Category: English

To save my fiancée Angela from a raging fire, seventy percent of my skin was burned. Angela spared no expense, hiring Europe’s top plastic surgery specialists to treat me. She flew to Europe countless times each month to stay with me. Until I recovered and returned to America, wanting to surprise her, I overheard a man outside her office saying: “You’ve done more than enough. You don’t owe him anything anymore.” Angela said nothing. The next moment, a little girl pushed past me and rushed into the office: “Mom, are you going to leave me and Dad? Who is this homewrecker trying to steal you away?” My heart jolted. When did Angela have a child? That brief moment felt like an entire century. Just then, someone came to report to Angela. They gave me a strange look before pushing open the office door. The instant our eyes met, I caught a flash of panic in Angela’s gaze. “Fernandez, you’re back.” Angela quickly composed herself and came forward to take my hand. She gripped too hard. A burning pain shot through the back of my hand, and bright red blood stained her pale fingers. Before I could react, something struck my shin. Then came a tearing pain. “You bad person, stay away from my mom!” The little girl’s shrill voice rang in my ears. Before she finished speaking, the man beside her immediately scooped her up. The girl’s features looked remarkably like Angela’s. When I looked at the man’s face, I froze. He looked seventy to eighty percent similar to me. The excruciating pain in my body made it impossible to think. I could only stare dumbly at everything before me. Who were these two people? A massive unease engulfed me. I slowly withdrew my hand from Angela’s grip and looked at her helplessly, hoping she would explain. But she had no time for me. Her brow furrowed tightly, her voice tinged with anger: “Bridges George, take Ellis away.” What a coincidence—he shared my surname too? Bridges looked aggrieved. The little girl called Ellis was startled into silence, looking completely dazed. But I knew very clearly that Angela felt guilty. The fiercer her words, the more panicked her heart. Bridges pressed his lips together, his eyes full of stubbornness. He held out for a while before finally carrying Ellis away. But he wasn’t watching where he was going, and the father and daughter crashed hard into the wall. The pain from her forehead made Ellis burst into tears, releasing all her pent-up grievances. Angela hesitated at first, but when she saw Bridges’s reddened forehead, she immediately stepped past me. She tenderly rubbed Bridges’s forehead, no longer sparing even half a thought for me. I stood there stupidly. When I looked up, I saw Bridges watching me with mockery. The corner of his mouth curved slightly in a provocative and contemptuous smile. Looking at that face so similar to mine, my heart felt heavy, as if something inside had died completely. I left the office in a daze and returned home alone, only to be locked out. Hearing the “incorrect password” message, my heart felt sour and swollen, an indescribable feeling. With a click, my father opened the door from inside. A flash of panic and guilt crossed his eyes, as if I’d come at the wrong time. The house was brightly lit. The table was laden with sumptuous dishes. Six chairs were arranged around the dining table, with a baby high chair placed beside one of them. Three elderly people were chatting and laughing, bustling about inside. They were my mother and Angela’s parents. When they saw me with my suitcase, the smiles on their faces instantly froze. After an awkward silence, my mother was the first to speak: “Fernandez is back? You should have told us you were coming.” Her voice carried both complaint and reproach, but no warmth. Looking at her, I suddenly remembered these past five years, enduring pain alone in a European hospital. And my parents seemed to have rarely cared about me. So much so that they hadn’t even noticed the doctor had already informed them of my discharge. I stared hard at the six chairs around the dining table, my heart dark and confused. “Fernandez?” Angela’s voice came from behind me. I turned to see the intimate figures of their family of three. Bridges held Ellis with one hand while his other arm wrapped intimately around Angela’s waist. The instant I turned around, Angela hastily broke free from Bridges’s embrace.

My parents shot me a reproachful look the moment they saw them. Then their eyes filled with immense joy and affection. “You’re back.” My father stepped forward and familiarly took the child from Bridges’s arms. At that moment, I had to admit it. After five years away, my place had been completely taken by Bridges. Only after everyone had entered the house did Angela realize I was still standing outside. Looking somewhat embarrassed, she pulled me inside: “Wait a moment, I’ll get you a chair.” “Angela, I’ll do it.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Bridges stopped Angela’s movement. He shot me a triumphant look. I lowered my eyes. From the earlier pulling, my grotesque skin showed spots of blood. “Fernandez is back.” Only Angela’s father offered an awkward smile and small talk. I forced the corners of my mouth up with difficulty but said nothing. At that moment, Bridges came over with a stool. “Sorry, Fernandez, I really couldn’t find a chair. It’s all my fault. Why don’t you take my chair?” Though he said this, his eyes held no trace of apology. “Enough. He has hands and feet. You even brought him a stool—what face does he have to blame you?” My dad interrupted impatiently. I hadn’t said a word since entering, yet I seemed to have done everything wrong. “Let’s eat.” I sat awkwardly on that stool in the corner. Looking at the seafood feast on the table, I didn’t know what to eat. “Can you please eat properly? Who are you putting on that pitiful act for?” My dad sounded impatient. Angela cut a piece of fish for me: “Try this. The housekeeper’s cooking is excellent.” Looking at that bright, colorful piece of fish in my bowl, I only felt my mouth growing more bitter: “I’m allergic to seafood.” At the dining table, Angela’s face stiffened, her eyes filled with guilt and panic. Five years was simply too long. She had forgotten. “I’m full. I’m going to rest now.” In the end, I was the one who broke the oppressive silence. Only to discover that everyone looked even more embarrassed. “My room—is it gone too?” Angela was silent for a moment: “Your room has the best lighting. Bridges’s health isn’t good…” So he’d occupied my room. “And you came back too suddenly. We haven’t had time to clean the guest room. How about you stay in the living room tonight?” A massive dizziness swept through my mind. “So my room—you and he are living in it?” I suppressed the anger inside me and asked word by word. Angela froze. All these years, she’d told herself that Bridges was just a substitute, but she didn’t realize that everything she’d done for Bridges had broken her own principles. At this moment, faced with my questioning, she suddenly didn’t know how to defend herself. Angela’s silence dealt me a heavy blow. “Are you two married?” I asked an irrelevant question. Angela instinctively shook her head. I laughed bitterly. Not married, yet they could sleep together and even had a child. It turned out Angela’s conservatism was only directed at me. An inexplicable rage surged from my heart. The immense anger made me extraordinarily strong. I flipped the dining table with one motion: “Get out.”

Everyone was startled by my sudden fury, frozen in place. “Fernandez George!” My father roared. “You…” He was about to curse at me, but when he saw my bleeding arms, he swallowed all those harsh words. He looked at me with complex emotions and let out a long sigh. For a moment, in that huge house, only Ellis’s wailing could be heard. “Fernandez, I know you can’t stand me, but Angela just got pregnant. She can’t handle being frightened!” Bridges tenderly stroked Angela’s abdomen and shot me a provocative look before continuing: “And Ellis—she’s still so young. What if she gets traumatized?” “If you have any grievances, take them out on me!” My mother came forward, somewhat at a loss: “Fernandez, let me bandage you first. Tonight… just make do for now.” “Tomorrow I’ll prepare a welcome party for you. Everyone will be so happy to know you’re back.” After all that, in my own house, I was still the one who had to “make do.” At that moment, I suddenly felt tired. I sat back down on the sofa without another word. But Bridges still wouldn’t let me go. In the middle of the night, I sat blankly on the sofa when I suddenly heard a soft laugh. I looked up to see Bridges. He was holding a glass of hot water, leaning against the doorframe, his eyes full of mockery: “I hope Angela’s carrying a son. That way we’ll have both a son and a daughter.” Seeing my lack of reaction, Bridges intensified his efforts. “You don’t know this, do you? Angela and I got together while you were still unconscious.” “Oh, and this.” He displayed the watch on his wrist. My pupils contracted. My heart throbbed with pain. That was the heirloom my grandfather left me on his deathbed. Five years ago, to save Angela, the strap had broken. Seeing my reaction, the malice in Bridges’s eyes became even more obvious: “Fernandez George, do you know how disgusting you are right now?” “She said just looking at you once makes her lose her appetite for three days.” “You’re already like that—why can’t you be more self-aware and break off the engagement yourself?” He started rambling about his efforts over the years. He was my uncle’s son, but my uncle was incompetent. Though he was the eldest, he lost to my father. He squandered the family fortune, dying young and full of regrets. When he was young, what he heard most was his father cursing mine. He said it was lucky I got burned, giving him the chance to return to the George family. In the future, not just the George family, but even the Angela family would be his. “Then what are you so worried about?” I interrupted him. “Since the George family and Angela’s family no longer have a place for me, what are you so worried about?” Bridges’s triumphant expression froze. Then his gaze turned cold as he looked at me: “I’ll show you exactly what your position is in this family now.”

With that, he walked to my side, released his hand, and deliberately fell to the ground. “Crash!” Along with the sound of the glass hitting the floor, Bridges let out a scream. Soon, everyone came out. Seeing the blood from glass cuts on Bridges’s foot, everyone’s faces changed drastically. “To the hospital!” My father’s brow furrowed tightly, his eyes showing an urgency and ferocity I’d never seen before. “If you have grievances, take them out on me! Why do you have to turn this house into chaos?” My breathing caught. My heart was squeezed tight by an invisible hand. Grievance, pain, anger, despair. Angela slapped me across the face, then helped Bridges out the door. My mother kept pounding on my chest, completely oblivious that the spot she was hitting had already begun to seep with traces of blood. “Why didn’t you just die five years ago? Are you alive just to torture us?” “If you have grievances, take them out on me! Bridges is innocent!” I stood there numbly. The pain in my heart had long since overwhelmed my physical wounds. Where no one could see, Bridges flashed me a provocative smile. I felt cold all over. The huge house returned to silence. In this place where only I remained, I quietly took out my phone, which was still recording. The next day, my parents acted as if nothing had happened, discussing details of the welcome party with me. But my heart felt no ripples whatsoever. The party was held in the George family garden, where there was a large swimming pool. At the banquet, I watched Bridges skillfully conversing with friends I used to be close with. The whole event felt absurd and laughable. Now in everyone’s eyes, Bridges was the George family’s favored son, the company’s legitimate heir. My heart ached numbly, especially when my father publicly announced he would divide the company shares between Bridges and me. Me: 1%. Bridges: 10%. In that instant, I became the biggest joke. “How pathetic.” “A homeless dog.” “He’s a废person. What use are shares to him?” “If you ask me, he shouldn’t have saved Angela back then. Who knows how much the George family could have developed by now.” Mockery, schadenfreude, mixed with a few words of pity and regret. The next second, Bridges walked toward me with a wine glass, looking triumphant. Everyone around watched with anticipation for the show. “Fernandez, congratulations.” A mocking smile played on his lips. I pressed my lips together and said nothing. Bridges’s eyes flashed darkly. The next second, he slipped, and the wine in his hand spilled all over me without missing a drop. Even more onlookers photographed my disheveled state, pointing and commenting. Angela tried to come forward to help me out of the situation, but I pushed her away. She looked somewhat confused, standing in place. Seeing I wanted to leave, Bridges wasn’t willing to let me go so easily. He followed close behind me to the poolside. “Did you enjoy the welcome ceremony I prepared for you?” Then he revealed a malicious smile. “Guess who they’ll save?” With that, he pulled me into the pool with him. The water in the pool was so cold. The pungent smell of chlorine constantly irritated my nose and skin. The stiffness in my limbs made even struggling difficult. On the other side, Bridges pretended his foot had slipped, putting on an act of drowning. He kept struggling, kept shouting. My consciousness gradually blurred as I slowly sank to the bottom. Meanwhile, Bridges continued struggling with all his might. Everyone rushed over. Angela jumped into the water without hesitation and swam straight to Bridges, rescuing him. My parents only gathered around Bridges, concerned about him. Completely forgetting that their own biological son was still in the water. Before I completely lost consciousness, I seemed to see a figure swimming toward me.

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Living alone, I kept feeling like there was a second person in my home. This morning, I’d just finished making breakfast. The moment I turned around, the fried egg was gone. Freshly washed clothes hung in the closet suddenly had stains on the collar. I turned the house upside down and installed security cameras, but found nothing. Just when I let my guard down, my boyfriend smiled and pulled me close— “You were so passionate last night. The moment I walked through your door, you threw yourself at me.” My blood ran cold. But last night, I wasn’t even home. My boyfriend McMenaman’s fingers were still brushing against my waist. Seeing my face turn ghost-white, he paused and leaned in to touch my face, his tone teasing: “What’s wrong, babe? Embarrassed? You sure didn’t act like this when you were holding onto my neck last night, refusing to let go.” Every muscle in my body tensed. The pain of my nails digging into my palms barely brought me back to my senses. I stared into his eyes, my voice shaking: “You’re saying… you saw me in my room last night?” McMenaman nodded, the smile still on his face. He reached out to put his arm around my waist, but I instinctively dodged. He froze, confused: “Yeah, wasn’t there a power outage? I was worried you’d be scared, so I came over to keep you company.” “When I came in, before I could even turn on the lights, you threw yourself at me. Your hair was in those new big waves you got permed. I’d recognize those curls anywhere.” Every word he spoke was like an ice pick stabbing into my bones. I grabbed his arm hard enough to make him wince: “I’m not joking, McMenaman. I really wasn’t home last night.” “I told you last week—Dottie just went through a breakup. I stayed with her for a couple days. Last night I slept at her place the whole time. I never came back.” The smile slowly froze on McMenaman’s face. He reached out to feel my forehead, panic creeping into his voice: “Stop messing around. This isn’t funny.” “Only you and I have keys to your place. We just changed to that high-security lock last month. Who else could it be but you?” “Besides, we’ve been together three years. You think I’d mistake your body, your voice?” “Last night you sounded exactly like you always do. Even the perfume was the same!” I didn’t argue with him. With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone and called Dottie on speaker. The phone rang twice before she picked up, her voice hoarse from just waking up: “What’s up, honey? You left your cartoon bathrobe here when you left this morning. When are you coming to get it?” I took a deep breath: “Dottie, tell me the truth. Did I sleep at your place last night?” “Duh, where else would you be?” Dottie yawned, her tone teasing. “We stayed up until three watching horror movies. You were so scared you cried while hugging my arm, and you made me get you an ice-cold Coke. Don’t tell me you forgot already?” “Or is McMenaman checking up on you? Want me to vouch for you?” “No need, thanks Dottie.” I hung up and looked up to see McMenaman’s face white as paper, sweat beading on his forehead. He staggered back a step and bumped into the dining table behind him. The glass I’d just set there wobbled and crashed to the floor, shattering. “That’s impossible… how can this be?” He muttered to himself for a moment, then suddenly rushed toward the bedroom like a madman. I heard the loud bang of the closet doors being flung open, clothes being torn down in heaps. Then the sound of him crouching down to search under the bed, the storage boxes on the balcony being turned upside down. The whole place looked like it had been ransacked by thieves. Ten minutes later, he emerged covered in dust, shaking his head with vacant eyes: “Nothing… there’s nothing.” I leaned against the wall, my legs so weak I could barely stand, and finally fumbled for my phone with shaking hands to dial 911.

The police arrived quickly. Two uniformed officers followed the forensics team through my door while I was still trembling all over. I nearly dropped the glasses when I tried to hand them water. I told them everything from start to finish. From the mysteriously disappearing fried egg at breakfast months ago, to the lipstick stains that suddenly appeared on my freshly washed white shirt collar. Then to last night’s incident. Tears streamed down my face as I spoke. The forensics team, wearing white gloves, examined the entire place. The doors and windows were intact. The lock showed no signs of tampering. The security bars I’d installed last month were welded tight, without even a gap large enough for a hand to squeeze through. The forensics team swept the entire house with their equipment. No bugs, no hidden cameras. Not even a hidden compartment to hide someone. “We’ll go check the building’s surveillance footage.” One of the officers, named Brown, patted my shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t panic just yet.” McMenaman and I followed them to the property management security room. With the police present, we fast-forwarded through all the surveillance footage from yesterday afternoon when I left to this morning when I returned. The footage clearly showed that at 5:20 yesterday afternoon, I walked out of the building entrance wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, carrying a canvas bag. I never returned after that. At 11:07 PM, McMenaman entered the building. He didn’t leave until 8:10 AM to buy breakfast. During that time, except for delivery people and food couriers stopping on the floor, no strangers had entered or exited my floor. McMenaman’s face lost all color. He gripped the edge of the security desk, his voice shaking: “That’s impossible… then who was with me last night?” “Her voice, her body—everything was exactly like Sean. I really didn’t mistake it. Sean, you…” “Is now really the time for this?” I cut him off, my nails digging into my palms until they bled, then turned to the officer. “Officer, I’ve suspected someone was in my home before.” “Actually, I’ve felt something was off for a while.” “Sometimes I’d pour water in the morning before leaving, and when I came home at night, the glass would be moved a few centimeters.” “A sandwich I made and left on the dining table—I’d turn around to get milk, and come back to find half of it missing.” “Clean white T-shirts I’d washed and hung in the closet would have yellow stains on the collar before I even wore them, like someone had worn them and gotten foundation on them.” “And last week, the keys I’d left on the shoe cabinet by the entrance—I clearly remembered putting them there, but when I got home from work, they were on the dining table. I thought I’d misremembered at the time, but now it’s obvious I didn’t.” After listening, Officer Brown brought the forensics team back to my place. They searched inside and out for over an hour, even removing some ceiling panels to check, tapping on the utility shaft walls. Still nothing. Finally, Officer Brown sighed and left me his contact information: “We’ll go back and review the past three months of surveillance footage. If you notice anything unusual, call me immediately.” “It’s also possible you’ve been under too much work stress lately and your memory is playing tricks on you. If you’re really worried, you might want to get checked out at a hospital. You should probably avoid staying here for now.” After the police left, only McMenaman and I remained in the house. The atmosphere was so oppressive I could barely breathe. We sat on the sofa. Neither of us spoke first. Only the sound of our heavy breathing. After a long while, I got up to pack my suitcase. McMenaman hesitated, then came over to help me pack: “You’re right, we can’t stay here. Let’s go to a hotel first.” At the hotel, after checking in, McMenaman immediately pulled out his phone to call a security camera company: “I need you to send someone over tomorrow morning to install cameras with storage cards in my home. Cover every blind spot. Money is no object!” After hanging up, he came over to hold me, his hands still shaking: “Don’t be scared. I refuse to believe we can’t catch whoever’s playing these tricks.” I leaned into him, but there was no warmth in my heart. I didn’t tell him that half a month ago, I’d secretly hidden a small camera in the air conditioning vent. It went dark the very next day. I thought it was a quality issue and changed it out three times. Each one mysteriously broke after a few days of use, never capturing anything. Would it be the same outcome this time?

Early the next morning, McMenaman brought me back home. We personally watched the workers install four high-definition cameras in every corner of the living room, bedroom, and balcony, covering every angle with no blind spots. After testing, the workers assured us that this model was waterproof, tamper-proof, with stable signal, and wouldn’t easily malfunction. After the workers left, we returned to the hotel and stared at the camera feeds on our phones. We watched for an entire day. The camera feeds remained quiet, not even a breeze stirring the curtains. I felt even more uneasy. In this anxious state, Officer Brown called in the evening. “Miss Sean, we reviewed three months of surveillance footage from your building complex today.” “Besides you and your boyfriend, only your friend Dottie visited once last month. No other outsiders have entered or exited.” “All the strangers in the hallway were delivery people or food couriers. We verified all their identities. No suspicious persons.” Finally, his tone took on a tactful persuasive quality: “Miss Sean, I suggest you go to the hospital for a checkup. Perhaps you’ve been under too much work stress lately and your memory is off. Don’t feel bad about it.” After hanging up, my heart sank even deeper. McMenaman listened to the call and ran his hands through his hair in frustration, then stood up and grabbed his pajamas, heading to the bathroom: “Babe, I’m going to take a shower. After that, let’s go out for some of that sushi you love. Let’s not think about this for now.” I sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the traffic outside the window, my mind in chaos. Could it really be my mental state? But those mysteriously disappearing breakfasts, the stained clothes, the person impersonating me—it was all so real, not a hallucination at all. I sighed and looked back, instinctively glancing at my phone on the nightstand. The screen was displaying the live feed from home. But the next second, I froze completely. The surveillance feed that had been clear and normal just moments ago was now pitch black. A big X marked the signal bars, like a closed eye. My blood ran cold. I jumped up. The cameras were out again! Before, I could comfort myself that it was poor camera quality or the wifi cutting out. But today’s cameras were brand new, using independent data cards, with new storage cards too. Even if the network went down, they should still store footage locally. How could they go black without warning? If before I could fool myself about camera quality, after yesterday’s incident, I was one hundred percent certain—there was definitely someone in my house! I grabbed my bag and phone from the table. Without even putting on my jacket, I yanked open the hotel room door and rushed out. I ran to the hotel entrance and flagged down a taxi, my voice trembling as I gave my home address. The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror but didn’t dare ask questions. He hit the gas and drove toward my apartment complex. On the way, McMenaman called. His voice was panicked, with the sound of running water in the background: “Babe, where did you go? I was halfway through my shower when I heard the door slam. Why didn’t you say anything before leaving?” “The cameras are all out!” I shouted, crying. “That person is in my house right now!” McMenaman shouted in panic: “Wait for me, I’m coming right now. Don’t do anything rash! Sean, just stay where you are and wait for me!” “I can’t wait!” I bit my teeth and hung up, then pulled up Officer Brown’s WhatsApp. My hands shook so much I had to retype several times: [Officer Brown, the new cameras in my home went dark. I suspect someone’s in my house. I’m heading there now. Please come quickly!] As soon as I sent the message, the taxi arrived at the complex entrance. I paid and rushed into the building. The elevator was occupied and stopped on a high floor. I bit my lip and turned into the stairwell, climbing toward the 12th floor. Halfway up, I kept feeling footsteps behind me. When I looked back, there was nothing—just the green exit sign glowing. I didn’t dare stop. I bit my teeth and kept climbing, my legs so weak I nearly collapsed on the stairs. I finally made it to the 12th floor, leaning against the wall and gasping for breath. When I pulled out my keys, the keychain fell to the ground with a loud clatter that echoed sharply in the quiet hallway. I picked it up with shaking hands and inserted the key into the lock. The moment I turned it, I smelled the citrus aromatherapy I usually used wafting from inside. I took a deep breath and shoved the door open hard. The living room light was on. Warm yellow light fell on the sofa, where a woman sat with her legs crossed. She wore one of those black sheet masks I regularly used. Her hair was styled in the same big waves as mine. She was scrolling through my iPad with her legs crossed. Hearing the door open, she slowly looked up and peeled the mask off her face. I froze in place. The face she revealed was exactly the same as mine!

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In my past life, the maid Linda secretly brought her entire family to live in the basement of my villa. Whenever night fell and everything was quiet, they would come out to roam around. Several times I noticed that the fully stocked refrigerator would be empty the next day. There were always potato chip crumbs on the sofa. I thought Linda was sneaking food, so I scolded her a few times but didn’t think much of it. Until I prepared to immigrate and sell the villa. The maid’s son snuck into my bed, strangled me to death, and threw me in the basement. The whole family even forged my suicide note and seized my villa. When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn three days before I was strangled. The first thing I did was call the renovation company to seal the basement shut with cement. “Hello? Is this the renovation company? Tomorrow…” Before I could finish the sentence, I suddenly saw Linda standing in the doorway. I was so startled that my phone fell onto the blanket. Linda had half her face hidden in shadow, her lips curling into a kind smile. “Arwen, it’s so late. Who are you calling?” My heart immediately started racing wildly, and cold sweat broke out all over me. I forced myself to stay calm and picked up my phone. “The bathroom seems to be leaking a bit. I thought I’d contact a contractor in advance to come take a look tomorrow.” “Linda, it’s so late and you’re still not asleep. Is something wrong?” Linda sighed, her face full of concern. “I heard sounds from your room and thought you were having nightmares again, so I came to check on you.” “If you’re fine, then I’m relieved.” My hands clenched the blanket as I forced out a smile. “I’m fine. Go get some rest. I’ll call you if I need anything.” Watching Linda close the door behind her, I let out a long breath. With trembling hands, I unlocked the screen and was about to press “911” to call the police when the door was pushed open again. I quickly flipped my phone face-down on my leg, nearly scared out of my wits. Linda walked back in carrying a glass of milk, smiling warmly. “I heated up some milk for you. It’s good for sleep.” I quickly shoved my phone under the pillow and reached out to take the glass of milk. “Thank you, Linda. It’s too hot. I’ll let it cool down a bit before drinking it.” Linda didn’t leave immediately. She stood by the bed looking me up and down for a long while before finally giving me a reminder. “If it gets cold, it’ll upset your stomach. Arwen, don’t forget to drink it.” The door closed again. I stared at that glass of milk and suddenly abandoned the idea of calling the police. Just throwing them in jail for a few years would be too easy on these parasites. Since I’ve been given a second chance at life, I’m going to give them a taste of their own medicine. I picked up the glass of milk, walked into the master bathroom, and poured it all into the toilet bit by bit. Then I put the empty glass back on the nightstand, pulled the covers over me, and lay down pretending to sleep. About ten minutes later, Linda crept over to the nightstand. She picked up the empty glass, looked at it, and only then left satisfied, closing the door behind her.

After confirming she had completely let down her guard, I carefully lifted the covers and tiptoed out of the master bedroom. Like a gecko, I lay flat at the railing of the second-floor staircase, holding my breath as I looked down. I saw Linda walk skillfully to the first floor, pull out a key, and open the basement door. Immediately after, three men and two women crawled out from inside like rats. They were Linda’s husband, her brother, and Jason Lee — the one who strangled me in my past life. The other two women were her mother-in-law and her high school daughter. I covered my mouth, terrified of making even the slightest sound. In my past life, Linda had told me with tears running down her face that she had a whole family to support. I felt sorry for her and paid her double what other maids earned outside. At the time, she even brought her whole family, carrying a basket of eggs to my door to kneel and thank me. It turned out that “gratitude” meant scouting the place in advance so the whole family could take over my nest like cuckoo birds. Now, these parasites were sprawled comfortably on the sofa watching TV. Linda’s husband opened my double-door refrigerator and took out the lobster that had just been air-shipped yesterday, walking into the kitchen. Her mother-in-law skillfully swiped several bottles of wine worth tens of thousands of dollars from the wine cabinet. Linda’s brother Kyle shrank his neck, looking somewhat worried as he glanced at the second floor. “Keep it down, you guys. Don’t wake up that woman.” Linda gnawed on my imported apples while smugly waving her hand. “What are you afraid of? I put extra sleeping pills in her milk. Even thunder couldn’t wake her up right now.” I hid in the shadows, eyes wide, breaking out in a cold sweat. No wonder in my past life, until the day I died, I never heard any sounds from downstairs at night. Linda’s daughter Wendy asked while stuffing potato chips in her mouth: “We eat like this every day. When the refrigerator runs out, won’t she get suspicious?” Linda snorted, her tone full of contempt. “That woman is just stupid with too much money.” “Her parents divorced long ago and went abroad to live their own lives. No one cares whether she lives or dies.” “If she really asks, I’ll just insist I don’t know anything. What can she do to me?” Linda patted the leather sofa, laughing greedily. “Besides, this villa is in a remote location, a full two hours’ drive from downtown. The neighbors around here haven’t even moved in yet.” “This woman has mental problems and has to take medication. The villa has no surveillance cameras. She can’t find any evidence. What do we have to fear?” “At worst, I’ll just say she’s hallucinating from her medication.” Listening to them mock me so brazenly, I dug my fingers hard into the wooden railing. Thinking back to my past life, there were several times I noticed things seemed to be missing from the villa. But because of severe childhood trauma, I had a pathological aversion to being monitored, so I hadn’t installed surveillance cameras. Plus, what went missing was just food and drinks, nothing valuable, so I didn’t think much of it. More fatally, Linda knew I had trouble sleeping and was taking medication, so she would often fabricate fake timelines in front of me, making me think my memory was faulty.

When I looked up again, Jason and Wendy were walking toward the spiral staircase to the second floor. I tiptoed back into the master bedroom, slipped under the covers, and closed my eyes. As soon as I lay down, the door was pushed open. After some rustling sounds, Wendy’s exclamation came from the direction of the walk-in closet. “Jason, look at these dresses, these diamond necklaces. This woman is so lucky.” She put my clothes on herself while cursing viciously. Why does she get to be so rich, living in a big villa every day wearing designer brands? It should all be mine. Jason let out a sleazy, evil laugh. “Take whichever one you like. She has so many clothes and jewelry she can’t wear them all. She definitely won’t notice if a few go missing.” After saying this, Jason started impatiently urging Wendy to leave. Wendy walked to the door holding the clothes, but didn’t forget to turn back and warn him in a low voice. “Don’t go too far. Mom said this woman has never even been in a relationship. She’s a virgin.” “Don’t wake her up and ruin our whole family’s plan.” Jason let out a perfunctory snort. “I know. You’re so naggy.” The door closed softly, and my heart immediately sank. Then the mattress suddenly dipped down as Jason actually climbed onto my bed and pulled me into his arms under the covers. My stomach immediately churned, making me want to vomit. But I could only bite down hard on my tongue, using the pain to force myself not to tremble even the slightest bit. If he discovered I was awake, the tragedy of being strangled to death with a rope in my past life could very well repeat itself immediately. Jason buried his face in my neck, greedily taking a deep breath of my hair’s fragrance. His rough, greasy hand slowly slid down from my cheek. The sour stench of not bathing for years rushed straight to the top of my head. Just as his disgusting hand slid down my back and was about to reach around to the front — “Ring ring ring.” The alarm clock on the nightstand let out a piercing sound. Jason jumped up from the bed in fright. Linda immediately rushed in and skillfully turned off the alarm. She grabbed Jason by the ear, scolding in a low voice. “Bastard, are you trying to get our whole family killed?” “If you wake her up and she finds out, what are we going to eat and drink?” Jason rubbed his ear nonchalantly, his eyes showing the same viciousness as in my past life. “If she finds out, we’ll just kill her.” “Bury her in the basement, and all the money and things in this big villa will be ours.”

The air suddenly went quiet. Linda seemed to be seriously considering the feasibility of killing me. I was so scared that cold sweat poured from my palms. I held my breath tightly, my brain racing. If they made their move now, even if I had to jump from the second-floor balcony and break my leg, I had to take that chance. “No.” Linda suddenly scolded in a low voice, interrupting Jason’s murderous intent. “This damn girl said she’s having a renovation company come tomorrow to fix the leak.” “If we kill her now and someone comes tomorrow to find no one home and calls the police, we’ll all be exposed.” She paused, her tone revealing cunning malice. “After tomorrow, once we’ve dealt with the renovation people, it won’t be too late to kill her slowly.” Linda stared hard at Jason, warning him sternly again. “When the renovation company comes tomorrow, you all stay in the basement. Don’t even fart.” “I’ll lock the basement security door from the outside beforehand and take the key with me.” “It’s a security door. No one can open it without the key.” “She never goes to the basement anyway. As long as I’m not home, there’s no way she can discover you.” Jason nodded repeatedly in agreement. “Okay, okay, whatever you say. Let’s go.” Hearing the door close, I kept my eyes tightly shut, not daring to even flutter my eyelashes, continuing to pretend to sleep. A full half hour passed. Just when I was about to open my eyes — A breath suddenly came close, bringing bad breath with it. “Looks like she really didn’t wake up.” Jason’s voice was right next to me. I pinched my thigh to force myself to stay calm. Linda breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright, let’s go. That lobster is almost done.” The door closed again. To be safe, I endured another half hour in the darkness, making sure no one was speaking anymore before I finally dared to slowly open my eyes. I grabbed my phone. The blinding bright screen showed: 4:30 AM. I wiped the drool from my nose, hatred surging like lava in my heart. Fine. Since you parasites want to kill me, don’t blame me for being ruthless. I sent a message to the renovation team leader. “Zack, bring plenty of cement and sand tomorrow morning. I want to completely seal up that abandoned basement in my house.”

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My wife, Vivian, is the youngest top lawyer in New York. Her proudest achievement was successfully defending the killer who ran over my daughter as innocent. The day my daughter died in that horrific car accident, my wife Vivian pulled the drunk Ethan from the driver’s seat, shoved him into the passenger seat, and got behind the wheel herself. She told me: “Mia is dead, but Ethan is still alive. He has a bright future ahead of him. He can’t go to prison.” Ethan was acquitted, while I was diagnosed as mentally unstable and confined at home, receiving injections for half a year. I stopped making a fuss and quietly watched them parade around as a couple, taking the medication she gave me on schedule. She thought I had finally become an obedient lunatic. Until the day of the Bar Association awards ceremony, when I stepped onto the stage where she was receiving her award and pressed play on the big screen for her. “Learned some new tricks, have you? Trying to get my attention with this indifferent attitude?” Vivian’s expression turned cold, a thin layer of anger lurking in her eyes. “Derek, I know you’re angry with me for defending Ethan. But I’m a lawyer. I won’t abandon any client. Besides, Ethan was innocent to begin with.” I looked confused. “Why are you explaining all this to me? I didn’t even mention Ethan.” The coldness on Vivian’s face instantly froze, a trace of guilt floating to the surface of her eyes. She reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Forget it, I’ll find it myself.” I turned and went back to the bedroom. Just as I was about to lie down and rest, Vivian’s gentle voice drifted in, somewhat muffled. “Ethan, what’s wrong? Don’t cry, tell me slowly… Those reporters are writing nonsense. I’ll come over right away.” After a while, the bedroom door was pushed open. “Something came up with Ethan. I’m his defense attorney, so I need to go handle it.” She explained somewhat uncomfortably. “Oh.” Vivian froze. She seemed to be waiting for me to say something more, but I just nodded calmly and smiled at her faintly. After all, I couldn’t even remember where that case file was, so how could I remember someone named Ethan? Vivian left in anger and didn’t come home all night. The next evening, she returned. And with her came Ethan. His eyes were red-rimmed as he stood behind Vivian with his head lowered. That face was indeed handsome. Even at thirty, he still looked like a college student. No wonder Vivian couldn’t stop thinking about him. “Derek,” Vivian coughed somewhat uncomfortably, “Ethan’s address was exposed and it’s not safe anymore. I’m having him stay at our place for a few days.” Ethan kept his eyes down, his voice very low: “Derek, sorry to intrude. I really had nowhere else to go. Those people are terrifying, calling me a murderer.” “How pretentious,” I thought to myself, then turned and headed to the kitchen. At the dinner table, Ethan sat next to Vivian, helping her with soup one moment, cutting her steak the next, bustling about enthusiastically. “Vivian, you have a sensitive stomach. You can’t eat anything too spicy.” He placed the cut steak onto Vivian’s plate, then shot me a provocative glance. Vivian looked at me somewhat awkwardly, wanting to see my reaction. I just quietly kept my head down, drinking my soup.

