Category: English

My uncle, Thomas, was completely whipped. In my past life, he finally decided to grow a spine, dragging my parents along to help him catch his wife cheating. But when things turned violent, he cowardly ran away, leaving my parents to be brutally murdered by his wife’s lover. After their deaths, Chloe and I were adopted by Thomas, but only because he wanted to get his hands on my parents’ estate. Later, for a massive cash payout, he literally kidnapped me and sent me to a back-alley clinic in Thailand for a forced gender-reassignment surgery, just so he could sell both Chloe and me off to wealthy, twisted old creeps as brides. Chloe died during a difficult labor after being forced to give birth to five children. As for me, because I couldn’t get pregnant, I was beaten to death by my “husband.” When I opened my eyes again, I had traveled back in time—right to the day my parents went to help him catch his cheating wife. I saw my mom pick up her phone, a look of relieved pity spreading across her face. I knew instantly that it had to be Thomas on the other end. My uncle, Thomas, was a total coward who let his wife walk all over him. He knew damn well that his wife, Rachel, was sleeping around, but he didn’t dare to say a word to her. Every single time Rachel cheated on him, he would call my mom to cry about it, swearing up and down that he was finally going to get a divorce. This had to be the ten-thousandth time he had made this exact same call… My mom hung up the phone and immediately urged my dad to start the car. Dad rolled his eyes at the empty air. “Stop wasting your time, Sarah. How many times has your brother said this? Every single time we drive to the motel, he doesn’t even dare to knock on the door. He just stands outside listening to his wife with another guy…” This uncle of mine was afraid of everything under the sun, but the only people he wasn’t afraid of was our family. I remembered my dad complaining about it before. Years ago, to raise enough cash for his wedding expenses, Thomas had demanded fifty thousand dollars from my mom, threatening to cut ties with her forever if she didn’t give it to him. In the end, Mom fought with Dad for half a month, giving Thomas all the money they had saved to renovate our house. To this day, he hadn’t paid back a single dime. I could see Dad really didn’t want to go, but he was also terrified of Mom throwing a tantrum. He stood up reluctantly. “Fine. Let’s go help your precious brother.” Hearing this, Mom’s tense shoulders finally relaxed. “But this is the absolute last time!” Dad warned. Mom nodded repeatedly. “I promise. Even if he begs me next time, I won’t help him.” However, it wasn’t until they both walked out the front door that the realization hit me—I had been reborn. We were doomed. The tragedy of my past life was about to repeat itself! “Chloe! Call Mom and Dad right now! Or we’re going to end up as orphans!” Chloe looked at me, completely confused. I didn’t have time to explain. I snatched the phone right out of her hand and dialed my parents’ number. My heart hammered against my ribs, but Mom’s line was busy. Dad was probably driving and couldn’t pick up. Chloe looked at me in a panic, demanding to know what was going on. … Mom finally called back. In a stroke of desperate panic, I wailed into the receiver, “Mom! Chloe is dying! You need to come back right now!” “What did you say?!” I threw Chloe a desperate look, and she caught on instantly, letting out a blood-curdling scream in the background. “What’s happening?!” I heard Dad’s anxious voice from the speaker. “Chloe’s appendix exploded!” I lied. I heard Dad shout that they were turning around immediately. But to my horror, they had already picked up Thomas. I could hear Thomas grumbling in the background, completely indifferent. “An appendix won’t kill her! Just let her suffer for a bit and she’ll be fine!” Hearing his cruel words, Chloe screamed even louder. “Dad, come back! Bring Mom with you!” Ten minutes later, my heart sank to my stomach when I saw only Dad walk through the door. “Where’s Mom?!” “Your uncle dragged her to the motel anyway!” In that second, my entire world turned black. It was over. I had only managed to save my dad. “Dad! Call Mom right now! Tell her not to go!” I burst into tears of sheer terror. Dad, thinking something was seriously wrong with me, looked panicked. “Why are you crying?! Where’s Chloe?” “Chloe is fine! Just go get Mom! How can she handle a confrontation like that alone?!” I practically dragged my dad toward the door, and Chloe followed closely behind us.

By the time we arrived at the motel lobby, Mom was already walking out, her face covered in bruises and scratches, with Thomas trailing behind her. Seeing that she was still alive, a massive weight lifted off my chest. “Mom, your face…” From what Mom said, I realized their cab had been delayed. By the time they arrived, Rachel’s lover had already escaped. Thomas had been brutally beaten and screamed at by Rachel. In her attempt to break up the fight, Mom was the one who ended up getting severely hurt. “I told you not to go! But you just wouldn’t listen!” Dad’s voice shook with rage, though his eyes were filled with gentleness. “For that deadbeat brother of yours, how far are you going to drag yourself and this family down?!” He grabbed the first-aid kit and started gently applying antiseptic to Mom’s cuts. “Hey, George, put some of that on me too. That crazy bitch scratched my arm up pretty bad,” Thomas said, holding out his arm. Dad glared at Thomas, picked up the rubbing alcohol, and poured it directly onto his open scratch. Thomas shrieked in pain, jumping back. “George! What the hell is wrong with you?!” But Dad just stared him down, his voice ice-cold. “If you ever drag your sister into your pathetic drama again, I swear to God I will end you.” Seeing that Dad was truly furious, Thomas immediately turned to my mom for backup. “Sarah! Are you just going to stand there and watch your husband bully your own brother?! Did you forget what Mom told you on her deathbed? She told you to take care of me and never let me suffer!” Mom sighed quietly. She turned to Dad and said, “Just drop it, George. It’s actually my fault. I shouldn’t have let him marry Rachel back then.” I remembered it clearly—it was Thomas himself who had thrown a massive tantrum, insisting he would only marry Rachel. But Mom seemed to have completely blocked that out. Beside me, Chloe rolled her eyes hard at Thomas. Thomas instantly redirected his anger at her. “What happened to your ‘exploded appendix’? I told you she’d be fine after a little pain. George, you’re blaming me, but it was Chloe who wasted our time. If she hadn’t ruined it, I would have gotten my divorce by now. What a useless brat!” Chloe wasn’t afraid of him at all. She snapped back immediately, “If I’m a brat, then you’re a pathetic coward! If you actually had the guts, you would’ve divorced her already instead of blaming me. And hey, I hope your appendix explodes next so you can see how ‘fine’ it feels!” “Sarah, George, look at this girl! She has absolutely no respect for her elders! If you don’t discipline her now, she’s going to turn out completely useless! Kevin is so much better than her.” I thought to myself, *Shut your damn mouth. Don’t you dare try to drive a wedge between my sister and me.* But even after dinner, Thomas showed no intention of leaving. Dad stood up, clearly trying to kick him out. “Thomas, it’s getting late. You should go home. Your wife is probably…” Thomas remained glued to the couch, sending Mom a pathetic, pleading look. Mom’s heart softened again. “George, let him stay for the night. They just had a huge fight. Let them both cool down. He can leave tomorrow.” Dad let out a long sigh, looked at Mom with utter disappointment, and walked back to the bedroom alone. My parents had fought countless times because of Thomas. I think Dad had finally realized that Mom was a lost cause. “Sarah, I’m sleeping in Kevin’s room tonight!” Thomas called out. Chloe immediately spoke up for me. “Thomas, you’re a grown man! How can you steal a kid’s bed? Aren’t you embarrassed?!” Thomas argued shamelessly, “Did your teachers never teach you to respect your elders?!” Chloe mocked him ruthlessly. “Well, where do you sleep when Rachel kicks you out of bed? The floor? Our living room floor is pretty spacious. Go sleep there.” Thomas began bickering with Chloe like a spoiled toddler. “Enough! Both of you!” Mom interrupted, putting an end to the useless argument. “Kevin, sweetie, would you mind letting your uncle have your bed tonight?” Chloe shook her head at me frantically, warning me not to agree. I was about to refuse, but a sudden thought struck me. This was the perfect opportunity. So, I smiled. “Of course I don’t mind!” Chloe glared at me, clearly thinking I had betrayed her.

Chloe dragged me into the hallway, furious. “I thought you said he destroyed our lives in the past? Why are you…” I pulled her into a quiet corner, whispering mysteriously, “Chloe, let me borrow your phone tonight…” As soon as I walked into my bedroom, Thomas started complaining that my bed was too old and too small. He had no idea that the money meant to buy me a new bed had been given to him by Mom so he could marry his toxic wife. Suppressing the burning hatred in my chest, I acted completely normal. “Thomas, this pillow is brand new. You can use this one.” Thomas took the pillow and patted it. “I like firm pillows.” Looking at his smug face, I wanted nothing more than to make him pay for my past life right then and there. But it wasn’t time yet. In this house, Thomas never acted like a guest. The next morning, he looked at the plain pancakes on the table and threw a fit. “Sarah! Are you feeding pigs? Where’s the bacon? Where’s the meat?!” Chloe immediately snapped, defending Mom. “If you want meat, go buy it yourself! You’re not a guest here!” *Slap!* Thomas swung his hand and slapped Chloe right across the face. The force of it split her lip, and blood began to trickle down her chin. “You disrespectful brat! I’ll teach you some manners if your parents won’t!” Chloe was terrified by the sudden violence and burst into loud tears. I was about to jump in to help when Mom rushed out of the kitchen. “What happened?!” “Thomas hit me!” Chloe cried. Hearing Chloe call him by his first name, Thomas lunged forward again. “Sarah, I have to teach this worthless brat a lesson today!” Mom quickly threw herself in front of him. “She’s just a child! Why are you fighting with a kid?!” “I’ll beat whoever the hell I want! Get out of my way!” Thomas shoved Mom hard. *Bang!* Her forehead slammed right into the sharp edge of the dining table. Blood immediately started gushing from her forehead. “Mom!” Chloe and I rushed forward. In a fit of rage, I sank my teeth deep into Thomas’s arm. He shrieked in pain and threw me to the ground. “You little bastard! How dare you bite me?!” He kicked me hard in the stomach twice. The pain was blinding, making me curl into a ball. Chloe and I sobbed, screaming, “You’re a monster! Just wait until Dad gets home! He’s going to destroy you!” Hearing Dad’s name, Thomas’s raised hand froze in mid-air. He glared at us with vicious eyes. “You worthless brats. Just wait. I’ll deal with you two later.” With that, he slammed the door and left. But before he walked out, he didn’t forget to grab all the cash from Mom’s wallet hanging by the door. Chloe and I, ignoring our own pain, quickly got the medical kit to stop Mom’s bleeding and bandaged her head. “Mom, let us take you to the hospital!” She waved her hand dismissively, sighing to herself. “Don’t blame your uncle. That’s just how he is. He’s still immature.” “Mom! We are the children here! We are your actual kids! Why do you always protect him?!” “And… you treat him so well, but he still does this to you…” I would never understand why Mom had this sick, pathological obsession with protecting Thomas. It wasn’t until much later that I realized Mom had grown up under the extreme, toxic influence of my grandparents, who firmly believed that sons were everything and daughters were worthless. She was a victim of that generational curse. In fact, even between Chloe and me, Mom always favored me a bit more because I was a boy. Thankfully, Dad was always there to keep her in check, so it never got out of hand. “Why did you pull me away back there?” Chloe was still angry about the morning. With the memories of my past life, I was no longer a child in my mind. To cheer her up, I gave her my favorite ice cream. Then, I pulled her phone out from under the pillow I had given to Thomas. “Chloe, this is where our revenge begins…”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “448280”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

The year I graduated, sudden blindness ruined my bright future. Fortunately, my girlfriend stayed by my side to get me through the darkest time of my life. But it wasn’t until today, seven years later, that I realized my blindness was never an accident. I was just a fool, kept in the dark and played by her for seven years. My name is Lily Carter. I love my boyfriend, Julian Thorne, so much that I don’t care that he’s blind. It is this love that has kept me going, caring for him for seven long years without a single regret. Julian is incredibly handsome. A friend introduced us in college, and the moment I saw him, I fell hopelessly in love. Back then, his eyes were full of life, and he practically glowed. Unlike an invisible person like me, he was always the center of attention wherever he went. If Julian hadn’t suddenly gone blind, our paths probably would have never crossed. But the seven-year curse seems unavoidable for every couple, even if your partner is a blind man. Julian has changed. Two weeks ago, without any warning, his attitude toward me took a complete 180-degree turn. I couldn’t read his mind, and he kept avoiding me, refusing to give me any explanation. On top of that, ever since he went blind, he had isolated himself from everyone. Yet, out of nowhere, he asked me to set up a meeting with his old friends. To be honest, during this tormenting period, the thought of ending this relationship has crossed my mind more than once. But every time I think about everything I sacrificed for him, and the beautiful memories we shared over the years, my heart aches. I don’t want to break up, but I don’t want to keep hurting each other either. Maybe I really should follow the advice of those online relationship experts and have a heart-to-heart talk with him. But during this talk, though he didn’t say much, he made my blood run cold.

