Category: English

The day before our company’s NASDAQ IPO bell-ringing ceremony, I was demoted. I was with Ethan Vance from the very beginning. I wrote the first line of code in our dusty garage, all the way until the company reached a multi-billion dollar valuation. Everyone assumed that the position of co-founder and future wife was rightfully mine, Aria Thorne. But in the end, the woman standing next to Ethan for the press interview was Chloe Sterling—a well-connected airhead who couldn’t even read a single line of code. And I was dismissed with a casual, cold “reassignment notice.” Ethan even humiliated me in front of all the executives, warning me that my ambition was too big and that I didn’t know how to play the submissive woman behind a successful man. “Aria, you’re too aggressive. The company only needs me. A woman should behave like a woman.” “Once you learn how to be soft and stop talking about stupid things like ‘having both a career and love,’ I’ll consider making our relationship public.” It turned out that in his heart, I was never a partner who fought alongside him. I was just a pet waiting to be tamed. Fine. Since that’s how you feel, I’m leaving. Just don’t regret it.

When I got the transfer notice and went to Ethan’s office to confront him, Chloe was peeling a grape and feeding it to his mouth. Seeing me walk in, she gasped dramatically, dropping the grape onto the carpet. “Aria, why didn’t you knock? You scared me to death.” Ethan looked at me, his face full of annoyance. “Knocking before entering is basic workplace etiquette. Do I really need to teach you that?” I ignored his criticism, walked over, and slammed the transfer order onto his desk. “Explain this, Ethan.” “Why did you strip me of my Chief Technology Officer position and replace me with someone who can’t even tell the difference between Java and Javascript?” Ethan glanced at the document, leaning back in his leather chair with complete indifference. “This is the board’s decision.” “Our IPO roadshow is coming up. We need a spokesperson with a good image. Just look at yourself.” He looked me up and down, his eyes filled with undisguised distaste. “You wear no makeup, and the dark circles under your eyes are huge. People would think we’re going bankrupt if they saw you.” “Chloe is an Ivy League MBA. She’s elegant and has a great image. She’s the perfect face for the company.” I let out a cold, bitter laugh. “We are a tech company, Ethan, not a beauty pageant.” “The core algorithm was written by my team after working day and night for three months. Do you have any idea how little sleep I’ve had in the last hundred days?” “And now, you want to hand over my life’s work to a girl who only knows how to peel grapes?” Chloe’s eyes welled up with tears. She grabbed Ethan’s sleeve and shook it gently. “Ethan, babe, I told you I couldn’t do it.” “Aria is a tech genius. She definitely looks down on someone like me who only does management.” “Maybe I should just leave. I don’t want you two fighting because of me. It breaks my heart.” Ethan immediately held Chloe’s hand, patting it comfortingly. “Who said you have to leave? The one who should leave is the person who doesn’t know the rules.” He turned to look at me, all warmth gone from his eyes. “Aria, you’re too aggressive.” “Chloe might not understand coding, but she knows how to make me relax. She knows how to support me.” “Unlike you. Every time we meet, you talk about bugs or server capacity. It’s incredibly boring.” “Starting today, you are transferred to the Administration Department. Go to a spa, get your face done, and focus on preparing for pregnancy. That should be your priority.” “As for the Tech Department, they will report directly to Chloe from now on.” Employees walking by peered through the glass walls, whispering. I, the tech director who once held absolute power in this company, was now being watched like a joke. I took a deep breath and pointed at Chloe. “What if I refuse?” Ethan stood up and walked over to me. “Aria, stop throwing a tantrum.” “Without my capital venture, the code you write is just useless text.” “Just be good and listen to me. The title of Mrs. Vance will always be yours.” “There’s a celebration gala tonight. Go home, change into something decent, and don’t embarrass me.” With that, he pulled a black card from his wallet and shoved it into my blazer pocket. “Go buy a designer bag. Cheer up.” The gesture was exactly like throwing a bone to an upset pet. Looking at the man who had once promised to split the world with me, I felt a deep, chilling sense of disgust.

At eight o’clock that night, the company’s IPO celebration gala was held at the most expensive hotel in the city. I didn’t want to go, but Ethan sent me a warning on Snapchat. “Some major investors specifically asked to see you tonight. If you don’t show up, the headlines tomorrow will say you were fired in disgrace.” “Also, if you dare to skip this, your parents’ VIP suite at the private clinic will be cleared out tonight. I don’t think you want to see them sleeping in a public hospital hallway, do you?” He always knew exactly how to squeeze my neck. I pushed open the heavy doors of the grand ballroom. Ethan stood in the center of the crowd, looking sharp in a custom tuxedo. And next to him stood Chloe, wearing a black designer gown that matched my color, with a diamond necklace sparkling around her neck. It was a piece from the latest season, worth a fortune. In contrast, my faded, old dress looked cheap and ridiculous. Someone spotted me and teased: “Hey Ethan, your girl is here.” Ethan looked back at me, his brows instantly knitting into a tight knot. “Why are you wearing that old rag? Didn’t I give you the card?” I walked over, keeping my head high. “In the early days of our startup, you taught us to save money, Ethan. I thought I should practice what you preached.” Ethan choked on his words, glared at me, and turned back to drink with the investors. “Back in the day, Ethan started from nothing. What a visionary!” “Yes, Ethan’s decision-making is top-tier in the industry.” Ethan boasted about his brilliance, talking endlessly about business models and market layouts. But he didn’t mention a single word about the nights we spent coding until our eyes bled. It was as if the success of this tech company had been achieved solely by his mouth. Chloe, treated as the “greatest contributor,” was surrounded by the crowd. Everyone praised her for being young, beautiful, and capable of leading a department. I sat alone in a corner, looking at the expensive food, having absolutely no appetite. Five years ago, Ethan and I were crammed into a tiny, damp basement. On his birthday, we had only ten dollars left in our pockets. We bought a cup of instant ramen and shared it. Ethan gave me all the meat, swearing he would never let me suffer again. Now, the instant ramen had turned into expensive lobsters, but the person he fed them to was someone else. Chloe held a wine glass and walked over to me, swaying her hips. “Aria, let me toast to you first.” “Thank you for your past contributions. You can safely leave the Tech Department to me now.” She smiled like an angel, but her hand “accidentally” slipped. More than half a glass of red wine splashed onto my chest and skirt. The cold liquid ran down my skin, leaving me in absolute humiliation. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” Chloe screamed in panic, dropping her glass onto the floor, where it shattered. Hearing the noise, Ethan rushed over immediately. He grabbed Chloe’s hand, checking it frantically. “Did the glass cut you? Are you okay?” Chloe shook her head, her eyes red. “I’m fine… I just ruined Aria’s dress…” Ethan let out a sigh of relief. When he turned to look at me, his face was filled with impatience. “Why are you so clumsy, Aria?” “Chloe came to toast you out of respect. Even if you didn’t want to accept it, you didn’t have to scare her.” The ballroom fell silent. Everyone’s eyes were locked onto the three of us. Some looked with pity, some with amusement, and most were just enjoying the drama. Someone mocked quietly, “Looks like the hierarchy between the old and the new is pretty clear.” To show off his authority in front of his business partners, Ethan pointed at the wine puddle and the broken glass on the floor. “Aria, clean this up.” “Don’t ruin everyone’s night.” I looked at him, unable to believe my ears. “What did you say?” Ethan raised his voice. “I said, clean it up. What, do you need me to do it myself?” “You’re in administration now. Keeping things clean is your job, isn’t it?” He wanted me to kneel on the floor and clean up the mess like a maid in front of everyone. Looking at his cold face, I suddenly smiled. I bent down and picked up an unopened bottle of red wine from the table. “Sure. I’ll clean it.” The moment the words left my mouth, I swung my arm and smashed the bottle of wine violently right at Ethan’s feet. “CRASH!” The bottle exploded. The dark red liquid splashed all over Ethan’s expensive trousers and custom leather shoes. The entire room fell into a dead silence. I patted the dust off my hands, turned around, and walked out. Behind me, Ethan’s furious roar echoed through the hall: “Aria! Are you out of your mind?!” “Once you walk out that door, don’t expect another dime from me! I’m freezing your card right now!” I didn’t look back. The night breeze outside felt incredibly refreshing.

I went back to the apartment we shared. I dragged out my dusty suitcase and began to pack. Every single thing in this place made me sick. Early the next morning, the door unlocked. Ethan walked in, holding a bag of breakfast. “You’re awake? I bought your favorite pizza. Eat it while it’s hot.” He set the food on the table, acting as if the humiliation from last night had never happened. “I drank too much last night and said some harsh things. Don’t take it personally.” He pulled a document from his briefcase and pushed it toward me. “This is an equity transfer agreement. Just sign over your voting rights, and you can keep your dividends.” “I’ll let you return to the company as Vice President, and I’ll double your salary.” He looked at me with deep affection, reaching out to grasp my hand. “Aria, I’m doing this to protect you. The business world is brutal, and the constant backstabbing isn’t for you.” “You just need to look pretty. Let me do the hard work of making money. Isn’t that great?” Looking at the document, I almost laughed out loud. If I gave up my voting rights, I would be completely shut out of the company. By then, how the company ran and how my shares were diluted would be entirely up to him. Just then, his phone on the table lit up. It was an iMessage from “Chloe.” [Ethan, babe, did you handle that old hag yet?] [As soon as we get her voting rights, we can kick her out completely. The company will be ours.] So this was his “protection.” It was a complete robbery. He was terrified that my tech shares would threaten his absolute control over the company. Looking at his hypocritical face, the last shred of my affection for him snapped. I pulled my hand back, pretending to hesitate. “This is a big deal. I need to think about it.” Seeing me soften, Ethan immediately smiled. “Sure, I’ll give you three days. I knew you’d be reasonable.” He thought he had tamed me. He patted my shoulder gently. “I have meetings. I’ll come back tonight to have dinner with you.” With that, he took his briefcase and left in a hurry. He didn’t even notice my feverish, red face or my constant coughing. I went to the hospital alone. The IV lounge was packed. I had to carry my own IV pole to the restroom, and the blood backflowed into the tube. Just then, a high-pitched, sweet voice drifted from the next bed. “Ethan, babe, my hand hurts so much. Blow on it.” I turned my head. Chloe was lying on a VIP bed with a tiny band-aid on her finger. Ethan was holding her hand like it was a fragile glass doll, blowing gently on it with a worried face. “There, there, it won’t hurt anymore. I’ll take you to buy a new Chanel bag later.” Chloe only had a tiny scratch on her finger. Meanwhile, I had a 102-degree fever, and he was only scheming to steal my shares. I took out my phone, snapped a photo of them, and sent it to my lawyer. [Keep this as evidence of a broken engagement. Prepare the lawsuit to split our co-founded assets.] [Also, contact a headhunter for me. I need a new job.]

Our company’s core product, the “Aegis” system, was scheduled to launch today at 2:00 PM. It was a system my team and I had spent six months building. It was also our killer weapon for the upcoming IPO roadshow. But I knew that to steal the credit, Chloe had forced the tech team to put her name as the lead creator in the final version deploy. At 1:00 PM, Ethan’s calls started flooding my phone like crazy. The moment I picked up, his furious scream blasted through the speaker. “Aria! Where the hell are you? Get back to the office right now!” “The Aegis system has crashed completely! We’re losing data rapidly, and the customer service line is exploding with complaints!” My voice was dead calm. “I resigned. Chloe is the head of the system now.” “She doesn’t know shit!” Ethan blurted out. Realizing his slip, he quickly forced his voice down. “Aria, stop playing games, I’m begging you.” “This launch is tied to tens of millions in funding. If we mess this up, the company is done.” “Come back and fix it. I’ll give you whatever you want.” Half an hour later, I showed up at the company’s server room. Chloe was crying in front of the monitors, surrounded by a group of helpless engineers. Seeing me, she looked as if she had found a savior, but she couldn’t resist shifting the blame. “Aria, did you leave some backdoor in the code before you left? Why did the system suddenly crash?” I ignored her, sat down at the console, and let my fingers fly across the keyboard. I pulled up the logs. Red error codes filled the screen. “System deadlock,” I said coldly. “Someone changed the underlying concurrency logic without authorization, causing a massive database conflict.” I turned my head and stared at Chloe. “The log shows this modification was made under your user credentials. Was that you?” Chloe’s face turned pale. She stuttered, unable to speak. Ethan rushed in, grabbing my shoulder. “I don’t care who did it! Just fix it! Now!” I shook his hand off. “I can fix it, but I’m not taking the blame.” “Whoever broke it pays the price.” Ethan froze. Then, he lowered his voice, his tone laced with heavy authority. “Aria, this is not the time to be stubborn.” “Chloe is the public face of this project. If this is labeled as her mistake, the investors will lose all confidence in our management.” “Fix the bug, and then release a public statement.” “Say you made a mistake during the transition of duties, which caused the crash.” I looked at him, completely dumbfounded. “You want me to take the fall for Chloe? You want me to ruin my own professional reputation by admitting to a rookie mistake?” “Do you have any idea what that means for a Chief Technology Officer?” Ethan interrupted me impatiently. “It’s just a reputation! You’re sacrificing for the company. I’ll compensate you.” “If you take the blame, the previous equity transfer is off. I’ll give you five million dollars in cash.” “But if you don’t…” He narrowed his eyes, his voice dripping with ice. “I will sue you for leaking trade secrets. I’ll make sure you can never get a job in this industry again.” “You know I have the power and the means to do it.” Looking at this unrecognizable man, the last trace of warmth in my heart died. “Fine. I’ll fix it.” I turned back to the screen, my fingers moving like a blur over the keyboard. Ten minutes later, the warning lights turned green. The data began to restore. Ethan let out a sigh of relief, the arrogant confidence returning to his face. “I knew you’d make the right choice.” “PR has already drafted the statement. You just need to sign it.” He handed me a document. In black and white, it stated that I admitted to causing the crash due to my own negligence. Chloe stopped crying, hiding behind Ethan, throwing me a smug, triumphant smirk. I stood up, but I didn’t take the paper. Instead, I grabbed the connection cable on the desk and plugged it into my laptop. “No need for a statement. Let’s let everyone see what really happened.” The next second, the giant projector screen in the server room lit up. It wasn’t the system interface. It was a complete, unalterable log of the system backend. And along with it, a freshly recovered Snapchat chat history that Chloe had tried to delete. The screen clearly showed how Chloe, wanting to add her own “signature” to the code to take credit, had modified the parameters and crashed the entire system. The bright red username “User: Chloe” burned on the screen like a massive slap to Ethan’s face. The room erupted into chaos. The investors and executives stared at the screen in disbelief. Ethan’s smile froze, turning into a distorted grimace. “Aria! What are you doing? Turn it off!” He rushed forward to pull the power cord. I was ready. I stepped aside, grabbed the mechanical keyboard from the desk, and smashed it violently into the server rack. “BANG!” I grabbed the microphone, my voice echoing through the entire office floor. “I quit.” “Ethan, Chloe, you two pieces of trash can clean up your own mess!” With that, I threw my pre-written resignation letter right into Ethan’s horrified, pale face.

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Five years after my husband’s vasectomy, I found a reservation confirmation for a luxury postpartum recovery retreat on his phone. The mother’s name: Lacey Sterling. How ironic. She was my adoptive sister, the fake heiress who had been kicked out of our family years ago. Seeing he could no longer hide it, Julian Vance laid his cards on the table. “Lacey won’t threaten your position, Serena. Once the baby is born, he will only call you Mom.” “If you agree to this, we can go on as we always have. I’ll take you to Aspen for Christmas. If not… then we have no choice but to divorce.” Julian was absolutely certain I couldn’t bear to leave him. But before he could even finish his speech, I had already signed the divorce papers. In my past life, I refused to let go. I spent my entire life fighting Lacey, got breast cancer from the sheer stress, and didn’t even make it to thirty-five. So in this life, I played along. I secretly slipped long-term contraceptives into Julian’s food. Yet, Lacey still got pregnant. I almost laughed myself to death. Julian, you wanted to take me to see the ocean? I hope you like drowning in your own lies.

“I have no objections to the property division. After the mandatory thirty-day waiting period, we’ll finalize the divorce.” I pushed the signed divorce agreement across the table. Julian froze. Clearly, he never expected me to walk away so easily. He stared at my signature on the paper. After a long struggle, he finally spoke. “Serena, I had no choice.” “When we were young, you said you had a heart condition and couldn’t have children. I got a vasectomy for you. Back then, I thought having you was enough. But I’m thirty-five now. Men change when they reach this age.” “I am the only son. The Vance family legacy cannot end with me. I want a child—a child with my own blood to inherit the empire. Is that so wrong?” Julian became more excited as he spoke, acting as if he were the real victim here. I listened quietly, barely holding back a laugh. Honestly. If you cheat, you cheat. If you change your mind, just say so. Don’t make up a million noble excuses. Just give me my money. That’s all that matters. But I kept my face blank, letting a look of unbearable heartbreak wash over me. My voice trembled. “You’re not wrong, Julian. Neither of us is.” “Since you want a child, and I can’t give you one, I can’t force myself to raise another woman’s baby. I’ll let you go. I’ll let you, Lacey, and your baby be happy.” I stood up, turned my back to him, and walked to the window. My shoulders shook slightly, making it look like I was crying my eyes out. “Let’s just get divorced, Julian.” I heard his footsteps stop behind me. Then came the sound of a pen scratching against paper. Julian signed. “Serena, I’ll transfer another two hundred million dollars to your account as compensation. In my heart, you’ll always be my wife.” With that, Julian left. I stared at the snow falling outside the window. A slow smile spread across my face, my eyes completely dry. I took out my phone and sent a quick text to my private investigator: [Keep a close eye on Lacey Sterling. Also, dig up every man she’s been close to in the last three years, and get the baby’s hospital records.] [Double the bonus if you find something juicy.] I, Serena Sterling, was no saint. I wasn’t about to let this trashy couple off the hook so easily. I just had to wait. I would wait until Julian was drunk on the joy of having a “heir,” wait until Lacey paraded the baby everywhere, and wait until my former mother-in-law treated this bastard child like royalty. And then, I would give them a gentle push. The sound of their fall would be music to my ears.

During the month of our divorce waiting period, Victoria Vance’s Instagram was incredibly active. She used to complain constantly about my inability to have children. She only held back because Julian protected me and because of the Sterling family’s influence. Now that Julian and I were parting ways, and she suddenly had a grandson, she couldn’t stop bragging. Every day, she posted nine-image grids showing off the luxury postpartum suite and the baby. At first, she tested the waters with subtle gloating: [Grandma’s little angel is here! A healthy eight-pound baby boy. He takes after his mom. Lacey is so strong and amazing!] Then, she shared a passive-aggressive article titled, “Ten Qualities of a Good Wife.” She commented: [Thank god Lacey is fertile, or the Vance bloodline would have ended! I shudder just thinking about it.] In the end, she stopped hiding it entirely and posted: [Lacey is a million times better than that useless ex-wife. I hope Lacey recovers quickly so she can give us a granddaughter next!] It was hilarious to watch. But I played the heartbroken victim for a whole month, milking Julian’s guilt for all it was worth. When the divorce was finalized, I walked away with two billion dollars in cash and five luxury properties in prime downtown locations. At first, I didn’t really understand what two billion dollars meant. Until my wealth manager told me that the daily interest alone was about a hundred and sixty thousand dollars. That meant no matter how late I slept in and nothing I spent each day, a hundred and sixty thousand more dollars would be waiting for me the next morning. How exhausting. Too much money is truly a burden. Holding the divorce certificate, I looked up at Julian. For the sake of the two billion, I gave him a sweet, polite smile. “Mr. Vance, I wish you and Lacey a lifetime of happiness.” “Take care of yourself.” Julian seemed choked up by the formal “Mr. Vance.” He instinctively reached out to grab my wrist. He opened his mouth, wanting to say more. “Julian!” Lacey’s voice suddenly cut in. She stepped quickly out of a luxury van parked by the curb. To mark her territory, she wrapped her arm around Julian’s right in front of me. Her eyes swept over the divorce papers in my hand, and she could barely contain her smug grin. “I’m still recovering, and I shouldn’t be out in the wind. But on such an important day, how could I not be by your side? Serena, you don’t mind that I took him, do you?” “Even though our parents kicked me out of the Sterling house back then, you’ll always be my only sister in my heart.” “Julian and I are going to host our wedding and the baby’s party together. You absolutely must come!” I sneered inwardly. Lacey hadn’t even cleaned up her own mess yet, and here she was, trying to flex on me. Thinking about the dirt my private investigator had sent me a few days ago, I decided to give the happy couple an early wedding present. I grabbed Lacey’s hand, my eyes turning red with fake emotion. “How could I blame you, my sweet sister?” “I heard that after you left the Sterling family, you worked at ‘The Velvet Room.’ Hosting clients and pouring drinks… that must have been so hard. You almost got into major trouble… luckily, that old client, Mr. Marcus Kane, had a change of heart and got you a job at the luxury boutique counter.” “And that’s how you met Julian.” Julian’s face turned instantly dark the moment he heard “The Velvet Room.” That was a highly exclusive, shady VIP lounge. With Lacey’s looks, she certainly wasn’t working there as a cashier. He yanked his arm out of Lacey’s grip and turned on her. “You worked at The Velvet Room?” Seeing Julian snap, I quickly covered my mouth, looking shocked and regretful. “Lacey… you didn’t tell Julian about that?” Lacey panicked. It had been almost ten years. The owner of The Velvet Room had changed. How could I possibly know about this? Lacey reached out again to grab Julian’s arm, but he pushed her away in disgust. “I… I didn’t! No!” “Julian, don’t listen to her! She’s trying to ruin me!” I listened to her accusations, shook my head, and looked at her like she was a misbehaving child. “Lacey, you don’t understand. Julian hates being lied to more than anything.” “Besides, some secrets can’t be kept forever. People in our circle used to see you at The Velvet Room back then. When Julian bumps into them in the future, it’s going to be so… awkward.” I didn’t finish the sentence. I just sighed, turned, and walked away. Sure enough, before I even reached my car, I heard Julian’s roaring voice behind me: “A cashier? My ass!” “Lacey, don’t you dare play me for a fool. We both know what kind of place that is. You better tell me the truth right now!” “Or when I find out myself, I’ll make your life a living hell!”

Before Julian could even investigate, the scandal had already spread like wildfire through our social circle. Since Victoria Vance had been so passive-aggressive on Instagram, My parents, under my suggestion, didn’t miss the chance to kick them while they were down. What started as whispers behind the Vance family’s backs quickly became public gossip. “Did you hear? The new girl Julian brought home used to be a hostess at The Velvet Room. Everyone knows what goes on there.” “Exactly. No wonder the Sterling family agreed to the divorce so quickly. They were disgusted. Men really will eat trash just because it’s outside their house.” “I heard some guy named Marcus Kane used to keep her. He was the one who got her the retail job where she snagged Julian. There are probably other guys too. Julian is basically wearing a giant neon green sign on his head.” Victoria Vance clearly had no idea about Lacey’s past. She was probably furious. Word was that if the baby didn’t need breastfeeding, she would have kicked Lacey out of the house on the spot. Julian’s situation was even more embarrassing. Victoria could hide at home, but Julian had to show his face at work every day. Some arrogant rival even went up to Julian to mock him face-to-face: “Julian, man, women are like shoes. Only your feet know if they fit. Some shoes look brand new, but you never know how many guys have already worn them.” The man laughed sleazily. Julian’s veins looked ready to pop, but because of the other man’s powerful family, he could only slam the door and leave. Behind him, the room erupted into loud, mocking laughter. The grand wedding Lacey had bragged about was completely canceled. Instead, all I got was a late, low-key invitation for a simple baby shower. It looked like the Vance family was holding off on giving Lacey a legal ring. Seeing me stare at the invitation, Sebastian Cole leaned in. “What’s got you so focused?” My thoughts were pulled back. I looked up and stroked his face, replying casually, “Nothing. Are you done with classes?” I had “picked up” Sebastian at a VIP lounge. Maybe women just have a natural savior complex. At the time, I was supposed to be “grieving” my divorce, but in reality, I was having the time of my life with my girls at a private club. When I went out for some air, I stumbled upon a drunk, fat businessman grabbing Sebastian outside my private suite, trying to force himself on him. Maybe it was because I had had a few drinks. My body moved faster than my brain. I threw my limited-edition Hermès clutch straight at the back of the businessman’s head. “Ow! Who the hell—” The man groaned, holding his head as he spun around furiously. But when he saw it was me, the anger on his face froze. It shifted from rage to shock, and finally to a flattering, awkward smile. “Miss Sterling?” “My bad, my bad! I didn’t know he was yours, I swear…” “Get lost!” The man didn’t dare argue. He bowed and scrambled away. I looked Sebastian up and down. He had a clean, artistic vibe, long hair, and looked almost delicate from behind. But he was a fresh face. Definitely not a regular at the club. “First day on the job?” He stood in the shadows. Looking embarrassed, he nodded stiffly. “How old are you?” I asked, my voice calm. “Twenty-one.” “A student?” “Fine Arts, junior year.” “Why are you here?” Sebastian bit his lip, hesitating before speaking. “I needed money. Someone told me I could make quick cash here. I didn’t expect…” I raised an eyebrow, understanding immediately. He had probably been tricked into coming here. Clean, beautiful, and extremely pleasing to the eye. My heart stirred. Julian had his little plaything, so why couldn’t I, Serena Sterling, have some eye candy of my own? “Ten million dollars. Stay with me for a year.” “I’ll give you an apartment, a car, and money. Just be good, look pretty, and don’t cause trouble.” “Got it?” Sebastian held his breath. The color drained from his face and then rushed back. Finally, he seemed to accept his fate. “Got it.” And that was how I “adopted” Sebastian Cole. Sebastian rubbed his soft hair against my palm. “Yeah, classes are done.” “No classes for the next two days. I can stay with you.” I smiled. “Good. There’s a gala tomorrow night. Come with me.”

To save face, the Vance family made this gala incredibly grand. They invited everyone who was anyone in the city. When I arrived with Sebastian, Julian was at the entrance greeting guests. His eyes widened when he saw me. When we were married, I always dressed in modest, elegant pastel tones. Now that I was divorced, I wore a fitted, silk red dress that hugged my curves, making me look bold and dangerous. Julian didn’t expect me to show up. He walked over, his eyes filled with admiration and excitement. He was a completely different person from the cold man who had demanded a divorce. I sneered inside. Men are always like this. They don’t value you when they have you, but they crave you the moment you leave. “Serena, I didn’t think you’d actually come.” “You look beautiful tonight. I…” Before he could finish, Sebastian took a step forward, wrapping his arm intimately around my waist. Julian froze, looking between us. “And this is…?” I smiled, introducing him warmly. “My boyfriend, Sebastian Cole.” Julian’s face instantly twisted. “Boyfriend?” he hissed, his voice cracking. “Serena, we barely got divorced, and you already have a boyfriend? Isn’t that a bit much?!” Looking at his furious face, I found it hilarious. I knew what he wanted. He wanted to see his ex-wife miserable, lonely, and pining after him forever. Keep dreaming! I replied smoothly, showing no mercy. “Yes, Mr. Vance. We did just get divorced…” “But you already have a whole baby.” Julian was rendered speechless, his face turning pale. Not far away, Victoria Vance noticed the commotion. She hurried over, cradling the baby. She fake-smiled at me. “Serena, you’re here.” “Perfect. Let Grandma’s little angel see our… oh, I guess you’re Aunt Serena now!” As she spoke, she tilted the baby toward me on purpose. She was trying to make me jealous. She sighed dramatically. “A woman is only complete when she has a child.” “Our family is blessed to get a healthy baby boy on the first try. Unlike some people who will never know what it feels like to be a mother. How sad. Don’t you think so, Serena?” Before I could reply, Lacey walked over from the VIP lounge. Before she could even get close, Victoria glared at her. “What are you doing out here?” Victoria muttered under her breath. “Stop embarrassing us and get back to the lounge.” Lacey went pale. But she pressed on, clearly trying to win points with her mother-in-law. She immediately targeted me. “Personally, I think divorced women should have some self-respect. Dragging around some young, broke guy who just wants to live off your money… how embarrassing.” “Once you get old and your money is gone, you won’t even have a child to care for you.” “These young boys run faster than anyone.” I listened quietly, not angry at all, just annoyed by the noise. But Sebastian, next to me, tightened his grip, looking ready to defend me. I squeezed his wrist, telling him to stay calm. I didn’t waste my breath on them. Instead, I sighed and acted weak. “Whatever. Let’s not ruin the night. Isn’t it time for the toast?” Seeing me back down, Victoria looked satisfied. She nodded at Lacey and didn’t tell her to go back anymore, even letting her hold the baby on stage. Julian, seemingly regaining his pride from Lacey’s words, straightened his posture and walked past me. He led his mother, Lacey, and the baby onto the stage. Julian stood before the microphone. The lights dimmed, the giant screen lit up, and all eyes in the room turned to him. He cast a smug, confident glance at me. “Thank you all for joining us tonight to celebrate this wonderful milestone for the Vance family.” “The birth of my son is a true blessing. I wanted to share this joy with everyone. Next, let us—” According to the schedule, the moment Julian finished speaking, Upbeat music should have started playing, and the giant screen behind them should have shown a heartwarming video of their family of three. But there was no music. Instead, a loud screech of static echoed through the speakers, and the screen flickered to life. It was a secretly recorded video. In a dimly lit hotel room, Marcus Kane was holding Lacey tight, whispering suggestively, “Oh, my little angel. You finally came. I missed you so much!” “How is it going? Did those idiots at the Vance house find out anything?” Lacey in the video laughed smugly. “Don’t worry. The old lady just found out I used to work at The Velvet Room, so she immediately took the baby for a DNA test. Lucky for us, you were smart enough to bribe the private clinic.” Lacey waved a paper report in Marcus’s face, laughing hysterically. “Now, it’s black and white. The paper says the baby is Julian’s.” “That idiot Julian will spend his whole life raising your kid, and he’ll never even know!”

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Ethan Vance was a control freak. After we started dating, he banned me from talking to other guys. He wouldn’t let me wear revealing clothes. Bars and clubs were strictly off-limits. For a long time, I thought it was just because he loved me too much. Until one night, I accompanied my best friend, Sienna, to a business gala. Two male clients tried to force drinks down our throats. Ethan suddenly burst in. With bloodshot eyes, he swept Sienna away, even though she hadn’t touched a single drop of alcohol. “Sienna, didn’t I tell you you’re too innocent for these kinds of events? Why do you always make me worry!” Then, he turned to me. His eyes were cold, filled with disgust. “I set so many rules for you, yet you’re still this wild. I knew you were the one who corrupted Sienna.” With that, he carried Sienna out of the VIP lounge. But I was the one who had been blocking the drinks for Sienna. Left behind in that room, I was brutally assaulted all night. When I finally dragged my broken body back home from the police station, Ethan was carefully tending to a perfectly unharmed Sienna. He didn’t even look up. “You’re back? I was just about to pick you up.” My entire body shook. The sheer humiliation ripped through my chest, making it hard to breathe. Using every last bit of my strength, I managed to speak: “Ethan, let’s break up.”

Ethan froze for two seconds, then let out a sharp, angry laugh. “Chloe, haven’t you had enough? You know Sienna gets scared easily, yet you still took her to a place like that.” “I’m just cleaning up your mess. Shouldn’t I take care of her?” I tightly clutched the police report receipt in my hand. Under my fingernails was the dried skin of the man I had scraped while fighting back. “Ethan, I was the one who was forced to drink. But you only took her away. Is Sienna your girlfriend, or am I?” “I know your tolerance. A few drinks wouldn’t get you drunk. But Sienna is different. She’s never had alcohol.” Ethan cut me off with a wave of his hand. “Besides, Sienna worked on this project for three months. If you walked out, what was the client supposed to do?” Hearing those words made my ears ring. Ethan and I had been together for six years. He used to hold me close, promising to protect me for the rest of my life. He used to treat me like his whole world, getting jealous for a whole day if another guy even looked at me. But now, for my best friend, he had abandoned me in a room full of monsters, letting them trample over me. I clenched my fists to keep myself from completely breaking down. “I called the police.” The living room fell dead silent. Ethan let out another sarcastic laugh. But he didn’t care why I called them. Instead, he tucked Sienna in gently, stood up, and marched over to confront me. “Just because you’re jealous, you’re going to ruin Sienna’s project with this drama? Chloe, when did you become so malicious?” “No, they… they assaulted me…” My swollen lips and bruised throat made it hurt to even speak. The words choked in my mouth. Ethan frowned, rubbing his temples with his long fingers. “Can you think about the consequences before you act?” Without letting me finish, he pulled out his phone, calling his connections to clean up the mess for Sienna’s project. Once he hung up, he threw me a cold look. “Drop the charges. Don’t make things difficult for Sienna at the company.” Then, seeing my bloodshot eyes and tightly clenched jaw, he paused for a fraction of a second. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he muttered, “Next time, listen to me. Don’t go to those places.” “I’ll go grab you some food. Wait for me at home.” I stood there frozen for a few seconds before walking toward the guest bedroom. Sienna was lying on the bed in her pristine white dress, her eyelashes fluttering slightly. I walked over to the bedside, my voice raw and hoarse. “I know you’re awake. You knew that client had bad intentions from the start, didn’t you?” “I just don’t get it. We grew up together. Why do you hate me so much?”

Realizing she couldn’t pretend anymore, Sienna opened her eyes and sat up. Seeing my disheveled, bruised state, a smug, triumphant smile flashed in her eyes. For a moment, I was dazed. Sienna was orphaned at six, and my parents had practically raised her. We were neighbors. Whenever she got bullied at school, I was always the one standing in front of her. We had twenty years of shared memories. Whether her innocence was real or fake, I could see right through it. I couldn’t reconcile the malicious woman in front of me with the little girl who used to look up to me with adoration. “Chloe, I’m sorry. But Ethan chose to save me. That’s not my fault.” “No matter what happens, you always do things perfectly. Maybe he just feels that, compared to you, an orphan like me needs more protection…” Sienna lowered her eyes, looking completely helpless and harmless. Looking at her face, I let out a self-deprecating laugh. Twenty years of kindness, and I had raised a snake. Neither of them deserved to be in my life anymore. “Sienna, this is the last time I will ever tolerate you. We are no longer friends.” I turned around and began packing my bags. Sienna’s lips trembled. She watched me, but not once did she apologize. Just as I was about to walk out the door with my suitcase, she suddenly leaned in and whispered in my ear: “Chloe, since you’ve decided to leave anyway, why don’t you help me one last time?” I ignored her and opened the door, only to see Ethan standing there, about to walk in. “Ah—!” The next second, a sharp scream echoed behind me. Sensing something was wrong, I spun around. Sienna’s hand had somehow wound up right under the wheel of my suitcase. Ethan shoved me aside and rushed over to scoop her up. When he looked back at me, his eyes were filled with fury and disappointment. “Chloe! What is wrong with you?!” His brow furrowed. Seeing my packed suitcase, he slammed the takeout bag onto the table. “You ruined Sienna’s deal, and now throwing a tantrum and running away isn’t enough—you have to hurt her too?” Sienna sobbed, shrinking into his chest, while Ethan gently blew on her reddened hand. Looking at the two of them, I felt nothing but intense disgust. “Ethan, we are completely over.” With that, I turned and stepped into the elevator. Even as the doors closed, I could hear him softly cooing to comfort Sienna. I went straight to a pharmacy to buy PEP, then checked into a hotel near the police station. During this time, Ethan only sent one message on Snapchat: [When you’ve thrown your tantrum, come home. I’ll pick you up.] I didn’t reply. To preserve the physical evidence of the assault, I didn’t even dare to shower. I just sat on the bed, staring blankly until dawn. Just as I was about to head to the police station to follow up, I received a video from Sienna. Intimate, blurry photos flooded my screen. A woman with a flushed, hazy face, her slender fingers digging into a man’s muscular back. The timestamp of the video was right after he had sent me the text saying he would pick me up. So, his compromise was nothing but guilt after cheating. A sharp, crushing pain hit my chest. I gasped for air, struggling to breathe. [Chloe, I don’t want to hide it from you anymore. Ethan and I have loved each other for a long time. We only held back because of you.] [All these years he controlled you because he didn’t want your wild behavior to corrupt my innocence.] [Last night, we finally took the final step. He was so much more passionate with me than he ever was with you. You never really had his heart or his body.] [Ethan loves things clean. You’re dirty now, Chloe. You don’t deserve him. Since you broke up, be a good ex and stay out of our lives.]

A wave of intense nausea hit me. Holding onto a tree by the curb, I threw up violently. I clutched my phone, my resolve hardening as I walked into the police station. But as soon as I entered, I saw Sienna. She pointed at me, handing a file to the detective. “I was there that night. I can testify that Chloe went willingly. She agreed to drink with Mr. Callahan and slept with him voluntarily.” My footsteps froze. A female officer walked over, handing me a few photos. “Miss Miller claims to be an eyewitness. She provided some photos showing that you were… highly cooperative and went willingly…” Willingly. I stared at those photos, feeling as if a bucket of filth had been dumped over my head. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I raised my hand and slapped Sienna hard across the face. At that moment, Ethan burst through the entrance. Seeing me, he froze. The question “Where have you been?” was still caught in his throat when he saw Sienna sobbing, clutching her red cheek. In an instant, his expression changed to pure, protective agony. He turned his dark, cold eyes toward me. “You hit her?” I said nothing, nor did I deny it. Sienna spoke up, her voice fragile and trembling. “Ethan, I only came here to apologize to Mr. Callahan and clean up Chloe’s mess. But she thinks I did it just to steal her client. She’s still mad that you took me away yesterday…” Ethan wrapped his arm around Sienna protectively, glaring at me. “Chloe, you’re getting more and more ridiculous!” “Sienna has been your friend for twenty years. Yet you ruined her career out of jealousy, and now you’re physically assaulting her? You’ve lost your mind.” “Yes, leaving you behind yesterday was my fault. But aren’t you perfectly fine? I don’t understand what you’re throwing a fit about!” The detective was about to speak up to defend me, but Sienna’s knees buckled, and she collapsed. Ethan quickly caught her. By the time he looked up to find me, I was already gone. I sat on the carpet of my hotel room, my mind completely blank. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It was a text from the detective. [Miss Sterling, we have a new lead. Mr. Callahan and Miss Miller have a very close personal relationship. This might not be a simple assault case. We are gathering more evidence. Please hang tight.] My fingers trembled. My gut had been right. Sienna and that man weren’t just business partners. The doorbell rang. I dragged myself up to open it. Ethan stood there. Without a word, he pushed past me and walked in. Seeing my messy, open suitcase in the corner, he knelt down to pack my things. “Stop acting out. Let’s go home.” “We broke up. Please leave.” Ethan stopped and looked up at me. I didn’t say another word, pointing directly at the door. “Get out.” He sighed, his eyes softening slightly, but then his gaze froze on the prescription bottle on the table. “PEP?” He stared at me in disbelief, his voice tight. “Why are you taking this?” “None of your business.” I reached out to grab the bottle, but he snatched my wrist. The grip was so tight I winced in pain. He immediately let go, but his tone became accusing and harsh. “We only broke up yesterday, and today you’re already sleeping around? And now you have to take emergency STD prevention pills? Chloe, how could you be so cheap!” I clutched the pill bottle to my chest, my voice dead calm. “Ethan, we are over. What I do has nothing to do with you. I told you to get out. Do you not understand?” He stared at me, a storm of emotions brewing in his eyes. Then, he pulled a velvet box from his pocket. He opened it to reveal a diamond ring. “I was going to propose to you. Last night, I was waiting for you to finish your meeting so I could ask you…” Looking at the ring, I suddenly burst into laughter. Its design was the exact one Sienna had pointed out when the three of us went shopping years ago. This ring was probably just a toy he used to play with Sienna in bed last night. I laughed so hard my knees gave out, and I sank to the floor, burying my face in my hands as tears streamed down. Ethan knelt beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I know you did this because you were angry. People make mistakes, Chloe. As long as you change, I won’t care that you’re dirty now. I’ll still marry you.” Dirty… As if triggered, I violently slapped his hand away. Unable to take it anymore, I shoved my phone screen in his face. “People make mistakes, right? Does that include you?” On the screen, the explicit video of him and Sienna was playing.

Ethan’s face drained of all color. Panic flashed across his eyes as he tried to grab the phone, but I pushed him away. “That time you went on a business trip and I was sick… Sienna came over to take care of me. I was burning up with a fever, and I mistook her for you…” “So you slept with her before yesterday, too?” I tossed the phone onto the bed. “Don’t bother explaining. It doesn’t matter anymore. We’re going our separate ways.” “Separate ways?” He stood up, his chest heaving. “I made a mistake, but are you completely innocent?” “You suddenly demanded a breakup. Was it really because I left you behind, or because you were already cheating on me?” My eyes widened in utter disbelief. “If not, why did you pack your bags? If you didn’t sleep around, why are you taking PEP?” “Chloe, since we’ve both cheated, let’s just put this behind us. We’ll get married and live a good life. Neither of us will ever bring it up again, okay?” “I am not marrying a piece of trash who abandoned me!” I shoved him toward the door. Ethan stumbled, his shoulder hitting the wall. Seeing my stubbornness, his temper flared, and his voice rose. “If you won’t marry me, I’ll marry Sienna!” “At least she’s pure and clean, unlike you, sleeping around. She’s much more fit to be a wife!” I stopped shoving him and let go. Ethan didn’t leave. He just stood there, watching me silently. I looked up, a cold smirk playing on my lips, though my eyes remained dead. “You’re right. Compared to me, she suits you perfectly.” For the next few days, Ethan didn’t show up. Once I felt slightly better, I returned to the office. As soon as I walked in, my colleague, Maya, smiled and grabbed my arm. “Chloe! The company is hosting a Valentine’s Day party. Since you’re back, let’s go check it out.” “I don’t really want to…” Before I could finish, Maya was already pulling me toward the main event hall. “I know you hate these things, but you can at least help me pick out a guy.” The next second, my heart dropped. Ethan, dressed in a sharp suit, walked in. Behind him was Sienna, wearing a sweet, triumphant smile. Seeing me, Ethan froze. Sienna let go of his arm and strolled over to me. “Chloe, you just broke up with Ethan. Why are you already at a matchmaking party?” The room went quiet. Whispers started, and eyes poked at me like needles. Behind her, Ethan’s jaw tightened, his eyes icy. Sienna smiled, deliberately flaunting the diamond ring on her ring finger. I set down my plate of cake and looked her dead in the eye. “You care so much about my life? I guess it makes sense, since you love picking up my trash.” Sienna’s smile stiffened, her expression turning ugly. “You know exactly who was dumped here.” “You spent the whole night drinking with Mr. Callahan and couldn’t even close the deal. Then you filed a fake police report out of spite. I wonder if the boss knows about this?” Our boss cleared his throat, his gaze shifting toward me with suspicion. “Chloe, what is she talking about?” Before I could speak, Sienna pulled out her phone. On the projector screen, a zoomed-in photo of me, flushed and being forced to drink by Callahan in the VIP room, flashed for everyone to see. “Chloe has always been wild and open. She’ll drink with any man.” The murmurs in the room grew louder. Ethan’s jaw clenched so hard the bone showed. He stared at me, then slapped Sienna’s hand down. “Are you really that desperate?” His voice was low, laced with suppressed fury. “We just broke up, and you’re already looking for a new man?” Sienna watched Ethan’s reaction, and her smug look faltered. She raised her voice, looking around the room. “I told you, Chloe can’t stand being single for even a day.” She stepped over to the computer and cast her phone to the screen. Photos of me in bikinis and hot tubs during our past vacations started sliding across the screen one by one. “Chloe knows exactly what men want to see. She uses her body to her full advantage—unlike me, I’m way too conservative and shy.” My hands began to shake violently. My vision blurred. The horrific memories of that night rushed back like a tidal wave, suffocating me. Seeing my pale face, Ethan reached out to support me, but then pulled his hand back. “Chloe, this is the price for not listening to me and leaving.” “Don’t worry. Once this blows over, if you swallow your pride, I’ll still marry you.” The mockery and whispers behind me escalated into a roar. I fled the office, pulled out my phone, sent my resignation email, and booked a flight. Only one thought echoed in my mind: Go somewhere where nobody knows me. At the airport, my phone buzzed constantly. Ethan called more than twenty times, but I ignored every single one. After my plane took off, the police finally uncovered new evidence. Unable to reach me, they called Ethan. “Mr. Vance, we have made a breakthrough in Miss Sterling’s sexual assault case. Please have her come to the station immediately.” Ethan’s pupils contracted in sheer horror. “What did you say? Assault?”

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On my 30th birthday, I posted a picture of a wedding dress on my Instagram. Within minutes, Julian—the childhood friend who had rejected me ninety-nine times—called me. He specifically told me to put on the dress and meet him at City Hall. He said he had a massive birthday surprise for me. But when I stood outside the City Hall entrance, shivering in the cool breeze, I heard him laughing with his frat-boy friends behind me. “See? I told you she’d actually show up in a wedding dress. Pay up, boys! A hundred bucks each!” Then, Julian turned to me, winking and flashing that arrogant smirk of his. “Come on, Maya. It was just a joke. You didn’t seriously think we were getting married, did you?” “But hey, if you’re that desperate to get married, you can always just go inside and grab a random guy.” His friends burst into obnoxious laughter. I rolled my eyes. Honestly, I did have an appointment to get married today. But my groom wasn’t him. A few minutes later, when I walked out of the building arm-in-arm with another man, holding our marriage certificate, Julian’s face went completely pale.

Watching Julian collect cash from his friends one by one, a cold realization washed over me. Today was just another bet. Another game to make me look like a fool. The guys who lost the bet handed over their money, rolling their eyes at me in disgust. “Maya, do you have any idea how much money I’ve lost because of you? Get a grip, seriously!” “We’ve told you a thousand times, Julian is out of your league. Did you honestly think he’d ever marry you?” “You’ve been played like a fiddle at least ten times by now. How do you keep falling for this? You are hopelessly stupid!” I bit my bottom lip so hard I tasted copper. My nails dug into my palms. After pocketing the cash, Julian walked over to me. He actually had the nerve to look concerned. “What’s wrong, Maya? Aren’t you happy?” He turned to his friends and barked, “Hey, shut up, you jerks. Today is Maya’s birthday. Don’t ruin it for her.” Just when I thought a sliver of his humanity had returned, Julian pulled a ten-dollar bill from his pocket and held it out to me. He grinned. “Thanks to you, I just made two thousand bucks. Here’s ten dollars. Go buy yourself a slice of cake. Happy birthday.” His friends roared with laughter again. “Julian, you’re too nice! Watch out, or Maya’s going to fall even crazier in love with you!” “Look at her, she literally wore a wedding dress! She’s like a beggar begging for scraps, desperately trying to marry into the Vance family!” If this were the old me, I would have broken down in tears by now. I would have begged Julian to stop hurting me, to stop treating my heart like a toy. But this time, I calmly took the ten-dollar bill from his hand. “Thanks. The copy fee for the marriage certificate is ten dollars, and I didn’t bring cash.” Julian froze. Then, he let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “Maya, did you leave your brain at home today? You’re still dreaming about marrying me?” “Are you blind? I was playing you.” “Honestly, I’ve seen desperate girls, but you really take the cake.” He shook his head with disgust, looking at me as if I were a piece of trash stuck to his shoe. Even though I had prepared myself for this, his words still pierced my heart like sharp arrows. I actually found out about his little bet yesterday. Someone had commented on my dress photo, saying I only bought it because I was jealous of Julian’s new girlfriend, Serena. The man I had loved for eight years knew exactly how much I adored him. And because of that, he knew exactly how to hurt me the deepest. He had completely forgotten the promise he made to me when we were younger. “Maya, if neither of us is married by thirty, let’s just get married to each other.” Today, I turned thirty. And I was indeed getting married. I just hadn’t told Julian that my groom wasn’t him.

The wedding dress I chose was a simple, ankle-length gown. My fiancé and I had picked it out together. I lifted my skirt and walked past Julian toward the City Hall entrance. But he grabbed my wrist, pulling me back. “Stop acting, Maya. Who are you trying to fool?” “If you’re really that desperate to get hitched, go inside and drag some random guy to the altar. Do me a favor and get married so you’ll finally stop stalking me.” I looked at his face, feeling too exhausted to even get angry. I just felt a profound, heavy sadness. The Julian who used to chase down bullies just to make them apologize to me was completely gone. This stranger had taken his place. I shook my head, trying to pull my hand away. Suddenly, a voice called out. “Julian!” It was Serena. Julian instantly let go of my wrist. To prove his loyalty to her, he pulled a sanitizing wipe from his pocket and meticulously wiped his hand. As if I were contagious. Serena walked up, looking confused. “Julian, what are you doing here?” Then she looked at me. “Maya? Are you getting married today? You’re even wearing a wedding dress.” Julian looked around nervously. He didn’t want Serena to know he had organized a bet around me. In a panic, he grabbed Brad from his group of friends and shoved him next to me, laughing loudly. “Serena, you’re so smart! You guessed it. Today is the big day for Maya and Brad!” “We all came out here to support them and wish them well.” His friends instantly caught on and chimed in. “Yeah, Serena! We’re celebrating Maya and Brad today!” I looked at Brad—who was shorter than me and wearing a greasy, stupid grin—and felt a wave of nausea. Seeing that Serena was still skeptical, Julian pushed Brad and me toward the doors. “Go on, go get registered! Serena wants to see!” I stumbled forward from his push. Brad actually had the audacity to grab my hand. He whispered in my ear, “Look, Maya, Julian’s never going to want you. But you’ve got a nice face and a decent body. I guess we could make it work.” I lost it. I ripped my hand away from his greasy grip and leaned against the wall, dry-heaving. Julian immediately mocked, “Oh my god, Maya. Are you pregnant? Is this a shotgun wedding?” “Brad, you dog! Nice job!” Serena joined in, her face beaming with fake sweetness. “Maya, I was so worried about your love life. I had no idea you’d find a husband and get pregnant so quickly. Congratulations!” I stood straight and looked coldly at Julian, who was still laughing hysterically. “You’re right,” I said quietly. “I am getting married today. But not to any of you losers. My fiancé is inside getting our queue number. Save your congratulations for him.” Julian’s laughter died instantly.

Just then, my phone buzzed. I answered it, nodding a few times. “The second floor? Okay, I’ll go up first. Sounds good.” I hung up, turned to the stunned Julian, and said, “I wore this dress because my fiancé hired a photographer to capture our day.” “This is the simplest gown of the seven dresses I bought. It’s easy to move in.” “Since you’re all here, you might as well take the invitations. My wedding is on the tenth of next month. You’re welcome to attend.” I pulled the elegant, gold-embossed invitations from my bag and handed them out. When I reached Julian, he refused to take it. One of his friends looked at the card and gasped. “The Grand Pierre Hotel? That’s the most expensive venue in the city! Maya, did you land a sugar daddy? He must be loaded.” Julian’s lips twitched, his eyes filled with utter disdain. “Maya, you really are committed to this act, aren’t you?” “Fake invitations? Booking The Grand Pierre? This is pathetic, even for you.” With two fingers, he took the invitation from his friend and tossed it onto the street. Serena glanced at the invitation on the ground and sighed. “Honestly, Maya, I have to side with Julian on this. There isn’t even a photo of the groom on the card. It looks totally fake.” We hadn’t had time to take engagement photos yet. Serena stepped closer, grabbing my hand with a look of pity. “Look, I know how you feel about Julian…” Julian suddenly went tense. “Serena, let me explain—” Serena waved him off. “Julian, you don’t have to explain. I know you two grew up together. You have history.” She turned back to me. “Maya, woman to woman, I get it. But you can’t force love. Julian has told you a million times that he only sees you as a sister.” “And since I’m practically your older sister now, let me give you some advice: stop this embarrassing show. The more you do, the more people are going to laugh at you.” The crowd behind her murmured in agreement. “Serena is so sweet and understanding!” “She’s a class act. Only someone as nice as Serena would try to save Maya from embarrassing herself!” Serena looked at me with pure condescension. “Come on, Maya. Let me help you take that dress off.” It was always like this. Whenever Julian humiliated me, Serena would step in to play the saint. And over time, Julian became convinced his girlfriend was an angel, while I was just a bitter, pathetic villain. I was about to push her away when she noticed the tag sticking out of the back of my dress. She grabbed it and read it aloud. “A designer dress? From this season’s collection?” She sighed. “Maya, my heart breaks for you. Did you rent this? You didn’t even take the tag off. You really don’t have to go this far…” Julian’s expression turned even more vicious. He pulled Serena into his arms, kissing her hair. “Serena, you’re too good for this world. Why are you even wasting your breath on a pathological liar like her?” Serena squeezed Julian’s shirt, playing the worried friend. “Julian, I’m sure Maya didn’t mean any harm. It’s just a girl’s vanity. She just needs someone to guide her.” My cheeks burned with humiliation. I clenched my fists and explained, “My fiancé bought it for me yesterday. I just forgot to cut the tag…” “Save it. If you lie enough, you start believing your own BS.” Julian chin-gestured toward me. “If you actually have a fiancé, Maya, call him out here. Let us see him.” His friends immediately chimed in. “Yeah, let’s see this imaginary billionaire!” “Show us the guy who can afford designer clothes and The Grand Pierre!” “Isn’t today your wedding day? Where is the groom?” We were standing right at the entrance of City Hall, and a crowd of strangers was starting to gather, whispering and staring at us. Brad, whom I had pushed away earlier, pointed at me and yelled to the crowd: “Hey everyone, look at this girl! She tried to ruin someone else’s relationship, got caught, and now she’s pretending she’s getting married today!” “Let’s see if her imaginary groom actually exists!” People stopped to point and whisper. Some even pulled out their phones to record me. The autumn wind felt freezing. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to shrink away. Serena shivered slightly. Julian immediately took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. He glared at me. “Maya, call your fake husband already. If Serena catches a cold because of your little stunt, you’re going to pay for it!” I lowered my head. I felt frozen from the inside out. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure when my fiancé would arrive. We had only met once. As the minutes ticked by and nobody appeared, the crowd around us grew larger. Phone cameras were practically shoved in my face. I kept backing up, trying to escape the lenses, until I bumped into a solid chest. “I’m sorry, I—” Before I could finish, a pair of strong, warm hands rested on my shoulders. “I should be the one apologizing.” “I’m sorry, Maya. The traffic was awful. I’m late.”

The voice was deep, smooth, and right at my ear. My heart leaped into my throat. I was almost too afraid to turn around. But the man behind me, sensing my tension, gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He took two steps forward, completely shielding me from the crowd. “Everyone, today is my wedding day with my beautiful bride. Please, have some chocolate.” As soon as he spoke, his assistant stepped forward from a sleek black SUV, carrying a large basket of expensive, artisanal chocolates to hand out. “Wow, this packaging is gorgeous. These must be expensive!” “The groom is so handsome, and the bride is stunning. They look perfect together!” “See? She wasn’t lying! They really are getting married. Who was the jerk calling her a homewrecker earlier?!” The crowd’s attitude flipped instantly. They turned around, looking for Brad. Seeing the tables turn, Brad tried to sneak away, which only made him look guiltier. “It was him! He tried to ruin this lovely couple’s big day!” The handsome groom standing in front of me, Ethan Carter, gave his assistant a slight nod. The assistant understood immediately, heading off to deal with Brad. Someone in the crowd gasped. “Wait, he looks so familiar… isn’t he…?” “Oh my god! He’s Ethan Carter! The CEO of Carter Enterprises! He was on the cover of Forbes last month!” My jaw dropped. I had met Ethan through a blind date arranged by our families. We had only met once. Both of us agreed we wanted to settle down, so we casually agreed to get married. I had no idea he was that Ethan Carter. The onlookers quickly deleted their videos and offered us warm smiles and congratulations. “Happy wedding day! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness!” Once the crowd dispersed, Ethan turned and gently took my hand. “Shall we go in, Maya? Let’s get our license.” I followed him like a robot, my brain completely blank. I couldn’t help but glance back one last time. Julian was frozen on the sidewalk. His face was a mix of confusion and pure, boiling rage. I didn’t understand. What did he have to be angry about?

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On the day Grandma Maeve passed away, my divorced parents, who had both remarried, stood over her coffin arguing about who would be stuck with me. In my past life, I felt sorry for my dad, Richard. I chose to stay with him, hoping to ease his loneliness. I even helped him pick the numbers for a lottery ticket that ended up winning a ten-million-dollar jackpot. But the moment he struck it rich, he bought mansions and luxury cars for my stepmother and step-siblings. Meanwhile, he refused to spend even a few hundred dollars on painkillers for me. In the end, I was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor, and I died a slow, agonizing death in my cold bed. Reborn into this life, my dad was frowning and sighing as usual. “Hazel, your mother married a wealthy businessman. If you go with her, you’ll live like a princess.” “My house is already too crowded. There’s just no room for you here.” My mother, Eleanor, was casually looking at her freshly manicured nails. Her voice was icy. “Richard, that’s not fair. Kids make a house lively.” “Besides, the rules in my new home are strict. My husband’s ex-wife left behind twins, and they are not easy to get along with.” “If Hazel comes with me, she’ll be eaten alive.” Hearing them push me back and forth like unwanted trash, I felt absolutely nothing. When they finally turned to me, annoyed, and demanded to know who I wanted to live with. I silently picked up my battered duffel bag and walked over to my mother. Eleanor’s face fell instantly. My dad let out a massive sigh of relief, a smug grin creeping up his face. But he had no idea. Without me there to stop it in this life, that multi-million-dollar lottery ticket would be left in his jeans pocket, thrown into the washing machine by his new wife, and shredded into useless mush. Having a second chance at life, I didn’t care about the money. I just wanted to be comfortable before my time ran out.

My dad shoved the rest of my things into my arms. He kept staring at his phone, checking the lottery drawing date, and waved me off dismissively. “Don’t call me unless it’s an emergency. I’ve got a busy household to run.” His mind was completely consumed by that lottery ticket. He couldn’t wait to throw his useless daughter away. I didn’t say a word. I just dragged my bag toward the Maybach parked at the curb. Eleanor looked at my pilled, oversized sweater, her brow furrowing with disgust. The back window rolled down, and Arthur’s daughter, Chloe, pinched her nose in exaggerated disgust. “Eleanor, is this the charity case daughter you brought from the countryside?” “Why does she smell like sour trash?” From the passenger seat, her brother, Ethan, turned his head and gave me a cold, indifferent look. He didn’t say anything, but the disdain in his eyes was loud and clear. My mother looked embarrassed, standing awkwardly outside the car door. She wanted to suggest buying me some new clothes, but she was too terrified of upsetting her new family. Arthur Sterling, my stepfather, saw her embarrassment. He closed the business document in his hands. “Let’s stop by the mall first. Get the girl some decent clothes.” I lowered my eyes and nodded quietly. Following them into the high-end department store, the bright, sparkling lights hurt my eyes. Arthur asked the personal shopper to bring out several pieces from the new seasonal collection. My mother pulled me behind a clothing rack, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper. “Pick the cheapest ones. Don’t look like a greedy beggar.” “Arthur is rich, but that money has nothing to do with you.” “Learn your place. Don’t make things difficult for me.” I watched her perfectly painted lips move, feeling completely detached. It had been a very long time since she had shown this much concern for me. Too bad this “concern” had nothing to do with love. I turned around and randomly pointed at a rack of clothes. Chloe strutted over. Seeing me look at a simple white dress, she immediately snatched it away, giving me a smug glare. “I want this one. You don’t deserve to wear something this nice.” Eleanor immediately put on a fake, flattering smile. “Of course! Chloe, it looks much better on you anyway. Hazel can pick something else.” Looking at my mother’s eager-to-please face, I silently stepped back. I just pointed at a basic t-shirt on the clearance rack. Arthur walked over and looked at the cheap t-shirt. He frowned slightly, then turned to the sales associate. “Take that white dress, along with the other new arrivals, and pack them in her size.” Chloe stomped her foot in anger. “Dad! Why are you buying her such expensive clothes?”

Arthur gave her a stern look. “Our family isn’t so poor that we can’t afford a few dresses. Don’t make us look cheap.” My mother quickly chimed in. “Yes, yes. Arthur is always so thoughtful.” She then turned and glared at me. “Well? Thank your Stepfather Arthur.” I took the shopping bags. “Thank you, Arthur.” Half an hour later, we entered the Sterling family estate. The grand winding staircase and massive crystal chandeliers were breathtaking. The luxury penthouse my dad had bought in my previous life seemed like a tiny shack compared to this palace. But none of this mattered to me. I carried my bags and quietly retreated to the bedroom my mother pointed out. The room was huge. The bed was incredibly soft. I lay down and closed my eyes. A dull, throbbing pain was already starting to echo in my head. At dinner, my mother was desperately trying to teach me table manners. “Hold your fork and knife like this. And don’t make disgusting noises when you eat your soup.” She was terrified I would embarrass her and ruin her status in this house. Chloe sat across from me, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She picked up a bowl of steaming hot soup and handed it to me. “Here. Have some soup.” Just as I reached out to take it. She intentionally let go too early. The scalding hot soup spilled directly over the back of my hand. Before I could even gasp, my mother was already shrieking. “How could you be so careless!” “Do you know how expensive that rug is?” “Go to the bathroom and clean yourself up, now!” She cared about the rug. She cared about her reputation. She didn’t care at all about my red, blistering skin. I wiped my hand with a napkin, stood up, and bowed slightly. “I’m sorry.” Arthur set down his utensils, his expression darkening. “Chloe. Apologize.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “It was an accident. She just didn’t catch it.” Arthur’s voice went cold. “I won’t say it again. Apologize.” Chloe muttered a half-hearted “sorry.” My mother quickly tried to play mediator. “Oh, they’re just kids playing around.” “Hazel has tough skin, she’s fine. Arthur, please don’t be mad at Chloe.” Arthur ignored my mother entirely. He slid a tube of burn ointment across the table to me. “Go put this on.” I took the medicine. “Thank you.” Back in my room, I sat on the edge of the bed, gently applying the cream. My phone rang. It was my dad. The background was loud with the sounds of a rowdy bar and glasses clinking. He took a drag of his cigarette, his voice dripping with arrogance. “Hazel! Your old man is about to be filthy rich!” “My lottery numbers are a guaranteed win!” “But since you chose to go with your mother, don’t think you can come back to beg for a single dime of my money.” “I have big plans for this cash.” “Just stay out of my way over there!” I rubbed the ointment over the blisters on my hand, my voice completely flat. “Okay. Hope you get rich.” I hung up. Suddenly, I heard soft footsteps outside. My mother was standing at the door. She pushed it open, looking at me with pure suspicion. “Don’t go calling your trashy father.” “Don’t bring his peasant energy into this house.” “It took me years to secure my place here.” “Behave yourself, and don’t drag me down with you.” I stared at her perfectly preserved face. “Okay. I will.” She seemed satisfied with my submissive attitude and shut the door. In the middle of the night, a migraine hit me like a sledgehammer. It felt like my skull was being split open. A cold sweat broke out all over my body. I pulled open my nightstand drawer. My bottle of painkillers was empty. Clutching the wall, I slowly made my way downstairs to find some medicine. The living room was pitch black. I walked toward the patio, only to find Arthur standing there, apparently suffering from insomnia too. He held a glass of red wine, staring out into the dark night. Hearing me, he turned around. Under the moonlight, he looked at my pale, lifeless eyes and spoke softly. “Chloe’s mother passed away when she was very young. That’s why she acts like a porcupine.”

“Don’t take it to heart.” He poured a glass of warm water, found a box of extra-strength painkillers from the first-aid kit, and handed them to me. I took them and swallowed two pills. “Thank you.” He studied my ghostly pale face. “When I was sick years ago, I couldn’t sleep at all.” “The doctors told me I had less than six months to live.” “Every night, the pain made me want to crash my head against the wall. Even breathing felt like torture.” “Everyone around me was just waiting for me to die so they could split my estate. No one thought I’d make it.” “But I refused to give up. I dragged myself through chemotherapy and surgeries.” “And look at me now. I’m still standing.” He turned back to look at the night sky. “No matter how cruel the world is to you, your life belongs to you. Don’t give up on it easily.” For the first time since my rebirth, I felt a flicker of genuine human warmth. I gripped the warm glass of water. “I understand.” Over the next few days, life was relatively quiet. Under Arthur’s warnings, Chloe stopped causing trouble for me openly. But she still hated my guts. Every time we passed each other in the hallway, she would deliberately bump my shoulder. Or at dinner, she would push the dishes she knew I disliked right in front of me. Ethan always watched from the sidelines, never participating, but never stopping her either. I didn’t care. One afternoon, I came back from a hospital checkup. The oncologist told me that the tumor was spreading much faster than expected. I had two months left. At most. I pushed open my bedroom door, only to find Chloe rifling through my duffel bag. Ethan was leaning against the doorframe, frowning as he watched her. “What are you looking for? Get out of there before Dad catches you.” Chloe was stubborn. “Mind your business.” “I just want to see what kind of trash she’s hiding in here.” She dumped the bag upside down. Several empty prescription pill bottles tumbled out. Along with them was a worn, faded photograph of my Grandma Maeve. Seeing me walk in, Chloe froze, clutching one of the empty pill bottles. The mocking words she was about to say died in her throat. “Why… why do you have so many of these heavy painkillers?” She stammered. I walked over, quietly took the photo of my grandmother from her hands. I carefully wiped her fingerprints off the photo with my sleeve. Then, I swept the empty pill bottles back into my drawer. “Are you done?” My voice was as faint as a whisper. “If you’re done, please zip my bag back up.” Ethan stared at the pill bottles, then at the photo of my grandmother. His eyes grew complicated. He stood up straight, grabbed Chloe’s arm, and pulled her back. In a stiff but sincere voice, he said, “I’m sorry. She shouldn’t have touched your things.” I stared at Grandma Maeve’s smiling face in the photo. “No need to apologize.” “Nothing lasts anyway.” Those words seemed to strike a chord in Ethan. He looked at my dead, hollow eyes, his expression shifting into something unreadable as he dragged Chloe out of the room. The room fell silent again. A moment later, my phone vibrated frantically. My dad had sent over a dozen texts on Snapchat. “That stupid bitch put my jeans in the washing machine! The lottery ticket is ruined!” “It’s all gone! Shredded into paper pulp!” “Did you know this would happen?! Why didn’t you warn me before you left?!” “We’re getting a divorce now!” “Pick up your phone! Get over here!” Looking at the angry texts, I could perfectly picture his veins popping on his forehead. In my past life, I had practically burned my hands trying to fish that ticket out of the washing machine to save him. And what did I get? He abandoned me the moment he got the cash. I coldly typed back a few words: “I didn’t know.” Then I blocked him, silenced my phone, and threw it onto the bed. My head throbbed violently again. I popped two of my new painkillers and swallowed them dry. That evening, I went for a walk along the tree-lined path outside the estate. The fresh air helped ease my headaches a bit. Just as I turned a corner, a shadow blocked my path. It was my dad.

His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was a wild mess, and he reeked of cheap whiskey. He grabbed my arm in a death grip. “The ticket is gone! My life is ruined! Everything is gone!” He glared at me, spitting saliva onto my face as he yelled. “I remember you saying you were sick in your past life, right?” “You still have that illness now, don’t you? Go tell your rich stepfather!” “He has millions! Get some money out of him for me!” “If you don’t, I will stalk you every single day!” “Nobody is going to live in peace!” I winced, trying to shake off his grip. “Let go of me.” Furious, my dad raised his hand, about to slap me. “You ungrateful little brat! How dare you speak to me like that!” But before his hand could fall, someone caught his wrist mid-air. Arthur appeared behind us. He shoved my dad’s hand away with immense force, shielding me behind his broad shoulders. Ethan stepped up from behind, pushing my dad back. “Get the hell away from her.” My dad stumbled backward, nearly falling onto the gravel. Looking at Arthur and Ethan, his tough-guy act instantly vanished. He didn’t dare mess with Arthur Sterling, so he resorted to pointing and screaming at me. “You just wait! This isn’t over!” Arthur’s eyes were razor-sharp. “If I ever see your face near this property again, I will personally ensure you spend the rest of your life begging on the streets.” My dad shivered, shrunk back, and ran off into the dark, stumbling over his own feet. Arthur turned to look at me. For the first time, he took my hand. “Let’s go home.” Ethan glared coldly at the direction my father had fled. Only after confirming he wouldn’t dare return did he turn and follow us back. Back in the living room, Arthur was clearly displeased by the scene. His face was grim as he went straight up to his study to deal with work. Ethan dragged Chloe off to the home theater. Once Eleanor made sure they were out of earshot, she completely lost her mind. She felt that Arthur having to step in and handle her trashy ex-husband made her lose all dignity in this house. She rushed up to me, grabbing my collar, sobbing hysterically. “Why can’t you just be invisible?! Why do you have to ruin everything?!” “Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get a scrap of respect in this house?” “You got here, and now it’s all ruined!” “That pathetic excuse of a father of yours actually came here to beg!” “What if Arthur decides to throw me out because of this?!” “Why did you choose to come with me in the first place?” “Do you just hate seeing me happy?!” She got more and more frantic, her nails digging into her own palms. Finally, she went quiet. She pulled a credit card out of her purse and threw it onto the coffee table. “Take this money and get out.” “Go live in a dorm, rent an apartment, do whatever you want.” “Just don’t come back here.” I looked at the woman who had given birth to me, yet looked at me with such pure disgust. I had long since grown used to her selfishness and coldness. I forced a pale, faint smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t be an eyesore for much longer.” My mother frowned, taking a step back in disgust. “Are you playing the victim again?” “I say two words to you and you look like you’re about to die—” Before she could finish her sentence. I felt a sudden, uncontrollable warmth rush down my nose. A thick drop of crimson blood fell onto the pristine white rug, bright and terrifying. Arthur and the twins had just walked back into the living room, catching the scene. Chloe let out a sharp gasp, covering her mouth. My vision began to blur. That familiar, tearing pain roared in my skull. Under their horrified gazes, my knees gave out. And I collapsed onto the floor.

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On the night before our wedding, my fiancée’s bedroom photos with her first love went viral on social media. When I confronted her, she just shrugged it off with pure disdain. “It was just a bit of fun, Ethan. You can understand that, right?” “Besides, that was ages ago. You weren’t my husband back then.” Later, when the wedding photos of me and my gorgeous college crush went viral, she came to me, screaming and losing her mind. I simply flashed the wedding band on my ring finger. “What does it have to do with you? You’re not my wife anyway.” Chloe’s intimate photos were spreading like wildfire on everyone’s Snapchat Stories. In the photo, she was fast asleep on a king-sized bed, wearing a sexy lace nightgown, her cheeks still flushed with a post-intimacy glow. My group chat with my friends exploded, and everyone was tagging me. “Ethan, bro, is that your fiancée?!” The second I saw the messages, I called her to demand an explanation. But to my surprise, her voice on the phone was completely indifferent. “Who I hang out with is none of your business, Ethan. We’re not married yet, so stop trying to control me.” “Besides, I agreed to marry you, but I never said I loved you.” Before I could even reply, she hung up on me. A few minutes later, Mason sent me another photo. This time, it was a selfie of Chloe and a man. The man had his arm wrapped tightly around Chloe’s waist, a smug, triumphant grin plastered across his face. I recognized him. It was Jax, Chloe’s first love from college. I slowly slipped off my engagement ring and sent Chloe a text. “The wedding is off. Have fun playing your games.” Putting my phone down, a wave of bitterness washed over me. Chloe and I were childhood sweethearts. We practically grew up together. Our families were close business partners, and they had arranged our marriage long ago. I really thought we loved each other, and that we were a perfect match. I thought it was a dream come true. But I had ignored how fast she went through boyfriends during our college years—it was faster than she changed her clothes. At first, I told myself she was just young, wanted to have fun, and wasn’t ready to be tied down by marriage. Because I loved her, I tolerated it over and over again. But now, a sudden thought popped into my head. Why should I? What did she actually take me for? Not long after I sent the text, Chloe called me on FaceTime. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and annoyance. “Are you seriously throwing a tantrum right now, Ethan? Calling off the wedding? Please. Do you think your parents would ever agree to that?” The anger that had been building up in my chest finally erupted at her condescending tone. “My words represent my parents. Don’t ever contact me again.” Chloe paused, seemingly shocked and confused. “Are you insane?! When I was with my exes before, didn’t you even buy us dinner? Why are you acting up now?” Before I could speak, Jax’s mocking laughter came through the speaker. “Oh, is your fiancé jealous? Tell him we’re just playing house. You’re going to marry him anyway, so tell him not to be such a loser.” Jax continued to tease her in the background. “Babe, aren’t you going to comfort him? He sounds like he’s actually crying.” The sound of his voice disgusted me. I was just about to hang up. Then I heard Chloe’s cold voice. “There’s no need to comfort him. He always acts like this. Just ignore him.” She sounded so sure of herself, as if she knew I would always crawl back to her. Then, she said in a sweet, pampering voice, “Babe, didn’t you say you’ve never flown first class? I’ll buy you the most expensive ticket for our flight back tomorrow!”

After walking out of the house, I wandered aimlessly down the streets. I bought a six-pack of beer and sat by the harbor, watching the sunset. My phone kept buzzing with new messages. My friends had found out about Chloe, and they were all sending messages of support. “Ethan, where you at, man? Want us to come over and grab a drink?” “Don’t sweat it, bro. I did some digging. That Jax guy is just a broke gold-digger…” … I didn’t reply to any of them. But every time I saw Chloe’s name, my chest tightened. Fortunately, the cool breeze blowing off the water gradually calmed my racing mind. I didn’t know how much I had drank, but the sky had turned pitch black, and the harbor lights were starting to flicker on. “Fuck!” I cursed out loud, throwing the empty beer can into the water. “You absolute bitch!” I screamed into the empty air, throwing one can after another into the water. Yet, the suffocating weight in my chest didn’t lighten at all. “Hey! You over there! No littering in the water!” A park ranger with a flashlight came marching toward me. I quickly jumped up and bolted. Normally, I would have lost her in seconds. But with the alcohol sloshing in my system, my feet were heavy, and she ended up chasing me for ten whole minutes. By the time I finally shook her off, I collapsed onto a curb, panting heavily. I lifted the warm, half-empty beer can that had been shaking in my hand, ready to take a gulp. Suddenly, a shadow blocked the streetlight. A voice like silver bells echoed in my ears. I looked up. Under the dim golden light, a woman was standing right in front of me. Our eyes met. Her eyes seemed to hold a soft, swirling ocean, making it impossible for me to look away. It was Sienna. Our college campus queen. What was she doing here? The harbor lights outlined her flawless face. Her long hair danced in the wind, carrying a faint, sweet scent of gardenias. Her nose twitched slightly, and she smiled softly. “Have you been drinking?” I cleared my throat, threw the beer can on the ground, and quickly crushed it with my shoe. “No. Just… collecting cans for fun.” She watched me quietly, then raised an eyebrow with a playful smirk. “Right. I was going to say—the great Ethan, heir to the Miller Group, couldn’t possibly be running away from a park ranger for littering.” Uh… I kept quiet. The silence between us felt like a lifetime. “Oh? Is your face red? What’s wrong? Did the breakup hit you that hard? Guess you’re not as tough as you look.” Sienna reached out, her slender, fair fingers gently pinching my cheek. A subtle smile played in her eyes. Maybe it was the alcohol talking. Or maybe it was just a crazy impulse. I grabbed her wrist, looking straight into her eyes. “Sienna… do you want to come back to my place for a drink?” “My dog Tommy can do backflips.” The second the words left my mouth, I saw a flash of shock in Sienna’s eyes. Honestly, between consenting adults, an invitation like that was pretty obvious. And I instantly regretted my impulsiveness. She was the ultimate goddess of our entire social circle, every guy’s dream girl. There was no way she would agree to such a ridiculous, forward request. I must have been out of my mind to say that. Just as I was about to apologize, she bit her lower lip slightly and whispered, “Okay.”

The next morning, I was woken up by my phone blaring. I looked down and realized Sienna was lying right next to me, her hand resting softly on my chest. What happened last night? I held my pounding, hungover head and tried to piece together my memories. But no matter how hard I tried, I could only recall fragments. I only remembered bringing her home, pinning her against the door, and holding her tightly. She had asked me, “Aren’t we supposed to have a drink first?” And I think I replied, “You are my drink. Let me take a sip first.” After that, everything was a blur. The phone was still ringing. I squinted and pressed answer. Chloe’s demanding voice immediately blasted through the receiver. “Pick me up in thirty minutes. I want to go shopping.” I instantly woke up. I glanced at Sienna next to me and lowered my voice. “What does your shopping have to do with me? Stop calling and annoying me!” As I spoke, Sienna stirred, letting out a soft, sleepy whimper, seemingly annoyed by the noise. Even though it was just a quick, quiet sound, Chloe caught it. Her voice instantly went up an octave. “Ethan! Where are you?! Is there a woman with you?!” “None of your business!” I snapped, hung up the phone, and turned it completely off. Then, I pulled Sienna back into my arms and happily went back to sleep. I didn’t wake up again until noon. When I opened my eyes, the space beside me was empty. I sat up, shaking my head. Thinking back to last night, it felt like a dream. Only the slight ache in my lower back reminded me that it was very, very real. Walking out of the bedroom, I saw Sienna sitting in the living room. She was wearing one of my oversized white t-shirts, showcasing her long, gorgeous legs. My brain short-circuited, and I blurted out, “Did you bring your ID?” She turned to look at me, a hint of confusion on her face. I walked over, leaning down to wrap my arms around her waist, breathing in the scent of her hair. Sienna’s eyes widened slightly, her beautiful, clear gaze shimmering. I whispered in her ear, “I’m taking you to City Hall to sign some papers. The kind that lets you drink at my house for the rest of your life.” At this moment, I was completely sober. I could hear my own heartbeat. It was louder and faster than ever before. An hour later. I walked out of City Hall, holding Sienna’s hand in one of mine, and our official marriage certificate in the other. “It’s official. You’re legally mine.” Sienna looked at me and smiled beautifully. “Getting swept off my feet like this feels a little too easy. What about our wedding?” I couldn’t help but laugh, pulling her head gently against my chest. “Don’t worry. I’ll give you the wedding of your dreams.”

Over the next few days, Sienna and I were busy picking out wedding rings, trying on dresses, and discussing details with the wedding planner. We watched the sunrise and sunset together. We talked about everything under the stars. The connection between us was so natural. We even discovered we both wanted a rustic wedding in the valleys of Montana. Without any hesitation, we started planning the venue setup. Every day, she would sketch ideas on paper, and a perfect wedding scene began to take shape under her pen. But one afternoon, I received an unexpected phone call. “Is this Mr. Miller? Your custom tuxedo has arrived at the store. When would you like to come in for a fitting?” I was confused. “Tuxedo? What tuxedo?” Sienna and I were planning on getting custom suits, but we hadn’t placed any orders yet. The person on the line paused before explaining, “Miss Davis ordered it for you a few days ago and left your number.” I glanced at Sienna, covered the microphone, and walked out to the balcony. I got straight to the point. “I don’t know anything about this. Contact Miss Davis directly. Please don’t call this number again. Thank you.” After hanging up, I frowned. What was Chloe playing at? Since when did I ask her to get me a tuxedo? Right on cue, Chloe’s call came through. “Ethan! What are you doing? Why haven’t you called me in days?” Her voice quickly turned impatient and bossy. “I ordered a tuxedo for you. Make sure you pick it up. We’re having dinner with my parents this weekend to talk about the wedding date.” “And don’t you dare show up with that miserable face of yours!” I found it almost laughable. “Miss Davis, I’m already married. I’ll inform my parents about it. I don’t want the tuxedo, and please stop calling me. I don’t want my wife to get the wrong idea.” Chloe went dead silent. A second later, a screeching scream erupted from the phone. “Ah!!! Are you out of your mind, Ethan?! Where the hell did you get a wife?!” “I know you’re mad about me and Jax, but I was just having some fun with him! Otherwise, how else am I supposed to enjoy my freedom before getting married?” I could practically picture her face twisting in rage on the other end. “Can’t you just be understanding for once?!” I let out a cold chuckle and didn’t bother to reply. She had been spoiled since childhood. Her family’s pampering—and my unconditional love—had made her think she could do whatever she wanted without consequences. She never cared about anyone else’s feelings. She thought the entire world revolved around her. The ultimate spoiled princess. “I’m giving you one last chance. Get over here right now and apologize, or else—” Before she could finish, I hung up. Sienna walked over, teasing me playfully, “Ooh, was that your fiancée?” I smiled bitterly, pulling her into my arms by her waist. “Fiancée? No way. That was just Chloe. You know, the whole family-arranged engagement thing.” “But don’t worry, I’ll explain everything to my parents. I’m bringing you home to meet them this weekend.” Sienna nodded thoughtfully, but a clever smile quickly played on her lips. She said confidently, “Trust me, your parents will be much happier with me.”

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### To save up for our wedding and the down payment on our future house, I started driving for Uber after my day job. I kept it a secret from my boyfriend, wanting to surprise him. But when I picked up my last passengers tonight, I froze. In the rearview mirror, my boyfriend of five years was getting into the backseat, his arm wrapped tightly around a young girl. He looked up, met my eyes, and instantly stiffened. He couldn’t say a single word. The destination for this ride was a luxury hotel downtown. Yet, just an hour ago, he had sent me a Snapchat saying he had to work overtime tonight and would be sleeping in the company dorms. As I started the engine, the girl suddenly leaned forward. Her voice was bubbling with a happiness she couldn’t hide. “Hi, driver. Could you please drive a bit more smoothly? I’m pregnant. Thank you so much!” I nodded numbly, my mind going completely blank. I stared at him through the rearview mirror for a long time. He kept his head lowered, refusing to make eye contact or say a word. The girl nudged him. “Babe, do you know her?” “No,” I answered before he could. In the rearview mirror, I saw him let out a visible sigh of relief, though he still didn’t dare to look up. I was already regretting taking this ride. The girl looked very young. Her hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and her makeup-free face had that natural glow unique to pregnant women. She leaned against him, her hand resting naturally on his thigh. The GPS instructed me to take a right turn ahead, and I flicked on the blinker. The silence in the car was suffocating. The girl, probably feeling bored, started scrolling through her phone’s camera roll, occasionally holding it up to show him. “Look, babe. This is the ultrasound I took last week. The doctor said we can already hear the heartbeat.” He muttered a weak “Yeah.” I kept my eyes on him through the mirror. He kept his head down, trying his best to shrink into the seat. Five years of love and devotion suddenly felt so cheap, completely outweighed by the unborn life in the backseat. “How long have you two been married?” The words left my mouth before I could stop myself. The girl blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly. “We just got married at City Hall last month. No big ceremony yet, just a small dinner with family.” She sighed, a hint of regret in her voice. “My husband is always so busy with work. We’ve been long-distance—he works here in the city, and I lived back in our hometown upstate. He finally got some time off, so I rushed over to visit him.” Long-distance. My throat tightened. His hometown was a four-hour drive away. Over the past few months, he had told me countless times that he had to go back home to handle family emergencies. I had never once doubted him. “Driver, your ring is really pretty,” the girl suddenly said, leaning closer and pointing at my left hand. I looked down at the small diamond ring on my ring finger. He had proposed to me with it last Valentine’s Day. I used to be too afraid to wear it, worried I’d scratch it. But he had insisted, saying a wedding ring was meant to be worn every day. That was when I started wearing it constantly. He had bought this ring with his very first project bonus. He told me that although it wasn’t big, he would definitely upgrade it to a massive one once he saved enough money. My mom had insisted on a solid financial foundation—a decent wedding budget and a down payment on a house. She said it was about his attitude and security for my future. To relieve the pressure on him, I drove Uber late into the night and took on freelance video editing gigs on weekends. I managed to save an extra seven hundred dollars every month. We had planned to get married at the end of this year. “It looks so much like mine,” she said, waving her left hand. “See? It’s the same simple design. My husband picked it. He said classics never go out of style.” In the rearview mirror, his head sank even lower. “What a coincidence,” I replied. “You’re already wearing the ring,” she said with a smile. “When is the big day?” I paused for a second, then spoke clearly. “We broke up.” “I just forgot to take the ring off.” ###

The girl’s smile froze on her face. She looked at me, then at herself in the mirror, probably imagining some tragic love story. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know…” “It’s fine.” She leaned back into her seat. After a few seconds of silence, she couldn’t help but whisper, “It’s okay. You’ll find someone better. My older sister was with someone for years before they broke up. Now she’s married to an amazing guy.” I nodded. The man in the backseat remained silent, not uttering a single word from beginning to end. Finally, the car pulled up in front of the most luxurious hotel downtown. The neon sign flashed brightly in the night. Once the car stopped, the girl got out and wrapped her arm around his. Together, they walked into the hotel lobby. She looked up to talk to him, and he nodded, never once turning back to look at my car. I sat in my car for a long time. I turned off the AC and rolled down the window. The cool night breeze rushed in, making my eyes sting. The security guard walked over and tapped on my window, telling me I couldn’t park here for long. I told him I was leaving right away. I started the engine, but I had no idea where to drive. I looked down at the ring on my finger. They got married last month. Which meant, while I was driving Uber to save money, while I was staying up late editing videos to make extra cash, and while my heart was bursting with anticipation for our wedding at the end of the year… he had already signed the papers with someone else. He was already another woman’s husband. He was already going to be a father. And I was still working myself to the bone to ease his financial burden. I pulled over to the curb, pulled out my phone, and opened our Snapchat chat. The last message was from him at 6:23 PM: *Working late tonight. It’s going to be too late, so I’ll just crash in the company dorms. Go to bed early, babe.* I typed a few words, deleted them, typed again, and deleted them again. In the end, I only sent three words: *Let’s break up.* Sent. I slipped the ring off my finger and placed it on the center console. The top of the screen immediately showed “Ethan is typing…” I waited for a long time. The status kept flickering, but no message ever came through. I put the car in drive, ready to leave. Just as I shifted gears, a familiar figure appeared in my rearview mirror. He was running toward my car from the hotel lobby, panting heavily as he slapped his hand against my window. “Open the door! Let me explain!” His forehead was drenched in sweat, and his hair was a messy nest from the wind. I had never seen him look so pathetic. “Open the door!” he pleaded, tapping again. I unlocked the passenger side. He pulled the door open and climbed in, breathing heavily. The scent of the hotel lobby’s expensive cologne clung to him. “How did you…” “We’re done,” I cut him off. “You saw the message, right?” He froze, his lips trembling. It took him forever to say, “It’s not what you think.” “Then what is it?” “I…” He wiped his face in frustration. “She was just an accident.” ###

I looked at him, waiting to see what kind of lie he would spin next. “A few months ago, I went back to my hometown. I got too drunk… and I mistook her for you,” he explained frantically, his words spilling out of him. “It was just that one time. Who knew she would get pregnant? Her parents showed up at my family’s house, threatening to make a scene at my office if I didn’t take responsibility. I had no choice, Chloe. I really had no choice.” I stared at him. A few months ago. He did go back to his hometown, claiming his mother was sick. During that time, he kept saying how busy he was at work. He rarely came home, and whenever I called, he would hang up after just a few hurried words. “You got married last month.” “You went back home to get married, and then you told me you were traveling for a business trip.” He fell silent. “Did your parents know?” He nodded slowly. “So your entire family kept this from me.” “It wasn’t like that. I just… I didn’t know how to tell you.” He grabbed my hand. His palm was slick with cold sweat. “I really love you, Chloe. Can’t you feel it after five years? She was just a mistake. Once the baby is born, we’ll get a divorce. Just wait for me, okay?” I looked at him, feeling a chill run down my spine. “You want me to wait for you?” “Just one year. Two years at most. Once she gives birth, we’ll get divorced.” “And then?” “And then we’ll get married!” he said eagerly. “We’ll have the wedding exactly as planned. I’ll pay for everything, and we’ll get the house. We have five years of history, Chloe. Can you really throw all of that away?” I yanked my hand out of his grip. “On the day of your wedding, I was out driving Uber to save up for our future.” He froze. “I drove for three to four hours every single night. I took on freelance editing gigs on weekends just to save an extra few hundred dollars. I thought you were working hard, sleeping in a cramped company dorm, but you were actually cuddling with your pregnant wife.” “Chloe…” “And now you’re asking me to wait? To wait for your divorce, wait for you to sort out your child, and then come back to marry me?” I didn’t wait for his answer. I reached over and pushed open the passenger door. “Get out.” “Chloe, let me finish.” “Finish what? Tell me more about when you got married? How you managed to lie to my face? Or how your parents helped you cover it up?” I looked at him, my voice deadly calm. “Actually, you reminded me of something. Your parents knew. So from the very beginning, your family never saw me as one of their own.” “Chloe, my mom really likes you.” “Likes me? Is that why she let you get married behind my back? Is that why she expects me to be your secret little option on the side?” He had no answer. “Get out.” “Chloe…” “Get out!” He sat there, stubborn and unmoving. I got out of the car, walked around to the passenger side, and yanked the door wide open. “Get out of my car!” Only then did he slide out, standing by the curb, looking at me helplessly. “Chloe, we’ve been together for five years. Our parents have met. How can you be so heartless to just end it like this?” ###

I didn’t answer. I got back in, slammed the door shut, and started the engine. He tapped frantically on the glass from the outside, his mouth moving, but I couldn’t hear a word over the engine’s roar. In the rearview mirror, he chased the car for a few steps before being swallowed by the darkness of the night. When I got back to my apartment, I stood at the door for a long time, unable to bring myself to go in. A sliver of warm light peeked through the crack under the door—the living room light I had forgotten to turn off before leaving. I pushed the door open. His slippers were sitting in the entryway. Black ones, bought on a “buy one, get one free” sale. Mine were pink. His suit, which he had picked up from the dry cleaners last week, was hanging on the coat rack. He had told me he needed it for an important meeting tomorrow. On the coffee table sat his half-finished can of soda, right next to his gaming controller. His favorite grey blanket was draped over the sofa. He always said it was the coziest thing to wrap himself in while watching TV. On the nightstand in the bedroom lay his pack of cigarettes, his lighter, and a mystery novel he was halfway through. His presence was everywhere. I sat on the sofa, staring at the floor lamp. He had picked out that lampshade, saying the warm yellow glow made the place feel like a real home. My phone buzzed. It was a Snapchat from him: *She’s leaving tomorrow. Once she’s gone, I’ll come over so we can talk this through.* I stared at it for a long time. Then, I clicked on his profile and hit block. The chat history vanished. Five years of “good morning” and “good night,” five years of “I love you” and “I miss you,” five years of daily banter—all gone in an instant. I began to pack. His clothes, his books, his video games, his skincare products, his toothbrush, his towels. I shoved everything into two large suitcases. By the time I was finished, it was 3:00 AM, and the apartment felt half-empty. The floor lamp was still glowing. Staring at the pattern on the lampshade, I remembered the day we went to the home decor store. He had told me that when we finally bought our own house, he would put tons of lamps in the living room so we could adjust the brightness at night. I had smiled and said yes, because I loved warm light. I stood up and switched the lamp off. The room plunged into darkness, lit only by the faint glow of the streetlights filtering through the window. The next day at noon, a loud pounding on the door woke me up. I didn’t even know what time I had finally fallen asleep. My phone had died and shut down overnight. The pounding started again, louder and more urgent this time. I looked through the peephole. It was him. He was holding a bouquet of red roses wrapped in cheap, tacky paper. I decided to ignore him and turned to walk back to the bedroom, but the knocking only grew louder. “Chloe, I know you’re in there. Open the door!” “If you don’t open up, I’m not leaving!” I stood behind the door, refusing to move. “Mom, you talk to her,” his voice called out. I froze. I cracked the door open slightly. He was standing there, but right next to him was his mother. His father stood a few paces behind them. I had met his mother many times. Whenever I visited them during the holidays, she was always polite. She would give me cards with cash and tell me we should get married early so she could help take care of the kids while she was still young. When my parents came to the city, our families had dinner together. His mother had held my mom’s hand, promising, “Don’t you worry, Sarah. Once Chloe marries into our family, I’ll treat her like my own daughter.” “Chloe, dear, open the door. Let’s have a chat,” his mother said. I opened the door fully. His mother walked in, scanning the living room. When her eyes landed on the suitcases piled near the sofa, her lips thinned. “Oh, come on. Is all of this really necessary? Why make such a big scene?” Ethan held out the flowers. “These are for you.” I didn’t take them. His father stood by the doorway, refusing to step inside, his face completely expressionless. His mother sat down on the sofa, patting the spot next to her. “Come, Chloe, sit down. Let’s talk.” I stood my ground. “Why are you just standing there? Come, sit.” “If you have something to say, say it.” His mother’s smile faltered. She glanced at Ethan, then back at me. “Chloe, look. We know our family is in the wrong here. We should have told you sooner. But think about it—how could we possibly bring this up? The girl was pregnant, and her family came banging on our door. We couldn’t just ignore it, could we?” I remained silent, listening to her excuses. “And besides,” his mother paused, “you can’t put all the blame on him. Think about it. You two have been together for so many years, but your mother’s financial demands for the house and the wedding… weren’t they a bit too high?”

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At our wedding rehearsal dinner, the moment I walked into the banquet hall, I saw my grandma, who suffers from dementia, crawling on the floor like a dog. Hailey Brooks, Ethan Vance’s student intern, was tossing candies onto the floor, laughing as she shouted at her. “Crawl around the table once and bark twice, and I’ll give you a treat.” “No hands allowed. You have to pick it up with your teeth.” My grandma’s knees were shaking violently from the pain, but she still obeyed. She lay flat on the floor, picking up a candy with her mouth like a dog, which made Hailey burst into hysterical laughter. It wasn’t until she saw me that she frantically started picking up the candies from the floor with her hands. She forgot she could even stand up. She just crawled to me on her knees and held out her hands like she was showing off a treasure. “Coco…” “Eat the candy. It’s sweet!” Trembling with rage, I rushed forward and slapped Hailey hard across the face. Ethan instantly pulled her behind him, frowning as he snapped at me. “Hailey is studying physical rehab. She was just helping your grandma with behavioral response training.” “Besides, your grandma doesn’t remember anything anyway. She’ll forget it in a few minutes.” “Do you really have to throw a tantrum at our rehearsal dinner and embarrass everyone?” My grandma didn’t understand what was happening. She just nudged the candy closer to my lips, repeating in a pleading voice: “Eat, Coco.” “Eat it, and don’t cry.” She had already forgotten why she was kneeling on the floor, but she still remembered that when I was a little girl, a single candy could stop my tears. I swallowed the dust-covered candy, choosing not to argue with Ethan anymore. Instead, as I helped my grandma out of the hall, I pulled out my phone and texted our wedding planner. [Cancel the wedding in three days. Keep the deposit.]

The planner replied almost instantly, asking if I had sent the message to the wrong person. I looked back. Ethan was still leaning down to comfort Hailey, completely oblivious to the fact that I had already left. I replied calmly: [I didn’t send it to the wrong person.] This wedding, which I had spent a whole year planning. There was no longer any point in going through with it. When we got home, it took me a long time to soothe my grandma before she finally fell asleep. At eleven that night, Ethan came back. He placed a tube of ointment on the nightstand and wrapped his arms around me from behind. “Your grandma’s knees only have some scrapes. The ointment will clear it up in a few days.” “Hailey went a bit too far today.” “I’ve already lectured her. And I won’t hold it against you that you slapped her.” Ethan stroked my back gently, just like he used to. Every time we fought, he would coax me this way. When Hailey was giving me an IV and “accidentally” missed my vein over a dozen times, he held me just like this and explained it away. On my birthday, Hailey lied about being suicidal over a breakup and kept Ethan away for the entire night. When he came back, he just held me and whispered that there wouldn’t be a next time. But after every “next time,” there was always another. Ethan probably thought that as long as he bowed his head and said a few sweet words, I would eventually forgive him, no matter how angry I was. He kissed my forehead, just like he always did. “Alright, let’s put this behind us.” “I know you won’t hold a grudge against an immature young girl.” He waited for me to hug him back like I used to. But I just lowered my eyes and said calmly, “Okay.” Ethan let out a visible sigh of relief. Before he could say anything else, his phone suddenly rang. Hailey’s crying voice came through the speaker. “Professor Vance, my mom suddenly got dizzy, and I don’t know what to do.” Ethan immediately let go of me. “Don’t cry.” “Take her to the hospital first. I’m on my way.”

Once the phone hung up, he grabbed the coat he had just taken off. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to turn back and remind me: “Get some sleep.” “It won’t look good if you have dark circles under your eyes on our wedding day.” I didn’t remind him. The wedding in three days had already been cancelled by me. Less than half an hour after Ethan left, my grandma started shivering violently in her sleep. I quickly dressed her and carried her downstairs on my back. She was so thin, nothing but skin and bones. Yet, carrying her on my back made me sweat profusely. At the hospital, I lined up alone to register, pay, and get the lab slips. By the time I got the test results, my back was completely soaked with sweat. The nurse, however, told me: “The Chief of Neurology’s schedule is completely full today.” “You can only wait in the general urgent care lobby. There are twenty-something people ahead of you.” I pleaded in a low voice, “She’s suddenly very confused and shivering. Could you please ask the specialist to just take a quick look?” The nurse shook her head helplessly. Just then, a familiar voice came from behind me. “Please add a priority slot for Dr. Harrison.” Ethan walked over with Hailey and her mother. He spoke politely to the nurse. “This is my student’s mother.” “I’ve already cleared it with Dr. Harrison. Just let her go straight in.” The nurse immediately opened the clinic door for them. Standing there, I suddenly remembered the year my grandma was first diagnosed with dementia. Back then, I couldn’t get a specialist appointment for days, so I called Ethan for help. Even though he was very close with that specialist, he refused to help me. “Just because you’re my girlfriend, I need to avoid any conflict of interest.” “The hospital has rules.” “If everyone uses personal connections to skip the line, what about the ordinary patients?” Though disappointed, I had felt proud of his integrity. Later, I arrived at the hospital at 4:00 AM to queue up, waiting for two whole days before finally getting that appointment for my grandma. But now I understood. His so-called principles were never unbreakable. I just wasn’t worth making an exception for. Hailey spotted me. Holding her mother’s arm, she feigned a look of conflict. “Chloe, did you bring your grandma here too?” “Why don’t we give this slot to your grandma?” “My mom is just a little dizzy. It’s fine if we wait a bit.” Ethan, however, frowned. “Stop messing around.” “This is the first time your mom has had these symptoms. We must rule out any immediate danger.” Only then did he look at me, his tone still calm and dismissive. “Your grandma has had this disease for years. Waiting a little longer won’t make a difference.” “Just wait out here. Once Hailey’s mom is done, I’ll see if I can squeeze your grandma in.” I looked at him and suddenly smiled. “Okay.” Ethan’s expression softened slightly. “I’m glad you can prioritize what’s important.” It turned out that in his vocabulary, “important” never depended on who was sicker. It only depended on whether the person suffering was Hailey. He guided Hailey’s mother into the clinic. Hailey followed close beside him, casting a glance back at me. Her eyes were filled with triumph she couldn’t hide. The clinic door shut right in front of me. My grandma looked up dizzily. “Coco, let’s go home…” I squeezed her cold hand. “Grandma, just a little longer.” “We’re going to a new home soon.” Two weeks ago, my company had invited me to relocate to our UK branch to lead a new project. There happened to be a world-class care facility specializing in dementia patients near the office. I had been hesitant to leave my seven-year relationship with Ethan, so I hadn’t replied.

In this very moment, I opened my email and hit “Accept.” Then, I booked two one-way tickets to London for three days later. One for me. One for my grandma. We had seventy-two hours left before our departure. Three days from now was supposed to be the day I married him. Now, it would be the day he lost me forever. After spending half the day at the hospital, it was late at night by the time we got home. Just as I tucked my grandma in, she suddenly called out my name with complete clarity. “Chloe.” I froze. It had been a very long time since my grandma had looked at me with such lucid eyes. She looked down at the bandage on her knee, silent for a long time, before asking in a trembling voice: “Was today your rehearsal dinner?” “Did Grandma… crawl on the floor and act like a dog?” My nose stung instantly. “No.” “Grandma was just sick. You did nothing wrong.” But her eyes slowly welled with tears. “I remember.” “So many people were laughing. Someone was taking videos.” “You were wearing such a beautiful dress. You were supposed to be happy, but Grandma embarrassed you again.” She reached out to touch my face. Those hands were thin and rough, her joints heavily deformed from years of hard work. When I had a high fever as a child, it was those hands that carried me miles down a mountain road. When I couldn’t afford tuition, it was my grandma who woke up at dawn every day to sell vegetables, collecting crumpled dollar bills to pay for my school. Back then, she always said that as long as her Coco was doing well, any exhaustion was worth it. Now, she looked at her shaking hands and kept apologizing to me. “Grandma is old and senile.” “You have to take care of me, and you get laughed at because of me.” “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have fought with Ethan today.” “I shouldn’t have gone to the dinner.” I hugged her tightly. “It wasn’t because of you.” “Grandma, you are never a burden to me.” I told her that in three days, we were moving to London. There were better care centers there, and no one who knew us. My grandma listened for a long time, then finally nodded gently. “As long as my Coco doesn’t find me annoying.” I thought I had comforted her. But in the middle of the night, after finishing up some work, I pushed open her bedroom door only to find her lying quietly on the bed. She was wearing her cleanest clothes, and her gray hair was combed perfectly neat. A row of empty pill bottles sat on her nightstand. Her blood pressure pills, painkillers, and daily chronic disease medications—she had swallowed them all. She had even folded the empty blister packs neatly and put them in a plastic bag. It was as if she was terrified of making a mess of the room and causing me more trouble. Beside her, the tablet on her desk was playing the rehearsal dinner video on a loop. When Hailey posted the video on TikTok, she had proudly captioned it: [Some people act so high and mighty, but who knew her grandma would crawl like a dog for me? ~] In the video, my grandma was on all fours like a dog. In the comments section, some called her an old nuisance, while others mocked me, saying that marrying a girl with a grandma like this would surely bring shame to the groom’s family. She had watched that video seventeen times. My heart felt as if it were being violently carved out with a knife. On the table, a piece of paper was held down by a glass. The handwriting on it was shaky and uneven. [Coco, Grandma won’t embarrass you anymore.] [Go live a good life.] I rushed to the bedside, calling her name repeatedly. There was no response. Her body was already cold, but her hand was still tightly clutching that last piece of candy. It was as if, until her very last breath, she remembered to save it for me. When the paramedics arrived, the doctor took one look and shook his head with regret.

I knelt by the bed, crying my heart out, calling for my grandma over and over. But the old woman who, no matter how many times she forgot everything else, would always remember to save a candy for me, never opened her eyes again. Ethan had said she would forget the humiliation and mockery in a few minutes. But that night, my grandma didn’t wait for her next lapse of memory. She took all her medication, forever trapped in the most lucid, yet most painful night of her life. During the two days I spent handling her funeral arrangements, Ethan never showed up. From getting the death certificate, to contacting the crematorium, to picking out the urn—I did it all alone. Meanwhile, Hailey’s Instagram Stories never stopped. In her photos, she was wearing the wedding dress that was meant for me. Ethan was half-kneeling on the floor, adjusting her hemline. The caption read: [Chloe is throwing another tantrum and refused to come, so I had to help Professor Vance try on the dress. Gold star for his taste! This dress feels like it was custom-made for me.] Someone commented below: [If I didn’t know better, I’d think you two were the ones getting married tomorrow.] Hailey quickly replied: [Shh, don’t let the old lady see this, she gets jealous so easily.] While waiting to collect my grandma’s ashes at the crematorium, Ethan finally called. “Chloe, where are you?” “The bridal shop scheduled our final fitting today. Everyone is waiting for you.” I stared at the urn in the staff member’s hands and spoke softly: “My grandma passed away.” Silence fell over the other end of the line for a few seconds. I thought he would at least ask how she died. But when Ethan spoke again, his voice held nothing but impatience. “Chloe, I know you’re still mad about Hailey.” “But no matter how angry you are, you shouldn’t lie about your grandma’s death.” “She was perfectly fine two days ago. How could she suddenly pass away?” “Since when did you become so petty?” I parted my lips, but I didn’t know how to explain. Hailey’s sweet, whiny voice drifted through the receiver. “Professor Vance, is Chloe still mad at me?” “Maybe I shouldn’t help her try on the dress anymore.” Ethan’s tone immediately softened. “Don’t worry about her.” “She’s just being petty, trying to scare me with her grandma.” “You two are about the same size. Try it on for her first.” “If anything doesn’t fit, they can alter it now.” Hailey giggled softly. “But won’t Chloe find it gross to wear it after me?” Ethan replied nonchalantly: “She’s not that dramatic.” “She can just wear it directly tomorrow at the wedding.” The call was disconnected. The staff member happened to walk over to me. “Ms. Bennett, please sign here to collect the ashes.” “My deepest condolences.” I took the urn. It was very light. The grandma who had carried me for miles on her back, sold vegetables to pay for my school, and stayed by my side for over twenty years was now nothing more than a handful of light ashes. I lowered my head, pressing my face against the cold lid of the urn. Tears fell uncontrollably. I went home and began packing my bags. My grandma didn’t have many belongings. A few old clothes, a wooden comb, and the candies she had hidden under her pillow, too precious to eat. I packed them one by one. As I passed the study, I noticed Ethan’s computer was still on. On the screen was Hailey’s graduation thesis. [A Study on Reward-Based Directive Training for Alzheimer’s Patients.] The folder contained dozens of videos of patients. Some elderly people were asked to repeatedly kneel, while others were lured with food to perform ridiculous actions.

The consent forms beside the videos were all stamped with the hospital’s official seal. But the shaky signatures of the family members were clearly written by the exact same hand. On his Snapchat, there were chat logs between Ethan and Hailey. Hailey had asked: [Professor, what if the patients’ families refuse to sign the consent forms?] Ethan replied: [Take the videos first. I’ll help you falsify the authorization forms and ethical approval later.] [Your thesis defense is the most important thing. Don’t let these procedures slow you down.] It turned out my grandma wasn’t just a toy Hailey had picked out on a whim. She had already humiliated many helpless elderly patients in the exact same way. And Ethan had known all along. He had even personally covered up everything for her. I copied all the forged authorization forms, video files, and chat logs. Along with my grandma’s medical records, death certificate, and the video circulating online, I packed them all into an envelope. I addressed it to the hospital’s ethics committee and the university’s board of directors. After mailing the report, I placed my engagement ring and house keys on the dining table. Then, holding my grandma’s urn, I dragged my suitcase to the airport. I had bought two tickets. One for me. One for my grandma. Now, she was still flying to London with me. She just couldn’t sit in the seat I had booked for her. As the plane took off, the city lights slowly disappeared beneath the clouds. Tomorrow was supposed to be my wedding day. Ethan probably still thought that as long as he stood at the altar, I would definitely show up. After a twelve-hour flight and layover, I finally arrived. The moment I turned on my phone, missed calls flooded in. The bridal shop, the wedding planner, the hospital’s disciplinary board. And Ethan. Ninety-nine missed calls in total. The last message was sent by him ten minutes ago. [Chloe, the ceremony is about to start.] [Where on earth are you?] I stared at that message for a long time before finally picking up his next call. Ethan’s voice immediately blasted through the receiver. “Chloe, you finally picked up.” “The wedding starts in fifteen minutes. Where the hell are you?” His voice was anxious, but there was no genuine worry in it. It wasn’t until the airport PA announcement echoed behind me that he suddenly fell silent. His breath hitched. “You went abroad?” “Book the next flight back right now.” “I won’t hold it against you that you tried to cancel the wedding. As long as you come back now, we still have time to rearrange the schedule.” He was still the same. With just a casual “I won’t hold it against you,” he assumed I would gratefully crawl back to him. I looked down and touched the urn in my lap. “My grandma is dead. I’m not coming back.” Ethan’s tone turned ice-cold. “Are you trying to use your grandma to lie to me again?” “Chloe, this joke isn’t funny at all.” I didn’t bother to explain. I just took a photo of my grandma’s death certificate and her suicide note, and sent them to him. After the photos were successfully sent, only heavy, ragged breathing remained on the other end of the line. It took a long time before Ethan asked in a cracked voice: “What… what is this?” “Haven’t you already seen it?” “I don’t believe it.” “She was fine just a few days ago.” “She only scraped her knee. How could she suddenly…” I cut him off. “She saw the video Hailey posted online.” “She saw herself crawling on the floor like a dog, and she saw everyone mocking her.” “She swallowed every single pill we had in the house.”

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After three years of a secret marriage, the chat history between me and my husband, Ethan, who works at a private airline, has been reduced to just two words. Every time he flew a night route, he would text: [Departing.] Every time he touched down, he would text: [Landed.] Not a single extra word. My heart systemic-ached every single time. Until three o’clock one morning, when his plane ran straight into a severe thunderstorm. I was on duty in the control tower, and through my headset, I heard him flirting with the new co-pilot, Maya: “Captain Vance, if we make it out of this alive, how about you take off on me next?” The headset went silent for two seconds before Ethan let out a low, teasing chuckle. “Sure. But don’t be scared. I’ll make sure we land safely.” My fingers trembled on the console. Forcing down the panic, I kept my voice steady and guided them through the danger. The moment they landed safely, I headed straight to the airport transit hotel where he was staying. At the end of the dimly lit hallway, their shadows merged. I watched Ethan—usually so cold, disciplined, and restrained—lose complete control, acting like a plane spinning wildly off course. I let out a silent, bitter laugh. I had loved Ethan for eleven years. But falling out of love with him? It only took a single second.

I didn’t stay. I turned around and walked out of the hotel. The freezing 3 a.m. wind whipped against my neck, sending a chill straight through my chest. “Marcus, I want to apply for a transfer to the West Texas desert hub. I want to be an air traffic controller out there.” The weather there was notoriously erratic and the conditions were brutal. But it was far enough. Far enough that I would never have to wait for him to land again. Marcus Bennett, my manager, was shocked when he took my call: “Clara, are you sure you want to transfer now? Once you finish the emergency weather protocol you’ve been working on, you’re guaranteed a promotion to Deputy Chief.” I just gave a quiet hum of agreement. Marcus was one of the very few people at the airline who knew about my secret marriage to Ethan. He sounded bewildered: “Does Ethan know? I thought things were stable between you two.” I didn’t want to explain. “I just need a change of scenery,” I said flatly. He didn’t press further, only promising to fast-track the paperwork. When I got home, I kicked off my flats by the door. The tiny thud sounded deafening in the empty, silent house. I walked into the bathroom, feeling completely numb. Ethan and Maya’s breathless, flirtatious banter kept echoing in my ears. Tears finally spilled over. I turned the faucet on all the way, using the rushing water to drown out my sobs. As dawn started to break, my phone finally buzzed. A text from Ethan: [Landed.] I stared at those six letters for a long time. I remembered how, before we got married, he would send me long, excited voice notes the second he touched down, even if he was in a rush for post-flight inspections. He used to beg me not to call an Uber, insisting he would drive over to pick me up. But all that warmth had evaporated over the years. Now, it was just a mechanical check-in. I texted back: [No need to update me anymore.] He didn’t reply. I flipped my phone face down on the table, dragged my suitcase out of the closet, and started packing. There wasn’t much of me in this house anyway. The vintage airplane models he loved were bought by me. The expensive kettle I used to brew his stomach-soothing tea was bought by me. Even the motion-sensor light in the hallway was installed by me, just so he wouldn’t trip in the dark after a late-night flight. Looking back at our three years of secret marriage, Ethan barely spent any nights here. He was always busy with routes, training for upgrades, and leading the flight crew. I used to genuinely believe he was just overwhelmed with work. Now, I realized the harsh truth: he wasn’t busy. He just stopped caring once he had me. Halfway through packing, my WhatsApp work group buzzed with a new notification. I clicked it open. Last night’s severe thunderstorm incident had been flagged as an exemplary safety response. A company-wide debrief meeting was scheduled for this afternoon. There were only two key speakers listed: Ethan Vance. Maya Sterling. My fingers froze. I scrolled down. My name wasn’t there. But I was the air traffic controller on duty last night. I was the one tracking the radar echoes. I was the one who timed their go-around perfectly. I was the one who rerouted the approach sequence three times to guide them safely back. Yet, my name was entirely omitted from the debrief notice. A colleague texted in the WhatsApp group: “Captain Vance and Maya were incredible last night. I heard their coordination was textbook-perfect.” Others chimed in immediately: “For a rookie co-pilot, Maya handled that emergency like a pro.” “Yeah, the afternoon debrief is going to focus heavily on their seamless crew coordination.” Swallowing the bitter lump in my throat, I expressionlessly packed my last sweater into the suitcase. Just then, Marcus called again. “Clara, your transfer request has been officially approved.” “Also, you need to attend the debrief this afternoon. Even though Operations didn’t put you on the speaker list, you still need to be there for questioning as the on-duty controller.” I gave a flat reply. “Understood.” I walked over to the dining table, placed the signed divorce papers next to my keys, and walked out of that freezing house without looking back.

That afternoon, the airline held the official debriefing. I was called in as the on-duty controller to provide background details. They sat me all the way in the back, against the wall. Meanwhile, Maya, representing the flight crew, took center stage at the presenter’s podium. Ethan was seated close to her, casually flipping through his notes. Before Maya walked up, he reached out to straighten the water bottle she had accidentally nudged crooked. It was a small, incredibly intimate gesture. Standing in front of the projector, Maya confidently walked everyone through last night’s emergency procedures. The room erupted in frequent applause. Then came the Q&A session. Suddenly, an anonymous message popped up on the internal meeting screen. “Questioning the authenticity of Co-pilot Maya Sterling’s core contribution to last night’s emergency handling.” “The go-around recommendation, the wind shear window calculation, and the subsequent approach routing are identical to the direct instructions and weather logs of air traffic controller Clara Vance.” “Can Co-pilot Sterling explain this? Is she stealing credit for someone else’s work?” Whispers immediately broke out across the room. Maya’s face turned pale instantly. Her hand holding the clicker began to shake as she looked at Ethan with pooling eyes. Hearing the anonymous question, the heavy weight on my chest lifted slightly. I hadn’t sent that message, nor had I planned to drag this drama into a public meeting, but seeing the truth laid bare felt like a breath of fresh air. Ethan looked across the room and locked eyes with me. His brow was furrowed, his eyes cold and accusation-filled. My heart plummeted again. Ethan stood up, walked to the podium, and took the microphone. His voice was perfectly steady. “I’d like to address the anonymous question.” “Every critical decision during last night’s emergency was led entirely by me.” “Maya followed my exact directives flawlessly. As Captain, I can personally guarantee that her actions were beyond reproach.” He paused, his gaze cutting through the crowd to land heavily on me. “Clara Vance was the controller on duty. Her job was simply to follow standard protocol—managing traffic flow, maintaining separation, and relaying information. We all know that air traffic control merely supports the cockpit; they do not drive the decision-making.” The room exploded into murmurs. People were whispering, and several turned their heads to stare at me. With just a few sentences, Ethan had completely erased my judgment, my split-second scheduling, and the immense risks I had taken to keep them alive. I suddenly remembered seven years ago, the very first time I handled a heavy traffic night shift on my own. Ethan was still just a co-pilot back then. After he landed, he walked all the way to the tower to bring me a warm cup of coffee. He had looked at me and said, “Babe, it’s your voice in my headset that brings me home safely.” Back then, I thought he truly understood my worth. But now, he dismissed me as mere “support.” Beside him, Maya’s panic melted away. Ethan adjusted the mic for her, giving her a reassuring nod to continue. That look felt like a physical slap to my face. I stood up abruptly and started walking toward the stage. Ethan quickly intercepted me, grabbing my wrist so hard it hurt. “Let go,” I gasped, my voice trembling with rage. He didn’t let go. Instead, he gave a polite nod to the room. “Excuse us, we need to cross-check some operational details.” Ignoring my struggles, he dragged me out of the conference room. The heavy doors slammed shut behind us. In the quiet hallway, I wrenched my arm free. My eyes burned. “Ethan, you completely minimized my work just to protect her! What am I to you?” His expression was dark. I thought he would offer an explanation, or at least spin one of his usual elegant lies. Instead, he suddenly stepped forward, leaned down, and kissed me. It was a short, icy kiss. No warmth, no comfort, and absolutely no apology. It was a mere transactional touch before he pulled back. I froze in utter shock. Ethan stared at me, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Is that enough, Clara? Stop making a scene.” A wave of profound humiliation washed over me. Raising my hand, I slapped him across the face. His head snapped to the side. I aggressively wiped my mouth with my sleeve. “Ethan, you disgust me,” I spat. Without waiting for a reaction, I turned to leave. But Maya suddenly ran out of the room, calling after me. “Clara, please come to our celebration dinner tonight!” she called out, raising her voice on purpose. “I really want to thank you publicly for guiding us back. I don’t want anyone thinking we stole your credit!” Before I could speak, Ethan stepped close and whispered in my ear: “Clara, she’s just a rookie. Cut her some slack.” “You’re my wife. Help me out here. There’s no need to sweat the small stuff.” My chest tightened. “And what she said to you on the radio last night? Was that also just a ‘rookie’ being playful?” Ethan’s brow furrowed deep. “Clara, don’t be ridiculous. There is nothing going on between us. Don’t ruin a young girl’s reputation.” “You are a professional controller. Don’t bring our marital issues into the workplace. It’s highly unprofessional.” I used to think that even if he didn’t love me, he was at least a decent, responsible man. But his behavior today completely extinguished the last spark of affection I had for him. “I’ll be at the dinner, Ethan. But I want a divorce.” A flicker of shock crossed his face. “Clara, don’t play around. You’ve been with me since you were eighteen. If you leave me, who else would want you?” I laughed, though there was no joy in it. Shoving past him coldly, I walked away.

The celebration dinner was held at the upscale hotel across from the airline headquarters. Inside the private room, the atmosphere was lively, glasses clinking in toasts. Marcus Bennett, looking flushed and happy, beamed at his star captain and the new co-pilot: “Ethan, you’re rock-steady, and Maya is incredibly sharp. One makes perfect calls, and the other executes them flawlessly. You two make an exceptional team.” “And Ethan, you’re not getting any younger. You should start thinking about your personal life. Maya might be a bit outspoken, but she’s a wonderful girl…” His matchmaking intentions couldn’t have been more obvious. The few people at the table who knew about my marriage to Ethan went dead silent, casting nervous glances my way. Ethan remained silent for a few seconds before replying smoothly, “Thanks, Marcus. But with the heavy flight schedules right now, I’m focusing strictly on work.” The smile froze on Maya’s face, turning her pale. Her eyes welled with tears as she abruptly pushed back her chair and bolted out of the room. Ethan watched her run out, frowned, and stood up to follow her. I quietly followed them out onto the hotel terrace. Maya had her back to me, her face buried in Ethan’s chest. “Why not, Ethan? I love you! I’ll work hard to be worthy of you!” Knowing colleagues were just inside, Ethan didn’t wrap his arms around her. But his silent acceptance of her closeness spoke volumes. I remembered how, whenever I tried to get close to him at the office, he would subtly but firmly step back to maintain professional distance. Ethan gently pushed her back by the shoulders and whispered, “You don’t want people saying you only got promoted because of me. Let’s get you credited for the winter weather protocol first…” A cold dread seized me. My nails dug into my palms. *What protocol?* Ethan looked up and spotted me, his pupils contracting slightly. Just then, my phone buzzed violently. I looked down. It was a message from a colleague: *’Clara! Have you seen the new announcement on the company portal? Why is Maya Sterling listed as the lead author of the high-altitude weather dispatch protocol? Didn’t you pull three consecutive all-nighters to write that?’* My heart sank. I opened the PDF on my phone, scrolling through page after page with trembling fingers. Every single line was my own writing. Even a specific typo in a technical acronym that I always made was left completely untouched. They hadn’t changed a single word. I held up the glowing screen, my voice dangerously calm. “What is the meaning of this?” Ethan glanced at the screen, his tone casual. “I let her put her name on it. She’s junior and needs the leverage for the year-end evaluations. Once she gets more flight hours, we’ll balance out your credits.” I nearly laughed out loud from sheer rage. “So, you stole my hard work to pave her career? You gave away my sleepless nights as a gift to her, without even asking me?” Ethan remained defensive, deflecting the blame: “It was a collaborative project. Maya helped organize the files, so putting her name on it is perfectly within procedure. The board makes the final decision, but as Captain, I have recommendation rights. Your contribution will be recognized later.” My voice shook. “Recognized how? By putting my name in a tiny footnote at the end of the year, like you always do?” He went quiet for a moment, then uttered words that chilled me to the bone: “Clara, you transferred to this airline just to be close to me in the first place.” “These titles and credits don’t actually matter to you.” “But they matter to Maya. She needs this resume to establish herself and climb the ladder.” My ears rang. He knew. He had always known. He knew I stayed in this stressful tower job just to coordinate with his schedule, and he knew how much this promotion meant to me. He wasn’t oblivious; he just didn’t care. He treated my love, my sacrifice, and my patience as cheap currency he could spend on another woman. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to steady myself. When I opened them, my mind was entirely made up. “I’m warning you, Ethan. Stealing my intellectual property is a serious violation. If you go through with this, I will ruin both of you.” Maya immediately put on her innocent act, raising her voice so everyone could hear: “Clara, please don’t be like this! If you really want your name on *my* protocol, I don’t mind sharing the credit! Please don’t fight with Ethan because of me…” Her loud plea instantly drew a crowd near the terrace doors. People began whispering maliciously: “Is Clara losing her mind over a promotion?” “She’s just a basic controller, yet she’s trying to steal credit from the flight crew.” “She should be fired. This is embarrassing for the airline.” I stood there, marveling at the utter absurdity of it all. Ethan didn’t stop Maya. He even played along, whispering gently to her, “It’s okay, Maya. Don’t say any more.” Marcus Bennett stepped up, his face dark with disapproval. “Clara, if you have an issue with the authorship, file a formal complaint tomorrow. Stop making a fool of yourself in public.” I looked at the judgmental faces of my colleagues. I smiled, slipping my phone into my pocket. “Fine. You want me to follow procedure?” Ethan’s brow twitched. Sensing something was wrong, he reached out. “Clara…” I stepped back, dodging his hand, and walked away without another word. Ethan tried to follow, but Maya quickly grabbed his arm to hold him back. The next morning, I went straight to the ATC archives. I filed an official request to lock and seal last night’s original radio transmissions, weather logs, and flight dispatch records. The archivist was taken aback but processed the request. I signed the paperwork and kept my copy of the receipt. Then, I headed to the Internal Compliance Office and handed over a flash drive. It contained the complete, time-stamped writing logs of the weather protocol exported directly from my computer. They thought they could simply erase my name and call my work their own. But data never lies. After that, I went to HR to sign my transfer approval. I handed in my building badge. By the time I walked out of the headquarters, the sun had already set. Standing by the curb, I blocked Ethan’s number, his Snapchat, and his contact info on our internal messaging app. I locked my phone screen, gripped the handle of my suitcase, and walked into the night without a single regret. By the time the cabin doors of my flight closed and the plane began to taxi, Ethan—finally realizing the magnitude of what had happened—was desperately dialing my number. But all he got was the cold, robotic automated voice: “We’re sorry, the number you are trying to reach is unavailable.”

Ethan stared at his phone, his brow furrowed as the busy tone buzzed in his ear. He hung up, slammed his foot on the gas, and drove straight back to our shared apartment. But when he pushed the door open, only pitch-black silence welcomed him. The motion-sensor light in the hallway—the one I had lovingly installed for his late-night returns—remained dark. Annoyed, Ethan ripped off his tie and flipped on the overhead living room lights. The furniture was exactly as he had left it, but the warmth of my presence was entirely gone. “Clara?” Silence stretched. No warm greeting, no dinner waiting. Nothing. He marched to the bedroom and yanked open the closet doors. It was completely empty. My clothes, my shoes, and even my suitcase from the corner were gone. Ethan’s breathing turned heavy. He hurried back to the living room, where a neat stack of white paper under a glass caught his eye. With trembling hands, he picked up the papers. The bold title at the top read: DIVORCE AGREEMENT. He flipped frantically to the final page. In the bottom right corner was my signature—written in bold, decisive ink, without a hint of hesitation. Beside the papers lay my house keys, aligned perfectly. Ethan squeezed the papers so hard his knuckles turned white. He dialed my number again. Still blocked. He tried FaceTime, then Snapchat. Nothing went through. It finally sank in that he had been completely shut out of my life. Suppressing his rising panic, he tossed the papers back onto the table, refusing to believe I was actually gone for good. The following morning, the airline held its grand commendation and protocol launch event at headquarters. The conference hall was packed. Marcus Bennett sat at the head of the main table, wearing a proud grin. Maya, wearing professional makeup and an elegant dress, sat in the front row of the awardees’ section. Ethan sat right next to her. Despite looking exhausted, he maintained his poised, commanding captain’s posture. Marcus picked up the microphone and loudly announced the official integration of the high-altitude weather dispatch protocol into the airline’s standard operations. Just as Maya stood up to receive her award, the heavy double doors of the conference hall were thrown open. Three senior investigators from the Federal Air Safety Compliance Department walked in, their faces grim. Ignoring the shocked gasps, they walked straight to the podium and inserted a flash drive into the master computer. Instantly, a detailed system log flashed onto the massive projection screen. “Regarding this dispatch protocol, the Safety Compliance Department received a formal, non-anonymous report along with concrete backend data,” the lead investigator announced. His voice echoed through the mic. “The system logs prove that every single byte of this protocol—from its creation to the final draft—was uploaded under the employee ID and IP address of Clara Vance.” The room went dead silent. Every single eye in the room locked onto Maya. The smile froze on Maya’s face, and her lips began to tremble uncontrollably. Ethan’s expression hardened, and he stood up abruptly. “Investigator, there must be a mistake. The data collection was a collaborative team effort.” The investigator shot him a cold look and clicked on the next file. It was the raw audio recording from the hotel terrace the night before. Their voices echoed with painful clarity throughout the hall. “You gave away my sleepless nights as a gift to her, without even asking me?” “It was a collaborative project. Putting her name on it is perfectly within procedure.” “If you go through with this, I will ruin both of you.” When the audio finished playing, you could hear a pin drop. Marcus Bennett’s proud smile was completely gone, replaced by shock and raw fury. Maya’s knees buckled, and she slumped back into her chair, utterly defeated. Ethan stared at the screen, his tall frame swaying slightly. He finally realized that my final warning had not been an empty threat.

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While I was having my prenatal checkup, my husband suddenly posted a photo of a delivery room wristband on Instagram. The caption read: “Welcome to the world, little guy.” I tapped on the photo and realized the hospital name on the wristband was exactly the same private clinic where I was. Just as I was about to text him, a comment from my best friend, Harper, popped up at the bottom of the post. “Congrats on becoming a dad!” My hands shook as I called her. She stammered before finally letting the truth slip. “He’s been with that girl for five years, Chloe. We all knew.” “We just didn’t want to stress you out while you were pregnant.” I leaned against the freezing hospital wall and slowly slid down to the floor. It turned out my seven-year marriage was nothing but a performance, and everyone around me had been playing their parts perfectly. And the baby in my belly? From the very beginning, he was nothing but an unplanned accident in Julian’s perfect plan. “Chloe, don’t blame me for keeping this from you. I did it for your own good.” My best friend Harper’s voice came through the receiver. “Sienna has been with Julian for five years. She didn’t want a title, she didn’t want his money. She just wanted her baby to have a father.” “You’re still Julian’s legal wife. You’re the one carrying his baby.” “Julian promised me he wouldn’t divorce you. If you just pretend you don’t know, you can still keep your perfect life.” I squeezed the crumpled prenatal report in my hand, my fingernails digging deep into my palm. “Pretend I don’t know?” “Come on, Chloe. He’s a rich, successful man. Which man in his circle doesn’t have a little fun on the side?” Her tone became incredibly dismissive. “Your belly is so big right now. Making a scene will only hurt your baby.” “Julian’s sister, Lauren, and the rest of the family have already met Sienna. Everyone agrees that as long as your position as his wife isn’t threatened, you should just let it go.” I hung up. My stomach churned, and acid burned the back of my throat. I opened Julian’s Instagram again. I zoomed in on the photo of the hospital wristband a hundred times. The building number on the band was the seventeenth floor of this very hospital. The format of the newborn’s foot tag was identical to this high-end private clinic. The comment section was buzzing. Julian’s childhood friend, Carter: “Hidden for five years, finally out in the open. Congrats, man!” Julian’s sister, Lauren: “Thank you for your hard work, Sienna. You’ve given our family our beautiful firstborn boy!” Harper replied below: “Don’t tag the one who shouldn’t see this. She’s pregnant and can’t take the drama right now.” I scrolled down, line by line. Every single username was someone I knew. Just then, my screen lit up. It was Julian. I pressed answer. “Hey, sweetie. Are you done with your checkup?” His voice was deep, gentle, and carried a perfectly calculated touch of exhaustion. “What did the OB-GYN say? Is our baby healthy?” I stared at the bustling lobby of the hospital. “Where are you, Julian?” “I just landed. There’s an emergency project out of town that I need to supervise personally.” His tone was filled with fake regret. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there with you today. Did you eat a good lunch?” “Is your morning sickness still bad? I had my assistant buy some peppermint tea and cookies you like.” “I’ll be back in a few days to take you to the anatomy scan, okay?” I listened to his steady, calm breathing. His Instagram post went up at 9:43 AM today. At that exact moment, I couldn’t reach him, and I was crying alone in the corner of the hallway. “Julian.” “Yeah? What’s wrong, babe? You sound off.” “Are you really out of town?” There was a two-second silence on the other end. “Of course I am. The clients here are pretty demanding, so I might have to stay a couple more days. Why do you ask?” “Nothing. I’m just tired.” “Go home and rest, okay? I asked the housekeeper to warm up some milk for you. Be good, wait for me to get back.” The line went dead. I stood up. My legs were so weak my knees buckled before I could steady myself. I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prenatal vitamins. As I passed the reception desk, a nurse’s voice suddenly rose. “Family of Sienna Brooks! Is the family of Sienna Brooks here?” My feet froze. Sienna Brooks. The “demanding fifty-year-old female client” Julian had saved in his contacts. He had told me she was a nightmare business partner. “The birth registration form is wrong! The father’s middle name is missing a letter!” The nurse crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the recycling bin outside the counter. “Fill out a new one and bring it back! Don’t hold up the line!” I walked over, bent down, and retrieved the paper ball from the bin. I smoothed it out slowly. Mother: Sienna Brooks. Father: Julian Vance. The timestamp was 10:00 AM today. Right when I was on the fourth floor getting a fetal heart rate monitor, trembling with fear because of abnormal fetal movement. The handwriting on the paper was firm and confident. It was Julian’s. I folded the paper and slipped it into my bag.

The elevator numbers ticked up. Seventeenth floor. VIP Maternity Ward. The hallway outside the private suite was filled with luxury flower arrangements. I walked closer and read the cards. “Wishing Sienna and the baby a speedy recovery.” Carter. “Welcome to parenthood.” Harper. “My brother is finally a dad.” Lauren. The door to the suite was slightly ajar. Soft, happy laughter echoed from inside. I pushed the door open. Julian was sitting by the bedside, holding a cup of warm water, carefully feeding Sienna with a spoon. She leaned against the pillows, pale but glowing with a smug happiness. The maternity band was wrapped around her wrist. The bassinet was right beside them. Lauren was holding the swaddled newborn, smiling from ear to ear. “Oh, look at this nose, these eyes. He looks exactly like Julian.” Julian set the spoon down and reached out to gently tickle the baby’s cheek. “Yeah. He takes after me.” I stood at the doorway. Lauren turned first. Her smile froze instantly. “Ch… Chloe? What are you doing here?” Julian whipped his head around. The spoon clattered into the bowl, splashing a few drops of water onto the table. He stood up, instinctively taking a step forward to block the bed from my sight. “Chloe, let me explain.” I didn’t even look at him. “So, you’re Sienna?” Sienna’s face turned white. She clutched her stomach and pulled the blanket up, shrinking back into the bed. Julian immediately turned to comfort her, then looked back at me, his brow furrowed. “Chloe, she just gave birth. She can’t handle any stress. You’re pregnant too, don’t make a scene here.” “Let’s talk outside.” I stared at this man who had slept beside me for seven years. “A scene? As your legal wife, coming to visit your newborn bastard, how is this making a scene?” I pulled the crumpled birth registration form and my prenatal report from my bag. “I have our marriage certificate on my phone. And my checkup record is from today too.” “Julian, when you told me this morning that you were out of town on business, you were actually in this exact building, holding her hand while she gave birth?” Silence fell over the room. Lauren put the baby back into the bassinet and cleared her throat. “Chloe, it’s already happened. Don’t be so aggressive.” “Sienna has been with Julian for five years without any recognition. Now she’s finally given our family an heir.” “We can’t just pretend the child doesn’t exist, can we?” I turned to her. “So, the whole family knew. I was the only fool kept in the dark?” Sienna’s tears began to pour. “Chloe, please don’t blame Julian. It’s all my fault.” “I don’t want a title. I just wanted my baby to have a father.” She sobbed, glancing at the bassinet. “Chloe, the baby in your belly is still small, but my baby is already here… Please, don’t ruin his home on the very day he came into this world.” How hilarious. I was the one whose home was destroyed, yet now I was the villain trying to ruin theirs. Footsteps echoed outside. Harper pushed the door open. When she saw me, her expression changed. She rushed over and grabbed my arm. “Chloe, let’s go home first. Don’t do this here…” “It’s not a bad thing for a man to have two kids. It’s not like Julian can’t afford to raise them both.” Carter followed her in, chiming in. “Yeah, Chloe. It’s not like Julian is leaving you.” I looked at these people. Just yesterday, they were commenting on my Instagram posts, telling me how lucky I was. I yanked my arm out of Harper’s grip, pulled my wedding ring off my ring finger, and threw it. Clang. The diamond ring hit the metal bar of the bassinet and bounced onto the hardwood floor. “Since you three make such a perfect family, I’ll let you have him.” I turned to leave. But my wrist was suddenly grabbed in a vice grip. Julian stared at me, his eyes bloodshot. “I will never divorce you. The child in your womb is also mine.”

Julian’s grip was so tight my knuckles turned white. Ignoring my struggles, he dragged me out of the hospital and shoved me into his car. The doors locked with a heavy click. The ride home was completely silent. The moment I stepped inside our house, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. In the corner of the living room stood the baby bassinet I had assembled with my own hands. On the sofa was the hospital bag I had packed weeks ago. Julian took off his coat and stepped forward to hug me, but I dodged him. His arms hung in the air, and he let out a heavy sigh. “Chloe, today was my fault.” “But I had no choice. Sienna’s baby was breech. The delivery was highly risky. I couldn’t just not be there.” His voice was incredibly calm, showing no remorse for being caught red-handed. “She just gave birth. She can’t handle any shock. And a newborn needs his father.” “You are in your third trimester now. Your pregnancy is high-risk. Getting a divorce right now will only hurt your body.” “Let’s talk about the future after you safely deliver our baby, okay?” I stared at his self-righteous face. “Julian, do you think that as long as you’re willing to sweet-talk me, I have to accept this disgusting situation?” He frowned. “Chloe, I will give you and our baby the best medical care. Private nurses, a newborn specialist. I have already arranged everything.” “All you need to do is focus on your pregnancy. Don’t worry about anything else.” He packaged his stalling tactics as responsibility. He wanted to keep both women and both children under his thumb. I didn’t argue. I turned and walked into the bedroom. I pulled open the drawer and dug out our thick, old photo album. Five years ago, he said he was on a business trip to Miami. But in the background of one photo, there was a corner of a pink dress. Three years ago, on his Amazon account, he had purchased two identical pregnancy pillows. One was shipped three days earlier than mine. During my first trimester, he sent me a playlist of prenatal music. In the memo section, there was a tiny letter “S”. I had thought it was a work note. Every page I turned brought a fresh wave of nausea. Julian walked in with a glass of warm milk and set it on the nightstand. “Chloe, stop overthinking.” “You have signs of threatened miscarriage. The medical bills for keeping this baby safe are going to be astronomical. You can’t afford that on your own.” “For the sake of the baby, stop making a scene.” He was absolutely sure I couldn’t leave him. He was sure that reality and the baby would trap me forever. I looked at him and said nothing. That night, Julian went to sleep in the study. I lay in bed, and my phone vibrated. It was a video from an unknown number. I tapped it. In the video, Julian was cradling the newborn, whispering softly. “Be good, sweetie. Daddy’s here.” From behind the camera, Sienna’s voice drifted in. “Chloe, your baby isn’t even born yet, but Julian is already calling himself Daddy to my son.” “When your baby finally comes, how much time and energy do you think Julian will have left for him?” The video cut off. My hands gripped the bedsheets. A sharp, stabbing pain suddenly bloomed in my lower abdomen. I clutched my stomach, cold sweat pouring down my back, soaking my pajamas.

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