Category: English

The day I was released from prison, rain poured from the sky. I followed my husband to the cemetery to visit our daughter. Rain hammered against the tombstone. Vincent Moretti, Don of the Moretti family, suddenly spoke in a calm voice. “The day our daughter drowned, I was the one who had the surveillance footage from the lake by the docks destroyed.” I froze. The next second, I turned and met my son’s eyes. There was not a trace of guilt in them. Aiden’s tone was light, almost careless. “I testified that you abused my sister. I helped clear Celeste of suspicion.” The torment of more than a thousand days and nights in prison could not compare to one fraction of the pain of that truth tearing me open. Something bitter and metallic surged up my throat. I grabbed Vincent by the collar and broke down. “What did I do wrong? Why would you do this to me…” My son gave a soft laugh. “My sister is already dead. What, were we supposed to let Celeste go to jail?” “You are a wife with no real skills and no power. So what if you had to spend a few years behind bars?” Vincent pried my fingers loose one by one, his voice cold. “You enjoyed all the prestige of being Mrs. Moretti, while Celeste gave birth to my child and still could not even call herself my wife. I already owe them too much.” “So, Evelyn, as long as you stop causing trouble for Celeste and Pearl, I won’t send you back a second time.” … I collapsed in front of my daughter’s grave, chilled to the bone. Vincent bent down and brushed the wet hair from my face. “Evelyn, you’re the one who insisted on hiring someone to investigate Celeste.” “So I arranged for a few people to teach you a lesson. I wanted you to behave.” “I just didn’t expect them to go that far and leave you crippled.” The dull crack of metal striking bone exploded again beside my ears. That day, I had just found a lead proving Celeste had drowned my daughter. I was about to confront Celeste when a group of family bodyguards pinned me to the floor and brought iron rods down on my legs again and again. Lying in a pool of blood, I used the last of my strength to crawl, inch by inch, toward the door. “Help me…” But all that remained in the hallway was the sound of Vincent’s footsteps fading farther and farther away. The pain and despair of that day were still vivid. I took a deep breath and looked at the son in front of me. He felt like a stranger. Cold. Unreachable. My son glanced down at me in the mud and rain. “Stop acting like you’re the victim.” “Celeste was about to be honored by the family elders. You were the one who insisted on causing trouble for her.” “Father didn’t even want to hurt you. You pushed him into it.” My own flesh and blood was taking my enemy’s side. The last string in my mind snapped. I forced myself to stand and slapped my son hard across the face. “Smack!” The sharp sound cut through the rain. My son held his cheek, stunned. Vincent lunged forward and shoved me away. “Evelyn, why are you hitting a child?” I crashed into the tombstone. Fresh blood mixed with rainwater and ran into my eyes, dyeing the whole world red. Two family bodyguards dragged me into a car and took me back to the Moretti estate. Vincent pushed an adoption agreement in front of me. “Pearl will be adopted under your name.” Pearl Moretti. His daughter with Celeste. I swept everything off the coffee table, my eyes bloodshot. “Vincent, you want me to claim my enemy’s daughter? Dream on.” “She killed my daughter. I will never raise that bastard child.” Shards of porcelain cut the back of my hand. Blood dripped onto the carpet. Vincent frowned and pressed a handkerchief against the wound. “Evelyn, stop making a scene.” “If you could be a little more gracious and accept Celeste and Pearl, you will still be the wife I love most. Your place as Mrs. Moretti will always be yours.” Nausea rolled through me. I yanked my hand back. Vincent’s expression darkened. “Evelyn, you need to calm down.” “When you’ve thought this through, you can come out and talk to me.” He turned and left the room. The door slammed shut behind him. Silence returned. Blood kept seeping from my hand, carrying away the last trace of warmth in my heart. I immediately booked a ticket to the West Coast. I would never return to a home like this.

The servants’ gossip drifted in from outside the door. “The Don treats Miss Pearl so well. Tomorrow’s adoption banquet is even grander than his wedding to Mrs. Moretti back then.” “But isn’t tomorrow Miss Elsie’s death anniversary? Why would the Don choose that day?” “An unloved daughter only gets what she gets. Don’t waste your pity. Remember, tomorrow’s banquet will be livestreamed across the city. From now on, the Moretti family will have only one princess.” My nails cut into my palm, and blood welled out. On Elsie’s death anniversary, Vincent planned to step over his own daughter’s remains and throw a lavish banquet for his enemy’s child. Before long, the door opened. Vincent placed a cup of warm milk gently by the bed. “Evelyn, I had someone contact the best orthopedic specialist in New York.” “Your leg can still be treated. We’ll arrange rehabilitation next week.” He reached out to touch my hair, but I slapped his hand away. The tenderness on Vincent’s face vanished, and his voice turned hard. “I’ve done everything for your sake. I found you the best doctor. How long are you going to keep punishing me?” I looked at him coldly. “For my sake? Is that why you had my leg broken?” “For my sake? Is that why you protected the murderer who killed our daughter?” Vincent sighed, his tone full of helplessness. “You spoiled Elsie. She was so young and already pointing at people and calling them names.” “Celeste was insulted by her. She only pushed her once. Who knew she would fall into the lake?” “Even now, Celeste still blames herself. She’s suffered enough. You can’t put all the blame on her.” It felt as if my heart had been ripped apart. I could barely breathe. To protect that murderer, he was willing to smear a five-year-old child. When I was eighteen, I had collapsed on the floor covered in blood. At my feet lay the body of my abusive father. Beside him was my mother, who had just slit her wrists. Vincent rushed in and held my trembling body tightly in his arms. “Don’t be afraid, Evelyn. From now on, I’ll protect you with my life.” But now, the vicious face before me turned all the love I once felt into stagnant water. “Vincent, let’s end this marriage. I’ll get out of your way.” “All I ask is to take Elsie’s ashes with me.” Vincent fell silent. His expression grew more and more terrifying. In the end, he laughed coldly. “Divorce? Don’t even think about it.” “Tomorrow, you will attend the adoption banquet as Mrs. Moretti.” “If you refuse, you’ll never find out where Elsie’s real ashes are.” He released me and slammed the door on his way out. I stumbled out of the room, but stopped in front of that familiar door. When I pushed it open, all I saw were princess dresses, couture gowns, and a wall full of expensive jewelry. Elsie’s desk, toys, and bed were all gone. Oversized portraits of Celeste and Pearl hung on the walls. The closet was filled with limited-edition handbags and jeweled necklaces Vincent had bought. The room had been turned into Celeste and Pearl’s private dressing room. “Pretty, isn’t it?” Celeste leaned against the doorframe, swirling a glass of red wine. “When that little bitch died, she kept screaming for Mommy to save her.” “I pushed her under the water again and again.” “She struggled for five whole minutes before she stopped breathing. Her eyes were so wide when she died.” My blood roared in my ears. I raised my hand and swung at her face as hard as I could. Celeste did not dodge. A mocking smile curved her lips. Suddenly, a violent wave of dizziness hit me. My vision went black, and I collapsed heavily to the floor.

A bucket of ice water was dumped over my head. My eyes flew open. Family bodyguards forced me into an ill-fitting gown and dragged me roughly into the banquet hall. Under the glaring crystal chandeliers, my wretched appearance was exposed to everyone. “So this is the vicious woman who abused her own daughter to death?” “She still has the nerve to show her face after getting out? How unlucky.” “The Don really brought this on himself, marrying a crippled madwoman like her.” Laughter rose from every direction, each sound landing like a slap. Celeste walked over holding Pearl’s hand. She wore a familiar white gown and looked radiant. “Evelyn, you must have suffered so much.” Celeste’s eyes were red, her voice gentle. I stared at the dress on her body. It was the same style I had worn on my wedding day with Vincent. My stomach turned. Pearl suddenly threw herself into my arms and kicked my left leg hard. Pain shot through me like a drill. I cried out and shoved her away. Pearl used the momentum to fall to the floor and burst into tears. “What are you doing?” My son rushed over and picked Pearl up. “Didn’t you spend enough time locked away? Now you won’t even spare Pearl?” Vincent grabbed my wrist. “This is an important occasion. I won’t allow you to lose your temper again.” I struggled free and limped toward the doors. Celeste’s eyes reddened as if she were about to cry. “Evelyn Hawthorne, abusing your own daughter was bad enough. Why won’t you even spare innocent Pearl?” “As someone Vincent treats like a sister, I shouldn’t interfere in your family matters, but I truly can’t stand by and watch this.” “Pearl is so little. How can your heart be so cruel?” Her pitiful act drew sighs from the guests around us. The big screen suddenly lit up. Reporters bought off by the Moretti family swarmed around me. “Ms. Evelyn, according to our investigation, your father repeatedly committed domestic violence, and your mother brutally killed him.” “Did you inherit your parents’ violent tendencies? Is that why you murdered your own daughter?” The screen flashed wildly, and their accusations were shoved in my face. I froze in place as their voices drilled into my skull. After a long while, I finally came back to myself and screamed myself hoarse. “I was framed!” “Celeste is not his sister. She is my husband’s mistress. She inserted herself into our marriage.” “Pearl is her illegitimate daughter with Vincent. They are the ones who killed my daughter.” The entire hall fell silent. Celeste’s face turned white. Her body swayed, and she nearly collapsed. Vincent quickly reached out and caught her in his arms. Holding Celeste protectively, Vincent sighed. “I’m sorry, everyone. My wife was traumatized while she was locked away. Her mental state has been unstable.” He turned and leaned close to my ear. “Apologize to Celeste. Clarify that she isn’t my mistress. Say you accused her because you were jealous.” I clenched my teeth and stared at him. “Never.” Vincent unlocked his phone. A prepared message appeared in front of my eyes. Destroy Elsie’s ashes. Now. My entire body shook. A chill shot from the soles of my feet to the top of my head. “Vincent, you’re insane. That’s your own daughter.” “You won’t do this. You won’t.” Vincent looked at me coldly and pressed send without hesitation. “No!” I dropped to my knees, tears spilling from my eyes. “I’m sorry. I was jealous of Celeste. I framed her.”

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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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Seven years ago,I saved a girl from a living hell. She repaid me by sleeping with my husband. At our third-anniversary gala,Ethan Vance hugged me from behind. He leaned toward my neck. I pushed him away. “Why so cold?”he said,his tone a playful complaint. “You’re not afraid I’ll seek comfort from another woman?” I smiled at him. “Have you heard the saying?”I asked in return. “Cheaters always end up losing everything.” Ethan scoffed. His thumb brushed the big diamond on my ring finger. “The CEO of the Sterling Group believes in something like that?” I looked at him and shook my head. “That was the vow you made when you proposed to me three years ago.” Ethan’s expression changed. I looked away from him and took off my wedding ring. I handed it to my assistant,Chloe. “Happy anniversary.Yours,not mine.” Both Ethan and Chloe were stunned. … “Tori…Miss Sterling,it’s not true…” Chloe’s eyes filled with tears. Her voice caught in her throat. “I…I never wanted to hurt you.” She shook her head. Her limited-edition Van Cleef&Arpels clover earrings chimed. She looked nothing like the girl from seven years ago. A desperate girl from a remote Appalachian town. She had begged me to save her. Her family was trying to force her into a marriage with a violent alcoholic. Back then,she had said,”Please get me out of that hellhole,and I’ll do anything for you.” So this was how she repaid me. Chloe was crying now. A flicker of pity crossed Ethan’s eyes. He stepped forward and pulled Chloe behind him. “Tori,it’s not what you think…It’s our anniversary tonight.Half of New York’s elite is here.Can we talk tomorrow?I’ll give you an explanation?”

I tilted my head and looked at him. My eyes landed on a faint lipstick mark below his collar. It was our anniversary.That hadn’t stopped him from sleeping with her.Or from asking why I was cold. I glanced down at my wrist,which he still held. I pulled it free. “Afraid I’ll make a scene?” His expression froze. He quickly changed his argument. “I’m worried about your father’s reputation!” My father,Robert Sterling,built the Sterling Group from nothing,with courage and integrity. Everyone who ever dealt with him admired his character. He had passed away. Now his son-in-law was openly sleeping with his daughter’s assistant. In the very empire my father built. If word got out,the Sterling Group would become a joke. Seeing me stay silent,Chloe thought Ethan had swayed me.She spoke up at once. “Miss Sterling,you were born with everything.You could never understand someone like me,someone who has to rely on others to survive…I only wanted to help you.” She paused,then went on as if it were true. “You’re meant for more than this.You shouldn’t waste your time on him.” So that was her excuse for sleeping with my husband？

Her shameless excuse almost made me laugh. Ethan glanced at Chloe,signaling her to stop. He turned to me,his gaze intense. “Tori,trust me one more time,please?I promise I’ll explain everything!” “Alright.” I gave a cold smile. I pushed open the doors to the banquet hall. A spotlight hit me. Hundreds of guests turned to look. Our third-anniversary video was playing on the big screen. In it,Ethan was down on one knee. His eyes were red-rimmed. His voice echoed through the hall. “Victoria Sterling,I swear,if I,Ethan Vance,ever betray you in this life,may I lose all my wealth,be abandoned by everyone,and die alone!” The guests applauded. I watched Ethan and Chloe hurry out after me. I picked up the microphone. “Thank you all for coming to Ethan’s and my third-anniversary celebration.Since Ethan Vance chose to cheat with my assistant,Chloe Miller…this marriage ends tonight.” The room erupted. Ethan rushed onto the stage,his face pale. “Are you crazy?”he hissed.”Do you have any idea of the consequences?” I gave him a cold look. “I only know the consequences of not doing this.” The crowd was in an uproar. Scornful looks turned on Chloe. She instinctively started to play the victim. “Miss Sterling,you’ve misunderstood.Ethan’s feelings have never changed.He only loves you…” Her knees gave out mid-sentence.I caught her. I raised my voice into the microphone. “Careful now.Don’t want to hurt the baby.” Chaos broke out. I left the two of them frozen on stage. Camera flashes exploded around me. I walked away,head held high.

My first stop was our penthouse on the Upper East Side. I changed every password. All of Ethan’s things were packed up and thrown out. Then I took a bath and fell asleep. My dream was full of him. He was eighteen and broke. We were outside the university library. He stepped in front of me and scared off some rich kids who were harassing me. At twenty,he worked odd jobs for months. He did it to buy a decent suit for my birthday party. He stopped me. “Victoria,I know I have nothing right now.No connections,no future.But…can you wait for me?Five years…no,three.In three years,I’ll make something of myself.I’ll earn the right to pursue you!” Back then,I had laughed. I found the ambitious boy amusing. I laughed in my dream and woke up laughing. My pillow was wet with tears. I sighed and wiped my tears. I opened my bedroom door. Chloe stood outside my door,deathly pale. “Miss Sterling,I came to apologize.” Her eyes were red. She pressed an abortion clinic appointment slip into my hand. “I never meant to ruin your marriage.” Didn’t ruin it? Just slept with my husband?

Her shameless logic almost made me laugh. I blocked the door with my arm. “The baby is yours.Your choice.”I shoved the slip back at her. “Don’t try to guilt-trip me with it.Get out.” I went to shut the door. Chloe pressed her hand against it. “Miss Sterling,it’s true!” “You got me out of that town.Without you,my parents would have married me off to that drunk.They would’ve used me to clean up their mess and bankroll my brother.” I watched her coldly. I wanted to hear what she would say. Her eyes welled with tears. She looked down,her hand on her stomach. “He told me you never wanted children.He said he’d given up on having a family with you.I know that doesn’t excuse anything.But I lied to myself.I thought if I got pregnant,maybe he would choose me.I know it sounds pathetic.” My stomach turned. I felt sick. “So what was the plan?I’d raise the baby as my own while you disappeared?” Chloe bit her lip. She looked up at me for a second,then lowered her head. “Fine.” I stared right at her,a humorless smile playing on my lips. “You’ll go to Europe and stay there until the baby is born.” I paused. “I’ll have someone take the baby the moment it’s born.” “You will stay abroad.Forever.Never see Ethan or the child again.Do you agree?”

Silence fell. She said nothing. After a long moment,she dropped the act. “Miss Sterling,you saved me.But compared to your condescending charity,Ethan is truly good to me.” I almost laughed.I still remembered their first meeting. Ethan had hated that she dirtied the carpet.He made her wipe it clean with her sleeve. “All you did was help me escape my hometown.You got me out,but I lost my family because of you.Ethan is different.” “He got my brother a job in the city,helped my parents pay off their debts,gave me the warmth of a normal family.He’s treated me better than you.” I felt sick again. Since childhood,her useless brother had pushed their parents to sell her for video game money. Her greedy parents nearly beat her to death trying to marry her off to an alcoholic. I paid them off and had a lawyer put them on notice. She would still be trapped there if it weren’t for me. Now she thought Ethan was better for being”generous”to that trash? I suddenly regretted every cent I had ever spent on her. I was done with her. “That’s enough,”I said.”You’re fired.” Chloe’s lip trembled. “Miss Sterling…” “It’s Ms.Sterling to you.” “But—” “Get out!” “But…the penthouse is in my name now.” I froze. Then I heard a car downstairs. Ethan was here.

He dropped the act,wrapped an arm around Chloe,and comforted her with a tenderness I’d never seen before. “Honey,wait for me in the car.” We were together for two years.Married for three. Ethan was good to me. He remembered everything I liked. No matter where I traveled for work,he would fly out to meet me. Everyone said I was lucky to have a husband like him. But now I understood. What he gave me wasn’t love. It was performance.With Chloe,it was different. He watched her get into the car. Then he turned back to me,a hint of blame in his voice. “Tori,you were too impulsive.” “Whatever Chloe did,she’s pregnant.You didn’t have to go that hard on her.” I looked away and fought back tears. “Cut the crap.What did she mean,this penthouse is hers?” Ethan sighed. He took out a document. The money for this penthouse came from my premarital account. But I was focused on my sick father at the time. Ethan handled all our finances. He had suggested putting the property into a new LLC for”tax optimization.” I signed the papers without reading them. Ethan had secretly changed the LLC’s beneficiary to Chloe. The transfer date was the day my father died. Rage flooded me. Smack. I slapped him across the face. “You son of a bitch!”

Ethan tilted his head and kept talking. He still spoke calmly. “She’s carrying my child.I can’t make it official,so I can only compensate her with material things.You’re not short on properties.She’s used to living here.So I transferred it to her.” Blood rushed to my head. My legs nearly gave out. I grew up in this house. Before my father founded the Sterling Group,it was only an old home. My childhood memories were of curling up here to watch Mom read. And waiting for Dad to get home from work. Later,when Mom fell gravely ill,Dad sold the house to pay for her treatment. Her dying wish was to come back here one last time. Ethan knew what this house meant to me. And he still gave it away. My throat tightened. I bit my lip hard to keep the tears from falling. I finally spoke. “How dare you…” I swayed.Ethan reached for me. “Tori,face reality.Your father is gone.You dropped everything to care for him for three years.You’ve spent the last month grieving instead of running the company.The Sterling Group isn’t the same anymore.” He reached to smooth my hair. “You’re a woman.Why make life so hard for yourself?Wouldn’t it be better to leave everything to your husband?”

