Category: English

My sister fell in love with the Crown Prince of New York’s elite circle at first sight. To create an “opportunity,” she didn’t hesitate to spike his drink at the gala. This time, I didn’t stop her. Instead, I personally delivered the drink for her. I even thoughtfully booked her the presidential suite. In my past life, I saw her drugging the drink and kindly tried to stop her. I warned her that the Sterling family had deep connections in both the legal and underground worlds—we couldn’t afford to offend them. That night, Julian Sterling found another woman to relieve the effects, and the next day, he announced a whirlwind engagement. My sister didn’t say anything to my face, but on the drive home, she shoved me off the overpass. I died instantly, crushed into a pulp by a speeding truck. Before I took my last breath, she screamed that I had ruined her only chance to marry into a billionaire family. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the gala. This time, I’m going to sit back and watch her destroy herself. 1 I watched as Julian Sterling downed the spiked wine. My sister, Bella, stood in the distance, her eyes gleaming with calculation. Two minutes later, the drug kicked in. A flushed, unnatural red crept up Julian’s neck. His private bodyguards immediately stepped in, supporting him as they moved toward the elevators. I flashed Bella an “OK” hand sign and slipped her the room key card. I tried to slip away, but she grabbed my arm in a vice grip. She lowered her voice, threatening me: “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking! You aren’t going anywhere until this is a done deal!” “Stay at the door and be my lookout! If Julian’s people see you, you know what to say and what not to say!” She thought I was going to lecture her like before. instead, I shook her hand off. I glanced at the bodyguards who had already clocked her suspicious behavior and smiled. “Relax. You’re my sister. If I don’t help you, who will?” “Just don’t forget your dear little sister when you marry into the Sterling family.” In my last life, she was convinced I blocked her path to riches and killed me for it. This time, I won’t just step aside; I’ll give her a push. Let’s see just how deep of a grave she can dig. Bella didn’t think twice. She lifted her chin, smug as hell. “Glad you finally know your place. When I’m Mrs. Sterling, I’ll find you a driver or a secretary to marry. It’ll be enough to keep you fed for life.” “Now shut up and follow me. If anyone asks, you’re a waitress waiting for Mr. Sterling’s orders. If you ruin this for me, you know the consequences!” She glared at me, grabbed my wrist, and dragged me upstairs. The bodyguards were stationed at the door. Bella used the excuse of delivering water to get inside. Moments later, I heard the heavy thud of a body hitting the floor. I hid at the end of the corridor, watching. Not long after, Bella was dragged out, unconscious. Five bodyguards, wearing nasty grins, dragged her into the adjacent room. Seeing this, I let out a breath of relief, dusted off my hands, and turned to leave. But the next second, a sharp pain exploded at the back of my head. Everything went black. 2 When I woke up, my wrists and ankles were tied to the headboard with silk ribbons. Hovering over me was Julian Sterling’s face, dripping with sweat. My eyes widened. I tried to scream for help. He sealed my lips with his own. “Don’t think I don’t know there was something in that drink.” “Since you delivered it, you can solve the problem…” My screams were drowned out by heavy breathing. I struggled until I had no strength left. Whatever drug Bella used was potent. Julian didn’t stop until dawn. Fighting through the aches in my entire body, I waited until he fell asleep to untie the ribbons and change back into my clothes. Julian Sterling was known for being ruthless. I wasn’t stupid like Bella. I wasn’t going to stick around for his morning wrath. I wiped down any traces of myself in the room and fled. Before I left the floor, I glanced at the room Bella had been dragged into. The door was cracked open. Five sets of men’s clothes were scattered on the floor. She was lying on the bed, passed out cold. I stayed silent and slipped away. 3 As soon as I got home, my parents rushed me. When they didn’t see Bella, their faces dropped in unison. “Chloe, where’s your sister? Why did you come back alone?” Remembering how they blamed me for “ruining” Bella’s chance in my past life—how they didn’t even collect my body—my expression turned cold. “Maybe she used too much of the drug. Mr. Sterling might still be… busy.” My mom’s angry face instantly bloomed into a smile. “I knew Bella was capable! Unlike some people—useless waste of space. Raised you for twenty years and you’re still a losing investment!” My dad didn’t even look at me. He rushed Mom to the kitchen. “Go make the herbal soup! We need to make sure she conceives a son!” I couldn’t be bothered to argue. I sat on the couch to rest. Just as the soup started boiling, Bella walked in. She was limping. Her neck was covered in purple bruises. She clearly had no idea who she had actually spent the night with. The moment she saw me, she started listing my crimes to our parents. She screamed that I didn’t keep watch and didn’t help her with the aftermath. Mom snapped immediately. She slapped me across the face, screaming: “I knew I couldn’t count on you! Useless trash! Why did I raise such a burden?” “Your sister finally found an opportunity, and you didn’t help? You just ran away? Money falls from the sky and you don’t even know how to pick it up. You’re destined to be a wage slave for life!” I held my stinging cheek and laughed at her shamelessness. “I work for my money. I have dignity. I can’t bring myself to sell my body like that.” Dad flew into a rage. He grabbed a heavy glass ashtray from the coffee table and hurled it at my head. Blood instantly soaked my shirt. He ignored it, continuing his tirade: “Work, work, all you know is work! If we relied on your salary, your mother and I would starve before our ashes even cooled!” “You’re useless, and you dare insult your sister? Look at yourself! You’re worth nothing!” “If I knew it would be like this, I should have just sold you off years ago! It would’ve been less hassle!” “Marrying you off to some poor guy for a few grand in dowry? Do you think I’m running a charity?” I pressed a tissue to the gash on my forehead, but the blood wouldn’t stop. Disappointment in this family washed over me. I couldn’t help but yell back: “I am your daughter! Not a piece of meat in a butcher shop! If you want a daughter who sells herself, why didn’t you just open a brothel?” “Every cent I earn is clean. What is wrong with feeding myself with my own skills?” “If you hate me this much, why did you even give birth to me?” A flicker of panic crossed their eyes. Before they could explode again, Bella started gloating: “Don’t listen to her. When I have this baby and marry into the Sterling family, she’ll be on her knees begging me.” Hearing this, Mom and Dad stopped cursing me and swarmed her, asking about the night. Bella put on a shy act. “You have no idea. Julian isn’t as cold as the rumors say. He was wild all night… I’m still sore.” “When I woke up, he was gone. He just left a bank card in the room.” “We did it so many times. I’m definitely pregnant. The position of Mrs. Sterling is practically mine!” My parents laughed hysterically, seemingly already visualizing themselves as billionaire in-laws. They had no clue about the Sterling family’s background. They didn’t know what the name “Sterling” actually meant in this city. Scheming against Julian Sterling? They wouldn’t even know how they died. I needed to cut ties with them immediately. Right now, they were worshipping Bella, praising her for being “ambitious.” They brought out tonics and herbal soups, wishing Bella could pop out a baby right this second. I took the chance to call out their greedy, gold-digging faces. Predictably, it triggered them. Dad kicked me off the sofa, tore my page out of the family registry (Hukou), and threw it at me. “Get out! Get out now! I don’t have such a useless daughter!” Mom looked at me with pure disgust. Bella rubbed her legs, smirking. “I was going to find you a driver or secretary to marry so you could live comfortably. Since you love earning your own money so much, get out. Don’t come crying back to me when you get fired!” Goal achieved. I smiled, picking up my registration papers from the floor. “One day, you’ll realize the Sterling family isn’t as simple as they look.” “You schemed against Julian Sterling. We’ll see who ends up kneeling and begging.” 4 I stayed at a cheap hotel that night. I bought some antiseptic and bandages for my forehead. The next day at work, the office was buzzing with gossip. “Did you hear? Someone drugged Julian Sterling last night! Slept with him and ran. He’s tearing the city apart looking for the culprit!” “Is that person insane? Messing with Julian? The last person who tried to drug him is literally fertilizer now.” “Doesn’t he have an engagement with the Lu family? Even though the Lu heiress went missing years ago, the contract is still active.” Suddenly, Liam Lu appeared behind us. His voice was ice cold. “Are you all bored? Is your work done? Gossiping about Mr. Sterling… do you want to disappear?” The colleagues scattered like rats. Liam looked me up and down, a faint smile playing in his eyes. He grew up with Julian; their families were close allies. Given his reputation in the business world, I knew Julian wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Bella was doomed. Thinking about my colleagues’ words, I typed up a resignation letter immediately. If I can’t fight them, I can hide. My boss didn’t ask why. He approved it instantly. Terrified of being found by Julian, I rented a tiny apartment and didn’t leave for a week. Bella did the opposite. She loitered around the Sterling Group headquarters every day. She was desperate for Julian to recognize her as the woman from that night. Unfortunately, Julian’s bodyguards walked past her countless times without a glance. Bella got desperate. She registered a social media account under her real name and posted constantly about the gala. After ten posts with no response from Julian, she took a photo of the bank card he allegedly left and posted a “Lost and Found” notice. This time, she got a bite. Julian publicly replied to one of the comments: “The card is mine. Please provide your contact information. I will retrieve it personally. Much appreciated.” His reply broke the internet. Screenshots hit the trending page instantly. The cold CEO’s rare gentleness was interpreted as a flirtatious exchange. Everyone guessed that my sister, the “kind soul” who found the card, was about to become Cinderella. Netizens doxxed Bella’s address immediately. They linked her to the drugging incident rumors. Before Julian even showed up, people trying to curry favor were lining up at my parents’ door. Talent scouts offered Bella contracts, claiming she had “star quality.” Businessmen invited her to fancy dinners, begging her to put in a good word with Mr. Sterling. Rumors flew. People were placing bets that Julian would cancel his engagement with the Lu family. In one day, Bella gained millions of followers. She became an influencer. Riding the wave, she put on a fake act, telling people not to spread rumors. Her “innocent and reserved” image won over a ton of fans. Meanwhile, the scandal spread everywhere. I couldn’t sit still. I went out and officially transferred my household registration away from my parents. When I went back to pack my things, my parents were practically floating. They were glued to their phones, reading comments and laughing. It was like they were already envisioning the wedding. I stayed silent and went to my room. Mom scoffed. “Doesn’t know how to enjoy life. Born to be a servant. Useless.” Dad sighed, disappointed. “If you had half your sister’s ambition, we’d be living next door to the Sterlings by now!” Bella walked out of her room, a $200 face mask plastered on her skin. She gloated: “You don’t know, do you? Julian messaged me. He wants to meet.” “He definitely figured out I was the one who ‘helped’ him that night. He’s not mad. He probably liked it!” “I just tested. Two lines. Pregnant.” “If you suck up to me now, it’s not too late.” “You’re my sister, after all. Once I’m Mrs. Sterling, getting you a job as a maid won’t be hard.” Hearing “two lines,” my heart skipped a beat. I subconsciously touched my own flat stomach. “You started the rumors online, didn’t you? Do you know how powerful the Sterling legal team is? You aren’t helping Mom and Dad; you’re dragging the whole family into an abyss.” As if on cue, Mom saw a notification. The Sterling Group had issued an official statement. It said that anyone continuing to spread rumors would face legal action. The comment section, which had been on fire, was instantly locked. All of Bella’s posts were taken down. Her account was banned. She panicked. But sticking to her “reserved” act, she opened her chat with Julian but didn’t dare message him. While my parents crowded around her in panic, Julian finally messaged. “I’m sending someone to pick you up. Be downstairs in five minutes.” Bella’s frown instantly turned into a smirk. She waved the phone in my face. “See? The Sterling Group is a big company; they have to be low-key publicly. My husband couldn’t wait to explain it to me in person!” “With your cowardly attitude, you aren’t even fit to carry my shoes! Move!” She shoved me aside and went to change. My parents chimed in. “You have none of your sister’s skills, yet you try to bring her down. What is the point of you?” “Get out! Stop being an eyesore!” Mom was tearing up with joy. “This risky move paid off! We might be moving into a mansion tonight!” Dad laughed, holding Bella’s positive pregnancy test like a trophy. “I never dared to dream… The Sterling family! We’re upper class now!” “Honey, look at this suit. Is it good for the wedding? I don’t want to embarrass our daughter!” “What should we get for the grandkid? We can’t let the in-laws look down on us!” Watching their excitement, I silently packed my bags. When I left, I trailed behind them from a distance. Downstairs, they were surrounded by neighbors. Envious chatter filled the air. “You are so blessed to have such a daughter! I saw the news online. If my daughter married into the Sterling family, I’d wake up laughing!” “Look at you two, glowing! You look ten years younger!” “I should have told my daughter to try. I thought Mr. Sterling was untouchable, but he’s just a man after all. Can’t resist temptation.” I felt a wave of nausea and almost retched. My parents were grinning ear to ear, promising to invite everyone to the wedding. In the middle of the laughter, police sirens wailed. Several cruisers pulled up. An officer stepped forward, flashing his badge. “Which one of you is Jiang Wan? She is suspected of spreading rumors and using controlled substances. Please come with us.”

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On the day my boyfriend of seven years proposed to me. Just as I was about to say yes, rows of floating text—livestream comments—suddenly appeared in front of my eyes. [LMAO, the side character is actually crying. Does she really think the Second Male Lead is going to marry her?] [Doesn’t she know he’s only proposing because he’s drunk and mistook her for the Heroine?] I pretended not to see them, nodding my agreement through tears. Afterward, some busybody told me the “truth.” Everyone was certain I would throw a fit. But not only did I not make a scene, I magnanimously forgave Liam. They didn’t know I was a “Strategy Gamer.” As long as the Second Male Lead proposed to me, my mission was complete. Three days later, the System confirmed with me: [Mission Complete. Initiate world exit?] I lay in the bathtub, smiling with relief: [Yes.] 1 Looking at the barrage of comments floating in the air, I froze for a moment. Subconsciously, I contacted the System. After running a diagnostic, it told me: [There’s a slight glitch. I’ve already submitted a ticket.] I nodded. In front of me, Liam stared blankly, asking again: “Evelyn, will you marry me? “Please, marry me, okay?” He was obviously a little drunk. Everyone’s eyes were on me. Like they were watching a play. It was clear they all knew Liam had mistaken me for someone else. I still nodded. Liam looked at me affectionately and slid the ring onto my finger. But the next second, someone in the crowd said: “Liam, you got the wrong girl. That’s Evelyn.” Liam froze. His gaze landed on my face. Instantly, his expression stiffened. “Why is it you?” A flash of regret passed through his eyes. A few busybodies next to me explained: “Sorry, Evelyn, Liam made a mistake. “He thought you were Sophia.” Everyone was waiting for my reaction. Expecting me to break down crying the next second, or start a huge fight with Liam. After all, who could tolerate their boyfriend of seven years doing something like this? Liam even chimed in: “I drank too much.” I twitched the corner of my mouth. Only after hearing the System announce the mission’s success did I speak: “It’s okay.” I simply asked the System: [Can I leave now?] It paused: **[Of course. [In seven days, you can return to your own world. [Are you sure you want to leave everything here behind and choose to exit this world?]** I gave an affirmative hum. [Yes.] [Okay. Due to the glitch troubleshooting, the departure time will be in seven days.] I nodded. It just so happened I still had some things to take care of in this world. 2 While the atmosphere was tense, Sophia’s voice emerged. “Why is it so quiet? “Is Evelyn here? Did the proposal work?” Her gaze landed on Liam and me. “I just mistook her for someone else.” When Sophia walked out, Liam instinctively explained. As if he was worried I would take this proposal seriously. I didn’t speak. Seeing the awkward atmosphere, others started to smooth things over. “Come on, come on, let’s keep the party going.” Only I stood rooted to the spot. Sophia looked at me with an apologetic smile: “Evelyn, I’m so sorry. He was holding a diamond ring and saying he wanted to propose. “I thought he was looking for you, so I called you. “You’re not mad, are you?” Yeah, I rushed over here because I got a call from Sophia. … Liam sat to the side, drinking the hangover remedy brought by a waiter. Hearing this sentence. He just said faintly: “It’s fine.” Consider it him bailing Sophia out. 3 Ever since Sophia returned from abroad seven days ago, Liam had barely come home. At first, he just lied about working overtime. Even when he was home, one call from Sophia and he would immediately drop me and leave. Later, I saw his messages with Sophia and learned everything. That day I got angry and made a scene. Liam just coldly left me with one sentence: “You should know your place.” Then he slammed the door and left amidst my confusion. He didn’t come back after that. Until this morning. Sophia updated her Instagram: [People who are loved don’t have to shell their own walnuts.] The picture showed the background of Liam’s office, and she was holding a jar of shelled walnut kernels. It was the jar I had peeled for Liam a while ago, worried that working too much overtime was bad for his health. I stared blankly for a long time. Looking at my scarred hands. I finally saw this relationship clearly. The Heroine will always be the Heroine. Even though I stayed by Liam’s side for seven years, it couldn’t compare to the seven days she had been back. … I came to this world after a car accident. The System told me my mission was to redeem the Second Male Lead. But when I approached Liam, he was cold and detested me. Back then, he wore a faded T-shirt, his bangs slightly covering his eyebrows. Since he wasn’t willing, I gave up. Even though the System told me if I gave up, I wouldn’t be able to return to my own world, it didn’t matter. I was an orphan anyway; it was the same wherever I was. But later, I became Liam’s junior in college. When he was drugged, I was the one who took him to the hospital. That day, Liam actively pursued me. I agreed immediately. Two people who weren’t living great lives coming together seemed to give life a taste of happiness. When I worked part-time during holidays, Liam got off work earlier than me and stood at the door to pick me up. The year we graduated college, he started a business, and I accompanied him. Just like that, I followed him for seven years. Even though I knew he was the devoted Second Male Lead, I firmly believed everyone had a past. The Heroine had also gotten her happy ending with the Male Lead. 4 And right now, Sophia sat next to Liam, speaking in a delicate voice: “Evelyn, that jar of walnuts in Liam’s office was pretty good. Where did you buy it?” Seeing Sophia’s interest, Liam’s gaze also fell on me. He was mostly sober now and hadn’t explained what just happened to me. He seemed to be waiting for my answer. After a long time, I calmed the emotions in my heart and looked at Liam. “The shop on 2nd Street in Southtown. “Since there’s nothing else, I’ll head out first.” With that, I prepared to turn and leave. Sophia’s friend called out to stop me. “Evelyn, that ring on your hand was handmade by Mr. Xie. Please take it off. “I mean, Mr. Xie only proposed and gave it to you because he mistook you for Sophia. Obviously, the owner isn’t you.” My fingernails dug deep into my palm. Enduring the pain in my heart, I smiled. “Of course.” With that, under Liam’s gaze, I took off the ring without hesitation. I casually tossed it into the decorative fountain behind me. I strode away without looking back. The floating comments in front of my eyes were still jumping: [The side character is mad, right?] [Honestly, anyone would be mad. She’s been with the Second Male Lead for seven years. Seven years, a heart that won’t warm up isn’t worth warming up anymore.] [Finally a normal person. I also want to say, is the author’s moral compass really okay? Since the Second Male Lead hadn’t cleared his heart, why pursue the side character?] 5 After getting home, someone anonymously sent me a video. Opening it, I heard the voices of Liam and his best friend. “Bro, Sophia went to the bathroom, no one else is here. Talk to me. Evelyn said yes, why didn’t you just roll with it? Why explain immediately and embarrass her? “She’s waited for you for seven years. In a few more years she’ll be thirty. She’s not getting any younger. “Tell me the truth, when do you plan to marry Evelyn?” In the video, Liam swirled his wine glass and thought for a moment: “Never.” Everyone went silent. After a long time, he continued: “If I hadn’t been drunk and mistaken her for Sophia this time, there is no way I would have proposed to her.” … After the voice stopped. I subconsciously looked up and saw myself in the floor-to-ceiling mirror, face covered in tear streaks. Tears can fall without you realizing it. These words were cruel to the extreme, every word punishing the heart. Like mocking how cheap my seven years of emotional investment were. Even if I didn’t want to admit it, from twenty to twenty-seven, in the best years of my youth, how could I not have loved him? And I also discovered that when I cry, I look somewhat similar to Sophia. I finally understood Liam’s words: “You should know your place.” So that’s what it meant. He treated me as the Heroine’s substitute.

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1 The night the Stone family finally acknowledged me as their own, a thunderstorm was raging. I was, after all, the nation’s lead forensic pathologist. I stepped into the grand foyer, my silver examination case in hand. The heavy, cloying stench of death that clung to my clothes instantly suffocated the delicate, expensive fragrance that filled the mansion. My adopted sister, Isabelle, pressed a hand to her nose, a flash of disgust in her eyes. She quickly masked it with a look of feigned concern, reaching for my case. “Ava, you must be exhausted coming home so late. That case looks heavy, let me help you.” With a practiced clumsiness, she let the case slip from her grasp. It crashed onto the marble floor with a sickening clang. CLANG! The latch sprang open. A slick, rubbery length of intestine, bleached pale by formalin, slithered out and came to rest on her delicate designer heel. The air went dead silent. I impassively pulled on a pair of latex gloves. 【Oops. Such clumsy hands. That was a fresh sample from a bloater, you know. I was hoping to reconstruct the full set.】 【But since you’re so curious, little sister, I don’t mind giving you a live demonstration of how to stuff this back where it belongs.】 【Or… maybe I could borrow your stomach for a little practice? Your heart’s already black, so it wouldn’t hurt to crack you open and take a look, would it?】 “Urgh—!” My older brother, Liam, a surgeon, caught a clear view of the coiled mass. His face turned a pasty white as he clutched his stomach and bolted for the nearest bathroom. Arthur Stone, my stern and imposing father, went wide-eyed. The string of prayer beads in his hand snapped, scattering across the floor as he crumpled in a dead faint. The entire family, who had gathered to put me in my place, now lay in a neat, unconscious row on the floor. 2 My mother, Eleanor, came to with a gasp after a maid pinched the skin above her lip. The moment she saw me, she began to tremble uncontrollably. Liam, my brother, had to brace himself against the wall to keep from collapsing again. Isabelle, ever the graceful actress, glided toward me, reaching out to take my hand. I sidestepped her touch. She retracted her hand awkwardly, her face still a perfect mask of gentle vulnerability. “I’ve already prepared a room for you, Ava. Please, come see if you like it.” I followed her down the hall. The room she showed me was a confection of pink frills and girlish decor, right next to her own. The air was thick with a sickly-sweet perfume. I wrinkled my nose. “I won’t be staying here. This style isn’t for me.” Liam looked ready to scold me for being ungrateful, but then he heard my thoughts. 【What a mess. Blood spatter would be a nightmare to clean off these pink walls.】 【I need something more secluded. The utility closet downstairs looked promising. No windows, far from their rooms. Perfect for late-night dissections without being disturbed.】 The blood drained from my brother’s face, leaving it a ghastly white. My father, Arthur, spoke with a noticeable tremor. “Then… you can take the utility closet for now. I’ll have the staff clear it out for you…” I cut him off. “Don’t bother. I’ll handle it myself. Just have a shower stall installed for me.” 【And make sure the drainage is industrial-grade. It’ll make disposing of tissue fragments much easier. Wouldn’t want to clog the plumbing.】 I saw my father’s vision swim. He swayed on his feet but managed a weak, terrified nod. Isabelle, oblivious to the undercurrent of horror, had a flicker of triumph in her eyes. She assumed I had angered our father and was being punished with the junk-filled closet. I ignored them all. I walked to the closet at the end of the ground-floor hall and pushed open the door. A wave of musty air hit me. I knocked on the thick concrete walls, satisfied. 【Good soundproofing, too. The sound of a bone saw at night probably won’t even wake them.】 Outside the door, my mother, who had just been helped to her feet by Liam, heard that last thought. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed again in a neat pile. Dinner was as silent as a morgue. The long dining table was laden with an exquisite spread, but no one dared touch their food. The family sat stiffly, their posture rigid with fear. A news report was playing on the television in the corner. “…police today discovered a dismembered male body in the outskirts of the city. The brutality of the crime is shocking, and authorities are pursuing all leads…” The body on screen was heavily censored, but the scattered, blocky shapes were still disturbing. Isabelle covered her eyes with a delicate hand, leaning weakly against my mother. “How awful. The world is full of such cruel people.” I stared at the screen, my brow furrowed. 【Huh? Isn’t that the case I worked on a few weeks ago? They’re only releasing the news now?】 【The department’s getting slow. Their press releases are always late.】 【That guy had a rough end, though. Dismembered piece by piece while still alive. They even injected him with a neurostimulant to keep him fully conscious, forced to watch himself being taken apart.】 Liam, being a doctor, immediately visualized the scene I described. A wave of nausea washed over him. He couldn’t hold it back; his face went pale and he scrambled from the table, rushing to the bathroom to be sick. The commotion startled my mother, whose head lolled to one side as she fainted for what felt like the tenth time. Chaos erupted. Only Isabelle remained, looking baffled. She couldn’t understand why her family had suddenly become so squeamish. My father, Arthur, tried to maintain his composure. His hand trembled as he reached for a glass of water. Just then, a loud, piercing siren blared through the silent dining room. WEE-WOO-WEE-WOO! The entire family, including Liam who had just staggered back from the bathroom, jumped out of their skins. Unfazed, I pulled my phone from my pocket. “It’s for me,” I explained flatly. A tidal wave of horror washed over my father’s face. He thought my audacity knew no bounds—that I was using a police siren as a ringtone while committing such atrocities. A blatant mockery of the law! I was oblivious to his internal drama as I answered the call. “What’s up?” “Yeah, another one?” I listened, a slight frown forming. “Blunt force trauma to the skull this time? Okay, I’m on my way. Keep the scene secure.” I hung up, wiped my mouth with a napkin, and stood to leave. “Stop!” My father slammed his hand on the table, jolting to his feet. “Ava Stone! Where do you think you’re going at this hour?” His veins bulged on his forehead. “I’ll give you money! Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you! Just… just stop doing this!” 【Money?】 【Does he think this is about money? The department called. If I don’t take the case, someone else will get the credit.】 Hearing this, the anger on my father’s face froze, replaced by a deeper, more profound despair. He exchanged a look with Liam. All color had drained from their faces. “She… she has a team…” Liam muttered, horrified. My father collapsed back into his chair, utterly defeated. I, meanwhile, just thought they were being bizarre as I turned and walked out the door. This case was a tricky one. Two victims. One had fallen from a height, crashed through a glass ceiling, and then fallen again. The other was a bloater, pulled from a lake after being submerged for weeks, a grotesque caricature of a human being. By the time I finished processing both scenes, it was past midnight. The storm had returned, and fat raindrops hammered against my car’s windshield. I drove back to the Stone estate, my body heavy with exhaustion. The lights in the living room were still blazing. As I pushed the door open, the sterile scent of formalin and the faint, underlying odor of decay overwhelmed the house’s expensive potpourri once more. The Stones were sitting on the sofa, a grim welcoming committee. Isabelle shot to her feet, her nose wrinkled in theatrical disgust. A moment later, it was replaced by a mask of worry as she hurried towards me. “Ava, you’re back so late! What is that smell on you?” Before I could answer, she lunged for the evidence case in my hand. “Let me get that for you, you look exhausted.” She was fast, and she caught me off guard, snatching the case. Then, with a “stumble” that was anything but accidental, she cried out. “Ah!” CRASH! The metal case hit the polished marble floor. The latch popped. Several specimen jars containing organs bleached white by formalin rolled out. A length of intestine, still bearing traces of its former contents, landed with a wet slap on the plush rug. “Ava, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—” Her words died in her throat the moment she saw what was on the floor. Her pretty face went sheet-white. A wave of sickness overcame her, and she doubled over, vomiting right there. 【You wanted to play games. You just couldn’t keep your hands to yourself.】 【There you go. I didn’t want to expose my work, but you forced my hand.】 【Since you love it so much, take a good long look.】 【Now… what am I going to do with all of you?】 I pulled on a fresh pair of latex gloves and calmly bent down, picking up the slick, wet organ from the floor. Then, I rose and walked over to where Isabelle was heaving, holding the intestine right in front of her face. “You wanted a closer look, didn’t you?” She looked up in terror, her eyes meeting mine before flicking down to the object inches from her nose. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted. 【So fragile. You shouldn’t start fights you can’t finish. You brought this on yourself.】 I stood, the intestine still in my hand, and slowly turned. BOOM! A bolt of lightning tore across the sky, and the grand chandelier above us flickered violently. In the strobing light, my parents and brother saw a terrifying tableau: me, standing over Isabelle’s unconscious body, holding a piece of a human corpse. The effect was cinematic. The three of them didn’t even have time to scream. Their eyes glazed over in unison, and they fainted, joining Isabelle on the floor. The living room was littered with the bodies of my family. I shook my head. “Well,” I said to the empty room, “a family should always stick together.” With a sigh, I went to work. First, I meticulously cleaned the floor and packed my “treasures” back into their case. Then, one by one, I dragged my family members back to their respective rooms and arranged them neatly on their beds. Only after all that was done did I retreat to my utility closet for a well-deserved sleep. Things were quiet for a few days after that. With no new cases, I was happy to stay in my new “lab,” organizing my tools and files. My family, on the other hand, was walking on eggshells. They scurried away like mice whenever they saw me. Liam even took a leave of absence from the hospital, locking himself in his room all day. This strange truce lasted until my birthday. Seeing that I had remained “well-behaved” for several days and hadn’t actually dissected any of them, Arthur began to relax. He decided to throw a lavish birthday party to officially introduce me, the true heiress, to his business partners and high-society friends. He tasked Isabelle with helping me get a dress. But Isabelle, traumatized and resentful after that night, saw an opportunity. She wanted to humiliate me. She never told me about the party or the dress. On the day of the banquet, I came home straight from the lab. Before I could even change out of my scrubs, a maid was rushing me toward the ballroom. My clothes carried the faint, unmistakable odor of the morgue—a smell I was so used to, I no longer noticed it. The moment I pushed open the ballroom doors, the chatter died. Every head turned. All eyes were on me. A few of the society wives standing near the entrance instinctively took a step back, fanning their noses dramatically. The whispers started immediately. “Is that the long-lost Stone daughter? Why is she dressed like that? She looks like she crawled out of a gutter.” “It’s not just how she looks, can you smell that? It’s some kind of chemical… utterly foul.” Isabelle rushed to my side, her face a mask of false sympathy. “Ava, why are you wearing your work clothes? Father told you to dress up!” she hissed, feigning panic. “Oh my goodness, did I forget to show you where the dressing room is? I have so many new gowns, you should have just asked me!” Just then, a booming, mocking voice cut through the murmurs. It was my father’s biggest business rival, the head of Russo Corp. He sauntered over, a champagne flute in his hand and a sneer on his face. “Well, well, Arthur,” he bellowed, pointing at me. “Did you dig this one out of a cemetery? She gives me the creeps!” My father’s face went rigid with fury. I lifted my head and stared coldly at the obnoxious Mr. Russo. 【This man… isn’t he Vincent Russo?】 【My contact at the Bureau told me to keep an eye on him. I wasn’t even looking for him, and he just serves himself up on a platter.】 【He won’t be running his mouth for much longer. Arrogant, even with one foot in the grave. I don’t mind working a little overtime to give him the final push.】 The moment that thought crossed my mind, it happened. “Aaargh—!” Mr. Russo clutched his head and let out a blood-curdling scream. His eyes bulged, and he fell backward like a felled tree. THUD! His heavy body hit the floor, and blood began to trickle from his nose and mouth. The entire ballroom was plunged into a dead, horrified silence. Everyone stared at me as if I were a witch who had just cast a deadly curse. My father pointed a trembling finger at me, his lips quivering, unable to form words. “…Was that… did you…?” I looked down at the twitching form of Mr. Russo and allowed a small, cold smile to touch my lips. 【Looks like I’ve got a new case.】 【All that arrogance, and he still ended up on my table. Metaphorically, for now.】

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It was harvest season. I called my ex, and he hung up immediately. Then he texted me instantly. [Not getting back together. Don’t look for me.] [Don’t think I don’t know. You just want me to bring my bodyguards to pick corn for you again.] I blinked, sitting on the ridge of the field, reading the message three times. Finally, I got up and continued picking corn. I couldn’t figure it out. Mark had been clueless for three years. How did he suddenly discover the truth? 1 Staring at the messages, I zoned out for a long time. Mark didn’t text again, and I didn’t reply. Uncle Joe leaned over. “Hey, Mia. Is your gangster boyfriend not coming to pick corn this year?” I stood up, dusting the dry grass off my butt. “Uncle Joe, they’re bodyguards. It’s a civilized society, what gangster?” “When you have time, ask your son to buy you a smartphone. Watch some news, old man.” I went back to picking corn. Behind me, Uncle Joe spat on the ground. “Pfft. Just got dumped by a rich guy. What’s she pretending for?” A sharp corn leaf sliced my hand. I hissed in pain. Grandma heard and hurried over. “Let me see. I told you to wear gloves, but you wouldn’t listen.” I sucked the dirt off my palm and spat it out. “Go back inside, Grandma. Grandpa will start fussing if no one’s watching him.” Before Grandma could speak, the sound of a tractor rumbled in the distance. I froze, staring. No wonder Uncle Joe called Mark a gangster. He was sitting at the front of the tractor, followed by a dozen bodyguards in black suits. Some people’s Prince Charmings ride white horses; mine rides a tractor. Uncle Bill stopped the tractor at the edge of the field. Mark and I stared at each other from a distance. After a long silence, he frowned and walked over to me. “Getting back together is off the table. I was just passing by.” “Bored at home. Taking a walk.” “Oh,” I said. A rich city boy taking a dozen bodyguards for a walk in a cornfield thousands of miles from home. Unique. He frowned at my hand. “Mia, when will your family stop planting this damn corn?” I turned back to the corn, ignoring him. Mark didn’t care. His bodyguards expertly took off their black suit jackets, tossed them on the corn pile, and got to work. It was early October, but the midday sun was still scorching. Many bodyguards took off their white dress shirts too. As I worked, my eyes wandered. Damn, those pecs are huge. Those abs look hard. Suddenly, a dark face appeared between two corn stalks, scaring the life out of me. Mark was wearing white gloves, his face black as thunder. “Put them back on!” He grumbled, watching the bodyguards put their shirts back on, then glared at me, grinding his teeth. “Indecent! Public nuisance! Shameless!” A bodyguard muttered, “What public nuisance? We’re in the middle of nowhere.” Before I could speak, Mark exploded. “Fine, rural nuisance then! So many girls and wives working in the fields, who are you showing off for?” “If you hook someone’s wife and she runs off with you, can you afford the responsibility?” My head was pounding from his noise. I moved to another row. He seemed determined to annoy me, following me to the opposite ridge. I sighed, looking at the young master who had picked exactly three ears of corn in half an hour. “I’ll pay your bodyguards’ wages. You go rest, it’s hot.” Mark, born pale, was now flushed red from the sun. “Who wants your money? Even if you feel bad for me, I won’t get back with you that easily.” He stubbornly kept picking. I had nothing to say. 2 Many hands make light work. Soon, a small portion of the field was cleared. Checking the sun, I invited them home for lunch. I took out my phone and realized Grandma hadn’t replied to my text. But a dozen people were already following me to the house. The gate wasn’t open yet, but the neighbor’s gate opened. “Mia, you’re back?” I paused, looking at the man waving at me. “Brother Sam, you’re back too?” He nodded. “Back to pick corn.” Mark whispered bitchily in my ear. “Brother Sam… sounds like a cheesy romance novel character. Sleazy.” Grandma heard the noise and came out. “Mia’s back? Your grandpa soiled his clothes again, I had to rush back…” She froze, looking at the crowd. Grandma pulled me aside. “Why didn’t you tell me there were so many people?” “It’s fine. I’ll take them to town for noodles.” I turned to tell Mark there was no food at home, but he had already marched inside. Grandpa was sitting shirtless in the yard, sunbathing. Mark grinned, showing all his teeth. “Grandpa! Long time no see!” Grandpa slowly turned his head and smiled at him. “Second Aunt is here? Did your dad wet the bed again?” Mark’s smile froze. My forehead was covered in black lines. I rushed to drag him away. “Let’s go. Lunch.” Mark followed me. Town was far, so I borrowed Uncle Bill’s tractor. Uncle Bill used to haul pigs in it. It was clean now, but Mark’s dog nose could still smell it. “I’m not sitting in that.” I nodded. “Then don’t eat.” Mark glared at me angrily. “Mia, is this the attitude of someone begging to get back together?” “You use me every year and then show your true colors. The corn isn’t even halfway done and you’re giving me attitude? You don’t want to get back together?” He climbed onto the tractor as he spoke, sitting next to me. “Shotgun!” He looked smug as his bodyguards climbed on. I started the engine, chugging forward. What shotgun? The front of the tractor didn’t even have seatbelts; it was a bench seat. As many butts as could fit, that’s how many shotguns there were. The noodle shop in town was instantly packed by us. The owner looked terrified, face pale. Probably thought we were there to smash the place. Mark picked out the green onions with disgust and asked me, “When are you going back to the city?” I stirred my noodles. “Not going back for now.” Mark froze, putting down his chopsticks. “What do you mean?” I slurped a noodle. “What else? City life is tough, I’m coming back to the village.” “I didn’t call you to get back together. I wanted to ask if I could borrow your bodyguards to pick corn. You know how it is.” I sighed. “Here, we bury our dead in our own fields. The cornfield you stepped on today? My parents and ancestors are under there.” A bodyguard nearby sneezed and started eating faster. Mark stared at me. “Grandpa and Grandma can’t let go of the land, and I can’t let go of them. Someone has to do the work.” “I tried hiring locals, but they ignored me. Said I went crazy working in the city, hiring people for such a small plot.” I pouted. “I’ll pay market rate. You don’t have to come every year. I’ll cover their travel and board.” Screech— The chair scraped loudly against the floor. Mark’s chest heaved, his cheeks puffing in and out. “Pick your own damn corn, idiot!” Watching Mark stomp away angrily, I didn’t bother chasing him. The bodyguards looked at each other, unsure whether to leave. I finished my noodles and walked out with the anxious bodyguards. Seeing their young master sitting on the tractor, the bodyguards collectively sighed in relief. Mark sat in his “shotgun” seat, turning his head away from me. 3 The tractor bumped along. Mark finally couldn’t take it. “Mia, you’re doing this on purpose, right? Aiming for every pothole?” I shook my head innocently. That’s just how country roads are. Mark barely ate breakfast, picked corn all morning, and skipped lunch because of his tantrum. His resentment was thick enough to summon ghosts. “I’m gonna be sick! I’m gonna throw up in your car, see how you return it!” He thinks this is his luxury sedan? Vomit is hard to clean? I’ll just hose it down when we get home. Good as new. Mark hadn’t eaten. Grandma and Grandpa were napping. I went to the kitchen to make him noodles. Mark was in the yard fighting the rooster. Every year he comes, my rooster attacks him. Watching the man-versus-chicken chaos, I cracked two eggs into the noodles. This was the third year of my relationship with Mark. Break up, make up, break up, make up. We met at a company party. He was my boss’s friend. My boss got drunk and asked me, the intern, to drive. My first move was backing the car into Mark’s bumper. Three years together. He treated me well, but never introduced me to his family or friends. Colleagues told me the class gap was too big. I couldn’t tell if Mark was serious. But every time I broke up with him, he agreed. And every time I asked to get back together, he came running back for a kiss. Like being together was fine, and being apart was fine too. This was the third month after our tenth breakup. The corn was ripe. I took leave from work. I didn’t expect Mark to follow. Twenty minutes ago, he posted on Instagram, tagged at a bar in the city. Ten minutes later, he was here with bodyguards picking corn. I’m not stupid. He must have been staying at the motel in town recently. Such a spoiled rich kid staying in that dump? I wonder how long he’s been there. I planned to ask him tonight. Some things need moonlight to be said clearly. I brought the noodles out. Mark was talking to someone with his back to me. Seeing me, the person peeked around Mark. My face dropped instantly. “Mia, your boyfriend is here and you don’t treat him well? You can bring him to our house to eat.” I shoved the bowl into Mark’s hands and glared at the man. “Uncle Joe, why aren’t you napping? What are you doing here?” “We don’t need you worrying about our family business.” Mark held the bowl and reached into his pocket. When will he fix this habit of throwing money at people when he’s happy? He pulled out a red envelope. I didn’t even know when he prepared it. He tried to stuff it into Uncle Joe’s hand. “Uncle Joe, right? Thanks for looking after Grandpa and Grandma when Mia and I weren’t around.” Uncle Joe’s eyes lit up seeing the thick envelope. He reached for it. “Mia, your boyfriend is sensible. Knows how to respect elders.” I gritted my teeth, snatched the envelope, glared at Mark, and shoved it back into his pocket. “He’s not my boyfriend. We broke up.” “Uncle Joe, you’re a grown man. Why are you asking for handouts from juniors?” Uncle Joe’s face twisted. He forced a stiff smile. 4 “You little…” I watched his retreating back. Turning around, I saw Mark had put the noodles on the table. “Not good?” I frowned at him. Mark looked unnaturally pale, eyes a bit red. “If I’m not your boyfriend, I’m not. Why speak so harshly?” “Mia, I’ll make you regret this!” I watched Mark stomp away, baffled. What now? Just because I told that old man he wasn’t my boyfriend? I didn’t get him. But seeing the bodyguards resting under the tree leave with him, I sighed. Leaving is good. I shouldn’t have called him. Maybe I was too tired. Corn picking made me delirious. The sun was too hot. I wasn’t thinking straight when I called. I went back inside. Grandma was still napping. Grandpa was muttering to himself on the stool. I took the bowl of noodles and ate slowly. Cooked is cooked. Can’t waste it. But I ate to the bottom and didn’t see the two eggs I put in. I chuckled. Mark, that psycho, ate the eggs and left the noodles. Grandpa stuffed a huge red envelope into my hand, dancing with joy. “Mia, red envelope.” I stared blankly at the envelope. Identical to the one Mark tried to give Uncle Joe. Only this one was bursting at the seams. My heart hurt. I wanted to ask him tonight if he was serious about us. But the male lead ran away. People busy with farm work don’t have time for romance. I napped for a bit, then headed to the field. But when I got there, I froze. The huge cornfield was cleared. Piles of corn were stacked, waiting for Uncle Bill’s truck. Even the stalks were bundled. Uncle Joe stood in his field, voice loud and pointed. “The little vixen knows how to hook men. Didn’t even feed him lunch, and he ran to the field and finished all the work.” I didn’t have the energy to argue. My heart was burning, and so were my eyes. I felt like the answer I wanted, the one Mark never gave, was right in front of me. I took out my phone to call Mark. Hearing the tone, my heart went cold again. Mark blocked me. He left one message on WeChat. [Mia, if you don’t want my love, taste my hate!] Me: …

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On the day my sister and I were born, a wandering fortune teller came to our door. She prophesied that one of us would soar to the top, marrying into unimaginable wealth. The other would fall from grace, becoming a shameless beggar. After graduation, my boyfriend, the heir to a multi-billion dollar empire, proposed to me. But on the eve of my wedding, I was in a horrific car accident. My parents told everyone I was in a vegetative state and had my sister take my place at the altar. The next day, my sister wore my wedding ring and sat in the bridal car. Meanwhile, my parents pulled the plug on my oxygen, watching me suffocate to death. They cremated my body and buried the urn in an unmarked grave in a potter’s field. Ten years after my death, my sister finally gave birth to a son, securing her position as the heir to the family fortune. The city’s elite came to celebrate. But at the baby’s first birthday party, the child began bleeding from every orifice, wailing in agony. My sister fell ill, wasting away to nothing. My “husband” personally flew in a Feng Shui master from Hong Kong. He held my sister, comforting her: “Don’t be scared, babe. Once I destroy that bitch’s spirit, I’ll use her soul to make a chamber pot for our son.” My parents invited the clan elders to curse my name. “Restless even in death! Haunting our precious daughter and grandson… you deserve to have your soul shattered!” The master set up his altar on the unmarked grave where my urn was buried. But suddenly, his face went pale. “Her name isn’t in the Book of Life and Death. Who exactly died ten years ago?” 1 As soon as the master spoke, my parents and sister turned white as sheets. They stammered, “Of course… of course it was Ella. Our family hasn’t had any bad luck except for her.” My parents were being evasive, but the guests watching the spectacle exploded with whispers. “Who else could it be? Mr. Jiang has been charitable his whole life, it’s just his bad luck to have such a cursed daughter! How could the master not find her name?” “Master! Are you scared?” “No,” the master frowned, his fingers moving rapidly in calculation. When he looked up again, his expression was graver than ever. “I have consulted the spirits, and the spirits do not lie. The deceased is absolutely not the elder sister, Ella!” He suddenly leaned into my sister’s face. “Mrs. Chen, do you feel like your insides are being pierced by ice picks? Do you feel a chill in your bones? This is a sign of a vengeful spirit attachment. If we don’t resolve this soon…” “I’m afraid you and this little young master will be buried with her overwhelming resentment!” Everyone took a step back in fear. My sister clutched her chest and let out a scream that didn’t sound human. “Ah—it must be Emma! She’s back! She wants revenge, she wants to kill me…” My parents’ faces darkened. They rushed forward to cover her mouth. “What nonsense are you talking about?” “Everyone in the city knows your sister died in an accident. It has nothing to do with you. You’re just suffering from postpartum depression…” The master smirked, a meaningful glint in his eye. He raised his peach wood sword and began chanting. My father finally lost his patience, pointing at the master’s nose. “Do you know what you’re doing or not?” My ex-boyfriend, Julian Chen, handed over a blank check. “If you can scatter that evil spirit’s soul, the Chen family will reward you handsomely.” The master stopped moving and said quietly: “Karma is inescapable. Mr. Chen, if you want her name written in the Book of Death, condemning her to eternal suffering, you must tell me everything the deceased experienced in life.” He paused. “And, the deceased’s real name.” My parents looked at my sister, who was screaming in pain while clutching her sick child. Heartbroken, they nodded and began their story. Back then, my car was found at the bottom of a cliff on a winding mountain road. Fallen with it was a truck driven by a notorious local thug. My car was smashed to pieces, and I was barely breathing. Police investigations later revealed witnesses who saw me acting intimate with the thug before the accident. Some even claimed I got out of his truck with disheveled clothes. The story was that we were fooling around too intensely, causing both vehicles to plummet off the cliff. At this point, my father sighed heavily. “A family tragedy.” “We never expected Ella to fulfill the fortune teller’s prophecy. Shameless, mixing with thugs, ruining herself until she lost her life.” The master murmured, seemingly communicating with something invisible. The next moment, his voice became ethereal and commanding, as if channeling a god. “Incorrect. There was more than one death.” “Mr. Jiang, if you truly want to save your daughter and grandson, you must tell the whole truth.” My father clenched his fists, his old face flushing red. “Indeed, there was more than one. It was too shameful, so our family kept it a secret.” “But to save my daughter, I have to say it today.” “We privately hired a forensic doctor back then. In Ella’s womb… there was a three-month-old bastard child. Sinful!” When my parents spoke of this, their faces were full of disgust and regret. “If we had known she was fooling around and got pregnant, we should have broken her legs and locked her in the house.” “To be honest, this isn’t the first time she’s harmed my other daughter. Ten years ago, when she first married Julian, she was pregnant, but miscarried for no reason.” “Thinking back now, it must have been Ella and that bastard child haunting them from underground!” As the words fell, the air around Julian instantly dropped to freezing point. “Good… very good.” “If I don’t destroy this ghost myself and avenge my unborn child, I am not a man!” He looked at my sister with pity. “Baby, you’ve suffered all these years.” While he gazed lovingly at my sister, the master interrupted coldly. “Still incorrect!” “If the deceased’s life experience is wrong, her name cannot be entered into the Book of Death!” “If Mr. Jiang still refuses to tell the truth, then I cannot help you.” My parents froze, conflict in their eyes. Just then, the baby’s cries became even more piercing, as if someone was strangling him. My mother sighed deeply. “At this point, there’s no need to hide it.” “Ella wasn’t just involved with a thug; she was also entangled with a group of beggars. She really fulfilled the prophecy of becoming a beggar.” “We don’t know if the child in her belly belonged to the thug or one of the beggars. It’s truly a sin!” My mother wiped away tears. “The Jiang family has been scholars for generations, clean and innocent. Why did such a scandal happen to us… it’s my failure as a mother.” The master pointed his peach wood sword directly at my father, shouting sternly. “Still can’t write it! What secret is so big that you’d risk your own daughter and grandson’s lives?” My father couldn’t say another word. My mother looked at my sister with tears in her eyes, a mix of heartache and helplessness. Julian supported my father, his voice deep. “Father-in-law, don’t worry. I swear here and now, no matter what happened, I will always love my wife.” My father was moved to tears. He looked at my mother and decided to stop hiding. “With Julian’s word, we might as well tell the truth.” “Actually, the one who died wasn’t the older sister, Ella. It was the younger sister, Emma.” His thoughts drifted back ten years. “The night before the wedding, Emma suddenly got into a severe car accident and fell into a coma. After discussing it, we decided to have Ella pretend to be Emma and marry in her place. We thought we’d switch them back when Emma woke up.” “None of us expected Emma to just… go. Later, we thought if Ella’s identity was revealed, it would ruin your marriage.” “Helplessly, we had to go along with the mistake. Ella became Emma, and the dead Emma… we renamed her Ella.” The master realized. “No wonder I couldn’t find the name Ella in the Book of Death.” After the truth was out, the master’s ritual went smoothly. “The Book is ready, but the dead soul’s resentment has not dissipated. The problem must be at her burial site.” Everyone arrived at the desolate potter’s field and froze. The master looked at the scorched earth amidst the tall weeds, understanding dawning in his eyes. “Miss Emma died with no one to mourn her. Her resentment has solidified and can now harm the living! She came back this time for revenge.” Hearing this, my parents’ faces turned extremely ugly. My sister collapsed to the ground, blood seeping from under her skirt. “Emma, don’t blame me. I didn’t mean to steal your Julian…” Her eyes reddened, and she cried miserably. “I’m sorry, Emma. If you want a life, take mine alone, don’t hurt my child! I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I couldn’t bring you back, I could only take care of Julian for you. Please, rest in peace!” She kowtowed desperately to the scorched earth. I floated in mid-air, feeling like my chest was blocked by these hot tears. Ever since that fortune teller made the prophecy, my parents decided my sister was the future “Golden Phoenix” and pampered her. As for me, the daughter destined to be a shameless beggar, they treated me like trash. My sister lived in a sunny luxury suite; I was banished to a damp, dark storage room with a broken bed. Growing up, they always called me shameless. If I smiled at a delivery guy, they accused me of being loose. I grew up in silence. Until I met Julian, I didn’t know life could be sweet. He never thought I was unlucky or weird. He never looked at me with charity. I still remember him ruffling my hair with a smile. “Emma, there is no destiny in this world that cannot be broken.” I used to believe him implicitly. Until we met again ten years later. Julian had a child with my sister. They were a loving couple. So what if he once loved me like his life? Ten years is enough to wash away any love completely. My sister is the Golden Phoenix. I am the shameless beggar. This is my fate. When I snapped back to reality, Julian had already ordered men to dig up the scorched earth. There was only an overturned, rotten wooden box. Seeing what was under the box, everyone gasped sharply. “What is that? Why is it so evil?” The box was opened, revealing a pitch-black clay jar. The mouth of the jar was covered in dense charms drawn in cinnabar. My ashes were gone. Seeing this, my parents panicked too. “We watched Emma’s ashes being buried with our own eyes. How could they be gone? And this jar…” The master sucked in a cold breath, fear appearing on his face. Ignoring everyone’s questions, he closed his eyes tight. After a long while, he opened them, sweating profusely. “Since the older sister took the younger sister’s identity, their birth dates should have been swapped too. But the birth date suppressing this jar is still Emma’s own. It can no longer suppress the vengeful spirit!” “Also.” He turned abruptly, meeting my sister’s panicked eyes. “The younger sister has used the birth date to attach herself to the older sister! The missing ashes… must be with the older sister!” As his words fell, my sister instinctively touched her handbag. It felt cold and slimy. She shuddered, realizing her bag didn’t contain designer lipstick, but a handful of bloody ashes! “Something’s wrong.” My sister screamed, throwing the bag far away. The master shook his head. “Throwing it away is useless. The power of a vengeful ghost isn’t something mortals can resist. Her hatred is focused entirely on you.” My sister crawled over, crying and kneeling before the master. “Master, save me!” “I’m already sick like this. Her next step is definitely my life!” My parents forced themselves to calm down. “As long as you can save our daughter, the Jiang family will reward you heavily!” “First, we must swap the birth dates back. Since fate was exchanged, ‘Ella’ is already dead. The birth date on the jar must be changed to hers.” The master pondered. “As for the rest… the only plan now is to lure her out. But who has the courage?” “I do.” Julian stepped out from the crowd after comforting his sick son. His tall figure radiated reliability. “Whether you are Ella or Emma, you are the wife I’ve loved for ten years. Since someone wants to harm you and our child, I will make her wish she were dead!” “The ghost Emma hates my wife because of me. Since her hate is born of love, I will hold a grand soul-summoning ceremony for Emma to lure her out.” My parents exchanged glances and sighed in relief. My sister felt the deep love and leaned weakly into Julian’s arms. “Julian, I’m so scared. Luckily I have you. The baby and I only have you.” Julian held her steady, his eyes gentle. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.” Through that slightly weathered face, I could faintly see the boy from ten years ago. In a rainstorm, he used all his strength to push me away from a mudslide, breaking his own leg. When I was kidnapped, he blocked a fatal knife for me, leaving a hideous scar on his left shoulder. In a fire, he gave me the only respirator, nearly dying from smoke inhalation himself. But ten years later, he doesn’t belong to me. To lure me out and destroy me, Julian bought a full-page ad in the newspaper announcing the grand soul-summoning ceremony. When my sister had nightmares because of this, he dropped contracts worth hundreds of millions to stay by her side all night. Never leaving her. He even played her favorite piano pieces. Back then, I begged him several times to play for me. He always said he was too busy. I thought he was just bad at expressing himself. Now I know, he just wouldn’t play for me. When my sister fell asleep in his arms, he lovingly wiped away her tears. “Don’t worry, babe. I will protect you forever.” “Whether it’s a person or a ghost hurting you, I won’t let them have a good end!” Everyone said Julian was determined. Once he dealt with my vengeful spirit, he would surely forgive my sister’s well-intentioned deception and reconcile. But they didn’t know— Julian had been waiting for this day for ten years. 2 The soul-summoning ceremony was set for three days later, on the top floor of the city’s most luxurious hotel. Julian rented the entire venue, decorating it even more grandly than our wedding ten years ago. A red carpet stretched from the elevator to the altar, lined with white roses—my favorite flower when I was alive. All the city’s media were invited, cameras aimed at the center of the altar. Julian stood there in a black suit, his face cold. My sister, the fake “Emma,” wore a white dress, holding his arm. Her face held a sickly flush and a hint of smugness. She knew that after today, the vengeful spirit of Emma would be gone from this world. She, the real Ella, would be the rightful, unique Mrs. Chen. My parents came too, sitting in the front row, looking at Julian with the pride of having snagged a golden son-in-law. The master paced on the altar, his peach wood sword glinting coldly. The auspicious time had arrived. With a shout, the master pasted my birth date onto a straw effigy. “Emma Jiang, I know your resentment is deep, and you died with grievances!” “Today, Mr. Chen has set a feast for you to settle this!” “If you know what’s good for you, drink this wine of reconciliation and reincarnate early. If you persist in your obsession, don’t blame my sword for being ruthless and shattering your soul!” He poured a cup of wine on the ground. Julian took the peach wood sword and walked step by step toward the straw effigy representing me. His eyes held a coldness and resolve I had never seen before. Ten years ago, he used those hands to bandage my wounds, wipe my tears, and put a ring on my finger. Ten years later, he was going to use those same hands to send my soul to the eighteenth level of hell. I floated in the air, feeling a tearing pain in my heart. I hated him. I wanted to appear right now and ask him: what did our companionship ten years ago, those life-and-death moments, mean to him?! The corners of my sister’s mouth were already curving up. She spoke softly, her voice low but caught by the surrounding microphones. “Julian, let it go. My sister… she’s pitiful too. Let’s not be too ruthless.” She acted kind as always. Julian didn’t turn his head. “Mercy to an evil ghost is cruelty to the living.” He raised the peach wood sword, aimed at the straw effigy’s heart, and stabbed down hard! Thud. A muffled sound. But the one who fell wasn’t the straw effigy. It was my sister, Ella. She spat out a large mouthful of black blood and fell straight to the ground, twitching all over. The crowd went into an uproar. My parents screamed and rushed up. “Ella! Ella, what’s wrong?!” The master froze too. He looked at his unharmed altar, then at the fallen Ella, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. “No… this isn’t right…” “My soul-summoning array… wasn’t summoning Emma…” Julian turned slowly and threw away the peach wood sword. He looked down at Ella struggling in pain on the ground. There was not a shred of pity on his face. Instead, there was a bottomless, suppressed hatred of ten years. He squatted down, leaned into Ella’s ear, and asked in a voice only they could hear. “Ella.” “Ten years ago, at the winding mountain road where Emma crashed… why were you waiting there in advance?” Ella sounded like a strangled chicken, making gurgling noises. She opened her mouth, blood foam bubbling out, but she couldn’t say a word. My parents were stunned too. My dad pointed a trembling finger at Julian. “Julian… what does this mean? Why is Ella…” Julian ignored him. He just stared coldly at Ella, like looking at a corpse. “Ten years, Ella. I’ve thought about this question every day.” “The road where Emma crashed was remote, late at night, with no cameras. How could you be there so coincidentally?” “You told me you were there to pray. Praying for our wedding.” His voice was soft, but it cut into Ella and my parents like a knife. “I believed you then.” “I held you, comforted you, told you everything would be fine.” “I even agreed to your parents’ ridiculous request to let you take Emma’s identity.” He smiled, a smile full of endless mockery and icy hate. “I was such a fool, wasn’t I?” “I treated the murderer who killed my fiancée like a treasure and protected her for ten years.” Dead silence in the hall. Reporters’ flashbulbs went crazy, capturing this dramatic reversal forever. The master had quietly retreated to the side, wiping sweat, acting like none of this involved him. My mom finally reacted, screaming and lunging at Julian. “You’re talking nonsense! Our Ella is so kind, how could she harm her own sister! Julian Chen, are you crazy?!” “Crazy?” Julian stood up slowly, straightening his immaculate suit. He didn’t even look at my mom, his gaze locked on the twitching Ella. “I wish I were crazy. Then I wouldn’t dream of Emma every night.” “She asks me, covered in blood, why.” “Why didn’t I trust her.” “Why did I marry her murderer.” His voice suddenly rose, filled with ten years of suppressed pain and rage, like a desperate beast. “You tell me, why!” He kicked over the champagne tower next to him. Glass shattered piercingly, accompanied by gasps from the guests. My dad’s face was ashen, clinging to the last shred of dignity. “Julian, let’s talk calmly. There must be a misunderstanding…” “Misunderstanding?” Julian looked like he heard the biggest joke. He pulled a phone from his pocket and played a recording. A rough man’s voice echoed through the hall, sounding drunk and boastful. “…That Jiang family eldest daughter, she’s slutty and ruthless. Gave me a pile of cash to hit her sister’s car… said just to injure her, stop the wedding. Who knew that bitch’s life was so cheap, she rolled right off the cliff…” “…Afterwards, the eldest daughter gave me hush money to disappear. Heh, with that money, I’ve been living like a king…” The recording wasn’t long, but it exploded like a bomb in everyone’s ears. My parents’ faces drained of color instantly. Ella stopped twitching, staring at Julian with utter disbelief and despair. “No… not true… this isn’t real…” she mumbled, voice broken. Julian stopped the recording and threw the phone at my father’s feet. “Father-in-law, you shouldn’t be unfamiliar with this voice.” “Ten years ago, the one who handled the aftermath of Emma’s accident was this Captain Wang. He took 500,000 in bribes from the Jiang family to hastily rule a murder as an accident.” He paused, a cruel arc forming on his lips. “And that thug who caused the accident didn’t die either. He is currently in my basement, waiting for a reunion with his old lover, my dear wife, Ms. Ella Jiang.” 3 When the thug was brought up, the air in the banquet hall seemed to solidify. He was beaten black and blue, dragged like a dead dog by two bodyguards, and thrown in front of Ella. Ten years of easy living made him fat, but that face, those cloudy, greedy eyes—Ella and my parents recognized him instantly. “Ah!” Ella let out a piercing scream, crawling backward on hands and knees, trying to get away from the man. My parents were shaking, pointing at Julian, lips trembling, unable to form a sentence. “You… you…” Julian ignored them. He squatted down, grabbed the thug’s chin, and forced him to look into Ella’s terrified eyes. “Look closely. Is it her?” Scared out of his wits by the killing intent in Julian’s eyes, the thug nodded frantically. “It’s her! It’s her! Mr. Chen, she ordered everything back then! She said if I stopped her sister’s wedding, she’d give me a huge sum…” “Shut up! Shut up!” Ella screamed hysterically, cutting him off. Her hair was a mess, makeup ruined like a ghost. Not a trace of the elegant wealthy wife remained. “Julian, listen to me! It’s not like that! I was tricked by him! He… he blackmailed me!” “Blackmailed you?” Julian sneered. “Then what about this child?” He threw a document onto Ella’s face. A paternity test report, black ink on white paper, like a death warrant. “Ella, I had a vasectomy ten years ago. After Emma died, I never planned to have any children.” “Whose bastard is in your belly?” Ella’s crying stopped abruptly. She looked at the report in disbelief, then at Julian, and finally her gaze landed on the dying infant. The “Golden Grandson” she used to solidify her status and inherit the billions. Now, it was a joke. Irrefutable proof of her infidelity and promiscuity. “No…” She broke down completely, holding her head, letting out inhuman wails. My parents collapsed too. It was over. Everything was over. They schemed for ten years, thinking they finally flew up the branch to become phoenixes. In the end, it was all for nothing. The so-called billionaire heir was a bastard! My mom suddenly went crazy, rushing up to slap Ella’s face left and right. “You slut! Shameless thing! You’ve lost all the Jiang family’s face!” “How dare you! How dare you do such a thing!” My dad recovered too, roaring at Ella. “We raised you for nothing all these years! This is how you repay us? Huh?” A luxurious night banquet turned into an ugly farce. Guests pointed, reporters’ cameras faithfully recorded everything. The Jiang family was finished. From today on, they would be the city’s laughingstock. And the orchestrator of all this, Julian Chen, just watched coldly. Like watching a monkey show that had nothing to do with him. Only when Ella was beaten half to death by my mom did he wave his hand, letting bodyguards pull them apart. “Don’t kill her yet.” His voice was terrifyingly calm. “I haven’t told you why she and your precious grandson fell ill.” He turned to the master who was already scared silly. “Master, tell them what ‘Midnight Soul-Breaking Powder’ is.” The master walked out trembling, falling to his knees. “Mr. Chen, spare me! Spare me!” “This ‘Midnight Soul-Breaking Powder’ is an ancient poison. Colorless, tasteless. Mixed into food, even gods can’t detect it. The poisoned person will feel like ten thousand ants eating their heart every midnight and noon. Bone-piercing pain. Day after day, until their essence is exhausted and they die.” “And this poison passes from mother to fetus.” “The young master… he… carried the poison from the womb…” Hearing this, my parents were struck by lightning, standing frozen. They looked at the infant with blue skin and weak breath on the hospital bed, then at Ella who was like mud on the ground. The last light in their eyes went out. “The poison… you poisoned them?” My dad asked hoarsely. Julian didn’t deny it. “Yes.” He looked at Ella. No love, no hate in his eyes. Only dead barrenness. “The bird’s nest soup I fed you daily, the milk I fed that bastard… I added something to all of it.” “Ella, you made me lose my love and my unborn child.” “I will make you, and your bastard, taste what it means to live a life worse than death.” 4 The sky fell on the Jiang family. Overnight, Jiang Group stocks hit limit down, partners withdrew investment, banks called in loans. The empire my father spent his life building collapsed instantly under Julian’s thunderous revenge. Media coverage was overwhelming, headlines shocking. [Billionaire Wife Swap: Sister Murdered, Elder Sister Takes Over with Bastard Child!] [Ten-Year Scam: Chen CEO’s Revenge, Jiang Family Becomes Laughingstock!] [Venomous Heart: Sister Murders Sister to Marry into Wealth!] My parents became rats crossing the street; everyone shouted to beat them. As glorious as they were before, they were that pathetic now. Villas seized, luxury cars towed. Even buying groceries meant getting pelted with rotten leaves. They finally understood what it meant to be deserted by all, to have nothing. They came to find Julian, kneeling outside his company, begging with snot and tears. “Julian, for Emma’s sake, give us a way out!” “We know we were wrong! We really know!” Julian looked down coldly from the floor-to-ceiling window on the top floor at the two tiny figures below. Like looking at ants. He didn’t go down. He just had his assistant send them something. A USB drive. Inside was a video. Ten years ago, in a VIP hospital room. I lay on the bed, covered in tubes, vital signs weak. My parents stood by the bed. No sadness on their faces, only impatience and calculation. “Why isn’t this girl dead yet? Every day is another medical bill,” my mom complained. My dad frowned, looking at the door, lowering his voice. “Wait a bit. After Ella and Julian’s wedding, we’ll say… rescue efforts failed.” “Wait for what! Long nights bring many dreams!” My mom’s eyes turned vicious. “She’s a vegetable anyway. Keeping her is a burden. Why don’t we…” She reached out, slowly moving toward my oxygen tube. “…give her a hand.” The video ended there. I floated in the air, watching my parents’ faces twist in extreme terror. So, my death wasn’t an accident, wasn’t fate. It was my own parents, paving the way for their “Golden Phoenix,” who pulled my oxygen plug with their own hands. They suffocated me to death. Julian’s assistant stood before them, conveying his boss’s words expressionlessly. “Mr. Chen says he has already given this video to the police.” “Also, Mr. Chen found out some other things.” The assistant paused, tone mocking. “For example, that fortune teller’s prophecy that Miss Emma would be ‘shameless and become a beggar.’ It was actually because since she was a teenager, Miss Emma secretly donated all her allowance to a homeless shelter. She often volunteered, chatting with homeless people, bringing them food.” “In those people’s eyes, she wasn’t bad luck. She was an angel.” “But the Jiang family twisted this kindness into ‘fooling around with beggars’.” “Truly laughable.” My parents were completely dumbfounded. They stood there blankly, as if their souls had been sucked out. They always thought I was a stain that would shame the family. They used that ridiculous prophecy to define my life, feeling justified in their coldness, cruelty… even murder. But in the end, they discovered that what they destroyed with their own hands was the only light in their family. Regret and despair drowned them like a tide. They finally understood that Julian’s revenge wasn’t for money or power. He wanted to execute their hearts. He wanted them to rot slowly in endless regret and pain.

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I died on my way to call him. On the other end of the line, he was humming a tune, making me dinner. But in the blink of an eye, that same man calmly claimed my shattered remains and turned our home into a love nest for him and his old flame. Ten years of marriage, and he never shed a single tear for me. I hated him for his cold heart, hated that I’d wasted a decade on him. Reborn, facing him again, I tore up our engagement and had only one thing to say— “Go chase what you want. I’m done playing along.” 1 My head was still spinning from the dizzying sensation of being a disembodied spirit when Toby’s sharp scoff cut through the haze. “So, you were just messing with me.” “How many times have you pulled this stunt now?” A wave of vertigo washed over me, and I paled, grabbing the back of a chair to steady myself as I sank into it. Toby just watched me, his expression perfectly calm. “No,” I managed to say. “From now on, be with whoever you want. I won’t force you into anything anymore.” “The engagement… I was being impulsive.” Toby strode over to me, his fists clenching at his sides. “You promised you’d get your father to invest in my family’s company. Are you backing out?” A sudden, mocking smile twisted his lips. “I should have known. You never stick with anything for more than five minutes.” At the mention of the investment, a flicker of anxiety broke through his calm facade. He loomed over me like a wall, and the dizziness intensified, a sour knot forming in my stomach. I kicked lightly at his shin. “Get me a glass of ice water.” At my command, his tension vanished in an instant, replaced by that familiar, placid obedience. As I took the glass, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over me. It felt just like our past life, in our home. He’d come back from work, ready to cook, and I’d be lounging on the sofa, ordering him to wash fruit for me, demanding a leg massage while he was between stirring pots. I looked up and met his eyes, now perfectly serene again. How did he do it? I wondered. How did he serve a woman he didn’t love, share a bed with her for ten long years? A bitter pang shot through my heart. It must have been unbearable. I lowered my gaze and answered his question. “My family will still make the investment.” Toby’s father was a man of immense pride. His company, Keystone Foods, had built its reputation on quality, earning trust slowly but surely. But in this cutthroat market, surviving was a struggle. They were facing a massive overhaul, and if my family pulled our funding now, it would be a devastating blow. His father, with all his pride, would never recover. That’s why Toby endured it all. He endured me. For that debt of gratitude, he gave up the girl he truly loved and agreed to every single one of my unreasonable demands. Even later, after his family’s company was well past the crisis, he never broke his promise to me. He took care of me for ten years. He just didn’t love me. But now, thankfully, it wasn’t too late to change things. “It will be a standard investment contract, with dividends based on the shares. If problems come up later, I’ll even consider a second round of funding. Keystone is a good company. I grew up eating your family’s snacks. There are no strings attached.” I took a deep breath. After all, for ten years, I had genuinely loved him. Pushing down the wistful ache in my chest, I continued, “Forcing you before was my mistake. I won’t do it again.” I met his gaze directly. He looked right back at me, his lips parting as if to say something, but no words came out. I stood up, turned my back to him, and opened the door, blinking back the sting in my eyes. “This time, I want to try with someone else.” Toby’s footsteps were hurried, almost frantic, as he left. He was probably terrified I’d change my mind. 2 Toby was raised in a loving home by adoring parents, a true gentleman. When I was little, my father would often take me to visit his family, and he always treated me with perfect hospitality, never showing a hint of impatience with my childish tantrums. It wasn’t until I accidentally learned he had followed his neighbor, Rosalyn, to Bayside University that I understood. All his patience, all his composure, was just the politeness one shows a guest. Even someone as brilliant as him had a love he couldn’t have. Rosalyn was beautiful and talented, but I wasn’t so bad myself. I was so naive back then. I really thought that, given enough time, he would eventually fall in love with me. For ten years, we got along well enough, like any ordinary married couple. It created the illusion that we were in love. But I wasn’t even cold in my grave for a week before he moved Rosalyn into our home. I was like the villainess in a romance novel, the one who tears the main characters apart. And in the end, I got what was coming to me. I gazed out the floor-to-ceiling window at the brilliant blue sea and sky. There was nothing better than being alive again. To prove I was serious, I had my dad complete the investment the very next day. And we officially called off the pending engagement. My father gave me a long, meaningful look as he signed my name on the investment contract. It was now officially me, not my family, investing in Toby’s company. Even my own father could see how I felt about him. I didn’t bother trying to explain. Neither family ever mentioned the engagement again. 3 Back on campus, the university felt enormous. We were in different departments—he was in finance, I was in fine arts. It was perfectly normal that our paths never crossed. A full month passed without a single sighting of Toby. At first, it felt strange, a void in my routine. So I threw myself into college life to keep my mind busy. I started feeding the stray cats on campus. I joined the outdoor hiking club. I shared pictures of my sculptures, my clothes perpetually covered in clay. I went on sketching trips with my classmates. My roommates started a betting pool in our group chat, guessing whether I had truly moved on or was just trying a new strategy. They’d all seen how obsessed I was with Toby before. They chatted away as if I wasn’t even in the group. I rolled my eyes and typed back a message. “So what are the odds?” Chloe replied: “Four to one… P.S., I’m the one.” Even though they all thought I’d be back to chasing him in no time, I was serious this time. I was done with Toby Grant. I placed a bet on myself. That evening, Jimmy showed up. He roared up in a flashy sports car, his hair a shock of bleached blond, and bellowed my name outside the sculpture studio. “Claire!” He lunged forward to throw an arm around my neck but screeched to a halt when he saw the clay splattered all over me. “Heard you invested in Toby’s family company, but now you’re avoiding him?” His eyes were gleaming with gossip. “What’s the deal? Playing hard to get?” I shot him a withering glare. “Get your mind out of the gutter!” I turned to go back into the studio, having zero interest in talking to him. We’d been close since we were kids, distant cousins thrice removed. He was a classic slacker who coasted through life, and his dad had finally shipped him off to a university abroad. I still remember the look of utter betrayal on his face when he saw my stellar college entrance exam scores. But for all the good his “study abroad” did, he was constantly flying back. Jimmy stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Or maybe I could, you know, tie him up for you? Let you have your wicked way with him?” I took a deep breath and turned back to him with a saccharine smile. The next second, all the wet clay from my hands was smeared across his face. He let out a howl like a pig being slaughtered. “Claire Sterling, I’m gonna kill you!” As I dodged his flailing attack, I glanced down the hallway and saw Toby standing at the far end, holding two cups of bubble tea. It was the first time I’d seen him since that day. Remembering that his “one true love,” Rosalyn, had classes in this building, it all made sense. He watched us with a cold, flat expression, let out a quiet scoff, and turned and walked away. “What’s his problem?” I muttered. Later, while we were grabbing spicy hot pot, Jimmy brought up Toby again. “What’s really going on with you two?” “I just don’t like him anymore, that’s all.” Jimmy’s eyes went wide. “What do you mean, you don’t like him anymore?” “Is it because he’s in love with Rosalyn?” I snatched a piece of tripe from his chopsticks and rolled my eyes. “You already know, so why ask?” A look of profound tragedy crossed his face. “Oh, my dearest Rosalyn… Now that punk is really going to snatch her away.” His words struck a chord, and a wave of sadness washed over me. That night, two souls unlucky in love drank themselves into a stupor. My roommate, Chloe, who was just getting off one of her many part-time jobs, had to drag me home. The next morning, she gleefully showed me a video of Jimmy and me belting out sad love songs in the middle of the street. She used it as blackmail to get me to cover her volunteer shift for the debate club. The girl juggled eighteen part-time jobs, and this time, her schedule was just too packed. 4 I never thought I’d cross paths with Toby again. But there he was, in the debate club room. He was organizing files on a shelf. He froze for a second when I walked in, then turned back to his task without a word. An awkward silence fell. He probably thought I’d come here on purpose, chasing him. Neither of us spoke. I started cleaning, just as Chloe had asked. To be honest, it was a little harder than I expected. I was standing on a wobbly table, stretching to wipe the top of a window, when the table suddenly shifted. I lost my balance and started to fall. I braced for the impact, but the pain never came. Instead, a pair of searing hot hands wrapped around my waist, catching me. My face flushed instantly. My mind flashed back to my past life, after Toby and I were married. He was usually so silent, so restrained. Except in bed. In the dark, he would grip my waist with that same fierce, burning intensity, his breath coming in heavy gasps. His hands were always so hot. He wouldn’t say a word, just work with a relentless focus. It was only when I begged for mercy, my voice hoarse, that he would finally relent, his mouth moving to my lips, giving me a moment’s reprieve. I drifted for a moment. So, we did have moments that felt like love. “Get down.” A cold voice from behind me snapped me out of my memories. I felt a surge of embarrassment. He probably thought I fell on purpose. He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking deeply annoyed. Just as I was trying to figure out how to explain myself, my phone rang. I scrambled to answer it, grateful for the escape. It was Jimmy. He sounded like he’d just woken up. “Claire, my dear cousin! For the sake of your happiness, your big bro is going to give it another shot!” My blood ran cold. Give what another shot? I had a terrible feeling he was about to do something monumentally stupid. I rushed out to find him, circling the campus until I finally spotted him in front of the dorms. But Toby had found him first. By the time I arrived, Jimmy was in a standoff with Toby. It was a grand, over-the-top display. The ground was littered with rose petals. Rosalyn, dressed in a white sundress, stood behind Toby, looking completely bewildered. I walked closer, my heart sinking with a familiar ache. Seeing them together like this, it still hurt. It was a dull, lingering pain. In my past life, shortly after I forced Toby to marry me, Rosalyn’s family went bankrupt. Toby immediately sent her abroad. I was so happy then. I thought, with her gone, nothing would stand in our way. Looking back now, I realize he was just protecting her. He must have thought that with her family ruined, she would be vulnerable to my jealousy. He really, truly loved her. Just like now. Rosalyn was the one being confessed to. But it was Toby standing in front of her, shielding her, rejecting Jimmy on her behalf. Rosalyn’s eyes were red-rimmed as she gently tugged on Toby’s sleeve, shaking her head. Then, her eyes met mine across the crowd. She looked like she wanted to say something, to explain, but her lips parted and closed, and in the end, she just lowered her gaze. The scene felt strangely familiar. I remembered, after I died in my past life, when Toby brought Rosalyn home, Jimmy had shown up just like this, making a scene. He had pointed a finger in Toby’s face, screaming at him, demanding he let Rosalyn go. He accused Toby of betraying me. My spirit had floated nearby, trying to explain. “No, he didn’t cheat on me.” “I know him. He would never do something like that.” “I was the one who forced him to be with me.” “He didn’t betray me. He can go back to the woman he loves now.” “These past ten years, I’m the one who wronged him.” “Jimmy, I’m dead. He’s free.” But no one could hear me. That day was the seventh day after my death. I walked toward the small group. Toby’s gaze landed on me, his eyes cold as ice. He was looking at me as if to say: You’re despicable, Claire. Sending Jimmy to hit on Rosalyn. Jimmy stood opposite them, his usually wild hair looking limp and defeated. Looking at the sea of roses and the mountain of luxury gifts piled in his sports car, I couldn’t help but grimace at his tacky taste. Any normal girl would be dying of secondhand embarrassment from a spectacle like this. Jimmy must have had rocks for brains to think this was a good idea. He seemed to be realizing it himself now. He shot me a desperate look and whispered, “Help me.” “If my dad sees I’m back in the country and pulling this kind of stunt, I’m dead meat!” I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they’d get stuck. “You didn’t ask for my help before you pulled this stunt. Now that you’ve made a fool of yourself, it’s too late to ask for a rescue!” Jimmy grit his teeth. “It wasn’t my idea! I just wanted to give her some flowers and confess. My idiot friends are the ones who turned it into this circus.” I glanced over and, sure enough, saw a few of his usual cronies huddled together, whispering and snickering. As the crowd grew more restless, Jimmy clenched his jaw and made a final, desperate offer. “Save me, and I’ll steal my dad’s yacht for you. We can throw a party. With male models.” I nodded instantly. “Deal.” I turned, took the bouquet of roses from Jimmy’s hand, and fixed Rosalyn with my most deeply emotional gaze. “Rosalyn, I’ve admired you for so long. Do you like these roses? I had them flown in fresh from Bulgaria just for you.” Then, as if just noticing Toby, I gasped and covered my mouth in feigned shock. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you already had a boyfriend.” I pretended to tear up. “It seems I was a step too late. In the next life, I’ll be sure to find you sooner!” From the crowd, a student piped up. “Wait, didn’t Claire used to be chasing Toby?” Rosalyn looked at me, her expression confused. I froze. This was not going according to plan. Another student offered an explanation. “It’s a diversion tactic! She was trying to weaken the enemy from within, but when that failed, she decided to go all in!” A murmur of understanding went through the crowd. Rosalyn’s expression grew complicated, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. I breathed a sigh of relief and continued my heartbroken performance. “My lady, you must be happy. I shall retreat. And with my retreat…” Jimmy clamped a hand over my mouth. “Sorry, she’s just overcome with grief and talking nonsense. I’ll take her somewhere to recover.” I was just getting into character and shot him an indignant glare. Across from us, Rosalyn reached out a hand dramatically, but before she could say anything, Toby covered her mouth too. And just like that, the confessor and the confessee were both silenced and dragged away by their respective captors. As we were leaving, I glanced back one last time. Toby’s eyes were dark, inscrutable. Rosalyn was staring after us, a lost look on her face. And Jimmy and I were running for our lives. 5 The next time I saw Toby was at the celebration party for his family company’s successful new project. I was there with my father. Mr. Grant was in high spirits, pulling Toby along as he came to toast our table. “We really owe it all to you and Claire this time,” he beamed. “My friend, Mr. Lee, just opened a new amusement park and invited all the kids to go have some fun, help him get the word out.” I politely declined. “I’ve been quite busy lately. I’m afraid I’ll have to miss out on the fun, Uncle.” My dad chimed in to explain. “She’s preparing her applications to study abroad. There’s a lot to get done.” Toby’s head snapped up, and he stared at me, his gaze intense. I pretended not to notice. He probably thought I was following his precious Rosalyn overseas to torment her. We weren’t even applying to schools in the same country. Still, Toby pressed. “It’s just for a day. Everyone’s going. It’ll be a good way to relax.” His father quickly agreed. “Exactly! One day won’t hurt anything.” “Toby, you take good care of your little sister Claire, make sure she stays safe.” I was still trying to come up with another excuse when I heard Toby quickly agree. I blinked, surprised. He was acting strangely tonight. In my last life, I was the one who arranged this trip. I’d assumed that since I hadn’t planned it this time, it wouldn’t happen. My dad nudged me, a conspiratorial glint in his eye. He whispered in my ear, “I’ve been observing that Toby boy. He seems to have good character—smart, hardworking. A suitable marriage prospect. You’re not getting any younger, you know. It’s time you started dating.” “Besides, didn’t you want to marry him before?” I was speechless. How was I supposed to tell him I’d already test-driven this “suitable prospect”? The packaging was fine, but the contents were a little faulty. “Dad, someone who’s good for marriage isn’t always good for dating. Besides, he already has someone he likes.” My dad looked crestfallen. “See? You waited too long to make your move!” I rolled my eyes and walked away. Too long? He’d been in love with Rosalyn since they were kids. The only way I could have been earlier is if I’d made my move in the womb.

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My Nana’s memory was shot. She’d forget I’d already eaten and still dish up a massive bowl. I genuinely couldn’t handle the extra food, so I’d try to distribute the bounty—a spoonful to the stray dog. A scatter of grains for the chicken wandering by. I even looked up at a kid passing by and asked, “Want some?” The kid blinked, surprised, then nodded, face flushing. But right after he finished, he passed out. I froze, ready to scream for help. Then, the glowing text appeared. 1 I was ten years old. My parents, both too busy with their high-powered jobs, decided to send me out to the country to stay with my Nana in her small Midwestern town. She was supposed to look after me. Nana was the best—gentle, kind, and devoted. She worried about me constantly. But she had that one flaw: the older she got, the worse her memory became. She was always forgetting I’d eaten. I’d just finish a huge serving of her slow-simmered pork ribs and noodles, and the next moment, she’d forget and whip up a massive bowl of her famous Egg Fried Rice. I stared at the golden, fragrant mountain of rice in my hands, shimmering with three or four fluffy eggs. I just… sighed. I knew this was her love for me, pure and unfiltered. But too much love doesn’t just make you complacent; it makes you plump. I cupped my own ridiculously chubby cheeks and couldn’t help but groan. Nana didn’t notice my inner turmoil. She beamed at me. “Skylar, darling, Nana is going out to the garden now. Be a good girl, okay? I’ll bring you back some sweet raspberries for dessert.” With a final pat on my head, she grabbed her trowel and headed out. I sat on the porch step, spooning the heavy bowl. I couldn’t eat another bite, but wasting food was a sin in Nana’s house. My eyes landed on Big Yellow, the neighborhood mutt, ambling past. I scooped two generous spoonfuls into his empty metal dish. Big Yellow ate it all, then promptly stretched out on the ground and began a contented afternoon nap. No help there. I looked toward a passing hen. A chicken’s appetite, however, was even smaller. One tiny peck, and she squawked and ran off, the mountain of rice barely grazed. I was at my wit’s end. My gaze drifted to a kid walking down the dirt lane. He looked maybe a year or two older than me, wearing a faded T-shirt that had been washed threadbare. He was walking with his eyes straight ahead, clearly trying to slip past unnoticed. I called out, holding up the bowl. “Hey, want some?” The boy slowly turned, pointing a hesitant finger at himself. “Me?” I nodded emphatically. “Yeah! You!” Hearing my confident, city-kid tone, the dullness in his eyes instantly lifted. But he was still shy. He stood rooted to the spot, fidgeting awkwardly. I got impatient. I grabbed his hand and tugged him down onto the small, smooth stone bench next to the porch, setting the heavy bowl in his lap. “Hurry up and eat! Egg Fried Rice isn’t nearly as good when it’s cold!” I leaned in conspiratorially. “I’m telling you, my Nana’s Egg Fried Rice is the best in the world. It’s seriously amazing.” He watched me, half-believing, half-skeptical. Then he picked up the spoon and took a small taste. Then a big bite. Then he started devouring it, scarfing down the food like he hadn’t eaten in days. Watching him eat so hungrily, a wave of deep satisfaction washed over me. Phew. No waste. I sat there, watching him scrape up the final grains of rice. I was just about to ask him how he liked it. But the next second, his body went soft, and he slumped sideways, sliding onto the ground. My jaw dropped. What? Allergy? Egg… Egg Fried Rice allergy? I’d never heard of such a thing! Terrified, I was about to bolt for the fields to find Nana when a cascade of brilliant, luminous text exploded in front of my eyes. I scanned the buzzing wall of text, but only two words registered: Carb Coma. Okay. No emergency then. Phew. But he couldn’t just sleep there. Nana always said your belly button shouldn’t get cold. I ran inside, my little legs pumping, and grabbed a small, knitted blanket from the living room. Just as I managed to cover him, he shifted. The boy opened his eyes a slit, staring up at me with a confused, hazy look. He reached out and grasped my hand.

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1 My wife, who always hated carrying a key, had the smart lock on our front door replaced with an old-fashioned deadbolt. She even started locking the bathroom door when she showered. Now, I have to call her every time I come home, just so she’ll let me in. I couldn’t live with that kind of humiliation. At the next family dinner, I slid a stack of divorce papers onto the table. Everyone thought I was just drunk and joking. Then my wife, Ruby, slapped me hard across the face, her eyes blazing. “Is it so hard to call first? You promised you’d respect me forever!” I looked at her, my face a cold mask, and let out a short, bitter laugh. “If I leave you for good, isn’t that the ultimate sign of respect?” … “Shut up!” “James, if I hadn’t gotten postpartum depression after our daughter was born, I wouldn’t be so insecure!” “This reason for divorce is insane! I won’t accept it!” Ruby jabbed a finger at my face, her eyes turning red. I didn’t even bother to look at her. I closed my briefcase with a snap. “Sign them. Don’t make me force you.” I grabbed my things and stood to leave. The entire family stared, caught between Ruby’s trembling form and my cold, resolute back. I could hear their whispers, wondering how the man who once put Ruby before everything else could suddenly demand a divorce over something so trivial. Ruby froze for a second, then reached out to grab me. Her father started to rise from his chair. But before I could take a step, Ruby’s psychiatrist, Dr. Collins, pushed me back down into my seat. “Mr. Vance, your wife is suffering from severe postpartum depression. She has extreme insecurity,” he said, his voice dripping with condescension. “She only locks the door to feel safe! How can you, her husband, be so callous?” “It’s your constant antagonism that’s making her condition worse!” My in-laws immediately sided with him. “Dr. Collins is right!” “He’s just in a bad mood and taking it out on his wife!” “For a man who married into this family, he’s got a hell of an attitude. If it wasn’t for Ruby loving him, he’d be nothing today!” Ruby shot them a look that silenced them, then turned her gaze to me, her voice softening into a fragile, pleading tone. “Honey, I’m so sorry.” “I know my illness has been hard on you. You never used to raise your voice at me. For the sake of the ten years we’ve loved each other, please, just calm down.” “Is it your mother’s medical bills again? Don’t be afraid to ask. Your mom is my family, too.” Watching Ruby humble herself to coax me, the relatives clucked in admiration, but their glares at me grew sharper. “James, for a woman as sick as Ruby to treat you this well… you should be grateful,” one of them said. “Have we ever not taken care of your mother’s needs? Just tell us how much you need. We’ll figure it out,” Ruby’s father added, leaning on his cane. I knew what they were thinking. That I was too proud to ask the Ashwood family for more money, so I was resorting to this ridiculous drama. I met Ruby’s eyes as she reached for my hand. I pulled away. “The feeling is gone,” I said, my voice flat. “Let’s end this.” A dead silence fell over the room. Ruby threw her arms around me, her voice breaking into a sob. “James, don’t lie to me…” I pushed her off, taking two steps back. “It’s the truth.” “Let’s stop here. Try to keep some dignity.” Ruby stood there, stunned. In the corner, our daughter started wailing from her stroller. Ignoring everyone, I turned to leave again. CRASH. A water glass shattered on the floor in front of me. Dr. Collins had thrown it. He lunged forward, slamming the divorce papers against my chest, his finger pointing at my face as he spat, “James, are you even a man?” “Ruby gave up a scholarship to study abroad to marry you! She loves you so much! Is this how you repay her?” “Now that she’s sick, you’re just going to abandon her and your daughter?” “You ungrateful bastard!” I looked at the psychiatrist, who was practically vibrating with rage, and found it all amusing. “Dr. Collins, this is a matter between my wife and me. It has nothing to do with you, does it?” Spittle flew from his lips as he grabbed my collar. “She is still your wife!” “You have no idea how good you have it! Do you have any clue how much of the Ashwoods’ money you’ve burned through for that dying mother of yours?” “If Ruby hadn’t taken pity on you, if she didn’t love you, your mother would have been dead and buried years ago, you worthless bum!” I kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him stumbling backward. “Get lost. A family dinner is no place for a shrink to play hero.” Ruby shoved me aside and scrambled to help Dr. Collins. “James, why are you taking it out on him? He’s innocent!” “He’s a piece of trash who needs to learn to watch his mouth!” I snarled, glancing at the two of them on the floor, their dynamic making my resolve even harder. The chorus of insults from the relatives grew louder, a wave of condemnation washing over me, erasing ten years of my life and my dedication. They called me a leech, saying Ruby had suffered endlessly by marrying me. Dr. Collins patted Ruby’s hand. “It’s okay, Ruby. It’s my fault.” “As an outsider, I shouldn’t have judged Mr. Vance. Don’t get upset, you’ll make yourself sick.” He shook his head, his voice full of feigned regret. “How could it be your fault?” Ruby’s eyes were overflowing with sympathy for him. She looked up at me, her voice choked with tears. “Honey, do you really want to humiliate everyone like this?” “You know I love you. All our family is here today. Can’t you just give me this one thing? Let’s go home and talk.” Her tears fell, splashing onto Dr. Collins’s chest. I almost laughed. She only cried harder. The relatives rushed to comfort her, her performance painting me as the villain of the century. “James, you’ve taken good care of Ruby all these years.” “I’ve seen your hard work and how you care for your mother.” “Just be honest with us. What really happened? If it’s our family’s fault, we won’t deny it.” Ruby’s father limped over, trying to reason with me. But I wasn’t having it. My face was granite. “This marriage is over.” Her father choked, his face turning beet red. Ruby scrambled up from the floor and grabbed my arm, begging, “Honey, please don’t go.” When I didn’t move, she screamed, “You must be cheating on me!” I just looked at her, saying nothing. The sharp rap of a cane hit the floor. Her father’s voice was a low growl. “James Vance!” “Everything you have, every piece of clothing on your back, came from this family! And you still have a sick mother to support!” “You can either be a good husband, or you can leave with nothing but the clothes on your back. The choice is yours.” “I suggest you think very carefully. You have two days.” It was supposed to be a terrifying threat. The faces around me were hungry for my surrender. I ripped my arm from Ruby’s grasp. And walked out the door. As soon as I got in my car, a file was handed to me from the passenger seat. “This report should be more than enough.” My childhood friend, Maya, tilted her head toward the conclusive results. “Thanks for your hard work.” “And don’t forget,” I added, “the big gift we have for Ruby tomorrow.” I let out a long breath and opened the video Maya had just sent me. Every day, just before I was scheduled to get home from work, a figure would slip out of my front door. Then, as a final act of defiance, he’d taunt the security camera, dangling a different pair of lace panties each time. Two days was too long. I wanted to send them all to hell as fast as possible. When I went to pay for dinner, the server informed me my card had been declined. For years, the Ashwoods had controlled every cent I spent. They claimed it was to stop me from making risky investments, but really, it was to ensure the man who married their daughter never gained any real power. Ruby was the one who transferred money to my account each month. If she was in a good mood, I got a little extra. If she wasn’t, I got nothing. Since she changed the locks, the account had been empty. The next morning, I drove back to the house to pack my things. Before I even entered the gated community, a group of neighborhood women started pointing at me. “Isn’t that the Ashwoods’ son-in-law?” “I heard he found a richer mistress and is abandoning his wife and baby! What a white-trash freeloader!” “And that poor Ruby! She’s been sick ever since the baby was born, and now she has to deal with this! It’s a disgrace!” They spat sunflower seed shells in my direction, their voices sharp and loud enough for the whole street to hear. I started to turn, to defend myself. “Honey~” A Porsche pulled up beside me, and Ruby’s sweet voice drifted from inside. “I knew you’d be back. I just bought you a new tie. Come home and see it.” My face was a blank mask as I got into the back seat. I glanced at the designer label on the tie box and tossed it out the window. Ruby’s mouth opened, but no words came out. “Hey! That must have cost a fortune!” “He just threw it away?” The women outside scrambled toward the car to grab it. “Drive,” I said, nodding toward the underground garage. She suppressed her anger and followed me to our front door. When she opened it, Dr. Collins was in the living room, gently rocking our daughter’s cradle. Ruby’s eyes widened in shock. She struggled to compose herself, her voice stuttering. “Dr. Collins… was scheduled to… come by… for my therapy session.” I ignored them and walked straight to the bedroom. I was only here for one thing: the family heirloom bracelet my mother had asked me to give to my wife. Ruby no longer deserved it. Before I could step inside, Dr. Collins pushed the cradle in front of me, blocking my path with a self-satisfied smile. “James. It’s good that you came home.” “A child so young needs her father.” “Come and see your daughter.” He tried to pull me toward the cradle. I shook him off. He grabbed me again. My patience snapped. I shoved him away, my voice filled with disgust. “Get lost.” I went into the bedroom, opened the nightstand drawer, and took out the bracelet box. Dr. Collins followed me, lunging for the box, but I was too quick for him. “This belongs to my family. You think you’re worthy of touching it?” I pushed him hard. He stumbled back. Suddenly, the room was filled with a loud crash and the sound of a baby screaming. Dr. Collins was on the floor next to the overturned cradle. Ruby ran in, saw the scene, and immediately started screaming at me. “James! If anything happens to my daughter, I will destroy you!” She snatched up the baby, frantically checking her for injuries. “Ruby, it was all my fault,” Dr. Collins whimpered from the floor. “I just thought the baby missed her daddy, but James didn’t care at all… he just pushed us away.” While I was distracted, Ruby lunged, ripped the jewelry box from my hand, and slammed it on the floor with all her might, her eyes bloodshot. “For this piece of junk! You’d hurt your own flesh and blood?” My mind went blank, focused only on the bracelet. Thankfully, the box was sturdy. The heirloom was unharmed. Dr. Collins yelled from behind me, “You’re a monster! Your daughter gets hurt and all you care about is a stupid bracelet? Is it more important than her life?” Ruby righted the cradle, her eyes swimming with tears as she stared at me. “James, you better pray that she’s okay!” “Take your trash and get out of my house!” “And never come back!” “After the court hearing tomorrow, not only will you leave with nothing, but I’ll make sure you lose everything and everyone you care about!” “Get out!” she shrieked like a madwoman, throwing whatever she could grab. I just protected the box and walked out of that toxic hellhole. I wasn’t even out of the neighborhood when Maya called, telling me to check the trending topics online. A tidal wave of hate crashed over me. I was a money-grubbing scumbag. A leech who could only survive by clinging to rich women. A misogynist who valued a non-existent male heir over his own daughter. Countless accusations were piled on me, illustrated with AI-generated images that made them look horrifyingly real. “Scrub everything about my mother. For the rest of it, file lawsuits,” I told Maya and hung up, letting the storm rage. After lunch, I announced I would be holding a livestream that afternoon. Ruby called me over a hundred times. I didn’t answer. Finally, she showed up outside Maya’s apartment building with a banner and a bullhorn. The noise was deafening. “James, the entire internet hates you right now!” “Going live won’t help! If you just apologize and come to your senses, I’m willing to give you another chance!” I watched her from behind the floor-to-ceiling window, my face impassive. Dr. Collins took the bullhorn. “Ruby is willing to forgive you! Why are you making this so hard on yourself? This livestream will only make things worse!” “Just admit you’re wrong, and your mother might still have a chance!” Ruby’s father was there too, sitting under a patio umbrella. His voice was a low rumble. “James, don’t be so impulsive.” “What man in his right mind divorces his wife because she changed the locks on the door?” Their words were supposed to sound like advice, but they felt like threats. I watched the second hand on the clock complete its final sweep. The livestream started. As expected, the comments were a waterfall of insults. Not to be outdone, Ruby started her own stream using her company’s account and requested to join mine. The screen split in two. “James, since you refuse to see reason, don’t blame me for what comes next.” On her side of the screen, she displayed my credit card statements from exclusive private clubs and a series of sordid, fabricated chat logs. 【Wow, he really is trash! So dirty!】 【Poor Ruby! I support the divorce!!】 【I’m a lawyer, and I can tell you this scumbag is leaving with NOTHING!】 “So, what do you think? Let’s let the public be the judge today!” Ruby said, smugly fanning herself behind a pair of oversized sunglasses. I gave a cold, humorless laugh, turned up the A/C, and said calmly, “Eight hundred and ninety-one.” At that, Ruby froze. She quickly resumed fanning herself, faster this time. “Don’t start quoting legal statutes. You don’t know any.” “Is it a legal statute, Ruby?” Beside me, Maya couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter. It was time to unwrap the gift.

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That was the last time I ever brought up the subject of our engagement with Rhys Kingston. The room went silent. Then, a collective snicker turned into a roar of laughter when they caught the look of sheer annoyance on Rhys’s face. “Seriously, a childhood promise? What is this, a Jane Austen novel?” “Our Princess Anya is finally feeling the heat, huh? Thought that old family pact kept you safe?” I ignored the crass, drunken mockery. My eyes were fixed on Rhys, who was draped in a velvet armchair. His shirt collar was undone, and I could just make out faint, tell-tale marks—hickeys—on the skin above his collarbone. My heart seized, a sharp, almost surgical kind of pain. The full, brutal realization of what those marks meant hit me a second later than the sting. “We were naive children, Anya. That kind of ridiculous arrangement only makes sense when you’re twelve.” Rhys met my gaze, a lazy, utterly dismissive look. His lips curled in subtle mockery. “We’re not kids anymore, Anya Wells. Let’s be adults and call this whole childhood thing what it is: over.” 1 I stared at him, my mind scrambling for a response. The door to the private penthouse lounge swung open. Holly Quinn came in, wearing the black uniform of the catering staff, holding a tray of champagne flutes. She flinched visibly when she saw me, her voice dropping to a near-inaudible whisper. “Ethan’s sister… I mean, Miss Wells.” Then, quick as a flash, she darted a tearful glance at Rhys. “I—I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize I was interrupting something.” Holly’s voice trembled as she rushed to set the tray down and leave. Rhys’s composure broke. He suddenly kicked out, flipping the heavy mahogany coffee table in front of him. Glasses shattered, and the sound of cracking crystal echoed through the sudden silence. Shards of glass flew. A piece grazed my arm—a sharp, immediate stinging—and I watched the blood bead up, slowly spilling onto my white dress. Rhys didn’t even glance my way. His face was thunderous as he strode toward Holly. He roughly grabbed the frilly apron tied around her waist and yanked it off. “Holly, did I not make myself clear? You are not to be working here or anywhere.” She nodded immediately, obediently, but then her eyes welled up. “I just… I don’t want to keep leaning on you, Rhys. You and Ethan have done too much already. I can earn my own living…” “But it makes me sick to see you in this,” Rhys growled, tossing the apron aside. “You’re coming home with me now. And if I ever see you trying to work again, I swear I will personally shut down the place.” He spun around, his gaze finally snapping back to me. “And anyone—anyone at all—who tries to use their connections to make your life difficult, they’re going to pay. No history, no relationship, will matter to me.” I pressed my hand to my bleeding arm. The room was chaos, but I held his gaze, my face a mask of cold neutrality. This penthouse lounge is part of the Wells Group portfolio. Rhys thought I had pulled strings, using my family’s power to make a point, to make her suffer. The ridiculous, painful thing was that Holly was already living like a pampered princess, showered in my brother’s and Rhys’s money. She had no need to “work her way through life.” But I knew that even if I presented the club manager as a witness, Rhys wouldn’t believe a word of it. In his mind, I was the malicious antagonist, the entitled heiress using her power to crush the fragile, innocent heroine. “Anya Wells,” Rhys said, his voice flat with finality. He pulled Holly securely into his side. “You’re too much, Anya. Too demanding. Too dramatic.” He tightened his grip on her shoulder. “The engagement is off, officially. You can stop grasping at that childhood agreement now.” The room went silent again. Holly’s face went white, and she trembled, shrinking further into Rhys’s embrace. My so-called friends looked at me with a mix of disgust and pity. A strange feeling, almost like relief, washed over me. I remembered the months of hysterical arguments and the tears I’d shed, all because my entitled, spoiled existence couldn’t handle sharing the unconditional affection that had once been solely mine. I reacted, I threw tantrums, I cried. All I managed was to cement their loyalty to her. Now, I was simply tired. Exhausted, down to the bone. “Fine,” I heard myself say. It was a single, utterly calm word. I took a slow step forward. Rhys instantly moved to shield Holly further. “Anya Wells, you want to start something, start it with me.” I lowered my injured hand and spread my fingers. The white skin of my palm was a mess of spreading crimson. Rhys’s eyes flickered, the anger in them softening a fraction, a brief moment of human doubt. But then Holly pulled away from him. “Anya, please don’t be angry with Rhys. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t have intruded…” Her tears began to fall perfectly on cue, running down her porcelain cheeks. “I’ll leave right now.” “Holly, I told you. I have you,” Rhys whispered, immediately stroking her cheek and wiping her tears away. Any brief moment of wavering was gone, replaced by a fierce protectiveness—and unconcealed revulsion directed at me. “Anya, why do you have to be so manipulative—” I cut him off. “Ending the engagement is fine. But I want my things back.” Rhys looked confused. “What things?” I reached behind my neck and unclipped the scarlet cord. Hanging from it was a small, plain silver locket—the heirloom his mother had given me when the pact was made. My mother had given him a heavy, much more valuable signet ring, a family heirloom blessed by some high-ranking archbishop in the past. “The locket for the scarlet wristlet,” I stated, referring to the ornate silver cuff he’d received. Rhys’s face hardened. He knew how much that locket meant to me. I hadn’t taken it off since I was fifteen. “You think everyone is as obsessively sentimental as you are, clinging to sentimental trash?” Rhys scoffed, snatching the locket from my hand. He held my scarlet wristlet, the piece that had been mine since childhood, and sneered. “What a pathetic thing. Carrying it around like some lovesick puppy.” He gave me one last cold look. “I’ll find your wristlet and have it delivered to your house. We’ll be done.” * * * Ethan was waiting for me in the living room when I got home. “Anya, listen, there’s something I need to tell you.” He handed me a thick folder of documents. “I’m planning to sign over the title of the Commerce Building to Holly so she can manage the leases and have an income stream.” I looked at the documents. That building was part of Mom’s estate—a massive asset she brought into the Wells family from her side. I snatched the stack of papers and tore them, cleanly and deliberately, right down the middle. “Anya! What is the meaning of this?” Ethan pushed his glasses up, looking severely disappointed. “I covered for you when you shoved Holly down the stairs last month. You owe her this, if not more.” He lowered his voice. “Did you forget Mom’s final request?” Ethan fell silent. On her deathbed, Mom had made him swear to protect me, to look after me, and to never let anyone steal what was mine. “I didn’t forget,” he said slowly. “But Anya, she’s my sister now too. Is it really too much to ask for me to split my affection? To share the love I have for you with her?” He sighed, a patronizing sound. “You’re being stubborn and spoiled. Why can’t you be more like Holly?” The urge to laugh died in my throat, replaced by a sudden, choking well of tears. “Ethan Wells,” I said, my voice dangerously soft. “Mom’s legacy. Nobody takes it.” I dropped the shredded papers into the bin. “You want to give Holly a gift? Give her one of Dad’s properties.” “What good things has the Wells family ever had?” he muttered, instantly recoiling. I had the answer already: From people to property, nothing good remained. I turned and headed for the stairs. “Mom’s death anniversary is next week. Don’t forget.” “How could I forget?” Ethan gave a weak, shifty smile. “You go rest. I’m heading to the study to catch up on some work.” I didn’t reply, nor did I look back. I didn’t sleep that night. I walked through the house, collecting every single item that held a memory of the three of us—Ethan, Rhys, and me. The photos I burned in the fireplace. Anything that could be smashed, I smashed. Whatever was salvageable—expensive clothes, jewelry, books—went into boxes destined for a local charity. Only the house remained—the small villa that was the only place Mom had ever felt happy in. I sat out on the balcony, holding Mom’s framed photograph, and cried until I finally drifted off to sleep. The day after my birthday was Mom’s anniversary. She had held on just long enough for me to celebrate one last time. For eight years since, Rhys had never failed to spend the entire day with me, making sure I got through it. This was the first time he’d bail. It didn’t matter. But while Rhys was absent, Holly’s influence was not. Her Instagram feed was a continuous stream of celebration all night, which my frenemy, Chelsea, helpfully live-streamed to me. “Couldn’t think of a reason for a party, so Rhys suggested we celebrate my new tablet! Just kidding—it’s really just an excuse for cake and champange! Look at my new tiara!” I quit Instagram, flipped my phone face-down on the nightstand, closed my eyes, and made a wish over the flickering candle. “Mom, please bless me with a clean break. Mom, please help me finally be free of these rotten people.” On Mom’s anniversary, I waited. Dad sent flowers and a few expensive items for the memorial. Ethan never showed. I called three times. No answer. The fourth call was answered by Brenda Quinn, Holly’s mother. “Anya, honey, is that you? Are you looking for Ethan?” “Today is my mother’s death anniversary.” “Oh, your mother’s anniversary? Bless her heart. You know, our little terrier just had a litter of puppies this morning, and Ethan and Holly have been so utterly distracted. They completely lost track of time.” She spoke with faux pity. “It’s probably too late to head over now, don’t you think?” “Auntie, who is it?” Holly’s sweet, muffled voice in the background. “It’s Anya. She sounds upset. What should I tell her, Ethan?” Ethan’s voice came on the line. “Anya, hello?” I hung up the phone and blocked his number immediately. Mom’s photo smiled back at me from the granite tombstone. It was a beautiful spring day, but kneeling there, I felt like I’d fallen into a cold, bottomless void. I hugged the stone marker and kissed the smooth surface. It’s okay, Mom. At least I’ll never forget. * * * I returned from the lawyer’s office to the house, only to find Rhys, Ethan, and Holly standing by the door. Holly was flanked by both of them, clutching a massive bouquet. Ethan spoke first. “Anya, look! Holly’s design just won the International Young Designers Award. I’m so proud of her.” “I was only trying to follow in Anya’s footsteps,” Holly said, a perfect picture of demure humility. Rhys took the portfolio and gave a dismissive laugh. “Follow her? Anya had the best tutors money could buy and never made it past the preliminary round. This takes real talent, baby. Don’t downplay it.” I ignored them and reached for the design pages. My breath caught. Sheet after sheet, the sketches were almost identical to my abandoned portfolio. Holly had stolen my work. “You stole my designs! Holly, you’re despicable!” I was trembling with fury, and my hand instinctively shot out to strike her. Rhys’s grip clamped down hard on my wrist, stopping me mid-air. He shoved me backward with a violent force that sent me sprawling onto the ground. “Anya Wells, your spoiled tantrums have gone too far.” He stood over me, livid. “Holly won that award fair and square. Where is your proof? If you can’t produce it, you’re making a slanderous accusation.” “I would never steal your work, Anya,” Holly cried, tears already streaming. “You hate me so much—I’ve never been near your computer!” She collapsed into Rhys’s arms. I looked desperately at Ethan. My computer had been in his study. Only he had access. Ethan immediately broke eye contact. I didn’t need any more answers. “Anya Wells, look at yourself.” Rhys looked down, radiating contempt. He threw the scarlet wristlet onto the ground near my hand. “I truly don’t know what I ever saw in you.” I looked up, ready to meet his mockery, but my eyes locked onto the delicate diamond tulip pendant around Holly’s neck—the necklace my mother had left to me. “Ethan! How could you give her Mom’s necklace?” I pointed at Holly, my vision swimming red. Ethan pressed his lips together, shifting nervously. “Anya…” Holly immediately reached for the clasp, tears falling faster. “Anya, I didn’t know this was your mother’s. I’ll take it off right away.” Ethan, instantly heartbroken by her distress, grabbed her hand. “Don’t, Holly. It’s my gift to you.” He turned back to me. “It’s just jewelry, Anya. A trinket. Holly loves it, and she deserves something nice. I’ll buy you a better one.” “I’d rather throw this thing into the ocean than let the daughter of the woman who destroyed Mom’s life wear it!” I screamed, the sound tearing from my throat. Ethan’s face flushed with shame. “Anya, stop with the hostility! That’s between the adults! What does any of that have to do with Holly?” Holly was sobbing hysterically, burying her face in Rhys’s chest. Rhys was incandescent. “Anya Wells, enough is enough!” He yanked the necklace off Holly’s neck and threw it at the ground with force. “Here! Take your damn trinket! Let’s go, Holly. I’ll buy you a piece ten times better and ten times more expensive right now.” Ethan sighed, then looked at me with pity. “Anya, why do you have to be so difficult? Why can’t you be a little kinder? Holly is going through so much.” He lowered his voice. “She needs this win to establish herself in the design world. It’s her first step toward having a real life here… and to eventually be accepted by the Kingston family.” He reached out to help me up. “Anya, please…” “Get your hand off me,” I hissed, pushing his arm away. I looked at him, and then I smiled—a cold, genuine smile. “Brother,” I said. It was the last time I would ever use that title. “You will get what you deserve.” Ethan frowned, unwilling to meet my eyes. “Anya, I promise, I’ll fix this. I’ll make it up to you.” He rushed to catch up with Rhys and Holly, his back turning on me. I sank down, picked up the diamond tulip, and clutched it to my chest. I didn’t cry. I couldn’t. It was the strange, numb calm that comes when human pain finally exceeds the capacity for tears. The sun finally sank below the horizon, painting the sky in a bloody, dramatic wash of orange and red. The weather forecast had warned about high temperatures and dry air. Late that night, I began to feed the thick stack of yellowed letters into the fireplace, followed by the photos. Rhys and Ethan and me, their faces all bright, beautiful, and happy. The smiles disappeared into the smoke, turning into nothing but fine gray dust. My eyes were hot from the flames. I leaned close, catching a glimpse of the old handwriting. Ethan wrote: “I will always love my little sister and protect her. Anya will be my princess forever.” Rhys wrote: “I’m going to marry Anya when we grow up, and we’ll have two kids—a boy and a girl.” They had meant every word. They had both sworn that I mattered more than their own lives. But the promises, like the faded ink on the page, always drift away on the wind. The heat scorched my fingertips, and I dropped the last piece. It drifted down onto a forgotten silk garment bag. The small flames caught, licking up the side of the curtains and then onto an old storage trunk. Thick smoke began to pour out of the window. Rhys’s number flashed on my phone. I didn’t answer. Ethan called next. I hung up. As I was about to block them both, a text from Rhys came through. “Anya, look, Holly is still your sister. I wish you could just be happy for her. She really hoped you’d call. I’m going to buy you that set of diamond studs you liked tomorrow. Don’t be difficult.” Ethan’s text followed immediately. “Anya, I’ll pay for a custom replica of Mom’s necklace. I’ll make it up to you. Can you just forgive me?” I wanted to laugh, and finally, the tears came—choked, silent, and bitter. My reply to Rhys: “I hope she gets disqualified, and I hope you both burn for what you did to my mother.” My reply to Ethan: “Go ask Mom for forgiveness. Oh, wait. You can’t.” I blocked and deleted their numbers. I dragged my single suitcase out, taking one last look at the house saturated with memories, and walked away without looking back. Soon after I left, a draft caught the candle I’d left burning by the fireplace. The small flicker became a hungry lick of fire. The dry air and the old wooden structure devoured the flame. The home, the archive of our life, was a ruin.

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Five thirty PM. I was just packing up to leave when a message from my colleague, Karen, popped up on my screen. It was a document, followed by a pleading emoji. Then, the text: “Kathy, I have to run and pick up my son from school. Could you just finish this little bit for me?” I glanced at the progress bar on the document she’d sent. My brow furrowed. “Karen, this is a lot more than a ‘little bit.’ I have plans tonight.” I thought that would be the end of it. I was wrong. She appeared at my desk, her voice sharp and laced with a grating, matter-of-fact entitlement. “Kathy Kim, are your plans more important than me picking up my child? Besides, it’s not like you have kids. You’re just going home to an empty house. Just stay and do a little overtime for me.” 1. Karen’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was pitched to carry across the entire open-plan office. The room fell silent. A few pairs of eyes, glinting with schadenfreude, landed on me. My fingers tightened on the mouse until my knuckles were white. “Karen, this is your work.” Her volume shot up instantly, her face a mask of disbelief as if I had committed an unforgivable sin. “Why are you being so selfish? This is for my child! For the next generation! What’s the big deal with helping out? Have you no compassion?” Another mother from a nearby desk immediately chimed in, her words dripping with passive aggression. “Yeah, Kathy. Karen’s son, Cody, is so adorable. It’s not easy being a mom.” A third colleague covered her mouth, whispering in a stagey, sympathetic tone, “People without children probably can’t understand that feeling. They can be so cold-hearted.” Every word was a needle, pricking at me from all sides. I took a deep breath and shut down my computer. “I told you. I have plans.” I grabbed my bag and, under Karen’s stunned gaze, clocked out right on time. As I stepped out of the building, the evening breeze on my face did little to clear the knot of frustration in my chest. A black sedan was parked by the curb. The window rolled down, revealing Liam Carter’s face. “Get in.” I slid into the passenger seat, and he handed me a warm corn juice. “Getting guilt-tripped again?” I didn’t answer, just wrapped my hands around the warm cup. The car pulled smoothly into the evening traffic. “She’s dumped the quarterly data on you three times now,” Liam said, his voice flat. He was my father’s most trusted executive assistant, the man who had practically watched me grow up. “Her son’s birthday is this month,” I recited, leaning back and watching the city lights blur past the window. “Next week is a parent-teacher conference, and the week after that is a field trip.” “So she’ll always have another excuse,” Liam finished for me, glancing over. “What are you going to do?” “What can I do? When I can’t take it anymore, I’ll fight back.” I managed a tired smile. Liam didn’t press further. When I got home, I had just slipped off my shoes when my phone began to vibrate uncontrollably. It was the department group chat. Karen had posted a long, tear-jerking monologue. “It’s so sad how cold young people are these days. As a mother, all I did was ask for a little help with some finishing touches so I could pick up my son, and she just stormed off. When we were new, we did everything for our seniors—got them coffee, made copies, you name it. Now? There’s just no sense of team spirit.” A few replies popped up immediately. “Don’t be angry, Karen. Some people just have no sense of responsibility.” “She’s not a mom. She can’t understand your struggles.” “I’ll mention it to the manager for you tomorrow.” I stared at the screen, my face a blank mask. Liam walked over and gently took the phone from my hand. “Stop looking at that. She’s a buffoon.” “She’s not. She’s a mirror.” I looked up at him. “One that reflects a lot of people.” 2. The moment I stepped into the office the next morning, I knew something was wrong. My desk was buried under a mountain of files, far more than a day’s worth of work. Karen sauntered over, a smug smirk on her face and a coffee in her hand. “Kathy, darling. The manager noticed you left early yesterday, so you must have plenty of energy. He said you can handle all of this today.” The manager poked his head out of his office. “That’s right, Kathy. It’s a blessing for young people to work hard.” I ignored them, sat down, and turned on my computer. Then, I stood up. I gathered the tallest stack of files from my desk and walked, step by deliberate step, over to the large office trash can. With a thunderous crash, I dumped the entire stack inside. Paper scattered like snowflakes, a few sheets drifting to rest at the manager’s feet. The office fell dead silent. Karen’s coffee cup slipped, splashing hot liquid on her hand. She let out a sharp cry. “Kathy Kim! Are you insane? Those are important documents!” “Important documents?” I turned, my gaze pinning her in place. “If they were so important, why were they piled on my desk instead of being properly filed in the archives?” I advanced on her, the click of my heels on the linoleum floor sounding like a death knell. “In this pile, there were three sets of old data that should have been archived last month, five procedural forms from other departments, and two of your own personal expense reports. Am I wrong?” Karen’s face cycled through shades of red, white, and a sickly green. “You… You’re lying!” “Am I? We can just dig through the trash and find out.” My eyes swept over her, then landed on the terrified manager. “Or, we could call down someone from the Chairman’s office to help us assess the value of these ‘important documents’.” The manager’s face turned the color of liver. He shot Karen a venomous glare before forcing a smile that was uglier than a grimace. “A misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding. Kathy, don’t get worked up. Karen was just joking with you.” He scurried over to the trash can, pathetically trying to salvage the papers. I didn’t stop him. “A joke?” I looked at him, the contempt in my eyes palpable. “Joking with company work? Is that your management style?” His hands froze mid-air. Beads of sweat popped out on his forehead. “I… of course that’s not what I meant.” “Then what did you mean?” I pressed, my voice low but every word a dagger. The other colleagues didn’t dare breathe, desperately trying to merge with their computer screens. The ones who had cheered Karen on in the group chat last night looked like they wanted to crawl inside their monitors and disappear. Karen stood frozen, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word. Finally, the manager broke. “It’s my fault. My management was lacking. Kathy, please, calm down. I promise I will give you a proper resolution to this.” He yanked Karen into his office, and the door slammed shut with a resounding boom. I returned to my desk. The world was finally quiet. During my lunch break, a message from Liam came through. Heard you went on a rampage this morning. I replied: Just taking out the trash. A few minutes later, another message. Well done. But now they’ll just move their attacks from the open to the shadows. I stared at the screen and typed back. I’m waiting. 3. After being reprimanded, Karen kept a low profile for a few days. She stopped openly pushing her work onto me, but the whispers and gossip about me in the office multiplied. “She thinks she can challenge her seniors and the manager just because she’s young and pretty.” “I heard she has connections. How else could she be so arrogant?” “It’s always the ones who look innocent. They’re the most calculating.” I ignored it all. That afternoon, our department was given an urgent, high-stakes assignment: design the invitation for a major charity gala. The deadline was tight, and the manager put Karen in charge. The first thing she did was come to me. This time, her posture was different. She was humble, almost pleading. “Kathy, I know you’re the strongest designer we have. This invitation is incredibly important; it’s our whole department’s reputation on the line. Can you please help me?” She paused, then added the clincher. “I’m begging you. You know I have Cody to take care of. I just don’t have the energy for something this big.” I saw the glint in her eye and asked calmly, “Help you? Does that mean I lead, or you do?” “You lead, of course!” she said quickly. “I’ll be your assistant! And the credit will all be yours in the end!” I nodded. “Fine.” I took the project and dove in headfirst. This wasn’t just an invitation; it was a representation of the entire corporation’s image. I researched extensively, and inspired by the gala’s theme, “A River of Stars,” I developed a concept that blended a celestial night sky with silhouettes of ancient architecture. To achieve the perfect effect, I even asked Liam to connect me with a master artisan, a specialist in the traditional craft of silhouette cutting. He handcrafted the silhouette portion, which I then scanned for digital post-processing. For three straight days, I practically lived at the office. Karen, my supposed “assistant,” did nothing but leave on the dot every day to pick up her son. She’d occasionally pop by my desk to ask, “How’s it coming along?” before snapping a few pictures of me hard at work. She’d then post them in the department group chat with captions like, “Kathy is working so hard! Let’s all cheer her on!” On Friday, the final proof was ready. The exquisite, hollowed-out star map, paired with the elegant, classic silhouette, was breathtaking. The manager was effusive with his praise. “This is brilliant! Karen, you’ve really hit a home run this time!” Karen beamed. “Oh, it was nothing. I just had a good initial concept, and Kathy helped out a lot, of course.” I stood to the side, silent. Karen clutched the design proofs as if they were her newborn child. “Sir, I’ll take this over to the project lead at corporate headquarters myself. It’ll be a good chance to explain my design philosophy in person.” The manager nodded eagerly. “Excellent idea, excellent.” I watched her stride triumphantly out of the office, a cold smile playing on my lips. Liam was right. They had just moved their methods into the shadows. And I had already built the stage for their performance. I opened my laptop and sent an encrypted file to Liam. It contained every draft of my design from the past three days, my inspiration notes, the communication records with the silhouette artist, and, hidden in the bottom right corner of the final design, my initials—CV—encoded in Morse code. I sent him a message. Fish is on the hook. He replied instantly. The net is ready.

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