Category: English

My boyfriend’s foster sister has “Skin Hunger Syndrome.” If she doesn’t touch my boyfriend for a single second, she claims her skin itches so badly that she has to roll around on the floor. When they go out, they have to hold hands. When they come home at night, he has to warm her cold feet. She even insists on taking baths with him. So, when I saw her throwing another temper tantrum at the amusement park, demanding Carter play a “couples’ kissing game” with her, I suddenly felt a wave of sheer exhaustion wash over me. Looking at the bewildered booth owner, I said calmly, “Just let them kiss. I’m just a bystander. They’re the real couple here.” Carter smiled, looking relieved. “I’m glad you’re finally being reasonable, Sera. Chloe has a weak constitution. You should be the bigger person and let her have this.” I watched Chloe hold the giant teddy bear they won from the kissing game, her face glowing with triumph. I spoke in a flat voice. “Congratulations on passing the couples’ test. I hope you two have a long life together and get married soon.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, Carter’s sweet smile froze on his face. Chloe’s red lipstick mark was still smeared across his right cheek. “What is that supposed to mean, Sera? Are you breaking up with me?” “Can you stop making a mountain out of a molehill? Chloe and I were just playing a game. Do you have to take everything so seriously?” Making a mountain out of a molehill. Taking things too seriously. I had heard these excuses a thousand times. Over the past few years, whenever we crossed the street, Chloe would squeeze right between us, grabbing his hand. When she had her period, she demanded he rub her stomach, while I, who was hospitalized after a car accident, was told to just “drink more warm water.” She even squeezed into our bed at night, forcing me to move from the master bedroom to the living room couch. Had I ever not given in? Yet, Carter still labeled me as petty, jealous, and narrow-minded. Chloe looked at me, her eyes pooling with tears. “Oh, Sera… please don’t fight with Carter because of me.” “If my existence makes you this uncomfortable, I might as well just die!” With that, she threw the teddy bear to the ground, turned around, and bolted toward the busy highway. Carter’s face went pale. He lunged forward, grabbing her arm just in time, then spun around to glare at me with pure rage. “Are you happy now? Chloe didn’t ask to have Skin Hunger Syndrome! If anything happens to her, can you even live with yourself?” “How can you be so cruel? Do you really have to drive her to suicide to be satisfied? Do you even deserve to be my girlfriend?” I forced down the rising lump in my throat, staring at Carter’s hateful eyes. When we first started dating, he would explain to me that because they grew up together in the orphanage, Chloe was naturally clingy. Back then, if Chloe crossed the line, he would even scold her. But gradually, he began to completely ignore my feelings. Any time I showed the slightest dissatisfaction with Chloe, he would lash out at me. Thinking of this, I took a deep breath, forcing my tears back to preserve the last shred of my dignity. “You’re right. I don’t want to be your girlfriend anymore. Isn’t this exactly what you wanted? You can take care of her 24/7 now.” I turned to leave, but Carter grabbed my wrist in a vice grip. His eyes were bloodshot. “After everything, you still can’t accept Chloe. You just see her as a burden.” “Sera, how can you be so incredibly selfish?” Watching him criticize me yet again for Chloe’s sake, I suddenly realized how utterly pathetic this was. My friends used to tell me I was insane, a doormat, enduring things even a saint wouldn’t tolerate, allowing another girl to cling to my boyfriend like a parasite. I had endured it all because I loved Carter, but all I got in return was endless blame. I violently shook off his hand. “Believe whatever you want! I am done with this circus!” I had only taken two steps when I heard the loud crash of Carter kicking a plastic chair over behind me. “Seraphina Vance! If I knew you were this kind of cold-hearted woman, I would have never saved your life back then!” Boom. The words felt like a thunderbolt striking me right where I stood.

When I graduated from college, I started interning at my family’s company, Vance Group. On my way to work one day, a reckless driver knocked me off the coastal road, and I plunged into the ocean. It was Carter who risked his life to swim down and pull me out. When my parents found out, they broke all company protocols. They invested millions in him, showered him with resources, and fast-tracked him to become the Vice President of our conglomerate. Because of that life-saving favor, I fell for him. In my parents’ eyes, he was already their future son-in-law. But whenever I thought of Chloe—who crashed every single birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day, and vacation—I wanted so badly to tell my parents that the wedding was off. Yet, seeing how much my parents respected Carter, the words always died in my throat. Now, hearing him use that rescue to blackmail me emotionally, I knew with absolute certainty that I was done with him. I let out a bitter laugh, turning to look at his pathetic face. “Is that so? Without me and my family, do you think a fresh graduate like you could ever have become the Vice President of a multi-billion-dollar corporation?” “Carter! I paid you back for saving my life a long time ago. Don’t you dare use that to guilt-trip me ever again.” With that, I walked away with firm steps, never looking back. The moment I got into my car, my phone buzzed. It was my parents. “Sera, are you throwing another tantrum? Carter just called us to complain. Go apologize to him right now.” I took a deep breath. Looking out the window, I saw Carter and Chloe wrapped in each other’s arms. I spoke in a deadpan voice. “Mom, Dad, if you force me to spend the rest of my life with a man like him, I’d rather die.” For the first time, I poured my heart out, telling them every single piece of misery and humiliation I had suffered over the years. There was a long, heavy silence on the other end of the line. Finally, my dad let out a long sigh. “If we had known he was this kind of man, we would have never let you be with him.” “Break it off. Pack your things and come back home, sweetheart.” The suffocating weight that had pressed on my chest for years finally lifted. At that moment, I felt like I was finally breathing real air. The next day, I went back to the apartment we shared to pack my bags. But when I tried to log into the smart lock, it kept saying “Access Denied.” I called Carter. I could clearly hear his ringtone echoing from inside the apartment, but he refused to pick up. I banged on the door. It took a full thirty minutes before he finally swung it open, looking utterly annoyed. “You actually have the nerve to show up? Chloe was so upset because of you yesterday that she couldn’t sleep. I had to stay up all night comforting her.” “Apologize to Chloe right now, or we are postponing the wedding.” I couldn’t even remember when Carter’s tone with me had become this dismissive. Once, he had promised to protect me from the world. Now, he was the one locking me out. I didn’t bother arguing. I pushed past him and walked straight into the bedroom to pack. He frowned, about to yell at me, but the sound of Chloe whimpering from the living room made him abandon me instantly. Last year, Carter and I rented this luxury two-bedroom apartment. Chloe insisted on moving in. She claimed she couldn’t sleep in the guest room, so she took over the master bedroom I had spent weeks decorating. Every time Carter and I tried to have some intimacy, she would suddenly develop a stomach ache or a headache, finding any excuse to call him away. Initially, Carter would come back to my bed. But gradually, he said it was too much of a hassle and just started sleeping in her room. Every morning, seeing them cuddled together, I would brainwash myself: They are just foster siblings. They are just close. Thank God I didn’t have to lie to myself anymore. If it weren’t for my clothes and my dog, Teddy, I would have never set foot in this place again. “Teddy? Teddy, come here!” I called out, feeling uneasy. Usually, the moment I opened the door, Teddy would jump all over me. But now, he was nowhere to be seen. Just then, Chloe walked in, fake-crying. “Oh, Sera, why are you making such a mess? Carter bought this custom rug just for me, and you’re tracking dirt all over it.” Carter grabbed my shoulder and shoved me back, his face darkened with annoyance. “Have some respect. Why are you walking around with your shoes on? Do you think you’re the only one living here?” I stumbled back from the force of his push. Just as I was about to snap, I caught a glimpse of something shiny in Chloe’s hand. It was the blue sapphire charm from Teddy’s collar! I lunged forward, grabbing Chloe’s hand. “Where did you get this? Where is Teddy?!”

Chloe’s face turned pale, guilt flashing in her eyes. Carter stepped between us, his voice softening slightly, though his tone was still defensive. “Chloe really liked the sapphire, so I took it off the collar and gave it to her.” “And that dog of yours has a terrible temper. He almost bit Chloe, so I dropped him off at a high-kill shelter in the next county.” Seeing my eyes turn red, he tried to put an arm around me. “Come on, it’s just a dog. Chloe was terrified. Just buy her some jewelry, apologize, and we’ll call it even.” SLAP! I slapped Carter across the face with everything I had. “How dare you! Who gave you the right to throw my dog away?!” “He has been with me for eleven years! He is my family! I promised him I’d be there until the end! You monster, give him back to me!” I lost all control, grabbing Carter’s collar and scratching at his face. Carter dodged, his eyes burning with rage. “Seraphina, have you lost your mind?!” “I don’t care! Which shelter did you take him to? Get him back right now!” I tried to drag him toward the door. But he violently threw his arm back, casting me off. “Enough! It’s just a stupid, useless dog! Get over it!” His force was too strong. I lost my balance and tumbled backward, crashing down the spiral staircase. My head slammed heavily against the wooden steps. My vision blurred. A warm, thick liquid flowed down my forehead, dripping into my eyes. I touched it—my hand was covered in bright red blood. Carter stared at me, his voice trembling. “You… are you okay? Why is there so much blood?” I gritted my teeth through the blinding pain. “Call… call 911…” He pulled out his phone, his hands shaking. But then, Chloe’s sharp scream pierced the air from the living room. Without a second thought, Carter turned and ran toward her. Chloe was lying on the floor, weeping. “Carter, there’s dog hair on this sapphire… I think I’m having a severe allergic reaction!” Carter hovered over her, looking horrified at the tiny, almost invisible red speck on her skin. “Oh my god, this looks serious. What if it leaves a scar? We need to go to the hospital right now!” He scooped her up in his arms. As he ran down the stairs, he paused for a brief second, looking at me lying in a pool of blood. But Chloe let out a weak cough, and his hesitation vanished. “Stop faking it, Sera. It’s just a few steps. You’re fine.” “Chloe’s skin is too delicate; I can’t risk her throat closing up. Figure it out yourself, or just wait here until I get back.” With that, he carried her out, slamming the door. It was our elderly neighbor who heard my groans and called the ambulance. When I woke up in the hospital, my parents were sitting by my bedside, their faces pale with worry. After I told them what happened, my mother was ready to murder Carter. My dad immediately called our corporate lawyers to strip Carter of his Vice President title. “How dare that bastard treat you like this! I actually thought he was a good man because he saved you. I was ready to hand my daughter over to him! I was blind!” “He dared to let my daughter bleed on the floor? I will ruin him!” I reached out, grabbing the edge of my dad’s sleeve, and gave a weak smile. “Let it go, Dad. Now, we are officially even. He saved my life, and I gave him a career. We owe each other nothing.” Suppressing the final trace of pain in my heart, I asked if I could go to Europe for a while to recuperate. My parents agreed immediately. Over the next few days, I stayed in the VIP suite of the hospital. Carter didn’t call me once. He didn’t even send a single text to ask if I was alive. Meanwhile, Chloe’s Snapchat and Instagram stories were more active than ever. She posted photos of Carter taking her on a luxury yacht cruise, enjoying fine dining. There was even a photo of a man’s hand rubbing a white lotion onto her thigh. The caption read: Got a bug bite, and he insisted on applying the ointment himself. I’m a grown girl, but he still treats me like a baby. So embarrassing! In the photo, Carter’s right hand was still wearing our matching promise ring. I smiled, opened my settings, and blocked both of them on every platform. At the same time, out on the yacht, Carter suddenly felt a strange pang of anxiety. Chloe had been so needy the past few days that he hadn’t found time to call Sera. He wondered how her head was. A wave of guilt hit him. Sera had tolerated a lot over the years. Fortunately, he had finally found a specialized clinic in Switzerland that treated severe somatic touch disorders. Once he sent Chloe there next week, he and Sera could finally have their happy ending. He looked over at Chloe, who was busy taking selfies, and opened his mouth to speak, but his phone rang. Thinking it was Sera, he answered it eagerly. But the voice on the other end made him freeze. “Mr. Sterling, your ex-girlfriend, Ms. Vance, has officially terminated the lease on your apartment.

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My parents sat in the front. Austin and Brooke had their own custom leather seats. For eighteen years, I was the only one forced to ride in the cramped cargo trunk. On my eighteenth birthday, my parents finally bought a brand-new five-seater SUV. I was so excited that I cried. After the celebratory dinner, Austin and Brooke ran ahead, eagerly jumping into the car and claiming the window seats. Austin laughed excitedly. “This is amazing! Now that we have an extra seat, our whole family can finally ride together!” I carefully took off my dirty sneakers, my heart pounding with anticipation as I prepared to climb in. But a golden retriever was already sitting in the remaining empty seat. Robert pulled open the back hatch, frowning at me. “What are you staring at? Get in. This is your spot.” That was the moment I realized it was never about not having enough seats. In their hearts, I simply didn’t exist. I stared at Buster sitting on the leather seat, completely frozen. The rear hatch was wide open, packed to the brim with Austin and Brooke’s sports gear and bags. “Next time, don’t pack so much junk. Chloe still needs to fit in here,” Robert muttered, casually kicking the bags deeper into the trunk to clear a tiny space. He looked at me and forced a smile. “What are you waiting for? Get in and see if you fit.” My throat tightened, but I still held onto a tiny sliver of hope. I pointed at the empty middle seat. “But Robert, isn’t there a seat right there?” “No way! If you sit there, where is Buster supposed to go?!” Austin poked his head out of the window, yelling defensively before Robert could even speak. “Buster is family! He deserves his own seat!” Family? A dog was family. Was I not? I choked back my tears and tried to compromise. “I can just hold Buster on my lap. That way, we both get a seat.” “What is wrong with you today, Chloe?” Helen snapped from the front seat, her voice dripping with irritation. “You’ve been perfectly fine in the back all these years. Why do you suddenly have to ruin things? Austin and Brooke are used to having their own space. If you squeeze in there, you’ll just make everyone miserable!” “You always have to ruin your siblings’ happiness. Why are you so selfish? Just do what you’re told!” Helen scolded. My hands clenched the hem of my shirt. Selfish? This SUV was bought using the prize money from my academic scholarship. I just wanted a single seat in a car I paid for. How was that selfish? They had five seats, and they would rather give one to a dog than to their own daughter. Tears splashed onto the pavement. I couldn’t stop sobbing. My crying was loud enough that people in the parking lot began to look over, whispering and pointing at us. “Cry, cry, cry. You always ruin the mood!” Austin slammed his car door shut in disgust. Brooke, embarrassed by the attention, stepped out of the car and fake-squeezed my hand. “Chloe, please stop crying. If you really want a seat that badly, I’ll swap with you, okay?” Before I could answer, Robert and Helen barked in unison, “No way! The cargo trunk is dirty and suffocating. You’re a delicate girl, Brooke. How could you survive back there?” My heart plummeted. So, they knew. They knew the trunk was dirty and suffocating. “Chloe, Brooke has been pampered her whole life. She’s not tough like you,” Robert said, his bias blindingly obvious. “Brooke is our little princess. She can’t handle that kind of discomfort.” “You’ve been riding back there for over a decade anyway. What’s the big deal if you do it a little longer?” Helen walked over with a fake smile, trying to grab my hand to brush it off like she always did. But this time, I shoved her away. I pointed at Brooke and screamed through my tears, “We are both your daughters! Why does Brooke get to be the princess while I always have to suffer?!” “I bought this car with my scholarship money! Why can’t I have a seat?!” “Shut up!” Robert’s face turned purple. Slap! He slapped me hard across the face. “You are my daughter! I gave you your life! What’s wrong with using your scholarship money? Throwing a tantrum over a car seat—how did I raise such a selfish brat?!” Helen wiped her tears, looking at me with pure disappointment. “You’ve really grown some claws, Chloe. How dare you try to steal from Austin and Brooke?” “I must have cursed myself in a past life to give birth to such an ungrateful leech!” I held my burning cheek, my ears ringing. The last spark of hope in my heart died right then and there. “Fine. You can keep the seat,” I whispered, staring at them. “And you can keep this family. I’m out.”

I ran back to our apartment, my eyes red, and packed my things. It took me less than two minutes. I barely owned anything—just a few worn-out clothes. As I looked at the tiny, folding cot shoved into the corner of the laundry room, a wave of bitterness washed over me. The apartment had three bedrooms. Robert and Helen had one, and Austin and Brooke each had their own spacious rooms. Meanwhile, I had lived in the corner of the laundry room for eighteen years. No bedroom. No car seat. All these years, my existence had been squeezed into the dark, neglected corners of this house. I had endured it year after year. But today, I was done. “Chloe! You get scolded once and you throw a tantrum? It’s just a car seat! Why do you have to be so incredibly petty?!” Robert kicked the laundry room door open, grabbing my wrist with a iron grip. “Do you have any idea how much you scared Brooke? She’s crying upstairs! Come with me right now and apologize to her!” He began dragging me toward the door. “Get your hands off me!” I screamed, shoving him away with all my strength. It was the first time in my life I had ever fought back. Robert stared at me in shock, which instantly morphed into violent rage. “Chloe! Over a stupid car seat, you’re going to disown your own parents? How can you be so vicious?!” “Yes! I am vicious!” I screamed back, grabbing my backpack and heading for the door. Brooke blocked my path, looking tearful. “Chloe, Robert only wants what’s best for you. Just apologize, and we can go back to normal…” “Don’t waste your breath on her, Brooke! Let her rot!” Robert roared, his face twisted in rage. “She ruins every single family event anyway. If she wants to leave, let her! I’ll pretend I never had a second daughter!” Austin leaned against the wall, shrugging. “Good riddance. She’s always been a curse. Just like four years ago, she brings nothing but trouble.” My feet froze. The painful memory rushed back. Four years ago, for Austin’s birthday, the family decided to go to a theme park. Amazingly, Robert and Helen decided to bring me along. The cargo trunk in the summer heat was like an oven. It was so hot I could barely breathe. But my heart had been full of joy because it was the first time they had ever agreed to take me out. I genuinely believed they loved me. But when we arrived, they got out, locked the car, and walked away. They forgot to open the trunk. Sweat soaked my hair. Every breath felt like inhaling fire. I banged on the metal door, my voice raw. “Robert! Helen! I’m still inside! Chloe is still in here!” But the only response was the fading sound of their laughter. As the oxygen ran out, my vision began to blur. In a desperate bid to survive, I grabbed a heavy metal tire iron from the tool compartment and smashed the back latch until it broke open. When I finally crawled out, my hands bleeding and raw, I ran toward them, crying and desperate for comfort. But the moment I reached Robert, he slapped me across the face. “Chloe! Could you not have waited a few minutes? Do you have any idea how much it costs to repair a broken trunk hatch? Why are you such a useless expense?!” The scars on my palms still throbbed. I pushed past everyone and walked out of that house without looking back.

It was snowing heavily outside. Shivering in my thin jacket, I huddled in a corner, blowing on my hands to keep them warm. As I stared blankly at the snow, a warm hand gently touched my shoulder. “Chloe?” I turned around and saw Mrs. Gable, my high school counselor. She was one of the very few people in my life who had ever tried to protect me. She knew about my living conditions—how I slept in a laundry room and rode in the trunk. She had clashed with Robert and Helen multiple times, furious on my behalf. She always told me I was a brilliant student with a bright future, and that I didn’t deserve to be treated like trash. “It’s freezing. What are you doing out here all by yourself?” Hearing her gentle, caring voice, the dam broke. Tears streamed down my face. “Oh, sweetie, what happened? Who hurt you? Tell me. I’ve got you.” I collapsed into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “Mrs. Gable, I don’t have a home anymore. I have nowhere to go!” I poured my heart out, telling her everything that had happened. With every word, her expression grew darker. By the end, she was shaking with pure rage. “How could they treat a brilliant girl like you like trash?!” She immediately took my cold hand and led me to her car. “If they don’t want you, I do! From now on, you can sit in any seat in my car. You can have any bedroom in my house. You will never have to suffer like this again!” And just like that, I moved into Mrs. Gable’s house. Her daughter had passed away from an illness years ago, and she lived alone after divorcing her husband. We looked after each other. Our life was simple, peaceful, and filled with warmth. As for my biological family, they never contacted me, except for the occasional fake text from Brooke telling me to “come home and apologize.” Sometimes, I saw their posts on Instagram. They posted pictures of the four of them smiling inside their new SUV. Buster the dog was sitting proudly in the middle seat. Helen had captioned it: Now that we have the new SUV, Buster finally has his own seat! He’s family, after all, and I could never bear to see him squeezed into a dirty, suffocating trunk. Austin commented below: Now that the eyesore is gone, the world is so much quieter! Robert and Brooke had liked the post. My heart felt cold. Even though I knew I was unwanted, seeing those words still felt like a knife to the chest. Just as I was about to close my phone, a bank notification popped up. My college scholarship fund had been deposited. Right after, Robert sent me two furious voice notes on Snapchat: “Chloe, we raised you for eighteen years, and you turn your back on us over a car seat? We were hoping to get a decent dowry when you got married to get our money back. Since you want to play dirty, we’ve decided to deduct $30,000 from your scholarship fund as compensation for raising you!” “From now on, you’re on your own for tuition and living expenses. We are officially even!” Mrs. Gable heard the voice notes. She was so angry she immediately handed me her savings card. “Thirty thousand? Please. I have more than enough. From now on, I am covering all your expenses, Chloe!” “Thank you, Mrs. Gable!” I choked out, throwing my arms around her and crying. I vowed right then to study as hard as I could, become successful, and repay her kindness.

From that day on, I poured all my energy into my studies. I got a full ride to Wharton Business School and graduated at the top of my class. After entering the financial corporate sector, my talent was quickly recognized. Within a few short years, I was promoted rapidly, eventually landing the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a multi-billion-dollar global conglomerate. Near the end of the year, my company was evaluating investment projects in rural areas. I rode back to my hometown in a luxury chauffeured Cadillac Escalade, escorted by our corporate security team. When we entered the town, I wanted to surprise Mrs. Gable, so I asked the security guards to wait at the edge of the neighborhood. As I walked past my old house, I heard loud music and saw two giant, tacky vinyl banners hanging across the front garage. Celebrating the Upcoming Marriage of Our Daughter Brooke to the CFO of Vance Enterprises, Derek! Congratulations to Our Son Austin for Winning the Million-Dollar Lottery and Buying a Brand-New Rolls-Royce! Under the banners, Austin and Brooke were laughing and dancing. Through Mrs. Gable, I had heard updates about them over the years. Austin had dropped out of high school, got arrested for grand theft, and spent a few years in prison. Brooke had drifted through shady crowds, worked at cheap bars, and was currently unemployed, living off our parents. At that moment, Uncle Ted walked up to the house carrying expensive gifts, his face covered in a fake grin. “Robert, Helen, you two are so blessed! Your son won a million dollars, and your daughter is marrying a CFO! You’ve hit the jackpot!” Robert and Helen couldn’t stop grinning. But I frowned. Brooke was marrying the CFO of Vance Enterprises? I was the CFO of Vance Enterprises. How did I not know about this? I pulled out my phone, called my executive assistant, and gave her the name “Derek.” Within two minutes, she called back. “Chloe, HR confirmed we had a security guard named Derek. He was fired last month for stealing company laptops. He was never an executive.” I stepped out of the shadow of the street, walking toward the gate of their yard. Inside, the four of them were huddled together, looking like a perfect, happy family. Robert draped his arm around Austin’s shoulder, pointing at the rented Rolls-Royce parked in the driveway, bragging to the neighbors. “See? My boy didn’t need college to be successful! He won the lottery and bought a Rolls-Royce! Unlike some ‘intellectuals’ who think they’re better than everyone!” “And our Brooke brought home a CFO! We are officially high society now! She really is our little princess!” Helen squeezed Brooke’s hand, proudly holding up a framed engagement photo. “Having these two children is the greatest blessing of our lives!” The guests clapped and showered them with praise, calling them master educators who raised a golden boy and girl. The yard was filled with laughter and warmth. Standing alone outside the gate, I felt like a ghost. I looked down, preparing to walk away quietly. But Brooke’s sharp eyes caught me. She gasped loudly. “Chloe? What are you doing here?” Instantly, all eyes turned to me. Austin frowned. When he saw the chauffeured Escalade parked down the street, he let out a mocking laugh. “Look who it is! Couldn’t make it in the big city, huh? Heard we got rich and came back to beg for scraps, didn’t you?” “I mean, you left so dramatically back then, but you come back riding in a cheap rental SUV?” Robert and Helen looked at the Escalade and sneered. “Coming back in a cheap car like that… thank god we cut ties with you years ago, otherwise we’d be embarrassed to death!” Robert scoffed. A cheap car? I looked at the high-end, custom-armored Escalade and almost laughed out loud. The guests began whispering among themselves. “Is that Chloe? The ungrateful brat who abandoned her family over a car seat?” “Showing up to crash a party in a rental SUV… how shameless!” “What a pathetic snob. What’s the point of getting good grades if you’re just a loser in the end?” I clenched my fists. I didn’t want to deal with this drama. I turned to leave. But Austin blocked my path. He parted his legs wide, pointing to the ground between them, and sneered, “You always wanted a seat in a nice car, didn’t you? Tell you what, crawl between my legs, and I’ll let you sit in my Rolls-Royce for five minutes.” “A broke loser like you probably hasn’t even smelled a luxury car before!” The crowd erupted into roaring laughter. Robert and Helen looked at me with pure disgust. “Today is a celebration for my successful children! A broke, ungrateful leech like you doesn’t belong here!” Robert barked. “Get lost! You make me sick!” Robert grabbed my shoulder, violently shoving me backward. I stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. Finally, my patience snapped. I reached into my coat, pulled out my official corporate executive badge, and slammed it right in front of his face. “You think I’m broke? Open your blind eyes and look at this!” Seeing the words Chief Financial Officer stamped in gold on the badge, Robert’s face instantly went pale. The neighbors and relatives behind him gasped in shock. But then, a sneering, arrogant voice broke the silence.

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The day after I signed my divorce papers with Julian Vanderbilt,my ex showed up at my door. Carter Reed,the tech billionaire who ruined my life,stood there wearing a smug smirk. “You’ve had your fun,Elara,”he said,taking a step closer. “You got out of that cage.Now isn’t it time to come back to me?” He dialed back the Silicon Valley arrogance and played the devoted man.”I’m done with Maya.I swear,Elara.This time,I’ll give you everything.” Hearing that name made my blood run cold. Maya. She was the waitress Carter bankrolled into a Hollywood star. Because of her,I lost my baby. Because of her,the hands that were supposed to play Carnegie Hall were ruined. Carter had taken a Juilliard prodigy and driven her to the edge of madness. So I looked him dead in the eye and said,”Coming back?Not in a million years.” Carter dropped the act instantly.”Why?”he snapped. “Julian took over the Vanderbilt empire. The whole Upper East Side knows he dumped you. Who else is going to take you in?” I turned to look at him,my eyes cold.”Who said he dumped me?” … Carter paused for a beat,then let out a scornful laugh.”Elara,you never change.Always living in your own little fantasy.Julian Vanderbilt is the sole heir to a billion-dollar empire.He went back to claim what’s his. Why would he keep a girl with no family and a ruined past?He got bored.Face it.” Let him believe that. Sure,the papers are signed.But Julian didn’t dump me. Five years ago,he walked away from his trust fund just to marry me. The succession war within his family was getting vicious. To keep me and our daughter safe,he had to go back and claim his throne. This divorce is just a cover. It’s our little secret. But to Carter,I was nothing but a woman the old money had chewed up,spit out,and forgotten.

My silence made Carter think he’d finally gotten to me. His voice softened. “I’m sorry,Elara.That was harsh.But I just want you back.I really do.” “I knew it wouldn’t last the moment you married Julian. I’ve been waiting for this day for five years.” His words dragged up memories I thought I’d buried. Back on the Columbia campus,on the lawn,him clutching onto my backpack charm with a flushed face,asking,”Elara,can I be your boyfriend?” I thought he was sweet and ambitious—a world apart from everything I knew.I thought a guy like him could never hurt anyone. But I was wrong. When a”good guy”goes bad,he’s far more ruthless than any real villain. I scoffed.”Five years?Carter,you could wait fifty,and it still wouldn’t change a thing.We ended a long time ago.” I turned and grabbed my suitcase. My fingers,once so agile on the piano,felt stiff and clumsy from the old injury. Carter stepped forward,blocking my path again. “You don’t have to love me.But what about Chloe?She needs her father.”

At the mention of my daughter,every defensive wall I had went up. “Chloe is Julian’s daughter and mine,”I spat. “She has absolutely nothing to do with you.Stop flattering yourself.” Carter frowned,clearly not buying a single word.He took a step closer,his gaze locked on my face.”Chloe is six years old,Elara! She was already born when you married Julian five years ago. We hadn’t even officially broken up back then.You were pregnant with my baby!” “Is admitting you had my child really that humiliating for you?” The more confident he sounded,the more absurd it was. The man who had thrown me away for some cheap actress now wanted to claim another man’s treasured daughter.He didn’t get to have it both ways. I didn’t bother arguing.My Uber was already idling at the curb. I brushed past him,pulled open the car door,and gave him one last,freezing look. “Believe whatever you want.I have nothing to say to you.” The car pulled away.In the rearview mirror,Carter’s figure shrank into New York’s concrete jungle,until the rushing traffic swallowed him whole. I let out a long,shaky breath. Chloe is actually only five years old. Five years ago,Julian pulled some highly illegal strings to protect me and secure our marriage. He used his wealth to alter her birth certificate,making her a year older on paper. It was a risky move,but Julian did it to protect us. My daughter shares not a single drop of blood with Carter Reed.My hand drifted unconsciously to my stomach,my fingertips trembling slightly. There had been a time when I carried his child in here. But his brutal betrayal ruined everything. I lost the baby,and he broke me.

The year I graduated,I turned down Carnegie Hall. Instead,I crammed into a tiny Brooklyn apartment with Carter,using every penny I made tutoring piano to fund his tech startup. My clients were ultra-rich. One hour of teaching paid more than a normal weekly salary. I taught from dawn till midnight,my fingers swollen and my voice hoarse,just to scrape together his startup capital. The day his company launched,he lifted me up by the Hudson River,laughing like a kid. “Elara,I see our future,”he promised. “Once we go public,I’ll buy out Tiffany’s on Fifth Avenue and make the happiest bride in the world.” We both thought the hard times were finally over. But I had no idea.It wasn’t the end of the struggle.It was the beginning of my hell.

Once the cash started rolling in,Carter got busy. Then came Maya—a waitress who delivered his lunch,the one variable I never saw coming.He pitied her,fell for her acting dreams,and decided to play hero: “Want to be a star?Let me help you.” Just like that,the money I nearly killed myself to earn became Maya’s stepping stone. He paid for her elite acting school in LA and bought her a supporting role in a hit show. When I confronted them on set,Carter shielded a sobbing Maya and shoved me to the ground. I was pregnant. I fell,my stomach slamming into the sharp edge of a metal prop box. Blood soaked my dress. My baby died right there—killed by his own father. Carter panicked.He swept me up and rushed me to the hospital,crying and begging for forgiveness the entire way.Numb,I told him it was over.But he lost it.He grabbed a knife,slit his wrist,and used self-harm to threaten me. “We’re just business,Elara!”he cried. “I was just doing charity.Didn’t you fall in love with me because I’m kind?” Yes.I used to believe that was kindness.But he had no right to feed that”kindness”of his with my flesh and blood.I was weak.I forgave him. Until my birthday.I received a teaching offer from Juilliard and called him,dying to share the news.Over the line,all I heard was the unmistakable sound of a man and a woman,breathing hard together—nauseating and undeniable. After what felt like forever,Carter’s panicked voice came through:”Baby,I’m almost home.”In that second,our six years together died.

Before I could even grieve,Maya cornered me in the music academy restroom with two bodyguards. She raised a hammer and brought it down hard on my Steinway—the one that had been with me for years. The keys shattered. My dreams shattered with them. Maya smirked,looking like a lunatic. “You think you’re something just because you can play a few songs,Elara?Come after my man again,and this is what you get.Carter was sick of you long ago.Get a clue!” During the struggle with her bodyguards,one of them stomped on my hand. Two of my fingers broke instantly,twisting at a sickening angle. My piano career was dead. The moment I left the hospital,my first thought was revenge.I sent the proof to The New York Post. Carter siphoning my money to launch Maya’s career.Maya’s deliberate assault.Every single detail. Maya was a rising star,so the scandal exploded online.Furious fans flooded Carter’s socials demanding answers.But he publicly gaslit me. “Elara’s mental health has been unstable.We broke up long ago.Please stop harassing my friends.” Maya followed up,painting herself as the victim and me as a bitter,obsessed stalker. Overnight,I became the laughingstock of New York. I was terrified to leave my apartment,hiding like a sewer rat. I begged Carter to just tell the truth.I promised I’d walk away forever. He just looked at me,cold and unmoved.”Maya’s career is just starting.I can’t let her be ruined.Just bear with it,Elara.I’ll make it up to you later.” Bear with it?Make it up to me? Everything I had suffered came from him. I went to his office to make a scene,and he had me arrested. At the police station,the man who bailed me out was Julian. Back in college,he was the one who would sit in the last row of the concert hall,day after day,just listening to me play. He draped his coat over my trembling shoulders. “You’re a free bird,Elara.You don’t belong in a cage.Let me take you home.” He pieced my broken soul back together. To give me a safe haven,he fought the entire Vanderbilt family,gave up his inheritance,and married me. “Elara,I won’t just say’I love you.’I will share your fate,for better or worse. We are each other’s destiny.”

I carried my bags to the apartment Julian had prepared for me. It was our safe haven.Warm,beautiful,and hidden from everyone. The door flew open,and Chloe ran out on her tiny legs,throwing her arms around me. “Mom!You’re back!Daddy says this is our secret castle!” Julian and I had agreed: once he took full control of the Vanderbilt empire,we would officially remarry. Life should have been peaceful,but Carter wouldn’t leave us alone. Every morning,he had fresh roses delivered to my door. Every evening,he stood outside the building,desperate for a glimpse of Chloe and me. He even bought out the entire FAO Schwarz toy store,crouching down to win over my daughter.”Chloe,I’m your dad.Can you call me dad,just once?” I immediately covered Chloe’s ears and walked right past him. “Chloe,remember,you only have one father.His name is Julian Vanderbilt.” Chloe gave a firm nod,her little face serious. “I know!That weird uncle bullied Mommy.He’s a bad guy!” I patted her head and smiled. “Yes.A bad guy.”

I ignored him.But Carter only pushed harder. One day,he planted himself at my door,arms full of property deeds,stock transfer agreements,and a pile of asset documents.”Elara,I’ll give you everything.Just come back.” “You and Chloe won’t have to keep hiding.Isn’t this the stability you wanted?” I looked at him.Two cold word:”Get lost.” Three months later.Julian called. “Darling,let’s remarry.” After the paperwork,he took an overjoyed Chloe to kindergarten.”I’ll pack at the apartment.Pick me up later.” He leaned in for a kiss,pouting. “You don’t even miss me?” I laughed.”So childish.” His eyes turned serious. “The ones who are loved never need to pretend to be mature.” At my apartment,I froze. The walkway was covered in red roses.Endless. Carter knelt with a massive diamond ring. “Elara,I know you’re still angry with me.” “But I’m willing to put up with every mood,every moment of it.You used to be the one giving everything—now let me be the one who comes to you.Marry me.” The neighbors who had gathered,oblivious to the truth,erupted.”Say yes!Say yes!” I walked up. I slapped the ring out of his hand. My heel crushed the roses. “I refuse.” Carter stood up,eyes bloodshot. “Why?!You still love me!” “I don’t,”I snapped. I held up the marriage certificate—still warm from my hands—for everyone in that room to see.”Because I’m already married.”

The crowd erupted in murmurs.”Oh my god,she’s married.What a clown.” “Come on,man.Stop embarrassing yourself.” Carter stared at the paper,his eyes wild. “It’s fake!You divorced three months ago!You’re lying!” He lunged and grabbed my wrist. The familiar fear rushed back. The miscarriage.The helplessness. “Let go!” He ripped the book from my hands. He opened it.The husband’s name: Julian Vanderbilt. Carter burst into manic laughter. “Julian?A billionaire like him would never take you back!” “He threw you out like trash!” “Enough!”My voice shook with rage. “He is nothing like you.” I snatched it back,then tucked it carefully into my bag,turned,and headed upstairs.

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My husband,Damian Blackwood,the King of Wall Street,treats me like ice. But today,he sent me a text. “Go to the pharmacy.Get the usual.” When I got back to our penthouse on Fifth Avenue,his so-called“best friend,”the socialite Chloe,was sitting in our bedroom,slowly pulling a pair of torn stockings back onto her legs. Seeing me,she feigned surprise.“Oh,Aurora,you’re back so soon?” She shook the empty box in her hand.“Damian texted the wrong person.Don’t take it personally.” Damian sat on the edge of the bed,a cigar between his fingers,smoke swirling around him. “I promise,this is the last time.Our open relationship ends now.”He didn’t even look at me,his voice devoid of apology.“She’s an old friend.Had to give her a taste of married life.” He had his assistant send me an encrypted file. “Here’s a list I picked out for you.You should try it,too.” In the ninety-eight times this has happened before,I broke down,screamed,and became hysterical. But this time,I calmly accepted the file. … The next morning at breakfast,Chloe was wearing Damian’s silk shirt,unbuttoned to show off the marks on her neck. She sighed dramatically.“Ugh,I told Damian not to be so rough.I won’t be able to cover these for the gala.” Damian didn’t look up from his steak.“You should go.I need to talk to Aurora.” Chloe pouted,then deliberately bumped into me as she stood up. My coffee cup tilted,and the hot liquid spilled onto the back of my hand,instantly raising two blisters. Damian just chuckled in his usual way.“Stop messing around.” It used to be that if anyone dared to treat me like that,Damian would grab them by the collar and intimidate them until they apologized to me. Chloe slammed the door shut. Damian then pulled a blue jewelry box from a nearby pile of luxury shopping bags. All these years,every time he brought another woman home,he would give me a piece of jewelry as“compensation.” I’ve never opened any of them.They fill an entire walk-in closet. “My dear Aurora,”he said,pulling me into his arms,enveloping me in the scent of his expensive cologne.“The title of Mrs.Blackwood will always be yours.With them,I’m just having fun.” I’ve heard that line hundreds of times. “Good girl.Don’t be angry.” His words were light,certain that I wouldn’t dare to resist again. After all,my previous attempts at resistance had cost me dearly.

The first time,he was with a new Hollywood starlet.I leaked the story to the*New York Post*.Publicly,Damian did nothing.Privately,he cut off all my credit cards and trust funds until I begged him to stop. The second time,he was involved with an Ivy League professor.I anonymously exposed their affair on an online forum.In return,“dirt”on me—exaggerated and fabricated details of my private life—was plastered all over the gossip sites. … “Oh,Aurora,”Chloe said,tossing a few pieces of lace lingerie at my feet.“These are couture.You’ll have to hand-wash them.” “A wild girl like me can’t handle such delicate things.Remember that New Year’s party in the Hamptons?Damian’s suit was covered in champagne,and you washed it clean,didn’t you?” I remembered the stain on that suit perfectly. I had asked Damian what it was. “Spilled something at the party,who remembers,”he’d said,completely unconcerned. He had insisted I hand-wash it with cold water and a specific detergent.The next day,the expensive suit was in the trash. This time,I calmly pressed the toe of my high heel onto the pile of clothes. “I’m not washing them.If you think they’re dirty,throw them out.” I saw a flash of anger in Damian’s eyes. I picked up my Hermès bag and turned to leave. Behind me,Damian’s voice was ice-cold. “Aurora Collins,if you walk out that door today,you’ll regret it.” I paused for a second,then slammed the door shut. On the road,I got a call from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Miss Collins,Mr.Blackwood’s account has stopped all payments for your brother Leo’s medical expenses…” But. “My brother is already dead.”

I paused,then added. “My brother has been dead for a long time.You’ve been taking Damian’s money for an empty hospital bed for so long,it should be enough.” On the passenger seat was a bouquet of white roses,my brother’s favorite. Thirteen years ago,I found a half-dead Damian under an old tree in Central Park. He was just a penniless kid off the street.My brother and I took him back to our tiny apartment and saved his life. I remember the boy in oversized slippers,clumsily holding a cup of hot water.The steam blurred his face,but his eyes,when he looked at me,were full of conviction.“I swear,Aurora,I’ll spend my life protecting you!” “Leo,from now on,you’re my brother,too!” The Damian of the past would divert his private jet just because I mentioned wanting macarons from a small shop in Paris. He cared more about my brother’s health than I did. The sound of a siren broke my train of thought. I slammed on the brakes.A cop knocked on my window. “We have a report of you maliciously entering and damaging private property.Please come with us.”

I stared at them in disbelief. In a panic,I instinctively dialed Damian’s number. “Damian,I…” The loud party music on his end immediately went quiet. “Aurora,”his voice was as gentle as a poisoned knife,“I told you to learn how to be an obedient wife.” “Since you won’t behave,go where you need to go and learn some manners.” My hands were cuffed behind my back,and I was pushed into the police station. “Mr.Blackwood gave us special instructions to take good care of you.” Fists and feet rained down on me.My arms and legs were quickly covered in bruises. The pain nearly made me pass out.I vaguely heard someone making a call outside the door. “Miss Chloe,we’ve’taken care of her’just as you asked.” “Good.Damian’s money has already been transferred.” A sharp pain twisted in my stomach,making my heart tremble. After what felt like an eternity,someone opened the door. “The person who reported it said it was a misunderstanding.you can go.”

It was raining and cold outside.The wind was biting. Damian was leaning against his Rolls-Royce.At his feet were the white roses I’d bought,trampled and ruined. “Get in.” I quietly opened the back door. Damian gave me a strange look.“Why not sit in the front?” The car’s interior had been redone in pink,Chloe’s favorite color.On the passenger seat was the wrapper from a used condom. My phone buzzed nonstop. A news alert headline made my breath catch. “Famous Investigative Journalist Arrested Late at Night,Career Possibly Over…” My fingers trembled as I clicked on it.Below was an internal email notifying me of my three-month suspension. I snapped my head up. “Damian,did you leak this story?” He knew how much I had sacrificed to become a star reporter for the*New York Times*.He once held me and told me how proud he was of me. But now,he had just socially executed me with no effort at all. “Aurora,this is your punishment for hurting Chloe.” Punishment? I rolled up my sleeve,revealing my bruised arm.“Damian,isn’t getting beaten like this enough?!” Damian’s gaze froze. His expression shifted.“Aurora,how did you get those bruises?” “Someone…” I cut him off,my voice full of hate.“Damian,isn’t this what you ordered them to do?” “You and Chloe planned this together.Don’t play innocent now!”

He slammed on the brakes,the car screeching loudly. Damian stared at me,his eyes filled with disappointment. “Aurora,not only can you not tolerate my friends,but now you’ve learned to tell these kinds of lies?” He sneered. “This trick to get sympathy might have worked when you were younger.You’re really willing to hurt yourself just to make me feel bad!” He yanked open the car door,and a blast of cold,rainy wind rushed in. Damian dragged me out of the car. “The position of Mrs.Blackwood doesn’t need a hysterical woman!” He threw one last cold sentence at me. “Aurora,before you act out,you’d better think about your brother’s expensive medical bills!” The car sped away. Another phone in my pocket buzzed. It was a message from Julian Vance,with a picture of a ring. “When are you getting a divorce?I want to marry you.” I typed my reply. “Three days.”

When I went home to pack,I could hear disgusting sounds coming from our bedroom. This was the home I had meticulously decorated.In the past,Damian would complain if even a cleaner stepped too far inside. But now,he was in bed with another woman on the top-of-the-line mattress I had chosen. I clenched my fists,but my heart was surprisingly calm. I didn’t have much,just one suitcase. As I zipped it up,a lazy male voice spoke from behind me. “Where are you going?” His bare chest was covered in fresh scratches.The battle must have been fierce. I quickly looked away,my voice flat.“Out for a few days.” The red tip of Damian’s cigar glowed.He looked down at me,his tone certain. “You have nowhere to go.” The only property in my name was this penthouse.My company had dorms,but I had never applied for one.All my bank cards and trusts were under his control. He easily snatched my suitcase and tossed it on the floor. “Aurora,you’re not a little girl who can play the’running away from home’game anymore.” My heart trembled. He then softened his tone,as if soothing a pet. “Go apologize to Chloe,and I’ll let you see Leo tomorrow.” I laughed mockingly.“Damian,my brother is dead.”

He would spend a fortune on other women. But when the hospital called asking for payment,he thought it was a trick I was using to make him come home. He hung up with a cold laugh,saying,“If she wants money,have Aurora come beg me herself.” That day,New York was buried in a blizzard.I went to find him wearing nothing but a thin formal dress. My frozen body was shocked back to life by the wave of heat when I pushed open the door to his private club room.Damian was surrounded by a crowd of men and women. “One drink,ten thousand dollars,”a greasy man jeered. I can’t drink.Alcohol causes a severe allergic reaction. The few times I had,it was for Damian’s business. That night,the liquor burned my throat and stomach like fire.The pain was so bad I was close to convulsing,but I drank glass after glass. Until Damian threw a stack of cash at me. “Enough.Get out.” “Aurora,I hope you’ve learned your lesson.If you dare to act on impulse again,it won’t be this simple.” He was referring to the third time I had tried to expose one of his mistresses.

Chloe’s sneer shattered the silence. “Aurora,if you’re going to lie to Damian,at least come up with a better excuse.The payment for Leo’s medical bills was just transferred from Damian’s account this morning.” Damian snapped back to reality. For a moment,seeing the dead look in my eyes,he had almost believed me. He grabbed my chin,his grip so tight it felt like he would crush it. “If you spout any more nonsense,I’ll really cut off his medication.” He shoved me away.My forehead hit the corner of a cabinet,and blood started to flow. His eyes flickered,as if he wanted to come over. But Chloe grabbed his arm. “Damian,my stomach hurts a little.I think the baby’s kicking me~” Chloe whined,clutching her belly. Damian didn’t hesitate.He turned,scooped Chloe into his arms,and strode away. I was alone,cleaning my wound,when Damian’s call came.He told me to go to the“Stardust Club.” I had the divorce papers in my pocket.All they needed was his signature.

When I opened the door to the VIP room,Chloe was sitting next to Damian in a sexy bikini. I didn’t fight for the seat next to him like I used to. I walked straight over and handed him the file.“This is the company’s acquisition plan for the next quarter.” He signed it without a glance. He seemed surprised when I took the document and turned to leave. “Aurora,didn’t you used to always want to…” After all,I had once furiously bid three hundred thousand dollars at a charity auction just for the seat next to him. Before I could say anything,Chloe raised a remote control. “Everyone,let me show you the latest entertainment!” The giant screen on the wall lit up. A familiar voice exploded in my ears. “Damian…I want…” On the screen,I was kneeling before Damian,pleading with him. A chill ran down my spine.I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Damian,did you film this secretly?!” The man stubbed out his cigar.“You still wouldn’t apologize to Chloe.This is the apology gift I prepared for you.” It was like a lightning bolt to my ears. Chloe had already signaled her friends to surround me and hold me down. Chloe crossed her legs,her eyes seductive.“If you ask me,it was even more thrilling last time,when you sent this video to your brother Leo!” Leo…my brother. I stared at Damian in utter disbelief.

The man avoided my gaze but still spoke. “After all,you were the one who leaked my affair with Ellie to the media that day.” My voice was like a death rattle. “Damian Blackwood,you’re a monster!” Hearing this,Chloe pouted,her eyes full of provocation. She clutched her stomach,leaning pitifully against Damian. “Damian,my stomach hurts.The baby must be tired.Will you take me to the hospital?” Damian hesitated.“But Aurora is still here.” Chloe lowered her head to hide the venom in her eyes.When she looked up,her expression was innocent and cheerful again.“What are you worried about?My good buddies are here!We’re all family,they’ll take good care of her!” I felt a warm,sticky touch on my back.I didn’t know whose hand it was.In the dim light,the men around me had eyes glinting with…lust. Panic seized me.I tried to grab Damian’s sleeve. “Damian,take me with you!” But before I could finish,a hand clamped over my mouth. I whimpered,tears falling onto the expensive carpet. Chloe laughed.“See?They’re taking such good care of Aurora.” My limbs were pinned.I couldn’t move.

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My sister Chloe was blind with love. She sat on a plane for thirty straight hours just to celebrate the birthday of the boyfriend she’d kept overseas for three years. She looked at me, a martyr’s glow in her eyes. “Elena, you don’t understand. Every year, the one who gets to spend his birthday with him is never me.” “This time, I want to stand beside him myself.” I sighed and let it go. When my fiancé, Don Julian, heard, he gave a cold little snort on the other end of the line. “She flew halfway around the world just to throw a man a birthday party? Has she lost her mind?” “A woman who throws herself at a man like that—let her do whatever she wants.” The night Chloe landed at Sheremetyevo International, I stumbled onto her post on Twitter. A photograph of a man from behind, with a caption of nothing but a curt *Happy Birthday*. But my breath froze in that instant. The ring on the man’s ring finger was the Ashford family ring, set with black diamonds. The perfect match to my engagement ring. That was when I understood. The boyfriend Chloe had been dating for three years. Was my fiancé. … I sat with that photograph all night. Two days earlier, when I’d told him I wanted to fly to the Moscow estate to celebrate with him, he’d answered in that steady, unruffled voice of his: “There’s no need, Elena. When I’m back in New York, we’ll do it privately, just the two of us.” But it wasn’t that he wasn’t celebrating. It was that he already had someone to celebrate with. And that someone was my own sister. I didn’t fall apart. I took a screenshot and sent it to Julian. Ten minutes passed. My phone lit up—but the message was from Chloe, cheerful as a bell. *Elena! We met up—finally! But I didn’t have time to get him a gift. Do you think if I tied a bow around my wrist and let him unwrap me, it would be too forward?* She’d attached a photo. A three-tier dark chocolate cake beside a champagne tower. A man’s right hand rested casually on the edge of the table. The black-diamond ring on his ring finger was now unmistakable. Three years ago, when Julian decided to expand into the Russian market, he’d promised in front of every elder that the moment he returned to New York, we would marry, and I would become the Donna of the Ashford family. But now, it seemed there was no need for that wedding at all. I didn’t reply to Chloe. What was I supposed to ask her? Why did you climb into your sister’s fiancé’s bed? I’d always known Chloe was carrying someone in her heart. Through college, she was forever off traveling in Russia, saying she was “making up for the regrets of her youth.” Whenever Julian and I made small talk about it, his face would twist with disgust. “Only a fool like her would chase all the way to Russia. Serves her right if the traffickers get her.” He had never shown Chloe a shred of patience, never a decent expression. Precisely because of that, it had never once crossed my mind that Chloe’s every trip led to the very Russia where Julian was doing his market research; never once did it strike me as strange that they shared a birthday. I had never once imagined that they’d been together for three years, right under my nose. The screen lit up again. Julian. *What’s the meaning of this?* He was denying it. I leaned against the rosewood desk for support, my fingers cold as I typed out a few words: *The one celebrating that birthday with her—isn’t that you?* A long silence, long enough for me to believe he’d thrown his phone into the Volga. Then the call came through. I picked up. His heavy breathing came through the receiver. “Elena. When I’m back in New York, I’ll explain it to you myself.” A confession, dressed up as something else. My eyes fell on the leather calendar on the desk. The 26th was circled thickly in red pen, the Ashford family seal stamped beside it. The day of his return. The day after tomorrow. Julian let out a heavy sigh. “Don’t make a scene in front of Chloe. Promise me.” His tone was thick with undisguised favor and protection. My eyes stung suddenly. My throat was so dry it felt full of grit. “Why, Julian?” “Elena, wait until I’ve landed.” Before the words had fully left his mouth, a soft, delicate voice drifted through. “…Was that Elena on the phone?” Julian’s voice dropped instantly to something so gentle I’d almost never heard it from him. “No.” “Just one of my subordinates.”

Ten years of knowing each other. Five years of shared profit and shared bloodshed. Three years of me in New York, waiting for him through the days and nights. And now, to keep Chloe from being startled, I had become “just one of his subordinates.” I hung up. A second later, Julian’s message came through. *Chloe feels awful about you. She doesn’t want me mentioning you in front of her.* Awful? A woman who climbs into her sister’s fiancé’s bed knows what awful means? Late into the night, sleepless, I refreshed the feed. Chloe had posted a new photo: two hands laced tightly together, the Ashford estate in Russia in the background. The black-diamond ring on Julian’s little finger had been swapped out. On Chloe’s ring finger sat a ring that matched his. Down in the comments, several Made Men in the know were exclaiming: *Chloe! When did you and the Don get secretly married?!* Chloe replied beneath: *Not married yet—engaged~ At last night’s birthday party, he officially made his vows to me~* I stared at those words for a long time. Julian had given the vows and the tokens he’d once given me to someone else. It was time for me, the future Godmother in name only, to exit the stage. I didn’t confront Julian. I didn’t tear the mask off Chloe. I simply, calmly, tapped a like beneath the photo. Five minutes later, Julian’s message came in: *She’s still a little girl—she can be vain sometimes. She only wanted to know what it felt like to be proposed to by a Don.* *As the future Godmother of the Ashford family, you’ll need to have a bigger heart.* I stared at those two lines and answered with a single word: *Fine.* Exhaustion crashed over me. I got up and went to the fridge for a drink to clear my head. When I opened the door, I saw the note taped to the bottle. *Less iced whiskey. Warm milk helps you sleep.* Whenever I’d stayed up too late reconciling accounts and it triggered my stomach pain, Julian had always torn the iced liquor out of my hand with a stern look and taped the note here as a reminder, ordering the housekeeper to keep fresh milk stocked every day. I looked at it for two seconds. Without hesitation, I peeled the note off, threw it into the trash along with the milk. Two days later, Julian returned to New York—with Chloe. “Elena!” Chloe ran over and wrapped her arms around me, laughing. “Julian just wrapped things up with the Russian market today. I hitched a ride back on his private jet.” I nodded coolly, my eyes drifting down to her hand. The ring—the one that had symbolized his vow—was still on her finger. I looked up at Julian. The ring on his hand that had matched Chloe’s had already been swapped back for the one he’d placed on my finger before the family council. Chloe’s brow furrowed slightly. “Elena, what’s the matter?” Her face was written all over with concern, without a shred of guilt anywhere in it—as if she’d never lain tangled up with my fiancé in that Moscow penthouse. I stepped back from her. “Nothing.” Chloe’s smile stiffened for a beat before returning. Julian shot me a look of disapproval. “Chloe’s worried about you.” “Is she?” A brittle laugh escaped me, my voice rising. “If she’s worried, then why did she—” “Elena!” Julian cut me off sharply. The words *become Julian’s mistress* choked in my throat. I met his furious eyes, and something in my chest was struck as if by a blunt weapon—a huge, hollow space opening up. I hadn’t even said it. And Julian could already look at me with a face that savage. He turned back to Chloe, his expression softening. “Stay here tonight. Don’t go.” Chloe glanced at me, hesitating. “Is that… really all right?” Julian frowned. “It’s not safe traveling this late. Go tomorrow.” And so Chloe stayed. Julian had decided, without asking me a thing. I turned and went back to the master bedroom. Ten minutes later, he pushed the door open and came in. Julian lit a Cuban cigar. The ember flared and dimmed in the shadowed room. Half of it was gone before he finally spoke, his voice rough. “Chloe has never dreamed of replacing you.” “Elena, love isn’t something people choose. She’s in pain too. Can’t you find it in you to understand?” I leaned back against the sofa and looked at him. The sister I’d grown up with, who’d shared every honor of this family with me, had gotten involved with the fiancé I’d loved for five years. And what was more absurd—Julian was actually asking me to have compassion for *her* pain. “And what about me?” I asked. Julian looked away. “Elena. Give us a little more time.” “When did it start?” I asked, blunt. His eyes flickered. In the end he answered honestly. “After that firefight with the arms dealers, three years ago.” For those months, Chloe had practically lived in Russia. She’d even called me to ask how to clean the necrotic tissue out of a wound. I’d wanted to go and take care of him too—but a traitor had led men into the Ashford compound, and while I was trying to protect Julian’s mother, two bullets had gone through my shoulder blade. While I was bleeding for his rule as Don, for his family, he had wavered. Julian closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he looked at me with the eyes of a man used to being in control of everything. “At the beginning, I refused her. But she saved me…” He paused, not going further. His tone turned to something like a plea. “Elena. Give me one more month.” “Give Chloe, at least, a little time to adjust.” I looked at this man, this man who ruled an enormous empire of the night, and for the first time I felt he was a stranger. “No.” “Julian Ashford. Since she’s in so much pain, just marry her.” I slipped the black-diamond ring—the token of my status as the future Donna—off my finger and set it gently on the rosewood table. “We’re calling off the engagement. This ends here.”

Julian froze. Disbelief flashed across his eyes. “You’re calling off the engagement?” I withdrew my hand. “That way she won’t have to sneak around showing off anymore. That ring of yours—you can go ahead and swap it for the one that matches hers.” “Elena, don’t talk like that when you’re angry.” Julian’s voice went cold. “Chloe has never once tried to steal your place as Godmother. You don’t need to put on this act. I told you—in a month, everything will go back to the way it was.” I couldn’t help laughing. But the place where my heart sat felt as if a blade were sawing back and forth through it, the pain almost enough to strangle me. “Back to what way?” I stared at this man who controlled half the underworld of North America. “After the two of you have had your fill of tangling in some foreign country, then I’m supposed to walk into St. Patrick’s Cathedral like a fool and swear that we will never betray each other?” “Julian, it makes me sick.” “I can’t pretend nothing happened.” I couldn’t accept that my fiancé had betrayed me, and I couldn’t begin to understand what role I was supposed to play as the stumbling block in their forbidden, agonized love. Julian looked exasperated. “Chloe is emotionally unstable right now! As her older sister, can’t you show a little consideration?” Consideration? For them? For Chloe flying to Russia every month for a date with him? For Julian proposing to her in front of the whole family? I drew a slow breath. “Julian Ashford. You slept with my sister, and you want *me* to be considerate?” The stabbing pain in my chest almost drowned me. I spoke slowly. “Let’s just end it here.” The bedroom door was suddenly pushed open. Chloe stood outside, her eyes red, her body trembling, tears falling one after another. “Elena… it’s my fault, none of it is Julian’s fault! I was the one who fell for him, I was the one who wouldn’t let him go…” “But I really never meant to replace you! I know it’s a betrayal of you and of the family, but I couldn’t control myself…” “It’s all my fault…” Julian moved on instinct, closing the distance in a single stride and pulling her into his arms. Chloe wept against his chest, pleading. “Elena, I promise—I’ll leave New York right now, I’ll never appear in front of him again!” Her voice was shaking violently. “I’m begging you… don’t call off your engagement…” Julian looked down at her, tenderness aching in his eyes. “Don’t talk nonsense. Silly girl.” I looked at Chloe, numb. From childhood onward, as the older sister, I had given in to her about everything. Fine food, couture gowns, family resources—the first thought I ever had was of her. We had never fought. In those first years after I met Julian, Chloe had even lifted her chin at him with all the imperiousness of a spoiled child: “Who do you think you are? *I* am Elena’s most loyal guard. I take better care of her than you ever will!” And back then, Julian would only ruffle my hair fondly and shoot back, “No one loves Elena more than I do. Not even you.” The two who had once quarreled over the right to look after me, who had sworn in front of me to protect me for a lifetime, had now, in the cruelest possible way, entangled themselves behind my back. “You don’t need to put on this scene. The engagement—I’m calling it off. It’s decided.” “Elena, enough!” Julian’s patience snapped. His voice was harsh. “Can’t you see what state Chloe is in right now?” I didn’t say another word. Something must have told him his tone had gone too far. Julian forced his emotions down. “When you’ve calmed down, we’ll talk. Get some rest first.” He didn’t look at me again. He put his arm around Chloe and walked out of the room. The heavy slam of the door rattled through the walls. I turned and looked at the black-diamond ring on the rosewood table. Once it had stood for absolute power and eternal favor. Now it looked like nothing but the punchline of a ridiculous joke. I walked to the window, drew the curtain back, and hurled the ring into the storm-battered dark of Lake Michigan. The token that marked me as Donna—I didn’t want it. And Julian Ashford—I didn’t want him either.

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Kyle’s favorite phrase was always“when the time is right.” When his position as Alpha was secure,he would place the Moonstone on me,making me his one and only Luna.I waited for two years. When his mother accepted my low birth,we would hold our formal bonding ceremony.I waited another three years. In the fifth year,at the victory banquet celebrating Kyle’s consolidation of all his territories,his mother,the proud former Luna,publicly unclasped the Moonstone from her neck. It was a relic passed down through generations of the pack,bestowed upon the future Luna as a sign of acceptance into the bloodline. This time,I thought,I wouldn’t have to wait anymore. “Come,child.” However,holding the softly glowing stone,she walked past me and placed it securely around the neck of Layla,who was sitting beside me. The entire long table of werewolves fell silent. The former Luna patted Layla’s hand.“Layla grew up with Kyle.Her parents died protecting the pack,so she is family to us.” My hand was still on the table,my claws digging into my palm,my fingertips ice-cold. Someone whispered,“Then what about Ila…” Kyle leaned in,his voice low enough for only me to hear.“My mother is just feeling sentimental about old friends.Don’t take it to heart.” “Next month,I’ll conquer the Black Rock tribe and bring you their chieftain’s skull as a wine cup.Be good,just wait a little longer.” Layla held up the Moonstone on her chest and smirked at me,her smile a taunt.“Isn’t it beautiful,sister Ila?The former Luna said it’s a sacred object that has absorbed a hundred years of moonlight.” I said it was beautiful. Just then,the communication crystal hidden in my leather armor vibrated. “Have you made up your mind?When are you coming to the Land of the Elders?” … “Why aren’t you talking?” In the off-road vehicle on the way back,Kyle,steering with one hand,glanced at me. The moonlight cast hard shadows on his statuesque profile. I pulled my gaze back from the forest outside the window.“There’s nothing to say.” Kyle sighed and stopped the car by a small stream. He freed his right hand and reached across the center console,habitually trying to stroke the back of my neck—a gesture of comfort among werewolves for their mates. I tilted my head slightly,avoiding his touch. His hand froze in mid-air for a moment. He then smoothly retracted it,placing it back on the steering wheel.“Still sulking about the Moonstone?” His tone held the weary condescension one uses with a misbehaving cub. “You know my mother’s temperament.She values ancient bloodlines above all else.” “Layla’s parents died in battle.She grew up in our home,and my mother has always felt indebted to her.” “It’s just a stone.So she gave it to her.Did you really have to give me a long face in front of the entire pack?” I hadn’t said a word.I had just quietly torn into my piece of roasted meat. But in his eyes,my failure to smile and flatter Layla’s gloating was a breach of decorum. “Kyle,”I said his name calmly. “Hm?” “You promised me that Moonstone five years ago.”

The car fell silent for a second. The howl of a lone wolf echoed in the distance,a reminder that he should be continuing his patrol of the territory. Kyle restarted the engine,the vehicle crunching over the gravel road. “I was just a challenger back then.It was just something I said to appease you.You actually took it seriously?” He let out a short,dismissive laugh. “Does the Howling Wind Pack now lack for a single,worthless stone?” “Next month,I’ll crush the Black Rock tribe.I’ll give you their chieftain’s skull as a wine cup.That’s way cooler than some stupid rock.” “Come on,don’t get hung up on such trivial things.” He was always like this. Using the most domineering tone to casually crush every hope I held. Five years ago,Kyle was still a challenger.In the forest,he had woven a bracelet for me from the fangs of some unknown beast. He put it on my wrist,his eyes red with emotion. “Ila,when I become Alpha,I will make my mother place the Moonstone around your neck with her own hands.” “I want every wolf pack in the Northern Reaches to know that you are my one and only Luna.” I still wore that fang bracelet. It had been imbued with my scent,becoming as smooth and warm as jade. The car pulled up to the wooden cabin in the woods. Kyle unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to look at me. “Tomorrow is the full moon.Want to go to Moonlight Falls?I’ll spend the whole day with you.” In the past,I would have eagerly prepared wine and food,looking forward to a whole night just for the two of us. But now,I just felt tired. “No,thanks.”I pushed open the car door. “I have to tend to my herb garden tomorrow.” Kyle got out,locked the car,and caught up to me in a few strides. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind,resting his chin on my shoulder and nuzzling the side of my neck. “Are you really mad?”

His breath ghosted over my ear.“Layla is so excited about the Moonstone she can’t sleep.She wants me to go with her tomorrow to test its power.” “You know how she is,she can’t control her own strength well.She’s relied on me since we were kids.” “I’ll go with her in the morning and be back in the afternoon to be with you,okay?” “Okay,”I said softly. Kyle chuckled in satisfaction,pressing an uncomfortable kiss to my cheek. “I knew my Ila was the most understanding.” Back in the cabin,Kyle went straight to the bathroom to shower. I walked to the entrance and,from a leather pouch hanging there,took out a scroll made of a special tree bark. It was an acceptance letter for advanced studies in the Land of the Elders,specializing in the ancient art of Soul-Healing. On the bottom line was my name,which I had just signed this afternoon in wolf’s blood. I took it out and placed it in the hidden compartment of a bag I had already half-packed. The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom. I walked out to the balcony and sent a mental message to my senior in the Land of the Elders. [Silas,I’ll be leaving at dawn the day after tomorrow.] He replied instantly:[Finally saw the light?That’s more like it!Why suffer through that marathon of misery?Come to the Land of the Elders,and I’ll show you every kind of handsome wolf on the continent!] I looked at the faint light shimmering in the crystal and smiled faintly.

The next morning,I was awakened by the sound of Kyle’s deliberately hushed roar. He was standing on the balcony,holding his communication crystal. “A crack?Is it serious?” “It’s fine if the stone is cracked,as long as no one’s hurt.” “Don’t cry,it’s just a stone.I’m on my way.” His voice was laced with concern. I lay in bed,staring blankly at the wooden ceiling. Five minutes later,he pushed open the bedroom door. Seeing my eyes open,he paused,then quickly walked over. “Did I wake you?” He sat on the edge of the bed,reaching out to touch my face. I turned my head away and sat up. “Are you going out?”I asked. Kyle’s hand froze in mid-air and he awkwardly pulled it back. “Layla tried to test the Moonstone’s power this morning and accidentally knocked it against the altar.She’s crying her eyes out.” “I have to go check on her.She lives alone,I’m worried.” As he spoke,he quickly shed his pajamas and changed into his combat leathers. “I’ll skip breakfast.Just go into the woods and catch something for yourself.” I watched him expertly tighten his vambraces. “Kyle.” “What is it?”He didn’t turn around,fixing his messy hair in the reflection of a water basin. “I want to go see that plot of land in the southern valley today.” His hand stilled. The southern valley.We had talked about it six months ago. He had said it would be our future cubs’nursery,and that as soon as his position as Alpha was stable,he would designate it as our private territory. Kyle turned,his expression a little unnatural. “That land isn’t going anywhere.” “Layla is very unstable right now.I have to go comfort her first.” “Once this blows over,I’ll take you to pick an even better spot,one with more spiritual energy.The southern valley is too close to human territory anyway.” I looked at him,my gaze calm. “Okay.” Kyle visibly relaxed. He walked over and placed a hurried kiss on my forehead. “Be good.I’ll be back.”

He left.I got up and went to the kitchen. I opened the ice cellar;it was filled with all sorts of game. I took out two bird eggs and a pouch of milk-tree sap. As I fried the eggs,memories surfaced uncontrollably. Back then,we lived in a cave. Every day,Kyle would wake up before me and go into the forest to find the freshest honey and berries for me. Once,I casually mentioned wanting to eat the fire frogs from the western marshes. He ran for half the night through acid rain to catch them for me. When he returned,the fire frogs were still alive and hopping,but a large patch of his own fur had been corroded away by the rain. “If Ila wants to eat something,I’ll get it for her even if it’s raining knives,”Kyle had said then. And now? Even accompanying me to see the land he had promised had become an inconvenience he could casually dismiss. I plated the fried eggs. As I poured the sap,my hand slipped,and some spilled on the stone table. I grabbed some moss to wipe it up but accidentally knocked over a bottle next to it. It was a vial of high-concentration“wolfsbane”extract. The dark brown liquid oozed out,emitting a pungent smell. I stared at the puddle,my stomach churning. I’m severely allergic to high-concentration wolfsbane. Kyle had brought this vial back two days ago. Because Layla had said she felt vampires lurking around the territory,and wolfsbane could strengthen their defenses. Kyle had even forgotten that the strong scent of wolfsbane alone made it hard for me to breathe and left me feeling weak all over. I threw the moss into the fire,burning it to ash along with the plate of eggs and the vial of extract. Then,I went back to the bedroom and pulled out three large leather trunks from under the bed. I started to pack. There wasn’t much that was truly mine. A few healer’s robes,a few ancient medical texts,a stone mortar for grinding herbs. The rest were things Kyle had brought back for me from his hunts. Trophies that were powerful but ill-suited for me. He always armed me according to Layla’s tastes. “Layla says bear-skin cloaks are imposing.You should try one.” “Layla says this model of bone-splinter dagger is perfect for a girl’s self-defense.I made one for you too.” I gathered all those things and stacked them neatly in the deepest part of the storage room.

At three in the afternoon,Kyle returned. He pushed open the door and froze,seeing the three large leather trunks piled in the living room. “What are you doing?” He strode over,his brow furrowed. “Sorting furs for the winter?” I tied the last leather strap. “Getting rid of old things.” Kyle’s gaze fell on an unsealed trunk. Inside were the horn cups we drank from on our first date,and the white wolf doll he had given me. His face darkened. “Ila,are you ever going to let this go?” He snatched the horn cup out and slammed it onto the stone table. “You’ve been throwing a tantrum since last night over a stupid rock!” “Now you’re throwing this stuff out?What’s next?Are you going to tell me you’re leaving this home?” I straightened up and looked at him calmly. “Yes.” Kyle laughed,a sound laced with fury. “Fine.You’ve grown bold.” He yanked open the leather tie at his collar,sat down in a chair,and watched me coldly. “Where are you going to go?To your friend Kora’s cave?Or back to that birthplace of yours that never even sees the moonlight?” “Ila,you’re not a cub that needs protecting anymore.Can you stop acting like a little she-wolf,playing this’running away from home’game all the time?” “Do you really think I’ll come begging for you to come back if you’re gone for a few days?”

He was convinced I couldn’t leave him. Convinced I was just using this clumsy method to force him to bow his head to me. I offered no explanation. I just silently placed the horn cup back in the trunk and tied the leather strap. “Think whatever you want.” Kyle watched my actions,a flicker of irritation in his eyes. He stood up,walked over to me,and softened his tone. “Alright,stop it.” “Tomorrow is our five-year anniversary.” “I’ve booked the top-floor table at the Moonlight Restaurant.After dinner,we’ll go pick out a blood-diamond ring.” “As for the southern valley,I’ll have my Beta go plant our pack flag there tomorrow and write your name on the deed.” “Does that work for you?” He thought this was the greatest concession an Alpha could possibly make. I looked at his familiar yet alien face and smiled. “Okay.” I nodded. “See you tomorrow.” Kyle let out a sigh of relief and ruffled my hair. “That’s my good girl.” He didn’t know that in my bag,I already had a map for tomorrow’s journey. I had fourteen hours until my departure.

The next morning,Kyle left early for the pack council meeting.Before he left,he planted a kiss on my forehead. “I’ll pick you up at six tonight.” “Wear that white moonlight dress.It looks good on you.” The moment the door closed,I turned and walked into the closet. That white dress hung in the most prominent spot. It was the same style as Layla’s. I didn’t touch it. I changed into a simple linen shirt and leather pants. This was what I used to wear most often the year I met Kyle. I dragged the three sealed trunks outside and called the pack’s transport team. I had them sent to a friend who recycled old goods. “Ila,this stuff is still pretty new.Are you sure you don’t want it?”my friend asked through the communication crystal. “I don’t.Please get rid of it for me.” After ending the call,I looked around. This spacious wooden cabin,once filled to the brim by me. The cushions on the sofa,I had sewn by hand. The herbs on the balcony,I had nurtured one by one. The pottery in the kitchen,I had traded for at the human market. Now,they were all still in their places. But all personal traces of me were completely gone. As if I had never lived here at all. Just then,the communication crystal vibrated. It was a mental message from Kyle. [Ila,I’m sorry,but we might have to cancel dinner tonight.] [Layla got hit by a rampaging horned deer at the training grounds.Her ankle is sprained and swollen like a ball.] [I have to take her to see the High Priest.] [We’ll go look at blood-diamond rings in a few days,okay?]

I stared at the light on the crystal,not replying. A moment later,another message came through. [Are you mad?Don’t be.I promise I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.] Make it up to me.Again. I silenced the crystal and tossed it on the bed. I went to the kitchen and cooked myself a bowl of clear noodle soup. This was my last meal in this territory. Just as the noodles were ready,the lock clicked. Kyle pushed the door open,a hurried look on his face. Seeing me standing in the kitchen with a bowl of noodles,he froze. I placed the bowl on the dining table,pulled out a chair,and sat down. “Weren’t you at the High Priest’s with Layla?” Kyle walked over and poured himself a glass of water. “Layla said she was craving the pastries from that elven bakery in the west district.I came back to get the Raptor from the garage to go buy them for her.” The west district. The place where he had once braved acid rain to catch fire frogs for me. Now,he was about to cross half the Northern Reaches for Layla’s pastries. “Ila,are you being moody again?” Seeing my silence,Kyle’s brow furrowed again. “I already told you,Layla’s hurt.I can’t just leave her alone,can I?” “Can’t you be more considerate of the difficulties I face as an Alpha?” I lifted a chopstick full of noodles to my mouth. It was bland,tasteless. “I’m not being moody,”I said calmly. “Go buy them.Don’t keep her waiting.” Kyle gave me a suspicious look. He seemed surprised by my excessive calm today. But he was in a hurry to leave and didn’t press the matter. “I’m leaving then.I probably won’t be back tonight.Layla’s scared to be alone,so I have to stay the night at the Priest’s Tower.” “You go to bed early.” He grabbed his car keys and turned to leave. As he reached the door,he suddenly stopped.

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On a full-moon night in my past life,my best friend and I found a badly injured wolf in the junkyard behind town. Chloe thought the wolf was filthy and refused to touch him. I couldn’t bear to leave him,so I carried him home. I spent all my savings to treat his wounds. Only later did I discover who he was. He was the Pureblood Alpha King,missing for years. Once he regained his senses,he put me on a pedestal. He gave me his claiming bite,blessing me with eternal youth,and made me queen of all the packs. We sealed our soul-bond before the Moon Goddess. Chloe chose an Alpha officer from the pack. He lost a power struggle and was cast out. She suffered with him in exile for half her life. She envied me for having everything. While the Alpha King was away,she killed me with a cup of poisoned wine. I was reborn. Before I could clock out of work,my best friend sprinted toward the junkyard. I knew. She remembered everything too. I clocked out,feeling only scorn. She didn’t know about the Pureblood King’s frenzy. He tore apart anything in sight. In my last life,I only survived because of my calming pheromones. Without them,he would have devoured me… Before she left,Chloe glanced back at me. Her delight and greed were impossible to miss. She looked terrified I’d beat her to it. That confirmed my suspicions. She was reborn,too. I didn’t follow her. I counted the stock on the shelves. My work uniform was folded and hung in my locker. Then I punched out. Memories of my death came back. Chloe tricked me into drinking the poisoned wine. The dizziness came quickly. She grabbed my hair and dragged me into the cold cellar. In the dark,she punched me in the nose. “Evelyn,I’ve always hated your stuck-up act!You smell like sewer water.Why should you have a better life?!” She kicked me in the stomach. I screamed as I felt my bones crack. “You found some mutt in a junkyard.And you’re the high and mighty queen?No way!All the luck,all the riches—they should have been mine!” The she-wolf lunged. Her teeth tore out my throat. That pain never left me. It was branded on my soul. Thinking of it made my body tremble. Hate tightened around my heart. Chloe thought stealing the Alpha King would give her my former glory. But she had no idea how terrifying a Pureblood Alpha’s rut was. Without a specific Omega’s calming pheromones,the Alpha King became a killing beast. Even I needed days to recover. Eventually,I couldn’t stand it. But the Alpha King locked me up and called it love. To outsiders,it looked like proof of his deep love for me. Chloe was an ordinary Beta. Getting close to him was a death wish. I pushed the thought away,pulled my coat tighter around me,and walked home through the snow. Four days later at dawn,the roar of engines shattered the town’s peace. A dozen armored vehicles rolled down the town’s main street. The doors flew open. Armed guards quickly fell into formation. A tall,stern-faced man stepped out of a vehicle. Holt.The Alpha King. Chloe,dressed in lavish furs,took his hand and stepped out. She held her chin high and looked over the crowd. Holt wrapped an arm around her waist and announced to the crowd, “From this day on,she is my fated mate.The future queen of the pack.” The crowd gasped. Chloe basked in their awe. Her eyes found me in the crowd. She walked over to me in her high heels. “Evelyn,we’re in two different worlds now.” She lowered her voice,her tone full of pride. “But the way you look at my mate makes me uncomfortable…” I looked at her and said nothing. Chloe gave a nasty smile. She raised her voice for everyone to hear. “You live in one of the pack’s high-end apartments,don’t you?As of today,Evelyn’s housing rights are revoked!Throw her out and dump her in the North District slums!” The North District slums had no heating. At night,the temperature dropped to twenty degrees below zero. The people around me fell silent. But no one dared to speak. Holt frowned but didn’t stop her. Two guards moved to restrain me. I didn’t resist. As I handed over my key,I said to Chloe, “Congratulations.You got what you wanted.” My words pleased her. She laughed. “Remember this.Next time you see me,you’d better be on your knees.” Holt stood by the car,checking his watch. “Sweetheart,it’s time to go.The pack elders are waiting.” Chloe’s face softened. She trotted over and threw herself into Holt’s arms. As the convoy sped off,snow spraying in its wake,the townspeople pointed and whispered. Pretending not to hear them,I dragged my suitcase toward the North District. The slums reeked of garbage and sewage. I pushed open the broken wooden door of my assigned room. There wasn’t even a bed inside. Just a pile of moldy hay. A cold wind howled through a hole in the window. I barely felt the cold. The fire inside me kept me warm. I closed my eyes. The corners of my mouth slowly curved into a smile. Chloe only smelled of cheap perfume. The moment Holt’s frenzy hit… She’ll learn what it means to wish she were dead.

I was stripped of my old post and sent to the servants’quarters at pack headquarters. It was the lowest kind of manual labor. My days were spent in a damp cellar,sorting thorny herbs. My fingertips were covered in bloody cuts. I didn’t even have the energy to complain. Every day,my coworkers talked about the same thing. The upcoming Moonlight Vow Ceremony. “Have you heard?The new queen really has her ways.She has the king mesmerized.” “Totally.I heard the king gave her the biggest ruby from the vault.” “She’s just lucky.It’s not for us to dream about.” The manager walked over. He kicked over the basket of herbs I had just stacked. “What are you dawdling for?The Queen herself asked for these calming herbs.If you’re late,it’s your head.” I bent down. I picked up the scattered herbs and put them back in the basket. Mocking laughter rose up all around me. I did the math. Holt’s rut was due within the next day or two. Chloe had been arrogant for so long. She was finally about to pay for it. The higher you climb,the harder you fall. She couldn’t seem to grasp that. But none of that had anything to do with me anymore. I lowered my head and kept working. That afternoon,the manager threw a heavy wooden box at me. “Take this to the queen’s suite on the top floor.And be quick about it!” I hoisted the box onto my shoulder and got into the service elevator. When the elevator opened on the top floor,the sharp smell of blood hit me. It was mixed with the low,restrained growl of a beast. I had just stepped out when I saw Holt stumbling out of Chloe’s room. His chest was bare,every muscle drawn tight,his eyes blazing red. Frantic Alpha pheromones filled the hallway. They were almost suffocating. He had gouged deep claw marks into the metal walls. Sparks flew. He was beyond reason. With a roar,he lunged for the isolation room at the end of the hall. I flattened myself against the wall and tried to mask my scent. The sound of Holt’s footsteps finally faded. Only then did I see her:Chloe,collapsed on the carpet. Her clothes were torn,her hair in disarray,and her body was covered in vicious bite marks. Blood stained the carpet red. She heard my footsteps and snapped her head up. The moment she saw me,fear turned to rage. “What are you doing here!Are you here to laugh at me?!” She scrambled up,screaming,and threw a vase at me. The vase shattered at my feet. A few guards heard the noise and rushed over. Chloe pointed at me and screamed. “It was her!There was something wrong with the herbs she delivered!They triggered the king’s frenzy!” “Throw her out!Make her pay for this!” The guards moved forward and dragged me roughly out of the building. Outside,it was ten degrees below zero. Snow was falling heavily. They pushed me into the snow and forced me to my knees. Chloe came out,wearing a thick mink coat and supported by a handmaid. She carried a bucket of water freshly drawn from a hole in the ice. “Evelyn,you’ve clearly forgotten your place.I’ll put you back in it!” She lifted the bucket and dumped it over my head. The cold stabbed into my veins. It took the last of my warmth. I shivered uncontrollably,my teeth chattering. Chloe leaned close to my ear. “Evelyn,for the rest of your life,you’ll be nothing but dirt under my shoe.I will always be above you,enjoying everything you can only dream of.” I raised my head and met her gaze. The bite on her neck was deep enough to show bone. Its edges were already festering and turning black. That was the venom that came with a Pureblood king’s frenzy. Without calming pheromones to neutralize it,the wound would never heal. It would only get deeper. I pulled my lips back into a mocking smile. “Is that so?You can barely survive one of his frenzies.Next month,what will you use to satisfy that beast?Queen?” Chloe’s face went pale. Her legs gave out.She collapsed in front of me. She was half a head shorter than me,even though I was kneeling. The surrounding attendants rushed to help her up. I saw some of them exchange glances. It was a look of scorn for their future queen. But Chloe didn’t see it. She clutched her battered body and ran off in a daze. She was close to breaking. What came next would be worth watching.

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One week before the wedding, I stumbled across a sex tape of my sister and my fiancé. On a porn site. The video already had over a hundred thousand likes. One of the comments read: *”Whoa! Brother-in-law screwing his sister-in-law? Incest is so hot! Does her sister know?”* The uploader had replied: *”Of course not! Her sister and I are getting married next week. Vivi just begged me for one last thrill before the wedding. I couldn’t bring myself to say no.”* *”Was she the one who wanted the video posted?”* *”Absolutely! Vivi said that with the video out there, she’d still have something to remember me by after I got married. What can I say—she loves me too much.”* I didn’t hold back. I downloaded the video and sent it straight to Ethan. …… I don’t know how much time passed before my phone lit up again. But it wasn’t Ethan. It was Vivi. *”Cassie, I made it—got to see my boyfriend. Slept with him right after his birthday. It was AMAZING!”* She’d attached a photo. A shot from bed. In it, her chest and shoulders were bare, and she was lying against the sheets. A man’s right hand had slipped into the frame beside her. I knew the ring on that man’s finger. I knew it well. Ethan had been sent to London for a year on assignment. Before he left, he’d proposed to me. He said we’d get married the moment he came back. But now, there was no point in waiting. There wasn’t going to be a wedding. I stared at my chat with Vivi. I didn’t reply. I didn’t know what to say. What was there to say? Demand to know why she was sleeping with her soon-to-be brother-in-law? I’d always known Vivi had someone she was in love with. I just never knew who. For a whole year, she’d flown abroad two or three times a month, saying she was chasing a chance at love. Even this trip—she’d flown out under the excuse of celebrating her boyfriend’s birthday. When I’d mentioned it to Ethan, he’d scoffed. *”Only someone as dumb as her would fly halfway across the world chasing a guy. Total lovesick idiot.”* He’d never had any patience for Vivi. So I’d never let my mind go anywhere else—like the fact that Vivi’s destination was always the same city Ethan lived in. Or that the man she was in love with just happened to share Ethan’s birthday. It never once occurred to me that he might be with Vivi. The screen lit up. A message from Ethan. *”Cassie, wait until I get back. I’ll explain everything.”* He was admitting it. Of course he was—with a video like that in my hands, there was no denying it. My eyes drifted to the calendar on my desk. The 26th was circled in red, marked with an exclamation point. That was the day Ethan came back. Two days from now. Another message: *”Don’t confront Vivi, okay? She’ll feel terrible.”* Every word of it a shield around her. My eyes burned. What did the two of them take me for? *”She’ll feel terrible? Terrible about screwing her own sister’s fiancé?!”*

Ethan was quiet for a long time before answering. *”Cassie, just wait until I get back. You’ll understand then. Let me explain.”* What was left to understand? They’d already been in the same bed. What explanation could possibly change that? I stopped responding to him and messaged my real estate agent instead: *”Please arrange showings. I don’t want the apartment anymore.”* After I finished with the agent, I noticed Vivi had updated her Instagram. This time it was a photo of the two of them—hands intertwined. Just the image. No caption. I noticed Ethan’s ring had been swapped out for a different style, and there was a new ring on Vivi’s hand too. A matching pair. In the comments, a mutual friend asked: *”Wait, when did you two get MARRIED?!”* Vivi answered quickly: *”Ha, not married! It’s a proposal! It was his birthday, and he proposed to me~”* I stared at the post for a long time. I didn’t confront Ethan again. Didn’t message Vivi. I just quietly tapped like. Five minutes later, Ethan sent me another message: *”She wanted to know what it felt like to be proposed to. It wasn’t a real proposal.”* *”Don’t take it to heart.”* I stared at those two lines. Then typed a single *”Okay”* and left it at that. I switched off my phone and dragged myself to the fridge for some water. When the door swung shut, I saw the magnet Ethan had made. *Remember to take your meds. —E.* I’d had chronic migraines for years. When they hit, the pain was unbearable, and I always forgot my medication. So Ethan had custom-ordered that magnet and stuck it on the fridge, so I’d see it every time I reached for water. I looked at it for a moment. Then peeled it off and dropped it into the trash without hesitation. …… Ethan came back with Vivi. “Cassie!” She ran up and threw her arms around me, beaming. “Ethan happened to be flying home today too, so I came back with him.” I gave a flat “Mm.” My eyes went to Vivi’s hand. The ring was still there. Then I looked at Ethan. The ring on his hand—the one that had matched Vivi’s—had already been switched back to my engagement ring. Vivi’s brow furrowed slightly. “Cassie, are you not feeling well?” She was looking at me with a completely normal expression. Not a trace of guilt on her face. As though she and Ethan had never happened. If not for the ring still on her finger. I took a step back. “I’m fine.” Vivi’s expression stiffened for a moment before smoothing over again. Ethan spoke suddenly. “Vivi’s just worried about you.” I laughed under my breath. Worried? How could he even say that with a straight face? “Really?” My voice was quiet, but the sarcasm cut through. “If she’s so worried, then why did she—” “Cassie!” Ethan cut me off. The words *become the other woman* lodged in my throat, unable to go either up or down. I met his warning glare, feeling completely hollow inside. He was that afraid I might even *mention* it. He turned to Vivi. His voice softened. “It’s late. Just stay here tonight.” Vivi glanced at me hesitantly. “Is it a bad time?” She shook her head. “Never mind, I’ll head home.” Ethan frowned. “It’s not safe to go back this late. Just go tomorrow.” Vivi stayed. No one asked me. Ethan made the decision. I didn’t say a word. I got up and went to my room. Ten minutes later, Ethan opened the door and came in. Neither of us spoke first. He poured himself a whiskey, downed it in one swallow, and finally said, hoarsely: “Don’t worry. It’s not what you think. You’re still the only one in my heart.” “Vivi’s never expected anything real from me.” “Cassie, she’s hurting too. She didn’t want any of this either.” I looked at Ethan. Said nothing. I didn’t know what to say. My own sister, the one I’d grown up with, had slept with him. And he was standing there telling me *she* was hurting. The truly laughable part—he was still insisting *I* was the only one in his heart. “Cassie,” Ethan went on, “just give us a little more time. I’ll sort things out with her soon, and then we can get married.” I asked, flatly, “When did it start?” His expression shifted. He answered honestly. “Seven months ago.” That would have been the fifth month after Ethan left for London. Around then, Vivi had been flying out two or three times a month, always coming back looking wrecked—then locking herself in her room for an entire day. Ethan closed his eyes, then opened them and looked straight at me. “At first, I said no. But then…” He trailed off, unwilling to continue. He only said, “Cassie, just wait one more month.” “At least, give her some time. Please?” I looked at him, and for the first time, I felt like I was staring at a stranger. A stranger so foreign I wasn’t sure I’d ever known him at all. “No.” My voice came out barely above a whisper. “Ethan, if she’s suffering that much, then be with her.” I slipped the ring off my finger and set it on the table. “Let’s break up.”

Ethan froze. The color drained from his face. “You want to break up?” I didn’t answer him. I just looked at him. “You and her won’t have to sneak around anymore. And that ring on your finger—you can switch it back to the matching one.” “Cassie, don’t talk nonsense,” Ethan said in a low voice. “Vivi never intended to take anything from you. Stop being ridiculous. I already told you—once this passes, everything will be fine!” I finally laughed. There was no visible wound, yet my heart was breaking. “Fine how?” I looked at him. “After you two break up, I’m supposed to pretend nothing happened, stay with you, and marry you?” “Ethan, I can’t do it.” “And I can’t pretend nothing happened either.” I couldn’t accept that my fiancé had gotten involved with my sister. And I couldn’t bring myself to *understand* them. Frustration crept across Ethan’s face. “Then what do you want? Vivi is already miserable. Cassie, can’t you have a little sympathy for her?” I almost laughed until I cried. How was I supposed to have sympathy? Sympathize with the fact that Vivi flew to London every month to see him? That they ate dinner together, went on dates, slept together? That he proposed to her? “Ethan, I can’t understand it,” I said. “My sister and my fiancé got involved behind my back. How exactly do you expect me to understand?” The more I said, the more it hurt. I closed my eyes. Opened them again. “Ethan, let’s just end it.” The words had barely left my mouth when the door was pushed open. Vivi stood in the doorway, her eyes red-rimmed. “Cassie, it’s my fault. It has nothing to do with Ethan. I’m the one who fell for him. I’m the one who kept pushing—” Tears rolled down her cheeks one after another. “But I swear I never meant to take him from you. I know it was wrong, but—but I couldn’t help myself.” “Every night I hate myself for what I did. I’ve been wanting to tell you.” Ethan walked over and pulled her into his arms. The image was almost unbearable. “Cassie, I promise you—I’ll break up with Ethan. I’ll never come near him again,” she said, voice trembling. “Please don’t break up with him…” Ethan cut her off. “Don’t talk nonsense. Look at yourself right now.” I looked at Vivi. For as long as I could remember, I’d given her everything. Been good to her. Any treat, any toy—she got it first. We’d never once fought. Never even raised our voices at each other. She loved to cling to me, to be spoiled by me. When she’d first met Ethan, she’d even mocked him with disdain: “Who do you think you are? *I’m* my sister’s little shadow. I take better care of her than you ever could.” Ethan hadn’t backed down either: “No one knows Cassie better than I do—not even you.” The two of them had competed to dote on me, arguing over who got to pour my water, pass me things, rub my shoulders. And those same two people had ended up together. Behind my back. “You two don’t need to break up,” I said quietly. “I’ll be the one to leave.” “Cassie, enough already!” Ethan snapped. “Can’t you see how upset she is? Can’t you be a little more understanding?” I said nothing. He seemed to realize how sharp his tone had been. His voice softened. “Once you’ve cooled off, we’ll talk properly.” “Get some rest tonight.” He didn’t spare me another glance. He wrapped his arm around Vivi and led her out of the room. The moment the door clicked shut, the tears came. The engagement ring lying on the table looked more like a joke than anything else. I picked it up and dropped it into the trash without a second thought. I didn’t want the ring anymore. And I didn’t want Ethan anymore either.

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In my fifth year of dating Ryan Cole, I brought up marriage three times. The first time, he said, “Lily fell at home. I need to take her to the hospital to get checked out. We’ll talk when I’m back.” The second time, he said, “That limited-edition figure Lily wants goes on sale in-store today. I have to go line up. Don’t rush me.” The third time, I asked him point-blank: “Ryan, do you actually want to get married, or do you want to break up?” He stared at me for a long time without speaking. Finally, he said, “Emma, stop. We’ll get married, just not right now. I promised Lily I wouldn’t get married until she finds a boyfriend.” I had my answer. I didn’t push it. I picked up my phone and called the jeweler I’d already been in contact with. “That custom men’s wedding band I ordered—cancel it.” “I don’t need it anymore.” Ryan didn’t know I’d given him three chances to choose me. After the third, I was done waiting. Once I confirmed the cancellation with the jeweler, I called a secondhand furniture and appliance buyer. They came quickly. The man followed where I pointed, saw the TV, the refrigerator, and the couch in the living room, and froze. “Miss, are you sure you want to sell all of this? The TV, the fridge, the couch—they’re practically brand new. Shouldn’t you talk to your boyfriend first?” I shook my head. “No need. Give me a price. Whatever you can haul out today, take it.” He didn’t ask again after that. He quoted me a number. Once we agreed, his face broke into a grin. “These are big pieces—I might not get them all in one trip. Mind if I come back a few times?” “That’s fine.” Ryan came home from work just as the buyer was directing his guys to carry the TV out the door. He stood in the entryway, his brow creasing instantly. “What’s going on? Where are they taking the TV?” “I sold it.” I didn’t hide it. “You sold it?” Ryan let out a disbelieving laugh, his eyes full of shock. “You sold the TV—what’s Lily supposed to watch when she comes over? You know she loves binge-watching her shows…” He trailed off, as if something occurred to him, and the tight crease in his brow softened. “Fine. The old one was too small anyway—bad for the eyes after a while. You sold it, I’ll just buy a bigger one.” When I’d first suggested buying a TV, he’d been completely against it. “We’re both busy with work. Who has time to watch TV? It’d just sit there collecting dust.” He’d forgotten—I was the one with no sense of security. On the nights he worked late and I was alone in this cold, silent apartment without a single sound, I was afraid. So I’d bought the TV despite his objections. I thought that when I was scared of being alone, it could keep me company in Ryan’s place. What I hadn’t expected was that, once the TV was there, the person who watched it most wasn’t me. It was his childhood friend, Lily Evans. I said nothing. Ryan pulled out his phone and started browsing for a new TV. After placing the order, he didn’t forget to look up and remind me: “Stop fighting Lily for the remote from now on. She’s still like a kid. Be the bigger person and let her have it.” Five years together, and I’d heard this line more times than I could count. Whenever Lily was around, nothing in this home belonged to me anymore. I had to give way to her in everything. In the past, every time I heard something like that, I’d blow up at Ryan. But this time, I just nodded calmly. “Got it. I’ll never fight her for it again.” Not just the remote. I wouldn’t fight her for him either. Ryan heard my promise, and something like relief flickered in his eyes. He sighed. “Emma, if only you’d been this reasonable all along.”

Before, the mere mention of Lily’s name from Ryan’s lips was enough to make me lose control. Like last year, when he took the birthday gift he’d bought for me and gave it to Lily instead. I’d broken down on the spot, pointing at him and screaming: “All you see is Lily! If you love her so much, why don’t you just make her your girlfriend?” That day, the look he gave me was ice-cold. In his eyes, I’d become some irrational, unhinged woman. He said with open disgust: “Emma Miller, I have always seen Lily as a sister. Stop talking nonsense.” After that, whenever I made a scene, all he’d say was: “People with dirty minds see dirt in everything.” But he didn’t understand. I made scenes because I cared about him. Now that I’d stopped—it wasn’t because I’d gotten “reasonable.” It was because I’d stopped loving him. “Oh, right.” Ryan seemed to remember something. “Lily’s going to her high school reunion tonight. Her old classmates always gang up on her, and she can’t handle them alone. I need to go with her. Don’t wait up for dinner.” He didn’t wait for my response. He walked straight to the bedroom to shower and change. The buyer texted me around the same time. “Miss Emma, I’ve transferred you the money for the TV. Each time I pick something up, I’ll send you a payment. Does that work?” I replied: “That works.” By the time Ryan emerged dressed and ready, I was packing the throw pillows, blankets, and little stuffed animals from the couch into a large bag. I said to him, “These are all Lily’s things. Do you want them in your room, or should you bring them back to her?” All of it—every last piece—Ryan had bought for her. Once, while watching TV, Lily had offhandedly complained that the couch looked too bare and boring. The very next day, Ryan bought her favorite throw pillows, a soft blanket, and plush toys. He’d even arranged a spot on the couch that was exclusively hers. If I accidentally sat there, he’d frown. “The couch is huge—can’t you sit somewhere else? Lily’s a little OCD. She can’t stand her stuff being messed up.” Then he’d make me move and carefully refold the blanket, repositioning each toy exactly where it had been. Now, he looked at the bag in my hands, and his expression went cold. “Emma, what are you doing now? Those things were perfectly fine on the couch. Why do you always have to stir up trouble?” His voice was low, barely containing his anger. I said, “I sold the couch. Someone’s coming to pick it up tomorrow. Do whatever you want with this stuff.” I set the bag by his bedroom door. I didn’t want to argue. I was about to go change and head out for dinner when I heard Ryan’s scornful laugh behind me. “When you bought that couch, I told you it wasn’t right. So you’ve finally come around to selling it and getting a new one?” “Don’t bother buying another one—I’ll pick it out. Lily has a bad back. A stiff leather couch isn’t good for her. I’ll find something she can lie on without getting sore.” When I’d chosen that firm leather couch, it was because Ryan had said that style put less strain on the spine. Every word he’d ever said to me—I’d held on to all of it. But he’d apparently never held on to a single word of mine. I pressed my lips together and said softly, “Do whatever you want.” It wouldn’t matter much longer. I’d be gone soon. Whatever he bought had nothing to do with me. Shortly after Ryan left, I changed and went out too. I found a restaurant with great reviews. But the moment I walked in and followed the hostess to my table, I heard a burst of teasing laughter from the other side of the partition.

“Lily, you’re something else—you actually landed the school heartthrob! How long have you two been together?” “Right? When’s the wedding? Don’t forget to invite us old classmates for a drink.” “I always knew you two would end up together. Back in school, Ryan was cold to everyone except Lily. When he looked at her, his eyes literally lit up.” The two familiar names made me pause mid-sit. I glanced over instinctively. Ryan and Lily had their backs to me. I couldn’t see their expressions, but I could clearly see Ryan deftly picking bones out of a piece of fish and placing the clean flesh into Lily’s bowl. A chorus of envious gasps erupted around them. “Oh my God, Lily, Ryan is so good to you. I’m so jealous. If my husband were half that thoughtful, I’d be thrilled.” “Seriously. If mine were that attentive, we wouldn’t fight every other day.” Lily was basking in the compliments, barely concealing the smugness in her eyes, deliberately suppressing a smile. “It’s not that big a deal. Ryan just understands me, that’s all.” Yeah. Ryan understood her perfectly. One look from her, and he knew exactly what she was thinking. She wanted to catch a midnight movie—even if he could barely keep his eyes open, he’d change and drive her to the theater. She wanted to go hiking—even though he was terrified of heights, he’d go along with her whims. And me? When I had a fever so bad it turned into pneumonia, and I begged him to take me to the hospital— He said: “Lily’s dog ran away. She’s at home crying her eyes out. I need to go help her look.” “You just have a fever. It’s not going to kill you. Go to the hospital yourself.” Thinking about that, I suddenly recalled what my mom had said to me at the beginning of the year. She said: “The day after your dad and I started dating, he was already itching to go to your grandma’s house and ask for my hand.” “You’ve been with Ryan five years. Has he ever once brought up marriage on his own?” “Emma, if you keep dragging this out, what are you going to do when you’re older and he throws you away?” Even after hearing that, I was still naive. I gave Ryan three chances to choose me. If he’d shown even a flicker of wanting to marry me, I would have kept waiting. That’s why I’d contacted the jeweler ahead of time and ordered a custom ring. But reality slapped me across the face. That day, he told me that as long as Lily didn’t have a boyfriend, he wouldn’t get married. I asked him: “What if she never finds another man she likes? What if it’s her whole life?” He was silent for a long moment, then said: “Marriage is just a piece of paper. As long as our relationship is stable, it doesn’t matter whether we have it or not.” I understood perfectly. What he meant was: as long as Lily was single, he would never marry me. In that moment, I finally saw the full picture. Five years of loving him—what an absolute joke. “Oh! Emma, what are you doing here?” A familiar yelp of surprise. I looked up and found Lily standing in the aisle—I had no idea when she’d gotten there. Ryan heard the voice and turned to look at me too. His gaze was complicated, his jaw subtly tight. Like he was afraid I’d say something I shouldn’t. “Ryan, Lily—you guys know this beauty?” someone asked with a laugh. Hearing that, I was suddenly curious. How would he answer? Ryan slowly looked away. His voice was cold and flat. “No. I don’t know her.” Those words landed on my heart like a sledgehammer. Crushing the last shred of hope I had left. I actually laughed. Then I turned to Lily and said, “That’s right. I don’t know you. You’ve got the wrong person.”

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As an office drone who had fought her way from a small Midwestern town into a New York advertising agency,I envied rich people who never had to clock in. When the wealthy Walker family finally found me,I thought I could say goodbye to overtime for good. Instead,they refused to give me money or shares in the family company.All they wanted to give me was love.Lots and lots of love. So I had no choice but to keep suffering through endless workdays and late nights. One night,I came home late again after rushing to finish a project.Lillian,the Walkers’adopted daughter,was sitting in the living room in tears. “Erin,why are you always hiding at the office?Do you hate me so much that you can’t even stand being in this house?” Mr.and Mrs.Walker looked at me with disappointment. “Erin,do you have to treat Lillian like this?She waits up for you every night.She gets so anxious she can barely sleep.” My so-called brother,Kyle,stepped into my path.”This family hasn’t had a moment of peace since you came back.You owe Lillian an explanation.” I stared at the stale family drama playing out in front of me and felt nothing but exhaustion. “How long are you going to keep this act up?” “Can we speed it up?I have a pitch meeting tomorrow morning.” … All four of them fell silent. My phone buzzed again.The client sent over an eighteenth round of revisions,and I nearly blacked out. All I wanted was to go upstairs and collapse onto my bed. I had barely turned away when Kyle grabbed my arm. “What kind of attitude is that,Erin Walker?Is your job really more important than Lillian?” I rolled my eyes.”Obviously.If I don’t work,where am I supposed to get money?It’s not like any of you gave me shares in the company.” All four of their faces changed again. I had disappeared before I turned three.By the time the Walker family found me,I had already been working for two years. When I learned that I was the long-lost biological daughter of a wealthy family,I almost popped open a bottle of champagne on the spot. For Lillian’s eighteenth birthday,the Walkers had given her an eight-figure trust fund and ten percent of the family company. If their adopted daughter had received that much,surely their biological daughter would receive at least as much. But after I completed the identity paperwork,took back the Walker name,moved into the estate,and asked about my shares,they told me they had prepared nothing for me. “Why?”I asked. Mr.Walker gave me a solemn look.”A transfer of equity involves the board and the terms of the family trust.It isn’t as simple as you think.” Right. It had not been complicated when they gave shares to Lillian.It only became complicated when it was my turn. Fine.If shares were out of the question,they could at least give me an allowance. Mrs.Walker refused that too.”Erin,it isn’t that we don’t want to.Lillian hasn’t asked the family for money since she came of age.If we give money to you and not to her,she’ll think we don’t love her anymore.” I nearly laughed from sheer disbelief. Her trust fund could support an ordinary person for several lifetimes,and she collected dividends every year.Of course she never needed to ask for money. If I had all that,I could afford to act above it too. When I said nothing,Kyle spoke coldly.”Money.Shares.Trust funds.Is there anything else in your head,Erin?” “Mom makes cream of mushroom soup for you herself every day.Have you touched it once?Lillian waits for you every night.Have you ever thanked her?” “They’ve both tried to welcome you,but you walk around with a sour face every day.Besides,you were the one who wandered off back then.Who exactly are you blaming now?” He stood on his moral high ground,accusing me of being ungrateful and incapable of appreciating family. I laughed. Kyle’s face went livid.He raised his hand to hit me. “You have no manners at all,Erin.Today,I’m going to—” Before his hand could come down,Lillian rushed over and stopped him. “Kyle,don’t hit Erin!” She looked at me with reddened eyes.”Erin,this is all my fault.I took your place,and I received the shares that should have belonged to you.If you truly want them,I can give them back.” Kyle immediately panicked.”No!Those shares are part of your trust.They’re your security in the Walker family.If you give them to her—” “Great.”I cut him off and smiled at Lillian.”Since you’re so willing,have the lawyers prepare the transfer documents tomorrow.”

Lillian went quiet. Kyle’s expression darkened.“Erin,just because you’re the Walkers’biological daughter doesn’t mean you get to bully Lillian.Those shares belong to her.” I ignored him and kept my eyes on Lillian.”You weren’t just saying that,were you,Lillian?” Her face went pale for a few seconds,but she quickly recovered her usual gentle expression. “Of course not.I’d be more than happy to give them back to you.” “But the company isn’t a private shop.Any share transfer has to go through the board,and shareholders take on legal and financial liability.You don’t have any experience.I’m afraid the directors might make things difficult for you.” Mr.and Mrs.Walker joined in,explaining that the company was controlled by a family trust and any transfer required approval from a majority of the board. I might be their biological daughter,but I had lived away from the family for years and had never been trained as an heir.The board might not accept me. They were all excuses. The board was made up of relatives and Mr.Walker’s oldest friends.If he wanted the transfer approved,no one would oppose him. The four of them talked over one another,acting as if withholding money from me was some noble attempt to protect me.It made me sick. My phone buzzed again. My creative director informed me that even though tomorrow was Saturday,I still had to submit a revised proposal. My nose stung.Every argument I had wanted to make died in my throat. Forget it. Let the whole world burn. I went upstairs,took a shower,and crawled into bed.The moment my head touched the pillow,I finally felt human again. I was about to scroll through my phone when someone knocked on my door. “Erin,are you asleep?”Mrs.Walker called from the hallway.”I warmed up some milk for you.” “No,thanks,”I said automatically. After several seconds of silence,she spoke again.”I’m sorry.I didn’t know you were allergic to mushrooms.You loved them when you were little.When did you develop an allergy?” She sounded almost hurt. The truth was,I did remember a few things about this family. I remembered sitting with her beside the fireplace while she held me,patted my back,and sang me lullabies. At first,I really had hoped they would love me. But then I realized they had already given Lillian all the affection that might once have been meant for me.That was when I stopped wanting it. I still gave in.I opened the door,took the glass,and drank all the milk. I was about to say good night when Mrs.Walker produced another glass from behind her back. “I can’t drink another one.” “This isn’t for you.”She pressed the glass into my hands.”Would you take it to Lillian?What you said earlier hurt her,and she ran back to her room crying.Could you make the first move and give her a way to put this behind her?You are family,after all.” My hands stiffened.With every word she spoke,my heart sank a little further. Finally,I asked,”If I take this to her,will you leave me alone tonight?” She froze,then nodded anyway. I carried the milk to Lillian’s room. When she opened the door,I held out the glass.”Mom asked me to bring you this.She wants you to stop crying.” I clearly remembered waiting until her fingers had closed around the glass before I let go. But the next second,the glass crashed to the floor. Lillian screamed. The broken glass cut the top of her foot.

Her scream brought the other three running. Kyle went for the first-aid kit.Mr.Walker called the family doctor.Mrs.Walker stared at the blood on Lillian’s foot,then snapped her head up at me. “If you didn’t want to bring it to her,you could have said so,Erin.Why did you let go on purpose?” I had barely opened my mouth when Kyle shoved me aside. “Why else would she do it?Lillian refused to give her the shares,so she’s taking revenge!” Mr.Walker’s expression darkened too. Lillian spoke through her tears.”Don’t blame Erin.I was the one who didn’t hold on tightly enough.” The more she defended me,the more the three of them fussed over her. No one noticed the cut on my calf where a shard of glass had struck me. I watched them crowd around Lillian,said nothing,and left. There was nothing a good night’s sleep couldn’t fix. Besides,the next day was Saturday.I still had to work,but at least I could sleep two hours later than usual. I slept until nine before going downstairs. To my surprise,Mr.and Mrs.Walker were still waiting at the breakfast table. I assumed they wanted to question me about the night before.Instead,Mr.Walker said,”Erin,your mother and I have talked.We’ve decided to give you shares in the company.” My eyes lit up,but I immediately grew wary.”Are you serious?” Mrs.Walker nodded.”You didn’t grow up with us.It’s understandable that you don’t feel secure.We also spoke to a family counselor.Love can’t exist only in words.Real security is the clearest way to prove it.” Mr.Walker continued,”Before,we were worried that receiving so many assets at once might cause you to make reckless decisions.Lillian also warned us that people who come into sudden wealth can lose themselves.” I knew it. Lillian had been the one persuading them not to give me anything. Still,they had finally come to their senses,so I decided not to hold it against them for the moment. “How much are you giving me?” Mr.Walker raised two fingers.”Twenty percent.The same as Kyle.” I almost whistled. Now that was generous. A phone clattered to the floor behind me. Lillian stood at the foot of the stairs,her face rigid.Jealousy flashed across her eyes. Mrs.Walker immediately hurried over to support her.”Didn’t the doctor tell you to stay off that foot?If you need something,ring for the housekeeper.” Lillian forced a smile.”Mom,I thought I heard you say you were giving Erin shares.Is that true?” Mrs.Walker nodded. “That’s wonderful.”Lillian’s smile was barely holding together.”I’m only worried that the directors might take advantage of her.” Mrs.Walker waved the concern aside.”She’ll have to face them sooner or later.Once your father and I retire,the company will belong to her and Kyle.” Lillian’s face grew even paler. I was in such a good mood that after breakfast,I returned to my room with renewed energy to finish my design. Half an hour later— All right.The energy was gone. How did the client manage to come up with so many pointless revisions every single time? I cursed silently and kept working.Two hours later,the message I had been waiting for finally arrived. [Thanks for your hard work.We still think the first version was best.] In my head,I called them an idiot. I replied:[Of course.No problem.] After staring at the screen for so long,I went downstairs for a glass of water. When I returned,someone was in my room. Lillian stood beside my laptop with a malicious smile on her lips. “What are we going to do,Erin?” “I think I broke your computer.”

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