Category: English

Five years after my divorce, I ran into Ethan Sterling at a luxury department store. The sales associate was packaging the tie I had chosen for my husband. Seeing Ethan, her tone became warm and eager. “Mr. Sterling, you’re here. The suit your wife picked out for you is ready.” The man nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on the tie in my hand. “Pay for hers as well.” I politely declined and placed the cash on the counter. He seemed to sigh. “Sarah, after all these years, do you still hate me?” I smiled but didn’t speak. Who has the time to hate him? I let go a long time ago. I took the shopping bag, stuffed it casually into my canvas tote filled with groceries, and turned to leave. The early autumn wind howled. Walking to the bus stop based on memory, the wind whipped my hair into my eyes, making it hard to see. When I brushed the hair away from my face, I saw Ethan’s car stopped in front of me. Seeing my red eyes, he frowned tightly. “Get in, I’ll give you a ride.” “No thanks, I’ll take the bus.” He looked me up and down, glancing at the canvas tote on my shoulder, and asked cautiously. “Have you been well these years?” “Pretty good.” Ethan obviously didn’t believe me. “Get in, just let me drop you off.” The bus behind us honked incessantly, but he didn’t move an inch. Under the public gaze, I helplessly got into the car. “Peace Gardens Apartments,” I casually gave the address. The air fell silent for a moment, and the man’s voice was difficult. “Why do you live in a place like that? It’s been dilapidated for years, not to mention you’re a woman alone, and…” He couldn’t continue. But I knew what he wanted to say. That was where my mother died. Ten years ago today, she refused to attend my wedding with Ethan. And jumped from the rooftop of the 10th floor. The back seat was spacious, but the heater was too strong. I rolled down the window a bit. “You catch a cold easily in the wind, better close it. If you’re hot, I’ll turn down the temperature.” I shook my head and smiled. “Not anymore. Do as you please.” The man fell silent. A moment later, his phone rang. “Hubby, did you get the clothes? Where are you now?” The voice from the car speakers was familiar, but carried a passionate coquettishness strange to me. “Got them. Just ran into Sarah, giving her a ride.” Silence on the other end. “Sarah is back? Long time no see. Why didn’t you say so earlier? Should’ve invited her to hang out.” Knowing Lily Evans for over a decade, I had never heard her speak in such a tone. Before, she was introverted and quiet, focused only on painting. When someone stole her competition spot, she would only hide and cry. It was me who took a baseball bat and smashed that person’s entry in public, wrote letters to report the unfairness, and spent three days in juvenile detention to get justice for her. Sure enough, absolute favoritism gives people flesh and blood. “Just a chance encounter. She has things to do. I’ll be back after dropping her off.” “Chance encounter means fate. What’s wrong with treating an old friend to a meal?” “Lily, stop it.” The other end fell silent. Ethan was always gentle when coaxing people, but once he decided something, no one could stop him. Lily should know this better than me. When the call was abruptly cut off, the car stopped right downstairs at my apartment. “Thanks.” After a polite thank you, I got out. The man withdrew his gaze from the surroundings and called out to me. 2 “Sarah, may I ask who you bought that tie for?” “My husband.” The man rubbed his forehead and smiled bitterly, as if thinking I was still spiting him with these words. “Same brand and style, you used to buy for me five years ago too.” “So?” I met his gaze, my eyes calm. “Actually, you don’t need to be strong in front of me. After all these years, I just hope you live well, not like this.” Like what? The glass of the apartment gate reflected my image. Casual outfit, ordinary flat shoes, plus a canvas tote full of groceries. Looking like an ordinary person bustling for a living. But for me, who was used to wearing designer clothes and jewelry, there was nothing wrong with this appearance. I smiled, not angry. “I think it’s pretty good.” The man’s expression loosened for a moment. “Sarah, you seem really different from before.” “Yeah, a lot of people say that.” With that, I turned and left, never looking back. Climbed up five floors, opened the door. The furnishings inside were no different from this time last year. Next to the old TV was my mother’s portrait, the candle in front of her long extinguished. I skillfully placed a new candle, put on an apron, and went into the kitchen. Soon finished three dishes and a soup. Opposite the table was a bowl of rice no one ate. I ate very slowly too. “Mom, I met Ethan Sterling.” “Don’t be angry yet. He can’t bully your daughter. Besides, I’m not as stupid as before.” Only boundless silence responded to me. Appetite gone, I put down my chopsticks and went into the bedroom, digging out an old photo album. “Let’s look at Mom’s peerless beauty. Looking at that black and white one is boring.” Before opening the album, a photo fell out onto the floor. Bending over to pick it up, I saw the faces clearly. Ethan, me, Lily. Three faces brimming with youth smiling wantonly at the camera. I stood in the middle holding their arms, laughing the happiest—a missing canine tooth on the right made me look a bit silly. That was the midsummer when I was 13. Debt collectors found Ethan’s home shouting to kill. None of the neighbors dared to help, not even my parents. But I rushed up. The fist meant for Ethan’s face hit mine unexpectedly. Teeth shattered on the spot, face swollen for half a month. My mother felt sorry for me and told me not to associate with the Sterling family. But unexpectedly, Ethan’s mother dragged her disabled legs and knelt before my parents, kowtowing and thanking incessantly. So she softened. For nearly ten years, a set of tableware belonging to Ethan was often added to my family’s dinner table. During festivals, new clothes added a boy’s style. She helped Ethan’s mother set up a stall when not busy. When someone bullied them, she fired full power scolding until that person dared not come again. They called each other sisters. But no one expected that the sister, always cowardly and stuttering, climbed into her sister’s husband’s bed. When I got home, everything was smashed to pieces. Mother stood in the middle of the room crying out of breath, five finger marks on her cheeks clear and terrible, while father protected the woman in his arms tightly. “Let’s divorce. Everything goes to you, I only want Susan.” Standing beside me, Ethan was panicked, wanting to grab Susan Lin’s hand. But was slapped twice by my mother. I pushed her, watching her fall to the ground, looking at me in disbelief. 3 I cried too then, but said heartbreaking words. “Mom, why did you hit Ethan?” Memories chaotic, fixed on this small photo in my hand. After divorcing Ethan back then, I burned everything related to him. Didn’t expect a survivor here. Just as I was about to throw it in the trash, a knock suddenly sounded on the door. Thought it was Aunt Zhang who habitually visited at this time of year, so I opened it directly. Didn’t expect to see Lily holding Ethan’s arm. She was smiling: “Sarah, long time no see! Haven’t seen you for so many years, you haven’t changed a bit.” “Ethan insisted on coming. Our sudden visit won’t disturb you, right?” I looked at the two calmly. “I won’t invite you in. What’s up?” Lily hit a soft nail, looking aggrieved at the man beside her. “Lily just wanted to see you and brought you a gift. No other meaning.” After speaking, the man placed the thing in his hand directly on the entryway cabinet. Lily immediately started introducing actively. “This skincare set is what I’ve been loving recently. Just happened to have an extra set at home. We used to share things often, so I thought of giving it to you.” I glanced down, looked like the one my housekeeper used. “That photo…” Lily suddenly teared up: “Sarah, after so many years, you still haven’t let go.” I crumpled the photo and threw it into the trash can casually: “Not really.” She seemed to want to hold my hand, but stopped in mid-air. “I know you still hold a grudge. If you and Ethan were still together, today would be your wedding anniversary.” “I had no choice back then. If you really don’t care anymore, let us treat you to a meal. Tell us if you need help in life, we are old friends.” Almost without thinking, I prepared to refuse. The candle in front of the shrine suddenly popped. I smiled faintly, suddenly changing my mind: “Okay.” Lily talked more than before. Small actions were frequent too. While talking about the romantic trip to Turkey with the man last month, she used her finger to apply her lip balm on the man while waiting for the red light. “Every autumn and winter I have to remind you. Last time you kissed too hard and it bled, don’t you remember?” The man grabbed her moving hand, seeming a bit annoyed: “Stop it.” “Oh my, I forgot Sarah is here. Sarah, you won’t mind, right? Ethan and I are used to getting along like this…” I interrupted her extremely magnanimously. “Of course not.” “I’ve seen you two rolling in bed together. Why would I mind this little scene now?” The car fell into silence. Finally quiet. Looking at the scenery along the way, thinking if mother were still here, she would also marvel at the changes now. Back then father insisted on divorcing for Susan, almost driving her crazy. And the fact that I secretly became husband and wife with Ethan directly took her life. At first, I only hated father and Susan. It was they who betrayed mom, forcing her from an indestructible woman to a resentful woman who made a fuss over small things in a short time. Time seemed to flow exceptionally hard on her, taking away her vitality bit by bit.

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August fifteenth. The thick, humid air hung heavy, the kind that promised a storm but delivered only heat. It was then, in the suffocating quiet of the small hours, that my drunken brother-in-law, Cody Albright, staggered into the west bedroom and assaulted my sleeping sister. When I burst in, Holly lay on the rough cotton sheets, her face slick with tears. She looked at me—just one final, hollow gaze—then she scrambled up and slammed her head against the wall, collapsing in a heap. Cody, reeking of cheap whiskey, zipped up his jeans and swayed, a smug, triumphant grin plastered across his face. I lunged for him, ready to drag him to the Sheriff’s Department, but my in-laws swarmed me, blocking the door. My mother-in-law, Mrs. Albright, pointed a shaking finger at Holly’s corpse. “She’s the one who lured him on! She killed herself because she failed to snag him!” My husband, Marcus, shoved me back. “Stop making a scene! Cody’s still got to find a wife!” I tried to escape, to run to the nearest phone and call the police, but they locked me in the tool shed for three days and three nights. I eventually died there, coughing up blood until my lungs failed. When I opened my eyes again, Holly was standing before me, vibrant and whole, turning around to admire the new, floral-print hoodie I’d just bought her. The nightmare of the past life flashed behind my eyes. I snatched the hoodie off her, threw it onto the bed, and dragged her out the door. I put her on a bus back to our parents’ farm, miles away. I had just managed to lie down, exhausted but believing the worst had been averted, when a woman’s scream ripped through the dark house. 1 I scrambled off the bed, pulling on a shirt, and rushed out the door. The west bedroom door creaked open. Cody Albright, so drunk he could barely stand, staggered out zipping up his jeans, a familiar, triumphant smirk on his face. I ran to him, grabbing his arm. “It was you! Who was it? Who is in there?” Cody just reeked of cheap booze, his mouth stretching into a lazy, drunken smile. “In the dark? Who can tell?” Mr. and Mrs. Albright, my father- and mother-in-law, came rushing out, pulling me away from him. “Why are you harassing Cody? It must have been some girl who was asking for it!” The sight of their shameless faces, the cold memory of Holly’s last look—it sent a tremor of pure, blinding rage through me. “Cody Albright, you think that’s funny? This is rape!” Marcus, my husband, was the last to arrive. He grabbed my shoulder. “Willow, calm down. It was just a slip-up, they slept together, that’s all.” My eyes narrowed with a hatred that felt centuries old. It was the same line. Last time, when my sister was dead, he said the same thing. Just a slip-up. Mrs. Albright tried to smooth the corners of her mouth into a frown, failing. “It was two consenting adults, Willow. Just let it go.” Then she added, practically giddy with greed, “And Holly is sixteen now. But since she’s been so careless with her reputation, she’ll need to bring $5,000 cash and promise to cover the whole wedding for Cody to take her.” I froze. A second passed before the fog of anger cleared. They think the girl in there is Holly. But Holly was safe, miles away, asleep in our parents’ house! She couldn’t possibly be here. A cold dread crawled up my spine. My mind went blank with a horrifying realization: I had prevented Holly’s tragedy, but in this filthy pit of a family, I hadn’t stopped the crime. I had only changed the victim. All I could think of was the girl crying softly behind that closed door. Who was she? I spun around and slapped Cody as hard as I could. For the lost Holly of the previous life, and for the innocent girl in the bedroom now. Cody stumbled backward, clutching his face, his eyes wide with disbelief. “You… you actually hit me?” “You bet your life I did!” I grabbed the broom from the corner and started beating him with it, the coarse bristles and hard wood landing with dull thuds. “Cody, who is in that room? You animal! Are you even human?” Cody scrambled away. “Help! Mom, Dad, Sharon, the lunatic is attacking me!” Mrs. Albright rushed forward to block me, but I shoved her aside with the broom handle. When Mr. Albright tried to step in, I glared at him, my eyes burning. “Dad! If you touch me, I swear, I’ll be at the Sheriff’s Department first thing tomorrow! I’ll make sure everyone in this county knows your son is a monster!” Mr. Albright froze. Marcus wrestled the broom out of my hand. “Willow, stop! He gets it!” “Gets it?” I stopped, gripping Cody’s collar. “Cody Albright, I am asking you one last time,” I leaned in, drilling him with my stare, “who is the person in that room?” Cody was bleeding from the lip and had a bruise forming over his eye. He looked at me, his eyes darted away, and then, a slow, ugly grin spread across his face. “Who do you think?” He spat a mouthful of blood and smirked, a total piece of scum. “It’s just your sister, Holly.” He wiped the blood from his mouth. “Holly was happy to be with me, she knows how to play her cards right. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her…” “You’re a lying sack of trash!” I raised my hand again. Marcus gripped me tightly. “Willow! Enough!” Mrs. Albright, seeing her chance, seized it. Her voice was a hysterical shriek. “It was Holly! I saw her earlier! She led Cody on!” Mr. Albright chimed in, nodding fiercely. “That’s right! It was Holly! Both of us saw them!” I looked at their choreographed lies, their monstrous unity, and I started to laugh. 