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In my previous life, my newborn son was stolen on his second day in this world. My wife lost her mind. She spent six months searching for him before finally jumping off our balcony. I drank myself to death on the streets. In this life, I trust absolutely no one. When the head nurse said she needed to take the baby for a checkup, I stood up and blocked the crib. “What checkup? Which department? Where is the requisition form? Did the attending physician sign off on this?” She froze, stammering that it was just a routine hearing screening. “If it is a routine screening, why is the head nurse coming to fetch him personally?” “I do not trust anyone. Bring me the paperwork, and I will carry the baby to the examination room with you. Otherwise, this conversation is over.” She stood there, paralyzed. 1 The day my son was born, I held that tiny, wrinkled little thing, my hands shaking uncontrollably. Evelyn lay on the hospital bed, her lips pale, smiling up at me. “That new commercial tower in the South District. All twelve floors are going in this kid’s name.” I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “And the profit shares from the land parcel we bought last year, those belong to you.” “Everything I earn is for you and our boy.” Evelyn chuckled weakly. “You need to calm down.” I told her I would not calm down. I was too damn happy. The next day, my son vanished. Evelyn went completely mad. She searched for half a year before throwing herself from our balcony. I drank myself into an early grave in a dirty alleyway. Right before I died, all I could think about was the sound of my son’s first cry. This time around, all I wanted was for my wife and child to live. For an entire day, I did not let a single person touch my son. When the nurses came to take his temperature, I stood right next to them, watching their every move. But when Fiona, the head nurse, pushed the door open with a warm smile and said she needed to take the baby for a newborn hearing screening, my shirt instantly soaked with cold sweat. “Mr. Davis, it is time for the baby’s hearing test. I will take him down to the examination room on the third floor and have him back in thirty minutes.” She was wearing a surgical mask, leaving only her gentle, crinkling eyes visible. The junior nurse beside her nodded in agreement. “Nurse Fiona always handles the screenings personally. She is very experienced.” I stood up and planted myself directly in front of the crib. “What screening? Do you have the procedural paperwork? Did the head doctor sign it? And what hospital policy dictates that the head nurse must carry the baby herself?” Fiona looked taken aback. “Mr. Davis, please do not be so tense. This is a standard procedure…” “I asked if you have the paperwork.” I cut her off. I pulled my phone out of the nightstand drawer, opened the camera, and hit record. “Please repeat yourself. Who sent you, what exact screening are you performing, which room are you taking him to, and what is the attending doctor’s name? I am recording this entire process.” The eyes above Fiona’s mask narrowed slightly, a flash of resentment crossing her face. “You are overreacting, Mr. Davis. Newborn screenings are scheduled hospital wide. This maternity ward has been operating for over a decade, and we have never had a single incident.” “I do not care about anyone else’s incidents.” I scooped up the swaddled bundle. My son was sleeping soundly, his little face scrunched up. “I only care about my son. Go get the paperwork, and I will carry him to the examination room myself.” Fiona’s smile stiffened for a fraction of a second. “Mr. Davis, do you not trust me?” “It is not about trusting you.” I stared dead into her eyes. “I do not trust anybody.” The room fell dead silent for several seconds. Fiona took a step back and forced a polite smile. “Please wait a moment then. I will go print the forms.” She turned and walked out. The moment the door clicked shut, I looked down at the boy in my arms, then over at my wife sleeping in the hospital bed. I still remembered the way Evelyn had cried until her eyes bled in my past life. In this life, nobody was going to touch a single hair on my son’s head. 2 For the rest of the day, I held my son and refused to leave his side. Feeding, changing diapers, burping him. I did it all myself. When Evelyn woke up and saw me sitting on the sofa cradling the baby, her eyes grew red. “Nolan, you have not slept in three days.” “I am not tired.” I replied. She reached out and touched my cheek. Her fingers were freezing. “You look terrible. I am worried you are going to collapse.” “I will not collapse.” I grabbed her hand, my voice coming out gravelly. “As long as you and the baby are here, I can handle anything.” Evelyn did not push it. She knew me too well. Once I made up my mind, nothing on earth could drag me away. That night, I pushed the crib right up against my side of the bed and locked the ward door. I left a security camera running on the nightstand and synced my phone to my smartwatch so the slightest vibration would wake me. By two in the morning, my sheer exhaustion caught up with me. My eyelids felt like lead. I do not know how much time passed, but Evelyn’s piercing scream practically blew my eardrums out. “Nolan!” I shot up from the mattress. The crib was empty. Evelyn stood by the bed, her face the color of chalk, her lips trembling violently. She threw off the blankets to get out of bed, but her legs gave out before her feet even hit the floor. I caught her, my own fingers shaking uncontrollably. “Do not panic. Just lay back down.” It was exactly like my past life. The exact same empty crib. The exact same suffocating despair. Evelyn had jumped. I had died in a gutter. I stood there, my knees turning to jelly. Evelyn sank to the floor and sobbed, muffling the sound against her arms. “I did not watch him closely enough…” “It is not your fault.” I knelt down and grabbed her shoulders. “Look at me.” She refused to look up. “Evelyn, look at me.” She snapped her head up, her face drenched in tears. “Call the police.” “Right.” I pulled out my phone. First, I called hospital administration to lock down the building. Then, I dialed 911. Evelyn sat on the bed, hugging her knees, burying her face in her arms. The door to our room had been left wide open. More and more people were gathering in the hallway outside. Nurses, doctors, and family members from other rooms. People peeked inside, catching sight of the empty crib, and gasped. “Is the baby really gone?” “What a tragedy, he was just born a few days ago.” “What kind of parents are they?” “All that money, and they can not even keep an eye on their own child.” Evelyn’s shoulders began to convulse. She heard them. I stood up, walked to the doorway, and pulled the door halfway shut. Some people were still craning their necks to look inside. A middle-aged woman stood in the corridor with her arms crossed, gossiping loudly. “How do you lose a baby that big? Are we sure they are the real parents?” Another man chimed in. “They probably just did not care enough. Dressed all fancy, but too lazy to watch a newborn.” I looked back at Evelyn. She hugged her knees tighter, burying her face even deeper, her shoulders violently shaking. It was exactly like my past life. After my son disappeared, people whispered the exact same things everywhere we went. I pushed the door wide open and stepped out into the hall. The corridor went silent for a moment. The middle-aged woman scoffed. “Oh, here he comes. What do you want…” I stared a hole right through her. “What did you just say?” She shrank back a step. “I did not say anything. I just said…” “Say it again.” She clamped her mouth shut. The man next to her spoke up. “Hey, people are just showing concern. What is with your attitude?” I turned my eyes to him. “My son is missing. What exactly are you concerned about?” He opened his mouth but could not find a single word. 3 Detective Bennett pushed his way through the crowd with his team and taped off the room. “Mr. Davis, we are here.” I nodded. “Check the security cameras.” The hospital guards pulled up the footage. At 4:13 AM, the feed turned to static for exactly fifteen seconds. “The baby never left the building.” Detective Bennett confirmed. “Search everything.” His officers started tearing the place apart. Patient rooms, supply closets, cafeterias, operating theaters, bathrooms. Room by room. The crowd of onlookers in the hallway still had not dispersed. People were whispering among themselves. “The cameras were jammed. They are never getting that kid back.” “A baby that small? Whoever took him is long gone by now.” “These parents are unbelievable.” Evelyn sat inside the room, hearing every single word through the door. She had stopped crying out loud. She was terrifyingly quiet. I stood in the hallway, waiting. One of Bennett’s officers ran up and shook his head. Another officer jogged over and shook his head. Someone in the crowd let out a cold laugh. “What did I tell you? Gone forever.” I snapped my head in that direction. The person quickly ducked behind the crowd. Detective Bennett walked over and lowered his voice. “Mr. Davis, we have swept every room on this floor. Nobody.” “The cameras at the exits did not catch anyone leaving.” “That means the child is still inside this building. A baby does not just vanish into thin air.” It was exactly like my past life. Camera static, clueless nurses, and a baby evaporating from the face of the earth. Evelyn had starved herself for three days, withering away into a skeleton. She had told me that if we could not find him, she had no reason to live. I leaned against the wall, sweat rolling down the back of my neck. My brain was absolute mush. My legs felt like they were made of water. Bennett’s team swept room after room, and every time, they came back shaking their heads. I clenched my fists so hard my fingernails dug into my palms. And then I saw Fiona. She was standing behind the nurses’ station, her white uniform immaculate, holding a paper cup of water. She was watching the commotion just like everyone else. Her face was completely devoid of emotion. Perfectly calm. A memory from yesterday slammed into my mind. She had told me she needed to take the baby for a hearing test, and I had blocked her. I asked her a few extra questions about the paperwork, and she walked away. She never came back. But out of all the people working here, why was she the very first one to try and take my son? With dozens of junior nurses on duty, why did the head nurse show up at my door personally? “Fiona.” I barely registered my own voice calling her name. She looked up, her eyes locking onto mine. I started walking toward her. The nurses’ station was only a few yards away, but every step felt impossibly heavy. She took a half-step backward. “Mr. Davis…” “Where is my son?” “Excuse me?” “Where is he?” I grabbed the collar of her pristine white uniform and yanked her forward. The paper cup slipped from her hands, smashing onto the floor. “Give me my son back.” “Mr. Davis! What are you doing!” Her face drained of color as she struggled and tried to pull away. Two nearby nurses rushed over and grabbed my arms. “Let her go!” “You can not just assault people!” I did not loosen my grip. “Yesterday afternoon. You tried to take my son for a test, did you not?” “I was just doing my rounds…” “I asked you one question, and you left. You never came back.” “That is because you refused to let me take him!” “And the second you left, my son disappeared.” Her hands clawed at my wrists, her nails digging into my skin. “I did not do anything! I swear!” The police officers rushed in. Detective Bennett grabbed me from behind, pulling my arms back. “Mr. Davis, let her go!” He managed to drag me a few steps away. Fiona slumped against the counter of the nurses’ station, the collar of her uniform completely ruined. She gasped for air, her eyes turning red. “I did not do anything…” Her voice started to tremble. “I am just a regular nurse here. I came to ask a question yesterday, you said no, and I left.” “What does your missing baby have to do with me?” A younger nurse patted her on the back. “Fiona has been in the breakroom this entire shift. We can all vouch for her.” Another nurse glared at me. “You can not just throw baseless accusations around, Mr. Davis.” The crowd in the hallway started up again. “Oh, look at that. He can not find his kid, so he assaults a nurse.” “What did that poor woman do to deserve that?” “Rich people are all the same. The second something goes wrong, they find a scapegoat.” 4 Evelyn walked out of our hospital room. She leaned heavily against the doorframe, her face pale as a sheet of paper, her eyes swollen shut. “Nolan.” I turned to look at her. She slowly dragged herself toward me, swaying with every step. “Please stop.” “Evelyn…” “Nolan, you need to calm down.” Fiona stood behind the nurses’ station, clutching her chest as tears streamed down her face. “Mr. Davis, I know you are desperate…” “But you can not do this to me.” “I have only been working at this hospital for six months. I am just an employee. Why would I ever steal a baby?” She sobbed, her shoulders shaking violently. The hallway went completely silent. Then, someone pulled out a phone and started recording. “Look at this rich guy bullying a young nurse in public.” “Loses his own kid and starts acting like a rabid dog.” “Absolutely disgusting.” Evelyn’s grip on my arm suddenly tightened. Her entire body swayed, and her knees buckled. I shot my arms out and caught her before she hit the floor. She leaned against my chest, burying her face into my shirt. “Nolan…” “Let’s go back to the room.” I scooped her up in my arms and carried her back. The venomous whispers followed us the whole way. “What kind of person does that?” “Can not even protect his own child, so he blames the staff.” “If I were his wife, I would have left him.” Evelyn flinched in my arms. I held her tighter, refusing to look back. Her shoulders were trembling. She wasn’t making a sound. Even with the heavy hospital door shut, the muffled gossip from the corridor seeped through the cracks. I held her hand tightly. She did not squeeze back. “Evelyn.” No answer. “Trust me.” Her shoulders twitched. “I will find him.” The police tore through all three floors of the maternity ward and found absolutely nothing. The tech department was working on the security hard drives, trying to recover the corrupted data. Evelyn had been given a mild sedative. she had finally fallen asleep, tears still clinging to her eyelashes. I squatted alone in the hallway, smoking a cigarette. The third floor, the fourth floor, the fifth floor. Every conceivable hiding spot had been turned inside out. Storage closets, breakrooms, operating theaters. They even opened the toilet tanks. Nothing. A three-day-old infant had simply evaporated. I stared blankly at the cigarette butt on the floor. It was not until a drop of sweat rolled down my neck and stung my eye that I finally noticed something completely wrong. The heat. The fifth floor was boiling. This was the VIP ward. The central air was strictly maintained at seventy-two degrees year-round. But right now, it felt closer to eighty. The air was thick and suffocating. I stood up and walked down the length of the corridor. Every single ventilation grate was pushing out air, but the airflow was incredibly weak. There was almost no chill to it. It was not like this last night. When I was changing my son’s diaper hours ago, the room was so cold I had to put an extra blanket over Evelyn. Something was deeply wrong. I sprinted to the stairwell and ran down to the third floor. The moment I pushed the fire doors open, a blast of freezing AC hit my face. The central air on the third floor was working perfectly. It was freezing cold. I checked the fourth floor. Same thing. Icy. Only the fifth floor felt like a sauna. I called the hospital’s engineering department. “Who manages the HVAC for the fifth floor?” The guy on the phone hesitated. “Mr. Davis, we do not handle that floor. The VIP section has a standalone HVAC system. Gary from maintenance holds the master keys.” “Give me Gary’s number.” I called him three times. It went straight to voicemail. The sickening knot of anxiety in my gut pulled tighter. I found the maintenance room. It was locked. I kicked the door, but it held firm. I turned to a passing janitor. “Where is Gary? Is he working today?” The older woman thought for a second. “I think he got here super early. I saw him pushing his tool cart toward the East Wing, but I have not seen him since.” The East Wing. The eastern edge of the fifth floor was a row of abandoned storage closets. When I rented out the VIP suite, I had checked the floor plans. The room at the very end of the hall was practically pressed against the main AC turbines. The noise was so bad they had stopped using it years ago. It did not belong to any specific medical department. And the hallway cameras did not cover that deep into the corner. It was the only blind spot on the entire floor. I sprinted toward that abandoned storage room. There was a heavy brass padlock on the door. It looked brand new, completely out of place on the rusted door handle. I hammered it with my fist three times, but it did not budge. I grabbed a heavy metal fire extinguisher from the wall box, swung it over my head, and brought it down on the lock with everything I had. The brass shattered, and the heavy door groaned open. The room was completely empty. Nothing but a few boxes of expired surgical gauze and an overwhelming smell of dust. Nothing. I stood in the center of the room, my jaw clenching so hard my teeth ground together. This made no sense. If there was nothing in here, why was there a brand-new lock on the door? Why secure an empty room in a camera blind spot? I tilted my head and looked at the ceiling. The heavy metal screws on the ventilation grate were stripped and shiny. Someone had just unscrewed them. I dragged an old desk over, climbed on top, and twisted the loose screws off with my bare hands. The shaft was pitch black. A rush of stale, stiflingly warm air blew into my face. I pulled out my phone, turned on the flashlight, and shoved my head and shoulders up into the duct. The metal tunnel stretched inward for a few yards before taking a sharp turn. From deep inside the metal darkness, I heard a sound. It was incredibly faint. Like a stray kitten. Or like a baby who had cried until his vocal cords were completely shredded. My scalp exploded with pure terror. “Son!” The tiny noise in the duct stopped for a fraction of a second, and then escalated into a desperate, heartbreaking wail.

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We had finally found two young girls who could potentially be our long-lost daughter. One of them looked remarkably like me, possessing my exact eyes and nose. Yet, when the DNA test results came back, they declared that the other girl was my biological child. As I stood there, utterly paralyzed by confusion, a strange, glowing feed of scrolling text comments suddenly materialized in front of my eyes: [Oh my god, the male lead is so romantic! To protect the female lead from suffering, he regressed and swapped her blood sample with the supporting girl’s. Now the female lead gets to be his pampered “little sister.” I am absolutely living for this!] [It’s a little unfair to the real daughter, though. She was so close to finally being reunited with her real parents.] [Who cares? The vicious supporting girl spent her entire past life targeting the female lead and did everything she could to keep the main couple apart. She deserves this.] My ten-year-old son, Lucas, pointed a finger at the little girl who shared my features, his face twisted in disgust. “Mom, since she isn’t my sister, throw her back to St. Jude’s immediately. I hate her!” Beside him, my husband, Richard, nodded in agreement. “He has a point. We should send her back as soon as possible.” 1 The moment my son, Lucas, gestured for the security guard to drag our biological daughter away, I raised my voice. “Wait!” Richard, my husband, looked at me with a frown of confusion. “Eleanor, what’s wrong?” I lifted the crisp paper of the DNA report in my hand. “Are you absolutely certain there are no mistakes in this document?” Richard nodded without a second of hesitation. “Of course, sweetheart. I had Assistant Davis personally guard the lab. He brought the results straight to me the second they were printed. No one else even laid a finger on the files.” I slowly shifted my gaze, locking onto Lucas, my ten-year-old son. “And the blood samples?” Lucas kept his expression perfectly calm, but I caught the briefest, guilt-ridden flicker of panic in his eyes before he looked away. Richard let out a soft laugh, completely oblivious. “Dr. Collins drew the blood himself, didn’t he? There is no room for error. Eleanor, I know you think Lily looks like you, but a resemblance doesn’t automatically mean a blood relation.” “Sometimes, two completely unrelated strangers can look identical. Science doesn’t lie, sweetheart. We have to trust the test.” Standing beside him, the little girl the report claimed was our daughter, Fiona, looked up at me. Her eyes were wide, swimming with tears as she whimpered, “Does Mommy not like me?” I looked down at Fiona, an instinctive knot of disgust tightening in my chest. I couldn’t explain it, but her innocent, wide-eyed look felt deeply calculated, harboring a malice that didn’t belong to a child her age. It was this gut feeling that made the test results feel so utterly repulsive and wrong. Seeing Fiona on the verge of tears, Richard immediately knelt down to comfort her. “Fiona, sweetheart, Mommy doesn’t dislike you. She is just adjusting. Give her some time.” Fiona nodded meekly, her lower lip trembling. “Fiona will be a good girl. I’ll make Mommy love me.” Richard’s heart melted, and he scooped her into his arms. “You are such a sweet girl.” Fiona buried her face in Richard’s shoulder, pretending to cry, but a strange, glowing chat feed suddenly materialized in front of my eyes, scrolling with floating comments: Wait, is the female lead acting too? Did she regress as well? Looks like she did! Double regression! This is getting good, haha! A cold sneer formed in my mind. She knew she wasn’t my daughter, yet she was actively pretending to be. What a rotten, deceptive child. No wonder my maternal instincts recoiled from her. Lucas pointed a finger at the other little girl, the one who possessed my exact eyes and nose, and spoke with pure disgust. “Mom, I told you I hate her. Can we please throw her back to the children’s home already?” Suppressing the urge to slap my own son, I ignored him and knelt in front of the quiet, trembling girl. “Lily, would you like to come with me?” The anxious little girl looked at me with wide, cautious eyes before nodding softly. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you.” She clearly thought I was driving her back to the orphanage. I didn’t correct her just yet. I took her small, cold hand in mine and led her out toward the garage. 2 Once we were safely inside the car, I turned down the radio and looked at her. “Lily, would you be willing to do another DNA test with me?” Lily blinked, her voice barely a whisper. “Ma’am… aren’t you taking me back to St. Jude’s?” I shook my head, offering a gentle smile. “No. We’re going to a private clinic. We are doing another test.” I loved this little girl the moment I saw her. Even if the results came back negative, I had already decided I would never let her go back to that cold children’s home. Lily didn’t quite understand, but she nodded trustingly. The floating chat in my vision flashed again: Oh my god! The male lead’s mom is doing another test? Is his plan going to fail? Why is his mom so annoying? She hated the female lead in her past life too. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are natural enemies! I have always been a highly rational woman. If I despised Fiona, it wasn’t because of some cosmic mother-in-law rivalry. It was simply because Fiona was a wretched, deceptive creature. An hour later, I had Lily at an independent, highly secure diagnostic center, requesting an expedited test. I didn’t trust a single soul in my household anymore. To prevent anyone from tampering with the vials, I sat in the waiting room with Lily, refusing to leave until the paper was in my hand. Two hours in, Richard called my phone. “Eleanor, when are you coming home? Fiona is waiting for you so we can have dinner.” “I have some business to take care of,” I replied, my voice flat. “Eat without me.” Richard let out a disappointed sigh. “Alright, but don’t stay out too late. Fiona misses you.” I hung up and looked at Lily, who was watching me with a worried expression. “Ma’am… the first test couldn’t have been wrong.” “Our resemblance is probably just a coincidence. You shouldn’t waste your time and money on me.” I reached out and gently ruffled her soft hair. “We’ll know the truth soon enough. I ordered some takeout. Let’s eat first.” Lily nodded obediently. After another three hours of agonizing waiting, the technician finally stepped out with the sealed envelope. There was no surprise. The biological probability of maternity was 99.99 percent. Lily was my daughter. I pulled my little girl into my arms, my tears flowing freely as I squeezed her tight. Lily froze in shock, her small arms hanging by her sides before she slowly wrapped them around my neck, whispering a single, tentative word. “Mommy…” “I’m here, baby,” I choked out through my sobs. “Mommy finally found you.” The glowing comments in my vision updated rapidly: This isn’t how the plot was supposed to go. Lucas’s plan completely failed. It’s fine. Even if his mom doesn’t accept the female lead, Lucas is a regressor. He won’t just let his beloved Fiona suffer in an orphanage. But Lucas is only ten right now. He doesn’t have the power to challenge his mother. Don’t worry. He’s a regressed male lead. He’s not weak. He will eliminate all obstacles in his path, including his own mother and biological sister! I let out a silent, icy laugh. I wanted to see exactly how my own flesh and blood planned to “eliminate” his mother and sister for the sake of an outsider. 3 Both Richard and I were incredibly busy running our respective companies. When Lily was only three months old, a group of human traffickers had snatched her right out of her nanny’s arms during a walk in the park. They had sold her to a wealthy, infertile couple, but the moment that couple miraculously conceived their own child, they abandoned Lily on the streets. For seven long years, we had searched every corner of the country. It was only two weeks ago that we finally traced her file to St. Jude’s Home. Once my emotions settled, I took Lily’s hand and drove back to our estate. The moment we walked through the front door, the atmosphere in the living room turned frigid. Richard, Lucas, and Fiona stared at us with deep disapproval. Fiona’s eyes immediately welled with tears, looking as if I had personally insulted her. Lucas’s face contorted with rage, and he pointed a finger at Lily, shouting, “Mom! Why did you bring that garbage back here? You were supposed to drop her off at the orphanage!” Richard stood up, looking at me with a patronizing sigh. “Eleanor, I know you have a soft spot for Lily because she looks like you. But the test was clear. Fiona is our flesh and blood.” “You can’t let your stubbornness hurt our real daughter’s feelings.” I didn’t spare Richard a glance. Instead, I stared directly into my son’s eyes, watching the dark hatred swirling in his gaze. “Lily is my daughter. She is your biological sister. Why shouldn’t I bring her home?” A flash of sheer panic crossed Lucas’s face, but he quickly masked it with indignation. “You’ve lost your mind, Mom! She isn’t my sister! Fiona is!” I let out a slow, mocking laugh. “Is that so?” Lucas’s confidence began to crumble, his voice shaking slightly. “Of course it’s true.” Richard looked back and forth between us, utterly confused. “Eleanor, what is going to go on here?” I pulled the fresh DNA report from my bag and slammed it against Richard’s chest. “See for yourself!” Lucas gasped, his voice cracking. “You did another test?!” Fiona’s face went pale, and she instinctively shrank behind Lucas’s shoulder. Richard opened the envelope with trembling hands, his eyes scanning the document. “This… how is this possible?” “How?” I sneered. “Why don’t you ask your brilliant son?” Richard turned a furious gaze toward Lucas. “Lucas! What did you do?” Realizing his scheme had been exposed, Lucas dropped all pretense of innocence, glaring at Lily with pure malice. “I swapped the blood samples! I hate her! I don’t want a pathetic loser like her to be my sister!” Lily shrank back in terror at his outburst. I immediately wrapped my arms around her, pressing her head against my chest to shield her. Richard roared, “You little brat! Lily is your sister! Even if you like Fiona, how dare you tamper with a medical test?” Lucas didn’t show a single ounce of remorse. “I don’t care! I will never acknowledge her as my sister!” He grabbed Fiona’s hand and stormed up the stairs, slamming his bedroom door. Richard was shaking with rage. “That ungrateful little…” The floating comments scrolled by: Are they really going to send the female lead back to the orphanage now? Please, no! My poor baby Fiona shouldn’t have to suffer! Lucas won’t let her. Any suffering she faces will only be temporary. The male lead’s mother is so repulsive. I hope she and the vicious sister get written out of the script soon. 4 Richard felt incredibly guilty for nearly abandoning our real daughter. He held Lily in his arms, weeping as he apologized over and over. I was furious with his lack of oversight, but seeing his genuine remorse, I only scolded him a few times before letting it go. “It’s almost midnight. I’m going to put Lily to bed. Go handle Fiona.” If Fiona were a normal, innocent child, I wouldn’t have minded adopting her. But she possessed an adult soul and a corrupted heart. I could not allow a viper to sleep under my roof. Richard sighed, nodding. “Alright.” Once Lily fell asleep, I slipped out of her room and returned to our master bedroom. Richard was already waiting inside. He stood up immediately to help me off with my coat, looking deeply troubled. “Eleanor… Lucas is throwing a massive fit. He says if we send Fiona away, he’s going to run away from home.” “We have more than enough money. Why don’t we just adopt Fiona? It’s just one more mouth to feed…” I turned, my gaze freezing him in place. Richard’s posture slumped, and he let out a defeated sigh. “Fine. I’ll have the driver take her back to St. Jude’s tomorrow morning.” “But Lucas is going to make our lives a living hell.” “Let him,” I said coldly. “If he wants to pack his bags and move into the children’s home with her, I’ll gladly pay for his cab.” Today, he was willing to erase his own sister for an outsider. Tomorrow, he would be willing to destroy our entire family for her. The only thing keeping me from throwing him out of the house was the small shred of maternal instinct I had left. Richard wrapped his arms around me in a comforting hug. “He’s still young, Eleanor. He’s just acting on impulse. Once we sit him down and explain things, he’ll realize he was wrong.” I remained silent. Lucas wasn’t a normal ten-year-old child. And even if he were, some souls are born rotten, beyond any saving. 5 The next morning, Richard arranged for Fiona to be sent back to St. Jude’s. I expected Lucas to scream and thrash, but he remained eerily quiet. He sat at the breakfast table, staring at the floor, a dark, venomous hatred brewing in his eyes. I knew he resented both me and Lily. It was painful to see my own son look at me that way, but I had already made peace with the fact that I might have to treat him as a stranger. Because of our demanding careers, Richard and I couldn’t be with Lily every second of the day. I hired two highly qualified private nannies, giving them strict instructions never to let Lily out of their sight. Although Lucas ignored Lily entirely, he didn’t attempt to physically harm her. I could see that Lily desperately wanted a relationship with her older brother. She would watch him from a distance, or run to help him whenever he dropped something, only to scurry away the moment he glared at her. Lucas’s initial hostility seemed to soften slightly over the next few weeks, no longer flinching away when she stood near him. Deep down, I wanted nothing more than a peaceful, happy family. Richard was equally thrilled to see the ice between the siblings starting to melt. Three months flew by. For the school’s summer festival, Richard and I cleared our schedules to spend the entire day with the kids. Lily wanted to visit the municipal aquarium, while Lucas insisted on going to an indoor rock-climbing gym. Knowing Lucas possessed an adult soul, I didn’t force him to join us at the aquarium. Richard took Lucas to the gym, while I took Lily to see the marine life. At seven in the evening, I brought a exhausted, happy Lily back to the estate. As we walked up the driveway, the sound of childish laughter drifted from the open living room windows. Puzzled, Lily pushed the front door open, holding a gift she had carefully picked out for Lucas. The scene inside made us both freeze in our tracks. Richard and Lucas were running around the couch, playing a lively game of tag with a girl who shouldn’t have been there… Fiona. Seeing us standing in the doorway, the laughter died down, and the three of them stopped playing. Richard offered a hesitant, nervous smile as he walked over to us. “Hey, sweetie. Did you have fun with Mommy today?” Lily clutched the gift bag tightly to her chest, nodding slowly. “Yes, Daddy.” “I’m glad.” Richard patted her head, then turned to look at me, his expression incredibly tense. “Eleanor, there’s something we need to talk about.” “A few days ago, I made a shocking discovery. Fiona’s late father was actually one of my closest friends from university.” “I can’t bear the thought of his only child growing up in a cold orphanage. I’ve decided to formally adopt Fiona.” The glowing comments began to scroll across my vision: The mother-in-law never saw this coming! Fiona’s biological mother was actually the university goddess of the male lead’s father! His tragic first love’s daughter! Unbeatable! And that’s not all… Fiona’s real father is actually incredibly powerful! She is the secret heiress of the elite Belmont family! Eleanor and Lily aren’t even worthy of wiping her shoes! Fiona is going to inherit everything. If Eleanor dares to cross her, she is dead! 6 I took a deep, steady breath, forcing down the white-hot rage that threatened to consume me. “Richard, I am going to give you two choices.” “One, you send Fiona back to the children’s home tonight and promise never to meddle in her life again.” “Two, we get a divorce.” The nervous, placating smile on Richard’s face vanished, replaced by a dark scowl. “It’s just one more child in this massive house! We have the money. Why must you be so incredibly hostile toward Fiona?” “Divorce it is,” I said, my voice dead calm. By choosing Fiona, he was choosing the memory of his tragic first love over his actual wife. I refused to tolerate a single speck of betrayal in my marriage. I took Lily’s hand and led her straight up the stairs to pack our bags. Half an hour later, I carried our suitcases down to the lobby, my daughter’s hand gripped firmly in mine. Lucas and Fiona watched us from the stairs, their eyes cold and indifferent. Richard blocked the exit, his face red with anger. “Eleanor, are you seriously doing this over a child?” “Do I look like I’m joking?” I replied, looking at him with utter disgust. “She is a sweet, innocent girl! What did she ever do to make you hate her this much?” My composure snapped, and a razor-sharp smile touched my lips. “If she weren’t the daughter of your beloved college goddess, would you still be standing here fighting me to adopt her?” Richard froze, staring at me in utter shock and panic. Before he could stammer out a lie, I pushed past him, walking out into the cool night air with Lily. This is perfect! The main characters have finally cut ties with these two toxic women! But wait… if they actually divorce, Eleanor’s pre-marital company is incredibly successful. Richard doesn’t own a single share. She’s going to walk away with a massive fortune. It doesn’t matter. Her little company is nothing compared to the Belmont Group. Once Fiona is welcomed back into the Belmont family, she can crush Eleanor’s business in a matter of seconds! The Belmonts? They were indeed one of the most powerful, elite families in the country. But Mrs. Catherine Belmont had a young son, Oliver, who was the sole, undisputed heir to their fortune. How could a secret, illegitimate daughter like Fiona ever inherit the Belmont empire? Unless… the young heir, Oliver, suffered some kind of fatal accident. I needed to find out exactly what this “accident” was, and when it was supposed to happen.

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1 After a severe car crash three years ago, Tristan developed a bizarre condition. Every seven days, his memory would reset, wiping away every trace of his past. For three long years, I exhausted every resource, spent every penny, and begged every specialist to help him recover. But then, my best friend Brooke and I were involved in another terrible car accident. We were rushed to the same emergency room, side by side. As I lay semi-conscious on a cold, metal gurney, my vision blurred by blood, I heard Tristan’s voice. He was speaking to the attending trauma surgeon, smoothly and flawlessly reciting every single detail of Brooke’s medical history, from her blood type to her childhood allergies. Brooke, gasping for air from the gurney next to mine, stared up at him in shock. “Tristan… w-weren’t you supposed to have amnesia?” Tristan didn’t even look up from holding her hand. “I just faked it to keep Hazel quiet. Every time some stupid anniversary came up, she demanded some grand romantic gesture. It was exhausting.” The ambient noise of the emergency room seemed to vanish, leaving a ringing silence. I let out a weak, pathetic chuckle. A nurse finally noticed me lying right beside Brooke, my clothes soaked in far more blood, my breathing ragged. She tapped Tristan on the shoulder. “Sir, what about this patient? Do you know her?” Tristan cast a brief, indifferent glance at my mangled body. “No. I don’t know her.” I closed my eyes, and a single, hot tear sliced through the grime and blood on my cheek. If that was how he wanted it, then we would never know each other again. … I was wheeled rapidly into the trauma bay. The nurse gripped my hand, her voice urgent. “Sweetie, we need to take you into surgery immediately. Is there anyone here who can sign the consent form for you?” I looked past her shoulder toward the corridor. Tristan was standing there. He quickly averted his eyes when our gazes met, but I saw him take two hesitant steps toward the double doors. He didn’t make it any further. Brooke let out a sharp cry of pain, grabbing his arm, and he instantly turned back to comfort her. Suppressing the white-hot agony radiating through my body, I reached up and clutched the nurse’s scrubs. “I don’t have any family here. I’ll sign it myself.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the flash of shock on Tristan’s face. What a sad, pitiful display. He was the one who had abandoned me, so why play the part of a worried spectator now? Did he want to make me believe, even for a second, that he actually cared? My hand was slick with my own blood, making the pen slip repeatedly against the paper. In the end, the nurse had to steady my wrist so I could scribble my name. The surgery was a success. When I finally opened my eyes in the sterile recovery room, the space was entirely empty. I reached for my phone on the bedside table and sent a text to my father. “I give up, Dad. Please come take me home.” My father replied almost instantly. “Remember our agreement.” I instinctively placed a hand over my lower abdomen. There was a tiny, fragile life growing inside me. But the moment I had discovered its existence, I knew I had to let it go. The door clicked open, and the doctor walked in, catching the gentle way I was holding my stomach. She offered a warm, reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, the baby is incredibly resilient. The heartbeat is strong.” I didn’t say anything. My eyes were fixed on the notification that had just popped up on my phone. It was an Instagram post from Brooke. “Some men will cancel their most important board meetings just to make sure you get discharged safely.” The photo showed Brooke cradling a massive bouquet of red roses, with Tristan standing close behind her, his arm wrapped securely around her waist. After a long moment of silence, I looked up at the doctor. “Could you please schedule a termination for me?” The doctor froze, her smile faltering. “You just survived a massive car crash, and your baby survived with you. Are you absolutely sure about this?” I looked back at the screen, at the two of them looking like a perfect couple. “Yes. I’m sure.” There was no room for me in Tristan’s life anymore. I refused to humiliate myself any longer. When I refreshed my feed, the post was gone. Brooke had blocked me from seeing her updates. I let out a quiet, empty laugh, a dull numbness spreading from my chest down to my fingertips. It was late afternoon when Tristan finally walked into my room. He sat on the edge of my bed, reaching out to clasp my hand. His eyes were filled with the exact same tender warmth that had kept me captive for years. “I checked my journal when I got home last night, Hazel. I remember now. You’re the love of my life.” I still remembered the first time he had said those words to me. He had held me so tight I could barely breathe, weeping into my shoulder. “Why do I have to have this terrible disease? Why does my mind keep erasing the most important person in the world?” Back then, I had gently stroked his hair, whispering comfort. “It’s okay, Tristan. Every time you forget me, I’ll just hold your hand and lead you back down our path.” Now, looking at him, I realized how incredibly foolish I must have looked. He must have been laughing at how easily I swallowed his pathetic excuses. I pulled my hand out of his grip and asked in a quiet voice, “Who are you?” Tristan went rigid. He stood up abruptly, his voice rising. “What kind of nonsense is that? I’m your boyfriend, Hazel!” Then, as if realizing he was being too harsh, he sat back down, softening his tone. “Are you still angry because I said I didn’t know you in the ER? You know about my condition. Sometimes my mind just scrambles things.” I knew. It was because I knew, and because I had trusted him blindly, that I had let him play me like a fool for three years. Remembering my father’s words, I forced a small, compliant smile. “I was just teasing. When did the doctor say I could leave?” “Tomorrow morning,” he said. I did the math in my head. That would give me more than enough time to pack my life away. In three days, Tristan, I will disappear from your life forever. On the day of my discharge, Brooke and Tristan arrived together. The air between them was thick with an intimacy that left no room for anyone else, least of all me. The pain in my chest felt like a physical blade twisting in my ribs. I pressed a hand over my heart, trying to breathe. Brooke sat beside me, looking at my pale face with faux concern. “Hazel, you still look so weak. Maybe you should stay another night? You can always check out this afternoon instead.” I looked over at Tristan. He knew today was a special day. He knew I had personally designed a custom cake and ordered it to celebrate my recovery. Tristan avoided my gaze, gently grabbing Brooke’s elbow and pulling her out into the hallway. Ignoring the throbbing pain in my abdomen, I dragged myself out of bed and crept to the door, listening to their hushed voices. “Why are you rushing her to leave this afternoon?” Tristan asked. Brooke let out a playful, sweet whine. “I told you yesterday, Tristan! The appointment at the courthouse is today. They are waiting to issue our marriage license!” I froze, the breath catching in my throat. The marriage registry? Even now, I had tried to convince myself that their closeness was just some sick joke. We had been together for three years. How could he marry my only best friend? How could they betray me like this? Tristan let out a long sigh. “There’s no need to rush. She hasn’t fully recovered yet.” I couldn’t bear to hear another word. My legs trembling violently, I dragged myself back to the bed and buried my face in the pillow, my tears quickly soaking the fabric. When the heart breaks completely, it doesn’t scream. It just goes numb. I heard the door open, and Tristan’s voice drifted over me. “Brooke has a point, Hazel. You should rest a bit longer. I’ll come back to get you this afternoon.” “I asked the house keeper to bring you some lunch. I don’t want you eating hospital food.” Then, the sound of the door clicking shut. I pressed the call button, summoning the nurse. “I want to proceed with the termination. Right now.” The doctor arrived shortly after, looking concerned. “In your current physical state…” “I will take full responsibility for any complications,” I interrupted, my voice dead. My heart was completely cold. As I lay on the operating table for the second time in a week, tears poured silently down my temples. I felt the physical sensation of a life leaving my body. This was the child I had dreamed of having. I used to think that once we had a baby, Tristan would finally have no excuse not to marry me. Every time I had brought up marriage in the past, he would look at me with sorrowful eyes. “I’m terrified my condition will become a burden to you, Hazel. Let’s just love each other like this forever, okay?” “I can sign over all my assets to you. In private, you will always be my wife.” At the time, I thought it was the ultimate act of devotion, a man willing to give me everything he owned. But their conversation in the hallway was a brutal slap to my face. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get married. He just didn’t want to marry me. After the procedure, the nurse showed me the tiny, undeveloped sac. It was only two months old. But the phantom pain in my womb was excruciating. I had made the choice to deny this child a chance to see the world, all because of his father’s sins. Back in my room, I pulled up Brooke’s Instagram page. “From this day forward, he is my husband.” The post featured a photo of two marriage certificates resting on a velvet ring box. By the time Tristan finally returned to the hospital, the sun had long set. He looked flushed and sweaty, checking his watch. “I had some urgent business to take care of, Hazel. Sorry I’m late. Let’s go home.” I didn’t argue. I just nodded. I didn’t want to waste another breath on him. I couldn’t even tell which of his words were real and which were lies anymore. When we stepped into the apartment, Brooke was already sitting at our dining table. The custom cake I had designed sat in the center, half-demolished. She gave me a sweet, apologetic smile. “Hazel, I hope you’re not mad. I couldn’t help myself and took a slice.” Tristan let go of my hand, stepping toward her. “Of course she isn’t mad. You’re her best friend.” My best friend. The girl who had stood by me when we were teenagers. Back then, my parents only cared about my brother, and whenever I came home crying from being bullied at school, they told me to look at my own faults. It was Brooke who had fought them off for me. She had thrown her jacket over my head to shield me from the rain, laughing as she said, “From now on, we walk this path together.” A young girl’s loyalty is worth gold. She had walked with me for so long, only to lead me to the edge of a cliff. I slowly slid my engagement ring off my finger and set it on the table. “Actually, I am mad,” I said, my voice steady. “And Tristan, we’re done. Let’s break up.” Tristan froze, staring at the ring, then at me with utter disbelief. “A breakup? You’re ending our relationship over a piece of cake?” He paused, his eyes narrowing. “Or is this just your excuse because you’re tired of taking care of a sick man?” I shook my head. “Neither. I’m twenty-eight years old, Tristan. It’s time for me to find someone who actually wants to marry me.” Tristan’s calm facade shattered. His eyes flushed red, and he roared at me, “You’re going to throw away years of history over this?” “What does our time together even mean to you? I don’t accept this breakup!” He grabbed Brooke’s hand, pulling her toward the front door. “Everyone in Boston knows you belong to me. Who else would even dare touch you? Stay here and clear your head.” The heavy mahogany door slammed shut, the sound vibrating in my chest. I didn’t need to look at my phone to know Brooke had already posted about it. A sharp, pulling pain flared in my lower abdomen, a brutal reminder of the choice I had made. There was no going back. I went upstairs, pulled out my two suitcases, and began packing my clothes. Every shirt, every book brought back a memory of the beautiful lie we had lived. When I was finally done, I realized just how much of Brooke’s stuff was scattered throughout my home. I hauled my suitcases down to the lobby and walked out of the complex. But before I could reach the street, a group of men blocked my path. They wore dark masks, and the stench of cheap alcohol and cigarettes made me stumble back. Before I could scream, they grabbed my wrists, dragging me toward an unmarked van. I bit down on one man’s hand with everything I had. He swore, releasing his grip, and I bolted back toward the gates, my hands shaking violently as I dialed Tristan’s number. The call connected, and I could hear the loud, thumping bass of a party in the background. I screamed into the receiver. “Tristan! Call the police! Someone is trying to kidnap me!” There was a long, terrible silence on the other end. “Hazel, if you want to make amends, do it properly. Don’t invent cheap lies to get my attention.” “Clearly, you still haven’t reflected on your behavior.” The line went dead. I dialed again and again, my fingers slick with cold sweat. No one answered. On the fourth try, the call went straight to voicemail. He had blocked me. The men caught up to me. No matter how hard I kicked and screamed, I was tossed into the back of the van, and a dark cloth was pulled over my head. When I finally regained consciousness, the air was freezing, thick with the heavy, salty smell of the ocean. Nearby, I could hear Brooke’s hysterical sobbing. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. I screamed into the darkness, “What do you want? Money? My father will pay you whatever you want! Just let us go!” The cold metal of a blade slid down my cheek. A man’s gravelly voice whispered near my ear. “I don’t want money, sweetie. I just want to see who Tristan chooses when his back is against the wall.” A cold dread settled in my stomach. A few minutes later, the heavy metal doors of the warehouse creaked open, and Tristan’s frantic voice cut through the damp air. “Let them go!” “Well, look who finally showed up,” the gravelly voice mocked. “A few more minutes, and I was going to throw them both to the sharks.” I let out a shaky breath. “Tristan! I’m here!” I heard the sound of rushing footsteps, then a sudden, deafening gunshot that made the warehouse ring. “Who told you to move!” the kidnapper barked. The blindfold was ripped from my eyes. Tears flooded my vision, and I looked at Tristan, silently begging him to save me. Tristan took a deep breath, his hands trembling. “What is it going to take to let them go?” The kidnapper smirked, playing with his knife. “Simple. You choose one to take home, and the other one gets thrown into the harbor.” My entire body went numb. I stared at Tristan, seeing the calculations running behind his eyes. “Tristan, please…” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I choose her,” Tristan said, pointing directly at Brooke without a single second of hesitation. Brooke gasped, her voice trembling with false nobility. “Tristan… but what about Hazel?” “Hazel will be fine,” Tristan said quickly, his voice tight. “Her family is incredibly powerful. These guys wouldn’t dare touch her.” The moment those words left his mouth, Tristan froze. He had forgotten. A year ago, he had claimed his amnesia had wiped out all memory of my family’s wealthy background. Whenever I had asked him to accompany me to my family’s estate, he had told me to go alone, claiming he had no idea who my parents even were. “Hazel… I…” He stammered, his face turning a sickly shade of gray, but he couldn’t find a single lie to save himself. The kidnapper sliced Brooke’s ropes, pushing her rough-shod into Tristan’s waiting arms. “You’ve made your choice. Now get out of here!” Tristan looked down at Brooke clinging to his chest, then looked back at me, his eyes pleading. “Hazel… don’t worry. As soon as I get Brooke to a safe place, I’ll come back for you.” “Please, believe me…” I watched their retreating figures as they hurried toward the exit, a bitter, hollow smile forming on my lips. Tristan, you lied to me for three consecutive years. How could I ever believe you again? Their figures dissolved into the shadows, leaving me alone in the dark.

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1 When I divorced, I walked away with absolutely nothing just to secure sole custody of my daughter. To give her a decent life, I worked myself to the bone. I never imagined she would turn on me for a deadbeat. Even less did I expect her to conspire with him to paralyze me, strip me of my wealth, and eventually kill me. But now, granted a second chance at life, I decided to give her the exact freedom she begged for. … “Just because your own marriage was a failure, you want to ruin mine too?” I opened my eyes to the sight of my daughter, Amber, violently smashing my favorite clay teapot onto the hardwood floor. Her eyes were bloodshot, staring at me with a pure, unadulterated venom that made her look more like a mortal enemy than my child. A sharp fragment of the clay sliced across my shin, leaving a thin crimson trail. I stared at the bleeding cut, utterly dazed. How was this possible? Just a second ago, I was in a hospice room, watching this love-blind girl rip the oxygen tube from my face. How was I suddenly back in my own living room? Seeing my silence, Amber’s rage only intensified. Vicious words poured from her mouth. “No wonder Dad left you! You deserved it! You deserve to grow old and die alone! Nobody could ever love a monster like you!” Just as in my memory, she grabbed a glass mug from the coffee table and hurled it down. The shattering sound was incredibly sharp and real. I had actually traveled back in time. Perhaps even the heavens thought my previous death was too pathetic, granting me a chance to rewrite my fate. This time, I would not walk down the same path of self-destruction. I looked up at Amber, the child I carried for nine months and cherished above my own life. Years ago, when her father cheated on me, I sacrificed every penny of our marital assets just to keep her. In return, she plotted with a parasite to ruin me, ultimately pushing me into an early grave. The sheer coldness of it shivered through my bones. In this timeline, I had locked her inside the house to stop her from moving in with Jared. That was why she was throwing this tantrum. In my past life, I had refused to let her go. She had grabbed a wooden chair, struck me over the head until I blacked out, and fled. If the neighbors hadn’t found me in time, I would have bled out right there. This time, I was going to hand her the freedom she craved. I pinched the bridge of my nose and said coldly, “Quiet, Amber. Let me ask you one last time. Are you absolutely determined to be with Jared? Even knowing he is a lazy fraud, a parasite who only wants you for your family money, you still want him?” She shrieked in response. “He is not like that! You are just a bitter, hateful woman who projects her own misery onto everyone else! I am going to be with him! If you try to stop me, I’ll end my life right in front of you!” In my previous life, that threat had terrified me. I had begged her, pleaded with her to see the truth, but she only spat in my face. “Fine. This is the absolute end of the line, Amber. If you walk out that door with him, you are willing to cut all ties with me?” A spark of excitement flashed in her eyes, almost disturbingly bright. “Yes! I don’t want a suffocating, controlling mother anyway! Let me go, and whatever happens to me from now on has absolutely nothing to do with you!” My heart had already died in my previous life. Hearing these words again brought nothing but a numb silence. “Very well. Go. From this day forward, you are no longer my daughter. I believe you already drafted the termination of parental rights agreement? Hand it over. I’ll sign it right now.” In my past life, after spending two days in the hospital, I had returned to find a blood-stained agreement lying on the floor where I had collapsed, already signed by Amber. Hearing my words, Amber snatched the document from her bag and shoved it into my hands. “Sign it! Hurry up!” It was a standard dual-copy agreement. I signed my name without a single second of hesitation. “Go on then. Chase your happily ever after. You got what you wanted, Amber. You no longer have a mother.” “As if I care. I still have my dad.” 2 After she slammed the door, I sat on the couch for a long time, slowly digesting the reality of my rebirth. Over the next few days, I put the house on the market. Since it was in a prime neighborhood, it sold quickly at a fair price. I moved into a smaller apartment close to my company. I had originally bought that apartment as a graduation gift for Amber, intending to hand it over to her along with a share of the company stock once she finished college. She still had six months until graduation, but she had officially forfeited her right to any of it. Three months later, the security guard from my old building called me. He said Amber was throwing a massive tantrum at the front gate, screaming that it was her home and demanding that I come down to explain myself. I told the guard simply, “I do not have a daughter.” A video of Amber’s scene was posted online. She looked thinner than when she left, and her long hair had been chopped into a messy bob. Seeing her like that dragged up memories from my past life. Around this exact time in my previous life, she had run back to me wearing those same clothes, sporting that same hairstyle. She had thrown herself onto my couch, sobbing that Jared was mistreating her. “He refuses to work! He pawned my designer bags and clothes! He even hit me and forbade me from calling you! I had to sneak out! Mom, I was so wrong! I promise I’ll listen to you from now on!” My heart had broken for her. I had held her close, cried with her, and immediately wired her fifteen thousand dollars to buy new clothes and get back on her feet. But the moment the money hit her account, she vanished again. I had panicked, thinking she had been kidnapped. I searched the entire city, calling her repeatedly, nearly dialing the police. Then a colleague called to say they spotted Amber at a high-end club. I drove through a torrential downpour to find her, only to open a private booth door and see her wrapped around Jared, kissing him passionately on a velvet sofa. Furious, I slapped Jared across the face and tried to drag Amber out, warning him to stay away from her. But Amber, seeing me strike her precious boyfriend, spun around and lunged at me. Her nails tore across my cheek, leaving three deep, bleeding gashes. She shoved me away and threw herself back into Jared’s arms, caressing his cheek with tearful eyes. “Jared, baby, are you okay? She is insane, just a crazy woman. Ignore her.” My blood had run cold. I had spent twenty-four hours without sleep searching for her, only to be branded a lunatic and physically assaulted by my own child for the sake of a deadbeat. Jared had smirked at me then, his eyes dripping with calculated malice. Yet, fool that I was, I still worried about her future. I practically begged her, “Amber, please come home with me. I only want what is best for you. This man will destroy you.” But she behaved as if she were under a spell, clinging to his neck and screaming at me. “You are so annoying! Get lost! Are you just jealous because I’m happy?” Dizzy with shock, I had stumbled back, barely keeping my footing. Jared had pulled her close, offering me a greasy smile. “Ma’am, Amber and I are deeply in love. Just let us be happy.” Unable to tear them apart, I had capitulated. Hoping Jared would at least treat her decently if he had a career, I gave him a job at my firm. Despite his lack of qualifications, I paid him a generous salary, hoping he would learn the ropes and eventually help Amber run the business. I had grossly underestimated the depth of human greed. In the video from the security guard, Amber was desperately trying to force her old key into the lock of my former home, sobbing at the top of her lungs. “Mom! Mom, open the door! It’s Amber! How could you change the locks? Have you abandoned me?” A neighbor passing by spoke up. “Amber, your mother sold this place weeks ago. Didn’t you know?” Amber shrieked, “Impossible! This is my house! She has no right to sell it!” I let out a cold laugh. Her house? I had worked eighteen-hour days, drank myself to stomach ulcers during client dinners, and collapsed in my office multiple times to afford that home. It had absolutely nothing to do with her. It was my property, and I could sell it whenever I pleased. Because she refused to leave, the new owner eventually called the police, and she was forced to slink away in embarrassment. I hired a private investigator to keep tabs on her. It turned out she went straight back to Jared. The investigator sent me a video clip, adding a brief note, “Ma’am, you raised a viper.” A viper indeed. If she had even a shred of decency, she wouldn’t be plotting with her boyfriend on how to bleed me dry. The video showed Amber returning to Jared’s dingy, single-room rental. It was a filthy space with a tiny bed and a peeling desk cluttered with greasy takeout boxes and empty beer cans. Amber kicked the side of the bed where Jared lay scrolling through his phone. “That old witch sold the house,” she muttered, clearly frustrated. “Her number is blocked too. Your plan isn’t working.” A flicker of annoyance crossed Jared’s face, quickly masked by greed. “Your mother is heartless. What kind of mother does that to her own child? That place was huge, it must have fetched millions.” Amber flopped onto the bed, resting her head on his shoulder. “Of course. It’s prime real estate. Easily three million.” The greed in Jared’s eyes became almost palpable. He wrapped his arm around her, his voice dripping with false warmth. “You poor little fool. Her money is supposed to be your money. Selling the place without your permission proves she doesn’t care about you at all. She probably has some guy on the side, maybe even had another kid. Amber, I’m the only one who actually looks out for you. You can’t let her walk all over you. That wealth belongs to you, you have to claim it.” “She’s just a bitter, menopausal old woman. No man would ever want her,” Amber scoffed. “My dad has the patience of a saint and even he couldn’t stand her. Her things are mine. When she dies, everything comes to me anyway.” Jared licked his lips, casually asking, “Your mom is only in her forties, right? By the time she dies, you’ll be an old lady yourself.” “Please,” Amber laughed. “She ruined her health giving birth to me, and then she practically drank her liver to death running that company. She won’t last long. Soon enough, her business, her money, her cars, they’ll all be ours.” She sighed with anticipation, as if visualizing a glorious future. “I honestly can’t wait for that day.” A chill crept down my spine. She had been wishing for my death all along. What a wonderful daughter I had raised. It was true that during my pregnancy, her father had been sleeping with my best friend. When I caught them, a physical altercation ensued, and he pushed me to the floor. The severe hemorrhaging nearly cost me my life. Though I survived to deliver Amber, my health was permanently damaged. To ensure my daughter grew up like a princess, I had worked myself to the bone, only to have her eagerly await my demise. I had still held a tiny sliver of hope in my heart, telling myself she was merely brainwashed by Jared. But no, she was inherently rotten. In the video, they began planning to corner me at my office. Their goal was simple: extort enough money to buy themselves a house. 3 The next morning, the receptionist called to inform me that Amber was downstairs making a scene. I had already instructed my staff that she was no longer associated with me, so no one was letting her up. I sent my assistant down to handle it, telling her to have security throw Amber out if she became too disruptive. Then, I quietly signed off on a charitable scholarship program. A few minutes later, my assistant rushed back into my office, pale and breathless. “Ma’am, Amber pulled out a pocket knife and slashed one of the guards across the arm. How should we proceed?” “Call the police,” I replied, my voice flat. “Do I really need to teach you how to handle a violent trespasser?” Startled by my coldness, the assistant didn’t ask further and immediately went to place the call. As the police escorted Amber out in handcuffs, she shrieked like a maniac. “I am Valerie’s daughter! This company is mine! Those guards are my employees! I can do whatever I want to them! Let go of me!” Fool. Because she was causing such a massive scene, I finally walked down to the lobby. She tried to lunge at me the moment she saw me, but the officers held her firmly. “Mom! Mom, save me! They’re trying to arrest me!” I looked at her as if she were a complete stranger. My gaze drifted to the plastic evidence bag containing the pocket knife. I remembered her conversation with Jared from the video. “I’ll bring a knife tomorrow. If she doesn’t give me the money, I’ll hold it to my throat and force her.” And Jared had fondly replied, “Smart girl.” “Mom, what are you standing there for? Tell them to let me go!” Amber demanded. I offered a polite, apologetic smile to the officers. “I am sorry for the trouble, officers. Please handle this strictly by the book. This girl signed an agreement severing our relationship weeks ago. Even if she were still my daughter, no one is above the law.” Amber panicked. When she panicked, she lost all filter, just like her father. “Valerie! You bitter old hag! You just hate seeing me happy! You’re trying to force me to crawl back to you! I would rather die than call you my mother! Even when you’re on your deathbed, I won’t come to see you!” Her venomous words no longer had any power over me. “Don’t worry,” I said softly. “You won’t have to.” Shortly after she was taken away, my private investigator sent a photograph. It showed Jared lurking in the shadows outside my building, recording a video of the arrest on his phone. I sneered. They were playing the exact same card as in my past life. Did they honestly think I would yield to public pressure this time? In my previous life, there had been no arrest, so there was no video. Instead, Amber had posted a fabricated sob story online along with a few carefully staged photos, accusing me of extreme maternal abuse. She had claimed that I controlled her entire life, from what she ate to what she wore, and that I denied her basic personal freedom even as an adult. She wrote that when she fell in love, I went into a psychotic rage, beat her, locked her in a room without food, and tried to force a breakup. She labeled me a monster, a lunatic, a woman unfit to be a mother. She declared that she hated me more than anyone on earth, and that she would have been infinitely happier living with her father. With a few pictures of self-inflicted bruises, she painted me as the ultimate villain. I couldn’t remember how viciously the internet had torn me apart back then. All I remembered was the crushing, suffocating pain in my chest when I read her words. I had genuinely believed she was being held hostage and coerced by Jared. So I had called her, begging to know if she was in danger. The moment the call connected, Jared snatched the phone. He told me that if I wanted my daughter back in one piece, I needed to wire him two million dollars. I hadn’t hesitated. As long as my daughter was safe, I would have given him everything. He warned me not to involve the police, threatening her life. Terrified for her safety, I kept transferring funds. Every time I heard her weeping on the phone, begging me to save her, my heart broke into a million pieces. Eventually, Jared demanded that I transfer the ownership of my company to his name before he would release her. I agreed, believing that as long as we were alive, we could always rebuild. I gathered the legal documents and went to meet Jared. Just as I was about to sign, I spotted Amber hiding behind a pillar. Blinded by maternal instinct, I hadn’t noticed how relaxed she looked. I ran to her, weeping, pulling her into my arms. “Amber, thank God you’re safe. Mommy is here.” She had shoved me away with a look of pure disgust. “You smell like sweat. Get away from me. Just sign the papers, we’re in a hurry.” I froze. “What?” Jared dropped his act, chuckling as he stepped forward. “Ma’am, Amber and I are getting married. You want her to be happy, don’t you? Sign the papers so we can go get our marriage license.” “Oh, and she’s pregnant,” he added. “If I don’t marry her, she’ll be a ruined woman.” I stared at Amber in utter disbelief. She patted her stomach, looking at me with immense impatience. “Just sign it. It’s all going to be mine eventually anyway. What’s the difference if you hand it over now?” I hadn’t signed. I took the papers and walked away, utterly shattered, her sharp, demanding voice ringing in my ears. My own daughter, cursing and blaming me for her own choices. It was a tragic joke. The morning after Amber’s arrest at my office, the familiar smear campaign made its debut online. The edited video of my cold response to the police went viral, accompanied by Amber’s sob story. She also posted photos of fresh cuts and bruises, claiming I had beaten her. I had never raised a hand against her. In reality, she was the one who had physically assaulted me several times for Jared’s sake. My investigator sent over another video. To make the photos look convincing, Jared had physically beaten Amber at her own request. This girl, pampered her entire life, had willingly let a man bruise her just to destroy her own mother. I began to wonder if there had been a mix-up at the hospital. How could a child of mine carry such deep, senseless malice? With my secret assistance behind the scenes, the scandal gained massive traction, topping the trending charts within three days. Amber and Jared even went on a local talk show, playing the role of tragic young lovers torn apart by an abusive, tyrannical matriarch. They wept on camera, begging for their freedom. “I couldn’t breathe in that house,” Amber sobbed to the interviewer. “She treated me like a possession, not a human being. I just want to escape her shadow and live my life with the man I love.” My office phone rang off the hook with angry callers. My well-trained staff remained calm, politely stating, “Please reserve your judgment. Valerie will address the matter publicly this afternoon.” Before the broadcast, I agreed to meet Amber and Jared one last time. I had unblocked her number specifically to receive this invitation. We met at the same quiet cafe from my previous life, choosing a secluded booth in the corner. The moment they arrived, they ordered nearly half the menu without a hint of courtesy. Amber didn’t even bother calling me Mom. “Valerie,” she said, leaning across the table. “I assume you’ve seen the news?” “I have,” I replied calmly. “And what is it you want?” “This scandal is tanking your company’s stock, isn’t it?” she sneered. “If you want us to take the videos down and clear your name, you do exactly what I say.” “Go on. I’m listening.” “First, wire ten million dollars to my account. Then, sign the company over to me. As for real estate, you can keep a small condo, but all your other properties must be transferred to my name.” Their greed had grown even larger than in my previous life. I looked at my own reflection in the darkened window, my eyes cold and dead. “And what else, Amber? What else do you want from me?” She turned to consult Jared. He nudged her, whispering urgently, “The cars! Demand the cars!” “And your cars,” Amber parroted. “All of them…” Jared interrupted, his voice hushed but demanding, “We agreed to split it down the middle! The cars go to you, but the house and the company go under my name!” I watched their frantic calculations, a silent sneer curling inside my chest. Amber hesitated for a moment, but Jared quickly smoothed it over, coaxing her. “We’re getting married anyway, baby. What’s mine is yours. Let’s just get the assets secured first.” Amber turned back to me. “The cars too. Don’t bother keeping them, you won’t be able to afford the maintenance anyway. I’m giving you twenty-four hours, Valerie. Have the paperwork ready by tomorrow, or things are going to get very ugly for you.” “Ugly? How so, Amber? Lest you forget, you forced me to sign a parental waiver. Your name has been legally removed from my household registry. In the eyes of the law, you are a stranger to me.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Who cares about being your daughter? I just want the assets.” “If you aren’t my daughter, what right do you have to demand my life’s work? Why should I give you a single cent?” Her face contorted, her voice rising to a screech. “Because it belongs to me! You should have handed it over years ago! When you die, it’s all mine anyway! If you don’t want to be utterly ruined online, you’ll hand it over. Trust me, I can make your life a living hell.” She leaned in, a malicious grin stretching across her face. “You wouldn’t want me to leak the real reason you and Dad divorced, would you? I know all about your disgusting past, Valerie.” I stood up, looking down at her with absolute detachment. “Let’s get a DNA test, Amber. I truly doubt you’re my flesh and blood. How can anyone be this vile?” She scoffed, entirely unbothered. “You brought this on yourself by withholding what is rightfully mine. I can ruin you, and I will.” I nodded slowly. “Understood. From this moment on, any remaining shred of affection I held for you is gone. I have no daughter.” I turned and walked away. She screamed after me, “You booked this table! Pay the bill!” I kept walking. People like her didn’t deserve a single dime of my money. I stepped into my waiting car and instructed the driver to take me directly to the studio of the city’s most influential media outlet. My assistant and investigator were already there waiting. I was ready for my live interview.

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1 The family trip was meant to start today. Instead, I spent the morning doubled over, darting between the bedroom and bathroom. Mom stayed beside me the whole time, wiping my forehead and rubbing my back until the nausea finally passed. When we stepped out, the house was silent. Dad and Aunt Vivian were already gone. Mom stood frozen in the hallway, phone in hand, about to book a cab. Then a text from Dad appeared on her screen. You are a grown woman with a child. How can you not handle a simple stomach bug? Set a better example for Kate. The flight will not wait. Just stay home. A second message followed from Aunt Vivian. Mike and I have important clients to meet. It would not have been convenient having you two along anyway. Mom’s hand fell slowly to her side, her eyes dimming. Dad and Vivian had always been inseparable, both brilliant defense attorneys at a top firm. Mom never fit into their world, left behind to cook, clean, and manage the household. Whenever she voiced her hurt, Dad dismissed it with a laugh. She is your sister, Grace. Why be so jealous? Vivian is here so Kate can learn from her. Maybe our daughter will grow up smart like her aunt. My chest tightened. I tugged her sleeve, voice shaking. Mom, did I mess up again? Is that why they left us? No, sweetie, she said softly, kneeling to meet my eyes with a bright, forced smile. We left him behind. You have wanted to see the ocean, haven’t you? Let us go together, just the two of us. I wanted to jump for joy, but then I hesitated, twisting my fingers together. “But… won’t Dad be mad? And doesn’t Aunt Vivian hate the ocean?” Mom stiffened. Aunt Vivian had nearly drowned when she was a little girl, and she had a deep phobia of the ocean. Once, I came home from school and proudly showed off a watercolor painting I did of giant blue waves. That night, Vivian claimed she had terrible nightmares and couldn’t focus on her court case the next day. Dad had spent the entire night in her room, comforting her until she finally calmed down. The next morning, he looked at Mom with nothing but cold disappointment. “You picked Kate up from school and you didn’t even notice she painted waves? Vivian couldn’t sleep a wink. How is she supposed to present our case today?” “Grace, if you can’t even handle the basic preferences of the people in this house, what exactly do you do all day?” The argument ended, as it always did, with Mom quietly apologizing over and over. But Mom and I loved the ocean. Deep in her phone, Mom still saved old photos from before they were married. In those pictures, she and Dad were standing on a sandy beach, and she was laughing with a bright, radiant smile… a smile I had never seen on her face in real life. “What does his opinion matter?” Mom whispered, pulling herself out of the memory. She smoothed my hair. “We spent so much time preparing for this. Why should we stay home just because he says so? Kate, tell me, do you want to go?” I looked over at the heavy suitcases by the door. Mom had stayed up late researching travel guides. She had even crawled out of bed at four o’clock this morning to pack our bags and cook a hot breakfast. I had woken up early too, eager to help her. We got so little time with Dad. He was always busy, dedicating every spare second to Vivian and his career. Even this morning, he hadn’t said more than two words to Mom. He had spent the entire breakfast debating legal jargon with Vivian, words that flew right over my head. Looking at Mom’s hopeful, shining eyes, I nodded vigorously. “Yes! I want to go!” Mom smiled, her eyes crinkling. She immediately opened her phone and rebooked our tickets, changing our destination to a coastal town. But the moment we arrived at the airport terminal, Dad’s name flashed across Mom’s screen on a FaceTime call. Mom hesitated for a few seconds before tapping accept. Instantly, Dad’s familiar, accusatory voice boomed through the speaker. “Grace! It is bad enough that you missed the flight, but I just got a notification that you rebooked tickets to the coast? Are you out of your mind? Have you forgotten what happened last time…” My chest tightened, and I looked at Mom, terrified. But for the first time in her life, Mom didn’t apologize. She simply knitted her brows, her voice steady. “Mike. My daughter and I are going to a place we actually want to visit. Is there a problem with that?” “Lest you forget, Kate and I are your actual wife and daughter. Does our entire lives have to revolve around Vivian’s phobias?” Dad stared at the screen, momentarily speechless. But then, like a cat that had its tail stepped on, his voice spiked an octave higher. “Grace! You are the one who fed Kate something bad last night and made her sick, which is why you missed the flight in the first place! And now you are turning this around on me?” “Why are you always so careless? Why can’t you be organized and precise like Vivian?” “You two came from the same mother. How can you be so completely different?” The barrage of harsh words seemed to choke the air right out of Mom’s lungs. Her eyes welled with hot tears, and she bit her lower lip. I had seen her look this helpless too many times. Anger flared in my chest. Before I could stop myself, I snatched the tablet from Mom’s hands and glared into the camera at Dad. “Dad! You are a liar! You were the one who insisted on ordering spicy food last night because Aunt Vivian wanted to celebrate her case! You knew I couldn’t eat spicy food, but you didn’t care! How can you be so mean to Mom? I don’t like you anymore!” I slammed the screen, hanging up the call. I puffed out my chest like a little bodyguard, placing my hands on my hips. “Mom, Dad is a jerk! We don’t need him! I’ll protect you from now on!” Mom blinked in surprise, and then a genuine, beautiful laugh bubbled out of her chest. Over the intercom, the gate agent announced the final boarding call for our flight. “Alright,” Mom said, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. “I’ll count on you to protect me then. We don’t need him.” When we reached our hotel by the beach, Mom threw our bags onto the bed and took me straight to the water. We splashed in the waves, built sandcastles, and took dozens of silly photos until the sun dipped below the horizon. When we finally returned to the room, Mom checked her phone. There were dozens of missed calls from Dad, and a long, guilt-tripping text from Aunt Vivian. “Sis, stop throwing a tantrum. How could you drag Kate into an adult argument? Mike couldn’t even focus during his meeting with the clients because of you.” “Just apologize to him and go home. Mike supports you financially. The least you can do is stop causing him unnecessary stress.” A shadow of sorrow crossed Mom’s eyes. She tossed the phone onto the nightstand and urged me to take a warm bath. In truth, Aunt Vivian hadn’t always been like this. When she first moved in with us, she was a quiet, timid girl who hid behind Mom’s back. She had worked incredibly hard to get out of her small rural town and get into a top-tier law school, dreaming of becoming a high-powered attorney just like Dad. Our grandparents had passed away when Mom and Vivian were young. Mom had worked multiple jobs to pay for Vivian’s tuition, only stepping back to become a homemaker after she married Dad. To help Vivian achieve her dreams, Mom had invited her to live in our guest room so Dad could mentor her and help her study. But somewhere along the way, the way Vivian looked at Mom changed. Sometimes, when Mom wasn’t home, Vivian would look over my graded schoolwork and let out a cold, mocking sneer. “You really are Grace’s daughter. Utterly brainless. If your mother hadn’t trapped your father first, a brilliant man like him would never be stuck with such a stupid kid.” I had run to Dad crying, desperate to tell him what she said. But Vivian would just put on a sweet, innocent face and deny it, and Dad would turn around and blame Mom for filling my head with lies. A sharp knock on the hotel door snapped me out of my thoughts. Mom quickly dried my hair, bundled me into my pajamas, and went to open the door. Standing on the threshold, looking exhausted and disheveled, was Dad. He stared at Mom for a long moment, then looked over at me. He let out a heavy sigh, walked into the room, and took the hairdryer from Mom’s hand to finish drying my hair. Mom stood by the window, watching silently. She didn’t do what she usually did… flutter around him, asking if he was hungry, or clinging to his arm. A flicker of panic crossed Dad’s eyes. He tried to crack a few jokes to make me laugh, but I kept my face squeezed into a pout and refused to say a word. Once my hair was dry, he walked over to Mom, his shoulders slumping. “Grace, look at what you’ve done. You get angry at me, and now even our daughter won’t talk to me.” Mom remained silent. Dad’s jaw tightened, his usual urge to scold her rising to the surface, but he forced himself to swallow it down. He lowered his voice, trying to sound reasonable. “Grace, stop acting like a child, alright? We agreed we wouldn’t fight in front of Kate.” “And about Vivian… you were the one who practically begged me to mentor her and help her career. How can you blame me for being close to her now?” “I was in the middle of crucial client meetings, but the moment I heard my wife and daughter were upset, I hopped on the very next flight. Doesn’t that prove how important you both are to me? Let me stay tonight, and we can put this behind us.” Mom looked at me, then at Dad. For a second, the coldness in her expression seemed to thaw. But before she could speak, Dad’s phone vibrated loudly on the table. The screen lit up with the caller ID: “Vivi <3". Mom's face froze. I knew for a fact that whenever Mom called him, his phone simply displayed her full name: "Grace." Dad swallowed hard, feeling Mom's gaze, but he answered the call anyway. Aunt Vivian's frantic, needy voice echoed clearly through the quiet room. "Mike... you have to come back. Grace forgot to pack the core files for the case when she was organizing your briefcase. This client is incredibly important, and only you know the details..." Dad's face fell. He looked at Mom with a familiar flash of deep disappointment. Without a second thought, he grabbed his coat. "Vivian, don't worry. Hold on, I'm heading to the airport now..." "Mike," Mom called out, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You just got here, and you're already running back to her? She has been working on this case with you from day one. How could she not know the files? What exactly are Kate and I to you?" "Enough!" Dad snapped, his patience evaporating. "Isn't this your fault in the first place? If you had packed my things properly and done your job as a housewife, would I have to fly back to help her? If