Category: English

In the first year of the apocalypse, Liam grew tired of me. He began favoring my sister, Rowan, his combat partner. Everyone in the team silently agreed they were the perfect match, leaving me feeling like an outcast. Before the apocalypse, I was his light, his savior. After, I became nothing but a dead weight, dragging our team down. Later, after he and my sister finally confessed their feelings during a battle, he allowed the rest of the team to bully me. To save the one he truly loved, he even pushed me into the arms of another man. Until, I truly fell for someone else. He suddenly remembered me, the girl who took him in, battered and broken, back when we first met. **1** I huddled with the Normals, curled up in a corner in the dead of night. I quickly ducked my head, took a stealthy bite of the last cookie, holding it in my mouth to muffle any sound. My stomach churned with acid, protesting the long hours of hunger. The cookie was a little moldy. I’d secretly stashed it away earlier when we were scavenging for supplies. It was the second year of the apocalypse. We still hadn’t reached the Northern Base, and our team had grown from five to twelve members. Seven Ability Users and five Normals. I was one of the Normals, never having awakened an ability. Not far away, a group held up lights, studying a map. Their voices drifted faintly. “Newport City has fallen. We’ll have to skirt around it, cutting through the mountains to reach the town on the other side. Fewer zombies there. Rowan, what do you think?” A cool, detached female voice replied, “Hmm. That works.” I looked up when I heard his voice. The man holding the lamp had messy hair, but his eyes held a surprising gentleness. “We should reach the Northern Base in about a month. I heard order is slowly being restored there.” Liam and I hadn’t spoken in a long time, even though he was my boyfriend. I finished the last crumb of my cookie, my gaze falling on the woman in leather, exuding an icy coolness. Thank goodness, only a month left. Once we reach the Northern Base, everything will be fine. I’d heard even Normals could live decent lives there. Then, I could finally end things. My fingers instinctively brushed against the zombie crystal core I’d secretly stashed in my pocket. They said if a Normal swallowed a pure crystal, there was a chance they’d awaken an ability. Ability Users could absorb it to grow stronger, but for a Normal, it meant a gruesome, explosive death. Yet, holding it, a fragile spark of hope flickered within me. While the Ability User squad cleared out the zombies outside, our Normal squad searched the convenience store for any remaining supplies. I wore a pack nearly half my height and climbed through a small window into a convenience store. It looked like it had already been picked clean. Only a few daily necessities and some dried peanuts were left. I stuffed everything into my bag, then my sharp eyes spotted a box of coconut candies under the table. I crouched down and tucked them into my sleeve. It was deep summer outside, but thick winter clothing enveloped my skeletal frame. I slowed my breathing, trying to minimize my presence. I handed over everything I found to Hank, the man in charge of supplies. Hank’s gaze lingered on me, laced with ill intent. That predatory look had been following me for a long time now. He took my bag, his clammy fingers brushing my hand. Hank grinned. “Elara, you’re dressed so heavily, but your hands are still freezing.” I pulled my hand back and scurried behind Liam, linking my arm through his. Liam frowned, looking at me, but I just tilted my head back and gave him a sweet, innocent smile, pretending not to notice his stiff posture. Rowan glanced at us, her eyes flashing with a hint of mockery as she saw our linked arms. “Before the apocalypse, she relied on her parents. After, she relies on men…” I pressed my lips together, offering no defense. She seemed to find it uninteresting, turning away, her neat ponytail whipping through the air. Liam watched her disappear into the vehicle, then turned to me, his gaze laced with clear disapproval. “Elara, you know your sister gets upset when she sees you. Why do you always have to appear in front of her?” The impatience in his eyes was almost palpable. I stared, stunned, biting my lip, trying to look lost and helpless. “I’m sorry, but I was scared. Hank just touched me.” Liam’s expression became uncomfortable, but he didn’t pull his hand away. This was the man I’d been with since high school. I’d found him in a dark, damp alley. Ribs showed through his emaciated frame, covered in wounds, passed out in dirty water. Pity compelled me to rescue him. I scrounged and saved every penny to get him treated, even shared my meager meals daily when he had nothing to eat. Back then, Liam’s mother had passed away, and his father was an alcoholic who beat him senseless when drunk. He only managed to stay in school because his grades were exceptional, earning him a scholarship. Slowly, the dark, brooding boy I knew began to heal, his eyes and heart holding only me. We naturally fell in love. He even gave up a scholarship opportunity to attend the same university as me. But on our wedding day, the apocalypse hit. A guest mutated, tearing into another, plunging the reception into utter chaos. My parents, in a desperate act to save us, locked Rowan and me behind an iron gate. They used their own bodies as a shield, buying us precious moments to escape. Then, right before our eyes, they turned, becoming mindless zombies. Rowan was my older sister, three years my senior, and she’d despised me since we were kids. From childhood, I was sickly; a simple cold could nearly kill me. Until I was thirteen, I was practically on medication every day. While other kids chased and played, I could only watch from indoors. Even when my health improved, my parents still worried endlessly about me. I was always so docile and well-behaved, they never spoke a harsh word to me. Rowan always believed my presence stole her parents’ love, feeling they played favorites. During her teenage years, she was as prickly as a hedgehog, and we argued constantly, every other day. She later went to a university far from home and only returned when I was about to get married. That day, her hatred seemed to climax. She grabbed my arm, relentlessly questioning, “Why you, Elara? Why aren’t you dead? If you hadn’t gotten married, none of this would’ve happened! Mom and Dad wouldn’t be dead! You’re a curse, a jinx! They gave you all their love, and even in their last moments, they told me to take care of you! Why, Elara? Why don’t you just die?!” In our small team, Rowan and Liam were the first to awaken their abilities. Ability Users were physically superior to Normals in every way, their strength and endurance far exceeding ours. Rowan had ice powers, Liam awakened fire powers. The other two were Liam’s college roommates, who awakened water and wood abilities respectively. With the apocalypse came earthquakes and floods, ravaging human homes. Nearly all water sources were contaminated, and cities plunged into darkness. Later, we heard there was a survivor’s base up north, so our group set off on the journey. Initially, everyone was friendly to me, but that changed when they realized I hadn’t awakened an ability. Resentment started to fester within the team. If I hadn’t been Liam’s girlfriend and Rowan’s sister, they would have said something. But instead, their occasional impatience and disgust revealed their inner disdain. They probably forgot that, in the beginning, before they awakened their abilities, when buildings were being destroyed by thousands of zombies, it was *me* who squeezed into collapsed ruins to find food. When their abilities were slow to improve, I was also the first to discover that some zombies had crystal cores in their heads. I watched as, over this past year, Liam’s heart was slowly, undeniably, turning towards Rowan. Her ice, his fire – a devastating combination that made quick work of any zombie horde. They were the most in-sync partners, a truly formidable duo. Maybe he felt a kinship with Rowan, a shared sense of tragedy. The more he learned about her past, comparing it to my own carefree nature, the more he seemed to ache for her strength and independence. During food shortages, I even overheard them debating whether to abandon me. They were combat partners, fighting side-by-side. I was nothing but a dead weight, dragging them down. Other Normals, even without abilities, could manage against zombies in groups. But I was weak, frail. I was only useful for my small size, able to squeeze into tight spots to find food. Nothing more than a burden. Later, Hank and his group joined. Hank was a Strength Ability User, and the man with him, George, had a rare healing ability. When did I realize he no longer loved me? Perhaps it was his silence when others mocked me. Or perhaps it was the day I went to get into the car, and my usual seat was piled high with a large duffel bag, packed with all the food I’d found. And Liam’s hesitant eyes when he looked at me. “This car is for Ability Users only. Elara, I’m the leader. I can’t show you favoritism just because you’re my girlfriend. Can you understand that, Elara?” I nodded and went to the back, to the minivan with the rest of the Normals. The Normals in the team were all like me. Any food we found had to be given to the Ability Users. Normals were given only tiny portions of water and food each day, just enough to sustain life. Everyone in the van was silent, eyes closed, conserving energy. That’s when everyone knew: Liam didn’t consider me special anymore. If I hadn’t been Liam’s girlfriend, Hank would have made his move on me long ago. And Liam seemed oblivious to Hank’s blatant, predatory gaze. He just dismissed it, telling me I was overthinking things. “Liam, we’re almost at the Northern Base.” I whispered, lowering my eyes. He paused, as if he hadn’t understood my meaning. I sighed internally. Once we reached the Northern Base, no one would have to pretend anymore. We’d all be free. **2** After a day of rest, the team set off on foot into the mountains. Newport City had long since become a zombie-infested ruin. We planned to enter through a small town at the foot of the mountains. I followed the team. This area used to be a tourist attraction, with