Category: English

Ten years after the divorce, my scumbag dad showed up with his three kids, wanting to remarry my mom. He had the audacity to demand our house in the good school district, take over our restaurant, and even asked me to hand over my social media account with millions of followers to my stepsister… My mom, the queen of sass, rolled her eyes and said, “An old dog trying to learn new tricks? Dream on, you shriveled up prune.” It was past midnight when my scumbag dad found us. Mom and I had just finished a long shift at our restaurant. “What are you two doing out so late?” he scolded, his face twisted with disapproval. Mom and I rolled our eyes in perfect sync. Ten years ago, we agreed to never see each other again. Now he’s suddenly here acting like he has the right to question us? Who does he think he is? “Honey, do you know why Mr. Johnson lived to be a hundred?” Mom asked me loudly. I replied, “Because he minded his own business.” Mom nodded approvingly and took my hand, walking right past him. “Sophia, we need to talk,” Brian demanded, grabbing Mom’s arm. I instinctively pulled Mom behind me and glared at him. “Don’t you dare touch her, or I’ll knock your head sideways!” Ten years ago, I was too small to stop him from hitting Mom. Now, I’m a black belt in Muay Thai. One hook punch past his ear would make his head ring for days. Twisting his head sideways wasn’t just an empty threat. Brian flinched at the speed of my punch, then growled, “This is adult business. Don’t interfere! You have no manners!” I coldly replied, “My dad died young. Please excuse me.” “You little brat!” He raised his hand, but Mom caught his wrist in a vice-like grip. Years of alcohol and debauchery had made him weak. With two quick twists, he was howling in pain. Mom tossed his arm aside, her face expressionless. “If you don’t want a beating, get lost. Stop barking like a dog and disturbing the neighbors!” “You’re still so vulgar!” Brian looked at us with disgust, then gritted his teeth. “Fine, I won’t argue with you now.” “I’m free tomorrow. Let’s go to the registry office and remarry.” Mom looked at him in disbelief. “Have you lost your mind?” I handed him a business card. “Top psychiatrist. Mention my name for a 20% discount. You’re welcome.” Brian’s face turned from red to purple. Finally, he looked at Mom with disdain: “Back then, you were begging me not to divorce you. Now that I’m willing to come back, what more do you want?” Right, Mom used to be so love-blind. She married Brian without a dowry or even a wedding. Two months after the wedding, Brian left for a long-term construction project. For over a decade, he barely came home, leaving Mom to struggle alone with the family. When Mom was pregnant with twins, she had to borrow money from friends for the hospital bills. During her postpartum recovery, she couldn’t even afford a decent meal. Meanwhile, Brian made up excuses about not being able to come back, when in reality, he was starting a new family with his mistress. Mom looked him up and down, then burst out laughing: “Why would I want to remarry you? For your beer belly? Your receding hairline? Or maybe for those jowls that could render enough lard to fry a dozen donuts?” “Don’t you have a mirror at home? Or at least a toilet bowl? Take a good look at yourself when you pee, for God’s sake.” Brian had always thought highly of himself. Mom’s tirade left him fuming. Two buttons on his shirt popped open, revealing a mound of quivering flesh. Oh, being the considerate person I am, I handed him another business card: “How about a gym membership? Mention my name, and you’ll get three free trial sessions.” Before he could react, I pulled Mom into our building and slammed the door in his face. Brian started kicking the door furiously. “Open up!” I wasn’t going to let him get away with this. I called the security office right in front of him: “Yes, there’s a flasher at Building 7, Unit 3 entrance. Oh my, he’s banging on the door now. Please hurry!” After hanging up, seeing he still wouldn’t leave, I smiled sweetly and asked, “Uncle, do you think security isn’t enough? Should I call the police too?” “Zoey, I’m your father!” Brian roared, his face red with anger. “Sorry, uncle, you’ve got the wrong person. I’m Zoey Paul.” “Paul as in my mom’s surname, and Zoey as in ‘my dad died early’, hehe.” Late that night, I paid triple the usual rate to have someone investigate Brian’s recent situation. Soon after, Mom came to my room, hugging her turtle-shell pillow. On the surface, she might be the beautiful owner of a popular restaurant, but behind the scenes, she’s the second-in-command of a billion-dollar food empire. Yet, whenever something’s troubling her, she still likes to come to me for comfort. My heart sank. She couldn’t be love-blind again, could she? What was I thinking? How could that dried-up old prune steal her heart? “Mom, forget it. I’d rather you go abroad and marry Aunt Tanya, giving me another mom, than ever accept Brian as my dad!” I shouted preemptively, then buried my head under the covers. Out of sight, out of mind! “What nonsense are you talking about?” Mom pulled me out from under the covers and showed me her phone messages. Apparently, Brian had gotten hold of Mom’s number somehow and sent her a message. It was an ultrasound image. The message read: This is Tony’s child. Five months along, it’s a boy. Can you bear to let your grandson grow up without a grandmother? Seeing this message, I was stunned. I didn’t know what to say. Tony is my twin brother. Mom raised us both single-handedly. Our grandparents never approved of Mom and were always stingy. They treated me poorly, and even Tony, their grandson, wasn’t much better off. During the divorce, Grandma pushed me away, saying, “Tony is our grandson, he has to stay. Zoey, you can go with your mother. We don’t need a granddaughter.” Grandpa even warned Mom, “You didn’t bring much of value when you married into our family. If you dare to take anything from our Lee family besides Zoey, we’ll call the police.” Mom didn’t ask for anything, but to take Tony with her, she was willing to go to court. But on the day of the court’s decision, Tony chose to stay with Brian. Even when Mom was slapped twice by Brian in public, even when I was thrown out and fell at the feet of his mistress and her daughter. He remained indifferent, just coldly turning his face away. I don’t hate Brian and those other demons anymore, but I still hate Tony. He protected me as we grew up and said he would always protect me and Mom. But he broke his promise. I pouted and said sarcastically, “Well, well, a free grandson. Are you tempted?” “Get lost!” Mom smacked my forehead. Finally, she said thoughtfully, “I just feel like that old scumbag is up to something, using both the carrot and the stick.” “Back then, even when he was cyberbullied so badly, he insisted on staying with his mistress. Why is he suddenly coming back to remarry me?” “Could it be because Zack recently made our restaurant famous, and he’s eyeing our business?” Zack is Aunt Tanya’s only son. He’d been hovering around the D-list in the entertainment industry for years, but this year he suddenly became famous with a drama series. As a result, our restaurant became a hotspot for fans, business boomed, and we frequently trended on social media. Brian’s sudden appearance was indeed likely because of this. A few hours later, we had our answer. Because the money was well spent, not only did they thoroughly investigate Brian, but they also threw in two gigabytes of juicy details about the people around him. From the information, the reason Brian insisted on remarrying Mom was simple: he was broke. A few months ago, his business failed, leaving him deeply in debt. His mistress also divorced him. As a devoted sugar daddy, he transferred his remaining car and house to his mistress. This doesn’t look like a real separation, but rather a fake divorce to protect the mistress and her daughter. During this time, Brian and Tony, the newlyweds, were renting a place to live. Their living expenses depended entirely on Tony’s income. Even though they were struggling, he still insisted on giving monthly child support to his mistress and her daughter. He even borrowed several hundred thousand in high-interest loans under Tony’s name, but this money couldn’t satisfy that mother-daughter pair for long. To make a comeback, he hooked up with someone running an illegal factory. Now, all he wanted was to raise some investment capital to join in producing and selling counterfeit products. Seeing this, my eyes were already filled with anger: “His reason for seeking remarriage isn’t just for money. He probably wants to use us as scapegoats when things go south.” Mom angrily slammed the mouse, cursing, “This black-hearted, rotten bastard! I’d like to see if he can swindle money from me, or if I’ll send him to rot in jail!” Saying this, she pulled Brian’s contact out of various blacklists and posted a moment on social media to bait him. “[Heart][Kiss] My daughter is so thoughtful, this year’s birthday gift is a beautiful ice blue Maserati!!! In three days, she’s even throwing me a birthday party at the Starlight Century. Everyone, come join us!!!” The accompanying photo was of her girlish pink Maserati. However, this car was actually a Women’s Day gift from Aunt Tanya this year. Soon enough, we saw Brian quietly like the post. He even left a comment saying: Honey, I’ll bring the kids to celebrate your birthday. Wait for me! Mom snorted disdainfully: “He really dares to come. Well, I’ll have to teach him a lesson first!” Early in the morning, Brian called to exchange pleasantries. Mom put him on speakerphone, lazily responding to his chatter. Brian was talking enthusiastically on the other end: “Your birthday is a big deal. I’m planning to bring the kids to celebrate with you. At our age, what we value most is family gatherings. Without your son and daughter-in-law there, your birthday would feel incomplete, wouldn’t it?” “I’m touched that you still remember my birthday,” Mom said sarcastically. “Of course, after all, we were married for so many years. I still care about you very much.” I felt a surge of anger rising in my chest. The old scumbag clearly never cared about Mom. Mom’s birthday wasn’t in three days; it was actually the anniversary of her divorce. In previous years, we would have a small gathering with Aunt Tanya and her son on that day, celebrating Mom’s new lease on life. This year, we were planning a big celebration just to lure him into our trap. On the phone, Brian said ingratiatingly that he was at the mall choosing a gift for Mom, asking if she had any preferences. Mom waved her hand grandly and said, “You really want to give a gift? How about the new Hermès bag? Anything else would be embarrassing in front of my girlfriends.” “…Alright.” I could hear Brian’s sharp intake of breath through the phone. Heh, you can’t catch a wolf without using a lamb as bait. He brought this on himself. Three days later, Mom’s “birthday party” was held as scheduled. On the way, Brian called Mom on FaceTime. “Suisuisui,” Brian suddenly called out affectionately. Mom shuddered, almost dropping her phone. I tried to hold back my laughter. That voice was indeed sickeningly sweet, enough to make me want to throw up the lunch I had earlier. “Suisui, why aren’t you saying anything?” Mom coughed and replied coldly, “If you have something to say, say it. If not, I’m hanging up.” “I do, I do,” Brian said urgently. “Mia is such a thoughtful child. When she heard about your birthday, she prepared a song to sing and play for you…” He really had the nerve to bring that up. Wasn’t he deliberately trying to provoke us? Mia is his daughter with his mistress. Back then, outside the court, when I was thrown by Brian and fell at her feet. She wore delicate little leather shoes and rubbed my face with the sole of her shoe, saying with disgust, “Get away, you dirty thing. You almost dirtied my shoes.” “You think Dad really wanted Tony? He just couldn’t bear for my mom to have a second child. Hmph, Dad said that even if he’s a son, I’ll be the one to inherit everything in the future.” Mom was silent for a moment, then said to him, “Don’t bring your dirty, stinking things to me.” Brian was clearly unhappy. But he still said with a thick skin, “How could that be? Mia told me that if we remarry, you’ll be her only mom in the future. And she plays the piano so well…” “Good eye, she thinks I’m better than her mom, huh?” Mom chuckled. “Fine, bring her along then. It’s just an extra set of chopsticks.” Only then did he hang up, satisfied. We had just arrived at the hotel when Brian’s family of four followed closely behind. Brian was dressed in a suit with a red rose pinned to his chest, while Mia clung to his arm, wearing a off-shoulder cocktail dress, her makeup exquisite and alluring. Clearly, they came prepared. Behind them, as pale as her dress, was a woman carefully walking with both hands on her slightly swollen belly, like a fragile white flower. Tony walked beside the white flower, tenderly supporting her waist, his whole being radiating fatherly love. He probably didn’t know yet that the child in the white flower’s belly wasn’t his at all. He was purely a naive cuckold. I couldn’t help but glance a few more times at Tony’s head, but he was oblivious, seemingly focused entirely on his newlywed wife. “Suisui! I’ve prepared a surprise for you later, you’ll definitely love it,” Brian greeted enthusiastically. “Mom, happy birthday~” Mia called out with a sweet smile. Mom didn’t give her a friendly look, but she wasn’t bothered. She turned and gave me a sickeningly sweet hug: “Sister, long time no see~” I forced a smile: “Long time no see, you’re still the same as before.” Still thick-skinned as ever, truly her mother’s daughter. At this moment, Brian pulled Tony and his wife in front of Mom. “This is Tony’s wife, her name is Chloe.” The white flower took out a box from her handbag and handed it to Mom: “Mom, this is a key chain I embroidered for you by hand. I hope you like it…” She held out the box reverently, displaying her scarred and slightly bleeding fingertips for us to see. She looked at Mom with a timid gaze, as if Mom not accepting it would be a grave sin. It was… quite inauspicious. I accepted it on Mom’s behalf and handed it to the reception desk: “Note this down, Brian Lee, gift of one key chain.” The receptionist repeated loudly: “Thank you, Mr. Brian Lee, for your generous gift of one key chain!” The smile on Brian’s face instantly froze. Tony’s expression also became inscrutable. Only Mia immediately supported the swaying white flower, looking at me disapprovingly: “Sister, even if you despise sister-in-law’s humble gift, you shouldn’t humiliate her like this. She’s pregnant, carrying your little nephew!” “Alright, the thought counts. Let’s go in,” Mom interrupted impatiently, pulling me into the venue. Mia scurried after us, chirping away: “Mom, where’s the piano? Can I try it out first?” “Are there many important people here today? I must perform well~” I kindly pointed her towards the stage, and she fluttered through the crowd like a butterfly. Soon, the opening notes of “The Wedding Song” rang out from the stage, attracting the attention of all the guests. Accompanied by the music, Brian walked onto the stage, holding a microphone and reciting a heartfelt speech. He kept talking about how he never forgot Mom and wanted to rekindle their relationship. “Sophia, I still love you.” “Twenty years ago, I couldn’t give you a proper proposal. Today, I want to make it up to you.” With that, Brian knelt down on the stage, holding out a ring box towards Mom: “Will you marry me again?”

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Ten years ago, I saved a drowning boy. I conducted a rapid rescue on him. After waking up, he told me, “I have decided to marry you when I grow up!” Thinking that he was joking, I didn’t take his words seriously. Ten years later, the boy grew up, becoming a crazy and domineering CEO, whose name was Brian Hawk. At my wedding with my fiancé, he led a group of people and beat up my fiancé, forcibly taking me away. “I told you I would marry you. Your husband can only be me.” He threatened me with my whole family’s lives and forced me to marry him. He imprisoned me in a private villa, allowing no man to be in touch with me. To win me over, he tried every means, but I remained unmoved. He became furious and found someone who was 90% like me to replace me. Relying on his affection and favoritism, the substitute, Ariel Berg, did whatever she wanted and broke into the villa where I lived. “Where did this cheap woman come from? How dare she pretend to be me and seduce my man? I will tear you apart today!” She stripped me naked, cut off my tongue, and ordered the bodyguards to ravage and humiliate me. Only after I was tortured to death did Brian arrive late. Ariel dragged my body to the front of Brian, who was overbearing. She proudly said, “Darling, this woman, who had done plastic surgery, wanted to hide here and seduce you. I killed her for you!” Brian Hawk was infatuated and crazy. According to him, right from the moment I saved him, he decided to marry no one else but me! To win me over, he imprisoned me for three years and tried every means to please me every day. But I, who didn’t love him at all, couldn’t accept him! Recently, he got a substitute who looked like me. The two of them had been getting along affectionately for several months. To provoke me, Brian often forwarded me videos showing how ambiguous they were on WhatsApp. As I was sitting in the courtyard and enjoying their videos, there was a sudden burst of noise outside. “Brian comes here every few days. Today, I want to see what kind of treasures are hidden in this villa!” “But didn’t Mr. Hawk say that this villa was his private restricted area, and no one was allowed to come here?” “Yes, Ariel, I heard that someone took a glance inside the villa before. Mr. Hawk broke his hands and dug out his eyes. Isn’t it inappropriate for us to sneak in without his permission?” “What are you afraid of? Brian dotes on me to the bone. He won’t blame me.” Listening to the noisy sound outside the courtyard, I frowned slightly and felt uneasy. I knew better than anyone about how crazy Brian was. He had strong possessiveness, treating me as his private possession and imprisoning me in this villa. Someone once had sneaked into my villa out of curiosity and taken a glance at me. Brian disabled his hands and feet, digging out his eyes. The next day, the man vanished into the void. At first, he was only jealous of other men. Later, he realized that I, who had never been gentle to him, treated the housemaid gently. He dismissed all the housemaids in a fit of anger. He would rather personally deliver daily meals to me than let anyone else do it. Except him, no one else could look at me in my eyes for a moment. “If those people outside the courtyard come in, they may be in big trouble.” I quickly got up and intended to remind them to leave here as soon as possible. As soon as the door opened, someone who looked almost the same as me came into my view. Before I could say something, she slapped me hard across my face. “Where did this cheap woman come from? How dare she disguise herself as me and hide in Brian’s villa. Do you want to compete with me for a man?”   She hit me with a sudden slap, making my face burn with pain. “You cheap woman who did plastic surgery. Do you know where you are? How dare you barge in here without the owner’s permission?” “You deliberately made yourself look like Ariel to seduce Mr. Hawk. You let go of your dignity to climb up the ladder, right?” At this moment, I finally realized that the person who had suddenly come in and attacked me was Ariel Berg, the substitute who Brian had found. Because of Brian’s pathological desire for control, I had always been indifferent towards him. Even though I was forced to marry him, I treated him indifferently. I never let him touch me. Perhaps out of resentment, or to make up for his regrets, he searched everywhere for someone who resembled me. Ariel Berg was the substitute he had found, who resembled me the most. At this moment, Ariel, looking furious, looked at me with overwhelming resentment. “You slut. You know that Brian is hopelessly in love with me, so you try every means to make yourself look like me. You want to replace me as my double, don’t you?” Ariel was arrogant and flamboyant. “Since she doesn’t know the truth, I don’t intend to argue with her about why she slapped me.” Instead, I kindly advised her. “You shouldn’t be here. Before Brian arrives, leave here quickly. Otherwise, no one can help you.” However, Ariel didn’t appreciate my kindness at all. Instead, she grabbed my hair angrily and said, “Brian is my man. I can wander around everywhere in his territory. You’re planning to drive me away. After all, You’re afraid that I, the rightful owner, will ruin your scheme and leave you with no chance to be a mistress, right?” “Today, I will make you know the consequences of stealing my man!” After saying that, Ariel kicked me to the ground. I stumbled onto the rocks. My forehead instantly cracked open. I touched the blood on my forehead and looked at the imposing Ariel. I said indifferently, “Aren’t you afraid that Brian will find out about your reckless behavior?” Ariel sneered disdainfully. “I am the destined love that Brian has been searching for for a long time. Even if I have a little scratch on my face, he will be so worried about me and make himself restless for a few days. Even if he knows about what I did, so what? Will he blame me because of you, an insignificant person?” Several of Ariel’s friends sneered and echoed. “Exactly. Everyone knows that Mr. Hawk fell in love with Ariel at first sight. How can you, her imitator, who did plastic surgery, compare to her?” “Ariel, with Mr. Hawk’s distinguished identity, there must be many seductive women like this bitch trying to seduce him. Today, we happen to make her an example and scare them off. Then we can cut off the crooked thoughts of those seductive bitches!” “Yes, we will let those despicable women, who want to climb the social ladder, know who the real Mrs. Hawk is!” All of them each spoke sharp words and looked fierce. They were eager to tear me apart.

I looked serious and indifferently said, “You’d better ask Brian to find out who I am.” Ariel raised her chin and looked disdainful. “Do you, a plastic surgery woman, who sneaked into the villa, deserve me to inquire about your identity?” “I am Brian’s favorite. The Berg family is the biggest partner of the Hawk family. Who the hell are you? Are you qualified to show off your status against mine?” As she said, she looked fierce and ordered several of her best friends behind her. “Strip this bitch naked. I want to see if she can make her body look exactly like mine.” Hearing this, her best friends immediately rushed over and violently tore off my clothes. While I was desperately preventing them from stripping my clothes, I shouted, “Stop it. I am Brian’s wife!” …   Hearing what I said, they immediately stopped what they were doing. Ariel stood aside, squinting at me. “You said you were Brian’s wife?” I said seriously, “Yes, you are a substitute he found. If he knows that you hurt me like this, he will not let you go.” I thought that Ariel would thus retreat after I revealed the truth. Unexpectedly, they burst into laughter almost at the same time. “This bitch! Is she that eager to take my place?” “Relying on the fact that she looks somewhat similar to Ariel, she dares to say that Ariel is her substitute?” “Everyone knows that Mr. Hawk always takes Ariel with him wherever he goes. You, a sneaky plastic surgery woman, dare to call yourself Mr. Hawk’s wife?” On the other hand, Ariel smiled viciously. “I thought you would be something. After all, you disguise yourself as me to seduce Brian. I didn’t expect you to be a brainless idiot.” “I’ve been with Brian for so long. I didn’t even know he had a wife. Are you that bold? How dare you tell such an outrageous lie?” “If you were the real Mrs. Hawk, how could you live alone in this desolate villa without anyone knowing it?” After saying that, Ariel snorted and ordered her several girlfriends. “Continue to strip her clothes. Leave nothing behind!” Upon hearing this, her best friends did not hesitate as they violently tore off my clothes. None of them knew the reason why no one was around this villa. “Brian bought all this large piece of land. No one can come here without his permission.” “Originally, bodyguards and maids were living here. Because of Brian’s jealousy, he dismissed everyone.” “He doesn’t announce my identity to the public so that others won’t take an extra glance at me.” “Even if they are discussing things related to me, he will feel it’s blasphemy against me.” I never expected that all Brian had done to me would become the reason why they had doubts about my identity. Seeing my clothes being torn to pieces, I panicked and shouted. “I am Brian’s wife. If you don’t believe me, call him!” After hearing what I said, they became even more fierce. They didn’t stop what they were doing. While tearing off my clothes frantically, they slapped me in the face. “You damn bitch. Do you dare to lie? Let’s see how we will wake you up today!” Soon, my face turned red and swollen. I was disheveled. With my clothes barely covering me, a lot of skin on my body was exposed. Seeing this, Ariel narrowed her eyes and said gently, “This bitch’s hair is too annoying. It’s hindering her from showing off her body.” … As she said that, she revealed an evil smile and took out a lighter. She set my hair on fire. The fire quickly spread on my head. An intense burning sensation engulfed me. For a moment, my cheeks, ears, and entire scalp felt a burst of strong burning pain. The pain was unbearable. I instinctively tried to pat out the fire with my hands, but they firmly held me down. In the blink of an eye, my hair was all burned. My scalp was covered in burn marks. At my look, Ariel laughed with satisfaction. “It’s funny. With your bald and ugly face, how are you going to seduce men in the future?” Her several close friends laughed and applauded. I stared at them, trembling all over. Then I shouted, “You will regret this!” Brian threatened me with the lives of my entire family. I had been imprisoned for many years. I stayed at the empty villa in a daze day after day. It made me even more frustrated. Now, I had to endure Ariel’s torment. The anger in my heart instantly turned into intense hatred. Ariel walked up to me and stepped heavily on my face with her foot. “How dare you challenge me? Since what you say will always displease me, you shouldn’t speak anymore.” “Cut off this bitch’s tongue!”

With her command, one of Ariel’s bodyguards behind her walked towards me with a dagger in his hands. Seeing this, one of Ariel’s best friends, who was timid, said fumblingly, “Ariel, this is Mr. Hawk’s territory after all. Is it appropriate for us to make such a big scene?” … Ariel said without hesitation, “What’s wrong? Brian is my man. His house is my house. I’m just educating a shameless bitch in my home. Who dares to say anything to me?” … “Besides, Brian loves me so much. Even if I kill this bitch, he won’t frown at me.” Her other girlfriends echoed. “That’s right. Ariel is Mr. Hawk’s most beloved woman. There’s nothing she can’t do.” “When the time comes, Mr. Hawk will only feel sorry for Ariel for exhausting herself from dealing with the bitch.” Hearing their words, the timid girl no longer had any concerns. She watched the show with peace of mind. I lay on the ground, watching the dagger in the bodyguard’s hands. He was getting closer and closer to me. I was extremely frightened, shouting in panic, “I am indeed Brian’s wife! If you do this, Brian will never let you go!” … However, my threats had no effect. The bodyguard came to me and extended a dagger towards me. I wanted to escape, but several of Ariel’s best friends firmly held me down. I wanted to hide, but the dagger, shining with cold light, had deeply cut into my mouth. The bodyguard lifted his hand and stabbed at me with the dagger. In a daze, I saw a large amount of blood and my severed tongue falling from my mouth. … The pain was extreme. I felt like all the nerves in my body were severed. I was about to faint. I was like a pile of mud, lying in a pool of blood. I couldn’t move, and my breath was weak. Ariel stood with her arms crossed, looking down at me. She said, “Even though you had plastic surgery to make yourself look like me, with your appearance, Brian would never take you seriously. He loves me as a person. Got it?” “Not everyone can live such a good life as me. Brian won’t fall in love with any woman.” “Since you, a bitch, are so desperate for a man, I’ll reward you with a few men.” After saying that, she looked at the several bodyguards behind her. She said indifferently, “I’ll give this bitch to you to play with. Whoever works the hardest on her, I’ll reward them with 2 million dollars!” At Ariel’s words, the bodyguards’ eyes instantly lit up. They rubbed their hands eagerly and fiercely, planning to pounce on me. I collapsed on the ground without any strength to resist. I wanted to shout, but I had no tongue. My mouth was full of blood. I couldn’t make a sound. I could only let them ravage me. Brian imprisoned me here obsessively. But he had never hurt me or touched me. Even if I didn’t want to get close to him, he never forced himself on me. He said he would wait for the day when I was willing to give myself to him. He said I was destined to be his in this lifetime. But now, I was overwhelmed by a group of bodyguards. I was helpless. Helplessness and despair engulfed me. I couldn’t speak, crying uncontrollably. “Brian, is this the result you want?” A few of Ariel’s best friends watched the show and praised Ariel. They said, “Ariel is destined to be Mrs. Hawk. She is good at teaching others a lesson.” “Yes. See? This despicable woman was stubborn at first, but now she is made to cry. It’s funny. She probably won’t dare to seduce men anymore in the future.” “Congratulations to Ariel for successfully getting rid of a despicable bitch. Let’s see who dares to compete with you for the position of Mrs. Hawk in the future!” Ariel smiled victoriously and proudly as they praised her. The excited bodyguards suddenly looked strange. The next moment, a bodyguard stood up and pointed at me. He reported, saying, “Miss Berg, this woman is dead!” Hearing this, Ariel frowned and looked disgusted. “How unlucky! Bury her somewhere quickly in case she will stink Brian’s eyes!” As soon as she finished speaking, Brian walked into the courtyard. “What are you doing?”

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The year my sister started college, she died on a hotel bed. They said Grace was promiscuous and played herself to death. But I knew that wasn’t true. Carter’s sweetheart had a fight with him, so he deliberately pursued my sister. Jealous Vanessa egged others on to bully her. “Carter said she has a nice body. As his friends, why don’t you check it out for him?” Eight years later, I became Carter’s most cherished pet. Quiet and obedient, never causing trouble. Vanessa poured a cup of hot tea over my head, sneering: “You’re just a cheap knockoff. Carter’s only playing with you.” “I’m the one he truly loves. Know your place, understand?” But I never wanted his love. All I wanted were your lives. The day Vanessa returned from abroad, Carter released pink balloons all over the city to celebrate. His friends once again mocked and ridiculed our relationship. “The leading lady is back. Isn’t it time for that fake Aria to get lost?” “Tsk, that’s the fate of a disposable side character.” “Serves her right for being so cheap and throwing herself at him.” I sat on the sofa, quickly scrolling through the group chat messages before turning off my phone. “Angry?” Carter asked casually as he sat beside me, absent-mindedly playing with my palm. I shook my head and leaned gently against his chest, saying softly: “They’re right. I know my place. I can’t help feeling a little sad, but knowing you came to see me before meeting Vanessa makes everything okay.” He ran his hand along my cheek down to my chin, pinching the soft flesh there as if petting a cat. “Such a good girl.” “I won’t be coming over tonight. I’ll have that watch you liked delivered to you.” He stood up, ready to leave. Just as he opened the door, I suddenly ran up and hugged him from behind. Tears welling in my eyes. “I know you and Vanessa grew up together. I could never compare.” “But Carter, please let me stay by your side.” “Don’t leave me.” Hot tears fell onto his shirt, quickly spreading into a large wet patch against his shoulder blade. He paused, loosening his grip on the doorknob and turning around. His broad palm gently stroked my thin back. “Don’t overthink things.” He lowered his head slightly, tilting my chin up. I gazed back at him with trembling wet lashes. I knew I was beautiful, most alluring with reddened eyes looking pitiful. Sure enough, desire darkened his eyes. Before I knew it, Carter had me pinned to the sofa, gripping my waist. His breathing quickened with arousal, movements showing no tenderness. When I cried out in pain, he only bit and gnawed at my lips. “Aria, as long as you behave, I’ll come see you tomorrow.” I buried my face in his shoulder, my voice muffled and hoarse. “Okay. Don’t lie to me.” I carefully helped him get dressed and saw him downstairs. A purple Rolls-Royce waited at the villa entrance, the driver respectfully opening the door for him. With a roar of the engine, the car quickly disappeared into the night. It was getting late. Any later and he’d miss Vanessa’s welcome home dinner. She was the Jiang family’s princess, pampered since childhood. If Carter was late, she’d definitely be upset. As I thought about this, I walked back into the villa, tears streaming down my face. In front of Maggie, the housekeeper, I swallowed the pill she handed me. Then, with swollen eyes, I went upstairs, entered my room, and locked the door. I rushed into the bathroom, bent over the toilet, and vomited violently. Disgusting, utterly disgusting. Every second with Carter, every touch from him, was like a needle piercing my fragile dignity, reeking of decadent luxury and decay. The slightest recollection would make me retch uncontrollably. Yet I had to vie for his affection, kiss him, and submit to his desires. To make him confidently believe that I was a parasitic vine that could only cling to him, loving him wholeheartedly, and would wither away if I ever left him. Then, when he was enjoying his self-created realm of power, relaxed and carefree, I would deliver the fatal blow. Carter, I want to see you fall from your high position, left with nothing. Struggling in the mud, tormented by hatred. At the end, only stomach acid remained, burning my throat. I collapsed onto the cold tile floor, leaning against the wall behind me. The bright light above my head pierced my eyes, blurring my vision with a mix of whiteness and tears. My head knocked against the wall repeatedly as I choked out: “But, Grace, I’ve tried. I have no other way.” “…I’m so hungry. I miss your clear noodle soup, sister.”

My childhood wasn’t exactly pleasant. From my earliest memories, my father was a gambling, alcoholic, abusive scumbag. When I was ten, he lost a lot of money. That night, he opened the door, reeking of alcohol. My mother trembled as she held me in her arms. The next moment, he violently grabbed my mother’s hair and threw her onto the concrete floor. He punched her face over and over, and when he got tired, he kicked her. He took the last of our savings and squandered it at the casino. My mother got into a red car. She never came back. After that, my father would bring different women home. Locking me out. That day, I squatted outside the door all night. Until the next morning when I went to school, no one had opened the door for me. I had no money and no friends. I could only run to the sink to drink water to stave off hunger. By the time school let out, I was so hungry I could barely see straight. A girl running towards me barely brushed my shoulder, and I nearly fainted. She caught me in time, asking if I was okay. I was too hungry, so I just said so. She gave me a gentle smile, took my hand, and led me to her home. I ate five bowls of clear noodle soup. Somehow, I started crying while eating. First silently, then wailing loudly. She frantically wiped my tears, thinking her cooking was terrible. I shook my head vigorously in her arms. “No one has ever been so kind to me before.” Her warm hand patted my head. Not only did she not mind my dry, messy hair, but she also said: “From now on, think of me as your big sister. I’ll look out for you.” She really was a wonderful person. That was the first time I met my sister, Grace. She had a name as pure and beautiful as her personality. Unlike my name, which my father casually picked after winning a mahjong game. My mother thought it meant the “green” of grass. But Grace told me it meant “Aria of the green hills, my heart wanders far.” Only then did I realize that even a carelessly chosen character could be interpreted with poetic beauty by someone who cared.

