I was married to Elara for twenty years, and for ten of those years, I cared for her bedridden mother, Mrs. Albright. I put my own life on hold, helping Elara’s mother rise from a local community college instructor to a renowned university professor. Everyone praised me as the perfect husband, the greatest asset to the Albright family. On her deathbed, Mrs. Albright clutched my hand, her voice weak but firm, wishing I could be her son-in-law again, even in the next life. Elara hugged me tight, her voice thick with gratitude. “Leo, you’ve sacrificed so much for us these past years. I promise, I’ll make it all up to you.”
I thought my suffering was finally over.
But before Mrs. Albright’s grave was even settled, Elara shoved a divorce agreement into my hands, then turned and embraced Caleb, my supposed best friend, the guy I’d grown up with.
She said, “Leo, I’ve tolerated you for twenty years. I’m finally free.”
“The man I truly love has always been Caleb.”
I walked away with nothing but the clothes on my back. I ended up on the streets, lost and broken, until a car accident brutally cut my life short.
Then I opened my eyes again, and I was back. Back at my blind date, twenty years ago.
Ms. Gable, the matchmaker, was practically gushing, rattling off Elara’s virtues:
“This young lady is a real catch, a diamond in the rough! She’s got a wonderful heart, so dedicated to her family. Any man who marries her will be set for life!”
I looked at the refined, seemingly sincere woman across from me, and a cynical smile touched my lips.
Then I crumpled the profile sheet in my hand and tossed it straight into the nearest trash can. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’re a good match.”
The smile on Elara’s face froze.
She adjusted her glasses, her tone still mild.
“Mr. Hayes, have I given you the wrong impression?”
“We can take our time getting to know each other. No need to rush to conclusions.”
Ms. Gable looked frantic, grabbing my arm.
“Oh, Leo, what are you thinking?!”
“A brilliant young woman like Ms. Albright? They don’t make them like her anymore! You’d be lucky to find someone half as good!”
“Don’t mess this up!”
I gently pulled my hand away, my gaze calm as I looked at Elara.
In my last life, that gentle, refined demeanor had fooled me for an entire lifetime.
I believed her humble background was just a temporary hurdle, and that her integrity was beyond reproach.
So I emptied my savings, passed on my scholarship to art school, and settled down with her in that quiet town. I cooked, cleaned, entertained her superiors, and navigated the politics, paving every single step of her path to success.
And what did I get? Once she achieved everything, she just kicked me away like a worn-out stepping stone.
I curved my lips into a slight, bitter smile. “Ms. Albright, it’s not a misunderstanding. You’re a wonderful woman. I simply don’t deserve you.”
With that, I stood up, grabbed my bag, and walked away.
“Leo!”
Elara grabbed my wrist.
I turned back, my gaze cold.
She seemed to realize her lapse in composure and loosened her grip.
“Mr. Hayes, I just feel it’s a shame.”
“I promised my mother I’d find a reliable and caring husband, just like you.”
“I…”
“Then you should keep looking,” I interrupted, shaking her hand off forcefully.
“Ms. Albright, please stop following me. It’s a bad look.”
I walked out of the noisy coffee shop without looking back.
The early summer breeze kissed my face, carrying a hint of warmth. I exhaled slowly, a long, deep sigh of pure relief.
It felt good. Everything could still be changed.
Just then, my supposed best friend, Caleb, called.
I swiped to answer, and his voice, thick with feigned concern, immediately came through.
“Hey, Leo, how did the blind date go?”
“Ms. Gable said Ms. Albright is a really wonderful woman. Did you meet her?”
I leaned against a sycamore tree on the sidewalk, watching the dappled shadows dance. A cynical chuckle escaped me.
“I did.”
“That’s great! How is she? Is she everything Ms. Gable said?”
“Yeah, she’s a diamond in the rough,” I said, my voice deliberately flat.
Caleb on the other end seemed to let out a breath of relief, his voice overflowing with thinly veiled excitement.
“I knew it! Leo, you have to seize this opportunity!”
“A man, you know, getting a good wife and settling down is more important than anything!”
“Don’t worry. If you and Ms. Albright get together, I’ll definitely treat her like family and get along with her well.”
He’d said the exact same thing in my last life.
Then, while I was overwhelmed caring for my mother-in-law, he, in the very shirt I’d bought him, went to ‘comfort’ Elara in my stead.
While I was scrambling, practically begging for her research grants, he, posing as her intellectual confidant, escorted her to academic conferences, hobnobbing with the elite.
Finally, he stood there, arm in arm with my wife, and had the audacity to tell me, “Leo, I’m sorry, but you can’t control who you fall in love with.”
I closed my eyes, forcing down the bitter, searing hatred that clawed at my gut.
“Caleb, if you think she’s such a catch, why don’t I just pass that ‘blessing’ on to you instead?”
On the other end, Caleb’s breathing hitched, a sharp gasp.
“Leo, you… what are you talking about?” Caleb’s voice suddenly sounded flustered.
“We’re best friends, how could I possibly…”
“Between brothers, good things should always be shared.”
I cut him off, my voice dangerously light.
“Didn’t you always say you wanted an ambitious woman, someone dedicated to her family, someone who’d be good to you?”
“Elara checks every single one of your boxes.”
“But, but she’s your blind date!”
“I already turned her down.” I looked at the bustling street, feeling as if the whole world had brightened.
“So, she’s a free agent now.”
“You have Ms. Gable’s number, right?”
“Don’t drag your feet. A ‘diamond in the rough’ like her won’t last long on the market.”
With that, I hung up before he could even react.
I could picture Caleb on the other end of the line, a mixture of shock and glee plastered across his face.
In my last life, he’d sung Elara’s praises countless times, urging me to settle down quickly.
He just wanted me to clear all the thorns from her path, to do all the heavy lifting, and once I’d helped Elara climb to the top, he’d swoop in and steal all the glory.
This time, I’d let him have it.
I’d love to see how, without my family’s support and savings as startup capital, without my network and sacrifices paving the way for her, Caleb will manage to build that ‘good life’ he dreams of with his beloved ‘diamond in the rough.’
Back home, my mom, Carol, was waiting for me on the sofa. Seeing me, she quickly asked:
“Well, how was it? Is Ms. Albright alright?”
My dad, Robert, also poked his head out of his study.
My parents were working-class, a bit old-fashioned. They always believed the most important thing for a man was a stable family. In my last life, they were incredibly pleased with Elara as their cultured daughter-in-law.
I sat down next to them, speaking calmly. “Dad, Mom, I wasn’t interested in her.”
“What?” My mom’s face fell in disappointment.
“Why not? Ms. Gable said she was…”
“She mentioned her mother’s poor health, needing medication year-round. And a younger brother in college, with her salary being the sole support for all of them.”
I stripped away Elara’s carefully constructed image of ‘family dedication’ and ‘responsibility,’ exposing the harsh reality of her situation. My mom’s expression visibly changed. “That’s… that’s a lot of burden, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“Besides, I don’t want to get married so early.”
“Dad, Mom, I want to pick up my paintbrush again. I want to apply for grad school for art.”
This was a dream I’d buried deep in my heart for twenty years. In my last life, for Elara, I gave up my guaranteed scholarship for grad school.
She had solemnly promised, “Leo, once I’m settled, I’ll fully support you going back to school.”
Later, when she was settled and a professor, she told me:
“You’re almost forty. What’s the point of stirring things up now? Wouldn’t it be better to just settle down at home?”
My dad listened to me, silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
“Alright. If you want to apply, then apply. Don’t worry about things at home.”
My dad had always been more open-minded than my mom.
My eyes welled up, and I nodded emphatically.
The next day, I was at the bookstore, poring over grad school application guides, when Elara suddenly appeared, blocking my path.
“Mr. Hayes, I know this is audacious, but I wanted to try again.”
I closed my book and looked at her.
“Ms. Albright, I think I made myself quite clear.”
“I know,” she said with a bitter smile, her voice laced with a hint of plea.
“My mother, she found out yesterday that you weren’t interested. She didn’t sleep a wink all night and woke up sick this morning.”
I smirked inwardly.
In my last life, I was too soft. When her mother ‘fell ill,’ I went to visit, only to be ambushed by their entire family, guilt-tripped and emotionally blackmailed until I reluctantly agreed to marry Elara.
I met her gaze directly, speaking each word with deliberate clarity.
“Ms. Albright, if your mother is sick, she should be in a hospital, seeing a doctor.”
“Not coming to me, a stranger you’ve met once. I’m not a doctor, I can’t cure her.”
Elara’s face instantly darkened.
She took a deep, shaky breath, her voice weighted with desperation. “Leo, I just want to beg you to see her.”
“She truly adores you. She hasn’t stopped talking about how you’re exactly the son-in-law she always dreamed of.”
“Just… out of pity for an old woman, could you please just go see her?”
Her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes were a little red.
I put my book back on the shelf and turned to leave.
“Leo!” Elara’s voice suddenly rose sharply.
“Are you really so heartless?!”
Heads turned, eyes drawn to our little scene.
I stopped, my gaze calm as I met her slightly displeased stare.
“Ms. Albright, please watch your words.”
“Between us, there’s nothing but a single, failed blind date.”
“Your public outburst right now is making me incredibly uncomfortable.”
Her chest heaved, a clear sign of her barely contained rage.
“Fine. Fine. Fine.” She spat out the words, a dark, unsettling glint in her eyes.
“Leo, I’ll remember this.”
With that, she turned and hurried away, her back radiating a certain defeat.
That night, I received a call from an unknown number. On the other end was a frail, elderly woman’s voice.
“Is… is that Leo, dear?”
I instantly recognized the voice: Elara’s mother, Mrs. Albright.
“Mrs. Albright, hello,” I replied politely, a hint of detachment in my tone.
“Oh, Leo, dear.” Mrs. Albright sighed heavily on the phone.
“Auntie knows. It’s our Elara who’s simply not good enough for a wonderful young man like you.”
“But, but I just desperately want to see you, to say a few words to you in person.”
“Otherwise, my heart will feel so heavy, so choked up, I’m afraid… I’m afraid I won’t last much longer.”
As she spoke, her voice started to break with sobs.
I gripped the phone, a heavy silence hanging in the air.
She was just like this in my last life.
Every single time Elara wanted something from me, Mrs. Albright would conveniently fall ill, claim her heart was heavy, or say she couldn’t go on.
And I, time and again, would soften, time and again, I’d compromise.
“Leo, dear, Auntie doesn’t ask for anything else. Just please, come to the hospital and see this old woman, alright?”
“Just… out of pity for me.”
Her voice was full of pleading, as if I had no choice but to agree.
I took a deep breath, knowing that if I didn’t deal with this once and for all, they’d cling to me like a stubborn stain, forever.
“Alright,” I agreed.
“Send me the address. I’ll come tomorrow afternoon.”
After hanging up, I stared out at the inky black night sky, my gaze growing colder with each passing second.
Elara, if you and your mother insist on performing this little drama, then I’ll be more than happy to play my part. But this time, the script is mine.
The next afternoon, I arrived at the city hospital as promised.
Just as I reached the hospital’s main entrance, I saw Caleb waiting there.
He was dressed in a crisp white T-shirt, wearing an expression of perfectly calibrated concern. The moment he saw me, he rushed over.
“Leo, you finally made it! Mrs. Albright, she… she hasn’t eaten anything since this morning, just keeps asking for you.”
He instinctively reached out, trying to sling an arm around my shoulder, as if we were still the closest of brothers, sharing every secret.
“Really?” I subtly sidestepped him.
“Then let’s go in quickly. We shouldn’t keep an elderly person waiting.”
Caleb’s eyes flickered, a momentary lapse, before he smoothly slipped back into his ‘helpful friend’ persona, guiding me toward the ward.
As he pushed open the病房 door, a heavy, cloying scent of antiseptic and stale medicine instantly assaulted my senses.
Mrs. Albright lay weakly on the hospital bed, Elara perched on a chair beside her, gently offering her water.
The moment she saw me enter, Mrs. Albright’s eyes lit up, and she struggled to sit up. “Leo, dear, you’re here…”
“Mrs. Albright, please lie still.” I pulled up a chair and sat down a comfortable distance from the bed.
Mrs. Albright grabbed my hand, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.
“Such a good boy. I knew you had a kind heart.”
“See? Our Elara, aside from her humble origins, what’s not to love about her?”
“She’s smart, dedicated to her family, and she’s going to achieve great things, I promise you.”
“Will you… just give her another chance? Please?”
The moment she finished speaking, Caleb, though a flicker of irritation crossed his face, quickly piped up in support.
“That’s right, Leo. Elara really is a wonderful woman. It would be such a shame if you two missed out!”
Elara, meanwhile, kept her head down, feigning an expression of guilt and helplessness.
Three actors, one pitiful play.
I looked at Mrs. Albright and spoke slowly. “Mrs. Albright, there are many successful women out there. But I’m not interested in charity work.”
One sentence, and the entire room fell silent.
Mrs. Albright’s tears were still clinging to her face, but her expression had frozen.
Caleb’s mouth hung open, looking utterly bewildered.
Elara suddenly snapped her head up, her face instantly flushing crimson.
“You… what did you say?”
“I said, I’m not interested in charity work.” I repeated, meeting her furious gaze with unflinching calm.
“Ms. Albright, what’s your monthly salary?”
“Is it enough to buy your mother’s medication, pay your brother’s tuition, and support an entire household?”
“My parents raised me for over twenty years, not for me to marry some woman and struggle through life right alongside her.”
“Leo!” Elara shot to her feet, pointing a trembling finger at me.
“You, you’re practically insulting me! Don’t you dare mock the less fortunate! I…”
“I’m not mocking you. I’m simply stating facts,” I cut her off.
“And besides, Ms. Albright, you’re talking to the wrong person.”
“The person who truly appreciates you and is willing to fight alongside you… isn’t me.”
My gaze slowly shifted to Caleb, who stood nearby.
“Caleb, didn’t you always say Ms. Albright was a diamond in the rough, a woman of good character, and that whoever married her would be set for life?”
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“Asher, please, just let me go.”
Chloe was pinned against the dining table, biting her lower lip to evade the man’s kisses.
She had just found out she was pregnant today. The doctor said her constitution was very fragile, and it was a miracle she’d conceived at all, so she needed to be extra careful in her daily life. Any slight jolt, bump, or fall could easily lead to a miscarriage, and if that happened, she’d never be able to be a mother.
Hearing her plea, Asher scoffed, his eyes bloodshot and blazing. He reached out, clamping her jaw and forcing her to look him in the eye.
“Let you go? Chloe, weren’t you always scheming to seduce me? Weren’t you always hoping to get pregnant with my child to solidify your claim as my wife? Why the sudden act now? Or is this your new trick to play hard-to-get?”
“I didn’t!” Chloe shook her head, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes. She had never wanted Asher this way. A child should be a symbol of love, not a tool.
“You didn’t? You think I’d believe that?” Asher sneered, a chilling coldness in his eyes and brows. He stared into her tear-filled eyes, mocking, “If it weren’t for this face of yours, identical to Izzy’s, do you really think I’d ever touch you?”
“Asher, I’ve told you countless times! I never pushed Izzy down the stairs; she jumped on her own!”
“She jumped on her own? Chloe, that was from the fourth floor! Izzy and I were about to get married. Why would she jump? You must have forced her, you’re the one who put her in a coma all this time!”
Chloe desperately shook her head in denial, but in Asher’s drunken eyes, she was simply making excuses. His gaze grew even colder, thick with disgust. “Do you know why I’ve kept you around and haven’t sent you to jail?”
Chloe’s breath hitched, the last hint of color draining from her face. She knew. Of course, she knew. Izzy had a heart condition. Asher had said it more than once: Izzy needed a heart, and as Izzy’s biological sister, Chloe was a 100% match.
“Soon, Izzy will be able to have her heart transplant surgery.”
Asher said it softly, but his tender tone was like a cruel saw, tearing at her heart with every agonizing word, leaving her bleeding and broken inside. Asher had never once considered that without her heart, she’d die.
“Asher, haven’t you ever thought about believing me, just once?”
Asher sneered, “Hah, what about you is worth *any* trust?!”
Chloe’s entire body stiffened and grew cold. He would never believe her, of course. Faced with Asher’s misunderstanding, she couldn’t explain anymore. She could only beg. Whatever happened, her only wish now was to protect this baby.
“Asher, please, I’m begging you, let me go! I don’t feel well today, I really don’t feel well.”
“Sick?” Asher scoffed coldly, a flicker of sarcasm in his eyes. “Chloe, if you were to die from illness, I wouldn’t even bother to bury you.”
Asher roughly tore open Chloe’s clothes. “From now on, shut your mouth. I don’t want to hear your voice!” Her voice was different from Izzy’s. Izzy’s voice was like a sweet songbird, while Chloe’s vocal cords had become hoarse and unpleasant due to a severe cold in the past. Because of this, Asher always demanded she remain silent during their encounters.
Chloe painfully closed her eyes. Just then, the dining room door suddenly burst open. Isabelle stared incredulously at the two in the room, clutching her chest. “You…!”
“Izzy! You, you’re awake?”
Asher panicked, roughly pushing Chloe away and rushing towards Isabelle. The push sent Chloe sprawling, her lower abdomen slamming hard against the table’s edge. A sharp, violent pain instantly ripped through her. Her eyes widened, and she instinctively clutched her stomach, terrified something had happened to the baby inside her. She wanted to call out to Asher, but he was already gone, cradling her twin sister, Isabelle.
Chloe struggled to her feet, numbly picking up the torn pieces of her clothes and wrapping them around herself. Enduring the dull ache in her lower abdomen, she limped back to the small, neglected room he’d assigned her. Asher said a vicious woman like her only deserved to live in the staff annex.
Back in the room, she immediately pulled out the prenatal medication hidden under her pillow and took two pills. After a while, the pain in her stomach gradually subsided. Chloe gently stroked her belly, thinking, *This child, I absolutely must protect this child.*
At the hospital.
Isabelle, her face deathly pale, wept silently. “Asher, how could you be with Chloe? Don’t you know, she’s the one who forced me to jump, so I couldn’t marry you.”
“Izzy, you’ve misunderstood. I’ve never loved Chloe; you’ve always been the only one I love.” Asher gently stroked Isabelle’s head, his voice tender. “Ever since you saved me when I was seven, you’ve been the only one in my heart.”
Isabelle lowered her head, a flash of coldness and disgust in her eyes hidden beneath her dark lashes, but on the surface, she maintained her fragile act. “But… if you don’t love Chloe, why would you do such a thing?”
Isabelle’s tears streamed down her face. “I’m in so much pain. I wish I hadn’t woken up. Just thinking about the person who harmed me being with the person I love… I’m breaking down, especially since that person is my own sister!”
Tears slid down Isabelle’s beautiful face, and Asher immediately became anxious. “It… it was Chloe who seduced me. I won’t be with Chloe anymore. She hurt you so badly; how do you want to get back at her?”
Isabelle, her eyes red, looked at Asher. “Asher, I don’t want to see her face.”
Asher clenched his fist, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “I understand. Don’t overthink it. I love you, I don’t love Chloe at all. Your priority is to get well, understand?”
Isabelle lay obediently in Asher’s arms, her eyes gleaming with undisguised triumph.
After spending several hours with Isabelle at the hospital, coaxing her to sleep, Asher left with a grim expression. He returned to the villa, found the small, neglected room Chloe lived in, and violently kicked the door open.
The loud “bang” startled Chloe awake from her uneasy dreams. The moment she saw Asher, Chloe instantly became wary. “You, why are you here?” Shouldn’t he be at the hospital with Isabelle, who had just woken up?
Asher stood by the bed, looking down at Chloe. Then he pulled a small dagger from his pocket and tossed it onto the nearby table. The blade hit the tabletop with a sharp clang. Asher’s gaze was calm. “Izzy said she doesn’t like your face. You should know what to do.”
Chloe’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You want me to ruin my own face?”
“Chloe, blame it on that face of yours!” Asher took a step forward, his large hand clamping down hard on Chloe’s jaw. “And, later, you’re going to kneel before Izzy and apologize, telling her you seduced me!”
“Asher, have you lost your mind!”
“I haven’t. If you don’t apologize, I recall you have a grandfather who raised you from childhood, right? I’ll make him slash his own face and kneel to apologize to Izzy.”
Chloe’s heart was ripped apart, her emotions crashing down in an instant. She looked painfully at the man before her, his face tight, his gaze cold and unfamiliar. She screamed hysterically, “Asher, if you dare touch my grandpa, I’ll fight you to the death!”
Asher watched her, his expression indifferent. “You can try.”
Chloe took a deep breath. She knew she couldn’t fight Asher. Her gaze turned icy as she stared at him. “Asher, don’t touch my grandpa. I’ll do as you say!”
Chloe closed her eyes in despair, taking a deep, shuddering breath. *It’s fine. It’s just a face. What’s there to be afraid of? Being disfigured is better than death.* With a surge of strength, she pressed the blade, and a gush of blood erupted from her right cheek. It hurt so much, but even that agonizing pain couldn’t compare to the coldness in her heart.
Blood dripped onto Chloe’s clothes, staining them. Her beautiful, delicate face now bore a gruesome, disfiguring wound. Asher looked at the jagged cut on Chloe’s face, and at the desperate look she’d given him moments ago. For some reason, a strange, tight grip squeezed his heart. Chloe, still holding the bloodied dagger, tried to slash her left cheek, but Asher grabbed her wrist.
“That’s enough. Now, go apologize to Izzy.”
…
In the chilling silence of the hospital room, only the crisp sound of slaps could be heard. Chloe had no idea how many times she had slapped herself. She just numbly raised her hand and brought it down again, repeating the motion. With each slap, she muttered, “I’m sorry, I seduced Asher. I’m sorry, I seduced him.” She didn’t dare stop; her grandpa’s life depended on it! Before her eyes was the sight of Asher and Isabelle nestled together, Asher constantly comforting Isabelle, telling her that once she recovered and had her heart transplant, he would marry her.
Chloe listened to Asher’s tender tone that seeped into her very bones, feeling a pain in her heart as if it were laced with poison. Suddenly, her arm went limp. She couldn’t lift it anymore; it dropped weakly to her side. Asher watched Chloe’s bloodied face, his eyes cold, his emotions completely unmoved. “Why did you stop? Izzy hasn’t forgiven you for seducing me yet.”
“Asher, I think my sister knows she was wrong. Let’s not push her anymore. Sister, you should go back and rest well.” Isabelle said, seemingly out of mercy, but to Asher, it sounded like Chloe was being ungrateful. He walked up to Chloe and raised his hand, fiercely slapping her. The slap landed squarely on her injured wound, and Chloe let out a piercing scream of pain. The sound was utterly desolate, causing her to instantly lose consciousness.
“Chloe, don’t you dare pretend to be dead.” He instinctively thought Chloe was faking it. It was just a slap; how could she pass out? But the only response was a deathly silence. Asher finally realized something was wrong. He quickly turned Chloe over and cursed under his breath when he saw the raw, open wound on her face.
“Damn it!” Asher scooped her up and rushed to the emergency room.
Half an hour later, the doctor emerged. He pulled down his mask and spoke. “Mr. Asher, Ms. Chloe fainted from excessive blood loss. The wound on her face has been treated, but it will likely leave a scar. There’s also something else: Ms. Chloe is pregnant.”
The doctor’s words made Asher’s hand, holding a cigarette, tremble. “What did you say? She’s pregnant?”
The doctor looked confused. “Yes, she’s about a month along.”
“I understand.” Asher pursed his lips, his deep-set eyes instantly growing dark and profound.
Isabelle sat in her hospital room, her mind filled with the words the bribed nurse had whispered to her earlier. She hadn’t expected Chloe to be pregnant! *That bitch, how could she carry Asher’s child!* Isabelle gritted her teeth in furious resentment. Then, a spark ignited in her mind, and an idea formed.
Asher sat by Chloe’s bedside, gazing at her sleeping face. He didn’t know why, but he found himself absurdly conflating the image of the little girl who saved him with Chloe’s face. *Impossible!* It was Izzy who saved him, not Chloe. He must just be sleep-deprived lately, which was why he was having such a ridiculous intuition.
Just then, Chloe vaguely stirred from her unconsciousness. “Where am I?”
Chloe’s voice pulled Asher abruptly from his thoughts. Remembering that Chloe was a month pregnant, Asher’s eyes turned utterly cold. “Chloe, I can’t believe you secretly got pregnant?”
“I…” Chloe was still groggy, her mind not yet clear from confusion. Reflexively, she grabbed Asher’s hand, wanting to explain. But Asher didn’t give her the chance, immediately dialing his assistant. “Arrange an abortion, now!”
“Asher, how can you be so cruel? You’re going to kill your own child! I’m begging you, please, just let him live!” Chloe pleaded, her eyes red. “He won’t threaten Izzy. If you just let me give birth to him, I’ll give my heart to Izzy right away. I’m begging you!”
Asher gripped Chloe’s chin, then harshly kicked her in the stomach. A sharp, violent cramp immediately shot through Chloe’s abdomen. She looked at Asher in disbelief, his eyes filled with icy disdain. “Chloe, don’t think for a second I don’t know what you’re thinking. Do you believe by secretly having this child you can keep me?”
“I’m telling you, that’s never going to happen!”
Hearing his words, Chloe laughed, tears instantly streaming from her eyes. She should have known this would be the outcome, shouldn’t she? Chloe thought, *It was all her fault. She made a terrible mistake loving him, and now she couldn’t even protect her own baby.* Asher stood nearby, and when he saw the utter despair in her eyes, his breath hitched. His heart felt as if something had just pierced it.
A deathly silence spread through the hospital room…
Just then, the door to the room suddenly burst open. The nurse attending to Isabelle rushed in, panicked. “Mr. Asher, Ms. Isabelle is not doing well! The doctor says Ms. Isabelle needs immediate heart surgery!”
“What did you say?”
“The doctor said Ms. Isabelle’s condition was stable and her heart could wait, but she was agitated two days ago, and her emotions are unstable, so the surgery must happen immediately.”
Asher’s eyes deepened upon hearing this. “Alright, I understand.”
As soon as the nurse left, Chloe nervously clutched the bedsheets. Her eyes, filled with dread, stared at Asher, her heart pounding frantically. Meeting Asher’s gaze, Chloe’s lips trembled as she asked, “Asher, what are you going to do?”
“Izzy’s heart isn’t well. You should know what needs to happen next.” Asher stared at her, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
“You want me to give her my heart? Right now?” Chloe looked at Asher in disbelief, her right hand tightly gripping the fabric over her lower abdomen. She was still carrying his child; how could he be so heartless?
Asher looked up at her. “Why not now? Whether the child is aborted or not, the final outcome is the same. Both of you have to die! Isn’t that right?”
Chloe felt as if something inside her had shattered. *Yes, long ago, when she had suffered so much she wanted to die but couldn’t, she had already been told that Asher wouldn’t let her die.* Because she was still useful: Izzy needed her heart! She had known the outcome for so long, so why, now that this moment had truly arrived, did her heart ache so much?
“Asher, no, I won’t! I’m still pregnant; I can’t have heart surgery, I can’t!” Chloe rose from the bed, her mind in a daze. She only knew to beg Asher not to do this, completely forgetting that this man had just said he would never let her go.
Asher gave the order mercilessly. “Guards, take Chloe to the operating room. Give Izzy her heart.” After giving the command, he immediately left.
As Asher walked out, a group of bodyguards and nurses swarmed through the door, rushing to Chloe’s bedside and hauling her up.
“No! Let go of me! How dare you? I’m still alive, I don’t want to donate my heart! This is illegal!” Chloe struggled, twisting her body, trying to break free from the nurses’ grip.
“Ms. Chloe, Mr. Asher has already spoken with his lawyer. This heart surgery is a voluntary donation of the organ source. It’s not illegal.” The nurse explained, a hint of pity in her eyes as she looked at Chloe.
Chloe heard this and gave up struggling, a self-mocking laugh escaping her lips. Their words meant that no matter how much she resisted, the outcome wouldn’t change! But even if she died, she would watch Izzy and Asher, remember their faces, and return as a vengeful spirit to haunt them and claim their lives!
“You don’t need to hold me. I’ll go myself.” Chloe stopped struggling. She lowered her head and placed her hand on her abdomen. *Baby, I’m sorry. Mom couldn’t protect you. In our next life, even if I have to work like an ox or a horse, I’ll repay what I owe you!* Raising her head, Chloe took a step, then another, walking towards the operating room.
