Category: English

1 Seven years. That’s how long I’d been back with the Moreaus, the family I was born into. And in all that time, they all still hated me. My parents found the stench of poverty impossible to wash off me, a stark contrast to the effortless grace of the girl who had taken my place. My biological brother, Marcus, blamed me for the year the false daughter had to move out and “suffer” after I first came home. When she moved back in, he guarded her like a junkyard dog, convinced I was a constant threat. Even Rhys, the boy I practically raised from infancy, declared that the false daughter, Sophie, was the sister he’d always dreamed of. Me? I was the wicked witch who wouldn’t let him eat junk food or play video games all day. He once told me, with all the certainty of a child, that no one in the world would ever love me. I thought he was right. It had to be something in the air of this world, something fundamentally toxic to my existence. So when a System appeared out of nowhere and asked if I wanted to complete missions in other worlds, I didn’t hesitate. I agreed instantly. … The System came for me the day I got out of the detention center. I’d been locked up for two weeks. Outside, winter had sunk its teeth into the air. I wrapped my thin windbreaker tighter around myself. Hunching my shoulders against the biting wind, I mumbled to the System. “Are you sure? As soon as this body dies, you can take me away?” After receiving a firm confirmation, my eyes settled on the nearby lake. I had just started walking toward it when a heavy coat was draped over my shoulders. I turned my head and came face-to-face with a sight that made my stomach churn. My dear brother, Marcus Moreau. Two weeks ago, he was the one who had personally escorted me to the police station. It was because Sophie’s masterpiece for the art competition, which had mysteriously gone missing, was found in my room. In shreds. At first, I had screamed myself hoarse, trying to defend myself. But as I looked at their impassive faces, my explanations withered into despair. I had forgotten. Sometimes, the truth doesn’t matter. Everyone has their own set of scales. And a single one of Sophie’s tears could outweigh my entire existence. Marcus had wiped away that tear and told me, his face a mask of cold disappointment, that I needed to learn a lesson. Remembering that, I shrugged my shoulders. The heavy men’s coat slid off and landed in a heap on the dusty ground. Marcus’s face tightened, his expression growing colder still. The old me would have been a mess of anxiety, forcing a placating smile. But now, I just gave him a sideways glance before looking away. “Does Sophie know you’re here?” I asked, my voice flat. “Because I’d hate for her to shed a tear and have you pin the blame on me again.” I offered a thin, humorless smile. “Two weeks ago, she cried, and you sent me to a detention center. You gave me a permanent record and made sure I wouldn’t be able to graduate. If she cries again, what’s next? Do you want me to bleed out to dry her tears for you?” Marcus, who had bent down to pick up the coat, froze. He stayed like that for several long seconds. After all, we both knew the truth. Sophie had destroyed her own painting. It was a pathetic, self-staged drama. Over the years, her schemes had always been clumsy and obvious, but our parents, Marcus, and Rhys had all chosen to be blind. Finally, he straightened up, brushing the dust from his coat. He didn’t offer it to me again. He kept his eyes on the ground. “Come home. Mom and Dad are waiting.” He paused, then finally looked at me. “Mom bought you a strawberry cake.” He reached for my hand. I flinched back, taking several steps away. “I don’t eat strawberry cake. I ate Sophie’s once, and you locked me outside in the courtyard to stand all night. Remember? It was snowing, too.” The fingers of his outstretched hand curled into a fist. He looked away, his gaze darting around like a cornered animal. A silent, bitter laugh formed on my lips. I knew he remembered. That night, as I stood shivering in the snow-filled courtyard, I had looked up and seen him in his second-floor bedroom, warm in a thin sweater. He gave me a single, indifferent glance before drawing the curtains shut. Snowflakes landed on my eyelashes, melting into cold trickles that slid down my numb face. I couldn’t tell if they were water or tears. 2 Marcus’s face was a mess of shame and conflict. His lips moved as if to say something more, but I was already done listening. The System had promised me a new world. A world where I would have loving parents and a brilliant older brother who adored me. A world completely different from this one, where every meal I’d eaten for seven years had felt like choking down uncooked rice. With that thought, I took a deep breath and broke into a run toward the man-made lake. “Cora! Where are you going?” As I sprinted, I could hear his frantic footsteps pounding on the pavement behind me. “Cora! No one at home is blaming you! Sophie promised she’d try to get along with you! You need to stop this, right now—” His angry shouts died in his throat. Because without a moment’s hesitation, I launched myself toward the thin sheet of ice forming at the water’s edge. I ran, full of joy, toward my new world. But in the next second, my vision flipped. A strong arm wrapped around my waist, tackling me to the frozen grass. At the same time, I heard a loud splash. I sat up, pushing myself from the ground, and saw Marcus flailing in the icy water. He couldn’t swim. I could hear his choked gasps for air, his face already turning a deathly shade of blue from the cold. I just sat there on the lawn, watching him sink, my expression blank. Chaos erupted on the shore. Someone jumped in and dragged him out. Wrapped in a blanket, Marcus shivered violently, but his eyes, across the frantic crowd, found mine. For the first time, those eyes, which always held such cold assessment and judgment when they looked at me, held something else. They held pain. Anguish. But what did he have to be anguished about? I shook my head, a scornful smile on my face. When the Moreau family found me at fifteen, I actually had one good year. Back then, Sophie had claimed she felt guilty for stealing my life of privilege. She announced she was giving me back my parents and brother, and she moved out with Rhys. She left with a dramatic flourish, deleting all her contact information for the family. That year, my mother cooked my favorite dishes. My father canceled business dinners to eat with me. And Marcus would pick me up from school every day. The dinner table was often silent, and Marcus was always distracted on the drives home, but I was still clumsy and greedy in my enjoyment of the warmth I had been denied for fifteen years. I thought I finally had a home. But the next year, Sophie came back, with Rhys in tow. She was rail-thin and looked like a startled bird. And just like that, in less than a year, my father, mother, and brother were no longer mine. The food on the table was always Sophie’s favorite. My father, no matter how late he came home, would always peek into her room. And I never saw Marcus’s car at the school gates again. Then came Sophie’s endless campaign of sabotage. She said I tore her dress. Marcus believed her and threw my entire wardrobe into the backyard pond. She said I stole her necklace. Marcus looked at me like I was scum. “Give it back to her, Cora. Don’t make me search your room.” The necklace was later found in a hidden compartment of Sophie’s own jewelry box. She just stuck out her tongue and said she’d forgotten, and no one cared about the suspicion and hurt I had endured. She said I was spreading rumors about her at school. Marcus didn’t even bother to ask me; he just canceled my car service. Sophie’s tactics were never clever, but they were sharp, and they dug into my flesh, causing a pain that was deep and relentless. My explanations were useless. Their favoritism was a fortress, and I was never allowed even a sliver of their affection. So what was this performance now? What was all this supposed to mean? 3 The crowd of onlookers on the shore began to disperse. I stood up, testing the ankle I had twisted in the fall. I had only taken a couple of steps when an ice-cold hand clamped down on my arm. “Cora, what in God’s name are you trying to do?” I didn’t answer. My eyes scanned the area, searching for a more efficient way to die. The lake was out. Too easy to be rescued, and too much trouble for the rescuers. Jumping from a building wouldn’t work unless it was high enough. Bashing my head against a wall wasn’t a guarantee… “Cora, answer me!” My silence enraged Marcus. He let out a low growl, his voice trembling on the edge of a breakdown. “What is it you want? Was that a threat? Were you trying to scare us? Let me tell you, Cora, threatening suicide is the most pathetic tactic there is! Do you think we’ll just give in to you? In your dreams!” His shouting made my ears ring, but strangely, I felt a laugh bubbling up inside me. See? People who don’t love you will see you hanging from a rope and think you’re just playing on a swing. Ignoring my struggles, Marcus dragged me into his car. He was soaking wet, his lips a deep shade of purple from the cold. But he seemed oblivious to it, one hand gripping the steering wheel, the other clamped around my wrist like a manacle. I tried to pull away, my voice calm. “Let go.” He didn’t. His grip only tightened. “Cora, Mom and Dad are waiting for us. You said you wanted to go to Disneyland, remember? I’ll buy the tickets in a few days. We’ll all go as a family.” A humorless smile twisted my lips. “Is Sophie going?” His fingers tightened on my wrist. After a few seconds of silence, he said, “I’ll keep an eye on her.” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. My laughter darkened his expression. “Cora, you don’t need to compete with Sophie. You—” I didn’t let him finish. I lunged for the steering wheel. The car swerved wildly on the empty road. Marcus’s voice cracked with terror. “Cora! Are you insane?” “We’re going to crash!” Perfect. A quick end for both of us. Dying with him was disgusting, but taking one of them with me felt like a fair trade. Fueled by that thought, I yanked the wheel with all my might. The car fishtailed violently before veering sharply to the right, crashing into the median strip. The screech of tires echoed in the sudden silence that followed. But apparently, Marcus had slammed on the brakes in time. The impact wasn’t even hard enough to deploy the airbags. My head swam. I sighed. Another failure. What a shame. The first thing I did was reach for the door handle. Locked. Marcus slumped in the driver’s seat, his face a ghastly shade of white. After a long moment, he turned to me, the corners of his eyes red, his voice a raw, broken whisper. “You really… want to die that badly? Even if… it means taking me with you?” I clutched my aching head, not even bothering to look at him. “Marcus, why didn’t you just drown in that lake?” 4 Marcus didn’t say another word. He just drove, forcing me back to the Moreau estate. The dead silence between us lasted until we stepped through the front door and saw Sophie. She was dressed in a white sundress, her cheeks rosy. It was clear my absence had been good for her. Her eyes widened when she saw Marcus, then narrowed at me, her face immediately crumpling into its usual mask of tearful victimhood. “Sister Cora, my brother went all the way to get you… what did you do to him? How could he be—” “Shut up.” Marcus’s voice was hoarse and dry, but it carried an undeniable weight. Sophie’s eyes flew open in disbelief. Even our parents, who had hurried into the foyer, looked stunned. I turned my head, surprised. It was the first time I had ever heard Marcus speak to Sophie with anything less than gentle indulgence. His head was bowed, his normally ramrod-straight spine slumped with an uncharacteristic weariness. “It has nothing to do with Cora.” He looked up, his gaze sweeping over all of us. “From now on, don’t jump to conclusions about my business, or Cora’s. Especially you.” He fixed his eyes on her. “Sophie.” The color drained from Sophie’s face. Her lips trembled, and tears began to stream down her cheeks. But this time, her usual pitiable act was tinged with genuine panic and hurt. “Brother… you’re yelling at me… for her?” Just then, another voice, clear but sharp with anger, cut in. “Marcus! How could you say that to my sister?” I looked up. Another traitor. Rhys. The younger brother I had raised by hand before I was “rescued” by the Moreaus. He stormed down the stairs and planted himself protectively in front of Sophie. I could still see the ghost of the little boy he used to be in his features, but the look he gave me was pure, cold hostility. “Cora! What lies have you been telling about my sister now?” “She has always treated you like her real sister, putting up with all your moods! How can you be so vicious, trying to drive a wedge between her and Marcus? Can’t you stand to see any of us happy?” His words had barely faded when my hand connected with his cheek in a sharp slap. He staggered back, clutching his face, his eyes wide with shock. “Cora… you… you hit me?” I looked into his disbelieving eyes and gave him a careless smile. “So what if I did? With a mouth that filthy, aren’t you just begging for it?” Perhaps because I had never treated him this way before, his expression went blank, a familiar, wounded look creeping into his eyes. For a fleeting moment, I was transported back in time. I was ten, and Rhys was three. Our parents had died together in a car accident. Suddenly, I, a child who could barely care for herself, became the guardian of a toddler. The meager settlement money was quickly spent by relatives on the pretext of buying a burial plot. So I learned to act like an adult. I went to the market to pick up the rotten vegetable leaves the vendors threw away. I would cook a pot of watery porridge, so thin you could see your reflection. I’d drink the water off the top and give the thicker parts at the bottom to Rhys. When he was old enough for school, I knew there wasn’t enough money for both of us. So, after my own classes, I would scavenge for scraps to sell. I was chased by stray dogs and bullied by other scavengers. Back then, I was steeped in the sour stench of the junkyard. My classmates would pinch their noses when I came near. The smell felt like it had seeped into my very skin. So much so that when I first arrived at the Moreau’s house, my mother rushed to embrace me, but her arms only hovered around me for a second before quickly pulling away. Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and she discreetly raised a hand to her nose. Rhys had seen my humiliation. As I stood there, frozen with shame, he reached out and squeezed my hand tightly. Then he stood in front of me and announced to the Moreau family that I was the best sister in the world, and if they dared to bully me, he would make them pay. That was the Rhys I knew. But a year after he and Sophie returned to the Moreau house, the best sister in the world became the worst. He was full of praise for Sophie and criticism for me. And now, this boy who constantly accused me of being manipulative and psychologically twisted, was looking at me with a rare flicker of hurt in his eyes. He stood there, head bowed, clutching his cheek, looking pathetic. His precious sister was clearly heartbroken for him. Sophie walked toward me, her voice trembling with perfectly modulated emotion. “Sister, please don’t be angry. Rhys is still young, he doesn’t know any better. He speaks without thinking. I’ll apologize to you on his behalf.” She reached out, as if to take my hand. “I didn’t raise him well. And I… I shouldn’t have come back. If my being here makes you so unhappy, if it’s tearing this family apart, I… I can leave again…” There it was. The same old act. As expected, our mother immediately wrapped a protective arm around her. “Sophie, don’t say such foolish things. This is your home.” Our father glared at me, his eyes full of warning. “Cora, don’t stir up trouble the moment you walk in the door.” I scanned the faces in the room. They were all clustered around Sophie, a protective circle. And there I was, standing alone in the entryway, an outsider who had never, not for a moment, belonged in this so-called family. The thought made me sigh. “You really are a loving family,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “So wonderfully, disgustingly alike.” They all stared at me, stunned. Sophie was the first to react. She tore herself from our mother’s grasp. “I’ll just die! I was a mistake from the beginning! If I die, everything will be clean again!” She ran to the nearby dining room, snatched a steak knife from the table, and held it to her wrist. “It’s all my fault…” “No! Sophie, put the knife down!” our mother shrieked, shooting me a look of pure hatred.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “390490”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

When we got married, Generals and Admirals in the Officer’s Housing fought to reserve the title of Godfather for our future child. My Captain husband wasn’t in a hurry, applying for delayed family planning every year. I thought he was busy with work, temporarily no mind to welcome a child. Until I scrolled to a mom blogger’s sharing post. She detailed in the post how she met, fell in love, and had a child with her current lover. But someone in the comments section analyzed something wrong, “Is the blogger a mistress? Whose serious husband doesn’t get a marriage license, doesn’t go public, and isn’t home by 11 PM every day?” “Does the blogger know about this? Does the other party’s wife know about this?” That mom unashamedly admitted her identity as a mistress, and even boasted, “So what if I’m a mistress, the one not loved is the mistress, I just missed the timing to marry him.” “As for his wife, whatever General’s daughter or Admiral’s daughter, anyway no matter how powerful, still have to be my defeated opponent.” The comments section was noisy, but I felt like falling into an ice cave. Because from those scattered words, I pieced together a terrible truth. That unsuspecting pitiful original wife, is me. Chapter 1 These days Sean Sterling has been leaving early and returning late, busy to the point of not eating properly. I know his military exercise mission is nearing the end, it’s the critical time. I tidied Sean’s study as usual, but saw the final draft of the operation plan on the desk. Without hesitation, I drove to his base, thinking I shouldn’t miss the afternoon briefing. Bored on the road scrolling phone, scrolled to that mom blogger’s post. The Paracord Bracelet on the man’s wrist in the picture caught my attention. I recognized at a glance that was Sean’s birthday gift last year, I handmade from raw material polishing to weaving. My heart clearly skipped a beat, I forced myself to calm down. But a few minutes after the woman admitted being a mistress, this post was immediately deleted. Guess verified, I endured trembling hands clicking into the account’s homepage. Video update frequency not high, every one is little woman’s muttering, and some PDA pictures: “Daughter is born, Mr. S calls her Peanut, looks like another daughter slave!” “Peanut always cries at night, I can’t rest well, Mr. S heartaches me, gave me limited edition necklace.” I know the owner of this account, she is Sean’s Junior from the Academy, Valerie. Man’s face in photos all blocked, but I already confirmed that Mr. S, is Sean who been with me for seven years. Until today, that account newly updated this one: “Third anniversary with Mr. S, want to be happy forever!” My hands couldn’t stop trembling, until base gate I reacted, tears already completely blurred vision. Confront? Or pretend to know nothing, continue living muddled life? When consciousness returned, I already arrived at base family reception room. While seeing Sean, I also saw the young woman and stroller beside him. Everything in that account confirmed, impact of picture becoming real object still made me almost faint. Child in stroller looks two or three years old, cheeks chubby, wearing a small military uniform. Valerie with elegant playful makeup, exquisite to even nails trimmed neatly. Valerie blew soup cool handed to Sean’s mouth, Sean face full of doting, eyes not moving a bit. Child in stroller unknown so, smilingly shouted with babbling voice: “Daddy, Mommy! Happy!” Sean obviously hasn’t discovered operation plan left at home, whole person not anxious not impatient: “Valerie, why you come base today, not rest well at home.” Valerie face coquettish: “Few days ago Peanut sick, you busy non-stop daily, I heartache you ah!” Turns out previous time not mission busy, was child sick. I instead heartached Sean, sat in living room till late night waiting him back daily. Valerie finished speaking sighed: “When can I be by your side openly ah, Peanut getting bigger, how to explain to her later.” Sean held Valerie’s hand like promising: “Hubby also let you call, all my comrades only recognize you one sister-in-law, you still not satisfied.” “Now home still has many chores to handle, I not bear you work hard, Clara doing it very handy.” Valerie seemed not buying this, brows frowned: “Then what about Peanut, like last time no daddy by side how can do? I don’t matter, but you can’t let Peanut be shameful whole life right.” Raising hand I saw dazzling couple rings on two people’s ring fingers, that set of rings I liked for long time. That time ordering Sean said female size not mine, but to not let me disappointed, he specially found a replacement ring. I thought he loved me, didn’t expect original ring long worn on other’s hand. Chapter 2 I wiped tears again and again, until eyes dry tears ran out. Valerie words ugly, Sean also irritable, he pulled military uniform collar, but still very restrained coaxing her: “Don’t worry, I will give you and Peanut an explanation.” “But think, Clara with me so long time, her dad before death also promoted me a lot, I can’t suddenly go back divorce her right.” Valerie completely threw temper, exquisite eyelashes trembling with her words. “What you mean ah, you so heartache Clara why come provoke me? Boohoo poor Peanut, your daddy heart no us!” Child small, didn’t understand these words, but Valerie holding her cry, she also started sobbing, one big one small cried into tear persons. After all in military base, even family reception room can’t mess around, Sean could only soften tone more, hugged this mother daughter pair: “Wifey wifey I wrong okay? Very soon okay? Very soon I let you become Mrs. Sterling okay?” I laughed, suddenly relieved. I took out phone recorded video of scene before eyes, then wiped dry tears, tore operation plan in hand into pieces, threw into trash can, turned left. On way back, phone notification rang, Valerie updated another one. This time picture is one man one woman two big hands wrapping child’s fist, caption is: “Dear Mr. S, thank you for your promise, I will wear most beautiful wedding dress become your wife.” Comment section of this one exploded many people, I clicked in one by one found Sean’s comrades inside. “Ohohoh, Officer S and Miss Y finally lovers become family?” “I cry dead, family of three just need to be neat tidy, sister-in-law I will always support you!” “Back then timid junior sister, finally marrying dream god officer?” I looked at those comments, saying not heartache is fake. Turns out everyone knew Sean had new “wife”, only me still kept in dark. Busy here there so many years, finally like I became the one breaking others family. I finished reading all comments, scrolled to bottom, in corner no one noticed someone mentioned me: “Then what about S & C?” That comment was only one not replied, nor deleted, As if mocking me, forgotten, ignored, betrayed. Once I incredibly believed Sean loved me, we two grew up in military compound, marriage alone seven years long. Me and Sean always didn’t want child, he said we both young, still want contribute more to army, and I also didn’t want bounded by child steps. This point I don’t know say Sean considerate me, or we coincided, no matter how family urged, Sean blocked for me. Relatives friends all felt we two in love, only want two people world. And I besides busy my work, managed Sean daily life orderly, his big small matters can’t leave me. Seven year itch, I knew would be cold, didn’t expect welcoming would be such a big surprise. I screenshotted everything for evidence, exited Valerie homepage, Clicked open Research Institute official website apply, without hesitation participated in this international scientific research exchange project. It is also time for me to consider for myself. Chapter 3 My mentor once invited me countless times to go abroad participate exchange project, but I all refused. Reason very funny, also very simple, because exchange shortest four years, I couldn’t bear throw Sean in country. Now good, everything in time. I just finished applying received success message, Sean phone called in. I think he finally discovered his operation plan not brought. I set phone to Do Not Disturb, just watched Sean called eighteen times in one breath. Seeing me delay answering, his text bombing also came: “Clara, help me check if there is file bag on my desk, inside has operation plan.” “Clara why you not answer phone? Saw my message?” “Now see immediately call me back.” “Clara where you go? Reply me immediately.” I watched him jumping feet breaking defense on phone other end, sneered once turned off phone. Back home I cleared messy things at home, love souvenirs I once treated as treasure I packed sold to waste collector. Love letters he wrote me, military models he made me, and other miscellaneous things, total sold $17.50, bought out all our emotions. Sure enough not valuable. Finished packing I made up a good sleep, night I was woken by Sean. He home immediately came question me: “Clara where you go today! I sent you so many messages called so many phones why you ignore me?” I felt somewhat funny, he wouldn’t really treat me as his orderly right, I must be on call anytime. “Body uncomfortable didn’t look phone, what wrong?” I not slow not fast, Sean irritably scratched hair: “My operation plan can’t find, maybe left home I wanted let you send me, but fine I explained to superior, look tomorrow.” I stretched waist lazy look him: “Oh, then you come back find yourself ba.” Sean seemed finally discover my emotion wrong, voice softened a bit: “What wrong Clara, is it I voice too fierce just now, sorry ma I just anxious…” I spread hands, face full indifference, anyway he calls everyone wife, who knows exactly how many wives he has. “No ah, I looked home no ba, maybe you left in your other home.” Sean face panicked for a moment, I hurriedly supplemented: “After all you often go your comrade home dinner something, right.” Chapter 4 I took Sean’s wonderful expression all in eyes. Sean sighed relief want come hug me, just then his phone rang. Sean looked phone, no remark number, but his expression very subtle, then looked up at me. “Why not answer ah?” I pretended reasonable look. Sean raised hand touched my head, I endured nausea looking at him. “Good oh I listen to you, I go answer now.” Sean followed steps down, picked phone ran to balcony start calling. Past times he avoided me answering phone, I all defaulted he military affairs phone, would leave enough space for him. But today different from past, this time I quietly hid at balcony door, heard his phone content. “Didn’t I say when I home you don’t contact me? I feel today she a bit suspicious.” Sean voice somewhat impatient, trying suppress temper. Phone other end don’t know said what, Sean sighed voice gentle down: “Good Valerie, I not that meaning, is want divorce but can’t let her discover ah, can’t let her have handle right.” “Mm mm, I know good Valerie, I go over immediately okay? You and Peanut obedient wait me fine.” I pretended nothing happened back to bed sitting, Sean walked out, sat bed side want hug me, I calmly dodged: “What wrong?” “Clara, today didn’t bring operation plan, mission report postponed, superior leaders not too happy, I today want go socialize apologize, not accompany you.” I look of understood, originally he at home I also not convenient pack things, hurry leave quite good. But I still want see, Valerie in his heart exactly how important. “But already very late, you haven’t accompanied me for days, I miss you.” I spoke against conscience, endured nausea look his reaction. Sean looked phone, heart tangled bad: “Clara, I promise you, accompany you tomorrow okay, you understand me a bit.” I looked his eyes somewhat forgot his original look, current Sean makes me so strange also so disappointed. “Okay, you go.” Sean like liberated quickly wore military uniform went out, I opened phone clicked into Valerie homepage, sure enough updated one: “Peanut slept early, I one sentence lonely Mr. S immediately fly back my side la, tonight use this lingerie take him down.” Picture is Valerie in sexy nightdress. I turned off phone, last trace expectation for Sean also gone, I packed things well, slept early. Next morning early, I printed divorce agreement lawyer sent me signed placed on table, and all evidence I grasped all spread on table, left without looking back. When Sean saw these I already sat on plane flying abroad, and I left for Sean only remain that divorce agreement, and my message: “Sean Sterling, let’s divorce.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “390508”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Cousin Chase suffered from kidney failure and needed $50,000 for a transplant. Aunt Brenda tagged everyone in the “Family Reunion” group chat, asking for donations. Relatives cried about their hardships one after another, symbolically donating $20. Only my mom took everything on herself: “We are all family, why scrape together? I’ll pay the $50,000 surgery fee.” Watching my mom enjoy the relatives praising her as “The Saint” and “Living Bodhisattva”. My heart skipped a beat. Since I can remember, my mom has been the “Saint” praised by relatives, preferring to eat chaff and swallow vegetables herself, just to dedicate selflessly. Especially for cousin Chase’s family, as long as they cry poor and sell misery, my mom would scour property from me to give them. Sure enough, next second, my mom called me, asking for $50,000. After being refused by me, she directly brought cousin’s family to break into my house. Sitting on the floor wailing: “You must pay the $50,000 for your cousin’s treatment!” “Otherwise, where do I put my face?” Chapter 1 Aunt Brenda wiped her non-existent tears. “Luna, your cousin is only 23, the doctor said if he doesn’t get a kidney transplant, he will die!” “You are successful now, making money, just take the money out, save your cousin!” I looked at Chase aside, face pale, thin out of shape. Indeed looked like seriously ill. But that sinister look in his eyes made me shiver. I subconsciously protected my 6-month pregnant belly: “I don’t have money.” “How can you not have! I see you just don’t want to save him!” Aunt Brenda immediately screamed sharply, eyes quickly glanced at the house, exchanged a look with my mom. Took out documents prepared long ago. “How about this, Auntie won’t make it difficult for you, don’t you have a house?” “Sign this paper, transfer the house to your cousin, we use it for mortgage, get a loan for surgery.” “When your cousin gets better, makes money, then return the house to you.” I picked up the file to look, it was an agreement giving full authority of the property to Chase. As long as I sign this, Chase can dispose of my house worth $200,000 at will. This is not borrowing money at all. Clearly planned to rob my house! I put the file back on the table. “Impossible! I won’t sign!” Aunt Brenda’s face sank: “Luna, are you leaving him to die?” “We said we would return it to you later, how can you be so cold-blooded! Watching your cousin die?” I almost laughed in anger. Every time said borrow, but never seen return. “Why don’t you mortgage your own house, insist on robbing mine?” My mom climbed up from the ground, scolded me sternly: “How do you talk to elders! If mortgage their house, where will your cousin live later?” “How can you be so vicious!” I looked into my mom’s eyes: “I am vicious?” “Mom, I am your biological daughter, I am pregnant!” “Given the house to them, with a big belly, what should I do?” My mom frowned tight: “Can you be same as him?” “He is your cousin, the only male heir of our Chan family!” This sentence again. The only male heir. So, I deserve to be their blood bag. “I don’t have money.” My attitude very firm: “Won’t sign either.” Aunt Brenda turned face on spot: “Carol, look at the good daughter you raised! Such a vicious heart, deliberately wanting to harm my Chase to death!” My mom rolled her eyes, plopped kneeling down, hugging my legs crying: “Luna, mom begs you… just sign it…” “Your cousin can’t die…” “If he dies, our Chan family line ends…” This trick again: cry, make scene, threaten suicide! Aunt Brenda’s family of three stood aside, watching coldly. My heart felt blocked by a stone, pressing me breathless. “Mom, get up.” My voice dry. “No!” My mom continued crying: “If you don’t sign I won’t get up!” “Then you just kneel.” I pried her hands open, about to return to room. She suddenly smashed her head against the wall. Huge dull sound hit my heart fiercely. Her head full of blood, screaming loud: “If you don’t agree, I die here today!” I froze on spot, cold all over. My mom, for others, threatened me with death. Took mom to hospital to bandage wound. Back home, Aunt Brenda’s family already left. Fruits and supplements in fridge already emptied, even stored ribs disappeared. Only left a mess in the house. I with big belly, cleaned until midnight. My mom didn’t mean to help at all. Even with a black face, constantly scolding me. “How did I raise such a selfish daughter like you!” “Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, this is also accumulating virtue for the child in your belly, don’t you understand this principle?” “I already promised in front of all relatives, I will pay your cousin’s surgery fee.” “You