Category: English

My sister’s school was holding a charity sale. She came home clutching a love letter, holding it up like it was a priceless treasure she’d found. “Look, Summer!” she chirped, her eyes wide with excitement. “The name on this letter is just like yours!” I stared at the eight-year-old love letter and fell into a daze. The sender’s name at the bottom was Liam Scott. Wasn’t that my ice-cold deskmate from high school? And now, my ice-cold boss? I was about to ask Lexie for details when a call came through to our home phone. A kid’s frantic sobs erupted from the other end. “My Uncle Alex is going to kill me! I’ll give you a hundred dollars, just please give that love letter back!” Our entire team got chewed out because of an intern’s mistake. As team lead, I bore the brunt of the scolding. When I finally trudged out of the boss’s office, feeling completely deflated, my intern, Chloe, looked like she was about to burst into tears. “Ms. Summer, I’m so sorry. I dragged you down with me.” I saw the dark circles under her eyes. The workload had been intense lately, and our entire team had been working overtime. She hadn’t gotten any rest either. I waved a hand dismissively. “It’s fine. I’m used to getting yelled at. It barely stings anymore…” “Is that so?” A low, deep voice cut through the air. Chloe flinched, startled. My body tensed. I looked up to see Liam Scott pushing open his office door, his brow slightly furrowed as he watched me. Ugh… a stone-cold, unreadable face. Just looking at him made my blood boil. I forced a smile. “…No, it’s not.” Liam stared at me for a few seconds, then closed his office door. Later, when I stepped out to get some water, I overheard a few interns whispering: “The boss is so harsh on Director Summer.” “Director Summer must have a strong heart. If it were me, I couldn’t handle it.” “I heard Director Summer and the boss used to be high school classmates.” “Really? No way! The boss curses out his old classmate without holding back at all. He’s a monster!” I shrugged. Tell me about it. Liam Scott was, indeed, a monster. And he wasn’t just any high school classmate. We’d been deskmates for three whole years! Yet he still showed me zero mercy. I was about to leave when their conversation took a turn. “Oh, right, I heard the boss is engaged.” “I saw his fiancée drop him off at the company a while ago!” “What? The ice-cold Mr. Scott has a fiancée?” My steps faltered. My fingers, gripping my water cup, curled involuntarily. I looked towards the office at the end of the hallway. For some reason, my chest felt heavy and tight.

After a month of grueling work, the project finally made significant progress. The company gave us five days off. The interns were so excited they nearly cried. I politely declined their invitation for a celebratory dinner, packed my bags, and drove straight back to my hometown. I hadn’t been back in half a year. Luckily, my hometown was only about sixty miles from the city where I worked, a four-hour drive. It was late at night when I arrived home. My sudden return startled my mom, who happily went to make up my bed, while my dad hummed a tune as he headed to the kitchen to fix me a late-night snack. I put away my luggage and quietly pushed open the door to a small room. By the light from the living room, I saw a little girl buried under her covers, sleeping peacefully and adorably. Lexie was an unexpected blessing my parents had when I was in high school. Suddenly having such a young sister was a big adjustment at first. But as Lexie grew up, she became more and more adorable, inheriting my mom’s patience and my dad’s intelligence perfectly. And she was so clingy. She always thought of me first whenever she got something good. The next morning, I groggily opened my eyes at the sound of movement and saw Lexie perched by my bed. Her eyes were bright, staring at me without blinking. “Summer, you’re back!” “Yeah.” I closed my eyes again. “Be a good girl, Sis. I need to sleep a little longer.” “Okay! I’m going to school now. I’ll bring you a present when I get back!” I mumbled a reply. Lexie quietly tiptoed out, carefully closing the door behind her. This little kid, she’s so thoughtful. Looks like she has quite a bit of allowance, to be able to bring me a gift? I was a little excited. By the time I got up, it was almost 11 AM. Lexie was picked up from school by Dad. Mom and Dad asked me to watch her for a bit, then they went to the supermarket together. As soon as they left, Lexie eagerly pulled something out of her backpack and mysteriously scooted closer to me. “Summer, guess what gift I brought you?” How was I supposed to guess that? I was about to blurt out a random answer when she couldn’t hold back anymore, holding up an envelope in front of me. “Summer, look! Your name is written on it!” I froze for a moment, then took the letter. The paper was a bit yellowed, looking like it was from years ago. The front of the envelope read, “To Summer.” My name? What are the chances of finding someone with such an uncommon name? Lexie chattered on. “Our school held a charity sale today. We brought old stuff from home that we didn’t need anymore, and students could buy whatever they wanted. All the money we raise will be donated to a charity! “My deskmate brought a lot of stuff—old books, old stationery. I found this letter inside a book and bought it for five dollars.” Lexie looked at me, expecting praise. “Summer! Do you like it?”

My first thought was, it must be a coincidence. Growing up, I was never considered pretty in class. I always wore thick glasses and had an introverted, quiet personality. I never knew how to respond when others tried to talk to me. So, no boy had ever sent me a love letter. I held the letter, feeling a little flustered. But Lexie was already urging me. “Summer, open it quickly!” “That’s not right…” After all, it was someone else’s property. Especially something as private as a love letter. “But I worked so hard to find it, and it cost me a whole week’s allowance!” Kids are impatient. She snatched the letter from my hand and ripped it open in two swift motions. Then she shoved it back into my hand. “Summer, read it to me.” “My classmate said he got it from his Uncle Alex’s treasure chest, and it’s full of good stuff, so this must be good too.” I was about to refuse, but my gaze caught the signature at the end of the letter. The handwriting was neat and elegant—Liam Scott. It was like a lightning bolt striking my mind. I stood frozen for several seconds before my gaze stiffly moved upward to the contents of the letter: [Summer, this is our third year as deskmates…] I slapped my hand over the letter, my face turning crimson, feeling like it was about to explode. My sister was still urging, “Summer, read it! I want to hear it too!”

I sent my sister away, clutching the envelope, and rushed into my room. I opened the window and stood there, letting the wind blow over me for a long time, but my heart still wouldn’t settle. I looked at the letter again. I was absolutely certain it was written by Liam Scott. After all, my handwriting in high school looked like chicken scratch. My English teacher couldn’t stand it and made me use Liam’s homework as a model for my handwriting for an entire semester. I could recognize his handwriting even if it were burned to ashes. But, why? Why would Liam Scott have liked me in high school? My thoughts drifted, and I remembered the first time I met Liam at the beginning of freshman year. Back then, I came alone from a small, rural town to a top-ranked city high school. I was carrying an oversized, worn-out canvas bag that seemed to contain everything I owned. I couldn’t carry it anymore by the time I reached the school gate, so I just started dragging it. But I overestimated the quality of that canvas bag. With immense friction against the ground, the bag ripped. I walked a long way before realizing the weight felt off. I turned around to see my belongings scattered all along the path. Books, stationery, toiletries, a lunchbox… Students around me were watching, laughter constantly echoing. “Oh my god, a country bumpkin came to the city.” “That bag is something else, seriously.” My face turned beet red. I knelt down and started retracing my steps, picking things up. I hadn’t picked up much when I bumped head-on into a boy walking toward me. The boy had a backpack, a handsome face, and was quite tall. He was holding a stack of miscellaneous items and calmly said, “I picked up what was ahead.” He looked over my shoulder at the ripped bag on the ground. “Do you have any other bags?” I awkwardly shook my head, barely daring to look at him. He thought for a moment, took a few books out of his backpack, and handed the backpack to me. “You can use this for now.” Confused, I took the boy’s black backpack and looked up blankly. “How do I give it back to you?” The boy pointed to the book I had just picked up. “Aren’t you in Freshman Class 3 too?” I froze, instinctively looking at his book. His class and name were on the cover. Freshman Class 3, Liam Scott. … To be honest, I was the one who liked him first. Unfortunately, that secret crush ended for various reasons. After graduating from college, I joined a small, obscure company for an internship, only to unexpectedly run into him again.

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As a Serpentine Enchantress, my unique essence, when offered from the depths of my being, possessed the power to heal even terminal illnesses. After I cured Sterling of his cancer, I found another woman in our home. My six-year-old son grabbed a small knife and tried to hack at my serpentine tail. Both his and his father’s faces were twisted with disgust. “You killed Iris! You won’t get to kill Brittany too!” “I’ve already made it official with her. Now get out!” Leo rushed forward, clinging to Brittany’s leg, and spat at me. “I don’t want you, this ugly snake, as my mom! Aunt Brittany is my mom!” I massaged my chest, aching from having given my lifeblood, and my voice was raw with bitterness. “Then let’s get a divorce.” Sterling scoffed. “Our marriage license was fake. What’s there to divorce? Just get lost.” My son threw the toys I bought him directly at me. “Don’t come ruin our home with our new mommy! You’re not welcome here!” The front door slammed shut. I pulled out my phone. “Mr. Harrison, you heard it too. I really should go now.” A weary sigh echoed from the other end of the line. “Ah, Sterling has truly wronged you. Your debt has been repaid. Go, child, go…” **1.** The Serpentine Oracle stared at me, a cryptic smile playing on her lips. “Are you certain of your choice?” Outside the operating room, the red light pulsed, a blinding beacon. Sterling’s vital signs were fading, moment by moment. Cancer cells, like greedy vines, had coiled around him, leaving him with barely a breath. “Are you willing to sacrifice your very essence to unleash the primal power of your serpentine lineage, forever cursed to be half-human, half-spirit, enduring the eternal torment of the backlash?” The Serpentine Oracle’s voice carried a cold, tempting allure. “But your lifeblood… it can save him.” I gazed at Sterling’s pale face through the glass window. Six years ago, the memory of him kneeling in the rain, begging me to save him, suddenly flooded my mind. Back then, he wasn’t the high-and-mighty CEO Sterling he was today. He was just a man pushed to the brink by a terminal illness, clutching my hand, his voice choked. “Willow, if I live, I’ll protect you my whole life.” “I’m willing. Just as long as he lives.” I bit my fingertip and stained the ancient pact. A searing, bone-shattering pain instantly ripped through my entire body. The agony was so intense I couldn’t maintain my human form. My smooth calves merged and elongated, transforming into a long tail covered in shimmering silver scales. In a daze, I felt a warm liquid seeping from my neck. It was my serpentine essence, flowing down my collarbone. The Serpentine Oracle’s final gaze held a touch of pity. “Remember, each act of genuine affection will embed your scales deeper into your flesh; any wound inflicted by him will amplify the agony.” I dragged my serpentine tail, unable to retract it due to the extreme use of my power, and pushed open the front door. The pair of red high heels by the entrance were like a poisonous needle, plunging directly into my heart. “You hideous monster! Get out of our house!” My six-year-old son, Leo, wielding a small knife, lunged at me, his face contorted with hatred. “You killed Aunt Iris, and now you want to kill my Mommy Brittany too? Over my dead body!” I never imagined my own flesh and blood would attack me. I was too slow to dodge, frozen in place, until a sharp pain from my tail jolted me back to awareness. “Oh, Leo, be careful! Don’t let this thing that’s neither human nor beast hurt you.” Brittany pretended to reach out, seemingly to pull Leo away, but her fingers subtly pressed the small knife another half-inch deeper into my scales. I had spent the entire night healing Sterling, exhausting most of my essence. This scene before me now made me feel utterly desolate. The herbal soup I’d woken up at five in the morning to brew was still on the coffee table. It was a special concoction, made with my lifeblood and a rare serpentine extract, meant to nourish Sterling. Its fragrant aroma still lingered in the air. “Who told you to come back! You murderer, how dare you show your face and dirty Brittany’s eyes.” Sterling tenderly pulled Brittany into his arms. The blood-red gem around her neck seemed to pulse like an unstemmed gush of lifeblood. Sterling had bought it at an auction last year, claiming it was for his “most precious person.” Brittany feigned weakness, shrinking into Sterling’s embrace, her dress seemingly accidentally sweeping across the coffee table, deliberately knocking over the herbal pot. “Oh, my dress! My dear Cole specifically custom-made this for me. Sister, if you want it, I can let you have it.” Amidst the shattering sound of the pot, I heard the faint crack of my own scales. My lifeblood being so carelessly wasted felt like a blunt knife twisting repeatedly in my chest. Sterling’s gaze pierced me like an ice pick. “You trashy, low-class creature. Always resorting to dirty tricks. Get down on your knees and clean this up for Brittany.” Leo kicked me hard, spitting at me repeatedly. “Big bad monster! Big bad monster! Get on your knees and apologize to Mommy Brittany!” I instinctively curled my tail. The section of my tailbone, covered in fine silver scales, had just endured the backlash of the lifeblood sacrifice. It was now bruised purple, and large pieces of shattered scales, mixed with blood droplets, flew off. The Serpentine Oracle’s warning echoed in my ears again. The pain crawled up my spine, spreading through every limb. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. This was the child I had risked my life to give birth to after ten months of pregnancy! This was the husband I had saved by draining my lifeblood, enduring constant backlash, day and night! I humiliated myself, crawling towards Brittany, wanting to demand why she was destroying everything I had! She shrieked as if she’d been electrocuted. “Ah! Her scales scratched my leg!” Leo was distraught. “You actually hurt my mommy! You monster!” He lunged like a furious little beast, hacking at my serpentine tail with the knife, blow after blow. The sharp blade pierced through the scales, digging into my flesh. The pain made my vision swim. But Leo clapped his hands and laughed. “Tear open your snake skin! Let’s see how you can hurt anyone now!” I slumped powerlessly to the floor, the intense pain making it impossible to straighten up. I stared directly into Sterling’s eyes, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity. “Sterling, let’s get a divorce.” Sterling scoffed. “Our marriage license was fake. What’s there to divorce? Just get as far away as possible.” With that, he deliberately tossed a tattered little red booklet onto my wound. Fake marriage license? I froze. Six years ago, on that rainy night, he knelt before me, begging me to save him, saying that if he lived, he would be my true husband. I believed him, sacrificing half of my serpentine life, draining all my power! I fed him the powerful essence from my true form, watching him transform from a skeletal figure to a radiant, healthy man. But my cherished marriage license, like Sterling’s deceitful heart, had been fake from the very beginning. Another scale on my serpentine tail cracked, and I groaned in pain. The Serpentine Oracle was right after all. This bond, bought with my very life, was destined to be a pain that would pierce me to the bone, right from its root. **2.** The stench of blood mingled with the sharp scent of disinfectant, churning in my nostrils. The wound on my serpentine tail was still gushing blood. Every movement felt like countless needles piercing my marrow. The Serpentine Oracle’s warning of “double backlash” was now burrowing into my bones along the cracks in my scales. Brittany smugly stroked Sterling’s chest, her fingertips tracing his collar. That spot, where I used to playfully straighten his tie, was now Brittany’s territory, a symbol of her claim. Brittany chuckled, a sickly sweet sound laced with malice. “Sterling, look at her tail. So many scales have fallen off. It’s disgusting.” Sterling cast a dismissive glance at me, his eyes regarding me like a dirty rag. “You’re frail, don’t look at such vile things.” He raised a hand and beckoned the butler. “Drag her out and dump her in the old family mausoleum.” “No!” I snapped my head up, my tail twitching with urgency. “Sterling, have you forgotten? Six years ago, you were lying in that hospital bed, cancer cells spread throughout your body, and it was I…” “Shut up!” He cut me off sharply, his leather shoe grinding forcefully on my bloody, mangled tail. “If you hadn’t缠 wrapped me with your dark magic, why would I ever get involved with a monster like you?” “Iris was killed by your dark magic back then, and now Brittany is pregnant with my child. Are you trying to pull the same trick again?” Iris? My heart felt like it had been hit by a massive stone. That gentle, kind woman who used to secretly bring me healing salves… she had an accidental fall from a building. How had it become my fault? “Daddy, hurry and kick her out! I don’t want to see her for another second!” Leo ran over, brandishing the knife. Drops of blood from the blade fell on my hand, burning like fire. He suddenly remembered something, then rushed into the bedroom, emerging with a metal box. He slammed it hard into my face. The box burst open, spilling its contents onto the floor—my collection of shed serpentine scales from the past six years. Each piece had been meticulously cleaned and strung together with gold thread into protective charms. When he was little, he always wore them around his neck, saying, “Mommy’s scales protect me.” “These disgusting things! I’ve wanted to throw them away for ages!” Leo stomped on the specimens, as if crushing a pile of garbage. “Mommy Brittany said wearing them would turn me into a monster!” I looked at the crushed scales and suddenly laughed, though tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. So, six years of mother-son affection, in his eyes, was nothing more than the “mark of a disgusting monster.” Brittany suddenly let out a dramatic gasp, clutching her lower abdomen and frowning. “Sterling, my stomach hurts a little…” Sterling’s face immediately darkened. He yanked me up, his grip so fierce it felt like he would crush my bones. “You jinx! If anything happens to Brittany or the baby, I’ll skin you alive!” He flung me towards the door. My tail slammed against the doorframe with a sickening crack, as if my tailbone had fractured. The excruciating pain made my vision blacken. In a haze, I saw a red booklet, sealed away, on the hallway cabinet. It was a marriage certificate. In the photo, Sterling had his arm around Brittany, smiling so tenderly—a smile I had never seen directed at me. “See?” His voice was laced with ice. “*This* is legitimate. The one in your hand was just a trick to get you to use your powers to save me.” I used the wall to prop myself up. The blood from my tail left dark red streaks on the floor, like a desperate, bleeding serpent. “Sterling,” I rasped, each word tearing at my chest. “When I saved you, I expended ninety percent of my power, almost struck down by heavenly lightning. You promised you’d protect Leo and me for life.” “Witchcraft!” His eyes burned with malice. “Take your tail and get out of my sight!” Leo suddenly picked up a piece of broken glass from the floor and fiercely stabbed my uninjured tail tip. “Get out! Don’t you dare hurt my Mommy Brittany!” Amidst the shattering of scales, I finally, utterly, woke up. The Serpentine Oracle’s pact burned in my veins. So, for six years, what I’d given half my life for was nothing but a cruel deception. The child I’d fought to bring into this world had become the sharpest knife plunged into my heart. I dragged my broken tail towards the door. As I passed the red high heels, I glanced at them again—the heels were caked with dirt, as if they’d just come from a cemetery. The door slammed shut behind me, shaking my tailbone with another jolt of pain. I slumped against the wall, pulling out my phone. Blood from my fingers smeared the screen, and it took several tries to dial the correct number. “Mr. Harrison,” I whispered, staring at the closed door, hearing Brittany’s sweet-talk and Leo’s laughter inside. A metallic taste flooded my throat. “You heard it too. I really should go now.” A weary sigh echoed from the other end of the line. “Alas, Sterling has truly wronged you. Your debt has been repaid. Go, child, go…” I hung up, looking at my phone’s screensaver—a photo of Leo at three, fast asleep on my serpentine tail, his face flushed, clutching one of my silver scales. I wiped away my tears and tossed the phone into the trash. **3.** Just as I stepped out of the apartment building, the intense pain in my tailbone worsened dramatically. The Serpentine Oracle’s curse, branded beneath my scales, flared with heat. This was the backlash from excessive use of my essence. I stumbled, leaning against the wall, my vision swimming. I had to get to a hospital, even if just to deal with the bleeding wound. I flagged down a taxi and managed to gasp out the name of the nearest hospital before the pain stole my words. The driver kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror, hesitating, likely shocked by my blood-streaked serpentine tail. At the hospital, the emergency room buzzed with chaotic activity. I had just reached the triage desk when I heard a familiar voice. “Doctor! Quickly, my wife! She’s having severe abdominal pain!” It was Sterling. He was carefully supporting Brittany, his tension something I’d never seen, not even when I almost perished saving his life. Brittany leaned into his embrace, her face ashen, weakly whimpering, “Sterling, I’m so scared… will the baby be okay?” Doctors and nurses immediately crowded around them, asking questions in a flurry. “Quick, stretcher! Prepare for examination!” I bit back the agonizing pain and nausea, managing to say to a nurse, “Help me… I’m in so much pain…” The nurse looked at my bloody, mangled serpentine tail, then at Brittany, surrounded by the crowd, and her expression turned difficult. “Miss, it’s not that we don’t want to help you, but all the doctors have been called by Mr. Sterling to treat his wife.” “I can’t wait. I just need one doctor to help me,” I ground out, the pain in my tailbone almost making me black out. Just then, Sterling saw me. His eyes hardened, and he roared at the doctors, “Don’t mind this monster! Save my wife first! If anyone dares to treat her, they won’t work in this hospital again!” The doctors exchanged uneasy glances, but in the end, no one dared to approach me. I leaned against the wall in despair, feeling my life force draining away little by little. The Serpentine Oracle had said that when my serpentine essence was fully depleted, that would be the moment my soul scattered into nothingness. “You persistent, wicked creature, still trying to cause trouble!” Leo suddenly rushed out from the crowd, holding an iron rod, and fiercely swung it at my serpentine tail. “Leo!” I stared at him in disbelief. This child, whom I had carried for ten months, this child, for whom I had used my scales to ward off disaster, was repeatedly attacking me with such cruelty. The moment the iron rod struck the wound, the backlash of the curse erupted with a roar. I felt like I was thrown into a vat of boiling oil, screaming in agony. My vision went black, and I almost collapsed. “You deserve it! Who told you to bully Mommy Brittany!” Leo saw my wretched state and, not feeling satisfied, raised the rod to strike again. Just as I was sinking into despair, a hand firmly gripped Leo’s wrist. “How can such a young child be so vicious?” I looked up and saw a man in a white coat, his demeanor gentle, yet his eyes held a sharp, all-knowing insight. His name tag read “Dr. Julian, Head of Surgery.” His gaze fell on the wound at the tip of my tail, and he frowned slightly, seeming to recognize the faint golden covenant patterns glowing beneath the scales. “Who are you? How dare you interfere with the Sterling family’s business?” Sterling demanded, furious. Dr. Julian ignored him. He gently helped me up, his fingertips inadvertently brushing over the curse mark on my tail, and murmured, “I know this kind of pain. Just bear with it.” His voice was soft, yet it carried a reassuring strength. Dr. Julian ignored him and gently helped me up. “Miss, are you alright? I’ll arrange surgery for you immediately.” “No!” Sterling blocked him. “A monster, she’s dead anyway, why waste time?” Dr. Julian frowned. “In a hospital, there are only patients, no monsters. Mr. Sterling, please step aside.” He helped me, firmly bypassing Sterling. “Besides, you seem to forget, if it weren’t for this young lady six years ago, you wouldn’t be alive today.” I looked at Dr. Julian and gave a mocking smile. In my most desperate moment, my so-called family had all abandoned me, even adding insult to injury. Only a stranger, who seemed to know about the Serpentine Oracle’s curse, had resolutely extended a helping hand. “Thank you,” I said weakly. Dr. Julian simply nodded, speaking gently. “Don’t worry, I’m the best surgeon. Not only can I treat your wound, but I also know how to temporarily suppress the backlash of this pact.” He paused, then added, “My ancestors had a pact with the Serpentine Oracle, a vow to protect her descendants.” I smiled faintly. Behind me, Sterling’s enraged shouts and Brittany’s feigned dissuasion echoed, but I no longer cared. Inside the consultation room, Dr. Julian closed the door and began to meticulously treat my wound. “Hold still, it might hurt a little. But you’re safe with me. Even if I have to snatch you from the jaws of death, I promise I’ll save you.” I nodded, watching his focused profile, a warmth spreading through my heart. Perhaps, my life still had a chance. Just as I began to relax, Brittany’s piercing scream cut through the closed door. “Help! My baby! Blood, there’s blood everywhere, Sterling…” Sterling kicked the door with furious force, pounding it like a drum. “Willow! Get out here! If Brittany loses the baby, I’ll make sure you pay with your life!” **4.** My tail tip suddenly twitched. Dr. Julian’s hand on the back of my neck tightened. “Don’t move, the bone fragments will embed deeper.” His fingertips, stained with my blood, dripped red, like scattered plum blossoms, into the tray. “The serpentine curse is dangerous. We need to debride the wound immediately.” “Debride?” I gave a self-deprecating laugh, the movement tugging at my wound with excruciating pain. “He probably won’t even let me leave this room alive.” The backlash from my once beloved was more than I could endure in my current state. No sooner had I spoken than the consultation room door was violently thrown open. Sterling stormed in, clutching the hospital director’s collar. The director’s white coat was creased, still stained with Brittany’s ‘blood’—a color so vividly bright, it looked like freshly opened antiseptic. “Dr. Julian, please be accommodating,” the director said, rubbing his hands obsequiously. “Mr. Sterling is offering an additional one million. Could you… perhaps ask this lady to leave?” “One million?” Dr. Julian set down his probe, the clinking of instruments as cold as ice. “Is that enough to compensate her for six years of lifeblood, or to settle the Serpentine Oracle’s pact?” He looked up, his gaze sweeping over Sterling. “Six years ago, when you were in the ICU, you knelt and begged her to shed her blood to save your life.” Leo also squeezed through the door, clutching the treatment cart, and picked up a pair of surgical scissors, gesturing with them. “Monster, watch me cut off your serpentine tail! Mommy Brittany says if it’s cut off, she won’t hurt anymore!” “Leo!” I cried out in alarm, the pain in my tailbone suddenly turning numb. “See? Even our child knows who the real threat is.” Sterling’s eyes were poisoned with venom. “Willow, crawl out yourself, and I’ll leave you with a whole body.” “Sterling, are you truly unwilling to open your eyes and see?” I stared intently at the wall behind him, where Brittany was feigning weakness, leaning against it. “The ‘blood’ on her dress… isn’t that the antiseptic from the nurses’ station down the hall?” Brittany’s face instantly paled, but Sterling backhanded me. “Shut up! Still trying to sow discord.” My cheek burned, and the taste of blood filled my throat. I licked my lips and suddenly laughed. “Sterling, you’ll spend your entire life living in her lies.” Dr. Julian, quick as lightning, snatched Leo’s wrist. The tip of the scissors was barely an inch from my scales. Leo thrashed wildly in his arms, spitting on the doctor’s face. “She killed Aunt Iris! She’s a wicked, bad woman!” “Iris?” I stiffened. So this was the poison Brittany had been feeding Leo. Brittany suddenly covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. “Leo, stop talking. She won’t admit it.” Sterling’s face turned iron-gray instantly. He grabbed my throat with both hands, his grip tightening. “I was going to spare your life, but it seems I was too soft-hearted.” Dr. Julian tried to intervene, but Leo bit his arm, holding on tightly. Just as the feeling of suffocation surged, a stern male voice echoed down the hallway. “You savage, let go!” Sterling’s hands, clutching my throat, froze abruptly. His strength drained away, bit by bit. He turned back in shock, and when he saw Mr. Harrison leaning on his cane, his Adam’s apple bobbed, unable to speak a word.