“Julian, I think we need to talk. I really don’t want to keep fighting with you.” I stopped tracing the page with my fingertips, slipped the bookmark in, closed the book, and turned toward the direction of her voice. “Can you tell me what’s wrong with you lately? Are you tired of me? Is that why you lose your temper so often?” I let out a self-deprecating laugh and closed my eyes, which could no longer tell night from day. “Lily, your voice is so beautiful. Do you remember Chloe Evans? I never told you this, but your voices sound so similar. I can barely tell you two apart.” Lily froze. She took a step back, letting go of my hand. “Why are you suddenly bringing her up?” They say when a person loses their sight, their hearing becomes incredibly sharp. I am no exception. Even though I couldn’t see her face, and even though she tried her best to hide her shock at hearing that name, I could still hear the slight tremor in her voice. I didn’t answer her question. Instead, I started talking about our college days. “I don’t remember when I first met Chloe. I just knew she was your best friend. But she was always so shy, barely speaking, always hiding in your shadow.” Lily didn’t say a word. Maybe she was lost in the memories just like me. “But then, one day, I finally heard her speak a full sentence. I realized she wasn’t completely invisible. At least, her voice was just as beautiful as yours.” I heard the sound of her hair whipping as Lily snapped her head up. She stopped hiding her emotions, her voice filled with agitation. “Is that how you saw her?” Sensing she had overreacted, she quickly added, “She is my best friend!” “I’m sorry,” I said, holding my head in guilt. “Since I lost my sight, I haven’t heard anything about her. I thought you guys drifted apart because of me.” Seeing me in pain, Lily softened. She rushed over and wrapped her arms around me. “No, it wasn’t because of you.” I breathed in the faint scent of gardenia on her skin. “I want to apologize to her for what happened back then. Can you invite her over to our place?” Lily’s body went stiff, rigid as a robot. “She doesn’t live in Oakridge anymore. If you have something to say, tell me. I’ll pass it on.” “I just wanted to tell her… thank you for loving me back then. But having you is enough for me.”

The year I went blind, I was incredibly unstable. I was violently angry, smashing things and destroying the house on a daily basis. My family is very wealthy, and I’m not the only son. So, to let their mentally broken son “recover,” my parents bought me a private condo in the city and hired a private nurse to take care of me. Back then, the only people with me were the nurse and Lily. She loved me so much. No matter how much I screamed at her, she never left me. But I couldn’t accept the fact that I would never see again. During one of my tantrums, I accidentally threw a glass vase that cut her. She begged me to stop destroying myself and try to look on the bright side. What a joke. She wasn’t the one who was blind. Of course she could say that. So I screamed at her, telling her to get the hell out of my life. That day, I said some horrible things. Things that make me cringe even now. Lily was heartbroken, and she walked out of my apartment without looking back. I went on another destructive rampage. At first, the nurse tried to stop me. Eventually, she gave up, standing far away and watching me smash everything, only cleaning up after I was done. Maybe the things I said to Lily were too harsh this time, because I actually started to feel terrified. I was terrified she would never come back, terrified the only person who loved me would abandon me. That was when Chloe Evans showed up. I forgot to mention, besides Lily, there was someone else who visited me every single day—Chloe. But because she barely spoke and just sat quietly by my side, she had almost no presence. That was the first time Chloe had ever seen me so pathetic. She must have felt pity. She walked past the broken shards on the floor, came to my side, and spoke her first words in a long time. I don’t remember what she said, but I mistook her voice. I thought Lily had come back. I threw away all my pride and bitterness, holding her tightly. I apologized, showed my vulnerability, and begged her to forgive my harsh words. She didn’t say a word. Instead, she cupped my face and kissed me. I was ecstatic, thinking she had forgiven me, so I kissed her back wildly. I was so irrational. If I had just taken a second to think, I wouldn’t have made such a mistake. Lily never wore perfume, but the girl in my arms smelled heavily of gardenias. The endless darkness had not only taken my eyes, it had taken my brain. Right then, Lily came back. Her sharp gasp interrupted us. Hearing them together, I finally realized the difference between their voices. I let go of Chloe instantly, standing up from the couch in a panic. I started apologizing frantically, trying to grab Lily’s hand, trying to hold her. But she seemed determined to ignore me. No matter how much I begged, she didn’t make a sound, refusing to let me know where she was standing. Later, I tripped over some broken glass I had thrown. All she left me was the sharp slam of the front door. I started screaming at Chloe, calling her shameless for trying to seduce me. I don’t know when Chloe left. She was always like a ghost. When I grew tired of screaming, I started smashing things again. But there was barely anything left to break. I felt like my life was completely pointless. I picked up a piece of broken glass and slashed my wrist. The nurse, wanting to keep her job, quickly called an ambulance. None of my family members showed up. They were already used to my daily suicide threats. The only one with me was the nurse. Just when I thought Lily would never forgive me, she showed up again the next evening. She had changed a lot. She talked less, and she became much quieter. I understood—it was because I hated her lecturing me. So she stopped saying all those useless things about getting better. So, I changed my attitude too, because I had nothing left to lose. I never screamed at her again. I went from being a monster to being completely obedient. Gradually, she opened up to me again, returning to her cheerful self. We tacitly never brought up Chloe again, as if she had never existed. At first, I avoided the name, but over time, I actually forgot about her. I forgot that she used to visit me every day, and I forgot that she had never shown up again since that day. Just like that, seven years flew by. 3. To be honest, after losing my sight, I lost all concept of time. If Lily hadn’t mentioned the date, I wouldn’t have realized we had been living like this for seven years. During this time, I kept going for regular eye checkups and took the pills the doctor prescribed. I only did it for that tiny, hopeless shred of light, hoping that one day I would see again. But after seven years of waiting for a miracle that never came, my hope died. So, I stopped taking the pills. When Lily found out, she flew into a rage for the first time. Terrified she would think I was giving up on life again, I swallowed the bitter pills right in front of her, promising I would never do something so stupid again. Only then did she calm down, repeatedly warning me to listen to the doctor. I groaned inwardly but promised her anyway. She had given up seven years of her youth for me. I didn’t want her to feel like she had loved the wrong man. Besides, there was so little I could do for her. But once the seed of doubt was planted, it was hard to pull out. I still stubbornly threw away the pills every day. I kept it a secret and hid it perfectly. But then, the unthinkable happened. About three months later, as the weather turned cold and we traded short sleeves for heavy coats, a miracle happened. I saw a flicker of light! I was ecstatic. My first instinct was to call Lily. But as I speed-dialed her number and listened to the long rings, hearing her voice on the other end suddenly calmed me down. What if it was just temporary? What if I woke up tomorrow in darkness again? Maybe I was just hallucinating. Years ago, my eyes had played a trick on me like this. I had been so happy back then, sharing the news with Lily on the first day, only to plunge back into total darkness the next. She asked me what was wrong. My excitement crushed by my own fear, I just said I missed her, chatted for a bit, and hung up. That night, I lost myself in her, making passionate love to her until dawn. I woke up the next morning with a racing heart. But when I opened my eyes, the light was still there. I was overjoyed. But I still didn’t tell Lily. I changed my mind. I would wait until my vision was fully restored to give her the surprise of her life. After all, I was still a young, healthy man. Within just one week, my vision was fully restored! That was the first time I walked out of my apartment without a cane in seven years. I was too proud to use one anyway. After going blind, I had cut off all contact with the outside world. I was terrified of the pity from friends and family. Every “How are you?” felt like a blade stabbing into my chest. I didn’t walk far. Time had flown by so fast, and I wasn’t confident I could find my way home after seven years. When you’re blind, time drags. When you can see, it flies. I took a nap on the couch, only waking up when I heard the front door open. My beloved was home. But the moment I opened my eyes, I froze. Was the woman taking off her shoes at the entryway really my beloved Lily? Even after seven years, someone’s face doesn’t change *this* much. The woman standing before me was not the Lily in my memory. Then who was she?

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “448281”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

At our engagement party, my famous pop-star fiancée lost a game of Truth or Dare. The dare was to feed someone in the room a shot of liquor, mouth-to-mouth. Without a second thought, she chose her rumored billionaire lover. Everyone in the room turned to look at me, shocked. But I didn’t care. I even pulled a hotel key card from my pocket and tossed it over: “Get pregnant, Serena. That’s your only ticket into the billionaire empire you’ve always dreamed of.” It was our eleventh anniversary, and also the night of my engagement to Serena Vance. I had prepared fresh flowers, a diamond ring, and a grand banquet. But under the dim lights, my fiancée’s cheeks flushed as she took a sip of whiskey, sank into Carter Sterling’s embrace, and fed it directly into his mouth. They locked lips, kissing passionately for a full ten minutes before pulling apart. Serena’s lips were swollen and red from the intensity. Everyone in the room stared at me. Their eyes were filled with amusement, mockery, and pity. “Is Ryan really going to take this lying down?” “What else can he do? Fight Carter Sterling?” “He wouldn’t dare.” A wave of mocking laughter echoed through the hall. Carter wrapped his arm around Serena’s waist provocatively, raising an eyebrow at me as if marking his territory. “Don’t take it personally, man. It’s just a game.” He was a billionaire CEO. I was just an underappreciated songwriter. Even if I minded, what could I do? But strangely, I didn’t feel a spark of anger. Instead, I felt a wave of relief, like a heavy burden had finally been lifted. For the first time in eleven years, I saw Serena for who she truly was. I set my glass down and smiled back. “Why would I mind? Have your fun.” Serena froze, clearly not expecting this reaction. “Ryan, don’t start acting jealous. It was just a game.” “Sure,” I replied casually, signaling the others to keep playing. Seeing my usual submissive attitude, Serena stopped pushing. After all, I had always been at her beck and call. She never had to care about my feelings. Soon, another round ended, and Serena lost again. Someone looking for drama asked, “If Ryan weren’t in the picture, would you marry Carter?” Serena’s expression shifted. She obviously hadn’t expected that question, but she quickly lowered her head and gave a shy, blushing, “Yes.” Once again, all eyes landed on me. This time, I was the first to clap. I even pulled a hotel key card from my pocket and tossed it onto the table. “Get pregnant, Serena. That’s your only ticket into the billionaire empire you’ve always dreamed of.” Hearing this, Serena assumed I was just being petty. She frowned, snapping in annoyance, “I told you, it’s just a game! Do you have to make a big deal out of everything?” My own engagement party. A venue I had spent weeks personally decorating. Yet, my fiancée was kissing another man and admitting she’d rather marry him. It was pathetic. In the past, I would have thrown a fit, causing a huge scene. Serena would get angry, storm off, and refuse to come home until I begged for her forgiveness like a stray dog. Only then would she look down on me and throw me a bone. But tonight, I felt absolutely nothing.

From that day on, Serena and I fell into a cold war. Using “work” as an excuse, she came home later and later, until she stopped coming back entirely. I knew she was with Carter. After all, whenever, wherever, under any circumstances, Carter only had to snap his fingers, and Serena would run to him. Whether it was our anniversary or my birthday, she would leave without a second thought. In the past, I would have lost my mind. I would have stopped eating, stopped sleeping, and searched the entire city for her. I would torture myself imagining her with another man, driven mad by jealousy. But now, I didn’t care. A few days later, just as I was drifting off to sleep, the beep of the smart lock at the front door woke me up. Serena and Carter walked in together. She was completely drunk, her designer dress torn and messy. That dress was bought with the money from three months of side gigs I worked, saving every penny. Back then, I had been so excited to give it to her, but she had looked at it with utter disgust, saying a cheap dress didn’t match her status as a rising star. Now, she was finally wearing it—only to get drunk and wild with another man. Carter looked down at me coldly. “There are paparazzi outside. Make sure you clear her name on Instagram.” In the past, whenever Serena got into a scandal or got caught with Carter, I was the one who cleaned up her mess. Her fans used to call me “the queen’s most loyal golden retriever.” Looking back, that title was incredibly insulting. I spared Carter a cold glance, then looked directly at Serena. “Why should I do it? Did I tear her dress?” Serena frowned. She probably didn’t expect me to mock her twice in a row. “Ryan, are you seriously going to keep score right now?” Carter sneered. “Look at the time. Serena is wasted. Instead of taking care of her, you’re picking a fight with me?” On the surface, his logic seemed flawless. I had to hand it to Carter; his gaslighting skills were top-tier. Hearing his words, Serena’s eyes welled with tears as if she were the victim. “Yeah, Ryan. Carter was nice enough to bring me home, and you’re treating him like this? Are you even a man?” I had never seen anyone “nicely” escort someone straight to their bed. I stayed silent. Serena, her eyes red, leaned her weight onto Carter, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Carter, since he doesn’t trust us, let’s just leave.” Carter smirked at me, his eyes dripping with triumph. “But there are paparazzi outside,” he murmured. “Let them take photos. I don’t give a damn.” With that, she grabbed Carter’s hand and pulled him toward the door. When she noticed I didn’t move an inch to stop her, shock and anger flashed in her eyes. I knew what she wanted. She wanted me to fight Carter out of jealousy. She loved being worshipped on stage, and she loved being fought over off stage. My sudden indifference was breaking her ego. I waved lazily. “Remember my advice. Get pregnant. A baby is your only shot at securing that bag.” Then, I shut the bedroom door. But the drama didn’t stop there. Before I fell asleep, my phone buzzed with a video message from an unknown number. I clicked it. Though blurry, it clearly showed a man and a woman passionately tearing into each other. The woman was wearing the exact dress I had bought Serena. Soon, the video showed them tangled together. Even an idiot could tell what they were doing. So, they had been caught on camera, which was why they came back to me to use me as a cover-up. I ignored it. A few minutes later, a text popped up: “Two million dollars.”