In the operating room, Chloe, dressed in a sterile gown, lay desperately on the operating table, her gaze fixed with hatred on Izzy on the adjacent table. Looking at that face, identical to her own, Chloe wanted to tear her apart!
“Surgery begins.”
As the doctor announced, Chloe felt a sharp, icy prick on the skin of her arm. She had endured so many injections to protect her baby, but none had hurt like this one. As the injection finished, the tubes on Izzy’s operating table were pulled out. Immediately, Izzy rose and walked over to Chloe’s side.
“You, how can you be…?” Chloe’s eyes widened as she stared at Isabelle, who showed no signs of weakness, a look of utter astonishment in her eyes. Isabelle smiled, her arms crossed. “What? Is my sister surprised to see me like this?”
Watching her smile, Chloe suddenly realized. She turned to look at the doctors nearby, and sure enough, they had all put away their surgical tools, standing impassively as if they hadn’t seen anything happening.
Chloe’s cold sweat immediately broke out. “What did you inject me with?”
“What do you think?” Isabelle’s lips curved into a smirk. She reached out and pressed hard on the wound on Chloe’s face. A searing pain shot through Chloe’s face, and the blood, which had just stopped, began to flow again.
“What a shame, such a beautiful face, ruined just like that.” Isabelle said with a feigned sigh, her face devoid of any actual pity!
Chloe was about to say something when a sudden, sharp pain ripped through her lower abdomen. Isabelle had picked up a glass bottle and pressed it down hard on her stomach. Chloe’s eyes widened, her eyeballs bulging, blood vessels crawling through them. *Her baby, her baby!* A warm gush flowed down her thighs, and the smell of blood began to fill the operating room.
“Baby… my baby…”
The agonizing, heart-wrenching pain drowned out Chloe’s desperate cries. The torment in her abdomen was so suffocating she wished she could die instantly. Her baby, just like that, was gone! That was her precious baby, her very soul!
“Isabelle, why don’t you just kill me? Why?!” Chloe struggled frantically, her reason completely lost, glaring fixedly at Isabelle.
Isabelle, however, just laughed. “Kill you? That would be too easy, Chloe. How does it feel to watch your baby slip away? Does it feel good?”
“What’s the point of all this? You’ve gained so much, why won’t you just leave me alone?” She didn’t understand. They were supposed to be the closest of kin, yet Isabelle had hated her so much since childhood. What had she ever done to offend her?
“Leave you alone?” Isabelle laughed as if she’d heard the funniest joke. “Chloe, do you have any idea how much I hate you!”
“We both learned to dance, but you were so talented while I could never learn. I hated you for it!”
“And Mom and Dad, too. Growing up, no matter what, they always favored you. And me? I was always ignored!”
“And Asher, why was it you who saved him, and not me?!”
“What did you say?” Chloe didn’t understand the meaning of her last sentence.
Seeing Chloe’s bewildered expression, Isabelle’s smile grew even colder. “Do you know why Asher is so utterly devoted to me? Because I’ve always told him that I was the one who saved him from the fire when he was a child. But actually, that day, I originally planned to set you on fire, but unfortunately…”
“!!!” So the little boy she saved as a child was Asher. Chloe stared blankly at the ceiling. Why was fate playing such a cruel joke on her?
Isabelle looked at the blood continuously gushing onto the operating table, a soothing sense of pleasure surging through her heart. But this wasn’t over yet. A glint flashed in Isabelle’s eyes, and then she suddenly screamed.
“Ah—”
Asher heard Isabelle’s scream and immediately pushed open the operating room door. The moment he entered, the smell of blood hit him. The scene before his eyes froze him in place. Chloe lay slumped on the operating table, wearing a white gown, her body covered in bright red blood. Even her dangling hair was dripping with it.
Asher’s brows furrowed in a sharp frown, but before he could dwell on it, his thoughts were interrupted by Isabelle’s cries.
**截断点**
“Asher, what do we do? Is my sister having a baby? Asher, quickly call the obstetrician!” Isabelle clutched the edge of the bed, weak and frail, her face utterly haggard. Asher immediately rushed over, scooping Isabelle into his arms.
“Izzy, your heart isn’t well; how can you get out of bed?”
“I saw my sister bleeding heavily, I’m scared…” Isabelle seemed to be at a loss. “Asher, forget about me for now, quickly call a doctor to save my sister! Even if she’s not good to me, I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
Asher immediately made a call. However, the next second, Chloe suddenly sprang up, then violently lunged at Asher, pulling Isabelle from his arms. Isabelle was caught off guard. She never expected Chloe to have so much strength while bleeding heavily, so she fell unprotected to the floor, hitting her head. Stars instantly exploded in her vision. She wanted to scream, but the searing pain that followed made it impossible.
Chloe’s eyes were filled with overwhelming hatred. She straddled Isabelle, pouring all her strength into every brutal punch, hitting Isabelle’s chest again and again. She wanted Isabelle to pay for her baby’s life; she wanted Isabelle to die in agony! Chloe’s vision was consumed by darkness, for her world had already been plunged into blackness.
Asher had been stunned for a moment by Chloe’s sudden actions. By the time he reacted, he saw Isabelle on the verge of unconsciousness from Chloe’s blows. He immediately lifted Chloe away from Isabelle. Chloe struggled desperately, turning her head and biting hard into Asher’s bicep. No matter how tough his muscles were, they were no match for her teeth. Chloe only thought of avenging her child, and Asher, in pain, immediately flung Chloe away.
Chloe fell to the floor, her vision blurring for a moment, unable to sit up. She braced herself with her hands, glaring with gritted teeth at the two people before her.
“You despicable, cheating pair! You murdered my baby! I will avenge my child!”
Asher’s face was so dark upon hearing Chloe’s words, it almost dripped ink. He shook the blood from his arm, his voice cold and sharp, his eyes piercing. “Chloe, you’re absolutely insane.”
“I’m insane?” Chloe lay on the floor, laughing, her heart bleeding endlessly. “Asher, you’re right. I am insane. I was utterly insane to have ever loved you, but you don’t deserve it. You don’t deserve it at all!”
Asher glared at her. “You’re completely irrational! Guards, lock Chloe in the ICU! No food or water without my permission!” With that, Asher picked up Isabelle and left.
Chloe was restrained by Asher’s bodyguards and locked in the ICU. She remained perfectly calm throughout, offering no struggle. She was imprisoned by Asher for seven days. Asher didn’t visit her once.
On the eighth day, someone entered the ICU, but it wasn’t Asher. Chloe stared blankly at the person standing at the doorway. “Liam…” Liam was a medical student senior she knew from university. They had been good friends. She had thought she’d never see him again after graduation, but who would have thought they would meet under such circumstances.
“Chloe, I finally found you. I’m taking you away.” A flicker of surprise crossed Liam’s eyes.
“No… I’m not leaving.” Chloe struggled to move Liam’s hand away, a faint smile on her face as she looked at him. “Liam, I appreciate your kindness, but if I leave, Asher won’t let my family go.”
“Chloe… your grandpa…”
“What about my grandpa?”
Liam lowered his eyes. “He… he passed away.” Hearing this, Chloe froze completely. Her vision instantly went black, and only a buzzing sound filled her ears.
“You… what did you say?” The air seemed to be sucked out of the room. Chloe’s face went stark white. She gripped Liam’s arm tightly, her voice trembling in a way that twisted his heart. “Why? How could this happen?”
Liam said gravely, “Your grandpa passed away from a heart attack. I was passing by his house yesterday and found him collapsed on the floor. Even though I immediately administered aid, he couldn’t be revived.” Chloe desperately shook her head. Grandpa Arthur had always been so healthy; how could he have a heart attack? This was impossible, impossible! Pain slowly spread across Chloe’s face, as if a thousand needles were simultaneously piercing her heart, causing her to sob loudly.
“Liam, please, take me to see Grandpa.”
“Okay.”
At the funeral home.
The moment Chloe entered, she saw the portrait of her grandpa in the mourning hall. In that instant, her vision blurred, and a sharp pain from her chest immediately triggered her tear ducts. Chloe’s tears gushed out, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably, collapsing onto the soft cushion.
“Grandpa, Grandpa, I’m here. Why did this happen?” Chloe’s voice was hoarse, her breath ragged. The intense emotional shock ravaged her entire being, making her wish for death. Liam looked at Chloe, his heart aching. He knelt down to comfort her. “Chloe, please accept my condolences.” Chloe’s vision was a blur; she felt the taste of blood in her throat. She couldn’t understand. She had only not seen her grandpa for a week, and now they were separated forever by death.
Just then, a group of burly men in black suddenly barged into the mourning hall. The man in charge spoke, giving an order, “Smash this mourning hall! Whoever smashes it the worst, I’ll give them twenty times their pay.” Chloe heard this and immediately panicked. “Who are you? What are you doing?” The leader glanced at Chloe, said nothing, but raised his hand and gestured. The group of burly men behind him began to tear apart the mourning hall. Liam stepped forward to stop them, but how could he be a match for these men? The moment he rushed forward, two men in black immediately hauled him away.
Chloe’s eyes were bulging, unable to stop them. Her grandpa’s mourning hall was completely demolished. Despair spread through her heart, and even her breathing came with convulsive pain. *Why was she so useless? She couldn’t even protect her grandpa’s last shred of dignity.*
Just then, one of the thugs, carrying her grandpa’s urn, ran out through another side door. Chloe almost shrieked, “What are you doing?!” She immediately gave chase, following him to the back door of the funeral home, where she saw the thug hand her grandpa’s urn to Isabelle! In that moment, a chilling realization dawned on Chloe: Isabelle was involved in her grandpa’s death!!!
Isabelle raised her chin, watching the tormented expression on Chloe’s face as if it were the most delightful thing to behold.
“Chloe, want to know how Grandpa Arthur died?”
“You know?”
“Of course, I know. He was killed by you, by his most beloved granddaughter!” Isabelle said, opening her phone, and pressing play on a video. “Chloe, look closely. Do you see it? Grandpa Arthur, he was so shocked by *that* that he died. The expression on his face at the time, it was truly…” Isabelle savored the memory, her face alight with pleasure, repeating the scene word by word to Chloe.
Chloe’s eyes widened, staring at the phone screen, at her own tormented appearance at Asher’s hands. She clutched her heart in pain, her eyes bloodshot, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes.
“Isabelle, how could you be so cruel! He was your grandpa too!” Chloe yelled, pointing at Isabelle, one hand clutching her heart. Over the past six months, all the pain she had endured, along with all the kindness her grandpa had shown her, flashed through her mind like a horrific film. Chloe completely broke down, slumping numbly to the ground, letting her tears fall. It was all her fault. She was the one who dragged Grandpa Arthur into this; she was the one who killed him!
“So what if he was my grandpa? That old fool, all he ever did was care about you, never even asking about me. And in the end, he even wanted to leave the ancestral home to you! I’m his granddaughter too; why didn’t he consider me more?” Chloe felt like she was crying blood, not tears. She glared at Isabelle. “Isabelle, you’re not human! You’re an animal!”
Isabelle laughed maniacally, completely unaffected. “Whether I’m human or not is none of your concern, but I know that once you give me your heart, you’ll soon stop being human, Chloe. Are you full of hatred? Utterly broken?”
Hatred? Of course. She had lost her child, lost the grandpa who had loved her since she was a baby. How could she not be full of hatred? Despair? Absolutely. Asher didn’t love her, he tormented her, trampling her heart into the dirt. How could she not be utterly broken?
🌟 Continue the story here
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“Look at these photos! You disgust me!” Julian leaned down, snatched an envelope from the coffee table, pulled out a thick stack of pictures, and hurled them at me.
Dozens of photos scattered instantly, fluttering wildly before landing all over the floor. I stared at Julian, utterly bewildered, then picked up one that had landed on the sofa in front of me.
“This…” My voice died in my throat the moment I saw the picture, my wide, innocent eyes staring, round as saucers.
I quickly gathered all the photos around me. Each one showed a naked man and woman passionately entangled in a luxurious King-Size hotel bed, doing things that made my face burn with shame.
And the woman in the photos was me.
“What ‘this’? I never would have thought that Chloe Davis, the heiress of the mighty Davis Empire, would stoop to such shameless acts!” Julian roared, his voice deafening, laced with uncontrollable fury.
“No, I didn’t, Julian. I’ve never done anything to betray you…” I reached out, tugging at the hem of his jacket, pleading pitifully, tears welling in my eyes.
He violently my hand away and took a few steps forward. “Enough! The evidence is right in front of me. Stop your act; it makes me sick.”
I slumped onto the sofa, sobbing helplessly.
“Mrs. Jenkins, bring the medicine over for her.” Julian’s thin lips pressed together as if he’d made a grave decision, then he suddenly called out.
Mrs. Jenkins walked straight over, holding a small white porcelain bowl in her hands.
“What medicine?” I lifted my head at his words, my swollen eyes questioning Mrs. Jenkins.
“Young Master, this…” Mrs. Jenkins looked at Julian, a hint of difficulty in her expression.
“Abortion pills,” he pronounced, the words chillingly firm.
Boom! It felt like a thunderclap had exploded in my mind. I slapped the bowl out of Mrs. Jenkins’ hand and stood up. “Julian Thorne, are you insane? You’re making me drink abortion pills!”
“Why else would I keep that bastard child?!” Julian was clearly enraged by my outburst. He turned, his voice dark and menacing.
“It’s your child, it’s not a bastard! It’s not!” I shrieked, my voice raw and hoarse.
“Enough!” Julian roared.
He took a massive stride forward and suddenly gripped my neck. “Today, you will drink this medicine, whether you want to or not!”
I struggled desperately, but I couldn’t break free from his iron grip. My face turned crimson from lack of oxygen.
Soon, Mrs. Jenkins brought another bowl, and Julian finally released his hand from my throat.
“Cough, cough,” I gasped, sucking in fresh air, but Julian roughly shoved me back, pinning me beneath him.
“You… you can’t do this to me!” My hands were firmly pressed down by his leg, unable to move. Only my feet flailed wildly, but it was useless.
“Why can’t I? Who do you think you are?” Julian’s eyes gleamed with a chilling coldness. He pinched my chin with one hand, forcing my head up, and took the medicine bowl from Mrs. Jenkins with the other.
“Julian, I beg you, don’t do this to me! Please, don’t!” My tears gushed out like a broken dam. I pleaded, my voice hoarse from crying.
But the man was heartless, completely unmoved. He ignored my pleas, not even a flicker of emotion crossing his face. He brought the bowl to my lips and forcefully poured the liquid down my throat.
“Cough, cough, cough…” I choked violently, the bitter concoction spilling over me, though most of it was forced down.
“Mrs. Jenkins, from today onwards, without my permission, my wife won’t be allowed to step foot outside this villa.” Julian stood up, casting a disdainful glance at me crumpled on the sofa, issuing his command like an arrogant king.
“You!” I started to speak, but a knife-twisting pain suddenly erupted in my lower abdomen. I clutched my stomach and curled up on the sofa.
Blood seeped from beneath my dress, quickly staining the fabric. I felt a wet warmth spreading, and I struggled to speak to Julian, “Please, save my baby…”
But the man remained completely indifferent, not even sparing me a glance before he stormed out the door.
The pain was so intense that my whole body slid from the sofa to the floor, large beads of sweat trickled down my forehead. Mrs. Jenkins had quietly retreated at some point, and in the vast villa, only my agonizing moans could be faintly heard.
I felt as if my child was slipping away with every passing second, yet I was utterly helpless, my lips parched and pale. There was no one to even call for help.
The intense pain spread from my stomach throughout my entire body. Tears mingled with sweat and the blood on my dress, soaking my clothes in a truly horrific sight.
Before long, the pain consumed me, and I lost consciousness.
When I woke again, I was in this familiar room, dressed in clean clothes. This had once been our bridal suite, every corner filled with memories of our happy moments.
But now, the entire room felt chillingly cold, like a faded painting devoid of color, lifeless and desolate.
Instinctively, I placed a hand on my lower abdomen, but my flat stomach was a cruel reminder: my baby was gone.
Tears sprang from my eyes again, soaking the pillow beneath me. I longed to cry my heart out, but at that moment, I could only weep silently, my sobs almost imperceptible.
Since I woke up, Mrs. Jenkins had brought me three meals a day on a small tray, but I hadn’t touched a drop of food or water.
I felt like a hollow shell, a walking corpse. I’d open my eyes and simply stare blankly out the window for an entire day.
And so, on the third day, Julian appeared.
Still half-asleep, I felt a massive jolt. When I opened my eyes, I was already being dragged from the bed, my weak body roughly pressed against the dining table by Julian.
“Eat,” he said, his voice cold, as he leaned one hand on the table, standing inches from me.
I didn’t even lift an eyelid, my gaze still vacant and distant, my face utterly devoid of emotion.
“You’re going to eat, do you hear me!” Julian snarled, grabbing the bowl of porridge from the table and shoving it into my hands, his intensity as if he could devour me whole.
But I slowly, deliberately, placed the bowl back on the table, a slight curve to my lips. “What, are you afraid I’ll starve to death?”
“Afraid? You think too highly of yourself. You gave me such a huge slap in the face; I haven’t tormented you enough yet. How could I let you die so easily?” Julian’s voice echoed like a demon’s in my ears.
For a moment, my eyes widened. I couldn’t understand where the loving, tender Julian I once knew had gone. The man before me was so cold, it was as if we were strangers.
He picked up the bowl again, scooping a large spoonful of porridge, and brought it to my lips. But I suddenly recoiled, standing up and putting distance between us.
When Mrs. Jenkins called him, telling him I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for two days, he’d dropped everything and rushed back without a thought. This foolish woman, trying to go on a hunger strike.
Fine, she thought this would set her free, did she? Dream on!
Julian took a large sip from the porridge bowl, then closed the distance between us in a few quick strides. Seeing him approach, I instinctively backed away, my eyes wide, as if I were looking at something utterly repulsive.
“Ah!” My lower back hit the window railing, and I cried out in pain. Before I could react, Julian had me cornered against the floor-to-ceiling window.
I looked up into his eyes. “What are you doin’…”
My words were cut short as Julian’s kiss landed precisely on my lips.
I struggled fiercely, but he held me tight against him, my hands pinned behind my back, his arm clamped around my waist. Then, slowly, he forced the porridge from his mouth into mine, making me swallow every drop.
“You!” I glared at him indignantly, frantically wiping my lips.
“Well, are you going to finish the porridge obediently, or do you want me to keep feeding you?” Julian asked playfully.
“I’ll drink it myself!” I glared back at him.
“Good, saves us both trouble.”
And so, under Julian’s watchful eye, I finished the entire bowl of porridge.
Afterward, Julian didn’t linger. He gave a couple of instructions to Mrs. Jenkins and then left.
Having witnessed this man’s ruthless methods, I sat motionless at the dining table, a bitter smile on my face. Was this truly the same man who had once sworn eternal love to me?
It was all so unbelievable…
Unexpectedly, Julian returned for dinner, sitting upright at the dining table. Seeing me descend the stairs, ready to eat, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk touched his lips. It seemed I was still obedient.
Perhaps it was due to the days without food or water, but my face was pale. My once form-fitting loungewear now hung loosely on my frame, making me appear even more fragile and bony.
Looking at Julian’s still handsome face, my heart ached. I walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
“Let’s get a divorce,” I said calmly, without anger, as soon as I was seated.
“What did you say?” Julian was visibly startled; he hadn’t expected me to say that.
“Divorce,” I repeated, my face expressionless.
He tugged at his tie with long fingers, clearly irritated. “Chloe Davis, have you lost your damn mind?”
“You…” I closed my eyes in pain, as if recalling something terribly hurtful, and whispered, “You could lay hands on your own flesh and blood. Why keep me by your side?”
“My own flesh and blood?” Julian sneered, lifting his gaze to my face. “Even now, you’re still trying to deny it? If the woman in those photos isn’t you, then who is it? Go on, explain it to me. Do you have a long-lost sister?”
“…” I pressed my lips together, unable to utter a single word in my defense.
I had been the Davis family’s only darling daughter since childhood; how could I have a sister, let alone an identical twin? Yet, I swore I had never done anything like that with another man…
Unbeknownst to me, Julian had risen and walked behind me. He suddenly lifted me from the chair.
“What are you doing?” I demanded, shaking myself awake.
The next moment, his handsome face filled my vision, then he leaned down and claimed my lips.
“Mmmph…” I desperately pounded on his chest, trying to push him away, but the man held my hands behind my back with one hand and tightly embraced my waist with the other, pressing me close against him.
He had only intended to punish me slightly, to assert his undeniable dominance. But the moment he drew near and inhaled my unique fragrance, he was lost in it.
The feeling of him intimately exploring my mouth made me feel even more humiliated, and my eyes welled up with fresh tears.
*Plip!* A single hot tear dropped onto Julian’s chest, searing through his thin shirt.
He looked down to see me, the woman in his arms, pouting and crying, and he instantly sobered. He roughly pushed me away, then turned and said, “Listen to me, woman. Even if we divorce, it’ll only happen when I’m tired of you. Otherwise, you’ll never leave me in this lifetime!”
I staggered where he pushed me, his words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Hello? Be at the Thorne mansion in half an hour. Now.” Julian said coldly into his phone, then turned and left the dining room.
“Damn it!” Julian cursed under his breath as he walked into the living room and sat on the sofa.
The president of the mighty Thorne Corporation, flustered and agitated over a woman? It must be because he hadn’t touched a woman in too long, so he called for Serena Price, a prominent socialite from Olympus City’s elite circles.
There had been countless women who pursued him, but his reputation as a doting husband was also well-known throughout Olympus City, breaking many young women’s hearts.
But now, this woman, whom he had once held so dear, dared to betray him. He would make sure she understood the consequences of betrayal! He had told himself more than once that he absolutely couldn’t fall for such a woman again!
Yet, he had to admit, for a fleeting moment just now, he had truly lost himself.
A short while later, the doorbell rang urgently, and Mrs. Jenkins quickly went to open it.
“Julian, did you miss me?” A syrupy sweet voice cooed, and a woman in a tight black dress sashayed in, her voluptuous figure swaying provocatively, the body-con design accentuating her curves.
It was Serena Price, the mayor’s daughter.
Her chestnut-brown waves cascaded over her shoulders, and the strapless design exposed her alluring collarbones. Her bright, expressive eyes fixed on Julian, who was seated on the sofa, from the moment she entered.
She walked directly towards the man she had admired for so long, wrapped her arms around his neck, and settled onto his lap, leaning in to offer her vivid red lips.
Julian frowned, his handsome brows furrowing in displeasure, and subtly shifted, expertly dodging her advance.
The woman in his lap froze, looking at his action. Hadn’t he called her here himself?
For some reason, he felt no interest in the woman eagerly offering herself to him. In fact, he felt a slight resistance.
But then, his eyes caught a glimpse of my figure standing in the dining room doorway, looking on, and a harsh glint flashed in his eyes.
He took control, gripping the back of the woman’s neck and pressing his lips to hers.
Tears streamed down my face. The scene in the living room assaulted my eyes and nerves. I turned my head, wanting to avert my gaze from this revolting live-action show, yet my legs felt like lead, stuck to the spot.
“Oh, I want you~” Serena cooed, a sound that sent shivers down my spine. My red, swollen eyes followed the sound.
Feeling my gaze, Julian looked at the stunning woman beneath him, a husky laugh escaping his throat as he playfully chided, “You little tease~”
Julian stood up, still holding the woman in his arms, and swept her into his arms, heading towards the bedroom on the second floor. As he passed the dining room doorway, he didn’t even glance at me, completely ignoring my living presence.
Only the woman in his arms looked at me standing there, every expression on her face oozing with blatant provocation and triumph.
She tightened her arms around Julian, proudly asserting her claim.
Watching their retreating figures, my heart turned to dust. If everything before had been a misunderstanding, perhaps there might have been some faint hope of forgiveness.
But now, he was intimately involved with another woman right in front of me! I felt as though my heart was being stabbed by dozens of knives, suffocating me.
All the love between us, at that moment, was extinguished and vanished completely. I stared at the closed bedroom door upstairs, wiped the tears from my face, and returned to my own room.
Back in the empty bedroom, although the soundproofing was excellent and I couldn’t hear a single sound from next door, my mind kept replaying the horrifying image of my husband being intimate with another woman on the bed.
A splitting headache pulsed through me, and I slid down the wall, sinking to the floor.
I frantically pounded my head, trying to force these sickening thoughts away, but the more I tried to escape, the clearer the images became.
“Oh no! The young madam has tried to kill herself!” With Mrs. Jenkins’ scream, the entire Thorne mansion erupted in chaos.
Julian rushed out of the adjacent room. When he saw me lying in a pool of blood, he felt his vision darken, utterly lost and bewildered.
His crimson eyes blazed with a murderous rage, his heart pounding erratically. He had never been so rattled; he wouldn’t even blink when signing billion-dollar deals for the corporation, but now, seeing this scene, he was truly panicked. He was terrified of losing me like this.
On the floor beside me lay a blood-stained fruit knife. There was a long, deep gash on my slender wrist, and bright, startling blood continued to gush out…
“Ah!” Serena, who had arrived shortly after, shrieked, her face turning ashen as she stumbled back a few steps.
Just then, the wail of an ambulance sounded from outside the villa. Julian’s furious eyes shot a glare at Serena. Without a word, he scooped me up from the pool of blood and stormed out the door.
*Chloe Davis, you can’t die. You’re not allowed to die without my permission! You foolish woman, do you think this is how you’ll get away? If you dare to die like this, I’ll haunt you even as a ghost!*
The ambulance quickly arrived at the hospital. I was lifted from the stretcher by the accompanying doctors and nurses and rushed into the hospital. Julian clung tightly to the railing of the stretcher, jogging alongside as we moved towards the operating room.
“Patient name: Chloe Davis, female, attempted suicide by wrist laceration, severe blood loss. Emergency hemostasis was performed in the ambulance…” The accompanying nurse calmly and swiftly reported my condition to the emergency doctor walking towards them.
“Understood. Notify the blood bank to prepare for transfusion.”
Julian’s heart, like the slowly closing operating room doors, rose higher and higher, lodged in his throat.
He couldn’t imagine what would have happened if Mrs. Jenkins hadn’t gone to my bedroom to bring me food, worried that I hadn’t eaten dinner, and found me… If she had waited until the next day, all that would have awaited him was a cold corpse.
*Chloe Davis, how could you be so cruel!*
Soon after, my adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Davis, also arrived at the hospital, waiting anxiously outside the operating room.
*Bang!* The operating room doors burst open, and a disoriented young nurse stumbled out. A crowd of people immediately surged forward.
“The patient has a rare RH-negative blood type. Our hospital’s blood bank is currently low on this blood. Are there any relatives here? We need a family member to donate blood,” the young nurse anxiously looked up at the surging crowd.
But they only looked at each other, their faces filled with complex expressions.
“How can Chloe have RH-negative blood? No one in our family has this blood type…” Mr. Davis turned to my adoptive mother, Mrs. Thompson, his face bearing an unquestionable authority.
“Why are you looking at me? How would I know?” Mrs. Thompson’s face was tinged with sharp indignation.
The atmosphere instantly turned hostile. A dark secret of the elite was about to spill.
— Cut-off Point —
“Sir, Madam, let me donate blood for Chloe. I am RH-negative,” Maria Miller, a housekeeper, suddenly spoke from behind.
Everyone turned to look. A woman in her forties, her expression heavy, slowly walked forward.
“You?” Mrs. Thompson’s face showed a hint of intriguing suspicion.
Mr. Davis, however, seemed to suddenly remember something, his eyes widening as he looked at Maria, but then he abruptly shook his head, finally letting out a deep sigh.
“Go and donate blood first. Saving a life is urgent.” His voice turned old and hollow, filled with a palpable sense of weariness that struck anyone who heard it.
The nurse quickly led Maria into the operating room.
But Mrs. Thompson suddenly acted as if she’d gone mad, grabbing Mr. Davis and shouting, “What’s going on? Why does she have the same blood type as Chloe! Mr. Davis, you better explain this to me!”
“I don’t know either, I just asked her to go and donate blood for Chloe first,” Mr. Davis replied dismissively, his thoughts drifting back to that stormy night over twenty years ago…
It was a night of pouring rain and fierce winds. The Davis Corporation was still on the rise back then, and Mr. Davis, having just lost a multi-million-dollar deal, was utterly devastated. He returned to the Davis mansion utterly drunk.
He swayed at the entrance, struggling for a long time to take off his shoes.
“Sir, you’re back.” Maria Miller, then just a girl in her early twenties, had not yet been called Mrs. Miller.
“Maria, it’s you. Where’s Mrs. Davis?” Mr. Davis squinted his drunken eyes, trying to steady himself as he spoke to her.
Maria saw him struggling with his shoes and quickly knelt down to help him take them off. “Sir, why did you drink so much? Mrs. Davis had an afternoon tea appointment; she hasn’t returned yet.”
“Oh,” Mr. Davis secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Maria looked at Mr. Davis’s dejected state, her heart aching for him. He always treated the staff so well, and he was so charming and dashing. Over time, she couldn’t help but develop some feelings for him.
Mrs. Thompson’s family held immense power, openly and subtly assisting his career for years. If she found out he’d messed up such a huge deal, he couldn’t imagine how much she would scold him.
But after so many years of marriage, they still had no children, and the thought alone gave Mr. Davis a splitting headache. Yet, he dared not express his frustration.
The alcohol’s effects wore off considerably. Mr. Davis, with a droopy head, walked forlornly upstairs and went directly into his bedroom.
*Knock, knock, knock…* A knock sounded at the door.
“Sir, I’ve warmed you a hangover tea,” Maria called from outside the door.
But there was no sound from the room for a long time. Maria knocked again hesitantly, then, worried, pushed the door open and entered.
As soon as the door opened, a pungent smell of alcohol assailed her. Maria frowned, waved her hand in front of her face a couple of times, and walked into the room.
“So thirsty, thirsty…” Mr. Davis, completely passed out from drinking, lay sprawled on the bed, mumbling incoherently.
Maria quickly walked over and placed the hangover tea on the bedside table.
“Sir, wake up, wake up.” Maria knelt by the bed, gently shaking the drunken Mr. Davis. “Get up and drink some hangover tea.”
Mr. Davis groggily half-opened his eyes and, with Maria’s help, sat up. Perhaps truly thirsty, he took the hangover tea and drank it all in one gulp.
Maria had just set the empty teacup aside when she turned around to find Mr. Davis had already fallen back asleep, his head lolling to the side. She smiled helplessly, stood up, and slowly helped him lie down, even tucking the blanket around him thoughtfully.
Just as she picked up the teacup and turned to leave, a sudden dizzy spell hit her. A strong hand pulled her onto the bed. The teacup clattered to the floor with a *thump* at the same moment Mr. Davis’s kiss descended upon her…
*Bang!* The operating room doors slowly opened, interrupting Mr. Davis’s thoughts.
I was wheeled out on a hospital bed, and Maria also emerged, supported by a nurse. At this moment, my adoptive mother, Mrs. Thompson, didn’t immediately rush to embrace me, her eyes filled more with scrutiny.
She looked at my face, then at Maria, who had just emerged, and her suspicions solidified.
“The patient is out of danger. She should wake up after some rest, but will need to stay for observation for two days,” the doctor said, taking off his mask and advising the family.
The group followed my bed to a VIP room.
Julian had to leave due to other engagements, and this was clearly a Davis family matter, so even as a son-in-law, it was inappropriate for him to stay.
Mrs. Thompson was the first to sit in the chair by my bed, while Mr. Davis and Maria stood by. Watching the doctors and nurses busy themselves attending to me, who had just been transferred to the room, I felt an indescribable mix of emotions.
It had taken so many years of marriage to have a daughter, so I had been given boundless love and care since childhood. But now, after more than twenty years, and with me already married, they discovered…
After the doctors and nurses had left, only Mr. and Mrs. Davis, and Maria remained in the large hospital room, apart from me, who lay unconscious on the bed.
“Start talking. What exactly happened?” Mrs. Thompson’s eyes narrowed, making Maria shiver.
“Darling, listen to me…” After a long silence, Mr. Davis slowly began.
“You shut up! I want to hear what *she* has to say!” Mrs. Thompson exclaimed, pointing at Maria. The atmosphere instantly became tense.
She and Mr. Davis stood by the bedside, looking at me lying there, feeling utterly heartbroken. A secret kept for over twenty years, it seemed, could no longer be hidden.
“Madam, it’s all my fault. That year, I took advantage of Sir when he was drunk…”
*Slap!* Mrs. Thompson suddenly stood up and delivered a stinging slap across Maria’s face.
“Darling, what are you doing?” Mr. Davis quickly stepped forward, shielding Maria behind him.
“What am I doing? Mr. Davis, this is all your doing! How dare you even ask me?” Mrs. Thompson reached past Mr. Davis and grabbed Maria’s arm. “So, Chloe is your daughter?”
“Yes… yes, she is,” Maria replied, clutching her red and swollen face.
“Then where is my daughter? Where is my daughter now?!” Mrs. Thompson’s eyes bulged with fury, as if spitting fire. She unconsciously tightened her grip on Maria’s arm, as if she wanted to crush her bones.
“She… she…” Maria stammered evasively.
“What happened to her?!” Mrs. Thompson demanded urgently, her voice carrying an irresistible authority.
“Actually… Victoria is… your daughter…”
Mrs. Thompson first froze, then suddenly burst into two harsh laughs before delivering another slap. “Oh, wonderful! My daughter suffered for so many years because of you, and you actually made me raise *your* daughter for over twenty years?”
“Darling, you…” Mr. Davis started to speak, but meeting Mrs. Thompson’s furious gaze, he swallowed his words and said no more.
“You shut up!” Mrs. Thompson turned and swung her fists at Mr. Davis. “Did the two of you plan this? Have you known about this all along? Have you?!”
Mr. Davis gripped Mrs. Thompson’s wildly flailing hands, his brows furrowed in pain, and said, “What are you talking about? How would I know?”
“How would you know? How could you *not* know where Chloe came from! My poor child suffered for over twenty years with this lowly woman!” Mrs. Thompson cried hysterically, her eyes red as she accused Mr. Davis.
After learning such a shocking secret, any normal person would struggle to accept it, especially Mrs. Thompson, who was usually proud and arrogant. At that moment, she was utterly distraught.
“Dad? Mom?” I was awakened by the arguments in the room. I slowly opened my tired eyes, propped myself up on one arm, and with difficulty, sat up in bed.
Mr. Davis strode over, picked up a pillow, placed it behind me, and helped me sit up properly.
“Mr. Davis, what are you doing?” Mrs. Thompson stepped forward, knocking his hand away from me and pulling him aside.
“Mom?” I looked at my adoptive mother, confused.
“Don’t call me Mom, I’m not your Mom!” Mrs. Thompson turned her face away, tears streaming down.
After all, I was the daughter she had raised for over twenty years, cherished in her hands. Even though she now knew I wasn’t her biological child, twenty years of affection couldn’t be erased in an instant.
“This… Mom, what’s wrong?” Seeing Mrs. Thompson’s distress and Mr. Davis’s hesitant expression, I was so anxious I almost leaped from the bed.
“I told you, don’t call me Mom. *She’s* your mother!” Mrs. Thompson pointed at Maria.
It was then that I saw Maria standing near the hospital room door, her slender frame huddled, her head bowed. Though I couldn’t clearly see her expression, I could vaguely see her trembling.
My eyes widened in horror. I threw back the covers and got out of bed, but perhaps due to severe blood loss, I felt dizzy and fell to my knees on the floor. “Mom, what are you saying? How could she be…?” My eyes instantly blurred with tears.
Mrs. Thompson looked at me, fallen to the floor, with a worried glance, instinctively reaching out to help, but immediately dismissed the thought and withdrew her outstretched hands.
Maria heard the *thump* and looked up, her heart twisting like a knife to see her biological daughter kneeling on the cold floor. Her feet, as if by some ghostly force, moved a few steps forward, but Mrs. Thompson’s cold stare stopped her dead in her tracks.
Only Mr. Davis knelt down, trying to help me up from the floor, but I tightly gripped his hand. “Dad, did you hear what Mom just said? She’s just kidding with me, right?”
Looking at my hopeful eyes, even though the aging father’s heart was filled with boundless reluctance, he could only lower his head helplessly.
“Dad, say something! What is going on? You’re all just playing a trick on me, right?”
The hospital room fell silent. No one was willing to shatter my last hope. Even though Mrs. Thompson detested Maria, she opened her mouth but couldn’t bring herself to say anything that would hurt me further.
“Let me tell you.” With a *bang*, the hospital room door was suddenly pushed open from outside.
Almost simultaneously, everyone looked up towards the door. Victoria Thompson elegantly entered, walking to my front and kneeling down.
Her slender hand grazed my haggard cheek, a hint of indescribable amusement on her face.
Mrs. Thompson looked at Victoria walking in, her heart filled with joy, tears streaming down her face. This was her daughter, her *biological* daughter!
“Victoria, why are you here?” Maria’s voice, thick with tears, sounded from behind.
“Why am I here? How could I miss this wonderful show?” A flicker of hatred crossed Victoria’s eyes, suddenly making her look terrifying.
She paused, staring intently at me. “What an arrogant young madam, thinking you’re still the cherished heiress of the Davis family?”
My eyes were bloodshot, staring unblinkingly at Victoria. “What do you know? Tell me.”
Apparently not expecting my calm, Victoria paused, then stood up and took a step back. She looked at me, still on the floor, and suddenly clapped her hands. “Indeed, you’ve been a fake heiress for over twenty years. You’ve certainly learned how to stay composed.”
“What did you say?!” The words “fake heiress” pierced my ears like daggers. I gasped, my face instantly turning pale.
“I said you’re fake. Did you hear me clearly?” Victoria declared, looking down at me, enunciating each word.
These words also deeply wounded everyone present.
I violently shook off Mr. Davis’s hand and stumbled to my feet. Meeting Victoria’s gaze, “You’re lying!” I screamed, using every ounce of my strength, swaying precariously.
“I’m lying?” Victoria’s eyes were bloodshot, her expression suddenly becoming fierce and vicious. “Do you really think you’re a Davis heiress? You’re nothing but a bastard born to *that woman*!”
I felt as if my soul had been ripped out; my whole body suddenly wilted and I staggered backward.
But Victoria wouldn’t give up. She stepped forward, grasping my shoulder. “The real Davis heiress is me! You, Chloe Davis, stole the life that rightfully belonged to me!”
“No, this isn’t true, this isn’t true!” Tears streamed down my face. I stood there lost, mumbling to myself.
“Chloe!” Maria could no longer hold back. She stepped forward and grabbed my arm.
“Don’t touch me!” I recoiled as if I had been contaminated by something unclean, distancing myself immediately, my eyes wary as I looked at this woman who was both familiar and a stranger.
“What, Chloe Davis, you won’t even acknowledge your own mother?” Victoria’s mocking voice echoed in the room.
I staggered to Mrs. Thompson, cautiously asking, “Mom, tell me, they’re not telling the truth, are they?”
Mrs. Thompson looked up at my tear-streaked face, her heart aching. After all, I was the child she had raised for twenty years; how could she have no feelings for me?
“Mom, tell me!” I asked again, my voice hoarse.
“What she said… is… all true,” Mrs. Thompson slowly admitted.
Upon receiving the answer, I suddenly fell back onto the floor. The waves of pain from my body had long numbed my nerves, because the pain in my heart at that moment was far more unbearable.
I sat on the ground in despair, my eyes vacant, tears streaming down relentlessly.
“It’s all my fault, all my fault! If it weren’t for my selfish moment…” Maria stood there, consumed by self-reproach. She looked at me sitting on the floor, then at Victoria standing before her, her heart feeling as if dozens of knives were slowly cutting into it.
🌟 Continue the story here
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#NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Everyone in their circle knew Asher Blackwood had a kept woman, an almost identical copy of his first love, Seraphina Thorne.
Early one morning, at the city airport, I rushed out, dragging my suitcase, dusty and exhausted. My eyes lit up when I spotted that limited-edition Mercedes sedan. Pulling open the door, Asher Blackwood was indeed waiting for me inside.
“How do you have time to pick me up?” I asked, my bright, lively eyes on my delicate, pale face seeming to hold the entire starry sky as I looked at Asher.
Asher Blackwood always hated my eyes. My face was at least ninety percent similar to Seraphina Thorne’s, but my eyes were different. Seraphina’s gaze towards him had always been cold and detached.
“Close your eyes.”
I obeyed, closing my eyes, a hint of allure curving my lips. Asher stared at my face, so like Seraphina’s, and kissed me fiercely. My soft lips were bruised and tormented, as if he could, through me, possess the other woman.
The car started smoothly, slowly pulling away from the airport. Half an hour later, Asher Blackwood forced me out of the car. I stood by the street, clutching my suitcase, watching him in the car with a pang of hurt.
“Drive.” Asher’s face was cold, unmoved.
The car door slowly closed. I watched the black Mercedes drive further and further away, until it merged with traffic and vanished.
I wiped my eyes, swallowing my grievance. I called for a ride. After more than ten hours of flying, I was utterly exhausted.
Back home, I showered, removed my makeup, then chugged a large glass of red wine before crawling into my soft bed, ready to sleep.
My phone rang. I opened it to see a message from Asher: “9 PM tonight.”
I smiled and replied, “Waiting for you in bed.”
It was as if the unpleasant morning had never happened. It was our unspoken agreement.
At 9 PM, Asher Blackwood was always punctual. There was never any tenderness between us; he was direct, almost brutal.
“You’re hurting me,” I whispered, but still, I moved to meet Asher’s force.
Asher didn’t say a word, just drove into me harder. My body was like a ripe peach, soft and juicy, or perhaps a fresh-baked cake, warm layers enveloping him, giving him the most comforting solace. He didn’t love me, but I had to admit, he loved this body.
I often felt that Asher’s feelings for Seraphina were incredibly complex. Beyond unrequited love, there seemed to be a hint of hatred.
In bed, Asher shed his usual restraint and coldness. His heat threatened to consume me. I could only cling to him weakly, letting him carry me into a dizzying whirlwind. I felt like a leaf caught in a storm, lost and disoriented.
The room echoed with the most beautiful music a man and woman could make, even the air grew scorching hot.
Over an hour later, the symphony finally struck its last note at the climax.
Asher withdrew abruptly. “I’m going to shower.”
I lay softly on the bed, watching his muscular back. I couldn’t help but inwardly appraise him. Asher Blackwood truly was a catch: broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, a strict, controlled aura when dressed, but pure primal release when not. Especially that face…
Just as I was lost in my thoughts, Asher’s phone rang. I picked it up and glanced at the screen. “Seraphina?”
I walked to the bathroom door, holding the phone. “Boss, your goddess is looking for you~”
Asher, wrapped in a towel, opened the door. His eyes, cold and piercing, glanced at me as he took the phone. “Hello?”
Naked, I brushed past Asher and closed the bathroom door, starting my shower. I didn’t want to hear what they were saying. Anyway, by the time I came out, Asher would certainly be gone.
Sure enough, when I emerged, toweling my hair dry, Asher had left. I picked up my phone to find a massive transfer, as usual. In that moment, I felt incredibly cheap, but also incredibly valuable – the kind of cheap that costs a fortune.
I pocketed the money and tucked away the lingering bitterness in my heart. What did I have to complain about?
I tapped a few buttons on my phone, transferring the money I’d just received back out. Checking the time, it was midnight – the perfect hour for some fun.
Slipping into a sparkling slip dress, high heels, smoky eyes, and a bold red lip, I transformed into the most captivating siren on the dance floor tonight.
In the noisy club, I effortlessly became the center of attention. I stretched my body with abandon, releasing my charm with the rhythm of the music. Tonight, everyone loved me!
“Boss, look at that chick, isn’t that the one Asher Blackwood likes?” a man in a VIP booth pointed at me on the dance floor.
“Boss, I think it actually is! The one called Seraphina something!” another man chimed in. “I’ve seen photos! It’s her!”
“Why would Seraphina Thorne be here?” Redmond glanced at me. “Most likely his stand-in.”
“A stand-in? Then she’s no use! I thought we could snatch her and get some revenge for you, Boss!”
Redmond stroked his chin, his eyes leering as they swept over my body. “Forget it, let’s not provoke Asher Blackwood.”
“Redmond, are you scared?”
A young man appeared outside the booth, smiling innocently under the flashing, multi-colored lights.
I emerged from the club, pulling on my jacket. I was always sober; I could have my fun, but I never touched alcohol at bars.
“Sweetheart, why don’t you come play with us?” Redmond’s men shouted from behind me. I knew instantly that something was wrong. I turned, gave them a slow, alluring smile, and leisurely slipped off my high heels.
“Well, look at you, eager! No wonder Asher Blackwood keeps you around!” The men chuckled obscenely, and my heart sank.
These weren’t ordinary thugs; they were after me because of Asher Blackwood. Clutching my high heels, I flashed a dazzling smile. “Asher~ are you here to pick me up?”
The men froze, instinctively turning their heads. I seized the moment, spun around, and ran.
“Get her!”
A hunt began. I ran like a terrified doe, scrambling along the deserted streets at three in the morning. My heart pounded furiously, threatening to burst from my chest. The footsteps behind me grew closer and closer.
“I can’t outrun them,” I thought in despair. I could only duck into a narrow alleyway, hiding behind a pile of junk. Carefully, I pulled out my phone and called Asher.
He was the only person I could think of who could save me.
“Please! Answer the phone!” I bit my lip, silently pleading. My body trembled uncontrollably. I didn’t want to be caught, didn’t want those men to touch me, didn’t want to…
With a harsh rip, the torn tarp above me was yanked away. Several men laughed as they dragged me to my feet.
Redmond smirked menacingly, his rough hand tracing my thigh. “Those long legs sure can run.”
I bit back the disgust, staying silent. Any struggle or scream would be pointless now. I had to stay calm; only then would I have a chance.
“Asher Blackwood not answering your calls?” Redmond took a phone from one of his men and dangled it in front of me. “Want me to give you another chance?”
“What do you mean?” I felt like a helpless lamb caught in a den of wolves.
“Call Asher Blackwood,” Redmond’s expression hardened, his eyes fixed on me with a vicious glare. “Tell him you’re with Redmond, and tell him to give me back my merchandise.”
I took the phone, looking at the missed call from earlier. A chill spread through my heart. Asher Blackwood wouldn’t answer my call. My fate, I knew, was sealed.
I took the phone, looking at Asher’s number, but I didn’t dial.
“Why aren’t you calling?” Redmond watched me impatiently. “Or would you rather spend some time with my men?”
“Redmond, may I say something?” I put the phone away, offering a sweet smile.
Redmond squinted at me. This girl was truly captivating. “Go on.”
“You just said Asher Blackwood has some merchandise of yours. Was it impounded at the docks?” I didn’t know much about Asher’s business, only vaguely remembering his influence there.
“That’s right.”
“If this merchandise is legitimate, you could call the police, sue him, and then hold a press conference to drag his name through the mud. If it’s not legitimate…” I paused. “Then you should definitely call the police, be a good citizen and report him, and then hire a PR firm to launch a smear campaign. Either way, the merchandise is currently in his hands, and he’ll have a hard time explaining it.”
Anyone capable of being a boss wasn’t a fool. Redmond, though getting on in years, usually stuck to old-school methods—direct and unsubtle.
After I finished speaking, he thought for a moment. After all, it was a lawful society now. If Asher Blackwood could stab him in the back, why couldn’t he?
“Aren’t you Asher Blackwood’s woman?” Redmond looked at me suspiciously. He wasn’t easily fooled.
“His woman? His heart is only for Seraphina Thorne. I’m just his plaything.” My clear self-awareness seemed to make Redmond regard me more highly.
“Smart girl. Instead of being someone’s stand-in with Asher Blackwood, why not follow me?” Redmond raised an eyebrow. He liked smart women, especially beautiful ones.
I laughed, truly laughed, until I shook, a bitter, acidic feeling churning in my gut. To think, as a kept woman, I actually had market value…
“Redmond, that would be a different price,” I said, stopping my laughter and handing him my phone. “Here’s my number. Redmond, you can call me anytime you need me.”
Redmond chuckled. This girl was interesting. He took my phone, dialed his own number, then glanced at the darkness behind me and nodded. “Alright. Since you’re so sensible, I’ll let you go today.”
“Thank you, Redmond.” I took back my phone, lowered my head, and kept my eyes down. Only after Redmond and his men had left did my legs give out, and I sank to the ground.
I glanced at my phone. No missed calls, no messages. I wiped my eyes, a bitter, self-mocking laugh escaping my lips. “What’s there to cry about? Wasn’t this all expected?”
In the darkness behind me, a dark silhouette watched me, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
***
**截断点**
Since that terrifying night at the club, I hadn’t left the apartment. I was just an ordinary woman, capable of fear and psychological trauma.
But I couldn’t tell anyone. I had no friends; my entire world revolved around Asher Blackwood, and he had no interest in hearing my stories.
“Get up!”
Just as I was drifting off to sleep after taking a sleeping pill, Asher Blackwood burst in and dragged me up.
A glass of cold water was splashed onto my face. I shook myself awake, looking through my dripping hair at Asher.
“Boss? What brings you here today?”
“Did Redmond touch you?” Asher’s face was cold, his eyes blazing with a fury that threatened to consume me.
“Do you believe me when I say no?” I blinked, holding back the burning tears.
“You still dare to lie to me.” Asher’s gaze grew even more dangerous. He dragged me from the bed onto the floor and tore off my nightgown.
My pale body was exposed to the cold air, water dripping onto my skin. I couldn’t stop trembling. My lips, now white, mumbled the words again: “Do you believe me when I say no?”
Asher stared at my face, almost identical to Seraphina’s, and grew even angrier. In his mind, I was Seraphina. This woman had allowed his goddess to be defiled by Redmond. He would never forgive me.
“Since you like being touched, I’ll satisfy you!”
“What are you doing…?”
Asher tore open his shirt and pushed me beneath him, taking me again and again with brutal force. The thought of me being touched by another man ignited an uncontrollable rage within him. He told himself it was only because he saw me as Seraphina.
With each merciless thrust, I felt no pleasure, only humiliation, injustice, and boundless pain…
Finally, Asher finished venting. I breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear him say, “You think this is over?”
I looked up at Asher, repeating the same words, “Do you believe me when I say no?”
“Hmph.” Asher scoffed dismissively. He looked towards the door and slowly spoke. “There are ten more men outside waiting for you to serve them.”
I stared at Asher in horror. “Asher Blackwood, why won’t you just believe me?”
Asher looked down at the woman on the floor. I had the most beautiful, most alluring body; no man could see it and resist. He knew Redmond too well. That old fox would do anything for his merchandise. How could I have escaped unscathed from his clutches?
Looking at my face, he still softened. “Don’t leave the apartment without my permission.”
I watched his retreating back, biting my lip to hold back my tears. After all, my tears were just an act in his eyes.
Only after the front door slammed shut did I finally curl up and sob uncontrollably.
In the following days, Asher Blackwood didn’t come back. I was truly caged.
I sat on the balcony lounger, gazing at the blue sky outside the window. “Perhaps, it’s time to leave.”
Late that night, at Redmond’s villa, Asher Blackwood sat on the living room sofa. “I thought Redmond, who’s dominated the city for years, would be a smart man.”
Redmond was pinned to the ground by Asher’s men. He glared at Asher hatefully. “Mr. Blackwood, you probably don’t know, but Jasper Sterling has a share in this merchandise. You’re not afraid to offend me, aren’t you afraid to offend him?”
Asher Blackwood sneered. “You don’t seriously think I impounded this merchandise just because of you, do you?”
Redmond suddenly understood. Asher Blackwood was after Jasper Sterling. And he had listened to me, holding a press conference and blowing the whole thing wide open. “Damn you! Your woman is as despicable as you are!”
Asher Blackwood’s eyes instantly turned dangerous. “You dared to go after Seraphina Thorne.”
“Seraphina Thorne? You don’t deserve her! I’m talking about that bitch you keep around!” Redmond continued to curse. “I should never have let her go that day!”
Asher Blackwood’s gaze darkened. Redmond hadn’t touched me?
After dealing with Redmond, Asher Blackwood left the villa. After a moment’s thought, he pulled out his phone and typed something.
I had just finished showering and was about to go to bed when I saw Asher Blackwood’s message: “Come downstairs.”
Asher Blackwood took me to the Grand Allure Club. I sat in the private room, unsure what Asher wanted.
Asher didn’t say a word, leaning back on the sofa, looking incredibly tired.
The door suddenly opened, and a young man entered with several bodyguards.
Asher Blackwood glanced at the man, his expression darkening. “What are you doing here?”
“Mr. Blackwood impounded my merchandise, so of course, I have to reciprocate.” The man sat casually on the sofa opposite Asher Blackwood. “I, Jasper Sterling, am not one to take a loss silently.”
“Jasper Sterling…” I blinked. Could this be the legendary Mr. Sterling who dominated the city?
“I’ve already spoken with the patriarch of the Thorne family. He’s agreed to give me Seraphina Thorne in marriage,” Mr. Sterling looked at Asher Blackwood. “What do you think, Mr. Blackwood?”
“You dare touch her!” Asher Blackwood’s eyes turned vicious at the mention of Seraphina Thorne’s name.
Mr. Sterling raised an eyebrow. “If Mr. Blackwood hadn’t pulled the rug out from under me, I wouldn’t have resorted to such extreme measures.”
Asher Blackwood was silent for a moment. “I’ll return your merchandise.”
Mr. Sterling smiled. “I want more than just the merchandise; I want a person.” He paused, his gaze landing on me. “Since Mr. Blackwood can’t bear to part with Seraphina Thorne, then let this beauty entertain me.”
Hearing Asher Blackwood offer me up like a gift, my heart ached. Was I truly so worthless in his eyes…?
“Go.” Asher Blackwood’s voice was low and icy.
“Asher Blackwood… by what right?” My eyes welled up.
Asher Blackwood gave me a cold glance. “Isn’t this what you’re paid for?”
My heart gave a sharp pang. Yes, in his eyes, wasn’t I just a woman who sold her body for money and clung to wealth…?
I walked over to Jasper Sterling, and in a sweet, demure voice, I called out, “Mr. Sterling.”
Jasper Sterling nodded in satisfaction, pulling me onto his lap. We drank and played drinking games right in front of Asher Blackwood, having a grand time.
Asher Blackwood watched my jacket being removed, revealing my beautiful collarbone and smooth back. His eyes darkened, a nameless irritation churning within him.
I sat in Jasper Sterling’s arms, my slender arm resting on his shoulder. In the dim light, I looked at Asher Blackwood opposite us, and my heart felt a little sore.
He wouldn’t care about me anyway. In his eyes, I wasn’t even a pet, just a cheap object to be given away and played with.
Fighting back tears, I downed a large glass of red wine. I didn’t care anymore. I should have known how insignificant and laughable I was to Asher Blackwood. He wouldn’t even believe I was with him because I loved him.
Jasper Sterling’s breath fell on my ear, and his hand explored under my dress. I didn’t even struggle; I lay submissively on the sofa, turning my head as tears finally streamed down my face, unstoppable.
Asher Blackwood didn’t see my tears. All he saw was my submission and willingness towards Jasper Sterling. Asher Blackwood’s anger surged uncontrollably. He strode over, grabbed me, and slapped me. “You slut!”
I fell to the floor, my cheek burning with pain. I subtly wiped away my tears, looked up at Asher Blackwood, and laughed. “Don’t you know I’m a slut, Mr. Blackwood? Isn’t that why you make me do these things?”
“Get out! Don’t let me see your face again!” Asher Blackwood’s mind was a mess. He told himself he definitely didn’t care about me; he just cared about my face, which was so similar to Seraphina Thorne’s.
Lost and distraught, I stumbled out of Grand Allure. Barefoot on the asphalt, wearing only a short skirt, my provocative figure drew unwanted attention.
“Boss! It’s her!”
I heard the voice and looked back. It was Redmond!
“Grab her!” Redmond’s expression turned vicious when he saw me.
I turned and ran. I knew if I fell into Redmond’s hands this time, my fate would be dire. I ran into the parking garage and bumped into Asher Blackwood. “Asher Blackwood! Save me!”
“What game are you playing now?” Asher Blackwood looked at me impatiently.
“No! It’s not! It’s Redmond, his men are chasing me!” I clutched Asher Blackwood’s arm, looking back in terror, but there was no one behind me. Not a single one of the pursuers had followed.
“Hmph.” Asher Blackwood sneered. “At least come up with a better sob story.”
My heart instantly turned cold. “Asher Blackwood, why won’t you ever believe me…?”
“Don’t play any more tricks, and don’t let me see you again.” Asher Blackwood coldly shook off my hand, got into his car, and drove away.
“You little bitch, you’ve fallen into my hands this time.” As Asher Blackwood’s car sped off, Redmond and his men emerged from the shadows.
I didn’t even have time to run before they surrounded me. Redmond grabbed my neck tightly, lifting me and pinning me against the wall. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, even trying to trick me.”
My neck burned with pain, and my breathing grew difficult. I watched the taillights disappear into the night. Asher Blackwood really left…
I felt like a broken doll, cruelly tossed aside. Several men swarmed me, tearing my clothes, but I just stared intently in the direction Asher Blackwood had gone. He could have saved me… Why… Why couldn’t he believe me just once…?
“Ahem.” Jasper Sterling walked over, coughed lightly, and looked at me, barely clothed on the ground. He raised a hand and slapped Redmond.
“Mr. Sterling…” Redmond lowered his head, not daring to speak.
“Asher Blackwood gave her to me,” Jasper Sterling said, taking off his jacket and covering me.
“Understood, understood. I wouldn’t dare touch Mr. Sterling’s woman.” Redmond, trembling, quickly led his men away.
Jasper Sterling looked at me on the ground. Beaten like this, I hadn’t begged or made a sound. This woman was interesting.
He picked me up and turned, only to see Asher Blackwood’s black Mercedes parked not far away.
Asher Blackwood watched us, gripping the steering wheel. He must have been insane to believe me, to drive back like a fool.
His face was cold as he watched Jasper Sterling place me in his car. I didn’t resist at all. Asher Blackwood felt a surge of uncontrollable anger.
His phone rang. Asher Blackwood frowned, seeing it was Seraphina Thorne. He took a deep breath, suppressing the inexplicable rage in his heart, and answered as gently as possible. “Seraphina? What’s wrong?”
“Asher, Father is going to marry me off to Jasper Sterling, and I don’t like him.” Seraphina’s voice on the phone was filled with such raw hurt.
“Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of it for you. Just focus on your recovery abroad.”
I slowly woke up to find myself in a car. I looked at the man’s back in front and tentatively called out, “Asher Blackwood?”
“Hmph.” Jasper Sterling, who was driving, sneered. “Do you think it would be him?”
“Mr. Sterling?” I pursed my lips. “Thank you.”
The car drove fast. I leaned against the window, watching the night scenery fly by. I thought of Asher Blackwood. He really hadn’t come to save me. I didn’t believe he hadn’t seen Redmond; he just didn’t care. My innocence, my life or death, meant nothing to him…
“Get out.”
I froze, realizing the car had stopped. I quickly got out, afraid he’d misunderstand that I wanted to stay.
The car drove away, and I realized I was still wearing Jasper Sterling’s jacket. The night wind swept past, and I pulled the jacket tighter. “Forget it. I’ll return it to him next time I get the chance.”
In the darkness, Asher Blackwood stared at me like a hungry wolf. He watched me get out of Jasper Sterling’s car, watched me reluctantly pull Jasper Sterling’s jacket tighter. This woman had truly betrayed him!
I was completely unaware of Asher Blackwood standing in the shadows. I turned and walked into my apartment. As the elevator doors opened, someone shoved me inside.
“Ah!” I screamed, pinned against the elevator wall, terrified.
“What? You don’t want me to touch you now?” Asher Blackwood pressed against my back, his voice low as he spoke into my ear.
“Asher Blackwood! You bastard!” I struggled desperately. This was an elevator, there were cameras! I didn’t want this here!
But Asher Blackwood completely ignored my resistance. He ripped off the jacket I was wearing. My body was covered in bruises, full of injuries. In his eyes, these were all marks of my depravity with Jasper Sterling.
My knees were forced apart. I bit my lip, shaking my head violently. “No… Asher Blackwood, please don’t do this here…”
“Hmph.” Asher Blackwood thrust into my tight warmth.
“Ah!” A tearing pain ripped through my lower body. “Asher Blackwood! You bastard!”
Asher Blackwood pinned me ruthlessly in the elevator, thrusting and grinding without mercy. Neither of us found any pleasure; it was only for punishment, for torment, to erase any other man’s marks from my body.
I was in agony. My dignity, my love, were all crushed by Asher Blackwood. My lips were bitten raw, the metallic taste of blood constantly irritating my throat. Finally, after Asher Blackwood’s last thrust, I vomited.
Asher Blackwood watched me, cold and sinister, sprawled on the floor. “You utterly disgust me.”
The elevator doors opened. Asher Blackwood walked out, leaving me disheveled and slumped inside. The camera above flashed its red light, recording everything…
After a night of torment, I developed a fever. I lay weakly in bed, thinking that if I could just die like this, it wouldn’t be so bad.
My phone pinged. I saw the message: “Evergreen Care Center.” I forced myself to sit up and read the entire message. A relieved smile appeared on my face. My fingers gently caressed the phone screen, which displayed a photo of an elderly woman. She looked very well. “It seems the care center is taking good care of Grandma.”
Thinking of Grandma, I found a new will to live.
The hospital was bustling with people. I, all alone, forced myself to stay strong, underwent examinations, collected reports, and sat before the doctor, feeling uncontrollably dizzy.
“Just a common fever,” the doctor said, glancing at the reports. “But you’re pregnant, so you need to be careful with medication.”
“Wait, what did you just say?” I rubbed my temples, suspecting I’d misheard.
“You’re pregnant,” the doctor repeated.
I froze on the spot. I was pregnant with Asher Blackwood’s child? I walked out of the hospital in a daze, my hand instinctively resting on my lower abdomen. I still couldn’t quite believe it—a life was growing inside me…
The taxi stopped at the apartment building. As I got out, I saw a pile of clothes on the ground, thrown out like trash by the street.
“These are my things…” I stared blankly at my luggage.
Asher Blackwood walked out of the building, his two bodyguards throwing the remaining boxes at my feet, their contents spilling onto the road.
“Asher Blackwood, what are you doing now…?” My face was pale, and I felt even dizzier.
The bodyguards stood in front of me, blocking me from going up. “Ms. Hayes, Mr. Blackwood requests that you move out.”
I looked up at Asher Blackwood, standing imperiously on the stairs, my eyes red. “Asher Blackwood…”
Asher Blackwood didn’t even glance at me. He walked down the stairs, got into his car, and sped away.
The bodyguards looked a little regretful. “Ms. Hayes, Ms. Thorne is back. She’s not happy with your presence, so… please don’t blame Mr. Blackwood.” After saying that, they got into the car behind him and followed Asher Blackwood away.
I stood there, stunned. The sun was so bright, yet I felt cold, a coldness that seeped from my very core. I gave a self-deprecating laugh. “So, the real owner is back.”
I crouched on the ground, picking up my clothes one by one. People came and went on the street, pointing and whispering, but I ignored them all. My dignity had already been crushed by Asher Blackwood anyway…
I slept in the hotel until evening before finally getting up. I touched my forehead; the fever had broken, and I felt much better. I picked up my phone and saw a breaking news alert.
“Late-Night Elevator Affair: Beauty’s Scandalous Performance!”
My hands trembled as I clicked on the notification. The news article featured many screenshots from the video: it was Asher Blackwood and me. Only Asher Blackwood’s face was pixelated, while mine was disturbably clear.
“Who did this…?”
*Ring! Ring!* My phone suddenly rang. I looked to see it was Asher Blackwood.
“You’re the one who leaked the footage, aren’t you?” Asher Blackwood’s voice was frigid. “I underestimated your cunning. Unfortunately, you targeted the wrong person.”
“It wasn’t me…” I mumbled, my voice barely audible. I was the victim, wasn’t I? Why could Asher Blackwood accuse me so righteously, unwilling to even hear my explanation?
“Seraphina saw the news, and her old illness flared up again. If anything happens to her, I’ll make you pay with your life!” Asher Blackwood hung up, leaving me alone, clutching the phone and silently weeping.
At the hospital, Seraphina Thorne’s pale face looked at Asher Blackwood with a hint of apology. “Asher, I don’t blame you. I know how hard it must have been for you all these years I was gone. I just…”
Before she could finish, tears streamed down her face. Asher Blackwood held her protectively. “It’s all my fault.”
“I don’t blame you.” Seraphina Thorne shook her head, blushing as she leaned into Asher Blackwood’s embrace. “Now that I’m back, you won’t need to look for other women.”
Asher Blackwood was silent for a moment. “Your health isn’t good, we’re not in a hurry.”
Seraphina Thorne’s eyes darkened. “Asher, before I went abroad, you said we’d get married when I came back. So… does that still count?”
“Of course it counts. We’ll get married next month.” Asher Blackwood hugged Seraphina Thorne tightly, but for some reason, the tighter he held her, the emptier he felt inside.
Asher Blackwood left. Seraphina Thorne sat on the hospital bed, shedding her frail demeanor. She looked at the video screenshots on her phone, her eyes growing increasingly vicious. She dialed a number. “Find out who that woman in the video is. I want all her information.”
I locked myself in the hotel room. I didn’t dare to go out, didn’t want to go out, just hoping this whole thing would blow over quickly. But someone seemed to have leaked my hotel information, and every night, men would knock on my door.
I called the hotel to complain, but they would only implicitly hint at my supposed fault. I called the police, but when they arrived and saw it was me, they would just shake their heads and leave. I would scream for the people outside to go away, but they would only grow more excited, laughing louder.
I could only cover my ears, hiding in the corner of the room. I bit my lip, trying not to cry. I couldn’t understand what I had done wrong. Was loving Asher Blackwood my biggest mistake…?
My phone rang. I gripped this single point of light in the darkness. “Tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM, Moonlight Cafe.”
“Who is this…?” I looked at the number; it wasn’t Asher Blackwood’s.
There was no reply. I wearily buried my head in my knees. Forget it, whoever it was, I had nothing left to lose anyway.
At the cafe, I looked at Seraphina Thorne sitting opposite me, feeling a little lost. Why was she looking for me…? The ‘real owner’ looking for the ‘stand-in’ usually meant she wanted me to leave Asher Blackwood, but I had no relationship with him anymore…
“Leave Asher.” Seraphina Thorne cut straight to the point.
“I think you might be mistaken,” I tried to explain that I had no connection to Asher Blackwood anymore.
“Mistaken? I’ve seen plenty of people like you abroad.” Seraphina Thorne scoffed derisively. “How much money will it take for you to disappear?”
I bit my lip. “I don’t want money…”
“Don’t tell me you love him.” Seraphina Thorne paused. “You don’t deserve him. Just take the money and leave.”
Leave? How I longed to leave this city that had brought me so much pain. But I couldn’t go. Grandma still lived in the care center here. Her mental state had only just stabilized; if she were moved to an unfamiliar place and stimulated, who knew what might happen.
I shook my head. “Ms. Thorne, you’re really mistaken. I’m not…”
Before I could finish, Seraphina Thorne slapped me. “Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.”
My head snapped sideways from the blow. I closed my eyes. Why was I enduring all this humiliation?!
I stood up. I didn’t want to say anything more to Seraphina Thorne. If we couldn’t agree, it was better to leave quickly.
“Ms. Hayes, please don’t hit me! I truly love Asher…” Seraphina Thorne opposite me suddenly burst into tears.
Before I could react, someone grabbed me from behind. It was Asher Blackwood.
“Who gave you permission to bother Seraphina?” His gaze at me was colder and more ruthless. “You truly have so many tricks up your sleeve, woman.”
“I didn’t…” I didn’t want to explain anymore. Whatever I said, Asher Blackwood wouldn’t believe me, so why waste my breath?
“If you dare to go near Seraphina again, I won’t hold back.” Asher Blackwood darkly threw me to the ground.
I watched Asher Blackwood gently embrace Seraphina Thorne and leave, finding it somewhat amusing. I tilted my head back, trying to hold back the flowing tears, but failed. My heart truly ached, so much…
I looked at the collection notices on my phone and sighed. Grandma’s care center fees were due again. I checked the money in my card, feeling a bit heavy-hearted. It seemed I’d have to go to the care center and negotiate with the director; maybe I could defer for a while.
The care center was in a remote location, but the environment was excellent—nestled by mountains and rivers, secluded from the world, perfect for Grandma. I talked with the director for a long time before he agreed to defer for three months.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I then went to see Grandma. She still didn’t recognize me, but she would affectionately hold my hand and tell me, “I have a granddaughter, about your age. She’s a very good girl.”
After returning from the care center, I started looking for a job. All I wanted was to make money now. Although I didn’t have much work experience, my university design projects had won awards. But for some reason, all my job applications seemed to vanish into a black hole.
I waited three more days, but no company called me, not even for an interview. The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed, so I simply called one. The person on the other end expressed great interest in my resume, but after hearing my name, they hung up.
I listened to the dial tone, and instantly understood. It was Asher Blackwood, wasn’t it? Was he truly trying to push me to the brink of despair…?
*Ring! Ring!* My phone rang. I quickly answered, afraid of missing a job opportunity.
🌟 Continue the story here
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My mom, Lorelei, couldn’t handle my dad David’s cheating. She tried to take her own life by opening the gas valve.
She didn’t die, but I, Aubrey, was burned and disfigured saving her from the fire.
Seven years later, Lorelei found a new boyfriend, handsome and rich.
A week before her wedding, she started packing my bags.
“Look, don’t blame me for being heartless, okay?” she snapped.
“You look like a monster. What if you scare my boyfriend’s daughter?”
“I’ve raised you for years; I’ve paid my dues. It’s your dad’s turn to take responsibility now.”
Then, she dropped me and my luggage at my dad’s apartment complex.
I was terrified waiting there because I’d dropped my mask and hat in Lorelei’s car.
When I thought to chase her, she sped up, eager to get rid of me.
I stumbled and fell while desperately trying to catch her, making my already disfigured face look even worse.
After scrambling back to my feet on all fours, Lorelei’s car was gone.
So I could only crouch on the ground, burying my face deep in my knees.
But thankfully, it wasn’t long before a middle-aged man ran over, panting.
He called out tentatively, cautiously.
“Aubrey.”
I quickly looked up. What met my eyes was a stranger.
Seeing my face, the man paused for a moment.
But after a brief second, he said, “Hello, I’m Mr. Thompson, your dad’s good friend.”
“Your dad’s away on a business trip today, so he asked me to pick you up.”
The man’s voice was quite loud at first, but maybe it was because I was staring at him.
His voice grew softer, almost a whisper.
I’d encountered this scenario many times.
Ever since I was disfigured saving Lorelei from the fire, it’s always been like this.
The first time I returned to school after being discharged from the hospital, with my face covered in twisted scars,
Ms. Davies, my homeroom teacher, was on the podium, trying to prepare the class emotionally.
She was telling them not to give me strange looks or treat me differently.
She spoke passionately and fiercely, but the moment I stepped into the classroom,
Ms. Davies was just like this man; her voice hitched, then she stammered a few times, finally forcing the words out to the class.
“Okay, cl-classmates… let’s give Aubrey a round of applause for re-returning to school.”
A scattered applause echoed through the classroom.
But no amount of clapping could hide the shaken, terrified stares that followed me.
After that, there were two kinds of people in my class.
Some felt sympathy for what I’d been through.
Others were terrified, saying I looked like a horrifying monster and were scared if I even looked at them.
But no matter what kind of person they were, in the end, no one was willing to interact with me.
Even my best friend, my best deskmate, grew distant.
I once overheard them talking in the restroom.
“Ugh, it’s not that I don’t want to be Aubrey’s friend anymore, but I’m genuinely scared. Every time she looks at me, I have nightmares when I get home.”
So, already used to such gazes, I calmly bent down, picked up my luggage, and said, “Let’s go.”
The man paused for a second before snapping out of it and quickly followed me.
“Aubrey, is your suitcase heavy? Uncle Thompson can help you with it, okay?”
I simply shook my head slightly and then lowered my head again, pulling my collar up to hide my face.
Seeing my action, the man quickly rushed ahead of me.
Watching him, I felt a pang of derision.
I wondered why he was so silly. Did he think his large build would somehow make me less noticeable?
But he didn’t know that every step of the way, I was met with stares from children and adults alike, stares that openly labeled me a monster.
The man took me to a two-bedroom apartment.
It wasn’t large, but it was exceptionally clean.
The room was filled with family photos of my dad, a woman I didn’t know, and a little boy.
Even with a quick glance, I could tell it was a warm, loving home.
It was exactly like the cozy scene with Lorelei, her boyfriend, and his daughter eating at McDonald’s.
As soon as we entered, the man invited me to sit on the sofa and eagerly went to pour me some water.
But he fumbled around, but couldn’t find the kettle.
Seeing his frantic search, I calmly spoke up.
“I don’t like interacting with strangers. You can go now.”
The man froze slightly, the smile on his face stiffening.
But after a moment, he tried to appease me. “Alright, alright, if that’s the case, then I’ll head out.”
Then the door slammed shut.
It wasn’t until I heard the man’s footsteps fade away that my rigidly upright posture finally softened.
After a moment of daze, I pulled out my phone, intending to send Lorelei a SnapChat, to tell her I had arrived at my dad’s.
But as soon as I opened my phone, I saw Lorelei’s SnapChat post.
“Waiting for my daughter to get out of school.”
The accompanying picture was of a little girl with a backpack walking out of school.
My fingers tightened around my phone.
A suffocating, bitter ache rose in my chest.
I held it back, forcing myself to switch from the SnapChat interface to a food delivery app.
Just as I was about to order some masks and hats for myself,
I remembered Lorelei hadn’t given me any money.
Three days ago, she told me she’d already spoken to my dad, and that he would be responsible for all my future tuition, miscellaneous fees, and living expenses.
So, she wouldn’t be giving me my allowance for the month.
My eyes felt raw, and I had to lie down on the sofa to swallow back my tears.
With nothing else to do, I started to daydream.
Thinking of nothing, yet seemingly everything.
It wasn’t until the sun had set that a little boy’s voice suddenly echoed from outside.
“Mommy, is my big sister really coming to live with us? That’s great! I’m definitely going to show her my new Ultraman!”
Hearing the noise outside, I immediately sat up on the sofa, straightening my back.
Remembering I wasn’t wearing my mask, I frantically pulled my collar up, trying to hide my face in a messy scramble.
But I was too late. As a hurried sound of the door opening echoed,
It was immediately followed by a startled scream.
“Ah! A ghost!”
Then came the sound of a boy wailing.
My heart seized, and I scrambled to my feet.
The woman who entered was a bit plump, dressed in clothes that weren’t particularly trendy.
She glanced at me frantically, then picked up the wailing child.
She must have been scared too, her voice trembling slightly.
“I… I’m so sorry, Aubrey. I… I didn’t know you were already home.”
“Your dad called me and said… said you weren’t coming until tonight.”
After saying that, she turned to gently comfort the little boy in her arms.
“Leo, don’t cry. What did Mommy tell you before? Do you remember?”
“This is your big sister, Aubrey! Weren’t you most excited for her to come?”
The boy’s crying subsided with the woman’s soothing, but after cautiously peeking at me, he clung to his mom’s neck even tighter and started crying again.
His mom looked at me apologetically.
“I… I’m so sorry, Aubrey. Your little brother, he’s just a little boy, he doesn’t understand yet.”
Actually, she didn’t need to explain.
After Lorelei found a boyfriend, she once brought his daughter home.
That day, I was sick with a cold and hadn’t gone to school.
As soon as the little girl saw a “ghost” in the house, she was so scared she started wailing like a banshee.
Lorelei immediately panicked, rushed over, slapped me, and angrily picked up the little girl, storming out of the house.
When she came home that night, she made a rule for me.
Whenever I was home, except for using the restroom or eating, I had to stay in my room.
Not wanting to be annoying anymore, I spoke up amidst the little boy’s cries. “Where’s my room?”
The woman’s eyes flickered slightly, then she pointed to the bedroom closest to the bathroom.
I pursed my lips, said nothing, and turned to drag my suitcase to the room Elara had assigned me.
For the next three days, other than eating and using the restroom, I hardly left my room.
I spent my days either studying or reading.
Occasionally, the happy shouts of the little boy from outside would make me pause my pen.
It made me think of when David hadn’t cheated yet.
Back then, every day when he came home from work, my dad would carry me on his shoulders, and I’d hold a doll in my arms, shouting with joy that Dad’s shoulders were my very own pumpkin carriage.
Then, from the kitchen, I’d hear Lorelei’s nagging.
She’d ask David why he wasn’t taking me to clean up yet.
She’d say I was always getting into mischief all day long.
Back then, I’d always giggle with laughter on Dad’s shoulders.
Perhaps life was too beautiful back then, so beautiful that even now, tears welled up in my eyes.
Staring at the blurred words, I hastily pulled at my sleeve to wipe them away.
But the more I wiped, the more the ink bled on my homework, the more the words blurred on my page.
It seemed I don’t deserve good memories.
Two more days passed. One afternoon, there was a knock on my door.
The moment I heard it, my body instinctively tensed. I straightened up, stood, and went to open the door.
Elara was standing there, holding the little boy’s hand, looking at me with an appeasing smile.
“Aubrey, Auntie Elara bought you something.”
Saying this, she handed me a plastic bag.
I looked down and saw sanitary pads.
She saw my expression and quickly said, “Aubrey, Auntie Elara saw you were using toilet paper in the bathroom, I’m sorry, so I took the liberty of getting you some.”
“Oh, and do you not have any money on you? Can I get your SnapChat to send you some money via PayPal?”
I looked at her plastic bag, hesitating.
But thinking about how uncomfortable it was using toilet paper, I finally took the plastic bag from her hand.
I also complied, pulling out my phone to add her on SnapChat.
After doing everything, I closed my door.
But within a few minutes, Elara knocked again. “Aubrey, Auntie Elara made you a warm herbal drink for your cramps. Would you like to open the door and drink some? It can really help ease the pain.”
“Girls your age often get bad cramps.”
Listening to Lorelei’s voice through the door, I clenched my fists tightly.
This reminded me of two years ago, when I first started my period. My periods were irregular, and the cramps were so bad I’d be rolling on the floor in agony every time.
Back then, I cried and begged Lorelei to take me to the doctor.
I told her I was in so much pain, so much pain.
My mom snapped at me, annoyed:
“You’re so dramatic! It’s just period pain, what’s the big deal?
“When do I have time to take you to the doctor? Even if I did, I wouldn’t want to.
“Ever since you were disfigured, every time I take you out, I feel like a criminal. Strangers stare at me all the time; it’s utterly humiliating!
“And besides, I’m going on a trip with my boyfriend today, I don’t have time.”
“If you’re really in so much pain, there’s some brown sugar in the fridge. Just mix it with hot water and drink it.”
After saying that, Lorelei grabbed her bag and walked out the door.
That night, due to severe cramps and a persistent high fever, I almost died at home.
It wasn’t until I crawled out and knocked on a neighbor’s door that she took me to the hospital, and I barely clung to life.
When Lorelei was called to the hospital,
Her first reaction wasn’t to comfort me.
It was anger.
“Aubrey, why are you so much trouble? I leave for a second and something happens to you.”
“I must have been cursed in a past life to have such a jinx for a daughter!”
Thinking of the despair I felt lying in that hospital bed back then,
A sudden surge of anger, I don’t know why, erupted in my chest.
Loudly, angrily, I yelled at the woman outside the room.
“I don’t want it! Go away!”
It was a long time before I heard the woman’s retreating footsteps outside.
And the moment those footsteps disappeared, tears streamed down my scarred face.
That night, I didn’t go out for dinner. Elara came to my door several times.
Each time, I thought she was going to knock.
But each time, she only stood at my door for a moment before leaving.
It wasn’t until midnight that I suddenly saw a SnapChat post from her.
“Hey ladies, any advice on how to communicate with a teenage daughter?”
My fingers tightened around my phone.
The word “daughter” hit me like a ton of bricks, stabbing deep into my heart.
Ever since I was disfigured, Lorelei had never publicly acknowledged me as her daughter.
Even when she took me out, she wouldn’t let me call her mom.
When others asked, she would only introduce me as a relative’s child.
When we were alone, she explained it to me.
She said if people knew she was my mom, they would condemn her, saying what kind of mother lets her young child get so horribly burned.
She also said that my disfigurement was all David’s fault.
If David hadn’t cheated and divorced her, she wouldn’t have tried to take her own life, and I wouldn’t have become… this monster.
So, I couldn’t guilt-trip her, my mother.
If I wanted to hate someone, I should hate David.
And hate the woman who was now posting on SnapChat, calling me her daughter.
I initially thought after I yelled at Elara yesterday,
She wouldn’t bother with me anymore.
After all, she and I were essentially rivals, and now I was like a burden, intruding on her happy family.
But to my surprise, the next morning, she knocked on my room door again.
First, she told me breakfast was by the door.
I didn’t answer.
Around mid-morning, she knocked again, saying she’d prepared some fruit for me and left it outside my door.
I still didn’t answer.
It wasn’t until almost noon that the door was knocked on again.
I was incredibly annoyed. I climbed out of bed and went to open the door, ready to shout, when I saw the little boy standing there, looking pitifully, his eyes brimming with tears, holding an Ultraman figure.
“Big sister, my Ultraman’s leg is broken! Mom won’t fix it for me, but she said you can!”
With that, the little boy rushed forward and clung tightly to my leg.
“Please, big sister, help me fix my Ultraman! My Ultraman is broken, I’m going to be so heartbroken!”
My pant leg was smeared with the boy’s snot and tears.
Just as I stood there, flustered, Elara stood at the end of the hallway, holding a spatula, yelling at me.
“Aubrey, quickly go comfort your brother! He’s being so annoying!”
“I’m cooking right now, I don’t have time!”
With that, Elara disappeared back into the kitchen.
My hands clenched slightly. It took me a few seconds to find my voice.
“Give me the Ultraman.”
The boy, like a seasoned actor, instantly stopped crying.
Fearing he’d see my face and start crying again, I took two steps back, ready to close the door.
The boy, however, zoomed past me, darted into the room, kicked off his shoes, and rolled twice on my bed.
“Big sister, come here quickly! Fix my Ultraman on the bed!”
My fingers tightened around the Ultraman figure again.
But seeing that the boy hadn’t been scared into crying, I sat down sideways on the bed, my feet on the floor, my upper body stiff.
As soon as I picked up the Ultraman, the boy suddenly launched himself into my arms.
“Big sister, I want you to hold me while you fix it!”
The sudden warmth against my chest made my body instantly tense.
Even my fingers holding the Ultraman trembled.
Ever since I was disfigured, I hadn’t had such close physical contact with anyone.
After all, Lorelei wouldn’t even look at me after I was disfigured, let alone hug me.
And everyone else just found me repulsive, a monster.
They would even walk several feet away from me if we were on the same path.
But before I could react, the boy kissed my scarred face.
“Big sister, I like you.”
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At the party, my asthma flared up.
I fumbled for my emergency inhaler.
But the bottle was empty.
Brandon explained:
“Layla said she had a really scratchy throat, so I just handed her your inhaler. You know, for a quick fix. Chew on some throat lozenges, it’ll help.”
My breathing was already getting harder and harder.
“She has a dry throat, can’t she just drink some water? You guys are trying to kill me!”
He frowned, annoyed.
“Can you just stop being so dramatic? You always make yourself out to be some delicate flower. Layla’s right, you’re just playing victim.”
I didn’t argue anymore. I sent a message to my mom:
“My asthma’s acting up, but Brandon gave my inhaler to Layla.”
Brandon saw the message and brushed it off.
“You’re doing this again? Always running to your mom, are you in elementary school?”
He snatched my phone, held it high above his head, looking down at me. I tried to get it back.
The moment I stood up, my vision went black, and I stumbled back down.
“My asthma’s attacking, please, help me!” I gasped, trying to explain.
Just then, Layla walked over, not forgetting to wave my inhaler in her hand.
“Oh, Avery, my little princess, are you *really* that bad off? Or are you just trying to get some attention?”
“Ugh, I told Brandon we shouldn’t have girls at our guy’s night. Always so emotional, always trying to stir up drama between each other.”
I gasped for air, staring intently at Layla.
She was Brandon’s childhood friend.
She was always one of the guys, super comfortable hanging out with them, even calling them “bros.” Brandon had mentioned Layla to me more than once, always praising her for being a “true tomboy.”
At first, I actually had a good impression of the easygoing “guy’s girl” Brandon talked about.
After our relationship became stable, Brandon took me to meet his circle of friends.
Layla would always act so friendly towards women.
“Oh, Brandon, you’ve got good taste! Where did you find this little angel?”
“Aww, girl, come here for a hug! Let’s ignore these stinky boys.”
But I always felt Layla’s eyes on me, subtly, with a hint of malice.
Her methods were clever.
She talked about female solidarity, but her actions always subtly isolated me.
For example, she would always bring up their childhood memories at parties.
I couldn’t interject and could only sit silently to the side.
Then, she’d casually joke with me.
“What’s wrong, princess? Are you upset because I’m talking to Brandon?”
I had mentioned to Brandon that I felt uncomfortable.
But Brandon would just call me petty.
He’d say Layla was just trying to lighten the mood, and I was too sensitive.
Now, however, Layla’s malice was completely undisguised.
“A princess will always be a princess, won’t she? Are you upset that we’re not all fawning over you, so you’re faking being sick?”
The guys around us burst into snickers at her words.
“I’m really not feeling well, give me the inhaler!”
I raised my voice.
Seeing my state, the room went silent for a second.
Then, a more explosive round of jeering erupted.
Layla placed her hand on Brandon’s shoulder.
She watched me struggling to breathe, laughing so hard she almost fell over.
“Oh, wow, she’s putting on quite a show, Brandon. Are you actually feeling sorry for her?”
The others egged Brandon on.
“Yeah, Brandon, you’re not going to be scared of your wife after you get married, are you?”
“Don’t embarrass us, man! You’re the one in charge. If your girl acts up, you gotta put her in her place!”
Brandon couldn’t stand being provoked like that.
He stiffened his neck, not looking at me.
“Who feels sorry for her? She needs to be taught a lesson, always looking for trouble.”
I couldn’t breathe.
I desperately pulled at Brandon’s sleeve, guttural “hoarse” sounds escaping my throat.
“Help… me…”
Seeing me like that, Brandon hesitated.
But Layla spoke up again.
“Alright, alright, Avery, we’re all just straight-up guys here. Nobody’s falling for your damsel-in-distress act.”
Knowing it was useless to talk to him, I tried to leave the room.
But as soon as I managed to get my body up, Layla shoved me back down.
“The party’s not over yet, how can you leave? That’s just rude!”
Her grip was strong.
Before I knew it, the back of my head hit the wall.
*CRACK!* My head spun even more.
I didn’t even have time to react.
Layla screamed first.
She covered her mouth, speaking dramatically.
“Oh? You’re so manipulative, aren’t you?”
“I barely touched you, and you intentionally hit your head against the wall just to frame me.”
Hearing that, Brandon’s eyes grew even more impatient.
“Avery, you’re going too far.”
I bit my lip, trying to stay conscious.
“I have severe asthma. If you don’t want someone to die, then stop this right now.”
My throat burned, every breath felt like inhaling shards of glass.
But Layla dangled the inhaler in front of my eyes, tauntingly, then dramatically took a deep puff.
“Can’t give it to you, my throat’s dry.”
“And I gotta say, you get what you pay for. This thing feels amazing.”
I struggled to raise my hand to snatch it.
She laughed, raising her hand high to avoid me.
“No. Not giving it to you.”
I was so enraged that my vision went black again.
Brandon stood by, arms crossed, watching.
“Look at you, acting like a beggar. Layla’s just using it for a bit, don’t be so petty.”
“Layla’s seen your medical report. You don’t have asthma; you’re just a little short of breath.”
I forced myself to calm down.
“Brandon, you’ve seen me during an asthma attack, haven’t you? Why would I lie about something like this?”
Before Brandon could answer, Layla interjected.
“Of course, for attention! In this day and age, there are always those attention-seekers faking illnesses.”
“Heh, Avery, are you like those ‘little angels’ online who also claim to have depression?”
Hearing that, Brandon’s friends burst into even louder laughter.
Someone whistled.
“Brandon, your girlfriend is so petty and uptight. She’s nothing like Layla’s easygoing vibe.”
“Yeah, you’ll have your hands full if you marry her.”
I gasped for air, using my last bit of strength to reach for the inhaler in Layla’s hand.
But just as my fingertips were about to touch it, she deftly dodged backward.
I lost my balance and fell forward onto the carpet.
“Oh dear, what a realistic performance!” Layla exclaimed dramatically.
Then she crouched down and whispered, in a voice only I could hear.
“Hehe, hurry up and die. Once you’re gone, Brandon and I can finally be together.”
She stood up, intentionally raising her voice.
“Avery, stop messing around, get up! Everyone’s waiting for you and Brandon to do a shot together!”
Brandon started to feel something was wrong.
He stepped forward and helped me up.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you really not feeling well?”
“Help… me…”
I struggled to utter a few words.
My hand gripped Brandon’s wrist hard, only broken gasps escaping.
“In… inhaler…”
Brandon’s brows furrowed tightly, his eyes finally showing a hint of panic and struggle.
He looked at Layla. “Layla, maybe give her the thing.”
Layla’s face immediately fell.
She stubbornly hid the inhaler behind her back, stamping her foot in annoyance.
“Brandon, are you blind? She’s clearly faking it! Have you forgotten how she used to throw tantrums like a spoiled brat?”
Then, she suddenly yelled at the others.
“See? These women always act like this to compete with each other. Brandon totally fell for it!”
The guys around us immediately chimed in.
“Brandon, Layla and us grew up together. She wouldn’t try to hurt you, would she?”
“Girls like her, you know, they just like to make trouble. Can’t spoil her.”
Brandon’s expression changed.
His hand supporting me loosened a bit.
I could feel his hesitation.
On one side, my agonizing illness. On the other, Layla and their provocations.
“But… her face looks really pale…”
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**Chapter 1**
On Valentine’s Day, I slipped and fell in the bathroom. My husband, Daniel, said he was on a business trip and couldn’t come with me to the hospital.
As I was about to be wheeled into the operating room, I received a notification for my exclusive black card membership with the airline.
“Dear Black Card member, thank you for booking a first-class family suite with our company to the Maldives. Points have been credited to your account.”
I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. I sat straight up on the examination table. Just as I was about to send my assistant to investigate, a new post popped up on her SnapChat story.
“Thought I’d be stuck living in someone’s shadow forever. Thank you, my darling husband, for giving me and our child a sweet night, just the three of us.”
The accompanying picture showed two large hands cradling a tiny one.
On the wrist of one of the larger hands was the Rolex watch I’d given Daniel for Valentine’s Day.
I couldn’t believe it. The girl I had sponsored and promoted to be my assistant was having an affair with my husband.
The doctor’s urgent voice broke through my daze.
“Ms. Evans, if we don’t start the procedure soon, the baby’s life could be in danger.”
“Perfect. Schedule an abortion for me.”
I was just getting ready for the doctor to wheel me in for my check-up.
My phone vibrated several times in quick succession.
“Dear Black Card member, thank you for booking a first-class family suite with our company to the Maldives. Points have been credited to your account.”
After reading the message, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning.
I hadn’t booked a flight to the Maldives. And besides, my baby wasn’t even born yet; how could I have booked a family suite?
I thought the airline had made a mistake, so I called them to inquire.
“Hello, ma’am, the points were indeed added to your black card. The passengers are a Mr. Daniel Hayes and…”
Before she could finish, the surgeon sternly urged, “Ms. Evans, we can’t delay any longer. Even though it was just a bump and there’s no bleeding, we still need to do a thorough check-up.”
At her words, my mind was a chaotic mess.
I opened Chloe Miller’s SnapChat, intending to ask her to help me look into it.
But then, her latest post suddenly popped up on her story.
“Thought I’d be stuck living in someone’s shadow forever. Thank you, my darling husband, for giving me and our child a sweet night, just the three of us.”
The accompanying picture showed two large hands cradling a tiny one.
But before I could look for another second, the post was deleted.
In an instant, I couldn’t even see her previous SnapChat stories.
Even so, I had clearly seen one of the men’s hands.
On the wrist of one of the larger hands was the Rolex watch I’d given Daniel for Valentine’s Day.
Just because Daniel had casually mentioned his wrist felt bare.
I had pulled every string, spent all my savings, and sent someone to buy that one-of-a-kind, limited edition Rolex.
This sudden news left me utterly disbelieving.
Immediately, I dialed Daniel’s number.
My heart was pounding frantically.
He answered quickly.
“Wife? What’s wrong? I’m about to take off. I’ll call you back when I land.”
He hung up in a hurry before I could say anything.
But I still heard a familiar female voice gently coaxing a child in the quiet first-class cabin.
“Lily! Don’t bother Daddy while he’s on the phone!”
My heart turned cold. In an instant, I dialed Chloe Miller’s number. She didn’t answer for a long time.
The next second, another message from the airline came through.
“Thank you, esteemed Mr. Daniel Hayes, Ms. Chloe Miller, and young Lily Hayes, for flying with us. We wish your happy family of three a pleasant journey.”
***
**Chapter 2**
Seeing that message, my eyes widened.
I couldn’t believe it. Chloe Miller, the girl I had sponsored and promoted to be my assistant, was secretly involved with my husband, Daniel Hayes.
“Ms. Evans, if we don’t start the procedure soon, the baby’s life could be in danger.”
I gave a wooden, hollow laugh.
“Perfect. Schedule an abortion for me.”
After the procedure, I returned home, feeling the emptiness in my womb. My heart was utterly frozen.
This child was supposed to be born into Daniel’s and my hopeful anticipation.
But now, Daniel had betrayed everything.
He was the one who had been ecstatic when he found out I was pregnant, cheering, shouting my name from the streets of Barcelona.
He was the one who promised to love me and our baby forever.
That’s why I, despite my deep-seated fear of pregnancy, willingly carried his child.
But now, he didn’t deserve it.
I hired a private investigator, sending him on an overnight flight to the Maldives, to where Daniel and Chloe were staying.
Looking at the photos the private investigator sent back, my heart plummeted.
There was Daniel, holding a little girl, about three years old, in his arms, while Chloe smiled sweetly, linked to him by the hand.
The Maybach I had gifted him during our honeymoon in the Maldives, which we’d driven together, was parked quietly nearby.
I had given him more than one car in the Maldives, but he specifically chose this one with its special license plate.
He had paid a fortune for that custom “Our Love” plate, and now it felt like a searing brand on my soul.
He had insisted, no matter the cost, that he had to have that plate, and he’d personally promised that this car was exclusively for picking up his wife.
Now, he was holding another woman’s hand, with another woman’s child, getting into that very car.
The pain in my heart was unbearable.
Immediately after, Daniel checked Chloe into the overwater villa I owned in the Maldives.
That night, the smart assistant in the overwater villa was activated multiple times throughout the night.
Having spent my honeymoon there, I knew exactly what that meant.
Suppressing the fury raging inside me, I dialed Daniel’s number again.
It took a long time for him to answer.
Then came Daniel’s slightly breathless voice.
“Wife? What’s wrong?”
“Where are you?”
“On a business trip.”
My voice turned icy. “Is that so? Because I received a message from the airline about a flight to the Maldives.”
“On Valentine’s Day, you’re on a business trip to the Maldives?”
Daniel clearly froze, then a hint of panic crept into his voice.
“Ava, listen, let me explain. I was actually preparing a surprise for you. You’ve been so down these past few days with the pregnancy, I thought I’d get everything ready and then bring you over.”
Listening to his pathetic lie, I laughed out loud.
“Daniel Hayes, have you forgotten? I own that overwater villa.”
The moment those words left my mouth, Daniel surprisingly got angry first.
“Ava, I know you’re mad that I wasn’t with you at the hospital on Valentine’s Day, but after all these years of marriage, are you really just going to accuse me like this? Is this all the trust you have in me?!”
At his words, I laughed, but it was a bitter laugh.
My heart ached terribly.
I could abandon my own flesh and blood, so what was one Chloe Miller?
I could nurture one Chloe Miller; I could cultivate many more, even better talents.
“Daniel Hayes, don’t you dare play the victim card with me. And while you’re at it, tell Chloe Miller she’s fired.”
“As for you, when you’re done playing around, come home and we’re getting a divorce.”
With that, I hung up.
I looked at the DNA test results sent by the private investigator.
Upon seeing that Lily, the child, had a 99.99% match with Chloe Miller and Daniel Hayes, I scrambled out of bed and retched into the toilet.
Daniel and I had been married for two years, yet he had a three-year-old child with Chloe.
***
**Chapter 3**
Daniel rushed back home that very night.
When he opened the door, Chloe Miller stood beside him, her eyes red from crying.
I frowned, about to close the door.
Daniel barged in.
“Ava! Listen to me, it’s not what you think!”
Chloe cried, “That’s right, Ava! It’s really not what you think!”
“It’s true that I flew to the Maldives with Daniel yesterday, but I only did it because I’m your closest assistant, Ava. I know your preferences, so I was just helping him prepare the surprise for you!”
“Exactly, Ava! I only got to go because I was helping Daniel with *your* surprise! I was just lucky enough to see the beautiful scenery of the Maldives because he needed an extra pair of hands.”
Listening to their rehearsed back-and-forth, I felt nothing but intense irritation.
Suddenly, Chloe dropped to her knees in front of me.
She was sobbing, her face a mask of pitiful vulnerability.
“Ava! I can’t lose this job!”
“You’ve sponsored my education all these years, you know my family situation. If I lose this job, my gambling addict father will surely beat me to death!”
Daniel frowned, looking conflicted. “Ava, this is just a misunderstanding. Are you really going to abandon an assistant you’ve poured so much effort into cultivating for years, all because of a misunderstanding?”
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but laugh.
But my heart felt incredibly bitter.
I could give up my own unborn child, so what was one Chloe Miller?
I could nurture one Chloe Miller, and I could cultivate many more, even better talents.
“Yes, Ava, I’ve been working with the company’s core confidential information with you. Are you really sure you want to just dismiss me like this?”
“Are you threatening me?”
Seeing my expression change, Chloe cried even harder, terrified.
“No, I didn’t mean that. I’m not.” She looked up at Daniel pitifully.
“Mr. Hayes, I didn’t mean it that way.”
Chloe suddenly slumped to the side, revealing her bruised and scraped knees.
She instinctively glanced at me, then quickly pulled down her skirt.
Daniel’s face softened with concern. He pulled her up.
“Alright, Ava, Chloe has apologized. It’s just a misunderstanding, why drag it out like this?”
“A misunderstanding?”
I threw the photos taken by the private investigator at his face.
“Holding hands? A misunderstanding?”
“Chloe Miller, do you dare to show me the SnapChat story you posted?”
At my words, Chloe’s face went white.
Daniel, too, looked utterly humiliated after seeing the photos I’d thrown at him.
I forced myself to calm down.
“Do you have anything else to explain? That overwater villa also has 24/7 surveillance recordings.”
“Should I pull them up for you two to enjoy?”
Chloe and Daniel’s faces completely panicked.
My heart ached with unbearable pain.
Actually, there were no surveillance cameras installed in the overwater villa.
I was just testing them, lying to them.
But now, their panicked faces had thoroughly betrayed them both.
Looking at the man I had deeply loved for two years, I smiled in disappointment.
“Daniel Hayes, let’s get a divorce.”
At my words, Daniel, who had been momentarily stunned, exploded.
His eyes blazing red, he grabbed my neck, pinning me against the wall.
“Divorce? Ava Evans, what right do you have to talk about divorce?!”
Daniel calmed down and pushed me away abruptly.
“Ava, don’t be unreasonable.”
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Aurora Evans had secretly sent Adrian Thorne’s sugar baby out of the country.
That very night, he retaliated by kidnapping her parents, demanding the sugar baby’s whereabouts in exchange for their lives.
Adrian shoved his phone in front of her. On the screen, her parents were tied to chairs, a ticking time bomb strapped to their chests, the digital countdown relentlessly dwindling.
00:59:59
00:59:58
He sat across from her, impeccably dressed in a suit, his long fingers lightly tapping the table, as if waiting for a mundane contract to be signed.
“Aurora, you have fifty-nine minutes.” His voice was calm, almost tender. “Tell me, where did you send Seraphina?”
A cold dread seeped into Aurora, her throat constricting, unable to utter a single word.
This was his third time asking.
The first time, he asked where Seraphina Reed had gone. She remained silent.
The second time, he gripped her chin, his thumb caressing her lips, his voice low and dangerous: “Aurora, stop being childish.”
Now, the third time.
He was using her parents’ lives to force her.
“Adrian…” Her voice trembled. “Those are my parents. They’re the most important people to me…”
He let out a soft laugh, but his eyes were terrifyingly cold. “Oh really? Then when you sent Seraphina away, why didn’t you consider how important she is to *me*?”
Aurora stared at him, a sudden, bitter laugh catching in her throat.
Important?
He had told her those other women were just for fun, easy to discard once he tired of them.
He had sworn she was the only one he truly loved.
But now, for Seraphina Reed, he was willing to kill her parents.
“Adrian,” her voice was hoarse, unrecognizable. “If I don’t tell you, will you really let them die?”
He leaned slightly forward, his dark eyes reflecting her pale face. “You can try me.”
Aurora trembled uncontrollably, tears splashing onto the table.
She couldn’t fathom how things had spiraled to this point.
Adrian Thorne, who had once loved her so genuinely.
Years ago, she was just a girl from an ordinary family, while Adrian was the heir to one of the most powerful families in the city’s elite circles, privileged from birth, entitled and arrogant, never one to bow down to anyone.
Yet, he fell in love with her at first sight.
His pursuit of her became a grand campaign of declarations of love, each one a sensation that swept through the city.
Giant rose displays lowered by helicopter, LED confessions plastered across the entire financial district, even a city-wide fireworks display just for her on her birthday.
She was moved, but her parents vehemently opposed the match.
They knew too well what elite circles were like—powerful men always had their wives at home, but plenty of flings on the side. The love of the privileged was never a fairytale.
They wanted her to marry someone from a similar background, but Adrian knelt at her family’s doorstep for an entire day and night, shedding all his pride, just for a chance to marry her.
Her parents eventually softened.
After their marriage, he pampered her beyond measure, accommodating her every whim.
When she had painful periods, he’d fly back overnight from abroad just to make her special comfort tea.
She casually mentioned wanting that specific pastry from the old bakery on the other side of town, and he’d drive halfway across the city to get it for her.
She thought she had married the right man.
Until, she first heard the name “Seraphina Reed.”
It was Adrian’s assistant who mentioned it in casual conversation, talking about a college student who had staged a fall during Adrian’s speech to get his attention, a trick as old as time.
Aurora smiled, dismissing it. After all, countless women tried to snag him, but he had always been devoted to her.
But the second time she heard it, it was in bed.
He was above her, and in the throes of passion, he whispered, “Seraphina.”
In that moment, she felt as if she’d been plunged into an icy abyss.
She confronted him, but he held her, explaining that he *had* considered taking Seraphina as a sugar baby, but it was just a casual fling to keep on the side.
“Everyone in our circle does this, Aurora. You’re still the one I love most, that will never change.”
But then, he became increasingly blatant.
He bought Seraphina jewelry, gifted her luxury homes, and even took her to private parties. The rumors spiraled, becoming the talk of the town.
She cried, she argued, but he no longer soothed her as he once did. He’d just coldly say, “Stop being unreasonable.”
Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and sent Seraphina out of the country.
But she never expected his reaction to be so extreme. He kidnapped her parents, strapped bombs to them, all to force her to reveal Seraphina’s whereabouts.
“She’s in Switzerland.” Her voice trembled. “Zurich, in that villa under my name.”
He stared at her for a few seconds, as if judging the truthfulness of her words, then pulled out his phone and made a call.
Once confirmed, he grabbed his suit jacket, his steps urgent, ready to retrieve Seraphina.
“What about my parents?” She lunged, grabbing his sleeve. “You promised you’d let them go if I told you!”
He turned back to her, his gaze indifferent. “The abandoned factory in the South End. Go find them yourself.”
Aurora stumbled out the door, driving frantically towards the South End.
When she found them, there were only ten minutes left on the bomb’s timer.
Her parents were tied to chairs, their mouths gagged. The moment they saw her, they shook their heads wildly, urging her to leave.
She rushed over, her hands trembling as she fumbled with the ropes, but the bomb’s countdown ticked like a death knell.
00:03:2
00:03:20
She couldn’t untie them, tears streaming down her face in desperation.
Her father suddenly shoved her with all his might. She staggered back. The next second, he forcefully launched his body into the bomb—
“Dad—!!!”
The explosion was deafening, the heatwave knocking her off her feet.
She fell heavily to the ground, her vision blurring crimson.
…
When Aurora next awoke, she was in a hospital.
Her parents had suffered severe injuries, but thankfully, they were alive.
She knelt beside their beds, weeping as she apologized. “I’m so sorry… I chose the wrong man…”
Mrs. Evans weakly raised a hand, stroking her daughter’s hair. “Foolish girl, you can always start over.”
Aurora shook her head. “He won’t let me go.”
After first learning about Seraphina, she couldn’t accept it and had considered divorce.
But every time she drafted divorce papers, Adrian tore them up.
He claimed Seraphina was just a fling, that he’d eventually cast her aside, that Aurora was his true love, and he’d never let her leave.
Mr. Evans held her hand. “No, Aurora, there’s something you don’t know, and he’s probably forgotten too. The night we agreed to your marriage, your mother and I made him sign a divorce agreement.”
She froze.
“If he ever betrayed you,” Mr. Evans’ voice was soft, “the agreement would become effective, and you could divorce him immediately. Our family… would then disappear forever.”
Aurora was stunned, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
Her parents had prepared a failsafe for her all along.
…
The next day, Aurora did two things.
First, she, along with Mr. and Mrs. Evans, took the signed divorce agreement to a law firm.
After reviewing it, the lawyer nodded. “The agreement is valid. The divorce is effective immediately.”
Second, their family initiated the paperwork to completely erase their identities.
Once the identity cancellation was complete, Aurora Evans would no longer exist in this world.
And Adrian Thorne would never find her!
Learning that the cancellation process would take half a month, Aurora discussed it with her parents and decided to return to Adrian’s mansion for the time being.
For these two weeks, she had to stay by Adrian’s side, unable to let him detect anything unusual.
Otherwise, with his ruthless methods, none of them would be able to escape.
Upon returning to the villa, Aurora began to pack her things.
The cherished photos, Adrian’s love letters to her, the souvenirs they’d bought during their travels together… she threw them all into the fireplace.
Flames devoured the past, as if burning away a ridiculous dream.
The next day, Aurora went to the backyard.
There was an entire grove of sycamore trees, which Adrian had planted for her himself. He said sycamores symbolized fidelity, like his love for her, never fading.
Aurora picked up an axe and chopped them down, one by one.
The house staff stood at a distance, daring not to approach or stop her. The dull, grating sound of tree trunks breaking was like a stubborn obsession being violently severed.
On the third day, Aurora went to the Lover’s Cliff on the mountain.
A padlock, engraved with their names, hung there. Years ago, Adrian had held her, throwing the key off the cliff, saying they would be locked together forever.
Now, Aurora used pliers to simply snip the chain.
The lock fell to the ground with a sharp clink.
She turned and left, never looking back.
When she returned to the villa, there were two more people in the living room.
Adrian sat on the sofa, and Seraphina leaned into his embrace, her face pale, looking as fragile as if a gust of wind could blow her over.
Aurora walked past them expressionlessly, heading straight upstairs.
“Stop.” Adrian’s voice came, cold and sharp.
Aurora paused, not turning around.
“Do you know why I brought her back?” he asked.
“Don’t care.”
“After you sent Seraphina out of the country, she struggled to adapt to the local environment and didn’t sleep well for days.” His tone was reproachful. “Aurora, apologize to her.”
Aurora finally turned around to face them.
The fragility on Seraphina’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a triumphant smirk in her eyes.
“What if I don’t apologize?” Aurora asked calmly.
“It’s fine, it really is…” Seraphina said, her voice soft and weak. “It’s okay if I suffer a little. After all… you’re the wife.”
Adrian immediately pulled her closer. “Didn’t I tell you not to be so understanding?”
He kissed the top of her head. “From now on, I’ll pamper you. You can do anything you want.”
Aurora forced a twisted smile, finding it utterly sarcastic.
A maid brought in a bowl of calming soup, specially prepared for Seraphina.
Just then, Adrian’s phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and said softly to Seraphina, “You always get a headache when I talk business. I’ll take this outside. You drink your soup.”
With that, he rose and left.
Aurora stood rooted, her heart feeling as if it had been struck by an axe.
He never used to discuss business out in the open, because of confidential information. But now, for Seraphina, he would even change that habit.
Only Aurora and Seraphina remained in the living room.
The feigned fragility on Seraphina’s face instantly vanished, replaced by the arrogance of a victor.
“See?” she sneered. “Even if you are Mrs. Thorne, and you used your position to send me away, Adrian’s body and soul are both with me.”
Aurora looked at her blandly. “You want him? He’s yours.”
Seraphina paused, then flared with anger. “I don’t need you to *give* him to me! He’ll be mine alone eventually, and your position will be mine too!”
Seeing Aurora unmoved, she became even more furious.
Just then, Adrian’s footsteps were heard from outside.
A hint of viciousness flashed in Seraphina’s eyes. She suddenly picked up the bowl of steaming hot calming soup and deliberately splashed it all over herself!
“Ah!” she shrieked, tears instantly welling up.
When Adrian rushed in, this was the scene he witnessed.
Seraphina was drenched and disheveled, the soup dripping from her clothes, and she was crying as if her heart would break.
“Aurora Evans!” His brows furrowed with barely concealed rage. “Not only will you not apologize, but you dare to do this to her?!”
“I didn’t do it.” Aurora said calmly. “You can check the surveillance cameras.”
“Fine, check them!” he sneered.
Seraphina immediately grabbed his arm, sobbing. “Adrian, it’s not Aurora’s fault… I shouldn’t dream of staying by your side. I’ll leave right now…”
As she took a step, Adrian yanked her back.
“I finally got you back, and now you want to leave my sight again? Are you trying to kill me?”
He held her tightly, as if clutching a lost and precious treasure.
Then, he looked at Aurora, his eyes terrifyingly cold.
“I will get justice for this.”
Aurora was locked in the cold storage.
As the bodyguards dragged her inside, she struggled desperately. “Adrian Thorne! Check the cameras! I didn’t do it!”
He didn’t even spare her a glance, just coldly stated, “No need to check. I only trust her.”
The cold room door slammed shut.
Darkness and frigid air instantly engulfed Aurora.
She curled up in a corner, shivering, but her heart felt even colder than the room.
Was this what he meant by saying she was the one he loved most?
Aurora’s tears fell uncontrollably.
She was always sensitive to cold.
After they married, Adrian spent a fortune installing a constant temperature system in their home, even the outdoor courtyard was perpetually spring-like.
In winter, he would warm her icy hands and feet in his embrace, laughing, “I’ll keep you warm like this for the rest of our lives.”
Thinking back now…
Vows were probably only true the moment they were spoken.
The next day, as Aurora was almost losing consciousness from the cold, the cold room door finally opened.
A bodyguard stood expressionless at the doorway. “Mr. Thorne said that if there’s a next time, the punishment won’t be this lenient.”
She leaned against the wall, staggering out, trembling all over, her teeth chattering.
There wouldn’t be a next time.
Soon, she would make him disappear from her world completely.
That evening, Adrian’s assistant delivered a gown and jewelry, saying she needed to attend a charity auction gala.
Aurora went.
Then, at the entrance to the ballroom, she saw Seraphina Reed.
Seraphina was wearing a haute couture gown, and around her neck was a diamond necklace that Adrian had bought at an auction last month for a seven-figure sum.
Aurora stopped and looked at Adrian. “She’s here too. Why do you still want me to come?”
His expression was bland. “I hadn’t intended to bring her, but she’d never seen this kind of event and wanted to come, so I brought her.”
He paused, his tone casual. “Aurora, don’t be so petty.”
Aurora’s body trembled slightly.
She wasn’t being petty.
He simply hadn’t considered how much she would be talked about and mocked, having the legitimate wife and the sugar baby appear together.
Adrian walked straight in with Seraphina, who intimately linked her arm through his, a sweet smile on her face.
People around them whispered.
“Mr. Thorne and his wife have such a great relationship, they’re so well-matched.”
“You’ve got it wrong. *That* one is Mrs. Thorne. The one next to him… is just a sugar baby.”
The person awkwardly glanced at Aurora, then mumbled, “But Mr. Thorne is so good to her. He dressed her in authentic designer, while the wife got a ‘gift with purchase’… no wonder I got them confused.”
Aurora clenched her hands, her nails digging deeply into her palms.
Once the auction began, Aurora casually bid on a few items.
But no matter what she bid on, Seraphina would add just one dollar to her price.
Low laughter rippled through the room.
“The legitimate wife being bullied by the sugar baby—that’s a first…”
Aurora’s face remained impassive. She simply made a “no limit” bid gesture.
A “no limit” bid meant that no matter how high the price went, she would take the item, no cap.
Seraphina’s face paled. She clutched Adrian’s sleeve, feigning distress. “Adrian, I really love this one…”
Adrian frowned, looking at Aurora. “Aurora, let her have it.”
“No.”
“She can’t make a ‘no limit’ bid, but I can, because I’m your wife, and we have joint marital assets.” She looked at Seraphina, her voice laced with sarcasm. “No matter how much he gives you, you’ll never compare to me.”
Seraphina’s eyes immediately reddened. She stood up abruptly. “You…”
The next second, she suddenly covered her face, crying, “Yes, you’re his wife… I’m just a hidden sugar baby, I shouldn’t have such foolish hopes… Adrian… let’s just end this!”
With that, she turned and ran.
Adrian’s face changed drastically. He grabbed Aurora’s wrist, his grip so powerful it felt like her bones would shatter. “I told you I’d get tired of her eventually! Did you have to force her away?!”
Aurora looked at him calmly. “What she does, or doesn’t do, is none of my concern.”
His eyes darkened. He flung her hand away and strode out, chasing after Seraphina.
Aurora stood still, the gazes around her either mocking or pitying.
But she didn’t care.
Anyway, she would be leaving soon.
But the next morning, Aurora was jolted awake by a news alert on her phone.
【BREAKING! CEO Adrian Thorne’s Wife’s 999 Intimate Photos To Be Auctioned Publicly At Sotheby’s!】
Her blood instantly froze.
Those photos… only Adrian had them.
Aurora shakily dialed his number, her voice hoarse. “The photos… you put them out?”
On the other end of the line, Adrian sneered. “Don’t you love making ‘no limit’ bids?”
“If you don’t want others to see those photos…” his voice was cruel, “then get over there, and make ‘no limit’ bids on every single one!”
In the background, Seraphina’s sweet voice cooed, “Adrian… is that Aurora? I… I should still leave, I shouldn’t stay by your side…”
“Don’t be silly.” His voice instantly softened. Then, intimate kissing sounds came through the phone. “I already stood up for you. Try leaving again, I dare you.”
The call ended at some point.
Aurora felt as if she’d been plunged into an ice cave. She rushed to the auction site.
The moment she pushed open the doors, she was trembling.
The room was filled with men, and on the large screen, her intimate photos scrolled.
There was her sleeping profile, which he once said was adorable and saved specially;
There was her back while showering, which he coaxed her to take, saying he could look at it when he missed her;
And there were naked bed photos of her covered in hickey marks, when he said it was proof of his love for her.
At the auction, the men’s covetous gazes glued themselves to Aurora, their whispered comments slicing into her ears like knives.
“That figure… tsk tsk, Mr. Thorne is truly blessed.”
“I heard Mr. Thorne used to be deeply in love with Mrs. Thorne. Why would he sell her intimate photos now?”
“Got bored, I guess. These elite wives, glorious on the surface, but behind the scenes…”
Every word was like a knife plunging into Aurora’s heart.
She suddenly remembered how possessive Adrian used to be.
That year they vacationed on a tropical island, she wore a backless dress. When a man glanced at her twice, Adrian immediately dragged her back to the hotel, pinning her against the floor-to-ceiling window, possessing her while coaxing her to shout, “Aurora Evans belongs to Adrian Thorne.”
And now, to stand up for another woman, he personally sold her intimate photos for these men to gawk at!
She bid on them one by one. Each time she pressed the bid button, her heart grew colder.
By the time she won the last photo, her love for him was completely exhausted.
As she walked out of the auction house, her phone rang.
“Did you enjoy your ‘no limit’ bidding spree?” Adrian’s voice was mocking.
Aurora clutched her phone, her nails almost digging into her palm. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll divorce you by doing this?”
His tone was remarkably flat, as if speaking to a difficult child. “You can’t. Aurora, if I don’t sign, the divorce won’t happen.”
She remained silent.
He had clearly forgotten that she held a signed divorce agreement he had already approved.
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“Mom, Mr. Sterling, my application to study abroad has been accepted. I’m leaving.”
In the quiet living room, Willow’s voice was light and soft, like a single drop of water falling into a still pond.
My mother, Eleanor, across the sofa, beamed with joy. “It’s already accepted? When are you leaving?”
“In ten days.”
Eleanor hadn’t expected it to be so soon. Amidst her excitement, a hint of reluctance flickered in her eyes.
“Then I’ll go pack your bags right away. It’s your first time going so far, and to a foreign country at that. I’m just so worried. I contacted a friend from years ago; her son is in London too. If you need anything, just reach out to him. Don’t worry about bothering him, we kind of set you two up as a joke when you were little. See if you get along; if you do, that’s great, if not, just be friends.”
Willow nodded. “Okay, Mom.”
Eleanor looked surprised. “Willow, you agreed? And your previous boyfriend… did you finally break up?”
Willow immediately fell silent.
Mr. Sterling instantly understood something and slammed his hand on the table. “He never wanted to come back and meet us. He clearly wasn’t serious about you. It’s good that you broke up with a boyfriend like that!”
“Boyfriend? What boyfriend?”
A voice abruptly shattered the heavy atmosphere in the living room.
The three of us turned at the sound and saw Julian, who had just pushed open the door.
He was all in black – a crisp black shirt, tailored black trousers – tall, lean, and exuding an aura of effortless, almost dangerous elegance. Every move he made, every glance, spoke of a refined, almost arrogant grace.
Willow’s body trembled slightly. She stood up and greeted him, “Brother.”
Julian hummed meaningfully, dropped his car keys, and went upstairs.
That evening, Eleanor prepared a lavish dinner and even opened a bottle of red wine.
She raised her glass, smiling warmly at the three of us, ready to announce the good news. “Come on, come on, let’s all celebrate tonight, celebrate Willow who’s about to…”
Willow sensed something was off and quickly interrupted her. “Mom, this wine tastes a little bitter. Is it expired?”
Expired?
Eleanor looked surprised; it definitely wasn’t expired. But Willow had already used the excuse of getting new wine to pull her into the kitchen.
“Mom, please don’t tell Julian about my plans to go abroad yet.”
At first, Eleanor found it a bit strange.
But remembering her stepson’s constant care for her daughter, she gradually understood the inseparable bond between siblings. She nodded in agreement.
After quickly eating a few bites, Willow got up and returned to her room.
After showering, she lay on her bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Until precisely midnight, when someone else appeared beside her.
A scorching breath fell on her neck. The next second, soft lips pressed against her, gently nipping, and a cool dampness completely woke the drowsy Willow.
Her body stiffened. She instinctively pushed him away, her voice urgent and resistant. “Julian!”
“What’s wrong? Your family’s setting you up with a boyfriend, so your brother can’t touch you anymore?” In the darkness, Julian curved his lips, but no warmth reached his eyes. His voice was lazy to the extreme. “All these years with your brother, and you think you can just freeload?”
Willow knew he misunderstood, but she didn’t explain.
Julian’s face, in that endless silence, turned cold.
He reached out and pulled her into his embrace. “Willow, have I ever told you not to date other guys? You’re mine, and only mine.”
Feeling the burning heat from behind, Willow didn’t want to argue with him, so she lied, “It’s my period. I don’t feel well.”
Upon hearing her soft explanation, Julian’s expression softened slightly, but he still frowned. “Didn’t your period just end? Is it back again? Fine, I won’t touch you tonight. Get some sleep.”
With that, he held her tightly in his arms.
Listening to his calm, peaceful breathing beside her, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
No one knew that her boyfriend was her brother, Julian Sterling!
At twelve, when Mom remarried into the Sterling family, she and Julian, Mr. Sterling’s only son, became step-siblings.
At fourteen, she called him brother, he called her sister. To outsiders, we were the picture of perfect siblings.
At eighteen, her secret crush diary, filled with his name, was discovered. He leaned casually against her desk, eyes sparkling with amusement, reading the diary again and again. Then he caught her hand as she tried to snatch it back, and kissed her blushing cheek.
At twenty, we tasted the forbidden fruit for the first time. Once we crossed that line, there was no turning back. We developed a taste for forbidden fruit, and it became an uncontrollable craving.
By day, we were siblings. By night, we secretly entwined, bound to each other against all odds.
Willow had always been a good girl. Being with Julian was the only wild thing she had ever done in her life.
She loved Julian so much that she even thought it wouldn’t matter if they never made their relationship public. They could secretly go abroad and get married someday.
But all those fantasies came to a crashing halt half a month ago when she overheard him talking to his friends.
It was pouring rain that day. She ran to bring Julian an umbrella. Just as she was about to open the private room door, she heard his friend’s voice.
“Julian, what are you going to do about your stepmother’s daughter? Didn’t you say you’d just play with her for a bit and then dump her? Why haven’t you broken up yet?”
“Yeah, weren’t you just getting with her to get back at her mom for marrying into the Sterling family? Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft.”
Revenge?
He was with her not because he liked her, but for revenge!
Willow’s face went completely pale. Her head buzzed, and her whole body started to tremble uncontrollably, but she stubbornly refused to leave, wanting to hear Julian’s reply.
Until the next second, Julian’s cold, cruel voice reached her ears, word by word.
“If I don’t play with her a little longer, how can I make her suffer more?”
In that moment, everyone in the room burst into laughter, and I stood outside the door, feeling like the bottom had dropped out of my world.
So, he didn’t like her. Being with her, calling her his girlfriend, spending every night entangled with her—it was all just an act of revenge because he resented her mother for taking his mother’s place?!
Mom still had to live in the Sterling household, and she couldn’t cause a huge scandal.
After much thought, the only solution she could come up with was to escape, to leave this home, and to leave him.
So she applied to study abroad.
Now, only ten days remained until her silent departure.
Looking at the countdown reminder on her phone, Willow raised her hand and pulled Julian’s arm from around her waist.
A few minutes later, he hugged her again. When she pulled away, he unconsciously pulled her back.
Her patience was exhausted after repeatedly pulling away. She simply grabbed a pillow and placed it between them.
This time, he finally settled down.
Willow also had some peace.
She knew that soon, their story would come to an end.
She no longer belonged to him, nor was she his private possession anymore.
The 8 AM alarm clock promptly woke Willow from her dream.
She opened her eyes and saw that the spot beside her was empty.
Fearing their parents might find out, they had agreed that Julian would come at midnight every night and leave promptly at 5 AM. They had lived this way for five years.
But soon, they would just be siblings. He wouldn’t have to sneak around anymore.
After changing, she went downstairs and immediately saw a strange woman sitting on the sofa.
Eleanor warmly waved her over, calling her closer, and excitedly introduced her. “Willow, come here, this is your brother’s girlfriend. Go pour our guest a glass of water.”
Serena stood up cooperatively, extended her hand, and smiled, her eyes crinkling.
“You must be Julian’s sister, right? Nice to meet you. Even though it’s our first time meeting, I often hear your brother talk about how great you are.”
Willow’s palm trembled slightly. She glanced at Julian but said nothing, turning to get water for Serena.
She poured a cup of hot water. Just as she was about to carry it out, Julian walked in.
He wrapped an arm around her waist, leaning down as if to kiss her.
Willow quickly turned her head, dodging him. “Don’t mess around. Your girlfriend is outside.”
Julian raised an eyebrow, pecking her lips. “Are you mad? I forgot to tell you, she’s just a childhood friend. She moved abroad when she was little and only came back a couple of days ago. My dad’s been pushing me to get married, so I just brought her here to act as a distraction.”
“You should know best who my real girlfriend is, right? Hmm?”
Willow listened quietly for a while, showing no expression, just a casual nod to humor him.
Seeing her indifferent reaction, a hint of surprise flashed in Julian’s eyes.
He had expected to spend a long time coaxing her this time.
After all, in the past, when other girls sent him love letters and she found out, she would get so jealous she’d cry until her eyes were swollen shut.
When he discovered it and asked, she wouldn’t admit it, and he had to try every trick to get one or two honest words out of her.
She had convinced herself that their forbidden relationship was unacceptable to the world, and she could never openly stand by his side as his girlfriend.
So she never dared to question him, nor did she ever get angry. She would just hide under the covers and sulk alone.
This time, it was the exact same situation, yet her reaction was so calm.
It made Julian feel a pang of doubt.
He was about to ask, but Willow didn’t give him a chance to speak. She just took the cup of water out.
After breakfast was ready, the family sat down as usual.
Serena was seated next to Julian.
They chatted and laughed, reminiscing about childhood memories, looking incredibly close.
Serena had lived abroad for several years and loved runny fried eggs. When Julian found out, he picked up the fried egg from his bowl and placed it in hers.
She immediately showed a shy, girlish expression, then put her partially eaten fried egg into his bowl.
Julian instinctively glanced at Willow.
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“Ms. Anya, you’ve successfully purchased the private island. It’s completely secluded; once you’re there, no one will ever find you. Also, your bespoke family experience has been arranged. They are all professionally trained and will offer you absolute, unconditional love.”
The respectful voice of the attendant came through my phone. I hummed in response.
“I’ll move in after I’ve taken care of everything here, in about 30 days.”
I hung up and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was ethereal in a pure white wedding gown, countless sparkling rhinestones adorning it, hinting at its exorbitant value.
“Ms. Anya, are you done trying on the dress? Mr. Thorne has been waiting outside to see you.”
The soft voice of the shop assistant pulled me back to reality. I paused, then answered, “I’m ready.”
With my reply, the assistant stepped forward and pulled back the curtain. I turned at just the right moment, meeting Damien Thorne’s gaze. He was waiting outside, and I clearly saw a flicker of awe in his eyes.
“Anya, you’re so beautiful.” He froze for a second, then walked over and hugged me, his voice thick with emotion and a slight catch. “Seven years, and I’m finally going to marry you and bring you home.”
How deeply must someone love you to get so choked up when they’re about to marry you?
As I was lost in thought, the assistant next to me enthusiastically chimed in, “Ms. Reed, Mr. Thorne personally helped design this gown! He even hand-picked every single rhinestone. Each one would fetch a fortune at auction, and this dress has ninety-nine of them!”
“Usually, men get impatient waiting while their fiancées try on dresses, but Mr. Thorne has overseen everything himself and never complained once. He truly adores you, Ms. Reed.”
Listening to the assistant detail Damien’s efforts, I couldn’t help but look at him.
His eyes, whenever they met mine, were always brimming with love and tenderness, utterly unlike the aloof, unattainable persona of the elusive scion of the city’s most powerful dynasty, as portrayed in the media.
So, not only the entire world, but even I had been fooled into believing he genuinely loved me.
After the dress fitting, we left the bridal boutique together. He thoughtfully opened the car door for me, placing his hand protectively over the top of the frame to prevent me from bumping my head. Only after making sure I was safely inside and the door was closed did he get into the car from the other side.
As the car slowly pulled away, Marcus, Damien’s assistant, began to report something to him.
“Mr. Thorne, the opportunistic woman who tried to get close to you has been dealt with. She won’t be appearing in the city ever again.”
Damien sharply reprimanded him, “Keep these matters private. Don’t upset Anya.”
Then, he quickly and gently took my hand. “Anya, please don’t be angry. That woman didn’t even touch me. Her perfume scent lingered, so I washed ten times before coming home. I’m not dirty at all. You know my heart has only ever been for you all these years.”
I knew he wasn’t lying. Given his wealth and status, countless women had tried to get close to him over the years, but he had handled every single one perfectly, never crossing a line.
Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to be happy. I merely forced a small smile. “I know.”
Damien didn’t notice my subtle shift. He gently squeezed my hand, then pulled out his phone to deal with some work.
Suddenly, he saw something that made his expression change slightly.
“Stop the car!”
The screech of tires ripping against asphalt followed the abrupt brake. Before I could even ask what was happening, Damien pushed open the car door and got out.
“Anya, something urgent has come up. Marcus will take you home first, alright?”
It was a question, but it was clear he wasn’t giving me a second option.
He left me, rushing off in a hurry.
I watched his retreating back silently, then pulled out my phone and tapped into Seraphina Reed’s SnapChat.
A minute ago, she had updated her status.
It was a picture of a swollen, red ankle, captioned with five simple words: “Sprained my ankle, it hurts so bad.”
Seeing that post, and remembering Damien’s barely concealed panic just now, my eyes welled up.
I couldn’t understand why everyone in my life seemed to favor my sister, Seraphina.
I’d had two fiancés.
The first was Sterling Vance, heir to the Vance Corporation. Our families had arranged our engagement when we were children. I fell for him at first sight, trailing after him since we were kids, but Sterling only had eyes for Seraphina. He despised me, his fiancée.
That went on for seven long years. Finally, broken by his coldness, I gave up all hope and turned to Damien Thorne, who had always silently stood by me.
All those years, I chased Sterling, ending up utterly shattered. Every time, it was Damien who wiped my tears.
He appeared as my devoted savior, silently caring for me, asking for nothing in return, always there if I turned around.
So, I cleaned out my heart, letting Damien in.
I thought this time, I’d finally chosen the right person.
But on the eve of our wedding, I accidentally overheard Damien talking to one of his friends.
“You don’t even like Anya Reed, are you really going to marry her?”
Damien’s voice, husky and laced with alcohol, replied, “Yeah. Only then can Seraphina be happy.”
His friend sighed. “Seriously, you’re one of a kind. A fool for love. Not only have you secretly liked Seraphina for years, but after finding out she liked Sterling Vance, you went and pursued Sterling’s fiancée, Anya Reed, just so Seraphina could have her happily ever after as Mrs. Vance.”
“And now you’ve succeeded. Anya Reed is finally out of the way for your beloved. But do you even realize the consequence of what you’re doing? You’re throwing away your own life.”
Damien’s voice was low, yet filled with immeasurable devotion. “As long as Seraphina is happy, I’d do anything.”
I stood outside the door, listening to those words. It hit me like a thunderbolt!
It was only then that I understood: Damien Thorne’s seven years of pursuit and tenderness towards me had all been a lie. His true beloved was also Seraphina Reed.
How noble he was, willing to sacrifice his entire life for Seraphina’s happiness!
He’d hidden it so well that I never once suspected his years of devotion were an act, never imagined he pursued me only to make way for Seraphina.
That night, I cried my heart out, drenched in the rain.
Growing up, my parents always favored my sister, Seraphina, never showing me any real affection.
Later, my fiancé also loved Seraphina, never reciprocating my feelings.
Now, even Damien Thorne, the only one who seemed to genuinely love me, was also in love with Seraphina.
Everyone loved Seraphina Reed.
No one loved Anya Reed.
That day, I made a decision.
If there was no one in this city who loved me, then I would go to a secluded private island, pay to customize a family—parents and a boyfriend—just for me. I would leave this place completely and live my life in peace.
Even if the parents and boyfriend I bought were fake, their lifelong companionship would be enough.
From now on, Mom and Dad, Sterling Vance, Damien Thorne — they would all have nothing to do with me!
The car soon stopped in front of the villa Damien had prepared for our wedding.
After getting out, I started packing.
I threw out everything that belonged to me in that house, destroying every trace of my presence there.
Then, I began preparing to sever all legal ties.
Only by making myself untraceable could these people never find me again!
I gathered all the necessary documents, only to realize the most important one, my vital identification documents, wasn’t with me.
Left with no choice, I had to return to the Reed family home.
An hour later, I stood at the entrance of the Reed residence.
It was my home, yet I didn’t have a key. Even knocking required a great deal of courage.
Because I knew my biological parents didn’t welcome me.
The housekeeper who answered the door was slow to arrive. As soon as I stepped inside, I saw Mr. and Mrs. Reed pacing the living room, visibly agitated.
Hearing the door open, they rushed over. The moment they saw it was me, their faces twisted in disgust.
“What are you doing here?”
“Since you haven’t been back in years, why are you suddenly barging in now? Why can’t you be more like Seraphina? You’re from the same mother, yet the difference is like night and day!”
The familiar scolding washed over me. I’d heard that voice for over twenty years, and now I truly couldn’t bear to hear it anymore. My expression remained indifferent; I acted as if I hadn’t heard a thing.
I walked straight upstairs, found my vital identification documents, put them into my bag, and came back down. Seeing my calm, almost detached expression, Mr. and Mrs. Reed grew even more furious, their words growing increasingly venomous.
“What, you’re ignoring everything your mother and I say now? Do you have any respect for us? You’re utterly disrespectful, how could we have given birth to such a disgrace?!”
Just as they were in the middle of their tirade, the front door suddenly opened again.
Damien Thorne walked in, carrying Seraphina Reed. His eyes immediately met mine, standing in the center of the living room.
I glanced at their intimate pose, then calmly shifted my gaze away.
My eyes were so placid, yet a sudden panic surged in his heart.
He hastily put Seraphina down and walked towards me. “Anya, please don’t misunderstand. Seraphina sprained her ankle, and I just happened to be in the neighborhood, that’s why I carried her back…”
He didn’t finish, and I didn’t bother to expose his transparent lie.
“Sterling is away on a business trip right now, otherwise I wouldn’t have troubled Damien. Sister, please don’t mind.”
Seraphina, barely set down and already being doted on by Mr. and Mrs. Reed, was not to be outdone. Her words were meant as an explanation, yet they reeked of subtle boasting.
“It’s my fault, I suppose. Being spoiled by Mom and Dad since childhood, even a slight sprain hurts terribly. Luckily, Damien arrived in time. He blew past several red lights to take me to the hospital and then carried me back. It was such a hassle for him.”
As Seraphina spoke, her eyes twinkled, fixed on me, trying to provoke a breakdown or an argument. But I remained impassive, taking none of it to heart.
Not getting the reaction she wanted, Seraphina’s eyes sparkled with a new idea. “If it wasn’t for Damien, my ankle would be even more swollen. Since we’re all home now, why don’t we just stay and have dinner together? As a thank you!”
Her tone was lively and effervescent, a stark contrast to my silent presence.
No one bothered to ask my opinion; they simply made the decision for me, opting to stay for dinner together.
But when all the dishes were prepared and laid out, and I stood by the dining table, I saw that everything served was Seraphina’s favorite — spicy food.
I wasn’t surprised; I simply sat down quietly.
In the past, I had once mildly mentioned to Mr. and Mrs. Reed that I had a sensitive stomach and couldn’t handle spicy food, but their reply had been a dismissive, “Don’t be so fussy.”
Later, when I was with Damien, he always paid attention to my preferences and even learned many soothing dishes for my stomach.
But this time, although he sat beside me, his eyes were solely on Seraphina. At the slightest sign, he would quickly offer her a napkin or serve her food.
I suddenly recalled that in the past, even when Damien came to the Reed house specifically for me, his gaze would often subtly drift towards Seraphina.
On Seraphina’s birthday, he would subtly probe or feign casual interest in her preferences.
When Seraphina had a fever or was sick, he would always claim he had urgent company business and had to leave.
I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Damien’s attention to Seraphina had always been so obvious, how could I have only realized it now?
But no matter how much he liked Seraphina, he should never have used me as a tool. His blatant deception, using years of my life, hurt me even more than Sterling’s rejection.
Dinner ended, and I hadn’t eaten much. On the way back, we were silent. I was thinking about severing all legal ties, and he, about reliving his moments with Seraphina.
Finally, I broke the silence. “I’m not going home. I’m going somewhere else.”
My voice finally pulled Damien back from his thoughts. Hearing my words, he quickly refocused and gently asked, “Anya, where are you going? I’ll come with you.”
“No need.” I shook my head, declining his offer.
But he held my hand, stubbornly insisting, “No, I can’t let you go alone. I’d be worried.”
I couldn’t refuse, so I ultimately let him have his way. I didn’t explicitly state the destination, merely opened my navigation app and showed him.
There wasn’t much traffic on the road, so we quickly neared our destination.
Just as we were about to turn in, Damien’s phone suddenly rang.
As soon as he answered, Mrs. Reed’s voice came through. “Damien, Seraphina’s wound is inflamed, and she has a bit of a fever. Can you take her to the hospital again?”
“I’ll be right there!”
He was about to anxiously turn the car around when he suddenly seemed to remember something, and looked at me, conflicted.
“Anya, I…”
He opened his mouth, hesitating, and just as he was about to say something, I spoke first.
“Go ahead. It’s just a short walk from here, I can manage.”
With that, I opened the car door and got out.
Seeing that I had already gotten out, his concern for Seraphina ultimately took precedence. He restarted the car and sped away. Watching his car disappear into the traffic, I remained silent for a long time, quietly swallowing the bitterness in my heart.
Damien, if your car had just driven a little further.
You would have found that I was going to the Registry Office to sever my legal ties. You would have seen the signs of my departure.
But you didn’t. Because you didn’t care.
The process of severing my legal ties was quick. After completing it, I took a cab back to the villa.
Not long after, Damien came in, carrying a box of red bean pastries, his face full of apology as he looked at me.
“Anya, you’ll be marrying me soon. Then Seraphina and I will be family, which is why I’ve been looking out for her more. Please don’t misunderstand, I’ve pursued you for so many years, you should know that my heart is only for you.”
I couldn’t understand how his acting could be so flawless.
This particular red bean pastry shop was in the south of the city, requiring a trip across half the city. Its unique flavor meant there was always a continuous stream of customers, and you often had to wait in line for over three hours to get a single box.
To ensure Seraphina got what she wanted, he went to such lengths, perfectly embodying the “devotion” others spoke of. Only, that devotion wasn’t for me, but for Seraphina.
I was tired. I simply didn’t have the energy to keep playing along. I shook my head, refusing his gesture for the first time.
“I’m not feeling well. I’m going to rest.”
With that, I turned and walked back to my room without looking at his expression.
Damien paused, clearly noticing I wasn’t in a good mood. But he didn’t think much of it, assuming I was still angry about him leaving to find Seraphina. To appease me, he canceled all his work for the next few days and took me out on dates.
We had candlelit dinners, he accompanied me shopping for luxury items, and finally, he bought movie tickets for us to watch a film together.
As soon as we settled into our chosen seats, a group of girls walked into the theater. And the person surrounded by them was unmistakably Seraphina Reed!
Although his expression remained unchanged, I clearly felt his mind wander.
His gaze repeatedly drifted towards Seraphina, not far away. The movie was already halfway through, but seeing his distracted look, I guessed he hadn’t absorbed a single thing. It wasn’t until I called his name that Damien finally snapped back to attention. “What is it, Anya?”
“I’m not feeling well. Let’s go home.” My voice was light, as if I genuinely felt unwell and was just suggesting an early departure. He glanced at Seraphina, a hint of reluctance in his eyes, but still chose to stand up and leave with me.
But just as we stepped out of the cinema, a sudden commotion erupted behind us. A surging crowd, accompanied by chaotic shouts, rushed towards us.
“Fire! The cinema is on fire!”
Upon hearing what they were shouting, Damien’s face turned ashen. Just as he was about to rush against the human tide, he saw the girls who had entered the cinema with Seraphina also running out.
He quickly stopped them, asking each one, his voice laced with uncontrollable panic and desperation, “Where’s Seraphina?!”
At his urgent question, the girls exchanged glances. After a moment of frantic recollection, their faces paled, and they stammered out, “Seraphina… she… she might still be inside…”
At their words, a furious rage instantly surged within him, burning away all his reason. He roared, “Didn’t I tell you to look after her?!”
Before he even finished speaking, he didn’t bother to talk to them further. He lunged, determined to rush into the burning cinema.
He hadn’t run far before the driver stopped him. “Mr. Thorne, the fire is too big, you can’t go in. Rescue personnel will be here soon…”
But the driver’s words of caution were cut off by Damien’s furious yell, “Get out of my way!”
With that, ignoring everyone’s attempts to stop him, he ran against the tide of people, straight towards the cinema!
The moment rescue personnel arrived, Damien finally emerged, covered in blood, carrying an unconscious Seraphina Reed.
He carefully, tenderly, placed her on a stretcher. Only after confirming Seraphina was safe did he collapse.
His collapse fully exposed the severe injuries on his back.
The gruesome wounds, bloody and raw, made even me, who thought I could no longer feel pain for him, well up with tears. Not out of pity, but from a sudden rush of memories.
Back then, Damien pursued me for a long time. I wasn’t truly heartless, ignoring his efforts. It was just that I couldn’t let go of Sterling Vance, and thus couldn’t accept Damien’s advances.
Until one time, I suddenly fainted and was rushed to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with kidney failure.
I called my parents, crying, begging them to get tested for a match. Mr. and Mrs. Reed flatly refused, saying they were going on a trip with Seraphina. They even added that kidney failure wouldn’t kill me, and if it did, they’d wait until I was dead before they were notified.
My own biological parents mercilessly hung up on me.
Desperate, it was Damien who quietly got tested, then just as quietly went into surgery.
After the operation, I learned he had donated his kidney.
I cried by his bedside for a long time. The first thing he saw when he woke up was my tear-streaked face. He immediately pulled me into his arms, saying over and over, “Shh, don’t cry, I did it willingly.”
But hearing those words, I cried even harder.
In that moment, I thought perhaps I should give up that pointless waiting and look at the person who was truly there for me.
But just as I succumbed to his tenderness and fell completely in love with him, I discovered it was all a deception.
Now, looking back, he had always been someone who would fight for love, but the person he was always willing to fight for was Seraphina Reed.
Damien was severely injured this time and spent a long time in the hospital.
I, who once would have cried endlessly over his slightest injury, this time refused to even mention visiting him in the hospital. Even when his assistant came to tell me Damien wanted to see me, I pretended not to hear, busying myself with my own affairs.
Until one night, I was half-asleep when I suddenly felt a weight on me. Startled, I opened my eyes to find Damien holding me tightly.
He was wearing a striped hospital gown, clearly having escaped from the hospital. A bandage was wrapped around his forehead, indicating his injuries weren’t fully healed, yet he held me close, silent and unwilling to let go.
I struggled a few times, pushing him away before I spoke. “Why are you back here?”
“I missed you.” His voice was muffled as he buried his head in the crook of my neck, pouring out his longing. He paused, then spoke again, a hint of complaint in his tone. “Didn’t you get the message I sent through Marcus? Are you not coming to see me all these days because I went to save Seraphina?”
“I’m sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have left you to go find someone else. But she is your sister, after all, and the situation was quite urgent at the time, that’s why I went for her. But I promise you, you’re the only one I’ve ever loved, from start to finish. Any extra concern for Seraphina was purely because she’s like a sister, absolutely no other intentions!”
“Anya, please don’t be angry with me, okay?”
Damien spoke with such sincerity that if I hadn’t known who he truly loved, I probably would have believed him.
His frantic return wasn’t out of concern for my feelings at all.
He was afraid I would see through his feelings for Seraphina, afraid our wedding would hit another snag, afraid Seraphina wouldn’t get her wish.
Honestly, he didn’t need to keep up this act. He could relax.
Soon,
Soon, none of these people would have anything to do with me.
I would completely vanish from their lives and live happily ever after with my customized family. Even if they were fake, the real ones had never given me an ounce of love anyway, so what did “real” or “fake” even matter?
“I’m not angry.” I looked at Damien, explaining earnestly. I paused, as if afraid he wouldn’t believe me, then added, “I just caught a cold recently, and I didn’t want to infect you, so I didn’t visit.”
“You caught a cold? Did you catch a chill? Is it serious?”
Hearing that, he showed no intention of avoiding me. Instead, he pulled out his phone and quickly did something. “It seems a bit colder lately. Do you not have enough clothes? I’ll have someone send over some new seasonal clothes for you.”
His movements were too fast for me to stop him. But then I reconsidered; fine, let him buy whatever he wants. I wouldn’t use them anyway. Worst case, when I leave, I’ll just leave them all for his beloved.
Thinking this, I didn’t dwell on the matter. “I’m fine. You just take care of yourself. Your injuries aren’t fully healed; you should go back to the hospital.”
My words sounded like concern, but my expression remained neutral, making it sound more like I was trying to get rid of him. Damien felt a strange unease, but he didn’t know why, thinking it was just his imagination.
He obediently rose to leave. But as he turned around, he saw me still lying in bed, with no intention of accompanying him. Immediately, he refused to move. When I looked at him, he spoke, a hint of complaint in his voice:
“If you’re not coming with me, then I’m not going.”
After a stalemate, I sighed and resignedly got up, changed, and went downstairs with him.
At the hospital, Damien remembered I said I had a cold, so he quickly found a doctor. He only relaxed after being told it was nothing serious and I just needed rest.
Because his injuries weren’t healed, he stayed in the hospital for a few more days. During this time, Damien clung to me constantly. Wherever I went, he followed, even waiting nearby when I went to the restroom.
Every time the hospital nurses saw one of us, they would subconsciously glance around and always find the other nearby.
And every time, I would hear people around us sighing.
“Mr. Thorne and Ms. Reed have such a strong relationship. I wish I could find a boyfriend who treats me so well.”
“Who wouldn’t? But for that, you’d better go to sleep. You can have anything in your dreams.”
…
I absorbed the murmurs and discussions around me, but felt nothing.
Envious? In love?
Only I knew it was all an illusion. His clinginess now wasn’t because he truly loved me.
It was just that my behavior had been unusual lately, and he was afraid of another hitch before the wedding.
After all, in his mind, if this wedding didn’t go smoothly, I might go back to pestering Sterling Vance. And then, how could his beloved Seraphina find happiness?
A few more days passed, and Damien finally recovered and was discharged from the hospital.
As soon as we got into the car, his phone rang. It was a call from one of his friends.
“Damien, there’s a meteor shower tonight. Bring Anya and let’s all hang out?”
Meteor showers were rare, and since he was invited along with me, Damien didn’t hesitate and immediately agreed.
I didn’t want to go, but afraid he’d sense my detachment, I went along.
When we arrived, I found that not only Damien’s friends were there, but also Seraphina Reed.
The moment I saw Seraphina, I keenly sensed the wild joy in Damien beside me, but he quickly composed his expression, making his concern for Seraphina imperceptible.
Night slowly fell, revealing tiny specks of stars.
Suddenly, a meteor streaked across the sky, followed by more and more. People who came to watch, whether in groups like us or couples on a date, gasped in wonder at the sight of the large meteor shower.
After a brief burst of exclamations, everyone quickly closed their eyes and made a wish.
At that moment, a vendor pushed a small cart through the crowd.
“Want a wishing bottle? Write your wish on a slip of paper under the meteor shower, and I’ll hang it on the tree for you. It’ll make your wish come true even faster!”
Although we knew such claims were baseless, seeing Seraphina’s eagerness, everyone bought one. When it was Damien’s turn, he bought all the wishing bottles.
His friends couldn’t help but tease him.
“Damien, you bought so many wishing bottles, can you even write all your wishes? Share a few with me?”
“Seriously, Damien, you already have everything. Why do you need so many wishes? That’s just greedy!”
Damien curved his lips into a smile, then turned to look at me, his eyes brimming with tender affection. “I don’t need anything, but I hope Anya can have everything she desires.”
At his words, another wave of murmurs and teasing rose. “Damien, you really are the ultimate simp among us, a total slave to his wife!”
Someone else might have blushed or been shy in the face of such teasing, but I, the subject of conversation, simply looked at the cart full of wishing bottles and said nothing.
Seeing me diligently writing my wish, Damien leaned in curiously. But as soon as he glimpsed a single word, I quickly hid the slip of paper. “It won’t come true if you see it.”
Hearing that, he didn’t insist further, instead reaching out to gently ruffle my hair.
“Anya, your wish will definitely come true.”
I smiled, saying nothing, but wholeheartedly agreed with him in my heart.
Yes, my wish would definitely come true.
As I slipped the paper into the wishing bottle, I opened it one last time to confirm. There was only one line of text on it.
*May Anya Reed and Damien Thorne never meet again in life or death!*
By the time Damien finished writing all the wishes for the huge pile of wishing bottles he’d bought, the meteor shower was almost over. Just as we were about to leave, a gasp rang out. I turned to see Seraphina Reed slumped on the ground, her eyes red with distress.
“I think I sprained my ankle again. It hurts so bad…”
At her words, everyone immediately swarmed around her. Damien could no longer maintain his composure, pushing through the crowd and rushing to her. He hoisted her onto his back and headed down the mountain.
I didn’t say a word to stop them. Instead, as they all surrounded Seraphina, I turned and walked up the mountain alone. I found the vendor who had helped us hang the wishing bottles and transferred another sum of money to him.
“Sir, can you help me take down all those wishing bottles I just hung up?”
Not long after, I returned to the mountaintop with the retrieved wishing bottles. I found a random spot to sit down and began to open Damien’s wishing bottles, one by one.
“May Seraphina be happy and joyful year after year, and all her wishes come true.”
“May Seraphina be joyful and triumphant, and all things be possible.”
“May my beloved Seraphina live a life of blessings, free from illness, and meet only good people.”
“May my beloved girl, Seraphina Reed, live a life of joy and peace.”
…
Ninety-nine wishing bottles, ninety-nine wish slips. Every single slip bore Seraphina’s name. Not a single one mentioned me.
My eyes welled up. Finally, I left the scattered wishing bottles on the ground and turned to walk down the mountain.
As soon as I reached the bottom, I saw Damien pacing restlessly. Seeing me, he rushed forward and pulled me into a tight embrace, his voice filled with lingering fear.
“Anya, where did you go? I came down the mountain and couldn’t find you anywhere! Thank goodness you’re alright. From now on, you’re not allowed to leave my sight for a single step!”
Seeing his anxious demeanor, his friends gathered around, teasing and trying to smooth things over. “We told him there’s only one way down the mountain, Anya would be fine, but Damien just wouldn’t believe it. He really does lose his head when he’s worried!”
“You wouldn’t believe it, Anya, Damien was so frantic when he realized you hadn’t come down, he was almost in tears, a grown man!”
Their words seemed intended to prove how much Damien cared about me, yet my gaze drifted past them, straight to Seraphina Reed at the very back.
Her foot was clearly bandaged, and her emotions had stabilized considerably. Listening to their words, her eyes held an inexplicable air of smugness.
That knowing smile on her lips, as if she, too, saw through Damien’s true feelings, was a subtle taunt –
*See? Everyone says he loves you, but in truth, I’m the one he cares about most.*
A sharp surge of humiliation welled up inside me, which I then forcefully suppressed.
It’s okay. All of this will be over soon.
Not long after that day, Seraphina’s birthday arrived. Mr. and Mrs. Reed spared no expense, booking an entire cruise ship for her birthday banquet and even inviting Damien and me.
They had completely forgotten that my birthday was on the very same day.
I was used to it, but on the day we received the invitation, Damien hesitated to accept.
“That’s your birthday too. Maybe we shouldn’t go?”
I could tell he really wanted to attend, but in front of me, he had to patiently keep up the act.
I took in his hesitation and granted his unspoken wish. “It wouldn’t be good not to go. Let’s go.”
He struggled to suppress his joy, pulling me into a hug, his words full of apology. “I couldn’t spend your birthday alone with you this year, but I’ll make it up to you next year.”
I let out a soft laugh at his promise.
Next year? There wouldn’t *be* a next year.
In just a few days, I would completely vanish from their world.
At the birthday banquet, Seraphina, dressed in the latest haute couture gown, was surrounded by everyone, showered with compliments, truly the center of attention.
Sterling Vance, who had been away on business, finally returned to the country. He stood beside Seraphina in a sharp suit, a picture-perfect couple.
When it came time for gifts, everyone presented their carefully prepared presents. Mr. and Mrs. Reed and Sterling, being closest to Seraphina, naturally drew the most attention with their gifts.
And they didn’t disappoint, presenting everything from expensive jewelry to nationally limited-edition supercars.
When it was Damien’s turn, he produced a certificate.
As everyone looked puzzled, he opened the certificate, revealing a splendid, rose-hued nebula within.
“Seraphina, you already have everything. After much thought, I believe this is what suits you best. From today on, the naming rights to this nebula are yours.”
This gesture immediately sparked gasps throughout the room, and discussions erupted.
“To buy the naming rights for a nebula, Mr. Thorne must have gone to great lengths!”
“I’d say Mr. Thorne is absolutely smitten with Ms. Reed, so his love for her extends to everything connected to her, even a grand birthday gift for her sister.”
…
The murmurs of admiration were endless, but only I knew that his meticulously prepared gift wasn’t born out of extending his love to Seraphina’s family. It was for his true beloved.
Unwilling to stay in the main hall, I went out onto the deck for some air. The sea breeze ruffled my hair, and my long-suppressed heart finally felt a degree of ease.
Seraphina chose that moment to approach.
She stood behind me, her eyes filled with disdain and mockery, but her words were dripping with boastfulness. “Sister, what should I do? It seems not only Sterling, but Damien, too, loves me.”
I couldn’t understand. From childhood, she had already taken everything I possessed: my parents’ favoritism, my friends, my crush, and now, my fiancé…
Why wouldn’t she leave me alone? Why did she continue to flaunt herself so openly in front of me?
I thought that, and I asked her that. Hearing my question, Seraphina didn’t even bother to hide her disdain. She curved her lips into a smile. “No reason, really. I just love seeing you suffer. And I’m so happy, because I’ll get to see it again very soon.”
I frowned, just about to ask what she meant, when the next second, Seraphina suddenly grabbed my hand, pulling me with her into the sea.
Seawater engulfed my mouth and nose. I instinctively tried to call for help, but the gushing water choked me, a sharp pain searing my throat. The icy touch invaded my senses bit by bit, and the terror of death instantly consumed my mind.
As I was churned and tossed by the waves, I saw that people were finally noticing the commotion.
Soon, several more splashes sounded. Mr. Reed, Sterling Vance, and Damien Thorne—all three jumped in.
But without hesitation, they all swam straight for Seraphina!
From the distant cruise ship, I could faintly hear Mrs. Reed’s frantic screams: “Save Seraphina! Make sure you save Seraphina!”
In that moment, a crushing despair of being abandoned by everyone washed over me. I closed my eyes, resigned to death’s embrace. But just then, the sound of swimming grew closer, as if someone was approaching me.
I vaguely opened my eyes, only to freeze when I saw the face.
It was Sterling Vance.
I didn’t have time to wonder why Sterling was saving me before my consciousness was completely swallowed by darkness.
When I woke up, I was already in the hospital.
I blinked my dry eyes, my gaze shifting from the pure white ceiling to the man sitting by my bedside.
After confirming several times, I still couldn’t believe it. The only person by my side was Sterling Vance.
I hid my surprise and spoke calmly. “Aren’t you going to see Seraphina?”
“I just came from there. She has a crowd of people around her, Damien Thorne is there too.”
Sterling had expected me to react strongly to the mention of Damien, but to his surprise, I remained expressionless. My next words were merely to dismiss him.
“Then you should go too. I prefer peace and quiet.”
When my words fell, the man beside me remained motionless. I glanced at him, slightly puzzled. “Is there something else?”
“Don’t marry Damien Thorne.” Sterling was silent for a long time, seemingly choosing his words, but eventually, he spoke. Once he started, the rest poured out. “He doesn’t love you at all. He only got close to you to make room for Seraphina!”
With the secret on his chest finally revealed, he seemed to feel a sense of relief. But when he looked at me again, he saw my expression hadn’t changed, still perfectly calm and unruffled.
As if I had known all along.
In an instant, his eyes widened in shock. “You already knew?”
“If you have nothing else to say, then leave.” I didn’t answer his question, still urging him to go.
But he didn’t leave; instead, his reaction became even more agitated. “You knew and you were still going to marry him? Are you out of your mind?”
At his words, I laughed.
“What does it matter to you? Haven’t I already broken off our engagement and given you back to Seraphina, who you’ve always held in your heart?”
At that, Sterling was speechless.
He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He should have been happy, but lately, whenever he looked at Seraphina, he couldn’t help but think of me, who used to trail after him. Even in his dreams, it was me.
In the midst of the silence, Damien Thorne suddenly pushed open the hospital room door. The moment he saw Sterling, his face darkened instantly.
“Sterling Vance, what are you doing here?”
With him present, the conversation naturally couldn’t continue. Sterling gave me a deep look, and ultimately said nothing, turning to leave.
He hadn’t gone far when Damien anxiously embraced me.
“Anya, I’m sorry. It’s not that I didn’t save you; I just mistook someone else for you at the time.”
“Please don’t be angry with me. From now on, I won’t care about Seraphina anymore, and you won’t have anything to do with Sterling, okay?”
“You finally stopped loving him and agreed to be with me. If you get involved with him again, I’ll truly go mad.”
Listening to Damien’s fragmented apologies, my face remained calm, I said nothing. As I closed my eyes, only one thought remained in my mind:
*Let all of this just end quickly.*
In the following days, perhaps to demonstrate his resolve, Damien didn’t visit Seraphina again, nor did he pay any attention to news about her. He simply stayed by my side, constantly bringing me all sorts of gifts to try and win my favor.
And this continued until the night before the wedding.
That evening, I inexplicably began packing my belongings.
Damien saw me but didn’t think much of it, even offering to help me pack.
But as he packed, he realized that everything I was putting into the boxes were things he had given me during his pursuit.
Hundreds of photos he had taken of me;
Letter after letter he had written for me;
Gift after gift he had sent me;
Finally, he found a memo pad.
He opened it, only to discover it was filled with my preferences.
1. Anya has a sensitive stomach, can’t eat spicy food. Learn 365 soothing dishes for her.
2. Anya is afraid of thunder and always forgets her umbrella. Always be there for her before it rains.
3. Anya loves cherries. Plant an entire backyard full of cherry trees for her.
4. Anya is lonely. No matter when, if she turns around, you must be there.
…
Damien read out the full memo pad, item by item. By the end, he let out a soft laugh. “Anya, it was so hard to win you over. I’m glad I persevered.”
Looking at his earnest expression, I couldn’t help but feel a little dazed.
He really had done so much to pursue me. If I hadn’t personally heard those words from him, perhaps it would be hard for me to believe that this devoted Damien was thinking of someone else entirely when he was with me.
Damien didn’t notice my subtle shift. He reached out and hugged me. “Anya, I’m finally going to marry you and bring you home. Tell me, after today, will you finally be mine…”
I shook my head.
No.
From the moment you deceived me, it was clear there would be no future for us.
Just then, the butler walked in. “The bride and groom shouldn’t see each other before the wedding. Young master, you should head to the hotel now.”
Hearing the butler’s words, he remained motionless, still holding me tightly. “I want to stay with Anya.”
The butler looked at him, distressed. “Young master…”
As he was about to continue persuading him, Damien’s phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the caller ID, he paused, then finally released me and walked to the side to answer the call.
I didn’t know what was said on the other end, but when he returned, his attitude had changed. He just held me, reluctantly.
“Anya, see you tomorrow.”
I knew he wasn’t leaving because of the butler’s words, but because of that phone call.
It was Seraphina Reed calling him.
But I didn’t try to stop him. I just watched his back disappear out the villa door.
Then, I moved all the packed boxes to the front yard of the villa.
I had already instructed the housekeepers to prepare a fire pit. Although they didn’t know why, they didn’t ask, simply placing the fire pit in the garden.
Now, I threw the contents of the boxes into the fire pit one by one: photos, memo pads, diaries.
As the last photo was tossed into the flames, I watched the ashes, a faint smile on my lips.
Damien, all our memories are burned away.
And we, too, have no future left.
In the vast darkness of the night, no one noticed the bride of tomorrow walking out the door with a suitcase, resolute, without looking back…
I got into the car without looking back. The moment the vehicle started, I snapped my phone’s SIM card in half and threw it out.
No one loves Anya Reed? Then I will love myself!
Goodbye forever, this city.
Goodbye forever, everyone.
There were no direct flights to the private island. I had to fly to the nearest country and then take a boat.
By the time I arrived at the private island, whose ownership had already been transferred, a full day and night had passed.
A manor, built according to my specifications, was already there on the island. I just needed to move in. My funds were plentiful, and when I first considered coming to the island, I had already thought about how inconvenient it might be to travel in and out. So, I simply bought a yacht.
Although I doubted I’d need to leave the island much, I wasn’t sure if my purchased parents and boyfriend would feel the same, so it was better to be prepared.
Pushing open the manor gates, I found the facilities fully equipped.
I looked around, quite satisfied. This would be my home from now on.
I pulled out my phone, about to ask when my customized family would arrive, when the villa’s front door suddenly opened from the inside. A handsome, refined young man appeared before me.
Seeing me, he paused, but quickly understood my identity. He flashed a smile, stepped aside to invite me in, and called out to the other two inside.
Having been told their employer would arrive today, the three had been waiting for a long time. Once I was inside, the other two also introduced themselves.
“My name is Eleanor Grey, I’m your customized mother. And this is Arthur Grey, your customized father.”
The first to speak was a kind, elderly woman, who also introduced the man beside her. When it was the young man I had first met’s turn, he spoke before the woman could.
“Hello, I’m Caleb Hayes, your… customized boyfriend.”
***
Damien Thorne and Anya Reed’s wedding was set for the city’s grandest hotel.
This highly anticipated wedding banquet saw almost every prominent figure in the social circle in attendance, all eager to witness this momentous occasion.
It wasn’t until the wedding was about to begin that a breathless staff member finally rushed to Damien, whispering in his ear.
Those in the audience couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they could see Damien’s smiling face suddenly freeze, then gradually darken.
He waved the person away, then turned, avoiding the gazes of those below.
“Mr. Thorne, the wedding is about to start, but the bride hasn’t arrived yet. Perhaps you should check if something has happened?”
Recalling the staff member’s words, Damien felt his heart hammering in his chest. The unsettling feeling that had lingered since yesterday intensified.
He pulled out his phone, found the number he knew by heart, even without saving it, and dialed. After a long series of beeps, the call was abruptly cut off.
In that instant, his heart plummeted.
But Damien couldn’t believe it. He stubbornly redialed her number. This time, he only heard the ‘call in progress’ tone.
He was in disbelief. Was he… blocked?
He then called the villa. After a few rings, it connected. Without waiting for a greeting, he went straight to the point. “Where’s Anya? Have you seen her? Did she forget the wedding time? Go remind her, the wedding is about to start…”
By the end of his sentence, Damien’s voice grew softer, losing its conviction.
Anya was never someone without a sense of time, let alone blocking his number. Yet, he still hoped to hear a different answer from the housekeeper.
There was a frantic commotion on the other end, as if people were being dispatched to search for her. But soon, a nervous voice came through. “Young master… Ms. Reed wasn’t found in the villa, but the housekeepers found… her wedding dress burnt to ashes in the garden, and the wedding ring you gave her…”
At those words, Damien’s mind went blank. He rushed to the stage, oblivious to everything else, his gaze sweeping the audience. When he realized Sterling Vance was also absent, that tense string inside him instantly snapped.
He frantically dialed, his mind consumed only by the fact that Anya had run away. He didn’t care about anything else. In front of everyone, he bolted out of the banquet hall, leaving all the gasps and commotion behind.
Sterling Vance answered quickly. Hearing Damien’s breathless voice, he was a little puzzled. Just as he was about to ask, Damien’s near-hysterical voice came through.
“Where are you?”
The bride hadn’t appeared, and the groom had publicly walked out. The entire wedding banquet instantly dissolved into chaos. Ultimately, Mr. and Mrs. Reed went on stage to stabilize the situation.
No one had expected this highly anticipated wedding to end in such a way.
After sending the guests away, Mr. and Mrs. Reed made several inquiries and learned that Anya had run away first, leading to this farce. They immediately frowned.
“She’s truly a trouble-maker. Even her wedding ended like this. What a disgrace to our family name!”
Mr. Reed’s face was dark, but Mrs. Reed considered things more deeply. She glanced at Seraphina, who stood beside her, looking utterly oblivious, and a sudden unease stirred within her. “Anya and Damien were getting along so well, but now she’s suddenly run away. Sterling didn’t show up today either. Could it be that she regrets giving up Sterling and has gone to pester him again?”
Her initial thought was a mere guess, but as she spoke it aloud, the others found it increasingly plausible. Their faces changed instantly, and they rushed towards the Vance family home.
People often exhibit uncanny synchronicity in the wrong circumstances. The few who knew about the situation all assumed Anya had run away to find Sterling. Luckily, Sterling was not at the Vance residence at that moment, preventing a scene where everyone converged on his home.
Sterling had not expected that just the thought of Anya marrying someone else today would leave him so gloomy. Especially knowing she was fully aware of Damien’s intentions, yet still chose to marry him, had only intensified his frustration. So, he went to a club owned by the Vance family.
Upon entering the private room, he ordered a table full of drinks and proceeded to drown himself in alcohol.
He didn’t want to attend her wedding; he didn’t want to see her walk down the aisle to someone else, uttering those words, “I do.” Drowning in his drunken stupor, he suddenly received a call from Damien Thorne asking for his location.
His mind was hazy, unable to comprehend why the person who should be getting married was calling him. An address slipped out directly.
Just as he was about to ask something, Damien had already hung up, so fast that Sterling, whose mind was already unclear, thought everything that had just happened was merely a hallucination.
He picked up his glass again, poured a full one, and drank it all in one gulp. The thought of breaking off his engagement with Seraphina grew stronger with each drink.
He stared fixedly at his phone on the table, a voice echoing in his mind, urging him to pick it up. Just as he was about to dial Mr. and Mrs. Reed’s number, the private room door was kicked open with a bang.
Blinding light streamed into the dimly lit room. If it weren’t for the scattered liquor bottles and Sterling, sitting on the sofa, phone in hand, motionless, Damien might have thought he had come to the wrong place.
Frowning, he switched on all the lights in the room. The sudden brightness made Sterling instinctively shield his eyes.
But as soon as he raised his hand, Damien rushed forward, taking three steps at a time, to stand before him. “Where’s Anya? Has she come looking for you?”
Hearing Anya’s name, Sterling’s mind cleared for a moment. Looking at Damien’s angry face, he suddenly smiled. “Isn’t Anya at her wedding with you? Why aren’t you at your wedding, running around looking for me?”
As the words left his lips, Sterling seemed to finally grasp the implication of what Damien had said. He suddenly stood up, his eyes wide with shock. “What do you mean?”
Seeing that Sterling was indeed unaware, the anger on Damien’s face faded, leaving only confusion.
Although Anya had grown up in the city, she had no friends due to her introverted, timid, and insecure nature. She hadn’t come to Sterling, and given the Reed family’s character, they would never help her escape the wedding. So, where else could she have gone?
“Anya… she’s gone… She burned the wedding dress and the wedding ring, and disappeared without a trace…”
Damien collapsed onto the sofa, his eyes staring blankly ahead, his gaze unfocused.
Sterling, too, was incredulous upon hearing this. After all, even when he had told Anya that Damien had no genuine feelings for her, she hadn’t considered leaving.
But it was precisely this memory that made a flicker of insight cross his eyes.
So, it wasn’t that she didn’t care who Damien loved; it was that she had already planned to leave?
But she hadn’t come to him after leaving. So where could she have gone?
Sterling was lost in his thoughts, completely oblivious to his sudden silence catching Damien’s attention. It wasn’t until his collar was suddenly grabbed, and Damien’s face loomed large before him.
Damien’s eyes narrowed, carrying a dangerous glint, and his voice was chilling. “You know where she is?”
All of Sterling’s drunkenness evaporated in that instant. He grinned, a hint of malice in his smile.
“I don’t know where she is, but I know why she ran away from the wedding.”
Damien froze, his grip loosening slightly. He instinctively asked, “Why?”
After all, he still had no idea what Anya was thinking.
He had assumed she ran away to find Sterling, but now that it proved otherwise, a pang of annoyance, mixed with a surge of jealousy, churned within him.
He didn’t even know why Anya ran away, so how could Sterling?
But Sterling opened his mouth and delivered an answer that was a fatal blow to Damien.
“Do you remember the day she woke up after falling into the sea? Guess what we talked about during the time we were alone?”
Looking at Sterling’s expression, Damien felt his heart hammering in his chest. Unease and anxiety intertwined within him. Finally, in a panic, he stumbled, wanting to flee.
He was actually afraid to hear the answer.
But Damien’s frantic steps couldn’t outrun Sterling’s voice. Seeing that he wanted to run, Sterling no longer held back, striking directly at Damien’s heart.
“I told her that you approached her not out of love, but for another purpose. I told her that the person you truly loved was Seraphina Reed, and that marrying Anya was just to make her clear the way for Seraphina. Now, guess again, what was her reaction after I told her?”
The last sentence was a question, but it was clear Sterling had no intention of waiting for an answer. He answered himself directly.
“She wasn’t surprised, wasn’t sad, and didn’t disbelieve me. Before I told her, she already knew. Back then, seeing her utterly unresponsive, I thought she loved you so much she didn’t even care that you didn’t love her, that you approached her with ulterior motives.”
“At that time, I was quite jealous of you.”
“But now, it seems I was wrong. She wasn’t simply letting it go; she was just waiting for the most opportune moment to strike the hardest blow against you.”
As Sterling’s last words fell, Damien’s figure had completely vanished outside the private room door. He seemed not to have heard him, yet as Sterling slowly walked to the doorway and watched Damien hurriedly descend the stairs, the desperate scramble to escape in his back said it all.
He felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
He wasn’t the only one who had wronged Anya Reed, so why should he be the only one suffering?
In fact, compared to Damien, his actions were at least not as despicable.
Sterling looked back at the messy private room, called for someone to clean up, then walked directly out of the club.
The cool night air brushed his cheek. He exhaled a heavy sigh, looked at the number he had been about to dial before Damien arrived, and then turned off his phone screen. He hailed a cab.
Since a wedding escape had happened, if he wasn’t mistaken, Mr. and Mrs. Reed and Seraphina would probably all be at the Vance residence now.
Those people’s speculations about Anya were not much different from Damien’s.
Fifteen minutes later, he pushed open the door to the Vance family home and saw the three members of the Reed family sitting neatly on the living room sofa. He let out a sardonic laugh.
See? He was right.
Hearing the door open, the Reed family’s gazes instantly shifted. Seeing that he had returned alone, they still looked behind him, unwilling to give up, trying to find Anya’s tracks.
“She didn’t come looking for me,” he shrugged and said.
Sterling’s words, however, did not earn the Reed family’s trust. Mr. Reed frowned, his eyes filled with disapproval.
“If she didn’t come to you, where else would she go? With her personality, she doesn’t even have a single friend in this city, a disgrace of a girl, and now she’s caused such a scene.”
Mrs. Reed echoed her husband’s words, her expression cold and annoyed. If an outsider saw her, they might think Mrs. Reed and the Anya she spoke of were not mother and daughter, but enemies. “With her timid, shrinking demeanor, what else can she do besides snatching things from Seraphina? Sterling, I know you’re too soft-hearted, but you don’t need to cover for her in this matter.”
Seraphina leaned against Mrs. Reed, her gaze fixed on Sterling, a smile playing on her lips, but her eyes held no warmth.
She didn’t know why Sterling was suddenly helping Anya, but she knew she had to do something, otherwise, Sterling’s heart might truly drift away.
“Sterling, marriage is no child’s play. Since Sister agreed to marry Damien, how can she act so childishly at the wedding? If you know where Sister is, please tell us quickly. We can’t just let her continue acting recklessly, can we?”
Looking at the three of them united in their shared condemnation, Sterling was somewhat dazed.
Were they really Anya’s family? Now that she had disappeared without a trace, no one was worried about her safety; instead, every word was an accusation. It was laughable that he hadn’t noticed any of this before.
Had Anya truly grown up in such an environment for over twenty years? How much pain must she have accumulated?
He didn’t know, but at this moment, he refused to be an accomplice any longer.
“Uncle and Aunt, I truly don’t know where she is right now. But I do have something I’d like to discuss with you.”
Seeing all their gazes fixed on him, he cleared his throat and delivered the words he had prepared.
“Uncle and Aunt, I want to break off my engagement with Seraphina.”
At his words, everyone in the room froze. No one had ever imagined that Sterling Vance, who had previously insisted on breaking off his engagement with Anya Reed to marry Seraphina, would suddenly propose breaking off *this* engagement.
After a brief愣怔, Seraphina’s eyes immediately welled up. She, too, was utterly bewildered, unable to understand why he had returned from a short outing with such a declaration. Instinctively, she blamed Anya, who was now nowhere to be found.
“Sterling, did Sister say something to you? I…”
But her words were cut off by Sterling. He frowned, his eyes filled with confusion. “If I remember correctly, I just said that Anya didn’t come looking for me. Moreover, even if she did, what could she possibly come to tell me?”
Not wanting to see their cherished daughter distressed, the stark contrast between Sterling’s aggressive demeanor and Seraphina’s pale lips and tear-filled eyes irritated Mr. and Mrs. Reed. They quickly went to Seraphina’s side, comforting her softly.
Mr. and Mrs. Vance, who had been observing the drama, finally realized what their son had said. They quickly tried to smooth things over. “Son, what nonsense are you saying? This is no joke! Marriage isn’t child’s play; you can’t just break it off like that. Right, Sterling? Apologize to your uncle and aunt immediately! And Seraphina, look at how upset you are!”
Hearing Mrs. Vance’s words, Mr. and Mrs. Reed’s expressions softened slightly. Remembering Sterling’s earlier statement, they couldn’t help but scoff again.
“What good words could that Anya Reed possibly have? All day long, it’s just excuses or trying to snatch things from Seraphina. Not a trace of a proper older sister.”
Mr. and Mrs. Reed’s complaints continued, one after another, but they failed to resonate with Sterling. He only found it ironic.
No wonder Anya chose to leave alone. With such parents, such a sister, such a fiancé, anyone would want to escape as far away as possible.
This was good. Let Anya bloom in her own light.
Five years later.
After closing off her private island for five years, Anya Reed finally opened it for visitors for the first time.
Of course, the private island was no longer called the private island. After much searching, Anya named it “Reunion Isle.”
*Life’s partings and meetings are always so; let us rejoice when we meet.*
She had bid farewell to a mistaken past and met the right people here. She felt the name was perfectly fitting.
Reunion Isle had a beautiful environment, which caught the eye of a director vacationing nearby. After months of negotiation, he finally got permission to film on the island.
However, Anya also set conditions: they could film on the island, but they couldn’t damage the environment, nor could they film her family without permission.
The director readily agreed to the first condition, but hesitated slightly at the second.
Because the director’s variety show opted for a live broadcast premiere, with an edited version for replays, it was inevitable that some things might be missed. After discussion, they both compromised.
During the live broadcast, filming would try to avoid the four of them. If they accidentally appeared on screen, the director would have people blur them out immediately. Subsequent broadcasts would also edit out any scenes where they appeared. Anya then decided not to quibble over brief appearances.
A month after the contract was signed, the director brought the guests to the island. Since their identities had been disclosed beforehand, no one dared to make any trouble in Anya’s presence, and they generally tried to avoid meeting. However, living on the same Reunion Isle, it was unavoidable that they would appear on camera. Fortunately, the director kept his word, blurring them out promptly whenever they appeared. Anya didn’t take it to heart.
Until… after the variety show became a massive hit, a blurred screenshot went viral across the internet.
Damien Thorne didn’t usually pay much attention to entertainment news. But for the past five years, he had searched every place imaginable, all to no avail.
He couldn’t even trace where Anya had last been seen on the day she disappeared. Only after a thorough investigation did he discover that Anya’s identity information had been canceled half a month before their wedding was supposed to take place.
That meant she had been planning her departure for at least half a month.
Shocked and distraught, he felt immense regret. His Anya had been planning her departure without his knowledge, meticulously for so long, yet he had shared a bed with her daily, completely oblivious.
It was only then that Damien realized his feelings for Seraphina had long been depleted by unrequited devotion, much like Anya’s feelings for Sterling.
Love required reciprocity. He had poured ten years into a hopeless pursuit. For Seraphina’s happiness, he had even gone to another woman, playing the role of a suitor madly in love with Anya.
But the person he spent every day with was her, the person he had promised forever to was her, and when he was sick or injured, she was always by his side.
No matter how much Damien resisted, he had to admit that he had actually fallen in love with Anya long ago. It was only stubborn obsession, only his habit of chasing Seraphina’s footsteps, that had prevented him from seeing his own heart.
He wanted to find Anya, wanted to tell her that his love for her had become real.
Five years of relentless searching, five years of repeated failures, had shattered his confidence into countless fragments.
Even Sterling Vance, who later chose to break away from his family to call off his engagement with Seraphina, began to mock him, laughing at his foolish pipe dreams and his overestimation of himself.
Damien had asked him why he was so determined to break off the engagement. Sterling said he hadn’t seen his own heart clearly back then and had made the wrong decision. Now that he finally realized it, he didn’t want to make another mistake.
But when it came to mistakes, Sterling wasn’t the only one; Damien had made an even greater one.
But unlike Sterling, who chose to let go, Damien wanted to return to Anya’s side.
That photo went viral across the internet under these circumstances.
Someone was watching the variety show when they saw Caleb Hayes, who appeared for a second before being quickly blurred out. The blur was fast, but not faster than netizens’ eyes and lightning-fast screenshotting skills. A blurry image was quickly posted online.
“This man is so handsome! I need all his information in three minutes!”
The post garnered many supportive comments and sparked a lot of discussion online. By rights, Damien wouldn’t usually look at such entertainment news, but for the past five years, he had tried every method to find Anya. By the end, he naturally wouldn’t ignore the most widespread channels of information.
So, the photo found its way to Damien.
He initially didn’t pay much attention, it was just a picture of a man. But for some reason, he couldn’t resist taking a closer look.
In that glance, he saw a woman tending to a flowerbed in a blurry corner of the enlarged image.
Even though it was so blurred he could barely make out her features, Damien inexplicably felt it was Anya.
To confirm his suspicion, he contacted the director through the variety show’s brand representative.
The director, suddenly approached by a CEO worth hundreds of millions, thought his show had found another patron. He quickly accepted the friend request.
Just as he was wondering how to initiate a conversation without appearing arrogant or too subservient, Damien’s message came through.
“Where was this filmed?”
Attached was the screenshot that had gone viral online.
Realizing Damien was trying to inquire about the island’s owner, the director hesitated. If he told the truth, he might build a good relationship with this CEO. But it was a private island, and if he divulged information without permission, his crew might be kicked off the island.
The island owner was already displeased about the photo spreading. Thinking this, he reluctantly refused Damien’s inquiry.
“I apologize. We have an agreement with the owner, and I cannot disclose her personal information.”
He still couldn’t bring himself to delete Damien, so after much deliberation, he put his phone aside and didn’t pay it any further attention.
Seeing that the director was stubbornly refusing to reveal any information, Damien didn’t get discouraged. Instead, he became even more convinced that the woman was Anya Reed.
Sterling Vance had the same thought, but his actions were more decisive.
Before the variety show began, it was announced that it was being filmed on a private island. Combining this with the already aired segments, he quickly narrowed his focus to a specific region.
He flew directly to North America and, armed with the photo, inquired with countries that sold islands. It wasn’t long before he located Anya’s private island.
He docked his boat by the island’s shore but didn’t go ashore. He simply waited silently on the boat.
Anya didn’t think much of it at first. These days were when supplies usually arrived on the island. Seeing a yacht dock, she assumed the provisions had come and quickly went to the shore with Caleb Hayes. To her surprise, when they rushed over, it wasn’t supplies they found, but Sterling Vance, standing silently on the deck.
“Anya!”
I turned to leave, but he called out to me. His voice was soft and gentle, yet inexplicably complex.
I didn’t turn back, but I also didn’t leave. I just stood there quietly, waiting for him to continue.
There had been no opportunity for us to have a proper conversation for a long time.
Sterling didn’t care about my attitude towards him. At least from his perspective, seeing me again was already a blessing. But if he could find me, Damien Thorne certainly could too.
So he cleared his throat and said earnestly, “I actually only came to tell you two things. Seraphina and I broke off our engagement, and… Damien Thorne might also come looking for you. Anya, do you… want to come home?”
Hearing that, I turned back, a little puzzled. “What does your broken engagement with Seraphina have to do with me?”
My rhetorical question left Sterling momentarily speechless. As he tried to explain, I had already turned away, no longer looking at him, and didn’t answer his other question.
And that question…
*Home?*
Hearing that word, I found it somewhat amusing. This was my home now. Where else could I go back to?
As for Damien Thorne, as long as he didn’t set foot on my island, he could go to the moon and it would be none of my business.
I reached out and took Caleb Hayes’s hand. I didn’t linger, walking directly towards the island.
Sterling recognized him. That was the man from the photo that went viral online.
Seeing their hands naturally clasped, a slight pang of bitterness touched his heart.
So, in these five years, she truly had found someone else and no longer needed them. But then he smiled wryly.
She had never truly needed them, or rather, when she did need them, they had never been there for her.
The island’s terrain wasn’t complicated. From the boat, he could clearly see the guests filming nearby and the villa in the opposite direction. Evidently, the filming had deliberately avoided that area.
It seemed that the viral photo was indeed an accident. He turned back to look at Anya, walking away. The manor gates opened, and an older man and woman emerged. Their demeanor was gentle and kind. The four of them stood together, looking remarkably harmonious, just like a true family of four.
“Anya, I wish you happiness.”
He murmured that phrase, then turned and waved. The boat restarted, slowly pulling away from the island, eventually disappearing into the boundless horizon.
On the island, the variety show’s filming had reached its final day. After today, Reunion Isle would return to its usual tranquility.
Not only Anya Reed felt relieved, but also Eleanor and Arthur Grey.
While they weren’t averse to interacting with others, they disliked being on camera, especially after Caleb’s accidental appearance and subsequent screenshot. They grew even more cautious. Fortunately, the crew was very considerate, mostly filming on the other side of Reunion Isle.
Even so, they all breathed a sigh of relief knowing the crew was leaving.
I also sighed, deciding I wouldn’t accept such ventures again in the future.
“Anya, hurry inside, lunch is ready.”
Eleanor Grey was still wearing her apron, smiling sweetly, and Arthur Grey, who followed close behind her, was also beaming. “Eleanor made your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs today. Come try some, it won’t be as good cold.”
After five years, my interactions with them had become much more natural. Eleanor and Arthur had always wanted children but, unfortunately, neither could conceive. After becoming my customized parents, they truly loved me as their own child.
Through our time together, they grew even more fond of me.
I was sensible, filial, and well-behaved. Even though they were hired, I treated them with exceptional respect. They had heard I was also an orphan, which only strengthened their belief that we were destined to be a family.
It happened that they had no children, and it happened that I had no parents.
The dinner table was filled with warmth and laughter. Caleb Hayes sat beside me, attentively serving me food and peeling shrimp.
The island was rich in seafood, but I found it too much bother to eat. It was Caleb who later realized I simply didn’t like handling it, and he naturally took over the task.
After eating my fill, I went to the other side to watch the variety show’s filming. Since it was the last day, the production team was uncharacteristically lenient with the guests. A group of young men and women laughed and played, creating a lively atmosphere.
I recalled that over these past five years, aside from supply deliveries, there had been almost no other visitors.
After all, it was a private island; without my permission, others couldn’t come ashore. It had indeed been a long time since it was this lively.
Lost in thought, Caleb came over with a fruit platter. Seeing me staring off into the distance, he offered the platter to me, then sat casually on the ground beside me, not bothering with a chair.
“Here.”
I didn’t take it. I was sitting on the ground too, with no table. If I took the plate, I’d have to hold it constantly, and I didn’t want to, so I simply didn’t reach for it. I just looked at him, opening my mouth slightly.
Understanding my unspoken request, Caleb smiled, speared a small piece of fruit with a toothpick, and fed it to my mouth. I happily accepted it.
In the past, I had no privilege to be willful and was accustomed to putting others first. But here, I was the center of attention and had the privilege to be spoiled. Coupled with the genuine affection from Eleanor and Arthur, and Caleb, I had grown a bit lazier.
But I felt it was a good thing.
Damien Thorne didn’t come alone. With him were Mr. and Mrs. Reed and Seraphina Reed.
The Reed family hadn’t fared well over the years. Sterling Vance had started his own venture, and the first thing he did after succeeding was to compete with the Reed family in the market. They had wanted to stabilize their position through marriage alliances, but Seraphina, spoiled rotten by them, was extremely headstrong. After Sterling broke off their engagement, she threw daily tantrums at home. They, too, doted on their youngest daughter and couldn’t bear to force her into an arranged marriage.
Worse, their eldest daughter’s two engagements had failed, and then she had completely disappeared without a trace after canceling her identity. They didn’t even know where to look for her. If Damien hadn’t told them he had found her, they would still be unaware of this unfilial daughter’s whereabouts.
Mr. and Mrs. Reed secretly resolved in their hearts that when they met her, they would thoroughly reprimand this unfilial daughter. They had heard she bought her own island and lived so luxuriously, yet she hadn’t thought to help her own parents.
Their expressions were already unpleasant on the boat, and upon seeing the discreetly luxurious manor on the island, their anger festered. They completely forgot Damien’s earlier instruction to resolve misunderstandings with Anya peacefully.
But perhaps there were no misunderstandings between them to begin with.
The day I saw Sterling, I guessed Damien would eventually find me. I even wondered if I should hide, but then I thought, they were just some unimportant people. I really had no need to hide from irrelevant people, as if I were someone to be ashamed of.
But I truly hadn’t expected Damien to bring Mr. and Mrs. Reed with him.
Initially, I had never understood why. Back in the city, I was always the extra person. My parents didn’t love me, my sister rejected me, the person I loved loved my sister, and the person who “loved me” actually loved my sister too. Shouldn’t my departure have been exactly what they wanted? Why did they have to put on such a show, pretending to be frantic about finding me?
Was this performance so important, so crucial that even after I, the supporting character, had left the stage, he still had to play out the final act?
But I only thought about it briefly. If I couldn’t understand, I wouldn’t dwell on it.
Anyway, from now on, they would have nothing to do with me. Whatever they wanted to do was entirely up to them.
Damien and his group arrived quickly. When they reached Reunion Isle, we were having breakfast.
The door was suddenly pounded on, then just as abruptly, the noise stopped. Not long after, a gentle knocking replaced it. I had just begun to frown when Caleb Hayes stood up to open the door.
The door swung open, and the moment he and the people outside came face to face, they all froze.
Damien had actually started regretting bringing Mr. and Mrs. Reed when they began pounding on the door. But now, seeing someone else inside my house, a furious jealousy ignited his reason.
His chest heaved violently, indicating his extreme agitation. If he hadn’t yet seen me, he might have already resorted to violence.
“Who is it?”
At the thought of me, my voice drifted from inside. Damien didn’t care who this man at the door was. The moment he heard my voice, his gaze repeatedly swept the interior, hoping to see the person he was looking for.
And the moment my voice was heard, Mr. and Mrs. Reed, whom he had brought along, couldn’t even hold back. They completely disregarded their composure and started shouting.
“You rebellious daughter! Now you’re pulling a runaway act! Five years, and you haven’t come home once. Do you have any respect for us, your parents?!”
“Aren’t you ashamed enough? Get out here and come back with us!”
Damien hadn’t even had time to stop them when Seraphina, who had walked in with Mr. and Mrs. Reed, also spoke with her falsely innocent charm. “Sister, I know you’re angry with me, but no matter how much you sulk, you can’t abandon Mom and Dad! They’ve been frantic looking for you these past few years. Come home with us now!”
Seeing these people, who claimed to be Anya’s family, immediately launch into insults, Caleb Hayes, with all his good temper, finally snapped. He sneered, “Where did these dogs come from, barking at people for no reason?”
He moved his body further, completely blocking Damien’s view of the interior. Before they could erupt in anger, he added another chilling warning, “This is Anya’s island. Trespassing without permission, especially not in your country, means you might end up in a shark’s belly.”
His cold gaze swept over them, striking a momentary fear into the four outside, but it was quickly replaced by rage.
“Who are you?! How dare you…”
Bluntly rebuked, Damien was furious. Just as he was about to say something, the door slammed shut. Damien, who had been about to step forward, ended up getting a nose full of dust. None of the rejected group had expected to be unceremoniously dismissed without even seeing me.
Inside, because Mr. and Mrs. Reed and Seraphina hadn’t bothered to lower their voices, I still vaguely heard parts of their conversation despite the distance. So when Caleb approached, saying a group of liars claiming to be my relatives had arrived, my face showed no surprise. Instead, I explained for them,
“They’re not liars.”
My words caused everyone in the dining room to look at me, puzzled. After all, when I had arranged for my customized family and boyfriend, I had said I was all alone. So how was it that now…
Before they could figure it out, a violent pounding on the door suddenly started again. Caleb frowned deeply. Just as he was about to go and send them away again, I shook my head at him and got up to open the door myself.
Whatever their reason for coming, I had to clarify things with them. Naturally, I was the most suitable person to face them.
I walked to the front alone. The violent pounding and those unfriendly words just moments ago made Eleanor and Arthur, and Caleb, all uneasy about letting me face them alone, so they hurried after me.
When they caught up, I had just opened the main door.
Whether it was a loss of control from pounding, or if they had intended to strike, the moment the door opened, a slap came flying towards me. Caleb’s heart lurched, fearing I would be hurt. But I was prepared. The instant the slap descended, I stepped to the side, and all that was heard was the thud of flesh hitting the ground.
Mr. Reed, having lost face in public, his complexion alternating between pale fury and flushed rage, scrambled awkwardly to his feet, gasping for breath, almost unable to speak.
Seraphina quickly rushed forward to help him up, her eyes full of disapproval, her voice thick with accusation. “Sister, how could you treat Dad like this? Dad is an elder, after all. If you have a problem, just take it out on me, why do you have to do this to Dad? He’s getting old; if anything happens to him, can you bear the responsibility?”
Mrs. Reed was also visibly anxious. Only after seeing Seraphina help Mr. Reed up did she relax. When she turned to me, a surge of uncontrollable fury pierced through her.
“Anya Reed, you unfilial daughter, how could I have given birth to such a heartless thing! Not only did you snatch Seraphina’s fiancé, but you even dare to lay hands on your father! You truly are not half as sensible as Seraphina!”
She angrily stepped forward, raising her hand to slap me. But her raised hand never landed. Caleb Hayes, who had followed closely behind me, blocked it. Then, with a slight push, she stumbled backward. Luckily, Damien Thorne was quick to catch her, preventing her from falling flat on her face as well.
This, in turn, fueled their rage even further. Not only did they curse me, but also Caleb and the others, incessantly yelling that we had no manners and demanded we all leave.
I paid no attention to their insults, my gaze turning towards Damien Thorne, who was pushed to the back of the group. My expression was indifferent.
The moment our eyes met, he looked into mine, not with the excitement and joy he expected, but with annoyance and coldness. Not like lovers reunited after a long separation, but like complete strangers.
Damien felt a pang of deep unfairness. He had purposely brought the Reed family here, initially thinking that after years of not seeing them and Seraphina, we could catch up. He knew our past relationship wasn’t close, but they were still family, and what parents and children held grudges overnight? Couldn’t they just talk it out?
So, on the way, he had specifically instructed them not to be so aggressive when they met me, to sit down and talk things through. Mr. and Mrs. Reed and Seraphina had all readily agreed. He truly hadn’t known they would start a scene like this!
But if he were truly honest, Damien knew this was his fault too. So he managed to suppress the bitterness in his heart and reorganized his words before speaking.
“Anya, it’s been a long time.”
Damien had missed me terribly, thinking of our reunion every waking moment for five years. But countless failed attempts had made him almost believe he would never see me again.
Now that we finally met again, he had countless words he wanted to say to me, but he didn’t know where to begin.
But while he wanted to reminisce, I, the Anya he had longed for, had no interest whatsoever.
“You brought them here just to make trouble for me? Damien Thorne, aside from running away from the wedding, have I ever wronged you? The person you love wasn’t me to begin with, and your claims of loving me and wanting to marry me were just to stop me from hindering Seraphina and Sterling Vance, right? I’ve already chosen not to dwell on how you deceived my feelings for Seraphina, couldn’t we just call it even? Why do you insist on appearing in front of me again?”
I paused, then turned to look at Mr. and Mrs. Reed and Seraphina, who were still glaring at me, my voice filled with bewilderment. “You say I’m unfilial, but have you ever fulfilled a single day of your responsibilities as parents? Have you ever treated me like your daughter? And you say I snatched things from Seraphina? That’s laughable. No matter what it was, if Seraphina liked it, I always had to give it to her—my room, my academic achievements, your love, my friends, my lovers. I gave everything to her. Isn’t this exactly what you wanted? From now on, you’re only her parents. Sterling Vance, Damien Thorne, whether it’s the person she wanted or the things she desired, what did she not get? What else do you want me to give?”
By the end, my emotions were running high. These two speeches encapsulated the heartbreak of my past twenty-odd years.
My chest heaved violently, yet my words left everyone present in stunned silence.
Caleb Hayes had guessed there was a story behind me, but I hadn’t told him, so he pretended not to know. Even if our remaining lives were intertwined, he had never intended to pry into my secrets.
He had never imagined that the truth hidden in that past, which we all instinctively avoided, would be like this.
He stepped forward and gently took my hand. His warm touch banished the cold from my palm. Eleanor and Arthur Grey also approached, shielding me.
Although they had initially been confused upon learning I had birth parents, and their relationship with me began purely as a financial arrangement, they had, after all, cherished me as their own daughter for five years. Now that they knew my history, their eyes were filled with overwhelming pity.
Sensing their concern, I couldn’t hold back, my eyes reddening. I squeezed their hands tightly in return.
It was only at this moment that Damien and his group finally saw this family in its entirety.
Their relationship was clearly not that of employer and staff. My accusations against them still echoed in the air. Seeing my clear dependence on these people now, Mr. and Mrs. Reed’s eyes twitched. A sense of unease rose within them, and they instinctively blurted out, “What do you mean by this?”
Hearing their voices, my attention returned to them. Looking at their disheveled state, I suddenly laughed.
I spread my hands, then pointed to each person beside me, introducing them.
“He is my husband, legally protected. They are my parents, also in the legal sense. And as for you, you actually ceased to have any connection with me five years ago.”
At my words, they all froze, utterly unable to believe their ears. Damien’s face was filled with incredulity. He unconsciously released Mrs. Reed’s hand, stumbling a few steps forward, trying to grab my hand. But Arthur Grey blocked him, slapping his outstretched hand away, his brows deeply furrowed.
“Say what you need to say, but don’t get handsy here.”
Arthur had no goodwill towards these people now. They had children, then neglected them, favoring one to the extreme, yet still claiming to be my parents.
From the moment they arrived until now, had a single kind word left their lips?
Especially this Damien Thorne, who acted like he loved Anya, yet didn’t even know her family situation, and still dared to bring such parents to her doorstep, prattling on about “long time no see.”
What a hypocrite.
Arthur used considerable force, making Damien’s wrist sting. He bit down hard to keep from crying out, but while he could endure the physical pain, the anguish in his heart was unbearable.
He didn’t dare to get closer. Instead, from behind Arthur, he explained to me, his face pale, “Anya, no, it’s not like that. Actually, I had already fallen in love with you even before you left. I was just too slow to realize it. But in these five years you’ve been gone, my heart has been ripped to shreds every single day. I dream of seeing you again, of telling you that I truly know I was wrong. Can you give me another chance?”
Looking at his heartbroken expression, I felt absolutely nothing.
I watched his performance in silence, calculating how much genuine emotion he had in that moment. After all, with his acting skills, he could fake 100% love for me even while loving someone else. Who knew if his words now were true or false?
Seeing I didn’t answer, Damien’s gaze fell on my hand, tightly clasped with Caleb Hayes’s. He seemed to suddenly understand something, and his expression grew agitated.
“I know, you’re just still angry with me, right? Anya, I’m sorry, can I apologize to you? I’ve checked, he’s just someone you hired with money, but our seven years together were real! Look, I even brought our wedding rings. I had yours re-forged and engraved with our names. I promise you, from now on, whatever you say goes. You don’t like the Reed family? I won’t associate with them anymore either. Please… Anya, don’t leave me…”
By the end of his plea, his voice was choked with sobs. His overly sincere performance made Arthur and Eleanor hesitate. Could he truly love Anya?
They turned to look at Caleb Hayes, a hint of apprehension in their eyes.
Their relationship with me was born of money, and they couldn’t be sure if five years of companionship could truly replace Damien Thorne, who had been by my side for so long in the past.
My feet shifted slightly. I stepped past Arthur. Caleb’s heart lurched. He instinctively tightened his grip on my hand. I turned back, gave him a small smile, and patted his hand reassuringly.
“Wait for me.”
🌟 Continue the story here
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