Category: English

My brother, Pierre, hated me since we were kids. He never let me call him Pierre. He called me a curse, saying I killed his mother. The day I was murdered, I called him crying: “Pierre, please save me. I’m so scared.” He didn’t reply until Helena’s birthday party was over: “I hope you’re actually kidnapped. I hope you die right now.” Then he blocked me. The killer smiled as he slit my throat. Blood splattered everywhere. “Turns out you’re just an unwanted brat. I’ll make this quick and painless for you.” Later, I heard that after my death, Pierre—the brother who hated me most—went completely gray overnight. Pierre once had a perfect, happy family. A beautiful mother, a successful father, and a wealthy household. Everything was perfect. Then, Mom got pregnant. She would stroke Pierre’s hair and say: “Pierre, when you grow up, you must protect Chris.” Little Pierre clenched his fists tightly, taking it very seriously: “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll love her forever and take good care of Chris!” Dad smiled, and Mom gently patted his head. But everything changed the day I was born.

Mom had a severe hemorrhage during childbirth. It was highly dangerous. She could have survived, but she chose to save me instead. My mom was the heiress to the James Group. She was brilliant, beautiful, and the dream of countless men. But she fell in love with my dad, who came from a poor, small town. They dated for ten years before she finally convinced Grandfather to approve of the marriage. They got married, had Pierre, and built a perfect life that everyone envied. When I was born, I was just a tiny, wrinkled baby. Dad couldn’t accept Mom’s death. He jumped from the seventeenth floor of the hospital, crashing into a bloody mess. And Pierre would stare at me in my crib night after night, trying to suppress the urge to strangle me: “Why did Mom have to die instead of you?”

By the time I was seven, I already knew I was the reason Mom died. So, I spent my life trying to make it up to Pierre. I cleaned his room every day and saved my favorite snacks for him. I saved all the allowance Grandfather gave me to buy Pierre birthday gifts. On Pierre’s birthday, I bought him an expensive toy using the money I had saved all year. He started laughing, but then he began to cry. It hurt to see him like that, so I hugged him tight: “I’m sorry, Pierre. It’s all my fault. I promise I’ll be good to you from now on.” “Mom is dead! How can you ever pay that back?” Pierre pushed me away violently. My arm hit the corner of the table, turning black and blue. Tears streamed down my face from the pain: “I’ll take care of you just like Mom did. Please don’t hate me.” Pierre didn’t say a word. He just went wild, smashing the toy I bought him against the wall: “Stop talking to me! Get out! You don’t deserve to be my sister!” But later, I saw him treasure a cheap, random gift from our cousin, Helena, for years like it was gold. Helena looked a lot like Mom in the old photos. Pierre smiled whenever he saw her. That was when I realized Pierre didn’t hate my gifts. He just hated me.

I started clumsily copying Helena. I dressed like her and talked like her. She would bend down to rescue stray cats on the street, so I did the same. I thought Pierre might like me even a little bit if I did that. But it only made him despise me more. I still remember how coldly he looked at me when I was holding a dirty stray cat: “You just make me sick.” After that, I stopped trying. I went back to being the quiet girl with thick glasses, walking with my head down at school. During my freshman year of high school, a group of popular, mean girls blocked my way in an alley: “Hey, I heard you’ve been clinging to Pierre. How can you be so shameless?” Another girl snickered: “Look at her. She’s so ugly. Where does she get the nerve?” “She’s delusional. She’s living in a fantasy world.” They surrounded me, mocking my looks. I gathered my courage and yelled back: “No! I’m not clinging to him! I’m his sister!” The girls laughed even harder: “We’ve only ever heard of his cousin, Helena. Who the hell are you?” I cried and argued with them. Just as one of them was about to slap me across the face… Pierre suddenly appeared at the entrance of the alley. For the first time in my life, I felt a wave of warmth. Pierre, did you know I was in danger? Did you come to save me? The leader of the girls saw Pierre and casually put her hand on my shoulder: “We saw this girl bothering you, so we wanted to teach her to stay away.” Pierre stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking at me coldly. I shrank back, too scared to speak. But my eyes were wide with hope. He still cares about me, right? But in the next second, my hopes were shattered. The girl next to me asked Pierre: “She says she’s your sister. Is that true?” Pierre’s cold face turned completely dark. He said coldly: “She is not my sister. I’m an only child. I don’t have a sister.” Then, he turned around and walked away without looking back, ignoring my desperate cries. I don’t remember how many times I screamed his name that day. The girls slapped me over and over again. They eventually stripped off my clothes, poured hot candle wax onto my skin, and recorded a video. In the video, my hair was a mess, my face was swollen, and my clothes were torn. They forced me to kneel and call myself a worthless piece of trash over and over.

The video went viral on the school gossip board. Everyone mocked me for being delusional and crazy. I had no family, and no friends to talk to. During that time, I buried myself in my studies. That was the only way I could forget the pain. A few times, I scored top of the class. When I told Pierre, he didn’t even frown. So, I studied even harder. When I received early admission to his university with a full scholarship, I excitedly held out the letter to him: “Pierre, look! I got into your college! We can study together again!” Pierre pushed me aside and pulled a crying Helena into his arms: “You’d better get out of my sight right now.” Helena was an only child. When she was little, she also loved following Pierre around. But Pierre adored her. He always gave her my snacks whenever she visited, and as they grew up, he spoiled her completely. Only later did I find out that the day I got my admission letter, Helena was upset because she did poorly on a minor midterm exam. Helena had posted on Instagram: “When others have nothing to eat, chewing quietly is a form of politeness.” The post was filled with pictures. The first three photos were of Pierre taking her to Disneyland to cheer her up. Disneyland—a place I had only ever dreamed of going. She wore a beautiful dress, sitting on the carousel with a radiant smile. The next three photos showed Pierre buying her tons of expensive clothes. I had actually tried one of those dresses on in secret once, but I had quietly put it back because it was too expensive. The last three were silly selfies of her and Pierre. Once, I had secretly taken a photo of Pierre’s back. But he snatched my phone and deleted everything, not caring if there were important files. I never dared to take a photo of him again. Looking at Helena’s princess-like Instagram, I gave it a like. Soon, notifications flooded in. Her friends commented below: “Wow! Pierre spoils you so much! I can’t imagine how lucky his actual sister would be!” “My only wish for my next life is to be Pierre’s sister!”

On Helena’s birthday, I received an invitation too. I was sitting in a dim cab, rushing to the hotel where the party was being held. The radio was playing the news: “A serial killer remains at large in our city. Please exercise caution when traveling, and avoid going out alone.” It was Helena’s eighteenth birthday, so Pierre threw her a massive party. Even the local media was broadcasting it live. I spent six months of my savings to buy her an elegant hair clip, hoping she’d like it. “Why aren’t you here yet? Helena’s party is about to start.” “I know you’re usually jealous of Helena, but don’t ruin her night, okay?” Pierre actually called me, but it was only to snap at me. A wave of hurt washed over me. Pierre had completely forgotten that today was my birthday, too. “No, the traffic is terrible… I’ve been waiting for a cab for half an—” “Stop making excuses. If you’re late, don’t ever bother coming back to this house.” In the background, I heard Helena’s sweet voice calling his name. Pierre hung up impatiently. It was completely dark. Looking at the traffic, I realized I’d never make it on time. I paid the driver and got out. If I ran, I might still make it. I dashed out and started running. Halfway there, I heard a whimpering kitten in the bushes. It had a broken leg. I slowed down, tore a piece of fabric from my jacket, and gently bandaged its leg. As soon as I finished, I looked up. A man’s face, twisted in a creepy smile, loomed over me. The next second, everything went black.

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My parents used to love me more than life itself. Because I loved figure skating, they built a massive, professional-grade ice rink right on our estate. My mother, who had never done a day of manual labor in her life, learned professional sports massage therapy just for me. My father personally cooked all my meals and stayed up all night watching me practice. I believed I was the luckiest girl in the world. Until my parents had Lily. Lily was born with severe congenital cognitive delay. One day, she sneaked onto the ice by herself and fell hard. Just as I was rushing to help her up, my mother grabbed my hair and slapped me hard across the face. “We gave you everything, and this is how you treat Lily? You tried to kill her!” My father looked at me with deep disappointment and ordered me to apologize to Lily. But my mother screamed hysterically, “An apology? How is a wicked brat like her ever going to learn her lesson from just an apology?” “Since you love figure skating so much, you can skate out there until you rot!” My mother stripped me of my warm clothes and forced me onto the ice. My bare skin immediately stuck to the freezing ice. Every single move I made tore at my flesh, causing agonizing pain. I held back my tears, not daring to make a sound or stop. I had to keep dancing. I had to skate until my parents loved me again.

“Mom… Chloe is so cold…” My voice trembled, and my breath smelled of copper and blood. My parents used to tell me that this ice rink was built by top-tier professionals and that the temperature could be adjusted. But now, to punish me, Mom had turned the temperature down to minus thirty degrees. Whenever I used to come in here, they would bundle me up like a marshmallow. But now, my nearly bare body was shaking violently. And someone had filled my skates with thumbtacks. Every single step was a sharp, piercing torture. Still, I told myself that Mom loved me. If I just apologized properly, she would forgive me. But across the heavy glass door, my mother’s angry scream shattered my last hope. “Shut up! Lily was only wearing a t-shirt today. Did you strip her jacket off?” “Lily knows when she’s cold! You must have taken it off her, you wicked girl! How dare you complain about being cold? You deserve to freeze to death!” I wanted to tell her it wasn’t me. But then I remembered the time I went to make Lily’s baby formula, and she accidentally swallowed an eraser from my desk. Mom had made me kneel outside in the freezing wind all night. I had cried and said it was an accident. But Mom had slapped me. “Lily doesn’t know any better! You must have put it there on purpose to choke her!” “Why are you so malicious? Have we not been good to you? Do you have to kill her to be satisfied?” “Don’t try to manipulate me with your tears! I despise your fake innocence!” I swallowed my explanations along with my tears. Once, when I was younger, I accidentally broke my late grandmother’s vintage vase. But Mom had rushed over to check if I was hurt first. When I cried out of guilt, she gently wiped my tears away. “Nothing in this world is more important than my Chloe.” “When you cry, my heart breaks.” I didn’t want Mom’s heart to break. And I didn’t want Mom to hate me. If I just kept skating, she would forgive me. I gritted my teeth and pushed myself up from the ice. My burning skin was stuck to the frozen surface. The moment it tore away, the pain almost made me pass out. The tacks dug deep into the soles of my feet, but I forced myself to keep moving, keep dancing. Until my body grew completely stiff. My teeth chattered uncontrollably, and my feet refused to take another step. Through the glass, I heard Mom’s voice. “Sweetheart, Lily, Mom is going to take you out for some delicious pancakes.” The footsteps of my mother and Lily faded away. I panicked and screamed toward the door. “Mom! Don’t leave! Mom…” The footsteps grew quieter and quieter. Mom had completely forgotten about me. My heart felt frozen solid, cold and aching. I collapsed onto the ice, curling into a tight ball. “It’s okay. Mom loves Chloe. She’ll come back for me.” I whispered to comfort myself, and eventually, I drifted off to sleep. It felt so warm, like I was back in my parents’ loving embrace. I was still their precious little girl. I smiled in my sleep, and then I saw Dad coming home. He was carrying my favorite strawberry cake in his hand. “Where’s Chloe? I was too harsh on her last night. I bought her favorite cake.” Hearing Dad’s words made my chest tighten. My heart ached, like it was being gently scratched by a kitten. “Dad…” I ran over to hug him, but my arms passed straight through his body. I couldn’t touch him at all. I looked down at my transparent hands. Slowly, the realization hit me. Chloe was dead. Would Mom and Dad finally forgive me now?

“Harsh?” Mom let out a cold laugh. She pulled up Lily’s sleeve, revealing the fresh bandages underneath. “We’ve been more than good to her! And how does she repay us? By hurting Lily! I only gave her a little punishment. How is that harsh?” Mom was right. I had already received so much. It was fine if I didn’t get to eat the cake. I shouldn’t be so selfish. Yet, when Mom cut the cake, she still subconsciously left the biggest slice for me. Dad smiled softly. “Alright, I know how much you love both of our girls.” “Go call her down for dinner. You’ll be the one crying if she goes hungry.” Mom pursed her lips but didn’t argue. I floated behind Dad as he walked up to my room. “Chloe, dinner’s ready.” He opened the door, but the room was empty. He searched room after room, but I was nowhere to be found. His expression grew tense as he walked toward the private ice rink. My heart instantly leaped into my throat. I knew what I looked like right now. My body was frozen solid, covered in blood. It was too ugly. I didn’t want Mom and Dad to see me like this. I stood in front of the door, trying desperately to block him. But just as his hand touched the doorknob. Lily accidentally bumped her head in the living room and started crying. Dad froze. He turned around anxiously. “What happened to Lily?” Mom cradled Lily in her arms, shushing her. “Lily is hungry! How long are you going to keep looking for that ungrateful brat?” “She probably ran off to one of her friends’ houses. She can’t handle the slightest bit of discipline. Lily has it a hundred times harder than her!” My parents always said that it was a miracle Lily even survived. They told me to look after her, to love her just as much as they loved me. So, I learned how to prep her baby formula and change her diapers. I learned to give Lily the first bite of everything, and I washed her clothes. Chloe had tried so hard. Why did Mom still call me an ungrateful brat? Dad sighed. “Honey, I know taking care of Lily is exhausting for you.” “But Chloe has always been a good kid. She would never leave without saying anything.” He pulled out his phone and called my friend Audrey’s mother. “Is Chloe over at Audrey’s place?” Audrey’s mom laughed on the other end. “Didn’t Audrey say she was having a sleepover at Chloe’s tonight? You guys didn’t know?” The call ended. Dad’s knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone. My gentle father was angry for the first time. “She left without a word, and now she’s staying out all night!” Mom smirked, as if she had expected this all along. “I told you, that girl is rotten to the core. So young, and already lying and sneaking out.” “Forget about her. Let’s eat.” I didn’t lie. I really didn’t. Audrey and I weren’t even real friends. She loved to bully me, but she always turned it around and told everyone I was the bully. At first, my parents believed me. But then Audrey’s mom came over and showed them a video of me allegedly hitting Audrey. They made me get on my knees and beg Audrey for forgiveness. Audrey said she forgave me and still wanted to be my best friend. My parents praised her for having a good heart. But they never noticed the tiny AI watermark in the bottom corner of the video. After that, Audrey used my name as an excuse whenever she snaked out to party. And if I dared to tell the truth, she would have her friends beat me up even harder. I wanted to scream the truth, but no one could hear me. Helplessly, I sat by the corner of the dining table, watching my parents feed Lily. My slice of the cake was tossed into the trash can by my mother. I reached out to grab it. But I couldn’t reach the cake. And I could never reach their trust again.