2 I laughed until the laughter twisted into sobs. “Fine. Fine. Fine,” I nodded, my voice shaking. “You people are a spectacular show.” I turned toward the west bedroom and screamed toward the silent door. “The girl inside, did you hear that? They all say you seduced a man!” The west room remained dead silent. Sharon, my elder sister-in-law, finished chewing her last sunflower seed, clapped the husks off her hands, and strolled over, her movements slow and deliberate. “Well, Willow, what is all this? Making a scene in the middle of the night? Who can sleep through this racket?” She walked up to Cody, looked him up and down, and sighed. “Cody, you really drank too much. But still…” She shifted her focus to me, smiling thinly. “Willow, I hate to say it, but a girl’s business—if it’s mutual, what are you, her sister, making such a fuss about?” I stared at the seed fragments sticking to her lips. “Say that again, Sharon.” “I said,” Sharon drew out the words, “if the girl didn’t want it, could Cody force her? She must have been up for it herself.” She leaned in, dropping her voice low enough to sound confidential, but loud enough for everyone to hear. “Your sister, Holly, she’s sixteen. Time for her to get married. Cody drinks a bit, but he’s family. Marry him, and she’ll be set.” Smack! I raised my hand and slapped her. Sharon froze, holding her cheek, a high-pitched sound of disbelief escaping her. “You hit me?” “That’s for your filthy mouth!” My eyes were bloodshot. “My sister’s reputation is not for you to chew on like trash!” Dean, the eldest brother, came out of the main house, rubbing his eyes, wearing a jacket over his pajamas. “What’s the screaming about? Can a man get some sleep?” He saw Sharon clutching her cheek and frowned. “What happened?” Sharon immediately burst into dramatic tears, throwing herself at him. “Marcus’s wife hit me! Just because I told her not to interfere with Holly and Cody!” Dean’s face hardened as he looked at me. “Sister-in-law, what are you doing? Disrupting the peace in the middle of the night?” “Me disrupting the peace?” I pointed at the west room. “Your brother assaulted someone, and instead of doing anything, you blame me for making noise?” Dean glanced at Cody, then at the west room. He waved a dismissive hand. “Cody was drunk. Stupid mistake. If the girl didn’t want it, he couldn’t have pulled it off. Just let it go, Willow. It’ll look bad for everyone if you push it.” “Let it go?” I was shaking with fury. “A girl’s life, her reputation—you say just let it go?” Dean tightened his coat around him. “Reputation? So what? They did the deed. If it was consensual, so what? No one died.” No one died. That same monstrous phrase. Last time, my sister died, and they said, “She couldn’t handle it, whose fault is that?” I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms. Marcus came over again, trying to pull me away. “Willow, Dean’s right, this will look bad. Let’s just make Cody marry Holly. After all…” “After all what?” I twisted my head to glare at him. “After all, my sister was assaulted, so she has to marry the man who did it? Marcus, are you even a person?” Marcus dropped his head, shamed, but still mumbled, “Well, what else can we do?” Mrs. Albright, seeing her side winning, straightened up. “Exactly! If Cody marries Holly, it’s all smoothed over! Willow, stop being ungrateful!” Mr. Albright nodded along. “Yes. Since Holly lost her purity before the wedding, have your parents bring the $5,000 and the wedding expenses, and Cody will marry her.” Sharon, still nursing her cheek, added fuel to the fire. “Honestly, Holly should be thanking Cody. It’s a good family. Marrying into the Albrights is her lucky day!” I stared at their calculating, shameless faces, and a wave of nausea so powerful it was physical washed over me. 3 My stomach churned. I bent over, dry-heaving, nothing coming up but acid and tears. “Oh, what’s this?” Sharon mocked, her voice dripping with insincerity. “Putting on a show for us? You weren’t the one who got taken.” I straightened up, wiping the tears from my face, and looked at Marcus. “Marcus, I’m telling you this now. Before sunrise, Cody Albright goes to the Sheriff’s Department and turns himself in. If not, I go instead.” “You wouldn’t dare!” Mrs. Albright shrieked. “If you go, I’ll tell Marcus to divorce you!” “Divorce me!” I roared back, my voice raw. “You think I want to be an Albright? I am telling you, this is far from over!” My voice was loud enough to carry through the quiet night. The creak of a door opening came from the neighboring yard, followed by footsteps. “What’s all the noise?” Mrs. Gable, a neighbor, peered over the fence, pulling a robe tight around her. “Middle of the night, what’s the yelling about?” Mrs. Albright’s face instantly changed. She flashed a strained, phony smile. “Nothing, Mrs. Gable, nothing! Just a bit of a commotion, a rat in the house. We were chasing a rat.” “Chasing a rat?” Mrs. Gable looked suspiciously at the tense group in the yard. “Doesn’t sound like it to me…” Sharon reacted instantly. She grabbed Mrs. Gable’s arm, acting overly familiar and sweet. “Really, Mrs. Gable, it’s nothing! It’s just Willow’s sister… oh, you know, young girls. A little misunderstanding with Cody, and Willow saw it and is throwing a fit.” She shot a warning glare at me. “Isn’t that right, Willow?” I didn’t answer. Mrs. Gable looked from Sharon to me. “Holly? But didn’t Holly go back home this afternoon? I saw her get on the truck myself.” “She… she came back!” Sharon lied without a flicker of hesitation. “She got mad at her sister and turned around halfway. Young people, you know.” She even covered her mouth and chuckled, feigning embarrassment. Mrs. Gable looked unconvinced and turned her eyes toward the west room. “And in that room…” “That’s Holly!” Mrs. Albright cut in quickly. “She’s shy, too embarrassed to come out. Mrs. Gable, please go back to bed. You have work tomorrow.” Mrs. Gable finally shook her head and walked away. “Young people, honestly.” As soon as she was gone, Mrs. Albright slammed the yard gate shut, her face twisting back into a mask of fury. “Willow Albright!” She stabbed a finger at my chest. “You go to the police, and I will make your life a misery!” Sharon’s expression hardened. “Exactly! Willow, I’m telling you as your sister-in-law. The girl has already gone and done the deed with Cody. Why are you fighting it? It’ll ruin her for good if this gets out. Where will she ever find a husband?” She then had a strange look in her eye, and she turned and headed toward the west room. 4 “Sharon, what are you doing?” I blocked her path. “What do you think?” Sharon pushed past me. “I’m going to talk to the girl. She must be scared right now. I’ll go calm her down, tell her to accept it.” She reached the west room door, cleared her throat, and addressed the person inside. “Honey, it’s your sister-in-law. Don’t be afraid. This whole thing? It’s a good thing.” “Cody drinks, but he’s solid. You’ll be family now. Just have your dad bring the $5,000 and the wedding money, and we’ll accept you.” “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. When the sun comes up, we’ll go to your house and get the money, and then we’ll have a wedding. You’ll be welcomed.” She got louder and louder, as if she wanted the whole neighborhood to hear her sick offer. “Just make sure you take care of Cody, and give the Albrights a big baby boy as soon as possible. That’s all that matters!” I stood behind her, listening to those words, a coldness spreading through my body. In the past life, after Holly died, Sharon had said something similar. “Such a waste. What if she was already carrying an Albright baby? She should be thankful she got with Cody.” Now, she was saying the same vicious words to the girl—whoever she was—behind the door. Cody stood under the moonlight, listening to his sister-in-law, and his smug look returned, even stronger than before. He even winked at me, as if to say, See? Everyone is on my side. Mr. and Mrs. Albright nodded in full agreement. Marcus looked down, unable to meet my eyes. Dean yawned, ready to go back to sleep. It was as if this was all just a little, consensual late-night fling. As if the girl in that room truly should be grateful to marry the animal who assaulted her. I bit down hard, tasting blood. Then, I turned and sprinted for the yard gate. “Where are you going?” Marcus grabbed me. “The Sheriff’s Department.” I yanked my arm away. “I’m going now.” “Willow Albright!” Mrs. Albright shrieked, lunging at me. “You wouldn’t dare!” “Just watch me.” I shoved her aside and tore open the yard gate. Outside, the moonlight was cool and clean. Inside, stood a den of monsters. And I would no longer be the silent, dying victim.

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I was an expert pretender, a high-level fraud. I wore knock-off designer clothes and my husband worked demolition, but online, I cultivated the image of a wealthy, stay-at-home society wife. At the parent-teacher conference, I had my son, Leo, show off for the crowd. “My dad is closing a big deal in Dubai right now!” he’d chirp. “And my mom’s diamonds are brighter than the stars!” I soaked in the envious stares of the other parents, the ones who genuinely had money. I looked down at my son. “The most important thing in this world, honey,” I lectured him, my voice low, “is money.” At the exact same time, my husband, Rhys, and I were crammed into our dingy, three-hundred-square-foot studio apartment, having a screaming match. “Have you no shame?” he’d yelled, his voice strained. “You’d trade your dignity just for cash?” A cold light flashed in my eyes. I stared intently at his face for a long moment, then broke into a slow, unsettling smile. “You honestly don’t know why I do this, do you?” 1 Back at the conference, Leo had been celebrated as the top student in his class, and the eyes of his classmates’ parents were warm with admiration. “Leo, your mom is so pretty! She smells so nice, too.” Leo beamed, lifting his chin and clutching my hand. “Of course. My mom is the best and the most beautiful!” The other parents were excessively friendly. Mrs. Davies, Piper’s mother, fixated on the Vacheron Constantine bracelet I’d splurged on—a costly replica—and gave me a skeptical once-over. I held my hand out, letting her get a good look. “Rhys picked it up for me during his last trip,” I said, smiling easily. She nodded, then asked, “Maya, where do you live? The Heights?” The Heights was the respectable, upper-middle-class neighborhood tied to the school. I shook my head, my face an impassive mask. “I live at The Somerset Towers.” Mrs. Davies audibly gasped. “I heard the rent there is insane. Your family must be loaded.” I spoke in a casual, airy tone. “It’s fine. Just an eight-figure place, nothing too crazy.” Another ripple of astonishment spread through the group. After the usual pleasantries, I deliberately took the fifteen-minute detour through The Somerset Towers before making the long, quiet drive back to our thirty-square-meter rental. I sighed, carefully tucking the fake bracelet away in a small, bolted safe. I held Leo’s hand and asked him, “If a friend wants to come over tomorrow, what do you tell them?” My son nestled against me, blinking his big eyes. He gave the practiced response. “I’ll tell them I have one-on-one tutoring all evening and I can’t have guests.” I nodded in satisfaction and caressed his cheek, just about to praise him for being so clever. But Leo hesitated, then whispered, “Mom… if Dad finds out we’re lying, will he be angry? He said he hates lying kids the most.” I opened my mouth, but before I could reply, the door creaked open. Rhys walked in, still wearing his soot-stained work clothes, looking completely exhausted. His gaze was sharp, a laser beam fixed on me, and his voice was tight with suppressed fury. “Maya, have you completely lost it?! Why are you forcing Leo to lie? Do you want to ruin him?” I met his stare with a cold, even one of my own. “This is how I show him love.” His eyes were red-rimmed, and he looked at me like I was incomprehensible. “The card—you ran up sixty-eight thousand dollars today. What on earth did you buy?” My expression didn’t change. “A bracelet.” He started to tremble, choking on his anger. “That’s our rent for a year! And my medication! The electric bill, the tuition—none of that is free. Maya, for the sake of appearances, you’re throwing away everything we have! You’ve completely lost your sense of self!” He raised his voice, a mistake. I turned icy. “That was my savings. I’ll spend it however I want. What business is it of yours?” He recoiled, clutching his chest, a look of pure disbelief on his face. “How could you change so much?” I almost laughed. Tears even welled up in my eyes. Did he truly not know the reason? Rhys had a heart condition and couldn’t handle stress. Because of his sickness, I had supported him for six of the seven years we’d been married, working three jobs a day, killing myself to keep a roof over our heads. I smiled at customers behind a retail counter by day, bussed tables and dressed up as a goofy mascot by night. Just as our lives had finally started to stabilize and his heart condition was under control, I decided I couldn’t do it anymore. 2 Late that night, I went through my usual routine and started my live stream. Ostensibly, I was sharing the daily life of a wealthy wife. In reality, I was waiting for the perfect moment to slip in subtle product placements. I angled the shot strategically so viewers could see the faux antique-white hutch I’d bought for eight hundred dollars. The nightstands and the giant memory-foam mattress? I’d picked those up from the curb in an affluent neighborhood and paid a truck service to haul them back. I smiled into the camera, clad in a silk pajama set, and waved at my followers. “A private chef? Oh, no, we have four staff members—so I don’t have to work or cook, of course!” “Leo goes to a regular public school nearby. It’s important for him to experience the real world, to develop his practical skills.” A comment popped up. 【Sister, your hair looks so luxurious! Must be salon-quality!】 