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My mom said she was on a mission. If she couldn’t make my dad fall in love with her again, the system would wipe her out. Completely erased from existence. I secretly told Dad, but he just said, “Then let her die.” Mom heard it too. She didn’t cry. She just held me gently. Later, Mom really died. But my cold, heartless dad, he went crazy. Mom slept for a really, really long time. It was way past time to take me to preschool, but she still wasn’t awake. I touched her body. It was cold, and stiff. Not warm and soft like usual. “Mommy, I’m hungry.” I shook her hard, but she still didn’t open her eyes. She wasn’t like this before. Before, if I just whined a little, she’d wake up instantly, pull me into her arms, and soothe me gently. But now, she was sleeping so deeply. I pulled the blanket over her to cover her properly, then climbed out of bed to call Dad. Dad hadn’t been home for days. Our neighbor, Ms. Davis, said his first love, Celeste, had divorced and come back last month, and that he didn’t want Mom and me anymore. Ms. Davis also said Mom looked a lot like Celeste, and Dad must have married Mom because he mistook her for Celeste. I didn’t know what a “first love” was, so I went to ask Mom. Mom was quiet for a long time before she said: “It’s about what you never truly had, what’s forever in the past.” I didn’t get it. I started to hate the moon. Because it took my dad away.

Mom had set a password on her phone so I couldn’t watch videos. I couldn’t call Dad. I held the phone up to Mom’s face, but it didn’t unlock automatically like it usually did. I said to the phone, “Voice Assistant, I won’t secretly watch cartoons anymore. Please unlock, I need to call Dad.” But the voice assistant didn’t respond. I went to knock on Ms. Davis’s door, but no one was home either. I had no choice but to climb back into bed and lie next to Mom, watching her. Mom was beautiful. Even sleeping, she was beautiful, more beautiful than any fairy on TV. Dad used to often watch Mom when she was asleep, and then he’d carry Mom from my side into their room. He’d playfully nip at Mom like a puppy. Mom was most afraid of dogs, but she never pushed Dad away. The next morning, Mom would always wake up late, rushing to make breakfast for Dad and me. Adults always say kids don’t remember things, but I remember everything. I remember that no matter how rushed Mom was back then, her eyes were always full of laughter. But Dad didn’t smile. He just sat there looking at his phone, then went to work after breakfast, dropping me off at preschool on the way. The teachers at preschool all loved it when Dad brought me. I heard them say my dad was the most handsome of all the dads, tall and good-looking and rich, like a movie star. They also said my dad was cold and aloof, and if only he were a little gentler, he’d be perfect. I thought they were wrong. Leo’s dad was clearly the best-looking. Leo’s dad always carried him on his shoulders when he brought him to preschool. How cool was that? My dad would just lift me down from the car and tell me to go into preschool by myself.

I took out the photo from Mom’s hand. We’d taken it at the art gallery a few days ago. Dad originally had plans and didn’t want to go with us, but Mom held his hand. “Just one more photo, please. Lily can look at it when she grows up. Otherwise… otherwise, it’d be so sad.” I saw tears in Mom’s eyes, but she held them back. Dad finally agreed. In the photo, Mom was holding me in a princess dress, leaning gently on Dad’s shoulder. Dad didn’t push Mom away; he quietly let her lean on him. Out of the three of us, I was the only one smiling the happiest. Last night before bed, Mom held me and looked at this photo together. She kissed my cheek and said, “I wish Mom were more useful.” “Lily, you have to grow up brave, and never be afraid.” I happily rolled around in her arms, “Okay, I’ll grow up brave!” She smiled too, but tears were on her face. She’d been crying a lot lately, even more than me. Then she sang me to sleep. In a daze, I heard her pleading with someone, “It’s not time yet, why are you here… Let me make a call and arrange things for my daughter… She’s only three, please…” I didn’t know who she was talking to. There were only two of us at home. But I was so tired, my eyelids felt too heavy to lift. When I woke up, Mom was lying next to me, her blanket barely covering her, which was why her body was so cold. I used my tiny hand to hold Mom’s, hoping she’d get warmer. No luck.

After a while, Mom’s phone rang. I went to answer, but the ringtone stopped. The phone was dead. I plugged the phone in to charge, but no one called back. I was hungry. I moved a small stool and opened the fridge, but I could only reach a bag of bread. I wanted to get the milk from deeper inside the fridge, but the stool fell, and I tumbled down hard. “Mommy, it hurts!” I cried as I went to find Mom. Mom still didn’t wake up. She was always so worried about me falling and getting hurt. I cried until I was tired, then fell asleep next to Mom. In my dream, I heard Dad’s voice. No, it wasn’t a dream. Dad really was back. I opened my eyes and heard the sound of the door code being entered. The door opened, but Dad didn’t walk in. Only his voice came through: “Lily’s preschool called and said she didn’t show up. I came back to check. Don’t worry, it’s normal after surgery. Go ask the doctor, I’ll be right there to find you.” He was on the phone, and his voice was so gentle. He had never spoken to Mom and me like that. He was always so indifferent to us, sometimes even cold. “Daddy.” I crawled off the bed from beside Mom and ran out. Dad frowned when he saw me. “Why aren’t you dressed? Where’s Mom?” I stopped, afraid to go closer, and whispered from the bedroom doorway, “Mommy’s sleeping on the bed.” He didn’t even look at Mom. He just said coldly to her, “Anya, I’ll give you three more days to think about it. The house and car here are all yours. Sign the divorce papers soon; it’ll be better for both of us.” Something fell in the bedroom. I thought Mom had woken up and ran to check. It was just the phone, which had fallen off the charger onto the floor. I went out to call Dad again, but he had already taken the elevator and left. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to press the elevator button to go down and find him, to tell him that Mom wouldn’t wake up. But Mom had said that children should absolutely, absolutely never ride the elevator alone. Once, when I was playing around, I took the elevator down to the underground parking lot. Mom looked for me for a long time and cried, she was so worried. I went back to Mom’s side and lay down. I didn’t want Mom to cry. When she cried, she was so sad, and she’d secretly hide so I wouldn’t see. I loved it when she smiled. The bread was all gone; I could only drink water. I was still hungry after drinking water, and Mom still hadn’t woken up. I thought Mom was sick. When I was sick, I also slept a lot, but Mom would feed me medicine and I’d get better.

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After the global collapse, my daughter Daisy’s radiation immunity became our family’s lifeline, finding us food and clean water. But my sister-in-law, Cassandra, pointed at Daisy, accusing her of stealing her son Leo’s abilities. The next day, my six-year-old Daisy was thrown by my husband, Julian, into an abandoned pipe crawling with mutated rats. I knelt outside the iron bars, my head slamming against the concrete, begging them to pull Daisy out. Julian impatiently kicked me away: “She can’t be poisoned to death anyway. What’s wrong with a few rat bites?” “We’re family. Just letting Cassandra blow off some steam.” I watched, horrified, as my daughter screamed and ran inside the pipe, her clothes torn, her tiny body covered in bloody gashes. Cassandra, bored, pulled Julian away to distribute food. Daisy’s cries grew weaker and weaker, until all that was left was the excited gnawing of mutated rats. When Julian finally returned, all that was left of Daisy was half a tiny leg, dragging from the pipe opening. He kicked away a rat still tearing at her, then sneered at me: “Still wailing? I only put common rats in there. They can’t kill a person.” “Who knew she was so stupid she wouldn’t even realize that?”

I knelt on the cold concrete ground, my forehead already raw and bloody. “Please… please, just pull her up… she’s just a child!” My throat was raw from screaming, my fingers scraping against the gaps in the iron bars, nails tearing and bending backwards, but I felt no pain. From deep within the pipe came rustling sounds, mixed with Daisy’s heart-wrenching screams. “Mommy… Mommy, help me! It hurts so bad… they’re biting me… Mommy…” That sound was like a dull blade, slowly, agonizingly carving into my heart. I frantically shook the fence, only to be met with Julian’s impatient kick. “So noisy!” He kicked me to the ground, looking down at me. “Willow, can’t you be sensible? She’s just a girl, is it really worth this?” I crawled over and hugged his leg. “Julian, that’s your daughter, your own daughter.” “Tsk.” He shook me off, turning to look at Cassandra, who was clinging to him. “Cassandra’s right. That girl is just overdramatic.” “So what if she’s radiation immune? If our Leo went out to find supplies, he’d be a hundred times better than her.” Cassandra chuckled, covering her mouth. Her fingers, adorned with vibrant red nail polish, traced circles on Julian’s chest. “Julian, I knew you were the most reasonable one. Kids, they need a little lesson to learn their place.” “Mommy… Mommy…” Daisy’s voice grew weaker and weaker, replaced by the excited squeaking and tearing sounds of the mutated rats. I trembled, lunging at the fence again, but Cassandra grabbed a handful of my hair. “Willow, don’t push your luck.” She leaned close to my ear, a smile twisting her lips. “Your daughter stole my son’s abilities. This is her deserved karma.” “What abilities? There are no abilities!” I shrieked hysterically. “Daisy is just… just physically unique…” “Enough!” Julian cut me off impatiently. “Cassandra, let’s go distribute the supplies. Don’t waste time here.” Cassandra immediately beamed. “Okay, I’m starving anyway.” Before she left, she deliberately kicked the fence. “Little bastard, enjoy yourself.” They walked away, embracing, as my daughter’s increasingly faint cries for help echoed in my ears. I fumbled for a piece of shattered rock on the ground and furiously smashed it against the fence lock. The sound echoed in the empty sewer, but it didn’t budge the sturdy iron lock in the slightest. “Daisy… Daisy, hold on… Mommy’s here…” My voice was choked, fragmented. The response from the pipe had dwindled to faint sobs, then the chilling sound of gnawing. I don’t know how long passed, my hands were already raw and bloody. All I could hear was the rustling feeding sounds of the mutated rats. When Julian and Cassandra returned, well-fed and satisfied, my tears had run dry. Julian carelessly kicked away a fat rat that crawled out of the pipe opening, then shone his flashlight inside. “Tsk, already given up?” He frowned, his eyes full of impatience. “I put common rats in there. They can’t kill a person.” I stared blankly at the pipe opening. Only half of a tiny leg remained, wearing the little bunny socks I had sewn for Daisy myself. Julian followed my gaze, then suddenly laughed. “Huh? That stupid girl, did she just scare herself to death? I told you she always lied and played victim since she was little, didn’t I?” In that moment, a surge of murderous intent ripped through me.

