Category: English

My wife came home from her business trip and found me in a compromising position with the nanny on our living room couch. She exploded. She called her family. They dragged me outside, tying me to a tree in our courtyard for a public shaming. “Leo Thompson, why?” Chloe wailed in front of everyone. “Was I not enough for you?” Her intern, Alex, hit me with a branch. Called me scum. I tasted blood and tears. I looked straight at Chloe. “Does this scene look familiar, Chloe? It’s just like the day Lily died.” Chloe froze. “You… you remembered?” “Leo Thompson!” Chloe’s voice was a raw, furious roar, her eyes blazing. “Our daughter has been gone for a month. One month! And you’re already screwing the nanny in our home? Do you have no shame?” Chloe’s eyes were blazing red, her voice a furious roar. I calmly lit a cigarette. “Feel free to cheat too. I wouldn’t mind.” “Stop acting so innocent. You’re never home. You’re probably already screwing someone else.” The nanny, Maya, pulled on her black stockings with a smirk, twisting the knife. I chuckled. Chloe completely lost it. She lunged at Maya, hand flying toward her face for a slap. But I caught her wrist in a tight grip. And I let Maya walk away. “Leo! You’re actually protecting some outsider? You scumbag! You bastard!” Chloe’s eyes were wide with shock. She started wildly punching my chest. “Stop being crazy!” I impatiently shoved her away. Just then, Alex, Chloe’s intern, arrived with her family. They saw Chloe collapsed on the floor, and everyone erupted. Alex charged at me, grabbing my collar. “Leo Thompson!” he snarled. “Not only are you cheating, you hit your wife? Are you even a man?” “Do you have any respect for Lily’s memory?” His spit sprayed across my face. “You don’t get to talk about my daughter!” I snapped. My fist connected with his jaw, sending him stumbling back. Chloe panicked. “Have you gone rabid? Why did you hit Alex?” Her family saw I wouldn’t back down. Rage burned in their eyes. “My daughter gave you everything! he didn’t care that you came from nothing, with no car and no house, and she still married you.” “How could you betray her?” “We shouldn’t have been soft-hearted! Even if you’d knelt in the rain until you died, we shouldn’t have allowed this marriage!” “Today, I’m going to let everyone see your true colors! And I’ll make sure you can never work in the medical field again!” All her relatives swarmed me. I was overwhelmed. They dragged me, helpless, to the center of the complex and tied me to a tree. They ripped my clothes off, leaving me in nothing but my boxers. “Everyone, come look! Look at this cheating, wife-beating bastard!” “Someone tell me,” a relative wailed, “why is my niece so pathetic? She gave her all to her family, and her husband runs off with the nanny!” “This animal was fooling around with the nanny right in front of his own daughter’s memorial photo! It’s an outrage!” Chloe’s family cried and screamed, drawing the entire neighborhood to crowd around. When people heard what happened, they stared at me with pure fury, cursing me as subhuman, saying I deserved to die. “You were hospitalized after your accident, and Chloe cared for you day and night! After just a few days, this is how you repay her? Where is your conscience?” “You pathetic, weak pig! I’ll kill you!” Chloe’s parents slapped me wildly. Encouraged by this, some in the crowd spat on me. Others grabbed dirt and rocks and started throwing them.

I was utterly humiliated. Chloe’s eyes were hazy with tears as she questioned me. “Leo Thompson, tell me! Why did you cheat?” I let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. “You know why.” “Was I not enough for you? But that closet full of lingerie, I bought all of it for you! What more do you want?” Chloe cried even harder, almost screaming in despair. That was all the provocation the crowd needed. Their fury ignited. “Chloe, this bastard is hopeless. Today, I’ll make sure you get your revenge.” Alex first wiped away Chloe’s tears, then picked up a branch from the ground and savagely lashed me. “You rotten scumbag!” Again and again he struck, until my body was a mess of bloody welts. And the crowd cheered. “Hit him harder!” Chloe’s family yelled. “Don’t let him off easy!” Only Chloe stopped Alex. “Leo, we’ve been together for ten years, it wasn’t easy.” “If you admit your mistake and promise in front of everyone that you’ll change, I’ll give you one last chance.” The crowd praised her for her kindness, lamenting that such a wonderful woman was wasted on a man like me. “Admit my mistake?” I ground my teeth until I thought they would crack. “Chloe, doesn’t this scene look just like the day our daughter, Lily, died?” Chloe’s pupils immediately constricted. “You… you remembered everything?” “It was over a hundred degrees,” I pressed on, seeing her freeze. “Lily was surrounded, being screamed at by a crowd.” “Your favored and beloved intern, Alex, didn’t help. He locked her in a dog cage to ‘teach her a lesson’.” “Do you have any idea how desperately she cried?” Chloe’s fists clenched tightly, and she murmured, “Alex didn’t mean to.” Hearing her words, a few blood-tinged tears slid from my eyes. “Chloe! Lily was your own daughter! How could you be so heartless?” “That day, Lily couldn’t even get a sip of water. The sun peeled her skin, and her lips cracked and bled.” “When you saw her dead, didn’t your heart ache?” My accusations rang out. Chloe trembled all over, and Alex beside her looked nervous. The residents of the complex all stared at them, their gazes becoming strange. “Her own daughter was killed by her intern, and the mother still keeps him around? Is she sick?” “They probably have something going on.” “No wonder the husband cheated for revenge, his heart must have turned to ice.” Besides that. Mrs. Thompson also glared at Chloe, demanding, “Didn’t you say Lily’s death was an accident?” “Alex, what exactly happened?” Mr. Thompson glowered at Alex, waiting for an explanation. “It’s all my fault…” Alex slapped himself, feigning remorse and sobbing, “That day, I took Lily out to play. I just went to buy water for a second, and when I turned around, Lily was gone.” “Later I found out she ran into a bakery to steal bread, was caught by the store owner, thrown into a cage, and put on the roof as punishment.” “During that time, Chloe was busy with surgery. I sent messages and called Leo, but no one answered.” “I’m sorry, I didn’t watch Lily properly, I deserve to die!” After saying that, he wildly slapped himself again. “Okay, stop hitting yourself.” Chloe was heartbroken and quickly stepped forward to stop him. “I didn’t get any calls or messages from you that day, you killed my daughter…” Before I could finish. Chloe turned and slapped me, raging, “How many times have I told you? It has nothing to do with Alex! It was the bakery owner who committed the evil act, and he’s currently wanted by the police.”

“Besides, if you hadn’t abused Lily, not given her food, would she have stolen bread?” I suddenly froze. “As a mother, don’t you know your own daughter? Would she really steal like that?” “Don’t you know how much Lily adored me?” Chloe was always busy with work, performing multiple surgeries every day, so I decisively quit my job at the hospital to care for Lily. If Lily wasn’t eating enough or dressed warmly, she would have been malnourished long ago. Moreover, Lily was a sweet and well-behaved child, she would rather starve than steal bread! Chloe remained silent. Alex, however, indignantly said, “Leo Thompson, stop making excuses!” “I investigated at the daycare. The teacher said Lily fainted a few times, but always recovered after eating something or having a drink.” “I have surveillance footage as proof!” With that, he pulled out his phone and played a video. The teacher was playing games with the children. Lily suddenly fainted. “I have dozens of videos like this! Leo Thompson, what more do you have to say?” Alex said coldly. “You bastard, you actually didn’t give Lily food? What kind of father are you?” “My poor granddaughter must have been starving to steal bread. It’s all your fault, you irresponsible father.” Mr. and Mrs. Thompson cried out, rushing forward to hit and curse me. The other relatives followed suit. The surrounding residents cheered again, wishing they could all rush up and strangle me on the spot. Chloe looked at me, saying disappointedly, “Alex kept this quiet out of respect for me.” “But what about you? You repay kindness with cruelty, actually slandering Alex!” “Killing Lily wasn’t enough, you want to kill Alex too? When did you become so malicious?” Hearing her righteous accusation. I smiled bitterly, tears in my eyes. “Chloe, some things aren’t facts just because you see them with your own eyes.” “What if I told you Lily had low blood sugar? Would you believe me?” Chloe momentarily froze. Alex sneered, “Leo Thompson, are you trying to use this to say you didn’t cheat? That what Chloe saw was all fake?” “Exploiting your deceased daughter, you’re truly disgusting!” At his words, Chloe raged, “Leo Thompson, I’m not just Lily’s mother, I’m also a doctor!” “Do you think I wouldn’t know if she had low blood sugar?” “Don’t try to twist the facts to justify your cheating!” Mr. and Mrs. Thompson and the others cursed me as an animal. In the endless barrage of insults, I stared intently at Chloe and shouted, “I never cheated! You and Alex framed me!” “Bullshit!” Alex immediately retorted, “You were caught red-handed and you’re still denying it! You have no shame!” “Still spouting nonsense, I’ll smash your mouth!” Mr. Thompson pulled off his shoe and viciously threw it at my mouth. My mouth bled profusely. Yet my attitude remained unchanged. I said coldly, “I can prove my innocence in a moment, but some people won’t be so lucky.” I stared fiercely at Alex and Chloe, my eyes filled with hatred. “Enough!” “Do you really think people will believe you with empty words? Are you treating us like I was born yesterday?” Chloe put a hand on her hip, indignant. “I’m telling you now!” “The moment you admit your mistake today, is the moment we let you go. Otherwise, you’ll stay here under the blazing sun!” I didn’t utter a word. The surrounding residents all said I was stubborn to the core, utterly despicable. I was still under the scorching sun, like a skewer roasting, burning from the inside out.

Sweat soaked my clothes. But evaporated just as quickly. Dehydration left my mouth parched, my lips cracked, and my head spinning. I thought of my daughter. She was in this very weather, alone on that rooftop, calling out to no one, crying for help that never came. Her tiny life, slowly slipping away, eventually dying of dehydration. She must have been so desperate, so in pain. She surely wished her mommy and daddy would suddenly appear like superheroes, handing her a bottle of water and a popsicle. “I bought watermelon and popsicles, and various cold drinks, everyone can have them for free!” Alex’s shout broke my thoughts. He had someone bring a cart of watermelons and three portable ice chests, offering relief to everyone around. “Alex, you’re so thoughtful.” Chloe took the cold drink Alex offered, a happy smile playing on her lips. “It’s nothing, just what I should do.” Alex smiled, then distributed cold drinks and popsicles to Chloe’s family. “This young man is so capable.” “He’s eighteen times better than some scumbag!” Mr. and Mrs. Thompson praised him profusely. The surrounding residents also gave thumbs up. Only I felt sick to my stomach. Alex took a popsicle, walked up to me, and sneered in a low voice, “Hot and thirsty, aren’t you?” “Just call me ‘Dad,’ and I’ll give you some. Otherwise, you’ll just end up like your daughter, baked to a crisp.” “I even recorded how pathetic she looked back then. I rewatch it every night…” My eyes were bloodshot. I spat a bloody phlegm at Alex, cursing, “You monster!” Chloe rushed over, glanced at the bloody phlegm on Alex’s face, and immediately lashed out at me. “Leo Thompson!” “Alex was kindly offering you a popsicle, and you repay his kindness with cruelty, you ungrateful jerk!” “I must have been blind to ever fall for someone like you!” Still not satisfied, she raised her hand to slap me. “Keep your filthy hands to yourself!” Just then, a playful female voice cut through the air. Everyone looked over. It was Maya, the nanny, who had returned, followed by a team of police officers. They immediately untied me. Chloe was furious, glaring at Maya. “You homewrecker, you actually dared to come back!” “I’ve seen shameless people, but never someone this shameless. Being a homewrecker and then having the nerve to call the police!” Alex also cursed her with disgust. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson’s fists clenched, grinding audibly, as if they wanted to tear Maya apart. “Anyone can talk big.” “What evidence do you have to call me a homewrecker?” Maya asked. “I… I saw it with my own eyes!” Chloe gritted her teeth. “So, you have no evidence, huh?” Maya’s lips curved into a smile. She turned to the police officers and said, “Chloe Thompson and Alex slandered me as a homewrecker and deliberately assaulted Leo Thompson.” “Please arrest them!” At her words, I, who had played along, also smiled. The show was just beginning! Alex immediately panicked. “You homewrecker, you’re actually playing the victim! You’re utterly despicable!” “Can’t afford to live anymore? A homewrecker being so arrogant!” Chloe frowned, looking at me. “Leo Thompson, if you’re still a man, admit it!” I took a sip of the cold drink Maya handed me. “I’m innocent, why should I admit to anything?” “If you think I cheated, then show me the evidence.” Hearing me, Chloe threw the popsicle in her hand, indignantly saying, “I saw you two intimately close on the sofa with my own eyes!”

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Three years after my death, I suddenly ‘woke up.’ No flesh, no memory, just a wisp of a soul. I was trapped, tethered to Jason’s side, forced to watch him and his wife in their blissful ignorance. Then, one day, his wife was cleaning out the attic and stumbled upon a photograph of me. “Who’s this?” she asked offhandedly, a casual chuckle on her lips. Jason’s voice was flat as he tossed the photo into the trash. “Just a dead person. Elara, I think? I can barely remember her name anymore.” Elara. So that was my name. A forgotten ex-wife. But that very night, I saw Jason secretly drugging his wife. Through the reflection in the glass, his eyes met mine. “Elara,” he whispered. “See? I’m avenging you.” For a moment, I almost believed Jason could actually see me. My soul quivered, the words right there. But Jason simply held the milk, turned, and walked away. Such a shame. He still couldn’t see me. Seraphina, suspecting nothing, drank the milk and fell into a deep sleep. The moment she did, Jason rushed to the trash and carefully retrieved my photo, clutching it to his chest. “I’m sorry, Elara. I’m so sorry.” “I made you dirty, did it hurt when you fell? It’s all my fault.” Jason’s voice was low and hoarse, filled with guilt. He repeatedly wiped the glass frame with the cuff of his expensive suit, then suddenly let out a cold laugh. He pressed his warm lips to the glass, gently coaxing. “Just a little longer. Soon, five days at most.” “I’ll make Seraphina lose everything. Her wealth, her reputation, everything she stole from you. Then I’ll send her down to apologize.” “And then, Elara, we… we can be together again.” Jason picked up his phone and dialed a number. His voice instantly turned cold. “You can proceed. Make sure it’s clean.” After that, Jason held my photo, practically frozen in his study. Sometimes he would weep uncontrollably, large tears splashing against the glass. Other times, a gentle, yet chilling, smile would twist his lips. And then, he’d press his forehead to the frame, letting out strangled, guttural sobs. For three whole hours, Jason acted like a madman, crying and laughing. He was more terrifying than I, a mere ghost. A belated realization dawned on me. This man, Jason, he seemed to… truly love me. Until his phone screen lit up again, a distinctive vibration breaking the silence of the study. Jason snatched up his phone. The message was concise. “Mr. Jason, it’s done. Mr. Thorne fell to his death after drinking too much.” He didn’t reply, simply putting my photo frame away carefully. He rose and walked towards the master bedroom, pushing the door open forcefully. Seraphina on the bed seemed disturbed by the rough sound, stirring uneasily. But the sleeping pills worked their magic, and she didn’t wake. Jason walked to the bedside, gazing at her for a few seconds. His eyes were as cold as if he were looking at an inanimate object. Suddenly, Jason did something utterly insane. He lunged out, not to wake Seraphina, but to grab her hair viciously and smash her forehead hard against the solid wooden headboard! A dull, sickening thud echoed in the room. Seraphina jolted awake from the extreme pain and terror, letting out a piercing scream. The moment her eyes flew open, I watched the coldness vanish from Jason’s face, replaced by feigned concern. He pulled her into his arms, his voice soft. “Seraphina, what’s wrong?” “How did you manage to hit your head just sleeping? Was it a nightmare?” “Shhh, it’s alright now. I’m here.” Before she could even begin to collect herself, her phone on the nightstand erupted with a shrill ring. “Hello?” The next second, Seraphina’s pupils constricted, her face turning ashen. “No! Dad! That’s impossible!” She desperately grabbed Jason’s arm, sobbing incoherently. “Jason! My dad… my dad had an accident. They said he fell from a building, and he’s gone.” “What do I do, Jason! What am I going to do!” Jason reacted quickly. He immediately pulled Seraphina tightly into his embrace, his voice carrying just the right amount of shock and grief. “What! How could this happen?” “It’s okay, I’m here for everything. If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you. Calm down, tell me slowly.” Seraphina clung to Jason even more. Her face buried in his chest, she wept, murmuring words. But where Seraphina couldn’t see, I clearly saw Jason’s expression. There was no grief on his face; instead, he smirked at me with a twisted, eerie smile. Yet, the words he spoke were so gentle and reassuring. “Seraphina, your family’s problems are my problems!” “I’ll handle everything!”

“Jason, thank god you’re here.” Mrs. Thorne wiped her tears, clutching his hand. “With her father gone… who knows what those vultures outside might do to our family without you here.” Jason’s face was a mask of sorrowful resolve. He squeezed her hand in return. “As long as I’m here, no one will ever dare touch the Thorne family.” Then, he drew a sealed envelope from his pocket. The words “To My Dearest Wife” were written on the front. “I… came across this in Mr. Thorne’s study,” he said, his voice gentle as he handed it to her. “It must be for you.” He paused and handed it to Mrs. Thorne. “Perhaps you should read it when you feel a little stronger?” With that, Jason left. Mrs. Thorne’s trembling hands tore open the envelope. That letter was a fake. I had watched Jason forge it. He seemed to have practiced Mr. Thorne’s handwriting for a long time, his fingertips calloused. As he wrote each word, a pang of sorrow and melancholy welled up in me. I vaguely sensed that the Jason I remembered shouldn’t be like this. He should have been the bright, flamboyant young man, pure as a fresh breeze and clear moonlight. Not this… this twisted, dark, ruthless man, almost a demon driven to madness, all for me – someone who didn’t remember him at all, someone who had been dead for three years. Jason, you should have lived your life well. When Mrs. Thorne returned after reading the letter, her expression was already dazed. Jason feigned tenderness, stepping forward to support her, and whispered words that pierced her heart. “Mrs. Thorne, what Mr. Thorne said in the letter is true, isn’t it?” “It was you, thinking you were so clever, working with Seraphina to murder Elara. It was you who raised Seraphina to be just like you, a useless person who only knows how to kill to solve problems. The Thorne family has been caught red-handed; there’s no way to recover. “The Thorne family was destroyed by your hands. He’ll never forgive you, even in death.” Mrs. Thorne’s body began to tremble violently, her gaze fixed on her husband’s portrait. “I didn’t! I never mean to kill Elara.” She mumbled. “She was just an orphan. Who cared if she died? It’s been three years. No one will-” “Won’t they?” Jason cut her off, his voice dropping to a venomous hiss. “After Elara fell to her death three years ago,your people chopped her body into twenty-eight pieces. Each piece cemented into the building.” He continued, the words cold and precise. “I hear they’ve started renovations on it recently. They might have already dug her up.” “If someone discovers it, the Thorne family will be completely finished. Tell me, will you also be chopped into twenty-” Jason didn’t finish his sentence. Mrs. Thorne suddenly let out a shrill, ear-splitting shriek, pushing Jason away violently. She had completely lost her mind. She lunged towards Mr. Thorne’s altar, screaming, laughing, falling into complete delirium, repeatedly yelling. “I didn’t mean it! Old Thorne, I did it all for Seraphina.” “That slut was hogging Jason, so I killed her. Only then could my daughter take her place! I wanted to throw her down! To chop her up!” Mrs. Thorne then grabbed Seraphina’s hand, trembling and pleading through tears. “Don’t come for me, I already cemented you in the concrete.” “Elara, you’re dead. Why don’t you reincarnate? Why are you tormenting me! Don’t extort the Thornes anymore, we’re out of money!” Seraphina had been lost in grief over her father’s death, but hearing her mother’s words, she was utterly terrified. She grabbed her mother, blurting out. “Mom! What are you talking about? Are you crazy?”

But it was too late. The altar, which had been deathly silent, erupted into a greater uproar. Everyone’s eyes darted frantically between the delirious Mrs. Thorne and the ashen-faced Seraphina. Some people even started recording videos. Just then, Jason steadied the swaying Seraphina. His voice was grave and urgent. “Seraphina, listen. Your mother is having a mental breakdown right now; she’s speaking nonsense.” “So many people have heard it, and some are secretly recording. If someone makes trouble and calls the police, they’ll definitely investigate. Then not only will your mother be finished, but you’ll also be questioned repeatedly. The Thorne family will be completely ruined!” Seraphina was stunned by Jason’s words, clutching his clothes, trembling. “Then… then what do I do? Jason, I’m so scared.” A cold glint flickered in Jason’s eyes, but his tone grew even calmer. “There’s only one way. forcefully send your mother to a mental hospital.” “You must maintain a consistent story externally, saying that your mother suffered too great a blow from your father’s sudden death. That she’s experiencing severe schizophrenia and delusions. This is the only way to protect her, and to protect you. Understand?” A dazed Seraphina had long lost her judgment, relying completely on Jason. Tears streaming, she nodded frantically. “Okay!” Under Jason’s ‘guidance,’ Seraphina shakily signed the admission papers. Several burly ‘staff members’ in uniform stepped forward, unceremoniously grabbing the still delirious, screaming, and struggling Mrs. Thorne, one on each side. “Let me go!” “Seraphina, I’m not sick! I’m your mother! Say something, they’re trying to hurt me!” “I don’t want to go! Seraphina, don’t let them take me!” Mrs. Thorne shrieked as she was forcibly dragged from the altar, her black high heels kicking off and clattering to the ground. I floated out after them. I saw that the vehicle waiting wasn’t an ambulance at all, but an unmarked black van. She was shoved roughly into the back seat. Her struggles lasted only a moment. A cold-faced man in the passenger seat raised his hand and slapped her, again and again. Smack! Smack! Smack! “Be quiet! You murderer!” Mrs. Thorne was knocked sideways into the seat, left with only terrified whimpers. The man emotionlessly pulled out his phone and reported. “Mr. Jason, the person has been picked up. Following your instructions, we’ll ‘take good care’ of her!” By the time I floated back to the altar, the guests had left. A funeral that should have been solemn and dignified had turned into a deeply embarrassing farce. Seraphina, shocked and enraged, simply fainted. But this time, Jason didn’t help her. He watched her coldly. Then, with the tip of his shoe, he disdainfully and scornfully prodded Seraphina’s limp body. His contempt was undisguised. “Wake her up.” A bucket of ice water was splashed on Seraphina. Seraphina jolted awake in the biting cold. “Jason, what… what are you doing? Why…” Jason curved a cold smile, leaning down to look at her. “Why what?” “I just don’t want to pretend with you anymore.” Seraphina’s voice instinctively trembled. “Pretend? Is it because the Thorne family has fallen, and you think I’m useless now?” “Jason, you weren’t like this before, you used to constantly say you loved…” Jason angrily cut Seraphina off. “Enough! What right do you have to speak of ‘love’! In that villa, there was never a single photo of Elara. Everything that belonged to her, I took care of three years ago, cleanly, not a trace left.” “When you deliberately let me see it, I knew. You were testing me.” Jason took a step forward, the invisible pressure almost suffocating Seraphina. “You asked me who she was, didn’t you?” “Now, I’ll give you the answer.” Jason’s gaze drifted upward, all pretense gone, his cruel nature laid bare. “Her name was Elara. She was the only wife I’ve ever had.” “Three years ago, at the abandoned factory west of the city, you pushed her. Your mother had the body dismembered into twenty-eight pieces to cover it up. Your father arranged for them to be cemented into the factory’s foundation during the renovation.” I floated in the air. I watched, cold and detached, as Seraphina trembled in absolute terror, too afraid to even sob. Jason gripped Seraphina’s neck, his eyes burning with monstrous hatred. “I married you,” he snarled, “to get close to my wife’s murderer. Closer and closer…” “…until I could kill you. Slowly.”

The body beneath his hand went limp. Seraphina, overwhelmed by terror, fainted again. “Mr. Jason, should we wake her up again?” A bodyguard whispered, seeking instructions. “No need. Lock her in the basement. The game… is more fun when played slowly.” Jason’s voice was devoid of emotion. He turned and walked directly towards the study. The moment the wooden door closed, his shoulders sagged slightly. Looking at his back, I instinctively felt a bone-deep weariness and vulnerability. Jason walked to the bookshelf, pressing certain book spines. With the sound of mechanical movement, a hidden compartment popped open. I expected top-tier jewelry, confidential documents, or something similar. But no, there was only a neatly folded, old dress, a faded hair tie, a few polaroid photos with worn edges, and… my meticulously clean photo frame. A sense of familiarity and fragmented memories surged. I knew those were my things. “Elara…” Jason murmured, his voice terribly hoarse. “Did you see? I made her afraid, she’s finally afraid.” He chuckled, but as he laughed, tears unexpectedly streamed down, turning into suppressed, painful sobs. “Elara… twenty-eight cuts. Were you scared then?” Jason questioned, clutching the photo frame. Standing behind Jason, my soul trembled. I frantically shook my head, hoping he wouldn’t continue to torment himself like this. But I was just a wisp of a soul, only able to helplessly float around him. Jason’s tone grew increasingly obsessive and deranged. “I was your husband, and I failed to protect you. I couldn’t get there… I’m guilty.” “Elara, I should also suffer twenty-eight cuts!” As soon as he spoke, Jason abruptly pulled a sharp utility knife from the study drawer. I gasped in alarm, immediately wanting to grab his hand to stop him, but I could only watch my soul fruitlessly pass through Jason’s arm. Jason didn’t hesitate, raising his hand and savagely slashing his left arm. Blood instantly gushed out! “Does it hurt? Elara.” He stared at the photo, his eyes unfocused. It was as if he was looking through it at me, who had suffered all those years ago. I was frantic with tears, silently comforting him. It doesn’t hurt anymore. Jason, it stopped hurting a long time ago. “Was it… was it this painful back then?” The second cut was deeper. Blood instantly stained most of his white shirt. I was in unbearable agony, but no matter how I pleaded or cried out. Jason couldn’t hear or perceive me. Just as I tried to stop Jason’s self-mutilation again, my “hand” desperately brushed against the computer keyboard. Clack! One of the keyboard caps pressed down ever so slightly, yet distinctly. I could actually press a key! The sound was faint. But in the study’s deathly silence, a silence broken only by the blade slicing through flesh, it echoed like thunder. Jason’s movements froze instantly. His hand, poised to make another cut, halted mid-air. His bloodshot eyes stared in disbelief at the computer screen. There, on the screen, in a blank document I had personally pulled up, a few words slowly appeared. “It doesn’t hurt” Time itself seemed to freeze.

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I took thirteen stab wounds for Jacob. After I got out of the hospital, he married me. But at the wedding, right after he slipped a ring on my finger, he pulled out an even bigger diamond ring and walked straight toward his first love, Celeste. “Celeste,” he choked out, “I never forgot my promise to put a wedding ring on your finger. I’m sorry I failed you.” Jacob started sobbing in front of everyone. Celeste held him gently, her eyes lifting over his shoulder and locking on mine. “Maya, you saved Jacob, so he should marry you. Besides… I’m dying. Promise me you’ll take care of him. I’ll watch over you both from heaven.” Then the two of them kissed—completely lost in each other. Everyone laughed at me. I slipped off my ring. “Jacob, go marry this bitch. I wish you both the best.” My few words seemed to infuriate Celeste. She clutched her heart, coughing and twitching violently. I knew it was an act. But Jacob didn’t. “Maya Hayes, you are absolutely vicious!” He roared, his voice raw. “I’m marrying you! What else could you possibly want? Celeste is dying, and you’d curse her? Do you have any heart? Are you even human?” He screamed these words at me in front of all our friends and family. Then, gnoring the desperate pleas from both our parents, he scooped Celeste into his arms and stormed out of the wedding. His exit was absolute. There wasn’t a shred of hesitation. Not a flicker of regret for me. It was as if he’d forgotten the story behind every scar that marked my skin. In the lavish wedding hall, only I, the bride, remained. The mocking whispers of the guests echoed in my ears. “This was supposed to be a beautiful wedding, and she ruined everything. Couldn’t she just suck it up? She had to make such a scene, it’s completely disgraced the Reed family.” “She can’t keep a man’s heart, and then she throws tantrums. She’s hopeless. We should have just made some food at home, just a casual meal, instead of this ridiculous wedding.” “We’re out of patience. You’re on your own.” Jacob’s parents unleashed all their anger on me, making me their scapegoat. No matter what, the Reed family was blameless, Jacob was blameless. No one spoke up for me. Because I grew up in an orphanage, with no family, no connections. My eyes welled up as I watched Jacob’s parents and the guests leave. I looked up at the bright chandeliers. My pristine white wedding dress, at this moment, felt like a shroud, mourning seven years of my pathetic, unrequited love.

Seven years. I alone knew the truth of my sorrow. Thinking back, I couldn’t hold back my tears. Jacob had told me his family was old money, and his parents valued heritage. To gain their approval, I had to work hard. I loved Jacob, and I knew the path ahead was difficult, but I rushed headfirst into it, like a moth to a flame. I always obeyed Jacob’s parents, giving up my dream of becoming a detective to be a housewife. Even then, I wasn’t allowed to sit at the dinner table. Because of my humble origins, Jacob’s parents found me ‘unclean’. They saw me as beneath them, tainted by my background. I thought with time, I could warm them up. But Jacob’s passion for me steadily dwindled, while his interactions with Celeste became more frequent. Even so, I clung to a sliver of hope. So, when Jacob was attacked by thugs, I didn’t hesitate, shielding him and fighting them off, taking thirteen knife wounds! Blood soaked my clothes, blurring my vision. As I lay bleeding, consciousness fading, I heard Jacob screaming my name. In that second, I felt Jacob’s love and thought dying for him was worth it. But it was all my hallucination. Jacob had always truly loved Celeste… I sighed, wiping away my tears, and was the last to leave the hotel. To my surprise, Jacob’s father was waiting outside. “I’ll arrange a press conference. You’ll admit your mistake and take all the blame, don’t you dare affect Jacob.” He saw me and spoke, his tone an order.

“Mistake? What mistake have I made?” I shot back. “If you still want to remain a Reed, and be Mrs. Reed, then do as I say. Otherwise, don’t bother coming home!” Mr. Reed’s face darkened. He delivered his harsh ultimatum, then got into his car and drove away. I clenched my fists. Even if I was as obedient as a dog, wagging my tail at their slightest gesture, overjoyed by a scrap they threw me. Even if I offered my life, I still wouldn’t get their approval. Celeste’s status would always be higher than mine. The weather bureau had announced a possible hailstorm today, but I didn’t call the Reed family to beg for forgiveness as I usually would. I refused to be threatened, refused to compromise anymore. I thought about finding shelter back inside the hotel, but the security guard stopped me. It was definitely the Reed family’s doing again. They wanted to force me to behave like a dog. I still refused to comply, walking alone on the street. My phone was in my car, so I couldn’t call a ride. The sky grew darker, and finally, the hail began to fall. I had nowhere to hide. I let the hailstones pelt me, feeling like I was being stoned. My head was bleeding, and I collapsed onto the ground. My white wedding dress was stained red again. Suddenly, I felt ridiculous. Seven years of my youth had led to this pathetic, desolate end. My consciousness started to fade. “The choice I gambled my life on… in the end, it was wrong…” I finally succumbed and passed out. When I woke up, I was in a hospital’s VIP room. My entire body was wrapped in bandages. I asked the nurse and learned that a patrol officer had happened to pass by and saved me. Otherwise, I might have been killed by the hail. After all, my old wounds hadn’t fully healed, and now I had new ones. Even a person of iron couldn’t endure it. “Mr. Reed, there’s already someone in this room. She’s very badly injured.” “So what? The last VIP room is for Celeste! I’m Jacob Reed, the heir to the Reed fortune, and the hospital has my family’s shares. Who dares defy me will be fired!” Suddenly, I heard Jacob and a nurse arguing outside. Before I could even process it, the door flew open. Jacob stormed in, carrying Celeste in his arms. Without so much as a glance toward the bed, he yelled, “You! Move the patient in this bed to another room, now! I’ll take full responsibility for any consequences!” “And I want Celeste taken care of immediately! Or everyone gets fired!” Only when his orders were given did he finally look up and saw me. He froze, startled. “What are you doing here?”

His surprise lasted only two seconds before Jacob frowned, an impatient expression on his face. “Maya, you must be very angry for following us here!” “I’m so sorry, I had an episode, that’s why Jacob dropped the wedding and rushed me to the hospital.” “Blame me, don’t blame Jacob.” Celeste squeezed out a few tears, looking pitifully at me. She acted like she was apologizing, but her saccharine words were pure poison. This, of course, made Jacob’s heart ache all over again. “Maya! Celeste is like this, how can you still blame her? Can’t you be more understanding?” He snapped at me, annoyed. “Have I said a single word since you both walked in?” I retorted, my voice cold. My entire body was wrapped in bandages, an IV drip in my arm, yet Jacob didn’t ask about my condition or show any concern. His eyes were only on Celeste. True love, indeed. Jacob was momentarily speechless, knowing I had a point, but he quickly went back to his accusing tone. “Even if you didn’t say anything, you deliberately followed us, then faked an injury to compete with Celeste for the VIP room. You’re truly malicious.” “I honestly regret ever knowing you!” “Give up the bed to Celeste immediately, and I might still forgive you!” His icy words were like a command to a dog. “Jacob, don’t be angry. Maya certainly didn’t mean it…” Celeste feigned concern, tugging on Jacob’s clothes, trying to ‘calm’ him. In reality, she was just adding fuel to the fire. “Celeste, you’re just too kind.” Jacob’s gaze softened the moment it landed on Celeste. When it flicked back to me, it had iced over completely. “Maya, stop this nonsense. Move.” He urged. He was desperate to appease his first love. The old me would have shuffled aside without a word, anxious not to cause him any trouble. But not this time. “I’m a patient here, too,” I said, holding his cold stare. “Why should I be the one to move?”

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Luke deleted Tiffany’s number and wiped out every trace of her from our place. He even fixed our busted wedding photo and hung it back up above our bed. I thought, maybe I should give him one more shot. Then, bam—two envelopes show up on the same day: my prenatal appointment reminder… and Tiffany’s damn wedding invite. He didn’t even hesitate—drove straight to her wedding. Right in front of everyone, he pulled Tiffany behind him and slammed a check on the groom’s chest. “Here’s $880,000. Now get the hell out.” The video blew up online. Everyone was obsessed with the runaway bride and their so-called epic love story. That’s when it hit me—Luke never let Tiffany go. And that night, I lost the baby. When my friend sent me the wedding-crashing video, I was making soup for Luke. “Is that him?” “What the hell happened?” “He and that massage girl are back together?” Countless messages flooded my phone. It was exactly like three years ago, when Luke got into a brawl and threw a guy off a third-floor balcony for Tiffany, landing himself all over the news. The same damn story. And of course, people in the comments recognized him. “OMG, this guy’s crazy streak showed three years ago!” “If you’re not marrying me, I’ll crash the wedding! We’re destined to be tangled till we die.” “Right? This is like a dark romance novel come to life, the kind of toxic love-hate saga everyone secretly binge-reads!” I slowly scrolled through the comments, forgetting to turn off the stove. The ceramic pot cracked. Boiling soup scalded my skin. But I barely felt the pain. I just silently called Luke. His phone was off. I let out a laugh, my heart growing colder. He had promised me this morning he would come with me for my prenatal check-up after work. He had sworn on his knees by my hospital bed that he would be a good husband. Was I sad? Was I hurting? I wasn’t sure. After all, I’d already experienced the deepest despair three years ago. I calmly cleaned up the kitchen. Then I called the hospital. “Please cancel my prenatal check-up. Could you book an abortion for me instead? The sooner, the better.”

Luke got home at three in the morning. I sat on the couch, my eyes raw from exhaustion. Our gazes met. A heavy silence stretched between us. On the table, the tablet played his wedding-crashing video on loop. “Here’s $880,000…” Once, twice, three times. Luke strode over and shut it off. Then, slowly, he knelt. He was kneeling for that woman. The thought alone was pathetic. “I know it’s too late for excuses,” he said, his voice rough. “But I swear, this is the last time I help her.” “Her dad has lung cancer, he needs money for surgery.” “She came to me first, but I refused to see her. That’s why she was selling herself to that man.” “I just felt sorry for her, you have to believe me…” Just pity. How many times had Luke said that? He probably lost count long ago. But I remembered every single time. Because every time he said it, I was the one who suffered. Funding her education, out of pity. Arranging her job, out of pity. Buying her a house, out of pity. Getting into a fight for her, out of pity. And now, even stopping her from marrying someone else, he still claimed it was out of pity? “Your compassion knows no bounds.” The sarcasm hit its mark. He stood to hug me, but I shoved him away. “Claire, are you going to leave me again?” Luke knelt on one knee, his eyes watering. “Luke, the one who gave up first doesn’t get to make demands.”

I never imagined Luke would cheat. The day I discovered his betrayal marked exactly 5,200 days since we first met. Childhood sweethearts. High school lovers. Married young. Over a decade of shared history. All of it shattered by the tears of a massage girl. In those days, Luke was always working late. Friends would joke, asking if I ever worried he was having an affair. I’d just smile serenely and say. “Why worry? If a man is tainted, you simply throw him away.” But I had overestimated Luke’s loyalty, and underestimated the depth of my own love. To love anyone more than you love yourself comes with a price. And my punishment arrived on schedule. Luke had spent half a million dollars at that massage parlor. The truth slipped out from his friend over dinner. A sudden silence swallowed the table. That was the day I most wished I could forget. Because it was the same day I discovered I was pregnant. I had planned to share our happy news with everyone at that table. Instead, I shattered. I demanded to know which parlor, which woman. When I confronted Tiffany, the man who usually walked on eggshells around me, suddenly stood in front of her and yelled at me. “Are you done making a scene?!” “I’m so sorry, Claire. I’m the one who seduced Luke. If you want to hit or scold anyone, just direct it at me.” Losing all reason, I pushed Luke aside and slapped Tiffany’s pitiful face. Luke held the sobbing woman, glaring at me with furious hatred. “Claire, don’t you dare go too far!” “You’re always so bossy with me, forcing me to do this and that, so what if I just want to spend some money on her?!” His words felt like an ice-cold punch to the gut, making me tremble with rage. From that day on, Luke and I fell into a continuous cold war. Everyone thought he would be the first to back down. After all, it was clearly his fault, and for so many years, he had always been compliant with my every wish. But in the end, it was me who had to use the pregnancy to get him back.

I never realized how much I loved Luke. From our student days, he was always the one chasing me, the one giving everything. The moment I realized I couldn’t lose him, I even started to wonder. Was I really too strong-willed with him? So that day when I called him, I poured out every soft, pleading word I could think of. “Just come back, just cut ties with that woman, and we can pretend nothing ever happened, okay?” My voice was so careful, so pathetic. But he said no. He said he had to protect Tiffany. “She’s had such a tough life, I just feel like I owe her, I have to make it up to her.” To get him to come home, I agreed to give Tiffany a monthly allowance. I thought that would finally be enough. But Luke kept finding excuses to see her every single day. If a friend brought delicious pastries, he would immediately take them to that girl so she could try. If he got concert tickets, his first thought was to take that girl so she could see the world. He even opened a bar for Tiffany, naming it “The Siren’s Gaze.” When a drunk man harassed Tiffany, Luke didn’t hesitate to throw him off a balcony. Fortunately, the man’s fall was broken by a tree. After we paid a hefty settlement, the case was closed. “When you did that,” I asked, my voice trembling, “did you ever think of me? Of our child?” “Do you want our child to be born with a criminal for a father?” But Luke just accused me of having no compassion before he started destroying our home. When our wedding photo shattered, the glass cracked perfectly between us – separating his image from mine forever. Broken mirrors are hard to restored. The tragedy is, I was too young back then to understand that simple truth. On our wedding anniversary, I waited at a restaurant we’d booked months ago until closing time. What I got instead was a post on Tiffany’s Ins. “Thank you for showing me that even if you’re not perfect, you can still be loved.” In the photo, she was wearing the latest Chanel haute couture dress, carrying a Louis Vuitton bag. All identical to mine. She was telling me that everything I had, she would have too. Luke was raising her all over again, using my lifestyle. In that instant, nausea and an unspeakable sense of grief overwhelmed me. I drove, tears streaming down my face, directly to the villa Luke had bought for her. The moment I pushed open the door, I froze. There was Tiffany, wearing my wedding dress. They were kissing. I think I truly lost my mind then. I screamed, a raw, hysterical sound, and rushed forward to tear them apart. In the struggle, Tiffany shoved me. I fell to the floor. And then I felt it – the warm blood spreading beneath me.

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Liam and I grew up together in the same orphanage. On my tenth birthday, I made a wish: to marry Liam when I grew up. But then, a group of older kids started bullying me. Liam shielded me, yelling for me to run. I ran from the orphanage like crazy. And then, I time-traveled ten years into the future. The orphanage was now a ruin. A man stood in front of the wreckage. I recognized him as Liam at first glance. But the woman he was embracing wasn’t me. Liam glanced at me, then said to the woman beside him: “Damn it, Stella, that kid looks exactly like Mia.” Stella, the woman he’d called out, squatted down, scrutinizing me with a gentle smile: “She certainly does. It’s been ten years since you two split. If Mia remarried and had a child, they’d be about this age.” “If that messy incident hadn’t happened back then, our child would be taller than her now, wouldn’t they?” She measured my height with her hand again, her eyes suddenly welling up. Liam seemed momentarily stunned, resting his chin on her head, his voice soft: “It’s okay. It’s all in the past.” His gaze fell back on my face, and he couldn’t help but ask: “Is your mom named Mia?” He frowned, a hint of barely concealed disgust in his tone: “So dirty. Exactly like she was when she was little.” Liam had changed. He seemed to really dislike me. My hand, clutching the hem of my clothes, tightened. I nodded gently: “Yeah, I’m lost.” Liam didn’t waste words. He pulled out his phone and tapped a couple of times: “Mike, find Mia’s address for me.” After a long moment, a reply came through. He hung up, walked to his Maybach, and opened the door: “Get in. I’ll take you home.” His tone was flat, devoid of emotion. I slipped into the car gingerly, pulling a crumpled tissue from my pocket. I padded it under my butt before I dared to sit down lightly. “You actually have more manners than your mother.” Liam glanced at me. I couldn’t tell if it was mockery or an observation. Stella in the passenger seat leaned against the seat and nudged his arm: “Why are you arguing with a kid, Liam? She’s so well-behaved.” Liam caught her restless hand and kissed it openly, as if no one else was there. I quickly lowered my head, feeling awkward. The Liam from my childhood said he’d be with me forever. It was a lie. My nose stung with a pang of sadness, and my stomach rumbled unruly. It was exceptionally loud in the quiet car, and my face flushed. Stella smiled, handing me a beautifully wrapped cream cake: “Hungry, aren’t you? Have this to tide you over.” I shook my head, my voice faint: “No thanks. Could you please stop the car? I want to buy a couple of pastries.” I added: “I’ll pay for them myself. It won’t take long.” The car slowly decelerated, stopping in front of a bakery. Liam got out with me. “One savory pastry, one plain roll.” I reached into my pocket for money, but Liam was faster. He tapped his phone to pay, and the person behind the counter immediately handed me the pastries. I was startled: “It’s so advanced!” A rare smile touched Liam’s eyes: “What, does your mom usually raise you like a cave dweller?” “Then again, she was so clumsy. At your age, she couldn’t even tie her shoelaces, let alone raise a child this old.” As he spoke, his lips involuntarily curved upwards. But soon, the warmth faded from his face, replaced by cold indifference: “Eat quickly. I don’t have time to waste with you.” “Mhm.” I took a bite of the savory pastry, and instinctively offered Liam a flattened piece of the plain roll. At the orphanage, we used to flatten the rolls, making them bigger, as if that would fill our stomachs more. Liam’s gaze fixed on my actions, his pupils constricting. I realized what I’d done, my face flushed crimson, and I awkwardly pulled my hand back. I quickly finished the pastry and got back into the car. I instinctively took out a tissue and folded it under me. When I looked up, I met Liam’s gaze. He said nothing. The car started, eventually stopping in front of a kids’ clothing store. “Try this one.” He took down a white tulle dress, adorned with delicate pearls. When I put it on, the sales assistant couldn’t help but compliment: “Sir, your daughter looks beautiful in this, like a little angel.” “Yeah, just like her mother.” He didn’t correct her, a faint smile gracing his lips. Stella’s face stiffened, and the warmth in her eyes lessened as she looked at me. She reminded him: “Liam, let’s not waste time. Mia will be worried if she can’t find her daughter.” Liam nodded and strode back to the car. The car drove for almost an hour, eventually stopping in front of an old, dilapidated apartment complex. The paint was peeling from the walls, and clutter was piled in the stairwell. Liam frowned but said nothing. He led me up to the sixth floor and raised his hand to knock. I felt a flicker of excitement. What would my grown-up self be like? But an old lady opened the door. When she heard we were looking for Mia, she tilted her head in thought for a moment before suddenly tapping her forehead: “Oh, you mean her? She died ten years ago.”

Liam’s car keys clattered to the floor, but he didn’t notice. Staring intently at the old lady, he choked out the words with difficulty: “What did you say? How is that possible…?” I was stunned too. The wind blew in from the stairwell, carrying a chill. I instinctively shrank behind Liam, feeling a little scared, and an indescribable sadness. “Why would I lie to you?” The old lady sighed: “She rented my place. Her husband ran off, and with postpartum depression, she committed suicide by hanging.” “Her body hung from the old ceiling fan, creaking for a week before anyone found it. I only found out when I came to collect the rent.” Her tone held a hint of reproach as she mentioned this: “Made this place unsellable, so I, this old woman, had to live here myself.” “Impossible!” Liam suddenly pointed at me, his emotions flaring: “Mia, who was afraid of even a fall, how could she commit suicide?” “Besides, if she died, how did her daughter grow up to be this old?” “That girl did have a daughter back then, but I heard she was sent to an orphanage after birth.” The old lady’s clouded eyes fixed on me: “You certainly look like your mother.” She paused, then remembered something else: “Oh, and she left a pile of belongings. They’re just taking up space in the storage room. If you want them, take them.” The old lady hobbled inside. I cautiously explained to Liam: “I was also trying to find my mom through you. I didn’t know she…” Liam didn’t listen to me, walking straight in. The interior was dilapidated, with large patches of peeling paint on the walls. He stared at the creaking ceiling fan, muttering to himself: “How could she have ended up like this? Back when she left, I gave her half my assets, at least a few million.” No one could answer his question, and neither could I. He took a large box of belongings from the old lady, walking downstairs dejectedly. I followed closely behind him. Stella, who had been waiting in the car for a long time, looked at me in surprise: “Liam, haven’t you sent her away yet?” “Mia… is dead.” Liam choked out the words, his shoulders trembling almost imperceptibly. Stella gasped, covering her mouth: “How could this happen? Liam, did you ask where Mia’s grave is? Let’s go visit.” “Even though she did those things back then, we were still friends.” She leaned closer to Liam, her eyes slightly red-rimmed. I couldn’t help but wonder. From the moment we met, I felt a barrier between the grown-up Liam and me. What happened ten years ago to break us apart, even causing me to leave? “No need.” Liam’s voice was cold: “I said I’d hardly ever see Mia again, whether she was alive or dead.” “Stella, didn’t you have a salon appointment? I’ll drop you off.” He pulled open the car door. Stella pointed at me: “What about her? Maybe send her to an orphanage.” Liam glanced at my restless self: “Let’s take her back first, we’ll figure it out.” A flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes, but she still smiled and nodded: “Okay.” Soon, the car arrived at the beauty salon. Liam kissed Stella’s forehead: “Go on, I’ll pick you up when you’re done.” “Mrs. Stone is so lucky!” The wives waiting at the salon joked: “I heard that whenever you go out, you don’t even have to put on your own shoes; Mr. Stone drives you everywhere and even carries you out of the car.” Stella blushed and waved goodbye to Liam. Hearing those words, a pang of sadness hit me, and I stared blankly out the window. Liam, however, was clearly more distracted than me. Not long after driving off, he accidentally cut off another car. The driver opposite immediately rolled down his window, leaned out, and was about to curse. But when he recognized Liam, his expression suddenly turned to surprise: “Liam!” “Do you remember me? I’m Brenda, Mia’s classmate from grad school.” Brenda leaned in to look into the car, her gaze falling on me with delighted surprise: “Is this your child with Mia? She’s all grown up and looks just like her mother!” After saying that, she couldn’t help but sigh: “Everyone in our department was envious of Mia back then. She’d be busy with experiments until midnight, and you’d always be waiting downstairs with hot soup for her.” “I thought that after what happened, with her stubborn personality, she’d never end up with you.” “Guess I was overthinking it.”

Confusion flickered in Liam’s eyes: “Something happened? What happened?” “Mia and I always had a great relationship during grad school, we never even argued.” “No wonder people always sugarcoat the mistakes they made back then.” Brenda’s gaze towards Liam grew cold, filled with scorn and condemnation: “That year, Mia cried for a day and a night because you cheated. She called you hundreds of times, even flew to A-City overnight to find you.” She pulled out her phone, scrolled for a long time, and finally brought up a photo. The pixel quality from over ten years ago was blurry, but it was vaguely identifiable as a photo of Stella and Liam. In the picture, Liam’s collar was open, his neck covered in suggestive hickey marks. Stella lay in his arms, smiling at the camera. My heart felt like it was being pricked by needles, hurting intensely as I looked at the photo. So the grown-up me was with Liam, but he cheated. Brenda grew angrier as she spoke: “Even on our university’s anniversary, Stella, visibly pregnant, publicly slandered Mia as a homewrecker in front of hundreds of faculty and VIPs.” “The incident became a huge scandal. Mia was crushed by public opinion, unable to hold her head high, and was eventually forced to drop out of school.” “Liam, did you even have a heart back then?” Liam stared at the photo, his eyes filled with shock: “I had no idea about any of this.” “That year, I was drinking all night for a tricky project. The next day, I had no record of Mia’s calls on my phone, and I didn’t know she came to find me.” “Even when she dropped out, she only told me she wasn’t feeling well and wanted a short break…” His throat tightened, and he involuntarily gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white. Liam didn’t remember how he got home. Exhausted, he instructed a maid to prepare a room for me: “Get some rest first. Call me if you need anything.” After that, he walked straight to the liquor cabinet, opened a bottle, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Smoke quickly filled the air, blurring his expression. From upstairs, I watched Liam curled up in the corner, feeling an inexplicable ache in my heart. His phone buzzed. Liam glanced at the screen, then silently turned it off. In the evening, Stella returned. She stomped her foot, pouting dramatically with feigned grievance: “Liam, didn’t you say you’d pick me up? Why didn’t you answer my calls?” She naturally threw herself into Liam’s arms, not noticing the pile of empty bottles on the floor. Liam looked at her, then after three seconds of silence, he abruptly grabbed her by the neck: “Why did you go to Mia’s school and cause trouble that year? Do you even know that her biggest dream since childhood was to study?” Liam’s grip slowly tightened. Stella’s face turned crimson, gasping for breath, as she weakly tried to argue: “I was just a jealous young girl back then. I didn’t know it would affect her so much.” She cried harder and harder, tears splashing onto Liam’s hand. He paused, then withdrew his hand. Stella collapsed into his arms, sobbing: “Liam, it’s been so many years. Please forgive me.” “Besides, didn’t I get punished too?” “Mia pushed me down the stairs. I miscarried, and it’ll be difficult for me to have children for the rest of my life.” Liam’s fingers curled, but he ultimately pulled her into his embrace. For a long time, he stood on the balcony, cigarette butts littering the floor. “She bullied my mom. Are you just going to let her get away with it?” Liam turned around and saw me standing in the darkness, my eyes fixed on him. That gaze almost made Liam squirm with shame. Especially looking at my face, so similar to Mia’s, he couldn’t even meet my eyes. “Adult matters aren’t as simple as you think.” He touched my head, a bitter smile on his face: “Your mother also did something very wrong back then.”

Watching his retreating back, I suddenly felt Liam was a stranger. Perhaps feeling guilty towards Mia, Liam poured all that compensatory guilt onto me. He arranged for my adoption, and took me to amusement parks on weekends. Any doll I casually mentioned would appear by my bedside the next day. But the longer we spent together, the more complex his gaze became. My habit of chewing on pen caps, or licking the milk mustache before drinking, would make him stare blankly for ages. He would also murmur: “So similar.” Stella watched this scene, her nails digging deeply into her palms. The next morning at breakfast, she suddenly clutched her throat, recoiled, and slapped me hard across the face: “Why did you put peanut butter in my toast? Don’t you know I’m allergic to peanuts?” Stella’s body rapidly broke out in a dense rash, visible to the naked eye. Liam rushed over at the commotion. The maid chimed in: “Sir, we’ve followed your instructions. No peanut products are allowed in the house. This child must have snuck them in.” “Yesterday, she even specifically asked me about Ms. Stella’s likes and dislikes, saying she wanted to get revenge for her mother.” Liam supported Stella, his eyes full of disappointment as he looked at me: “How could you become like this, as vicious as your mother?” Before he could finish, I scratched my arm. A patch of rash also appeared on my arm. Stella and I were both sent to the hospital. The diagnosis was that I was also allergic to peanuts, and it was hereditary. Liam seized on the word ‘hereditary’ and stormed into Stella’s hospital room. Grabbing her hand, he sharply questioned: “Eleven years ago, you almost went into anaphylactic shock because of a peanut allergy, and you claimed Mia loved peanut butter so she forced you to eat it.” “But the doctor just said this is a hereditary allergy. Mia couldn’t eat peanuts either.” His grip was so strong it almost crushed Stella’s arm. Stella, her face pale, tried to argue: “It happened so many years ago, how could I remember clearly?” Liam let go of her, the disappointment in his eyes intensifying. He turned and left. Stella frantically chased after him, tugging at his clothes, tears streaming down her face: “Liam, please listen to me. I must have said the wrong thing back then because I was so scared.” “But my allergy is real, and Mia forcing me to eat it is also real. Let’s go back to the room and talk properly, okay?” Liam looked at her tear-reddened eyes and finally gave in, letting her pull him into the hospital room. The door clicked shut, and ambiguous gasps came from inside. I stood at the stairwell, my heart sinking bit by bit. So the grown-up Liam was so easily swayed. His kindness to me before didn’t seem so steadfast anymore. With Liam backing her, Stella became emboldened, and her tactics grew even more malicious. She would deliberately paint me as vulgar and uncouth in front of him, saying I chewed with my mouth open, and always spoke ill of her behind my back. She would even suddenly scream while showering, then rush into Liam’s arms wrapped in a towel, claiming I was secretly filming her. After a while, Liam grew annoyed. When Stella again suggested sending me to an orphanage, a clear flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes. At dinner, Liam sat across from me, hesitating before speaking: “I’ve asked Mike to find your biological father. In the future, I’ll pay you five hundred thousand dollars in child support annually, as compensation from me to Mia.” I nodded numbly: “Okay.” Liam’s phone suddenly vibrated. He answered the call. Mike’s voice came from the receiver: “Mr. Stone, the child with you isn’t Ms. Mia’s at all.” “And Ms. Mia’s death isn’t as simple as it seems!”

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I saw the nanny swap her baby with my sister. Just as I was about to switch them back, a the live commentary scrolling across my vision **[This must be the start of Alice’s nightmare, right?]** **[Her biological sister is actually a born devil.]** **[At three years old, she’d stab her sister’s eyes with a fork.]** **[At ten, she’d put mercury in her sister’s milk.]** **[At eighteen, she’d sell her off to some remote place just to claim the inheritance…]** **[She’s nothing like the nanny’s girl – so sweet and docile!]** **[The choice of who gets to be her sister is entirely up to Alice now.]** I quickly put the baby down. Actually… blood ties aren’t *that* important, right? Who truly cares for me is what matters most. My mom was being rushed into the delivery room, and my dad and I were pacing anxiously in the hospital corridor. The doctor’s warning before he entered the emergency room still echoed in my mind. He’d said the baby was in a difficult position and might require a C-section after attempting natural birth, so we should prepare ourselves. We waited for nearly four hours, until finally, my dad and I heard a baby’s cry. Mother and daughter were safe. When the nurse wheeled Mom and my sister out, Mom was still groggy from the anesthesia, completely lost in a deep sleep. Back in the hospital room, Mrs. Davis, our nanny, who had been waiting since early morning, immediately came forward, eager to care for Mom. My dad quickly waved her off. “No, no, Mrs. Davis. You just gave birth yourself; you should go rest first.” It was a strange coincidence; Mrs. Davis and my mom had given birth on the same day. But Mrs. Davis had a natural delivery and was out of the delivery room much earlier. She was still quick on her feet and, as soon as she was cleaned up, she hurried to Mom’s room. When my dad insisted, she just waved her hand, looking completely unfazed. “We’re not that delicate, Mr. Peterson. My mother-in-law was back working in the fields the day after she had my husband.” Mrs. Davis’s honest husband, Mr. Davis, stood beside her, nodding in agreement. Even though my dad tried to protest further, Mrs. Davis had already taken the warm towel from his hand and gently wiped the cold sweat from Mom’s forehead. Mrs. Davis then nudged me forward. “Alice is still young, and she’s been hungry for a long time. Mr. Peterson, you should take Alice out to eat.” She added that my dad was a big man, clumsy with babies, and would only be in the way in the room. My dad looked a bit awkward but also seemed to relax. Clearly, he was quite pleased with Mrs. Davis’s initiative to stay and look after Mom. Besides, Mrs. Davis had worked for our family for many years and had never made a single mistake. After a moment of hesitation, my dad agreed. “We’ll be back soon.” Then he picked me up and carried me downstairs. On the way, he said, “See, Alice, Mrs. Davis is so good to you. You must never bully her daughter, Chloe, when she grows up.” I nodded obediently. But when we reached the car, my dad realized he’d forgotten the car keys. Just then, his phone rang. He pointed to the hospital building and quietly asked me to go up and fetch the keys for him. Thankfully, I remembered the way back to the room. I ran back to the hospital room with light steps, only to find the door locked. I stood on tiptoes, about to knock and ask Mrs. Davis to open the door. The next second, through the glass panel, I saw her pick up the baby lying beside Mom. Then she placed the unfamiliar baby she was holding into the spot where my sister should have been. She even carefully swapped the wristbands on the infants. My eyes widened, and I held my breath, my entire body tense. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a man swaying as he walked towards the room. Instinctively, I opened the door to the next room and ducked inside. It was Mrs. Davis’s husband, Mr. Davis. Through the slightly ajar door, I heard Mrs. Davis, holding the baby, complaining incessantly to him. “I told you to stand guard at the door, but you just *had* to go take a pee! What if the Petersons find out we swapped the babies?” “If we get caught, neither of us will get off easy, and your daughter won’t be a little lady anymore!” Mr. Davis offered a placating smile. “Oh, come on, I saw them go downstairs to the car. How could they possibly come back? Don’t scare yourself.” Their voices gradually faded away. I tremblingly left the room where I had been hiding, feeling like my whole body was shaking uncontrollably. Terrified, I couldn’t stop crying. I went to Mom’s bedside and kept pushing her, wanting to wake her up and tell her that my sister had been swapped. But Mom was still under the effects of the anesthesia, completely unconscious. No matter how much I pushed, she wouldn’t wake up. I gritted my teeth, intending to pick up the swapped baby and switch her back with my sister. But at that exact moment, the live commentary overlays inexplicably appeared before my eyes— **[Go on, swap them back. Bring your family’s born devil home, and then you’ll learn your lesson.]**

The strange words that had appeared seemed fixed in front of me. Even if I waved my hand to scatter them, they would reappear seconds later. And the content of the words grew more and more alarming. **[That devil, at three years old, she’d stab her sister’s eyes with a fork. At ten, she’d put mercury in the milk her sister was about to drink. Her sister was lucky to even survive to adulthood.]** **[Yeah, and she only lived to adulthood, right? At eighteen, the devil sister sold her off to some remote place…]** **[If it were me, I definitely wouldn’t swap them back. This sweet girl from the nanny’s family is so much better. At least you wouldn’t have to worry about dying any day.]** My hand, poised to pick up the baby and swap my biological sister back, froze in mid-air. I didn’t know what these sudden, strange words were, but I felt an overwhelming fear growing inside me. If I swapped my sister back, would I really end up like they said? Living in constant anxiety and danger until I was eighteen, only to be sold off to the countryside by my sister before I could truly enjoy the world. I instinctively wanted to wake Mom, but she wouldn’t open her eyes no matter what. All I could do was clutch my dress, squatting on the floor and sobbing uncontrollably. Before my sister was born, Mom and Dad had told me countless times to be good to her. Because I was the older sister, and older sisters were naturally supposed to be good to their younger siblings. I knew I should run to the hospital front desk and tell the nurses and doctors that my sister had been swapped. But I was too scared. I didn’t dare. I was terrified that if I brought my sister back, my future would be ruined by her. My eyes were red from crying, gasping for breath. Just then, my dad came panting up the stairs. He’d just finished scolding me for dawdling and taking so long to fetch the keys. The next second, he saw me sobbing, almost collapsing, and quickly hugged me, soothing me gently. “What’s wrong, Alice? Don’t cry, don’t cry. Did someone bully you?” I clutched my dad’s shirt collar, shaking my head through my tears. After finally catching my breath, I blurted out a flimsy excuse with red-rimmed eyes. “No, I just… suddenly missed Mom.” My dad sighed helplessly, stroked my head, and said I was a good daughter. Then, telling Mom and my sister to rest well, he picked me up and carried me out. Before he closed the door, I glanced back at the bassinet. The baby Mrs. Davis had given birth to was awake. Her big, clear eyes stared directly at me. Then she smiled, showing off her soft, pink gums. In that moment, I suddenly made my decision— I’d take a chance. I’d trust the the live commentary just this once. Staying alive was what mattered most!

What happened in the following years made me incredibly grateful for my decision as a child. Because I kept silent about Mrs. Davis swapping the babies, she was able to remain our nanny. To verify the truth of the the live commentary , and also to ensure my real sister wouldn’t truly disappear. I even suggested to Mom and Dad that, to make it easier for Mrs. Davis to balance family and work, she should bring “her daughter,” Bella, to live with us. And it was precisely because of this that I confirmed those the live commentary hadn’t lied to me. Bella, that girl, was truly a born devil! During infancy, Mrs. Davis’s biological daughter, now my sister Chloe, was an angelic baby. She rarely needed to be woken up at night, didn’t cry much, and just smiled at us when she was full. Bella, however, couldn’t be put down; she insisted on being held to sleep. Otherwise, she’d scream her lungs out, which eventually caused Mrs. Davis to develop chronic back pain. As they grew, the contrast between the two girls became even more apparent. Chloe started feeding herself at a very young age. Though she ate slowly and sometimes spilled a bit. She wasn’t picky and sat there obediently. Bella, on the other hand, was three years old and still demanded Mrs. Davis feed her. And when Mrs. Davis was a second too slow, Bella grabbed her kiddie fork and brutally stabbed Mrs. Davis right in the eye. Blood gushed. Leaving her with permanent vision damage in her right eye, nearly half-blind. In that moment, I clamped my hand over my mouth, desperate not to scream. Thank goodness… I hadn’t swapped the babies back then, or I would have been the one blinded. Mrs. Davis was getting her just deserts, in a way. As Bella grew, her lack of empathy and cruelty became increasingly obvious, and her destructiveness grew stronger. At ten, Bella smashed the thermometer at home and poured the mercury into Mrs. Davis’s thermos. If Mrs. Davis hadn’t had her stomach pumped in time, she probably would have died that day. We all witnessed Bella’s actions towards Mrs. Davis. And throughout those eighteen years, her frequent acts of bullying classmates were atrocious. Every time Mom and Dad saw her like this, and then looked at Chloe, who was always trailing behind me like a little shadow, excelling in both academics and character. They couldn’t help but sigh. “Mrs. Davis’s daughter…” “What a difficult life she’s had…” But I couldn’t help but inwardly sneer. Serves her right! If she hadn’t come up with such a sinister scheme to swap the babies, *I* would have been the one suffering, *our family* would have been suffering! So, just before Chloe’s eighteenth birthday celebration. As my parents and I were discussing how to throw a grand coming-of-age party for her. Bella suddenly burst into our house, shouting that she was the real long-lost daughter and Chloe was a fake. My parents’ first reaction was that she was lying.

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My wife, who always hated plush toys, suddenly bought a large teddy bear and started sleeping with it every night. She left me out in the cold. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I proposed divorce at our daughter’s first birthday party. Everyone was stunned. Vivian grabbed a glass of wine and splashed it across my face, her voice seething with anger: “You’re jealous of a teddy bear? Are you out of your mind?!” I calmly wiped the wine from my face, my voice flat. “Didn’t you tell the teddy bear you wanted to be with it forever? I’m granting your wish.” “Ryan Henderson!” “Our daughter just turned one, and you’re using such an absurd excuse to divorce me. You’re an absolute jerk.” Vivian’s eyes were red, and her entire body trembled with rage. “Sign it.” “Nine AM tomorrow, the divorce is final.” I couldn’t be bothered to say another word. I tossed the divorce papers onto the table and turned to leave. All the guests were dumbfounded again. No one understood why our seemingly perfect marriage, one everyone envied, was suddenly falling apart so spectacularly. A flicker of panic and disbelief crossed Vivian’s eyes. Her parents frowned, their faces instantly darkening. They clearly hadn’t expected me to be so resolute. Her assistant, Jeremy Stone, grabbed my arm, pulling me back and trying to reason with me: “Don’t all girls love plushies? Don’t be crazy, Ryan. Apologize to Vivian, now.” “Don’t forget, Vivian nearly died giving birth to your daughter. She held on without an epidural and was unconscious for two days from the pain.” “She slept in a separate room and took care of Lily herself because she didn’t want to disturb your rest. Why can’t you see how much she sacrifices?” The guests chimed in, chastising me. “Jeremy’s right. You two have a great life, why are you messing it up? Do you know how many people envy you for marrying such a good woman?” “If something’s wrong, you should sit down and talk it over. You shouldn’t take your frustrations out on your wife and threaten divorce.” Vivian took a deep breath, composed herself, and rushed forward to hug me. “Honey,” she said. “We’ve known each other, fallen in love, and stayed together for twelve years. I know you’re usually so gentle, you never get angry.” “Did something happen at the company? Are you afraid of implicating me, that’s why you want a divorce? Please tell me, we can figure it out together.” Seeing her defend me like this, everyone praised her, making me seem even more ungrateful. “Ryan, even though I’m retired and haven’t handled business in a while, people still respect me.” “We’re family. Just say what’s on your mind, don’t keep it bottled up.” Vivian’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke, still choosing to believe in my character. After all, I was the son-in-law they had carefully chosen. Ignoring everyone’s stares, I pushed Vivian away, my voice icy. “It’s simple. I don’t love you anymore.” A hush fell over the entire room. “What? Say that again…” Vivian froze, tears slowly welling up in her eyes. “I said, I don’t love you anymore!” “Did you hear me clearly this time?” With that, I walked past Vivian, ready to leave. “Hold it right there!” The next second, Jeremy grabbed my collar, shouting: “Stop making a scene, okay? Even I, your assistant, can’t stand this.” “Have you forgotten how much you loved Vivian? You chased her for three whole years! And it took another six years for you to get married!” “Have you forgotten what you said at your wedding? You promised to be together forever, until old age.” “And your daughter is one year old! Do you want her to grow up in a broken home?!” Seeing him stand up for Vivian, I gave a mocking smile. “What’s it to you? Why are you so eager? Could it be…?” Jeremy cut me off, becoming even more aggressive. “Anyone with a conscience would be disgusted by a monster like you.” “You came from nothing, but Vivian never looked down on you. Instead, she brought you into her family’s company.” “If it weren’t for the Hendersons, would you have the good life you have today? Would you be sitting as CEO?” *Smack!* I slapped him directly, challenging him: “You’re just an assistant. You don’t get a say.” Vivian immediately panicked. “Ryan Henderson, are you insane? Why did you hit Jeremy?!” She shoved me hard, rushing to help Jeremy, who had fallen to the ground. Her eyes were filled with concern. “He deserved it!” I clenched my fist, feeling no guilt at all, my tone righteous. Instantly, I drew everyone’s disgust.

They all believed my usual good temper was just an act. That I was actually hypocritical and volatile. Jeremy looked at Vivian. “I’m sorry, Vivian. It’s my fault.” “I shouldn’t have spoken out. I made Ryan angry, please don’t blame him.” He hung his head, looking very apologetic. “It’s not your fault.” “I got you into this.” Vivian comforted him, then turned to me, her voice pleading. “Honey, our issues don’t need to involve other people.” “Today is Lily’s birthday party, can we please not make a scene? I’m begging you.” As she spoke, Vivian began to cry. Her compromise. My stubbornness. It was a stark contrast. All the guests sided with Vivian. Mr. Henderson took a deep breath, and kindly urged me again. “Ryan, for all these years, you’ve been diligent, dedicated to our family, and respectful.” “There’s really no need to make such a mess.” “If you can provide solid proof that you’ve been wronged, I will personally see that justice is done.” He offered me an out. But I didn’t take it. Instead, I remained as cold as ever, stating firmly: “This divorce is happening.” Instantly, Mr. Henderson’s face turned ashen. Vivian, her face streaked with tears, stared at me. “Honey, do you have someone else?” “Say whatever you want. If you think I do, then I do.” I said calmly. “Enough!” Mr. Henderson finally lost his temper, roaring: “Ryan Henderson, I’m giving you three days to think about this.” “Either you sort things out and be a proper husband.” “Or we’ll see you in court, and you’ll leave with absolutely nothing.” “Don’t forget, everything you have today, I gave you.” His words were harsh. Everyone assumed I would finally relent. But I turned and walked away. Outside, Shelly Miller, my former classmate, had been waiting for me for a while. “I’ve already sent people to Europe.” “You’ll have answers to what you’re looking into very soon.” She said with a smile. “Thank you.” “In three days, I’ll be facing Vivian in court. I’ll need you to represent me as my lawyer.” I leaned back in the car seat, utterly exhausted, and pulled out my phone. I found a surveillance video. It showed Vivian’s beloved teddy bear casually walking out of the side bedroom. It even danced for the living room camera. Three days was enough time for me to prepare and let this whole thing settle.

I had planned to stay at a hotel, but then realized all my bank cards were frozen. That’s when it hit me: over the past year, financial control had gradually shifted back into the Henderson family’s hands. Even the bank account names had been changed to Vivian Henderson. Outwardly, I lived in a harmonious, happy home, but in reality, I was utterly alone. After staying a night at Shelly’s place, I went to the company the next day to get my belongings. As soon as I entered the lobby, I was met with a barrage of complaints from employees. “That useless idiot, no sense at all, asking for a divorce. Dumber than a brick.” “Vivian just likes sleeping with a teddy bear, so what? I like it too!” “He probably saw that Vivian’s body changed a bit after giving birth and got tired of her, looking for new things. Maybe he’s got seven or eight mistresses on the side.” Their gazes were like those of a jury staring at a criminal, full of judgment. Before I could respond, Vivian’s voice came from behind me: “Everyone, quiet down. Who told you to gossip? Get back to work.” The employees grumbled and dispersed. “Honey.” “I bought you a watch. Try it on.” Vivian pulled a brand-new wristwatch from her bag. It immediately drew gasps of admiration. “A limited-edition Patek Philippe! Only three were made, bought by a mysterious collector.” “Vivian must have gone through so much trouble to get this watch. She’s so thoughtful.” Everyone looked on with envy. But my attitude remained cold. I refused. “I’m here to get my family heirloom. You can give that watch to your teddy bear.” At those words, Vivian froze. The employees were furious, calling me heartless. I pretended not to hear and headed upstairs. When my parents passed away, the only thing they left me was a pendant, which they said would protect me. I had always worn it around my neck. Vivian had often complained that her office was eerie and that she heard strange noises. So, I took off my pendant and hung it in Vivian’s office. After that, there were no more strange noises. She didn’t deserve to keep it now. As I entered Vivian’s office, I saw Jeremy playing with Lily. “Ryan.” “You’re finally back. A good life is better than anything, come look at your daughter.” “She’s so cute, how could you bear to abandon her?” Jeremy picked up Lily and walked towards me. “Move.” I frowned in disgust. “Ryan.” “This is your daughter. Are you really not even willing to look at her?” Jeremy demanded loudly. “Get lost!” I impatiently pushed Jeremy aside and quickly entered the office, taking down the pendant from the wall. Then I heard crying. I turned to see Jeremy and Lily on the floor. Just then, Vivian and several senior executives walked into the office, witnessing the scene. Vivian quickly picked up Lily, carefully checked for injuries, and breathed a sigh of relief when she found none. “What exactly happened?” Her gaze shifted between me and Jeremy. Jeremy, head bowed, replied, “I wanted Ryan to see Lily, but he refused and pushed me away.” “It’s my fault for being useless. If I had just stood steady, I wouldn’t have fallen.” What? Vivian listened, then turned and slapped me, yelling: “How could you become so heartless? That’s your own daughter!” “She’s only one year old! What if she had been seriously hurt?!”

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On my Valentine’s Day wedding, six different men showed up at my door, each with a child in tow. They all swore the kids were mine. They even pulled out DNA test results. My fiancé, Daniel, arrived late and saw the scene, then lashed out, hitting me. The six men joined in, punching and kicking me. Until my last breath, I had no idea. I didn’t even know these men. How could I have had children with them? When I opened my eyes again, it was February 13th. The day before the wedding. “Goodnight, babe. Sleep tight. Tomorrow, you’ll be the most beautiful bride in the world. Love you” Daniel hung up the phone. The dial tone in my ear made me realize I had been reborn. In my previous life, Daniel and I were so in love. Before the wedding, he wouldn’t even dare to touch me. He cherished me like a fragile treasure. But on our wedding day, when those six men slandered me, he didn’t listen to any of my explanations. He just started hitting and kicking me. The fear in my heart was greater than my disappointment. The most important thing now was to cancel tomorrow’s wedding. When I knocked on my parents’ bedroom door, a flicker of surprise crossed their eyes. “Eliza, why are you still awake so late?” my dad asked. “Mom, Dad, I’m canceling tomorrow’s wedding.” “What?!” “What?! No way!” My mom’s reaction was really strange. They had never said a harsh word to me my entire life, almost always giving me whatever I wanted. Maybe my request today was just too unreasonable. My dad patted my mom’s shoulder reassuringly and then looked at me. “Eliza, canceling a wedding isn’t just ‘saying’ it. Some distant relatives are already on their way, and the hotel food is all prepared. You can’t just cancel it like that.” “Did you and Daniel have a fight? You’re such a spoiled girl, it’s our fault for letting you get so headstrong.” I looked at them calmly, “Daniel cheated on me.” In my last life, he not only didn’t show up on time for the ceremony, but he was also late to the altar, and he had obvious hickeys on his neck. “How could that be? Are you overthinking it?” My mom’s gaze was incredibly cold. Normally, if I’d told her Daniel cheated, she’d immediately drag me to his house to confront him. “Anyway, I’m not going to the wedding tomorrow. You guys contact the hotel and cancel it.” My parents had handled all the arrangements for Daniel’s and my wedding. Daniel’s parents had passed away, and his older brother and sister-in-law had put him through college. “If you suddenly cancel the wedding, where will your dad and I ever show our faces again?!” That phrase sounded so familiar. In my last life, when those six men slandered me, and everyone around us was pointing fingers, My mom had said, “How could you do something so shameful behind our backs? You’ve completely ruined your dad’s and my reputation!” Back then, I was so busy trying to refute those men that I completely missed my parents’ abnormal behavior. “How about this, since you and Daniel aren’t legally married, let’s just go through with the wedding. If he really did cheat, it won’t be too late to break up with him afterwards.” My dad kept shooting glances at my mom. She agreed with him. “I’ve already posted in the family chat. No one’s coming tomorrow.” With that, I turned and went into my bedroom. Reborn, nothing was more important than my life. This time, I was definitely staying far away from those inexplicable men. I spent the entire night in a nightmare. Early in the morning, my bedroom door was pounded violently. “Eliza, get out here! After what you’ve done, you have the nerve to lock your door!” It was my mom’s voice. I had a terrible feeling. I couldn’t open that door.

I peered out the window, and sure enough, there was a crowd of people gathered, watching. My apartment’s on the ground floor. If I jumped out the window now, everyone would see me. While I was still wondering what to do, my dad suddenly broke down the bedroom door. He had an expression I’d never seen before, deadly serious. “Come out here.” I stiffened and walked into the living room, where I saw those six men and children again from my previous life. My heart skipped a beat; I even forgot to breathe. I had thought my parents were going to force me to go to the hotel for the ceremony. I never expected these six men to show up at my house. The six children swarmed around me. “Mommy.” “Mommy.” … Their incessant chattering gave me a headache. Looking at their faces, some of them vaguely resembled me. No wonder my parents believed them. Even I almost believed it. “Eliza always seemed like such a sweet, quiet girl. Who knew she was secretly having kids with six different men?” “What do you know? These days, young people’s private lives are a disaster.” “These guys are practically Mr. Vance’s age, and their clothes are totally worn out. What did she ever see in them?” “Maybe she just has a thing for older men.” “Mr. Vance, I’ve been single my whole life, make your daughter have a baby for me too!” “Me too, me too! Have one for me!” “My wife died twenty years ago. Can I spend a few nights with her?” The neighbors’ words sent shivers down my spine. My parents, meanwhile, sat on the sofa, completely unmoved. I forcefully pushed the children away. “Who’s your mom? Don’t call me that!” That push made my living room erupt. The rising cries attracted even more onlookers. It was a holiday, so probably half the people in the apartment complex were standing outside my door. “How can you push your own children like that, you monster?” “Exactly! No matter what, they’re your flesh and blood!” “You were the one who insisted on having a child with me, and then after the baby was born, you just ran off and didn’t care.” One of the men hugged a three or four-year-old girl, sitting on the floor and wiping his tears. “She told you the same thing? So you said the exact same words to six different men? And I looked for you with our child for so long!” This man’s child was older. The children ranged from about three or four to seven or eight years old. I was in school every day; when would I have time to have children? My best friend, Chloe, could vouch for me! In my last life, Chloe had gone to look for Daniel, missing this whole scene with the men. Last night, I had already told Chloe that the wedding was canceled. She hadn’t asked why, she just completely agreed. I was about to call her when a man snatched my phone and smashed it to the floor. “You tramp! Who are you trying to call now? Aren’t we enough for you? You’re really putting on an act!” “I heard you’re getting married today. I want to see which man dares to marry a whore like you.” “What are you doing! I’m not the woman you’re looking for!” Seeing my phone shattered to pieces, my anger reached its peak. “Still denying it?! You have a red birthmark on your shoulder, don’t you?!” “And two black moles on your waist.” “And a red mole on your left breast.” “And a butterfly tattoo on your inner thigh.” The men’s descriptions were spot-on, but I didn’t know them at all, nor had I ever slept with them. “If you want to prove we have the wrong person, take off your clothes.” “Yeah, yeah, take off your clothes.”

“Take off your clothes!” “Yeah, yeah, take off your clothes!” “Look at her, acting all innocent. She probably wanted to strip all along!” Someone rushed at me and, before I could react, violently ripped open the buttons of my sleepwear. The red birthmark on my shoulder and the red mole on my chest made the onlookers even more certain that I was the woman they were looking for. A powerful wave of shame washed over me. I hugged my clothes to myself and crouched down. “This is all a coincidence! I don’t know any of them! Mom, Dad, please, get them out of here!” Tears streamed down my cheeks as I looked to my parents for help. But my parents, who had been sitting on the sofa, were nowhere to be seen. Seeing that I couldn’t find my parents, more and more people surged in. They tackled me to the ground. Some even started pulling down my pants. “Let’s see if she has a tattoo on her butt!” Someone took advantage of the chaos, touching me inappropriately. Nausea and helplessness overwhelmed me. I struggled with all my might. But my wrists and ankles were held down tightly. “She’s had six kids and still has a body like that. She’s a born slut.” “Wonder if it’s all stretched out down there.” “Nope, still pink.” “Get off me! Get off me! All of you, get away! I’ll call the cops!” [Slap, slap, slap, slap!] A man slapped my face hard four times. A metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. “Call the cops? I’m the one who should be calling the cops! What’s the difference between you and a hooker?!” “Everyone here today gets a piece! One dollar a turn!” “Me! Me!” “Me! Me! I’ll pay two dollars!” The intense humiliation made me want to die. But my entire body was pinned down, unable to move. Was I truly helpless, even after being reborn? “Eliza, I can’t believe how depraved you are! I’ve been waiting for you at the hotel for ages, and you’re here having a damn orgy with all these men!” Daniel, looking deceptively charming in his suit, pushed through the crowd. The disgust in his eyes was absolute. But at this moment, he was the only person I could possibly appeal to. “Daniel… help… help me…” “Help you?! You’ve put me through so much, how do you even have the nerve to be alive?!” He raised his foot and stomped hard on my face. “Oh, so you’re the groom today, huh?” “Tsk, tsk Looks like you play around a lot too. You didn’t even wipe your mouth after sneaking a bite.” “It just goes to show you, people always find their own kind, they really weren’t wrong.” Daniel was pushed out of the living room by the other men. Just then, police sirens wailed outside my house. “It’s her man who called the police!” “No, no, not me.” Daniel was intimidated by their aggressive demeanor and kept shaking his head. “I called them.” Chloe’s voice stood out distinctly among the men’s shouts. I felt like I had found my lifeline. She helped me clean up and change my clothes. When I returned to the living room, the crowd of onlookers had disappeared. Only the six men and six children remained. Daniel cowered by the doorway. And my parents were talking to the two police officers. “It’s all a misunderstanding, officers. My daughter, Eliza, is shameless. She’s had so many children outside of marriage. My husband and I are utterly humiliated.” My dad hugged my mom, who was sobbing as she spoke. Everyone looked at me with complex expressions the moment they saw me. Daniel’s anger was about to explode; he looked like he wanted to rush over and strangle me.

“Mommy” “Mommy…” “Mommy!” The children rushed forward again, trying to hug me, but Chloe blocked them. “Mr. and Mrs. Vance! You know what kind of person Eliza is!” “How can you believe these men’s baseless claims? She’s your own daughter! How could you just stand there and watch her be humiliated by a group of men?!” Chloe’s eyes were red as she confronted my parents. But they seemed utterly possessed, unwilling to even look at me. “Who said our claims are baseless? We have DNA test results.” The six men simultaneously produced six paternity test reports. “If you doubt their authenticity, you can ask the police to arrange new tests.” Of course, I demanded new tests. The police called for a forensic doctor to take blood samples from me and the six children. When the results came back, I was stunned. The paternity test results for all six children were >99.99%. “Now what do you have to say?!” Daniel spat at me angrily. Even my parents had expressions like they’d known it all along. Only Chloe repeatedly checked all six reports. “How is this possible? No… This absolutely can’t be…” Although the police were in the living room, some bolder onlookers still lingered outside the door. Officer Blake cleared his throat. “We can’t legally intervene in this matter. Perhaps you should try to work this out amongst yourselves.” I rushed forward and blocked the officers. “No, this isn’t right! I don’t know these men at all! I demand a physical examination!” “A doctor will know if I’ve given birth!” The police agreed with me and were about to call the forensic doctor back. “Examine what?! If you want to be shameless, do you have to drag me down with you?!” “I might as well just die!” My mom made a move to bang her head against the wall. The two police officers, before they could even pull out their phones, rushed to stop her. “If my daughter were that shameless, I’d want to die too.” “Mr. and Mrs. Vance have always been decent, hardworking people. I can’t believe their lifetime reputation has been ruined by their own daughter.” “Even the DNA tests prove these kids are hers, and she’s still trying to deny it.” The police officers saved my mom and then looked at me with sharp, scrutinizing eyes. “Forensic doctors are very busy every day; paternity tests can’t be faked. If you say the children aren’t yours, whose are they?” I wanted to know too. Why were even my own parents helping these men, trying to drag my name through the mud? In my last life, I died without ever knowing why these men wanted to harm me. In the flashes of memories before death, many forgotten things appeared, but none seemed relevant. Seeing my silence, the police were about to leave again. They couldn’t leave. Otherwise, I would end up like my last life, beaten to death. And Chloe might get hurt too. If I was reborn and couldn’t save myself, and even harmed Chloe, then what was the point of being reborn?! Looking at the six children, a crucial piece of information flashed in my mind. I blocked the police again. “I know whose children these are.” The officers followed my gaze, sweeping across the children. “Whose?” “They’re my mom’s.” My mom’s sobbing body stiffened. Her face turned red, then white. “Eliza, what are you talking about?! I don’t know any of these people!” I ignored her and continued speaking to the police, “Daniel knows too. They conspired to frame me, to put me to death.” The neighbors watching were completely shocked.

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After I got pregnant, I kept working. But right before I was about to land a huge client, my boss’s assistant, Tiffany, tried to fire me. Her reason? I threw up too much and went to the bathroom “too often.” Fuming, I marched into my boss Aldrich’s office—my husband’s office. He handed me a termination letter and said, “Company policy allows only five bathroom breaks a day. You took ten. Tiffany has every right to fire you. And you’re pregnant—just stay home and rest.” My eyes dropped to the floor. A corner of a lace thong was sticking out from under his couch. So he was cheating. I said nothing. I slapped the termination letter across his face. The moment I walked out of the building, I called our biggest competitor. “Do you limit how many times employees can use the bathroom? If not, I’ll bring my client to you tomorrow.” “Serena, are you messing with me?” Daniel’s voice on the other end of the line was laced with shock. “I’m not kidding,” I said, my voice calm. “If you agree, I’ll bring the Evergreen Holdings deal I secured straight to you tomorrow to sign. Once that’s done, you’ll be the top company in Northwood.” Daniel hesitated. “Are you having problems with Aldrich? Is this call just to spite him?” “Everyone in the industry knows you’re the powerhouse, carrying all the major accounts for Aldrich’s company.” “You sold your parents’ apartment to fund his startup, and you’ve personally landed every single contract for the company all these years.” “For the Evergreen Holdings mega-deal, you pushed yourself so hard you nearly passed out from severe morning sickness. Employees wanted to rush you to the ER, but you were so worried about delaying the signing, you stubbornly…” I froze, surprised he knew about what happened recently. Listening to him, I just managed a bitter smile. Yeah, everyone in the industry knew how much I cared for Aldrich. I once believed we’d build our empire together, side by side, until the very end. But today, I was dealt a blow that shattered me awake from that beautiful dream. Aldrich and I started with nothing, two broke students, determined to carve out our own space in this big city. We built everything from scratch, pushing hard until today, finally owning our own company. Six months ago, when I told him I was pregnant, his hands trembled with excitement. But when I suggested we get married, he fell silent for a long time before finally speaking. “Serena, once we secure Evergreen Holdings, our company will be number one. Our dream of making it big in this city will finally be realized.” “Don’t you want to walk down the aisle when we’re at our peak, at our most glorious moment?” “Let’s get married after we close the Evergreen contract, okay?” I agreed. Yesterday, Evergreen Holdings confirmed the partnership, and the signing date was set. I was so overwhelmed, I collapsed on the street outside the office and ended up in the hospital. When I woke up, I rushed back to the company to prepare for the final signing. But I couldn’t get in. The facial recognition failed; I’d been blacklisted. I found a familiar intern to let me in, only to find my office supplies dumped in the trash. Photos of Aldrich and me were covered in footprints, my smiling face defaced with black marker. And sitting at my personal desk was the new secretary—Tiffany. With her bright red nails, she scrolled through her phone, pulling up three months’ worth of my bathroom break surveillance videos. “New company rule: no more than five bathroom breaks during working hours, each not exceeding five minutes.” “You go a dozen times a day. Who knows if you’re actually working or just taking a break?” “If everyone acted like you, how would the company function?” I was stunned. Since when did the company have such a rule? I went to Aldrich’s office and told him what happened. He simply said, his tone flat: “Tiffany was headhunted from a major corporation. The rules she’s implementing are based on big company experience. We, of course, have to follow them.” I tried to suppress my anger, explaining that my frequent bathroom trips were due to pregnancy and work stress. He waved his hand dismissively. “That’s just your weak constitution; don’t use it as an excuse.” “Today, I’ll make an exception because of your morning sickness. But in the future, if someone takes a break in the bathroom and then claims to be sick with diarrhea, am I supposed to pretend I don’t see it? How can I manage then?” My face flushed with anger, my eyes burning. In his eyes, my pregnancy sickness was no different from an upset stomach. I was about to say something more when Tiffany walked in, phone in hand. “Serena, company policy states pregnant employees should be terminated. I only didn’t fire you out of respect for Aldrich.” “But now you’ve violated the rules too many times. If I don’t act, other employees will lose respect for me. How can I lead my team?” “Besides, you’re expecting at your age; you should be home resting. Constantly running to the bathroom doesn’t just affect efficiency, it makes our company look unprofessional.” I stared at her, my voice icy. “My pregnancy, and my frequent bathroom trips, didn’t stop me from securing the Evergreen Holdings deal for the company.” “I’m also a VP here. This policy was never approved by me, so it shouldn’t have been implemented.” Her eyes welled up, and Aldrich slammed his hand on the desk. “Enough!” He saw the shock and tears in my eyes, frowned, and said impatiently: “I’m the one who set the rules. If you have a problem, take it up with me. You’re already fired. Stop pulling rank on her.” “And don’t bring up the deal. Tiffany told me you’ve been skipping out on work, constantly running to the bathroom. The rest of the team did everything.” “If working while pregnant is too stressful for you, making you run to the bathroom all the time, then isn’t Tiffany doing you a favor by firing you and sending you home to rest? Instead of thanking her, you’re bullying her right in front of your direct supervisor?” He furrowed his brow. “Apologize to Tiffany, now!”

Apologize? I took a long, hard look at the man I’d loved for ten years, from college sweetheart to business partner. There was a time when a key employee, disrespectful of a woman in charge, talked back to me. Aldrich, without a second thought for the crucial technology that employee held, told him to pack his bags and leave on the spot. He held my hand, standing firm in front of the entire company. “Serena is my wife and my business partner. Disrespecting her is disrespecting me. Furthermore, our company has no room for employees who disrespect women.” Those words spread online, earning us countless praises, and we were even named Best Enterprise that year. Just one year later, he was tolerating a new assistant, God knows where he found her, being disrespectful to me, and discriminating against a pregnant woman. I took a deep breath, about to speak, when my peripheral vision caught a glimpse of underwear tucked under a couch cushion. Embroidered with small snowflakes. It wasn’t mine. A mix of absurdity and nausea churned in my stomach. My feet swayed, and as I looked up, Tiffany was staring at me, a defiant glint in her eyes. It was hers. The words caught in my throat suddenly lost all meaning. I pulled my ID badge from my pocket and threw it on the couch. “You want to fire me? Fine. But according to regulations, I expect my severance package. If I don’t see the money by tonight, I won’t hesitate to take your ‘rules’ to arbitration. And when that happens, I won’t be the one losing face or paying the fines.” “Also, *I* landed this project. You fire me, and you can forget about the Evergreen Holdings deal.” Watching their faces cycle through shades of green and white, I sneered and walked out of the office. The first thing I did was call Daniel. There was no way I was letting them benefit from the project I worked so hard for while they were busy betraying me. Daniel’s voice came through. “Whether you’re doing this to spite Aldrich or not, I’m taking you seriously. If you come, my VP position is yours. And if you’re worried about managing a baby later, I can help with that too.” “That won’t be necessary,” I said, smiling. But for some reason, his voice on the other end dropped, a hint of disappointment in it. “Alright then. See you at the signing tomorrow.” I hung up and went home to pack. Good thing we weren’t married; otherwise, I’d be figuring out a divorce too. But the baby… I touched my belly. A few seconds later, my gaze hardened. With a father like Aldrich, it was better to raise this child on my own. I got home early and started packing. In the corner of the study was a storage box with a note taped to it: “Aldrich’s treasures, please do not touch.” This was the box he kept all my gifts in. He even collected my old water cups and hair ties. He used to say: “These will all be shown to our precious son someday, to tell him they’re tokens of our love.” I had intended to cut all ties with him, but seeing that box, my heart still ached. I opened it. The moment it opened, I froze. Inside weren’t my old things, but a pile of toys and lubricants. My head exploded with a buzzing sound. On the computer, Aldrich’s SnapChat was still open, and messages with Tiffany kept popping up: “Protecting you is what I should do. If you hadn’t helped me relieve stress these past few months, I would’ve exploded.” “Wear the bunny girl outfit tonight to celebrate the successful signing, okay?” My vision blurred, but I bit back the nausea and saved all the chat logs and videos to my phone. Still furious, I grabbed a bag of fuzzy peaches and rubbed them all over those disgusting items, back and forth. You want to play games? Fine. Play all you want. My things packed, I was about to leave when the door suddenly swung open. Aldrich walked in, saw me with my luggage, paused, then smiled. “What’s wrong? I just said a few things. Is that reason enough to get mad and run away?” “I’m just being professional, you know? You’re my wife, so I have to be even stricter with you for the others to follow rules.” “Alright, stop messing around. I bought your favorite steak. Tonight, we’ll celebrate tomorrow’s signing.” I was about to speak, but Tiffany came in behind him. “Aldrich, I don’t like my steak medium-well, make it medium-rare.” “Right, Tiffany likes it tender. Make sure you cook it well.” “Tiffany’s been so busy, she hasn’t eaten all day, unlike you, who got to go home early.” He pressed a package of fish into my hands, trying to push me toward the kitchen. My face went cold, and I threw the fish back. “I won’t cook it.” His face immediately darkened, and he grabbed my arm. “What’s wrong with you? Is pregnancy making you stupid? You can’t even handle this?” “You embarrassed Tiffany at the office today. I specially invited her here so you could personally cook her a meal as an apology, and you’re still being difficult?” “Aldrich, it’s okay. Serena’s pregnant with your baby, it’s normal for her to be moody. I can take it.” Tiffany cut in. “Just because she’s pregnant, she can act like this?” Aldrich grew even angrier at her words. He dragged me to the kitchen, pushed me in, and locked the door. “You’re not coming out until you cook dinner!” I stumbled and fell. A sharp, twisting pain shot through my belly, and cold sweat instantly drenched me. I pounded on the door, crying out. “Aldrich! Let me out! My stomach hurts so bad… I fell… Take me to the hospital…” “Aldrich, I think Serena’s just mad I’m eating dinner here, and she’s trying to use the baby to manipulate you. Maybe I should just leave?” The footsteps outside paused, then his cold voice came through the door: “I just asked you to cook dinner? Is that reason enough to threaten me with the baby’s safety? You’re crazy!” I couldn’t tell if it was heartbreak or abdominal pain, but I kept knocking, pleading. “Cook if you want, don’t if you don’t. Come on, Tiffany, let’s go to that Michelin-starred place instead.” “Oh, Aldrich, you’re so sweet~” I was in too much pain to speak. “I’m not lying… really… it hurts so bad…” My only answer was the *bang* of the front door closing. My vision went black, and I passed out.

When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed. And the person watching over me was Daniel. He visibly relaxed when he saw my eyes open. “I called you a bunch of times, but no answer. You scared me to death. I thought you and Aldrich had a huge fight and he might have hurt you, so I rushed over.” “Then I found you collapsed in the kitchen. The doctor said you just fell and bruised your stomach; the baby is fine.” I managed a bitter smile. My injury and collapse *were* because Aldrich had effectively “hurt” me, in a way. I gratefully thanked him, then picked up my phone, wanting to contact Evergreen Holdings’ representative. I planned to tell him I’d left Aldrich’s company and jumped ship to Daniel’s. But my phone screen was flooded with texts from Tiffany. And videos. “Bitch, so what if you’re carrying Aldrich’s kid? You still got sent home to be a housewife? Giving your desk and your job to me?” “Aldrich said he’s sick of you, always working, no fun at all. And you smell gross when you’re pregnant. He prefers someone young like me, hehehe. Who knows, maybe soon I’ll be more than just his VP at work.” “Oh, and Aldrich said since you’re a housewife now, how can you be the Evergreen project lead? Don’t come to the signing tomorrow. I’ll go instead. Save them from seeing your disgusting face and throwing up.” I stared at her taunts and videos, expressionless. Before I could even react, Daniel exploded. “What the hell is this? How dare she talk to you like that!” “You’re not even mad? Do you really love Aldrich that much? Enough to just let this trashy woman walk all over you?” Daniel’s eyes were red. “Serena, if I had a wife as amazing as you, I’d cherish you every single day. I’d never let you suffer.” I calmly texted Tiffany back: “The garbage man is all yours. But you can forget about my project.” I looked up at Daniel, bewildered. “What did you just say?” He gritted his teeth. “Nothing. I just said I’m your boss, and if they dare try to steal your project, I’ll make them pay.” I nodded. “Okay.” The doctor recommended strict rest to prevent a miscarriage. I immediately asked Daniel for three months of leave, planning to rest at home after the signing. As I left the obstetrics department, I bumped into a man and a woman. Both were covered in red rashes, constantly scratching at their bodies. When Aldrich saw me, his face instantly paled, and he rushed to question me. “Serena, did you mess with anything in my study? What did you put in there? The doctor says if they can’t find the allergen, we’ll keep itching like this!” I instantly understood. They must have used the clothes that had peach fuzz on them. I said blandly, “What ‘thing’? Tell me, so I can try to remember if I touched it.” He flushed, but dared not explain clearly. I sneered, pulled out the videos I’d saved from his SnapChat yesterday and the videos Tiffany sent me, and laid everything bare. “Oh, you mean this bunny girl outfit? I was eating peaches yesterday, and I think I accidentally dropped some fuzz on the clothes.” “You!” His face was ashen, and he cursed under his breath. “You’re crazy, spying on my computer! And sending someone to record our videos! What are you trying to do?” He pointed at me and yelled: “You did this to us! I’m not letting you get away with it! Get on your knees and apologize to me and Tiffany right now! And transfer the Evergreen project to her!” “Otherwise, the wedding’s off, and you can look forward to being an unemployed single mom!”

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After my family went bankrupt, I decided to break up with my poor boyfriend. He didn’t even try to stop me. Later, I worked at a bar to pay off my debts. One day, he showed up—now a tech CEO—with a young, beautiful woman in his arms. He looked at me with disdain and said, “Regretting breaking up with me yet?” I replied, “Not at all.” As I was about to walk away, he grabbed my arm and said, “But I regret it.” 0 So many years after graduation, I never imagined I’d run into Dennis like this again. As I served the fruit platter, I kept my head down, terrified he’d see my face. Serena was sitting next to him. They looked perfect together. “Server.” Dennis called me. “Pour the wine.” My back to him, I slowly poured the liquid. A long time ago, when I loved drinking, Dennis would always mix cocktails for me. He was good at it; every drink tasted amazing. Back then, I thought he loved me. Later, I realized it was just a habit. When he mixed drinks, he thought about everything under the sun, except me. Four years apart felt like an eternity. Somehow, the guests started talking about college romances. Someone said, “I heard Mr. Dennis had a girlfriend in college he dated for four years.” My hand paused. Dennis hummed in agreement. “That’s so sweet, a whole college romance!” Dennis didn’t respond. The person felt a bit awkward, scrambling for something to say. “Dating for that long, it must be unforgettable, right?” Silence stretched like a still river. After what felt like ages, Dennis let out a soft laugh. “Hardly.” “Dennis not hating her was a miracle,” Serena interjected. “Dennis and I went to the same school. Honestly… ugh, he really suffered back then. If it weren’t for his ex-girlfriend, would Dennis and I have only gotten together now?” “Exactly, exactly! Miss Serena is a famous celebrity. No matter how good the ex-girlfriend was, could she really compare to a star?” The atmosphere quickly livened up again. I pulled my cap lower, desperate to leave. I accidentally cut my hand, hissing in pain, which drew the guests’ attention. “What’s wrong? Can’t even pour a drink properly?” Serena complained. “I’m sorry, I’ll go get a clean platter.” I grabbed the tray, ready to bolt. “Wait.” Dennis suddenly called out to me. Every word deliberate. “Turn around.” 2. My body felt nailed to the floor. One second, two seconds. Brenda, the supervisor, walked over at just the right moment. “I’m so sorry, our colleague is new and still getting the hang of things. All your drinks are on the house tonight.” Brenda winked at me. “What are you waiting for? Go get a fresh tray!” I managed to escape. Afterward, Brenda told me, “Next time, be quicker on your feet. We all start somewhere, but if you get a complaint, you’ll work for free tonight.” “Thank you.” “No problem. They’re really particular, a whole room full of VIPs. Especially the youngest and most handsome one in the middle—he’s the CEO of an innovative tech company. We can’t afford to offend any of them.” “Brenda, I’m a bit scared, could you help me deliver the drinks?” “Sure.” I breathed a sigh of relief. If there was anyone in this world who had already completely offended Dennis, it could only be me. I was that despised ex he spoke of. I still remember, at the start of freshman year. Dennis wore faded, worn-out clothes, standing among the new students, completely out of place. He was visibly poor. But also strikingly tall and poised. I loved the cool, clear tone of his voice when he spoke. And I loved the way his thin eyelids lowered when he looked at me. Dennis was really short on cash, and his scholarship spot had been snatched by someone else. So, after a late class one evening, I eagerly grabbed his soft hand. “Dennis, I like you. Be my boyfriend. I have plenty of money, we can share my living expenses. If not, I’ll even pay you for a kiss.” Of course, he refused. But back then, my life was smooth sailing, and I didn’t know what failure was. The more he refused, the more I clung to him. Until his grandpa, who had raised him, became critically ill. Without a blink, I covered his medical bills. Dennis finally gave in. I foolishly thought I’d done a great favor. Only much later did I understand— I got him, but I also broke him. After we got together, he still worked every day to earn his living expenses. He hardly ever used my money, but the situation only worsened. Rumors about Dennis spread throughout the school. They said he’d sold himself for money. His classmates’ gazes changed, and some even called him nasty names. I was still optimistic and naive then, holding his hand and saying, “Ignore them, they’re just jealous.” I lived in my own world, never realizing that Dennis was fighting a lonely battle. That year, my family went bankrupt. I didn’t tell Dennis. I just called him out and said, “Let’s break up.” “Why?” “I’m tired of you.” “Okay.” Just like that, we split. I guessed he was happy then, finally free. On the day we broke up, I snapped my phone’s SIM card, deleted all my contacts, and boarded a train to another city to work and pay off debts. Only three months ago did I return here. Dennis looked great. He was always a straight-A student, the kind of super genius in college who made everyone else feel inadequate. Just four years after graduation, he was already a rising tech mogul featured in finance magazines. Serena used to be a celebrity at our school; she debuted in her junior year. I never expected them to get together. Good for them. My chest ached, and I swallowed the bitter feeling. At 4 AM, I finished my shift. I was the last to leave. My colleagues, thinking no one was left, had turned off the lights early, and the elevator was shut down. I pressed the elevator button in frustration, hoping to light it up. “Make a call.” Dennis’s voice suddenly appeared behind me. 3. I stiffly called a colleague. The elevator restarted, and Dennis and I stood in its narrow confines. “You guys work this late?” he asked, his tone neutral. “We can only leave after all the customers are gone.” “Is the pay good here?” “It’s alright.” I kept my head down, my cap hiding my face. Dennis didn’t seem to recognize me. He chatted idly for a few moments, then checked his watch. “This elevator is so slow. My girlfriend must be getting impatient. She’s very clingy and loves to cuddle.” I froze, realizing he was talking about Serena. “What about you? Working this late, isn’t your boyfriend coming to pick you up?” “I live close by.” The elevator arrived. As soon as the doors opened, I rushed out. Dennis, who had been calm for several minutes, finally erupted in anger at that moment. “Why are you running?” “Where else can you possibly run to, Willow?” “Just vanishing, disappearing completely, was that fun?” Dennis advanced, step by step. He was still the young man I remembered, but the naivety had faded, replaced by maturity and restraint. “Contacts deleted, phone number disconnected, even the professors couldn’t find you. Willow, you’re really something.” I slowly looked up, meeting his gaze. “You must have… used your connections to find out, right? My family went bankrupt, my dad got caught in financial trouble, and we still haven’t paid off our debts…” “Why didn’t you tell me back then?” I was speechless. “Were you too proud, Miss Willow?” “No—” Before I could finish, Serena walked over. “Oh? Willow! It really is you!” She was even more stunning than in college, every strand of hair perfectly in place. “Long time no see! Everyone in class was looking for you. Why have we heard nothing from you for four years?” “I went south.” “No wonder,” Serena looked at my clothes, surprised. “Willow, isn’t that the puffer jacket you bought that year? The filling’s practically gone, and you’re still wearing it?” I used to buy clothes and wear them for one year before throwing them out. She asked that, wanting to embarrass me. But I was numb to it. “It’s not broken, I can still wear it.” Serena understood. “Are you struggling financially now? You should’ve said something, old classmates help each other out.” She pulled out a card. “Take it. No need to pay it back.” “Thanks, but I don’t need it.” I looked at her, then at Dennis, and smiled quietly. “I’m getting married soon. Remember to come.” As my words fell, Dennis’s entire demeanor shifted in shock.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “306129”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn