ball and thrown next to the trash can. Our signed co-ownership agreement was torn in half. The agreement that originally stated: *“Chloe Evans contributes $50,000 toward the down payment, and both parties shall jointly repay the mortgage after marriage.”* Now, the signature section was soaked in water. My name was blurred into an unrecognizable smudge. There was even a faint shoe print on the paper. I knelt down, picking up the torn pieces one by one. My hands were shaking violently. My dad had insisted I keep this agreement. He had told me: “It’s not that I don’t trust Ethan, Chloe. I just don’t want you to be taken advantage of.” At the time, I laughed and told him he was overthinking. Now I realized he was the only sober one. I took photos of the ruined papers, the trash can, and the messy table. The drawer was half-open. Inside lay another document. The cover was identical to the one Hailey had posted on Instagram. *“Pre-Marital Asset Confirmation Agreement.”* I flipped to the last page. Under the signature line, the name “Chloe Evans” was clearly written. But it wasn’t my handwriting. And the clauses inside were even more insulting. *“Chloe Evans voluntarily confirms that the property under Ethan Reynolds’ name has no relation to her.* *The prior transfer of $50,000 was a voluntary gift during the relationship and shall not be refunded.* *After marriage, both parties shall manage their incomes independently, and the marriage shall not alter the property rights.”* I stared at it for a long time. Then, I let out a soft laugh. It turned out they didn’t invite me last night to taste-test a menu. They invited me to test my limits. I called Ethan. It rang for a long time before he finally picked up. His voice was hushed. “I’m at the hospital. Hailey just got hooked up to an IV. Let’s talk tomorrow.” I looked at the forged agreement in my hand. “The pre-marital agreement. Who prepared it?” The other end went dead silent for a couple of seconds. “What agreement?” “The one with my forged signature.” I could hear Hailey softly coughing in the background. Ethan’s tone instantly turned irritated. “Chloe, I told you we’ll talk tomorrow. Do you have to pick a fight tonight?” I closed my eyes. “It’s a forged signature, Ethan.” His voice turned cold. “Who would forge your signature? My mom probably just asked a lawyer to draft a template, and you haven’t even seen it yet. “What kind of crazy theories are you making up now? Is this fun for you?” I clenched my phone. “Our co-ownership agreement was torn to pieces and thrown in the trash.” “The money isn’t lost,” he snapped, his voice even colder. “Aren’t we going to be family after we marry anyway? Why are you being so greedy and calculating? Do you even want to get married?” The call went dead. Standing in the living room, this house felt terrifyingly foreign. My eyes caught a grocery receipt in the trash can. King crab, pineapples, chocolates. All of Hailey’s favorites. And on the very last line: a pregnancy test. Purchase time: two days ago. Member account used: Ethan Reynolds. My eyes lingered on the words “pregnancy test” for what felt like an eternity. My period had just ended two days ago. In the trash, there was also the torn box of the pregnancy test, matching the brand on the receipt. I didn’t cry. I didn’t smash anything. I simply photographed every piece of evidence and uploaded it to my Google Drive. Then, I sent a message to a college friend who was now a practicing attorney. “If someone forges my signature on a legal document, can I sue them?” She replied almost instantly. “Yes. “Don’t touch the evidence. Take photos of the originals, keep them safe, and come to my firm tomorrow.” I set my phone down. I began packing everything that belonged to me. My clothes, my mugs, my slippers, and the security keycard at the entrance that I had been so terrified of losing. Finally, I placed the keycard back on the shoe cabinet. It used to feel like proof that I belonged here. Now, it was just a useless piece of plastic. TThe door clicked shut behind me. The hallway motion lights flickered on, then died out. I never looked back.

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At our company’s anniversary gala, my husband’s secretary’s dog bit me. In my panic, I threw the dog off me. But my husband, Ethan, yelled at me in front of everyone. “Buster has been with Chloe for two years! How could you be so cruel to him? Do you have any compassion at all?” Chloe held the dog, which was still snarling at me, and sobbed softly. Ethan completely ignored my bleeding arm. He put his arm around Chloe, guided her and the dog, and walked away. That night, Chloe updated her Snapchat Story. It was a picture of a luxury downtown penthouse. [I said I wanted shelter from the storm, so he gave me a home.] The attached photo showed Ethan and her playing with the dog together. If this were the past, I would have caused a massive scene. But this time, I decided to let go. … Ethan and I arrived home one after the other. The moment he walked in, he scolded me. “You scared Buster so badly he won’t stop barking, and Chloe can’t sleep. You’re coming with me to apologize to her.” I held my freshly bandaged arm and said calmly, “Chloe put something on my clothes. That’s why the dog wouldn’t let go of me.” “If anyone is apologizing, it should be her.” Ethan glanced at my clean sleeve, his face darkening. “Stella, are you even trying to make your lies believable anymore?” “Chloe didn’t even talk to you face-to-face during the entire gala. How could she have put anything on you?” On the surface, we hadn’t interacted. But Chloe had followed me into the restroom. Inside, she bragged about the car and penthouse Ethan bought her. When I ignored her, she rushed forward to grab me. During the struggle, she spilled something wet onto my sleeve. I didn’t think much of it at the time. It wasn’t until the dog lunged at me like crazy that I realized what she had done. But even if I explained this a thousand times, Ethan would never believe me. Whatever. I turned around, exhausted, too tired to say another word. Seeing my attitude, Ethan grabbed my wrist. “You must give Chloe an explanation for this!” He was determined to make me apologize. Annoyed, I swung my arm to push him away. Ethan froze. “Stella, you’ve got some attitude now, don’t you?” In the past, I was completely submissive to him. I would never have resisted like this. If he even looked slightly displeased, I would immediately search for my own faults, apologize even when I did nothing wrong, and beg for his forgiveness. Ethan grabbed me again. “Apologize first. We’ll settle our issues when we get back.” He was so strong he was practically dragging me out the door. I struggled with all my might. But as I turned, I accidentally knocked over the heavy wine cabinet. The wine bottles came crashing down. Instantly, my back and left arm were covered in blood. Ethan panicked. “You… you knocked it over yourself.” I was in too much pain to speak. Only then did he gently pull me into his arms. “I’ll take you to the hospital.” I grit my teeth and nodded. When he unlocked the car, a sign in front of the passenger seat caught my eye: [Reserved for Princess Chloe.] It was an acrylic standee featuring a cartoon version of Chloe’s face. Ethan’s expression changed slightly. “Chloe put that there for fun. I forgot to take it off. Just throw it away.” I let out a cold laugh and climbed into the back seat instead. Ethan looked at me with confusion. I knew what he was thinking. Before, I cared so much about Chloe. I couldn’t stand her leaving any trace of herself around Ethan. Whenever I found something, I would start a huge fight. But now, I didn’t even care about Ethan anymore. What did Chloe have to do with me? Ethan opened his mouth as if to say something, but stopped. Sweating from the pain, I urged him, “Just drive.” The car merged onto the highway. As soon as we arrived at the hospital, Ethan’s phone rang. It was Chloe. Ethan’s eyes softened instantly as he answered. I could hear Chloe crying on the other end. “Ethan, Buster is sick again. I’m so scared of losing him. Can you please come and be with me?” Ethan looked at me. I was pale from the blood loss. “We’re already at the hospital. Go get bandaged up yourself, and wait for me here when you’re done. Chloe needs me, I have to go.” He didn’t stay for even a single second. Watching his retreating back, I let out a self-deprecating laugh. The blood was drying on my fingertips. A nurse at the front desk noticed me and quickly led me to get the deep cuts cleaned. Going to the hospital twice in one day left me completely drained. I had just fallen asleep after getting home when Ethan burst in, furious. He ripped the blanket off me, his eyes blazing. “Didn’t I tell you to wait for me at the hospital? Do you know how long I looked for you there?” “I was running around like an idiot while everyone stared. And you didn’t even answer your phone. Do you think you can just do whatever you want now?” ###2 I looked at him coldly. He was always like this. No matter what happened, he would always blame me first. Back when I loved him, I always felt that I wasn’t doing enough. But what did I do wrong? I had waited for him at the hospital for five whole hours. I only took a cab back when I couldn’t bear the pain anymore. During that time, he was the one who didn’t pick up my calls. Besides, it takes twenty minutes to get from the hospital to our house, and twenty minutes from Chloe’s apartment to our house. He hadn’t gone back to the hospital to pick me up at all. Staring into his angry eyes, I felt nothing but a cold stranger’s presence. He used to cherish me so much. When did he start to change? Thinking back, it probably started when Chloe joined the company. A stagnant marriage could never compete with the thrill of someone young and fresh. I lowered my eyes and reminded him, “During our last fight, you blocked me. I’m still on your block list.” Ethan froze. His anger slowly faded. Yet, he didn’t show any embarrassment at having his lie exposed. He calmly handed me a half-opened box of organic tea bags. “You lost a lot of blood. This is raspberry leaf tea. Drink some; it’s good for recovery.” Looking at the opened box, I recalled Chloe’s Snapchat story from earlier. [Who else gets their partner to hand-brew organic tea for them during their period?] The picture showed Ethan busy in the kitchen. But Ethan was a wealthy heir who had never touched a kettle in his life. My periods were always incredibly painful. I once begged him to make me a cup of warm tea. He had scoffed, “How old are you? Still whining about period cramps like a teenager? Grow up.” He had left me writhing in pain to spend the night with Chloe. And only when Chloe didn’t need him anymore did he reluctantly return to my side. I was always left with Chloe’s scraps. Just like this half-opened box of tea. I pulled the blanket back over myself. “I don’t want it. Throw it away.” Ethan flew into a rage. “Chloe was nice enough to let me bring this back for you, and you’re just throwing it away? Stella, stop throwing tantrums!” “Aren’t you just bitter because I’m nice to Chloe? But am I not good to you?” “I took you to the hospital. I brought you tea. Even though you terrified Chloe and Buster, I didn’t even hold you accountable. Why are you never satisfied?” I wanted to laugh. I hadn’t even touched Chloe’s dog. In fact, my arm had been bitten straight through. But he couldn’t see my bleeding wounds; his mind was entirely occupied by Chloe’s tears. Too exhausted to argue, I closed my eyes. Ethan got even angrier. “Chloe was right. You’re just a greedy, foolish woman!” “You throw tantrums over nothing and have zero tolerance. If I really wanted to bring another woman into this house, do you think you’d still be sitting in the position of Mrs. Miller?” “I must have been blind to marry a paranoid, ungrateful psycho like you.” “You can’t even compare to one of Chloe’s fingernails!” His words grew harsher. If this had been the past, even if I only had one breath left, I would have dragged myself up to argue with him, desperate to salvage my image in his eyes. But now, I didn’t take a single word of his to heart. I reached out, put on my AirPods, turned over, and peacefully went to sleep. Ethan let out a few heavy breaths before slamming the door and storming out. The bang shook the house. In the past, every time we fought, he would run straight to Chloe. The moment he left, anxiety would keep me awake all night. I would constantly reflect on myself, looking for any mistake I might have made, then humbly apologize and cry, begging for his forgiveness. But that night, I slept incredibly well. So well that even though Ethan disappeared for five consecutive days, I didn’t feel anything was wrong. For those five days, we had no contact. The next time I saw him was on a mutual friend’s social media. The friend had posted a photo. Both Ethan and Chloe were in it. They were standing close together. Chloe’s head was resting on Ethan’s shoulder, and Ethan’s arm was wrapped around her waist. They looked incredibly intimate. I tapped the “like” button. ###3 Almost the next second, a text from Ethan popped up on Snapchat. [Mark is getting married this Thanksgiving. We’re having a pre-wedding celebration. I’ll pick you up in a bit.] A few seconds later, he sent another one. [It’s mostly a guys’ hangout, and I shouldn’t really bring you, but it’s good for you to get out and socialize. Stop being so shut-in all the time.] A guys’ hangout? Then what was Chloe doing there? I sneered and didn’t reply. A few minutes later, Ethan called. I wanted to decline, but Mark took the phone and begged me to join. Since Mark worked at Ethan’s company and had helped me a lot in the past, I couldn’t say no. I drove myself there. The location was a mountain peak where a group of people was planning to go bungee jumping. Seeing me, Mark called out, “Hey, Stella!” He always called Ethan “boss,” but this warm greeting gave me plenty of respect in front of everyone. Chloe’s face turned sour. She forced a fake smile. “I’m so glad you could make it, Stella.” “You can help Ethan and me take some photos later. These guys have terrible camera skills.” I glanced at her. “My camera skills are great, but I don’t shoot trash.” In the past, our dynamic was always her throwing passive-aggressive jabs, and me taking it out on Ethan. Because I felt Ethan was the one truly responsible. But she wasn’t innocent either. This was the first time I confronted her directly in front of everyone, humiliating her without mercy. Chloe’s face flushed red. Ethan’s eyes darkened with anger. The silence was deafening as everyone stared at each other. Seeing the tension, Mark quickly tried to smooth things over. “Well, taking photos is a small task. We don’t need to waste Stella’s talent on that.” “Everyone knows Stella is our company’s chief designer, right? We can’t waste her skills.” The others immediately chimed in. “I heard that ‘Etoile’ in Paris has reached out to Stella several times. That’s the holy grail for designers, right, Stella?” I nodded. “Yes, we are in talks. If it’s a good fit, I’ll move there.” Mark smiled. “That’s amazing!” He wanted to say more. But Ethan snapped first. He marched over to me and demanded, “Why didn’t I know about this?” “Are you planning to leave my company? Don’t forget, you still work for me. Did I give you permission to resign?” I looked at his angry face with cold detachment. “My career has nothing to do with you.” Ethan’s chest heaved with rage. Fearing Ethan would cause a scene, Mark quickly dragged him away, saying the bungee jumping gear was ready. Chloe followed them, purring, “Don’t be mad, Ethan. Let’s do a tandem jump together.” Ethan looked at me, then at her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Chloe threw a provocative smirk my way. “Stella, you’ll have to jump alone later. Don’t be too scared!” Mark intervened. “Stella is afraid of heights. She can just wait for us up here.” Chloe smirked. “But the best way to conquer fear is to face it.” “Fear of heights can really limit your life. Why doesn’t Stella go first? Once you jump, your phobia will probably disappear.” I took a step back. “No.” Chloe immediately pouted. “Oh… but Stella, I’m only saying this for your own good.” She looked at Ethan with puppy-dog eyes. She might as well have said out loud that I was spitting on her good intentions. Ethan’s displeasure was written all over his face. “Chloe is trying to help you. Just jump once. It’s not going to kill you.” Forcing someone with a severe phobia of heights to bungee jump—how was that any different from trying to kill them? I shook my head firmly. “I said no. If she wants to be helpful, you guys can enjoy it yourselves.” Tears welled up in Chloe’s eyes. “Stella, do you still hate me? But about Buster…” She stopped halfway, easily fueling Ethan’s anger. Thinking about my “rebellion,” Ethan’s face went completely black. “You terrified Chloe and her dog, yet she holds no grudges and still tries to help you. How dare you act so high and mighty?” “Afraid of heights? You didn’t seem afraid when you took flights. Today, I’m going to see if a single jump can actually kill you!” He grabbed my hair, dragged me over, and coldly ordered the instructor to buckle us both into the safety harness. The cold wind blew up from the canyon. My legs immediately turned to jelly. I trembled and begged, “No… Ethan, please, I really can’t…” He ignored my pleas completely and pushed me off the ledge. Suddenly airborne, the terrifying sensation of freefall hit me like a tidal wave. I was too terrified to even scream. Instinctively, I tried to hold onto Ethan for safety, but his face remained cold as he repeatedly pushed my hands away. I felt like the air was tearing me apart. Tears and sweat covered my face. It was only a one-minute jump, but to me, it felt like an eternity. When we finally got back to the platform, I collapsed on the ground like a dying animal, shaking violently, my face whiter than paper. I was soaked in cold sweat, my stomach cramping so hard I wanted to die. I could feel a warm fluid starting to flow between my legs. But Chloe acted as if she was the one who was terrified, crying loudly in Ethan’s arms. Ethan comforted her gently. “Don’t cry. This is what she deserves.” “If we don’t teach her a lesson, she’ll just keep bullying you.” “Don’t worry. If she doesn’t learn, I’ll punish her again.” Then, he walked over to me, looking down at me coldly. “Do you know your place now? Apologize to Chloe immediately, or I’ll push you off again to build your courage.” I didn’t even have the strength to stand up. I could only raise my head slowly, staring at him with bloodshot eyes, and squeezed out a sentence with all my remaining strength. “Ethan… I want a divorce!” In an instant, the surrounding area went dead silent. Ethan looked at me in disbelief. “What did you say?” I wanted to laugh, but my head was spinning violently, as if I were being dragged into a deep abyss. I struggled to crawl up from the ground, but after only a few steps, darkness consumed me, and I fainted. Before I lost consciousness completely, I heard Mark and the others screaming. “Stella fainted!” “Oh my god, there’s so much blood on the ground.” “Don’t just stand there! Call 911!”

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Everyone could see the glowing countdown timer above my twin sister Clara’s head. Everyone knew she was destined to die the year she turned eighteen. Because of this, Clara was the absolute center of our universe. The TV remote was always hers. The first bite of any delicious meal was always hers. And our parents’ undivided, suffocating love was entirely hers. I knew it wasn’t her fault. But I couldn’t help the bitter envy that grew inside me. Finally, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Clara made a wish. She wanted to die in a place closest to the sky. So the family planned a trip to Aspen. Everyone went—except me. Before they left, my parents looked at me as I lay in bed, coughing violently. My mother frowned, her voice cold. “Chloe, watch the house. And do not open the door for anyone!” I rasped out, “Mom, please… can you take me to the hospital? My chest hurts so bad…” My mother pursed her lips and sighed. “Chloe, where would we get the money for your hospital bills? Do you have any idea how expensive this trip to Aspen is?” “But my lungs… they burn…” No one answered me. The only response was the heavy thud of the front door locking from the outside.

The agonizing pain suddenly vanished. When I opened my eyes again, the breathtaking, sacred snow-capped mountains of Aspen stretched out before me. My parents were sitting in the first-class cabin of a plane. Premium meals were laid out on the trays in front of them, but every single plate was pushed toward Clara. My mother coaxed her gently, her voice dripping with warmth. “Clara, sweetheart, which one do you want to try first?” My father pushed a glass of fresh juice forward. “Here, Clara. Have a sip to wet your throat first.” Clara looked at the gourmet food and offered a weak, fragile smile. She whispered, “Mom… Dad… did we leave any food for Chloe before we left?” The smiles on my parents’ faces instantly froze. Clara continued softly, “Chloe was so sick. I’m worried she won’t be able to cook for herself. And… she said last week that she was tired of canned soup.” A pang of sadness hit my chest, but no tears fell. “She’ll eat when she gets hungry enough,” my mother answered dismissively. She scooped up a spoonful of creamy pasta and brought it to Clara’s lips. “Come on, Clara, just eat. It breaks my heart to see you starving yourself.” My father chimed in, “You are just too sweet, Clara. Even at a time like this, you’re still worrying about her. But look at her—does she ever think about you? She knew we didn’t have much money, yet she still threw a fit because she couldn’t come with us.” “She didn’t even stop to think about how much time you have left…” My father sighed, cutting himself off. My mother started dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, and Clara had no choice but to stay quiet. But I noticed Clara’s clenched fingers. They betrayed her anxiety. Clara grew up surrounded by the family’s ultimate devotion. Because of that, she was the only one who truly understood how deeply I was neglected. When we were kids, a neighbor brought over two beautiful dresses, saying there was one for each twin. But my mother took both and gave them to Clara. “Our Clara has so little time left. If she doesn’t experience these things now, she’ll never get the chance.” That night, Clara asked me, “Chloe, do you want the dress?” I nodded. Without a word, Clara spilled permanent blue ink all over one of the dresses. With no other choice, my mother had to let me have the ruined one. But when I looked into Clara’s eyes, I knew. She had done it on purpose. Even though I got the dress, Clara wasn’t happy. She kept apologizing to me. “I’m so sorry, Chloe. I could only give you the dirty one. I always make you suffer…” We were so young, yet we both understood a cruel truth: only the broken, ruined things would ever be passed down to me. The suppressed resentment kept building inside me until it finally exploded when we were ten. On our tenth birthday, Clara and I went down to play in the backyard of our apartment complex. After just a few minutes, Clara got tired and wanted to go back inside. But I hadn’t had enough. I threw a tantrum, demanding to stay out longer. My mother tried to reason with me, but I refused to listen. I couldn’t understand why absolutely everything had to revolve around Clara. In a fit of rage, I shoved Clara hard, sending her crashing to the ground. I screamed through my tears, “I don’t want to go home! I want to play! If you want to go back, go by yourself! Why do I always have to listen to you? Why?!” I can’t remember what was going through my head back then. Maybe it was a sense of unfairness, or maybe it was just pure jealousy. I screamed and rolled on the grass, crying at the top of my lungs. Like any obnoxious, desperate child, I thought throwing a massive tantrum would get me what I wanted. But my mother didn’t back down. She stared at me, her eyes turning bloodshot. She raised her hand high and slapped me across the face. “Chloe Miller! Do you have any idea that your sister only has eighteen years on this earth?! You have a whole lifetime to play! Why do you have to fight her for this single moment? How much time do you think she has left?!” My father stood by, his eyes red and watery. He didn’t stop her. I wailed from the pain of the slap. Clara immediately threw herself over me, shielding me from my mother. She cried, “Mom! I want to play too! We don’t have to go home. Please, don’t hit Chloe!” That night, after my mother applied ointment to my bruised cheek, Clara crept into my room. I turned my head away, refusing to look at her. But then, a warm tear fell onto my shoulder. I turned back and saw her tear-filled eyes. She handed me a fancy mechanical pencil—one I had wanted for months. She whispered, “Chloe… I’m so sorry…” She didn’t know what else to say, and I didn’t know how to answer. An apology like that shouldn’t have come from her. It shouldn’t have come from me, either. It should have come from our goddamn fate. But fate was silent. So Clara had to carry the guilt. Back in the first-class cabin, my mother wiped her tears and put another piece of grilled chicken onto Clara’s plate. “Clara, stop thinking about it. Here, eat.” “You’re such a good girl. But Chloe… she’s just too rebellious.” Rebellious? Was I? I didn’t know. When I was little, I used to cry because of the favoritism. As I grew older, I learned to cry in secret. I wanted to scream back, to tell them that I was good. That I could stay home alone, cook for myself, and comfort myself when I was scared. But even though I spoke, no one heard me. Then, my final memory flashed through my mind. It was the copper taste of blood bubbling up from my lungs. Coughing it up onto the floor. And then, collapsing into complete darkness. Oh. I see. I was already dead.

I watched Clara quietly. The suffocating countdown timer that used to hover over her head was completely gone. When we were kids, that timer was the very first thing I learned to hate. I remember asking Clara what those numbers meant. Clara had bit her lip and told me, “It’s a countdown for me to become a princess. When the time runs out, I’ll turn into a princess.” I had looked at her, confused. “Then why are Mom and Dad always so sad?” Clara stroked my hair, her voice incredibly soft. “Because once I become a princess, I’ll turn into sea foam, just like the Little Mermaid. I won’t be able to see you anymore.” But back then, I refused to accept that. I knew what princesses were. Being a princess meant being happy. It meant having a prince who loved you, countless jewels, and all the expensive raspberry gelato you could eat. Every summer, my mother would buy gourmet raspberry gelato. But it was always reserved solely for Clara. My mother would tell me, “This is too sweet for you, Chloe. Don’t eat it.” “But I love sweet things!” I would argue. But my mother always pretended not to hear. I couldn’t understand it. If Clara was going to become a princess and live in luxury, why did I have to give up my few miserable pieces of happiness to her now? So I ran to my mother and declared, “I have a countdown over my head too!” “When my time runs out, I’m going to turn into a princess!” “I want the raspberry gelato too!” The spoon in my mother’s hand froze. She stared at me, her entire body trembling with rage. She rasped, “What did you just say?” I screamed, “I have a countdown too! I’m going to turn into a princess! When that happens, I’ll leave you guys, and I’ll eat tons of raspberry gelato!” Slap! My mother slapped me hard across the face. She broke down sobbing, “Are you trying to drive me to my grave?!” “Do you really think that countdown is a good thing?!” Clara heard the commotion and rushed over to pull my mother away. But my mother seemed to have lost her mind. She started slapping her own face, screaming. “I’m useless! I’m a terrible mother!” I watched in absolute terror, unable to comprehend why she was reacting this way. Wasn’t becoming a princess a good thing? That night, I overheard my father comforting my mother in their room. “Chloe is still young… she doesn’t understand…” My mother sobbed hoarsely, “But what am I supposed to do? There are only ten years left… In ten years, our Clara will be gone forever…” It was only then that I finally understood. The end of the countdown didn’t mean becoming a princess. It meant leaving this family forever. Clara was actually going to die. Back in first class, Clara finished her meal and drifted off to sleep. My mother bit her lip and turned to my father. “David, how do you think Chloe is doing at home? Does her chest still hurt?” My father sighed. “There’s no signal on the plane. I’ll call her as soon as we land.” My mother said softly, “Let’s call her tomorrow… Today… is Clara’s last day.” My mother turned her head to look out the window, her voice cracking with emotion. “Chloe will understand. She’s about to lose her sister forever.”

The plane landed. My mother took Clara to the duty-free shops to distract her. My father hesitated for a long time before finally pulling out his phone to call me. The call didn’t go through. His brow furrowed slightly, and he tried again. Actually, it was hard to tell if he was genuinely frowning. He frowned so much over the years that a deep crease had permanently etched itself between his brows. He always looked unhappy. The second call went unanswered too. He opened Snapchat and typed: [Chloe, are you awake? Did you eat anything?] I floated right in front of him, waving my ghostly hands. “Dad, I didn’t eat. But I’m not hungry anymore. Please, just come home and check on me.” [Chloe?] He sent another message. But he couldn’t see me, and he couldn’t hear me. Finally, he let out a long sigh and locked his phone. He muttered to himself, “If only I could make more money… If only we could have brought Chloe along too. Well, Chloe still has a long life ahead of her. I’ll bring her next time.” With that, my father stood up. I watched his retreating back and whispered, “Dad, I don’t have a ‘next time’ anymore.” “I only have the past.” My mother and Clara walked out of the duty-free shop. My father immediately took the shopping bags from Clara’s hands. My mother asked, “Did Chloe pick up?” My father pursed his lips. “It didn’t go through.” My mother sighed. “That girl… she’s throwing a tantrum again.” My father led Clara forward, while my mother pulled out her phone and sent me a text: [Did you eat?] Still, no response. She opened her Venmo. She had a little over seven thousand dollars left in her balance. She muttered, “Three thousand for the hotel, two thousand for food, two thousand for Clara’s emergency medical reserve…” Gritting her teeth, she Venmoed me five hundred dollars with a note: [Chloe, stop being mad at me. Take this money and go buy some medicine.] But the money remained unclaimed, and the message went unread. My mother huffed in annoyance, “She’s really getting out of hand!” She shoved her phone back into her purse and walked away with giant strides. I stared at her back and whispered, “Mom, I can’t accept it anymore.”