“Derek, aren’t you going to have some of the main course?” Seeing me unmoved, Vivian took the initiative to push the plate of beef toward me. “This beef is grilled really tender.” Looking at that plate of beef contaminated with Ethan’s saliva, my stomach instantly churned with nausea. “No need,” I said flatly. “Derek, what are you throwing a fit about now? You’ve been giving attitude ever since Ethan walked in. Our daughter’s death was just an accident. Why do you insist on blaming Ethan?” Vivian’s voice turned cold. I looked at her in confusion. Just as I was about to speak, Ethan interrupted in a low voice. He stepped back half a pace behind Vivian, forcing out a smile: “Vivian, forget it. Derek has disliked me for more than just a day or two. I’ll pack up and move out tonight. If those reporters want to block me, let them. It’s not like I haven’t had dirt thrown at me before.” “Don’t talk nonsense. This is my house, and I’m the one who invited you to stay here. Derek has just been cooped up at home too long and his temper has gotten strange. Don’t pay attention to him.” Vivian comforted him gently. Hearing these words, I felt nothing but numbness in my heart. And so Ethan moved in. He couldn’t sit still for a moment, finding new ways every day to assert his presence in front of me. I just thought there was something wrong with his brain. Vivian had been so busy these past few days that she’d been sleeping at her office. Who was he performing for? Too lazy to care, I turned back to watch TV, but caught sight of a small plush toy in the corner of the TV cabinet. The toy was dusty, with one eye coming loose. My heart seized painfully. This was my daughter’s favorite. How could it be here? As I pondered this, Ethan suddenly reached from behind me and snatched the plush from my hands, his tone casual: “You scared me. I thought I’d lost it.” I stared at him. “This is yours?” Ethan lifted his chin, a smug smile curling at the corner of his mouth: “Yeah, Vivian gave it to me. She said it really suits my temperament.” Vivian gave it to him? An image flashed through my mind of my daughter bouncing toward me in her pink tutu dress. “Give it back.” I extended my hand toward Ethan, my voice hoarse. “Why should I? It’s mine!” “This was my daughter’s. It can’t possibly be yours!” I lunged forward, grabbing Ethan’s wrist. “Let go of me!” Ethan cried out. The front door burst open and Vivian, who had left work early, rushed in. Seeing this scene, she didn’t say a word and shoved me away. I crashed heavily into the corner of the coffee table, sharp pain radiating from my waist. Vivian shielded Ethan, glaring at me furiously. “Derek, have you lost your mind?!” I pointed at the plush toy, tears streaming down my face: “This was Mia’s. Vivian, why is he saying it’s yours?” A flash of discomfort crossed Vivian’s face. “That was a gift I gave to Ethan! Are you going to snatch this away from him too? Is your illness not cured yet?!” Those words were like ice water dumped over my head. I stopped arguing, because I suddenly realized there was something seriously wrong with my memory.

I raised my head and stared at Vivian for a long moment. Those eyes that once held so much love now only showed impatience and disgust, tearing apart the gentle image in my memories. When I first met her, I was the notorious playboy of our social circle. Everyone said I was destined to die alone, because even for an arranged marriage, no socialite could tolerate my temper. Only Vivian. Back then she was just a rookie lawyer, but she stood firmly in front of me. She said, the way you love and hate so boldly is truly captivating. She said, I’ll spend my whole life protecting your pride. For that promise, I didn’t hesitate to break with my family to marry her. I accompanied her from having nothing to becoming today’s top lawyer. But later, after my repeated outbursts over the Ethan situation, she finally grew tired. She said, Derek, when will you ever change that domineering temper of yours? It’s really annoying. All my breakdowns and tears were just unreasonable tantrums in her eyes. Thinking back on the past, bitterness surged to my nose. I’d never felt so wronged. “Vivian, did you really buy this plush toy?” I demanded. Her eyes flickered with panic for a moment, her voice unconsciously rising: “There are tons of similar plush toys on the market! Must you imagine the whole world is conspiring against you before you’ll be satisfied?” Behind her, Ethan’s lips curved into an imperceptible arc, though his tone remained flat: “Vivian, forget it. Since Derek insists, I’ll give it to him. Even though this represents your thoughtfulness toward me, I don’t want you two fighting over a toy.” “No need to give it to him!” Vivian looked at me coldly. “Derek, don’t forget that Mia’s ashes are still at the funeral home. If you keep making trouble, I don’t mind making her disappear forever!” My whole body trembled, my nails digging sharply into my palms. Vivian was someone who did what she said. I closed my mouth and said nothing more. After this incident, to appease Ethan, Vivian decided to throw a small party at home. “Tomorrow is Ethan’s birthday. I’ve invited a few colleagues and friends over to celebrate. Since you’re idle at home anyway, you can be responsible for preparing the food and decorations.”

Tomorrow was October fifteenth. An indescribable sadness welled up in my heart. This date seemed very important to me too, but I couldn’t remember why. Seeing my delayed response, Vivian frowned slightly: “Ethan has suffered quite a bit lately. I want to make him happy. You’d better act gracious and don’t embarrass me.” I nodded mechanically. After she left, I directly called a home service team to come over. The old me would never have delegated this to others. Back when Vivian was just starting out, she was so busy her feet barely touched the ground. She often skipped meals and suffered from stomach pain. I felt so bad for her that I, a young master who’d never lifted a finger, forced myself to learn to cook. But Vivian took it for granted, and would even complain when the food I brought her had gotten cold. Feeding sincerity to a dog must feel just like this. Early the next morning, the house was decorated with flowers. Ethan looked at Vivian with a beaming smile: “Vivian, do you think this cake is pretty? It’s my favorite strawberry flavor!” Vivian wrapped her arm around his waist affectionately, smiling as she said, “As long as you like it.” Before long, guests began arriving one after another. Ethan sat in the center, receiving everyone’s well wishes. “Wishing the handsome Ethan eternal youth!” “Ms. Vivian is so thoughtful toward Mr. Ethan!” Ethan’s eyes and brows were full of satisfaction, his gaze drifting intermittently toward me in the corner: “Actually, I have Derek to thank for how happy I am today. Although there were some misunderstandings before, all these fruits and pastries today were personally prepared by him.” Everyone’s eyes instantly focused on me, filled with scrutiny and mockery. “So this is Ms. Vivian’s husband? I heard after his daughter’s accident, he developed a serious illness.” “He looks pretty normal though. How could he…” Vivian frowned, apparently not wanting people to pay too much attention to me: “Alright, let’s cut the cake.” The lights dimmed. Ethan closed his eyes to make a wish, candlelight illuminating his smug face. Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang. “Who could that be at this hour?” Vivian opened the door with some displeasure. Standing at the door was a delivery person, next to a white funeral wreath. Vivian’s expression changed. “Why are you delivering such an inauspicious thing? Take it away immediately!” The delivery person looked bewildered, pulling out a form to check: “No mistake. This is memorial supplies that Mr. Derek ordered from us six months ago. He said it absolutely had to be delivered today.” As the delivery person spoke, he craned his neck to look inside. My head started aching again, my temples throbbing. I held my head and staggered backward, bumping into the wine on the table. The wine bottle fell to the floor, glass shards flying everywhere. All the fragments of memory reassembled in that moment. A red sports car crashed into the guardrail, the front end severely deformed. My daughter lay in a pool of blood, her eyes still open, staring fixedly ahead. And Vivian, the woman I’d loved for five years, was frantically pulling the reeking-of-alcohol Ethan from the driver’s seat, shoving him into the passenger seat, then getting behind the wheel herself. She turned her head and looked at me as I rushed over, revealing a cruel expression. “Derek, this was an accident. Mia is already dead. But Ethan is still alive. He can’t go to prison.” Reality and memory slowly overlapped. I looked at the white funeral wreath before me, at the room full of festive red balloons, my whole body beginning to tremble, my eyes turning blood red. “Vivian, did you think that by giving me injections and hypnotizing me, you could make me forget all of this? Impossible! I will never forget that Ethan is the killer who murdered Mia, and you are his accomplice!” The living room fell deathly silent. Several lawyer colleagues exchanged glances, whispers spreading. “Could the previous rumors actually be true? Did Ethan really kill someone while drunk driving?” “If it’s true, doesn’t that mean Ms. Vivian committed perjury?” “Didn’t Ms. Vivian say those were just rumors? But looking at Derek’s reaction… it doesn’t seem fake.”

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As the only female doctor in the urology department, my surgical skills were so exceptional that every time appointment slots opened up, they’d be snatched clean by patients in seconds. But today, I’d been sitting in my office for a full hour without a single patient showing up. When I asked the young nurse what was going on, she looked me up and down with a scornful expression: “A woman deliberately staying in the men’s clinic—do you think I don’t know what you’re really up to?” The appointment system opened right on time. Three seconds later, all slots showed “Fully Booked.” This was my normal. As the only female doctor in the urology department, not only was my scalpel steady, but my precision reached millimeter-level accuracy. Patients seeking my care had to fight to snag appointment slots down to the very second. Yet today, I’d been sitting in my examination room for a full hour without anyone showing up. The wall clock ticked away steadily. I glanced at my computer screen—the queue list was completely empty. Maintaining my composure, I stood up to pour myself some tea. Just as I took a sip, someone knocked on the examination room door. John, a familiar patient, poked his head in, his face full of confusion. “Dr. Christie, aren’t you off work today?” I looked up at him. “What makes you say that?” “I camped out on the app last night to book an appointment, but the system didn’t even show your name. I thought you’d gone on vacation or something.” John waved his phone at me. Sure enough, the screen showed my name grayed out, unavailable for booking. I set down my teacup, already understanding what had happened. The hospital’s appointment system was managed entirely by the nursing station. Doctors only had scheduling privileges—we had no authority to change appointment availability status. I walked out of the examination room and headed straight to the nursing station. The new intern nurse, Fiona, was sitting with her legs crossed, scrolling through videos on her phone. When she saw me approach, she didn’t even bother to look up. “Nurse Fiona, why were all of today’s appointment slots closed?” I got straight to the point. Hearing my voice, Fiona tossed her phone onto the desk with a cold laugh. “They’re closed because they’re closed. If no one books, the system automatically shows it as closed.” “What, is Dr. Christie here to inspect my work?” “The system doesn’t automatically close slots that are fully booked,” I said calmly. “You’re new, so if you’re unfamiliar with the procedures, I can teach you. But the appointment slots need to be restored immediately.” Fiona acted as if she’d heard the world’s funniest joke. She suddenly stood up, leaning forward, her knuckles rapping against the desk one tap at a time. “Christie, who are you trying to fool?” “This is the urology department—a men’s clinic. Any man would blush just hearing about this place.” “And you, a woman, you force your way in here, dealing with all that disgusting stuff every day—aren’t you ashamed?” “I don’t think you’re here to treat patients at all!” “As a fellow woman, I can see right through what you’re really thinking.” I understood completely. This kind of malice born from gender discrimination— I’d seen it too many times. Arguing would only waste time. I pulled out my phone and, right in front of her, dialed the director’s internal line. “Dr. Christie?” “What can I do for you?” “Director, the urology nurse Fiona has closed all of my appointment slots today without authorization, and her attitude has been extremely poor.” The line went silent for half a second, then came the sharp sound of a chair scraping back. “What? Dr. Christie, don’t worry, I’m coming right over!” Fiona rolled her eyes and sneered. “What, calling for backup? Are you three years old?” I ignored her, hung up, and stood quietly against the wall. Less than five minutes later, urgent footsteps echoed through the hallway. The director arrived with beads of sweat on his forehead, practically running. When he saw me, he didn’t even pause to catch his breath. He rushed straight to the nursing station and bellowed: “Fiona! Who gave you the authority to touch Dr. Christie’s appointment slots!” Fiona hadn’t expected the director to actually come in person. Her face instantly went pale, but she still stubbornly held her ground. “Director, a woman bossing everyone around in the men’s clinic goes against protocol. I was just protecting the hospital’s reputation…” “Shut up!” The director was furious, pointing right at her nose. “Do you have any idea how much medical revenue Dr. Christie brings to this hospital with a single surgery?” “You’re here pushing gender discrimination? Are you here to work or to play boss!” Then he turned to the head nurse standing nearby and roared, “Right now! Immediately!” “Restore all of Dr. Christie’s appointment slots. If there’s still a system malfunction within ten minutes, you’re all fired!” Fiona was completely stunned by this display. She clutched the folder in her hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the pressure.

The next day, the examination room was as crowded as usual. I kept my head down, writing up medical records. Sitting across from me was a young man looking thoroughly embarrassed. He was a programmer who, due to prolonged sitting and irregular sleep schedules, had developed some unspeakable problems. “Dr. Christie, this condition… it can really be cured, right?” His voice was extremely low, as if afraid someone outside the door might hear. I didn’t look up, typing several lines of medical orders into the computer, my tone calm: “As long as you follow my treatment plan, all your indicators will return to normal within a month.” “Don’t worry. This is very common in clinical practice.” Just then, the examination room door was violently shoved open. Bang! Fiona strode in. “Door shut so tight—what kind of shady business are you doing in here?” She looked at the man sitting across from me and said sarcastically: “Dr. Christie, already scouting for targets?” “I think you’ve been working in urology so long you’ve developed some weird fantasies about yourself, haven’t you?” The programmer was so startled his face went pale. He nearly jumped out of his chair. I set down my pen and stared coldly at Fiona. “Get out. I’m seeing a patient. Don’t interfere.” But Fiona not only didn’t leave—she doubled down, walking right up to the desk and pointing at the patient’s nose. “Don’t let her fool you! Women like her specifically target young, good-looking guys like you.” “She pretends to treat patients, but we all know what she’s really after!” The programmer’s face turned bright red. He grabbed his medical records and tried to bolt. I reached out and pressed my hand against the edge of the desk, signaling him not to panic, then turned to Fiona. “Are you here to cause trouble or to work?” “Cause trouble? I’m exposing your true colors!” She sneered. “Everyone, come take a look at our so-called urology expert.” “Doors closed in the examination room—who knows what kind of inappropriate dealings are going on in here!” Her voice was extremely loud, drawing more and more curious onlookers from the hallway. Just then, my phone lit up on the desk with a crisp series of notification sounds. The messages were from a pinned group chat. “Dr. Christie, the prescription you gave me last time worked wonders. When are you free? I’ve prepared a gift for you.” “Dr. Christie, can you squeeze me in for an appointment? I’ll pay whatever you ask.” “Are you busy? When can you come over to the house? Mr. John’s chronic condition was cured thanks to you.” Fiona had sharp eyes. Before I could even grab my phone, she lunged forward and snatched it away. “Let me see exactly which men you’ve been fooling around with behind the scenes!” She shouted while eagerly unlocking the screen. The moment she looked, the light in her eyes changed completely. Because aside from me, everyone in the group chat was a top-tier figure from various industries. Not only did they praise my miraculous medical skills in the group every day, but they also frequently sent me private requests and invitations. Fiona held the phone high, showing the screen to the crowd gathered at the examination room door, her voice trembling with excitement: “Everyone, look clearly! This is her true face!” “What expert, what medical skills—it’s all gained by seducing men!” “Look, all these men are lining up waiting to date her. This is solid evidence!”

Instantly, the crowd erupted in discussion. I could feel various gazes sweeping over me—curious, contemptuous, eager to watch the drama unfold. But I simply stood there, watching Fiona coldly, watching her perform with such effort. Just then, a series of urgent footsteps approached. “What’s going on here? Making such a racket first thing in the morning—what kind of behavior is this!” The department head had arrived. He’d been passing by when he heard the commotion and came over with a furrowed brow. Fiona acted as if she’d found her savior. She immediately dropped her aggressive posture and rushed to the department head, her eyes brimming with tears as she pointed at me. “Chief! Your timing couldn’t be better! You must seek justice for the hospital, for us honest, hardworking nurses!” Fiona choked up as she handed the phone to the department head. “Look at this! Christie… she’s just too much!” “As a doctor, she’s carrying on with these shameful activities in the examination room, having inappropriate relationships with so many patients’ families!” The department head took the phone and glanced at the group chat messages on the screen. When he looked at me again, his eyes clearly showed disgust. “Christie! This is absolutely outrageous! As a doctor, where is your medical ethics?” “Where is your professional integrity? What is all this? You’ve completely disgraced the hospital!” I didn’t defend myself. I didn’t even blink. Seeing my attitude, Fiona became even more emboldened. “Chief, she was also reported by patients before, which is why I closed her appointment slots.” “Now she’s gotten even worse, acting like she’s so capable!” She embellished the story, bringing up the incident when I’d contacted the director, conveniently leaving out that she’d been the one who tampered with the system first. “People like this should be fired immediately, or else our hospital’s reputation will be ruined by her!” The department head’s face turned iron-gray. He glanced at the crowd of onlookers, then at my expressionless face, and finally slammed his hand on the desk. “Suspension! Christie, you’re suspended for one week effective immediately. Go home and write a thorough self-criticism and reflect deeply!” “After one week, we’ll hold a hospital meeting to discuss this further and make a final decision!” “Until then, you are not to set foot in the examination room!” The declaration caused an uproar. Everyone expected me to resist fiercely, or at least defend myself. After all, while I didn’t talk much at the hospital normally, I was always decisive in my actions, and my skills were universally recognized as top-tier. This kind of punishment was undoubtedly a deep humiliation for me. However, I simply walked straight to the desk and picked up my phone. Then, in front of everyone, I pressed the option to “Dissolve Group Chat.” Finally, I said coldly: “I apologize.” Apologize? To whom? For what? I didn’t give anyone time to react. I simply dropped those words lightly and left the hospital.

A week passed quickly. I’d just stepped through the hospital entrance with my resignation letter when Fiona raised her voice: “Oh, Dr. Christie actually knows to come back?” “I thought you’d just packed up and run off! How about it—did you write your self-criticism with tears streaming down your face?” “Did you deeply reflect on all those shameful activities of yours?” As she spoke, she deliberately covered her mouth and made exaggerated expressions at several nearby nurses watching the drama. I acted as if I hadn’t heard anything and walked straight to Human Resources. When my colleague received my resignation letter, a flash of surprise crossed their eyes. But they didn’t say much, just silently began processing the paperwork. Fiona was clearly infuriated by my indifference. She followed behind me relentlessly, her mouth running nonstop: “Acting so high and mighty? You think resigning will clear your name?” “A shameless woman like you should have been kicked out long ago! Save our hospital’s reputation from being tainted!” I never gave her a single extra glance from start to finish. After submitting my resignation, I began packing my personal belongings—a thermos, a few professional books, and my well-worn stethoscope. There wasn’t much. I finished packing quickly. Picking up my bag, I turned and walked out of the examination room without looking back. Fiona continued her sarcastic taunts behind me. I paid no attention, walking all the way to the hospital entrance. The sunlight was just right, warmly falling on me as if washing away all the gloom. However, just as I was about to step through the gate, a piercing screech of brakes suddenly rang out. Followed by a second, a third… Within seconds, ten identical top-tier luxury cars pulled up in perfect formation right at the hospital entrance. The spectacle immediately stopped every passerby in their tracks. The car doors opened almost simultaneously. Ten pot-bellied executives in suits practically ran out of their vehicles. Their gazes cut straight through the crowd, locking onto me as I was about to leave. “Dr. Christie!” “Dr. Christie, you’re finally here!” “Dr. Christie, why did you dissolve the group chat? Did something happen? We’ve all been waiting for you!” They surrounded me in a chorus of urgent voices. The entire hospital entrance fell dead silent. Every gaze, filled with disbelief, landed on me. I slowly turned around and smiled at Fiona, who still stood frozen in place, her face deathly pale.

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I had just returned to the teacher’s dormitory when a group of people blocked me at the door. It was Rachel Morgan, the mother of one of my students, Vivian Morgan. The moment she saw me, she lunged forward, screaming at the top of her lungs. “It’s him! This scumbag assaulted my daughter! She just started freshman year. What’s going to happen to her now?” I was stunned! “What? That’s absolutely impossible!” The hallway filled with people. Some were filming videos, others were whispering among themselves, and some colleagues lowered their heads and slipped into their rooms. “What are you talking about? I’ve never done anything like that!” A young man burst out from the crowd. He threw a punch aimed right at my face. “What kind of teacher are you? You ruined my sister’s innocence.” Rachel slapped a piece of paper right onto my face. “Stop pretending! My daughter said it herself.” Principal Hayes pushed through the crowd and pulled me aside. “Just apologize. Compensate them one million dollars. Don’t let this blow up.”

“Principal, what exactly am I apologizing for?” Principal Hayes’s expression darkened, and he lowered his voice. “Shane, now’s not the time to be stubborn. The parents are emotional. Show them the right attitude first.” “Attitude?” I looked at him. “You want me to show an attitude for something I didn’t do?” Rachel rushed over shrieking. “You’re still pretending! My daughter was almost driven to suicide by you, and you still dare say you didn’t do it?” Ethan Morgan clenched his fists, veins bulging on his neck. “Shane Lawson, if you don’t kneel and apologize today, I’ll kill you!” “Kneel?” I looked toward Vivian Morgan standing behind the crowd. She kept her head down, her school uniform sleeves crumpled from gripping them. I was Vivian Morgan’s class advisor. The first time I entered the classroom, all the other students looked up to listen. Only she didn’t dare make eye contact with me. At the start of the school year, she could only score in the thirties on math tests. When others laughed at her, she would bury her head in her books. After I took over the class, I discovered she would secretly copy her mistakes three times. I had tutored her, explained functions to her. And when classmates mocked her, I once said: “Poor grades aren’t a crime. Giving up is.” As a teacher, I didn’t want any student to fall behind. Rachel was crying and wailing, sitting right on the floor and slapping her thighs. “My daughter is only a freshman! How will she live from now on? How will she get married?” “Shane! We’re the county’s top high school here!” “If this blows up, it’ll seriously damage the school’s reputation!” “Just admit to this first, then we’ll discuss it properly with the parents.” Principal Derek Hayes put his arm around my shoulder, trying to persuade me in a low voice. I shook off Derek Hayes’s hand. “Principal, I never did anything like this!” Derek Hayes’s expression turned grave. “Shane! I know you feel wronged.” “But think about it. You’re just an intern teacher with no permanent position, no connections.” “If this blows up, you won’t even be able to keep your teaching certificate.” “Just appease them for now!” Appease? By admitting guilt? I took a step forward. “Vivian Morgan, look at me.” Rachel immediately blocked her. “You still want to threaten my daughter?” “Everyone saw it! He’s still trying to intimidate the child in public!” Vivian’s shoulders trembled. Ethan immediately shouted. “You dare question her? Look how scared you’ve made her!” Derek Hayes quickly spoke up. “Mr. Lawson, don’t agitate the student.” “Vivian, don’t be afraid. The principal is here. No one can hurt you.” “Let me ask you, did Mr. Lawson often tutor you alone?” Vivian nodded. “Did he sometimes tutor you until very late?” Vivian nodded again. “During tutoring, was it just the two of you in the classroom?” I immediately said: “The door was always open, and there are cameras in the classroom.” “Vivian Morgan, when I tutored you, did I ever close the door when we were alone?” “Did I ever touch you? Did I ever say anything inappropriate?” Tears fell from her eyes, but she still didn’t speak. Derek Hayes sighed, as if deeply pained. “Shane, what’s the point of pressuring a child like this?”

Rachel cried even louder. “Everyone hear that!” “Private tutoring!” “Staying late!” “This inhuman monster!” I stared at Derek Hayes. My heart went cold. Derek Hayes asked again: “Did he buy you bubble tea and bread?” Vivian said quietly: “Yes.” I was almost laughing from anger. “evening study session runs until 9:30. She’s not the only one with low blood sugar. I bought bread for the entire group.” Derek Hayes ignored me and continued questioning. “Did he ever write on your test paper, ‘Don’t be afraid, I’m here’?” Vivian closed her eyes and nodded even more slightly. In that moment, I finally understood. Someone was taking all normal teacher-student care, breaking it into pieces, and assembling it into a knife to stab me with. Rachel rushed over, her fingernails nearly poking my eyes. “You still trying to make excuses? Why would a male teacher treat my daughter so well?” “Because I’m a teacher.” “Bullshit!” She turned around and cried while slapping her thighs. “Everyone look! He still says he’s a teacher. He’s just a scumbag in human skin.” “He targeted my daughter because she’s timid!” “She didn’t dare speak up, so you bullied her!” Derek Hayes spoke again: “Mr. Lawson did that kind of thing to you, didn’t he?” Vivian Morgan lifted her head slightly to look at me. Then she glanced at Rachel. Rachel pinched her arm hard. “Say it! What are you afraid of! I will stand up for you!” Vivian picked at her clothes without speaking. Rachel pressed down on her head. She stiffly nodded. Ethan rushed forward and threw a punch at my face. I dodged to the side. His fist hit the doorframe. “Fuck, you dare dodge?” I stepped back half a step. “Accusing me without evidence! If you attack again, I’ll fight back.” Ethan roared: “You ruined Vivian’s innocence. Even if I beat you to death, it wouldn’t be enough!” Derek Hayes stepped between us. “Everyone calm down!” “Mr. Lawson, your attitude right now is critical.” “Apologize immediately.” “Pay the compensation first and stabilize the situation.” “One million dollars. Transfer it today.” Rachel climbed up from the floor. “One million? You trying to send away beggars?” “My life is so miserable. I raised a daughter, her grades just started improving, and a teacher preyed on her.” “My daughter’s innocence is ruined! Her whole life is over!” Ethan sneered coldly. “My sister still has to get married, go to college, and be a person. Your school thinks one million can shut us up?” “Three million! Not a penny less!” Derek Hayes patted my shoulder and said: “One million is indeed too little, but three million is too high. How about this—I’ll make the call. Two hundred fifty thousand.” “No way. Three million is already cheap for that bastard. My sister was a virgin.” Ethan pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and threw it at my feet. “Three million is for emotional damages. You admit to hurting my sister and can’t go back on it!” “When Vivian graduates from college, you must pay us another five hundred thousand and marry her. Otherwise, you’ll pay a penalty of two million in damages.” I thought I’d misheard. “What did you say?” “You ruined my sister. You have to take responsibility to the end!” Rachel took over. “Our Vivian—if you hadn’t defiled her, she could have married a rich man in the future and earned way more than five hundred thousand. Now you’ve ruined her. You have to compensate!” I looked at that guarantee letter. “Where’s the evidence?” Rachel froze for a moment. “What?” “You say I committed a crime. You want money, a guarantee letter, a marriage promise. Where’s the evidence?”

Rachel pulled a piece of paper from her bag and slapped it onto my face. “This is the hospital’s examination report! It’s written in black and white that my daughter is no longer a virgin! You still want to deny it?” I looked down at the report. The seal of City General Hospital, the red stamp neatly pressed. The name on the report was Vivian Morgan, dated three days ago. The conclusion section had several glaring words. But what did this prove? “This only proves she had sexual activity. It doesn’t prove it was me.” Principal Derek Hayes cleared his throat lightly and stepped in front of me. “Shane, the examination report is right here. You’re Vivian’s class advisor. When something happened to the child, you’re the most suspicious.” After speaking, he gave Rachel a subtle glance. Rachel picked up the cue. “Fine.” “The principal has spoken. We’ll show some respect.” “Two hundred fifty thousand. We need an answer today! If not, tomorrow I’m going to the Board of Education, TV station, and court. I’ll sue you to death!” Rachel wiped her tears. “Once the money arrives, we won’t make a scene.” “We’ll all be family from now on.” I almost laughed out loud. “Family?” Rachel glared at me. “You ruined her. You have to support her for life.” Derek Hayes leaned close to my ear. “Shane, things have come to this point. It’s out of your hands.” “Just pay to settle this!” I stared into his eyes. “Principal Hayes, you’re twisting the truth! You’re planning to force this onto me!” Ethan lost patience. “What the fuck are we wasting words for? This kind of person just needs a beating!” He suddenly kicked toward my abdomen. I stepped to the left, grabbed his ankle with my right hand, and twisted and pushed in one motion. Ethan lost his balance completely and fell hard onto the concrete hallway floor. He gritted his teeth and got up, rushing forward to throw a punch again. In my four years of college, I trained with a coach from the sports academy for three years in boxing. I even won second place in a boxing competition. Against this punk, I could win with my eyes closed. I dodged his straight punch, deflected his forearm with my left hand. My right fist landed precisely under his ribs. Ethan bent over and stepped back three paces, unable to catch his breath. Before his second punch could come out, I’d already gripped his wrist. I twisted it backward, pinning him against the wall. “Don’t move. Move again and your wrist breaks.” Ethan refused to submit and struggled hard. I suddenly released my hand and pushed with the momentum. He stumbled forward, lost his balance. His face hit the ground first, knocking out his front teeth. Blood began seeping out densely across his face. Rachel hugged Ethan’s head, kicking her feet against the concrete floor, wailing. “He’s hitting people! He’s hitting people!” “Everyone saw it! First he raped my daughter, now he’s beaten my son! God! Is there no justice? Is there no law?” “He’s trying to silence us! Murder to silence witnesses! Everyone saw it! Everyone saw it!” Vivian Morgan walked out from the corner. She picked up the bloody tooth from the floor. Then turned to look at me. Her eyes were full of anger. “You really are a scumbag.”

I had tutored her for three months. Every night from seven to ten, rain or shine. Questions she couldn’t solve, I explained one by one. Concepts she didn’t understand, I explained in five different ways. The day she scored 89, I was happier than she was. Now, she was calling me a scumbag. “Shane, now you have another charge—assaulting a student’s family member.” Derek Hayes shook his head, his face full of regret. “Tell me, how do we resolve this?” At the end of the hallway, someone was holding up their phone. Comments were scrolling frantically. “I’m warning you one last time.” Derek Hayes’s tone became completely cold and hard. “If you won’t take a friendly offer, you’ll have to face the consequences. Your intern evaluation, teaching certificate, even your future employment records—you won’t be able to keep any of them.” “You’re just an intern fighting against the entire school? You think you can win?” He leaned closer, lowering his voice to a minimum. “I heard your aunt is quite wealthy. Hurry up and raise the money!” “Two hundred fifty thousand to buy your lifetime reputation. You’re getting off cheap.” The person livestreaming with their phone—the viewer count on their screen had already shot up to 23,000. The comments went crazy. “Predator teacher!” “This kind of person should be sentenced!” “How did the school let this kind of person become a teacher?” “Beat him!” Everyone was cursing me. Someone in the crowd shouted: “No smoke without fire.” “Why didn’t they go after other teachers, but specifically you!” “You definitely did it and won’t admit it!” I turned to look. It was my colleague, Marcus. Just last week he’d borrowed my lesson plans. Meeting my gaze, Marcus showed no guilt whatsoever. “Mr. Lawson, I’m not targeting you. I’m just calling it as I see it!” “Everyone, am I right!” The crowd echoed in agreement! Not a single person asked—where’s the evidence? Rachel had somehow gotten up from the floor. Her hair was disheveled, the tear tracks still visible on her face. “I’m telling you, Shane Lawson.” “As long as you sign today and transfer the money, this matter is settled.” She looked smugly at Derek Hayes. “We’re not unreasonable people, right Principal Hayes?” Derek Hayes nodded repeatedly. “Right, right. Mrs. Morgan’s family is very reasonable. Shane, as long as you settle this two hundred fifty thousand and sign the guarantee letter, Mrs. Morgan will treat you like her own son-in-law going forward. Let’s keep it in the family.” Rachel nodded cooperatively. “That’s right. Once the money arrives and you sign, we’ll treat you as one of our own. We’ll let bygones be bygones. From now on, my daughter is yours.” Ethan chimed in too. “Right, brother-in-law. Just pay up. Transfer the two hundred fifty thousand now, sign the guarantee now. I’ll go to the hospital to fix my teeth myself.” Vivian looked at me shyly, her face red. “Principal Hayes, you’re saying as long as I apologize and pay the money, this will all be over, right?” Derek Hayes nodded, his expression relaxing a bit, thinking I was softening. “Then I’d like to confirm once more.” “If I sign this guarantee letter and pay this two hundred fifty thousand, can you guarantee the Morgan family won’t pursue this further, and the school won’t keep any records?” Derek Hayes and Rachel exchanged glances. “Of course. You can rest assured. I’ll make the call.” Derek Hayes said, his voice more certain than before. I watched this farce coldly. They were extorting me. I pulled out my phone from my pocket. Derek Hayes, Rachel, Ethan, and Vivian all looked over. Their eyes full of hope, greed, and the satisfaction of a scheme about to succeed. “Hello, Sean!”

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My housekeeper Martha has an intellectual disability. Out of sympathy, I took her in. Right before my wedding, I was about to invite my friend Tessa to try on her bridesmaid dress. Martha suddenly stopped me: “Miss Claire, don’t let Miss Tessa be your bridesmaid. Mr. Lucas will hit her!” I smiled, thinking she was talking nonsense again. Because my fiancé Lucas Hunt got along well with all my friends. Seeing I didn’t believe her, Martha grabbed my arm and continued: “It’s true! I saw it with my own eyes. That day Mr. Lucas pulled down Miss Tessa’s pants, pressed her against the bathroom wall, and spanked her bottom!” I froze. Martha might be simple-minded, but she never lied. Just then, Lucas’s call came through at the perfect time: “Babe, I have to go to Europe on a business trip tomorrow. There’s a really important project. Can we postpone the wedding a bit?” I let out a cold laugh and replied, “Fine!” After hanging up, I thought of the bet I made with my dad. If this wedding got postponed again, I would go back and accept the blind dates he arranged. So I obediently replied, “Okay, I have other plans next week anyway.” Martha tilted her head, watching me, still muttering: “Miss Claire, don’t be angry. Mr. Lucas isn’t hitting Miss Tessa for the first time. Before, he told me not to tell you. But yesterday I heard Miss Tessa screaming so loudly in the room… I was worried…” I glanced at her and interrupted, “That’s enough, Martha. I understand. Thank you!” After Martha left, my chest tightened with a stabbing pain. I couldn’t breathe. Just as I finished speaking, my phone rang again. It was my dad calling. “Claire, have you thought about it?” My dad’s voice was emotionless. “Dad, I agree. I’ll come back.” Dad fell silent on the other end for a few seconds. He seemed surprised I would give up on Lucas Hunt. After hanging up, I walked into the bedroom and took out the marriage certificate from the drawer. But suddenly I noticed the stamp on the marriage certificate was misspelled. I carefully compared my marriage certificate with the one on the city hall website. My tears finally fell. Even my marriage certificate was fake. Soon the doorbell rang. I wiped my tears and went to open the door. Tessa stood at the door, holding the little cakes I loved: “Claire, I’m here to try on the bridesmaid dress.” I let her in. I suddenly remembered the scene from two years ago when she came to stay with me. I enthusiastically helped her arrange work and housing. Lucas Hunt had always been thoughtful and considerate toward my friends. Gradually, Lucas Hunt even drove her to work. From that time on, the passenger seat was no longer my place. It became the exclusive seat for Tessa, who supposedly got carsick. But I never imagined they had already gotten together long ago. “Claire, what are you spacing out for?” Tessa waved her hand in front of me. “Nothing. The dress is in the closet. Go try it on.” She smiled and went in. I inadvertently caught sight of the Tiffany key necklace on her neck. That was the birthday gift Lucas Hunt gave her a few days ago. I’d known Lucas Hunt for five years. Apart from giving me money, his gifts were always just a hug or a kiss. Then he’d say affectionately, “You’re my wife. What’s mine is yours.” I used to be satisfied with that romance. But everything changed after Tessa came. He would give her limited edition necklaces and cream puffs from West Street. Tessa’s voice came from the closet: “Claire, come help me look.” I walked over and watched her turn in front of the mirror. “Beautiful,” I said. She sighed, “But it’s such a shame. I can’t be your bridesmaid next week!” A chill ran through me. I asked, “Why not?” She lowered her head, her ears flushing red: “I have other important life arrangements…” Seeming unwilling to talk more about it, she changed the subject: “By the way, Claire, have you tried on your wedding dress yet?” I shook my head. I had fought so hard for this wedding. Lucas Hunt was always too busy. The wedding kept getting delayed until it couldn’t be delayed anymore. Even that custom wedding dress—I could only pick it up from the shop tonight. Tessa continued talking to herself: “You don’t know, last time when I went to try on wedding dresses, the owner said that custom piece was particularly suited for me. Lucas also said it looked good…” I looked at her without saying anything. A while ago, Tessa suddenly said she was getting engaged. I asked her who her fiancé was, but she refused to tell me, saying she’d give me a surprise later. She dragged Lucas Hunt along to try on wedding dresses, smiling as if it were the most natural thing: “Claire, let me borrow your man for a bit. I need to pick out a groom’s suit for my groom. Lucas’s physique is just perfect…” Before I could agree, Lucas Hunt readily agreed without hesitation. They were gone the whole afternoon. When they came back, Lucas Hunt said Tessa’s wedding dress was beautiful. Now that I think about it, he thought Tessa in a wedding dress was beautiful. But I had never even worn a wedding dress. Every time I mentioned having a wedding, Lucas Hunt was always too busy… He’d been busy for three years. We’d set dates and postponed, postponed and set dates again. Over and over, I couldn’t even remember how many times it had been. “Claire, are you okay?” Tessa tilted her head to look at me. “I’m fine.” The door lock clicked. Lucas Hunt was back, coincidentally holding two cups of coffee. As if he already knew there would be two women drinking coffee at home today. Seeing Tessa in the bridesmaid dress standing in the living room, he raised his eyebrows: “Well, whose bride is this?”

Tessa shot him a coquettish look: “Don’t say that. I’m just trying it on…” Lucas Hunt laughed and handed her the coffee: “Less sugar, more milk, hot.” Then he glanced at me: “Yours is on the table.” This order of priority seemed to have always existed. It was just particularly glaring today… Tessa suddenly called out to him, “Oh no, the zipper on the back of this dress isn’t done up properly. Help me out.” I turned to look. It had clearly been zipped up before, but now it had slipped down, exposing her fair skin. Just as I was about to help her, Lucas Hunt had already stepped forward. He pinched the zipper and pulled it up. The practiced motion stung my eyes. He turned to look at me: “Where’s Martha?” I snapped back to reality, forcing my tears back: “She had to go back to her hometown. I let her leave two days early.” Lucas Hunt reached out and pinched my cheek, “Martha’s so lucky to have met such a kind mistress like you.” After speaking, he lowered his head to kiss me. A loud crash came from behind us. Tessa had knocked over the coffee cup and burned her hand, letting out a shriek. Lucas Hunt immediately let go of me and strode over: “How can you be so careless? Did you get burned? I’ll get the medicine.” He rummaged through the medicine box muttering complaints, then crouched in front of Tessa to apply ointment. He kept saying, “So clumsy. How old are you anyway?” I picked up the coffee on the table and took a sip. Bitter. So bitter. I put down the coffee and walked into the bedroom to start packing. Lucas Hunt appeared at the door: “What are you doing?” “Packing. Going home.” He frowned, “They want you back?” I didn’t look up: “Yeah.” “Claire,” he walked in, “I’ve told you so many times. Parents who don’t bless us aren’t worth keeping. Why do you have to go back and suffer?” My hands paused while folding clothes. He really had said it many times. From the first time my parents objected, he’d told me to cut ties with my family, saying parents like that weren’t worth it. But I didn’t listen. I kept trying to make my parents acknowledge that I’d married well. I’d been looking forward to next week’s wedding for three years. They say a wedding is a ceremony every girl wants. But for me, it was more about showing my parents that Lucas Hunt was worth it! I wanted to tell them he still remembered the promise he made me when he was at his lowest. That he was willing to give me a grand wedding to announce it to the world… But in the end, it was all just my self-deception. If he really loved me, how could he bear to make me cut ties with my parents? “We’re not having the reception either,” I zipped up my suitcase, “and you won’t be there anyway. What am I staying here for?” He was speechless. “I just said we’d postpone it, not cancel it,” his tone softened, “something urgent came up at the company. I had no choice. About your parents—once I’m done with this, I’ll go talk to them myself.” Tessa also came over carrying the bridesmaid dress: “Claire, don’t blame Lucas. You just stay home drinking coffee and watering plants every day. How would you know how busy he’s been at the company lately?” “As his secretary, I know exactly what he’s doing. He’s been working around the clock for weeks!” I paused: “Secretary? Aren’t you in the operations division?” Something suddenly flashed through my mind—employee gossip I’d overheard when I went to find Lucas Hunt at the company a few days ago: “Mr. Hunt’s secretary follows him around all day. They close the office door for an hour or two, and when they come out, her hair is all messy.” I’d laughed it off at the time. I thought Lucas Hunt’s secretary was still old Robert. He was used to him and wouldn’t replace him easily. Turns out… this secretary wasn’t that secretary! Tessa froze for a moment, quickly glancing at Lucas Hunt, then explained with a smile: “The operations division hasn’t been busy lately, so I volunteered to help Lucas share the load. He was too tired. I couldn’t just watch.” “Claire, I’m doing this because I feel bad for your husband. If you can’t help him, I will!”

It wasn’t that I couldn’t help—Lucas Hunt wouldn’t let me go to the company. He said I married him to enjoy life. That was all I needed to do. But he didn’t tell me that to enjoy this bit of comfort, I’d have to lose my marriage, my friends, my parents, and my dignity… Just as Lucas Hunt was about to chime in, we heard the door from the living room. Martha was back. “Mr. Hunt, Miss Claire!” “Didn’t you have the day off?” Lucas Hunt asked. Martha scratched her head: “I got halfway there and remembered I forgot the motion sickness medicine Miss Claire bought for me.” She looked at Tessa with her crooked smile, then at Lucas Hunt, and suddenly laughed twice: “Mr. Hunt, please don’t hit Miss Tessa anymore!” Tessa’s expression changed: “Martha, what nonsense are you talking about?” Martha tilted her head, looking confused: “I’m not talking nonsense.” The living room fell silent. Lucas Hunt was the first to react, frowning and scolding: “Martha, if your head’s not clear, go rest. Stop spouting nonsense.” Then he turned to me with a helpless tone, “You know her condition. You’d actually believe her crazy talk?” Tessa’s eyes also reddened, looking aggrieved: “Claire, just fire this Martha. She’s always talking nonsense.” She tugged at my sleeve. I lowered my eyes, then let out a laugh: “I know. Martha’s mind isn’t clear. I won’t take what she says seriously.” Lucas Hunt let out a breath of relief and walked over to squeeze my shoulder. “Alright, I’m going to the study to work.” Tessa, probably to “avoid suspicion,” didn’t eagerly follow him like usual. Instead, she pulled me to sit down. “Claire, I’d love to keep you company during the break, but remember when I tried on the wedding dress? Actually, I’m getting married next week too! It works out perfectly that your wedding got postponed.” I sneered inwardly. I could guess who the groom was, but I was too lazy to ask. She rambled on for a bit, then suddenly looked pleading: “There’s a very important document that needs to be signed for. Help me receive it before you go home, okay? You don’t have a job anyway. You can go back anytime. No rush for a day or two.” I hesitated for two seconds, then nodded: “Okay.” She happily hugged me: “I knew you were the best! I’ll leave first then.” The house fell quiet. My heart also completely quieted down. Early the next morning, I didn’t get up to see Lucas Hunt off. He sat by the bed, running his fingers through my hair and instructing: “Babe, when I get back, I promise I’ll give you a grand wedding that will make your parents happy too!” In the past, my heart would have been sweet for days. But now, every word felt like he was reading a script. Reading it to someone he had no intention of keeping promises to. Seeing I wasn’t responding, thinking I was still unhappy about postponing the wedding, he left on his own. The moment he left, I grabbed my suitcase and walked out. I ran into Martha at the door. I looked at her and smiled: “Martha, would you be willing to come back to my hometown with me? You could work there from now on.” Her eyes lit up: “That would be great! I know Miss Tessa is pregnant with a baby~ Mr. Hunt said when the baby’s born, he’ll give it to Miss Claire to raise. I don’t want to take care of someone else’s child!” I froze, instinctively touching my own belly. Married for three years, he had always refused to give me a child. A while ago I said I was bored at home. He suddenly said, “How about we adopt one?” “Childbirth is too painful for women. I can’t bear to see you suffer like that.” I’d actually believed his “concern” at the time. I was too foolish.

When I got home, Father was reading the newspaper in the living room. He looked up and saw me, frowning: “You really came back? Not having the wedding anymore?” “Not anymore.” I handed my suitcase to the servant. Father put down the newspaper and beckoned me to sit. “Why didn’t that girl Tessa come back with you? Hasn’t she been living at your place?” “She had something to do.” Father snorted: “What could she possibly have to do? She just likes clinging to you. Two years ago I arranged a good job for her, but she insisted on going to find you.” I didn’t respond. Perhaps she wasn’t going to find me at all, but to find Lucas Hunt. She was a scholarship student my father sponsored. Later, my father even brought her mother to work as a cook. During those years when I was fighting with my family over Lucas Hunt, she always supported me. And all along, she was working her way into Lucas Hunt’s heart… Father continued asking: “Did you handle the divorce paperwork? Back then you insisted I give him the cooperation rights for that project. If you two divorce now, I won’t be giving it to him anymore!” My eyes suddenly stung. I didn’t dare tell Dad that my marriage certificate was fake. I didn’t even need a divorce. I nodded: “Yeah, divorced!” Father nodded. There was heartache in his eyes, but he didn’t ask more. The next day, Dad arranged for my blind date to come over. His name was Xavier Moore. His family was as wealthy as mine. He was very handsome but rather quiet. We sat face to face for three minutes, and the wedding was settled. Yet Lucas Hunt and I had been together for three years, and he still hadn’t given me a wedding. How ironic… The wedding was held at a resort hotel owned by the Moore family. Although it was rushed, it was extremely luxurious. After the ceremony, we went straight to get our marriage certificate that afternoon. This marriage certificate was real. On our wedding night, I was nervous when my phone rang. It was a video call from Tessa. I hesitated for a few seconds, then answered. She was wearing a slip dress, smiling sweetly: “Claire, did you sign for that document for me?” There was a probing tone in her voice. I smiled, “Already signed for it. Don’t worry.” Her eyes brightened: “Good. Once my wedding’s over, I’ll come back to keep you company right away!” As she spoke, she deliberately turned her phone around. The screen swept across the hotel room. The bed was messy, her face flushed, unable to hide her smile: “Tonight, my husband and I did it three times. I told him to stop but he wouldn’t. My back hurts so much now!” A man’s voice came through the phone: “Only three times and you can’t take it? We used to be able to do it seven times in one night.” Tessa’s smile couldn’t be suppressed. She said coquettishly: “I know, you’re so annoying.” I held the phone without saying anything. Then Tessa spoke to me through the phone again: “Claire, guess who my groom is?” “No need to guess,” I said. “Congratulations on your marriage. I need to go to bed with my groom too.” The other end paused, as if not processing what I’d said. At that moment, Xavier came out of the bathroom, walked to the bedside, and suddenly reached out to embrace my waist, his lips brushing against my earlobe. Caught off guard, I let out a soft moan. Tessa was still in a daze when the man beside her suddenly sounded alert: “Who are you talking to? What groom?”

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I had deliberately kept thirty premium suites empty for Allee, a longtime corporate client, despite Memorial Day weekend being fully booked for months. She brought thirty employees for a retreat, but at checkout, she was outraged. “Why are we paying $500 a night when walk-ins pay $400?” she shouted. I tried to explain, “Their rate doesn’t include park passes, meals, or shuttle service—” She cut me off with a sharp slap across my face. “I don’t care! Refund the difference or we cancel!” I said nothing, quietly processed the cancellation. As soon as they left, I called a travel agency I’d turned away days earlier. They had a group of a hundred seniors needing lodging. The tour director wired the deposit instantly, nearly crying with relief. “You saved us—I thought they’d be on the street! Finding rooms now is impossible.” Just as I hung up, a news alert flashed: record holiday crowds, with even luxury resorts sold out. 1 “What exactly are you trying to pull, Marsha?” Allee slammed her hand on the reception counter. “You quoted us five hundred bucks a head. I just watched a guy pay four hundred. You are intentionally ripping off your most loyal clients!” I kept my hand pressed against my stinging cheek, forcing down the massive wave of shock and fury bubbling in my chest. I took a breath and tried to explain one last time. “Allee, you are completely misunderstanding the situation. Mr. Davis was a walk in. He is only staying for a single night, and his four hundred dollars covers the bed and nothing else. Your five hundred dollar rate is an all inclusive package. If you do the math, you are getting an incredibly massive discount.” “A discount? Do you think I am an absolute idiot?” Allee refused to listen. Instead, she cranked her volume up even higher, drawing the stares of everyone lingering in the lobby. “It is just a few extra plates of food and a stupid piece of paper! How much could that possibly cost? You are just taking advantage of our loyalty. You think we are easy targets, so you are jacking up the price!” “That is simply not true, Allee.” I maintained my composure, even though the side of my face was throbbing painfully. “The all access pass to Lake Sapphire costs a hundred and eighty bucks. Our dining is an all you can eat buffet. Breakfast alone has over twenty premium options.” “Lunch and dinner include steak, fresh seafood, an entire dessert bar, and unlimited beverages. You get complimentary private shuttles to the train station and the lake.” “You also get a dedicated tour guide for the entire day, a fifty dollar voucher for the lakeside food trucks, and free access to three premium water sports.” “At five hundred bucks, I am barely breaking even. If you do not believe me, go ask any other resort on this mountain. For the exact same package, they will charge you at least eight hundred dollars.” Allee shrieked, completely unreasonable. “I do not care what other places do! I only care that you gave someone else a cheaper rate! You either refund every single one of us a hundred bucks, or we are walking out that door!” We had been doing business for ten years. I kept her rate locked in at five hundred. I held that price for a decade. Every other hotel in the area had tripled their prices. I still gave her the five hundred dollar loyalty rate. And this was how she repaid me. By slapping me across the face. But I still swallowed my temper. “Allee, if you truly feel that a hundred dollars is a rip off, I can drop your rate to four hundred bucks to match the walk in guests. But that means every single additional service will be immediately canceled.” “The only reason I came to your lodge was for the all inclusive perks!” Allee screamed. “If you cancel the extra services, why the hell would I stay in your hotel!” It was blatantly obvious. She just wanted to milk me for everything I had. She wanted to pay the four hundred dollar bare bones rate, but she still expected the five hundred dollar VIP treatment. But I was not running a charity. Allee pointed a manicured finger right at my nose. “If you do not agree to my terms right now, I am taking my entire team and leaving! Your hotel is going to sit totally empty for the entire holiday weekend, and I want to see who you are going to find to fill these rooms!” The young receptionist standing beside me finally snapped. “What is wrong with you? The sketchy motels down the road have skyrocketed their prices! Our boss kept your rate the same and gave you a million free perks, and you are still acting this greedy?” Allee let out a nasty sneer, side eying me like I was garbage. “Am I the greedy one, or is your boss just a bloodsucking capitalist who lost her morals? Hurry up! Either give me the cash, or cancel the rooms!” Her colleagues immediately chimed in to back her up. “If you do not give us the refund, we are going to bomb your hotel with one star reviews online!” “We will let the whole internet know this place is a total scam!” “You are so shady for ripping off old clients! It is disgusting!” “We would not stay here for four hundred bucks anyway. Just give us our money back!” Several of them pulled out their phones, opening up travel apps, fully prepared to start typing out vicious reviews. I took a deep, steadying breath and gently touched my burning cheek. Ten years of loyalty and goodwill. It was completely shattered by a single slap. There was absolutely no reason to preserve this relationship anymore. I let out a cold, hollow laugh. “Alright. I will process your cancellation right now.” Allee froze. She clearly did not expect me to agree so easily. A smug, triumphant look quickly washed over her face. “Hurry up and cancel it then. You are wasting my time. Let me tell you, there are a million luxury hotels begging for our business!” The young receptionist gathered the thirty ID cards and began canceling their rooms one by one. I stepped to the side, pulled out my phone, and dialed Shirley’s number. Shirley was the director of the Golden Years Travel Agency. About two weeks ago, she practically begged me for rooms. She had a massive senior citizen tour group of a hundred people looking for a two week stay. At the time, I had already promised Allee I would hold thirty premium suites for her corporate retreat. The remaining rooms I had were not enough to house a hundred people, so I had to politely decline. Shirley had sounded like she was on the verge of a breakdown. She told me this tour group was half of her yearly revenue. If it fell through, her agency would go bankrupt. She begged me to call her the second anything opened up. The phone rang exactly once before it was frantically answered. “Shirley, you mentioned you had a massive senior tour group coming to the lake. Did you manage to find lodging for them yet?” Shirley’s voice was thick with despair and exhaustion. “No, we didn’t! The whole trip is ruined. I am literally sitting at my desk right now, preparing to call a hundred sweet old people to tell them their vacation is canceled. My agency is not going to survive this weekend, Marsha.” Hearing that she was about to pull the plug, I quickly interrupted. “Shirley, I have rooms. I have enough space to comfortably house all a hundred of your guests.” Dead silence on the other end of the line for two solid seconds. Then, Shirley let out an absolute shriek of pure joy. “Are you serious? You actually have the rooms? Marsha, please tell me you are not joking! I will take them! I do not care how much it costs, I will take every single one of them!” I quoted her the exact same rate I had given Allee. “Five hundred bucks a person. That covers three buffet meals a day, the all access lake pass, private shuttles, a full day tour guide, the lakeside food vouchers, and three premium water sports.” Shirley let out another hysterical scream. “Oh my god! Are you running a charity? That price is an absolute steal! Do not move, I am wiring the deposit right this second before someone else snatches those rooms!” A second later, my phone pinged. Fifty thousand dollars hit my account instantly. Shirley quickly added, “That fifty grand is just the deposit for the first night! Our group is staying for the full two weeks. That is fifteen nights total. When I get there with the group, I will pay the rest of the balance in full! Marsha, please guard those rooms with your life! You are my absolute savior!” I happily agreed. The slight annoyance of losing thirty petty guests instantly evaporated. I felt incredibly light. Allee was actually right about one thing. If you want to make money, you cannot be too nice. Shirley’s hundred person group staying for fifteen nights was infinitely more profitable, and significantly less of a headache, than dealing with thirty penny pinching, entitled brats. I hung up the phone and walked back to the front desk. The receptionist had finished the paperwork. Every single cent of the deposit was refunded directly to Allee’s corporate card. Allee held up her phone, waving the refund notification proudly at her employees. “Did you guys see that? When you deal with greedy scammers, you have to play hardball!” “Let’s go! We are going to find a much better resort!” “Let her cry in her empty hotel all weekend!” The employees grabbed the handles of their rolling suitcases and followed Allee toward the glass doors of the lobby. But the moment they reached the exit, they abruptly stopped. It was currently two in the afternoon. The local transit buses that ran down the mountain only came once every four hours. The next bus was not scheduled to arrive until six in the evening. If they wanted to charter a private shuttle, it would cost at least eighty bucks a head. Thirty people meant twenty four hundred dollars out of pocket. Allee was incredibly cheap. There was absolutely no way she was going to spend that kind of cash. She hesitated for a moment, then turned to her team. “Whatever, we have time to kill. Let’s just chill in the lobby for a bit and catch the six o’clock bus.” Without waiting for a response, she marched right back into the center of my lobby, dropped heavily onto a plush leather sofa, crossed her legs, and started scrolling through her phone. Her employees exchanged awkward glances, but having no other choice, they dragged their luggage back inside and claimed the remaining seats. Thirty people packed my lobby, taking up every single chair and sofa. My young receptionist turned pale with anger, muttering under her breath. “How do they have the nerve to sit on our furniture? This is disgusting! She literally assaulted you, canceled her room, and now she is loitering like she owns the place!” I just offered a casual smirk. “Let them sit.” Honestly, I was praying they stayed exactly where they were. I wanted them to have front row seats when Shirley walked through those doors with a hundred paying guests. I wanted them to realize exactly who the actual joke was. Time ticked by slowly. The vintage clock on the lobby wall chimed the passing hours. At first, Allee looked incredibly smug. She scrolled through social media, humming a catchy pop song, occasionally shooting me a triumphant glare. She fully believed she had won. But after an hour passed, she started getting restless. She kept checking her watch. She kept standing up and pacing by the front doors, peering out into the driveway. Her employees were clearly losing their patience too. Another hour passed. It was now four in the afternoon. A group of exhausted tourists dragging heavy suitcases walked into the lobby. “Excuse me, do you guys have any vacancies? We need two rooms.” I offered a polite, apologetic smile and shook my head. “I am so sorry, we are completely booked.” The tourists groaned in despair and dragged their bags back out the door. Witnessing this, Allee’s eyes lit up with arrogant glee. She leaned over to her coworkers and whispered loudly. “Did you see that? She is turning away walk ins because she is waiting for us to crawl back and beg. Ha! I am not giving her the satisfaction. Just wait. She is going to come over here and grovel. When she does, we will aggressively negotiate the rate down to four hundred bucks, and we will force her to keep all the free perks.” The employees nodded eagerly, completely buying into Allee’s delusional logic. Over the next hour, several more groups of desperate tourists came in looking for a place to sleep. Since the entire lodge was reserved for Shirley’s mega group, I had to turn every single one of them away. Allee sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, watching me with a smug, knowing grin. She honestly believed I was rejecting paying customers just to keep the rooms open for her dramatic return. Five in the afternoon. Just one hour until the bus arrived. An older employee in Allee’s group finally cracked. He leaned close to Allee and spoke in a hushed, nervous tone. “Allee, maybe… maybe we should just stay here.” “I was looking out the window, and it looks like the entire town is completely booked. Plus, the service here is actually top tier. Five hundred bucks really is not that bad of a deal.” Another younger girl chimed in, her voice trembling slightly. “He is right, Allee. I was just checking the travel apps. The sketchy motels down the road have jacked their prices up to over a thousand bucks a night! And they do not even offer breakfast. If we do not secure a room right now, we are literally going to be sleeping on the pavement.” The smug arrogance completely melted off Allee’s face. She froze. The truth was, she was internally panicking too. She had secretly checked the hotel apps an hour ago and saw the horrifying, skyrocketing prices. But her ego was too massive to admit she made a mistake. “Stop panicking!” she snapped, forcing a confident tone. “She is just playing hard to get to force us into paying more. Watch this. I will go negotiate with her.” “I guarantee I will get us the rooms for four hundred bucks, with all the VIP perks included.” With that, she stood up, smoothed out the wrinkles in her blazer, and sauntered over to the reception desk. She forced a highly artificial, plastic smile onto her face. “Marsha, let’s make a deal. Look at my team. We have so much luggage, and moving around is such a hassle. How about this… we will do you a favor and stay at your hotel.” “You give us the rooms for four hundred bucks a head, keep all the premium services, and we will call it even. Sound good?” I slowly lifted my eyes from the ledger and looked at her. “No.” The fake smile vanished from Allee’s face instantly. “Marsha, do not push your luck! I am offering to stay here to save your business! If I walk out that door, your precious hotel is going to sit empty for the entire Memorial Day weekend!” I ignored her completely and went back to double checking my invoices. Allee gritted her teeth. “Fine. You play hardball, I play hardball. Four hundred and fifty! That is my absolute limit! If you say no to this, we are genuinely leaving!” I did not even bother looking up. “No.” Allee exploded. “What the hell is your problem, Marsha? Four hundred and fifty is not enough? Are you that desperate for cash? Let me tell you something, I know exactly what you are doing! You are turning away random guests to force us into paying full price! Well guess what? It is not going to happen!” Her insults grew increasingly vicious and unhinged. “You greedy witch! You think owning a crappy hotel makes you royalty? You think having a little bit of money means you can treat people like garbage? I hope this place burns to the ground!” My receptionist was shaking with pure rage. “Watch your mouth! If you swear at us one more time, I am calling the cops!” “Call them! I dare you!” Allee shrieked, completely fearless. “When the cops get here, I will make sure they know exactly how you scam your loyal clients!” Right at that exact second, a massive wave of noise erupted from the driveway. “Oh my goodness, Shirley! We are finally here!” “Wow, this lodge is absolutely gorgeous!” “This is a million times better than that dingy place we stayed at last year!” I looked up. Shirley was leading a massive army of a hundred cheerful senior citizens straight through the sliding glass doors. They were wearing matching visors and pulling vibrant rolling suitcases, their faces glowing with excitement. I immediately stepped out from behind the desk, a bright, genuine smile spreading across my face as I went to greet them. “Shirley! I am so glad you guys made it safely! I have all your keys ready. You are all booked into our premium lakeview suites!” Shirley grabbed both of my hands, her eyes brimming with actual tears. “Marsha! You are literally my guardian angel! I seriously thought I was going to lose my business this weekend. I was ready to sell my house to cover the refunds! My husband was threatening to divorce me!” “You single handedly saved my marriage and my career! I can never thank you enough! From this day forward, every single tour group I manage is booking exclusively with you!” I was completely absorbed in welcoming Shirley and the sweet elderly guests. I did not spare a single glance for Allee. Allee and her thirty employees stood frozen in the corner of the lobby. They stared at the chaotic, joyful scene unfolding in front of them, their jaws practically hitting the floor. They simply could not comprehend it. They thought canceling their thirty rooms would ruin me. Instead, they watched me welcome a massive, highly lucrative wave of guests. Allee’s face shifted through a spectrum of colors. Red, white, then a sickly shade of green. She looked absolutely humiliated. But she was too toxic to let it go. She crept over to a group of elderly women waiting for their keys and whispered maliciously. “Ladies, do not let her fool you! This place is a total scam!” “She rips people off! She literally just tried to steal our money! You guys need to get out of here right now!” An older gentleman turned around, giving her a highly confused look. “A scam? How is it a scam? She gave us a room, three meals, park tickets, and a free bus ride all for five hundred bucks. You call that a scam?” “Little girl, I think you need your head checked.” Another woman chimed in defensively. “Yeah! We called every hotel on this mountain. The absolute cheapest place was charging eight hundred dollars just for a bed! Marsha is the most honest business owner we have met. How dare you call her a scammer?” “Honestly, I think you are the scammer! Are you trying to scare us away so you can steal our rooms?” The seniors quickly piled on, scolding Allee loudly for her rudeness. Allee, utterly defeated and embarrassed, slinked back to her corner. Just then, the loud, heavy honk of a bus horn echoed from the road outside. The six o’clock shuttle had arrived. Allee practically lunged for her suitcase, treating the bus like a rescue helicopter. She screamed at her team. “The bus is here! Hurry! Let’s get out of this miserable hellhole!” The employees grabbed their luggage and sprinted frantically out of the lobby, following Allee into the humid evening air. They sprinted toward the open doors of the bus. But the moment they looked inside, they froze in absolute horror.

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1 During the holiday weekend, my mother-in-law and I went to visit the city aquarium. The crowds were shoulder to shoulder, and amidst the pushing, an immaculately dressed woman suddenly lashed out. “Do you have eyes in your heads?! You’re crushing my bag! This is a limited edition! If you ruin it, can you two poor beggars even afford to pay for it?!” I looked at her calmly. “This is a public space, not your private living room. If you’re so terrified of someone brushing against your bag, why don’t you build your own private aquarium to look at the fish?” The woman’s face twisted with humiliated rage. “My husband actually did build this aquarium! I make the rules here! I am ordering you to get the hell out right now! Stop polluting my space!” My mother-in-law and I both froze. This aquarium was built by Sebastian Sinclair. Since when did he become her husband? When the realization finally hit me, my entire body began to tremble. Sebastian was keeping a mistress. My mother-in-law was shaking with fury too. She pointed a finger right at the woman’s nose. “Where did this crazy woman come from?! Sebastian is my son! His legally wedded wife is standing right here! Who the hell do you think you are, barking orders in this place?!” Instead of panicking at the harsh scolding, the woman threw her head back and laughed like she had just heard the greatest joke in the world. “You two poor beggars have the nerve to pretend to be Mrs. Sinclair and her daughter-in-law? That is hilarious!” My mother-in-law had specifically dressed down today to avoid drawing attention and have a quiet, normal experience. Who would have thought her low profile would lead to her identity being questioned? “Whether you believe it or not, I don’t care. I never liked using my status to bully people, but this is Sinclair territory. The only one rolling out of here is you!” my mother-in-law snapped sharply. A mocking smirk tugged at the corners of the woman’s lips. Her eyes scanned my mother-in-law’s plain canvas tote bag like a barcode reader. “Right.” She scoffed through her nose. “You put on a decent act. But everyone knows the elder Mrs. Sinclair is a complete recluse. And the younger Mrs. Sinclair is always by the CEO’s side at high-end galas. They would never dress like absolute trash and squeeze into a crowded, sweaty public aquarium. Who are you trying to fool?” People had already stopped walking, forming a circle around us. The curious stares and hushed whispers felt like tiny needles piercing my skin. My mother-in-law’s face went from flushed red to a sickly pale, her breathing growing ragged. I quickly grabbed her arm to support her, terrified she might pass out from the anger. “What? Cat got your tongue?” Seeing our silence, the woman’s arrogance swelled. She pulled out her phone, swiping the screen with exaggerated, dramatic motions. “Do you want me to call Sebastian right now and have him expose you two frauds in person? Oh, wait. He’s incredibly busy making money right now. He doesn’t have the time to entertain a couple of nobodies.” My mother-in-law’s lips were turning purple. I squeezed her hand tightly, feeling the tremors wracking her frame. I took a deep breath, forcing the violent storm inside my chest to settle. Getting into a screaming match with this kind of woman in public would only lower us to her level. That was exactly what she wanted. “Call him.” My voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable, freezing authority. “Call Sebastian right now. Put it on speaker. Let us all hear how he has absolutely no time for his legally wedded wife and the mother who gave birth to him.” My sheer composure clearly caught her off guard. She paused for a second, but her aggressive facade quickly snapped back into place. “Wow, you are really committed to this bit, aren’t you? You won’t cry until you see the coffin.” She let out a harsh sneer and shoved her phone screen right in our faces. The contact pulled up was Sebastian’s private, unlisted number. “See this? His private line! Do you think a couple of cheap frauds would have access to this?” It felt like a hand made of solid ice had reached into my chest and crushed my heart. The pain was so suffocating I couldn’t breathe. Sebastian… he had actually given this woman his private number. 2 All those nights he claimed he was working late, those business dinners that dragged into the early hours of the morning, those faint whiffs of unfamiliar perfume lingering on his collar. They all rushed into my mind like a violent tide, turning into sharp blades tearing through my chest. The crowd of onlookers was growing thicker, and the whispers were turning into loud murmurs. The woman shrieked at us to take out our phones and show Sebastian’s number. But we had left in such a hurry this morning that neither of us had brought our phones. Seeing that we couldn’t produce any proof, the doubtful looks from the crowd slowly shifted into judgmental sneers. They were completely enjoying the show. She lifted her chin triumphantly, looking exactly like a peacock displaying its feathers. “I knew you two beggars were lying! You’re just making a fool of yourselves!” My mother-in-law’s body shook violently. It wasn’t fear. It was pure, unadulterated rage. She had lived her entire life with grace and dignity. Never once had she been subjected to this kind of public humiliation. Let alone by a woman of such trashy character pointing a finger in her face and questioning her very existence. “You… you…” Her voice trembled so badly she couldn’t even string a complete sentence together. Seeing this, the woman only sneered louder, pouring gasoline on the fire. “Me what? You can’t keep the act up anymore? I highly suggest you take the hint and get lost right now. Don’t wait until I call security to drag you out. That is going to be incredibly ugly for you.” Right as the tension hit a breaking point, a man in a crisp manager’s suit shoved his way through the tight crowd. “What’s going on here? Please keep the peace, everyone…” His authoritative tone completely evaporated the second his eyes landed on the polished woman. An incredibly flattering, almost sickeningly sweet smile took over his face. “Miss… Miss Vanessa! What are you doing here? Is someone giving you trouble?” Vanessa looked at the manager like he was a loyal servant. Her chin tilted even higher. “Manager Davis, perfect timing. These two crazy hags are causing a scene, and they even had the nerve to impersonate Mr. Sinclair’s wife and mother! Get them out of here immediately! Looking at them makes my eyes hurt!” Davis’s expression instantly hardened. He turned to us, his eyes sharp and completely devoid of patience. “Ladies, please leave the premises immediately. Do not cause trouble here and ruin the experience for our other guests. If you refuse, I will have security escort you out by force.” My mother-in-law shook with fury, pointing a trembling finger right at the manager. “You! You are the manager of this facility, and you blindly listen to a one-sided story from her without even asking what happened? Do you have any idea who I am?!” A fleeting look of contempt crossed Davis’s face. “Ma’am. I haven’t had the honor of meeting the elder Mrs. Sinclair many times, but I know for a fact she wouldn’t be dressed like you. Miss Vanessa is a VIP guest, personally entrusted to us by Mr. Sinclair himself. Please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” VIP. I caught the keyword, and the chill in my heart turned to absolute freezing dread. Sebastian had blatantly announced the existence of his mistress to his subordinates? I gently pressed down on my mother-in-law’s shaking arm and took a step forward. My cold gaze swept over both the manager and Vanessa. “Manager Davis, is it? You call her a VIP, which means whatever falls out of her mouth is the absolute truth, and whatever we say is just nonsense. Is that how the Sinclair enterprise treats its guests?” My voice was crystal clear and completely calm, carrying an oppressive weight that demanded answers. Davis clearly hadn’t expected me to question him with such ice-cold composure. He was momentarily stunned into silence. But Vanessa was losing her patience. “Stop wasting your breath on them! Manager Davis, call security right now!” “I would love to see who dares!” My mother-in-law, who had been suppressing her blinding rage this entire time, finally erupted with the true, terrifying authority of the Sinclair family matriarch. 3 She stopped looking at Vanessa entirely, dismissing her like a clown. She locked eyes with the manager and spoke with slow, precise hostility. “You will call Sebastian Sinclair right now. Put it on speaker. I want to ask him personally when some random, shady woman got the right to bark orders in his facilities! I want to ask him if his own mother and his legally wedded wife are supposed to be thrown out of a Sinclair enterprise just because this trash said so!” Her aura was absolutely suffocating. Davis was visibly rattled, a flash of genuine panic crossing his face. Seeing his hesitation, Vanessa threw a furious fit. “Call him! Sebastian is in a board meeting right now! Do you really think I’m scared of you two? Call him, Davis! Let these two frauds accept their pathetic reality!” Under the watchful eyes of dozens of people, Davis pulled out his phone with a trembling hand and dialed the number saved as ‘Boss’. After a few long rings, a cold, automated voice echoed from the speaker. “The number you have dialed is currently unavailable…” Davis froze. He quickly dialed again, but got the exact same result. “Mr. Sinclair might be in a meeting…” he tried to explain weakly. But Vanessa whipped out her own phone, looking incredibly smug. “Let me do it. Sebastian told me that whenever I call, no matter how busy he is, he will always pick up.” The call connected almost instantly. The triumphant smile on Vanessa’s face grew wildly arrogant. She even raised an eyebrow at us in blatant provocation. “Baby, what’s wrong?” Sebastian’s deeply familiar voice poured out of the speaker. Her tone immediately shifted into something sickeningly sweet and whiny, playing the role of the spoiled, helpless damsel flawlessly. “Sebastian, I ran into two crazy old women at the aquarium! They’re bullying me! Come back me up!” “What? That is ridiculous. Wait right there, baby. I’m dropping this meeting and heading over right now. How dare anyone touch my girl…” The utter devotion and protective anger in his response felt like a dagger dipped in lethal poison, plunging straight into my chest. My blood froze solid in my veins. My mother-in-law gripped my hand with a deathly tight hold. She had lived her entire life with unparalleled dignity. She had never suffered such a grotesque humiliation. And the worst part was that this humiliation was handed to her by the very son she had raised. Pushed past the absolute limit of her endurance, she lunged forward and slapped Vanessa across the face. “A dirty mistress acting this arrogant in broad daylight!” The slap was incredibly loud and crisp. It carried every ounce of suppressed rage and humiliation, landing squarely on Vanessa’s delicate cheek. Time seemed to freeze. Vanessa’s head snapped to the side. A bright red handprint blossomed across her skin. She covered her cheek, her eyes blown wide in sheer disbelief. The shock in her gaze rapidly morphed into something utterly venomous and unhinged. “Okay. Good.” She gently rubbed her swollen cheek, looking at my mother-in-law and me like we were livestock waiting to be slaughtered. “You ancient bitch. You dare hit me? Impersonating the Sinclair matriarch and laying hands on me? Today, I am going to show you exactly what happens when you cross Vanessa.” She whipped around to look at the terrified manager, her voice sharp and vicious. “Manager Davis! What the hell are you standing there for?! Grab this crazy old hag!” Davis, remembering how fiercely Sebastian had just defended her on the phone, quickly weighed the risks and made his choice. “Grab the old woman!” The second the words left his mouth, two security guards flanked my mother-in-law, grabbing her arms violently. “Let go of her!” My eyes went bloodshot. I fought like a madwoman, scratching and kicking, but another guard easily overpowered me, pinning me back. Vanessa watched the scene with deep satisfaction. She rubbed her cheek again, her eyes darting around the facility before locking onto the massive, deeply illuminated shark tank at the center of the hall. The dark, eerie blue water reflected against the thick glass. Several massive silhouettes were slowly circling in the depths. A completely wicked plan formed in her mind. She let out a chilling laugh and pointed at the guards. “String this old bitch up over the shark tank.” 4 All the color drained from the manager’s face. “Miss… Miss Vanessa, that is incredibly dangerous!” “Shut your mouth!” she screamed, cutting him off entirely. “Do exactly as I say! Or I am calling Sebastian back, and you can kiss your career goodbye!” He swallowed hard, trembling, and finally gave the security guards a defeated wave of his hand. “No! You can’t do this!” I screamed in absolute terror. My mother-in-law finally realized the horrific danger she was in. She struggled violently. “You venomous snake! What are you doing?!” Vanessa completely ignored our desperate screams. She directed the guards to drag my mother-in-law to the service catwalk directly above the deepest, most active section of the shark enclosure. “Vanessa! Stop this! Let her go! Sebastian will never forgive you for this!” I cried out until my voice cracked, thrashing wildly. My nails dug into the guard’s arm, drawing blood, but I still couldn’t break his iron grip. My mother-in-law’s hands were tied behind her back. The mechanical winch slowly lifted her, leaving her dangling helplessly in the air above the massive tank. “How does it feel, old hag? Enjoying the view from up there?” I fought with everything I had, tears entirely blurring my vision. “Vanessa! What do you want from us?! Let her down! Take it out on me!” “Take it out on you?” Vanessa tilted her head as if she had just heard something fascinating. “Sure. You want me to let this old trash go? It’s very simple.” She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at the cold, hard tile floor. “You. Right now. Get on your knees. Kowtow to me eighteen times. And with every single hit to the floor, you will yell, ‘I was wrong, I shouldn’t have offended Miss Vanessa.’ Once you finish, I might consider pulling her back up.” “Don’t you dare!” my mother-in-law screamed from the air. “Audrey, do not kneel! This venomous snake isn’t worth it!” My whole body was shaking. I looked up at the woman who raised my husband, dangling over the jaws of death. I saw the terrifying dark shadows lurking beneath the water’s surface. Dignity meant absolutely nothing compared to her life. “I’ll kneel!” My forehead slammed into the floor with a heavy, sickening thud. “Audrey! Get up! Don’t kneel to her!” my mother-in-law sobbed from above. I didn’t get up. I slammed my head down a second time. “I was wrong… I shouldn’t have offended Miss Vanessa.” Vanessa let out a delighted, ringing laugh, watching me like I was the main event at a circus. By the time I finished the eighteenth kowtow, my forehead was a bruised, split mess. Warm blood trickled down my skin, blurring my vision and coating my face. “Now. Let her go.” Vanessa clapped her hands, laughing so hard her shoulders shook. “Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I had no idea you two had such a touching bond!” She walked over to the edge of the railing, placing her hand right over the release latch for the winch rope. But she didn’t press it. “However…” She dragged the word out. “I changed my mind.” A cruel, totally twisted smile stretched across her face. “You ruined my mood today. Just banging your head on the floor isn’t nearly enough to make up for it. I need to give you a lesson… that you will never, ever forget!” “No!” I let out a blood-curdling scream, lunging forward with everything I had. But I was too late. Vanessa ruthlessly hit the release, severing the cord that held my mother-in-law’s life. “Ah!” A short, terrified gasp escaped my mother-in-law’s lips as she plummeted straight into the shark tank below. A massive splash echoed through the hall. The water churned violently as the dark silhouettes of the predators darted forward with terrifying speed. The pristine blue water was instantly tainted with a horrifying cloud of red. The world turned entirely crimson before my eyes. My scream lodged in my throat, choking me into absolute silence. She was gone. Right in front of my eyes, the mistress my husband pampered had sent his own mother into the jaws of death. Just then, a voice rang out from the crowd. “Mr. Sinclair is here!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “439049”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

To bathe my pet, I was influenced into buying a “Couples’ Bathroom Suction Cup Wristband.” But the package left at my door was mistakenly taken by my crush, the dentist next door. While walking the dog, I discussed the “wonders” of the wristband with an innocent college boy. When I got back, my neighbor backed me into a corner. “Who did you use it with? “If it could be just anyone, then why didn’t you choose me?” 01 My name is Penny Parker. Ever since I was a kid, my feet would glue themselves to the floor at the sight of good food. After I started working, my food expenses went through the roof, taking up a ridiculous chunk of my paycheck. To fund my eating habits, I racked my brain for ways to make extra cash and finally chose the path that suited me best—becoming a Mukbang streamer. My career was just starting; I only had a meager dozen or so followers. On my stream, I was complaining about how my Corgi, Waffles, never behaved during bath time. A fan mysteriously sent me a link, promising it worked like a charm. I obediently bought it. The next day, the delivery guy called to say it was delivered, but I didn’t see a ghost of a package. “I left it at your front door as you requested.” In the photo the delivery guy sent, the brown cardboard box was sitting quietly right in the middle between my door and my neighbor’s. “I went to the building manager to check the security footage. The neighbor thought it was his package and took it inside!!!” During my stream, looking dead inside, I reported this colossal mix-up to my fans. “I don’t know if the box has the product name written on it. “If he saw it, my lifelong reputation is ruined, hahahaha.” The live chat comments flew by, full of mockery and zero comfort. “I’ve had a crush on him for so long. If he gets the wrong idea, I seriously won’t have the courage to explain myself ahhhh.” Just picturing that scene was more than I could handle. When people feel awkward, they try to look busy, so I stuffed another fried chicken drumstick into my mouth. It was a little bland, but that was okay. Paired with my tears, it was just salty enough. [Don’t you bring him food all the time? Since he just took the package in not long ago, he probably hasn’t opened it yet. Go drop off some food and get it back on the way.] [Girl, she’s right! The longer you drag it out, the higher the risk he sees it. Just rip the band-aid off!] [I’m so anxious, I really want to know what happens next. Streamer, hurry up and go. Come back and restart the stream afterward; I’m pulling an all-nighter right here waiting for you.] Thinking it over, I really didn’t have a better solution. I had no choice but to hastily end the stream, pack up the table full of food, and knock on my handsome neighbor’s door. 02 My neighbor’s name was Arthur Hayes, a dentist at a top-tier hospital in our district. My crush on him originated from a brutally intense cavity filling. I had bad eating habits. Whenever I ate something delicious, I’d subconsciously bite down hard. One careless chomp on a bone fragment chipped my tooth. It hurt so much I couldn’t sleep all night, my cheek swelling up like a small hill. At the crack of dawn, I scrambled to the nearest hospital and registered. Clutching my swollen cheek, I opened the door to the clinic. One look up completely overturned my perception of the medical profession. He looked very unprofessional, because he was simply way too handsome. Fair skin, perfectly proportioned features, soft hair falling smoothly to his brow bone. He wore gold-rimmed glasses resting on a high-bridged nose, and his lips were full and an alluring shade. “Please, have a seat.” His clear, soothing voice pulled my thoughts back. I sat in the dental chair in front of him, obediently opening my mouth, leaving myself at his mercy. He briefly asked about my symptoms, then pinched my chin and meticulously examined me for a long time with his cold tools. I only understood “needs a filling,” “requires a root canal,” and “might need to come in a few more times.” Then, in a daze, I found myself lying back on the cold dental chair. “Pinch me if it hurts.” He placed my hand on his leg. “Tilt your head up. “Relax. “Open wide, don’t bite down…” His deep, gentle voice worked better than hypnosis. It was like I was under a spell, acting completely obedient. Whatever he said, I did. That was until an indescribable, aching, numbing pain spread through my mouth. I couldn’t help but pinch his thigh muscle hard. The texture was firm and elastic. A series of inappropriate images began popping into my head. Like that thirsty TikTok video of the muscle guy I scrolled past before bed last night. Tears spilling out from the pain flowed down my mouth and were sucked away clean by his suction tube. “Bear with it for a second. “A little pressure and pain at first is normal, it’ll be over soon.” The cold instruments brought a weird sensation, and the fear of the unknown tortured me. Only by staring at his eyes and brows could I alleviate a fraction of my anxiety. Luckily, he worked fast. After it was over, I sat dumbly on the edge of the chair. Arthur went over post-care instructions while scheduling my next root canal appointment. When I left, he said. “…Pinch a little lighter next time.” I was speechless. The second time I came, I recorded an audio clip on my phone. “Dr. Hayes, it hurts!” Every time it hurt, I just pressed play on the recording. My voice echoed in the small clinic room. “Dr. Hayes, it hurts! “Dr. Hayes… “Dr. Hayes, it hurts so much!” The young nurse beside us was bursting with joy, laughing so hard she bent over and couldn’t stand straight for a while. Arthur’s face turned red all the way to the tips of his ears. He kept saying, “Okay, I’ll be gentler. Hang in there, it’ll be over soon.” But his hand movements didn’t pause for a single second because of my audio clip. It wasn’t until I looked at him with teary eyes that he let me rest for a few minutes. Then it was a new round of torture. After the filling was done this time, we had no reason to meet and chat anymore. Even though I missed him, the painful memories of that dental chair were truly terrifying, always managing to nip my burgeoning crush in the bud. However, our next meeting didn’t take long. The flu hit hard, and the apartment complex organized a pop-up vaccination drive in the lobby. Arthur was the doctor assigned to our building. I came down late and was at the very end of the line. It wasn’t until I got my shot and he took off his protective gear that I recognized him. “What a coincidence, Dr. Hayes!” “I’ve been dealing with you for days, and you’re just now recognizing me?” “Huh? You recognized me the past two days?” “I recognized your teeth.” I laughed awkwardly. Chalk it up to him being unromantic, and me being overly sentimental. We chatted as we walked, only realizing we were walking the same path when we reached our front doors. “You live here too? “Looks like we’re neighbors.” Being close to the water gets you the moonlight first. Wasn’t this a godsend? I, Penny Parker, am indeed destined to feast on the best! Since then, I would find excuses to bother Dr. Hayes, making him cute bento boxes, asking him out to try new restaurants or watch movies. The fact that he never refused made me feel pretty good about myself. I had even thought of our future kids’ names. Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. I believed our relationship was just one step away from the goal line. Now that this incident happened, if I didn’t handle it well, wouldn’t all this time spent chasing him be for nothing? 03 I knocked lightly three times. Not long after, the door opened. “Hehe, I’m here to use you as my taste tester again.” Arthur stepped aside, gesturing for me to come in. Just as I was about to take off my shoes and walk in barefoot, a pair of fuzzy slippers was handed to me. “I bought you these fluffy bunny slippers. They just arrived today.” The two little ears on the bunny’s head bobbed with his movement. A squeal of delight was right on the tip of my tongue, but to maintain my ladylike image, I swallowed it back down. “I saw these scrolling online just a couple days ago! They’re so cute!” Delighted, I slipped on the slippers and arranged the food on the dining table. Not forgetting why I was here, I kept my hands moving while secretly scanning every corner of the living room from the corner of my eye. By the shoe cabinet in the entryway, my delivery box lay quietly. It didn’t look like it had been opened. My heart settled halfway back into my chest. “I tried to replicate KFC’s crispy fried chicken at home today. I feel like it’s a bit bland, can you taste it?” I held out a drumstick to Arthur. I thought he would reach out and take it, but to my surprise, he just leaned in and took a bite right out of my hand. “It’s delicious.” I felt the temperature of my face rising steadily. Was this the beauty of flirting? I sat down, feigning calmness, and pulled out my homemade floral gin. It was October, the autumn breeze was crisp, and the scent of flowers filled the air. It was a great time for infused liquor. I figured knocking back a couple of drinks might make it easier to speak naturally, so I brought it without overthinking. Arthur brought out two glasses and poured a little for each of us. Worried it wouldn’t be enough liquid courage for me to perform, I topped them off with a bit more. “I didn’t realize you were such a good drinker?” He teased me, watching my actions. I just giggled. I was here to handle serious business, after all. After dinner, I sat on the sofa watching TV, preparing to get down to business once Arthur finished cleaning up the dishes. I was still brewing my words and hadn’t opened my mouth yet when he interrupted my casting. “That movie you missed in theaters is available streaming now. I rented it. Do you want to watch it together?” My mouth was faster than my brain. Before my brain could process it, my mouth had already said yes for me. The lights were dimmed, and coupled with the alcohol, sleepiness soon enveloped me. In a daze, I blindly grabbed something to hug and slept soundly. When I woke up, the movie was over. I was leaning against Arthur’s chest, my hands wrapped around his arm, and I had even left a suspicious drool stain on his shirt. Guiltily, I pursed my lips, but I felt a stinging, burning sensation on them. Seeing this, he leaned in for a closer look. “It might be an allergic reaction. Do you know what you’re allergic to?” Maybe because we hadn’t spoken for a long time during the movie, his voice sounded a bit hoarse. Seeing me shake my head, he continued. “Come to the hospital tomorrow for an allergy test. I’ll book the appointment for you.” Before leaving, as I was changing my shoes in the entryway, I pretended to casually notice my package. “Oh, this looks like my package. The delivery guy must have dropped it off at the wrong door.” He glanced at the box and handed it to me. The lighting was dim, so I couldn’t clearly see his expression. My probing had failed. “Is it? I just brought it in and didn’t look closely. You should take it back.” I thought to myself, Thank god I got here fast. He hadn’t opened it or seen it, so my image was safe. After bidding each other goodnight, I happily carried the box back to my place. I didn’t forget the girls waiting for me online, so I updated them on the progress. “Retrieved safely! I’ll dish the details on tomorrow’s stream! I just fell asleep at his place.” This was the first time I’d stayed at his place this long. My whole body was marinated in the nice woody scent of his apartment. As soon as I got back, Waffles circled me, sniffing for ages. When I showered and threw my clothes in the hamper, I was almost reluctant to wash them. How is my behavior any different from a total creep? Penny Parker, you are such a pervert. 04 Actually, the stinging on my lips was gone after my shower that night. I figured the allergen was probably inside Arthur’s house. However, since he had already booked the appointment, I woke up bright and early to get the allergy test done. As soon as I got the report, Arthur strolled up beside me out of nowhere. “Let me see.” I handed it to him. “Dust mites and cat dander.” “I fed some stray cats on my way home from work yesterday. I probably got cat hair on me.” The symptoms did appear right after leaning on him, and it wasn’t too severe. “Probably.” “Mhm. Next time you come over, I’ll change clothes and shower first.” “It’s fine, it’s fine, I’m not that fragile. It’s probably just because we were leaning so close yesterday.” Arthur gave me a meaningful look. “Last night, when you were rubbing my abs and sleep-talking, you said they felt good, that you loved touching them, and wanted to touch them more.” My eyes widened to the size of saucers. My little brain desperately scrambled for memories of last night—error 404, scene not found. How could a person make such a massive blunder after just a little alcohol??? My mind went completely blank, and I couldn’t utter a single syllable. “Allergies can be mild or severe; in the worst-case scenario, you could suffocate. “As a doctor, I obviously have to prevent my patient from collapsing in front of me.” The heart of a girl with a crush on her doctor simply shattered into pieces. The temperature of my face skyrocketed. If it were winter right now, I’d be blowing white steam out of my nostrils like a dragon. “I have to get to work. I’m leaving.” I muttered under my breath and hurriedly fled the scene, not even taking my allergy report. Sitting in the car, I couldn’t stop replaying Arthur’s words. I said I wanted to touch him, and he just let me? Did he think I was a creep, or was he indulging my handsy behavior? If I hit him up in the future, will he treat me like a pervert? If I read this completely wrong, does that mean I can never hang out with Dr. Hayes again? The more I thought about it, the worse my mood got, and I didn’t dare initiate conversation with him anymore. When I started my stream that night, my head was still full of this mess, so I talked a lot less. [Is Penny in a bad mood?] [You still haven’t told us about last night.] Seeing the chat mention yesterday, I couldn’t help but sigh again. “Ugh, don’t even bring it up. I made an even bigger mess yesterday.” I stopped eating and recounted the whole series of events from last night. The chat had people comforting me and people laughing at my obliviousness. But one particular comment buried in there was exceptionally explosive. [What a shame it was just an allergy! I totally thought he stole a kiss and kissed your lips swollen!] [Let them speak!] [User ‘BigSocks’, you have no filter.] What kind of wild, scandalous statement is that! If Dr. Hayes would actually do that, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams. “I’ve been flirting with him for so long and haven’t even gotten to hold his hand. How could he possibly steal a kiss!” The chat erupted into a sea of [Hahahaha]. [But he ate the chicken straight from your hand! He must have feelings for you to do that.] [Were his words this morning a polite way of telling you to keep your hands to yourself?] [Sister, you’ve definitely never dated. He’s obviously playing hard to get!] [+1.] [I think so too.] Seeing the chat debating so passionately, I felt a whirlwind of mixed emotions. They could guess whatever they wanted, but if I guessed wrong, I might just repeat past mistakes. Back in college, I pursued a guy too aggressively and mistook his polite rejection for shyness. Full of confidence, I went to confess my feelings. When he rejected me, he frowned, looking at me like I was a pesky mosquito. “Sorry, I think you’re just horny, you don’t actually like me.” After that, we completely cut ties. Thinking that if I said the wrong thing, my relationship with Dr. Hayes would reset to zero, my heart ached sourly, and my food lost its flavor. And if I ever needed to see a dentist again, I’d have to detour to a farther hospital. I don’t want that!!! “Sigh, I should just lay low and behave myself for a while.” 05 The wristband the fan recommended was actually pretty great. Once I secured Waffles, he couldn’t break free, and I finally didn’t have to play parkour with him in the shower stall. That evening, I took Waffles out for a walk. We bumped into a downstairs neighbor who also had a Corgi. The two of us strolled along the path by the community park. Waffles and the other Corgi, Marshmallow, ran in circles wagging their tails, having the time of their lives. Heh, little simp. Just like me. Marshmallow’s owner was a college boy. I rarely saw him walking the dog before because he was a busy high school senior; usually, his mom brought the dog out. Back in high school, he had a buzzcut and wore a uniform every day, looking like an average teenager. Now that he was in college, his hair was longer. Wearing a hoodie, calling me “Penny” with a sweet mouth, he gave off total “puppy dog” vibes. “I rarely saw you walking Marshmallow before.” “Yeah, I didn’t have much time in high school. Now that I have more free time in college, my mom stopped walking her for me.” “Oh, I see. Do you take Marshmallow to a groomer, or do you wash her at home?” “Washing her at home is more convenient, but it’s a huge hassle.” Hearing this, I couldn’t wait to recommend my new bath-time miracle tool to him. But since this thing’s original purpose wasn’t pet grooming and it looked a bit kinky, I had to lean in close and whisper to him. “Someone recently recommended something to me, and it works so well. “Go search these keywords: Couples, Bathroom, Wrist Cuffs.” Seeing me say this, Toby looked at me weirdly. I quickly pulled out a picture and explained how to use it, preventing him from thinking I was some older woman with bizarre fetishes. “Look, you strap them up like this, and no matter how much they struggle, they can’t get loose.” “Is it really that good?” “Yeah! It’s comfortable for them, and comfortable for you.” “But I’ve never tried it. Will it overstimulate her?” “No way! I’ve already used it!” Right as we were discussing it, I caught a glimpse of Arthur walking by. I was just about to say hi, but I saw his face was dark. The air pressure around him was freezing, giving off a total “stay away from me” vibe. The way he looked reminded me of that guy I confessed to before; he was just as ruthlessly cold after rejecting me. I swallowed my greeting, lowered my head to pretend I didn’t see him, and moved a few steps closer to Toby. After Arthur walked past, I felt distracted. The topic we were happily chatting about suddenly lost its appeal. Toby also noticed something was off. “Penny, you look a bit tired. You want to head back and rest?” “Yeah, I’m just not really feeling it right now.” I sighed deeply, tugged at Waffles’ leash, and said goodbye to Toby. Waffles looked reluctantly at Marshmallow. His two hind paws dug firmly into the ground, completely refusing to leave. The leash around his neck squished his face flab into a ball, but he still wouldn’t budge. “Waffles! Time to go home!” Seeing his pathetic, simp-like expression made me mad. Toby, on the other hand, was laughing beside us. “He probably hasn’t played enough yet. Looks like Marshmallow wants to keep playing too. “Leave him with me. You head back and take a shower first, and once they’ve played enough, I’ll bring Waffles back to your place.” Although I felt a bit bad, since he put it that way, I couldn’t refuse. I had to temporarily entrust Waffles to him and head home first. As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I saw someone standing in the hallway. It was Arthur. He turned to look at me, his face wearing an icy expression I had never seen before. Pierced by his unfriendly gaze, I felt a sting of hurt. I stood rooted to the spot, momentarily unsure if I should step forward. He turned and advanced on me step by step. In the empty hallway, only the sound of his footsteps echoed, hammering against my heart beat by beat. I had a vague, bad premonition. Perhaps our relationship was about to end right here. My body subconsciously backed up until my back hit the wall with nowhere else to retreat. “Why are you hiding?” I kept my head down, not daring to look at him, but he suddenly took off his glasses. “Close your eyes.” Because I had always followed his instructions during my dental visits, when his familiar voice rang out, my body reacted before my brain. The instant I closed my eyes, his hand threaded through my hair, landing on the back of my neck and pressing me towards him. The momentum made me tilt my head up, and his scorching kiss crashed down. It burned so hot that my eyes flew open, and I froze in shock. His dark eyes carried suppressed anger, his gaze locking tightly onto me, his handsome brows furrowed into a knot. “Do you like it like this? “I saw the package.” He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I thought you were going to use it with me. “Who did you use it with? “What am I, then? “If it could be just anyone, then why didn’t you choose me?” His tone carried restrained fury. With every accusation, his eyes grew a shade redder. Seeing him like this, I didn’t even know where to start explaining. “I…” The moment I made a sound, he cut me off. “Sorry. I lost my composure.” He let go and looked like he was about to turn and leave. I quickly grabbed his hand. “It’s not what you think…” Before I could spit out more than a few words, my stomach let out a noise louder than my speaking voice. Grrrrmble— In the empty hallway, it sounded exceptionally clear. My silence was deafening. “…Have you eaten? Come over to my place for dinner, and I’ll explain everything while we eat.” He didn’t say a word. He looked like he was in a terrible mood, but he still let me pull him into my apartment. Since I was streaming today, I had cooked rice in advance and prepped food in the fridge, planning to heat it up and eat after walking the dog. I posted an absence notice to my fans on my phone, then heated the food while carefully weighing how to explain things. Arthur sat silently on the couch, the back of his head facing me so I couldn’t see his expression. I analyzed the current situation. He seemed to think I liked aggressive romance, that I had used the wristbands with someone else, and that I was playing with his feelings? So, does that mean I can interpret this as him liking me too? At the dinner table, he ate very little. He didn’t look like he had an appetite, more like he was just going through the motions to keep me company. “Um… that package is indeed mine, but I didn’t use it for those things… “I have a dog named Waffles. He’s misbehaves during baths, so I used them to tie him up while washing him… don’t get the wrong idea.” He put down his chopsticks and looked at me. “Do you see a single shadow of a dog in this house?” I went silent. I had thought of everything except that he wouldn’t believe me. But with Waffles not home, my explanation did sound pretty unbelievable. I had Waffles’ dog bed in my bedroom. If I showed it to him, he should believe me, right? “Penny, do you like me?” I didn’t expect him to ask that. I nodded hastily. He breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had made some sort of resolution. “Then that’s all that matters. I don’t care about the rest. “If you like it rough, I can do it. Just don’t go to anyone else.” 06 “So that’s what happened. It was too much drama. I still haven’t recovered.” After Arthur left, I broadcasted my mind-blowing day on my stream. The chat comments flew faster and faster, and the viewer count skyrocketed. [Ahhhh so sweet!!!] [He’s so smooth!] [He’s down bad!] [Manifesting a handsome, obsessed boyfriend.] I couldn’t help but giggle like an idiot. Who would’ve thought? I assumed I was going to be blocked and treated as a pervert, but the tables turned, and I went from a one-sided simp to mutual love. [Maybe you just shouldn’t explain. I feel like you’re pretty into it.] [She still has to explain! Otherwise, what if he constantly thinks Penny has unhealthy relationships with other guys?] I thought they had a point. Even though this dynamic was admittedly intoxicating, I couldn’t seriously let him keep misunderstanding me. “When Waffles gets back, I’m definitely clearing things up. It’s just that it was so shocking earlier; I’ve never seen anything like that, so I froze in fear, hehe.” After chatting with them for a bit more, Toby knocked on the door to return the dog, so I took the opportunity to end the stream. After wiping Waffles’ paws clean, I took him and knocked on Arthur’s door. Opening the door, Arthur only had a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. His hair hadn’t been blow-dried yet, and water droplets rolled off the tips, sliding all the way down his collarbone and leaving a trail across his pecs and abs. I stared, completely mesmerized. “Come in.” My body reacted faster than my brain again. By the time I came to my senses, the door behind me had already closed. Waffles wriggled free from my arms and ran off into his apartment on his stubby little legs. “Waffles!” I warned him to behave, but Waffles just turned to look at me with a clueless expression. Helpless, I had to turn my gaze back to Arthur. “Now you believe me, right?” “Mhm.” His tone was affirmative, but he didn’t seem to care much whether it was true or not anymore. Looking entirely like, “Whatever, I’ve already made peace with it,” he reached down and scooped up Waffles. Maybe it was because he had smelled Arthur’s scent on me before. Waffles just lowered his head, took a sniff, and dropped his guard. He wiggled his big butt and nestled into a comfortable position in his arms. Haha, the feeling I hadn’t even experienced yet, he got to try it first. Maybe my gaze was too searing; Arthur looked up at me. “Want to touch?” I nodded my head vigorously like a rattle drum. “Touch if you want to. I showered, so you won’t get an allergic reaction.” I remembered what he said at the hospital before. So it really was playing hard to get. Then I won’t hold back. Without hesitation, I shooed Waffles away and threw my arms around his lean waist. I buried my face in his chest; it was cool and felt incredibly comfortable. I hugged him again and again, loving it to pieces. “Arthur, do you like me?” I mumbled. “What else would it be?” He kept a straight face, but his body was honest. His two arms locked me in tight, leaving no room for my hands to cause mischief. “Did you come over to try the wristbands?” I was speechless. “They really are for Waffles!” He clearly didn’t take my words to heart. With a flex of his arms, he hoisted me up just like I hold Waffles and dumped me onto the couch. “We didn’t finish the movie last time. You watch it first; I’m going to change clothes.” Actually, I wasn’t particularly interested in that movie. I just wanted an excuse to ask Arthur out. Unfortunately, my company had a big project right then, and I worked overtime for half a month straight, so we didn’t get to go to the theater. I didn’t expect him to keep remembering it. I sat cross-legged holding the remote, browsing the list for a movie to watch. Arthur sat down beside me, and the couch dipped slightly. Losing my balance, I tipped right over toward him. He stretched out his long arm and very naturally looped me into his embrace. “Throwing yourself at me?” My ears burned bright red from his hot breath. My hand jerked, and I didn’t even know what movie I clicked into. Until Arthur’s voice, speaking through gritted teeth, echoed. “Penny! Parker! What do you mean by making me watch this?” I looked closely. The title “Challengers” was incredibly prominent on the screen. The background image was a promotional poster of two guys and one girl hugging intimately. “No! My hand just slipped, I don’t know how I clicked it!” “Is that so? You sure have a lot of ‘coincidences’ surrounding you.”

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