I curled up on the damp, cold concrete floor, my arms tightly wrapped around Daisy’s tiny, incomplete leg. The small limb was already ice-cold, the sock stained with dark red blood. From the next room, the rhythmic creaking of a bed frame and Cassandra’s exaggerated moans slithered into my ears like venomous snakes. “Ah… Julian… you’re so much better than that old hag…” I bit down hard on my lower lip, the taste of rust spreading in my mouth. The small sock in my arms suddenly slipped, revealing a stark white bone. That was the only part of Daisy that was still somewhat intact. My stomach clenched violently, bile and acid surging up my throat, but I swallowed it back down. Memories from three years ago suddenly flashed through my mind. Back then, the apocalypse hadn’t arrived. Julian knelt under a cherry tree outside the company building, holding a diamond ring, looking so sincere. His voice trembled slightly in the spring breeze. “Willow, I will protect you and our future child with my life.” At that time, the sincerity in his eyes made me cry like an idiot. The scene shifted to the day Daisy was born. In the delivery room, Julian held our swaddled daughter, his fingers gently caressing her tender, pink face, his eyes soft as a spring puddle. “Our princess is so beautiful.” He leaned down and kissed my sweaty forehead. “Thank you for giving me a complete home.” Seeing the joy in his eyes made all the pain feel worthwhile. When the first pollution alarm sounded, he drove through the night from the east side of the city to the west to pick up Daisy and me. In the rearview mirror, his gaze was as firm as iron: “Don’t be scared, I’m here.” Outside the car window, crowds scattered in panic, but his arms were my safest harbor. The fragments of memory suddenly sharpened. When did he change? Was it the day Cassandra arrived with her five-year-old son Leo, seeking refuge with us? Or when supplies became increasingly scarce? I watched his eyes grow colder, watched his growing disdain for our daughter, and his overwhelming care for Cassandra… A dull thud from the next room – bodies hitting the wall – followed by Julian’s sated sigh. My hands trembling, I unbuttoned my collar, carefully tucking Daisy’s small sock and that piece of bone into my pocket, close to my skin. The fabric immediately soaked with blood, burning against my heart. “Mommy, don’t be scared… Daisy will protect you…” Before my last outing, Daisy wiped away my tears with her tiny hands. She always said she was a little superhero, meant to protect her timid mommy. She didn’t know that Mommy was the one who should have protected her. Moonlight slanted in through the vent. I looked down at my blood-stained hands. I stood up mechanically, my legs long since numb. I stumbled before I could steady myself. The blast door opening required triple authentication, but I had long memorized Julian’s fingerprint sequence. When the third green light glowed, I opened the blast door. In the early morning, the howl of mutated wolves ripped through the night sky as I stood on the lookout tower. The sound was unlike a normal wolf’s howl; it made my scalp crawl. Soon, a dozen pairs of eerie green eyes gleamed in the darkness. Julian burst out, shirtless, Cassandra following, disheveled, one high heel missing. Their panicked flight towards the SUV made me laugh out loud. “Willow, are you insane?” Julian looked up, saw me standing on the lookout tower, and his face instantly turned ashen. In the moonlight, I could clearly see the un-faded lipstick mark on his neck, vivid red like blood. I didn’t answer, just watched silently as the first mutated wolf pounced on Cassandra. The beast was the size of a small calf, its fur patchy and falling out, revealing rotting muscle underneath. It bit into Cassandra’s meticulously styled long hair, dragging her to the ground. Her scream cut short as the second wolf clamped its jaws around her throat. Julian hesitated for a second. Just one second, then he plunged into the driver’s seat without looking back. The roar of the engine mingled with Cassandra’s dying screams. The SUV rammed through two mutated wolves blocking its way and sped off, leaving a trail of dust. More mutated creatures poured in through the open blast door. I knew this was just the beginning. Julian, you can escape for a while, but you can’t escape forever. From today on, I am no longer the weak Willow. I will live, live longer than anyone else, until I see Julian descend into hell with my own eyes.

I wandered through the ruins for three days. Daisy’s little finger, tucked against my heart, had taken on my body temperature. Sometimes I even imagined I felt it tremble faintly. On the evening of the fourth day, I was surrounded by a pack of wolves. They emerged from beneath a collapsed overpass—twelve of them, maybe more. These mutated wolves were the size of adult Tibetan mastiffs, their exposed skin covered in festering sores. Their fangs were grotesquely elongated, dripping corrosive saliva. The alpha wolf at the front had a rotting empty socket where its right eye should be, its remaining left eye fixed intently on me. I stood my ground. I didn’t run. Death was no longer terrifying to me; it would be a release. The pack slowly closed in, their foul breath hot on my face. I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to descend. However, nothing happened. I opened my eyes and found the alpha wolf sniffing my clothing, perplexed. Its rotting snout brushed against my exposed arm, but it didn’t bite. The other wolves also appeared unusually agitated, circling me but not daring to approach. “What the hell…?” A rough male voice came from above the ruins. I looked up and saw six fully armed people standing on the edge of the broken overpass. The man in the lead wore a gas mask, but I could feel his sharp gaze fixed on me. He made a gesture, and the others immediately fanned out, moving as swiftly as a pack of leopards. Gunshots rang out, but not aimed at me. Precise shots took down three wolves closest to me. The pack stirred, but instead of attacking me, they bared their teeth at the source of the gunfire. “Ma’am, slowly move to your right.” The leading man shouted at me, his voice muffled through the gas mask. “There’s a recess there, you can temporarily hide.” I didn’t move. Why hide? Wouldn’t it be better for the wolves to tear me apart? The man cursed, then leaped down from the broken bridge. He landed with a forward roll to absorb the impact, his movements clean and precise. As he got to his feet, he had already drawn a military knife. A flash of silver, and a wolf that lunged at him had its throat slit with deadly accuracy. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” He grabbed my wrist, pulling me behind him. He dealt with the wolves that rushed him one by one. After the last wolf fell, the man finally took off his gas mask. He had a sharply defined face, a scar above his left eyebrow, adding a touch of ferocity to his otherwise handsome features. He panted, but his eyes never left my face. “Are you hurt?” I shook my head, realizing my wrist was still in his grasp. His palm was wide and rough, surprisingly warm. “Why didn’t those wolves attack you?” He asked the crucial question. I didn’t know how to answer. In fact, I wanted to know the answer too. Was it because of Daisy? She could move freely in the radiation zones, and now part of her flesh and blood was integrated with mine… “Never mind. Let’s get out of here first.” Ryder released my wrist and spoke into his communicator. “Found a survivor, female, showing unusual circumstances. Requesting return to base.” “I’m not going to any base.” I took a step back. Ryder raised an eyebrow. “Then where do you plan to go? Continue wandering in the ruins?” “Next time, it might not be a wolf pack. It could be something far worse.” “That’s none of your business.” He stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. “Interesting. Fine, go wherever you want.” He turned and waved to his team. “Pack up, we’re heading southeast as planned.” Southeast. My heart pounded. That was the direction Julian had fled. “Wait.” I heard myself say, “Are you… are you searching for survivors?” Ryder turned back, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through my thoughts. “Not entirely.” “We’re tracking a group of scavengers. They’ve looted several shelters.” He paused. “Heard the leader is a man with a missing left arm, with a crazy woman.” “Something about… Julian?” My nails dug deeply into my palms. Julian lost his left arm? When did that happen? “If you change your mind, follow along.” Ryder had already turned to walk away. “But fair warning, if you’re with us, you’re a team member. You follow orders.” I looked at his back, then touched Daisy’s little finger near my heart. I said, “I’m in.” My Daisy died. Why should Julian get to live unharmed?

As we approached the shelter, a familiar cough echoed from a corner. My blood instantly froze. It was Julian. He was curled up in a pile of moldy blankets, his left sleeve empty and dangling, his face ashen like a corpse. Cassandra was squatting beside him, wiping sweat from his forehead with a dirty rag. Her son, Leo, was nowhere to be seen. The moment Julian looked up and saw me, his murky eyes suddenly lit up. “Willow?” He struggled to stand, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable. “You’re alive.” Cassandra whipped her head around, her meticulously drawn eyebrows raised high. “Well, well, still clinging to life, are we?” She sneered. “What, here to beg Julian for food?” My nails dug deeply into my palms. Ryder, sensing my unease, stepped half a pace to shield me. He asked quietly, “You know them?” “My husband.” I heard myself say. “My former husband.” Julian’s expression rapidly shifted from surprise to anger. “Willow, you have the nerve to come back?” He swayed as he stood. “If you hadn’t opened the blast door, how would I have…” He lifted his empty left sleeve, his voice choked. “How would Leo have…” So the child died. A twisted sense of satisfaction welled up in my heart, but it was immediately swallowed by a greater emptiness. A child’s death shouldn’t make me happy, even if it was Cassandra’s son. “Enough.” Ryder’s voice wasn’t loud, but it instantly silenced the entire shelter. He turned to the shelter’s manager. “This is Willow, a new member of our team.” “She has a unique constitution; she can move freely in heavily radiated zones without getting infected.” A collective gasp swept through the room. Julian and Cassandra’s expressions were priceless. First shock, then greed, then deep, profound fear. “Impossible!” Cassandra shrieked. “She’s just a regular housewife!” Ryder scoffed and pulled a radiation detector from his backpack. He gestured for me to extend my hand, then placed the detector against my skin. The instrument remained silent. But when he moved it towards himself, a piercing alarm immediately blared. “This…” Julian’s eyes widened, shimmering with an emotion I couldn’t decipher. “Willow, what’s going on?” I didn’t answer. Ryder clapped his hands. “From today on, Ms. Willow will be in charge of our supply exchange with the East District shelter.” “Anyone who disrespects her will be considered an enemy of the entire shelter.” Julian’s expression changed again and again, finally settling into a sickeningly fawning look. “My wife… I mean, ex-wife, she’s always been excellent.” He tried to approach me, but Ryder’s gaze pinned him to the spot. “Willow, we need to talk…” That night, I lay in the private cubicle assigned to our team, listening to the continuous coughing and groaning outside. A shadow appeared under the door crack. Then came a familiar, careful knocking. “Willow? It’s me.” Julian’s voice was barely a whisper. “Please, just five minutes.” I scoffed silently, but opened the door anyway. He slinked in like a stray dog, smelling of stale sweat and unwashed clothes. In the dim light, I saw the bloodshot in his eyes and his deeply sunken cheeks. “I know you hate me.” He dropped to his knees as soon as he spoke, his empty sleeve dangling limply. “But I truly regret it, Willow.” “That day, I was misled by Cassandra, I…” “Daisy was only six.” I said softly, my fingers unconsciously caressing the cloth pouch on my chest. “She was still calling for Mommy when she died.” Julian’s tears immediately flowed, whether real or fake. “I have nightmares every night…” He choked. “That pipe… I only found out later that a few mutated rats had gotten in…” Lies. All lies. I distinctly remembered him saying they were just common rats, saying Daisy was too stupid and scared herself to death. But now, looking at him sobbing, I suddenly understood what I needed to do. “Julian…” I reached out and gently stroked his dirty hair, my voice intentionally soft. “I… I also made mistakes…” He clung to my leg like a drowning man grasping a lifeline. “Can we start over? Just like before…” “Give me some time.” I said gently. “Right now, I have to follow the team, but… maybe after the mission is over…” Julian looked up, the hope in his eyes nauseating. “I’ll wait for you.” He said eagerly. “I’ll cut ties with that crazy woman, I swear.” Footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, and Julian flinched. Ryder’s voice came from outside: “Willow? Everything alright in there?” Julian frantically let go of me. I quickly adjusted my expression and opened the door. Ryder stood at the doorway, his gaze like a knife, sweeping over Julian kneeling on the ground. “Am I interrupting your reunion?” His tone was chillingly calm. Julian scrambled up awkwardly, lowering his head, and slinked away. In the early hours of the morning, an alarm ripped through the shelter’s tranquility. “Mutated plant invasion! Everyone evacuate to the central hall immediately!”

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My lover has delusions. He sees me as his enemy, his mortal foe, the one person he despises most. Day after day, I play along with his twisted game. Until one day, I just couldn’t anymore. I was diagnosed with cancer. **1** When I got home, the house was dark. I dropped my bag, kicked off my shoes, and fumbled for the light switch on the wall. The moment my hand hit the switch, a plate flew past my head. I ducked, barely dodging it. The lights flickered on. Julian stood on the stairs, his face utterly blank as he stared at me. “So, you decided to show up.” “…” I managed a small smile and walked over to him. I reached out and wrapped my arms around him. “Can you stop acting like a whiny, complaining partner, Julian?” He smelled faintly of the cologne I’d picked out for him, a floral scent. I always hoped it would soften the icy aura he gave off. But it never did. His eyes still held pure revulsion when he looked at me. **2** Tiny shards of light glittered from the crystal chandelier. But even with the lights on, the living room felt unnervingly cold. And the man sitting beside me offered no warmth at all. I placed my tablet on my lap, flipping through pages to show him. “Look, for our wedding, don’t you think this dress would be perfect?” “The skirt is designed like a mermaid’s tail.” “It’s so beautiful, like shimmering light just gliding over it.” “And I really love this one too, the veil has stars on it, just like the ones you showed me at the—” A mocking laugh cut me off. He raised his head, his dark eyes fixed on me. “Did we ever *have* a past?” I desperately wanted to tell him we did, that we had so many wonderful memories together. But the man in front of me always saw me as a monster, the kind of villain beyond redemption. He grabbed my chin, pulling my face close, and his lips brushed against the corner of mine. His voice, usually so cold, had a seductive lilt, a dark, alluring whisper that made me shiver. “Good girl, now give me the medication.” **3** Julian listened to me, but only because… I had something he desperately craved. If he’d ever bothered to look through the agency’s internal reports from years ago, he would have starkly seen his name listed under drug enforcement commendations and injured in the line of duty. Julian developed an addiction during his undercover work. After his undercover assignment ended, he was diagnosed with a paranoid psychotic disorder. Essentially, delusions. He classified almost everyone around him as an enemy, and that included me. Even me, the person he once said he loved most, the one he swore to protect with his life. The gentle man I knew was long gone. He’d been dragged into his own personal hell, and his gaze when he looked at me was like looking into a thousand-year-old ice cave. The bedroom was dim. I yanked on his collar, pushing him back onto the bed. He was beneath me, yet his eyes were strangely calm. Even tainted by addiction, he looked as pure as a distant, untouchable god. A slight curl of his lips was still enough to take my breath away. I leaned down to kiss him, but with a surprising surge of strength, he flipped me over. He fumbled in my chest pocket for a moment and pulled out a syringe. Then, with practiced ease, he plunged it into his right arm. … To him, that syringe was a hit of pure drug. But it wasn’t. It was a specially formulated sedative, a psychiatric medication designed just for him. Addiction recovery isn’t something that happens overnight; it requires slowly tapering the dosage. Suddenly, I understood why he hated me so much. Because, in his eyes, I wasn’t his closest lover. I was the one who had gotten him hooked, then dangled just enough to manipulate him, day after day… Just a villain. **4** I had a dream. It was years ago, when Julian was still undercover. One Christmas Eve, I went to meet him. We navigated through the crowds, seeing each other only through the folds of newspapers we pretended to read. He had his hands shoved into his pockets, leaning against a railing like he didn’t have a bone in his body. Julian was handsome, and even a slight smirk made him look dangerously charming, drawing glances from every girl nearby. Right in front of me, he whistled at two of them. I kicked his shin. “Ow!” he yelped, then lowered his voice to call out to me. “Babe, I have to play the part, right?” He was already starting to pick up the rough edges of the underworld, but his eyes were still clear. Christmas carols jingled in the background. He tilted his head back, a playful tone in his voice. “Three years from now, then another three years, then another three…” It was a line from ‘Infernal Affairs,’ our favorite crime thriller. He turned his head, our eyes finally meeting in the reflection on the glass. “When am I finally going to marry you?” … I lowered my newspaper, brushing past him. “Finish your mission, and I’ll be waiting for you to marry me.” … The mission was over, but I never got to marry him. I woke up early the next morning, and the spot beside me was empty. No sign of him. I knew he hated me, that he didn’t want to share a bed with me. But when I went downstairs and couldn’t find him anywhere, panic set in. I searched every single room in the house. Nothing. I called a friend, my hand shaking so hard I could barely hold the phone. But he wasn’t anywhere. I clutched my head and sank to the floor. Lately, it was always like this. If I thought too hard about anything, my head would throb. My vision blurred from the pounding pain, but the desperate worry of not finding him was the real torture. Frantically, I typed out messages, even thinking of asking my old colleagues at the agency to help me track him down. My frantic heart pounded faster and faster, until a pair of white sneakers appeared in front of me. “What are you doing?” His voice was steady, still so cold and indifferent. Julian wasn’t Julian anymore, and yet, he still was. But the detached man standing before me could never truly merge with the playful boy from my memories. I stood up and wrapped my arms around him. I don’t know why, but I always loved holding him. It was like I could somehow imprint my warmth onto him, even though he never once hugged me back. “I thought you left, Julian.” He took a step back, subtly pushing me away. “I just went to water the flowers.” “…” I smiled faintly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “What do you want for dinner tonight? I’ll make you…”

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My roommate and her boyfriend had a major breakup, but I was the one who got kidnapped. In my previous life, Chloe told me her boyfriend, Ryan, was probably cheating and asked me to test his loyalty. I never imagined Ryan wasn’t cheating at all. Instead, he was obsessively in love with her. After Chloe broke up with him, he kidnapped me and forced an entire bottle of bleach down my throat, leading to my agonizing death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day Chloe pulled the same old trick. Knowing the truth this time, I dialed 911: “Hello, Officer, I suspect someone just drugged me…” “Cassie, what are you spacing out for? Are you even listening to me?” Chloe’s sweet, yet oddly demanding voice, drifted into my ear through the phone. Familiar memories flooded back, and I felt a jolt, instinctively touching my throat. No burning sting. No numb sensation of chemical corrosion. I had been reborn?! In my last life, it was exactly today. Chloe had pleaded and pestered me on the phone, begging me to help her test if her boyfriend, Ryan, was really cheating. “Cassie, we’re best friends, you know? Only you can help me with this.” She sighed dramatically on the other end, her voice filled with such grievance, as if she’d suffered the greatest injustice. “I just have this gut feeling. Could you just go feel him out for me? Just chat with him a bit, see how he acts around other girls.” “You know Ryan. He seems aloof, but he totally falls for your straightforward type. If you test him, he won’t be on guard.” “If he really has changed, I can at least get over him, right? Please, help me out?” Back then, I had just graduated. I was naive and easily swayed. I couldn’t resist her repeated pleas and agreed. I never imagined my roommate, with whom I lived day in and day out, harbored such a venomous heart. In my past life, I followed Chloe’s script. At a party she’d conveniently arranged, I casually brought up relationship topics. I even said a few ambiguous things as she instructed. Ryan, already upset by Chloe’s recent coldness, blew up on the spot after my interference. Soon after, Chloe broke up with him. But then Chloe, sobbing dramatically with tears streaming down her face, told Ryan that I had been interested in him all along and deliberately stirred up trouble between them. “I knew she liked you for ages. Her eyes always looked at you weirdly. I thought she’d give up eventually, but I never expected…” “Cassie’s my best friend, I don’t want to hurt her, Ryan, let’s just break up!” All the words I had said, following her instructions, became “proof” of me “seducing” Ryan. Looking back now, Chloe wasn’t trying to test Ryan at all. She clearly wanted to break up but didn’t want to be blamed for cheating, so she staged this whole act. Ryan, with his extreme personality, was blinded by rage. He kidnapped me. “I wondered why she suddenly dumped me! So it was you messing things up behind her back!” I desperately explained that it was all Chloe’s setup, but he didn’t believe me. During our struggle, he pulled out a bottle of bleach from somewhere and forced it into my mouth. “She thought you were her best friend, but you secretly tried to steal her boyfriend!” “Chloe loves me so much, why would she break up with me?! It’s all because of you! Even now, Chloe refuses to get back with me.” “Since you like me so much, then just die!” I writhed on the floor in agony. Before losing consciousness, I only saw Ryan’s twisted, desperate face. By the time the police arrived, I was already dead, from acute chemical poisoning. Ryan was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. His entire life was utterly ruined. His decent, hardworking parents turned white-haired overnight, nearly fainting from grief in the courtroom. And Chloe? At my funeral, she wept profusely, playing the part of a poor soul who had lost her dearest friend, but her eyes were full of triumph. “Cassie, don’t blame me. Blame yourself for being too trusting. I just said a few ambiguous words, and you actually believed them.” “I didn’t want to hurt you, and I wanted to break up with Ryan peacefully. But that lunatic Ryan would just smash things and get violent every time I mentioned breaking up.” “Besides, it was that lunatic Ryan who did it himself. It has nothing to do with me.” It turned out she had calculated everything from the start. She wanted to get rid of Ryan but was afraid of his extreme personality and what he might do, so she designed this whole thing to implicate me. She even posted tributes to me on social media, subtly implying that I had a crush on Ryan and was accidentally harmed when my advances were rejected. She cleaned her hands completely, winning widespread sympathy. My parents, having to bury their own child, had all the life drained from them overnight. They eventually withered away from grief and sorrow. Perhaps Heaven itself couldn’t stand such injustice, and miraculously gave me a chance to come back. This time, I would make Chloe pay back every single debt, down to the last penny!

“Cassie? Are you listening or not? Just help me this once, please? I’ll treat you to dinner tonight!” Chloe’s voice on the other end of the phone continued to nag. I took a deep breath, suppressing the rising hatred. “Okay.” Chloe’s voice instantly brightened, full of undisguised eagerness. “I knew you were the best! You wouldn’t just stand by and let me be fooled.” I clutched my phone. “Well, he is your boyfriend. You need to know the truth. Tell me, what should I do?” “Just find a chance to ask Ryan out for dinner.” Chloe lowered her voice, a calculated excitement in her tone. “Just say… say that I’ve been complaining to you lately about him not being attentive enough, and you’re sticking up for me, wanting to talk some sense into him.” “Then you can subtly ask if he has something on his mind, or… if he’s met any girls who caught his eye.” She paused, then added, “Remember, don’t be too direct. Act like it’s just casual conversation.” “If he avoids eye contact or speaks vaguely, then something’s definitely wrong! Make sure to tell me right away so I can make my plans.” I intentionally dragged out my words, pretending to hesitate. “Is that really okay? What if he finds out you put me up to it? Won’t he get mad?” Chloe scoffed, her voice confident. “Don’t worry, he trusts you so much, why would he suspect anything?” “Besides, even if he found out, he’d only blame me for being nosy. At most, we’d have an argument, which would be a perfect chance to see his true colors.” I “reluctantly” agreed. After hanging up, the smile on my face instantly vanished. Chloe wasn’t looking for the truth at all. She clearly wanted to use me to plant a seed of doubt in Ryan’s mind, paving the way for her future “victim” persona. In my past life, she taught me the exact same way, step by step, leading me into the trap she had dug. But this time, the hunter and the hunted were about to swap places. After hanging up, I immediately opened Amazon and ordered a tiny voice recorder and a few miniature pinhole cameras. Then I contacted a realtor, giving “roommate’s incompatible schedule” as my reason for urgently seeking a new apartment. I didn’t want to spend another day in that place. Soon, I arranged to meet Ryan, following Chloe’s “script.” The location was a nice Western restaurant. I specifically booked a private room, making it easy to set up the equipment. Arriving half an hour early, I skillfully hid the cameras in a potted plant in the corner of the room and behind a framed painting. I also placed the voice recorder in the side pocket of my canvas bag, ensuring it could clearly pick up sound. As expected, after only a few minutes of chatting, Chloe “surprisingly” appeared with a few mutual friends. “Oh, Cassie, what a coincidence!” She beamed, intimately linking her arm through mine, her eyes quickly scanning the private room as if checking for something. “My friends and I were just shopping, and we happened to pass by here. We just came to say hello, hope we’re not interrupting?” I scoffed inwardly but kept my face neutral. “Of course not, the more the merrier.” Ryan was clearly a bit surprised but still stood up and greeted them with a smile. He had indeed been troubled lately by Chloe’s hot-and-cold attitude, and a hint of subtle fatigue was etched on his brows. During the meal, Chloe acted incredibly dependent on Ryan, showing him much care and concern, as if their relationship was perfect. But I noticed that when she lowered her head to play on her phone, her sweet smile would vanish instantly. Her eyes even held a hint of subtle distortion and annoyance. Mid-meal, the private room door opened. A waiter entered, pushing a beautiful cake, singing “Happy Birthday.” Ryan stood up, holding a bouquet of Chloe’s favorite white roses. He awkwardly scratched his head. “Happy Birthday, sweetheart. I meant to surprise you tonight, but I didn’t expect everyone to be here.” Everyone immediately started cheering and clapping, exclaiming, “How romantic!” and “Ryan’s so thoughtful!” Chloe’s smile froze for a second. Then it became exaggerated, and with reddened eyes, she threw herself into Ryan’s arms. “You scared me! I thought you forgot!” But I was sitting diagonally across from her and saw it clearly. When her face was buried in Ryan’s chest, her lips were turned downwards, and her eyes were filled with a grim, hateful look. I picked up my water glass, hiding the coldness in my eyes. While everyone’s attention was on them, I casually leaned towards Ryan and said: “Ryan, you’re so good to Chloe.” “Honestly, girls love these kinds of surprises, especially when you feel she’s been a little distant lately. Maybe a surprise like this can cheer her up.” Ryan paused, then thoughtfully glanced at Chloe. “You’re right. Maybe I’ve been neglecting her too much lately.”

After the dinner, back at our shared apartment. Chloe immediately dropped her facade. She closed the door, then turned around and questioned me, “Cassie, what did you say to Ryan? He was looking at me weirdly today.” I feigned a troubled expression and pulled out my pre-prepared explanation. “I didn’t say anything… just chatted about how you two have been lately.” “He said he felt you hadn’t been very happy recently and asked me if you had something on your mind.” I deliberately showed a confused expression. “Speaking of which, Ryan is quite considerate towards you, sending flowers and preparing a cake. How come you don’t seem very happy? Did you misunderstand something?” Chloe’s face instantly became unnatural, her eyes darting away. She probably hadn’t expected me to not only fail to sow discord as she’d planned but also to mention her “having something on her mind” to Ryan. This uncertainty made her a bit flustered. “No… nothing,” She forced a smile, her tone a little stiff. “Maybe I was overthinking it… Anyway, it’s getting late. I’m going back to my room.” Watching her flee, I knew she wouldn’t dare make any rash moves for now. In the following days, Chloe’s attitude towards me became noticeably colder. She no longer clung to me like before, but her eyes held a new wariness and scrutiny. I enjoyed the peace and quiet, dealing with her while speeding up my apartment search. Soon, I found a satisfactory apartment from the listings my realtor sent me. While Chloe was at work, I arranged for a moving company, ready to pack up and leave. Just as I was directing the movers to secure the boxes, hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway. Chloe stepped out of the elevator and froze instantly at the sight of my packed luggage at the door. “Cassie? What are you doing?” She rushed over and grabbed my arm, her panic barely concealed. “Why are you suddenly moving? Did I do something to upset you?” I gently pulled my arm free and took a step back. “You’re overthinking it. It’s just that this place is too far from my office, and the commute isn’t convenient.” I frowned. “By the way, why are you back? Isn’t it your work hours?” “I left some files at home, so I came back for them.” As she spoke, she tried to get closer to me again. “Are you still mad at me? Just because I asked you to help me test Ryan?” “My tone was bad last time, I apologize. Please don’t be like this.” Her fake concern, in my past life, would have gone unnoticed. I might even have softened. But now, I just felt disgusted. I ignored her, stepped aside for the movers, and followed them out. At my new place, I pulled out my phone and opened the live feed from the camera app. Sure enough, a leopard can’t change its spots. Just like in my past life, Chloe was on the phone with Ryan, feigning tears.

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Ryan, my brother-in-law, was bitten by a venomous snake while collecting firewood in the woods behind our house. His life hung by a thread. The local hospital was short on antivenom, and the key to the office storing it had been taken by my wife, Sophia Thompson. I begged her to come back and save Ryan, but she wouldn’t believe me. “Jack, stop making things up! I just video called my brother an hour ago!” “Being bitten by a snake? What kind of ridiculous lie is that?” She hung up on my plea for help. By the time we got the antivenom, Ryan had already died from the venom. When Sophia saw Ryan’s body, she lost her mind. That weekend, Ryan had insisted on taking me to his mother’s house in town for dinner. He wanted to help his mom by collecting firewood from the woods behind the house. Half an hour later, he came back limping, telling me he’d been bitten by a snake. As soon as he finished speaking, he vomited all over the ground. I panicked and immediately called Sophia. But she didn’t believe me: “Jack, it’s just dinner. How can you come up with such an excuse?” “I just talked to William for a bit, and you’re making a fuss!” I grew desperate, “No, it’s real this time. Your brother is throwing up!” “I’m not lying to you!” Ryan could barely speak beside me, sweating profusely from the pain. Just then, Mrs. Thompson returned and started wailing when she saw the situation, “Sophia, something’s wrong with your brother. Come back quickly!” “Mom, you’re a grown woman. Stop playing along with them!” “I’m watching a movie with my friend. I’m hanging up!” She abruptly ended the call. I was at a loss. Ryan’s wound wasn’t swollen or red, but he could no longer stand. With no help from Sophia, I could only borrow an electric tricycle from a neighbor and rush Ryan to the hospital. But we were told that antivenom for this type of snake was rare and kept in a separate office. “Dr. Thompson took the key with her. There’s nothing we can do.” I panicked and immediately called Sophia again. “Sophia, this is a matter of life and death. Your brother really was bitten by a snake!” “Come back now. The antivenom is locked up, and you have the key!” Hearing this, Sophia was silent for a few seconds. Then, a male voice came through the phone: “Sophia, didn’t your brother say they sprinkled snake repellent around your house? How could he get bitten by a snake?” “Could it be that your husband doesn’t approve of us watching a movie together, so he’s deliberately making you go back?” “Let’s just call it a day.” Hearing this, Sophia grew even more irritated, “Jack, I can see right through you. Stop bothering me!” She hung up and blocked my number when I tried calling again. My legs went weak with anxiety. I used Mrs. Thompson’s phone to call her. “Sophia! The only antivenom in the city is at your hospital. Come back and save your brother now!” To make her believe me, I sent her a photo of Ryan. Sophia was furious and sent a voice message: “Jack, when will you stop? I’ve told you, William and I are just friends. We haven’t seen each other in a long time and just met up!” “You just can’t stand it, can you? Do you have to make a scene every day?!” “Bitten by a venomous snake? Look, does that wound look like it’s from a snake? There’s not even any blood!” I was livid, “Sophia, that’s your own brother!” Sophia had been spending a lot of time with William lately, and we’d argued about it many times. But Ryan was always good to me, often helping to persuade Sophia that she should be faithful now that she was married. In this situation, I couldn’t just stand by and watch him die. I couldn’t get through to Sophia, so I had no choice but to kneel on the ground and beg the doctors: “Please, break down the door!” “I’ll take full responsibility for any consequences!” “Saving a life is what matters most!” Mrs. Thompson was crying uncontrollably beside me. The doctors were also anxious, frantically trying to call Sophia, but she wouldn’t answer. At that moment, someone came in from outside. “Stop calling. They’re not really patients. They’re here to cause trouble!” “That man is Sophia’s husband. He suspects Sophia is cheating on him and has made a scene several times before!” “Sophia just called me to let you all know.” Hearing this, I was dumbfounded. The person who came in was Steve, Sophia’s friend and William’s childhood friend. He stood there with his arms crossed, looking at me with contempt, “Don’t look at me like that. Sophia said you’re just being paranoid!”

The emergency room was full of onlookers. Hearing Steve say this, they couldn’t help but look down on us. “What kind of person does this? Don’t waste public resources!” “Coming to the hospital to make a scene out of jealousy? Don’t you know where you are?” “This whole family is crazy!” Faced with their accusations, I was furious. I turned to Steve, “You’re a doctor too. Can’t you see the patient is in serious pain?” “His wound is real. My brother-in-law said he was bitten by a snake. Please save him quickly!” Mrs. Thompson cried out, “That damn Sophia! This is her own brother!” Steve scoffed: “Dr. Thompson said you’d make a scene, but I didn’t believe it. Now I see she was right…” He looked me up and down, his eyes full of disdain. It made my blood boil, but now wasn’t the time to argue with him. Mrs. Thompson was crying beside me, and Ryan had already passed out. I knelt on the ground: “Please, open the door. I’m begging you!” I kowtowed to them repeatedly. Steve quickly stepped back, “Jack, are you trying to emotionally blackmail us?” “This isn’t emotional blackmail. I’ll take responsibility for any consequences. Whatever Sophia wants to do to me afterward, even if she wants a divorce, that’s fine.” “I just beg you to open that door and get the life-saving medicine out. Please!” I kept kowtowing to them: “Please, I’m begging you!” Seeing this, Steve seemed to soften a bit. He took out his phone and called Sophia. “Sophia, it looks serious. Your brother really was bitten by a snake. The situation is very critical. You should come back quickly!” Hearing this, Sophia scoffed on the other end, “Steve, why are you playing along with them?” “I’ve told you, Jack gets along great with my mom and brother at home. The three of them often gang up on me!” “Don’t get involved in this!” She hung up abruptly. Even Steve was stunned, not expecting Sophia to be so stubborn in her disbelief. At this point, the police had arrived. After hearing about the situation, they made a decisive call to break down the door! Steve tried to stop them, but I grabbed him, “Steve, if anything happens to my brother-in-law, I will hold you responsible!” “I won’t let a single person involved in this incident off the hook!” Steve was taken aback, then retorted defiantly, “Just because you say it’s snake venom doesn’t mean it is! We need to wait for the test results!” The emergency department doctors had already taken blood for testing, but the results would take 40 minutes. Ryan was unconscious, and they couldn’t make a definitive judgment because the wound was just two small red dots. I quickly took a photo and posted online for help. “My brother-in-law was bitten by a venomous snake. The local hospital can’t determine the type. Please help identify if it’s really from a venomous snake.” “Help! Urgent request!!!” Kind netizens helped boost my post. Soon, a snake expert called me. “Hello, I’ve looked at your photo and can confirm it’s from a venomous snake. The golden window for treatment is only four hours. Based on your location, only City General Hospital in your area has the antivenom.” “Even if you get the antivenom and inject it, there may still be after-effects.” “Time is of the essence. You must get treatment immediately!”

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Just because Chloe wanted to know whether a Tibetan Mastiff or a wolf was stronger, my boyfriend Liam locked me, a wolf-born, in a cage with a giant Tibetan Mastiff. I dragged my body, still weak from the recent abortion I had for him, and fought the Mastiff to the death. As I was being bitten to a bloody pulp, Liam was up in the stands covering the eyes of his frightened sweetheart Chloe. Seeing this, Liam’s buddies immediately started teasing: “Bro, this Aria really can transform into a wolf for you, fighting a 400-pound Mastiff for so long!” “But after you treat her like this for Chloe’s sake, she’s probably going to give up on you completely and stop chasing after you.” As soon as they finished speaking, someone retorted: “Our bro Liam is Aria’s imprinted lover. Once a wolf imprints, that bond never disappears!” “Even if Liam wanted to skin her alive to make a fur coat for Chloe, she would hand over her pelt without complaint!” Hearing this, Chloe looked at Liam with confused eyes and asked, “Liam, can she really go that far for you?” Liam’s lips curled into a smug smile. “Wolf-people must unconditionally obey and protect their imprinted lover.” “So even if I told her to die, she would still love me to the bone and obey without question.” He said it so casually, but it felt like my blood was flowing backwards through my veins. But Liam, you’re wrong. A wolf’s imprint is not impossible to break, and I’m not destined to only love you…

“Liam, but you’ve always kept her by your side. I’m afraid you might actually develop feelings for her someday,” Chloe said. Her words made the air fall silent for a moment. Then suddenly, an eruption of raucous laughter broke out. “Miss Chloe, you can rest easy! The only reason our bro Liam is with Aria is because you suddenly went abroad back then and broke his heart. Now that you’re back, do you think he’d still care about that lapdog?” “That’s right, the only interesting thing about Aria is her wolf identity. If she wasn’t a wolf-girl, Liam would’ve dumped her ages ago.” Hearing this, Chloe bit her lip and looked at the silent Liam. “Is that true?” “Mhm,” Liam responded lightly, his long fingers caressing Chloe’s face. “Of course it’s true. Compared to you, she’s nothing more than a plaything to pass the time…” Those two words – “plaything” – that he uttered so casually felt like two sharp blades stabbing into my heart. As I was reeling from the pain, I failed to notice the Mastiff across from me waiting for an opportunity to strike. Seizing the moment I was distracted, the Mastiff lunged at my throat with its blood-filled maw. I stared at those dripping fangs, closed my eyes in despair. “Aria! What are you doing?!” An angry roar snapped me out of my daze. When I opened my eyes, I saw the Mastiff had collapsed, hit by four tranquilizer darts. Liam stood in the stands staring at me, his eyes filled with panic and fury. He ordered someone to lift me, still in wolf form, out of the cage. His eyes bulging with rage: “Aria, are you trying to get yourself killed?!” “You could face off against two Siberian tigers alone to save me before, but now you almost get killed by a dog!” “Is it because you’re upset I put you in a cage for Chloe’s sake, so you’re deliberately acting weak to make me look bad?!” So he still remembered how I had fought two adult Siberian tigers without regard for my own life, rescuing him from their jaws. Back then, he had held me tightly in his arms, moved to tears, and promised to love and protect me for life… I believed him, but he hadn’t kept a single word of that promise… My injuries were too severe to maintain my beast form any longer. Amidst the jeers of the crowd, I transformed back into human form. Completely naked. Liam’s buddies got excited when they saw. “Damn! That slim waist and plump ass, so fucking hot!” “How come we never noticed before that Aria’s such a bombshell!” “Bro, she must be wild in bed! If I could just get a feel—” “Shut up!” Liam’s angry shout cut off the vulgar comments. He looked at me with furrowed brows and took off his own jacket. Seeing this, Chloe’s face immediately tightened. “Liam, Aria is still a girl after all. It pains me to see her in such a miserable state. Let me help her put on some clothes.” With that, she hurriedly took the jacket from Liam’s hands and bent down to drape it over me with a sympathetic expression. But the next second, she suddenly grabbed my hand and deliberately used my still-extended wolf claws to scratch hard across the back of her own hand. “Ouch! It hurts!” “What happened?!” Liam quickly stepped forward, pulling Chloe into his arms. Then he glared at me fiercely: “Aria, how dare you be so ungrateful! Chloe was kind enough to help you get dressed, and you dare to hurt her!” “I didn’t, she did it herself…” I tried to explain, but was cut off by Chloe’s tearful words: “Aria, I’m so sorry. Earlier when I said I wanted to see who was stronger between you and the Mastiff, it was just a joke. I never thought Liam and the others would take it seriously.” “It’s all my fault for having such a ridiculous idea. If hurting me will make you feel better, then go ahead and keep hitting me. I won’t fight back.” After saying this, she approached me with a pitiful look on her face. I instinctively felt a wave of disgust and wanted to push her away. Seeing this, Liam reacted as if facing a great enemy. “Aria, stop right there!” “Haven’t you caused enough trouble?! Chloe is kind and forgiving, but that doesn’t mean you can bully her like this!” Then he kicked me hard in the chest, sending me flying. I collapsed pathetically on the ground, my chest aching as I coughed up blood several times. But when I looked up, I met Liam’s cold eyes. He was going to take Chloe to the hospital to bandage her wound. One of his friends asked if they should bring me along, but he coldly replied: “She’s a wolf, tough as nails. She won’t die.” With that, he left the arena with everyone else without a backward glance. Watching Liam’s resolute back as he walked away, I remembered how excited he had been when he first learned he was my imprinted lover, hugging me with eyes full of deep affection. I naively thought he actually liked me. Until Chloe came back, and he started torturing me in various ways to make her happy, even making me transform into a wolf multiple times to kneel under Chloe as her mount. That’s when I realized his initial joy was never because he liked me. It was because he discovered he had gained someone who would love him steadfastly no matter how poorly he treated them… But Liam, I don’t want to love you anymore. I painfully crawled over to where my clothes were, picked up my phone, and dialed a number. “Chief, I want to extract my spirit root and erase Liam’s wolf clan imprint.”

