Category: English

The day after my mom’s “I’m not getting any younger, you know” ultimatum, I dumped my boyfriend of five years and, resume in hand, crashed a local speed-dating event. My best friend, Maya, was baffled. “I don’t get it. You always said Ethan was your rock, the one person who kept you sane. Why wouldn’t you marry him?” I scanned the profile sheet of a potential match, not even looking up. “His ‘rock’ stability is a free trial that expired for me years ago. I’m a long-term subscriber, which apparently just makes me old news.” A second later, Ethan stormed into the noisy brewery, his jaw tight. “I told you I just think of her as a little sister,” he hissed. “You’re really going to break up with me over this?” 1 I ignored him, reaching for the profile sheet in his hand. It was the only promising one I’d found after two hours of painfully awkward five-minute conversations. Leo, 32, University Professor. Hobbies: hiking, classic films. Family: stable, loving. And the most important detail: an only child. No needy “little sister” in sight. Ethan lifted the paper just out of my reach. The silver cufflinks on his wrist glinted under the lights—the ones I’d given him for his birthday last year. “Anna, stop making a scene.” His voice was low, strained with barely controlled anger. I laughed, gesturing at the sign by the door. “Ethan, this is a speed-dating event. The whole point is first impressions and efficiency. You’re currently blocking my romantic prospects.” His knuckles turned white as he crumpled the thin sheet of paper. “You’d throw away five years for some guy you don’t even know?” “It’s not for some guy. It’s for me.” My smile faded. I looked at him calmly. “Ethan, I’m done getting calls from you at 3 AM because Chloe got creeped on at a bar and needs you to be her knight in shining armor.” “I’m done sitting alone in a restaurant on our anniversary because you had to rush off to comfort Chloe after her latest breakup.” “And I am so, so done hearing you say, ‘She’s just like a sister to me, Anna. She’s fragile. She only has me.’” The color drained from Ethan’s face. He opened his mouth, his throat working, but no words came out. A few of the older folks organizing the event were already starting to whisper, glancing at us over their clipboards. “He’s such a handsome young man. What more could she want?” “Girls these days, their standards are impossible.” Ethan’s hands clenched into fists. He hated losing face, hated looking anything less than perfectly in control. I wanted him to feel, just for a moment, what it was like to be publicly dismissed. “Anna, let’s talk about this at home.” He grabbed my wrist, his grip surprisingly strong. I didn’t fight him. I just looked past his shoulder. A girl in a white sundress was hurrying toward us, her eyes red and puffy, fresh tear tracks on her cheeks. “Ethan, don’t be mad at Anna-Marie,” she sobbed. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have called you again.” Chloe had arrived. Ethan’s “stability” switch flipped instantly. He dropped my wrist and turned to steady her. “What’s wrong? I told you to wait for me at home.” “I was worried you and Anna-Marie would fight.” Chloe looked down, her voice choked with tears. “It’s all because of me.” As she spoke, she shot a quick glance at me from under her eyelashes. There was no apology in it. Only triumph. I crossed my arms, a spectator at the five-star drama of sibling-like devotion. As expected, Ethan didn’t disappoint. He patted Chloe’s back gently, his voice softer than I’d heard it in five years. “It’s not your fault. This is between her and me.” He didn’t even look back at me. He just turned and led Chloe away. The profile sheet belonging to the “normal” man was now a crumpled ball, tossed into a nearby trash can. Just like our five years together. 2 Maya’s call came while I was supervising a locksmith. “You’re really changing them? Aren’t you afraid Ethan’s going to lose his mind when he gets back?” “He has a home. He has a sister who needs her emotional support human. Why would he come back here?” I told the locksmith, “The keypad, the deadbolt, everything. I don’t want a single fly getting in here that I don’t personally invite.” Maya was quiet for a moment. “Anna, are you sure about this? It’s been five years…” I watched the locksmith drill out the old cylinder, a sense of calm settling over me. Five years? What finally broke me wasn’t the length of our relationship. It was a single night two weeks ago, when my temperature hit 102. I’d gotten food poisoning from some bad takeout. I was a wreck, completely dehydrated and weak. The number on the thermometer kept climbing, and I felt like my brain was melting. Shivering, I called Ethan, my voice trembling. “Eth, I feel awful. I have a really high fever. Can you please take me to the ER?” He was quick to agree. “Of course. Don’t worry, I’m on my way. Leave the door unlocked for me.” I used my last bit of energy to drag myself to the sofa to wait. Just as I was about to pass out, my phone rang again. It was Ethan. Thinking he was downstairs, I answered, a wave of relief washing over me. But his voice on the other end was apologetic. “Anna, listen… something’s come up with Chloe. She was watching a horror movie by herself and freaked out. There’s a thunderstorm, and she called me sobbing, totally hysterical. You know how scared she gets.” In that instant, my heart plunged into a bucket of ice water. “And?” I heard myself ask, my voice eerily calm and foreign. “I have to go check on her first. I can’t leave her alone like this.” He paused, then said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “You’re strong, Anna. Just grab an Uber to the hospital and get checked in. I’ll comfort her and then I’ll head right over to meet you.” You’re strong. Those two words were a poisoned knife, and he twisted it right in my gut. I hung up without another word. That night, I took an Uber to the hospital by myself. I waited in the crowded ER alone. I sat in a cold, sterile room alone, watching the IV fluid drip, drip, drip into my arm. The room was full of other patients, all of them with family or friends by their side. There was just me. Ethan never showed up. The next morning, he sent me a text with a picture of Chloe sleeping peacefully. Hey babe, Chloe had a rough night, I stayed with her until she finally calmed down and fell asleep. How are you doing? Still at the hospital? Staring at that screen, I had a moment of blinding clarity. For five years, I was the one who was expected to be “strong.” And Chloe? She would always be the fragile, helpless one who deserved to be comforted and cared for, no matter the cost. My mom’s nagging was just the spark. The real bomb that destroyed every last bit of affection I had for him was that night—the six long, cold hours I spent all by myself in the hospital. “Anna? Are you there?” Maya’s voice pulled me back to the present. I snapped a picture of the old, discarded lock and posted it to my Instagram story. Caption: Out with the old, in with the new. “I’m sure,” I said into the phone. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” I put the phone on speaker and set it aside, then started gathering Ethan’s things. His toothbrush, his towel, a few changes of clothes, and the cufflinks he so proudly wore. I stuffed it all into a black trash bag. Whether he was intentionally malicious or just clueless didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was that I was finally choosing myself. That was enough. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I looked through the peephole. It was Ethan, with a tear-streaked Chloe standing beside him. I didn’t open the door. Ethan tried the keypad. The electronic lock beeped, ACCESS DENIED, over and over. His face grew darker with each failed attempt. Finally, he started pounding on the door. “Anna! Open this door! What the hell did you do to the lock?” I turned on my phone’s video camera and aimed it at the peephole. Chloe tried to pull him back. “Ethan, please don’t! She’s probably just angry. Let’s just go.” “Go? She threw all my stuff out in the hall! She’s trying to cut me off completely?” He kicked the door, the sound echoing in the hallway. I walked calmly to the door and spoke through it. “Mr. Hayes, you kick my door one more time, and I’ll be sending this video to your firm’s HR department. I’ve even got a title for the email: Promising Young Analyst Has Public Meltdown. What Gives?” The kicking stopped. It was silent outside. A few seconds later, Chloe’s tearful voice drifted through the door. “Anna-Marie, I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad at Ethan. He’s just upset because he cares about you so much. I… I made you some homemade chicken pot pie. I’ll just leave it out here for you.” I heard their footsteps retreat down the hall. I opened the door. A thermal container sat on my doormat with a sticky note on top. Anna-Marie, five years is a long time. Don’t give up on it so easily. —Chloe The handwriting was delicate, pretty, and reeked of passive aggression. I picked up the container, walked to my living room window, opened it, and dropped the container into the dumpster below. Perfect shot. I dusted my hands off and went to take a shower. As the hot water washed over me, my phone buzzed incessantly on the counter. It was Ethan. I let it go to voicemail. When I got out, I had over twenty missed calls. The latest text was from Chloe. Anna-Marie, how could you throw out the pie? I spent three hours making that for you. I know you don’t like me, but you can’t just disrespect my feelings like that. Ethan saw you do it from the car, and he’s really hurt. I stared at the message and laughed. Of course he was hurt. I had just destroyed the prop he was going to use to prove his own innocence. I didn’t reply. I just blocked both their numbers. The world went blissfully silent. 3 The next day, with a freshly printed personal profile, I went back to the brewery. They were hosting another singles’ mixer. Ethan had destroyed the professor’s profile yesterday; I was determined to find someone even better today. A man with kind eyes and wire-rimmed glasses approached me. “Excuse me, are you Anna-Marie?” I nodded. “Hi, I’m Leo. I was the, uh… the professor whose profile got destroyed yesterday.” He gave a slightly embarrassed smile. “I got your number from the event organizer, but when I tried to call, it wouldn’t go through.” I remembered I had turned on a feature to block all unknown numbers to avoid Ethan. “I’m sorry about that.” “It’s okay.” Leo’s eyes fell to the new profile sheet in my hand. “Back at it again today?” I held it up. “Efficiently seeking a non-drama-filled relationship.” Leo actually laughed. “Me too.” He gestured to a quiet corner table. “Would you mind if we talked for a bit? Standing in the middle of all this makes me a little nervous.” I saw a faint blush creep up his neck and smiled. “Sure.” Leo was fascinating. He taught classical literature, and he spoke thoughtfully, but he had a dry sense of humor that kept catching me off guard. We talked about everything from Shakespeare to the terrible philosophy of reality TV, and it wasn’t awkward at all. “Honestly, I get it,” he said with a sigh when we talked about the mixer. “My family is constantly trying to set me up. Coming here and looking for myself is just more efficient.” He smiled wryly. “The last woman my mom set me up with insisted she was a sweet, traditional girl. When I showed up for our date, she’d brought her mom, two aunts, and a cousin to ‘interview’ me.” “We’d been talking for maybe five minutes when her aunt asked if I’d be willing to hand over my paycheck to her niece, and her cousin asked what school district I planned on buying a house in.” “It felt like an interrogation. And at the end, the ‘sweet girl’ told me I seemed nice, but my only flaw was that I looked too much like a pushover, and she was worried I wouldn’t be able to handle her brother who wanted to go into politics.” He mimicked their voices perfectly, and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Hearing his story made him feel less like a perfect resume and more like a real person. We were both just trying to navigate the bizarre landscape of modern dating, looking for someone on the same page. My phone vibrated. I glanced at the screen. It was a picture message from an unknown number. It was a photo of Ethan in a hospital bed, his left arm in a cast, his face pale. Chloe was sitting by his side, dutifully peeling an apple for him. They looked like a tragic painting. Beneath the picture was a single line of text. Anna-Marie, Ethan was distracted trying to find you and got into a car accident. He broke his arm. Can you please come see him? I put my phone face down on the table, my expression unreadable. Leo noticed the change in my mood. “Is everything alright?” “Yeah, just spam.” I took a sip of my beer, hiding the cold fury in my eyes. Ethan. You’ve really outdone yourself. Using a guilt trip of this magnitude just to drag me back in. “Anna-Marie,” Leo said suddenly. “This might be forward, but it feels like you’ve got a storm cloud following you around.” I looked up at him. “I don’t know what’s going on,” he said, his gaze sincere, “but I can tell you’re not happy. If there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to ask.” A warmth spread through my chest. Unlike Ethan’s arrogant “I’ll fix this for you” attitude, Leo offered something different: respect and equality. “Thank you, Leo,” I said, and I meant it. “But don’t worry. The cloud is about to clear up.” I was going to rip it to shreds myself. We talked until the brewery was closing. Leo walked me to the entrance of my apartment complex. “I had a really great time talking to you today,” he said, his figure elongated by the streetlight. “Me too.” “So… could I maybe see you again tomorrow?” he asked, a hopeful hesitation in his voice. I nodded. “Definitely.” After saying goodbye to Leo, I turned and started walking toward my building. I’d just reached the front door when a figure lunged out of the shadows and grabbed my arm. It was Ethan. His right hand gripped me tightly. His left arm was, indeed, in a cast, held in a sling around his neck. “Well, look at you, Anna,” he snarled, his eyes bloodshot. “I get in a car wreck because of you, and you’re out on a date with another man?”

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The day Hollywood’s golden boy announced his wedding, the biggest star in the world spent the entire night smoking on her balcony. I leaned against the doorframe, a smirk on my face. “You should go crash the wedding.” Stella stubbed out her cigarette and curled into my arms. Her fingers traced the long, faded scar on my forearm—a souvenir from the time I took a knife for her. “You big idiot,” she whispered. “Don’t you have any faith in yourself?” Two days later, a friend at TMZ sent me a video. It was Stella, on a stage, tears streaming down her face as she and Ethan Cole kissed, a crowd roaring around them. That’s when the System came back online. Its voice was full of pity. I managed to get you a special offer. For just one dollar, you can continue to live… as Stella’s husband. I walked to the edge of the pier and tossed a dollar coin into the dark, churning water. “No, thanks.” It was only later that I heard the stories. How the great Stella Vance was squandering her fortune and her sanity, trying to dredge the entire Pacific coastline. All to find a single coin. 1 When the black Escalade came for me, I happened to be clutching a dollar coin in my hand. The System, silent for years, flickered back to life in my mind. Its voice was tinny, laced with a digital sob. I got you a deal! For just one dollar, you can keep living as Stella’s husband. My mind flashed back to last night, to Stella on the balcony. She was at the top of her game now. She didn’t need to chain-smoke her anxieties away anymore. It had to be about Ethan Cole’s engagement. I saw her out there, a lonely silhouette against the LA skyline. “You should go crash the wedding,” I’d teased. She turned, stepping out of the shadows. Her beautiful face, always so cool and distant to the rest of the world, softened for me. Her fingers found the scar on my arm. “You big idiot,” she’d murmured, a small smile playing on her lips. “What crazy things are you thinking?” “That you’ll run off with him,” I said, no filter. Her smile widened, brilliant and blinding. She threw her arms around my neck. “If I left a man like you for him, I’d be the stupidest woman alive. So, don’t leave me tonight, okay?” Stella had been busy. Her new production company was taking off. She was always out late, handling “emergencies.” “Deal,” I’d said, forcing a smile so wide it hurt, hoping it would hide the sadness in my eyes. “Even if the studio explodes, I’m not going anywhere.” But I didn’t have any hope. Not really. Not when Ethan Cole was so sure of himself. An Instagram DM had appeared earlier that day, from a burner account. Wanna bet? I snap my fingers, she comes running. I’d replied politely. Who is this? You need me to introduce myself? Come on, charity case. We’ve met. At the group home. In your bed. 2 Those words froze me to the couch. He knew everything. He knew I was the dirty, clumsy kid from the foster system that no one ever wanted. Why are you telling me this? I typed back. I’m just trying to have a relationship here, and your constant neediness is a pain in my ass. Every time there’s a thunderstorm in LA, she has to drop everything and run home to you. It’s nothing personal. I just find it annoying. So, I’m getting rid of the annoyance. I clenched my jaw just as the front door opened. Stella swept in, looking radiant. “Liam, did you miss me?” she asked, her tone so casual, like she was just getting home from a long day at the office. But I saw it. One of the silk ribbons on her dress was torn. And in the photo Ethan had just sent me, I could see the faint flush on her cheek, the look she got when she was… moved. A flash of lightning split the sky outside. Stella’s phone began to buzz incessantly. This was his bet. He wanted me to see, with my own eyes, who she would choose. And deep down, in that old, insecure part of me that never really went away, I knew I would lose. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me close. But her body was stiff. “Liam,” she said softly. “Have you ever thought that hiding from your fears isn’t a long-term solution?” I knew what she meant. “The day I pulled you out of that collapsed building, I watched lightning strike my best friend right in front of me.” I was terrified of loud noises, of that raw, natural power that could erase a person in an instant. I only ever had two real friends in the system. One of them was gone. Now, there was only Stella. She turned my face to hers, her gaze intense. “Liam, you need to grow up. The company is at a critical stage. You want me to be free from that horrible studio contract, right? This company is my hope. It’s our future.” I had always supported her, in everything. But for once, I was selfish. “I don’t want you to go,” I whispered. Her phone kept vibrating. A flicker of impatience crossed her features, so fast I might have imagined it. “Just think about it, Liam.” She stood up and started texting. She didn’t know that Ethan was screenshotting everything and sending it to me. Ethan: Not on your way yet? Stella: He’s throwing a tantrum. Ethan: The kid who used to drink out of the toilet at the group home is throwing a tantrum? Wow. Look, Stella, if you can’t make it, it’s fine. I’ll just let my psycho fiancée keep trying to break down the door. She probably won’t actually stab me. This is America, after all. Stella: [Weary emoji] I’ve spoiled him. I’ll teach him to be more independent. Don’t be scared. I’m on my way. She put her phone down just as I finished reading. “I’ll be back to make you your favorite dinner,” she promised. She pulled on her jacket, but paused at the door and came back to plant a light, cool kiss on my forehead. The door clicked shut. Hello, Liam, the System’s voice echoed in my head. I’m sorry we have to meet again. I never seem to bring good news. I wanted to hug it, this strange, sad entity. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” It’s not your fault, either, it replied, its voice clear and kind. 3 The next day was my birthday. For the first time ever, Stella wasn’t there. I texted her. Eight hours later, she replied with a photo of herself smiling brightly next to a street sign in Paris. Stella: Paris is beautiful, Liam. When I’m done with this, I’ll take you here. We’ll celebrate your birthday then. I texted back: Okay. But the photo wasn’t from today. Minutes earlier, my friend from TMZ had sent me the video. “Married actress crashes A-lister’s wedding. Funniest shit I’ve ever seen. That snake Ethan Cole didn’t even need to marry that girl—her family’s company just went bankrupt. He did this on purpose, trending on Twitter for weeks about his tragic, arranged marriage. Fucking drama queen.” In the video, Stella and Ethan Cole were kissing, sobbing in each other’s arms, surrounded by a cheering crowd. I’d recognized Ethan the first time I saw him on screen. People are haunted by what they couldn’t have in their youth. For Stella, he was that. One year, a senator’s son came to stay at our group home for a month as a charity project. That was Ethan. Stella, who was usually my shadow, barely spoke to me the entire time. I thought he was just a passing phase. I was wrong. He was the moon she could never reach. And I was just the familiar, boring earth she was stuck on. While Stella was kissing Ethan in front of the world, I was walking down the street, trying to buy myself a birthday cake. When the Escalade mounted the curb and accelerated toward me, I just stood there. I didn’t even move. How can the punishment be happening ahead of schedule? the System asked, confused. “It’s okay,” I told it. “I got to live a lot longer than I was supposed to. I saw some beautiful things.” That day the lightning struck, it hit me, too. I had thrown myself over Stella to protect her. That’s when the System first appeared. It told me to choose one person. If I could make them fall in love with me, I could live. I chose Stella. We’d survived the system together, clinging to each other. It seemed like the safest, most certain path in the world. In this last moment, I realized my mistake. Love isn’t that simple. The System tearfully froze time. A moment later, its light pulsed. I got you one last chance. For one dollar. You can keep living as Stella’s husband. But… you will be bound to her, forever. Once, that would have been a temptation. But I had grown up. “No, thanks,” I said. The coin was still in my hand. The ocean was fifty feet away. I arched my arm and threw it as far as I could. Time resumed. The pain of the impact was as searing as the lightning had been all those years ago. Unfortunately, I didn’t die instantly. In the flash of agony, I thought I saw my old friend Maya. The ambulance ride was a blur of siren wails and the suffocating smell of antiseptic. I heard her voice, desperate and sharp, talking to the other paramedics. “Patient is in cardiac arrest, starting chest compressions…” 4 Stella called my phone more than a dozen times. I was in surgery, so I couldn’t answer. After the first round of resuscitation, Maya found my phone buzzing on a gurney outside the OR. She answered the latest call. “It’s just a business arrangement, Liam, why can’t you accept that?” Stella’s voice was impatient, angry. “Ethan and I are tied together by our careers now. This isn’t like when we were kids anymore.” She paused, taking a ragged breath. “This isn’t a world where you can solve everything with your fists.” She still remembered me fighting the other kids who called her a bastard, the daughter of a homewrecker. She’d arrived at the home like a princess, a tiny, perfect doll in a frilly dress, stepping out of her billionaire father’s limousine. Then, one day, she was just one of us. Her father’s wife had found out about her, and her mother was dead. He’d dumped her in the system to keep her from threatening his legitimate daughter’s inheritance. Was her obsession with Ethan just a longing for the life that was stolen from her? Maya tried to tell her what was happening, but the light above the OR door flashed red again. “Dr. Chen!” a nurse yelled. “Patient’s unresponsive, exhibiting neurological signs, he’s crashing!” Maya dropped the phone and ran back inside. On the other end of the line, Stella heard only silence. “Liam? Why aren’t you saying anything?” She stared at the screen for a long moment, then sighed and hung up. Ethan glanced at her, a smirk on his face. “Giving you the silent treatment? You give a weed too much sunlight, it starts to think it’s a rose.” “He’s—” Stella hesitated. “He’s different.” “So, what do you want? Your career, or a normal life with him? Have you figured that out yet?” Ethan sneered. “Today he’s posting pity-bait about how I’m bullying him. Tomorrow he’ll leak that you’re sleeping with him. It’s the truth, but the public doesn’t care about the truth. To them, you’re just a liar.” Stella stared out the window, a headache blooming behind her eyes. The phone rang again. It was Maya, calling from my number. Stella answered immediately. “Liam, about before, I—” “The night you and Liam signed your marriage certificate,” Maya’s voice cut in, cold and precise. “What was the celestial event?” Stella froze, racking her brain. The voice was familiar. “Maya?” she asked, her own voice turning to ice. “Where’s Liam? Why do you have his phone? Where are you?” Stella had always hated Maya, always been terrified I would choose her instead. Maya ignored the jealous fit. “I’m asking you a question. The night you registered your marriage, what happened in the sky? Please, just answer the question.” “Are you insane, Maya? Why are you asking me that? Doesn’t Liam know? Who the hell do you think you are?” “STELLA!” Maya’s voice cracked with a fury Stella had never heard before. “He and I are just friends, you fucking paranoid bitch! What was the event in the sky?! We’re out of time!” The raw desperation in Maya’s voice stunned her into silence. The night they got their marriage license— I knew Stella wouldn’t be able to answer. That night, there was a solar eclipse. A sun in the night sky. But Stella was in London. Ethan had staged a suicide attempt to get her on a plane. When she came back, exhausted and stressed, she had no idea what she’d missed. I’d asked her, “Stella, did you see the sun last night?” She’d just rubbed her tired eyes. “It was raining in London,” she’d said. “Overcast.” An answer that was not an answer. I was talking about LA. She was talking about London. 5 In the final moments of the countdown, Maya wanted to fly across the world and strangle Stella. I was confused. The System had never given second chances before. Maybe it was new at this, not yet immune to human tragedy. It had given Maya the instructions. Call Stella. Ask the question. Thirty seconds. If she answers correctly, Liam lives. No hints. No other questions. Just this. Maya thought it was a sure thing. What woman wouldn’t remember the night she got married? Even she knew about the eclipse; it had been all over the news. But Stella wasn’t here. She wasn’t even looking at the same sky. “God damn you, Stella,” Maya whispered into the phone. “I hope you regret this for the rest of your life.” Time’s up, the System announced. Answer incorrect. The phone slipped from Maya’s hand. Through the window of the OR, she saw the head surgeon pull off his mask and shake his head. She heard the long, flat beep of the monitor, a sound that seemed to stretch into eternity. From the phone on the floor, Stella’s tinny voice asked, “Let me talk to Liam.” Maya started to laugh, tears splashing onto the sterile linoleum. “He’s dead,” she said, her voice hollow and calm.

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I was born with a peculiarity: two hearts beating inside my chest. It was the only thing about me that ever brought my parents any joy. Because my older brother, Jason, was born with a congenital heart defect. The only reason I existed was to ensure he would live. Then I met Kitty, and we got married. She rescued me from the abyss of my desperate longing for a family’s love. I thought she would be different from my parents. But when my brother’s heart began to fail, she became obsessed with the idea of me donating one of mine to him. What she didn’t know was that I only had one heart left. My other one was already inside of her. 1. “It’s just one heart, Ethan. Why are you being so selfish?” “Weren’t you born to keep your brother alive?” Kitty’s grip on my arm was like a vise. “But I want to live, too. I’ll die without a heart.” Her face tightened for a moment before she pressed on. “You have two hearts. Give one away, and you’ll still have one left. You’ll live.” “But your brother is different. Without this heart from you, he’ll die.” Ignoring my struggles, Kitty shoved me into the prep room. I tried to explain, my voice filled with a desperate helplessness. “I only have one heart now.” “You saw the test results, didn’t you?” She wouldn’t listen. “Who knows what you’ve done to get out of this? You probably bribed the lab technicians to fake the report.” She was convinced I’d paid someone off to alter the results. “No, Kitty, that’s not it. I had surgery when I was a kid. I already donated one of my hearts.” “Enough, Ethan! This is about saving your brother’s life. Why are you being so stubborn?” she snapped, cutting me off. “I’m not lying. My heart is inside you.” But she didn’t hear a word I said. She was already walking toward my brother’s prep room. 2. The other doctors in the room stared at us, momentarily stunned. Then, someone spoke up. “Picking now to whisper sweet nothings? That’s just disgusting.” “Your brother is fighting for his life, and you’re in here hitting on your sister-in-law with cheesy lines.” Only our immediate families knew Kitty and I were married. Her colleagues had never met me. And since Kitty had handled every single aspect of Jason’s hospitalization, everyone in her department assumed he was her husband. Kitty had never bothered to correct them. “Exactly. Instead of trying to save his own brother, he’s trying to seduce his wife.” “What a waste of a heart.” Their words were like daggers. I had to tell them the truth. “Actually, I’m the one who’s—” Kitty came back out and grabbed my arm again, her grip tight. “You are donating your heart today. Your brother is already in the operating room. You’re next.” She brandished a stack of papers. “I’ve already signed the consent forms. All you have to do is get on the table.” Inside the OR, I saw Jason. He looked so frail and weak that it was impossible not to feel sorry for him. “Don’t worry,” a doctor said kindly. “Your wife, Dr. Evans, will make sure you live a long, healthy life.” Jason didn’t correct him. He just offered a weak, grateful smile. “It’s all my fault,” he rasped, his voice filled with self-reproach. “Making my brother sacrifice so much for me.” He looked at me, but his eyes held a glint of triumph. The other doctors murmured in sympathy, their gazes turning on me with contempt. To them, my brother was a saint, and I was a monster. After a few reassuring words to Jason, Kitty turned to me. She ignored my frantic struggles and forced me onto the operating table. “Get the anesthesiologist in here. Now,” she ordered. A moment later, the fight went out of me. Kitty’s fingers brushed against my cheek. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I’ll make sure you survive this.” Her mentor had been a pioneer in heart transplantation. She was confident she could pull this off. “After your brother recovers, the whole family will finally accept you. And I’ll be right here by your side.” 3. The surgery began, a tense and focused dance of scalpels and sutures. Hours later, Kitty lifted a heart from my chest. Without a second glance, she rushed it into Jason’s operating room. My chest was a gaping wound. My body lay alone and forgotten on the cold metal table. Suddenly, the piercing shriek of the heart monitor jolted the attending physician awake. “He’s dead? I thought he had two hearts.” One of Kitty’s colleagues sounded confused. “You actually believed that story Dr. Evans told? It was just a joke.” “Serves him right,” another one muttered. “Trying to seduce Dr. Evans while her husband was dying. He got what he deserved.” “So, what do we do now?” “He’s dead. Someone will come for the body eventually. If not, the morgue will deal with it.” With that, they all left. Kitty, meanwhile, was completely absorbed in Jason’s surgery. It was her first heart transplant, but she was confident. After several grueling hours, she finished, the procedure a success. Exhausted but triumphant, she followed Jason to the recovery room. Only after he was settled did a thought of me cross her mind. As she was heading back to the OR, she ran into a colleague from the surgery. “Where’s my husband?” she asked. The colleague thought for a moment. “Isn’t he back in his room already? Don’t worry, someone’s watching him. The nurses in the department will take good care of your husband.” The odd phrasing didn’t register with Kitty. She figured her colleague was right. With her position in the hospital, the nurses would be sure to look after him. So, she went back to her office and got back to work. A day later, Jason woke up. Kitty was right there by his side. “Jason, you’re finally awake.” Seeing her, he burst into tears. 4. Kitty gently hugged him. “Don’t worry. The surgery was a success. Your heart is going to be fine now.” Jason touched his chest, overwhelmed with relief. The illness that had plagued him his entire life was finally gone. He clung to Kitty, sobbing. “You need to stay calm,” she murmured, rubbing his back soothingly. “No extreme emotions.” A nurse passing by smiled. “Dr. Evans, you take such good care of your husband.” Kitty froze. She remembered I was in another room on the same floor. “You’re mistaken,” she started to explain. “He’s not…” Jason clutched his chest, a pained expression on his face, effectively cutting her off. Kitty’s attention immediately shifted back to him. “I told you not to cry. You need to rest so you can recover.” Seeing Jason like this, so vulnerable, a memory of me surfaced in her mind. She realized she hadn’t seen me since the surgery. “Jason, you get some rest. I’m going to check on Ethan.” As she stood up to leave, Jason grabbed her hand, his grip surprisingly strong. “I had this surgery without telling my parents. This is a critical time for my recovery. I’m scared to be alone. I’m worried I won’t heal properly.” His pale face and pleading eyes made her heart soften. Besides, she thought, the doctors and nurses would be looking out for me because of her. I would be fine. “Okay,” she sighed. “I’ll stay with you for a few more days.” Jason watched her sit back down before slowly closing his eyes. Meanwhile, in the morgue, an attendant was staring at my body. “It’s been two days and no one’s come to claim him. What are we supposed to do?” Another attendant was cleaning up. “What are you looking at? Let’s just get this done so we can go home.” Together, they unceremoniously shoved my body into a black bag. “Look at him. Died a pretty nasty death. Probably wasn’t a good person.” “Good, bad… they all look the same after cremation.” “True. Still a shame, though. So young.” 5. Two more days passed. Jason’s recovery was going well, and Kitty finally decided it was time to check on me. She walked into my room and found it empty. A nurse was stripping the bed. “Where’s the patient from this room?” The nurse looked up. “Oh, Dr. Evans. He was discharged.” A flicker of annoyance went through Kitty. I’d just had major surgery. What was I thinking, leaving the hospital instead of resting? She pulled out her phone and dialed my number. It went straight to voicemail. “Fine,” she muttered, her anger rising. “Go ahead and die out there for all I care.” She stormed back to Jason’s room. He immediately noticed her foul mood. “Is Ethan still angry? He won’t forgive you?” he asked, his voice full of concern. “It’s all my fault. I’ll go talk to him right now. I don’t want you two fighting because of me.” He made a show of trying to get out of bed, and Kitty rushed to stop him. “Don’t worry about him. You need to focus on getting better. That way, when Mom and Dad find out the good news on the day you’re discharged, they’ll be overjoyed.” “As for Ethan,” she added dismissively, “he’s not going to die. He’s already been discharged.” She remembered how I had begged her before the surgery, and a feeling of resentment bubbled up inside her. We were brothers. Why was I so unwilling to save him? And seeing Jason, always so considerate of me, only made my selfishness seem worse. Fine, she thought. If I was going to be so stubborn, then I could have some time to cool off on my own. It wouldn’t be too late to bring me back for Jason’s discharge party. Later, in the doctor’s lounge, her colleagues were laughing and joking around. The moment she walked in, they all fell silent. Kitty found it strange. “What were you all talking about?” 6. No one said a word. After a long, awkward pause, a colleague put her arm around Kitty’s shoulders. “What else? About how devoted you and your husband are to each other, of course.” Kitty thought about how I’d been forced to give up one of my hearts for her. She supposed, in a way, that did show how much I loved her. Even if I had been coerced, I had still helped her save a life. With that thought, she forgave my sudden disappearance. But the fact that I wasn’t answering her calls still infuriated her. Her colleague noticed her troubled expression. “Is your husband in a bad mood?” Kitty didn’t answer. “He just had surgery. It’s normal for him to be a little down,” the colleague continued. “Just be patient with him. Do something to cheer him up.” Kitty’s frown slowly smoothed out. She remembered how much I loved the pastries from the bakery near our apartment. She decided she’d go home after her shift. Carrying a box of pastries, she walked into our apartment. “Honey? I bought your favorite pastries.” Silence. As she set the box down, her eyes fell on the divorce papers I had left on the table a week ago. The moment she had told me to donate my heart, I had decided to leave her. Kitty stared at the papers in disbelief. Seriously? she thought. All this over one heart? How dare I try to divorce her over this? Furious, she threw the box of pastries into the trash. “If you don’t want this home, then don’t ever come back!” Just then, her phone rang. “Kitty? Where has Ethan been lately?” It was my father. He rarely called, and even more rarely asked about me. His world revolved around Jason. An idea formed in Kitty’s mind. My parents were the only ones who could get me to show my face. And Jason was almost fully recovered. So, she told my father about the surgery. 7. My parents rushed to the hospital that night. The moment Jason saw them, he burst into tears. The three of them clung to each other, a tableau of relieved grief. After a while, my parents asked about me. “Where’s your brother? He’s in the same department. He should be here to see you.” Jason hesitated. “He’s already been discharged.” My mother held Jason close. “Discharged? He certainly recovered quickly. Leaving the hospital just a few days after surgery. He’s probably going to get himself killed out there.” My father shot her a warning look. “Don’t say that. Even though Jason has a new heart, there’s no guarantee there won’t be complications. If Ethan dies, what will happen to Jason?” My mother quickly covered her mouth. “You’re right, you’re right. If anyone’s going to die, it should be after Jason is completely safe.” She turned to Jason, her voice full of love. “Don’t worry, darling. Your father and I will always protect you.” A warmth spread through Jason’s chest. The next day, Kitty walked into the room to find this idyllic family scene. For some reason, it bothered her. She had never seen my parents look at me with such affection. “Kitty, you’re here! We can’t thank you enough for saving Jason’s heart.” They were so grateful to her, but they didn’t mention my name once. Kitty asked if they had heard from me. The question immediately soured their mood. “Why are you worried about him? He’s been discharged, so he must be fine. You should be focused on Jason. Jason has always been so fragile, while Ethan has always been as strong as an ox.” My parents had always wanted to set Jason up with Kitty. They’d only held back because of his heart condition. Now, with me out of the picture, the path was clear for them. Before Kitty could say anything, a colleague walked in. “Dr. Evans, you take such good care of your husband. You’re here every day.” My parents beamed, assuming their wish was already coming true. A faint blush colored Jason’s cheeks. But Kitty’s face darkened with anger. “Who told you he was my husband?” 8. The colleague, oblivious to Kitty’s fury, just laughed. “Everyone in the department knows. Don’t be so modest.” She quickly left to attend to her other duties. My parents took Kitty’s hands. “Kitty, since Ethan isn’t here, and everyone already thinks Jason is your husband, it will ensure he gets better care.” Kitty saw the hurt expression on Jason’s face and swallowed her anger. Back in her office, before she could find her colleague to set the record straight, she was told her old mentor had arrived. She rushed to the director’s office. The moment she saw Dr. Peterson, she threw her arms around him. “Dr. Peterson! It’s been so long. How have you been?” He smiled, looking her over. “I heard you performed a heart transplant. The student has surpassed the master.” He reminisced about the surgery he had performed on her when she was a child, marveling at how she had followed in his footsteps. Kitty froze. “What surgery are you talking about?” Dr. Peterson was taken aback. “The heart transplant, of course. The one you had when you were a little girl.” The office was silent for a moment. Then, someone burst in. “Dr. Evans, you need to come quick! The family in room 32 is fighting!” Room 32. Jason’s room. She took off running. As she burst in, she heard someone shouting. “Don’t you dare deny it! My nephew donated his heart to your daughter!” Kitty rushed forward and pulled the two women apart. One of them was her mother, who looked at her with tear-filled, guilty eyes. The other woman, when she saw Kitty, started shouting again. “It was you! My nephew Ethan’s heart is inside you!” Kitty stared at her, her mind reeling. My words came rushing back to her. My heart is inside you.

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Showing up at my ex-boyfriend’s engagement party was a power move. Seeing him hustle toward me, his face pale with panic, confirmed it. “Don’t make a scene,” he hissed, grabbing my arm. I gave him a withering look and walked right past him, my heels clicking on the marble floor. I made a beeline for his uncle. “Daniel,” I said, my voice steady. “I’m pregnant. And it’s yours.” Daniel Russo’s gaze, cool and unreadable, lingered on the pregnancy test in my hand for a long moment. Then, a slow smile spread across his face. He pulled me down to sit beside him, his arm draping over my shoulder as he announced to the table, “Well, if it’s mine, then I suppose I’ll have to take responsibility.” 1 The party Leo threw for himself was exactly as ostentatious as I’d expected. I’d stood at the grand entrance for a few minutes, watching him play the gracious host, a bitter laugh bubbling in my throat. The thought of him whispering sweet nothings to me one night, only to get engaged to his family-approved, childhood sweetheart the next, was enough to make me sick. As guests ebbed and flowed through the doorway, his eyes met mine. First, there was a flicker of confusion, then raw, undisguised panic. He strode toward me, his posture stiff. “Ava, what are you doing here?” he whispered, his voice tight with anxiety. “I thought we talked about this. You can’t be here, not tonight. This is important.” He assumed I was here to pick a fight with his fiancée. A classic, pathetic catfight. But my target was so much bigger than him. I rolled my eyes. “Get out of my way, Leo,” I said, my voice dripping with ice. “You’re blocking my path to the father of my child.” “The what?” I shoved him aside. The look of utter shock on his face was almost satisfying as I walked directly toward the main table, toward the one man who outshone everyone else in the room. The moment I stopped in front of Daniel Russo, the ambient chatter of the ballroom seemed to drop by half. Every eye in the vicinity swiveled in our direction. Their focus wasn’t on me, of course. It was on him. Daniel was the kind of man who always seemed to be smiling, a polite, aristocratic curve of his lips that never quite reached his eyes. Up close, you could see the cool, calculating intelligence behind them. He looked up at me now, that same gentle smile in place, his expression one of polite inquiry. I pulled the pregnancy test from my clutch and held it out. My voice was crisp and clear. “Daniel, I’m pregnant.” His eyes held mine, then dropped to the little plastic stick. The silence stretched. Then, with a smoothness that took my breath away, he pulled me down into the chair beside him, his arm a warm, heavy weight on my shoulders. “Well, if it’s mine,” he said, his voice carrying just enough for the surrounding tables to hear, “then I suppose I’ll have to take responsibility.” 2 After a beat of stunned silence, the old man sitting next to Daniel—his father—clapped him on the shoulder and let out a booming laugh. “Well, well, Daniel! Keeping a girlfriend secret from your old man, were you? And with results like this!” The tension broke. The room erupted in a flurry of excited chatter and congratulations. “And here we were thinking no woman on earth could catch Daniel Russo’s eye,” someone chirped. “Turns out he had one hidden away all along!” “That’s Daniel for you! Quietly becoming a father while the rest of us are still playing games. The patriarch can finally rest easy!” “This certainly puts him ahead of Leo, doesn’t it? So, when can we expect a wedding invitation, Daniel?” I’ll admit, this was a calculated move. Choosing this party, in front of all these people, was designed to hit Leo where it hurt. Daniel was the man Leo both admired and feared above all others. If I suddenly became his fiancée—his future aunt—he’d have to bow his head to me for the rest of his life. I had run through a dozen scenarios in my head on the way here, but I never, not once, imagined he would just… accept it. Not only accept it, but play along, creating this instant illusion of us as a loving, committed couple. The reality was, we were practically strangers. A few brief encounters, a handful of exchanged pleasantries, and one messy, chaotic night. We’d probably spoken less than twenty sentences to each other in our entire lives. The heat from his hand seeped through my dress, and I felt a blush creep up my neck. I was starting to feel completely out of my depth. My unease was broken by Leo, who had finally stormed over to our table. “Ava, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded. His anger snapped me back into character. I straightened my spine. “I told you, Leo. I’m here to see the father of my child.” His eyes, wide with disbelief, darted to his uncle. “Uncle Daniel?” Daniel’s smile tightened just a fraction. “Leo, your bride is waiting for you. Go do what you’re supposed to be doing.” The words were soft, but they carried the unmistakable weight of a command. Leo flinched as if struck. He shot me one last, conflicted look, then clenched his jaw and walked away. And just like that, I spent the rest of my ex-boyfriend’s engagement party as Daniel Russo’s baby mama. The spotlight, which should have been on Leo and his new fiancée, was now fixed squarely on us. Especially from the distinguished old man beside me—Daniel’s father, Leo’s maternal grandfather. He spent the entire evening beaming, his eyes crinkling as he peppered me with gentle questions about my life and how Daniel and I had met. Daniel handled it all with unnerving calm. I just… faked it. A wave of regret washed over me. This was a terrible idea. This was a conversation that should have happened in private. When the party finally wound down, Daniel offered to drive me home. He dismissed his driver and slid behind the wheel himself, the engine humming quietly in the cavernous underground garage. But he didn’t start the car. He pulled a dark cigar from his breast pocket, not lighting it, just rolling it between his fingers. He stared straight ahead through the windshield, lost in thought. The silence was so thick I felt like I was suffocating. I opened my mouth to break it, twice, but before I could find the words, he spoke. “Alright,” he said, his voice devoid of its earlier warmth. “Whose baby is it?” 3 I froze, turning to face him. His eyes, now stripped of all pretense, were cold, sharp, and all-knowing. For a second, I was speechless. Then, anger surged through me. “What do you mean?” I demanded. “Are you backing out now?” A humorless smile touched his lips. “You misunderstand. I don’t deny the things I’ve done. But—” He paused, the smile deepening as his eyes grew even colder. “I never touched you.” It was the second time a man had said that to me today. A hysterical laugh escaped me. They both never touched me? Was this some kind of immaculate conception? My breath came in ragged bursts. I fought to control my voice. “Daniel, if you don’t want to be responsible, just say so. I came here fully prepared for you to deny it. It was a mistake, a drunken accident.” I took a shaky breath. “And yes, I chose this party to tell you because I wanted to hurt Leo. I used you, and that was wrong. But you don’t have to humiliate me like this.” He was silent for a moment, his expression unreadable. “If I wanted to humiliate you, Ava, I wouldn’t have played along back there,” he said patiently. “But I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t touch you.” He said it with such absolute certainty that, for the first time, a sliver of doubt pierced my anger. Could he be right? It had all started on his yacht, at Leo’s birthday party. I saw him—Leo—kissing his fiancée for tonight in a hallway near the restrooms. The sight shattered something inside me. I went straight to the bar and started drinking. I remembered Daniel bringing me back to a cabin. A gesture of kindness, I’d assumed, looking out for his nephew’s drunk girlfriend. But my mind was a toxic cocktail of alcohol and betrayal. All I could see was Leo’s face, his lies. I was hurt and furious, and I wanted to lash out. Back then, I didn’t know the girl was his family-ordained fiancée. I just thought I wasn’t enough, that my desire to wait, to not have sex before marriage, had pushed him into the arms of someone else. In that moment, it felt like a failing. My failing. So, in a haze of drunken bravado, I’d thrown my arms around Daniel’s neck. I remember slurring something stupid, something like, “It’s just sex, right? If he thinks it’s so casual, so meaningless, then why can’t I? I can be casual too!” So, yes. Maybe. It was probably me who initiated it. Me who practically forced him. But I know what happened to my body. I woke up alone the next morning, but my body remembered. There was a distinct, undeniable ache. Unless— A horrifying thought struck me. “Wait,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “It was you who took me to my room that night on the yacht, wasn’t it?” Daniel nodded. “It was.” “And you were the man who stayed with me all night?” He hesitated. “I was.” “Then how can you say you didn’t touch me?!”

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I woke up in a trashy romance novel on the day of my divorce. Just as I was about to sign the papers, a series of glowing text boxes floated in front of my eyes: 【HIGH-STAKES DRAMA AHEAD! GET READY FOR THE GROVELING ARC!】 【LMAO, I can’t wait to see this scumbag refuse to sign, then break down and beg the female lead for forgiveness! Make him suffer!】 【He won’t sign. This is the moment he’s supposed to wake up and realize his one true love was framed by the other woman, right?】 I glanced at the comments, smirked, and signed the divorce papers without a moment’s hesitation. I’m not the actual main character. Why the hell would I want to grovel my way through a redemption arc? 1 I’d been transmigrated. Dropped right into the body of Damien Blackwood, the male lead of a cliché-ridden, melodramatic novel called The CEO’s Captive Heart. You know the type: cold, cruel, pathologically blind to the truth, and destined for a long, painful journey of groveling to win back the woman he’d wronged. A classic scumbag CEO. And right now, I was at City Hall, finalizing my divorce. The woman sitting next to me was beautiful, but her face was as pale as parchment. That was Evelyn, my wife—for the next five minutes, anyway. According to the novel, we’d been married for three years, during which I, as Damien, had been a textbook monster. I’d neglected her, humiliated her, accused her of cheating, and even caused her to have a miscarriage. Pure, unadulterated trash. But of course, underneath it all, I was supposedly madly in love with her. My cruelty was just a product of being manipulated by a two-faced schemer—my supposed “one true love” from the past—and provoked by Evelyn’s own suspiciously close male best friend. The plot was simple: the hero acts like a villain, the heroine suffers, the hero has a sudden epiphany, and then the groveling begins. A long, drawn-out redemption arc. The original Damien ends up with a broken leg, bankrupt, and nearly dead. And the best part? Evelyn still doesn’t forgive him. He goes through hell for nothing. It’s a tragedy. As I was mulling this over, those colorful, translucent text boxes started popping up again, obscuring my view. 【HERE IT COMES! THE GROVELING IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!】 【Wake up, Damien, you idiot! Look at everything Evelyn has sacrificed for you! If you sign those papers, it’s all over!】 【I’ll bet you fifty bucks he’s about to rip up the agreement and yell ‘I DON’T AGREE!’ It’s a classic!】 Live-chat comments? I got it. They were the audience, watching from another dimension. They were here for the show, waiting to see me suffer, to watch me crawl back on my hands and knees. I almost laughed out loud. A groveling redemption arc? What’s that got to do with me? I wasn’t the real Damien. Why should I suffer for some fictional idiot’s mistakes? A broken leg? Bankruptcy? Begging for forgiveness? You’ve got to be kidding me. Isn’t freedom better? A powerful, primal survival instinct kicked in. I had to get out of this story. Now. The clerk slid the divorce agreement in front of me and pointed to the signature line. Evelyn didn’t look at me. Her gaze was fixed on the tabletop, her eyes empty. She was already signing her copy, her pen moving quickly, forcefully, as if she were escaping a prison. The pen was right there. I picked it up. The comments were scrolling by in a frenzy. 【His expression is so cold. Is he really going to sign? No way!】 【He’s faking! He has to be! The explosion is coming any second now!】 【Getting my screen recorder ready for the iconic scene!】 I ignored the noise and brought the pen to the paper. The tip glided across the smooth surface. Damien Blackwood. My signature was clean and decisive. Not a single tremor in my hand. I put the pen down and pushed the document back to the clerk. “Done,” I said, my voice surprisingly light. The hall was silent except for the low hum of the air conditioning. The clerk looked stunned, glancing from the papers to me, then to Evelyn. He probably hadn’t seen many divorces go this smoothly, especially from a CEO with a reputation for being obsessively in love with his wife. Evelyn had finished signing too. She finally looked up, her vacant eyes meeting mine. The emptiness was gone, replaced by something else. Shock. Utter disbelief. 2 The comments section imploded. 【!!!!!!!!!!】 【WTF???? HE SIGNED???? HE ACTUALLY SIGNED???】 【This isn’t in the script, director! Where’s the part where he rips up the papers?! Where’s the dramatic epiphany?!】 【AAAAAHHHH WHERE’S MY GROVELING ARC?! THIS ISN’T WHAT I PAID FOR! REFUND!】 The clerk, recovering quickly, processed the paperwork. A few minutes later, two crimson booklets were handed to us. The divorce certificates. It was done. I was emotionally, and now legally, a free man. I stood up and stretched. Evelyn was still sitting, staring at the certificate in her hand as if it were a branding iron. I didn’t spare her another glance. I turned and walked away. My steps were long and quick, eager to leave this place behind. The comments went berserk. 【He just left??? He really just left??? Didn’t even look back!】 【My redemption arc! My groveling! Did the writer just give up?!】 【DAMIEN! YOU GET BACK HERE! GET ON YOUR KNEES!】 【Wait a second… does he seem a little too… relieved?】 Stepping out of City Hall, I was hit by the bright sun. The air felt cleaner out here. The driver pulled the black luxury sedan to the curb. I got in, sinking into the plush leather seat. It was comfortable. “Back to the office, Mr. Blackwood?” the driver asked. “Yes.” I leaned back and closed my eyes. A dull ache was still throbbing in my head, but the weight in my chest was gone. I felt light. Lighter than I had in a long time. The car pulled into traffic, leaving City Hall behind. My phone vibrated. I pulled it out. The screen lit up with a name: “Vivian.” The other woman. The manipulative schemer who framed Evelyn and caused the miscarriage. The catalyst for the entire groveling arc. The comments instantly perked up. 【Here we go! It’s the other woman!】 【She’s definitely calling to ‘comfort’ him! Damien’s gonna go cry on her shoulder now!】 【Let the trashy couple rot together! Leave our Evelyn alone!】 Just seeing the name made me feel sick. I declined the call, then dragged the contact into my block list. The world instantly felt 50% cleaner. Another explosion in the comments. 【??? He hung up???】 【AND BLOCKED HER?? HOLY CRAP???】 【What the hell is this plot twist?!】 【This isn’t how the story goes! Damien, snap out of it!】 【Wait… does he know? Does he know Vivian framed Evelyn?】 【So what if he knows! It’s too late! Scumbag!】 The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Sir, that was Miss Sterling.” “Don’t mention her name again,” I said. My voice was quiet, but cold. The driver immediately shut up. “Yes, Mr. Blackwood.” The phone rang again. My assistant this time. I answered. “Mr. Blackwood, is everything finalized?” he asked, his voice hesitant. “Yes. It’s done.” “Should I arrange a settlement for… Miss Lin?” “Not a single penny. Stick to the prenup,” I cut him off. I remembered the prenup. Evelyn had signed it. She left with nothing. The original Damien had forced her to have the abortion and then kicked her out penniless because Vivian convinced him the child wasn’t his. “Have her things packed and thrown out of the house. Don’t send them anywhere. And get the keys back.” My assistant audibly choked. “Understood, sir. And… what should I tell your father? He’s always been very fond of her.” My father. The one person in the book who was decent to Evelyn. He’s also the one who eventually disowned Damien. “I’ll handle him.” “Now, head back to the office. I want a meeting with all department heads in one hour. I need to see the latest financial reports and project statuses. All of them. Anyone not in that conference room in thirty minutes can submit their resignation.” “Yes, Mr. Blackwood! Right away!” My assistant’s voice was suddenly sharp and efficient. He hung up. The comments were flying so fast they were a blur. 【Is this a divorce or a scorched-earth campaign?!】 【Cold-blooded! So damn cold-blooded! Evelyn wasted three years of her life on this monster!】 【Blocked Vivian, kicked out Evelyn, and now he’s going back to work? What the hell possessed this guy?】 【Did his business brain just activate? He’s all about the money now?】 【The groveling arc has officially been shredded and set on fire! LMAO (crying)】 3 I strode into my office at Blackwood Corp. A figure lunged at me, enveloped in a cloud of perfume. It was Vivian. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her voice cloying. “Damien! Why did you block me? What did I do wrong?” I sidestepped her. She stumbled, catching herself just before she fell. “Damien?” she whimpered, her face a mask of wounded confusion. I walked past her and sat down behind my desk. I looked up, my gaze like ice. “Who let you in?” “My assistant told me about the divorce. I was worried about you.” She started to move closer. “Get out.” “What?” Vivian froze. “Right now. Get out of my office.” I pointed to the door. “And don’t ever come near this building again.” Her face flushed, then drained of color. “Damien, how could you…” “Security!” I buzzed the front desk. The comments were losing their minds: 【Damn, that’s harsh! He’s treating the ‘love of his life’ like this?!】 【Vivian’s face is priceless! HAHAHA!】 【That was a slap in the face! So satisfying!】 【Did Damien take the wrong pills this morning?!】 【It’s like he hates everyone now?】 Two security guards appeared in the doorway. “Mr. Blackwood?” “Escort Miss Sterling out. And from now on, she is not permitted in this building without my express approval.” I looked down at a file, dismissing her completely. “Yes, sir.” The guards turned to Vivian. “Miss Sterling, please.” “Damien! You’re a bastard! I hate you!” she shrieked as the guards firmly led her away. The office was finally quiet. The comments kept rolling: 【He really kicked her out! Savage!】 【The main love interest just got demoted to a random extra? The plot is in shambles!】 【I don’t understand this development, but I am thoroughly shaken!】 【Is the scumbag turning over a new leaf? No, wait, this isn’t redemption, this is a complete personality transplant!】 I ignored them. My phone rang again. It was the butler from the family estate, informing me that my father demanded my immediate presence. I drove to the old Blackwood mansion. The old man was on the sofa, his face livid. To my surprise, Evelyn was there too. She was standing in the middle of the living room next to an open suitcase, methodically packing a few items of clothing. She paused when she heard me enter but didn’t turn around. The old man saw me and slammed his hand on the armrest. “You insolent whelp! You’d better explain yourself!” “Father, you see for yourself. It’s done,” I said calmly. “She’ll be gone as soon as she’s finished packing.” “Gone?” He shot to his feet. “Who said she’s leaving?!” He strode over to Evelyn and slammed the suitcase shut. “Evelyn, you stop that right now! You’re not the one who’s leaving!” Evelyn’s hands hovered in mid-air. The old man whipped around, his finger practically in my face. “You’re the one who’s getting out! Damien! I have no son who is so heartless, so blind!” Another explosion in the comments: 【Whoa! Go, Dad! Put him in his place!】 【Damien must be terrified now! Time to beg for forgiveness!】 【Here it comes! The breakdown! The pleading!】 4 The old man turned back to Evelyn, his voice softening. “Evelyn, don’t go. Damien has changed, really. I just got word he blocked that Vivian woman and had her banned from the company. He still loves you!” Seeing that I wasn’t reacting, my father’s chest heaved with rage. “Damien! I’m telling you right now! If you dare to go through with this divorce, you can get the hell out of this family! The Blackwood fortune will have no heir named Damien Blackwood! Evelyn is a wonderful woman, and you’ve done nothing but torture her! Without her, you are nothing!” He glared at me, waiting. Waiting for me to break, to beg, to have the great epiphany the novel had promised. I looked at him. Then I looked at Evelyn. She was watching me too, her lips pressed into a thin line. The air was electric. I nodded. My voice was perfectly calm. “Alright.” The old man froze. Evelyn’s eyes widened, just a fraction. A flicker of some unreadable emotion crossed her face. It looked like pure, unadulterated shock. Maybe even a hint of curiosity. The comments stuttered, then erupted. 【????????????】 【What did he say?】 【‘Alright’? That’s all he said?】 【Wait… hold on… did he get the wrong script?】 【His father just disowned him and he said ‘alright’?】 【He’s lost it! Damien has completely lost his mind!】 【Look at Evelyn’s face! Even she didn’t see that coming!】 【HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP HOLY CRAP! WHAT IS THIS PLOT TWIST?!】 【He didn’t just shred the groveling script, he set it on fire and pissed on the ashes! He’s giving up his family for this?】 My father stood there, speechless, his face turning purple. Evelyn’s gaze was fixed on me. I ignored them both and turned, heading upstairs to my room to pack. The taste of freedom was intoxicating. The comments were still going wild: 【He’s giving up his inheritance? Just to get a divorce?】 【This guy has achieved a new level of scumbag? An iron-willed scumbag?】 【Evelyn: I spent three years preparing for a tragic romance, and you give me this?】 【My world is crumbling! I can’t watch this show anymore!】 Just then, Evelyn stepped in front of me, blocking my path. Her expression was flat. “Damien, I’m the one who should leave. But I need you to know, the baby I lost was yours. It wasn’t Idris’s. I never cheated on you. You can stop playing these push-and-pull games. I’m not coming back.” I squinted at her, a lazy grin on my face. “I’ll personally drive you to the airport. Your words are music to my ears. By the way, there’s a corporate gala tonight. Please, whatever you do, don’t show up. I really don’t want to see you there.” Her brow furrowed, a flash of anger in her eyes. I examined my fingernails. “If you don’t go, then Idris won’t go. I’m not inviting Vivian. Everything will be perfect. I’m begging you, stay away.” She just stared at me, confused. I’d read the book. I knew the cliché scene that was supposed to happen tonight. At the gala, Damien sees Evelyn arrive with her “best friend” Idris Vance. Consumed by jealous rage, Damien grabs Vivian and kisses her, escalating the drama. He then gets into a fistfight with Idris, pushing Evelyn away for good. Finally, his father publicly disowns him, and the groveling arc officially begins. By telling her not to come, I was trying to avoid all of that. A clean break. Everyone wins. But if they did show up, I wouldn’t be playing by the book’s rules anymore. I already had evidence the original Damien never found. Freedom felt too good. Who had time for their pathetic love-hate games? I didn’t need to chase anyone, bow to anyone, or be a puppet for some trashy plot. I wanted my own time, my own space, my own future. Screw the groveling. Screw the melodrama. I was here to make money, build an empire, and live my own goddamn life. But Evelyn, in a complete break from her usual character, lifted her chin, a stubborn glint in her eye. “I’m going. Who are you to tell me what to do?” As expected, the comments went wild. 【Evelyn: You want me to listen? Sorry, my rebellious phase just started!】 【The story of how my ex-husband told me not to go to a party, so I obviously had to go.】 【Damien vs. Idris! Place your bets!】 【Tonight is gonna be a war zone! Can’t wait to see Damien break down and beg!】 【I’ve read the book, a massive showdown is coming! If the male lead doesn’t suffer, I’ll eat my own shoes!】

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The day Arthur Pierce, the man who raised me, hit number one on the Forbes list was the same day a girl in rags appeared on our doorstep. The moment he saw her, tears of pure joy streamed down Arthur’s face. It jarred a memory loose—something he’d told me years ago about a daughter who had vanished without a trace, a decade-long silence that had carved a hollow space in his heart. The girl, Chloe, looked me up and down with a wounded expression. “Dad, is that your love child?” A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. Seeing me standing there, so clearly at home, ignited a fire in her eyes. “What are you laughing at? I’m the real daughter of this house!” Arthur was, in fact, the legal guardian my parents had named in their will. The moment I turned eighteen and signed the final inheritance papers, his role would legally revert to what it had always been in practice: the steward of my family’s estate. A steward’s daughter calling me his illegitimate child? The irony was so thick I could have choked on it. 1 Arthur cut her off, his voice strained with embarrassment. “Chloe, darling, she’s not my daughter. She’s—” Chloe immediately switched gears, adopting the air of a long-lost princess. She gestured at me with a flick of her wrist. “Then she must be the maid. Hey, you. Take my bag.” She tossed a grimy canvas duffel onto the marble floor at my feet. With a sigh, Arthur picked it up himself, treating her outburst like a childish tantrum. “Chloe, this is Ava Sinclair, the daughter of my dearest friends. Her parents passed away, so she’s been staying with us.” He shot me an apologetic look, and I gave a slight nod to show it was fine. I’d been living with Arthur for eight years, ever since I was secretly flown back to the States after the accident that killed my parents. If it weren’t for him, I have no doubt I would have ended up dead at the hands of the relatives circling my family’s shares like vultures. He had just found his daughter; the last thing I wanted was to spoil this moment for him. But it was quickly becoming clear his daughter was going to be more difficult than I had anticipated. Chloe’s lip trembled, and fat tears began to roll down her cheeks. “Dad, look at her. She’s glowing. Does she look like someone who’s living on charity?” Her voice cracked. “I was kidnapped, sold to some backwoods family, treated worse than dirt. Why does she—an orphan—get to live like this?” Arthur’s face crumpled with pain. He pulled her into a tighter embrace. “My poor girl. You’ve suffered so much. We’ll call the police, have them all arrested.” But Chloe suddenly grew evasive, muttering only that she was too traumatized to remember the details. Arthur had no choice but to let it go, promising they would talk about it when she felt stronger. That evening, Arthur had our cook, Maria, prepare a feast to welcome Chloe home. Chloe sat in silence at the dining table, then her eyes welled up and she slammed her silverware down. The clatter echoed in the cavernous room. “After I was taken, all I ever got to eat was stale bread soaked in vegetable broth. But an outsider like her gets to eat like a queen.” Arthur stroked her hair, his voice gentle. “From now on, Chloe, you can have anything you want.” Her gaze sharpened, and she pointed at a dish of seared scallops I’d been enjoying. She flicked her fork in my direction, splattering sauce on my silk blouse, and turned to Arthur with a sob. “I think you mean she gets whatever she wants! You remember her favorite foods, but you completely forgot that almost everything on this table could send me into anaphylactic shock!” Before Arthur could respond, Chloe’s voice dropped to a mournful whisper. “Of course, it’s been ten years. I wasn’t the one by your side. If I hadn’t risked my life to escape, would you have even remembered you had a daughter?” Guilt washed over Arthur’s face. The performance was so transparent it turned my stomach. I dabbed at the stain on my blouse with a napkin and signaled to Maria. “Maria, I’m finished. Since Miss Pierce is allergic, perhaps you should clear these dishes.” A flicker of triumph crossed Chloe’s face, but then I continued, “And could you please book an appointment for Miss Pierce tomorrow? I’ll take her to an allergist myself.” I smiled sweetly at her. “If the tests come back negative, it means you were intentionally trying to provoke me. And you will offer me a formal, bowing apology.” Arthur’s head snapped up. He opened his mouth, then closed it, turning instead to his daughter. “Chloe, that’s enough.” Seeing that her father wasn’t taking her side, Chloe let out a wail and swept the plates and glasses off the table. They shattered on the floor. “You’re so biased! And you still say she’s not your secret daughter! If you two are so close, then there’s no reason for me to be here, getting in your way!” She snatched her wretched bag and stormed toward the door. Arthur scrambled after her, nearly tripping over his own feet. “I only have one daughter, Chloe! It’s you!” It took a long time, and the promise of an extravagant shopping spree, before he could coax her back inside. As I rose to go to my room, I paused beside Arthur. I spoke softly, for his ears only. “Arthur. On your account, she gets four chances. Only four.” 2 His body went rigid, and a sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead. He knew exactly what I meant. My patience had a limit. And after the fourth time, Arthur’s position as even a steward in this house would become untenable. But Chloe seemed determined to make everyone miserable. Just as I was getting ready for bed, a loud, insistent banging rattled my door. I opened it to find Chloe leaning against the frame, arms crossed, a smirk on her face. She jabbed a thumb down the hall. “I want that room, the one on the left. The staff said you’re the only one with the key.” I glanced in the direction she was pointing. Of the seventeen bedrooms in this mansion, she had to pick the one that had belonged to my parents. “Absolutely not. That was my parents’ room.” Her face hardened. “What damn parents? Let’s get something straight. Your parents are dead. My dad took you in out of pity.” Her voice dripped with venom. “Oh, I get it now. You and your parents are all just parasites. A whole family of leeches, sucking my father dry.” My voice dropped to a dangerously low temperature. “This is my house, not a stage for you to play princess. You’re back now, so you will follow my rules. And if I ever hear you speak about my parents again, you and your father will be out on the street together.” Before she could retort, I slammed the door in her face. Silence fell outside. For a moment, I thought that was the end of it. Then came a deafening crash. The wall beside my bed shuddered. I threw the door open. Chloe was standing in the hallway holding a hammer, the door to my parents’ suite hanging splintered from its hinges. She swaggered inside. I rushed after her, planting myself in her path. “Chloe! You touch one more thing, and I swear to God, you will be out of this house tonight!” She shoved me hard, sending me stumbling backward, and raised the hammer as if to strike. A deep, authoritative voice boomed from behind us. “Chloe! That’s enough! Pick another room!” Arthur strode toward us, his face a mask of stern disapproval. Chloe dropped the hammer, her entire demeanor shifting back to that of a wounded animal. “Dad, I slept in a pigsty in the countryside. Now that I’m home, all I want is a room of my own. Is that too much to ask?” I saw the resolve in Arthur’s face begin to crumble, replaced by that familiar, gut-wrenching pity. I knew he was about to give in. I let out a cold laugh, ready to blow the whole charade wide open. But Arthur caught my eye, his expression pleading, begging me not to expose his true role as steward. I understood. He couldn’t bear to lose face in front of the daughter he had just reclaimed. I wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of my lip where I’d bitten it. My voice was ice. “Arthur. This is the second time.” He sighed, a sound of profound defeat. “Chloe, I’ll take you to a hotel. We can find our own place.” Chloe looked at him in disbelief. “Dad! This is our home! Why should we be the ones to leave?” Her voice rose to a shriek. “I knew it! She is your love child! Why else would you treat her like this?” Arthur raised his hand, and for a second, I thought he would strike her. But it fell, limp, to his side. “Chloe, how many times do I have to tell you she is not my daughter!” It was like talking to a brick wall. Arthur’s shoulders slumped, the weight of the last decade suddenly crashing down on him. Seeing that I wasn’t going to stop him, he nodded grimly and took Chloe’s arm to lead her away. That finally broke her. Chloe panicked, dropping to her knees in front of me, her sobs wracking her body. “I’m sorry, Ava, I’m so sorry! I was wrong! I was just being stupid and jealous, fighting with you over my own father.” Her words were slick with false sincerity. “I know Dad worries about you, that he favors you because… because of your situation. I’m willing to be your sister, your real sister. Please, don’t make us leave.” I ignored her completely. My gaze was fixed on the new strands of gray at Arthur’s temples, and I thought of all the years he had protected me, cared for me. My resolve softened, again. Thankfully, a quick check of my parents’ room showed that nothing inside had been damaged. “Fine, Arthur,” I said, my voice weary. “My parents asked you to look after me until I come of age. That time isn’t up yet. Just make sure this doesn’t happen again.” The light returned to his tired eyes. “Thank you, Ava,” he whispered, his own eyes glistening. “Thank you.” To avoid Chloe, I left for school early the next morning. I figured she would lay low for a while. I was wrong. She was in my homeroom. When our teacher, Mrs. Davison, introduced her, Chloe stood before the class, looking shy and vulnerable. “Hi, everyone. My name is Chloe Pierce. I was… I was kidnapped ten years ago and grew up in a rural community. I was just found a few days ago.” Ignoring all social norms, she launched into a harrowing, detailed account of the abuse she had supposedly suffered. The other students were captivated, their faces a mixture of horror and pity. Even Mrs. Davison’s eyes were red. Chloe basked in the sympathy, then her gaze landed on me, sitting at my desk, trying to focus on a calculus problem. Her voice dripped with insinuation. “Of course, for all these years, I have to thank Ava Sinclair. She’s been a great comfort to my father… like a real daughter.” She deliberately left it vague, planting seeds of pity for herself and suspicion about my role in her family. It was another miscalculation. I looked up from my notebook and smiled brightly. “It’s true! Arthur has been more of a father to me than I could have ever wished for.” My classmates nodded in agreement. “Totally! Remember last year when Ava just scraped her knee in gym class, and Mr. Pierce drove through that insane thunderstorm just to take her to the ER himself?” one girl said. “And when she won the state debate championship, he was so proud he bought the entire class new iPhones,” another added. Chloe thought my being an orphan was a shameful secret, that Arthur’s affection for me was some dark taboo. In reality, everyone at Northgate Prep knew my story, and I’d never cared what they thought. Seeing that her attempt to isolate me had backfired, and hearing about the kindness Arthur had shown me, Chloe finally snapped. Her face contorted with rage, and her voice was shrill. “You’re his illegitimate daughter! Do you really think just because my dad bought you a few nice things, you’re entitled to his fortune?” 3 Her words hung in the air. Every eye in the classroom swiveled toward me. “So Ava is his love child? No wonder Mr. Pierce spoils her so much.” “Wait, so is she trying to steal Chloe’s inheritance? If I were Chloe, I’d be furious.” I set down my pen. That’s three, I thought, a cold knot tightening in my stomach. I leaned back in my chair, meeting Chloe’s triumphant glare. “Chloe, I’ll say it one more time. I am not your father’s illegitimate daughter.” “If you’re not his love child, then you’re just a gold-digger who’s clawed her way in! Why else would my dad be so good to you?” Chloe preened, crossing her arms as she soaked in the judgmental stares being directed at me. She cleared her throat, preparing for her next salvo. “On the day of my eighteenth birthday party—” I’d had enough. I tossed my pen onto my desk, the plastic clattering loudly in the silent room, and stood up. My voice was clear and steady, cutting through her tirade. “Chloe and I will be having a joint coming-of-age party. I invite all of you to be there. As for who I am… Arthur will make everything clear then.” “Ava, you—!” Chloe started to protest, but Mrs. Davison intervened, restoring order. For the rest of the day, Chloe’s eyes burned holes in my back. That night, she knocked on my door again. When I opened it, she was leaning against the wall, oozing self-satisfaction. “I saw the papers on Dad’s desk. An asset transfer agreement. I guess he’s ready to hand over the company now that I’m back.” She twirled a strand of hair, her expression insufferably smug. “Ava, what does it matter if you spent ten years with him? In his heart, I’ll always be the daughter he loves most.” Her confidence was so absolute, I couldn’t be bothered to correct her. I was almost looking forward to seeing the look on her face at the party. Arthur having a daughter like this was a truly spectacular stroke of bad luck. But the real disaster struck sooner, at the Sterling Corp new product launch. Even though my identity was still a secret, as the future head of the company, I was always present at major events, seated as a guest of honor to stay informed. I never imagined Chloe’s drama would follow me here. I was holding a microphone, about to offer a few remarks from my seat, when an angry voice cut through the air. “Get out of the way. You have no right to sit in the front row.” Chloe snatched the microphone from my hand. She scanned the massive auditorium and spoke with ringing self-importance. “Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Chloe Pierce, and I am the sole heir to Sterling Corp!” A wave of shock rippled through the audience of several thousand people. “Is that her? The mysterious heir who’s supposed to take over Sterling Corp when she turns eighteen?” “This is so sudden. I didn’t hear anything about an official announcement today.” Hearing the buzz, Chloe’s certainty swelled. “That’s right! I am the mysterious heir! And on the day of my eighteenth birthday, I welcome you all to—hey!” She didn’t get to finish. I gave a subtle nod to the security detail, and two guards moved in, swiftly escorting her away. Chloe thrashed and screamed, “Let go of me! How dare you treat the heir of Sterling Corp this way! I want your names and badge numbers!” Arthur, who had been frozen in shock, finally snapped out of it, burying his face in his hands with shame. The event had descended into chaos. I suppressed my fury, stood up, and faced the press, taking control. “That was just a small, unfortunate interruption. Regardless of who the heir is, the strength of a company lies in its products. I hope we can all return our focus to the exciting innovations Sterling has to share today.” The ride home was thick with an icy silence. I scrolled through the headlines already exploding on social media. Arthur’s face was ashen. “Ava, I am so sorry. I’ve been far too lenient with her. I just thought… she’s just returned, and she’s so sensitive. Her heart is in the right place, I know it is. I’ll be stricter with her from now on.” “Mr. Pierce,” I said, my voice flat. “This was the third time. You had better pray this doesn’t turn into a PR scandal for the company. Because if it does…” He flinched. It was the first time in eight years I had called him Mr. Pierce. The look I gave him was as cold as a glacier. He nodded frantically, wiping sweat from his brow. But when we walked through the front door, the scene that greeted us made my entire body tremble with a rage I had never known. 4 The door to my parents’ suite was smashed to pieces. Inside, everything that held a memory of them—their books, their art, the furniture they’d chosen together—had been systematically destroyed. My hands shook as I picked up the shattered frame of my parents’ wedding photograph. Tears dripped from my chin onto the broken glass. “Chloe! Get down here now!” I screamed. Chloe sauntered down the grand staircase, a cosmetic face mask on, looking annoyed at being disturbed. I slapped her across the face with all the strength I had. She clutched her cheek, her eyes blazing with crimson fury. “You hit me? I’m about to be the heir to the company! And this house is mine anyway! I can do whatever I want with it!” “Lock her in her room,” I commanded the household staff. “Let her sit in there until she comes to her senses.” At my sharp command, several staff members, their faces grim, escorted a protesting Chloe upstairs. Arthur didn’t dare approach me. He stammered, “Ava—” I cut him off, my voice devoid of all warmth. “That was the fourth time. It seems you are incapable of controlling your daughter, Mr. Pierce. Don’t worry. I’m more than happy to do it for you.” Later that night, as I passed Chloe’s room, I heard voices from within. A man’s voice, flirting with her. It was disturbingly familiar. My eyes widened. No. That voice is… A cold dread washed over me. I pulled out my phone and called the one board member who knew my true identity, a man who had been my father’s closest confidant. “I need you to investigate something for me. And I need the results before my birthday.” After hearing my suspicions, his tone grew heavy. “Consider it done, Ava. You’ll have everything you need.” Chloe wasn’t let out of her room until the day of our joint eighteenth birthday party. The grand ballroom of our estate was filled to capacity. Reporters from major financial news outlets were interviewing Arthur. The entire Sterling Corp board was present, along with our most important business partners. Chloe, for once, had shed her usual belligerence. She approached me with a glass of champagne. As she raised it, she leaned in and whispered smugly in my ear, “Dad let me out today for a reason. He’s obviously going to make a big announcement. Just you wait.” I walked right past her, joining a conversation and clinking glasses with our guests. Chloe tried several times to interject herself, but each time, Arthur pulled her aside, his face stern. “Chloe, I am warning you for the last time. Do not cause a scene. Tonight is Ava’s night.” She feigned compliance, tugging at his sleeve. “Dad, that asset transfer agreement… we’re signing it today, right?” Arthur pulled his arm away, his expression unreadable. “Don’t ask questions you don’t need the answers to.” He didn’t see the look on her face as he turned away—the pure hatred, the way her nails dug into her own palm. “Once I expose everything,” she muttered to herself, “you’ll see that I’m the only one who should be signing anything.” Finally, at the pinnacle of the evening, the moment everyone was waiting for, Arthur had his assistant bring out the asset transfer agreement. He took a deep breath and looked directly at me. “As of today, I am officially announcing that all shares of Sterling Corp, along with all assets transferred to my name ten years ago for safekeeping, will be signed over in their entirety to Miss Ava Sinclair!” A spotlight instantly found me. I could feel hundreds of eyes on me, burning with curiosity and envy. A wave of applause and murmurs filled the room. I smiled, accepted the portfolio containing the documents, and was about to sign. CRASH. The champagne flute in Chloe’s hand shattered on the floor. Her body trembled, her face a mask of utter disbelief. “Dad!” she shrieked. “Why are you giving your assets to her? I’m your daughter!” For the first time, Arthur’s voice was pure steel as he roared at her. “Chloe, that is enough! One more word and you are out of here! Ava Sinclair is the one and only heir to Sterling Corp, and that is final!” Chloe’s eyes filled with a venomous hatred. She produced a sealed manila envelope and held it high in the air. “I don’t think you’ll feel that way after you see this! This document will prove that I am the only person who has the right to sign those papers!” The ballroom fell silent. Hesitantly, Arthur took the envelope. He glanced at its contents for only a second before his face went pale. He reached over and took the portfolio back from my hands. His expression was a turmoil of confusion and pain as he looked at me. “The transfer of shares and assets is postponed!”

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The second year after Mom died, Dad decided to remarry. The woman, Joanna, threw out everything that belonged to my mother. She gave me spoiled milk to drink and forbade Dad from holding me. In the middle of the night, I’d hide under the covers, crying silent tears. Suddenly, strange text started flashing before my eyes, like comments on a screen only I could see. 【Cassie, don’t cry! Go find your grandpa!】 【He’s the chairman of the Vance Corporation, Cassie. Your uncle is a pop superstar, and your aunt is even more incredible.】 【Go, Cassie, go! The Aunties will NOT let you end up a tragic heroine like your mom!】 1 I pulled the blanket down just enough to peek out, my little six-year-old brain trying to process the words. I didn’t know what a “tragic heroine” was, but I knew “Grandpa” and the “Vance Corporation.” Before Mom passed away, she gave me half of a torn photograph of him. She told me that if Dad ever stopped loving me, I should take the photo and find my grandpa. Back then, Dad had sworn it was impossible, promising he would never marry again. But now, he only had eyes for Joanna and the baby brother in her belly. He didn’t even notice when I tripped and fell right in front of him. And last week, when I had a 104-degree fever, our housekeeper, Mrs. Gable, called him over a dozen times with no answer. She finally had to risk getting fired by giving me fever medicine herself. That day, Mrs. Gable was crying and laughing at the same time. She said Mom must have been watching over me from heaven, keeping me from becoming a “little fool.” 2 As I hesitated, wondering if I should really go find a grandpa I’d never met, the Comments told me more. They said if I stayed, Joanna would only get crueler. They said that when I turned sixteen, my dad would go bankrupt, my grandpa’s family would be destroyed, and Joanna would sell me to a man named Damian Sterling before taking ten billion dollars and fleeing the country. “Damian… you mean Damian Sterling?” My eyes went wide. Damian was five years older than me. Every time we met at family functions, he made fun of me. I couldn’t understand why he would pay money for me. Didn’t he know that buying children was against the law? The Comments exploded with excitement at the sound of my voice. 【OMG! Seraphina was right! Cassie can see our comments!】 Seraphina? Mom? These Aunties knew my mom! 【Let’s go, girls! If Cassie can’t escape her fate, it’s because we didn’t try hard enough!】 【Don’t you worry. I’ve got plenty of experience dealing with scumbags. If Landon Reed and Damian Sterling don’t get what’s coming to them, my ex can use my head as a bowling ball.】 The Aunties went wild for a few moments before getting back on track. 【Cassie, you have to run! Damian is an even bigger monster than your dad!】 【In this whole story, only your grandpa is powerful enough to stand up to the Sterling family. In the original plot, your mom’s family tried to help you in secret. If you go to them now, they’ll definitely take you in.】 【Cassie, if you and your grandpa can save each other, that’s what your mom would want more than anything.】 Save Grandpa… is that what Mom would want? My little heart hammered against my ribs. I scrambled out of bed and found the box with the photo. In it, my handsome grandpa had a gentle smile, his beautiful eyes clear and bright, just like Mom’s. Staring into those familiar eyes, I made my decision. If Dad didn’t love me anymore, then tomorrow, I would go find my grandpa. 3 The next morning, I put on my little backpack, tucked the photo safely in my pocket, and snuck out of the house. 【Cassie is so cute today! She looks like a little doll with her backpack. But why is she walking to school by herself instead of waiting for the driver?】 【She’s not going to school, silly! She’s going to find her grandpa!】 【YES, CASSIE! Get away from your trash dad! Get away from this trash life!】 Trash dad… the Aunties were so right! Just this morning, Mrs. Gable told me Dad was planning to turn my princess room into a room for the new baby. Mom had decorated that room for me herself. He was just going to give it away without even asking me. It was so unfair! I clenched my little fists and marched away from home with new determination. The problem was, our house was in a gated community up in the hills. There were no buses or taxis. I had to walk all the way down the mountain, step by step. Luckily, with the Aunties’ comments keeping me company, I wasn’t scared at all. From their hints, I learned that Grandpa was still drowning in guilt over Mom’s death, and because of it, my uncle and aunt had grown distant from him. 【Cassie, if your grandpa, uncle, and aunt would just team up, neither the Reeds nor the Sterlings would stand a chance against them.】 “Team up with Grandpa, Uncle, and Aunt. Got it,” I whispered, looking up at the sky with a sweet smile. “Don’t worry, Aunties. Cassie remembers.” Suddenly, the Comments started scrolling so fast I could barely read them. 【CASSIE, RUN!】 【Mrs. Gable and the driver are coming out to look for you! Hide!】 【If they catch you, your dad and Joanna will send you away to the countryside!】 【Don’t panic, Cassie! There’s a small path to your left! Run down that path!】 4 I glanced to my left and saw it—a barely visible trail hidden in the bushes. It had rained yesterday, and the path was a mess of slick, deep mud. I hesitated. I was wearing my prettiest dress and my special princess shoes to meet Grandpa. If I took that path, they would be ruined. 【Go on, Cassie! Take that leap of faith! The Aunties are right here with you!】 【This is the last muddy path you’ll have to walk in your life, Cassie. Push through it! Your grandpa is waiting.】 【You can do it, sweetie!】 Seeing all the encouragement from the Aunties, I didn’t hesitate anymore. I took a deep breath and plunged into the bushes. The path was so, so hard to walk on. I fell five times. My arms and legs were scratched by branches, and I almost lost the photo of Grandpa. But I didn’t dare cry or stop. Finally, following the Comments’ guidance, I reached the massive, gleaming tower of the Vance Corporation. 【He’s here, Cassie! Grandpa is here!!!】 【He’s right at the main entrance!】 【This is it, Cassie! The moment that changes your destiny is NOW!】 The excited comments chased away my tears. I sniffled loudly, sucking back a runaway drip, and broke into a run, my little legs pumping as fast as they could. I spotted him immediately—my grandpa, looking powerful and distinguished, surrounded by people in suits. He was about to get into a car and didn’t see the small child hurtling toward him across the vast lobby. “Grandpa, wait for me!” I cried out, my voice small in the cavernous space. I was so scared he would leave that I wasn’t watching where I was going. My foot caught, and I went down, hard. Splat. It was over. I’d never reach him now. The thought hit me, and a huge, heartbroken sob escaped. “Waaaaah!” My crying, it turned out, got his attention. I heard his deep voice ask an assistant, “Robert, what is that… filthy… thing?” 5 A thing? Was his eyesight that bad? I’m not a thing, I’m Cassie! I scrambled back to my feet and waved with all my might. “Grandpa! I’m your granddaughter!” He turned, his sharp eyes finding me. He stared for a long moment. I got nervous. My face was a mess of tears and snot, but I did my best to smile, just like Dad always said Mom did—with my eyes crinkling into little crescent moons. It worked. He started walking toward me, his long strides closing the distance between us. He knelt down, pulling out a silk handkerchief and gently wiping the mud from my face. “Little one,” he said, his voice surprisingly soft, “what is your mother’s name?” I stopped crying and answered him seriously. “Grandpa, my mommy’s name is Seraphina Vance.” “Seraphina…” At the sound of her name, his eyes instantly turned red. He composed himself after a moment, but his gaze turned cold and dismissive. “You’re Landon Reed’s daughter? What are you doing here?” His harsh tone made my heart tremble, but I gathered my courage and held out the photo Mom gave me. “Grandpa, Mom said if Dad ever stopped loving me, I could bring this photo to you.” “Half a photo? Your mother tore it to pieces, and she had the nerve to give it to you as a keepsake? Let me tell you something. From the day she insisted on marrying that man, the Vance family no longer had a daughter named Seraphina. And I am not your grandfather!” He didn’t take me in. He just got angrier. He tossed the photo to the ground like it was trash. “Robert, call Landon Reed. Tell him to come get his daughter immediately.” What? He was going to send me back to my trash dad? No! I couldn’t go back! I started to panic, but the Aunties in the Comments rushed to my rescue. 【Cassie, he’s all bark and no bite! Just be sweet to him, and he’ll let you ride on his shoulders while you eat popcorn!】 【Roll up your sleeves! Show him your cuts! Your trash dad is about to have a very, very bad day.】 【HUG HIS LEG, CASSIE! HUG IT TIGHT!】 Hug his leg! Okay! I followed their instructions, dropping to the floor and wrapping my arms tightly around his leg. “Grandpa, please, please don’t call my dad!” I wailed. “He and Joanna will send me to the countryside! Joanna said she’s going to sell me!” As I spoke, I pulled up my sleeve. The stiff fabric of my princess dress scraped against a fresh cut, and I couldn’t help but hiss in pain. Grandpa went rigid. This time, he didn’t push me away. He knelt down again, his eyes locking onto my arm. “What is this? Are you hurt?” 6 【He’s worried!】 【The second he saw she was hurt, the act dropped completely!】 【It’s only natural. If a sweetheart like this was my granddaughter, I’d give her my life!】 The Aunties were celebrating, but I was too scared to move. Grandpa’s presence was overwhelming, and he still looked furious. “Is this how Landon Reed takes care of you? He dresses you in dirty, torn clothes and beats you black and blue?” Huh? He thought Dad did this? It was from when I fell. I was about to explain when a new comment popped up. 【Let Grandpa see the ‘truth,’ Cassie. These injuries are from Landon Reed.】 【If you can squeeze out a tear or two right now, Cassie, your grandpa will go to war for you.】 【Tell him everything, Cassie. Tell him how Joanna bullies you.】 Just thinking about Joanna sent a shiver down my spine. I didn’t have to squeeze. Tears started rolling down my cheeks all on their own. Before I could even get a word out, Grandpa was shrugging off his expensive suit jacket and draping it over my small shoulders. His expression turned dark and stormy. “Robert,” he commanded, his voice deadly calm, “inform Landon Reed that as of today, Cassie is no longer his daughter. Furthermore, I want a full report on the Reed Corporation’s latest investment portfolio. He dares to treat a Vance like this? I’ll make him pay three times over.” Pay? Grandpa was scary. I trembled, too frightened to speak. But the Aunties were ecstatic. 【Grandpa is such a badass! No wonder he’s my favorite character!】 【Does anyone else feel like this tragedy just turned into a revenge fantasy?】 【I suddenly can’t wait for Cassie’s uncle and aunt to get home.】 Home? But Grandpa hadn’t said I could stay with him yet. I gathered my courage and looked up at him. He was already looking at me, his eyes red-rimmed again. With one strong arm, he scooped me up. “Little girl, I’m only going to ask you this once. Do you want to go back to the Reeds, or do you want to come home with me to the Vances?” He wanted me to stay! I was so happy, but the tears just came faster. “The Vances! I want to go home with Grandpa! The other house is Joanna and Dad’s house now. Whenever I don’t listen to her, she threatens to throw me out.” I looked up at him, my voice a tiny whisper. “Grandpa, will you throw me out?” He didn’t answer. He just held my gaze, his voice turning to ice as he spoke to his assistant. “Robert. I want you to find out everything there is to know about this woman named Joanna.” 7 That day, Grandpa canceled all his meetings. He didn’t talk to me much, but he had Robert buy me over thirty new outfits, a trunk full of dolls and toys, and then he drove me back to his mansion himself. He stayed with me through dinner and had a maid give me a bath. The maid told me that Grandpa was usually the only one who lived in the huge house. My uncle only visited once or twice a year, and my aunt hadn’t been back in years. “Is Grandpa very lonely then?” I asked. “The Chairman is a very busy man. He isn’t home much, dear.” Oh. I looked down, a little disappointed. But after Mom left, I was used to being alone. It was okay. After my bath, Grandpa told me to meet him in his study. On my way, I passed a closed door on the second floor, and the Comments popped up. 【Cassie, that’s your mom’s room.】 【Even though Grandpa says he disowned her, he’s kept her room exactly as it was, waiting for her to come home.】 【You should ask for this room, Cassie. He’ll definitely let you have it.】 Really? I could sleep in Mom’s room? Excited, I ran into Grandpa’s study. He was reading a document and barely glanced up, but his cold gaze was enough to freeze me in place. “What’s your name,” he asked, his voice flat. “Grandpa, my name is Cassie Reed. Mom picked it out.” “Cassie Reed… Listen carefully. The only reason you’re staying here is because I won’t have the world thinking a Vance can be pushed around. But this house has rules. If you don’t follow them, you will be punished.” There was a long, thin ruler on his desk. I couldn’t help but shrink back. So that’s where Mom learned to tap my palm when I was naughty. He caught my small movement, and the faintest hint of a smile touched his lips. Seeing that his mood had improved, I took a chance. “Grandpa, can I sleep in Mom’s old room?” He frowned. “No.” “Then… can you sleep with me tonight?” “You’re too old to be sleeping with someone. Now, get out.” He was angry. I backed out of the study, my heart sinking. The moment the door closed, I started to wipe away my tears. The Aunties patiently explained. 【Give him some time, Cassie. Your mom’s death is a thorn in his heart.】 【Your mom was his favorite child, and you’re a miniature version of her. It’s not that he doesn’t love you; it’s that he’s afraid to.】 【You’ve already escaped your trash dad and stepmom, Cassie. That’s a huge win! We’ll take it slow. He’ll come around eventually.】 The Aunties were right. Grandpa was grumpy, but he wasn’t a bad person. If I was a good girl, he would learn to like me. That night, I slept soundly. I vaguely smelled the faint, comforting scent of cigars near my bed. I must have been dreaming of Grandpa because I missed him so much. But the next morning, my dad and Joanna, who were supposed to be on vacation in the Maldives, stormed into the Vance Corporation. Dad saw me standing behind Grandpa and his face lit up. He held out his hands. “Cassie, come here. Dad will take you home.” 8 “I… I want to stay with Grandpa.” I refused, tightening my grip on Grandpa’s hand. Grandpa let me hold on, a slow, arrogant smile spreading across his face. “You heard her, Landon. Cassie doesn’t want to go with you. She’s a Vance now.” He gave Robert a look. “Give him the custody agreement.” Robert handed two folders to my dad. “Mr. Reed, the first is the custody transfer agreement. The second is—” “Silas Vance, when did I ever agree to this? You and Seraphina cut ties years ago. You have no right to take Cassie.”

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The year Wil lost his memory, I told him a lie. I told him I was his girlfriend. Later, against all odds, I got pregnant. He was ecstatic. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. But just as I thought my secret, lifelong crush was finally about to have a happy ending, his memory came rushing back. He accused me of being a manipulative liar, swore he would never acknowledge the child, and had me dragged to a clinic to terminate the pregnancy. I died on that table, taking our child with me. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in that same hospital room. 1 Wil was still lying on the hospital bed, his eyes shut tight. The air in the room was thick with a suffocating tension. I remembered the doctor’s words: if he didn’t wake up today, he would likely remain in a vegetative state. Wil’s mother, Catherine, was weeping softly while my own mom tried to comfort her. “There’s still time,” my mom murmured. “He’ll wake up. I know he will.” The specific details of Wil’s awakening were a blur in my memory, but my mom was right. He was going to wake up. My mother turned and saw me standing there, lost in a daze. She waved me over. “Nora, honey, come talk to Wil for a bit. Let Catherine have a rest.” At the sound of my name, Catherine looked over, her eyes red and swollen. These two women had doted on me my entire life. Even later, after Wil’s memory returned and he turned on me, they had both stood firmly by my side. But this time… I wanted to refuse, but I couldn’t. Not now. Just as I reached the bedside, Wil’s eyelids fluttered. He opened his eyes, and we stared at each other. I never thought I would see him look at me with such calm neutrality again. In my last life, after his memory returned, his gaze was always filled with a chilling malice. We never again shared a proper meal, or even a single civil conversation. He called me a scheming bitch and swore the baby in my belly wasn’t his. I knew I was in the wrong, so I accepted his anger. But why did he have to go back on his word? Why did he have to destroy my child? Our child. A storm of emotion raged inside me, making it impossible to stay calm. I looked away, taking an involuntary step back. Catherine rushed forward, her voice choked with relief. Soon after, Wil’s father and my own dad arrived. Wil was awake. It was a miracle. But he had amnesia. After her tears subsided, Catherine began to reintroduce him to his life. “Wil, this is your Uncle David and Aunt Helen. Our families have been friends for generations.” “And this,” she said, her gaze falling on me, “is Nora, David’s daughter… and she’s your—” My name snapped me back to reality. The words burst out of me before I could stop them. “His sister!” 2 It was a reflex. I hadn’t forgotten. In the last life, Catherine had sealed my fate with a single sentence. At this exact moment, she had introduced me to the memory-wiped Wil as his girlfriend. The truth was, Wil already had a girlfriend. Seraphina Vance. But in Catherine’s eyes, Seraphina was largely to blame for the accident. A few days before the crash, she had demanded they get engaged. Wil refused. In a fit of anger, Seraphina broke up with him and booked a flight out of the country. The accident happened while Wil was racing to the airport to stop her. Catherine had never liked Seraphina, and this incident only solidified her prejudice. She had told me to use Wil’s amnesia as an opportunity for us to build a real relationship. Sometimes I wondered—if both our parents could see how much I loved Wil, could he really have been oblivious? No. He knew. He just dismissed it as a childhood crush, the affection of a little sister for her older brother. In my past life, Catherine’s suggestion had made my heart pound with a dangerous hope. And what made me fall completely was how easily Wil accepted it. For the rest of his recovery, he wanted only me by his side. Our relationship began with a lie and ended when the truth returned. He was convinced I was a pathological liar, that even our child was part of some elaborate scheme. No matter how I tried to explain that night was an accident, he refused to believe me. I had no credibility left in his eyes. You were cruel to me, Wil. But you were just as cruel to your own child. I pressed a hand to my flat stomach, a phantom ache twisting inside me like a knife. That baby… it never even had a chance to grow. It was my fault. So how could I possibly let myself make the same mistake all over again? Catherine, after a moment of surprise, quickly went along with my new story. “That’s right! You two grew up together, you’re closer than real siblings!” The adults launched into nostalgic stories from our childhood, their laughter filling the room. Only Wil was silent, his deep, dark eyes fixed on me. 3 The doctors rushed in to run a full examination. I used the commotion as an excuse to slip away. As I walked out of the hospital’s main entrance, the whole world felt like a dream. I couldn’t tell which was the dream: this second chance, or the twisted love and hate I’d shared with Wil. My head was about to explode when my phone rang. I stared at the caller ID for a long time before answering. Ethan Cole’s voice was urgent. “Nora? Where are you?” “I… Ethan? Why… why are you calling me right now?” Ethan was my desk-mate in high school. He’d also once pretended to be my boyfriend. After I found out about Seraphina, I’d stubbornly told Wil that I was seeing someone too. Wil had frozen for a second, then laughed, ruffling my hair with a little too much force. “Look at you, little girl. All grown up.” His tone was so condescending, as if he were decades older, not just a few years. A couple of days later, he’d insisted on meeting my new boyfriend for dinner. I couldn’t think of anyone else, so I begged Ethan to help. At dinner, Ethan was perfect—attentive, charming, everything a good boyfriend should be. Wil had even remarked, with a self-deprecating smirk, “He’s better at taking care of you than I am.” But after dinner, he’d pulled me aside. “I can see that he likes you,” he’d said, his eyes serious. “But I can’t see that you like him.” His words had left a sour, bitter taste in my mouth. Because he was right. I didn’t like Ethan that way. Not long after, Ethan confessed his feelings for me. I turned him down, but he insisted we stay friends. It wasn’t until after Wil’s memory returned, after he had cast me aside, that Ethan confessed his love for me again. By then, I was pregnant, exhausted, and utterly broken. I had no space in my life for anything else. And then… I died. “Don’t ask so many questions,” Ethan’s voice crackled through the phone, pulling me from my thoughts. “I need to see you. Right now. Tell me where you are.” My brain sputtered. At this point in time, Ethan should have just been rejected by me. He was supposed to be on a business trip out of state. 4 After I hung up, an incredible thought took root in my mind. If I could be reborn, why couldn’t Ethan? After all, only the Ethan from the future called me ‘Nora’ with that kind of warmth. Before, it was always just ‘Hayes’. My suspicion was confirmed moments later. A car screeched to a halt, and Ethan jumped out, running towards me. He pulled me into a fierce, desperate hug. The chaotic mix of joy and terror on his face was something only I could understand. “Sorry, I’m just… I had this horrible dream,” he stammered, his voice muffled in my hair. “You were… there was so much blood…” Trapped in his arms, I slowly lowered my eyes. We were both back. But I didn’t want to relive any of it. “It was just a dream,” I said, forcing a light, easy laugh. “Don’t be so dramatic.” He held me at arm’s length, studying my face for a long moment before his own features relaxed into a smile. The light in his eyes was steady and determined, a stark contrast to the dejected look he’d worn after I rejected him in our first life. “You’re right,” he said. “But that dream made me realize something. I need to be with you, to make sure you’re safe.” He took a deep breath. “Nora, I’m not going to rush you. So please, don’t rush to reject me again, okay?” The heat in his gaze was searing. I instinctively tried to pull away, unsure of what to say. Just then, a familiar, cool voice sliced through the air from behind us. “Not okay.” …It was Wil. Leaning on his assistant, he walked towards us, his eyes locked on me. His expression was a complex tapestry of emotions I couldn’t unravel: unfamiliarity, dependence, a strange tenderness, and… was that hurt? What did he have to be hurt about? “Wil, you—” Ethan started, his shock quickly turning to wariness. But Wil ignored him completely. What he said next left me speechless. “I may have lost my memory for now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t come back.” His gaze softened, and his voice dropped to an almost pleading tone. “I didn’t believe what my mother told me at first. But seeing you with him just now… I believe her.” He took a shaky breath. “Nora, I’m sorry.” “I’m sorry I forgot how much I love you. But until I remember, please… don’t consider anyone else, okay?” 5 I had no idea what kind of madness had possessed Wil. As he and Ethan squared off in a tense standoff, I turned and fled. Two days later, my mom showed up at my apartment. “After you left that day,” she explained, “Catherine told Wil that you’re the girl he’s in love with, that he was in the middle of chasing you when the accident happened. She told him you’re just mad at him because his amnesia is a convenient excuse.” She sighed. “You’ve been ignoring him for two days. That’s long enough. Come with me to the hospital.” …If I weren’t the subject of the lie, I would have applauded Catherine’s storytelling skills. No wonder Wil had acted so bizarrely. But why was he so easily fooled by a different lie this time around? Two days had been enough for me to process this new reality. I didn’t believe Wil ever intended for me to die. It was my own fault for chasing a love that wasn’t meant for me. He simply didn’t love me. I couldn’t change our families’ intertwined history, and I couldn’t change other people. I could only change myself. I tried to use work at my art studio as an excuse. My mom gave me a puzzled look. “When Wil first had his accident, you were worried sick. Now you can’t even be bothered to visit him? Did you two have a fight?” I almost didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Mom, the man doesn’t remember anything. What could we possibly fight about? I’m just really busy, and besides, he’s fine now, isn’t he?” Some truths were destined to be mine alone. My mom knew me better than anyone, but she would never guess that I had been reborn. But while my mom was easy to put off, Ethan was not. Luckily, I had no intention of keeping him in the dark. In our first life, by the time Ethan returned from his business trip, Wil and I were already a couple. He’d been furious, trying to shake some sense into me, telling me to stop deluding myself. But the amnesiac Wil had eyes only for me, and I was already drowning in the fantasy. With our parents’ full support, I was willing to gamble. I just happened to lose. 6 I wasn’t surprised when Ethan showed up at my studio. After a few days of watching this new, unfamiliar timeline unfold, even the densest person would have figured it out. “Nora, you’re… you are, aren’t you?” I met his complicated gaze, poured him a cup of tea, and gave a slight nod. He shot to his feet, his face a mask of shock. His lips trembled as if he had a thousand things to say, but in the end, all he asked was, “Do you… still love him?” Wil? I lowered my eyes, a bitter smile on my lips. “I love my own life.” You only understand what’s most important after you’ve lost it. I couldn’t even save myself, let alone my child. At the thought of the baby, the question I’d been holding back finally escaped. “Did I really… die on that table?” I whispered. “Did Wil… did he ever show up? My parents…” If they knew Wil was the one who sent me to that clinic, the one responsible for my death, the pain would destroy them. Maybe I never should have tried to fight for him after his memory came back. I was too selfish. I squeezed my eyes shut, missing the flash of pale horror on Ethan’s face. “I… I don’t know the details,” he said, his voice strained. “I had this awful feeling that day. By the time I found you, it was already too late. Then, I just… closed my eyes, and I was back.” He stared at me, his tone urgent. “Nora, this time, please, stay away from him! If you do, there won’t be a baby. You’ll just be you. He’s going to get his memory back eventually, his girlfriend will return, and then—” “I know,” I interrupted softly. I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. But the memories came flooding back anyway. That day, Wil already looked furious, but I was still lost in fantasies of our wedding. I’d excitedly presented him with a stack of bridal magazines. He swiped them from my hands, sending them scattering across the floor. He told me I made him sick. The next day, he flew across the ocean and brought Seraphina back. I covered my face with my hands, willing the images away. Long after Ethan left, I remained seated, the pot of tea growing cold. And then, Wil arrived.

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Yvonne Heath was dead. Her life had been one of hardship, and in the end, she was pushed from a second-story window, blood pooling between her legs. She was still clutching an ultrasound photo that read, “12 weeks gestation.” Before she died, she said to me, “I’m sorry. I’m just so tired. I can’t go on.” “From now on, you live for me.” So I took her place. From now on, I am Yvonne Heath. 1 I awoke in a hospital. Every cell in my body screamed in pain. An IV was taped to the back of my hand, cold liquid dripping slowly into my veins. The man sitting by the bed closed his laptop and looked at me, his expression cold. “You’re awake.” I stared at him, saying nothing. “The baby’s gone.” “It’s for the best. A vicious woman like you doesn’t deserve to be the mother of my child.” “Now that our last connection is severed, we’ll get a divorce as soon as you’re discharged.” “Why aren’t you saying anything?” He frowned, his glare sharpening. “Don’t think you can just stonewall me. Without the baby, what other tricks do you have left?” His every word was nauseating. I fought down the bile rising in my throat and looked away. But he wouldn’t allow it, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at him. “Yvonne, speak!” We were close, so close I could feel the heat of his breath. His name was Jasper Cain. He was the man Yvonne had loved for twenty years. If she were here now, she would be feeling a pain like a knife to the heart. Her whole life had been one long misunderstanding. She had a voice, but no matter how many times she explained, no one ever believed her. As she said, she was tired. Death was a release. But I am not Yvonne. I don’t feel pain when I’m misunderstood. I don’t swallow injustice in silence. There was a vase of flowers on the nightstand. I grabbed it and threw it at his head. It didn’t hurt him, but it caught him off guard, forcing him to stumble back. I ripped the IV from my hand, seized the metal stool beside the bed, and swung it at him with all my might. The rebuke on his lips died before it was born. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious. I gasped for breath, my hand dropping to my side. Blood dripped from my bruised knuckles onto the floor, like crimson blossoms. Yvonne, if you’re watching, watch closely. See how I live. 2 Jasper’s injuries weren’t serious. He was just knocked out and stayed in the hospital for two days. After that, apart from the nurses and doctors on their rounds, my room was silent. I wasn’t lonely. I was focused on recovering, doing light exercises every day. I was going to live a long, long life. On the day I was discharged, I took a taxi home. The moment I stepped through the door, the lively atmosphere in the living room froze. I surveyed the newly decorated house. Pink balloons and ribbons were everywhere. In the center of the room, on a large table, sat a massive two-tiered cake. The woman at the heart of the celebration wore a soft white dress, her long hair flowing around her like a halo. It was her. The one who had pushed Yvonne down the stairs with a smile on her face, not a trace of malice in her eyes. Her name was Celia Rowe, Jasper’s one true love, the one he could never forget. On countless nights, as he’d pinned Yvonne beneath him, it was Celia’s name he’d whispered. To be fair, they were a perfect match. A match made in hell. No one in the large living room spoke. I smiled as if nothing was wrong and walked toward them. “What a party. Why wasn’t I invited?” Jasper instinctively moved to shield Celia, as if I were some kind of monster. “Yvonne, I suggest you behave—” He didn’t finish his sentence. I slapped him across the face. My palm stung. But I knew his cheek stung just as much, and that was all that mattered. “Do you really think you’re some kind of brooding CEO from a novel? Why do you talk so much?” I pushed him aside impatiently and smiled sweetly at Celia. Celia’s face was pale. She clutched at her dress, looking at me with wide, innocent eyes. “Miss Rowe, don’t look so frightened. You should know, until today, I’ve never laid a hand on you.” “Yvonne, how dare you say that?” Jasper interjected. “What about Celia’s car accident? Wasn’t that you? And the time she hurt her fingers…” I slapped him again, this time with my other hand, and deftly blocked his retaliatory shove. My daily hospital workouts were paying off. Celia put on a fragile, terrified act. “Miss Heath, please don’t misunderstand. Jasper is just worried about me…” “Oh, I don’t misunderstand at all. He’s just taking his anger out on me. That’s fine.” My gaze slid back to Jasper. His face was a mask of disbelief. In his mind, Yvonne was silent, invisible, submissive. She was never supposed to be this aggressive. I turned back to Celia. Her eyes flickered with alarm, and she took an unconscious step back. But I couldn’t let her get away. That long, silky hair… it would be a shame not to pull some of it out. I reached out and grabbed a handful of her hair. As she shrieked, I yanked her head down and shoved her face into the cake. Happy birthday, Miss Rowe! 3 The living room descended into chaos. Screams and curses filled the air. The maids rushed forward to rescue Celia. Jasper aimed a kick at my stomach. He was smart. He knew this body was still weak from the miscarriage, that a blow like that would be devastating. But I wasn’t about to let that happen. I used Celia as a shield. As Celia let out another scream, Jasper roared, “Yvonne, are you insane? Do you want me to have you committed?” He had the power to do it. The heir to the mighty Cain fortune could make an orphan girl disappear into a mental institution without a trace. He could have me killed, and no one would ever know. I picked up the cake knife and pressed it to Celia’s throat. Such a slender, pale neck. If I broke the skin, would the blood flow as freely as it had when Yvonne fell? With her life in my hands, Celia fell silent. Jasper was furious, but he had no choice but to try and reason with me. “Don’t be rash,” he urged. But I wasn’t being rash at all. In fact, I was quite enjoying observing the expressions on everyone’s faces. “Jasper, didn’t you want to divorce me?” I asked with a smile. He choked for a second, then a look of “I knew it” crossed his face. “If you don’t want a divorce, we can talk. But don’t you dare do anything stupid. If you so much as touch a hair on her head, I promise, you will regret it.” Threats. Anyone can make threats. “But I’ve already touched quite a few hairs on her head,” I said, looking innocently at the strands of hair caught between my fingers. A small patch of her scalp was now bare. For someone so vain, that had to be torture. If they had just spoken to me nicely, I could have been reasonable. But I am not Yvonne. I do not respond well to threats. So, I pressed the knife harder against her neck. 4 Celia shrieked, clutching at her bleeding neck. “Jasper, save me! She’s crazy!” But what could he do? I had the hostage. He could only glare at me, his eyes darting anxiously to the wound on Celia’s neck. “Yvonne, whatever you want, we can discuss it. Do you really want to go to jail for assault?” The dull blade scraped against her skin. It was more painful that way. “Aren’t you the ones who drove me to this?” I laughed softly. “I’m not afraid of jail. But the moment I’m arrested, the internet will be flooded with stories about how the head of the Cain Corporation abused his wife, cheated with his mistress, and caused her to miscarry. I wonder how that will affect your company’s stock prices.” “That’s nonsense!” he snarled. “You fell down the stairs yourself!” “Did I?” I looked down at Celia. “Miss Rowe, did I really fall by myself?” I pressed the knife a little deeper. “I’m sorry!” she wailed, a mess of tears and snot. “I pushed you! I was jealous! Please forgive me!” Jasper’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Celia, is that true?” “Jasper, please don’t hate me!” she sobbed. “I don’t know what came over me! By the time I realized what I was doing, it was too late! I was just a little jealous… I’m so sorry…” I remembered Yvonne gently stroking her belly, telling me she would love this child with all her heart. I had been callous then, telling her that Jasper didn’t want it, that a child unwanted by its father shouldn’t be born. But Yvonne had been firm. “This is my child. It has nothing to do with Jasper. When we divorce, I’ll take the baby far away.” Then she had asked me, cautiously, “You don’t hate children, do you?” Thinking of this, I suddenly felt tired. The child was gone. My womb was empty. There was no trace that a life had ever been there. I released Celia, letting her slump to the floor. The maids swarmed around her, calling for an ambulance, grabbing a first-aid kit. I stood there, covered in blood, and looked at Jasper. “Didn’t you want a divorce?” I walked over to him and patted his cheek with my blood-stained hand. “Have your lawyer draw up the papers. Everything that’s mine, I want every last cent.” His eyelashes fluttered. He looked up at me, his dark eyes filled with a complex emotion. He ignored my talk of divorce. “Have I… misunderstood a lot of things?” “Misunderstood?” I laughed. “A misunderstanding is when you make an incorrect judgment based on incomplete or inaccurate information. But Yvonne practically tore her heart out and showed it to you. This isn’t a misunderstanding, Jasper. This is you being stupid. Blind.” “And you’ve been blind for a very, very long time.”

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1 I gave up my heiress life to marry Ethan Geller. Right before our wedding, a car crash left me blind. In the darkness, I heard Ethan tell his assistant: “The driver and doctor are silenced. Ms. Christian donated her corneas and will never see again.” “Selene is strong, unlike Lily who can’t live without sight. I’ll care for Selene, but I can’t lose Lily.” His voice turned cold: “Have the doctor remove her uterus. Seeing me with Selene’s child would destroy Lily.” The assistant protested: “But she’s been with you since eighteen—” “Just obey.” An icy chill seized me. The man I loved had chosen the scholarship student I sponsored, and destroyed me for her. So be it. He’d receive no mercy. Footsteps echoed in the hospital room. I forced myself to stay calm, to feign unconsciousness. “Mr. Geller, Ms. Christian just had her corneas removed. Her body is incredibly weak. If we remove her uterus now… she might not survive the stress. I strongly advise we wait…” “I pay you to follow my orders, not to give me advice. This is a command, not a discussion. But if anything happens to Selene, you know the consequences.” The doctor’s voice trembled. “Yes, Mr. Geller.” I felt the searing heat of Ethan’s fingers on my cheek. His voice was a husky, gentle whisper. “Selene, my love. It’ll all be over soon. Don’t worry, I’ll always be here to protect you. I love you, Selene.” A faint tremor ran through me. I felt a cool drop on my cheek, and it seemed like Ethan stood up. Sensing I was about to wake, his voice turned sharp and cold. “Where’s the doctor? Prep for surgery, now. I want it done before she wakes up.” My eyes shot open in terror, but all I saw was an endless, suffocating black. Tears streamed down my face as my hands flailed in the empty air. “I… why can’t I see?” “Selene, don’t be scared. I’m here. I’m right here.” Ethan pulled me into a tight embrace, his large, warm hand stroking my hair. His deep voice was thick with what sounded like heartbreak. “There was an accident… The doctors say the blindness is only temporary. I’ll take care of you, Selene…” He seemed to nod to someone over my shoulder before continuing. “Shh, you need to rest. You can’t get too emotional right now. The doctor is just going to give you a vitamin shot to help you recover.” If I hadn’t woken up early, if I hadn’t heard everything, I would have believed him without a second thought. But I knew. I knew the so-called vitamin shot was anesthesia, meant to drag me back under. I gripped his arm, my voice a choked sob as I shook my head wildly. “No… Ethan, I don’t want it… I want to go home. Please, can we just go home…?” Before I could finish, the cold prick of a needle pierced my skin. As my consciousness dissolved into blackness, the last thing I heard was Ethan’s voice, as gentle as it had always been. “It’s okay, Selene. Just sleep. It’ll be all over when you wake up. I’m here. You’re going to be okay.” Silent tears traced paths down my temples. My body was numb, but my heart was being torn apart. I closed my eyes, succumbing to the despair. In the darkness, an image flashed—an eighteen-year-old Ethan, his eyes red and swollen, crying by my bedside, calling me a fool for taking a knife for him. The boy’s fierce, unwavering promise echoed in my mind. “Selene, I swear, I will never let anyone hurt you again.” But the one who hurt me the most, the one who was taking my life piece by piece, was him. The next time I woke, I hadn’t just lost my eyes and the man I loved. I had lost the chance to ever have a child of my own. I opened my eyes to a room so quiet all I could hear was my own shallow breathing. Soon, the faint sound of an argument drifted in from the hallway. “Selene had an accident! I have to take care of her. She’s been so good to me. If it wasn’t for her, I’d still be in the slums. I owe her my life, you can’t stop me…” It was Lily, the student I’d sponsored. And Ethan, a man who never tolerated defiance, spoke with no trace of anger. “Lily, listen to me. Your eyes just healed. The doctor said you need to rest, you can’t be moving around. Selene will have people to look after her. You don’t need to worry.” My hand clenched the bedsheets. When did Lily go blind? And why didn’t I know anything about it? A sharp sting on the back of my hand made me flinch. A nurse had jabbed a needle into my vein. “Don’t move!” she snapped, her voice dripping with irritation. She pressed down harder, as if to punish me. “Some people have all the luck. They get to attend to Mr. Geller’s precious Lily, and I’m stuck here with a blind wreck.” Her muttering continued, “If Miss Lily would just put in a good word for me with Mr. Geller, I’d never have to look at another pathetic patient like you again…” CRASH! The sound of a glass vial shattering on the floor cut her off. “Ah! Who dares— M-Mr. Geller! What are you doing here…?” The nurse’s voice went from angry to terrified. Ethan’s voice, cold with fury, echoed through the room, making my blood run cold. “Get out. And never let me see you again.” A familiar warmth enveloped me as his body, trembling slightly, surrounded me. His voice was thick with guilt. “I’m so sorry, Selene. I’m late. I’m so sorry you had to go through that…” A bitter smile twisted my lips. Compared to having my eyes and my womb stolen by him, this was nothing. But he seemed consumed by remorse, holding me so tightly I could barely breathe. “I don’t want to be here anymore,” I whispered. “I want to go home.” His warm breath ghosted across my neck. “As soon as the doctor clears you, I’ll take you home.” He didn’t know that the home I meant wasn’t his villa. It was the Christian estate, the seat of one of the capital’s most powerful families. Years ago, during a period of internal turmoil within the family, my father sent me to the coastal city of Seacliff to hide. But my enemies found me anyway. I was cornered in an alley when Ethan appeared, taking a knife that was meant for me. In that single moment, love at first sight became my reality. We ended up at the same university, falling into a passionate romance that was the envy of everyone around us. That was when Lily appeared. I saw her eating plain bread for every meal, and my heart went out to her, recognizing her talent. So, I decided to sponsor her. She was endlessly grateful, and we became inseparable friends. I just never knew when she and Ethan ended up in the same bed. Or when he started loving her instead of me. Ethan tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it. “Selene, let’s go ahead with the wedding tomorrow, okay? I can’t wait to make you my wife, to call you Mrs. Geller.” The wedding I had dreamed of for years now felt like a nightmare waiting to happen. I shook my head softly. “No.” He was stunned by my refusal. He let go of me, explaining with uncharacteristic patience, “I know you’re scared. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. I’ll make sure no one dares to say a word about your… condition. Lily will be your maid of honor, she’ll help you.” “And the officiant is Julian Christian, the head of the Christian family from the capital. I promised you the grandest wedding, and I’ll deliver.” Hearing my older brother’s name, my hand shot out and gripped his sleeve. The Christians didn’t know I was in Seacliff. They certainly didn’t know that Ethan Geller’s fiancée was me. After refusing an arranged marriage to a blue-blooded scion, I’d run away from home in a fit of anger and never contacted them again. A sour knot formed in my stomach. I couldn’t imagine the look on my brother’s face when he saw me like this—broken and blind. Suddenly, a weight settled on my arm, followed by a bright, anxious voice. “Selene! I was so worried about you! Don’t you worry, from now on, I’ll be your eyes. I’ll take care of you forever…” Ethan cut her off, a hint of unease in his voice. “Don’t be ridiculous, Lily. Selene’s blindness is only temporary.” Lily caught on immediately, resting her head on my shoulder. “You’re right, I’m sorry. Maybe by tomorrow, Selene’s eyes will be all better! Then she can walk down the aisle in her beautiful dress and marry the wonderful Mr. Geller. Oh, Selene, I’m so happy for you.” That innocent, harmless act. It had fooled me for so long. An assistant brought in the wedding gown, and soon it was just me and Lily in the room. “Selene, I heard you designed this dress yourself. It’s stunning. But… the size is a little too big on me, you know?” RRRRIP! The sharp sound of fabric tearing was deafening in the silent room. I knew she had just destroyed my wedding dress. “A blind girl like you has no use for such a beautiful gown anyway. This hospital gown suits you much better.” SPLASH! A searing pain shot through my eyes, like they were being branded with hot irons. The agony stole my voice. My hands trembled as I tried to wipe away the liquid. Lily grabbed my wrists, her grip like steel. Her voice was a venom-laced whisper in my ear. “Your blindness had nothing to do with the car crash, Selene. I just casually mentioned I wanted your eyes, and I never thought Ethan would actually have them cut out for me. The funny thing is, I don’t even need them. They’re filthy. I wouldn’t even feed them to a dog.” “So, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll disappear. Otherwise… who knows what another casual remark from me might make him do to you?” The acidic liquid burned my eyes, but the pain was nothing compared to the agony shredding my heart. The sound of leather shoes approached. Lily roughly wiped the fluid from my eyes, then yanked my hand up into the air. SLAP! A fiery sting exploded across my palm. Before I could process what happened, a powerful shove sent me stumbling backward. My head slammed into the wall behind me, and a high-pitched ringing filled my ears. “Selene! You’ve lost your sight, not your mind! How could you hit Lily? She’s still recovering!” I couldn’t see the expression on Ethan’s face, but his voice was a torrent of fury. I knew he had lost control. In all the years we’d been together, he had never been this angry. His voice, dripping with menace, echoed above me. “Apologize to her. Now. Or the wedding is off.” He knew how much this wedding meant to me, that my greatest wish for years was to walk down the aisle and marry him. Just as he expected, I lowered my head as if I were the one at fault. The residue in my eyes stung with every blink. My voice trembled with pain. “I’m sorry, Lily.” A cold, dismissive voice came from the doorway. “I’ll have someone pick you up at eight tomorrow morning.” What Ethan didn’t know was that for me, tomorrow’s wedding wasn’t a celebration. It was an escape. It was the day I would finally leave him for good. The next morning, an assistant picked me up. Just as Lily had said, I arrived at the venue wearing nothing but my hospital gown. The hem of her own dress brushed against my bare ankles as she placed the veil over my head. She let out a small, mocking laugh. “Happy wedding day, Selene. You really think putting on a veil makes you a bride? It’s just to hide your useless eyes so you don’t embarrass everyone.” When she didn’t see the despair she expected on my face, her good mood soured. But before she could say more, Ethan’s displeased voice cut through the air. “Where is the gown I had prepared for you? Selene, are you trying to punish me? You’re going to marry me looking like this?” The assistant led me towards a dressing room. As I was about to remove the hospital gown, a man’s excited voice came from behind me. “Well, well. She’s a blind one, but she’s a real looker. Don’t you scream, now, sweetheart. I’ll be sure to take good care of you.” His hands were on me, violently tearing at my clothes. I fought back with all my strength, but he was too strong. I opened my mouth and bit down hard on his arm. “You little bitch!” Enraged, he threw me to the floor. His hot, ragged breath washed over my neck. Just as he ripped my gown open, a sharp, surprised female voice cried out from the doorway. “Selene! How could you, on your wedding day with Mr. Geller? How could you do this to him…?” The man above me froze, then spoke in a casual, panting voice. “She’s the one who came onto me. I’m not interested in some blind piece of trash.” As soon as he finished, a chorus of accusations erupted around me. The vicious words were like venomous snakes, striking from all directions. “I can’t believe his fiancée is blind!” “No wonder she’s blind. To throw away a man like Mr. Geller to cheat with someone else… tsk, tsk.” “What a shameless tramp!” I scrambled to cover my exposed body, pulling my torn clothes around me. I buried my head in my knees, my entire body shaking violently. Suddenly, the room fell silent, the only sound a set of heavy, deliberate footsteps. “Selene. You dared to betray me?” A hand clamped around my neck, squeezing hard. Ethan’s eyes, I imagined, were bloodshot, the veins on his hands bulging. I used every last bit of my strength to force out three words. “I… did… not…” The feeling of suffocation closed in. Just as I thought I would pass out, he released my throat, only to grab my chin in a bruising grip. “Selene, you of all people should know how much I hate betrayal. You must have lost your mind to throw yourself at a man like that. Fine. In that case, you won’t be needing to attend this wedding.” “Security! Take her to the psychiatric hospital!” As hands grabbed me, forcing me to my feet, my heart plummeted. If they sent me to a mental hospital now, I would never make it back to my family. The thought gave me a surge of adrenaline. I twisted violently, breaking free from their grasp, and ran. “Get her!” Ethan’s furious roar echoed behind me, along with the sound of countless running feet. My heart hammered against my ribs. Darkness. I couldn’t see a thing, but I couldn’t stop. I just ran, blindly, desperately, praying for a chance at survival. Suddenly, I slammed into a warm chest. A familiar, urgent voice called out from above. “Selene!” It was my brother. Julian. All the strength drained from my body, and I collapsed into his arms. Seeing my pale, bloodless face, Julian reached up to cup my cheek, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly. “Selene, what have you done to yourself? Where have you been all these years…? I finally… I finally found you.” A single tear fell onto my face. I reached up, wanting to wipe it away for him, but I had no idea where his face was. Julian noticed instantly. “Selene, what’s wrong with your eyes?” Before I could answer, Ethan’s voice, tight with restrained fury, cut through the air. “Selene. Come here.” I flinched. Feeling my terror, Julian gently patted my back, his voice a soothing murmur. “It’s okay, Selene. I’m here. No one is ever going to hurt you again.” I nodded, too choked up to speak, and let my body relax into his embrace. Seeing me close my eyes, resting peacefully against Julian’s shoulder, Ethan’s face darkened into a thunderous mask. He glared at Julian. “Let go of my fiancée.” A flicker of surprise crossed Julian’s eyes before understanding dawned, and a chilling aura began to radiate from him. Just as the tension was about to snap, Lily appeared between them. Seeing Julian’s distinguished air, she offered a sweet, innocent smile. “Sir, her name is Selene Christian. She’s Mr. Geller’s fiancée. She recently went blind and has been… under a lot of stress. She’s not well. It would be best if you let us take her for treatment, before she accidentally hurts you.” Julian’s eyes were stormy. “Get out of my sight.” Humiliation twisted Lily’s pretty face, and her eyes welled with tears. Ethan pulled her into his arms, then waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t care who you are. You’re not walking out of here today.” A group of black-suited bodyguards swarmed forward. A dark, knowing smile played on Julian’s lips. “It’s been a long time since someone was this eager to die.” He let out a soft, sharp whistle. Instantly, three imposing men with the subtle crest of our family tattooed on their necks stormed in. Within moments, the black-suited guards were scattered on the floor. A guest in the crowd gasped. “That’s the Christian family’s elite security detail!” “I heard the head of the family, Julian Christian, was officiating today! I can’t believe it’s really him!” The room erupted. Seeing the murderous look on Julian’s face, many of the more cautious guests began to quietly exit the hotel, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Lily’s face was a mask of shock. The man protecting me was the head of one of the capital’s most powerful families. Her nails dug into her palms, her eyes overflowing with a venomous envy. “Mr. Christian, there must be some misunderstanding! She’s not worth it! She’s just a blind woman who was in another man’s arms moments ago! You don’t have to…” SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! The sharp cracks of open palms hitting flesh echoed through the room, punctuated by Lily’s piercing screams. “Ahhh!” Julian’s voice was dangerously calm. “Anyone who has ever harmed Selene meets the same end.”

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