Category: English

I had been secretly in love with Anderson for five years when he finally saved up enough money to propose ending our arrangement. “Let’s end this. I don’t want to live like this anymore. Besides, I’ve found someone I like.” His spine was ramrod straight, his eyes filled with determination as he looked at me. In my past life, I was stung by his coldness. In a fit of rage, I tore up his money. I trampled him underfoot and toyed with him even more recklessly. So much so that later, after lying low for years, the first thing he did after achieving success was to destroy my family’s business. He kept me captive in a basement, torturing me in every way imaginable. In the end, unable to bear it any longer, I fled in panic when he came to bring me food. I ran headlong into traffic and died right in front of him. So in this second life, I smoothly took his money. Lifting my chin, I said, “Have a good trip. I won’t see you out.” Anderson froze, his eyes full of wariness. As if to say, “What are you up to now?” I simply pulled out his suitcase. Almost urgently, I stuffed his clothes inside. A flash of embarrassment crossed his face as he snatched the coat from my hands. Coldly, he said, “I’ll do it myself.” I let go, crossing my arms and letting him handle it. Anderson had been a famous genius in New York since childhood. Handsome and from a well-off family, the girls who wrote him love letters could fill the busiest street in town. And I was one of the most unremarkable among them. Anderson had never paid me any attention. So when his family fell on hard times and he went from a wealthy young master to an impoverished student, I instinctively rushed to “lend a helping hand.” After all, no one could resist the chance to possess a star. “Babe, are you bored with him already?” My friend suddenly linked arms with me affectionately, excitement flashing in her eyes. “If you’re done playing, can you give him to me?” Instantly, the room fell deathly silent. Anderson’s body tensed, his handsome profile cold as a sculpture. I was silent for two seconds, then shrugged. “If he’s willing, sure.” This was what he had said to me in my past life. After keeping me locked up for nearly a year, he once whispered drunkenly while choking my neck: “Why won’t you speak? I’m bored with you anyway. How about I give you to someone else?” I trembled all over, kneeling and begging him through my tears. “Please, don’t give me to someone else. I’ll do whatever you say.” He was very satisfied then, pulling me into his arms with a low laugh. But a few days later one evening, a man broke in. His naked gaze fixed on me in my thin clothing. In the end, I resisted with all my might. I held on until Anderson burst in. That day, the man was dragged out covered in blood. But I hated Anderson desperately, slapping him repeatedly like a madwoman. He didn’t fight back, just silently scrubbed me until I was nearly raw. Only when I begged hoarsely for mercy did he let me go. Pulling my thoughts back, Anderson suddenly turned around, his ears and neck flushing red. As if both ashamed and hurt. Without finishing his packing, he grabbed his nearly empty suitcase and stormed out. In the night, a female voice spoke eagerly at the door. “Anderson, I’m here to pick you up.” Milia stood waiting at the door in a faded dress, her eyes bright. She was Anderson’s current neighbor, sometimes helping to look after Anderson’s mentally unstable mother. In my past life, after Anderson rose to power, she naturally became Mrs. Anderson. When I was running a food stall, she would constantly bring friends to harass me. In the moonlight, Anderson’s retreating figure was resolute. But as he got in the car, he suddenly paused, turning back with turbulent darkness in his eyes. “Linda, every second with you makes me utterly disgusted.” With that, he drove off without waiting for my response. I leaned against the doorframe, my indifferent face showing weary fatigue. The word “disgusted” – he had said it many times before. When we went out together. When he was forced to get a tattoo of my name. Even when we were in bed. No matter how closely our bodies pressed together, we were like two coiled snakes that never trusted each other.

After sending Anderson away, I returned to my carefree life. I attended classes as usual during the day, and in my free time played sports and drank coffee with friends. But one day after a shopping trip to Paris, I suddenly realized the birthday necklace my mom gave me was missing. After thinking hard, I guessed it most likely fell into Anderson’s suitcase that day. After much hesitation, I still made the trip to his place. Because the location was remote and narrow, I had to park my car at the entrance and walk into the alley. When Milia saw me, she immediately rushed over, blocking my way with a wary expression. “What are you doing here! You’re not welcome here, leave now!” She pushed me forcefully. As we struggled, an O-shaped chain with blue crystals at her neckline flashed by. That was my missing necklace. My mind buzzed as I reached out to grab it. Suddenly, Anderson’s mother ran out. Milia excitedly said to her: “This is the bad woman who bullies Anderson!” Anderson’s mother was already mentally unstable. Incited by her words, she immediately started hitting me frantically. “Bad woman, you’re the one who made Anderson stop talking! Made him cry! I’ll beat you to death!” She had tremendous strength. My face instantly turned red. But as I struggled to grab her hand, we both fell to the ground. “Mom!” Standing at the alley entrance, Anderson’s eyes widened as he ran over with long strides. Anderson’s mother instantly became like a wronged child, throwing herself into his arms. Milia cried, her expression frightened: “Linda came here for no reason to cause trouble for us, and even hit your mother.” The fall had caused my ankle to swell up badly, now throbbing like needles. But hearing her complete lies, I grabbed her collar and pulled out the necklace. Suppressing my anger, I said: “This is mine! You’re a thief, and I didn’t hit anyone!” Milia’s face flushed red as she bit her lip pitifully: “I found this. If you had just said so, I would have returned it. Why did you have to hit people?” “I didn’t hit—” “Enough!” Anderson coldly interrupted me, scooping up his mother. Looking down at me: “Linda, stop making excuses.” With that, as if even looking at me was disgusting, he turned and left. Milia smugly lifted her chin at me, following Anderson inside. A heavy door slam was like a slap across my face. I pretended not to care, but my eyes still burned. After sniffling, I slowly got up and shuffled out, supporting myself against the wall. The sky darkened. This area was a mixed bag, and passing men looked at me with ill intent. Finally, seeing I was helpless, a man reeking of alcohol approached me. “Hey beautiful chic, need some help?” His large hand reached toward my face. I backed away, my fingers trembling as I reached for my phone. But just as I was about to call the police, The man suddenly screamed and fell to the ground. I looked up sharply to see Anderson, who had just thrown a punch. Full of hostility, he approached me. I nervously swallowed. “What are you going to—ah!” Before I could finish, my body was lifted into the air. He silently carried me on his back, walking out quickly and steadily. My body stiffened, my eyes suddenly wet, my mind uncontrollably flashing to scenes from before. A year ago, after fighting with him, I fell and got injured while hiking in the mountains. I held tightly to Anderson’s back and gave in: “Please don’t leave me behind. I won’t fight with you anymore.” “There are bugs and mosquitoes and snakes here! I’m so scared…” Perhaps my submissive appearance was too funny. Laughter kept escaping from his throat, his body trembling slightly with it. He carried me on his back for an hour on that path. When we got down, he was soaked through. But he never put me down for a single second. Anderson walked very fast. When we got to the car, he roughly shoved me inside. His tone seemed angry yet lecturing. “Are you out of your mind? Wearing a dress and running to a place like this! Do you know what kind of people are here? I—” He rambled on for a while before realizing he’d said too much. Abruptly stopping, he irritably ran his hand through his hair. As he turned away, his eyes darkened: “Linda, don’t come here again.” “This isn’t a place for you.” The last sentence was both light and heavy, quickly merging with the night. I didn’t want to listen anymore, pathetically starting the car in a hurry, afraid that if I stayed any longer, I’d expose my reddened eyes. After returning, I came down with a high fever. Mom kept me at the family home, and I lay sick for three whole days.

By the fourth morning, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I made dinner plans with a friend. William drove over in a flashy sports car and took me to our usual restaurant. “Linda, you’re really not cool. Why is it so hard to get you out?” William pulled out my chair while teasing me. I rolled my eyes at him and leisurely ordered. “Pan-seared sole, French terrine…” As my words fell, a familiar voice responded. “Right away, please wait.” I froze, looking up to see Anderson’s cold face. As if he didn’t recognize me, he served dutifully and professionally. My fingers twitched involuntarily, vaguely recalling scenes from my past life when I fought with him because I couldn’t bear him working part-time. “I’m giving you money, why do you still need to work? Just focus on school, and spend the rest of your time with me!” But he just looked coldly at me losing it, then stubbornly said: “Linda, I’m not your pet canary.” I was hurt by his expression and spoke without thinking: “Haven’t you spent my money? Even the clothes on your back are what I bought you!” Without a word, Anderson started stripping off his clothes in the street. “I’ll give it all back to you. What else do you want? Tell me!” Scared, I threw myself at him, immediately compromising and soothing him. “Never mind, calm down.” In the three years we were together, although he seemed controlled by me on the surface, he was always the one with the upper hand emotionally. A snap of fingers suddenly sounded in front of my eyes. William’s handsome face, full of spirit, enlarged before me. His tone melancholic: “He’s already gone, what are you daydreaming about?” My face suddenly flushed as I pushed my hand against his face. William yelped and fell back with the force. “Babe, give up. Your parents will never approve.” Thinking of something, he leaned forward slightly, his eyes showing a hint of seriousness. “If you really want to get married, what do you think of me?” My movement of drinking paused, my eyes shifting slightly. As my gaze fell on William’s striking features, my heart suddenly pounded. Even though I’d seen this face for over twenty years, it was undeniably handsome. But… “Your order.” A cold, mechanical male voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts. Exposed to Anderson’s gaze, I awkwardly raised my glass to drink. William didn’t care, raising an eyebrow casually. Fortunately, Anderson left after serving the dishes. But William wasn’t going to let me off, continuing his earlier proposal. “Our families are well-matched in status, we have an emotional foundation, and as for looks, well, you’re getting the better deal…” I burst out laughing at his joke. The server bringing soup seemed startled and spilled it all over my hand. “Ah!” William’s expression changed instantly. He pushed that person away and checked my hand. Milia fell to the ground, her crying immediately drawing a crowd, including Anderson. My hand started blistering. The restaurant manager immediately took me to run it under cold water. William couldn’t swallow this insult, pointing at the still-crying Milia: “Not even an apology. Fire this server.” Anderson’s face turned iron-gray as he stood in front of her. Looking at me, he said word by word: “I’m sorry. I’ll apologize for her, is that enough?” His impatient tone made it seem like I was the instigator. William sneered, openly sizing him up for a few seconds. “Doesn’t she have a mouth?” The atmosphere became tense instantly. Though William usually joked around with me, he’d been pampered since childhood and couldn’t tolerate being challenged. I took a deep breath and blocked William. “Go buy some medicine for me. I can handle this myself.” He glanced at me, reluctantly pulling at the corner of his mouth, but still dutifully headed out. After William left, I calmly said to Milia: “You should apologize to me.” Milia’s eyes were very red, her voice weak: “I didn’t mean to, it’s because you laughed so loud—” I interrupted her: “Whether it was intentional or not, you burned me. You should apologize, shouldn’t you?” Milia cried again. The manager was also getting impatient. “If you don’t apologize, don’t bother coming in tomorrow!” Milia’s face went pale. She looked at me tremblingly, like a little white flower swaying in the wind. Anderson couldn’t watch anymore and grabbed my wrist. His voice low: “Enough, Linda!” “She’s from a poor family. She relies on this salary to make ends meet. Why are you being so aggressive?” So asking for an apology had become me being aggressive. Anderson was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. Lifting his eyelids to look at me. “It’s all because of me that you’re making trouble for Milia, isn’t it?” I shook my head: “You’re overthinking it.” Anderson suddenly stepped closer, his eyes shooting cold light. “Still denying it? Going to my house, coming to my workplace – don’t you know what you’re up to!” “You just want to force me back, don’t you? Linda, you—” “You’re really overthinking it.” I decisively cut him off. Dying miserably in the street in my past life was warning enough. I wasn’t shameless enough to insist on him. Seeing Anderson’s obvious disbelief, A flash of William’s proposal crossed my mind. So I looked at him calmly and said: “Anderson, you can rest assured, because I’m getting engaged.”

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On my wedding day, my wife brought her lover to crash the ceremony. She secretly showed me their intimate videos, and her lover mocked me, saying I wasn’t as good as him in bed. In my rage, I hit her lover. But she joined forces with my family and had me committed to a psychiatric hospital. Even my own parents, wanting to give my company to my brother, testified to the police that I was mentally unstable, even producing plenty of evidence. On the wedding day, almost everyone with a name in New York showed up. I arrived early at the venue, warmly welcoming friends and family. But Lena was two whole hours late. When she arrived, her face was flushed, with hickeys on her neck. Her wedding dress looked like it had been torn, her long hair was disheveled, and when she lifted her skirt, even her white stockings were ripped. The moment I saw her, everyone—including me—was shocked, and then their gazes gradually turned knowing. She didn’t come alone. She brought Tony with her. This Tony was her childhood friend, supposedly they almost got together once. It was only because Tony went abroad that they didn’t end up together. Recently Tony had returned, and they’d been meeting up frequently. I’d questioned her about it, but she said she and Tony didn’t have that kind of relationship. Honestly, I didn’t really believe her, but my company was too entangled with her family. This marriage had to continue. So I endured it. After Lena got on stage, she didn’t even glance at me. Instead, she snatched the microphone from the officiant and said, “Everyone, the wedding will proceed as planned, but I want to change the groom.” Her words caused an uproar throughout the venue. I saw Tony smirking at me maliciously. Lena walked up to me, held out her phone in front of my face, and said, “See for yourself.” On the screen, she was wearing her wedding dress, engaged in vigorous combat with Tony. She’d deliberately left the sound on, so even though others couldn’t see the screen, they could hear the audio and naturally knew what the video contained. I took a deep breath and asked as calmly as possible, “You know how important this marriage is. Do you really need to make a scene like this?” Lena smiled faintly. “If Tony hadn’t come back, I could have reluctantly married you and then flown overseas to sleep with Tony. But now that Tony’s back and agreed to marry me, why would I marry you?” I nodded. “So when you kept saying you were going abroad for business, you were actually going to see Tony?” Lena smiled and nodded. “That’s right. I saved videos every time. Want to watch them?” I shook my head and smiled. “I’ll pass on that. It’s just that sort of thing anyway—not like I haven’t seen it before. But I’ll give you some advice: let’s continue the wedding and deal with the aftermath after we’re married.” Tony scoffed and said loudly, “Torres, stop dreaming about marrying Lena. You’re too weak. I’m way better than you. Lena finds being with you disgusting. Don’t you get it? Compared to me, you don’t even count as a man!” “Why do this?” I shook my head with a bitter smile. “Why make such a scene? How are we supposed to resolve this?” As I spoke, I threw a punch. Tony immediately fell backward, his mouth full of blood, spitting out several teeth. I stepped forward again, raised my foot, and stomped down hard on Tony’s vital area. He screamed—the sound almost feminine. Lena rushed at me and pushed me. “How dare you hit Tony?” I glanced at the guests below and smiled faintly. “I had to. Otherwise, the whole city will know I’m weak, and I won’t be able to do business anymore.” Lena swung her hand to slap me, but I caught her wrist directly. I shook my head and smiled. “I never hit women, but I have one flaw—sometimes I can’t tell men and women apart.” I struck her across the face, sending Lena flying.

At that moment, Lena’s sister Mira rushed onto the stage with people and had me restrained by a group. My parents and my brother also immediately rushed over. My dad shouted, “Someone come quick! My son’s having another mental breakdown! Take him to the psychiatric hospital!” My mom cried out, “My life is so hard! How did my perfectly good son become mentally ill? I don’t even want to live anymore!” My brother Alex hugged my waist and shouted, “Torres, please snap out of it! Today is your wedding day—you can’t have an episode!” Mental illness? Fine. On my wedding day, betrayed by everyone close to me, is that it? I let out a sinister laugh, lowered my center of gravity, unified my stance, and suddenly raised my knee, slamming it hard into Alex’s groin. “Ahhhh!” Alex screamed and instantly collapsed to his knees before me. But no matter how good a fighter I was, I couldn’t take on dozens of people. Before long, they had me captured. Then I was sent to a psychiatric hospital. They used many straps to bind me to a chair. Only my family remained in the room, along with the sisters Lena and Mira. As for Tony, he seemed too severely injured and was in the hospital. Oh right, Alex had also gone to the hospital. I looked at them almost maniacally and said, “Why are you doing this to me?” No one spoke. I continued shouting, “After all these years, haven’t I been good to you?” “You only have your current success because Alex gave up his studies so you could go to college!” My mom shouted. I laughed. “He failed every single subject since childhood. In the end, he got expelled for getting into a gang fight. Is it my fault he couldn’t go to college? And I went to college on student loans and scholarships from the school and government. Did I spend a single cent of yours?” My dad roared, “If you’d given that money to Alex to invest in cryptocurrency, he’d be a multimillionaire by now!” Just as I expected, no matter what, they always favored Alex. Lena covered her swollen face and sneered, “Torres, I’ll be honest with you. Today’s scene was all planned by us. Mira was the mastermind. The goal was to get you committed to a psychiatric hospital so Alex could take over your company. And the marriage alliance with my family will now be between Alex and Mira.” I glared at Mira. “I really underestimated you. You look so small and sweet, but you have the most vicious heart of all!” Mira gave me a sweet smile. “It’s all about money. You can’t blame me for that.” Then she took out her phone and showed me many videos. These videos all showed me losing my temper and smashing things. Each time I lost my temper, it was because my parents deliberately provoked me, or because Alex had lost money gambling in Las Vegas. But now, these would become evidence that I was mentally ill. Lena closed her phone. “Oh, by the way, I’ll have the doctor inject you with a certain drug. Even if you’re not mentally ill, you’ll be diagnosed as such.”

They left, and I really did become mentally ill. At first, Lena and my parents would occasionally come to see me. Of course, they weren’t visiting—they were checking to see if I’d completely lost my mind. Each time they came, they would beat me, because Tony and Alex were now crippled. I’d hit their vital areas too hard, and it would take a long time for them to recover. As a result, even Alex and Mira’s wedding had to be postponed. But Lena still proudly boasted that my company was now under Mira’s control. Apparently, they’d worked things out with the board of directors and pushed Mira into the CEO position. Each time I cursed them out, but the more I cursed, the more excited they seemed. Later, they became too lazy to visit, but Mira came every day. She would provoke me daily, making me extremely depressed and agitated, then record videos and share them in their group chat. Eventually I started breaking down, begging them to let me go. My breakdown excited them even more. They’d come frequently to humiliate me and enjoy my suffering. Tony, who’d been discharged from the hospital, hadn’t fully recovered but could move freely. He sat across from me, his arm around Lena, and said, “Torres, beg me. If you beg nicely enough, maybe I’ll let you go.” As he spoke, he tried to kiss Lena. But Lena dodged, and he missed. Tony looked embarrassed, then threw things at me to vent his frustration. Alex also tried to kiss Mira, but she slapped him across the face. Mira looked as cute as a Lolita, but her eyes were ice-cold. “You pathetic waste. Even though we’ve announced our engagement, it’s just a business marriage. Do you really think a loser like you can touch me?” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Alex, oh Alex. A loser is a loser. No one will ever respect you.” Alex rushed at me like a mad dog and threw a punch. But I headbutted him. Though my hands and feet were bound, I bit down on his neck. “Ahhhhhhh!” Alex screamed, but didn’t dare struggle. Because I was biting hard. The more violently he struggled, the more it would hurt. I shook my neck like a wild animal, tearing off a chunk of flesh and skin, then spat it out. Alex covered his bleeding neck, already crying from fear. He’d even wet himself. Lena said coldly, “Torres, you’re already like this and you’re still acting tough?” I smiled at her. “Lena, you all want my company. You think making me mentally ill is enough? Do you know how complex my company’s equity structure is? Even if I died, the company wouldn’t fall into your hands.” Lena looked at Mira in surprise. Mira sighed and nodded. “The company’s equity structure is extremely complex, one layer nested within another. There are even some funds involved. In short, it’s very complicated. I don’t have a particularly good solution yet.” “Useless!” Lena cursed angrily. “Mira, have you forgotten who you are? If it weren’t for my parents, you’d be an orphan. Now I’m asking you to do something and you can’t even manage it. Why don’t you just die?” Mira hung her head, not daring to speak. I laughed heartily. “Good, good, good! Dogs turning on each other!” “Shut up!” Tony shouted, then said to Mira, “Mira, is there really no way at all?”

“There is a way, but it requires capital injection.” Mira sighed. “No matter how complex his equity structure is, it doesn’t really matter. As long as we change the legal representative, then inject capital to dilute the shares, we can get the major stake. But being the legal representative carries great risk too.” “Mira, don’t say another word!” I shouted. Seeing my agitation, Lena quickly said, “First figure out how to change the legal representative!” Mira nodded. “It’s not difficult. After all, Torres is already mentally ill. Changing it to Alex should be no problem.” But Alex shook his head vigorously. “I don’t want to be the legal representative. I just want money!” He was afraid of being the legal representative because the risk was too great—he’d be the one taking the fall. Lena looked at me, then at Mira, and suddenly smiled. “How about this—I’ll arrange for you and Torres to get a marriage certificate. Then you can be the legal representative.” Mira’s eyes widened. “Lena, you’re setting me up!” Lena sneered, “If you want to know who your biological parents are, then listen to me. Otherwise, you’ll never know in this lifetime!” Tony also threatened, “We know where your biological parents are buried. If you don’t agree, we’ll dig up their graves!” Mira collapsed to the floor, hugging her knees and crying, but she nodded. She could only nod. This psychiatric hospital was funded by Mira, and everyone inside listened to her. So changing my medical records was very easy. They first altered my records, had Mira and me get our marriage certificate, then changed the records again. This way, Mira and I were legally married. Then Mira used my mental illness as grounds to change the legal representative. Next, Lena’s family and Tony’s family basically bet everything they had, obtained cash flow, and injected capital to dilute the equity. In just half a year, Mira already held forty-five percent of the shares. Another half year passed, and they’d also recovered much of the equity from the board shareholders. In one year’s time, Mira already held sixty-five percent of the shares. And on this day, they actually let me out and brought me to the company’s main conference room. They even dressed me in a suit, making me look presentable. Lena sat like a queen in the chairman’s seat, with Tony beside her, while Mira could only stand behind her. Besides them, my parents, Lena’s parents, Tony’s parents, and the shareholders who still had stakes were all there. Especially those shareholders—when they saw me, they couldn’t help but sigh. Darren, who’d started the business with me, sighed. “Torres, back then it took us just three years—only three years to build this company. Who could have imagined it would come to this?” I smiled bitterly, saying nothing. Lena laughed coldly. “Torres, you don’t even know that when I first pursued you, it was all to drain you dry. I never expected you’d be so shrewd in business, yet so impulsive that you’d let this waste Mira scheme you into mental illness, and even lose your company to us.” I smiled bitterly. “So you never loved me, did you?” Lena laughed loudly. “I never imagined that even at this point, you’re still thinking about romance. You’re such a pathetic waste.” I sighed and continued, “If I’m not mistaken, since all the shareholders are here, they’re already on your side, right? Since that’s the case, at least let me die knowing the truth. I want to know exactly how you planned all this.” Lena smiled faintly, looking very smug. “Since you want to know, I’ll tell you everything!”

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Before my father-in-law’s company, Vertex Corp., went public, it needed to raise capital. I secretly injected fifty million dollars, just for Chloe’s sake, becoming their biggest backer. At the celebration dinner, after a few drinks, Robert turned on me in front of the whole family. “Now that we have a publicly listed company, do you truly believe you’re still worthy of my daughter?” Chloe quietly chided him, “Dad, what are you talking about?” But Robert sneered, “Since you married him, what has he ever done to help our family?” I cracked a smile. “Without me, Vertex Corp. would have had a tough time going public.” I was just stating a fact, but the room suddenly went silent. Everyone stared at me with strange expressions, wondering if I was trying to be funny. Robert froze for two seconds, then sneered. “My company going public, what does that have to do with you? Let’s be honest, aren’t you just a freeloader I’ve been supporting?” As soon as he said that, everyone else laughed. I could see the disdain in their smiles. Even if they didn’t say it directly, I could guess. They probably thought I was a shameless kept man. I wasn’t angry. I turned to Chloe, who was sitting next to me. “As long as you don’t mind me.” I was about to take her hand, but she instinctively pulled away. Chloe’s face was cold, and her eyes held a hint of disgust. “You’re always like this, boasting for no reason, making us a laughingstock.” It was the first time in three years she’d rejected me. And it was on the very night her family’s company officially went public. I withdrew my hand and smiled back at her. “I’m telling the truth. Don’t you even believe me?” “Believe what?” Chloe stared at me indifferently. “Believe you’re some kind of good luck charm?” I had invested fifty million dollars to help their family go public, hoping it would strengthen our marriage. Instead, it just showed me how selfish this family truly was. Chloe’s younger sister, Megan, suddenly mocked me too: “Chloe’s right. Some people do nothing but think they’re hot stuff. Anyone else would have died of embarrassment.” I glanced at her, asking with a smile, “When did our adult conversations become your business?” “I’m 22, are you asking for a fight?!” Megan instantly blew up. Everyone else looked at me in surprise at her words. After all, in their eyes, I was the outsider. Even Chloe thought I was in the wrong and told me to apologize to Megan. Eleanor said I was a jerk for daring to bully her youngest daughter. I shot back, “So it’s fine for your whole family to gang up and bully me, is that it?” “Liam, are you drunk and making a scene today?!” Facing Chloe’s anger, I picked up the glass in front of me and smiled. “I’m driving today, haven’t touched a drop.” “Then why are you acting crazy? Dad’s had too much to drink, he didn’t mean any of this!” Robert had a dark expression the whole time. He told everyone he wasn’t drunk today. He simply wanted to use this dinner to formally announce that I was out of the Sterling family. He even called me a parasite and said I shouldn’t be sitting there. I calmly looked at Chloe. “And you? What are you thinking?” Chloe opened her mouth, then hesitated. She first looked at her father, who was sitting at the head of the table, then at her mother. She sighed, unable to meet my eyes when she spoke. “Liam, maybe we’re… we’re really not a good fit…” “My work will get even busier, and I’ll have to attend high-end business galas frequently.” “Even… even there might not be time to have children.” “Staying together would only hold you back.” I nodded subtly. “Understood. Then, as you wish, we’ll get a divorce.”

Chloe’s family had expected me to make a scene. My reaction, however, completely took them by surprise. Especially Chloe, who for a moment wondered if she’d misheard me. I looked at her astonished expression and asked, “Anything else you want to say? No? Then I’m leaving.” Seeing no one spoke, I picked up my jacket from the back of my chair and turned to leave. Before I walked out, I told her. “Actually, for these past three years, my love for you never changed.” “At least, not until just now.” Megan scoffed, “What good is your love? Can it put food on the table?” “If you’re talking about being compliant and obedient, a servant could do that too.” I didn’t bother to reply, turning and walking away. Chloe wanted to say something, but in the end, she just let out a soft sigh. After getting home, I started packing. I neatly organized all my belongings into boxes. Just as I opened the door, I saw Chloe standing there. She calmly asked me, “Can you sit down and talk with me? Will it take too much of your time?” I said it was fine and turned to sit on the couch. The atmosphere was tense. She asked me a lot about my future plans. Like how I intended to live after the divorce, where I’d stay, and about work. “Liam, I can keep a position for you at the company.” “Just like before, you wouldn’t need to do anything, just get your salary at the end of the month.” “But I can’t guarantee a very high base pay.” I looked at her calmly. “Are you doing this out of guilt?” “Forget it. I’m afraid your family would cause trouble for me if they found out.” Chloe’s face gradually turned cold. She frowned, reminding me she was looking out for me and that I shouldn’t worry about my pride. “Pride? In these three years, when have you ever seen me care about pride?” Looking back over three years, every time I visited her family, it was a bad experience. It was either enduring their cold stares or being constantly mocked. If it weren’t for her, if I hadn’t cared so much about her. Who the hell would want to suffer through that? “Then why don’t you try to act better? Can you stop slacking off?” “They all see how lazy and gluttonous you are!” “Lazy and gluttonous” made me chuckle. I asked her in return, “When we first met in college, what was your family doing?” “If I recall correctly, it was just a small storefront on the street, right?” “After we started dating, your family opened a chain of stores.” “The year we got engaged, you founded a company.” “On our wedding day, its market value was tens of millions.” “And now?” Chloe, however, seemed utterly dismissive. She casually raised an eyebrow and replied, “And then what? Are you going to repeat that nonsense from dinner?” “Say you’re a good luck charm? That our family only prospered because of you?” “And just dismiss all our family’s hard work over the years?” “Please, Liam, don’t flatter yourself.” I chuckled noncommittally. “Indeed, your family worked hard, but it just wasn’t very effective, was it?” “You!” Chloe glared at me in annoyance. But she quickly reined in her temper, shaking her head in disappointment. “Someone like you doesn’t deserve any sympathy.” She took a bank card from her purse, placed it on the coffee table, and told me, “There’s fifty thousand dollars in here, for your companionship these past three years.” “You can sleep in the living room tonight. Tomorrow morning, after we divorce, you can leave.” After saying that, she went into the bedroom and locked the door. Fifty thousand dollars to buy me out? A smile was on my face, but my heart was bleeding. When did she change? And when did my worth become so cheap?

Chloe woke up early and saw me sitting on the couch all night. She paused slightly, then coolly reminded me, “Once you’re ready, we’ll go to the registry office to file for divorce.” “Divorce is fine, but when are you going to pay back what your family owes me?” “Owes you what? Didn’t I just give you fifty thousand dollars?” Seeing Chloe’s furrowed brow, I shook my head. I indicated that fifty thousand dollars wasn’t even enough for the interest. She looked at me in disbelief. “Do you know what you’re saying?” “You’ve been getting paid every month without doing anything at our company.” “Now I’m giving you an extra fifty thousand dollars, and you’re still not satisfied?” I reached out and pushed the bank card back toward her. “That’s right, it’s not enough.” Chloe looked like she wanted to lose her temper, but she held it in. She took a deep breath and asked how much more I wanted. She reached for her phone, ready to transfer money, and I held up two fingers. “Two hundred million. To buy me out.” This two hundred million was just the principal I invested in their fundraising. As for my previous investments, I’d consider them feeding a stray dog. Chloe’s hand, holding her phone, suddenly froze. For a long moment, she couldn’t say a word. She stared at me silently, then laughed. “My parents used to say you were useless, just a freeloader.” “I would argue with them and speak well of you.” “Now it seems, I was blind.” She thought I was making an outrageous demand, unaware that I was trying to help her. If she didn’t pay me, I would still be Vertex Corp.’s largest backer. Any significant decision in the future would require my consent. And right now, all I wanted was to cut ties with them. “I can only give you twenty thousand dollars more at most. If you keep causing trouble, my dad won’t let you get away with it.” Her tone sounded almost like a threat. “Are you divorcing or not?” Seeing how anxious she was, I spoke unhurriedly. “I already said, I can divorce, but your family must give me two hundred million. It’s that simple.” Chloe finally lost her patience. “Are you sick?” “We’ve supported you for three years; have we spoiled you rotten?” “Right now, it’s just you and me. We can still talk this through reasonably.” “If you really blow things up, it won’t be good for you!” Yes, I had genuinely intended to divorce last night. And I hadn’t planned on asking for those two hundred million; I figured we’d just go our separate ways since her family looked down on me. But then, in the middle of the night, when my secretary informed me of a certain truth. My mind completely changed. Seeing her look so helpless, I pulled out my phone and pointed to the man in the photo. “Who is he?” My secretary told me the Sterling family was preparing for an arranged marriage. The match was Chloe and the man in the photo. Only I had been like a fool, kept in the dark. Chloe’s expression shifted slightly. She said she didn’t know him. But I could see the guilt in her eyes. “Fine. When you ‘get to know him,’ we can talk about the divorce again.” I stood up, pulling my suitcase, but she blocked my way. After a brief struggle, she explained plainly. “His name is Brandon Sterling, son of the chairman of Crossroads Holdings.” “Then what’s your relationship with him?” She gave up trying to argue. “We haven’t officially established a relationship, but we’re trying to date.” “Liam, can you please stop this? We’re really not suitable anymore, and this alliance is crucial for Vertex Corp.’s future.” “Please, I’m begging you, just let me go, okay?” It was the first time I’d seen her beg me, and with such sincerity. It was ironic that it was for another man. I went with her to the registry office and successfully completed the divorce papers. As we came out, Chloe handed me the bank card. “Take it. From now on, we owe each other nothing.” “Owe each other nothing,” what a joke. I didn’t take it. I pulled my suitcase and walked away without looking back. That night, Robert, learning of his daughter’s divorce, hosted a grand celebration dinner. He even decided to hold a magnificent engagement ceremony three days later, inviting all the prominent figures from both industries. To outsiders, it was a wedding of the century. Vertex Corp. was a rising star, newly listed after successful fundraising. Crossroads Holdings was an established conglomerate with deep roots. But to me, it was merely a farce for my amusement.

The engagement banquet was ultimately decided to be held at The Grand Royale Hotel, the city’s premier luxury hotel. It was in their most lavish ballroom, with a minimum spend of over a million dollars. I heard that most of the cost was covered by the groom’s family; the Sterling family only needed to show up. During this time, the Sterling family was busy preparing. They sent out invitations to countless celebrities and wealthy individuals, and naturally, that included me, Vertex Corp.’s biggest backer. When I received the invitation, I scoffed to myself. Attending my ex-wife’s engagement to her current fiancé, that was certainly a unique feeling. That evening, countless luxury cars were parked outside the hotel. The guests who arrived were, at the very least, million-dollar business owners. Before I arrived at the hotel, I received a notification from my secretary. She said the hotel owner had been invited to give a speech at the engagement banquet. It was meant to be a witness to Chloe Sterling and Brandon Sterling’s impending marriage. As for that owner, it was me. My secretary asked, “Young Master, do you need me to decline this for you?” “After all, with your status, doing something like this isn’t appropriate.” I chuckled and replied, “No, don’t. This is a joyous occasion. Tell them I have all the time in the world.” My secretary pondered for a moment, then nodded, understanding. The ballroom was decorated lavishly. It was bustling with people, with prominent business owners chatting everywhere. I found a corner and sat down. Crossing my legs, I waited for the engagement banquet to begin. My secretary quickly replied to my message. [Young Master, everything is arranged.] I put away my phone and saw many familiar faces in the room. Chloe’s parents, her sister. And almost all of their relatives were there. I remembered how this group of people had humiliated and mocked me back then. “Liam? What are you doing here?!” Megan was holding a glass of wine, chatting with acquaintances. Her gaze inadvertently fell on me in the corner, and she suddenly froze. Then, clacking her heels, she rushed over angrily to question me. “Coming to Chloe’s engagement party, is that a problem?” At my words, she sneered. “You’re not serious, are you? Coming to Chloe’s engagement party?” “How can there be such a pathetic man in this world?!” “Good, let me show you what a true match is.” She seemed to have misunderstood something. She thought I couldn’t let go and had come secretly to get a glimpse. She then warned me, “You’d better behave yourself and not cause any trouble for our family.” “Otherwise, I’ll call security and have them throw you out!” Just then, the bride and groom-to-be entered the ballroom. Chloe, in a pristine white dress, with light makeup, made a stunning appearance in slender high heels. My secretary came to my side and whispered, “The one walking out hand-in-hand with Chloe Sterling is Brandon Sterling, the young heir of Crossroads Holdings.” I nodded, indicating I understood. After the emcee enthusiastically delivered his lines, he continued, “Next, let’s warmly invite the Chairman of The Grand Royale Hotel to give a speech for this golden couple!” A round of enthusiastic applause erupted. And I stood up, buttoned my jacket, and headed towards the stage.

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The day I was released from prison, my brother Marcus’s adopted sister, Chloe, held a live stream to welcome me home. The camera was shoved right in my face. “This is my older sister,” Chloe announced, a sickeningly sweet smile on her lips. “Even after being assaulted by thirteen men, she’s still strong enough to survive.” The comment section exploded instantly. Marcus frowned slightly, but Chloe just giggled and stuck out her tongue. I didn’t react hysterically like I used to three years ago. Instead, I smiled, facing the world. “A woman’s body is never a weakness. Those who deserve to die are them, not me.” Back home, I didn’t stop Marcus from letting Chloe visit our parents’ graves on the anniversary of their death, taking my place. Nor did I care when Marcus gave my old room to Chloe, forcing me into the storage room. Even when Chloe pushed me into the water again, and Marcus only saved her – the one who could swim – I simply went home alone after a passerby pulled me out. A complicated look crossed Marcus’s face. “Lily,” he said, “you spent three years in prison, and now you’ve finally matured.” I smiled softly. I’d just accepted reality, nothing more. I no longer held any expectations for him. Besides, I never truly belonged in this world to begin with. The System told me it could take me back to my real world in seven days. But after I truly left, why did Marcus go insane?

“Oh, by the way, Lily,” Chloe asked, suddenly turning back as she clung to Marcus’s arm, her face full of innocent curiosity. “What’s it like to be violated by thirteen men?” I froze. Before I could react, Marcus gently tapped her forehead with a doting expression. “That’s dirty business, not something you should hear about.” He turned, his gaze falling on me, his voice flat. “Chloe’s been spoiled by me, she doesn’t mean any harm, so don’t take it to heart.” Chloe smirked at me, waiting. Waiting for me to explode in anger like I always used to. But I just stood there, my voice calm. “It’s normal for someone with no proper upbringing to not know how to speak. Why would I care?” It had been years since anyone dared to bring that up in front of Chloe. Her smirk faltered for half a second before she quickly plastered it back on. “You’re right. Marcus feels sorry for me, just like he does for you, Lily. That’s why he gave me the family heirloom diamond pendant.” That pendant was one of the last things our mother left me. I had fought with Chloe countless times over it. But now, I just glanced at it indifferently. “If you like it, take it.” I paused, then added, “Anyway, I never liked things other people had touched.” After our parents passed, I couldn’t bear to leave Marcus alone, so I chose to stay in this world with him. Now, I was leaving. I couldn’t take these things with me anyway. Marcus could give them to whoever he wanted. Not getting the reaction she wanted, the smile vanished completely from Chloe’s face. Marcus was clearly taken aback too, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “Lily, you almost came to blows with me over these things back then. How can you not want them now? If you don’t want them, just say so. Why be so passive-aggressive?” I spread my hands, my tone so flat it was almost dismissive. “I genuinely don’t care. What do you want me to say?” “Alright then. Give it back to me. Will you?” Marcus choked, his face darkening. “You shouldn’t be reacting like this…” I quirked a smile. It seemed Marcus’s memories of me were still stuck three years in the past. That year, to reclaim the keepsakes our parents left me, I slapped Chloe for the first time. In return, I, the city’s prominent socialite, was dragged by my own brother to the busiest part of downtown and slapped one hundred times in front of everyone. That day, my mouth was split open from the beating. Pain and humiliation nearly drowned me. “She can’t actually be indifferent. She just got out of prison after three years, so she’s putting on an act to gain sympathy.” It had been three years since I’d heard that voice. Hearing it again now gave me a strange sense of déjà vu. I turned my head. My ex-fiancé, Liam, stood in the doorway, hands in his pockets. “Don’t flatter yourself. We grew up together, and even though you’re no longer fit to marry me, I still had to come see you.” He let out a soft laugh, his tone full of condescension. “However, if you’re more obedient in the future and treat Chloe well, I might be able to humble myself.” “After all, it’s just one more mouth to feed. But you’ll have to call Chloe ‘Big Sister’ from now on.” Chloe watched, enjoying the show. After all, everyone in the city knew I, Lily, loved Liam deeply, even having his name tattooed across my entire back. At this moment, I glanced at the glaring red mark on his neck and spoke, word for word. “But I find him disgusting.”

“Lily!” Liam’s eyes darkened menacingly as he grabbed Chloe, pulling her close. “Let’s see how long you can keep up this act.” He lowered his head and kissed her, a blatant, forceful display. Marcus almost instinctively reached out, grabbing my wrist tightly. “Lily,” he whispered, afraid I’d cause a scene. But I simply turned away, walking straight for the stairs. Watching their explicit display was hardly my idea of comfort. I’d rather go back to my room and rest. On my way, I thoughtfully turned up the central air conditioner by two degrees. So considerate, right? “Damn it!” Behind me, I heard Liam kick the front door shut, followed by the roar of his car engine speeding away. Marcus stood rooted to the spot, staring at my retreating back, the emotions in his eyes too complex to decipher. “Lily, you used to love Liam more than anything. Now, why…” So Marcus knew, after all. I thought he was oblivious. But how did he force me to let go? All because Chloe said she liked Liam. Marcus kept creating opportunities for them, even when Liam and I were on the verge of getting engaged. The day before our engagement party, he drugged us, putting Liam in Chloe’s bed. He placed me in a bed with another man, then personally arranged for Liam’s family elders to “catch” me cheating. The next day, everyone stood at the door, pointing fingers and calling me shameless. Liam arrived, barely able to stand. “Chloe used to tell me you were seeing many men behind my back, and I never believed her. But today, you’ve certainly taught me a lesson.” He forcefully threw a piece of clothing onto my still-naked body. “Lily, loving you was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever done in my life.” Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my leg. It was my dog, who I’d raised for ten years, baring its teeth at me. Chloe walked over, smiling. “Lily, you’ve been away from home for so many years that even the dog doesn’t remember you. It thought you were a bad stranger trying to hurt me.” Marcus always stood by Chloe’s side, like her personal guard. “The dog didn’t mean it. Don’t make a big deal out of it.” I looked down at the dog I’d rescued from the highway. The next second, I kicked it away without hesitation. I looked up at Chloe. “Of course, why would I bother with a bastard like that?” It was the honest truth. If I couldn’t control the betrayal of my own brother and childhood sweetheart, what hope did I have with a dog? Marcus’s eyes darkened, but Chloe, thinking I was mocking her, instantly scowled. The next second, my nose suddenly felt warm, and then blood started flowing uncontrollably. I wiped it with my hand, and it came away bright red. I couldn’t stop it. Marcus’s face changed. He almost rushed over, grabbing my wrist. “What’s going on?! Come on, let’s go to the hospital.” The System’s voice echoed in my mind. [Don’t worry, Host. This is a normal reaction. You’re about to leave this world, and this body’s functions are starting to decline.] Marcus’s palm was scorching hot, even trembling slightly. “Oh,” Chloe said, pressing a hand to her forehead and swaying. “Marcus, I feel a little dizzy. I might have caught a cold when Lily pushed me into the water that day.” Marcus glanced at me, then back at Chloe. Finally, he let go of me without hesitation. He bent down and scooped Chloe into his arms. “Call a doctor immediately to check on you.” Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck, looking back at me with undisguised triumph in her eyes. But I wasn’t in the mood to watch her put on a show, nor did I care who Marcus was concerned about. I casually twisted two tissues and stuffed them into my nostrils, then looked up at the calendar on the wall. Only two days left until I left this place.

My phone buzzed. The screen lit up. It was a message from Chloe, with an attached picture. “Don’t think your little act these past few days will make Marcus soft. In his heart, you’ll never compare to me.” “And did you really think Marcus punished those thirteen people for you?” My heart clenched, panic almost suffocating me. But the next second, I forced myself to calm down. From childhood, Marcus had always kept his promises to me. Chloe used to love using these tactics to sow discord between Marcus and me, until we grew suspicious of each other and completely fell apart. I took a deep breath to compose myself and tapped on the picture. The world utterly collapsed in that instant. In the photo, those thirteen men Marcus had promised would suffer a fate worse than death – some were driving luxury cars, others had women hanging on their arms. They were living even more glamorous lives than three years ago. My phone slipped from my hand. Clang! It hit the floor. But I couldn’t hear anything anymore. Only one thought echoed in my mind: If they hadn’t been punished, then what was the point of my three years in prison, suffering abuse and a living hell?! Back then, Marcus was convinced that I had hired those thugs to harm Chloe. For the sake of the family’s reputation, he refused to extensively search for them unless I was willing to apologize to Chloe. I knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, my forehead hitting the floor, blood streaming down my face. “But what if I’m still scared every time I see Lily?” Chloe leaned against Marcus’s chest. Marcus looked down at me disdainfully. “Lily, go to prison for three years. When Chloe isn’t scared anymore, then you can come back.” “Then promise me you’ll make those thirteen men pay a heavy price.” My face was covered in blood. I traded my life for Marcus’s promise. But now? I spun around, lunging forward, grabbing Marcus’s collar. “Why are those thirteen men still doing so well?” When I spoke, I realized my voice was trembling terribly. Marcus’s pupils contracted. The next second, he shook off my hand without hesitation. “Chloe, as the victim, has already forgiven them. Why are you still holding onto it?” “She’s the victim?” I clutched his collar tightly, veins bulging on my knuckles. “She’s the victim? Then what am I?!” Marcus frowned, impatient. “Well, who told you to find them and harm Chloe? This is your punishment as the aggressor.” “Besides, I already made them apologize to Chloe.” Apologize? The moment those two words left his lips, my ears roared. The memory of that night, tearing through me, returned. The dim lights, the weight pressing down on me, the struggle with thirteen men all night long, the insults. I was in so much pain that I lost consciousness. The next day, I couldn’t even stand. I once thought that was the deepest hell I would ever experience. But compared to this moment, it was nothing. I looked at the man before me, the brother I had once trusted and depended on unconditionally. My voice came out word by word, as if ground out from between my teeth. “They ruined me like that, and you promised me! How could you break your word? I’m your own sister!” Chloe walked over and interrupted me. “Lily, my parents always said it’s best to forgive and forget.” “I’ve already forgiven you, so don’t make a big deal out of such a small matter.” Marcus looked at Chloe with approval. “See? Chloe, even as an orphan, is so sensible. You’re not as mature as her.” Chloe smiled gently, then leaned close to me, lowering her voice. “They told me to tell you something: Three years is a long time, and they all miss you.” “They didn’t have enough fun with you three years ago. Next time we meet, they’ll make sure you’re… completely satisfied.” The last string in my mind snapped. I used all my strength, slapping her face hard. “It really was you!” I screamed uncontrollably like a madwoman. “Why?! Even when I hated you, I never thought of harming you! Why would you—” Before I could finish. Slap! An even harder slap landed squarely on my face. The immense force sent me sprawling to the ground, my ears ringing, my vision darkening. Marcus stood over me, his face grim. “Did those hundred slaps back then not teach you a lesson?” His voice was cold, devoid of any warmth. “You dare bully Chloe right in front of me. No wonder you’re so vicious, capable of such inhumane acts. It’s a good thing you faced consequences, otherwise killing you wouldn’t be enough to atone to Chloe.” I covered my face, my eyes bloodshot, the hatred in my heart almost consuming my reason. “I hate you! If I could, I’d kill both of you.” Marcus was silent for a few seconds, as if he had finally made a decision. “Lily, I’ve indulged you too much. That’s why you spent three years comfortably in prison, still unrepentant.” He pulled out his phone, his finger landing on the screen, his tone cold and hard. “This is the last lesson I’ll teach you. Those who do wrong must pay the price for their actions.”