man-made paths, so the mountain trail wasn’t too treacherous. The mountain forest was strangely quiet. Behind me, a Normal collapsed. The prolonged hunger had made it impossible for him to keep walking, but everyone else simply ignored him, as if he didn’t exist, continuing forward. I followed, the weight of my backpack reminding me that supplies were low. As I passed him, two coconut candies tumbled from my sleeve. When I looked up after doing that, my eyes met Rowan’s cold gaze. “I think someone needs to carry the pack.” I kept my head down and walked forward, pretending not to hear her. But then the strap of my backpack was yanked. “I said, someone needs to carry it. Are you deaf?!” The people in front stopped. All eyes were on Rowan and me. Rowan suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked up my thick winter sleeve. A bag of coconut candies and two compressed biscuits fell out. “Because someone’s being selfish and hoarding food.” “In the apocalypse, the first to die are the bleeding hearts. You’re damn lucky you’ve made it this far.” Her tone was mocking, her eyes filled with disdain. She picked up the biscuits from the ground and threw them at the collapsed Normal. “Eat up and hurry along.” Then she glared at me. “Don’t let me find anything else missing from the bag.” “I understand,” I mumbled, not a hint of embarrassment for being caught hoarding food. Most of the supplies in the apocalypse had already been scavenged. The majority of the food in our team’s possession was found by me, tucked away in dangerous, narrow crevices. I had to face the constant threat of zombies while navigating crumbling, precarious buildings. And since I found most of our team’s food, I didn’t feel I owed them anything, even if I hadn’t awakened an ability. The supplies they rationed to Normals were pitifully small. What I hid, I believed, was rightfully mine. But I said nothing. Speaking up would only make them think I was ungrateful. The team stopped at a mountain lodge halfway up the slope. Night had fallen. The place seemed to have been ransacked already; anything useful was gone. I set down my heavy pack. Clearly, they had no intention of sharing food with the Normals tonight. I went upstairs, searching every room, trying to find some forgotten scrap of food, but found nothing. No one noticed me. I quickly popped the last coconut candy I’d hidden in my chest into my mouth, then went downstairs and curled up in a corner to try and sleep. A group not far away seemed to be discussing something. Finally, they all left. They returned in the middle of the night. Liam was carrying Rowan, his face etched with worry. She was pale, leaning against him, her entire shoulder soaked with blood. I could vaguely see the raw flesh underneath. If she didn’t get treatment soon, Rowan would turn into a mindless zombie. The two groups seemed to be arguing, the atmosphere tense and volatile. I hid behind the crowd, vaguely understanding what had happened. Rowan had sensed a high-tier zombie in these mountains. Everyone else’s abilities had been leveling up, but hers had stagnated for too long. She was fiercely competitive, incapable of accepting that she was standing still. After sensing the high-tier zombie, she was desperate to get its crystal core. To get this crystal, everyone in the team had taken hits, but Rowan was clearly the most gravely wounded. Hank and George, the healing ability user behind him, along with a Lightning Ability User, stood opposite Liam. Liam’s eyes were bloodshot, and a fiery ball gathered in his palm, ready to strike at any second. “Make your man save Rowan! Besides this Fourth-Tier crystal, I’ll give you anything you want, *anything*.” “Anything I want?” Hank’s ill-intentioned gaze fell on me, then he grinned. “I want you to break up with Elara.” Liam turned and looked at me, standing outside the circle. My lips trembled, and my face instantly went pale. If I lost my status as an Ability User’s girlfriend, as a Normal without an awakened power, my fate was easy to imagine. Hank’s voice continued, “Anyone with eyes can see you’re Elara’s boyfriend, yet you’re obviously into Rowan too. We only have a few women in this team, and you’re hogging the two prettiest ones. That’s not fair, is it? Let go of Elara, and I promise to treat her well. Besides, she’s just a Normal, no ability — being with me would be her goddamn good fortune.” They laughed and debated, nobody caring about what I wanted. They simply decided my future with ease. Liam turned back to me. I instinctively grabbed his hand, tears welling in my eyes. “No, Liam, I don’t want to break up.” Only a month left until the Northern Base! Just one month! Liam looked down at me. He carefully put Rowan down, then gripped my hand and pulled me away. “Liam, you promised you wouldn’t leave me.” I flung myself into his arms, my tears blurring my vision. “Liam, Liam, don’t break up…” I pleaded in a low voice. Breaking up would send a dangerous signal to everyone else. Then, I’d just be a slab of meat on the chopping block, to be devoured not just by Hank, but by the other Ability Users in the team too. In the apocalypse, order had crumbled, and humanity’s depravity was on full display. I’d seen what happened to other Normals, both men and women, who hadn’t awakened abilities. The weak weren’t their kin; they were just resources, to be traded or consumed. I didn’t want to become that. We were so close, just one more month. “Elara, I’m sorry…” Liam’s expression was cold, devoid of the pity he once held for me. “Elara, your sister, she’s always had such a hard life. She was neglected since she was a child, always so strong-willed. I always thought I only felt a comradeship for her, but today, seeing her on the verge of death, I can’t lie to myself anymore. I’ve fallen for her.” “Do you know what will happen to me if we break up?” He fell silent, then spoke, “Hank is a Fourth-Tier Strength user, just as powerful as me. For you, he’s a decent option.” He analyzed it calmly, his eyes devoid of the tenderness they once held. The man who, in the early days of the apocalypse, had shielded me with his body, nearly dying at the hands of the Infected, now looked like a demon. “Besides, Elara, she’s your sister. When did you become so selfish? Do you know when I started to fall for your sister? She pretends not to care about the Normals, but when facing zombies, she’s always the first to charge in. But you? You only think of yourself, even when your own sister’s life hangs in the balance.” As he spoke, a cruel sneer twisted his lips. Rowan’s ‘tough exterior, soft heart’ act was only for others. We were sisters, yet she hated me so fiercely. As a child, she could have softened her tone a little to mend her relationship with our parents, but she always chose the sharpest thorns to face our family. When she insisted on going to a university far from home, our parents, unable to stop her, agonized over it, their hair turning gray with worry. The expenses there were huge. They sent her a hefty sum every month, even selling our family home and downsizing to afford it. No one ever owed her anything. All this way, because of Liam and Rowan’s subtle dislike for me, I had been isolated by everyone. Despite there being so many Normals in the team, I was the only one they routinely mocked and called useless. I wiped my tears, looking at the man before me, knowing it was hopeless. I turned and walked towards the door, a faint glow of dawn visible in the sky, illuminating a path through the mountains. Liam’s voice drifted from behind me, eerily quiet. “There are still some zombies in the mountains. We’ve been here so long, they’ve probably caught our scent. They should be nearby. If you think you can get down the mountain safely by yourself, then go ahead.” “Elara, how did you become so selfish?” I turned back to him. He seemed certain I wouldn’t dare go alone. Liam’s gaze was a mixture of disappointment and relief—as if he was finally seeing me for who I truly was, and was glad of it. To ensure safety, everyone stayed together. I huddled with the Normals, curled up in a corner, knees drawn to my chest. It was an excruciatingly uncomfortable position, but I’d grown used to it. An hour later, everyone rested in place. Sunlight streamed into the room, dimly illuminating the scene. A pair of hands pulled me up. I screamed, but a hand clamped over my mouth and nose. The room was silent. I struggled, kicking over a table and chairs in the living room. I saw the sofa where Liam had been sleeping shift, then settle back into stillness. The man’s foul stench filled my nostrils. His hands, like steel clamps, cinched my waist, dragging me into a room. Everyone else pretended to be oblivious. I gritted my teeth, fumbling for the small knife in my pocket. With a swift movement, I sliced open my palm, drawing blood. When everyone else awakened their abilities, even a tiny scratch on me would draw countless zombies. Born frail, then cursed by the apocalypse, even the ability I’d instinctively awakened was a useless, dangerous curse that seemed intent on killing me. I closed my eyes. If no one wanted me alive, then let everyone die. The hand covering my mouth and nose loosened. He started tearing at my clothes. The blade in my palm sank halfway into my flesh, and blood dripped onto the bedsheets. Outside the window, pale, decaying zombies smashed through the window, lunging into the room and shattering the quiet. Hank scrambled to his feet. I lay limp on the bed, my thick winter coat ripped open, revealing the short-sleeved top underneath. Liam pushed open the door, practically unable to look me in the eyes. They finished off the zombies. Hank pried open a zombie head, found no crystal core, then spat in disgust and left the room, his interest gone. Liam looked back at me. After a long moment, he closed the door. I looked at the scattered zombie corpses on the floor, walked over, and slowly reached out my hand. Just as it was about to touch the rotting flesh, I yanked it back. I couldn’t die. After all the mockery, scorn, and bullying in the apocalypse, enduring so much—wasn’t it all just to survive? **3** The next day, the team continued their trek. The mountain path stretched endlessly, growing steeper and more treacherous the further we went. Besides a few zombies in hiking gear, there were no other signs of life.

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I woke up and found myself the heroine of a brutal romance novel. The day I slashed my wrists, the male lead was picking up his idealized first love, Genevieve, who had just returned from overseas. He sneered, “Didn’t you say you’d put up with anything just to marry me? Can’t even handle something this trivial?” Genevieve purred, “He loves me. If you hadn’t threatened his mother’s life, he would never have been with you. It’s time to return what was mine.” His mother, Patricia, whose life I’d saved, coldly added, “Here’s your money back. Can you please just let my son go? It’s better for everyone if you two divorce.” But I wouldn’t leave him. Because he was about to die. I woke up lying in a bathtub. Blood was everywhere. My phone was on speaker, and Julian’s angry voice blasted from it: “I’m home. Where the hell are you? Is it fun constantly creating drama like this?” I hung up, dialed 911, and the next time I woke, I was in a hospital room. The doctor said, “Another five minutes, and we wouldn’t have been able to save you. Luckily, your will to live is strong.” “Yeah, I know.” I had transmigrated into a dark romance novel. The original heroine, Maya, had desperately loved Julian, but he never returned her feelings. His constant emotional abuse had left her with severe depression and strong suicidal tendencies. Tonight, Julian was throwing a lavish welcome-home party for his idealized first love, Genevieve. Maya, pushed to her breaking point, had felt she couldn’t take it anymore and called him to come home. He was the one who had ignored her desperate plea for help. Her life was supposed to end today. But not anymore. “Your phone kept ringing. The caller ID said ‘Husband.’ We notified your family, and he’s on his way.” “Doesn’t matter. How’s the baby?” Maya had been pregnant when she tried to kill herself. “The fetal heartbeat almost stopped, but fortunately, the baby’s will to live is as strong as yours. For now, it’s out of danger. The detailed report will be ready soon.” “Thank you.” A while later, Julian, impeccably dressed in a suit, pushed open the door. He took one look at my bandaged wrist and scowled, his handsome brows furrowed. “Playing this game again? Maya, you try to kill yourself every other day. Why aren’t you dead yet?” “You’re not dead, so I’m not in a hurry,” I calmly looked at him. “I’ll be sending you off first, Julian.” In the original novel, after Maya lost both her and the baby, Julian seemed to suddenly fall in love with her. He was filled with belated regret. All that belated, overflowing affection. A year later, Julian died of stomach cancer. A year. Not long. I could wait. Julian had never heard such venomous words from Maya. He froze for a second. “I just went to a reunion with an old friend. Is it really that big of a deal?” His “old friend” was his idealized first love, Genevieve. Of course, I didn’t care. “The desire to kill someone can’t be hidden. Whatever you do, I want you dead. It has little to do with who you meet or what you do.” Julian shook his head in disbelief. “Maya, are you crazy? Constantly talking about dying, but don’t drag others into it.” “What kind of talk is that? She’s a depression patient. And you keep saying ‘die.’ How is that any different from attempted murder?” The doctor scolded him, then softly said to me, “Here’s the report. The baby is fine. You two are incredibly lucky. Mother and child are both safe.” “You’re pregnant?” Julian was stunned, then his face turned cold. “I told you I didn’t want kids. I always used protection. What did you do to the condoms?” “The best birth control is not to do it at all. Don’t you know that basic fact? Or are you saying I deliberately forced myself on you? If so, go call the police. Accuse me of marital rape.” Maya had always been a gentle, quiet woman. This was the first time Julian had seen her so sharp-tongued. He was so furious he could barely speak. “…You’re being unreasonable.” “Men who are terrible at arguing are boring. They’re useless beyond a pretty face, just annoying.” I pulled the covers over me and went to sleep, wondering what Maya ever saw in him. Julian stared at my back. His phone rang, and I faintly heard Genevieve’s voice: “…Julian, I’m drunk. I don’t know how to get to the hotel…” Julian glanced at me. “It’s not a good time tonight.” “It is. Go on, get lost,” I interjected. Julian was supposed to be with Genevieve tonight anyway. And Maya was supposed to bleed out, slowly. “Haven’t you made enough of a scene?” Julian’s voice was always laced with annoyance when he spoke to me. “You’re truly impossible to please. When I clung to you, you found me disgusting. Now that I don’t want to see you, you stick to me like superglue. What, have you fallen for me?” Julian glared at me, then stormed out, slamming the door. A moment later, he brought in a bedside chair, set it next to me, and lay down without a word.

I stayed in the hospital for a while, and Julian remained stone-faced during his visits. One day, I went for a psychological therapy session. My attending physician, Dr. Alex Thorne, spoke with me for a bit, then asked me to undergo a full battery of organic lesion tests and a new psychological evaluation. He looked at my reports as if he’d witnessed a medical miracle. “Your depression… it’s completely cured. Both your psychological assessment and test results are perfectly healthy.” “Depression often begins when a patient becomes overly fixated on a single goal, leading to narrowed focus, accumulated frustrations, and eventually self-attack and self-loathing. I used to love Julian, and my eyes were only on him. When he didn’t love me back, I felt worthless. Now that I’ve let go, my life force has naturally begun to flow again.” Dr. Thorne smiled and shook my hand. “Congratulations. I say that as a friend.” Dr. Thorne was the only one who truly cared about Maya. He had witnessed how this poor woman had sunk deep into the mire of love. All her efforts had been for naught. The most sincere emotions, had brought nothing but pain. “So, what are you going to do now? Divorce him?” “No,” I curled my lips into a smile. “He is a CEO, after all.” When he dies, the company will be mine. Why would I divorce him?

The day I returned home, Julian said he was busy and didn’t come to pick me up. Instead, I received a text from an unknown number. It was a picture of Julian. His eyes were slightly glazed, and he smiled gently at the camera, two buttons of his shirt undone, revealing his sculpted collarbone. Maya had never seen him look like that. But I was completely unfazed. I forwarded it to my lawyer, asking him to archive it. I had just stepped inside when I heard the lock click open again. It wasn’t Julian who entered, but his idealized first love, Genevieve. “All these years, his door code has remained my birthday, Maya. What makes you think you can compete with me?” She looked at me with the arrogant disdain of someone who felt deeply cherished. “Does playing doorman for us make you happy?” Genevieve never expected me to hit back: “Genevieve, if I hadn’t gone abroad to study five years ago, none of this would have happened. You see, the moment I came back, Julian couldn’t wait to see me. If you had any self-awareness, you’d pack your bags and leave immediately.” I dropped two lemon slices into a glass of warm water. “If I recall correctly, Ms. Genevieve, you went to New York? That’s not exactly far, a 25-hour flight. Why did it end up like a parting of the ways for eternity, forcing you to break up?” “Five years, 1800 days, 43,800 hours. He wouldn’t even spend 25 hours on you, never once visited you in America. How dare you believe he loves you? Were you being manipulated by him?” Genevieve froze for a second. “Julian couldn’t afford a plane ticket back then! If he had money, would he have let you leverage his mom’s life to force him to marry you?” “So you knew Julian was a guy who couldn’t even afford a twenty-five hundred dollar plane ticket five years ago? A man who clawed his way up from nothing?” I turned, holding my glass. “Now that he’s the CEO of Sterling Group, you’re telling me to get lost? Heh, you’re trying to commit grand theft in broad daylight!” As soon as the words left my mouth, police sirens wailed outside. Genevieve frowned. “You called the cops?” I raised my glass to her. “Any normal person calls the police when they’re being robbed. Just so you know.” As she was being led away by the police, she was still yelling, “Let’s see what charge you can pin on me!”

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That day, when they drugged me with the most potent aphrodisiac, I bought every single antidote on the market, desperately trying to delay the inevitable. It wasn’t until I heard the breathless moans and cries from next door, echoing nine times over, that I finally allowed myself to pass out, knowing I was safe. In my previous life, to cure Julian Hayes’s hereditary fertility disorder, the Hayes family had sought out eighteen women, each said to possess a rare, innate allure, capable of facilitating a cure. They were all fed the most potent aphrodisiacs. Whoever could conceive a child with Julian would become the Lady of the Hayes family. I was a siren of unparalleled allure, my very essence radiating irresistible charm, chosen at first glance. That night, Julian, also drugged, his eyes blazing, tormented me again and again. A month later, I was pregnant with the Hayes family heir. But Julian suddenly threw me into a squalid alleyway, ignoring my pleas, ordering the men there to take turns humiliating me. “Serena is already pregnant with my child! If you hadn’t interfered, she would be my wife!” “You filthy whore, used by everyone, you think you’re fit to be Lady Hayes? You like men so much? Today, you’ll get more than enough!” I was trapped in that squalid alleyway, my body wasting away until my insides ruptured, and I died a gruesome death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I was drugged. This time, no matter how their love burned or their hatred raged, it had nothing to do with me.

Just as I was about to shove a handful of antidotes into my mouth, the doctor’s grip tightened like a vise on my wrist. “Miss Anya, if you keep taking these, you’ll die!” Remembering the tragedy of my previous life, I gritted my teeth, yanked my hand free, and swallowed the pills. The liquid burned my throat, my stomach churned, threatening to spill its contents, but I managed to regain a sliver of clarity. The next second, the door burst open. Several men in black suits stormed in. Before I could even struggle, they forcibly carried me away. The doctor desperately tried to stop them, but his voice faded into the distance. A bucket of ice water splashed over me, jolting me awake. I opened my eyes to find myself thrown into a secret room. The air was thick with the sweet, cloying scent of aphrodisiacs. Women lay sprawled on the floor, faces flushed, clothes disheveled. Their faces were crimson, contorted in helpless agony. Before I could react, a bowl of aphrodisiac, ten times the normal concentration, was forcefully poured down my throat. The next second, my body erupted. My lower abdomen burned, and a fiery desire surged through every limb, making me want to throw myself onto the nearest man. I tried to scream, but when I opened my mouth, I spewed out a mouthful of blood. Blood mixed with saliva splattered onto the floor. I heard the women around me screaming, wailing: “Please let me go! I can’t take it anymore!” “Didn’t Anya already sleep with Julian Hayes?! Why are you still doing this to us?!” I bit down hard on my tongue, just barely keeping control, and pulled out the last antidote hidden in my pocket, swallowing it whole. The violent clash of chemicals instantly made me vomit blood. Nosebleeds and tears streamed down my face simultaneously. My stomach felt like it was tearing apart, and I writhed on the floor in agony. My cries startled the other women. Their swollen, bloodshot eyes stared at me in disbelief: “Why is Anya here? Who’s in the CEO’s room, then?” My nails dug deep into my thigh, and I forced myself to shout: “Call a doctor! People are going to die like this!” Just then, Serena, in a red dress, walked over, leaning on Julian Hayes. Her face was flushed, a look of satisfied bliss on her features. Julian’s gaze swept over the women writhing in pain, their clothes torn, and his face instantly darkened. Serena covered her mouth, feigning horror: “Oh my god, what happened to them? Who gave them such a strong dose? That’s too cruel.” Before I could speak, Julian kicked me hard. “You shameless whore! To steal Serena’s place, you actually went after all these women! Do you think doing this will make you a Hayes family wife?” A gush of blood surged up, and my teeth mixed with bloody foam fell onto the floor. The pain made my vision go black. “Julian… it wasn’t me, it was her…” Before I could finish, Julian kicked me again, heavily, right in my lower abdomen. I curled up in pain, cold sweat instantly drenching my clothes. He looked down at me, his voice like ice: “You think you’re the boss just because you were raised as Julian’s childhood fiancée? Do you really think I don’t know about all your little tricks against Serena?” He straightened up, his eyes cold, and embraced Serena as he walked out the door. “Since you made these women suffer so much, you can personally take care of them!” The door clicked shut, locking us inside, like a death knell isolating us from the outside world. The air was hot and suffocating. I lay sprawled on the floor, my limbs still trembling, but I heard rustling sounds nearby. The women, their eyes vacant, faces flushed, moved like a pack of wild animals. Their bodies were covered in scratches and tearing wounds, yet they seemed to feel no pain, lunging at me like mad. As I tried to move, my hair was yanked back hard. “It’s all you! You turned us into this!” Sharp nails dug into my shoulder. I didn’t even have the strength to struggle. Someone tore at my clothes, someone else clawed at my back, leaving bleeding welts that stung fiercely. I tried to scream, but before I could open my mouth, someone forced my head down and slammed it against the wall. “Thud——” My forehead hit hard. My vision went black for a moment, and blood streamed down my face, into my mouth. With a sharp rip, someone picked up a broken piece of porcelain and slashed it hard across my leg. My skin tore open instantly, and agonizing pain shot through my bones. I was on the verge of passing out. “Drink! Drink all the dregs! You put us through this, why should you be clear-headed?!” They forcefully pinched my chin, shoving the bowl of leftover sludge—mixed with dust, medicine, and vomit—into my mouth, choking me until snot and tears streamed down my face. I nearly suffocated. I was pressed onto the ground, convulsing all over, my consciousness slowly scattering. When the women finally collapsed from exhaustion, I too lay motionless on the floor. After a long time, the door finally opened. A cold draft swept in. Julian Hayes’s leather shoes stepped through my blood, approaching step by step. I lay on the floor, uttering low, hoarse whimpers of pain. Julian looked down at me, his voice cold: “This is the first time, consider it punishment for you making Serena lose her position as Lady Hayes. If you dare to bully Serena again, I’ll make your life a living hell!” My body trembled. I looked at him, my face covered in blood. So, I wasn’t the only one who had been reborn. I hadn’t even done anything, yet he claimed I had harmed Serena. Julian said coldly: “Anya, you betrayed me first, you’ve already lost the right to stand by my side. Only a kind girl like Serena deserves to be Lady Hayes.” I trembled, blood oozing from my lips every time I spoke. “I didn’t betray you, and I didn’t harm her, nor did I want to disturb you two. I took so many antidotes precisely because I didn’t want you to be drawn to my aura. Why, why are you still doing this to me?” His expression froze for a moment, but the next second, the light in his eyes turned into bone-deep disgust. “Stop acting, Anya.” “If you truly didn’t want to touch me, would you have given yourself and those women ten times the dose of the aphrodisiac? If not to seduce me, then what was it for?” “You just want to climb up, to snatch the Lady Hayes position. I’ve seen this act too many times before!” I grabbed his pant leg, begging for a moment’s reprieve. But he scoffed coldly, pulled his foot away, and kicked me hard, sending me tumbling into the stained medicine and vomit. My head hit the tiled floor with a heavy thud, and a streak of blood flowed from the corner of my eye. “Want to prove you weren’t trying to compete with Serena? Fine, go find my mom right now and tell her you want to break off the engagement.” “Then, be a good Hayes family servant. If you dare to harbor any improper thoughts again, I’ll immediately send you and your entire village to mine in Africa! Do you hear me?”

My vision blurred, whether from sweat or tears, I couldn’t tell. “Julian… your Hayes family’s hereditary fertility disorder… your father came to our village, knelt in the rain for three days and three nights, before my parents finally agreed to let me go. That’s how I came to your family…” My voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, yet I stubbornly uttered the question: “Now, how dare you… threaten my entire village?” Julian scoffed as if he’d heard a joke, looking down at me with cold disdain: “You dare bring that up? That ‘siren bloodline’ of yours, it was all a scam from beginning to end.” “If it weren’t for the stories you spun, do you think an unsophisticated village girl like you, not even fit for inspection, could enter my home? Serena, she made me a normal man, and now she’s pregnant with my child. What are you, anyway?” He finished speaking, then turned, wrapped an arm around Serena’s waist, and left without a backward glance. “Serena is the wife I want, no one can shake her position!” I lay on the floor, covered in blood. The aphrodisiac’s effects still hadn’t worn off, my body felt like it was on fire, convulsing and burning in waves. Mrs. Hayes rushed over. When she saw me in this state, her face turned pale: “Quick! Take her to the hospital, she’s fading fast!” After consulting, the doctors looked grim: “This type of aphrodisiac… can only be detoxified through intimacy. Otherwise, the only option is a complete blood transfusion, but the hospital’s blood supply is currently insufficient. If Miss Anya’s condition isn’t treated immediately, she might literally explode from within.” “What do you mean, ‘explode from within’?!” Mrs. Hayes almost screamed. A bodyguard explained: “This is a new formula brought back from overseas, there’s no antidote. It can only be counteracted by a man… otherwise, the blood throughout her body will burn her internal organs.” “Absurd! This is insane. His father worked so hard to bring this daughter-in-law home, how can he treat her so badly!” Mrs. Hayes panicked and immediately called Julian, but he didn’t answer even after a dozen calls. I lay there on an IV drip, feeling cold all over. Finally, on the third sedative injection, the call connected. Mrs. Hayes roared: “Are you insane?! Anya is the daughter-in-law your father brought home! If you don’t come back and help her, she’ll die!” “I’m warning you, she is the daughter-in-law the Hayes family has acknowledged! Come back immediately!” A soft chuckle came from the other end of the line. Julian’s voice was utterly chilling: “She’s got some nerve, even going to you? Fine, I’ll handle it.” The moment he hung up, my heart felt like it was being torn apart. Mrs. Hayes grasped my hand: “Don’t be afraid, I’m here. I’ll see justice for you. I’ll make him marry you, and treat you well.” But I gently closed my eyes, my nails digging deep into my palms. “Auntie, when you came to the village, you said that once the Hayes family had a child, you would let me go back.” “Now, Serena is pregnant… I’m no longer useful. Can you… let me go?” Mrs. Hayes froze, then her face darkened. She quietly instructed a bodyguard: “Go investigate.” Then, she gently patted my hand, but her voice was soft and gentle: “The Hayes family’s children have always come from your village for generations. Your family has blessed the Hayes. We brought you into our home, hoping you would live a stable and happy life. Those other women were just extra insurance.” “Julian used to follow you around every day, calling you ‘Sister Anya,’ always thinking of you for anything good. Later, he begged to get engaged to you. He liked you for over ten years, how did he suddenly become like this…?” As I listened, tears finally streamed down my face. When he was twenty, Julian booked out the entire city’s fireworks display to propose to me. The night I said yes, he held me and cried all night. The boy who once swore to cherish me forever, threatening to be torn into a thousand pieces if he ever betrayed me, had now, for another woman, personally pushed me into a living hell. My voice was hoarse, almost inaudible: “Auntie… please, let me go…” Mrs. Hayes looked at me, silent for a long time, then finally sighed and nodded. “My dear child, I know you’ve been wronged. I will send you back safely, exactly as you came. Julian wronged you, I will retrieve his assets for you.” “You are a good child I watched grow up. Even if you’re not my biological daughter, I treat you as my own.” Before leaving, Mrs. Hayes gently stroked my hair: “My dear child, hold on. I’ll find a solution.” After she left, only a young assistant remained with me. I lay on the hospital bed, the drug’s effects still lingering. My body felt scorched, my internal organs twisted and ached, my blood boiling in my veins. I bit down on the blanket to stifle my cries, but a low moan still escaped my throat. My fingertips trembled from the pain. The young assistant paced nervously. Just as my consciousness wavered and I was about to pass out, the door opened. I struggled to lift my eyes. Entering were five bodyguards in black suits. “Miss Anya,” the leader said coldly, “Mr. Hayes said there are two antidotes here.” “One, is us.” My mind exploded with a loud buzz. I instinctively tried to prop myself up, but the moment I moved, agonizing pain surged through me, and I nearly collapsed back onto the bed. “What does Julian Hayes take me for?!” My voice was hoarse beyond recognition, yet every word was clear.

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On the eve of our wedding, I discovered a message my fiancé had sent to his ex-girlfriend. “Sophie, we missed our chance after all.” I confronted him with his phone, giving him two choices. Either delete it, or cancel the wedding. He ultimately chose the former, but didn’t smile once on our wedding day. Even later during the delivery, there wasn’t a hint of anticipation in his eyes. Until he received a phone call and suddenly stood up. “Ethan, my parents are forcing me to marry a 50-year-old pig. Please help me…” His grip loosened, leaving only his retreating back. My weak voice called out from behind: “Ethan, if you take one step out that door, our child will never call you dad.” He paused, but still left. That day, I had an emotional breakdown. The delivery was difficult and I nearly died. 0 The baby was eventually born. I didn’t die either, but lost several liters of blood. Family members crowded around the newborn, while I stared at the empty doorway. Ethan never came back. At that moment I regretted it, regretted giving him two choices back then. First, because I couldn’t let go of our years together. Second, because I was already pregnant then. So I took a gamble, betting he would forget her and have a change of heart. At first I thought I had won, since he deleted all her contact information in front of me. But with each passing day, I felt my odds of winning slipping away. On our wedding day, he was distracted and even put the ring on backwards. Later, he smiled less and stopped sharing his daily life with me. Waking up at midnight, his side of the bed was always cold. His texts always said he was too busy. He’d rather sleep on the couch in his office two miles away than come home and breathe the same air as me. I should have understood earlier. Once when he finally came home after two weeks, I grabbed his hand and said seriously: “If you don’t want this anymore, we can divorce. I can raise the child on my own.” Even though I was the one suggesting separation, my voice trembled badly. I was afraid, afraid he would easily say okay. But he just fell silent for a while, then patted my head: “Don’t overthink things, I’m just a bit tired.” “You’re also anxious because of the pregnancy. It’ll be better after these few months.” Then he picked up his bag and left again. He stayed home for less than three minutes. Watching his resolute back, my stomach churned violently. I hugged the toilet and vomited for a long time, until tears rolled down my face. Now, looking at the empty doorway. I suddenly felt relieved. I finally saw clearly, it wasn’t too late for everything. Ethan came back the next day. Behind him was a petite girl in a wedding dress. He let go of the girl’s hand, leaving her to the side. Then he went to the incubator, using his finger to tease the little baby inside. When he turned his head, he met my cold face, and the smile froze on his lips. He walked up to me, gripping my hand tightly: “About yesterday, I was too impulsive, but don’t misunderstand my relationship with Sophie.” He beckoned, and the girl obediently came over, reciting to me as if reading from a script: “I only know Ethan in this city, and only he could help me.” “I’m sorry, sister-in-law. I didn’t know you were in labor, otherwise I would have rather married that pig than…” “Don’t talk nonsense.” Ethan instinctively interrupted. “You deserve better.” Watching their back-and-forth, I smiled self-mockingly. Before I could speak, my father rushed in with a thermos and slapped him. “You dare come back? Yesterday you abandoned my daughter, causing her difficult labor and massive blood loss. If anything had happened to her, our family would never forgive you!” Ethan frowned, his gaze towards me turning cold. “But she’s fine now, isn’t she?” “Besides, I’ve already apologized.” The implication was that he had already given me a way out. I and my family shouldn’t embarrass him. Especially in front of his ex-girlfriend. I had imagined Ethan’s reaction when he came back – remorseful confession or material compensation. But I never expected this. He showed not a shred of remorse towards me. Whether I almost died from blood loss didn’t matter at all. After Ethan said this, I asked him to leave. He nodded, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. “I’ll come see the child in a few days. I’m busy these days.” I didn’t say anything, just turned to look at the happy family of three in the next bed. Ethan followed my gaze, panic flashing across his cold face. But I didn’t say anything, just softly hummed and turned away. He breathed a sigh of relief, taking Sophie’s hand as he strode out. The moment they stepped out, the baby burst into loud cries. I cradled him in my arms, gently rocking. “Baby doesn’t like daddy either, right?” “Since we don’t like him, let’s not see him again, okay?”