After dinner, Mom dressed Lily in a beautiful outfit. Dad warmed up a bottle of milk and put it in his pocket. “Lily said she wanted to go to the amusement park. Let’s go.” The amusement park. Chloe wanted to go, too. In the past, no matter how busy Dad was, he would always make time for me. Mom would always pack my favorite snacks. But later, Dad was always “too busy.” And Mom would sneer, “Why would a wicked girl like you deserve to go to an amusement park?” But now, my soul was tethered to them, dragged along as they walked out the door. Mom, look! I get to go to the amusement park with you now. Along the way, whatever Lily wanted to eat or buy, my parents immediately got it for her. It made my chest feel tight. Like I had eaten a hundred sour lemons. But it was okay. I patted myself. As long as they were happy, it was okay. After they got off the carousel, the three of them took a family photo. Dad stared at the picture on his phone for a long time, silent. “Next time, let’s bring Chloe too.” Mom’s expression soured, but she didn’t say no. As they were heading over to watch the fireworks, they ran into Audrey, who was hanging out with a group of older boys. But I wasn’t with her. Dad frowned, confused. “Audrey, isn’t Chloe with you?” Whenever Audrey snuck out with boys, she used my name. This time was no different. Her eyes darted around quickly, and she put on a fake, worried face. “Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller… please don’t tell Chloe I told you… but she’s actually off with her boyfriend.” “She asked me to cover for her.” Mom’s body began to shake with rage. Her face turned bright red, and she gritted her teeth. “That cheap girl! Sneaking out to be with boys at her age!” “How did I raise such a shameless creature?!” Dad’s fists clenched tightly. He couldn’t believe it. “Are you sure about this, Audrey?” Audrey exchanged a glance with the boys behind her and nodded solemnly. “It’s true! Her boyfriend is a bad guy who steals money from other kids and bullies people. Chloe does it too, and she even smokes.” “And whenever she took Lily out, she would pinch her. Lily probably still has the bruises on her arms.” Mom’s eyes widened in horror. She immediately pulled up Lily’s sleeves. Sure enough, there were dark, purple bruises scattered across her skin. But Audrey was the one who did that! Audrey had sneaked into our house, cornered Lily, and pinched her. When I tried to stop her, Audrey called her friends to beat me up. They had pushed me into the freezing lake on our property. If Dad hadn’t come home early that day, I would have drowned. I was only trying to protect Lily! I didn’t do those things! I never did! Audrey did all of it!! “Mom, Dad, I didn’t!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, floating right in front of their faces, but they couldn’t hear a thing. Their eyes grew colder and colder. Even Dad, who had always tried to believe in me, clutched his chest in agony. He gasped for air, his face turning pale. “How… how did I raise such a monster?” “Is she really just born wicked?!” Dad’s voice cracked. His heart condition was flaring up. I panicked, circling around him, but my ghostly hands couldn’t do anything to help. Mom’s hands shook as she fed him his nitro pills while trying to calm a crying Lily. “Robert, we need to go to the hospital…” “This is all because of that cursed girl. She scared Lily, and now she’s giving you a heart attack.” “She wanted to freeze Lily to death… what did I do to deserve a daughter like her?!” Once he stabilized, Dad shook his head. He closed his eyes in deep exhaustion. “Let’s go home.” They said goodbye to Audrey and drove back with Lily. Once Lily was asleep, Mom marched into my bedroom and began smashing everything in sight. “Bitch! Monster! You don’t deserve to be my daughter!” She tore my photos off the wall and trampled on my face with her heels. “You don’t deserve me! You don’t!” The letters I wrote her, the drawings I made. And the trophies I had bled and cried to win. Everything was destroyed. I stared blankly at the ruins of my room, feeling as if my own heart had been trampled into pieces. It hurt so bad. Mom, please don’t hate Chloe, okay? I couldn’t bear to watch anymore. I floated down to the ice rink where Dad was standing. He had called a crew of workers over, his voice cold. “Demolish the ice rink.” Dad once told me that even if I grew tired of figure skating. They would keep this rink for me forever. Because I would always be their precious girl. But now, they believed I was a monster who hurt my own sister. Even Dad hated me now. My tears fell, splashing onto the cold floor, but I couldn’t wipe them away. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault… I’m sorry…” The construction crew worked quickly. They brought in heavy machinery to break up the thick ice. And with it, my frozen, brittle body was shattered into pieces. “Wait, did we hit something?” One of the workers frowned, looking at the dark red blood spreading across the cracked ice. It was my leg. It had been severed by the drill. And my neck. I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to scare you. I wish Chloe could have died a bit cleaner. I curled up in the corner. It was so, so cold. The workers turned pale and immediately called the police. One of them ran to get my parents, his voice trembling. “You… you guys! There’s a dead body in your ice rink!”

Mom had just finished bathing Lily and was putting her to bed. Hearing the worker’s words, she snapped, screaming in anger, “What the hell are you talking about? Say something that cursed again and I’ll have you fired!” “My child is sleeping! If you scare her, I’ll sue you!” The worker, getting yelled at for no reason, lost his temper too. “Sue me? I don’t even want this cursed job! You’ve got a dead body in there and you didn’t even know!” Dad gently patted Mom’s back to calm her down. He tried to keep his voice polite. “There must be a misunderstanding. No one has used the rink in days.” The last time anyone was in there was three days ago. After Lily fell, they had locked the doors. And since they assumed I was just a rebellious brat staying out late. They never would have guessed it was me. Instead, Mom seemed to realize something. She let out a bitter, mocking laugh. “It must be that little bitch!” “She’s so malicious. I bet she threw a dead stray cat in there just to spite me!” “How did I give birth to someone so disgusting?” The worker stared at her in utter disbelief. “Do you think I can’t tell the difference between a human corpse and a cat?!” But Mom wasn’t listening. In her mind, I was already the epitome of evil. No matter what the worker said, she just waved her hand dismissively. “Just get back to work.” Dad frowned, a sudden chill running down his spine. “When did Chloe actually leave the rink that night?” Mom sighed, annoyed. “With her spoiled attitude? She probably couldn’t last five minutes before she ran out.” Dad wanted to say more. But Lily started crying inside. The two of them rushed back into the house. Just a few feet away from my shattered body, they chose to walk in the opposite direction. The worker spat on the ground, furious. “What kind of parents are they? Absolute psychopaths!” “I’m out of here!” He was angry on my behalf. I sniffed and whispered softly, “Thank you, sir.” But honestly, rather than my body being found. I wished it would just disappear so it wouldn’t scare anyone. And since my parents hated Chloe so much, they probably didn’t want to hear about my death anyway. This was fine. But a short while later. The police arrived, knocking loudly on the front door. Mom, highly stressed, opened the door with a glare. “What do you want?” The officer showed his badge. “We received a report of a deceased body inside your private ice rink.” “We need to go in and inspect the premises immediately.” Mom glared at the construction worker standing behind the police, her teeth clenched. “I told you it was a stray cat! Was it really necessary to call the cops?” “What if you wake up my daughter?” The worker didn’t even look at her. He turned to Dad. “You guys can find someone else to demolish this place. We don’t deal with dead bodies!” Dad rubbed his temples, looking exhausted. He apologized to the police and tried to explain, “Our oldest daughter is just playing a prank.” “There can’t be a body. It’s late, please leave.” But the officers pushed past them, entering the estate. “Please do not obstruct our investigation.” Mom was furious, but she couldn’t stop them. “Fine! Go look! Let’s see what kind of joke you find!” Lily had been woken up by the noise, so Mom had to carry her along. I floated in front of them, trying to block Lily’s eyes. She was so little. What if she had nightmares? But no matter how frantic I was, I couldn’t touch them. As they passed my bedroom door, Lily tugged on Mom’s sleeve. Mom kissed her forehead gently. “What’s wrong, sweetie? Are you scared of Chloe?” “It’s okay, baby. Chloe isn’t here. She can’t hurt you anymore.” Lily kept shaking her head, but Mom didn’t understand what she meant. Instead, one of the officers turned and asked, “Where is your other daughter?” Before Mom could start screaming insults about me. Dad quickly interrupted. “She’s staying over at a friend’s house.” I knew why. Dad’s career was on the rise. He didn’t want the police to know that Chloe was a delinquent. So, Dad lied. Mom muttered under her breath, “It’s all because of that curse of a girl, seriously…” Before she could finish her sentence. The heavy doors to the ice rink were pushed open. The overwhelming stench of iron and blood filled the air, making Mom gag. A young officer inside gasped, his voice cracking. “Chief! The body… it’s a young girl!”

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When I was seven months pregnant, I went to the baby boutique to pick out some supplies for my unborn child. Peering through the shelves, I froze. My husband, Frank, was leaning over, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from a strange woman’s forehead. “Do you know Mr. and Mrs. Byres too?” The sales assistant asked casually, her head down as she scanned my items. “Honestly, everyone envies Mrs. Byres. They’ve been married for three years, and Mr. Byres has never had a single scandal.” “They were high school sweethearts, and now they have a son and a daughter. They’re the ultimate power couple.” I gripped the edge of the counter, my knuckles turning white. A son and a daughter? A power couple? But the “Mr. Byres” she was talking about was my husband—the man who told me he was an orphan! Seeing my pale face, the sales assistant asked suspiciously, “Do you actually know Frank Byres?” She looked me up and down, her eyes lingering on my cheap, oversized maternity dress. A flash of contempt crossed her face. “If you have any dirty ideas about him, I suggest you forget them.” “Mr. Byres is a devoted family man. He wouldn’t even look at a woman like you.” She shoved the shopping cart forward, pushing me back. I instinctively covered my belly, trembling. Then, I heard her whisper sneeringly to another cashier: “Look at her. Her eyes are practically glued to Mr. Byres. She probably wants to be his side chick.” “With that cheap look, who knows if she even knows who her baby’s real father is.” A side chick? I stood there, paralyzed, unable to speak. Just this morning, before Frank left, he had kissed me gently on the forehead. He told me his company was swamped and asked me to rest at home. But could two people in this world really look so identical? Down to the exact same scar at the corner of his left eye? Frank told me he got that scar from a fall when he was a kid. If he already had a family, a wife, and children… Why did he marry me? Why did he tell me he loved me? He had turned me into a disgusting, cheap mistress in everyone else’s eyes. I wanted to run over and demand answers. I had told him my story. My mother took her own life after being abandoned as a rich man’s mistress. I, Audrey, would rather marry a beggar than ever become someone’s side piece. Why did he lie to me? Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit me. My foot slipped, and I almost fell to the floor. Hearing the commotion, Frank turned around. His eyes widened when he saw me, and he rushed over. “Audrey! Oh my god, are you okay? Why are you so careless?” Panic was written all over his face. He held me tight, trying to soothe me. But the expensive, tailored black suit he was wearing was definitely not the cheap work uniform he wore when he left this morning. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m taking you to the hospital right now.” I grabbed his wrist, my voice cracking. “Frank, are you hiding something from me?” At my words, panic flashed through his eyes. “What are you talking about, babe?” “Did you misunderstand something?” His eyes darted away, but he quickly recovered his composure. “That woman, Mrs. Byres, is just a client. We ran into each other and chatted for a bit.” “I didn’t expect you to see us. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have let you misunderstand.” “I promise this will never happen again.” Frank looked so sincere, his voice so steady. I looked past his shoulder. The elegant “Mrs. Byres” stood there quietly, showing no intention of arguing. If they were really husband and wife, she wouldn’t just stand there in silence, right? Before I could think further, Frank lifted me in his arms and rushed toward the hospital. Dazed, I remembered that he had held me just like this when we first met. Back then, my mother had just committed suicide. My greedy uncle was trying to force me to marry a creepy sixty-year-old man to pay off his debts. I did everything I could to escape. Frank was the one who rescued me from the rain, paid my hospital bills, and gave me a place to stay. He told me his parents were dead, his relatives had stolen his inheritance, and he was working hard to build a life from scratch. We fell in love in a tiny, cramped rental apartment. Even though he was broke, he was polite and intelligent, and he eventually got a decent job at a firm. I had my doubts, but I never pushed him. Until the day he knelt down with a ring. “I swear to God, Audrey, I will cherish you forever.” He privately arranged our marriage license and took care of all the paperwork. After we got married, he handed his entire salary over to me. Every time he came home, he brought me little gifts—chocolates, pastries, or a single rose. He loved me so deeply. How could it all be a lie? At the hospital, the doctor looked at my ultrasound and wrote a prescription. Then, he smiled at the anxious Frank. “Both mother and baby are fine. She just needs bed rest.” Frank let out a long, ragged breath and gently touched my swollen belly. “Thank God you guys are okay.” He crouched down, pressing his face against my stomach, whispering softly: “Hey, little one, be good. Don’t stress your mommy out.” I saw tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. Frank had been nothing but good to me. He was my savior. I thought to myself, maybe the store clerk was wrong. Maybe she just saw Frank standing next to Mrs. Byres and assumed they were married. I shouldn’t doubt him. Relieved, I went home to rest. But the next morning, right after Frank left, our front door was violently kicked open. I rushed to the living room and saw yesterday’s “Mrs. Byres” walking in with a group of burly men.

Faced with these aggressive strangers, I panicked. The nanny Frank hired to take care of me was so terrified she shrank behind my back. I tried to keep my voice steady. “Mrs. Byres, we don’t know each other. What is the meaning of this?” The elegant woman from yesterday was gone. Today, her eyes were filled with pure disgust. She sneered, and one of her guards stepped forward, pointing at my face. “You shameless bitch, you have the nerve to ask?” “Our gracious Mrs. Byres is here to take you to the estate so you can have your baby there.” I didn’t understand what she meant. I refused politely. “Thank you, but we are strangers. I cannot accept your invitation.” “Besides, I’m heavily pregnant and it’s not safe for me to move. Please leave.” The moment the words left my mouth, the guard slapped me across the face. Smack! “You trashy little mistress!” the guard spat. “Using your pregnancy to guilt-trip us? Are you trying to make Mrs. Byres look bad?” “Mrs. Byres is the only legal wife of the Byres family. Your kid is just a bastard. Don’t think you can compete with her.” I stumbled back, clutching my burning cheek. The nanny caught me before I hit the floor. Nyla Adler smiled mockingly at my misery. She walked over slowly, tilting my chin up with her manicured finger. “How pathetic. Frank hasn’t told you the truth, has he?” “Let me tell you. I am Frank’s real wife.” She told me Frank was the sole heir of the billionaire Byres empire. And she was Nyla, the youngest daughter of the powerful Adler family. Their families had arranged their marriage when they were kids. They were a match made in heaven. Nyla spoke so casually, but my heart sank into a dark abyss. Suddenly, all of Frank’s weird behavior made sense. But no matter what, I couldn’t go with her. I, Audrey, had my pride. If Frank really lied to me, I would rather get an abortion and run away again than stay and be humiliated as a rich man’s plaything. I yelled, “I don’t believe you! I want to ask him myself!” “If you’re his real wife, why are you afraid of letting me talk to him?” Nyla’s face tightened. A flicker of panic crossed her eyes, and she barked, “Tie her up and throw her in the car! Now!” Seeing the guards close in, I screamed at the neighbors who were watching from the hallway. “Help me! Please! I don’t know these people!” “Call the police! Or call Frank! Please!” But the neighbors who usually smiled and helped me carry groceries now just watched with cold, mocking eyes. They gossiped in hushed, disgusted tones. “I knew she was too pretty to be decent. Turns out she’s just a rich man’s side chick.” “And here I was, helping her with her trash because she’s pregnant. How disgusting.” “Mrs. Byres is too nice. If I were her, I’d have beaten this homewrecker to death already.” The guards slammed me onto the floor, pinning my arms behind my back. Hearing the neighbors’ cruel words, a wave of intense shame washed over me. I screamed desperately at them, “You all saw us! We had a small wedding in the backyard! You were there!” “Frank is an orphan! How could he be some billionaire heir?” But nobody listened. “Please! What kind of real wedding has no guests and no priest?” “We all knew Frank looked too noble to be a regular guy.” “You lived with him and never noticed? You were just a kept woman, sweetie. Stop lying to yourself.” My body went cold. Every sweet memory of Frank turned into a mockery. Was everything a lie? In my despair, I saw a familiar figure walking down the street below. It was Beasley, Frank’s colleague. He had been to our apartment for drinks. He could prove my innocence!

I struggled with all my might, screaming out of the window: “Beasley! Beasley! Help me!” Beasley looked up, shocked. “Audrey? What’s going on? Who are these people?” He rushed up the stairs, yelling at the guards holding me, “Let her go!” “What do you think you’re doing to her in broad daylight?” A wave of relief washed over me. I almost cried. “Beasley knows me. He can prove who I am!” I glared at Nyla. “Even if you’re a Byres, you have no right to kidnap me!” “I am not a mistress! Tell your men to let me go!” But Nyla didn’t panic. She smiled at Beasley. “Beasley, what did you just call her?” “I didn’t know you were so brave, defending my husband’s little toy.” Beasley’s face went pale. The anger on his face instantly vanished, replaced by sheer terror. “Mrs. Byres… I didn’t know you were here…” He stepped closer to Nyla, lowering his voice. “Please, don’t lower yourself to her level.” My heart froze. I felt like I was plunging into an icy lake. Frank… Oh, Frank. Did you have terrible friends, or was this a giant trap from the very beginning? Beasley whispered to Nyla, trying to please her: “She’s just a bird Frank kept in a cage. Why bother coming here yourself?” “If Frank actually cared about her, he wouldn’t let her live in this crappy apartment without any security, right?” He pointed at the terrified nanny. “If you just turn a blind eye, Frank will appreciate your generosity. There’s no need to ruin your reputation over a girl like her.” I ignored his insults and asked in a trembling voice, “Is Frank… Frank Byres?” “Is he really married?” Beasley avoided my eyes and nodded slowly. Nyla laughed triumphantly. “Now do you see who you are?” “A cheap mistress trying to raise her voice at me. How pathetic.” I was never a submissive girl. If I were, I wouldn’t have escaped my uncle’s house. I struggled like a wild animal, completely ignoring the pain in my stomach. “I won’t be a mistress! Even if he is a billionaire, I don’t want him!” “I want to hear it from him! If he lied to me, I will leave! I won’t get in your way!” Nyla sneered. “Do you think I’m stupid? You’re just playing hard to get.” “Like it or not, you are coming to the Byres estate today. If you don’t walk, my men will drag you.” The guards lunged at me again. Beasley tried to stop them gently. “Easy on her, she’s carrying Frank’s baby.” A trace of annoyance flashed in Nyla’s eyes, but she waved her hand. The guards gagged me, tied my hands, and threw me into the back of a black SUV. My tears flowed silently. My heart was completely shattered.

The bumpy ride made my stomach hurt. “She doesn’t know her place. Mrs. Byres came personally to fetch her, and she still put on a show,” a maid in the front seat complained. Another maid chimed in, “Once she’s in the estate, she’ll have to serve Mrs. Byres. Once the baby is born, she’ll be kicked out anyway.” “She’s ambitious, though. Claiming she doesn’t want to be a mistress? She’s probably dreaming of Frank divorcing his wife for her.” “Please! She’s just a temporary toy for Mr. Byres.” Hearing their twisted words, my chest tightened, and I could barely breathe. I closed my eyes, letting the tears fall. I don’t know how long passed before the SUV stopped. I was dragged out and pushed into the grand lobby of the massive Byres estate. When I looked up, I saw another familiar face. Frank’s sister. She was here too. Everything became crystal clear. Louise Byres stared at me, frozen in shock. Just last week, she had visited my small apartment, bringing a pile of baby toys. She had patiently explained all the pregnancy do’s and don’ts, saying Frank had asked her to look after me. Back then, Frank told me he was worried because it was my first pregnancy, so he asked his “married friend Louise” to help. Now, all that kindness turned into a knife stabbing my chest. Louise finally snapped out of it. She pulled Nyla aside and whispered angrily: “Why did you bring her here?” “If she stays outside, her baby is just an illegitimate bastard. You have two kids; she’s no threat to you.” “If Frank finds out, he’ll be furious! Send her back!” She was planning for Nyla’s sake. I clenched my fists, hoping she would convince Nyla to let me go. “You misunderstand, Louise,” Nyla said smoothly. “No matter what, she’s carrying Frank’s blood. He belongs in this house.” “If Frank really loves this baby, I can just adopt it and raise it as my own.” Nyla’s words silenced Louise instantly. Louise could only turn to the guards and say weakly, “Audrey is pregnant. Tell them to be gentle with her.” How hilarious. Just like Beasley, she only cared about the baby, but she wouldn’t actually help me. One was his sister, the other his best friend. They had both played me like a fool. I shook with anger. I wanted to rip their hypocritical faces off. Nyla squeezed my chin, her voice cold. “Hear that? I’m doing you a favor.” “Now, let’s go greet Mother.” She ordered the guards to drag me into the main parlor. Frank had lied to me so deeply. He probably wouldn’t save me anyway. Or maybe, this was his plan all along. He knew I would never agree to be a mistress, so he let Nyla do the dirty work to force me into submission. Once I gave up, he would show up, play the loving husband, and beg for my forgiveness. The thought made me lose my mind. I struggled wildly. I bit Nyla’s hand, slammed my head into a guard’s chest, and kicked randomly. “Stop this! What is this chaos?!” A stern, commanding voice rang out, instantly silencing Nyla and Louise. “Mother,” Nyla murmured. A tiny spark of hope flared in my chest. I fell to my knees before the older woman. “Please help me! They kidnapped me!”

The woman standing before me was Frank’s mother, Hillary Byres. She looked elegant, wearing a massive pink diamond ring. “I know who you are,” Hillary said, looking down at me with utter disdain. “Frank’s little plaything.” Her words crushed my last bit of hope. “You seduced my son, keeping him away from his home and his legal wife.” “Nyla was kind enough to bring you here to care for you, and yet you are so ungrateful.” She snorted, and the maids immediately pinned me to the floor. My knees hit the hard marble. “Audrey, I looked into your past. You are the daughter of a mistress. No wonder you have such natural talent for ruining families.” “Normally, you wouldn’t even be allowed in my presence.” “But Nyla is merciful. She felt pity for the bastard in your womb. Do you understand?” Hillary looked at me like I was a piece of trash. I laughed, a sound filled with pure despair. “Do you think I want to be in your disgusting family? I don’t!” “Frank lied to me with a fake identity! You failed to raise your son properly! Your family ruined my life!” “Shut her mouth!” Hillary screamed, slamming her hand on the armrest. “How dare you! Slap her!” Louise jumped in, “Mother, she’s pregnant with Frank’s child!” But Hillary cut her off coldly: “Nyla gave us a son and a daughter. The Byres family does not need a bastard from a trashy street girl!” A heavy slap landed on my face. The maid didn’t stop. The slaps kept coming, burning my skin. Nyla smiled triumphantly. Louise turned her face away. My ears buzzed. I could barely hear anything. Through the haze, someone forced a cup of scalding tea into my hands. “Apologize to Mrs. Byres right now!” The burning pain in my hands brought me back. I sneered and threw the boiling tea straight at Hillary. Hillary screamed as the hot water splashed on her designer clothes. The room fell into chaos. Nyla’s eyes flashed with rage. “You bitch! How dare you attack Hillary!” “Beat her!” The guards grabbed me, but suddenly, one of them froze. “Mrs. Byres… She’s… she’s bleeding.” A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my abdomen. Warm liquid flowed down my legs. My baby… was leaving me? Maybe it was for the best. Without the baby, I would have no ties to this cursed family. “Hillary said it herself! We don’t need this bastard!” Nyla snapped. “She dared to attack the matriarch. If we don’t teach her a lesson, she’ll think she owns this place!” Just then, the double doors were kicked open. “Stop! Touch her and I’ll kill you!” Frank had finally arrived.

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My mother was a pathological liar. She loved playing the victim, and she always used me as her scapegoat. When I was a kid, she stayed out late at her poker games and forgot to cook dinner. In front of the whole family, she slapped me hard across the face. “This brat ran off somewhere, and I had to spend hours looking for her! That’s why dinner isn’t ready!” As a punishment, I was locked out in the freezing backyard all night. During middle school, before a crucial exam, the teacher repeatedly reminded parents to pack all the required materials. But Mom didn’t pack anything for me. Afterward, she stood in front of my classmates and lied. “I packed everything for her. She just didn’t want to take the test, so she threw them away on her way to school!” For the rest of my school years, I was completely isolated by everyone. When I grew up, she would often cry to me late at night. “Your father has abused me for so many years. I only stayed in this marriage for you.” Out of pity, I advised her to get a divorce. But she turned around, twisted my words, and ran straight to my father. “Your daughter is begging me to divorce you! She said she doesn’t want a loser father like you! I couldn’t bear to listen to her, so I had to tell you!” My father flew into a violent rage. In the heat of the moment, he pushed me down the stairs. I died instantly. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day my mother first cried to me about my father…

“Chloe, your father is a monster…” “If it weren’t for you, I would have left him a long time ago.” My mother’s familiar voice echoed in my ears. I gasped, my eyes flying open. I saw my mother sitting on the edge of my bed, tears streaming down her face. Hearing the exact same words from my past life, I finally realized—I had been reborn. “My life has been so miserable…” She held my hand, her tears falling onto my skin. Just like in my past life, her act was incredibly convincing. This time, I didn’t rush to comfort her. I just quietly wiped her tears off my hand. “Mom,” I said softly, “Dad… can really be too much sometimes.” Sensing that she had found an outlet, she cried even harder. “He doesn’t care about this family! He keeps all the money to himself! He makes us live like beggars!” “Last week, I told him I wanted a new dress, and he screamed at me like I was trash!” I listened quietly, mocking her in my mind. Last week? Last week, Dad literally bought her a gold necklace. She had bragged about it to her poker friends, claiming she bought it with her own secret savings. “And yesterday!” She sniffled. “I just wanted to have a steak, and he threw his fork, calling me wasteful!” Yesterday, Dad was away on a business trip and didn’t get home until midnight. I reached out and gently patted her back. “Mom, don’t make yourself sick over this.” She immediately grabbed my hand like a lifeline. “You understand me! Only you understand me!” Her tears flowed on command. Her acting was flawless. “I can’t live like this for another day! If it weren’t for you, I would have…” She stopped abruptly, her eyes secretly scanning my face to see my reaction. In my past life, I had fallen for it. I had said: “If it weren’t for me, you would have divorced him, right? I’m so sorry you had to suffer for me, Mom…” I thought it was a warm moment of mother-daughter bonding. But she immediately twisted my words and painted me as the ungrateful daughter who tried to break up her parents’ marriage. In this life, I would never make the same mistake. “Mom,” I interrupted her, my voice remaining calm and gentle. “This is between you and Dad. You are both adults. Whatever you choose to do, it’s your decision.” My mother froze. Her crying stopped instantly. A flash of confusion crossed her face. She clearly hadn’t expected this response. In my past life, I would have already been raging alongside her. “Chloe, what… what do you mean by that? Isn’t Mom doing all of this for you?” “For me?” I looked at her, my eyes calm. “Mom, I’m an adult now. Your happiness shouldn’t be tied to me.” My mother’s eyes began to dart around. She let go of my hand and hurriedly wiped her tears. “Are you… are you tired of me? Do you think I’m annoying?” “No,” I shook my head. “I just think this is a marital issue. As your daughter, it’s not appropriate for me to interfere.” Look at her. She didn’t want a divorce at all. She just needed the “sacrificing for my child” excuse to gain sympathy, making all her complaints and demands seem justified. I sneered inwardly and spoke slowly. “Mom, I’m a bit tired.” My mother froze, staring at me as if trying to figure out if I was lying. She opened her mouth, wanting to say more. But I beat her to it. I lay down and turned my back to her. “Mom, you should get some rest too.” It was quiet behind me for a moment. Finally, I heard her stand up and walk toward the door. “Fine. Go to sleep then.” By midnight, there was no sound outside. I finally relaxed, thinking she didn’t suspect anything. But the next second, a faint voice coming from the crack of the door made my blood run cold. My mother was sneaking around in the kitchen, making a phone call. Her voice was filled with an excitement she couldn’t hide. “Don’t worry, she didn’t suspect a thing… Wait for my next move.”

The next morning, my mother woke me up as if nothing had happened. “Chloe, wake up! I made you some fried eggs.” She smiled too lovingly. A chill ran down my spine. Something felt off. Dad was sitting at the table reading the newspaper, not even looking up. “Mark, eat more,” my mother said, pushing the milk toward him, her voice sickeningly sweet. This unusual harmony was even more alarming than her crying yesterday. What was going on? Did she find out something? After breakfast, my mother affectionately held my arm. “Chloe, can you come to the bank with me? Something is wrong with my debit card. You’re young and understand this stuff. Help me check it.” My heart skipped a beat. This didn’t happen in my past life. Why was she suddenly asking me to go to the bank? To keep her from suspecting anything, I forced a smile and nodded. “Sure.” At the bank, my mother dragged her feet at the counter. “Oh dear, I forgot my password again…” The bank teller looked annoyed. My mother suddenly grabbed me. “Chloe, did you bring your Social Security card and ID? Let’s just open a new account under your name for now to handle this. I’ll transfer the money back later.” The desperation in her eyes wasn’t because she forgot her password. She was waiting for me to take the bait. I suddenly remembered that in my past life, around this time, she had asked for my SSN and ID under the guise of “helping me invest.” A month later, a massive fraudulent loan was taken out in my name. “I didn’t bring them,” I said apologetically. “Mom, why don’t you go home and find Dad’s ID instead?” My mother’s face instantly darkened, but she quickly forced a creepy smile. “You silly child, always so forgetful…” On the way back from the bank, she was silent. When we got close to our apartment, she suddenly stopped. “Chloe, look. Is that Mrs. Davis over there?” I looked in the direction she pointed. The entrance of the building was completely empty. “Where? I don’t see Mrs. Davis.” As I turned back, my heart plummeted. I saw my mother’s hand quickly pulling away from my coat pocket. She had put something in my pocket. “Maybe I saw wrong,” she said casually, walking ahead. I forced myself to stay calm and reached into my pocket. My fingers touched a small, hard, rectangular object. It wasn’t money. I pretended to tie my shoelace, pulled it out, and took a quick glance. It was a strange, unregistered SIM card. My heart stopped. Why did she want my ID and this unregistered SIM card? Was my tragic death in my past life connected to this? Come to think of it, the balcony railing just happened to break at that exact time, causing me to fall. Something was definitely wrong. That night, while taking a shower, I flushed the SIM card down the drain. When I stepped out of the bathroom, my mother was standing at the door with a glass of milk, smiling warmly. “Chloe, drink some milk before bed. It helps you sleep.” I stared at the white liquid. In my past life, she was always this “thoughtful.” “Thanks, Mom.” I took the glass. I walked back into my room and poured the milk straight into a potted plant. Late at night, I was awakened by a faint sound. Under the crack of my door, the light from the living room was partially blocked. Someone was standing right outside my door. I held my breath. I heard my mother’s whispered, amused voice, speaking to someone on her phone: “Everything is set… This time, I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong.” “After all, she failed the test last time, didn’t she?”

The blood in my veins completely froze. Test? What did she mean by that? The footsteps outside faded, but I couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night. The next morning, my mother was busy in the kitchen again. “Chloe, I made your favorite pasta.” She blew on it and brought it to my mouth. “Here, eat it while it’s hot.” I looked at her and didn’t move. Her eyes welled with tears. “I know you’ve been stressed lately, but you have to eat.” I took the bowl. “I’ll do it myself.” I pretended to take a bite, but deliberately flipped my wrist, spilling the hot pasta all over my clothes. “Oh my god!” my mother shrieked, jumping up. A flash of intense disappointment crossed her eyes. It wasn’t concern. It was… anger because her plan had failed. She quickly switched back to a worried mother. “Did you get burned? Oh, sweetie, how could you be so careless!” She rushed over, frantically wiping me down, but her nails dug painfully into my arm. Half an hour later, my stomach began to cramp violently. I rushed to the bathroom and threw up everything. My mother stood at the door. There was no panic in her voice, only a chilling, expected calmness. “See? That’s what happens when you don’t eat breakfast. Your stomach is ruined.” My vision blurred, and cold sweat soaked my clothes. Dad came out of his room, hearing the noise. “What’s going on?” My mother immediately began her performance, pointing at me dramatically. “Your daughter is such a picky eater! She refuses to eat anything I make! She claims my cooking is trash and now she’s given herself food poisoning!” The next second, she patted my head gently, pretending to be understanding. “Forget it, I shouldn’t argue with a child.” “Quick, Mark, drive her to the hospital!” In the emergency room, the doctor took one look at my symptoms and diagnosed me. “Food poisoning. We need to pump her stomach.” The nurse brought over a consent form. “She needs to fast completely before the procedure.” I nodded weakly. My mother suddenly grabbed the nurse’s hand. “No way! She hasn’t eaten anything. How can she survive on an empty stomach!” “Ma’am, this is hospital policy…” “What policy! My daughter is about to collapse!” She turned around, holding a bowl of noodles from God knows where. “Chloe, listen to Mom. Just take one bite!” The fork was shoved forcefully against my lips. I clamped my mouth shut and turned my head away. “Mom… the doctor said… I can’t eat…” “What do doctors know! I’m doing this for your own good!” her voice cracked with fake tears. “Are you trying to starve yourself to death?” She grabbed my shoulders roughly. I kept my lips sealed. The hot sauce smeared on my face, burning my skin. “The patient must fast!” the nurse tried to stop her. My mother shoved her away. “She’s my daughter! I decide!” The room fell into utter chaos. The doctor rushed in, his face grim. “What is going on with this family?” My mother immediately let go of me. She took a step back, her tears falling instantly. She pointed at me and cried to the doctor: “Doctor, please talk to her! She was crying because she was so hungry and insisted on eating. I… I had no choice but to feed her…” Lying on the bed, watching her performance, I felt completely cold. The doctor frowned. “She clearly refused to eat just now.” My mother’s crying stopped abruptly. She widened her eyes, looking at the doctor and then at me in disbelief, as if she was the one who had been deeply wronged. “Chloe… how… how could you lie? You were the one who begged me for pasta!” She turned to the other patients in the room, seeking validation. “This child is just so stubborn… even when she’s sick, she has to torture me…” The doctor didn’t have time for her drama. He pushed my bed straight into the procedure room and started the stomach pump. The moment the tube was inserted down my throat, I stared blankly at my mother’s silhouette outside the glass door. Standing in the shadows of the hallway, the corner of her mouth seemed to… curve upward.

The moment the procedure was over and the doctor left the room, my mother rushed to my bedside. “Chloe, I know it hurts.” Her tears were fast and convincing. “It’s all my fault for not taking good care of you…” Dad stood by the side, his face dark. My mother suddenly turned to him, her voice trembling. “Mark, Chloe was murmuring things while she was half-conscious…” My heart tightened. I didn’t know what kind of trick she was playing now. The next second, she grabbed my hand tightly, her voice full of grievance. “She said… she said she can’t stand this family anymore. She begged me… begged me to divorce you!” Dad glared at me instantly. “She said you’re a loser, and she’d rather not have you as a father!” “Bullshit!” I struggled to sit up, but my throat felt like it was on fire. My mother held me down, sobbing hysterically. “Mark! She’s in this state, why would I lie! She said it herself!” Dad’s chest heaved violently, his eyes bloodshot. “You ungrateful brat!” He shoved my mother aside and lunged at me. “Dad! She’s lying!” My mother grabbed Dad’s waist from behind, screaming at me, “Chloe, run! Your dad is going to kill you!” She looked like she was holding him back, but she was actually pushing him toward me. Triggered by her actions, Dad completely lost control. He grabbed a glass cup from the table and threw it at me. I rolled over to dodge. Shattered glass flew everywhere. “You rebellious brat!” Dad broke free from her grip, lunging at me like a madman. I ran out of the room and headed for the stairs. “Stop her! Don’t let her do anything stupid!” my mother screamed from behind, her voice laced with hidden excitement. Dad’s heavy footsteps chased close behind. Weakened from the stomach pumping, I couldn’t run far before Dad grabbed my arm. He dragged me to the car and locked me inside. No matter how much I begged, he only replied coldly: “Just wait until we get home.” The front door of our apartment was kicked open. I was thrown violently onto the living room floor. “I am going to beat some respect into you today!” He grabbed my hair and dragged me toward the balcony. “Weren’t you trying to force your mother to kill herself? You can go first!” My mother rushed over, grabbing Dad’s arm, her voice shrieking, “Mark! No! That’s your daughter!” But her body was strategically blocking my path back to the living room. Dad threw me onto the balcony. My back slammed against the railing. The rusted metal gave a sharp creak, shaking slightly. Dad approached me, his knuckles cracking. “Dad! Look at Mom! Look at what she’s doing!” I screamed hoarsely. With bloodshot eyes, Dad couldn’t hear a word. My mother was crouching slightly behind Dad, her hands resting weakly on the railing, pretending to cry and beg. “Mark, please, don’t do this to her…” But in Dad’s blind spot, her right hand was hidden under her palm, quickly turning the loose screw at the base of the railing, turn after turn. Her movements were practiced and completely silent. In my past life, at this exact moment, that screw had been loosened the exact same way. Why did my mother want me dead so badly? Was I destined to die the same tragic death in this life too? No, I refused to accept this. I stared at my mother’s face, watching her flawless performance, and suddenly, everything clicked. I finally understood! I finally figured out why she needed me dead!

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Everyone said my husband, Liam, was the luckiest bastard alive. That was because he had an older brother, Mason, who was always there to clean up his messes. On our wedding day, Liam threw a wild bachelor party with his childhood best friend, Scarlett, and overslept. It was Mason who drove over to pick me up and walked me down the aisle. Right before I went into labor, Liam flew to Africa with Scarlett for a safari trip. It was Mason who stayed outside the delivery room, holding my hand and taking care of me. Even after we got married, Liam kept living his life like a carefree bachelor, partying and fooling around. Until our daughter Lily’s first birthday party. Lily took a few wobbly steps, ran straight past Liam, threw her tiny arms around Mason’s leg, and babbled, “Daddy!” That was the exact moment Liam finally panicked. He snatched Lily out of Mason’s arms, holding her tightly as he desperately tried to correct her. “Say Daddy, sweetie. I’m your daddy.” I immediately stepped in and took my daughter back. Lily was shaking, huge tears rolling down her chubby cheeks. “You’re scaring her, Liam. Lily is shy around strangers. She hates being held by people she doesn’t know.”

Liam’s face twisted with frustration. But Lily’s face was already flushed from crying. He had no choice but to let me take her. The second she was back in my arms, Lily buried her head in my shoulder, clearly rejecting him. Scarlett, who was standing nearby, laughed mockingly. “Well, Liam, looks like you’re out of the picture. Honestly, Chloe, Lily, and Mason look way more like a real family than you do.” Liam’s expression darkened instantly. “Shut up if you don’t have anything nice to say,” he snapped. “The baby only did that because she hasn’t seen me in a while.” Lily, who had just peeked her head up out of curiosity, was startled by his loud, angry voice. She burst into an even louder, more heartbreaking sob. Mason frowned at Liam. He set his whiskey glass down and walked over. “Daddy… hold me…” As soon as Lily saw his familiar face, she stretched out her chubby little arms, begging Mason to carry her. Mason naturally took her from me. Within seconds, he had her giggling, showing off her tiny baby teeth. Liam’s face looked darker than a stormy night. On the drive home, he suddenly spoke up. “From now on, keep Lily away from Mason.” I frowned. “The nanny has tomorrow off, and I have an urgent meeting at my studio. If Mason doesn’t help, who’s going to take Lily to her toddler class?” Liam straightened his back and cleared his throat. “Uh, it’s just a toddler class. I’m her father. I can take her.” I stared at him, stunned. “Lily is still too young. If she goes to a strange place without someone she’s comfortable with, she’ll scream the whole time. Besides, tomorrow is Monday. Aren’t you supposed to go hiking with Scarlett?” Hiking on Mondays was a sacred ritual between him and Scarlett. Scarlett firmly believed that hiking to the top of the mountain on Monday mornings to watch the sunrise brought good luck for the rest of the week. So, rain or shine, Liam had accompanied her every single week. Because of this ridiculous ritual, he had missed countless important milestones in our life. I was just stating the facts, but Liam clearly misread my tone. He looked me up and down. Then, he let out a soft chuckle and reached over to ruffle my hair. “Look at you, still getting jealous even after becoming a mom. You’re just mad because I haven’t been spending enough time with you two, aren’t you?” I frowned, pulling away. I had stopped caring about him a long time ago. Jealous? Please. But Liam was completely convinced of his own theory. “Alright, fine. I admit I haven’t been the most present father since Lily was born. I’ll text Scarlett later and let her know I’m taking Lily to her class tomorrow.” I wanted to say no. Lily got extremely anxious in unfamiliar environments. If Liam was the only one with her, she would probably cry until she fainted. But then again, he was her father. He had the right to be there. I sighed. Whatever. I would just delegate the studio work to my assistant and go with them.

Halfway through my shower, I heard Lily’s faint cries coming from the nursery. The nanny had already gone home. Liam was the only one out there. “Liam! What’s wrong with Lily?” I yelled his name several times, but got no response. Not even bothering to rinse the soap off, I grabbed a robe, threw it on, and rushed out to scoop Lily up. “Why is she so burning hot?” Liam, who had promised to watch her sleep so I could take a relaxing shower, was nowhere to be found. There was only Lily, crying hysterically, her skin burning to the touch. She must have gotten startled earlier today, and with her cold from last week not fully gone, the fever had flared up again. My heart ached as I tried to soothe her. I wanted Liam to drive us to the hospital immediately. But after searching the entire house, he was gone. I picked up my phone, only to see a Snapchat message from him: “Chloe, something urgent came up at the office. I saw Lily was sleeping peacefully, so I didn’t want to wake you. Go to bed early after your shower. I’ll pick Lily up for her class tomorrow morning.” A wave of fury washed over me, nearly scorching my sanity. He went to the office? The man didn’t visit his family’s company more than three times a year. What could possibly be so urgent that it required his presence at midnight?! But right now, Lily was the priority. I took a few deep breaths, forcing my emotions down. The housekeeper and the driver had already left for the night. Frantic, I bundled Lily up in warm clothes and prepared to call an Uber. Just as I opened the front door, I ran into Mason, who was holding a bag of medicine. He had been worried that Lily’s cold might worsen after crying so much today. He couldn’t shake the worry, so he had bought some baby fever reducers to drop off. He hadn’t expected to find me rushing out. “Chloe, what’s wrong?” My voice cracked with panic. “Mason, we need to go to the hospital! Lily has a high fever, and I’m the only adult here!” Hearing this, Mason immediately took Lily from my arms and ran toward his car. He ran several red lights and got us to the emergency room in record time. The ER doctor was absolutely furious with us. “How are you guys running this household? The baby’s fever is almost 104 degrees, and you’re only bringing her in now?!” I guiltily rocked Lily, who had cried herself hoarse. Meanwhile, Mason ran around paying the bills, filling out forms, and getting the medication. By the time the fever finally broke and Lily drifted off to sleep, it was past 3:00 AM. Only then did I have a moment to thank Mason. “Mason, thank you so much. I’m sorry to drag you into our mess again.” There was exhaustion in Mason’s eyes, but he still smiled warmly to comfort me. “Don’t thank me, Chloe. Even if Lily weren’t my niece, you’re still the girl I watched grow up. It’s my job to look after you both.” “Get some rest. Her IV drip is almost done. I’ll go grab the nurse to take the needle out.” Right after Mason stepped out of the room, my phone buzzed. It was a notification from our Snapchat group chat. Scarlett had tagged me. “Chloe, you’re not actually mad, are you? The guys and I joke around like this all the time. If it bothers you, I won’t do it again.” Immediately after, Liam sent a voice note to the group: “Did you hear that, Chloe? Scarlett is already apologizing. Drop the attitude.” Frowning, I scrolled up to see what they were talking about. Two hours ago, Scarlett had posted a video in the group and tagged me: “Liam lost a drinking game, so now he has to call me ‘Mommy’ for the night. Don’t worry, Chloe, it’s just for tonight. I’ll return him to you tomorrow.” The video was set in a dimly lit, noisy VIP booth at a club. Scarlett had her arm draped around Liam’s shoulder, teasing him. “You lost the bet, baby! Call me Mommy! If you do it nicely, Mommy might buy you another round to sober you up!” The friends holding the cameras and Liam’s frat-boy buddies let out loud, obnoxious cheers and catcalls in the background. Mason, who had just walked back in with the nurse, caught a glimpse of my phone screen. His brow furrowed deeply, his eyes flashing with disappointment. “Liam is getting entirely out of hand. Chloe, don’t worry. I will deal with him tomorrow.” I shook my head, feeling completely numb. “Don’t bother. At the end of the day, it’s my fault. I knew how irresponsible he was, yet I still left our daughter with him.” My marriage to Liam wasn’t just about the two of us; it was a strategic merger of the Bennett and Sinclair families. We couldn’t just get a divorce over “minor” issues like this. Since a divorce would cause too much chaos for both families, there was no point in throwing a tantrum. Right now, I only cared about Lily. As for Liam… to me, he was just a man I occasionally shared a bed with. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” The next morning, I was jarred awake by Liam’s furious, booming voice.

I opened my eyes only to realize that I had fallen asleep resting my head on Mason’s shoulder. Mason was asleep too, his head leaning against mine. We looked incredibly intimate. Last night, the pediatric ward had been completely full, so Lily had to stay on a cot in the hallway. It was too late to transfer her to another hospital, so Mason and I had to squeeze onto the waiting room chairs to watch over her. Mason woke up at the sound of the yell, looking momentarily flustered. “Liam, listen to me.” “Shut up!” Liam wasn’t listening. He raised his fist, aiming a punch straight at Mason’s face. I stepped in with a cold face and slapped Liam hard across the cheek. Slap! “Are you awake now? Do you know where you are? Have some respect for the patients and shut up!” Not only Liam, but even Mason stared at me in absolute shock. The fury drained from Liam’s face in an instant, replaced by a look of pathetic betrayal. “You’re acting all cozy with Mason, and now you’re slapping me because of him?” I rolled my eyes at him. “Don’t you and Scarlett touch each other all the time? Didn’t you say it was just ‘normal physical contact’ between friends?” Liam was left completely speechless. After all, those were the exact words he had used on me countless times. Feeling too guilty to press the issue, he shoved Mason aside and squeezed next to me. “I’m her father. She got sick and you didn’t even tell me? Instead, you called Mason, an outsider?” I looked at him like he was an idiot. “Running into Mason was a coincidence. Besides, you’re the one who explicitly forbade me from ‘interrupting’ your boys’ night out with Scarlett.” I didn’t care to watch his face turn pale. I turned around to check my daughter’s temperature. “Chloe, don’t be mad. I know I messed up.” Liam grabbed my wrist. “I promise, from now on, you and Lily are my number one priority.” Even his own parents wouldn’t believe a lie like that. But Lily started crying just then, saving me from having to respond to his empty promise.

For the next few days, perhaps out of guilt, Liam stayed home every day to take care of Lily. He took her to her classes, built blocks with her, fed her baby food… Their bond grew quickly. Lily started looking for him the moment she woke up. And the second Lily cried, Liam would immediately drop whatever he was doing to run to her. That day, I had an urgent matter to handle at the studio. Seeing that Lily was taking her afternoon nap, I told the nanny and Liam to watch her. Before leaving, I warned him repeatedly. “Keep her indoors, don’t let her catch a draft. And absolutely do not let her eat mangoes, peanuts, or anything she’s allergic to…” Liam nodded eagerly, promising he understood. Only then did I feel safe enough to leave. But before my meeting even ended, my phone rang. It was Liam, his voice trembling with panic. “Chloe, you need to come to the hospital right now! Lily suddenly broke out in hives and won’t stop screaming! We’re on our way to the ER!” My heart dropped. “What happened? Did she touch or eat something she shouldn’t have?” Everything in our house was carefully selected to be allergen-free, and I had listed her allergies to him a thousand times. Liam stammered over the phone. “Lily woke up and wanted to go outside. Scarlett and the guys were hosting a yacht party, and I thought it would be fun for Lily to see the ocean, so the nanny and I brought her along…” “Then the nanny went to prep her bottle, and I was holding her. But I got caught up in a card game… and when I looked over, Scarlett was feeding her mango crepe cake…” I didn’t care about the meeting anymore. I grabbed my keys and ran to the parking lot. By the time I rushed into the ER, Lily’s condition had stabilized. She looked so tiny on the hospital bed. The bruises on her forehead from her previous IV drip hadn’t even faded yet. Now, she had a new needle in her tiny hand, tears still clinging to her eyelashes. Seeing Liam standing in the hallway, my fury boiled over. The second he opened his mouth to explain, a sharp slap echoed through the corridor. Liam’s cheek swelled up instantly. I pulled back my burning, red palm. “I warned you before I left.” “Is this how you play father?!” Liam kept his head down and didn’t say a word, but Scarlett, who was standing beside him, couldn’t hold back. “Chloe, you can’t blame Liam entirely for this.” “The kid isn’t just his. You chose to go to work and dump her on him. He has a life too.” “If you ask me, Lily is just too high-maintenance. Allergic to this, allergic to that. Plus, she’s the one who wanted to eat…” “Ow! How dare you hit me?!” Without a second thought, I slapped Scarlett across the face, looking at her with cold eyes. “Trashy new money truly has no class. Who gave an outsider like you the right to comment on my family matters?” Scarlett hated being called “new money” more than anything. Her eyes turned bloodshot, and she raised her hand to strike back. But before she could even touch my coat, Liam grabbed her arm and pushed her away. She stared at Liam in disbelief. “Why are you pushing me?! Chloe has gone insane! Didn’t you see her hit me?!” Liam didn’t defend her this time. Instead, his tone was laced with irritation. “Enough! You’re the one who couldn’t keep your mouth shut.” “Besides, who told you to feed the baby cake without asking?” Scarlett looked like she was about to explode. “I was standing up for you, and now you’re blaming me?!” A nurse came out to let us know Lily was awake. I turned and walked back into the room immediately, ignoring the two of them as they started arguing.

The moment Lily was discharged, I filed for divorce and moved back into my family’s estate. Liam finally realized I wasn’t joking. He kept showing up at my door, begging to talk. I refused to see him, leaving all communication to my lawyer. Soon, Liam’s parents, Mike and Jennifer, found out about the situation. They wanted to see their granddaughter. I had no reason to keep Lily from her grandparents, so I brought her over to the Sinclair estate. During dinner, Liam kept hovering over me, placing food on my plate. “You love sea bass. Try this, I caught it myself yesterday.” I didn’t say a word. I just pushed the fish to the side of my plate. The dinner was incredibly awkward. Once everyone set their forks down, I was the first to speak. “Mike, Jennifer, I’m sure you both know what’s going on between Liam and me.” “You are Lily’s grandparents, and I will never stop you from seeing her. But I cannot stay married to Liam anymore.” With that, I placed the signed divorce papers on the table. Liam panicked, instantly grabbing my hand. “Chloe, I was wrong. I really was. I was careless and stupid last time. You can hit me, you can yell at me, but please don’t divorce me. I’m changing, aren’t I?” “I’ve made up my mind to be a good husband and father to you and Lily!” Mike and Jennifer also chimed in, trying to persuade me. “Chloe, dear, Liam really knows he messed up. He’s cut off all those bad influences these past few days.” “And Lily is still so small. How are you going to raise her all by yourself if you get a divorce?” My face remained calm. Their words didn’t move me at all. “Mike, Jennifer, my mind is made up. Please don’t try to convince me.” “Lily grew up healthy before without Liam’s involvement. She’ll be just fine in the future.” I stood up, taking Lily from Mason, who had remained silent the entire evening. “Lily, say goodbye to everyone.” Seeing that I was truly leaving, Liam’s eyes turned red, and he dropped to his knees right in front of me. “Please don’t go. I can’t lose you and Lily. If you’re mad about Scarlett, I’ll block her right now.” “Stand up, Liam. I’m going to show everyone what kind of woman Chloe Bennett really is today.” Before he could finish, Scarlett burst into the dining room, pushing past the security guards. She threw a stack of documents onto the dining table. The DNA test results were glaringly obvious. She pointed at me, her voice trembling with excitement. “Lily isn’t even Liam’s daughter. She is the bastard child Chloe had from sleeping around with Mason.”

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On his way home from collecting soda cans for recycling after school, my son was bitten by a stray dog. To save money, he tried to patch up the nasty wound himself with super glue and duct tape before coming home. With tears streaming down my face, I rushed him to a local urgent care clinic for a basic bandage. Leo looked at me, his eyes filled with guilt. “I’m sorry, Mom. The co-pay was ten dollars. That’s our food budget for the day.” But as we walked out, we saw my husband, Austin, at the luxury pet boutique next door. He was swiping his black card for his ex-girlfriend’s dog. “Mr. Miller is so sweet to his wife! He comes in every week to get the VIP spa package for Coco!” “I know, right? It costs thousands of dollars each time. He really spoils her.” Leo and I froze, staring at Austin in disbelief. He didn’t notice us. Holding the dog, he turned and got into a luxury car with Hailey. Leo pulled at my sleeve. “Didn’t Dad say his investments failed and he owes millions? Why is he spending so much on a dog?” I forced myself to calm down, desperately hoping there was some mistake. I walked into the pet shop to ask. But the clerk’s words threw us straight into an ice bath. “Are you asking about Mr. Miller? He’s our black card VIP. A few thousand dollars is pocket change to him.” “Even the pedigree French bulldog Mrs. Miller is holding is worth over a hundred thousand dollars.” I let out a bitter laugh and led Leo away, remaining silent the entire way home. Once inside, as I looked at his poorly bandaged wound, my tears finally spilled over. Leo also realized Austin had been lying. He looked incredibly confused. “Mom, if Dad is so rich, why did he lie to us?” “Does he not want us anymore?” Austin had never revealed his true financial background to me. Even when we got married, he only said he was doing some investments. Shortly after our wedding, he claimed his investments had crashed, leaving him with a seven-figure debt. To an ordinary family like ours, that was an astronomical sum. Yet, instead of leaving him, I took on three jobs to support us. Leo had been sensible since he was a toddler. Every day after school, he would collect cans to help ease my burden. Even when his classmates bullied and excluded him for it, he never regretted it. “If we save money fast enough, Dad can pay off his debts, and we can finally have a good life!” But now, I was being told that Austin had been playing broke all along. My son and I lived a life that wasn’t even as good as the dog owned by his ex-girlfriend! Pulled back to reality, I choked out a question to Leo, “If things change, do you want to live with Dad or Mom?” His eyes dimmed, and his voice trembled with fear. “Can Dad please not abandon us? I promise I’ll be good. I don’t want us to split up.” “Mom, can we give Dad one more week? I’ll talk to him!” Seeing how heartbroken my son was, I had no choice but to agree. Just then, the front door opened, and Austin walked in. Seeing us standing in the living room, he frowned slightly. “What’s going on? Why do you both look so miserable?” Leo spoke first. “Dad, I got bitten by a dog today. It hurts so bad…” He held up his hand. But seeing how raw and ugly the wound looked, Austin’s immediate reaction was disgust. “How could you be so careless? Did you waste more money at the clinic? Your mom and I work so hard. Can you stop being such a burden?” “No dinner for you tonight. Let this be a lesson.” I clenched my fists. “Your son is injured! If you don’t care, that’s one thing, but how dare you ban him from eating? Do you even care about this family?!” Austin had never seen me this angry. Once he recovered from his shock, he snapped back. As we stood there glaring at each other, Leo quickly stepped between us, pulling at my hand. “Mom, it’s fine. I’m not that hungry anyway.” “Dad is right. I caused trouble. I’ll go to my room and do my homework.”

Perhaps because the disappointment on Leo’s face was too obvious, Austin’s expression softened slightly. “Alright, Leo. How could I actually starve you?” “I had a business dinner today and brought home some leftovers. Take them to your room.” With that, he pulled a plastic container of leftover fish from his bag. It was fish. The one food Leo hated the most. Watching my son’s face fall even further, I snatched the container and threw it straight into the trash can. “Enough, Austin. We can make our own dinner. We don’t need your charity.” Austin’s brow furrowed deep. “Chloe, what the hell is wrong with you today? What did I do to trigger you?” “I brought that back specifically for you guys! That fish cost over a thousand dollars at the restaurant!” “Oh, so I should thank you?” I let out a cold laugh. “Do you even remember that Leo is deathly allergic to seafood?!” “For seven years, you haven’t contributed a single cent to this house. Every time I ask, you say you’re networking for clients. Has a single one of your deals actually succeeded?” Leo’s lower lip trembled, tears falling like broken pearls. But Austin didn’t even look at him. He turned toward the door, his voice dripping with disdain. “I knew you were just a gold-digger. Now you’re even using Leo’s allergy as an excuse to complain about money! If you look down on me that much, I’ll just leave.” Even at this point, he still thought I was just mad because he wasn’t giving me money. The anger in my chest was so sharp that it physically hurt. I bent over on the sofa, taking several minutes to catch my breath. Leo wiped away my tears. “Mom, don’t be sad. Dad is just angry.” Even though he was hurting, he was still trying to defend Austin just to keep the family together. He was such a sweet boy. I couldn’t bear to let him suffer in silence. I rubbed his head and forced a smile. “I know, sweetie. Mom is going to make you some delicious pasta now, okay?” Leo let out a sigh of relief and nodded vigorously. Once dinner was ready, he took my phone to send a Snapchat voice note to Austin. “Dad, Mom made pasta. Are you coming home to eat?” After sending it, Leo stared anxiously at the screen, waiting for a reply. But we finished our entire dinner, and all Austin sent back was a cold, brief text: “Busy.” I sighed and sent Leo to his room. Just as I was about to text Austin, I received a friend request on Snapchat. It was from Hailey. The moment I accepted, she sent over several videos. So, this was why Austin was “busy.” He was too occupied feeding Hailey’s dog to reply to his own son. In the videos, Austin was incredibly gentle and patient—a stark contrast to the cold man who had stood in our living room this afternoon. “Chloe, so what if you snatched him up and married him back then? His heart still only belongs to me.” “You can never beat me, and you don’t deserve to.” It was true. Back then, after Austin and Hailey broke up, he had suffered from severe depression. He had even tried to jump into a river to end his life. I had been secretly in love with him for a long time. I happened to be passing by and jumped in to save him without a second thought. When he woke up, he proposed, saying he wanted to take responsibility for me. At the time, I wasn’t sure if he was over her, so I rejected him. But Austin insisted. “Don’t worry. After facing death, I realize I just want to be with someone who truly loves me.” He made so many promises that I eventually agreed to be with him. We had been married for seven years. I had no idea when they had reconnected. I didn’t reply to Hailey. Instead, I quietly called a lawyer friend of mine. “Hey, Serena. Help me draft a divorce agreement.”

Serena asked in utter disbelief, “Chloe, you’ve finally woken up? You’re actually leaving that toxic man after sacrificing everything for him?” It turned out my friends had seen the truth much clearer than I had. I gave a quiet “Yeah.” Serena’s voice instantly turned ecstatic. “That is amazing! Chloe, you have no idea how much I’ve wanted you to get out of that miserable marriage. Don’t worry, I’ll have the divorce papers drafted as fast as humanly possible!” Hearing her excitement, my feelings remained incredibly complicated. Before marrying Austin, I had my own life. Back then, I was successful, bright, and full of life. But during these seven years with Austin, it felt like I had completely lost myself. I had given up my career, distanced myself from my friends and family, and dedicated every waking hour to him. I poured all my love and energy into him. Only to end up with nothing, living like a hollow shell of a person. I chatted with Serena for a few more minutes before hanging up. The moment I looked down at my phone, the screen lit up with more notifications from Hailey. She had sent a barrage of videos and photos to mock me. She bragged about how attentive Austin was. “See this? Austin always brushes my dog’s coat so gently. He even prepares warm water to massage my feet.” There were dozens of similar texts. I wanted to ignore them. But when I thought about how my son was injured today while his father was playing house with another woman, the anger inside me boiled over. I opened the chat and fired back. “If he loves you so much, why hasn’t he divorced me yet? Do you enjoy being a homewrecker that much?” “If you send me one more of these pathetic brag posts, I will post them all over Instagram and make sure everyone knows exactly what you are.” She didn’t reply. I assumed she was fuming. Just as I let out a sigh of relief, I heard a sound behind me. I turned around to see Leo. I didn’t know how long he had been standing there. But it was obvious he had heard everything. He knew I was going to divorce Austin. Children aren’t good at hiding their emotions, but Leo tried his best to be strong. His little face was pale, and though he held back his tears, his voice shook. “Mom… are you really never going to forgive Dad?” Looking at the faint hope in his eyes, my heart ached. A child his age shouldn’t have to face the pain of his parents splitting up. I felt incredibly guilty. Even though Leo was so young, he had worked so hard to make this family happy. I knelt down and pulled him into a tight hug. “Don’t worry, baby. I remember my promise to you. We’ll give him one more week.” If, after a week, he still hadn’t changed, I would take Leo and leave. Leo hugged me back tightly, full of love. We comforted each other before heading to our respective rooms to sleep. For once, I didn’t stay up waiting for Austin. I knew he wouldn’t be coming back tonight anyway. To my surprise, in the middle of the night, a loud noise came from the front door. Austin had stumbled home, completely drunk. The moment the door opened, he almost collapsed. I caught him out of instinct. Instantly, a sweet, sickly perfume filled my nose. I knew that scent—it was Hailey’s. A wave of nausea hit my stomach. While the door was still open, I dragged Austin right back out into the hallway. Then I slammed the door shut and locked it. The whole process took less than five seconds.

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The wedding ceremony had already begun, but my groom, Ethan, was still in a corner with my best friend, Harper, discussing data from their latest lab experiment. Anxious and embarrassed, I pulled Ethan’s arm, trying to drag him toward the stage. “Ethan, the ceremony has started. Everyone is waiting.” “What?” Ethan muttered, his eyes still fixed on his tablet. “The wedding…” Before I could even finish, Ethan cut me off. “I wasn’t talking to you.” He turned back to Harper without missing a beat. “What did you say the parameters were for the second trial?” Harper gave me a condescending pat on the shoulder and whispered, “Chloe, we’re talking about a major scientific breakthrough here. Just go out there and handle the guests for now. It’s just a wedding. Worst case, we can always throw you another one later.” With that, the two of them dove back into a rapid-fire exchange of scientific jargon that sounded like gibberish to me. Getting more excited by the minute, they completely ignored me and the hundreds of staring guests. Suddenly, they stood up, knocked over the champagne tower, and rushed out the door to the lab. The glass shattered. Champagne soaked the train of my white dress. I was left standing on the stage alone, a complete mess. But this time, I wasn’t going to clean up their mess. Host another wedding? No, thank you. Being the “prodigy’s” bride? I quit.

Ethan and Harper had been geniuses since they were kids. I was always just the tagalong. After college, they both became lead researchers at a prestigious biotech institute. And me? I was just the receptionist at the front desk of that very same institute. The three of us rented a house together. But in reality, I was their live-in maid. I did their laundry, cooked their meals, and was forever excluded from their intellectual conversations. I drove home alone from my abandoned wedding. At 2:00 AM, the front door finally clicked open. Ethan and Harper walked in, laughing and talking loudly, completely uncaring that they had just woken me up. “See, Ethan! I told you we needed to adjust the parameters my way! I was totally right!” Ethan playfully pinched Harper’s cheek, a competitive smirk on his lips. “You just got lucky, babe.” When they saw me standing in the hallway, Ethan casually tossed his dirty jacket onto the floor. “Chloe, throw our clothes in the wash, will you?” he said, not even looking at me. “And make us some pasta. Harper is starving.” He didn’t care at all about how the wedding had ended. He didn’t ask how I got home. “I’m tired,” I said coldly. It was the first time in our seven-year relationship that I had ever said no to him. Ethan froze, clearly surprised. Harper nudged his shoulder with her elbow, rolling her eyes. “Oh, Ethan, you idiot! Your EQ is literally rock bottom. Can’t you see Chloe is throwing a tantrum?” “You ignored her for the experiment today. She’s mad!” She lightly pinched Ethan’s chest and laughed. “Alright, alright! I punished him for you, Chloe. Stop being mad, bestie!” Ethan groaned, rubbing his temples in annoyance. “Chloe, we’ve been working in the lab for twelve hours straight. Can you please not make a scene?” “It’s just a wedding. How could that ever be more important than our research? Honestly, no one cares about weddings except the bride.” “We’ll throw you a better one later.” But this wasn’t the first time. Two years ago, during our graduation trip, I waited at an international airport for seven hours because Ethan and Harper got “too caught up” in a simulation. A year ago, at our engagement party, Harper called Ethan away because of an “instrument malfunction,” leaving me to apologize to eighty guests on my own. Over the past six months, I had scheduled four appointments at the courthouse for our marriage license. Ethan stood me up every time. Every time, his excuse was the same: the lab needed him. In their world of science, everything about me was completely trivial. “What do you mean, ‘just a wedding’?” I whispered. But my question went completely unheard. They were already huddled over a stack of papers on the kitchen island, lost in their own world again. Back then, everyone envied me. They said my fiancé and my best friend were brilliant. But I was done being a ghost in my own life.

Quietly, I opened my phone. I submitted my resume to a few open positions in Chicago and bought a one-way train ticket. The next morning, Seattle was hit by a massive storm. The rain was pouring down in sheets. I ran downstairs, hoping to catch a ride to work with Ethan. Ethan was starting his Audi, talking animatedly with Harper, who was sitting in the passenger seat. I tapped frantically on the rain-streaked window, but he didn’t even turn his head. He stepped on the gas and drove off. “Ethan, wait!” I chased the car for a few steps, slipped on the wet asphalt, and fell hard, scraping my elbow. The car didn’t stop. Whenever Harper was around, Ethan became completely blind to my existence. I wiped the blood and mud off my arm with a tissue and dragged myself to the subway station. By the time I reached the institute, I was late. Ethan and Harper walked past the reception desk. When Ethan saw me, the smile slid off his face, replaced by a deep scowl. “Is this how you do your job? Do you know what time it is?” “Why didn’t you wait for me this morning?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady. Before Ethan could answer, Harper chimed in. “Oh, Chloe, don’t blame Ethan. You don’t work in research, so you don’t get it. Every second in the lab is crucial. We literally don’t have time to waste waiting around.” She patted my shoulder with a patronizing smile. Ethan sighed, looking at me like I was a difficult child. “You knew it was raining. Why didn’t you leave earlier?” “Since we were kids, I’ve told you to be more disciplined. Why can’t you ever listen?” “I don’t expect you to be a genius like Harper, but is it really that hard to just be a receptionist?” But when Harper forgot her purse, Ethan would patiently wait for her for an hour, laughing and calling her “a genius in the lab, but a clumsy little princess in real life.” At that moment, I lost all desire to argue. Suddenly, Ethan took a sharp step back, pretending he didn’t know me. Another colleague was walking by. Ethan had always insisted we keep our relationship “strictly professional” at work to avoid gossip. But the passing colleague stopped and smirked at Ethan and Harper. “Oh, look! Dr. Miller and Dr. Vance! The golden couple of our institute is arriving together again!” “Did you guys have a sweet little breakfast date before work?” I kept my head down, feeling completely numb. At the institute, everyone thought Ethan and Harper were the perfect match. Childhood sweethearts, both Ivy League PhDs, the rising stars of the biotech world. Then, the colleague gasped. “Who said Dr. Miller doesn’t know how to pamper a girl? Harper, is that the new seasonal Chanel bag? That’s almost impossible to get!” I looked up and froze. The bag on Harper’s shoulder was beautiful. I had mentioned that exact bag to Ethan months ago. He had gone online and bought me a cheap, knock-off brand instead, telling me he was “too busy to research designer bags.” Yet, the authentic, limited-edition Chanel bag was hanging on Harper’s arm. “Hey, receptionist,” the colleague barked, snapping her fingers in front of my face. “Can’t you see Dr. Miller and Dr. Vance are discussing work? Go make some coffee. Show some initiative.” I snapped out of my daze, swallowing the bitterness in my throat. “On it,” I murmured, rushing to the breakroom. But as I was serving the hot coffee, Harper got overly excited during their discussion. She flung her arm out, knocking the cup straight out of my hand. The scalding liquid spilled down my arm and onto my shirt. The pain made me gasp, my face turning white. Ethan immediately shoved me aside and grabbed Harper’s hands, panic in his eyes. “Harper! Are you okay? Did it burn you?” Once he was sure she was untouched, he quickly wiped down the documents on the table, checking every page. Only then did he look up at me, his voice dripping with anger.

“Can’t you even serve coffee properly? Do you have any idea how important her hands are for our experiments?” “Oh, Ethan, stop. Are you worried about me or the data?” Harper teased, pretending to be annoyed. Then, she noticed my arm, which was already blistering. She let out a soft gasp. “Oh my gosh, Chloe is really burned! Ethan, go get the burn cream!” Ethan finally frowned, pulling my arm over to inspect it. Seeing that no one else was watching, he gently blew on the burn and whispered, “Does it hurt? Hold on, I’ll grab the first aid kit for you.” But I never got that cream. As soon as Ethan turned around, Harper dragged him into the cleanroom, and he completely forgot about me. After shivering in the storm and getting burned, I developed a raging fever by the afternoon. Maybe because I looked like death, Ethan did something he never did. He wrapped up his work early and offered to drive me home. My head was pounding. I decided that tonight, I would tell him the truth. The wedding was off, and I was leaving. Halfway home, Harper suddenly gasped, looking at her phone. “Ethan, pull over! Dr. Hayes is giving a surprise guest lecture at UW tonight! It’s about our exact research model!” Ethan’s eyes lit up. “We can’t miss this.” Then, he hesitated, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. “But… Chloe is sick. Maybe I should drop her off first?” He checked the dashboard clock. “No, traffic is terrible because of the storm. We’ll be late if we detour.” “Chloe, you need to get out here and call an Uber. Don’t worry, we’ll come home right after the lecture to take care of you.” Before I could even stand steady on the wet curb, the black Audi sped away into the rain. With a 103-degree fever, I nearly fainted on the sidewalk. It took me two hours to get home, soaking wet and shivering. The sink was still piled high with dishes from the weekend. Our “genius scientists” were too busy to do chores, so everything fell on me. Once, I had asked Harper to help me hang the laundry. Ethan had screamed at me for hours, accusing me of “exploiting a brilliant mind for menial labor.” Whatever. I was leaving anyway. I ignored the messy house and collapsed onto the couch. My phone buzzed. By some cruel twist of algorithms, Instagram recommended a live stream of the UW lecture Ethan and Harper were attending. The technical jargon meant nothing to me. But during the Q&A session, Ethan and Harper walked up to the microphone together, holding hands. They looked like a power couple. The crowd in the auditorium started teasing them. The host smiled and asked, “Are you two a couple?” Harper grinned proudly. “Yes, we’ve been classmates since preschool. We even share the exact same research focus.” A student in the crowd shouted, “You guys are so lucky! It must be amazing to have a partner who truly understands your mind!” Harper nodded warmly. “Absolutely. If you’re looking for love, make sure you find someone who walks the same path as you.” Ethan spoke into the mic, his voice firm and clear. “I agree. Never tie yourself down to someone who is just a drag on your life.” A drag. I let out a bitter laugh. Ethan and Harper both had mild Asperger’s, which they used as an excuse to ignore basic life skills. In elementary school, they didn’t know how to tie their shoes. I was the one who knelt down to do it. In high school, they couldn’t navigate public transit. I held their hands and guided them. In college, I cleaned their dorms and took care of them when they were sick. To support my fiancé and my best friend, I had entirely sacrificed my own life. And in return, I was just “a drag.” By that night, they were trending on local social media.

People posted their report cards from elementary school, their matching SAT scores, and their joint Ivy League publications. They were a match made in heaven. But in the corner of every old photo, there was always a tiny, blurry figure. Me. I closed my eyes and shut off my phone. The people who promised to “come right home and take care of me” never returned that night. The next morning, I wrote my resignation letter and walked into the institute. The moment I entered, the atmosphere was suffocating. “Chloe isn’t even that pretty. How dare she try to steal Ethan?” “Right? I saw the video. She literally forced her way into Dr. Miller’s car yesterday.” “Yeah, but she got kicked out halfway! So embarrassing!” I opened WhatsApp and saw a leaked video in the company group chat. It showed me getting into Ethan’s car yesterday, looking desperate, while Ethan looked cold and annoyed. I looked like a pathetic stalker trying to force myself onto a taken man. Just as I was about to type a message to clarify our relationship, Ethan posted in the group chat first. “Chloe is just our roommate. She is also Harper’s friend. Please respect her privacy.” With that one message, the office’s contempt for me solidified. “How shameless. Trying to steal her best friend’s guy while living under their roof.” I felt ice in my veins. I marched into Ethan’s office and confronted him. “Why didn’t you tell them I’m your fiancée? Why did you call me a roommate?” Ethan closed his eyes, his voice utterly cold. “What did you want me to say, Chloe? Everyone in the industry thinks Harper and I are together!” “If I deny it, what will they think of Harper? Do you have any idea how much gossip that would start?” “We just need to keep our distance at work from now on.” “Once we host the actual wedding and invite our colleagues, the truth will come out naturally.” So, he did understand how damaging rumors could be. He wasn’t incapable of empathy; he just saved all of his empathy for Harper. But it didn’t matter. There was never going to be another wedding. My last day at the institute was a night shift. Close to midnight, the building’s fire alarms suddenly wailed. A thick, black smoke began pouring under the door. Fire! The fire had started on the second floor and was spreading rapidly. Within seconds, the smoke was suffocating me. Flames burst through the hallway, searing my arm. I collapsed near the exit, gasping for air. Through my fading vision, I saw someone burst through the smoke with a fire extinguisher. It was Ethan. “Ethan… I’m here…” Pain and terror surged through me. I reached out with the last of my strength, grabbing the hem of his jeans like a drowning person clutching a lifeline. But he didn’t even look down. “Harper! Where are you?!” he screamed, his voice raw with panic. Before I lost consciousness, all I heard was him screaming her name. … I woke up in a sterile hospital room. The burns on my neck and arm were throbbing with agonizing pain. Every tiny movement felt like needles in my flesh. “It hurts…” I whispered. Seeing Ethan sitting by my bed, a wave of grief washed over me. The pain of being abandoned in the fire made tears spill over my cheeks. “Why didn’t you look at me?” My voice cracked.

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After seven years by Ethan Sinclair’s side, I had mastered the art of hiding my emotions. After a night of passion… Ethan casually said, “I’m getting engaged next month.” I swallowed the bitter lump in my throat and forced a breezy smile. “Oh, that’s great. Coincidentally, I’m getting married too.” Ethan’s smile turned icy. “Do you honestly think you can find a better man than me?” He thought I was joking. But when I officially announced my wedding… He completely lost his mind. I had been with Ethan for seven years. Over those seven years, we became so in sync we felt like real lovers. But we weren’t. I was Ethan’s executive assistant by day, and his secret, hidden lover by night. Nobody knew about our relationship. And of course, nobody knew just how wild and possessive the brilliant, cold CEO of Sinclair Enterprises could be behind closed doors. Right now, I was bending over to organize some files on his desk. Ethan wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, pulling me flush against his chest. His hot kisses trailed down my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I turned around, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him back. Looking at his handsome, chiseled face and dark, bottomless eyes, I comforted myself. Even without a title, staying with a man like this wasn’t a bad deal. But even though our bodies were tangled together, there was always an invisible distance between us. He was right there, yet he felt like sand slipping through my fingers.

I always knew Ethan and I belonged to different worlds. But after being together for so long, even a heart of stone would melt. I cared about him. I kept lying to myself, hoping I could stay by his side forever. I wondered if seven years could turn into a lifetime. But every sweet dream has an expiration date. Late at night, the balcony was bathed in dim light. I walked over quietly holding his bathrobe, wanting to remind him not to catch a cold since he had just recovered. But as I drew closer, I heard his voice. He was on the phone with his family, talking about how little I meant to him. “Chloe is just convenient. I’m used to her, so I don’t want to replace her.” “She’s been with me since college. She’s as clean as a blank sheet of paper. Isn’t that perfect for someone with my standards, unlike those wild girls in our social circle?” “Don’t worry, I’ll be back for the engagement next month.” “Chloe is obedient. She won’t make a scene.” I thought I could handle it. But hearing those words still made my heart ache intensely. I walked into the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. Long, straight black hair. No makeup. Submissive. Obedient. I was exactly what he wanted me to be. But I wasn’t who I wanted to be. It was time. Let today be the final day of our seven years.

The night before his business trip. I went back to his penthouse to pack his bags. For seven years, I had always packed for his trips. I was used to it, and so was he. I took his shirts and suits from the closet, and organized his stomach medicine into a travel pillbox. I couldn’t help but nag him: “Leo is going with you this time, so I’ll stay behind. By the way, I finalized the details on the Dynatech contract. Tell Leo to bring the file tomorrow morning so you can sign it directly.” Ethan chuckled, wrapping his arms around me from behind. “My little manager. I’m realizing I really can’t live without you.” I patted his hand, gently slipped away, and continued packing. Once everything was done, I took a soft breath. “All set.” Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you don’t want to come? The hotel has a private hot spring. We can relax together after the meetings.” A hint of desire flickered in his dark, usually cold eyes. I kept my eyes down and smiled. “No, thanks. Let Leo go.” I stepped forward to loosen his tie. Everything felt normal, yet everything had changed. “What’s wrong with you tonight?” I looked up into his eyes. “Ethan, we’ve been together for seven years.” Ethan’s lips curved into a smirk. He patted his thigh, signaling me to sit. I didn’t move. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his lap. “Are you mad because I forgot our anniversary?” As soon as he spoke, I felt a cold touch on my collarbone. He had clasped a stunning, diamond-encrusted star necklace around my neck. Ethan kissed my earlobe, his hands sliding down my hips. “Do you like it? I bought it at an auction in London last week. It looks great against your fair skin.” “So, can I touch you now?” He pushed me down onto the sofa. At that moment, he probably thought a luxurious, expensive gift could buy my eternal devotion. Love? He didn’t have any, and in his eyes, I didn’t need it anyway. But he was wrong. I was done living a life where I felt like an afterthought. “Ethan, let’s break up.” Ethan frowned, his handsome brow furrowing. “Do you even know what you’re saying?” I turned and looked him dead in the eye. “I’m twenty-eight. I’m not young anymore. I want to go back home, find a nice man, and get married.” Ethan let go of me. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Through the swirling gray smoke, his face looked incredibly cold. When he finished, he crushed the cigarette butt and stood up. “Chloe, do you know what happens when you cross the line? I can let this little tantrum slide once, but never twice.” “I know.” Ethan gave me a mocking look. “Fine. If you want to break up, let’s break up. Coincidentally, I’m getting engaged next month anyway.” I forced a smile. “Oh. Then let me congratulate you in advance.” His eyes were freezing cold. But I had made my choice, and I wouldn’t look back. As he grabbed his coat and turned to leave, I called out to him. Ethan looked back over his shoulder. “Chloe, if you take back what you said before I walk out that door, I’ll pretend this never happened.” He thought I was just throwing a tantrum. But I wasn’t. I carefully took off the diamond necklace and placed it in his palm. “I won’t be needing this. And don’t worry, Mr. Sinclair. Once you walk out that door, I will never bother you again.” Ethan clenched his fist tightly. He didn’t look back. Instead, he threw the necklace into the trash can and slammed the door behind him. The moment he left, my composure crumbled. Tears streamed down my face. It felt like a giant hole had been carved out of my chest. The pain was excruciating. I knew that if I hadn’t made a scene tonight, I could have kept living here. We could have kept this arrangement going… Sweet, warm, but ultimately hollow. Because Ethan was going to get married. And I refused to be his mistress or destroy another woman’s family. It had to end.

Since I had decided to walk away, I wasn’t going to drag things out. That night, I packed my few belongings and wrote my resignation letter. The next morning, I handed it in. Since my role was specifically dedicated to assisting Ethan, there wasn’t much to hand over. Because Leo was still away on the business trip with Ethan, I just sent Leo a long, detailed handoff email on WhatsApp. Leo didn’t reply, probably because he was busy in meetings. It didn’t matter anymore. I went back to my desk and packed up my personal items. My coworkers were shocked that I was resigning. After all, I had been working for the notorious devil-boss for seven years, and I was the only one who could tolerate his temper. “Chloe, are you really leaving?” I smiled and nodded. “If you leave and the boss throws a fit… the entire assistant pool is going to suffer!” “But why? Sinclair Enterprises offers the best pay in the industry. You won’t find a better package elsewhere.” I gave them the honest truth. “I’m getting older. After grinding for so many years, I just want to settle down, marry a nice guy, and focus on family.” I said my goodbyes, held my cardboard box, and took the elevator down. In the lobby, I bumped right into a very pissed-off Ethan and a terrified Leo. I gave a polite, professional nod. “Goodbye.” Leo looked at me with deep regret. “Chloe, do you really have to go? Can’t you… reconsider?” Ethan cast a cold, indifferent glance at me. I gave a firm, polite smile. “No, thank you.” Ethan let out a cold snort and walked straight into the private elevator. Leo hurried after him. After leaving Sinclair Enterprises, I went back to my hometown. It wasn’t a massive metropolis like New York, but it was a beautiful, thriving college town. Thanks to Ethan, during those seven years of working all day and catering to him at night, I had saved up a hefty sum of money. While I wasn’t filthy rich, I had more than enough. Even with my mother’s medical bills, I was financially secure. Before, I lived to work. Now, I wanted to actually live. I took a teaching and research position at my alma mater. My old advisor had reached out to me a while back, asking if I wanted to join his research project. I was too busy being Ethan’s assistant back then, but now, I could fully commit to it. My new life became a peaceful routine: home, campus, lab. I was so busy I barely had time to think about Ethan. By mid-autumn, the department organized a faculty social event—essentially a mixer for the unmarried staff to mingle. We met at an upscale lounge downtown. My colleague from the department nudged me with her elbow. “Chloe, aren’t you single? You should keep your eyes open tonight.” “Yeah, a gorgeous girl like you deserves the best…” Before she could finish, the crowd started whispering excitedly, “Professor Vance is here!” “Oh wow, the competition is going to be fierce tonight. Julian Vance is a total catch… handsome, wealthy, and already a rising star in academia!” My colleague pushed me forward. “Chloe, go get him!” I looked up at the man walking toward us. Wait. Wasn’t that Julian, the boy next door from my childhood? I remembered Julian had gone to an Ivy League school and then vanished from my social circle after we lost touch. An old friend. A reunion. Julian was just as warm and gentle as he used to be. “Chloe, it’s been a long time.” “Julian, long time no see.”

Our colleagues immediately started teasing us. “Childhood sweethearts? What kind of fairytale is this? Kiss! Kiss!” “Chloe, if you miss out on a guy like this, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life! Go for it!” The girls playfully pushed me toward Julian. Tipsy from the wine, my foot slipped, and I stumbled. Alcohol always gets in the way. Julian gentlemanly reached out to steady me, but someone else beat him to it, gripping my arm with bruising force. “Ouch.” I looked up dazed, meeting a gaze cold enough to kill. Julian tried to pry me away from the man’s grip, but the intruder had absolutely no intention of letting go. “Who are you? Let her go!” “Ethan?” I stared at him in confusion. For a second, it felt like we were back in our private bubble, with only him and me. Ethan was flanked by a group of wealthy elites. Anyone could see he was someone powerful and not to be messed with. Ethan pulled me toward the exit. “She’s drunk. I’m taking her home.” At that moment, a pathetic part of me wanted to go with him. But I couldn’t. Swallowing my tears, I slowly pried his fingers off my arm. I turned and wrapped my arm around Julian’s, smiling brightly. “No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Sinclair. I already have a ride.” Ethan’s face darkened like a storm. He turned and walked into a private VIP room. Once he was gone, everyone finally let out a breath and began to gossip. “Oh my god, was that… Ethan Sinclair, the billionaire heir?” “Chloe, you know Ethan Sinclair? Are you guys close?” my colleague whispered curiously. “I used to work at Sinclair Enterprises. I was his assistant.” Everyone looked shocked. “Wow, he looks so intimidating. You’re amazing for surviving working under him.” “Seriously, rumor has it he has a terrible temper.” “Oh, by the way, I heard some gossip about him. Apparently, he has a childhood sweetheart who went abroad, some sort of first love. He hasn’t gotten married all these years because he was waiting for her… and she’s supposedly coming back soon.” “But didn’t the paparazzi snap photos of him with some mystery woman before? Well, billionaires keep their flings separate from their marriages. They only marry social peers. The women on the side are just toys they throw away. Right, Chloe? As his former assistant, you must know a lot, right?” I lowered my eyes, a bitter taste in my mouth. To Ethan, I was a secret lover, an employee, but never a partner or a wife. I used to be like a moth drawn to a flame, but now the fire was out. It was over. The party ended late. Julian drove me back and, worried about my safety, insisted on walking me to my door. “Thanks, Julian. It’s late, so I won’t invite you in for tea, but next time for sure.” Julian smiled and waved. “Don’t be so polite with me. Get some rest. Call me if you need anything.” “I will.” Once Julian left, I slumped against the door, completely exhausted. I thought I could remain unfazed when seeing Ethan again, but after all this time, I still couldn’t. The feeling of being controlled by my emotions made me feel suffocated and helpless. I decided to take a hot shower to wash away the day’s stress. Just then, the doorbell rang. Was Julian still here? I opened the door without thinking, only to be pulled into a burning, rock-hard embrace. I instinctively struggled…

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In the seventh year of our marriage, I finally relented and let my husband bring his late brother’s wife and daughter into our home. One afternoon, my son secretly pulled me into his room and pressed a crumpled wad of cash into my hand. “Mom, look. I’ve saved up so much money. Next time Dad kicks you out, let’s just leave him. We don’t need him.” “Can you divorce Dad? I don’t want him anymore. I want you to find me a good dad.” My heart squeezed painfully. “But baby, what about you?” My son looked up, his eyes shining with fierce determination. “I’ll go wherever you go, Mom. I’m a big boy now. I can protect you.” “Ever since Chloe and Lily moved in, every time Dad brings back gifts from his business trips, Lily gets to pick first. We only get her leftovers.” “And last week, when you fainted from the fever, I called Dad ten times. He blocked my calls. He was busy taking Chloe and Lily to Disneyland.” I clenched the crumpled bills in my fist, a bitter taste rising in my throat. That night at dinner, my son accidentally called his father “Dad.” For the sixth time in our marriage, my husband demanded a divorce and threatened to throw us out. “Look at how you raised your son! He knows Lily doesn’t have a father, yet he deliberately rubs it in her face. Get the hell out of my house and think about what you’ve done!” Seeing my son trembling but still standing in front of me to shield me, something inside me finally snapped. The fog in my brain cleared. I stood up and flipped the dining table. Plates shattered, and food splattered everywhere. “You want a divorce? Fine! Let’s get a divorce!”

Austin’s face turned pitch black. He instantly scooped his niece, Lily, into his arms while throwing his free arm around his sister-in-law, Chloe, shielding her behind him. “Have you lost your mind, Claire? Chloe spent hours cooking this dinner, and you just ruined it!” Chloe peeked out from behind Austin’s shoulder, a smug, triumphant smirk flashing across her face before she quickly replaced it with a look of sheer terror. My fingernails dug into my palms. My face went completely pale. Ever since Chloe and her daughter moved in, I had been relegated to an unpaid maid. Tonight, Chloe had literally just carried two takeout dishes to the table, and suddenly, she was the chef of the year. If she so much as touched a broom once a week, Austin praised her for “deep cleaning” the house. Meanwhile, I worked myself to the bone from dawn to dusk, only for Austin to call me lazy. And now, when I was pushed to the absolute edge, he was still blaming me for ruining Chloe’s “hard work.” Lily wrapped her arms around Austin’s neck, sobbing hysterically. “Austin… where is my daddy? Why does Leo get to have a dad and I don’t?” Austin and Chloe immediately swarmed her, cooing and soothing her. But the more they comforted her, the louder she wailed. Austin whipped his head around, glaring at my son with pure rage. “Did I not make myself clear, Leo? You are never to call me ‘Dad’ in front of Lily! Get on your knees. Now!” My seven-year-old son trembled, his knees instantly buckling out of sheer survival reflex. I lunged forward, grabbing him by the shoulders to pull him back up. I glared at Austin, my voice shaking with disbelief. “He has a father! Why on earth can’t he call you Dad in his own home?” This was beyond ridiculous. After Austin’s brother, Ryan, died in a car crash, Austin insisted on bringing his widow and daughter into our home. Since that day, he had forbidden Leo from calling him “Dad.” Leo was just a child. Occasionally, he would slip up. But every time he did, Lily would throw a massive tantrum, and Austin would either slap Leo’s hands or force him to kneel on the hard floor as punishment. Just a minute ago, Leo couldn’t reach the food on Austin’s side of the table and accidentally called out, “Dad, can you pass the chicken?” That was all it took for Austin to slam his fist on the table, shaking the plates. “You can’t even raise a son right! I want a divorce. Get the hell out of my house and reflect!” I clutched my fork, my eyes burning. This was the sixth time he had used divorce to threaten me. The first time was when Leo begged Austin to attend his Parent-Teacher Association meeting. Lily had burst into tears, and Austin threw me out of the house. “From now on, I will only attend Lily’s school events. She needs a male role model more than Leo does,” he had declared. The second time was when I suggested Chloe should look into getting a job to support herself. She wept, locked herself in her room, and went on a “hunger strike” for a day, claiming I was mocking her tragic widowhood. Austin demanded a divorce that night. For the sake of giving my son a complete family, I had always swallowed my pride, begged for forgiveness, and crawled back. But looking at my trembling, terrified boy, I woke up. This wasn’t a family. This was a horror movie. Chloe, tears streaming down her face, dramatically snatched Lily from Austin’s arms. “Claire, please don’t divorce Austin because of us! My daughter and I will leave. We won’t get in your way anymore.” With that, she grabbed her purse and made a theatrical run for the front door. Austin leaped forward, grabbing her arm to pull her back. He spun around and spat at me, “Claire! How can you be so heartless?” “They are a grieving widow and an orphan! We took them in, and this is how you treat them? If people in our circle find out about this, they will drag our family name through the mud!” My nose stung, and a sharp, stabbing pain bloomed in my chest. Drag his family name through the mud? When they first moved in, they were pale and malnourished. I pitied them. I spent my own savings buying organic groceries and cooking nutritious meals to nurse them back to health. In our three-bedroom apartment, Chloe and Lily occupied the two master bedrooms. The three of us—Austin, Leo, and I—were crammed into the tiny guest room. Chloe had cried that she had no assets left, so Austin transferred the deed of the cottage my parents had left me to her name. I hadn’t even made a scene about that. I had done everything a supportive sister-in-law could possibly do. No one could point a finger at me. But in his eyes, I was still the villain. I knelt down, wrapped my arms around Leo, and stared at Austin for a long, quiet moment. “Austin,” I said softly, “I agreed to let them move in because I felt sorry for them. But do you even remember who your actual wife and son are?” Austin stiffened, his expression flickering with a moment of guilt. “What kind of nonsense is that? Of course I know.” I pressed my lips together. The fog in my head had completely vanished. Actually, I was the one who hadn’t realized the truth. I hadn’t realized that to Austin, the validation of outsiders meant more than his own flesh and blood. As long as Chloe and her daughter stroked his ego and praised him to the neighbors as a “heroic savior,” he was willing to bleed us dry. I hugged Leo tight, gently patting his back. “It doesn’t matter if you can’t tell us apart anymore,” I said, my voice steady and cold. “After all, I’m about to be your ex-wife.”

Austin’s face hardened. “All this drama over a minor slip of the tongue? Ever since Chloe and Lily moved in, you’ve done nothing but throw petty tantrums.” My heart felt like it was being shredded. Petty tantrums? The psychological abuse, the exploitation, the humiliation—all of it was just a “petty tantrum” to him. The silence in the room grew suffocating. Chloe’s eyes darted around. Suddenly, she grabbed Lily and lunged toward the drywall, screaming, “Austin, don’t fight with Claire! It’s all my fault! We’ll pay you back in the next life… Ryan, we’re coming to join you!” Her acting was flawless, her face a perfect mask of tragic despair. She secretly pinched Lily’s arm, and the little girl let out a piercing, ear-splitting shriek. I watched the spectacle with complete numbness. This theatrical performance happened at least three times a month. Panic flashed in Austin’s eyes. He rushed over, grabbing Chloe by the waist and pulling her back. “What the hell are you doing?!” he roared. Chloe shuddered, casting a fearful, sideways glance at me. “I know… Claire hates us. She wants us dead.” Austin spun around, grabbed my arm roughly, and dragged me forward. “Apologize to her. Now.” I held Leo close to my chest. He was clutching my shirt so hard his knuckles were white. I stared back at Austin in dead silence. I had done absolutely nothing wrong. Why should I apologize? Austin’s brow furrowed into a tight scowl. The sound of Lily’s hysterical crying was making him lose his mind. Without warning, his hand flew out and struck my face. SLAP! The force of the blow nearly knocked me off my feet. A bright red handprint bloomed on my cheek. My ears rang, and the last remaining piece of my heart shattered into dust. I suddenly remembered our wedding day. Austin had sworn before God and our family that no matter what happened, he would never lay a finger on me. He had promised to love and protect me. He had forgotten every single word. Even Austin seemed shocked by his own action. He reached out, his hand trembling slightly. “Claire… does it hurt?” The boy in my arms let out a furious cry. Leo shoved Austin’s hand away with all his might. “Don’t touch my mom! You’re a bad dad! I hate you!” Austin stumbled back, his eyes narrowing. “Who taught you to speak to your father like that?” Chloe, wiping her fake tears, chimed in, “Who else could it be but Claire? Austin, you’re away at work all day, so you don’t know. Claire is always whispering poison into Leo’s ear, turning him against you. She’s ruining the boy.” Austin’s expression darkened. He reached out to snatch Leo from my arms. “From now on, Chloe will raise Leo. I won’t let you turn him into a bitter, toxic brat like yourself.” Let Chloe raise him? A memory flashed in my mind, making my blood run cold. A few months ago, I had to go to the hospital to care for my mother-in-law for a few hours. I had left Leo at home. When I unlocked the door, I found Leo kneeling on the hardwood floor, picking up sunflower seed shells with his bare hands. Chloe had been lounging on the sofa, eating seeds and barking orders at him like a slave owner. Lily had been throwing heavy plastic toys at Leo’s head for fun. One toy had cut his forehead open. He had been sobbing on the floor, bleeding, while they laughed. I had rushed him to the ER, where he got five stitches. When I confronted Austin, what did he say? “It’s just kids playing. Don’t be so dramatic.” Panic surged through me. My chest tightened. I couldn’t let him take my son. I would rather die.

Austin lunged forward to grab Leo. Chloe helped him, pulling at my son’s legs. “Leo, come to Chloe. If you stay with your crazy mother, you’ll end up homeless on the streets!” Leo screamed in terror, reaching his tiny hands toward me. “Mom! Mom! Help me!” When I saw the bright red friction burns forming on Leo’s pale arms, I had to let go. If I kept pulling, they would dislocate his shoulders. With Leo in his arms, Austin smirked triumphantly. “You want a divorce? Go ahead. But you’re not taking Leo with you.” Leo sobbed hysterically, choking on his own tears. I stared at my son, my mind racing with desperation. Austin was smug. He was certain that because of Leo, I would eventually crawl back on my hands and knees, begging for mercy, just like the last five times. But this time, I was calculating my chances in a custody battle. “You can’t divorce! You absolutely cannot divorce!” The front door burst open, and my in-laws, Richard and Martha, hurried into the apartment. “The neighbors are already whispering that Chloe is a homewrecker!” Martha gasped, grabbing my hand with fake affection. “Claire, sweetie, I’m on your side.” She leaned in close, whispering in my ear, “How about this? I’ll have Chloe and Lily move in with us for a while. You and Austin can have some couple time. Just don’t divorce.” I gently but firmly pushed Martha’s hand away. She didn’t care about my marriage. She was just terrified of losing her free, 24-hour caregiver and maid. When Martha was hospitalized last year, I was the one who cooked every meal, washed her clothes, and bathed her. The year before, when Richard broke his leg and refused to stay in the rehab center, I was the one who studied physical therapy videos to help him walk again. Where was Chloe during all of this? She and Lily left the house in a complete mess for me to clean. I was so exhausted my back was constantly spasming, yet I still had to cook gourmet meals for them. When I complained to Austin, he just snapped, “You’re a housewife. You don’t have a real job. What else are you supposed to do all day?” My in-laws had broken my heart. During their illnesses, Chloe never visited them once. After they recovered, she simply bought them two cheap sweaters from Wish. And yet, my in-laws had turned around and scolded me. “Look at Chloe! She’s so thoughtful, unlike you.” Richard slammed his cane against the floor, making a deafening crack. “If anyone dares to get a divorce in this family, I will throw myself off a bridge!” Chloe immediately rushed to support Richard. “Please don’t say things like that.” She shot me a victimized look. “Claire didn’t mean it. It’s just that Lily was upset because Leo kept calling Austin ‘Dad’ right in front of her.” Richard sneered. “Leo is just a child, but what about you, Claire? Aren’t you an adult? Don’t you have any common sense?” A wave of bitter fury surged up my throat. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. “Is Austin dead?” I spat out. “If he’s not dead, why the hell can’t his own son call him Dad?” “You bad woman! My daddy isn’t dead!” Lily, prompted by a subtle nudge from Chloe, rushed forward and began hitting my legs with her fists. Chloe quickly scooped her up, fake-panicking. “Yes, sweetie, Daddy isn’t dead. He just went on a very long trip.” Austin, completely ignoring his own sobbing son on the floor, rushed over to comfort Lily. Leo ran to my side, grabbing my hand. I squeezed his hand, preparing to slip out of the apartment in the chaos. But the commotion had drawn a crowd of neighbors in the hallway, who were now whispering and pointing at us. Losing face in front of the neighbors made Richard furious. He raised his heavy wooden cane, aiming it straight at my head. “You ungrateful, disobedient bitch! I’ll teach you a lesson!”

Leo reacted instantly, pulling me into the guest bedroom and slamming the door shut, locking it from the inside. Outside, the muffled voices of my in-laws carried through the thin door. “Is she really going to divorce him?” Martha whispered anxiously. “If they divorce, who’s going to cook for us and drive us to our appointments? The nurse we hired last time complained about the pay and left after two days. We can’t let them divorce.” Austin’s arrogant voice drifted in. “She won’t dare. She hasn’t worked a single day since she got pregnant. If she divorces me, she’ll end up starving on the streets. Besides, I saved her life once…” The rest of his words faded as they walked further into the living room. That night, I held Leo tight as he slept. He was sweating and twitching in his sleep, his little hands clawing at my shirt. “Mom… please don’t leave me… don’t let them lock me up…” During one of our previous fights, when Austin had kicked me out, he had locked Leo in a dark closet for ten hours, telling him, “Your mother abandoned you because you’re a bad boy.” It wasn’t until I came back crying and begging on my knees that Austin finally let me see my terrified, hyperventilating child. I kissed Leo’s forehead, tears slipping down my cheeks. “Go to sleep, my brave boy. Mommy will never leave you. I promise.” The next morning, I heard the front door click. Austin had left for work. I quickly packed our passports, birth certificates, and a few essentials into a small backpack. Holding Leo’s hand, I crept out of the bedroom. But the moment I opened the door, my heart froze. Austin was sitting on the living room sofa, staring at me with a chilling, mock smile. “Going somewhere so early, honey?” I forced myself to take a deep breath, squeezing Leo’s hand to reassure him. “Just going for a walk.” I walked toward the front door. I reached for the handle and turned it. Nothing. He had deadbolted it and taken the keys. I spun around, my heart hammering against my ribs. Austin stood up, his towering shadow swallowing me whole. He lunged forward, ripped the backpack from my hands, and dumped the contents onto the floor. My documents and cards scattered everywhere. “A backup plan? You really thought you could run?” I backed away, shielding Leo behind me. Austin’s eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed Leo by the collar, dragging him away. He threw my screaming son into the guest bedroom and locked the door from the outside. Leo’s desperate cries echoed through the apartment. “Mommy! Mommy! Open the door!” My heart shattered. I threw myself at the door, pounding on it, but Austin grabbed my wrists, dragging me into the master bedroom. He threw me onto the bed, pinning me down with his heavy body. “You want a divorce? Sure. But give me another baby first, and maybe I’ll let you go.” I couldn’t breathe. In a fit of disgust and rage, I swung my arm and slapped him across the face. “You disgusting monster!” He smirked, ignoring my punches and kicks as he forced himself on me. When it was over, I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with cold, dead eyes. Austin smiled, running a hand through my messy hair. “Once you’re pregnant, I’ll think about letting you outside.” He took my phone, my wallet, and my keys. He even checked the window locks, making sure there was no way for me to escape our twelfth-floor apartment. Then, humming a tune, he walked into the kitchen to make lunch. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Thinking it was Chloe returning from her morning walk, Austin opened the door. Two stern-faced police officers stood on the threshold, presenting their badges. “Mr. Austin Miller? We received a report of domestic abuse and unlawful confinement. Step aside, please.”

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“Who is this? Who are you looking for?” I thought it was a spam call or a wrong number and was just about to hang up when a hesitant, nervous voice came through the receiver. “Um… hi. Is Chloe there? I’m looking for Chloe.” If you’re looking for Chloe, just say so. Why are you sounding so damn shy? I was confused for a second, but then it clicked. This must be Chloe’s latest boy toy calling the house. As her *lawful* husband, I figured it was time to teach this kid some manners. After all, he was the first one bold enough to call our home phone. “This is Chloe’s… father.” A wicked idea popped into my head, and I forced myself to swallow the word *husband*. Hearing that I was Chloe’s father, the guy on the other end became even more stiff and polite. “Oh! Sir! Hello, Mr. Miller. I’m Ethan… Chloe’s boyfriend.” Ha. If you’re her boyfriend, then who the hell am I? “Oh? Chloe has never mentioned you before. Is there something you need?” “Nothing urgent, sir. It’s just that Chloe is away on a business trip, and I haven’t been able to reach her.” I looked up at the wall clock, sneering in my mind. Chloe was probably busy having a wild night with someone else, which was why she wasn’t answering his calls. After hanging up on the poor, clueless kid, I held my warm phone and fell into deep thought. I couldn’t even remember how angry I was when I first found out Chloe was cheating on me. Back then, one of her flings actually showed up at our door, demanding I divorce her. I was so furious that I beat the guy half to death. But when Chloe came home, she screamed at me, calling me an ungrateful loser. I was naive enough to go to her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Miller, demanding they talk some sense into their daughter. Instead, they completely ignored my pain. They told me to self-reflect and ask myself why Chloe cheated. They asked if it was because I was too useless to keep my own wife happy. I had never seen people defend an affair with such self-righteous arrogance. Since that day, Chloe stopped hiding it. She insulted me and hit me whenever she pleased. On her bad days, she would scream at me for hours. Back then, I was too terrified and weak to fight back. When I was bullied, I would just drown my sorrows in cheap beer. But as the years passed and my own career finally took off, I learned how to fight back. Or rather, I learned to gather evidence quietly, waiting for the perfect moment to deliver a fatal blow to Chloe and avenge years of humiliation.

When Chloe returned from her business trip, I was in the kitchen cooking dinner for her. Seeing how relaxed she was, I knew my “new son-in-law” hadn’t told her about our phone call. Perfect. I wasn’t going to ruin the surprise. I knew she was cheating, and now, I had her lover’s direct contact info. Chloe threw herself onto the sofa, looking absolutely exhausted. I poured a warm glass of milk, set it in front of her, and gently massaged her temples. “Honey, a woman at my office was caught having an affair. Her husband made such a huge scene that now the whole company knows.” Chloe pushed my hands away impatiently. “Then her husband should look in the mirror and figure out what’s wrong with him instead of blaming others.” I wondered if she was talking about me. I nodded submissively. “But still, cheating is wrong.” Chloe opened her eyes and slapped my hand away. “Wrong? Who cares about right or wrong? Are you trying to imply something to me, Mark?” “No, of course not,” I quickly denied. Chloe nodded in satisfaction, looking down at me. “If you have this much free time, think about how to make more money and improve my quality of life. Stop gossiping about other people. What does someone else’s affair have to do with you?” I nodded meekly. “You’re right.” I had already anticipated her reaction, but a small, foolish part of me had still hoped to test her. Now, I realized there was absolutely no need to spare her any dignity. In her eyes, I was nothing but a cowardly, useless dog. After dinner, while she was in the shower, I opened my Snapchat and looked at Ethan’s profile. My “new son-in-law” had just sent me a photo. It was a picture of workers renovating a house. It looked like the cozy home Ethan had promised to build for my “daughter.” It looked quite warm and inviting. I acted like a stern, distant father-in-law and replied with a single word: “Okay.” I wanted him to think he was still under my strict evaluation. Sure enough, Ethan took the bait. He immediately sent a long paragraph. He promised he would give Chloe the best life possible and begged me to trust him. I sneered. Trust him? Oh, I trusted him. But whether he would trust Chloe in the end was a different story. That night, I posted a Snapchat story hidden from everyone except Ethan. The caption read: “The wine rack is empty. Time to fill it up.” The photo was a picture of an empty wine cellar I found on Google. My dad’s 60th birthday bash was coming up in two days, and I was stressing over what gift to buy. Now, a perfect sponsor had delivered himself right to my door. It would be a waste not to use him. After all, I was letting him lease my wife. Charging a little “rental fee” was only fair.

Two days later, a package arrived at my door. When I opened it, I found a crate of ultra-premium vintage Scotch. I had to admit, my “new son-in-law” was far more filial than my actual wife. In all our years of marriage, Chloe had never bought a single thing for my father. It was always me bending over backward to please her parents. As long as she didn’t roll her eyes and embarrass my dad in public, it was considered a miracle. After receiving the gift, I sent Ethan a simple “Thank you” and told him I saw great potential in him. I told him that as long as he treated my daughter well, I would be completely satisfied. That evening, when Chloe came home from work and saw the expensive crate of Scotch in the living room, her face immediately darkened. “Why the hell did you buy such expensive liquor? Do you honestly think you’re worthy of drinking this?” I wasn’t. But your little boy toys certainly thought they were. “It’s not for me,” I said quietly. Chloe frowned, waving her hand dismissively. “Then send it to my dad’s house.” This was bought by *my* son-in-law to honor *me*. Why would I give it to your arrogant father? Why didn’t you ever think of giving anything to my dad to show some respect? I watched Chloe take off her makeup at her vanity. I decided to test her one more time. “Honey, do you remember what day it is in two days?” Chloe didn’t even look at me, her voice dripping with irritation. “How should I know? Whatever day it is, it has nothing to do with me.” As expected, she had completely forgotten about my dad’s 60th birthday bash. I came from a poor, small-town background. My family didn’t have money back then, so Chloe had always looked down on me, and she despised my parents even more. But it didn’t matter. Soon, I wouldn’t have to deal with her disgust anymore. I kept quiet and posted another Snapchat story, visible only to Ethan: “Got the drinks, now I just need a good buddy to share a glass with. Any takers?” Right on cue, Ethan messaged me within seconds. “Sir, I happen to be free tonight. I’d love to take you out for dinner. I promise I won’t tell Chloe. Would that be okay?” His words were so earnest, it was almost touching. “Well, I wouldn’t want to trouble you,” I replied with a cold grin. The kid was desperate to meet the parents so he could fast-track the marriage.

To make sure I didn’t ruin the disguise, I went to a professional theatrical makeup artist and got an SFX “elderly makeup” look. I put on my dad’s old, slightly oversized tweed jacket, looking exactly like a man in his late fifties, before heading to the restaurant. When I arrived, Ethan was already waiting. He was wearing a sharp suit, his hair slicked back, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. Indeed, he was exactly Chloe’s type. Over the years, every single guy she cheated on me with looked exactly like this. She had absolutely no range. When Ethan saw me, he stood up quickly and jogged over, looking incredibly nervous. “Mr. Miller! Hello, sir. Wow, you look so young. You barely look older than me.” I nodded and smiled, playing along. Of course I looked young. I was only three years older than Chloe. “Thanks. Men don’t really do skin care, I just got lucky, I guess.” I kept my words brief and my voice low. The gap between thirty and fifty-eight is quite wide, and my SFX makeup wasn’t flawless. If he looked too closely, the game would be up, and I needed to keep the surprise alive for Chloe. Fortunately, Ethan was a young guy who didn’t know anything about makeup. He was too nervous to notice the details, and I managed to completely fool him. The kid was young and naive. He probably thought he had found a wealthy, sophisticated older woman who could help his career while giving him a passionate, tender romance. “It must be your great mindset, sir. That’s why you look so youthful. Honestly, with the way you carry yourself, if we walked down the street together, people would think you’re in your twenties. No wonder Chloe is so beautiful.” After saying this, he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, wondering if his flattery was too obvious. “You’ve got a quick tongue, kid,” I laughed. He blushed, calling me “sir” with every sentence. Once we sat down, he pulled two boxes of premium Cuban cigars from his bag and presented them to me sheepishly. “I didn’t know if you smoked, sir, but I brought a little something. I hope you like it.” Fantastic. Another premium addition to my dad’s birthday gifts. My joy was genuine. I waved my hands, pretending to refuse. “Oh, no, no, I can’t take this. Only Chloe’s grandfather smokes in our family. I don’t smoke at all.” Hearing this, Ethan practically forced the cigars into my hands. “Then please give them to Granddad, sir! Just tell me what you like, and I’ll get it for you next time. Please don’t be polite with me. This is the least I can do. Once Chloe and I get married, I’ll take care of you and Mrs. Miller like my own parents.” “You’re a sincere kid. Alright, I won’t be polite. If I keep refusing, you might think I don’t approve of you.” I had to play my role perfectly—not too cold, but not too eager either, to avoid raising any suspicion. The show was just beginning, and I couldn’t afford to ruin it. This was going to be the grandest birthday gift for my dad. Seeing me accept the cigars, Ethan was over the moon. “Thank you, sir! I promise I will make Chloe the happiest woman in the world.” Suddenly, I felt a pang of pity for this idiot. He was going to such lengths for a washed-up, married woman. Did he have any idea what kind of monster Chloe really was? When she got bored of him, she would discard him without a single shred of mercy.

By the time I got home, Chloe was already there. Seeing me stumbling in smelling of alcohol, she marched over and slapped me across the face. “You didn’t come straight home after work? Where the hell were you fooling around, dressed like a pathetic old man? If you want to embarrass yourself, do it somewhere else! Don’t ruin my reputation!” I cupped my stinging cheek and took off my jacket, which reeked of alcohol. I pulled out the boxes of premium cigars from my bag and smiled. “A friend gave me these. Look how nice they are.” Chloe scoffed in disgust. “What class of friends could a loser like you possibly have? They probably gave you these cheap toys to beg you for a favor. As if a worthless piece of trash like you could ever get anything done.” Anger flared hot in my chest. What made Chloe think she was so superior? She had always looked down on my family and my friends, acting as if being poor was a heinous crime. The only reason I had tolerated her for so long was because her parents had helped me get my foot in the door at my current job. Otherwise, who would want to serve this spoiled princess? She was harder to please than royalty. But tonight was a massive win. Chloe had no idea about the expensive Scotch or the Cuban cigars. My “new son-in-law” had kept his word and hadn’t mentioned a thing to her. He had bought all of this out of his own pocket to impress his future “father-in-law.” This was getting highly entertaining. The day of Chloe’s public humiliation was drawing near.

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