It was a paparazzi blackmailing me. I rolled my eyes and blocked the number immediately. Whether Serena’s scandal leaked or not had absolutely nothing to do with me anymore. Years ago, the first time she was caught kissing her sugar daddy, I spent all my savings and even sold the house my parents bought for my future wedding to cover it up for her. Now, I wouldn’t spend a single dime on her. Besides, her affair with Carter was an open secret anyway. Who cared if it went public? But the fallout went far beyond what I expected. When I woke up the next morning, the video was indeed trending on Twitter. The comments were a mess, but her PR team and fans quickly flooded the tags to bury it. Just when I thought the storm would pass, Sterling Group’s official account released a statement. But it wasn’t a denial. Instead, they dropped a bombshell: Carter Sterling was getting engaged. The fiancée, however, was not the famous pop star Serena Vance. Serena’s fans went absolutely wild. They swarmed the Sterling Group page, cursing Carter out, calling him a cheating bastard who abandoned their “queen.” Some fans suddenly remembered me, posting that I was the only one who truly loved Serena. Oh, so now they wanted me to play the backup boyfriend? “Are you kidding me?” I muttered, rolling my eyes. Just then, the front door clicked open. Serena walked in. She looked exhausted, her eyes swollen from crying. “You saw it?” she asked quietly. I nodded. “It’s hard to miss when it’s all over my feed.” Serena threw her bag onto the floor and suddenly rushed over, throwing her arms around me. “Ryan, Carter and I were just putting on a show. There’s nothing between us! You know how the industry is, I couldn’t afford to offend him.” I never knew she could act so well off-camera. If Carter hadn’t dumped her, she wouldn’t have even remembered I existed. “Let’s get married, Ryan. Please don’t leave me.” Once, I had dreamed of walking down the aisle with her, spending the rest of our lives together. But she had drained my love, slowly crushing every bit of affection I had for her. Now, her proposal was nothing more than an attempt to make Carter jealous. The second Carter waved her back, she would run to him without looking back. “Let’s break up.” I pushed her away, looking at her coldly. Serena froze, tears streaming down her face. “What did you say?” “I told you, Carter and I were just acting! I only love you! Why do you have to be so dramatic?” Serena’s voice spiked an octave. Looking at her righteous indignation, I almost questioned if I was the one who cheated. Even now, she didn’t realize that people don’t wait around forever, especially after being hurt over and over again. I might have been a simp, but I wasn’t pathetic. “This has nothing to do with Carter. I just don’t love you anymore, Serena. We’re done.” With that, I walked into my bedroom and locked the door. I had thought it through over the past few days. I couldn’t waste my talent on her anymore. I was thirty now. It was time to find my own purpose and career. I had much more important things to do.

During our cold war, I wrote a song for myself and posted it on my Instagram. My account used to be dedicated entirely to Serena. This sudden personal post shocked everyone. Especially with my caption: “Turning thirty. Ending an old chapter, stepping into a brighter future.” It was a clear, public announcement that Serena and I were over. Very quickly, the post went viral. “What an ungrateful loser. If it weren’t for Serena, who would listen to his trash music?” “Even if our queen doesn’t marry Carter, she’s way too good for this simp.” My comment section was flooded with hate. But soon, logical netizens stepped up to defend me. “Without Ryan’s songwriting, your queen is just a glorified high-end escort.” I glanced at the comments and closed the app. These words didn’t affect me. As long as I had real talent, I had nothing to fear. The next morning, I woke up coughing from a strong smell of smoke. In the kitchen, Serena was holding a spatula, frantically trying to make breakfast. Looking at the messy kitchen I had just cleaned, irritation flared up inside me. “What do you think you’re doing?” Serena looked at me, trying to sound sweet. “I wanted to make you breakfast.” We had been together for eleven years, and I was always the one serving her. When she was dieting, I spent hours cooking low-carb meals. When she was sick, I stayed up all night nursing her. When she was jobless, I went out drinking with producers to get her gigs, even drinking myself to stomach ulcers. When she was on tour, I would stay awake for days managing her schedule. But she had never done a single thing for me. This sudden change was bizarre. Seeing my cold expression, Serena held out her hand, looking like a scolded child. “I burned my hand.” I gave a cold grunt, turned, and walked away. Serena chased after me, grabbing my wrist. “Please believe me. I won’t ever talk to Carter again.” I shook her hand off, looking at her calmly. “It has nothing to do with me. We broke up.”

I ignored her, grabbed my laptop bag, and headed to a record label office. When I finished my meetings, I received a Snapchat from Serena. She asked if I wanted to attend a gala with her. I had been busy preparing my new album and writing songs, so I texted her back saying I wasn’t going. [Ryan, there will be tons of singers and producers at this gala.] [You’ve always wanted to meet that legendary indie producer, right? I saw his name on the guest list.] [I can introduce you to him. It’ll make things much easier for your career.] In the past, Carter was always the one who accompanied her to these events. Under the spotlights, she was the dazzling princess, Carter was her prince, and I was just the clown hiding in the shadows. When Serena first became famous, she attended an award ceremony. I asked if I could go as her assistant just to be there, but she refused. She said I was too low-profile and didn’t know how to dress, claiming I would embarrass her. Later, I accidentally saw her text messages with her best friend. [That broke loser Ryan actually wanted to come to the gala. Is he blind? He doesn’t even look at the mirror to see if he fits in.] [IKR? How can he even compare to Carter?] Reading those texts felt like a bucket of ice water poured over my head. My hands shook as I held my phone. But back then, I didn’t dare bring it up. I was too afraid she would leave me. Since then, I stopped listening to that producer’s music entirely. And now, she was inviting me to the gala, offering to introduce me. How ironic. [I’m not going.] I refused bluntly. Then, I added: [Please understand, we are broken up.] After that, Serena didn’t text back. Just when I thought she had given up, a black luxury van pulled up right in front of me. The door slid open, revealing Serena in a gorgeous gown, crying her eyes out. “Just come with me this once, and I promise I’ll leave you alone forever.” That offer was highly tempting. While I was hesitating, her assistant shoved me into the car before I could say no. At the gala red carpet, Serena took my arm naturally, smiling brightly for the cameras as if nothing had happened. I figured she just wanted to silence the breakup rumors. After all, we were in the same industry, and a messy split wouldn’t look good for either of us. Despite feeling deeply uncomfortable, I tolerated it. But once we walked inside, I finally understood why she had been trying so hard to please me.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “448282”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

My childhood sweetheart went bankrupt, and I supported him for five long years. He lived off my wealth, yet he had the audacity to fall in love with my father’s illegitimate daughter. To rid himself of me, he used my love as leverage, trying to force me into accepting his mistress into our family home. The next second, I wrapped my arm around my taller, hotter, gorgeously tanned bodyguard and sneered. “Who do you think you are? You’re nothing but a paid toy.” “Serena, how can you be so cruel? Hailey is your sister! She’s suffered so much out there. How can you refuse to let her be recognized by the family and get her name on the trust fund?” I was reborn. My newly awakened brain slowly processed the memories of my past life. It seemed even God pitied me. Standing before me was Julian Cole, the handsome man I had grown up with and loved since childhood. His family’s status used to be similar to mine—both of us heirs to high society. But then his family went bankrupt. His father committed suicide, his mother followed shortly after, leaving Julian as the sole survivor of a once-happy family. I still remembered him kneeling before me, wrapping his arms around my waist, weeping hysterically. He said, “Serena, I only have you left.” Out of love, and out of the pity inherent in my nature, when nobody wanted Julian, I took him in. I not only let him live in my house but also covered all his expenses and college tuition. I still spoiled him like the wealthy heir he used to be. I thought we would end up together anyway, so spending money on him was just an investment in love. There was nothing to keep track of. But I didn’t realize that the man I was feeding had somehow hooked up with my father’s secret bastard daughter. In my past life, on my twentieth birthday party, Hailey—dressed like a poor, pitiful white flower—had burst in. She cried and questioned why I was hogging her father, ruining the party and causing a scene in front of all the guests. My father and Julian both took her side. Julian even spat vicious words at me, calling me heartless and unworthy of his love. In the end, for Julian’s sake, I compromised. That decision ended up giving my beloved grandfather a heart attack, landing him in the hospital. And that was the exact moment my nightmare began. Hailey conspired with my gold-digging father, Richard, and secretly poisoned my grandfather to death. After seizing my grandfather’s shares in the company, they had Julian target me, wanting to swallow my mother’s portion of the inheritance as well. To do this, the man I had loved for half my life did not hesitate to slip slow-acting poison into my daily supplements. He even orchestrated a car accident for me, all so he could live happily ever after with my half-sister. The day I finally learned the truth, I set a massive fire. I dragged Julian into the flames with me. All four of us burned to ashes in that inferno. But God had mercy. He gave me a second chance at the very last second of my death. This time, I would seize the opportunity. I would make those who killed my grandfather and coveted my family’s empire pay a painful price! I was going to play them to death! My mind snapped back to the present. I turned coldly toward Julian, who was shielding Hailey. I raised my hand and swung it down with all my might, slapping him hard across the face. Julian had never been treated this way by me before. That one slap completely dazed him! I merely curled my lips into a disdainful smirk and shook out my hand. “Recognized by the family? Whose family? Whose trust fund?” “I don’t know how much she’s suffered, but I do know you’ve been living a very comfortable life!” “If I had raised a dog for all these years, it would at least wag its tail at me. What are you, Julian? A loyal pet? No, you’re an ungrateful mutt. How dare you stand there and challenge me? Do you really think the Vance family is soft?” After barking at him, I caught sight of my grandfather standing behind the crowd. He was looking at me with a satisfied, relieved expression. Emotion flooded over me. My eyes welled up, and I desperately wanted to run over and give him a tight hug. But right now, the room was crawling with snakes. The guests stood around holding their champagne glasses, waiting to watch me—or any of us—make fools of ourselves. Of course, I had to play this drama out perfectly.

By the time Hailey snapped out of her shock, she threw herself in front of Julian to protect him, glaring at me as if I were some evil stepmother. And after my sudden outburst, even my father, Richard, who had originally wanted to force Hailey into the household, stood frozen, not daring to make a move. Hailey shrieked at me, “How can you hit him!” Before she could finish her sentence, I slapped her too. “What? Jealous? Here, let me share the love.” “Serena! You’ve gone too far!” Seeing his sweetheart get slapped was too much for Julian to bear. He lunged forward to confront me. But my personal bodyguard quickly stepped in, catching his arms and pinning him. With a swift kick to the back of Julian’s knee, Julian fell hard onto the floor, kneeling right in front of me. As soft snickers broke out from the surrounding crowd, his handsome face flushed a dark, angry red. I looked down at him coldly. The warmth that used to fill my eyes was replaced by absolute disgust. It was the first time I had ever looked at him this way, and it made him freeze in shock. In front of everyone, I stepped forward and pressed the heel of my stilettos hard against his shoulder. —Right over the scar he had gotten from self-harming back when his family went bankrupt. “Julian, you have a really short memory. What, just because you’re wearing designer clothes, you actually think you’re still the high-and-mighty heir of the Cole family?” “Everyone in this room knows that if it weren’t for me, you’d be begging for scraps on the street. No matter how high I’ve built you up over the years, you are still nothing but a dog kept by Serena Vance. How dare you bark at your master?” I smirked, pressing my tongue against the inside of my cheek, and let out a soft laugh. “You must be tired of living.” With a flick of my eyes toward my bodyguard, Julian and Hailey were dragged out of the ballroom, kicking and screaming. Then, I turned my gaze onto Richard. “Dad, you seem to be living a very colorful life too. I didn’t know you had a secret daughter.” Step by step, I approached this man who had climbed into high society solely by marrying my mother. I showed none of the respect a daughter should have. “How long has my mother been dead? And your bastard child suddenly pops up? And she’s actually older than me? What’s going on, Dad? Are you planning to pack your bags and leave this family empty-handed?” Under the judging and mocking stares of the high-society guests, Richard pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. With trembling hands, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and tried to explain weakly. “No, Serena… I didn’t mean to ruin your birthday party… It’s just that your sister… she insisted on coming, and I couldn’t stop her.” “Sister?” I repeated the word, emphasizing it with dripping sarcasm. “I don’t have a sister.” I turned my eyes toward the elderly man being rolled into the hall in a wheelchair. “Grandpa, don’t you agree?” The moment Grandpa Arthur made his entrance, the entire room fell dead silent. Over all these years, even those who loved to gossip about my family never dared to show an ounce of disrespect toward my grandfather. As a young man, he had built his business empire from scratch. He expanded his territory until he became the wealthiest man in the country. The only mistake this legendary man had ever made in his life was giving in to his beloved daughter’s wishes and letting her marry a gold-digging nobody. Now that my mother was gone, Grandpa had nothing but cold disdain for Richard. If it weren’t for the fact that Richard still held some shares of the Vance Group, Grandpa would have kicked this parasite out of the city long ago. The guests bowed their heads respectfully. “Mr. Vance.” Richard trembled even more. He was terrified of Grandpa Arthur. Every time he faced the old man, he would shake. But at the same time, he harbored a deep, poisonous hatred for him. He hated that Grandpa always looked down on him and refused to hand over the company. That was why he had resorted to murder in my past life. But this time, I would protect Grandpa. I would protect the only person who genuinely loved and shielded me. Grandpa cast a freezing glare at Richard.