That night, I dreamed of my sister again. I dreamed of how she celebrated my birthday. On a scorching summer day, when the asphalt was so hot you could see the heat shimmering off it, smelling of tar. She wore a heavy mascot costume, handing out flyers to passersby. She broke out in a rash from the heat but lied to me, saying it was just dust allergy. Seventy dollars a day, she did it for two months. Then, on my 14th birthday, she gave me fourteen gifts. A newspaper from my 1st year, watercolor pens from my 2nd, hair clips from my 3rd… a Barbie doll from my 7th… a bicycle from my 10th, an electronic keyboard from my 11th… and a keychain with keys for my 14th. I had never celebrated a birthday before, but that day, I celebrated fourteen birthdays at once. Maggie, Grace’s mom, had prepared a table full of dishes, with a two-tiered cake in the center. Surrounded by such warmth and love, I couldn’t help but cry again. “Thank you, sis. Thank you, Aunt Maggie.” Maggie’s smiling face suddenly fell. “You call her ‘sis,’ why am I still ‘Aunt Maggie’?” “Mom.” “Good girl, make a wish and blow out the candles.” I closed my eyes, savoring the happiest moment of my life. And made a sincere wish. I was no longer a child that no one cared about. I had a family. The laughter and joy quickly folded and distorted. The dream changed drastically. My sister was brought back, lying motionless on a stretcher. Her body was cold, covered in wounds, long past breathing. They said: “Grace led a promiscuous life, engaged in dangerous activities with multiple men. She died during one of these encounters. Her partners have already confessed and turned themselves in.” Lies, all lies. They also said, out of humanitarian concern, they could offer me reasonable compensation. I couldn’t hear anything anymore. There was a buzzing in my ears like a million mosquitoes, as I stared at my sister’s lifeless body before me. The mottled bloodstains mixed with sunlight into a chaotic mess. “Sis…” My sister didn’t die from some wild encounters. She was in college, busy with work-study programs. How could she possibly be involved with men, let alone multiple men, in such activities? It was my sister’s cheerleading squad captain. Her childhood sweetheart had a fight with her and deliberately praised my sister in front of her. He said my sister had a great body and he wanted to try her out. She angrily told him to go pursue my sister. He did, sending flowers, gifts, and breakfasts, sweet-talking her in every way. My sister had never experienced anything like this before. She believed it was true love. That arrogant captain couldn’t stand it. After reconciling with her sweetheart, she had people bully my sister. “Since Carter praised her body, why don’t you guys, as his friends, go check it out for him?” From beginning to end, it was a lawyer who handled the whole affair. Wearing old-fashioned scholarly glasses, behind which were sharp, shrewd eyes. He spoke precisely and acted ruthlessly. Under the machinations of power, we were defeated at every turn. Those two instigators never even showed their faces. After reconciling, they went to the Arctic to chase the Northern Lights. How romantic, how absurd. Months later, I finally learned their names. Two rich kids — Vanessa and Carter. Then I dreamed of my mother’s hair turning white overnight. Empty pill bottles scattered in the corner of the bed, my mother lying quietly, as if asleep. She had gone to find my sister. My birthday wish hadn’t come true. I never celebrated birthdays again.

I originally thought I wouldn’t encounter Vanessa so soon. But with her spoiled nature, how could she accept it? She had only been abroad for three years, and Carter already had me by his side when she returned. So the next day, Vanessa arranged a fitting at a luxury boutique. Carter deliberately brought me along. A spacious fitting room with excellent privacy. Dazzling lights, an atmosphere of extravagance. Vanessa sat in the center of the sofa in a black Chanel suit, the center of attention. She took a sip of her red tea, lifting her eyelids slightly. The disdain in her gaze fell on me without disguise as she suddenly smiled. “Carter, is this the little pet you’ve been keeping?” “She does look a bit like me, doesn’t she?” At this point, someone chimed in. “No matter how much she tries to imitate you, she can’t compare to even your little finger.” My fingers, hanging at my side, suddenly clenched. I lowered my head, suddenly realizing. He brought me here to let Vanessa vent her anger. Because of his attitude, everyone looked down on me, cooperating with Vanessa to humiliate me. “Since you’re here, why don’t you try on some clothes for me?” Carter sat down next to Vanessa and said indifferently, “Go try them on. Try until Vanessa is satisfied.” The entire afternoon, I walked back and forth in high heels, trying on clothes repeatedly. “Just standing there like that, how are we supposed to know if the clothes look good or not?” “That’s right, walk around the room a few times, strike a few poses. How can you be so stupid?” They sat on the sofa, enjoying their afternoon tea, instructing me on how to be a proper fitting model. The high heels on my feet rubbed my heels raw, blood seeping into the inside of the shoes. I was in so much pain that fine beads of sweat appeared on my forehead, my legs feeling as if they were no longer my own. Vanessa finally vented some of her anger. “Such beautiful clothes are wasted on someone like you.” “I don’t want any of the styles she’s worn. Pack up the rest.” She nestled in Carter’s arms, poking his chest in a coquettish manner. The usually cold man now curved his lips, allowing the person in his arms to act spoiled. “Go clean yourself up downstairs, and remember your place.” I held the slipping neckline of my dress, bowed, and hurriedly left. As I was leaving, I fell to the ground. I looked up at Carter, tears instinctively falling. Pitiful to the extreme. Carter’s gaze unconsciously fell on me, his Adam’s apple bobbing. I saw it, and so did Vanessa. She walked towards me with a smile. “A few pieces of clothing and you’re already feeling wronged? I didn’t realize you were so good at acting.” The next moment, a searing pain shot through my scalp. Vanessa poured an entire cup of hot tea over my head, then set down the cup and cooed to Carter. “Carter, you know I hate green tea the most.” “I couldn’t help but teach her a lesson. You won’t blame me, will you?” Carter stood up and wrapped his arm around her waist, his eyes full of indulgence. “As long as you’re happy.” The group left amid laughter, not waiting for me. Leaving me alone where I was.

That night, Carter surprisingly didn’t accompany Vanessa. Instead, he came to see me. Hearing movement in the yard, I pretended to be asleep on the couch. Carter came in and picked me up. I woke up in his arms at the right moment, my voice hoarse from crying. “I’m sorry, I’m so useless. I know you love Vanessa the most, but I couldn’t even do something as simple as trying on clothes for her.” “If Vanessa is still angry, I can move out…” Before I could finish, the scene before my eyes spun. He threw me onto the bed, grabbing my wrist and pressing down on me. “You want to leave?” I lowered my eyelashes, biting my lip, my eyes unconsciously turning red. After a long while, I squeezed out a small “yes.” “Aria, you’ve gotten quite bold, haven’t you?” Carter suddenly laughed angrily, raising his hand to grasp my chin. “Remember this: no one in this world can dictate what I, Carter, do.” “You remember, until I tell you to leave, don’t even think about leaving my side.” In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through my mind. Tears burst forth. He carefully brushed aside the hair on my head, gently blowing on the swollen scalp. He had always maintained a lofty and indifferent attitude towards me. This was the first time I had seen him so gentle.

The burn kept throbbing, making it hard for me to sleep soundly. In my dreams, I seemed to return to a time long ago. It was when I was thirteen, my father suddenly became very nice to me. For the first time ever, he let me eat at the table and even put some meat in my bowl. “Aria, how about letting your Aunt Maggie be your mom?” I nearly choked on my food. So that’s why. He had his eye on Maggie. Knowing that Maggie’s family was kind to me, he wanted me to help him win her over. When I refused, he chased me away from the table. The meat he had put in my bowl ended up in his own mouth. I thought he was just talking. I didn’t expect him to go to Maggie’s tofu stand the next day to openly court her. Maggie kept refusing, which angered my father. He started spreading rumors. He said Maggie was bad luck, that her husband had died because of her. The rumors spread from the market throughout the neighborhood. “Why did you say those things about Maggie? Now she doesn’t dare to open her stand.” My father, looking smug, slurred, “Who told her to refuse me? I didn’t even mind that she’s a widow.” I couldn’t control myself and shouted at him. “You’re despicable!” He stood up abruptly and beat me. Afterwards, he kicked me and said he was hungry. I got up and made him a bowl of noodles. I put in five spoons of salt. He ate with relish, even praising my improved cooking skills. I guess he had drunk so much fake alcohol that his taste buds were ruined. Later, Grace came to find me several times. I didn’t dare to see her. But she still caught me on my way home from school. “Are you trying to end our friendship?” She was stunned for a moment. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she reached out and pinched my cheek. “Aria, you’re my sister. Why would I end our friendship?” Because I had been freeloading at their house, I had gained some weight during this time. My face had filled out, and she kept pinching it. “You are you. You don’t need to carry the burden of others’ mistakes.” I hugged my sister tightly, and only after I had cried enough did I notice the wound on her hand. She said she had accidentally hit it while making tofu, and it didn’t hurt anymore. I held her hand, feeling heartbroken. She then took me back to her home. Maggie was busy in the kitchen, and when she saw me, she smiled brightly. “Dinner’s almost ready. You two little ones go wash your hands first.” That evening, the setting sun painted half the sky red, casting an especially warm glow on the dinner table. Not long after, my father fell into the river while drunk. I was left alone at home. My father was known as a scoundrel, and relatives had long since cut ties with us. Maggie found someone to help me arrange the funeral. After that person was buried, Grace and Maggie each held one of my hands. They gave me a warm and complete home. I had my own room, clean bedsheets, and a brand new desk. I thought this would be forever.

Vanessa began to take over her family’s company. She used the excuse that she had just returned and wasn’t familiar with the domestic market. So she had Carter assign me as her assistant. Then she started setting up obstacles for me at every turn, leading the way in isolating and ostracizing me. She used the lowest, most childish methods. When I needed to use the printer, it was always out of paper or ink. In the break room, someone would always “accidentally” spill coffee on me. My computer would mysteriously get viruses, and I’d have to redo completed presentations. Carter would only tell me to try harder. I said okay, hung up the phone, not wanting to disturb his date with Vanessa. Until the last time, when Vanessa went too far— A client from Hong Kong was visiting. Vanessa told me and another colleague to handle it. During the dinner, my colleague was called away by a phone call from Vanessa. I was left alone and forced to drink until I was dizzy. The client’s hand gradually moved to my thigh. I resisted with all my might and was beaten half to death. Hearing the commotion, a waiter came and called the police. In the hospital room, the sharp smell of disinfectant lingered. I slept for two days. During this time, someone posted a video online of me being carried into an ambulance. The person who exposed it also pointed out that I was deliberately left behind by Vanessa. It quickly became a trending topic. Vanessa’s family company was competing with a rival for a project. Once this incident broke out, the Jiang family company’s image was damaged. When I woke up, I heard Carter and Vanessa arguing in the hallway outside the hospital room. “Vanessa, you’ve gone too far this time.” Carter’s tone was cold. “From childhood until now, I’ve let you do whatever you wanted, but this time you could have killed someone.” Vanessa’s voice was tearful: “Are you heartbroken for her?” “She’s nothing but a fake. It wouldn’t matter if she disappeared. It’s not like people haven’t died before.” Carter said flatly: “You can’t always do whatever you want. You need to control that temper of yours.” Vanessa seemed to be triggered by this statement. “Carter, are you complaining about my temper now? What did I do wrong? Before I went abroad, you said you’d wait for me.” As she spoke, tears started to fall. “I was only gone for three years, and you found this nobody. I just can’t stand her.” “These past two days, you must have seen how people online are cursing me.” “Do you want me to end up like her before you’re satisfied?” Her usually proud and beautiful face was now tear-streaked, revealing vulnerability and sadness in her eyes. This had a strong effect on Carter, who had grown up with her since childhood. After a moment, he sighed and pulled her into his arms. “All these years, I’ve only loved you.”

I watched through the crack in the door as the two kissed. My face expressionless, I turned my head away. I had long known that Vanessa wouldn’t be easy to deal with. Her twenty-some years of childhood friendship with Carter had, to this day, developed a kind of symbiotic meaning. But it wasn’t unbreakable. Now, I had used my injuries to plant a bomb in each of their hearts. Someday in the future, it would explode when it was meant to. Making the situation irreversible. When I woke up, the direction of public opinion had suddenly changed. New videos had surfaced. They were confessions from my colleague and the waiter. The gist was— I had lured my colleague away at the dinner table, actively seduced the client, and was beaten because I became abusive after being rejected by the client. The comment section exploded. Everyone was cursing at me. When Carter came to see me, he didn’t say anything. I also ignored it, still chatting casually with him like usual. Occasionally, I would grab his sleeve and make some harmless small requests. Trying my best to act as if everything was normal. Until the next day, when the client’s wife stormed into the hospital room with a group of people. They beat and cursed at me. When Carter arrived, he saw me curled up in a small ball in the corner of the bed. Biting my arm hard, my face streaked with tears. “Aria…” I looked up, saw it was him, and hurriedly wiped away the tears on my face. I rubbed my eyes hard before looking at him, forcing a smile, “Carter, why are you here?” He stood there, looking straight at me. I finally broke down. “I’m sorry, I just felt a little wronged. I know it’s not Vanessa’s fault. I just couldn’t get over it in my heart.” “It’s nothing, it must be because the wounds hurt too much that I started thinking nonsense. I’ll be fine in a few days.” “Carter, am I being too sensitive…” Guilt gradually appeared in his eyes. Then he sat down and held my hand tightly. He gently rolled up the sleeve of my hospital gown, looking at the bloody tooth marks and surrounding bruises, and suddenly said softly to me: “You’re not being sensitive. You’re the bravest. It’s my fault for spoiling her too much.” “Aria, want to go out and clear your mind? Let’s forget about all this.” “Let’s go to Iceland. Didn’t you always want to see the Northern Lights?”

e rarely called me so affectionately. I knew in my heart that even if Carter felt a twinge of guilt now, he wouldn’t do anything to Vanessa for my sake. In his mind, being able to take me out to clear my head was already a great favor to me. But it didn’t matter. What I wanted was just his temporary departure. Carter really did take me to Iceland. Just like when he took Vanessa to Iceland years ago, chasing the Northern Lights, watching volcanoes erupt. Such magnificent scenery, I had never seen before. The sunset spread over the snowy mountains, like the meeting of ice and fire, like the end of the world. Carter asked me, “Aria, are you feeling better?” I lowered my eyelids, hesitated for a few seconds, then looked up and nodded with a smile. He saw those few seconds of hesitation. His phone rang again, but Carter still silenced it. He put his arm around my shoulders and took me to soak in the hot springs. That night, after I went to bed in the room, Carter went out to the balcony to take Vanessa’s call. “Carter, where are you? Are you with that bitch Aria?” Her voice was shaking with anger on the other end of the line. “The day after tomorrow is my birthday. You promised to throw me a grand birthday party.” “This is my first birthday since coming back home.” Carter’s voice was tinged with impatience. “Aria is in this state because of you. I have to take her out for a while.” “It’s just a birthday. It’s not like you’re going to die next year.” He hung up the phone, pulled out a cigarette pack, and looked up to see me standing in the doorway, rubbing my eyes. He put the cigarette pack away and his gaze fell on my bare feet. He frowned slightly. “It’s so cold, why did you come out without shoes?” He came over and picked me up. “Carter, are you going back to be with Vanessa?” His arms holding me stiffened for a moment.

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My “friend” suddenly announced he had a girlfriend. The caption read: “I’m not good with words, I just want to see you.” In that instant, my SnapChat exploded. All our mutual friends bombarded me with messages: “Claire, isn’t Felix’s girlfriend supposed to be you?” Indeed. Why wasn’t I Felix Harper’s girlfriend? (1) Before I could process what was happening, Felix sent me a message: “So, what do you think? Isn’t my girlfriend pretty?” Each word felt like a knife twisting in my heart. My hands were shaking so much I could barely see the screen through my blurred vision. He must have grown impatient waiting for a response because he sent another message: “My girlfriend knows we’re close. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea, so maybe don’t come find me for a while.” I read his messages over and over, then threw my phone aside and burst into tears. All these years, everyone knew I loved Felix. Everyone except Felix himself. He always thought I was just his best friend. His family without the blood ties. In this world, if we’re talking about who knows Felix Harper best, I, Claire Bennett, would say I’m second to none. I know he likes his egg pancakes without green onions, his beef noodles without cilantro, his winter hoodies without hoods, and that his sneakers are half a size bigger than his regular shoes. I’ve made all his literature notes since we were kids, and when he first started college, I bought him his first set of formal wear. I used to be so proud of how much space I occupied in Felix’s life. I thought no other girl could leave as many traces in his life as I had. I thought there was just one small step left between us. One opportunity that would make it all fall into place naturally. But I never got that opportunity. Instead, I got the fact that Felix now had a girlfriend. He kept chattering away on SnapChat, telling me how great his new girlfriend was. How she surprisingly liked green onions and cilantro, and now he liked them too because she did. He shared pictures of the hooded sweatshirt she bought him, saying he loved it so much he’d wear it every day. He even mentioned how cute it was that she bought him sneakers that were too small. Every word felt like it was erasing my past. Finally, he sent me one last message, “My girlfriend says if you could bring us some condoms, she’d believe we’re just friends. Claire, hurry and bring them over!” He attached the address of a hotel. His audacity with me was entirely my own doing. Since childhood, I’d always given him whatever he wanted. If he asked for the stars, I’d have built a ladder to fetch them for him. Even his mom said there wasn’t another person in this world who’d be as good to him as I was. It was precisely because I was so good to him that he took such liberties. He took me for granted. I wiped away my tears and actually went. When I arrived, he was already impatiently waiting. As soon as he opened the door, he snatched the condoms from my hand, giving me a dirty look: “Claire, what took you so long? My girlfriend almost got suspicious!” He didn’t even give me a chance to speak before slamming the door shut. Before the door closed, I caught a glimpse of the girl. She was wrapped in a towel, her hair loose, water droplets still clinging to her skin. I saw Felix eagerly walking towards her, about to embrace her… Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. I didn’t want to look so pathetic in front of Felix, so I tried to cover my mouth, but I still couldn’t hold back a sob. Suddenly, I felt like a complete joke. I wiped away my tears and tried to message him in as calm a tone as I could muster: “Felix, I won’t bother you anymore.” After sending it, I blocked him. Felix and I had known each other since we were in diapers. After more than twenty years, there were too many memories. Just the photos of us together took up over 30GB of my phone’s storage. I deleted them all. Not just that, I even deleted all those childish photos we’d taken together years ago from my social media accounts. I made up my mind. From today on, I would no longer love Felix Harper. (2) The next day, after class, Felix cornered me. He looked at me, exasperated, as if I was being unreasonable. “Claire, what’s your problem?” I admit, it’s impossible to forget someone you’ve loved for so long overnight. Seeing him again, my heart still ached a little. I pretended nothing was wrong and acted like I hadn’t heard him. He was clearly getting impatient. “You’re making Mia really uncomfortable. She thinks she’s the reason we’re not getting along.” I looked at him, feeling a bitter taste in my mouth, unable to say a word. I could only quicken my pace to leave. Felix cursed behind me, “Damn it, Claire, are you getting too full of yourself? Making such a fuss just because your bro is dating someone. Mia was right, you’re acting like a possessive bitch. Don’t tell me you actually like me?” I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him. Suddenly, I had the urge to lay it all out. “What if I said yes?” “Huh?” Felix awkwardly rubbed his fingers, seemingly caught off guard by my response. “I was just kidding. Uh, I gotta go. We’ll talk later, okay?” For the next two months, Felix didn’t contact me, and I didn’t reach out to him either. I heard he’d been getting pretty serious with his girlfriend. They even signed up for a travel group, planning to go on a trip during summer break. My friends were indignant about this and messaged me to complain: “Doesn’t Felix have a heart? How can he be so public about it? Doesn’t he worry about hurting you?” I paused for a moment before replying: “Let him be.” It would get better slowly. While Felix was flaunting his relationship, I cried silently in pain several nights. But I forced myself not to think about it, not to ask about it. Later, I truly stopped thinking about it. I started focusing on my studies, keeping myself busy every day. Then one day, my roommate informed me that I was featured on the university’s confession wall. The confession was simple: “Claire Bennett from second-year Economics, I, Mason Callahan, have decided you’re the one for me.” Well… To be honest, it was a bit underwhelming. Who still uses these cheesy, domineering pickup lines these days? I didn’t take it seriously at all, thinking it was just someone’s prank. But what I didn’t expect was that Mason Callahan really did start pursuing me aggressively. Because of what happened with Felix, I was extremely averse to the idea of dating, so I was very cold towards him. But he never got discouraged. In fact, he seemed to become more determined with each rejection. At first, every time I came out of the library, I’d see him waiting there, always holding a cup of my favorite cheese grape tea. He’d hand it to me as soon as I came out. At first, I refused to accept it, but he didn’t get upset. He just smiled and said, “But senior, I’ve already bought it. It’d be such a waste.” “If you really don’t want it, why don’t you just transfer me the money?” And just like that, he successfully got my SnapChat contact. I thought giving him my contact might be troublesome, but he was very considerate. He’d only occasionally like or comment on my posts, rarely actively disturbing my life. Gradually, I even started to get used to it. After a while, when I tried to transfer him money for the milk tea again, he refused, giving a very reasonable explanation: “We’re so familiar now. Treating you to a cup of milk tea is just what I should do.” Reading this message, I found myself sprawled on my bed, laughing uncontrollably. I never thought this kid would be so good at pursuing girls. He handled the boundaries between men and women just right. I started to enjoy interacting with him. After all, who doesn’t like a good-looking guy who knows how to treat a girl right? As I got to know him better, I found out that Mason’s college entrance exam score was actually over 30 points higher than our university’s admission line. I couldn’t understand it: “Then why did you come here?” He seemed a bit embarrassed for once, scratching his head: “Because the person I like is here.” The atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward. I coughed uncomfortably: “With 600 points, you don’t seem like someone who’d write that kind of confession.” This time, he was even more embarrassed, a blush quickly spreading across his face. “That was posted by my roommates. They were just messing around.” Mason is very good-looking, a bit more than just conventionally attractive. Growing up, the most handsome person I’d ever seen was Felix. But looking closely, Mason seemed no less attractive than Felix. As I stared at him for a while, I suddenly realized that I hadn’t thought about Felix for quite some time. He seemed to have really disappeared from my life. Mason started to occupy my time. Every day, he’d find new ways to cater to my preferences. I didn’t like eating breakfast in the cafeteria, so he’d wake up two hours early to buy me breakfast from my favorite store. It wasn’t just me; even my roommates benefited. Every time he brought something to my dorm, he’d bring a portion for my roommates too, making sure everyone got a share while ensuring mine was always the best. If I posted on social media in the morning saying I wanted to go out, by afternoon he’d be dressed up ready to take me on a suburban outing. When I casually mentioned wanting to eat a strawberry cake, that evening I received a strawberry cake he’d bought. It had the logo of “South Family Rice Shop” on it. This shop was near my home. I looked at him in surprise: “When did you go buy this?” Mason looked a bit embarrassed, still catching his breath: “I went as soon as I saw your post. I was playing ball with my roommates in the afternoon and saw it a bit late. I almost didn’t make it in time.” This shop had always been popular. It had been there since I was little, but the owner was someone who really knew how to live. Every day, without fail, he’d close shop at 5 PM, regardless of whether there were still customers or not. The reason I knew this so well was because I’d passed by their shop countless times, but never bought anything. Their prices were about a third higher than other places. Even my mom only bought me one on my birthday each year. I couldn’t bring myself to buy one, but I always craved it. Every time Felix saw me looking, he’d pat my head and comfort me like a child: “Don’t look anymore, little one. Big bro Felix will buy you one next time.” But I waited year after year, and it never happened. Every time, he had an excuse. He’d spent all his allowance, or he didn’t have time to go buy it, and so on. Back then, I believed him. Now, looking at the small 6-inch strawberry cake in Mason’s hands, I suddenly felt my eyes getting warm. So, if someone really wanted to buy it, it only took two hours. So this is what it feels like to be cherished. I couldn’t help but cry. Mason immediately panicked, “Don’t cry! I really was playing ball and didn’t see your message, or I would have brought it earlier.” “When I got there, the owner was about to close. I had to beg him for a while before he agreed to make one for me.” “Claire, please don’t cry.” He looked so pitiful, seeming like he wanted to wipe my tears but didn’t dare. He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. His reaction made me laugh. I took the strawberry cake and asked him: “Mason, you really like me, don’t you?” “Of course!” He rolled his eyes, exasperated. “I wouldn’t spend two hours buying a cake for a girl I didn’t like.” Hearing this, I smiled slowly: “Then remember this. From today on, you have a girlfriend.” (3) Mason and I got together. The very night we started dating, he posted a photo of me on his social media with the caption: “Let me introduce you to my girlfriend.” I was planning to pretend I hadn’t seen it, but he had tagged me, so I had to reluctantly reply: “Hello.” Immediately after, I received a private message from him: “Ms. Bennett, I suggest you watch your words.” I pondered for a moment, then also posted a photo of him with the same caption: “Let me introduce you to my boyfriend.” Within seconds, Mason was grinning in my comment section. He said: “Hello, girlfriend.” I was a bit speechless: “How is this any different from what I said?” He replied: “Of course it’s different. The key is ‘girlfriend’.” I couldn’t help but smile, my eyes crinkling. My friends all sent me messages congratulating me. Suddenly, I received a friend request from Felix. After thinking for a moment, I figured since I had accepted Mason, there was no need to cut ties with Felix completely. After accepting his friend request, Felix sent me a message, “You’re dating?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294545”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #校园School #浪漫Romance #魔幻Magic #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #后宫Harem #玄幻Fantsy

Six months after my death, Liam called me. He cursed me for being unreasonable, ungrateful, and accused me of cheating. Everyone advised me to initiate the divorce and even spoke up for the other woman, urging me to let them be together. “Don’t you all know? Our classmate, Nora, died in that accident.” Crash! The glass in Liam’s hand slipped and shattered on the floor, spilling red wine everywhere. At a reunion, a college classmate revealed that I had died in a plane crash. Liam went mad, but I just laughed. I came from a well-off family and was a firm believer in staying single. Having children was the furthest thing from my mind. But when a rival company dealt a severe blow to our family business, I had no choice but to become a sacrificial lamb in a business marriage. Watching my father’s hair turn increasingly gray, seeing the sudden wrinkles covering my mother’s face, and witnessing my sister tirelessly drinking and negotiating business deals day and night, I finally nodded in agreement. A once-staunch single was about to be forced into marriage. The marriage partner had been pre-selected by my parents. He was the new CEO of Anderson Group. In the past, Anderson Group wouldn’t have been considered a match for us, but now that my family had fallen on hard times, a partnership with the Andersons could revitalize our family business. I met the new female CEO of Anderson Group once before the wedding. It was then that I discovered she was actually Liam, a classmate from my university department. Apparently, after his mother passed away years ago, his father had also recently died, leaving him to take over the entire group. Liam seemed to have known beforehand that I was his intended partner. He smiled at me, and the first thing he said was, “I’ve secretly liked you since university.” Because of this statement, I felt a little less resistant to this arranged marriage.

Our wedding was incredibly grand, mostly funded by Anderson Group. Even the house and car we lived in were bought by Liam, who even made sure to add my name to the property deed. “This will be our little home from now on,” he said, holding my hand with a face full of happiness. Soon after our marriage, with Anderson Group’s help, our family business quickly revived. The two large enterprises complemented each other, developing even better than before. My life with Liam was also very happy. He told me not to worry about business matters and to focus on developing my hobbies. With him at the helm, I felt at ease and tried to enjoy life. Although I wasn’t used to it at first, I gradually adapted. This lifestyle continued for six years. Just when I thought the rest of our days would pass by peacefully like this, Stella returned to the country.

I didn’t know who Stella was, but I had heard Liam’s friends mention her at previous gatherings. They said Stella was beautiful and smart, and had studied at a prestigious university abroad. At the time, I was sipping red wine on the side, listening to them reminisce about the past, finding it quite interesting. Until they started wondering if Stella had found a boyfriend yet, saying she might even be married by now. Liam suddenly spoke up to stop them. The others immediately changed the subject, as if those words had never been spoken. That was the first time I felt something was off. From what I knew of Liam, he was definitely angry just then. Even though his face remained expressionless, I could hear the anger in his voice. He was furious. Was it because he didn’t like the topic? Or because he didn’t like the main character in this topic? I didn’t pay much attention at the time, but today I finally understood why Liam was so angry then. It was because he couldn’t bear to hear that Stella might be married…

Starting last month, Liam began to come home less frequently. At first, he would return home very late at night. Then it progressed to not seeing him for four or five days at a time. This time, he hadn’t been home for a whole week. Every time I called, it would take a long time for him to answer. Sometimes, the call would be directly hung up or go unanswered. Initially, I still believed he was working overtime, but with the same excuse repeatedly, even a fool wouldn’t believe it anymore. Finally, today, I couldn’t stand it and secretly went to his company. Sure enough, he wasn’t there. Then I called his secretary, who hesitantly gave me the name of a couple’s restaurant. I had a bad feeling about this. In the end, I saw Liam and Stella intimately embracing each other at the hotel. They were holding hands, snuggling close and whispering to each other. I walked directly towards them, but I froze when I saw that face that could easily be mistaken for mine. I also ignored Liam’s momentary panic and embarrassment upon seeing me. After what seemed like an eternity, Stella walked towards me with a smile. She extended her hand and said, “You must be Nora. Thank you for taking care of Liam for me all these years.”

That night, I still brought Liam home. We were silent the entire way. After entering, I first asked the housekeeper to rest, then sat with Liam on opposite sofas. The man who once loved to stick close to me now clearly didn’t want to be near me. Why is that? Maybe because I’m just a substitute, a stand-in for Stella. Perhaps because I had caught him red-handed, Liam didn’t try to hide anything and directly proposed divorce. “You don’t need to worry about the company. I’ll set up a fund and give you $20,000 every month.” But I just kept looking at him without saying a word. Liam kept checking the time, not noticing my gaze. Right, he had promised Stella earlier that he would definitely go back to accompany her tonight. He finally couldn’t wait any longer: “Nora, just tell me what you want. I’ll fulfill whatever I can. I just hope you can let me be with Stella. She’s finally back after so long, I can’t bear to lose her again.” I was stunned. What did he take me for? How could he treat me like this? In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to say these words out loud. Forcing myself to stay calm, I asked, “I just want to ask one thing. Did you only agree to marry me because I look like her?” Liam glanced at me. “Yes.” “So when we first met, and you said you had liked me since university, that was a lie too?” I clenched my fists. Liam neither confirmed nor denied it. “I did notice you in university.” So he had only noticed me. Of course, suddenly seeing someone who looked so much like the person you love, anyone would take a second look. So everything, all of it, was fake. The happy life we had, it was all just him projecting his longing for Stella onto my face. Humiliation, anger, at that moment, my heart was filled with a mix of emotions.

I left, before dawn the next day. I moved to a small house I had bought on a whim in the suburbs two years ago. This was a place only I knew about, Liam didn’t know, so he wouldn’t come to bother me. I blocked all his contact methods, and anyone related to him was also blocked. I won’t divorce him, at least not now. Not because I still can’t let go of him, but because I don’t want Stella to move into the house and replace me so quickly. I don’t want them to become a couple so soon. For a whole week, I lived very comfortably, with no one to disturb me. My parents called, but after hearing the truth, they unwaveringly chose to stand by my side. They also comforted me, telling me not to worry about the family, saying that Ning Corporation is now stronger than it was a few years ago. A weight was finally lifted from my heart, but what I didn’t expect was that on the eighth day after I moved out, someone still found me. That person turned out to be my brother, Neil. My relationship with Neil was quite good. In the past, I always protected him, and he would make porridge for me when he drank too much and his stomach hurt. But today, Neil looked at me with a serious face, his eyes carrying a hint of dissatisfaction. I invited him in and asked what had happened. My first reaction was that something had happened to our parents or the family company. Had Liam started to move against the family because he couldn’t find me? “Nora, you should divorce Liam, right?” “What?” I didn’t expect my brother’s first words to be this. “Nora, you don’t know, Stella has had it very hard all these years. She just wants to be with the man she loves now. Can you let them be together? Please? Consider it a favor to your brother.” Neil’s attitude was very humble. He had never said the word “please” to me before, but today he said it, and it was for that woman. I looked at him in disbelief and questioned him: “Neil, do you know what you’re saying? That Stella interfered with my marriage, and now you’re here begging me on her behalf? Begging me to step aside for her? Neil, have you gone mad?!” Neil’s face showed a hint of embarrassment, but he still tried to persuade me: “Nora, I know, I know all of this. Liam is just a scumbag, he doesn’t deserve you. So after you divorce, I’ll definitely help you find a better man. You don’t need this Liam anyway. But Stella only has this one love in her life, so can you please give Liam to her?” At this moment, I felt that the brother in front of me was very unfamiliar. When did my brother stop standing on my side and start standing on my enemy’s side? I shook my head, not wanting to say anything more to him. I pointed at the front door, asking him to leave: “Just go! I won’t divorce now, and you don’t need to say anything more.” “Nora…” “I said go!” Maybe my attitude was too harsh, but Neil finally left. However, when he reached the door, he still said: “I’ll come back, Nora. Think about it carefully.” I have nothing to think about. I’m not doing charity work, voluntarily making way for them.

After Neil left, the more I thought about it, the stranger this whole thing seemed. I unblocked the number of one of Liam’s good friends from my phone’s blacklist. This person was his childhood neighbor, and maybe because she was a woman, she was the one I got along with best among Liam’s circle of friends. She also seemed to dislike Stella. I dialed the number, and it was quickly answered. “Nora, you finally showed up. I was heartbroken for a long time after you blocked me,” Tina’s wailing voice came from the other end of the phone. But I had no time for jokes with her. “Tina, do you know if anything happened between my brother and Stella?” “Your brother? Neil?” “Yes.” I told her about Neil coming to ask me to divorce Liam to let Stella be with him. Tina on the other end of the phone burst into laughter, “Hahahahaha, I didn’t expect that after so many years, your brother is still such a lovesick puppy. He’s really good at self-delusion!” “What do you mean?” “Actually, your brother and Stella met at a competition once. It seems your brother really admired Stella’s talent and fell in love with her at first sight. Liam found out about this later and wanted to go beat up your brother, but Stella stopped him. After that, the two of them just stayed out of each other’s way. Stella went abroad after high school graduation. I don’t know if she kept in touch with your brother during that time. But your brother is quite a few years older than you, right? He’s never had a girlfriend and never showed any intention of getting married. Looks like he’s still waiting for someone~” Tina teased on the other end of the phone. I was shocked. I never expected that my brother would like Stella, and even stayed single for so many years because of her. How charming must Stella be to make my brother say such things to his own sister even now?

After hanging up the phone with Tina, I realized I couldn’t stay here anymore. I immediately packed my luggage and changed my residence again. I never thought there would come a day when I would be forced to run around by my own brother. I decided to go to another state. Coincidentally, one of my college classmates was working there. Although we weren’t in the same department, she was one of my few good friends. But because I got married, we gradually lost touch. The last time we met was several years ago. I felt quite sorry towards her and prepared to go find her and apologize properly. After contacting my friend, I boarded a plane to the other state that evening. But I didn’t expect that trip would become the last journey of my life. The next morning, news of a major plane crash was everywhere, almost all news media were devoted to this news, and social media was also flooded with it. In an instant, all the families of the victims rushed to the scene. Because I had lost my ID, they couldn’t contact my relatives for a while. Only my friend Tina, who knew about my whereabouts, came to the airport after seeing the news. It was she who helped identify my body remains, and she who helped retrieve the only phone fragment that could be found.

So I floated in mid-air, watching Tina secretly wiping her tears. Even though it was because of me that we hadn’t met for so many years, seeing her like this now, I really felt very guilty in my heart. But now I was already dead, just a soul floating around, with no way to give her a hug or comfort her. Soon a ghost official came. I thought he was coming to take me away, but unexpectedly, he told me that the karma of this life hadn’t been resolved yet, so he wouldn’t take me to reincarnate for now. I asked him how to resolve it? He said it depended on my own fate, then he patted me, saying he would send me to the side of the person with whom I had the deepest karma. My vision went black, and when I opened my eyes again, I found myself in the house where I had lived for nearly seven years. At this moment, Liam, who should have been at work, was at home, holding Stella, the two of them entwined on the sofa. I felt a bit sick instantly, but more than that, I felt they were desecrating the expensive custom-made sofa I had ordered. They cuddled for a while, then Liam let go of Stella. Stella seemed a bit unsatisfied and pounced back onto Liam, asking somewhat pitifully, “Liam, can’t we yet? Don’t you love me anymore?” Looking at her like that was really disgusting. Liam was also stunned for a moment, but in the end, reason seemed to overcome emotion. He comforted Stella, saying he would divorce as soon as possible, and then immediately marry Stella. So it was because Liam was still married, and he didn’t want Stella to be labeled as the other woman. How considerate and gentle. Maybe it’s because I’m dead now, in a state of a wandering soul, my heart doesn’t seem to hurt as much anymore. I just find all of this very laughable. “Okay, then when the time comes, we’ll start from the living room to the bedroom, from the bedroom to the kitchen…” “Alright, whatever you like,” Liam smiled and hugged her, using the tone he used to speak to me to tease Stella.

Time flew by, and more than a week had passed. I didn’t know why I always followed Liam; I couldn’t leave his side on my own, I could only go wherever he went. During these six months, I saw that apart from eating, sleeping, working, and coaxing Stella, he was frantically calling me, but without exception, my phone was unreachable. I heard him cursing at the busy tone on the phone. He cursed me for being unreasonable, ungrateful, said he shouldn’t have married me in the first place, shouldn’t have helped my family, and even accused me of having another man outside and not coming home. But what he didn’t know was that when he was cursing me, I was right across from him, watching him, watching his handsome face reveal a fierce expression, spitting out the most vicious words. Maybe it’s because I’ve really become a ghost, my heart seems to have disappeared along with it. Hearing these words, I wasn’t very angry, I just thought he was too noisy. After that, he went to find everyone who might have had contact with me, including my parents and my brother Neil, but everyone said they didn’t know my whereabouts either. Because Tina initially thought I had run away from home, and she didn’t have my family’s contact information, in her anger, she didn’t tell my parents that I was already dead. And Liam didn’t know about my relationship with Tina, so he didn’t go to her to find out what had happened. Now everyone probably thinks I ran away quietly to avoid divorce, right? No matter what they think, I don’t care anymore.

Recently, Stella’s mood doesn’t seem to be very good. She started frequently asking Liam when he could divorce me, where I had gone, when they would get married. At first, Liam would patiently comfort her, coax her, promise her that he would resolve these issues as soon as possible, but as the frequency increased, Liam’s patience was also exhausted. The last time was yesterday. When Stella asked again, Liam yelled at her, saying he was very troubled, that he had many things to do, and couldn’t always spend time looking for me. “So can you calm down? I said I would marry you and I will definitely do it. Now we can’t find Nora anywhere, and if I don’t divorce her, I’m still married. At worst, after two years of separation, I’ll file for divorce. So can you stop asking?” Stella probably never dreamed that this man who always said he loved her, who even forced away his legal wife for her, would one day yell at her too. At this moment, I was floating behind Liam, watching all of Stella’s expressions. It was quite funny, but I have to say, Stella is indeed beautiful. Even when she’s this angry, she’s not ugly. Liam realized his mistake and quickly went to hug Stella, softly coaxing her, but Stella just kept a cold face. One was coaxing, the other wasn’t accepting it. This scene was really boring, but I had no way to leave, I could only float in place watching this pair of “star-crossed lovers”.

Today I finally got to go somewhere new because Liam brought Stella to attend a banquet. It was originally a reunion for our university department, but Liam still brought Stella along. He really didn’t care about my face at all. The moment he entered with Stella, the originally lively crowd suddenly fell silent. Everyone unanimously looked at them. Some people were full of curiosity, some felt disgust, some were thinking about how to curry favor with Liam, but there was also a group of men whose gazes were on Stella. However, these people were all glared back by Liam. He really was protective. When everyone had arrived, the student union president from university days raised his glass and said some words to liven up the atmosphere. Everyone else also raised their glasses. After three rounds of drinks, the people at the scene had basically loosened up. Everyone was chatting in their own groups, it was quite lively. “Hey, do you know about that plane crash half a year ago?” “Who doesn’t know? It dominated the headlines for a whole week.” “My distant uncle’s whole family was on it. It’s really tragic. My uncle was quite good to me, it’s such a pity…” “Yeah, a whole plane full of people, it’s too tragic.” “But I really didn’t expect this kind of thing would happen to one of our classmates…” The topic was led to the plane crash that caused my death, but unexpectedly, a classmate suddenly came out with this sentence. This statement made everyone very concerned, and they hurriedly asked what he meant. “Don’t you all know? Our classmate, Nora, died in that accident.” Crash! The glass in Liam’s hand next to me slipped and shattered on the ground, making a crisp sound. The red wine inside spilled all over the floor.

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I was the hot teacher. Every student’s dream girl. But the guy I helped? He doped me up. As I mumbled “honey” in a daze, his hands went where they shouldn’t. Later, he bragged. Spread our videos everywhere. “Dream girl? Ha! I’ve had her. Nothing special.” Just like that, I fell from grace. My husband left. My parents became outcasts. The school fired me. The cyberbullying crushed me. I jumped from the school roof. Then I woke up. Back to the day that guy first came to our class. There I was. Standing in front of my senior class again. Same old boho dress. White sandals. Looking good as ever. Still the young, gorgeous lit teacher. We got a new kid. Charity case. His first day. He shuffled in. Everyone stared. Whispers broke out. “Jesus. He looks like a horror movie extra. Talk about a letdown.” “Not to be mean, but I might puke. For real. Sorry.” He limped in. Face full of acne scars. Huge nose. Mole the size of a quarter underneath. “H-hi everyone. I’m new. Hope we can get along.” His eyes never left me as he stammered. I couldn’t breathe. Ethan Rivers. A name I’d never forget. Not in a thousand lifetimes. Last time, I pitied him. Stood up for him against bullies. Bought him clothes. Taught him confidence. Then one stormy night, he followed me home. Stupid me let him in. He spiked my drink. I lay on the couch. Called for my husband. His shaky hands unbuttoned my shirt. Then I blacked out. Helpless. Next day, I woke up bruised. Ran to the cops. But he’d vanished. For days, I was a wreck. Jumping at shadows. Then I saw it. High-def video. Every group chat. Caption read: “Dream girl? Please. Had her. Nothing special.” It was me in the video. Whimpering. Sobbing. Begging. The internet exploded. See, I’d gone viral before. Some candid shot. They called me “The Girl Next Door”. “The Unattainable Dream”. #DreamTeacherSeducesStudent #DisgraceToTheProfession He never owned up. Just hid in the shadows. Giggling like a creep. Sending anonymous texts: “Ms. Summers, we’re both in the gutter now. Be with me. I’ll treat you right.” I couldn’t take it. The online lynch mob. So I climbed to the school roof. And jumped. Three months pregnant. From everyone’s dream to public enemy number one. Rock bottom. But now? Standing at that podium again? Watching him in the back row? I felt fate shifting. My chance for payback. He looked up. Thick accent: “‘The bubbling spring is voiceless in its flow; In shadow of the trees, a fountain plays.’ Ms. Summers, I’m… I’m Ethan. Ethan Rivers.” The class lost it. “Dude, seriously? You know our teacher’s Ms. Olivia Summers, right?” He froze. Then flashed a shy smile.

Our eyes met. Chills down my spine. I played it cool. This time, he knew nothing. I could stop it all. “New kid. Anyone want to sit with him?” He’d started late. Already twenty. Built big. Face like it went through a meat grinder. Dead silence. No volunteers. Then Megan, class rep, raised her hand. “Ms. Summers, I’m class rep. I should set an example. I’ll sit with him.” Megan’s face? Kind. Honest. Just like I used to be. I shot her down cold: “Heard your grades sucked before transferring. Don’t want to hold Megan back. Take that empty seat in the back.” Plenty of spots open. I’d picked the worst option. He looked shocked. Like he couldn’t believe I was throwing him under the bus. Ethan’s lips twitched. He mumbled: “How… Ms. Summers looks so nice. Why’s she picking on me too?” Every word made my skin crawl. After class, I bolted to the staff room. Back soaked in sweat. Didn’t even notice as I chugged scalding tea. Mind racing. Quit now? Run? I’d fought hard for this job. Sleepless nights studying. They never switch teachers in senior year. Not with finals coming. Why give it all up because of him? I sat there. Dazed. Until home time. Michael picked me up. Waited half an hour in his car. Saw me coming. Rushed to open the door. Pulled me close. “Babe, you look terrible. What’s wrong?” His familiar warmth. I lost it. Sobbed like crazy. We’ve always been solid. Last time, we fake-divorced. To protect me from the hate. Moved to a new city. Fresh start. Later, when he saw how broken I was? He went after Ethan. Knife in hand. But Ethan used his grandma as a shield. Michael got played. Bled out on the street. Now? Looking at his handsome face? No tragedy yet? I wiped my tears. Forced a smile. “It’s nothing. Just feeling off. Let’s go home.” Michael wasn’t buying it. Dragged me straight to the hospital. Couldn’t talk him out of it. An hour later, rush blood test results. I was pregnant. Turns out, I was already carrying Michael’s baby. When he found out? Michael swept me up. Spun me around. “Babe, this is amazing! We’re having a baby!” “Hope it’s a girl. A mini-Olivia. Beautiful and sweet like you.” I smiled through tears. Made a silent promise. This time? I’d protect our happiness. No matter what. Next day, I went to class as usual. Voice still hoarse. Brought a clip-on mic. Loud voice drowned out my messy feelings. Didn’t even look his way. Just taught like normal. Few quiet days passed. Then Thursday afternoon. Just finished my last class. Heading to the staff room. Group of girls blocking my path. Helping Ethan along. He’d been roughed up. Reeked of toilet water. Bruises everywhere. Limping worse than ever. But I knew better. This poor-me act? Just a mask. Hiding the monster underneath. He was strong. Never fought back. Let the bullies have their way. Never made a sound. Long, dirty nails. Left hand a mess. Skin peeled off his index finger. Nasty wound. “Ms. Summers! Ethan got beat up! His finger’s skin is falling off! What do we do?” Girls in our class. Always playing hero. Standing up for the underdog. Ethan gave me puppy dog eyes. Nose scrunched in pain. Oily sheen made me want to gag. “Help me, Ms. Summers… please.” I was about to brush them off. Send him to the nurse. Then Jenny, our class monitor, spoke up: “Ms. Summers, don’t you have a first aid kit in your office? Nurse’s office is so far. Maybe we could patch him up real quick?” I paused. Looked at his pleading eyes. His bleeding finger. Bell rang for next class. I nodded. “Alright, come with me. Rest of you, get to class.” Ethan’s lips curled. Barely noticeable smirk. He followed me to the office. Class time. Place was empty. Casual as can be, I opened the first aid kit. Took out tweezers and gauze. “Sit down. I’ll bandage you up.” Wind rustled the curtains. Seashell wind chimes tinkled softly. I gently cleaned his wound. He suddenly blushed. I asked, “What’s wrong?” “Ms. Summers, you’re… you’re really pretty.” Ethan’s face turned red as a tomato. Stammering out the compliment. Then his eyes glazed over. Staring at my collarbone. While he was distracted, I smiled. Plunged his whole finger into the bottle. Raw, bloody finger. Now submerged in nearly full bottle of medical-grade ethanol CH3CH2OH. “Gotta disinfect properly, right?” He was horrified. Trying to pull away. Face twisted in pain. “It hurts! Ms. Summers, it really hurts!” But I kept smiling. Grip tight on his wrist. Wouldn’t let go. Bottle’s narrow opening practically swallowed his finger. Held it there. Until blood turned the whole bottle red. He’d bitten his lip bloody. Eyes bulging. Staring at me in shock. For the first time, I saw real hate in his eyes.

But he didn’t know. This time around? I was a psycho. All sunshine and rainbows to everyone else. Pure evil to him. His injury was bad. School nurse sent him to the hospital. Next few days, Ethan came to school. Hand all wrapped up. Tried hard in my class. Always raising his hand. Answering questions. I ignored him completely. Even when he won first prize. School computer competition. Brought glory to our class. I didn’t say a word. His eyes changed. From eager to dark. Once came to ask me directly: “Ms. Summers, why don’t you ever notice my efforts? No matter how hard I try?” I swiveled in my chair. Didn’t even look at him. If kindness only bred betrayal? This time, I didn’t mind being the villain. As long as I could protect myself. “Because you don’t deserve it. Some things can’t be changed by trying. Like your disgusting inner self. Even uglier than your face.” Even now, I had good reason to say this. Few days ago. On my way home from work. Caught him torturing a stray cat. By the time I found them? Little white cat was already dead. Scalded by boiling water. He’d smiled and said, “This stuck-up cat scratched me. How could a cat be better than a human?” Now, Ethan glared at me. Hate in his eyes. Hands clenched under his sleeves. I didn’t care. Kept giving him the cold shoulder. Even the head teacher noticed. Frowned as he reminded me: “Olivia, teachers should treat all students the same. We shouldn’t be harsh on special cases. Should give them extra care.” But I didn’t hold back. Said right in front of Ethan: “What’s so special about him? He has hands and feet. He’s mentally sound. If we give him special treatment, is that fair to the other students?” He started to hate me. Spread rumors. Said I had a wild private life. That I was seducing the principal. That sort of thing. But on the surface? He’d still flash me a grin. Say hi when he saw me. As autumn turned to winter, Ethan started wearing shabby coats. Ripped jeans. Stuck out like a sore thumb. I’d heard he was orphaned young. Raised by his grandma. Spoiled rotten. On my 25th birthday, I won the city’s Outstanding Teacher award. Double celebration. I had a great rapport with my students. This was the job I’d always dreamed of. Several students chipped in. Bought me a huge, gorgeous bouquet. I accepted with a big smile. “Megan, Jenny, you both made top ten in the recent mock exam. Didn’t you two want to be desk buddies before? I was worried you’d chat too much and fall behind. Now, go for it.” “Travis, your literature score’s looking up. Try to shift some focus from science and math to memorizing more poetry. Easy points, right?” As I was chatting with the students, I spotted an uninvited guest in the crowd. Ethan had brought me flowers too. Whether by accident or design, it was a single white rose. Petals crushed and oozing sap. Hideous. “Ms. Summers, I saved up my allowance for a week to buy this for you. You have to like it, okay?” He held it out to me. Hope shining in his eyes. My smile vanished. In front of all the teachers and students in the office, I picked it up with a tissue. Dropped it on the floor. Wrinkled my nose in disgust. “Filthy.” Ethan’s lips quivered. But he bent down. Picked up the flower without a word. Walked away. The dark look in his eyes sent chills down my spine. But I didn’t look back. I wasn’t afraid of his hatred. He always preyed on those weaker than him. Cowered before the strong.

Michael had earned a black belt in Taekwondo. In his spare time. I’d picked up some self-defense moves from him. Just in case. When I got home, my husband was waiting. Massive bouquet of roses. Voice soft and loving. “Happy birthday to my award-winning teacher, my beautiful Olivia!” Despite my excitement, I put on a sour face. Feigning disappointment. Sure enough, over our candlelit dinner, Michael brought it up. His upcoming research trip abroad. “This research opportunity is crucial for my career. Babe, I’m afraid I won’t be able to take care of you for these two months.” He sighed. My adamant refusal took him by surprise. I knew he wouldn’t believe in time travel or reincarnation. So instead, I said: “Michael, I had this awful dream the other day. After you left, someone broke into our home. And… and tortured me. When you came back to avenge me, knife in hand, they killed you instead.” “Our family of three was destroyed. But the culprit got away scot-free.” “That’s impossible. We live in a society governed by law. Are you feeling okay? You seem a bit unstable lately.” He clasped my hand. Concern etched on his face. In the end, after my relentless pleading, Michael decided to stay. Gave up his research opportunity. Out of worry for me. I felt guilty about hindering his career. But it was getting close. That stormy night when Ethan would break into my home and ruin everything. Even though my attitude towards him was completely different this time, I couldn’t risk fate playing a cruel joke on me. I remembered clearly it was on a Friday. Ethan had followed me after school. Begged me to let him in to escape the rain. But tonight, Michael was stuck in traffic. Couldn’t make it home after work. After several unanswered calls, I started to get anxious. Soon, Michael sent me a text. “Honey, accidents everywhere due to heavy rain. Highway’s jammed. Can’t get back. They’re not letting us use phones. Don’t wait up, okay?” By 10:30 PM, still no knock at the door. Rain coming down harder. Drowning out my chaotic thoughts. My taut nerves finally relaxed a bit. Finally feeling sleepy. Body covered in cold sweat. Decided to take a shower and go to bed. Hot water felt good on my skin. In the bathroom mirror, I saw my reflection. Delicate features. Straight nose. Big doe eyes with long lashes. Hint of sensuality. I caressed my still-flat belly. Michael always said I was beautiful. He wasn’t bad looking himself. Our baby would surely be a little angel. Lost in thought, I grabbed a towel to dry off. Just then, in the steamy mirror, a dark, grinning face appeared behind me. Limping closer. It was Ethan! Sheer terror washed over me. This wasn’t a hallucination. He’d cracked my home security system. In my past life, when I’d let him in to escape the rain, he’d seen my door code. This time, to avoid bad luck, I’d changed the locks. Even installed a reinforced security door. Only my fingerprint and Michael’s could open it. Had all my precautions been for nothing? Was I doomed to relive this nightmare? A cold, mud-caked hand reached in. I screamed, but my waist was suddenly gripped tight. Another hand sliding upwards. “Ms. Summers, it’s raining outside. I’m so cold. Can you… can you hold me?”

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After discovering I was the vicious female supporting character in an entertainment industry novel, I immediately dumped the devoted male second lead and ran away. I chose to raise pigs in the south. Successfully expanded the pig farm into a large-scale operation, attracting a reality show to film there. But why are the male lead, female lead, and my ex-boyfriend all participating?! They’re gathered around me discussing postpartum care for sows. Yet netizens are saying, “Algar’s eyes are glued to Celestine, those two must have something going on!” Damn it! How can your eyes be so sharp! When I signed the contract, I said I only needed to raise pigs and be a pig, living an idle life waiting to die. But after working for a while, I discovered the pig farm was becoming more and more famous, attracting a reality show to film there. The boss saw a business opportunity and forcibly inserted me into the show as a resident NPC, a pig farming instructor. Early in the morning, the production team barged into my home with their equipment. I took off my face mask, tidied my hair, and waved at the camera with a look of utter despair. “You’re saying this is the pig farming instructor???” “Oh my god! She’s so beautiful, I love her! Come to sister’s arms!” “Is this deliberately hyping up an ordinary person? How else would a pig farm have such a goddess?” I looked at the barrage of comments and smirked. As the vicious female supporting character, I didn’t want to get involved in the entertainment circle either. Yes, that’s right, I know I’m currently in a Mary Sue sweet romance novel set in the entertainment industry. A film emperor dotes on a small-time actress, helping her reach the pinnacle of becoming a top actress. In it, the small-time actress is a natural charmer, with the male lead, second male lead, and third to seventh male leads all falling for her. My boyfriend Algar is the most devoted second male lead to the female lead. There’s only one vicious female supporting character in the whole story – me. Despite having stunning looks, I’m completely overshadowed by the female lead. Feeling resentful, I constantly cause trouble. Algar and I had been deskmates since middle school, classmates all the way. He protected me, I liked him, we were the school’s perfect couple. But in the year we graduated from university, Algar met Celestine from the acting department, and everything changed. He couldn’t stop talking about Celestine. Celestine was a bit muddle-headed, but beautiful and kind-hearted. Celestine was perfect in every way. I was fuming as I listened. On my birthday, Algar abandoned me on the roadside for Celestine, and I finally exploded. In the original story, I chose to create a fake account to slander Celestine as a homewrecker who seduced other people’s boyfriends. After being found out, Algar had a huge fight with me. Algar and I grew apart, and I became even more resentful towards Celestine. Celestine became a rising starlet in the entertainment industry. I stole her roles, made snide remarks about her plastic surgery, and deliberately sabotaged her safety harness. In the end, Algar broke up with me and joined forces with the film emperor to protect Celestine. Later, I went crazy and threw sulfuric acid at Celestine during a roadshow. Algar pushed me down the stairs. I died with my eyes wide open.

The day I awakened, I laughed at this ridiculous plot. If Algar fell for someone else, I would just slap him once and kick him to the curb. I wouldn’t have the patience to engage in a catfight with Celestine. Besides, Algar, falling for someone else? That’s purely a joke. To put it nicely, he was aloof; to put it bluntly, he was antisocial. He barely knew anyone at school besides me, probably not even the homeroom teacher’s name. And every day, besides drawing, he just clung to me. All his free time was spent buying me food, doing my laundry, saving seats for me, accompanying me to movies, and taking walks with me. He didn’t even have time to meet Celestine. I originally thought I had just had a nauseating dream. But not long after the start of senior year, I really saw Celestine. She truly lived up to being the female lead, with a natural halo. Even in a crowd, she was the most eye-catching, smiling and waving at Algar, calling him “Brother Dusk.” My heart skipped a beat, and an ominous feeling welled up. But I still suppressed my anxiety, pretending to be angry and telling Algar to stay away from Celestine. Algar cupped my face, gave me a kiss, and happily agreed. But he ran into Celestine more and more often. His gaze lingered on Celestine for longer and longer. Algar himself didn’t even notice that he had ignored my warnings, and started talking about Celestine all the time. “Why do you insist on being friends with Celestine?” I held back from questioning him. He hid his smile and said he’d tell me later. The sourness in my heart and fear of the future could no longer be suppressed. I had nightmares of Algar pushing me down the stairs. Until my birthday, when Algar received a call from Celestine, left me on the roadside, and walked away. I was utterly desperate. Since I couldn’t change fate, I might as well run! I sent Algar a breakup message and fled overnight. To a place where no one could find me. Using all I had learned, I became a researcher at a nationally renowned large-scale pig farm. Focusing on pig research, making piglets whiter, prettier, and more delicious. Who would have thought. Because I raised pigs so well, it attracted a reality show to film there. I still couldn’t escape my predetermined fate. So I’ll just lie down. Only if I lie flat enough can the gears of fate roll right over me! I took the production team on a tour of the pig farm. When I returned to the recording room, everyone had already arrived. Seeing the people before me, my heart pounded wildly. Wearing a black T-shirt and jeans with an expressionless face was Algar. Beside him with long straight black hair, wearing a white dress and a flower-like smile, was Celestine. And leaning lazily to the side listening to Celestine talk was the film emperor, Miles. Celestine saw me and jumped up: “A new person has arrived! Come, come!” She was lively and coquettish, and everyone turned to look at me following her words. Algar’s gaze seemed to be laced with ice, freezing me stiff and at a loss. The barrage of comments went wild. “All handsome men and beautiful women, a feast for the eyes!” “Our Willow is so cute, so sweet, so beautiful!” “The film emperor’s doting expression, I ship it so hard.” “But the famous painter Algar seems to have a very good relationship with Celestine. He was invited by Celestine to participate in the show. I ship the Steadfast Couple!” “Ahhhh! They look good together no matter how you look at it. I’m fine with either the Steadfast Couple or the Fame Couple!” Bitterness welled up in my heart, but I forced a smile. Celestine walked over and grabbed my hand. Algar revealed a smile, but there was no smile in his eyes. I shuddered. Looks like he’s really angry.

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During my sophomore year, I became infamous in the worst way possible. My best friend Zoe asked me to meet her at a hotel. I went, and from that moment, I plunged into a bottomless abyss. Not only did I lose the most precious thing to me, but I was also stripped, photographed, and humiliated. Those obscene photos were sent to every single one of my classmates and professors. Everyone said the student council president had sold herself for money. In an instant, I became the hottest topic on everyone’s lips. My parents couldn’t bear the pressure of public opinion and divorced. My mom, feeling utterly disgraced, took her own life with an overdose of pills. After that day, I was forced to transfer schools, undergo plastic surgery, and change my name. I’ll never forget Zoe’s smug face that night. All of this was her doing! I couldn’t let her get away with it. I worked tirelessly to get into the same university as Zoe. I sold the house my mom left me and packaged myself as a rich girl to infiltrate her social circle, pretending to be her best friend. I heard her boyfriend was from a wealthy family in the city, filthy rich and incredibly handsome. The key was that he was head over heels for Zoe. He was my first target, and also the first “gift” I would give to Zoe. Approaching such a high-quality, devoted man was difficult, but I had to try! Soon, my opportunity came. On Zoe’s birthday, she had a fight with her boyfriend and refused to answer his calls. So he called me instead, “Aria, is Zoe with you?” I said, “Yes.” Her boyfriend hesitated, “Zoe and I had a misunderstanding. She won’t take my calls. It’s her birthday tonight, and I want to surprise her. I need your help.” “How can I help?” “Can I borrow your key?” Zoe came from an ordinary family but pretended to be rich, claiming she couldn’t stand living in the dorm. To get close to her, I had gritted my teeth and rented a large apartment off-campus with her. “What do you want to do?” I asked. “I want to set up a surprise at your apartment. I’m going to propose to her tonight.” My heart sank. How could a vain, evil woman like Zoe marry a good man like Marcus? Back in sophomore year, she had come up with that despicable plan to ruin me just for the title of student council president! If she could marry into a wealthy family, where was the justice in this world? “Okay, I’ll help,” I agreed quickly, while an evil plan began to form in my mind. Zoe’s birthday party was booked at a bar near the school. I made an excuse about being stuck in traffic, turned around, and went back to our shared apartment. From a distance, I saw Marcus standing at the entrance of our building, with a large cardboard box at his feet. He was tall, about 6’2″, wearing a black T-shirt that showed off his fit physique. He had on a black baseball cap that partially hid his incredibly handsome face. Despite his casual attire and lack of expensive accessories, he couldn’t hide his unique, aristocratic aura. I ran up to him with a smile, “Have you been waiting long?” He didn’t say much, his eyes dark and bright, “Not long.” I led him back to the apartment and helped him set up the romantic proposal scene. During a break, I took a few bottles of beer from the fridge and slipped something into one of them before casually handing it to him. The alcohol content wasn’t high, just a brand commonly drunk at bars. He glanced at it and downed it in one go.

I sat on the cardboard box and took a sip, “What do you like about Zoe?” Marcus seemed thirsty and finished the entire bottle in one breath. He lowered his head slightly and placed the empty bottle by his feet, “She’s kind and cheerful.” “Pfft…” I spat out my drink. This guy might be good-looking, but was he blind? Zoe and “kind and cheerful” were worlds apart! She was vicious, vain, dark, and would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. I would use the filthiest language in the world to describe her! And use the most despicable methods to get my revenge! “What’s wrong?” Marcus looked up at me, his eyes deep and dark, slightly intoxicated, with an indescribable sexiness. “You really have good taste!” I got up and went to the balcony. Following Marcus’s instructions, I made an urgent call to Zoe, telling her to come home early because of an emergency. When I returned to the living room, as expected, Marcus had passed out on the sofa. I shook him, and he was truly unconscious. I hesitated, standing there unable to act. Marcus was a good man, and I shouldn’t have dragged him into this conflict. But then I thought of Zoe’s vicious fangs, and I shuddered. “Marcus, I’m not doing this to hurt you, but to save you.” I steeled my heart and stripped off his clothes, laying him on the sofa. “I hope we can play this act well.” I disposed of the beer bottle he had used, tore my own clothes, and pinched myself all over until I was covered in bruises. I even slapped myself a few times until my face was swollen. Only then did I stop and send Zoe a message, “Zoe, come back quickly, save me! Marcus has gone crazy!” My phone was instantly flooded with calls from Zoe. I smashed my phone to pieces.

Zoe sensed something was wrong and rushed back. I huddled in a corner of the sofa, crying hysterically, my body covered in wounds. Clothes were strewn all over the floor, torn underwear hung on the bar counter. Even an idiot could see what had happened between Marcus and me. “Aria, what happened?” Zoe’s expression was rigid, her face pale. “Zoe…” I threw myself into her arms, crying and sobbing, “Marcus… Marcus assaulted me!” Heaven knows how satisfying it was to spit out those words! Zoe’s body shook violently, her eyes fixed on Marcus. “Marcus, wake up, how much did you drink?” Two classmates shook Marcus. Everyone knew Marcus couldn’t hold his liquor, but they’d never seen him this drunk before. Marcus woke up, confused by the scene before him. “You bastard!” Zoe broke down and slapped him, “Bastard!” I picked up my phone, wrapped myself in clothes, and ran out crying. Zoe’s family was ordinary, she used her looks to hook rich guys. Marcus was the highest caliber man she could ever hope to catch. She wouldn’t let go easily. Sure enough, I had barely run downstairs when Zoe chased after me, “Aria!” I stood by the roadside, pretending to shake as I dialed 911. My phone was intentionally broken, unable to turn on, thus delaying the police call and giving Zoe ample time to expose her true nature. “Zoe…” I turned to her for help, “Let me use your phone. I need to call the police. I must call the police. I won’t let that beast get away with this!” Zoe’s face was pale and serious. She gripped my hand, “Aria, calm down.” “How can I calm down? I can’t calm down! Do you know what he did to me?” I cried as I spoke, “He tore my clothes, kissed and touched my body, and then… then violently assaulted me. I want that scumbag to go to jail! If you protect him, we can’t be friends anymore!” My words deeply affected Zoe. Her eyes turned cold and vicious, her eyes red with jealousy. She forced an eerie smile on her pale face, comforting me, “I’m not protecting him. I’m worried about your reputation. Calm down for a couple of days. I’ll talk to Marcus and get to the bottom of this, I’ll give you an explanation.” That smile shouldn’t have appeared on her face, yet she wore such a chilling expression. I knew she was going to make her move against me. Everything was under my control. So, I started to add fuel to the fire, stimulating Zoe even more intensely.

The news that Marcus and I had “slept” together spread like wildfire on the campus forum. The information was spread by my childhood friend, the more outrageous and salacious, the better. I wanted to make Zoe suffer, to infuriate her. Even if she wanted to call me a slut, she couldn’t find a reason. She had to rack her brains to cover up for her rich “rapist” boyfriend. It must have been like swallowing a knife, cutting her tongue, but having to swallow it whole. Afterward, I moved back to the school dorm, and Zoe moved back too. She kept a close eye on me, ostensibly accompanying me out of friendship, but actually afraid I’d report to the police and ruin her dream of marrying into wealth. The day after moving back to school, I received a message from Marcus. “Aria, let’s talk.” “Let’s talk off-campus. I don’t want to be seen at school.” “Alright.” I knew Marcus liked to wear black, so I chose a long black T-shirt, wore a black cap and mask, wrapped myself up tightly, and had my childhood friend stake out to take photos in advance. As soon as I left the school gate, I saw Marcus’s Maybach parked across the street. I opened the car door and sat in the back. He looked somewhat haggard. Looking at me through the rearview mirror, his expression was cold and complex. He seemed to want to say something but hesitated, “Where to?” My eyes were red and swollen, my long hair messy, looking very haggard. “Let’s just talk in the car.” The car drove aimlessly around the city. I actually felt quite guilty towards Marcus, but when I thought of my deceased mother, I hardened my heart again. I couldn’t tell Marcus the truth. He had swallowed Zoe’s poisonous bait, the love potion had already infected him. If I told him everything, he might not believe me and would alert Zoe. At that point, I would be beyond redemption. The time wasn’t right yet. Soon, the silent atmosphere was broken. He turned his head and looked at me. He said, “Aria, I’m very sorry about what happened that night. I don’t usually drink that much, but one bottle of beer shouldn’t have knocked me out. Zoe and I have been analyzing it, and we’re wondering if something strange might have happened.” My heart skipped a beat. I hadn’t expected Marcus to suspect me. I suddenly burst into tears, “What do you mean?” Marcus hesitated, “Don’t you think it’s strange? Could someone have…” “What are you suspecting?” I interrupted him, crying, “I don’t want money, I don’t want anything from you, we have no connection. What reason would I have to do that?” “That’s not what I meant.” “To clear yourself of the rape charge, why are you trying to smear me?” Marcus drew a sharp breath, seemingly unable to bear me using such a dirty word to describe him. His face turned ashen, and he unconsciously gripped the steering wheel tighter. “If that’s the case, let’s go to the police station to talk! I still have the underwear with bodily fluids from that night!” I angrily got out of the car and started walking back. Marcus chased after me and grabbed my arm, “Aria, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” I struggled desperately. “Maybe I drank too much and it went to my head. I might have mistaken you for Zoe.” Marcus finally gave in, but his eyes were filled with sorrow and anger, “I’m sorry, I sincerely apologize to you. I can compensate you! Any amount!” “What good is an apology? What good is money?” I sobbed on his shoulder, “What kind of person do you think I am?” This scene was being photographed by my childhood friend, and the photos were simultaneously uploaded to the school forum. I guessed the forum must be in an uproar. Today, I had deliberately worn matching outfits with Marcus, got into his car, and now was photographed with Marcus pulling me, me crying in his arms. Anyone looking at the photos would think Marcus was pestering me. I guessed that when Zoe saw these sneaky photos, she would want to kill me. She wouldn’t pity me, the “assaulted and harassed” victim. She would only see me as an obstacle to be eliminated. The torment and cruelty she once gave me, I would now return to her bit by bit! “Marcus, Zoe and I are good friends,” I said. “I don’t want to mention this incident again. I don’t need compensation, and I won’t report to the police.” I further gained his trust, “For the sake of my reputation and Zoe, let’s just pretend nothing happened, it was just a misunderstanding.” Marcus’s distrustful expression eased a bit, and he suddenly looked at me with deep remorse. I waved my hand, not wanting to talk anymore, and called a taxi back to school. I actually didn’t want to hurt Marcus, nor did I want to entangle with him. Zoe was like a parasite sucking his blood. To remove Zoe, Marcus would inevitably experience pain. He was an innocent victim. I should be the one apologizing. Back at the dorm, Zoe greeted me with red eyes and a smile, as if nothing had happened, “Aria, where did you go?” “Just went for a walk.” Zoe hugged me comfortingly, “I was so worried you might do something stupid. Tonight, my friend is having a celebration party. Why don’t you come along to take your mind off things?” Back in sophomore year, she had used the same excuse to call me to the hotel. What was meant to come, couldn’t be avoided. Everything was a cycle. She was finally going to make her move. Only this time, she was the prey, and I was the cunning hunter.

I hadn’t been lurking around Zoe for so long without learning anything. I knew everything she said and did, who her connections were, all like the back of my hand. Although Zoe acted reserved and elegant in front of Marcus, she was actually quite wild. Back in sophomore year, she was already buddying up with people from the streets, calling many gangsters her “brothers”, with a wide network of connections. Even after getting into a prestigious university and moving to a new city, she still had quite a few “brothers” from the streets. I sent the address of the celebration party to my childhood friend, who made preparations in advance. The party was at a nightclub in the city center. The private room was dimly lit and filled with smoke. It was full of shady characters – some shirtless men were playing cards, while others were swaying to the loud music on the dance floor. “Sister Zoe’s here,” said a tall, thin man in the center, raising his hand holding a cigarette. Zoe patted my shoulder and said with a smile, “Brother Jake, I brought a friend to hang out.” Several men turned their heads to look at me, their gazes unabashedly lustful. I instinctively turned to leave. Zoe pushed me into the room. “Zoe, why are you pushing me?” I asked her. The moment the door closed, she seemed to transform into a different person. She sneered, “Aria, drop the act now, will you?” I pretended to be confused, “What do you mean?” Zoe slapped me hard across the face, her face dark, “We’re both old foxes here, why are you playing dumb with me?” She hit me with tremendous force. Before I could steady myself, she slapped me several more times, as if unleashing all the anger she had been holding back for days. I staggered and fell to the ground, tasting blood in my mouth.

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On the night of my 80th birthday, my husband of 55 years stabbed me 10 times, each blow fatal. After the final stab, he finally let go with satisfaction. The knife clattered to the floor. “Rachel Lee, I’m finally free of you,” he said. Pain spread throughout my body. I had no strength left to cry out. Bright red blood flowed from my heart onto the floor, staining my favorite floral jacket. Gabriel Gray stood before me, hunched over, carefully wiping the blood off the knife with his sleeve. At 81 years old, his movements were unsteady. I wanted to remind him that the blood left on his sleeve would still be evidence and he’d be convicted anyway. But I didn’t have the strength to open my mouth or lift a hand. Perhaps it was a final moment of clarity before death, but I saw visions of Gabriel at different ages before my eyes. 10-year-old Gabriel, 20-year-old Gabriel, all the way up to 81-year-old Gabriel. They all smiled at me and gently called me “Rachel.” But behind those smiles was a cold knife, piercing my heart. As I felt my body growing colder, Gabriel and I’s life together flashed before my eyes like a montage.

Gabriel and I had indeed been entangled for a lifetime. By the time I was ten, I was already the little girl who followed Gabriel around everywhere. Although we weren’t in the same elementary school, every holiday I would shamelessly go to Gabriel’s house to do homework together. Perhaps it was because my resentment was too strong, but after death my soul began to drift through various scenes of my interactions with Gabriel. Although I could only watch helplessly as everything unfolded, fortunately I could now hear Gabriel’s inner thoughts. Before my eyes was a little girl chewing on her pen and staring blankly at a difficult problem. She looked to be about 10 years old. Across from her sat a boy diligently working on his own problems. This was 10-year-old me and 11-year-old Gabriel. “Gabriel, how do you do this one? Can you teach me?” “I” finally gave up on the difficult problem and looked at the boy across from me with pleading eyes. He didn’t say anything. The air fell into a brief silence, but at that moment I heard his inner voice: “So annoying. She still can’t do two-digit addition and subtraction at this age. Why is she pretending?” Hearing those words, I froze in place. In my memories, the young Gabriel had been like a gentle older brother. Those harsh words would never have come out of his mouth. I had grown up without a father’s love, so I was more likely to show my vulnerable side to a boy my age. Seeing the boy hadn’t responded, the girl continued speaking. She pushed her workbook in front of him with a pitiful expression. “I really don’t know how to do it. I’m not lying.” “Just do your homework quietly,” the boy still didn’t look up at the girl. “So annoying. I wish she would leave already.” At the same time, I heard his inner voice speaking again. The scene ended with the girl leaving with red-rimmed eyes, her backpack slung over her shoulder. What had seemed like a heart-warming moment ended with such an abrupt and careless conclusion. The “stage” was now empty, with both the male and female leads gone. But as an audience member, I still couldn’t process what I had seen. Because I clearly remembered that I really had been stuck on those two-digit addition and subtraction problems back then. I never imagined Gabriel had been so annoyed with me even then. So why did he agree to my requests?

After a moment of silence, I could feel my soul being forcibly torn away. The white light became a vortex that swallowed my soul whole. When I came to, the first thing I saw was the asphalt road in front of the school gates. It was early summer then. The cicadas were buzzing loudly. The shadows of the evergreen trees dappled our bodies. Everything seemed too beautiful to be real. Gabriel was a year ahead of me. At this time we were in high school. “Gabriel, how are your studies going lately?” he asked. That day, my voice suddenly became halting and stumbling as I answered his question. I forgot what I said in the middle, but I ended with “I like you.” That day I confessed to Gabriel. But after hearing it, Gabriel only responded with an expressionless “Mm” and said nothing else. He was known for being a cold, aloof top student at school. So when I heard that “Mm”, I was overjoyed. He usually wouldn’t even acknowledge me, so maybe I had a chance? That’s what I thought. But now I heard Gabriel say in an impatient tone: “Can you stop following me around all the time? You’re like a fly.” I didn’t understand. I had only asked him one question. How had it turned into this? Although I couldn’t feel any physical pain, the place where my heart should be still ached. But the young woman before me was still immersed in her supposed happiness, coyly asking Gabriel: “So how have you been lately?” We rarely saw each other since Gabriel had moved. The young man paused in his steps. A gust of hot wind blew past him. I caught a glimpse of a blush on his face. “Fine,” he said. But I heard another cold voice in my ear saying: “It would be even better without you.” The young woman also stopped walking. Just as she was about to pull out the chocolate hidden behind her back, she was interrupted by a male voice. The owner of the voice slung his arm around Gabriel’s shoulder and said: “Come on, let’s go study.” Gabriel’s eyes lit up at that moment. Without responding to the girl behind him, he was about to link arms with his friend and leave. The girl’s beautiful confession had been abruptly cut off. Still unwilling to give up, she timidly asked: “Can I come find you during summer break after exams are over?” “Sure,” Gabriel’s retreating figure replied. The world froze again. At the same time, that cold voice appeared again: “This should get rid of her, right?” I was stunned for a long time. I never imagined that the man I had loved for nearly 70 years actually hated me so much. Thinking back on everything I had done, I still couldn’t find a reason for Gabriel to hate me.

Click-clack. The previously shattered world reassembled itself. This time we were at a college class reunion. At this point, “I” was being pressured by friends to play Truth or Dare. My luck wasn’t great – I kept drawing “Truth” cards. Having a crush on Gabriel seemed to be my secret. Even after four drinks, I still wasn’t willing to reveal it. When the wine glass pointed at me again, the cheering from the others seemed even louder than before. My best friend grabbed my hand. “We agreed, you can’t drink five glasses in a row.” I clutched my phone, my head a bit fuzzy from all the alcohol. The “Dare” I drew was: Call the first person on your contacts list and tell them “I’m drunk, can you come pick me up?” The ringing of the phone had everyone on edge. “Hello? What’s up?” It connected! Gabriel’s cool voice came through. Even though I knew Gabriel didn’t like me, my non-existent heart still skipped a beat as a disembodied soul. My friend nudged me and mouthed: Say it! Only then did I speak up coyly, my voice tinged with real drunkenness: “Gabriel, I’m drunk. Can you come pick me up?” My face visibly reddened. I was about to say something else when my friend snatched the phone and hung up. According to her, this was the way to hook someone – just enough ambiguity to be intriguing. Sitting on the couch, I clutched my phone tightly, my heart pounding. I wasn’t sure if Gabriel would come. Gabriel was a surgical resident who had just graduated two years ago. It could be said this was his busiest time. In the end, Gabriel didn’t come. The one who came was Luke, his classmate who had competed with him for top of the class. “No, don’t go with him.” When I saw Luke’s face, the defenses I had carefully built up suddenly crumbled. I tried desperately to grab myself, but my hands just passed through my body over and over. Only then did I realize I truly couldn’t do anything.

Unable to face the pain directly, I wanted to see what Gabriel was doing at that moment. Why did Luke come when I had called Gabriel? I floated out about two meters before being forcibly pulled back. After several attempts, the result was the same – I came to a conclusion that I couldn’t leave my past self. I didn’t want to watch the next scene. I crouched down and covered my head in pain, but I couldn’t block out the sounds. Accompanied by the noisy voices, painful memories were awakened. Images automatically floated through my mind. “She’s so pretty, how could Gabriel not want her?” Luke carried my half-drunk, half-conscious body out of the bar. As he looked me up and down, his hands started roaming over my body. “Ah! What are you doing?” My drunken self felt something groping my body. I opened my eyes to find a strange man trying to molest me. Luke gripped my hand tightly. I had no way to escape. I could only use my last bit of reason to take out my phone and dial Gabriel’s number. “Gabriel! Help me!” That pale, desperate cry for help was truly the only action my past self could take to help herself at that moment. At this moment, it was as if I had overcome my inner demons. I stood up and coldly watched the scene. Luke snatched the phone and tossed it aside. “Gabriel doesn’t even want you anymore. Why are you still calling him?” I floated over to their side, looking at my half-unconscious self who was in shock. I reached out to wipe away her tears, but my hand passed through her face again.

A force kicked Luke flying. He let out a cry of pain. Only then did I see the man approaching in the moonlight. When Gabriel arrived, Luke had already stripped me down to my underwear. “Gabriel, are you crazy…” “Get lost.” Gabriel dismissed Luke with one word. Gabriel looked at me, who had fallen into a deep sleep. He took off his coat and gently wrapped it around me before carrying me away. The scene froze again, leaving only a mess on the ground. The second half was like rewatching a movie. I focused on finding various details I hadn’t been aware of at the time. Like my dependence on Gabriel. Like my trust in Gabriel. Like how I couldn’t hear Gabriel’s inner voice. From when Gabriel entered until he left, I could only hear that one word: “Get lost.” Perhaps the situation was too urgent and he didn’t have time to think. The world reassembled once more. The clock ticked. This time we were at a wedding. I was holding Gabriel’s arm, my face filled with happiness. “Gabriel, we’re finally married.” This was 3 years after that drunken night. After I sobered up, I confessed to Gabriel again and he agreed. 3 years had given us time to stabilize our careers. The day before, I had proposed marriage and Gabriel had gone to get the paperwork done the very next day. I knew Gabriel was a workaholic, but I didn’t want him working too hard, so I suggested to him: “Gabriel, can you come home for dinner in the future? And don’t work yourself too hard.” Gabriel just frowned slightly, then his expression smoothed out again. After a long while, he finally spoke: “Okay.” I happily held Gabriel’s arm tighter with one hand, while holding up our marriage certificate to look at in the sunlight with the other. “Gabriel, do you think if my past self knew I really married you, she would be impressed with me now?” The sound suddenly stopped. The scene paused on the marriage certificate backlit by the sun. I didn’t know what this scene was for. I only knew that I truly couldn’t hear Gabriel’s inner voice anymore. In those few seconds when he frowned and was silent, my world was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The next few scenes had very short time intervals between them. The clips were also very short, with similar content – me quietly waiting for my husband after making dinner, and the doorbell ringing as Gabriel arrived home on time. Over these 55 years together, Gabriel could absolutely be called a dutiful, responsible husband. He was considerate to his wife, successful in his career, and never philandered. It’s just that this wife could have been anyone. Until Gabriel stabbed me to death, we had never been intimate or had children. The familiar white light flashed. A table and two people appeared before me. The lights were dimmed, with only candlelight flickering. This was Gabriel’s 30th birthday. I was very afraid of childbirth. My only relative, my mother, had also passed away from cancer. There were no direct relatives left to pressure me about having children. Gabriel’s mother had gently brought up the topic of having children multiple times, saying it would be good to have someone to take care of us when we were older. This time, I brought it up: “Gabriel, do you like children?” I had cut my steak halfway. I put down my utensils and looked at Gabriel’s face in the dim candlelight. Gabriel swallowed his bite of steak. “I don’t like them.” I hadn’t noticed before when I was blinded by love, but now I really felt Gabriel’s manners were too good. I could clearly see the disgust on Gabriel’s face for a split second before he looked up. Perhaps seeing my probing expression, that disgust was replaced by indifference. He could even hate my breathing, yet he still responded to me, not letting me feel he didn’t care about me, giving me enough dignity and fantasy. The play had just reached its climax, and the actors continued performing. I lowered my head, not daring to look at Gabriel’s eyes. “Then is it okay if we don’t have children?” There was no response. I lowered my head in shame. Soon, I felt a force on my shoulder, then a hand caressing my face. Gabriel bent down, his breath tickling my ear: “If you don’t like it, we won’t have any.” “I’ll talk to my mom about it.” I happily grabbed his large hand, pulling us even closer together. “Mm, thank you Gabriel. Happy birthday.” As if to repay him, I made him a promise: “I’ll celebrate every birthday with you from now on.”

I The final scene was of interlocked hands, like a couple deeply in love. I stared intently at the image, not noticing any flaws. After that day, Gabriel’s mother never brought up the topic of children with me again. I had thought Gabriel was respecting my wishes, but now it seems he probably couldn’t wait to be rid of me. But why didn’t he divorce me and instead lived with me until we were 80? A piece of information flashed through my mind. It wasn’t that I couldn’t hear Gabriel’s inner voice anymore, but that my words no longer provoked any reaction from him. He didn’t even feel disgust towards me anymore. The scene before me blurred, then came back into focus. Surprisingly, it was 81-year-old Gabriel wiping the knife. This was when I went to get the cake! Gabriel was alone at home. He sat in front of the coffee table, carefully wiping the knife. Each movement was very gentle, as if he was handling some precious treasure. The knife gleamed as he polished it, reflecting his wrinkled face. This time I could hear Gabriel speaking again. “My darling, my precious darling.” “My darling, my precious darling.” He seemed to have gone mad, repeating this phrase over and over. The door opened with a click. I had just picked up the cake from the floor when I was startled by the gleaming knife in Gabriel’s hand. “Gabriel… there’s a knife here to cut the cake.”

I walked forward slowly and with difficulty, holding the cake. I didn’t understand why he had suddenly picked up a knife. Gabriel didn’t speak, but approached me step by step with the knife. In his mind, he was still saying: “My darling, my precious darling.” Watching this scene sent chills down my non-existent spine. Until Gabriel pushed my physical self to the ground and plunged the knife straight into my heart. As a surgeon, Gabriel aimed precisely to kill me. But his advanced age seemed to have weakened his strength. He pulled out the knife, bright red blood splattering onto his face. Gabriel paid no attention to it and raised the knife again, stabbing viciously into the same spot. After ten stabs, the old woman lying on the ground had long since stopped breathing. Only then did Gabriel let out a sigh of relief. He slowly stood up, supporting himself on the sofa. The knife clattered to the floor in the pool of blood. “Rachel Lee, I’m finally free of you.”These words he spoke aloud.

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Mom came from another world. She was a “player” sent here on a mission. After winning Dad’s heart, she chose to stay here forever. We were happy, for a while. Then Dad fell for his secretary. “If you see her again, I’m leaving,” Mom warned. Dad scoffed. “Where would you go? You have no family here.” He thought he had her trapped. But when she really left, Dad lost it. I pushed open the bedroom door. Mom lay still on the bed. She looked asleep. “Mom?” I called softly. No response. No hug. Nothing. I touched her nose. No breath. My mom was gone.

Mom once told me she was a “player” from another world. She completed her mission and chose to stay. Her eyes sparkled when she said it. I didn’t get it then. “What was your mission, Mom?” I asked. She squeezed my hand. “To make your dad fall for me and have you, Lily. You’re my greatest gift.” She kissed my cheek. Said she’d never regret it. But Mom stopped smiling like that after Dad’s affair. Everyone said he’d dump us soon. I hugged Mom tight. I thought: Even if Dad doesn’t want her, it’s okay. Mom still wants me. She’ll stay forever.

Usually, Mom helped me dress and brush my teeth. “Lily, you’re ten now. Aren’t you embarrassed? What if your friends knew?” I’d pout. “They’d just be jealous that my mom loves me so much.” But now Mom was gone. I had to do it all myself. At breakfast, Mrs. Davis, our housekeeper, asked, “Why isn’t the missus up yet?” “Mom’s sleeping,” I said. Mrs. Davis was the nanny Mom hired. Paid ten years upfront to care for me. We never had help before. Mom did everything. My mom was Superwoman. After chores, tucking me in, and time with Dad, she’d study law for an hour each night. Prepping for the bar exam. Dad didn’t get it. “Why bother? You’re busy enough. I support you. Just relax.” Mom shook her head. “James, this is my dream.” Her eyes shone. She looked so beautiful. I think Dad thought so too. He’d pull her close, nuzzling her neck. Mom would blush and push him away. “Lily’s still here.” I knew they were about to play their “game” – one they never let me join. I wanted to beg to play just once. But Dad’s eyes fell on me. “Lily, out.” I lost my nerve and left. Dad was usually good to me, but I hated that look. It made me agree to things without thinking. Things were good for a while after that. Dad encouraged Mom’s bar prep. Stayed up late with her. But the day before the exam, he took her IDs and locked her in. Only brought me home after it was over. Mom’s eyes blazed. “James, I’ve been preparing for a year! Do you know how important this is?” Dad held her tight. “Emily, I’m sorry. It’s for our family. I want you home where I can reach you. Lily feels the same, right?” His eyes turned to me. I remembered what he’d said earlier. “If Mom becomes a lawyer, she’ll always be traveling. Meeting clients. She might forget you. What if she falls for someone else? She could leave us all behind.” It terrified me. I didn’t want Mom to leave. I tugged her hand. “Mom, don’t be mad. I don’t want you to go either.” Mom looked at me. All fight drained from her. She went limp in Dad’s arms. After a long silence, she said, “This is the last time.” Dad smiled, satisfied. Things went how I wanted. But seeing Mom’s dim eyes, I felt uneasy. Had I done something wrong?

After dinner, I watched Mom quietly. At ten, I understood death. But I wasn’t scared. Mom said she came here at eighteen. In her world, she was on life support. When she finished her mission, the “system” gave her two choices: go home or stay. She wanted to see her mom but couldn’t leave Dad or baby me. So she stayed. I once asked, “Mom, will you stay with Lily forever?” “Of course,” she said. I held those words close. Now, I just tapped her nose. “Mom, you liar,” I whispered. The doorbell rang. Not Dad; he hadn’t been home in ages. I heard Ms. Wilson outside. “Lily, open up. I’m here to take you home. I’ll be your new mom.” I yelled back, “Go away! You’re not my mom. You’re a homewrecker!” After quitting the bar, Mom devoted herself to us. We were happy. I thought we always would be. Then Ms. Wilson showed up. Dad’s new secretary. Always fumbling things. Dad complained about her constantly. I was confused – if he hated her, why not fire her? But he came home later and later. Sometimes not at all. Ms. Wilson appeared in Dad’s social media. Once, shopping with Mom, we spotted them at the mall. Mom dropped a vase. Dad looked over, panicked. He let go of Ms. Wilson and tried to chase us. But Mom scooped me up and ran. That night, they fought. I hid, listening to Dad’s excuses. He claimed he was just helping Ms. Wilson. Said she was like a sister. It sounded so fake. In my class, Billy called girls his “sisters.” Everyone said he was playing around. Mom laughed coldly. She told Dad, “If you see her again, I’m leaving.” Dad got angry. “Where would you go? Who do you know here besides us?” Dad knew Mom was from another world. She gave up going home for him. She had nowhere else. I remember another time Dad made Mom mad. She stormed out with her bag. I begged Dad to find her. He just read his paper. “Where else could she go?” That night, Mom came back, eyes red. She held up a bag. “James, I bought dinner.” My favorite dumplings. Dad’s too. I ate happily. Then I saw Mom quietly eating old bread. I lost my appetite. I thought, if Mom had family here, she’d go to them. But her family was in another world. She had nowhere to go. Dad used this to control her.

Ms. Wilson knocked for a while, then stopped. I thought she left. An hour later, I heard someone picking the lock. The camera showed a strange man. I got scared. Mom said to find an adult if strangers came when I was alone. I ran to Mrs. Davis in the kitchen. “Someone’s outside. I don’t know them.” She grabbed a knife. We waited by the door. The lock opened. Ms. Wilson stood there smiling. She paid the locksmith. Mrs. Davis said, “Ms. Wilson, how could you do this?” She replied, “Lily, your dad asked me to get you. You wouldn’t see me, so I had to do this.” She reached for me. I bit her hand hard. “I won’t go with you,” I shouted. “Give up!” She screamed. I tasted blood. I let go. She pushed me down and stormed off. My hand got cut. Mrs. Davis brought the first aid kit. Even though she bandaged me, I said, “Mom, it hurts.” But my mom couldn’t hear me anymore. Before, Mom was always with us. Now she was gone. I realized what missing her felt like. I remembered Chinese New Year when I was six. Dad took us to the family dinner. It was full of relatives. Uncles, aunts, grandparents. So lively. But only Mom was there with me. She cooked everything herself that day. We ate while she was still in the kitchen. The uncles told Dad, “You married a great woman.” Dad smiled proudly. Mom brushed her hair back, wiped flour off her face, and smiled shyly. When she finally sat down, most food was gone. I said I was full and sleepy. She ate a few bites and took me upstairs. At the stairs, Mom stopped and looked back. I looked too. Grandparents giving out money, uncles talking work with Dad, aunts playing cards. They were all family. Mom stared for a long time. I asked, “Mom, what’s wrong?” She looked at me. Behind her was noise and light, but her eyes were so sad. “Lily, what do you think Grandma is doing now?” So my mom missed her mom too!

Mrs. Davis finished bandaging me. She frowned at Mom’s room. “It’s almost dark. Why hasn’t she woken up?” I said, “Mom’s tired. Let her sleep.” She sighed. “It’s been days. The master hasn’t checked on her.” Dad hadn’t been home in ages. He said he was on a trip, but he took Ms. Wilson on vacation. Ms. Wilson showed Mom the photos. Told her to divorce Dad. Mom’s eyes went red. She’d wanted to go there for so long. She always asked Dad, but he was too busy. Now he took Ms. Wilson instead. Mom showed Dad the photos. His face changed. He said they were fake. Photoshopped. Mom’s eyes filled with sadness. “James, what did you promise when we married? To love only me, be good only to me.” “Why else would I stay here?” Dad said, “Haven’t I been good? A million-dollar house, expensive jewelry, designer clothes. I’ve given you everything.” “Isn’t that enough?” Mom shook her head. “You just don’t get it.” She threw out all his stuff. Dad felt embarrassed. Said he wouldn’t come back. From that day, he really moved out. Soon after, Ms. Wilson’s place caught fire. She moved in with Dad. When we heard, Mom didn’t cry. She just hugged me. She said she now understood. People change. Love changes. Vows only count when made. She realized too late. No use regretting now. 8 That night, I did everything myself. Brushed my teeth. Washed up. Then I climbed next to Mom and hugged her. Even though she was stiff and cold, having her there made me happy. I once asked Mom about her mother. Mom said her mom was strict. Always scolding and hitting her for not doing homework. I frowned. Didn’t understand why Mom would miss someone like that. Sometimes Mom had nightmares. She’d call for her mom, not Dad. Her tone changed. “But when I got leukemia at sixteen, she never yelled again.” “She quit her job, sold our house, stayed with me in the hospital every day.” “My mom loved me very much too.” She sounded proud and sad. I knew Mom never forgot her mother. She was just a girl when she came here at eighteen. The day she found out about Dad’s vacation, Mom cried alone by the window. She said she shouldn’t have been blinded by love. Giving up everything, even her mom. Now she could never see her again. 9 Mom actually asked Dad for a divorce once. A month after he moved out, she called him home. Dad came in a black suit. Hair gelled. Looking extra handsome. Mom made a big dinner. Dad said smugly, “Thought it through?” I sat happily, hoping they’d make up. But Mom put down her chopsticks. “James, let’s divorce.” I knew what divorce meant. Mom and Dad apart forever. Us rarely together. Dad’s face changed instantly. “Olivia, divorce over this? Is it necessary? I won’t do anything with Rachel. I still love you. Can’t you understand?” Mom said, “This isn’t small to me. You broke your vows. Betrayed our love. How can I understand?” Dad panicked but got angry. “Where would you go if we divorced? Who do you know besides us?” Mom choked up. “I’ll meet people. I’ll wash dishes or mop floors. I’ll survive with Lily somehow.” Dad laughed coldly. “Go ahead and try.” He turned and left. Mom sent out job applications. All rejected. She kept trying. Hundreds, thousands of times. Until someone told her, “Mrs. Jiang, your husband spread the word. No one dares hire you.” A lawyer came with papers. “This shows your assets versus Mr. Jiang’s,” he said. “In a custody battle—” He pushed up his glasses. “You have no chance.” Mom went pale. I clutched her clothes, scared to speak. Soon, all Dad’s relatives came. They surrounded Mom. Interrogating her. “James is such a catch. You still want to divorce? You won’t find better.” “So ungrateful. What did he see in her?” Mom said coldly, “Stop. I want the divorce.” Someone softened their tone. “Olivia, think of the child. How sad she’d be if you divorced.” Mom’s face softened. They pounced. “Children need a healthy home.” “It’s all for the child. What can’t you endure?” Someone pushed me to Mom. “Lily, do you want your parents to divorce?” “You’ll be motherless if they do.” I burst into tears. Hugged Mom tight. “Mom, please don’t leave Dad. I can’t lose you.” Mom looked at me blankly. Her eyes watered. “Forget it,” she whispered. Like a sigh. Mom gave up. I thought this would keep her forever. I didn’t know some birds can’t be caged. Their feathers shine with freedom.

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