Category: English

Five years after my firefighter husband supposedly died saving me from a burning building, I accidentally walked in on him celebrating his child’s birthday party with his childhood sweetheart. Daniel froze when he saw me. His friends immediately crowded in front of him like a human shield. “Clara, don’t do anything crazy. Daniel had his reasons for faking his death.” His childhood friend Summer begged through tears: “I’m sorry, Clara. The baby needs his father. Please, just let us be together. I love him too much.” July 23rd, 2019. Seven days after the fire that supposedly killed Daniel. That day, everyone who knew us said I was the one who killed him. The fire department’s investigation report stated: Due to family member’s emotional breakdown and unauthorized entry into the fire scene, rescue team member Daniel sacrificed his life protecting her. His parents collapsed at the funeral, cursing me: “Why aren’t you dead? Why wasn’t it you instead?” I thought I truly deserved to die. So after Daniel’s funeral, I swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills. But my neighbor found me and called 911. As they pumped my stomach in the ER, I heard the nurses whispering: “That’s her… the one who got her husband killed…” No one knew why I suddenly ran into that fire. That day, I received a call from an unknown number saying Daniel was trapped on the second floor of the warehouse and running out of time. I rushed in like a madwoman, only to see a burning beam crash down. The fire was too intense. The fire department said nothing was left of his body. But what I didn’t know was that at that exact moment, Daniel was at the hospital with Summer for her prenatal checkup, taking this photo together. I took a glass of champagne from the server and walked straight toward the main table, meeting everyone’s shocked stares. Summer instinctively pulled the baby closer to her chest. Daniel practically jumped up to block her: “Clara, let me explain…” Those friends who once comforted me now stood up in unison, forming a wall between us. “Clara, calm down. Daniel had no choice back then. That fire was suspicious. Someone was after him… He faked his death to protect you, really!” I laughed. Did they actually think I was going to throw champagne in a baby’s face? How amusing. I casually picked an empty seat at the next table and raised my glass toward Summer and Daniel: “The baby’s adorable. I wish him a healthy life.” I downed the champagne in one gulp. The cheap alcohol burned my throat, making me cough until my eyes watered. “Enough! Clara, if you have a problem, take it up with me. Don’t make a scene here!” Daniel pushed through the people blocking him and strode over, his brows knitted tight. “Five years, and you’re still the same. Do you have to embarrass people at an event like this?” He thought I was here to cause trouble. The disgust in his eyes was practically overflowing. I didn’t know how to explain. I really had just walked into the wrong room. I was here for my company’s year-end dinner in the hall next door. I could only helplessly point at my business suit: “I was at a meeting next door. Wrong room.” But Daniel didn’t believe me. He grabbed my wrist, so hard my bones ached. “Stop being stubborn. About what happened back then… I wronged you. After the party ends, I’ll take you home.” Summer’s face went pale. She stood up holding the baby: “Daniel…” Daniel turned back, his tone softening: “Summer, I just don’t want her emotional state to affect the baby. Don’t worry.” But his grip on my hand didn’t loosen. I pulled free forcefully and stepped back, forcing an ugly smile: “That wouldn’t be appropriate, Mr. Hayes. Your wife and child are watching.” He acted like he didn’t hear me and reached for me again. I found it absurd. Five years apart, and he’d changed this much?

Memories flooded in like a broken dam, a dull pain spreading through my chest. This champagne was cheap but packed a punch. My vision started to blur. Daniel’s face split into double images. I didn’t want to stay any longer. I turned to leave but stumbled. The next second, I was airborne as he scooped me up in his arms. “Drunk like this and still acting tough!” He was actually carrying me out in front of everyone. The guests erupted in shocked murmurs. Summer’s parents shot to their feet, their faces dark. Summer’s father barked: “Daniel! Put her down! Do you realize what day this is? Have you lost your mind?” Summer’s mother started crying: “Summer just gave birth to your child, and this is how you treat her? Are you even human?” Summer held the baby, tears streaming down her face, but she bit her lip and said nothing. She just looked at Daniel with heartbroken eyes. Anyone watching would curse us as cheating scum. Daniel’s steps faltered. He looked down at Summer, something flickering in his eyes. I seized the chance to struggle: “Put me down!” He only held tighter and said to Summer’s parents: “Mom, Dad, Clara’s had too much to drink. I’ll take her home and come right back.” Summer finally broke down crying: “Daniel… you’re choosing her, aren’t you? Fine. I’ll leave. I’ll take the baby and leave…” She turned as if to rush out with the child. The scene descended into chaos. Daniel’s face went white. He called out urgently: “Summer! Don’t do this! I’m just taking her home. You’ll always be my wife!” Such familiar words. He used to say: “Summer’s just like a sister. You’ll always be the one I love most.” I closed my eyes, feeling exhausted. Home? I didn’t have a home anymore. When they shoved me into the car, my stomach churned and I started dry heaving. It was a physical revulsion, a conditioned reflex accumulated from five years of waking up screaming from nightmares. The cause of Daniel’s supposed death was that warehouse fire. That day was our third wedding anniversary. I’d made a reservation early and waited for him to get off work. But by 9 PM, he still hadn’t shown up. His phone went straight to voicemail. At 10 PM, I got a call from an unknown number. A man’s voice, breathing heavily: “Daniel’s trapped in the old warehouse on West Street. The fire’s too big. He told me to tell you… he loves you…” In the background, I could hear the crackling of flames and Daniel’s muffled shouts: “Clara, don’t come!” I rushed there like a madwoman. Fire trucks surrounded the building. Police tape blocked the perimeter. I heard someone yelling: “Daniel’s still inside!” I didn’t think. I just ran in. Through the thick smoke, I saw Daniel collapsed by some shelving. I lunged forward to pull him up when a burning beam came crashing down… He shoved me away with all his strength. The blast wave threw me backward. When I looked back, all I saw was a sea of flames. Later, the investigation report said my unauthorized entry interfered with the rescue, causing Daniel to sacrifice himself protecting me. His parents tore up our marriage certificate and threw me out of their house. My mom called, crying: “Clara, honey, I know you’re hurting. But your brother’s got a girlfriend now, and her family heard about what happened… They think it’s disturbing. Could you… maybe not come home for a while?” Even my own family didn’t want me anymore. So I started trying to kill myself. The first time, I slit my wrists in the bathtub. My landlord found me after a leak from upstairs alerted him. They rushed me to the hospital. The second time, I jumped into the river. The winter water was freezing. As I sank, an old man on his daily swim pulled me out. The third time was sleeping pills again. This time I was smarter. I went to a small motel in the suburbs. But the owner noticed something was wrong and called the cops. When they pumped my stomach, the doctor looked at me with complicated eyes: “Miss, the person who died for you would want you to live well.” But no one wanted me to live. Except Rachel.

Rachel was Summer’s cousin and my college classmate. When she found me, I was running a high fever in my rental, hadn’t eaten in three days. She didn’t lecture me. She just made me some soup, sat on the bed, and said calmly: “Clara, if I were you, I’d live well. I’d live better than everyone else and make those who wronged me watch. Show them I’m fine without them.” “Dying is easy. Living is hard. Do you dare to choose the hard way?” I looked at her and suddenly started crying. After that, Rachel visited often. She took me out to eat, forced me to leave the house, even helped me find a new job. She said: “You need to stand up, Clara. Not for anyone else. For yourself.” I thought I’d finally found a lifeline. But just as I was getting better and preparing to start a new life, something happened to Rachel. A car accident. The other driver was drunk. Hit her car head-on. She died instantly. I went to the morgue to identify the body. The police handed me a charred phone, said they found it in the car. The last message was to me, never sent. It read: “Clara, I found something wrong with Daniel’s fire. It might be connected to Sum…” The rest was never typed. I gripped the phone, my whole body turning cold. At Rachel’s funeral, Summer came too, crying so hard she nearly fainted: “Cousin… how could you just leave like this…” Daniel’s parents patted her back consolingly: “Summer, dear, stay strong. You’re still young. You have to look forward.” In that moment, I suddenly felt like there was an invisible net that had trapped me long ago. And every time I struggled, it only tightened. “You okay? Why are you throwing up so much?” Daniel handed me a bottle of water, then pulled at his expensive suit sleeve, trying to wipe the corner of my mouth. His movements were as gentle as a considerate husband. I found it bitterly ironic. He was indeed a husband. Just not mine. “Clara…” Summer had followed us out. She’d changed into comfortable postpartum clothes, her hair messy, tear stains still on her face, the baby in her arms. “What happened back then… we wronged you. You can hate me however you want. Hit me, yell at me, I’ll accept it all…” She choked up, her voice soft as cotton. “Even… if you still want to be with Daniel, I… I can step aside. I’ll raise the child myself.” I opened my mouth, wanting to say I never thought that way. Five years later, I couldn’t even muster the energy to hate anymore. But Daniel interrupted first, his tone stern: “Summer! What are you saying!” “That’s all in the past. Clara’s doing well now. Stop bringing it up. You’re only making it harder for her.” Summer looked relieved, wiped her tears, and reached for my hand with concern. “Actually, I’ve been worried about you these five years. Afraid you’d do something… I…” She stopped mid-sentence. Her gaze fixed on my wrist, where several pale white scars crisscrossed like ugly centipedes. Daniel’s breathing suddenly became heavy. He silently pulled out a cigarette pack, lit one, and took a deep drag. In the swirling smoke, no one spoke. I remembered he didn’t used to smoke. Summer said softly: “He smokes when he’s stressed. Just never let you know. It’s… a habit between us.” She looked at Daniel, her eyes tender and affectionate. Between them, there were always so many habits I could never be part of. When we got back in the car, Summer and the baby took the front, so I was squeezed into the back seat. “Sorry, Summer can’t be in a draft.” The window slowly closed. I had severe claustrophobia. Ever since that fire, enclosed spaces made me feel like I was suffocating. The car drove for a long time in deathly silence. Daniel finally spoke, trying to break the awkwardness: “How are your parents? Haven’t seen them in a while.” “Mom died of a heart attack last year. Dad moved back to his hometown. Said the city made him uncomfortable.” My voice was so calm I could’ve been talking about strangers. The car screeched to a halt. I nearly slammed into the front seat. Through the rearview mirror, I saw Daniel’s hands shaking. Cigarette ash fell onto his pants without him noticing. My parents had opposed our relationship at first, thinking firefighting was too dangerous. It was Daniel who visited repeatedly, changing light bulbs and fixing pipes for them, playing chess with my dad, massaging my mom’s shoulders. When my dad finally relented, he said: “This kid really cares about you. Fine. As long as you’re happy.” When my mom was dying, she held my hand and said: “Clara, Mom’s sorry. We shouldn’t have pressured you back then… You’re alone now. Take care of yourself.” Daniel didn’t dare ask more. Because he knew. My mom’s illness came from years of anguish, from her daughter becoming “the murderer who killed her husband,” from being unable to hold her head up among the neighbors. It killed her slowly. The air froze. Summer quickly jumped in, her voice trembling: “So… where are you living now? We’ll take you home.” “Riverside Psychiatric Hospital. Inpatient ward, third floor. Bed 307.”

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After the car accident, I saw words written by my long-deceased mother floating before my eyes. “Baby, Declan slept with another woman before he married you!” I was completely stunned. Mother’s words continued appearing before my eyes. “In your past life, he destroyed you. After you married him, you were kidnapped and nearly killed, but he was too busy celebrating Rain’s birthday with her!” “Sweetheart, this time don’t choose Declan. Choose the heir of the Pierce family – steady and loyal!” The next second, Father walked into the lounge and laid out photos of heirs from several major families in front of me, asking me to pick a husband. Without hesitation, I chose my sworn enemy, Adrian Pierce. I’d always listened to Mother. If Mother said Declan didn’t love me, then I didn’t want him anymore. My father, the Don of our mafia family, looked at me hesitantly. “Faye, you and the Harrington boy have always been at each other’s throats. Are you sure you want to marry him? Think carefully – this determines control of the entire organization. There’s no going back.” He’d established a rule: whichever family’s heir married me would gain complete control of the Giovani family’s power and resources. Mrs. Harrington was also shocked and quickly tried to dissuade me. “Faye, even though Declan lost his memory and forgot about you, didn’t you love him the most? Why won’t you wait for him? Maybe once you two are married, he’ll remember everything.” Words from Mother appeared before my eyes: “Nonsense! In your past life, that mistress Rain broke my baby’s heirloom necklace, and my child didn’t even complain much, but Declan threw her out of the family banquet. Poor thing almost got kidnapped outside!” “It was Adrian who came to put a coat over my child and took her somewhere safe to rest. Sure, his words are harsh, but his heart is good.” At those words, my heart clenched painfully. I didn’t understand why Mother kept talking about a past life, kept mentioning things that happened, but her words felt like I’d lived through them myself. They made my chest tighten, like a boulder was crushing it. Besides, Rain really was Declan’s first love. They had a deep history, and I was just the one who came later. “Father, I’ve made my choice. I want Adrian Pierce.” Father put away the photos and patted my shoulder. “Alright, I respect your decision. In two days, I’ll announce your engagement to Adrian to our world.” Words appeared before my eyes from Mother: “That’s right. This time my baby will definitely be happy.” Father went to discuss business with some senior members. I changed my clothes, wanting to go out for a walk. But I didn’t expect to find three tall young men with distinct temperaments standing outside the door. They’d all grown up with me and were candidates for my husband. Declan was there too. Only Adrian was absent. Jason walked over to me with a grin, curious. “Faye, I heard the Don wants to choose one of us to marry you. Who did you pick?” Marcus teased. “Do you even need to ask? It’s obviously Declan. Everyone in our world knows Faye is crazy about him, considers him her soulmate.” Declan glanced at me coolly. “I don’t remember what happened these past three years. I only remember that Rain is the love of my life.” “But I know that in those three years I’ve forgotten, we were together. Even though I don’t love you now, I won’t disobey orders. Once the marriage is arranged, I’ll fulfill my duty.” Words from Mother appeared before my eyes: “In your past life he used fake amnesia to openly mess around with Rain while stealing my baby’s family territory and business, until he left my child with nothing and she died! Bad man, get lost!” Looking at Declan’s indifferent expression, without Mother’s warning, I probably would have believed his lies. I really did like him. I’d even thought he liked me back. Like three years ago when he held that grand fireworks show for me. His gaze was so full of feeling, his words so touching. “Faye, I want to marry you. I want to make you the happiest woman alive.” I was so moved. I committed to him, and for three years our families grew close. But I never imagined that from the very beginning, he’d never cut ties with Rain. He just couldn’t afford to offend me, so he put on an act of loving me.

Now he probably couldn’t keep up the performance, so he simply faked amnesia and openly declared he only remembered Rain, reluctantly agreeing to marry me to get my family’s power and resources. There’s no such free lunch in this world. I wanted to argue with Declan, but seeing how confident he was that I’d chosen him, I swallowed my words. Let him be smug for two more days. When he hears Father publicly announce the truth at the banquet, I’m curious to see his reaction. Seeing my silence, Jason lightly bumped my shoulder. “Faye, so is Declan the one you chose?” I said calmly, “You’ll all find out at the family banquet in two days.” With that, I turned to leave. Behind me, Marcus clicked his tongue twice. “Declan, she definitely chose you. Let me tell you, back when your family’s business was in trouble, Faye searched everywhere for connections. When she heard there was an opportunity up north, she went alone to negotiate and almost got herself killed. She’s crazy about you.” “Is that so?” Declan laughed softly, his voice magnetic. “I had no idea she was so devoted to me.” My heart twisted painfully, but I held back my tears. My obsession with Declan was an open secret. Everyone laughed at how blind I was, but I didn’t care. I lost my birth parents young, and my adoptive parents were constantly traveling for family business. I became an easily overlooked legitimate heir in the organization. Only Declan would step up to defend me when other family heirs challenged me. I’d depended on him since childhood. When he proposed to me, I was overjoyed and swore to support him with all my family’s power. But all his protection had ulterior motives. He didn’t deserve my sincere feelings. “Faye, wait.” Someone called out behind me. I turned to see Declan. He walked up to me arrogantly. “I know you just chose me. I’ll fulfill the marriage contract, but my heart belongs only to Rain. I hope you understand and won’t interfere too much between us.” I stared at him steadily. “Aren’t you suffering from amnesia and forgot a lot of things? Why are you so sure I chose you?” Declan frowned. “Everyone says your heart beats only for me. Who else would you choose besides me?” I smiled bitterly. So Declan knew about my complete devotion to him. Did he have to trample on my sincerity like this? “Don’t worry. From now on I won’t maintain our relationship one-sidedly anymore. I’ll let you two be together.” And I figured if he knew I’d chosen Adrian, he’d probably be thrilled. Hearing my quick agreement, Declan froze for a moment. I continued walking toward the main hall. He instinctively reached out to grab me. Suddenly there was a commotion. A clumsy server rushed over with a tray, and scalding soup splashed onto my leg. I stumbled and fell, my palm scraping against the rough floor. Pain instantly swept over me. Rain’s face changed. She quickly put down what she was holding, trying to help me up. “Faye, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Please don’t be mad at me.” Before I could speak, words from Mother appeared: “This bad girl is so awful! In your past life she did the same thing – either playing weak or making accusations, wrapping Declan around her finger. Neither of them is any good!”

Seeing Rain’s eyes turn red with distress, Declan was predictably heartbroken. “It’s okay, Rain. It’s just a small accident. With me here, no one will blame you.” He helped Rain up, then looked at me with a warning in his eyes. “You just got scalded a little. You’re strong – you won’t make a big deal out of this, right?” My leg was red and still hurting. I struggled to stand up. Rain looked at me pitifully. “Faye, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going. I’ll punish myself to apologize.” She was about to scratch her arm with her nails. Declan quickly grabbed her hand and looked at me with displeasure. “Faye, Rain didn’t do it on purpose. Can you stop using your status to bully people?” Words from Mother appeared: “Idiot! My child hasn’t said a single word, and that bad girl is putting on a show herself. Why is he saying my child is bullying her? So infuriating! Baby, stand up straight! Teach him a lesson!” At those words, I simply and decisively raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face. Then I looked at Declan. “See that? That’s what bullying looks like.” Rain froze. Declan also froze, his eyes turning cold. “Faye, you’ve gone too far…” I raised my hand and slapped him hard too. “That’s what going too far looks like.” All these years, I’d devoted myself to following him and never confronted him directly. My action shocked him completely. Declan stared at me in disbelief, his teeth clenched. “Fine. Very good. But you dared to hit me, so don’t regret it.” “Rain, let me take you to see a doctor.” Words from Mother appeared: “He won’t check on his future wife’s injury but feels sorry for another woman. Marrying someone like this is what you’d regret! My poor child, that must have hurt.” I looked down at my still-painful wound. The sourness and grievance in my heart could no longer be suppressed. In the past, whenever I got hurt and showed even a bit of pain, Declan would be frantic with worry. Maybe that concern was fake, but at least the company was real. Now he turned a blind eye to my injury and even blamed me, afraid I’d make things difficult for his precious one. What Mother said was becoming more and more real. Even if I married him, it would just be repeating the same mistakes and suffering the same consequences. I went to find a doctor to treat the scrapes on my hand. Many people around me were looking in a certain direction. I looked too. On the patio beyond a wall, I saw Rain and Declan nestled together intimately. I heard her say softly, “Declan, if Faye found out you’re only pretending to have amnesia so we can be together openly, she’d go crazy.” Declan stroked her hair. “So what if she knows? Everyone knows Faye’s heart beats only for me. Even with my ‘amnesia,’ she’ll still beg to marry me so I can get all the Giovani family’s power.” Words from Mother appeared: “In his dreams! My child didn’t choose you this time and won’t marry you. Hmph, wait until the engagement banquet when it’s announced publicly. Let’s see how smug you are then!” I laughed too, though my pale face held no trace of amusement. Not wanting to hear more, I held my treated hand and prepared to leave. Just then, terrified screams and gunshots came from outside: “Someone’s broken in! They have guns! Everyone run!” The shouts hit the crowd like a bomb. I instinctively ran with the panicked crowd, but an intruder grabbed me and raised a club, swinging it at me!

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “346595”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn

I came back from my business trip and found my five-year-old daughter Lily home alone, eating expired bread. My heart broke. I rushed over and pulled her into my arms. “Where’s your dad?” Lily started crying. “Daddy’s downstairs getting married to Vanessa. He told me to stay home by myself… Mom, I’m so hungry…” After I settled Lily down, I ran downstairs to the hotel banquet hall. And it was true! Ryan stood there in a full tuxedo. When he saw me, panic flashed across his face. He quickly pulled me aside. “Miranda, this isn’t what it looks like. I’m just helping Vanessa put on a show. Her mom’s been pushing her to get married. I had no choice…” I laughed bitterly. “Congratulations to you both.” Later, at my wedding to his brother Dylan, Ryan got on his knees and begged me to take him back. And I made him listen to Dylan and me having sex all night long. “Congratulations! I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!” Everyone at the wedding thought I was just a late-arriving guest. They all smiled at me warmly. Only the groom, Ryan, stared at me in disbelief. He thought I was joking. When he saw my serious expression, he reluctantly let go of Vanessa’s hand and pulled me into a corner. His brows furrowed. “Miranda, what the hell are you doing?” He had some nerve asking me that. Last week, I went on a business trip overseas. I was worried about their safety at home, so I took a shortcut to get back early. I almost died in a foreign country. And what did I come home to? My five-year-old daughter eating expired bread by herself while Ryan was busy having a wedding ceremony with his first love, Vanessa. When I walked into the hotel, I saw them kissing sweetly and making sincere vows. “Whether in poverty or wealth, in sickness or in health, through good times or bad, I promise to spend my life with Vanessa…” He looked so devoted. I could see the focus in his eyes. But when we got married, he asked the officiant to skip the vows entirely. Said it was too much trouble. Turns out it wasn’t the vows he had a problem with. It was the person he was making them to. When he greeted Vanessa’s parents, he called them “Mom and Dad” so naturally, so smoothly. Like it was the most normal thing in the world. But in our six years of marriage, he’d never once called my parents that way. If this thing with Vanessa was just an act, then what were all these years with me? My heart turned to ash. I said flatly: “I made myself perfectly clear. You two should be together. I’m bowing out.” Ryan frowned and scoffed. “Miranda, can you stop being so damn dramatic? My patience has limits.” “I already explained everything. Vanessa and I are fake married. It’s just to put her parents’ minds at ease. And you’re making this into some huge thing!” I smiled coldly. “Don’t flatter yourself. I really am done. Don’t worry, I’ll file for divorce as soon as possible. I won’t hold you back.” Ryan looked shocked, like he couldn’t believe I’d actually say that. “You…” Before he could finish, I turned to leave the hotel. But Vanessa grabbed my arm. Her eyes were red. She kept apologizing. “I’m so sorry, Miranda. Please let me explain.” “My parents have been so worried about my marriage. I didn’t want them stressed anymore, so Ryan and I staged this. We should have talked to you first. I’m really sorry.” Ryan pulled the apologizing Vanessa close. His voice was ice cold. “Why are you apologizing to her? She’s just petty and loves to throw tantrums. Let her be mad. Ignore her!” I knew from the day I married Ryan that he still carried a torch for his first love, Vanessa. I thought after we got married, I could win him over with my love. But what did he do? He took everything I gave him for granted. I was done with this one-sided relationship. If someone else wanted to keep it going, they were welcome to it. Faced with his shameless behavior, I felt nothing anymore. No anger. No excitement. I just wanted to cut ties with this man completely.

When I didn’t respond, Vanessa put on a pitiful act. “Miranda, how about this? I’ll tell all the guests the truth and apologize to you in front of everyone.” “It’s no big deal for me. I’ll just never be able to show my face in front of my family and friends again. My elderly parents will worry themselves sick. But as long as it doesn’t hurt your marriage, I’m willing to make that sacrifice.” She sounded so tragic, but all I heard was fake nonsense. Ryan ate it up though. He glared at me, about to lay into me, when Vanessa’s dad walked over. “Ryan, what’s going on? Why are you arguing with some woman at your wedding?” Ryan immediately switched to obedient mode when he saw Vanessa’s parents. “Dad, this is just a friend of mine. She was passing by and wanted to congratulate me.” He could introduce me like that without missing a beat. All for Vanessa. I guess in his mind, I was just some stranger who happened to live under the same roof. I looked at him, and for a split second, I saw panic in his eyes. Whatever. I’d let them have their moment. Facing the confused looks from Vanessa’s family and friends, I decided to play along. “That’s right. I’m just his friend. I came to say congratulations. I’m leaving now. You all have fun.” Maybe my decisiveness got to Ryan. For a moment, it looked like he wanted to chase after me. But Vanessa held him back. “Ryan, don’t go. Everyone’s waiting for us to greet them.” “After the ceremony, I’ll come with you to talk to Miranda. Once she calms down, everything will be fine.” Ryan stopped in his tracks. I walked out of the hotel without looking back. When I got home, Lily threw herself into my arms. “Mommy, you’re finally home! I don’t have to sleep alone tonight.” “Mommy, the wind was so scary at night. I was so scared hiding under the blankets by myself.” Looking at Lily’s sweet little face, my heart ached. I regretted going on that business trip and leaving her alone with her useless father. I saw that all the food I’d prepared for her was gone. I praised her: “Wow, you ate everything I made for you. Good job!” Lily pouted. “Mommy, I’m so hungry. Daddy hasn’t made me food in three days. He said he was busy with that lady…” My nose stung. Guilt washed over me. I stroked Lily’s head and pressed my cheek against hers. “Then Mommy will cook for you right now. I’ll make you something really good for lunch.” Lily jumped up and down with joy. “Yay! Mommy’s home, I can eat now!” Hearing her words made my heart ache. I turned and went into the kitchen to make something good for Lily. But when I opened the fridge, it was empty except for two eggs. Clearly, no one had cooked here in days. I had no choice but to make Lily some simple egg noodles. Even so, it made her beam with happiness. “Mommy’s the best! The egg noodles are so yummy.” Looking at Lily’s innocent smile, I felt a mix of emotions. Just then, the door clicked open. Ryan walked in with a long face, carrying a takeout container. He tossed it on the table and glared at me. “What’s this? This is all you’re feeding Lily? What kind of mother are you?”

I didn’t want to fight in front of Lily. I just gave him a warning look to back off. Seeing my expression, Ryan seemed to remember our rule about not fighting in front of Lily. He didn’t say anything more, but his eyes still looked defiant. Vanessa followed him in. She quickly inserted herself between us with a big smile and opened the takeout container. “Miranda, we had the hotel save this for you. We knew you and Lily hadn’t eaten, so we brought it up.” I glanced at it. A fish with nothing left but bones and a few chili peppers. Clearly leftovers from the banquet. Lily was allergic to fish. I was worried she’d react even being near it, so I pushed the container away. Seeing this, Ryan assumed I was deliberately trying to humiliate Vanessa. He lost it. “Vanessa, ignore them. Eat it or don’t!” I didn’t want to say another word to him, but I couldn’t help myself. “Ryan, did you forget that Lily’s allergic to seafood and fish?” Ryan’s brows furrowed slightly. He seemed to remember something. Everyone in my family breaks out in hives from fish. Lily was the same. I’d repeatedly told Ryan not to let Lily near fish, but he never took it seriously. And of course, Vanessa loved fish. Whenever they went out to eat, they’d order it. Sometimes they’d even bring Lily along. Every time they came back from those meals, Lily’s face would be covered in red hives. I’d apply medicine to her, heartbroken, and criticize him for taking Lily to eat fish. He’d just shrug it off. “A few hives, a little itching. It’s no big deal.” Until one time, Lily’s allergic reaction got so severe her throat swelled up and she couldn’t breathe. We got her to the hospital just in time. After that, Ryan seemed to learn his lesson. He stopped bringing Lily along when he went out to eat with Vanessa. But that didn’t last long. To keep eating out with Vanessa, he started leaving Lily home alone with a pile of snacks and toys to keep her occupied. Once, Lily choked on a snack while home alone. Luckily, I came home from work just in time to save her. And now he was bringing fish home for Lily again. Clearly, Lily and I both mattered less to him than a single finger of Vanessa, the woman who’d abandoned him once before. Vanessa saw Ryan’s embarrassment and quickly came to his rescue. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I was the one who packed it. I forgot Lily was allergic to fish…” Ryan looked at Vanessa gratefully. His tone softened. “Vanessa meant well, Miranda. Don’t make a big deal out of it.” “Today was my fault for not thinking things through. Tomorrow I’ll cook a big meal at home to make it up to you and Lily. That should be fine, right?” Just then, a commotion came from outside the door, followed by the sound of keys in the lock. I was confused. Who else besides Ryan and me had keys to our place? The answer came in the form of Vanessa’s parents bragging to their friends and family. “This is my baby’s new home. Over 1,400 square feet!”

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The day my company went public, I got proof my fiancée was cheating. A picture of her making out with a security guard in the parking lot. Then I saw her latest Ins post:【Simple days are the best kind of happy.】 Attached was a photo: The security guard gently caressing her swollen belly in a hospital maternity ward. I glanced at the ring on my desk, the one I’d planned to propose with. I casually tossed it into my pocket. Chloe, if a simple, ordinary life is what you crave, then by all means, have it. My lavish love? You forfeited that privilege. I called the hotel and the wedding planner to cancel everything, then finally, the bank. “Freeze all bank accounts and credit cards under Chloe’s name.” Just as I hung up, Chloe pushed open my office door and walked in. “Honey, I just heard you say ‘freeze bank accounts.’ Whose accounts are you freezing?” I shrugged off her question with a vague excuse, my gaze shifting to Mike, the security guard standing behind her. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Chloe immediately forgot her earlier question, pulling Mike’s hand and beaming happily. “Honey, this is Mike. He’s a security guard downstairs in the parking lot.” “Mr. Anderson, it’s a pleasure!” Mike flashed a shy smile. My eyes burned, watching Chloe still clinging to Mike’s hand, refusing to let go. I’d loved Chloe for ten years, pampered her for ten years. To ensure her happiness, I built this empire from nothing, fought tooth and nail through cutthroat business deals, nearly lost everything, even my life, several times over. And all that? It meant less than some run-of-the-mill security guard. The irony was a bitter pill. “Honey, Mike’s talking to you,” Chloe reminded me, a hint of annoyance in her voice. I shot her a glance, then calmly stated, “If he’s a parking lot security guard, and it’s work hours, why isn’t he down there? What’s he doing here?” Chloe quickly interjected, “I brought him! Mike’s just been unlucky, held back by circumstances, forced into security. But I know his capabilities. Doesn’t the company still need a Business Development Manager? I think he’d be perfect for it.” I almost laughed, but it was a bitter, angry sound. She’s trying to get her lover a job here? Chloe, this isn’t your personal love nest; it’s a multi-million dollar corporation. I once told Chloe that if she ever betrayed me, I’d take everything back. I could elevate her to the highest heights, or plunge her into the lowest depths. Before I could speak, Mike eagerly said, “Please don’t worry, Mr. Anderson! I’ll absolutely fulfill the duties of a Business Development Manager, handle every task, and make this department the top one in the company!” Chloe smiled gently. “Mike, I know you can do it.” You believe him? I took a sip of my tea, then calmly spoke. “I don’t recall agreeing to make him Business Development Manager.” Chloe’s face stiffened. She turned to me, “Honey, Mike is the most suitable person. It’ll be the company’s loss if you don’t hire him. Have you heard some rumors? They’re all lies! I brought Mike here for the company’s growth. You need to think about the bigger picture.” I need to think about the bigger picture? So, I should just hand over the Business Development Manager position to your lover, turning my company into your little hideaway? My face went cold. “The company has strict hiring policies. It’s not just a matter of you saying someone is ‘suitable.’” Chloe was clearly displeased. “What policies? You’re the boss, Liam, your word is law here.” “Chloe, Mr. Anderson has a point,” Mike interjected, trying to play the good guy. He then turned to me, “Mr. Anderson, you’ve misunderstood Chloe. Honestly, I’m quite happy as a security guard. Chloe just couldn’t bear to see my potential wasted, and she insisted I come.” I nodded directly. “If you’re happy, keep doing it. You only get what you’re capable of. Taking shortcuts to the top might seem easy, but it’s also a quick way to crash and burn.” Mike’s face darkened for a split second, then he meekly replied, “Mr. Anderson, your words are a valuable lesson.” “Enough!” Chloe snapped, furious. “Liam Anderson, when did you become so passive-aggressive? If you’re not going to hire him, fine, but why humiliate him? This side of you… I hate it!” Mike chimed in again, feigning innocence. “Chloe, you shouldn’t argue with Mr. Anderson because of me. It’s all my fault.” He then looked at me, a look of utter grievance on his face. “Mr. Anderson, you truly misunderstand me. I never wanted to climb the ladder overnight; I just wanted to prove myself.”

I felt sick to my stomach. This grown man, tall and muscular, acting so innocent. And Chloe, of course, fell for it completely. She lovingly stroked Mike’s face, her voice soft. “No, it’s not your fault. This has nothing to do with you.” Then she turned to me, her face instantly cold. “Liam, I can’t believe it. The more money you make, the narrower-minded you become. Apologize to Mike, or there’s no need for us to get married.” I chuckled. “Funny you should mention that. I’ve already canceled the venue, the caterers, even the wedding planner. There won’t be a wedding.” “What did you say?” Chloe’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Chloe, Mr. Anderson is just joking,” Mike quickly said. “Mr. Anderson, you shouldn’t joke about something so important! What if Chloe takes you seriously? Apologize to her now.” I sneered, scoffing. “Who do you think you are, telling me how to run my life?” Mike’s face instantly turned a deep shade of crimson. “Liam!” Chloe was trembling with rage, staring daggers at me. “You better mean what you say. Mike, let’s go!” She was so sure I was head over heels, that I’d never actually call off the wedding. But she seemed to forget one thing: if her feelings could change, why couldn’t mine? I didn’t love her anymore. A moment later, Chloe sent me a SnapChat message. 【Mike saw a sports car he likes. Get it for him.】 I replied instantly: 【Are you out of your mind? What do Mike’s wants have to do with me?】 【It’s because you humiliated him, and he’s still sulking. Buy him that sports car as an apology. It’s making things awkward for me.】 【Your convenience? Not my problem.】 After sending it, I switched off my phone, lit a cigarette, and leaned back in my chair. Through the curling smoke, my thoughts drifted back ten years. I first met Chloe during Freshman Orientation Week in high school. She was striking in her fatigues, incredibly vibrant and confident. During the talent show, her stunning contemporary dance routine captivated the entire audience. Her tough exterior in those fatigues, melting into that graceful dance routine… it completely captivated me. After that, I pursued her. Three years of high school, four years of college, three years after graduation – my world revolved around her. I lost myself completely, my love for her a constant, humble devotion. I swore to give her the best in the world, fighting relentlessly just to see her smile. Three years of intense effort, countless hardships and struggles, yet I never showed her any of it. In front of her, I always smiled, always presented my best self. Sometimes I felt exhausted, but just thinking of her filled me with strength. I believed that loving someone meant giving your all, giving them the very best. Whatever she desired, whatever she wanted to do, I made sure it happened. But in the end, all I got was her betrayal. Her belief that a simple, ordinary life was better. It made my ten years of pampering, sacrifice, and struggle feel like a cruel joke. I should thank her. She opened my eyes to reality. When love dies, everything you do is wrong. “Mr. Anderson, the meeting is about to start.” My secretary, Sarah, pushed open the door. I extinguished my cigarette and rose from the chair. “Let’s go.” Chloe never realized that as the company grew, I no longer needed her. I had my own thriving career, and frankly, better options. The meeting didn’t end until late into the night. I declined my driver’s offer and drove home alone. The moment I walked in, I saw Chloe sitting on the sofa, only wearing a bathrobe, a face mask on. The sound of the shower was running from the bathroom. My face instantly darkened. “Is that Mike?”

Chloe nodded dismissively. “Mike gave me a ride home. I saw his clothes were dirty, and he was sweating a lot, so I told him to shower.” My face cold, I immediately called Sarah. “Send someone to gut the bathroom and re-do it entirely.” Chloe exploded. “Liam, what do you mean?” I stared straight at her. “I don’t keep things that have been dirtied.” Chloe’s eyes darted, guilt flashing for a second, then she yelled, “Liam, explain yourself! Mike just took one shower, how does that make it ‘dirty’? You shower every day, why don’t you say that’s dirty?” Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Mike walked out, wearing my pajamas. “Mr. Anderson, you’re back.” I looked at Chloe. She turned her head, refusing to meet my gaze. “Mike didn’t have pajamas, he couldn’t possibly put his dirty clothes back on after a shower, right? And you have so many, what’s the big deal with lending him one?” I nodded. “You’re right. So, I’m done with these pajamas. They’re contaminated. Feel free to toss them.” Mike’s face crumpled in a show of grievance. “Mr. Anderson, please don’t be upset. I’ll change right now and wash them clean for you.” “Don’t you dare!” Chloe grabbed him, glaring at me. “Liam, what exactly are you trying to do? What did Mike do to offend you that you’re constantly targeting him? He just used the bathroom and wore your pajamas! You keep calling things ‘dirty’! If you’re so disgusted, then leave! Don’t ever come back!” I looked at Chloe, my gaze calm. “You seem to forget, I bought this house. If anyone’s leaving, it’s him. Oh, and you.” “You’re kicking me out?” Chloe’s voice was laced with disbelief. I just watched her, silent. My meaning was clear. Chloe was shaking with anger. “Fine, fine, I’ll go!” “Liam, you better not regret begging me to come back.” Don’t worry, I never will! After they left, I called Sarah again. “Put this house on the market. It disgusts me to even be in it.” Then, I went out and checked into a random hotel. At 2 AM, Chloe called, her voice frantic. “Honey, my bank cards and credit cards are all frozen! Quickly call the bank and ask if there’s a system error!” My voice was cold. “No need to call. The bank’s system is working just fine.” “I had them frozen.”

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On New Year’s Day, my husband Liam Reed posted a family photo online. But in the picture, Liam stood in the center with his arm around his intern, Chloe. I was nowhere in it. “We should get a divorce,” I told him. He barely glanced up. “Over a photo? How long are you going to sulk this time?” Three years of marriage, and he still didn’t believe I’d actually leave. But this time, I was serious. Minutes earlier, I’d gotten a text from Leo Sterling, the biggest movie star in the world. “Wrapping up my show. Flying in to get you. ETA around midnight.” I immediately typed back, “Okay.” … On New Year’s Day, Liam insisted on bringing his intern, Chloe, to his parents’ house. All the family were gathered for lunch when someone suggested a family photo. Without a pause, Liam nudged me out of the frame and told me to take it instead. He arranged everyone, then pulled Chloe to stand right beside him. It was a family photo of over a dozen people, and I was the only one missing. Seeing how upset I was, Liam signed. “Fine, I’ll delete it. Happy now?” “Can you send it to me first?” Chloe cut in, settling into the seat next to Liam as if it were hers. She noticed my grim expression and immediately asked, “What’s wrong? Liam, did you make Daisy mad again?” Liam pursed his lips but didn’t say anything. Chloe quickly chimed in, “Daisy, don’t be mad at him. I should have been the one taking the picture.” I let out a cold laugh. “You’re so fond of my husband, you even have to show up at my family’s holiday gathering. You can have him.” Chloe bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. “How can you say that? You’ve misunderstood. There’s a blizzard back home, all transportation is cut off. I can’t go back.” Liam shot me a reproachful glance. “Take your anger out on me. Why are you picking on her? If you want a divorce, fine, but don’t drag others into it.” Liam patted Chloe’s shoulder and took her outside for some fresh air. Our conversations about divorce were always so casual. That afternoon, I had a card game scheduled with Liam’s old friends. I didn’t want our issues to affect everyone else, so I bit the bullet and went. As I reached the door, my friends were already complaining about me. “Is Daisy not coming? Did you two have another fight?” Someone laughed dismissively. “She’s mad about this? Well, someone has to take the holiday family photo, so they’re not in it. Daisy is just too petty.” “Exactly. If I were looking for a wife, I’d prefer someone gentle and even-tempered, like Chloe. She’s perfect.” Liam sighed dramatically. “What can I do? That’s just how she is. I’ve spoiled her since we were kids, so I just have to deal with it.” Someone else laughed. “You need to be firm sometimes, or you’ll end up completely henpecked, with no say in the family.” Chloe spoke up. “Daisy is truly so lucky. If someone pampered me like that, I’d never argue with them.” Liam’s friends immediately started egging them on. “Then let Liam pamper you today, Chloe!” “Really? Can you get me a New Year’s gift, honey?” she asked playfully. I heard Liam’s cheerful reply. “I already had a gift for you anyway.” Then Liam warned everyone, “Jokes are fine, but don’t say anything like that in front of Daisy, okay?” I let go of the doorknob. The laughter inside sounded so sharp, so piercing. Liam knew perfectly well that I disliked his ambiguous relationships with others. He’d say he was afraid of upsetting me, yet he let Chloe call him “honey” in front of everyone and even bought her a holiday gift. It was all because he was so certain that I’d get mad, then eventually forgive him. But this time, he miscalculated. A little while later, Chloe posted an Ins story. “Received a New Year’s gift from my boss! It feels so good to be spoiled!” The photo showed their fingers intertwined. I called my dad. “Dad, I want to spend the holidays in Chicago.” He paused, a little surprised. “Why the sudden change of heart? Aren’t you going back to Liam’s parents’ place?” I fought back my emotions, not wanting him to hear the sadness in my voice. “I miss you. I’m thinking of relocating to Chicago. I’ll stay there with you after the holidays.” My dad immediately heard the disappointment, but he didn’t call me out on it. “Your dad supports all your choices. Do you want me to pick you up?” Hearing my dad’s loving voice, my heart finally settled. “No, someone’s already coming for me.”

When Liam brought Chloe home, I was with his relatives, watching TV. “Daisy, you and Liam have been married for three years now, right? Why haven’t you had kids yet?” “Yeah, hurry up and have one!” Mrs. Reed chuckled. “Daisy used to run that vet clinic, and I was worried about her being around all those cats and dogs, you know, germs. But Daisy closed the clinic this year. So, she should have a baby soon.” At that moment, the popular actor, Leo, appeared on TV. I looked up sharply, his familiar face on the screen. A reporter interviewed Leo. “How will you be spending New Year’s Eve?” Leo smiled gently. “With the most important person, of course!” Mrs. Reed couldn’t help but exclaim, “That actor is so handsome!” Chloe interjected, “He’s every girl’s dream guy! I’ve binge-watched so many of his shows.” They had no idea that Leo’s “most important person” was me, and he was coming for me tonight. A long time ago, Liam had also told me I was the most important person to him. On my seventh birthday, my mother died in a car accident. My father was lost in grief, sometimes sitting at home all day, completely oblivious to me. I didn’t dare cry at home and often found myself spacing out alone in the park. Liam would always find ways to cheer me up. Later, my dad’s business relocated to Chicago, and after college, I chose to marry Liam. But last year, he missed my birthday. That day, Chloe had made a huge blunder, and he stayed late to clean up her mess, then took her to dinner to comfort her. It wasn’t until he saw the unopened cake on the table late that night that he realized he’d forgotten my birthday. That was our first real fight. After that, our conflicts grew more frequent. Liam always complained that I was petty and jealous, unable to tolerate even an intern next to him. Time and again, he left me behind to help Chloe move, celebrate holidays, or take her to the doctor. My phone vibrated, pulling me back from my thoughts. Someone in my group chat posted a photo, asking if the person in it was me. I clicked on the photo. It was a recent Ins post from Leo. “Family Photo,” the caption read. The accompanying picture was a large group shot of volunteers, and I was standing right next to Leo. In front of us was a group of abandoned cats we had rescued. Before I could respond, Liam replied to the group. “No way! It’s just someone who looks a bit like her. How could Daisy possibly be in a celebrity’s family photo? Impossible.” Seeing him so flustered and angry, I found it almost laughable. He finished his message and tossed his phone onto the table, accidentally knocking over a can of soda and soaking his pants. Chloe quickly grabbed some tissues and, without thinking, gently dabbed his leg. Liam cleared his throat awkwardly, and she finally stopped. I let out a soft laugh. “Why don’t you just wash them for him?” Chloe’s face instantly flushed. “Daisy, what are you saying? I treat Liam like a big brother. Don’t get the wrong idea.” I ignored her, simply explaining a few things in the chat. I’d been helping out at an animal rescue, and a celebrity doing charity work happened to be there. Unexpectedly, the group chat became even more frantic. “Oh my god, Daisy actually met Leo!” “What kind of cologne does he wear? I need to know!” I was so overwhelmed, I stopped typing. Just then, Leo messaged me: “Finished recording. Heading to the airport now.”

At dinner, Chloe flirted with Liam. “Liam, pass me the lemon juice.” Then I noticed the bracelet on Chloe’s wrist. I said sarcastically, “Nice bracelet! Did Liam give it to you?” Chloe said awkwardly, “It’s nothing expensive. If you like it, I can give it to you.” Liam stopped Chloe. “That’s my gift to you. How can you give it to her?” Then he turned to me. “Daisy, what do you want for a New Year’s gift? Anything you want, just name it.” Chloe suddenly tugged on Liam’s arm and exclaimed, “Oh no, what time is it? Are we going to be late? We promised the team we’d go pray at a church in the suburbs. Shouldn’t we be leaving?” Liam’s eyes darted nervously, and he stammered an explanation to me. “I promised my colleagues I’d go with them. If you’re not too tired, you can come with us too.” Chloe quickly cut in, “Daisy doesn’t know your colleagues well, it would be awkward for her.” I sneered, declining the invitation. Liam patted my head, like comforting a loyal dog. “You’re right. It’s pretty cold out. Just wait for me at home, I’ll buy you a New Year’s gift.” Chloe leaned in, deliberately showing me a condom box in her purse. Don’t worry, Daisy,” she said with a smile. “I’ll take good care of Liam.” Liam hurried her out and drove off with her. I sat by the TV, watched Leo’s show, then went to my room and printed the divorce papers. When Leo called, I kept my voice low. “I’ll see you at the airport.”

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The zombie outbreak began, and my new husband Julian died right before my eyes, killed while trying to protect me. I fled in panic, taking desperate refuge in a desolate, abandoned construction site. But the very next day, my parents called out of the blue. My mother Sarah had been hospitalized with a heart condition, and they insisted I come care for her. I immediately told them about the zombie outbreak, urging them to find a safe place to hide. Instead, my parents lashed out, yelling at me. “What kind of zombie nonsense are you talking about? Have you been watching too many horror movies? Come up with a better excuse!” I knew something was off. I wanted to go to the hospital where my parents were, just to check. But I hadn’t gone far before I was spotted by zombies on the street, and I was bitten to death! When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the moment my parents had just called. I carefully asked. “Mom, Dad, are you safe? Is everything okay where you are?” My parents swore it was. “What could possibly go wrong at a hospital? Just hurry up and get here!”

Covered in blood, huddled in that cold, abandoned building, I froze for a moment at their words. Their tone on the phone grew more anxious. “Your mom and I only have you, our one daughter. You can’t just abandon us when something happens to the family!” “Oh, and bring some cash. We’re still three thousand short for your mom’s hospital bills.” I looked out the window at the shuffling zombies, my fingers trembling as I gripped my phone. What was going on? My parents and I lived in the same city. How could there be a zombie outbreak here, and they were acting like nothing was happening? Besides, they said they were at the hospital, and hospitals should be ground zero for a zombie apocalypse, the first places to get completely overrun! I glanced at the zombies lurking below and forced myself to speak. “Mom, Dad, it’s not safe outside!” “There are zombies everywhere here, Julian was even bitten to death by them!” “Are you sure there’s absolutely nothing wrong on your end?!” There was a two-second silence on the other end, then my dad, David, roared. “Audrey, what nonsense are you spewing?!” “I think you just don’t want to deal with your mother, so you’re making up these ridiculous stories!” My mom’s weak sobs reached my ears too. “My dear, your mother is barely holding on. How can you be so heartless?!” Tears welled up in my eyes. “Mom, I’m really not lying to you!” “There are truly zombies outside, blood everywhere!” “Please, find a safe place to hide!” But my dad only grew angrier. “Still trying to argue? Your mom is in the hospital with a heart attack, and instead of rushing over, you’re making up such a crazy excuse!” “I’m telling you, if you don’t come now, we’ll disown you, you ungrateful wretch!” I stared blankly at my phone screen, my mind a chaotic mess. Was I going crazy? But the zombies downstairs were clearly right there! I opened a news app on my phone, only to find the headlines were all about celebrity gossip, everything seemed peaceful and normal. There wasn’t a single report about a zombie crisis. All the social media platforms were tranquil, no one mentioned zombies. It was as if I was the only one who saw this disaster. My dad delivered his final ultimatum on the phone, “Your mother and I slaved away, scrimping and saving to put you through college. Now your wings are strong, and you’re just going to abandon us, huh?!” “I’m laying it out for you now. If you don’t take care of us, your old parents, we’ll have nothing to live for. Your mom and I will just go home and end it all, so we don’t have to be a burden to you!”

I had no choice but to try and calm them down, begging them not to do anything foolish. “Mom, Dad, wait for me. I’ll figure out a way to get there right away.” “Please, don’t be impulsive, I’m really not lying to you…” Just as I finally managed to stabilize them, the family SnapChat group exploded. A swarm of relatives started taking jabs at me. My aunt, Martha, was the first to lash out. “I heard Audrey won’t even pay for her mother’s hospital bills?” “That child has always been selfish; she’s even worse now that she’s grown up!” My uncle, Robert, quickly chimed in. “And her parents treated her like gold! Now that she’s successful, she abandons them.” “That ungrateful wretch, she has no conscience!” My cousin, Tiffany, said sarcastically. “She’s married a rich husband now; why would she care about anyone else’s life?” Other family members took turns, absolutely ripping me apart with their criticism. I trembled with rage, looking at all these accusations. To prove my innocence, I suggested a video call, trying to point the camera at the zombies downstairs for them to see. Just then, a few zombies were tearing at a corpse below. The gory scene made my stomach churn. But the relatives on the other end of the screen burst out laughing. “Audrey, do you think we’re toddlers?” “Isn’t that just some horror movie from the internet?” “You think we’ll believe you if you play a movie clip?” “To save a few thousand bucks on medical bills, she’s pulling such a pathetic stunt to fool us.” “Do you take us for idiots?” Tears were streaming down my face. “This isn’t a movie! It’s real!” “There really are zombies outside!” But no one believed me. Robert sneered. “Alright, stop the act. Just get to the hospital and pay the bill.” “Your mother’s having a heart attack right now, and you’re wasting time making up lies?” Furious, I poked the camera out the window, aiming it at the street. “Look closely! These are real zombies!” The streets were littered with shambling monsters, cars were parked haphazardly, some still smoking. The ground was covered in blood and dismembered body parts. But my Robert angrily lectured me about being inconsiderate. “Enough! You’re going to make your mother die of anger!” “What are you messing around with now?” “Get to the hospital immediately, or you’ll be waiting to claim your mother’s body!” With that, he hung up the video call. I slumped to the ground in despair. Why did no one believe me? Was I truly going crazy? I posted these scenes online through every channel I could. Facebook, Ins, TikTok – everywhere I could post, I did. But soon, a colleague from work messaged me. “Audrey, your prank is pretty funny.” “But is it really appropriate to post stuff like this during work hours?” My boss also called me. “Audrey, you’ve been absent for two days. Were you watching horror movies?” “Someone even tried to vouch for you, saying you were overworked and suddenly fell ill, without time to request leave. But now, it seems we were wrong.” “The company has decided to terminate your employment. Pack your things and get out!”

I explained that a zombie apocalypse had broken out and I was trapped in an abandoned building, but my boss absolutely refused to believe me. He even called me insane. After my boss hung up, I still wasn’t ready to give up. I called my best friend, Chloe, asking if she’d seen any zombies on the streets. My friend, however, said it was a beautiful day and everything was perfectly normal outside. “Audrey, have you been under too much stress lately?” “Do you want me to go with you to see a therapist?” “What you’re saying is really scary…” I hung up the phone, feeling helpless. Chloe was my best friend; she wouldn’t lie to me. But I was truly being hunted and bitten by zombies! What’s more, I had personally witnessed Julian being bitten to death by zombies, and his splashed blood was still clinging to me. All of this told me that the zombie crisis was real! But everyone else insisted everything was normal, that the world was peaceful. Why was this happening? My phone rang again. It was my mom. “My dear, your mother is begging you, please come to the hospital.” My mom’s voice was terrifyingly weak. “My heart hurts so badly right now, and the doctor says I need surgery immediately.” “But we don’t have enough money, so the hospital won’t do it.” “Darling, your mom is counting on you, you can’t abandon me!” My mom started crying as she spoke. Hearing her sobs, my own tears couldn’t be stopped. “Mom, I really haven’t lied to you.” “It’s really dangerous here!” But my mom only cried harder. “My dear, do you hate your mother?” “Are you blaming me for being too strict with you before?” “Mom knows she was wrong; I won’t push you anymore.” “Just have pity on your mother, and come see her one last time at the hospital.” I bit my lip, trembling all over. My mother’s words pierced my heart like knives. I started to wonder if I was truly having a breakdown. Maybe I was sick? Maybe there were no zombies outside at all? Maybe Julian was still alive, and I was just hallucinating? I pinched myself hard. It hurt. I looked out the window again. The zombies were still there. They were real. But why was I the only one who could see them? To find out the truth, I decided to risk my life and go to the hospital. If I was sick, at least I could get treated. If not, I wanted to die knowing why. I took a deep breath and said into the phone. “Mom, wait for me. I’m coming right away.” Hearing this, my mom’s sobs gradually quieted. “Good. Your mom will wait for you.” Before I left, I gathered some tarps and wrapped them around myself for protection, making myself as safe as possible. I also found an iron pipe to use as a weapon. In normal people’s eyes, my attire at this point would definitely make me look like a lunatic who had escaped from a mental institution. But I firmly believed I wasn’t crazy!

I slowly emerged from the abandoned building. The air was thick with the smell of blood. With every step, I carefully scanned my surroundings. Zombies had acute hearing, and any sound could attract them. I cautiously navigated through the streets and alleys, using my memories from the previous life to avoid many dangers. But as I approached the city center, the number of zombies grew, making avoidance nearly impossible. Just as I was about to be cornered by zombies in a small alley, a manhole cover suddenly lifted. I encountered another survivor. At that moment, several zombies lunged at me, clawing and snarling. He quickly pulled me into the sewer, saving me from certain death. The manhole cover closed above my head. I heard the grating sound of zombies scratching above. I leaned against the damp wall, gasping for breath. The man looked at me, puzzled. “Are you crazy? Running towards the city center alone?” “That’s where most of the zombies are!” He looked to be in his thirties, wearing dirty work clothes. I looked at him, a wave of relief washing over me! My mind was fine; the world I was in truly was experiencing a zombie crisis! At least one other person saw the same thing I did. “You see the zombies too, don’t you?” I grabbed his arm, agitated. He was startled by my reaction. “What kind of question is that? Those monsters are everywhere outside, who wouldn’t see them?” I was almost in tears. “But I called my parents, my friends, and they all said everything was normal outside!” “They said there were no zombies, that I was lying!” The man frowned. “Where are your family members?” “At the city hospital.” “My mother is hospitalized with a heart condition; I have to get there.” I wanted to show him the messages from my parents, but my phone had run out of battery. The man was silent for a moment, then shook his head. “Hospitals were the first places the zombies broke out, there’s no one alive there anymore!” “I advise you not to go and die for nothing.” But I couldn’t give up. “I have to go.” “My mother is still waiting for me.” The man looked at me, his eyes full of confusion. “Didn’t you hear what I said? There are no living people in the hospital!” “Your mother is either dead or she’s turned into one of those monsters!” “You can’t save her if you go!” I only smiled bitterly, then bid him a firm farewell, resolved to reach the hospital and uncover the truth. Using the sewers, I made my way toward the hospital with surprising ease. But just as I climbed out and rushed for the main entrance, a horde of zombies in patient gowns erupted from the once quiet building. The stench flooded my senses as they surged toward me. I faltered, torn between retreating into the sewer or facing the same gruesome end as in my last life. But then, I suddenly noticed the dried bloodstains on their bodies. My mind seized the truth in a flash of cold clarity. I finally knew why my city had fallen!

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “346590”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn #惊悚Thriller

I rushed home at 3 AM. The moment water sprayed from the showerhead, I knew the temperature was wrong. My husband, Captain Lucas Thomas, was an instructor at the military academy. He was strong, fit, and always took cold showers. But today, the water was hot. “Finally decided to warm things up for me?” I asked him. He paused, then gave a playful salute. “Copy that, ma’am. Won’t forget again.” I smiled. As I stepped toward the shower, I saw two overlapping handprints on the glass door. On the floor lay a strand of dark, glossy hair. It was not mine. It was obvious. My husband was cheating. And he had brought her into our bathroom for…sex! I fought back nausea and sent a photo to my cousin Brooke at the academy. “Dark hair. Around five three. Find her. Fifty grand.” She replied instantly. “I’ll drag that bitch out myself!” Staring at those overlapping handprints, I could almost see them there. For five years of marriage, Lucas Thomas had been perfect. He came from a military family, was charming, and treated me like his only mission. No matter what, I never thought it would come to this. My phone chimed softly. checked it almost without thinking. It was a photo from my cousin, Brooke. Lucas stood surrounded by students, a girl crouched in front of him. She was petite, with long hair, a youthful face, and wide, round eyes. Even through the grainy photo, her radiant youth was unmistakable. She was smiling, head tilted, gazing up at Lucas with open adoration. I took a sharp breath, but the air was cold as needles, piercing my lungs and making my chest burn. Brooke’s messages kept coming. “That’s Summer Hayes. A senior in the Medical School’s surgery program. She’s in Lucas’s class this semester.” “Disgusting. Just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover.” I swiftly transferred the money to her. “Don’t do anything reckless. I’ll handle this myself.” By the time Lucas woke up, I had already composed my expression. He looked at the dark circles under my eyes, his face full of concern. “Didn’t sleep well last night?” How I wanted to just blurt out Summer’s name. But in the end, I just gave a slight smile. “No, jet lag’s hitting me hard.” Lucas gently pushed me back onto the bed and pressed a kiss on my forehead. “I shouldn’t have bothered you last night. Get some more sleep; I’ll call you when breakfast is ready.” Still the perfect Lucas Thomas. It wasn’t until we were sitting at the dining table that his hurried movements made me pause, and I couldn’t help but ask. “Don’t you have the day off today?” “There’s a drill at the medical department. I need to oversee it.” Lucas quickly finished his breakfast and stood up to leave. But I spoke softly. “Are you forgetting what day it is?” He froze, glanced at the date, and immediately looked remorseful. “I forgot, Ava. I’m so sorry, we said I’d go with you to visit your father’s grave.” “But the medical department drill was scheduled a long time ago…” A cold laugh echoed in my heart. “You go. I actually want to talk to my dad alone today anyway.” Lucas immediately rushed off to the academy. After quickly visiting the cemetery, I coincidentally arrived as the medical department was conducting a first-aid drill on the sports field. Lucas blew a whistle. “Alright, everyone, find a partner and practice your first-aid techniques.” Students quickly paired up, but one girl was left standing alone in the center. Teasing shouts rose from around them. “Instructor, who’s gonna give Summer CPR?” “Who else? If it were anyone else, wouldn’t the Instructor absolutely lose it?!” Amidst the laughter, Summer made a face at her classmates. “ou’re all perverts! My conscience is clear, I have nothing to hide!” “It was just a trauma assessment drill! Totally innocent, okay?!” Lucas cleared his throat. “Alright, alright, it’s just a demonstration, don’t fuss!” With that, he gestured for Summer to lie down in front of him. Then, he actually bent down and kissed her lips!

In an instant, my whole body went cold. My gaze was locked onto Lucas Thomas. He casually stood up, his hands clasped and pressed onto Summer Hayes’s chest. “After artificial respiration, you need to apply pressure rhythmically…” A mischief-maker laughed loudly. “Summer, didn’t you say CPR was pure?” “Why are you blushing so much?” Summer, lying on the ground, shot back. “You’d blush too if Lucas touched you, wouldn’t you be gutted if he hadn’t?” Amidst the uproarious laughter, Lucas didn’t defend himself. Instead, he flashed a doting smile. My fingers gripped the steering wheel, trembling uncontrollably. I waited until dinner time to finally spot Summer. She was giggling and playing around with her roommates, their laughter audible from afar. “He invited you to dinner and you didn’t go? Why are you playing innocent, Summer!” “What do you know? Summer’s just playing hard to get!” Summer coughed, transparently trying to deny it. “That’s not true! I’m not close with him, don’t spread rumors!” I couldn’t help but sneer. Not close? Not close enough to roll around in my bathroom, on my bed. If they were close, would they invite me to watch them get a room? I avoided the crowd and walked straight to a table opposite theirs. My makeup, hair, and clothing – Summer knew at a glance I wasn’t a student. A flicker of nervousness crossed her eyes, then she smiled. “Who are you? The cafeteria isn’t crowded; we don’t need to share a table, do we?” I ignored her feigned ignorance and stated directly. “Summer Hayes, you must know that Lucas Thomas is my husband, right?” Lucas was thirty. Most men his age were married, unless they were not interested in women or had a serious illness. Not to mention, our wedding photo hung above our bed. I refused to believe Summer was some innocent young girl. Her roommates instantly fell silent. Summer, however, maintained a clueless expression. “Is there something I can help you with?” Seeing that I didn’t speak, she then feigned sudden realization. “Did you perhaps see our CPR drill? You might not understand, but it was just a very legitimate exercise.” Who was she trying to mock with those words? Did she think I was a jobless, clueless housewife? I gave a soft laugh. “You’re in clinical medicine? As a senior, you must have taken ‘Surgery.’ Turn to the cardiovascular section. My name is on the editorial board..” “I’m Dr. Ava Reed. Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery.” “I look forward to the day you intern in my department.” Summer’s face paled. My gaze fell on her wrist, where a stunning bracelet, smooth and shimmering, made from a beautiful, polished stone, gleamed softly. “Nice bracelet,” I said casually. “But that’s my father’s heirloom. I’d appreciate it if you’d return it.” Summer looked up in disbelief. Her lips trembled, and her face flushed crimson. In the end, I retrieved this old item, which I had once believed lost. Four years ago, my father passed away after a serious illness. Before he left, he pressed the bracelet into my hand. “Ava, this bracelet is an ancient heirloom of our family.” “Lucas loves you enough. This bracelet is for you to pass down. Your dad will die without regret…” At the time, Lucas’s eyes were red, and he swore he would take good care of me. But I had lost this bracelet and regretted it for a whole year. I could barely eat or sleep. Lucas comforted me, promising to buy me more beautiful jewelry. I never imagined that he had already been messing around with Summer so early on. Summer liked my bracelet, and he just gave it to her! When I arrived home, I had just finished extracting the dash cam footage and was getting out of my car. Lucas stormed over, his face filled with impatience. “You went to the academy today?” “Ava Reed, why didn’t you talk to me directly? Why did you humiliate Summer in front of so many people?” “Do you think you’re acting like a normal adult?”

I didn’t back down an inch, looking up at him and saying coldly. “Oh? How interesting. So, Summer isn’t an adult?” “I recall she’s a senior, but she does look quite underage.” “Didn’t realize you liked that type. Must be thrilling to mess around, perfectly legal and all…” Lucas’s pupils contracted. He raised his hand and harshly slapped me, cutting off my unfinished words. My head snapped to the side, and the taste of blood immediately filled my mouth. “Ava!” Even though he was the one who hit me, his cry sounded incredibly heartbroken and pained. Lucas’s face was full of remorse. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, but you shouldn’t say such things to a student!” I laughed. Without another word, smack, I slapped him back. “Lucas Thomas,” I said coldly, “she’s your student, not mine.” “To me, she’s a homewrecker who interfered in my marriage, a thief who stole my father’s heirloom. Got a problem with that?” Lucas’s face instantly changed, his eyes sharp as razors. “I’m saying it again, Summer is not a mistress!” “Ava Reed, where’s your trust in me? Why have you become so disgusting!” A lump caught in my throat; I was about to tell him to get lost. But then the front door opened. Summer poked her head in, saying playfully. “Instructor, please don’t fight with Ava because of me anymore. I came to apologize.” She bowed gracefully towards me. “It was raining heavily before, and I came to Instructor’s house to change clothes. I thought that bracelet wasn’t worth anything, so I just took it casually.” “Ava, please don’t blame him. He didn’t give it to me; I apologize to you.” Lucas’s gaze softened, and he stroked her head. “It’s not your fault, Summer. I didn’t make things clear.” Watching this scene unfold before me. My face turned green, and I felt on the verge of throwing up. Taking something without permission is theft. How dare Lucas forgive her on my behalf? He roughly pushed me aside and spoke gently to Summer. “I’ll handle my own family matters, Summer. You’ve already apologized; don’t get involved.” “I’ll take you back.” Watching his car speed away, I trembled with rage. Just then, my phone chimed with a text from Brooke. “Sis, did you go see Summer yesterday?” “Everyone on the campus gossip site is trashing you right now!” I opened the two screenshots she sent, and in an instant, my blood ran cold. “BIG SCANDAL! Dr. Reed, Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at a prestigious hospital, bullying innocent female student! Word is, this woman is notorious for being harsh on interns; future junior doctors, good luck to you! Is that old hag just jealous of a young, pretty girl? Can’t keep her own man, so she takes it out on students?” The text was highly inflammatory. In just a few words, it painted me as a psychologically disturbed, menopausal old woman. Brooke’s call came immediately. “Did you see it? That little bitch Summer must be behind this!” “I know,” I interrupted her, my voice unnaturally calm. “Brooke, do me a favor. Trace the IP addresses of the posters and dig up all the dirt on Summer Hayes for me.” It was just a public opinion war. When I was pulling these kinds of tricks, Summer wasn’t even in elementary school yet!

As I expected, Summer Hayes’s internship was assigned to me. Regardless of personal feelings, I wouldn’t neglect any student when it came to teaching. During an emergency surgery I was leading, I routinely arranged for interns to observe. And I specifically assigned Summer to be the instrument assistant. “Why me?” she mumbled softly, her tone clearly resentful. “Dr. Reed, isn’t this an abuse of power?” I glanced at her through my sterile mask. “If your scholarship is based on merit, then you should prove it in practice.” The surgery reached a critical step. I gave the instruction for a 2.5mm balloon. But Summer, fumbling nervously, handed me a 3mm one! “Wrong size! Vasopressor, now!” I barked the order, immediately directing the team to compensate. After the surgery, we exited the operating room. Summer followed me, her face deathly pale. I stared at her, enunciating each word. “In cardiothoracic surgery, you are literally holding lives in your hands. Any minor mistake can lead to a major disaster.” “The carelessness and incompetence you displayed today can kill patients in a clinical setting!” Summer’s body swayed, tears instantly welling up in her eyes. “Ava Reed! Do you have to be like this?!” Lucas Thomas’s voice, laced with anger, came from the doorway. He strode in quickly, placing himself in front of Summer without a moment’s hesitation. “She’s still a student! It’s normal to be nervous and make mistakes the first time! Who hasn’t been there?” “Do you really need to use such harsh words to attack her? Are you teaching, or just using this as an excuse to make trouble?” I looked at this man, my husband, who once stood by my side. Now, he was twisting facts for another woman, challenging my professional ethics. My heart sank into an icy pond, completely numb. “Instructor Thomas,” I used his formal title. “There is no room for error in surgery. As her supervising doctor, it is my duty to point out her critical mistakes.” “Duty? I think you’re mixing business with your personal vendetta!” Lucas’s anger flared even more. He grabbed Summer’s wrist. “Summer, let’s go! We won’t stand for her abuse here!” He left furiously, with a tear-streaked Summer in tow. Several interns looked at me with a mixture of fear and dissatisfaction. Just then, my phone rang. I put it on speaker directly. Brooke’s clear voice was exceptionally audible. “Sis, the IP addresses for the posts slandering you have all been traced! The source is Summer’s dorm!” “I’ve also posted the evidence online, and it’s going viral fast. And I sent copies to the military academy’s oversight office and the faculty complaint box.” I acknowledged with a hum and hung up the phone. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Those who had just been looking at me with questioning eyes were now all staring down at their phones in shock. Soon, a commotion erupted outside. Several people stormed in angrily, led by the girl who had previously teased Summer and Lucas-Summer’s best friend. She pointed her phone camera at my face and shouted furiously. “Dr. Reed! What do you mean by this?!” “Even if Summer made a mistake, do you have to be so extreme, trying to completely ruin her? And you reported the Instructor too!” “Just because you and Instructor Thomas have issues, others aren’t allowed to silently care, to truly love? You’re just jealous!” After her passionate accusations. Several interns also became indignant. “Apologize! You falsely accused a female student of being a homewrecker, aren’t you shameless?!” “Go find Summer! Hundreds of thousands of viewers in the livestream are waiting for her to confront you face-to-face!” I gave a slight smile. “Summer? Fine, I know where she is.” I led these young people directly to a little-known fire escape staircase. The closer we got, the clearer the indecent sounds became. It was Summer’s breathless purr. “Instructor Thomas, how do I compare to that old hag Ava?” Immediately followed by Lucas Thomas’s lust-filled grunt. “She’s not even worth one of your fingers. I’ll divorce her soon!” “Summer, if you get pregnant this time, don’t get rid of it. I only want children from you…” Outside the staircase, there was dead silence. I took my time. Watching their faces turn pale, then green, completely stunned. The livestream instantly exploded!

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My parents and sister Maya died when their yacht exploded at sea. There were no survivors. Staring at the empty house and mountains of debt, I was absolutely heartbroken and ready to jump off the roof when a flood of cruel comments suddenly appeared before my eyes: 【Your parents actually won $300 million in the lottery and took Maya overseas to live the high life.】 【Maya has no clue her poor, blind ex-boyfriend—the one she dumped—is actually Liam King, heir to the wealthy King family. He was just faking being poor with her.】 【When Maya blows through all the money and comes back, Liam King will be furious and lock her up to punish her.】 【Chloe, jump already! We’re waiting for Maya to get back.】 I suddenly changed my mind about dying. That night, soaked to the bone and drunk, I stumbled into Liam King’s apartment. After a wild night with Liam, I woke up with every muscle in my body sore. Liam opened his eyes right at that moment. He was blind. He’d lost his sight in a car crash six months earlier. My sister Maya had dumped him countless times, disgusted by his poverty and disability. But for a split second, I had this weird feeling he was staring straight at me. But just as quickly, his eyes went back to their usual empty, unfocused stare. He spoke in a rough, hoarse voice: “Maya, is that you?” The malicious comments surged again: 【What the hell? Chloe didn’t kill herself? How is she sleeping with Liam?】 【Unbelievable! Is she trying to impersonate Maya? Liam’s vision was restored ages ago. If she dares lie to him, she’ll regret it big time!】 So he could see this whole time. I bit my lip, trying to calm my racing heart, forcing helplessness into my voice: “No, I’m her sister, Chloe. My sister… she’s gone.” “Yesterday, I meant to bring you some of her things, but I got drunk and don’t remember anything after that.” Glancing at our torn clothes balled up on the floor, I looked away awkwardly. “Did you mistake me for Maya last night? I’m so sorry—I shouldn’t have drunk so much, but I was just so heartbroken.” “I’m all alone now, after all.” I let out soft, trembling sobs. The comments swirled: 【What an idiot! She’s still making excuses for Liam. Liam wasn’t really blind. Yesterday, when she threw herself at him soaking wet, I saw Liam react right away.】 【Any guy would react to a hot, wet girl throwing herself at him. This chick’s a total schemer, isn’t she?】 A slight tremor ran through my body. The thin blanket slipped off my shoulder, exposing red marks on my pale skin. Liam’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. After a long pause, he finally spoke: “I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else.” With teary eyes, I fumbled to wrap the torn clothes around myself. “In that case, let’s just forget this happened. I’ll leave now. Please don’t be upset.” I stood up, my legs wobbly, nearly collapsing. Liam reached out to steady me. The second his fingertips brushed my wrist, I flinched. The comments started again, spewing insults: 【Liam won’t be upset. He already knows Maya faked her death.】 【Even those debt collectors? He hired them. Pushing Chloe to suicide was his first warning to Maya.】 【Maya has no clue her spot’s been taken.】 【This is so frustrating! Chloe, just die already!】 I ducked my head and rushed out the door. When I got home, the debt collectors who’d been hanging around downstairs were gone. My heart dropped. They really were sent by Liam. I shut the door and collapsed onto the floor, completely drained. Every inch of my body ached. Of course, I hadn’t been drunk. Originally, when I was desperate, I just wanted to get a little sympathy from Liam, hoping he’d go easy on me. I never expected him to react so intensely, keeping me up all night. I curled my lips into a bitter smile. Liam had lost his eyesight in a car crash while saving Maya. But after he went blind and became “disabled,” Maya wouldn’t even look at him. She never answered his messages. She made him wait three hours in the freezing winter rain while she video-chatted with someone else upstairs. She hated his cheap gifts, tossing them in the trash right in front of him. I used to think he was wasting his time. But now, it seemed like it was all just some rich kid’s game.

The comments suddenly erupted into an argument for some reason: 【I think Maya made the right choice. Who doesn’t want a rich guy? Who’d want a boyfriend who’s both blind and broke? Even if Liam wanted to test her loyalty, playing games like this is totally unnecessary.】 【Let’s be real, Maya might be selfish, but she’s just lucky. Once she and Liam make up, she’ll become Mrs. King, and Liam will still spoil her rotten.】 【Exactly. Good girls finish last, bad girls get everything.】 Reading those comments, I thought they were completely ridiculous. Growing up, my parents always favored Maya over me. She stole my toys, my clothes, my scholarships. After I started working, I pulled all-nighters every day, and they’d take my paycheck to pay for Maya’s expensive dance lessons and designer stuff. They wanted me to prop her up, make sure she succeeded. Now they’d won $300 million in the lottery. Not only did they abandon me with mountains of debt, but they wanted to use my life to pave her way too. Why should she get everything while I die like a dog? Resentment coiled around my heart like a poisonous vine. I’d always picked up Maya’s leftovers anyway. Since Liam was one of her castoffs, I might as well take him and use him. My next run-in with Liam happened sooner than I expected. As I walked out of the hotel where I worked part-time, completely worn out, I looked up and saw Liam standing across the street. A cigarette hung from his lips, and a white cane leaned against his leg. The rich really have the strangest hobbies. Maya was gone, but Liam King was still keeping up his little act. Not far away, a guy seemed to recognize him and approached with a fake smile. I called out suddenly, “Liam!” I marched right over to him. Before he could say anything, I grabbed his wrist. “Come with me.” I spoke quickly, lowering my voice: “I saw someone suspicious approaching you. Probably debt collectors.” “My sister took out a huge loan before she left, and since you were her boyfriend, they’ll definitely come after you. You can’t see—you’ll be in danger.” “You got hurt saving my sister, so I’ll look out for you in her place.” “Don’t worry. As long as I’m around, I won’t let them hurt you.” “I’ll never leave you.” My voice was so sincere it almost sounded religious. “Will you trust me?” I don’t know what part of that got to him. Liam hesitated, then took a lazy step forward. He let me lead him, and I took him back to my place. And I kept my word, taking care of him like he was my own family. When his stomach acted up, I’d get up in the middle of the night to buy him medicine. Since he couldn’t see, I’d hold his hand and guide him to feel his way around, over and over until he knew where everything was. Even when I was starving myself, I’d spend every cent I had to take him to eye doctor appointments. Through it all, Liam would just look at me coldly, a hint of amusement sometimes flashing in his eyes. At the hospital, the doctor shook his head and said there was no improvement. I could barely hide my disappointment and heartache. Walking out of the exam room, Liam suddenly laughed bitterly: “I heard you sigh. Is this really worth it? You’re not the one who’s blind—why are you so upset?” I stopped and suddenly cupped his face in my hands. Liam’s eyes flickered with surprise, barely hidden. “You mean a lot to me,” I said, looking straight into his eyes. “So your pain hurts me too.” “You have such beautiful eyes. I won’t give up on them.”

Liam’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he gave me a complicated look. My face showed how sad I was, but I forced a smile into my voice: “Honestly, I was thinking… if you could see again, I’d do anything.” When we got home, I dragged him inside with teary eyes. While pouring water, I accidentally spilled half the cup on myself. The thin fabric clung to my body when it got wet, showing off my curves. Liam’s expression changed. I noticed the subtle shift in his posture. Biting my lip, I pulled him close by his collar and kissed him first. Liam froze for a second before taking control of the kiss. The next morning, my body ached even more than the first time. I pushed through the discomfort and got up. Liam was already up. He tossed a necklace at me. “I picked this up at a street vendor a while back. It’s not worth much, but it’s pretty. For you.” The comments suddenly exploded: 【Unbelievable! How did Liam end up with this Chloe? Doesn’t he know Maya got tricked into gambling and is in real danger?!】 【Isn’t that the diamond Liam bought at the auction? Why’s he giving it to Chloe? It was supposed to be a peace offering for Maya after she flipped out about being locked up!】 【Are you crazy, Chloe?! How dare you go after Maya’s guy!】 I ignored the crazy comments, looking at the necklace in my hand with fake surprise. A diamond from an auction… That must be worth a fortune, right? If I sold it, would that set me up for life? Just then, new comments popped up: 【Relax, everyone! Can’t you see Liam’s just stringing Chloe along?】 【The King family head found out about his wild behavior this year and flipped, ordering him home immediately.】 【Liam’s worried Chloe will cling to him, so he’s putting on a whole show. He’ll hire guys to fake his kidnapping, then stage his death at sea right in front of her to crush her hopes completely.】 【Chloe’s such a lovesick fool! Can’t she tell Liam looks at her like she’s a stray dog?】 Liam was leaving? I tightened my grip on the diamond, suddenly feeling cheated. I’d played my part so well these days, and all I got was a lousy diamond. Meanwhile, Maya did nothing and would get everything just by coming back. That wasn’t fair. That afternoon, Liam said he needed to go out alone and told me not to follow. I knew exactly what he was up to. And I had my own plans too. I went to the pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test. Thinking about the recent changes in my body, my heart was racing. When I saw the two bright red lines on the test, I let out a huge sigh of relief. I still had an ace up my sleeve in this game. Just then, my phone rang. “Chloe, right? You don’t pay up, you pay the price. Liam’s with me now. If you don’t want him dead, get to this address.” When I got there, I saw Liam’s back. He was tied to the railing of an abandoned cargo ship, hands bound behind his back. The kidnapper gave me a evil grin: “I only gave you twenty minutes. You’re too late. His time’s up.” With that, he cut the rope right in front of me. Liam, still tied up, fell straight into the ocean. My eyes went wide. The next second, I ran forward without thinking. I jumped in. The water was freezing, and my vision started to blur. Through the haze, I saw the “Liam” figure untie himself and swim smoothly toward shore. I scoffed to myself. Liam’s hired double wasn’t very convincing. But I still jumped in without hesitation. Because I was gambling on a possibility. Betting my life on it. I gambled that I would win.

The water was so cold I quickly lost strength, sinking slowly toward the ocean floor. Just as I thought I’d lost the bet, someone gasped and dove into the water. I forced my eyes open. The last thing I saw was Liam’s panicked face—a look I’d never seen on him before. When I came to in the hospital, my whole body felt icy cold to the bone. I heard the doctor scolding Liam beside me. “Do you realize she’s pregnant? And you took her to a place like that! What kind of boyfriend are you?” “Thankfully the baby’s okay, but she’s severely malnourished. If you want this child, you need to take better care of her!” Liam didn’t argue. He turned to look at my unconscious form, his expression complicated: “Chloe, do you really love me that much? You’d risk your life to save mine?” And just then, I opened my eyes. Our eyes met for two seconds before I quickly looked away. My voice was weak but steady: “Doctor, I want to terminate the pregnancy.” Liam’s eyes sharpened: “What did you say?” I turned my head away: “This baby shouldn’t be born. I’m getting rid of it.” “Your eyes have been fine for a long time. Why did you lie to me? Since you don’t need me anymore, I’ll leave on my own.” “If you don’t want me, just say so. I’m not the type to beg.” Liam opened his mouth: “That’s not what I meant.” He stared at my pale face like he was making up his mind. “Chloe, have the baby. We’ll get married.” “I’m not marrying you.” I sniffled and looked away, my voice dropping with disappointment. “Besides, we can’t even afford to raise a baby right now. Why bring a child into this to suffer with us?” After a few seconds of silence, my phone pinged with a text. Bank account deposit: $5,000,000. Liam walked over and put his hand on my stomach. “I promise he won’t want for anything.” I pretended to be shocked as he told me everything. No one saw my hand under the blanket, shaking slightly with excitement. I won the bet! I moved into Liam’s mansion. Liam was even richer than I imagined—even the decorations were worth more than I’d make in a lifetime. With the staff taking such good care of me, I had a healthy baby boy a few months later. Liam’s parents were hesitant about me at first, but their attitude changed completely when they saw their chubby little grandson smiling at them. They gave me $100 million just for pocket money. Our son had multiple properties in his name from birth, all managed by me. I checked my bank balance and smiled—this was better than I could have dreamed. When our son was seven months old, I went back to my old house to sort through some things. As I walked out, someone suddenly grabbed my hair and slapped me hard across the face. “Where the hell have you been! Do you know how long we’ve been looking for you?!” It was my mother. Her hair was a mess, her face dirty, and she was glaring at me like I was her enemy. Behind her were Maya and my father, both looking just as disheveled and pathetic. Maya checked me out from head to toe, shock and jealousy written all over her face. She suddenly stepped forward, linking her arm through mine with a fake smile: “Chloe, did you land yourself a rich boyfriend?” “You got lucky, unlike me—always stuck with poor, blind losers. Good thing I dumped that one ages ago.” “Now that we’ve survived this whole mess, why don’t you introduce us to your new man?” She ran her hand over my expensive designer bag, practically drooling. I knew exactly what she was up to—she wanted to steal from me again. That’s how it had always been, ever since we were kids. My cheek burned from the slap. I looked past them. Liam had just parked the car and was walking over—he’d heard every word. I smirked: “No need. He’s right here.”

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When I was ten years old, my parents died on their way to pick up my brother from prison. At the funeral home, I stared at the man kneeling by the caskets—my brother, just released after serving five years. I rushed at him and shoved him with all my strength: “This is all your fault! If you hadn’t been in prison, Mom and Dad wouldn’t have gone to get you! They wouldn’t be dead!” Damian stumbled from my push but didn’t look up. He just kept praying harder. From that day on, I never called him my brother again. Mom kept treasures in an old metal box. Young and curious as I was, I couldn’t resist sneaking a look when the adults weren’t home. Inside the box was a very old ultrasound report. It read: [Umbilical cord blood match successful. Donor: Fetus. Recipient: Damian] Damian was my brother, fifteen years older than me. For as long as I could remember, he’d been in prison. Mom and Dad never talked about what he’d done. But every time they came back from visiting him, Mom’s eyes would be swollen from crying, and Dad would chain-smoke in silence all night. Before I turned ten, everything I knew about my brother amounted to this: a blurry name, a stranger who made our parents cry, and the entire reason for my existence. Yes, I knew. I was never the product of my parents’ love. I was just proof of how much they loved him. Mom’s health was poor. She risked a late-life pregnancy with me only because Damian had leukemia and needed cord blood from a newborn to survive. The day I was born, Damian’s surgery was a success. And me? I was just a “useful tool” in this family. Karma’s funny that way. Who would’ve thought the brother wrapped in our parents’ love would commit murder and end up behind bars? I was five that year. I was too young to remember why Damian went to prison. Not that it mattered. What mattered was that I would go from being the family’s “tool” to being Mom and Dad’s only child. That didn’t last long. When I turned ten, Damian was released. Mom and Dad left early that morning, full of hope about giving him a fresh start. Then the news came. A truck’s brakes had failed. It crashed into their car. Dad died instantly. Mom held on until we got to the hospital. She only said one thing to me: “Claire, take care of your brother.” I didn’t understand. Why was I supposed to take care of him when I was the child who needed taking care of? Before I could argue with her, Mom closed her eyes. At the funeral home, I looked at the stiff smiles in Mom and Dad’s photos, then at the stranger kneeling before their caskets—my brother, whom I hadn’t seen in five years. His forehead pounded against the floor, blood seeping out and mixing with his tears. Relatives whispered, their stares like needles in my back. “Poor thing, losing her parents so young…” “Living with a murderer for a brother—what’s going to happen to her?” I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. Then I rushed at him and shoved with all my strength: “This is all your fault! If you hadn’t been in prison, Mom and Dad wouldn’t have gone to get you! They wouldn’t be dead!” Damian stumbled but didn’t look up. He just kept hitting his head against the floor, harder than before. The night after the funeral, Damian found me in the dark living room. He wore an ill-fitting old shirt, his eyes sunken, looking like a skeleton. “Claire.” His voice was hoarse as he reached to touch my hair. I dodged away. “Don’t touch me,” I said. His hand froze mid-air, then slowly dropped.

We lived in a small town where there were no secrets. Everyone’s business became everyone’s gossip. So it didn’t take long before everyone knew: Damian was out of prison. He was a murderer. Not only morally corrupt, but he’d also brought death to his own parents. And his little sister Claire had lost both parents at such a young age and now had to live with her killer brother. When I returned to school, my homeroom teacher gave me a pointed look during roll call. “Claire, given your family’s special circumstances, if you need anything, talk to me.” The whole class turned to stare. During break, boys crowded around my desk, smirking: “Claire, did your brother really kill someone?” “How’d he do it? With a knife or a rope?” “Are you gonna kill people too?” I buried my face in my arms, pretending not to hear. Walking home from school, girls from another class pointed at me. “That’s her. Her brother’s been to prison.” “Stay away from her. A murderer’s sister can’t be any good either.” I ran home and threw my backpack on the floor. Damian was in the kitchen making noodles, wearing Mom’s old apron, clumsily frying an egg. “You’re home, Claire?” He turned around, forcing a smile. “Dinner’s almost ready.” Looking at his face—so similar to Dad’s—I suddenly exploded: “Why did you come back?! Why didn’t you just die in prison?! Do you know everyone’s laughing at me?! Saying I’m a murderer’s sister!” The pot of water boiled, steam obscuring his face. He turned off the stove, his back to me, shoulders trembling slightly. After a long time, he finally said: “…I’m sorry.” That night, I heard him crying in the living room—suppressed, like a wounded animal whimpering. But I didn’t go out there. I hugged Mom’s pillow and told myself: I hate him. I had no obligation to understand or feel sorry for him. If it weren’t for him, my mom and dad wouldn’t have died in that accident. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be pointed at every single day. He was someone who’d only survived because of my cord blood, yet he “repaid” that debt by turning my life into chaos. I was sick of him. I hated him. Damian started working. During the day he worked construction, at night he helped at the market stalls, and late at night he took on odd jobs assembling cardboard boxes. Probably because of the major surgery he’d had, his health was poor. He coughed constantly and always looked pale. But he spent every penny he earned on me: new backpack, new clothes, even books I mentioned in passing. I had to admit, Damian took good care of me. But my environment was still a swamp. In eighth grade, I ranked first in my year. For parent-teacher night, he borrowed a nicer shirt and combed his hair neatly. But the moment he walked into the classroom, the whispers started. “That’s Claire’s brother?” “He looks pretty harmless. Hard to imagine…” “Murderers don’t have it written on their faces.” Throughout the whole meeting, he kept his head down, fingers gripping his knees tightly. On the way home, I followed behind him, watching his slightly hunched back, and suddenly said: “Let’s move away.” He stopped but didn’t turn around. “Where to?” “Anywhere,” I said. “Everyone here knows you’re a murderer anyway.” He was silent for a long time. “Okay.” A month later, we moved to a city two hundred miles away. Damian used all our savings to rent a tiny studio apartment. We slept in bunk beds. He found work at an electronics factory, working rotating shifts on the assembly line. The night we moved in, I lay on the unfamiliar top bunk, staring at the cracks in the ceiling. “Hey,” I suddenly spoke. Rustling came from the lower bunk. “Yeah?” “Why did you go to prison?” Silence. Long, suffocating silence. Just when I thought he wouldn’t answer, he said quietly: “…I did something wrong.” “What wrong thing?” “Something very bad,” his voice was soft as a sigh. “Claire, don’t ask anymore.” “Just know that I’m sorry—sorry to you, sorry to Mom and Dad…that’s enough.” I turned to face the wall. Always like this. Forever like this. I was never entitled to know the truth.

Apparently, miracles do happen. After working at the electronics factory for half a year, Damian caught the eye of the boss’s daughter. The boss’s daughter was named Vivian, five years younger than Damian, fresh out of college, sent by her father to learn management at the factory. Supposedly, the moment she saw Damian, she couldn’t look away. Fine, I’ll admit—Damian was good-looking. Even I couldn’t deny it. Despite being malnourished, despite always looking exhausted, he’d inherited all of our parents’ best features: deep eyes, a straight nose, and when he was quiet, a kind of broken beauty. Vivian pursued him so openly that the whole factory knew. She brought him meals, medicine, even kept him company when he worked late. His coworkers all urged him: “Damian, just say yes! That’s the boss’s daughter! You’d skip twenty years of struggle!” Damian always shook his head. “I’m not worthy.” Until Vivian’s father—Mr. Palmer himself—came to talk to him. Damian came home very late that night and sat in the dark living room, smoking cigarette after cigarette. He never usually smoked. “What’s wrong?” I couldn’t help asking. He stubbed out his cigarette, his voice dry: “Mr. Palmer…knows I was in prison.” My heart sank. Of course. The background check came through. That was it. He’d lose his job. We couldn’t stay in this city anymore. “He asked me about what happened back then,” Damian continued. “I told him everything.” I closed my eyes in despair. “And then?” “And then…” Damian looked up, his eyes strangely bright in the darkness. “He said next month has an auspicious date, and asked if I wanted a traditional or Western-style wedding.” I was stunned. He must be crazy. I thought. Mr. Palmer must be insane to want a murderer for a son-in-law. But good for him being crazy. I also thought. After all, the Palmer family was truly wealthy. Who wouldn’t want to latch onto a family like theirs? The wedding was simple, just ten tables set up in the factory cafeteria. Damian wore a rented suit, looking like a puppet. Vivian wore a white wedding dress, smiling sweetly. During the toast, she walked up to me, her expression complicated. “You’re Claire, right?” She raised her glass. “We’re family now.” I raised my soda without saying anything. She smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. On their wedding night, Damian moved into the Palmer family’s two-story house. I stayed in the rental apartment, thinking I could finally have some peace. The next morning, Damian came to get me. “Pack your things. You’re moving in.” “I’m not going.” “Claire,” for the first time, he used such a firm tone. “You have to.” “Why? Vivian obviously doesn’t like me!” “Because you’re my sister,” Damian looked at me, his eyes suddenly reddening. “You’re my only family left in this world, Claire. I can’t leave you behind.” In the end, I moved in. Vivian prepared a room for me—north-facing, small, but clean. She was polite on the surface, but that politeness carried an icy distance. I could feel it. She hated me. Not me as a person, but the identity of “Damian’s sister.” Living at the Palmers’, I’d describe it as living under someone else’s charity. Vivian never mistreated me. Food, clothes, everything—even better than what many of my classmates had. But she barely spoke to me, looking at me like I was a defective product she had no choice but to accept. Damian was caught in the middle, growing quieter and quieter. He got promoted to team leader at the factory, became busier, and when he came home, he still had to deal with Vivian and her extremely controlling father. I could see his exhaustion, but he never complained. When I was fifteen, I got into Central High, the best high school in the state. Most importantly, Central was a boarding school. The day I got my acceptance letter, Damian was happy as a kid, specially cooking a whole table of dishes. Vivian was happy too—happier than Damian, even. At dinner, she gave me a genuinely warm smile for once: “Claire’s so impressive. Boarding school is great—you can focus on your studies.” I understood what she meant: I’d be boarding, so she wouldn’t have to see me every day anymore. The night before school started, Damian came to my room and handed me a bank card. “The PIN is your birthday. If you need anything, buy it. Don’t try to save money.” “Does Vivian know?” “…Yes.” He wasn’t telling the truth. I could see the unease in his eyes. “Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll study hard and become independent soon. Then…I won’t be a burden to you guys anymore.” Damian opened his mouth to say something but ended up just ruffling my hair. “Claire’s all grown up.” His palm was warm, but I pulled away.

I did well at school. Nobody knew my family background. I could finally be a normal student. Good grades, a few friends I could talk to, and sometimes I’d even dream about the future— I’d go to college far, far away from here. Get away from this place completely. Get away from Damian completely. When I came home for winter break in tenth grade, I noticed Damian had lost a lot of weight. “It’s nothing, just work stress.” He brushed it off. But Vivian seemed unusually anxious, snapping at everything. One night I got up for water and heard them arguing in the master bedroom. “…You have to be hospitalized! How long do you think you can keep dragging this out?!” “Vivian, just wait a bit longer, the factory’s been…” “The factory, the factory! Do you have a death wish?!” I quietly retreated to my room, an ominous feeling settling in my chest. After New Year’s, Damian collapsed on the factory floor. The diagnosis: End-stage kidney failure. He needed a transplant. In the hospital corridor, the smell of disinfectant was pungent. I looked at Damian unconscious in the bed. He was so thin he looked skeletal, his hands covered in needle marks. Vivian sobbed into her hands, shoulders shaking. The attending physician was a family friend of the Palmers, Dr. Harrison, and he was blunt: “It’s best to have a close family member donate. Highest success rate, lowest rejection risk.” I almost blurted out: “Use mine.” Vivian’s head snapped up, eyes bloodshot. “No!” “Why not?” I was confused. “I’m his sister. The match rate would be high.” “I said no!” Her voice was shrill. “Claire, this isn’t your concern!” When Damian woke up, I brought it up again. His reaction was extreme. He nearly jumped out of the hospital bed: “Absolutely not! Claire, don’t even think about it!” “Why? You’re my br—” “Because I’m your brother!” He grabbed my hand with frightening strength. “Listen to me. Study hard, go to college. My situation…I’ll handle it myself.” “How will you handle it? Waiting for a donor could take forever! The doctor said your condition—” “Then I’ll wait!” He cut me off, his eyes more severe than I’d ever seen. “Claire, if you dare go behind my back to get tested, I will never forgive you. Ever.” I was scared by the determination in his eyes. What confused me more was Vivian’s attitude. Someone who hated me so much should be thrilled at the idea of me trading a kidney for her husband’s life. But this time, she stood firmly with Damian. I went to find Dr. Harrison, wanting to secretly get tested for compatibility. Dr. Harrison looked at me, hesitating: “Claire, your brother specifically told me…not to use you as a match.” “Why?” “He said…” Dr. Harrison sighed. “He said you’re not suitable.” “We haven’t even tested yet. How does he know I’m not suitable?” Dr. Harrison avoided my eyes. “Your brother said you were injured as a child. Your health isn’t good.” The excuse was too flimsy. I didn’t know anything about being unhealthy. I rarely even caught colds. But I was helpless. Damian and Vivian were like two walls, blocking me completely from the truth.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “346091”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn

After six years of marriage, my wife Vivian Williams suddenly posted on social media: “Well, well—look who’s here. Sore loser still won’t admit it, wants a rematch?” The photo showed a young guy in a skull-print tee, pouting with a scowl, cross-legged in a gaming chair. That was Leo Miller, the new artist her company had just signed. I was staring at the screen in a daze when a mutual friend commented below: “Vivian! You forgot to switch accounts!” A few seconds later, Vivian’s post disappeared entirely. But not long after, the exact same post showed up on Leo’s Instagram. Vivian called me right away. In the past, I would’ve screenshotted it, marched over to confront her, and demanded answers. But this time, I just stared at my phone screen in silence, letting it ring until it stopped. When Vivian got home, I was curled up on the couch watching a movie. She tossed her car keys onto the entryway cabinet and bent down to change her shoes. “Why didn’t you answer when I called? You were home, right?” Vivian never used to question me like this—unless she was feeling guilty. I kept my eyes on the TV as I replied casually: “The movie was too good. Didn’t hear the phone.” “Work dinner ran late, so I’m home late. You don’t have to sit around waiting for me every night. No one’s impressed by this little act.” Before, I would’ve patiently explained it was just how I showed I cared. But today, I couldn’t even be bothered to say anything else. Vivian stood in front of me, tossing a luxury brand shopping bag my way. Today marked the premiere of her company’s big new drama series. To celebrate, I’d left work early like always, cooked a whole spread, and invited some mutual friends over to watch the premiere with her when she got home. But after four episodes, our friends had eaten dinner in awkward silence and left, and Vivian—who’d promised to be home early—still hadn’t shown up. I pretended not to notice the ten hours of straight gaming on her phone, took the paper bag, and set it casually on the carpet. I’d seen this bag before, not long ago—when she missed our anniversary. Same size, same style. Vivian stared down at me for a second, then frowned, her voice turning cold: “Jonathan, are you gonna keep moping around?” Buying gifts was Vivian’s go-to apology move. Once I accepted a gift, no matter what had happened before, she’d act like everything was fine. If I brought it up again, I was just “nagging.” Now that I wasn’t letting her off easy, she was clearly ticked off. “Here, let me open it for you.” Without waiting for a response, she ripped open the packaging, pulled out a brand-new handbag, and held it out to me: “The sales girl said this style is super hard to get—you’ll love it.” I looked up. Vivian followed my gaze to the bag I’d tossed on the couch earlier—the one I’d grabbed in my rush to make dinner. It was exactly like the one in her hand. The room went dead silent. “It’s getting late. You should get some sleep—you have work tomorrow.” I said flatly, standing up to head to the bedroom. “I’ll have my assistant take you tomorrow so you can pick out another one.” Vivian’s voice held a rare note of caution. “No thanks.” I refused without turning around. The next morning, maybe realizing she’d gone too far, Vivian uncharacteristically suggested we carpool to work. I hadn’t slept well, so I just nodded. She stood by her car, face tight with bottled-up irritation and impatience. I couldn’t remember when it started, but Vivian had begun making excuses not to let me ride with her. She treated that passenger seat like her personal space—wouldn’t even let me touch it—until I finally bought my own car. Every time I asked, she’d snap that I was being ridiculous, obsessing over “shotgun rights” like some internet weirdo, and that she didn’t have time for my petty jealousy. Now that seat clearly belonged to Leo. It was covered in race car models and stickers. The seat was custom-fitted to his body, and even the sun visor had been adjusted so he could fix his hair easier. Vivian glanced at me, sighed, then opened the door and carefully moved all his stuff to the back seat. Watching her, I frowned a little and said: “Don’t bother. I’ll drive myself.” Vivian kept tidying up the clutter: “I said we’d go together. Leo’s just a kid—he likes that stupid stuff. Don’t take it personally.” Even with the decorations gone, that custom seat still looked totally out of place in her car. In the end, I still didn’t get in Vivian’s car. No real reason—just this sick, twisted feeling in my gut.

I unlocked my car, but Vivian hurried over, opened the driver’s door first, and slid in. “I’ll drive. That way we’re still going to the office together.” I stood quiet outside the window, catching the flicker of guilt in her eyes. Guess even she knew decking out the passenger seat like that was over the top. Vivian paused, like she was trying to think of an excuse. Not wanting to hear it, I cut her off: “We’ll be late. Just drive.” She shut her mouth and started the car. Not even ten minutes into the drive, her phone rang—some loud electronic music blaring. Leo’s voice came through, breathless and whiny: “Vivian, my heart’s racing… We went street racing last night and now I feel dizzy. I think I’m gonna die! You gotta come… I need a doctor.” After hanging up, Vivian didn’t say a word—didn’t even look at me. She pulled over immediately, reached across, and unbuckled my seatbelt. Her voice was all business—sharp and to the point: “My client’s not feeling well. I have to go. The office isn’t far—you can walk from here.” I barely closed the door before Vivian hit the gas, peeling out into traffic and leaving a cloud of exhaust behind her. This was a tech campus—everyone drove. No one walked to work here. A scooter came around the corner, not expecting anyone on foot, and plowed right into me. I scraped up my forehead, palms, and knees pretty good. The clinic nurse cleaned me up, put on some waterproof bandages, and warned: “Take these off before showering tonight so the cuts can breathe. Keep them dry until they scab over.” On the Uber to the office, the driver had two phones going—one for navigation, the other streaming Leo live. The comments were blowing up with people worried about his health. “Thanks for all the love, guys! I’m doing way better now that Vivian showed up like my knight in shining armor. Having her here makes everything better.” “No, no, you guys—don’t get the wrong idea ~ Vivian’s just the best, she takes such good care of me.” While he babbled on, my phone pinged with two texts. “Jonathan, my assistant said you missed the morning project meeting? Where were you? Work comes first—do I really need to spell that out?” “I ask you to walk a few blocks and you throw a hissy fit? Seriously?” You could practically feel the eye-rolling through the screen. Sometimes I swear she must have a split personality. How else could she play favorites so hard? That evening, I changed my bandages in the bathroom mirror, then dragged my sore leg back to the couch to watch TV. The front door unlocked, and Vivian’s snarky voice cut through the room: “I thought maybe you’d finally gotten over that attitude problem, being so quiet lately. Turns out you were just saving up to cause bigger problems?” My silence must have ticked her off, because she marched over and yanked the TV plug out. “Jonathan, are you nuts?! This is an award-winning project—do you have any clue how much money we lose with a one-day delay?!” I didn’t move or say a word, just watched her freeze mid-rant. She squinted at the scab on my forehead and the bandages on my elbow and knee, then frowned: “What happened?” I met her eyes and said flatly: “Nothing major. Got hit by a scooter on the way to work.” Vivian blinked, then suddenly dropped the attitude and stepped closer to check my injuries. “You got hurt and didn’t even call me?” I pulled my hand away, voice light: “Just a scratch. I’m not dying. Besides, you were busy taking care of your client’s ‘health emergency’ at the time.” Some care comes too late. She could talk a big game, but every time I actually needed help, all I got was criticism. Vivian had stopped caring if I was okay a long time ago. After all that, if I still expected her to rush to my side, I really was an idiot. That comment hit a nerve. Vivian shot to her feet, sneering down at me: “Must you be so sarcastic, Jonathan? Asking you to walk a few blocks is a crime now? You’re 28, not 2! You got hit by a scooter while walking—are you really gonna play the victim here? I bet you did this on purpose to get back at me!” I stared at her meltdown, too exhausted to even roll my eyes. What was there left to say? One sentence and I’m getting accused of intentional injury. Too drained to fight, I tried to stand up to go to bed. When she saw me struggling, Vivian dialed back the attitude, sighed, and moved to help. “I’ll sleep in here tonight. Just yell if you need anything.” Vivian hadn’t been in our bedroom before 2 AM in months. Because Leo needed to stream every night to build his following. He claimed late-night streams got too many trolls, and he “couldn’t handle it alone” without someone watching his back. So Vivian locked herself in the home office every single night, glued to his stream. She’d send him virtual gifts to boost his visibility or jump on camera with him, making sure everyone knew Leo was her “priority talent.” I’d argued with her a hundred times—begged, pleaded, fought—but nothing changed. She said it was just work. Then threatened divorce when I pushed back. My throat tightened, but I gave in. I looked at her, not fighting the idea. But when she reached for me, I said quietly: “Vivian, let’s get divorced.”

That sentence hit harder than I expected. Vivian grabbed her keys and bolted, disappearing for a whole week. Classic move when she was mad. Clearly, she still wasn’t taking me seriously. Back in the day, her silent treatment would’ve sent me into a panic—no eating, no sleeping, terrified I’d lose her. I’d stay up all night calling, writing essays of apologies, promising to never upset her again—anything to get her back. Now? I was too busy updating my resume. Working at my ex-wife’s company post-divorce? Not a good look. Ten days later, as I was wrapping up work, Vivian called. For her, initiating contact was a big olive branch. Not accepting would be ungrateful—at least in her book. “We hit Q1 and Q2 targets. Admin’s throwing a celebration tonight. Let’s go together.” I waited downstairs for almost an hour before Vivian showed up—fashionably late, of course. The passenger window rolled down, and Leo—full makeup, perfectly styled—popped his head out, grinning: “I got bored with my wardrobe, so Vivian took me shopping. Hope you didn’t wait too long, Jonathan.” “Oh, and I get car sick super easily, so Vivian said I should ride up front. Cool with you?” Vivian’s knuckles were white on the wheel, eyes darting like she expected me to blow up. But I just opened the back door and got in. Who cared about the stupid front seat? Wasn’t worth the energy. Leo spent the whole ride flirting with Vivian and subtly showing off, but I just stared out the window, tuning it all out. Vivian, though, was weirdly quiet—jaw tight, not really engaging with Leo. She kept checking my reflection in the rearview mirror. When we got to the hotel, Vivian’s childhood friend Michael spotted us and jogged over, grin plastered on: “Jonathan! Been too long. Sorry I didn’t text you personally—work’s been crazy.” Michael was Vivian’s ride-or-die—knew all her business. He never invited me to plus-one events anymore. Because Vivian’s plus-one was Leo now, and if I showed up? I’d cause a scene. And that would embarrass her. I smiled politely: “No worries. Just here to make an appearance.” Michael froze. He glanced at Vivian, then just shrugged. Inside, Vivian worked the room with a drink, then found me holding a slice of cake. “Matcha cake. Thought you’d like it.” I used to love matcha cake in college. Not so much anymore. Before I could say no, Leo appeared with his phone out. Of course he was live streaming. “Hey guys! Look who I found!” “The guy next to her? Just a coworker. Vivian’s being nice, giving him cake. No big deal.” “Oh come on, don’t start that. Vivian and I are just friends~” I held up a hand to block the camera, then got up and left. I found a quiet spot on the outdoor balcony to get some air, but Vivian followed. She actually sounded nervous: “I’m sorry, Jonathan. I didn’t know Leo was streaming.” “Don’t pay attention to the chat. We just play it up for the stream—it’s not real.” “I told him to turn it off. It’s fine now.” I nodded. Whatever. I didn’t care either way. Back inside, the host was hyping up the crowd. I grabbed a drink, and when I turned around, Leo was there with champagne, clinking my glass. “Jonathan, my fans say Vivian and I have crazy chemistry. Who do you think she likes more?” I lifted my glass, deadpan: “Ask her. But right now? Probably you.” Leo laughed, like that was exactly what he wanted to hear, then leaned in and whispered: “Thought so!” Something felt off. I stepped back, but Leo moved faster—he stumbled backward and fell. Before I could react, someone shoved me hard. I tripped and crashed into the champagne tower. Glass exploded everywhere. My arm and back screamed in pain. My vision went fuzzy. I grabbed a table to steady myself. Through the chaos, I felt warm blood running down my back and arm. Vivian helped Leo up gently, then spun around and yelled at me in front of everyone: “Jonathan, are you gonna keep this up forever?! Do you need to see a therapist or something…?” She stopped mid-sentence, staring at the blood spreading across my arm and shirt. Her voice shook: “You… why are you bleeding so much? Where are you hurt?!”

Vivian ran over, yelling at the crowd: “Call 911! Now!” But Leo stopped someone from dialing, pulled Vivian aside, and pulled a bandage roll from his backpack: “Jonathan, you gotta be more careful. Here, press this on your cut.” Vivian froze. She looked at me, face going white: “Just take care of it. Stop making a scene.” So that was it. With Leo around, even the pretense of being a married couple was too much. I bit back the pain, stood up, and called my friend. Shawn picked up right away: “Jonathan? What’s wrong?” I closed my eyes, barely able to speak: “Shawn, I’m hurt. Need to go to the hospital.” Before I could finish, the room spun. Footsteps rushed over. Everything went black, and I fell into someone’s arms. When I woke up, the doctor said I had glass cuts on my arm that needed stitches and a bruised back that needed rest. Walking out of the exam room, Shawn was waiting with sunflowers: “Dude, you’re banged up like this and you still wanna divorce? You really over Vivian?” The numbing was wearing off, making me pale, but I managed a smile. After seeing who Vivian really was? I didn’t want the marriage, let alone anything else. Six years of marriage felt like one big joke now. “She did this to herself.” “Whatever you need, I’m in. Since you’re sure, our lawyer friend will hook you up. Right, Emma?” Emma Hayes, standing next to Shawn, nodded: “Absolutely. She won’t get more than she’s entitled to.” “I’ll draft the papers ASAP, but we should prep for court too.” I thanked her: “I really appreciate this, Emma.” For everything—tonight, the divorce, all of it. Emma knew what I meant and smiled: “Anytime.” I took a week of sick leave. Vivian never called. I didn’t either. After the incident, they’d reassigned my project, so my being out didn’t matter. When I went back to file paperwork, I ran into Leo in the hallway. He blocked my path, smirks all around, eyes daring me: “Heard you took sick leave. Back already? Thought you were hurt bad—shouldn’t you rest more?” I turned to him: “You did that on purpose?” So his little fall wasn’t just for show? He actually planned to make me trip? Leo acted shocked: “Was it that big a deal? Oops. My bad. I just slipped a little. Didn’t think you’d overreact…” Leo grabbed his cheek where I’d punched him, eyes blazing. Then his face changed—suddenly his eyes got all red and watery: “Vivian! I was just being nice and he hit me!” Vivian ran over, checked Leo’s face, then turned to me, totally fed up: “Jonathan, how long are you gonna keep this up?! Faking sick is one thing, but don’t act out at work! Take your drama elsewhere!” I saw Leo’s little victory smirk. He mouthed: “You can’t win. ” I stared at them, then walked away. No looking back. Trash belongs with trash. Hope they stay stuck together forever. I went home, made some soup, and crashed in bed. Being hurt made me tired. Slept till evening. Felt better, so I ordered a healthy dinner. Of course Vivian walked in with the delivery guy. I ignored her, set my plate, and ladled hot soup. Vivian went straight to the kitchen—old habit, grabbing milk to warm. She saw the food and paused. Put the milk back, voice soft for once: “Thanks for the soup. ” I moved her hand away, picked up my bowl, and sipped: “This is mine. Not for you. ” Her hand froze mid-air. Her face went dark. “Jonathan, you know I have a sensitive stomach. ” “Jonathan, you know perfectly well I have a sensitive stomach.” I took another sip, warm and good. “I know. ” “That’s why I used to cook every night after work—followed nutritionist recipes, made sure it was easy on your stomach. Hoped you’d feel better. ” But what did I get? ” You out with him. ” Me sitting there like an idiot, watching food get cold. ” Just like how I felt about you. ” Burned out. Frozen over. ” I kept eating. ” But that’s done. ” “You have Leo now. Let him handle your stomach. ” Vivian stared, jaw tight. Finally, she went to the kitchen and warmed her own milk. No words. ” After dinner, I went to the bedroom. Vivian was already showered, leaning against the headboard—no phone, just grinning like an idiot. She jumped up when I walked in, got close, and whispered in my ear: “Let’s go to bed early. ” I pushed her away. She came back, arms around my waist, voice way too soft: “We haven’t… in so long. What if we have a baby? Hm?” She tried to kiss me. I moved. She got mad, pushed me onto the bed, and started unbuttoning my pajamas. I slapped her. Vivian’s face flashed angry, but she held it in: “Jonathan, you’re my husband! What’s wrong with wanting a baby? Fine, be mad about Leo—but enough is enough!” I looked her in the eye. ” Vivian, I want a divorce. ” “If you want a baby, find someone else. I’m sure there’s a line. ” Vivian stared, like she couldn’t believe it. ” What did you say? Say that again, you—?!” “I want a divorce. ” Vivian just stood there. Then she laughed, bitter. ” You sure about this? ” I held her gaze. ” Absolutely. ” She got off the bed, got dressed. Smirking. ” “What new game is this? Some internet trend? Aren’t you tired of this act?” She slammed the bedroom door so hard the walls shook.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “346092”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn