Category: English

At the press conference, my wife, Valerie, was about to unveil her new partner. But then, Liam, her newly hired male assistant, walked onto the stage holding a little girl. “Lily, Mommy’s calling for you on stage!” Immediately, the crowd erupted, reporters clamoring for details about Valerie’s love life. Valerie didn’t refute it. Instead, she dotingly embraced the little girl, placing a million-dollar piece of the company’s new jewelry on her. “Yes, we have a child.” Seeing me frozen in place, the reporters in the audience, eager for drama, pressed on. “Director Asher, you’ve worked alongside Valerie for so long, shouldn’t you have something to say on such a monumental day?” I managed a calm smile, then tossed the jewelry blueprints I’d painstakingly designed for a year to Liam. “Double the good news! These new product blueprints are a gift from me. Consider it a welcome present for your daughter!” When everyone saw me hand over the blueprints to the newcomer, Liam, they paused for a moment, then burst into a chorus of cheers. “That’s Director Asher for you, always so generous! Giving away such priceless designs just like that – those are a year’s worth of your hard work!” “Director Asher, you dote on Valerie’s daughter so much, why not just be her official guardian?” Liam’s chin lifted proudly as he shot me a triumphant smirk. Valerie, however, pressed her lips into a thin line, her deep-set eyes boring into me. Watching her squirm with embarrassment, I found it utterly laughable. We had been married for ten years, yet she always used the excuse of “impacting company development” to avoid going public with our marriage. To keep us discreet, she never picked me up or dropped me off, leaving me to brave crowded public transport every morning. At the office, she maintained a strict professional distance, forbidding me from calling her “wife,” insisting I use her full name, “Valerie.” I never complained, silently enduring our secret marriage for a decade, helping her build the company from the ground up and grow it into a powerhouse. It wasn’t until yesterday, when my new jewelry line won first place in a major design competition, worth millions and bringing in numerous partnerships, that she finally agreed to announce my identity at tomorrow’s press conference as a reward. I was so overjoyed by her concession that I didn’t sleep a wink. The next day, I woke up early, primped myself, and even spent half a year’s salary on a sharp, expensive suit, just to look the part beside Valerie. In the end, the person standing by her side wasn’t me. I was nothing but the biggest punchline. In the past, I would have thrown a massive fit. But now, I simply watched the “family of three” on stage with a serene expression. “May your family of three live happily ever after.” Valerie’s eyes hardened, and she opened her mouth to speak, but her words were cut short by the little girl’s cries. Liam tugged on Valerie’s sleeve. “Valerie, Lily seems to be scared and crying…” Hearing this, Valerie shot me a scathing look, her voice low and cutting. “Look what you’ve done!” With that, she waved her hand, pushing me aside. Then, she scooped up Lily, took Liam’s hand, and left the venue without looking back. That shove, combined with my ill-fitting dress shoes, caused my ankle to twist. I stumbled and fell to the ground, my head slamming into the champagne tower. Glass flutes rained down on me, a dull ache shot through my back, and champagne drenched my suit. Valerie didn’t even glance back. Watching her cold retreat, I felt a sharp pang of irony. She treated strangers better than her own husband and daughter. Lily was merely startled into tears, and Valerie was a mess. But when our own daughter was delirious with fever, she couldn’t have cared less. Once, Valerie and I also had a daughter, Daisy, who was five years old. One time, Daisy had a fever, and I happened to be away on a business trip, unable to care for her myself. I could only plead with Valerie to take good care of her. She promised she would, but then she just left Daisy home alone for a work dinner, letting her fever rage for three whole hours. By the time I rushed back, Daisy was gone. Valerie and I had a terrible fight that day. Later, she knelt before me, crying and repenting. But I remembered how she’d saved my life years ago, and my heart softened. I forgave her. I was so foolish back then. Not anymore. Thinking this, I pushed myself up. I didn’t stay behind to clean up Valerie’s mess, as I usually would. Instead, I turned and walked out of the venue. After leaving the venue, I hailed a cab home, planning to disinfect and bandage my wounds with iodine and gauze. The moment I walked through the door, I saw Liam and Lily laughing on the couch. Lily was holding my daughter’s favorite teddy bear. Seeing me enter, Liam’s lips curved into a smirk. “Asher, you’re back! Lily said she wanted to see your place, so Valerie just brought us over and told us to make ourselves at home!” He even took out the blueprint, twirling it in his hand, flaunting it in front of me. “I hear these are your precious designs, and the necklace Lily’s wearing? You designed it specifically for your daughter, right?” “I just had to say the word, and Valerie practically handed it all over to us, didn’t she?” “Asher, if I want something of yours, it’ll eventually be mine. So if you’re smart, just get out now! Save yourself the embarrassment of being thrown out later!” In the past, his provocations would have infuriated me. Now, I merely glanced at him indifferently, then turned to go upstairs. I was in a hurry to clean my wounds; I didn’t have time for his mind games. But Liam blocked my path. The next second, he deliberately ripped the necklace from Lily’s neck and slapped her across the face. Lily’s cheek turned crimson from the slap, and she screamed, terrified. Liam pulled Lily into his arms and deliberately shouted, “Asher, I know you’re mad at me about the press conference. Take it out on me, but Lily is just a child!” I almost laughed. This was his usual trick. Sure enough, the next second, Valerie stormed in. Seeing Lily’s swollen, red face, her expression turned dark with anger, and she slapped me across the face. “Asher, you’ve gone too far! How could you harm an innocent child?” “Lily is Liam’s niece. He was just trying to lighten the mood, playing around. Why are you always so petty?” It was a pathetic act, but Valerie fell for it hook, line, and sinker. If this had happened before, seeing her so blatantly favoring Liam, I would have been consumed by anger and jealousy. But now, my heart was still, devoid of any sadness. I calmly picked up the necklace from the floor, handed it to Liam, and smiled serenely. “You were kind enough to try and liven things up. I appreciate it, how could I blame you?” “In fact, to thank you, I’ve reserved a table at a five-star restaurant.” I opened my phone and showed them the reservation. I’d originally booked it to celebrate with Valerie after our announcement. Now, it was clearly unnecessary. Seeing I wasn’t bluffing, Valerie went silent, then mumbled awkwardly, “I’ll transfer you the money for dinner.” I waved my hand, declining her offer. Valerie’s tone softened a fraction. “Asher, you’ve become much more understanding. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely make it up to you once I announce our relationship.” But she didn’t know that a man who suddenly becomes “understanding” isn’t weak. It just means he’s stopped loving you. This time, I decided I would be the one to leave first!

After that, Valerie took Liam and Lily to dinner. I went upstairs to clean my wounds. When I took off my dress shoes, my ankle was red and swollen. My heels were covered in blisters, some of which had popped and were bleeding. As the iodine poured over them, I gasped, sucking in a sharp breath. It really stung. I’d always hated dress shoes, but Valerie loved them, especially seeing me wear them. For years, to accommodate her preferences, I’d forced myself to wear them. Even though my feet would always be rubbed raw and bleed, I endured it. Now, looking back, I realized how incredibly foolish I had been. After cleaning my wounds, I changed into comfortable slippers and tossed the dress shoes into the trash. Compared to shoes that rubbed my feet raw, I preferred comfortable slippers. This time, I didn’t want to accommodate anyone else. I wanted to live for myself. With that thought, I decisively pulled out my phone and messaged a major corporation that had long been interested in me. “I accept your offer.” They replied instantly: “Asher, you finally came around! Just name your start date; we’re ready whenever you are.” This big corporation was the leading enterprise in the state. Their CEO had always been impressed by my skills and design abilities, constantly offering me lucrative deals with amazing salary and benefits. But I’d always turned them down. Valerie needed me; most of the company’s operations were propped up by me, and all new product lines relied on my designs. I sacrificed my future, willingly slaving away for Valerie. But once the company was thriving, she discarded me like trash, kicking me aside without a second thought. It was then that I realized genuine affection couldn’t buy genuine affection. I’d forgiven her for what happened with our daughter because she once saved my life. This time, I owed her nothing. We were completely even. Thinking this, I replied to the major corporation: [I’ll report for duty tomorrow.] With that settled, I bought the earliest flight ticket for the next day and started packing my bags. As I packed, I realized my belongings couldn’t even fill one suitcase. The closet was full of Valerie’s suits and evening gowns, while my clothes consisted of only a few faded, worn-out shirts. The only valuable item was a tie clip she’d bought me. Though it was an old-fashioned design from over a decade ago, I treasured it like a precious relic. It was the first gift Valerie had bought me with her first big earnings. Her twenty-something face radiant with a gentle smile, she pinned the tie clip onto me, promising to love me forever, swearing that once she was rich, she’d buy me a whole room full of accessories. But once she was rich, she never bought me another piece of decent jewelry. On our seventh anniversary, I tentatively asked for a set of cufflinks. She got furious, accusing me of being a spendthrift, of not appreciating how hard she worked for her money. After that, to curb my “big spending” habit, she restricted my expenses. Anything over $200 had to be reported to accounting and approved. The person I loved had suddenly become a stranger. When did it change? Perhaps when Liam appeared. Ever since Liam came into the picture, Valerie’s heart had quietly flown away. She meticulously controlled every single one of my expenses, down to the last dime. But for Liam, she was incredibly generous. One casual “I want it,” and she’d splurge on a million-dollar watch for him without a second thought. She always maintained a strict hierarchy, forbidding me from too much personal interaction in the office, but she allowed Liam to jokingly call her “Valerie, sweetie.” Not only that, but she’d take Liam to lunch and the movies during work hours… Lost in thought, I accidentally dropped the tie clip. I picked it up and saw the surface was scratched, revealing the cheap black metal underneath. The tie clip was fake. I found it pathetic. This relationship had been a mistake from the very beginning, and yet I had foolishly clung to it for so many years! Thankfully, it wasn’t too late to wake up. I threw the tie clip into the trash and shredded all our photos together. Just then, my phone buzzed. It was Liam’s latest SnapChat update. The picture showed Valerie holding Lily, letting the child’s greasy little hands smear all over her designer clothes, her eyes filled with doting affection. Liam leaned close, laughing as he fed her a bite of steak, already touched by his saliva. She ate it without a hint of disgust. I found it utterly disgusting. A germaphobe like her! Once, Daisy innocently tried to make her coffee and accidentally spilled some on her expensive leather shoes. Valerie raged at Daisy for an hour, then locked her in the basement for the entire day, without food or water, as ‘punishment.’ Daisy’s health plummeted after that. She became frail and constantly sick. And I just accidentally drank from her water glass once. She smashed the cup right in front of me, her face contorted with disgust. “How disgusting!” So, it was just us, my daughter and me, that she found so “disgusting” and “unclean”! I let out a cold laugh and tapped the ‘like’ button. This only solidified my resolve to leave. I quickened my packing. Once I was done, feeling a bit tired, I took a hot shower and happily went to bed. I had barely fallen asleep when I was awakened by persistent knocking. I didn’t need to guess; it was Valerie. She found entering the password tedious and always expected me to open the door for her. In the past, she wouldn’t even have to knock; she’d just call out, and I’d immediately run to let her in. But now, I simply rolled over and continued sleeping. I was drifting off into dreamland when suddenly, Valerie burst through the door, kicking it open with a bang. She flipped on the light with a sharp click, screaming, “Asher, are you deaf? You’re clearly not asleep, why didn’t you open the door for me!”

The sudden bright light jolted me awake. I’d been sleeping too deeply earlier, so I hadn’t heard any knocking. Seeing Valerie’s sullen face, I was a little surprised. She actually came back this time? Before, every time she went on a date with Liam, she’d use it as an excuse to stay over at his place. Yet, there was a time our five-year-old daughter said she was afraid of the dark and wanted Valerie to come home and stay with her. Valerie called Daisy “dramatic,” insisting she needed to “toughen up.” Once, when I wasn’t looking, she locked Daisy in a storage closet, giving her severe claustrophobia. Every night after that, Daisy would be startled awake by nightmares, crying in terror. In the past, Valerie’s blatant favoritism and double standards would infuriate me, leading to massive arguments. But now, whatever she did, I simply didn’t care anymore. I simply mumbled “hmm” and pulled the covers over my head, determined to go back to sleep. Valerie first froze, then frowned in annoyance. “Stop messing around, I’m exhausted. Aren’t you going to run my bath for me? And wash these clothes while you’re at it.” She took off her jacket and tossed it to me. Her collar was smeared with lipstick marks, and the pungent scent of Liam’s cologne clung to it. Utterly repulsive. If this were before, I would have eagerly waited on her without her even needing to ask. Now, I just found her demanding. I tossed the clothes back. “You’re not handicapped, you can do it yourself.” Valerie was stunned for a moment, then pulled a gift box from her bag and threw it at me. “I know you’re upset about what happened earlier today. Here, this is for you.” Inside were a pair of cufflinks. But she’d forgotten that I was allergic to cheap metal, and besides, the style wasn’t even to my taste. What was even funnier was that these cufflinks were Liam’s discards. I’d seen him flaunting them on SnapChat before. I let out a cold laugh, tossing the cufflinks into the trash. “I don’t want other people’s trash.” Valerie completely lost her patience, her face turning ashen. “Asher, have I spoiled you too much?” A wave of drowsiness hit me, and I yawned. “I’m tired. If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to sleep.” Seeing my cold attitude, my repeated refusal to take her olive branch, Valerie gritted her teeth. “Fine! This is your doing, Asher. Don’t come crawling back when you regret it!” Valerie turned to leave, but I called out to her. “Wait.” Valerie’s lips curved into a smug smile, her expression screaming, “I knew you were just playing hard to get.” The next second, I pulled out a pen and some papers from a drawer and handed them to her. “Sign this.” Valerie’s eyes immediately turned cold. “You called me back just to sign some worthless contract?” I scoffed. “Why don’t you take a closer look before you speak?” After seeing the document, Valerie froze, then snapped the pen in her hand.

“Divorce papers? You want to divorce me?” Valerie narrowed her dark eyes, glaring at me. “Asher, there’s a limit to how jealous you can be.” “I’m serious,” I said calmly. Valerie slammed the divorce papers onto the table, her face dark. “I won’t sign them.” My voice remained even. “If you don’t sign, I can still get a divorce. It’s just a matter of time.” Unable to argue with me, Valerie gritted her teeth, let out a frustrated huff, and stormed out, deliberately stomping her feet as she left. I knew she wanted me to go and console her. In the past, whenever she got angry, I would immediately run to soothe her. But now, who cared about her? Sleep was more important. The footsteps outside the door gradually faded, and I fell into a deep sleep… The next day, I woke up naturally. As expected, Valerie hadn’t come home all night; she must have been extremely upset yesterday. After breakfast, I hailed a cab to the office and handed in my resignation to HR. After doing so, I pulled out my phone and messaged my collaborators. When we first signed the partnership, their one condition was that I be their direct contact. Now that I was leaving, it was only right to inform them. After completing everything, I turned to leave. Just as I stepped out, I ran into Valerie and Liam. She had indeed gone to Liam’s last night. The two of them were standing close, laughing and chatting. “Valerie, thank you for looking after Lily yesterday. She’s always been a handful, and since her parents passed away when she was little, I just feel so bad for her. I only asked you to pretend to be her mom to make her happy. Asher won’t mind, right?” Valerie snorted coldly. “What’s there for him to mind? He’s a father himself, he should be more understanding.” I found that laughable. She wanted me to be understanding, but why hadn’t she been understanding towards our daughter when she was doting on someone else’s child? Seeing me, Liam and Valerie fell silent, and the air instantly thickened. Soon, our colleagues started to playfully tease them, breaking the awkward silence. “Liam, you and Valerie really kept that under wraps! A daughter, no less!” “When are you guys going to have another one? Complete the family with a boy and a girl!” Liam chuckled softly, shyly glancing at Valerie. Valerie didn’t object, letting everyone continue to tease them. Yet, before, when my daughter and I came to the company to see her, she violently slapped Daisy’s hands ten times just because Daisy called her “Mommy,” demanding Daisy maintain discretion. Later, when rumors about Valerie and me circulated in the company, she fired the gossiping employee on the spot. But now, she remained silent amidst all the teasing, showing no discretion at all. What a hypocrite! Lost in thought, Liam had already walked up to me. “Asher, why are you just getting to the office? It’s already eleven. You’re one of the oldest employees here, you should set an example!” Valerie’s face immediately hardened. “Asher, what kind of work ethic is that?” “If you don’t want to work, just give the position to Liam. In terms of capability, he’s far above you.” I felt like I was listening to a joke. Valerie knew perfectly well that the company’s entire business relied on me. Liam couldn’t even print a document, yet she claimed he was more capable than me? I knew she was just trying to humiliate me, to force me to compromise. But I had a flight to catch. I didn’t have time for their corporate games. Thinking this, I said coldly, “No need for all that trouble. I’ve already resigned. I can vacate the position right now.” Liam feigned concern. “Asher, this isn’t the time to be stubborn. Your age is a factor now. If you quit, where are you going to find another job this good? You might not even get hired as a janitor! Besides, the company’s new product line is about to launch. Quitting now? You’d be losing out big time!” His taunts only angered Valerie further, and she said coldly, “Liam, don’t try to persuade him! Let him go. The company will manage just fine without him!” “But Asher, let me warn you, when the new product line launches, the company is going to soar. You’ll regret it then.” Who would regret it was still up in the air. They had no idea that I held all the core technical knowledge in this company. Without me, they wouldn’t even be able to produce a single sample. Launch? In their dreams! I scoffed. “I’m afraid you won’t live to see that day!” Valerie frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?” Just then, her phone rang. It was from our collaborators. Valerie’s lips instantly curved into a triumphant smile, her eyes sparkling with pride. “Our collaborators must be calling to discuss the new product launch. Now you’ll really regret it.” To provoke me, she even put the call on speaker. But the next second, the collaborator’s words poured cold water all over her. “Why haven’t the latest samples been delivered? If you don’t send them by today, your company will be liable for three hundred million in breach of contract fees!”

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My name is Diana Morris. My husband Nathan Wright sent me to attend the Taming Course, and two years later, I graduated as the top student. The day I came home, he was sitting side by side on the couch with his beautiful secretary, Hailey Ramirez. I obediently knelt and handed the drink to her. Nathan said, “You’ll continue living at home. Hailey is preparing for pregnancy, so take good care of her.” I nodded repeatedly. He killed my entire family, and now, it’s my turn. I sleep at midnight and wake up at four every day, kneeling to scrub the floor, studying Hailey’s tastes and pregnancy recipes, massaging her shoulders and legs, and even serving as a prop for her photos. Day by day passed, and Hailey finally showed signs of pregnancy. She said joyfully, “Am I pregnant? That’s wonderful!” Nathan suddenly turned to me, frowned, and asked, “Diana, why are you so happy too?” Of course, I’m happy. After all, I am the best graduate of the Taming Course, the most obedient and well-behaved. He didn’t just ask; he stared at me intently, doubt evident in his eyes. I said, “Mr. Wright, I’m happy for Mrs. Wright.” After speaking, I continued mopping the floor, wiping twice with a wet cloth and once with a dry one, making the marble tiles shine enough to reflect a person’s image. Nathan’s frown deepened, clearly not believing it. Hailey leaned on the sofa, a slight smile on her lips, looking increasingly relaxed. She pouted at Nathan, “I feel so awful today, it must be the baby bothering me.” Nathan walked over and held her. She nestled into his arms and said proudly, “But I’m a good mom, eating properly so the baby doesn’t lack nutrition.” Nathan glanced at me. I chimed in at the right moment, speaking sincerely. “Yeah, Mrs. Wright has really been trying hard, eating even more than usual.” Nathan’s face suddenly darkened. I ignored him and went on to prepare Hailey’s health supplements after cleaning the floor. I neatly arranged the health supplements, energy drinks, and snacks on a tray and brought it to the sofa. Hailey sat on Nathan’s lap, constantly twisting her waist. He kept kissing her cheek, but when he saw me come in, he suddenly straightened her up and created some distance. I knelt by the sofa, holding the tray up with both hands for her convenience. Hailey looked down at me and said, “Diana, get up.” Nathan pointed to the small sofa nearby and gently said, “Kneeling too long hurts your knees, have a seat for a while.” I remained motionless, my voice extremely humble. “Serving Mrs. Wright is my duty, there’s no hardship in it.” Hailey finished her health supplements with satisfaction, leaned into Nathan’s arms, and sighed, “Diana is truly a born servant. Darling, give her a bonus.” I obediently held up the energy drinks, but my mind wandered to last month when Hailey caught Nathan trying to sleep with me. She claimed it was because I mopped the floor too slippery, causing her to fall, and punished me by making me sleep in the dog cage for three days and nights. Exposed to the elements and the snarling of vicious dogs, I barely crawled out alive. That was her warning me not to compete with her for Nathan. Hailey yawned, then suddenly remembered something and instructed me to bring out all the red wine in the house. I placed over thirty bottles of red wine on the table but couldn’t understand her intention. She glanced at me sideways and teased, “Diana, how can you be so dumb? I’m pregnant and can’t drink alcohol. “These fine wines would go to waste, so you might as well drink them.” “These are top-quality; don’t waste them.” At that moment, Nathan walked out of the study, looking at us with a grim expression. I smoothly opened a bottle, smiled humbly, and drank it straight. “Mrs. Wright, you’re right, I was too foolish. Thank you for your kindness.” Nathan rushed over, grabbed the bottle, and clutched my throat. “You’re allergic to alcohol! Spit it out now!”

The swallowed liquor felt like scalding sulfuric acid, burning my throat and insides. I forced myself to endure the discomfort, took two steps back, and smiled ingratiatingly at Hailey. Nathan shook his head in disbelief. He knew I never touched a drop of alcohol. Even in social settings, I never drink. The only exception was the night I caught him having an affair with Hailey. Weeping, I smashed a bottle of whiskey on the floor. The smell of alcohol caused an allergic reaction, and I fainted. After being resuscitated, I demanded a divorce from my hospital bed. He refused, and within a month, he set a fire that killed my entire family to seize the inheritance. That very night, he brought Hailey home, and she moved in for good. I couldn’t shed a single tear; I just wanted to kill them both. But when I accidentally tore the lace on Hailey’s skirt, Nathan said I was too selfish and sent me to a Taming Course to become a docile and virtuous wife. He took the opportunity to seize my last assets and lived happily with Hailey. I opened the second bottle of red wine and gulped it down without hesitation. Hailey looked at me with satisfaction, then turned to the shocked Nathan with a slight smile, “See how well-behaved Diana is now? She doesn’t even pretend to be allergic anymore.” Nathan opened his mouth but hadn’t spoken yet when the phone rang. He frowned, answered it, and walked away. I opened the third bottle of red wine. At that moment, Hailey, smiling brightly, snatched the wine bottle and poured it over me from head to toe. I couldn’t open my eyes for a moment. Her mocking voice came to my ears, “Diana, you don’t know how to cherish things!” “A few thousand dollars’ worth of red wine, and you still despise it?” I kept my eyes closed and apologized repeatedly, “It’s all my fault. Please punish me, Mrs. Wright.” She grabbed my hair and dragged me, stumbling, into the basement storage room. This place is my bedroom, barely enough room for two people to move around. Hailey sat on the bed, and I knelt by the bedside. The next second, the whip struck me. I didn’t dare run or move, curling up and enduring the pain of each lash. The whip tore through my clothes, cutting into my flesh, and my scarred back quickly became a bloody mess again. After drinking, my skin was already red, swollen, and itchy; now it’s no longer itchy, just painful. Mixed with the stomach cramps and dizzy headache, my breathing became harder, and my heart raced. I don’t know how many lashes I took; I collapsed to the ground in a daze, too weak to lift my head, and the whipping finally stopped. Hailey said coldly, “Enough. Look at how filthy you are. Clean yourself up; you’re going out today.” After speaking, she tossed down two small white pills. Ignoring the dirt, I picked up the pills, shoved them into my mouth, and swallowed. Nathan sprayed perfume on himself, frowned, and seeing my pale face like a ghost, said with concern, “Are you okay? Even if your past allergies were fake, drinking too much is bad for your health. Don’t drink anymore.” “Just serve Hailey well, no need to do anything extra.” Before meeting me, he was a timid and insecure country boy. When he first started working in New York, clients mocked him for his strong body odor. I helped him out and privately told him that clothes shouldn’t just air dry. If he couldn’t move for now, he should buy some cheap perfume to mask the smell. Since then, he began passionately pursuing me. His favorite gift to give was perfume. As his income increased, the perfumes he gave me became more and more expensive. After we got married, he simply bought a full set of equipment and built a perfume room at home. He once said passionately, “Diana, I want to create a unique fragrance just for you.” Hailey knocked on the door impatiently, her tone anxious. “Darling, let’s go quickly!” I tried to avoid Nathan, but he grabbed me with a displeased look. “Diana, why have you changed?” Changed? The old me gave up my career to protect his dignity, returning home to be a full-time housewife. Every day, I took care of his meals and chores, ensuring he was comfortable from head to toe. Even during lovemaking, I did everything to please him, fearing he might feel even a hint of unhappiness. Now, I have changed.

Hailey swayed her hips as she walked over, took Nathan’s other hand, turned his body toward her, and said softly, “I’ve been waiting for you for so long.” Nathan paused, kissed her, and the two walked hand in hand to the car. I silently sat in the back seat, watching the scenery outside the window, gradually growing uneasy. Wait, are they going to the Morris Manor? I looked at everything in front of me in panic. Where is my home? Where are my family’s graves? In front of me was only a field of flowers, the fragrance overwhelming, with people watering and weeding. I stumbled out of the car, rushed forward, grabbed one of them, and hoarsely asked, “Where’s the original house? Where did the cemetery go?” “Isn’t this the Morris Manor? How did it turn into a flower field?” The person was startled, then loudly replied, “The house you mentioned was demolished long ago. Mr. Wright said the soil and water here are perfect for a spice base.” Not far away, Nathan stared at his toes, coughing without saying a word. Hailey smiled warmly at me and said, “Diana, don’t worry. Although your family’s cemetery was removed, their ashes are still there. They’re on that boat.” I mechanically turned my head and looked where she pointed. There sat a small boat I used to love playing with as a child. The bright yellow hull, edged with red, was already worn and dirty. A whimper escaped my throat, and I dashed out suddenly. My foot stepped on gravel, and I fell hard to the ground. My palms scraped and bled, but I felt nothing as I got up and kept running. The small boat was rotten, and as soon as I stepped on it, my foot sank into a hole. Ignoring the pain, I leaned over and searched inside. The ashes? Where are my family’s ashes? Finally, I saw a toppled urn in the corner. The gray-white powder lay quietly inside, as if it could be blown away by the wind at any moment. My whole body trembled violently, tears streamed down uncontrollably, and I held it tightly in my arms, shaking. Tears blurred my vision, and pain tore through my body and soul. Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma… I’m sorry, it’s all my fault! It was me who fell in love with someone I shouldn’t have, it was me who harmed you! The small boat rocked. In the distance, Nathan’s voice called out, “Diana? Diana! Answer me!” Hailey walked over first, her face full of pride and jealousy. She grabbed my hair and slapped me hard several times without mercy. “Diana, why don’t you just die?” “If you don’t die, how can I become Mrs. Wright? I’m the only one for Nathan!” I had no time to fight back, just held the urn tightly. Soon, Nathan came over as well. Hailey chuckled softly, dragged me to the stern, and gave a hard push. “Clang!” The urn hit the boat’s edge and shattered. I panicked, trying to gather the ashes. Hailey leaned down, a sinister smile curling at the corner of her lips. “Guess who Nathan will save?” Then she grabbed my shoulders and flipped us forcefully—we both fell into the water! The river water rushed into my nose and mouth. I struggled desperately, but could only watch helplessly as the gathered ashes dissolved into the water, drifting away. Heartbroken, I reached out to grab them, and then pain shot through my neck. Hailey slashed my neck with the sharp shards of the urn. Blood gushed out, quickly diluted by the water, as my body heat faded away. Before I passed out, I saw Nathan jump into the water and hold Hailey without hesitation, just like three years ago during the mall fire, when he ignored me, who was within reach, to save her trapped inside. If the firefighters hadn’t arrived in time, I would have been burned alive. I was completely drained, drifting with the river’s flow. Am I really going to die like this? Nathan helped Hailey ashore, gently comforting her, and finally noticed me. Just as he was about to get up, Hailey suddenly threw herself into his arms, weakly sobbing, “Darling, I feel so awful. Am I dying?” Tears streamed down her cheeks, making her look pitiful. Nathan immediately focused all his attention back on her, cupping her face and kissing her tenderly. “No, Hailey, I promise you’ll be fine!” “Ambulance!” he roared, carrying Hailey away. I was pushed by the river, crashing into a rotten boat, using my last bit of strength to grab its edge. In a daze, my family members reached out to pull me up. “Diana, good girl, you must survive.” Blood-red tears streamed from my eyes. “Just wait, I’ll send the culprit to hell!”

When I woke up, I found myself in the hospital. Nathan, looking haggard, said to me with joy, “Diana, you’re finally awake!” I struggled to get up and knelt on the ground. “I’m sorry, Mr. Wright, I shouldn’t have fallen into the water, I shouldn’t have made you worry. “I’ll go back right away, and I’ll take good care of Mrs. Wright.” Nathan stared at the blood seeping from me, his eyes wide open. Seeing him lean down, I immediately curled up, trembling. “Diana, how could you end up like this?” he said, his voice trembling. I didn’t answer. The room was terrifyingly quiet. Just then, Hailey called. She said coquettishly, “Darling, I feel so unwell. It must have scared the baby when I fell into the water. Ask Diana to come back and take care of me.” Hearing this, I immediately got up and changed clothes. Seeing my back covered with whip marks, Nathan’s eyes widened in disbelief. He hung up the phone, his voice trembling. “Diana, who hit you?” I put on my clothes and said obediently, “Mr. Wright, Mrs. Wright is waiting for me. I have to hurry back.” His eyes were bloodshot as he tore at my clothes and roared, “Who hit you? Was it the Taming Course people? Those bastards!” I said gently, “Mr. Wright, the teachers just want to teach me the virtues of a traditional housewife to make you happy.” Nathan trembled all over, frozen in place. “But I didn’t ask them to…” Hailey called again to urge. I followed behind Nathan and left. As I passed the corner, a man in a suit exchanged glances with me. Back home, Hailey immediately threw herself into Nathan’s arms, grabbed his hand, and placed it on her lower abdomen, saying she felt uncomfortable. I turned and walked into the kitchen to start making a nutritious meal. Nathan’s gaze stayed glued to my back. Hailey immediately noticed and pulled his attention back with a softer voice. At midnight, she ordered me to kneel outside the master bedroom door and scrub the floor again. Inside the room, Hailey panted softly, “Darling, you’re amazing, a little harder. I love you so much. Do you love me the most?” Nathan, however, didn’t respond to her as he usually would. Hailey moaned even more passionately. I knew she was doing it on purpose for me to hear. After finishing the floor, I checked the health supplements bottle; it was already empty. Outside the window, a flashlight blinked three times; he was here to pick me up. I didn’t bring anything, just carried my laptop and walked out the door. Two hours later, I was on a flight heading abroad.

My name is Fiona Knight. That day, a woman named Camila Acosta came to my lottery shop claiming she had won a hundred million dollars. She held up a lottery ticket and shouted at the camera, “I won a hundred million dollars! But the shop owner saw I’m from the countryside and refused to cash my prize!” “Tomorrow is the deadline to claim the prize. My parents are still in the hospital, waiting for this money to save their lives!” She pointed the camera at me. Viewers in the livestream started cursing at me. [This shop owner is so cruel! That’s her parents’ life-saving money!] [Cash the prize immediately! Or we’ll all come and smash your store!] I just looked at the camera coldly and said, “Cash the prize? Impossible. You can sue me in court.” My words ignited the anger of the viewers. They all offered to help Camila send me to jail. But she hesitated and refused, “I’m just a rural person, I don’t dare to cause trouble, I just want to get back my parents’ life-saving money.” When the viewers heard this, they cursed me even more harshly. “You scumbag! How dare you bully an honest rural person like this! You’re absolutely heartless!” “If you don’t give the prize, just go die!” “How can someone like you exist in society? Are you deaf? Her parents are waiting for this money to save their lives!” I looked at the flood of foul language in the livestream, but my face remained expressionless. Suddenly, Camila knelt down in front of me. Her forehead slammed heavily onto the ground, and blood quickly seeped from her temple. She raised her blood-covered face and hoarsely begged me, “Miss, I beg you, please let me claim the prize. My parents are still in the hospital waiting for me.” “I know you look down on us rural folks, but that’s my parents’ life-saving money.” “Those are two living lives, please let me claim the prize!” She clutched my pant leg, her voice trembling. “As long as you’re willing to let me claim the prize, I’m willing to give you half!” “I swear, we can sign a contract. I’m willing to give you half the prize money, as long as you’re willing to let me claim it.” “I beg you, tomorrow is the final deadline.” Her words won the sympathy of the livestream viewers. But I remained unmoved, calmly repeating, “I won’t claim this prize. If you have any objections, just take me to court.” The comment section was flooded with another wave of insults. [You’re just a lottery shop owner, why are you acting so high and mighty?] [What gives you the right not to redeem the prize? Just wait to go to jail!] [I’ve never seen such an arrogant lottery shop owner in my life. Are you even human? Redeem the prize now!] [Are you going through menopause? If you want to die, just go ahead!] I ignored the insults, turned around, entered the shop, and locked the glass door. Outside, only Camila’s hoarse cries remained. At this moment, someone online recognized me. [Isn’t this the lottery shop I often visit? I buy a lottery ticket there once a week, and the owner is quite friendly.] [Yeah, I also often buy lottery tickets at this shop. I have pretty good luck and occasionally win small prizes. She has never refused to pay out.] [Yeah, my friend even won a hundred thousand dollars.] But these faint voices were immediately drowned out by the netizens’ scolding. [I think you all have no conscience. Did this woman hire someone to clear her name so quickly?] [You’re accomplices too, go to jail together!] [She’s a good person? Nonsense! That girl was waiting for the money to save her parents’ lives, so why wouldn’t she cash the lottery ticket? It’s clearly malicious!] Those who spoke up for me quickly fell silent. The entire morning passed, and Camila knelt outside with a pale face. No matter how she begged, I sat there coldly, saying nothing.

At night, I closed the shop and went home. Sure enough, my name was trending at the top. Under the entry, it was filled with overwhelming insults and curses against me. 【I’ve already found out, the shop owner is called Fiona Knight!】 【I think she grew up without parents’ guidance and became antisocial.】 【This vicious woman! If I see her on the street, I’ll kick her to death!】 Pinned at the top was a video posted by Camila. In the video, she is in a hospital room, with her parents in the background hooked up to ventilators. Her voice trembled, “Dear netizens, I’m not trying to seek pity on purpose, but my parents urgently need surgery, or their lives will be in danger. “I don’t ask for much. I’ve said before, as long as Fiona is willing to help me claim the prize, I’m willing to share half of the winnings with her. “As long as she’s willing to help me claim the prize and save my parents…” The comment section was filled with sympathy for her and even more vicious curses directed at me. I looked at all this and just smiled faintly. Then, I started the livestream. The netizens instantly flooded in. Facing the camera, I still said the same thing, “No matter what, I won’t let Camila claim the prize.” In an instant, the curses grew even more intense. [Are you out of your mind? Hand over the money now!] [It’s not like the money’s coming from you, just redeem the prize.] [You’ll face retribution!] At this moment, some shop owners nearby came out to speak up for me. [Could there be more to this? Fiona’s lottery shop has always had a good reputation.] [Yeah, in the past three years, different customers have won the ten-million-dollar jackpot three times, and nothing like this has ever happened.] Some even provided winning photos as evidence. But this evidence only sparked resistance from netizens. [Are you guys stupid? So what if she’s redeemed prizes before? She’s clearly bullying rural folks now.] [She’ll get what’s coming to her sooner or later.] [She’s purely antisocial. She knows that girl urgently needs money but deliberately delays giving the prize.] [Aren’t you afraid her parents will come after you for revenge when they die?] Netizens fiercely warned me in the livestream. [Fiona, remember, tomorrow at 10 a.m. is your last chance.] At that moment, Camila joined the livestream. Her eyes were red, and her voice choked. “I beg you, please come tomorrow morning.” “I’ll wait outside the shop all night. Once I get the money, my parents can have their surgery.” “I beg you, have mercy on me.” The livestream viewers were filled with sorrow. [This poor girl, both her parents are sick.] [She finally won the lottery, thinking it was a turning point, but ended up facing a demon.] [Why doesn’t that scumbag just die?] I stayed silent the whole time, watching everything expressionlessly. Before I ended the livestream, I calmly said, “Sorry, the lottery shop is closed tomorrow.”

Early the next morning, I got a call from the shop owner next door. Her tone was extremely anxious. “Fiona, what on earth are you doing? Hurry up and cash in the lottery!” “Do you know how many people are crowding at your shop’s door right now?” “Your shop door has already been splashed with paint, and even those of us who spoke up for you are getting dragged into this!” Hearing the noisy shouting and cursing on the other end of the line, I said nothing and directly hung up the phone. At that moment, someone opened my door. My husband Henry Parker and daughter Bella Parker, who were supposed to return the day after tomorrow, stood at the door. As soon as Henry walked in, he anxiously asked me, “What’s going on online? Why aren’t you giving out the prize?” Seeing that I didn’t respond, he continued, “Do you have any idea how scary netizens can be? They’ve already dug up information about Bella and me!” “Go claim the prize immediately, I’ll drive you there.” I stepped aside to avoid his reaching hand. “I won’t give her the prize.” Henry frowned and questioned, “What’s wrong with you? You run a lottery shop, a customer wins, and you refuse to pay? What does that mean?” Bella whispered, “Mom, you’re not really thinking of keeping the money like they’re saying online, are you?” “But even if she doesn’t take out the winning ticket, you still won’t get the money.” “Didn’t you hear her? Her parents are in the hospital waiting for this money to save their lives!” Looking at their anxious expressions, I calmly said, “I told you, I won’t cash this lottery ticket.” Henry immediately got angry upon hearing this and grabbed my hand, trying to drag me out. “I think you’ve really lost it!” “Do you have to ruin all of us before you’re satisfied?” “My boss already recognized you! He called and told me to sort out my family issues quickly, or I won’t get the promotion!” Bella sobbed, “Mom, my classmates are all laughing at me, saying you bully people from the countryside. What’s wrong with you? You weren’t like this before!” Seeing her in tears, my heart ached terribly. But in the end, I just trembled and said, “I still stand by my words, I will never give her the prize.” Henry stared at me for a few seconds and said, “If you refuse to give her the prize, then we’ll get a divorce!” “Bella’s custody goes to me. If you’re willing to be the sinner and face the consequences, we won’t.” I took a deep breath and finally nodded in agreement. Henry, furious, packed up with Bella and left. Not long after, my mom called. “Fiona! We told you not to open a lottery shop, but you insisted. “Now, you refuse to give customers their prizes, making such a mess. You’ve completely embarrassed your dad and me. From now on, just stay out there and never come back!” After hanging up, I realized my mom had removed me from the family group chat. All the relatives in the family also blocked and deleted me. At this moment, I looked at the clock on the wall, and it pointed exactly to ten o’clock. Great, the lottery redemption deadline has passed.

Right after, my phone kept ringing nonstop, with people constantly calling to harass me. Netizens have already found out my home address and are rushing over. I left home and randomly found a hotel. Meanwhile, Camila in the livestream was still accusing me, “I really didn’t expect to encounter something like this. “I won a hundred million dollar jackpot, but the lottery shop owner refuses to give me the prize!” At this point, many netizens expressed their willingness to provide her with free legal assistance. But Camila shook her head. “It’s no use, everything is too late. “Without this money, what’s the point of sending Fiona to jail? My parents can’t wait any longer.” Netizens started raising funds for her voluntarily, but she firmly refused. She said, “This is my family matter, I can’t trouble everyone.” “Everyone has it tough, how can I take your money to save my parents’ lives?” Netizens were moved to tears upon hearing this. In comparison, I seemed like a cold-hearted devil. At this moment, Camila said, “I believe God won’t let evil prevail forever, nor will He let someone like me remain in despair forever.” “Since I had good luck once, maybe it will happen again. I want to try the lottery shop again.” Many lottery shop owners rushed to invite her. Camila started a livestream and used her last remaining money to buy over a dozen lottery tickets. Netizens across the internet silently cheered her on. [Hope good luck can bless this poor girl once again.] [Trade Fiona’s family’s lifespan for Camila’s good luck.] [Scum like Fiona should rot in jail forever!] A week later, Camila went live again. In the live stream, she held a lottery ticket, her face twisted with joy. She exclaimed excitedly, “God has been so good to me! I won again!” “This time it’s ten million dollars! Though not as much as last time, it’s enough to save my parents!” A tear slid down from the corner of her eye. The entire internet witnessed how hard-earned her journey was. [Indeed, luck does protect the unfortunate!] [Congratulations, your parents are saved!] [Thankfully, we didn’t witness another tragedy.] [Good and evil will be repaid, Fiona, just wait for the law’s punishment!] Two days later, Camila started a livestream and went to a lottery shop to claim her prize. Many reporters were present to witness this historic moment for her. Just as the shop owner was about to take the lottery ticket for verification, I showed up. I pushed through the crowd, and curses erupted all around me. “How shameless can this person be, showing up here?” “This is someone else’s lottery shop. What are you doing here? Get out and wait for the law to deal with you!” Camila saw me and immediately put on a pitiful look. “Fiona, what are you doing here? Are you here to stop me from claiming the prize?” I smiled slightly. “That’s right, I’m here to stop you from claiming the prize.” Her face froze. At this moment, the lottery shop owner stepped forward, glaring at me fiercely and said, “Fiona, as a fellow lottery shop owner, I would never be as vicious and shameless as you!” “As long as the prize is won here, I will definitely follow the rules and give her the prize!” He turned to Camila, his gaze soft. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you the prize right away so you can use the money to save your parents’ lives.” As soon as he finished speaking, I shouted, “I’ll say it again, do not give Camila the prize!” At this moment, someone nearby, unable to stand it anymore, had already rolled up their sleeves, ready to throw a few punches at me. The person next to me yelled angrily, “You’re crazy! What gives you the right to stop others from claiming their prize?” Just as the punch was about to land, I pulled out my phone and shouted, “Haven’t you always wanted to know why I refuse to let her claim the prize? I’ll tell you right now!”

Before the wedding, Julian’s adopted sister, Sera, burst into the venue, her clothes disheveled and torn. She claimed my half-paralyzed father had assaulted her. Julian insisted we finish the wedding, promising to uncover the truth. But six months into our marriage, my father was castrated. My six-month-old baby, during a routine prenatal check-up, was tragically lost due to what they called an intern’s misdiagnosis. I was heartbroken, utterly devastated, and wanted to end my life. But Julian stayed by my side, encouraging me to pick myself up. I thought he genuinely loved me and I started to recover. Until I got pregnant again, and accidentally overheard his conversation with a doctor. “You knew your father-in-law was innocent, yet you still wanted revenge? And you forced your wife to miscarry twice?” His eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse. “But Audrey is already suffering from trauma-induced depression. If I don’t keep her happy, she’ll kill herself!” In that moment, my face went utterly ashen. All my suffering, all my torment, had been nothing but a cruel charade to appease Sera.

In the operating room, after the doctor’s cold declaration of death, I completely lost consciousness. The image of my baby’s blue-purple face haunted my mind. In my dream, a two-year-old boy looked at me with deep hurt. “This is my second time. Why do you and Daddy not want me again? I hate you both, I don’t want you anymore!” I screamed desperately, running towards him, wanting to tell him I did want him. But my feet felt as if they were tightly bound, unable to move. Watching his figure gradually disappear, I cried uncontrollably. “Don’t leave me, don’t leave Mommy!” I jolted awake, a tearing pain erupting from my fresh incision. My cold hand was tightly clasped. Opening my eyes, I saw Julian’s bloodshot gaze. “Don’t cry. We’ll have other children.” He’d said the same thing last time, when our first baby died on the operating table. But then he turned around and tricked me onto the operating table with a fake medical report, claiming the baby had a nuchal cord. The truth, blurted out while they administered anesthesia, felt like a dagger ripping my heart to pieces, again and again. I slapped him across the face. “Why did you do this to me! What did I ever do to deserve this? That was your own child!” His expression froze. Just as he was about to speak, the door burst open. Sera, sobbing uncontrollably, her face streaked with tears, knelt before me. “I’m so sorry, Audrey. Even though you weren’t cooperating, it’s still my fault we couldn’t save this baby!” The cutting pain on the operating table was still vivid in my memory. It was her. After the oxytocin started working, she gave me a muscle relaxant injection. The baby couldn’t be delivered naturally, and its heartbeat slowly weakened. Then she swapped my epidural for a sedative during the emergency C-section. After two hours of agony, they finally took out the baby that was already stillborn. My eyes bloodshot, I grabbed the blanket from the nightstand and threw it at her. “You deliberately delayed! You intentionally wanted to kill him!” She clutched a shard of glass to her wrist, her eyes growing resentful. “Yes, I deserve to die! I’ll go die right now, I’ll go pay for my nephew’s life!” Julian instantly rushed over, snatching the glass shard from her hand. “It’s not your fault! This baby was unlucky, it was his grandfather who did too many bad things. It has nothing to do with you!” Before, hearing that, I would have been consumed by guilt and self-blame. But now, I just found it laughable. How could they so shamelessly twist the truth? Julian glared at me fiercely. “You clearly weren’t cooperating with the delivery! Are you trying to push my sister to her death?” He dragged me into the Hayes family living room, forcing me to kneel on the shattered glass from earlier. “Harming our baby, framing my sister, assaulting me right here, and showing no remorse. You’ll kneel here and reflect properly!”

The sharp shards pierced my flesh, and blood immediately flowed. I remember when he knelt right here, suffering a humiliation to prove his love for me, just to marry me. It was all a lie. Just beyond the wall, he was softly comforting Sera. I endured the pain, slowly picking myself up, and stood at the doorway. “Let’s get a divorce, Julian.” The voices inside the room fell silent. Julian walked out, looking at me, utterly broken. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. He sighed, a mix of helplessness and irritation. “Audrey, you know Sera has depression. Why can’t you try to understand me?” “I know you’ve suffered a lot today, and being punished to kneel was unfair, but it was just for show. Sera is your sister,too For her, can’t you just play along, endure a little hardship?” Looking at this man who only knew how to morally blackmail me, my heart was a tangled mess of hatred and coldness. Since the last miscarriage, I had been battling postpartum depression and anxiety. Whenever he saw me in agony, he would blame himself, slap his own face, and stay up all night with me. He said he would protect me, protect our children, even fearing the slightest bump or bruise. But now, with his adopted sister’s revenge plan successful, he could look at my bruised body without a single flicker of emotion. I let out a cold laugh. “Right, her life matters, but mine doesn’t.” “Julian, Sera is so precious! Anyone would think she was your wife.” His pupils trembled. “I didn’t realize your heart was so filthy!” He slapped me across the face. A burning pain flared on my cheek. I lost my balance and stumbled to the ground. This was the first time he had ever laid a hand on me in all our years of marriage. But what about me? Right after we got married, he leaked my private videos across the internet. Now, anyone who mentions me calls me a notorious slut. At its worst, everywhere I went, men would try to take advantage of me. When I exposed them, they flipped the script and accused me of seducing them. I was publicly shamed and physically assaulted by furious strangers who believed the lies, my clothes ripped off on the street. My compromising photos were plastered everywhere, even on flyers. For an entire year, I was afraid to leave the house. Tears silently streamed down my face. Julian panicked. His eyes red, he shakily crouched in front of me. “I’m sorry, Audrey, I… I didn’t mean it. I was just so afraid you’d misunderstand and leave me.” Just as he tried to help me up, a heavy thud echoed from the room. Followed by Sera’s painful cry. He immediately let go of my hand and rushed inside. Julian came out, carrying her. As he passed me, he only spared me a fleeting glance. “Sera fell and hurt herself. I’m taking her to the hospital. You’ll be home alone tonight, be careful. Don’t bring up sensitive topics again, she’ll blame herself!” With that, he hurried past, bumping into me. Another searing pain. I wiped away my tears, using the wall to slowly pull myself into the bedroom. I immediately called my lawyer to draft divorce papers. The pain kept me awake all night. Close to dawn, a sliver of sleepiness finally set in. Just as I managed to drift off, a bucket of cold water was splashed all over me. I opened my eyes to Julian’s furious glare. He gripped my neck tightly. “Was it you! Was it you who spread the news that Sera deliberately didn’t use anesthesia for your surgery and intentionally caused the baby’s death?” “Do you have any idea that your reckless slander will ruin her? The entire internet is demanding her professional license be revoked! That she be fired!” The suffocating grip made me struggle uncontrollably. “I… I didn’t!” “Still denying it! You only lost a child! But she now only has her career, that one belief keeping her alive, and you want to destroy it! Do you really want her dead?” Blood continuously welled from my wounds with every violent struggle. Hearing him say “only lost a child,” my heart convulsed. When we were intimate, he would whisper over and over about wanting a home with me, wanting a daughter or son as lovely as me. Turns out, nothing compared to his adopted sister.

For a moment, I even wished I would die right then, to join my mother, to join my children. But no. Julian released his grip, his eyes dark and sinister as he stared at me. “Now, get dressed and record a clarification video for me. Tell everyone that you were jealous of her, that you slandered her, that you wanted to destroy her!” “Otherwise, I will make your father in the ICU pay the price for you at any moment!” I trembled all over. I looked at him, disbelieving. Once, when he was in business, a rival tried to provoke him, claiming I was a jinx and had betrayed him. He not only didn’t believe it, he beat the man unconscious and sent him to the hospital. He pointed at his rival, saying anyone in the world might betray him, but I never would. He said then that he would trust me unconditionally for life. And now, I was lying at home, unable to move, yet he was pinning this blame on me. My eyes turned red, glaring at him fiercely. “I told you I didn’t.” He looked at me coldly, pulled out his phone, and showed me the surveillance feed. On the screen, my father’s life support ventilator was unplugged, and he thrashed like a fish on the verge of suffocating. Watching the plummeting numbers on the monitor, tears uncontrollably streamed down my face. I trembled as I looked at him. “Julian, you know my father is innocent…” But before I could finish, his phone rang. In the video, Sera stood by a window, looking utterly despairing. Medical staff surrounded her, trying to calm her. “I’m so sorry, Julian. It was my mistake that the baby was lost, and it’s caused you and Audrey to consider divorce. Audrey isn’t wrong to want revenge on me.” As she spoke, she lifted one leg over the windowsill. “Audrey, I don’t resent anything you’ve done. I just hope my death can bring you and Julian a stable and happy life together!” Julian screamed, almost breaking down. “No, no! I promise I’ll make her apologize and clarify immediately! Please don’t do anything foolish!” He hung up, found a clean dress in the closet, and roughly tore off my blood-stained clothes. The cotton nightgown, soaked with blood, had dried on my wounds. He yanked it hard, and the barely clotted blood surged out again. Seeing my agonizing struggles, he only paused for a moment, then grabbed a roll of tape from a drawer and haphazardly stuck it over all my bleeding wounds, with some tissue paper underneath. Looking at this Julian, who used to fret over my slightest untreated cut getting infected, and frantically learned how to clean, disinfect, and bandage wounds… The last warmth in my heart completely drained away with the loss of blood, leaving only an icy coldness. He picked me up bridal style. “First, go apologize to Sera, then record the clarification video.” “What if I don’t?” He paused. “Then you’ll watch your dad be killed because of you.” I laughed, tears falling. “Yes, if I hadn’t married you, my mom, my two children, and my dad wouldn’t be like this. I hurt them, you’re right.” “The biggest regret of my life is marrying you. If I’d known you loved your sister this much, I never should have!” “Don’t worry. If my dad dies, I won’t live alone. Five lives from my family for your sister’s happiness—is that enough?” Julian’s eyes were filled with shock. But ultimately, nothing could deter him from sacrificing everything for his sister. In the hospital room, he pressed me down, forcing me to my knees. As he demanded, I had to show no hint of coercion, only genuine sincerity, as I bowed my head three times. “I’m sorry, Dr. Thompson, I slandered you. I deliberately smothered the baby and framed you for it, and I was intolerant to the anesthetic but intentionally didn’t tell you.” “It’s all my fault, please forgive me, I’ll never dare to do it again.” She stood on the windowsill, unmoving. Julian pressed my head down, forcing me to keep bowing until the blood from my forehead blurred my vision. Finally, Sera said, “It’s okay.” Julian sighed in relief, violently letting go of my hair. With a thud, I collapsed to the floor. He carried her down from the window and told the doctors who were recording the apology video to stop. After a long moment, he looked down at me. “Learn from your mistakes. Don’t ever do it again.”

I pushed myself with my last ounce of strength, rushing like a madwoman to the ICU. But when I finally reached the door, I saw my father being wheeled out, covered by a white sheet. I stumbled and fell. “No, Dad, wake up, don’t scare me!” The doctor beside me looked at me with scorn. “Neither the daughter nor the father is a good person. If it weren’t for Mr. Hayes being reasonable, Dr. Thompson would have been completely destroyed.” In an instant, I was surrounded by righteous people criticizing me and my father. “Well, well, if it isn’t that tramp again? Lost another baby, huh? Did some guy knock it out of you? Your videos are still hot, I’ve watched them for three years and never get tired. When can I get a taste, huh?” “This shameless bitch, are you really still hooking up with her? Aren’t you afraid of catching something? I wouldn’t touch her even if she paid me.” “Bitch, how dare you slander Dr. Thompson!” “Serves you right, your dad deserved to die! You deserve to die too!” With that, several patients and their families started throwing instant noodles, herbal soup, leftover food, and trash at me. I trembled, covering my father’s ears. “Don’t listen, Dad, they’re all lying.” The voices around me grew louder, more chaotic. So loud that I could no longer hear my father’s breathing. I desperately slapped him, but he would never again open his eyes and say, “Just kidding, I’m perfectly fine.” The curses from the crowd accompanied me as I pushed my father’s body to the hospital entrance. Gusts of cold wind made me unsteady on my feet. My clothes and hair, covered in filth, quickly froze. Suddenly, Julian’s voice came from behind me. He ran over and draped his jacket over me. “What happened? How did you get yourself like this?” People around us whispered. “Mr. Hayes, she’s rotten to the core, she’s not worth your genuine affection. If you ask me, you should divorce her.” “That’s right, a manipulative, shameless, and cruel woman like her doesn’t deserve you!” Julian shot a deadly glare around. Everyone immediately shut up and dispersed. His gaze finally landed on the gurney in front of me. “What’s this? Who are you pushing?” My eyes were hollow as I stared at him. “My dad.” His eyebrows twitched, his eyes filled with horror and panic. But just as he reached out, Sera’s startled cry suddenly came from behind him. She clutched her chest. “I accidentally bumped myself when I was climbing out the window just now. It hurts so much.” Julian picked up Sera bridal style, and his eyes instantly turned sharp as he looked at me. “Know when to quit, stop acting out! You just had surgery yesterday, go home and get some rest!” He walked away from me, carrying her. The funeral home car, mysteriously, never showed up, and no taxi on the road would give me a ride. I pushed my father’s body through the freezing snow for two hours until I reached the funeral home. Two hours later, my father’s once mighty body turned into a handful of ashes, placed in a cold urn. Soon, on my phone, the online channel of the taxi, and on all the big screens in the shopping malls, the video of me kneeling there to apologize to Sera was playing in a loop. Suddenly, a message popped up on my phone. It was from Julian. [Didn’t I tell you to go home? Where are you? I’m warning you, don’t try any more meaningless stunts. Think about your father, think about those videos from three years ago. I can suppress it, and I can also make it resurface.] [As for the apology video playing outside, it’s a small punishment for you. Don’t take it to heart. Just come back and write a guarantee that you won’t bully Sera again, and we can go back to how we were.] The cold wind howled. It scattered the warmth from the urn. And it scattered the last of our feelings. I opened the blacklisted messages from a week ago, from Caleb Stone, Julian’s biggest rival. Without a moment’s hesitation, I dialed the number. “I agree to the partnership you mentioned.” An hour later, Julian, who had been waiting endlessly for Audrey’s reply, saw the latest business headlines. [CEO Julian Hayes’s Two Children Tragically Die, Wife Kneels in Apology, Marriage on the Rocks] [Julian Hayes’s Adopted Sister’s Accusation of Father-in-Law’s Assault Suspected to be a Hoax]

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I found the apartment where my husband kept his mistress. I had to see the woman who’d stolen his heart. Julian and I had built everything from nothing-from a shoebox apartment to this sprawling estate. We worked until our bones ached. I went gray before my time. Even after Leo was born, I didn’t settle into the easy life of a society wife. I kept pushing, kept working. I always believed I held my life in my own hands. I rang the doorbell. The door opened. The girl standing there beamed a perfect smile. “You must be Julian’s mother. How lovely to meet you.” Even during million-dollar contract talks, I never let a slip of emotion show. But hearing her call me “Mrs. Thorne” made me flinch. We weren’t even divorced, and she was already greeting her future mother-in-law? I spoke on impulse. “Hello.” “Please come in, Mrs. Thorne. My name is Ivy Dawson.” The moment I stepped inside, a large map drew my eye. Delicate red threads crisscrossed it, linking photos of them kissing, marking every place they’d been together. It was nearly covered. She noticed me looking and smiled. “This is our adventure map. He takes me somewhere new every month.” So Julian had been cheating far longer than I’d known. She reached over, gently taking my coat to hang in the closet nearby. The tea she offered was perfectly warm. My eyes moved through the apartment-a penthouse downtown, two hundred square meters, finished to the highest standard. This place had to be worth over five million. “Did he buy this for you?” Ivy’s cheeks colored faintly. “Yes.” “Julian said it was a gift. To thank me.” In ten years of marriage, he had never celebrated a single holiday with me. Even after we became wealthy, he never bought me anything of real value. My birthday was just a cake and a simple “Happy Birthday.” I always thought love just matured into a comfortable companionship, that quiet stability was the real deal. Turns out, love doesn’t transform; it just transfers to someone else. Seeing my silence, she looked a little flustered. After a few hesitations, she finally spoke. “Mrs. Thorne, Julian and I are truly in love. Could you… could you agree to let me marry him?” I thought I wouldn’t feel anything. But my heart gave a sharp pang, and I instinctively asked. “How did you two get together?” Ivy gushed, her eyes sparkling. Finally, I understood. That year, when I had a persistent high fever, and we were already millionaires, he still rushed off to meet a client for a mere $10,000 order. Turns out, it was just because she’d texted, “I miss you.” “Oh, Mrs. Thorne, you wouldn’t believe it. The moment Julian saw me, he said his world lit up.” “Julian is so amazing! Last time, he even helped my dad’s company solve a tricky tech problem. He said it had stumped their whole industry for ages, but he just looked at it and fixed it!” “So, Mrs. Thorne, do you agree?” She gazed at me expectantly. I asked, with a knowing smirk. “And do you know he has a wife?” Ivy’s face fell, and she bit her lip. “Julian said he doesn’t love her at all. He said she’s just a business partner, with no real feelings between them.” “He said that woman is older than his aunt, completely boring, acts like a man, and her skin is disgustingly rough.” I unconsciously rubbed the calluses on my palms, scars from lifting heavy sacks of soybeans during our startup days. Every night, he used to apply thick hand cream, massaging my hands again and again. He even called me the greatest contributor to our family’s success. “But I guess a woman like that wouldn’t really appeal to any man.” “They’re going to divorce anyway, so I don’t mind. As long as he truly loves me, that’s all that matters.” The hand holding my teacup paused mid-air, trembling slightly. We met through friends and fell in love at first sight. Julian told his friends I was the woman of his dreams. He had vowed not to marry me until he made his fortune. We started a small artisanal café and bakery together, barely sleeping through those years. I worked until my hair went gray ahead of time, my face etched with tired lines that aged me beyond my years. Once, drunk, he wept, knelt down, and held me, apologizing over and over. So that he wouldn’t feel guilty, even when I had no time for myself, I made sure to dye my roots. My heart rose and fell, then settled into a strange calm. I had seen enough. Compared enough. It wasn’t that she was so remarkable-it was that he was different now. If he insisted there was no feeling left between us, then I would make sure that feeling was gone for good.

I was about to reply. Ivy’s phone rang-on speaker. Julian’s voice came through, deep and tender in a tone I’d never heard from him before. “Hungry, baby? I picked up your favorite pho. Be there in fifteen.” I knew that place. It took three hours in line, clear across the city. Once, when I was laid up at home with a broken leg, I’d mentioned craving something light like pho. He’d just sat by my hospital bed, peeling an apple, and hadn’t even looked up. Ivy blew a kiss into the speaker. “Love you most, hubby!” They were still cooing when I stood and walked to the bathroom. I noticed there were more men’s toiletries on the counter than we kept at home. I sent a message to my assistant, instructing her to thoroughly investigate Julian’s financial records. If he thought he could spend the fortune I’d earned on another woman, he would learn what it cost. Just as I reached for the doorknob, Julian’s eager voice carried in from the living room. “Look what I got for you!” Ivy cheered. “Is it the sapphire I saw yesterday when we were shopping?!” “I only looked at it for a second, and you already bought it!” “Then I have a surprise for you too!” Ivy, feigning mystery, ran to tap on the bathroom door. “Mrs. Thorne, are you done?” I turned off the faucet and pulled open the bathroom door. Ivy bounded excitedly between Julian and me, joyfully flapping her arms. “It’s perfect that Mrs. Thorne is here too, because I have monumental news to share with both of you!” “Hubby gave me a sapphire! So I’m giving hubby a baby!” My body jolted, and I looked up at her sharply. After giving birth to Leo, I had always longed for a sweet daughter. Julian always found excuses, always put it off. Turns out, he just didn’t want to have another child with me. Julian’s smile was still wide. His gaze swept past Ivy, locking with mine. His pupils instantly constricted. The smile vanished, as if I were the villain who had intruded upon their perfect world. “What are you doing here?” I walked back to my seat, my eyes drifting between the two of them. My silence seemed to him like a challenge. He pulled Ivy behind him. “Whatever you have to say, say it to me. Don’t touch Ivy.” Ivy looked confused, tugging on his sleeve. “Isn’t she your mother?” Julian froze, then scoffed. “Silly girl, you have good eyes. She does look old.” “Unfortunately, she’s my legal wife.” Ivy’s eyes widened. She suddenly realized who I was, her face draining of color then flushing crimson. She clapped her hands over her mouth. “Mrs. Thorne… no, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it like that just now.” “It’s… it’s me…” She couldn’t find the words, her face flushing with frustration. Julian pulled her close and turned a cold stare on me. “She doesn’t owe you an apology.” “Eleanor, get out.” From the shelter of his arm, Ivy peeked out at me-a quick, triumphant glance. I drained the last sip of tea, picked up my coat, and walked over to her. “Your request from earlier? I agree.” As the elevator doors began to close, Julian rushed out, jamming his hand in the way. He looked at me, perplexed that I wasn’t demanding answers as usual. His expression was complex, with a hint of panic I couldn’t quite decipher. “Eleanor, this was an accident.” “You know pregnant women can’t handle emotional stress.” “Divorce would cost us a fortune. She won’t threaten your position.” Julian knew I treated our company like my own child, and divorce would mean splitting half of our assets. He was threatening me. I knew he wouldn’t let go if I didn’t respond. I gave a quiet hum, waving my hand to dismiss him. Julian visibly relaxed. Suddenly, a bag of trash appeared at my feet. “Take this down for me.” As the elevator doors closed, I kicked the bag right back out. Did he really think I came here unprepared today?

I returned to the office and pulled out the divorce papers I’d had prepared long ago. Actually, the first time I suspected him of being intimate with another woman, I had already consulted a lawyer and drafted them. Back then, Julian had threatened self-harm, swearing it would never happen again. Looking at the blood on the floor, my barely growing baby bump, and our fledgling business, I rationally chose to forgive him. “Eleanor, they’re here.” Sarah, my assistant, knocked on the door. After a series of negotiations, I sold all the shares I held in the company. The company was indeed my brainchild, but something tainted and broken wasn’t worth holding onto. Besides my son, I wanted nothing from him. My phone alarm went off. It was time to pick Leo up from preschool. But at the preschool gate, I saw Julian. Ivy was squatting beside my son, holding up a cool superhero-themed marshmallow. Leo’s joyful expression was one I’d never seen before. “Leo, do you like me or your mommy more?” Ivy’s voice was incredibly gentle. Leo giggled, poking Ivy’s dimple. “What if I become your mommy and have a little brother for you to play with?” My son nodded emphatically, standing on tiptoes to kiss Ivy’s cheek. Julian picked up Leo with one arm and held Ivy’s hand as they crossed the street. He spotted my car, his gaze shifting to the driver’s seat. He lingered on my face for only a moment before ushering them into his car. I sat in my car, my mind blank, my face flushed from the AC. It took a long time to shake off the daze. Julian had deliberately made sure I saw that. Ever since Leo started preschool, he had become increasingly resistant to my affection. I used to think it was my strictness that pushed him away, but now, everything made sense. It seemed my illusion of control, of a happy family, was nothing but a fragile bubble of my own making. Too bad Julian had miscalculated. He still thought I would swallow my pride and stay for our son’s sake. No one, absolutely no one, would stop me from leaving now. Back home, Leo was playing with the remote-control car Ivy had given him. Julian, as if nothing had happened, wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. “Didn’t you want another daughter?” “I’ll give you one tonight.” His hollow attempt at reconciliation, born of guilt, only disgusted me more. I struggled free of his grasp. “You should save that for Ivy.” Julian, assuming I was still angry, only pressed closer, his hands starting to roam, trying to elicit a reaction from me. Our usual pattern was that after an argument, a session in bed meant we’d made up. This time, there would be no making up. Julian gripped the back of my neck and shoved me forward. Perhaps because we were so close, the lingering scent of my work-the coffee beans and flour from our early bakery days-made him instinctively turn his head away. The more I struggled, the tighter his grip. With a thud, my head hit the wall. I instantly felt dizzy. He instinctively cupped the back of my head. My phone rang. A few seconds later, Julian released me, his face hardening, letting out a cold scoff. “Fine, I respect your wishes. Saves me the trouble of needing medication to even be interested in you.” I didn’t need to guess who was calling. Julian changed his clothes, sprayed on cologne, and stormed out, tossing a final comment over his shoulder. “That’s enough drama. Make sure everything’s ready for the annual gala next week.” Every year, he loved to make a big show of handing out employees’ annual bonuses in cash. More than once, he either gave too little or too much, causing numerous employee disputes. Once, while handling company funds, I even got robbed and ended up in the hospital. Now, with the company accounts drained by his lavish spending on Ivy, how could he save face?

Leo stood by the door, watching me pack my suitcase. I could be ruthless with Julian. But facing my son, whom I had carried for nine months, I wavered. There weren’t many things to pack, anyway. I put items in, then took them out, agonizing for over an hour. I knelt before him, gently stroking his soft, little cheek. For the first time, he didn’t swat my hand away. I asked softly, “Do you want to come with Mommy?” Leo’s eyes sparkled, but he asked me in return, “Are you leaving? If you leave, are you never coming back?” My throat tightened. “Yes, Mommy won’t be coming back.” “Come with Mommy, okay?” I pulled him into my arms. Leo’s small voice whispered beside my ear. “Yay! If you leave, I’ll have a pretty mommy!” My body went rigid. I slowly let him go and stood up. I had planned, even in leaving, to protect the boy. He was innocent. I was going to help him settle things with Ivy’s child-to make sure no one would ever try to take what was his. But with that kind of attitude from him, why should I bother planning his future? I stepped over him and walked out without looking back. The moment I landed in the Maldives, my phone lit up with Snap notifications. “Mrs. Thorne, even if I handed Julian back to you now, he wouldn’t take you.” “I’ll take good care of him and Leo.” “Oh, and it’s a boy. Julian says he’ll inherit everything.” The next message was a video. It showed Julian at her prenatal appointment. “Hubby, listen here. He can hear your voice now, you know.” I turned off my phone. This wouldn’t end with a simple divorce, Julian. I had a surprise planned for him at the annual gala. We didn’t speak for a whole week. But his social media was flooded-no less than twenty posts of him and Ivy. At the annual gala, Julian introduced Ivy to the room. His hand rested possessively on her waist, his meaning clear. A few executives rushed to flatter him. “Mr. Thorne, it’s about time you saw the light!” “Who knows what he was doing, tied to that battleaxe all these years.” “Exactly! When’s the big day, sir?” These were people I had promoted. Every one of them. Julian smiled, his gaze dropping to Ivy’s stomach. “You’ll all have cake soon enough.” They stood there like a bride and groom, accepting the room’s toasts. Someone finally mentioned me. Julian’s lips curved into a smirk. “She’ll be here soon.” When it came time to distribute the annual bonuses, Julian finally noticed my absence. He began calling my phone repeatedly. “Where is Eleanor Vance?!” My chief assistant stammered. “Eleanor… she’s been unreachable all week. And this afternoon…the company accounts were cleared out.” “We tried calling you, sir. Many times. You never answered.” Her voice faded to a whisper. Julian’s expression darkened by the second. Suddenly, the large screen behind him flickered to life, cycling through a series of images. A collective gasp swept the hall, followed by dead silence. Julian turned. His face went rigid with fury. The phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor.

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I was in a coma for three years after the car accident. When I finally woke, my family cried with relief. Their attentiveness was almost too perfect. Beneath the devotion, something felt wrong. There were men’s clothes in the house that didn’t fit me. Baby items I didn’t recognize kept appearing in my mother-in-law Susan’s shopping cart. My father-in-law David got a congratulatory text from a friend about “a newborn.” And Serena, my wife, was always working late. The night Serena left for another “business trip,” I followed her. In a warmly lit house, my in-laws and Serena sat around a table. A man who looked almost exactly like me was holding a child, gently urging them to call my wife “Mommy.” Under the soft, warm light, the man held the child beside my wife-a portrait of a happy family. My in-laws watched them, their eyes full of tenderness. “We should start planning Leo’s birthday party, Dylan. You’ve both been through so much.” Dylan hesitated. “A birthday party…are you sure that’s safe?” Susan reached over and gently squeezed his hand. “You’ve suffered enough, dear. If Julian hadn’t woken up, you wouldn’t be living like this-always in hiding.” “We’ll keep it quiet. We’re giving Leo a party. Even if we have to hide it from Julian!” My wife, Serena, also gently took his arm. “She’s right.” Watching their picture-perfect family scene from outside the window, I felt a chilling cold spread through my entire body. I’d been in a coma for three years due to a car accident, waking up just a month ago. They had all been overjoyed. A few days earlier, I’d been discharged and moved back home, only to find my bedroom completely redecorated. Even my closet contained many clothes that weren’t my size or style. Susan had explained then, “Mike came to stay for a bit, said he missed you and wanted to help take care of you. We agreed.” Mike was my best friend since childhood, so I didn’t question it. But when I walked into my in-laws’ bedroom later that night, intending to share some heartfelt words, I saw them holding tiny baby clothes and toys, laughing about something. Seeing me, their faces instantly changed. They quickly shoved everything behind their backs. Before I could say anything, David sternly barked, “Why did you come in without knocking?” I froze. My in-laws always treated me like their own son. They’d never asked me to knock before. In fact, they used to scold me if I did, saying, “Why are you treating us like strangers?” Now, their faces were clouded with anger, their tone accusatory. They quickly caught themselves, and Susan rushed off the bed to pull me closer. “We just… haven’t gotten used to things yet.” I forced a smile, pushing down the strange feeling in my chest. But I lost all desire to chat and went back to my bedroom. Serena was taking a shower, but I couldn’t understand why she’d been in there for over an hour. She used to take ten-minute showers, tops. I waited on the couch. Serena finally emerged from the bathroom, phone in hand, a sweet smile still lingering on her face. That smile. I knew it better than anyone. It used to be my favorite. I couldn’t help but ask, “What’s making you so happy?” She snapped back to reality, and her smile instantly faded. As if afraid I’d check her phone, she immediately turned off the screen and tossed it aside. Then she affectionately hugged me, but I noticed a red mark on her neck. “Mosquitoes? This time of year?” I asked, feigning confusion. Serena’s face was a mask of bewilderment. Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, her phone suddenly rang. I saw a photo of a man, almost identical to me, fill her screen as the caller ID.

I waited for Serena to explain, a knot forming in my stomach. But she didn’t bat an eye, simply smiling. “Honey, have you forgotten your own photo?” With that, she gave me a quick hug, then turned and walked out to answer the call. I might have been in a coma for three years, but I wasn’t brain-dead for three years. I distinctly remembered never taking a photo like that. Serena was lying to me! She returned quickly. “Something came up at the office. I need to go out. Don’t wait up for me, just go to sleep.” Without even looking at my face, she grabbed her coat and rushed out the door. The old Serena always said, “I earn money so my husband can relax. I’d never choose work over spending time with my husband, right?” She had never stayed out all night before. But for the next two days, she didn’t come home at all. However, during those two days, my former mentor, who had always highly regarded me, was thrilled to hear I was awake. But she was concerned about my health and urged me to go for further tests at a specialized clinic overseas, where her top student worked. I agreed to my mentor’s suggestion, deciding to go abroad after my in-laws hosted a welcome dinner for me. As soon as I got home, Serena, who I hadn’t seen for two days, was already there, seemingly preparing to leave again. She paused when she saw me. “I heard you’re going overseas.” “I just came back to tell you about-” But before I could finish, she impatiently cut me off. “Okay, company emergency. I have to go.” She was in such a hurry to leave that I didn’t press further. But the questions in my heart grew heavier. Was she really that busy? I followed her, and that’s when I saw the cozy scene, the family so joyfully together. My numb fingers stirred. I raised my phone and discreetly recorded the entire interaction. Back home, I tortured myself, watching the video over and over again. It became clear. Someone had taken my place during my years of unconsciousness. What was the point of me even waking up? Soon after, a soft click. The door opened, and my wife rushed back, a smile on her face. “On the way back, I saw your favorite bakery was open. I bought you a lobster roll.” She hugged me, the strong, unfamiliar scent of another man on her making me want to vomit. I pushed her away, forcing a strained smile. “I’m allergic to lobster. Did you forget?” I watched her freeze. I knew it. My place had been taken, and with it, my wife’s memories of me had been replaced. “Why are you still here? The party’s about to start, we need to hurry!” Just as Serena, flustered, tried to explain, Susan’s voice rang out. She walked towards me, holding a suit. “Here, put this on. I had it custom-made. It’ll look perfect on you.” I looked up, and it hit me like a lightning bolt! I had just seen that exact suit on Dylan a little while ago. I clenched my fists, asking softly, “Are you sure this is for me?” Susan nodded, quickly ushering me into the walk-in closet and gesturing for me to change. I chuckled to myself bitterly, then walked out, the buttons of the suit gaping. “Why have you gotten so fat?” Serena frowned. I didn’t explain, just looked at Susan. Only then did she realize I was much taller and broader than Dylan. She looked mortified, quickly arranging for another suit to be sent over. “Oh, my memory! I completely forgot your size. I’ll have someone buy you more clothes tomorrow.” “Our Julian is getting handsomer every day.” The tenderness in her eyes was unmistakable, but I pulled my hand away from her grasp. Susan, Susan, are you truly praising me, or the imposter out there?

At my party, I saw my childhood best friend, Mike. He walked towards me. My smile hadn’t even fully formed when I heard him instinctively call out, “Dylan…” I froze, my outstretched hand suspended in mid-air. He didn’t realize his mistake until another person appeared- Dylan. He was also at the party. Mike blinked, looking from me to him, then quickly dropped my hand as if it were a burning hot potato, his face flushed with embarrassment. “Julian… congratulations, congratulations on waking up.” I tried to swallow the disappointment clutching my heart, looking up towards Dylan. He saw me too, an eyebrow raising, his eyes filled with open defiance. My former friends quickly gathered around him. I was left completely isolated. The next second, Serena appeared. My in-laws hooked their arms through mine, their voices tinged with annoyance. “Why did you let him come? Serena, get him out of here.” Dylan looked at them in disbelief, then was quickly pulled away by a grim-faced Serena. I caught my in-laws’ probing glances, but I wasn’t in the mood to deal with them. In front of me, they were putting on a show of disliking Dylan. If I hadn’t witnessed that warm family scene earlier, I might have believed them. I made an excuse and left, following them. “You barely finished Leo’s birthday party, and now you’re rushing to throw Julian a welcome dinner. The celebration banner is still hanging right over there. What will people think of me if you keep this up?” The man’s bitter voice carried into the hall. I stood outside the door, my blood turning to ice. My eyes swept the room-and there, in the corner, still hung the bright, untouched banner from Leo’s celebration. My welcome party was almost seamlessly connected to their child’s birthday celebration? What did they take me for? I finally understood why Serena hadn’t come home for the past two days-it was for this birthday party. I tightened my grip on the doorknob. Dylan’s face was full of injustice, but Serena offered no comfort. “I told you not to let Julian find out about you!” “He just woke up. If he gets distressed and something happens to him, I swear I’ll never forgive you!” Serena’s tone was incredibly harsh. Dylan looked even more wronged. “I know I’m supposed to stay in the shadows. I’ll be more careful from now on.” Hearing his tone soften, Serena sighed lightly. “Just make sure you understand your place.” But the next second, the sound of them kissing filled the air… A sudden wave of nausea washed over me, and a feeling of profound betrayal tore my heart to shreds! I roughly wiped my face, but as I turned to leave, I met Dylan’s triumphant gaze. My mind reeled, and I wasn’t watching my step. I tripped over a plastic toy ball and fell hard to the ground! I landed with a thud. The sounds from inside ceased. I lay on the ground, my ankle twisted so badly it felt like it had snapped. The pain was so intense I nearly passed out. “Julian!” Serena stumbled out, clothes askew, then spun back to hiss into the dark room. “Don’t come out!” She helped me up, her face a mask of panic and helpless guilt at being seen. For some reason, I needed to hear her say it. “I…I just came to use the bathroom. I…I must have fainted.” Serena’s shoulders relaxed visibly. “What are you even doing here?” When I asked her the same, she just shook her head dismissively. “I was looking for something. Don’t move. I’ll take you to the hospital.” As her lies settled between us, my grip on her wrist slowly went slack.

My ankle was badly twisted. Serena’s eyes were red, and she kept repeating “I’m sorry.” Her body trembled, her voice shaking. “I’m so sorry, Julian, I didn’t take good care of you… I’m awful…” I gently pushed her away, my voice flat. “Why was there an unput-away plastic ball there?” Serena’s voice caught in her throat. Of course, she knew why. Those were the toys she had prepared for her son’s birthday party. She hadn’t figured out how to explain yet. Just then, her phone rang. Dylan’s photo, as usual, flashed across the screen with the ringtone. A man’s voice, feigning urgency, came from the other end. “Leo has a fever, Serena. Can you come with me to take him to the hospital, please?” Serena instinctively looked up at me. Her face was conflicted, but in the end, she chose to abandon me. “Something urgent came up at the office. I’ll be back soon, honey. Wait for me.” With that, she didn’t wait for my reaction and bolted out. At the same time, I received a friend request. It was Dylan. I accepted, and he immediately sent a message. “Serena still chose me, didn’t she? If you’re smart, you’ll just get lost and stop being an eyesore to our family!” I didn’t reply. Instead, I clicked on his Ins profile. The latest video featured Susan. She was kneeling before a wall adorned with religious icons, devoutly praying for Dylan’s safety. Dylan held the phone, recording, his voice triumphant. “You said you’d give anything for my safety. Would you even sacrifice Julian’s safety for mine?” Susan smiled, playfully scolding him. “What are you saying? Of course, I would.” At that, my hand went slack, and my phone clattered to the floor, its screen shattering into a spiderweb of cracks. I shakily picked up the phone, only then noticing. Dylan was wearing the very good luck charm Susan had once sought out for me. I saved everything, the despair in my heart deepening with every passing second. I suddenly couldn’t find any meaning in my existence. My in-laws pushed open the door and saw this scene. My eyes bloodshot, I looked at Susan, on the verge of breaking down. “Mom, do you truly see me as your son-in-law?” “Are you hoping I just drop dead?!” Susan stared at me, aghast. The next second, a clear red handprint bloomed on my face. David’s eyes bulged with rage. “Your mother is so worried about you! How can you speak to her like that? You’re truly no match for Dylan…” He suddenly cut himself off, a look of pure regret on his face. I laughed out loud, tears streaming down my face with the laughter. The hospital room fell silent. That suffocating silence persisted until I was discharged and went home. David’s friend was waiting at the door, holding a gift. Seeing us, he stepped forward, smiling. “Congratulations, Mr. Quinn. I couldn’t make it to the birthday party the other day-” He didn’t get to finish. David’s expression tightened as he looked at me. Soon after, Susan pulled me into a side room. “You’re just out of the hospital. You should be resting.” Her words came quickly, and she left almost immediately. They were afraid I would discover the truth. I already had. I pulled out my phone and opened the latest video Dylan had sent. Serena kissing his son. My heart went cold. I turned toward the window and called Serena. “Serena, you once said you wanted to settle overseas with me. If I asked you now to pack everything and start fresh with me…would you still go?” It was loud on her end. Her voice came through faint, but I heard the refusal clearly. Serena’s voice was a bit muffled, but I still caught her refusal. “Why fix what isn’t broken? Let’s not talk about moving abroad.” My hand tightened around the phone. That was the moment my heart closed to her for good. “Serena, how about I give you a gift you’ll never forget?”

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The day we moved into the neighborhood, our new neighbor sued me. She sobbed hysterically, accusing my son of assaulting her daughter. “My Tiffany just turned eighteen, and that sick pervert, Buddy, ruined her!” “That worthless piece of trash, clearly raised by wolves, deserves the death penalty!” Her daughter also insisted it was my son. “Buddy told me he’d choke me if I didn’t take off my clothes… I was so scared, boohoo…” At her words, the jury and the public were enraged, demanding severe punishment for my son. “That animal! This Buddy is an absolute monster!” “Punish him severely! Don’t let this demon, Buddy, get away with it!” But when the judge called my son to the stand, everyone in the courtroom froze. “You, Cassandra! Your animal son had the guts to defile my daughter, but he’s too much of a coward to show his face in court!” “Hiding him won’t do any good! I won’t let this go! Your son must get the death penalty, and you two must pay my daughter two million for emotional damages!” In court, Brenda glared at me fiercely, as if she wanted to skin me alive. Her daughter, Tiffany, was sobbing dramatically, tears streaming down her face, her eyes filled with pain and terror. I looked at the mother and daughter coolly, repeating my stance. “My son did not assault Tiffany, and he couldn’t have! Find the real culprit; don’t you dare try to pin this on my son!” Until today, I never imagined I’d be facing Brenda and Tiffany in court. The day my son and I moved into the neighborhood, Brenda was so friendly, helping me with my luggage, saying we were neighbors now and I should come to her if I needed anything. When she heard I had a son during our chat, her face lit up, and she introduced her daughter, Tiffany, calling it fate. However, that very night, she came banging on my door with a disheheveled Tiffany, accusing my son, Buddy, of assaulting her. I was stunned, then quickly explained that my son would never do such a thing. But Brenda wouldn’t listen. She was convinced my son did it, and Tiffany cried along, claiming my son dragged her from the hallway to the rooftop and assaulted her. No matter how I tried to explain, the mother and daughter were like hungry wolves who had found their prey, relentlessly clinging to my son. They even demanded a one-million settlement and insisted my son marry Tiffany, or they’d call the police and make sure he rotted in jail. I knew my son couldn’t have assaulted Tiffany, and the one-million compensation was absurd. I flat-out refused the mother and daughter’s demands. I never expected them to sue me. I firmly denied everything, and Brenda instantly blew up. “Impossible? You, Cassandra, open your damn eyes and look at Tiffany’s injuries!” Brenda tore open Tiffany’s jacket, revealing shocking, livid bruises on her body. “These black and blue marks, your animal son did this to her! My Tiffany is only eighteen!” Tiffany trembled as she looked at me, her eyes brimming with tears. “Cassandra, Buddy did all this. He even threatened to choke me if I didn’t take off my clothes. I was so scared!” Brenda hugged Tiffany, comforting her. Both mother and daughter burst into tears right there in the courtroom. And I, the mother of the alleged aggressor, watched them with cold indifference. The crowd in the jury box pointed at me, yelling. “Shameless! Her own son did something so heinous, and she’s still denying it!” “She’s clearly no good herself; the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!” “Poor Tiffany, so young to go through something like this. It’ll haunt her forever!”

The criticisms rained down on me, but I didn’t care, acting as if it had nothing to do with me. Tiffany cried even harder. “Cassandra, it was clearly Buddy who did this! Why won’t you admit it?” “I’m only eighteen! How can I face anyone after this? How am I supposed to live, boohoo…” She cried and pounded her head, her despair moving many in the room to tears. Brenda was heartbroken, pointing her finger at me. “You, Cassandra! You have a child too! How can you be so heartless? If your daughter was the victim today, would you still be this cold?” I scoffed. “My son is being slandered. What’s wrong with me defending him?” I knew perfectly well that my son, Buddy, was absolutely incapable of doing such a preposterous thing. But in their eyes, I was just making excuses. The whispers from the jury and the public grew louder. “This woman is incorrigible!” “To protect her son, she’s lost all basic conscience!” “If the mother is this shameless, what kind of person do you think her son is!” The courtroom instantly became a chaotic mess. The judge frowned and slammed his gavel down. “Order! Since both parties have conflicting statements, please present your respective evidence.” At his words, Tiffany’s lawyer immediately stood up, stating righteously, “Your Honor, my client has sufficient evidence to prove that the defendant, Buddy, assaulted my client, Tiffany.” She motioned for Tiffany to recount the events of that night. Tiffany took a deep breath, her voice trembling as she began to describe the alleged incident. “That night at ten o’clock, I was walking home from tutoring, and the elevator in that building was broken, so I had to take the stairs. Just as I reached the 26th floor, someone suddenly covered my mouth from behind. I struggled desperately, but Buddy was very strong. He dragged me directly to the rooftop, threatening me to ‘play’ with him.” I raised an eyebrow and pressed her. “How are you so sure that person was my son, Buddy?” Tiffany met my gaze, choking back a sob. “I… I definitely know. I saw his face!” “Buddy forced me to take off my clothes, and I desperately shook my head, refusing. But he just raised his hand and grabbed my neck. He said, he said he’d choke me to death if I didn’t obey him… I was too scared, so I had no choice but to give in… boohoo…” By this point, she was crying so hard she could barely breathe, clutching tightly at the hem of her clothes. Everyone sympathized with her plight, but only I knew she was lying. I pointed it out publicly. “Tiffany, you’re lying!” Tiffany flinched, trembling all over, then uncontrollably shrieked back at me. “Lying? Cassandra, why would I lie about something so sacred as my purity? Why are you so cruel and keep pushing me?” “Just look at my injuries! Look at how your son tortured me!” She frantically tore at her clothes, revealing more bruises of varying depths. Tiffany’s lawyer hugged the distraught Tiffany, sternly scolding me. “Defendant, how dare you say my client is lying? Tiffany’s injuries are irrefutable proof! Your baseless accusation is a second victimization of the victim!” I coldly looked at the indignant lawyer, saying each word distinctly. “If she had truly seen my son, she wouldn’t be saying such ridiculous things!” The day my son and I moved, the only child Brenda and Tiffany saw was me. My son, Buddy, had never shown his face to them, not once. If they had ever seen my son, they would absolutely never pin a crime like “assault” on him.

Tiffany’s lawyer scoffed at my words. “Defendant, is your son some kind of celebrity, that my client, Tiffany, would be so eager to tarnish her own reputation just to falsely accuse him?” Tiffany chimed in. “I really did see Buddy. I saw him coming out of his house when I was going to tutoring. We rode the elevator down together, and he said his name was Buddy, and he was the new neighbor.” Brenda pointed her finger at me, screaming, “You, Cassandra! Don’t think you can muddy the waters here and get your son off the hook! Tiffany saw your son with her own eyes, she even knows his name! You can’t deny it!” I watched the mother and daughter play off each other, finding it laughable. Tiffany spoke with such conviction because the hallway and the rooftop were surveillance blind spots. The mother and daughter exploited those blind spots, which is why they dared to fabricate such blatant lies. I didn’t bother arguing with them further. Instead, I turned to the judge. “Your Honor, the plaintiff’s testimony contains numerous contradictions and inconsistencies. It’s simply not enough to corroborate the alleged assault by my son, Buddy.” Brenda, seeing the judge acknowledge my point, grew anxious. She abruptly stood up from her chair, pointing her finger at me, shrieking, “Contradictions? Inconsistencies? You, Cassandra, stop trying to confuse everyone! Every word my daughter says is true, and her injuries are the proof!” I smirked. “You want to convict my son with just a couple of sentences? The law isn’t something you can fool around with!” Brenda’s face flushed with anger at my words, and Tiffany almost fainted from crying. The jury members thought I was being unreasonable, and their criticisms grew louder. “This woman is absolutely infuriating! She’s still making excuses at this point!” “Why wasn’t it *her* child who was assaulted!” “The mother is so trashy, no wonder her son is a monster!” They spoke one after another, trying to force me into submission. But I stood tall, my back straight, my cold gaze sweeping over the jury. I sneered, “Everyone, the truth has not yet been determined. Don’t let yourselves be used as pawns.” They didn’t know the facts and were just spouting nonsense based on their so-called sense of justice. Truly foolish. My words choked them for a moment, then someone retorted. “Used as pawns? Your son clearly did something awful and you’re trying to deny it!” “Exactly! Tiffany is a young girl, why would she joke about something like this?!” Brenda, seeing that someone was on her side, gained more confidence. She shot me a sinister glance, a hint of triumph in her eyes. “You, Cassandra! You kept saying there wasn’t enough evidence, right? Well, now open your eyes and look! I’d like to see how you’ll deny the evidence laid out before you!” After she spoke, she exchanged a look with her lawyer, who then pulled out a document and publicly displayed it. “This document I’m holding is proof of bodily fluids belonging to the defendant, Buddy, extracted from my client, Tiffany!”

This statement exploded in the courtroom like a thunderclap. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on that so-called report, including mine. Tiffany’s lawyer held up the document triumphantly, as if proclaiming victory: “This report shows that on Ms. Tiffany’s intimate clothing and relevant body parts, DNA highly consistent with the defendant’s son, Buddy, was detected!” “Ms. Cassandra, the evidence is irrefutable. What do you have to say now?” I looked at the lab report held high by the lawyer, not a hint of panic on my face. I hadn’t expected Brenda to go this far, even fabricating evidence. I slowly stood up, my gaze sweeping over Brenda, Tiffany, and their lawyer, who thought victory was assured. My voice was calm but held undeniable power. “The report is fake! I don’t believe it!” “Fake?” Tiffany’s lawyer sounded like she’d heard the funniest joke, as she distributed copies of the report to the judge and jury. “Ms. Cassandra, this report was issued by the city hospital and bears its official seal. It has legal validity. You just say it’s fake?” Tiffany looked up at me, resentment etched on her still tear-streaked face. “Cassandra, you don’t accept my testimony, you don’t accept the hospital report. How can you be so shameless? Do you really want to drive me to my death?!” With that, she began banging her head against the corner of the table. The dull thudding echoed through the courtroom. Brenda screamed, terrified, and lunged forward to embrace her daughter. “Tiffany, don’t do anything foolish! If something happens to you, how will I live?!” Seeing this, the judge immediately ordered people to intervene, his gavel slamming down with earth-shaking force. “Plaintiff, please control your emotions and refrain from extreme actions! Regardless, the law will give you justice!” At the judge’s words, Tiffany’s agitated state slowly calmed. Brenda hugged her daughter, her eyes fixed on me with venomous hatred. “You, Cassandra! If your son doesn’t confess today, I’ll die right here in front of you, and even as a ghost, I won’t let you or your son off the hook!” The jury and public chimed in, wishing my son would be executed on the spot. “I’m so mad! That animal Buddy must get the death penalty! Look at what he’s done to this mother and daughter!” “His DNA matched, and they still want to deny it? These Cassandras are truly shameless!” “The mother is protecting her animal son, she should go to jail with him!” …… Tiffany’s lawyer spoke righteously. “Ms. Cassandra, the law will not let any criminal go unpunished! Your son, Buddy, must pay the price for assaulting my client, Tiffany!” Everyone waited for the verdict for my son and me. The judge cleared his throat and prepared to make his final inquiry to me. “Defendant, Ms. Cassandra, regarding the DNA test report provided by the plaintiff and Ms. Tiffany’s testimony, do you have any other objections to state?” I met the judge’s gaze, answering each word clearly and distinctly. “Your Honor, my evidence is my son. I request that my son, Buddy, be summoned to testify!” The judge’s gavel came down, and the courtroom doors slowly opened. “Call the defendant, Buddy, to the stand!” All eyes were fixed on the doorway. Brenda and Tiffany stared intensely, eager to tear apart the animal who had defiled Tiffany. However, when my son walked into the courtroom, everyone present was dumbfounded.

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I was working late, starving, and ate a biscuit. For that, my manager slapped me with a $600,000 penalty! She pointed her finger right in my face, absolutely furious: “Skylar, don’t you dare think just because you closed a deal, you’re hot stuff!” “This is a workplace, not your personal kitchen! If you want to eat, do it on your own time!” “Company policy explicitly forbids snacks! You knew, and you did it anyway, making it ten times worse!” “That $600,000 commission? Canceled!” I just looked at her, calmly saying, “Whatever.” I decided to just lean into it, throw in the towel. And that’s when she couldn’t sit still anymore. Brenda was seething at my attitude. “Skylar, write an apology! A public apology in front of everyone!” I watched Brenda’s face, flushed crimson with rage, and instinctively clenched my fists. Then I calmly said, “Fine by me!” Every single colleague stared at me, disbelief etched on their faces. Brenda stormed off in her heels to the 23rd floor, leaving me at my desk. A moment later, a notice popped up in the company-wide SnapChat. “Skylar from Sales, for repeated violations of company policy, we have decided to dock her monthly commission, totaling $600,000. She is also required to issue a public apology at the company-wide meeting this afternoon at 2 PM, as a warning to others!” My colleagues looked at me in shock. Leo, from the desk across, messaged me privately: “Brenda’s totally going through menopause, don’t mind her. Just swallow your pride, that’s six hundred grand!” I just smiled. Swallowing my pride wouldn’t help. She wanted to use me up and then discard me. She had been eyeing my position for a long time. When Mr. Sterling personally headhunted me, we had an agreement: no clocking in or out, complete freedom, eat and drink as I pleased, as long as I delivered results. Most of the sales department’s revenue came from me alone. I closed the M Corp. deal, worth billions, in just one week. Brenda probably thought my job was too easy and was just plain jealous. I replied to Leo: “Just wait. This afternoon won’t just be my public shaming; someone’s also going to take my place!” Leo looked stunned. I ignored him, calmly sitting at my desk, organizing and printing all my client files. Then I wiped clean all the data on my work phone. After doing these two things, I started writing my apology. Brenda came down once during this time. Seeing me write the apology, she smirked triumphantly. At 2 PM, she came back with someone else. Over a hundred people gathered in the main conference room on the 23rd floor. Brenda’s voice rang out, clear and sharp: “I’ll reiterate—a company is a company! Don’t think this place is your personal home! We’ve told you countless times not to turn it into a garbage dump, but some people just refuse to listen!” “Don’t think just because the Chairman headhunted you, you’re special! Anyone can close a deal with a phone call and a dinner! That’s not real skill!” “Skylar, get up here and apologize! Let everyone see how you messed up!” I stood up and walked to the front, amidst a mix of bewildered and gloating stares. “Manager Brenda is right. I shouldn’t have eaten a biscuit in the office. From today on, I will strictly adhere to company rules and never cross the line again!” “Manager Brenda, I’m not exactly a wordsmith; I don’t have much else to say. If you don’t want me to eat, I won’t eat. Being a sales rep isn’t that big a deal!” “Good that you know! Given your repeated offenses, the senior management has decided today to revoke your position as Sales Director and demote you to a regular sales associate.” “This is our new Director, Chad, a Stanford graduate. He will lead you all to new heights!” A smattering of applause broke out. Brenda pulled a slick-haired man with an overly confident smirk forward. Leo and I exchanged glances. He was totally floored. Finally, Brenda added: “Skylar, organize your client files and hand them over. They’ll be reallocated!” I agreed without a word, printed everything out, and handed it over. These clients? If you can handle them, go right ahead! Seeing me so cooperative, Brenda looked a little suspicious. She double-checked everything to make sure it was correct before finally dropping it. Chad, full of himself, strutted over to my desk right after coming down from the 23rd floor and tapped his finger on my desk. “Skylar, hurry up! Pack all your stuff now. Otherwise, if anything goes missing, you’ll be held responsible.”

I got it. As Sales Director, my desk used to be with everyone else, but my row was just me, with an open view of everyone opposite. Now, it was different. He couldn’t wait to push me out, and my new spot was placed opposite him, right by the window. Even with AC in summer, I wasn’t allowed to draw the blinds. The scorching sun streamed through the glass, making the computer screen glare and heating up the entire area. But none of that mattered. I silently packed my belongings and was about to move my computer to the new spot when he stopped me. “Hold on. We need to check everything on your computer, too. What if you try to take client data with you?” “Fine, check it!” I opened my laptop and let him search through everything. Mr. Sterling himself headhunted me, and he told me one thing: “Skylar, you have absolute authority within this company!” Mr. Sterling’s health hadn’t been great in recent years, and he’d gone abroad for treatment. Everything they were doing now seemed ridiculously comical to me. I knew exactly what Brenda was thinking: use me up and toss me aside, all to cut costs for the company. Too bad cutting costs isn’t that simple. Chad couldn’t find anything suspicious, so he just waved me off. Leo texted me: “Skylar, don’t worry, we’re all rooting for you!” I replied with a smiley face. What good was their support? I didn’t believe the execs on the 23rd floor were unaware of Brenda’s actions. They tacitly approved. That meant even Mr. Sterling, all the way across the ocean, must have known. If that was the case, there was no point in arguing with them. I clocked in and out like everyone else. I didn’t know how things were before, but from now on, I’d strictly follow company procedures. No one could fault that, right? Traditionally, I’d usually meet clients for coffee or drinks after work, but not anymore. I drove straight home, collapsed onto my long-missed bed, and watched the sunset. My mood was great. I used to constantly be out entertaining clients, with endless social obligations. Now, I finally had time to myself. I pulled out my phone, searched for opera tickets, and booked one. My favorite opera singer had performed hundreds of times, and I’d never been to a single show. Now, I finally had the time. Soon after, I was added to a new sales group chat. Chad was the group admin. “@Everyone: From now on, all sales reps must submit daily sales logs. I want to see who you met, what you discussed, and if there’s any potential, every single day.” “Each month, you need to bring in 5 potential leads. Fail to do so, and your monthly assessment will drop by 20%.” Leo messaged me, complaining: “Look at him! He claims to be from Stanford, but he’s bringing back all these old, outdated methods?” “Has he ever even done sales? Potential leads aren’t that easy to find! Five a month? The entire company only closes deals with old clients nowadays!” “The economy’s rough right now, it’s not easy. And big clients? We can barely touch those. Small clients? This city only has so many people. He’s literally leaving us no room to breathe.” Seeing Leo’s complaints, I just comforted him: “Just take your time. Do whatever the boss tells you to.” “Skylar, how can you just let him walk all over you? I wouldn’t stand for it! If it were me, I’d have quit already! I can’t stand this crap!” Leo never held back. I smiled at his texts but didn’t reply. I wasn’t in a hurry. They’d figure it out soon enough.

The next day, I went to the office and submitted my vacation request form. I had worked at the company for eight years and never taken a single day of annual leave. When I handed in the form today, Chad looked at me. “What’s the meaning of this, Skylar? I just started, and you want to take time off? Are you deliberately trying to defy me?” “Director Chad, you’re overreacting. Under your brilliant leadership, I’m sure we’ll turn things around! I’ve been working for so many years without a break; I’m just completely worn out. I need to take some annual leave, give myself a proper break. My body can’t handle it anymore.” He looked me up and down, his eyes held a clear look of disdain. “Right. All those big clients you have to entertain. True, after thirty, people just don’t have the energy they used to.” He was definitely implying something. He suspected I used shady tactics to land clients. Once prejudice takes root, it’s incredibly hard to change. But I didn’t bother to explain now. Chad still signed it. “Remember your monthly assessment! If you don’t meet your targets, your base salary will be docked!” “Fail to meet targets for three consecutive months, and you’re packing your bags and out the door!” “Understood. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” Because they’re the ones who’ll be leaving! After finishing the paperwork, I packed my things and started my vacation. First stop: the capital city. Today was the day I was seeing my show; I absolutely couldn’t miss it. Two hours later, just as I got off the express train, Leo texted me: “Skylar, the Bright Horizon Group contract was finalized. Brenda says this revenue will be credited to Chad’s name.” “By year-end, they’re going to push for Chad to be the Head of Sales. That way, Brenda can get another promotion too!” “Seriously, how shameless! Are you just going to take this?” “Not yet. They can’t handle it. Just wait!” I sent that text and smiled. The Bright Horizon contract wasn’t something you could just smooth over with a few dinners and drinks. I ignored it, silenced my phone, and sat in the auditorium, looking at the stage, barely three feet in front of me. I was incredibly excited. My mood ebbed and flowed with the play, sometimes laughing, sometimes shedding tears. Two hours later, I walked out of the auditorium, pulled out my phone, and saw over a hundred missed calls and countless messages. The most recent one was from Brenda, just moments ago. “Skylar, Mr. Vance from Bright Horizon Group says there’s a problem with the contract. They’re backing out, a direct loss of billions! You’re gonna get fired!” I scoffed, replying with just one sentence: “The contract was handed over to Chad. He messes up, and I’m supposed to take the blame?” “Manager Brenda, if you want to fire me, make sure you pay me severance, okay?” After sending it, I shoved my phone back in my pocket. Leo couldn’t even reach me. I spent my time enjoying the sights and sounds, grabbing snacks, and the constant messages on my phone kept me updated. After I left, Chad tried to “build rapport” with the big client, went to Bright Horizon Group, and even brought gifts. But when he got there, Mr. Vance met him. Learning Chad was the new director, Mr. Vance asked a few technical questions, and Chad couldn’t answer a single one. Mr. Vance thought the company was unprofessional and requested to personally inspect the facility. I’d visited that site hundreds of times with him, but Chad had never even stepped foot there. When they arrived, the machine was conveniently broken. Chad told the engineers to come fix it. However, no one knew how to repair the new machine. Whenever there was a problem in the past, I’d just call in someone to fix it. Chad used this as an excuse, claiming I had intentionally sabotaged the machine. Mr. Vance immediately declared our company was fraudulent and he wouldn’t renew the contract. Not only were billions gone because he messed up this contract, but Mr. Vance also publicly ridiculed Chad and even escalated the issue to Mr. Sterling. Leo happened to call: “Skylar, please come back! They’re even talking about calling the police and saying you committed malicious fraud!”

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My girlfriend won $30 million in the lottery, then immediately broke up with me. “We’re from different worlds. You’re too low-class for me.” Then she turned around and got with the sneaky guy from the office. I just laughed. She forgot that lottery ticket was from the previous drawing. I rolled down the window of my Maserati and told them, “You two are too low-class.” 01 “It’s over, Ryan! I won $30 million in the lottery.” Charlotte stood in front of me, her expression a mix of arrogance and disdain. “That’s it?” I looked up and asked. “Yeah, you’ve never seen that kind of money, have you? My mom says people are divided into different social classes. Our family just joined the upper crust, so you and I aren’t in the same league anymore.” Seriously? $30 million and she thinks she’s upper crust? I didn’t even get a chance to tell her my dad owns a ton of buildings. His annual rent alone is more than $30 million, not to mention all the companies under his name. But it’s fine. Sticking to my rule of ditching bad people fast, I agreed to her breakup request. Never shed a tear for love, only lose sleep over money! Charlotte slowly glanced at me. “Even though the $50 for the ticket came from you, I bought the ticket! So don’t even think about getting a cut of the money!” She always bought lottery tickets, constantly dreaming of getting rich overnight. But every time it was time to pay, her phone was always dead, or she “forgot” her wallet. “My mom doesn’t really like you either,” Charlotte continued. “She thinks you’re cheap. Last time, you gave her some no-name trinkets. So tacky.” I shot back, “God was handing out brains, and your family was holding an umbrella!” At the time, I’d thought I was making a good impression on her mom by gifting her a five-figure silk scarf designed by a top Italian designer, plus a bottle of French royal perfume. Now, in their eyes, it was just “no-name trinkets.” Seriously, they think a little money makes them royalty. She kept going. “I’m not going to argue with you, I am, after all, a superior person. But since we’re broken up, let’s settle up. All the stuff I gave you? I need the cash equivalent back.” Cheapskates are always cheapskates, even when they win big! “No need! I still have everything you gave me! I’ll give it all back to you! “The $9.99 shaving kit? I was scared it would irritate my skin! “The $19.99 shirt combo? I was worried I’d break out in a rash! “The $10 box of instant noodles? I was afraid I’d get sick and the medical bills would cost more than that!” The crowd around us snickered, and Charlotte’s face flushed. She quickly snapped, “Don’t just talk about that! What about the money transfers? Didn’t I send you money every holiday?” “You certainly did,” I nodded, pulling out my phone and scrolling through my records. Valentine’s Day, $5.20. Thanksgiving, $6.60. Christmas, $8.80… “You really went all out! So generous!” I said, grinning. My little cousin, still in elementary school, gives more than that. Back then, I cared about her as a person, so I didn’t pay attention to those superficial things. Now, I realize my brain must have been seriously scrambled, like the entire Pacific Ocean got in there! Charlotte puffed herself up. “I’m telling you, that was then! Things are different now. I won $30 million! I can buy whatever I want! You’re not good enough for me anymore!” I nodded. “Alright, if that’s the case, you can give back everything I gave you too.” Charlotte laughed. “All those things you gave me were just high-end fakes, weren’t they? What are they worth?” Charlotte grew up poor. Her dad died early, and she and her mom relied on each other. To spare her fragile ego, I often cut the tags off gifts and picked out items without obvious logos. “That handbag you’re carrying? A limited edition Gucci, $30,000. “Those shoes on your feet? Limited edition Chanel, $20,000. “And that watch on your wrist? Also Chanel, $50,000.” I listed them off, one by one. Charlotte’s face changed. “You think I’m stupid? You? You couldn’t afford the real stuff! You just bought some knock-offs to fool me!” She is stupid, can’t even tell real from fake! I opened my phone. “Here are the purchase records and receipts. If you don’t believe me, you can go to the boutique to verify. “Also, the scarf and perfume I gave your mom when we first met weren’t any cheaper than what I bought for you. I’ll let those slide, but with everything else I gave you, just give me $1 million.” Honestly, over the years, the gifts I’d given her probably added up to over $2 million. But if she actually gave me $2 million, her absolutely terrible mom would probably make my life hell. Charlotte gritted her teeth. “Who knows if those things you gave me were real or fake? Besides what I gave you, let’s say $500,000. I’ll give you $100,000 now, and the rest after I cash the lottery ticket.” Fine by me. While that amount is nothing compared to my nine-figure bank balance, who doesn’t want more money? 02 After receiving the $100,000 PayPal transfer, I stood up and said to a visibly pained Charlotte: “Thanks, Charlotte. You’re being so generous for the first time!” Charlotte looked a bit hurt but still sneered at me, “Alright, don’t ever look for me again, you loser! “Let’s not keep in touch. I’m afraid your bad luck will rub off on my good fortune.” I nodded enthusiastically, making sure she saw it. After Charlotte left, I had my driver bring around the Maybach from my garage. That’s right, I’m done pretending! That very evening, Charlotte posted on Ins. There were two photos: one of a lottery ticket and another selfie she took at a Maserati dealership. The caption read: “Always do two things: work hard and love yourself. Lucky people always smile (smiley face).” Good thing I didn’t eat much dinner, or the consequences would have been dire. As I was about to delete her, I noticed the lottery ticket. The numbers weren’t fully visible, but the drawing date was clear: Drawing 38

But those numbers didn’t win in Drawing 381! I quickly checked the lottery website for Drawing 381’s winning numbers and realized the ticket Charlotte thought was a winner actually matched the numbers from the previous drawing. She probably watched a replay on TV or got the drawing date wrong, mistakenly believing she’d won $30 million! Now, this was getting interesting. I couldn’t wait to see if Charlotte would actually explode when she found out the truth. 03 Midway through my workday, just as I was about to slack off, I heard Derek Shaw, the sneaky guy from the office, telling a colleague, “My girlfriend lives at Cedar Creek Residences.” I froze. What a coincidence. My dad bought me a luxury penthouse apartment at Cedar Creek Residences, but I never actually stay there. The office was close to that area, so I gave Charlotte a key, telling her it was a rental she could use when she worked late. She moved in without a second thought, completely ignoring the fact that the rent there probably cost more than her monthly salary. I was just thinking about when I should take the apartment back when I heard Derek again. “She says I’m her lucky boy. She won $30 million after we got together!” Colleagues started murmuring enviously. Wait a minute? Cedar Creek Residences, $30 million. Could it be? With an uncertain tone, I asked, “Is your girlfriend’s last name Hayes?” Derek gave me a wary look. “Do you know her? Let me tell you, don’t even think about hitting on her just because she’s rich. She wouldn’t be interested in you!” It really was her! Charlotte! Was she hooking up with Derek while she was still with me? Did she actually think Derek was part of the upper crust? If my dad knew, he’d never stop teasing me. Derek often wore a fake watch and an obviously knock-off suit. In Charlotte’s eyes, where real and fake were indistinguishable, Derek was probably a rich, handsome, successful guy! Honestly, they deserved each other. Two gold-diggers, a match made in… well, somewhere. My blessings, may they be stuck together forever! That evening, Derek posted on Ins, as if to stake his claim. It was a photo of him and Charlotte, with the caption: “No need for spring blossoms, the one I’ve been waiting for has arrived.” Five minutes later, Charlotte quickly posted a photo of them too, with the caption: “Us.” 04 The manager of my usual luxury boutique sent me a message, saying they had a lot of new arrivals and I should come check them out. I figured I had nothing better to do, so I went. As soon as I walked in, I saw Charlotte and Derek were there too. There was only one sales associate in the store. She glanced at me, completely ignored me, and continued smiling and serving them. Indeed, Derek was wearing an overly logo-heavy suit today, even though it was completely out of style. I, on the other hand, was just wearing a simple T-shirt and sneakers, so no wonder the sales associate was totally judging me by my clothes. Derek noticed me too. “How does just anyone get into this store?” Charlotte chimed in, “Ryan, what are you doing here? Can you even afford these clothes and watches?” I smiled. “What, is this store owned by your family? Can’t I just look around?” The sales associate, sensing the animosity, immediately sided with them. “Excuse me, sir, our store’s minimum price is $3,000. If you can’t afford that, there’s no need to come in.” I mentally scoffed at the sales associate for betting on the wrong horse. After the sales associate showed off several new watches, I heard Derek whining to Charlotte, “Char, I want this watch, and the second one in that row.” The sales associate said with a beaming smile, “This gentleman is truly handsome, and these are our best-selling items. You have such great taste.” Derek, thrilled, immediately took a watch and put it on. He admired himself in the mirror, then noticed me. “Ryan, you’re a working professional now. Can you please stop wearing such cheap T-shirts? It’s embarrassing.” I was just wearing a comfortable T-shirt today because I was planning on going to the grocery store afterward. Comfort is key, for everyone. I said, “What’s wrong with a T-shirt? Are you living on the beach, minding everyone’s business?” Derek stomped over to Charlotte, annoyed. “This one, that one, and that one over there, I want them all!” Charlotte declared grandly, “Buy them! Buy them all!” The sales associate’s eyes disappeared in a wide smile. I picked up a black wristwatch, wanting to examine it closely. The sales associate walked over, her face dark. “Excuse me, sir, this watch is our latest model. It costs $150,000, and it’s only sold to our VVVIP clients. Please don’t touch it, you might dirty it.” Derek immediately perked up. “Ryan, don’t get your grubby hands all over that watch. You couldn’t afford it even if you sold yourself.” Just as I was about to retort, a sharp female voice rang out from the entrance. 05 “Who said Mr. Sterling can’t afford it?” The sales associate immediately panicked. “Ma’am… Ms. Sarah, you’re here.” Sarah, the manager, entered and immediately apologized to me. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Sterling, I was just getting your coffee. This is a new employee, a bit clueless.” Then she turned to the employee. “Mr. Sterling is our VVVIP client. All new arrivals are first presented to Mr. Sterling. Only if he declines them can we offer them to other customers.” The sales associate’s face went white. She quickly started apologizing. Charlotte’s face turned pale. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Ryan is just a regular office worker. How could he possibly afford this? Don’t let him fool you!” One of the requirements for being a VVVIP client at this store was spending over $10 million annually. Sarah’s expression turned frosty. She addressed Charlotte and Derek, “Excuse me, please leave. We need to close the store to provide exclusive service to Mr. Sterling.” Derek scoffed. “Pfft, I wouldn’t even shop at this store anyway! My girlfriend is rich, she can buy any watch she wants! You’re all so stupid, getting played by a poor guy!” With that, he dragged Charlotte out. I felt fantastic. I turned to Sarah and said, “I’ll take all the watches in this row. Please wrap them up for me.” 06 The next day at work, Derek came in wearing a new watch. He made sure to walk around the office several times so everyone would see it. It wasn’t cheap, probably around $5,000. Turns out Charlotte wasn’t completely cheap after all; I just wasn’t worth her spending money on. “Oh, my girlfriend just insisted on buying me this watch. I didn’t even want it, but she made me take it.” Chloe, a colleague, said, “Derek, your girlfriend is so good to you! When will I find sweet love like that?” Jake, another colleague, added, “Derek is handsome and well-dressed, so it makes sense his girlfriend is so amazing. It’s all relative.” Hey, he got that right. A gold-digger and a kept man, a perfect match. Derek then walked over to me. “A woman’s love for a man is measured by how much she’s willing to spend on him. Ryan, Char told me she barely spent any money on you when you were together! So pathetic!” He was right. Back then, she’d give me a $9.99 shaving kit, and I’d have to pretend to be thrilled, then gift her a designer bag or jewelry in return, while trying to protect her ego by saying it wasn’t expensive at all. I replied, “Blame it on my youth. Couldn’t tell the genuine people from the phonies. Good thing we broke up. I just tossed out some garbage, that’s all. “What brand of trash bag are you, carrying so much garbage?” Derek’s face immediately darkened. “You’re just sour grapes, aren’t you? Char said you weren’t in our league, and she was right!” 07 That weekend, I called a cleaning company, planning to go to Cedar Creek Residences and throw out everything Charlotte had used. Just thinking about her touching my stuff made my skin crawl. But when I got to the entrance and tried to use facial recognition to open the door, it kept saying “facial recognition error” after I stood there for a long time. Strange. Had I lost weight again these past few days? Is that why it couldn’t recognize me? Just as I was happily musing, I heard movement inside the apartment!

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Seven years into our marriage, Daniel dropped the bomb: “Sarah, loving just one person for life is so boring, and frankly, unnatural. After we divorce, you can go find some young guy, start fresh.” I pretended not to see the dozens of gorgeous women he’d “liked” on Tinder and signed the divorce papers. After the divorce, I took my autistic son, Ian, and moved to Oceanview. Daniel, meanwhile, immediately started dating a string of women, completely forgetting to send Ian’s monthly child support. I wasn’t desperate for that pittance, and to sever all ties, I blocked him on everything. Two years later, he tracked me down, overflowing with regret: “Sarah, let’s get back together. Life just feels so meaningless without you.” But by then, I was already remarried and had my second child! I stared at Daniel, utterly taken aback. Two years hadn’t been kind to him; he seemed to have lost a lot of weight. His face was a sickly yellow. “Mom, is Dad back?” Ian, having just changed, burst out of his room, his face alight with excitement. But the moment he saw Daniel, his excitement evaporated. “What are you doing here?” “Ian, you’re talking? You’re not… autistic anymore?” Daniel’s eyes welled up with tears as he looked at our son, who had grown so much and changed dramatically. He immediately moved to pull him into a hug. But Ian pushed him away. Daniel looked confused: “Ian, weren’t you just so excited, calling me Dad? Dad’s back! I came to see you and Mom.” “You don’t know how much Dad has missed you and Mom these past two years…” Ian and I exchanged a glance. We instantly understood Daniel had gotten the wrong idea. I was about to explain, but Ian tugged at my sleeve: “Mom, we’ll be late.” Ian’s autism was cured, but he wasn’t foolish; he remembered everything. I didn’t say a single word to Daniel, just got in the car with Ian and drove him to his art class. Soon after, my current husband called: “Honey, miss me? Just wired you ten thousand bucks. Go do some shopping first; I’ll find you after the baby’s check-up.” Hunter was incredibly thoughtful, and I smiled sweetly. After receiving the money, I went to a baby store. To my surprise, when I was at the checkout, Daniel appeared. He saw the pile of baby clothes I’d chosen and froze for a second. Then, he started putting everything back on the shelves: “Sarah, I knew you were waiting for me. But can we maybe hold off on having a second child for a bit…?” “Who said I was having a second child with you?” I glared at him as if he’d lost his mind. His smile faltered, and he tried to take my hand, but I pulled away. “Sarah, I know these past two years, raising Ian alone has been tough. It’s all my fault for not doing my part. I’ll make it up to you.” He pulled out a card and pressed it into my hand. I was about to refuse, but he said: “This is Ian’s child support for the last two years.” Compensation? That was just overdue child support! I didn’t hesitate; I took the card and put the baby items I’d chosen back on the counter. He grabbed my arm again, saying: “Sarah, listen to me. I really don’t want a second child right now.” “Daniel, I’m already remarried! I have a new family and a new child! Please, stop harassing me!” “I don’t believe it! A divorced woman with an autistic kid? Who would *ever* want you, besides me?”

I scoffed. Daniel had started to resent me and Ian ages ago. Once, after too many drinks, Daniel had asked me: “Sarah, how could we have produced such a… a *burden*?” In that moment, I knew there was no going back for us. On the day of our divorce, Daniel stood at the door, a look of utter relief on his face, like a weight had been lifted. He didn’t even hug Ian, just gave my shoulder a curt pat: “Take care of yourself. Call me if you need anything.” I nodded and left. He, meanwhile, wasted no time rushing off to his dates. I found a modest apartment in Oceanview and an office job that paid about four thousand a month, with flexible hours. But Ian kept getting sick, every other week it seemed. The frequent sick leaves forced me to quit my job. What came next was even worse. Ian developed pneumonia, and I caught the flu, burning up with fever. I hired a professional caregiver, but Ian hated her; his anxiety kept him up all night. I had to shoulder everything alone. Ian finally fell asleep in my arms, but he was still whimpering “Daddy.” The fresh-faced nurse, clearly new to the realities of life, quietly asked me: “Ma’am, where’s the baby’s father? Can’t he come take over for a bit?” That’s when I remembered I hadn’t contacted Daniel in almost three months. I picked up my phone and dialed his familiar number. It rang for a long time before he finally answered. “Daniel, Ian is hospitalized with pneumonia, and I’m just completely—” “I’m tied up, can we talk later?” Loud music and carefree laughter blared in the background. The call ended. I froze for a few seconds, then called again, but it went straight to voicemail. After that, Daniel stopped sending Ian’s child support. I felt justified in confronting him, but all I got from his friend, Mark, was a lecture: “Frankly, Daniel carried you and Ian for *seven years*. He’s done more than his share.” “You’re being completely ungrateful, practically harassing him.” A chill ran down my spine. On a chilling impulse, I opened Daniel’s Instagram. His latest post was from ten minutes ago. The photo showed Daniel, an arm around a scantily clad young woman on each side. He was smiling so broadly, his eyes radiating the same confident, carefree swagger I once knew. The caption read: “Freedom at last! New chapter begins!” My fingers trembled as I scrolled down. Before that, there were pictures of him on ski trips, road trips, and lavish parties. Three months after our divorce, his life was so vibrant, it was as if he’d traded his old one for a brand new one. And me? I was in a strange city, with our sick child, being chewed out by the hospital staff.

After Ian was discharged, I made a decision—to get back into the restaurant industry. I’d been in the business before he was born. My kind landlady helped me spread the word. After three grueling months, business at the restaurant was booming, and even Ian seemed genuinely happy for me. He wrapped his arms around me and uttered his first full sentence: “Mom…my…I’ll…grow…up…fast…and…help…you.” He was true to his word. By six, when I returned with groceries, he’d be up, ready to help with whatever he could. During a follow-up visit to the hospital, the doctor was especially pleased with Ian’s progress. After chatting with Ian alone for about half an hour, the doctor handed me a drawing. He pointed to the family of three in the picture and told me that Ian still longed for a father’s love and a complete family. By then, my little diner was finally bringing in a steady income. A thought, one I still loathe myself for, crept into my mind. I thought, now that I could earn money and Ian was improving, we weren’t a burden to Daniel anymore. He’d had his fun for half a year, surely he’d had enough? Maybe we still had a chance to get back together. For Ian’s sake, I was willing to set aside all my hurt and resentment. But when I took Ian and returned to Riverton to see Daniel, he was in Iceland, chasing the Northern Lights with his new girlfriend. Ian squeezed my hand: “Mom, let’s go home. I don’t need a dad!” In that moment, I mourned Daniel as if he were dead. Perhaps fate had taken pity on us; Ian and I grew stronger. Not just my business, but his health too. Because we met my current husband, Hunter Peterson. From the moment I started planning my restaurant, needing part-time help, he was always there, working odd shifts. Later, I learned he was a brilliant business management grad. His dream, just like mine, was to open a restaurant. Naturally, we fell in love and got married. Now, with Hunter’s constant presence, Ian was practically indistinguishable from any other kid his age. We also had our own child. And my restaurant business had grown to three locations, each one more bustling and profitable than the last. So, facing Daniel’s sneering remark, I immediately retorted: “You’re wrong. A divorced woman, even one with an autistic child, *is* loved.” He laughed then. “Sarah, I’m not trying to be mean, but you? No makeup, always bare-faced? Who would even give you a second glance? And with that baggage of a kid, what man would ever want you?” I didn’t hold back. I pointed at the deep wrinkles around his eyes, clicking my tongue in mock pity: “Looks like you’re aging faster than I am! Are you too old to keep up with the young girls? Are they finally tired of your act? Is that why you’re coming back to me? I don’t recycle trash, especially not the kind that’s this utterly filthy!”

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