I spotted the comment immediately. I laughed and picked up my thirty-dollar bottle of smoothing serum. “This? It’s all done at my private salon, darling, but I do have a little link below for a great dupe!” In that single hour-long stream, I covertly promoted eight different products. Later that night, I turned off the stream and let out a long, exhausted breath. The next morning, I heard Rhys talking to Leo in the living room. “Son, maybe we should skip the class field trip and spring picnic this year.” “Why, Dad? Everyone’s going! Gemma next door is going.” Rhys’s face darkened instantly. He clearly wasn’t pleased with Leo’s response. He sighed, carefully gauging Leo’s reaction, and continued, “But the picnic costs several hundred dollars. That money could buy Dad’s medication for a whole week, or groceries for a month.” He lowered his voice conspiratorially. “You know we don’t have a lot of money…” Leo lowered his head, his little hands tightly clutching the edge of his shirt. At that moment, a fire blazed up in my chest. “He is absolutely going! Why wouldn’t he go?” I converted the money I’d earned the day before into cash and pressed it into Leo’s hand. “Not only are we going, but we’re going to have the best time. We’re going to the grocery store. Buy snacks and drinks, and make sure you share them with all your classmates. Be generous.” Leo’s eyes lit up, but he glanced fearfully at his father. Rhys shot up to his feet, his lips trembling with rage. “Maya, where did you get that money? Why are you being so extravagant?!” “We should be modeling the right values for our financial situation! You’ll ruin Leo!” My eyes were glacial. “If not for me, would you rather let him be the only kid in class who gets excluded because he couldn’t pay the fee?” He frowned. “Kids are innocent and harmless. They wouldn’t bully Leo. Stop being so paranoid.” I rolled my eyes. “And so?” I took Leo’s hand and led him toward the door, intending to take him to the mall to pick out a new brand-name jacket. I told my son, “You deserve to feel included. You deserve all of this. You have the right to own it.” I pointed to a luxury car being displayed in the mall showroom. “See that, sweetie? Remember the brand and what it looks like. You can tell everyone that’s what our family drives.” Leo nodded obediently. “You are teaching him to lie!” Rhys roared. “You are beyond saving.” I offered Rhys a cold, half-smile, staring right into his eyes. “It’s just a white lie, Rhys. If it benefits us, what’s the harm?” 3 Leo’s popularity and overall standing in school improved significantly. A few days later, Leo’s teacher called me out of the blue. “Leo’s mother, something has happened at school. You need to come down right away.” My stomach dropped. When I rushed over, I saw Leo kneeling in the back of the classroom, sobbing uncontrollably. His palms were raw and red as he painstakingly wrote a letter of apology and repentance. My husband, Rhys, stood there, watching him with cold indifference. The cause: The school was holding a charity auction and asked each child to bring one item. At the store, Leo had been staring longingly at a twenty-nine-dollar toy car model. “Dad, can I buy this to take?” Rhys’s face instantly hardened. “Do you even know what our financial situation is?” He turned, picked up a discarded, worn-out stuffed bear someone had left on the floor, and stuffed it into Leo’s backpack. “We’re poor. We don’t need to try and play big shots in public. Don’t be like your mother, full of warped ideas, obsessed with materialism and money.” The old bear was dirty and smelly. Leo didn’t like it. His eyes welled up, and he whispered, “But everyone else is bringing nice toys…” “Are you comparing yourself to others again?” Rhys abruptly cut him off, his voice rising. “We can’t afford to compete with them. We may be poor, but we can’t be weak-willed. You need to learn frugality.” He squatted down. “Be good. We need to be simple and honest.” Leo lowered his head and said nothing more. On the day of the charity auction, Leo secretly took the money he’d saved in his piggy bank for an entire year and used it to buy the car model. Rhys found out. He stood over him, interrogating him like a criminal. “Where did you get that money? Did you steal it?” In an instant, Leo’s face turned scarlet. All the other children looked at him with contempt. “What did Leo’s dad just say?” “I thought their family was super rich?” “They can’t even afford a twenty-nine-dollar toy? LOL, he had to steal money?” “Guess they were just trying to keep up with the Joneses…” Rhys pointed a finger at Leo’s nose, his voice laced with disappointment and disgust. “At such a young age, you’ve already learned vanity and one-upmanship. What will you do for money when you’re older—commit crimes?” “I hate lying more than anything! If you cheat now, you’ll hurt people later!” “You’re just like your mother—a fraud, shallow, and full of lies.” By the end, he even sounded regretful. “I knew it. I knew you were both this kind of person…” Leo didn’t understand what his father was saying. Seeing the sheer disappointment in his dad’s eyes, he was frantic and incoherent. “Dad, please don’t be mad! I’m sorry, I was wrong…” Terrified, Leo reached out and tugged on his shirt. Rhys yanked away, his eyes cold. “You will go right now and return that toy. Then you will kneel here, write a public apology, and read it out loud!” Leo’s entire face was flushed a deep red. He buried his head low. In that moment, Leo’s sense of self-worth was silently and completely shattered. I pulled Leo into my arms, trying not to disrupt the other children. I led him to an empty space and fixed my gaze on Rhys. He was still blaming me. “If you hadn’t fed him all that rubbish, how would Leo have turned out like this?!” I stared back at him, utterly cold. Suddenly, I felt like the whole thing was beneath me. “Rhys, over the years, I accepted your ridiculous demands. I nearly killed myself working to pay for your illness. I even allowed myself to be strung along by you like a clown.” “But the one thing I absolutely will not accept is you harming my child for the sake of your so-called test.” I let the words hang in the air, then delivered the final blow. “Mr. Rhys, the pretense of poverty has gone far enough.” He froze, rooted to the spot.

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When I was desperate and penniless, I took a forged betrothal contract and scammed my way into the wealthy Vanderbilt family. I had their youngest son, Asher, wrapped around my finger. He’d say, “You’re so annoying.” I’d press against his lips and threaten, “Say that again and I’ll kiss you until your mouth is sore.” He’d turn his face away: “You’re bothering me.” I’d pin him down: “Believe it or not, I’ll punish you again!” He’d turn bright red, and I’d tease, “Oh, such an innocent boy~” He’d ignore me, leaving behind a proud back, and I thought he was just playing hard to get. Later, when the truth came out, I realized he truly didn’t like me. So I packed my bags overnight and fled the country. Five years later, we met by accident. I thought he was out for revenge. Before I could speak, tears fell from his eyes: “You little liar…” “Coax me,” he said, gripping my hand, his voice trembling. “Just coax me a little, and I’ll forgive you.” 1 Originally, the girl betrothed to the Vanderbilt family was Serena Thornton, the heiress. But her heart belonged to someone else. Her father, desperate, found me—a look-alike—and asked me to take her place. I was thrilled. God knows how broke I was. So, clutching the forged contract, I flew north to New York alone. Grandpa Vanderbilt arranged for me to get engaged to his grandson, Asher, when I turned 20. He let me live in the Vanderbilt estate and covered my tuition at NYU. Even better, Asher was rich and handsome. I hit the jackpot! But he didn’t seem too happy with me. He even knelt in the study, defying his grandfather, calling arranged marriages “archaic feudal nonsense.” He said he would absolutely never marry me. I panicked. This was cutting off my income! Unacceptable! So, thump, I knelt beside him, crying even louder than he was arguing. “Grandpa Vanderbilt, it’s okay. Although I like Asher very much, if he’s unwilling, I can’t force him.” “Please don’t be difficult. I’ll leave right now.” Before getting up, I looked at Asher with teary eyes: “It doesn’t matter if you don’t like me. It’s enough that I like you.” He froze. He pursed his lips, looking incredulous: “You… like me?” “Yes. Do you believe in love at first sight?” After all, he was an 18-year-old boy. Being confessed to in front of elders made him flush. “I…” His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he turned his head away. Grandpa Vanderbilt stood up with his cane: “It’s decided! Asher, you are both young and in the same university. Feelings can be cultivated.” Asher remained kneeling but didn’t object further. I thought this was a good start. As long as I coaxed Asher, everything would be fine. I didn’t expect chasing someone to be this hard! 2 For two whole years, I didn’t even touch the hem of his shirt. Fortunately, my coursework was heavy. I was either working part-time or in the lab. So I only made my presence known to him whenever I could. It wasn’t until three months before the engagement that I started to panic. I heard the queen bee of the Arts School was pursuing Asher like crazy. My roommate comforted me, saying it didn’t matter, since I was the beauty queen of our Science School anyway. Asher would reject everyone equally. Great comfort. Don’t do it again. But this did cause huge damage to my fragile soul. I was fired up. At least I had the advantage of proximity! So I started my campaign, showing extreme concern for Asher and pestering him relentlessly. Finally, on the night of our engagement, I forced myself on him. I admit, I was gambling. After all, feelings grow over time. Since the result was me marrying him anyway. The process didn’t matter, right? It was just a bit awkward in the moment: “Um, I didn’t expect you to have no experience.” Although I was a blank slate too. But my theoretical knowledge was rich. Asher knelt on the bed with his back to me, leaving me a proud back and ears red as blood. After a long while, he mumbled: “Did you think I was a player?” Not really. But with his looks, body, and family background, I assumed he would be… you know? Sure enough, prejudice is a mountain in people’s hearts. I apologized immediately. I poked his firm shoulder, trying to comfort him: “It’s okay. One minute for the first time is already great.” Asher gritted his teeth so hard I could hear it: “Maya, you have a dirty mouth.” “?” I looked it up!! He criticized me, so I tackled him again in anger. He turned his head away, gripping the sheets, looking like he was facing death. But he was really delicious. I admit I’m lustful. But it’s human nature. Who can resist a 6’2″ gorgeous college boy? So, possessed by a hungry wolf, I kissed him. Then I started messing around. Asher grabbed the back of my head and pulled me away a bit. Breathing unsteadily, he frowned: “You are so annoying.” I immediately pressed against his lips and threatened: “Say that again and I’ll kiss your mouth until it’s sore.” “Don’t say things I don’t like. I am your lawful fiancée now!” Then I gave him a quick peck. He pursed his lips tight, trying to reason with me: “Maya, that’s not how you kiss…” I leaned in and smacked him again: “So what?” His face was redder than a cooked shrimp: “How do I tell you? You have to do that, not this.” “What are you saying? Can’t understand.” I held his face and kissed him again. Asher covered his mouth, so angry he got out of bed and hid in the bathroom. 3 But our intimate life improved. Asher replaced theory with practice, frequently breaking his one-minute record. He wouldn’t be outdone in frequency either. It was a bit too much for me. After all, I had experiments and studies during the day. So I Googled: “How to make a boyfriend abstinent?” A sister replied: “Try a style he hates?” Epiphany. That night I bought a small whip. Asher said he hated the feeling of being controlled. Then I’ll annoy him! Sure enough, we straight-A students are smart. That day, after studying and showering, I changed into a dominant outfit. Because I observed he probably didn’t like the Lolita style either. Hiding the prop under the pillow, I waited for him to finish showering and enter the room, then stood up and ordered: “Come here and give me a massage.” His eyes darkened, and he walked over with a cold face. When his warm hands touched my calf, I shivered. Don’t panic. I pretended to be calm: “Asher, didn’t you eat?! Is that all the strength you have?” “Oh?” His tone held a dangerous note. “Oh what! Haven’t you heard? Girls like guys with strong service awareness!” His hand moved up and pinched me, not too light, not too heavy. I jumped. Asher narrowed his eyes: “What’s wrong?” His voice was hoarse. My eyes darted around, remembering my persona today was a Queen. So I immediately took the thing from under the pillow and swept it over his lower body. He grabbed it, making me almost fall into his arms. A chuckle came from above. I arched up, stood firm, and kicked his abs. Circling, rubbing. His breathing heavied, and he turned his face away: “You are annoying.” Annoying, right!! Success, sisters! So I pushed my luck, pinning him down: “Believe it or not, I’ll punish you again!” I have plenty of strength and means. The tips of his ears turned red with anger. I smiled playfully: “Oh, innocent boy~” But who can tell me why I was flipped over again? Today’s Asher was like a mad dog. I could barely keep my eyes open, kicking him: “Aren’t you tired? I can’t do this anymore.” “We’ve barely started.” “Didn’t you say you wanted to serve me well? Hmm?” I glanced sideways at my torn clothes and sighed secretly. Who said he didn’t like it? He liked it too much. In the end, he even made me hold the whip and brought his face close to mine: “Want to hit me?” “?” I had screamed all my strength away. If my roommate Vivi hadn’t urgently called me to watch a show at Asher’s college. I would have almost forgotten that the Arts School queen was still vigorously pursuing him. 4 The queen bee was said to be a wealthy heiress from the South, beautiful and from a good family. Honestly, she looked quite compatible standing next to Asher. Devastatingly beautiful. Vivi and I even discussed if her skin was so white because of some beauty treatment. So much so that when the crowd chanted for them to get together. We both forgot ourselves and applauded along, chanting: “Get together! Get together!” Vivi stopped abruptly: “Wait, she’s your rival. We shouldn’t do this!” What else? Should I act like a jealous wife? But the girl was just confessing with roses. I couldn’t run up to Asher and say “He’s mine, don’t touch him,” right? That’s too cringe. And… Before I could finish “and,” I saw Asher push her away with a dark face and walk towards me step by step. I instinctively took a step back. He grabbed my waist and pulled me back. I don’t know why, even though he was smiling, I thought his smile was scary. Amidst the surprise of Vivi and everyone else, he slowly said: “Sorry, I have a fiancée.” “An arranged marriage from childhood.” Then, ignoring everyone’s gaze, he dragged me away. Asher had an apartment near the school. We usually lived there. He was practically dragging me to fly. Finally, when I couldn’t walk anymore, he threw me over his shoulder. He pinned me against the door, held the back of my head, and kissed me. I could clearly feel the intensity of his movements and the invasion between my lips and teeth. It carried a hint of punishment. He didn’t want to give me any air at all. Kissing me until I almost suffocated. I reached out to push him away, but he grabbed my hands and pinned them above my head. His lips moved away a few centimeters, allowing me a breath of air. “Should I praise you for being generous? Fiancée?” Asher’s eyes were terrifyingly red, his expression obscure, gritting his teeth. The atmosphere was intense back there. But I couldn’t say that; it would make him angrier. So I softened my voice and kissed his dimple: “Not at all. I like you the most, the most.” “Cut it out.” He turned his face away. Looking like he couldn’t be coaxed. I broke free from his restraint and hugged his neck instead, acting coquettish: “It was my fault. How about I grant you one wish?” “Anything?” He raised an eyebrow. “As long as it’s not too excessive, anything.” “Save it,” he said. “Because right now, I have more important things to do.” Then he bent down, picked me up, and walked toward the bedroom. ???

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My wife, Chloe, died in an earthquake while vacationing with her lover. When the rescuers dug her out of the rubble, her body was already cold and stiff. She was found tightly shielding the man beneath her. It took significant effort to separate them. Everyone was marveling at this “epic, tragic love story”—until they contacted me, her husband. When I arrived, I saw Chloe’s body covered in a white sheet, and her spirit standing right next to it. Chapter 1 From seeing Chloe’s crushed body to sending her into the crematorium, only a few hours passed. The first burn didn’t completely disintegrate everything. I refused the staff’s suggestion for a second round. Why waste the money? I picked the cheapest urn available. Chloe’s ghost was screaming at me the entire time. Her vocabulary was so limited, it was pathetic. I ignored her like background noise. Watching Chloe being pushed into the incinerator, I beamed with a bright smile. “Chloe, oh Chloe. Look at the karma. The day after your lover, Julian, woke up, he was already laughing and hugging another woman. I bet he didn’t even visit his savior.” Hearing this, she froze, then flew into a rage. “Mason! Stop slandering him! Julian is kind! He’s not a liar like you!” Chloe’s face was twisted and hideous. Oh well. Julian really hadn’t come to see her. Chloe’s screaming gave me a headache. Suddenly, I felt even the cheapest urn was too good for her. I spent a dollar on a takeout box from a nearby restaurant. The box was a bit small. After a moment’s thought, I decided to let Chloe shine one last time. I dumped the excess ashes into a roadside flowerbed. Tossing the takeout box into the trunk, I drove home. Although my best friend was watching my daughter, I was still worried. Chloe couldn’t stray too far from me. In fact, she could only leave the morgue because I had arrived. She curled up in the back seat like she was dodging a plague. “Psycho,” I muttered. Chapter 2 I parked and walked toward the house, but saw a man in casual clothes pacing at my door. It was Julian. This was a well-known wealthy neighborhood. Security was top-notch. Average people couldn’t just walk in. I subconsciously looked at Chloe. She was just staring blankly ahead, murmuring, “Julian, did you come for me?” In that moment, it felt like someone shoved a fly in my mouth. I looked at the community’s green belt. It looked like it needed some fertilizer too. Chapter 3 “What are you doing here?” Julian jumped, startled. Unnaturalness was written all over his face. “Mr. Carter… I… I came to find Chloe.” I shook the takeout box containing half of Chloe at him. “You mean this?” Tears instantly welled up in Julian’s eyes. “Is this Chloe? How could it be? I woke up and didn’t see her… I thought she left me.” Terrible acting. But someone ate it up. Chloe was soft-hearted to a fault. She lunged forward, trying to wipe Julian’s tears, but her hands passed through him. “Julian, don’t cry. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have doubted you. It’s all this evil man’s fault, he’s trying to drive a wedge between us!” A ghost and a human in love. What a moving scene. Too bad one was acting, and the other was a fool. Two idiots. “If you didn’t see her, couldn’t you look? You have legs, don’t you? Or a mouth to ask? Do you need me to draw you a map? Oops, said the quiet part out loud. Sorry.” The crying stopped abruptly. Julian looked at me. “Mr. Carter, I know you’re angry, that’s why you’re saying these things. I don’t blame you. I know you don’t love Chloe, and she would only be miserable with you. Please, give me her ashes.” Seriously? Is he mentally ill? I didn’t want to engage in mental gymnastics with him. “Julian, get this straight. Whose wife was Chloe? Now leave. I’m going home.” Julian grabbed me anxiously. In the struggle, I lost my grip. The takeout box hit the ground. Good news: the box didn’t break. Better news: the ashes spilled. I immediately called the police. Someone was trying to rob me. Seeing me call the cops, Chloe shielded Julian like a hero, cursing me. “You rotten, heartless bastard! You’ll get your karma!” Heh. Who’s scared?

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The first day of college, the boy next door I’d crushed on for years talked me into his bed. The next morning, my naked photos were plastered all over the city. I was expelled from the university, my reputation completely destroyed. When my brother’s fist smashed into his face, he showed not a shred of guilt. Instead, he gripped Liam’s collar tightly, his eyes blazing red as he shrieked: “Liam, now you know what it felt like the day my sister jumped! Your sister will pay for your mistake!” He left, walking away from my brother—who was coughing up blood—and me, who had sobbed myself into a faint. To pay for Liam’s mounting medical bills, I became a risqué streamer. Three years later, I found him again in my own chat. 1 The viewer count was 2,337, and the public feed was scrolling fast. I pulled the hem of my skirt up to my mid-thigh and gyrated mechanically for the camera. “This streamer is the most dedicated, live for ten hours a day.” “She looks pretty young, is she a college student?” “College student? You must be new. This girl has been streaming for over three years.” I ignored the viewers who talked big but didn’t spend money, keeping my eyes glued to the gift notifications in the bottom right corner. “Ashes” sent a Porsche × 1. A new account, not a member of my regular fan club. The name made me pause for a second, but my focus quickly shifted to the value of the Porsche. Five hundred dollars. Not a huge amount, but not negligible either. To drop that much on a first visit meant he had money. I leaned closer to the lens, my voice softening. “Thank you for the Porsche, Ashes. What would you like to see me do?” 【Pull the strap down】 A clear, direct instruction. I smiled, hooked a finger around the thin shoulder strap, and let it slide. The fabric of my dress dipped, the curve of my chest begging to be revealed. “Is that better?” The chat exploded. “Ashes” sent a Jet, a thousand dollars. 【Lift your skirt】 Again, a blunt command. I laughed, hooking the edge of the hem with my fingers. The black lace of my underwear wrapped around my curves. The fullness of my hips sent the public feed into a frenzy of crude remarks. The viewer count surged to over three thousand. “Ashes” sent a Carnival, five thousand dollars. The most expensive gift on the platform. 【Underwear, bra—choose one to take off.】 I froze for two seconds. The feed went ballistic. “Why is the streamer stunned? Not going to deliver after taking the money?” “Is she chickening out?” “What are you saying? She’s done this plenty of times. She’s reliable.” Three gifts, a total of six thousand five hundred dollars. Even after the platform took its cut, I’d have over three thousand. That was enough for Liam’s medication for half a month. With the calculation done, I returned to my practiced smile, caressing the edge of my skirt in front of the camera. My hand reached for the lace of my panties— 【Wait.】 My hand stopped. Ashes sent another message. 【You really will do anything you’re told.】 【Avery Marsh, how low have you fallen?】 With that, “Ashes” logged off. It was him. Rhys. I smiled self-deprecatingly. Low? I didn’t know. Did he think I was low when he leaked those pictures of me three years ago? While I was lost in thought, ten Porsches suddenly flooded the screen. My top supporter, LoneWolf78, typed a message. “So your name is Avery Marsh. What a beautiful name.” “Still short on cash, Avery?” “I have a dinner party tonight. Come keep me company. The price is the usual.” 2 A private meeting, an offline job. For me, it was routine. After so many years as a risqué streamer, I’d done just about everything. A “dinner party,” to put it nicely, meant being a hostess. To put it less nicely, it meant being offered up to another man by my ‘supporter.’ I giggled sweetly and typed, Message me privately, Big Brother. I’m shy. Then, amidst the jeers and mocking of the crowd, I signed off. Arriving at the door of the private room LoneWolf78 had specified, I pulled my stockings down slightly. When I pushed the door open, I saw LoneWolf78, also known as Mr. Pierce—a client I’d entertained many times—obsequiously pouring wine for the man seated at the head of the table. My breath hitched. Rhys. The boy next door who used to playfully pinch my cheeks now wore an expensive bespoke suit. He didn’t even lift his gaze. “Mr. Pierce, where did you find this fresh merchandise?” Mr. Pierce fawned over me, pushing me toward Rhys. “This is a streamer from Prism Live. She gets thousands of viewers per stream! I spent a lot of money to book her. Mr. Rhys, is she to your liking?” Rhys looked up, his eyes immediately boring into my face. “Oh, a big-shot streamer.” His voice was laced with undisguised contempt. “I visited her stream. For three thousand, she’ll take off her panties.” “Quite high-class, isn’t she?” A burst of laughter erupted in the room. I looked down, gripping the hem of my skirt so hard my knuckles were white. When did he become like this? Where was the boy next door who used to sneak me candy? That night, he had held my hand and taken me out to look at the stars. He’d cover my head with his warm palm. He’d kiss my forehead. He would say: “Avery, I’m going to take care of you, always.” So why was it that the next day, every public bulletin board in the city was covered with my naked body? Mr. Pierce thought Rhys was displeased and yanked me back. “If this one isn’t to your taste, Mr. Rhys, I’ll arrange someone else immediately.” Rhys swirled his wine glass, his expression unreadable. “I have a fiancée.” Mr. Pierce thought he’d misread the situation and quickly started pushing me out. “It’s fine, let her stay.” “I hear she’s been with you many times. It might be entertaining to keep her around.” Rhys remained impassive. Mr. Pierce chuckled awkwardly, pulling me close to him. To ease the sudden tension, Mr. Pierce rubbed his hands together and asked, “Mr. Rhys’s fiancée… she must be very beautiful.” “Yes,” Rhys took a sip of wine. “Very beautiful. Elegant. And the most important thing is, she’s clean.” Rhys’s gaze flickered toward me. Everyone in the room understood immediately. The man they called the Devil of Manhattan Finance had history with the low-class streamer. Mr. Pierce was terrified, not daring to breathe. The others quickly shifted the conversation elsewhere. Rhys listened distractedly, his eyes occasionally sweeping over me. I pressed myself against Mr. Pierce, pouring and drinking glass after glass of wine with him. Finally, Rhys couldn’t stand it. He stood up and walked toward me. The crisp, cold scent of his cologne—a scent he never used to wear—pricked my nose. “Three years, Miss Marsh. Don’t you recognize me?” “Or have you been with too many men lately to keep track?” The bluntness of his words caused the men around us to gasp before quickly covering their mouths. He reached out, his long fingers pinching my chin, forcing me to look up. “Mr. Rhys, I—” I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. “Are you really that desperate for money?” He pulled a check from his pocket and lightly slipped it down into the cleavage of my dress. “Is Liam dead? Why isn’t he stopping you from selling yourself?” 3 The check, still warm from Rhys’s body, pressed against my skin. Before it could fall, I raised my hand and held it in place. “Thank you for the tip, Mr. Rhys.” I smiled, my eyes curving, and expertly pulled the check out. In front of everyone, I folded it neatly and tucked it back into my bra— The atmosphere turned unnerving. Mr. Pierce was dripping with cold sweat, and the others didn’t dare make a sound. The revulsion in Rhys’s eyes overflowed, his voice dripping with scorn. “It seems you’ve had plenty of practice.” He curled his lip in mockery and sat back down in the shadow. “Since Miss Marsh loves money so much, Mr. Pierce, why don’t we make this more interesting?” Mr. Pierce stammered nervously. “Mr. Rhys, you mean…” Rhys lit a cigarette, the flame flickering between his fingers. “Miss Marsh has her prices listed in her stream, doesn’t she?” He blew a cloud of smoke, looking at me through the white haze. “Tonight, in this room, the rules are the same.” “For every man here you entertain tonight, I will personally give you ten thousand dollars.” “How much you make is entirely up to Miss Marsh’s ability.” The momentary silence in the room was followed by a burst of wild, hungry excitement. The men’s eyes traveled over my body with greedy intent. Ten thousand. What an alluring number. Ten thousand dollars, and I could buy my mother—who’d had her leg broken by my father while protecting me—a motorized wheelchair. One hundred thousand dollars, and I could extend my brother’s life for another year. I looked around the room at the group of greasy middle-aged men, swallowed the last of my red wine, and spoke in a voice that was both sweet and cloying. “Ten thousand?” “You wouldn’t lie to me, Mr. Rhys. Is the money… paid in cash tonight?” Rhys’s hand, clutching the wine glass, tightened sharply, the veins on the back of his hand throbbing. He probably hadn’t imagined anyone could be this willing to degrade themselves. “Cash.” He gritted the word out. “Then I accept.” I stood up, and right in front of Rhys, I undid the button on the side of my dress. The light in the room was dim, but I could feel their clammy, foul-smelling hands landing on my shoulders—a mix of stale tobacco and alcohol. Another hand rested on my waist, slowly moving up to cup my chest. A third hand reached to pull off my high heels. … I closed my eyes, repeating the numbers in my mind. Ten thousand, twenty thousand. Rhys sat there, unmoving, the cigarette cold in his hand. He watched the indecent farce from the shadows, his eyes full of overflowing disgust that finally solidified into a torrent of rage. Half an hour later, the sordid party in the private room ended. The men left, satisfied and laughing. The floor was littered with scattered bottles and shredded paper. I lay collapsed on the carpet, my dress ripped almost entirely off, one high heel missing. A stocking had been peeled off and stuffed into a wine glass. My skirt was hiked up, revealing my lacy, suggestive underwear. Wretched and ruined, I was like a discarded bag of trash. But I was clutching a thick wad of cash in my hand. The room emptied quickly, leaving only Rhys. After a long silence, he finally walked toward me, looking down. “Avery Marsh, you truly are a spectacle.” As he spoke, he raised his foot and deliberately crushed it down on the hand I was using to try and pull my skirt down over my underwear. “Why are you acting embarrassed? Do you have any shame left at all?” “Three years ago, when I sent those pictures out, I felt a flicker of guilt.” He scoffed, the contempt clear in his voice. “Now, I see I wasted my regret.” “A whore rotten to the core like you doesn’t deserve pity.” He lifted his foot and tossed the last banknote onto my face. “Take your dirty money and get out.” The door slammed shut, leaving me alone in the private room. I picked up the bills one by one, counting them carefully. One hundred thousand.

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I returned to the country early to surprise my sister. But when I got home, I couldn’t find her anywhere. By chance, I saw a corner of my sister’s clothes sticking out from a tightly closed dog cage at the entrance of the courtyard. I opened the cage and saw my sister’s small body curled up in a wooden den less than one square meter. I was shocked: “Why are you sleeping here? Come out quickly, I brought you your favorite white chocolate cake.” My sister shook her head repeatedly: “No, no, no, white chocolate cake is for masters, puppies don’t deserve to eat it, puppies can only eat dog food.” My stepmother’s voice came from behind me: “Nina said studying is too hard, not as comfortable as being a dog. She wants to be a dog herself and insisted on living in the doghouse.” I turned around and saw that my stepmother’s belly was at least eight months pregnant. And the seal symbolizing family power, half of which belonged to me and half to my sister, was hanging around her neck. Seeing me staring at the seal, my stepmother touched her belly and said proudly: “The doctor said I’m carrying a boy, so not only Nina’s seal must be given to me, but yours too.” I smiled mysteriously. She probably didn’t know that my father married into the family, and he lost his fertility the year my sister was born. Chapter 1 The second young miss of the Sterling family, who should have been pampered, was now chained in the yard like a dog. Looking at the iron chain around my sister’s neck, my heart ached like it was being twisted. No wonder my sister hadn’t contacted me in the three years I was abroad. Whenever I asked my father about her, he would brush me off with the excuse that her studies were heavy. The room that originally belonged to my sister had long been occupied by others, and the furnishings in the villa had been completely renewed, showing no trace of my mother when she was alive. I pulled my sister out of the dog cage and patted the dust off her body. The dress she was wearing was the one I gave her three years ago, now tattered and barely covering her body. I took off my coat and draped it over her. “Doris Jenkins, you dare treat the second young miss of my Sterling family like this? Are you tired of living?” “How dare you talk to your mother like that!” My dad appeared behind Doris with a group of people I didn’t know. They looked me up and down with malice. “My mom died long ago. What is she?” “Serena Sterling! Doris is my wife, and also your mother, the mistress of this house! Apologize to her immediately, or I won’t recognize you as my daughter!” “A bed-climbing nanny from the countryside deserves to be my mother? And Frank Walker, you’ve forgotten whose family name this house bears!” My mother was the seventy-fifth generation leader of the Azure Dragon Clan, dominating both the black and white worlds, controlling the Azure Dragon Seal, and commanding eight thousand branches across Asia. Such a proud daughter of heaven somehow fell for a phoenix man like my father. To be with my father, she threatened suicide and finally made my grandfather agree to let my father marry into the family. My sister and I both took our mother’s surname and called our grandfather “Grandpa.” My mother split her Azure Dragon Seal in two, giving half to me and half to my sister, instructing us never to use it unless absolutely necessary. Later, my mother fell ill and suddenly passed away. My father said my young sister couldn’t be without care, so he brought his childhood sweetheart from his hometown over. “When I agreed to let Doris enter the door, it was as a nanny, not the mistress of the Sterling family!” Frank raised his hand and slapped me: “I have the final say in this house now! If you’re not satisfied, get out!” I covered my burning face: “Don’t forget, you are living in the villa my mom bought before marriage, it’s the property of our Sterling family. If anyone is getting out, it’s you taking her with you!” “I really gave you too much face!” Frank was about to hit me again, but was stopped by Doris’s fake pretense. “Alright, the child is still young and ignorant, I won’t hold it against her.” “Serena, I really didn’t mistreat your sister. She herself finds studying tiring and wants to live like a dog.” “I certainly didn’t agree to let her live in the doghouse, she even made a fuss at home several times because of this.” “If I didn’t let her live there, she would go on a hunger strike. I had no choice but to let her have her way.” “If you don’t believe me, ask your father, or let Nina say it herself.” Frank snorted: “It’s Nina who doesn’t want to do well herself. To skip school, she’d rather be a dog. Such a worthless child doesn’t deserve to be my, Frank Walker’s, daughter!” My sister pulled my sleeve, her voice hoarse: “Sister, it’s me who doesn’t like going to school. I like being a dog, like living in a doghouse.” “I am a puppy, woof, woof.” “You are not a dog, you are a human!” I looked around and found not a single old staff member in this yard. The original butler, nanny, and bodyguards had all been replaced by unfamiliar faces, staring at me fiercely one by one. “I don’t care what happened before, but since I’m back, my sister Nina Sterling will not be a dog for you here!” Doris put on a fake smile: “Serena, you discipline Nina from now on. We can’t control her.” She picked up a ball at her feet and threw it out casually. My sister immediately got down on all fours and ran to fetch the ball. She bit the ball with her mouth and ran back to Doris. Doris reached out, and she put the ball in Doris’s hand. Doris threw the ball out again, and my sister was about to fetch it again, but I immediately pulled her up. “Nina! You are a human, not a dog. You have to walk on two legs and hold things with two hands! Promise me, don’t act like a dog anymore, okay?” My sister kept shaking her head: “No, I am a puppy, I like being a puppy.” Doris laughed loudly. She shook the ball in her hand: “Do you still want to play?” My sister immediately stuck out her tongue, making panting sounds: “Yes! Yes!” “Enough!” I turned my gaze to Frank, “My mom told you to take good care of my sister before she died, and this is how you take care of her!” Frank looked indifferent: “I can’t help it if she’s worthless herself.” “Get the key and unlock the chain around her neck!” No one moved. I glanced at the servants around me: “Are you all deaf!” “Go get the key.” Only when Doris spoke did someone act. It seems I can’t command the people in this house anymore. After the chain around my sister’s neck was unlocked, she was extremely panicked. She shrank her neck and tried to crawl into the dog cage: “I won’t live in the house, I am a puppy, I have to live in the dog cage!” I quickly hugged her: “Nina, don’t be afraid, sister will take you to see a doctor right now.” Without time to clean up my sister, I took her to the hospital non-stop. After examination, my sister not only had serious psychological problems but also was physically devastated. Large and small scars were concentrated on her chest and back, just covered by clothes. According to the doctor, my sister had been whipped and beaten with sticks, and there were large areas of burns on her body. Several ribs had signs of fracture, and even her skull was damaged. Listening to the doctor’s description, my tears fell uncontrollably. These people are simply scum! I held my sister in my arms: “Nina, don’t be afraid. Sister will protect you in the future, no one can bully you anymore!” I took my sister back to the villa, and Doris greeted us with her pregnant belly. “Serena, where is your Azure Dragon Seal? Is it on you?” My luggage was in the living room, all opened and rummaged through. “Who allowed you to touch my luggage!” “Serena, hurry up and give your half of the seal to your mother. Your mother is pregnant with your brother, and our family’s property will have to be inherited by your brother in the future.” I laughed angrily at him: “The Azure Dragon Clan values bloodline extremely. Only our Sterling family line can lead the Azure Dragon Clan to prosperity. Just with the bastard in her belly, she deserves to covet the successor’s position!” Frank’s face turned green: “How do you speak? That’s your brother, not some bastard!” “She knows in her heart whether it is or not.” Doris leaned aggrievedly in Frank’s arms: “I only had your father as a man in my life, how can you throw such dirty water on me.” “Apologize to your mother quickly!” Ignoring the furious Frank, I dragged my sister straight to the room. Frank was still chattering behind me: “Your mother even asked someone to specially clean up your room and prepared your favorite fruits. Are you worthy of her!” I took my sister into the room and locked Frank outside directly. Frank wanted to call someone to kick me out, Doris pretended to persuade him, and it took a long time for the outside to quiet down. I gave my sister a bath and changed her clothes, watching her fall asleep before going to bed. When my people arrive tomorrow, I will settle this account with them properly. Chapter 2 I slept groggily until the latter half of the night. When I opened my eyes again, my sister beside me was gone. I became alert instantly and got up immediately to look for her. At this moment, my sister was in the dining room, kneeling on the ground serving meals to Doris’s nephew. Zack also saw me: “My aunt said Nina is my wife, she was born to serve me.” “Puppy, you performed well today, here’s a bite for you.” Zack spat a mouthful of bread on the ground, and my sister immediately bent down to pick it up with her mouth. Zack laughed loudly: “You even eat what I chewed, truly a dog!” He got up and rode on my sister: “Run fast, if you run fast, I’ll reward you with another bite!” So my sister crawled on all fours, carrying him all over the room. “Run faster! So slow, do you not want to eat! If you are slow again, I won’t give you dog food later!” My sister sped up, and Zack took out a few grains of dog food from his pocket and threw them in front. My sister went to pick them up immediately. “Dog thing, only knows how to eat!” I couldn’t bear it anymore, went up and kicked Zack off my sister. Zack fell with a thud, got up and immediately shouted at me: “Damn, you dare hit me!” “Someone come, tie her up!” “Who dares!” I pulled my sister up and protected her in my arms: “Zack, if you kneel down and apologize to my sister now, I will consider sparing your life. Otherwise, don’t blame me for not giving you a chance!” “Oh, you’re quite arrogant! You think this is when your mom was alive!” “Now this family is named Walker, and the Azure Dragon Clan is also named Walker! Now my uncle has the final say. What are you, daring to shout at me!” “Catch her quickly!” Those bodyguards swarmed up and held me and my sister down. Doris came over pretending to be a good person: “Serena, my nephew is just spoiled by me. He has no malice, just playing with Nina.” “How about this, you give the seal to me, and I’ll make him apologize to you and Nina.” “Want the seal? In your dreams!” Doris was furious: “Really shameless. Search for it, the seal must be on her!” “You finally stopped pretending. Seeing you smile at me makes me sick.” “Hmph, little bitch, if you were obedient like your sister, I could let you be a dog by my side. But you are too arrogant. Since I can’t discipline you, I have to send you to Myanmar to learn to behave.” “You dare!” “When I find the seal, the entire Azure Dragon Clan will be mine. What wouldn’t I dare!” “Madam, found it!” The bodyguard handed my half of the seal to Doris, and her eyes burst with light. She put the half seal on her neck together with mine: “Great, the Azure Dragon Clan is finally mine! The power all over Asia, countless wealth, are all mine!” I sneered: “You just got a token, isn’t it too early to be happy?” “The Azure Dragon Seal can mobilize eight thousand branches across Asia. With it, I am the helmsman of the Azure Dragon Clan!” “You’re not worthy.” “Still stubborn when facing death! Send her and Nina to Myanmar for me!” I checked the time, they should be here. Sure enough, the next moment, a group of men in black rushed in, surrounding the villa tightly. They knocked down the bodyguards holding me and my sister in a few moves and protected us behind them. Doris had never seen such a formation, scared into hiding behind the bodyguards immediately. “Who are you!” “This is the guard team of my Azure Dragon Clan.” “People from the Azure Dragon Clan, great!” Doris took out the united seal, “The Azure Dragon Seal is in my hand, I am your new helmsman!” “Now listen to my command, arrest Serena and Nina!” None of the men in black moved. Doris was anxious: “Are you all blind? This is the genuine Azure Dragon Seal!” A man in black handed an envelope to my hand: “Eldest Miss, the things you ordered are ready.” I took it and handed it to Frank. “Dad, take a look.” Frank took it suspiciously, and Doris immediately leaned over. After he opened the envelope and saw the content inside, both of them turned pale with shock. Doris snatched the report from Frank’s hand: “This can’t be true!” “You deliberately made this fake diagnosis sheet to provoke our husband and wife relationship!” “Take her down for me!” Seeing the men in black still not moving, Doris held up the seal in her hand. “I now order you with the Azure Dragon Seal, take down Serena and Nina!” My sister was so scared she trembled in my arms. I hugged her tightly and whispered comfort to her: “Nina, don’t be afraid. From now on, no one can bully you anymore.” I looked up at Doris: “You don’t really think that commanding the huge Azure Dragon Clan relies on a small Azure Dragon Seal, do you?” “Otherwise? Doesn’t this Azure Dragon Seal equal the emperor’s jade seal! He who holds the jade seal holds the world!” “Then according to what you say, if any random cat or dog steals the jade seal, they can be the emperor?” Doris panicked a bit: “Anyway, this Azure Dragon Seal is in my hand, I am the new helmsman of the Azure Dragon Clan!” With a look from me, the guards around me immediately understood, stepped forward and knocked down the bodyguards around Doris in a few moves, snatching the Azure Dragon Seal back from her hand. “Now the Azure Dragon Seal is in my hand.” Doris trembled with anger: “Clearly I already got the Azure Dragon Seal, why didn’t you listen to my orders!” “You are really naive. Our Azure Dragon Clan has never recognized inanimate objects.” “What do you mean?” “Since my sister and I were born, photos of every stage of ours have been sent back to the headquarters. All the people of the Azure Dragon Clan recognize this face of mine.” “The Azure Dragon Seal is just a tool representing me. I am the supreme symbol of power in the Azure Dragon Clan.” “You wouldn’t really think that in front of the emperor and the jade seal, the courtiers would ignore the emperor and listen to a cat or dog holding the jade seal?” Doris gasped heavily: “You, you!” She suddenly clutched her belly grimacing in pain: “My stomach hurts so much! Husband, save our child!” Frank hugged her: “Serena, make your people disperse quickly, I want to send your mother to the hospital!” “No one leaves today. Don’t keep calling her my mom. My mom is dead, Doris is a bitch!” “If anything happens to the child in your Auntie’s belly, I’m not done with you!” “Dad, you don’t still think she is carrying your child, do you? You have no fertility at all. Inside her belly is another man’s bastard!” “Hmph, don’t think I’ll be deceived by you just because you brought a fake diagnosis sheet to trick me.” Doris grabbed Frank’s arm tightly: “Send me to the hospital quickly, I can’t hold on.” I looked at her coldly: “Stop pretending. You are eight months pregnant, the fetus is stable long ago, you won’t miscarry just because of a little stimulation.” “And old man, when you were injured in a car accident, you happened to hurt there and lost your fertility. My mom was afraid you would be sad, so she hid this matter with the whole family.” “You know how badly you were injured there back then. You wouldn’t really think there was no impact at all, would you?” Frank looked bad: “I believe Doris wouldn’t betray me, this child must be mine.” “Fine, won’t shed tears until seeing the coffin, right.” I reached out, and the guard put another envelope in my hand. I threw the envelope to Frank: “Look for yourself.” Frank opened the envelope, and a stack of photos fell out, all of Doris and men in various explicit bed photos. “Doris, didn’t you say only my dad was your man? Then explain what this is about?” Doris’s eyes were about to pop out, she stopped Frank. “Don’t look, these aren’t true, not true!” Frank trembled all over, he looked at Doris and threw those photos in her face. “Explain clearly to me, what is going on!” “The person in this photo is not me, these are all photoshopped!” Frank could hardly stand, he looked at me: “You must have hired someone to make these photos. I don’t believe it, Doris definitely wouldn’t betray me.” Doris breathed a sigh of relief secretly, then cried and performed. “Serena created such a big scandal for me, I can’t clear my name even if I jump into the Yellow River. I don’t want to live!” Frank quickly held Doris in his arms: “Doris, I believe you, you are definitely not that kind of person.” I shook my head helplessly: “Old man, I think you are really senile. How about this, you go to a public hospital yourself for a check-up, and then do a paternity test with the child in Doris’s belly.” “See if you still have fertility, and if her child is yours. You find the hospital yourself, I can’t fake this, right?” Doris pulled Frank tightly: “Husband, you have to believe me, don’t be provoked by others casually!” “Since you have a clear conscience, why dare not let the old man do a paternity test?” “How about we make a bet? If the child in your belly belongs to the old man, I will kneel and apologize to you, and give up the Azure Dragon Clan.” “If the child in your belly is not the old man’s, you will commit suicide on the spot to apologize, how about it?” Seeing me speak so confidently, Frank’s heart drummed even more. Doris kept crying: “Bet then, who’s afraid of whom, anyway I have a clear conscience!” “You send me to the hospital quickly now, I’m very uncomfortable!” The guards brought two chairs over. I pulled my sister to sit down: “Want to run? The matter with you and the old man is one thing, I haven’t settled the account for Nina with you yet.”

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I’m lazy. So lazy that when my husband had an affair for ten years, I couldn’t be bothered to care. After all, he and his mistress worked their tails off to take my company public, and the annual dividends were more than enough to keep me comfortable. But then they brought their son to me. “He’s starting elementary school,” my husband said. “That school-district house you own? You need to transfer the deed to him.” I looked at the happy little family of three standing before me, and the apathy I’d cultivated for a decade vanished like smoke. I smiled… 01 I was curled up on the sofa, a wilted plant starved of sunlight. Motes of dust danced in the slanted afternoon light. I couldn’t be bothered to move, or even to turn on the air purifier. I just watched them until my eyes ached. My phone buzzed. A notification from my bank: the annual dividend had arrived. A long string of zeros, enough to fund my laziness for another ten years. I turned off the screen, rolled over, and prepared to drift back to sleep. The sound of a key turning in the lock came from the entryway. Leo was home. He brought with him the cloying, unfamiliar scent of a woman’s perfume. I didn’t even open my eyes. In ten years, he’d worn dozens of different scents. None of them were mine. I was too lazy to ask, too lazy to fight. As long as the money hit my account, he was an adequate business partner. “Audrey, are you awake?” Leo’s voice was sharp with impatience. I didn’t answer. A clatter of footsteps approached—more than one person. “Audrey, stop pretending to be asleep. Get up. I need to talk to you.” His tone was that of a CEO commanding a subordinate. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes. Three people stood in my living room. Leo Morgan, my husband. Beside him, a woman in a chic designer suit, Vivian White. His mistress of ten years, and the vice president of my company. Between them, they held the hand of a little boy, maybe six or seven years old. The boy had Leo’s eyes. What a perfect little family. My presence felt utterly redundant. “What is it?” I asked, my voice hoarse from disuse. Vivian immediately put on an expression of concern, tinged with superiority. “Audrey, darling, look at you. You haven’t been taking care of yourself. A woman has to know her own worth.” As she spoke, she casually took slippers from the shoe cabinet for herself, then for Leo and the boy, as if she were the lady of the house. I watched her, saying nothing. Leo cleared his throat, a strained smile on his arrogant face. “Audrey, this is Aiden. My son.” He crouched down and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Aiden, say hi to your aunt.” The boy, Aiden, glanced at me shyly before hiding behind Vivian. She wrapped an arm around him, shooting Leo a reproachful look. “You’re scaring him. He’s just a child, don’t force him.” A perfectly rehearsed performance. I sneered internally, my face remaining a blank mask. I thought ten years of this had made me immune. But a fine, sharp pain, long ignored, pricked at my heart. “So?” I asked. “Aiden is about to start elementary school,” Leo finally got to the point, his tone taking on an air of entitlement. “You know how hard it is to get into a good public school these days.” I nodded, waiting. “That old house you have on Crestwood Drive, it’s zoned for Northwood Elementary, right?” He stood up, looking down at me as if announcing an unchallengeable decree. “Transfer the deed to Aiden for now. Once he’s finished sixth grade, you can have it back.” The air in the room froze. I thought I had misheard. I looked at Leo, then at Vivian. A gentle smile played on her lips, but her eyes held a challenge, a raw, undisguised anticipation. She was waiting for me to explode, to cry and scream like a shrew, so she could play the part of the bigger person, the graceful victim. Seeing my silence, Leo grew impatient. “Audrey, did you hear me? It’s for the child. It’s settled.” “For the child?” I repeated softly, the absurdity of it all washing over me. “Yes,” Vivian chimed in. “Aiden is innocent. He deserves the best education. Audrey, you’re such a kind person, surely you can help with this one small thing? Besides, Leo and I are working ourselves to the bone to keep the company running, so you can live this life of leisure. It’s just a house. It’s nothing to you, right?” Just a house. A life of leisure. She was using my company’s money to raise her son with my husband, and now she was coming for my property. The string in my mind labeled ‘laziness’ finally snapped. Ten years. The year my father died, my world fell apart. The company was his life’s work, but I had no strength to manage it. Leo, my fiancé at the time, and his “protégé,” Vivian, volunteered to take over, promising to protect my inheritance. I signed the proxy ownership agreement and handed them the keys to the kingdom. I thought I could be a silent partner forever, lazy for the rest of my life. But a person’s greed is a bottomless pit. They had feasted on my flesh and blood to build their own strength, and now they were coming back to gnaw on my bones. I looked at the three of them, a self-contained family unit. I looked at Leo’s face, etched with the words, You owe me this. I looked at Vivian’s face, which screamed, You have to do this. I looked at the child, who shared my husband’s blood, but was not mine. A chill shot up my spine. And I started to laugh. As they stared at me in stunned silence, my laughter grew louder, colder. Ten years of suppression, of humiliation, of silent rage, all of it coalesced into this one, icy laugh. “Fine.” I stopped laughing and looked at Leo, enunciating each word with chilling clarity. A flicker of triumph crossed his face. The corner of Vivian’s mouth twitched upwards. “But,” my voice shifted, and my gaze swept over them, finally locking onto Leo’s startled eyes, “shouldn’t the shares of my company be returned to their rightful owner?” 02 The temperature in the room plummeted. The look of triumph on Leo’s face froze, then contorted as if he’d been punched. Vivian’s smile hardened, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Audrey, what are you talking about?” Leo’s voice was low, laced with a threat. “Am I not being clear enough?” I stood up and walked toward them. I was taller than Vivian, and as I looked down, I could see the flicker of panic in her eyes. “The company is mine. You two are just my proxies.” “Are you insane?” Leo snarled. “Vivian and I poured ten years of our lives into this company to make it what it is today! What does it have to do with you? What have you ever done besides cash the dividend checks?” “He’s right,” Vivian added quickly, regaining her composure. She linked her arm through Leo’s, presenting a united front. “Audrey, you have to be reasonable. Without us, the company would have gone bankrupt years ago. Don’t you think you’re being incredibly ungrateful?” I looked at them, feeling like I was watching a bad play. Two thieves, indignant that the person they’d robbed wasn’t thanking them for their service. “Reasonable?” I savored the word. “You bring your illegitimate son into my home and demand I sign over my property to him, and you want to talk to me about being reasonable?” “You!” Leo was speechless, his face turning a blotchy purple. “That’s different!” Vivian shrieked. “Aiden is Leo’s son, a Morgan! As long as you hold the title of Mrs. Morgan, it’s your duty to think of the family’s future!” “The title of Mrs. Morgan?” I scoffed. “You seem to want it so badly. You can have it.” Vivian’s face went pale. She had always assumed I refused to divorce him because I was still in love with him, that I couldn’t live without him. She could never understand that I was just lazy. Too lazy to go through the paperwork, to divide the assets, to face the pitying or gloating stares. Divorce was exhausting. Cashing checks from my sofa was not. But now, they had shattered my peace. Leo must have thought I was just throwing a tantrum. He took a deep breath, forcing a semblance of calm. “Audrey, I know you’re upset. Let’s drop the house for now. We can talk about it later.” He reached for my hand. I stepped back, and his hand hung awkwardly in the air. “You’re tired. Get some rest. Vivian and I have to get back to the office.” He was trying to stall, assuming that, like every other time in the past ten years, I would have a fit, sleep it off, and forget everything. Not this time. “Stop,” I said, my voice cold. Leo’s back stiffened. “Did you not understand what I said?” I went to my study, pulled a dusty folder from a drawer, and slapped it on the coffee table. “The proxy agreement we signed ten years ago. It’s all here in black and white.” “Party A: Audrey Ross. Party B: Leo Morgan, Vivian White.” “You two are to hold and manage one hundred percent of the shares of Innovatech Solutions on my behalf. The ownership remains, and has always remained, solely with me.” Leo’s pupils constricted. He stared at the document as if it were a monster. He probably thought I’d thrown it in a corner to rot years ago. He remembered that day ten years ago. My father had just died, and I was a hollow shell of a person. He was a junior project manager, and Vivian was his intern. They stood before me, painting a grand vision for the company’s future, swearing they would build on my father’s legacy. I believed them. Or rather, I was in no state to think. I was just grabbing onto a lifeline. So I signed. And from that day on, they were the masters of the ship, and I was the lazy, spoiled wife who lived off her husband’s hard work. “Audrey, don’t push it!” Leo’s voice trembled, no longer with anger, but with fear. “That agreement is worthless! The company has gone through multiple rounds of funding, we’ve gone public! The ownership structure has completely changed! Do you think this is still the little workshop it was ten years ago?” “Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “No matter how the structure has changed, how did my one hundred percent founding equity get diluted into your names? And whose money did you use for those capital injections?” I advanced on him, my eyes like daggers. “Leo, have you forgotten? After the IPO, I am still the single largest individual shareholder. Your pathetic little management incentives… how much do they add up to?” Leo’s lips trembled. He couldn’t speak. He thought I was an ignorant fool, a recluse completely disconnected from the world. He forgot that while I might be lazy, I wasn’t blind. I read every single financial report. I remembered the exact amount of every single dividend. “Audrey, you can’t do this!” he finally broke, his mask of civility gone. “The company can’t function without me and Vivian! The senior executives, the project leads—they’re all my people! Do you think you can run this place by yourself? The company will collapse, and you’ll be left with nothing!” “Don’t you worry about that.” I pulled open the door to the study and gestured for them to leave. “I’ll be at the office at nine a.m. sharp tomorrow. I expect my chairman’s office to be clean.” “You!” “And,” I looked at them, my voice sharp and clear, “starting tomorrow, neither of you will set foot in that building without my permission.” Without another glance at their ashen faces, I walked into my bedroom and locked the door. I could hear Leo’s furious curses and Vivian’s panicked attempts to calm him. I ignored them. I walked to the window and looked out at the glittering city skyline. This was the city my father had built his life in. This was the company he had left for me. I had been asleep for ten years. It was time to wake up. 03 The next morning, I arrived at the Innovatech Solutions building right on time. The imposing glass tower still stood in the heart of the financial district, but the company logo was bigger and brighter than I remembered. I was dressed in a simple t-shirt, jeans, and flats, with no makeup. I looked like a college student who had wandered into the wrong building. The two young women at the reception desk were gossiping. They gave me a lazy, dismissive glance. “Do you have an appointment?” one of them asked robotically. “I’m here to see Leo Morgan,” I said. “Mr. Morgan?” She looked me up and down with open contempt. “I’m sorry, Mr. Morgan doesn’t see anyone without an appointment.” The other one whispered to her colleague, just loud enough for me to hear, “Another stray trying to claw her way up.” I ignored them. “I’m not here to see him,” I said calmly. “I’m here to work.” The two of them exchanged a look and burst out laughing. “Work? Honey, this is a publicly traded company, not a flea market. You’re in the wrong place.” I was about to call security when the elevator doors opened. Vivian emerged, surrounded by a crowd of executives. She was wearing a couture power suit, her makeup flawless, her presence commanding. She was every bit the queen of this castle. She froze when she saw me, then a flicker of triumph crossed her face. She must have thought I was here to surrender. “Audrey? What are you doing here?” she asked, her tone familiar, her posture condescending. “Are you looking for Leo? He’s in a meeting, he probably can’t see you.” The executives behind her stared at me with curiosity. I recognized a few of them as Leo’s old college buddies. Their expressions were cold and guarded. “I’m here to work,” I repeated. The smile on Vivian’s face faltered. “Work? Audrey, don’t be ridiculous. You don’t know anything about the company. What could you possibly do here?” Her words were soft, but each one was a jab. “I know you were upset yesterday, but you can’t be this impulsive. The company isn’t a playground for you to throw a tantrum.” “The VP is right,” a balding, middle-aged man spoke up. He was the CFO, Mark Peterson, one of Leo’s most loyal cronies. “Mrs. Morgan, we have everything under control. You should just stay home, relax, and wait for your dividends. Coming here will only get in our way.” A wave of suppressed laughter rippled through the group. They all saw me as a joke. A helpless, ignorant trophy wife trying to challenge the authority of the professionals. I scanned their faces, memorizing each one. “Is that so?” I said quietly. “In that case, let’s call a company-wide meeting.” “What?” Vivian thought she’d misheard. “I said, I want an all-hands meeting. Now.” My voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable weight. “I have an announcement to make.” Vivian tried to protest, but I walked past her towards the executive elevator. A security guard moved to block my path. My gaze was like ice. “I am Audrey Ross, the majority shareholder of this company. Are you sure you want to stop me?” The guard froze, intimidated by my sudden authority. Vivian’s face paled. She couldn’t let me run rampant, and she couldn’t let the employees see her being defied by the “chairman’s wife.” She gritted her teeth and followed me. Half an hour later, the company’s largest conference room was packed. Most of the employees were whispering, their faces alight with curiosity. Leo sat at the head of the table, his face a thundercloud. Vivian sat beside him, looking equally grim. I walked calmly to the other end of the table, to the chairman’s seat that had been empty for ten years. I sat down. The room fell silent. All eyes were on me. Leo coughed loudly, trying to reclaim control. “Audrey, what is the meaning of this? Stop this nonsense. We’re all very busy!” I didn’t look at him. I simply picked up the microphone and tapped it lightly. “Good morning, everyone.” “Many of you may not know who I am. Allow me to introduce myself.” “My name is Audrey Ross. I am the founder of Innovatech Solutions, and the sole legal owner of this company.” The room exploded. A wave of shocked murmurs swept through the crowd as everyone’s gaze darted between me, Leo, and Vivian. Weren’t they the founders? Who was this woman? “Silence!” Leo slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet, his face livid. “She is my wife. She’s been emotionally unstable due to some family issues. Please, don’t take anything she says seriously!” He was trying to paint me as crazy. “Is that so?” I smiled. “If you think I’m being emotional, let’s stick to the facts.” I looked at the CFO, Mark Peterson. “Mr. Peterson, I want to see all financial statements, audit reports, and cash flow records for all major investment projects for the past three years. Now.” The color drained from Peterson’s face. He looked at Leo for help. “Audrey, you don’t have the authority!” Leo yelled. “My authority is not for you to decide.” I stood up, looking down at him. “I’m giving you one day to clear out my office. Starting tomorrow, I will be personally auditing all of this company’s accounts.” “If you fail to comply, I’ll see you in court.” Without waiting for a response, I walked out of the chaotic conference room. I didn’t go back to that cold, empty house. I went straight to the chairman’s office. It had once been my father’s. Now, it was decorated in Leo’s preferred sterile, black-and-white style. The walls were covered with photos of him and Vivian with the other executives. There wasn’t a single picture of me, or of my father. I walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, the familiar city skyline stretched before me. Inside, I was surrounded by enemies. I knew this was only the beginning. Leo and Vivian had spent ten years turning this company into their personal kingdom. I was an intruder, alone and unsupported. But I wasn’t afraid. I sat down quietly, watching the people come and go, watching the faces that had once shown my father such deference now look at me with cold disdain. I was watching, remembering, and planning. The war had just begun.

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In my last life, I was the one taken in by the poor family. My sister, Anya, was adopted by the wealthy one. But Anya didn’t even last five years with them. They threw her out, and she died on the streets. I, on the other hand, earned my way into the country’s top university. I went abroad to study with my adoptive brother, Ethan, and together we built a business empire from scratch. Later, with our adoptive parents’ blessing, we married and had children. My life was happy, successful. Now, I’ve been reborn. And this time, Anya made the opposite choice. At the orphanage, she ran and threw her arms around Ethan, calling him “brother.” Then she took the hands of his parents and shot me a triumphant look. “You can have the misery of that gilded cage, sister. I wouldn’t last a day in that backstabbing world.” I looked at the man who had been my husband, waiting for him to say something. But he just pulled Anya behind him, shielding her. His eyes, when they met mine, were ice. “Stay away from my sister.” And so, under Anya’s gloating gaze, I walked toward the stretch Lincoln. … Anya’s words confirmed a chilling suspicion. She was reborn, too. Seeing that victorious glint in her eyes, it all clicked into place. “This way, miss,” the driver said, his voice flat. The Prescotts hadn’t sent anyone but him. It was the same as last time, when the orphanage director told us to choose, and Anya, then named Annabelle, had stepped forward first. It had all happened so fast. “I don’t want to live in poverty,” she’d declared, her chin high. “Sister, you can have that miserable life for me.” She got her wish. She lived the life of a rich girl, but the smile on her face faded with each passing day. I climbed into the plush interior of the limo. As the car pulled away, the driver began listing the rules I was to follow at the Prescott estate. “Did you get all that?” he asked, his shrewd eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror. “I did.” We arrived quickly. The villa was a palace of marble and glass. I followed the driver inside. “Ma’am, I’ve brought her.” A beautiful woman, seated on a silk sofa and sipping tea, looked up. Her eyes swept over me, analytical and cool. She beckoned to me. “Come here.” “What’s your name?” “Serena.” It was the name the orphanage director gave me. It meant peace, tranquility. A wish for a smooth life. The woman nodded. “Good. From now on, your name is Serena Prescott.” She turned to the butler standing silently by the wall. “Take her upstairs.” “Yes, ma’am.” I followed the butler, my steps silent on the polished marble floors. The banister was carved from rich, dark mahogany. Everything screamed of extravagant wealth. But this was nothing new. In my past life, I had earned all of this and more through my own hard work. I wasn’t impressed. The butler glanced back at me, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He opened a door to reveal a bedroom fit for a princess, all pink and white lace. “Miss, this will be your room. Rest for a while. I’ll be back later.” He left, closing the door softly behind him. I walked in, taking it all in. They hadn’t spared any expense on their adopted daughter. The room was a showcase of upper-class taste and luxury. A thrill, sharp and potent, shot through me. In my last life, I had to fight my way up with no connections, no powerful family to back me. I did it all on my own. This time, I had the Prescotts. With their resources at my back, I would forge a path that was entirely my own. . My thoughts were interrupted by a shout from the hallway. The door burst open and a basketball flew through the air, smacking me hard on the head. “Hey, country mouse! Toss me my ball.” The arrogant voice came from behind me. I turned slowly. A boy, around my age but much taller, stood there, chin tilted up, radiating contempt. If I remembered correctly, this was the only son of the Prescott family, Donovan. He was a classic rich kid—into extreme sports like street racing and skydiving, with zero interest in the family business. In my past life, he’d had an accident during a race that crushed his legs, leaving him paralyzed. The disability had twisted his already arrogant personality into something monstrous. “Hello? Are you deaf? I said, give me the ball,” he snapped, his voice laced with impatience. I shook my head to clear it, picked up the basketball, and held it out to him. Remembering the driver’s instructions, I murmured, “Here you go… brother.” He froze for a second. “Already trying to suck up, huh? Don’t think that’ll get you a cut of the family fortune.” He sneered, snatched the ball, and stalked off. Over the next few days, I barely saw Mrs. Prescott, and Donovan was a ghost. The butler showed me around the estate. It was massive. When the tour was done, he handed me a schedule, densely packed with classes on business management, corporate finance, and market analysis. “This is your curriculum, starting tomorrow. Mrs. Prescott has arranged for private tutors. All you have to do is study hard. If you do well, you will be rewarded.” He looked at me expectantly. “Can you handle it?” This was the knowledge I’d had to claw for in my previous life, long after I’d started my own company. To have access to it at fifteen… I was ecstatic. “Of course,” I nodded. Another flash of surprise in his eyes. He said nothing more, just went over a few more household rules. Mrs. Prescott also hired tutors to ensure I didn’t fall behind in my regular schoolwork. But I’d learned all of this years ago. It was a breeze. Within a year, I had absorbed everything they threw at me, from high school calculus to complex business theory. “This child is a sponge,” my academic tutor gushed to Mrs. Prescott. “She’s not only mastered the high school curriculum, she’s comprehending graduate-level business concepts.” I sat quietly, listening. “At this rate,” the tutor continued excitedly, “she could skip the rest of high school and go straight to a university abroad.” But that wasn’t Mrs. Prescott’s plan. She wanted me to go through high school with Donovan, then go abroad with him. Officially, it was so we could “look out for each other.” In reality, she wanted me to be a leash for her wild, untamable son. Mrs. Prescott paid the tutor handsomely and then looked at me, a new flicker of approval in her eyes. “Come here.” She took my hand and sat me down beside her, handing me an acceptance letter. “You’ve done well. Donovan’s grades are a disaster. I need you to help him. I’m not asking for much, just get him to pass.” “Once you both graduate from high school, I’ll send you abroad. What do you say?” She laid her cards on the table, no preamble. I didn’t hesitate. “Thank you, Mother.” Her eyebrows shot up, a genuine smile spreading across her face. She squeezed my hand. “Good girl.” As a reward, she gave me a credit card and a day off to myself. It was the first real break I’d had since arriving. The driver dropped me off in the bustling downtown district. I hadn’t walked more than a block when I saw a familiar figure. It was Anya. She was standing under the blazing sun, handing out flyers. The Harris family was poor. I knew they wouldn’t have any extra money. It was no surprise she had to work. After all, I had lived that life. Juggling three part-time jobs during the summer while trying to keep my grades up. On top of that, there were endless chores. They always said they treated Ethan and me the same, but they would never dream of letting their precious son lift a finger. I only learned later that they’d adopted me not for a daughter, but for a free laborer. “Hello, would you like to—” A flyer was thrust in my face. Anya looked up, and her voice died in her throat. “Serena?” Her eyes flickered over my designer clothes and clear, well-cared-for skin. A flash of jealousy, quickly masked, crossed her face. She forced a smile. “You seem to be doing well for yourself. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. The Prescotts are more dangerous than you can imagine. You’ll find out soon enough.” “Oh.” My flat response seemed to annoy her. She immediately launched into a boast. “My new parents are wonderful to me. I’m so happy. And Ethan helps me with my homework every night. Oh, by the way, we were both granted early admission to Northgate Prep this year.” Northgate Prep… the same school on the acceptance letter Mrs. Prescott had just given me. It was an elite academy for the rich and powerful, with a few spots reserved for exceptionally brilliant scholarship students. Last life, Ethan and I were the ones who got those scholarships. “Our future is only going to get brighter,” she said, her voice dripping with condescension. “But you… you’re going to end up dead on the street.” She said it with such certainty. I opened my mouth to reply, but was cut off. “Anya!” “Ethan! You’re here!” Anya’s face lit up as she ran into his arms. He was holding a lunchbox. “Mom sent me with your lunch. It’s too hot out here. Let me take over for a while.” “It’s okay, I can do it,” she said, though the Harris’s would pinch every penny to send Ethan to expensive tutoring while making her work. I knew that script by heart. “You work too hard,” Ethan said, then he noticed me. “Ethan, this is my sister, Serena. You met her at the orphanage,” Anya introduced me. Ethan’s gaze swept over me, cold and filled with a familiar distaste. He ignored me completely, turning back to Anya. “Stay away from people like that. Let’s go.” He pulled her away before I could say a word. “Ethan, why are you so mean? You might have scared her,” I heard Anya say. “Don’t be naive, Anya. People like her are trouble. You stay away from her, or she’ll find a way to hurt you.” His words were sharp, but they barely registered. I took the credit card Mrs. Prescott had given me and went on a shopping spree. When I emerged from a luxury boutique laden with bags, I saw Anya staring, her face green with envy. “What’s she so smug about?” I heard her mutter. “She’s just going to die anyway. Not like me and Ethan. We’re going to start a huge company one day.” I smiled. She was so naive. I returned to the Prescott mansion with my haul. None of it was for me. It was all for Mrs. Prescott and Donovan. When I got back, Donovan was actually home for once. He saw my shopping bags and sneered. “Wow, haven’t been here long and you’re already hauling stuff in like you own the place. You really think our money is yours?” “Donovan!” Mrs. Prescott’s voice was sharp. “She is your sister.” He rolled his eyes. “Since when? I don’t have a sister who looks like a hick. It’s embarrassing.” He’d always been hostile, so I didn’t bother engaging. I just started unpacking the gifts. “Mother, this is for you.” I handed her a box containing a delicate silk scarf. Then I gave gifts to the butler and the other staff who had been kind to me. I saw a look on Mrs. Prescott’s face I’d never seen before: genuine appreciation. The staff looked stunned and pleased. Donovan’s face soured. “Tch. You think a few cheap gifts are going to buy everyone’s loyalty? As if—” “This is for you, brother.” Ignoring him, I held out the last gift. It was a detailed model of a race car. “I heard Mother say you like racing. I saw this at the mall and thought of you.” He blinked, taken aback. He mumbled something under his breath and took the box. Soon, the first day of school arrived.

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My husband, Captain Ethan Vance, had to make a choice. Me, his pregnant wife, or Maya, “the one that got away.” We were both trapped in the floodwaters. He hesitated. Then he chose me. By the time he went back for her, it was too late. The current had swept her away. He blamed me. He said I delayed him. He said I killed her. For seven years, he hated me. He never even let our son call him “Dad.” The day the commercial Time Jump technology went public, he abandoned everything to go back. “Ava,” he spat before stepping into the pod. “If I hadn’t been worried about ruining Maya’s reputation by saving her first, I never would have touched you.” “I only saved you to protect her good name.” After he vanished into the past, my in-laws turned on me. “If Ethan had saved Maya, they would be so happy right now.” Even my son screamed at me. “It’s your fault Maya died! That’s why Dad hates me! Why didn’t you die instead?” Facing their venom, I made a choice. I stepped into the machine too. This time, I’m saving myself. And I won’t owe Ethan Vance a damn thing. 1 The vertigo from the time jump faded. Bone-chilling cold took its place. I was back in the flood. I felt like I was drowning all over again. I forced my eyes open. There was Ethan, standing on a small wooden skiff, looking at me with cold indifference. Our eyes met. Without a second of hesitation, he turned the boat around. He rowed toward Maya, who was stranded on a submerged rooftop. The current was ferocious. I clung to a piece of driftwood, kicking with everything I had toward the bank. Just as I was about to reach safety, Ethan’s boat passed me. Maya stumbled, nearly falling into the churning water. To catch her, Ethan dropped an oar. The boat swung wild and slammed hard into my side. Crack. Pain exploded in my abdomen. I almost let go of the wood. But Ethan didn’t even look back. He was too busy comforting a frightened Maya as he rowed her to shore. When I finally dragged myself onto the muddy bank, coughing up water, Ethan was already there. Maya was safe and dry beside him. He walked over to me, his voice icy. “Ava, you can swim. You stayed in the water on purpose to force me to save you first, didn’t you? You wanted her to die.” A shiver ran through me that had nothing to do with the cold. He didn’t know I was from the future too. “Planning to tattle to my parents again? Say whatever you want about me, but if you slander Maya, I won’t let it slide.” I pressed a hand against my throbbing stomach and looked up at him. “Let’s get a divorce.” Shock flashed across his face. Then he frowned, impatient. “I have work to do. I don’t have time for your tantrums.” “I’m not throwing a tantrum. I’m serious.” In the previous timeline, before he left, Ethan told me his biggest regret—besides not saving Maya—was marrying me to please his parents. I wasn’t going to let history repeat itself. I was giving him what he wanted. He could fix both regrets. Ethan scoffed. “My parents aren’t here, you don’t need to act. You’re just using divorce as a threat.” “Save your petty schemes. Don’t use marriage as a bargaining chip. Get in the car, I’m taking you to the hospital.” He shot me a warning glare and reached out a hand. The pain in my lower belly was intensifying. Just as I was about to take his hand to pull myself up, Maya shoved me aside. She clung to Ethan’s arm, sobbing. “Ethan! Buddy swallowed a lot of water trying to protect me. He’s not breathing right! Can you take us to the vet first? Please?” Buddy was the golden retriever Ethan and Maya had adopted together years ago. Without hesitation, Ethan agreed. He glanced at me, remembering his offer. Maya dropped to her knees in front of me, tears streaming down her face. “Ava, you’re not hurt. Please let Ethan take Buddy to the vet first. I can’t lose him.” Ethan nodded. “I’ll find someone with a bike to take you to the ER. I’ll come find you after I take Maya and Buddy.” I answered calmly. “Okay. Go.” Ethan looked surprised. But with Maya urging him, he didn’t dwell on it. He drove off in his jeep with her and the dog. As they sped away, I turned to look at the back of my dress. It was soaked in blood. By the time I walked to the hospital, the doctor told me it was too late. I lost the baby. 2 In the original timeline, Ethan saved me first, so the baby survived. But after our son was born, Ethan never held him. He paid the bills, but he was a ghost in his own son’s life. He even threw away a birthday gift our son made for him. Our boy cried, asking why other dads bought their kids presents but his dad wouldn’t even buy him a candy bar. I never understood the depth of his hatred until I overheard him talking to our son one day. “Don’t call me Dad. I will never acknowledge you as my son.” While the boy sobbed, Ethan pulled out a lock of golden dog fur he kept in his wallet. “Because everyone was busy rushing your mother to the hospital, Buddy got lost in the chaos. I failed to protect Maya, and I failed to protect Buddy.” “If I could do it all over again, I would save them. Even if it meant losing you.” I wiped a tear from my cheek, pulling myself back to the present. I had come back determined to divorce Ethan. I hadn’t planned on keeping the baby anyway. I wrote my divorce application in the hospital room. Just as I finished, Ethan walked in holding a bag of trendy toys. “Saw these at the store. Figured I’d grab them for the future kid before they sold out.” He showed me the toys, a rare smile on his face. “Is Buddy okay?” I asked. His smile faltered. He nodded awkwardly. “The vet said he’s fine. Please don’t tell my parents about today. I don’t want them misunderstanding Maya again. If you help me keep this secret, I’ll agree to anything.” So the toys weren’t for our unborn child. They were a bribe. I looked down and saw the label on the toys: For Pets Only. My chest tightened. He bought expensive imported dog toys for Maya’s dog and tried to pass them off as gifts for our child. “Anything?” I turned away so he wouldn’t see my eyes watering. He nodded. I pulled out the divorce paper, covering the text so only the signature line was visible. “Sign this, then.” “What is it?” “A contract. Promise you’ll never fall in love with anyone else.” Ethan always thought I was childish. He signed without reading, probably relieved I was being “silly” instead of difficult. Seeing his signature, I exhaled. Ethan had once been my savior. Now, I was returning the favor. I was setting him free. My mom and Ethan’s parents were best friends. We grew up together. My life was good until my mom died and my dad remarried. My stepmother turned my world into hell. She convinced my dad to cut off my allowance. I wore old men’s clothes to school because they wouldn’t buy me anything new. Kids bullied me, throwing red ink on my rags. Ethan stood in front of me, taking the ink stains. He beat up the bullies. He told everyone his clothes were hand-me-downs too, that there was no shame in it. He picked up my shattered self-esteem that day. Later, when my stepmother had a son and they decided I was a burden, they pushed me into a lake. Ethan pulled me out before I drowned. When my dad and stepmother went to jail, Ethan brought me home. He begged his parents to pay for my tuition so I wouldn’t end up on the street. 3 He saved me from the abyss so many times. I mistook his kindness for love. I was wrong. But at least now I could fix it. “My parents made your favorite dinner. They want to see us.” But as we reached the door, a friend of Maya’s ran up, breathless. “Maya is traumatized from the flood. She’s scared of the water and can’t cook. Can you come help her?” Ethan left immediately. I ate dinner alone with his parents. When his mother, Mrs. Vance, came back from an errand later, her face was dark. “Is Ethan with that woman again?” I didn’t react. Mrs. Vance slammed a grocery bag on the table. “You said he was working late! I just heard Maya bragging in her yard about Ethan cooking for her!” “I don’t know what he sees in her. If I wasn’t worried he’d do something stupid, I’d tell him she’s a divorcée!” I kept eating. I knew Maya had been married. Mrs. Vance told me years ago. Maya hid it well, fleeing to our town to escape an abusive ex. His parents kept it secret because they feared Ethan would ruin his career trying to avenge her. In the last life, I stayed quiet to keep the peace. This time, I was done. “He helped me because he’s kind, not because he loved me,” I said softly. “We forced this marriage on him. If he’s unhappy, we should let him go.” “Let him go?!” Mr. and Mrs. Vance shouted in unison. “Yes. He already signed the divorce papers. Once it’s processed, we’re done.” “Please keep this from him for now. I don’t want him to stay out of guilt.” Thinking of those seven years of cold silence, my heart ached. That night, just as I was drifting off, the bedroom door was kicked open. Ethan stood there, furious. “Ava, you went to my parents again! Are you trying to force Maya out of town?” 4 “Because of you, my parents went to confront her. They argued, the door was left open, and Buddy ran away!” Buddy was lost? Fear spiked in my chest. Can I really not change the outcome? “Think about it, Ava. You’re pregnant. You know how much it would hurt to lose a child. That’s how Maya feels about Buddy. Stop being so selfish.” “This is your fault. You have to fix it. If Buddy doesn’t come back, maybe we shouldn’t keep this baby.” His words were daggers. I knew the pain of losing a child better than anyone. But he didn’t know the child was already gone. “I’ll find the dog.” I walked past him. He sneered. “Don’t pretend to be noble. Finding him is the least you can do. Don’t expect me to forgive you.” I searched near Maya’s house. Her lights were on. Through the window, I saw two silhouettes embracing tightly. It was freezing. I had just miscarried. After an hour, I was dizzy and weak. But I kept looking. I had to find that dog. Then I would owe Ethan nothing. I searched until dawn. I found Buddy in an abandoned yard, tied up with a chain, shivering on a cold stone slab. I untied him and walked him back. When I arrived, Ethan was wiping tears from Maya’s face. “Buddy! Look, Maya!” Maya rushed over to hug the dog. Seeing Ethan turn to me, she immediately started crying again. “Ethan, Buddy is shivering. He might have pneumonia. Dogs die from that! Can you drive us to the vet? Please, I can’t lose him!” I was swaying on my feet, pale as a ghost. Ethan hesitated for a second. I leaned against the wall for support. “I’m fine. Take them.” As they drove off, darkness swallowed me. I collapsed.