Category: English

Before the SATs, my childhood friend, Alex, was having a mental breakdown. He kept talking about jumping off the roof. I tutored him day and night, cheering him on, until my own class rank dropped by over a hundred spots. But one day, I went back to the classroom to grab some forgotten notes. I saw Alex, the guy who supposedly couldn’t even solve the first multiple-choice question on a practice test, effortlessly solve the final, hardest calculus problem in ten minutes. He slid his work over to the housekeeper’s daughter: “See? It’s simple. And Sarah’s rank has already dropped. You don’t need to feel inferior anymore.” 1 I stood at the back door of the classroom, staring blankly as Alex held a pen, solving the final calculus problem in under ten minutes. He slid the paper over to the housekeeper’s daughter, Lily. His tone, usually irritable these days, was calm and gentle: “See? It’s simple. And Sarah’s rank has already dropped. You don’t need to feel inferior anymore.” I walked slowly towards them, step by step. The steps on the paper were clear and logical, the handwriting steady. It didn’t look like something written by someone on the verge of a breakdown. Yet, just this afternoon, Alex had cried to me about the immense pressure he was under, about not knowing what to do as his grades slipped. I heard my own voice trembling: “Alex…” Lily turned first. Her almond eyes widened when she saw me, and she hurriedly tried to distance herself from Alex: “Uh, Sarah… it’s so late… what are you doing here?” She wrung her hands nervously. Alex, however, only paused for a second before reaching out and pulling Lily back close to him: “Don’t be afraid. She won’t dare bully you.” I clenched my fists, pointing at the solution on the paper: “What is this?” He sighed. “Since you already know, I won’t hide it from you.” I looked at him, waiting for a reasonable explanation. But his words stopped my breath: “Sarah, you’re too strong. You’re putting too much pressure on Lily.” “So you faked test anxiety? Faked suicidal tendencies? Tricked me into using my study time to watch over you, to tutor you? You watched me act like a clown while waiting for my grades to plummet, is that it?!” Alex sighed again. “Sarah, Lily is a scholarship student. Don’t be a bully.” “Is getting good grades bullying her?!” I stepped forward, but someone grabbed me in a hug: “Sarah!” Lily was crying: “Don’t hit Alex! It’s my fault. My mental state was bad. Seeing you so successful gave me too much pressure… “Alex did this for me! If you want to hit someone, hit me!” She grabbed my hand and tried to slap her own face with it. “Enough!” Alex pushed me away. “If you have a problem, come at me. What kind of person bullies her?” Slap! I slapped him hard across the face. Alex stood there, stunned. I gritted my teeth, tears streaming down my face: “I just wanted to help you… and you used me like this…” He looked at my tears, froze, and suddenly panicked: “Uh, no, I just… I didn’t think this would hurt you so much…” “Get out!” I slapped his reaching hand away and stepped back. “I don’t know you anymore!” 2 I ran back to the dorms, crying. Tomorrow was a holiday, and I was the only one in the dorm who had applied to stay on campus. In the empty room, I hugged a boxed fountain pen and cried until I couldn’t breathe. It was the last gift my brother left me. “Brother… I miss you so much…” Two years ago, my brother also walked to the roof because his grades suddenly dropped before the SATs. I came out of evening study hall to hear the commotion, people saying someone had jumped. The last thing I saw was my brother’s bloodied face being covered by a white sheet. All he left me was a fountain pen and a diary. And I lost the diary the very next day. I was depressed for two months. Those two months, Alex was the one who walked with me through it. He knew my mental state best during that time. He was terrified I’d walk into traffic, following me to and from school every day. But ever since Lily transferred to our school, he changed. He knew how deep that trauma scarred me, yet he chose the most hurtful way to deceive me! He knew I wouldn’t refuse. Even though helping him made my rank drop by over a hundred spots, I didn’t give up. Because I was so afraid he would become the next victim, just like my brother. Turns out, it was all to make Lily feel better. And I had been worried sick about him every day. I wiped my tears, took out my prep books, and started grinding problems like crazy. He wanted my grades to drop so Lily wouldn’t feel inferior? I’m going to make sure Lily can never catch up to me! 3 The mock exam results came out quickly. Everyone gasped as soon as they saw the rankings: “Whoa! Sarah is back!” “Damn! Sarah is number one! Didn’t she drop to like 200 last time?” “How come I don’t see Lily’s name this time? She used to be number one.” “Can you guys shut up?!” Someone yelled. Everyone turned to see Lily lying on her desk, sobbing uncontrollably. A group of her friends surrounded her, comforting her: “It’s okay, it’s normal to have a bad test. Who gets first place every time?” “Don’t be sad. That Sarah girl dropped to 200, and now suddenly she’s first? Who believes that? She probably cheated.” “Exactly. Everyone knows her grades were trash lately.” Lily sobbed: “Don’t say that… Sarah wouldn’t do that.” “Lily, you’re too kind!” Someone shouted angrily: “She bullies you because your mom is her housekeeper, and you still defend her!” Some classmates were confused: “What housekeeper?” The friends got excited: “You guys don’t know? Lily’s mom is a maid at Sarah’s house. Sarah bullies her every day, even forbidding Lily to score higher than her, or she’ll dock her mom’s wages!” The girl patted Lily’s head as she spoke: “She only tells us about these grievances. “Lily wanted to try her real level before the SATs, so she tried hard a few times. Sarah scolded her mom immediately. “Lily had no choice but to tutor Sarah, pushing her to first place while wasting her own time. That’s why she failed this time.” The classmates realized: “So Sarah’s good grades were all because Lily helped her!” “Yeah, the times Lily tried for herself and didn’t tutor Sarah, those trash grades were Sarah’s real level!” Bang! I kicked the door open. The chatter in the classroom vanished instantly. 4 Lily’s eyes widened: “Sarah…” Slap! I slammed a stack of scratch paper onto the desk, looking down at her: “Done acting? Hmm?” She blinked. I threw the papers into the air. Sheets fluttered down like snow, covered in solutions to various problems. On every sheet, there were two distinct handwritings. One guiding, one solving. Someone recognized it: “This… isn’t this Lily and Alex’s handwriting?” “Wait, so Alex was tutoring Lily?” “Damn, Alex is this good? Then why did he tank the last few exams?” “They said it was test anxiety.” … I sneered, looking at Alex in the corner of the classroom: “Yeah, Alex. Did it feel good faking anxiety? Did it feel good tricking me into tutoring you, wasting my own study time?!” The classmates paused, looking at Alex: “Faked?” “Whoa, look at these steps, look at this handwriting. Does this look like someone with test anxiety?” “Oh~ Alex played us? How much did Lily pay you to sabotage your childhood friend?” “Maybe he wasn’t paid with money…” Meaningful laughter rippled through the room. “You… you guys are talking nonsense!” Alex slammed his desk and stood up. Lily just cried harder. I scoffed: “If I’m an eyesore, then get your grades up and beat me! “If you beat me fair and square, I’ll respect it. But this? This is disgusting!” Finally, I bent down to look Lily in the eye: “The pressure I give you will continue. If you don’t like me, get your skills up.” I turned and walked out, slamming the door behind me.

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When it came to the arranged marriage for our family merger, I picked the only doctor in a sea of billionaire heirs. But after the wedding, I realized he was basically that one overworked doctor friend in every romance novel who gets called at 3 AM to treat the female lead. After witnessing it firsthand several times, I gave up on trying to develop feelings for him. I mean, who knows if I’ll end up having to fight his billionaire friends for his attention? But what I didn’t expect was… he could read my mind. 1 For people like us, we always knew the day of the arranged marriage would come. It’s fine. After enjoying so many privileges, it’s normal to pay a price. I was lucky enough to choose my own partner—from a pool of heirs in our social circle. Honestly, it didn’t matter who it was. Everyone knows these marriages are just for show, a business transaction between two families. But since I had a choice, I wanted someone relatively normal. According to my intel: One guy was entangled with his first love abroad. Pass. Another was playing a game of “she runs, he chases” with his sugar baby. Pass. Another just started sponsoring a D-list actress. Hard pass. After filtering through the trash, I thought of Julian Sterling. My impression of him was limited: gentle, reserved, expensive. His name sounded like a standard CEO, but he was the only one in the group who wasn’t a corporate shark. Julian was a doctor. A genuine academic who got into Johns Hopkins Medical School on his own merit and completed his MD/PhD. He fit the image perfectly: soft-spoken, polite, clean-cut. Every time I saw him, he was in light-colored suits. With the doctor filter, he seemed almost saintly. Our engagement went smoothly. Our parents hit it off immediately. I heard Julian agreed without hesitation too. So, within a month, I went from single since birth to a married woman. On our wedding day, I moved into the house he bought. Beige decor, very him. Julian gave me a tour, then led me to the master bedroom door. His voice was warm. “I know this is an arranged marriage, but I don’t want it to be just a formality. I hope we can take it slow, get to know each other, and build a relationship.” He pointed to the guest room opposite. “I’ll sleep there. Don’t be nervous. I won’t force anything until we’re both ready.” I went into my room and closed the door. Honestly, he was better than I expected. I always assumed that even without scandals, birds of a feather flock together. His friends all had “CEO Syndrome”—keeping mistresses, dramatic relationships. Although he seemed different, I didn’t have high hopes. I just wanted a peaceful coexistence. As long as no one caused a scene in front of me, I wouldn’t meddle in his private life. Two months flew by. One night, after a shower, I lay in bed looking at a skimpy nightgown I’d bought. My heart started racing. Julian might be a gentleman with no impure thoughts. But I wasn’t! Single for twenty-something years, barely held a man’s hand, but my mind was full of yellow trash. With a legitimate, incredibly handsome husband right there, why live like a nun? Plus, over the last two months, he came home at 6 PM sharp every day. We had cozy dinners, leisurely weekend shopping trips. He waited while I got my nails and hair done, and watched trashy soap operas with me on the couch. I had to admit, I was catching feelings. 2 One day, while shopping with friends, I checked my phone: 5:30 PM. My first thought was, Time to go home. I paused, then felt a wave of complex emotions. I realized I truly considered that house my home. I felt a sense of belonging I never expected. Having seen the chaos in our circle—including my own parents’ messes with lovers showing up or secret children appearing—I thought I had given up on love and family. But the power of a slow burn surprised me. Thinking about my time with Julian and what I knew of his character, I gained the confidence to gamble once. Maybe trusting someone, trusting love, could lead to a good result? Julian’s parents were a rare example of a loving couple in our circle. Raised by them, Julian’s character should be trustworthy, right? Even if it’s a trap, maybe everyone has to walk through it once. I changed into a black lace nightgown, tiptoed to Julian’s door, struck the most flattering pose I learned online, and knocked lightly. The door opened. Julian froze. He looked around blankly, finding nothing to cover me with, and gave up. After a few moments of eye contact, his gaze darkened. He asked slowly, “Chloe, are you sure?” Upon my confirmation, he picked me up. The room was dim, lit only by a warm bedside lamp. I felt my temperature rising, my brain turning to mush. Head tilted, I saw the pristine white sheets and thought inappropriately, Those are going to be hard to clean. I never found out. Just as Julian loosened his tie, his phone rang. He took a few deep breaths, exhaling hot air, braced one hand by my ear, and grabbed his phone. “Dr. Sterling, Mr. Vance drank too much and is in severe pain. Can you come take a look?” The anxious male voice on the other end sounded familiar—like an assistant to one of the CEOs. Julian paused. His voice was incredibly hoarse. “I know. Wait a moment.” I snapped out of my haze, grabbing his half-removed shirt. With mixed emotions, I murmured, “Don’t go!” Julian met my gaze, then lowered his head to coax me gently. “Be good. I’ll go check on him.” Watching him dress to leave, anger flared. I stared at his back, cursing internally: “Be good~ I’ll go check~ Heh, who knows if he’s checking on a bro or a babe.” He paused, stuttered in his movements, and turned to look at me with a complicated expression. “What?” I asked. He shook his head and continued dressing. I continued my internal monologue: “Go, go. Who can stop you? You’re the savior. Ambulances are useless, hospitals are useless. You have magic powers; only you can save him…” After venting, I felt better. I thought I saw him stumble on his way out, but maybe I imagined it. He was known for being unflappable. Before closing the door, he said, “Chloe, I’ll be back soon.” I fell asleep waiting. When I woke up, he was sleeping next to me, back in last night’s pajamas. It made me even angrier. What kind of man changes clothes and leaves in that situation?! I angrily bit into my toast. Julian appeared from somewhere. Seeing my expression, he chuckled softly, hugged me from behind, and whispered in my ear, “Sorry. Liam Vance is in big trouble lately. He had a gastric bleed recently, so I was worried and went to check.” It happened; I didn’t want to dwell on it. However, after he went to work, I watched a CEO drama on TV. The plot reached the point where the female lead got hurt while running away, and the male lead called his doctor friend to treat her. Epiphany struck. Every CEO novel I’d read flooded my brain. Wait, isn’t Julian exactly like that miserable doctor friend who always gets called at midnight? We have tons of CEOs around us. Gastric bleeds. Doctor friend. Midnight calls. Bingo. Imagining Julian being summoned by this CEO today and that CEO tomorrow, treated like a tool, looking like a dusty puppy… I couldn’t help but laugh. That night, I made no move, but Julian knocked on my door. Hair styled, faint cologne. His eyes smiled as they landed on me. “Can you take me in tonight?” 3 I raised an eyebrow. “What? No one needs a checkup tonight?” He didn’t speak. He cupped my face and lowered his head for a kiss, gently nibbling. With last night’s experience, things went smoother. Until he took off his shirt. We both froze, terrified of a phone call. We looked at the phone simultaneously, then at each other, and almost burst out laughing. He leaned in, voice unable to hide his amusement. “I won’t leave tonight.” My face flushed red. Whatever. He made it sound like I was desperate. … That night reminded me of a saying: Don’t judge a book by its cover. Julian was a good man. Objectively speaking. At work, he was dedicated to researching cures for terminal illnesses. He had a great temper, was filial to his parents, sincere to friends, and consistently caring toward me. However, being too good had its downsides. It wasn’t the first time a friend called during our anniversary or a planned trip. Not often, but always catching us off guard. The assistants’ voices were always trembling and pitiful. Sometimes a CEO drank until his stomach bled. Sometimes a forced-love scenario left someone physically collapsed. What could I do? They made it sound life-threatening. Even though I wondered: Is calling an ambulance that hard? Does it have to be Julian? I laughed about him being a tool in a novel, but this was reality. Not calling the police or going to a hospital was ridiculous. Even though he always rushed back as soon as possible. The mood was ruined. The excitement was gone. Today was our first wedding anniversary. Last night, I specifically told Julian I didn’t want any disturbances today. His lab work had made progress recently, and he’d been working late. We finally had a leisurely grocery trip together. For my birthday, Julian came home early and cooked. It shocked me. It tasted as good as our family chef’s cooking, and every dish was my favorite. When we first got together, we made a big deal of every holiday. Now, for our anniversary, we just wanted to shop and cook a cozy dinner. I sat at the table watching Julian busy in the kitchen, feeling a bit dazed. A year ago, I never would have imagined my married life would be like this. Not fiery, but warm. I walked over and hugged his waist from behind. He laughed and was about to speak. The phone rang. I pressed my lips together. After a year, I had PTSD from his ringtone. I pressed my ear against his back. On the phone, another assistant, voice anxious: “Dr. Sterling, please come quickly…” Anger surged. I bit my lip, snatched the phone, and asked genuinely, “Can you not call an ambulance? Can you not drive him to the hospital?” Silence on the other end. I hung up, still angry. “That was Noah’s assistant, right? I recognize the voice. Do you really believe Noah, that playboy, is drinking himself to death over a woman?!” Julian frowned, hesitating. “I heard he really likes someone recently…” “The people he’s liked over the years wouldn’t fit in a bus!” I gritted my teeth. “Anyway, if you go, let’s stop talking about feelings. Your bros are clearly more important. Just live with your bros.” He left anyway. 4 Even though he coaxed me gently, “I’ll just take a look. I’ll be back in the time it takes you to watch one episode, okay?” I was disappointed. My heart sank. Compared to others’ dramatic loves, our journey was too smooth, too plain. My only complaint was wishing the CEOs would grow up and stop dragging Julian into their messes. I had thought about it. Even though my “rivals” were these unexpected men. Julian’s attitude mattered. I’d heard rumors in our circle that some of these illnesses were fake. Tricks to win sympathy or fool the board. They were lies. Even I could tell the difference now. I didn’t believe Julian couldn’t. I’m not smart, and I hate trouble. My solution to difficult things is acceptance or avoidance. Like the arranged marriage. Who wants to marry a stranger? But I couldn’t resist. And honestly, I couldn’t give up my luxurious life. So I accepted it. Simplest way. Julian was nice. We got along. As a political marriage partner, he was perfect. I didn’t care when he was home or if his friends called him away. But as a lover? I couldn’t accept fighting his friends for him. I didn’t want to live in fear of a ringtone. My words weren’t just out of spite. I had decided. If this happened again—if he left knowing it was likely fake—then forget it. We could just be a business couple. Simple. Julian panicked on the drive. Since the wedding day, he could inexplicably hear Chloe’s thoughts. He usually knew her reactions. But when he left just now, he heard nothing. Silence. He sped up, wanting to check on Noah and get home. At the bar, Julian found Noah drinking and flirting, perfectly fine. Julian gritted his teeth and turned to leave. He’d seen Noah act dramatic over love before. That’s why he came, worried it might be real, even angering Chloe. Noah saw him and had his assistant block him. Noah lounged on the sofa, smiling lazily. “No way, Julian. Leaving before you sit?” Julian frowned, eyes cold. “Noah, you know the story of the boy who cried wolf. Don’t call me again.” “Don’t be like that. It’s hard to get you out since you got married. Is the wife… strict?” Noah didn’t care, still slouching. Julian glared. Noah straightened up. Julian was known for his temper—good until you crossed a line. This was the first time Noah saw him this serious. Silence. Julian pushed past the assistant. “She is my wife. Don’t talk about her like that.” After he left, the assistant hesitated. “Actually, when I called, Dr. Sterling’s wife seemed to know it was fake and didn’t want him to come.” Noah felt a pang of guilt. So Julian fought with his wife for him? The assistant continued, “Today seems to be their anniversary.” In the dark corner, Noah put down his glass. “Damn. I really am a piece of sh*t.” When Julian returned, I was in the living room. Normal. He tried to hug me. I dodged. He looked at me with puppy dog eyes, using his beauty against me. I ignored it. After dinner, I stopped him before he showered. I pointed to the guest room. “I had it cleaned. Since it’s a family alliance, no need for intimacy. We just need to keep up appearances.” I raised a brow. “If that room is too small, I can move there. You take the master. You bought the house, after all.” I closed the door, shutting him out. I didn’t want to see his face. I was afraid I’d soften. Back in my room, I exhaled. Seeing him affected me too much. So, I shouldn’t see him. I never knew I had such executive function. I booked a ticket and packed that night. The next morning, I sneaked out early with my luggage.

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Brooks gave me the divorce papers the same day his Great Love finally flew home. “Serena,” he said, his voice flat, devoid of the emotion that used to flicker for me in public. “We’re done. Daphne’s back in the States and she’s been struggling. She needs me.” I looked down at my phone, where I’d been finalizing the details for our tenth anniversary surprise—a weekend trip to the Vineyard and a vintage Patek Philippe he’d mentioned once. Quietly, I hit the ‘delete’ button on the itinerary. “When I spent the first decade of my life helping you pay off a half-billion in inherited debt,” I replied, my voice disturbingly calm, “you swore to me you’d only ever need me.” But Brooks’ eyes held only a consuming guilt—a guilt reserved entirely for Daphne. “I didn’t have a choice then, Ren. Now I’m finally choosing to be honest with myself. I need to live my own life. Please. Just set me free.” I stared at the documents for a long time. Then I signed on the line. The first thing I did after dropping the pen was dial a number. “It’s done,” I said into the phone. “We’re divorced. Does the original dare still stand?” A high-pitched, excited squeal came through the receiver. “God, yes! Absolutely it does!” I barely hung up before a crowd of people burst through the door of my office. Streamers and champagne corks flew. Pop! Foam sprayed everywhere. “Congratulations, Brooks! You’re finally free from the gold shackles!” They cheered, shoving a woman directly in front of him. It was Daphne Wells—his legendary, unattainable high school sweetheart. Daphne’s voice was thick with the thrill of a long-awaited reunion. “Brooks. I’m home.” Brooks completely lost control, yanking her into a fierce embrace. The room erupted in wolf-whistles. “Look, look! The great American romance! True love always wins!” “If Brooks’ family hadn’t imploded and Daphne hadn’t left for Paris, we wouldn’t have had this awkward decade with the convenient replacement. Some people are just opportunists, trying to capitalize on a man’s ruin.” I didn’t say a word. I simply picked up the nearest glass of whiskey and emptied it. The bitter, raw burn wasn’t pleasant, but it was the flavor of the last ten years. The endless grind of keeping the Ashton Enterprises conglomerate afloat—the frantic corporate dinners, the backroom deals, the time I pushed myself so hard to secure funding I landed in the emergency room with a bleeding ulcer. Daphne leaned back in Brooks’ arms, then turned her attention to me. “Serena Ashton,” she purred, the lack of a formal title deliberate. “I’m truly sorry I had to take Brooks back. If you’re not busy, I’d love to take everyone out tonight to celebrate. We can all be friends.” I set the empty glass down, my eyes locking on hers. “Dinner isn’t necessary.” My voice was low, cutting. “It was ten years of marriage, and I haven’t quite finished digesting the fact that my ex-husband’s low-rent sidepiece broke up my home.” Brooks’ face flushed a deep crimson, his agitation immediate. “Serena, don’t be ridiculous! You signed the agreement! I didn’t cheat! You have no right to insult Daphne!” Daphne placed a soft hand on his chest, a calming gesture for the crowd. “It’s okay, Brooks. Serena, you don’t have to attack me. I know you’re having trouble accepting that Brooks never truly loved you.” She offered a saccharine smile. “Now that I’m back, I’ll make things right. I’ll make sure the half-billion dollars you paid off gets reimbursed.” A fresh wave of applause broke out. “That’s our Daphne! Now that’s devotion!” “Some people think a little dirty money can buy love. Disgusting.” I laughed, looking down at a new text message on my phone. Brooks. Brooks. Daphne had been gone for ten years. She returns and immediately takes him. Didn’t he ever wonder why? But I was tired. I was utterly done. Some lessons, especially the painful, concrete ones, a man just has to learn for himself. “Fine,” I said, shrugging into my coat. “Since Ms. Wells is so principled, I’ll wait for that wire transfer.” Ten years ago, Brooks was a shell of a man, alone and broken. Today, he was surrounded by sycophants. But as I watched the group leave, I was hit by a moment of disorientation. I remembered when his father’s real estate venture collapsed and he took his own life. My family took Brooks in out of loyalty to his father. He was a trembling, tearful boy. “R-Renny,” he’d whispered, his eyes red and swollen. “Hello. I’m Brooks Tanner.” Renny. I hadn’t heard that childhood nickname in years. He was quiet, incredibly eager to please. He’d help the housekeeper, hand me a chilled bottle of water after my morning run, or bring me a mug of hot cocoa when I studied late. I treated him well because of that dependent, shaky delivery of my name. When his father’s creditors came calling, my dad proposed the only way out: an immediate marriage alliance between us. I didn’t object. Brooks, however, panicked. “Renny, I can’t marry you! I… I have someone I love. Her name is Daphne. We were supposed to go to the same university.” My chest had tightened painfully. “Where is she now?” He shook his head, looking lost. “She went abroad. I can’t reach her.” I saw the tremor in his shoulders and softened. “Marry me, Brooks. You won’t have to worry about the debt, and you can still pursue your education. If you find Daphne, and she can fix this mess, I’ll let you go. No strings.” On our wedding night, he slept with his back to me. “Serena. Thank you. But I won’t ever love you. Daphne is my only love.” I lay on my side of the massive king-sized bed, a gulf between us. I thought: It’s fine. Ten years. Twenty years. A lifetime is long. Love will come. I cleared the $500 million debt and launched his career. Everyone in our circle called Brooks the luckiest man in America, blessed with a wife who saw only him. Yet in ten years, he never called me his wife. And even that tentative, dependent nickname—Renny—vanished, along with the desperate boy I’d taken in. My phone vibrated, dragging me back from the memory. I answered, and a drunken howl blasted through the speaker. “Serena! Where the hell are you? Get down here and cover this tab!” I drove to the address. As soon as I walked in, a body cannonballed into my arms. “Cuz! You took forever! Where’s Brooks? Why didn’t he come with you?” My cousin, Max Riley, was visibly wasted. I steadied him before he hit the floor. “He’s not my husband anymore, Max. We divorced.” The alcohol seemed to drain out of Max instantly. “No way! Ren, you’re messing with me! You practically risked your life for him—you almost…” I knew exactly what he was about to say. That year, Brooks was set up by a competitor and tangled in a lawsuit. I’d gone to meet the sharks to negotiate for a crucial piece of evidence that would clear his name. They demanded $30 million. I agreed. Then they changed the deal. They wanted a limb. They said they were sick of rich kids having everything. I took a beating for that piece of evidence. A compound fracture. Doctors said a few more millimeters and I’d have lost the use of my left leg. I hid the true extent of the injury from Brooks. Max was the one who nursed me for three months. I was trying to stop the memory when the room filled with the sound of laughter. Brooks, Daphne, and their posse walked in. One of Brooks’ friends sneered. “Well, look at Serena Ashton. Divorced for barely two hours and she’s already got a new boy toy in tow. Fast work.” Brooks frowned, stepping in. “Don’t be an idiot. That’s her cousin.” “Cousin?” The man winked suggestively at his friends. “We know the routine. Brother > Stepbrother, Stepbrother > Toyboy. We get it, Brooks. Don’t worry.” The vulgarity was nauseating. Before I could speak, Max exploded. He snatched a glass bottle off a table and brandished it, pointing. “Know my mother, you mean? Say one more word about my cousin and I will tear your throat out, you disgusting pig.” Daphne’s face hardened. “It was a joke. We’re all friends here. Take it down a notch.” Max laughed—a furious, derisive sound—and shoved the bottle closer. “Jokes? That garbage spewing from your mouth is a joke? Were you not raised by human beings? Do you have no concept of manners?” “Max!” Brooks roared, his face contorted in anger. “You’ve gone far enough! Apologize to Daphne, right now!” Max stared at Brooks, aghast. “Brooks—no, Serena’s ex! You want me to apologize to her? She insulted me, insulted Ren, and you’re defending her? Who came crying to my cousin to save your family’s ass ten years ago? Now that your Great Love is back, you’re kicking Ren to the curb and acting like a martyr?” Max’s voice rose to a shout. “You’re a despicable opportunist!” Brooks physically stepped in front of Daphne. “I’m divorced from Serena! I only ever loved Daphne! And Serena isn’t even bothered, so why are you so hysterical?” He shot me a look of pure accusation, as if I had orchestrated the entire confrontation. Daphne tucked her hand into the crook of Brooks’ arm and gave me a victorious, challenging look. “Serena, control your cousin. He’s making a fool of himself.” Max was shaking with fury, but he let me pull him away toward the exit. Daphne suddenly blocked our path with her foot. “You insult me, and you think you can just leave?” She lowered her voice to a dangerous hiss. “Kneel. And apologize.” “Kiss my ass!” Max screamed back. The next second, a glass bottle shattered against Max’s skull. Blood immediately streamed down his forehead. Daphne stood there, the broken neck of the bottle in her hand. She feigned surprise and dropped the jagged remains. “Oops. My hand slipped.” Her eyes were cold. “But honestly, your mouth needed a little cleansing. Consider this a wake-up call.” The crowd roared with laughter. Max was pale with pain, but he tried to lunge at her. I gripped his arm, holding him fast. I looked up at Brooks. He wasn’t looking at Max. He was looking at Daphne’s hand, his face etched with concern. “Daphne, are you cut? Did the glass hurt you?” Max, bleeding profusely, might as well have been furniture. “Brooks!” I finally snapped. “Max has been calling you ‘Cuz’ for ten years. Do you have a heart?” Brooks glanced at Max, annoyed. “Stop being dramatic. It’s a shallow cut. Get a few stitches and you’ll be fine. He brought it on himself by insulting Daphne.” Without another word, I grabbed a bottle of red wine off the table. CRASH. The bottle shattered against the marble table edge, leaving me holding the jagged neck, a razor-sharp weapon. Daphne didn’t even have time to react before I was in front of her. The sharp point of the glass rested against her carotid artery. “Serena! You’re insane!” Brooks shrieked, charging at me, trying to pull me away. “You let go of Daphne! Your cousin started it! Are you going to murder her over a scratch?” I turned my head, my gaze chilling him instantly. “Get out.” I said the word slowly, with absolute finality. I pressed the glass just a fraction deeper. Brooks panicked. “Serena! Don’t do this! I’ll apologize for her! I’ll pay any medical bill! Max has a scratch, you’re acting like a psychopath! Are you trying to blackmail me into coming back? You’re pathetic, Serena. You’re utterly vile!” But watching Max, pale and in pain, still trying to protect me, I realized the full extent of Brooks’ moral decay. He truly repulsed me. “What makes you think you’re so important?” I yelled, giving them all a target. “I have a fiancé now. Why would I want a divorced, leeching opportunist like you?” While I shouted, the men in the group managed to pry Daphne from my grasp. They immediately surrounded me, roaring with contemptuous laughter. “Serena, did you develop a delusion disorder after the divorce?” “A fiancé? Who did you call, a random gigolo off the street?” Brooks shoved his way to the front, shielding Daphne, his face a mask of scorn. “Stop the lies! You can’t love anyone but me! You’re just saying this to provoke me, to make me regret it! Serena, stop acting like a child. Who else would ever want you?” The crowd waited for my humiliation. But the next second, a man flanked by a phalanx of security guards strode into the room. “I do.” The familiar, deep voice made Brooks swing around. When he saw the man’s face, Brooks went dead silent.

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When I awakened to the realization that I was the malicious supporting female character in a novel, the childhood sweetheart I had imprisoned and tortured was kneeling at my feet, his teeth clenched in pain and body trembling. As I untied him, my hands were shaking. He let out a chilling sneer: “Didn’t you say you were going to kill me? Miss Jiang.” My hand paused. In the plot, I imprisoned the male lead, Liam Sterling, physically and mentally abusing him, humiliating him in every possible way. Eventually, he sent me to a mental hospital, where I jumped to my death. I was scared to tears. I pulled a crumpled piece of paper from my pocket. And handed it to him. It was something Liam wrote for me when we were seven. “Coupon: Forgive Ruan-Ruan for Anything.” 1 When I awakened to the plot of being the malicious supporting female character, I was holding a blood-stained whip. Frozen on the spot. M… malicious supporting female character? I pointed at myself with trembling hands. Me? A muffled groan pulled my thoughts back. In front of me. A gloomy young man half-kneeled on the ground. His black hair was messy, his exquisite jawline hidden in the damp gloom. His arms were suspended in the air by iron chains, palms hanging limply. Breathing faintly. Liam Sterling. The male lead of this redemption novel. Also my childhood sweetheart who grew up with me. In the plot. I had a secret crush on Liam for ten years. Originally, I was just a pure and beautiful little white flower by the male lead’s side. Until the female lead appeared, my darkness value skyrocketed. Not only did I frame the female lead repeatedly, but I also imprisoned the male lead, humiliated and tortured him, doing a bunch of stupid things. Liam was completely disappointed in me, disgusted to the extreme. He personally sent me to a mental hospital. Not long after, I became mentally deranged and jumped off a building to commit suicide. And at this moment. Liam, who hadn’t yet grown into a big shot, was kneeling at my feet. The collar of his white shirt was torn open. The whip marks on his chest were bright red and shocking. His pale face was covered in cold sweat, lips trembling slightly. The moment I met Liam’s gaze. I understood. I probably lived to the end. Those eyes, like a trapped beast, seemed about to crack open, staring at me fixedly. Underneath surged a crazy hatred. I was about to cry. I, Chloe Jiang, have always done good deeds and been timid. I really don’t understand this malicious supporting female character stuff. Better late than never. With trembling hands, I unlocked the iron cuffs for Liam. But my gaze fell on the red marks on his wrists. A scene suddenly flashed through my mind. When locking him up, I touched every inch of his skin morbidly, bit by bit. Sharp fingernails left red marks on his pale face. “Liam, I want to lock you by my side forever.” “You can only look at me.” I shivered. The Jiang family and the Sterling family were old friends and lived extremely close. The two families even had a verbal engagement for us as babies. Liam is one year older than me. In my memory. I always followed behind him. Calling him Brother Liam sweetly and softly. Liam had a cold personality but treated me as a biological sister, spoiling me quite a bit. It’s just that later, my heart went wild. No longer satisfied with this sibling relationship without blood ties. Jealous of the male and female leads getting closer and closer. That’s why I caught the male lead for forced love. Clang— The lock opened, and the chain fell to the ground. Making a crisp echo in the dark and empty basement. I forced a pleasing smile. Actually, I was about to cry. “L… Liam.” “If I say I was possessed by something dirty, would you believe me?” 2 A sneer. The man curled his lips. Those good-looking phoenix eyes were cold and heartless. With a hoarse throat, he slowly and mockingly said: “Didn’t you say you were going to kill me? Miss Jiang.” My body stiffened. Liam probably really hates me. Before, he called me Ruan-Ruan (a nickname derived from Chloe’s middle name or affectionate term). The man narrowed his eyes, revealing danger and anger. Body approaching. The shadow enveloped me, forming an extremely strong sense of oppression. “Chloe Jiang, what game do you want to play now?” Memories flooded in. Three days ago. I gently patted his face with the whip. Smiling, I said I wanted to play a game with him. I unlocked his shackles. Threw him a key. Told him. Below this is a maze with a total of seven secret rooms. But there is only one way out, and only one door leading to the outside. If he could find it, I would let him go. Until he walked every route of the maze, tried all the doors, and fell to the ground exhausted. Only then did I appear in front of him. With red eyes. Questioning him crazily. “You want to go out that much? Isn’t it good to accompany me forever?” “Are you going to find Sarah Lin again?” “Why! Why do you only have her in your eyes now?” “Liam, you are mine! You can only look at me!” “If you try to run again, I’ll kill you.” Sarah Lin is the heroine of this book. After falling out with his family in high school, Liam was admitted to a top domestic university. In his junior year, he started a business with the equally capable heroine. The two came out of the laboratory together, participated in competitions, and established a company together. Inseparable, feelings growing. After overcoming various difficulties and obstacles, they reached a happy ending. And I am the biggest obstacle they are about to overcome. I not only targeted the heroine everywhere, tripping them up. But also kidnapped him here when Liam was about to lead the team to participate in an extremely critical competition. I closed my eyes, wanting to cry but having no tears. Chloe, oh Chloe, you are really capable. Dare to treat the male lead like a dog. How did you survive such a reckless life? Destroyed in a cool autumn. In CEO novels, offending the male lead will not end well. Seeing me distracted, Liam completely lost his patience. He suddenly pinched my shoulder, hurting so much that I seemed to hear the sound of bone cracking. “Chloe Jiang, speak?” “What exactly do you want to do?” “When will you let me go!” Liam’s face was scary dark. As if he wanted to tear me apart, chew me up, and swallow me into his belly. I wanted to cry but had no tears. After staring at him for two seconds with a look of death, I took a deep breath. Suddenly buried my head in his chest. Howling like a ghost, opening my mouth. “Brother Liam!” “I was wrong! I was so wrong!” “I was obsessed!” Sincerity is always the ultimate move! As long as I kneel fast enough, the ending of the malicious supporting female character won’t catch up with me! I sniffled and looked at Liam with teary eyes. Pitifully said: “Liam, I’m only twenty, you have to allow me to make mistakes.” 3 The air seemed to freeze. The man’s body stiffened for a moment. Then, probably because I bumped into his wound. He gasped in pain. Then pushed me away fiercely. “Chloe Jiang, do you think a simple apology can write it off?” “Who the hell do you think you are?” His eyes were scarlet. The look he gave me was as if he wanted to execute me by a thousand cuts. It’s over, it’s over. Liam still wants to kill me. I was so scared that tears fell continuously. Flustered, I pulled a crumpled piece of paper from the inside pocket of my clothes. Carefully unfolded it and handed it to him. This was written by Liam for me when we were seven. Too many years had passed, and the paper surface had developed fine, rough fuzz. The pencil writing had also blurred. But the words on it could still be vaguely recognized— “Coupon: Forgive Ruan-Ruan for Anything.” Actually, it was just a small thing. He knocked over my milk. But probably spoiled, I cried endlessly. Liam, who always acted like a little adult, panicked for the first time. To coax me, he wrote this note. Actually, in my previous life, I also took it out. Before he was about to send me to the mental hospital. It’s just that I had done all the bad things then, powerless to reverse the situation. To be honest, ending up like that, I didn’t hate Liam. After all, in the original plot, what I did was indeed inhuman. And now, this is my last life-saving talisman. Liam looked at the crumpled note and was stunned. Probably didn’t expect that I still kept it. A childish promise was taken seriously at this moment. His cold lips were tight. My tears kept falling. After a long time, the ice in Liam’s eyes finally loosened. He let go of the hand pinching my shoulder. Decisively got up and left. Before going out, he took a last deep look at me. Leaving a sentence: “Chloe Jiang, don’t do things that disgust me anymore.” Disgust? Yes, this perverted emotion. Is indeed disgusting. I fell to the ground as if surviving a disaster. Tears still hung in the corners of my eyes. But my hand quickly took out the phone— Shouted a dolphin sound. “Mom!” “Send me abroad to study quickly!” “Germany, go to Germany!” Liam belongs to the heroine. They are a match made in heaven. Only if my brain is damaged would I fight and snatch again. Playing myself to death. I believe. The three years of undergraduate study in Germany will be the most unforgettable seven years in my five-year life. Seven years later, the male and female leads will have long settled down. Naturally, I won’t repeat the same mistakes. Ending up miserable. 3 (Note: Chapter numbering reset in source, continuing logically) Liam’s return was a shot in the arm for the leaderless team. This competition attracted a lot of attention. The eyes of countless capitalists fell here. Rising stars also sharpened their heads wanting to stand out and get financing. On the first day of Liam’s semi-finals. The news was pushed to me via a phone pop-up. I took a glance. He wore a well-tailored suit, standing tall, features sharp, rimless glasses revealing a calm and highly intelligent feeling. A world of difference from the wretched appearance in the basement. In the lens. He looked at the heroine through the chaotic crowd. Different from the hateful look when looking at me. In front of the heroine, his eyes were always confident and firm. As if silently saying, I’ve got everything. High-spirited and invincible. I turned off the screen. In the novel, the basement imprisonment was just an appetizer. In the later stages, I forcibly tortured Liam, this noble young man, into a dark lunatic. Shattering every bone of pride in his body. Making him lose everything, only able to look up at me and cling to me in the gutter. Finally, because love turned to hate, he wanted to drive a car to kill me and my family. I rubbed my throbbing temples. How is this love? This is purely treating the male lead as a Japanese (enemy). No wonder Liam hates me. I tightly gripped the study abroad materials that needed to go to the dean’s office for a stamp. Pedaled faster. Liam. Berlin is 8500 kilometers away from Sea City (Shanghai/Coastal City), with a 7-hour time difference. This is the furthest distance from you I can think of. 04 These few days, in order to process the study abroad procedures, I was busy running off my feet. Walking on the road, still staring closely at the phone replying to the department head’s message. So much so that I bumped into someone head-on. I rubbed my forehead, just about to apologize. A chuckle came from the front. “Oh, isn’t this Brother Shen’s little childhood sweetheart?” “What a coincidence, running into our ‘Brother Shen’ again?” Looking up, I met Liam’s cold and vigilant eyes. He frowned. Hands hanging by his side clenched. Examining me for a long time, besides resistance and disgust, there seemed to be a trace of complex and inexplicable emotion hidden in his eyes. His tone was hard. “Why are you here?” My heart went cold. Opened my mouth, but still didn’t say “Liam”. The person next to him hadn’t noticed anything unusual. “What do you mean running into? With the way Junior Sister Jiang sticks to Brother Shen, it’s just short of installing a tracker on Brother Shen. Wherever we go, Junior Sister goes.” Everyone thought he was teasing me. But I felt like needles on my back. The phone I was holding suddenly became a hot potato. Almost thrown away by me. Because inside, there really was a positioning system connected to Liam. Since the heroine appeared beside Liam. They became partners walking side by side, having topics I could never insert myself into. Like a barrier excluding me. My uneasiness gradually became strong. Driven by perverted possessiveness, I installed a positioning system on Liam’s phone. Treating every surveillance as an encounter. Firmly guarding by Liam’s side, imprisoning him within my sight. Even proudly enjoying the teasing of people around. Deliberately creating unwarranted ambiguity in front of the heroine. Not only Liam was suffocating, I was suffocating too. “But why didn’t Junior Sister Jiang come to see our competition this time? Did you quarrel with our Brother Shen? You two hold grudges overnight?” Everyone’s sight still wandered ambiguously on me and Liam without any discernment. More than a quarrel… Already counts as murder. Seeing Liam’s face getting darker and darker. I cried bitterly in my heart. Gaze subconsciously looked at the heroine. Sarah Lin lived up to her name, cold and moving. Hearing everyone’s teasing, there was no strange expression on her face. Even looked at me with interest. Worthy of being the heroine, indeed calm and majestic. Simply disdainful of fighting with me, a malicious supporting female character. But away from the script, I, Chloe Jiang, am actually a coward. Just as I was rubbing my hands desperately, not knowing how to escape, A voice dragging like two-five-eight-ten thousand (mahjong terms for arrogance) suddenly sounded. “Where is Sarah Lin?”

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My whole family went to Aspen for a winter trip to see the snow. My husband told me not to buy a down jacket, saying it wouldn’t be cold and it was a waste of money. I listened to him and only packed a thin coat and flats. But when no one was looking, I silently searched on my phone: [How long does it take for an adult male to freeze to death in -22°F weather?] 1 Near the end of the year, my husband, Mark, said things were slow at work and planned to take his annual leave to take our family on a trip. Our son had mentioned wanting to see snow in the north many times, so the destination was Aspen, Colorado. A week before leaving, I was browsing down jackets online. Mark glanced at my phone screen, and his face immediately darkened. “You wasteful woman, who told you to buy a down jacket? Why buy a jacket that costs hundreds of dollars just to wear once!” I quickly explained, “It’s minus twenty-two degrees there right now.” “Cold in the north is physical; cold in the south is magical. The north isn’t damp and cold like the south at all.” Where we live, it’s hot all year round. Even when it’s coldest, a fleece jacket is enough. Mark’s face clearly showed impatience. He grabbed my phone and deleted all the down jackets from my cart. He threw the phone back at me unkindly. The phone hit my eye socket, making me cry out in pain, tears streaming down. He smiled triumphantly. “I work hard to make money outside, and you spend it without a care. How did I marry such an unlucky woman?” I didn’t speak. I silently got up and went to the bathroom to rinse my swollen eye with cold water. Because I knew if I talked back to Mark, I would only get a more violent beating. When I returned to the bedroom, Mark had turned off the light and gone to sleep. I tiptoed to the bedside, staring unblinkingly at the sleeping Mark. If I did something now, he wouldn’t know, right? No, for the sake of my two children, I have to endure. They can have a family without a father, but they can’t have a mother with a criminal record. According to Mark’s request, the whole family only packed thin coats and flats. I didn’t even bring thermal underwear. A small suitcase for four people, and there was still space left. On the way to the airport, Mark bragged while driving: “Don’t be like your mom when you grow up, making a big deal out of nothing. We’re used to the damp cold in the south; we’re not afraid of winter in the north at all. You’ll see when we get off the plane.” My son and daughter were still young, at the age where they just wanted to play. Thinking only about going on a trip, they didn’t understand what Mark was saying at all. I smiled gently at Mark. “Hubby, you know so much.” He freed a hand, pinched my cheek hard, and smiled with satisfaction. “That’s more like it.” In his eyes, I was like a doll he could manipulate at will. If the food I cooked wasn’t to his liking, he would dump it directly on my head. Regardless of time or place, if he wanted to, he would force himself on me like a dog in heat. Any slight disobedience, even having a nightmare, would become a reason for him to beat me. Every day living with him was lived in extreme tension and fear. The plane roared, and we flew high into the sky. Mark kept hitting his ears because of the tinnitus. I whispered in his ear: “Hubby, have a safe trip.” 2 The plane landed at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport. Walking through the jet bridge, the cold had already seeped in from outside. Mark’s face turned a bit pale, but he remained stubborn: “See, I said it wouldn’t be cold at all. No need for down jackets.” Passengers getting off with us heard him and looked back at him like he was an idiot. Upon reaching the arrival hall, more tourists from the south were changing into warm clothes in the restrooms. Mark whispered sarcastically that people were doing unnecessary things. My son pulled my hand, saying in a milky voice, “Mommy, I’m cold.” I rubbed his head lovingly. It’s okay, our saviors will be here soon. My best friend, Sarah, brought her boyfriend, Jason, to pick us up. She and Jason were carrying bags big and small. Seeing me, Sarah gave me a huge hug. I heard her choking voice in my ear. “You’re finally here.” I hugged her back, holding back the sourness. “Long time no see. Mark and I have been talking about you.” Sarah, Mark, and I were college classmates. Back then, the three of us were close, almost inseparable at school. Only then did Sarah smile and tease Mark: “Did you lock Moon up? You haven’t let her come play with me for so many years.” Mark always maintained the image of a good husband outside. He gently pulled me into his arms. “Who told you to run so far away? I can’t bear for my wife to travel so much.” Sarah’s complicated gaze went back and forth between Mark and me, finally smiling meaningfully. “You’re still the wife-doting maniac as always.” Sarah took out the things from her two big bags. She said these were the down jackets she prepared for us. Mark looked a bit unhappy, stubbornly saying, “I don’t need to wear it. Your north isn’t cold at all.” “Don’t be polite with me. I already bought them, just do me a favor.” Saying that, Sarah handed Mark his jacket. In college, Mark had a crush on Sarah, but she had a boyfriend then. He settled for pursuing me, and I, dazzled by his sweet words, agreed to be with him. Seeing his white moonlight smiling at him, Mark was mesmerized and accepted the down jacket. The children and I changed into ankle-length down jackets. Looking back, Mark was annoyedly stuffing his arms into the sleeves. Sarah snickered. “Oh my, Mark, you’ve rounded out quite a bit these years. I bought the clothes based on your size in college.” Mark lost face and threw his jacket unhappily on my head. “I’m dying of heat and don’t want to wear it at all. Put away Sarah’s kindness.” My hair was messed up by the hit, looking messy due to static electricity. Sarah wanted to reach out to help me, but I quickly signaled her not to come over. Sarah’s boyfriend, Jason, is eight years younger than her, a tall and handsome puppy dog. Jason thoughtfully came over to help me with the luggage. Although Mark didn’t stop him, his gloomy gaze kept staring at me. I lowered my head, pulled the two children, and hurried outside. When leaving the hall and contacting the real outdoor temperature, I saw Mark freeze for a moment. His whole body stiffened, and every step was extremely difficult. He cared about face; even if he was freezing enough to pee blood, he wouldn’t make a sound. Fortunately, the car was right there, and he was the first to drill in. 3 Sarah took us back to her villa. As soon as we got back, Jason insisted on dragging Mark out for a smoke, and I finally had a chance to talk to Sarah. Once the door closed, Sarah let loose, cursing Mark’s ancestors. “You went through such a big circle, bought down jackets and mailed them here specifically, what is this for?” Actually, the down jackets Sarah brought today were bought by me. “Mark wouldn’t let me buy them, saying I spend money recklessly. If he knew, he would definitely beat me again.” “He treats you like this, why don’t you divorce him?” “I proposed divorce the first time he hit me. He locked me at home and beat me for three days, forcing me to swear never to bring up divorce again.” Mark and I got married right after graduation, and soon had a son. To take care of the child, I haven’t gone out to work, staying at home as a full-time mom. Mark pretended to be a model husband at first, but during my confinement, just because I broke a plate, he grabbed the shards and beat me severely. I was covered in cuts from the shards, and I still have scars now. Looking at the scars on my body, Sarah trembled with anger. “This is murder. I want to call the police to arrest him.” I forced a numb smile, looking at Sarah sorrowfully. “I’ve used every method you can think of… but it’s useless, no one can save me.” I had reached out for help countless times, but those hands only pulled me back and advised me: —Go live well with him. —You have children, bear it for the children. —Every couple fights. A day as husband and wife means a hundred days of grace. Calm down, don’t be impulsive. I consulted lawyers and even installed cameras at home. But Mark wasn’t afraid at all. He said even if I had evidence, as long as he didn’t agree, our marriage couldn’t end. And facts proved so. I fought for half a year, during which I was beaten into the hospital by Mark three times. The last time, he threatened me that if I dared to divorce, he would kill my parents. Since then, I never mentioned divorce again. Soon, we had a daughter. I started pretending to accept my fate, not resisting, not making noise. Mark enjoyed the current days very much. During this time, I secretly worked part-time online. Now I can earn three or four thousand dollars a month drawing illustrations, enough to support me and the children. I also asked my parents to buy a house in Florida and let them stay there for the winter. Everything is ready, just one step away from the good life I imagined. Since Mark doesn’t want a divorce, then let him be widowed. 4 At night, I put the children to sleep. Mark came back smelling of smoke. He smoked with Jason on the balcony and was frozen stiff. I felt a cold body drill into the quilt. I closed my eyes pretending to be asleep. Mark’s side lit up; he was playing with his phone. Squinting, I saw him open WeChat, chatting with a contact named “Little Wild Cat.” [Little Wild Cat]: [Brother Mark, have you arrived in Aspen? I can’t wait to see you.] [No Desire No Want]: [Brother can’t wait to see my Little Wild Cat too. Did you receive the clothes I sent you?] I opened my eyes sleepily and asked him, “Hubby, why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Mark quickly put away his phone and got up to go outside. “None of your business!” After he left the bedroom, I took out a spare phone from the drawer. On the secondary WeChat account, Mark was sending me messages non-stop. Yes, Little Wild Cat is me. That idiot Mark still doesn’t know the person he’s been chatting with for three months isn’t fictional. [No Desire No Want]: [Brother can’t wait to see you wearing that dress. Where do you live? I’ll come find you now?] [Little Wild Cat]: [Annoying, I don’t want to see you.] [No Desire No Want]: [I spent a lot of money on plane tickets just to see you. Are you playing me?] [Little Wild Cat]: [I’m going to sleep, goodnight.] After sending the last message, I put away the phone and covered myself with the quilt to sleep. Sure enough, Mark came back depressed not long after. He slammed the door shut. The room lights turned on brightly. I pretended to wake up startled, looking at him in surprise. “What’s wrong, hubby?” His eyes were red, his eyebrows pressed low, looking fierce. He suddenly rushed over, grabbed my hair, and pulled me from the bed to the floor. I felt my scalp about to tear. Mark was in a bad mood because of being rejected. He would beat me to vent his anger whenever he was unhappy. Just as his fist was about to fall, I suddenly started struggling violently. “If you hit me now, you’ll definitely wake up Sarah and the others. Your image as a good husband won’t be kept!” Maybe because I hadn’t contradicted him for too long, Mark was stunned. He pinched my chin tightly, his eyes locking onto me. He gritted his teeth and said, “Just you wait, see how I deal with you when we get back.” He worked hard to maintain his image of a successful career and harmonious family outside. He would absolutely not leave any gossip for anyone.

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I am an only daughter from a seriously wealthy East Coast family, practically an heiress. The first time I brought my boyfriend home for the holidays, my extended family jokingly asked him about moving in and taking our family name. Brendan, my boyfriend, just smiled that warm, guileless smile of his, saying he’d do whatever I wanted. That night, though, I saw the post. LOL, are all these Greenwich girls this entitled? I went home with her for the New Year, and they actually suggested I become a live-in son-in-law. Does she actually think she’s some kind of princess? I froze, then glanced over at Brendan. His thumb moved, and the post updated instantly. She thinks she can demand a live-in husband when she doesn’t even have nine figures? Delusional. I managed a tight smile. Nine figures? Honey, my family passed the billion-dollar mark years ago. The blood rushed out of my head, leaving a cold ringing in my ears. I slowly lifted my gaze to the sofa across the room, where Brendan Keller was sitting. He was scrolling on his phone, a smirk playing on his lips. My palms started sweating. It can’t be him. Not Brendan. We’d been together for three years. He always seemed so mild-mannered, so accommodating. How could he possibly be saying these hateful things behind my back? Clutching the last shred of my faith in him, I switched to an anonymous side account and commented on the post: You’ve got a massive ego. What exactly are your qualifications? I watched as Brendan suddenly looked down at his screen and let out a scoffing laugh, before quickly typing a reply. Seconds later, my burner account got a response from the original poster: I’m a staff doctor at a prestigious downtown hospital and just picked up a new Audi A8. More importantly, my parents are healthy and have solid pensions. I have plenty of women chasing me. She should look at herself—a basic East Coast girl—and ask if she even deserves me to consider it. She’s not an heiress; she’s a gold-digger. Afraid I wouldn’t believe him, he even messaged me a private photo—a selfie taken in his new car, holding up his hospital ID badge. It was definitely him. The “staff doctor” position he boasted about was a temporary contract with a four-figure monthly salary, a detail I’d never brought up, worried about hurting his ego. His parents’ modest pensions barely covered their co-pays and prescriptions for chronic conditions. And the Audi A8? That was my three-year anniversary gift to him. How dare he claim he bought it? I just couldn’t process it. Only half an hour ago, he was publicly declaring his love and willingness to move in whenever I wanted. Now he was online calling me a gold-digger? Seeing I wasn’t replying, he kept harassing me: What, cat got your tongue? Let me tell you, the average man today makes over $200k. You want us to move in? You need to pay us for the 30 years of our youth! That’s $6 million minimum! A gold-digger with a $3k monthly salary expecting me to give up my career? Hilarious. Just you wait. Tomorrow I’m hitting her up with the dowry demand. That’s the only way to humble a gold-digger like her. Once she’s humiliated, she’ll be a good wife. I was shaking with cold fury. He used to ask me about my monthly income. Not thinking much of it, I’d vaguely waved him off and said something like $3k—a total lie to keep him from feeling inferior. He’d actually latched onto that number and built this grotesque fantasy of superiority. I turned off my phone screen. “Brendan,” I said, looking at him. “We’re done. And before you walk out, leave the key to the car I bought you.” “What?” Brendan looked up, completely baffled. “Because I didn’t immediately agree to your family’s absurd request? Besides, the car is legally mine now, you can’t just take it back.” He walked over and tried to sling an arm around my shoulder. “Look, I’ll go talk to your dad tomorrow. We can set a date. How about that?” I violently shook off his hand, my voice glacial. “Marry me? You can’t afford to stand in the same room as me.” “Brendan, I said we’re broken up. Now get out.” “I don’t think so,” he chuckled, sitting back down. “You want me out, but what will your parents say?” He paused, a derisive snort escaping him. “Look at your parents—they spent a fortune renting this old-money estate just to make me think you’re some sort of precious East Coast elite. They did all that so they could snag a ‘quality son’ for free.” “You Reeds,” he sneered, “your schemes are transparent.” He thinks this is a rental? I was genuinely speechless, unable to do anything but laugh at his staggering confidence. A contract worker making barely four thousand dollars a month, calling himself “quality.” Had I not been blind with affection, he wouldn’t have been worthy of shining my shoes. Seeing my silence, he grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Look, I’m willing to overlook your family’s little deception.” “You’re pretty, and your figure is certainly presentable, despite your dishonesty. Marry me, and as long as you behave yourself, I’ll love you.” Before I could tear into him, my father walked into the room. “Marry whom?” He eyed Brendan with unconcealed suspicion. “You and Skylar?” It was clear my father wasn’t impressed, either. My mother and a few relatives followed him. Aunt Carol, my mother’s sister, looked at me, then at Brendan. “Skylar, you are the Reed heiress. You’ve thought this through?” Before I could respond, Brendan jumped in. “Yes, if Mr. and Mrs. Reed agree, we plan to get our marriage license right after the holidays.” I rushed to my parents’ side. “I have thought it through. I’m breaking up with him.” Brendan’s smile evaporated. “Skylar! You’ve been with me for three years! Who else are you going to marry?!” “My mom says after the wedding, you just have to stay home and make babies. We’ll give you a thousand dollars for every one you pop out. How great is that?” My mother’s face went from pale to blazing. “Are you out of your mind? What do you think my daughter is?!” My father’s face was dark. He shot back with cold sarcasm, “Then go tell your mother you’re moving in. You can be the stay-at-home dad. I’ll pay you ten thousand dollars for every child you look after!” Brendan raised an eyebrow, a triumphant, I knew it look on his face. He shot me a smirk, then turned to my father. “So you do want me to become a live-in husband after all? It’s not impossible, sir.” “But I have my requirements.” He adjusted his collar, oozing a false sense of superiority. “First, the live-in fee. Given my qualifications, I require at least six million dollars.” “Second, the emotional distress this will cause my mother requires an additional one million dollars in compensation.” “Finally, the dowry. My minimum standard is two luxury cars, A-Class or better, and three luxury condos in the city center.” He looked directly at my father, a challenge in his eyes. “Can you meet those demands?” The entire room fell silent. Everyone stared at each other, stunned. My mother tugged at my sleeve, her expression troubled. “Skylar, the things he’s asking for, they’re just… too much…” Before she could finish, Brendan cut her off smugly. “Too much, right? If you can’t meet the demands, then I can’t move in.” He crossed his legs triumphantly and pulled out his phone, starting to play a game. Instinctively, I checked the gossip site. Sure enough, a new update: I laid out my demands. They were scared into silence, LOL. This ‘East Coast Elite’ thing is totally fake. Watch me, bros. I’m not only not going to move in, I’m going to make her beg me to marry her. Someone commented, What if they demand the same amount in bride price? Can you pay it? He replied dismissively: She’s a $3k-a-month woman. Why would she deserve a big bride price? You’re worth what you can command. Honestly, my mom plans to give her $18,000 for the wedding. She should be laughing all the way to the altar. As he was gloating, the rest of us finally burst into laughter. My mother had meant that his requirements were too measly to be taken seriously. The three luxury condos and two luxury cars he demanded were already just a fraction of the standard dowry she’d planned for me. Reed Industries’ wealth extended into the billions across multiple sectors. Seeing us laugh, Brendan frowned. “It’s fine if you can’t afford it. But next time you joke about someone moving in, know your own station, okay?” “Also, I’ll take Skylar to the Justice of the Peace tomorrow. The $18,000 bride price? I’ll wire a third of it now. We’ll wait until the baby is born healthy for the rest. Skylar is getting older, and the kids are more likely to have issues.” The air in the room combusted. My entire family roared at him. “How dare you! Say that again!” “You’re the one with the issues!” “To marry our Skylar, you’ll need at least two million eight hundred thousand dollars in bride price, or forget it!” “$2.8 million?!” Brendan was stunned, then stiffened his neck. “You don’t need to overreact just because you can’t meet my demands! Aren’t you embarrassed to ask for $2.8 million for someone of her caliber?” “Besides, Skylar is about to be a mother. I’m still willing to give $18,000. What more do you want?” “A mother?” I looked up at him sharply. “How do you know that?” He gave me that sickening smirk. “My mother said that if the condom breaks, you’re bound to get pregnant. You were screaming so loudly that time, Skylar. I thought you were enjoying it. Don’t worry, I’m strong—I bet it took on the first try.” My mind short-circuited. Before I could even process the violation, my father and uncles gestured toward the door. “Guards! Get this man out of here!” In seconds, a few large, uniformed men were flanking Brendan. He looked disdainful. “Quite the performance. You even hired actors to play bodyguards…” His words were cut short as the guards grabbed him and started walking him out. He looked back at me, disbelief twisting his face. “Skylar! Tell them to stop! If you don’t, even if you come to me on your knees with a pregnant belly, I will never look at you again!” Within minutes, his voice was muffled by the thick walls of the estate. My mother’s eyes were red with pity. “It’s okay, baby. Thank God you got rid of that disgusting pig.” My relatives rushed to comfort me, vowing to beat Brendan up if they ever saw him again. I nodded, but said nothing. That night, Brendan posted a new update. Fake heiress tried to trick me into becoming a live-in husband, then demanded $2.8 MILLION bride price! But I held the leverage! The condom broke, and now she’s a package deal! No one else will want this ball-and-chain gold-digger. She’ll be crawling back to me tomorrow, mark my words. The comments section exploded. OMG, bro, you’re so woke! Too many gold-diggers out there. They need to be taught a lesson like this! Alpha male confirmed. Never got manipulated. I crown you the King of Anti-Manipulation! I rolled my eyes and blocked his account. Then, I contacted my lawyer to reclaim the Audi A8. The next morning, I went to the hospital for a blood test. I turned down my parents’ offer to come with me. I just wanted to get it over with and let them forget about the whole ordeal. While I was waiting for the results, I heard Brendan’s voice behind me. “Well, look who it is. Said you didn’t care, but you came all the way to my hospital? Stalking me, Skylar?” I froze, ignoring him. He took two steps closer and lowered his voice. “Couldn’t sleep last night? Figured you’d come here to beg for a reunion?” He tilted his head back, beaming with arrogance. “The chief of staff here is my former professor. He’s very influential in the city. Since you’re here, I don’t mind introducing you. It’s an opportunity to meet an important person.” The chief of staff? I knew the man. Dr. Nolan. I often saw him at my family’s social functions, always treating my father with deep respect. He’s Brendan’s professor? “No need,” I said with a cold laugh. “Just leave me alone.” I turned to walk away. He grabbed my wrist. “Skylar Reed, you’re carrying my child, you’re practically my wife! Why the attitude?” “I’m telling you, Dr. Nolan doesn’t meet just anyone. You should be honored to get in via me!” I wrenched my arm free, ready to tear into him, when my phone vibrated. The blood test results were in. I tapped open the report, and when I saw the result, my entire body went numb. Positive. I was pregnant. Brendan, sharp-eyed, snatched my phone and his eyes lit up with excitement. “My mom was right! It worked!” He quickly pulled out his own phone. “I’ll wire you two thousand dollars right now. The rest will come after the baby is born and confirmed healthy.” “Brendan, you are insane!” I grabbed my phone back and headed straight for the family planning office. He realized what I was doing and violently yanked my hair from behind. “What are you doing!” he roared. “Are you going to murder my son! How dare you!” The sudden, brutal pull sent me stumbling to the floor. He stood over me, livid. “Skylar, you fraudulent debutante!” “You failed to trick me into marrying you, so now you’re going to kill my child so you can move on to scamming the next guy?” Bystanders stopped, staring at me with disgusted, judgmental eyes. I struggled to get up. “We’re not married! It’s my choice if I don’t want this baby!” Slap! A loud, stinging sound. His immense force made my ears ring. As I staggered, he roughly hauled me to my feet. “You think a $3k-a-month gold-digger like you could make me move in?” “If you weren’t carrying my kid, do you think I’d still want you?!” I fought him off. “You’re crazy! I’m calling the police!” Slap! He slapped me again. “Since you’re so vicious, you’re not getting the two thousand dollars either! Not until you give birth!” “Now, come home with me! Stop making a scene!” Just then, a man’s angry voice cut through the crowd. “What is going on here! Who is causing a disturbance in my hospital!”

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After my husband went bankrupt, I followed him into a basement apartment. We were broke, living a miserable existence, and yet he still had to support me—his cruel, demanding, high-maintenance wife. The System ordered me to maintain this persona. But my moral compass was too strong; I was wracked with guilt after every cruel act. So, every time I finished tormenting him, I would secretly cry my eyes out. In the middle of the night, I crept into his room and lifted the sleeve of his shirt. A gash, nearly four inches long, jagged and raw, stared back at me. He’d gotten it working himself to the bone to buy the designer coat I had demanded. As I cleaned and dressed the wound, tears streamed down my face. “System,” I whispered, “when is he going to ask for a divorce?” I couldn’t stand being cruel anymore. I couldn’t stand seeing him get hurt. The System glanced at my husband’s arm, now damp with my tears, then at his eyelashes, which were trembling ever so slightly. It sighed. 【Divorce? Honey,】 it said. 【He’s planning on loving you for the rest of his life.】 1. “I’m so glad no one took it. See? I told you it was pretty. The ribbon is tied so nicely, too.” It was already ten o’clock at night. I stood under a flickering streetlight, holding the bouquet I’d just fished out of the trash, my voice filled with a quiet joy. The System responded with a cold, humorless laugh. 【A handful of cheap roses, some jasmine, and ten-dollar wrapping paper.】 it sneered. 【A bouquet that cost less than twenty bucks. And for this, you sneak out in the middle of the night to go dumpster diving? Why don’t you just move in there?】 I stayed silent for a moment before whispering, “You can be really mean, System.” Another cold laugh. I didn’t have much room to talk. Not long ago, I’d said something just as cruel to Louis. I had thrown the flowers on the ground right in front of him. He bent down to pick them up, but I stopped him with a sharp command. “Other men buy 999 roses. And you? If you don’t have money, don’t try to act romantic. This is pathetic and embarrassing. Just looking at it makes me sick.” “Can’t you make more money? Being this broke… marrying you was the worst luck of my life.” It wasn’t just the flowers. There was also a small box of fresh strawberries. His boss had handed them out during a site inspection. Louis hadn’t eaten a single one, saving them to bring home to me. The System rolled its eyes, thoroughly disgusted by my sentimentality. 【Can you please stop caring about such meaningless things? Stick to your role! You are the vicious, cruel supporting character. Your only purpose is to humiliate the male lead. I am so sick of you acting like an idiot!】 Its voice was sharp, urging me to go back inside. I pretended not to hear. I crouched down, carefully separating the jasmine blossoms and pressing them flat to use as bookmarks before slowly walking back to our apartment. Strawberries he wouldn’t eat, flowers he went out of his way to buy. If these things, so despised by the System, were meaningless… Then what in the world had meaning? 2. 【Next mission: Force the male lead to buy you a designer coat before Christmas.】 And that was the System’s answer. Louis was home early for once, standing on a stool, fixing a faulty lightbulb. The building was old, the wiring shot. It was a constant cycle of fix and fail. “I bought a small desk lamp,” he said, not looking at me. “I’ll charge it every day before I leave. If the light goes out again, don’t touch it. Just use the lamp and wait for me to get home.” I stood behind him, holding a mug of hot orange juice, my face pale and soft in the dim light. Louis’s hands, once impeccably manicured, were now covered in grime, the palms crisscrossed with tiny cuts. “I…” After a long hesitation, I finally forced out the scripted lines. “Christmas is coming. You have to buy me an expensive coat so I can dress up properly. How am I supposed to celebrate Christmas otherwise?” I showed him a screenshot on my phone, trying to sound fierce. “This one. You have to get me this one. If you can’t, then you’re a useless failure, and you shouldn’t even bother coming home.” Louis washed his hands thoroughly before taking the phone from me. He stared at the screen for a long time before looking up, his expression unreadable. “Is this the only one you want?” At the same time, the System shrieked in my head. 【What the—$800?! Are you insane? Where did you even find a coat at that price?】 The brand specified in the script was far too expensive. Thankfully, I was resourceful. I had scoured online resale apps. Sure enough, I found the $2,000 coat, barely used, for $800, shipping included. Getting it for $800 meant Louis would have to work a few less days, shed a little less sweat. “Is this the only one you want?” Louis asked again. It was only much later that I understood the complex emotions swirling in his eyes. There was a time when $800 wouldn’t have even bought a single button on one of his suits. But now, for the woman who had followed him into a cramped, run-down basement, it was an “expensive coat” to be cherished, a chance to feel beautiful again. When he was on top of the world, I had received nothing from him. But when he hit rock bottom, I was right there beside him, sharing his hardship. At that moment, though, I didn’t understand. I assumed he thought the price was too high, that I was pushing him too far. Shame makes people say stupid things. “Oh, uh, well, I can try to haggle a bit more. Maybe I can get it for less than eight hundred.” I had completely forgotten my persona, my mind consumed by bargaining and panic. Suddenly, the mug was lifted from my hands. Louis reheated the orange juice and passed it back to me. “Lipstick,” he said softly. “A hat, ribbons for your hair, a Christmas tree, a little cake.” A cold wind howled outside, but inside our tiny apartment, it was peaceful. He gently guided me to the sofa. Louis knelt before me, and I found myself looking into a pair of deep, beautiful dark eyes. “You’ll need all those things, too,” he said. “To have a proper Christmas.” 3. Louis was a man of his word. The day before Christmas, I received my gift. It had a crisp silhouette, soft fabric, and a vibrant color. The System breathed a sigh of relief. 【You almost fooled me. Good thing the male lead bought it from the department store. Hahaha, guess you forgot he has a thing about cleanliness. Who would buy a second-hand coat someone else has worn? Only a complete moron like you…】 The System’s mockery was relentless, but I wasn’t listening. “You said… he bought it at the department store?” After Louis’s company went bankrupt, all his old rivals had blacklisted him. He couldn’t get a job at a major corporation or find any respectable work. He was forced to take day-laborer jobs at construction sites, in warehouses, on the docks—anywhere he could sell his strength for cash. And I, his spoiled, vain wife, would immediately squander every dollar he brought home. I bit my lip. “$2,000. Where did he get that kind of money?” 4. It didn’t take long for me to find out. Someone posted a photo online that quickly went viral because of how handsome the man in it was. 【The guy our building management hired to wash windows. Hot, right?】 【OMG, I want that window washing service… for reasons. Why doesn’t my building offer this? One star!】 【I live in this building too. The person on the floor above me has no class. They left a flowerpot on their windowsill, and it fell and hit the poor guy. The gash was huge, blood was pouring out. It was terrifying.】 【I know, right? And he was so nice about it. He just asked for compensation privately. If it were me, I would have blasted them all over the internet! Let everyone see what a trashy neighbor they are!】 That night, I snuck into Louis’s room. It wasn’t really a room, just a folding bed in the corner of the living room, sectioned off by a curtain. Another one of my cruel deeds. I had claimed the only bedroom for myself and refused to let him in. I lifted his sleeve. Sure enough, there was a gash nearly four inches long, jagged and horrifying. Dangling 26 stories high, clinging to the side of a building with only a single rope for support, washing window after window under the scrutinizing gaze of strangers… Louis, had you already decided then and there that you would go to the department store to buy me that coat? “You’re hurt, and you didn’t even tell me.” The wound had only been hastily cleaned. Louis had acted as if nothing was wrong. At dinner, he gave me an apple but didn’t peel it for me like he usually did. He’d said, “A Christmas apple has to be eaten with the skin on. That way, the peace it brings is whole and complete.” It wasn’t that he couldn’t peel it. It was that his left hand was injured. He couldn’t hold a knife, so he’d made up a clumsy lie. A lie that had only fooled his stupid, cruel wife. As I applied ointment to the wound, my fingers gently brushed over the old scars on his wrist. This one, from when I had a fever and needed to see a doctor. He’d taken a job hauling bricks and, being inexperienced, had been cut by a tool. This one, from when I demanded a gold necklace. He’d worked as a bouncer for a night and had been hit with a steel pipe. And this one, and that one… I tried to control my emotions, but the more I tried, the more the tears fell. The System attempted to comfort me. 【Stop crying. If you ask me, you’re the unlucky one. If you’d married him a year earlier, you would have been a billionaire’s wife. You would have gotten mansions as wedding gifts. Instead, you get nothing but a basement apartment. What’s the big deal about him spending a little money on you?】 I was supposed to resent Louis. Resent him for going broke, for being poor, for not being able to give me a good life. But what about Louis? One day he was a golden boy, the next he was at the bottom of a pit. Mocked, humiliated, working grueling manual labor under the scorching sun, enduring the strange looks from everyone. And when he came home, he was met with the accusations of his pampered wife: “You’re a failure. So useless. You can’t even buy me a piece of jewelry. If I were you, I would have killed myself by now.” In the dead of night, Louis, when you stare at this damp, cracked ceiling, do you ever think about the man you were a year ago? Ambitious, brilliant, with the world at your feet? A bitter wind rattled the windowpane. On the bed, the man’s eyelashes trembled. I pressed my cheek to his palm, my tears soaking his wrist. “System, when is Louis finally going to ask for a divorce?” I couldn’t do this anymore. I didn’t want to hurt him again. This Christmas Eve was dark and bleak. The apple tasted of ashes. If he could just divorce me, he wouldn’t have to work himself to death, right? He wouldn’t have to juggle three jobs a day. He wouldn’t have to get hurt anymore. 【Divorce?】 the System said, its tone dripping with something that sounded almost like pity. 【Honey, he’s planning on loving you for the rest of his life.】

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My husband, who had been dead for seven years, suddenly came back to life. Not only did he bring back another woman, but he also wanted me to voluntarily give up my position as his wife. “Jade almost lost her eyes trying to save me. I’ve already promised to marry her. As long as you obediently sign the divorce papers, I can let you continue living in the house.” I was silent for a moment, then spoke calmly. “Actually, I’m already married to someone else.” My husband rolled his eyes: “Why so stubborn? Everyone knows you love me to the bone.” 1 But I was no longer the Lily of seven years ago. That girl who obeyed his every word, humbling herself to the point of losing dignity. “I have no need to lie to you. I really am married to someone else.” Julian looked at me with disdain and sneered: “Lily, stop acting. I’m not asking for your permission; I’m informing you. Whether you like it or not, I will marry Jade.” Jade tugged at his arm, her voice laced with innocence: “Julian, don’t argue with your sister. It’s just my bad fate. You should send me back.” She pretended to leave, but her hand still held Julian’s arm, her eyes looking at me with determination. Hearing this, Julian’s gaze softened instantly. “Jade, you said we’d be together forever.” “Don’t worry, Lily loves me to death. She listens to me the most. We will definitely get married.” Seven years passed, and Julian’s shamelessness had only worsened. Before I could speak, he glared at me threateningly: “You’ve enjoyed the title of Mrs. Sterling for seven years. It’s time to give way to Jade. She has suffered too much; I won’t allow you to bully her.” A mocking smile appeared on my lips: “I haven’t done anything. Don’t throw dirt on me.” Julian’s face darkened instantly. He looked at me expressionlessly: “Do you think you’re someone important? If it weren’t for the fact that you waited for me for seven years, I would have kicked you out of the Sterling house directly. Why would I waste words with you here?” Kick me out? He doesn’t have that chance. Also, why does he think I waited for him for seven years? The day he abandoned me, I stopped waiting. Seven years ago, I sat on the bed in my wedding dress, waiting for Julian to pick me up. But he ran away from the wedding. On the way, the car fell off a cliff. Only the driver survived. For seven years, everyone thought he was dead. I even chose his grave myself. Marrying into the Sterling family was something my father fought hard for. Julian could disregard the Vance family’s face, but I couldn’t. Besides, their family didn’t only have Julian as a man. In these seven years, I became a wife and a mother. If he hadn’t suddenly returned, I would have forgotten him long ago. Therefore, reuniting after many years, my heart was calm. “Julian, I’ll reiterate. We are no longer husband and wife.” “Legally, you are a deceased person.” “So whoever you want to marry has nothing to do with me.” 2 Julian sneered disdainfully: “You’re sensible. If you hadn’t pestered me to marry you back then, I wouldn’t have run to a foreign country and hidden for seven years.” I knew it. In the same car, even the driver could escape. How could he die? It turned out to be a golden cicada shedding its shell. He really hasn’t changed from beginning to end—selfish, arrogant, and irresponsible. When the news of Julian’s death came, his mother fainted on the spot and fell ill, almost following her son. Julian’s words were overheard by the butler who rushed over. “Young Master, please don’t say that.” “She is now the wife of the Sterling Group’s CEO.” “CEO’s wife?” Jade rolled her eyes and asked seemingly casually: “Julian, didn’t you say your grandfather would only pass the CEO position to you?” Julian froze for a moment, then looked at me indifferently. “My father only has me as a son. Who else besides me is qualified to inherit the CEO position?” I stared at Julian calmly. Did he leave his brain behind when he went abroad? Does he know how stupid his words sound? The butler wiped sweat from his forehead in fear: “Young Master, what nonsense are you talking about?” “Madam is married to the Third Master. The Third Master is now the CEO of the Sterling Group. Did you forget? Your Uncle Ethan.” Back when Julian ran away from the wedding, I stood blankly on the street, surrounded by spectators. It was then that Ethan Sterling stepped forward. He said he was willing to marry me. At that time, I was lost and helpless. Everyone knew I was getting married that day, but the groom died on the way. Jinx, bad luck, ominous—these words nailed me to the pillar of shame. Suddenly someone said he was willing to marry me, proving to the world that I wasn’t what they said. He would save the Vance family’s face and take me out of the predicament. Why wouldn’t I marry him? Ethan hadn’t planned to attend his nephew’s wedding, but had to return due to the old man, yet unexpectedly married me. Julian looked at me with ridicule: “Everyone knows my Uncle Ethan is not interested in women; he only cares about his career. He wouldn’t even look at a simp like Lily.” Ethan is a famous business wizard in the capital. Half of the Sterling family’s assets belong to him personally. He is like an ancestor in the Sterling family. I still don’t understand why he married me. There were too many girls prettier and gentler than me. The butler was still persuading: “Young Master, it’s true. You can check the news online, or ask the family if you don’t believe it.” Julian scoffed disdainfully. He casually pointed to a gardener, then asked the nanny. Both gave the same answer. Julian’s face couldn’t hold it anymore. He looked at me coldly: “Good job, Lily. You really have methods. I’ve only been gone for a few years, and you’ve subdued everyone in the family to lie to me together.” I looked calm, not wanting to argue with him. I married Ethan. This is an undeniable fact. Whether Julian believes it or not doesn’t matter to me. He grew up spoiled. The butler, afraid he would continue to pester, immediately sent someone to call Ethan: “Call Third Master’s secretary quickly and ask Third Master to come back.” Ethan had an aviation project to discuss today, so he went to the company early. The old man and Julian’s mother were not at home either. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be his turn to be presumptuous with me. During the standoff, Leo suddenly ran in. “Mom, why didn’t you come back to play with me?” 3 Seeing Leo, Julian was furious, eyes wide with rage. No other reason, Leo was a miniature version of me, just a boy. Julian’s gaze moved back and forth between me and the child. After a long time, he raised a trembling hand and pointed at me: “You dared to betray me and even have a bastard child.” “Say it, whose bastard is this?” Leo inherited Ethan’s personality. Although he didn’t quite understand the word, he knew it wasn’t good. He stroked his chin and said like a little adult: “Who are you calling a bastard? My dad said a dirty mouth deserves a beating.” Leo is six years old. Almost everyone in the family knows him, but he hasn’t met Julian. Julian immediately scolded him: “Little bastard, you dare talk back.” Hearing this, I got angry. My precious son, born after ten months of pregnancy, what right does he have to call him a bastard? “Julian, clean your mouth, or don’t blame me for being rude.” Jade’s face was full of gloating. “This kid looks like he should be in elementary school, right? Did you get pregnant before marrying Julian?” These words were vicious. Hearing this, the look Julian gave me was murderous. The most unacceptable thing for a man is his wife cheating. Especially a woman who claimed to love him. I said calmly: “The child is six.” “Lily, you promiscuous woman. I’ve only been gone for seven years, and you have a child with someone else. Have you no shame?” Only gone for seven years? We only knew each other for a few years, and he left for seven. Besides, he abandoned me first. The butler hurriedly explained: “Young Master, this is your Uncle Ethan’s child.” Julian exploded: “Shut up, you ungrateful thing. Where are my parents? Who allowed her to be so arrogant? Cheating and still self-righteous.” “Everyone in the Sterling family knows about this.” When Julian ran away, his parents felt guilty, so they didn’t oppose Ethan marrying me. Hearing this, Julian was completely enraged. His gaze swept around like a knife, “Who is the wild man? Daring to cuckold the Sterling family, is he tired of living?” No matter how he looked, he couldn’t find a suspect. I laughed sarcastically. Jade, with a tone of “for my own good,” advised me: “Sister, just confess yourself. Otherwise, if you provoke Julian, I can’t help you.” I rolled my eyes at her, “Stop pretending, you thousand-year-old fox.” Before I could react, I was slapped by Julian. “Shut up.” “You cheated, shameless, and still have the face to lecture Jade.” I wasn’t prepared for his sudden attack, and my cheek swelled up instantly. Seeing me beaten, Leo charged at Julian like a little calf. “Dare to hit my mom, I’ll beat you to death.” “Leo!” 4 Julian grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. My heart pounded: “Julian, let go of the child.” The servants also rushed up to grab the child: “Young Master, put the child down quickly.” “Otherwise, Third Master won’t let this go.” Everyone in the Sterling family knew Leo was Ethan’s lifeblood, usually doted on immensely. But Julian sneered: “If you don’t want to be fired, get lost. I must teach them a lesson today.” My heart tightened: “Julian, what are you doing?” His face was cold, and the atmosphere around him instantly became chilly: “Legally, you cheated during marriage and had a child. I can demand you leave with nothing and compensate for my losses.” But the problem is we never got married. My hands trembled with anger: “Julian, we didn’t get married, where does cheating come from?” “Put the child down!” Leo’s legs dangled, kicking constantly, but he wasn’t scared. Intimidated by Julian’s threat, no one stepped forward. Only advised him lightly. But Julian turned a deaf ear. He glanced at me meaningfully: “After I teach this bastard a lesson, I’ll deal with you personally.” After saying that, he carried Leo and walked out. People around looked at each other, but no one dared to stop him. In the end, it was the butler who blocked Julian. His face darkened instantly: “What? You dare to block me?” The butler wiped his sweat repeatedly, still respectfully saying: “Young Master, talk nicely, don’t be impulsive, release the Young Master quickly.” Taking this opportunity, I hurried to grab the child, but was pulled by Jade. She smiled smugly: “Sister, what are you doing? Don’t seek death.” I slapped her face, “If anything happens to my son, I will make you two regret being born.” Jade took the opportunity to hit the vase next to her, bleeding from her head. Julian’s eyes turned red, venting all his anger on Leo: “You dare touch Jade, see if I don’t beat this bastard to death.” He lifted Leo to throw him on the ground. My heart stopped for a moment. Instinctively pounced over, “Leo!” Seeing Julian go crazy, Leo was just a child after all, crying loudly in fear. Julian shouted at me: “Get lost, I’ll settle accounts with you later.” I hugged the child tightly, not letting go no matter how he pulled. Julian finally lost patience; he kicked me in the chest. I immediately felt breathless. The butler and others came up to pull him, all shaken off by him. “Young Master, stop quickly, that’s your Aunt.” Julian’s leg was hugged by him, and he wanted to kick me again. Just then, A cool and indifferent voice sounded from the door. “What is going on here?” “You’d better give me a reasonable explanation.”

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My boyfriend came home late from working overtime. While tidying up his clothes, I accidentally discovered a proposal document. The title on the cover of the proposal was blinding. “How to PUA Your Girlfriend and Make Her Willingly Become the Other Woman”. But my boyfriend forgot that I am a medical student. One of my senior peers once made it onto the news. She stabbed her cheating scumbag of a boyfriend over 20 times, each stab missing vital organs, ultimately causing him only minor injuries. 1 The thin sheets of paper in my hand felt heavy, weighing me down until my fingers cramped and my breath stopped. I flipped through the pages with trembling hands until I reached the end. My gaze finally fixed on the end of the document. There was a pink lipstick mark there. Beside the lipstick mark was a line of elegant script. [Pregnant women are so ugly. Thanks, Sloane Vance, for being my surrogate.] My fingers tightened instantly: “So that’s how it is. That’s how it is. No wonder Julian Sterling begged me to be a surrogate. “I thought this was a research project for the department. I never imagined it was for me to help carry his child with someone else!” I lowered my eyes, shifting my gaze to the right leg of my pants. The shape of the right trouser leg was a bit bulging. Inside was a prosthetic limb. This leg was broken to save Julian back then. My heart throbbed with pain. I clutched my chest and leaned against the wall. 2 Julian and I met in medical school. Calculating, we have been together for more than ten years. He is the youngest attending physician in the hospital. When mentioning him, no one fails to praise him, calling him “young and promising”. But his title of attending physician should have been mine. If not for the car accident to save him that day. How could I have become disabled? To the extent that he replaced me in the recommendation quota for professional title promotion. But now, he demeans me to the dust. Treating me as a reproductive robot! 3 I tore the paper to shreds and turned my head to look at a closed door inside the house. On the first day moving into the new house. Julian forcibly demanded an empty room. And repeatedly requested that I must not enter this room. If it were before. Out of respect for men, I certainly wouldn’t intrude. But now, hehe… Red-eyed, I burst into the room. 4 The air in the room was turbid, with a smell similar to heather flowers. My brows knitted tightly as I turned on the light. The moment the light came on, photos covering the entire wall came into view. I stared blankly at the girl with a brilliant smile on the white wall. That was a woman who looked five or six parts like me. I recognize her… She is Bella Chen, a resident physician who just transferred here the year before last. My gaze continued to move. I suddenly discovered that the photos on the photo wall were patterned. It clearly recorded the whole process of the woman from childishness, to immaturity, and finally to maturity. “I became a substitute?” My whole body trembled uncontrollably. I, Sloane Vance, loved Julian miserably, but not to the extent of being shameless enough to become someone else’s substitute! Holding back my anger, I scanned the surroundings and suddenly noticed a yellowed diary on the table. The style of the diary was a bit old. It looked quite old. As if possessed, I opened that diary. 5 [January 1, 2014 Sunny. I met someone in university today. A woman who made my heart palpitate. I stepped forward in large strides, only to discover with disappointment. This woman was not Bella Chen, but another woman who looked a bit like her. Her name is Sloane Vance.] A ticking sound came to my ears. I knew it was the sound of my heart bleeding. I continued reading with a wooden face. [January 2, 2014 Rainy day. Miss, really miss Bella Chen so much. I really want to possess her, make her Julian Sterling’s exclusive item! It’s a pity Bella is not in our school. Forget it, I plan to capture that woman named Sloane Vance. I will vent all my love for Bella Chen onto her! After all, if I really get Bella, I wouldn’t bear to see her get hurt.] [February 1, 2014 Sunny. After one month of inquiry. I know the general information about Sloane. She has no father, or rather— She is a test-tube baby! Good, very good. I probably know this woman’s weakness. She lacks love…] [February 14, 2014 Sunny. I found some people from society to block Sloane forcefully. Although the process was a bit tortuous, I could clearly feel. The way the woman looked at me became different. Hahaha, sure enough, the plot of a hero saving a beauty has been an excellent routine since ancient times.] My fingertips holding the paper trembled slightly. I will never forget Valentine’s Day in 2014. Because it was on that day. I was dragged into a small woods by someone and almost lost my virginity. Never imagined. This nightmare that makes me dream back at midnight turned out to be Julian’s handiwork! I took a deep breath and continued flip the pages masochistically. [March 1, 2014 Rainy day. I succeeded. I successfully conquered Sloane. The taste of this woman is delicious. It’s a pity she’s like a log in bed, with no expression. Sure enough, she is just a substitute after all. She is far inferior to Bella. Bella is so sunny, so cute, so positive and upward. Completely two extremes with this wooden beauty Sloane! Sigh, if not for Sloane looking extremely like Bella. And I missed Bella too much. Even if this kind of woman delivered herself to the door. I wouldn’t touch her! Moreover, there is one thing about Sloane that disgusts me very much, that is, she was touched by those hooligans. Although I saw blood on the sheets. But I still feel she is very dirty…] [March 4, 2014 Rainy day. I shared Sloane’s photos with the brothers in the same dorm. They all envied me, saying I am a master of love affairs. Even a cold and aloof woman like Sloane can be obtained. With bursting vanity, I smiled disdainfully. I said Sloane just has a good figure. But playing for a long time is actually quite boring. Her expression in bed is even more stiff as hell. I showed her pleasure photos to the roommates for a browse. They all agreed with me, saying it is indeed so.] [March 5, 2014 Sunny I got up very early today. But none of my roommates got up. I naturally know why. A bunch of losers, only dare to face photos. Unlike me, I even got my hands on the real person. What’s good about Sloane? I crook my finger and she will crawl towards me on her own.] I dared not read the subsequent connecting content. With trembling hands, I flipped the diary directly to the last few pages. [March 30, 2024 Sunny. Good news. Bella actually transferred to our hospital! I thought the secret crush in youth would never see the light of day, didn’t expect extreme misfortune turns into good luck! Regarding Bella. I used to be like a rat in the sewer, only daring to lurk in the dark to secretly record and shoot. Now having the opportunity to meet again. I must grasp it firmly! Speaking of which. So dangerous, really so dangerous. So dangerous that I never publicized my relationship with Sloane! Originally I was thinking about whether to make do with her. Now it seems. Sloane only deserves to be a bed partner!] [April 5, 2024 Sunny. Under my tireless efforts. Bella and I “treated each other with sincerity” in the equipment room. She told me. Her mother committed suicide. Her father drowned his sorrows in alcohol all day for this, not returning home all year round. She longs for a new family, but doesn’t want to give birth to children. Because after giving birth, the stomach will have stretch marks, so ugly. Hearing her say this. My head heated up, I replied to her immediately. We can do in vitro fertilization and let Sloane help us be a surrogate! Honestly speaking. After saying this sentence, I regretted it. Because I was afraid Bella would disdain me. After all, I found a substitute. But didn’t expect her eyes to shine, applauding and cheering. Sure enough, my first love is gentle.] Teeth broke the oral cavity, the taste buds senselessly tasted a bit of bloody sweetness. April 5th was the day my leg was broken. Didn’t expect Julian would be so impatient! My eyes trembling, twisted the last page and opened it. [April 5, 2025 Sunny. Bella started urging. After all, a year has passed. She urges me to quickly let Sloane agree to surrogacy. It’s not that I didn’t PUA Sloane. But this woman has a terribly stubborn temperament! Really, what is there to be pretentious about. The current Sloane is just a cripple. Except for me, who else would want her?] I looked at the fresh handwriting, closed the diary dejectedly, just about to put it down. A photo slipped out from within. I squatted down and looked closely. The content above was blinding. That was exactly the photo of Julian and Bella “treating each other with sincerity”… Just then. I accidentally discovered something seemed to be padded under the table leg. I took out all those things and found it was a stack of photos. And these photos were all photos with my “stiff” expressions! A string seemed to break in my brain. “Julian Sterling, what right do you have to humiliate me like this!” My eyes were red as if bleeding, I strode towards the bedroom.

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The day my husband brought his assistant to her OB-GYN appointment, his eighteen-year-old self had me pinned against the wall, kissing me senseless. “How are you still so sweet, so damn kissable at thirty, baby? I love you so much.” He pulled back for a breath, his eyes sparkling. “Speaking of which, where’s the thirty-year-old me? Why isn’t he here to pick you up from work?” I sighed, gently pushing him away just as my thirty-year-old husband, Jackson, fixed his cold, hard gaze on me from across the hall. “Already got yourself a boy toy, have we? And you still can’t bear to sign the divorce papers?” He sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “Seraphina, you’re more pathetic than I thought.” As I watched him wrap an arm around his young assistant and walk away, the eighteen-year-old Jack started thrashing in my arms again. “Who does that asshole think he is, talking to my wife like that?” he fumed. “I swear, I’ll bite my tongue off and make him disappear from existence!” 1 The eighteen-year-old Jackson was just as I remembered him: proud, possessive, and nearly impossible to calm down once he was worked up. It wasn’t until I pulled out the old Nintendo I’d kept tucked away in a drawer that he finally settled down, his eyes glued to the screen. I locked him in my office and went downstairs to grab us some dinner. I’d just stepped into the diner when a chilling voice sounded behind me. “Twenty-eight minutes.” I froze, turning to meet the icy stare of the thirty-year-old Jackson. “What are you still doing here? I thought you’d be with Penelope.” He ignored my question, his eyes scanning me with a cold appraisal. “Don’t play dumb. You were in your office with that kid, alone, for a full twenty-eight minutes.” He practically spat out the last few words. A cruel smirk played on his lips. “He looks young. Guess the kid doesn’t have much stamina, huh? At his age, I could go for at least forty minutes, easy.” It took a special kind of venomous wit to come up with a line like that. I shot him a weary look, not bothering to tell him that the “kid” was literally a younger version of himself. I turned back to the counter to order. “A spicy beef chili, no cilantro. A side of steamed greens and a mushroom omelet. And a slice of cherry pie.” Hearing my order, he let out another cold laugh from behind me. “Seraphina, that’s everything I like to eat. Not even trying to cater to your new boy toy’s tastes? Or is he just a temporary distraction, not a permanent replacement?” His barbed words were starting to get under my skin. “Jackson,” I said, my voice tight with frustration, “not everyone is like you, lining up a replacement before the marriage is even over.” That shut him up. He opened his mouth, a reflexive denial on his lips. “I told you, I’m not…” “You used my name to book her appointment. Don’t tell me that wasn’t deliberate.” I cut him off, my voice turning to ice as I picked up the takeout bags. “Congratulations. You’ve managed to disgust me yet again.” “I’ll agree to the divorce. See you at the courthouse next Monday. Don’t be late.” I didn’t wait for his reaction. I brushed past him and walked out of the diner. The moment I stepped outside, the bitter winter wind hit my tear-streaked face like a razor blade. As I fumbled blindly for a tissue, a warm cup was pressed into my hands. It was the hot chocolate I used to love as a teenager. “Silly girl,” a soft voice murmured. “Still so clueless. You’re crying from the cold and you didn’t even think to wear a coat.” Eighteen-year-old Jack gently wiped my tears, then shrugged off his own heavy coat and draped it over my shoulders. The familiar, comforting scent of pine and his body heat wrapped around me, and for a moment, I was completely lost in the past. 2 “So, you’re telling me that even though the thirty-year-old me got his dream of marrying you, he didn’t cherish you at all,” eighteen-year-old Jack said, his eyes wide with horror, a grain of rice still stuck to the corner of his mouth. “Not only did he knock up his assistant, but he’s been pushing you to get a divorce?!” He looked genuinely terrified. “How could I do something so stupid? Did I get swapped with an alien? Or maybe I was in a car crash and got amnesia, totally fried my brain?” I stared down into my coffee, slowly stirring it as a bitter smile touched my lips. “No. There was no accident. You’re perfectly healthy.” “We got married right after graduation,” I continued, my voice hollow. “Things were perfect at first. We were inseparable, just as in love as we’d been for the past decade. But everything changed when Penelope showed up.” Penelope was hired five years into Jackson’s company. It was also the year we hit our seventh anniversary, the infamous seven-year itch. I was on the cusp of a promotion to become the youngest attending physician at the hospital, and Jackson’s business was exploding. The corporate dinners became endless, the meetings ran late into the night. After I turned down his requests to accompany him to a few events, he blew up at me for the first time. “Everyone else has their partner with them, and I’m the only one who looks like a lonely bachelor, even though I’m married!” he had yelled. “My partners are starting to mock me, asking if I’m whipped or if I’m just not making enough money to convince my own wife to support my career!” It was the first time he’d ever spoken to me that way. I was stunned, hurt. He had always treated me like a princess, never raising his voice. But even though I loved him, I couldn’t abandon the medical career I had spent more than a decade building. Neither of us would apologize, and so began the cold war. He moved out of our home and into a luxury penthouse overlooking the river, closer to his office. In a year, I could count the number of times he came home on one hand. Once, on his birthday, I missed him so much that I went to his penthouse unannounced. When I knocked, the door was opened by Penelope, wearing nothing but a slinky slip dress. “Mr. Archer had a bit too much to drink tonight,” she said, looking down shyly. A constellation of faint red marks bloomed on her neck, just visible beneath her hair. “He’s not really available for guests.” She didn’t seem to recognize me. “Can I take a message? I’ll pass it along when he wakes up.” I fought back the tears stinging my eyes and pushed the gift bag into her hands. “I’m Seraphina,” I said, each word a shard of glass. “Tell him to call me the second he wakes up. It’s important.” Penelope nodded sweetly, wished me a good night, and closed the door. I waited for two weeks. He never called. Hearing this, eighteen-year-old Jack slammed a glass on the table, shattering it. “That’s impossible! I would never cheat on you with another woman! It’s not true! There has to be a misunderstanding!” I wiped a tear from my cheek and shook my head silently. No one wished it was a misunderstanding more than I did. But soon after, Penelope got pregnant. Jackson doted on her, both in public and in private. He even brought her to my hospital for a check-up. No matter how much I tried to lie to myself, I couldn’t deny the truth anymore. The eighteen-year-old Jack was clearly having an even harder time accepting it than I was. He chugged down glass after glass of whiskey, curling up on the sofa like a wounded puppy, his face wet with tears. “How could I, Sera? How could I ever hurt you…?” he sobbed. I sighed and draped a blanket over him. Before I could straighten up, the front door opened. I turned, and my eyes met the gaze of the thirty-year-old Jackson. 3 “Seraphina, you just keep surprising me, don’t you?” Seeing me hovering over the younger Jack, my husband’s face contorted into a mask of fury I’d never seen before. “Messing around in your office wasn’t enough? You had to bring him into our home?” His voice rose, cracking with an emotion I couldn’t place. “So inseparable. No wonder you’re in such a hurry to divorce me.” The raw volume of his voice made me flinch. “Keep it down,” I whispered, glancing at the sleeping figure on the couch. “You’ll wake him.” Given the boy’s explosive temper, the last thing I needed was a confrontation between the two of them. I was just trying to avoid more drama, but in Jackson’s ears, my words sounded like something else entirely. He let out a choked, bitter laugh. A glint of moisture appeared in his eyes. “Do I need to remind you, Seraphina, that this is our home? You’re telling me to be quiet in my own house for the sake of your little homewrecker? What do you take me for?” Seeing the boy on the couch begin to stir, I acted on instinct. I grabbed Jackson’s hand and pulled him toward the door. “Not here. Let’s go. We can talk at the coffee shop downstairs.” I held his hand tightly, afraid he would pull away. But he didn’t. Instead, his fingers instinctively curled around mine. He didn’t let go, not even as we stepped out of the elevator. I felt a pang of awkwardness and tried to gently pull my hand back, but he only tightened his grip. “What’s the matter? He can touch you, but I can’t?” he said, his voice laced with acid. “You had no problem betraying me, Seraphina, but you’re saving your fidelity for him?” I couldn’t stand his sarcasm. I ripped my hand from his grasp. “Don’t you dare project your own filthy behavior onto me. Especially when you’re the one who isn’t clean!” He stumbled back a step, a wounded look flashing across his face. Before he could say anything else, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, his expression shifting, and turned away to answer it. I didn’t need to guess. It was Penelope. I tried not to listen, but in the dead quiet of the late-night courtyard, his voice carried clearly. “What’s wrong? … You’re bleeding?! Okay, don’t cry, just lie down on the sofa and stay still. I’m on my way!” He hung up and started to leave, but after a few paces, he spun around, grabbed my arm, and started pulling me with him. “You’re coming with me!” Caught off guard, I stumbled along, trying and failing to break free. “Jackson, are you insane? Why would I go with you?” “Because you’re the best damn OB-GYN at Metropolitan General! The youngest attending physician they’ve ever had!” He forced me into his Maybach, strapping the seatbelt across me himself. “It’s a life-or-death situation, Seraphina. You wouldn’t want to violate your Hippocratic Oath, would you?” As the car sped off, all I could think was that I would rather be in a car crash than deliver my husband’s mistress’s baby. The Maybach didn’t head toward his penthouse, but to a chic apartment building in the next district. After a moment of surprise, I understood. With his company about to go public, he couldn’t risk a scandal. His little mistress would have to be kept hidden away for now. As I suspected, from the moment we parked to navigating the elevator to the correct apartment number, Jackson moved with a fluid ease that spoke of countless previous visits. He even pulled out a key and unlocked the door himself, rushing inside. A moment later, a soft, coquettish voice drifted out. “Jax, you’re finally here! I was so scared…”

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