“Have you lost your mind?!” The clan chief looked at me, brought back by clan members, his expression extremely grim. “After extracting your spirit root, you’ll become a normal human, not only exiled from the wolf clan, but also lose half your lifespan!” “How is that any different from seeking death?!” “But living like this is a thousand times more painful than death.” The chief’s expression softened as he looked at my weak state, but he still tried to persuade me: “Wolf clan descendants are already rare, and you’re from the strongest lineage. Even if you must extract your spirit root, at least leave behind offspring with Liam first.” Hearing this, I laughed bitterly. “Liam said he doesn’t like children. I’ve been pregnant several times over the past two years, but he always sent people to take me to the hospital for abortions.” “I’m really tired…” At this moment, my little wolf brother Tommy suddenly darted out and stood protectively in front of me. He bared his newly sprouted fangs at the chief who was pressuring me, and snarled: “No one can bully my sister! Watch out old man, or I’ll bite you!” Seeing this, the chief shook his head helplessly and finally relented. But my body was too weak now, and I needed to recover for five days before the spirit root extraction ritual could be performed. However, the very next day, Liam called. He demanded to know why I hadn’t returned all night, and ordered me to come back immediately. I couldn’t control my love for him, and agreed without any dignity. But Liam, in four days, this love will disappear… Clan members sent me back to the villa. When the door opened, I saw Liam sitting on the couch smoking a cigar. Tommy was about to rush over and bite him to avenge me. Liam didn’t panic at all, and coldly called out: “Aria—” He knew I wouldn’t let him come to any harm. As he expected, I quickly stepped forward and grabbed Tommy. “Sis, after how he’s treated you, you’re still protecting him!” Seeing the indignation on Tommy’s face, my heart ached terribly. I could only have the clan members forcibly take him away. After everyone left, Liam got up carelessly and handed me a diamond necklace. “I didn’t know you had just had an abortion that day. This is a gift to make up for it.” It was his secretary who had taken me to the hospital, yet now he claimed he didn’t know… I looked up at him, tears involuntarily welling up in my eyes. Seeing my weak and pitiful state, his face immediately tightened and he grew aroused. Perhaps to him, my only remaining value was for this. Then he gripped my waist, lifted me onto the table, and eagerly leaned down to kiss me. However, just as our lips were about to meet, his phone rang. Chloe’s coquettish voice came from the other end. “Liam, I’m not feeling well. Can you come see me?” Hearing this, Liam withdrew his hand from my waist and replied anxiously: “Alright, I’ll be right there.” “Liam—” I called out to stop him. “Why are you… so good to her…” Faced with my questioning, Liam replied in a deep voice: “Fifteen years ago when my adoptive parents abandoned me on the street, it was Chloe who gave me bread and saved me. She stayed with me through that most difficult time. If it wasn’t for her, I would have frozen to death in the snow.” Boy, bread, snow… Suddenly, some fragmented images flashed through my mind, but stopped abruptly after a sharp pain. But at this moment, I no longer had the energy to dwell on those long-lost memories. I looked at Liam, my voice trembling uncontrollably: “But I’ve saved you too—” “More than once.” Hearing this, his tone turned cold: “You saved me only because I’m your imprinted lover. That’s what you’re supposed to do for me.” With that, he shook off my hand and hurriedly left the villa. Watching Liam’s resolute back as he walked away, I recalled how excited he had been when he first learned he was my imprinted lover, hugging me with eyes full of deep affection. I naively thought he actually liked me. Until Chloe came back, and he started torturing me in various ways to make her happy, even making me transform into a wolf multiple times to kneel under Chloe as her mount. That’s when I realized his initial joy was never because he liked me. It was because he discovered he had gained someone who could be mistreated without care, yet would still love him steadfastly… But Liam, I don’t want to love you anymore. I struggled to crawl over to my clothes, picked up my phone, and dialed a number. “Chief, I want to extract my spirit root and erase Liam’s wolf clan imprint.”

Liam didn’t return all night. I lay awake until dawn. As soon as I walked out of the bedroom, I saw Tommy who had come to visit me. He was holding a bag of my favorite chestnut pastries, standing downstairs with a bright smile. “Sis! Come down quick! I got up at 5am and waited in line for over two hours to buy these! They’re still warm!” My nose stung with emotion as I rushed downstairs to hug him. “Aww, such touching sibling love—” Chloe suddenly pushed open the door and walked in. With a smug look, she said: “I’m here to get some clean clothes for Liam. He spent the whole night with me yesterday, he’s exhausted.” “I don’t know what got into Liam last night. I told him to be gentle since there’s a baby in my belly, but he kissed me so passionately he almost lost control.” She was actually pregnant with Liam’s child… “Liam said he hates children. He won’t let you keep it.” After I said this, Chloe burst out laughing. “Aria, is something wrong with your brain?” “I’m over two months pregnant already. Liam takes me for prenatal checkups every week, and even had special nutritional supplements brought in from abroad for me.” “You actually think he would make me get an abortion? What a joke!” “The reason Liam said that to you is because he finds you disgusting. He doesn’t want a half-breed wolf child!” I was struck speechless, my heart aching uncontrollably. Nine abortions in three years. It turns out he didn’t hate children, he just hated the one carrying the child – me… “How dare you bully my sister, I’ll bite you to death!” Tommy suddenly transformed into wolf form and lunged at Chloe. Although I held him back, Chloe was still scared enough to fall on her butt. In the end, she scrambled to her feet and ran away. But before leaving, she threw back one last vicious remark: “Aria, you dare make me look bad! I’ll make you regret this!” I thought she would go tell on me to Liam, making him come torture me. But when Liam returned that night, he acted as usual, even showing rare concern for me and Tommy. “Aria, isn’t your brother starting elementary school next year?” “He’s always been mischievous, with mediocre grades. I hate seeing you worry about him all the time, so I found a tutor who can help him study well over the summer break.” This was the first time he had shown concern for me since Chloe’s return. I immediately felt a warmth in my heart. I was so moved I choked up: “Liam, thank you for thinking of me and Tommy.” Seeing how touched I was, Liam’s expression tightened slightly.

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On our wedding anniversary, my wife Rachel, a professional translator, once again received an urgent assignment and couldn’t spend the day with me. But before I knew it, she appeared in Ryan’s social media video, hurling insults at a group of old ladies in eighteen different languages. Gone was her usual elegant demeanor. The caption read: “Grandma says having a translator for a daughter-in-law is great. No one in the village will dare argue with me now.” I chuckled and liked the post, commenting: “Quite the spectacle.” My colleagues quickly flooded the comments section, even placing bets on whether I would explode this time. Rachel immediately called me, her voice cold as ice: “Jack Thompson, who told you to comment? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass Ryan in front of the team?” “He was being bullied in his hometown, what’s wrong with me showing some support? Someone like you, who’s been pampered all your life, wouldn’t understand how hard life can be for ordinary people.” “Delete that comment right now. I’ll make it up to you with another anniversary celebration in a few days.” I hung up with a bitter laugh, rubbing my aching stomach. In three days, the divorce cooling-off period would be over!

I asked the doctor to change my pain medication to an appendectomy. The doctor looked at me quizzically, “Why the sudden change of heart? Not going to be with your wife?” I smiled bitterly, “Because she just died.” The doctor froze for a moment, then gave me a strange, sympathetic look without saying anything more. As soon as I opened SnapChat, I saw Ryan tagging everyone in our work group: “Sorry for the misunderstanding, everyone. The post I shared earlier was just a joke. I hope you all don’t read too much into it.” This deliberate show-off of an apology made me want to vomit. Rachel immediately replied: “Ryan, you don’t need to apologize. It’s obviously a joke, and we’re not all so thin-skinned that we’d take it seriously.” As soon as our head translator spoke, those cunning colleagues who had been lurking suddenly chimed in: “Exactly! The office atmosphere is usually so dull, it’s refreshing to have some young blood cracking jokes.” “Rachel, your comeback was so sharp! That’s why you’re our boss!” “Ryan, looks like our only thin-skinned colleague hasn’t responded yet. Maybe you should message him privately to explain!” Watching my colleagues constantly sucking up and putting others down, I felt a mix of emotions. Half of these people were my former mentees. The more affectionately they used to call me “mentor,” the more cold-hearted they were now. What could I expect when Rachel was the head of the translation team and Ryan was her new favorite? To them, I was just a pushover who had cut ties with my parents for Rachel’s sake. I sighed deeply and exited SnapChat, not wanting to let them ruin my mood. But before I could put down my phone, Rachel called again. I answered impatiently, “What do you want?” She took a deep breath on the other end, seemingly suppressing her anger: “Jack Thompson, I need you to write a peace speech in English and Farsi right now. Ryan needs it for tomorrow! Make it easy to read, don’t use any complicated words, got it?” Her tone left no room for refusal, as if she were ordering a dog around. I instantly flared up. This trip to the Middle East wasn’t just about giving a peace speech; it also involved coordinating with humanitarian aid teams from multiple countries and communicating with locals. Ryan’s mediocre English skills were nowhere near sufficient for the job. But Ryan wanted this experience as a stepping stone for his career advancement, so he had begged Rachel to let him go. Rachel, completely focused on him, had assigned Ryan without any discussion. Now, with the departure date approaching and Ryan not even having prepared a speech, they were scrambling to have me clean up their mess. How shameless! So it wasn’t an emergency back home, but rather realizing his incompetence and potential exposure. Rachel took her little troublemaker to play the role of a grandson in the countryside, while leaving me here to write the speech. No way! “Hey, did you hear me? Send it to me for review first! If it’s good, I’ll pass it on to Ryan.” Rachel’s tone was impatient. I laughed coldly and refused outright: “I’m not writing someone else’s speech. If Ryan can’t write it himself, why don’t you help him? After all, you’ve been doing most of his work during his probation period. What’s wrong with helping him advance his career?” “Ms. Head Translator, if there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.” Before I could end the call, Rachel’s furious voice nearly split my eardrum: “Don’t you dare hang up! Jack Thompson, have I been giving you too much face lately?”

“It’s me who’s been giving you too much face, or else how would you have the nerve to ask me to clean up after your little mistress!” I couldn’t be bothered to hold back anymore and lashed out at her. There was a moment of silence on the other end before she spoke again, suppressing her rage, “Jack Thompson, what’s wrong with you? You’re being so vulgar. Have all those years of education gone to waste? I told you I’d make it up to you when I get back, why are you still angry!” “If I don’t receive Ryan’s speech in my inbox by tonight, then let’s just call it quits!” I clenched my fists tightly, “Fine, let’s call it quits. Who wants to be with you anyway!” Before I could finish, I heard Ryan’s voice on the other end, “Rachel, Grandma’s calling you for dinner.” Rachel covered the mouthpiece, her voice suddenly as sweet as a well-mannered college student, “I’m just arranging some work, I’ll be right there.” Then she turned back to me, her voice cold enough to kill: “What did you just say?” I laughed: “Rachel Walker, listen carefully. I said if you enjoy being a lapdog so much, then keep at it. Don’t get cocky and provoke your grandma into teaching you a lesson!” Rachel barely contained her fury as she shouted: “Ryan was bullied in the village, and I, as his mentor, am just helping him save face. What’s wrong with that? Do you think everyone is as heartless as you?” “Jack Thompson, if you can’t even write this speech well, then you don’t need to stay in our team anymore!” She hung up abruptly after saying this. I sat at the cold entrance of the operating room, rubbing my stomach, feeling a surge of bitterness rising within me. My relationship with her was like this painfully inflamed appendix – it should have been cut out long ago. After the surgery, I went home and fell asleep alone. But early the next morning, I was woken by urgent knocking on my door. I opened it to find officers from the National Security Department. They said someone had reported me as a foreign spy and asked me to cooperate with their investigation. I felt a sudden sense of unreality and reflexively asked, “How could I possibly be a spy? I’m even a member of the counter-espionage team!” But they showed me the report directly. I immediately felt dizzy and followed them back to the office. As soon as I entered, I saw the disappointed look in my boss’s eyes, and my heart sank. The report mentioned several translation receptions that I had indeed led, and confidential information had been leaked afterward. It was hard not to suspect me. But when I saw the witness, everything became clear. The so-called witness was the meeting recorder, also Ryan’s most loyal lackey. Remembering how the two of them had acted separately from the team several times, I suspected they might be the real spies. I hurriedly tried to explain: “Officers, he can’t be a witness. Everyone knows he’s Ryan’s man, and Ryan has a grudge against me!” “Besides, during those translation receptions, I was with everyone the whole time and had no chance to leak information. But those two…” “Shut up, don’t embarrass our translation team!” Rachel angrily interrupted me. She took two big steps towards me, keeping a disdainful distance: “What grudge? I think you’re just randomly accusing people because you’ve done something wrong!” “Jack Thompson, I used to think you were just petty and lacked quality, but at least I didn’t think you’d betray the country. I never imagined you’d do something so inhumane!” “Do you know what the punishment is for falsely accusing a public official? I can’t believe you’ve become so depraved as to turn traitor. You’re not human, you scum! You don’t deserve to be my husband!” My throat felt like it was blocked by a red-hot iron, and I couldn’t utter a word. After a long while, I finally squeezed out a few hoarse words, “Rachel, in your heart, am I the kind of person who would betray my country out of jealousy?” I stared straight at her, but saw her gaze growing colder and colder, “You didn’t have a chance to leak information on the day of the reception, but you knew several people from the visiting delegation. Who knows what you might have said when you met them privately?” Rachel’s righteousness in condemning her husband led to my immediate suspension pending investigation. Suddenly, a family member of one of the victims picked up a chair and smashed it on my head, causing me to bleed profusely. “You beast! You traitor! It’s all your fault for leaking secrets that got my sister killed!” The man unleashed all his strength on me, beating me until I was nearly unconscious. He only stopped when he saw I was barely breathing. As I lay on the ground, I saw Ryan approach, looking down at me with glee. “Jack Thompson, of all things, why did you choose to be a traitor? Now you’re getting what you deserve.”

Seeing his smug, disgusting expression of getting what he wanted, I struggled through the pain to get up from the ground and sneered back: “You know exactly what you’ve done, Ryan Miller. Your retribution will come sooner or later!” A flash of wariness crossed Ryan’s eyes, but he quickly adopted a righteous tone, pointing at me accusingly, “Jack Thompson, don’t try to implicate others! I’m not like you. I would never betray my colleagues! Let alone become a traitor! You’ve disgraced our entire team, our whole country!” I laughed bitterly, too tired to argue with him, and slowly started to move away despite the pain. But Ryan wouldn’t let it go. He came forward and grabbed me, touching my wound and making me wince in pain. Before I could react, he suddenly fell on his butt and started wailing like a bad actor. Rachel, who had been keeping a straight face until now, instantly panicked. She took two big steps, pushing me aside, and anxiously helped Ryan up from the ground, gently patting his back and comforting him softly. Seeing he wasn’t hurt, Rachel glared at me angrily, “Well, Jack Thompson, your parents worked hard to put you through twenty years of school, and this is what you learned? Betraying your country and deliberately hurting people? Apologize to Ryan right now!” I laughed coldly, but before I could speak, Ryan whined pitifully, adding fuel to the fire, “I just wanted to see if Jack was being wrongly accused. He just misunderstood me, he didn’t mean to push me.” But Rachel’s face darkened, “There’s no misunderstanding. He’s getting what he deserves now!” I had no outlet for my anger, and all I could manage was a flat statement, “You know who really deserves punishment.” Rachel’s face, which I once loved to death, now seemed completely unfamiliar to me. Even if she saw through Ryan’s act, even if she was willing to let me bear the label of a traitor and ruin my life, Rachel still chose him without hesitation. I don’t have evidence now, but the truth will come out eventually. I couldn’t be bothered to argue with them anymore. Pressing the bleeding wound on my head, I hurried to leave. Staying with them for another second made me want to vomit. As I was leaving, Rachel called out, “Jack Thompson, you’re a suspect now. You’re not allowed to leave the city. Report your whereabouts to me every hour.” Without turning back, I walked out of that dark room, saying, “Fine, but you’d better keep a close eye on Ryan Miller. Otherwise, you might end up in jail or worse!” Thinking about Rachel’s gritting teeth, I felt a secret satisfaction. She had intended to pressure me into cleaning up after Ryan, but this time I didn’t give an inch. She had hit a wall. And this spy accusation was far more complicated than it appeared on the surface. After leaving the office, I contacted a real estate agent to list the house I had bought for our marriage. The agent said that houses in good school districts were in high demand, and she had a buyer willing to pay even more than my asking price. The price didn’t matter to me. What mattered was that anything associated with Rachel now felt like a thorn in my side. Then I drove straight to the civil affairs bureau and finally got the divorce certificate I had been longing for. This mutually torturous marriage was finally over!

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On my first day as a married woman, my mother-in-law asked me to make breakfast. When I refused, she called me immoral and disrespectful to elders. I slapped her twice. Ha! I’ve been the other woman for years. Did she really expect me to have any morals left? “Babe, I have to catch a flight today. I’m heading out now, you can sleep in a bit longer.” Lucas kissed my cheek lightly before getting out of bed. I nodded with my eyes closed, running my hand over the smooth silk sheets, feeling utterly blissful inside. After three years, I’d finally reached this day. I’d been Lucas’s secretary and secret lover for three years, going to great lengths to please him, sucking up to his mother, and playing with his son. At last, Lucas made up his mind to divorce Mandy and marry me. The luxurious Moore mansion, the title of Mrs. Moore, everything that belonged to Lucas – it was all mine now. I rolled around happily in bed, planning to sleep a bit more when suddenly there was urgent knocking on the door. “Rachel, Rachel, wake up!” I squinted at my phone. It was only 7 AM. Who the hell was bothering me this early? I angrily opened the door to find Lucas’s mother, Fiona, standing there with an apron, smiling broadly. “Rachel, Oliver wants bacon and eggs for breakfast. I’ll just have some beef dumplings and red bean porridge.” This early in the morning, and she was ordering breakfast? I barely managed to suppress my anger. “Well, I’ll have a sandwich and black coffee. Wake me up at 8:30 to eat, thanks.” I started to close the door, but Fiona’s expression changed. “Rachel, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to make breakfast?” I looked at her, bewildered. “Don’t we have a housekeeper? Why should I cook?” Fiona frowned and shoved the apron into my hands. “We don’t have a housekeeper. It wouldn’t be right to have a stranger in the house. Mandy used to make breakfast. Now that you’ve married into our family as our daughter-in-law, it’s naturally your job to cook breakfast from now on.” I was stunned. Then I remembered – in the Moore household, Mandy didn’t just make breakfast. She prepared all three meals every day. And she was an excellent cook. I’d often enjoyed her cooking when I was with Lucas.

Mandy and Lucas were college sweethearts who started a business together after graduation. Lucas worked himself to exhaustion trying to grow the company, entertaining clients and securing deals until his health suffered. Worried about him, Mandy quit her job to become a full-time housewife, taking care of all his needs from meals to laundry. Lucas had digestive issues, so Mandy would make him nutritious porridge every day. When Lucas had early meetings and couldn’t eat at home, she’d carefully pack breakfast for him to take to the office. Most of those breakfasts ended up in my stomach. I’d sit on Lucas’s lap, one arm around his neck, waiting happily for him to feed me spoonfuls of porridge. “Mmm, this yam and pork rib porridge is delicious. The yam is so flavorful and the meat is so tender.” Lucas would smile and pinch my cheek. “You little glutton with your refined palate. Of course it’s good – Mandy wakes up at 5 AM to start cooking it. “What do you want to eat tomorrow? I’ll tell her to make it.” I giggled, about to reply when the phone on his desk rang. Seeing the caller ID, Lucas frowned. I quickly picked up. “Hello, Mrs. Moore— “Yes, Mr. Moore has already eaten breakfast. He says your porridge is delicious. We’re all so envious—” As I spoke, I squirmed around on Lucas’s lap. From the other end of the line came the faint sound of Fiona’s harsh scolding. “Has Lucas eaten breakfast yet? You know he has an early meeting today. Why didn’t you wake him up earlier? “You get to enjoy yourself at home all day and you can’t even do this one simple thing properly! How can the porridge taste good if it’s cold? Lucas can’t eat anything cold with his stomach issues!” Mandy weakly tried to explain. “Mom, I put it in a thermos. It won’t get cold.” I hung up the phone and stuck my tongue out at Lucas. “Honey, your mom is so scary—” Lucas gripped my waist and snorted. “That’s just how she is with Mandy. Mandy’s a housewife with only these few tasks, so of course my mom is strict with her. “You’re different, baby. You graduated from a top university and you’re my right-hand woman at the company. My mom adores you. She’s always praising you at home, saying how beautiful and capable you are, that you’re a hundred times better than Mandy.” “Really?” I was overjoyed and kissed Lucas on the cheek. “If your mom likes me so much, when are you going to marry me?” Lucas’s eyes darkened as he narrowed them. “Soon— I just need to sort out the finances first. We can’t let Mandy take advantage.”

“Rachel, hurry up and make breakfast! If we’re late, Oliver will be late for school.” Fiona’s impatient urging interrupted my memories. I rolled my eyes and threw the apron on the floor. “I’m not cooking. Order takeout if you want to eat.” Fiona got agitated and grabbed my arm. “Mandy always cooked. Why won’t you?” “Are you crazy? Mandy this, Mandy that. Didn’t you say she was plain and embarrassing to be seen with? You praised me for being pretty and elegant. Come on, beauty takes work. Let me get my beauty sleep, okay?” I pushed her away and tried to close the door. Fiona got angry and jabbed her finger at my forehead. “What kind of daughter-in-law doesn’t make breakfast? It’s your first day here and you’re already trying to slack off. Not respecting your mother-in-law, not taking care of the child – do you have any morals at all?” Morals? What a joke. I was already pissed at being woken up so early. I slapped Fiona twice across the face. “Screw you, I’ve been the other woman for years. You think I have any morals left? “Keep bothering my sleep and I’ll beat you to death!” Fiona fell to the ground, stunned by my slaps. She stared at me in disbelief for a moment before reacting. With a shriek, she leapt up and charged at me, headbutting my stomach. “How dare you! You vixen, you dare hit your mother-in-law! You ungrateful wretch!” I immediately grabbed her hair with both hands and yanked hard. Fiona howled in pain. To maintain my figure, I spent at least an hour weightlifting at the gym every day. I may look slim, but I’m quite strong. “You talk about manners? You old hag, at the wedding you said you’d treat me like your own daughter. It’s only the first day and you’re already trying to bully me. Is this how you treat your own child?” With her hair in my grip, Fiona tried to scratch my face. I kicked her hard in the stomach. Fiona stumbled back several steps before falling flat on her back. She pounded the floor, wailing. “Murder! This vixen Rachel is trying to kill me!” The door across the hall opened. Ten-year-old Oliver rubbed his eyes, looking at us in shock. “Mom Rachel, why are you fighting?”

I quickly made up an excuse. “I wanted to order you KFC for breakfast, but your grandma wouldn’t let me. She even hit me.” Sure enough, Oliver’s expression immediately changed. He glared fiercely at Fiona. “I want KFC! Grandma, why won’t you let me have KFC!” When I first tried to win Oliver over, I thought it would be difficult. But it turned out to be much easier than I expected. Oliver had already been spoiled rotten by his grandmother. He would often badmouth Mandy in front of me. “My mom is so stupid. My dad has taken care of her for so many years, but she can’t do anything right. And she doesn’t even wear makeup – she’s so ugly. Rachel, I wish you could be my new mom. “Next time there’s a parent-teacher meeting, can you come instead of my mom? You’re young and pretty. All my classmates would be so jealous.” I took him out for KFC a few times and skipped school to go to the amusement park, and I had him wrapped around my finger. “My mom says fries and fried chicken are junk food and won’t let me eat them. Grandma is better, she lets me eat them sometimes. But you’re the best, Rachel. You even let me have ice cream.” Oliver clung affectionately to my arm. “When you become my mom, can I come to the amusement park every day instead of doing homework?” “Of course, sweetie. You can do whatever you want, and I’ll support you all the way.” As if I cared whether this brat did his homework or ate junk food. He wasn’t my kid after all. So on the day Mandy and Lucas divorced, when Mandy cried and tried to take Oliver with her, he rudely pushed her away. “You can’t even make money. Am I supposed to go begging with you? “Just leave. I’ll have a new mom soon, and she’s pretty and young – a hundred times better than you.” Mandy left with a look of utter disappointment. What a fool. She’d slaved away for the Moore family for over a decade and was leaving with nothing. I wasn’t about to end up like her. Seeing that his grandson only cared about KFC and didn’t react at all to seeing his grandmother beaten, Fiona burst into tears. “You ungrateful brat! Grandma’s love for you all these years was wasted!” As she cried, she took out her phone to call Lucas. “Son— come back quickly— your mother is about to be beaten to death. Oh, my son—” From the other end came Lucas’s impatient voice. “What’s all this fuss so early in the morning? I’m just downstairs, I forgot my passport. Whatever it is, come down and tell me.”

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