you could actually comprehend a single line of legal text, would I even need Vivian's help?" "I flew all this way to find you, and you haven't given me a single warm look. Now I have to go handle a crisis, and you are throwing another tantrum. Grace, why are you so incredibly difficult to please?" He paused, glancing down at me as I sat frozen on the bed. "And look at Kate. Her grades are mediocre, and now she is throwing attitude. Growing up under your shadow is clearly ruining her. If this keeps up, I'm going to let her aunt take over her education!" With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out, slamming the door so hard the walls trembled. Mom slowly slid down against the wall, burying her face in her knees. Her quiet, breathless sobs filled the empty room. Bad Dad. He promised he wouldn't fight in front of me, and he broke his promise immediately. I climbed off the bed, wrapped my small arms around Mom, and tried my best to comfort her. After a long time, Mom wiped her tears. She looked at me, her voice trembling. "Kate... if Mom told you that you wouldn't see Dad for a very long time... would you be sad?" "No!" I crossed my arms and huffed. "We barely see him anyway. And I don't want to go to school anymore if the teachers keep asking if Aunt Vivian is my mom! I only have one mom!" Whenever Dad picked me up early from school, Vivian was always riding shotgun in his car. My homeroom teacher had even teased me once. "Kate, your father and mother are such a stunning couple. I watched them in court once... their chemistry is absolutely enviable!" And Dad had never bothered to correct her. Hearing my answer, Mom let out a wet laugh. She tucked me into bed and spent the next hour making several quiet phone calls. When she finally climbed into bed beside me, I saw a peaceful, relaxed smile on her face for the very first time. Over the next few days, Dad didn't call, and Mom didn't bother reaching out to him. Instead, she took me everywhere. We painted the waves together, and I was amazed to see that Mom's painting looked incredibly realistic, like real water splashing on the paper. Only then did I realize that Mom had given up her own dreams of going to a prestigious art school just so she could work and pay for Vivian's education. When she held a paintbrush, she looked entirely different from the stressed woman who used to hide in the study, trying to memorize boring law books just to have something to talk about with Dad. When our trip ended, we returned home. Mom spent the afternoon organizing a thick stack of documents before sending me to stay at a friend's house for a few days. Suddenly, Dad called her. "Grace, bring Kate to the firm's annual gala tonight. I managed to secure an invitation for Professor Harrison." "I know Kate likes to paint. Professor Harrison is a legend in the art world. If he agrees to mentor her, her future is set." Mom's initial refusal died on her tongue. She agreed, picked me up, and drove us to the gala. The moment we walked into the grand ballroom, we saw Dad and Aunt Vivian standing side-by-side near the center stage, welcoming guests like the hosts of the evening. It looked exactly like the parents of my classmates when they hosted parties together. Seeing us arrive, Vivian put on a show of affection. She scooped me up in her arms in front of several prominent guests. "Oh, look at our little Kate! You've gotten so thin and dark. I've only been away from you for a few days, and look what your mother did to you." In an instant, the whispers started. The surrounding guests looked at Mom with judging, critical eyes. I hated when Vivian did this. She loved playing the perfect caregiver in public to make Mom look incompetent. In the past, I would have stayed quiet, terrified of causing trouble. But this time, I squirmed violently out of her embrace and raised my voice. "I like being thin! And I like being tan!" I grabbed Mom's hand and pulled her toward our table. Whispers and chuckles rippled through the crowd. Vivian's face flushed a deep, embarrassed red, and she shot a helpless, pleading look at Dad. Dad frowned, but with so many eyes on him, he couldn't burst out in anger. Throughout the dinner, Dad's colleagues kept praising him and Vivian. "Mike, that last case you and Vivian co-counseled was absolute genius! Our firm is incredibly lucky to have a power couple like you two!" Mom's hand paused, her fork hovering in the air. Dad instinctively glanced at Mom, but her face remained entirely blank as she calmly wiped a drop of sauce from my chin. Aunt Vivian's eyes flashed with a smug, quiet triumph. One colleague, who had clearly had too much to drink, leaned in closer, his voice loud and loose. "Doesn't Vivian live with you guys anyway? You work late at the office together, go home together... man, talk about convenient! I heard Vivian was the one who insisted on joining you on this business trip, right? I left late the other night and saw the lights still on in your office. I snuck a peek... and man, Mike, you really know how to live the good life!" Clang. The spoon in Mom's hand slipped and hit her plate with a sharp, ringing sound. The colleague seemed to snap out of his drunken haze, his face paling as he quickly began to apologize. But Mom didn't say a word. She pulled me out of my chair and walked straight toward the exit. Dad chased us all the way to the glass doors of the lobby, grabbing Mom's wrist. "Grace! He was drunk and talking nonsense! Professor Harrison hasn't even arrived yet. What do you think you're doing, dragging Kate away and making a scene?" "Are you really this foolish? Do you always have to embarrass me?" "Mike." Mom slapped his hand away. When she looked into his eyes, the final spark of warmth in her gaze was completely gone. "Don't touch my daughter. You make me sick." Dad's expression darkened instantly. But before he could speak, Vivian ran up behind him, breathless. "Sis... Mike and I are completely innocent! Today is a major event for the firm. Please don't leave. If you walk out now, you will ruin his reputation!" "Mike works so hard to support you and Kate. How can you be so ungrateful..." "Shut up!" Mom barked, her voice sharp enough to cut. She immediately reached down and covered my ears. "Don't you dare speak in front of my daughter. You two talk about 'discussing cases' day and night. Is this how you discuss them?" Vivian's face went white, then red. She bit her lip, squeezing out a few trembling words. "Sis... if you hate me this much, then I'll leave! I won't bother your perfect family ever again!" Vivian turned and bolted out into the rain toward the street. Suddenly, a pair of blinding headlights rounded the corner, roaring toward her. "Vivian!" Dad shrieked. He lunged forward, throwing his body to tackle Vivian out of the way of the oncoming sedan. The sound of screeching tires and a sickening crunch echoed through the air. A heavy darkness swallowed me up. When I finally woke up, my entire body was aching. I cried out, desperately wanting Mom. A nurse rushed to my bedside to soothe me. That was when I found out that we had been in a terrible accident. Mom had taken the brunt of the impact. She had just gotten out of emergency surgery and was lying in the intensive care unit next door, her body wrapped in heavy bandages. I ignored the nurse's protests, dragged my aching body out of bed, and limped to Mom's room. Seeing her lying there, completely covered in white gauze and tubes, I burst into loud, hysterical tears. I wanted Dad. Where was Dad? Through the cracked door of the ward, I heard two nurses whispering. "Such a shame. The kid's father hasn't even shown up to the ICU. The mother's legs are severely shattered... she might be crippled for life. A mother and child, completely abandoned..." "I know! But get this... I heard that when the crash happened, the father immediately ran to pull the sister-in-law to safety. If a bystander hadn't pulled the mother out of the wreckage, she would have died right there." "The sister-in-law only has minor scrapes, but the husband has been by her bedside downstairs the entire time." A wave of pure, hot anger surged through my chest. I stormed out of the room, ran to the nurse's station, and demanded to know where Dad was. In a private ward downstairs, I saw Dad sitting on the edge of a bed, tenderly blowing on a spoonful of warm porridge before feeding it to Vivian. I lost all control. I charged into the room and bit Dad's hand as hard as I could. "Dad! Mom is hurt so badly! Why aren't you with her? I hate you! I hate you!" A flash of intense guilt crossed Dad's eyes. Vivian let out a weak, pathetic cough, leaning back against her pillows. "Mike... go see Grace. I'll be fine. If only Grace wasn't so clumsy... if she hadn't run out after me, this accident would have never happened..." She then glared at me, her voice sharp. "Kate! How dare you bite your father? Is this the kind of manners your mother teaches you? You are going to grow up to be a completely uneducated brat!" Dad looked at Vivian, a flicker of approval in his eyes... a look of respect he had never once directed at Mom. But I didn't care about him anymore. I grabbed his sleeve and dragged him up to Mom's room. Dad spent the next few hours fussing over Mom, waiting anxiously until she finally opened her eyes. The moment Mom woke up, her eyes searched the room until they found me. Seeing that I was safe, she let out a long breath, and tears finally spilled down her cheeks. But the moment her gaze landed on Dad, her face turned completely cold. "Grace... there's a highly sensitive litigation at the firm right now, and Vivian is the lead on the file. That's why I had to ensure her safety first," Dad muttered, his voice tense as he tried to break the heavy silence. "I know," Mom said, her voice flat. "It doesn't matter." Dad froze, clearly not expecting her to be this calm. After a long pause, he let out a sigh of relief. "Vivian is an adult now. It's not right for her to keep living with us anyway. Once she recovers, I'll have her move into her own apartment." "Do whatever you want." Dad breathed a sigh of relief. He tucked the blanket around her shoulders and stood up. "I'll help Vivian look for a new place, and I have to head to the firm to clean up the fallout from the gala. I'll let Kate stay here and keep you company." The moment the door clicked shut behind him, Mom spoke, her voice raspy and dry. "Kate... would you like to move to a new city with Mom?" I nodded with everything I had. Mom didn't wait to fully heal. She checked herself out of the hospital, packed our things, and took me on a flight to the coastal city of Westfield. The moment our plane touched the tarmac, my phone reconnected to the network. A barrage of notifications lit up the screen.

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