embarrassing me like this now, how can I face relatives later?” “You really, lost all my face!” … I finally couldn’t bear it, red eyes shouted: “For your face, you have to suck my blood, force me to sell house?” “Mom! Do you want to force me to death?” My mom froze for a few seconds, then turned angry from shame: “I am the recognized Saint, Living Bodhisattva! Is it wrong for me to help relatives?” I laughed with tears flowing: “Saint? Living Bodhisattva?” “Mom, your face, your so-called Saint persona, are all exchanged by drinking my blood, cutting my flesh!” “I am your daughter, not your blood bag!” “Even less your tool to earn face!” My mom chest heaving violently, pointing at me, fingers trembling: “You…” “You unfilial daughter!” “Knew earlier you are such selfish person, should have strangled you to death when born!” Finished, slammed door into guest room. Door vibration made my heart twitch in pain. Since childhood, I lived under shadow of mom’s “Saint”. As long as Aunt Brenda came to cry, cousin sick, cousin needs tuition. My mom sent all money at home to them. My shoes wore holes, money from selling bottles picked for half a year, wanted to buy a pair of new shoes. My mom turned around stole my piggy bank, subsidized cousin to buy $80 new sneakers. In college I worked day and night for living expenses, but cousin wanted to buy $300 game console, mom stole my money to give him without a word. I collapsed crying, questioning her why. She put on a face educating me, people can’t be selfish, all family, need help each other. But, all her joy of helping others, was built on depriving my interests. I returned to room tiredly, opened phone. All Aunt Brenda’s words in group condemning me leaving them in lurch, selfish. Even specially tagged me: “As long as you sign, then apologize to us, we won’t count with you.” My mom apologized one by one, saying didn’t educate me this unfilial daughter well. She definitely will gather surgery fee for Chase. Midnight, I got up passing guest room door, still could hear her mumbling phone call, guessing discussing how to force me sign. My heart ice cold. Husband sent abroad for business trip, I alone with big belly, no one to help. In case something happens, what to do. Thinking of this, I ordered pinhole camera overnight. Next day, taking advantage of mom mysteriously going out, hurried let master install it. Until night, mom came back carrying big and small bags of luggage. Smilingly said: “You with big belly, not convenient, mom come take care of you for a few days.” I felt a chill in heart. Pregnant till now, she never said come take care of me. Something wrong must have a demon. But, I never expected, my biological mom, would go this far for an outsider. Chapter 2 After a day, Aunt Brenda’s family came with a few rotten fruits. Enthusiastic as if the dispute day before yesterday was my hallucination. Making my heart hairy. Few people exchanged looks obscurely. Aunt Brenda smilingly reached out to pull me. “Luna ah, day before yesterday was Auntie too anxious, our fault, don’t take it to heart.” I withdrew hand, didn’t speak. She dry laughed twice, continued: “We went back thought about it, letting you give up the house, indeed not appropriate.” “We are all family, need understand each other, help each other.” “You are a girl, later inevitably need natal family brothers help, this is also for your good.” I watched her acting quietly. Her eyes rolled: “So, we thought of a good way, no need you pay money, also can help your cousin, accumulate virtue for child in your belly.” Seeing I didn’t answer, she embarrassed for few seconds, said to herself: “We asked doctor, if use family member’s kidney, no need spend money buy kidney source, can save a big sum.” My mom nodded repeatedly: “Right! This is a good way!” Aunt Brenda looked at me: “So, we came today, just to take you to do a matching test, in case matched, no need spend your money, and can save your cousin!” “We give you another $500 nutrition fee, worth your half month salary!” I protected belly, trembling all over. Turns out, this is the way they thought of! Their abacus, played too loud! $500, exchange my one kidney! I still have to be grateful, thank them for charity nutrition fee! Saying, she wanted to pull me to test. I stepped back directly, avoiding her. “I won’t go.” “Luna!” Uncle Bob stood up, voice unquestionable: “This blood, you don’t draw, have to draw!” Chase looked sinister: “Cousin, do you just hope I die?” My mom voice suddenly raised: “Luna! How did I raise such an ungrateful wolf like you!” I covered belly, looking at three sanctimonious people, unbelievable: “I am pregnant 6 months!” “Don’t you know, if donate kidney, must abort the child?” My mom shoulders shook, dared not look straight into my eyes. Aunt Brenda waved hand, face full of indifference. “Don’t worry, we arranged everything, as long as match successful, we arrange abortion surgery, very fast.” “After surgery, few days can donate kidney.” I red eyes, voice choked. “This is my child! Is a living life!” Aunt Brenda impatient: “Child can bear again!” “You are 28, why still so insensible?” “Is the money-losing goods in your belly important, or your cousin’s life important? Why can’t you distinguish?” I looked at this room of people more terrible than devils, holding phone in hand, trembling wanted to secretly call police. A slap suddenly hit my face, center of gravity unstable, fell on sofa, phone landed. Uncle Bob face twisted, pointing at me scolding: “I educate you well for your mom!” “Why you so selfish!” “Your child gone can conceive again, but your cousin’s life only one!” “Why you so vicious! Not giving your cousin a way to live!” My mom stepped forward, lips moved, said nothing. Aunt Brenda picked up my phone, suddenly screamed: “Not good, this damn girl wants to call police!” Everyone face changed. Uncle Bob face gloomy, voice like evil ghost crawled out from hell. “I knew you wouldn’t be obedient.” “Since so, don’t blame me being impolite!” Before I could react, was held by arms. “What are you doing? Let me go!” I struggled desperately: “This is kidnapping! Is illegal!” “Mom! I am your daughter! Beg you, save me!” My mom eye rims red, dodged sight: “Luna, just go check, count mom begging you…” A cloth with pungent smell covered my mouth and nose. My vision started blurring. Before completely losing consciousness, heard Aunt Brenda’s voice say, “Carol, since all need check, then you also go check.” Chapter 3 Open eyes again, I lay in my own bedroom. Inner arm a patch of bruise, huge needle hole stung my eyes painful. “Awake?” Aunt Brenda’s face magnified in front of eyes, smile creepy. Family occupied bedroom, drove my mom to sleep on living room sofa. They confiscated my phone, not allowed me go out. I finally understood, why that day my mom specially ran back pack luggage, but claimed to take care of me. At that time, they already decided to imprison me! I protected belly shouting: “Let me out!” “You are illegal detention! Is illegal!” Uncle Bob pressed cigarette butt on floor. “Don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!” “Stay obediently, release you naturally when matching result comes out in few days!” Three days in a row, I begged mom for help countless times, begged her give me phone, begged her help me call police. But she just looked difficult: “Luna ah, just listen, just donate a kidney, not painful.” My heart died completely. Few days later, result finally came out. Aunt Brenda holding few papers, eyes shining: “Matched successfully!” “Son, you are saved!” Family of three wept with joy. No one saw my mom dodging, hiding her own matching report. Uncle Bob took out donation consent form put in front of me: “Hurry sign.” Family took turns persuading me. Aunt Brenda said, wait I donate kidney, their family work like cattle and horses for me. Uncle Bob said, I don’t donate, not Chan family member, later die not let me and mom enter ancestral grave. Chase eyes sinister: “You think, you can escape?” They approached step by step, I retreated step by step towards door direction. Just when I was about to touch doorknob, Aunt Brenda suddenly screamed: “Bad! She wants to escape!” Uncle Bob face changed, grabbed me back, pulling my hair pressing to ground: “Damn girl! Dare escape, I beat you to death!” I clenched fists dead tight, unwilling to sign. Crying looking at mom: “Mom! I am your biological daughter!” “You just watch helplessly they force me and child to death?” “Mom… beg you, save me…” My mom stunned aside, lips trembling: “Child… can want again… you still young…” My face pain, Aunt Brenda hideous face magnified in front: “Don’t dawdle! Sign quickly!” My mom hand extended, retracted again. “Don’t… don’t hit her… she still pregnant…” Uncle Bob snorted, pushed me towards wall: “Pregnant what! Anyway this bastard seed all aborted!” I hit wall, belly hit table corner hard. “Ah! My belly!” I curled up in pain, bright red blood flowed from between legs. “Mom…” I reached out, voice weak: “Send me hospital… child…” My mom wanted rush over support me, pulled by Aunt Brenda. “Don’t believe her! She just doesn’t want donate kidney, deliberately faking!” My voice weak, trembling all over: “Not faking…” “Beg you… save my child…” Aunt Brenda eyes rolled: “Miscarriage just right! Saved abortion surgery money!” “Quick! Take chance now, let her sign!” She excitedly greeted: “Also, let her sign house authorization too!” My mom knelt in front of me crying bitterly: “Luna, just sign it…” “Sign mom send you to hospital…” I started consciousness blurring, felt someone holding my hand writing something. Signed, my mom shouted: “Quick! Send her hospital!” “Rush what!” Aunt Brenda snatched file, holding property deed: “Hurry transfer house! Or what if she regrets!” My mom face difficult: “But Luna she…” “Can’t die!” My mom dragged away by Aunt Brenda. Moment door closed, she looked back at me once. Eyes had struggle, but finally turned and left. I used all strength, crawled towards door direction bit by bit. Dragged a long blood trail behind. Crawled to door, supported body hard, opened door. “Help… me…”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “390524”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Since we got married, my husband Julian only earned $3,000 a month. So I always scrimped and saved, even with a fever of 104°F, still stayed up late working, just to subsidize household expenses. Until I died of Cardiac Arrest in bed, my soul floated out of my body. Accidentally saw, Julian was signing a property purchase contract with a woman at a luxury condo sales office. Turns out, in these few years of marriage, he earned millions. But kept pretending to be poor in front of me. Also kept a mistress outside. However, when Julian returned home and saw my corpse. He collapsed on the spot. Chapter 1 When working overtime, I forced myself to sit straight, raised hand touched forehead, felt burning hot. Fever not light. And heart position came waves of tightening dull pain, very uncomfortable. “You look terrible, Jane.” “Hands also so cold, still shaking! You must have high fever, hurry go home rest!” Colleague Sarah walked over, concerned touched my hand. I barely smiled at her, shook head: “It’s okay, Sarah, I can hold on. Wait I finish this proposal then leave.” “Still do what proposal! Health important!” Sarah tone became serious. “I heard people say, fever especially high fever, easy trigger Myocarditis, even precursor of heart attack! This is not joking!” Heart attack? This word made my heart skip a beat. But soon, I threw it behind head. Too exaggerated, I still so young, how possible. “Really okay, maybe just common cold.” I persisted, gaze back to screen. “This proposal due tomorrow, boss said, if done well, this month can get $1,000 bonus.” This money very important to me. $1,000 bonus, can let Julian no longer worry so much about next month rent. Thinking can share a bit for him, I feel this fever can be endured. Me and Julian married three years. These three years, our life very hard. He just an ordinary employee in a small company, income not high. Every month budget carefully, can barely save a little money. But, Julian treats me very good, very very good. Although he earns not much, but gave all considerateness and gentleness to me. So money less a bit what relation? As long as our hearts together, days will always slowly get better. I always believe this point. Therefore, I willing fight all strength. Time slowly passed in fever and discomfort. When I finally typed last word, office only left me alone. Strong exhaustion like tide drowned me, I almost propped up from chair. Heart dull pain became continuous and clear, accompanying every breath, bringing a burst of slight sting. Good thing back home, moment push door, a wave warmth came to face. Julian haven’t slept, sitting on sofa watching TV waiting me. “Wifey, you back!” He immediately stood up welcome, seeing my pale face, brows tightly frowned, “What happened to you? Face so ugly!” “Nothing, just a bit fever, maybe too tired.” I squeezed a smile, didn’t want him worry. He reached hand probed my forehead, exclaimed: “So hot! Definitely high fever.” He involuntarily pressed me on sofa, turned went kitchen, “You don’t move, I make you a cup honey water.” Looking his busy back, my heart filled with a kind of sour happiness. Body discomfort seemed also reduced some. He soon brought a cup warm honey water, watched me drink mouthful by mouthful. Then, he sat beside me, holding my hand, tone carrying apology and reluctance: “Wifey, sorry, company temporarily arranged me business trip tomorrow morning, go New York for a week.” “So long?” My heart sank, sudden separation made me somewhat lost, and is when I body uncomfortable. “Mm, a quite urgent project.” He hugged me in arms, “I will miss you.” I leaned on his warm chest, listening his steady heartbeat, felt relieved a lot. “I will also miss you.” I softly said. “Just because want leave a week…” His voice suddenly lowered, carrying a trace of acting spoiled meaning, hand also started restless gently rubbing on my back. “Wifey, tonight… okay?” I immediately understood his meaning. If usual, I naturally would enthusiastically respond. But now, I whole body weak, heart that disturbing dull pain also never disappeared, I really want immediately lie down rest. I opened mouth, wanted tell him my body very uncomfortable. But words to mouth, swallowed back again. He tomorrow want business trip, a week can’t meet, I don’t want spoil his fun. Besides, he work so hard, this bit small request, how can I refuse? So, I suppressed body discomfort, tried hard let my voice sound normal even carrying point expectation. “Okay.” Got my permission, he happily kissed my forehead, then picked me up, walked to bedroom. In process of intimacy, my consciousness sometimes clear, sometimes blurred. High fever made my body burning, but more terrifying me is, heart load seemed rapidly increasing. Every heartbeat heavy and loud, that tightening pain feeling more and more clear, even brought bursts of slight suffocation feeling. I very afraid, want push him away, want shout stop. But, looking his devoted and satisfied expression above me. Feeling his desire and attachment to me, I retreated again. Chapter 2 Everything finally ended. Julian satisfied lay beside me, soon emitted even snoring. I however no sleepiness. Body exhaustion reached peak, but heart that abnormal feeling more and more strong. I struggled prop up body, pushed Julian beside, “Julian, you wake up…” He confusedly “Mm”ed, half open eyes, mumbled asked: “What wrong, wifey?” “My heart… special uncomfortable…” I difficultly organized language. “Can’t breathe… can we… go hospital look?” Hearing “Hospital” two words, Julian seemed awake some. He turned over, turned on bedside lamp, rubbed eyes, didn’t first care my condition, instead yawned, carrying complaining tone said: “Hospital? This middle of night go hospital for what?” He reached hand touched my forehead. “Still burn very high? Eat some Tylenol sleep a sleep fine. Go hospital is just blind toss.” “I tell you, our company that Little Wang, few days ago also felt self here uncomfortable there uncomfortable, insist run hospital, result you guess what?” “Checked a big pile, nothing wrong, wasted over thousand dollars for nothing! Hospitals now ah, heart too black, just thinking ways take money from your pocket!” His words, like a basin cold water, extinguished courage I just mustered. Our budget this month already very tight. If I go hospital, really like Little Wang checked a circle but fine, isn’t it wasting Julian hard earned money for nothing. He knew definitely will heartache, will pressure bigger. Under weighing, that bit weak help seeking thought, by worry of wasting money and fluke psychology of maybe fine thoroughly overwhelmed. However, Grim Reaper didn’t give me chance wait till dawn. Around 2 AM, a burst unprecedented severe pain fierce tore my chest! That feeling indescribable, as if whole chest cavity instantly exploded, all air pumped empty. I couldn’t even emit a shout. Extreme pain only lasted short few seconds. Then, my consciousness became light floating, detached from that heavy and painful shell. I “saw” myself still lying on bed, face under weak moonlight showed a kind of terrible blue grey. And Julian, knew nothing about this, still sleeping sweet. Chapter 3 I died? Just died like this?! No! Impossible! I crazy pounced to Julian, used all strength beat his face. “Julian! Wake up! Quick wake up! Send me hospital! Beg you! Save me!” But, my palm directly passed through his body. My screaming also dissipated in air, didn’t stir a trace ripple. He just smacked lips in sleep, turned over, continued sleeping. Huge despair instantly swallowed me. Just in this extreme despair moment, those happy moments belong to me and Julian, uncontrollably surged into my mind. Remember when we just married, family no money, he yet always could live ordinary days full of poetry. He would use wild flowers weave wreath put on my head, would under moonlight read clumsy love poems he wrote for me. Once, we poor only left last bowl instant noodle. He lied to me said he ate, insist pushed all noodle to me, watching me eat. Later I then found, he hungry stomach drank plain water whole night. These bits and drops, not involve money, but full of love details, constituted our marriage most solid happiness cornerstone. He although money earn not much, but he gave me his all, gave me most precious romance and considerateness. These memories more sweet, current reality more cruel. Slideshow like happiness pictures flashed fast before my eyes, finally froze on his sleeping face. My soul just dry sat by bed, whole night, my gaze almost didn’t leave Julian’s face. I how hope he can suddenly wake up, find my abnormality. Even only a trace tiny chance. Morning 6 AM, on bedside table that phone set vibration to not wake me up, emitted slight buzzing sound. Julian almost immediately woke. He quickly pressed off alarm, then first reaction is turn head look me. However, seeing I still “sleeping”, face showed relieved expression, movement became more gentle. He carefully lifted quilt, tiptoed off bed, afraid make a bit sound. He dressed neatly, then back to bed side, leaned down, printed a gentle and warm kiss on my forehead. But, skin he touched a piece ice cold, this strange touch made him slightly frown. He low voice talk to self, carrying doting blame. “So cold, must be kicked quilt last night.” Finished, he carefully helped me tuck quilt corner, pulled quilt till my chin. As if this can drive away that death coldness. I aside watched heart like knife twisted, used all strength scream: “Not cold! Julian! You touch my pulse! You try my breathing! Quick call 911 ah!” But he completely couldn’t hear. He gazed my face, eyes gentle can drip water: “Honey, wait I back from this business trip, give you a surprise.” Surprise? My heart because this sentence full of hope violently twitched painful. But, I can’t wait anymore. Finished, he last nostalgically looked me once, lifted already packed luggage, light hand light foot opened door, then gently closed. Then, my soul also followed him floated out. However, arrived Amtrak station, a fashionably dressed young woman waiting him. My soul instantly stiffened in place. They all way talking laughing, relationship looked very intimate. Julian even actively helped that woman carry bag. My uneasy feeling also at this moment, became more and more strong. Chapter 4 Boarded train, found seat sat down, already noon. Attendant pushed food cart over ask if need lunch. Julian picked up menu, unhesitatingly pointed most expensive two sets on it, ordered two. I again shocked. Julian always frugal, when we train together, he never willing buy expensive lunch on train, always prepared bread and water in advance. I thought this time because company reimburse. However, when that woman looked food in tray, charming voice said to Julian: “Brother Feng, you treat me so good every time, so happy.” This words like a poison quenched sword, fierce pierced my soul! Turns out, his generous and willing, never was for me! He cried poor to me, calculated to me, but to another woman so generous! Huge betrayal feeling and absurdity feeling let me almost soul fly spirit scatter. Lunch ended in an atmosphere suffocating me. That woman used napkin elegantly wiped mouth corner, then leaned close Julian, carrying spoiled nasal sound whispered: “Brother Feng, tonight… can we only open one room? Like this… can save some money.” I dead stared Julian, waiting his reaction. Soul trembling. Good thing after short silence, Julian voice sounded: “No need, travel standard enough. Rooms already booked, two rooms.” Luckily… he pushed away. That woman obviously stunned a bit, smile on face somewhat stiff, but soon recovered soft charm: “Brother Feng, you really are… gentleman.” Julian didn’t take words again, just picked up phone, started handle work messages. Following few days, my soul like an invisible shackle, tightly followed Julian. I saw that female colleague called Lyla, almost pervasive trying approach him. After an informal dinner with client, slightly drunk Lyla again leaned to Julian side, half complain half spoil. “Brother Feng, you treat yourself too harsh. Earned so much money, still fight life for what?” “You are our department big hero, these years earned not less than Five Million right? Heard headquarter want promote you be department manager, is it true?” Julian brows slight frown, seemed not like her talk these, only faintly hummed, count as admitted. Five million? Department manager? These few words like thunder exploded in my soul! How possible? He clearly told me, he only has $3,000 salary every month, performance bad even deducted money! We for hundred dollars electricity bill calculated, for a pair hundred dollars sneakers hesitated half year. He everyday home complain work tired, make money hard, pressure big to insomnia… If these all fake, then why? Why hide from me like this? That night, back to hotel. Julian just finished shower, wearing bathrobe sitting on sofa reading contract. Knock sound rang. Outside door stood Lyla. She changed daytime business suit, only wearing an almost transparent black silk slip nightdress. She said nothing, moment door opened, like a soft water snake, directly pounced into Julian arms, arms tightly circled his waist. “Lyla! What you doing!” Julian low shouted, body fierce stiff, immediately force, almost roughly tore her from body, pushed away one step outside. His face iron green, bathrobe belt pulled loose. Lyla pushed stumble a bit. Stand firm, deliberate created charm on face disappeared. “Julian! You pretend what gentleman! You these years earned so much money, a cent not tell your home that yellow face woman, not just long not loved her, want change a wife?” “You secretly bought that large flat in South City ‘Lake Shore Drive’, decorated so luxurious, not just for living with other woman?” “Based on what can’t be me? Where am I worse than her? Since you not love her, why not divorce? Guarding that broken marriage acting, you not tired?” “Shut up!” Julian finally exploded. “Lyla, I warn you, don’t insult my wife!” “My this life, only love her one person.” “Everything I hide from her, only because a vow I once gave her!” Lyla face instantly became pale. Then she fierce glared Julian once, fierce turned, slammed door left. Room fell into dead silence. Just then, his phone rang. He looked caller ID, is my mom. However once answered phone, came my mom anxious million parts voice. “Julian! Where is Jane? Her phone why always off? I called three days!” “I went your home knock door, knocked half day also no one answer!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “390541”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

After divorcing my billionaire ex-husband, I married an ordinary man. Every day he is silent, wearing a tattered jacket with messy hair, bargaining over a few cents when buying groceries. Friends teased me, although consumption downgraded, aesthetic shouldn’t downgrade too right. I just smiled: “Back then I slashed Sebastian Sterling’s little secretary’s face in front of everyone in the company.” “For her, Sebastian made a huge scene with me, my reputation long stank.” “When just out of Federal Prison, even dogs walked around me, now having someone willing to marry me is already very good.” Saying this, my knife fell, skillfully gutted a fish. While bagging for customer, while greeting next one. “Boss, new fish arrival, pick whatever you like.” The other party stunned, then tremblingly said: “Joanna, to disgust me, you ran to this kind of place to degrade yourself? Is it necessary?” Chapter 1 I didn’t look up. The blunt fish knife in hand slammed heavily on the cutting board. I skillfully scraped scales, scales mixed with bloody water splashing everywhere. Sebastian stood there, wearing a well-tailored Bespoke Tom Ford Suit, completely out of place here. He stared at my hands full of chilblains and cracks, those hands once only played piano, now rough like withered tree bark. “Don’t block the way if not buying, people queuing behind.” I casually wiped hand with rag, took the bag handed by the auntie behind. Sebastian ignored by me, expression on face couldn’t hold. He stepped forward, knocked the knife out of my hand. “Clang” a sound. Knife fell on concrete floor, bounced twice. “Miss Sterling, top student of Finance Department, killing fish here?” He roared out, voice carrying disbelief and suppressed anger. Attracting surrounding vendors and grocery buying aunties to look sideways. “Joanna, do you think this way I will heartache? Will regret sending you in?” Contempt in his eyes about to overflow. In his view, everything I do is to gain his attention. Even making myself so embarrassed. I bent down picked up that knife, wiped hard on apron. “This gentleman.” “This knife $30, just fell rolled edge, you have to compensate.” “Also, I don’t know you.” Sebastian stunned. He didn’t expect I would talk money with him. Still merely thirty dollars. Surrounding aunties started pointing fingers. “Who is this guy? Dressed like a human, running here to bully a fish seller.” “Exactly, look how scared Little Jo is.” “I see must be hooked up with Little Jo before, now see people down and out come to step a foot.” Discussion sounds drilled into Sebastian’s ears. His face green and white. Assistant behind wanted to come up stop, pushed away by Sebastian waving hand. He dead stared my eyes, like wanting to dig out some past affection from inside. Pity, inside nothing. Only numbness. “Pretend what stupid?” Sebastian gritting teeth, lowered voice. “If Uncle Sterling knew your current virtue, coffin board couldn’t hold down.” “Your hands are used to point country mountains, not used to dig fish intestines!” “If you lack money, why not apply to big companies? With your degree…” Speaking here, he suddenly stopped. Mouth corner hooked a sarcastic arc. “Oh, I forgot.” “You have criminal record.” “Was me personally sent you in.” “So you blame me? Use this way revenge me?” More he said more felt he reasonable. That high above superiority came back. I ignored him, turned fished a fish from water tank. Pressed, knife fell. Fish blood squirted out, straight splashed on his pant leg. Sebastian subconsciously retreated, face showing disgusted expression. I expressionlessly bagged fish, handed to customer beside. “Fish cleaned, $25, scan code on wall.” Whole process didn’t look Sebastian once. This ignoring more uncomfortable than quarreling for him. He took out a clean white handkerchief, wanted reach hand wipe blood spots on my face. I tilted head dodged. Handkerchief hung in mid-air, awkwardly stopped. “Sir.” I pointed QR code on wall, tone no wave. “Knife just now $30, plus lost work fee, total $50.” “Scan code, don’t delay my business.” Chapter 2 Sebastian hand froze in mid-air. That white handkerchief was fiercely crumpled in his palm. He stared at me, chest heaving violently. Obviously angered by my attitude. “Money? You just want money?” He sneered, took out checkbook from chest, swish swish wrote a string of numbers. Took out a stack thick cash from wallet again. “Pap” a sound. All thrown on cutting board full of fishy smell and bloody water. “Close stall.” He ordered, tone unquestionable. “Accompany me eat a meal, say words clear.” “These money, enough you sell fish a year in this broken place.” People around sucked cold air. That stack money say less also have $2,000 – $3,000. For people in market, this is a huge sum. Sebastian raised chin, waiting see me cry bitterly, or angry from embarrassment throw money back. After all previous Joanna, most couldn’t stand this insult. I looked at that stack money stained with fish blood. No hesitation. Reached hand grabbed that stack wet bills, weighed in hand. Then stuffed into that fanny pack patched many times. “Thank you boss.” I nodded to him, face no half humiliation. “Want what service? Kill fish or scrape scales?” Sebastian pupils fierce shrank. “Joanna…” His voice trembling, finger pointing me shaking. “Do you still want face?” “Before for a limited edition bag not bought, you could cold war with me three days.” “Now for this bit money, you don’t even want dignity?” I impatiently took off apron. Inside was a washed white old T-shirt, neckline loose. “How much a pound is dignity?” I asked him back, conveniently picked up water hose beside washed mud on rubber boots. “Let’s go, didn’t want eat?” “But say first, high-end restaurant I not go, disheveled clothes they not let in.” Sebastian choked by me speechless. Could only black face follow behind me. I took him through narrow dirty alley back door of market. That is road to Low-income Housing. Ground full sewage and rotten vegetable leaves. Air filled with a moldy smell. Sebastian walked carefully, afraid dirty his shoes. “Walk two steps you know why I love money.” I said without looking back. Passing alley entrance, Landlady blocked there cracking melon seeds. Seeing me, immediately spit shell. “Little Jo, when pay last month utility bill? Not pay again I cut power!” “Auntie Wang, immediately, just opened business.” I accompanied smile, took out few bills Sebastian just gave from pocket, didn’t count handed over. Auntie Wang seeing money, face immediately changed. “Ouch, rich ah? Okay okay okay, give you few days grace.” Walk forward again. Scrap picking Uncle Liu pushed cart over, wheel stuck in pit. I word didn’t say went up help push cart. Finished bargained with Uncle: “Uncle, last time that cardboard you calculated me 50 cents less, today have to make up.” Sebastian stood aside watching all this. Face more and more ugly. He watched me calculate few cents with people. Watched me bow and scrape to landlord. Watched me skillfully shuttle in this bottom world he felt suffocating at a glance. That reality, like slaps, fiercely fanned on his face. Finally, he couldn’t stand it, grabbed my arm, strength big like want crush my bone. “Enough!” He roared. “Joanna, stop acting.” “I don’t believe you can accept this life.” “Move out, I arrange apartment for you, find job for you.” He took out phone, fingers flying operation. “I transfer you $1 Million.” “Later don’t let me see you lose face in this kind place.” He eagerly wanted use money to wash guilt in heart. Or say, wanted buy a peace of mind. Prove he didn’t ruin me so thoroughly. I didn’t move. Quietly watched him operate. Few seconds later. “Ding” a sound. Not transfer success prompt sound. But transaction failed error sound. Sebastian stunned. He looked red words on phone screen, face blank. “What happened? Network bad?” He tried again. Still failed. System prompt: Recipient account frozen due to “Blacklisted by Credit Bureaus” identity, restricted high consumption and large transfer. Sebastian hand froze. He fierce looked up at me. I also looked at him, mouth corner pulled a sarcastic smile. “President Sterling noble person forgetful.” “Three years ago, to force me admit guilt, was you personally applied asset freeze and credit blacklist to court.” “Till now, haven’t unsealed yet.” Sebastian face instantly pale. He opened mouth, wanted explain something, but couldn’t make sound. That means once wanted force me to dead end. Now became wall hindering his charity “kindness”. How ironic. Alley entrance came engine roar sound. A red Porsche stopped there, extremely dazzling. Door opened. A foot wearing red bottom high heels stretched out. I looked that direction, plainly said to Sebastian: “Your wife came.” “Not go look?” Chapter 3 Tiffany got off the car. Wearing current season Chanel suit, neck hanging huge diamond necklace. That was auctioned by Sebastian last month. News hyped hot then, said was anniversary gift for beloved wife. She took off sunglasses, gaze circled between me and Sebastian. Immediately face piled sweet greasy smile, fast walked over. “Sebastian, why ran to this kind of place?” She affectionately held Sebastian arm, whole person about to stick on him. Eyes however like knife scraped my face. “Aiya, so big fishy smell ah.” She exaggeratedly covered nose, retreated two steps, other hand non-stop fanning wind in front of face. “This smell smell long will nausea, Sebastian, let’s go quickly.” She frowned, like saw some dirty thing. That physiological disgust, no disguise. Sebastian body stiffened a bit, didn’t push her away, also didn’t speak. Just eyes complex looking me. Tiffany seeing me not speak, moved forward again, pretended just recognized me. “OMG, isn’t this Sister Joanna?” She covered mouth, face surprised. “How you… how became like this?” She reached hand, seemed want touch my face, but stopped in mid-air. Like afraid dirty her hand. “Sister Joanna, although back then you scratched my face, harmed me almost disfigured…” She touched her smooth as initial cheek, eye rims instantly red. “But I long didn’t blame you.” “After all that time your emotion unstable.” “But seeing you like this now, my heart really so sad.” She saying, tears about to fall. Sebastian originally some guilty expression, instantly cold few points. He remembered that scene back then. Remembered Tiffany full face blood miserable state. That bit just sprouted sympathy, pressed down again. “Sister Joanna, how you sell this fish ah?” Tiffany suddenly turned topic, pointing bag in my hand. “Since met, I definitely want take care your business.” She saying want take that bag. I didn’t let go. “Miss Tiffany this pair hands precious, don’t touch this dirty thing.” I wanted put bag back on ground. Tiffany however suddenly reached hand to grab. “Aiya, polite what.” Just at moment her hand touched bag. “Splash” a sound. Bag flipped. Water inside, along with that dead fish. All splashed on my body. Originally dirty T-shirt, now more soaked, stick on body. “Ah! Sorry sorry!” Tiffany loud screamed, jumping feet dodge. “How this fish so slippery ah!” She while shouting, while observing Sebastian reaction. Seeing Sebastian frown, she immediately changed a face. Pointing fish on ground loud shouting: “Sister Joanna, is your fish stinky ah?” “Smell why so strong?” “You wouldn’t be selling dead fish pit people right?” “This if let people eat sick what do? Heard you have that kind disease…” She deliberately didn’t finish. Surrounding neighbors and passerby originally loved watch fun, hearing this, one after another surrounded over. “What disease ah? Contagious?” “Sell dead fish? This too wicked right.” “Later can’t buy at her place.” Public opinion wind direction instantly changed. For us stall vendors, reputation is rice bowl. I stood in place, let dirty water drip down along hair. Face no expression. I didn’t rush up tear her mouth like three years ago, just bent down picked up fish on ground, put back in bag. Then raised head, look straight Tiffany eyes. “Miss Tiffany.” My voice not loud, but word word clear. “My fish are all just pulled back this morning.” “Neighbors on this street, ate half year all fine.” “Instead Miss Tiffany.” I swept glance her face coated full powder. “Powder on face about fall into water.” “This fish if dead, also poisoned by your cosmetics.” People around burst laughter. Tiffany face instantly swelled into pig liver color. “You!” She pointed me, angry finger shaking. “Little Jo sells fish most honest, never short weight.” In crowd, that Auntie Wang cracking melon seeds stood out. “Exactly, you this woman dressed like human, how full mouth spray dung ne?” Uncle Liu also pushed cart help voice. “People Little Jo not easy, you rich people don’t bully people too much.” Wind direction turned back again. Bottom people although love watch fun, but also have simple justice sense. Especially seeing Tiffany this arrogant look, naturally have resistance. Tiffany she help looked at Sebastian, tears watery. “Sebastian, look her…” Sebastian looking whole body soaked, but still straight spine standing there me. Eyes flashed a trace irritation. He suddenly felt this farce very embarrassing. “Enough!” He low roared, threw off Tiffany hand. “Still dislike not enough shame?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “390557”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My husband Pierce Donovan’s newest student, Brooke Miller, wasn’t just curious; she was a goddamn investigative journalist of my private life. The first time she was alone with me, she asked if I’d leaked urine after childbirth and if Pierce, the revered professor, still found me sexually attractive. Later, under the guise of “researching the human body,” she relentlessly pestered Pierce to let her examine him. It escalated to sending him lingerie photos late at night, asking which set would make a man “get off.” Yet, every time I confronted him, Pierce would cite her troubled background as an orphan and insist I show compassion and restraint. “She’s just a curious baby, Scarlett,” he’d sigh. I kept my mouth shut. I kept my rage tucked away. Until Christmas Day. I had stepped out with my mother-in-law to pick up a new playing card. When I returned, I found Brooke, not just holding a handful of crushed walnuts, but shoving them into my five-year-old daughter Daisy’s mouth. Walnuts. Daisy has a severe, life-threatening nut allergy. After rushing my daughter to the hospital, the adrenaline of terror gave way to pure, blinding fury. I slapped Brooke across the face. Pierce immediately pulled the sniffling girl into his arms. He looked at me, his handsome brow furrowed in disappointment. “Scarlett, you need to calm down. Why are you attacking a kid who has no family? Brooke was just curious about the reaction. An academic observation, that’s all. It’s not like Daisy is permanently damaged.” “She’s fine, isn’t she?” I closed my eyes, the cold finally seeping into the deepest parts of my soul. If he was going to protect his so-called “curious baby” like this, then the role of the Perfect Wife was officially vacant. 1 “Mrs. Donovan, I really was just too curious.” Brooke dabbed at her eyes, leaning on Pierce. “You let me stay in your home for the holidays. If I made a mistake, aren’t you the one with the bigger responsibility?” Even Pierce looked at me with a cold, accusing stare. “Brooke is young, Scarlett, and still just a kid. You knew Daisy has allergies, so you shouldn’t have any nut products in the house to begin with! This is your fault.” Standing outside the emergency room doors, my anger was so extreme it circled back around to a terrifying calm. I just nodded. “You’re right,” I said. “It is my fault.” My mistake wasn’t the nut products. My mistake was suffocating myself for so long, swallowing my justifiable feelings and compromises just to become his Perfect Wife. Daisy has a severe nut allergy, but my mother-in-law loves pecans. To accommodate everyone, I painstakingly prepared all the favorite holiday foods. Now, I realized I was the only person I had forgotten to accommodate. I remembered the past months. Every time Brooke’s “curiosity” led to inappropriate behavior with Pierce, I had gently questioned him, only to be met with that familiar, cold irritation. “Scarlett, I’m busy. I don’t have time for your silly, jealous games. Brooke is a student, not some mistress. We’re not the disgusting people you think we are.” That single sentence—disgusting people—had shamed me into silence and completely crushed my courage to ever question him again. From that moment on, I learned to rationalize their oversteps. I threw myself into being the perfect homemaker and hostess, desperate to earn his public acknowledgment as a “good wife.” I had it all wrong. The Perfect Wife gets neither his love, his attention, nor the ability to protect my daughter. Pierce, expecting a fight, looked confused. His expression softened with a complicated mix of relief and subtle condescension. “I’m glad you finally see your mistake.” Just then, Daisy was stabilized and rolled out. Her small face was pale, and she was silently mouthing “Mommy” and “Daddy.” Pierce, the doting father, took a step toward her. But his step was snagged by Brooke, whose legs suddenly buckled. “Professor, I feel faint…” He looked at his frail daughter, then down at the picture of helpless distress in his arms. He lifted Brooke, cradling her. “Daisy’s stable, Cami. You stay here. I have to get Brooke back to her dorm. She probably skipped breakfast ‘to observe the symptoms of hypoglycemia’ or some bullshit.” He hurried away. Daisy’s eyes filled with tears as she was wheeled into the recovery room. She clung to me, her voice a small, broken whisper. “Does Daddy hate me? Why did he hug the bad sister and not stay with me?” Her pale face was marked by the small, red scratches Brooke had left when forcing the nuts into her mouth. “I’m sorry, Mommy. Is it because I’m not a good girl that Daddy doesn’t want to come home? I’ll be quiet. I’ll be good.” My heart shattered. I hugged her tight, trembling, telling her over and over that none of this was her fault. That her mother loved her fiercely. The next day, Pierce was supposed to pick us up. He never showed. We were already in the car when he finally called. “The lab is crazy, Scarlett. I can’t leave. Take Daisy home, and I promise, I’ll make it up to her.” But through the phone, I heard Brooke’s voice, sickly sweet, complaining that her hand hurt and begging him to feed her. The tiny spark of hope in Daisy’s eyes died. “Mommy,” she whispered. “Can we go to a house with just you and me? Daddy likes my little brother. I don’t want a Daddy anymore.” Little brother? I froze. Pierce and I only had Daisy. Where would a “little brother” come from? Watching my five-year-old weep, a cold, hard knot formed in my stomach. I didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” I said, putting the car in drive. “We’re moving today.” As I drove Daisy to the first safe place I could think of, I called a private investigator. “I need everything you have on Pierce Donovan and Brooke Miller. Everything. And I need to know if they have a child.” The neighborhood was alight with festive decorations, firecrackers popping in the distance. It was a holiday. But when I arrived at the apartment building with Daisy, the security guard stopped me. “Who are you? Gotta have a keycard to get in!” I frowned. “My husband has the keycard, but I’m the owner of unit 603.” The guard snickered. “Mistresses are getting bold these days. The owner of 603 is heavily pregnant and definitely does not have a kid that big.” I stared at him. That apartment was my property, bought before Pierce. It was our first place, where we lived for three years, packed with the early memories he’d sworn were sacred. He’d promised it would be our “love nest,” the place we’d return to when we were old. The deed was in my name alone. I swallowed the rising panic. “I am the owner. I bought the unit eight years ago—” “Get lost!” The guard waved me off impatiently. “Go find a better time for this, lady! I don’t care about your story. No outsiders allowed on Christmas.” His eyes slid to Daisy, a look of outright contempt that seemed to call my daughter a bastard. The insult was a physical slap. I reached for my phone and pulled up the digital deed. He took his time reviewing it, waiting until a couple passing by paused to watch. Reluctantly, he handed the phone back. “The registration list doesn’t have your name, lady. Even if this is real, I need to see you open the door. That’s Professor Donovan’s home, and you are not going to cause a scene.” His arrogant face fueled my sudden calm. “Fine. You can follow me upstairs and watch me open my own front door.” I parked the car and took Daisy’s hand. The guard scoffed behind me. “What are you waiting for? Can’t even open your own front door, huh?” I extended my finger to the biometric reader. BEEP. Authentication failed. The guard laughed. I tried the keypad, punching in our anniversary. Password incorrect. “Told you you’re a mistress! The owner can’t get into her own house? Now take the brat and get out!” The guard lost all pretense of patience and reached out to grab my arm. Daisy screamed, terrified. As I fought to pull away, her small teeth sank into the man’s arm. He bellowed and viciously kicked my daughter. Her tiny body slammed against the stone wall. Her head snapped back, and she collapsed. “Daisy!” My vision swam red. I fought desperately against the guards, but all I could do was watch as the man who kicked her raised his security baton high above my unconscious daughter’s head. “Stop!” It was Pierce. My tightly wound body relaxed for a split second. Daisy was still his daughter. He would never allow them to hurt her. But the Pierce who stepped out of the apartment was not the Pierce I knew. He wrapped his arm around Brooke’s shoulders, his expression dark with fury. “Scarlett! I told you that child isn’t mine! I’m married! Stop harassing us!” In front of everyone, he hesitated, then pulled out a wad of cash and threw it, hitting my face. “This is charity, for you. Bringing a child out in the middle of winter as leverage? You’re a terrible mother.” “Guards, get them out. Don’t let them bother me again.” I gaped at him, my eyes burning. “Pierce Donovan! This is my apartment. My pre-marital asset—” Before I could finish, he kicked me—hard—in the chest. “Lies! Guards! Are you really going to let an outsider terrorize a resident?” The stunned security officers swarmed me, roughly dragging me and Daisy away. I shielded her body with mine, screaming, my voice raw with heartbreak. “Pierce Donovan! I was blind! I threw away my whole life for you!” For a fleeting second, his eyes met mine, and I saw a flicker of panic. But it vanished quickly. Brooke took his hand and placed it on her stomach. I couldn’t hear what she said, but I saw the doting, tender smile he gave her. The neighbors’ scornful whispers surrounded me. “No shame, trying to claim a married man like that.” “Look at the poor kid. Her life is ruined with a mother like that.” Out in the ice and snow, my daughter, just recovering from anaphylaxis, was being rushed to the emergency room for the third time in two days. Pierce’s texts popped up on my phone. He claimed that because Brooke had no parents, he was just letting her stay in the apartment temporarily. “Scarlett, don’t be ridiculous. If the neighbors find out you’re my wife, how is Brooke going to live here? You sound like a screaming shrew, Cami. Where is the calm, gentle wife I married?” Screaming shrew. That final line was the last, cold-blooded blow that shattered the lingering pieces of my love. The ‘gentle wife’ was a performance, a straightjacket I’d worn for him. Now, I was just raw, furious, and determined. My hands trembling, I called home. “Dad,” I said, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry… I made a terrible mistake. I need your help.” While Daisy was being treated, I made two major moves. First, I hired a professional legal team and drafted divorce papers that would ensure Pierce left with nothing. I also immediately sold the pre-marital apartment at a deep discount. Second, I had my family cut all hidden financial support for Pierce’s university research and, more immediately, instructed the nurse taking care of his paralyzed father to quit immediately. I had been the dutiful, sacrificing wife for so long that I’d almost forgotten the kind of leverage and freedom Scarlett Blake once possessed. The day the nurse left, Pierce called dozens of times. When I finally answered, his voice was tired and frantic. “Scarlett, where are you?! My father has been lying in his own filth for a day, the place is covered in dirty clothes and trash, the fridge is empty!” I listened, unmoved. “I’m with my daughter. She’s recovering.” His rant paused. His voice went husky. “I… I forgot. How is Daisy? I’m coming right now—” His words were cut off by a girl’s soft squeal, then the sound of urgent footsteps and a lingering kiss. I hung up, expressionless. He didn’t deserve to see our daughter again. He didn’t deserve any genuine human emotion. Pierce didn’t visit the hospital once during Daisy’s stay. He only rushed in when I was checking her out, right before our flight. “I’m so sorry, Scarlett. Home has been a total mess without you. I finally realize how much you do. When we get back—I promise, I’ll make it up to you and Daisy.” He knelt, forcing a weary smile onto his haggard face. “Daisy, sweetie, can Daddy hold you now?” My phone buzzed, saturated with texts from Brooke. “You know why the Professor hasn’t visited? I passed the three-month mark today! I told him I was curious about pregnancy sex, so he stayed in bed with me for seven days straight!” I looked up. There was a faint red mark just beneath Pierce’s collar. But this time, no emotion stirred in my chest. Daisy looked at Pierce, hope and fear warring in her eyes. She hugged my leg and whispered to me. “Mommy, can I just hug Daddy once? Then I really don’t ever want him again.” I stroked her hair and agreed. I left for only a moment to grab our belongings from the room, but when I returned, Pierce and Daisy were gone. I screamed her name, running hysterically down the halls. I stumbled around a corner, and a sharp, paralyzing pain exploded in the back of my skull. Darkness. I woke up in a freezing warehouse. Daisy was strapped into a restraint chair with electrodes. Her mouth was taped shut. She was crying hysterically, her face beet red, struggling for breath. “Professor, they say shock treatment makes kids smarter. Just let me try it, please?” I was paralyzed by shock. “Pierce Donovan, are you insane?! She called you Daddy! And you’re going to electrocuteher?!” Pierce’s eyes flickered with a hint of remorse, but it vanished as Brooke started to weep pitifully. “Professor! If I don’t satisfy my curiosity, I won’t be able to eat or sleep! My tummy hurts right now!” At the mention of her stomach, Pierce was instantly focused on her, his face a mask of panic. “Okay, okay, anything you want…” “Brooke Miller, don’t you touch her! If you hurt Daisy, I will rip you to pieces—” SMACK! A stinging blow split my lip. Blood bloomed on my chin. I stared at Pierce in utter disbelief. He was snarling. “Daisy wouldn’t listen to a damn thing I said! I just asked her to call Brooke ‘Mommy,’ and she bit her! She bit her!” Brooke seized the opportunity, cuddling into his side. “The bite hurts! Shock treatment doesn’t just make them smart, it makes them obedient. Professor, I want to play!” The “bite” was a tiny, unbroken red mark on her arm. I screamed and struggled, the ropes around my wrists cutting deep, drawing blood, but I couldn’t stop Brooke from flipping the switch. A current surged. Daisy cried out, instantly losing control of her bladder, convulsing, and passing out. But Brooke wasn’t finished. She cranked the dial up and hit the switch again. Daisy was only five! She started foaming at the mouth, her entire body twitching violently. Brooke laughed, picking up a metal rod and whipping it across Daisy’s face. Daisy woke up, screaming in raw pain. “Shut up! Stop crying! Tell me you’ll listen to me!” But a five-year-old child could only cry for her mother. My heart was hemorrhaging. “Stop it! Stop, you monster!” Seeing Daisy’s continued tears, Brooke’s eyes hardened. “How will you ever be a good big sister if you don’t learn obedience? You’re going to get a good lesson this time.” She reached for the highest-voltage switch. Pierce didn’t see it, but I saw her look at me, a silent, vicious challenge in her eyes. “Your daughter is going to die.” “NO!” Just as her finger made contact with the button— The warehouse doors were violently kicked open. Highly trained men in black suits swarmed the room, instantly tackling Pierce and Brooke to the floor.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “390574”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

“The son you kept secret for two decades is here, Dad. And he’s asking for the house.” I stood by the hospital bed, looking down at my father. He was skeletal, barely a shadow of the man he’d been. His eyes darted away from mine. His lips moved, dry and slow. “Dee, he’s your brother…” My brother? I had spent eight years of my life waiting on him. Eight years of bedpans and feeding tubes, eight years of quitting my job, foregoing marriage, sacrificing my entire life. Eight years. And he had kept a whole son secret for twenty years, a child whose existence he’d never even hinted at. Now, that “brother” was here. Here to divide the legacy. 1. When the man first stood in the doorway of the hospital room, I honestly thought he was lost. “Excuse me, is Arthur Stone staying here?” I paused. “Who are you looking for?” “Arthur Stone,” he repeated. “I’m his son.” My mind went blank. I hadn’t processed the words. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?” “Arthur Stone’s son, Ronan Mills.” He spoke with an unnerving casualness. “I’m here to see my dad.” Arthur Stone was my father’s name. I, Delilah Stone, was Arthur Stone’s only child. “You have the wrong room,” I said, flatly. He smiled, a practiced, easy smile, and pulled out his phone. He scrolled to a photo. It was my father. Younger, maybe forty, standing next to a small boy, seven or eight years old. My father’s hand rested heavily on the boy’s shoulder. Beneath the photo was a handwritten inscription: “Ronan’s 8th Birthday. Dad loves you always.” My hands started to shake, gripping the doorframe. “Who in God’s name are you?” He tucked the phone away and looked up, meeting my eyes. “Dee, I’m Ronan Mills. My mother is Lydia Shaw. Dad and my mom were together about twenty years ago.” Dee. He called me Dee. I leaned against the frame, feeling the world tilt on its axis. “That’s impossible,” I whispered. “My father would never—” “That’s enough, Delilah.” My father’s voice, raspy and weak, came from the bed. “Let him in, Dee.” I spun around. My father sat up against the pillows, his face utterly devoid of surprise. Not an ounce of shock. He knew. He had been expecting this visit. “Dad…” “Let him in,” he repeated, his voice firm despite the weakness. “I have something to tell both of you.” That afternoon, I learned the secret he’d hidden for twenty years. The year I turned ten, my father had an affair. The woman, Lydia Shaw, was a colleague. They were together for three years. They had a son. Ronan Mills. “I didn’t know how to tell you.” My father stared out the window, avoiding my gaze. “It happened too long ago.” Too long ago? I was thirty-two years old. This secret had been locked away for twenty years. Did Mom know? “Your mother knew,” my father said, as if reading my mind. “I cut off contact with the woman eventually. Your mother forgave me.” Forgave him. A thick knot of something—rage, grief, nausea—coiled in my chest, making it impossible to breathe. “And him?” I pointed to Ronan, who was standing quietly by the wall. “You cut off contact, but he’s still here. How?” “I cut off the mother,” my father said. “But he’s my blood. I couldn’t abandon him.” Couldn’t abandon him. “You’ve been supporting him this whole time?” My father remained silent. Ronan answered for him, smoothly. “Dad always wired money to my mother for support. He also paid for my college tuition.” Every month. Support checks. Tuition fees. A memory surfaced, sharp as glass. My senior year of high school, I wanted to take a two-week summer intensive English course. It cost two thousand dollars. My father said it was too expensive, that it was unnecessary. I worked three consecutive summer jobs just to save enough for a modest college exchange program. And all the while, he was funding another woman’s life. Paying another child’s tuition. “How much?” I asked, my voice barely a thread. “Excuse me?” Ronan asked. “How much did you send them every month?” My father wouldn’t look at me. Ronan said, “Eight hundred dollars.” Eight hundred dollars a month. For twenty years. I did the math quickly. One hundred and ninety-two thousand dollars. Plus four years of college tuition, easily another sixty thousand. A quarter of a million dollars, minimum. My two-thousand-dollar summer course had been “too expensive.” His $250,000 secret family fund had been necessary. “Dad.” My voice was dry and shaky. “Why couldn’t you have told me any of this over the years?” “Told you what?” My father finally looked at me, a flicker of impatience in his eyes. “What good would it have done? So you could hate me?” So I could hate him. I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms. “I don’t hate you,” I said. “I just want to know what I meant to you.” My father didn’t answer. Ronan stepped in, his tone mild and conciliatory. “Dee, let the past stay in the past. Dad isn’t well right now. We shouldn’t stress him out.” His voice was calm, concerned, even affectionate. As if he were the true, devoted child of the house. As if I were the interloper, the source of the drama. “Why are you here, Ronan?” I asked him. “To see Dad,” he said. “And to finally meet my sister.” “And what else?” He hesitated, just a breath. “Dad wants to settle his legacy.” The legacy. He was here to claim his share. 2. My father’s illness had been diagnosed four years ago. Stage IV lung cancer. The doctors gave him a year at most. I quit my job in marketing and became his full-time caretaker. One year turned into two, two into three, and now we were in the fourth year. He’d had six hospital stays, three major surgeries, and over a dozen grueling rounds of chemo. Every single time, I was the one who was there. Making appointments, standing in lines, paying the bills, fetching medications, bathing him, wiping him down, emptying the bedpan. Three a.m., he’d cry out in pain, and I’d crawl out of bed to give him a massage. Six a.m., he wanted his oatmeal, and I had to be up by five to cook it. Four years. One thousand four hundred and sixty days. I haven’t had one full night of uninterrupted sleep. My mother, Victoria, was frail and elderly herself; she could offer little help. Relatives made symbolic visits, bringing fruit and murmuring, “You’re doing great work, Dee,” before disappearing completely. I carried the entire weight of it alone. I was thirty-two. The age when my peers were getting married, I had no partner. The age when I should have been building my career, I had no income. The age when I should have been living my life, I was eating stale crackers in hospital hallways. I’m not saying I didn’t resent it. But he was my father. I thought I was his only child. I thought he would remember everything I did. Now I knew the person he remembered was someone else entirely. A son he’d hidden for twenty years. “Dad.” I sat by the bed that evening. “Who has been taking care of you for the last four years?” He kept his eyes closed, silent. “It was me,” I answered myself. “It was me who quit my job. It was me who cleaned up your mess. It was me who held your hand through surgery, who stayed awake night after endless night.” “I know that,” he mumbled. “And him?” I gestured toward the door where Ronan was staying with my mother. “Where was he for the last four years?” My father opened his eyes and looked at me. “He didn’t know I was sick.” “You didn’t tell him?” “No.” “Why not?” “He’s young. He has his career to focus on,” my father explained. “I didn’t want to disrupt his life.” Didn’t want to disrupt his life. And me? I was also young. I also had a career. What did you say to me when I hesitated about quitting my job? You said: “You’re my daughter, Delilah. It’s expected that you take care of me.” Expected. “And me?” I demanded. “Did you ever think about disrupting my life?” He didn’t answer. “I’m thirty-two,” I continued. “My friends are all married. Some have kids in kindergarten. What do I have? No partner, no savings, no career. For four years, I have had nothing.” “You’ll have it,” my father said. “When I’m gone, you’ll be free.” When he was gone. I would be free. A hollow laugh escaped me. “Dad, do you even hear yourself?” Silence. “You say when you’re gone, I’ll be free,” I said, standing up. “So what was all this for? What does my sacrifice of the last four years amount to in your eyes?” “I remember it,” my father insisted. “You remember me, or you remember him?” He looked at me. His eyes held something that wasn’t guilt. It was impatience. “Delilah, can we please stop with the drama?” Stop with the drama. I had provided four years of selfless care without a single word of complaint. He had hidden a secret son for twenty years, and my asking about it was “drama.” “Fine.” I took a deep, shuddering breath. “No more drama. Just tell me why Ronan Mills is here.” “He came to see me.” “He came for your legacy,” I countered. “Didn’t he?” My father didn’t speak. “Didn’t he?” “…He is my son,” my father finally stated. “If I want to leave my assets to him, what is the problem?” His assets. Left to his son. What is the problem? I stood there, feeling utterly, mortally cold. “Dad, what about me?” “You are my daughter,” my father said. “Daughters eventually marry out. They become part of another family.” 3. That evening, I returned to the house to find Ronan standing in the living room. He was examining the space, looking at the sofa, the TV, the family photos on the wall. “Dee.” He turned, giving me that same placid smile. “This house is pretty big.” It was 2,000 square feet. It was my father’s only property. He had bought it for 400,000 years ago. Now, in this Brookline neighborhood, it was easily worth 1.2 million. “What are you looking at?” I asked. “Nothing, just checking it out.” His tone was light. “This was Dad’s house, right?” “Yes.” “Whose name is on the deed?” I paused, taken aback by the bluntness. “My father’s name is on the deed.” “Good,” he nodded. “That’s good to know.” Good to know? What did he mean? “Look, Dee, I’ll be direct with you.” Ronan sat down on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other. “Dad’s intention is for the house to come to me when he passes.” I felt a sharp, internal stab. “What did you say?” “He said he’s giving the house to me,” he repeated. “Plus all of his savings and investments. He mentioned it was around $4.5 million, all told.” $4.5 million. Plus the $1.2 million house. $5.7 million. My father’s entire life’s worth. All of it to Ronan. “Are you joking with me?” I demanded. “No.” Ronan took a folded paper from his pocket. “This is Dad’s will. It’s been notarized by his lawyer. You can read it.” I took the paper. The Will. It was written clearly: “I, Arthur Stone, hereby voluntarily bequeath my entire estate, including one property, all bank savings and investments, to my son, Ronan Mills.” My son, Ronan Mills. Not my daughter, Delilah Stone. I flipped the document over and saw my father’s signature, and the thick, red ink of his thumbprint. The date was three months ago. Three months ago, I was at the hospital, holding the basin while he threw up from chemo. He was letting me care for him while secretly signing away everything he owned to his illegitimate son. “Dee, don’t get upset,” Ronan said, watching me. “Dad said you worked hard these past few years. He left you a little something—$50,000. It’s his way of saying thank you.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “390592”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My husband kept a mistress in the walk-in closet. Every night, she’d creep out after midnight, giggling, and slink onto the bed. Two bodies, unrestrained in the darkness. I, the oblivious wife sleeping beside them, would occasionally cough. Instead of being deterred, Callan Ashford found it exhilarating. The thrill of the forbidden would send shivers through him, pushing him trembling toward his peak. Afterward, my so-called best friend, Blair, would dig her heel viciously into my face. “Look at her,” she’d sneer, her voice low and venomous. “She sleeps like a tranquilized hog.” “I doubt she’d wake up if the roof caved in.” “But thank God for her little problem, or we wouldn’t be able to have our nightly fun, would we?” Callan, spent and gasping, would mumble, “Adora is a good girl, a placid little wife. Not like you—you’re a fever dream, a goddamn siren. You’re endless.” Then, they would start all over again. I lay facing the wall, a quiet, chilling smile spreading across my lips in the pitch black. 1 The pale, ghostly blue light of the monitor screen reflected off my face. I pulled my arms tighter across my chest, watching Callan, a primal, rutting beast, straining and grinning in excitement. Sweat slicked the two writhing bodies. My own lips curled upward in a slow, uncontrollable arc. My body was shaking slightly, not from fear, but from a surge of heady, victorious adrenaline. I snapped the laptop shut. Turning to the mirror, I studied the woman staring back: dressed in soft, unassuming silks, utterly without pretense or attack. I spoke quietly, barely a whisper. “Perfect. The game is finally on.” “Five years of playing the placid wife. I’d say I’ve played the role long enough.” The next moment, I couldn’t help but laugh. I wasn’t the only one who’d been acting, was I? It was incredible. The man who projected such an image of gentle composure and steady temper—the distinguished Callan Ashford—had this subterranean side. Cheating on me with my best friend was one thing. But to sneak her into my house and hide her in the walk-in closet? To exploit my infamous ability to sleep through a hurricane—my deep, near-comatose sleep cycle—just to release her onto my marital bed, right next to me? And he’d kept this sick little charade going for a month. If I hadn’t feigned sleep that night—if I hadn’t actually bought him a surprise anniversary gift to celebrate our fifth year and then overheard those noises—I would have remained the perfect fool. It was too rich. He craved this furtive thrill, this lick of honey from a knife’s edge. The more dangerous the risk, the more satisfied he felt. He had concealed it so well over the years. Honestly, he’d genuinely impressed me. My phone vibrated. A text from Blair: “Tell me what you think of this bangle?” The accompanying photo showed a high-carat opal bangle, its surface glowing with rich color, encircling a slender wrist. It rested casually against a man’s forearm. Near the crook of the thumb was a tiny, almost invisible black mole. It was Callan’s hand. A mocking smile touched my mouth. So, she couldn’t hide it anymore. Was this her subtle little provocation? I tapped the screen, typing cheerfully: “Gorgeous color! Must have cost a fortune?” Blair replied instantly: “It’s a newly-excavated, intensely colored opal. The auction houses were fighting over it, but he loved it, paid triple the asking price, and had it cut for me on the spot.” Based on the clarity of the stone, the uncut gem would have been worth well over three million. Triple… I clicked my tongue, a pang of calculated disdain. The most expensive gift Callan had ever given me was a ten-thousand-dollar branded brooch—and that was just a required purchase to access something else at the boutique. Yet, Blair had acquired this in a matter of weeks. Clearly, Callan was obsessed with her. I didn’t know how she’d stumbled upon his forbidden kink, but her approach—lowering her standards to meet his perverse needs—was undeniably clever. It made me recall a scene from years ago. I was in my tiny rental, meticulously going through the dossiers of various eligible bachelors from prominent families, choosing a suitable husband. Then, I saw his file, and a shudder ran through me. His mother died giving birth to him, leading to cold neglect from his father. He was constantly undermined by his two older brothers, which fostered a personality defined by deep reserve, extreme caution, and profound cunning. The family had repeatedly instilled the belief that he was responsible for his mother’s death, making him instinctively averse to childbirth and children—yet, he also harbored a deep, desperate longing for maternal comfort and tenderness. His history guaranteed he would guard himself against everyone. Even his wife would not necessarily be privy to his wealth. Since I was kicked out of my stepmother’s house at fifteen and forced to survive on my own, I knew one truth: nothing in this world is reliable except the money you hold in your hand. Callan was high-difficulty. He wasn’t the most suitable choice. But I liked a challenge. Easy wins had no flavor. Hard bone was worth the satisfying crunch. The process of securing him was arduous. He liked a blank slate. So I bleached myself into a virgin canvas. He liked the soft, flowing nature of water. I presented myself in the most gentle and agreeable manner every single time. It took painstaking effort, but I finally became Mrs. Ashford. I thought I knew him. I was wrong. My best friend understood him better. But… I walked barefoot to the liquor cabinet and poured myself a glass of whiskey. The amber liquid swirled, mirroring the subtle, devious light in my eyes. Darling, I’m the one playing the long game. You want to replace me as Mrs. Ashford. But that title? That’s not what I care about at all. I shot a reply back to Blair: “He sounds like a keeper. I approve, sis.” Then, I snapped a photo of the pre-prepared pregnancy test results and posted it to my private social media. Caption: “An angel is on the way.” 2 The next morning, I deleted a text message that read, “Grandma is fading fast. Maybe two weeks at most.” I looked up to see Callan, who had just rushed back on a redeye flight. He was haggard, but his eyes held a layer of terrifying, chilling malice. “What the hell is this? How are you pregnant?” I pretended not to notice the fresh hickey he hadn’t bothered to cover on his neck. I gave a flawless performance of bewildered innocence and terror. “I… I don’t know, honey. I just started feeling nauseous and unwell, so I went for a check-up… I truly don’t know how this happened…” “Stop acting! What did you do to sabotage our agreement?” He lunged forward, gripping my wrist so tightly I nearly cried out. Blair, who’d followed him in, rushed to restrain him. “Callan! Don’t you dare! This is your wife! Even if she went against your solemn childfree pact—look, a woman needs security, doesn’t she? Even if her motives are selfish, it’s because she loves you too much, not because she’s cheating!” Callan shot her a look, took a deep breath, yanked off his tie, and sat down hard on the sofa. Blair rushed to hand me a glass of water. “Adora, as a woman, I understand your need for security. But from Callan’s perspective, he’s being forced to accept this. Isn’t that unfair?” “And you told me yourselves, Callan always uses protection, right? So, how did you… how did you get pregnant?” Callan’s head snapped up. His eyes were dangerously dark. Blair picked up the results again, examining them closely. She murmured, “Seven weeks. That means two months ago… Hmm. The timing seems off. I recall Callan was overseas meeting clients that whole period, wasn’t he?” Callan sprang to his feet, enraged. “Aha! I get it now! Adora Bellwether! No wonder you’re pregnant! You found yourself another man outside!” My heart gave a practiced jolt. My eyes immediately filled with tears. “Callan Ashford! What are you saying? Five years of marriage! Don’t you know what kind of person I am? How can you accuse me of that?” He looked at my tear-streaked, pitiful face. His brow twitched. He was starting to realize that for five years, my life had revolved entirely around him. Apart from my friendship with Blair, I had no social life. I was the perfect, standard-issue trophy wife and homemaker. This kind of woman was like a perfectly trained dog. Give her a bone, and she’d wag her tail for life. How could she possibly have the guts to carry another man’s bastard? His expression softened slightly. But then Blair cried out, “Oh!” “Two months ago… I think I remember… It was pouring rain that night. I dropped Adora off, and as I walked away, I saw a man waiting for her near the lobby. Adora looked really nervous and rushed me away…” She suddenly covered her mouth, looking at me with feigned anxiety. “Adora, I didn’t mean anything by it! I’m just worried about you both!” Ah, the scent of fresh, high-grade petticoat poison. I had to clench my palms until my fingernails dug in to keep myself from bursting out laughing. Callan’s face, however, went utterly slate-gray after hearing Blair’s words. He reached out, seizing my jaw with his large hand, his entire body radiating cold fury. “Adora Bellwether, who was the man?” 3 Look at my devoted husband. No matter how filthy his own actions, he couldn’t tolerate even the suggestion of disloyalty from his wife. How ridiculously predictable. A flash of malice crossed Blair’s eyes, though her tone remained frantic. “Callan, don’t get worked up. Let’s talk this through calmly… Adora, please, just explain it to him.” I laughed suddenly, but the tears flowed in earnest this time. “Callan Ashford, you still doubt me, don’t you?” He grabbed my shoulders, squeezing so hard he nearly crushed my bones. “Doubt? Are you saying Blair is lying?” He turned to Blair, his voice involuntarily softening. “Blair, tell me, what else did they do that day?” Blair glanced at me in apparent distress, then stammered, “Well, she was holding an umbrella for him, and they spoke for a while… then the man followed Adora into the building… Oh!” Before she could finish, she let out a shriek and stumbled backward. Her lower back slammed heavily against the staircase railing. As she fell, she grabbed my dress, making it look as though I had shoved her. “Blair!” Callan shoved me aside without thought. I lost my balance, my head hitting the cold, hard wall with a muffled groan. Callan rushed past me, carefully helping Blair up. The woman leaned into his chest, tears streaming down her face. “Adora, why did you push me? Is it because you think I’m a bad friend for telling the truth? But this pregnancy is suspicious. Callan is your husband. He has a right to know the truth…” He helped Blair to sit safely aside, then slowly turned and walked toward me. The rage in his eyes threatened to incinerate me. “Adora Bellwether, you commit a disgusting act, and then you try to hurt an innocent person?” Before I could even process his movement, he clamped his hand around the back of my neck, slamming me against the wall again. “Tell me! Whose bastard is this?” I didn’t struggle. I just closed my eyes, letting the tears fall freely. Just as his hand drew back, ready to strike my stomach with devastating force, the housekeeper, Mr. Davies, rushed into the living room with a woman in tow. “Mr. Ashford, this is Mrs. Chen, the cleaning lady from the community. She insisted on thanking the Mistress.” The middle-aged woman, with short hair and a broad, sturdy build, bowed deeply to me, tears in her eyes. “Mrs. Ashford, thank God. After two months of treatment, my son is finally improving. I had to come and thank you.” “If you hadn’t told me to wait for you by the door that night, and given me that money for the hospital bills, I honestly might have lost him… I would have buried my own child. Mrs. Ashford, you are a saint! I can never repay your kindness…” She broke down into sobs, quickly wiping her eyes before offering him a few boxes. “Mr. Ashford, you were away last time. I remember the Mistress saying you love tea. These are some simple leaves from my hometown. It’s a small gift, please accept it.” Callan froze, his gaze snapping back to me. Blair’s face drained of color. I spoke calmly. “Mrs. Chen, I only did what I could. Please don’t be so formal.” Then I looked deeply into Callan’s eyes. My gaze was one of icy calm. “You can call Dr. Albright and ask if the embryo implantation date is subject to variation. A few days’ margin is perfectly normal. If you still don’t believe me, we can go right now. Amniocentesis, DNA test, whatever you want.” I turned to walk away, but my body swayed. I quickly grabbed the wall for support. Callan looked at my ashen face, then at the genuinely distraught Mrs. Chen. His suspicion immediately evaporated. Before he could speak, Blair, who had been frozen in shock, quickly recovered. 4 “Callan, I knew Adora loved you too much to ever cheat! But still… Adora, you shouldn’t have used a trick to get pregnant and break the agreement you made with Callan! You were only thinking of securing him with a child. Why weren’t you thinking about your husband?” Callan’s face went instantly dark. “That’s right! I will not be having this child! Go to the hospital immediately while it’s still early and terminate it, or else—” The phone in his pocket suddenly rang, cutting him off. “Hello?” “You said what?” I pretended not to notice the flicker of utter astonishment in his eyes, lowering my head to wipe the last tears from my cheek. The next second, he scooped me up into the air. “Wife! You are absolutely incredible!” A sudden, earth-shattering shift in fortune. The Ashford Patriarch had just made a declaration: he had three sons, and the one who gave him the first grandson would inherit the family’s control. Five years married to Callan, I knew how brutal the struggle was between the three brothers. And now, I had effortlessly handed him the key to crush his siblings. No matter how much he hated children, he wouldn’t turn down this opportunity. Watching the excited, avaricious gleam in his eyes, I smiled internally. The so-called famous Clairvoyant was just a con man. Years ago, after Callan had him brutally beaten and left for dead, I had saved him. He proved surprisingly loyal and thrived in his new profession. All it took was a few well-placed suggestions to the ailing Patriarch about the family’s “lineage stability” and “destiny tied to the first heir” to make him believe that only by handing the entire Ashford legacy to the first grandson could the family’s prosperity be ensured. Blair was stunned. The venom in her eyes was now undisguised, like a cold needle aimed directly at me. I walked silently back to the room. I didn’t turn on the light. The cruel, pleased curve of my lips finally unfolded in the total darkness. Blair and I were truly kindred spirits. Both of us, once we decided on a course of action, would pursue it to the bitter end. Three years ago, she engineered a chance encounter while I was grocery shopping, eventually becoming my one and only, my very best sister-friend. She waited three full years. She finally discovered Callan’s weakness, and finally secured her secret relationship with him. Her tenacity was, I admit, impressive. But the moment I first saw her, I knew exactly what she was after. I guessed that the day she started catering to Callan’s perversion, hiding in the closet, she began planning how to usurp my place entirely. So, I deliberately allowed her to witness me meeting a vaguely defined “man.” It was all for the sake of the theatrical performance I’d watched unfold today. Life is too tedious. One must find ways to entertain oneself. A week later, at the Ashford Family Manor. Dr. Albright moved the cold ultrasound wand from my abdomen without looking up. “Eight weeks. The heartbeat is strong. Congratulations.” His single sentence immediately changed the complexion of every face in the room. The Ashford Patriarch was ecstatic. The elder brother, Garrett, and the second brother, Preston, frowned deeply. Their wives’ faces were tight with jealousy. The Patriarch raised a hand. Mr. Davies immediately produced a file and three sets of keys. “Adora, these City View condos are now in your name. They are a family safeguard for you. And this offshore trust fund has been transferred to your account. You rest well and care for the child. Once the baby is born… there will naturally be more.” The Patriarch didn’t finish the sentence, but everyone understood the implication. After the others departed, their faces a mixture of emotions, Callan took an envelope from his suit pocket and handed it to me. “This card is for you, Wife. Spend whatever you want. Don’t deprive yourself or the child.” In five years of marriage, this was the first money he had given me outside of my monthly household allowance. It was a start. But… I curled my trembling fingers around the card. I looked at the envelopes and the legal documents. What was this? In the Ashford family’s vast financial empire, this was less than a crumb. It didn’t even cover the edges. Not enough. Far from enough. I put on a performance of being still deeply affected by the accusations from a few days ago. I moved away, avoiding his attempt to touch me. “You go home first. I need to walk alone for a while.” 5 By the entrance, I ran into Dr. Albright, who was leaving. I gave him a polite smile. He reacted as if he’d seen a ghost, quickly turning and walking away. I clicked my tongue in displeasure. All I did was discover that his academically brilliant son, who was about to go overseas for research, was involved in serious academic plagiarism. So I asked him to casually misrepresent my examination results to buy me a few days of time. Was that so much to ask? That afternoon, I arrived at a suburban coffee shop. Blair was waiting for me in a corner. Her perfectly made-up face looked stressed. “Did the Patriarch really say that whoever produces the first grandson gets control of the whole corporation?” I covered my mouth, my shoulders shaking, tears rolling down my cheeks. “Yes, Blair, he did. He only agreed to keep the child because of the leverage it gives him in the family succession… If it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t even look at my stomach…” I sobbed, almost suffocating, then coughed. But out of the corner of my eye, I clearly saw a calculated glint ignite in Blair’s eyes. “Adora, stop crying. It’s bad for the baby… Listen to me. Now that you’re pregnant, no matter the reason, Callan has to treat his own flesh and blood well, and he has to treat you well! Don’t worry, I’ll help you protect that baby.” I raised my tear-filled eyes, looking at her with manufactured gratitude. “Blair, you’re so good to me.” She smoothed the stray hair back from my ear and gave me a sweet smile. “Of course. We’re the very best of friends, aren’t we?” My gaze settled on our clasped hands. My lowered lashes concealed the cold detachment in my eyes. Yes, Blair. We are the best of friends. And only you deserve to be my opponent. That same evening, Blair moved into our home, claiming I was too emotional and needed company. Every night, in the deepest hours, the two of them resumed their routines. And now, they were no longer satisfied with waiting until I was asleep. I’d be cooking soup in the kitchen, and Callan would have Blair pressed against the bathroom wall. I’d be reading in the study, and he’d be pulling Blair’s hair right outside the door, his eyes locked on the sliver of light beneath it. I repeatedly replayed the surveillance footage, scrutinizing his face after each release. A cold smirk played on my lips. Callan was already getting bored with these amateur theatrics. He was addicted to the thrill of theft. He only became excited when he was close to total destruction. Simply being caught by his wife no longer satisfied his palate. Human desire, once awakened and left unchecked, only grows larger. The next day, news came from the Ashford Manor. The 90-year-old Ashford Family Matriarch had passed away. Three days earlier than I had anticipated. Given the circumstances, the funeral rites had to be perfectly orchestrated. I, who hadn’t spoken to Callan in days, took the initiative to break the silence. “Let’s go. We should see Grandmother off.” Blair suddenly interjected. “Callan, Adora is pregnant. A funeral might be too uncomfortable for her. Plus, there’s the vigil, the kneeling, the crying. What if she has a miscarriage? Why don’t I go with you both? I can help look after Adora.” I turned, addressing her with an unprecedented iciness. “Blair, this is Ashford family business. What are you doing there as an outsider? Are you vying for the role of the Ashford Third Granddaughter-in-law, hoping to kneel and mourn for Grandmother in my place?” Her eyes immediately filled with wounded tears. “Adora! Why would you say that? I just wanted to help!” Seeing her distress, Callan quickly spoke up. “You’ve accompanied Adora to visit Grandmother before. She was fond of you. It’s not inappropriate for you to see her off. You can come with us.” He turned a cold gaze on me. “Blair used to spend time with Grandmother, talking poetry and literature, keeping the old woman happy. Grandmother used to quietly nag me about her, saying she was graceful, educated, and far better than my always-dull wife. She even asked why I didn’t marry her instead.” “Since Grandmother liked Blair so much, her soul will be happier to see Blair at her send-off. It’s certainly preferable to seeing you.” An undeniable look of triumph flashed across Blair’s face. I lowered my head, a faint, bitter smile on my lips, and didn’t argue. I replied softly, “Fine. As you wish.” Callan continued, “Is the Shroud of Passage ready?” According to Ashford tradition, the youngest granddaughter-in-law must personally drape the deceased with the Shroud of Passage, symbolizing peace on the journey to the afterlife. I pointed to the purple sandalwood box by the door. “Grandmother wasn’t well for a while, so it was prepared long ago.” “Good. Let’s go.” Watching their backs, I sighed softly. Grandmother. I warned them, but they wouldn’t listen. The stage is set. The actors are about to make their entrance. A funeral. A wake. Relatives. A lover in a figure-hugging black dress. Ultimate danger. Ultimate sacrilege. Ultimate transgression. It is the very scenario your grandson craves most. If he does anything highly disrespectful to your memory later, please try to be tolerant.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “390617”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Third year working as a PA for the rich heiress Serena. Her family wanted her to please her Marriage Alliance partner. The heiress impatiently threw her phone to me, asking me to chat for her. And warned: “If you mess this up, you’re dead.” I had to bite the bullet, racking my brain every day to think of sweet nothings. Just like this, chatted with the heir of Sterling Family for three months, he also became more and more proactive. Until one day, he messaged my personal account, asking me to bring a gift up to the heiress. I subconsciously replied: [Okay, thanks babe!] The other side went silent. Chapter 1 I finished sending this message, then went to wash up. When finally sobered up a bit, remembered the message sent by Xander Sterling. I opened my phone, wanting to confirm again where he put the gift. Result opened look. Chat interface, after I replied that message. Xander didn’t reply gently and patiently like before. Just coldly replied a question mark: [?] And his previous message original text was: [I prepared a gift for Serena, left it downstairs at the dorm, remember to bring it to her.] A bad premonition shrouded my heart, I returned with trembling hands, clicked in again. Repeated several times. Finally desperately discovered—— I am now logged in my own account. Not that small account Serena gave me. And my sentence “Thanks babe” already passed time, cannot withdraw. I urgently thought of remedial measures. Finally picked and chose, found a most reasonable excuse: [Sorry, wrong person, originally wanted to send to a friend.] [I will bring the gift up to Serena later.] Sent, I waited anxiously. Waited a while, luckily Xander didn’t pursue, just simply replied: [Mm, thanks.] I couldn’t help sighing in relief. Switched to the small account Serena gave me again. Xander’s message just popped up, changed his coldness to me just now: [Babe, I’m coming back to the States.] [When I come back let’s discuss engagement okay?] My breath just sighed, lifted up again. Chapter 2 From freshman year, to gather enough medical fees for grandma, I became the little follower hired by Serena. Responsible for taking care of her daily life. Until three months ago, her family company’s capital chain had problems. Serena was sent to marriage alliance, need to please the alliance partner——Sterling family heir Xander Sterling. That time Xander was still abroad, Serena had to chat with him on phone first. Pity asked cold asked warm for three days, opposite still cold. Heiress never suffered this anger, but lucky this account added Xander not considered her main account. So, Serena in anger, directly gave this account to me. Let me chat for her. And warned me: “If you mess this up, you’re dead.” I held phone, to not lose this job, had to bite bullet chat with opposite. Every day open eyes, start racking brain think sweet words. Also flipped through his Instagram and social media, understand his likes, try hard find topics he interested. Gradually, his words also more up. To me also more and more proactive. Just passed three months like this. Until today, Xander said he wants return country discuss marriage. I just knew. This mission finally wants end. Chapter 3 I immediately organized a document. Wrote down all Xander’s preferences learned in these three months, and details during chat. Then went downstairs, took that gift bought by Xander, went to apartment Serena lived. When entered, Serena was nesting on sofa, beside already piled several gift boxes. I handed gift to her, explained origin. Serena took box, opened look. Is a small exquisite rabbit doll, still limited edition. Serena sized up half day, somewhat disdain said: “How just a broken doll?” I lowered eyes explained: “Should be I said rabbit cute before, so he sent this.” Serena speechlessly threw doll to me: “You deal with it yourself.” “Next time remember say more I like diamond jewelry, know not?” I pinched tight doll disdained by her, said okay. Also remind her: “He said he wants return country, soon you guys want meet.” “…Phone chat this matter, later still you yourself come better.” Didn’t expect Serena shook head, raised phone, showed me her chat list: “See not, these pursuers already enough I busy, Xander side you just continue chat bei.” I silent half day, had to continue nod. Then sent organized document to her: “This is some his preferences, before meet him look these first.” Serena careless said: “Knew, wordy dead.” I then no longer said what. Few days later, Xander returned. Serena dressed up, took me attended his welcome party. I helped her carry bag, walked to private room door time, one of Serena’s ambiguous objects called her. Serena then let me go in first, walked to corner answer phone. I nodded, pushed open private room door. However haven’t seen clear inside situation, bag in hand taken by someone. Next second, a pair well-defined hands held me. Woody scent slowly wrapped me. Lazy smiling voice rang up: “Today so good ah, carried bag I gave you.” Voice heard many times in phone, this moment truly rang in my ear. I awkwardly looked up. Xander also at this moment finally saw clear person in front. He body paused, quickly let go me, low cursed a sentence: “Sorry ah, wrong person.” Chapter 4 Serena this time also finished phone, puzzled said: “Standing at door doing what?” Xander expression soon restored normal, again held Serena hand, smiled: “Waiting you.” Just now episode soon passed over. Serena adapted very fast, not a while familiar with people in private room. I silently sat beside her, no one noticed me, also happy freely. Passed a while, Serena actively peeled a shrimp, leaned to Xander front want give him eat. Action out, private room suddenly quiet a moment. Serena somewhat baffled. My eyelid jumped, knew Serena didn’t seriously look memo I gave. Xander allergic to seafood, I even bolded red marked. And this moment, Xander also slightly frowned, lowered eyes look Serena. Eye watch want exposed, I hurry small voice remind: “He seafood allergy.” Serena reacted also very fast, hand turned self ate shrimp, playful winked to Xander: “Know you can’t eat shrimp, just give you smell a bit oh.” Xander couldn’t help low laugh out sound. Crisis silent resolved, I finally sigh relief. Finished meal, they started play Truth or Dare. Played to half, Serena said want touch up makeup, let Xander pass her bag. Just my bag also put beside, Xander take time, accidentally knocked my bag down. Things in bag instantly scattered on ground. And that rabbit doll, just so caught off guard exposed under light. I flustered bent down, want take advantage people not notice pick up. Next second, Xander meaning unclear voice rang up: “This doll, how here with you?” Chapter 5 An instant, I thought countless excuses. Like help Serena keep, or say same style. But no matter which excuse, seem all somewhat lame. I indeed very like rabbit, when Serena threw doll to me, I silent long time, still properly put it into bag deepest inside. Today walked too rush, actually brought it over. My brain dazed a bit, haven’t thought good how explain. Serena already because too panic and guilty, loud said: “Luna, how can you steal my things!” Saying, she red eye rims: “I already treat you so good, you clearly know I like this gift, why still want take away…” A time, private room all sight gathered on me, whisper up. “This is Serena’s follower right, too not know good bad.” “Guts really big ah, Brother Xander send girlfriend gift all dare steal.” “Who know have steal other things or not, everyone pay attention own things.” I frowned, just want deny. Serena already in my ear small voice threaten: “Dare expose you finished.” “Obedient point, after event give you $5,000.” Words to mouth just stuck like this. Five thousand, grandma several months medicine money. And she soon want surgery, I still can’t lose this job. Nails deeply embedded into palm. Braving everyone different gaze, I heard myself hoarse said: “…Sorry, is I stole.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “390633”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

After divorcing Lucas Hale, my belly grew bigger day by day. Parents and the Fake Heiress were anxious to death, urging me to get surgery every day. In my previous life, because Lucas was promiscuous, I angrily aborted the child. He hated me to the bone, completely dispelled the thought of remarrying me. But not long after, the Fake Heiress married him. Later my family went bankrupt, I was despised because of divorce and abortion. Since then displaced, sequelae of surgery collapsed my body, years of illness. Soon died on a street in winter. While Lucas’s business expanded nationwide, the Fake Heiress traveled the world, living like fish in water. Everyone laughed at me self-inflicted, born to suffer. Opening eyes again, I directly called Lucas. This life, I want the child, and I want the money too. … Chapter 1 “You are divorced, big belly is simply a joke, listen to Mom, hurry go abort it.” “Yes sister, you grew up in Rural Kentucky originally not likable, now big belly everyone says you don’t even want face…” Mom and Jasmine stimulated me sentence after sentence, wishing to drag me to surgery now. Previous life, I was provoked by them to go to hospital. Lost my last chip. Jasmine also took the opportunity to ascend, became Mrs. Hale. Even after I died, not allowed me to be buried in Hamilton family plot. Throat surged with blood, meeting Jasmine’s impatient eyes, I actually laughed out. Next second, door was pushed open, Lucas rushed in. He breathed rapidly, always calm and self-controlled him actually face pale. “Child… child not aborted right?” Not waiting me open mouth, Jasmine suddenly interrupted: “Lucas brother don’t blame sister, she was also momentary impulse.” She looked like wood already became boat, while winking at me, while comforting instantly stiffened Lucas. “Child fine.” I directly refuted her words. Lucas eating people like face suddenly eased, stepped forward supported me into car. “Follow me home, have anything we talk well.” In rearview mirror, Jasmine’s face iron green and twisted. I sneered, when recovered spirit, but saw a lipstick left on passenger seat, not mine. Lucas immediately frowned, just want open mouth. I calmly moved away sight. A burst of abrupt silence, Lucas sizing up gaze fell on my face. Pointedly said: “You seem changed a bit.” I casually “Mm”ed, faintly said: “Isn’t this good?” Before I didn’t rub sand in eyes. Even Jasmine and him hold hands would make a scene sky flip earth over. Scold him, slap him, not allow him touch me. Forced him write guarantee letter to me. Start he would follow me, coax me, but gradually, he had enough. Even in front of full house outsiders directly mocked: “You a child held back, dad not pain mom not love, have what qualification arrogant in front of me?” I collapsed like a clown, heart pain split four five. He understood me too well, so clear where knife stab most painful. Embarrassment and anger rushed my head, that time I still didn’t believe, didn’t believe I can’t without him. So under my intense request, I divorced. But eighteen years in countryside, parents although found me back, but didn’t teach me skill to stand. Later days, I really as he said, lived tragic. Lucas quietly looked at me, don’t know thinking what. Suddenly, his phone rang, after connecting, my mom anxious voice came out. “Lucas, Jasmine that girl don’t know what happened, crying drove away, can you help me find her?” As long as matter concerns Jasmine, my mom always trouble Lucas, not consider my feeling a bit. Also, they two originally count childhood sweethearts. Until I eighteen was found back, Lucas love at first sight to me. That day I stood in Hamilton family hall, wearing tattered jacket, and pants obviously short a section. A group of noble young masters and young misses surrounded me laughing. I embarrassed face red, but posture stood straight. Lucas was at this time, scolded that group people, took me to another room. Later, he then started intentionally or unintentionally encounter me. Teach me High Society rules, buy me suitable dress and high heels. That time I too inferior, always felt he look down on me. So I like a hedgehog mocked him, but Lucas never angry. Instead when I was laughed “Hillbilly”, “Wild Child”. Punch by punch beat away those people. So when we announced marriage. Maybe not only Jasmine hate me, even my mother also hate me robbed her precious daughter’s good husband. “It’s okay, if you want go then go, I can take care myself.” I tone calm, expression reflected in glass no wave no shock. Lucas hand holding steering wheel tight, face not too good. Like angry with me, just sent me home, he then a foot gas left. I then couldn’t wait entered home, servants not surprised I suddenly back, stepped forward take my coat. Gentle said: “Madam, hot water ready, do you want take a bath?” I shook head: “Not rush.” I slowly strolled in villa, appreciating elegant decoration and Mid-Century Modern furniture I like. Finally is expensive jewelry on vanity table. Previous life, since I divorced, these all fell into Jasmine’s hands. Sister married brother-in-law such shocking thing, my mom instead reverse condemn me. “Yourself not cherish blame others what use? Anyway all one family, fertilizer not flow outsider field.” My dad then affair not concern self, day to night not go home. Even if I am their only bloodline, also can’t compare Jasmine’s a toe. Affection I demanded, in outsiders eyes start to end is a joke. After thoughts back, I went soak a hot bath, then directly fell on bed slept beautifully. Until “Snap” a sound, overhead chandelier directly woke me. Hazy open eyes, was Lucas black dark face. “Dawned?” My voice somewhat hoarse. Lucas laughed in anger. “Didn’t I say come back talk well? You not wait me then slept?” Not wait me open mouth, he again like claiming credit explained: “I found Jasmine at bar door, sent her home then immediately rushed back.” Air silent two seconds, I then realized he expecting my answer. So I dully nodded, dry laughed two sounds. “Quite good.” “Quite good?” Lucas lost voice ask back, a grab my wrist force ask: “You come back, is for child, or…” He eye rims red up: “Or because me.” Skin came stinging pain, I slightly frown. Who not for, just for myself. Looking Lucas relentless look, I contrary to heart said: “Both have, about to be mom, I always should be mature right?” As for him, then indifferent. As long as money give enough, he want do what then follow him. Just like before, after sleep me also not delay him go comfort Jasmine. Lucas expression slightly congeal, face crossed lost. Low voice mumble: “Celine, why I feel you weird?” He looked at boring expression on my face, again looked down at his empty phone. A anger suddenly straight rush brain. “Must you be like this? Yin yang weird air, half dead not alive!” “You have what want I all satisfy you still not enough? You still want me how?” I somewhat helpless look at him: “I don’t want how, you think too much.” Lucas face however no slight better, staring me two seconds then slammed door left.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “390648”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel