Category: English

My mom was obsessed with doing stand-up. At my wedding reception, she snatched the mic and unleashed a barrage of jokes. “Honestly, I admire my new son-in-law. He’s a quiet, honest man. He knew my daughter wasn’t a virgin, yet he still agreed to marry her!” “I wonder if he’ll be so understanding when he finds out my daughter gives birth to a baby that looks nothing like him?” Immediately, a ripple of shock spread through the hall. My fiancé and his family broke off the engagement on the spot, storming out in a rage. I became the target of everyone’s scrutiny, and no amount of explanation helped. Seeing that she’d completely ruined the happy occasion, my mom grumbled, “Honestly, how narrow-minded! They just don’t understand the art of offense!” My dad, Richard, and my brother, Noah, both nodded in agreement. “Exactly, how can someone with such a narrow mind achieve anything great?” “Good riddance! But we’re not returning the wedding money; it’s for Noah’s future wife.” Only I was left shattered. Under the accusing stares of the crowd, I jumped to my death. When I opened my eyes again, watching my mom, Brenda, spew her nonsense, I gave a cold laugh. The art of offense, huh? I could play that game too!

“First, let me share a little secret with everyone: my daughter hasn’t been a virgin for a long time.” “She’s had more boyfriends than she has fingers!” As I opened my eyes, I heard my mom’s excited, booming voice amplified by the speakers. I suddenly realized I had been reborn, back to the very day of my wedding reception with David! In my previous life, on this exact day, my mom had rushed onto the stage, grabbed the mic, First declaring to hundreds of people that I wasn’t a virgin, Then following up with a dramatic sigh, “Thank goodness she managed to find an honest, simple man to marry her!” Seeing the shocked faces in the audience, she grew more smug and escalated her attacks. She continued to spread rumors that I was pregnant out of wedlock, mocking my fiancé for being a naive man taking on someone else’s baggage. She even hinted that I was promiscuous and had contracted syphilis! I was furious. I stormed onto the stage, telling her to stop her nonsense. But she just widened her eyes and said, with a straight face: “Maya, if you did it, own it. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.” “But these things need to be made clear to your in-laws first, so they don’t accuse our family of tricking them into marriage later!” With those baseless lies, she nailed me to the cross of shame. Just like that, my fiancé and his family were enraged. They broke off the engagement on the spot and stormed off. I crumbled to the floor amidst the gossip, completely broken. After causing all that trouble, my mom still cried innocence. My dad and brother also accused me of making a mountain out of a molehill. Finally, consumed by despair and pain, I couldn’t take it anymore. I rushed out to the balcony and jumped… Reborn, I wouldn’t be so weak this time. I’d make my mom feel the sting of her own words! On stage, my mom was still talking with great animation. All the guests’ complex stares were now on me. Last time, listening to those vile slanders, I wished I could crawl into a hole and die. I frantically rushed onto the stage, desperate to drag her down. But I couldn’t. My struggles only confirmed that what she said must have been true, making me look even more guilty and agitated. Thinking of this. This time, with a calm expression, I asked the emcee for a mic and walked onto the stage.

Seeing my reaction, so different from before, my mom looked surprised, even forgetting to continue her “act.” As the guests saw how composed I was, the buzzing gradually died down. My fiancé David and his family, whose faces had been stiff, slowly relaxed. Just as my mom frowned, realizing this wasn’t going according to her plan, and raised the mic to say something else, I spoke first. ” Brenda Johnson, thanks for trying to liven things up, but this ‘act’ isn’t funny at all.” “How about I be your partner instead?” In her astonished gaze, I turned to the audience and said, unhurriedly, “Actually, the charming person with 99 ex-boyfriends that she just mentioned, is my mom herself.” “My mom, even though she’s almost sixty, still has endless charisma!” “Who knows, maybe some of those uncles she’s charmed are sitting right here in the audience!” As I spoke, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my mom’s TikTok account, listing off several IDs that had frequently liked her posts and left flirty comments, along with the names of a few older men from her regular dance group who were very close to her. “‘LoveNoTrace,’ ‘FatedLover,’ ‘BigPotential,’ are you here for the wedding today?” “And Mr. Peterson, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Johnson from the dance group, are you all here?!” Suddenly, all eyes turned to the table where the dance group sat. Those older men, who usually loved to chime in with my mom and gossip about me, hastily lowered their heads. Meanwhile, my dad, Richard, sitting below, had a face as dark as thunder. My mom was dumbfounded. It took her a while to snap out of it, her face burning red as she snatched my phone, yelling, “You brat, what nonsense are you spewing?!” I smiled. “Mom, and you said you love stand-up! Now you understand, don’t you?” “Stand-up, you see, it’s an ‘art of offense’!” It was the first time she’d been shut down by me. My mom forced a smile, seething with anger, and stepped down. Her murky eyes fixed ominously on my face, she gnashed her teeth, “Well, Maya, you’ve really grown up, haven’t you? You’ve grown wings and become defiant!” See? Some lessons you only learn the hard way. But when the knife falls on them, they’ll know the pain. For as long as I could remember, my mom loved putting on a “stand-up routine.” Whenever inspiration struck, whether it was in the neighborhood, the park, or the square, as long as there was an audience, anywhere became her stage. The only constant was that her target was always me. The more sensational the effect, the more excited she got. The more publicly humiliated I was, the more triumphant she became. At parent-teacher conferences, she spread rumors that I badmouthed teachers behind their backs. When I accidentally fell and bruised my legs, she said my private life was too wild. When David and I planned to get our marriage license a bit later, she said my in-laws disliked me. When I was taking medication for my health, she said I was treating infertility. She even boasted to relatives that I couldn’t have children because I’d had too many abortions… One shocking declaration after another left me mortified and scorned. I couldn’t even stand up straight from the shame. After countless breakdowns, I finally exploded, screaming and smashing everything I could get my hands on at home! But my mom just widened her eyes, fiercely poking my forehead, absolutely furious. “Why are you always so dramatic?!” “If you’re so sensitive, then what about all the comedians who make fun of their partners? Do you think they’d still be alive? Go ask any professional comedian if they’d mind!” My dad and brother looked impatient, chiming in to criticize me. “You’re just too precious. Does being talked about a little make you lose weight or something?” “Yeah, wait until Mom makes it big on a national comedy show, then you’ll regret it!” And so, insecurity and hypersensitivity accompanied my entire childhood. It wasn’t until later, when I went thousands of miles away for college and met my emotionally stable husband, That I could finally hide my scars and live somewhat like a normal person…

Back to reality. Knowing my mom, she wouldn’t let things go easily after being outmaneuvered. Sure enough, during the toast, she spoke to my in-laws, her voice as loud as a bell, “Oh, I truly have nothing but good things to say about David!” “Although I don’t approve of getting pregnant before marriage, or having to rush a wedding…” “But for you to accept that Maya contracted syphilis, that truly shows responsibility!” Whoosh. The surroundings fell silent. Everyone’s ears perked up, their expressions a mix of gossip and surprise as they stared. My in-laws, who had been smiling warmly, instantly changed their expressions. My fiancé David stared at my flat stomach in disbelief! I took a deep breath. ” Brenda, the stand-up portion is over. Please stop making such jokes.” David also snapped back to reality, shielding me. “That’s right, Brenda. Even if you’re trying to rush us to have kids, don’t joke like that.” “Maya and I aren’t in a hurry to have a baby.” “You didn’t know she was pregnant?” My mom didn’t take the hint. Instead, realizing David’s “ignorance,” she brightened, instantly raising her voice excitedly. “Could it be that the child isn’t even yours?!” Seeing David’s face stiffen, the buzzing around us growing louder, and my in-laws’ expressions becoming increasingly grim, her eyes lit up even more, her mood soaring. “My goodness! My poor David, aren’t you being a naive man taking on someone else’s baggage?!” “That’s enough, Brenda Johnson!” I couldn’t hold back anymore, sharply shouting, “How can you say such things?!” “First pregnancy, then syphilis! What kind of mother spreads rumors about her own child?!” At that, my dad immediately bristled. “Maya, how dare you talk to your mother like that?! Show some respect!” At this point, many relatives who had watched me grow up began to speak up for me, interjecting with advice. “Brenda, it’s Maya’s big day today. Stop talking nonsense.” “That’s right, you can eat anything you want, but you can’t just spread rumors about someone having a disease!” This really got my mom riled up. She yelled at the top of her lungs, stomping her foot, “Look at what you’re all saying! I’m her mother; would I ever wrongly accuse her?!” “Fine, then let me show you all what these are!” Saying that, she frantically pulled out several photos from her phone! Everyone craned their necks to see. She had captured me frequently entering and exiting the hospital’s obstetrics department. She had photographed a stack of appointment slips and a tube of syphilis medication in my drawer. She had images of my phone, showing my online inquiries about syphilis. She had even hastily taken pictures of a pregnancy test result and a syphilis diagnosis report on my phone! At this point, my mom stood with her hands on her hips, looking triumphantly at me. I stood there, dazed, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over me. I never thought she would secretly follow me, or even go through my drawer and phone!

With undeniable evidence laid out, everyone exchanged glances, forced to believe the facts. “This… you really never know someone’s true nature!” “Her private life is so messy… this is truly disgraceful!” “If it were my daughter, I would have disowned her by now!” “The most pitiful ones are the groom’s family; they almost got tricked!” Amidst the murmuring. David’s face was livid, his eyes full of disappointment and suppressed anger, his voice trembling. “Maya, is all of this true?!” But I desperately clung to his hand, refusing to admit anything. Seeing this, the old witch urgently added more fuel to the fire. “It’s too late to argue now, I have witnesses!” “The entire dance team saw you leaving the hospital that day, carrying a folder.” “And Dr. Miller, you’re a doctor, tell them, did I fake these reports?” The older men and women from the dance team hastily nodded their heads in confirmation. Dr. Miller also gave me a troubled look. “The reports… they are genuine.” With this irrefutable evidence, Brenda spoke with even more conviction. “See? She really is that kind of person! I haven’t wronged her one bit!” I became the target of everyone’s scrutiny, enduring their pointing fingers. At this moment, I clenched my fists and looked at Richard and Noah, who had been mostly silent, asking in a trembling voice, ” Richard, Noah, you know me well. What do you say?” The two exchanged a glance, then quickly looked away. “I don’t understand all this nonsense between you and your mother.” Richard spoke first, his tone impatient. “But Maya, if you want to argue, argue. If the wedding can proceed, fine. If not, then just cancel it.” “There’s no need to argue with your mother here and make a spectacle for everyone!” As soon as he finished, Noah also gave a strange look around the room. Seeing Chloe’s family present, and clearly not wanting to escalate things further, he quickly chimed in, ill-temperedly, “That’s right, Maya, stop causing trouble!” “These aren’t big deals. You can talk about whatever you need to with David behind closed doors.” “Why do you have to pick a fight with Mom here?” Suddenly, a massive sense of absurdity washed over me from head to toe. I laughed humorlessly. “Small matters? She’s practically trying to kill me, and you call that a small matter?!” “All these years, you two knew full well who was right and who was wrong, yet you always pretended to be ignorant, even helping her bully me.” “If she’s the murderer who killed me, then you two are her blatant accomplices!” Those words hit a nerve with Richard. He slammed his hand down on the table and stood up. “You’ve gone too far!” He glared at me, raising his hand to strike! Brenda, watching from the side, looked utterly gleeful, practically clapping her hands. I covered my burning cheek, my heart sinking in despair. My last shred of hope for my so-called family was completely shattered. If that’s how it was, then let’s all go to hell together! Taking a deep breath, I slowly calmed my racing chest, and nodded peacefully. “You’re right, things need to be cleared up.” “But the pictures Brenda just showed aren’t complete. Let me do it.” With that, I took out my own phone and projected the stored files onto the large screens placed throughout the banquet hall!

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The night before our engagement party, I discovered my boyfriend Adrian kept recordings from his first night with his childhood sweetheart, even the bloodstained sheets. When I confronted him through tears, his response was ice-cold: “I just had too much to drink that night. Vanessa gave me her first time—I need to take responsibility for her.” At the engagement party, when I tried to call off the wedding, Vanessa deliberately spiked my drink with formaldehyde. I vomited all over the floor in front of everyone, but Adrian only had eyes for Vanessa’s bleeding hand. “She’s the one who got hurt, and you’re still putting on this act!” He rushed his childhood friend to the hospital, leaving me alone on the floor in that mess. Fine then. I’ll let you two have each other. Later, as I walked toward another man in a pure white wedding dress, Adrian knelt at my feet with a diamond ring: “Ella, please give me one more chance.” Watching Adrian’s determined figure walk away, I picked up my phone and called my mom: “Mom, I’m willing to marry Theo.” “Oh sweetheart, I know you’ve been wronged. I’ll arrange the wedding right away.” Before the engagement party even ended, an ambulance took me to the hospital for a stomach pump. The burning sensation in my mouth and throat kept assaulting my nerves. After giving my mom instructions through the pain, she immediately had someone notify the Richardson family to set a date for our wedding. Theo had been pursuing me for five years, proposing to me every birthday. But back then, my heart only had room for Adrian. I never accepted his affection. Even though I’d decided to leave, my heart still ached unbearably. I smiled bitterly and shook my head. Better a short pain than a long one. I’d get used to it. After the stomach pump, I was lying weakly in the hospital bed when the door suddenly burst open. Adrian rushed in with red-eyed Vanessa. “Ella Hayes, how long are you going to keep pretending to be sick?” “Vanessa just grabbed the wrong glass—what gives you the right to make her kneel and apologize to you!” His whole body radiated hostility, veins bulging on his face like a lion pushed to the edge of fury. “When did I ever tell her to kneel?” “Still making excuses.” He shoved Vanessa’s phone in my face. After seeing the message on the screen, my eyes went wide. “I never sent this.” I pulled out my phone to show him the chat history, but he slapped it out of my hand. “Who else could it be!” He wouldn’t listen to my explanation at all, throwing my phone violently to the side. In that moment, I suddenly didn’t want to explain anymore. He always took Vanessa’s side anyway, using the sharpest words to wound me. Whether I did it or not didn’t matter anymore. “Adrian, it’s all my fault. I’ll kneel and apologize to Ella.” Vanessa, her hand wrapped in bandages, held back the furious Adrian and bent down as if to kneel. “Ella, are you done with this tantrum!” Adrian pulled her up immediately, and Vanessa nestled in his arms, tears falling like broken pearls. “Adrian, it’s okay. Every time Ella gets angry, I’m the one who apologizes first anyway. As long as Ella feels better, that’s all that matters.” Adrian tenderly wiped the moisture from the corner of her eyes, then turned to me with uncontrollable rage. “Ella, I already told you that night was just an accident. Why do you keep making things difficult for Vanessa!” “If you’re angry, take it out on me, but if you bully Vanessa again, I won’t let you get away with it!”

Watching him desperately protect Vanessa, the pain in my heart spread to every organ. Five years together, and he made a vow in front of my father’s memorial photo, saying he would take care of me for life. After that, Adrian really did treat me with meticulous care. Even my mom praised him constantly, saying he was a man worth entrusting my life to. We had agreed that once I finished mourning my father, we would get married. But then I found the recording and bloodstained sheets from his first night with Vanessa hidden in the closet. In that moment, my world collapsed. Adrian, you never touched alcohol—how could you lose control while drunk? So our thousand-plus days and nights together couldn’t compare to one night of pleasure with her? My throat burned with pain. Overwhelmed by grief, I couldn’t help vomiting all over the bed. Adrian’s furious expression changed, and he frowned with some concern. “Ella, are you really not feeling well?” I didn’t want to answer him. Everything spun around me. In the last second before losing consciousness, I saw him rush over to catch me. Suddenly, I felt a sense of relief. This kind of life would finally be over soon. “Ella, you’re finally awake. It’s all my fault for not being by your side when you had this accident.” When I woke up, my mom sat by the hospital bed, haggard, worriedly holding my hand. I smiled at her and told her to go home and rest properly. The nurse was here watching me—nothing serious. As soon as my mom left, Adrian rushed in accusing me: “The doctor said your condition isn’t serious. Why did you pretend to faint?” “Do you know Vanessa’s wound reopened because she was so worried about you? Ella, I never thought you’d become so manipulative!” I looked silently at Adrian, suddenly losing the strength to defend myself. Whenever Vanessa got hurt, it was always somehow my fault. What was the point of explaining? Disheartened, I thought of all our memories together. He once said I was the most innocent and kind girl in the world, that he would cherish and protect me forever. But after Vanessa appeared, he started taking her side without limits, stabbing my heart again and again with the cruelest words. Three people in love was too crowded. I was truly exhausted. If that’s how it is, then I’ll let you two have each other. After Adrian left, I lay exhausted in the hospital bed and made a call. “Mom, have you picked a wedding date?” “Ella, Theo’s coming back from abroad at the end of this month. Let’s set the wedding for early next month.” “Okay.” I put down my phone and fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up, my phone was flooded with messages. “Ella, Adrian is so romantic. After all these years, he’s still devoted to you.” “I’m so jealous, Ella. You must be the happiest woman in Northbridge today.” Confused, I opened my social media. Adrian had set off a huge display of pink fireworks by the river. But the woman he was holding in the video wasn’t me—it looked exactly like Vanessa. Under the blooming sky, they kissed intimately. I smiled bitterly and closed the video. This firework display called “Ella’s Crossing” was named after me by Adrian. He said he would only make it bloom for me in this lifetime. The fireworks bloomed in the night sky over the river, and my friends all thought he was trying to please me.

But I knew that neither the fireworks nor Adrian belonged to me alone anymore. “Ella, Adrian put so much effort into this for you. You absolutely can’t let him down.” I laughed coldly. Who was letting whom down? In front of others, he always played the model boyfriend. Even when we fought, people would only think I was throwing a tantrum. Suppressing the bitterness in my heart, I replied in the comments: “The fireworks are beautiful. Hope you guys have fun.” In the blink of an eye, that comment disappeared. Adrian, so you do have some shame after all. The nurse came in to tell me it was time for nebulizer treatment. Before she could set up the equipment, my phone rang urgently. “Ella, Vanessa was just starting to feel better. Why did you comment that? Are you deliberately trying to upset her?” I coughed heavily a few times, my voice bleak: “I was wishing you both well. What more do you want?” He paused for a few seconds before his voice came through again, “Fine, I can let this slide.” “But you have to apologize to her. Vanessa didn’t do anything wrong.” I let out a muffled laugh, closed my eyes, and my voice returned to calm. “Apologize? I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I apologize? Why should I take the blame for something I didn’t do?” I had already compromised to the extreme, but in Adrian’s eyes, I was still the one at fault. Choked by my words, Adrian was momentarily speechless. After hesitating for a few seconds, he still put down harsh words with a firm attitude. “Ella, I used to tolerate your tantrums, but Vanessa is different. She gave me her first time—I have a responsibility to protect her.” “If I catch you deliberately bullying Vanessa again, I won’t be nice about it!” He hung up. I lowered my eyes mockingly, my heart desolate. She gave you her first time—but didn’t I spend my best five years with you? My phone vibrated. Vanessa had posted something new: “Thank you for protecting me. Giving you my first night made me so happy.” In the photo, the two of them were lying in a trailer. Vanessa’s bare shoulders showed little red marks, her face flushed as she nestled in Adrian’s arms. What had happened was obvious. I fought down my nausea and blocked both Adrian and Vanessa’s feeds. I thought I’d feel terrible like before, but now I actually felt somewhat relieved. After leaving the hospital, I went home and packed my things, planning to move back to the Hayes house. Adrian walked in holding Vanessa’s hand. The jade necklace my father left me was hanging around Vanessa’s neck. “Vanessa, who gave you permission to touch my things!” Blood rushed to my head instantly. I tried to grab back the necklace, but Adrian blocked me with his hand. “Ella, what are you yelling about? Vanessa just borrowed it temporarily. Is this reaction really necessary?” He frowned impatiently, shielding Vanessa behind him. “Adrian, you know how important this necklace is to me. Why did you take it without asking me?” My voice trembled uncontrollably. This was my father’s last keepsake, my final spiritual anchor. Adrian froze for a moment, his eyes evasive. “Ella, it’s all my fault. I’ll return it to you right now.” Vanessa carefully removed the necklace. As she handed it to me, she whispered in my ear: “Ella, guess who Adrian will side with?” Her hand shook, and the necklace fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Vanessa’s eyes glistened with tears as she frantically tried to pick up the necklace. “Don’t touch it!” My sanity finally snapped. In rage, I raised my hand and slapped Vanessa across the face. “Ella, you’ve gone too far! It’s just a necklace—what are you so crazy about!” Adrian tenderly cupped Vanessa’s swollen face and pushed me away.

I stumbled back a few steps, holding back the heartache, and looked up with tears in my eyes. “Adrian, have you forgotten the oath you made in front of my father’s memorial photo?” Back then, he knelt before my father’s memorial tablet and swore he would never let me suffer any grievances. Now, for Vanessa’s sake, he let her destroy my most precious possession. In just three years, this relationship had changed beyond recognition. Adrian’s eyes flashed with reluctance, but looking at Vanessa crying her heart out in his arms, he still scolded me coldly. “Ella, I know you’re upset, but can’t you be more mature? I have a responsibility to Vanessa. I can’t just ignore her.” “Let’s postpone the wedding. We’ll talk about it after Vanessa recovers.” He left those harsh words and took Vanessa to the hospital. I picked up the shattered necklace from the floor and left the Shaw house without looking back. Adrian, why bother postponing? I’m not going to marry you anyway. With only two weeks until the wedding, the Hayes household was checking off wedding preparations, sending invitations, and hosting dinners. Everyone was too busy to catch their breath. After helping my mom finish organizing, I was about to rest when Adrian called. “Ella, why aren’t you home? Where did you go so late?” “I’m at the Hayes house.” “Over such a small disagreement, you run back to the Hayes house to complain?” “Stop this nonsense and come back. Vanessa already knows she was wrong.” Adrian’s tone carried some dissatisfaction, still thinking I was sulking over the necklace incident. “I’m not making a fuss. Weren’t you worried I’d bully Vanessa? Now I’m gone—no one will bully her.” Adrian fell silent for a few seconds, his tone slightly angry. “Ella, why have you become so unreasonable? Vanessa’s hand hasn’t healed yet. Are you deliberately trying to make her feel guilty?” I laughed mockingly. “What does her injured hand have to do with me? Didn’t you say you had a responsibility to take care of her? Then take good care of her.” Adrian, why have I become like this? Don’t you know? Every time we had a conflict, you never considered my feelings, taking Vanessa’s side without limits. Our five years together never mattered as much to you as making Vanessa happy. Well then, I don’t want you anymore either. I hung up, took a comfortable bath, and finally could let down all my defenses and sleep peacefully. The next day at my follow-up appointment, the doctor said my liver, kidneys, and digestive system had recovered well—nothing serious. Walking out of the consultation room, I ran into Vincent accompanying Vanessa for her checkup. “Ella, last time was my fault. Don’t be angry anymore—Adrian was so worried about you he couldn’t sleep last night.” “You two spent last night together?” Realizing her slip, Vanessa tried to explain in a panic. “I had Vanessa stay at our place. Her hand is injured—it’s not convenient for a girl to live alone.” “Ella, you should stop being angry. We’re getting married soon. Suddenly living apart—what will people think?” Even now, he was worried about people misunderstanding Vanessa as the other woman. I didn’t even have the energy to argue anymore. I said coldly: “No need. I have things to do. I’m leaving.” “Ella, how long are you going to keep this up!” I had just turned around when Adrian grabbed my neck from behind…

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I was seven months pregnant, but my husband Ethan kept making detours every day to drive his female coworker to work. “Just take an Uber to the office yourself. Charlotte doesn’t drive, and the subway is inconvenient for her. I need to give her a ride.” Watching him rush out the door yet again to pick her up, I blocked his way: “Is a coworker really more important than the safety of me and our baby?” Ethan’s face showed irritation: “She’s the CEO’s niece. I can’t afford to offend her. It’s not like I’m not giving you money for an Uber. Can’t you just be understanding about my situation?” My morning sickness, my swelling, my sleepless nights—who cared about my difficulties? In a fit of anger, with my belly protruding, I went straight to his company lobby and made an announcement over the PA system: “Miss Charlotte, hello. I’m Ethan’s wife.” “He’s been picking you up and dropping you off every day, making my commute in the third trimester extremely difficult. Could you please be considerate and get to work on your own?” 1 The moment the words landed, the lobby fell into dead silence. Ethan burst out of the elevator and grabbed my wrist: “Victoria, what the hell are you doing?” I gasped at the pain but didn’t struggle. Charlotte followed behind him. When she saw me, her eyelashes trembled, and her eyes instantly reddened. “Ethan, is this because of me?” “This has nothing to do with you.” Ethan didn’t even turn around, just stared at me intently. “You go upstairs first.” “But she…” Charlotte took half a step forward with a fake apology. “I’m sorry, this is all my fault.” “Had enough of the performance?” I cut her off. “Every morning at seven, he makes a twenty-minute detour to pick you up. I ask him to come with me to prenatal appointments, and he says he needs to take you to meet clients. Now you cry a few tears, and he thinks I’m the one causing problems. Charlotte, don’t you have any shame?” Someone in the crowd gasped. Ethan’s face turned livid: “Victoria! Charlotte is the niece of the CEO, Mr. Harrison. Taking care of her is Mr. Harrison’s instruction! Can’t you be reasonable?” “Did Mr. Harrison tell you to pick her up and drop her off every day?” I shot back with a smile. “Did Mr. Harrison tell you to change your phone password to her birthday? Did Mr. Harrison tell you to get her perfume on your shirt collar?” His Adam’s apple bobbed. He couldn’t speak. Charlotte’s tears fell one by one onto the floor: “Victoria, you’ve misunderstood. Ethan and I are completely innocent…” “Innocent?” I pulled out photos from my bag and threw them at Ethan’s chest. The photos scattered all over the floor. Screenshots from the dashcam, with time and location, crystal clear. Charlotte in the passenger seat, smiling like a flower. “These past three months, you’ve picked her up and dropped her off sixty-seven times.” My voice was calm. “Twenty-three of those times, you stayed parked in front of her building for over half an hour. The longest was two hours and seven minutes. Ethan, tell me, what were you two talking about in the car all that time?” Dead silence. Ethan stared at the photos, his lips trembling. Charlotte suddenly rushed over and grabbed my arm: “Victoria, please don’t do this.” I shook off her hand—not with much force, but she dramatically fell backward, screaming as she hit the floor. “Victoria, what are you doing!” Ethan rushed over to help her up, his eyes looking like he wanted to kill me. Charlotte leaned against him, tears streaming down her face: “Don’t blame Victoria. I just didn’t stand steady.” Watching this scene, I suddenly laughed out loud. “Nice performance.” I clapped. “But unfortunately…” Before I could finish, Ethan suddenly let go of Charlotte and stepped right in front of me. “Slap!” The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the lobby. I froze, my cheek burning with pain. Shocked exclamations came from all around. “Have you caused enough trouble!” he roared, his eyes bloodshot. “Are you not satisfied until you’ve destroyed my career!” My ears were ringing, and the world seemed to lose all sound in that moment. I looked at his furious face—that face that once smiled at me tenderly—and suddenly it felt so unfamiliar. Tears finally broke free, not from the pain, but because my heart had died. The elevator doors opened. I walked in and pressed the close button. In the final second, I saw Ethan holding Charlotte, looking at me with complicated eyes. As the elevator descended, the person in the mirror had bloodshot eyes. I told myself, hold on, Victoria. For the baby’s sake, just hold on a little longer. Once she’s safely born, we’ll leave. Leave forever. My phone buzzed. Ethan had transferred $5,000 with the note: Stop making a scene. Come home. I accepted it. Since I couldn’t get love, I might as well get money. Walking out of the building, the sunlight was blinding. I raised my hand to shield my eyes and suddenly remembered many years ago. He rode his bike carrying me through the shade of plane trees. The wind was gentle, and he said: “Victoria, I’ll always be good to you.” Forever turned out to be so short. 2 After that day, Ethan stopped picking up and dropping off Charlotte—at least not in ways that I knew about. We rarely spoke, like strangers living under the same roof. I focused on preparing the hospital bag, organizing baby supplies, scheduling prenatal checkups. Every kick from the baby made me more determined to leave. Until that night. Ethan stumbled onto the bed reeking of alcohol. The strong smell of liquor mixed with unfamiliar perfume made me nauseous. “Ethan,” I pushed him, “go take a shower.” He mumbled an “mm-hmm” but didn’t move. I turned on the light to wake him, but my gaze froze on his neck. A small, fresh red mark. My mind went blank for a few seconds. I reached out, my fingertip touching that patch of skin—it was still warm. The touch woke Ethan. He opened his eyes groggily: “What…” “What’s this?” My voice was trembling. He touched his neck in confusion, then his whole body stiffened. The alcohol had worn off. He sat up abruptly, his eyes darting around. “It’s a mosquito bite!” “Mosquitoes in winter?” I questioned shakily. “Ethan, your eyes drift to the right when you lie.” His mouth opened, but no sound came out. “Was it Charlotte?” I asked with terrifying calmness. “No!” He grabbed my hand urgently. “Victoria, listen to me. Tonight Mr. Harrison hosted a birthday party. I drank too much, and when she helped me, it was an accident.” “An accident that left such an intense mark?” “It really was an accident!” His eyes reddened. “I swear, you’re the only one in my heart. Please believe me…” I looked into his eyes, full of panic and guilt, but no honesty. Seven years. I knew him too well. “Let’s get divorced,” I said. He froze like someone had hit pause, staring at me motionlessly. After a long time, he finally squeezed out words: “What… did you say?” “I said, let’s get divorced.” I enunciated each word. “Are you crazy!” He grabbed my shoulders. “Just because of a mark? Victoria, Charlotte and I have nothing going on! I drive her to and from work, accompany her to business events—it’s all for work!” “So you let her leave her mark on your neck?” I laughed. “Ethan, are you treating me like a fool, or yourself?” “Then what do you want me to do!” He suddenly shouted, eyes bloodshot. “Get on my knees and apologize? Write a guarantee? Victoria, I’m tired enough of acting like a doormat at work—you’re going to push me at home too?” So my waiting, my patience, enduring morning sickness and prenatal checkups alone—all of that was me pushing him. “Fine,” I nodded, throwing off the covers to get out of bed. “Then I won’t push anymore.” The moment my feet touched the floor, my lower abdomen suddenly tightened, like a hand viciously twisting my insides. I let out a muffled groan and had to lean against the wall to keep from collapsing. “What’s wrong?” Ethan finally noticed something was off. “Nothing.” I gritted my teeth. “I won’t die.” But the pain grew fiercer. I bent over, my forehead pressed against the cold wall. “Victoria!” Ethan rushed over to support me. “Why is your face so pale?” His phone rang at that moment. Charlotte’s name flashed glaringly on the screen. He glanced at it, then at me, his fingers trembling slightly. “Answer it,” I said through the pain. “Maybe she also has a stomachache and needs you to take her to the hospital.” “Don’t be like this…” He held his phone, at a loss. When the phone rang for the third time, he finally answered: “Hello? What’s wrong?” “Don’t cry, speak slowly… You fell? How bad is it? Okay, I’ll be right there.” He turned to look at me, his expression conflicted: “Charlotte fell down the stairs. Her leg might be fractured. She lives alone…” “Go ahead,” I cut him off. “She’s more important than me and the baby. I know.” “That’s not what I mean! Wait for me, I’ll take her to the hospital and come right back…” “Don’t bother.” I looked into his eyes. “Ethan, we’re done.” 3 He stood there, looking at me, then at his phone. Finally he said: “Wait for me half an hour. I’ll be right back to take you to the hospital!” He rushed out the door, didn’t even change his shoes. The security door slammed shut with a “bang” that shook the entire place. I slid down the wall to sit on the floor as warm liquid gushed out between my legs. My phone had fallen into the corner earlier. I crawled over and shakily dialed 91

Another wave of intense pain hit, my vision went dark, and the phone slipped from my hand. All I could hear was my own hoarse cry for help: “Save me… and my baby…” The ambulance siren tore through the silence of the early morning. When they lifted me onto the stretcher, everything beneath me was already soaked. The contractions came in waves, as if trying to tear me apart. The nurse pushed the gurney at full speed, the wheels screeching against the floor. “Family! Where’s the family!” the nurse shouted as she ran. I opened my mouth but couldn’t make a sound. The delivery room doors opened and closed. I was moved onto the operating table, my legs raised. After the examination, the doctor’s face grew grave: “The cervix is dilating too fast. Premature birth. The fetus is too small. We need family to sign the surgical consent form!” “I’ll… sign it myself…” My consciousness was fading from the pain, but my hand desperately clutched the doctor’s sleeve. “That won’t work. It must be immediate family!” The nurse panicked. “Where’s your husband? Phone number!” They retrieved Ethan’s number from my broken phone. The long dial tone, then his lowered voice: “Victoria? I’m in the ER. Charlotte has a fracture and needs surgery. I can’t leave…” “This is the maternity ward!” the nurse interrupted him. “Your wife is having a premature birth with severe hemorrhaging. She needs immediate surgery! Please come sign the papers right now!” A few seconds of silence, then he said: “I… I really can’t leave right now. Charlotte also needs a family member to sign, and her uncle hasn’t arrived yet…” “Can Victoria sign herself?” The nurse froze and looked at me. I closed my eyes, my voice ice cold: “Tell him to go to hell.” The call ended. I took the consent form and pen, my hand shaking too much to write. The nurse held my hand and guided it stroke by stroke to write “Victoria.” The surgical lights came on, so bright they made me cry. “She’s out!” the doctor called. No crying. My heart jumped to my throat. A few seconds later, a weak cry sounded. “It’s a girl. Premature. She’s going to the ICU.” The nurse brought the baby to my face. “Take a look.” She was so tiny, all wrinkled, eyes closed, her little mouth quivering as she cried. I reached out, my fingertip just touching her warm skin before she was carried away. “Baby…” I called out hoarsely. The incubator door closed, shutting out all sound. I spent two hours of post-op observation alone in the recovery room. As the anesthesia wore off, the incision burned with pain. The door opened. Ethan rushed in, hair disheveled, eyes red. “Victoria!” He lunged to the bedside trying to grab my hand. “I’m sorry, I came too late…” I pulled my hand away and looked at him. He’d changed clothes, but the red mark on his neck was still there. “Is her surgery done?” I asked quietly. He stiffened and nodded: “Yeah. Her uncle arrived, so I rushed over… Where’s the baby?” “Incubator.” I said. “Premature. Lungs underdeveloped. She might not survive.” His face instantly turned deathly pale: “How could… what did the doctor say?” “The doctor said family needed to sign.” I looked into his eyes. “But you couldn’t sign earlier, could you?” “Victoria, I didn’t mean…” “Ethan,” I interrupted him. “Do you know what I was thinking when my water broke?” He shook his head, tears falling. “I was thinking,” I said slowly, “if I died today, would you regret choosing to take her to the hospital instead of me.” “Don’t say that…” He choked up. “You won’t die, and neither will the baby…” “But we already did die.” I turned to look at the ceiling. “From the moment you rushed out that door, the Victoria who loved you for seven years died.” The nurse came in to wheel me to the ward. Ethan tried to follow but was stopped at the door. “Family members need to handle admission procedures,” the nurse said coldly. He stood there bewildered, at a loss. On the seventh day, the baby was taken off the respirator. The nurse said it was good news, but seeing the IV catheter in her little wrist, my heart still ached. That afternoon, Ethan came. He stood outside the glass looking in for ten minutes, then said to me: “I’ve thought of a name. Let’s call her Lily.” “Her last name is Morgan,” I said. He froze: “What?” “Her name is Hope Morgan. Nickname Hope.” I repeated. “My daughter. She takes my last name.” “You really want to do this?” He frowned. “The child belongs to both of us.” “She belongs to me alone.” I cut him off. “Did you sign the papers? Were you there during the surgery? How much time have you spent with her these seven days?” He was speechless. I handed him the divorce agreement: “Sign it. I get custody, you pay child support, and we split the assets fifty-fifty.”

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My mom has bipolar disorder, but ever since my dad committed suicide because of her, her moods have actually gotten better. What I didn’t expect was that she’d have an episode on my wedding day. When my husband offered her a toast, she pulled out a dagger and plunged it straight into his heart. Before we could even react, she killed my in-laws too. When I demanded to know why, all she said was, “You should die too.” With those words, she pushed me off the edge. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the wedding. This time I grabbed my husband and in-laws and got them away from her as quickly as possible. Just when I thought being reborn had changed everything, my mom came looking for us. The same words again: “You all deserve to die.” We died by her hand once more. And I was reborn for the third time. This time I was back at the wedding scene again, and I finally understood why my mom wanted to kill us all. “Mom, don’t…” I opened my eyes and screamed at my mom, then grabbed my husband and rushed off the stage. My husband looked at me in confusion, but I kept my eyes locked on my mom. Meeting her furious gaze, I confirmed this was my third rebirth. “Let’s go, we’re leaving. We don’t need this wedding. Let’s go right now.” I’d escaped once before. I was sure I could do it again this time. But we’d barely taken two steps when I saw my mom smile in the direction of my in-laws’ seats. Before I could react, I heard screaming from the crowd. “Ahhh…” The next instant, the ceiling light came crashing down. By sheer coincidence, it landed right on top of my in-laws. My husband froze, standing there in shock for what felt like forever. The sudden turn of events left me stunned too. This was different from the previous two times, but I was certain it still had something to do with my mom. Because right then, instead of running out scared like everyone else, she was heading toward my in-laws. Seeing how furious she looked, I could easily imagine that if they weren’t dead, she would kill them herself. At that thought, I rushed over to my in-laws in long strides, while shouting at my husband, “What are you standing there for? Call 911! Get them to the hospital!” As I spoke, I looked at my mom. “Mom, can’t you just leave us alone?” “What nonsense are you talking?” My mom shot me an indignant look, then turned to my husband. “Nathan, call the police quickly.” “Yes, yes.” My husband finally snapped back to his senses. While he made the call, I kept staring at my mom. She seemed perfectly normal, but the moment I turned my head, I saw her watching us with a sinister expression. “Mom, why?” “Why what?” My mom looked at me with hurt in her eyes, tears about to fall. “I raised you all these years just so you could interrogate me on such an important day?” The moment our eyes met, I hesitated too. My mom was still my mom, but I’d died three times—could it really all be just hallucinations? Before I could say anything, my husband pulled at me in displeasure. “Of all times, why are you interrogating Mom? This was an accident. What does it have to do with her?” “Go calm down the guests. I’ll wait here for the ambulance.” Knowing my husband was there, I felt a bit more at ease. So I turned to see off the guests. Halfway through, I looked back and saw my husband wasn’t by my in-laws’ side—only my mom was there. She had a knife in her hand, pointed at my father-in-law’s chest. I was dumbstruck. “No, don’t…”

I rushed over to my mom with quick reflexes, pushing her to the ground without a second thought. “Ahh…” My mom hit the ground hard. I didn’t even look at her, just immediately checked on my in-laws. Only after confirming they were okay did I breathe a sigh of relief. But when I looked up, I met my husband’s grief-stricken expression. “Mia, what the hell are you doing?” Nathan shook his head at me in disappointment, then helped my mom up. “Mom, are you alright?” My mom shook her head pitifully. “No, I’m fine.” When I looked at my mom again, there was no knife in her hand—just a belt. “Mia, I just saw your mother-in-law bleeding and wanted to help stop it. What on earth are you doing?” This time my mom actually cried. “From earlier until now, you’ve been acting paranoid. What exactly are you guarding against?” “I raised you all these years just for you to treat me like this?” “Do you think I’m trying to hurt you?” Meeting my mom’s devastated eyes, I truly didn’t know what to say. The knife—where did it go? Why was it gone? My mom was wearing a formal dress. If she really had a knife, there’d be nowhere to hide it. Was it just my panicked reaction? Just as I thought this, the ambulance arrived. Nathan quickly got my in-laws onto the ambulance, then looked at me and my mom. “Mia, take Mom home.” “Okay.” I came back to my senses and nodded at Nathan, then watched them leave. After things were settled at the hotel, I finally remembered about my mom. But I couldn’t find her anywhere. Though I kept dying at my mom’s hands, she had raised me all these years. Not being able to find her, I was still somewhat worried. So I called my mom’s phone, but it showed she was on another call. With no other choice, I kept searching. When I got to the waiting room door, I happened to hear my mom’s voice. I was about to push the door open when I heard my mom say, “Don’t worry. Even if they don’t die, they’ll be disabled. I’ll make my move when I visit them.” “No need. I’ll do it myself.” “Mia is already suspicious of me. We might as well get rid of her first.” At those words, a chill ran down my spine. Yes, yes, that was right. This was the mom from my past life. She was still the person determined to kill us all. I quickly turned and ran. As I passed where my in-laws had been earlier, I finally saw the knife. No wonder I couldn’t find it—my mom had hidden it under the table. I barely made it to the car before I could breathe again. I pulled out my phone to tell my husband to take good care of my in-laws, but the car door opened. It was my mom. She smiled coldly. “Planning to leave on your own?” “No, no! I was just about to call you!” My panic made me stumble over my words. My mom calmly settled into the passenger seat. “Drive.” Compared to my panic, my mom was much more composed. I didn’t know when she would strike, so I was extremely nervous. Yet my mom kept scolding me for ruining our wedding. “Actually, if you didn’t want to marry Nathan, you could have told me. There was no need to make such a mess of things.” My mom’s questioning gaze bore into me. I instantly felt guilty.

Of course I wanted to marry Nathan. Though we hadn’t been dating long, I truly loved him deeply. So when my mom had asked me, “Do you really need to get married so soon?” I had nodded very firmly. My mom had frowned. “Alright, if you’ve thought it through, I won’t stand in your way.” But then the accident happened at the wedding. Those bloody scenes still haunted me. I’d even died three times and still hadn’t found the reason. So I asked my mom back, “Mom, do you not want me to marry Nathan?” “It’s not about wanting or not wanting. Since you like him, then go ahead and get married.” My mom’s bland response gave me no insight into her true feelings. Finally, I got my mom home safely. After she got out, she asked me, “Stay here tonight?” “No, I need to go to the hospital to check on them.” “Alright. I’ll bring you lunch tomorrow.” “No need, Mom. You’ve worked hard these past few days. We can manage. I’ll call you if we need anything!” After speaking, I looked at my mom nervously. Only when she nodded did I relax. I quickly drove to the hospital. By then, my in-laws were already out of surgery. The doctor said they weren’t in life-threatening danger, but needed to stay for observation. Their injuries were serious though—at least a month in the hospital. My in-laws had already taken their medication and were asleep. When my husband saw me, he pulled me directly into the hospital corridor. “Mia, don’t you have anything to say?” “Say what?” I didn’t know what Nathan was asking about. But he got angry. “A perfectly good wedding ruined like this, my parents injured—don’t you think you owe an explanation?” “I…” Seeing Nathan so angry, I hesitated for a long time. Finally, I looked up at Nathan seriously. “Do you trust me?” “Of course. As long as you tell me the truth, I’ll trust you.” “Okay. My mom wants to kill us…” I didn’t mention being reborn. I just said I’d had a dream that was exactly like what happened today. And at the end of the dream, my mom wanted to kill us all. After hearing my words, Nathan froze completely, unable to react for a long time. I knew this sounded absurd, but I felt I had to say it. After what felt like forever, Nathan nodded at me. “Alright, then we’ll…” “Mia, you’re not making all this up because you want to back out of the marriage, are you?” I couldn’t believe it. Of all times, that’s what he was thinking about. I quickly raised my hand and swore. Nathan reluctantly believed me. From that day on, we tried to avoid contact with my mom as much as possible. My strategy was simple: until we figured out how to break this cycle of my mom wanting to kill us, we shouldn’t provoke her. If she could kill us three times, she could certainly kill us a fourth. Just to be safe, Nathan and I agreed to take turns watching over my in-laws at the hospital. We weren’t counting on my mom’s help. Several times my mom wanted to visit the hospital, but I turned her down. Half a month passed like this, and both Nathan and I were exhausted. Running between home and the hospital every day, unable to focus on work—finally, when I went home to cook that day, Nathan couldn’t take it anymore. But he didn’t contact me. Instead, he answered a call from my mom.

When I arrived at the hospital with food, my in-laws weren’t in the room. An ominous premonition washed over me. I quickly called Nathan. “Where did you take Mom and Dad?” “I’m at the office. Mom and Dad aren’t in the room?” “You’re at the office? Nathan, have you lost your mind? I told you someone had to be in the room at all times…” I lost it. Nathan’s words became jumbled too. “Your mom went over there.” “My mom?” My voice got even louder. Nathan went silent, but I could hear his breathing getting heavier. “Nathan, you’re absolutely insane…” He’d said he believed me. I’d actually thought he believed me. I didn’t say anything more and quickly hung up. Then I frantically tried to contact my mom, but she wouldn’t answer my calls. From the hospital security footage, I saw that ten minutes ago, my mom had walked out of the hospital with them. I quickly drove home, but they weren’t there. With no choice, I called the police. When the police and I found my mom, she was shopping for groceries at the market. Meanwhile, the hospital called to say my in-laws were back in their room. Seeing me arrive with the police, my mom was devastated. “Mia, you…” My mom fainted from anger. We all ended up at the hospital together. Nathan came too. According to my in-laws, my mom had just taken them home for a bath. The reason she hadn’t answered her phone was that the battery had died. After learning I’d called the police, Nathan thought I was sick. He even said, “You know, I almost believed you…” I couldn’t miss the blame in his tone. And after my in-laws learned I suspected my mom of wanting to kill them, they looked at me strangely. In that instant, I felt like I’d become some kind of heinous criminal. I didn’t even know what to say to defend myself. Nathan told me to calm down, so I left first. Early the next morning, I went to my mom’s room first. She wasn’t there. Right after, I heard Nathan’s heart-wrenching screams. I rushed over to see my father-in-law was already dead. My mother-in-law was lying on him, crying. My heart sank. Was it my mom? The police came that day but determined my father-in-law had simply died of a heart attack. And my mom hadn’t been to their room at all that day. After the police left, my mom shook her head at me in disappointment. “You still suspect I killed your father-in-law? Mia, I don’t have a daughter like you anymore.” Nathan was tired too. “Mia, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but I need to handle my dad’s funeral. I really don’t have time for this.” With no choice, I stopped saying anything. For the next few days, Nathan handled his father’s funeral while I stayed at the hospital to watch over my mother-in-law. During this time, my mom was discharged. We completely stopped talking. I thought this time would be different. But on the third day, when Nathan came to the room, I had fallen asleep, and my mother-in-law had stopped breathing. “Mia, tell me what’s going on.” “How did my mom die?” I was completely dazed. I’d been watching the room these past few days. I was sure no one had come in. And I’d only been asleep for five minutes at most. The nurse testified that no one had entered. But my mother-in-law was dead. My mom came too. Seeing my mother-in-law dead, she was visibly relieved. I instantly caught the meaning in her eyes and rushed over to confront her. “It was you, wasn’t it? Why are you doing this? Why did you kill them? How did you do it?” Faced with my interrogation, my mom just shook her head helplessly. And Nathan looked at me like I was crazy. I desperately tried to expose my mom’s crimes, so I grabbed her sleeve and started pulling her outside. But because I used too much force, I tore my mom’s clothes. Instantly, I saw a scar on my mom’s arm. In that moment, countless images flooded my mind. Tears fell as well. Seeing me like this, my mom smiled. She smiled and then cried. “You remember?” And in that moment, I finally understood why my mom wanted to kill us.

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I lost both my parents at ten and was raised by Payton. He helped me overcome my mutism and turned down every relationship for my sake. I thought this was love. On my eighteenth birthday, I gathered the courage to kiss him. But he pushed me away. “I’m your brother. Even though we’re not blood-related, what you’re doing is disgusting.” Three months ago, he brought home his arranged fiancée, Sophia They held hands. Embraced. Kissed. Right in front of me. When Sophia had an allergic reaction and was hospitalized, he accused me of poisoning her. “Go home and kneel. Give the Williams family an explanation.” I knelt in the pouring rain all night. Later I found out the allergy was her own staged performance, and her fall at the banquet was self-inflicted too. But what did it matter? By then, I’d already bought a one-way ticket to the Gobi Desert. On the night of the birthday banquet, I left him a letter. “I don’t love you anymore.” 1. Lily’s POV “Professor, I’ve made up my mind. I’m ready to go to the Gobi.” On the other end of the line, the professor’s surprise quickly gave way to relief. “Are you sure? The conditions in the Gobi are extremely harsh.” I gripped my phone, my knuckles turning slightly white. “I’m sure.” “But your brother has always doted on you. I doubt he’ll agree to let you…” I cut off the professor’s words, my voice softening. “Don’t worry, he’ll agree.” “Good. Make sure you talk it over with him properly. The departure date is in two weeks.” After hanging up, I looked at the framed photo on my nightstand. In the photo, seventeen-year-old Payton stood with ten-year-old me on his back at a mountain summit. He turned his face toward me, the mountain wind tousling his hair. Our two families had been close friends for generations. The year my parents died in a plane crash, the Sterling family took me in. But losing my parents caused me to develop mutism. I didn’t speak a single word for three whole months. The two Sterling elders were busy with official duties and had no extra time to focus on me. It was Payton who took my hand and said, “You still have me. I’ll always be here to take care of you.” And he really did. He picked me up and dropped me off at school. Always sat in the front row at parent-teacher meetings. Braided my hair, clumsy but gentle. Stayed up all night when I had nightmares. He even turned down several relationships for my sake, saying, “Lily isn’t ready to accept a new family member yet.” Under his gentleness and patience, I finally spoke again. I grew more and more dependent on him, making him my entire world. But somewhere along the way, that dependence changed its nature. On the night of my eighteenth birthday, Payton threw me a coming-of-age party that stunned the whole city. At that party, he, who never touched alcohol, broke his rule and drank. After the celebration ended, I helped the drunk Payton home. As he leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed, I leaned down and gently kissed the corner of his lips. Payton’s eyes flew open. He pushed me away, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock. “Do you even know what you’re doing?” “I know.” I gathered my courage and confessed my feelings. “I like you.” “This is absurd!” It was the first time he’d been this angry with me. “Everyone knows we’re siblings!” “We’re not blood-related. How does that make us siblings?” “I’m your brother in name!” “So what?” “Lily!” He was livid, as if I’d committed some grave sin. “I’m seven years older than you! You’re only eighteen. What do you know about liking someone?” I remained stubborn. “Eighteen is legal adulthood. I’m an adult now, so of course I know what it means to like someone!” Seeing me counter his every argument, his expression darkened. “Ridiculous!” That argument ended with Payton slamming the door and leaving. From then on, Payton’s attitude toward me grew increasingly cold. He came home less and less frequently. For matters concerning me, he no longer handled them personally but sent the butler instead. But even so, I never gave up. Every year on his birthday, I carefully prepared gifts and earnestly confessed my feelings to him. Payton never responded. I thought that no matter how cold he was or how much he refused to respond, I would keep on liking him. Until three months ago, when Payton suddenly agreed to an arranged marriage and brought his marriage partner, Sophia, home. That night at dinner, Sophia sat in what used to be my seat, gently serving Payton food. I couldn’t believe it. I questioned him privately, asking if he’d deliberately agreed to the marriage just to force me to give up my feelings for him. But Payton said coldly, “You’re overthinking it. We’re getting married because we’re well-matched, and we’ve reached the age for marriage.” “I’ve also reached the age for marriage!” For the first time, my eyes reddened in front of him. “Payton, why won’t you like me?” “Because you have no idea what real affection is!” After that, Sophia appeared at the house frequently. They held hands, embraced, kissed-intimate and affectionate. It made me feel like all my years of affection were nothing but a laughable case of unrequited love. Last night at two in the morning, I got up for water. Passing by the study, I heard faint sounds coming from inside. The door was ajar. I saw Payton and Sophia by the desk, intimately close, with ambiguous sounds spilling out. I covered my mouth and retreated to my room, sliding down against the door until I sat on the floor. I cried all night. In that moment, I finally understood-some things, if they’re not mine, I can’t force them to be. So I decided to let go of my feelings for him and leave his side. I’d clung to him for so many years. He must have been fed up with me long ago. I was about to leave for the Gobi soon. I wouldn’t bother him like I used to. He’d probably be relieved when he found out. 2. Lily’s POV I pulled my suitcase and opened my bedroom door, suddenly hearing the faint sound of a lock turning from the master bedroom across the hall. My breath caught, and I froze in place. Payton pushed his door open and stepped out. He wore a light gray cashmere sweater and casual slacks. His hair was still slightly damp, as if he’d just showered. The morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the hallway, gilding him in a thin golden outline. For a moment, I felt like I’d returned to the past. Those mornings when he hadn’t yet distanced himself from me-he would always appear like this, fresh and clean, ruffling my hair and asking if I’d slept well. But the next second, his gaze swept over to me and landed on my suitcase. “Going somewhere?” “…Yeah.” I pressed my lips together and looked away. Payton’s brow furrowed slightly. “Where?” “Back to campus to stay for a few days.” I didn’t mention that I’d be leaving for the Gobi in two weeks. After all, he’d find out once I was gone. Payton looked me over. “Why would you suddenly want to go back to campus?” Because I wanted to make room for Sophia. I didn’t want my presence to get in their way. But before I could answer, Payton stepped forward, grabbed my suitcase from my hand, and ordered, “You’re about to start your internship. There’s no need to go back to campus. Stay home. You’re not moving out.” With that, he domineeringly placed my suitcase back in my bedroom. He looked almost afraid I might leave. I froze, but quickly dismissed it as overthinking. How could Payton possibly be afraid of me leaving? He only forbade me from returning to campus out of habit-treating me like a “little sister.” “Miss Lily, breakfast is ready.” The butler’s voice called from downstairs, breaking my daze. In the dining room, an elegant breakfast was already laid out on the long table. Payton sat at the head, a financial newspaper spread before him, a cup of black coffee at his side. He ate gracefully, his movements refined. Even the sound of turning pages was soft. I sat down diagonally across from him. “Payton!” A crisp female voice suddenly rang out from the foyer. My fingers trembled, and my spoon clinked against the bowl. Sophia walked in with a bright smile, went to Payton’s side, and leaned down to kiss his cheek. “Did I keep you waiting? Traffic was a bit heavy.” Payton set down his newspaper and naturally put his hand on her waist. “No rush. Have you eaten breakfast yet?” “Not yet. I wanted to eat with you.” Sophia sat down beside him, and a servant immediately added a set of utensils. Throughout the whole process, no one glanced at me. I sat there like a ghost in my own seat, watching their natural, intimate interactions. Sophia served Payton a piece of bacon. Payton poured her milk. They spoke in low voices, occasionally exchanging smiles. That intimacy was like fine needles piercing my eyes. I lowered my head, staring at the porridge in my bowl that had already gone cold. Suddenly, the dining room felt unbearably crowded-so crowded I couldn’t breathe. “By the way, Lily,” Sophia suddenly turned toward me, as if just noticing my presence. “We’re going skiing today. Do you want to come with us?” I froze, instinctively shaking my head. “I…” “Don’t refuse so quickly. You’d be so bored at home alone.” Sophia’s tone was light. “Payton, let’s bring Lily along, okay?” Payton looked up at me. His gaze was calm and indifferent as he said flatly, “Since Sophia invited you, come along.” One sentence-but it felt like a dull knife slowly cutting open my heart. He didn’t care whether I’d feel awkward. He didn’t care whether watching him be intimate with someone else would hurt me. I didn’t want to torture myself, so I tried to decline. But Sophia came over at that moment and enthusiastically linked her arm through mine. “Then it’s settled! Lily, you won’t refuse me, will you?” 3. Lily’s POV Sophia was too enthusiastic. The refusal on the tip of my tongue never made it out. In the end, I sat in the passenger seat of the Maybach while Payton and Sophia sat together in the back. “Payton, do you remember the last time we went skiing? I took such a bad fall, and you laughed at me.” “Yeah, I remember. Later at the hot spring inn, you complained all night about your sore knee.” “Don’t tease me about that…” Listening to their conversation from the back seat, my hands twisted together on my lap, my nails digging into my palms. So he had all these shared memories with someone else too. That tenderness, that companionship-they weren’t exclusive to me. Halfway through the drive, Sophia seemed to finally remember there was another person in the car. She suddenly asked with a bright smile, “Lily, do you know how to ski?” I tensed up and glanced at the rearview mirror. The handsome man in the back seat furrowed his brow slightly, a fleeting emotion passing through his eyes. I forced a curve to my lips. “Yes.” “Oh?” Sophia sounded interested. “When did you learn? Did you teach yourself, or did someone teach you?” I’d known how to ski since I was fifteen. And the person who taught me was sitting right beside Sophia. But after two seconds of silence, I said, “I learned from an instructor at the ski resort.” At those words, the man in the back seat frowned even more deeply, his expression darkening slightly. When we arrived at the ski resort, I was putting on my protective gear. Payton walked up to me, his tall frame bringing an oppressive presence. “Lily, since when did you learn to lie?” I looked up. “What?” “You learned to ski from a resort instructor?” His handsome face was clouded with displeasure. “Why lie?” I lied only to avoid Sophia misunderstanding anything and affecting their relationship. But I didn’t understand-this was such a trivial matter. Why was Payton so upset about it? Just as I was about to explain, Sophia’s voice called from the other side. “Payton, come help me. I think there’s something wrong with my gear.” Hearing that, Payton warned me coldly, “If you lie again and develop those bad habits, see if I don’t punish you.” Then he turned and walked toward Sophia. I watched his retreating figure. Watched him help Sophia with her gear, checking her equipment. That gentle, careful, considerate side of him-he used to show it only to me. I forced myself to stop watching them and found a gentle slope to ski on alone. “Lily!” Before long, Sophia skied over to me. I glanced behind her, but she was alone. “No need to look. Payton went to get us hot drinks.” Sophia stopped in front of me, removed her ski goggles, and revealed a face with delicate makeup. “Payton really is something, putting all his attention and energy on me and just leaving you here alone. He’s being unreasonable.” I stopped as well and smiled. “It’s fine. You’re his fiancée. It’s only right that he takes extra care of you.” “But watching him treat me well must hurt you, doesn’t it?” Sophia’s eyes suddenly carried undisguised scrutiny and provocation. I frowned slightly. “I don’t understand what you mean.” “Heh.” Sophia let out an extremely soft laugh, one laced with mockery, completely different from her gracious demeanor in front of Payton. “You understand. You understand better than anyone.” I froze. “The way you look at him-you can’t hide it.” Sophia smiled smugly. “Too bad it only makes him feel burdened. He told me himself that you’re too emotionally complicated, and sometimes he doesn’t know how to deal with you.” Emotionally complicated… doesn’t know how to deal with… So when he talked about me to others, that’s how he saw me-even as a burden. “He’s just too responsible. Because your families have been friends for generations, and he pitied you for losing your parents, he had no choice but to take care of you all these years.” My fingers curled as I pressed my lips tightly together. “But it’s just responsibility. Lily, do you understand? He takes care of you out of responsibility. Nothing more.” Sophia leaned closer, lowering her voice. “We’re getting married soon. If you’re smart, you’ll gradually learn to distance yourself from him. Leave yourself some dignity.” I listened quietly, then slowly smiled. “You’re right.” 4. Lily’s POV Sophia froze. I continued with a smile, “He’s taken care of me all these years only out of pity. So you don’t need to be threatened by my existence. After all, you’re already his fiancée.” Sophia was about to say more- “Watch out! Move!!” A terrified shout suddenly came from the steep slope in the distance. A snowboarder who’d clearly lost control was hurtling straight toward us at breakneck speed. “Lily! Sophia!!” Payton’s panicked shout rang out almost simultaneously. “Get out of the way!” Everything happened in a split second. I had no time to react. Sophia, standing diagonally in front of me, let out a scream of terror. The next moment, a figure came charging from the side, wrapped in wind and snow spray, at incredible speed. It was Payton. He rushed to Sophia’s side, extended his arm, pulled her into his embrace, and together they stumbled toward the safety zone. I stood less than a meter from Sophia, but he didn’t spare me even a glance. Then a massive force slammed into me. A muffled grunt caught in my throat. Everything spun. I was knocked off the ski run, rolled several times in the snow, tumbled into the forest barrier, and finally hit the back of my head hard against a tree trunk. In an instant, my vision went black. I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was in a hospital room. The nurse changing my IV bag glanced at me when she heard movement. “You’re awake. How do you feel?” All I felt was a dull throb in the back of my head and aches throughout my body, like I’d been taken apart. “You have a mild concussion and multiple contusions. Lucky for you, no fractures. Just lie still and don’t move around. You’ll need to stay for observation for a couple days.” After giving her instructions, the nurse turned and left the room. I closed my eyes again to rest, but then I heard the envious voices of nurses outside. “Mr. Sterling is so good to Miss Williams. She just got a little scared, and he’s been by her side the whole time…” “I heard the Sterling and Williams families are about to have an arranged marriage. Of course he’d be attentive to his fiancée, right?” “But that girl in the next room…I heard she’s Mr. Sterling’s sister? She’s injured so badly, even has a concussion, and he barely even comes to check on her…” The voices gradually faded. I sat up, pulled the needle from the back of my hand, and got out of bed. The dizziness was intense. I leaned against the wall for a while before slowly shuffling out of the room. The door to the VIP room next door was ajar. Through the crack, I saw Payton sitting by the bed, gently and attentively feeding Sophia fruit. “Payton,” catching sight of me outside the door, Sophia suddenly grabbed his hand, her eyes glistening. “I was so scared today… If you hadn’t gotten there in time, I…” “It’s okay.” Payton patted her back, his voice soothing. “It’s over now.” Sophia nestled into his arms, flashing me a victorious smile, then said as if casually, “I heard Lily woke up. Don’t you want to go check on her?” “I hired a caregiver for her. The caregiver will look after her. You were frightened and need rest. I’ll stay here with you.” As his words fell, I lowered my lashes. I didn’t go in to disturb them. I turned and walked back to my room, supporting myself against the wall. Lying back in bed, I pulled the covers over my face. I remembered when I was fifteen and hospitalized with a high fever. Payton postponed an important international conference and stayed by my bedside for two full days and nights. Delirious with fever, all I remembered was him wiping my forehead with warm water over and over, coaxing me softly, “I’m here. Don’t be afraid.” Back then, his eyes were so gentle-gentle as if he wanted to place the whole world before me. But now, I was injured and hospitalized right next door, and he didn’t even have the time to glance my way. Maybe this was for the best. He’d agreed to an arranged marriage now and had a fiancée. We should distance ourselves. My phone vibrated. I picked it up. It was a text from Payton. “You’re awake? How do you feel? Do you need anything?” I stared at the message, my finger hovering over the screen. A few seconds later, I turned off the screen without replying. 5. Lily’s POV Late at night, the hospital room door was pushed open. I heard movement through my drowsy haze. When I opened my eyes, Payton’s dark silhouette stood by my bed. He spoke. “Did I wake you?” I shook my head and said nothing. Payton glanced at the gauze wrapped around my forehead, his brow furrowing. “Does it still hurt?” “Not too bad.” Silence spread between us. After a pause, Payton said, “Lily, that situation was so sudden. I saved Sophia because…” “I understand. You don’t need to explain.” I cut him off, lowering my lashes. “Miss Williams is your fiancée. It’s only natural that you saved her.” But before, he’d always put me first. Even if it meant getting hurt himself, he’d protect me without a scratch. He couldn’t bear to let me get even the slightest injury. Payton’s feelings were unclear. I said calmly, “Did you come all the way here in the middle of the night just to say this?” “I remember you’re very good at making soup,” Payton said slowly, somewhat reluctantly. “You have your own special recipes.” That was because he worked long hours with irregular meals. I was afraid he’d develop stomach problems, so I consulted countless sources and asked several doctors. After trying countless times, I finally figured out the foods and flavors that suited his taste and were best for his stomach. “Sophia hasn’t had much of an appetite these past couple days. She’s not feeling well and wants some soup. She tried yours once before and thought it was quite good, so she asked me to come ask you…” Before he could finish, my heart sank and my chest tightened painfully. “I’m injured and still hospitalized, and you want me to make soup for her right now?” Payton paused, a flash of discomfort crossing his expression. Then he said, “Not you. Just give me the recipe. I’ll have someone make it and send it to her.” I stared at him for a long moment, then finally nodded without a word. I found paper and pen, wrote down the recipe, and handed it to him. Payton opened his mouth. “Lily…” “You should go.” I smiled. “Don’t keep Miss Williams waiting.” The next morning, when the hospital room door was urgently pushed open again, I was staring out the window in a daze. Payton strode in, his expression darker than I’d ever seen. I had a bad feeling. “What happened?” “Sophia’s in the emergency room!” he said directly, his voice ice-cold. “Full-body allergic rash, difficulty breathing!” I froze. “How could that happen?” “That’s what I should be asking you!” Before I could react, Payton threw a crumpled piece of paper at me-the recipe I’d written last night. “Why was she fine drinking it before, but this time she had a severe allergic reaction?” Payton stared at me, his gaze sharp as a blade. “What exactly did you add to this recipe?” I instinctively protested. “I didn’t add anything. This is the same recipe I always used. I don’t know why she had an allergic reaction.” “You don’t know?” Payton’s eyes simmered with barely suppressed rage. “The kitchen followed your recipe exactly. Now she’s lying in the emergency room, and the whole household is in chaos! And you think ‘I don’t know’ is enough?” “If you don’t believe me, you can test the recipe…” “But the Williams family demands an explanation now!” Payton’s face was cold and severe as he said darkly, “They say that at the ski resort, I saved her but not you. They claim you can’t tolerate her because of that, so you deliberately tampered with the recipe. They want you to pay the price! Otherwise, this won’t end!” I stiffened, understanding his implication. “So? How will you give them an explanation? Hand me over to the Williams family, or to the police?” Payton’s jawline tightened. He was silent for several seconds-seconds that felt like an entire century. “Pack up,” he finally spoke. “Go home and kneel outside the gate.” 6. Lily’s POV Payton actually wanted me to kneel? Before I could process my shock, two bodyguards in black burst into the hospital room. They grabbed my arms from both sides and roughly dragged me from the bed where I was still receiving an IV. “What are you doing? Let me go!” I couldn’t believe it. “Payton, how can you convict me without investigating first?!” I struggled with all my might, but with my strength, how could I possibly move two burly bodyguards? In the end, I was forcibly taken out of the hospital, shoved into a car, and escorted home. Outside the gates of Sterling Manor, Payton stood tall, his expression as still as a frozen lake. The Sophia’s parents stood nearby, their gazes stabbing into me like thorns. He spoke in a low voice. “Kneel.” My whole body went cold. “Why should I?” “Because you’re vicious and nearly killed Sophia!” Sophia’s mother shrieked. “Payton, this is the fine sister you raised!” Payton’s jaw tightened. He shot a look at the bodyguards. They understood. They pressed down hard on my shoulders. I fought back with everything I had, only to be restrained even more brutally. My kneecaps slammed hard into the cold, unforgiving stone pavement. Searing pain exploded through me. Payton walked up to me, looking down from above. “Apologize.” I gritted my teeth and looked up at him. “Payton, I didn’t try to harm her!” Payton’s brow furrowed deeply. He turned to the Williams parents. “You can rest assured. She’s here and will kneel until Sophia is confirmed safe. This is the Sterling family’s accountability to the Williams family.” Sophia’s mother wanted to say something, but Sophia’s father pulled her back. They had originally demanded that Payton hand me over to them, but Payton had said unequivocally that he would personally seek justice for Sophia and absolutely refused to hand me over. “Payton, Sophia is still lying in the emergency room. I hope you truly mean what you say. Don’t go soft halfway through just because she’s the sister you raised.” “You can rest assured. I’ll have someone watch her here and record everything.” With that, he clapped his hands. Immediately, bodyguards set up a tripod in the distance, aiming a camera lens directly at me. Only then were the Williams parents satisfied. Watching the Williams parents and Payton turn and get into their cars and leave, bone-deep coldness swept through my heart. I tried several times to struggle to my feet, only to be pushed back down mercilessly by the bodyguards standing watch. “Mr. Sterling said you can’t get up until you’ve knelt long enough!” Realizing resistance was futile and accepting reality, I stopped struggling. The rainstorm came without warning. One second the sky was overcast, the next second massive raindrops came crashing down, instantly turning into a torrential downpour. Icy rain poured over me, soaking through my thin hospital gown in seconds. My hair and clothes clung to my skin. Cold. Bone-piercing cold drilled into me through my knees, crawling up through my bones. I couldn’t stop shaking. My teeth chattered uncontrollably. I vaguely remembered the year I first came to the Sterling house. It had rained like this too. I was afraid of thunder and hid under my blanket, crying. It was Payton who pushed open my door, scooped me up blanket and all, gently patted my back, and said, “Lily, don’t be afraid. I’m here.” And now, the one making me kneel in the thunderstorm was also him. I pulled my lips into a faint smile.So this was what true heartbreak felt like. The sky turned from day to night. I didn’t know how long I’d been kneeling, only that my body had grown stiff and numb, like a piece of wood. My consciousness began to slip away under the assault of cold and pain. Then darkness came. Just as I lost consciousness and fell forward, I thought I heard a man’s panicked voice. “Lily.” My body didn’t hit the cold stone ground. Someone caught me. The man’s embrace was scorching hot. It carried a familiar scent. And a barely perceptible…tremble. How laughable.

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After Dumping My Ex, I Married His Boss Drunk at a company dinner, I accidentally called my boss ‘hubby’. My colleagues chuckled: “Looks like she’s absolutely desperate to land the boss.” Adolph Scott, my boss, glared at me, his face cold. “Can’t even control your mouth, why are you drinking?” A brief, stunned silence hung in the air. Then, Archer Kingston, the notoriously hard-to-deal-with Project CEO, let out a cold laugh from across the table. “She was calling me. What are you getting so worked up about?” …… I’d chased Adolph Scott from our college days straight into his company, taking on an assistant role just to be near him. Everyone knew I was head-over-heels for him. One day, as I went to deliver some documents, I overheard voices from inside his office, teasing him. “Aurora Jenkins, a girl from her family, reducing herself to being your assistant? You actually let her?” Adolph scoffed. “She insisted on coming. What could I do?” The others laughed. “True. She’s always been stuck to you.” “Hasn’t changed in years.” “But Adolph, are you really not going to get serious with Rory?” “She literally dreams of being with you.” “Last time her family set her up on a blind date, you called us out for drinks late at night. I actually thought you cared about her then.” The words had barely left his lips. Adolph suddenly got angry, his voice dropping, icy cold. “She’s just a nuisance. Why would I care?” Outside the door, my hand, poised to knock, slowly dropped. I simply gripped the doorknob and pushed the door open. The people inside froze at my unexpected entrance. But only for a second. Soon, they were all smiling again, acting like nothing happened. “Rory, here to bring Adolph breakfast again?” It was my daily breakfast delivery, without fail. Adolph didn’t even lift his head, as if he’d anticipated my every move. He merely tilted his chin vaguely in my direction. “Just put it on the table.” But I shook my head. I placed the documents and my resignation letter on his desk. “Not breakfast.” “My resignation. For your review, Mr. Scott.” Everyone stared, stunned. They practically swarmed the desk, craning their necks to read the words on the letter, then asked in disbelief: “No way, Rory, are you serious?” Adolph finally frowned and looked up. He stared at me. “What’s this all about?” I pushed the resignation letter closer to him. “I’m quitting.” “I also sent an electronic copy to your email. Don’t forget to check it.” Adolph glanced at the letter on the table, asking impatiently, “Is this because I made you work late yesterday?” I shook my head. “No.” “I just don’t want to do this anymore.” Adolph’s face finally hardened, little by little. As I turned to leave, he called out to me. “Rory.” “If you leave now, there’ll be no coming back to me.” It sounded like a threat, yet also a warning. I didn’t look back. “Couldn’t be happier.” The atmosphere in the room instantly dropped to freezing point. As I pushed the door open and left, I heard cautious, probing voices behind me. “Adolph, she’s just having a diva moment, don’t take it to heart…” “Yeah, you know how much she likes you, right?” “She’ll probably regret it by this afternoon, and come begging to return…” Adolph stared fixedly at the closed door, letting out a cold scoff. “Like I care.”

I threw away all the useless things from my office. In the end, I found I had nothing left to take. Looking at the empty cubicle, I almost wanted to laugh. My mind drifted back to the anonymous video I’d received last night while working late at the office. In a private room, Adolph had his arm around a stunning beauty, listening indifferently to the chatter around him. “Rory is still dutifully doing grunt work at Adolph’s company, huh?” “You’ve got to admit, Adolph’s got skills. That heiress hasn’t shown up to any of our parties in ages.” It was true. Chasing Adolph for years, a privileged heiress like me, I’d practically become his indentured servant. All he had to do was ask, and I’d willingly work late, attend his business dinners, until I was exhausted and sick. In the end, all I got was a jest from his friends. “Looking at it this way, Rory really is like Adolph’s most obedient dog.” He stood by, swirling his drink, not denying it. He even scoffed. “What are you talking about? She’s just a dog by my side, not ‘the most’ obedient one!” The room erupted in laughter. In that moment, it felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head. So cold. But it was also like I’d instantly woken up. After a moment’s thought, I quietly pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts to find the new guy my family had set me up with recently. I’d heard he was a genuinely wonderful person. But before, my mind was entirely consumed by Adolph, so I kept postponing the meeting and even thought about sabotaging it. Now… It seemed a little unethical, perhaps. But as everyone knows, the best way to get over an ex is to start something new. I tapped the screen. [Want to meet tomorrow?] To my surprise, he replied almost instantly. [Sure.] He was very gentlemanly. He offered to let me choose the time and he’d arrange the location. But when my parents had mentioned the meeting before, I hadn’t listened to a single word. So now, I knew absolutely nothing about this man. Arriving early at our meeting spot, I hesitated outside the door. What if I didn’t recognize him later? That would be so awkward. As I paced back and forth, I accidentally bumped into someone. I looked up. My gaze met a perfectly tailored, sharp suit. Above that, a face with astonishingly refined features. And the owner of that face was looking at me with a gentle expression. “Why aren’t you going in?” His seemingly perfectly kissable thin lips moved as he spoke… I subconsciously swallowed. Then quickly realized my lapse in composure. Because I knew this man. Archer Kingston. A well-known powerhouse in the industry. I’d seen his name countless times on Adolph’s company’s target partner list. But rumor had it he was ruthless, cold-hearted, and incredibly difficult to approach. Collaborations with him had never succeeded. I quickly stepped back, making way for him. “Oh, sorry, so sorry. I’m waiting for someone, I was a bit distracted, my apologies, please go ahead—” But the man in front of me let out a soft laugh. “Ms. Jenkins.” I looked up, surprised. How did he know my last name? His eyes held a hint of a smile. “Is there a chance the person you’re waiting for… is me?”

I was stunned. My family had only said they were setting me up with a truly great guy. But I never would have imagined it would be someone of Archer Kingston’s caliber. It wasn’t until I was sitting face-to-face with Archer in the private dining room he’d arranged that I kept my composure, smiling politely. Under the table, I was frantically texting my mom. [You set me up with Archer Kingston?!] [Is our family wealthy enough to marry into his now?!] [Did you guys get rich behind my back?!] My mom instantly replied with question marks. [???] [What are you talking about, honey? Daydreaming already?] [We set you up with one of Archer Kingston’s distant nephews.] [Your aunt probably didn’t explain it clearly, did she?] I glanced at the man across from me, who was smiling as he watched me. Surely there can’t be two faces this handsome? As our eyes met, I couldn’t pretend to be busy anymore. I stammered, “Um…” “Are you… Mr. Archer Kingston, right?” He nodded, then offered an apologetic smile. “Yes.” “My fault, I haven’t introduced myself yet.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Jenkins. I’m Archer Kingston, and I’m your date for today.” A concise introduction. But it was completely different from the information my mom had given me. My mind was reeling. “But, my blind date… wasn’t supposed to be…” Archer raised an eyebrow. He picked up the teacup on the table and took a light sip. “That kid isn’t good enough for you.” “So I came instead.” He looked up at me. “Is something wrong?” “Does Ms. Jenkins prefer him?” I froze. The way he said that… it was like we were old friends. My heart began to pound. Archer, however, remained completely composed, his calm, deep eyes fixed on me, clearly expecting an answer. I forced myself to speak. “Of course not… I don’t even know him.” He chuckled softly. “Then it’s okay for me to stand in for him, right?” I swallowed. “No… it’s fine.” 4. Of course, it was fine by me. It seemed like he was the one getting the short end of the stick. Archer, however, seemed visibly happy with my answer. He pulled a thick book from somewhere, stood up, and leaned over, placing it in front of me. “Good.” “This is my personal statement, outlining my background, hobbies, skills, career, income, and personal assets. Ms. Jenkins can review it.” “I won’t lie to you, Ms. Jenkins, I came to this meeting with the intention of marriage.” “My social circle is quite small and strictly professional, so I can guarantee absolute fidelity in marriage. After we’re married, I will fulfill everything I promise beforehand, and transfer all my personal assets to you unconditionally.” “I won’t put any pressure on my partner. As long as we don’t divorce, she’ll have complete freedom.” “If Ms. Jenkins finds my terms satisfactory, I hope my wish…” He paused after that long speech. Those beautiful eyes began to sparkle at me again. “…can be considered.” Archer’s voice was already warm and magnetic, and his strikingly handsome face, which I couldn’t tear my eyes from, was staring intently at me. I was genuinely dazed. I felt like I was floating on air. Was this just a delusion brought on by Adolph driving me crazy? Under the table, I pinched my thigh hard. Ouch! That stung! It wasn’t a dream. Perhaps my expression became increasingly blank. It wasn’t until a smile crept into Archer’s eyes that I realized I’d lost my composure again. I quickly grabbed my cup and took a strategic sip of water. Then I pretended to be composed and spoke. “Mr. Kingston.” “Are you saying… you want to marry me?” He looked at me. And nodded very seriously. “Yes.” “Ms. Jenkins, I hope to have the honor of becoming your husband.”

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Ever since I saw that unsent Instagram draft on River’s phone, I changed completely. When he worked night shifts, I stopped waiting up. When his clothes carried unfamiliar perfume, I stopped asking questions. When he explained that running into his first love was just a coincidence, I said flatly, “I believe you.” In the car accident, he instinctively shielded Clara in the passenger seat. I was in the back, my face covered in blood from the impact. At the gallery, he threw himself toward Clara without a second thought. I stood there, cut by shattered glass, no one caring. At the fire scene, he rushed in recklessly to save her. I stood outside and took off the engagement ring he’d just placed on my finger. I left a breakup note on the coffee table, flew to Africa, and disappeared into the crowd. Three months later, he tracked me down to the savannah like a madman, his eyes red. “Winona, you’re the one I actually love.” I looked at him and smiled. “River, I don’t care anymore.”

Winona’s POV Ever since I saw that unsent Instagram draft on River’s phone, I became a completely different person. When he worked night shifts until dawn, there was no longer a light waiting for him at home. When he spent over ten hours straight in the operating room, I stopped texting to ask if he was tired. When his shirts occasionally carried traces of unfamiliar perfume, I stopped asking about it. Even when acute gastroenteritis struck me in the middle of the night and I dragged myself to the ER alone, when the nurse quietly asked, “No family member with you?” I simply said, “I don’t have any family.” The nurse looked down at her computer, then glanced at me again. “You’re… the director’s girlfriend, right? I saw you at the hospital gala last time. The director is working the night shift tonight, just upstairs. Should I call him?” River was the youngest director this hospital had ever had. I hadn’t expected to be recognized. “No need,” I closed my eyes. “Don’t disturb him at work.” The nurse seemed like she wanted to say something but ultimately just arranged for me to stay in the observation room. Half an hour later, the observation room door swung open. River walked in wearing his crisp white coat, his palm habitually pressing against my forehead, his brow furrowing slightly. “Why didn’t you just call me when you got sick?” His palm was warm, with that familiar touch. In the past, even with just a mild headache, that warmth would have been enough to help me sleep peacefully. I turned my head away, avoiding his touch. “It’s just acute gastroenteritis. Some IV fluids and I’ll be fine. It’s not a big deal.” River’s hand froze in midair. He wanted to say something, but conversation from the hallway interrupted him, growing closer. “The director really cares about that Miss Clara in the VIP room… It’s just an appendectomy, but he personally performed the surgery, and he visits her every single day after, staying for ages.” “I heard that Miss Clara is the director’s professor’s daughter, and they used to date?” “No wonder the director treats her so specially. It’s already eleven at night, and didn’t the director just go up to see her again?” The voices faded with the footsteps, leaving an awkward silence. River’s expression changed. “Don’t pay attention to that gossip,” he said, almost reflexively. “Clara is my professor’s daughter. Before he died, he asked me to look after her. She has no family in this city. As her doctor, it’s my responsibility to take extra care of her.” “Mm.” I acknowledged with a sound and said nothing more. This response somehow irritated River. “You don’t believe me?” “I believe you.” I turned to look at him. “You’ve always been a responsible doctor. It’s right to take care of your patients.” River froze, suddenly at a loss for words. In the past, he always found my insecurity annoying and would explain impatiently, “Clara and I are ancient history. Now I only see her as my professor’s daughter. Can you stop being so sensitive?” Now I’d finally become what he wanted-not sensitive, not questioning, not angry. His frown deepened. He was about to speak when a soft thud came from outside the door. Clara stood in the doorway, leaning on an IV pole, her face pale as paper, the hem of her hospital gown stained with red from blood backing up into the IV line. “River…” She bit her lip, her voice weak. “I heard from the nurse that Miss Winona was hospitalized too…” “Why are you out of bed?” River rushed over to support her, his tone both reproachful and concerned. “Didn’t I tell you that you must stay in bed and rest?” Clara leaned weakly against him. “I was worried about Miss Winona. I wanted to come see her…” River sighed helplessly, scooped Clara up in his arms, and said to me over his shoulder, “I’ll take her back to her room first. I’ll be right back to stay with you.” His silhouette carrying Clara disappeared into the white light at the end of the hallway. I stared at the needle in the back of my hand, remembering River’s unsent Instagram post. The caption read: “Being by your side feels like going back to the past.” In that moment, I woke up as if from a dream. I finally understood. Deep in River’s heart, he had never truly let go of Clara. I suppressed the sharp pain in my chest, picked up my phone, and opened the unread email. I replied, “I have carefully read the email and am willing to accept this three-year photography expedition to Africa.”

Winona’s POV By the time the IV finished, the sky was already showing its first light. River never returned. I called the nurse myself, had the needle removed, declined the suggestion to stay for observation, and walked alone through the empty hallways. The smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils, and I suddenly remembered many years ago, also at a hospital, also on a cold morning like this. Back then, I was accompanying my mother for chemotherapy. After my mother fell asleep, I crouched in the stairwell, completely breaking down, not daring to make a sound, burying my face in my knees, my shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Suddenly, a pair of clean, slender fingers handed me a pack of tissues. I looked up and saw River in his white coat. His features were refined and handsome, his expression gentle as he comforted me. “Don’t cry. Your mother will get better.” The first time I met him, I remembered that voice and those beautiful eyes. Later, when my mother passed away, I found a note under her pillow while sorting through her belongings. It had a phone number written on it, with a small line of text beside it: “If you need help, you can call this number. River.” I never called that number, but I carefully kept the note in the pocket of my wallet. The second time I met him was at a gathering a friend organized. River sat in the darkest corner of the booth, his white shirt unbuttoned at the top two buttons, gold-rimmed glasses resting on the table. He drank alone, the surrounding commotion seemingly unrelated to him. My friend pushed me over. “That’s Dr. River. Like you, he’s single. You two should have a good chat.” As I approached, River looked up. The moment our eyes met, his gaze clearly wavered. “Have we met before?” he asked. I took out that yellowed note from my wallet. River stared at it for a long time, so long I thought he’d forgotten that first meeting, before I heard him say, “So it was you… You actually kept this note?” “Yes.” I replied softly. “Thank you for that.” That night he drove me home. In the car, he suddenly spoke. “Winona, want to be with me?” My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would leap out of my chest. But I held back the impulse and asked him, “Why… so sudden?” “I just think you’re a really good person.” He paused. “And you like me, don’t you?” I did have different feelings for him because of that first meeting. The note he left me had been a sliver of warm light in my darkest, saddest moments. Only later did I learn that the reason he was drinking alone that night was because he’d just broken up not long before. Clara had been the one to end it. Simply because Clara was going abroad to further her studies and felt long-distance was too difficult, she broke up with him directly. Clara left decisively, completely uncaring about River’s humble attempts to salvage the relationship. I wasn’t unaware that when he started a new relationship at that time, it wasn’t because he liked me that much, but because he wanted someone to help him move on from his dead-end romance with Clara. But even so, I still agreed to be with him. I always believed sincerity could be met with sincerity. As long as I was good enough to him, loved him enough, eventually he would completely let go of Clara, with only me in his heart and eyes. In reality, during the four years we’d been together, River was a competent boyfriend. He remembered all my food aversions, remembered my monthly cycle, remembered my birthday and all our anniversaries. His gifts and restaurant reservations were always thoughtfully arranged. My friends always envied me, saying thoughtful men like River were nearly impossible to find even with a lantern to light the way. I also thought I’d truly entered his heart. But a month ago, Clara suddenly returned to the country. A phone call came through, her voice tearful, saying her father was critically ill and she was alone at the hospital. After that, everything changed. Not only did he come home later and later after work, but his clothes always carried traces of unfamiliar perfume. Even in the middle of the night, when Clara dreamed of her deceased father and became sad, he’d grab a jacket and rush out. Because of Clara, we started arguing frequently. I felt like a paranoid, resentful woman. While despising myself, I couldn’t help asking him again and again with red eyes, “After all these years, have you still not forgotten her?” He grew increasingly impatient, blaming me for being sensitive and suspicious, saying he only took care of Clara to fulfill his professor’s dying wish. For a time, I thought maybe I really was being too sensitive and suspicious. Until I accidentally saw that unsent draft post on his phone. At that moment, my world completely shattered. My heart felt like it was being cut with knives, unbearably painful, yet instead of fighting or making a scene, I completely gave up hope.

Winona’s POV When I got home, it was already full daylight. The house was quiet, just as it had been when I left for the ER. Suddenly, my phone rang. “Is this Miss Winona?” A capable female voice came through. “Regarding the three-year ecological photography expedition to Africa, we need final confirmation. Have you really thought this through? The conditions in the African wilderness are extremely harsh, and you’ll need to be away from family and friends for an extended period.” I gripped my phone. “I’ve thought it through.” “Alright, we’ll handle the visa on our end. We just need you to provide some documents. The departure date is set for the fifth of next month. Is that okay with you?” The fifth of next month-two weeks from now. I responded, “No problem.” After ending the call, I looked around every corner of the house. I’d decorated this home bit by bit. When I moved in four years ago, it was empty with only the most basic furniture. I spent so much effort choosing curtain colors, selecting sofa styles, filling the balcony with plants, hanging my photography work on the walls. I used to think this would be my forever home with River, that we’d live here together for a very long time. But now, soon I’d be leaving forever. I pulled out my suitcase and was halfway through packing when the door opened. River stood in the doorway. Seeing my open suitcase, he froze. “What are you… doing?” I paused. “Nothing much. Just felt like the house had too much stuff. It’s been a while since I did a clean-out, so I’m throwing away things I don’t use or need anymore.” He was about to ask more when his phone suddenly rang. It was a special ringtone. His expression shifted slightly. He picked up his phone and walked to the balcony to answer. “Just got home. What’s wrong?” I continued organizing my camera equipment, pretending not to hear. From the balcony, River’s lowered voice came in fragments. “The wound hurts? Is it infected… Don’t worry, I’ll come check on you right away… Okay, I know, just lie down and don’t move…” After the call ended, River walked back, his expression somewhat complicated. I’d already finished cleaning my last lens and was carefully placing them into specially protected cases. I looked up with a smile. “What’s wrong? Something at the hospital?” “It’s Clara…” River hesitated. “She said her wound suddenly hurts a lot. It might be infected. I need to go check on her.” I looked at him and suddenly felt like such a failure. Four years-over a thousand days and nights of companionship and devotion-couldn’t earn a man’s wholehearted love. I nodded. “Then go quickly. Wound infection is no small matter. You can’t delay.” “Winona, I…” “Go on.” I’d already stood up, zipping up my camera case. “Miss Clara needs you most right now. Don’t keep her waiting.” In the past, if I heard he was going to see Clara, I would definitely have asked with red-rimmed eyes, “You just came back from the hospital. There are other doctors. Do you really need to go?” But now, I just smiled and even reminded him not to keep Clara waiting. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.” River nodded. “Let’s have lunch together, okay? At that new Japanese restaurant you’ve been wanting to try.” I smiled. “Sure. But if you get held up there, it’s fine. I can take care of myself.” River opened his mouth to say something but ultimately said nothing, turning and leaving the bedroom. I stood there, listening to the sound of the car engine starting and gradually fading away. Then I continued packing.

Winona’s POV At noon, River didn’t come back. I received a text from him. “Clara’s wound is indeed a bit infected and needs treatment. I might be late getting back. Eat lunch yourself, don’t wait for me.” I looked at that text, my finger hovering over the screen for a few seconds, then I turned off the screen without replying. The day Clara was discharged happened to be my birthday. River had mentioned it to me a few days in advance. “Clara just lost her father not long ago, and she doesn’t have any relatives or friends here. I want to throw her a birthday party, to lift her spirits and improve her mood.” I was organizing my equipment list for the Africa trip. Without looking up, I said, “Sure, do you need me to help arrange it?” River paused. He’d expected me to be unhappy. “You don’t mind?” he asked tentatively. “Mind what?” I looked up. “Throwing a party for a friend is perfectly normal. Besides, Miss Clara’s had it pretty rough-her father just died, and she had surgery and was hospitalized herself.” He didn’t let me help arrange the birthday party. On the day itself, everyone who attended were old classmates Clara and River had in common. As River’s girlfriend, I was naturally on the invitation list too. After too much drinking, the atmosphere grew lively. “I’m just saying,” a tipsy guy stood up with his glass, “our director and Miss Clara were the best couple at medical school back in the day! I want to see them drink while gazing into each other’s eyes!” The private room instantly erupted with jeering. River frowned. “Stop it. Winona’s here.” “What about Winona?” another girl chimed in. “Winona’s super chill! Right, Winona?” Everyone looked at me. I said casually, “Go ahead and play. It’s a birthday-having fun is what matters most.” Amid the jeering, River and Clara picked up their glasses. The two stood very close, close enough to smell each other’s breath. Clara’s face was flushed, her eyes bright as she looked at River, while River’s expression was complicated, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward me. I held up my phone, taking photos. After they finished drinking, the room filled with applause and whistles. River set down his glass, his first reaction to look at me. I’d already put away my phone and was chatting with someone nearby. “Winona…” River walked to my side, lowering his voice. “Just now…” “The photos came out really well.” I turned my phone screen toward him, showing the photo I’d just taken, the image frozen on the moment River and Clara drank their crossed toast. “Look, the lighting and composition are both good. Miss Clara’s white dress photographs beautifully.” River was speechless. Halfway through the party, I got up to use the restroom. Coming out of the restroom, I ran into Clara in the hallway. “Miss Winona.” Clara stopped me, an apologetic look on her face. “About earlier… I’m sorry. Everyone was just playing around. Please don’t take it to heart.” I turned to look at her. “Why would I take it to heart?” Clara was caught off guard, pausing before saying, “I mean… River and I really are just friends. Please don’t misunderstand…” “I haven’t misunderstood.” I smiled. “You’re friends, old acquaintances, each other’s youthful memories. I know all that.” I turned to leave. “Wait!” Clara suddenly called out. I stopped but didn’t turn around. “He has a hidden album on his phone. The password is my birthday. It contains all our memories.” Clara’s voice carried a hint of triumph. “Winona, you’ve been with him for four years. Has he ever created a dedicated album just for you?” My body stiffened. But I didn’t turn around. “So what?” “So…” Clara walked in front of me, looking at me. “So he’s never forgotten me. Winona, these four years, you’ve just been keeping him company in my place.”

Winona’s POV I laughed. “Miss Clara, we’re all adults. There’s no need to play these games. If you want him, go fight for him. You don’t need to come show off to me about how special you are to him.” Leaving Clara with an ugly expression, I walked away. When I returned to the private room, River was looking for me. “Where did you go? You were gone so long.” “I ran into Miss Clara and we chatted for a bit.” I sat down and took a sip from my glass. River frowned. “What did you talk about?” “Nothing much.” I smiled. “She just told me you have a hidden album on your phone, and the password is her birthday.” A flash of unease crossed River’s eyes. “Winona, let me explain…” “No need to explain.” I interrupted him. “That’s your privacy. I respect that.” River stared at me. “Winona, something’s really off with you.” River grabbed his coat. “Come on, let’s go home and have a proper talk!” “But the birthday party isn’t over yet…” “Let’s go!” He pulled me up without allowing any argument, said goodbye to everyone, and left the private room. As soon as we got in the car, someone knocked on the window. River lowered the window. Clara stood outside, her long hair gently lifting in the night breeze. She bit her lip. “Everyone’s left. I can’t get a ride. Could you give me a lift?” Before River could speak, I’d already pushed open the car door. “Of course. Miss Clara, sit in the front. The view’s better.” Clara froze, the words she’d prepared stuck in her throat. She looked at me, confusion flashing in her eyes, but still got into the passenger seat. The car drove through the night. Clara kept talking, reminiscing about college days, reminiscing about all the little moments with River. River occasionally responded with a word or two, mostly staying silent. She continued with melancholy, “Sometimes I really regret it. If only I hadn’t gone abroad back then…” “It’s all in the past.” River cut her off. The car fell into brief silence. Just then, a car suddenly shot out from a side road. River jerked the steering wheel and slammed the brakes. The car spun out of control and crashed into the roadside barrier. In the tremendous momentum, River instinctively reached out to shield Clara in the passenger seat. In the back seat, I was violently thrown forward, my forehead slamming hard into the back of the front seat. Intense pain struck, and warm liquid flowed down from my temple. “Winona!” River turned to see my face covered in blood, his face instantly turning deathly pale. “Are you okay?” I wiped the blood blurring my vision with the back of my hand. “I’m fine… Take Miss Clara first.” “You’re like this and you still…” “I’m really fine. I can take a taxi to the hospital myself. Miss Clara was frightened. You should take her home to rest quickly.” With that, I pushed open the car door, walked to the roadside, hailed a taxi, and left without looking back. After I finished getting my wound treated and left, I returned home and leaned on the sofa. River pushed through the door and rushed over, crouching in front of me. “Why did you leave alone? Do you know how worried I was?” I opened my eyes. “Weren’t you supposed to take care of Miss Clara? Her father just died, she’s emotionally unstable-she needs you more.” “Winona!” River finally couldn’t hold back. He grabbed my hand. “What’s been going on with you lately? Is it because Clara came back and you’re uncomfortable? I’ve told you, she and I…” “I know.” I pulled my hand back. “You’re ancient history. You’re taking care of her only because her father just died and she has no family in this city. I understand all of it.” “Then why are you…” “River,” I looked at him and suddenly smiled, “do you remember how I used to get upset when you spent time with Clara, and you’d always say I was too sensitive, too unreasonable?” River froze. “Now I’m reasonable, not sensitive, not upset.” I shrugged. “Isn’t this what you always wanted?”

Winona’s POV I stood up. “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to bed.” As I turned, he suddenly grabbed my wrist. “Winona, you’re not going to leave me, are you?” I hadn’t expected him to notice so keenly. Since he’d guessed, I might as well be honest-we could part on good terms. But then River locked his gaze on me intensely. “We’ve been together for four years. By now we’re both used to each other’s presence. You won’t leave me, right?” So he was anxious about me leaving only because he’d grown accustomed to my presence. I suddenly remembered that in all these years together, though River had been a competent boyfriend, he’d never once said the word “love” to me. Thinking about it now, he never said “love” to me perhaps because the person he truly loved in his heart was someone else. As for me, I was just a habit. I smiled slightly. “You’re right.” I had indeed grown accustomed to his presence too. It was just a habit I could break. Perhaps it was my recent abnormal behavior that made River especially uneasy. He actually took several days off and stayed home specifically to keep me company. He personally cooked the dishes I liked, took me out to movies and shopping-everything seemed just like before. Yet something had changed. A couple days later, Clara called. When the specially assigned ringtone sounded in the living room, I was watering plants on the balcony. I heard River answer the phone, his tone unconsciously gentle. “Clara?” My hand paused. Water flowed in a thin stream from the watering can’s spout. River hung up and came over. “Clara said a friend of hers is holding an art exhibition here, opening tomorrow. She got two extra tickets and wants to invite us both.” Before he spoke, I heard that he’d already agreed. “Sounds good.” I set down the watering can. “I haven’t been to an exhibition in a long time anyway.” The next day, when River and I arrived at the exhibition venue, Clara, carefully made up, was already waiting at the entrance to the gallery. “River! You’re here!” She hurried forward, very naturally reaching out to link her arm with River’s. River’s body stiffened slightly, his peripheral vision glancing at me. I’d already started walking inside. Behind me, Clara’s soft voice continued, “This exhibition is hosted by a friend of mine who just returned from France. Many of the works are really interesting…” The gallery had soft lighting and sparse crowds. “River, look at this one.” Clara pointed at an oil painting depicting a seaside sunset. “Doesn’t it look like that bay we went to for landscape painting in college?” River followed her pointing finger, memories stirring, his expression somewhat dazed. “Mm, it does look similar.” Clara wore a nostalgic expression. “Thinking back to that time, it was really wonderful. We did so many things together, went to so many interesting places…” I had no interest in listening to them reminisce. I was quickly drawn to several works combining ecological photography with oil painting and slowed my pace. “Watch out!” The instant the cry rang out, a sharp snapping sound came from overhead, steel cables breaking. I looked up and saw a massive suspended installation losing balance, toppling toward where they stood. Everything happened too fast. River didn’t hesitate for even a second. He lunged toward Clara, wrapping her tightly in his arms as they both rolled toward a safe area. I only had time to raise my arms to protect my head and face. Shattered crystal fragments rained down. Sharp pieces sliced across my left shoulder, bringing piercing pain. I staggered backward. My foot caught on something and I fell. The back of my head slammed hard against the edge of a metal display stand. Intense pain came with instant darkness, warm liquid flowing from both my shoulder and the back of my head. I lay on the cold floor, ears ringing, vision beginning to blur. I used all my strength to turn my head slightly. Through the blood haze, I saw River helping Clara to her feet. Blood seeped through his back, yet his first instinct was to check on Clara. His voice carried a panic I’d never heard before. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you injured?” Clara leaned against him, pale, shaking her head gently. So he really did love Clara. Loved her so much that in a crisis, he’d instinctively save her first. Loved her so much that he’d ignore his own wounds. Loved her so much that he’d forget about me, his girlfriend of four years, and how badly I was hurt. I tugged slightly at the corner of my lips, then lost consciousness as darkness swallowed everything.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “363453”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #玄幻Fantasy #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn #狼人Werewolf

Sitting on the plane, I still felt dazed. I never thought that after five years abroad, I would have the chance to come back. After all, Orion had said that in this lifetime, I’d better never appear in front of him again. But it was also he who personally bought me a ticket back home, inviting me to attend his and Melissa’s wedding anniversary celebration. After two layovers, I finally landed. Uma had been sleeping peacefully on the plane, but once we got off, she started crying. “Mommy, my feet hurt,” she whimpered softly. Hearing Uma’s quiet sobs, I quickly picked her up and walked towards the exit. At the arrival gate, I turned on my phone, ready to call a cab. Just then, my phone rang. Seeing the familiar number on the screen, I fell silent, unsure whether to answer or not. In the end, I didn’t pick up. But a second call came through almost immediately. I sighed and finally answered. Orion’s voice quickly came through. After years without talking, his voice hadn’t changed. “Are you out of the airport? I sent an assistant to pick you up,” Orion said in a businesslike manner, as if we were strangers. I laughed bitterly, “I can get a cab myself.” There was silence for a second; Orion probably didn’t expect me to say that. After all, back then, I had been well taken care of by him. During my years by his side, all my needs were met – I never had to worry about transportation. After a moment of silence, Orion spoke casually, “Let the assistant come anyway. I bought a gift for Melissa on your behalf, it’s in the trunk. You can bring it directly when you come for dinner.” Orion was still so thoughtful, considering even the gift situation perfectly. Of course, when he spent millions on the venue and commissioned a limited edition diamond to create a unique wedding ring for Melissa, it was clear how much he loved her. “Alright,” I said, rubbing my forehead and responding softly. Orion didn’t say anything more, but he didn’t hang up either. After a while, Orion finally spoke: “Yara, after five years abroad, I hope you’ve really reflected on things. If you do anything to Melissa, I won’t let you off easy.” Hearing this, I was stunned. The noise around me seemed to fade away. Orion said he wouldn’t let me off easy. Before I could respond, Orion had already hung up. Actually, Orion could rest assured. I wouldn’t do anything to them. I just wanted to take good care of Uma and find a job. As I left the airport, I lowered my head. The proud 22-year-old me probably couldn’t have imagined that my life would end up in such a miserable state.

I was sent abroad by Orion on my 22nd birthday. That day, Orion discovered my diary. When I was young, my parents died in a cruise ship accident and never returned. Orion naturally took over my care. My relationship with him had always been harmonious. Until I became an adult, I realized I didn’t just see Orion as an uncle. I liked him. But I also knew very clearly that there was no future between Orion and me. So I wrote all my feelings in my diary. If Orion hadn’t seen my diary, I probably could have pretended that my feelings for him were just those of a niece for her uncle. But Orion saw it. He tore up my diary and asked me how I could have such disgusting thoughts. “Don’t you know I’m your uncle! Even without a blood relation, we can only be family!” The usually gentlemanly and refined Orion was no longer gentle, shouting at me with disgust in his eyes. At that time, I wanted to explain, but couldn’t explain anything. In the end, I could only keep bowing and apologizing, saying I was wrong, that I shouldn’t have fallen for him. But Orion didn’t calm down. The next day, he resigned from the job I had lined up, and under the guise of studying abroad, sent me to a remote university overseas. To prevent me from contacting the outside world, Orion even hired bodyguards to watch me. At first, I didn’t understand why Orion treated me this way. Until the first month after I went abroad, news of Orion’s marriage went viral. Only then did I realize that all these years, he had always had someone in his heart. I watched Orion’s wedding video over and over again. In the video, when looking at Melissa, Orion’s gaze was gentle and loving. He had never looked at me that way. From that moment on, I knew that Orion keeping me by his side for so many years was just out of sympathy and responsibility. His only love was Melissa. “Miss John, please get in the car,” the assistant’s voice brought me back to reality.

I nodded and got into the car with the sleeping Uma. When he saw Uma, the assistant’s face showed a hint of surprise: “Miss John, this is…?” I made a shushing gesture, afraid our conversation would disturb Uma’s sleep. After sitting in the back seat, I answered softly: “This is my daughter.” The assistant nodded and fell silent. When he drove to our destination, I was stunned. This hotel was where Orion and Melissa got married. Five years of marriage, he held a wedding anniversary celebration every year, and personally selected gifts for Melissa. I thought, Orion really cherished Melissa. In previous years, he didn’t allow me to enter their world. Inviting me back this year was probably just to let me witness their happiness. I numbly got out of the car and saw Melissa smiling as she walked towards me. Unlike my haggard appearance and simple clothes, Melissa wore expensive jewelry and perfume, looking well-cared for by Orion. Melissa’s smile suddenly froze. I knew she had seen Uma in my arms. Sure enough, when she came to my side, Melissa’s expression was very surprised: “Yara, how did you secretly have a child abroad without telling me? I’ve been married to your uncle for so long, you still treat me like an outsider.” Before I could speak, Melissa took Uma from my arms without asking. Uma woke up and immediately started crying, struggling not to let Melissa hold her. I took Uma back from Melissa and comforted her for a while. Actually, Melissa knew about my past crush on Orion. Returning this time, I didn’t want to get too involved with Melissa. But Melissa still stubbornly wanted to hold Uma. When Melissa and I arrived at the hotel’s private room, Uma was still crying and wanting me to hold her. Melissa forced a smile and handed Uma back to me: “Your uncle knows having children isn’t easy. We haven’t thought about having kids these past few years. Seeing you’ve had a daughter, I got too excited.” There were already several people sitting in the room. I wasn’t used to socializing, so I chose a corner seat, and Melissa sat down next to me. She enthusiastically linked arms with me, introducing me and Uma to the others. The looks others gave me were visibly teasing and probing. I couldn’t stand the strange atmosphere here and said I wanted to go to the restroom. When I came back after washing my face, I heard Melissa’s voice. Someone asked Melissa why she brought in an unlucky thing like me. “What unlucky thing, Yara is Orion’s sister. Although she went down the wrong path and tried to seduce Orion before, now that she’s had a child, she definitely won’t make mistakes again.” Hearing Melissa say this, I just quietly stood at the door of the private room. Yes, in others’ eyes, I was just a madwoman who tried to seduce her uncle, a shameless slut. Uma tugged at my clothes uneasily, and I comforted her before entering the room. Some things have to be faced eventually. I don’t know how long passed, but suddenly everyone in the room stood up. “Mr. John is here!” “Hello, Mr. John!” A group of people crowded around him, while I didn’t move, just sitting in my seat. After a long time, I finally raised my head and looked at Orion. He seemed to have lost some weight. Orion wore a suit, with Melissa leaning on him. When they looked at each other, their eyes were full of smiles. Orion was surrounded by people and didn’t notice me in the corner. All these years, he who should have been the center of attention still was, while the only one not doing well was me. Suddenly, Melissa seemed to remember something and pushed Orion with a smile: “Orion, Yara is here too. You uncle and niece haven’t seen each other for so many years, catch up a bit. Yara even brought back a surprise!” Hearing the word “surprise”, Orion remained unmoved, first helping Melissa sit down and ordering her a glass of milk before raising his eyes to look in my direction. Uma shrank into a ball, looking very wary. Orion obviously saw Uma too, his eyes widening suddenly. “Yara, what is this?” He was asking about Uma. I hadn’t told them about Uma, so when they saw me with her, their expressions were all the same – either surprised or looking like they were watching a show. Melissa spoke for me: “Orion, this is Yara’s daughter. Isn’t she cute? She looks just like Yara and seems to be a few years old already.” Orion’s gaze fell on Uma, then on me, examining me for a while. Just when I thought Orion wouldn’t pay attention to me anymore, he asked hoarsely, pointing at Uma: “During these years abroad… you got married and had a child?” I raised my head, looking directly at Orion, and nodded. “I got married a while ago. Sorry I didn’t tell you.” It was very quiet around, no one spoke. Orion stared at me, as if trying to judge whether my words were true or false. Melissa seemed about to say something, but Orion had already come to stand in front of me: “Where’s your husband?” I pursed my lips: “He’s busy recently, so he didn’t come.” Whispers and snickers sounded around the room, though these guests seemed to restrain their laughter out of respect for Orion. Orion’s face was aJohn, but in the end he didn’t say anything, just sat down next to Melissa. This meal, I ate without tasting anything. Everyone else was praising how well-matched Orion and Melissa were, while I just wanted to take Uma to rest early. The rent here wasn’t too expensive, I could still afford it. I didn’t want to go abroad again. The meal ended quickly. I wanted to leave, but Orion stopped me, saying he had something to tell me. In the end, Orion and I stayed in the private room. Melissa was there too. Orion looked at me coldly, his words as emotionless as his expression. “Yara, since we all have our own families now, I hope you won’t come to bother me in the future.” Melissa covered the smile at the corner of her lips: “Orion, don’t say that to Yara. She’s a grown woman now, she knows what she shouldn’t do.” The couple sang in harmony, looking particularly in sync. And I was excluded from this synchronization. They never believed the promises I made. But I still nodded and bowed: “I won’t in the future.” They didn’t say anything, and I had already turned to leave with Uma in my arms. Orion called his assistant to send me off, but this time I refused. After returning to the rental apartment with Uma, she suddenly asked me quietly if the uncle and aunt today disliked her. They say children are perceptive and know everything. I shook my head: “They don’t dislike Uma.” They just dislike me. Uma looked like she had many questions she wanted to ask me, but in the end she didn’t, just hugged me and said, mom, you’ve worked hard. The tears I had held back all day seemed about to fall at this moment. But I couldn’t cry in front of Uma. So I tilted my head back, holding back the tears. After putting Uma to sleep, I suddenly received a text message. The sender was Melissa. “Yara, if you have time, let’s talk.” I frowned and told her she could just text me directly. But Melissa didn’t send any more messages. Just before bed, I received a call from Melissa. “I’m downstairs at your place. I just want to ask you one thing.” “Do you have any thoughts of going abroad again recently? Orion and I actually both hope you’ll continue to stay abroad. And your husband is abroad too, right? It’s better for you to go abroad.” I was a bit confused at first, but after realizing, I found it a bit funny. The only thing that could make Melissa contact me late at night was probably just this. They both hated me to this extent. They couldn’t even stand being in the same country as me. I glanced at Uma sleeping beside me. After going downstairs, I indeed saw Melissa standing under a streetlight. Standing in front of her, I took a deep breath before looking directly into her eyes: “I don’t plan to go abroad.” Even if just for Uma’s sake, I won’t take her on such a tiring journey again. Melissa laughed lightly. With no one else around, her gaze finally showed undisguised contempt. “Yara, I know you’re very short on money now. What if I could give you a sum of money, would you be willing to go abroad?”

I was silent for a moment. The fact that I was short on money was already common knowledge. Melissa and Orion knew I had a hard time abroad, so when threatening me, they were also very clear about my weakness. But I refused. Melissa seemed a bit surprised. That night, Melissa and I parted on bad terms. For the next few days, I was busy looking for work, but I would be rejected after the first round of interviews every time. It wasn’t until a young interviewer hesitantly told me that this was Ms. Cheng’s order that I realized Melissa didn’t even want me to find a job. Melissa was determined to make me go abroad again. After being stunned for a long time, I thanked the interviewer who told me the truth. Just as I left the interview company, I received a text message from the hospital. Last night, I had made an appointment at the hospital, wanting to get some antidepressants. During the consultation, the doctor told me that my recent condition was very poor and I should consider doing more psychological counseling sessions. Back when I was abroad, doctors had given me similar advice. It seemed my depression had indeed become very serious. As I was leaving the clinic looking at the prescription instructions, I accidentally bumped into someone while passing a corner. “I’m sorry…” I apologized first, but when I looked up, I found that the person standing in front of me was Orion. And behind him was Melissa. Orion frowned, seemingly not intending to talk to me, and was about to leave directly. At this time, Orion suddenly noticed the medicine in my hand. “Yara, what are you doing at the hospital?” He seemed to want to see what I was holding, but I had already quickly stuffed the medicine box into my bag: “I just caught a cold recently, came to buy some medicine.” Melissa chimed in at the right moment: “There are indeed quite a few people getting the flu lately.” But Orion didn’t speak, still staring at my bag. I lowered my head and quickly went downstairs. The encounter with Orion was not in my expectations. In the past, I always wanted to see Orion, but he was always busy. Before going abroad, I could count on one hand the number of times I met with Orion. Most of the time, he would only occasionally send me a couple of messages. After going abroad, Orion simply didn’t contact me at all. Unexpectedly, after returning home, when I really didn’t want to run into Orion anymore, I could bump into him. I’ve had depression for a long time. At the worst times, I experienced severe somatization symptoms and even thought about jumping off a building, but I still gritted my teeth and lived on. When I got home, Uma was waiting for me in the living room. Uma didn’t sleep well last night, so I decided to take her to bed early. But just as we were finally starting to feel a bit drowsy, I smelled something burning. Uma was sound asleep, completely unaware of anything wrong. At first, I thought the neighbors had just burned their food, but as the burning smell got stronger, I finally realized something was wrong. Suddenly rolling out of bed, I stood by the window and saw thick smoke rising into the sky.

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New Year’s return home—my electric scooter suddenly exploded. It burned the neighbor’s Maybach and killed a grandmother and her grandson passing by. My entire family drained their savings to pay compensation for me, taking on millions in debt. The victims’ families cursed me for twenty years. I worked eight jobs a day to pay it all back. The night I finally paid off the debt, I died from overwork. Before I closed my eyes, I heard my parents laughing outside the door: “Actually, the Maybach was never burned. That old woman and her grandson faked their deaths. She really believed it and worked herself to death earning money!” “What else could we do? Brandon needs money for his house and car! We’ve raised her all these years—she finally became useful.” So my twenty years were all a joke. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the explosion. This time, I rode the electric scooter away early and sank it into the pond behind the back mountain. Without the scooter, let’s see how you perform your act! But at three in the afternoon, the explosion still happened.

The nuts in my hand scattered across the floor. I stood frozen in place. Impossible. I had clearly sunk the electric scooter in the pond. How could there still be an explosion? I rushed out the door. Thick smoke billowed from the direction of the village entrance, flames shooting into the sky. Neighbors screamed as they ran toward it. I followed, running. My legs went weak, my heart pounded like a drum. The scene was even more horrific than in my previous life. That Maybach was truly burning, crackling and popping with explosive sounds. Beside the car, two charred bodies lay on the ground, faces beyond recognition. “Call the police!” “Whose electric scooter is this? Why is it parked here charging?” “Looks like it belongs to the girl from the Reynolds family. I saw her pushing it this morning!” Everyone turned to stare at me in unison. I opened my mouth but couldn’t make a sound. This was impossible. My electric scooter was in the pond. How could it be here? How could it have exploded? “Rachel! Is this your electric scooter?” The car owner, Mr. Lewis, crawled out of the vehicle, blood covering his face. He screamed at me hysterically: “I’ll kill you! This is my brand new Maybach! Three hundred thousand dollars! You owe me three hundred thousand!” I backed away repeatedly, my mind blank. In my previous life, the explosion was fake. How had it become real in this life? And my electric scooter was clearly at the bottom of the pond. Why would it appear here? “It wasn’t me…” I mumbled, “My electric scooter isn’t here…” “You’re still making excuses!” Mrs.from next door pointed at my nose and cursed, “I saw you with my own eyes this morning pushing your electric scooter out. If it’s not yours, whose is it?” “Exactly! Who else around here has a red electric scooter besides you?” “Murderer! Pay with your life!” The crowd surrounded me, shoving and cursing. The abuse nearly drowned me—worse than in my previous life. But at least in my previous life, I knew it was fake. Now, two lives had truly died right before my eyes. The Maybach was truly burning. “Rachel, what’s going on?” My parents and brother pushed through the crowd. Dad’s face was ashen. Mom sat down hard on the ground, slapping her thighs and wailing: “Dear God, what do we do? Our family will be ruined!” My brother Brandon and his girlfriend stood to the side, eyes shifty, not daring to look at me. The exact same scene as my previous life. But this time, the explosion was real. The deaths were real. Did they not know? “Rachel, is it really your electric scooter?” Brandon came over, lowering his voice. “Didn’t you push it to town for repairs this morning? How could it be here?” I stared hard into his eyes, looking for any sign of deception. But I only saw panic.

“This isn’t mine!” I said through clenched teeth. “I sank mine in the pond!” “What?” Brandon’s eyes went wide. “Rachel, what are you talking about? Are you in shock?” “I’m not crazy! At six this morning, I pushed my electric scooter to the pond behind the back mountain. I tied stones to it and sank it! This exploded scooter isn’t mine!” The crowd went quiet for a moment, then erupted in even louder commotion. “This girl’s lost it. What nonsense is she spouting?” “Sinking it in a pond? I think she just wants to shirk responsibility!” “Call the police! Have them arrest her!” Dad rushed up and slapped me across the face. “You bastard! How dare you lie! Those are two human lives!” I clutched my face, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth. This slap hurt just as much as in my previous life. But in my previous life, I thought Dad was truly angry and desperate. Later I learned it was just an act, to make the performance more convincing, to make me feel more guilty, more willing to work like a slave. But this time, the explosion was real. If they really had orchestrated all this, then what about those two lives and that burning Maybach? The police arrived quickly and sealed off the scene. I was taken aside for questioning, my whole body numb. “Name?” “Rachel Reynolds.” “Is that electric scooter yours?” “No.” I lifted my head, eyes resolute. “My electric scooter is in the pond. I sank it myself this morning. That exploded scooter looks like mine, but it’s not mine.” The officer frowned. “Miss Reynolds, we have eyewitness testimony that the electric scooter was yours. Also, we found remnants of your license plate at the explosion site.” “Impossible!” I jumped to my feet. “My license plate is A88888. What license plate did you find?” The officer looked down at his notes. “A88888.” I felt like I’d been struck by lightning and sank back into the chair. This was impossible. My electric scooter was in the pond. How could my license plate appear at the explosion site? Could someone have retrieved my electric scooter? But when could that have happened? I sank it at six in the morning. It exploded at three in the afternoon. Who could have retrieved an electric scooter from such a deep pond in such a short time, then pushed it to the village entrance to charge and detonate it? And why would they do that? “I need to check the pond.” I grabbed the officer’s hand. “Come with me to the back mountain pond. My electric scooter is there. If you dredge it, you’ll definitely find it!” The officers exchanged glances. Perhaps seeing how agitated I was, they finally nodded in agreement. The pond at the back mountain was surrounded by villagers watching the commotion. Two officers removed their jackets and jumped into the icy water. I waited anxiously on the shore, hands clenched tight. As long as they retrieved that electric scooter, it would prove my innocence. The exploded one was a fake. Someone deliberately framed me. “Found something!” An officer surfaced, holding up an object. My heart leaped to my throat. It was a red plastic fragment, definitely from an electric scooter. “Is there more down there? Where’s the whole scooter?” I shouted. The officer dove down again. After a few minutes, he resurfaced, shaking his head: “There’s nothing else down there. Just this fragment and some stones.” “Impossible!” I shrieked. “I sank the entire scooter! I tied four big stones to it. How could it be gone?”

“Miss Reynolds, are you certain you actually sank your electric scooter here?” The officer climbed ashore, his expression serious. “There’s no scooter at the bottom—only this fragment. And according to our preliminary investigation, the electric scooter wreckage at the explosion site does match your vehicle information.” “I don’t know how this happened…” I held my head, my mind in complete chaos. I clearly remembered pushing the electric scooter here, tying stones to it, watching it sink. But now the scooter was gone, leaving only a fragment. Had I remembered wrong? Had I never sunk it at all and instead pushed it directly to the village entrance? Impossible. I remembered the cold of the ice, the weight of the stones tied to the seat, the bubbles rising as the scooter entered the water. Those memories were so vivid. How could they be false? “Rachel, stop making excuses.” Mom wailed in the crowd. “A life for a life, debts must be paid—that’s justice. Our family may be poor, but we can’t do such unconscionable things!” “Exactly. The nerve to do it but not admit it—what kind of person is that?” “She always seemed like such an honest girl. Who knew she had such a black heart?” The villagers’ curses pierced me like knives. I looked around. Every face was so strange yet so familiar. In my previous life, they cursed me like this too. For a full twenty years. But before I died in my previous life, I learned the truth—I knew I’d been wronged. In this life, even I was starting to doubt whether I really had sunk the electric scooter in the pond. “I want to see the surveillance footage.” I suddenly said. “There’s a camera at the village entrance, right? Check if I pushed the scooter there!” The officer nodded. “We’ve already pulled the footage, but unfortunately, the camera at the village entrance broke yesterday and hasn’t been fixed yet.” My heart sank. “What about… other cameras nearby?” “We checked. At six this morning, you were indeed seen pushing an electric scooter out of the village, but after that, no cameras captured you.” “What about the road to the pond? Are there any cameras at the back mountain?” The officer shook his head. “The back mountain is wasteland. No cameras.” I felt despair. No surveillance to prove I sank the scooter. No scooter to prove my innocence. Everyone was accusing me. Even I was beginning to waver. Could I really not have sunk it? Could the explosion truly have been caused by my electric scooter? “Rachel, don’t do this.” Brandon came over, looking concerned. “Even if it was an accident, we won’t blame you. We’re family—we’ll bear this together.” He reached out to help me up. Looking at his hypocritical face, I suddenly felt sick. In my previous life, he said the same thing. “We’ll bear this together.” Then I was the only one who bore it. He was the only one who benefited. “Get lost.” I shook off his hand. “I don’t need your fake concern.” Brandon’s expression changed, then quickly returned to that aggrieved look. “Rachel, I know you’re under pressure, but how can you treat me like this…” “Enough!” Dad rushed over and kicked my shoulder. “You make a mistake and still dare lose your temper at your brother! I think you’ve gone mad!” I fell to the ground, my shoulder burning with pain. Mom rushed up too, pinching and hitting me. “You killed two people and now want to drag our whole family down! Why don’t you just die!” I curled up on the ground, letting them beat and curse me.

In my previous life, they pushed all responsibility onto me, portraying themselves as victims. But before I died in my previous life, at least I knew it was an act. In this life, I didn’t know anymore. If they truly didn’t know the truth, if the explosion truly was an accident, then their anger now was real. And I was the culprit who killed two people and destroyed a three-hundred-thousand-dollar luxury car. “Stop hitting her!” An officer pulled my parents away. “The investigation isn’t complete. You can’t take matters into your own hands.” “What’s left to investigate? She did it!” Mom wailed dramatically. “What sins did the Reynolds family commit to give birth to such a curse!” I was brought back to the village and locked in the main hall. Night fell. I curled up in the corner, my mind in turmoil. Those memories from my previous life, those memories of my parents conspiring—were they real or fake? If they were innocent, then what did my twenty years in the previous life even mean? I felt confused. Had I really had a mental breakdown? Were all those memories from my previous life just hallucinations? At midnight, I secretly slipped out through the window, wanting to check the pond again to see if I could find any clues. I didn’t expect to see my parents and brother at the pond. Their voices were very low, but I still caught fragments. “What do we do? The plan changed? Did she really sink the scooter?” “If she really sank it, then whose was the one that exploded?” “Forget it. It already exploded anyway. Let’s proceed with the original plan…” “What about those two lives? They really seem dead, but they’re not the two people we arranged…” “Who did it?” “Don’t know, but it works out. Saves us money on hiring actors.” My whole body went cold, as if plunged into ice. They did have a plan. The explosion, deaths, and debts in my previous life—they orchestrated all of it. It was all real. But in this life, the explosion and deaths became real, beyond their expectations. Yet they still wanted to proceed with the original plan, still wanted me to take the fall, to be their scapegoat! “What about the scooter in the pond?” That was Brandon’s voice. “Why is it gone?” “Don’t know. Is it possible she misremembered and never sank it at all?” “Impossible. I checked the pond this morning. There was a hole in the ice—clear signs of something sinking.” “Then what happened? Did the scooter grow legs and walk away?” “Who cares? Now there’s no proof either way. Whatever she says, no one will believe her. We’ll just insist it was her scooter and make her pay compensation.” “But those are two human lives. Will we really let her go to prison?” “What prison? Just pay compensation. We’ll pretend to help her bear the burden first, make her grateful, then send her out to work and earn money. Same as the plan—make her our cash cow!” I knew it. What I heard before dying in my previous life wasn’t a hallucination! This was indeed their plan! But if all this was real, then where did the electric scooter I sank to the bottom of the pond go? Mom and Dad didn’t know. Brandon didn’t know either. They just wanted to use the same trick again, to continue bleeding me dry. Even if they couldn’t bleed me, they just wanted to pin the blame on me. But only by finding the electric scooter could I clear my name! Just then, I suddenly remembered. When I first bought the electric scooter, because I didn’t have enough money, I chose an installment plan. The seller installed a tracking device in an inconspicuous spot on the scooter.

I was selling used furniture on a resale platform when a girl messaged me to haggle: “Could you lower the price a bit?” “I haven’t graduated yet. I just had a fight with my roommate and moved out of the dorm. My boyfriend found this place for me.” “He’s really wealthy and says we’ll get married after I graduate, but I don’t want to burden him too much.” “Could you take twenty dollars off? I can pick it up myself!” When I was dating Marcus during college, I was extremely frugal too, so I agreed. That evening, two people showed up at my apartment complex gate. The girl said proudly: “I’m pretty amazing, aren’t I? Got a washing machine that’s almost brand new for less than a hundred bucks!” The man looked at her adoringly: “Yes, my baby is the most amazing. But I’m the CEO of the Murphy Group—you think I can’t afford to take care of you? I make money just to spend it on you. Stop pinching pennies from now on.” The man looked up with a smile. When I saw his face clearly, I froze in place. It was my notoriously frugal boyfriend, Marcus.

The air fell silent. I could clearly see panic and shock written across Marcus’s face. I opened my mouth to speak, but then I saw the warning in Marcus’s eyes. Celeste didn’t notice anything unusual between us. She pouted playfully: “I don’t want to be a parasite! What if you don’t want me anymore someday?” “What are you looking at? Why aren’t you answering me?” Marcus snapped back to attention and ruffled Celeste’s hair: “How could I ever not want you?” Following his gaze, Celeste looked toward the washing machine beside me. “There’s nothing wrong with it, right?” I came back to my senses and introduced it with a forced smile. Marcus suddenly spoke up: “Why are you selling furniture? Short on money?” I froze for a moment. When it comes to money, is there ever enough? Before I could answer, Celeste punched Marcus’s arm. “Don’t say things like that!” “Don’t mind him. My boyfriend’s like this—just because he has money, he doesn’t understand us regular people’s struggles.” She shot Marcus a reproachful glance and rolled up her sleeve, revealing a diamond bracelet. “For my birthday, I wanted a bracelet. I had to save up half a year’s worth of living expenses to afford it. He just went and gave me an entire season’s worth of new collections! I still have unopened packages in my closet!” Last summer, I spotted a dress I liked. After the discount, it was three hundred dollars. Marcus wanted to pay for it, but I stopped him. I smiled as if it didn’t matter: “I can’t wear it to work anyway. It’d be a waste to buy it. Wouldn’t it be better to save that money toward our house fund?” It wasn’t that I didn’t want it—it’s just that two days earlier, Marcus had complained about being docked three hundred dollars for being late to work. “I had a fight with my roommate. I was just going to find some random shared apartment near campus, but he went and bought an entire penthouse and put it in my name! Eighty thousand per square foot! I could work my whole life and only afford the bathroom!” When I was apartment hunting, I argued with the landlord until we were both red in the face over an extra hundred dollars in utilities. When Marcus saw how upset I was, he wanted to break the lease immediately, but I refused no matter what. Only because this apartment was close to Marcus’s company, cutting down his commute time so he could sleep a little longer each day. “And I love going to concerts, so he took me to the front row of the main floor! Oh my, now that I think about it, I really am his parasite!” Celeste complained on the surface, but her tone was full of happiness. And I stood there, my face growing paler and paler. Marcus cleared his throat lightly. Celeste slapped her forehead, looking a bit annoyed: “Don’t take it the wrong way. I wasn’t trying to show off. Let’s add each other on SnapChat! If you have more used furniture to sell, remember to contact me!” Marcus tried to stop her, but Celeste quickly scanned my QR code: “I’m not relying on you for this! I’m going to be self-sufficient!” The black Bentley was parked nearby. Marcus looked helpless: “At least ride in my car, okay? I don’t want to walk down the street like an idiot carrying a washing machine.” When I was apartment hunting, I also bought secondhand furniture from the platform. To save on delivery fees, I refused the moving company and carried the heavy sofa and cabinets up to the fourth floor by myself. But in Marcus’s eyes, I apparently looked like an idiot. Only after they disappeared from my view did I feel like I could breathe again. My phone buzzed. It was a message from Marcus: “It’s cold outside. Go home first. We’ll talk tonight.” I laughed bitterly and touched my rounded belly. Marcus loved children. Just a few days ago, I was planning to surprise him. Now it had turned into a joke. Even though I knew Marcus was with Celeste right now, I impulsively called him. First call: declined. Second call: declined. By the third call, his phone was off. I looked down and realized my palm was bleeding from my nails digging in. The wound was small, but my whole heart felt numb with pain. When I got home, I accepted Celeste’s friend request.

On her Ins, Marcus had taken her to see the Northern Lights, and even rented out an entire private island to celebrate their anniversary. In all these places I could never afford to go, they looked so happy together. My throat felt like it was being strangled. Even breathing became difficult. It wasn’t until late at night that I heard sounds at the door. As soon as Marcus came in, he frowned: “Why is it so cold in here?” Though the apartment complex was in the city center, the building was old and the heating was poor. Other tenants couldn’t stand the cold and moved out. I was the only one who stayed because of six months’ rent reduction. The door was ajar. I didn’t say anything, just exhaled a puff of white breath. Marcus went to the bedroom and brought out a comforter, wrapping it around me without asking. His voice carried anger: “Is this how you take care of yourself when I’m not here? Evelyn, how can I feel at ease?” I shoved him away: “Why are you putting on an act now? Is it fun lying to me?” My pregnant body was clumsy. I stumbled a few steps before steadying myself. In the past, when I lost my temper with Marcus, he would smile helplessly and raise both hands in surrender: “It’s my fault. I made Evelyn unhappy. You can punish me however you want.” Now Marcus’s face was cold: “How long are you going to make a mountain out of a molehill?” He paused: “Celeste is young. She can’t handle a lot of things on her own…” My emotions spiraled out of control: “She’s young, so you play her boyfriend and take care of her? What about me? How pathetic am I that you’d pretend to be poor just to toy with me?” Pain flashed through Marcus’s eyes. He hugged me tightly from behind: “Evelyn, calm down!” I used all my strength but couldn’t break free. “Don’t touch me!” A soft sound—the ajar door was pushed open. Celeste, appearing out of nowhere, looked at us with disbelief written all over her face. “You two…” “Celeste? Why are you here?” As if realizing something, Marcus’s expression turned ice cold, his voice frigid: “Why did you come?” Celeste’s face was covered in tears: “Didn’t you install a tracker on your phone yourself so I could always find you? So what does this mean now? You want me to pretend I don’t see you messing around with this old woman?” She shoved me hard. “I trusted you so much. I never thought you’d be shameless enough to seduce my boyfriend!” I almost fell. Marcus quickly caught me and glared furiously at Celeste. “Stop it!” Celeste broke down even more: “Marcus, you liar! You said you’d marry me!” She turned and ran out crying. Marcus immediately moved to chase her. I grabbed his hand: “I need to tell you something…” But he shook me off violently: “Let go! What if Celeste runs into danger this late at night?” Marcus left without looking back. I was thrown directly to the floor, my belly hitting the table corner hard. Suddenly, a twisting pain shot through my abdomen. I felt wetness below. I reached down—blood! The sharp pain made my head swim. Instinctively, I called Marcus: “Help me… my stomach hurts so much…” The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was Marcus’s impatient voice: “You’re at home. What danger could there be? I just got Celeste calmed down. Stop throwing tantrums.”

When I opened my eyes, I was in the hospital. My whole body felt like it had been run over by a truck. I forced myself to sit up: “The baby… how is it?” The nurse looked at me with pity: “If your neighbor hadn’t seen the door open, you’d be dead. Even if you didn’t want the baby, you should’ve come to a proper hospital for the procedure. How could you deliberately ram your belly to cause a miscarriage?” My mind went blank. Marcus had personally killed our child. My phone suddenly vibrated frantically: “Evelyn Hart, you’re actually a homewrecker destroying someone else’s relationship? You’re fired!” “Stealing a college student’s boyfriend—a shameless slut like you should just die!” “If you’re that desperate, go sell yourself. Don’t go around seducing people!” The messages flooded in—from work, from strangers. Celeste had posted online, accusing me of being the other woman! My body was already weak from the miscarriage. Suddenly, a sharp pain swept through my entire body. I clutched my chest, unable to hold back a cry of pain. Just then, Marcus called. My voice trembled: “Marcus, we’ve been together since seven years ago!” My family was poor. During college, I constantly worked part-time jobs. On the day he confessed, Marcus held a bouquet of flowers with complete sincerity: “Evelyn, I may be poor, but I’ll do everything I can to give you a better life. I’ll never let you suffer.” After we got together, even when we could only afford instant noodles, Marcus would give me the only boiled egg. And now, he paused: “Celeste is young and insecure. She just posted to vent. Don’t make such a big deal out of it. You’re not home. Where are you?” All the grievances I’d been holding in came pouring out. I choked up: “I’m at the hospital. Our…” “Evelyn, you’re too old to be pulling the ‘running away from home’ routine like a teenage girl. It’s not cute anymore.” Before I could finish, Marcus cut me off impatiently. His voice was casual: “You’ve always been healthy—you could work three jobs in one day. How could you get sick so easily? Stop pretending. Celeste’s emotions are unstable. Come apologize to her.” I couldn’t believe it: “Celeste twisted the truth and got me cyberbullied, and you want me to apologize?” “You want me to just watch Celeste get bullied into suicide?” Marcus’s voice suddenly rose. When I stayed silent, it dropped again. “Evelyn, your mother’s nursing home fees—I’m the one paying them.” My heart trembled. My mother’s health was poor. She’d been in the ICU three times in one year. Marcus saw how stressed I was and took the initiative to move my mom to a special care ward, covering all the expenses. I’d been desperately saving and earning money, trying to pay Marcus back every cent he’d spent. That way our relationship could be on equal footing. Now he was using my mother to threaten me. An unprecedented exhaustion washed over me. I suddenly felt there was no point in arguing anymore. With tears in my eyes, I nodded and went to the address Marcus gave me in the villa district. The weakness from the miscarriage made my legs unsteady. I was barely forcing myself to move forward when the security guard stopped me. “I’m Marcus’s girlfriend.” He looked me up and down suspiciously. Only after calling Marcus did the guard let me through, his face full of contempt: “Everyone knows Mr. Murphy’s girlfriend is Miss Porter. I’ve lived long enough—these days even mistresses dare to show up openly!” When he saw me, Marcus’s face showed an expected smile: “Be good, and I’ll pay for your mother’s medical expenses.” He brought me in front of a phone set up for recording: “We’re going live in a moment. Tell everyone you’re the mistress and apologize to Celeste.” I jerked my head up and stared at him: “You’re saying I’m the mistress?” Celeste laughed lightly: “Marcus already made our relationship official with me. If you’re not the mistress, then am I?” Marcus didn’t answer my question. Instead, he frowned at me and handed me a piece of paper: “Evelyn, be good. Just read this in a moment. Don’t stress about it. It’ll be over quickly.” The paper was filled with statements about how I was jealous of Celeste, so I deliberately seduced Marcus to destroy their relationship.

As soon as the livestream started, a flood of people poured in. When they saw it was me, the comments exploded. Everyone was calling me a homewrecker. Celeste acted magnanimous: “Everyone, please be kind. She’s here to apologize today.” Under everyone’s gaze, I pulled my lips into a smile: “I’m Evelyn Hart, and I’m here to apologize to everyone today. I should have just let Celeste, the actual homewrecker, steal my boyfriend of seven years and twist the truth to cyberbully me, instead of making a fuss! I apologize for not keeping quiet, for not obediently playing the turtle hiding in its shell!” Marcus quickly shut off the livestream, but it had already hit the trending topics. The hashtag #CelestePorterHomewrecker was number one. Marcus laughed in fury: “Evelyn, you’d better not regret this! Assistant, cancel all the nursing home payments immediately!” My pupils shook violently. Stopping the payments now was sentencing my mother to death! But Marcus grabbed my hand and shoved me into the car without another word. “To the hospital! I’ll let you see with your own eyes how your mother pays for your willfulness!” At the hospital, I cried and begged Marcus to spare my mother. Seeing my tears, a trace of reluctance flashed in Marcus’s eyes. But he still turned his head away: “You’ve hurt Celeste so badly. There must be consequences!” He paused, his voice hard: “Kneel and apologize to Celeste. When she forgives you, I’ll restore the nursing home payments. Otherwise, prepare to collect your mother’s body!” My whole body shook. I bit my lip until it bled. Under Celeste’s mocking gaze, I bent my knees and knelt heavily before her. “I’m sorry. It was my fault.” I kowtowed numbly, like a dog without dignity. Once, then again. My forehead was bloody. Marcus’s expression softened slightly. He stepped out of the room to take a call, leaving only Celeste. Seeing him leave, Celeste’s face instantly turned vicious: “You dare try to steal Marcus from me? You deserve to pay the price!” Before I could react, she rushed to my mother’s bed and directly pulled out the oxygen tube and IV line keeping her alive! “No!” I struggled to rush forward but was pinned to the ground by bodyguards. The monitor sounded an alarm. My mother’s face quickly turned blue-purple. Until the last trace of life faded and her head tilted to the side. My mother was dead. I collapsed on the floor in despair, nearly crying tears of blood. Celeste immediately messed up her own hair and ran outside. She ran right into Marcus, who was coming back. She cried pitifully: “Marcus, I just kindly wanted to help adjust your mother’s blanket, and Evelyn suddenly rushed over and pushed me, saying I’m not worthy to be with you…” Marcus’s face immediately darkened: “Evelyn, is your dignity worth that much? Just to avoid apologizing, you’d ignore even your own mother’s life?” I laughed bitterly: “Life? My mother is dead. Celeste killed her!” Celeste immediately denied it, and Marcus insisted I was lying. He laughed coldly: “You’d even use your own mother’s death to lie. Since you won’t apologize, then don’t regret it!” He left with his arm around Celeste. Half an hour later, the Murphy Group’s official account posted a statement: “Mr. Marcus Murphy’s relationship status was made public long ago. His girlfriend is only Miss Celeste Porter. Miss Evelyn Hart suffered trauma as a student and has an abnormal mental state with cognitive impairment. All her statements are false information.” In the video released with it, a girl stood in an office with an older man’s hand on her waist. My mind went blank. In high school, I was the school’s famous scholarship student. A male teacher decided I had no power or influence and groped me in his office. I didn’t dare speak up because no one would stand up for me. Even into college, I had severe psychological issues and attempted suicide countless times. Marcus saved me. He held me tightly in his arms, comforting me over and over: “Evelyn, don’t let scum ruin your life. It’s not your fault. I will always, always be with you.” This was my darkest past, something I’d only ever told Marcus. But he ripped open my scars and used my blood and tears to whitewash Celeste. So for Celeste’s sake, he could go this far. In complete despair, I smiled bitterly and threw a lit lighter toward the bed curtains. Watching the flames rise before me, I pushed open the window and jumped. Marcus, from now on, we have no future. On the other side, Marcus was shopping with Celeste when he suddenly saw thick smoke rising in the distance! An ominous feeling surged in his heart. He quickly called over a mall employee to ask what was happening. “The hospital’s on fire. I heard someone burned to death—someone in the special care ward!”