Clara had an amazing time. Through their eyes, I also got to see sights I had never experienced in my life. We lived in the warm south, and I had never seen real snow. But today, I saw the majestic, snow-capped peaks of the mountains. When they returned to the resort after a day of sightseeing, my mother’s phone suddenly rang. It was the HOA representative from our apartment complex. “Hello, Mrs. Miller. We’ve received several complaints from your neighbors about a terrible odor coming from your unit.” My mother’s eyebrows knitted together tightly. “An odor?” My father muttered, “Could Chloe be doing something stupid just to spite us?” My mother’s face instantly darkened. She opened our chat history. The five hundred dollars she had sent on Venmo had just been automatically returned to her account because it went unclaimed for too long. Tears instantly spilled from my mother’s eyes. “She’s doing this on purpose!” “She chose this exact moment to pull this stunt! She wants to ruin her sister’s very last day! She wants to make sure Clara doesn’t have a single moment of peace!” My mother sobbed louder and louder, and my father rushed to comfort her. The HOA representative on the phone sounded incredibly awkward. “Is there anyone home? We’ve been knocking on your door for hours, but no one is answering.” “Also, several neighbors mentioned that your younger daughter hasn’t been seen leaving the apartment for days.” My mother lost her temper and screamed into the phone, “If she wants to stay inside, let her stay inside! Even if she dies in there, it has nothing to do with me!” I watched her quietly. She couldn’t see me. I let out a soft sigh. “Mom, I actually am dead.” The shouting woke Clara up. She pushed open her bedroom door, her voice groggy. “Mom, what’s wrong? Why are you so angry?” My parents froze. My mother flew across the room and locked Clara in a desperate, crushing hug. “Clara… my Clara… you’re still here…” “Thank God, you’re still here…” She held Clara so tightly, as if she wanted to fuse Clara into her own flesh. Even my father, who always tried to play the tough guy, began to weep silently. The HOA representative, still on the line, asked, “Should we go ahead and open the door then?” My mother snapped, “Open it! I want to see what kind of sick game Chloe is playing!” The representative started a FaceTime video call to show them the entry. They unlocked the door and pushed it open. The moment the camera panned inside, the hysterical relief on my mother’s face vanished. Her mouth hung open, but no sound came out. She could only make raw, choked noises from the back of her throat. “How… how…”

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My boyfriend had a massive inferiority complex. Every time I tried to initiate things in bed, he rejected me. When I finally reached my limit and was ready to agree to an arranged marriage with someone else, I found his diary. “Vivian’s stepsister told me that since I’m a virgin, I’ll be terrible in bed. She said Vivian won’t like me.” “But do I really have to go sleep with other women to get experience? It feels so disgusting.” The last entry was written in a messy, hurried scrawl. “I don’t want Vivian to have a bad experience. I’m going to find someone to practice with.” I was so angry that I shoved him onto the bed, straddled his waist, and said to him, word by word. “The most important thing for a man is to keep himself clean, got it?” His hands hesitated on my waist, but in the end, he pushed me away, his voice hoarse and muffled. “Not yet.” I was completely out of options. I turned around and texted my arranged marriage match. “I hate dirty men. Are you clean? If you are, we’re getting engaged immediately.”

I closed the diary. I looked up at the man standing not far away. Julian, who usually never talked to other girls, had actually turned his head to talk to the girl next to him. Even though his expression was cold, every time she spoke, he replied. I almost laughed out of sheer anger. So, the only reason Julian Sterling had rejected me so many times was because my stepsister, Tessa, told him he was inexperienced? And he actually planned to find another woman to practice with? I took a deep breath and decided to go talk to him. To be honest, I was very satisfied with Julian in every other aspect. He was gorgeous, had a great body, came from a prestigious family, and was always attentive. My family had originally scouted an arranged marriage partner for me, but because of Julian, I had repeatedly refused to meet that guy. My parents figured that since the Sterling family was also incredibly powerful, they let me have my free will in dating. But I was at the age where marriage was on the table. Julian kept refusing to take the final step with me. I couldn’t help but wonder if he had some medical issue or some deep-seated psychological trauma. But he never talked to me about it. Just when I was about to give up on him, I found this diary. It was fine. This was still salvageable! So what if he was inexperienced? I would teach him myself. Having him shaped by my own hands was exactly what I wanted. I walked over to Julian. He lifted his dark eyes. His fingers twitched slightly before he took my hand and pulled me down to sit beside him. I glanced at the girl next to him. She smiled at me. “What are you guys talking about?” I asked. The girl grinned. “It’s a secret~ You should ask Julian. See if he’s willing to tell you.” I looked at Julian. He said, “Nothing.” Then, he gripped my hand tighter and pulled me even closer to his side. Smelling the faint scent of cedarwood on him, my anger softened slightly. I whispered, “I need to talk to you.” Hearing this, Julian pulled me over to a quieter corner. He was breathtakingly handsome, with a high nose bridge. When he looked down at me, his dark eyes were completely focused and sincere. My aching, angry heart softened even more. I chose my words carefully. “Tessa came back for her break recently. She hasn’t been bothering you, has she?” Julian replied, “No.” I frowned. While I was lost in thought, he rested his chin on my shoulder. Julian whispered, “I love you.” I sighed. “I love you too.” Under the light, I could see the tips of his ears turning red again. Every time we got a little intimate, he would react this way. I stared at him for a long moment. My negative emotions evaporated, and I teased him just like I used to. “Why are you blushing again, babe?” Julian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He locked his fingers with mine. Whatever, I thought helplessly. I just wouldn’t bring Julian to any family dinners in the future. As long as he and Tessa didn’t meet, his mind couldn’t be poisoned by her, right?

But the very next day. I saw an unexpected figure right next to Julian. He and Tessa were standing together, whispering about something. I didn’t expect them to meet in private. Tessa was smiling, her eyes crinkled, seemingly teasing him. I had clearly told Julian before that I despised my stepsister. She had loved stealing my things since we were kids. But Julian had always been extremely cold to her in the past, making her look foolish multiple times, so I had let my guard down. I stayed silent, quietly taking a few steps closer to them. I heard their voices. Tessa laughed, her tone confident. “You’ll definitely give her a terrible experience, and you’ll completely ruin your perfect image in her mind.” “…” “I know Vivian. She will definitely find you pathetic,” Tessa paused for a moment. “She might even dump you on the spot.” Julian’s tall frame leaned against the wall. He kept his head down, so I couldn’t see his face. “Julian,” Tessa looked at him. “You don’t even know how to talk dirty to Vivian, do you? Ugh, you have zero game. I don’t even know how she’s tolerated you for this long.” Julian still didn’t speak. Tessa said casually, “Vivian must have complained about your kissing skills, right?” His fingers twitched. After a long silence, Julian lifted his head, his voice slightly raspy. “Then what should I do?” “It’s simple,” Tessa said. “Didn’t you get along great with my friend Chloe last night? Keep practicing with her.” My temples throbbed with rage. After what felt like forever. Julian said, “Okay.” “Oh, by the way,” Tessa sighed. “Make sure to keep this from Vivian. Otherwise, our plan is ruined… and more importantly, your relationship with her will be over.” Julian turned to leave, his tone returning to his usual coldness. “I know.”

I sat on the couch, waiting for him. The moment Julian pushed the door open, he saw me. He froze for a second, then sat down next to me. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?” My face was expressionless. “Where were you? Who did you meet today?” He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close. His voice was steady. “I went back to my parents’ house. My grandfather’s birthday is coming up, so I went back to discuss the party with my parents.” “That’s it?” “That’s it.” He gently hooked his pinky finger with mine, seemingly confused as to why I was asking. I leaned in close to him. Close enough to feel each other’s breath. Under the dim, warm light, Julian’s eyelashes fluttered. He stared straight at me, his ears flushing red again. “Vivian.” I sniffed the air, making my point clear. “The perfume on you smells exactly like Tessa’s.” He knitted his brows, looking genuinely confused. “What are you talking about?” Then he added, “Maybe I just brushed past someone.” I looked at him, slowly clenching my fists. When we did anything slightly intimate, he got so nervous his ears turned red. Yet now, when he was lying straight to my face, his heart rate didn’t even skip a beat. I couldn’t take it anymore. I shoved him down onto the couch right then and there. “Let’s do it,” I said flatly. As I spoke, I reached to unbutton his shirt. Julian caught my hands. Just like every other time, we ended up in a tense stalemate. My throat felt dry. “Do you not love me?” “How is that possible?” He answered instantly, then pursed his lips. After a long silence, he finally said, “Vivian, I love you. Only you.” I accused him. “If you love me, why won’t you sleep with me?” Julian tightened his grip on my wrists, refusing to let go. I took a deep breath. “What, are you planning on sleeping with another woman…” “No,” he cut me off. Julian whispered, “Don’t accuse me of that, Vivian.” I looked him dead in the eye, repeating my words slowly. “A man’s best quality is his purity, got it?” I thought about it and added, “Everything else can be learned and practiced slowly. I don’t care about that.” His fingers hesitated on my waist. Just when I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking I had successfully convinced him. He still pushed me away, his voice muffled and tight. “It’s not time yet.” Julian stood up and walked toward the bathroom with his long strides. “I’m going to shower.” I was pushed to the side, sitting frozen on the couch. I had been rejected by him countless times. For a long time, I had felt so defeated, deeply doubting my own attractiveness. Listening to the sound of the running water from the bathroom, I suddenly felt incredibly exhausted. I picked up Julian’s phone. I unlocked it and found Tessa in his contacts. I didn’t even know when they had added each other on Snapchat. But their chat history was completely blank. He had intentionally deleted it. I stood up and walked out of the apartment.

Julian and I entered a cold war. Well, not exactly. It was just me giving him the cold shoulder. He still sent me messages every day. Since I usually got embarrassed and acted cold to him after he rejected me in the past, he assumed this was just another one of those times. He tried to coax me like he always did. “Vivian, don’t ignore me.” “I miss you so much, baby.” Then he sent me money via PayPal. I didn’t reply. My mind was a chaotic mess. Until one night. I instinctively drove to an upscale lounge that was under Julian’s family’s company. Remembering I still had an expensive bottle of wine stored there. I went in, planning to open it. As I walked in, I saw someone come out of the most exclusive VIP room at the very back. That room was reserved solely for Julian, me, and our close friends. If I wasn’t there, he wouldn’t usually use it. I walked toward it. The staff there all knew me, so nobody stopped me. I gently pushed the door open, leaving a small crack. Inside, the lights were flashing. It was crowded with guys and girls, very lively. And then I saw Julian. He had a girl sitting on either side of him. He was leaning back against the sofa, his long legs crossed, looking completely bored and detached. The girl on his left, Chloe, Tessa’s friend, said something that made the whole room burst into laughter. Julian still had no reaction. He looked completely out of place in that lively room. Until she took a sip of her cocktail, turned to him with a sweet smile, and whispered something. Then, she grabbed Julian by his collar. He didn’t dodge. Instead, he reached out his hand and wiped a trace of alcohol from the corner of her lips. I took a step back. Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder. I whipped my head around and met Tessa’s smug eyes. She paused for a second. “Don’t look at me like I’m your worst enemy, Vivian.” I said nothing. She mocked, “Are you angry?” I let out a cold laugh, cutting straight to the point. “Don’t pretend to be innocent. You think I don’t know you set this up?” Tessa was taken aback for a moment, but then she smiled, her voice dripping with deep sarcasm and disdain. “What does this have to do with me? Deep down, you know the truth. Do you really think I can control the great Julian Sterling’s actions?” She took a step closer to me and whispered. “Why don’t you just go in there and tell him you don’t care if he’s bad in bed? Beg him to sleep with you so he stops hanging out with other girls. Wouldn’t that solve everything?” I turned to leave. Tessa grabbed my arm, enjoying my misery. “Did I hit a nerve? Are you embarrassed now? Vivian, don’t you think you’re pathetic?” In the struggle, I shoved her. She shoved me back. The commotion must have been loud. The VIP room door swung open. A broad-shouldered, tall man stood at the door, looking irritated. Behind him, several curious eyes peeked out. “Vivian?” Julian looked surprised, his cold dark eyes softening instantly. He didn’t ask questions. He grabbed my hand and led me directly up to the private lounge upstairs. The moment the door closed. His long arm wrapped around my waist. He pulled me into his arms, pressing me against his warm chest. Then, he planted a kiss on the corner of my lips. Seeing no reaction from me, he parted his lips to gently tease mine. It was a test, an attempt to seduce. I stood completely still. My eyes fell on the slight wrinkles on his collar, the exact spot where that girl had grabbed him. Was this the result of his “practice” over the past few days? A long silence fell. I reached up and touched his ear. His body temperature was normal. His ears weren’t burning red like they used to. This gesture seemed to encourage him. His cool fingertips slipped under the hem of my shirt. The moment he touched my skin. My phone buzzed with a notification. I took a step back, breaking the embrace, and looked down at my phone. My arranged marriage partner had finally replied to the message I sent him half an hour ago. “You’re that blunt?” “I’m clean.” “Then let’s meet up tomorrow?” Dissatisfied, Julian grabbed my wrist, his eyes landing on my screen. “Who is that?” Before he could read the screen, I locked my phone. “No one.” He frowned, staring at me with an obsessive, possessive intensity. I didn’t wait for him to question me. “I have things to do. I’m leaving.” Julian’s voice trembled slightly. “Did I… not satisfy you just now?” My eyes met his. His dark eyes still reflected only me, so focused, so intense. But I felt like something had changed. We could never go back. I reached out and straightened his messy, slightly wrinkled collar. Then I turned and walked away. Without answering his question.

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I was four years old when my eight-year-old sister, Autumn, drowned. Starting from the year I turned five, on the anniversary of her death, my mother would drag me to the water and hold my head under the freezing surface. “Don’t struggle,” she would whisper, her voice trembling. “This is exactly how your sister felt when she sank.” Only when I was on the verge of death would she cry, pull me out of the water, and hold my shivering body, screaming my sister’s name. “I saved you. I actually saved you this time.” Every year on that day, my mother re-enacted this twisted ritual of redemption. And I was her only toy. When I was six, she got annoyed because my struggling “ruined the realism.” So, she tied my hands and feet with nylon ropes. When I was nine, she decided the bathwater wasn’t cold enough. She filled the tub with ice bags, holding my head under for over a minute. When I was twelve, to make it even more realistic, she mixed thick, smelly river mud into the water. I choked on it and coughed up blood for two weeks. My father never stopped her. He just stood by, watching with cold, indifferent eyes. Today is my eighteenth birthday. The day I legally become an adult. This time, my mother brought me to the very riverbank where Autumn died. “After today, your sister would have been this age,” she murmured. Then, with her own hands, she pushed me into the rushing, turbulent river. As the icy water flooded my lungs, for the first time in my life, I felt a strange sense of peace. Autumn only died once. But I, from the age of five to seventeen, had died thirteen times. My only birthday wish this year was simple: Let this be my final death. 1 “Get your ass up here! Maya, do you think you’re being funny?!” Victoria’s sharp, screeching voice pierced through the muddy surface of the river. I looked down at myself. My body felt weightless, like a patch of mist hovering a few feet above the water. Beneath the surface, the fierce current was dragging a lifeless body, slamming it hard against the sharp rocks at the bottom of the river. That body was mine. The sound of bones snapping was drowned out by the roaring water, but I felt an unprecedented sense of relief. For eighteen years, I was finally, truly warm. On the riverbank, Victoria was pacing impatiently, her high heels sinking into the muddy shore. She was wearing a long black trench coat today. That was her signature outfit, reserved exclusively for the anniversary of Autumn’s death. “I’m counting to three! If you don’t pop your head out of that water, don’t expect a single penny for your allowance this month!” Victoria glared at the swirling water, her eyes flashing with pure rage at my disobedience. No one answered her. Only the cold waves kept crashing against the rocky shore. A few steps behind her, Richard was looking down, trying to light a cigarette. The lighter flickered several times in the damp wind before finally catching. He took a deep drag, exhaling the cheap tobacco smoke into the humid air. “Alright, stop yelling. After all these years, she can hold her breath like a fish. She’s probably just trying to scare you.” Richard pointed his cigarette at the river, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather. Victoria let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Scare me? She wouldn’t dare!” “Your sister was in this exact river, in water just this deep,” she screamed at the empty river. “When Autumn went down, she didn’t even have the strength to struggle!” “But you? I threw you in just a few minutes ago, and now you’re playing hide-and-seek with me?” Hovering in the air, I watched her twisted, hysterical face. Autumn was my older sister. Victoria always got like this. The moment Autumn’s name was mentioned, she would spiral into a state of psychotic obsession. “Victoria, the current is actually pretty strong today. Maybe I should grab a branch and poke around?” Richard suggested, exhaling another cloud of smoke. It was a rare moment of concern from him. Victoria snapped her head around, glaring at him with pure hatred. “Poke around for what? You always spoil her!” “This is her baptism into adulthood! Without this, how is she supposed to live on behalf of Autumn?!” Hearing those words, my dead heart seemed to flinch out of pure instinct. Live on behalf of Autumn. That was the sole purpose of my existence. It was the only reason I had endured thirteen years of torture. When I was fifteen, I caught a severe flu and ran a fever of 104 degrees. I didn’t even have the strength to stand. I could only curl up on the cold floor of my bedroom. But that day happened to be the anniversary of Autumn’s death. Victoria kicked my door open, carrying a bucket of fresh snow she had shoveled from the yard, mixed with sharp ice chunks. “Stop playing dead. Get up. Time for the tub.” She grabbed me by my hair and dragged me out of the room. “I’m so cold… I have a fever…” I sobbed, desperately clawing at the doorframe, my tears mixing with cold sweat. “Please, not today. I’m really going to die…” Victoria paused for a second. But in the next second, she slammed her high heel right onto the back of my hand. “A fever? Autumn was trapped under the ice for a whole day and night! Have you ever thought about how cold she was?!” “Your little fever is nothing! Get in the tub, now!” That day, she dumped the bucket of ice and snow into the freezing bathwater and shoved my head under. The ice chunks scraped against my face like razor blades. I struggled wildly under the water, the air in my lungs slowly being squeezed out. And she just stood by the tub, holding a stopwatch. “Don’t move! Autumn drowned because she ran out of strength. You must perfectly recreate her pain!” Only when my eyes rolled back and I lost consciousness did she finally drag me out. She held my soaking wet, limp body and wailed at the ceiling. “Autumn! I finally saved you! I wasn’t too late this time!” That fever turned into severe pneumonia. I was hospitalized for two weeks. The day I was discharged, Victoria didn’t show up. She only had Richard bring me a message: “Your mom says you’re too weak. You don’t even have half of Autumn’s strength. She wants you to wash your face with ice water every morning from now on.” And now, at eighteen, I had finally completed her perfect recreation. I didn’t struggle. I went straight down, and I never came back up. On the bank, Victoria checked her watch, her brows furrowing deeper. “Maya! It’s been five minutes! Are you still playing dead down there?!” She bent down, picked up a heavy rock, and threw it into the middle of the river. The rock splashed into the water, sinking instantly. “Fine! If you want to stay down there, then don’t ever come up!” Victoria brushed the dirt off her hands and turned to Richard. “Richard, go grab my telescopic fishing rod from the trunk. She must be hiding under some weeds just to spite me!” 2 Richard threw his half-smoked cigarette onto the ground and crushed it under his boot. “I told you we shouldn’t have come to a real river. The bathtub at home was fine,” he muttered, turning around and walking sluggishly toward their car to search the trunk. Victoria crossed her arms. “The bathtub? Does the bathtub have this kind of strong current?” she yelled after him. “Autumn died in a real river. If Maya doesn’t choke on some real river water, how is she ever going to understand the despair Autumn felt?!” I hovered above Victoria, watching her self-righteous face. Even though I was already dead, hearing her words still sent a familiar, icy shiver through my soul. A cold gust of wind blew by, rustling the dead leaves on the shore. It had been ten minutes since I was thrown into the water. The rushing river showed no signs of life. Not even a single bubble popped up. A few locals walking along the levee stopped, whispering and looking down at the riverbank. “Excuse me, did you just throw something into the river?” a middle-aged woman asked, stepping closer with a worried look. “I swear I saw a girl go in.” Victoria turned around, looking at the woman as if she were a disgusting bug. “None of your business. I’m parenting my own daughter. Do I need your permission?” The woman gasped, her eyes widening in shock. “Are you insane?! The current is incredibly fast today! She’s going to drown!” “You threw your own daughter in? That’s murder!” The man standing next to the woman panicked and pulled out his phone. “This is crazy. Call 911! This is a crime!” The moment Victoria heard “911,” her face darkened. She lunged forward and grabbed the man’s hand, forcing his phone down. “Don’t you dare call the police! I told you, she’s my daughter! She’s just throwing a tantrum!” “She’s been training in the water since she was a kid. She can hold her breath for seven or eight minutes. She’s definitely hiding under some river weeds right now just to scare me!” The man took a step back, frightened by the psychotic look in her eyes, but he kept a tight grip on his phone. “Are you out of your mind?! Nobody can hold their breath for eight minutes in a rapid current like this! You need mental help!” “Richard! Where the hell are you?! Get over here and get these freaks away from me!” Victoria screamed toward the car. Richard finally ambled back, dragging a long, extendable fishing rod. Seeing the conflict, his brow furrowed. “What’s the shouting about? Move along, people. It’s just a family matter,” he said, waving his hand dismissively, as if shooing away stray dogs. “A family matter?! Throwing a kid into a raging river is a family matter?!” the woman yelled, pointing right at Richard’s nose. “Are you even her father?! Why aren’t you jumping in to save her?!” Richard’s face turned red from the yelling, but he just stubbornly argued back. “Save her from what? Her mother knows what she’s doing. She won’t die.” “Besides, she’s the one refusing to come up. Even if I go in, it won’t do any good.” Watching Richard’s indifferent face, I suddenly remembered a small incident from when I was sixteen. Back then, because of the constant exposure to ice water and mud, I had developed severe chronic arthritis. Whenever it rained, my knees felt like they were being pierced by thousands of hot needles. One day, because my test score was two points lower than what Autumn used to get, Victoria locked me in the basement right next to the deep freezer. She forced me to stand pressed against the icy metal wall. “Autumn didn’t even get the chance to go to school, and you dare to score lower than her?!” The pain was unbearable. While Victoria was upstairs taking a phone call, I used a cheap burner phone I had hidden in my shoe to dial 91

The moment the call connected, I felt like I had grabbed a lifeline. “911, please help me… my mom is freezing me to death…” Before I could finish, a rough hand reached from behind and snatched the phone away. It was Richard. He looked at the “911” on the screen and hung up without a second thought. I looked at him, completely heartbroken. “Dad… please. My bones hurt so bad. I’m going to be crippled…” Richard slipped the phone into his pocket and looked down at me, his eyes completely devoid of warmth. “Maya, your mother is sick. She’s suffered a lot. Can’t you just cooperate with her?” “Do you really want the police to show up and ruin this family before you’re satisfied?” He sighed, acting like a tired, noble peacekeeper. “Just endure it. She’ll let you out once she calms down.” With that, he walked out and locked the basement door, leaving me alone in the freezing, pitch-black darkness. Since that day, I knew. In this house, Victoria was the one holding the knife, and Richard was the one who handed it to her and buried the bodies. Neither of them was innocent. Suddenly, a cluster of bubbles popped up on the river surface. Right after, a white canvas sneaker floated up, spinning slowly in the whirlpool. It was the new pair of shoes I had put on just this morning. “Oh my god! Something happened! That’s a shoe!” The woman screamed, shoving Victoria aside, and snatched her husband’s phone to dial 911. “Yes! Emergency! A crazy woman just threw her daughter into the river and drowned her! Get here right now!” Seeing the shoe, Victoria’s face finally flickered with a trace of unease. But it was only for a split second. In the next moment, she laughed even louder. “Maya, you’re getting really good at acting.” She screamed at the river, her voice filled with a sick, manic excitement. “Officer, she’s really just playing a prank!” she yelled at the woman’s phone. “She’s an amazing swimmer! She’s just holding her breath to scare me!” “Just wait until the police get here, she’ll crawl right back up!” I looked down at the lonely canvas shoe floating away. Mom, I was actually a terrible swimmer. I just got used to not struggling in the water.3 Screaming sirens shattered the heavy silence over the canal. Two police cruisers and a water rescue truck roared onto the levee, slamming their brakes. Several officers and rescue team members in full gear quickly hopped out and rushed to the bank. “What’s the situation? Who called?” The lead officer, a young man named Detective Carter, asked with a deep frown as he walked over. “Me! Officer! This crazy woman threw her own daughter into this overflow canal! It’s been almost twenty minutes!” the local woman pointed at Victoria, jumping in panic. Detective Carter took one look at the raging current, and his face turned pale. “Rescue team! Get in the water now! Prepare the sonar and the nets!” Several rescue divers immediately began putting on their life vests and securing safety ropes around their waists. But Victoria stepped forward, blocking the divers. “Do not go into that water!” She tilted her chin up, her eyes blazing with arrogant fury. “This is a private family matter! Who gave you permission to interfere?!” “My daughter is playing hide-and-seek with me! If you jump in, you’re going to scare her!” Detective Carter stood frozen for a few seconds, utterly dumbfounded by her insane logic. “Ma’am, do you have any idea how fast this current is? Holding her breath for twenty minutes? Do you think she has gills?” He shoved her aside. “Obstructing justice. I can arrest you right now.” Victoria stumbled back, nearly falling into the mud. Richard quickly caught her and stepped forward with a fake, placating smile. “Officer, please, don’t be mad. My wife… she’s had some trauma, her head isn’t quite right…” He pointed to his temple and lowered his voice. “But really, our girl is just throwing a fit. She’s been doing this ‘diving’ thing since she was little. It’s weird, but she’s totally fine.” Hovering above them, I looked at Richard’s disgusting, cowardly face. He knew people couldn’t survive twenty minutes underwater. He was just so used to protecting Victoria, so used to painting my pain and my life as a “minor family drama” to keep the peace. “Get out of the way!” Detective Carter snapped, pushing Richard back and barking into his radio. “Team One, search downstream along the banks! Team Two, get underwater now! Hurry!” The divers, equipped with waterproof searchlights and sonar devices, plunged into the cold, murky water one after another. Victoria stood on the bank, calmly brushing her windblown hair behind her ears. Watching the busy rescue team, she let out a mocking sneer. “What a dramatic show. Ridiculous.” She turned to Richard. “Richard, do you think Maya did this on purpose? To make a scene so the whole world thinks I abuse her?” “How can a child be so malicious? Autumn was so sweet and obedient. Why did Maya have to turn out so rebellious?” Richard stared at the water in silence. He didn’t agree, but he didn’t defend me either. Malicious? Hearing her accusation, I wanted to laugh. When I was seventeen, I studied myself to the bone and won a local youth competition. It came with a $1,000 cash prize. I ran home that day, clutching the envelope, my heart bursting with joy. I wanted to buy Victoria a designer silk scarf she had been staring at in a department store window for months but couldn’t afford. I wanted to tell her that I could be good too. I wanted to make her proud. But when I presented the certificate and the cash to her with both hands, she didn’t smile. She stared at the certificate, her eyes turning colder and more maniacal by the second. “You won a prize?” Her voice shook. Suddenly, she raised her hand and slapped me across the face so hard my ears rang. “Who do you think you are, winning prizes?!” “Autumn died when she was eight! She will never get to win anything!” “What are you trying to do? Brag? Bragging that you lived longer than her? That you’re better than her?!” That day, she dragged me to a filthy, stagnant swamp on the outskirts of town. She tore the $1,000 cash into shreds and threw them into the mud. Then, she shoved my face into the rotten leaves and black sludge. “Eat it! Eat everything you owe your sister!” I choked on the mud and coughed up blood for two weeks. My lungs still had a shadow on the X-rays. That was the day I realized that no matter what I did, in her eyes, I was just a criminal who had stolen her precious daughter’s life. “Detective Carter! The sonar got a hit!” In the middle of the river, a diver popped his head out and yelled. The shout snapped me out of my memories. Everyone froze, locking their eyes on that patch of water. “About twelve feet deep, wedged in the gap between the bridge pillars! There’s a clear human outline!” The detective rushed to the edge. “Is she breathing?! Any signs of life?!” The diver took a deep breath and plunged back down. Ten seconds later, he surfaced, his face pale. “No signs of struggle… the current is too strong, her clothes are tangled in the weeds…” He paused, his voice trembling. “She’s… she’s gone.” A suffocating silence fell over the bank. The onlookers gasped, some covering their mouths in horror. Detective Carter clenched his fists, turning around to glare at Victoria. “Is this what you call a tantrum?!” But Victoria didn’t even blink. She pulled a pack of wet wipes from her trench coat pocket and slowly wiped the mud off her hands. “Alright, cut the act,” she shouted at the divers in the water. “How much did she pay you guys to act in her little drama? Pretty convincing, I’ll give you that.” “Maya! I’m counting to three! If you don’t get your ass out of there right now, don’t you ever think about stepping foot in my house again!” “One!” “Two!” “We got her! Pull her up!” With a loud splash, three divers worked together to drag a body, covered in mud and river weeds, out of the water. 4 The heavy, wet sound of a body being dragged onto the muddy grass echoed along the shore. She was laid there like a broken ragdoll. Her clothes had been shredded by the rocks and current, exposing pale, bruised skin. Her face was completely buried under thick river weeds and foul-smelling mud, making her unrecognizable. Water kept dripping from her soaked hair. There was no movement. No breath. “Start CPR! Now!” Detective Carter yelled, dropping to his knees in the mud. He placed his hands on her chest and began pumping hard. One, two, three… But only muddy water mixed with dark red blood seeped from her mouth and nose. “It’s no use, Detective.” The medical examiner, who had just arrived with his kit, knelt down. He checked her pupils and felt her carotid artery. “Submersion time exceeds twenty minutes. Cardiac arrest. Pupils are dilated and fixed. I’m calling it. She’s dead.” Those words fell like a sledgehammer, crushing the hearts of everyone standing there. The local woman burst into tears, pointing at Victoria and screaming, “You monster! You actually killed your own daughter!” Victoria stood frozen, her feet seemingly glued to the mud. She stared at the lifeless body on the grass. Her eye twitched slightly. But the deep-seated pride and psychosis in her bones still kept her spine straight. “Dead? How could she be dead?!” She let out a sharp laugh, stepping forward in her high heels. “Maya, your little guilt trip is getting more and more elaborate. You even fooled the police.” She looked down at the corpse. “Putting mud on your face to make it look real? Do you think that’s going to make me feel sorry for you?” “Get up! Stand up right now!” She suddenly bent down, raising her hand to slap the cold face of the corpse. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Detective Carter grabbed her wrist and threw her back with force. “Do you have a single drop of humanity left?! She’s dead, and you still want to abuse her corpse?!” Victoria stumbled back, and Richard rushed to hold her. But Richard’s face was already ghost-white. He stared at the familiar shape of the body, his voice shaking violently. “Victoria… maybe… maybe we should look at her face… What if… what if it’s really Maya…” “Shut up!” Victoria shrieked like a cat that had its tail stepped on. “She’s a great swimmer, she can’t be dead! This must be some other unlucky brat who fell into the river, and Maya is using her body to play a trick on me!” She pointed at the corpse, her voice absolutely certain. “This is definitely not Maya! Maya is a coward who’s terrified of pain! She wants to live more than anyone!” Hovering in the air, I looked down at her with a cold smile. Yes, Mom. I used to want to live more than anyone. I wanted to live so I could go to college, escape that house, and see a world that wasn’t filled with ice water and mud. But you were the one who personally strangled every single hope I had. “Since the family refuses to believe it, doctor, clean the victim’s face. Let her see clearly!” Detective Carter barked, holding back the urge to draw his gun. The medical examiner nodded. He took a bottle of clean water and some sterile gauze, gently washing away the thick layers of black mud from the girl’s face. As the features slowly became clear, the smirk on Victoria’s face completely froze. It was a young, pale, bloodless face. Eyes closed, lips tightly shut. Even the tiny dark mole on her left eyebrow was clearly visible. But the medical examiner wasn’t done. He gently pulled back the wet collar of her shirt, exposing her collarbone and neck. “Detective Carter, look at this.” The doctor pointed at a thick, dark brown scar wrapping around her neck. “This didn’t happen today. It’s an old scar. It looks like permanent tissue damage caused by repeated binding with something like a nylon rope.” Detective Carter gasped, turning to look at Victoria with absolute disgust and horror. “Did you do this?” Victoria didn’t answer. Her eyes were glued to that scar. Her pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. How could she not recognize that scar? When I was six, she hated how “ugly” I looked when I struggled in the bathtub. So, she tied my hands, feet, and neck with a nylon rope, dragging me into the water like a dog. That scar had been with me for twelve years. It was her trophy, her proof that she had “perfect control” over me. “No… this isn’t…” Victoria’s throat made a horrific, rattling sound, like a broken bellows. She shoved Richard away and fell to her knees beside the corpse. Her hand trembled violently as she reached out to touch the clean face. But the moment her fingers brushed the cold, stiff skin, she flinched back as if she had been burned by hot iron. “Maya…?” she whispered, her arrogant, mocking voice completely gone. “My Maya…?” She stared at the face, desperately searching for any sign of a prank, any sign of life. But there was none. The face was peacefully, terrifyingly still. It would never look at her with fear ever again. “You’re not Autumn… weren’t you supposed to die in her place…” Suddenly, Victoria’s tears spilled over without warning. She finally realized that the girl lying in the mud wasn’t the glorified ghost of her eight-year-old sister. It was her actual, living daughter. The girl she had tortured for thirteen years, who had just turned eighteen today. She finally realized that I was dead.

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Ethan’s female colleague was pregnant, and she was about to pop. When she showed up at my doorstep, flaunting her massive baby bump and demanding a baby shower gift, I was in the middle of decorating our wedding house. I screamed at him, demanding answers. But he just stood there, looking completely innocent. “I only did a private sperm donation to help her out, Elena. My heart still belongs to you.” After saying that, he actually took her to the mall to pick out a gift. I didn’t hesitate. I immediately texted our family group chat on Snapchat and canceled the wedding. But everyone thought I was just throwing a tantrum. Ethan’s mom said with a heavy sigh, “Ethan is handsome, highly educated, and a pilot. Perfect genes like his should be passed on. He’s doing a service to society.” Ethan’s dad sneered, “He didn’t cheat on you. Why are you making such a big deal out of nothing?” My dad was so angry his chest hurt. “You stubborn girl! How dare you call off such a perfect marriage?” My mom sobbed hysterically, “If you call off this wedding, you’ll end up alone for the rest of your life!” With red eyes, I texted back: “Then I’ll gladly stay single forever!” But then, another message popped up on my phone: “Elena, you’ve finally dumped him. When is it my turn to be your man?”

That evening, Ethan carefully guided Chloe into the apartment, holding her arm as if she were made of glass. They had bought a massive box of toys for the unborn baby. Chloe gently caressed her baby bump. The two of them smiled at each other, their faces glowing with the shared joy of expectant parents. Seeing me, Chloe smiled and handed over a small, beautifully wrapped gift box. “Elena, I personally picked this out for you. I only realized today how much this whole situation bothered you. Please accept this… as my apology.” I didn’t even look at it. I grabbed the box and threw it straight into the trash can. Chloe’s smile froze instantly. Tears began to stream down her face like a broken string of pearls. “Elena… I’m… I’m so sorry.” Sobbingly, she shrank behind Ethan’s back. Ethan immediately shielded her, looking at me with a tired, disappointed expression. “Elena, don’t be like this.” “I was just responding to our company’s initiative to help single women who want children. Chloe is a dedicated single mother by choice, and she needed a quality donor.” “We are just ordinary colleagues. There is really nothing going on between us.” “Ordinary colleagues?” My voice shook. “Do ordinary colleagues text each other ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ every single day? Do ordinary colleagues share a Spotify playlist? Do you cover for her at drinks, and take the long way home just to drive her back after overtime because you’re ‘just colleagues’?” He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking utterly exhausted. “Here we go again. Haven’t I explained all of this to you? You’re just paranoid. You’re overthinking everything.” I let out a cold laugh. His explanations were laughably pathetic. “Normal workplace communication.” “A mentor looking out for a rookie.” The lies were full of holes, yet I had chosen to believe them time and time edition over the last five years. But five years of love—I couldn’t just let it go without a fight. Clenching my teeth, I pointed at Chloe’s belly, testing him one last time. “Fine. Let’s say I’m the crazy one. Let’s say I misunderstood you both!” I stared straight into Ethan’s eyes. “Make her get rid of the baby. Do that, and I’ll pretend none of this ever happened. The wedding goes on.” “No way!” Ethan’s voice spiked, though he tried to suppress his anger. “The baby belongs to Chloe. I have no right to make that decision.” Chloe’s face turned deathly pale. Suddenly, she fell to her knees right in front of me. She wrapped her arms protectively around her stomach, sobbing. “Elena, Ethan and I really have nothing between us. The baby is eight months old. She just kicked me. I can’t… I can’t kill her…” She wept so pitifully, her entire body trembling. Ethan’s face hardened. He struggled internally for a few seconds before his heart ultimately softened for her. He helped her up, offering me a weak, cold smile. “Elena, asking her to abort the baby now is no different from ripping her heart out.” I stared at him, a mocking smirk playing on my lips. “What? Does your heart ache for her?” Ethan froze, a flash of pain crossing his face. “I never knew you could be so heartless, Elena. If this is your condition for marriage, then we are clearly not the same kind of people… Let’s break up.” “Elena, Ethan is innocent! Don’t take your anger out on him!” Chloe suddenly wailed. “If you want to blame someone, blame me! I can’t give up my baby… but I’ll prove our innocence with my life!” Before the words even fully left her mouth, she lunged toward the balcony, making a dramatic move to climb over the railing. My heart leaped into my throat. Instinctively, I moved to stop her. But Ethan had already panicked. He sprinted past me and grabbed her. Before we even got close to the edge, Chloe collapsed onto the floor, crying so hard she could barely breathe. Ethan pulled her tightly into his arms, his entire body shaking with fear. After a long moment, he looked up. His eyes, cold as ice, locked onto me. “Elena! Your baseless accusations almost killed Chloe!” His gaze was freezing, like he was looking at a complete stranger. “She’s just a young girl carrying a child. You can stand by and watch her die, but I can’t.” His voice trembled with rage. With that, he scooped Chloe up in his arms. He walked past me and barked, “Get out of my way!” I froze, my mouth hanging open. “I didn’t mean to—” “Ethan… the baby… I think she’s coming,” Chloe whimpered weakly before losing consciousness. “Chloe!” Ethan’s face went pale. He violently shoved me out of the way, holding Chloe as he dashed out the door.

I collapsed onto the floor, biting my lip so hard it bled, trying to suppress the overwhelming coldness spreading through my chest. I stayed awake all night. When the sun finally rose, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Ethan. “I was too stressed last night. My words were too harsh.” “Elena, I’m sorry.” A wave of soreness hit my nose, and tears finally spilled over. In all our years together, he was always the first to bow his head after an argument, and I would always find an excuse to forgive him. But this time was different. This was a barrier I could never cross. Before I could type a reply, he sent another photo. It was a selfie of him and the newborn. He was cradling the tiny infant with utmost care, looking down at her with a tenderness I had never seen before. “Chloe went into early labor, but both mother and daughter are safe.” “The baby looks just like me.” “She has no family here, so I have to stay at the hospital to look after her for three days.” “Let’s postpone the wedding by a week. I really can’t handle everything right now.” Every single word of his seemingly ordinary message stabbed right into my heart. Numbly, I stood up. I tore down the wedding decorations on the wall one by one. I took a pair of shears and shredded my wedding dress into pieces. My hands shook uncontrollably as I packed my bags. Just as I zipped my suitcase, Ethan’s mom pushed the door open, a bright, uncontainable smile on her face. “Ethan asked me to bring him some clean clothes. And as a grandmother, I can’t wait to see my little granddaughter.” Seeing my silence, she walked over and warmly wrapped her arm around mine. “Oh, Elena, Ethan was wrong this time. He shouldn’t have hidden the donation from you. It hurt your pride. But at the end of the day, it’s not some unforgivable sin, right?” “I know how much you love him. You can’t just throw away your relationship over something this trivial. Let’s just forget the angry words you said in the group chat yesterday.” “Come on, let’s go to the hospital together to see the baby. Give Ethan a way out, and we can put this whole thing behind us.” I let her drag me along like a lifeless corpse. By the time I snapped out of it, I was already standing outside the hospital room. Chloe lay weakly on the bed, her pale face stained with tears. She had clearly had a rough labor. And there was Ethan, gently cradling the baby, humming a soft lullaby. Ethan’s dad actually smiled—a rare sight. “Ethan is a pilot. We should name the baby Maverick. Let her reach the skies!” “What nonsense!” Ethan’s mom teased. “That’s a boy’s name!” She eagerly reached out to hold the baby. But Ethan turned his body, shielding the infant. “Mom, you don’t know how to hold a newborn. Don’t hurt her.” Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted me. His eyes lit up. “Elena, come look at her. Look at her tiny hands and feet. Isn’t she adorable?” He leaned down to kiss the baby but stopped himself, looking flustered like a guilty child. “No, no, Daddy can’t pass his germs to you.” I had never seen this childish, gentle side of him. He was bursting with the urge to show off his joy to the entire world. But I should never have been part of that audience. My lips curled into a stiff, mocking smile. I turned to leave. But Ethan quickly chased after me, carefully presenting the baby to my face. “Elena, look. Her nose and mouth… don’t they look exactly like mine?” I looked down. The baby’s face was indeed a carbon copy of his. The resemblance stung my eyes, and a sharp lump formed in my throat. I coldly pushed the baby blanket away. Staring into Ethan’s expectant eyes, I decided to shatter his fantasy. “Get her away from me. She looks hideous. She disgusts me.” The baby suddenly burst into a loud wail. Ethan’s face instantly darkened. He gently patted the crying baby, his heart aching for her. Ethan’s mom glared at me as if she wanted to slice me in half. “You are the one who is hideous and disgusting!” Ethan’s dad pointed directly at the door. “You are not welcome here. Get the hell out!” On the bed, Chloe slowly opened her eyes. “Elena…” She looked pleadingly at the Miller family. “I want to talk to Elena alone for a minute.” Once the door closed, a look of faux apology washed over Chloe’s face. “Elena, I don’t want to break you and Ethan up. He really loves you. Actually… that night, Ethan got drunk, and we…” My brain went completely numb. “It wasn’t a sperm donation?” She looked away, feigning guilt. “Ethan told me to keep it a secret. He was afraid it would break your heart.” “By the time I realized I was pregnant, it was already three months. He was furious. He said he’d give me a lump sum of hush money once the baby was born, as long as I never mentioned it again.” “Then why are you telling me this now?” I stared at her coldly. “Why did you show up at my door flaunting your belly? Why didn’t you keep it a secret forever?” She clearly didn’t expect me to call her out so bluntly. Her expression shifted rapidly before she ultimately bit her lip and stayed silent. I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Well, he and I are broken up now, and your baby is born. Your perfect little family of three can live happily ever after. What else are you worried about?” Suddenly, she glared at me, a creepy, twisted smile appearing on her face. The next second, right before my eyes, she rolled straight off the hospital bed, crashing heavily onto the floor. She screamed in absolute terror: “Elena, I know I was wrong! Please don’t hit me! Please don’t hurt my baby!”

I stood there, completely dumbfounded. Before I could even process what was happening, a powerful force violently shoved me aside. Slap! My cheek burned with sharp pain, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Ethan’s dad stood there, his face livid with rage, pointing a shaking finger at me. “You disgraceful brat! How dare you act like a savage in a hospital?” He raised his hand to strike me again, but Ethan quickly caught his wrist. “Dad, stop. She’s my fiancée. I’ll handle this.” He dragged me out to the hallway, retrieved an ice pack, and gently pressed it against my swollen cheek. I kept my head down, whispering, “I didn’t push her…” “Okay,” he replied softly. He didn’t yell, nor did he ask for details. I knew him too well. This silence was his ultimate denial. If he believed me, he would have fought for me. If he didn’t, he would react exactly like this—with cold silence. But if he didn’t believe me, why was he still being so gentle? Tears finally spilled over, dripping hot onto the back of his hand. As if he had been burned, he flinched and pulled his hand back, standing up. “If being here around Chloe and the baby makes you this miserable, you should go home first.” In a panic, I grabbed the hem of his shirt, my voice cracking. “Just believe me once. Please?” He let out a deep, heavy sigh. One by one, he pried my fingers off his shirt, his face filled with utter disappointment. “Elena, I can overlook everything you’ve done. I love you, so I can forgive you. But at the very least, you have to be honest with me.” Suddenly, his phone started ringing. It was Chloe’s custom ringtone. How much further do I have to go to reach your heart… I had once asked him, “Is it appropriate to have a custom ringtone for a female colleague?” He had looked at me with confusion. “She just likes the song, so I set it. Don’t overthink it.” I watched him answer the call and walk away without a single backward glance. I sat frozen on the bench, one side of my face swollen and red. I found myself laughing and crying at the same time, like a patient diagnosed with a terminal illness. He demanded honesty from me. But had he ever been honest with me? I went back to the apartment and grabbed my bags. I was planning to go back to my parents’ house when a FaceTime call popped up. It was my parents. My dad was clutching his chest, pointing a trembling finger at the camera as he roared: “The Millers said you went crazy at the hospital and attacked a girl who just gave birth! What is wrong with you? The hospital director is a close friend of mine. He texted me asking what happened! You have humiliated our entire family!” My dad started gasping heavily for air. My mom frantically handed him his medicine, then turned to glare at me through the screen. “Ethan explained everything. They are just colleagues. You just had to make a scene and force them into a corner, didn’t you?” Noticing the bruise on my face, she let out a cold snort. “You deserved it!” “What did I do wrong that makes everyone turn on me?” I took a deep breath, my voice raspy. “Why would you rather believe outsiders than your own daughter?” “Believe what? Go on, tell us!” my parents demanded in unison. Staring at their cold, unsympathetic faces, all the fight drained out of me. “Never mind.” I hung up the call. I couldn’t let them see me cry anymore. Otherwise, I’d just hear the same old line: “What else can you do besides cry?” At this moment, I realized I had absolutely nowhere to go. My phone vibrated. It was a Snapchat message from Marcus. “Elena, when are you going to let me take his place?” “Right now,” I replied instantly, without a second thought. This guy, who used to be the worst student in our grade back in high school, suddenly turned his life around during senior year just to follow me to the same university. After that came years of relentless pursuit. He had confessed to me a hundred times, and I had rejected him a hundred times. Back then, I was attracted to smart, academically successful men. Even though he was incredibly handsome and had a smile that could make my heart skip a beat, I still turned him down. After graduation, I ended up with Ethan. Marcus went to Switzerland for his master’s degree, but he never stopped texting me. From daily check-ins to sharing mundane details of his life, to asking every few days, “When is it my turn?” I had never replied. Yet, like a tireless robot, he never gave up. Thinking of this, I sent him another text: “We’re getting married in three days. You’ll be the groom. Are you in?” Bam! The front door was suddenly kicked open with brute force. Ethan stood at the doorway, his face dark with rage, his eyes locked onto me like a predator. “Elena! What the hell did you do to my clothes?!”

“What…?” “Shut up!” He stormed over, grabbing my wrists and slamming me hard against the wall. I had never seen him like this. His eyes were bloodshot, and his breath hitched with tremors. “I wore that shirt you packed for me to hold the baby. Within ten minutes, she broke out in hives and had respiratory failure! She’s in the ICU right now!” “She’s just a newborn, Elena! Give me a goddamn explanation!” “I didn’t do anything!” My wrists hurt terribly under his grip, and I struggled to free myself. “Let go of me first…” Before I could finish, his fist flew toward my face. Instinctively, I squeezed my eyes shut and flinched. A loud crack echoed right next to my ear. His fist had smashed into the wall beside my head. When I opened my eyes, I saw blood dripping from his split knuckles. My voice shook uncontrollably. “Ethan… were you really going to hit me just now?” As if suddenly waking up from a trance, he quickly released me and pulled me into a tight embrace. “Elena… I’m sorry. I just panicked.” “I told you, I don’t care what you’ve done. But you crossed the line this time. Chloe is crying, saying she wants to die with the baby. Just come to the hospital and beg for her forgiveness, okay?” A hot tear dropped onto my neck. “Do it for me, please. I promise you, as long as you apologize, we can still get married.” This man, who hadn’t shed a single tear even when he broke his ribs during flight training, was actually crying now. When a man cries, it means he has a weakness. And Chloe and her baby were clearly his. Looking at his trembling shoulders, I suddenly smiled. “Sure. I’ll apologize.” He let out a massive sigh of relief, as if a mountain had been lifted off his chest. “Let’s go to the hospital right now.” He reached out to hold my hand. I coldly slapped his hand away. “I can walk by myself.” “Okay,” he nodded, then urged anxiously, “Hurry. I’m afraid Chloe is going to have a breakdown…” The moment we arrived outside the emergency room, Chloe threw herself onto the floor and wrapped her arms tightly around my legs. “Elena, I beg of you. You can take my life, just please let my baby live!” She sobbed hysterically, her body convulsing. I let out a cold laugh. I reached down to pull her off me. “Stop acting. I’m the one who’s here to apologize. Please, Chloe, show some mercy and let me go. You can have Ethan. I don’t want him anymore. He’s yours.” She snapped her head up, a flash of smugness crossing her eyes before she quickly replaced it with a look of sheer terror. “No, that’s not true! Ethan will always belong to you! How could I ever dream of taking him? I just want to raise my baby in peace.” “Get up!” I completely lost my patience. She suddenly grabbed my hands. Disgusted, I shook her off. Using the momentum, she threw herself backward. Her head hit the tiled floor with a loud thud, and she let out a piercing scream. “Enough!” Ethan rushed forward to shield her, looking at me as if I were some kind of monster. “Elena! If you didn’t want to apologize, you shouldn’t have come! Chloe just gave birth, and the baby is still in the ICU! How could you be so cruel?” I kept my head down, realizing there was nothing left to say. He wouldn’t believe me anyway, would he? After a long silence, Ethan let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Forget it. What did I even expect from you? I saw you hurt Chloe and the baby with my own eyes. Just go home. You’re only making things worse here.” “Parents of the baby, come here!” the doctor called out. Without looking back, Ethan quickly ran toward the doctor with Chloe. The doctor frowned, glancing at me. “If you’re not family, please don’t loiter here and cause a scene.” Right. They were the parents. I was just an intrusive outsider. Twice in one day, I had humiliated myself at this hospital. In everyone’s eyes, I was probably just a psychotic, malicious woman. Suddenly, all the energy drained from my body. I stumbled backward, expecting to hit the cold floor, but instead fell into a warm, solid chest. Marcus caught me securely, his voice buzzing with excitement. “Elena, were you serious about letting me take his place?”

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My husband’s cute little secretary was crying and threatening to jump off the roof again. All because I spent fifteen dollars on groceries without asking for her approval first. She claimed I didn’t respect her position. That very night, she handed in her resignation. To comfort her, my husband didn’t hesitate to throw me out of the house. He handed me a divorce agreement, demanding I leave with absolutely nothing. “Don’t worry, Hazel. It’s just a temporary divorce. You’ve worked so hard for this family all these years, and you even gave me a son. Once Chloe calms down, we’ll get remarried.” I looked at him calmly. “Are you sure? This is already the tenth time you’ve divorced me.” Our seven-year-old son, Leo, rushed over and began kicking and punching me. “You old witch! What are you throwing a tantrum for now? You made a mistake, so you deserve to be punished!” Just as they wished, I signed the divorce papers once again. That night, Chloe posted on her Snapchat: [Glad someone finally knows her place and knows who the real boss of this house is. I guess I’ll reward them with a family photoshoot session~] My husband let out a sigh of relief. He immediately and excitedly dialed my number. “Babe, Chloe forgave you! We can get remarried now!” But the voice that answered him was a deep, magnetic male voice. “Sorry, mate. Your wife is in my bed, and she’s a bit exhausted…” 0

The moment Marcus heard the unfamiliar male voice, his breath hitched. “Who is this? What did you do to my wife?” His voice was thick with suppressed rage, like a wild beast ready to pounce. There was no reply. Just a low chuckle before the call was cut off. Marcus went completely insane. He mobilized every single resource he had. In just fifteen minutes, he appeared right in front of me. “I’m so sorry, Hazel. It was my fault.” He hugged me tightly, as if trying to merge me into his own body. “I know you were jealous. You hired someone to put on a show and scare me, right?” “I promise you, I really know I was wrong this time! Don’t ever scare me like that again, okay?” “I wasn’t trying to scare you.” I pushed him away, looking into his eyes with absolute calmness. “We are already divorced.” Marcus froze for a second, then forced a doting smile. “Alright, alright… I know what you want. A proper apology, right? I’m already prepared…” With that, he pulled a ring box from his pocket and dropped to one knee. “I really know I messed up. You’ve forgiven me nine times before, but I kept taking you for granted. I was an absolute jerk!” “But I promise you, this is the last time! For the sake of our son, can you give me one more chance?” Our son, Leo, walked over, holding a bouquet of my favorite red roses. “Mommy, don’t go! Don’t leave me! I know I was bad. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. Daddy already scolded me.” “Please give Daddy and me one more chance.” My usually rebellious son looked so pitiful right now. For a moment, my heart softened. To make things more overwhelming, our friends and family suddenly poured into the room. Each of them was holding a luxury gift box. They lined them up in front of me. Inside were the designer bags and jewelry I used to dream of. “Say yes! Say yes! Remarry him!” “Marcus really treats Hazel like a princess. They say these ten gift boxes are incredibly valuable. The cheapest one is worth at least a million dollars!” Marcus hadn’t forgotten. The promises he made to me when we were young. At this moment, he was fulfilling them one by one. Seeing my hesitation, Marcus grew anxious. “Hazel, I know you’ve always wanted a grand wedding in Provence. I’ve already booked the flights. Just nod your head, and we can leave right now.” “Mommy, please! Hurry up and say yes to Daddy~” Both of them looked at me with the same puppy-dog eyes. Just as I was about to speak, a sharp, whiny female voice came from the doorway. 0

“Marcus! You are so cruel! How could you spend so much money without telling me? I’ve never received so many gifts from you! How could you just buy all of this for her?” “Ugh! I knew you were lying when you said I could manage the household finances… I’m never speaking to you again!” Hearing this, Marcus instantly panicked. He spotted Chloe in the crowd, let go of my hand without a second thought, and ran after her. “Chloe, don’t be mad. Let me explain.” Suddenly, someone called out to him. “Hey, Marcus, are you still proposing or what?” Marcus replied crossly, “Propose? Can’t you see what’s more important right now?” Without giving me a single glance, he walked away. The crowd slowly packed up the luxury boxes, looking at me with mocking smiles. “Well, it looks like Chloe is still his number one priority!” “With the way Marcus was acting just now, I almost thought he was serious this time!” Leo also dropped his sweet act instantly. He looked at me with a smug grin. “I only did that because Daddy promised to buy me a new gaming console.” “I thought we’d have to play nice for a few days, but in the end, Auntie Chloe is still the important one. You lost again, you old witch!” “It’s all your fault that Auntie Chloe is always angry. You should give all these gifts to her as an apology.” Within two hours, a wealthy influencer’s vlog went viral on TikTok and Instagram. In the video, the luxury gift boxes took up half of the living room. Marcus, who usually only appeared on serious business channels with a cold face, was holding flowers and smiling apologetically behind Chloe. As for Chloe, she just gave a haughty glance. Finally, under Leo’s sweet coaxing of calling her “Mommy,” she flashed a beautiful smile. The comments section was flooded. [Oh my god! There are 101 gifts in total! Does that mean she’s his ‘one in a million’? I’m crying, this is so sweet!] [Can you believe those jewelry boxes thrown carelessly on the floor are worth millions? Heavens! I don’t even throw my tissues around like that!] If this were the past, I would have fallen into a deep, endless spiral of panic. Does Marcus still love me? Has my son been completely brainwashed by someone else? In the end, it would only lead to endless arguments and self-doubt. But looking at this now, my heart was surprisingly peaceful. I gave Chloe’s post a thumbs-up on Snapchat, and then I deleted everyone’s contact information. From this moment on, I wanted nothing to do with them. 0

Just then, Ethan, who had gone out to buy some things for me, finally returned. “What happened? Did your blood sugar drop again?” Seeing me shake my head, he let out a sigh of relief. He handed me the takeout from a fancy French bistro and casually mentioned: “By the way, while you were asleep, someone called you. He sounded pretty aggressive, so I just hung up. I hope it didn’t mess up anything for you?” I knew exactly who he was talking about. “Just a spam caller. I’ve already blocked him.” I didn’t notice the slight curl of Ethan’s lips. After eating, I started packing. After being kicked out of the house, I didn’t bring much with me. Ten years of marriage, and all that was left fit into a few bags of clothes and personal items. I calmly booked a one-way ticket out of the country for three days later. Once I left, I probably wouldn’t ever come back. But before I left, I had one last thing to settle. The next day, I went directly to a high-end auction house. Years ago, I helped Marcus build his empire from scratch. When we were desperate for cash, I had to pawn the necklace my late mother left me. By the time we had the money to buy it back, the pawnshop had gone out of business, and the necklace was lost. Only recently did I find out it was being auctioned off. As soon as I walked into the venue, someone called my name. “Hazel? What are you doing here?” It was Chloe. Standing behind her were several of my former friends. “Do you even need to ask? She must have stalked Marcus’s schedule. Look at her… she just can’t let go!” “Yesterday she was acting so high and mighty, refusing to remarry him. Quite an actress, huh?” “Come on, Hazel. Just go over and apologize to Chloe, and we can put this whole thing behind us.” Someone reached out to grab my hand, but I slapped it away. “Apologize to a homewrecker?” I sneered. “I spent fifteen dollars of my own money on groceries. What exactly did I do wrong?” Back then, I gave up my successful acting career to become a full-time housewife for Marcus. I thought I would finally enjoy life once his business succeeded. But instead, I lived a life worse than Chloe’s dog. Not only was my spending strictly limited, but I also had to report every single purchase to a secretary. I used to endure all of this for the sake of my child. But now, since my son doesn’t even recognize me as his mother. I don’t want either of them anymore! I ignored them and walked toward the seating area. The auction was about to begin. I quickly found my seat. But Chloe’s eyes turned red. She looked pitifully at Marcus, who had just finished socializing and walked over. “Marcus! Why are you just getting here? You promised you would protect me! Why do you keep letting this woman bully me?” Chloe looked incredibly aggrieved, and Marcus’s heart melted with pity. “I don’t care! I want that emerald necklace! If you don’t buy it for me, I’ll never speak to you again!” I looked up at the stage. The item up for bid was indeed the necklace my mother left me. I immediately raised my paddle. “One million dollars.” This was already two hundred thousand dollars higher than the previous bid. No one would want to pay that much for an outdated necklace. Seeing Marcus raise his paddle without hesitation, I turned around and spoke directly to him. “Marcus, even a gentle soul has its limits. I already left with nothing. How much further do you want to push me?” “You promised me and my mother that you would buy this necklace back! Look closely at it. This is not some cheap toy to please your mistress!” Marcus froze. A look of shock flashed through his eyes. He wasn’t used to me speaking to him in such a cold, detached tone. Slowly, he lowered his hand. The auctioneer on stage called out: “Going once at one million dollars.” “Going twice at one million dollars.” But Chloe panicked. “Marcus! You promised me! Who are you choosing? Her or me?” Tears welled up in Chloe’s eyes. It looked as if she would burst into tears if Marcus dared to say no. Marcus looked at me, then at Chloe. His gaze turned firm. I smiled bitterly to myself. How could an ex-wife like me ever compete with his precious mistress? Just as I was about to walk away, I heard Marcus speak. “Chloe, let her have it. We don’t need it.” 0

Chloe’s eyes widened in disbelief. With the strike of the auctioneer’s gavel: “Sold for one million dollars! Congratulations to the lady in the front.” The spotlight fell on me. Chloe couldn’t take it anymore and stormed out. “Fine, Marcus! Since you care so much about her, don’t you ever talk to me again!” I didn’t expect Marcus to take my side this time. But that was all it was. There was no warmth in my heart, no gratitude. He owed me this. In all our years of marriage, I had never gotten anything from him. I had even poured my own money and my mother’s inheritance into his business. But now, I had left with nothing. Even the one million dollars to buy back the necklace was borrowed from a friend. Since he was so heartless. He shouldn’t blame me for what was to come. The auction reached its final item. At some point, Chloe and Marcus returned to their seats. Chloe shot me a provocative look. I had a bad feeling. The auctioneer on stage announced excitedly: “Next up is our grand finale!” “We have 99 private, intimate photos of the former A-list actress and ex-wife of the CEO of Marcus Enterprises, Hazel!” The crowd gasped. They began whispering and commenting on the revealing photos displayed on the screen. “Oh my god, is this allowed?” “They call it private photos, but isn’t she just loose to take these kinds of pictures?” “Look, there’s even an intimate nursing photo… Wow, she’s gorgeous. No wonder Marcus kept wanting her back after the divorce…” “Look at that look on her face. I bet there’s a wild story behind their constant divorces!” Although the sensitive parts were blurred, the censorship only made people’s imaginations run wild. The disgusting murmurs of the crowd filled my ears. My fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms. My face turned pale. 0

Back then, Marcus had sweet-talked me into taking those private photos. I thought they were a private record of our love. I never thought they would be used as a weapon to destroy me! Marcus looked at Chloe with a gentle smile. “Chloe, do you like your apology gift?” Chloe’s lips curled up. “You’re terrible! I thought you didn’t love me anymore. It turns out you were planning this grand surprise.” “I guess I can forgive you this time!” Marcus pulled her into his arms, cooing, “Thank you, babe. You have the best heart.” Chloe crossed her arms, turning away with a pout. “One thing at a time. She still hasn’t apologized to me!” Marcus understood immediately. He ordered his security guards to drag me over to Chloe. “Hazel, apologize!” I bit my lip hard, telling myself that these people weren’t worth my tears. Yet, my eyes still burned. “What if I say no?” Chloe suddenly grabbed a handful of my hair. A sharp pain shot through my scalp. “If you don’t apologize, I’ll make sure everyone here gets a printed copy of your beautiful body!” She patted my cheek condescendingly with a stack of printed photos. I let out a cold laugh. With a sudden burst of energy, I stood up, grabbed her hair with one hand, and delivered a fierce slap with the other. SLAP! The crisp sound echoed through the entire hall. “A cheap homewrecker like you doesn’t deserve my apology!” Marcus was furious. He kicked me hard in the stomach. “That’s enough, Hazel! My patience is wearing thin! Since you threw away the chance I gave you, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” With a wave of his hand, he threw the photos into the air. They fluttered down like snow, landing all over the auction hall. At the same time, the scandal of the retired actress went viral on social media. The internet erupted. The people at the venue were quick to join in. “Wow, look at this one. This is so dirty!” “She must have been unfaithful. Otherwise, why would Marcus humiliate her like this?” “Do you think she cheated on him? Didn’t she give him a son? Maybe the kid isn’t even his!” “So cheap. Who knows how many men she’s slept with.” Their words were like poisoned arrows, trying to pierce through my armor. Marcus held Chloe, looking down at me. “Are you going to apologize now?” I smiled. Instead of apologizing, I stood up straight. A flash of confusion crossed his eyes. He didn’t seem to understand why I was being so stubborn this time. In the past, whenever he gave me a look—whether it was my fault or not—I would always bow my head and apologize. Why was I making such a big scene today? “Is this the only trick you have left?” I asked. “Who is the dirty one here? I don’t care about anything anymore. I don’t care about you, and I certainly don’t care about what these people think of me.” “Do you have any other pathetic tricks? If not, I’m leaving.” The crowd went quiet. Unlike the mocking before, many now looked at me with a trace of respect. But Marcus panicked. He could feel that I was serious this time. If he didn’t say something now, I might really walk out of his life forever. He took a step forward to speak, but a group of men suddenly rushed in and shielded me. “I’m sorry, Hazel. I’m late.”

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My hair used to be incredibly long, thick, and beautiful. But when my boyfriend’s childhood best friend lost her hair to chemotherapy, he ordered me to shave my head so they could use it to make her a custom wig. “Chloe is allergic to synthetic wigs,” Ethan said. “You’ve been growing yours for seven years. It’s perfect.” I refused. But his friends pinned me down, tying my hands and feet. They dragged a buzzer across my scalp, shaving me to the roots. My beautiful blonde hair fell to the floor, leaving me completely bald. Chloe sat in her wheelchair, laughing and pointing at me. “Look at her, Ethan! She looks like a bald toad!” Ethan smirked, nodding along. He even chimed in: “Is it really worth throwing a tantrum over some hair, Maya?” But years ago, I had been brutally bullied for six years because of a jagged, uneven haircut. Back then, he was the one who threw his arms wide to shield me. Now, he was the monster holding the clippers. One by one, his toxic friends chimed in, telling me not to argue with a cancer patient. Ethan turned and snapped impatiently, “Stop begging her. Let her get lost. She’s acting like her life is over just because of some hair. It’ll grow back.” So, I turned around and walked out. I never looked back. Later, I heard Ethan spent years searching for me. He gave up everything, begging for a single word of forgiveness. But the girl who used to wait for him was already gone forever. 1 Once my head was completely shaved, they finally untied me. “Ethan, look at her! She looks so hilarious, like a bald little toad,” Chloe giggled from her wheelchair, pointing at my bald head. His friends laughed and jeered in agreement. Ethan glanced at me, his voice dismissive. “Chloe is allergic to cheap synthetic wigs. Your hair is long and healthy. It’s perfect for her.” I blocked out their voices. Clutching the few remaining strands of buzzed hair on my scalp, my heart ached with an agonizing, silent scream. Two hours ago. Ethan had texted me to come to Chloe’s birthday party. Chloe and I had never gotten along. But because Ethan begged me. And because Chloe was a cancer patient. I swallowed my pride and brought a gift. I never expected that this so-called birthday party was a trap. They held me down and forcibly shaved my head. Looking at Ethan’s cold, indifferent face. I remembered how unusually sweet he had been to me two days ago. He had brought home an incredibly expensive set of salon-grade shampoo and conditioner. “The weather’s been dry lately. Make sure you take care of your hair.” I had been confused but touched. I used it that very night. Now, the sickening realization hit me. He didn’t want to pamper me. He was just fattening the lamb for the slaughter—making sure his precious Chloe got the softest wig possible! Ethan suddenly walked toward me. For a fleeting second, I thought he had regained his humanity and wanted to apologize. Instead, he reached out with a look of disgust, grabbed the last stray lock of hair on my shoulder, and ruthlessly snipped it off with scissors. He turned to his friends and barked: “Can’t you guys do a clean job? Why did you leave this patch here? I bought you all dinner, and you can’t even handle a simple task.” The group immediately burst into loud, mocking laughter. “Yeah, yeah, our bad. But look at Maya—is she actually going to cry?” “Poor Chloe is so sick and takes so many meds every day, and she never plays the victim like this.” Their cruel, sarcastic remarks kept coming, but Ethan’s expression didn’t change at all. Ethan’s friends had always hated me. They thought my background made me unfit for their high-society circle. I was never invited to their private parties. Once, I asked Ethan if I could join them. He only said impatiently, “Don’t force your way into a circle where you don’t belong.” Seeing that I didn’t react, Ethan’s eyes finally focused on me. He raised an eyebrow and let out a soft laugh. “Maya, you’re not actually mad, are you?” “Cheer up. Just think of it as doing a good deed.” My eyes filled with deep, hollow sorrow. “I only have one question. Was shaving my head your idea, or Chloe’s?” Before Ethan could answer, Chloe rolled her wheelchair between us. Two perfect tears rolled down her cheeks. “It was my idea. If you’re mad, blame me. Don’t make things hard for Ethan.” Ethan’s face darkened instantly as he glared at me. “Chloe is sick, Maya. Can you stop stressing her out?” “She’s practically family. We grew up together. You’re going to marry me anyway. What’s wrong with doing a little favor for your future sister-in-law?” Seeing how utterly heartless Ethan was, my eyes burned. How could someone change so quickly? Years ago, my parents tried to force me to shave my head to sell my hair for money to buy my brother toys. When I had to go to school with a jagged, uneven buzzcut and faced brutal bullying. Ethan was the one who stood in front of me, baring his teeth at the bullies: “From now on, her hair is under my protection!” All the fight drained out of me. I stood up slowly. “Ethan, we’re done. It’s over.” “Venmo me the money for my hair later. I had no obligation to donate anything to her.” 2 Ethan froze, then pressed his hand against my forehead, letting out a mocking laugh. “Maya, are you saying you’re breaking up with me?” “You don’t have a fever. Why are you talking crazy?” “You’ve been with me for eight years. Do you honestly think anyone else would want you if we broke up?” “Who would even take you? Stop being so damn dramatic.” Hearing those words, the tears I had forced back almost spilled over. So he did remember. He knew we had been together for eight years. People always say that if you date for too long, your lover becomes like family. But Ethan hadn’t become my family, and he was quickly ceasing to be my lover. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood, forcing myself to look him dead in the eye. “There are billions of men in this world, Ethan. You are not my only option.” Ethan’s face turned incredibly ugly. His friends immediately chimed in, their voices dripping with hostility. “Alright, that’s enough. Ethan already humored you. Don’t push your luck, Maya.” “It’s just some hair. Ethan can buy you wigs. He can buy you seven—one for every day of the week, haha!” Once his friends finished mocking me, Chloe chimed in with a sweet, victimized sigh. “This is all my fault. Maya, I’ll pay you for the hair. Please don’t be mad at Ethan.” Her eyes welled with tears. Her fragile, pitiful act made Ethan’s heart ache with protective rage. He glared at me like I was his worst enemy. “Maya, if you have a problem, take it out on me!” “Chloe is sick. She’s dying! Why do you have to be so cruel to a cancer patient? You’ve changed. You used to be so kind!” I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, Chloe suddenly clutched her stomach, crying out in pain. “Ethan, it hurts so much… help me…” Ethan shoved me aside with brute force. Caught off guard, I stumbled and fell hard over a metal chair. “Ugh—” Ethan didn’t show a shred of concern. Instead, he screamed at me at the top of his lungs: “Stop being so damn useless! We took a little bit of your hair, and you’re throwing a fit! You knew Chloe was in fragile condition, yet you still chose to stress her out! If anything happens to her, I swear I will make you pay!” With that, he scooped Chloe up in his arms and rushed out, his entourage trailing closely behind. The last guy in the group, who was holding the bag of my sheared hair. He casually tossed the golden locks into the trash can before leaving. I stared blankly for a moment, then dragged myself over to the trash can, picking up my hair piece by piece. My tears fell silently onto the golden strands. At that exact moment, I made my decision. I was leaving Ethan. … I went to a professional salon to get my head properly shaved and cleaned up. Then, I booked a cheap hotel room online. When I went back to the apartment to pack my things, Ethan walked in, looking utterly exhausted. The moment he saw my suitcases, his face warped with anger. He strode over and violently kicked my suitcase away. “How long are you going to keep up this tantrum!” “The doctor said Chloe’s condition worsened because of the stress you caused her! I haven’t even punished you for that, and here you are, acting like the victim!” I let out a cold, sharp laugh. “Chloe’s cancer is my fault now?” “Ethan, do you even hear the stupid garbage coming out of your mouth?” Maybe because he had never heard me speak to him in such a biting tone. Ethan froze in shock. I ignored him, picked up the kicked-over suitcase, and continued folding my clothes. I didn’t have many belongings. Even after living here for eight years, everything I owned fit into just two 26-inch suitcases. I looked at Ethan, who was standing there in silence, and said flatly: “The moment you Venmo me the money for my hair is the moment I pay my half of this month’s rent.” 3 “Do you honestly think I care about your petty cash?” Ethan grabbed my wrist with a iron grip, his face turning menacingly dark. “Maya, have you lost your mind? Do you really think you can survive on your own?” “Sometimes I swear you don’t have a brain!” “I buy you expensive skincare, and you don’t use it. I buy you jewelry, and you don’t wear it. I tell you to dress nicer, and you make up a million excuses!” Every time Ethan and I fought, he loved to drag up the same old grievances. He complained that I didn’t use his skincare, but he ignored that those brands gave me severe allergic rashes. He complained that I didn’t wear his jewelry, but he didn’t care when his friends mocked me, calling the pieces cheap fakes. He complained that I dressed too simply, but did he expect me to wear cocktail dresses to my office job? Seeing my silence, Ethan’s words became even more venomous. “What, silent now? Or are you planning to crawl back to your abusive family’s house and let them sell you off to some old man?” My eyes widened in sheer disbelief. After the SATs, my parents had locked me up, planning to force me into an arranged marriage for quick cash. It was Ethan who had broken the door down and saved me. He had promised me that as long as he was there, I would never be in danger again. But he had completely forgotten his promise. He had become no different from the monsters I ran away from. Yes, I came from a toxic family. Yes, I was naturally frugal. But what did I do wrong? My eyes welled with tears, and my chest felt like it was being crushed by a physical weight. I didn’t say a word. I finally realized that Ethan was beyond saving. He would rather die than admit he did anything wrong. I grabbed my suitcase, determined to walk out. Furious, Ethan snatched my suitcases and violently threw them onto the hardwood floor. The plastic shells cracked in half, and my neatly packed clothes spilled everywhere. “Ethan! We broke up! You have no right to touch my things!” Ethan grabbed my arm, violently wrenching me backward. He used so much force that I lost my balance. My head slammed hard against the sharp corner of the wooden table. Instantly, a warm, thick liquid rushed down my forehead and into my eyes. I blinked frantically, but my vision was blocked by a dark red haze. Ethan panicked, immediately dropping to his knees beside me. “Maya! Oh my god, Maya, don’t worry. I’ll take you to the ER right now.” But before he could lift me, his phone rang loudly. Chloe’s weak, trembling voice echoed through the speaker. “Ethan… I’m outside your apartment building… I’m throwing up blood. It hurts so much, please help me…” Ethan’s face went pale. He immediately let go of my hands. “Maya, wait for me here! Chloe is having an emergency. I have to drive her to the hospital first!” Blood was streaming into my eyes, and I could only see a blurry, dark silhouette. Terrified of being left alone, I grabbed Ethan’s leg, begging him. “Ethan, please… I can’t see. Please call 911 for me first…” Without a second thought, he kicked me away. “I told you to fucking wait! Do you not understand English?” “You can’t even wait ten minutes? Are you that desperate to die?” The force of his kick left me breathless and unable to get up. By the time I gasped for air, Ethan was already gone. The front door slammed shut with a deafening bang!

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I was Alpha Caleb’s fated mate. But his mother, Clara, the Elder Luna, always despised me. She looked down on me because I was wolfless, believing I was unworthy of her son. I thought if I just endured enough and worked hard enough, she would eventually see my worth. Until the Full Moon ceremony, when Alpha Caleb rejected me in front of the entire pack and banished me. Just as despair was about to swallow me whole, the powerful Alpha of the Southern Pack saved me. “My child, I am your biological father. You were poisoned as a pup, which sealed your wolf. Come home with me. Our pack’s healer can cure you.” I looked at him, and a cold smile touched my lips. I couldn’t wait to see the look on Caleb’s face when he realized that the “useless, wolfless girl” he threw away was actually the daughter of the most powerful Alpha on the continent. Moonlight filtered through the branches, casting long shadows across the borders of the North Wind Pack. I dragged my exhausted body back home. After two weeks of grueling diplomatic negotiations with neighboring packs, every muscle in my body screamed in pain. But the moment I thought of Caleb—my fated mate, my Alpha—a wave of warmth washed over me. Honestly, Caleb wasn’t a strong Alpha. Instead of managing pack affairs, he cared far more about his own comfort and entertainment. But I told myself it didn’t matter. As long as he could stand up and protect the pack when it mattered, that was enough. I would handle the rest. For the past three years, I had run the North Wind Pack. I managed the ledgers, handled external negotiations, and kept the Packhouse running. All he had to do was show up at the Full Moon ceremonies and play the part of a proud Alpha. The alliance treaty I had secured on this trip would guarantee our pack’s resources for an entire year. On my way back, I stopped by the luxury watch boutique in the city to pick up the limited-edition mechanical watch I had reserved for him months ago. Picturing his excited face when he saw the gift, all my exhaustion melted away. I quickened my pace, wanting to surprise him with a hug. The Packhouse door was slightly ajar, and a strange scent drifted out. I froze. What was going on? I took a few steps closer, and the unfamiliar scent grew stronger. A faint sense of dread crept up my spine like vines. I stopped in my tracks. This scent definitely didn’t belong to anyone in the North Wind Pack. Then, Clara’s sharp voice drifted from inside the Packhouse. “You must reject her tonight at the Full Moon ceremony.” I leaned against the cold wall, my nails digging into the plaster. I stood there in the shadows, waiting for the night to fully fall. Dusk turned into night, and the full moon rose. The pack members escorted me to the center of the ceremonial hall. I stood on the platform, waiting for the moment we would officially announce our union. But Caleb didn’t walk toward me. He walked toward another female werewolf, Sera. The bright chandelier on the ceiling cast a blinding, cold light. The pack members’ stares felt like physical needles piercing my skin. Caleb stood on the stage. He didn’t even bother to look at me, his voice dripping with impatience. “Elena, you are wolfless. I cannot link my life to a useless weakling. Therefore, I, Alpha Caleb of the North Wind Pack, officially reject you as my fated mate.” I looked up at him, begging with my eyes, hoping he would take it back. But he didn’t show even a flicker of guilt. Instead, he frowned, looking embarrassed that I was even standing there. I was rejected. The harsh truth hit me like a bucket of ice-cold water. I collapsed onto the freezing floor, my body shaking uncontrollably. Just then, an elder werewolf walked up to me and sighed. “Leave, child. There is no place for you in North Wind anymore.” “Caleb will hold his mating ceremony with Sera. You are no longer welcome here.” Wolfless. Rejected. Banishment. Each word felt like a silver dagger plunge deep into my chest. I finally understood. This wasn’t a misunderstanding. This was a carefully planned betrayal. I had given everything to this pack. To prove my worth, I had worked myself to the bone, never taking a single day off during the Full Moon for three whole years. To please Caleb’s demanding mother, Clara, I endured endless humiliation. I took on the most dangerous diplomatic missions, traveling between hostile packs, just to show I was valuable. I thought my loyalty would be met with love. But in their eyes, I was just trash they could throw away whenever they pleased. My number was blocked. They blocked me on Snapchat and Instagram. Every single way to contact them was cut off. It was as if I had vanished into thin air. They erased every single trace of my existence. The darkness slowly crept in. The cold night swallowed the entire hall, and it swallowed me. “Time to go.” A voice called out. I looked up numbly. Two young pack warriors in uniform were standing at the exit. “Alpha’s orders. We are here to escort you past the pack borders.” One of them looked down at me. “But this is my home,” I whispered, my voice cracked and raw. “Your home? Alpha Caleb has decreed that you are banned from ever setting foot in the North Wind Pack again. Move.” The older guard sneered, his eyes filled with impatience. They grabbed me by my arms, dragging me toward the boundary line, and shoved me out. My heels scraped loudly against the asphalt. I stood outside the border, watching the warm, golden lights of the Packhouse in the distance. For the first time in my life, I felt completely humiliated. I had become a joke. A homeless, rejected joke.

The cold night wind stung my skin. I dragged my bruised and battered body along the dark highway, stumbling with every step. My energy was completely spent. I didn’t know where to go. I had always believed North Wind was my home, and Caleb was my future. I slipped into an abandoned gas station and curled up in a corner. The air inside smelled of stale oil and dust, so damp it was suffocating. Lying on the cold concrete, I watched the moonlight shine through the broken glass window. Every beam felt like a mockery. I had been abandoned by my pack. Tears fell silently, splashing onto the dusty floor. I bit my lip hard, forcing myself not to make a sound. Suddenly, a tall silhouette appeared at the doorway. It was a strange werewolf. I took a deep breath, forcing down the sob in my throat, and got into a defensive stance. “My child…” the stranger’s voice shook with emotion. “I finally found you.” I listened numbly. What stranger could possibly hurt me more than the nightmare I had just survived? “I am your biological father,” he continued, taking a step forward. “You were poisoned when you were a pup, and your wolf was sealed. You wandered off and were adopted by the North Wind Pack.” He paused, his voice turning cold and dangerous. “But I never expected them to treat you like this. That boy, Caleb—I’ve checked. He has embezzled at least a third of the pack’s public funds over the years, spending it all on himself. You ran his pack for three years, and this is how he repays you?” My mind went completely blank, as if I had been struck by lightning. “What… what did you say?” “I am your father. The Southern Pack is your real home.” The man’s voice trembled with excitement. “Yes. I am the Alpha of the Southern Pack. Come home with me. Our healer can break the seal on your wolf. No one will ever hurt you again.” *No one will ever hurt you again.* Those words were like a spark that reignited the dead ashes of my soul. I looked up. Behind him stood dozens of elite werewolf warriors in sleek black uniforms. On their chests gleamed the silver crest of the Southern Pack. Caleb, Clara. You rejected me because I couldn’t shift. You thought you were throwing me into the abyss. But you actually just handed me back my throne. I woke up in the medical center of the Southern Pack. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, filling the room with warmth and light. The pack members brought me healing potions and nutrients. Everything here felt like home. After drinking the medicine, I walked over to the bathroom mirror. I stared at the pale, exhausted girl looking back at me. Her face was written with years of submission and insecurity. It was time to say goodbye to the weak, helpless Elena. I spent the next few weeks undergoing intense treatment. The healer ran a full checkup and confirmed the presence of the ancient poison. As the treatment took effect, the sealed wolf inside me began to wake up. When the elders felt the powerful aura radiating from my body, the doubt in their eyes instantly turned into sheer awe. For the first time, I felt the true power of my bloodline. After the treatment, I went through the Southern Pack’s archives. I saw the truth of my kidnapping—it was a conspiracy targeted at the Southern heir when I was just a pup. Then, my wolf finally emerged. She was a stunning silver-grey wolf with fierce amber eyes. When I stepped out of the medical center, I got into the sleek black SUV the pack had prepared for me. “I’m going back to North Wind,” I told my father. “But this time, on my own terms.” The car drove through the beautifully maintained streets of the Southern territory. I followed my father to the heart of the pack. This was where I belonged. We held a pack meeting, officially instating me as the heir of the Southern Pack. Outside, the moon was high, and the territory echoed with the powerful hum of howling wolves. A new era for Elena was about to begin.

To settle some outstanding business, I returned to the North Wind Pack as an official envoy of the Southern Pack. I pulled up near the security gate at the pack entrance. The familiar scent of Clara drifted through the air. She was standing by the iron gates, bragging to an envoy from the Blood Moon Pack. Even from a distance, I could see the smug, arrogant expression on her face. “Oh, you have no idea how well my Caleb is doing now!” her shrill voice cut through the air. “After rejecting that useless human girl, he mated with the daughter of the Blood Moon Pack’s Alpha!” “The Blood Moon Pack is now our ally. Our power has doubled!” The envoy took a sip from her travel mug, her eyes filled with quiet disdain. “Is that so? Well, congratulations.” Her tone was incredibly dismissive. Watching Clara’s flushed, bragging face, a cold smirk touched my lips. I pushed the car door open, wearing my custom Southern Pack trench coat. The silver-grey fabric gleamed under the moonlight. My appearance immediately drew every eye at the gate. I could feel the gaze of everyone present locking onto me. Including Clara. I stepped forward, walking straight toward the center of the entrance. Clara’s gaze pinned onto me like poisoned nails. Her eyes were filled with horror and disbelief. She couldn’t believe it was me. In her mind, the useless Elena was supposed to be dead in a ditch, never to recover. I reached the gate and spoke in a clear, authoritative voice. “Inform your Alpha that the Southern envoy has arrived.” As I spoke, I casually adjusted the collar of my coat. The silver Southern Pack crest on my chest glinted sharply in the light. I heard a collective gasp from the crowd behind me. I turned around to wait. My gaze swept over Clara’s face, completely detached. At that moment, her pupils dilated with terror. The smugness on her face froze instantly, replaced by absolute shock. She recognized me. Her jaw dropped, and her hand shook so violently that she spilled her hot coffee all over her jacket. The people around her stared at her like she was crazy. The Blood Moon envoy frowned and took a step away from her. I only gave her a passing glance. As if she were a complete stranger. There was no hatred in my eyes, no anger, not even a single ripple of emotion. There was only pure, cold indifference. Under her shocked, humiliated stare, I turned around, got back into my SUV, and drove straight into the heart of the North Wind Pack. I knew that starting today, her precious “perfect life” was officially over. The show was about to begin.

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