“The Vance family has only one daughter, and only one sole legal heir—Serena.” “Richard, if you want to bring your stray dog into this house, then hand back the shares my daughter left you. Take your bastard daughter and get out of my sight with nothing but the clothes on your back. Otherwise, shut up and play your role as the ‘house manager’ of the Vance family. I don’t tolerate trash in my house. Do I make myself clear?” These words were an absolute slap in the face. Even though he was a gold-digger, Richard was still my biological father and held some company equity. Yet, Grandpa had publicly reduced him to a mere “house manager.” “I understand, Father. I was wrong.” Richard clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. He shot a stealthy, venomous glare at me, keeping his head low as his body shook. I couldn’t tell if it was from fear or pure rage. “If you understand, then get out. Don’t ruin Serena’s birthday.” With that, Richard turned and slunk away like a beaten dog. I smiled and threw one last jab at his back. “Don’t forget to send me my birthday gift, Dad!” As the banquet drew to a close, Grandpa officially announced to the public that I would be entering the family business. He was transferring twenty percent of his shares to me. Combined with the twenty percent my mother had left me, I now held a forty percent controlling stake, officially making me the largest shareholder of the Vance Group. “Serena, I’m getting old. Your father is useless—no morals, no brains. I will never hand the company to him. You are the only one I trust. You have a sharp mind for business, and you understand me. I trust you won’t let me down, right?” Looking at Grandpa’s silver hair, my nose tingled with warmth. I leaned down and hugged him tightly. “Don’t worry, Grandpa. I’ll learn fast. I will protect our family legacy.” After the party ended, I finally remembered Julian and Hailey, who had been dragged away. My bodyguard reported, “We locked them in the basement. Your father went down there earlier to get them out, making a huge scene.” I stopped walking and looked at him. “Did you let them go?” “No, boss. We locked your father in there too, so he could cool his head.” I was speechless for a second. “Good job.” The tall, muscular, gorgeously tanned bodyguard scratched his head, offering a sheepish grin. “Just doing my job, boss. No matter who he is, you’re the one paying my salary. As long as you’re happy.” I arched an eyebrow, looking at this bodyguard of mine with genuine interest for the first time. “You’re quite loyal.” The next second, my hot bodyguard’s cheeks flushed a light pink. But I didn’t have time to admire him. I grabbed a bottle of expensive, high-proof alcohol and headed down to the basement. The three of them were tied up. In an effort to help each other, they were currently wriggling on the floor like oversized caterpillars. It was a hilarious sight. When they saw me walk in, Richard and Hailey started screaming hysterically. Julian glared at me with an arrogant look, expecting me to rush over and untie him. Annoyed by his face, I kicked him. Julian let out a sharp yelp, which instantly made me feel better. My hot bodyguard thoughtfully pulled up a chair for me to sit on. I sat down comfortably, enjoying the sound of their mental breakdowns. Richard yelled, “How dare you tie me up! You’re fired! All of you! Do you hear me?!” Hailey shrieked, “Serena Vance! You monster! You stole my father for so many years, enjoying all this wealth while I had nothing! You’re selfish! You’re evil!” Julian groaned, “Ah! My crotch! Call a doctor! Now!” I smiled slowly, gesturing for my bodyguard to uncork the liquor. The bodyguard looked confused, but he did it anyway. “Are you… planning to drink here, boss?” I took the bottle. Instead of drinking, I poured the expensive spirit over my hands, using it like sanitizer. The three of them instantly went quiet. I winked at my bodyguard. “Have you ever heard of sanitizing your hands before giving someone a good slap?” My bodyguard watched as I turned the ring on my finger, twisting the giant, rock-sized diamond so it faced the inside of my palm. He immediately got the idea. Looking at Richard’s wide eyes and dropped jaw, I gave him a sweet, gentle smile. “Don’t worry, Dad. I won’t lay a hand on you.” Richard let out a massive sigh of relief, but a second later, he panicked. “Then who are you going to hit?” A sharp, resounding slap across his daughter’s face was his answer.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “448283”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

After the mafia Don brutally murdered my only love, I began my pursuit of his daughter. For three years, I played the part of her devoted simp to perfection. Everyone in our circle knew I was crazy about Serena Vance. They knew I would gladly throw away my life for her. Finally, Serena agreed to marry me. And I, at long last, secured the complete trust of her father, the Don. Everyone started calling me the Underboss. They all believed that once Serena inherited the throne, I would take her father’s place and become the new ruler of the Vance family empire. Until our wedding day. Kai, her first love who had been missing for five years, showed up covered in blood, hunted by rivals. In the heat of the moment, to protect him, Serena pushed me directly into the line of fire. And I gladly took the bullet for them. It was only after Kai betrayed her that Serena realized how colossally she had messed up. She knelt by my hospital bed, weeping, begging me to wake up. She cried, telling me she loved me. But the truth is… I don’t love her. From the very beginning, my only reason for getting close to her was to utterly destroy her.

I spent three years acting like Serena’s loyal dog, risking my life for her time and time again. Finally, my “sincerity” moved her. She asked me if I was willing to marry her and help run her father’s criminal empire. I pretended to be overwhelmed with joy, asking her why she finally chose me. She merely stepped on my chest with her sharp stiletto heel, looking down at me as I knelt on the cold floor. “Because out of everyone I’ve ever known, you’re the most loyal dog I’ve had.” “You love me enough to be obedient, you’ve got the muscle, and most importantly… you look just like my first love.” Looking up into her stunning, cold eyes, I forced a bitter smile. “So… I’ve just been a stand-in this whole time.” They say strong men don’t cry, but in front of Serena, a powerful man like me let tears slip down his face. Serena froze. A flicker of complex emotion crossed her eyes before she turned and walked away. Actually, I had always known. In Serena’s heart, I was nothing but a replacement for Kai Sterling. Showing pain and shedding tears was just a calculated move to make her feel guilty. She didn’t show it on the surface, but I knew she had already fallen for me during our time together. She just didn’t want to admit it yet. She was still playing her arrogant princess games, blind to her own feelings. So, I had to help her realize it. Even my subordinates tried to comfort me: “Boss Leo, the princess definitely loves you. She’s just in denial. Look, she’s marrying you now! Even the Don agreed. That shows how much he approves of you as his son-in-law.” Indeed. For three years, I played the submissive partner at home. Outside, I was a terrifying, cold-blooded enforcer, but the moment I stepped through the door, I bowed to her. That kind of contrast could melt even the coldest heart. Before Serena even realized it, she had started acting cute around me. She would kiss me, hug me, and on those passionate nights, she would actively seduce me. Through her, I successfully made my way to her father, Victor Vance. Victor had heard of my capabilities. Seeing how desperately I adored his daughter, he wasted no time in approving our marriage. Everyone began calling me the Underboss. They assumed that once Serena took over, I would run the family. For a moment, I was the most powerful man in the Vance syndicate, second only to Victor himself. Until our wedding day. Kai Sterling, her first love who had been gone for five years, suddenly crashed our ceremony, covered in wounds. That day, our wedding was ruined by that useless street punk. The hitmen chasing Kai burst in right behind him, raising their guns and firing without hesitation. To save her precious ex, Serena pulled Kai behind her back, and without a second thought, she shoved me forward. But actually, we had already run into Kai once before the wedding. The day we met him, I went to an exclusive VIP lounge to bring Serena home. The moment I pushed open the door to the private suite, my brows furrowed. I knew Serena played wild, but every time I saw it, it made me sick. As soon as I walked in, a bunch of women immediately crowded around me, rubbing their bodies against mine. Serena rarely acknowledged our relationship in public. Most people only knew me as the ruthless Underboss, not as her fiancé. “Hey, Boss Leo!” I didn’t stop the women from clinging to me. Even though it disgusted me, seeing the jealousy flare in Serena’s eyes was incredibly satisfying. Serena, who usually hated admitting I belonged to her, slammed her wine glass onto the floor that night. She glared at me, her eyes filled with rage and hurt. Only then did I brush the women off. I loosened my tie, walked over, and wrapped my arm around Serena’s slender waist. “Ready to go home, babe?”

Serena snorted. She was clearly pleased by my gesture, but she still wanted to throw a little tantrum. Seeing a few girls still trying to make a move on me, I lit a cigarette and growled, “Get the hell away from me. If anyone makes my woman unhappy, I’ll put a bullet through their head.” The room instantly fell silent. The men kept their mouths shut, terrified of my reputation, while the women glared at Serena with envy. Hearing me call her my woman in front of everyone made Serena’s cheeks flush bright red. No matter how much she used to look down on me, she actually knew how to blush now. “I’ve never seen you act so dominant in public before,” Serena purred, pouring me a glass of whiskey. She then pressed her lips to mine, claiming her territory like a spoiled cat. “Let’s go home, babe. You’re drunk,” I whispered, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear and gently biting her earlobe. Shivering from the sensation, she finally behaved and agreed to leave with me. But a woman nearby suddenly chimed in, “Leaving already, Serena? We just ordered some hot male hosts to bring up the expensive champagne. You sure you don’t want to stay and play?” I cast a cold glance at that woman, and she quickly turned her face away in fear. “Keep your hands to yourself. My fiancée only needs me.” But right as the words left my mouth, the suite door swung open, and a line of male hosts walked in. Kai Sterling was among them. He was wearing a cheap, flashy suit, holding a tray of champagne bottles. The moment he saw Serena, he froze. Then his eyes drifted to our joined hands, and he let out a self-deprecating laugh, lowering his gaze. Serena had been completely focused on me, even teasing me with little touches. Until someone in the crowd shouted: “Wait, isn’t that Kai? Wow, after you dumped our rich princess, you really hit rock bottom, huh?” Instantly, a heavy, suffocating silence fell over the room. Serena’s head snapped toward him. Her grip on my hand tightened so hard that her long, manicured nails dug deep into my palm, making me wince. Ashamed of his current state, Kai trembled. The tray slipped from his hands, and the champagne bottles shattered onto the floor, sending glass and liquid flying everywhere. I immediately pulled Serena behind me to protect her. A sharp piece of glass sliced through my suit pants, cutting my calf. Blood started soaking through my pants, but Serena didn’t even notice. Her eyes were locked entirely on the man who had abandoned her years ago. Kai tried to turn and run, but Serena lunged forward and grabbed his collar. Disregarding everyone in the room, she screamed at him, “Kai! How dare you show your face here? Didn’t I tell you that if I ever saw you again, I’d kill you!” Yes. Kai was Serena’s first love. Their breakup had been incredibly ugly. They had known each other since childhood—one was the pampered princess of the mafia, and the other was a reckless street punk. To put it plainly, he was just a thug. But back then, Serena was hopelessly in love with him. Later, after a massive fight, Serena’s pride wouldn’t let her bow down. To hurt her, Kai got drunk and slept with another woman. When Serena found out, she ruined that woman’s life, and her relationship with Kai officially ended. After Kai left, everyone thought Serena hated his guts. But I knew the truth. Kai was the scar on Serena’s heart—unforgettable and impossible to erase.

Watching Serena lose her mind over her ex, I ignored the throbbing pain in my leg and spoke up. “Serena, don’t make a scene. Let’s keep our dignity.” I meant dignity for all of us—for Kai, and especially for me, her fiancé. But Serena glared at me with pure frost. “Who the hell do you think you are? What happens between him and me is none of your damn business!” Her words cut deep. I stopped trying to persuade her and simply narrowed my eyes. Across from her, Kai shot me a mocking, triumphant smirk when Serena wasn’t looking. Then, he turned back to Serena, his eyes filling with tender regret. He actually reached out to touch her cheek, whispering softly, “Serena… even if you hate me, you shouldn’t have found a replacement. Marrying a man you don’t love just to spite me… it breaks my heart.” A street thug like him actually managed to squeeze out tears for her. “About what happened back then… I always wanted to tell you. I was drugged. Everything you saw was a setup. Nothing happened between me and that girl…” Serena froze. “Then… why didn’t you explain?” The hatred in her eyes evaporated the moment he claimed he was drugged. She looked at him with nothing but worry and hesitation. Kai let out a bitter laugh. “I knew I had broken your heart, and with my poor background, I felt I didn’t deserve you anyway. I didn’t want to drag you down…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but Serena was smart enough to fill in the blanks looking at his cheap clothes. “You idiot!” Serena threw herself into Kai’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Kai wrapped his arms around her, shooting a cold, smug look right at me over her shoulder. Of course, Kai’s story was absolute garbage. Anyone with half a brain could see through it. But there was no way to prove it. The girl he had slept with had been tortured by Serena years ago and had long since disappeared. But it didn’t matter if the whole world knew Kai was lying. Serena believed him. Right in front of me, her fiancé, she forgave the man who had betrayed her and wept for him. My chest felt tight as I stood there, enduring the pitying and mocking stares of everyone in the room. Serena completely ignored me. She clung to Kai’s arm and smiled. “Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, come home with me. You can work for my father. I’m bringing you home.” “Serena.” For the first time, I called her by her full name, my voice dangerously low. “That is *our* home.” But Serena didn’t even turn around. I heard someone whisper in the background, “Is the princess really getting back with her ex? What about Boss Leo?” “What about him? He’s getting dumped, obviously. Now that the first love is back, why keep Leo? Though, Leo is so capable and loves her so much, even if Serena throws him away, old man Victor won’t want to lose such a good son-in-law.” Serena heard it too. Finally, she deigned to look at me. Seeing my six-foot-two frame standing there looking miserable and pathetic, she frowned, but said nothing. That night, Serena brought Kai back to the new penthouse I had bought for our future. I had risked my life to earn the money for this place, and now, my fiancée was bringing her ex inside. I walked in behind them, my fists clenched tight. Before closing the door, Kai blocked me outside. “Thanks for dropping us off, Underboss. You can leave now.” I let out a cold laugh. Looking at his arrogant face, I pulled out a knife and pressed the blade directly against his carotid artery.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “448284”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

My childhood sweetheart spoiled me like a princess for twenty years, only to fall for Chloe, the new scholarship girl. He skipped classes and got into street fights for her. He even demanded to call off our arranged engagement. He had no idea she was playing multiple guys at once, just to hook a rich husband. I warned him, “Don’t let her innocent act fool you.” But Ethan just splashed his red wine right onto my face. “Are you really stooping to petty catfights now, Serena? You disgust me.” After that, I completely gave up on him and got engaged to Logan—the man who had been silently protecting me all along. On my wedding day, Ethan crashed his sports car through the church doors. Bleeding and desperate, he held out a wedding veil to me. “Let’s start over, please?” I snatched the veil and ripped it to shreds. “Do I look like a recycling bin to you? I don’t pick up trash.” I found Ethan in a grungy downtown alley. He was shielding Chloe behind his back, his fists covered in blood as he beat up a group of street thugs. I rushed forward to stop him. “Ethan, stop! The paparazzi are already on their way.” Before this, he had already made a name for himself by skipping elite college classes for Chloe. I was terrified he would anger his father, Richard, again, so I tried to drag him away. But he shoved me back hard. “Serena Vance, I thought you just lacked empathy. I didn’t realize you were actually this malicious.” “Ethan, don’t blame Serena,” Chloe sobbed, pretending to tremble. “She’s right. I’m nothing but trouble.” As she spoke, she made a move to drop to her knees in front of the thugs. “Please, just give me some time. Once my mom’s surgery is over, I’ll go dance at a strip club to pay you back.” Hearing this, Ethan’s eyes practically overflowed with painful devotion. “How could I ever let my woman work in a place like that? It’s just fifty thousand dollars, right? I’ll pay it!” The exact moment he whipped out his checkbook and signed it, the flashing lights of the paparazzi captured everything. “Mr. Thorne, rumors say you have a secret girlfriend. Is it her?” “Is your upcoming engagement to Miss Vance still on schedule?” The rain was pouring down. The crowd of reporters surged forward, knocking my umbrella out of my hand. Ethan only gave me a freezing look. “You can handle this yourself, right?” “What?” Before I could even process his words, he took Chloe’s hand, sprinted to his car, and sped off. He left me standing entirely alone in the freezing rain. I stood frozen. That familiar feeling of abandonment rushed back, just like when I was a child. When I was five, my parents divorced. My mother walked out, and my father couldn’t care less about me, constantly cycling through new girlfriends. Everyone abandoned me. During the worst phase of my depression, Ethan was the only one who held an umbrella over my head. “Don’t cry, Serena. I’ll always stand by your side.” Because of that promise, he spoiled me for twenty years, and my heart belonged to him for twenty years. But now, he had abandoned me for a girl who had just dropped out of thin air. The sudden drop from being cherished to being discarded pierced my heart like a needle. Even in front of the cameras, I couldn’t stop my tears. “Miss Vance, may we ask…” “Can you please stop?” I covered my face and tried to walk away, but a reporter grabbed my arm. “Please cooperate with our interview.” Just as I was about to break down, a black umbrella shielded me from the rain. “She has the right to refuse.” A tall, familiar figure stepped in front of me. “If you have questions, ask me.” The reporters gasped. “Mr. Logan Thorne! What is your relationship with Miss Vance?” “I don’t mind telling you, but it depends on her,” Logan replied, flashing me a playful, boyish grin. He hadn’t changed at all. His manager quickly ushered me into a nearby SUV. “Logan is used to dealing with these media circuses. Don’t worry about him.” With Logan’s natural charm, he was practically born for the spotlight. I wasn’t worried about him. I was worried about tomorrow’s headlines. My fears were justified. The next morning, Richard Thorne’s fury descended. He threw a crystal glass that shattered right against Ethan’s forehead. Blood trickled down Ethan’s face, but he stood his ground, stubborn as ever. “I am calling off the engagement! Chloe is the love of my life. She doesn’t care about our family’s money at all!” The love of his life? Suddenly, a flood of memories rushed into my mind. My eighteenth birthday party, my high school graduation, my first solo piano recital… At every milestone of my life, Ethan had sent me flowers. The cards always read: *To Serena, the love of my life.* When did his “love of his life” change? Richard suddenly turned to me. “Serena, when is your father free? I think we need to move up the wedding.” I snapped out of my daze. “Okay. I’ll call him.” But Ethan snatched my phone away and threw it. “Are you really that desperate, Serena? Do you have no dignity left?”

“What did you just say to her?!” Logan, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly lunged forward and slammed his fist into Ethan’s face. “Do you have any idea how much she loves you? How dare you humiliate her like that?” Ethan sneered, wiping the blood from his lip. “That’s her own choice. I never asked for it.” “You bastard!” The two brothers started punching each other, and Richard roared in anger. I quickly dragged Logan out of the living room. Out in the courtyard, as I gently dabbed antiseptic on his cut knuckle, he looked at me nervously. He squeezed my hand gently. “I’m sorry, Serena. I know I shouldn’t have lost my temper, but I just…” “Thank you.” “What?” I smiled softly. “Thank you for standing up for me.” His ears turned bright red, and he nervously scratched the back of his neck. “Then… are you…” Before he could finish, a loud shouting match echoed from the villa. “If you keep trying to stop me from being with Chloe, I will leave this family!” Ethan screamed. “Fine! Let’s see how long you survive out there without my money!” Richard bellowed back. Seconds later, Ethan stormed out of the house. As he passed the courtyard, he glared at me with absolute disgust, as if I were a piece of trash blocking his way. Not too long ago, he used to look at me with so much warmth, whispering, *“Who else could I ever love but you, Serena?”* Everything changed the moment Chloe appeared. Chloe Miller… If she willingly backed away, would everything go back to normal? I dug up her address and went to find her with a checkbook in my bag. But when I arrived at the entrance of her sketchy alley, I saw her flirting with a man covered in tattoos. She was carrying a brand-new designer bag. “Thanks, Leo. Thanks for helping me clear that debt with the underground casino.” Casino debt? Didn’t she say her mother needed emergency surgery? Chloe noticed me first. She quickly pushed the man away and adjusted her clothes. “Can I help you?” she asked, her voice instantly turning cold. I had to admire her acting skills. She composed herself so quickly. “I thought you loved Ethan so much? I thought it was ‘true love’? Can’t keep up the act anymore?” Chloe chuckled mockingly. “So what? Ethan prefers my sweet, innocent act over your perfect heiress persona. In the end, I win.” “Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell him the truth?” “Go ahead. Tell him. Let’s see who he believes.” She turned to leave. I grabbed her wrist. “Enough. You just want money. How much?” Chloe snatched her hand back. “How much can you give me? A million? Five million? Once I marry Ethan and become Mrs. Thorne, I’ll have more money than I could ever spend. Don’t make me laugh.” She walked away without looking back. The more I thought about it, the more suspicious it felt. I tracked down one of the thugs from the alley and slid him a stack of cash. He finally spilled the truth. “Chloe’s mom died years ago. That money she owed was from a gambling run in Vegas. A wealthy client had already paid it off for her. We weren’t even planning on bothering her, but she paid us to stage that fight so she could look like a damsel in distress for that rich idiot.” So that was her game. I immediately drove to Ethan’s apartment to tell him. But before I could even open my mouth, he slammed his keys on the table and yelled at me. “How could you do this, Serena? How could you hire people to beat Chloe up?” He grabbed my shoulders, his eyes bloodshot. “You know how much I care about her! Why are you doing this?!” I stared at him, completely numb. “Do you really trust her more than me now?” “Yes!” Ethan let go of me, his eyes filled with pure disdain. “This is my final warning. Stay away from Chloe. Stop trying to sabotage our relationship.” “If you do something like this again, I won’t hesitate to ruin you.” Ruin me?

He had probably forgotten. Back when I used to suppress my emotions to please everyone, he would hold me tight and say: *“You don’t have to be perfect, Serena. With me, you have the right to be as spoiled and wild as you want.”* He was the one who raised me to be a princess. Why was it suddenly all my fault? I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tears finally spilled over. “Ethan, how can you do this to me? We have twenty years of history. How can you throw it all away?” “Stop using our past as a weapon. Because I don’t care about it anymore.” Losing control, I swung my arm and slapped him across the face. *Slap!* It was incredibly loud. But he didn’t even look angry. He just looked exhausted, as if even arguing with me was a waste of his breath. “Since we despise each other this much, let’s stop talking. Don’t call me, don’t see me. If we cross paths, just pretend we’re strangers.” I suddenly wanted to laugh. “Ethan, who do you think you are, acting like I’m the one stalking you? You’re the one who made promises to me. You’re the one who said you loved me. You were the one who proposed to me first!” He just sighed, his expression filled with utter annoyance. “Then just pretend I’m the bad guy.” Ethan walked away, and this time, he didn’t look back. I collapsed onto the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees, and sobbed. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. Years ago, Ethan forbade me from drinking. Back then, my depression was at its worst, and I often forgot my medication schedule. Once, I made the mistake of drinking wine to help me sleep after taking my pills. I ended up in the ER getting my stomach pumped. When I woke up, he was holding my hand, crying like a baby. *“Don’t ever do that again. Do you have any idea how terrified I was of losing you?”* That was the first time in his life he had yelled at me. Since that day, I never touched alcohol again. But now, he wasn’t here to care. I could drink as much as I wanted. But why didn’t I feel happy? “Serena.” A familiar, gentle voice called out behind me. I spun around in hope. A beautiful bouquet of flowers appeared in front of my eyes. Ethan was smiling at me softly, just like he used to. “I’m sorry about today, Serena. I’ll never hurt you again. I love you.” Tears of joy ran down my face. “Really?” “Yes.” I reached out with trembling hands to take the flowers. “They’re beautiful…” I wanted to find a vase to put them in, but my foot caught on the edge of the rug. I fell. The flower vase shattered into a million pieces. The bouquet was crushed. “My flowers… where are they?” I looked up to find Ethan, but the spot where he had been standing was completely empty. The night breeze blew in from the balcony, taking his ghost with it. I let out a painful scream, curling myself into a ball in the corner. “Why? Why does everyone I care about leave me?” My mother did. And now, him. “Serena!” I didn’t even realize Logan had entered the room. “What happened? Why are you bleeding?” He frantically scooped me up into his arms. “I’m taking you to the hospital.” I had no strength left to fight. I let him carry me away. When I finally regained some consciousness, I heard Ethan’s voice echoing in the hallway outside my hospital room. “The Serena Vance I knew is gone. She’s selfish, manipulative, and cruel. She’s probably faking this entire hospital stay. Her depression was cured years ago. How could she suddenly be having hallucinations?” I didn’t even have the energy to argue anymore. But Logan couldn’t take it. He roared in fury, “You’re the one who betrayed her! How dare you talk about her like that? Do you have any idea how much she’s suffered because of you?” “That’s her problem,” Ethan’s voice was cold and detached. “I never asked for her love. To me, her constant affection is suffocating. Don’t call me for her drama ever again. My girlfriend gets jealous.”

I heard the sounds of a scuffle, but it was quickly shut down by the nurses. A few minutes later, Logan walked back into my room, breathing heavily. He was holding a slightly crushed cake box. “How…” my voice was raspy and dry, but he seemed to understand what I wanted to ask. “Today is your birthday, Serena. Did you forget?” he asked softly. “We always celebrate it together. But my brother… he had other plans today.” “I see.” So, did Ethan actually forget my birthday, or did he choose this exact day to cut ties with me on purpose? When Logan lit the candles, he was the only one singing to me. In the sterile, quiet hospital room, he did his absolute best to make me smile. “Make a wish, our princess. May you stay beautiful and happy forever.” *I wish… that sincere people are never treated like fools again.* Before I could blow out the candles, the TV screen on the wall flashed with a breaking news alert. *“Breaking: Ethan Thorne, heir to the Thorne Conglomerate, has officially called off his engagement with his fiancée. Sources say he spent millions on a grand romantic gesture for his new girlfriend…”*

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “448285”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

My husband fell into a mountain of debt after being scammed. He got down on his knees, begging me to sleep with his creditor to clear his name. “I’m your wife, Carter! And you’re asking me to sell my body?” In my past life, when Carter first suggested this, I was so shocked and disgusted that I slapped him across the face and demanded a divorce. But that very night, he drugged my drink. He carried me to Wyatt’s bed with his own hands, where I was tortured to death. Reborn into this life, I didn’t slap him. Instead, I wrapped my arms tightly around him, sobbing. “Oh, Carter… I’ll do anything for you. Anything!” Carter didn’t have a college degree, but he had always seemed kind and honest. That was exactly why I fell for him. He was gentle, attentive, and always put me first. I thought he was the perfect partner, even if he wasn’t rich. We had been together for three years. I never could have guessed those three years would end with him trying to trade my body. Carter knelt on the hardwood floor, clutching my legs, tears streaming down his face. “Babe, it’s not like that. It’s not selling you. Think of it as a temporary thing to save us. Just this once, please. Once Wyatt gets what he wants, he’ll wipe out the debt. We won’t have to live in fear anymore…” In my previous life, after I demanded a divorce, Carter cried and snot poured down his face as he begged for forgiveness. He swore he had just lost his mind for a second. He promised he’d never say such disgusting things again and begged me not to leave him when he was at rock bottom. Looking at our one-year-old baby, Leo, crying in his crib, my heart softened. I stayed. But that soft heart paved my road to hell. After Wyatt tortured me to death, Carter didn’t even shed a tear. He made a deal with Wyatt, and together they threw my body into an illegal dog-fighting ring to let the hounds destroy the evidence. And Leo, my sweet little boy, was thrown into an industrial meat grinder by those two monsters, turned into nothing but a bloody mess.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back to the exact night my husband knelt before me. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. Forcing down the burning hatred and nausea rising in my throat, I trembled as I hugged him back. “Carter, I love you. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you!” A man who could stand by and watch his own infant son be slaughtered was never going to let me live. So, in this life, I’m going to make sure these monsters rot in hell.

“Fiona? Seriously?!” His crocodile tears stopped instantly. Carter let out a gasp of pure excitement. But he quickly caught himself. He held my face in his hands, putting on his best act of a deeply devoted, tormented husband. “Babe, are you really willing to do this with Wyatt? Back in college, he…” I sobbed, burying my face in his shoulder. “Carter, for you, for our family, I’ll give up everything.” But Carter suddenly grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back. His dull, fish-like eyes turned cold and vicious, like a viper watching its prey. “Oh? Really?” My heart squeezed. Cold sweat broke out across my back. I had to play this perfectly. I gritted my teeth, summoned every ounce of my strength, and slapped him hard across the face. His head snapped to the side. Before he could react, I turned to the vanity table. With a sweep of my arm, I knocked all my makeup bottles and perfume onto the floor. They shattered with loud, sharp crashes. I stomped my feet, pounding the table and screaming at the top of my lungs. “If you hadn’t been stupid enough to let Wyatt scam you, would we even be in this mess?! And now you’re doubting me? What do you think I am? Do you think I’m some desperate slut who can’t wait to crawl into the bed of the guy who tried to rape me in college?!” “I’m sorry, Fiona! Please, don’t be mad. It’s my fault, it’s all my fault.” Carter rushed up behind me, pinning my flailing arms to my sides. After a few minutes of screaming, I gradually quieted down. I could feel his body trembling against mine—not with fear, but with excitement. Ha. The urge to vomit grew stronger. I had almost forgotten. This violent, hysterical reaction was exactly what a normal woman would do upon hearing such a disgusting proposal. That was the only way to make him believe me. Once Carter managed to calm me down, I went to the bathroom to put on my makeup and get dressed. He sat at the edge of the bed, staring at me without blinking. He looked like a rabid dog drooling over a juicy bone. Even when I went to the bathroom, he stood right outside the door, refusing to leave me out of his sight for even a second. He still didn’t trust me. We were husband and wife. Why was he so obsessed with seeing me destroyed? But it didn’t matter. Someone who has already died once doesn’t care about the ‘why.’ I just wanted both of them to suffer a fate worse than death. After putting on a tight, elegant dress, I did a slow spin in front of him. “Babe, honestly… you didn’t have to dress up so pretty for him,” Carter said. I looked up. In his eyes, I saw a bizarre mixture of emotions—jealousy, disgust, and deep, dark hatred. He was acting jealous now? What a pathetic hypocrite. “Carter—” I took a panicked step forward and threw myself onto my knees at his feet, grabbing his jeans. “Carter, you don’t actually want me to go, do you? I won’t go! Let’s not do this, please! We can pay off the debt together. We can sell the house, I can work three jobs… I’ll do anything, just please don’t make me go!” The moment I mentioned selling the house and paying the debt, Carter’s face twisted. “Fiona, how could I be mad at you? I know you’re doing this for me. You’re doing this to save our family.”

Sitting in the passenger seat, I watched the familiar streets flash by. It was the exact same route from my past life. Maybe I should have looked terrified. After all, Wyatt had gone to prison during our senior year of college because of me. He had tried to rape me back then, and he failed. Now that he was out, it made sense he wanted revenge. In the beginning of this mess, I didn’t know Carter’s “business partner” was Wyatt. By the time I found out, it was already too late. Actually, “too late” wasn’t the right word. Even though the future had been a mystery to me, the moment Carter suggested I sleep with his creditor, I should have realized he wanted me dead. In my last life, Carter hadn’t given me a lethal dose of the drug. But that wasn’t out of mercy. It was because Wyatt didn’t want to sleep with an unconscious corpse. I had been fully awake but completely paralyzed in the passenger seat, staring helplessly out the window, praying for Carter to have a sudden change of heart. But he didn’t. Ignoring my silent, tearful pleas, he carried me into the hotel room and threw me onto Wyatt’s bed. “Fiona, you’re really doing this for me, right?” The brakes slammed hard. The seatbelt locked, digging painfully into my chest. Startled, I turned to look at him. Carter was slowly turning his neck toward me, his movements stiff and unnatural. “You’re sleeping with Wyatt… just for me?” His face was shadowed in the darkness of the car. His lips curled into a bizarre, unnatural straight line that was half-smile, half-grimace. It was that creepy, unfamiliar feeling again. For a split second, I wondered if this man was truly the same sweet, submissive husband I had known for three years. Could he be reborn, too? Or had I simply never known who Carter really was? I could have easily run away with Leo the moment I woke up in this timeline. But would Wyatt really let us go? Could I really hide in a place where they’d never find us? Besides, why should my baby and I be the ones to run and live in fear after what they did to us? Instead of running like a coward, I chose to fight. I was going to get justice for my past self and my baby! I wanted them to feel every single ounce of pain they inflicted on us! With that thought, a cold wave of calm washed over me. “What is that supposed to mean?” I sat up straight, glaring back at him with a coldness that matched his own. “Would you be happier if I refused? If I fought back?” “Who’s to say you wouldn’t just drug me in the middle of the night anyway and drag me to his bed yourself?” Silence. A heavy, suffocating silence filled the car. I couldn’t see Carter’s expression, but the air felt thick with invisible needles, ready to pierce me the second I took a breath. I stayed silent, my hand gripping my purse so hard my veins bulged. After what felt like an eternity, Carter let out a forced, nervous chuckle. “B-Babe, what are you talking about?” “How could I ever do something like that?” “You’re my wife. If you really didn’t want to, I would never force you…” The tension in my chest eased slightly, replaced by a surge of pure contempt. I cut him off, my voice ice-cold. “Great. Let’s turn the car around and go home right now.” Carter froze. “Carter, you don’t love me at all, do you?” Leaving those words hanging in the air, I grabbed the hotel key card from the center console, opened the door, and walked straight into the lobby. — ### Carter’s POV 1. This is my second rebirth. But this time, Fiona actually agreed to the plan without a fight. I knew it. I knew it from the very beginning. Fiona is a lying, cheating whore. A total slut! 2. In our very first life, I chose her over Wyatt’s threats. And how did she repay me? She stripped naked and willingly rode Wyatt right on our living room couch, right in front of my face! And while she was moaning in his arms, she laughed and told me the truth—that our son, Leo, wasn’t even mine! That wasn’t even the end of it. Once they were done, they didn’t let me go. They dragged me to an illegal dog-fighting yard and watched as the hounds tore me to pieces! 3. Maybe God couldn’t stand watching such evil go unpunished, because He gave me a second chance. In that second life, I told Fiona about Wyatt’s demand. Fiona slapped me and demanded a divorce. What a joke! She was still trying to act innocent! Fortunately, I already knew her true, filthy colors. I’ve spent my whole life pretending to be someone I’m not. How else could a top-tier college graduate like Fiona fall for a high school dropout who spent his days playing video games in internet cafes and working dead-end restaurant jobs? I pretended to apologize, calmed her down, and then slipped a small dose of roofies into her drink. Just enough to paralyze her, but keep her fully conscious. I wanted her to feel every second of what was coming. Though, based on what happened in our first life, she was probably thrilled to be back in Wyatt’s bed anyway. But I wasn’t going to let her enjoy it for free. After I got caught up in Wyatt’s debt trap, I did some digging on him. The guy was a cartel-affiliated thug and a heavy drug addict. With a little extra dose of drugs slipped into Wyatt’s drink, I figured they would both go straight to hell together. But bad guys always live longer. Wyatt survived. Only Fiona died, slowly tortured to death. But that was enough. She deserved it for betraying me and trying to kill me. When Wyatt threatened me to help him clean up the body, I pretended to be terrified. But inside, I was ecstatic. The junkyard! The industrial meat grinder! I watched her and that little bastard child she had with another man turn into dog food! 4. But I don’t understand. I already got my revenge. Why did I wake up back on the night of the proposal again? Even worse, my mind was fully conscious, but my body felt like it was on autopilot, forcing me to say the exact same lines from the previous timeline. Thankfully, the moment Fiona agreed to go to Wyatt, that strange, invisible force vanished, and I regained control of my body. But while I was furious that she had dropped her act so easily, a chilling realization hit me. If my first rebirth was for revenge, what is this one for? Was there some crucial piece of information I had missed? It wasn’t until I parked in front of the hotel, and Fiona, shrouded in the shadows, brought up exactly what I had done to her in the previous life. *Is she reborn, too?!* My throat instantly went dry. It felt like a massive spider had crawled up my leg, slowly making its way up to my neck, biting down hard on my windpipe. By the time I found my voice, my skin was covered in goosebumps. If she really remembers everything… No… I leaped out of the car and sprinted into the hotel lobby. “Sir! Are you checking in or looking for someone?” the receptionist called out, blocking my path. “The woman who just walked in—she’s my wife!” I had a terrible, sinking feeling in my chest. If I didn’t stop her right now, something horrific was going to happen to me. I shoved the receptionist aside and lunged for the elevator. But just as my fingers were about to touch the call button, three security guards tackled me from behind, dragging me away. “Sir, we need to see your ID and register you first!” “Wait! Fiona—!” I watched in horror as the elevator doors slid shut. Fiona stood inside, looking at me with a twisted, chilling smile before she vanished from sight.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “448286”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

When I was seven, my father’s gambling addiction ruined us. He lost everything and dragged me onto the streets to beg for scraps. We were cornered and abused by ruthless local loan sharks, but I managed to escape the chaos. Julian brought me to his grandfather’s ranch, and we promised we would never be parted. But behind his back, I secretly begged the social worker to find me a foster family far away. I was desperate for a new life. The day I left, he stood behind a flock of sheep, his eyes red with tears, watching me go until I vanished past the horizon. Years later, we met again. But he was no longer that poor ranch boy—he had become the insanely powerful heir to the Sterling empire. Desperate for career opportunities, I approached him with an agenda. But his borderline pathological possessiveness terrified me, and I tried to run. Later, he pinned me by my waist, his cold eyes burning into mine as he whispered hoarsely, “Chloe, you’re the one who broke the promise first. You have no heart.”

I didn’t know how long or how far I ran. I just kept going, from the pitch-black night until the sky turned pale with dawn. I ended up in a remote, unfamiliar valley town. The morning air was crisp, and the wild grass at the entrance of the town was damp with dew. In the distance, I could hear faint voices. The terror that had briefly subsided came rushing back. I gritted my teeth and forced my tired legs to keep moving. I stumbled straight into a flock of sheep slowly heading down the dirt road. The sheep panicked, scattering in all directions. Exhaustion made me lose my head. I was terrified that the noise would attract attention. I was terrified of being caught. I dodged past the fluffy white bodies, desperate to find a place to hide. In my blind panic, I crashed headfirst into a boy who was slightly shorter than me. He lost his footing and tumbled backward, his head striking a jagged old tree stump. Fresh, bright red blood immediately began to seep from his forehead. “Ouch! Ahhh—” He burst into tears from the sharp pain. My heart leaped into my throat. The sound of his crying paralyzed me with fear. What if those bad men heard him? I didn’t even try to help him up. I scrambled to my feet, my only instinct to run away. But before I could take a step, he grabbed my arm with an iron grip. No matter how hard I thrashed, I couldn’t shake him off. “Jules! Jules, what happened?!” An elderly man with thinning white hair rushed over, quickly scooping the crying boy into his arms. Only then did I snap out of my panic. The voices I had heard earlier belonged to this old man. I looked at the boy, feeling a pang of guilt. I reached out, wanting to wipe his tears. He angrily turned his head away, but his small hand still gripped my sleeve tightly. The old man led him, the boy dragged me, and just like that, I was pulled along to their small ranch house. Once inside, the old man wrapped the boy’s head in thick gauze until he looked like a little mummy. Only then did the old man turn his attention to me. I was a complete mess. Having lived on the streets for so long, I smelled terrible. My clothes were ripped to shreds by tree branches, my face and body were caked in sweat and dirt, and my bare feet were cut and bleeding. The boy called the old man “Grandpa.” So, I quietly followed suit and called him Grandpa, too. Grandpa Thomas didn’t ask questions right away. He helped me wash up, found some of the boy’s oversized clothes for me to wear, and handed me a warm bowl of oatmeal. Feeling their genuine kindness, I devoured the food like a wild animal. It had been so long since I sat at a proper table and had a real meal.

Not long ago, I was a girl with a happy home. My dad ran a successful tech startup. But for some reason, he got hooked on gambling. Overnight, he lost everything. Our house and cars were foreclosed, and he owed an unimaginable amount of money to dangerous people. At seven years old, I didn’t understand what bankruptcy meant. I just watched our live-in nanny pack her bags and leave in the middle of the night. In the blink of an eye, my dad and I became homeless. He dragged me from one neighborhood to another, carrying different pieces of cardboard with fabricated stories written on them. Sometimes the cardboard said I was terminally ill. Sometimes it said my mother was dying. Sometimes it was about him. But the truth was, I didn’t even have a mother. I had never met her. He forced me to cry while begging, telling me that tears were the only way to get people to open their wallets. Some days we got enough money for a decent meal. Other days, we got absolutely nothing, and he would drag me to the dumpsters behind supermarkets to look for expired food. My young mind couldn’t comprehend how long this nightmare would last. Whenever I cried at night, begging him to take me home, he would always whisper, “Soon, sweetie, very soon.” Until that fateful night. A group of terrifying, muscular men cornered us in an abandoned warehouse. My dad fell to his knees, trembling and begging them to let me go. “Mr. Hayes, did you really think you could hide from us forever? A debt is a debt. You can’t run.” Right before my eyes, they cut off one of my dad’s fingers. His agonizing screams pierced the night. I screamed and cried until my voice went hoarse, but no one came to save us. Eventually, I fainted from hyperventilating. When I woke up in the middle of the night, the warehouse was dead silent. The guards were gone. I looked at my unconscious father. I felt no lingering attachment, only pure survival instinct. I crawled out through a loose metal sheet at the bottom of the wall. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I heard dogs barking in the distance, and saw headlights scanning the dark hills. I didn’t look back. I knew this was my only chance to live.

“Sweetheart, where did you come from? Where is your family?” Once I had finished the food, Grandpa Thomas asked me gently. I didn’t dare tell him the truth. I was terrified he would send me back. Besides, I didn’t even know if my dad was still alive. “I don’t have a family. I’ve been living on the streets,” I lied, completely erasing my father from my story. As I spoke, tears finally spilled over. The terror of the previous night finally caught up to me, suffocating me. “Don’t cry. Grandpa will wrap you up, and it won’t hurt anymore,” the boy chimed in from the side, trying to comfort me in his own childlike way. Grandpa Thomas told me the boy was two years younger than me, and his name was Jules. “How long have you been on your own, little girl?” “I don’t know… a very long time,” I sobbed. “Shh, don’t cry, sweetheart. Tell you what, you stay here with us for now. We have plenty of food and clothes.” Grandpa Thomas gently wiped my tears with his rough, calloused thumb. This warmth, which I hadn’t felt in so long, moved me deeply. Ever since we started running, my dad’s only focus was how to use me to get sympathy and cash. When I cried, he no longer held me like he used to. I couldn’t understand what I had done wrong for my life to turn upside down so suddenly. Compared to the terrifying days on the streets, life at Grandpa Thomas’s ranch was heaven. But whenever Jules and Grandpa went out to herd the sheep, I refused to go with them. I didn’t know where we were, or how far we were from that horrific warehouse. My survival instinct told me to stay hidden inside the house. Only there did I feel somewhat safe.

Jules was a sweet boy, and he quickly became attached to me, following me around like a shadow. Back when I had a home, I had read a lot of storybooks, so I could make up all kinds of tales to entertain him. He loved it. But he had a bizarre quirk—he insisted on hearing scary stories before bed. Sometimes, out of mischief, I would intentionally add terrifying details just to scare him so he would cling to me. “I’m scared, Chloe,” he would whimper. He loved to sleep with his arms and legs tangled around me. At first, I hated the lack of personal space. But over time, I got used to it. In fact, if he wasn’t next to me, I found myself lying awake in fear. “Chloe, will you stay here forever?” His chubby face turned to me, his big, bright eyes shining in the dim light. “Of course I will, Jules. Now go to sleep.” I lulled him to sleep, gently tracing the scar on his forehead. But even as I promised him I would stay forever, I knew I couldn’t. I had been here for almost two months. A social worker, Officer Miller, had visited the ranch earlier. She told me that if I wanted, she could help Grandpa Thomas legally adopt me. But if I didn’t want to stay, she could arrange for me to go to a foster agency in the city. They didn’t know my real name. Back home, my name was Maya, but I was terrified the loan sharks would find me if I used it. So, I lied and told them my name was Chloe—the name of a popular girl from my old preschool. I secretly went to see Officer Miller on my own. I intentionally made myself look as miserable and pathetic as possible, making it clear that I wanted to be adopted by a wealthy family in a big city. My old home was in Seattle. Officer Miller told me that this ranch was over three hundred miles away from there. She spread out a map on her desk to show me the distance. I pointed to Chicago, which was in the opposite direction and even further away. The further I was from Seattle, the harder it would be for those dangerous men to track me down. “I want to go there. Can you help me?” Officer Miller was taken aback by my calculating request, but she eventually nodded and promised to look into it. A few weeks later, she came back to the ranch to find me. “Chloe, I reached out to an agency in Chicago. There’s a very wealthy, respectable couple looking to adopt a seven-year-old girl. Would you like to meet them?” Without a single second of hesitation, I replied, “Yes. Take me there.”

Officer Miller arranged for a local volunteer to drive me to the city. We scheduled the departure for a morning when Jules wouldn’t know. Grandpa Thomas, wanting to spare the boy the heartbreak, took Jules out to the far pastures early that morning. Grandpa, Jules, and the local townspeople had been nothing but kind to me. So why was I so determined to leave? Because even after all this time, the memory of my father’s finger being severed still haunted my dreams. I didn’t know how far I had run, but I felt like staying here was a ticking time bomb. If those loan sharks ever looked for me, a small town like this would be the easiest place to corner me and kill me. Moreover, though I had lived like a gutter rat recently, I remembered my old life. I used to go to a high-end private school. My old home was luxurious. I didn’t want to grow up on a dusty ranch, turning into a farm girl. Even though I had lost my biological father and my home, if I had a chance to be adopted, I wanted to be rich again. Perhaps living with a desperate, single father had made me cynical, but even at seven, my mind was entirely focused on survival and status. And I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. Sitting in the back of the pickup truck, I watched the ranch fade into the distance. The valleys, the pastures, the big oak tree where I first met Jules, and Grandpa’s flock of sheep… And then, I saw him. Jules was running behind the sheep, his eyes red with tears, silently watching the truck drive away until he became a tiny speck on the horizon. The bumping of the truck made my throat tight. But I didn’t cry. I shouldn’t cry. I was finally leaving the dirt behind to start a new, better life. Did I feel bad for leaving Jules? A little. But he was just a ranch boy. If things went as expected, he would probably spend his entire life in that dusty valley. We belonged to different worlds now.

The day after I arrived at the Chicago adoption agency, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes came to visit. The agency director told me they were looking for a girl around seven years old. The only other seven-year-old girl at the agency had a difficult temperament and refused to speak to anyone. So when Officer Miller called about me, the director brought me in, hoping for a match. The next morning, the couple arrived. Richard Hayes liked me the moment he saw me, and his wife, Eleanor, seemed pleased as well. “Eleanor, look at her,” Richard whispered, gently lifting my chin. “Her eyes… they look so much like Lily’s.” I nervously clutched the hem of my dress, having no idea who Lily was. Eleanor’s eyes welled with tears as she nodded in agreement. I found out later that Lily was their biological daughter, who would have been my age. She had passed away from leukemia just a few months prior. Eleanor’s health was too fragile to conceive again, which was why they decided to adopt. I had to thank my lucky stars for my pretty face, which allowed them to see their late daughter’s ghost in me. When they heard my name was Chloe, they took it as a sign from heaven. “Sweetheart, we don’t want to change your name if you don’t want us to. Would you like to keep ‘Chloe’?” Eleanor asked softly. I nodded meekly. And so, Chloe Hayes became my official identity. “Perfect. Chloe means blooming and full of life. It’s a beautiful name,” Richard smiled warmly. A fresh start, blooming with life. It was indeed a perfect name. It was the best gift I could have given myself. The adoption went through smoothly. I became the sole heiress of the Hayes family and moved into their massive estate. Just as I had hoped, our car pulled into a gated community and stopped in front of a stunning, multi-million-dollar mansion. They were incredibly wealthy, even richer than my biological father had been. And best of all, I had a mother again. From Eleanor, I received the gentle, unconditional maternal love I had never known. I thanked God every day for my luck. They treated me like royalty, decorating my room like a princess’s castle. “Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Dad. Thank you for bringing me home,” I cried, throwing my arms around them. Part of it was a performance to secure my place, but a large part of it was genuine. Only I knew how hard I had fought to get here. It was luck, and it was destiny. I was more than willing to play the part of their perfect, resurrected daughter.

Eighteen years went by in a flash. I had long since adapted to my life as a wealthy socialite. With my adoptive father’s connections and funding, I had successfully broken into the entertainment industry as a rising starlet. However, the competition was fierce. There were several other young actresses debuting at the same time, and my agency’s resources were limited. Without a massive breakout hit, my popularity remained mediocre. My current project, a drama called *Hear You*, was a villainous supporting role that I had to practically beg the producers for. Even though Richard had poured a lot of money into my career, there was always a bigger fish in the sea. I knew that to truly solidify my place in Hollywood, talent wasn’t enough. I needed to network with the real power players. At the wrap party for *Hear You*, my agent, Serena, pulled me aside and whispered that the youngest heir of the Sterling family would be attending. The Sterling Group was the primary investor in our film. They possessed unimaginable wealth and controlled half of the distribution networks in the country. I had always been ambitious. I knew Julian Sterling was a brilliant, incredibly handsome billionaire, and a rare catch. Throughout the entire party, my mind was racing, trying to figure out how to make a graceful, memorable impression on him without looking desperate. Of course, I wasn’t the only one. Dozens of other starlets were lingering around, hoping for a chance to catch his eye. But as the night dragged on and the party neared its end, the VIP guest of honor had yet to show up. Most of the guests assumed he wasn’t coming and began to leave. I was about to head to the dressing room to change out of my gown when a sudden commotion echoed from the entrance. A large entourage walked in, surrounding a tall, striking young man in the center.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “448287”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

I found out Ethan was cheating on me with his gaming duo. We had a massive fight. In the second month of our silent treatment, he went Instagram official with his new girlfriend. Everyone thought I would lose my mind, cry, and beg him to come back, just like I used to. Ethan thought so, too. But I didn’t. This time, I chose to let go. I assumed we were over, and I packed up all my things and moved out. But after a while, Ethan actually tracked me down. “Chloe, we’ve been giving each other the cold shoulder for so long. Aren’t you ready to make up?” I tossed my phone to the side and kept losing myself in the embrace of the man next to me. On the other end of the line, Ethan’s voice erupted into a crazed, furious roar. I never thought Ethan would cheat on me. “Chloe, was that you playing support in his last game?” My best friend, Mia, called to ask me. “No, why?” “Oh—so your boy Ethan is carrying some other girl?” “No way. He told me he was playing with his boys.” I glanced back at the closed door of the study. Ethan was inside, supposedly in a Discord call with his friends. “No, that support was playing enchanters. Classic girl gamer. Go check his match history.” After hanging up, I opened his game profile. Five pages in a row. It was always the same support player, “BabyMimi,” laning with him in the bot lane. I clicked on her profile. It was definitely a girl’s account, and her bio was filled with cute selfies. Ethan had played with other girls before. But playing with someone so consistently? This was a first. I hadn’t checked his history in a while. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. He didn’t even bother using an alt account. I kept my cool and didn’t bring it up immediately. When he finally finished playing and walked out of the study, I was still sitting by the coffee table, pretending to watch a trending Netflix show. “I’m gonna take a shower, babe,” he said, walking straight into the bathroom. He left his phone on the couch. As soon as I heard the shower start, I picked it up. On Snapchat, I was pinned at the top. The chat history was completely clean. No red flags at all. Refusing to give up, I logged into his Riot Mobile app and clicked on his chat logs with that girl gamer. And there it was. Based on their game chats, they had moved to Snapchat, but Ethan had been deleting his chat history on his phone. What shocked me was that they weren’t just gaming buddies. Ethan was in an online relationship with her. During our five years of dating, because Ethan was good at games, girls were always hovering around him. He wasn’t exactly a saint either. Early on, he loved the attention and never rejected anyone. Every time I found out, I would act like the crazy, insecure girlfriend. I’d throw a tantrum, cry, and force him to block them. But at least he had never officially committed to anyone else.

I hooked his phone up to my laptop and ran a data recovery tool to pull up his deleted Snapchat logs. To stop him from messing around in games, I had learned how to do this a long time ago. Inside the bathroom, Ethan started singing. He was in a great mood. Just as the progress bar hit 100%, the shower stopped. I quickly opened the recovered file. The contents confirmed my worst fears. Since the 18th of last month, he had been texting her “good morning” and “good night” every single day without fail. “Good morning, beautiful. The weather is amazing today. I love you.” On his way to work, he would snap pictures of the morning sun for her. “The chicken today is a bit dry, but the pumpkin is really sweet. Just like you.” He took pictures of his lunch and sent them to her like a daily check-in. “Look, the sunset tonight is beautiful.” He didn’t even forget to snap the sunset when he reached our apartment gate. “The grapes I bought are super fresh. You should eat more fruit too.” Those were the grapes *I* bought, and he had sneaked a picture when I wasn’t looking. “Look at the dinner I made. Looks good, right?” That was the dinner *I* cooked. For the past month, in the little gaps of our daily life, he had been sharing everything with BabyMimi. And the irony was, I hadn’t even received most of these photos. His romantic gestures were exclusively reserved for her. And every time he sent something, her replies were incredibly enthusiastic: “Omg, so pretty!” “I love you too, babe~” “You’re so amazing, I wish I could taste it!” This kind of positive feedback clearly stroked his ego. Thinking back to the beginning of our relationship, we used to be just as sweet. We had endless things to talk about. But after dating for so long, transitioning from college to the real world, the stress of life and work got in the way. We talked less. Lately, he had been spending more time on games, but he always claimed he was playing with his boys. I hadn’t doubted him because I thought it was normal to occasionally play with girls. I just didn’t expect him to cross the line.

“You’re looking through my phone again!” Ethan walked out of the bathroom, saw me with his phone, and spoke in a flat voice. He was incredibly calm. He probably felt confident I wouldn’t find anything. “Ethan, I leave you alone for a second, and you start an e-relationship?” I threw the phone onto the coffee table in his direction. The screen was still lit up, displaying his recovered chats with Mimi in agonizing detail. Ethan visibly panicked. He rushed over and grabbed the phone. “Chloe, let me explain…” Realizing he was caught red-handed, he put the phone down and tried to grab my arm. “What is there to explain? You always complain that I’m bad at the game and refuse to play with me. You told me you were playing with Jake, but it turns out Jake’s name is Mimi?” I held my warm mug of milk, taking slow sips. “We just play games together. She’s just an online friend.” He said this so righteously. As if being “online” made all those sweet, intimate words in the chat history completely meaningless. “But you never sent me any of those photos you sent her.” “Those were just random snaps. They didn’t mean anything.” “If they didn’t mean anything, why share them with your online friend instead of me? You’re bored of me, aren’t you, Ethan?” “I’m not bored of you. I want to build a life with you.” He reached out to hold my hand, but I pulled away. “People who want to build a life together don’t act like this.” Right in front of me, he opened Snapchat, deleted Mimi, then dragged me to his PC, opened the game, and unfriended her there too. “See? I told you she’s just a random online friend. Texting is just a game. It means nothing. I can delete her just like that, Chloe.” He tried to use this to brush off the fact that he had cheated. It was as if the more casual he acted, the more petty and unreasonable I looked.