The moment the screen lit up, all the blood in my body seemed to freeze. On the screen was footage of me being abused three years ago. They had filmed every angle for their amusement. My body began to shake uncontrollably, I felt utterly cold, and even breathing became difficult. “No, it can’t be…” I couldn’t make a sound, only stared fixedly at the screen. Marcus had clearly told me all the footage had been destroyed back then. I violently looked up at him, my eyes wide, almost tearing, and lunged forward, practically on my knees. “Please, Marcus, don’t send it out, please…” The pain and torment I had endured would not disappear even if I left this world. Marcus’s expression, however, was terrifyingly calm. “At our parents’ grave, I swore I’d raise you well.” “This is my responsibility and my duty as your brother, to educate you. I believe our parents in heaven would approve.” Without hesitation, he tapped, Send. Marcus walked over and grabbed my wrist. “Come here, apologize to Chloe for what you just did.” The moment he touched me, the fear from three years ago rushed over me like a tidal wave. I struggled backward desperately. “Don’t touch me!” I screamed, fighting with all my might. “Please don’t touch me! Let go of me!!” Marcus was enraged by my reaction, his brows furrowed. “Lily, you’re too willful. What act are you putting on now?” “To teach you a lesson this time, I’ll make sure Chloe receives a massive portion of the family assets as her wedding gift.” My ears were ringing. I couldn’t hear a single word Marcus said. All I heard were those arrogant laughs. “Tonight, pack your things. Tomorrow is the wedding, and I need you to personally go on stage, publicly apologize to Chloe, and give her your most sincere blessings.” “Otherwise, don’t ever come back to this house.” The moment the door closed, I couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed to the floor. My phone vibrated like crazy. Countless unknown numbers called, and messages popped up one after another—all filled with insults, morbid curiosity, and malicious taunts. I wrapped myself tightly in the blanket, wishing I could just die right there. But I couldn’t yet. The next day, the city’s skyscrapers were broadcasting the century wedding of the two prominent families. I stood on the edge of the rooftop, watching Marcus on the wedding stage, his eyes scanning around, as if searching for someone. Chloe noticed his distraction and tugged his arm, prompting him to move forward. The scene before me suddenly overlapped with a memory. Back then, when Liam and I were about to get engaged, Marcus had also said, his eyes red, “I will personally see my beloved sister off to her next chapter of happiness.” He did it. Only, that sister wasn’t me. The System’s voice echoed in my mind: [Host, time’s up. We should go.] I took a step forward without hesitation. A feeling of weightlessness instantly struck me. The wind howled in my ears. Mid-fall, as my gaze briefly met Marcus’s, I smiled. “Marcus, how could three years of my life and the entire family assets be enough to atone to Chloe? Let me add my life as a final unforgettable ‘gift’ for Chloe’s wedding.”

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On the third year after my husband ran off with his mistress, Ethan Shaw suddenly came home. I didn’t rush up to curse him out, and our son showed no surprise whatsoever. Ethan finally got the peace and quiet he’d always dreamed of. At parent-teacher conferences, our son stopped begging him to attend. When I walked in on another woman sitting on his lap making out with him, I tactfully pretended I saw nothing. It wasn’t until photos of him in bed with his new fling spread all over town—while our son and I were off traveling without a care—that Ethan’s eyes finally turned red. Like a madman, he smashed our luggage and demanded: “What the hell is wrong with you two! What more do you want from me to stop torturing me!” The room fell deathly silent. My son and I exchanged bewildered glances, not understanding what had gotten into him. After shooing Xavier back to his bedroom, Ethan did something unprecedented—he handed me his phone. “I already explained to you, that woman threw herself at me. If you don’t believe me, you can check for yourself.” Watching his gesture, I froze in place. Before, forget about checking his messages—if I so much as touched his phone, Ethan would fly into a rage. He’d say I didn’t respect him, that I was suffocating him. Even when I caught him cheating, Ethan refused to admit it and just left home. I thought everyone would take my side. I was wrong. His friends covered for him, and his parents cut off our living expenses: “You drove your own husband out of the house. You have some nerve asking for money.” Our son’s expensive tutoring and enrichment classes, my beauty and yoga treatments, the household utilities and living expenses—all gone. Reality slapped me in the face like a brutal wake-up call. That’s when I finally woke up. Compared to a comfortable, affluent lifestyle, what was a little thing like love worth? So I smiled politely and ignored the phone he was offering. I even gave him an out: “Of course I trust you. Sometimes these situations are unavoidable.” Ethan fell silent, his hand frozen awkwardly in midair. Suddenly, Xavier rushed out clutching his bloody mouth. His little face was pale: “Mom, I accidentally knocked out my tooth.” I immediately went on high alert and headed out with my son. Ethan was forgotten like he was invisible. His expression darkened for a moment, but he still followed us. Sliding into the driver’s seat: “I drive faster. Let me take you to the hospital.” But just as he finished speaking, his phone rang. From the other end came a woman’s sobbing voice, broken and intermittent. It was the woman from those bedroom photos, having a breakdown and threatening suicide. Ethan paused. Xavier, being very sensible, immediately said considerately: “Dad, if you have something to take care of, go ahead. Mom and I can go by ourselves.” With that, my son and I got out of the car together. The child who used to cling to him constantly had become strangely distant. Ethan’s chest rose and fell rapidly. He seemed like he wanted to say something, reluctantly following behind us. But we had already hailed a ride and left. Fortunately, since it was just baby teeth, Xavier was fine. We checked into a hotel for the night. The next day we visited a nearby children’s amusement park, and didn’t return home until evening with takeout leftovers and desserts. Strangely, Ethan—who usually came home after midnight—was actually there. When he saw the cake in my hands, his somewhat cold expression instantly brightened. He smiled and reached for the box: “I knew you didn’t forget my birthday.” But his smile hadn’t fully formed before he saw what was left of the demolished cake. I felt a bit embarrassed and exchanged a guilty look with my equally sheepish son. I was about to say something when a woman walked out from the living room. It was the woman from the bedroom photos—Riley Cooper. Riley was Ethan’s recent charity case, a student with no parents, raising her younger sister. She looked at me apologetically, her face flushed with embarrassment. “Ms. Charlotte, Mr. Shaw had too much to drink that day. I was just taking him to a hotel when someone took photos of us secretly. That’s how those pictures happened.” Just taking him to a hotel—how would they both end up barely clothed in bed together? Riley’s explanation was clearly a cover-up. What’s more, she was currently wearing my clothes, her eyes carrying subtle provocation. But I didn’t mind. Ethan had brought home at least eighty women before, if not a hundred. I’d seen every trick in the book. What was one more? So I smiled tolerantly, and under Ethan’s increasingly dark expression, said considerately: “Thank you for coming to explain. It’s raining outside. Would you like to stay the night?”

Riley looked pleasantly surprised, her eyes blinking like a doe’s as she gazed at Ethan with a lingering voice: “Either way is fine with me.” “Enough! Stop pretending to be so virtuous!” Veins bulged on Ethan’s forehead. He grabbed Riley and stormed out, slamming the door. Almost simultaneously, Xavier and I breathed a sigh of relief. When Ethan was home, we were always on edge. His departure actually felt liberating. I assumed after leaving like that, Ethan wouldn’t return tonight. But I’d barely fallen asleep when a pair of hands slipped into my pajamas. Instantly, goosebumps covered my entire body. I rolled over and swatted his hand away. Ethan’s patience finally ran out completely. He stared at me, breathing heavily: “Charlotte Sterling, I apologized, I brought her to explain to you—what more do you want!” His eyes were red-rimmed, the grievance and restraint in them seeming ready to overflow. I’d woken up abruptly and was still drowsy, just wanting to quickly smooth things over. So my face slowly arranged itself into a polite smile. “You’re really overthinking this. It’s late, let’s just get some sleep.” But Ethan had no intention of letting me off. He gripped my wrist, his voice breaking with emotion: “You weren’t like this before! You used to call and text me if I wasn’t home by eight! You never slept until I came back, always had hangover soup ready because you worried about me drinking.” “But now?” Ethan’s grip on my hand tightened: “You even forgot my birthday.” “I don’t understand—it was only three years! And I came back, didn’t I?” Looking at his aggrieved, resentful expression, I felt nauseated, my body trembling slightly. So he knew all along—my humiliating past when I debased myself. Throwing away my dignity, following him around like a bitter housewife. Even his company employees would say when they saw me: “That desperate woman is here again…” But what he didn’t know was that back then, to find Ethan after he ran away, my mother searched outside every single day. Her own husband had long been unfaithful, their marriage a shell. She didn’t want her daughter’s marriage to follow the same path. But tragically, during a summer heatwave of 104 degrees, Mom had a sudden heart attack and died on the spot. She was still clutching printed missing person flyers when she died. My world collapsed. For a whole month, my pillow was never dry. Every second was spent in pain and hatred. Xavier lost his beloved grandmother. And Ethan was out living it up with his little girlfriend, scandal after scandal making the news. Now that he’d had his fun, he wanted to come back to the family. I was utterly disgusted.

But Ethan was still lecturing me with self-righteous superiority. “Didn’t your mother go through the same thing? I provide you with food and comfort—why can’t you learn from her? I—” Slap! Before he could finish, I smacked him across the face. Ethan flew into a rage. He glared at me, teeth clenched, and let out a cold laugh. That night, we parted on terrible terms. For the next week, Ethan didn’t come home. As if to prove he could live carefree without me. The TV occasionally broadcast news about him, but my son and I would simply scroll past it. Meanwhile, his overseas school application had been approved. Next month, I would accompany my son to America. Thinking about never having to stay by Ethan’s side again, Xavier and I smiled in unison. But before our smiles could fade, bang!—Ethan in a wheelchair violently pushed the door open. The next instant, his face turned extremely dark. Staring at the smile just disappearing from my lips, he said coldly: “Living quite comfortably without me at home, aren’t you?” He’d broken his leg skiing. Behind him, Riley was attentively comforting him. “Ethan, you just got out of the hospital—don’t get angry.” Ethan glanced at me, then pulled her into his arms and kissed her. With pointed sarcasm: “At least you care about me, unlike certain ungrateful people.” Then he looked back at me. But I showed no reaction, simply covering my son’s disgusted eyes and leading him to the bedroom. Ethan had always been promiscuous, but he’d never been this shameless in front of our son before. Xavier seemed down. I comforted him for a while until he slowly closed his eyes, then turned to close the door. But the next instant, I ran into Ethan blocking the doorway. He stared at me silently, his face carrying faint mockery and even some smugness. I didn’t understand what he meant. As I stepped aside to leave, he grabbed my hand. “If you don’t care, why are you jealous? Charlotte, when are you going to fix this habit of saying one thing and meaning another?” I was somewhat stunned. Even now, he still thought I’d be jealous. I didn’t know whether to laugh at how ridiculous or pathetic he was… Just as I was about to speak, suddenly a scream rang out. My head buzzed. Following the sound, I saw it came from the room where I’d placed my mother’s ashes. I rushed over. Riley looked at Ethan with a pale face, pointing at the urn in distress: “Why is there an urn in here? It scared me to death.” Suppressing my anger, I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door. “This isn’t a room you should be staying in. There are so many empty bedrooms on the first floor—why did you have to come to this one?” As soon as I finished speaking, Riley’s tears fell. “Am I not supposed to stay here…” Ethan frowned and immediately blocked me. His tone was forceful: “Charlotte, this is my house. I can let her stay in whichever room I want. You have no right to interfere.” I froze in place, cold seeping through my bones, chilling me to despair. A similar scene was repeating itself. Ethan really knew how to humiliate me. Three years ago, our worst fight was also because his little mistress wanted to stay in my mother’s room. I refused. Ethan directly ordered the servants to throw our things out. My mother, at her age, cried helplessly like a child. But she still forced herself to comfort me: “I’m fine, Mom. I can stay downstairs…” But now she was gone, and still being humiliated like this… Despair shot from my eyes. Meeting my reddened eyes, Ethan’s hand suddenly loosened. His tone softened considerably: “Charlotte, what’s wrong with you—ah!” Accompanied by Riley’s scream, a loud slap landed on Ethan’s face. Riley rushed over and shoved me aside, spreading her arms to shield Ethan. “How dare you hit him! Can’t you see he’s injured! You don’t deserve to be a wife.” Her cheeks twitched, her resentment looking as if I’d hit her own husband. But Ethan wasn’t angry at all. He stared at me quietly, his eyes penetrating, as if trying to see through my exterior to what I was thinking. “Are you jealous?”

I laughed coldly, no longer indulging his delusions, and left holding the urn. But Ethan unwillingly followed me. “Why won’t you answer me? Are you feeling guilty?” His gaze fell on the box in my arms, and he frowned: “Is that your pet’s ashes?” Bang! The only response he got was me slamming the door in his face. Ethan stiffened, then pounded on the door in fury. “Charlotte Sterling, what’s the meaning of this! Who gave you permission to keep ashes in the house! What if it scares people? Come out here…” The intermittent voice outside the door continued for a long time, until Riley coaxed him back to his room. I took a deep breath. I immediately decided to rent an apartment the next day. I was very efficient. I hadn’t been out long before I’d secured a rental. But when I returned to pick up my son, I found him crying with his head down. “Xavier?” “Mom!” The instant he saw me, Xavier rushed into my arms. I touched the handprint on his face, my heart clenching in spasms. Xavier sobbed uncontrollably, pointing at the innocent-looking Riley: “I told her I’m allergic to milk. She made me drink it anyway. When I pushed her away, the milk spilled on her, and Dad… hit me.” His bright eyes were full of humiliation. Two adults bullying a child, yet neither showed a trace of remorse. Riley’s lips curved in a smug smile as she passive-aggressively explained: “That was coconut milk, with just a little milk in it. Drinking it wouldn’t hurt.” Seeing I wasn’t responding to her, she snorted coldly. “Ms. Charlotte, that’s not how you raise children. You’ll spoil him—ah!” Slap! I cut off her words with a smack. Riley’s tears came flooding out as she screamed hysterically. In an instant, Ethan came rolling out in his wheelchair. Behind him, a little girl ran out and rushed straight to Riley. “Riley!” It was Riley’s sister, Skye. Really bringing the whole family along, infesting the place like cockroaches. Ethan looked furious, his low voice showing he was on the edge of rage. “Charlotte, what are you making a scene about first thing in the morning! Why do you have to give Riley such a hard time? She’s just here to take care of me out of kindness!” I said coldly: “She deserved it! Xavier has a severe allergy—he can’t have even a drop of milk. What were you and she thinking!” My words were sharp, my tone making no effort to hide my disgust. Ethan froze, as if hurt by my expression. He slammed his hand on the armrest in anger. Scolding: “What are you implying? Xavier is my son—would I harm him!” He actually had the nerve to call Xavier his son. In all ten years, he’d never taken care of him for a single day. What right did he have to call himself a father? I laughed sarcastically, about to speak. Suddenly Skye rushed over and rammed hard into my stomach. “You’re a bad woman! You’re deliberately bullying my sister!” With that, she whirled like a tornado into my bedroom. When she came back out, she was holding my mother’s urn high above her head. Alarm bells went off in my head, my heart leaping to my throat. I shouted frantically: “Put that down! That’s my mother!” Xavier was also desperate, yelling: “Put it down! Can’t you understand words!” But Ethan suddenly smiled, his lips curling with disdain. “Charlotte, what lies won’t you tell now? If your mother had passed away, why didn’t anyone notify me?” My eyes were forced red. I held back tears on the verge of breaking through, glaring at him with hatred. His family didn’t care at all—who would go out of their way to notify him? “That really is my mother. Just have Skye put down the ashes, and I’ll leave with Xavier immediately. We’ll never come back.” I thought Ethan would be tempted, but somehow his expression grew even uglier. His tone turned even more sinister. “Charlotte, are you threatening me? But I hate threats more than anything.” With that, he looked at Skye and coldly uttered one word: smash. Skye glared at me triumphantly, and just as I desperately lunged forward, she violently smashed the box on the ground.

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In the third year of being Lucas Hartwell’s mistress, he asked me to serve Stella Renee, his first love who had just returned from abroad. To earn money for my sister’s treatment, I gritted my teeth and went. Stella found me an eyesore and sent me into the room of some Italian businessman. I called Lucas in tears, begging him to help. He told me to get lost. That night, my sister died in the hospital. Later, I was working as a painter in a small town when he showed up outside my studio, one arm in a cast, and just stood there. For three months. From autumn into winter. “I’m sorry. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it right.” I never expected that the man who had once used me as a stand-in would spend the second half of his life atoning for it, inch by inch. Until the moment I closed my eyes, he held my hand. “Wendy, in the next life, let me be the one who loves you first.” Wendy’s POV The day Stella Renee came back, the whole New York elite lit up. At the welcome dinner, she was the princess everyone fawned over. Draped in couture, smiling as she held Lucas’s arm. And me? I was Lucas’s “kept woman” of three years. Like a creature that couldn’t stand the light, I hid in the darkest corner of the banquet hall, knocking back glass after glass of ice water. My stomach cramped violently. Cold sweat broke out all over me. But I couldn’t leave. Lucas hadn’t said I could go, so I had to stay and wait – ready to be wallpaper, or a shield, for this golden couple at a moment’s notice. Midway through the evening, a message from Lucas appeared on my phone. “Come to the terrace.” Four words. No room for argument. I took a deep breath, set down my glass, and dragged my unsteady legs toward the terrace. I pushed open the glass door. The night wind hit me, sharp and cold. Lucas stood with his back to me. A half-burned cigarette rested between his fingers, its ember flickering red in the dark. He heard my footsteps but didn’t turn around. His voice was flat. “Stella’s heading to Milan for fashion week. She needs an assistant.” A sinking feeling settled in my chest. “You know how it is – she just got back, and I’m not comfortable with her being alone.” He turned around. His gaze landed on me, cool and detached. “Go with her. Take care of her for three months.” Take care of her? That was a nice way to put it. Stella Renee was Lucas’s everything. His untouchable first love, a girl who’d been spoiled her entire life. And I was the thorn in her side, the woman she blamed for stealing her place. Sending me to be her assistant was like throwing me to the wolves. “I’m not going.” I clutched the hem of my dress. Lucas seemed to have expected this. He flicked the ash off his cigarette, unhurried, his tone impossible to read. “Wendy. Think carefully.” He paused, then stepped toward me – slow, deliberate – until his tall frame loomed over me completely. “Lily’s targeted medication is due for renewal next month, isn’t it? Three hundred thousand a course. Self-pay, if I remember right.” My head snapped up. I stared at him. Lily. My little sister. My only weakness. Lucas knew it well. For Lily, I would give up anything – even the last scrap of dignity I had left. “You’re using Lily to threaten me?” I kept my eyes on his. “It’s a deal.” He reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair from my face. His fingertips were ice-cold. “You take good care of Stella. Make sure she comes home happy. I’ll cover Lily’s medication.” “And if I don’t go?” “Then stay here and figure out how much you can scrape together on your own.” He dropped his hand. The corner of his mouth curved into something cruel. “Wendy, you’re a smart girl. You know what to choose.” The night wind cut right through me. I stared at the face I had loved for three years, and felt nothing but a deep, unfamiliar strangeness. For that woman, he could push me out without blinking. He could use my little sister – the only person I had left – as a bargaining chip. “Fine.” It took me a long time to answer. “I’ll go.” Lucas smiled. But his eyes held no warmth at all. “Good girl.” He crushed out the cigarette, turned, and walked back toward the glittering lights of the party. He left me alone in the dark. I sank slowly to the ground, wrapped my arms around myself, and tried to stop shaking.

Wendy’s POV Deep autumn in Milan was the kind of cold that made you want to give up. Stella stayed in a penthouse apartment Lucas had arranged. All floor-to-ceiling windows, the whole glittering city spread out below her. I stayed in a storage room barely big enough for a single cot. No window. Being her “assistant” meant a lot more than making coffee. Three in the morning, and Stella wanted a specific dessert from a bakery on the south side of the city. I’d pull on my coat and fight the wind across half of Milan to get it. On set, if her coffee wasn’t hot enough, she’d pour it directly onto the back of my hand. Blisters would rise. I’d apologize and smile. Even her laundry. I hand-washed her lingerie, dried it, pressed it. One wrinkle, and she’d tear into me in front of everyone. “Wendy, why are you making that face?” Stella lounged on the sofa, swirling a glass of red wine, looking at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. “Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours. You think Lucas sent you here because he trusts you?” She laughed. “Don’t kid yourself.” She took a slow sip. “He sent you here to be my punching bag. Someone has to be, and girls like you are made for it.” I kept my head down and quietly swept up the broken pieces on the floor. The burn on my hand still throbbed. I didn’t make a sound. Three months. Just endure three months. As long as Lily gets her medicine, this is worth it. But Stella’s cruelty didn’t stop there. On the night of the fashion week closing gala, Stella made sure I was dressed as plainly as possible, bordering on frumpy, and positioned me one step behind her like a bag carrier. In the middle of the party, a heavyset Italian businessman in an expensive suit sidled up with a drink, his eyes crawling over me. “Miss Renee, and who is this?” Stella smiled behind her hand. “Oh, this is my assistant. She used to be Lucas’s… personal companion.” She tilted her head at him. “Interested, Mr. Rossi?” The man’s eyes lit up. He reached out to put his arm around my waist. “A woman of Lucas Hartwell’s? She must be something.” I stepped back and hit the champagne tower behind me. The whole thing came down. Glass and champagne everywhere. A shard caught my leg. Gasps. Laughter. I sat on the floor, looked up at Stella. She was smiling. Thrilled. Vicious. “Oh, how clumsy.” She pressed her fingertips to her lips in mock concern. “Mr. Rossi, it seems she’s in no shape to be good company tonight. Perhaps she should go up to your room and make it up to you?” In that moment, every drop of blood in my body went cold. I clawed my way up off the floor, shoved past the man reaching down to help me, and ran out of the ballroom. The cold air rushed into my collar, mixing with the sticky sweetness of spilled champagne. My stomach heaved. Back at the apartment, my hands shaking, I called Lucas. I wanted to tell him what Stella had done. I wanted to beg him to let me come home. Even if it meant giving up the money – even if it meant anything – I had to get out of this place. The phone rang for a long time before he picked up. “Lucas.” I was already crying. “Make it quick. I’m in a meeting.” His voice was flat. Impatient. “Stella, she tried to… she was going to send me to some man’s room. Please, let me come home. Please.” A beat of silence. Then a short, dismissive laugh. “Really, Wendy. Is this still your game?” I froze. “What?” “Stella texted me. Said you got drunk at the gala, made a scene, and broke something expensive.” His voice was full of contempt. “And now you’re calling to make up stories about her? Can you not let your jealousy run your mouth for five minutes?” “That’s not what happened-” “Enough.” His voice cracked like a whip. “You made a mistake. Stay there and think about what you did. If Stella doesn’t forgive you, you can figure out Lily’s medication yourself.” The call ended. I had no right to defend myself. Not in his world. Whatever I suffered, it would always be because I was jealous.

Wendy’s POV That night, I spiked a fever. I drifted in and out of consciousness. My phone kept ringing, relentless, like an alarm I couldn’t silence. I forced my eyes open. A number from a hospital back home was flashing on the screen. My heart seized. “Hello-” “Miss Staley! This is Dr. Morris, Lily’s attending physician.” The voice on the other end was urgent and panicked. “Something’s happened to Lily!” I was half-awake in an instant. “What? What happened to Lily?” “Sudden pulmonary failure combined with a severe rejection response. She’s in resuscitation right now. It’s critical. She needs emergency ECMO surgery and we have to get the imported medication started immediately.” “Save her. Whatever it costs, save her.” I rolled off the bed. My legs buckled. I grabbed the nightstand. “The issue right now isn’t just the cost. We need next-of-kin authorization to proceed with surgery. And the previous balance hasn’t been settled. The pharmacy won’t release the medication until it’s cleared.” His voice dropped. “Miss Staley, where are you? Can you come in?” “I’m overseas-” Tears were already streaming down my face. “Doctor, please just start the treatment. I’ll send the money right now. I’ll find a way.” I hung up and called Lucas. Once. No answer. Twice. Declined. Three times. Straight to voicemail. I sent voice messages, typed messages, anything. I would have gotten down on my knees if it would have helped. Lucas, please pick up. Lily’s crashing. They’re trying to save her. I won’t cause trouble anymore, I swear, please just help her. One call to the hospital. That’s all I need. I’ll do anything- Nothing. In desperation, I called Lucas’s assistant, Derek. It rang for what felt like forever. Finally, someone picked up. “Derek! Where is he? It’s an emergency. Someone’s life is on the line!” Derek sounded uncomfortable. “Miss Staley, Mr. Hartwell is… unavailable right now.” “Where is he? Put him on the phone-” “He’s… he’s with Miss Renee. They’re looking at engagement rings. He said he’s not to be disturbed.” Engagement rings. Everything left my body at once. Lily was fighting for her life. And he was picking out diamonds for the woman who had just tried to sell me to a stranger. “Derek.” My voice broke. “Just tell him – tell him Lily is dying. She’s really dying. Please-” There was a shuffle on the other end, then Stella’s voice, sweet and airy. “Who is it? Such a buzzkill.” “It’s Miss Staley. She says her sister is… critical.” Stella let out a small laugh. It came through the phone perfectly. “Again with this? She faked being drunk at the gala, and now she’s using her sister to pull Lucas back? He can see right through her. Tell me she’s not actually this desperate.” Then Lucas’s voice. Cold and flat. “Hang up. Tell her if she calls again, she’s done. Not a single cent.” The world went quiet. I was on the floor, my phone still pressed to my ear. I didn’t hate Stella. She was cruel, she was calculating – but she was what she was. It was Lucas I hated. For his coldness. For his blindness. For the fact that I’d spent three years loving him like he was worth it. I wiped my face and checked my bank account. Two thousand dollars. Everything I’d saved. Not even close to what Lily needed. Then I saw it. Stella’s spare watch, sitting on the coffee table in the living room. A gift from Lucas. Worth tens of thousands, left there like pocket change. In that moment, I wasn’t thinking about right or wrong. I was thinking about Lily. I grabbed the watch and walked out. I sold it on the Milan black market. Got fifty thousand euros. Wire transfer. Flight. Airport. I moved through it all like a machine – no thoughts, no feelings, just motion. Before I boarded, the hospital called again. I stared at the number until it stopped ringing. Was that the call that tells you it’s over? I refused to believe it. Lily was waiting for me. She’d said she wanted me to take her to Disney World. She’d said she was going to paint a hundred pictures. As the plane lifted off and the city shrank beneath me, I had one single thought: Lucas. If anything happens to Lily- I will make you regret this for the rest of your life.

Wendy’s POV The flight was over fourteen hours. It felt like a century. I landed in New York in the middle of a downpour. No umbrella. No luggage. I ran out of the airport and flagged down a cab straight to the hospital. The hallway smelled like antiseptic. The cold went straight to the bone. I sprinted to the ICU and found an empty bed. A nurse was unhooking a monitor. “Where is she? Where’s Lily?” I grabbed her arm. She flinched, then looked at me. Her eyes went soft and evasive. “Miss Staley…” “Where is Lily?” I was shouting. Dr. Morris stepped out of his office. He was holding a document. He looked at me and exhaled slowly. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” Those five words fell like a hammer. “When…” I couldn’t hear my own voice. “Three hours ago.” He bowed his head. “We did everything we could. If the medication had arrived even half a day earlier, there might have been a chance. But…” But. But the man who had promised to handle everything was on the other side of the world, picking out diamonds. But the call that could have saved her life was hung up. I didn’t cry. I didn’t feel anything, actually. My body felt weightless – like one breath of wind could scatter me. “She’s in the morgue.” Dr. Morris handed me a small box. “She was holding this until the very end. Wouldn’t let go.” Inside was a cheap piece of candy in a crinkled wrapper, and a folded piece of paper. I unfolded it. Two figures in crayon. A girl with long hair holding hands with a shorter girl. A lopsided castle in the background. Underneath, in unsteady handwriting: “Wendy don’t cry. I don’t hurt anymore. Be happy, okay?” A single tear hit the paper without warning. I clutched that drawing in the middle of the hospital corridor and screamed. My Lily. My little sister. The only person in this world I had left. She was fourteen years old. She never got to grow up. She never got to see what was outside. And I killed her. My stupidity killed her. My delusions about Lucas Hartwell killed her. My phone buzzed in my pocket. Lucas Hartwell. The name blinked on the screen. How fitting. When Lily was alive, he disappeared. Now that she’s gone, he decides to call. I answered. Put the phone to my ear. “Wendy! Who do you think you are?” His voice was furious. “Stella says you stole her watch and ran back? Get back here and apologize. Now.” “Lucas.” My voice was very calm. “I took the watch. I’ll pay you back.” “Pay me back? With what? Have you lost your mind? You think I won’t cut Lily off completely-” “It doesn’t matter anymore.” I looked down at the tear-soaked drawing in my hands. A broken smile crossed my face. “She’s dead.” Silence on the other end. A few seconds passed. Then his voice came back – frustrated, dismissive. “Wendy, that’s not funny. You’re really going to stoop to this just for sympathy? I’m done with you.” Done with me. He wanted to talk about disappointment? “Believe it or don’t.” I didn’t want to give him another word. “Lucas, we’re finished. We’re even.” I hung up. Pulled out my SIM card. Held it over the trash can. Snap. It wasn’t just a SIM card I broke. It was three years of crawling, and humiliating myself, and loving someone who never saw me at all.

Wendy’s POV It only took two days to handle everything. I had Lily’s ashes scattered in the river. She had always loved water. She used to say water was free – it could go anywhere it wanted. Now she was finally free. I went back to Lucas’s house in New York – the gilded cage that had held me for three years. His scent still hung in the air. Cedar and tobacco. Something I had once found intoxicating. Now it made my stomach turn. I didn’t take a single thing he’d given me. The designer bags. The jewelry. The couture. All of it belonged to the “canary” he’d kept – none of it belonged to me. I took Lily’s things. And my sketchbooks. Before I left, I set a bank card on the coffee table. A thousand dollars I’d made selling paintings. Not even close to the value of Stella’s watch. But it was the statement I needed to make. I didn’t owe him anything. From this day forward, there was nothing between us. I had barely walked out the front door when a black car came tearing up and screeched to a stop right in front of me. Lucas got out. Dark expression, red in his eyes – he’d clearly just gotten off a plane. He saw my suitcase. Something crossed his face. Then a hard, humorless laugh. “What is this, Wendy? Running away from home?” I stepped around him and kept walking. He grabbed my wrist. Hard enough to feel like he’d snap the bone. “I’m talking to you. You steal something, you walk out, and you think that’s it? Who gave you permission?” “Let go of me.” I looked at him. “Give back the watch. Then come with me to apologize to Stella.” He was already pulling me toward the car. “If you just admit you were wrong, I can let this go. Lily’s medication-” Crack. The sound of a slap rang across the quiet street. Lucas’s head snapped to the side. He went completely still. He turned back slowly. His eyes were dark and dangerous. “You just hit me?” “Lucas. I told you. Lily is dead.” I held his gaze. Each word separate and deliberate. “Three days ago. While you were picking out that ring for Stella, she was dying in the ICU.” “When you hung up on my call for help, she was in agony.” “When you told me I was lying for attention – her body was already cold.” His pupils contracted. The color drained out of his face. “What did you say?” His voice shook. His hand fell open. “That’s not possible. Dr. Morris said she had more time.” “That was before!” I pulled free and stepped back, putting distance between us. “You killed her, Lucas. You are the reason she’s gone.” The words landed like four blades, straight to the center of him. He stumbled. White as paper. “I didn’t…Stella said you were pretending. She said…” “And you believed her?” I laughed and cried at the same time. “Of course you did. She’s your whole world. And what am I? Just a liar. A nobody.” I steadied my breath. “I never hated you for loving her. I only hate myself for loving a man who was too blind to see what was right in front of him.” I picked up my suitcase. “Don’t come near me again. When I look at you, I feel sick.” I walked away. I didn’t look back. Behind me, I heard him move. Then his voice broke open in a way I’d never heard before. “Wendy! Stop! Where are you going?” I kept walking. “I’m not letting you leave! Wendy, come back!” A cab was coming down the street. I raised my hand. Got in. In the rearview mirror, I watched the man who had always seemed so untouchable standing at the curb, abandoned and frantic, his phone pressed to his ear. He’d never reach me. The Wendy who had circled him like a satellite, quiet and desperate and small, had died in that rainy night, along with Lily. What was left was just a shell. Hollow with grief and fury. The cab merged into traffic. The city sparkled on, indifferent. I closed my eyes. One last tear slipped free. Goodbye, Lucas. Goodbye to these three wasted years.

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My husband Ethan’s new mistress is an independent career woman. One night, Ethan came home drunk and grabbed my calloused hand. “You’re both women, but Lucia just got promoted to CFO. Look at you. You’re like a housekeeper.” I ignored him and kept being a housewife. Lucia turned down eight sugar daddies and posted a manifesto online about female independence. Ethan liked it and smirked at me. “Look how independent Lucia is! And you? Stripped naked and climbed into my bed for a few thousand bucks back then.” He thought I’d take it, the way I always did. Instead, I took off my wedding ring and said calmly. “If she’s better than me in every way, why don’t you just marry her?” I paused. “I’m serious. Let’s get divorced.” When I said those words clearly, the smile on Ethan’s face froze completely. Then he laughed. That knowing laugh. “There’s one more thing you can’t compete with her on.” “Lucia has ambition. She has assets. You? You’ll depend on me for the rest of your life. You don’t even have the guts to say the word divorce.” My fingers trembled violently. I  still remember the night my father drugged me and sent me to Ethan’s bed to cover a business debt. Ethan and I were in a vague relationship back then. He’d even bought an engagement ring. But the morning I woke up, my father burst into the room, forced Ethan to “take responsibility,” and walked out satisfied with five thousand dollars in hand. That was the moment my long, passionate youth romance with Ethan died. On the day he was forced to marry me, Ethan announced to everyone that I was a gold digger. Worth exactly five thousand three hundred dollars. Later, when my mother was seriously ill, he had people bring over three safes full of coupons. “You should learn to be self-reliant. My wife isn’t supposed to be useless trash who only knows how to ask for money.” That’s when I finally understood. Everything I’d given him, sincerely, was worth nothing. My expression was unusually different. As Ethan hesitated to come forward, the doorbell suddenly rang. When Lucia appeared at the door, Ethan visibly panicked for a moment. Because he had promised me he would never bring his affairs in front of me, no matter who he was with. Clearly, Lucia was the exception. The girl held a thick stack of receipts and spoke helplessly. “Mrs. Shaw, your recent spending through the company has been excessive. Much of it is completely unnecessary.” “Mr. Shaw works so hard running this company. You should at least be considerate of him, don’t you think?” My face turned grim, my chest felt stuffed with cotton. Ever since Lucia joined the company, all my expenses had to go through her approval. The medical and nursing costs for my in-laws often went unanswered for half a month. When I went to Ethan to complain, I was only compared to her and told I wasn’t as frugal as Lucia. He said I only knew how to ask for money. But I spent almost nothing on myself. The dress I was wearing was from three years ago. Ethan flipped through the pile of receipts with obvious disgust. “Lucia’s right. Go to the company tomorrow and return the expensive items. You really don’t need such nice things.” My fingertips dug into my palms. “These receipts aren’t mine.” As soon as I spoke, Lucia assumed I was giving her attitude and ran off crying pitifully. Ethan stared in the direction the woman left, not noticing he’d knocked over the kettle, spilling water on my leg. “From now on, Lucia will be our household manager. You should learn from her!” With that, Ethan slammed the door and left. I lifted the fabric stuck to my leg. The skin was alarmingly swollen. But he couldn’t see it at all. I simply treated the wound, then called a lawyer. “Prepare divorce papers for me.”

At the hospital getting bandaged, I stared in distress at the bill for two hundred sixty-three dollars. I said apologetically, “I’ll borrow it right away.” The window clerk’s jaw dropped. Ethan’s wife could easily buy the entire hospital, yet she needed to borrow money for medical bills. I contacted old friends before paying the fee. As soon as I left the hospital, Ethan texted me. Demanding I return everything. When I brought the “valuables” I’d bought over the years to the company, the employees whispered around me. “They say money follows love. Who knew Mrs. Shaw would be so cheap?” “If she had even half of Miss Lucia’s ambition, she wouldn’t have ended up like this.” “Her first night was only worth five thousand. This pile of junk is worth more than she is.” … I forced myself to stay calm and not lose control. Lucia arrived with a group of department employees. She glanced at the bag in my hands and fanned herself in disgust. “Mrs. Shaw, you spent so much money on just these things? I don’t believe it.” The black plastic bag contained a few pieces of jewelry worth less than a thousand dollars, bought to match Ethan for banquets. The rest were clothes washed until faded and high heels with broken heels. Besides that, there were adult diapers for my in-laws and empty medicine bottles. This was what my years were worth. I handed over the house keys as well. “If you don’t believe me, you can search.” Lucia eagerly took the keys and treasured them in her bag. Then she examined the clothes I was wearing. “You bought these with Mr. Shaw’s money too, right? They’re designer brands. Mrs. Shaw, please take them off too.” Instantly, employees burst into laughter. I tried to calm my emotions. “I can’t possibly-” “If Lucia tells you to strip, strip. It’s not like you haven’t done it before.” I looked up in shock. When I realized the voice came from Ethan, all the blood in my body seemed to flow backward. In college, I’d stumbled into a nightclub where three or four drunk men threatened me with knives to strip or they wouldn’t let me go. I’d only exposed half my shoulder when Ethan arrived with a bottle, smashing them blind on the spot. “Look at her one more time and you won’t see tomorrow’s sunrise!” Now, he was telling me to strip in front of all the employees. I laughed with my eyes closed, then bit my teeth and removed my scarf. Then I unbuttoned my shirt. My bra was faintly visible underneath. Everyone gasped. But my movements didn’t stop. Until only one piece remained on my body. “Enough!” Ethan frowned with a complex expression and roughly threw his jacket over. “If you’re not ashamed, I am!” Ignoring the mocking gazes around me, I handed over the divorce papers I’d prepared. “I’ve returned everything I should. Let’s get divorced.” Ethan’s form froze, then he signed his name with a grand flourish. “Don’t think this trick will scare me. I’m giving you three days-I’ll wait for you to crawl back begging me!” Leaving those words, the man turned and went back to his office, slamming the door shut. Lucia used the tip of her heel to hook all the clothes I’d taken off and flick them into the trash. I grabbed the agreement papers, half-naked, and walked into the elevator under a hallway full of stares. As I left the building, my mother called, her voice shaking. “Aurora! Ethan auctioned off my only house!”

Immediately after, my mother’s crying stopped abruptly, as if struck by something heavy. When I rushed over, my mother was already pinned under a solid wood cabinet, barely alive. “Aurora, don’t beg him anymore.” Tears covered my numb face. I held the gold bracelet Ethan gave me on our wedding day and begged them to stop. The bracelet was ruthlessly knocked away. “You think we’re fools? This is gold-plated junk! You think I collect scrap metal?” My brain buzzed. The crisp sound of the bracelet hitting the ground struck my heart. So in Ethan’s heart, I was only worth gold-plated metal. After sending my mother to the emergency room, I called Ethan in despair. “What right do you have to touch my mother’s ancestral home? Your people put her in the hospital!” Ethan’s leisurely tone carried self-righteousness. “Who told your mother to slander Lucia online as a mistress? Lucia works so hard for the company-why should someone who sold her daughter slander her?” “Besides, you’re cursing your own mother to scare me. I’m not buying it.” “If you really want the ancestral home back, come get it at the auction yourself.” With that, he hung up. The doctor came over to notify me. “Due to massive pressure on her internal organs, the elderly woman just passed away.” I collapsed powerlessly to the floor. I had no more tears to cry. When I arrived at the auction, Lucia was dripping in gold and jewelry, holding Ethan’s arm like the legitimate Mrs. Shaw. Any random gemstone necklace would have been enough to cover my mother’s surgery costs. Disdainful gazes fell on me. “She’s actually Mrs. Shaw? I never expected her to be so shabby!” “Those hands are rougher than my housekeeper’s. If you didn’t know better, you’d think a housekeeper wandered in by mistake.” “Mr. Shaw obviously knows she’s too embarrassing, so he brought Miss Lucia to the auction instead. He just bought Miss Lucia three million dollars’ worth of jewelry!” … These mockeries meant nothing compared to my mother’s only remaining possession. I found Ethan in a daze and said numbly. “My mother died. Give me back the ancestral home.” The man slowly extinguished his cigarette, his face full of disgust. “You really do talk nonsense.” “Too bad I can’t return it, because Lucia just sold it to a homeless man.” I looked up in shock. He knew my mother had protected that ancestral home with her life to prevent my father from selling it. Lucia walked over with a magnanimous expression. “The homeless man at the entrance was so pitiful. I was just doing charity in Mrs. Shaw’s name. Otherwise…” Then she leaned close to my ear and whispered. “Otherwise your mother wouldn’t have been crushed to death.” The woman’s hideous face kept magnifying before my eyes. I suddenly remembered the earring I’d found at the house earlier-it was the one missing from her ear! In an instant, rage completely burned away my rationality. I gritted my teeth and swung my hand, slapping her down the stairs.

As Lucia screamed and tumbled down, everyone gasped. “Aurora Lambert, are you a shrew?!” Ethan quickened his pace down the stairs to help the woman up, his gaze ice-cold. Lucia collapsed weakly in the man’s arms, coughing continuously. “I don’t know how I offended Mrs. Shaw. Usually when Mrs. Shaw scolds me, I never tell anyone, but at least don’t embarrass Mr. Shaw, sob sob sob…” As she spoke, she inadvertently revealed bruises on her arms and thighs, looking pitiful. Onlookers cast strange glances. Ethan stood up and suddenly slapped me, his eyes nearly splitting with rage. “Where are the manners the Shaw family taught you? Get down there and apologize now!” My eyes turned blood red. “Impossible! She killed my mother. Are you blind?!” Ethan acted as if he hadn’t heard me and called the demolition crew in front of me. Gritting his teeth hard, he threatened, “Apologize!” I shook my head in horror, imagining the ancestral home reduced to rubble. “No, don’t!” Under Ethan’s threatening gaze, I staggered up and walked before Lucia. “I’m sorry!” The woman smugly assumed a victor’s posture. Ethan put his arm around her waist and looked down at me. “Here’s five dollars. Go get the deed from the homeless man.” After saying this, Ethan carefully carried the woman to the medical office. I picked up the crumpled five-dollar bill in disgrace. The guests laughed uproariously. “She climbed into bed for five thousand back then, and now she’s looking for a homeless man for five dollars. How cheap.” I staggered to my feet, listening to these insults. Ethan, I no longer care about the fake love you gave me. Just as I turned to leave, a message appeared on Lucia’s deliberately dropped phone. “Received. We’ll begin demolition immediately!” My heart sank sharply. I pushed everyone aside recklessly and rushed out of the auction. Ethan looked deeply at my retreating back, about to call out when Lucia interrupted him. “My ankle hurts so much.” The man withdrew his gaze and quickened his pace into the medical office. When I reached the ancestral home, workers were pushing down the surrounding walls with excavators. “Stop! I’m telling you to stop!” The rumbling machinery completely drowned out my pleas. Just then, a pair of greasy, filthy hands grabbed me and threw me aside. “This is the house I paid for. Who told you to demolish it? Give me back my money!” The homeless man threw rocks at my head crazily, each one heavier than the last. My screams faded as blood covered my eyes. One last blow, and I collapsed to the ground, spent. Ethan turned down Lucia’s dinner invitation and drove to the family estate instead. As he stepped out of the car, a homeless man nearby was fiddling with a blood-stained five-dollar bill, muttering to himself. “That woman? Tough as nails. Maybe she’ll give me a fat son!” Ethan froze mid-step. He grabbed the man by the collar, his eyes wild. “Who the hell are you talking about?!”

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It had been a week since I last submitted a reimbursement request, and Adrian Hunt finally noticed. He tossed a black card at me with a look of contempt. “I’ve already covered your father’s dialysis. Stop bothering me with this petty crap.” “I know your bottomless pit isn’t easy to fill, but you don’t have to be so desperate about it.” What he didn’t know was that by the time I caught that card, I’d already signed my organ donor papers and the divorce agreement. As I walked out the door, I was still wearing the same faded, pilled hoodie he’d tossed me five years ago. No one would believe that Mrs. Hunt, wife of the man who controlled half the entertainment industry, had to photograph receipts for five-dollar packs of pads and send them to his secretary for approval. All because he was convinced that someone like me, a gold digger in his eyes, would turn rotten the second she had cash in hand. But a week ago, when my father went into kidney failure and needed an emergency transfusion, I knelt and begged him for thirty thousand dollars. His secretary deliberately canceled my transfer request, smiling as she said she wanted to help me break my “insatiable” habits. Adrian never knew I swallowed that humiliation just to keep my father alive in his private hospital. Now that my father had been unplugged for non-payment and his ashes scattered, there was no reason for me to stay and play his obedient dog.

My phone vibrated. Adrian’s message popped up on the screen, dripping with condescending charity. “I’ve resumed your father’s treatment. From now on, behave yourself. And stop lying to squeeze more money out of me.” “I know it’s not easy coming from the gutter, but my money isn’t that easy to scam.” I stared at those two lines with a strange kind of calm. I typed back one word. “Okay.” I set down my phone and signed the divorce papers in front of me. Adrian probably thought I hadn’t asked him to reimburse any expenses for three days because I was throwing a tantrum. What he’d call giving him the “silent treatment.” After all, for the past three years, I’d lived like a dog for Dad’s medical bills. I had no income whatsoever. Adrian wouldn’t let me work. Said it was embarrassing for his wife to be seen in public. But he never gave me money for the house either. Every cent I spent had to be approved through the company. Groceries? Approval. Sanitary pads? Approval. Even subway fare, a couple of dollars, had to come with a receipt uploaded. The one approving it all was his personal secretary, Victoria Snow. That woman who’d been by his side since college. Three days ago, the hospital issued a critical condition notice. Dad had a sudden brain hemorrhage and needed immediate surgery. Two hundred thousand dollars. For Adrian, that was barely the cost of a bottle of wine. I called him frantically. After a dozen tries, someone finally answered. But it was Victoria who picked up. “Clara, Adrian’s in a meeting. What’s so urgent?” I couldn’t care about anything else. I begged her through tears. “Victoria, let me talk to Adrian. My dad’s dying, I need two hundred thousand for surgery!” Victoria laughed lightly. “Clara, you know the company rules.” “Two hundred thousand isn’t a small amount. You need to go through the approval process.” “Adrian hates people who don’t follow rules. If you ask for money directly like this, he’ll be angry.” “Hurry and submit an approval request in the system. I’ll approve it as soon as I see it.” The call ended. My hands shook so badly I could barely hold my phone as I filled out the form in that goddamn approval system. Reason: Dad’s surgery fees. Amount: $200,000. Attachment: Critical condition notice. Submit. I stared at the screen. One second, two seconds. Ten minutes later, my phone rang. Not a transfer confirmation. A rejection notice from the approval system. Rejected by: Victoria Snow. Rejection reason: Attachment format unclear. Please rescan and reupload. Every drop of blood in my body turned to ice.

I took new photos. My hands were shaking, making the pictures slightly blurry. I took another one. Every second was a matter of life and death. I submitted again. Five minutes later, rejected. Rejection reason: Requested amount too large, requires detailed expense breakdown, accurate to individual medication prices. I was going insane. The surgery hadn’t even happened yet, the doctor was still in emergency treatment-where was I supposed to get an itemized breakdown accurate to individual prices? I messaged Victoria on SnapChat. “Please, approve it first. This is life-saving money!” “I’ll provide the details later. Victoria, this is a human life!” Victoria sent back a cute emoji. “Clara, it’s not that I won’t help you.” “That’s just how the finance system works. It’s difficult for me too.” “You’ve always been too careless. You can’t bring those bad habits from poverty into a wealthy family.” “Adrian said he needs to teach you discipline.” I knelt outside the operating room, phone in hand. Like a mangy dog with its spine torn out. I sent Adrian texts, voice messages. “Adrian, I’m begging you.” “As long as you give me the money, I’ll listen to whatever you say from now on.” “I won’t make trouble anymore. I won’t be jealous of Victoria anymore. Please, please save my dad.” Half an hour later. Adrian finally sent back a voice message. The background was noisy, his voice carrying the irritation of someone slightly drunk. “Do what Victoria says.” “Stop bothering me.” At that moment, the operating room light went out. The doctor emerged, removed his mask, and shook his head regretfully. “I’m sorry. If the payment had come through just ten minutes earlier so we could have administered the medication…” I didn’t hear the rest. I only felt the world suddenly go quiet. That old man who’d raised me through hardship, who picked through trash to pay for my education- He’d died in this prosperous city because of an approval form with “incorrect formatting.” As his body gradually grew cold, so did my love for Adrian. For three days, I handled the aftermath. Cremation, burial. I didn’t tell Adrian. Because there was no point. Wasn’t he afraid I’d scam him for money? From now on, I wouldn’t ask him for a single cent. I looked at the “charity text” Adrian had just sent. A smile curved my lips. He thought I was playing games to get his attention again. Little did he know-this was the last bit of dignity I was giving him. A red dot suddenly appeared on my social media. Victoria had posted something. The photo showed high-end Japanese cuisine and a man’s hand wearing a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist-the same one I’d once wanted to give Adrian. Caption: “Thanks to my boss for bringing me to such a nice restaurant. Some people only know how to beg for money. So annoying.” I liked the post. This was the first time I’d ever liked one of Victoria’s posts. The next second, Adrian’s call came through. He’d probably seen my like and thought I was being passive-aggressive. I didn’t answer. He sent a message instead. “Clara, who are you being sarcastic for?” “Don’t make people misunderstand Victoria. She’s just doing her job.” “Delete that like immediately, or I’ll cancel your card.” Doing her job? Doing her job murdering people? I laughed. I opened that post and left a comment below it. “Miss Snow climbed to the top by withholding life-saving money from the boss’s wife. What a windfall. Hope you two are locked together forever-bitch and dog, happily ever after.” Post. Block. Turn off phone. The world went quiet.

I started packing. Actually, there wasn’t much to pack. I’d lived in this so-called home for three years. The things that belonged to me were pitifully few. The walk-in closet was huge. The left side was full of Adrian’s custom-tailored suits. The right side had several locked cabinets-for jewelry and designer bags. Victoria held both the keys and fingerprint access. Every time I attended a party, I had to ask Victoria’s permission like I was borrowing props. After using them, I had to return them. Once, I accidentally got the hem of a dress dirty. Victoria made me write a three-thousand-word self-criticism in front of the servants. She also docked next month’s “living expenses.” Adrian just watched from the side and said coolly, “Victoria’s trying to teach you a lesson. These things are expensive. You couldn’t afford to replace them.” Right. I couldn’t afford it. I was an orphan. A “nobody” in their eyes. I opened my little corner. Inside hung a few pilled sweaters. Several faded jeans. The only decent thing was the white T-shirt I’d worn when I married into this family three years ago. Back then, I wasn’t yet married to Adrian. I was Northwestern University’s youngest physics graduate student, a promising genius. Adrian said he liked that cool, aloof quality about me. He said, “Clara, marry me. I’ll give you a home.” I believed him. I gave up my chance to study abroad, ignored my mentor’s pleas to stay. I became a housewife, turned myself into a joke in this gilded cage. I took off the “cheap” hoodie Adrian despised. I put on that yellowed white T-shirt. The jeans were a bit loose now. Over these three years, I’d lost a full twenty pounds. I pulled out a worn suitcase. I packed a few books, some photos, and Dad’s urn. Nothing else. Everything in this mansion had nothing to do with me. I walked down the stairs. The housekeeper Emma was polishing a vase. Seeing me with my suitcase, she rolled her eyes. “Mrs. Hunt, running away from home again?” “Mr. Hunt said if you walk out that door this time, don’t expect to come back.” “Also, Mr. Hunt wants soup for dinner. Don’t forget to make it.” In this house, even the servants looked down on me. Because they knew I didn’t even have the authority to pay their wages. In fact, my “allowance” was less than their salaries. I stopped and looked at Emma. “Make the soup yourself. Or have Victoria make it.” Emma froze, apparently never having seen me this defiant. “What’s that attitude? Believe me, I’ll tell Mr. Hunt…” “Go ahead.” I pulled my suitcase and walked out the villa’s front door without looking back. The sunlight was blinding. I raised my hand to shield my eyes. Three years. I’d finally walked out of this tomb.

Adrian came back faster than I’d expected. Probably saw my comment and was furious. Not to comfort me. To seek justice for his precious darling. I couldn’t get a cab at the villa complex entrance. A black Maybach screeched to a halt in front of me with an ear-piercing brake sound. The door opened. Adrian stepped out, his face frozen with anger. Victoria followed behind him, her eyes red-rimmed, looking like she’d suffered a terrible injustice. “Clara, what the hell is wrong with you?” Adrian grabbed my wrist. “Apologize to Victoria immediately!” “What nonsense are you spouting on social media? What good does ruining someone’s reputation do you?” I looked at that face that once made my heart flutter. Now I only felt disgusted. “Nonsense?” I shook off his hand and looked coldly at Victoria. “Am I talking nonsense? Doesn’t Miss Snow know the truth?” “Three days ago, my dad was on the operating table waiting for money to save his life.” “Miss Snow rejected my application because the format was wrong and the amount was too large.” “Does Mr. Hunt know about this?” Adrian froze for a moment. He clearly didn’t know the details. He only knew I wanted money and Victoria said it didn’t comply with regulations. He instinctively looked at Victoria. Victoria’s body trembled, tears instantly streaming down. “Adrian… I didn’t…” “I was just following company finance procedures.” “And… and Clara’s tone was very aggressive at the time. I didn’t realize it was life-saving money…” “Besides, I had finance prepare it later. Clara just didn’t submit again.” What a sharp tongue. What a convenient excuse. “Didn’t submit again.” The person was already dead. Should I have submitted it for the King of Hell to review? After listening, Adrian’s frown deepened. He turned to look at me, his eyes full of disappointment. “Clara, you’ve really let me down.” “Victoria was just doing her job. Do you have to be so vicious?” “Doesn’t your dad have chronic conditions? How could it be that serious?” “Over this little money, you slander Victoria online. Where’s your upbringing?” Upbringing? Lecture a murderer about upbringing? I laughed bitterly. “Adrian, you’re hopelessly blind.” “Since you trust her so much, we have nothing more to say.” “The divorce papers are on the study desk. Sign them.” I grabbed my suitcase to leave. Adrian, enraged by my attitude, snatched my suitcase and slammed it to the ground. The case was already old. The zipper burst open. Contents scattered everywhere. A few worn clothes. Some books. And a black wooden box. The urn rolled once, twice, then stopped at Adrian’s feet. Adrian froze. He stared at the box, his pupils contracting sharply. “What is this?” I bent down and carefully picked up the urn, brushing off the dust. “This is my dad. Adrian. Are you satisfied now?”

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I was arranged to marry into the billionaire Foster family, and my father’s illegitimate daughter, Serena, was insanely jealous. The day before the wedding, she drugged me and took my place as the bride who married into wealth. When I woke up and made a fuss, I managed to drive Serena away. I got my wish and married into the Foster family, but a year later, my husband threw me to a group of homeless men. His eyes were vicious, his voice cold as ice. “If I didn’t still need your family’s investment, humiliating Serena alone would warrant your death ten thousand times over. Now that your family is bankrupt, you’re worth less than a dog.” Serena stood beside him, laughing softly. “You humiliated me back then, so now atone for your sins in that beggar’s den. I’ll take good care of your position as Mrs. Foster.” I couldn’t bear the humiliation and killed myself. When I opened my eyes again, I’d returned to my wedding day. I crawled out of bed and waited an hour before supporting my throbbing head and opening the door. My mother was just walking back with a servant’s support. The tears of reluctance in the corners of her eyes hadn’t dried yet when she looked up and saw me standing at the top of the stairs. She froze in place, stunned. My father frowned and was the first to react. “Miranda, what are you doing here?” He pointed toward the door in shock. “Then who just got into the Foster family’s wedding car?” I clutched my chest with a frightened expression. “What? Someone already took my place in the wedding car? Last night my sister said she couldn’t bear to part with me before I got married, so she lit some calming incense for me. I took a few breaths and slept until now.” The once lively scene instantly fell silent. Everyone exchanged glances with varied expressions. My mother staggered back several steps in anger, nearly fainting. She immediately ordered the servants to catch Mrs. Wilson, who was trying to escape through the crowd. “Well, well! I was wondering why she clung to the bride’s hand during the send-off, crying harder than me, her actual mother. I thought you were some kind of saint, but turns out you birthed this little bastard.” Mrs. Wilson knelt on the ground, her eyes darting around. She stammered, “Madam, I don’t understand what you’re saying. Miranda overslept and delayed the time. How can you blame my Serena for this?” As soon as she finished speaking, the butler rushed over. “The Chase family’s wedding car is already waiting at the door.” My mother’s face turned cold. “Where is Serena? Bring her here immediately.” I lowered my head to hide the cold smile in my eyes. Where else could she be? Obviously in Dominic Foster’s bed. When the marriage was arranged, Dominic Foster insisted on a traditional wedding, saying he wanted to honor family customs. He even hired an authority on tradition to personally supervise the ceremony. The bride wore a veil the entire time. By now, they’d probably already completed the ceremony and entered the bridal suite. Seeing the triumphant look Mrs. Wilson couldn’t quite hide at the corner of her mouth, I became even more certain. This mother-daughter pair really knew how to scheme. Years ago, Mrs. Wilson was our family’s nanny. She drugged my father, climbed into his bed, and gave birth to Serena, enjoying the wealthy lifestyle. Now Serena had drugged me, stolen my identity, and taken my place marrying into wealth. The rice was already cooked. She left me only one option: to pick up the marriage arrangement she didn’t want and marry into the Chase family instead. The Chase family was a newly rising commercial power in recent years. They didn’t have the deep foundations of old money families, but they were aggressive, with involvement in all sorts of emerging industry projects. Unfortunately, the person in charge was disabled. My father had sharp business instincts, which was why he’d arranged Serena’s marriage to the Chase family. If the Chase family succeeded, Serena could rise with the tide and become a wealthy lady living in luxury. If they didn’t succeed, with the Sutton family as a strong backer, she wouldn’t suffer any grievances either. But she didn’t understand our father’s good intentions. She pulled a switcheroo and forced her most despised marriage arrangement onto me. If I agreed, tonight the news that the Sutton family’s legitimate daughter married a disabled man would spread throughout the entire social circle. The entire Sutton family would become the laughingstock of high society. In my previous life, she used this exact move to keep me trampled beneath her feet forever. But with my parents backing me up, I made a scene at the wedding. The Foster family still needed the Sutton family’s help, so they forcibly threw Serena out of the bridal suite. I got my wish and became Mrs. Foster, and Dominic Foster treated me like a precious treasure. Back then, I didn’t know that this man who seemed to give me his whole heart had already gotten Serena pregnant, working together from inside and out. Just waiting for the right moment to completely destroy the Sutton family. The servants’ shocked cries interrupted my thoughts. “Madam, Serena isn’t in her room. Her wedding dress and veil are still here, but she took all the dowry with her.” “Also, I found some things in Serena’s room…” My father picked them up and looked. They were photos of Serena and Dominic Foster together. His face turned iron with rage. He threw the photos hard at Mrs. Wilson’s face. “This is the good daughter you raised! She’s disgraced the entire Sutton family!”

The butler looked worried. “Sir, the Chase family people are urging us outside. What should we do?” My father’s face was stern as he pounded the table heavily. “Contact the Foster family immediately. Quietly bind that bastard and send her to the Chase family. The Sutton family’s marriage arrangements aren’t for some illegitimate daughter to decide!” I pulled on my father’s sleeve and pinched my thigh hard. Tears fell like rain. “Dad, forget it. Serena and Dominic are in love. They’ve already slept together and set up this scheme to embarrass the Sutton family at the wedding. I won’t marry a man like that. Let Serena have him.” I wiped my eyes. “The Chase family has worked with us extensively. Business is built on trust. I don’t want you to break your word. Your daughter is willing to marry into the Chase family.” My father looked at me with shock and emotion. “Miranda, you’re the Sutton family’s legitimate daughter. Looking across the entire social circle, only the Foster family could barely be worthy of you. Marrying into the Chase family would really wrong you, and besides, that Adrian Chase is…” He swallowed the rest of his words, looking at me with heartache. But I smiled and continued for him. “Dad, the Chase family’s Forbes ranking last year was only ten spots behind the Foster family. The Foster family has been around for how many years compared to the Chase family? Adrian Chase may be disabled, but he’s a business genius. With me there in the future and the Sutton family’s support, the Chase family’s prospects are still unknown.” One who stole her sister’s marriage out of greed, and one who stayed calm in crisis and was willing to marry down to preserve the family’s reputation. Mud versus clouds. The difference was clear at a glance. Many people present looked at me with satisfaction, felt even more sympathy for my situation, and were more disgusted by Serena’s behavior. My mother’s heart broke. She held me tightly in her arms. My father ground his teeth in anger. “Even so, my daughter isn’t someone the Foster family can bully at will. Miranda, rest assured, the Foster family wronged you in this matter. You’re right not to marry Dominic Foster. No matter what, I’ll get justice for you.” When we arrived at the Foster residence, the newlyweds had already entered the bridal suite, but the reception was still in full swing. Everyone was dumbfounded when they saw us storm in with such momentum. “Isn’t that Miranda Sutton from the Sutton family? She’s today’s bride. How can she be here?” “That’s not right. The bride was sent to the bridal suite half an hour ago. If it’s not her, then who could the bride be?” My mother laughed coldly. “Apologies for the spectacle, everyone. That bride was also a Sutton family daughter, but she’s a lowly illegitimate daughter who stole her sister’s marriage.” The scene erupted in shock and astonishment. Dominic Foster rushed in from outside, his face livid as he interrupted. “Miranda, stop making a scene. How can you blame Serena for this? You two have similar builds and identical veils. If anyone’s to blame, blame yourself for oversleeping and missing the time. That’s why I picked up the wrong person.” “I just got drunk and mistook Serena for you and slept with her. As a man, I must take responsibility for Serena.” “You brought people here to make trouble because you want to switch back, right? I know you love me deeply and can’t live without me. How about this: I’ll get my marriage certificate with Serena, but I’ll only choose my heir from children you bear for me. You won’t have a title, but the entire Foster family will belong to our children. This way it won’t affect our families’ cooperation either.”

When someone is speechless to the extreme, they really will laugh. Getting a marriage certificate with an illegitimate daughter while stepping on me. And he still wants me to be his mistress and my son to be a bastard? His precarious, declining Foster family would have crumbled long ago if not for the childhood engagement arranged by the older generation and the Sutton family’s support. And he still has the audacity to want the blessing of two women serving one husband while monopolizing the Sutton family’s resources? My father was so angry he laughed instead. “The Foster family really has some nerve. After a few good years, you’ve forgotten what it felt like to be on the verge of bankruptcy? If that’s the case, I don’t mind helping you remember.” Old Mrs. Foster finally snapped out of it and hurried forward. “What on earth is going on?” My mother pulled out that stack of photos from her bag and threw them on the table. “What do you think, Mrs. Foster? If your precious son likes illegitimate daughters so much, why put on this show to humiliate my daughter? We won’t have such shameless daughters in the Sutton family. My husband will cancel all cooperation between our families when he returns. The Foster and Sutton families should cut all ties from now on.” If the Sutton family withdrew their investment, the Foster family would be left with nothing but an empty shell and debts. Old Mrs. Foster clutched her chest, her face instantly pale as she questioned Dominic repeatedly. “Tell me, what have you done?” Before Dominic could speak, Serena ran out wearing a bright red robe. She fell to her knees in front of me with a thud, crying pitifully. “Miranda, it’s all my fault. I couldn’t control my feelings and made such a foolish mistake. But Dominic and I are already together now. If you keep making a scene, you’ll embarrass the Sutton family. Even if you won’t consider me, don’t you care about the Sutton family’s reputation?” She called her own despicable shamelessness “uncontrollable feelings” and called my seeking justice “not caring about family reputation.” She really was shameless to the extreme. I laughed coldly. “You mean you drugged me, stole my marriage, and entered my bridal suite, and just by asking about it, I’m embarrassing the Sutton family?” I deliberately raised my voice, exposing all her ugly deeds. “If you really liked Dominic, why didn’t you tell me earlier? I don’t have to marry him. Why wait until our families’ wedding day to pull this lowly stunt? Who’s really trampling the Sutton family’s reputation underfoot? Or do you not care about the Sutton family at all and just want to steal what’s mine?” Serena’s face went pale, her eyes evasive. “I… I didn’t. I truly love Dominic.” All the guests at the reception were shrewd people. Her sordid thoughts were crystal clear to everyone. “Using every vile method and still calling it true love. An illegitimate daughter who doesn’t even see if she’s worthy.” “If this were my daughter, I’d drag her home and beat her to death. Stealing her sister’s husband—such a disgusting thing to do. Who knows what else she might do to destroy the whole family later.” Some people even turned their criticism directly on Dominic. “Dominic’s greed is really ugly too. Already slept with the shameless illegitimate daughter but still has the audacity to try to make the legitimate daughter his mistress. Isn’t it just because he can’t let go of the resources behind the legitimate daughter? Wanting both—treating the legitimate daughter and the Sutton family like fools. I’m too disgusted to even say those words out loud.” Old Mrs. Foster was thoroughly humiliated, trembling all over with rage. She slapped Dominic hard across the face. “You unfilial son! Kneel down right now and apologize to your father and mother-in-law, and promise to get your marriage certificate with Miranda immediately.” She took a few steps toward me, trying to hold my hand, but I deftly avoided her. Her face stiffened for a moment before filling with flattery again. “Miranda, you’ve been wronged. Whatever you want, Dominic will agree to it. Rest assured, this kind of thing will never happen again.” Dominic covered his face, his resentful eyes boring into me viciously, as if I were the one who’d ruined his good thing. He didn’t feel at all that I was the biggest victim in today’s events. “Mom, I only love Serena in this lifetime. I’ll only marry her. Miranda Sutton is arrogant and domineering, just a useless woman who bullies people relying on the Sutton family. If I marry her, she’ll drag down the entire Foster family. The position of Mrs. Foster can only belong to Serena.” “If she’s sensible, for Mr. Sutton’s sake, I’ll give her a child. But I’ll take the child to be raised by Serena. If she’s not sensible, just wait to be despised and scorned by everyone in the city. Let’s see who dares to take in a woman rejected by the Foster family!”

I watched this man coldly—someone I’d treated wholeheartedly for years. After old Mr. Foster passed away, the mediocre Dominic took over the Foster family. In just half a year, he’d offended investors and ruined the core project. Under the influence of his fair-weather friends, he’d also taken over several garbage projects. Within days, the Foster family collapsed. Accumulated debts reached hundreds of billions. Investors fled one after another. Even selling off the Foster family’s ancestral assets built up over centuries wasn’t enough to fill the hole. Some people kicked them while they were down, demanding Dominic crawl between their legs—a few tens of thousands for each crawl. It was me who, remembering our years together, helped him and encouraged him. I even convinced my father to support him. Back then, he knelt before my father, crying and swearing that if he ever betrayed me in this lifetime, he’d be struck by lightning and die a horrible death. In just two years, once he’d regained his footing in the social circle, he’d forgotten his vows. And he had the audacity to say that making me his mistress was doing me a favor. Everyone present looked at Dominic like he was insane. Unable to understand where a man who could only stand firm in business circles thanks to his fiancée got the nerve to be so provocative. To be honest, the current Foster family really belonged to the Sutton family in all but name. But Dominic didn’t care. Seeing my silence, he was certain I was heartbroken and couldn’t let him go. He pulled Serena closer by the waist, becoming even more arrogant. “Miranda Sutton, if you kneel down and apologize to Serena now, I’ll agree to let you follow me.” “If you serve me well, I’ll consider letting you move into the Foster residence. It’s not impossible for you to see the child either.” I stared at his smug face and smiled. Let Serena have this fool who couldn’t see the situation clearly. At least he’d be blocking disaster for me. My father beside me couldn’t hold back. He was so angry he laughed. “The Foster family really has stood back up, speaking with such an arrogant tone. It seems the Sutton family really can’t reach that high. As for you—” My father pointed at Serena. “The Sutton family has no daughter who steals her sister’s marriage and throws away the family’s dignity. When I get home today, I’ll remove you from the family registry and sign a severance agreement. From now on, whether you live or die has nothing to do with the Sutton family.” Serena’s eyes reddened, crying sadly. “Dad, I’m also your biological daughter. Why are you so cruel to me?” “I just tried to be with the person I love. What did I do wrong? If Dominic doesn’t like Miranda, it’s because she’s incompetent. Why should all the good things go to Miranda!” My father laughed coldly. “Fine. I’ll fulfill your wishes. Everyone present is a witness. From now on, you’re not part of the Sutton family. Take care of yourself.” “Someone, go retrieve all of Miranda’s dowry!” “Fifty chests of cash, fifteen loads of jewelry, three Porsches, a 20% equity agreement, property deeds for five Bay Garden villas—bring everything back to the Sutton family without missing a single item.” Everyone gasped when they heard about my dowry, all looking at Dominic like he was an idiot. Serena screamed on the spot. “No! This is all my dowry!” My mother slapped her across the face. “Stole Miranda’s marriage and still want to steal the dowry? Dream on. These were all prepared by the Sutton family for Miranda. What are you? If you want a dowry, go ask Mrs. Wilson for it.” The bodyguards were about to leave with the dowry when Dominic blocked their way. “Wait. If you dare take the dowry away, half the Sutton family will be mine by tomorrow.” He looked at my father. “When our two families signed the prenuptial agreement, it only said ‘Sutton family daughter’ without naming anyone specifically. I followed the contract obediently, promising to treat the Sutton family daughter well for life. Serena hasn’t suffered any grievances. What you’re doing is breaking the contract.” He pulled out the prenuptial agreement signed just a week ago. The lawyer read the terms aloud to everyone present. “If Party B, Dominic Foster, is unfaithful to the Sutton family daughter, he leaves with nothing. Conversely, if the Sutton family withdraws the dowry, it’s considered a breach of contract, and Party A must compensate Party B with 20% of the shares.” The entire room fell deathly silent. “Impossible! How could I have signed such an agreement!” My father’s face turned pale instantly. He snatched the contract. The lawyer pointed to a line of small print at the very end. Dominic smiled and gestured with his chin. On the big screen, footage of my father personally signing appeared. “Mr. Sutton, you’re someone whose every move shakes the city’s business circles. You wouldn’t play dumb and pretend not to remember, would you? But pretending won’t help. This contract is stamped with your private seal. It has legal force. If you’re not afraid of embarrassment in court, go ahead and take it.” My father was so angry he clutched his chest, gasping violently, nearly passing out. My mother’s eyes were bloodshot. She wanted to get justice for me but was forced into speechlessness. Serena twisted her waist and nestled into Dominic’s embrace, smiling radiantly. “Miranda, it’s fine if I can’t be a Sutton family daughter. If you’re willing to kowtow and apologize to me now, maybe if I’m in a good mood, I’ll put in a good word for you with Dominic and abstain at the shareholders’ meeting. Otherwise, Dad will lose his chairman position, and those old foxes in the company devour people without leaving bones.” “I’ll accept this dowry graciously. Bring it all inside.” The Foster family servants roughly shoved past me. All the dowry was about to be carried back inside. My mother tried to stop them in desperation but was pushed to the ground by the Foster family people acting like lackeys. Serena raised an eyebrow. “Madam, this is Foster family private business. If you insist on getting involved and get bumped or bruised, you can only blame yourself.” I helped my mother up, watching the pair of dogs coldly. Dominic curled his lips with a condescending expression. “Without this dowry, you won’t even be qualified to buy yourself a husband. For the sake of how you used to chase after me pathetically, come to the Foster family and serve as Serena’s servant for three years. I’ll consider giving you a son to rely on.” Seeing me ignore him, Dominic roughly grabbed my shoulder and shoved me in front of Serena, then kicked my knee. Just as he was about to use brute force to make me kowtow— The tightly closed conference hall doors were violently pushed open. “Someone reported that the Foster family illegally seized massive private assets from the Sutton family. Who is Dominic Foster?”

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When my company went public, I received $60 million in shares and achieved financial freedom. I went home and joked with my parents that I’d been laid off and was planning to move back home to live with them. That same day, they transferred all their properties to my brother. They said they’d be living with him and told me to go rent my own place. My girlfriend also came over to break up with me. I smiled and readily agreed to everything. And kept the $60 million a secret. “Mom, Dad, I came home suddenly because I got laid off. How about you support me for a while?” I watched as my parents froze. I was about to smile and say, “I’m just kidding! Did I scare you?” But then I saw Dad tug Mom’s sleeve. The two of them forced stiff smiles at me: “It’s fine. Take a rest, nothing to worry about.” “Son, why don’t you go rest in your room? Your mom and I need to go out and take care of something.” Then they rushed back to their bedroom. Worried they might actually believe me and start stressing, I was about to knock and explain. But then I heard Dad speaking in the bedroom: “Vincent has no job now and is just lying around at home. What if he’s planning to live off us?! That won’t do! Honey, before he finds out how much we actually have, let’s quickly transfer all our money and properties to Oliver! Better to keep it away from him!” Mom’s voice sounded hesitant: “All the properties? But… there’s one house that’s technically in our name, but Vincent paid for it as our wedding home. If we just do this… is that okay…?” Dad said urgently: “If it’s in our name, it’s ours! He’s got a decent job in the city, and he’s the older brother—what’s wrong with him thinking about his younger brother? As for a wedding home, he can work hard and buy one himself.” “Well, I’m just worried Vincent will think we’re playing favorites.” “Playing favorites? We’re his parents! We raised him! Plus, he just lost his job, didn’t he? Giving everything to Oliver is actually helping him save it. Otherwise, what if he gets lazy, stops working, and wastes it all?!” Mom thought for a moment, then finally nodded: “Alright, then I’ll tell Oliver too, so he doesn’t say anything stupid.” Leaning against the door, I let out a bitter laugh and returned to my room.

I knew that my parents had always favored Oliver. Because I was raised by Grandpa, while Oliver grew up with my parents. Since childhood, they’d told me: “You’re the older brother. You have to give way to your little brother.” “We work very hard to earn money. We had to leave you in our hometown because we had no choice.” “Your school registration is there now. Transferring you wouldn’t be good for your studies. Just stay there—we still have to take care of your brother.” I understood how hard it was for my parents. So after freshman year of college, I never took another cent from them. I even worked part-time to pay my brother’s tuition. After graduation, I worked hard for nearly eight years. I finally saved enough to buy a two-bedroom apartment in my hometown as a wedding home for my girlfriend and me. But my brother said not to waste my first-time homebuyer qualification—what if I had a chance to buy in the capital later? So he suggested putting it in my parents’ names. Since they were family, I thought it didn’t matter, so I agreed. Never did I imagine they’d been scheming against me even back then. I came home this time because I wanted to surprise them. The company I’d invested in went public, and I received over $60 million in shares. Plus, I’d get annual dividends going forward. I was financially free. I’d been planning to come home and discuss buying a villa with my parents, getting my brother a few retail shops, buying him a car, leaving them each a few million for retirement so life would be easier, and then all of us taking a family trip together. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? So originally, I just wanted to make a joke. First scare them by saying I’d live off them, then tell them our family had struck it rich! I never expected I’d be the one shocked instead. But even though hearing my parents say those things caught me completely off guard, my brother Oliver—he wouldn’t go along with it. I’d always given him my best things first since we were kids. I practically raised him myself. We had such a good relationship. He definitely wouldn’t agree to this selfish scheme of our parents.

Before long, my parents said to me with apparent concern: “Son, it’s okay. You’ve been tired for so many years. Now that you’re home, just rest well. Your dad and I are going out to take care of something.” “Tonight, if you want anything for dinner, just text Mom on SnapChat.” If I hadn’t overheard their earlier conversation, I never would have imagined that these seemingly caring parents were actually scheming against me at every turn. Just then, Mom’s phone rang. I heard my brother’s voice on the other end: “Mom, what’s so urgent that you need me to go to the property registry office…?” Mom quickly walked to the side with her phone: “Just go when I tell you to…” Dad shifted his body to block me, smiling: “You rest first. We’re heading out.” I smiled without saying anything. Then, making sure they didn’t notice, I quietly followed them. Sure enough, I saw them corner my brother on the street. I snuck to the corner to eavesdrop. They told him everything they’d said earlier. After listening, my brother frowned deeply: “Mom, Dad, we can’t do this! How can you treat Vincent this way?!” Mom quickly tugged at Oliver’s sleeve: “Oh, Oliver, your brother isn’t working and is just going to lie around at home. Who knows how long he’ll rest? What if he burns through his savings and then makes us support him?! Then what will you use to buy a house and get married?!” Dad nodded in agreement. “Exactly! So many young people live off their parents these days. We need to be careful! And what’s wrong with this? It’s our stuff, the house is in our name—we can give it to whoever we want. Better to give it to you than let him waste it.” Mom spoke up again to persuade him: “Your brother can make money in the capital. Once he knows there’s nothing left at home, he’ll go back and work hard again in a few days. We don’t need to worry about him.” My brother still seemed hesitant: “But what about that girlfriend of his? We’ve met her. Didn’t they say they were going to get married? At least that apartment was supposed to be his wedding home. Are you really okay transferring it to me too?” “Oh, wedding home, whatever! Your brother doesn’t even have a job now—what woman would want to be with him?!” “You’re different. If you don’t have money or a house in the village, it’ll be even harder for you to find a wife and settle down!” “But… but what if Vincent finds out…?” Dad paused, then snorted coldly: “So what if he finds out? We’re still his parents. All these years, your brother has been very good to us. What we say goes.” “Besides, children being good to their parents is only natural. Even if your brother finds out, he’ll understand our intentions and won’t blame us. This is also pushing him to develop himself better!” Mom chimed in: “That’s right! Young people shouldn’t just rest around. Your brother should think about how hard we worked when he was in school. Even if he finds out, so what? Is he going to fight with us? That would make him an ungrateful bastard!” At this point, Dad got even angrier. “Really! If it weren’t for the old man forcing me back then, your brother should have dropped out of school long ago!” “What’s the point of farm kids getting so much education? Boys should go out and work to earn money in their teens. If it weren’t for your grandpa’s stubborn temper, your brother might have made it big already.” “Exactly. Farm kids grow up fast. Oh, those years working outside were so exhausting for us.” Mom glanced at the time and said quickly: “Oliver, let’s go. Hurry to the transfer office. When we get back and see your brother, don’t say anything stupid!” I watched as Oliver’s lips silently opened and closed, then finally he nodded: “Alright, I got it. But this was your idea! My brother is probably just home to rest. What if he goes back to the capital later and makes money? I’m still hoping he’ll buy me a car. Don’t make him resent me!” “Oh, do we need you to tell us? We’ve already thought this through!” I watched this happy family laughing together as they walked away. I leaned against the wall, covered my eyes with one hand, and slowly laughed bitterly… The moment I got the money, my first thought was to come home and tell them. We could finally live the good life. I wanted to share this joy with them. I thought we were family. But what about them? They never considered me family. Only Oliver was their child. What was I? I was just someone for them to use! When things were fine, they’d say a few nice words to appease me, and everything would blow over. Since high school, I hadn’t spent a single cent of theirs. I went to school during the day and worked as a waiter at night, all because I didn’t want them to feel pressured and overworked. I wore hand-me-down clothes and ill-fitting shoes every day. And Oliver? He had more new clothes than he could wear. They told me to understand—Oliver grew up in the county town and was used to being extravagant. And I was the older brother. I should accommodate him and spoil him. I listened. I did as they asked. I thought because I was the older brother, I should be mature. So my parents didn’t care about me because I was independent enough. Never did I imagine they simply didn’t care to waste time on me. Originally, saying I quit my job to live off them was just a joke. But this joke made me face the reality I’d refused to acknowledge for years. Still, realizing it now wasn’t too late. At least the money was still in my hands. … That evening, the whole family sat at the dinner table, exchanging glances with each other. Then Mom spoke first: “Vincent, you’ve worked hard all these years away from home. I know you came back to rest, but… our family situation really isn’t good.” I kept my head down, eating without speaking. At this moment, Dad cleared his throat and spoke: “So… so we did some business before, but we lost all our money. This house… the house is going to be taken away too. Vincent, your mom and I have no money left. We can only move into the place your brother rented.” “But that place is too small. You… you should move out within the week and find your own place to live…” They thought I’d be shocked, that I’d ask questions. They were ready to explain in detail. But unexpectedly, I just said, “Mm.” “Got it. I’ll pack up and move out.” I didn’t care how they planned to lie to me. After all, I didn’t care anymore—just like I wouldn’t tell them about my $60 million in shares. Over the next couple of days, I packed my things. Just as I was about to leave, my girlfriend unexpectedly showed up at my hometown.

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