Category: English

My twin sister, Serena, always claimed to be a modern-day feminist icon. Ethan Sterling, the sole heir to the Sterling empire in New York, had a horrific car accident and ended up in a vegetative state. The doctors said he wouldn’t survive the year. To secure his legacy, his mother, Eleanor Sterling, approached my highly educated, gorgeous sister. She promised $30 million and a luxury penthouse in Manhattan if Serena married him and had his baby. Serena held her head high, looking down her nose. “Eleanor, pregnancy is just objectifying women,” Serena scoffed. “You’re not just humiliating me; you’re humiliating yourself!” Everyone praised Serena for her integrity and pride. Eleanor’s face flushed red with embarrassment. Right then, floating system comments appeared right in front of my eyes. [Serena, stop being so proud. Ethan is going to wake up in two months! And his mind is actually conscious right now—he can hear everything you’re saying!] [Once he wakes up, you guys will have a marriage-first, love-later romance. By then, never mind $30 million—half of the Sterling fortune will be yours!] I immediately stepped forward and stopped Eleanor. “Mrs. Sterling, if Serena doesn’t want to do it, I will.” Marrying into a billionaire family didn’t matter to me. What mattered was that I really, really needed that $30 million! 1 Eleanor’s eyes lit up. “Are you serious, Chloe?” I nodded quickly. “Yes. Serena and I are twins. I was born just a minute after her, and I have a college degree too.” “Chloe!” my mother interrupted, her face darkening. “Mrs. Sterling was looking for Serena. Why are you jumping around trying to show off?” Serena also frowned at me. “Chloe, I don’t mean to judge, but just because you haven’t found a job a year after graduation doesn’t mean you should degrade yourself for some quick cash.” The rest of our relatives pointed fingers and accused me of ruining the family’s reputation. “Chloe is just nothing compared to Serena. Serena has always had high standards, unlike her sister.” “Exactly. Serena got a top corporate job offer before she even graduated. Chloe just freeloads at home. Now she’s trying to take a shortcut by having a baby for a rich guy.” Their comments stung, clearly hinting that I was shameless. Terrified that Eleanor would misunderstand, I quickly explained. “I’m not lazy. I didn’t look for a full-time job because my grandmother got sick and needed full-time care. Mrs. Sterling, please consider me. I’m very healthy.” My parents had always favored Serena. When they moved to the city to work, they only took her with them. I was raised entirely by my grandmother, Evelyn. The year I graduated, I actually landed a job with a $150,000 salary. I thought I could finally bring Grammy over to enjoy life. But then, she was diagnosed with advanced cancer. My family refused to pay for her treatment or care for her. They even planned to dump her in a cheap nursing home to let her die. I couldn’t watch her die. So, I came home, working odd freelance gigs while taking care of her. But $30 million… With that money, Grammy could get the best treatment in the world. Desperate, I grabbed Eleanor’s hand and started listing my academic achievements. This made Serena unhappy. She walked over and yanked my hand away. “Chloe, stop it. Can’t you see you’re making Mrs. Sterling uncomfortable?” “Your gold-digging intentions are too obvious. I know you’ve wanted to marry rich since you were a kid, but look at yourself. How could you possibly be worthy of the Sterling family?” We share the exact same DNA. If I’m not worthy, how are you? Before I could snap back, Eleanor actually spoke up for me. “Our family doesn’t care about background. But Chloe, did you misunderstand something?” “We only want an heir for Ethan. Even if you sign a marriage certificate with him, once the baby is born, you won’t get a single penny of the Sterling estate. Are you still willing?” I nodded. “Yes, I am.” Eleanor let out a sigh of relief, but then added, “The only reason I approached Serena was because of her high IQ of 120. We need to ensure the baby has good genes. If you want to take her place, you’ll have to take an IQ test.” I agreed immediately. As soon as Eleanor left, Serena burst into tears. “Chloe, your greed really disappoints me.” “If it were anything else, I would let you have it. But Ethan is in a vegetative state. I don’t want you to suffer for me. Let’s reject Mrs. Sterling together when she comes back, okay?” Everyone rushed to comfort her, glaring at me like I was a selfish monster who stole her sister’s spotlight. “Chloe is so thoughtless. How could she steal her sister’s opportunity?” “Serena, a family of their caliber would never want Chloe anyway.” Classic. With just a few words, she turned everyone against me. But I knew she was just playing the martyr. She wanted that $30 million more than anyone. In fact, right after Eleanor contacted us yesterday, I saw her searching on her phone for what she could buy with $30 million. I thought the IQ test results would take a few days, but that very night, Eleanor called me. “Chloe, your IQ is actually higher than Serena’s. You scored a 130. Are you absolutely sure you want to have Ethan’s baby?” I replied, “Absolutely.” 2 The next morning, the Sterling family sent a luxury town car to take me to the hospital. Blood work, physical exams, genetic screening—I went through everything. When the results came out, the doctor confirmed I was in perfect health and highly suitable for pregnancy. Eleanor pulled out the contract on the spot. On top of the promised $30 million and the Manhattan penthouse, the Sterling family would cover all of Grammy’s medical bills. I was stunned. Eleanor gave me a warm, knowing smile. She obviously knew the real reason I agreed to this. Without hesitation, I signed my name. Eleanor said, “Since the contract is signed, you’ll move into the Sterling estate. Ethan is in a coma, but the doctor says having someone talk to him might help him recover.” I had no objections. After heading home to pack my bags, a black Rolls-Royce pulled up downstairs. Eleanor’s assistant walked in and said politely, “I’m here to pick up Miss Vance.” My sister’s eyes lit up. She sat up straight, though her tone remained haughtily displeased. “Didn’t Eleanor tell you? I haven’t agreed to this yet.” The assistant blinked, confused. Serena frowned, her voice dripping with self-righteous anger. “This is a marriage, not a transaction. You guys don’t even have basic respect. Sending a random assistant to pick me up is incredibly insulting.” “Unless Eleanor comes here personally, I am not going.” My parents nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Our Serena cannot be bought with just $30 million.” “If the Sterlings want her, they need to show some real respect.” The assistant’s expression grew increasingly bizarre. He looked at Serena, then at my parents, and finally turned to me. “Miss Chloe Vance… what is going on here? Are you the one coming to the estate or not?” I quickly rolled my suitcase over to him. “It’s me. Let’s go.” Instantly, the living room fell dead silent. Serena’s high-and-mighty expression froze on her face. She jumped to her feet. “What do you mean, Chloe? Why is the Sterling family picking you up?” I replied calmly, “Because Eleanor agreed to let me marry Ethan. We’ve already signed the contract.” My words completely shattered Serena’s mask. She couldn’t pretend anymore. “Chloe, have you no shame?! The Sterlings wanted me to have Ethan’s baby! How dare you steal my life?!” My mother rushed over and grabbed my arm, her face twisting in anger. “Call Eleanor right now and tell her you regret it!” My father’s face darkened as he scolded me. “Serena is the one the Sterling family wanted. Don’t let money ruin your relationship with your sister. Don’t make our family a laughingstock.” Before I could speak, the floating system comments exploded. [Chloe is so toxic! She just stole Serena’s chance to meet Ethan! If Eleanor had just come back twice more, Serena would have agreed!] [I hate Chloe so much. Go die, Chloe!] [Don’t panic, guys. In the original plot, Ethan falls in love with Serena at first sight anyway. Even if Chloe steals this spot now, it’s useless. The moment Ethan sees Serena, he’ll be completely mesmerized by her. Chloe is just cannon fodder.] I remained silent. Seeing my silence, Serena squeezed out a few tears. “Chloe, if you back out now, I won’t blame you.” “I know you’ve been jealous of me since we were kids. But marriage is not a game. You can’t ruin your life for $30 million. Promise me you’ll stop, okay?” Everyone was pressuring me to give up. Looking at the poorly concealed jealousy in Serena’s eyes, I suddenly smiled. I looked her dead in the eye and said, “No. I think I’ll go ahead and ruin my life.” 3 When I left the house, my sister was still crying. My parents comforted her, saying, “Just let Chloe go. Ethan is basically on his deathbed anyway. Once she has a baby with a vegetable, let’s see what kind of decent man would ever marry her in the future.” They had no idea that the “dying” Ethan Sterling would wake up in two months. But I didn’t feel any sense of triumph. I only had one thought. If Ethan was destined to fall in love with my sister… Then I had to get pregnant with his child before that happened. Eleanor arranged for my room to be right across from Ethan’s. After unpacking, I walked into his room. The man on the bed had his eyes closed. He had a high, sharp nose bridge, and even after being in a coma for two months, he was still as breathtakingly handsome as a movie star. His eyelashes were exceptionally long and thick. I couldn’t help but reach out, wanting to see if they were real. Before my fingertips could touch him, the door suddenly swung open. Eleanor stood at the door. She froze when she saw what I was doing. “What are you doing?” I awkwardly pulled my hand back and apologized. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to see what my future baby’s father looked like.” Eleanor’s expression softened slightly, and she sighed. “Ethan needs quiet. Try not to disturb him unless necessary.” I nodded, but just as I turned to leave, I noticed a strange odor. Eleanor also wrinkled her nose and turned to call the nurse. “I’ll do it,” I offered. She looked at me in surprise. But I was already fetching hot water and a towel. I was used to this. Since Grammy became bedridden, I had been doing this for her every day. Changing Ethan’s clothes and wiping him down was second nature to me. By the time I finished, the way Eleanor looked at me had completely changed. She thought for a moment and said, “The doctor mentioned that talking to Ethan is good for his recovery. If you’re free, you can spend more time with him.” I nodded obediently. From that day on, I visited Ethan’s room every single day. I sang to him, clipped his nails, wiped his face and body, and whispered all the high-society gossip I could find. The system comments were throwing a fit daily. [I’m so mad! These are all the things Serena was supposed to do to bond with Ethan!] [Ethan’s consciousness is awake! He can hear every single word she says!] [Oh no, with her being so attentive, is Ethan actually going to catch feelings for her?] [Relax. No matter how much Chloe does, she can’t compare to a single glance from Serena. Ethan falls in love with Serena at first sight, remember?] I stared at the last comment, deep in thought. If nothing I did could ever compete with my sister, then I’d just have to change my strategy. That night, as I wiped Ethan’s hand by his bedside, I spoke up. “You know, my sister Serena has always been a fake. She is terrified that I might be better than her.” “The year our parents finally saved enough money to buy a house in the city and brought me over, I scored first in the entire grade on our very first monthly exam. I beat her by dozens of points.” “Serena couldn’t handle the humiliation of being compared to me. So, she convinced our parents that I was mentally unstable and had them commit me to a psychiatric facility.” Suddenly, the heart monitor beside the bed spiked. My hands froze. The system comments went wild. [What is Chloe doing?! If she says this stuff, how is Ethan supposed to love Serena?!] [Ethan really heard it! He’s feeling sorry for Chloe!] [Chloe is so manipulative! Does she really think she can make Ethan hate Serena like this?] So he really could hear me. Over the next few weeks, I told him more about my past every day. How Serena ripped up my academic awards and claimed I did it myself to frame her. How she spent thousands on designer bags while I couldn’t even afford lunch… And every time I spoke about the unfair things I endured, his heart rate monitor would fluctuate slightly. A month passed. The day my IVF procedure was successfully confirmed, I held the pregnancy report in front of Ethan’s face. “Ethan, you need to wake up soon. I’m pregnant with your baby.” 4 Even as I said it, I felt a bit embarrassed. But then, out of the corner of my eye… Ethan’s finger twitched. I immediately called Eleanor and the doctors. After examining him, the doctor called it a medical miracle. Ethan’s brain activity was recovering rapidly, and he was responding to external stimuli. At this rate, he would wake up very soon. Eleanor’s eyes welled with tears. She grabbed my hand tightly. “Chloe, the moment you got pregnant, Ethan started recovering. You are our family’s lucky charm!” That very day, Eleanor moved me into a much larger suite, hired a personal nutritionist, and assigned two private nurses to cater to my every need. Even Grammy received specialized, top-tier care at her hospital. Somehow, the news reached my sister’s ears. Not long after, Serena burst into the Sterling mansion, dragging our parents with her. I was sitting by Ethan’s bedside talking to him when Serena rushed in and slapped me twice across the face. The impact sent my head spinning, and my ears rang loudly. Serena glared at me, screaming, “Get out of the Sterling house right now, Chloe!” “Ethan is finally waking up! Why are you still clinging to him? The Sterling family wanted me from the start! I should be the one marrying him!” I let out a cold laugh. “Serena, didn’t you say pregnancy was just objectifying women? Didn’t you call it degrading? What happened? Are you not afraid of being degraded anymore?” Serena’s face flushed with rage and embarrassment. My mother rushed forward and slapped me again. “How dare you speak to Serena like that! This marriage belonged to her. You stole it from her, and you still have the audacity to talk back?” My father shoved me hard. “Cancel the contract immediately and give the position back to Serena!” The push sent me stumbling against the edge of the bed. I instinctively shielded my stomach. Before I could steady myself, a booming voice echoed from the doorway. “What do you think you are doing?!” Eleanor rushed in, immediately ordering the guards to support me. But my parents completely ignored my pale face, rushing to curry favor with Eleanor. “Eleanor, we’ve talked some sense into Serena.” “She is willing to marry Ethan now and have his baby.” Serena lifted her chin, resuming her arrogant, pure facade. “Eleanor, I’m not doing this for the money. I just can’t bear the thought of Ethan waking up only to find someone completely unworthy standing by his side.” “Perhaps if I marry him, my presence will help him recover even faster.” Eleanor looked at her coldly. “But I am perfectly satisfied with Chloe.” “Ethan’s recovery is thanks to her daily companionship. As for you… our family cannot afford such a high-and-mighty presence.” “Security, throw them out.” Serena’s face turned pale. As the security guards grabbed her arms, she shrieked. “Wait!” She whipped a piece of paper out of her bag. “Eleanor, do you really want a certified lunatic to give birth to the Sterling family heir?” When I saw the document, the blood drained from my face. It was the psychiatric diagnosis certificate from when I was wrongfully committed years ago. Eleanor took the paper, her expression darkening with every second. Serena sneered at me, triumphant. “Mental illness is genetic. The child she births might turn out to be a complete psycho.” The room fell dead silent. After what felt like an eternity, Eleanor closed her eyes and turned to me. “Chloe, I’m sorry. We can’t keep this baby.” The system comments rejoiced. [I knew Chloe couldn’t beat Serena!] [The baby is going to be aborted, and she’ll be kicked out of the Sterling house!] [And now, it’s time for Ethan and Serena to fall in love at first sight!] My face was stark white. I opened my mouth to explain to Eleanor, but Serena grabbed my arm tightly. “Chloe, don’t tell me you’re going to claim you’re not crazy. Eleanor, you know how crazy people are—they always claim they’re sane.” With that, Serena dragged me toward the exit to get the abortion. Eleanor didn’t stop her. Just as I was being dragged out, a raspy, weak voice cut through the room. “Wait…” Ethan was awake.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “445906”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

During a severe rainstorm with flash flood warnings, I went out to bring an umbrella to my boyfriend, Ethan. But as I walked down the street, someone grabbed me from behind, covered my mouth, and dragged me into a pitch-black alley. Just as my shirt was ripped open, Ethan’s childhood bestie, Hailey, stepped out from behind a trash can. She was holding a professional video camera. She and the thugs burst into laughter. “Ethan, your plan worked perfectly!” Hailey giggled. “Look at her face! She looks absolutely terrified. This is exactly the raw emotion I needed for my indie web series!” “Right? She actually thought she was getting assaulted!” one of the thugs complained, rubbing his cheek. “She scratched my face, man. Ethan, you owe me medical bills!” I froze. I sat in the muddy puddle, my clothes torn and my face covered in rain and tears. “Hailey’s web series was stuck on a scene,” Ethan explained casually, walking over to Hailey’s side. He had promised me he was working overtime tonight. “You’ve always been easily scared, Chloe. We figured you’d be perfect for this scene. It’s just a friendly cameo.” He stood next to Hailey, and together, they looked down at me, enjoying my humiliation. I clutched the positive pregnancy test in my pocket, my entire body turning ice-cold. This was supposed to be a surprise for our third anniversary. But now, I realized he didn’t deserve it.

“Why are you still on the ground? It’s dirty.” Ethan reached down and pulled me up. Hailey chimed in with a fake, sweet smile. “Thanks, Chloe! When the show drops on TikTok, I’ll make sure to put your name in the credits.” Ethan smirked, nudging her shoulder. “What about me?” “You?” Hailey playfully tapped his chin. “Since you came up with this brilliant plan, I’ll make you my assistant director.” I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. I forced out two words. “Delete it.” Hailey’s smile stiffened. “Chloe, this scene is the climax of my entire series. If I delete it, the story falls apart.” “I never agreed to be filmed. You are violating my privacy.” Everyone’s smiles faded instantly. “Come on, Chloe, we’re all friends here. Why bring up legal stuff? It’s not that serious,” one of the thugs muttered. “Yeah, Hailey wanted you to join her project for so long. You’re breaking her heart,” another added. My wet clothes stuck to my skin. I couldn’t stop shivering. “If you don’t delete it, I will call the police.” Ethan frowned immediately. “Chloe, stop throwing a tantrum.” “I’m not.” Seeing my cold expression, he sighed and put an arm around my shoulder. “Okay, I’m sorry. This was my fault.” “I know you love drama shows, so I thought you’d be excited to act in one. We didn’t tell you beforehand because we wanted a realistic reaction. I promise I won’t do it again.” The heavy scent of floral perfume on his shirt drifted into my nose. It was Hailey’s favorite perfume. A wave of nausea hit me, and I pushed him away with all my strength. “Make her delete it, or we are over. Choose.” Ethan froze. He grabbed my hand and gently shook it. This was our little signal. Whenever we had a fight, shaking hands meant we made up. “Alright, don’t say things you don’t mean.” He looked at Hailey. “She really doesn’t want to be in it. Hailey, delete Chloe’s part.” “Are you crazy?” Hailey clutched her camera, looking extremely upset. “I went out in this terrible storm for this shot! My new designer sneakers got completely ruined!” Those sneakers were supposed to be my birthday gift. Ethan bought them in Hailey’s size. At the time, I thought it was just an honest mistake. But the next day, I saw Hailey’s Instagram post. She posted a picture of the shoes with the caption: Hailey wants, Hailey gets! Thanks to my favorite childhood bestie, Ethan. When I showed Ethan the post, his first reaction was a fond, indulgent smile. “Those shoes are expensive. It’s better to give them to Hailey than let them sit in our closet collecting dust. At least they’re not wasted.” What about me? The words choked in my throat, and I couldn’t bring myself to ask. The sound of Ethan and Hailey arguing brought me back to reality. “Ethan, I can’t believe you’re doing this to me!” Hailey’s eyes turned red. She slammed the camera onto the ground and ran off into the rain. Ethan panicked. He instinctively started to chase her, but I held his arm. “Ethan, come home with me.” I needed to tell him about the baby. But in the next second, he violently shook off my hand. His face was cold and filled with disgust. “I already took your side. What more do you want?” “Chloe, don’t be so selfish.”

The rain poured harder. His push made a sharp pain shoot through my lower abdomen. I couldn’t get an Uber, so I had to walk home alone in the freezing rain. I have a congenital blood-clotting disorder. Even a small scratch can make me bleed for a long time. The scratches the thugs left on my arms were bleeding constantly. Ethan saw it, but he still chose to chase after Hailey, leaving me behind. By the time I got home, it was 2:00 AM. The romantic candlelight dinner I had prepared for our anniversary looked like a pathetic joke. Before I could even change out of my wet clothes, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Ethan. Hailey has been crying non-stop. I stared at it for a few seconds and didn’t reply. Two minutes later, another text came. Do you have nothing to say? If you had just compromised, everyone would be happy. Why do you have to be so stubborn? This web series is Hailey’s hard work for a whole year. Now it’s ruined because of you. I’m not blaming you, Chloe. But you need to remember, you owe Hailey for this. I stared at the screen, silent. In this terrible storm, his terrified girlfriend and our third anniversary meant nothing to him. He hadn’t asked if I was okay once. All he cared about was getting justice for his crying childhood bestie. As compensation, I’m staying over at her place to keep her company for a few days. I let out a bitter laugh. All those texts were just an excuse to justify spending the night with her. Fortunately, I didn’t care anymore. I replied with a single word: Okay. Right after, my best friend, Maya, sent me a video on Snapchat. It was in a VIP booth at a club. Ethan and Hailey were grinding against each other, dancing intimately. I remembered the first time Hailey sat directly on Ethan’s lap right in front of me. I had been so angry that I grabbed my purse and left. Ethan had begged for my forgiveness for a whole week. “Hailey and I grew up together. I’ve never even seen her as a woman. I swear it won’t happen again,” he had said, holding up three fingers. I believed him. But after that, they only got worse. They hugged, snuggled, and even rubbed sunscreen on each other at the beach in a way that looked like foreplay. If I got angry, they called me insecure and accused me of being toxic. Maya had wanted to confront them many times, but I always stopped her, holding onto a tiny sliver of hope. Looking at the video, my throat felt tight. Maya texted: Chloe, they are acting like they’re the ones dating. Are you seriously going to let this slide? I tossed the pregnancy test into the trash can. What they do has nothing to do with me anymore. Because Ethan and I were completely over. The next day, I woke up with a high fever. Maya took me to the hospital. The moment we walked into the clinic, I saw two familiar figures. Hailey was sitting in a chair with an IV drip in her arm. Ethan was kneeling in front of her, feeding her soup spoon by spoon. A patient nearby said admiringly, “You’re so lucky, sweetie. Your boyfriend is so sweet, begging you to eat!” Hailey smirked triumphantly and swallowed the soup. “Fine, since everyone is watching, I’ll give you some face.” Ethan wasn’t angry at all. He laughed. “Yes, thank you, Princess Hailey, for gracing me with your appetite.” Maya was furious and about to storm over, but I stopped her. I dialed Ethan’s number. When his phone rang, his face instantly twisted with annoyance. “What now?” he snapped. I curled my lips. “Where are you?” “At the office.” “Really?” “Of course really. Aren’t you tired of being so paranoid all the time?” “Yes, I am.” I was exhausted. For the first time in three years, the thought of being with Ethan filled me with nothing but disgust and exhaustion. “Ethan, let’s break up.” As I spoke, I walked up to them. My voice was clear and loud.

Ethan froze. He turned around, staring at me in disbelief. Hailey reacted first. “Chloe, don’t get the wrong idea! Ethan is only here because I’m sick and he felt bad for me.” With Hailey’s defense, Ethan quickly found his confidence again. “You saw me here, and you still called to test me? Why are you so manipulative, Chloe?” “Every time I hang out with Hailey, I have to explain myself over and over again. I only lied because I didn’t want the drama.” I smiled. “So, this is my fault again?” He blinked, taken aback. “I didn’t say that. But breaking up over this? Aren’t you being extremely dramatic?” “I’m serious.” Ethan’s bottled-up anger finally exploded. “Just because of one lie? Just because I fed Hailey some soup? Are you seriously doing this?” “It’s not about one lie, Ethan. It’s about three years.” I met his harsh glare and said, word for word: “For three years, your heart has belonged to her. When you buy clothes or shoes, you always memorize her sizes. You buy her favorite snacks when she’s on her period. Whenever she’s hungry, tired, or crying, you drop everything to be by her side.” “And me? I’m always secondary. I’m like an idiot waiting for you to look back at me.” “Ethan, I am done.” “Chloe, you are being incredibly unfair to Ethan,” Hailey said, standing up and inserting herself between us. “He’s just a sweet, loyal guy. You can’t use your relationship to guilt-trip him! Besides, who he chooses to be nice to is his own business!” Maya laughed dryly. “Wow. I’ve never heard someone defend being a homewrecker so shamelessly.” Ethan immediately pulled Hailey behind him, protecting her. “You’re breaking up with me because of Maya, aren’t you? Hailey and I told you a hundred times to stay away from toxic people like her.” The contempt in his eyes was all too familiar. Two years ago, I brought my parents to visit my apartment. They were simple folks from a small farming town. They weren’t used to the high-tech, touchless features in my upscale apartment, and they accidentally scratched the expensive kitchen island and stained the carpet. Ethan had looked at them with that exact same look of disgust, accepting their trembling apologies as if he were a king. The next day, Hailey came over with bottles of Lysol and sprayed down every inch of the apartment right in front of them. My parents didn’t understand. They just thought they had done something dirty and stood in the corner, too ashamed to even sit on the couch. When I found out, I had a massive fight with Ethan. But Ethan said, “Hailey was just looking out for our health. Your parents live on a farm with dirt and animals. They aren’t clean. Hailey was just sanitizing the place.” The fight ended with Ethan slamming the door and leaving. Exhausted, I went to the guest room to comfort my parents. But the room was already empty. The bedsheets were folded perfectly, and a small note was left on the nightstand: Chloe, we don’t want to be a burden to you. We’re sorry. I ran out of the building and saw my parents carrying their heavy bags, slowly boarding a cheap bus back home. Their bent backs under the weight of the homemade bread they had brought for me made me sob hysterically. I should have woken up back then. He looked down on my parents and my friends. At the end of the day, he looked down on me. I lowered my head and laughed, a bitter tear rolling down my lip. Seeing me cry, Ethan’s expression softened slightly. “Look at you. I say a few words and you cry. Who else could put up with you besides me?” “Alright, I’ll act like I didn’t hear the breakup joke. Go home first.” I wiped my tears. “No, I’m serious.” “Ethan, from this moment on, we are completely over.” “Completely over? What are you, a middle schooler?” Ethan scoffed. “Can you really throw away three years of history with one sentence? What do you think our relationship was? What do you think I am?” “I think I was blind, and my heart was stupid.” I stared at him, ignoring the stabbing pain in my stomach. “But now, I am finally awake.” Ethan was red-faced with anger. Hailey stepped forward and grabbed my arm tightly. “Chloe, stop being childish. Guys as good as Ethan don’t grow on trees. It’s all my fault…” She dug her nails into my arm. It hurt so much that I violently shoved her hand off me. But Hailey took that opportunity to throw herself backward, crashing heavily onto the floor. “Hailey!” Ethan gasped in shock. Without a second thought, his hand swung out and slapped me across the face. He used all his strength. When I hit the ground, my ears were ringing so loudly I could barely hear Maya screaming my name. Through my blurry vision, I saw Ethan pick Hailey up in his arms and walk away without once looking back. And as darkness rushed to claim me, I felt a warm, thick liquid flowing down my thighs. I knew my baby was gone. But maybe, it was for the best. Now, we owed each other nothing.

When I was discharged from the hospital, only Maya was there to take me home. When I opened the door to my apartment, a thin layer of dust had already gathered on the shoe rack. Ethan hadn’t been back for days. I pulled out my suitcase and started packing. Three years of my youth, and my belongings couldn’t even fill one suitcase. How pathetic. Right then, my phone rang. It was Ethan. “So, Chloe, have you cooled down yet?” His voice was smug, oozing confidence. “Have you realized how miserable these past few days are without me?” “Hailey wants that homemade soup you make. Prepare some and bring it over to her place as an apology, and we can go back to how things were.” “Ethan,” I said quietly. “We broke up.” He paused. “Are you still throwing a fit?” I laughed. “Is every time I don’t do what you want considered a fit?” Ethan’s breathing grew heavy, his voice rising. “You didn’t want to do the shoot, so I made Hailey delete it. You didn’t want to apologize, and I didn’t force you. What more do you want? Do you seriously want me to cut Hailey off before you’re satisfied?” “There’s no need to be dramatic,” I said calmly. “You can’t even keep a basic, respectful distance from her. Why force yourself?” He went quiet. I dragged my suitcase to the door. While waiting for the elevator, I said: “I hate strangers in my apartment, but every time Hailey got drunk, you brought her to our bed. I hate how you two have zero boundaries. You haven’t changed in three years.” “And most of all, I hate that you used my safety and my dignity as a toy to make her happy.” “I did not!” he defended fiercely. “You did, and I felt every bit of it.” I gripped my phone. “Besides, there is a life between us now.” “So, Ethan, let’s break up. Don’t make me say it a fourth time.” Ethan stayed silent for a moment before letting out a dry, angry laugh. “A life? What are you even talking about? I told you, it was just a prank! You’re reaching too far to play the victim!” “Fine! We’re broken up! Let’s see how great your life is once you leave me!” He slammed the phone down. The elevator doors opened. Maya, who hated Ethan with a passion, drove out of the parking lot like a lightning bolt. I blocked and deleted Ethan, Hailey, and all their mutual friends. I thought I would never have to deal with them again. But the next morning, my phone was bombarded. Before I could even check the 999+ missed calls and texts, another call came through. I picked up, and a disgusting, raspy male voice spoke: “Hey babe, how much for a night? Do you do discounts for a monthly rate?” I froze, completely horrified, and slammed the phone shut. Maya immediately hugged me. “Who did this? Ethan or Hailey? I swear I’m going to kill them!” “Don’t,” I held her back. “Let’s call the cops. We are going to the police station right now.” The police were highly efficient. Within an hour, they found that my personal information, phone number, and address had been posted on an adult forum. The post featured the video of me being dragged into the alley, followed by a highly realistic, deepfake AI video of my face on an adult actress’s body. When they tracked the IP address of the account that uploaded it, the registered name popped up. My blood ran cold. It was Ethan’s IP address.

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After donating my bone marrow to Chloe, I developed a 104-degree fever. I had to take an Uber home from the hospital all by myself. When I pushed the door open, my parents were throwing a recovery party for Chloe. There were banners, fresh flowers, and a three-tier cake. I told them I was dizzy and could barely stand. But Robert didn’t even look up from his phone. “Young people bounce back fast. Don’t be so dramatic.” That night, I accidentally found Eleanor’s diary in the study. On the very first page, a sentence read: “The doctor suggested having another child as a ‘savior sibling’. A family donor has the highest HLA matching rate.” The next fifteen years of journal entries were entirely about Chloe’s illness. My name only appeared under columns labeled “Donor,” “Matching Match,” “Bone Marrow Harvest,” and “Follow-up.” It turned out I was never the daughter they wanted. I was just a “spare parts kit” they raised with their own hands. “Iris, what do you think you’re snooping through?” Eleanor snatched the diary from my hands. She did it so hard that the sharp edge of the paper sliced across my index finger, leaving a bright red cut. She snapped, “Do you have any concept of personal privacy?” I watched a bead of blood well up on my fingertip. The sharp sting traveled straight to my brain. “Privacy?” I looked up, staring right into her eyes. “You mean the privacy of using me as Chloe’s walking blood bag?” Thud. She slammed the diary onto the table. Robert finally looked up, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses. “Iris, watch your tone when speaking to Eleanor.” “We’ve raised you for fifteen years. How have we ever wronged you?” I let out a bitter laugh and took a step back. “You gave birth to me just to see if I was a match for Chloe.” “You fed me well just to keep my lab results perfect, so you could pump out my marrow for Chloe whenever she needed it.” I pointed at the yellowed diary on the desk. “You’re a renowned cardiac surgeon, Robert. Have you ever once looked at me as an actual human being?” Robert’s face darkened. “In medicine, a sibling donor is the absolute best option. If Chloe hadn’t been sick, we wouldn’t even have had a second child.” He didn’t even bother to offer a fake apology. Eleanor sighed and wrapped her arm around Robert’s. “Robert, let it go. Iris just finished the transplant. It’s normal for her to be emotionally unstable.” She turned to me, her voice returning to that suffocatingly gentle, reasonable tone. “Iris, I’ve always taught you to look at the bigger picture.” “How can you reduce such a beautiful family sacrifice to something as ugly as being a ‘blood bag’?” This was my parents. They always used the most noble words to cover up their extreme favoritism. I opened my mouth, but my throat felt like it was filled with broken glass. “Then why does Chloe get a grand welcome-home party with the whole family?” “While I was running a 104-degree fever, and not a single person showed up to drive me home from the hospital?” The room fell dead silent for a second. Chloe appeared at the doorway, wearing a silk nightgown, her face pale. “Iris, I’m so sorry…” “It’s all my fault. My illness ruined this family.” “If it weren’t for saving me, you wouldn’t hate Eleanor and Robert so much.” “If it makes you feel better… you can hit me. I won’t blame you.” Eleanor rushed over and pulled Chloe tightly into her arms. “Chloe, what are you doing out of bed? You just got discharged! Your immune system is so weak. You can’t catch a draft!” Robert frowned, quickly walking over to shut the hallway window. When he looked back at me, his eyes were filled with pure disgust. “Look at Chloe. She’s so weak, yet she’s still thinking of you. And here you are, throwing a tantrum over nothing!” “Iris, where is your empathy? Did you leave it at the hospital?” I looked at the three of them holding each other tightly. A wave of nausea hit my stomach. “You’re right,” I muttered, corner of my mouth twitching. “My empathy was sucked right out of my bones and pumped into your golden girl.” Eleanor’s face turned incredibly ugly. “You are absolutely hopeless!” She covered Chloe’s ears as if I were some kind of toxic waste. “Go to your room and think about what you’ve done! Don’t come out for dinner tonight until you write a two-thousand-word apology letter!” The door was slammed shut in my face. I leaned against the cold wood, listening to their fading footsteps outside. I could hear Eleanor’s muffled, comforting voice: “Don’t be scared, Chloe. Iris is just being childish. Come on, I made some organic chicken soup for you.” I walked over to my desk. I pulled open the bottom drawer. Inside lay a thick stack of blood donation certificates, bone marrow aspiration notices, and hospital bills. Fifteen years. Every ounce of my flesh and blood had been reduced to data tracking Chloe’s recovery.

In the middle of the night, a sharp, stabbing pain in my bones woke me up. It was a lingering side effect of the transplant. Even though I curled up tight under the blanket, I couldn’t stop shivering from the cold. I dragged myself out of bed in the dark. My bare feet hit the cold floor. I wanted to go to the medicine cabinet in the living room for some ibuprofen. But as I cracked my door open, I saw the living room lights were bright. Eleanor and Robert were in the kitchen, making seafood chowder. “Chloe just regained her hematopoiesis. Her digestive system needs careful regulation. I’ll buy more organic veggies tomorrow.” I stood in the shadows, watching them work together seamlessly. It felt like watching a heartwarming family documentary that I hadn’t been cast in. The pain in my bones worsened. I pushed the door open. Eleanor’s hands paused. She turned around, her brow instantly furrowing. “Iris? Why are you out? Weren’t you supposed to stay in your room and reflect?” I walked to the medicine cabinet and rummaged through it for the ibuprofen. “My bones hurt. I came to get some painkillers.” Robert turned around. “Iris, I’ve told you many times. Relying on painkillers for minor aches is highly unscientific.” “Using your willpower to push through is much better for your liver and kidneys.” I let out a cold laugh. “But Chloe drinking seafood chowder at midnight is healthy?” Robert raised his voice. “Iris! Don’t use cheap arguments to play your sibling rivalry games.” Eleanor’s voice softened a fraction. “Alright, Iris. Now that you have your pills, go back to bed.” “Chloe’s immune system is very low right now. Don’t disturb her.” In this house. Even my breathing was treated as a threat to Chloe. “Fine. I promise I won’t get in her way ever again.” The next morning. Eleanor knocked on my door. “Iris, pack up your things today.” I sat at my desk, pausing my work on my SAT prep materials. “Pack up for what?” Eleanor scanned my bedroom. “Chloe is recovering now. Her doctor says she needs more sunlight to help with calcium absorption. You’re giving this room to her.” I looked at her calm face. “Why should I?” Eleanor’s expression instantly soured. “Iris, are you being selfish again?” “Chloe suffered so much just to survive. As her sister, you can’t even give up a brighter bedroom for her?” She turned and walked out of the room. She immediately called in the maid who had been waiting in the hallway. “Maria, move all these books and clothes to the other room. Anything useless, just throw it away.” She didn’t give me any chance to argue. She used the most brutal way to enforce her version of “fairness.” I stepped aside, watching my life being packed away piece by piece. “Don’t worry about the trouble,” I said to the confused maid. “I’ll throw them away myself.”

After moving to the basement, I ran a fever for three whole days. The basement got zero sunlight. The damp, freezing air crept straight into my bones. I spent my days wrapped in a thick blanket, listening to the laughter coming from Chloe’s room upstairs. Some of Chloe’s friends had come over to visit. Eleanor had hired a private chef to cater afternoon tea, and Robert had even taken a day off just to be home. “Chloe, you look amazing now!” “I know, right? Your parents are so sweet. They even moved that limited-edition grand piano into your room!” Chloe’s soft, sweet voice drifted down through the poorly insulated floorboards. “It’s nothing, really. Actually, this was Iris’s room.” “I felt so bad about taking it, but Eleanor and Robert insisted.” Her friends instantly raised their voices. “Oh my god, did Iris give you attitude about it?” “You literally just survived a life-or-death crisis! What’s wrong with Iris giving up a room? If it were me, I’d gladly give my sister half my life!” I chuckled coldly. They had no idea. I had already given Chloe my life. On the fourth day, I had to go to school to submit my final confirmation form for the Ivy League Fast-track Summer Program. This was a spot I had earned after staying up countless nights, keeping my GPA at the absolute top of the district for three years. Once I got into this program, I would get a direct, low-threshold admission to my dream university, allowing me to escape this suffocating house forever. Pushing past my weakness, I put on my school uniform, grabbed the parental consent form, and walked out. When I reached the second-floor living room. I saw a completely absurd scene. Mr. Davis. The admissions director of the prestigious university in our state. He was sitting on our couch, chatting warmly with Robert. “Dr. Vance, since Chloe has fully recovered, giving this fast-track spot to her is our most optimal choice after careful evaluation.” The admissions director took a sip of the tea Eleanor had brewed, smiling. “After all, a profile that includes overcoming a major illness is highly favored in college admissions interviews.” I felt like I had been struck by lightning. My feet were glued to the floor. “What do you mean?” My voice was raspy, laced with raw anger. “That spot is mine. I earned it with my grades.” The laughter in the living room died instantly. The smile on Robert’s face vanished, replaced by an icy glare. He stood up and walked over to me, blocking the admissions director’s view of me. “Iris, where are your manners?” “This is Mr. Davis from the admissions board. Apologize right now.” I clutched the consent form in my hand so hard my knuckles turned white. “I asked you, what do you mean? Why is my spot being given to Chloe?” Eleanor quickly set down the teapot and rushed over, trying to grab my arm. “Iris, stop being so difficult!” She lowered her voice, speaking in a rapid, freezing tone that only the three of us could hear. “Chloe had to take a two-year medical leave. Her academic profile needs a strong highlight to fill the gap.” “Your grades are outstanding anyway. You can get into any good college easily.” “You don’t need this one summer program!” I shook off Eleanor’s hand violently. “I don’t agree!” Slap! A stinging slap landed squarely on my left cheek. Robert’s hand hung in the air, his eyes behind his glasses incredibly dark and menacing. “Iris, is this how I raised you? Where are your values? Do you have any idea how much psychological damage Chloe will suffer if she doesn’t get this spot?” “I am your father. I have the right to allocate our family’s educational resources. This spot belongs to Chloe.” My ears rang. The throbbing pain on my face was nothing compared to the absolute, icy numbness in my chest. Chloe sat in her wheelchair nearby, gasping in shock and covering her mouth. “Robert, please don’t hit Iris.” “I don’t want the spot anymore. Give it back to her. She worked so hard for it…” She teared up right on cue—a perfect victim performance. Mr. Davis looked incredibly uncomfortable. He quickly stood up to ease the tension. “Dr. Vance, family harmony comes first. Since we’ve made the decision, I’ll take my leave. We’ll proceed with the spot as discussed.” The front door closed. Eleanor ran over to hug Chloe, looking heartbroken. “Chloe, sweetheart, don’t cry. Iris is just an ungrateful brat. She doesn’t understand how much you’ve suffered.” I didn’t argue anymore. I didn’t try to fight for that piece of paper that was now as useless as trash. I slowly bent down, picking up my scattered papers from the floor one by one. “Fine.” I looked up at Robert, who was staring down at me. I was incredibly calm. “Consider this spot the final blood transfusion.”

After my college spot was stolen, I contacted a university located two thousand miles away in the north. After passing several rounds of intense online exams. I finally reached the final interview stage. This was my last ticket out of here. Early in the morning, I stood in the dining room, looking at Robert and Eleanor drinking their coffee. “This afternoon at three. I need both of you to come with me to sign some paperwork.” In reality, I wanted them to sign the Emancipation Declaration and Waiver of Parental Rights. Robert said coldly, “Got it.” I stared at the clock on the wall, waiting like I was waiting for a final verdict. By two in the afternoon. I arrived at the office early. Outside, the sky was pitch black. A heavy thunderstorm was brewing. Two-thirty. No response. I dialed Robert’s number. Busy. I dialed Eleanor’s number. Straight to voicemail. Two-forty-five. The clerk called my name. “Miss Vance, are your parents not here yet? Your turn is almost up.” I stared at the paperwork in my sweaty hands. Just as I was about to give up and explain the situation to the officer. Eleanor sent me a video on Snapchat. In the video, Chloe was standing in the gallery of the city’s most famous private art exhibition. Her face was slightly pale, and she was leaning against Robert’s chest, gasping for air. Eleanor was speaking anxiously off-camera. A text message popped up right after: [Iris, tell the staff to postpone the signing by one day.] [Chloe just had a sudden panic attack at the art gallery. Her heart rate is dangerously high. Robert and I have to take her for a full psych evaluation and an EKG right now. We can’t make it.] [Be mature about this. Chloe’s condition can’t handle any stress.] They never intended to come sign the papers. They had planned all along to take Chloe to the art exhibition she had been begging to see for weeks. “Kid, are we doing this or not?” The officer tapped on the glass partition, looking impatient. I took a deep breath, slid my parents’ copied IDs and a special file I had been secretly preparing for two weeks through the slot. “Yes, we are.” I pointed at the document titled *Declaration of Emancipation and Waiver of Inheritance and Parental Responsibility*. “I’ll sign it myself.” Five minutes later, I walked out into the pouring rain with the approved declaration. The freezing rain drenched my face. But I had never felt more awake in my entire life.

The thunderstorm washed over the entire city. I returned to that freezing basement, pulling open the drawer that was already half empty. Aside from my ID and a change of clothes. I threw everything else connecting me to this house into the trash can. The only thing left was that thick folder containing fifteen years of blood donation records and bone marrow biopsy reports. I placed it neatly right in the center of the desk. Beside it, I laid the photocopy of my newly stamped *Declaration of Emancipation and Waiver of Parental Responsibility*. By the time I finished packing, the sky was pitch black. The house was terrifyingly quiet. They hadn’t come back yet. Perhaps Chloe’s “panic attack” required a night in a luxury suite at the private hospital. I threw my backpack over my shoulder. Without looking back once, I took an Uber straight to the train station. Four hours later. I was standing in a northern city two thousand miles away, where the snow had not yet melted. The biting wind whipped against my neck. Lily, the teaching assistant sent by my new university advisor, handed me a hot cup of coffee. “Iris, the professor already knows about your situation.” Lily looked at my single, thin suitcase, her eyes softening with sympathy. “Your dorm is all set up. If you want, this place can be your home from now on.” I took the cup, the warmth radiating into my palms. It was so warm. “Thank you.” I took out my phone, pulled out my old SIM card. I snapped it in half and threw it into the snow by the street. Meanwhile, two thousand miles away. At three in the morning. The front door of the Vance mansion finally opened. Robert took off his heavy coat, looking exhausted. “Is Chloe asleep?” Eleanor slipped into her slippers, whispering, “She’s sound asleep. The doctor said the gallery was just too crowded, which triggered her claustrophobia.” “Robert, we really let Iris down today. I wonder if her interview got ruined.” Robert snorted, walking over to the bar to pour some water. “How ruined could it be?” “An interview for some random local college. What difference does one day make?” “If she tries to throw a fit, I’ll just cut off her allowance for the month. Let’s see if she still wants to act up.” Eleanor sighed and walked toward the couch. “I’ll go check on her. We did ignore her all day…” She pushed open my door, intending to give me a quick lecture as usual, followed by some empty promises. “Iris…” Eleanor’s voice caught in her throat, as if someone had suddenly choked her. In the dark room, lit only by the hallway light. The empty bed was as neat and cold as a tombstone. The desk was completely bare, except for a stack of old manila folders and a white sheet of paper. “Robert!” Eleanor’s scream shattered the quiet night. Robert rushed over, holding his glass of water. “Why are you screaming? You’re going to wake Chloe!” Eleanor’s trembling hand pointed at the paper on the desk. “Iris… Iris is gone.” Robert walked over impatiently, but the moment his eyes landed on the paper, his brows knitted tightly together. Beside it, from the opened manila folders. Hundreds of medical records bearing the name “Donor: Iris Vance” spilled out like a waterfall. Like a silent, brutal accusation, slamming right into their faces.

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After I was paralyzed from the waist down, my boyfriend, Julian, and my best friend, Chloe, dragged me out of the house, claiming I needed some fresh air. Julian pushed my wheelchair right in front of a huge box of fireworks. Before I could even react, he lit the fuse. The explosions erupted instantly. Sparks showered down, burning my hands. I screamed in terror, “Julian, help me!” But he didn’t move. I desperately tried to roll my wheelchair away, but the wheels just spun in place. Panic consumed me. Suddenly, Chloe’s voice drifted through the noise: “Sera, look at the camera! Let’s capture your first trip outside since your accident!” I looked up instinctively. Julian was holding his phone, pointing the camera right at my terrified, tear-streaked face. Once the fireworks ended, I collapsed in my wheelchair, gasping for air. My palms were covered in painful blisters, and my entire body was shaking uncontrollably. Julian knelt in front of me and gently rubbed my hair. “Did we scare you?” I didn’t say a word. He sighed, wiping the ash off my face. “The doctor said there’s still hope for your legs. He said a high-stress environment can trigger your survival instinct. It stimulates the nerves. It’s for your own good, Sera.” My fingernails dug deep into my palms. I suddenly remembered last week when Chloe purposely moved my dinner plate six feet away, forcing me to roll my wheelchair over to reach it. She had said the exact same thing. I closed my eyes. I was so tired. This relationship I didn’t want it anymore.

The sharp, acrid smell of burnt gunpowder filled the air. The blisters on my palms burned like fire. Julian simply patted my head, stood up, and pulled a pack of sparklers from his pocket. He handed them to Chloe. A warm smile touched his lips. “You’ve been wanting to light these, right? I bought them just for you.” Chloe’s eyes lit up. She grabbed his sleeve. “Oh my god, thank you! Let’s go over there. We don’t want to accidentally burn Sera again.” “Yeah, Sera can just watch from here.” Julian let her drag him away, waving back at me over his shoulder. Chloe twirled around with the sparklers. Julian knelt down, patiently adjusting his phone camera to take the perfect shot of her. I froze. My nails dug deeper into my palms. I suddenly remembered six months ago, when the three of us had watched fireworks together. Julian had taken photos of me back then, whispering, “Sera, you’re more beautiful than any firework.” That memory felt like a slap in the face. I gripped the armrests of my wheelchair. My chest tightened so much I could barely breathe. Just then, the sky darkened, and a heavy downpour began. Chloe shrieked. Julian immediately took off his designer jacket, draped it over her head, and pulled her close as they ran toward the parking lot. Not once did he look back. Panic seized me. I screamed with all the strength left in my lungs, “Julian, wait for me!” But the thunder was too loud. My voice was drowned out by the rain. They didn’t hear me. Or they chose not to. “Wait for me!” I pushed my wheelchair forward, desperately trying to catch up. But the wheels kept slipping on the wet, muddy gravel. Ignoring the stinging pain in my blistered hands, I pushed the wheels again and again, moving forward inch by painful inch. Their figures blurred in the distance. Sheltered under a single jacket, they vanished into the parking lot. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. A wave of cold despair washed over me. I stopped. I couldn’t feel my legs, my clothes were soaked, and rain mixed with hot tears streamed down my face. My wheelchair tipped over in the mud several times. By the time I finally dragged myself back to our apartment door, my body was shivering and stiff. It had taken me an hour. I raised my trembling hand and knocked. Julian opened the door. He was wearing dry, cozy loungewear. Chloe was sitting on the couch, laughing at a reality show on TV. Seeing me, she smirked. “Julian, I won! I told you Sera wouldn’t call you for help!”

My entire body went rigid. I stared at them, unable to believe my ears. “What do you mean?” “We made a bet,” Chloe said, tilting her head with a playful smile. “We left you out there on purpose to see if you’d call Julian when it started raining. I bet you wouldn’t, and he bet you would.” She held out her hand to Julian, wiggling her fingers. “That’s five hundred bucks.” Julian pulled out his phone, transferred the money, and sighed with a helpless smile. “Alright, you win.” My blood ran cold. Rage flared in my chest. “You used me for a bet?” Chloe walked over, wrapping her arm around mine coaxingly. “Oh, don’t be mad, Sera! We did it to push you to be independent. We thought if we left, the shock of the rain would force you to stand up.” I violently yanked my arm away from her, glaring at her with pure hatred. Chloe gasped, taking a step back in mock fear. Julian walked over with a dry towel and began gently drying my hair. He had a soft smile on his face, as if he were soothing a throwing-a-tantrum toddler. “Alright, I promise we won’t do it again. But seriously, Sera, why didn’t you just call me? If you had called, I would’ve come to get you.” That was the final straw. I clenched my fists, forcing back the tears. “My phone… was in your pocket.” Julian froze. He saw the sheer disappointment in my eyes, and a flash of guilt crossed his face. He lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry. Let me make you some hot medicine so you don’t catch a cold.” With that, he turned and went into the kitchen. I didn’t drink the medicine. I rolled myself straight into my bedroom. That night, the coldness in my heart turned into a raging fever. As I lay shivering in bed, the happy laughter of Julian and Chloe drifted through the crack of the door. It sounded so warm, so lively. But I was completely alone, shivering in the dark. I remembered how we used to be. Before I was paralyzed, we were an inseparable trio. Chloe had been my best friend since childhood. When I lost the use of my legs, she was the first to move in, helping me dress, tying my shoes, and cooking for me. And Julian had stayed by my side day and night, hiring the best therapists and holding me gently whenever I took my anger out on him. But now, everything had changed. In my feverish state, I fell into a nightmare. I saw Chloe kneeling to tie my shoes. Halfway through, she looked up and sneered, “Sera, you can’t even tie your own shoes anymore, can you?” Then I saw Julian pushing my wheelchair. Ahead of us was a steep flight of stairs. He let go. I gasped and woke up. My heart was pounding wildly against my ribs. I grabbed my phone and sent a message to my mom. “Mom, I heard about a revolutionary rehab specialist in Zurich. Can you take me there?” My mom replied instantly. “Sera? I thought you wanted to stay home for treatment? Is Julian not taking good care of you?” A bitter taste filled my mouth. I slowly typed back: “I’m leaving him, Mom. I want to go to Switzerland. The sooner, the better.”

I put my phone down and looked out the window. The sun was rising. Sometime during the night, someone had changed me into dry pajamas and applied burn ointment to my hands. The bedroom door swung open. “Sera, wake up!” Chloe bounced over to my bed, grabbing my hand excitedly. “We’re going to the amusement park today! It’s been forever since we went out.” Julian followed her in, looking at her with an indulgent smile. My body felt like it was on fire, and my throat was too raw to speak. After a long pause, I rasped, “I have a fever.” Julian immediately touched my forehead. Concern flashed in his eyes. “Oh my god, you’re burning up.” He turned to grab some fever reducers. Beside him, Chloe pouted, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face. “Sera, it’s just a mild cold. You’ll be fine once you take the pills.” “I checked online. The theme park has wheelchair access. If we bring you, we can use the priority lane. We won’t even have to buy Fast Passes! It’s such a good deal. Let’s go, please?” Her words unleashed the anger I had bottled up all night. To her, my high fever and physical pain were nothing compared to skipping a line at an amusement park. “Get out,” I spat, my voice freezing cold. “If you want to go, go by yourselves.” Chloe, unused to me snapping at her, was stunned. Tears welled in her eyes. “Sera… I just wanted to make you happy.” Julian’s heart clearly ached for her. He sighed, bringing the medicine to my lips while supporting the back of my head. “Come on, Sera. Take the medicine. You’ll feel better.” When I ignored him, he ignored my struggles, lifted me out of bed, placed me in the wheelchair, and wheeled me out of the apartment anyway. I wrapped myself in a blanket, my head throbbing. Julian pushed me from behind as they excitedly chatted about which rides to go on first. The wheelchair access did mean we skipped the lines. Chloe cheered as she ran ahead, and Julian pushed me close behind. The roller coasters, the drop towers, the carousel… Chloe dragged Julian onto every single ride. I was left parked alone by the exit gates. I watched them plunge from the peak of a roller coaster. Chloe screamed, throwing her hands in the air, while Julian laughed and wrapped a protective arm around her waist. After every ride, they would run back to me. “Sera, that was amazing!” “What’s next? Let me check the map.” “Julian, let’s go to the Ferris wheel next!” My body shivered with fever, and my eyes shut. I felt entirely dead inside. Just then, a little boy ran over, staring at my wheelchair. “Hey, lady, what is that chair?” Before I could speak, Chloe knelt down and smiled sweetly at the boy. “Hey there! This is a wheelchair. This lady’s legs don’t work anymore. She’s disabled, so she can’t stand up.”

My brain short-circuited. For a moment, all the noise of the park vanished. Those words felt like a dagger plunged straight into my heart. I could accept my disability. But I could not tolerate my best friend using my tragedy to entertain a stranger. The little boy nodded slowly. “I want to ride in a wheelchair too!” Chloe patted his head. “Sure!” She turned to me. “Sera, why don’t you get down and let him sit for a bit? Kids are just curious.” I trembled with rage, staring death at Chloe. “You have crossed the line.” Chloe pouted. “It’s just a joke, Sera. Why are you being so sensitive?” Julian returned just then, holding two iced drinks. He looked at me, then at Chloe. “Sera, just let the kid sit for a second. It’s no big deal.” Looking at Julian’s blatant favoritism, I let out a dry, bitter laugh. I threw off my blanket and raised my voice. “My legs are useless, Julian! How do you expect me to get down? Should I crawl? Should I roll on the ground?” Startled by my sudden outburst, Chloe’s eyes brimmed with tears, and she began to sob. Julian wiped Chloe’s tears before turning to me. His eyes held a mixture of pity and annoyance. “Sera, Chloe didn’t mean it like that. She’s always been sweet and clueless. Don’t take it out on her.” I mocked. “Clueless? Julian, was leaving me in the middle of exploding fireworks clueless? Was leaving me alone in the pouring rain clueless?” He fell silent for a moment. Then he stood up and sighed, stroking my hair. “You have a fever. You’re not thinking straight. Let’s go home.” He pushed me toward the exit. Chloe followed beside us, still whimpering. Julian turned and patted her back, whispering softly, “Don’t be upset. Sera’s sick, so she’s moody. I know you’ve been holding back a lot of tears today.” Chloe smiled through her tears. “Only you understand me, Julian.” I sat in the wheelchair as we headed toward the exit. My heart was a frozen wasteland. When we got home, my mom called me. “Sera, I’ve booked the specialist in Switzerland. I’m coming with you.” I nodded. “I’m booking my ticket to Zurich now.” That night, Julian seemed to notice my unusual silence. He walked into my room carrying a cup of warm water and sat on the edge of my bed. “Still mad at me?” I didn’t look at him. He sighed, leaning down to kiss my forehead. In the past, this gesture would make my heart flutter. Now, it made my stomach turn. He looked at me tenderly. “Sera, Chloe’s just a kid at heart. It’s her birthday tomorrow. Don’t ruin her special day, okay?” I said nothing. Taking my silence as agreement, Julian patted my head. The next day, Julian cancelled all his plans. He drove across the city to buy Chloe’s favorite flowers and order her favorite cake. I was treated like a ghost. Nobody asked how I was. That evening, Chloe’s birthday venue was packed with guests. Julian pushed me to the entrance of the banquet hall. Suddenly, he let go of the wheelchair handles. “Sera, try walking up the steps on your own.” I froze, looking down at the steps. There wasn’t a single wheelchair ramp in sight. Julian looked at me with encouraging eyes. “A little struggle stimulates the nerves. Everyone is here to cheer you on. It will build your resolve. It’s the best rehab.” Whispers began to ripple through the crowd. “How is she supposed to climb that?” “Why would they bring a disabled person to a birthday party anyway? It’s so awkward.” “So tragic, paralyzed at such a young age.” Every whisper felt like a needle stabbing into my skin. I gripped my armrests, my knuckles turning white under the glaring lights. Then, Chloe walked out from the crowd, wearing a beautiful dress and a sweet smile. “Sera, I asked Julian not to put a ramp here. I want you to push yourself. Just try to stand up, even if it’s just for a second.” She looked back at the guests. “We’re all cheering for you! I genuinely want you to walk again, Sera.” I raised my head to look at Chloe. My voice was deadly quiet. “You just want to humiliate me.” Chloe’s smile faltered. Tears welled up in her eyes again. “Sera… how could you say that?” Julian frowned, kneeling in front of me. “Sera, Chloe’s doing this out of love.” I took a deep breath, looking at them with absolute finality. “Then you can spend the rest of your life with her ‘love,’ Julian.” I grabbed the wheels and spun my wheelchair around, heading straight for the exit. Julian froze. For the first time, he saw absolute abandonment in my eyes. A sudden, overwhelming panic gripped his chest. He instinctively moved to chase after me. “Julian!” Chloe grabbed his sleeve. “The party is starting. Sera’s just throwing another tantrum. Let’s not let her ruin my birthday.” Julian hesitated. Looking at Chloe’s tearful face, his heart softened once more. “Okay. Let’s get through your party first. I’ll go coax Sera afterward.” In the end, he chose her. Again. I went to the airport alone. The moment the plane took off, a wave of profound relief washed over me. I was finally free. Meanwhile, back at the party venue, the guests had left. The feeling of dread in Julian’s chest grew stronger. He pulled out his phone, but there were no messages. He rushed back to the apartment, only to find it completely empty. A terrible premonition seized him. With trembling fingers, he dialed my number. The phone you are trying to reach is switched off. Panic setting in, he began calling everyone who had attended the party. “Have you seen Sera?” They all said no. Chloe stood beside him, frowning. “Did the crowd upset her? Maybe she went to see her physical therapist? She’s been talking about a new rehab program lately.” Julian immediately called my therapist. “Dr. Evans, is Sera with you?” “Sera came and took all her medical files two days ago,” the doctor replied calmly. “She said she booked a specialized clinic in Zurich and left today. Did you guys not know?”

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On his birthday, I brought a cake to Julian’s private VIP lounge. Standing right outside the door, I heard his best friend ask him: “Julian, you’ve been with Evelyn for ten years now. Isn’t it about time to put a ring on it?” Julian let out a cold scoff. “Marry her? Please. She’s so boring and vanilla. She’s just someone to pass the time with. The future Mrs. Sterling has to be someone from my social class.” I stood there in the silent corridor. I didn’t cry. I just turned around, walked away, and submitted my application to reactivate my classified black-ops file. For the rest of his life, I would be someone he could never hope to reach. After I left, someone spotted the cake box sitting on the floor by the door. “Hey, Julian, Evelyn was just here. You don’t think she heard what you said, do you?” “So what if she did? She never gets mad anyway. Give her two days, and she’ll come crawling back to beg for my forgiveness.” Their laughing voices faded into the distance. Inside me, something died completely. We had known each other for ten years. I really thought I had built a home in Julian’s heart. Hearing his true thoughts today made me realize I had wasted a whole decade of my life on a joke. How pathetic. I shook my head, drove straight to the Agency headquarters that very night. “Professor,” I said, looking at the gray-haired man. “I’ve made my decision. Reactivate Operation Eclipse.” Professor Harrison looked up from his desk, shock written all over his face. “Evelyn, are you absolutely sure? What about your boyfriend?” I didn’t blink. “We are over. From now on, I have no attachments, no weaknesses. I am the perfect candidate for this mission. Professor, let me go.” The old man’s lips trembled, his eyes turning red. Operation Eclipse was a classified deep-cover mission that started ten years ago. Over the past decade, Professor Harrison had watched my senior colleagues leave one by one. Many never came back. I would never forget the sight of him holding their memorial flags, his old body trembling with grief. But even while I was with Julian, I had never stopped training. My tactical skills, my physical conditioning—I kept them sharp every single day. I was waiting. Waiting for the right moment. And now, my time had come. Seeing the cold determination in my eyes, the Professor finally signed the order. I signed the non-disclosure and non-existence agreement. Once I embarked on this mission, there was no telling how long I would survive. It could be three years, or it could be forever. But I wouldn’t regret it. By the time I slipped back into my townhouse, it was past midnight. The sight of discarded clothes scattered on the living room floor made my chest tighten. I stood in the entryway, listening to the muffled, suggestive noises coming from the master bedroom. My heart didn’t even skip a beat. It was time to clean up. My existence had to be completely wiped out. No traces left behind. I burned all my personal photos. I packed my military-grade laptop into a secure case to return to the Agency. Everything was cleared out, except for the bedroom. As much as I hated to go in there, I had to be quick. I waited patiently outside the door for the noise to stop. I took a deep breath. Julian, you’re finally getting exactly what you wanted. When we first started dating, Julian was actually quite sweet. But his wealthy parents despised me. They thought a girl from my background wasn’t good enough for the Sterling family legacy. His mother, Mrs. Sterling, thought my manners were atrocious and even hired a high-society etiquette coach to “correct” me. Back then, for Julian’s sake, I endured three months of that absolute torture. To be honest, compared to the brutal survival training I underwent at the Agency, those etiquette classes were a walk in the park. Even when the coach tried to find the tiniest flaws to humiliate me, she couldn’t. So we settled into a tense, silent truce. Well, I didn’t have to play that part anymore. I adjusted my jacket, turned the handle, and pushed the bedroom door wide open. A sharp shriek pierced the air. The two people on the bed scrambled to pull the sheets over themselves. Seeing it was me, Julian’s face flushed with anger. “Evelyn! Have you forgotten how to knock?” “I didn’t know I had to knock to enter my own bedroom. Or maybe I should call your mother’s etiquette coach to remind me of the rules?” Hearing my calm voice, Julian actually smirked, thinking he had the upper hand. “Oh, so you’re throwing a tantrum? Are you jealous?” “You’re not worth my jealousy, Julian. We’re done. And take your trash with you. Get out of my house.” The smug grin froze on Julian’s face, replaced by a cold, dangerous glare. The girl beside him clung to his bare shoulder, giving me a smug, provocative look. “Julian, she’s so scary! I’m frightened!” Julian didn’t look at her. His lips parted, spitting out a cold command: “Get out.” I turned on my heel and walked into the living room. Behind me, I heard the girl’s high-pitched giggle: “She looks like a rejected puppy.” The next second, a harsh scuffle broke out, and the girl was dragged out of the bedroom and thrown into the hallway by her arm. I watched coldly as she scrambled to gather her clothes and fled the townhouse. I felt absolutely nothing.

Julian threw on a pair of sweatpants and walked out, his chest bare. He stood over me, looking down with a patronizing sneer. “Satisfied now?” I looked him dead in the eyes. “Pack your things and get out.” His brows furrowed. “Are you serious right now?” “Leave. My. House.” I pointed to the suitcases stacked neatly by the front door. “See those? Those are all your belongings. Take them all. Don’t leave a single sock behind.” My icy detachment finally cracked his arrogant facade. He let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh. “Fine! Don’t you dare come crying to me later!” He stormed back into the room, got dressed in a fury, and slammed his way out. On his way out, he kicked one of the suitcases over. “Throw it in the trash!” he yelled. I ignored him. Once the front door slammed shut, I went into the bedroom. The air still smelled of cheap perfume and sweat. I threw the windows wide open to let the cold night air in. Then, I gathered every single thing he had ever touched or brought into this house. I called a local junk-removal service on an app and offered the guy a $200 tip for a late-night pickup. When the worker arrived, he looked at the piles of designer clothes and luxury bags in disbelief. “Are you sure you want to throw all this out, ma’am?” “Yes. Throw it away, burn it, or donate it. I don’t care.” The guy quickly hauled the bags away, terrified I would change my mind. Next, I packed my own single suitcase, wiping down every surface to erase any DNA or fingerprints. I looked around the empty living room and smiled. It was finally over. I didn’t sleep at all. I lay on the bare mattress, looking at the blank ceiling, feeling a strange sense of peace. The next morning, I realized I still had a box of expensive jewelry and gifts Julian had given me over the years. I wanted a clean break. So, I grabbed the box and drove to his corporate headquarters. But when I reached the executive floor, the receptionist blocked my way. “I’m so sorry, Evelyn. Mr. Sterling gave explicit orders. He’s not seeing you today.” “Is he not seeing anyone, or just me?” The receptionist looked incredibly uncomfortable. “He… he specifically said you.” Seeing the lack of emotion on my face, she tried to soften the blow. “Mr. Sterling is in a terrible mood today. Maybe try again next week? Actually, some other woman just went up to his office a few minutes ago…” I had been to this office a hundred times when I was with Julian. The staff all knew me. As for the woman who went up—she was probably one of his many high-society admirers. Julian was rich, handsome, and always surrounded by socialites. In the past, my heart would have broken. But today, I simply slid the heavy velvet box across the marble counter. “Give this to Julian. Tell him everything he ever bought me is inside. We are completely, entirely done.” The receptionist’s polite smile shattered. “Evelyn, you can’t be serious…” “I am. Thank you for everything.” I patted her shoulder, turned around, and walked out of the glass building into the crisp morning air. I took a deep, free breath. Within three hours, I sold my townhouse to a quick-cash property flipper for $300,000 below market value. I didn’t care about the money. I just needed it gone. The new owner was a contractor who brought his crew in immediately. “Are you sure you want me to completely gut this place, ma’am?” the contractor asked, looking at the high-end light fixtures. “Yes. Rip it all out. If a man comes looking for me here later, just tell him I’m gone.” The contractor grinned. “Got it. A clean break after a breakup. Don’t worry, sweetheart. If some jerk shows up, I’ll give him hell and make him cry.” I smiled and nodded. I walked out to the curb where an unmarked black SUV from the Agency was already waiting. I got in, and we drove away.

When Professor Harrison saw me at the hangar, he gasped. “Just one suitcase?” “Yes. Only the essentials. I left the past behind, Professor. I know there’s no turning back once we start.” The Professor personally escorted me to the military transport plane. Before boarding, I took out my phone, snapped the SIM card in half, and tossed it into a disposal bin. My new encrypted number would only be known to the Professor and my handler. I deleted every social media account, every email address. I was stepping onto that plane with a completely fabricated identity, ready to start a new life under the shadows. Ten years later. In my tenth year deep undercover abroad, I successfully intercepted a critical piece of intelligence from a hostile syndicate, foiling their plot. But I took a bullet in the shoulder during the extraction. Because of my highly classified status, I couldn’t return to the US for treatment. I had to stay in a secure, covert hospital in Europe. On the day I was discharged, I ran into a ghost from my past in the lobby. The woman stopped dead in her tracks, staring at me. “Evelyn? Is that you?!” Ten years. I couldn’t believe she recognized me. But I kept my face entirely blank. “I think you have the wrong person. Excuse me.” As I tried to walk past her, she grabbed my arm. “Don’t play dumb! Julian has been searching the entire world for you for the last ten years. I’ve seen your picture a thousand times. I know it’s you!” I looked at her, letting out a polite, slightly amused chuckle. “Look, I get that seeing another Asian face in a foreign country makes you want to connect, but I am really not who you think I am. Look closely.” I stood perfectly still, letting her inspect my face. After a few tense seconds, her confidence crumbled. She looked confused, then deeply embarrassed. “Oh my god, I am so sorry. You look incredibly similar, but… your eyes, your voice… they’re different.” “No worries. It happens,” I said with a polite nod, then walked away. The moment I turned the corner, I took a stealth photo of her with my watch camera and transmitted it to our tech team. I wasn’t operating alone. Anyone who had ever been associated with my past life who suddenly appeared near me had to be thoroughly vetted. Ten years ago, Julian had kicked her out of our apartment. Her name was Chloe. She must have obsessed over my face ever since. Hearing Julian’s name again caused a tiny ripple in my chest, but I suppressed it instantly. The mission was in its final, most critical phase. The slightest mistake could destroy ten years of work. I couldn’t afford to be distracted. Before going deep undercover, I had undergone subtle facial reconstructive surgery and vocal chord therapy. There was no way she could truly identify me. Back at my safehouse, my secure tablet buzzed. The report on Chloe came in—she was simply visiting a sick relative in the hospital. Her background check was clean. I let out a breath. Good. If she had been a threat, I would have had to neutralize her myself. Nothing, absolutely nothing, came before the safety of my country. I spent the next week recovering at home. With no missions and no interruptions, it was the most peaceful week I had experienced in a decade. For the past ten years, the hardest part wasn’t the danger. It was the crushing, endless loneliness. But I had adapted to the dark. Being alone in my own world wasn’t so bad anymore. A week later, my partner moved into the safehouse to assist with my recovery. To the outside world, we were a married couple. The entire neighborhood was a secured zone under our surveillance. “Once this operation wraps up, the Agency is pulling you back to Langley,” my partner said as he prepped dinner. “Your new civilian identity is already set. They won’t suspect a thing.” I stared out the window, deep in thought. “Don’t let your guard down. The syndicate isn’t stupid.” “I know.” But just as we were preparing our final extraction plan, the house across the street got new tenants. I was taking out the trash when the front door of the opposite house opened. I didn’t have time to hide. I ran straight into him. And standing right next to him was Chloe. The moment she saw me, her face lit up. “Julian, look! I told you they looked exactly the same! If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were identical twins!” In that split second, my fists clenched inside my jacket pockets. I regretted not having her quietly dealt with last week. Julian was dressed in a sharp, casual suit. He looked older, his face etched with a complex mix of shock and longing. He took a sudden, desperate step toward me. My heart hammered against my ribs. But before he could reach me, a strong arm wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me into a warm, familiar embrace. “Hey, sweetheart. I’m home.”

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I fainted during a meeting from low blood pressure. The moment I woke up, my supervisor, Victoria Vance, accused me of faking it. She slapped a $1,100 disciplinary deduction slip right onto my face. “Faking an illness to disrupt the meeting? That’s a thousand-dollar fine! With a pathetic work ethic like yours, how did you even become our top sales rep?” For five years, I was the undisputed sales queen, bringing in ninety percent of the company’s clients. My reward? Public humiliation and malicious wage deductions. “If you can’t even handle a minor health issue, don’t even think about managing Julian’s account.” I calmly took the penalty slip and signed my name in front of the entire office. A month later, I sent my resignation letter to the CEO. Then, I formatted the encrypted USB drive and tossed it onto Victoria’s desk. “Here’s what your thousand-dollar fine bought you.” Her face drained of all color as she stared at me. I grabbed my bag and walked out of the building. Behind me, she shrieked like a maniac: “Sienna! You’ll regret this!” She had no idea that an offer letter from our biggest rival, Zenith Group, was already sitting in my inbox.

The conference room lights were blindingly bright, and without warning, my vision went black. When I finally opened my eyes, Victoria Vance’s bright red lipstick was the first thing I saw, her mouth moving rapidly. “Sienna, fainting in the middle of a pitch? Why didn’t you just faint all the way to the morgue?” She held a printed sheet of paper and slapped it right onto my face. “Faking an illness to disrupt company order. That’s a thousand-dollar penalty, deducted directly from your paycheck this month.” I propped myself up against the table. The ringing in my ears from the low blood pressure hadn’t completely faded yet. “Victoria, I have chronic low blood pressure. It wasn’t an act.” “If you’re sick, go to a hospital. Don’t throw a fit at work,” Victoria sneered, looking around the room. “You call yourself our top sales rep with that pathetic body? You look more like a useless slacker looking for a free ride! Look at her, everyone. This was the most important review meeting of the year, and she wasted thirty minutes of our time. With a fragile body like yours, a thousand-dollar fine is a cheap lesson. Do it again, and you’re fired!” The entire conference room was dead silent. Nobody dared to speak up for me. Beside me, Chloe Carter immediately stood up and eagerly handed Victoria a bottle of water. “You’re absolutely right, Victoria. This company isn’t a charity. Sienna, you really need to take care of yourself and stop causing trouble for everyone else.” She pretended to care, but the gleeful smirk in her eyes was unmistakable. I ignored her. I just looked at Victoria calmly. “Fine. Do I need to sign the deduction slip?” Victoria didn’t expect me to comply so easily. She blinked, surprised, before letting out a contemptuous snort. “At least you know your place.” She thought I was backing down. I just didn’t want to waste my breath. I had been at Apex Solutions for five years. I went from a clueless intern to the backbone of the sales department. Ninety percent of our clients were secured by me, one grueling negotiation at a time. Victoria was a nepo-baby hired six months ago. She knew absolutely nothing about sales, but she was a master of office politics. She hated me from day one, probably because I was blocking her from placing her own friends in my position. Over the past six months, she took credit for my project reports, sidelined my team members, and held up my expense reimbursements for three months without any reason. I endured all of it. My husband, Ethan, always told me to let it go. He said it was just a job, and keeping the peace was better for our family. He was climbing the corporate ladder himself, and he didn’t want any drama from my end to affect our life. But today’s thousand-dollar fine wasn’t just a minor setback. It was a direct spit to my face, stepping on my dignity and grinding it into the dirt. I picked up the penalty slip. The name “Sienna” printed on it felt like an eyesore. Back at my desk, I opened my laptop. Instead of working, I messaged a recruiter I hadn’t contacted in a long time. “Rachel, is that new opportunity you mentioned still open?” She replied instantly. “Sienna! Of course! Zenith Group has been waiting for you. I’ll send you the job description right away.” Zenith Group—Apex’s biggest competitor. I closed the chat, clicked on an encrypted folder, and started organizing five years’ worth of client profiles, supplier contracts, and final pricing bids. Every single file represented late nights, endless coffee, and ulcers from high-stakes dinners. Victoria, you used a thousand dollars to teach me a lesson. I’ll use these files to teach you an eighty-million-dollar lesson.

For the next month, I lived the dream life of a nine-to-five worker. The second the clock hit five, I clocked out and muted my phone. Victoria tagged me a hundred times in our WhatsApp work group, but I ignored every single notification. She targeted me during our morning team meeting: “Sienna, is your workload too light lately? Have you followed up with our clients?” “Are the supplier renewals signed? Don’t think your seniority gives you the right to slack off!” In front of everyone, I handed her a thick folder. “Victoria, here is my complete daily log submitted yesterday before five. Every single task you mentioned has been completed. If you feel my workload is too light, feel free to assign me more projects. However, any overtime needs to be requested and approved in advance, otherwise it violates company policy.” Her face turned the color of raw liver, completely speechless. Seeing this, Chloe immediately jumped in to smooth things over. “Oh, Sienna, Victoria is just looking out for you. She wants you to reach your full potential. Speaking of which, you’ve been working on Julian Miller’s account for six months. Why don’t I help you lighten the load?” Julian Miller was our biggest potential client. I had poured my heart into getting him to agree to the final pricing phase. Chloe had been drooling over this account for ages. I smiled and pushed a file toward her. “Sure. Since you’re so eager, you can handle this one first.” She took it, and her smile instantly vanished. It was a notoriously difficult supplier we had been arguing with for two months over contract details. “Sienna, this…” “Weren’t you trying to lighten my load?” I looked at her calmly. “If you can’t even handle a minor dispute like this, how do you expect to manage Julian’s account?” Chloe’s face flushed with embarrassment, but she had no choice but to take the file. Victoria watched from the side, silent and cold. She wanted nothing more than for Chloe to snatch my clients so she could kick me out for good. Then, she started sabotaging me. She rejected my client entertainment expenses, claiming it “didn’t align with the company’s frugal budget.” She held up the approval for client gifts, refusing to sign off on them. It didn’t matter. I paid out of my own pocket and bypassed her whenever I could. Every rejected request, every delayed email—I took screenshots of everything and saved them in my encrypted folder. These were my receipts. When I got home that night, Ethan saw my sour mood and started lecturing me again. “Isn’t your manager just trying to assert some authority? Just swallow your pride, buy her a nice gift, and get over it. Why do you have to make things so tense?” I looked at him, suddenly feeling exhausted. “Ethan, I was the one who got fined a thousand dollars. I was the one humiliated in public, and I was the one whose hard work was stolen. All you ever do is tell me to swallow my pride and back down.” “What else do you want to do? Sienna, are you really going to quit? How are we going to pay our $2,500 monthly mortgage? My career is finally taking off. Can’t you just keep things stable for the sake of our home?” Always “for the sake of our home.” I shut my mouth, refusing to argue. He didn’t understand, or rather, he didn’t care about my feelings at all. He only cared about his career, his mortgage, and his comfortable life. I opened my laptop and continued organizing my client database. Ethan leaned over to glance at my screen, frowning. “What are you doing with all that? Planning to jump ship? Let me warn you, don’t do anything stupid. Your company has a non-compete agreement.” I sneered inwardly. He didn’t even remember that I only signed a standard employment contract. There was no non-compete clause. He only knew how to warn and restrict me. I calmly closed my laptop. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.” What I was doing was making sure that before I left, I would take every single thing that belonged to me.

Victoria’s patience had clearly run out. During Monday’s meeting, she announced a sudden reorganization of client accounts. “To encourage healthy competition, we are reassigning all major accounts. Sienna, you will hand over Julian Miller’s account and your other major clients to Chloe and the younger reps so they can get some real-world experience. As for you, you will focus on training the new hires and handling basic administrative tasks.” This was basically demoting me from top sales executive to a secretary. Chloe’s face flushed with excitement. She couldn’t wait to stand up and show her loyalty. “Thank you so much, Victoria! I won’t let you down. I promise to close Julian’s deal!” I sat in my chair, completely silent. Victoria was highly satisfied with my “silence.” She tapped her pen on the table, looking like a victorious queen. “Sienna, make sure all client files are organized and handed over to Chloe before you leave today. Remember, leave nothing out.” “Fine.” I said only one word. In the afternoon, Chloe strutted over to my desk in her high heels, looking incredibly smug. “Sienna, you can hand over the files now. I need everything—your chat logs with the clients, their custom pricing limits, even their family members’ birthdays. The more detailed, the better.” She thought I was an idiot. She wanted to steal the entire network of relationships I had built over five years in one go. I nodded, took an encrypted USB drive out of my drawer, and handed it to her. “Everything is in here.” She snatched it eagerly and plugged it into her laptop. She opened it and saw the files, but every single one had a lock icon on it. It was encrypted by the company’s internal system, requiring my personal authorization key to open. The suspicion on her face turned into greedy excitement, then quickly into confusion. “Sienna, why can’t I open these?” “I’ll send you the password later,” I said calmly. She pulled out the USB drive like a trophy, thinking she’d get the password sooner or later. “Great. These clients have nothing to do with you now. Go enjoy your new hires.” After she left, I looked at my empty desktop. I logged into the company’s central file server. Every client profile, project template, and sales strategy guide I had created myself was now locked under my exclusive encrypted permission. Then, I sent Julian Miller a text message on Snapchat. “Hi Julian. Just wanted to let you know that due to some internal restructuring, I will be leaving Apex Solutions soon. My colleague will be taking over your account. Thank you so much for your trust and support over the past six months.” Julian’s phone call came through on FaceTime immediately. “Sienna, what’s going on? You’re leaving? What is your company playing at, changing reps right at the finish line? I don’t even want to meet this new person! If you aren’t managing this project, I’m not signing!” I calmed him down, telling him it was just a regular career transition and that I would handle things properly. After hanging up, I sent similar messages to my other core clients. Without exception, every single one of them said they only trusted me. By the time I finished, the sky was dark. I shut down my computer, packed my bags, and went home. That night, Ethan came home beaming, eager to tell me he had basically secured the director position at his company. “Babe, thanks for staying quiet and not causing any trouble lately. Once I get this promotion and raise, we can upgrade to a bigger house.” As he spoke, he casually tossed his dirty laundry onto the couch as if it were my job to clean it. I looked at him, feeling a strange sense of peace. “Ethan, we need to talk.” “About what? I’m sharing great news with you!” “I want a divorce,” I said softly. The smile on his face instantly froze.

“A divorce? Sienna, have you lost your mind?” Ethan’s voice went up an octave. He stared at me in disbelief, as if looking at a stranger. “Just because you’re having a hard time at work, you’re using divorce to threaten me? Can you grow up for once?” I pulled out the pre-drafted divorce papers from the drawer and pushed them toward him. “I’m not threatening you. I’m serious. We split the assets equally. You keep the house, just buy out my half of the equity. I don’t want any alimony.” Ethan stared at the papers, shaking with anger. “I don’t agree! I’m about to become a director, Sienna! Don’t ruin my life right at this moment! I am not signing this!” “Then I’ll file for a contested divorce,” I looked at him calmly. “For the past five years, did you ever actually treat me like your wife? Or was I just a tool to help pay your mortgage and satisfy your vanity?” He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out. He knew I was speaking the truth. Our argument ended on a bitter note. Ethan slammed the door and didn’t come back all night. Sitting alone in the quiet living room, I felt lighter than I had in years. The next day at the office, the atmosphere was incredibly tense. Chloe spent the entire day trying to call Julian Miller using the files I gave her, but she couldn’t even get past his assistant. She tried pitching a proposal to another major client, only to get yelled at and told she had no idea what she was doing. She crawled back to Victoria’s office with her tail between her legs, and Victoria tore into her. In the afternoon, Victoria called me into her office, a rare, fake smile plastered on her face. “Sienna, look, Chloe is still young and doesn’t know how to handle these big accounts yet. How about this? You take back Julian’s project. Think of it as a chance to redeem yourself. And about that thousand-dollar fine, I’ll talk to accounting and have them refund it to you.” She was trying to play good cop now. Too bad I didn’t care anymore. “Victoria, I’m no longer the lead on that project. We can’t just bend company policy whenever we want, can we?” Victoria’s fake smile vanished instantly, replaced by pure rage. “Sienna, don’t push your luck! I’m giving you a way out, you better take it! Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to make your life here a living hell!” Shocked by my refusal, she began assigning me impossible tasks in front of the entire office. “I need a complete analysis report of this quarter’s sales data before you leave today. Also, follow up on that dead project on the west side. I want a breakthrough by Friday. And copy these three hundred pages of documents for me. Double-sided, full color.” Everyone looked at me with pity, while Chloe didn’t even bother to hide her smug satisfaction. I said nothing and just did the work. On Friday at exactly 5:59 PM, I completed every single task she threw at me and sent them to her email in a neat package. Then, I sent my resignation letter to both HR and the CEO. “Effective immediately, I am resigning due to personal reasons.” The moment the email sent, I permanently wiped every personal file from my work computer. Chloe had spent two days trying to crack the USB drive I gave her, but she eventually had to return it to me, defeated. I took the empty USB drive, walked over to Chloe’s desk. She was currently whining to Victoria about how difficult the clients were. Right in front of them, I plugged the USB drive into my laptop. “Sienna, what are you doing?” Chloe asked warily. I ignored her, right-clicked the drive, and selected “Format.” A confirmation window popped up. Under Victoria and Chloe’s horrified stares, I clicked “Confirm.” The progress bar completed in a second. I pulled out the empty thumb drive, placed it gently on Victoria’s desk, and gave it a soft push. “Victoria, here is what your thousand-dollar fine bought you,” I said, my voice echoing clearly through the quiet office. “My clients are leaving with me. You can keep this empty drive and play with it yourself.” With that, I grabbed my purse and walked out, leaving the office in a stunned, deathly silence. Tomorrow, Zenith Group would announce my hiring. As for Victoria, she was about to receive termination notices from our biggest clients. The real show was about to begin.

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The day I found out I was pregnant, my OB/GYN husband, Julian Vance, cheated on me with his medical assistant, Valerie Moore. The shock and stress caused me to have a miscarriage. Consumed by hatred, I publicly stripped Valerie of her scrubs in the hospital lobby, completely ruining her reputation. Then, I climbed onto the rooftop ledge of the clinic, threatening Julian with my own life. “Either you send Valerie to prison for medical malpractice, or you sign the divorce papers.” Julian fell to his knees in front of me, tears streaming down his face as he begged. “I promise you. I’ll do it. You are the only one I love, Summer.” True to his word, Julian personally submitted the evidence of Valerie’s malpractice to the authorities. He chose to stay and rebuild our marriage. Every year on the anniversary of my baby’s death, I would visit the prison to curse Valerie behind the glass. Until today. I was leaving the restroom at the facility when I overheard two janitors gossiping in the hallway. “Does that poor woman seriously not realize the person locked in there isn’t actually Valerie Moore? It’s just a paid actress.” “I know, right? Dr. Vance was so terrified his wife would lose her mind again and hurt Valerie. He spent a fortune renting this decommissioned private facility and hiring actors just to keep her calm. Dr. Vance and Valerie are the real soulmates.” “I heard their baby turned one today. The whole family is celebrating at his mansion. They look so happy.” The blood in my veins turned to ice. My mind went blank. It turned out that while I was trying so hard to heal and start over, Julian had already built a perfect family with her.

My hands and feet shook uncontrollably. A deafening ringing filled my ears. A fake set. Paid actors. Three years of his guilt, penance, and begging for forgiveness. All of it was a meticulously staged lie. I had been so close to letting go. Just minutes ago, I had looked at the woman in the orange jumpsuit behind the glass and said. “I’m pregnant again. It’s a new beginning.” “I won’t be coming back here. Stay here and rot for what you did.” I stood frozen in the hallway, shaking silently, barely daring to breathe. A guard jogged over, wiping sweat from his forehead. “Sorry, ma’am. An inmate caused trouble nearby. I had to step away for a moment.” Hearing his flimsy, rehearsed explanation, a bitter laugh escaped my throat. I had lived the last three years in a traumatized fog. How had I never noticed the cracks in this theater? After signing out, I slowly walked out of the “prison” gates. I got into my car but didn’t drive away. Instead, I parked in a hidden spot down the road. Sure enough, twenty minutes later, a group of people walked out of the building, laughing and chatting. The actress playing Valerie was among them, eagerly counting a thick stack of crisp hundred-dollar bills. My heart sank into a frozen abyss. I pulled out my phone, found my private investigator’s contact, and dialed. “Run a check on Valerie Moore. I want to know exactly where she is and what she’s doing.” The investigator sounded taken aback. “Mrs. Vance? Three years ago, you told me she was in prison and ordered me to stop tracking her and your husband. Why the sudden change?” He didn’t finish the sentence, but the implication was clear. Within an hour, he sent a file to my Snapchat. It contained Valerie’s private Instagram account. For the past three years, she had been documenting her life with Julian. From her getting a nose job and a new identity to work at a different private clinic, celebrated by Julian. To her moving into a luxury penthouse, with Julian taking her on exotic vacations. And finally, to her giving birth, and Julian throwing a lavish first birthday party for their child. I stared at the photo of Valerie holding the baby, with Julian wrapping his arms tightly around them both. The pain in my chest was so sharp I could barely draw breath. Yet, like a masochist, I kept scrolling. When I saw the comments below the post, my fingers froze. My best friend, Chloe, who had spent three days straight cursing Valerie with me three years ago, had left a comment: “My sweet goddaughter is one today! As her godmother, I have to prepare a very special gift!” My brother, Nathan, who had helped me plaster Valerie’s home with photos of her affair, wrote: “Congratulations, Julian! Looks like we’ve got another little doctor in the family.” Even my parents, who had held me tight on the nights I wanted to jump off our balcony, had commented: “You and Valerie are a match made in heaven. Wishing your beautiful family endless happiness.” Dozens of mutual friends and colleagues had liked the posts, leaving warm blessings. Everyone knew. Everyone knew the truth, and everyone chose to keep me in the dark. I stared at those comments for a long, long time. I was still staring when Julian’s call flashed across my screen. “Hey, honey. You’re not home yet. Did something happen at the prison visit?” His voice was as gentle and caring as always, but I could catch a faint, nervous tremor underneath. I forced my voice to remain steady. “Nothing. Everything was normal.” “Julian, I won’t be going back there anymore.” I could hear the massive wave of relief over the line. His tone instantly became cheerful. “I’m so glad to hear that, Summer. The bad guy got what she deserved. It’s finally time for you to let go and move on.” I bit my lip, feeling a wave of self-deprecation. Yes. I was the one getting punished. And it was indeed time to move on.

My investigator sent me another update. When I saw the child’s name in the document, my knuckles turned white clutching the phone. Lily. That was the name I had chosen for the baby girl I lost. Back then, Julian had pressed his ear against my belly, smiling warmly. “It’s a beautiful name, Summer.” I thought that name had been buried forever in the dirt alongside my miscarried child. I never could have imagined it would be stolen and given to Valerie’s baby. Even though it was the middle of July, I felt a bone-chilling cold wash over me. “Send me the address of the birthday party,” I texted the investigator. Julian had spared no expense. He rented a stunning, high-security villa in the countryside. Without an invitation, no one could get in. I paid a hefty fee to get a guest pass from a vendor and slipped into the crowd. I stood amidst the laughter and clinking glasses like a ghost. Valerie, surrounded by a doting crowd, was proudly showing off the nursery. Cream-colored walls, an organic wood crib, custom-built bookshelves… Even the handcrafted crystal mobile hanging by the window was the exact one I had spent weeks customizing for my lost baby. The nursery I had lovingly designed had been recreated block for block for Valerie. The guests gasped in admiration. “I heard Dr. Vance designed this entire room himself! He treats you like a queen, Valerie. Three years, and he’s still this obsessed.” “Well, Valerie deserves it. She’s already a chief resident at her age. Her future is incredibly bright.” Valerie blushed, a sweet smile on her face. “Julian said this is his first child, so he wanted to give her the absolute best of everything.” Julian walked in, wrapping his arm around Valerie’s waist with pure adoration. Then, his eyes casually swept over the crowd and landed on me. The loving smile on his face froze instantly. Sensing the sudden shift in the air, the guests followed his gaze to me. Valerie shrank back slightly, and Julian immediately stepped in front of her, shielding her. “Summer, don’t make a scene today of all days,” Julian whispered sharply, his eyes darting around nervously. “We can talk about this at home.” I dug my fingernails deep into my palms, trying to hold onto my dignity. “You’ve lied to me for three years, Julian. Don’t I even deserve an explanation?” Before Julian could speak, my best friend Chloe rushed over. She frowned, looking down at me with a judgmental sigh. “Summer, Julian only lied to keep you stable. He was worried you’d do something reckless again. He did it for your own good! Why do you have to be so incredibly petty?” “Even if you’re upset, ruining a baby’s first birthday is just low. It’s embarrassing.” My brother, Nathan, stepped up next, his voice cold and detached. “Look, it’s been three years. It’s time to move on. Just because you’re unhappy doesn’t mean you get to drag everyone else down with you.” My parents walked over, their faces filled with deep disappointment. “Summer, you are such a letdown,” my mother scolded softly. “I can’t believe you’re still this vindictive after three years.” “You ruined Valerie’s life back then, making her the laughingstock of the city. Isn’t that enough payback?” “Besides, Valerie didn’t even ask for a marriage certificate. She just wanted to give Julian a child to carry on the Vance family name. What’s so wrong with that? You don’t have to be so heartless.” Julian let out a weary sigh. “Well, now that you know, at least I don’t have to keep paying actors to put on a show for you. It was exhausting.” “My parents were pressuring me for a grandchild. You can’t get pregnant anymore, and I couldn’t spend the rest of my life childless. You have to understand my position.” “From now on, you can keep your title as Mrs. Vance. We’ll just live our separate lives. We won’t cross each other’s paths.” They stood in a protective circle around Valerie. And I, their own flesh and blood, was treated like a toxic monster they needed to guard against. I let out a soft, mocking laugh, hiding the absolute deadness in my eyes. “Julian, what if I told you… I’m pregnant too?”

Julian’s brow furrowed, his face twisting into an irritated scowl. “Summer, are you seriously using this trick again? Aren’t you tired of it?” “You used a pregnancy to threaten me into banishing Valerie three years ago. If you hadn’t been so stubborn and dramatic, none of this would have happened.” A wave of bitter sorrow washed over me, so painful I could barely stand straight. The miscarriage. The resulting infertility. The agonizing post-surgery complications. All those nights I screamed from nightmares were reduced to “my own fault” in Julian’s eyes. I smiled mockingly, deliberately stepping on his sore spot. “I guess I’m just like your mother. I’m too ‘petty’ to share my husband with a mistress.” “What’s next? Are you going to watch me jump off a building right in front of you, just like she did?” When Julian was five, his father brought his pregnant mistress into their home. That very night, Julian’s mother jumped from their penthouse balcony. Julian had witnessed the tragedy. He had sworn he would never become like his father. Yet here he was, calmly asking me to play nice with his mistress. The power of genetics is truly terrifying. Julian’s face darkened instantly, looking like he wanted to kill me. Unable to watch any longer, my brother Nathan grabbed my arm and dragged me into the villa’s storage room. The cramped, dusty space was filled with Julian’s discarded junk. A customized designer pen I had gifted him, his original proposal ring, and the baby bracelet I had bought for our lost child. These were things Julian had once claimed to treasure more than life itself. Now, they were left here to gather dust, completely forgotten. Nathan looked at me with pure disgust. “Open your eyes and look around, Summer! Julian threw your relationship in the trash years ago. He’s moved on. You’re the only idiot still clinging to the past.” Chloe squeezed into the room as well, letting out a dramatic sigh. “To be honest, Valerie isn’t as bad as you think. If she hadn’t donated her kidney to your mother, your mom would still be rotting in the ICU right now.” “We’ve seen how much Valerie has done for this family over the last three years. You really crossed the line back then.” I froze, my hand instinctively drifting to the scar on my lower back. When my mother fell critically ill, I had secretly gone for a donor match despite my weak post-miscarriage body. Luckily, I was a match. To prevent them from worrying about my health, I had begged the surgeon to keep the donor info strictly confidential. I quietly gave my mother one of my kidneys. Even though the scar still throbbed with pain on rainy days, I had never regretted it. Because my mother had always protected me when I was a child. I wanted to save her life. But now, they were saying the donor was Valerie. A thick, suffocating lump formed in my throat. I looked down, my voice trembling with unshed tears. “You all regret taking my side, don’t you?” “Not only do you regret it, but you also helped Julian gaslight me for three whole years.” My father sighed, his face a mask of weary resignation. “Summer, watching you suffer makes us suffer too.” “If you’re going to live in pain for the rest of your life, it’s better for everyone if you just let go now.” I raised my head and slowly looked at the faces in the room. These were the people who had wept tears of joy at my wedding, wishing me a lifetime of happiness. These were the people who had rushed to my side, saving me from the brink of suicide. Now, they were all standing together, begging me to give up. Slowly, I slipped the wedding ring off my right finger. I dropped it onto the pile of dusty, discarded junk. “Fine. I’ll do what you want. I’m letting go.”

After mailing the signed divorce papers to Julian’s office, I drove to the cemetery. Lily’s grave was adorned with fresh flowers, cute toys, and tiny baby clothes. She looked loved. Just like she did every year I came to visit. “Lily, it’s Mommy. I’m here again.” “I regret it every single day. My anger and pride cost you your life.” “I kept hoping you would find your way back to me. But now that the chance is here… I don’t think I have the strength to start over.” Tears finally spilled over, heavy and unstoppable, mimicking the sudden summer downpour that began to crash around me. I leaned down and gently kissed the cold tombstone. Suddenly, the rain stopped hitting me. I looked up and met Julian’s pained eyes. He was holding an umbrella over me, letting his own expensive suit get soaked in the storm. “Your health is fragile, Summer. The ground is too cold. Let’s talk in the car.” He wrapped his dry trench coat around my shoulders, his tone softening. “I’m not signing the divorce papers. Whatever Valerie has, I’ll make sure you have it too.” “We both made mistakes in the past. Let’s just let bygones be bygones. Don’t bring it up again.” Julian reached out, attempting to slide the tarnished ring back onto my finger. I pulled my hand back, my expression dead. “But I can’t let it go. I will never forget it as long as I live.” Julian’s face hardened, his voice turning cold. “Summer, don’t push your luck. I am not going to fake-banish Valerie again just to appease you.” I shook my head calmly. “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt Valerie.” “I just want you to give Lily’s name back to her. Just for today.” Julian blinked, then glanced at his luxury watch. “Then make it quick. The demolition crew is about to arrive.” “The show is over. The studio lot where this cemetery is located is being redeveloped. My father wants to turn this entire zone into a private amusement park. It’s a first-birthday gift for my daughter, Lily.” I stood frozen, unable to comprehend the words coming out of his mouth. “What about Lily? What about my baby’s grave?” Julian sighed gently. “Don’t worry. I’ll find a better spot for her. It’ll be much nicer than this.” With a loud rumble, heavy excavators and a construction crew entered the gates. They drove straight toward the row of graves. Instinct took over. I threw myself over Lily’s tombstone like a lunatic. “No! Stop! Don’t touch it!” “Julian, I beg you! I swear I’ll sign the papers and stay far away from you and Valerie! Just leave Lily alone! I’ll do anything!” Julian took a step toward me, then stopped. His brows knitted together in annoyance. “Summer, stop acting crazy. It’s just a plot of land. It’s not that serious.” He reached out to drag me away, but in my panic, I swung my arm and slapped him hard across the face. Julian held his reddened cheek, his expression turning pitch black. “Ignore her. Start digging.” Leaving those cold words behind, he turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the vast, roaring cemetery. The workers looked at each other, but ultimately, the giant metal claw of the excavator began to rise. Shaking violently, I squeezed myself against the cold marble of the tombstone and closed my eyes in absolute despair. On his drive back, Julian’s phone buzzed. It was a call from the studio lot’s management office. “Dr. Vance, the actress playing Valerie’s inmate just forwarded the transcript of Mrs. Vance’s last visit to your email.” Exhausted, Julian opened the file on his tablet, his eyes scanning the lines lazily. But when his eyes hit the final paragraph, every ounce of color drained from his face.

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I gave up my own college dreams just so Ethan Miller could get his PhD. During the day, I delivered food on my scooter. At night, I worked as a mall janitor. I survived on only four hours of sleep a day. Because of the physical exhaustion, I suffered two miscarriages. Eventually, I developed severe reproductive health issues and had to have half of my uterus removed. Finally, Ethan graduated. He landed a high-paying job at a listed company with a six-figure salary. He promised to give me a grand wedding. But while trying on wedding dresses, I got bored and browsed Instagram. A viral post on a local confession page caught my eye. “How do I dump my uneducated, janitor girlfriend who put me through school without looking like the bad guy?” “She can’t even understand basic academic talk. It is embarrassing to take her out.” “I have met a female executive at my company who truly gets me. I don’t want to play savior anymore.” Attached to the post was a photo of a medical report. The name was blurred, but I recognized it instantly. It was my uterine surgery report. Across the fitting room curtain, Ethan’s gentle voice drifted in. “Honey, are you done changing? I can’t wait to see you in that dress.” I looked down and touched the ugly surgical scar on my lower abdomen. Suddenly, my ten years of sacrifice felt like a total joke.

“Babe, is the dress on yet?” I locked my phone and slipped it into the pocket of my old coat. My hand lingered on the scar on my stomach for two seconds before I pulled it away. I pushed the curtain open. Ethan blinked in surprise when he saw me still wearing my old, faded clothes. “Why did you take it off? Weren’t you obsessing over that mermaid gown for days?” He set down his coffee cup, walked over, and wrapped an arm around my shoulder with a doting smile. “Is it too expensive? Don’t worry about the price. Your man makes six figures now. I can easily afford a wedding dress.” I took a subtle step back, slipping out of his embrace. “It doesn’t fit.” “How? Is the size wrong?” He frowned and turned to the sales associate. “Did you guys give her the wrong size?” The sales associate smiled apologetically. “Mr. Miller, the lady said the design is too complicated. She said it’s not practical for doing chores.” Ethan sighed, reaching out to ruffle my hair. “Silly girl. You’re going to be a princess on our wedding day. Who’s going to make you do chores?” He took my hand, his thumb gently rubbing my rough, calloused palm. “You’ve worked too hard these past ten years. From now on, you stay home and relax. I’ll take care of you.” His eyes were full of sincerity. He looked exactly like the boy who had hugged me tightly and sworn to love me forever when he got his PhD acceptance letter. If I hadn’t seen that post, I probably would have cried tears of gratitude. I pulled my hand back and shoved it into my pockets. “I’m tired. I want to go home.” “Alright. We’ll go home and rest today. I’ll take you to another boutique tomorrow.” As we walked out of the bridal shop, a cold gust of wind hit us. Ethan took off his cashmere scarf and wrapped it around my neck. “Cold? Wait here. I’ll bring the car around.” He turned and walked toward the parking lot. I watched his retreating figure. He wore a well-tailored wool coat. He looked tall, handsome, and successful. Ethan unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for me. A cup of tea sat in the cup holder. “Your favorite. Half-sweet, no ice. I grabbed it on the way.” I stared at the cup but didn’t touch it. “I don’t drink anymore.” Ethan’s hand on the steering wheel paused. “What’s wrong? Is your stomach acting up again?” He reached into the glove compartment with one hand and took out a bottle of stomach medicine. “Take two tablets when we get back. I’ll take a day off tomorrow to go to the hospital with you for a checkup.” I leaned back against the seat, watching the city lights blur past the window. “Ethan, do you find me embarrassing?” Ethan let out a soft chuckle. “What are you overthinking now? Who would dare call my wife embarrassing?” He stopped at a red light and turned to look at my face. “Did you overhear my mom’s phone call? Just ignore her. She’s old-fashioned.” “I only made it this far because you worked multiple jobs to support me. I will remember your sacrifice for the rest of my life.” Sacrifice. He called it a sacrifice, not love. I looked down at my worn fingers. “You wrote that post, didn’t you?” The light turned green. The car behind us honked. Ethan stepped on the gas, and the car smoothly crossed the intersection. “What post?” His voice was calm, showing no signs of guilt. “You spend too much time on social media. There are millions of people on Instagram. It’s just a coincidence that someone has a similar story.” “What about my medical report?” The smile finally vanished from Ethan’s face. He pulled the car over to the curb and killed the engine. “Did you go through my phone?” I didn’t answer. I just stared at him. Ethan let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “A coworker took my phone and posted that as a joke. We were playing Truth or Dare at lunch.” “You actually believed a stupid prank like that?” He leaned in, trying to hug me. “I’ve already paid the non-refundable deposit for the wedding venue, Ava. How could I possibly want to dump you?” I lay still in his arms, letting him hold me. His coat smelled of expensive woody cologne. I had never owned a bottle of perfume in my life. Right then, his phone on the dashboard lit up. A WhatsApp message popped up on the screen: “Are you coming over tonight? I saved some dessert for you.”

Ethan’s eyes quickly flicked to the screen. “There’s an emergency at the office.” “My manager is a total workaholic. She doesn’t even let us rest on weekends.” I kept my eyes on the congested traffic ahead. “I see.” Ethan seemed to think my reaction was too indifferent. He glanced at me. “Don’t overthink it. My manager is three years older than me. She just mentors me a lot at work.” “The competition for the promotion is fierce. I need to make a good impression.” He patted the back of my hand. “Once I make director, we’ll put a down payment on an apartment downtown. We can even bring your parents over from your hometown.” Reuniting with my parents was indeed my biggest dream. In the past, whenever Ethan said things like this, I would be so moved that I’d take on extra cleaning shifts at the mall just to make more money. But now… I pulled my hand back. “No need.” “My parents are doing fine where they are.” The car stopped in front of our rented apartment building. Ethan didn’t get out. “Babe, go upstairs and get some rest. I have to head back to the office.” He pulled two hundred-dollar bills from his wallet and handed them to me. “Buy yourself something nice for dinner. Stop eating leftovers.” I didn’t take the money. I pushed the door open and stepped out. “Don’t drink too much.” I shut the door and walked straight into the dark hallway without looking back. The motion-sensor light was broken again. It was pitch black. I climbed up to the fifth floor by memory and unlocked the door. The apartment smelled of dampness that never quite went away. Ethan’s faded white shirts hung on the balcony. Cardboard boxes I had collected for recycling were piled next to the sofa. I walked to the bedroom and pulled open the bottom drawer of the nightstand. There was a small metal tin inside. Inside were all the savings I had managed to scrape together over the last ten years. It was less than seven thousand dollars. During Ethan’s PhD years, tuition and living expenses were a bottomless pit. I delivered food in the freezing rain by day and cleaned toilets at night. I even bought the cheapest brand of sanitary pads just to save a few pennies. One night, while scrubbing floors, my back ached so badly I collapsed. I had a miscarriage. That was how I found out I was pregnant. By the time I was rushed to the ER, the doctor said it was too late. Half of my uterus had to be surgically removed to save my life. Ethan had cried until his eyes were swollen at my bedside, swearing he would protect me with his life. And I had believed him. I took out the savings cards and slipped them into my pocket. Then, I pulled out an old duffel bag and began packing. I didn’t have many belongings. A few cheap clothes bought from clearance racks, a pair of worn-out sneakers, and a few old textbooks Ethan had discarded. It took less than thirty minutes to pack my entire life. I sat on the bare mattress, looking at the framed photo of us from ten years ago hanging on the wall. In the photo, Ethan was wearing a simple white t-shirt, smiling shyly. I had my hair in a ponytail, leaning happily on his shoulder. I stood up and ripped the photo off the wall. I pulled too hard, and a chunk of the cheap wallpaper peeled off with it. The sound of keys jingling came from the front door. Ethan walked in, holding a beautifully packaged cake box. He froze when he saw the duffel bag on the floor. “What are you doing?” He set the cake on the table and rushed over to grab my hands. “Why are you putting your winter clothes away? I can toss them in the laundry for you tomorrow.” He always did this. He would find a reasonable-sounding excuse rather than face what was right in front of him. I shook his hands off. “I’m moving out.” The smile on Ethan’s face completely hardened. His brows furrowed deeply. “Are you seriously throwing a tantrum and running away over a stupid internet post?” He took a deep breath, trying to control his temper. “I already explained it was a joke. What more do you want from me?” He pointed at the cake on the table. “I skipped my overtime and drove across three neighborhoods just to buy you your favorite strawberry shortcake.” “Can you grow up for once?”

Grow up. Over the past ten years, I had heard that phrase more than anything else. When I worked two jobs and threw up blood from exhaustion, Ethan’s mother told me: “Ethan has a lot of academic pressure. Grow up, Ava. Don’t bother him with your minor illnesses.” When I lay in the hospital bed after losing half my uterus, Ethan said: “Thank you for being so grown up, babe. I’ll make it up to you when I graduate.” And now, because I wanted to leave, I was being childish. I looked at the elegantly wrapped cake box. It was from an upscale bakery downtown. A single slice cost thirty dollars. It would take me three hours of scrubbing floors to earn that slice. “I’m allergic to strawberries, Ethan. I break out in hives. Did you forget?” Ethan went rigid. His eyes flickered with guilt. He had obviously forgotten. “I’m sorry, babe. Work has been so crazy lately. My mind is all over the place.” He pushed the cake aside. “Forget the cake. Let me take you out for Korean BBQ.” “Haven’t you been wanting to try that new spot down the street?” I didn’t move. “Ethan, you replied to a comment on that Instagram post.” I looked at him, my voice completely flat. “You wrote: ‘Every time I go home and see her rough, calloused hands, I lose my appetite.’” Ethan’s face turned incredibly pale. “Do you have to make things this ugly?” He yanked his tie loose, his voice rising with anger. “Fine! Yes, I wrote it!” “But I was just venting online! I didn’t actually break up with you, did I?” “Look at yourself!” He gestured at me, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust. “You always wear cheap, thrift-store clothes. You never style your hair. When I brought you to my company mixer, everyone thought you were my maid!” “Every day, I deal with sophisticated executives and elite clients. Then I come home to face your plain, worn-out face.” “Do you think I don’t feel the pressure?” I stood there quietly, listening to him spit out those words. Strangely, I didn’t even feel pain anymore. Just an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. “If you feel so miserable, why didn’t you just ask for a breakup?” I asked quietly. Ethan frustratedly ran a hand through his hair. “Because I knew you couldn’t handle it!” “Your health is ruined, and you don’t even have a college degree. How are you going to survive in this city without me?” He stepped closer, his voice softening again. “Ava, I admit I had a momentary lapse in judgment.” “Victoria, my manager, can really help me with my career.” “But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you.” “The wedding will go on as planned. I will give you the status of being my wife.” “Just stop making a scene, okay? Be a good girl and stay home as a full-time housewife.” He spoke of marriage as if it were a generous charity. I picked up my duffel bag. “I have a night shift at the mall.” Ethan let out a sigh of relief, thinking I had submitted yet again. “Go on then. Don’t stay out too late. I’ll take you to another bridal shop tomorrow.” He leaned in to kiss my forehead. I didn’t dodge it. As I walked out of the apartment building, the cold night wind blew against my skin, and I realized I was drenched in a cold sweat. I didn’t go to the mall. Instead, I took the bus to the city hospital. My latest medical report showed that my uterine fibroids were showing signs of precancerous changes. I needed surgery immediately. But Ethan hadn’t even looked at the report. He had simply taken a photo of it to gain sympathy points from strangers online.

The bus rattled along. I leaned my head against the window, watching the neon lights of the city blur past. The doctor on duty frowned deeply as he reviewed my chart. “Why did you wait so long to come in? We need to schedule the surgery immediately. This could become life-threatening.” The doctor handed me a stack of forms. “Have your husband or a family member come in tomorrow to sign the consent forms and pay the deposit.” I took the papers, my hands trembling slightly. “Can’t I just sign them myself?” The doctor looked at me with pity. “This is a major procedure. Hospital policy requires an emergency contact or a family member’s signature for post-op release.” I walked out of the hospital clutching the papers. The cold wind slipped down my collar, and I wrapped my old coat tighter around myself. I pulled out my phone and opened Instagram. The post had reached the top of the local trending page. The author had updated the thread just thirty minutes ago: “She threw a tantrum today, but I easily managed her with a cheap cake. Women who have never seen the world are so easy to control. Once I get my company shares, I’ll find an excuse to send her back to her small town.” That was posted right after I left the apartment. I closed the app and walked to an ATM on the corner. I inserted my card to check my balance. Seven thousand two hundred dollars. It wasn’t even half of what the surgery would cost. The next morning, I went to Ethan’s company. It was located in a luxurious skyscraper downtown. Wearing my faded jeans and worn sneakers, I stood in the lobby looking completely out of place. The receptionist eyed me suspiciously. “Can I help you? Do you have an appointment?” “I’m here to see Ethan Miller. I’m his…” I paused. “…an old friend. I need to drop something off.” The receptionist made a quick call and then pointed to the elevators. “Mr. Miller is in the conference room on the 16th floor.” I took the elevator up. The door to the conference room at the end of the hall was slightly ajar. As I approached, I heard Ethan’s voice. “Ms. Sterling, you can leave this project entirely to me. I won’t let you down.” “I trust your capability, Ethan,” a woman’s voice replied. “But I heard you’re getting married soon? Your janitor girlfriend isn’t giving you any trouble, is she?” I stopped in my tracks and looked through the gap in the door. Ethan was standing near the desk, leaning forward slightly in a highly submissive posture. Victoria Sterling sat in her executive chair, casually spinning a pen in her hand. “You must be joking, Ms. Sterling.” Ethan let out a self-deprecating laugh, his voice filled with contempt. “That’s not a real marriage. It’s just a ceremony to quiet her down.” “Someone like her can barely read a complex spreadsheet. There’s no way I’d legally register a marriage with her.” “Once the project bonus is cleared, I’ll give her a lump sum of cash and send her back to her hometown.” Victoria chuckled. “You’re quite heartless. She did support you for ten years, after all.” “She did that of her own free will.” “She gave me her best years, but honestly, looking back, she had no self-respect.” Ethan spoke with absolute self-righteousness. “Besides, I give her a monthly allowance now. I’ve done more than enough for her.” I stood outside the door, listening to him dismiss my ten years of sweat and blood as nothing to another woman. Victoria stood up and walked toward Ethan. Her high heel accidentally caught the edge of a coffee cup on the desk. The dark liquid splashed all over her designer leather shoes. “Oh, great. They’re ruined,” Victoria grumbled, frowning. Ethan immediately grabbed some tissues and knelt down to clean them. I pushed the door open and walked in. Ethan’s face drained of color instantly. “Ava? What are you doing here?” Victoria looked me up and down, a mocking smirk playing on her lips. “So this is your janitor girlfriend? She does look… obedient.” She pointed to her shoe. “Since you’re a professional cleaner, why don’t you clean my shoes for me?” Ethan rushed over, grabbing my wrist tightly. “Ava, please. Just clean Ms. Sterling’s shoes. My promotion next month depends entirely on her. Be reasonable.”

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“Babe, my boss won’t let you touch me. He’s going to check tomorrow.” When my friend told me his wife wouldn’t let him touch her, it completely shattered my worldview. He also told me that his wife’s boss had created a Snapchat group for his female employees. There were exactly twenty-four women in it. But when I saw the screenshot of that group, my heart stopped. Because the twenty-fourth woman in that group looked exactly like my wife! Two days ago, my childhood friend, Ford, and I were out having drinks when he told me the most bizarre story. He said he had tried to get intimate with his wife, Mandy, but she had ruthlessly rejected him. Her reason? Her boss had ordered her not to let her husband touch her. What’s crazier was that the boss checked them every single day. If any woman was caught being “unfaithful” to him with her own husband, there would be severe consequences. To be honest, this ridiculous story left me completely speechless. My moral compass was spinning out of control. Who in their right mind proudly stays chaste for a side piece in this day and age? Ford cried like a child, looking utterly miserable. “That boss is an absolute monster! She’s my wife! Why the hell can’t I touch her?” “He already has over twenty female employees wrapped around his finger. Why is he still targeting my wife?!” As he spoke, he furiously pulled up his phone and showed me a screenshot of a Snapchat group chat. The content inside blew my mind. Those twenty-three women were chatting happily like a big family. And the moment their boss sent a message, they all replied in unison, calling him “babe” or “honey.” Suddenly, my eyes locked onto one photo in the chat. My pupils contracted in sheer terror—the woman in that photo was my wife, Sophie! How was this possible? The women in this group were clearly the boss’s playthings. Why on earth was my wife in there? The photo had been posted by their boss, announcing a newcomer to the group: “This is Number 24. She’s your new sister. Welcome her.” “Hi everyone, I’m Number 24. So glad to be part of this family.” “I will do my best to serve the boss alongside all of you.” There were no real names in the chat. Everyone was referred to by their numbers. The first woman to join was Number 1, and Sophie, being the latest, was Number 24. The chat log ended there. It was the last screenshot Ford had. I stared at that screenshot over and over, my face turning deathly pale, my heart sinking into a bottomless pit. I couldn’t hear a single word of Ford’s venting anymore. I hastily made an excuse, ran out, and drove straight home. I needed to get some answers from Sophie. But when I got home, the house was empty. I called her phone. It went straight to voicemail! Recalling the photo I had just seen on Ford’s phone, a terrible thought crossed my mind: Was Sophie at her boss’s house right now? Once a man starts doubting his wife’s fidelity, the seed of suspicion grows like wildfire, driving him insane. I tried calling her every few minutes, but her phone remained turned off. It wasn’t until past nine in the evening that she finally walked through the front door. She was holding her lower back, her face exhausted. And on her neck, I could clearly see several dark red marks! At that sight, I clenched my teeth, fully convinced she had spent the entire day in her boss’s bed. “Sophie! You had a pretty wild time with your boss today, huh? Coming home this late!” “Do you even care about this home? Do you even care about me?!” I roared. Sophie froze for a fraction of a second, her eyes instantly filling with panic. “Leo… what are you talking about? I don’t understand.” Seeing her play dumb, I let out a cold laugh and immediately pulled out the screenshot on my phone. “You don’t understand? The evidence is right here. Do you understand now?!” “Take a good look! The woman in this photo is you, right? Number 24!” Seeing the screenshot, Sophie’s face drained of color. She started trembling, completely at a loss for words. “No, Leo! That’s not me! I’ve never joined a group chat like this!” “If… if you don’t believe me, look at my phone!” She quickly unlocked her phone and forced it into my hands. I snatched it and searched through every single app, but indeed, there was no trace of that Snapchat group. What was going on? Sophie asked cautiously, “Leo, where did you get this screenshot?” I frowned, thought for a moment, and told her about Ford’s situation. Sophie immediately sighed in relief. “Leo, Mandy works at Vanguard Group, and I work at Skyline Enterprises. We don’t even have the same boss. How could I possibly be in that group?” “This woman just looks a bit like me. Plus, with the heavy filters girls use on social media, she looks similar, but she’s not me.” I froze. She was right. Mandy worked at Vanguard Group, while Sophie was at Skyline Enterprises. They had completely different bosses. It didn’t make sense. A heavy weight lifted off my chest, but I still kept a cold face and pressed further: “Then why did you come home so late? And why didn’t you pick up my calls?” “And what the hell are those red marks on your neck?!”

Those obvious marks were impossible to ignore! Sophie said quickly: “Cassie invited me over to her place, but something went wrong on the way.” “I got trapped in her apartment building’s elevator. There was no cell service and no Wi-Fi. I was stuck there almost the whole day.” She urged me to search the local news. Sure enough, I found a news report about an elevator malfunction in Cassie’s neighborhood. It wasn’t fixed until past eight in the evening. It matched Sophie’s story perfectly. “And the red marks on my neck are just bug bites.” She tilted her neck toward me, and I did see a few small bumps that looked like insect bites. No matter what loophole I pointed out, she had a perfectly logical explanation ready. She answered so smoothly, almost as if she had rehearsed it. Instead of clearing my doubts, this made me even more suspicious. Something was definitely wrong with Sophie! My gut was proven right that night. After Sophie stripped and fell asleep, I noticed something on her lower back, right above her tailbone. There was a number written in thick, indelible black marker. 24! I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white. I was about to explode with rage! This was no coincidence. Maybe a face could look similar, but there was no way in hell the number 24 was a coincidence! Sophie was indeed Number 24! Staring at that number, I gritted my teeth. Writing it on such an intimate part of her body was a blatant insult to me. It was a slap in the face. She was completely fearless, not caring if I found out, treating me like some weak pushover she could easily manipulate. A boss from another company? Why the hell did he think he could do this to me! Looking at the sleeping Sophie, I wanted nothing more than to drag her out of bed and scream at her. But I quickly forced myself to calm down. If I confronted her now, she would just throw another well-rehearsed excuse at me. It would be meaningless. I needed hard, undeniable evidence. Once I had it, I would cut her off completely! A cheating woman does not deserve to be my wife! The next morning, I hired a private investigator to track Sophie’s every move. Furthermore, I wanted to find out why Sophie, an employee of Skyline Enterprises, was in the group chat of the Vanguard Group’s boss. What dirty secrets was she keeping from me? The private investigator kept me waiting for three excruciating days. Those three days were the worst days of my life. Sophie kept leaving early and coming home late. What made me even angrier was that every time she returned, she smelled of expensive cologne that wasn’t mine, and her intimate belongings, like her pantyhose, were completely missing. It was obvious what she was doing out there. Yet, Sophie still lied straight to my face. Her excuses were so perfect that I couldn’t even find a way to argue back. Finally, on the third day, the private investigator called. He had dug up everything. Before telling me the details, he sent me a file and told me to watch the contents first. I connected the USB drive to my phone and opened the files. They were filled with videos. I clicked on a random one, and within seconds, my blood boiled. It was a video of Sophie cheating! And the man she was with was none other than Mandy’s boss, Henderson! Then, the investigator closed that file and opened another video. It was another clip of Sophie being unfaithful. But when I saw the man in this video, my jaw dropped. It was Sophie’s actual boss, Chris. Sophie was sleeping with more than one man!

The private investigator’s explanation finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together. As it turned out, Sophie’s first affair was with her direct supervisor, Chris. Chris and Henderson, the CEO of Vanguard Group, were longtime buddies. During a private party, Henderson laid his eyes on Sophie and wanted her. Chris was incredibly “generous.” He literally packaged Sophie up and gifted her to Henderson like a piece of property. And just like that, Sophie naturally became Henderson’s plaything. Chris was still somewhat normal—he only wanted his female employees to sleep with him occasionally. But Henderson was a controlling freak, a complete psychopath. Once he slept with a woman, he absolutely forbade anyone else from touching her, not even her legal husband. He even hired a private medical team. Every day, he would gather his twenty-four female employees and have the medical team examine them one by one. If any woman was found to have had intercourse the night before, she would face brutal punishments. And these women didn’t dare to fight back. In fact, they tried their best to please him. Not only because Henderson held serious dirt on them, but also because once they made him happy, the financial rewards he gave them were beyond imagination. These secrets were kept tightly under wraps. I only found out because I used every connection and dollar I had to dig up the truth. Knowing all of this made me want to vomit. I couldn’t believe there were people this sick and twisted in the world. To satisfy his own sick desires, Henderson was playing with twenty-four women. That meant twenty-four families were being torn apart by this monster. And I was one of his victims! I’ve always been a decisive man. The moment I got the evidence, I drafted a divorce agreement. Infidelity once means you’re out forever. I refused to let this green hat stay on my head for another second. When I threw the divorce papers in front of Sophie, she panicked for a second, but she quickly regained her composure and said coldly: “Well, Leo. It seems you found out.” I glared at her with pure hatred. “Don’t you dare call my name, Sophie!” “Selling your body and soul for a bit of cash, willing to be a plaything, being traded around like a piece of meat!” “I don’t have a shameless whore for a wife!” “Sign these papers right now. We are done!” Sophie didn’t even look at the papers. She grabbed them, tore them to shreds, and shook her head. “Divorce? Henderson said I’m not allowed to.” Hearing this, I lost my mind. “He said you’re not allowed to? Who the hell is he to decide?!” Sophie said righteously, “Because Henderson likes married women. He hates divorcees.” “To keep him happy, I am absolutely not divorcing you.” I pointed a shaking finger at her, my teeth grinding. “Look at yourself! How are you any different from a dog? You’ve completely thrown away your dignity for money!” Sophie let out a mocking laugh. “Dignity? How much is dignity worth? Can it buy me dinner?” “Leo, I know this is hard for you to swallow.” “But we can make a deal. As long as you don’t divorce me, I’ll give you one-third of all the money I get from Henderson.” “If I remember correctly, you have a thirty-year mortgage on this house, right?” “If you cooperate with me, we can pay off your entire mortgage in less than two years. What do you think?” Her words hit me like a physical blow. To marry Sophie, I had taken out a massive loan to buy this house. After the down payment, I was saddled with a thirty-year mortgage. My monthly salary was barely enough, and sometimes my income was unstable. Every month, after paying the mortgage and bills, I could barely breathe from the financial stress. And now, the crushing thirty-year mortgage could be paid off in just two years… if I just tolerated my wife’s affair? On one hand was my pride as a man; on the other hand was the brutal reality of life. I fell into a deep, painful struggle.

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Lately, after my late-night video chats with my online boyfriend, his demands had been escalating, his kinks twisting into something darker and increasingly bizarre. I was just starting to worry about the toll it was taking on him when a strange, translucent text began scrolling across my field of vision like a live-feed comment section. [LMAO, the tragic side-bitch is so ugly and clueless. She has no idea she’s dealing with triplets! All three of them are sharing one account and using her as their personal Pornhub~] [It’s her own fault for stealing the heroine’s photos to date the male lead. Kellan’s a proud guy. When he figured out the truth, he decided to play along and let his two virgin older brothers use her to practice their bedroom skills!] [Hahaha, this is a top-tier reverse-harem dark college romance. All three Carmichael brothers are campus gods. Six-foot-two, eight inches, and can go all night. The heroine is going to feast later on! It’s just a shame this cheap knock-off gets to enjoy them first :(] [Who cares? Once Kellan leaks her explicit videos online, the cyberbullying will push her to jump off a building. So satisfying~] Ah. So that was it. The thing is, I never stole anyone’s photos to date online. But I had no desire to explain myself. If they wanted to play me, they couldn’t blame me when I decided to treat them like dogs and play them right back. I made the first move by tracking down the middle brother, Hudson—the one who fronted as innocent but harbored the darkest, most voracious appetite of them all. Looking into his clean, detached eyes, I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, tilted my head back, and offered him a blinding smile. “Take me to bed tonight. Okay?” 01 The moment the words left my mouth, Hudson recoiled as if a lunatic had just latched onto him. He grabbed my arms, shoving me back. But then his eyes focused on my face. He froze. The look in his eyes morphed from repulsion into utter, mesmerized shock. The floating text in my vision went wild. [WHAT THE FUCK! Nobody mentioned the side character was this gorgeous!] [If I’m reading this right, it’s not that the side character stole the heroine’s pics. The heroine stole HER pics to catfish the male lead!] [Oh, calm down, what’s the big deal? Kellan loves the heroine for her inner beauty, not just a face.] [Exactly. The side chick is so stupid, she hasn’t even realized this isn’t Kellan, it’s his brother Hudson.] … It was only today, reading these surreal, floating comments, that I finally understood the reality of my existence. I was living inside a steamy BookTok sensation. I was the impoverished, disposable collateral damage. The heroine was my trust-fund roommate, Camille. The male lead was Kellan Carmichael, the scion of a top-tier billionaire dynasty. The supporting male leads were his older brothers: Declan, the eldest, and Hudson, the middle child. Kellan and I met through an online game. He fell hard, spending the last three years absolutely spoiling me, funding my life from afar. That was, until things got spicy, and I refused to show my face on camera. Camille, who had her sights set on Kellan, saw an opportunity. She used an AI deepfake of my face to video-chat him. Kellan, assuming I was the fraud who had stolen Camille’s photos, decided to punish me. He handed over the login to his brothers, letting them take turns using me as a digital plaything. Eventually, when the truth came out, the Carmichael brothers would decide that my poverty made me a gold-digger, inherently cheap and undeserving, while Camille remained pure, elegant, and high-class. To wash their hands of me and appease Camille, they would leak my private videos. The resulting cyberbullying would drive me off the roof of a building. These filthy, entitled men. When they wanted to get off, they’d give their lives for my body. But once they were satisfied, they wanted me dead. So, while they were still inexperienced, arrogant virgins, I was going to sleep with all of them. I was going to make them tear each other apart. And then, I was going to walk away without looking back. I blinked up at Hudson, batting my eyelashes. “Why are you looking at me like that? Do you not recognize me?” Hudson snapped out of his trance. His voice was a magnetic, crisp baritone. “I recognize you.” “You’re Camille.” I shook my head, my smile widening. “Nope.” “I’m Faye.” Confusion and shock warred on his handsome features. Without breaking eye contact, I pulled out my phone and dialed Kellan’s number via FaceTime. A second later, the phone in Hudson’s pocket began to buzz. He looked down, then brought his gaze back to me, disbelief written in every line of his face. “You… you’re really Sweet Cream?” Sweet Cream was my online handle. I grinned at him. “Yeah.” “Didn’t you say you missed me?” “Well, here I am. I came all this way so we can do all those dirty things we talked about.” Hudson swallowed hard. His pale, aristocratic face flushed so deeply it looked like it might bleed. “This… this isn’t right.” “…It’s too fast.” A strange thrill fluttered in my chest. He was even more repressed and bashful than I had observed. Yet, according to the script, he was the one with the most insatiable libido. I kept my tone light, teasing. “We’ve been dating online for three years. I wouldn’t call this fast.” “Besides, I’ve helped you out on video so many times.” I paused, letting my smile slip just a fraction. “Or… are you disappointed with how I look in person?” Hudson opened his mouth, but the words died in his throat. The text scrolled by: [Hudson is obsessed with her body, but he knows she belongs to his precious baby brother. Kellan misunderstood her, and Hudson knows he’s just an imposter. He can’t sleep with her.] Oh. Now we care about brotherly love and moral boundaries? Where was that morality when you were conspiring to humiliate me? I reached up, hooked my arms around Hudson’s neck, and pulled his mouth down to mine. 02 The second our lips met, Hudson’s eyes flew wide open. His breath hitched, a sharp intake of air that vibrated against my mouth. But his heartbeat was deafening. And his physical reaction was undeniable. The moment my body pressed flush against his, the hard evidence of his arousal pressed back… making me even more excited. I kissed him with reckless abandon. But after a moment, Hudson awkwardly pushed me away, stumbling two steps backward. His voice was raspy, frantic. “Sweet Cream, don’t do this.” I let my lower lip tremble. I looked at him, forcing tears to well up in my eyes until they were rimmed with red. “Kellan… you don’t actually like me, do you? All those times you said you loved me online, you were just lying.” “No!” Hudson denied instantly. “Then why are you pushing me away?” I choked out, a perfect picture of heartbreak. “I’m offering myself to you.” Hudson just stared at me, his Adam’s apple bobbing silently. I lowered my eyes. I let my voice crack. “I get it.” “You think I’m poor. You think I’m not good enough for you.” “But it’s not like you just found out about my background.” “You’re a liar.” “We’re done. Let’s break up.” “I’m blocking you, and you’ll never hear from me again.” I pulled up his profile on my phone, my thumb hovering over the Delete Contact button. Suddenly, Hudson lunged forward and clamped his hand over my wrist. I looked up. Two perfect, crystalline tears slid slowly down my flushed cheeks. Hudson’s eyelashes fluttered. For a long, suspended moment, we just looked at each other in the heavy silence. Then, as if a dam had burst within him, his hot palm cupped the back of my neck, and he crashed his mouth down on mine with the force of a hurricane. It was like he couldn’t get enough, couldn’t breathe enough of me in. He scooped me up into his arms, kissing me blindly as he carried me toward Kellan’s bedroom. My pleated skirt, the crisp white button-down, the black lace… they formed a trail from the doorway to the edge of the bed. The room filled with the heavy, tangled sounds of our breathing. The comment section was losing its mind: [AHHH! Wasn’t Hudson supposed to save himself for the heroine? Why is he giving it to the side chick?] [It’s all this bitch’s fault for threatening to break up! Hudson is just trying to save his brother’s relationship, so he has to commit to the bit!] [NGL, healthy relationships are great, but toxic, forbidden lust is so much hotter!] [LMAO I know right?! The taboo vibes are insane! Hudson’s V-line and that stamina are making me weak in the knees!] I hissed in a sharp breath, a physiological tear leaking from the corner of my eye. Hudson froze instantly. He looked down, his eyes wide with disbelief. “You… you’re a virgin?” I gave a shy, breathless “Mhm.” The hands gripping my waist tightened possessively. Kellan had sworn that Sweet Cream was a cheap cam-girl who would sleep with anyone for cash, that she was used goods. But her eyes, her reactions, her very body told him the absolute truth: she was untouched. She was clean. She was worthy of being loved. A wave of intense guilt washed over Hudson. But when he remembered that his idiot brother Kellan had gone out to find Camille tonight, that guilt rapidly morphed into a twisted sense of relief. Thank god Kellan had gone to Camille. Thank god this perfect, sweet girl was his now. Hudson tenderly kissed the tear from the corner of my eye. His voice was a dark, gravelly murmur, thick with adoration. “Baby, I’m going to take such good care of you.” I sneered internally. Yeah, right. Once I had my fun with all three of them, they’d be nothing but a bad memory. But on the outside, I played the part of the profoundly moved lover. “I’ll take good care of you, too.” I initiated the next kiss. And the man—who had always been slave to his own repressed desires—kissed me back harder, faster, more desperate than before. I lost track of how many times we went at it. Until, suddenly, the bedroom door swung open. Hudson and I, along with the figure standing in the doorway, all froze. In the dead, suffocating silence, I peeked over Hudson’s shoulder. It was a tall, imposing man. But before I could even make out his features, Hudson snapped back to reality and yanked the heavy duvet completely over my head. Plunged into darkness, I felt him slip out of the bed. He leaned close to the blanket, whispering frantically. “I have to step out.” “Stay in bed. Don’t come out.” “Wait for me to come back for you.” 03 Hudson shut the door tightly behind him. But thanks to the floating comments, I had a front-row seat to the drama unfolding in the living room. Out there, Declan was staring at the red scratch marks raked down Hudson’s arms. His eyes were dark, his voice low and dangerous. “What the hell is wrong with you?” “Bringing some girl back to fool around in Kellan’s bed.” Hudson didn’t flinch. His tone was eerily calm. “That girl is Sweet Cream. She thinks I’m Kellan.” Declan stiffened. Then a harsh, mocking laugh escaped him. “You really are pathetic.” “A girl who’s been around the block with god knows how many guys, and you’re treating her like some delicacy?” Hudson’s expression turned ice-cold. “She was a virgin. She’s completely pure.” “And she never lied to Kellan. She looks exactly like her photos. Camille was the one who stole her face and manipulated him.” Declan was stunned into silence. It took him a long time to find his voice. “Then you definitely shouldn’t have touched her.” “You know how obsessed Kellan is with her.” Meeting his older brother’s disappointed glare, Hudson didn’t back down. “I’m obsessed with her, too.” “Besides, Kellan is basically with Camille now.” “I need you to cover for me. Don’t tell Kellan, and don’t tell Sweet Cream. Let me keep being Kellan to her.” “I don’t want to break her heart. When the time is right, I’ll explain everything to her myself.” Declan’s face was stormy. “I’m not helping you with this sick game.” Hudson stared at him for a long beat. “…Is it because you want her for yourself?” Declan looked as if he’d been slapped. He swore under his breath. “I’m not as depraved as you. I wouldn’t touch my own brother’s girlfriend.” A cruel, knowing smile touched Hudson’s lips. “Really? Because you certainly didn’t mind jerking off to her videos.” Declan choked on his next words. It was true. He had only let me “help” him out once on video. But once was still a fact. Hudson’s voice hardened into steel. “I’m not logging into Kellan’s account for you tomorrow.” “She’s mine. I’m going to marry her.” “Neither of you gets to take her from me.” Declan let out a cold scoff, his gaze sharpening into blades. “Did you forget she is currently Kellan’s girlfriend?” “You’re not even the other man, you’re just a cheap knock-off, and you’re planning a wedding?” “You need to get her out of here right now, and put Kellan’s room back exactly the way you found it.” “Unless you want Kellan coming at you with a knife when he finds out!” Declan was immovable. But Hudson refused to yield. “Kellan went to see Camille. He won’t be back for days.” “As long as you keep your mouth shut, no one has to get hurt.” Declan opened his mouth to argue, but Hudson cut him off. “I took her virginity. Are you telling me I should act like some deadbeat and not take responsibility?” Declan aggressively rubbed his temples, utterly exasperated by his useless brother. He tried to find a compromise. “I can keep quiet for now.” “But if Kellan decides it’s her he really wants, you have to back off.” “Why?” “Because he’s the youngest. As his older brother, it’s your job to step aside for him.” Hudson let out a soft, hollow laugh. “I’m your younger brother, too. Why don’t you ever step aside for me?” “Why do you always trample over my feelings and force me to do things I hate?” Declan’s lips parted, but whatever argument he had died on his tongue, weighed down by guilt. Hudson threw a final, “Remember to call me Kellan in front of her,” over his shoulder before coming back into the room. But the mood was broken. He just climbed into bed and held me silently against his chest. Which was fine by me. My body was aching from the sheer intensity of what we’d just done. I needed the rest. The comments, however, were absolutely seething. 04 [This side character is a literal plague! Declan and Hudson have NEVER fought, and now they’re at each other’s throats over her!] [Hudson was already obsessed with her voice and body on screen. Now that he’s actually held her and tasted her, there’s no way in hell he’s letting go.] [I can’t wait to see who Declan sides with when Hudson and Kellan inevitably try to kill each other over her.] Who would he side with? Hahaha. I was going to make sure Declan was throwing punches right alongside them. With me in the picture, this “brotherly bond” was going to burn to the ground. The next morning. Alerted by the comments that Declan was up and working out, I slipped out of bed to find him. In the faint, hazy morning light, I found Declan on the balcony. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of grey sweatpants, holding a perfect plank. The lines of his shoulders were sharp and fluid. Veins popped along his forearms. His fiercely defined abs tightened and relaxed with every controlled exhale. It was like a silent, primal invitation. The raw testosterone rolling off him was intoxicating. I swallowed lightly. I finally understood the phrase: He was just breathing; I was seducing. I slid the glass door open. “Kellan?” I murmured. Declan stiffened. He immediately broke his form and stood up, looking down at me. I quietly took him in. Though the triplets shared the same face, their auras couldn’t be more different. Kellan was arrogant and spoiled. Hudson was repressed and elegant. Declan had a rugged, untamed danger to him. His voice was a block of ice. “I’m not Kellan. I’m Declan.” I let out a soft, breathy laugh. “Declan, Kellan, whatever… aren’t you just my boyfriend?” I stepped right into his space and wrapped my arms around him, pressing my cheek against his warm, sweat-slicked chest. Damn. He felt like a brick wall. Declan frowned deeply and shoved me off. His tone dropped another ten degrees. “We are triplets. I am the oldest. My name is Declan.” I feigned utter embarrassment, letting my cheeks flush red. “Oh! Oh my god, Kellan never mentioned… um, I’ll just… go back to the room.” Glancing one last time at the faint pink smudge I had intentionally left on his chest, I jogged back to the bedroom, immensely satisfied. I hadn’t been under the covers for more than a few minutes before Hudson stirred. Seeing me awake, he hauled me flush against his chest, burying his face in the crook of my neck. He pressed a few groggy kisses to my skin before murmuring, his voice rough with sleep, “Baby, I want you again.” I widened my eyes in mock shock. “Didn’t you just have me out there? You’re still not satisfied?” Hudson froze. His sleepy eyes snapped into sharp, terrified focus.

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