Category: English

I hid the pregnancy test — two clear lines — inside a cake, planning to surprise Ethan on his birthday. Then he suddenly said, “I slept with Natalie.” He pointed at the hot soup I’d just made, his smile cruel: “Last week she fed me from this same bowl. Her tongue was so skilled, I couldn’t hold back. So I fucked her.” Betrayed. Again. I stood there frozen, too numb with pain to make a sound. Ethan just smiled brighter: “I finally understand Lucas now. Natalie really does know how to please a man better than you.” Lucas was my ex-boyfriend. Natalie was my former stepsister. Five years ago, those two drove me to attempt suicide with photos of them in bed together. When I’d lost all hope, Ethan appeared and saved me. But now, he’d betrayed me for the same person. I’d been secretly making prenatal supplements for him, lying that it was just health tonic. He never called me out on it. I thought he didn’t know. After a long silence, I finally found my voice, trembling: “Why?” Why betray me and still let me make medicine for him every day? Ethan looked at me and suddenly laughed loudly: “Claire, you lost.” He pulled out his phone and put it on speaker. Natalie’s voice poured out, sickeningly sweet: “Ethan, did it work?” “It worked. You guessed right — she only asked why.” Ethan leaned back on the sofa, the exact same posture Lucas used five years ago. “Natalie and I made a bet about how you’d react. She bet you’d slap me. I bet you’d just cry.” He paused, smug and vicious: “I won.” Natalie laughed on the other end: “Five years later, and she still just asks ‘why’ when someone fucks her husband.” In a daze, I was back five years ago. That year I came home early to surprise Lucas on his birthday. I pushed open the door to find Natalie straddling Lucas. They didn’t even bother to cover up. Seeing me, Natalie panicked for just a moment. Lucas leaned against the headboard and lit a cigarette: “Claire’s home early. Your sister Natalie just turned eighteen, so I’m breaking her in for you.” I grabbed the vase from the table to throw it, but my wrist went limp like the bones had been pulled out. The vase slipped and shattered at my feet. I only asked why. Natalie shoved her phone in my face. It was full of photos of her and Lucas — the earliest one dated three months before Lucas and I got together. “Claire, you’re the one who stole someone else’s boyfriend.” That night, Natalie sent the photos to all my classmates. My phone rang all night with messages full of abuse. I turned it off and stood on the rooftop until dawn. The next day, Ethan grabbed my hand. The day after that, he was drenched in sweat, like he’d run a long way. He said, don’t die for people who aren’t worth it. Come with me. So I went with him. But five years later, today, the person who pulled me down from that rooftop had personally pushed me back up there. “Alright Natalie, stop provoking her. See you tonight.” Ethan hung up. He grabbed his car keys and headed for the door. As he passed the coffee table, his steps slowed for half a beat. But only half a beat. “I’m picking up Natalie. Move your stuff to the guest room. You don’t have a place here anymore.” The door closed. In the living room, the cake read “Happy 30th Birthday” in frosting I’d spent two hours piping. Next to it, a blue gift box held the photo of the pregnancy test. Two lines. I’d planned to wait until after he blew out the candles to tell him we were having a baby. That baby was four weeks old.

After Ethan left, I stared at the cake for a long time. Then I started packing. ID card, prenatal checkup report, my mother’s photo. I shoved them into my bag, my hands shaking so badly it took three tries to zip it closed. Ethan came back faster than I expected. He looked at the bag in my hand and sneered: “Running away? Where would you even go?” “Divorce.” I used all my strength to say that word. He didn’t answer, just walked over and pulled the bag from my hands. When he found the prenatal report, his hand paused for a moment. Very brief, so brief it seemed like I’d imagined it. Then he threw the bag on the floor. “Divorce?” He looked down at me like he’d heard a joke. “Claire, if you’d chosen me first, I probably would have treasured you for life.” His tone was flat, like he was talking about someone else. “But who did you choose? You chose Lucas.” “When you were with him, you could kneel in the rain all night. You could fight and make up laughing the next day.” “What about with me?” “You speak quietly, walk around me carefully, don’t even dare make prenatal supplements in front of me.” “Claire, who are you living with? You’re living with a stranger.” “You think that’s love?” Ethan lowered his head, almost touching my face: “That’s charity.” “Was saving me charity too?” I raised my head. “Five years ago you grabbed me on that rooftop and said you’d be good to me forever. Was that pity too?” His expression flickered, then hardened. “Yes. That was pity.” He stepped back, his eyes full of gloom. “The pot you used to make prenatal supplements — it’s the same one you used to make soup for Lucas. You forgot, didn’t you? Natalie remembers.” That was the only thing my mother left behind. When I moved, I only brought that pot. I used it for Lucas because it was all I had. I used it for Ethan for the same reason. “It’s not the same… that was my mom’s…” “Enough.” Ethan pulled open the front door. Outside, a storm was starting. He grabbed my arm and pushed me out. As I passed the shoe cabinet, my shin hit the corner and I bent over in pain. “Ethan, I’m pregnant.” The moment those words left my mouth, his hand did pause for a moment. One second. Then the door closed behind me. I pounded on the door a few times. No one answered. I heard the lock turn from inside. My phone buzzed. All my bank accounts were frozen. Outside the door was the yard. Rain pounded against my body, soaking through my pajamas until they stuck to my skin. I don’t know how long it was before a cramping pain shot through my lower abdomen. A dark stain spread across my pajama pants. I couldn’t lose this baby. I bent over, supporting myself against the wall, moving step by step back toward the door. The spare key under the flowerpot should still be there.

When I pushed open the door, the entryway light was on. From the yard to the door was only twenty steps. It took me ten minutes. With every step, the blood between my legs increased. As I crouched down to reach for the spare key, my vision went dark. A pair of red-soled high heels appeared on the ground, pointed toward the door. In the living room, Natalie was wearing my pajamas, sitting cross-legged next to Ethan. On the coffee table sat half a glass of red wine and a pregnancy test broken in two. The two lines were still clearly visible. The cake I’d made was half-eaten, the fork still stuck in it. The candles were broken, thrown in the ashtray. The family photo on the cabinet was face down, the frame turned over. Natalie saw me come in and laughed behind her hand: “Claire’s back? I thought you’d left. Ethan said you’re really good at running away.” I ignored her, my gaze fixed on the broken pregnancy test. I’d hidden that in a secret compartment in the closet. Natalie followed my line of sight and tilted her head: “Oh that? I accidentally broke it when I was changing clothes.” She turned to Ethan, eyes wide: “Ethan, Claire’s not really pregnant, is she?” Ethan leaned back on the sofa, not looking at me. Frosting from the cake was smeared at the corner of his mouth. “I told you not to touch her things.” His tone didn’t sound protective, more annoyed. “It doesn’t matter if she is.” Natalie smiled and rubbed her flat stomach. “The only children in this house will be mine and Ethan’s anyway.” She stood up and walked toward me, stopping half a step away, looking down at my legs. The dark stain spreading across my pants had been scattered by the rain, but the traces were clear. “Claire, you’re bleeding.” Her voice was soft. I bent over and retched violently. Nothing came out except acid and bitterness — the taste of prenatal medicine. Natalie stepped back, her face wrinkled with disgust. There was a sound from the sofa. Ethan stood up and took half a step toward me. Then stopped. Natalie grabbed his arm: “Ethan, she’s so filthy.” Ethan looked down at me, his lips moved, but no sound came out. I knelt on the floor and wiped my mouth. As I stood up, he spoke. “You think we’re disgusting?” His voice was cold. “Then tonight you can listen carefully to who’s really disgusting.” He pulled Natalie toward the stairs. As they passed, Natalie stepped on the broken pregnancy test. As she went upstairs, she laughed: “Ethan, let’s sleep in her bed tonight, okay?” Ethan didn’t refuse. The master bedroom door closed. I knelt in the living room, vomit in front of me, rain and blood on my body, the pregnancy test crushed to pieces before me. The first laugh came from upstairs. Then footsteps. Ethan came back downstairs and grabbed me by the collar, hauling me up. “Since you like kneeling so much, come kneel and listen upstairs.”

As Ethan dragged me upstairs, my knees knocked against every step with a sound. Passing the master bedroom, his steps paused. Then he kicked open the storage room door next to it and shoved me inside. “Ethan –” I reached out to stop him. The door closed. The lock turned. The storage room was small, filled with a few dusty cardboard boxes and a folding chair. No light. The only source was a half-open window in the corner, moonlight streaming in, illuminating floating dust. Through the wall, Natalie’s voice came first: “Ethan, is she right next door?” Ethan’s voice came through muffled: “Don’t worry about her.” Natalie laughed: “Good. Let her listen carefully to who really knows how to please you.” I hit the wall a few times. Next door went quiet for a second or two. Then Natalie laughed: “Ethan, Claire’s keeping time for us.” I covered my ears. But the sounds still leaked through. Laughter, gasping, the dull sound of the bed frame being pressed. Ethan’s hands that once put fever patches on me were now touching someone else through the wall. He who once told me “don’t die for people who aren’t worth it” was now calling another woman’s name. The cramping in my lower abdomen grew stronger with each wave. I curled up in the corner, hand pressed to my stomach, the sticky area under my clothes still spreading. I searched my pockets and only found a crumpled prenatal report. Ethan had pulled it from my bag and thrown it on the ground. I’d picked it up again when I left. I couldn’t make out the words in the darkness. But that line — “intrauterine early pregnancy, approximately four weeks” — I’d already memorized. Four weeks. That’s when the heart just starts to beat. Next door went quiet for a while. Then Natalie’s voice came lazily, like she was deliberately speaking for me to hear: “Ethan, after this is over, should I have your baby?” “Mm.” “Let’s clean out that storage room next door for a nursery.” “Okay.” “What about Claire?” “She can stay if she wants. If she can’t take it, she can leave on her own.” Natalie laughed: “You’re so good to me, Ethan.” Next door went silent again. I released my hand. My fingertips were covered in sweat. My lower abdomen didn’t hurt as much anymore. Looking down at the dark stain on my pants, I couldn’t tell if it was red or black in the moonlight, but the area had grown larger than before. The baby might already be gone. I turned my head toward the window. It was raining outside, hitting the windowsill, a few drops splashing in and landing on the back of my hand. Cold. Just as cold as standing on that rooftop five years ago. That time Ethan had grabbed my hand. I looked at the tightly closed door. No footsteps behind it. No one was coming. I braced myself against the wall and stood up, something warm trickling down my knee. Three floors outside the window. Not very high. But enough. I climbed onto the windowsill. Rain hit my face. Next door came Natalie’s blurred sleep talk, Ethan’s even breathing coming through the wall. They were both asleep. I could sleep forever too…

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In my fifth year with Luca Greene, his book became a hit. I thought I’d finally weathered the storm and could enter marriage with him. But the night before we were supposed to register our marriage, Luca confessed to me. “The prototype for this book is my first love, Zoe.” “I didn’t want her to suffer with me, so I convinced her to study abroad. Then I felt lonely and chose you as a substitute since you looked eighty percent like her.” My hand froze while ironing a shirt. I looked at Luca in disbelief, my voice trembling. “Why are you telling me this now?” Luca smiled, acting like nothing was wrong. “I’ve treated you well these past years. Zoe is different—she’s suffered so much abroad.” “As compensation and to make up for her regrets, I registered our marriage with her yesterday. But don’t worry, I’ll definitely marry you in a year.” Luca spoke seriously, but he’d forgotten—I have a thing about cleanliness. In life, and in relationships too. I couldn’t snap out of it for a long time. I didn’t even notice when my arm got burned and the skin peeled off. Instead, Luca frowned, pulled me to sit on the sofa, and applied medicine to my wound. His tone was full of concern, as if the conversation we’d just had was an illusion. “How can you be so careless? You burned yourself just ironing a shirt.” I’d gotten hurt often over these five years. Luca had done this many times. Each time, my heart would warm. But this time, I couldn’t help wanting to cry. I clenched my teeth to keep the tears from falling, but my voice still carried a sob. “Luca, doesn’t it disgust you to spend five years facing a fake?” Luca’s face darkened. “Riley, don’t talk about yourself like that.” He was too calm. I couldn’t hold back and threw the medicine box, screaming. “Isn’t it you who made me like this?!” My chest heaved continuously. Luca sighed, picked up the scattered medicine from the floor, and spoke softly. “I know this is hard for you to accept right now, but we’ve been together for five years. There’s no need to deny everything over this little thing.” As he spoke, Luca patted my head. I felt dazed, as if transported back to the day he confessed to me. Back then, my mom had been hospitalized with a heart attack. To make money, I went to work selling drinks at a bar. Once, by accident, I spilled drinks all over the floor and dirtied a customer’s shoes. The people with him started jeering. “Those shoes cost a million. Is the pretty lady going to pay up, or sleep with our buddy William for a few nights?” “I recommend the latter—better deal, haha!” “Right, William’s not bad-looking either.” I backed away in fear. That’s when Luca appeared. Seeing me, he froze for a moment, then helped me out. “Didn’t you say we were celebrating my birthday? Let’s go inside. Stop giving the poor girl a hard time.” He was William’s childhood friend. Even though he’d broken ties with the Greene family to pursue his writing dream, no one dared say anything. The group left. Soon after, someone brought me a Band-Aid. It was arranged by Luca. After that, I kept running into Luca at the bar. He’d keep an eye on where I was, have his friends buy drinks from me. Even when customers took their frustrations out on me, he’d shield me with his body. He got a broken rib protecting me. I cried my eyes out. “Why are you so good to me? How am I supposed to repay you?!” Luca tucked my tear-soaked hair behind my ear and said with a smile. “If you don’t know how to repay me, how about you give yourself to me?” I stood there stunned. Luca’s expression turned serious. “Riley, I’m being serious.” “Will you be my girlfriend?” It would be a lie to say I wasn’t moved. So much so that all these years, I’d thought Luca was heaven’s gift to me. I never imagined it was all a scam from the very beginning. Tears spilled from the corners of my eyes against my will. I turned my head away, refusing to look at him, but my voice was exceptionally firm. “Luca, let’s break up.”

The moment the words left my mouth, Luca’s phone rang. He glanced at it, his tone casual, as if he didn’t care at all. “I’ll just assume you’re upset and saying things you don’t mean. As long as you behave this year, you’ll get everything that’s supposed to be yours.” “I’m going to Zoe’s welcome back party first. Stay home and think it over.” The instant the door closed, my emotions collapsed. I smashed the only photo of Luca and me together. My suddenly bright phone screen caught my attention. It was a link from my best friend. Luca’s book had become popular, and he’d been exposed to the public along with it. These past few days, she’d sent me plenty of videos related to Luca. But this time, seeing the text she sent, I froze for a long moment. \[Your early photos with Luca have been dug up.\] In truth, Luca had never publicly acknowledged my existence. Every time I brought it up, Luca would use the excuse that he didn’t want his private life to receive too much attention. So I’d followed Luca for five years without any recognition or status. Even though I already had a suspicion in my heart, when I clicked the link, my heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle. In the link was a screenshot from a five-year-old street view map. The subjects in the image were Luca and “me.” Same height, similar build from behind. If I hadn’t learned the truth about being a substitute today. I might have thought I’d lost a chunk of my memory. But Luca would never crouch down to tie my shoelaces. In the five years we’d been together, Luca and I had done everything couples do. Everything except him bending down to tie my shoes. I couldn’t count how many times I’d wanted Luca to help me tie them. But every single time, it ended in vain. Even when my stomach hurt so badly my face turned pale, Luca remained unmoved by my request to tie my shoes. What I got was impatience. “I don’t like tying people’s shoelaces. Can you stop forcing me?” I remember that day—I cried like a child. Later, Luca coaxed me for a long time. I thought I’d forgotten. I didn’t expect that three years later, this memory would still be so clear. So clear that seeing this scene made my eyes involuntarily sting with tears. So it wasn’t that he didn’t like it—it was just that the person wasn’t me.

I don’t know how long I stared at that photo. Long enough that Luca came in with a “drunk” Zoe Adams, and only then did I snap back to reality. Seeing I was still awake, Luca paused, then explained. “Zoe got drunk. She lives alone with no one to take care of her.” I should have cried. I should have made a scene. But I knew clearly it wouldn’t help. Luca didn’t love me. With that thought, I stepped aside to let Luca pass. Luca raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Good that you’ve thought it through. I haven’t treated you badly.” “Besides, without me, you can’t afford your mom’s medical bills at all.” I didn’t respond, just let Luca carry Zoe upstairs and completely ignored the provocative look Zoe shot me. But when I returned to the bedroom and saw the pajamas Zoe was wearing, I lost all reason. I rushed forward, trying to pull the clothes off her. The moment I touched Zoe, she screamed, “Ah! You’re hurting me!” The next second, Luca emerged from the bathroom and shoved me away. The force was too strong. I crashed into the corner of a table. In my ear was Luca’s interrogation. “Riley, have you lost your mind?” I shakily got up, for once talking back. “Shouldn’t that question be directed at you?” “You know perfectly well this pajama set was handmade by my mom. She’s being kept alive by medical equipment right now. How could you let another woman wear it?!” Luca’s movements froze, as if he’d finally realized. But he didn’t back down. He shielded Zoe behind him and said in a deep voice, “Even so, you shouldn’t have gotten physical! Apologize to Zoe!” My voice choked. “She’s the one who did wrong. Why should I apologize?” Luca laughed coldly. “Fine. Keep acting tough if you’ve got the guts. Just don’t regret it!” With that, he turned to look at Zoe, his voice carrying a tenderness he’d never shown me. “Change back into your own clothes. I’ll take you to the hospital.” Zoe nodded, giving me a provocative look before leaving. I hadn’t wanted to cry. But the contrast was too great. The grievance pressed down on me until I couldn’t breathe. Blood from the wound on my forehead slid down my cheek. My phone lit up with a familiar message. —\[My promise to repay you still stands. As long as you’re willing, I’ll marry you.\] I’d refused countless times before, but I didn’t want to wait for Luca anymore. I’d waited five years for him. How many five-year spans does a person get in one lifetime? I finally made up my mind to reply. —\[I’ll marry you. Start preparing.\]

But I never imagined Luca’s punishment would come so quickly. The next day when I went downstairs, I was tied to a chair by two bodyguards. Placed in front of me were countless bottles of alcohol. My heart tightened as I looked at Luca sitting on the sofa. “What are you doing?” Luca smiled and pointed at Zoe nearby. “I told you—if you’ve got the guts, keep acting tough.” The punishment for not apologizing. Realizing this, my mind exploded with a roar, as if something had detonated inside. I shook my head frantically. “Luca, you can’t do this to me. I can’t drink alcohol!” Hesitation flashed in Luca’s eyes. Zoe saw it. She looked at Luca with reddened eyes. “If she doesn’t want to apologize, forget it. I’m fine.” Luca frowned slightly. “I promised I wouldn’t let you suffer any grievances.” With that, Luca looked at me again. He smiled. “Didn’t you used to sell drinks at a bar? How could you not be able to drink?” “Since you won’t apologize, you’ll just have to take your punishment.” My heart went cold. It seemed Luca had truly forgotten—my stomach was ruined from drinking for him. Back then, the Greene family sent people to the bar to make things difficult for him. Knowing he was allergic to alcohol, they still made him drink ten bottles of liquor before he could leave. I drank bottle after bottle for him. By the end, I lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital. When I woke up, Luca was keeping watch beside me. He held my hand, saying sorry over and over. “The doctor said your stomach can never handle alcohol again. Let’s quit this job, okay?” “From now on, I’ll support you and take good care of your stomach.” Luca spoke with such devotion. I was happy he could keep doing what he loved. Time passed. It had only been four years, and Luca had forgotten. I suddenly felt sorry for my past self. The bodyguard’s action of forcing alcohol down my throat pulled me back to the present. I struggled, but no matter how much I resisted, the alcohol still went down my throat. It made me cough violently. Luca’s hands, hanging at his sides, clenched tight. He reminded me, “As long as you apologize to Zoe, I’m not unwilling to let you off.”

I didn’t back down. I forced myself to speak. “What did I do wrong?” “You’re the one who’s wrong! You two are wrong!” Seeing I still wouldn’t give in, Luca waved his hand to continue. The alcohol entered my stomach, bringing a burning pain. I bit down hard, refusing to make a sound. But the next second, my phone rang. It was the caregiver calling. The caregiver never called me without reason. Every time, it was because my mom had been sent into the operating room. At this thought, panic seized me. I sobbed and shouted, “Luca, I apologize! I was wrong!” “I was wrong. I’ll never lay a hand on Zoe again. Let me go.” Luca looked somewhat surprised, but he still sneered. “Riley, an apology needs sincerity. I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” The bodyguard perceptively released me. I couldn’t care about anything else. I dropped to my knees and slid toward Zoe. With a look of surprise on her face, I bowed my head repeatedly. “Zoe, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have laid hands on you.” “I’m begging for your forgiveness. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” I prostrated myself again and again, but Luca never relented. “I told you—as long as you behave, I’ll give you whatever you want.” “I’ll let it go this time. Be good from now on.” But I couldn’t care about Luca. I pushed him away and stumbled outside. Luca chased after me, his voice panicked. “Riley, where are you going?!” I didn’t respond. I flagged down a car and headed to the hospital. The whole way, I kept praying. I reached the operating room just as the doors opened. The doctor looked at me and shook his head, giving a different result for the first time. “I’m sorry. We did everything we could.” I collapsed to the floor, my mind buzzing. Luca, who’d chased after me, also heard those words. His face instantly turned deathly pale. Realizing what he’d just done, Luca panicked. He stepped forward, wanting to say something. A fist suddenly came down. “Get away from her! Don’t touch her!”

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After discovering my CEO husband can’t let go of his divorced single-mother ex, I started teaching our son to call him “uncle.” When our son had a fever and his ex called him away in the middle of the night, I touched our son’s burning forehead and had him say “goodbye, uncle.” When he promised to attend our son’s parent-teacher conference but his ex called crying about how her son had no father to accompany him, my husband left without a second thought. I didn’t even look up. I handed our son my phone and had him send the teacher an excuse email on behalf of “uncle.” Every time, our son hesitated for so long. Until later, when my husband finally realized what he owed us. He took the initiative to suggest we take family photos together. At the entrance of the photo studio, the ex called again, sobbing on the phone: “Evan, can you come pick up Tanner from kindergarten right now? The other kids are making fun of him for not having a dad…” Reluctance flashed across my husband’s face. He was about to crouch down and explain to our son. This time, without any prompting from me, our son waved him away. “It’s okay, uncle. You go be with your other kid. Mom and I are enough for a family photo.”

The moment our son said those words, both Evan Harrison and I froze. During the 28 days since I discovered Evan’s heart wasn’t with our family anymore, every time he abandoned me and our son because of Vivian White, I would have our son call him “uncle.” To remind both myself and our son not to be hurt by someone who wasn’t worth it. But our son didn’t see it that way. He was only seven years old, at the age when he needed his father most. Every time I asked him to say “uncle,” he would hesitate for a long time before quietly calling out the word. But today, he said it on his own. He said it smoothly and naturally, as if he’d rehearsed the word countless times in his heart. Seeing us both stunned, our son took my hand and said to Evan: “Uncle, you go ahead.” Then he looked at me. “Mom, let’s go. We’re going to be late for our appointment.” He pulled me along, step by step toward the photo studio. The family photo session was something Evan had suggested to make up for missing our son’s school event. Our son had been looking forward to it for half a month. I stiffly followed him, my heart feeling like it was being crushed by a stone, the suffocating pressure making me want to cry. I discovered Evan’s affair by accident. He went to celebrate Vivian’s child’s birthday, and when he came back, he forgot about the tickets in his pocket. Three tickets to Universal Studios. For our son’s sixth birthday, he wished for the whole family to go to Universal Studios together to see his favorite Minions. Evan thought it was childish and rejected the idea without hesitation. A few days later, though, he went with Vivian’s child. I found Vivian’s Instagram post on Evan’s phone. [The most magical place should be visited with the best dad.] The photo showed Evan and Vivian holding a child—a picture of the three of them together. Vivian was his first love, divorced with a child. That night, we had our most explosive fight. I insisted on divorce and taking our child with me. Evan accused me of being unreasonable. He asked how I could bear to let our child grow up without a father. He swore to God that he only felt sympathy for Vivian. Looking at our son’s obviously frightened face, I bit my lip until it nearly bled. I knew that if I forced our son to leave with me, he would never forget Evan. But I also knew that if it happened once, it would happen a second time, a third time. I didn’t want my child to suffer because of his so-called sympathy. So I chose another approach—I tricked Evan into signing divorce papers. Thirty days until the divorce became official. During those 30 days, if Evan came to his senses, I would pretend nothing had happened for our son’s sake. If not, I would spend those 30 days doing everything I could to help our son become “desensitized.” Today was day 28. Our son had called Evan “uncle” on his own. I felt our son’s slightly trembling body, but I wasn’t happy. It felt like a thousand needles piercing my heart. As we crossed the street, Evan finally snapped out of it. He took a few steps after us, wanting to ask our son what was going on, when Vivian called again, still with that delicate sobbing voice: “Evan, where are you? Tanner keeps crying and saying he wants his daddy. I can’t calm him down.” Evan’s steps halted. He stared at our backs, phone in hand, and replied: “Okay, I know. I’ll be right there.” After hanging up, he sent me a text saying “Let’s talk tonight,” then turned and left without hesitation. The roar of a car engine started up, then faded into the distance. Our son stopped walking and buried himself in my arms, his tears soaking my clothes. “Mom.” “Can we not have Dad anymore?”

We didn’t take the photos. I took our son straight home. I started packing. While I was booking plane tickets back to my hometown, Vivian sent me a video. The setting was another well-known photo studio in the city. Vivian and Evan were wearing matching outfits, holding a child around five years old, posing for the camera. At the end of the video, Vivian taunted me as usual. “It’s just a family photo. Evan and I can take one anytime.” If this had been before, seeing Vivian’s provocation, I definitely would have snapped back immediately. But now, watching our son carefully organizing his toys, I only had one thought: how pointless. I exited the chat and booked two tickets to Seattle for the day after tomorrow. Just after I paid, Evan came home, carrying a strawberry cake. Both our son and I stared in surprise. In the past, he hated strawberry cake the most. Because of this, even though our son inherited my crazy love for strawberries, he would only choose Evan’s favorite matcha mousse for his birthday. But today, why did he suddenly bring home a strawberry cake? Our son and I looked at each other, both finding it unbelievable. Evan slowly walked in and saw the open luggage. His expression changed slightly. “Tanner was crying so hard, I stayed with him a bit longer. On my way back, I remembered you both love strawberry cake, so I bought one.” “Why are you packing? Are you going on a trip?” I shook my head, then nodded. “I guess so.” With only two days left until the divorce became official, I didn’t want any unexpected complications. Hearing my words, Evan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before continuing: “The photo studio called me and said you didn’t show up. I rescheduled. How about tomorrow?” “I absolutely won’t bail this time.” He crouched in front of our son and said it very seriously. Our son paused while organizing his toys, looked at him, then at me. As if he was torn, or as if he didn’t dare believe anymore. I noticed our son wavering, and my heart softened. “Okay.” It was only going to be the last time anyway. After I agreed, our son’s eyes immediately lit up. He grabbed his toys and ran into his room. After he left, I continued packing. Evan came over to me. He struggled before speaking: “By the way, about our son calling me uncle today…”

My heart skipped a beat. I looked up at him. Evan crouched down, placing the strawberry cake beside me. His voice was helpless but affectionate: “Zoe, I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m too nice to Vivian and that I’ve been neglecting you and our son.” “But I swear, I only feel sympathy for Vivian. She’s a single mom—I just don’t want her to suffer too much.” He took my hand and placed it solemnly over his heart. “Give me a little more time. I promise I’ll handle things with Vivian and her son properly. I won’t let you and our son be wronged.” I stared at him blankly. I could barely remember the last time he looked at me so seriously. Maybe it was at our wedding. In the pristine chapel, he held my hand and vowed to treat me well for the rest of his life. Or maybe it was the day our son was born. In the hospital delivery room, he carefully held our son in his arms and trembled as he kissed my forehead. Then he said: “Zoe, I will never let you or our son suffer any injustice.” Thinking about those past moments, I was silent for a long time. Finally, I decided to tell him about the divorce. “Evan, actually…” “Oh, where did you put that limited-edition LEGO set I bought for our son last time? Is it in the study cabinet? Vivian says Tanner’s really into LEGO lately. I’ll take it over for him to play with for a few days.” After speaking, Evan went to the study, found the LEGO set, grabbed his car keys, and hurried out the door. “Bang”—the door closed. Evan’s figure disappeared. I stared quietly at the door for a long time. Then I finished the sentence I hadn’t completed. “Actually, our son and I don’t need you anymore.” Only two days left until we left.

At midnight, after finally finishing all the packing, I lay exhausted in bed. My phone lit up. It was a message from Evan. [Tanner really loved the LEGO. I spent the whole evening helping him build it. Vivian specifically asked me to thank you.] At midnight, my husband was thanking me on behalf of another woman. I pulled at the corner of my mouth, too speechless to even laugh. But I was too tired to be angry. The outcome was already decided anyway. I opened the chat and casually replied: [No need to thank me. I didn’t give it to her.] [Also, that LEGO was our son’s favorite birthday present. He’s been waiting for you to have time to build it with him.] After sending that message, I turned off my phone and closed my eyes to sleep. I didn’t care about Evan on the other end, whose expression changed when he saw the message. The next morning at eight, Evan came home unusually early. He took off his coat as he entered and saw several neatly arranged suitcases in the living room. He froze in place. “Do you need to pack this much for a trip?” Without even putting down his coat, he walked to the bedroom with visible panic and asked me. I was helping our son get dressed and didn’t look back. “We’re going far.” Upon hearing this, he immediately looked at our son. Only after receiving a confirming nod did his expression relax. Then he put his coat aside and took out three Universal Studios tickets. “Haven’t you been upset that I didn’t take our son to Universal Studios?” “I bought tickets for today. The three of us can go together.” He displayed the tickets in front of me and our son like he was showing off, his face full of indulgence. For a moment, I wondered if I’d misheard something. It had been almost a month since that incident, and he was only thinking of it now? But then I thought of the string of unread messages on my phone when I woke up this morning, and I suddenly understood. So it was compensation. I didn’t say anything and continued focusing on dressing our son. But our son was incredibly excited, his eyes blinking as he stared at me. “Mom, I want to go!” My eyes curved into a smile. Before I could speak, I heard Evan stammer: “But if you want to go, there’s one condition. Vivian found out we’re taking family photos today, and she’s worried Tanner will be upset if he hears about it, so… the family photo thing… let’s do it another time.” As he said this, his expression was full of guilt. Our son froze. The smile in his eyes visibly receded bit by bit. “I see…” He slowly lowered his head and said nothing more. His eyes turned red. But Evan didn’t notice. He continued: “It’s just this one small request from Vivian. I thought about it, and it shouldn’t be a big deal.” “We’re just postponing the photos this time. There’s always next time.” “Leo, what do you say?” He didn’t know that our son and I would be leaving tomorrow. This was his last chance. But neither our son nor I said anything. We just nodded silently. “Fine.” “Okay.” Evan breathed a sigh of relief, his face visibly showing a smile, as if a weight had been lifted. “Then I’ll tell Vivian right now. Three o’clock this afternoon, meet at Universal Studios.” After speaking, he got up to leave. When he reached the door, he turned around. “Honey, Leo, you’re both so wonderful.” Our son and I didn’t say anything. After he left, our son jumped down from the bed and took out a backpack he’d prepared from the closet. “Mom, I don’t want to see uncle anymore. Can we leave early?”

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On our wedding anniversary trip, my wife Russell’s sponsored student Leonardo insisted on catching a ride home in my car. My car was small, the distance was far, and I had a lot of luggage—there was no way I could take him, so I politely declined. That evening when my wife came home, she was silent for a long time. “He ended up walking home along the highway. His feet were torn to shreds.” I was confused. “Couldn’t he have just called a cab?” She nodded gently and poured me a glass of water as usual. I drank it and fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up again, I was standing on the highway under the scorching sun. Russell was intimately leaning on Leonardo’s shoulder, holding up her phone to livestream with a cold laugh. “Didn’t you say transportation was convenient? Try walking back yourself.” The livestream was on, and viewers were all betting on how far I could walk. I faced the camera and licked my cracked lips. “Had enough? If you’ve had enough, come back and pick me up.”

Heat waves shimmered off the asphalt road. Russell and Leonardo, sitting in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce, were doubled over with laughter. She held up her phone with the camera pointed at me. Comments flew densely across the livestream. “Look at Mr. James, so stubborn,” Russell’s voice was full of amusement. “Even now he still expects someone to come pick him up.” Leonardo cooperatively stuck his head out with a sympathetic expression. “Russell, maybe we should let James get in the car. In this heat, walking back could kill someone.” “Don’t rush.” Russell put her arm around his shoulder and turned to glare at me viciously. “James, I’m giving you two choices. Either apologize to Leonardo, or walk the full fifty miles.” “The highway is straight. Just follow it and you’ll get there.” The comments went even more insane. “Serves him right! When he refused to let him catch a ride, why didn’t he think about how hard it would be for him?” “Just because he’s Miss Russell’s husband, does that make him so great? Bullying people because he has some money?” “This kind of gold digger needs to be taught a lesson. I support Miss Russell!” “Look at how pathetic he looks. So satisfying.” “Walk fifty miles? He won’t make it. He’ll collapse after two.” I stood under the scorching sun. My clothes were already soaked through, and my lips had cracked in several places. Leonardo looked at me, his eyes slightly reddening as he put on a sympathetic expression. He grabbed Russell’s arm, deliberately lowering his voice. “Russell, forget it. My family was never well-off to begin with. My life is cheap—not precious like James’s. Walking a few miles is no big deal.” “James must have his reasons for not letting me catch a ride. Don’t make things difficult for him.” As he spoke, he shot me a triumphant glance from the corner of his eye. My head buzzed. Before our anniversary, Leonardo had asked to catch a ride home with me. My car was packed full of luggage—there really wasn’t room for another adult. I politely told him that calling a cab would be very convenient. I even felt a bit bad about it and specially transferred him money for the ride. Now it had turned into me bullying him, looking down on him and refusing to let him ride. “Leonardo, you’re just too kind-hearted.” Russell’s voice was ice cold. She tightened her grip on Leonardo’s arm, her gaze piercing straight at me. “You’re too easy to bully. When he used his position as my husband to make things difficult for you, he should have known this day would come.” I stared at her. This was the woman I’d loved for six years. To marry her, I’d given up SUN, the company I’d founded myself. I thought it was worth it. The first year of our marriage, our relationship was good. The second year, she started sponsoring Leonardo. The third year, after Leonardo graduated from college, she let him join the company and work as her assistant. I didn’t think much of it. Just a student from a poor background who was grateful and wanted to repay the favor by working at the company—perfectly reasonable. But gradually, things changed. Once during a company basketball game, he deliberately stepped under me while defending. When I landed, I twisted my ankle. The pain made me push him. He fell to the ground on purpose, scraping his elbow slightly. In front of hundreds of company employees, Russell sternly berated me for not knowing my own strength. That night when we got home, she didn’t speak to me for three days. Later, this kind of thing happened more and more often. Leonardo took credit for my proposal at a project meeting, presenting it as his own work. When I called him out on the spot, he just lowered his head without saying anything, putting on a fake wounded act. Russell said I was petty and couldn’t tolerate others. When Leonardo worked late, she said I, as the president and her husband, didn’t know how to be considerate of subordinates and dumped all the work on him. On Leonardo’s birthday, when I transferred him money, she said I was being perfunctory and insincere toward subordinates. Once he deliberately spilled coffee on a contract I’d just signed. I cursed at him, and he kept silent. Without even asking what happened, Russell immediately decided I had a bad temper and was bullying an honest person. At first I thought I wasn’t doing well enough, so I was careful about everything. But no matter what I did, she could always find fault. Until today, standing on the highway in hundred-and-forty-degree heat, watching my own wife lean intimately on Leonardo’s shoulder while livestreaming my misery—only then did I finally see clearly. It wasn’t that I wasn’t doing well enough. I was just in the way.

I pulled my gaze away from Russell, licked my cracked lips, and spoke to the phone camera pointed at me. My voice was hoarse but steady. “Had enough? If you’ve had enough, come back and pick me up.” The comments paused for a second, then exploded. “Is he crazy?” “Still talking tough in this condition?” Russell laughed out loud, her laughter filled with contempt and impatience. She let go of Leonardo and leaned out of the car, looking me up and down. “Still talking tough?” “I’d like to see how long you can keep that up.” She looked back at the bodyguard. “Let the hunting dogs out of the car. Mr. James is walking too slowly. Let the dogs help speed him up.” Leonardo frowned in the car, putting on a worried expression. “Russell, don’t do this. You’ll scare James.” Russell patted his hand, her tone gentle. “Don’t worry, they’re on leashes. They won’t kill him.” The car door opened, and two hunting dogs lunged at me. All my blood froze in an instant. Even though I’m a man, I’ve been afraid of dogs since childhood. Russell actually liked dogs, but after marrying me, she never kept any. She even took detours around people walking dogs, afraid I’d see them. Now she was personally releasing dogs to chase me. The two hunting dogs rushed to my feet. Without time to think, I took off running. The asphalt had been baked by the sun until it was like a red-hot iron plate. After running about fifty feet, my shoes came off, and my soles immediately blistered. Behind me, the excited barking of the two dogs grew closer and closer. “Holy shit, he’s running so fast!” “At that speed, he could medal at the Olympics, right?” “Mr. James has been hiding his skills. Usually looks so refined, but when he runs he’s faster than the dogs.” “Dying laughing, even the dogs can’t catch him.” “Well, he is Miss Russell’s husband. He works out every day—of course he’s in good shape.” The comments flew by so fast I couldn’t read them clearly, but I could imagine Russell’s expression seeing them. She leaned out of the car, the smile on her face frozen. Leonardo leaned close to Russell’s ear, his tone carrying just the right amount of concern. “Russell, James is running so fast. Even I can’t keep up with him.” Russell said nothing, squinting her eyes at me. I’d already run nearly half a mile. The blisters on my feet had all burst, and each step felt like stepping on knife blades. The dogs behind me were still chasing, but their speed had clearly slowed. The bodyguard was pulling on the chains to control the distance. Leonardo leaned halfway out the car window and shouted at me. “James, just apologize! Russell won’t make things difficult for you!” I clenched my teeth and ignored him. His tone darkened, then switched back to that aggrieved tone. “James, I’m just a kid from a poor family. My life is cheap—I deserve to walk those roads. But don’t do this to yourself.” As Leonardo said this, his voice trembled and his eyes reddened, looking like he was thinking of me. Russell pulled him back into his seat and patted his shoulder, her tone impossibly gentle. “Leonardo, you’re just too kind, taking all the blame on yourself.” At some point, the road surface had become covered with sharp-edged gravel. The moment I stepped on it, blood seeped from the soles of my feet. The dogs behind me grew even more excited smelling the blood, barking wildly as they lunged forward. The bodyguard could barely hold the chains. I stumbled forward. The gravel embedded in my wounds, each step like walking on broken glass. The blood flowed more and more, my footprints growing deeper and deeper. The livestream comments became even more frenzied. “Place your bets! I bet he can run another mile.” “I bet a quarter mile. Look at him—he’s about to collapse any second.” “Half a mile, no more than that.” “Two miles. I bet he can hold out for two more miles.” The comments started displaying odds as someone opened a betting pool on how far I could run. The numbers grew larger and larger as more and more people watched. Russell looked at the betting amounts on her phone screen, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. She was very satisfied with this effect. She turned to glance at me, her gaze devoid of any warmth. “I want you to know in front of the entire country what happens when you cross Leonardo.” Leonardo stuck his head out the car window, staring at me, his tone still feigning concern. “James, stop being stubborn. It’s just an apology, isn’t it?” “My life is cheap—I can handle you kneeling to me.” “I won’t kneel!” Leonardo’s smile froze for a moment, then he put on that innocent expression again. He turned to look at Russell, his eyes reddening again. “Russell, look at James. He still won’t forgive me.” My vision grew more and more blurred. My body had reached its limit from blood loss.

When I collapsed, I heard exclamations in the comment section. “He’s down!” “Not even two miles. I won!” Leonardo stuck his head out the car window, looked at me for a second, then his tone suddenly took on a deliberately panicked quality. “Russell, I think James passed out from heatstroke!” Russell frowned, her tone indifferent. “Really passed out?” “Really!” Leonardo’s voice was urgent. “Russell, I heard that people with heatstroke need to be doused with cold water immediately, or it could be life-threatening!” Russell looked at him, her gaze so tender it could drip water. “Leonardo, you’re just too kind. After how he treated you, you’re still thinking about him.” Leonardo frowned, his voice deliberately low. “No matter what, he’s still James. I can’t just watch him die.” Russell patted his shoulder and turned to the bodyguard. “Go get the high-pressure water gun from the trunk.” The high-pressure water gun was connected to the vehicle’s water tank. Russell personally gripped the water gun. Leonardo stood beside her, and together they aimed at me. “Ready?” Russell’s tone was relaxed, like she was playing some kind of game. Leonardo nodded lightly. “Russell, don’t turn the pressure up too high. I’m afraid James won’t be able to take it.” “You’re too soft-hearted.” Russell shook her head with a smile. “For heatstroke you need cold water. Low pressure won’t work.” The moment the water jet shot out, my whole body bounced up from the ground. This wasn’t cooling down—this was being hit by a truck. The high-pressure water jet slammed into my body, hitting my wounds directly. The pain was so intense I couldn’t even scream, could only open my mouth in silent convulsions. Water rushed into my nostrils and mouth, choking me until my lungs felt like they would explode. I was sent rolling across the ground by the force. The back of my head hit the asphalt, and everything went black. The water jet chased me, sweeping back and forth. Russell was laughing. Leonardo beside her was shouting, “James, don’t move around, the more you move the more it hurts.” His voice was still so considerate. The comments went even more insane. Some cheered, some said it was too much, but most were just watching the spectacle. “This is way more exciting than just apologizing.” “Miss Russell really knows how to have fun.” “That water pressure has to be over two hundred pounds, right?” “Leonardo is so kind. Even at a time like this, he’s still thinking about saving someone.” The water stopped. I lay on the ground, shaking all over. My wounds had been blasted until they turned white at the edges. Blood and water mixed together, spreading beneath me. My soaked clothes stuck to my body. I couldn’t tell what was water and what was blood. Russell crouched down. A bodyguard grabbed my hair and yanked my face up. “James, have you thought it over?” Blood frothed from my mouth. I couldn’t speak. She gently stroked my hair, her tone like coaxing a child. “It’s just an apology. Is it worth torturing yourself like this? Apologize to Leonardo and I’ll take you to the hospital right away.” Leonardo stuck his head out behind her, looking at me with a nervous expression. “James, stop making Russell angry. Just say you’re sorry. I won’t hold it against you.” He moved closer, lowering his voice so only the three of us could hear. “James, just admit you were wrong. My life is cheap anyway. You can even kowtow to me—I won’t think it’s humiliating. You’re the one suffering by being stubborn like this.” I looked at his face, so close. That face wore an expression of utmost concern, his brows tightly furrowed as if he was worried sick about me. I gathered the bloody water in my mouth and spat it forcefully at his face. The bloody water splattered all over his face. Leonardo grunted, staggering back two steps, frantically wiping his face and smearing blood streaks all over it. Russell slapped me hard across the face. I staggered to one side, my face burning, my head ringing. “You don’t know what’s good for you!” The bodyguard held me down. She crouched down, her voice dropping to an icy whisper. “Still daring to bully Leonardo in this condition? Do you think I won’t kill you?” Leonardo grabbed her arm from the side, his voice tight. “Russell, forget it. James didn’t mean it. He must be feeling too terrible to act like this…” Russell pulled Leonardo behind her with one hand, pointing straight at me. “Since you’re so ungrateful, then don’t blame me.”

Russell took out a wooden box from the car and waved it in front of me. It was my grandmother’s urn. My blood froze in an instant. “You…” Russell smiled. Her smile was as gentle as on our wedding day. “Didn’t you say your grandmother loved you most when she was alive? Do you think if she knew her ashes were scattered on the highway, she’d be angry enough to come back to life?” Leonardo stood beside her, his tone light and airy. “Russell, don’t. At least she was an elderly person.” Russell ignored him and held the urn high, pointing it at the livestream camera. “Everyone, want to watch me scatter ashes live? Fifty cents per person. Crowdfunding. When it hits a thousand, I’ll scatter them.” The livestream completely exploded. “Holy shit, Miss Russell is serious!” “Fifty cents? I’ll give five hundred!” “Quick! I want to see!” “This is too exciting.” “Already donated! Miss Russell, scatter them quick!” The comments flew so fast the screen lagged. Leonardo pulled at the corner of his mouth, his voice neither loud nor soft. “James is usually so filial. I bet he’ll kneel and beg Russell now.” Russell glanced at him and nodded. She turned to look at me, her hand already reaching into the urn. “James, if you kneel now, there’s still time.” My voice was hoarse, my whole body trembling. “Russell, that’s my grandmother! You can’t!” “Why can’t I?” She tilted her head to look at me, her tone flippant. “You won’t even kowtow. I’m giving you motivation, and you’re still not happy about it?” I clenched my fists, my eyes reddening as I stared at the urn. “Russell, don’t touch my grandmother.” Leonardo crouched down and tilted his head to look at me, his face full of false sympathy. “James, stop being stubborn. It’s just kneeling, isn’t it? You don’t want her to die without peace, do you?” He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Kneel. I’ll put something down for you. It won’t hurt.” I stared at the urn in Russell’s hand, my lips trembling, unable to speak. Russell raised the urn higher, her hand already grasping a handful. “Three, two, one…” She flung it outward. The instant the ashes flew out, suddenly a hand steadily caught the falling ash. Most of the ash that leaked through Russell’s fingers was caught. Russell’s smile froze on her face. Leonardo stepped back. She didn’t have time to curse. Because overhead, three helicopters were slowly descending.

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I was eight months pregnant when my billionaire husband Tobias was caught cheating at a hotel. The news was everywhere. Everyone felt sorry for me. There were a hundred thousand comments online calling him a scumbag. Tobias didn’t care at all. He casually transferred a hundred million dollars to me and apologized: “Sorry, things got a bit out of hand this time.” I felt a bit embarrassed to accept it, since the baby in my belly wasn’t even his. I forced down the anxiety in my chest and waved my hands frantically. “No, no need…” Tobias ignored me. His gaze locked onto my belly. His indifferent eyes became complicated. This was the first time since I got pregnant that he’d looked at my belly this seriously. He reached out his hand. His palm slowly moved toward me. His long, distinct fingers spread slightly open, as if wanting to cover my belly. His movement suddenly froze, then he forcibly pulled it back. His eyes returned to their cold detachment. “Take it.” His tone wasn’t heavy, but left no room for argument. After one phone call, my phone chimed with a text notification. I didn’t dare look, but I knew a hundred million had arrived. In that moment, my heart raced wildly. Tobias ignored me and sat down on the sofa. He casually pulled out his phone and scrolled through it, letting out a scoff. “CEO of Blackwood Group cheats during wife’s pregnancy, spotted at hotel with influencer late at night.” “Insider reveals mistress has moved into private villa while legal wife stays home alone in tears.” “Eight months pregnant in exchange for Tobias’s cold face, Mrs. Blackwood mocked as the most miserable trophy wife in history, netizens furious: He doesn’t deserve to be a father, much less a human being.” “Elliott, you’ve become the object of everyone’s sympathy online.” My face instantly burned with heat. “It’s my fault, it’s all my fault…” His gaze paused, but he said nothing. I lowered my head, not daring to look at him. “I shouldn’t have taken the place of the person you love most. You and I… we were just an accident. You can’t be with the person you like, and you’re being cursed at by people online. I’m truly sorry.” My voice grew smaller and smaller. “You can divorce me whenever you want. I don’t mind.” Tobias looked at me with surprise, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. “What, now that you’ve got money, you dare to mention divorce?” I was rendered speechless, my face flushing bright red. Because he was right. The child wasn’t his, and I’d gotten a huge sum of money. Running away with the money, or him kicking me out—either was my best option. If he discovered the child wasn’t his, I didn’t even know how I’d die. Tobias stood up and glanced down at me condescendingly. “We’ll talk after the birth.” With those words, he left.

After dismissing two attentive servants, I couldn’t help but feel mentally exhausted. I looked down at my big belly. Hatred suddenly bloomed in my eyes. When you have a passionate romance with a man, and then he sleeps with you. The next day, he disappears without a trace. When you investigate, you discover even his name was fake. How could you not hate such a man? And I had encountered exactly that kind of man. He was the biological father of the child in my belly. What’s even more tragic is that my fate was full of unexpected turns. That day, abandoned and crying my heart out on the street, a car pulled up smoothly beside me. Then I was violently dragged into the car by a drunk Tobias. His eyes were bloodshot as he violated me while hysterically cursing and screaming at his parents. “Why don’t you two like Alice? Why? “Fine, fine, fine. You insist I have a child? Then I’ll find a woman to have one with, so you’ll have nothing to say.” This Alice was the kept woman he had now, the woman he loved most, the woman his parents looked down upon. I think he deliberately orchestrated this scandal. He deliberately let his parents know that the woman they despised was still with him. His purpose was obvious—still to anger his parents. And I was just a tool. I was terrified, helpless, struggling. Fortunately, at the last moment, he passed out drunk on top of me. We didn’t actually have sex. The next day, Tobias dragged me straight to city hall. “Since what was supposed to happen already happened, let’s register our marriage.” That’s when I understood—he thought he’d actually done it with me the night before. In front of this domineering man, I had no choice. Thinking of my ex’s disappearance filled me with even more hatred. I just broke down completely and, in a fit of anger, registered the marriage with him. But right after registering, I regretted it. Tobias’s parents—my wealthy in-laws—showed me no kindness. Tobias didn’t defend me either, just sneered. After marriage, he ignored me completely. We never even shared a bed. But what no one expected was that I got pregnant. My in-laws never came to see me. They seemed very busy, flying all over the country, constantly out of sight. Tobias stared at my belly in silence, his expression inscrutable, finally swallowing this unexpected development through gritted teeth. Only I was crying inside, because this child wasn’t his. In Tobias’s house, aborting it had become impossible. But when the truth came out, what would become of me and the child? I wanted to escape, but servants and bodyguards watched me twenty-four hours a day. Even if I ran away, with the Blackwood family’s power, catching me would be child’s play. Now, the news media was making a huge fuss denouncing Tobias, while doing everything to defend and beautify me. Unsurprisingly, it was all the work of Blackwood Group’s rivals. But all of this made me even more anxious. From my time in contact with Tobias, he was clearly a pathological violent maniac. When he lost control of his emotions, servants and bodyguards alike would suffer for no reason. Broken heads and broken limbs were commonplace. Afterward, he could settle everything with money. If he found out the child in my belly wasn’t his, my fate was easy to imagine. So, even though I now had a hundred million in my account. All I could think was: “What do I do?”

A week before delivery, my body became so heavy I could barely get out of bed. I was admitted to the Blackwood family’s private hospital. That afternoon, the hospital room door opened. It wasn’t a nurse who entered, but a beautiful stranger. She wore exquisite makeup and walked to my bedside in high heels. The moment our eyes met, I knew who she was. She was Alice. Her gaze remained fixed on my belly, her eyes glowing. No jealousy, not even hostility—like she was looking at a rare treasure. Her stare made my skin crawl. “Elliott.” She opened with a smile. “That hundred million Tobias transferred to you earlier—you received it, right? That hundred million was my idea. I told him to give it to you.” I couldn’t help but look surprised. Seeing my expression, her red lips curved upward. “You must be wondering why I’d have him transfer money to my rival?” She lowered her head, her gaze returning to my belly, a trace of bitterness at the corner of her mouth. “Because there are some things I can’t do.” “Do you know why the Blackwood family won’t let me in?” I shook my head. “I can’t have children…” When Alice said this, her knuckles had already turned white from clenching. “I see…” I murmured. She took a deep breath, her composure returning. “So, you just need to give birth to the child, then leave on your own. The child will be raised by Tobias and me from now on.” “Not only that, I’ll have Tobias give you another hundred million as compensation. That way, you’ll have the money to go far away and live the life you want. “And I’ll have solved the problem of not being able to have children. With Tobias ensuring the bloodline continues, I can marry him legitimately, and his parents won’t have much to object to. “We never thought of this solution before. Your appearance, for me, was unexpected but also a pleasant surprise.” She spread her hands with a bright smile. “Everyone wins. You’re happy, I’m happy, everyone’s happy.” What she said was indeed very logical. From a rational standpoint, this was the perfect solution. She got the child and marriage, Tobias preserved his bloodline and could answer to his family while also getting love, and I walked away with two hundred million. But… for me, an indescribable sense of humiliation pierced my heart like a needle. I carried the baby for ten months, enduring pain and nausea for so long. In the end, I was just a tool for bearing someone else’s child. The child was in my belly, but never belonged to me. And besides, this child… I lowered my head, not daring to let her see my expression. This child wasn’t even Tobias’s. So, facing her questioning gaze, I could only respond with silence. Gradually, displeasure flickered across her brow. In her eyes, I probably seemed rather ungrateful. “Ding…” Her phone rang with an incoming message. Alice glanced down at it, her expression changing slightly, and immediately stood up. “I should go. Think it over carefully. After all, you know in your heart that Tobias doesn’t care about you. Staying in the Blackwood family is meaningless for you.” The door closed softly. I slumped back against the headboard, my eyes full of confusion.

Not long after, footsteps sounded in the corridor, and the hospital room door opened again. Two familiar yet strange faces appeared in my line of sight—my long-absent in-laws. The couple who controlled a trillion-dollar empire, Anthony and Lester Blackwood. They looked travel-worn at the moment, their brows carrying some indissoluble worry, lacking their usual grace and presence. Behind them followed the expressionless Tobias. That’s when I understood why Alice left so quickly. The two people who hated her most had appeared. “Elliott, you’ve worked hard.” Lester walked to the bedside and gently touched my belly. Her voice was flat—not warm, but not cold either. “You’re a hero to the Blackwood family. Your father and I will stay here and wait for the child to be born.” Anthony nodded, saying a few platitudes like “rest well” and “safe delivery for mother and child.” I nodded obediently in response, stealing a glance at Tobias. The entire time, Tobias’s expression remained unchanged. I don’t know why, but the relationship between these three family members always gave me a strange feeling. In the end, I had no way to break this deadlock. The day of delivery still came. Everything went smoothly. I gave birth to a son. Tobias held the child, sitting by the bed with a slight curve to his lips. His eyes held no tenderness or fatherly love, only a kind of satisfaction. I understood—his thinking was the same as Alice’s. My child was the perfect chess piece to facilitate his being with Alice. Next would come the day he kicked me out and took the child. Facing this inevitable outcome, I felt only an indescribable sense of powerlessness. Looking at the son I’d carried for ten months, my eyes couldn’t help but redden. Forget it, forget it. This was fate. At least for my son, as long as he grew up safely in the Blackwood family, his future would be brilliantly bright. I had to admit, deep down I’d accepted Alice’s suggestion. I leave, the child stays—it’s best for everyone.

Lester took the child and told me I’d worked hard. Anthony also showed a rare smile, walking with his hands behind his back to Tobias’s side, looking down at the child. The atmosphere actually felt somewhat harmonious. Everyone was satisfied, until Anthony spoke. “Now that the child is born.” He turned to look at Tobias. “According to Blackwood family tradition, you and the child should verify the DNA.” The air instantly froze. The smile on Tobias’s face stiffened. He slowly raised his head, fury surging in his eyes, though he said nothing. In my view, he’d never doubted it. That drunken night—he thought it was real. In his eyes, a woman like me picked up from the street getting pregnant with his child was luck and an honor. Tobias nodded and spoke, “Alright, arrange it quickly.” No one noticed me. No one saw that the moment Anthony mentioned DNA, I felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over me from head to toe. I had no strength left in my body. Soon, a man in a white coat pushed the door open and began taking samples. I stared intently at his every move. No… no… no… I was screaming frantically in my mind. My tears almost instantly welled up. “Elliott, why are you crying?” Lester glanced at me. “It’s just sampling. It won’t hurt the child. Don’t worry.” She thought I was just worried about the child. She didn’t think much of it. No one did. Only I knew I was afraid—afraid to my very bones. The sampling ended. The doctor left the room with the samples. The moment the door closed, I felt like I’d heard my death sentence. For the next stretch of time, I lay in the hospital bed like I was paralyzed, my mind completely blank. Like a death row prisoner at the execution ground, neck on the chopping block, just waiting for that final blow to fall. I don’t know how much time passed before that door finally opened again. The doctor who took the samples came in holding a report, his expression very grim. Everyone’s faces changed at the sight. He glanced at Tobias, then finally spoke carefully. “According to the DNA comparison results… the paternal relationship between Mr. Blackwood and the child cannot be established. The two are not biological father and son.”

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There’s a rule in my hometown village: if you’re not married by 33, you have to accept blind dates arranged by the village chief. Otherwise, misfortune will strike. When I told my boyfriend Ethan about this, he let out a cold laugh. “What century is this? Your village is still so backward and superstitious? Clara, I will marry you, but you can’t use such a cheap excuse to pressure me.” “I was actually planning to propose to you, but since you’re lying to pressure me, let’s just cool off for a while!” As he spoke, he pulled out a ring and handed it to his assistant, Lily. The wedding ring I’d waited so many years for—he casually gave it to someone else. I was stunned for a moment. Ethan walked out of my office with a swagger, a victorious smile curling at the corners of his mouth. Lily awkwardly handed the ring to me. I looked at the ring’s size, then slipped it onto Lily’s finger: “He bought it for you in the first place, didn’t he? Look, it’s a perfect fit.” “Tell Ethan that he and I are over.”

That evening when Ethan got off work, I was packing my things. Seeing the two large suitcases in front of me, he paused mid-step. “Why did you come home early today without waiting for me?” Here we go again. He always had this ability to just turn the page on his own. Then I was supposed to take the out he offered me and step down gracefully. And pretend nothing happened while we played the part of a loving couple. But now I didn’t want to pretend anymore. “Didn’t your assistant tell you? We’re done.” His brow immediately furrowed, like I’d touched a sore spot. “I’m trying to have a decent conversation with you, and you just have to be passive-aggressive, don’t you?” “Lily grew up with you. You were the one who brought her to the company in the first place. What are you being so dramatic about now?” He was right. I was indeed the one who brought Lily to the company. She and I grew up in the same village. The village chief told us to look out for each other away from home. So when she graduated from college and couldn’t find a job, I proactively brought her to our company. She was obedient and sensible, and I was happy to mentor her. Until I noticed her gazes at Ethan growing increasingly tender. I was very familiar with that look. Ethan had been a big shot back in school. I’d seen countless girls look at him that way. But Ethan’s eyes had never lingered on them for even a moment. So I dismissed it as a young girl’s crush and didn’t make an issue of it. But she kept making more and more mistakes at the company. I casually criticized her a few times. She didn’t talk back, just stood there crying while being reprimanded. But Ethan wasn’t having it. For the first time, he yelled at me in front of the entire company. “She’s just a young girl. A few words would’ve been enough, wouldn’t it?” “Who do you think you are, pulling rank on your own sister like this?” I laughed bitterly, but I wouldn’t back down. “Do you have any idea how many messes our colleagues have had to clean up because of her mistakes?” He waved his hand dismissively. “In that case, let Lily be my personal assistant!” He looked around at the colleagues watching the drama unfold. “From now on, if anyone has complaints, come straight to me! Stop gossiping behind people’s backs!” “If you can handle the work, stay! If you can’t, get out!” He strode ahead with large steps, like he’d won a battle. Lily followed behind him, her back radiating worship for Ethan. … I looked up. Ethan was looking down at me from above. I didn’t know when it started, but he began making everything about winning or losing with me, always needing to come out on top. He was no longer the man who told me in our rental apartment: “You’re the only person I’ll ever lose to in this life.” I glanced at my phone. The ticket confirmation was still on the screen. I’d be going home soon. I didn’t feel like arguing with him. “You’re right. I was being dramatic.” “It won’t happen again.” Seeing my reaction, his expression showed a moment of confusion. I figured he must have been prepared for me to act like before—to demand to know when he’d actually marry me, to question him about his unclear relationship with Lily, but he never expected me to look so defeated. After a few seconds of silence, he dropped a “whatever” and left. He didn’t come home all night.

The next morning I went to the office as usual. I could do without Ethan, but Era Media had all my blood, sweat, and tears poured into it. Even if I left, I needed to arrange the company’s affairs properly. Besides, I could still collect steady dividends every year. I was calculating who to promote to replace me on the front lines so I could provide remote guidance, when Sales Manager Amy stood at the elevator entrance looking completely defeated. She was a company veteran who’d been with me through countless deals large and small. I’d never seen her so crushed. “Miss Clara, last night we sent the quote to Mr. Ethan. Assistant Lily said he was asleep and that she’d handle it.” “But she accidentally sent our bottom-line pricing sheet to the client as well.” “Now the client is demanding we cut our price by 20%, but our profit margin is only 30%.” Her voice choked up. “This is a project we’ve been working on for half a year. If we proceed now, we’ll lose money. If we don’t, we’ll lose this client completely.” I nodded while pushing open Ethan’s office door. Lily was lying on her side on the sofa bed. Ethan was spoon-feeding her water. This sofa bed was from back when we first started the business, when Ethan bought it to force me to rest. He said: “My office is your exclusive rest area.” So even when the company moved later and we bought our own property and renovated, I still moved this sofa bed along with us. Now another woman was lying on the sofa bed, and he was carefully watching over her. Just like we used to be. My chest tightened, but strangely, it didn’t hurt anymore. Seeing me, Lily immediately sat up. “Clara, don’t misunderstand. I fainted from guilt, so Ethan was just giving me sugar water.” I remembered that the first time she met Ethan, she called him her sister’s boyfriend. I didn’t know when that had changed. I ignored her and went straight to slap the report on Ethan’s desk. “At the client’s current asking price, if we want to secure the project, we’ll lose $120,000.” I glanced at the two of them. “Which of you is going to cover it?” Lily’s eyes immediately reddened. “It’s all my fault. I should have woken Ethan up. I just felt bad that he was so tired.” “I’ll go find Mr. Li right now. I’ll beg him!” Ethan frowned tightly at the document and didn’t stop her. Amy and I stood there with no intention of stopping her either. She found herself in an awkward position, frozen in place. I crossed my arms and looked at her. “Lily, crying or begging doesn’t work in business!” She threw off the cashmere blanket, but after just two steps she collapsed to the floor. It was such a clumsy performance that I felt arguing with this kind of person was beneath me. But Ethan, the supposed business genius, believed it. He helped Lily up and carefully settled her on the sofa. “Clara, you’re always so aggressive.” “Does everyone in the world have to revolve around you?” I freed one hand to tap on the desk. “Don’t give me this irrelevant nonsense. $120,000. What are you going to do about it?” His eyes were bloodshot. “If taking this project means losing money, then we just won’t do it!” I let out a cold laugh. “Do you remember how much we drank, how many all-nighters we pulled to win this client in the first place?” “Besides, this isn’t the only project we have with them! If we drop this, how many times $120,000 will we lose?” “Ethan, did a dog eat your brain?” He glanced at me impatiently, muttering “so petty,” Then he pulled out his bank card and threw it in my face. “It’s just $120,000. I’ll cover it for her. Happy now?”

My face stung, but I was strangely calm. The poor boy who once thought $10 burgers were too expensive could now throw around $120,000 without blinking. He’d forgotten how many people’s livelihoods were in our hands. It wasn’t just about the money. Or maybe he knew, but just didn’t care anymore. Since he didn’t care about $120,000, what about a hundred times $120,000? I was curious whether he’d be so indifferent then. I met my best friend Sophia for afternoon tea. She hadn’t even finished cursing out Ethan when I received a message from Amy. “Miss Clara, please come back to the office right away!” As soon as I reached my office door, I saw Lily directing people to move my desk. All the contracts and documents were scattered on the floor. This was what I’d built bit by bit over all these years. What gave her the right? “Put everything down right now!” I took three steps in two strides and slapped Lily across the face. “Who gave you permission to touch my things?” Lily covered her face, but her eyes were defiant. “Ethan said you lost a major deal and don’t deserve this position anymore. He told you to work from a cubicle in the main area.” Probably having heard the news, Ethan came over too. Seeing the mess everywhere, his eyes flickered. “Lily, I told you to notify her. Who told you to touch her things?” Lily lowered her hand, revealing the handprint on her face, looking pitifully at Ethan. He softened immediately. “Clara, the decision was mine. If you want to take it out on someone, take it out on me.” “But rules are rules. Lily sent the bottom-line pricing sheet, yes, but it was your subordinate who submitted it to her. You bear direct responsibility.” He sighed and placed both hands on my shoulders. “I saw you bought a plane ticket.” “But I don’t have time to go back with you.” “Why don’t you take this opportunity to go home for a few days and rest, okay?” I shook off his hands. “Who said I wanted you to come? I’m going home to—” He scoffed: “To go on blind dates and get married?” “Drop the threats. Lily told me there’s no such rule in your village about having to get married at 30.” Lily also said: “Clara, don’t blame me for telling Ethan. I just couldn’t bear to see him deceived by you anymore.” I calmly looked her over. Designer suit, Chanel earrings, LV bag. Completely inconsistent with her current salary, and worlds apart from when I first met her. Back then she was still grateful to me for funding her tuition. Her first outfit for college was one I bought her. Her first bank card was one I helped her open. Her first time at a buffet was when I took her. She said she’d repay me once she graduated. And now, she leaned against my boyfriend, wearing things my boyfriend bought her, then said she felt bad that my boyfriend was being deceived by me. Even if I didn’t care about my own dignity, I wasn’t going to give them any more face. I pulled out a stack of A4 papers from my bag. In front of all my colleagues, I read aloud: “Three months ago, my boyfriend took you to a hotel. The room and contraceptives totaled $5,800.” “Two months ago, he bought you a limited edition bag worth $10,200.” “One week ago, he bought you a ring worth $126,000.” … “So tell me, who exactly is deceiving whom?”

Colleagues were whispering among themselves. Some even showed looks of disdain. Ethan’s face alternated between pale and flushed. I directed people to help me put everything back in place. Even when Ethan tried to stop them, no one listened to him. Amy was especially sarcastic: “Miss Clara, let me get some disinfectant to clean your office. It reeks of mistress in here!” She sprayed alcohol all over them. In the end, Ethan could only angrily repeat “Good! Good for you all!” Before leaving with Lily. As soon as I finished tidying up and sat down, I received a call from the village chief. “Clara, are you sure you’re coming home?” “If you’re sure, I’ll have the Sullivan boy pick you up at the train station.” I smiled for the first time in a while. “I’ve already bought my ticket, but don’t tell Grandma yet. I want to surprise her!” The village chief’s tone became cheerful too. He said “wonderful” several times before hanging up. Our village really didn’t have a rule about getting married at 30, but my grandma was 80. She couldn’t wait any longer. Ever since Ethan and I had our falling out, they became more and more brazen at the company. As if they finally didn’t have to hide from me anymore, or as if they wanted to make me angry. They were together every day, when Ethan attended events, Lily was always his female companion. She even acted like the boss’s wife at the company, ordering colleagues around. Just waiting for me to leave so she could take my place. Amy couldn’t stand them and complained to me several times. I patted her shoulder. “Stay steady. Let her be arrogant.” When Lily provoked me for the fifth time and I still didn’t take the bait, she finally couldn’t keep up the act anymore. She burst into my office without knocking. “Ethan doesn’t want you anymore. Why are you still clinging here refusing to leave?” I casually adjusted the latest designer suit she was wearing. Opening my mouth casually: “Men, well, their love follows their money.” “You know that, right? I own 49% of this company’s shares. What about you?” “Want to make a bet with me? If he’s willing to give you 10%, I’ll give up my shares and pack up and leave.” “If he’s not willing, you leave. Do you dare?” Her face turned white. But in the end she nodded: “Fine! You better not regret it!” A few days later, Lily came to my office with Ethan. She slammed an equity transfer agreement on my desk. Looking at the second clause stating a transfer of 15% shares to her, I laughed out loud. “Clara, stop pretending to be calm. Hurry up and pack your things and get out!” Ethan glanced at me somewhat uncomfortably. “Clara, don’t blame me for helping her. It’s just a bet. Consider it a consolation prize for the girl.” He changed his tone. “But we’re businesspeople who value credibility. Even personal bets require honoring the terms.” “But don’t worry, even though you’re giving up your shares, I’ll still marry you. You’ll be Mrs. Parker from now on.” “Your monthly allowance will only increase, not decrease.” “As for Lily, I won’t let her appear in front of you anymore or challenge your position as Mrs. Parker.” I never expected that after all these years, he hadn’t improved in other areas, but had learned to enjoy having multiple women. “Ethan, you’ve really got it all figured out. I should give up my dividend shares to go home and be a full-time housewife?” “I’m telling you, I’m not interested!” Lily pulled out a recording of me clearly saying I’d honor the bet and give up my shares. Then she handed me a voluntary share renunciation agreement. Amy’s eyes reddened as she tried to snatch it. I stopped her. Then I picked up the pen and signed. Lily’s face flushed with excitement. Though Ethan’s eyes flashed with complexity, it was ultimately replaced by smugness. I put down the pen and asked: “Is that enough?” Ethan nodded and announced to everyone: “From now on, Lily is my business partner. She’ll take over Clara’s position.” Some people felt threatened, but others started sucking up to her already. “We’ll definitely follow Miss Lily’s instructions from now on.” “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and move Miss Clara’s things out to make room for Miss Lily!” The thermos Ethan bought me was knocked to the floor, getting dented. The blanket I knitted myself fell on the floor and was stepped on several times. Even the orchid I raised had its branches broken off. But I didn’t stop them or get angry. I just remembered the day we first moved in, when he spun me around in circles. “Clara, we did it! This is our business empire!” My vision blurred for a moment, then cleared. I quietly watched the place I’d worked so hard for all these years being emptied bit by bit. Until the nameplate changed from “Miss Clara’s Office” to “Miss Lily’s Office.” Only then did I turn around and walk straight to Ethan’s office. I sat in his chair. I said: “Ethan, you’re fired now.”

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My new roommate leaves early and comes back late, always like a ghost. Thinking she worked too hard, I took extra care of her. Me: [Hey babe, I left some pot roast in the fridge for you.] Her: […Thanks.] Me: [Baby, scarfs were buy-one-get-one-free, got you one.] Her: […Okay.] Until one day. Me: [Ahhh baby help, do you have any overnight pads?] Ten minutes later, an incredibly handsome, cold-looking guy knocked on my bedroom door, holding a massive bag of overnight pads. “Are these enough? I can go buy more.” Guys, my world is collapsing! How did my cute girl roommate instantly turn into a 6’2″ hottie??? 01 My previous roommate was an absolute nightmare. He’d leave fruit in the fridge until it rotted and never clean it up. He’d pile dirty socks in the bathroom sink, then retreat to his room to play video games. We fought constantly. So, when he moved out, I specifically asked the landlord if I could get a female roommate. The landlord agreed without hesitation. Soon, the new roommate added me on Instagram. Her name was Summer, and her profile picture was a smiling Samoyed with its head tilted. She only had one post—a picture of a fluffy dog sitting on the grass, sticking its tongue out happily. My heart instantly melted. How bad could someone who loves Samoyeds be? Our subsequent messages confirmed my theory. Before moving in, she specifically texted me: [Hello, I’ll be moving in around 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM next Wednesday. Please let me know if this is an inconvenience.] Now, I’m the type of person who mirrors the energy I receive. Since the new roommate was so polite, I immediately became super friendly. I quickly replied: [No worries, baby! I’ll be at work then, so the place is yours. Take your time moving in~] She replied: […Okay, thank you.] I didn’t know why she added the ellipsis, but I didn’t think much of it and went back to work. 02 On the day the new roommate moved in, the apartment didn’t become a mess; instead, it was even cleaner. The dust on the crystal chandelier was wiped completely clean, and a broken lightbulb had been replaced. A beautiful enamel vase appeared in the corner, holding a tastefully arranged bouquet of fresh flowers. When the evening breeze blew, a lovely fragrance drifted through the room. The whole place looked warm and bright. Without a doubt, this was the new roommate’s doing. I felt incredibly emotional. The day my last roommate moved in, the living room was covered in footprints and drywall dust, the rug was ruined, and I had to clean it all up myself. How could my new roommate be such an angel? It must be because I’ve been a good person lately, and the universe is rewarding me! While marveling at this, I walked toward my room and noticed a gift box at my door. A sticky note was attached to it, with neat, elegant handwriting: [Hello, I’m glad to be your roommate. A small gift to show my appreciation. Hope we get along well. —Summer.] I opened the box and found a reed diffuser. The scent was sweet and lingering, like milk candy. I originally wanted to knock on her door and welcome her in person. But considering I had worked overtime and it was almost 11 PM, she was probably already asleep. So, I just texted her. Me: [Babe!! Thank you for the gift!] Me: [I love the scent so much! Mwah mwah mwah! /Heart/ /Heart/ /Kiss/ /Kiss/] Me: [Here’s to a great time living together!] A few minutes later, Summer replied. […I’m glad you like it.] But she clearly had more to say. The “typing…” indicator stayed at the top of the chat for a long time. It showed for a full ten minutes, but she still hadn’t sent anything. What could be so hard to say? After I took a shower, I saw she had finally sent a new message. Three minutes ago, from Summer. [Um… just to correct you. We’re not living together as a couple, we’re just roommates.] 03 A massive project our team was working on finally wrapped up. Our manager generously gave us a day off. So, that day, I bought a ton of groceries, cracked my knuckles, and prepared to cook a feast to reward myself. Mac and cheese for the princess. Lobster bisque for the princess. Pan-seared halibut for the princess. Truffle risotto for the princess. I accidentally made too much. Looking at the table full of food, I thought it over, portioned some out, and left half for Summer. I noticed she always left early and came back late, and never used the kitchen. She was probably surviving on takeout, poor thing. I wrapped the reserved food in plastic wrap and put it in Tupperware. Then I texted Summer: [Babe, I made too much food today, so I saved half for you. Try my cooking! /Heart/ /Heart/] She quickly replied: […Thank you.] I added: [Also also, my company gave us a box of peaches, and I can’t finish them. Help me eat some!] She: […Okay, thank you.] I put down my phone and started eating like a starving person. Almost an hour later, I was finally full and satisfied. My phone lit up; it was a message from Summer. [This might be a bit forward, but I wanted to ask, do you call everyone ‘babe’?] I immediately typed: [Of course not! I only call people I like ‘babe’! I like you a lot, so you’re my babe!] Summer: […We haven’t even met, and you like me?] Me: [Of course! Don’t doubt my judge of character!] Summer: [Alright.] Me: [Hey, do you not like being called ‘babe’? If you don’t like it, I’ll stop.] The chat showed “typing…” Again, for a full ten minutes. Summer finally replied: [It’s fine, you can call me that.] Me: [/Kiss/ /Kiss/ /Kiss/] 04 My best friend’s online boutique went out of business. She shipped me two huge boxes of inventory. Lace ones, ones with cat ears, ones with bunny tails… Operating on the principle of never wasting anything, I washed them all. Before, I had to consider that my roommate was a guy, so I could only dry my underwear in my own small room. Now it didn’t matter. My roommate was a girl like me, so I casually hung them out on the balcony. That day I was working overtime again, stuck in meetings until my eyes blurred. While making coffee, I saw a severe thunderstorm warning. I suddenly remembered! I still had clothes drying on the balcony! So I quickly texted Summer: [BABE!! Emergency! Are you home?] Summer: [Yes. What’s wrong?] Me: [It looks like it’s going to rain, and I forgot to bring my clothes in. Could you bring them in for me?] Summer: [No problem.] Me: [Thank you babe, you’re the best! /Heart/ /Heart/ /Heart/] I put down my phone and went back to work. After another discussion meeting, I finally had time to check my phone and saw several messages from Summer. 9:27 PM, Summer: [You didn’t say it was these kinds of clothes.] 9:28 PM, Summer: [Are you sure you want me to bring them in?] 9:56 PM, Summer: [Are you there?] 10:46 PM, Summer: […] 10:49 PM, Summer: [Brought them in for you.] I quickly replied: [Ahhh thank you baby! I was working and didn’t see my phone, sorry sorry.] I scrolled up and replied: [Hey, what’s wrong with these clothes? Do you not like them?] Summer: […] Me: [You prefer classic styles?] Summer: [That’s not what I meant.] Me: [Then which one is your favorite?] Summer: […] Me: [Animated sticker /Puppy tilting head/] Me: [Animated sticker /Puppy looking anxious/] Me: [Animated sticker /Puppy running/] Summer: […The one with the bunny tail.] Me: [Great taste! That’s my favorite too! I have two sets, want me to give you one?] Summer: [No need.] Me: [Don’t be shy~~] Summer: [I can’t wear it.] Me: [Huh? Is your size too big?] Summer: […] Summer: [You could understand it that way.] Me: [Ahhh I’m so jealous!!!] Me: [Animated sticker /Reaching out to squish/ Baby is so soft and sweet, baby makes my overtime better, let me squish!] Summer: [Please don’t do this. We’ve only known each other for a month.] Me: [Sorry baby, I won’t do it again.] Summer: [That’s not what I meant.] Me: [Then what do you mean? When we’re closer, I can squish?] Summer: […It depends.] 05 Summer went on a business trip last week. When she came back, she gave me a pearl necklace. A sticky note was attached to the outside of the box, again with her elegant handwriting: [Saw this necklace and felt it would suit you perfectly. Hope you like it. —Summer.] I didn’t know much about pearls, but I happily put it on. The next day at work, my colleagues immediately surrounded me. “Are these Akoya pearls? The luster is amazing.” “What’s rare is that every single one is large, perfectly round, and flawless.” “Audrey, where did you buy this necklace? Do you have a link?” I told them the truth: “My roommate brought it back for me from her business trip. I don’t think there’s a link.” A senior colleague said, “Your roommate is so generous! This must cost at least a few thousand dollars. Is your roommate a guy or a girl?” I touched the pearls, smiled goofily, and said, “A girl! She’s super nice, really clean. She basically does all the cleaning in the apartment; there’s not a single hair on the floor. And every time she goes on a business trip, she brings me a gift. Ahhh, she’s really the best! I really hit the jackpot!” My colleagues started chatting about pearls. I pulled out my phone and secretly texted Summer: [Babe! Miss you miss you miss you!] Summer: [What’s wrong?] Me: [Nothing, just feel so lucky to have you. T_T] Summer: [Mhm. When are you coming back?] Me: [Don’t know yet, looks like I have to work late again today.] Summer: [Okay.] Me: [Did you need something?] Summer: [No.] Me: [Animated sticker /Puppy collapsed in exhaustion/] Summer: [The landlord remodeled the bathroom and installed a bathtub. Text me when you get off work, I’ll draw the water for you.] Me: [WHAT!!!!! The landlord is too nice!!!! How did she know I wanted a bathtub!!!!! I only told my cactus!!!] Summer: [Who knows.] Me: [Oh right, baby, could you get the bunny tail out for me? It’s in the third drawer of the closet.] Summer: [You’re going to wear it?] Me: [Mhm.] Summer: […For who?] System notification: The other person recalled a message. Summer: [Sorry, that was out of line. It’s your freedom, I shouldn’t have asked.] Me: [Baby, you’re not allowed to say sorry! We don’t have to be so careful with each other!! I’m not wearing it for anyone, just for my own enjoyment, hehe.] Summer: [Your own enjoyment?] Me: [Hehehe, do you want to see? My body is super gorgeous! I possess the most beautiful body in the world!] Summer: [I believe you.] Summer: [But, I’ll pass for now.] Me: [Next time then! I’m a living masterpiece! /Twirls/] Summer: [Come home early, Ms. Masterpiece.]

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After our parents divorced, my sister chose to live with our wealthy father. I moved into my mother’s cramped rental apartment. A few years later, my father squandered his fortune on partying, gambling, and women. Meanwhile, my mother became a massive live-streaming influencer and a famous female entrepreneur. My sister’s life was turned upside down, so she came crying to me. But when I wasn’t looking, she slipped poison into my cup. “We are both their biological daughters! Why do you get to live so well while I’m out on the streets?” “It’s my turn to live the good life!” When I opened my eyes again, we were back on the day of our parents’ divorce. This time, she beat me to it and threw her arms around our mother. “I want to live with Mom. I don’t care how hard it gets, I’m willing to endure it.” But she didn’t know—our mother was far more terrifying than our father. 01 My sister, Lily, always had a sweet mouth and knew exactly how to charm people. Because of that, she was favored much more than I was. Naturally, when our parents decided to get a divorce, they asked Lily first. They asked her who she wanted to stay with. Our dad, Richard, was a trust-fund kid from a very wealthy family. Our mom, Evelyn, was a stay-at-home mother who would have absolutely nothing to her name after the divorce, destined to struggle just to make ends meet. So, without a second thought, Lily obediently threw her arms around our dad. “I love Daddy the most! I can’t live without you, I want to grow up with you!” Dad beamed with joy, lifting Lily high into the air. “My sweet girl, you stay with Daddy, and you’ll be a little princess for the rest of your life!” Lily smiled sweetly. But in a blind spot where our parents couldn’t see, she shot me a smug, triumphant look. Yes, she had been like this since we were kids. She always had to compete with me. As long as she could “beat” me, she was perfectly willing to do things that didn’t even benefit her, just to see me lose. Dad and Lily were laughing happily. Mom stood off to the side, looking heartbroken and gloomy. I stayed silent for a moment, then walked over and took Mom’s hand. “Mom, I’m willing to live with you.” She gave me a deep, unreadable look and said nothing. 02 A few years later, through a stroke of luck, Mom’s live-streaming career exploded. We moved from a rundown rental into a nice apartment complex. Then from that apartment into a gated mansion community. Mom’s used scooter was traded in for a Mercedes. And then the Mercedes was traded in for a Porsche. One day, Mom was driving me out to run errands when we happened to witness a traffic accident. An e-bike rider was driving the wrong way down the street and crashed into a luxury car. The owner of the luxury car got out and started screaming, while the e-bike rider just stood there, meekly apologizing. His teenage daughter was standing to the side, crying her eyes out. Embarrassed by her tears, the man actually kicked his own daughter. Heartbroken, the girl turned her head, and her eyes met mine through the tinted window of the Porsche. It was my sister, Lily. I looked closer at the pathetic, apologizing e-bike rider—it was my dad! Lily saw Mom and me. Her eyes lit up, and she started chasing after our car like a madwoman. But Mom just stepped on the gas, driving forward as if nothing had happened. I hesitated before speaking up: “Mom, that was Lily.” Mom replied coldly: “I saw her. What, do you want to help her?” I didn’t dare make a sound. Mom let out a cold laugh. “She was so cute when she was little, wasn’t she? Now that she’s grown up, she’s just as ugly as her father. Ungrateful little backstabber. This is karma.” I shut my mouth completely. Not long after, Lily managed to find my contact info and asked me to meet her. Sitting in a coffee shop, she cried a river of tears. “Chloe, you have no idea. Dad is—” Lily told me that our dad was an absolute fool. He was incompetent, yet incredibly greedy. A few years ago, listening to the nonsense of his sketchy friends, he ignored our Grandpa’s strict warnings and invested tens of millions into a startup. The company was a complete scam designed to drain his money. Just like that, millions vanished into thin air. Grandpa was furiously disappointed and kicked him out of the family. “I thought Dad would learn his lesson, but all he did was party, drink, and sleep around.” After being cut off, Dad spent his nights clubbing. Taking the terrible advice of his various girlfriends, he went to Las Vegas and threw cash around like water. Within a few months, whatever millions he had left in his bank account were gone. Worse, he racked up over six million dollars in casino debt. Grandpa was entirely done with him and refused to give him a single dime. Out of options, Dad had to start doing DoorDash deliveries just to survive. But he was a man who had been pampered his entire life. He used to have a private chauffeur; he didn’t even know basic traffic laws. Not long after he started delivering food, he drove the wrong way down a street and crashed into a luxury car—the exact scene I had witnessed. In the coffee shop, Lily threw herself into my arms, weeping bitterly. “Chloe, I saw Mom driving a Porsche and wearing Chanel. Your purse is Dior. You guys must be living such a good life.” “Chloe, can you please go back and talk to Mom? I’m her daughter too. I don’t want to live with Dad anymore, I want to live with her.” “She must miss me so much, right? In those first few years after the divorce, she called me all the time, begging me to come back.” Her eyes were full of desperate hope. But just thinking about my mother made a violent shudder run down my spine. Finally, I said, “It’s best if you don’t live with Mom. But… I can give you some money.” Lily snapped her head up, a flash of pure, venomous resentment crossing her face. But just as quickly, she masked it with a grateful smile. “Thank you, Chloe. I knew you loved me the most.” 03 The next day, I transferred ten thousand dollars to Lily. She eagerly offered to invite me over to her rental apartment for dinner. Inside the dingy apartment, Lily handed me a cup of tea. “Chloe, I remember you always loved sweet peach tea since we were kids. I picked this out just for you. Tell me if it tastes good.” My guard was down, so I drank it. But soon, the room started spinning. My final memory was Lily holding a knife, slashing my face to pieces. “Chloe, we’re both their biological daughters! Why do you get to live so well while I’m out on the streets?!” “You have so much money, but you only gave me this pathetic amount?! And you won’t even let me go back to Mom?! You selfish, greedy bitch!” An endless darkness washed over me. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of my parents’ divorce. Faced with Dad’s question about who we wanted to live with… This time, Lily didn’t even hesitate. She turned and threw her arms around Mom. “I can’t live without Mom! I want to live with Mom! I don’t care how hard it gets, I’m not afraid!” Mom was so moved she hugged Lily tightly. Buried in Mom’s embrace, Lily flashed a cunning, wicked smile. In a blind spot where no one else could see, Lily silently mouthed the words to me: “Sister, this time, it’s my turn to fly high.” So, she was reborn too. But she didn’t know—Mom was far more terrifying than Dad. 04 Lily happily skipped off to the cramped rental apartment. I stayed behind in the sprawling mansion. Dad was as unreliable as ever. He had just finalized his divorce, yet that very night, he was getting ready to hit the clubs. On the phone, some mistress was speaking to him in a sickly-sweet voice. It cheered him up instantly. He grabbed his designer jacket, ready to walk out the door. Right as he was about to leave, I stopped him. I asked: “Dad, who’s going to eat dinner with me?” He answered like it was obvious: “Isn’t the nanny here? Just have her eat with you.” I bit my lip and said, “I haven’t seen Grandpa in a long time, and I miss him. Dad, can you drop me off at his house?” Dad hesitated. Seeing this, I added: “Auntie’s son, Liam, went to see Grandpa a couple of days ago. I don’t know what he said, but Grandpa bought Auntie a brand-new car. Did you know about that, Dad?” Hearing this, Dad’s hesitation vanished instantly. “That family just knows how to leech off my side of the family! Pathetic!” “Chloe, I’ll have the driver take you over right now. Remember, you have to put in a good word for me in front of Grandpa, understand?” Saying that, he practically shoved me into the back of a black SUV. Grandpa lived in a quiet, secluded lakehouse estate. In his eyes, my mother was a manipulative gold digger who used every trick in the book to climb the social ladder and marry my dad. He thought she was deeply scheming and venomous. Because of that, he always despised my mom, and by extension, he didn’t like Lily or me either. In my past life, after the divorce, Lily also tried to suck up to Grandpa. But she was a spoiled little princess who had been coddled at home. Her head was empty, and her only skill was pretending to be cute and innocent. At Grandpa’s house, all her little tricks failed miserably. No matter how much she cried or threw tantrums, all she got was Grandpa’s cold indifference. Unlike her, our aunt’s son, my cousin Liam Carter, was Grandpa’s absolute favorite. No matter what Liam said or did, he always earned Grandpa’s praise. Over time, Lily grew incredibly resentful. During a family gathering, she deliberately smashed an antique vase and framed Liam for it. She thought it would ruin Liam’s standing in the family. Instead, she was met with security footage from a hidden camera. Liam’s status remained unshaken. Lily, on the other hand, faced the absolute wrath of the family’s strict discipline. Grandpa accused her of being “scheming, venomous, and willing to do anything for personal gain—just like your mother.” He strictly ordered my dad to never bring her to the estate again. From that day on, Lily harbored a deep hatred for Grandpa. On his birthday, she even posted a twisted comic on social media, depicting the Grim Reaper using various horrific methods to take an old man’s life. Grandpa definitely saw it, but he ignored her completely. Later, when Dad went bankrupt and Lily’s life hit rock bottom, she finally remembered Grandpa. She knelt outside the gates of the lakehouse, begging him for forgiveness and a place to stay. Grandpa didn’t even show his face. The security guards just dragged her away. This time, time had rewound. Lily ran off to chase her dream of a luxurious new life. And the person standing outside the lakehouse, about to visit Grandpa, was me. I took a few deep breaths and pressed the doorbell. 05 Even though Dad had called ahead to say I wanted to visit, Grandpa’s expression in the study was still freezing cold. After I politely greeted him, he showed no intention of entertaining me. I didn’t get upset. I just found a quiet corner and sat down. Living with my mother in my past life, I had endured humiliations hundreds and thousands of times worse than this. This was nothing. In the study, Grandpa was quizzing Liam on his studies. Liam was seventeen this year. He was an academic genius with a deep interest in finance and economics. Grandpa was a self-made billionaire, but unfortunately, all of his own children were mediocre at best. Therefore, he genuinely admired this driven, grounded grandson. He would often pull Liam aside to analyze famous domestic and international business mergers and acquisitions. The questions Grandpa asked were extremely difficult. Liam answered the first few perfectly. But the next one was different. Liam fell into a long, deep silence. Grandpa wasn’t in a rush, patiently waiting for his answer. I timidly raised my hand. “Grandpa, can I share my thoughts on this?” Grandpa glanced at me, his expression full of doubt. “You? You’re not even in high school yet. What could you possibly know?” “If you can’t sit still, go wait outside. Don’t try to play smart with me.” I didn’t get angry. I just smiled and said, “If you aren’t satisfied with my answer, I’ll go stand in the corner outside. How about that?” Grandpa scoffed. But Liam chimed in: “Grandpa, why not let Chloe give it a try?” Grandpa didn’t say anything, which was a silent yes. I shot Liam a grateful smile and began to speak: “The initial capital for this specific group of entrepreneurs wasn’t exactly clean. In the early days, they acted as exclusive import distributors, helping foreign corporations open up the local market. By monopolizing information gaps, they extracted massive, exorbitant profit margins.” Grandpa looked at me in surprise and kept grilling: “Then tell me, what was their natural advantage, and what was their fatal flaw?” I thought for a second and replied: “They built close ties with foreign entities early on and adapted to the market quickly. That was their advantage. But it was a double-edged sword. Their fatal flaw was becoming entirely dependent on the first-mover advantage provided by those foreign companies. They never developed their own core competencies. So, once the market became regulated and standardized, their competitive edge vanished.” Grandpa stared at me for a long time. His expression was complicated. There was doubt. There was scrutiny. But there was no longer any contempt. After a moment, he asked, “You’re only fourteen. Where did you hear all this?” I said, “The public library has a lot of books. I love to read.” But that wasn’t true. In my past life, a massive portion of my mother’s “clients” were exactly those men who profited from those very distribution monopolies. They exploited loopholes, built wealth through cronyism and information gaps, and yet attributed all their success to their own sheer brilliance. And on drunken afternoons, holding a young girl in their arms, they couldn’t wait to brag about their past business conquests. Thinking about this, I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them again, I was still sitting in Grandpa’s solemn, antique study. I wasn’t in a dim, suffocating bedroom bathed in cheap pink lighting. Clap, clap, clap— Liam began to clap softly. He said, “Chloe is only fourteen, but her reading comprehension and analytical skills are incredibly sharp. That deserves recognition.” He looked at me, his expression gentle and sincere. “I concede. I couldn’t have answered it better.” I quickly shook my head. “It was just a lucky guess. I don’t know any of the complex financial and economic terms you were talking about earlier. I still have a lot to learn.” After a brief silence, Liam asked me, “Chloe, do you want to study with me?” 06 At Liam’s suggestion, Grandpa allowed me to audit his lessons. But he was still suspicious of me. He suspected this was just a creative new strategy to con money out of him. So, he ordered Liam to give him regular reports on my behavior. In truth, I didn’t need Liam to monitor me, and I didn’t need anyone to force me to work. Every single day, I went to class, came home, and whenever I had a day off, I was either practicing the piano or buried in the library. This was the normal life I had begged for but never had in my past life. How could I not cherish it? Months went by. In Grandpa’s study, I was no longer just a listener. Often, when Grandpa threw out a debate topic, Liam and I would argue until we were red in the face. Until Grandpa finally called a halt to it. I don’t know exactly which day it happened. But Grandpa stopped looking at me with defensive, guarded eyes. And Liam stopped reporting my behavior to Grandpa. He complained that paying too much attention to me was wasting his own study time, which was exactly why he had lost to me on a recent pop quiz. Grandpa just roared with laughter at that. I pretended not to notice any of it, quietly continuing to work on my practice exams. At school, my intense studying brought massive rewards. I won first place in the State Math Championship. My homeroom teacher said she was going to call me out for special praise at the upcoming parent-teacher conference. But my dad was as useless as ever. He promised he would attend, but half an hour before it started, he called to say he couldn’t make it. He said, “Chloe, Dad has a very important business meeting. Just let the nanny go to the conference for you, okay? Be a good girl.” But over the phone, I could clearly hear the giggling of several women in the background. I didn’t expose his lie; I just calmly hung up the phone. Then, I took a picture of the Math Championship honor roll hanging on the classroom whiteboard and texted it to Grandpa. On the list, my name and Liam’s name sat at the absolute top of the middle school and high school divisions respectively. Both carrying our family’s legacy, sparkling in the sunlight. I added a message: [Grandpa, Dad had a last-minute emergency and can’t make it to my parent-teacher conference. But my teacher really wants to talk to my guardian about my future academic track. Could you come?] Grandpa personally showed up at the school. This was a privilege not even Liam had ever received. My homeroom teacher was terrified but honored, and the principal rushed down just to greet him. Grandpa sat completely at ease in the principal’s office and asked, “How is my granddaughter’s academic performance? Are there areas where she needs to improve?” He knew the answer perfectly well, but he asked anyway. The homeroom teacher quickly piled on the praise, confirming that I was the absolute top student in every possible metric. Only then did Grandpa nod in satisfaction. After the conference, he hesitated for a moment, then surprisingly ordered his driver to take us to the high-end shopping mall. He said, “I saw the other little girls in your class dressing so brightly. Why are you dressed so plain? Is your father neglecting you?” In the end, he bought me six or seven tailored outfits. And several designer bags. Looking at the numbers on the receipt, I felt a wave of anxiety. “Grandpa, aren’t you worried I’m just after your money now?” He let out a booming laugh. “Go ahead and be after it! I’d be more worried if you weren’t!” I froze for a second, then laughed along with him. Lily thought that to please Grandpa, she had to rely on being cute, providing superficial emotional value, and acting like a spoiled princess. But she didn’t understand. Grandpa was a ruthless, self-made entrepreneur who built an empire from the ground up. He had seen countless sugar-coated bullets and witnessed the darkest sides of human nature. He didn’t need, nor did he respect, flattery and whining from someone useless. An aging titan holding the reins of an empire… The thing he most desperately wants to see is a vibrant, fiercely capable successor. And as long as I kept proving my competence, it was only a matter of time before I became the second Liam. Grandpa’s favorite.

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When an A-list actor adjusted my microphone, he unconsciously kissed my hair. We both froze. Because this was a reality show about divorce. And we were from two different former couples. 01 After my divorce from Ethan Vance, everyone assumed I would cling to him. He had publicly announced our marriage at the peak of his career. After tying the knot, he successfully transitioned from a teen idol to a serious actor. When he finally won his first major award, people still brought me up. “What gives her the right? She’s so lucky.” I was the one who asked for the divorce. But it was what he had been waiting for all along. While he was playing house on set with Chloe Sterling, his co-star in his new drama—wearing his jackets, using his phone case… I was still at home, flipping through the calendar, waiting for him. Time and again, he hung up my calls, using work as an excuse. Until one day, I ran into Chloe in first class. She greeted me warmly, a bright smile on her face. “Did you know?” she whispered in my ear. “I bought this ticket using his credit card.” She did it on purpose. Trying to force me into a divorce. I gave her exactly what she wanted. I went home and packed my bags in half an hour. I don’t want something that someone else has already dirtied. Thank god we didn’t have kids. Ethan leaned against the doorframe, watching me. His reaction was flat. He only asked one question: “What else do you want?” “Your phone.” He paused for a second, but then handed it straight to me. During the years he loved me most—when I stayed by his side from D-list obscurity to A-list stardom—I was always his only pinned contact. Now, I had been replaced. I was relegated to “Do Not Disturb.” An uncontested divorce. He gave me everything he earned over those years, asking only that I let him go as quickly as possible. He told me he truly loved Chloe. After signing the non-disclosure agreement, I thought we would never speak again. Until he called me one last time. “Let’s meet up.” It was the first month after our divorce. “We can’t let my fans know I cheated. The new drama is about to air.” I arrived early. In the break room, I overheard Ethan’s manager trying to persuade him. “Even after a divorce, you’re still an A-list actor. And her? Just an absolute nobody waiting to be laughed at. “She’s definitely not over it. “Just trick her. Tell her you want to go on a divorce reality show with her. “Make her think there’s a chance to win you back, and she’ll do everything to please you. “Then, we’ll edit the show to make the audience find her annoying, and you can maintain your ‘devoted ex-husband’ persona.” The manager nudged him. “Are you even listening?” Ethan had his legs propped up on a low table, lazily playing a game on his phone. He gave a noncommittal “Yeah.” “Trust me, you crook your finger, and she’ll come running back like a dog, grateful for the attention.” In the meeting room. Ethan was playing with his phone with one hand. He only said a few words. And I agreed. “I’ll do the show.” He stared into my eyes, pausing for a moment. “Are you really… that desperate for me?” He was too confident, too easy to fool. I lowered my eyelashes. “Yes. “Ethan, is there still a chance for us?” His gaze turned cold. He looked away and said softly, “Depends on your behavior.” “But,” he added, “the script for this show isn’t what you think.” This divorce reality show. It was scheduled to air while his new drama with Chloe was broadcasting. To drum up publicity for their on-screen romance. The theme of the show was “Seeing Marital Problems by Changing Lifestyles.” Chloe would be sharing a room with him. And I would be sharing a room with Chloe’s ex-husband. That guy, Carter Hayes, who skyrocketed to fame at nineteen with a single drama, won a grand slam of awards, and then abruptly retired to get married. Ethan was just the guy who picked up the scraps Carter left behind. He became famous because his face looked seventy percent like Carter’s. Rumor had it that Chloe and Carter lived apart after getting married. That she loved him, but couldn’t have him. 02 A hot spring resort. Two rooms, separated by a single wall. The show was broadcast live. There was an observation room on set and live comments from the audience online. [Ethan Vance and Chloe Sterling on a divorce show, sharing a room? They’re playing hard!!!] [Their chemistry is insane! So perfect together.] [Told you Ethan and his wife had no feelings left. No one likes the one holding them back.] [I’ve been waiting for them to divorce for so long!] [Was he blind? He loved her so much back then…] The staff strapped heart rate monitors on Ethan and Chloe. “If your heart rate reaches 70, you can leave the room.” [They’ll break that in seconds, right?] To everyone’s surprise, both of their heart rates stalled at 68. They had done everything together off-camera. They were too familiar with each other, afraid of slipping up and showing it. So they ended up acting overly cautious on the show. [Chloe is so polite, she doesn’t even dare get too close.] [Ethan, stop holding back! We support you!] Chloe sat by the door. Ethan stood on the balcony for some fresh air. From a certain angle, he could see into my room. Carter hadn’t arrived yet. I was sitting alone on the edge of the bed, wearing my heart rate monitor. Someone knocked on the door. It was a tall, slender man. A baseball cap hid half his face, and his damp bangs were dusted with mist from the hot springs. It was drizzling outside. He carried the crisp, cold scent of a foggy midnight. [MY FIRST LOVE IS BACK!!!] [How should I put this, Ethan… comparison is the thief of joy.] [Let’s not pit them against each other.] “You have to put this on.” I handed the other heart rate monitor to Carter. Ethan always hated it when people said he looked like Carter. In our first year of marriage, we were taking a walk on the street late at night. I froze, staring at a massive luxury billboard featuring Carter. Ethan pulled a beanie over my head, blocking my view, and muttered sourly: “I knew you liked this type of face.” And now. In the other room, Ethan was on the balcony. Watching clearly. Watching Carter walk into the room and close the door behind him. Putting on the monitor. Ethan didn’t care. He had known since that night that the man he could never catch up to, the man he was insanely jealous of—Carter—was only married to Chloe out of a contractual obligation. Carter didn’t even like Chloe. Naturally, it was even more impossible for him to like someone as incredibly ordinary and divorced as me, someone Ethan himself looked down on. Ethan scoffed lightly, completely unbothered. Yet, he scrutinized my reaction without missing a single detail. “Hello, I’m Audrey Miller.” My heart rate was resting at 50 as I held out my hand to Carter. “Hello, I’m Carter Hayes.” He took my hand. A few seconds later, a sharp, piercing beep came from the monitor. Carter’s heart rate had skyrocketed, breaking the limit. But the man himself was calmer than anyone else. He said, “The monitor is broken.” I said, “Oh.” 03 They changed the monitor, and sure enough, it was normal. After a few cooperative games, Ethan and Chloe’s heart rates surpassed 70, and they left their room early. But on my end. Carter’s heart rate remained stubbornly stuck at 25. Pathetically low. “If it never goes over,” I asked the staff, “do we have to spend the night in the room?” Carter heard that. His shoulders were broad, his back straight. He was wearing a thin black hoodie, his gaze empty and distant. The staff replied, “It counts as a failed mission. You can come out in an hour.” Carter and I were the last to come out. [That was such a fail.] [Zero chemistry between those two.] [Take her away, can we please not show her? I only want to watch Chloe and Ethan.] The live comments were dismal until the broadcast ended. Post-interviews were held in the various rooms. Cameramen, lighting crew, people everywhere. Ethan stood in a corner, watching Chloe getting interviewed, his gaze accidentally sweeping over me. “Excited?” He asked me out of nowhere. “Did you think for even a second that Carter might actually be interested in you?” I ignored him and tried to leave. But he blocked me. “What to do, Audrey,” he put his hands in his pockets and tilted his head to look at me. “I’m starting to feel that divorcing you was the best decision I ever made.” Someone walked past, and Ethan straightened up. Back to his gentle, affectionate, yet broken persona. As if I was the one who had hurt him the most. After Chloe finished her interview, she walked up to me under everyone’s gaze and grabbed my hand. “Audrey,” she had a worn red string tied around her wrist, “you really need to cherish Ethan. He truly loves you.” That red string. I had seen it before. For our anniversary last year, Ethan was tailed by a stalker fan and got into a minor car accident. He was fine. I dragged him up a mountain to pray at a temple, closing my eyes and filling my heart with prayers for his safety. When I opened my eyes, I saw him buying that red string. I thought he was going to give it to me. But he said he bought it for himself, to put my mind at ease. And now, it was on Chloe’s wrist. “Stop being unreasonable,” Chloe was still talking for the cameras. “I want you two to be happy more than anyone.” I didn’t say a single word. Ethan didn’t know. And Chloe didn’t know either. Actually, there was another, hidden reason I agreed to participate in this show, a reason I couldn’t tell anyone. When I closed my eyes that day at the temple, it wasn’t Ethan in my heart. 04 The reality show was filmed on weekends. The concept was “Weekend Spouses.” During the weekdays. I picked up my old career, wanting to return to my previous entertainment agency as a talent manager. “Carter and Chloe are divorced.” My former boss told me. “He signed a ten-year contract with Chloe’s dad’s company, and now he can finally terminate it. “He’s restructuring his studio, and I recommended you to him.” Following the address he gave me, I saw Carter at a photo studio. His profile was backlit, his features sharp and rebellious. It was indeed a face made for the silver screen. He was even harder to approach than I imagined. I waited outside for a long time. Until his assistant ran out and told me. “I’m sorry, Ms. Miller. We probably can’t meet today.” On the way back, my car broke down. At 11 PM, in the middle of nowhere, and it was raining. I held an umbrella, waiting for the tow truck. Watching the cars drive past from afar, like phantoms moving through the night. Not a single one was coming to pick me up. Headlights flashed in front of me. The window of a black SUV rolled down, and Carter’s assistant said to me: “Ms. Miller, get in the car first.” Carter sat in the very back, a baseball cap pulled over his eyes, fast asleep. His breathing was shallow, his long legs slightly bent. The space was a bit cramped for him. There was a lot of clutter in the car, and two suit jackets were hanging by the window. A crisp scent of pine. The smell of his hand when he shook mine that day. “Ms. Miller, I’m going to buy a bottle of water at the gas station up ahead. Do you want anything?” the assistant asked me quietly. “Just call me Audrey. I’ll go with you.” “Ah,” he waved his hand and got out of the car. “I’ll go. I’ll be right back.” The door closed, leaving only Carter and me in the car. No one else. And no cameras. The headlights flickered slightly; the interior of the car was dim. Even though there was a row of seats between us, his breathing felt as close as if it were right in my ear. I stared out the window at the blue glow of a convenience store not far away, where the assistant was wandering near a shelf. I remembered once, while grocery shopping, I saw a billboard with Chloe on it. “She’s so pretty.” I said to Ethan back then. His reaction was flat. “She’s alright.” I didn’t know. That “alright” was the reason he stopped coming home, time and time again. Later, I found out from others that Chloe was his first love. They broke up when he couldn’t catch a break in his career. He never forgot her. But back then, in the grocery store, he smoothly changed the subject and asked me: “Baby, did you ever date anyone before me?” “No.” At least, that’s what I told him, and what I told the world. In the car, someone was kicking my calf. The long leg stretching from the back seat wasn’t an accident. It was deliberate, mischievous, childish, and rhythmic. I pulled my leg back out of his reach. I didn’t speak, nor did I turn around. I maintained my previous posture, as if nothing had happened. “Audrey Miller.” He spoke up, perhaps just waking up, carrying a trace of reckless, youthful energy: “Long time no see.” It had been so many years. Why did he still like calling my full name like that? Just like in that cramped, hot, and humid rented apartment… Drowning again and again… In his gentle yet unrestrained, uncontrolled hands. 05 After that day, Carter and I had no further contact. Until the new weekend arrived. The live broadcasts for the show operated on a rotation system. This weekend, we were supposed to switch back to our original couples. “Director.” Chloe sounded incredibly understanding, looking like she was thinking only of the show. “The audience loves Ethan and me together. If you switch us back now, you’ll get backlash.” The director thought for a few seconds: “But—” “Ethan,” Chloe turned around, “what do you think?” Right in front of me, she asked Ethan: “Who do you choose tonight?” She had been waiting for this moment for a long time. The more something is kept in the dark, the more it craves to be chosen in front of everyone. Ethan understood her intentions. He deliberately let his gaze sweep over my face, then leaned back in his chair. “Is that even a choice? “The audience doesn’t want to see her.” Chloe got the answer she wanted and looked at me again. “Audrey, you won’t mind, will you? “But, you’ve been a housewife for so long, you don’t have much work experience, so you probably don’t know this… the audience’s preference is the most important thing. You should think of the bigger picture…” “Okay.” My tone was crisp. Hearing this, Ethan looked up at me. They all thought I was going to throw a fit. That way, they could edit my reaction into the bonus episodes to highlight Chloe’s thoughtfulness and understanding. They didn’t expect me to be so agreeable. Chloe, having finally memorized her lines for the morning, had nowhere to use them. After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out: “That’s good. No backing out now.” I said: “Let’s keep it like this from now on.” Her smile stiffened. Then, breaking into a smile, she tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered: “Are you trying to make Ethan jealous? “Who doesn’t know you came on this show to win him back? “What a shame, not only is he not jealous, but you can only watch helplessly as he walks into my room.” Over there, the production team called out. They decided to stick with last week’s setup. Before leaving, Ethan asked Chloe a question with a teasing undertone: “Aren’t you afraid of her being in the same room as Carter?” At the mention of that name, Chloe’s reaction was a bit exaggerated. She acted as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world. “I’ve never seen him like anyone. “Her? “You could lock them together for a year, and he still wouldn’t look twice at her.” The two exchanged glances and shared a knowing smile. Ethan purposely took off his coat and draped it over Chloe right in front of me. “Audrey, if you want to win me back, these little tricks aren’t going to cut it.” He wanted to provoke me. Make me break down and go crazy in public, so he could logically play the victim. Ethan and Chloe were taken to a luxurious mansion. That was the reward for the couple with the highest heart rate from last week. Chloe posted a picture of a candlelit dinner on Instagram. The comments were flooded with people shipping them. I saw all of this on my phone while riding in the production team’s van. The van was heading toward the older part of the city. [If their heart rates don’t go up today, they’ll be eliminated, right?] [They wouldn’t eliminate Carter. He’s too big of a star. They’ll probably just swap his partner.] [This is boring. Why would Carter even agree to a show like this?] [The weirder it gets, the more I ship it. I have a feeling something is going to happen.] [The person above is delusional!!! If something actually happens, I’ll do a handstand and eat shit!!!] I put my phone away and asked the staff: “Where are Carter and I staying tonight?” “Your heart rates were the lowest, so you have to accept the punishment. Tonight you’re staying in…” The van stopped. He lifted his chin, pointing at the old residential building in front of me. “There,” he said. “A cheap rental apartment.” We got out. There was only one camera inside the vehicle filming me. It was far away, only capturing my back. It couldn’t pick up audio. I stood at the door. My mind went blank for a few seconds. I took out my phone and called my former boss, who also happened to be my long-suffering best friend. “Carter said ‘long time no see’ to me.” Right now, I desperately needed her to pour a bucket of cold water on me. “So what? “What else is he supposed to say besides that?” My best friend responded exactly as I expected. “To put it bluntly, everyone has an ex. “He has so many options, why would he choose a divorced woman like you? “Just because of the few months you relied on each other? Be honest, that was the absolute lowest point of his life. Who would be nostalgic for that?” She was right. I hung up the phone. I turned the doorknob. Carter was on a ladder, fixing a ceiling light. As he reached up, his movements casually revealed the flex of his lean muscles and smooth lines. Just like back then. Except now he wore a bandage wrapped around his waist from doing wirework on a movie set. The old tungsten bulb flickered in his hands. Going out, then coming back on. It was too familiar. So much so that I stood in the doorway, unable to step inside for a long time. “Time to eat.” He saw me. Simple words, devoid of extra emotion. It made my unease seem exceptionally strange. I was the one overthinking it. To him, this show was probably just a safe PR move to wrap up his marriage. Outside, it was snowing. Tall, with sharp features, he stood by the counter preparing a hot pot with one hand. He radiated a very domestic, “husband material” vibe. I took a picture of his back and posted it on Instagram. Considered it fulfilling the production team’s task. After we ate, he didn’t let me wash the dishes. He moved swiftly, washed his hands, and then, inexplicably and automatically, started making the bed for me. There was only one bed. He said he would sleep on the floor. “The injury on your waist, do you need to change the bandages?” I asked him. “I can do it myself,” he said. When I finished my shower and came out of the bathroom, a thin quilt was already laid out on the floor. He was pulling a long roll of bandages out of his suitcase. I instinctively looked away and picked up my phone. Ethan had sent me a voice message. My hands were wet, and I accidentally played it on speaker. Ethan had seen my Instagram post. “Are you even used to eating hot pot? “Last time at home, you said you wanted a cake from that one bakery. I bought it for you on my way.” That cake was the one I said I wanted for my birthday last year. He never bought it for me. After waiting all this time, him buying it now was only to solidify his “devoted” persona for the show. I looked at my phone. The overhead light was blocked by Carter. “Can you help me?” In his hands was the roll of bandages. Didn’t he just say he could do it himself? Changing the dressing, wrapping the bandage. My arms weren’t long enough; I had to loosely encircle him with both arms. In this rental apartment in the north. The heating was inadequate, and the smell of snow mixed with rain seeped through the cracks of the old building. It was clearly very cold. But he and I maintained our distance. My fingertips only touched the bandage. His face could only turn to look elsewhere. Unlike that year, in that rental apartment in the south. Stiflingly hot and dark. It was clearly very hot. Yet, time and time again, as if there were no tomorrow, we possessively claimed each other. Click. The tungsten light flickered on. He and I stood beneath the light at this moment. In the year we were so poor and destitute we had no hope, we couldn’t even bear to replace a single lightbulb. We just made do. That old tungsten bulb was repaired over and over again. It would always flicker in the middle of the night. At the time, an eighteen-year-old Carter told me: “Every time it flickers, it means I’m thinking of you.” Tonight. At an age where we lacked for nothing. The tungsten light flickered countless times. I looked up and said to Carter, “Did you not fix it properly just now?” He froze, looking down straight into my eyes. “Yeah. “I did it on purpose.” I asked him, “Why?” “If I fixed it, you wouldn’t hear it flicker.” I was stunned. He took the bandage from my hand and swiftly, expertly wrapped it around himself with his other hand. “Audrey Miller.” He called my name. “Hmm?” “Do you prefer hot pot, or cake?” One must always answer questions about food honestly. “Hot pot.”

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My fiancé chased his kept canary all the way to New York. Coincidentally, I was in New York, too. The young girl dropped to her knees in front of me, crying a river of tears. She told me that true love is the only truth. Truth? What a coincidence. I happened to have a few pieces of “truth” right in my hands. 01 My fiancé back in the States made a fool of himself again. To chase down his runaway canary, he locked down an entire private airport. It was a small airfield, and it was late at night. The Vance family’s PR team quickly squashed any media leaks before they could spread. Unfortunately for him, he was still too late. The canary flew to New York one step ahead of him. I originally couldn’t have cared less. Cleaning up his mistresses was Preston Vance’s own problem. But when a stunningly beautiful Asian girl dropped to her knees in front of me, crying a river of picture-perfect tears, it naturally drew the stares of passersby. I stood at the top of the steps, frowning as I looked her up and down: “What was your name again? ‘Miss Innocent’ or something?” The girl froze, her tears hesitating on her lashes. She offered a stiff rebuttal: “It’s Aria.” I had a vague impression of this mistress who had been with Preston the longest. But that didn’t mean she was worth remembering. Over the years, I knew Preston constantly surrounded himself with women because he resented our arranged engagement. But causing a scene right to my face. She was the first. My expression gradually shifted to impatience: “What do you want from me?” She really was a professional actress. The paused tears immediately started flowing again, dropping like broken strings of pearls. “Ms. Sterling, Preston loves me. Please, I’m begging you, let him go. Stop clinging to him.” I raised an eyebrow. Clinging? I let out a cold laugh, looking down at her: “Ms. Montgomery, is that something a homewrecker should really be saying out loud?” “Preston and I knew each other long before you came along! You’re the real third wheel here!” Her face twisted in sudden anger, and she lunged up the steps, trying to grab me. My bodyguards, naturally quick on their feet, intercepted her immediately. In the chaos, she twisted her ankle and tumbled down the concrete steps. Gasps erupted from the crowd. In the surging sea of people, I could see the flashes of paparazzi cameras hiding in the shadows. The company I held a controlling stake in was about to go public on the US stock market, and I couldn’t afford any scandals right now. I scanned the area, and right on cue, I saw Preston wearing a black trench coat, shoving his way through the crowd. He had lost all of his usual aristocratic composure. His dark eyes were filled with panic and heartache. He took off his coat and draped it over Aria’s exposed long legs. Then he pinched her chin, and kissed her fiercely. His eyes were burning with an intense, undeniable possessiveness. The man’s voice was hoarse and restrained: “Run again, and I’ll break your legs.” Aria tilted her chin up stubbornly: “If I can’t have all of you, I’d rather die.” After their intense public display, they turned to look at me in perfect unison. Preston’s dark eyes were furious: “Serena Sterling, didn’t I warn you not to mess with Aria? “You actually dared to push her. Who gave you the nerve?” My eyebrow twitched violently. Who was messing with who here? With her backer present, Aria looked triumphant: “Sister, you’re a bit older, so maybe you don’t understand. In today’s society, the woman who isn’t loved is the real mistress. “True love is the only truth.” Her tone was incredibly provocative. What a perfect, dramatic scene straight out of a billionaire romance novel. The glass windows nearby reflected my face. With my long, straight black hair and cold, indifferent expression, I really did look like the evil second female lead trying to tear the star-crossed lovers apart. Beautiful, rich, and completely wicked. But I wasn’t an idiot. And real life wasn’t a movie. I smiled at her: “Truth? “What a coincidence. I happen to hold a few pieces of ‘truth’ right in my hands.” The sharp, metallic clicks of guns cocking echoed from behind me. I ground my teeth. How dare they threaten me on American soil? Did these two morons forget that it’s perfectly legal to carry firearms here? Aria shrank into Preston’s arms like a terrified rabbit, looking pathetic. But no matter how tough Preston liked to talk, he wasn’t going to argue with a bullet. “Preston, when you said you wanted to play around, I let it slide. But if you try to put your dirty laundry on the table, don’t blame me for flipping the table over.” I narrowed my eyes at him, my tone utterly merciless. He had been preparing to scoop Aria up and leave. Hearing my words, he let out a cold scoff: “Serena, do you honestly still think you’re the untouchable sole heiress of the Sterling family? “Stop hiding out overseas and daydreaming. Next time we meet, you might have already been kicked off the board.” The fact that the Sterling family had an illegitimate son was no longer a secret. It was currently the biggest gossip back in Chicago high society, and had even made the front page of the local financial journals. Preston left under the escort of his own bodyguards. My assistant stood by my side, her expression grim: “Ms. Sterling, the domestic headquarters just suspended all joint projects with us.” I squinted into the distance: “Prepare to fly back to the States.” Preston, did you really think that bastard could beat me? You backed the wrong side. 02 The Sterling and Vance families practically built their empires on the same boat decades ago. The Sterlings spent decades in heavy manufacturing. The Vances rode the wave of the economic boom. One manufactured, one exported. Together, they carved out an empire. But later, the Sterling family transitioned from factories to a massive corporate conglomerate, developing its own global brands. Our reliance on the Vance family grew smaller and smaller. But my engagement to Preston was settled by my grandmother’s generation. The old lady was born in the post-war era. She was iron-willed, decisive, and had a thunderous personality. In her youth, she was a legendary female entrepreneur and the absolute authority of the Sterling family. Beatrice Sterling’s word was the absolute law in the Sterling family. Even after her death, no one dared to disobey her. Beatrice was steadfast her entire life, changing her own decision only once when I was eight years old. She changed the name of the company from Sterling Global to Serena Global. That day, she was as strict as ever, staring at me with her eagle-like eyes. She said seriously, word by word: “Serena, remember this. From now on, the ‘Serena’ in Serena Global is your name. “You must ensure that this empire always belongs to the Sterlings.” Upon returning to the States, I went straight home. The mansion felt a bit emptier than it had when I left the country two years ago. My mother sat elegantly on the sofa, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, reading the newspaper. I poured myself a cup of tea and asked casually: “Did you clean everything out?” “Yes. The trash man and his trash belongings have all been thrown out.” I frowned: “You didn’t let him take half the assets, did you?” My mother looked up at me. “Do you think your mother signed a prenup for nothing?” Then she let out a long sigh: “Ah, back then I was so resentful. But now it proves your grandmother was an excellent judge of character. You are much more steady than I am.” I smiled helplessly: “Did you hit them?” My mother’s expression was somewhat proud: “Robert Cole, that little homewrecker, and their bastard son. I slapped all three of them.” I gave her a thumbs-up. “Next Wednesday is the Sinclair family’s golden anniversary gala. Go in my place.” She suddenly turned dead serious: “We absolutely cannot lose that partnership with the Sinclairs.” I swirled the tea in my cup, speaking lazily: “Of course.” 03 The Sinclairs were an incredibly deep-rooted family in Chicago. The elder Sinclairs were generous, low-key, and had vast connections. So it wasn’t surprising to see Preston at the golden anniversary gala. And standing right beside him was Aria. The radiant woman looked over at me, raising her red wine glass from afar and shooting me a provocative smile. I could barely make out her mouthed words: “I’m the winner, loser.” I was slightly displeased. After all, the Vance family and I hadn’t formally broken off the engagement yet. Preston blatantly bringing his mistress to a major high-society gala was a direct slap to my face. People around us were already waiting to see me become a laughingstock. Harper Sinclair appeared beside me, flashing a triumphant grin: “How is it, babe? I personally invited Aria here.” I pinched her cheek: “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” “How could I bear to kill you? I’m obviously giving you a chance to vent.” She blinked her cunning eyes: “Do you know why Aria is acting so arrogant right now?” I replied calmly: “It’s nothing more than her thinking she’s secured her spot on the Vance family ship, and the Vances are backing my dad’s illegitimate son.” Robert Cole had put on a brilliant act all these years. My mother’s health had always been poor. For years, he was the one managing the corporate affairs. Not only did he hide an illegitimate son older than me from everyone, but he also made the outside world believe he held the real power in Serena Global, even quietly placing his bastard son in the Vice President seat of a subsidiary. Preston was currently chatting happily with that illegitimate son, Jackson Cole. The people around them were subtly trying to suck up and join their circle. In contrast, my side was empty. No one dared to approach me. I had only been out of the country for two years, and these people had already forgotten who owned the Sterling name. Harper’s face suddenly turned cold: “Today, I’m going to show these people who really deserves to sit at the table.” She set down her wine glass and walked toward the center of the banquet with a bright smile: “Tonight, I specially invited Ms. Aria Montgomery to celebrate my grandparents’ golden anniversary. I heard that before Ms. Montgomery got into acting, she graduated from Juilliard. Why don’t you grace us with a dance?” Aria’s face instantly froze. Asking a guest to perform for the room was tantamount to public humiliation. Harper asked coldly: “What’s wrong? Is Ms. Montgomery unwilling? Or do you think our Sinclair family isn’t worthy?” The elder Sinclairs looked over as well. This caused Preston, who was about to step in, to halt his movements. Gritting her teeth, Aria performed a short routine. Because she hadn’t practiced in so long, she nearly tripped and fell several times in the middle of it. Harper walked up and patted her shoulder: “Asking you to dance was doing you a favor. Too bad your skills are so awful it ruined the mood.” Aria’s eyes turned red with anger, and she ran out crying. As she passed me, she didn’t forget to drop a harsh threat: “Serena Sterling, I’m not going to let you get away with this. Your days of being happy are numbered.” And from beginning to end, I didn’t even grant her a single direct glance. Harper returned to my side, fishing for credit: “How was that? Satisfying?” I nodded honestly. “So… about that European market expansion project?” Her eyes sparkled. I smiled fondly: “It was always yours. But are you sure you can keep your brother in check?” “Relax. You’ve been abroad for two years, do you think I was just sitting around? When Grandpa called Mason home to handle this project, that idiot was probably still panting in some random woman’s bed. He made Grandpa so mad he almost ended up in the hospital, which let me swoop in and steal the deal. “If Mason is useless, the Sinclairs will naturally have someone else step up for him.” The woman’s face was painted with inevitable ambition. I looked across the room at Preston, who was clinking glasses with Mason while absentmindedly glancing toward the exit, and I let out a mocking laugh. My fiancé… your taste is consistently terrible. 04 Shortly after the banquet ended, a video of a drunk Preston kissing Aria was sent to my phone. The exclusive private VIP lounge was mostly empty. They were surrounded by just a handful of Preston’s rich, trust-fund frat brothers. The lighting was dim and hazy. Aria’s eyes were still slightly red, making the seductive look in her eyes even more pitiful. “Preston, who do you really like? Serena or me?” Preston lay back on the black leather sofa, his collar undone, his arm wrapped around the woman’s slender waist as he narrowed his eyes: “Who the hell is Serena Sterling? Does she even deserve to be compared to you?” With that, they started making out as if no one else was in the room. Was this a direct warning right to my face? Who gave these trust-fund idiots the nerve? My gaze landed on the table in front of Preston. Printed on it was a logo I was intimately familiar with. I made a phone call: “Kill the main breaker for the entire lounge. And lock the doors.” The manager on the other end answered nervously: “Ms. Sterling, there are still VIPs inside. Mr. Vance is still here.” “If he wasn’t there, why would I tell you to cut the power?” The manager shut his mouth. “If he dares to come smash up the place tomorrow, call the police immediately, and contact the corporate legal department.” I heard that Preston and his little mistress spent the entire night playing a real-life “escape room.” When he finally saw the lounge’s logo and realized what had happened, he was so furious he kicked the doors several times. Preston hated me even more after that. He called me the very next day to drop a threat: “Serena Sterling, you just wait. The entire Sterling family is going to pay the price for your stupidity.” 05 Speaking of which, Preston and I did try legitimately dating for two months. On the day of our engagement, he was so happy he almost forgot himself. Even every time he saw me, there was a bit more tenderness in his eyes. Of course, it wasn’t because he loved me so much. But because he felt like he had finally won once. Preston and I were born in the same year. When we were born, the Sterling and Vance families were still in their honeymoon phase. But as the sole son and daughter of both families, we inevitably got compared. From who walked first, to who talked first, to our grades, and extracurriculars, both families were secretly competing. And I completely crushed him every time. I was even better at throwing a punch than he was. But Preston’s parents had a surprisingly great attitude about it. Every time they saw me, they still liked me very much. Until one time in the courtyard, when no one else was around. Mrs. Vance held my hand, smiling warmly: “My future daughter-in-law is so capable. You’ll definitely be able to help Preston run the company well in the future.” After she said that, she let out a faux-sympathetic sigh: “It’s just a pity your mother’s health was poor since childhood. She had a girl and couldn’t have any more.” It was only then that I realized that the Vance family’s ultimate trump card was simply the fact that their family heir had male anatomy. This was a concept my brain, born into the Sterling family, couldn’t comprehend. After all, my mother had aborted two male fetuses just for my sake. When Preston grew up, he naturally inherited his parents’ ideology. He wanted a bird in a cage, a submissive housewife. He believed that in a marriage, a wife was naturally supposed to submit. So he was happy to marry me. He could only win in marriage, and he only needed to win in marriage. Unfortunately, by the second month after our engagement, he couldn’t control himself. At a yacht party, he was kissing a girl on each arm. I only used one slap to make him see reality clearly. Then I had someone throw him into the ocean. I remember that day was Christmas. The seawater was freezing, the winter night bitterly cold. He was in the hospital for a full week. Preston’s parents came to our door to cause a scene. My mother refused to even see them. She only asked me one sentence: “As long as you want, the engagement can be canceled at any time.” I laughed lightly and comforted her: “As long as I want, I have ten thousand ways to make them actively cancel the engagement. “But not right now.” The Vance family was no longer suitable as an ally, but their foundation was still there. “But don’t worry, Mom. This kind of man is not entering the Sterling family’s door.” And since then, Preston completely hated me. Now that the conflict had intensified again, I figured it was time for the Vance family to make their move. 06 The public opinion attacks against Serena Global came faster than I imagined. Firing the first shot was the video of me pushing Aria down the steps in New York. Aria was a rising star; she had plenty of fans willing to charge the front lines for her. In less than a day, it pushed me to the top trending spots on all major social media platforms. Under every related video, there were long essays detailing the epic romance between the billionaire heir and the beautiful starlet, from childhood sweethearts to star-crossed lovers. The so-called “childhood sweethearts” was nothing more than Aria’s childhood dance troupe performing at the Vance estate. A blurry video where you couldn’t even clearly see eyes, noses, or mouths was dug up as “proof,” paired with emotional background music, making it look almost real. As for the descriptions of me, they claimed I was morally bankrupt. Soon, the news of my US-controlled company preparing to go public was also pushed into the spotlight. Financial media and bloggers intentionally or unintentionally hinted that the Sterling family was suspected of transferring assets offshore. The Sterling family was branded as unpatriotic. The stock plummeted for three days. I scrolled through the vicious comments on a stock trading app, calmly sipping my tea. At the other end of the table, the wealthy wives sat close together, occasionally covering their mouths to laugh at something Aria said to amuse them. This was a gathering hosted by Mrs. Davis. I never liked these types of gatherings that revolved around cheating husbands, kids studying abroad, comparing whose husband came home for dinner more often, and who had hidden more secret funds. But my mother wasn’t feeling well, so I could only take her place. One wife, egged on by the others, came over with malicious intent: “Oh, Serena, I heard the Sterling family stock dropped quite a bit. If you’re short on funds, don’t hide it in your heart. Tell us, maybe everyone can help you think of a solution.” I set down my teacup and smiled faintly: “It’s true that the Sterling family stock market evaporated tens of billions these past few days. I just wonder if Mrs. Davis’s secret slush fund is enough to cover it?” Mrs. Davis’s face was completely embarrassed. The other wives, who didn’t know much about the stock market, were all startled. Another woman spoke up: “Is your Sterling family going to go bankrupt? What about my husband’s contract with you guys?” “Mrs. King, please relax. Your husband was just doing a three-way battle at a hotel recently. He’s not worried, so you shouldn’t be either.” Mrs. King’s face turned black as well: “Young girls nowadays are just so sharp-tongued and impulsive. Not like my son studying in the US. He’s mature and steady, just waiting to graduate from Harvard and come back to take over the family business.” I spun the teacup, speaking with a faint smile: “Your son is indeed a handsome young man. And his boyfriend is quite dashing as well. The last time I saw them in New York, I was kind enough to remind them that HIV is still quite serious in the States.” Mrs. Wright clutched her heart and frantically started dialing her phone. Aria let out a cold laugh: “What’s the use of only being good with your mouth? You’re offending so many powerful wives. Are you complaining that the Sterling family isn’t dying fast enough? “Serena Sterling, Preston is mine now, and the Sterling family is finished. I really want to see what you’ll use to prop up your stupidity and arrogance when you lose everything you used to rely on.” Preston walked into the courtyard wearing a black coat. He lovingly took Aria’s outstretched hand and put it into his pocket. He completely ignored my existence as his fiancée. Was it just because of catching him cheating a few years ago and slapping him a few times? He was holding a grudge for this long? I thought to myself, completely unbothered. While keeping my eyes on the notification sent to my phone. In fifteen days, Serena Global would hold an emergency board of directors meeting.

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