Category: English

I used my entire year-end bonus to treat my whole family to a ten-day trip to Iceland. The night before we were set to leave, my younger brother suddenly said to me: “Sarah, my girlfriend says it’s inappropriate for you to go on a trip with me. No boundaries.” “So… maybe you shouldn’t come.” I went to my parents, hoping they would speak some sense into him. Instead, they told me to give up my spot to my future sister-in-law for the sake of my brother’s marriage prospects. I smiled and agreed, happily seeing them off at the airport. Then, I immediately called the travel agency and canceled all the bookings and return flights. Later, lying in my newly bought condo, blasting the AC and eating ice cream in my camisole, I couldn’t help but wonder. With empty pockets and no heavy winter coats… How much fun were they having in Reykjavik, where the temperature just dropped to -22°F? 1 The night before our departure, my brother, Kevin, suddenly dropped a bomb. “Sis, don’t you think it’s a bit inconsiderate for the four of us to go on this trip without thinking about my girlfriend’s feelings?” Kevin’s new girlfriend, Bella, was arrogant and rude. I always felt she had it out for me. But to save Kevin from embarrassment, I kept my tone light. “It was an oversight. Next time we’ll invite her, and I’ll cover the cost!” Kevin’s brows furrowed even tighter. After hesitating for ages, he spoke again. “Sis, what I mean is… maybe you shouldn’t go this time?” He looked dead serious. Not joking. I was baffled. “We’ve been planning this trip for a whole year. You’re going to cancel it just because she’s unhappy?” “Just because she’s upset, the whole family stays home?” Kevin let out a long sigh, as if he’d finally made a tough decision. He enunciated every word. “Sis, the family isn’t staying home. Just you.” “Give your spot to Bella.” “You have money anyway. Just go next year!” “Or, you know, book yourself another tour!” 2 I couldn’t believe these words were coming out of my own brother’s mouth. Seeing me stunned, he continued. “Sis, you can’t blame me!” “Bella says traveling is a very intimate thing!” “We’re opposite genders. It shows a lack of boundaries!” “I thought about it, and she has a point.” “We’re both in our twenties! Traveling together, eating and living together 24/7!” “It’s easy for people to misunderstand! It makes you look… loose!” “I don’t want to upset Bella, and I don’t want to ruin your reputation!” I kicked over the suitcase I had just packed and pointed a shaking finger at him. “Kevin, we are siblings! From the same mother! What boundaries are you talking about?” “You live in the house I bought every single day. Why didn’t you talk about boundaries then?” “Why didn’t you move out to keep your distance?” “Misunderstand? What kind of brain-dead moron would misunderstand?” “Only your brain-dead girlfriend has such a dirty mind to think of something so disgusting!” Hearing me insult his girlfriend, Kevin, who was usually a pushover, flared up. “Sarah, I won’t let you talk about Bella like that! Don’t make me turn on you!” He started muttering nasty things under his breath. “You’re this old and still single. Can’t blame people for thinking weird things!” “If you had a boyfriend, the six of us could go, and there wouldn’t be any issues!” No matter how good my temper was, I couldn’t hold back the rage burning in my chest. “Kevin, I’m your sister!” “It’s not that I haven’t had boyfriends. But they dumped me because I was too busy taking care of you!” “And now you’re siding with an outsider to insult me? Are you even a man?” Just then, the noise woke up my dad. He pushed open his door. “What are you two arguing about?” “Go to sleep. We leave early tomorrow.” Full of grievances, I explained everything, hoping my dad would be the voice of reason. 3 To my shock, Dad pondered for a moment and said slowly: “There’s actually some logic to it. Daughters should avoid fathers and brothers when they grow up. Your brother’s marriage is the priority!” “Why don’t you just make a sacrifice? Give your spot to your future sister-in-law.” “It’s a good chance for our family to bond with her.” My eyes widened, voice trembling. “Dad, I know you’ve always favored Kevin.” “But this is bullying!” “I paid for this trip! I invited you!” “And now I’m the one getting kicked out for a stranger?” “Aren’t you afraid people will laugh at us if word gets out?” I rarely talked back to Dad. He was stunned for a moment before reacting. “Watch your mouth! What stranger?” “She’s going to marry into the family. She’s one of us!” “Do you know how hard it is to find a wife these days? Your brother doesn’t have a degree or a great job.” “Bella is pretty, has a good job, and comes from a good family.” “If a girl like that wants your brother, we should be thanking our lucky stars!” I laughed in anger. “So because he’s incompetent, I have to pay for it?” “I paid the money. Why can’t I go?” Dad slammed his water cup on the table, splashing tea everywhere. “Money, money, money! That’s all you talk about!” “So you make a few bucks? Think you run this house now?” “If it’s just about money, tell me how much the trip cost. I’ll pay you back!” 4 I pulled out all the receipts and opened the calculator app. “$12,500 total! I’ll knock off the extra. Just give me $12,000!” Dad snatched the receipts, checking them over and over, muttering. “This expensive? You trying to scam me?” At this point, he still suspected me of faking the accounts. I smiled bitterly, tired of arguing. “I booked the best tour so you guys would be comfortable. Of course it’s expensive.” “If you’re done checking, Venmo me.” Kevin sneered from the side. “Sis, you’re so petty.” “It’s just a little money, and you’re asking Dad for it? The family raised you for nothing!” I pulled up my QR code and shoved it in his face. “If you’re so filial, why don’t you pay the $12k for Dad?” Just then, Mom walked out of the bedroom, wiping tears. “Kevin, that’s too much! I heard everything. How can you treat your sister like that?” “That girl hasn’t even married in yet, and she’s making you bully your family!” “If she actually marries you, what then?” She turned to Dad, disappointment written all over her face. “You’ve always favored the boy. I know your family is old-fashioned.” “But you can’t bully your daughter like this against your conscience!” In this house, only Mom would stand up for me at times like this. Tears welled up in my eyes instantly. Dad and Kevin looked down, silent, clearly in a silent standoff with Mom. Mom grabbed my hand, sobbing, and whispered: “Sarah, I’ll pay. Mom won’t let you suffer this injustice!” She started taking off the gold bracelet I bought her for her birthday last year. “Gold prices are up. I’ll sell this!” “And with my savings, it should be enough!” “Don’t be mad at your dad and brother. Those two… they’re hopeless.” “It’s Mom’s fault. I can’t protect you…” Her tears fell onto my hand. The anger in my heart softened instantly. “Forget it!” I sniffled, voice hoarse. “You guys go. I’ll pay!” I knew clearly that if I refused to compromise, Mom would suffer the most between Dad and Kevin. Plus, canceling now would just mean losing more money. The cancellation fees alone would cost as much as two tickets. Whatever. The Blue Lagoon, the Northern Lights… Those dreams would have to wait. After this scene, I truly had zero desire to travel with them. I turned to go to my room. Kevin called out suddenly: “Sis…” I stopped, thinking he was going to apologize. I was about to say “Don’t bother.” Instead, he said: “Remember to call the agency and change the name on the booking to Bella.” I was truly delusional to expect better. I laughed bitterly and went into my room. In Kevin and Dad’s eyes, was an outsider really more important than their own flesh and blood? At least I still had Mom. At least someone loved me. I picked up the iPad, wanting to look at the itinerary one last time. I had spent countless nights planning this trip. When the screen lit up, I realized Mom’s WeChat was still logged in. She must have forgotten to log out. I was about to log out for her when a group chat name caught my eye.

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Caleb Sterling was the untamable bad boy of our vineyard town. And I was his shadow, his unlucky sidekick. He joyrode tractors; I took the blame. He stole wine; I did the time. I thought I could stay by his side forever, until he set his sights on Summer, the town sweetheart. He even begged me to help him win her over. Heartbroken, I agreed. After delivering ninety-nine love letters on his behalf, Summer packed her bag and looked at me with pity. “This is pointless. Let’s run away together.” Seven years later, inside a 7-Eleven in LA, Caleb—now a Hollywood A-lister—cornered Summer. “Where is my wifey? “Where the hell did you hide my wifey?” 1. My heart was in my throat. Caleb Sterling, the biggest star in Hollywood, was sitting right behind me. If he looked up, he would see me. I gripped the stepladder, stealing a glance backward. Luckily, he was getting chewed out. His agent tapped the table, frustration evident in his voice. “Caleb, I’m begging you. Just take the role!” Caleb pushed the script away, his face cold. “I don’t do queer romance.” The agent sighed. “What’s wrong with the genre? It’s huge right now! Director Miller’s son is fighting for this role, and he doesn’t even have a shot!” Caleb scoffed. “Let him have it.” He took off his cap and mask, leaning back with that familiar, arrogant slouch. For a second, I was back in the vineyard. Eighteen-year-old Caleb stood before me, smiling that wicked smile, calling out, “Fisher.” The argument behind me continued. I shook my head, not wanting to hear anymore. As I climbed down the ladder, the agent went silent, leaving only Caleb’s icy voice: “I’m not into guys. Stop disgusting me.” My knees went weak. I almost slipped. So, that was still what he thought. I grabbed the ladder, ready to retreat to the stockroom, when my coworker walked in and shouted: “Hey Fisher! Shift change!” 2. The entire convenience store went dead silent. I didn’t hesitate. I ducked into the back room. Hopefully, he didn’t see me. Once my heart slowed down, I felt ridiculous. I was just a clerk at a gas station 7-Eleven. Why would he notice me? He was a star now. I felt a pang of jealousy. It had been seven years since Caleb and I parted ways. To say I hadn’t fantasized about a reunion would be a lie. But not anymore. First, I was a nobody. Second, when I left home, I took his childhood crush with me. To this day, Summer and I were still roommates. If Caleb knew that, he’d probably want to kill me. He was petty, vengeful, and held a grudge like no one else. I didn’t want to be tortured by him again. My phone buzzed in my pocket. “Fisher, did you stock the jalapeño sauce?” It was a text from Summer. My heart sank. Summer worked the front desk at the gym next door. She often came here for lunch. Before I could reply, I put on my mask and walked out. Caleb had sat up, his cap pulled low over his eyes. He didn’t seem interested in anyone else. I reached the counter. My coworker looked at me, surprised. “You okay? You look pale.” “Just a cold,” I lied, coughing fakey. Summer was waving a packet of jalapeño sauce at me from the condiment station. “Found it! Hubby!” “If you’re sick, go home and rest!” My coworker chuckled. “Fisher, you’re a lucky guy. Your girlfriend is pretty and sweet.” I waved my hand awkwardly and went to help Summer with her nachos. Summer had been the town beauty since we were kids. In LA, she was stunning. But beauty for a poor girl was a magnet for trouble. To avoid creeps, she used me as a shield. I was gay anyway. It didn’t bother me. I handed her the nachos. “Make another order,” my coworker said. “The customer in the seating area wants some.” She pointed to the back, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “The guy in the hat… he looks like that actor, Caleb Sterling!” “The guy ordering must be his agent. Even he looks classy.” Summer stood on her tiptoes, excited. “Tall and lean. He looks so gentle.” I almost dropped the jalapeños into the cheese. Gentle? Caleb? God, Summer, you really forgot your roots! Caleb Sterling was the vineyard’s resident tyrant. Joyriding tractors, stealing wine, skipping school. Because his family owned the biggest winery in the valley, no one dared to touch him. Whenever his grandfather, Old Man Sterling, caught wind of trouble, Caleb pinned it on me. Who asked me to be his unlucky sidekick? My parents worked for the Sterlings. We lived on their land. Ruining my reputation was a small price to pay for job security. Caleb never felt guilty. Instead, whenever he got hurt doing something stupid, I was the first person he called. He’d act pathetic, making me bandage him up and coax him to sleep. He hated mosquitoes, so he even stole my handmade lavender sachet. I sighed, my chest aching. “I’ve never seen a celebrity in real life,” Summer said, staring. My coworker winked and handed her the tray. “Here’s your chance to deliver it. You’re welcome!” I panicked. I wanted to stop her, but it was too late. Summer was already walking over, tray in hand. 3. “Summer…” I followed nervously. “Fisher, relax,” my coworker whispered. “It’s just a delivery. Don’t be jealous.” “It’s just nachos,” I muttered, closing my eyes. I stopped at the end of the aisle. Summer had delivered the food. Caleb, mask still on, didn’t look up. His attention was solely on the nachos. The agent rolled his eyes. “You skipped Director Miller’s dinner for gas station nachos?” “Yeah. Not illegal, is it?” Caleb chuckled and pulled down his mask to eat. He was paler than before. His features were refined, softer. He looked genuinely sophisticated. Nothing like the hoodlum from the vineyard. I stared. Summer stared. “Hey, miss,” the agent said. “Do you need something?” Summer snapped out of it, embarrassed. “Sorry.” She turned to leave, but Caleb grabbed her wrist. “Wait.” 4. He recognized us. Cold sweat trickled down my back. Before Caleb could speak, the agent hissed, “Don’t grab people like that.” Caleb ignored him, his grip tightening on Summer’s arm. “Since when does 7-Eleven serve nachos with this specific jalapeño blend?” He looked up, his eyes cold, staring straight at Summer. “Sorry, I… I must have grabbed the wrong sauce,” Summer stammered, face red. Seeing things go south, I grabbed the other tray of nachos and rushed over. “Sorry, folks.” I forced myself to walk up to the table. “She’s just helping out. She’s new.” Summer looked at me, tears welling up. “Hubby, I’m sorry.” “Am I going to get you fired?” Caleb froze. He let go of her hand instantly. I pulled Summer behind me, whispering that it was okay. “I told you not to grab people,” the agent sighed. “Sorry about that, man.” I nodded, just wanting to get Summer out of there. Summer played along, practically sprinting for the door. Just as I thought we were safe, a shadow loomed over me. Caleb had grabbed Summer again. His face was dark. “You have a husband?” Summer was confused but nodded firmly. Caleb went silent. A flicker of genuine sadness crossed his eyes. I looked down, my heart a mess. He recognized Summer instantly. After all these years, he still couldn’t forget her. But the next second, Caleb roared: “Then where is Fisher?” Summer looked at me guiltily, then feigned ignorance. “You’re hurting me!” “I don’t know who you’re talking about!” It was lunch rush. The store was filling up. The agent rushed over. “Caleb! What are you doing?!” “Let go of her!” Caleb ignored him. He didn’t seem to hear anything. “Where is my wifey?” “Where the hell did you take my wifey?!” 5. Someone in the crowd recognized him. “Whoa! That’s Caleb Sterling!” “What is he doing here?” “He looks way crazier in person!” Phones came out. Cameras were shoved in his face. The agent lost it. “No photos! No photos!” He covered Caleb’s mouth with one hand and dragged him toward the exit with the other. “It’s a misunderstanding! No rumors!” The crowd dispersed, leaving Summer and me standing in the wreckage. “Damn,” my coworker whispered. “Does Caleb really have a thing for your girl?” “Why did he call her his wife?” Summer rolled her eyes. “Because he’s insane.” “I’ll get some ice,” I said, looking at her red wrist. “He has a grip like a vice,” my coworker noted. After icing her wrist, I took Summer to a nearby clinic. We didn’t speak the whole way. At the clinic door, Summer stopped me. “Fisher,” she said. “I think the person Caleb likes… is you.”