I didn’t argue with him anymore. To Ethan, the moment he deleted her, the matter was resolved. But in my heart, I had no intention of forgiving him. We had been graduated for two years, and including our college years, we had been together for five years. In all this time, he had never once brought up marriage. Even after we moved in together after graduation, he never expressed any desire to visit my parents. I had been waiting for him, taking care of his daily life. I tried so hard to be the perfect girlfriend, hoping to show him the love of a future wife. But I didn’t expect that even after all this time, he would still be so immature. In his mind, it seemed like we could just date forever. Whenever our friends joked about us getting married, he would just laugh it off. Every time I felt bitter and hurt, I would comfort myself by imagining the moment he would finally propose. I thought, we’ve been together for five years. If we don’t end up married, what was the point of all this love? But this incident proved that he had no intention of marrying me anytime soon. I started giving him the silent treatment, and I moved back to Mia’s apartment. During this time, Ethan texted and called me, but I ignored him. I threw myself entirely into my work. I’m a graphic designer, and I started staying late at the office, working myself to the bone. Before, I rarely worked overtime because I was always worried Ethan wouldn’t have dinner when he got home. Even if I had unfinished work, I would bring it home and pull an all-nighter. Now, work consumed me, numbing the pain.

We had been in a cold war for over a month. I didn’t get an apology or a proposal from Ethan. Instead, in the second month, I saw his post on Instagram. He was official with someone else. It was Mimi. I recognized her face. The announcement photo was a selfie of them standing shoulder to shoulder. They had met up in real life. Our mutual friends and college classmates all thought we had just had a fight, and that I would go back to him crying like before. But this time, I didn’t. I just kept tapping on that photo. Zooming in and out, looking at every detail, trying to find a way to let go. Thirty minutes after he posted it, I left a comment: “You look great together. Wish you two the best.” The moment I posted that comment, my phone blew up. My friends flooded my DMs with shock and questions. I didn’t have the energy to reply to them one by one. Shortly after, I posted my own update: “I guess loving someone for a long time doesn’t mean you get to stay together.” That post was my belated announcement of our breakup. Honestly, I should have pronounced Ethan and this relationship dead a long time ago. I don’t know why I dragged it out. It was as if I just couldn’t let go of the past and kept trying to run away from reality.

When I was eight years old, I saw my mom kissing one of her coworkers, Mr. Davis, in the parking lot downstairs. That scene shattered my world. Since then, I couldn’t look at my mom the same way. I only knew I had to be extra good to my dad because I felt so sorry for him. But at the same time, I didn’t dare tell him the truth. I was terrified he wouldn’t be able to take the blow. And selfishly, I didn’t want to see them get divorced. I don’t know if my dad ever found out, but they are still together to this day. Since that moment, I grew to despise betrayal in any form, whether in friendship or love. I also developed a deep fear of intimacy, especially with men. Even with Ethan, whom I had dated for so long, I would start shaking and breaking out in a cold sweat whenever we did anything beyond basic kissing. So, no matter how hard we tried, we could never take the final step. For a long time, I felt incredibly guilty about this. I always thought that his reluctance to bring up marriage was because of my issues. That was why I was willing to wait for him. I wanted to show him through my actions that I really trusted and loved him. Of course, Ethan had once promised me that he was willing to wait, and that he would never betray me. But as the years went by, he seemed to have thrown those promises out the window. He crossed my boundaries again and again, meeting different girls, playing games with them, and staying on voice calls late into the night. It felt as though he was trying to punish me, provoking me over and over. Maybe he wanted me to know that he could love anyone, but since he chose to stay with me, I should be grateful. As for his real reasons, I didn’t know anymore, and I didn’t care. I went back to the apartment to pack up the rest of my things. “Why aren’t you throwing a fit this time?” Ethan leaned against the doorframe, watching me pack with cold eyes. “Ethan, I just suddenly realized that our five years together were incredibly boring.” “Since when did you learn to play hard to get, Chloe?” I caught the smug implication in his voice.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “448288”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

My “best friend,” Vivian Shelby, was planning to drug me. She wanted to film an explicit video of me to use as blackmail. Fortunately, a classmate overheard her plotting with my boyfriend, Marcus Carter, and posted a warning on our university’s anonymous Instagram gossip page: [Urgent! Looking for Chloe Vance. Someone warn her!] I saw the post. And I quietly poured the drug into the drinks I prepared for them. My Instagram DM inbox was blowing up. Everyone was telling me to watch out for my boyfriend and my “bestie.” With trembling hands, I tapped on the chat with an account called CampusWatch. It was a repost of a warning thread: [Spread the word. Looking for a girl named Chloe Vance, Literature major. Your boyfriend and roommate are plotting something sick.] At first, I didn’t want to believe it. But looking at the blurry spy-shot attached to the post, I recognized Marcus and Vivian instantly. Marcus was wearing the jacket I bought him. Vivian had my limited-edition designer watch on her wrist. I couldn’t deny it. I stared in shock at Vivian, who was out on our apartment balcony, laughing as she made a phone call. I couldn’t believe our four years of friendship and trust had just evaporated. Vivian and I had been roommates and best friends for four years. We shared everything. Because her family struggled financially, I constantly helped her out, buying her meals and clothes under the guise of “sharing.” And Marcus was my boyfriend of three years. I wasn’t codependent, nor was I stupid. It was just that they were incredible actors. Marcus always acted like a hardworking, humble guy in front of my parents. Vivian played the role of the sweet, grateful, and fiercely loyal best friend. Whenever Vivian was around me, she always put on a proud but slightly insecure front. She took on part-time jobs, claiming she wanted to stand on her own feet and couldn’t rely on my charity forever. Occasionally, she would gift me small things—a lipstick, a hair clip—proudly stating she bought them with her own hard-earned money. Sometimes it was a coffee she went out of her way to buy; other times, it was a limited-edition collectible figurine she had saved up for months to get me. She used to say, “Chloe, you’re so good to me. I have to be even better to you.” Marcus played his part perfectly, too. He kept a respectful distance from Vivian whenever I was around, making it seem like I was the only woman in his universe. They performed a flawless duet. One played the devoted boyfriend; the other played the caring bestie. He acted like a loyal partner. She acted like a sister who relied on me completely. They were so good that, until today, I hadn’t noticed a single crack in their masks. Last month, my father privately expressed his concerns about Marcus’s background. He made it clear that if we were to continue our relationship, Marcus would have to sign a prenuptial agreement. When Marcus found out, his face turned incredibly ugly. That, no doubt, was the trigger. Vivian must have egged him on, planning this drugging scheme to get dirty material on me. They had spent three years acting, waiting, and plotting, only to realize they might end up with nothing. So Vivian went mad. She dragged him into her sick plan to destroy me in the most vicious way possible, hoping to blackmail my parents and steal everything they coveted. But I wasn’t going to let them win. Marcus was trash at his core. He belonged in the gutter, and that was exactly where I was going to leave him.

I remembered when I first got close to Vivian two years ago. She was always cheerful, with a touch of cautious flattery. Once, just to try on my new designer watch, she held her wrist out to me. “Chloe, look, this looks so good on you. I just want to wear it for a second to see how it feels.” I didn’t think much of it. I just laughed and told her she could wear it longer if she liked. Marcus was there too. He frowned slightly but said nothing. On the surface, he kept a polite and distant boundary with Vivian. Vivian was also very sensible. She never crossed the line again, content to just be my loyal best friend. For two years, she was always grateful and considerate. I never doubted her. He was the loyal boyfriend. She was the sweet bestie. They put on a beautiful show. I never saw it coming.

Vivian ran up to me excitedly, grabbing my arm. “Chloe! I booked a private VIP booth at the campus lounge this weekend. We haven’t hung out in forever! Let’s invite a few people. Bring Marcus too, the more the merrier!” I looked at her face. Her smile was flawless. I nodded. “Sure. You set it up.” “Awesome! Saturday at eight!” She shook my arm playfully before turning around to make a call. That night, when Marcus dropped me off at my apartment, he casually brought it up. “So, Vivian mentioned something about a lounge party this weekend?” “Yeah. She said it’s a get-together. She wants you there too.” He scratched his head, showing a perfect touch of reluctance. “Alright, babe. I don’t have plans anyway. I’ll go with you.” On Saturday night, I arrived at the lounge with the “special drinks” I had prepared. I pushed open the door to the VIP booth, and the booming bass hit me instantly. There were already five or six guys inside. Aside from Vivian, it was entirely male. They were crowded around the table, playing drinking games and throwing dice. Marcus, sitting near the edge, stood up immediately when he saw me. “Chloe’s here!” Vivian squeezed through the crowd, pulling my arm affectionately. “We were waiting for you! Come, let me introduce you to my friends…” The guys stopped what they were doing, their eyes locking onto me. A guy with bleached blonde hair and a vape in his mouth blew a cloud of smoke and smirked. “Vivian, so this is the rich, pretty roommate you were talking about? Not bad.” The others laughed, their greasy gazes lingering on my body. Marcus frowned. “Hunter, cut it out.” The guy named Hunter grinned, leaning closer. “Just a joke, Marcus. Don’t be so tense. What are you having, beautiful? Next round is on me.” I ignored him and looked at Vivian. “This is the ‘friends’ hangout’ you talked about?” Vivian gave a dry laugh. “They’re just playing around, Chloe. They don’t mean anything.” She grabbed a few beers from the table. “Come on, let’s have a drink first. Don’t just stand there.” “No need,” I said, placing a luxury shopping bag on the table and pulling out two bottles of high-end whiskey. “I brought my own.” Hunter glanced at the bottles and sneered. “Rich girls and their fancy taste.” I ignored him, handing one of the bottles to Marcus. “I brought this for you.” Marcus took it, his expression slightly complicated. “Thanks, babe.” Vivian seized the opportunity to grab the bottle opener. “Oh, let’s all drink! I’ll pour for everyone!” She poured drinks for everyone. When it was my turn, she poured a glass of my whiskey. As she handed it to me, her finger brushed against the rim of the glass in a barely noticeable motion. I took it but didn’t drink. I set it on the table. “Why aren’t you drinking, Chloe?” Vivian stared at me. “My stomach feels a bit upset suddenly,” I said, covering my mouth. I picked up the glass and forced it into Marcus’s hand. “Drink this for me, babe. Don’t let it go to waste.” Marcus froze. “Oh, making the boyfriend drink for you?” Hunter jeered. “Marcus, you gotta show her some love and chug it!” Marcus looked at me. I gave him a sweet smile. He tilted his head back and drank the whole glass. Vivian’s face stiffened. She quickly poured another drink and handed it to me. “Then have this one. It’s low alcohol. You won’t get drunk.” I looked at the tiny, un-dissolved bubbles in the clear liquid and took the glass. “There we go!” Vivian’s smile beamed again. Under the watchful eyes of several people, I raised the glass. I pretended to take a sip, but right before the rim touched my lips, I winced and covered my mouth. “I can’t… the smell of alcohol is making me gag,” I said, slamming the glass onto the table. I turned toward the exit. “I need to use the restroom!” “Chloe!” Marcus tried to follow. “Don’t follow me!” I snapped without looking back. I rushed out of the booth and straight into the restroom. I locked myself in a stall and immediately forced myself to throw up the tiny bit of liquid I had purposely held in my mouth. I splashed cold water on my face and stared at my icy reflection in the mirror. The drug would kick in within ten minutes. The hidden spy camera I had tucked behind the frame of the painting in the VIP booth should already be rolling. I fixed my face, opened the door, but didn’t go back to the booth. Instead, I slipped down the fire exit and quickly left the lounge. The show was about to begin.

I contacted Sienna, the girl behind CampusWatch. She was already waiting for me at the campus gates. For safety, we had been on a call the whole time, but she didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until I got into her car. Sienna looked quiet and delicate, but she had a fiery personality. “Let me tell you, Chloe, if I wasn’t afraid of blowing your cover, I would have beaten that trashy couple up myself,” Sienna said. “What is wrong with those disgusting people? To use such a cheap, illegal trick. I despise gold-digging guys who try to climb the social ladder through women, and fake besties who stab you in the back. They can play nice all they want, but trash is trash. Greedy bastards. I hope they rot.” Her words were harsh, but she wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t help but chuckle. Sienna realized how worked up she was and stopped. “Sorry, I got carried away.” “It’s fine. It felt good hearing you call them out.” She gave an awkward smile, then turned to me. “So, what’s the plan now?” I leaned back against the seat, feeling a bit exhausted. “Let’s find a motel for tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll bring the dean and campus security to the lounge and make a massive scene. Let’s destroy their reputations first.” Sienna slammed her hand on the steering wheel. “Deal! I’ll call some friends to back us up tomorrow.” She dropped me off at a local motel and promised to pick me up in the morning. I took a shower, lay down on the bed, and opened the live feed from the hidden camera on my phone. Inside the VIP booth, bottles were scattered everywhere. Marcus was gone—presumably searching for me in a panic. But the drug had kicked in, and the alcohol had amplified it. The crowd in the booth had lost all sense of reality. Soon, Marcus burst back into the room, panting heavily. “She’s gone! Stop drinking, everyone, and help me find her!” But who in that room was sober enough to listen? Before Marcus could finish his sentence, a flushed figure stumbled forward and wrapped her arms around him from behind. It was Vivian. Her face was bright red, her eyes glassy from the drug. “Marcus… forget about her…” her voice was slurred as she clung to him. Hunter and the other guys, their eyes vacant and unfocused, didn’t stop them. Instead, they laughed and cheered. The scene quickly degenerated into utter chaos.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “448273”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster