Category: English

My usually innocent wife suddenly had many sexy lingerie pieces, with obvious signs of being grabbed. She explained they were her sister’s, which was confirmed, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Until that night, when I saw a message: “Kevin, are you asleep? I’m drunk and miss you so much.” I was furious. I’ll show them that even a nice guy isn’t to be trifled with! That day, while Mia was showering, I had to rush into the bathroom due to a bad stomachache. Mia was startled, but I laughed it off, “We’re married, don’t be shy.” As I sat on the toilet, trying to relieve myself, I couldn’t help but admire Mia’s body. She’s a part-time dance instructor with a hot figure – 5’7″ tall with a seductive face that gets your blood pumping. I couldn’t resist grabbing her hand, “Babe, you smell so good.” “Stop it! I’m tired. Let’s get some rest early.” Seeing Mia’s reaction, I got a bit angry. Without even wiping, I stood up and demanded, “Are you cheating on me?!” Mia got angry too. She turned the showerhead on me, soaking me completely, and yelled, “Jack Wilson! Have you no shame?!” Seeing Mia upset, I quickly tried to calm her down, “Don’t be mad, I was joking. But it has been a month since we…” Mia ignored me, dried herself off, and put on her underwear. I narrowed my eyes at her underwear choice – it was clearly a pink sexy lingerie set that I’d never seen her wear before. “Mia! Where did this underwear come from?” Mia looked down, then playfully pushed my head, “Isn’t this a surprise for you?” But this lingerie had clearly been worn many times, with visible signs of being grabbed. “This is obviously old!” I exclaimed, my face red with anger, feeling like a fool. Mia grabbed my arm, pouting, “Don’t be mad, honey. This afternoon I went to my sister’s place. Their faucet broke and soaked me completely, even my underwear. So I borrowed a set from my sister’s closet.” I immediately said, “I’ll call your sister right now!” I took out my phone, exchanged pleasantries, then got to the point: “Emma, Mia said she got soaked at your place this afternoon. Hope it wasn’t too much trouble.” “Yeah, my husband gave Mia a set of clothes to change into. Why, are you here to complain?” “No, no, just checking in.” I chatted a bit more before hanging up. Now it was Mia’s turn to be angry. She said I didn’t trust her and wouldn’t talk to me. I quickly tried to appease her: “Honey, don’t be mad! I was wrong to doubt you. I’m an idiot. What can I do to make it up to you?” To my surprise, Mia changed the subject: “Only if you add my name to the deed of the property.”

The property Mia mentioned was actually a large apartment I had bought from my previous business earnings. It was vacant and not rented out. Only my name was on the deed. Recently, the local government announced development plans, and with the lifting of purchase restrictions, the property value had tripled. Since the house wasn’t in her name, it was considered my premarital property. Although I had made a down payment on our future home in Mia’s name, with only her name on it, I had thought about adding Mia to the deed of the large apartment. After all, she was about to marry me, and I didn’t want to shortchange her. So I decided to use this opportunity: “No problem, baby. We’ll go to the property office this week.” I loved Mia so much that I was willing to give her everything. Mia was overjoyed. She hugged me tightly and kissed me frantically, “You’re the best, honey!” I smiled and kissed Mia back, then turned off the bedroom light. Afterwards, I sat on the bed smoking a cigarette while Mia went to shower. Her phone was charging on the nightstand. Looking at it, I felt a sudden urge to check it out. I knew Mia’s password, but we never looked at each other’s phones. Since we were about to get married, I figured it wouldn’t be a problem for spouses to check each other’s phones. Opening Mia’s SnapChat, there wasn’t a single chat history, including our conversations. It was all blank. This was Mia’s habit. She would delete all chat records after each conversation. But this didn’t stop me. I went into her PayPal to check for any suspicious transfers. Besides the $700 I sent her for each holiday, I found that Mia had received another $700 from someone else. Mia had saved the contact as “K,” I didn’t know what it meant. The profile picture was a tiger head, clearly a man, and probably an older one. I quickly took a photo of the transfer record with my phone, feeling a surge of anger and my hands shaking slightly as I put Mia’s phone back. I never imagined Mia would do this to me. If my guess was right, Mia must be cheating. Why else would someone send her special transfers on holidays? My blood was boiling. I wanted to burst into the bathroom with my phone and confront Mia, but I took a deep breath and buried my anger. Mia had never mentioned adding her name to the large apartment before. Why would she suddenly bring it up today? I suspected it had something to do with Mia’s affair partner. Perhaps they not only cheated on me but also wanted to get my property through Mia. Realizing this, I broke out in a cold sweat. I had to figure out who this person was. Just as I was thinking, suddenly a message came through on my SnapChat. “Jack, are you asleep? I’m drunk and miss you so much.”

Seeing this message, my hand trembled involuntarily. I had only met this woman a few times. She was Mia’s best friend, with a sexy appearance. During our previous dinners, she would flirt with me when Mia wasn’t looking, even rubbing her foot against mine under the table. But I never reciprocated. After all, my fiancée was prettier than her. But I never expected her to message me like this. To avoid any misunderstanding with Mia, I quickly deleted the message and decided not to respond. Mia said she was going to sleep, so I didn’t disturb her. I lay awake, pondering the contents of Mia’s phone. I suspected Mia was cheating. But the only clue I had was a tiger head profile picture. I needed to find out who this person was. I thought about following her, but I was afraid of being discovered. However, this didn’t stump me. I immediately thought of a foolproof method. From my previous business dealings, I knew a programming expert. The next day, I contacted the expert and asked if he could add a location tracking function to a phone. The expert said it was no problem and asked for the phone model. He then sent me the installation package and instructions. While Mia was showering, I found an opportunity to install the software on her phone. Now her location would be transmitted to my phone in real-time. However, to my surprise, Mia’s locations were very consistent. After work, she would go to the dance studio for an hour, then stop by her sister’s place on the way home, staying for an hour before returning. Was I being too sensitive? Maybe Mia wasn’t cheating after all? No, perhaps the affair partner was meeting Mia at the dance studio. I decided to follow Mia personally to see who she was meeting. Wearing sunglasses and a hat, I rented a car and disguised myself. After making sure I was unrecognizable, I took a day off work and followed Mia to her company. Mia was a company secretary. I had suspected she might be involved with her boss, but Mia’s boss was a woman, so that was impossible. But she could be involved with other colleagues. Office romances weren’t uncommon. So I spent the whole day wandering outside Mia’s company, occasionally seeing her print documents at the printer or interact normally with male colleagues. Maybe the affair partner wasn’t in the company? Just before the end of the workday, Mia walked out of the office building. I was sitting in the rented car, watching her from a distance. To my surprise, a black Lincoln pulled up silently beside her. Mia said something to the driver and got into the passenger seat. I immediately followed the car, which stopped at Mia’s dance studio. Not only did Mia get out, but also two of her female colleagues. So it turned out to be colleagues giving her a ride.

I waited outside the dance studio for a long time. There was a large glass window that allowed me to see inside clearly. Through the window, I could see Mia clearly. Her body was graceful as she taught a K-pop dance class in her sportswear. To be honest, I wasn’t surprised that such a beautiful woman might catch someone else’s eye. But after watching for a long time, no man approached Mia. After the dance class ended, Mia packed up and went straight to her sister’s place. Mia and her sister were very close, and Mia often visited her. I saw Mia enter the elevator, which stopped at her sister’s floor. After following her all day, it seemed Mia had no opportunity to cheat. I stood at the elevator, feeling foolish. Maybe I was wrong and too suspicious. As I stood there, a woman’s voice came from behind: “Jack, what are you doing here?” I turned around to find it was Mia’s sister, Emma. “Emma, uh, I came to find Mia. My phone’s broken and I forgot my keys, so I couldn’t call her. I figured she might be visiting you, so I came here to find her.” I quickly lied. Emma smiled and pressed the elevator button, “Mia is indeed here. Let’s go up together.” I smiled and followed Emma into the elevator. “You’re usually busy with work, so Mia usually has dinner at our place before going home. How come you’re off work so early today?” Emma asked. “Not much to do today,” I casually replied as Emma opened the door. “Honey!” A man’s voice came from inside as soon as the door opened. It was Emma’s husband and Mia’s brother-in-law, Kevin. Emma responded with a smile, “How did you know I was back? Jack’s here tonight, make enough dinner for one more.” Kevin came out, looking slightly surprised, but quickly recovered and said with a smile, “Oh, Jack’s here. Come on in.” “Where’s Mia?” Emma asked curiously as she hung up her bag. “Mia’s taking a shower inside. She said she was all sweaty from dancing.” “Control your wife, she’s been coming to our place to shower every day,” Emma joked. However, I found it strange because Mia always showered again when she got home at night. Just as I was thinking about this, Mia came out of the room, her hair still wet. She was drying her hair with a towel and asked curiously, “Why are you here?” I repeated the lie I told Emma. Mia nodded thoughtfully and then said, “Let’s go home then.” “Why not stay for dinner?” Emma asked curiously. “It’s okay, we need to…” Before Mia could finish, Emma smirked and said, “Oh, I get it. You’re rushing home for some alone time? Go on then, I won’t keep you.” “Shouldn’t you two be getting married soon?” Kevin suddenly asked, looking at me. I was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and replied, “Yeah, Mia and I are making preparations.” Kevin smiled and said, “Mia is a good girl. You better treat her well.”

Back home with Mia, I had followed her all day and found nothing suspicious. I began to wonder if I had been overthinking things. Maybe someone had a crush on Mia and sent her money. The chances of Mia cheating seemed slim. As we were getting ready for bed, Mia brought up adding her name to the property deed again. I truly loved Mia, and feeling guilty about my suspicions, I promised her, “We’ll go add your name this week.” Mia was thrilled, and that night she was very passionate. The next day, I didn’t follow Mia but went to work instead. Unexpectedly, I received a call at noon from the programming expert. He cautiously asked, “Are you alone? Can we talk?” My heart tightened, not knowing what he wanted to say. So I left my desk and went to a secluded corner, asking, “What’s the matter?” We didn’t usually have much contact, except for when I asked him to make the software. Was he calling to ask for more money? I became a bit wary. To my surprise, he said, “Brother, I didn’t want to tell you this, but I think you’re being taken advantage of. I feel I should let you know.” “What is it?” “I have a recording. I’ll send it to your SnapChat. Listen to it. The software I gave you has an automatic voice recording function. It recorded your girlfriend’s conversation.” I checked my SnapChat and sure enough, the expert had sent me an audio file. “It’s best to listen to it somewhere private,” he advised. Although I didn’t know what he was getting at, I clicked on it anyway. The recording was of passionate moaning, and I could clearly recognize Mia’s voice. “Don’t get handsy yet, let me tell you something…” Before Mia could finish, I heard the sound of passionate kissing. After a while, Mia spoke again, “Kevin, be gentle, you’re hurting me.”

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After getting accepted into Stanford University, my parents decided to reward me by buying a small house near the campus. My brother’s girlfriend, though, seems to think she has him wrapped around her finger and acts like she owns the place. She threw out all my stuff from the house and had the nerve to warn me: “Your brother is the only heir of the Sterling family, so I’m the lady of this house now. Stop hanging around here eating for free and be smart—pack up and leave!” I immediately recorded her little act on video and posted it in our Sterling Family Group Chat on WhatsApp, writing: “If this kind of trash gets into our family, consider me, Harper Sterling, a failure!” My name is Harper Sterling, and I have a fraternal twin brother, Ethan Sterling. Growing up, I was always the one being pampered by my parents, while Ethan was more like someone they picked up out of a dumpster. Take this instance as an example: I got accepted into Stanford University, which is about a 30-minute drive from home. Even though it’s not far, my parents went all out and bought me a small house near campus so I could have my own private space without worrying about noisy roommates. As it happens, Ethan also got accepted into Stanford. But for him, my parents said, “Boys are fine in dorms. No need for private space. No fuss.” Ethan practically begged me with tears in his eyes, and since I have a soft spot for him, I agreed to let him have a room in the house. Although they bought me the house, I still preferred living in the dorms with my friends, so I stayed on campus. My parents would only stay in the house for a few nights when they visited me and Ethan. Today, I got a delivery call saying my package had arrived and been left at the front door. That’s when I realized I had mistakenly put the house address instead of my dorm address. Since I didn’t have any afternoon classes, I decided to walk over and grab it. The house wasn’t far—just a 10-minute walk. Standing outside the front door, I figured since I was already there, I might as well stay the night and head back to campus tomorrow. I confidently punched in the entry code, but it was wrong. Not thinking much of it, I tried again. After three failed attempts, all showing incorrect, I knew something was off. I snapped a picture of the error message and sent it to the Sterling Family Group Chat. Before I could even type a message, Ethan called. “Is the lock broken or something? Why does it keep showing the wrong password?” I asked, frustrated. Ethan hesitated on the other end, sounding nervous. “Uh, sis, mom and dad aren’t visiting. Why are you home all of a sudden?” It was blazing hot outside, and I was getting cranky. “What’s with all the questions? What’s wrong with the lock? Did you change the password?” “Sis, don’t get upset! We’re just about to finish class. We’ll be there in a few minutes. Just wait a bit!” Clearly terrified of me losing my temper, Ethan hung up in a hurry. What’s the big deal? Couldn’t he have just told me the new password? Annoyed, I stood in the shade, waiting for Ethan. Fifteen minutes later, Ethan came rushing over, and I noticed a girl following behind him, walking at a leisurely pace. So that’s why he said “we.” He’s dating someone. The girl, Madison “Maddie” Cole, had flawless, fair skin and perfectly applied makeup. But as she walked over, she shot me an unfriendly look, as if I had interrupted her date and offended her. Sensing that I was on the verge of exploding, Ethan quickly handed me an ice-cold Coke. “Sis, this is Maddie. Maddie, my girlfriend. She’s been staying here for a few days.” I took the Coke, and it cooled me down a bit, but the second I realized my brother had his girlfriend staying at the house without even telling me, my anger reignited. Ethan, knowing my temper all too well, immediately added, “Maddie, this is my sister, Harper. She’s in the finance department at school.” Maddie clearly didn’t want to talk. It wasn’t until Ethan nudged her that she gave me a half-hearted nod as a greeting.

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward. Ethan broke the tension by punching in the new password and opening the door. The new code was clearly a birthdate. It wasn’t mine, Ethan’s, or our parents’. It had to be Maddie’s. The previous code had been set by me, but Maddie had apparently found it too complicated and had Ethan change it to her birthday. When Ethan explained this, I couldn’t help myself and punched him in the shoulder. This idiot gave the house code to someone outside the family, and not only that, he changed it to something she could remember? Ethan, sensing my irritation, resorted to his usual tactic—playing the pitiful little brother. Fine. I’ll let it go this time since Ethan seems to like her. After all, it was our first time meeting. Who knows if we’ll even see each other again? No need to make things too hostile. But as soon as I stepped into the living room, I was in complete shock. Can someone explain why everything was pink? I had hired an interior designer to create a sleek, minimalist look. Now, the walls were covered with tacky, country-style paintings and posters. Cheap, mismatched decorations hung everywhere, like something out of a bargain bin at a discount store. I swallowed my anger and walked inside. Ethan followed behind me but kept quiet. I glanced at the staircase and saw my books scattered all over the steps. The table had an empty cup of instant noodles on it, with one of my expensive hardcover books underneath it, being used as a coaster. What enraged me the most was that the upstairs suite—my room—had become their bedroom. The second floor had a shared bathroom and a master suite with a walk-in closet and private bathroom, which was originally mine. Now it was a complete mess, and they had replaced the bedding with a hideous, bright red set. Surveying the scene, I saw that my vanity, which had been lined with my collection of skincare products and makeup, was now nearly empty. “Where’s all my stuff?” I asked, pointing to the now-bare wall where my perfumes and lipsticks had once been neatly displayed. “What, did you eat my lipstick? Use my perfume for a bubble bath?” I stared at Ethan calmly, which only made him more scared. When I’m truly furious, I go quiet. When I was little, I had a pet rabbit. A clueless relative killed it and tricked me into eating it. I calmly ate a bite of the rabbit, then picked up a baseball bat and went to their house, smashing everything I could. For the next three months, I visited every month to smash something new until they finally moved away. Maddie, however, seemed completely unfazed by my fury, casually sitting in a rocking chair by the window, enjoying an avocado smoothie bowl. Ethan, terrified that I was about to explode, hurriedly promised he’d replace everything that had been lost or broken. That cooled me down slightly. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and strolled over to Maddie, flashing her a forced smile. “Maddie, I’m a bit of a neat freak. I don’t like people touching my stuff.” Maddie wasn’t pleased by my words and shot back sarcastically, “Well, Harper, this is my boyfriend’s house. I can use whatever I want. The owner doesn’t mind, so why should you, the guest, care?”

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I’m trembling in the corner of the bed. “Boss, you’re… you’re not usually like this.” He angrily throws his tie onto the bed. “Everyone has two sides to them!” A few months ago, I drew two erotic sketches. I meant to send them to my own phone via SnapChat, but accidentally sent them to my hot boss. I was confused at first, thinking my phone had glitched. When I realized what happened, my mind went blank. Shit shit shit! Unsend unsend! In a panic, I hit “Delete”. Nice save! Now I can start thinking about whether I need to resign. I collapsed onto my bed, my face burning red and my body weak. I could already imagine how my cold, reserved boss would react seeing those drawings. He’d probably rest his head on his hand with a look of disgust, even hating to look at my chat window. “Hmph, Lily. I thought you were the good girl of the office. I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person. How disgusting!” I felt so wronged I wanted to cry. After covering my eyes for ten minutes, my phone buzzed. I knew without looking it was a message from my boss. When I opened it, two images full of holy white light were slapped in my face. It was so bright it hurt my eyes. I rubbed my swollen eyes and saw he had sent another message. “Come to my office after work on Monday.” Great, I don’t even need to resign. He’s already preparing to fire me, and I can get double severance pay. Waaah. I suffered through the most painful weekend of my life, finally reaching judgment day. By the end of the workday, I had already packed up all my personal belongings. After most people had left, I finally worked up the courage to knock on his door. When the door opened, he was still focused on drawing a design. The setting sun illuminated his profile, half light and half shadow, like a character from a manga that’s half angel, half devil. Even just ordinary black-framed glasses looked extremely stylish on his face. Ah, he’s so handsome! But I wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it. “B-boss.” I was such a coward, I couldn’t even look at him. He glanced up at me and coolly tossed a folder my way. “There’s a Shakespeare-themed design gala coming up. Choose one of his works and create costume designs for three characters.” “Huh??” Just talking about work? “Is there… nothing else you want to say?” I was a bit dazed. He put down his pen and looked at me seriously. Oh god, don’t look at me like that!! Those beautiful eyes nearly made me ascend on the spot! If he wasn’t wearing glasses, he’d probably be even more mesmerizing… “You can stay and work overtime with me if you want, but… there’s no overtime pay.” He said flatly. My heart instantly calmed down. Who would work without overtime pay! “Then I’ll head out first. You should go home early too, boss.” I entered in a daze and left in a daze. Just as I turned to open the door, I heard a faint voice behind me, “Do you… like that kind of thing?” !! I quickly turned back. I saw my handsome boss diligently working on his design as if he hadn’t said anything. Did I mishear? “Anything else?” He looked up at me. I shook my head vigorously: “Goodbye, boss.” Ah… I’m at peace. My hot boss is so nice!!!! He deliberately avoided mentioning that day’s incident, saving my face. I think I like him even more now. When I got home, I opened Twitter and happily posted an update using my secret account. Instantly, I was flooded with comments like “You’re amazing!”, “So steamy!”, “Mama’s content is so delicious!” All the unpleasant things were instantly forgotten, leaving me with only a sense of accomplishment from being praised. However, one comment caught my attention. “You like this kind of thing?” My heart felt like it had been electrocuted. It instantly reminded me of the voice I heard when leaving the office. I clicked on that person’s profile. It was a burner account without even a profile picture. I was probably overthinking things. After a week of exhausting work, I finally welcomed the weekend. I had planned to sleep in the next day, but my plans were interrupted by a message from my boss. “The organizers are in a rush. We need to finalize the designs by next Monday. Find some time tomorrow, I’ll give you feedback on your designs in person.” In person? It’s clear the boss takes these designs very seriously. “Should we meet at the office or…” I asked. “Choose a quiet place close to your home.” I couldn’t help but fantasize – my place is quiet, and if we get tired we could just take a nap. But I didn’t have the guts to suggest that. Me: “There’s a nice coffee shop downstairs from my apartment. If we get hungry we can grab food nearby.” “Alright.” The boss agreed right away. I ascended to heaven on the spot!! Ahhhh! We’re going on a date!! I’ve been on dates with guys before, but I’ve never been this nervous. I woke up at 7 AM to shower and do my makeup, and even sprayed on a cologne similar to my boss’s scent. I arrived at the coffee shop early to wait. “Good morning, boss…” I waved with a smile. I had practiced this smile in the mirror 8 times yesterday! I saw his body stiffen for a moment. “Morning,” he said as he sat down across from me. His Adam’s apple suddenly bobbed. Oh my god! Did he just gulp? Damn, how can a man even look good swallowing! “Boss, here are the designs.” I took out my tablet. He glanced at it and pointed out many areas for improvement. “Here, and here…” The table was quite large, so it was inconvenient for him to point things out. He had to move to sit next to me. We accidentally brushed against each other. “Sorry,” he said. My heart started racing, and I felt like steam was coming out of my head. He erased all the clothes on my design, leaving only the body outline. “Try redrawing one based on what I said.” I could barely hold my pen steady. How am I supposed to draw like this? As expected, what I drew in front of him looked like crap. He frowned. I quickly apologized: “Boss, I might not be in the best condition. I’m having trouble drawing.” He was silent for a long time, then took my tablet and opened the photo gallery. “I remember you had a pretty good draft before.” Oh shit! No!! Damn, I was too slow and couldn’t stop him. I saw his expression become extremely strange, his eyelids even twitching. “You don’t separate your work tablet and personal tablet?” I’m poor, okay? If I had money I’d buy two. I didn’t say anything, and I didn’t dare look at the tablet. It was full of extremely explicit drawings. I was utterly mortified. Can you die twice from social embarrassment? I thought he would close it, but I didn’t expect him to actually click on one of the images. That image only showed a pair of legs on the tablet screen. How did he recognize it from such a tricky angle and click on it? “Boss!!!!” The image enlarged, revealing a very handsome man on the full screen. The man in the picture wore a navy blue suit with a gold tie clip inlaid with blue sapphires, gold-rimmed glasses, and a gold chain hanging from the glasses. I had designed this entire outfit from head to toe. It wasn’t just exquisite, but also had a powerful and confident aura. My boss’s eyes widened next to me, his pupils constricting. This was the first time I’d seen him with such an expression. His Adam’s apple bobbed again. “Is this… me?” “Mm-hmm.” I couldn’t come up with an excuse so I didn’t bother trying. “It looks very good. Can you send it to me?” My hot boss smiled. Oh my god!! He smiled!! Ahhhhhh!! I didn’t know the boss could be so gentle! I quickly sent it over. After sending it, I realized that due to my professional habits, I might have sent it in PSD format. Help! I hope he doesn’t hide the most recent layer, otherwise he’ll see an extremely explicit version without any clothes. Because I didn’t know when he would discover it, I was on edge for the next two weeks. This caused me to have writer’s block when starting a new story, so I turned to Twitter for help, asking for suggestions for a new plot. Among the many comments, one caught my attention. “The female lead could be an artist, sweet and innocent on the surface, but secretly loves drawing erotic art. She even secretly draws the male lead, and gets caught by him.” !! That electrifying feeling in my heart came back. It was that burner account without a profile picture again. This paragraph seemed to be describing me. I had a guess, but I wasn’t sure… “You have some great ideas, sweetie! For the male lead, do you have any good suggestions?” I tried to probe further. He replied to the comment: “If I were the male lead, I wouldn’t immediately expose this. After all, I’m not sure if she likes me or just enjoys drawing. “I can only be certain that she’s satisfied with my appearance, so I would deliberately do things to attract her, to make her fall completely in love with me. The best hunters often appear in the guise of prey, don’t they?” Whew – this person is so devious! It definitely can’t be my boss. I breathed a sigh of relief. But I couldn’t help imagining – what if my usually reserved boss also had a scheming side? Oh shit, nosebleed… tissue… Late that night, inspiration struck and I rarely felt like working hard! The male lead in my new story was based on my boss, but I was afraid of being discovered. I had to give the male lead some attributes my boss didn’t have. Like being scheming, jealous, and having a strong possessive streak. Inside the boss’s office. I sat with my head lowered. After fantasizing about him for two nights over the weekend, I didn’t dare look him in the eye. “Your face is so red. Is my office too hot?” I shook my head. He put some documents in front of me. I had just opened them when I saw him take off his suit jacket right in front of me, then loosen his tie! Oh my god! He’s really not treating me like an outsider. Am I allowed to see this? He glanced at me and coughed awkwardly twice. “Sorry, I’m actually quite hot. Is it okay if I talk to you like this?” He leaned back in his office chair looking a bit worn out. His tie wasn’t completely undone, hanging loosely, and he unbuttoned the first button of his shirt. I stared, transfixed. Heavens! I’m so hot! This was the first time I’d seen the boss looking so vulnerable. If I don’t draw a few gigabytes worth of erotic art of him, I’d be wasting this trip to his office! But I acted very reserved, holding back a mischievous smile as I stood up and slowly approached. “Are you not feeling well, boss?” His breathing was heavy. “It’s nothing. Let’s continue discussing the stage play. This time all the major design companies want to use the play as an opportunity to show off. You got the female lead role, so you must perform well. I’ll do my best to support you.” I nodded vigorously. For this stage play, my boss and I had been cast as the male and female leads. This was a heaven-sent opportunity, so of course I would work hard. He propped himself up to reach for the water glass on the desk, but before he could grab it, he swayed and nearly fell to the floor. Luckily I was standing right next to him. I quickly steadied him. “Boss, should I take you to the hospital?” He didn’t say anything. His body was very limp, almost leaning into my arms. “I’m sorry, my head hurts a lot right now. Can you stay in this position without moving and let me lean on you for a bit?” Oh, damn! Am I dreaming? How did I get so lucky? He was groaning in pain. But I couldn’t help wanting to prick up my ears to listen. Even his groans sounded amazing!! And this scene was very similar to the first chapter of my new story! A palace artist catches a poisoned prince as he collapses. The prince’s poison acts up and he immediately pins down the artist. If the maids hadn’t arrived in time, the little artist would have been devoured in the first chapter!!! “What are you thinking about? Why is your heart beating so fast?” The voice from my arms brought me back to reality. My face was already red, and after being called out it burned even hotter. “I won’t trouble you anymore.” He managed to sit up straight and let out a breath. “Thank you. I’ll treat you to a meal another day.” I nodded, trying to calm my wildly beating heart as I left. Just as I turned to close the door, a fleeting image in the office startled me. The boss who had been painfully rubbing his head was actually smiling? Impossible!! I must have seen wrong. On Twitter, I created a fan group. People eager for my erotic content immediately flooded in. I typed, “Help! This isn’t about drawing! Can anyone analyze what my chances are if I want to pursue my hot boss?” These online friends’ enthusiasm for gossip was no less than their enthusiasm for erotic content. They all asked me to elaborate. So I told them about the office hug incident and secretly drawing my boss. At this point I remembered I still had a male fan. I scanned the group and didn’t see him, so I proactively added him to the group. “Hey Mr. No Profile Picture, can you help analyze this for me?” Mr. No Profile Picture: “What?” A fan copied and pasted what I had posted. Mr. No Profile Picture: “?!!” Mr. No Profile Picture: “There’s a version without clothes too?” Me: “Actually… I have even more explicit ones on my tablet. He just didn’t see those.” Mr. No Profile Picture: “!!” For some reason, I felt like his reaction was a bit over the top. Shouldn’t a stranger just be enjoying the gossip? Meanwhile, the other fans were clamoring non-stop: “Author, I want to see pics of the hot boss”, “Show us the goods”, “Let me see”. They were about to flood the chat, so I had no choice but to post a few of my best drawings. There were no full face shots anyway. Even if the actual person saw them, they probably wouldn’t recognize themselves. As soon as the images were posted, the group exploded. Everyone was shouting that the hot boss belonged to all of them, and begging me to draw “more more more” in the future. I found it too noisy, so I left to private message that guy. “Hey, can you help analyze now?” That guy: “Sorry, those images had quite an impact. I need a moment to recover.” I get it, I get it. We’re all horny here… But this guy took half an hour to “recover”. “Sorry, I just took a cold shower.” Me: “Damn, that’s intense. You’ll catch a cold showering in this weather.” “Ahem, you’ve been updating so frequently lately, I’ve been taking cold showers for days.” Well, I’ll take that as a compliment. Suddenly I thought, my boss had a headache and fever earlier. He couldn’t have been taking cold showers too, right? He continued: “I think you should try getting closer to him. You might discover that your hot boss isn’t just physically attractive, but has many other shining qualities.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294826”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #浪漫Romance #魔幻Magic #校园School

I Reincarnated as My Boyfriend’s Ragdoll Cat After dying, I became the cat by my ex-boyfriend’s side. He cherished and pampered me endlessly. To prevent me from being bullied by other male cats, he decided to take me for neutering. Just before entering the pet store, I spoke up. “Logan! No way!” … Due to an accident, I passed away and my soul ascended to heaven. I had two choices: either reincarnate directly based on my previous life’s performance or work for heaven to earn money and buy the right to return to earth as an animal to accompany my former family. After some thought, I decided to stay in heaven. Given my ordinary performance in my previous life, I would likely just be an ordinary person in my next life too. I might as well work hard and strive to return to my ex-boyfriend’s side as soon as possible to accompany him. I had no parents and grew up in an orphanage. And he, Logan, was the kind of person who had always been excellent since childhood. It wasn’t until I met him that I felt what it was like to have a home. So I worked hard in heaven, doing whatever earned money the fastest. I had never worked so hard even when I was alive. A year later, I finally saved up enough to buy the right to return to earth. The store owner told me that Logan now had two pets at home – a Ragdoll cat and a pet turtle. Ragdoll cat? Hearing those words, I was stunned for a moment. This was the pet I had wanted most when I was alive. But because we were both quite busy with work, this plan had always been put on hold. Before I passed away, Logan only had that pet turtle at home. Originally I was planning to become that pet turtle. Turtles live long lives, so I would definitely be able to accompany Logan for a very long time. I made a split-second decision and chose to be the Ragdoll cat. I wanted to experience what it felt like to be petted too. My head spun for a moment, and when I opened my eyes, my surroundings looked familiar. But why did the furniture seem so short? I looked closer. Hiss… How did this damn cat climb so high! I’m afraid of heights, how am I supposed to get down? Hearing the sound of the door opening, I knew Logan had arrived. I quickly called for help. “Logan, hurry and carry me down, I’m scared.” Logan looked up and smiled indulgently. He was still so handsome, with his defined jawline, high nose bridge, and captivating eyes. Everything was just like before. Except his once clear eyes now showed signs of fatigue. “Lily, what are you meowing about up there? Climbing so high again.” I had forgotten that I could only meow now. Hearing the name “Lily”, I was stunned for a moment. My name was Lily, and whenever Logan used to call me that, his tone was always full of tenderness, just like just now. I wanted so badly to jump into his arms and feel his warmth again. But it was really too high, all four of my cat legs were shaking. I anxiously meowed a few more times. “Logan, I can’t get down!” Logan opened his arms: “Come on Lily, jump down, I’ll catch you.” Those words gave me courage. Looking into Logan’s gentle eyes, for the first time I leaped down from such a high place. I landed precisely in his embrace. It felt so warm, I felt like all my hard work over the past year had been worth it. Just as I was greedily enjoying his scent in his arms, I was suddenly picked up, the back of my neck firmly pinched by one of Logan’s hands. He looked at me, his expression instantly changing as he sternly pointed at my nose and then swatted my bottom. “That’s what you get for not listening and climbing so high again.” I meowed as I was hit. Logan, you’ve changed! You’re not the sweet puppy you used to be! Now you’re a cruel big bad wolf, how could you bring yourself to hit such an adorable little kitty like me! I wailed, but all that came out were meows. I hated that I couldn’t speak. I regretted it, I should have become that turtle instead, at least I wouldn’t get hit. After a few swats, Logan put me down on the ground and I scurried away with my tail between my legs. I wandered around the house and found that the layout was mostly the same as before, with everything still arranged according to my old habits. Except my study had been turned into a luxurious cat room. Cat food, canned cat food, various clothes, cat toys, an exquisite cat tree. I couldn’t help but sigh, cats really do have it better than humans. I stayed comfortably at home for a few days and discovered how blissful it could be to be a cat. Every morning I would jump onto Logan and nuzzle his nose with my cat nose. He would open his sleepy eyes, pet me affectionately, and then kiss my cat head. His lips were still as soft as ever, it really felt like a dream from my past life. In the evenings when he got home, I would lie on top of him as he sat on the couch reading while petting me. I finally understood why cats love being petted so much. I couldn’t help but meow out loud in pleasure. And when Logan went to work, I would jump onto the couch, skillfully turn on the TV with my paws, and elegantly lie on the couch to start my lazy day. The only pity was that my cat paws couldn’t play video games, otherwise I could have even gone to explore Summoner’s Rift. When I got hungry, I would go eat the cat food he had prepared for me before work, along with delicious canned cat food. The only thing I wasn’t used to was using the bathroom. I really couldn’t get used to relieving myself in the litter box. So after much effort, I managed to jump onto Logan’s toilet, my short legs straddling the toilet seat as I used it shakily. But humans make mistakes, and cats slip up too. One day as I was secretly using the toilet to take care of my feline business, Logan happened to come home. In my panic, I fell into the toilet with a splash. When Logan found me, I was soaking in the yellow liquid I had just excreted. At that moment, I wished I could go back to heaven. Logan pulled me out of the toilet with a look of disgust. Then he took a towel and started scrubbing me. “What’s the deal? Is that big litter box not enough for you? Now you want to use the toilet?” I meowed once in agreement. Thump! He lightly smacked my head. “You still have the nerve to meow!” Wah, I got hit again. Logan, you dog of a man. You’re still hitting me when I’m already in such a miserable state. I protested with a couple more meows, but to my surprise he ignored me. How cold! He took me to a nearby pet store. The staff there eagerly crowded around. “Mr. Sterling, you’re here!” The staff member’s tone was coquettish. I could see her desire and greed towards Logan. I meowed once: Don’t even think about coveting Logan! It’s not that I didn’t want Logan to have a new life and find a girlfriend, it’s just that this staff member was not okay. The staff member noticed me after my meow and froze, looking hesitant. “Lily is…” I knew I looked ugly and smelly right now, but did she have to be that disgusted? “She was using the toilet and fell in,” Logan said coldly, his face expressionless. He was still like this – he never showed any emotion to people he wasn’t close with. At that moment I just wanted to bury my head in his arms. It was so embarrassing. What an embarrassing cat life moment. But I was placed in a carrier bag. I could only watch helplessly as I was handed over to the staff and taken further and further away from Logan. I scratched at the carrier with my paws, my sapphire-like eyes gazing at Logan. I wanted to escape, I wanted to go home. I knew what awaited me was my first bath by someone else since I became self-aware. Just thinking about a pair of strange hands touching me from head to toe gave me goosebumps. No, cat-bumps. After being placed in the sink, I felt my fluffy fur gradually sticking to my body. Looking at the mirror across from the sink, I blacked out. What was this ugly thing! The once heavenly beauty of a cat had become so thin and scrawny, all skin and bones. The only words in my mind were: drowned rat. As the staff member bathed me, she kept muttering about her love for Logan. “Lily, you know, your owner is really so handsome.” “Meow.” I know. “He always comes alone to bring you for baths. He probably doesn’t have a girlfriend right now, right?” “Meow meow.” He used to, but she died. My eyes glazed over. I felt like such a good person. Being scrubbed and swayed back and forth while answering the staff’s questions. “Lily, do you think I’d make a good female owner for you?” The staff member got more and more excited, her face flushing. “Meow meow meow!” No way. I smacked the water with one paw and swished my tail forcefully. Water splashed directly onto the staff’s face. Then I bared my teeth and hissed at her. With my current appearance, I must have looked quite intimidating. Unexpectedly, the staff member shoved me into the water, then grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and lifted me up. “You stinky cat, how dare you throw a tantrum? Just wait until I become your female owner, I’ll teach you a lesson.” “Meow!” Dream on! Then I was thrown into the water and choked. After that I was violently dried off, violently blow-dried, and violently brushed. I felt like my fur was about to separate from my body. Everywhere she brushed felt like it was on fire. And if I resisted even a little, I would get smacked. When Logan smacked my head, it was always gentle. This staff member hit with full force. I felt like my face was going to swell up from her hits. Finally Logan came to pick me up. The moment she saw Logan, the staff member’s face completely changed. Her previous roughness instantly turned into affection, looking like a woman full of love. The staff member hugged me with a beaming smile and handed me over to Logan. Then she reached out to pet me in Logan’s arms, her face smiling so much it made me want to vomit. “Mr. Sterling, our store actually offers a delivery service. You can leave your address and we can pick up Lily from your home.” The staff member was full of anticipation, her voice soft and coy, her eyes sparkling. I was so anxious, afraid Logan would leave his address and give this woman an opportunity. “Meow.” Reject her. I anxiously burrowed into Logan’s arms, swatting away the staff’s hand on me in disgust. Then I shed a cat tear. “No need,” Logan flatly refused and left with me. As expected of the man I love most, he understood me. “Lily, do you not like that staff member? I saw you swat her hand away.” Logan held me up with both hands under my front legs. His eyes were so gentle they could melt. “Meow.” That’s right. “If you don’t like her, we won’t let her bathe you anymore.” “Meow~” Why don’t you bathe me instead? I felt my meows getting more and more perverted. During my time by Logan’s side, I discovered he had learned many life skills he didn’t know before. Like cooking. In the past, cooking was a disaster for him. Any kitchen he entered looked like it had been bombed. But now he could make delicious meals for one after work every day. Whenever Logan cooked, I would jump onto the stove and watch his every move. A year had passed, and it seemed like nothing had changed, yet everything had changed. Logan was still so charming, exuding confidence in his every gesture. But the once sunny boy now seemed more mature, with fine lines around his eyes and fewer smiles. He only smiled when petting me on the couch, amused by my cute appearance. “Ouch, that’s hot.” Logan burned his thumb and index finger on the pot lid. “Meow!” I called out anxiously. As soon as I meowed, Logan pinched my ear with those two fingers. I stared at him with wide blue eyes. Logan, you think you’re so great, using my ear to cool your fingers! I stood up ready to pounce on Logan and have a duel with him. Perhaps my appearance was too funny, as Logan hugged me and started giggling. He nuzzled the back of my neck, showing his dependence on me. Alright, seeing how happily he was laughing, I forgave him. Looking at this empty room with only Logan, I made a decision. I needed to find myself a female owner. I couldn’t let Logan remain a widower. Although it hurt my heart a little, Logan’s life had to go on. I couldn’t let him stay lonely forever. It was bath time again. Three months had passed since the last visit to this pet store. I was really amazed at how cats could go so long without a bath. Out of human instinct, I had long felt unbearably itchy all over. This time, the store manager received me from Logan’s hands. She looked elegant and graceful, exuding refinement in her every move. Hmm, I was willing to let her bathe me. Hearing that I had arrived, that staff member rushed out from inside. She immediately tried to snatch me from the manager’s hands. “Lily’s here! I’ll wash her, Mr. Sterling, long time no see.” I meowed in protest at the sight of her hands, looking to Logan for help. “I don’t want her to bathe Lily,” Logan said coldly to the manager, pointing at the staff member. The staff member’s face darkened, her hands frozen in mid-air, looking anxious. “But why, Mr. Sterling? Did I not wash her well? Lily can be naughty sometimes, there may have been parts I didn’t do well. Please tell me so I can improve.” You’re the naughty one! The whole neighborhood is naughty! “Manager, do you have time to give Lily a bath?” Logan ignored the staff member, his face expressionless as he looked at the manager. The manager also looked a bit uncomfortable, only able to smile awkwardly to ease the tension. “Of course, Mr. Sterling. We’ll call you when Lily is done bathing.” Logan nodded in satisfaction, petting me with gentle eyes and a tender expression. “Be good and take your bath. I’ll be back to pick you up.” “Meow.” Okay. To observe if the manager was suitable to be my female owner, I even overlooked the terror of being bathed. The manager’s hands were really gentle, slowly smoothing my fur bit by bit. It felt much better than last time. Last time was like hell on earth. Plus the manager kept smiling sweetly at me, her dimples showing. She was the epitome of a sweet girl. If I wasn’t a female cat, I would definitely have fallen in love. Throughout my entire bath, that staff member kept hovering around. She would occasionally say something to the manager. “Manager, you’ve been working hard all morning. Why don’t I bathe Lily instead?” “Go watch the front desk, it’s fine,” the manager replied, patiently continuing to bathe me. Hmm, very good, very reliable. This cat approves. The staff member pouted, looking very dissatisfied. I looked at her, my fur standing on end as I bared my teeth in a grin. The staff member pouted, looking very dissatisfied. I looked at her, baring my little fangs in a smug smile. Seeing Logan come to pick me up, the staff member quickly rushed over to take me. I frantically resisted with my paws, accidentally leaving a shallow scratch on her wrist. “Ah!” The staff member cried out. Oh no, I’ve done it now. This gave her a good excuse to cling to Logan. I went limp in my cat body, but just as the staff member was about to pick me up, the manager came over and took me away. The staff member’s expression changed from triumphant to hateful. “Mr. Sterling, Lily is all cleaned up,” the manager said, handing me to Logan. To let Logan and the manager have some contact, I deliberately struggled a bit, making their arms and fingers touch each other. The romantic spark between a man and woman needs this kind of inadvertent physical contact. “Mr. Sterling, Lily is getting naughtier and naughtier. You must be careful at home,” the staff member quickly came over as soon as I was placed in Logan’s arms, showing her wrist to Logan. Looking at that faint pink mark, I thought she should hurry and put some medicine on it, otherwise it would heal soon. “Your store gives all employees vaccinations, right?” Logan asked coldly while holding me, gently stroking my fur. “Yes, Mr. Sterling. Don’t worry.” “Hmm, if any medical expenses are needed, just deduct it from Lily’s card.” With that, Logan was about to leave with me in his arms. The staff member’s face had turned ashen. “Oh, Mr. Sterling, Lily is about the right age for spaying. If you don’t want her to breed, you might consider whether she needs the surgery.” Spaying! Hearing those four words, I felt like I had been struck by lightning. “Alright, I’ll think about it.” Think about it? This needs thinking about? Of course it should be refused, firmly and righteously refused. Logan! If you dare to send me for spaying, I’ll never acknowledge you again! “Meow meow meow!” On the way home, I kept protesting in horror. During this time, if I meowed for no reason, Logan would always pet my head. But today he completely ignored me. Suddenly I felt so wronged. I pouted my cat mouth, and my bright blue eyes dimmed. When we got home, I found Logan starting to search for the benefits of spaying female cats. Oh no, this man really wants to spay me. Is it too late to go back to heaven now? No matter how I threw tantrums or acted coy, he ignored me. He didn’t even feed me canned cat food. What’s wrong with Logan… I lay on top of him, trying to nuzzle his nose with my cat nose. He turned his head away, avoiding me. I stared at him in shock. Whether when I was alive or after I became a cat, he had never avoided me like this before. I silently jumped down from him and slowly crawled back to my cat bed step by step. My blue eyes shone like a bright star in the dark room, but today that star was brimming with tears. Being ignored by Logan for the first time, I was devastated. I almost forgot, I’m just a pet now, just a cat. He can summon me at will, pet me when he’s in a good mood, and when he’s in a bad mood I just have to obediently stay aside by myself. Amidst my tears, I heard Logan making a phone call. “She’s one year old. We’re going for a checkup tomorrow, right? After the checkup, when can we do the surgery? The day after tomorrow? Okay.” I became instantly alert. Is Logan really going through with this?! I wish so badly that I could speak now, to make Logan stop this ridiculous behavior. In my dream, I felt myself return to heaven. I stood at the door of the store that sold the rights to return to earth. The store owner looked at me with an amused smile. “Well, if it isn’t the little kitty who’s about to be spayed.” “Stop laughing and help me think of a solution quickly. I don’t want to get cut open on my belly.” I felt so wronged. I had worked hard in heaven for a year, not to come down to earth to be spayed. “Don’t say big sis doesn’t care about you. I specially brought you here in your dream to tell you. You still have some money left from the rights you bought before. We recently launched a new product that lets you speak for ten minutes every day. See if you need it? There are no side effects. And as the first trial user, you’ll get a surprise lucky draw.” “I need it, I need it.” I didn’t hesitate. If I could speak, I could escape the fate of being neutered. As for the surprise lucky draw, we’ll talk about that later. “It’s just that this product is newly developed. It can’t be delivered instantly, there might be a delay.” “Hurry up and place the order, don’t waste time.” Every minute and second is crucial now. If it’s a bit late, I might be sent to the operating table. Back on earth, I tried to speak every moment, but all that came out was meow meow meow. “Stop meowing. No matter how much you meow, you’re still going for spaying tomorrow. Once you’re spayed, you won’t be bullied by male cats anymore.” Logan rested his head on his hand as he looked at me, and for some reason I felt like he was trying to hold back laughter.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294842”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #浪漫Romance #魔幻Magic #校园School #重生Reborn

I’m an emergency room doctor. In the ER, you encounter all sorts of strange situations. Like kids with toys stuck in their mouths that can’t be removed… But one night, the patient rushed to the ER was my wife, and the reason was too embarrassing to mention! In the quiet of the late-night emergency room, I was yawning, my eyes almost closed from fatigue. “Dr. Carter, we have a patient!” The night shift nurse rushed into the ER. I immediately snapped awake, rubbing my face as I stood up. “What’s the patient’s condition?” I asked urgently. “The patient… she…” The young nurse seemed to have trouble speaking. Seeing her hesitation, I didn’t press further. Working night shifts in the ER, I thought I’d seen it all. But when the nurse wheeled the patient into the emergency room, I was completely stunned. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d see my wife in the ER! “Olivia!” My face paled as I rushed over. I saw Olivia’s face was ashen, and she had already passed out. “Dr. Carter, you know her?” The young nurse looked at me in surprise. “This is my wife!” I said without looking back, immediately starting to check Olivia’s condition. There were no visible injuries on her face or body, but she was unconscious. Internal injury? I grew increasingly anxious. Internal injuries were often more troublesome than external ones! But when I went to examine her legs, my pupils dilated in shock, and I froze. I knew exactly what this was at first glance. My vision went dark, and my breathing became rapid. I nearly collapsed right there in the ER. Olivia and I had been married for two years, and our relationship had always been normal. We’d never experimented with anything unusual. I’d never used these kinds of toys on her. But Olivia’s current state was clearly due to anal fissures causing her to faint! In an instant, I felt a wave of jealousy and betrayal wash over me. This definitely wasn’t something Olivia would have done to herself! I stared at Olivia in shock, my eyes wide and unblinking. “Dr. Carter, what should we do now?” The young nurse looked at me with an odd expression, asking a question. I could feel nothing but mockery and sarcasm in her gaze! Taking a deep breath, I said with a dark expression, “Anesthesia. Prepare for surgery!” The young nurse quickly busied herself in the ER, soon bringing me the anesthetic. I administered the anesthesia to Olivia and carefully removed the object. Suppressing my anger, I sutured Olivia’s wound. “Take her to the inpatient department,” I said, storming out of the ER with a black expression. Once outside, I stood alone smoking cigarette after cigarette. My mind was filled with images of Olivia’s condition. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became, feeling like a complete fool! “Damn it!” I threw my cigarette on the ground, crushing it viciously. The young nurse who had assisted me earlier immediately changed her expression and shut her mouth. With my face dark with anger, the overwhelming sense of humiliation made me feel like I couldn’t stay there any longer. “Get back to work! Don’t you all have anything better to do?” I shouted, and they quickly scattered. I went back into the ER to check, and Olivia had already been taken to the inpatient department. I wanted to rush there immediately and demand answers, but the ER couldn’t be left unattended. If a patient came in while I was gone and treatment was delayed, it would be a serious problem. My last shred of rationality kept me in the ER. As soon as my shift ended, I rushed to the inpatient department and found Olivia’s room. The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet, so she was still unconscious. I stood by her bed, looking at this woman I thought I knew better than anyone else. At that moment, she felt like a complete stranger. After what seemed like an eternity, Olivia’s eyelashes fluttered, and she woke up. “Jack?” Olivia looked at me in confusion, then asked, “Why am I here?” My eyes were blazing with anger, wide open and staring at her. Panic flashed across Olivia’s face. She quickly said, “Jack, listen to me, this is a misunderstanding!” Olivia reached out to grab my hand, but I swatted it away. “A misunderstanding? We’ve been married for two years, and you’ve never even let me touch you there, let alone anything else!” “And now look at you! Playing so freely with other men!” “Olivia! All these years, I’ve been blind to misjudge you like this!” I shouted at Olivia. Tears immediately began to fall from Olivia’s eyes as she cried, “Jack, please let me explain. It’s not what you think… it’s not like that…” “Enough!” I roared, cutting off Olivia’s tearful pleas. I gave her one last hateful look before turning and leaving the room. “Jack!” Olivia cried out behind me, sobbing uncontrollably, but my heart didn’t soften one bit. She cheated on me, ended up in the hospital for everyone to see, humiliating me completely, and she still has the nerve to cry? Back home, looking at our wedding photo hanging on the wall, I felt nothing but bitter irony. Just then, my phone rang. It was Olivia. I hung up immediately. She called again, and I hung up once more. After that, I simply turned off my phone, out of sight, out of mind. I took a case of beer from the fridge and started drinking one after another. Before long, I had finished the entire case. I went to get another case and had barely drunk a few bottles when I felt a churning in my stomach. I ran to the bathroom and hugged the toilet, vomiting violently. Later, I lost consciousness and passed out on the bathroom floor. “Jack! Jack! Wake up!” A loud shout brought me back to consciousness. I opened my heavy eyelids to see a blurry figure in front of me. “Jack, why the hell did you drink so much?” The figure slapped my face, dragging me up from the floor. It was only then that I could see clearly – the figure was my best friend, Ryan. “You… why are you here? Hic…” I hiccupped, my tongue still feeling heavy. Ryan frowned, pinching his nose. “Damn, how much did you drink? You reek!” “Olivia called me. She said she couldn’t reach you and asked me to check on you.” As soon as I heard Olivia’s name, I became agitated and cursed loudly, “She still has the nerve to ask you to find me? Get out! Tell her to get lost!” Ryan looked at me in surprise. He nudged my arm and asked, “Jack, what’s going on between you and Olivia? Weren’t you two always so good together?” My face, which was already red from drinking, turned dark at that moment. “She cheated on me.” “What? You’re saying Olivia cheated?” Ryan exclaimed in disbelief. I gave a bitter laugh. “You don’t believe it, right? I didn’t fucking believe it either!” “But she was brought to my ER, and I had no choice but to believe it!” I clutched my head in pain, my eyes bloodshot. “What exactly happened? Tell me the details.” Gritting my teeth, I told Ryan what had transpired. After hearing it all, Ryan opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally sighing and patting my shoulder. “So what are you going to do now? Divorce?” I hung my head, my voice filled with resentment: “If not divorce, what else? Wait for the new year?” Ryan hesitated for a moment before saying, “Do you think there might be some misunderstanding? I’ve known Olivia for years too, and she doesn’t seem like that kind of person.” “What misunderstanding could there be?! She had anal fissures! What kind of misunderstanding could explain that?!” I shouted hoarsely. Seeing my state, Ryan didn’t try to persuade me anymore. “Alright, if you’ve made up your mind, then that’s that.” Ryan suddenly changed the subject: “Do you want me to help you find a lawyer for the divorce proceedings? In the current situation, since you didn’t catch Olivia in the act, there’s a high chance that the property will be split equally. If I remember correctly, you paid for this house, right?” My face tightened. “Are you saying that if I divorce now, I’ll have to give her half the house?” Ryan nodded. “Why should I?!” I shouted angrily. Ryan shrugged. “Don’t yell at me. That’s just how it is, unless you can find evidence of Olivia’s infidelity.” My face went through a series of changes before I gritted my teeth and said, “Fine! I’ll hold on a bit longer. I’ll definitely find evidence and make sure she leaves with nothing!” Two days later, Olivia was discharged from the hospital. During those two days, going to work was torture for me. The looks from my colleagues made me want to disappear into the ground. The more this happened, the deeper my resentment towards Olivia grew. If it weren’t for wanting to ensure she left with nothing, I would have divorced her already. When Olivia was discharged, I was still working the night shift in the ER. She came to the emergency room. “Jack.” Olivia stood at the entrance of the ER, wringing her hands, looking pitiful. I gave Olivia a cold look without responding. Seeing this, Olivia stepped forward. “Jack, please listen to my explanation. Things really aren’t what you think…” “Get out!” I interrupted Olivia, looking at her with disgust. Tears immediately welled up in Olivia’s eyes. She took out her phone and held it out to me. “Jack, after you watch this video, you’ll understand. I know I shouldn’t have done this, but things really aren’t what you think.” Looking at the phone Olivia was holding out, my eye twitched violently. Damn it! They even recorded a video?! Fine, fine! I want to see just how impressive you two are! With trembling hands, I snatched Olivia’s phone. I opened the video, my eyes glued to the screen. “Ah!” Olivia cried out in pain. “Olivia, don’t be scared. It’s always like this at first. Look at me, I’m used to it now,” a female voice came from the video. My eyes immediately widened. What’s going on? Why is it a woman? I stared at the phone in confusion, not daring to blink for fear of missing something. A moment later, a familiar figure walked into the frame, and my eyes narrowed. It was Emma! Olivia’s best friend!

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After my mother remarried, my younger brother, Jon, discovered from Dad’s old box of belongings that Grandpa’s family came from a prestigious military background, one that held power in the Old Guard Social Circle. Jon immediately clung to the idea of becoming part of that elite world, choosing to go with Grandpa. But Grandpa had other ideas. Instead of introducing Jon to the elite circles, he had him working on the farm, tending sheep, writing, carving, and studying hard with no chance to show his face in public circles. Meanwhile, I stayed with our stepfather, Dan, at the Rivers Family Estate and became his right-hand man, eventually making my way into high society. By the time Jon returned home after graduating high school, he learned that Savannah “Sunny” Charleston and I were heading abroad to study together—and that we’d be engaged upon returning. Jon went into a rage and killed me, and in some twist of fate, we both found ourselves back at the moment when we had to choose: go with Grandpa or stay with Mom. This time, Jon hid behind Mom, insisting, “I’m not going back with Grandpa; my dad is here.” I quickly gripped Grandpa Sam’s coat. I’d had enough of the life of servitude and catering to someone else’s every whim.

When Dad passed away, he left behind two sons: my brother, Jonathan “Jon” Rivers, and me, Lucas “Luke” Rivers. Mom quickly remarried, throwing her energy into her new husband, Dan Thompson, and the unborn child she was carrying. That was when Grandpa Sam, whom we had never met, showed up and said he wanted to take both Jon and me. Mom’s face twisted with anger. “When I married your son, you didn’t contribute a penny. I’ve never even met you until now, and now you want to take both kids?” “These are my son’s children too,” he replied. “I know you’ve remarried, but I can’t bear to see them left entirely to you. If you insist, maybe I could take one of them off your hands. Let them choose for themselves.” Before he could finish, Jon had already taken Dan’s hand, eager to help him sit, calling him “Dad” with this sweet look in his eye and volunteering to make tea. With a voice as soft as silk, he promised Dan would be his only dad from now on. Mom looked completely stunned. When she was first talking about remarrying, Jon had been firmly against it. She was overwhelmed, caught between the son of her late husband and her new love. Now Jon was going out of his way to be nice to Dan, even promising to change his last name to match Dan’s. She’d always favored Jon, so his offer to stay was an easy choice. With Jon firmly holding Dan’s hand, he looked at me and said loudly, “Make sure you follow Grandpa closely, brother.” When I finished packing, ready to leave with Grandpa, Jon mocked me openly. “This time, you can get down in the dirt and dig. Time for you to see what real hardship is like.”

I knew exactly why he was so smug. In the last life, he had found Dad’s medal—a heavy-duty Distinguished Service Medal—along with a letter from Dad in a box of his belongings. The letter explained that Dad’s family came from a distinguished military background. Jon was determined to live a privileged life without feeling like a second-class member of Dan’s family. So when given a choice, he clung to Grandpa’s arm, demanding to go with him. His vision of an elite lifestyle crumbled when he saw where Grandpa actually lived: a modest little town with a small, self-built house surrounded by woods. Grandpa’s income came from farming and collecting herbs, entirely dependent on what he could sell to buyers from town. When the season wasn’t good, money was tight. Grandpa had Jon on a strict schedule, with no room for coddling. At the crack of dawn, Jon had to be up, eat, and walk or catch a bus to public school. After school, Grandpa would make him finish every bit of homework and then supervise his exercise. Weekends meant going up into the woods to forage for herbs—no leisure time, no entertainment. Jon would go on to describe his life there as unbearable misery. He wanted a housekeeper, servants, a mansion with gilded walls, and a school with a private driver. He wanted to attend a prep school and make friends with the sons of CEOs. Meanwhile, I had everything he wanted and then some. While he wore handmade, out-of-style clothes Grandpa had tailored at a local shop, I was out shopping with Dan’s black card, getting the latest designer suits and watches delivered straight to our door. When Jon was battling acne and drinking bitter herbal concoctions, Dan was arranging for my braces, a personal trainer, and a whole team to help me sculpt a perfect physique. In his eyes, I became the “lost son” everyone saw as the next Rivers heir, while he faded into the background. When I was barely sixteen, alliances with other wealthy families were already being considered. Standing by Dan’s side, I gained a polished reputation as his heir and his public face. Jon was smitten with Sunny Charleston and pestered Mom relentlessly to arrange an introduction. But she refused, so he finally asked, “I’m a Rivers too—why can’t I?” With an icy tone, Dan shot him down. “Look at you—following your grandpa around in the dirt. You don’t know the first thing about finance, fine wines, or golf. What makes you think you belong here?” Grandpa hauled Jon back to Willow Creek and forbade him from returning until after college applications. When Jon asked about the medal he’d found, Grandpa just shrugged and said he picked it up from a junkyard, telling him to focus on his studies. When Jon was taking his college entrance exams, I was performing solo piano for my debut. Dan, with his background in music, had trained me well; my hands moved with expert grace over the keys, and when I finished, the crowd applauded, and the crystal lights sparkled in my eyes. Rumor spread: “The Rivers have Luke; the Old Guard has Sunny.” But after Jon’s college results were in, he returned home proudly, only to hear about my engagement to Sunny Charleston, the girl he had liked. When Dan and Mr. Charleston discussed our study abroad plans, Jon introduced himself to Mr. Charleston, who smiled politely. But as Jon walked away, Mr. Charleston sighed, “So, I’ve heard your ex-wife brought two sons here. Well, one of them’s wasted his life; the other—Luke—is refined and accomplished. I could smell the stench of poverty on that first one as he walked past.” Jon lost it. He stormed into my room, choking me, shouting, “Die! Just die!” I swung an object at his head in self-defense. In the end, we both died that night—at just eighteen—only to return to the crossroads of fate once more. This time, he chose Dan without hesitation, telling me, “This round, you’re the one who’s going to waste away with that old man. You’ll be nothing but a bumpkin now.”

Grandpa’s place was humble, to say the least. Mom didn’t even feel responsible for providing my child support payments to Grandpa. She only showed up during school breaks when she brought Jon home, going through the motions. She’d always thought Grandpa’s life would be wealthier and more prestigious than Dan’s, or at least rich enough to maintain the lifestyle we had at the Rivers Estate. Grandpa set up a small room just for me, with only the essentials and a plain writing desk with a few pencils and paper. We walked around the land, the summer heat cracking the soil. Grandma watered the plants, saying, “You chose this path; you can’t turn back now.” Grandpa didn’t think I’d last after the luxury of the Rivers Estate. In the last life, Jon had called Mom and asked to come home shortly after moving in, but she had refused. He quickly learned that in reality, Grandpa’s household was nothing like the high-society circles in Old Bridge. I picked up a watering can and helped Grandpa. “I don’t regret it, Grandpa. I like this life. It feels real.” Grandpa just looked at me, as if taken aback. Finally, he murmured, “You’re nothing like your dad.” I asked, “What was my dad like when he was young?” The only image I had of Dad was one of worry etched into his face. But Grandpa’s expression darkened, and he changed the subject. “If you’re going to live with me, you follow my rules. I’m strict, and I don’t like nonsense. Go rest now.” That night, listening to the frogs and crickets outside my window, I drifted off to sleep.

The books piled on my desk were like a mountain. Even with two lives’ worth of experience, I hadn’t learned much about basic subjects. Studying at a public school, without the luxury of private tutors, was nothing like socializing at high-end gatherings. I’d fall asleep at the desk, only to hear Grandpa cough, startling me awake. My hand shot up instinctively, “I’m sorry, Grandpa. I’ll get back to work.” Grandpa looked at me in surprise. “You get hit a lot, huh?” I answered honestly, “Yes.” He sighed heavily. “Maybe tonight, get some rest.” I shook my head, determined. “No, if I take breaks, I’ll never catch up with my studies. My handwriting won’t get any better. I know I can do this.” Grandpa watched me for a long while. Then he said, “I’ll go shoo the cicadas away if they’re bothering you.” I could feel Grandpa’s care for me. Though he rarely said much, he would stay up with me to correct my mistakes. And though my clothes weren’t designer, he’d have the neighbor lady, a retired seamstress, take my measurements. Grandpa never said it, but I knew he felt for me, wishing Mom would come visit. But after two lifetimes, I didn’t have any expectations of motherly love, nor did I want her to show up. When she did visit, it was usually just to snap a few photos to add to her social image, acting like she cared. Every time, her gaze spoke volumes of judgment and discomfort. One day, I heard the sound of a violin drifting through the door, and my hands automatically mimicked the rhythm. Grandpa moved in front of me protectively as I looked over his shoulder. Jon stood there, playing his violin with pride, every movement as poised as a showbird, his eyes full of smug satisfaction when he finished. Not far off, Dan and Mom approached hand in hand. Mom’s belly was visibly large now, and her gaze was filled with love as she looked from her stomach to Jon. But when her eyes landed on me, her face turned cold and distant. As they drew closer, she feigned surprise. “Oh, Uncle Sam, I didn’t see you there.” Dan took this moment to show off. “Jon, you played that part well, but it should go more like this. Let me demonstrate. Maybe Luke could listen in too,” he added nonchalantly. Jon clung to Dan’s sleeve. “Dad, let’s go home. Mom says you were her first music mentor. Why don’t you teach me some more?” It was almost comical. Music mentor? It was just two people drawn to each other out of vanity and money. Performing at home wasn’t enough; they needed an audience here. With Mom in the middle, Jon and Dan on either side, she nodded my way. “Luke, stay close to Grandpa now; we’ll be off.” Jon turned to me, grinning as he asked, “Could you walk me out, big brother? I want to spend a minute with you.” I had a hunch about what he’d say. “You saw that medal, didn’t you?” he asked with a sneer. “I’m just giving you a heads-up—it’s a fake. Grandpa’s just a country bumpkin.” He smirked as he delivered the words, delighted in the jab. “Oh, by the way, did you get an invite from the Johnsons?” “Ah, I must’ve forgotten,” he continued, glancing down with a smirk as he fiddled with his expensive watch, just to make sure I’d noticed. “Out here in these sticks, you’re probably already blacklisted from the high society of Old Bridge. Beg me, and I might take you along—though you’ll only embarrass yourself.” I knew he was watching for any sign of anger or regret, but I just looked at him and asked, “When’s the last time you actually enjoyed the taste of a real meal?” That single question made his face harden. He glared. “I have no clue what you’re talking about, you hillbilly.” And with that, he turned and hurried back to the car, looking almost panicked as he left. I walked home slowly. When I arrived, Grandpa was awkwardly holding out a small cake. “It’s your birthday,” he muttered. “I didn’t know how you celebrated it back at the Rivers house, but here’s a cake for you.” It had been so long since I’d celebrated my birthday that the creamy sweetness hit me like a flood of memories. I savored every bite as it melted on my tongue. Music was something you needed talent for, but to make it big, you also had to look the part. Dan believed that if you looked the right way, the world was yours. That was why, from my early teens, I struggled with an image I’d never really wanted. Even the slightest bloating was grounds for punishment. I’d wake up starving in the middle of the night, only to be forced to purge if I was caught rummaging in the fridge. Eventually, my stomach learned the response on its own, and anything I ate past a certain amount would make me sick. For performances, Dan would buy me custom designer suits, and I’d chug protein shakes to bulk up. My body was already running on fumes, and yet he never let up. I once tried telling Mom how bad things had gotten, and her only response was, “Dan does it for your own good.” He was as meticulous in my upbringing as a dollmaker, turning me into a flawless but soulless puppet. When my half-brother was born, Dan dropped all pretense, constantly reminding me, “For Ben’s sake, you need to keep excelling. Otherwise, there’ll be no place for you in this family when Ben’s older.” Mom fully agreed, telling me, “Ben is our future, and you need to marry well so you can be there to support him.” But Dan’s heart was never content. He had plenty of flings on the side, and even with Ben around, he never reined himself in. Mom thought she could use me to bring his focus back to her.

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For the past two nights, I’ve dreamed of a strange old man crawling onto my bed. Turns out, it wasn’t a dream. It was real. Even more shocking, it was all orchestrated by my husband of three years—the same man I thought adored me. All so he could satisfy his sick urges, even if it meant sending me into another man’s bed. 0In the dead of night, I felt a stranger climb into my bed. He stared hard at my face, his head getting closer and closer. I tried to turn my eyes away, but my eyelids felt as heavy as lead. He pinned my hands above my head, then buried his face against my neck, biting down. I struggled with all my strength, screaming, but found myself utterly helpless. Paralyzed, I was at his mercy, as he slipped my lace nightgown off my shoulders. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead!” “It’s time for breakfast.” Someone was gently pinching my nose. I snapped my eyes open, gasping for air. Law Callahan’s face hovered over me, full of warmth. I took in his familiar features, feeling dazed. Was it all just a dream? I sat up, my head spinning and body sore, completely exhausted like I hadn’t slept at all. “What’s wrong?” Law’s brows knit in concern, and he started massaging my temples. Looking into his worried eyes, I thought back to last night. A shiver ran down my spine. I shook my head to clear the disturbing thoughts. “Maybe I just didn’t sleep well, that’s all.” I rubbed his cheeks, playfully squishing his eyes into slits. “C’mon, aren’t we supposed to go to your mom’s for lunch?” We’d been married for three years, and Law had always treated me like we were newlyweds. With his good looks and those captivating eyes, I was drawn in, unable to resist. After breakfast, we set out, only arriving around one due to weekend traffic. “Son, what took you so long? You must be starving. I bet someone took forever getting ready,” Maxine Callahan, my mother-in-law, shot me a sharp look. She never approved of me since I was alone, without family to back me up. “Our Law was the only one from our whole community to make it to college, and a top university at that! So many folks would’ve loved to see him married to their daughter, but he picked you.” The first time I met her, she’d looked me over with a scrutinizing eye. From that moment, I knew I’d always feel unsteady without parents to support me—even with a college degree. “Mom, it’s my fault. I just wanted to sleep in a little,” Law said with a wink, easing the tension. I felt the cloud lift as I managed a small smile. Thank goodness I have Law; he’s always on my side. I see classmates on social media complaining about marriage problems, and it makes me value this quiet happiness even more. “Mom, I’m so hungry—let’s eat already.” Law, seeing her ready to say more, quickly guided her to the table. “Come on, son, have some soup. That hen stopped laying eggs, so I went ahead and cooked it up. If it can’t give eggs, what good is it?” Maxine ladled some soup for Law, casting a pointed glance at my stomach. Even Walter, my father-in-law, put his fork down in disappointment. “Mom, Ivy’s health isn’t the best. Once she’s better, we’ll have kids.” I stared at Law, unable to believe he’d take the blame for me. This wasn’t the first time Maxine had brought it up, but Law always turned the focus back on me. Last time, he’d said I wanted a few more years to enjoy life, and afterward, Maxine whispered that I was selfish. But the truth was, Law hadn’t touched me in almost three years. I couldn’t exactly have a baby on my own! 0

It was the first real argument of our marriage. He’d knelt on the ground, begging me not to tell his family about his problem. He didn’t want to lose face. I suggested seeing a doctor, but he said that if his colleagues or students found out, it would be worse than death for him. “Ivy, other than this, I’ll do anything you want. I promise I’ll treat you better than anyone else could.” He kept his promise in every way. After graduation, I stayed home, and each month, he handed over his paycheck, never letting me lift a finger around the house. He even took me on regular trips. “Ivy, we can’t let the family name end here; you know he’s our only son,” Walter finally spoke up, urging us to have a child. Under the table, Law grasped my hand, silently pleading. Swallowing my frustration, I forced a smile. “Mom, Dad, Law and I are actually planning to have a baby next year. We want a child born in the Year of the Dragon.” Seeing their blank looks, I continued my ruse. “Dragon children are supposed to be ambitious and destined for great things. They bring luck and success to the family. Just look at Uncle Earl’s son, Forrest! He’s moved to Washington, D.C., and it’s all because he’s a Dragon.” Knowing how superstitious they were, I hoped it would appease them. They often consulted “experts” for auspicious dates, especially when we got our marriage license. Sure enough, they were satisfied, nodding in approval. They even complimented me for thinking it through so well. As we left, Law hurried ahead to put his arm around my waist, but I sidestepped without making it too obvious. “What’s wrong? Are you still upset?” he asked. “Law, what’s our plan for having kids? Are you just going to keep hiding it? I’m not getting any younger—I want a baby.” Tears welled up, and I bit my lip to hold back a sob. Seeing my tears, his eyes flashed briefly with something I couldn’t place before he pulled me close, full of sympathy. “Ivy, I promise, we’ll have a child next year. We’ll…try IVF if we have to.” His tone was gentle, his eyes full of love, but the words felt ice-cold. I was devastated. I’d thought he’d finally swallow his pride and see a doctor. But instead, he’d rather put me through the grueling process of IVF than touch me. In three years, he’d only been intimate with me during the first few months of marriage, then he’d avoided it altogether. I’d tried everything, from seductive clothes to working out and dressing up, but he was unmoved. I’d grown up with my grandparents, left to fend for myself after they died, so Law had filled a void in my heart. As long as he treated me well, I’d decided I could overlook these things. 0

By the time we got back, it was dark. As I stepped off the elevator, I noticed a pile of boxes in the hallway. “Looks like we’ve got new neighbors?” Law said, following behind me. Just then, the door across from ours opened. A tall, thin man stepped out, his pale face partly hidden behind a fringe of hair. He didn’t look easy to get along with. “Hey there, I’m Jett Ryder, your new neighbor. Movers will grab these later.” He flashed a wide smile, dimples digging into his cheeks. He seemed friendlier than I’d first thought, and I mentally chided myself for judging him too soon. “Hello, we’re right across the hall. Let us know if you need anything,” I replied politely. With one hand, Law threw an arm around my shoulder and used the other to unlock our door. “Pretty-boy,” he muttered under his breath after we got inside. I shot him a glare. That night, he brought me a cup of warm milk. “There, my love. Don’t be mad anymore; drink this.” I took a sip, and he leaned in to lick the milk from my lips, but I turned away, wiping it with a napkin. “Still mad, huh?” he grumbled. “Let’s just go to bed; I have an interview tomorrow.” I pretended not to hear him, and he reluctantly turned off the lights, snuggling up beside me. But that night, I had the same nightmare. This time, I managed to open my eyes halfway, just enough to catch a glimpse of his face—a balding head, with greedy, murky eyes that leered at me, making me want to scream awake. “Stay still, sweetheart.” A stench like rotten eggs washed over me, and then everything went black. The next morning, Law had already left for work, and I was bewildered. How could I keep having such nightmares? Was it the lack of intimacy? But why would I dream about an old man? Shaking off the thought, I focused on my interview. “Hey, Sloane, what kind of questions does your HR usually ask? I’m feeling so nervous.” “Just be confident, Ivy. Talk about your design ideas; they love that stuff.” “Alright, thanks. Elevator’s here, talk to you later.” I’d majored in design in college, but right after graduation, I married Law. His parents wanted us to have kids before I went to work, but since I wasn’t getting pregnant, I’d spent three years as a housewife, letting Law take care of me. Meanwhile, my classmates were all making thousands, while I felt like I was just living off my husband. Recently, though, I’d decided to find my own path and make something of myself. I’d reached out to my best friend, Sloane Wilder, who had a top job at her company, Wilder & Kane Design Co. She’d helped get me this interview. I pressed the elevator button. “Hold on!” A pale hand shot between the doors. I looked up and felt my blood run cold. She waved her hand in front of my face. “Hey, you okay?” I pushed her hand away, staring past her down the hall. But there was nothing—no sign of him. Was I losing my mind? I could have sworn I’d just seen the man from my nightmare. Even though he wore glasses, I remembered those disgusting, squinty eyes. A surge of nausea hit me, and I turned away. What was going on? My brain was reeling. Could it just be a strange coincidence? Or was I really dealing with something paranormal? I staggered down the street, lost in thought as my phone buzzed incessantly, snapping me back. “Hello?” “Ivy, where are you? HR said you didn’t show up for your interview. What happened?” “I…something came up. By the way, does your company have a bald guy in his fifties, with glasses?” “Oh, that could be any number of people here. You know designers and bald heads! Anyway, gotta go—got called into a meeting.” I hung up, utterly bewildered. My mind was racing as I searched online, reading about dreams of strange men. Most sources said it meant “bad luck in love,” but none explained why the man in my dream looked exactly like someone I’d just seen in real life. Could he be someone from a past life? The thought chilled me as I pictured his gleaming, bald head. Maybe I should talk to a psychologist about this. Just then, I heard a voice. “Hey, what a coincidence!” Jett Ryder was there, holding a garbage bag and flashing me a friendly smile. “Hi, settling in okay?” I asked politely, keeping my distance. “Yeah, all good. You look a bit out of it. Did a late night party wear you out?” “Party?” I replied, confused. I’d gone to bed early.

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After hearing that I had bought a house, my uncle’s family came to visit, and my cousin’s girlfriend immediately demanded a $30,000 wedding gift. She also insisted I give them my house as a wedding present. I refused, but then my uncle pulled out a DNA test, claiming I was actually his biological daughter, so the house must go to my cousin and not be given to an outsider. Ha! Let’s not even discuss whether or not I’m really his biological daughter. Since they’re so eager for a free house, I’ll give them one—a lifetime stay in a fully accommodated place… in prison. Right after the New Year, my uncle Jimmy Lawson and his family came to visit, but this time they brought someone new—a girl. Jimmy introduced her, saying, “This is Tyler’s girlfriend, Kaylee Darnell.” Since my aunt Patricia passed away during childbirth, it’s usually just Jimmy and Tyler. They showed up unannounced, catching my parents off guard, but my dad, Roger, and mom, Nancy, still welcomed them warmly into our home. As soon as we sat down at the dinner table, Kaylee suddenly stood up. “Uncle Roger, Aunt Nancy, and Alexa, Happy New Year! I’m Tyler’s girlfriend,” she announced. It wasn’t New Year’s anymore, but my parents, being polite, smiled and said, “Oh, thank you, thank you.” But Kaylee remained standing, not moving an inch. Tyler grinned, “My girlfriend came all the way here to wish you a Happy New Year, and you don’t have anything to show for it? Or do you just not like her?” My mom, Nancy, snapped out of her confusion and hurriedly stood up, “Oh, my goodness, I completely forgot! Let me grab a red envelope for Kaylee.” She rushed to the bedroom and came back with an envelope, handing it over to Kaylee. Kaylee smiled as she accepted it, but then she opened it right in front of us and started counting the cash inside—$500 in total. Kaylee’s face immediately dropped. “Aunt Nancy, where we come from, it’s customary to give at least $5,000 when the girl comes to visit. But since I didn’t let you know in advance today, it’s understandable. I’ll just expect it next time I come by.” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud in disbelief. Setting aside the fact that they came unannounced, who in the world asks for money the second they walk through the door, and then has the nerve to complain that it’s not enough? How could she even say that with a straight face? I dropped my smile and was just about to speak when Kaylee beat me to it. “I heard you work for a big company in Washington D.C., Alexa, with a salary in the millions. You’ve even just bought a house. So, my red envelope should at least be $30,000, right? Otherwise, it’ll look like you’re being stingy or that you don’t like me.” I let out a cold laugh. “Didn’t my mom already give you a red envelope? If not giving you $30,000 means I don’t like you, then, yeah, I don’t like you.” It’s amazing how some people have no shame. Just because I have money doesn’t mean I’m handing it out to everyone. I stood up. “Mom, I have work to get back to. I’ll be in my room.” I didn’t bother looking at their reactions, and I left for my room. But barely half an hour later, Kaylee barged in without knocking. I already didn’t like her—she was a gold-digger through and through. And I can’t stand it when people walk into my room without permission. Suppressing my anger, I frowned and said, “Can you leave, please?” She ignored me, casually picking up my handbag and trying on my jewelry. “Wow, Alexa, this jade bracelet is beautiful! Consider it my gift from you. I’ll forget about the whole red envelope situation since you weren’t prepared.” I nearly exploded. That jade bracelet was a gift from my late boyfriend, the one thing I treasured most. It was his final gift to me before he passed away, something I kept hidden deep in my drawer. I immediately rushed over, “Give it back.” Kaylee smirked. “How petty, it’s just a bracelet. Consider it my compensation for your lack of hospitality today.” She started slipping it on her wrist. I grabbed for it, and in the scuffle, Kaylee deliberately smashed the bracelet onto the table. In an instant, the bracelet shattered into pieces. I stared at the fragments, tears welling up uncontrollably. Kaylee grinned smugly. “Alexa, this is your fault. If you hadn’t tried to grab it, this wouldn’t have happened.” Her fault? She did it on purpose! My hands trembled with rage as I slammed them down on the table. “You touched my belongings without permission, and the damage you’ve done is extensive. I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life in prison for this.” For a moment, Kaylee looked panicked but quickly regained her composure. “It’s just a bracelet. How valuable could it be? Do you think I’m some kind of idiot?” I glared at her. “That bracelet was worth over $50,000. It’s more than enough to send you to jail.” Kaylee stared at me, wide-eyed, before suddenly clutching her stomach and crying out, “Oh no, my stomach!” I was confused. I hadn’t even touched her—how could her stomach hurt? Hearing the commotion, Jimmy, Tyler, and my parents rushed into the room. Jimmy took one look at Kaylee, clutching her stomach, and without hesitation, slapped me across the face. “You little brat! What did you do? Don’t you know Kaylee’s pregnant with our family’s son? If anything happens to my grandson, I’ll make sure your entire family pays!” The slap stung, but I was too focused on the shattered bracelet. Kneeling, I gently picked up the broken pieces. My mom rushed over and hugged me, trying to comfort me. Looking at her, tears streamed down my face. “The one thing he left me… it’s gone.” My mom held me tighter and turned to my uncle, furious. “How could you break Alexa’s bracelet? Don’t you know how much it means to her?” Jimmy didn’t even flinch. “It’s just a stupid bracelet. If she had given it to Kaylee in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened.” Kaylee chimed in, feigning innocence, “It’s not my fault. Alexa scared me when she tried to grab it. I got flustered and it slipped. If anyone’s to blame, it’s her.” I raised my head, glaring at Kaylee with so much hatred I wished I could tear her apart. “There’s a camera in my room. The footage will make it clear whether it was intentional or not. You’d better think about how to reduce your sentence because I’m not letting this go.” I walked over to the vanity, where a hidden camera had been recording the whole time. Kaylee’s face turned white as a sheet, clearly shocked that I had cameras installed in my room. Then, as if on cue, she started clutching her stomach again, moaning, “My stomach! Alexa, when you slammed your hand on the table, it startled me, and now the baby’s in danger. I feel terrible!” With that, Kaylee collapsed, completely unresponsive. My parents, sensing something was wrong, immediately called for an ambulance, and we all rushed to Georgetown University Hospital. In the hospital, the doctor was furious. “If you had gotten here any later, we wouldn’t have been able to save the baby. Make sure she stays calm for the next few days—no emotional stress, or both mother and child could be at risk!” Hearing that, I was shocked. I had only slammed my hand on the table—how could it possibly have endangered the baby? Had I really been that upset and forceful? Jimmy’s eyes were full of rage as he turned to me. “I swear, if anything happens to my grandson, I’ll make you pay, Alexa!” Tyler sneered from the side. “Sis, I know you don’t like Kaylee, but to take it out on an innocent baby? You should give her $30,000 as compensation.” My anger flared up again. Glaring at Tyler, I spat, “You still think you can get $30,000 out of me? After what happened with the bracelet, now you want more? Absolutely not.” Tyler replied smugly, “If you don’t, I’ll have my parents come to your house every day. Let’s see if Aunt Nancy and Uncle Roger can handle that.” “You wouldn’t dare.” “Try me.” Seeing the reckless, shameless look on his face, I knew he would. Tyler had always been a troublemaker, and harassing my parents would be nothing new to him. I didn’t want my parents to suffer because of me, and besides, Kaylee had almost lost the baby… Sighing, I pulled out a bank card. “There’s $5,000 on this card.” Kaylee turned her head away. “Sis, I nearly lost my baby, and you think $5,000 is enough to make up for that?” Clenching my fists, I asked, “Then what do you want?” Kaylee lay back on the bed, staring at me with disdain. “I heard you recently bought a new house. You’re single, so you don’t really need it. Eventually, it’ll just go to someone else, so why not give it to me? Then I’ll consider forgiving you for today.” Her demand made me laugh in disbelief. She really thought she could just take my million-dollar house? “You want my house? Do you even deserve to look at the key? The $5,000 is for the baby’s sake. If you don’t want it, that’s fine by me.” Kaylee immediately cried out, “Oh, my stomach hurts!” Jimmy glared at me. “It’s just a house. Hand it over to your brother. All your stuff belongs to him anyway!” “This house is something I worked hard for! If Tyler wants a house, he can buy his own. Why should I give mine?” That’s when Jimmy pulled out a document. “Because you’re my biological daughter, and Tyler’s your brother. Everything you have belongs to him.”

I was stunned. My parents had just finished paying the medical bills and rushed into the room, visibly angry. My dad yelled, “Jimmy Lawson! Who told you to say that to her?” Could it really be true? The man who had never liked me, who had always called me worthless, was actually my real father? I couldn’t believe it. I turned to my mom, Nancy. “Is this true?” Tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn’t speak. Dad looked at her, then she sighed and said, “Alexa, when your Aunt Patricia was pregnant with you, a tarot reader said it would be a boy. But when you were born, they didn’t want to keep you because you were a girl. Your mom and I couldn’t bear to see you abandoned, so we took you in and raised you as our own daughter.” Dad’s voice broke as he grabbed my hand, “Alexa, we’ve always loved you like our own. We always will.” Seeing the fear and worry in their eyes, I felt a deep ache in my heart. I held both of their hands tightly and said, “Mom, Dad, no matter what, you’ll always be my parents.” Jimmy, clearly annoyed by our emotional display, cut in, “Now that Alexa knows the truth, she should come back to our family. She and her brother can support each other. Let’s go ahead and change her family records now.” Seeing how anxious my parents looked, I was furious. When I needed help for school or struggled with money, where were they then? They didn’t say a word about taking me back then. They didn’t want me because I was a girl, but now that I’m successful, they want me to help their son? No way. “My parents are right here. They’re the only family I have,” I said, glaring at Jimmy. Jimmy’s face turned red with anger. “You ungrateful child! I’m your father, and you won’t even acknowledge me?” Turning to my parents, he sneered, “Did you two put her up to this? I’m her real dad. She’s supposed to take care of me when I’m old. Her money, her house—they belong to us. You can forget about keeping her! You’re just jealous because you can’t have your own kids and now you want to steal mine!” Standing in front of my parents, I said coldly, “You didn’t want me back then, and you didn’t raise me. You have no claim on me now or in the future.” “You ungrateful brat!” Jimmy raised his hand to strike me, but my dad grabbed him. “Touch my daughter and see what happens.” My dad, who had always kept in great shape, towered over Jimmy, making him look small and weak in comparison. Jimmy hesitated for a moment, then backed down. With a huff, Dad grabbed my mom and me, and we left the hospital. Back home, the three of us sat on the couch, leaning against each other. “Alexa, you’re all that matters to us,” my dad whispered. Mom nodded, hugging me tight. “I’m just worried Jimmy won’t give up so easily. Your grandma called earlier and said Kaylee’s threatening to get rid of the baby unless we give them your house. I refused, but I’m worried Jimmy will cause trouble.” I felt uneasy too. I knew Jimmy’s family—there was no way they’d give up after failing to get the house. But I didn’t want my parents to worry, so I reassured them. I thought they’d wait a while before making their next move, but the very next morning, while I was still half asleep, my bedroom door was kicked open. Pain shot through my head as I was dragged out of bed by my hair. “You ungrateful little brat! Not only do you refuse to acknowledge your real father, but you’re giving away your house to someone else? You worthless good-for-nothing, I’m going to kill you!” I opened my eyes to find my grandmother, Evelyn Mitchell, slapping my face, while Tyler yanked my hair from behind. My parents had just returned from grocery shopping. When they saw what was happening, my dad’s face turned red with rage. He grabbed a water pitcher from the table and smashed it over Tyler’s head. Tyler crumpled to the floor, and my grandmother froze in shock. Dad rushed over to hold me. “Alexa, are you okay?” I shook my head, too stunned to speak. How could they value a house more than family? My grandmother called Jimmy, and within minutes, Jimmy, Kaylee, the paramedics, and the police all arrived. Jimmy glared at us. “If anything happens to my son, I’ll make sure you all end up in jail!” My dad was taken into custody, while my mom begged Jimmy at the hospital. “Jimmy, please, let my husband go. He’s been good to you all these years.” Jimmy sneered. “If you want me to drop the charges, give me Alexa’s house. Then I’ll write a letter of forgiveness.” My mom refused, “That’s Alexa’s house. We’re not giving it to you.” Jimmy’s expression darkened. “No house, no deal.” I stepped forward and said, “I’ll give you $50,000.” Though my dad was acting in self-defense, there was a chance the court would rule it excessive, which could leave a stain on his record. I wasn’t worried about spending the money, but my dad was a teacher—he couldn’t afford a criminal record. Jimmy turned away. “I told you, no house, no deal.” I laughed bitterly. “Fine, take it to court. I have money to hire the best lawyer. You broke into our home, Tyler attacked me first, and Kaylee smashed my bracelet. Let’s see who comes out on top.” With that, I took my mom home. But later that day, I made an excuse to return to the hospital alone. Standing outside the hospital room, I overheard Jimmy talking to Kaylee’s doctor. “Jimmy, forging medical records is illegal. I already took a big risk faking that miscarriage, and now you want me to fake your son’s injury? If we get caught, we’re both going to jail.” Fake medical records? They were planning even more devious schemes against us.

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I woke up in the middle of the night, parched. As I stumbled to the kitchen for water, I heard muffled sounds coming from the guest room. Thinking it was our nanny Rachel feeling unwell, I was about to knock when I heard my husband Jack’s voice mingling with Rachel’s sultry moans. As an adult, I knew exactly what was happening behind that door. The realization sent chills down my spine. My mind went blank. I couldn’t tell if I was more angry or shocked. My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor, too weak to even stand. Rachel was the nanny my mother-in-law had brought in. I had just given birth to our son and was resting. Initially, I wanted to hire a nutritionist, but when my mother-in-law saw the cost, she insisted on finding a reliable nanny herself. I had wanted to refuse, but seeing her enthusiastic face, I swallowed my objections. The day after I was discharged from the hospital, my mother-in-law brought Rachel. When she first entered our home, Rachel wore dark linen pants and a faded short-sleeved shirt. Her complexion was sallow, and her hair was tied back in a ponytail. When she saw me, she gave an awkward smile, nervously smoothing her pants. She hid behind my mother-in-law, her eyes darting around curiously. She was so young. Could someone like her really be a nanny? I felt doubtful. I pulled my mother-in-law aside and whispered, “Isn’t this nanny too young?” My mother-in-law laughed and patted my hand. “Emma, dear, don’t let Rachel’s youth fool you. She’s excellent with children.” She glanced at Rachel, who immediately nodded and approached me. “Ma’am, I come from a big family. I have two younger brothers and a sister, and I raised them all,” Rachel said with a nervous laugh, puffing out her chest. “I’m strong and capable. You can trust me with your child.” I looked at her face, searching for any sign of deceit, but found only sincerity. I hesitated, but my mother-in-law made the decision for me. “It’s settled, Emma. Rachel will stay for now. If you’re not satisfied, we can always let her go. Okay?” Hearing this, I couldn’t bring myself to send her away. And so, Rachel stayed. I have to admit, Rachel did well in her first week. She took care of all the household chores, big and small, with impressive efficiency. At first, I wasn’t satisfied with her cooking, finding it too oily and greasy. But when she noticed I wasn’t eating much, she quickly learned to make a few vegetarian dishes. Even with the baby, she was extremely careful and attentive. Whenever I saw her cradling my baby, soothing him, I felt quite pleased. I even suggested to Jack that we should give Rachel a raise. Jack just smiled and said it wasn’t necessary yet. Little did I know that my kindness would be repaid with Rachel’s ambition. I was truly blind, nurturing a wolf by my side. In the guest room, Rachel’s cries grew louder. Startled, I pushed myself up from the floor. Leaning against the guest room door, I heard Jack let out a final satisfied groan. The two of them panted heavily inside. Through the crack in the door, I saw Jack holding Rachel in his arms, both of them naked on the bed. Rachel’s fingers were tracing circles on Jack’s chest. “Honey, when are you going to divorce Emma? I can’t wait much longer,” Rachel whined. Jack grasped Rachel’s hand, bringing it to his lips for a gentle kiss before replying, “Baby, don’t rush. Our good times are just beginning. Once I’ve swindled all that yellow-faced bitch’s money, I’ll marry you. How’s that sound?” I froze, my scalp tingling with shock. Rachel continued to pester him, seemingly impatient. It turned out that Rachel and Jack had been engaged back in their hometown. Everyone in the village knew about their relationship. Only I had been foolishly kept in the dark. I remembered the first time I went back to Jack’s hometown to meet his parents. The entire village had gathered at the entrance to welcome us. When they saw me, their faces twisted into strange smiles that made my skin crawl. I clutched Jack’s hand nervously and asked, “Why is everyone looking at me like that?” I recall Jack casually replying, “They’re just jealous of me for finding a city girl as a wife.” He walked past the villagers, chest puffed out proudly. I overheard people whispering behind me, “That bastard Jack really pulled it off, huh? He actually managed to snag a city girl.” “Hah, it’s all thanks to that pretty face of his. What else does he have going for him?” “What about his girl back home?” I was walking too quickly then and only caught snippets of their conversation. I didn’t understand what they were talking about. Later, Jack and I got married. Although my parents weren’t thrilled about Jack, they agreed to the marriage for my sake. After the wedding, my parents bought us a spacious apartment and provided capital for us to start a business. With my help, we opened a small company. We caught a lucky break, and over the next few years, the company grew increasingly successful. Jack became a self-made millionaire. I never imagined that my wholehearted devotion would be repaid with his betrayal. I trembled with rage, wanting nothing more than to burst into the room and tear those two apart. However, reason prevailed, and I quickly calmed myself. Now was not the time for confrontation. Rachel spoke again, “Honey, you’re not having second thoughts about divorcing her because she gave you a son, are you?” My heart skipped a beat. My son was my bottom line. Jack chuckled, the sound jarring in the quiet space. “That’s my son, isn’t he your son too?” Rachel’s voice piped up, “That’s right. The boy is still young. When the time comes, I’ll raise him as my own.” They both laughed. I was stunned. Hah, these two had it all planned out. They not only wanted my assets but my son as well. Just wait and see. In the end, I’ll make sure they end up with nothing. I heard Rachel start to whine to Jack again, “Honey, I want you again.” “You little minx, are you trying to drain your man dry?” Jack laughed. In no time, their lewd noises started up again, even louder than before, completely disregarding my existence. I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, but I felt no pain. After a while, I stumbled back to my bedroom. Lying on the big bed, I couldn’t sleep. I stared at the ceiling, tears flowing uncontrollably. I thought back to when Jack and I first started our business. Back then, it was just the two of us. I handled everything, both at home and at work. At the company, I was responsible for all administrative tasks, financial reports, and client relations. At home, I cleaned, did laundry, and cooked. I was spinning like a top every day. With my help, the company finally got on track after three years. Jack had officially left his village life behind. Now, whenever he went back to the village, he was the picture of success. My mother-in-law walked with her head held high in the village, looking down on everyone. I remember one time when my mother-in-law came to our house. In the kitchen, she whispered to Jack, “Son, now that you’re a big boss, isn’t it time to give me a grandson to inherit everything?” I saw Jack nod in agreement. “Mm-hmm.” My mother-in-law clapped her hands excitedly and said in a low voice, “Well, you’d better get a move on. Try to let me hold my grandson by the end of next year.” Jack proudly patted his chest. “Of course. Your son is in excellent shape, you know.” After hearing their conversation, I quietly retreated to my room. Actually, after being married to Jack for so long, I too wanted a baby of my own. But the company needed me, so I had always put the idea of having a baby on the back burner. Now that Jack was on board with the idea, I was secretly thrilled. Not long after, I did indeed get pregnant. After I became pregnant, Jack insisted I stay home to take care of myself. His reasoning was that the company was now on track, and I should enjoy some peace at home. Seeing my hesitation, Jack put his arm around my shoulders and coaxed, “Honey, stay home and take good care of yourself. Grow our son big and strong.” I playfully punched him, laughing, “How do you know it’s a boy? What if it’s a girl?” Jack’s face darkened, his brows furrowing in displeasure. “My mother wants a grandson. We must have a boy.” Later, seeing my dissatisfaction, he changed his tune, saying, “Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter. As long as you’re the one giving birth.” After I got pregnant, Jack became even busier, often not coming home for entire nights. Whenever I texted him, he was either in a meeting or entertaining clients. I was so stupid then, thinking he was working hard for our little family. Now, the thought of him fooling around with Rachel makes me sick to my stomach. I can’t swallow this anger. To gather evidence, I bought wireless cameras online. While Rachel was out grocery shopping, I installed them in the guest room, living room, and kitchen. Sure enough, that very night, Jack and Rachel were at it again.

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My elder sister married the man she longed for, Lord Charles. But on the night of the wedding, it was I who was sent into the bridal chamber. My sister wasn’t worried that I might reveal the truth because I was mute. What she didn’t know was that I was only pretending. “Do as I say, or your mother’s life won’t be spared.” Marianne tore off my outer robe and pushed me behind the screen. Today was her grand day, joining Lord Charles’s manor. I entered the manor with her as her dowry maid. Marianne, still in her bridal crown and gown, looked fierce, but it did not diminish her striking beauty. She drew out a razor-sharp dagger, its blade gleaming ominously as she pressed it against my cheek. I feigned terror, my mouth opening in a silent scream, my eyes wide with false fear. Marianne’s smile twisted into something dark and wicked, a glint of malevolence dancing in her eyes. “Tonight is your wedding night. Serve Lord Charles well. If you please me, your future will be filled with riches.” Marianne had long admired Lord Charles but sent me to his bed because she was no longer chaste. She had an affair with a guard in our manor. When the secret was exposed, her mother had the guard poisoned to cover up the scandal. But the damage was done; Marianne was no longer a virgin. To avoid Lord Charles’s rejection, she chose me as her dowry maid. I was her half-sister, and our figures were similar enough that she believed she could deceive him. Marianne’s threats were not just empty words. “If you slip up, I’ll break your legs and sell you off! And don’t think your mad mother will survive, either!” I bit my lip, nodded with a frightened expression, and Marianne withdrew the dagger, leaving me to wait behind the screen. Soon after, the door to the chamber was flung open with a violent crash. Lord Charles, tall and imposing in his crimson wedding attire, stormed in. I stayed hidden, not daring to make a sound. Marianne obediently sat on the bed, but Lord Charles only glanced at her briefly before turning away to pour himself a cup of tea. Marianne quickly took the cup, secretly adding a pinch of powder she had hidden in her nails. It was an aphrodisiac she had acquired. Lord Charles drank the tea, and soon his face flushed, and his breathing became labored. He glared at Marianne with anger. “What did you give me?” Marianne feigned innocence. “Oh, this… it’s just something an old nanny from home gave me. She said it would enhance the wedding night… I didn’t know what it was…” Lord Charles angrily smashed the cup, causing Marianne to jump in fright. “You dare give me such a vile substance? I’m strong enough without needing such poison! Are you afraid I won’t tire you out?” After his outburst, his condition worsened. His eyes became bloodshot, and his breathing turned more ragged. Marianne was overjoyed, pretending to apologize as she guided him to the bed and blew out the candles, plunging the room into darkness. All that could be heard was Lord Charles’s heavy breathing. Marianne yanked me from behind the screen, her grip merciless as she hurled me onto the bed with a force that knocked the air from my lungs. Lord Charles moved swiftly, wrapping his strong arms around my waist with a desperate, almost frantic urgency. I found myself sprawled atop him, his powerful, masculine scent enveloping me in an intoxicating haze. Without a word, he seized the back of my head, pulling me close as his hot lips crashed against mine. The intensity of his kiss was both consuming and overwhelming. I gasped in shock as the fabric of my clothes was torn apart, the sound of ripping fabric mingling with the pounding of my heart.

As dawn’s first light seeped through the curtains, I trembled uncontrollably as I struggled to climb out of bed. Lord Charles lay beside me, still fast asleep, his breaths deep and steady. My eyes fell to my legs, where dried blood marred my skin—a dark, cruel stain that seemed to slice into my heart with every glance. The memories of the previous night haunted me. Marianne’s scheme had left Lord Charles furious, and he vented all his anger on me, mistaking me for Marianne. He showed no mercy, and despite gritting my teeth, I couldn’t suppress my cries of pain. Marianne was the one who caused all this, yet I had to bear it all. I clenched my fists. These wounds were nothing compared to my mother’s life. I blinked hard, forcing back my tears. Gathering my scattered clothes, I struggled to dress myself. I shakily left the room. In the hall, Marianne stirred from her nap on a chaise lounge. Her eyes narrowed at me with a venomous glare, and she spat out a single word: “Get out!” Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to walk out the door. Returning to the servants’ quarters, I heated water to wash my body. As I undressed, I noticed a jade bracelet with gold inlay on my left arm. I vaguely remembered Lord Charles placing it on me after taking my virginity, saying something about it being a token. If Marianne saw this, it would spell trouble. I tried to remove it, but it was stuck. Frustrated, I decided to leave it on and hide it under my clothes until I could quietly return it to Marianne later. Marianne got what she wanted. Lord Charles didn’t realize that it was someone else who had shared the bridal bed with him. I thought she would live happily with him from then on. But the day after the wedding, Lord Charles was sent to the Southern Territories to quell a rebellion. Marianne and the Dowager Duchess led the family to see him off. Standing at the back of the crowd, I watched indifferently as Lord Charles, clad in armor, was surrounded by well-wishers. The Dowager Duchess was giving him some final advice, and Marianne whispered a few words of concern. Lord Charles’s lieutenant brought his horse, and a tall, imposing woman accompanied him. The woman greeted the Dowager Duchess cheerfully. “Aunt!” The Dowager Duchess nodded. I had heard of this woman before. Her name was Sarah Lane, Lord Charles’s sworn sister and the orphaned daughter of a comrade of the old Duke. She was accompanying Lord Charles on this campaign. I noticed Marianne’s face change instantly when she saw Sarah. Marianne was jealous by nature, and now with Lord Charles away at war, she must have been filled with anxiety over this beautiful woman by his side. Lord Charles was away for over a month when Marianne, under the pretext of visiting her mother, returned to the Moore family estate. When I got home, I found out that my mother had been sent to a remote estate in the countryside. There, she suffered from hunger and cold. I was distraught but had no way to help. One day, while I was making up Marianne’s bed, I overheard her and Lady Lydia talking outside. They were speaking in hushed tones, but I have good hearing. Marianne said, “Lord Charles will be in the Southern Territories for at least a year. If Sarah Lane takes this chance to seduce him, where will I stand when they return?” Lady Lydia replied, “You can’t just sit idly by. You need to secure your position before Lord Charles comes back!” Marianne, panicked, asked, “What can I do? With Lord Charles away, even the Dowager Duchess treats me coldly. She is not Lord Charles’s real mother. Her own son just came of age, and she filled his house with concubines. I bet that old woman is hoping for Lord Charles to die in battle so that her son can inherit the title!” “Don’t talk nonsense! Lord Charles will come back safe and sound!” Lady Lydia then suggested, “But there are things we must be cautious of. Since you’ve consummated the marriage, why not play the trick of ‘flowers blooming on the tree’…”

Marianne asked, “Flowers blooming on the tree? What do you mean?” Lady Lydia whispered a few words, her lips moving with calculated precision. I could make out her message: “You can pretend to be pregnant. If Lord Charles returns early, you can say you had a miscarriage. If he takes longer to come back, we’ll bribe a midwife to find a chubby boy and claim him as your own. And if… Lord Charles never returns, having a son by your side will protect you from that old woman.” Marianne’s eyes lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically. “Mother, you always have the best ideas!” I held my breath and slowly backed away from the door. My hand instinctively drifted to my lower abdomen.My period had been late, and I had already suspected what it meant. Lord Charles’s bloodline had taken root within me. I knew that if this child was born, it would not belong to me. I couldn’t just sit and wait for my fate to be sealed. I knew what Marianne feared most. In that instant, I had a plan. Back at Lord Charles’s manor, I deliberately changed into a brightly colored dress and stood in the garden, tending to flowers. Voices and footsteps approached from the corridor behind me, but I pretended not to hear. A clear male voice called out, “Sister-in-law?” Startled, I turned to see Henry, Lord Charles’s younger brother, accompanied by two beautiful maidservants. When Henry saw my face, his eyes widened with surprise. I knew this was the path he always took to return to his quarters. I made sure to act frightened, bowing to him gracefully. Henry hesitated, asking, “You’re not my sister-in-law? Why do you look so much like her from behind?” One of the maids answered, “This is the Lady Marianne’s dowry maid, Clara.” Henry pondered for a moment, “Clara?” The other maid added, “Clara is mute, young master. Please don’t take offense.” Henry’s expression softened with pity. He gently said, “Clara, the wind is strong here. If you want to pick flowers, you can come to my garden.” I shook my head and quickly bowed, then turned and ran away. — That night, I brought hot water into the room to help Marianne wash her face and hands. She glared at me and suddenly knocked the copper basin out of my hands. Hot water splashed all over me, and I yelped in pain, immediately kneeling before her. Marianne grabbed my chin with her sharp nails, forcing me to look up at her. She smiled coldly, devoid of any warmth. “Clara, you’re quite cunning. Young Master Henry only looked at you once today and went to beg his mother to have you sent to his quarters.” I made desperate hand gestures, trying to show her that I had done nothing wrong. Marianne slapped me hard, sending me sprawling to the floor. She was furious, cursing like a shrew, “You little wench! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to! You think you can latch onto young Master Henry and rise above me? As long as I’m here, you’ll never outshine me!” Her reaction was exactly as I had predicted. I noticed the pen and ink on the desk. I quickly crawled over, grabbed the pen, and wrote a line on the paper: “I beg you, Sister, please send me away so I can reunite with my mother.” Marianne eyed me suspiciously. “You really want to leave?” I nodded fervently, then wrote five more words: “Please, Sister, grant my wish.” I knew Marianne had always been wary of me, and now that I was of no more use to her, she wouldn’t keep me around to steal her spotlight. After a moment’s thought, she agreed on the spot. “Fine, since you’re so filial, I’ll grant your wish.” I pretended not to notice the malice in her eyes and knelt to thank her. — The next day, I packed a few belongings and boarded the carriage Marianne had arranged for me. The driver was a thin, wiry man who had eyed me lewdly before I got in. After half a day’s journey, he pulled the carriage into a forest, saying the horse needed a rest. I sat under a tree, clutching my bundle. The man approached me with a bowl of water, pretending to be kind. “Miss, you must be tired. Have some water.” I waved him off and stood to walk away. He followed, grabbing my arm. I pushed him away, spilling the water. His demeanor changed instantly, and he growled, “You’ll regret refusing my kindness!”

He threw the bowl aside and lunged at me. I dodged. The man rubbed his chin with a lecherous grin and said, “Little beauty, Lady Marianne ordered me to kill you. It would be a shame for a pretty face like yours to just die like that. Why not have a little fun with me before you go?” He pursued me like a cat playing with a mouse. “Be a good girl, and maybe I’ll be gentle. But if you make me angry, you’ll suffer even more!” I quickly reached into my clothes and pulled out a packet of powder. When he got close enough, I threw the powder into his face. It was red pepper powder, and it blinded him instantly. “Aaahhh—! Cough, cough…” He clutched his face, coughing violently, rolling on the ground in pain. I may have pretended to be stupid, but I wasn’t. I knew Marianne had no intention of letting me go. She wanted me dead. Thankfully, I was prepared. While he was still writhing in pain, I rushed to the carriage, climbed up, and drove the horse out of the forest. When I reached the estate where my mother was, it was still midday. I didn’t wait for Marianne to get word; I found my mother and took her away immediately. The servants were confused and tried to stop us, but my mother had a fit, scratching and biting them. The overseer cursed us, “Get lost! If you want to go, then go!” I dragged my mother onto the carriage and headed north. Only when we were on the rough mountain roads did I finally relax. We had escaped Marianne’s control! I had saved my mother! Looking back at her in the carriage, I cried tears of joy. I sobbed, “Mother, we’re free from the Moore family. I don’t have to pretend to be mute anymore, and you don’t have to pretend to be insane!” My mother, with her disheveled hair, hugged me tightly, and we wept together. My mother was a healer. She was taken as a concubine by my father after he spotted her during one of her medical visits. My father’s first wife, Lady Lydia, had a face like a saint but a heart like a viper. She treated my mother kindly on the surface but tormented her in secret. She even had my mother’s first two sons killed. I survived only because I was a girl. At first, my father protected my mother, but after his affections waned, he abandoned her. Lady Lydia continued to torment her, so my mother feigned madness to protect herself. When I was ten, I was in the courtyard, learning to sing from the maids. My father and Marianne passed by, and he praised my voice, saying it was as sweet as a nightingale’s song. That night, Lady Lydia had her servants hold me down and forced me to drink a potion that took away my voice. Marianne watched, laughing, saying that the nightingale had had its beak cut off. After they left, my mother secretly found an antidote, saving my voice, though it was never as sweet as before. My mother warned me to hide my talents if I wanted to survive. From then on, I pretended to be mute, never speaking a word to anyone but her. Now, my mother and I had finally escaped the den of vipers. I wiped away her tears and vowed, “Mother, we can never go back to the Moore family!” My mother nodded tearfully. “We should go to your aunt. Five years ago, she sent word that she had married and was living in a place called ‘Clearbrook Town.’” After much inquiry, we finally arrived at Clearbrook Town two weeks later. We found my aunt’s home, only to be told she had become a nun.

It turned out that my aunt’s husband had died of a plague three years ago. She had no children and was not welcomed by her in-laws. With no one to rely on, she had cut her hair and become a nun. We found her at St. Margaret’s Abbey. My aunt had taken the name Sister Clarice, and because of her knowledge and manners, she was appointed as the abbey’s treasurer. My aunt and my mother hadn’t seen each other in over ten years, and they couldn’t stop crying when they reunited. After they had poured their hearts out, my mother explained why we had come. When my aunt learned that I was pregnant, she begged the abbess to let us stay in a small cottage near the abbey. The cottage was old but clean and tidy. My aunt told us, “The abbess said that over forty years ago, a young noblewoman who had fallen on hard times lived here. She met a gentleman in the mountains, and they fell in love at first sight. The lady left with him but continued to send donations to the abbey every few years.” I worriedly asked, “If the lady finds out we’re staying in her cottage, will she be angry?” My aunt smiled. “Don’t worry. That lady is over sixty now, and she’s a kind-hearted woman who’s devoted to the church. She’d be happy to know that her old home is sheltering those in need.” With my aunt’s reassurance, my mother and I settled in. We planted vegetables and herbs in the garden, occasionally selling some herbs in the nearby village for a bit of money. Life was hard, but we were content and free— — Four years later Autumn had just begun, with the sun’s warmth giving way to a cool breeze. My mother had gone to the village, and I was in the garden with my daughter, Rose, drying herbs. Rose pointed to the herbs in the basket, naming them one by one. “Forsythia, Salvia, Angelica, Astragalus…” I patted her head, praising her. “Rose, you’re so clever. You remembered all of them.” My son, James, was playing nearby, chasing a rabbit with a stick. I warned him while tending to the herbs, “James, don’t run around too much. Be careful not to trample on Grandma’s perilla.” James ignored my warning and carried the rabbit outside the gate, still playing with it. I glanced up to see he hadn’t gone far, so I didn’t call him back. James’s laughter echoed as I divided my attention between the children and the herbs. Suddenly, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps and the clinking of jewelry. I put down the herbs and went to the gate to see what was happening. A group of finely dressed travelers was approaching, led by my aunt, Sister Clarice, and the abbess, Sister Helena. They were accompanying an elderly woman with silver hair and a rosy complexion. The old lady looked kind and noble. Following behind her was a large group of people, some of whom I recognized, and it nearly made me lose my balance. It was the Dowager Duchess, Marianne, and Lord Charles! The elderly woman at the front was none other than Duchess Victoria, Lord Charles’s grandmother! What were they doing here? Marianne and Lord Charles were the last people I wanted to see! I was paralyzed with fear when Duchess Victoria’s eyes lit up as she spotted James. “Oh, what a charming little boy!” she exclaimed. James set the rabbit down and folded his hands, greeting Sister Clarice and Sister Helena in a sweet voice, “Bless you.” The Duchess was delighted. She crouched down to play with James, exclaiming, “What a bright young boy! Who taught you this…” She trailed off, studying James’s face in surprise. “Oh my… this child… he looks just like Charles did when he was little!”

After the Duchess finished speaking, her lady-in-waiting, the Dowager Duchess, Marianne, and Lord Charles all gathered around. I held my breath, feeling a chill run down my spine. Everyone started talking at once. The lady-in-waiting said, “Those eyes and that face shape—he really looks just like Lord Charles when he was a child.” The Dowager Duchess agreed, “Her Grace has a sharp eye. He does look remarkably similar…” Marianne forced a laugh. “What a coincidence…” The Duchess, delighted, took James’s hand. “What a sweet child. Where are your parents?” Snapping out of my fear, I realized I couldn’t hide any longer. I forced myself to calm down. Lord Charles and the Dowager Duchess were such high-ranking nobles that they wouldn’t remember someone as insignificant as me. As for Marianne, as long as I denied everything, what could she do in front of all these people? I stepped forward and called out, “James, have you had enough fun? Come back inside and rest.” I watched everyone’s reactions closely. Lord Charles remained calm, but the Duchess and Dowager Duchess looked confused. Marianne, on the other hand, was so shocked that she couldn’t close her mouth. Hearing me speak must have stunned her. James ran into my arms, calling me “Mother.” My aunt then explained to the Duchess, “Your Grace, this is Miss Marianne, who has been staying in your cottage.” It turned out that the noblewoman who had lived here forty years ago was the Duchess herself. The man she had met in the mountains was the late Emperor! I curtsied deeply to the Duchess. “It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace.” The Duchess smiled warmly. “Master Hyman mentioned that someone had been staying in my old cottage. I never expected it to be such a well-mannered young lady.” I offered a few polite words. “Your Grace’s compassion knows no bounds, blessing all who cross your path. It has been a great fortune for my family to have your protection.” The Duchess beamed and suggested going inside to take a look. A large crowd of people filled the already cramped courtyard. The ladies went inside while Lord Charles and a group of servants and guards stayed outside. Seeing Rose inside the house, the Duchess was even more pleased. She praised, “You’re very fortunate, Miss Marianne, to have such adorable children.” The Duchess immediately had her lady-in-waiting bring out gold coins as gifts for the children. I tried to refuse several times, but my aunt eventually persuaded me to accept. I then had the children bow and thank the Duchess. Marianne, standing nearby, made a snide remark, “Miss Marianne, your surname is Wyth? What a coincidence—there was a runaway servant in my family who also had that surname.” Wyth was my mother’s surname. I knew Marianne was suspicious, so I calmly replied, “Yes, quite the coincidence.” Marianne was about to say more, but the Dowager Duchess shot her a warning glare, and she reluctantly stepped back. The Duchess seemed to take a liking to me and took my hand, asking with concern, “Miss Marianne, why are you living in seclusion here with your children? Where is your husband?” I lowered my gaze and replied with a mix of truth and lies, “My husband joined the army years ago, and we’ve had no news from him since. My children and I had nowhere to go, but thanks to your generosity and Master Hyman’s kindness, we’ve been able to stay here.” As I spoke, Marianne’s expression darkened further. The Duchess, moved by my story, said, “Poor child, you’ve suffered so much. It must be fate that brought you and your children to my old home. Is there anything I can do to help you?” Overwhelmed by her kindness, I responded, “Thank you, Your Grace. Your compassion is truly boundless. Thanks to Master Hyman and the others, we’ve been well taken care of and have no troubles.” The Duchess continued to ask about our well-being, and Marianne couldn’t help but interject, “Your Grace, it’s getting late. Perhaps we should go and have our meal?” As soon as she spoke, the Dowager Duchess scolded her, “The Duchess will decide what we do. You should know your place. As a younger member, how dare you interrupt? Do you not understand the meaning of decorum?”

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