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Four years into the apocalypse, and I had just led the survivors to beat back the largest zombie horde in recorded history. My reward? Not gratitude. But a frantic, brutal rush—a swarm of human bodies fighting over the chance to violate me. The only reason? My bodily fluids could neutralize the zombie virus. When my husband carried me back, I wanted to bite through my own tongue. But then I heard him speaking with my mother. “Jake, are we sure we did the right thing, broadcasting Aurora’s ability like that? She’s been… ravaged. Doesn’t that feel monstrous?” Jake Porter stared at me, his eyes overflowing with a cheap, churning imitation of love. “Mom, Summer is pregnant with my child. If Aurora found out, she’d kill them both first thing. I won’t let that happen!” he hissed. “She’s dependent on us now. She won’t mind one more child joining the family. Don’t worry, even if she’s been used by every filth-ridden wretch out there, I will never abandon her. I’ll always be the husband to both sisters.” The words rattled my mind and soul. The raw, chilling truth: humanity was a far greater horror than the horde outside. My fingers brushed the fresh, gnarly bite mark on my wrist, and a searing, white-hot hatred surged through me. If this is how mankind repays me, then so be it. I will flatten this entire survivor settlement, and I will build a New World on the rubble—a kingdom for the infected. Let these beasts kneel and beg for mercy! 1. “Jake,” my mother, Carol, suggested, her voice laced with pain. “Aurora’s hurting so badly. Maybe let Summer give her a small blood donation? Just enough to help the wounds close faster.” “No!” Jake shook his head violently. “Summer is pregnant and struggling enough. We can’t ask her to bleed herself for a few minor injuries.” Carol was about to argue, her heart aching for me, but Jake cut her off, looking at me with a sickening expression of pride. “Aurora is a strong, brave woman. She can handle a little pain. And I know she wouldn’t want to take her own sister’s blood for a scratch.” He leaned in and gently kissed the back of my hand. “She’s always been so competitive, so jealous of Summer. This is just a small lesson.” The sheer disgust made me want to slap him across the face. But after three days and three nights of unspeakable horror, with what felt like a hundred bodies having used mine, I couldn’t even summon the strength to pull my hand away from his repulsive kiss. We were identical twins, Summer and I, cut from the same cloth, even sharing the same face. So why this chasm between us? A crushing, suffocating feeling washed over me. The heartache was so immense I thought I might simply die. I didn’t have Jake’s powerful lightning ability, but I was always the one on the front lines, fighting until I bled dry, killing every zombie I could find. I did it only to be worthy of him, to be the shield that protected our family. And while I risked my life in the blood and grime of the night, my own sister, Summer, was busy making herself comfortable. In every stolen moment, in every cozy night I missed, they were building a life together. They were having a child. My mother’s favoritism I could endure. But the man I had loved for ten years—my husband—was now my destroyer. All my sacrifice, all my power, meant nothing compared to the sweet, useless presence of Summer Reed. My tears broke the dam. My body, used and broken, gave way, and I lost control, wetting the bed beneath me. Carol saw my body spasm and rushed over, pulling me into a hug, crying herself. “Don’t be afraid, my daughter! Mama is here. I’m here for you.” Jake’s eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed his weapon and gritted his teeth. “Aurora, don’t you worry. I’m going to find every one of those bastards and slaughter them. I’ll atone for this for you!” But he just stood there, his feet rooted to the spot. I managed a bitter, hollow laugh. I had seen enough of their magnificent performance. “Forget it,” I whispered, my voice barely a rasp. Jake immediately rushed over, pressing his face close to mine and kissing my cheek with a practiced tenderness. “My love, you’re finally seeing reason. What happened… just treat it as a nightmare. It’s over now. Purity means nothing to me, Aurora. I love you. The person.” He wiped a tear from my eye. “Why are you crying? Don’t worry, your husband will always be by your side.” Only then did Carol notice the soaking wet sheets beneath me. She gasped. “Aurora, you wet the bed! Quick, we need to change you. Lying here like this is awful.” The sheer, burning humiliation made me want to smash my head into the wall and end it all. But I couldn’t. Not yet. I hadn’t had my vengeance. I closed my eyes in despair, submitting as Jake gently used a towel to wipe my body clean. Carol continued to sob softly. Jake’s eyes were full of a theatrical shame, and he couldn’t bear to look at the worst of my wounds. It was as if the pain in my body was a wound in his soul. Truly moving. Yet they were the ones who pushed me into the abyss. I watched their flawless act, realizing that the physical agony was less than one-thousandth of the pain in my heart. With a monumental effort, I reached down and touched my flat stomach. When I spoke, my voice was thick with an uncontrollable sob. “My baby. Mama couldn’t protect you.” 2. Jake stared at me in shock. “What? You were pregnant?” I gave a bitter nod. “A month along.” The irony was a cruel joke. The child Jake had longed for, finally conceived, was now lost—at his own hands. A flicker of remorse crossed his face, but it vanished instantly. He squeezed my hand and swore, “My love, I’m devastated about the baby, too. But you are my first priority. Get better, and we will have another one.” “Will we?” My smile was brittle, and I didn’t care what else he was saying. I closed my eyes, a single tear tracing a quick path down my temple. There would be no ‘later.’ My uterus had been destroyed by those beasts. In the apocalypse, supplies were precious. My mother brought me a rare, nutrient-rich broth to help me recover. If I hadn’t overheard their vile scheme, I would have broken down in grateful tears, drowning in the fake warmth of a happy family. It was all a lie. The last, fragile thread of my sanity snapped. I passed out on the bed. I was only woken later by the low murmur of Carol and Jake’s conversation. “Aurora is broken now. Why advertise that she’s still alive? I’m afraid those men will come back…” Jake’s eyes were suspiciously moist. “I’ve just established myself as the Settlement Leader, Mom, but there are still so many who question my authority. As long as this apocalypse rages, people will need Aurora. No one will dare challenge me as long as I hold your leash.” He paused, his voice softening with his disgusting self-justification. “Aurora loves me enough. She’ll understand.” I didn’t open my eyes until they had left. A line of bloody tears traced a path from the corner of my eye. My family was climbing to the top, standing on my ravaged body. My fellow survivors, desperate to live, had treated me like livestock, a thing to be abused. Was there no justice? Why did I have to be the one with this impossible, one-in-a-million healing ability? Why was I doomed to be sacrificed for the sake of everyone else? The whites of my eyes began to recede, the pupils quickly bleeding out into a dark, swirling ink. The distinctive eyes of the infected now held a terrifying, boundless hatred. I was going to get my justice. In the distance, the sickening shriek of a zombie could be heard. The infected who had fed on my flesh and blood were stirring. Humanity’s final 48 hours began. In 48 hours, the massive horde outside the city walls would surge in and level the settlement. I heard approaching footsteps and instantly flipped my eyes back to normal. A woman carrying a first-aid kit entered the room. My eyes welled up. “Bev. Aunt Bev, are you here to help me?” “Pfft! Don’t call me Auntie, you slut. Don’t you dare claim kinship with me.” Beverly ‘Bev’ Jenkins spat on the floor near my bed. “This is all your fault, you selfish bitch! You could have saved my husband, old man Leo, why didn’t you? You just stood there and watched him turn!” Her eyes were twin daggers. “This is what you deserve! You’re getting what’s coming to you! If Jake hadn’t forced me to come here and dress your wounds, I wouldn’t touch you. Who knows what kind of dirty diseases you picked up. You’re disgusting.” She glowered at me. “I suggest you hurry up and go to hell to beg for forgiveness from my Leo. Grovel to all the people you let die.” She murdered me a thousand times with her eyes. She forgot the truth: I built this entire settlement with my sweat and blood. Without me, it would have been a ruin long ago. They owed me their lives. I was a woman. My dignity would not allow me to save a life through such a dirty, dehumanizing method. Did I not deserve basic human rights? I could save them a thousand times, but if I refused just once, I deserved to die? I was choked with sobs. Humanity was rotten to the core. Jake finally arrived, offering a half-hearted, performative scolding to Bev, and that was that. He wiped the tears from my face and spoke in a gentle, coaxing voice. “It’s my fault. I should have come and dressed your wounds myself.” He sighed. “Bev always adored you, I never thought she’d say such things. She’s just grieving too much. You have to forgive her.” I was so angry I wanted to tear out his throat. A single, flimsy excuse, and he expected me to just forgive their sins? I spat out the tiny pieces of tooth I had crushed while biting down on my jaw. He leaned in, still acting the part of the devoted husband, gently cleaning my wounds. So convincing. A dull, heavy ache settled in my heart. “How… how did they know I could cure the virus, Jake? I never told anyone but you…” 3. Jake flinched, his hand unconsciously squeezing too hard. The movement sent a sharp jolt of agony through my already weak body. “Aurora, what you went through was agonizing, and it’s torturing me, too. But how can you accuse me? What kind of man would deliberately subject his wife to that?” He held my hands tightly. “Tell me who is spreading these lies. I’ll rip the tongue out of anyone who tries to turn you against me!” “Who are you planning to rip the tongue out of, Jake?” Summer’s sweet, bright voice chimed in from the doorway. She was peeking in, her face the very picture of pure innocence. Her unexpected arrival sent me into a panic. I scrambled to pull the blanket higher, trying to hide my naked, ravaged body. To be this exposed, this low, in front of the one person I loathed most made the shame unbearable. I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. Summer’s eyes welled up instantly. “Sister, why are you covering yourself? I’ve already seen everything.” She pranced closer, holding out a glass jar like a priceless gift. “Look what I brought you! Just one sip of my blood, and you’ll heal immediately.” Jake’s expression darkened. “Don’t be ridiculous! Summer, you’re pregnant, you can’t just hurt yourself like that.” Summer immediately pouted and burst into tears. “I’m only worried about my sister!” Jake immediately caved, sighing and wiping her tears away. “Oh, you silly girl. Aurora’s wounds are small. She doesn’t need your blood. She’ll be fine in a day or two.” He lowered his head and gently sucked the tiny pinprick wound on her finger, his brow furrowed with a depth of concern that felt entirely real. It was a small scratch. It would have healed on its own in minutes. Was Jake truly so blind he didn’t see her pathetic trick? Or was he simply tired of feigning devotion to my ‘used-up’ self? Because of that innocent, tear-stained face, I had taken the blame for every transgression since we were children. I had been grounded countless times because of her fake tears. My own twin, Summer Reed, was a master manipulator, a cruel, calculating liar. But no one ever believed me. “Sister, please drink it. It will help,” she urged. The intense enthusiasm in her eyes set off every warning bell in my head. Before I could object, she roughly forced the jar to my lips and poured the blood down my throat. The metallic stench hit me like a physical blow, and I retched violently. I tried to roll onto my side to throw up, but I was too weak and tumbled off the bed. “Jake, what’s wrong with her? Is it because I didn’t give her enough blood? Did I fail her?” Summer fretted, her beautiful brow creased with self-reproach. Jake gently smoothed the wrinkles from her forehead. “No, honey. Your blood has stabilized her. She just needs rest. Let’s go, we’ll leave her alone.” It was patently obvious who he truly cherished. I watched them leave with a strange, chilling sense of calm. But Summer abruptly reappeared. She saw me lying in the pile of filth and urine, and a malicious smile spread across her face. “Why so clumsy, Sister? Look at the mess. So gross.” She stepped closer. “Jake is really a fool, making a big deal out of a little wound. Anyone would think I was his wife.” She lowered her voice, her eyes burning with pure venom. “Do you think the baby that died in your belly—do you think it hates you? Hates the fact that its own mother’s body was violated by so many men… that it was killed by the filth they left behind?” My pupils shrank. My trembling finger pointed at her, my throat too dry to utter a single curse. The more agony she caused me, the happier she became. Summer burst into a triumphant, mocking laugh, but she wasn’t finished. “It was worth the effort of scooping up the blood that had been draining from your wounds that day. And you drank it. Was it tasty? Maybe some of your baby’s remains were in there.” She looked down at me, her chin tilted in victory. “Aurora Reed, we might be twins, but you will never win against me! Did you really believe he would stay with you, the damaged goods, for a lifetime? Keep dreaming, Sister! A whore is a whore. You’ll never be clean.” I realized that beyond the sharpest pain was only numb silence. I stared up at her, my gaze cold and still. Summer Reed. Wait until the news that your blood can instantly heal external wounds gets out. Let’s see if you can still laugh then. The mockery on my face infuriated her. She pulled a dagger from her waistband and walked toward me. “Bitch! I’m going to cut your eyes out!” I didn’t flinch. I watched her, utterly unafraid, seeing only a pathetic clown. But then, in a flash, she turned the blade, grabbed my hand, and plunged it into her own side. The next second, the door flew open, and Jake rushed in, his eyes wide with horror. “No!” 4. Summer’s body went limp, and she crumpled backward. Jake’s eyes were bloodshot. He lunged forward and cradled her in his arms. “What happened?” he demanded. Summer whimpered, “I… I just wanted to help clean my sister’s wounds… but she suddenly grabbed the knife and stabbed me. She said she wanted to blind me.” She shook her head tragically. “It’s my fault. I must have hurt her accidentally. Jake, please, quickly explain to Aurora. Tell her she’s mistaken about us. Don’t let her be angry over me. I’m not worth it.” My mother, Carol, heard the noise and rushed in. She didn’t hesitate. She hauled off and slapped me hard across the face. “You have such a tiny, vicious heart! What has Summer ever done to you? She was trying to help you, and you tried to stab her?!” Her eyes were blazing. “You’ve always hated it when Summer had something better than you. And now you’re blaming her for your own suffering! From this day forward, I have no daughter named Aurora!” She slapped me again with the back of her hand and stormed out, her face contorted with rage. Jake was focused on Summer’s midsection, protecting her belly. He glared at me, the hatred in his eyes practically lethal. “Let me be perfectly clear. Summer is carrying my child. If you so much as lay one finger on her again, we’re done. We’re getting a divorce! Who the hell would want a piece of trash like you after what you’ve been through?” My laugh was a wretched, broken sound. “What a magnificent act of charity, Jake. Should I spend the rest of my life groveling at your feet for not abandoning me yet?” He sneered. “If it weren’t for the fact that we’ve been married for ten years, I’d be sick just looking at you. You’re disgusting. You don’t even compare to the hair on Summer’s head.” Summer, leaning against Jake, lifted her chin in a triumphant, cat-like gaze. Jake, worried about her wound, scooped her up and rushed out. I lay there, counting the minutes until the three-hour mark. Jake came back unexpectedly. He was crying, falling to his knees beside my bed. “I’m sorry, Aurora. I was under so much pressure, I just couldn’t resist the temptation with Summer. I swear I know what I did was wrong. Please, forgive me.” I was busy listening to the frantic, rising screeches of the infected outside the window. I ignored him. Soon, I would get to watch them all be torn apart. Three. Two. One. The ear-splitting siren blared across the settlement. Panic broke out—a cacophony of human screams mingling with the savage zombie howls. I smiled, a dark, satisfied grin spreading across my face. Suddenly, I was hauled up and dragged to the top of the towering defense wall. Below, the massive zombie army was an overwhelming, terrifying sight. Jake tore my clothes off. He shrieked at the panicked survivors. “Aurora Reed is here! Everyone who’s been bitten—come now!” My body was seized with uncontrollable tremors. I flailed my arms, but I couldn’t stop the wolfish, desperate eyes from all sides. “Me first! I was bitten first, I get to go first!” “I was earlier! Me!” I was pinned down, my limbs restrained. I watched them climb onto me, one after the other. Around the wall, rows of people knelt, begging me to save them. The irony was breathtaking. Humanity was drinking my blood and feeding on my flesh, yet they knelt and screamed my name like I was their savior. The zombies began to scale the wall, and the situation devolved into chaos. Then, a pair of hands shoved me hard. “Die—!” My body plummeted. I closed my eyes, a sense of bitter dissatisfaction flooding me. I couldn’t die until I saw their final fate. Then, a pair of arms caught me.

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I was born chill. When my younger siblings fought over milk, I sat calmly on the side. Live or die, whatever. When we grew up, my sister snatched the “better” marriage proposal first, leaving me to marry the allegedly bankrupt heir, Adrian Sterling. I nodded. “Okay.” Marriage is marriage. As long as he’s human, I’m good. Later, Adrian staged a comeback and became the richest man in the city, the envy of everyone. My sister came to me, hoping to swap husbands so she could be Mrs. Sterling. Just as I was about to nod and agree, Adrian stepped forward and covered my mouth. “That’s not happening.” Me: “It could happen.” Adrian: “It really, really can’t.” 1 From the moment I can remember, I never fought for anything. When we were kids, if my brother and sister brawled over the last bottle of juice, I just watched. It wasn’t that I didn’t want it. I just felt that getting it was fine, and not getting it was also fine. It’s just juice. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Mom always said I had no temper. Dad said my “go with the flow” attitude was heartbreaking. But they soon realized my personality was actually quite convenient. Since I didn’t fight for anything, they could just give the best stuff to my siblings. Gradually, “heartbreaking” became “matter of course.” The best room went to my sister, Bella, because “girls need to be pampered.” The expensive private tutors went to my brother, because “boys need to succeed.” As for me, Jane, I got the smallest north-facing room and went to public school. “Jane is the most sensible. She won’t mind,” Mom said every time. I really didn’t mind. I didn’t take it to heart at all. At twenty-three, I graduated and got a clerical job at a standard company with an average salary. My life was ripple-free. Bella, two years younger, had just returned from studying abroad and was waiting to be married off. That night, our parents called us to the living room. Two portfolios lay on the coffee table. Dad cleared his throat. “You’re both at the age to marry. These two young men are suitable candidates.” I picked up one. Adrian Sterling, 28, heir to Sterling Group. The man in the photo had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, an outstanding aura. The file noted: Sterling Group has recently suffered from mismanagement and has filed for bankruptcy restructuring. The other was Liam Cole, the only son of the wealthy Cole family. Solid foundation, assets in the billions. “Bella picks first,” Mom said, looking at my sister as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Bella didn’t even glance at Adrian’s file. She grabbed Liam’s immediately. “I want the Cole family.” She turned to me, eyes gleamed with triumph and entitlement. “Jane, you marry Adrian. You’re not picky anyway.” I looked at Adrian’s photo and nodded. “Okay.” Mom let out a sigh of relief. “Jane is so sensible. Although Adrian is down on his luck, he’s still a Sterling. He’s more than good enough for you.” Dad nodded too. “It’s settled then.” I closed the file without a word. Marriage is marriage. It’s just living life. Besides, truthfully, the man in the photo was quite handsome. 2 From that day on, the house was in wedding mode. Bella’s wedding was set for three months later—fifty tables at the city’s finest five-star hotel. Mom was busy every day picking dresses, jewelry, and decor, spinning like a top. My wedding was set for a week after Bella’s—ten tables at a regular restaurant. Mom said, “Since the Sterling family doesn’t have many people left, let’s keep it simple.” I nodded. “Okay.” Then came the dowry preparation. Truckloads of goods moved out for Bella: designer bags, jewelry, antique vases, mahogany furniture sets, the latest appliances, and a check for $500,000 Mom prepared specifically for her. “If the dowry is light, the Cole family will look down on us,” Mom said while directing the movers. “We can’t lose face.” For me, Mom prepared two suitcases: one for clothes, one for daily necessities, and a modest set of silver jewelry. I looked at the two thin suitcases and said nothing. Mom probably felt a twinge of guilt and explained: “Jane, you’re marrying a bankrupt man. Adrian has nothing now. It’s his blessing to marry you at all; he wouldn’t dare complain about a small dowry. He should be grateful.” Dad added, “Your sister is different. The Coles are old money; we can’t let them underestimate us. You should understand.” “I know.” Growing up, Bella got the best because she had to marry well. It didn’t matter for me, because I didn’t care. Caring was useless. This logic had run smoothly in our family for over twenty years, like a precise machine. The night before the wedding, Bella came to my room, leaning against the doorframe as I packed. “Jane, don’t you feel shortchanged?” she asked. “Shortchanged how?” I folded clothes without looking up. “Marrying a bankrupt guy,” she smirked. “I couldn’t handle it.” “You don’t have to. You’re marrying Liam.” “True,” she nodded with satisfaction. “But don’t be too sad. I heard Adrian is a decent guy, at least he won’t treat you badly. Besides, with your personality, it doesn’t matter who you marry.” I looked up at her. “You’re right.” She paused, probably surprised by my calmness, found it boring, shrugged, and left. I continued packing, thinking: I’m getting married tomorrow. Marrying a man I’ve never met, starting a completely strange life. Sounds kind of interesting. 3 It drizzled on my wedding day. Bella’s wedding a week ago was star-studded and lively. I went to help, watching her in a six-figure gown, wearing the family jade heirloom, holding Liam’s arm, face full of happiness. For my wedding, hardly anyone came. Only a few distant relatives from the Sterling side showed up. My side of the family said they weren’t feeling well and didn’t come. Only a few colleagues I got along with came to support me. I wore the dress Mom prepared—a simple white dress, no veil. The makeup artist was recommended by the restaurant owner, average skills, gave me a light look. I looked in the mirror and thought I looked pretty good. The ceremony was simple. No MC, no flower girl, no complex procedures. Adrian and I exchanged rings under the witness of friends and family—simple silver rings, probably a few hundred dollars. I saw Adrian in person for the first time. He was taller and thinner than in the photo. He wore a suit that had been washed until it was slightly faded, but his tie was meticulous, his hair neat. There was awkwardness in his eyes, but he tried hard to maintain his dignity. His look was complex—apologetic, yet inquiring. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as we exchanged rings. “For making you marry someone like me.” I looked at him. This man had beautiful eyes; even in poverty, his inherent grace couldn’t be hidden. “It’s okay. I don’t care anyway.” He paused, then chuckled softly, a smile mixed with indescribable bitterness. After the brief ceremony, we cut the cake, toasted, and collected the few red envelopes. Then Adrian said to me, “Let’s go home.” Home. The word sounded a bit unfamiliar. 4 Our new home was an old apartment on the outskirts of the city, sixth floor, no elevator. Adrian carried my two thin suitcases up step by step. I followed, listening to his heavy footsteps. He looked back at me, guilt in his eyes. “Sorry for making you live in a place like this.” I looked around. “It’s fine. At least it’s quiet.” He smiled and opened the door. The apartment was small, about 600 square feet, one bedroom. But it was very clean. Simple furniture, clean curtains, freshly washed sheets drying on the balcony. “I spent yesterday cleaning,” he said shyly. “Hope you can get used to it.” I looked at this small space and felt it was cozy. “I will.” He put the suitcases in the bedroom, then took a stack of crumpled bills from his pocket and placed them in my hand. “This is everything I have right now.” “$3,000. I’m starting as a delivery driver tomorrow. I should be able to make some money. I’ll support you.” I took the bills, still warm from his hand. They were smoothed out carefully. Old, but clean. “You keep this money. If you give it all to me, what if you need cash while you’re out working?” I pushed the money back, my gaze frank, without a shred of disdain. “You don’t despise me?” He asked, eyes holding a cautious hope. “No. As long as we can survive.” A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, turning into a light sigh. “You… you really are…” He didn’t finish, but I knew what he meant. Probably thought I was too easy to fool. That night, we had a simple dinner. He cooked noodles with two eggs. “I’m not a good cook, just make do.” “It’s tasty.” I genuinely thought so. The plain noodles tasted like home. After dinner, he volunteered to wash the dishes. I sat on the sofa, watching his busy back in the kitchen, and suddenly felt that this life wasn’t bad. At bedtime, he gentlemanly offered to sleep on the sofa. “It’s okay, the bed is big enough. Let’s sleep together.” My understanding of “sleeping together” was literally just closing eyes and sleeping. He hesitated for a long time but chose the sofa. “Let’s wait until you’re used to it.” Lying in bed, seeing his figure curled up on the sofa through the half-open door, I felt something indescribable. This man seemed better than I imagined.

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For the sake of money, my father forced me to impersonate my twin brother and marry the “Mad Master” of the Montgomery family. The first time we met, he had just casually pulled a knife out of someone else’s eye. I thought for sure I’d die at his hands right then. Instead, he shyly hid the knife behind his back and smiled brightly. “Are you my spouse?” Later, this Mad Master, who famously despised being touched by anyone, changed. He insisted on cuddling to sleep and kissing when we woke up. Seeing that the Mad Master had turned into a gentle gentleman, my brother immediately returned. He said: “Asher, you’re just a low-tier Omega. You don’t deserve him.” I looked at Damon Montgomery, who hadn’t had an episode in ages, smiled, and let go of his hand. “Tell me, brother. A dog that doesn’t need a leash anymore… isn’t that just a stray mad dog?” Chapter 1 The first time I saw Damon Montgomery, it was unforgettable. He was calmly pulling a small silver knife out of a subordinate’s eye socket. When he saw me, his eyes lit up. He bashfully hid the bloody knife behind his back and flashed me a brilliant, innocent smile. “Are you my spouse?” Damon’s strikingly beautiful face had a few drops of blood splattered across it. He tossed the knife onto the floor and walked quickly toward me. When we were only three steps apart, he suddenly stopped abruptly. It was then that I noticed the heavy iron chain around his ankle. Just then, his older brother walked into the bedroom. Harrison Montgomery looked at the man on the floor howling and covering his eye, and sighed helplessly. After the injured man was carried away, Harrison spoke gravely: “If you don’t want to take your meds, don’t take them. Why do you have to hurt people?” Damon turned a deaf ear, his gaze fixed intently on me. My spine chilled under his stare. I finally understood why my twin brother, Archer, had run away from this marriage. Chapter 2 Archer and I are identical twins. Except for our pheromone scents, there is almost no difference between us. Our family business was on the verge of bankruptcy. Father took a large sum of money from the Montgomery family and agreed to a marriage alliance between the two families. But when Archer found out he was to marry the Montgomery’s second son, he ran off overnight. So, I replaced Archer and was forcibly sent to the Montgomery estate by my father. I learned from the estate manager, Mr. Henderson, that Damon was nearing his “Rut.” He suffered from severe Neuro-Sensory Burning Syndrome. During this time, he was extremely prone to fits of violent rage. Even the slightest light would sting his eyes like needles. Tiny sounds entering his ears would become deafening roars. This was why Damon often went “mad.” Whenever his Rut approached, the family had to chain him up. I was forced to take care of this madman. Originally, I was terrified. But every time I looked at his face, I would get lost in it and forget my fear. The madman was crazy, but he was truly good-looking. My daily job was to stay in Damon’s room, keeping him company while he ate, read, and played chess, waiting for the wedding that wasn’t far off. It seemed like a very relaxing job. But that first meeting kept reminding me: That was only because I hadn’t yet encountered Damon’s full-blown Rut. As Damon’s Rut approached, I became increasingly apprehensive. Even playing chess with him felt distracting. “Checkmate.” Damon’s voice sounded right next to my ear. The game was over. I lost faster this time than ever before. Damon propped his chin on his hand, watching me with amusement. “What are you thinking about?” “Nothing.” I averted my gaze, daring not to make eye contact. Damon narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on the jade bracelet on my wrist. “That bracelet is really nice. Can you give it to me?” I was restless and had been unconsciously turning the bracelet on my wrist. This bracelet was given to me by Leo Vance. He was the son of our family butler, and grew up with us brothers. When I was despised by my own family, he was the only one who stayed by my side from beginning to end. “This bracelet isn’t anything valuable. It’s not worthy of you,” I declined tactfully. But my refusal seemed to displease him. Damon’s eyes suddenly went cold. Yet his tone remained smiling. “Is it a gift from someone important?” “No, it’s not.” Saying that, I stood up to shift the topic. “It’s time for dinner.” Chapter 3 After dinner, Damon suddenly said he wanted to practice fencing. “I don’t know how to fence.” “It doesn’t matter. I can teach you.” Damon handed a foil into my hand, then stood behind me, covering my hand with his. His body pressed tightly against my back. Warm breath hit my ear, making it gradually grow hot. “Relax, don’t tense up. Shift your weight back, widen your stance a bit more, yes…” As he spoke, he pulled me backward. In the moment he swung the blade, I lost my balance and fell back onto him. As we fell, I felt a force press my wrist down onto the iron chain on the floor. With a sharp crack, the jade bracelet on my wrist shattered into two halves. I had noticed the chains on the floor since I arrived at the Montgomery house. Mr. Henderson told me that Damon had once gone crazy and nearly killed someone. These chains were prepared specifically for his sensory episodes. Thinking of this, my back went cold, and I hurriedly got up from Damon’s body. “Are you okay?” Damon, however, looked at the broken bracelet on the floor with a look of pity. “Oh no, the bracelet broke.” Although he said this, I couldn’t hear a trace of regret or apology in his tone. Damon wasn’t in a hurry to get up from the floor, either. He lay there, his scrutinizing gaze falling on my face. I looked down at the broken bracelet, silent for a long time. Actually, I should have taken the bracelet off long ago. From the moment I knew Leo disregarded my situation and insisted on helping Archer escape. I should have given up. From the very beginning, I knew. Leo just treated me as Archer’s substitute. Because Archer was a superior Omega. And I was just an inferior Omega, who happened to have the exact same face as Archer. I was the perfect replacement. Thinking this, I reached out to pick up the broken pieces. But my hand was suddenly pinned down by Damon. His expression instantly turned dark, and his voice went cold as ice. “It’s broken trash. Do you still want it?” “Broken things should always be thrown in the trash bin and disposed of.” Damon was slightly stunned, then the corners of his mouth curled into a satisfied smile. He didn’t let go of me; instead, he pulled me into his arms. Damon hated people touching his body. I remembered Mr. Henderson’s warning, and my body instantly went rigid, daring not to move. “You don’t need to keep me company for the next few days.” “Why?” I looked at him in disbelief. Recently, let alone resting, I was almost required to stay by Damon’s side twenty-four hours a day. If I hadn’t resisted strongly, he would have even taken me into the bathroom with him. But now, he was telling me I didn’t need to stay with him for a few days. Facing my confusion, Damon smiled and answered irrelevantly: “Can’t bear to leave me?” Damon’s hand resting on my waist unknowingly slipped under my shirt. The seemingly absent caress made my body tremble endlessly. “Is this considered a vacation?” The room fell into a strange silence for a moment. Damon gave a short chuckle, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Staying with me, is that considered work to you?” I was momentarily lost for words. “Archer, do you really think of yourself as my babysitter? Don’t forget, you’re here to marry me.” I suddenly stared at him. He was my brother’s fiancé, and also my fiancé. Father said I was just temporarily filling in for Archer. If Archer softened and was willing to come back, then I would have to leave the Montgomery house. The vague scent of pheromones in the room suddenly became intense. Meeting Damon’s eyes, I was even more certain he was angry. He let go of me, stood up, and said coldly: “Get out.” I was kicked out of the room. I felt baffled by Damon’s unpredictable moods. Chapter 4 On the way back to my room, I met Mr. Henderson. Since I arrived at the Montgomery house, the frequency of Damon’s episodes had gradually decreased. Perhaps because of this, everyone in the villa was very friendly to me. Seeing me, the butler looked concerned: “Mr. Sloane, the young master’s Rut is in a few days. You must be careful. “Try not to let him see light, and do not touch him. I have written down other things on this paper, you must remember them.” The old butler’s attitude was sincere as he handed me a densely written paper. I had never been treated kindly in my own home. The servants there were all opportunists. They would bully me just to curry favor with Archer. I looked at the precautions written by the butler himself. My chest felt tight. Just a little bit of kindness was enough to move me into a mess. I felt depressed by my own sense of cheapness. But the butler misunderstood me and comforted me repeatedly: “Child, don’t worry. If you are afraid, we can discuss it with the elder young master, Harrison, and you don’t have to stay with the second master for these few days?” I put the paper in my pocket and shook my head. “No need. Damon said I don’t need to go see him for the next few days.” Now it was the butler’s turn to look at me in disbelief. For the next few days, Damon really didn’t call me to his room again. Strangely, I found myself thinking of him from time to time. Everyone said Damon was a madman. But apart from that first meeting, I had never seen him go crazy again. Not only was he not crazy, he was even very gentle… I shook my head, trying to stop those thoughts that shouldn’t be there. Shortly after I reported the situation at the Montgomery house to my father, he contacted me. He said Archer was willing to come back and marry Damon. Father warned me: “Asher, play your brother’s role well. Don’t cause trouble for us.” Since childhood, Mom and Dad favored Archer. Almost all the good things fell to him. Just because Archer was a superior Omega. When Mom and Dad named him, they invested many beautiful hopes in ‘Archer Sloane’. When it came to me, Father thought for a long time, couldn’t come up with a good name, so he just called me Asher. The leftover. I lay on the bed bored, wondering what Damon was doing right now. There was a knock on the door. It was Mr. Henderson. Behind the butler followed two staff members in business attire. They held a case in their hands. When the case opened, it revealed over twenty bracelets inlaid with precious jewels. “These are prepared by the second young master for you, Mr. Sloane.” I thought of the bracelet that was accidentally smashed during fencing practice. Looking back, perhaps he broke it on purpose. Why else would he specifically compensate me? I wanted to refuse, but I saw the butler’s troubled look. If I refused, they probably wouldn’t be able to complete their task. I had to pick one randomly and put it on. But they left all the rest in my room. I looked at the entire case of bracelets, enough to buy my life, and felt a little puzzled. Finally, I decided to take the remaining bracelets and return them to Damon personally.

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My new pen made my genius lab partner blush. When I wrote with it, his breathing grew heavy. When I changed the ink cartridge, he groaned, pulling his hoodie over his lap. “Sadie… don’t… don’t do that…” “I… can’t take it…” Chapter 1 Recently, Caleb Vance has been acting weird. He keeps staring at the new gel pen I bought from the campus bookstore. Whenever I pick it up, his cheeks flush, and his breathing gets heavy. Like he’s trying desperately to suppress something. That look—burning, thirsty. And carrying a strong sense of invasion. I suspected he coveted my pen, so I quickly gripped it in my palm. “What are you doing?” Caleb shuddered and slammed his head onto the desk, exposing only the tips of his ears, which were red enough to bleed. It took him a long time to speak. “Sadie—hiss… sell me your pen…” Me: “???” “I’ll pay anything.” I suspected this academic god had fried his brain from studying too much. This pen, with its perfect grip thickness, didn’t tire my hand even after hours of writing. The ink flowed as smoothly as melted chocolate in a commercial, and it didn’t bleed through the paper. It was truly a dream tool for anyone grinding through practice problems. His own pencil case was full of expensive imported stuff. Now he was eyeing my plain, unpretentious treasure? “Not for sale!” I treasured the pen as I put it away in my pencil case. “I’ll send you the link, buy it yourself.” “Phew—” Caleb let out a long breath, the flush on his face not yet fading. He licked his somewhat dry lips and leaned a little closer to me. “Then can you not use this pen?” Me: “?” Psycho. He manages everything. Now he manages what pen I use? Chapter 2 Something even more ridiculous happened. During calculus class, the pen ran out of ink. I gently unscrewed the cap, preparing to change the cartridge. Suddenly. A muffled groan reached my ear. “Mmh—” Caleb abruptly yanked his hoodie jacket from the back of his chair and draped it over his lap. At the same time, a scorching hot hand shot out and tightly gripped my wrist holding the ink cartridge! “Sadie!” The sound of heavy panting drilled into my ears. Hot breath sprayed on the side of my neck. Causing a patch of goosebumps to rise. “Don’t… don’t do this… please…” He was extremely close. His smiling eyes were watery, the corners tinged with red. “I… can’t… handle it…” Ambiguous tone. Ambiguous words. If we weren’t in a classroom right now, but somewhere else. I would almost think I had drugged him with something improper and forced him to challenge his physical limits all night. “No, did you take the wrong meds?” “If you’re sick, go to the nurse’s office!” I lowered my voice. Caleb took a deep breath, his voice trembling uncontrollably. “No… I didn’t…” “Just… please don’t… touch that pen again… okay?” Question: What makes a cold, aloof academic genius beg with red eyes? Answer: The person involved, Sadie (me), is also confused, suspecting Caleb is possessed. An absurd, preposterous thought flashed through my mind— This guy… could he be… empathizing with my pen?! Chapter 3 Thinking back carefully. Ever since I bought that pen, Caleb’s behavior has become increasingly bizarre. Sometimes when I wrote essays for too long, he would collapse on the desk as if drained of all strength, soaked in sweat, gasping for air. And when I forcefully underlined key points on the paper, he would suddenly stiffen his back, fingers digging into the edge of the desk, knuckles turning white. The most ridiculous was last Friday’s physics quiz. Caleb was trembling all over, the test paper crumpled into a ball in his grip, biting his lip until it turned white. He handed me a note with just three words on it. [Gentler, please.] I was puzzled, thinking I was writing too hard and disturbing him, so I complied. Who knew Caleb would suddenly groan and stand up abruptly. “…Teacher, I… I need to go to the restroom!” The memory ended abruptly. I stared at the pen in my pencil case, feeling only absurdity. Empathy/Shared sensation? In modern society, how could there be something so ridiculous? I must have read too many Wattpad stories. Chapter 4 That night. I tossed and turned in bed. My mind was full of Caleb’s misty peach-blossom eyes and his suppressed panting. Driven by some strange force, I took that pen out of my backpack. Fingertips gently stroked the smooth barrel. Then squeezed its slightly thicker rubber grip. I chuckled to myself, thinking I was really overthinking it. The next moment, the phone rang. It was Caleb. Through the receiver, there was only heavy breathing, suppressed to the extreme. “Sadie…” He finally spoke, his voice terribly hoarse. Every syllable seemed soaked in damp moisture. “What… are you doing right now?” His breath was unstable, asking with extreme difficulty. “Playing with a pen,” I blurted out. “Don’t… let go… don’t touch it… please…” He almost moaned out this sentence. I was instantly struck by lightning. “Holy sh*t!” “Caleb, do you… really share sensations with this pen?” There was a deathly silence on the other end, only heavy and chaotic breathing clearly echoing in my ear. After a long time, a barely audible “Mmh” came through. My brain crashed instantly. “No way! For real?!!!” “WTF, since when!!!!” “Last Wednesday.” He paused. “The first time you used that pen.” I suddenly remembered that day, looking at this newly bought pen, liking it more the more I looked at it, I couldn’t help but kiss the tip of the pen. The next moment, Caleb acted like he was scalded by boiling water, knocking over his water cup, his entire face and neck flushing red instantly, eyes panicking to avoid my gaze. I was completely petrified. “So every time I write…” “Mmh.” “Change the ink…” “Mmh.” “Spin the pen…” “Sadie.” He interrupted me, his voice carrying a trace of shame and annoyance, “Stop talking…” My face burned instantly. No wonder he always looked like he wanted to say something but stopped. No wonder he asked me to write gently. No wonder he reacted so strongly when I changed the ink! “Wait!” I just realized: “Then just now I… squeezed the pen…” A “thud” came from the other end, like the phone falling to the ground. Followed by a flurry of frantic sounds, and then the call was hung up. Chapter 5 The next day, sporting dark circles under my eyes, Caleb and I looked at each other in silence. I was extremely awkward, my toes curling so hard they could dig out a three-bedroom apartment. Until lunch break, when only the two of us were left in the classroom. Caleb took a deep breath: “Sadie, we need to talk.” I turned my head stiffly, eyes darting around, just not daring to look at his face close up. Fingers, however, seemed to have a mind of their own, unconsciously stroking the “culprit” in the pencil case. Caleb suddenly pressed my hand down, trembling: “Don’t… don’t touch.” I yanked my hand back as if burned. “O-Okay, I won’t touch it… I’ll give this pen to you…” But he shook his head, ears completely red. “If you… can control your strength, write… a bit lighter, I… can probably tolerate it.” Me: “?” No, what kind of wild talk is this? You’re empathizing with it, how dare I use it!!! What’s the difference between this and holding a remote control to control him?! I shook my head vigorously: “No need, no need.” “Sadie… I secretly tried it when you weren’t around. It seems I only share sensations with it when it’s in your hand. I want to figure out why.” Caleb leaned down, closing the distance between us. The faint scent of soap mixed with a bit of bookishness lingered around him. Those peach-blossom eyes, which countless girls claimed looked affectionate even when looking at math formulas, reflected my bewildered face. He lowered his voice, coaxing and seductive. “Help me, okay?” The afternoon sun passed through the window lattice, leaving pale golden light on his eyelashes. His school uniform collar was slightly open, revealing a small section of beautifully lined collarbone, gently rising and falling with his slightly nervous breathing. I stared at Caleb’s face close up. My heart suddenly skipped a beat. An inexplicable heat rushed through my body. I flusteredly reached out to push him away, creating some distance, raising my voice to cover up. “Just talk! Why are you so close! My hearing is fine!” Caleb was stunned by my push. Looking at his hand suspended in mid-air. Then looking at my red face. The corners of his lips turned up slightly. Chapter 6 In the end, I confusedly agreed to research the shared sensation with him in an empty classroom during study hall every day. Time was strictly controlled within fifteen minutes. Too long might be too much for him. And for the rest of the study hall, he needed to tutor me in physics. I carefully held the pen, drawing a line gently on the paper. Caleb sat next to me. His back was tense and straight. Adam’s apple rolled. “Feel anything?” I asked nervously. He pursed his lips, voice low and hoarse: “…Yes.” “What feeling?” His body stiffened almost imperceptibly, silent for a few seconds before speaking. “…A bit… tingling.” After speaking, the flush on his ear tips quickly spread to the base of his neck. “…Oh…” My face also heated up, pretending to be calm and coughing lightly. “Well, I’ll continue then.” “Mmh.” I wrote a few words. Caleb’s breathing was obviously more rapid than before, but still steady. Then, out of habit… I used my fingertips to gently flick the pen barrel, spinning it half a circle in my fingers. “Mmh—” Caleb suddenly pressed my hand down, breath hitching, “Don’t spin…” Scared, I stopped immediately: “What’s wrong?” He took a few deep breaths. Trying hard to calm his chaotic breathing. “A bit… too… stimulating…” His body temperature transmitted continuously through his hot palm. Scalding my fingertips until they went numb. My heart also seemed to be seared by that temperature, beating violently. I pulled my hand out quickly as if electrocuted. “O… Okay! Got it, won’t spin, absolutely won’t spin!” Chapter 7 To research the shared sensation. Recently, Caleb and I went to the empty classroom every day for experiments. It wasn’t until the homeroom teacher called us in for a talk that I knew people were spreading rumors that we were dating. Dating? Crazy. Who is Caleb? That’s the god-level academic grinder who treats math competitions as leisure and comprehensive science papers as snacks! His world is full of theorems and formulas, where is there room for romance? As for me? My head is full of 2D anime husbands, okay! Is 3D romance as good as games and novels? Us dating, this rumor is as ridiculous as pigs climbing trees! “Teacher,” Caleb looked righteous, “I asked Sadie to help me with a small experiment. The empty classroom is quieter, not easy to disturb other students studying.” He paused, adding, “It’s related to studies.” I nodded immediately, face sincere: “Yes yes yes! Teacher, Caleb is helping me with physics! It’s convenient to explain problems in the empty classroom.” Caleb’s face, a model student who always topped the honor roll, was the best pass at this moment. The teacher’s furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and finally just gave a few words of advice before letting us go. Chapter 8 Back in the classroom, I rested my chin on my hand and sighed. “Caleb, I think… we should keep some distance.” He was organizing a thick stack of physics papers. Hearing this, his movement stopped abruptly. He accidentally tore a long rip in the test paper. “Why?” He looked up at me, tone calm, but eyes a bit dark. “Why else? Gossip is fearful! Didn’t you hear the teacher’s tone just now? If this continues, jumping into the Yellow River won’t wash it clean.” Caleb didn’t answer immediately. He put down the test paper and turned slightly sideways. The afternoon sun fell on his chiseled profile, gilding his straight nose and slightly pursed thin lips with a soft golden edge. Those beautiful peach-blossom eyes turned to me. “There’s no smoke without fire.” He spoke slowly, fingertips unconsciously twisting the edge of the torn paper, “Maybe… it’s not entirely a misunderstanding?” “???” I almost choked on my own saliva, “What the hell?! That is completely a rumor, okay? Don’t you find it troubling?” Caleb’s tone was indifferent: “The innocent have nothing to hide.” “…You’re amazing.” I sincerely gave him a thumbs up. Truly worthy of being a god, this calmness even when Mount Tai collapses in front of him, I’m afraid I won’t learn in this lifetime. Better read some “Chicken Soup for the Soul” to calm down— The shy boy watches the girl silently every day. The girl notices the boy watching her silently. So she encourages the boy with her eyes. The boy finally gathers courage. “Um, can I ask you something?” “Ask away?” “Do you have a boyfriend?” The boy said shyly. “No!” “Hahahahahaha I do!” Hiss… So cold. I rubbed my arms.

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I was born with a curse—a true Jinx Effect—and the first life I cursed was my own. I landed in the womb of Delilah Summers, the soon-to-be-disposed-of trophy wife of Reed Harrington, the scion of a powerful New England dynasty. I’d barely opened my embryonic eyes when I heard Blair Foster, the family’s golden-girl adopted daughter, gloating to my mother. “Dee, darling, Reed just dropped a hundred million to keep the artisanal oat milk brand I like from going under. A hundred million! What exactly are you bringing to the table?” I couldn’t have my mother looking defeated. I stretched my tiny limbs inside the uterine cocoon and muttered lazily. “Rich guy, huh? Investing without due diligence. What if the deal goes sour?” The Jinx Effect triggered instantly. Reed’s assistant called moments later. The boutique dairy company he blindly invested in had completely imploded after a massive health safety scandal. Not only was the hundred million dollar investment gone, but the fallout connected to the Harrington name caused the family’s publicly traded shares to plummet thirty percent. My father, Reed, was livid. He stormed into the room, pointing a trembling finger at my mother. “Delilah, I’m going to make sure the entire Eastern Seaboard knows you’re nothing but a desperate tramp who thought she could trap a Harrington heir! Once I get you and your little bastard off the premises, Blair moves in for good!” I barely lifted an eyelid. “So quick to discard your only chance at an heir. What if you damage your foundation, Dad? What if I end up being the only Harrington legacy you’ve got?” The next second, Reed suddenly clutched his groin, letting out a horrific, guttural howl of pain. 1 Blair Foster jumped back, shocked, rushing to steady him. “Reed, what is it? Don’t scare me! What’s wrong?” But he was already doubled over, his face contorted in agony. He only managed a choked “Get to the hospital,” before collapsing, unconscious. Reed was the only son of Arthur Harrington, the patriarch of the empire. He was rushed to the best private hospital, where the Chief of Surgery himself tended to him. Half an hour later, the doctor emerged, looking grim. “Mr. Harrington, your lifestyle—the abuse, the heavy drinking—it’s damaged your system. Permanently. I’m afraid you have total reproductive failure. You… you won’t be having any more children.” “What?!” Reed completely lost it. He began madly smashing every piece of medical equipment nearby. “How is this possible? I’m the sole heir of the Harrington name! My parents are relying on me for the next generation! I can’t be infertile!” Blair’s eyes widened in stunned silence. Everything had been fine just hours ago. But she quickly spun the narrative, pointing at my mother. “Delilah, this is your fault! You must have been clinging to Reed day and night, driving him to exhaustion until he ruined his health! You’ve ruined the Harringtons!” My mother, though clearly shaken by the unbelievable turn of events, immediately defended herself. “That’s a lie! Reed and I only had that one night—a drunken accident. Nothing since!” Tucked inside my mother’s womb, I could hear her heart hammering—she was terrified. I gently nudged the wall of her uterus, trying to send a silent signal to calm her frantic pulse. Just then, Arthur and Eleanor Harrington, my grandparents, arrived. They’d already heard the devastating diagnosis from the doctor and were both on the verge of collapsing. “Reed, what in God’s name happened? How can you suddenly be unable to have children?” Arthur’s voice cracked. “Our multi-billion dollar estate… who will inherit it now?” Eleanor wept. Before anyone else could speak, I took action. I gave a sharp, sudden tug on the umbilical cord. My mother gasped, involuntarily clutching her belly and stepping forward slightly. The small, protective gesture was immediately spotted by my grandmother. Eleanor’s eyes fixed on my mother’s hands. “Child… your stomach…” My mother knew she couldn’t hide it anymore. “Mr. and Mrs. Harrington, I’m pregnant. I’m carrying Reed’s child.” “Is it true? Oh, my sweet girl!” Eleanor’s face lit up, and she rushed to embrace my mother, her touch now impossibly gentle. “Stop calling us that! Call me Eleanor! Call me Mom!” Arthur, the family patriarch, beamed. “This is our legacy! The last remaining hope for the Harrington name! Thank you, child, you’ve saved us!” “Since this is the case, you must come back to the estate immediately to rest and recuperate. We will spare no expense for you.” Seeing her opportunity vanish, Blair instantly panicked. She grabbed Reed’s hand, tears streaming down her face. “Reed, you said you were going to marry me!” “Now your parents are taking Delilah, that… tramp back to the house! What am I supposed to do?” Despite the fact that my mother was carrying his one and only child, Reed’s infatuation with Blair blinded him. He slammed his hand onto the table. “Mother, Father, I refuse! I will never marry this low-class woman who wormed her way into my bed!” But Arthur, who had always indulged his son, didn’t hesitate. He delivered a stinging slap across Reed’s face. “Shut up, Reed! This is the Harrington legacy you’re talking about! She must be protected at all costs! If anyone objects, they are challenging the entire Harrington family!” 2 My mother was brought back to the Harrington estate and treated like a queen. To ensure her pregnancy was smooth, Arthur and Eleanor hired the best private physician for 24-hour on-call care. Expensive supplements and tonics were delivered by the truckload. Blair saw the lavish attention and her eyes turned green with jealousy. She ran to Reed, sobbing uncontrollably. “Reed, what are we going to do? Your parents only have eyes for Delilah! They’ll never accept me as their daughter-in-law!” “If I can’t marry you, I might as well die!” Reed, the absolute idiot, hugged her tighter. “Blair, don’t worry. I will never acknowledge the little bastard in her womb. Even if I have no other children in this life, I will marry you.” The two conspirators schemed, and Blair slipped Reed a vial of potent abortifacient, disguised as an herbal supplement. Honestly, when Reed came into the room with the tea tray and a sickly sweet smile, I was on high alert. He had always despised my mother. He’d only slept with her that one night to degrade her reputation and please Blair. His sudden attention could only mean trouble. I tumbled in the amniotic fluid and spoke up. “Dad won’t trip over his own two feet, will he? He won’t spill that tea all over the floor, right?” Predictably, the Jinx worked immediately. Reed stumbled, the tray flipped, and the black liquid splashed across the polished floor. He froze. But before he could clean up the mess, the 24-hour on-call physician rushed in. Even if it was just a spill, and even if Reed had prepared it, the Harringtons’ orders dictated that everything going into my mother’s body had to be checked. As the doctor prepared to swab the liquid with a test strip, Reed panicked. “What are you doing? That’s my child she’s carrying! Do you think I would harm her?” The doctor shook his head apologetically. “Mr. Harrington, these are Mr. Arthur Harrington’s explicit orders. My apologies.” The test results were, unsurprisingly, conclusive: a lethal dose of abortifacient, enough to kill both mother and child. Arthur and Eleanor’s faces were white with rage. Arthur delivered another vicious slap to Reed. “Reed, have you lost your mind? That is your only child! The future of the Harrington empire! And you tried to poison her!” Eleanor grabbed his collar and slapped him again. “Tell us, was it that fox Blair Foster who told you to do this? Tell us!” Despite their fury, the love-struck Reed didn’t point the finger at Blair. He took full responsibility. He was grounded, all his credit cards cut off, and locked in the estate study. But even that didn’t stop him. Late that night, he managed to slip past the security guards during a shift change and crept into my mother’s temporary suite. He turned the thermostat all the way up to fifty degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). “Delilah, if the temperature is high enough, you will miscarry,” he whispered to her sleeping form. “Without the child, my parents won’t protect you. I’m marrying Blair, and you deserve to be the laughingstock of the city.” He locked the door from the outside. As the room temperature soared, my sleeping mother frowned in discomfort. I woke up, instantly sensing Reed’s sinister plot. But I wasn’t scared. I spoke up calmly. “The thermostat won’t break, will it? The temperature won’t just drop back to a stable, comfortable seventy-five degrees, will it?” The air conditioner immediately sputtered, died, and the room temperature stabilized in the comfortable, pre-set range. My mother’s tight frown smoothed out. However, the noise of the struggling AC and Reed’s earlier movements finally attracted the attention of the security detail. When Arthur and Eleanor checked the security footage and saw Reed breaking into the room and cranking the thermostat to induce a miscarriage, they lost it. They grabbed a pair of golf clubs and beat him until he was bloody and bruised. Arthur grabbed Reed’s shirtfront. “Reed, I investigated! It was that wretch Blair Foster who put you up to this! Fine! You wait right here. I’m summoning her parents—the Fosters—for an immediate confrontation! I want to know how they raised that wicked girl!” 3 Under Arthur’s furious mandate, Mr. and Mrs. Foster (the parents of Blair, who were also Dee’s biological parents, a fact unknown to the Harringtons) were dragged to the Harrington mansion late that night. Arthur roared at them. “Mr. Foster, your adopted daughter has boundless audacity! She encouraged my son to poison my daughter-in-law’s supplements! What exactly are your intentions? And Delilah is your birth daughter—don’t you protect her?” The Fosters were startled by the sudden upheaval, but their first reaction was still to protect their favorite, Blair. Mrs. Foster put on a show of lightly slapping Blair, then immediately knelt before Arthur and Eleanor. “Mr. Harrington, it’s my fault for raising her so poorly. I let Blair cause trouble for you,” she wailed. “Please don’t be angry. I guarantee it will never happen again!” Mr. Foster, pale and shaking, also knelt. “Mr. Harrington, Blair is still young. She certainly didn’t mean any harm!” He then pointed a finger at my mother. “I say, all this chaos is the fault of Delilah, that black sheep! Our family disowned her long ago. I advise you to kick her out once she gives birth! Save the Harrington family from her curse!” Hearing this, I gnashed my gums (if I’d had teeth) in fury. How could my grandparents humiliate my mother like this in front of the Harringtons? They called her a black sheep! Did they have no ounce of love for their biological child? I was blood-bound to my mother. I felt her tidal wave of grief—nothing hurts more than being stabbed in the back by your own parents. But the Harringtons were not swayed by their pathetic plea. They shielded my mother behind them. “You won’t worry about the affairs of the Harrington family,” Arthur snapped. “This is a final warning. If Blair Foster ever tries to harm my daughter-in-law again, I will ensure there is no place for the Foster family in New England society!” With this threat, Arthur and Eleanor waved their hands, and security guards dragged the Fosters and a wailing Blair out of the estate. Seeing that my mother still had the Harringtons’ trust, I finally relaxed. It seemed we might have a few days of peace. For the next while, Blair disappeared and Reed made no further moves. My mother successfully carried me past the three-month mark. All her checkups were perfect, and Arthur and Eleanor had transferred a nine-figure “nutrition allowance” to her account. But on the day of her next prenatal appointment, Reed suddenly burst into the villa, with Blair in tow. They were followed by a man in a black tunic—a high-end, fraudulent psychic. Reed pointed at my mother’s abdomen in front of his parents and raised his voice. “Mom, Dad, Delilah has been lying to you! The thing she’s carrying… is a demon that will bankrupt the Harrington family!” 4 Arthur and Eleanor, of course, refused to believe this lunacy. Eleanor grabbed a glass vase from a nearby table and smashed it at Reed’s feet. “Reed, get out! The child in Delilah’s womb is yours! If you don’t care, we do!” Arthur chimed in just as fiercely. “We will never allow a single thing to happen to the Harrington heir! Don’t speak such nonsense!” Seeing his parents unmoved, Reed became desperate. He knelt on the glass shards and bowed, his head hitting the floor repeatedly. “Mom, Dad, I’m serious! I hired a renowned medium to consult the spirits! He says the baby in Delilah’s womb is a jinx—a demon! If she gives birth, the Harrington Group will collapse!” “I cannot stand by and watch the foundation of our ancestors be destroyed by this tramp and her little bastard!” “You have to believe me. This child cannot stay!” Hearing him, I started to panic. Did the medium really figure out my Jinx ability? While I’d used it to protect my mother, in their eyes, it could easily seem like a terrifying curse. As I fretted, my mother seemed to sense my anxiety. She gently stroked her belly, reassuring me. Seeing Arthur and Eleanor hesitate, Blair pressed her advantage. She threw a stack of fabricated photos onto the floor at their feet. The photos purported to show my mother in compromising situations with various male models and unsavory characters. “Mr. and Mrs. Harrington, look! Delilah is no innocent sweetheart! She’s lived a life of debauchery, sleeping with every man she can find!” “I’m telling you, this child is absolutely not Reed’s! Delilah is just after the Harrington fortune and she’s trying to pass off a bastard child! Once the child is born, it will not only curse the family with misfortune but also ruin your reputation!” Eleanor’s face went white looking at the stack of sleazy images. Her voice was thin and shaky as she looked at my mother. “Delilah, tell your mother the truth. Is any of this real?” “No, Mom, it’s not!” My mother sobbed her denial. In the past few months, Arthur and Eleanor had genuinely treated her like a daughter, and she had begun to call them Mom and Dad sincerely. Seeing the situation spiraling, she knelt before them. “Mom, Dad, please believe me…” “Reed is the only man I have ever been with. I have never done anything to disrespect this family!” But Reed stood up and slapped my mother across the face. “You tramp! You’re still lying after all this!” While Reed and Delilah were entangled, Blair quickly winked at the psychic, urging him to begin his “cleansing ritual.” I saw the situation deteriorating and desperately tried to open my mouth to trigger a Jinx. “This psychic is fake, isn’t he? He’s just a fraud trying to scam money, and nothing he does will work!” But as I opened my mouth, I realized something was terribly wrong. I couldn’t speak.

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I pulled a “Dare” card. The instruction was simple: French kiss a guy in the room. I chose the Valedictorian. But he just sat there, frozen, not making a move to stand up. His jaw tightened as he looked at me. “I’m sorry. Now isn’t a good time.” Suddenly, a row of floating text—like a Twitch live stream chat—scrolled across my vision: [Of course it’s not a good time. The Heroine is sitting right next to him. No way he kisses the Villainess in front of her.] [Just wait for the next round. When the Heroine gets a dare to kiss him, he’ll pounce on her. Tongue and all. The contrast is going to be brutal.] [Wait until the Villainess starts crying and begging like a desperate loser. It’s going to be hilarious.] I didn’t want to be a joke. I forced a smile. “If it’s not a good time, forget it. I’ll pick someone else.” 1 The room went dead silent. Someone whispered, “What’s going on, Harper? Isn’t Ethan your boyfriend?” “Yeah, did you guys get into a fight?” “Everyone knows he’s obsessed with you. Remember when your promise ring fell into the campus fountain? He waded in there in the middle of winter to find it.” “Forget it, it’s just a game. Just take a shot and move on. Couples fight all the time.” Ethan stared at me, his dark eyes filled with anxiety. “Harper, are you mad?” I pressed my lips together. “No.” I poured myself a drink. Ethan hadn’t technically cheated, and I wasn’t going to grab some random guy just to prove a point. Since I failed the dare, I had to take a shot of tequila as punishment. Ethan reached out, poured a full glass for himself, and said, “This round was my fault. I’ll take the punishment.” He tilted his head back, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and downed the liquor without flinching. The game continued. I kept my expression neutral, pretending Ethan’s rejection didn’t sting. But inside, my chest felt tight, acidic. I couldn’t focus. I kept analyzing those floating comments. Who is the Heroine? Just then, a sophomore named Bella pulled a Dare card. She raised her hand timidly. “Um… I think I also got the ‘Kiss a guy’ card.” She scanned the room, her doe-eyes landing wetly on Ethan. “Ethan… you’re the only guy I really know here. Can you help me out?” Everyone held their breath, eyes darting between me and her. It was a classic showdown. The floating chat went wild: [Yes! My baby is so brave! Finally making her move.] [The Villainess is about to go full Karen and shove our girl. Then Ethan will defend Bella and make Harper apologize. It’s gonna be so sweet.] [Isn’t this a bit messy? Harper is still his girlfriend.] [Oh shut up. Harper is just a side character. Ethan doesn’t actually love her. Later when they break up, Harper threatens to jump off a roof and Ethan literally tells her to ‘do a flip’.] My palms went cold. I wasn’t going to cause a scene and shove Bella. But I wanted to see Ethan’s reaction. Ethan frowned at Bella. “I thought everyone made it clear. I have a girlfriend.” Bella bit her lip, looking around. No one else stepped up. Her eyes welled up with tears. “I… I’m allergic to alcohol. Ethan, if you can’t kiss me, can you at least take the penalty shot for me?” Ethan’s brow furrowed. He looked at me. “Harper, is that okay? I’ll only do it if you say so.” The chat was dumbfounded: [Am I seeing this right? Why is the Main Character asking the Villainess for permission?] [Why isn’t he kissing Bella? Is this really a romance novel?] [Relax guys. He’s just being polite. Even if Harper says no, he’ll do it. It’ll just make Harper look worse.] I clenched my fists under the table, feigning calm. “Up to you.” Part of me hoped he would refuse. But Ethan’s eyes dimmed. He picked up the glass and downed the shot for Bella. My heart gave a painful lurch. I tried to rationalize it. Don’t be jealous. He only drank it because she’s allergic. But the chat kept hammering me: [See? He cares! He wouldn’t let Bella suffer.] [He’s playing it cool, but look closer. In the darkness, he’s already… excited.] [He wants Bella so bad. He refused to stand up earlier because he was trying to hide his boner.] My stomach dropped. Ethan was aroused? By Bella? I looked down. My gaze involuntarily drifted to his lap. There was a definite tent in his jeans. My blood ran cold. Physiological reactions don’t lie. Ethan took the punishment for Bella because he wanted her. The game went on, but I was done. I just wanted to escape. The chat gleefully predicted the next scene: [Spoiler alert: Tonight, the Heroine draws the ‘Go to a hotel with a guy’ card.] [Ethan is a possessive jealous type. He won’t let Bella go with anyone else. He’ll drag her out of there himself.] I dug my nails into my palms. Beside me, my cousin Carter patted my shoulder. “You okay?” I shook my head. “I’m fine.” Carter and I kept our family relation low-key on campus; nobody here knew we were cousins. Carter pulled a card. His smile faded. [Take any girl in the room to a hotel. Send a selfie from the room to the group chat.] The room erupted in laughter. It was too extreme. The chat text flashed red: [Alert! After this, Bella draws the hotel card!] [Harper is going to try and make Ethan jealous by volunteering, but Ethan won’t care. He’s saving his energy for Bella.] Carter was about to reach for the bottle to take the penalty. I grabbed his wrist. “You have a stomach ulcer, remember? No alcohol.” I stood up. “I’ll go to the hotel with you.” Carter blinked. “What?” Before he could protest, I dragged him up. He was used to spoiling me, so he just went along with it. I walked out of the party with another man, leaving my boyfriend behind. Ethan’s pupils constricted. He shot up from his seat. “Harper!” But Bella jumped in front of him, blocking his path, eyes teary. “Ethan, don’t go! I don’t know anyone else here. If you leave, I’ll be scared. The game isn’t over yet…” My heart shattered. I dragged Carter out the door without looking back. The chat was furious: [What is the Villainess doing? She’s supposed to stay and make a scene!] [Why is she leaving with a random guy? Who is going to push the plot forward?] [Wait, Ethan actually pushed Bella aside and ran after her!] [Don’t worry. He’s just mad she’s embarrassing him. He’s definitely going to hook up with Bella later to get even.] I got into Carter’s car and told him to drive. Fast. 2 In the car, I sent Ethan a text: [Let’s break up.] Then, I blocked his number on everything. Done. I felt drained. “What happened?” Carter asked, glancing at me. “I thought you two were solid.” I fought back tears. “Nothing. Just… suddenly stopped liking him.” “Because of a game?” “Yeah. Because of a game.” Carter sighed. “Are you sure? You chased that guy for two years. You’re just going to walk away?” I gripped my phone. Yeah. That was Ethan. The guy I spent two years trying to seduce. He was the Math Department’s genius, the heir to the Jiang conglomerate, the guy whose candid photos broke the internet. And in private? He was painfully polite. We only slept together for the first time last night. I was all over him, tracing his abs, teasing him. Even when he was hovering over me, shirt off, eyes red with desire, he still asked, “Harper, I want you. Is that okay?” I had whispered, “You’re already naked, just do it.” Tears rolled down my face now. So, was that all a lie? Did he only sleep with me because the “Heroine” received a love letter from someone else, and he wanted to make her jealous? Was I just practice? I pieced the story together from the floating comments. I am the Villainess in a sweet romance novel. Bella is the Heroine. She apparently saved Ethan’s dad from a heart attack once, so the family adores her. According to the plot, my jealousy pushes Ethan into her arms. After graduation, I become obsessed. I stalk him. I get caught by a security guard who drags me into the bushes and assaults me. Ethan and Bella see it happen, and Ethan covers Bella’s eyes, calling me “dirty.” Eventually, I end my own life. My parents die in a car crash from the grief. Hell no. I wasn’t going to let that happen. I wasn’t destroying my life for a man. Better to cut him loose now. 3 Carter and I obviously didn’t hook up. We faked a photo in a hotel lobby, posted it to the group chat, and he dropped me off at my dorm. My roommate gasped when I walked in. “Harper! Your mascara… are you okay?” I looked in the mirror. I looked like a raccoon. I had dressed up tonight specifically to look good for Ethan. Now, I was a mess. “We broke up,” I muttered. My roommate didn’t pry. “His loss. You’re a catch. I’m heading to the dining hall, want me to grab you a burger?” I nodded, grateful. When she left, I opened my shopping app and deleted the items in my cart. After last night, I had been excited. I wanted to try new things. I had even shown him the app: Bunny tail? Handcuffs? Body chains? You pick. He had blushed, his voice raspy. Don’t rush. If you like them, we can try them all. Slowly. Well, no need for that now. My phone rang. Unknown number. I hung up. It rang again. I answered. “Harper, where are you?” It was Ethan. He sounded breathless, like he was running. I wiped my eyes. “Didn’t you see the photo in the group chat?” “Harper, don’t do this. I’m coming to find you.” I laughed bitterly. “Why? Bringing condoms?” Silence on the other end. The anger from the chat logs bubbled up. He used me? Okay, two can play at that game. “You know, Ethan, I never really liked you that much. I just wanted to see what it was like to sleep with the ‘Ice Prince’. Now that I have… meh. Honestly? You were terrible in bed. I didn’t feel a thing last night. I’m moving on to someone who knows what they’re doing.” I hung up. I lay on my bed, arm over my eyes. It was truly over. 4 The next morning, I saw him in our elective class. I used to take this class just to stare at the back of his head. Now, realizing his family’s power—he could probably get me expelled—and remembering I told him he was bad in bed, I was terrified. I snuck in late, sat in the back row, and bolted the second the bell rang. I couldn’t escape Carter, though. He cornered me near the library. “Harper, you ruined me! I went to that party to find a girlfriend. Now everyone thinks we hooked up. I’m socially dead.” “Sorry,” I winced. “How can I fix it?” “Buy me those new Jordans. I have a game next week.” “Fine.” The basketball game. Ethan would be playing too. They were rivals. I had originally planned to buy Ethan shoes for the game. Wednesday afternoon, I went to the mall. I was taking photos of sneakers for Carter when I heard a familiar, annoying giggle. Bella and her friend Chloe. Bella was holding a latte, glancing at me, then whispering to Chloe. “Bella, why are we in the men’s section?” Chloe asked loudly. Bella blushed. “Well, that guy saved me from the dare the other night. I want to buy him shoes to say thanks.” The chat floated above their heads: [Wait, didn’t Ethan chase after Harper? He didn’t save Bella.] [Ugh, stop talking about the Villainess. She ruined the moment. She deserves what’s coming to her.] Bella picked up a pair. “My debit card is linked to Ethan’s dad’s account. He insists I use it. I think he really wants me and Ethan together.” She glanced at me. I ignored her and went to the register with Carter’s shoes. Bella cut in line. “I’m in a hurry.” She slapped a black card on the counter. Chloe gasped. “How much is on that?” “Ten times the average tuition,” Bella bragged. The cashier swiped it. Then swiped it again. “Miss? This card is frozen. Declined.” Bella’s face went pale. “Impossible. Try it again.” “It’s declined, Miss. Please step aside.” I stepped up and paid for my shoes. Bella grabbed my arm as I left the store. “Who are those for? You’re still buying things for Ethan? Have some dignity.” “None of your business,” I snapped, yanking my arm back. “Stay away from him,” she hissed. Then, she ‘tripped’ and dumped her hot latte all over my brand-new box of sneakers. The brown liquid soaked through the cardboard instantly. “Oops! Slippery hands,” she smirked. “Consider it a favor. Ethan wouldn’t want your charity anyway.” I saw red. I grabbed her wrist. “Apologize.” “Ow! You’re hurting me! I said it was an accident!” I didn’t argue. I grabbed the half-empty cup from her hand and poured the rest of the dregs directly onto her white shoes. Bella screamed. “Harper! You psycho!” She started crying loudly, attracting a crowd. “You already cheated on him! Why are you bullying me? Just because Ethan likes me?” A sleek black Rolls Royce pulled up to the curb. The driver opened the door. Ethan stepped out. He looked like a runway model in a long black coat, radiating cold, expensive energy.

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He despised my modesty and adherence to tradition, calling me boring and lifeless. He spent every night at clubs, refusing to come home. Until an accident transported me along with him to modern-day America. My husband was ecstatic, eager to dump me and start his new life. He dragged me to his friends and introduced me with impatience: “This is my distant cousin from the boonies. She’s illiterate.” “If any of you bros know a single guy, introduce him to her. As long as he’s breathing, it’s fine.” In his circle of friends, the billionaire heir who usually looked down on everyone suddenly spoke up: “This cousin… I’ll look after her.” 1. I time-traveled. One moment, I was in the study, arguing with Sterling about him trying to bring yet another mistress into our estate. The next moment, I appeared in a house with a bizarre layout. Standing opposite me was Sterling, looking dumbfounded. “Holy sh*t!” “Holy sh*t!” “HOLY SH*T!!!” “I’m finally back! Hahahaha!” Sterling ran around the room like a lunatic, laughing and crying at the same time. He kept muttering words I couldn’t understand. “Coke, fried chicken, burgers, steak, hot pot, BBQ… I missed you all so much!” “I’m going skiing, drag racing, surfing! Hahaha!” I looked around the strange environment in terror, frozen in place. After a long time, Sterling finally remembered me. He frowned, looking at me like I was a migraine. “Crap, how did I bring you along?” “And you traveled in your body? You don’t even have a Social Security number. This is going to be a hassle.” He was always saying things I didn’t understand. Back in our time, and now here. My husband, Sterling, the heir to the Dukedom of Anping. Like other noble sons, he spent his days gambling and womanizing. But he was different from them. Because he always complained about being bored, claiming he came from a society a thousand years in the future. I always thought he was speaking madness. I never thought it was all true. 2. Sterling decided to take me out. He threw me a set of strangely loose long sleeves and pants and told me to take off all the jewelry in my hair. I didn’t dare refuse. I obediently changed into the clothes he specified. He led me into a strange metal carriage, and soon we arrived in the city center. The skyscrapers towering like mountains terrified me. My legs felt like lead. Everything was too eerie. The strange metal carriages were everywhere, emitting heart-stopping honking sounds. There were people wearing bizarre clothes with hair dyed in every color of the rainbow. I clutched the hem of Sterling’s shirt tightly, following him step by step. I threw all my aristocratic etiquette to the back of my mind. Like a drowning person clutching a straw, I wouldn’t let go of Sterling. He was the only person I knew in this strange and terrifying world. After a few steps, a giant brown bear suddenly appeared around the corner! “Ah!” I was already like a frightened bird; my soul nearly left my body. Sterling shook me off impatiently, his voice full of disgust: “Elara, are you sick? You’re going to make me deaf.” “It’s a mascot. A guy in a suit. Do you understand?” Passersby cast confused and mocking glances at us. I seemed to have embarrassed Sterling. I bit my lip, suppressed my fear, and followed him carefully. “Your hair is too long. I’ll take you to get a haircut first.” “Heh, Elara, let me give you a total makeover!” Sterling cheered up quickly and dragged me into a magnificent shop. 3. “Hi, do you have a preferred stylist?” I looked at Sterling for help, feeling extremely uneasy about the young man approaching us. This place was strange; why were there so many young men? Sterling pointed randomly at a guy and smirked with bad intentions. “Give her a buzz cut. And bleach it blonde.” I didn’t understand what a “buzz cut” or “bleach” meant. I only knew that I had to do whatever Sterling said. I couldn’t afford to upset him. Sterling’s temper had never been good. In the past, whenever he was unhappy, he would bring a new woman home. Dancers, singers, actresses. He not only took them in but gave them names similar to mine. My name is Elara. The women in the estate became Eli, Ella, Elle… Because of his unruly behavior, I became the laughingstock of the entire capital. Our last argument was because he wanted to marry a brothel madam. She was over thirty, a full twelve years older than Sterling. If he brought a madam into the house, our Ducal estate would truly become a joke. Sterling was disdainful: “I really can’t stand you ancient women.” “Reading moral codes all day, did you read yourself stupid?” “Elara, you’re like a dead fish in bed. What right do you have to stop me from having fun?” I clenched my fists, fingernails digging into my palms without feeling pain. “Husband, if you insist on this, let us divorce.” Sterling jumped up in anger. “Bah!” “Keep dreaming! You wish!” 4. Sterling didn’t dare divorce me. Our marriage was set by the Grand Duke. My grandfather and the old Duke were comrades in arms; my grandfather saved his life on the battlefield. The old Duke swore that whichever grandson won my heart and married me would be the heir. Sterling was the third son, incompetent and ignored by his father. He started doing everything he could to get close to me. He sent me flowers every day, sang strange but beautiful love songs. He created surprises, giving me many weird but fun gifts. He even remembered my monthly cycle, personally brewing hot herbal tea for me. I had never seen a man like him. I quickly fell for his bold and passionate display of love. But I didn’t expect Sterling’s passion to be as fleeting as fireworks. After we married, he found me boring and rigid, saying I was as tasteless as plain water. He started spending his nights at the club, refusing to come home. Even after being severely disciplined by the Duke, he just started bringing women into the house, one after another. Even the old Duke eventually gave up on him, leaving only one sentence before he died: If the day came that I divorced Sterling, his title and inheritance would be revoked. Crash! Sterling swept the ink and paper off the desk, his face pale with rage. “Elara, if you dare ruin my fun, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Seeing me stand straight and unyielding, he smashed a jade scepter on the shelf in a fit of rage. “F*ck!” “I’m sick of you ancient relics!” “When the hell can I go back?!” The jade scepter exploded with a blinding white light. The next instant, Sterling and I appeared in his home in the modern world. 5. “Miss, your hair quality is amazing. A buzz cut would be a waste.” “It’s black and glossy, like a shampoo commercial. Honestly… I can’t bring myself to do it.” The stylist’s words pulled me back to reality. Someone was singing in the room, chanting words I couldn’t understand, like a spell. The music was too loud; I couldn’t hear the stylist clearly. I blinked blankly, then saw the man in the mirror grit his teeth and cut off a chunk of my long hair. I screamed and stood up, my eyes instantly red. “You… you… you!” “Why did you cut my hair?!” In my world, our body, hair, and skin are gifts from our parents, not to be damaged lightly. Only criminals sentenced to prison would have their heads shaved as humiliation. The stylist stepped back, holding the scissors awkwardly. “Didn’t… didn’t your boyfriend say you wanted a buzz cut?” “I haven’t even started shaving yet.” I touched my now shoulder-length hair with trembling hands. The fear and anxiety accumulated all day turned into tears. I cried until I couldn’t breathe. “You… give me back my hair.” “I… I…” Sterling rushed over with a dark face, roughly wiping away my tears with his hand. “Elara, are you crazy?!” “It’s just a haircut. Why are you crying? I can’t stand you!” “People here cut their hair all the time. What are you crying for?” Because I cried so miserably, the stylist didn’t dare continue. Finally, the female owner came out, calmed the angry Sterling, and gently comforted me. “Your hair is already cut like this. If we don’t style it, it will look bad.” “Don’t worry, I promise not to cut it shorter, okay?” 6. I walked out of the hair salon in a daze, with Sterling complaining beside me. “Elara, you are so boring.” “I told you, women here have short hair, dyed hair, even bald heads. It’s common.” “You’re in the modern world now. Can’t you adapt?” My eyes were red, and I bit my lip hard. “I can’t adapt.” It had only been a few hours since I traveled here. I had to adapt to cars, horns, skyscrapers. Scary mascots, men and women in strange clothes, and shops I had never seen before. “Fine, fine. Stop looking like a victim, like I bullied you.” “Come on, let’s buy some clothes. Tonight I’ll take you to meet some friends.” “I’ll let you taste the food here. See? I’m nice to you.” Sterling changed his face faster than flipping a page. He pushed my shoulders forward and pulled out a strange white rectangle from his pocket. Many people on the street had these small rectangles, looking down at them even while walking. “Yo, Mike. Let’s gather tonight.” “Sh*t, long time no see. Missed you guys.” “I saw you yesterday? Weird, feels like ages to me.” “I’m bringing someone. Nah, not a hot chick. Just average.” “Call the crew. My treat tonight. Let’s go to Ocean Prime. I’m craving seafood.” I watched Sterling talking to the metal slab in shock, forgetting my sadness. Was he talking to people? Through this small rectangle? Was this the “Thousand Mile Voice Transmission” spell from the legends? 7. Sterling took me to a clothing store and pushed me into a fitting room. The small cubicle had a bench and a giant mirror that showed every detail. “Elara, hurry up. Change.” I looked at the two pieces of cloth in my hand with shame and indignation, trembling all over. Sterling wanted me to wear this outside? “Are you done? It’s just a tank top and shorts. Why is it taking so long?” “You’re not so stupid that you don’t know how to put them on, are you?” Sterling banged on the door, getting more impatient. I opened the door clutching the cloth, my expression cold. “Asking me to wear this on the street? You might as well kill me.” Sterling stomped his foot in anger. “Damn it!” “Elara, you ancient fossil. You don’t understand fashion!” Because I refused to cooperate, Sterling didn’t give me a kind look for the rest of the trip, nor did he speak to me. This was his usual trick. The silent treatment. Ignoring me, making me doubt myself until I broke down. Only later did I learn this control tactic was called “cold violence.” Sterling put me in that strange carriage—the car—again. I didn’t know why, but this time the car moved exceptionally fast, taking sharp turns. I gripped the seat tightly, almost screaming several times. My stomach churned, my mind went blank. In the silent air, I could only hear my violent heartbeat. I wanted to go home. 8. When Sterling brought me to the private room in the restaurant, my face was still pale. As soon as the door opened, loud whistles erupted. “Whoa, a beauty!” “Sterling, new girlfriend?” I looked up carefully and saw six men and one woman in the room. The man sitting lazily in the center was particularly eye-catching. He had a sharp, clean haircut, a high brow bone, and deep shadows under his eyes. Hearing the noise, he glanced at us lightly. His gaze carried an intense pressure. This aura… it reminded me of the young but ruthless Prince Regent back home. Seeing him, Sterling’s eyes lit up. “Roman! What brings you here today?” I suddenly realized who this man was. Sterling had met the Prince Regent once and was disciplined by him. When he came home, he drank two pots of cold tea, his face pale for hours. “Holy sh*t, the Regent is scarier than Roman!” When I asked who Roman was, Sterling impatiently changed the subject. Roman raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze pausing on me for a moment. “Aren’t you going to introduce her?” Once he spoke, the others chimed in like it was a royal decree. “This girl has a special vibe. Is she a ballerina?” “Sterling, where did you meet her?” “She’s different from your usual type. Very quiet.” Sterling put his arm around someone’s shoulder, replying with a grin. “Ballerina? You wish.” “This is my distant cousin from the deep country. Illiterate. Never even went to elementary school.” “I brought her to the city this time to find her an honest man to marry.” “If you guys have any single friends, introduce them.” “Average conditions are fine. She doesn’t deserve anyone too rich.”

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1 Two days after I ran away from home, my brother, Jake, found me at the entrance of a hospital. He grabbed the front of my shirt, his eyes bloodshot with fury. “You run away just because I slapped you? Are you trying to kill me with worry? Is that it?!” “When are you going to stop this? I’m begging you, Nina. Can’t you just be sensible, like Sophie?” This time, I didn’t try to explain. I didn’t argue. I just followed him home in silence, ready to play the part of the perfect, sensible sister. He hated it when I cried, so I never shed another tear. He called me stingy, so I gave everything I owned to Sophie. Jake thought I was just being sullen, trying to see how long I could keep up the act. But he didn’t know. I wasn’t acting. I’d just stopped hoping. The day I left, I had gone to the hospital. That slap had deafened me in one ear. It also led to an unexpected diagnosis: leukemia. For the days I had left, all I wanted was peace. And I hoped that in my next life, I wouldn’t have a brother. … On New Year’s Eve, Jake celebrated with Sophie. He paid for it with my money. Our grandmother had left me a savings card with ten thousand dollars on it, meant for my wedding someday. A few days ago, Jake had called me selfish. So, I gave all my valuable possessions to Sophie. Including that card. My phone buzzed relentlessly with transaction notifications. First, a five-thousand-dollar charge for fireworks. Then, a lavish dinner. Finally, a nightclub. At the stroke of midnight, the remaining five hundred dollars was withdrawn. Sophie posted a story for all to see: 【Best. Brother. Ever. Don’t be jealous!】 The picture was of her hand, resting suggestively on some handsome guy’s abs. Jake had apparently hired three male dancers for her. Jake was wealthy, the owner of several companies. Spending my last dime and letting Sophie flaunt it like that… it was deliberate. He thought I was still holding a grudge and was testing my limits, waiting for me to break. But my heart was a placid lake, without a single ripple. My stomach was empty, so I went to the kitchen and made myself some noodles. After eating, I took my medication. I was about to throw the empty pill bottle away when the front door swung open. I jumped, and the bottle slipped from my grasp, rolling under the coffee table. Jake was drunk. He saw me standing there, frozen, and sneered. “Still awake? Couldn’t sleep? Too busy thinking about all the money I spent?” Before I could answer, he mumbled to himself, “Three months of this silent treatment. You’ve really got some stamina.” “Nina,” he said, his voice laced with contempt, “let’s see how long you can keep this act up.” He stumbled. I rushed to steady him, but Sophie shoved me aside. “Can’t you see he’s drunk? Stop causing trouble.” Pushed to the side, I watched as she guided Jake into his bedroom. I quietly picked up the jacket he had dropped on the floor, hung it up, and went to the kitchen to get him a glass of hot water. I was about to take it to him when Sophie emerged from his room. She looked at me with pure disgust. “What’s your problem, Nina?” “You already ran away. Why didn’t you just disappear? Why did you let him find you?” 2 I hadn’t meant for him to find me. Three months ago, Sophie had told Jake that I was a good-for-nothing, that I was messing around with some lowlife from the wrong side of the tracks. She’d even Photoshopped a picture of me, a compromising one, and showed it to him. And Jake believed her. No matter how much I pleaded, his face remained a thundercloud. He had only one thing to say to me: “You have no shame, Nina.” I was speechless, my body aching with helpless fury. In that moment, I lost control and slapped Sophie across the face. Jake returned the favor instantly. He was strong. The force of his slap sent me crashing to the floor, my ear ringing with a deafening hum. I clutched my cheek in disbelief, hot tears of betrayal finally breaking free as I bolted out the door. I’d planned to stay in a cheap motel for a few days. But the pain in my ear grew worse, and a deep ache settled into my muscles. A trip to the hospital confirmed a perforated eardrum in my left ear. And terminal leukemia. The doctor’s brow was furrowed with concern. “You’ve lost hearing in this ear permanently. If someone did this to you, you should report it.” “As for the leukemia… I would advise palliative care…” The unspoken words hung in the air: There’s no cure. I left the hospital in a daze. The people rushing past on the sidewalk all seemed to have family with them, someone to lean on. I found a quiet corner, squatted down, and sobbed until I couldn’t breathe. My phone had died, and I never bothered to charge it. Two days later, Jake found me. He was livid. “Why didn’t you come home? Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you?!” “You were the one in the wrong! I only slapped you once! Was that really a reason to run away?” He looked exhausted, his anger mixed with a desperate plea as he grabbed my wrist. “Please, Nina. Just give me a break, will you?” In that moment, I remembered what our grandmother had said just before she died. “Dying with hatred in your heart turns you into a vengeful spirit. You won’t get a good rebirth.” She and Grandpa had been in love their whole lives, but on her deathbed, she learned he had two other children from an affair. If she could let go of a betrayal like that, what couldn’t I? So I went home with Jake and never mentioned what had happened. At first, whenever I remembered I was dying, I would cry in secret. Jake caught me twice. “Crying, always crying,” he’d snap. “I don’t know what you have to cry about. Why can’t you be more cheerful, like Sophie?” I tried to tell him I was sick, but he dismissed it as another lie, another bid for attention. After a while, I stopped trying. He hated my tears, so I stopped crying. He called me stingy, so I gave Sophie everything. When he could no longer find fault with me, he decided I was just putting on an act. It didn’t matter. I had made my peace with it. Every day from now on was just a waiting game. I was looking forward to the next life more than I was to the rest of this one. In the early hours of the morning, I lit some fireworks by myself in the yard. I didn’t want to wake Jake and Sophie, so I used sparklers, the cheap ones that cost a dollar a stick. The tiny sparks fizzled from one end to the other. I made a wish: to live peacefully through the new year. The next day, I slept in a little. When I came downstairs, Jake was sitting on the sofa. Our eyes met, and the fury in his gaze was barely contained. A lump formed in my throat. “What’s wrong?” I asked. He opened his hand. Lying in his palm was the pill bottle I had forgotten to pick up the night before. I thought he knew. My fingers curled into a fist, a tiny, foolish flicker of hope igniting within me. If he knew I had cancer, would he feel sorry for me? Would he finally be a little kinder? But the words that came out of his mouth were cold as ice. “Nina. You’re on drugs.” 3 I froze, and for a second, I thought my other ear had gone deaf too. “What drugs?” His face was grim as he twisted open the cap and emptied the contents onto the coffee table. A small pile of white powder. My eyes widened in horror. “Sophie told me, but I didn’t want to believe it. Not only is your life a mess, but you’re breaking the law now, too!” Jake was seething, a vein throbbing in his temple. “No wonder you’ve been acting so strange these past few months! This is what you’ve been doing!” A chilling cold spread through me. “That’s my leukemia medication,” I explained frantically. “I didn’t put that powder in there! I don’t know anything about it…” “Still lying!” Jake cut me off, his eyes like shards of glass. “Is this your pill bottle or not?” “Yes, but—” “No buts!” His anger finally boiled over. He strode toward me and, with a sharp crack, slapped me across the face again. My left ear exploded with the same deafening ringing as before. He was so enraged, his voice trembled. “What are you trying to do, Nina? Are you trying to drive me to my grave?” “I forgave you for your… personal life. And now this? Do you need to spend a few years in jail to finally straighten up?” Despite everything, tears streamed down my face. I clutched my throbbing ear, my voice a raw whisper. “Sophie must have swapped the pills. We can go to the hospital, they can test me! They’ll see there’s nothing in my system!” “If you go to a hospital, you’re finished!” he snarled, jabbing a finger toward my face, his own eyes welling up with tears of frustration. “I don’t know why I have a sister like you. You’ve disappointed me so much, Nina.” “From now on, you’re not going anywhere. You won’t eat or drink anything until I’ve checked it first!” I was utterly defenseless, a cold sweat breaking out on my back. I grabbed his arm. “Jake, please, I swear I’m not! I can call the police!” I fumbled for my phone. He shoved me away, and the phone clattered to the floor, its screen shattering. He snatched it up. “Call the police? You want everyone to know my sister is a drug addict? You want them to laugh at me?” He turned the phone off and dragged me, struggling, toward the basement. “You’ll stay down here. You can come out when you’re clean.” The heavy door slammed shut in front of me with a deafening boom. Darkness enveloped me. I pounded on the door, my screams tearing from my throat. “Let me out! I didn’t do it!” Through the thick wood, Jake’s voice was muffled and distant. “Stop lying. I know what you are.” “Nina, I’m doing this to save you!” 4 And so, I was imprisoned. The basement was dim and gray, a prison cell meant to hold me. I don’t know how much time passed before Sophie came down with a plate of food. The sight of her made me snap. I lunged at her. “Why are you doing this to me? Haven’t you hurt me enough?!” She caught my wrist with surprising ease, a vicious light in her eyes. “Why did you come back with him? You were gone. You should have stayed gone.” “This family has no place for you anymore, Nina. I wanted to make sure you understood that.” I was shaking with a rage so profound I couldn’t speak. She, however, was perfectly calm. “It was just flour in the bottle, you know. I said a few words, and just like last time, he believed me completely.” “Admit it. In his heart, I’m the one who matters more.” “I’ve been so patient with you! These last three months have been hell for me too, you know! What is it you really want?” I screamed, my voice raw. She grabbed a handful of my hair, a strange, twisted smile on her face. “What do I want? I just want Jake to hate you a little more before you die.” “You have leukemia, don’t you, Nina?” she whispered, her voice a soft caress, like a demon’s murmur in my ear. “It must hurt so much… without your medicine.” A wave of goosebumps washed over my skin. “You’re insane, Sophie. You’re a complete lunatic!” At that, her smile vanished. In one swift, unexpected motion, she kicked me hard, sending me sprawling into a corner. The pain, the fury, the emotions I had suppressed for three long months—it all came rushing out. I scrambled to my feet and threw myself at her. My slaps landed on her face. She didn’t dodge, just took the hits and then started screaming. “Jake! Help! Nina’s having a withdrawal! She’s going crazy!” I didn’t even register her words. All I knew was that if I didn’t let out this boiling rage, I would suffocate. I hit her and kicked her with every ounce of strength I had, each blow harder than the last. Suddenly, the basement door flew open. Jake stood there, his face instantly turning to stone as he took in the scene. Sophie was sobbing. “Jake, her addiction is making her violent! She tried to make me go buy her drugs, and when I refused, she attacked me!” “I did not!” I roared, but I didn’t stop hitting her. She shrieked in pain. In the next second, Jake’s hand clamped around my wrist, pulling me off her. “Nina, stop this madness!” He held me by the shoulders, his eyes a storm of anger and worry. He gritted his teeth, his voice a low growl of disappointment. “I’m trying to help you, Nina! Can’t you just stop making things harder for everyone?” My head was buzzing, a chaotic mess of static. In my emotional breakdown, only one coherent thought remained. “I’m not on drugs!” I screamed. Jake’s lips tightened, his own anger rising to meet mine. “Of course not. Like you’d ever admit it.” “You’re going to stay down here, and you’re going to be good. When you’re better, I’ll let you out.” He produced a length of rope from somewhere and tied me to a chair. Then, he helped Sophie to her feet and walked out without a backward glance. As the door closed, I could still hear his concerned voice. “Sophie, are you okay? Is your face alright? I’ve spoiled Nina rotten, don’t be mad at her.” “Let me get some ointment for you…” I dug my nails into my palms until they broke the skin. I struggled against the ropes, and the chair tipped over, sending me crashing to the floor. The rope was so tight it cut into my flesh. But that pain was nothing compared to the agony in my heart. I thought if I let everything go, Jake might finally be a little kinder to me. But with just a few words from Sophie, he believed the worst. A tear splashed onto the concrete floor. I felt the blood in my veins turn to ice, a creeping numbness and a deep, throbbing ache spreading through my body. I couldn’t even get up. I just lay there on the cold ground, a broken heap. From that day on, I remained a prisoner in the basement. Without my painkillers, the agony grew worse with each passing day. Sophie brought me food sporadically, always with a side of taunts and insults. I would just curl into a ball on the floor, too weak to even respond. My mind began to drift. I couldn’t tell the difference between dreams and reality. Sometimes, it felt like my soul was floating outside my body, watching myself lie there in misery. I knew I didn’t have much time left. One day, I dreamt of my mother. It was the first time I had seen her in a dream since she passed away. She held me like she did when I was a child, stroking my hair gently. I felt like I was finally home, safe in her arms. I cried and told her how Jake had hurt me. My mother’s eyes filled with tears. “That can’t be, my sweet Nina. Your brother has always loved you more than anyone.” I told her everything—how he favored Sophie, how he had hit me. She listened quietly, her expression growing sadder and sadder, before finally cupping my face in her hands. “Nina, my poor child, you’ve suffered so much…” SPLASH! I never heard the rest of what she said. A bucket of ice-cold water shocked me awake. I opened my eyes. My mother wasn’t there. Only Jake, holding the empty bucket, his face a grim mask.

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