Ethan never came until the day I was discharged. He only sent his assistant midway to deliver some care products. When he came, he was also carrying a bunch of luxury shopping bags filled with women’s clothes and dresses. “Did you come to deliver these to me on your way?” The assistant hesitated, but still nodded. “Then please continue on your way and throw them in the trash.” He threw away the things, and also relayed my words verbatim. My phone immediately lit up with a bunch of chat records between him and Sophie. The records were all transfer receipts, indicating he was just shopping for her. But he forgot that Sophie was the girl who had stayed with him through his early poverty-stricken entrepreneurial days. He also forgot that the phone number he had deleted in front of me years ago rang promptly on the day I gave birth. How hard they must have worked to put on act after act for me. Carrying bags big and small back home, a woman threw herself into my arms. “Ethan, you’re five minutes late from work today, I missed you so much.” Seeing the girl’s face instantly turn red, her whole body awkward in front of me. I smiled and ignored her, but she didn’t even dare enter the door anymore. The pouring rain outside drenched her, until the returning man hurriedly shielded her in his arms. Those broad shoulders were full of a sense of security. From the upstairs window, I traced the man’s silhouette, once having been moved by it too. Soon after, the door was flung open violently. I lowered my head to fiddle with the baby’s fingers, not even raising my head: “Are you here to question me? There are cameras in the house, I don’t want to waste energy explaining.” A light chuckle came from above, as Ethan produced a cake from behind his back. “I know you’re not that heartless.” “Honey, did you forget today is your birthday?” I finally looked up, surprised at the cake in front of me. Complicated emotions welled up inside. Until at the dining table, he suddenly spoke: “Sophie has nowhere to go recently, she’s staying at our house for a while.” I finally understood what drug was in the cake. Seeing I didn’t speak, he added: “She’s very attentive, she can also help you take care of the child, share some of the burden.” At that moment, I suddenly didn’t want to ask anymore. Didn’t want to ask why he, worth millions, wouldn’t buy her a new house. Didn’t want to ask why she needed to help when we already had three nannies. “I see.” I put down my chopsticks and turned to go upstairs. As he said, Sophie tried very hard to help me. Every morning she would bring me a warm glass of milk. But I didn’t drink a single sip, and though Ethan said nothing on the surface, I could see the disappointment in his eyes. This disappointed gaze filled every moment of life, after all, since Sophie moved in, he came home every day. Sophie taught him how to mix formula and control water temperature. He learned very seriously, his eyes full of joy when she approved. I stepped forward to take it, but Ethan immediately snatched it back. “Olivia, go rest. We’ve got this.” “You’re a pampered lady, how would you know how to do these things? Sophie is different from you, she’s helped her mom with chores since childhood, she’s more efficient than you.” The servants all stared at me pointedly, seeming to worry I would get angry. I forcefully suppressed the violent heaving in my chest, trying to keep my tone calm: “Ethan, I am his mother.” He froze, then handed the bottle back to me. I took it, but Sophie bumped into me, spilling the scalding milk onto the child. The tiny arm instantly turned red, erupting in earth-shattering cries. I hurriedly stepped forward with a cloth to wipe it, but was directly pushed away by him. His voice filled with warning: “Get out.” He carefully picked up the child, while Sophie took ointment to apply on the baby. The happy family of three, while I was like a nanny who had made a mistake. I ran out crying with red eyes, Ethan only glanced before lowering his head. Afterwards, the nursery was either occupied by the two of them, or guarded by the nanny. “Mr. Gu instructed to let Madam stay away.” I stepped back a few paces, smiling as I returned to my room. Then smashed everything I could smash.

Ethan rushed home upon hearing the news, staring blankly at the mess on the floor. “Olivia, what are you throwing a tantrum about again? The baby is still sleeping, don’t scare him.” At that moment, the long-suppressed emotions finally erupted. I suddenly rushed over, grabbing Ethan’s collar. “Throwing a tantrum? Bringing another woman home and flirting with her right under my nose, who’s really gone crazy!” “Ethan, that’s the child I painstakingly gave birth to, who could care for him more than me!” Surprise flashed in Ethan’s eyes, he had never seen me like this before. Never seen me angry, much less cry. Even on the eve of our wedding when I saw that message, I had only reddened eyes. The air fell silent, until a cry came from the child. I let go of his collar, messily wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes. He sighed, taking out a handkerchief to gently wipe away my tears. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have treated you like this.” I yanked away the handkerchief, unceremoniously throwing it to the ground. Then I shoved him away, diving straight into bed, covering my face as I cried until I couldn’t breathe. He sighed, gently patting my back through the blanket. “Don’t be angry anymore, okay? I was wrong.” “I was just worried about the child, I didn’t mean anything else.” After a long while, I lifted the covers, the light in my eyes mostly scattered. I looked at my now-flat belly and asked him: “Ethan, if I hadn’t been pregnant back then, would you still have chosen me?” He froze, then sighed again, somewhat helplessly: “Olivia, stop clinging to things from the past.” No answer was the best answer. His answer was that without the child, he would never have chosen me. Olivia, why bother humiliating yourself further at this point. I pushed away his hand at my waist, telling him to get out. He froze, then smiled, not coming home that night. Early the next morning, he and Sophie entered the house one after another. I sat at the dining table, pushing a divorce agreement in front of him. The man and woman opposite both froze. “Sophie, go upstairs first, I need to speak to my wife alone.” After she obediently went upstairs, Ethan looked at me, his gaze complex. “Olivia, I’ve already coaxed you, you’ve vented your anger, why are you still throwing a tantrum?” I sneered, just as he had laughed at me yesterday. Ethan frowned. Then he sighed helplessly. “It’s because of Sophie, right? I understand.” “Since you can’t accept her, I’ll send her away.” He compromised, but I didn’t miss the unwillingness in his eyes. I understood his reason for resisting divorce – not because he loved me, but because of that prenuptial agreement. When I married him, I was a famous socialite in high society, while he was just a small business owner whose company had recently gone public. To prevent him from coveting assets, my father had specially drawn up a prenuptial agreement biased in my favor. According to the agreement, if I unilaterally filed for divorce, all property would belong to me. Faced with such an unequal treaty, Ethan had signed without hesitation. At the time I thought it was because he loved me deeply. Now I realize it was just because he was certain I would never leave him. Thinking of this, I picked up the pen and unhesitatingly signed my name. Ethan’s pupils flashed violently. “Sign it, be quick about it.” In the end he still picked up the pen, signing his own name. The once flowing signature was now crooked from hesitation. With the documents signed, he grabbed my hand. “There’s still a three-month waiting period, do I still have a chance?” I pulled my hand away, not answering. That night I drank bottle after bottle with a friend. “If you want to cry, just cry.” She gently patted my head, but I immediately shook my head. “Can’t cry.” “Finally ending a terrible relationship, I should be happy.” “Cheers.” Maybe I was too drunk, I didn’t notice a tear had already slid down the corner of my eye. That night I sat on the doorstep for a long time, only going in after the alcohol had worn off. I didn’t want him to see me so heartbroken, still for his sake. A man walked out from behind, draping his jacket over my shoulders. “I’ve already sent her away.” The wind blew past us, but still couldn’t stir up a single word.

Waking up in the morning, he was tightly hugging my waist, his long-absent breath tickling my neck. I shifted an inch towards the edge of the bed, and he followed an inch. Ethan really wanted to win me back, he was proving it with actions. He turned down a lot of work, making time to accompany me and the child. In the nursery, he shook a little bell to soothe the crying baby. “Baby, say dad, come on.” Mentioning the word dad, he deliberately turned his head to look at me leaning against the doorway. But the moment our eyes met, I coldly turned away without a glance. The bell sound behind me stopped. Ethan thought I was angry, but I was just afraid. Afraid of indulging in this sweetness again, afraid of falling back into this terrible marriage. Until late at night I heard him on the phone with his secretary by the window. “How’s the project going? It needs to be fast.” That moment I finally woke up, Ethan was proud. His concessions were rarely for love, mostly for profit. So all his kindness now was just because he couldn’t bear to part with these hard-earned achievements. From that day on, all his gentleness seemed laughable to me. I was determined not to give him another chance, but he still refused to give up. Until one day, Sophie burst in again. She had only a few scraps of cloth left on her body, her neck covered in red marks, her skin full of bruises. Ethan immediately dropped the milk bottle and rushed out, taking her into his arms. The usually gentle girl now seemed to have gone mad, pounding his chest. “It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t dumped me for your career back then, how could I have ended up like this!” “They… they were angry I ran away from the marriage, they found a group of people to humiliate me… I, I don’t want to live anymore!” Saying this, she shoved him away, crashing into the doorpost, blood flowing freely. Ethan frantically picked her up and rushed towards the door. As he stepped over the threshold, I reminded him: “Do you know what you’ll lose if you leave?” Wife, child, and years of hard work. But Ethan didn’t pause for even a step this time, going straight to the car. I stood in the wind and rain, feeling like the biggest joke in the world. From that day on, Ethan stayed by her side day and night. Three months flew by, and I sent him a time, reminding him to go get the divorce certificate. The message quickly showed as read, but there was no reply. Later, he only hurried over when the civil affairs bureau was about to close. After not seeing him for days, he looked much more haggard, with dark circles under his eyes. I looked at the two divorce certificates in my hand, finally feeling relieved. When I looked up at Ethan, he was lowering his eyes, clearly depressed. The sky suddenly began pouring rain, I turned back to look at him: “Did you bring an umbrella? I’ll walk you out?” We were husband and wife after all, might as well part on good terms. But Ethan shook his head, his gaze fixed on a woman running towards him in the distance. Sophie held her slightly swollen belly, her eyes full of smugness. They walked arm in arm back into the civil affairs bureau. Only after their silhouettes had completely disappeared did I turn back to find the umbrella above my head had somehow tilted off course. I took off my soaked outer coat and called my father, asking him to arrange for me to go abroad to clear my head. Soon WeChat pushed a contact who said he would take me traveling the world. Before boarding the plane, a message from Ethan popped up on my phone. [I’m sorry, but I owe her too much.] After reading this, I blocked him. Hugging the child tightly in my arms, I looked out the window at my freedom.

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After finally getting the ice-cold heartthrob I’d chased for ages to say yes, I discovered he had a major problem. I thought he was just too tired from work, so I gently reassured him it was fine. That was until I saw the floating comments: [He just doesn’t feel anything for the side character! With the heroine, he can go seven rounds a night!] Looking at Asher, who was feigning remorse, I quietly pulled the blanket over myself. The very next day, I broke up with him. He clung to me, losing control, when he saw another guy with his arm around me. “Just give me another chance, please…” he choked, begging. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise. I’m a fast learner, you know.” I lay in bed, staring blankly at the messages from Asher. [Quinn, can we meet?] [We need to sort out any issues right away.] [I want to explain everything in person.] Seeing I didn’t reply, he added another line. [Baby, I don’t want to break up.] Honestly, after reading his words, I wavered a little. But the moment I thought about what happened yesterday, I decisively blocked and deleted him everywhere. Asher, my ex-boyfriend. Rich, handsome, and usually treated me so well. There was just one thing that bothered me. He couldn’t perform. Yesterday was our one-year anniversary. We had a few drinks, sparks were flying, and we checked into a hotel. The instant the hotel room door clicked shut, my back hit the cold mirror. Asher’s hot breath, mixed with the smell of alcohol, caressed my neck: “Ready to try this?” “Asher…” I reached out to push him away, but my fingertips barely grazed his rapidly rising and falling chest before my hands were caught and pinned above my head. His eyelashes trembled as he kissed me, but his lips were cold. He kissed me fiercely and haphazardly, as if trying to prove something, pulling me toward the bed. The dull thud of his belt buckle hitting the carpet made me shiver. He buried his face in my shoulder, breathing heavily, his fingers freezing the moment they touched the edge of my lace. In the darkness, I distinctly heard his Adam’s apple bob. Cold sweat dripped from his tense jawline into the small hollow of my collarbone. I chuckled, thinking he was nervous. “Don’t move.” His voice was hoarse as he pressed down on my hand trying to reach for the light, his fingertips trembling. I reached out to touch his abs. His breathing hitched, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he turned his head: “Quinn, stop messing around.” I playfully bit his earlobe, chuckling, “What’s with the act? Your heart’s about to explode.” The next second, he flipped me over, pinning me against the headboard, and yanked his tie to bind my hands: “You asked for it.” But his kisses stopped abruptly at my collarbone. His body was taut like a drawn bow, yet he made no further move. Suddenly, lines of comments floated before my eyes. [Side character, run! The male lead is a jerk, his body can only be loyal to the heroine!] [Don’t be soft, girl, he’ll only drain your life force to empower the heroine!] [You’re just a catalyst! All your current sweetness is just to boost the male and female leads’ relationship!] I blinked in disbelief, my blood instantly freezing. Before, I never understood why I, Quinn Miller, a girl from a well-off family, cherished by my whole family, had to chase Asher for so long before he finally agreed to be with me. Now I understood. I was just the side character in a novel, and Asher was the male lead. He could only belong to the heroine. Asher was still stubbornly nibbling my earlobe. But his body, which should have been burning, grew colder and colder, and even his kisses became mechanical touches. I watched his feigned remorse and suddenly pushed him away, grabbing the bedsheet to wrap myself. Asher knelt by the bed, his tie askew around his neck. He looked down at his limp hands: “How could this happen?” “You should go.” I heard my own hollow voice. I snatched my jacket and rushed for the door, but he hugged me tightly from behind. Warm liquid dripped onto my neck, indistinguishable whether it was sweat or tears: “Just ten more minutes… just ten minutes…” He buried his face in my hair, sobbing. I quietly pushed him away: “Asher, let’s break up.” 3 I curled up in the bathtub, hot water lapping at my chin. Honestly, after breaking up with Asher, I was still a little sad. After all, he was the guy I’d chased for so long. I couldn’t help but feel a little regret. The comments floated in the mist above the water, like a bucket of ice water extinguishing my last bit of hesitation. [Side character, run! The male lead is waiting for you downstairs!] [Don’t waver, stay as far away from that jerk as possible!] [I’m so worried, I’m terrified she’ll get back together with the male lead!] It had been three days. Ever since I pushed Asher away in that hotel room, these bizarre words had haunted me. At first, I thought I was going crazy, until the comments mentioned Willow’s name. My phone vibrated wildly against the tiles. “Quinn, I’m downstairs.” Asher’s voice, raspy from the night wind, was barely recognizable, “Let me see you, just for a second.” I gripped the edge of the tub, hesitating whether to go downstairs. The comments suddenly erupted: [He’s in the rain! He’s in the rain!] [Side character, hurry and take him an umbrella! It’s what the plot demands!] [The one above is crazy? The heroine is having a fever at the art studio right now, the male lead should be going to give her medicine!] How laughable. My life, which had been smooth sailing for twenty-four years, was just a mere stepping stone in someone else’s story. [Side character, don’t go down. You can’t force true love.] Yes, you can’t force true love… I chased Asher for so long, thinking that after all the hardship, happiness would follow once we were together. But his heart was with Willow. I spoke: “Asher, we’re already broken up.” A wave of cheers from the comments. [Side character has awoken!] [That’s great, I was so worried!] [It’s okay, side character. Bye bye, boy. The next one’s gonna be a keeper!] The sound of fabric rubbing together came from the other end of the line. Asher roared: “Quinn, come out! Let’s talk this through face to face!” I wrapped myself in a bathrobe and walked to the balcony. Through the curtain of rain, I saw him slumped on the ground, his captivating eyes, which once mesmerized me, now bloodshot. I leaned on the railing and chuckled softly, “Asher, don’t make me look down on you.” 4 After that, I never saw Asher again. Today, I was having dinner at a restaurant. The couple at the next table had already finished their cream of mushroom soup, but my table still only had a glass of lemon water. I firmly turned off my phone screen, my fingertips tapping restlessly on the tablecloth. “Is table 23’s steak not ready yet?” A figure in a black and white uniform scurried out from the kitchen, her ponytail swaying gently as she jogged. Willow’s hands trembled as she held the tray, sauce drizzling onto the carpet along the edge of the plate. I frowned, about to speak, when the porcelain plate suddenly slipped, scraping against the table corner, and all the dark red sauce spilled onto my cream-colored skirt. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!” She dropped to her knees, vigorously wiping my dress with a wet napkin, “I didn’t mean it, please don’t report me…” I recoiled my leg as if shocked by electricity, her knuckles white as she clutched the napkin. “Get up first.” I reached out to help her, not understanding why she reacted so strongly when I hadn’t even said anything. Willow suddenly grabbed my wrist. “Ms. Miller, why do you have to make things so hard for me?” she looked up, her face swollen from crying, “I really didn’t mean it.” Blood rushed to my temples. “CCTV.” I spoke as calmly as possible, “Check the footage.” “Ms. Miller, please, I don’t want to lose my job.” Willow covered her mouth and began to sob. People around us started to whisper. Someone raised their phone to record. The back of my neck tingled. I could feel countless eyes glued to my spine. “These young girls nowadays are something else,” a middle-aged woman’s voice, lowered, came from behind me, “Dressed so nicely, what’s the big deal about bullying a server?” “Mom, keep your voice down,” a young girl quickly interrupted, “What if the server is the one with the problem…?” “What problem could she have? Didn’t you see her kneeling?” a man in a floral shirt across the diagonal deliberately raised his voice, “Rich people love to put on airs. A little sauce and they want to check CCTV, think this is a TV show?” I clutched my soaked skirt, my nails almost digging into my palms. The heroine’s aura was truly a terrifying thing. Willow’s crying intensified, and she shuffled forward on her knees, trying to grab my hand: “Ms. Miller, I’ll pay for your dry cleaning, I’ll give you this month’s salary…” [Original plot alert! The male lead should rush in to protect his white lotus heroine!] [Classic scene: Dominant CEO scolds the villainous side character!] [Warning! High-stakes scene ahead! Asher is about to scold Quinn!] “Quinn would never make things difficult for anyone.” A familiar cedarwood scent wafted from behind me. Asher pulled me into his embrace. His sharp suit looked out of place amid the mess on the floor. I thought Asher and I would never see each other again. I never imagined that at such a vulnerable moment, he would be the one to speak up for me. Willow’s sobs caught in her throat, and her entire body suddenly began to tremble. “Mr. Thompson, I…” Asher’s gaze fell on the stain on my skirt. He took off his suit jacket and tied it around my waist: “Good girl, go change in my car.” His movements as he shook out the suit were anxious; I’d never seen him like this. [OMG, the plot’s broken! Why is the male lead with the side character?!] [The heroine is crying so miserably, and the male lead is ignoring her??] [Ahhhh, he put his jacket on the side character! In the original, he clearly put it on the heroine!] “No need,” I brushed away his outstretched hand, ready to leave quickly, “Thank you for the offer, Mr. Thompson.” The male lead and the heroine had met; as the side character, I should gracefully disappear. Just as I was about to slip away, Asher grabbed my hand, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Quinn, don’t be like this.” Willow suddenly lunged forward and hugged his leg, her tears soaking his expensive suit pants: “Ms. Miller, it was my clumsiness, please don’t take it out on Mr. Thompson!” Amidst the commotion of the crowd, Asher froze like an ice sculpture. I looked at his hand hanging by his side, clenched tightly into a fist. Willow was still whimpering something, but her voice sounded as if it were behind a curtain of water. [Heroine, don’t kneel! Your main love interest is OOC!] [Help, the male lead’s fists are so tight, is he fighting against the original plot’s will?] [Side character, run! This love triangle showdown is going to break the timeline!] Asher suddenly grabbed my wrist, his body temperature alarmingly hot. “Come with me.” Seeing my reluctance, he added: “Just ten minutes.” 5 Asher’s fingers felt like they were digging into my wrist bone. He pulled me through the restaurant’s back door, and the damp, rainy air hit my face. “Ten minutes,” he repeated the number as he pushed me into the passenger seat, “You’ll at least listen for these ten minutes.” [OMG, is the male lead crazy?! This is kidnapping!] [Help, his grip is so strong, the side character’s wrist is already bruised!] [In the original, the male lead saved the heroine here. The plot’s so off, it’s unrecognizable!] The car air freshener was the citrus scent we’d picked out together, but now it stung my eyes. He held the steering wheel with one hand, his other hand gripping the gear stick tightly, knuckles white: “That night… I checked, it’s PTSD. I’m already in therapy…” “It has nothing to do with that.” I cut him off, my nails digging into my palms. In the rearview mirror, Willow was chasing after us, her slender figure swaying in the rain. He suddenly leaned over, grabbed my shoulders, and his cedarwood scent mixed with his trembling breath pressed down: “Then why break up? Last week you still said you wanted to go to Iceland to see the Northern Lights with me…” “Asher!” I violently pushed him away, the seat leather making a shrill scraping sound, “Do I have to spell it out? I don’t love you anymore, I don’t love you. Don’t you get it?” [Awakening value MAX! Queen behavior, sis!] [The male lead’s shocked expression is so satisfying!] [Let him taste what it’s like to be dumped too!] Asher’s pupils constricted abruptly, as if seared by my words. The dome light cast fragmented shadows beneath his eyelashes, and I saw his Adam’s apple bob painfully: “You’re lying.” “Quinn, you’re playing me, aren’t you?” I fumbled for the car door handle, the coolness of the metal creeping up my fingertips: “Just say I found you… lacking.” “Don’t say that word!” He suddenly slammed his fist on the steering wheel in a fit of rage, the horn blaring, “You know I’m trying! I have my third desensitization therapy next week, the doctor said…” “But I don’t want to wait anymore. Asher, I’m a normal person, I have needs. You trembled like I was poison every time you touched me…” “It just disgusts me.” He froze completely, his pale face slowly turning to me: “So that’s what you think.” In the blue light of the dashboard, he unbuttoned two shirt buttons, revealing the faint red scratch marks I’d just left below his collarbone. Intimate, yet heartbreaking. “Want to try now?” He grabbed my hand and pressed it to his chest, his heartbeat like a trapped beast pounding against my palm, “Right here, I’ll show you I’m not some useless piece of trash…” “You’re insane!” I yanked my hand back as if shocked, my back hitting the car door. A mechanical alarm suddenly blared, sharp enough to pierce my eardrums. [Warning! Timeline Correction Protocol Initiated!] I curled up in pain, my vision blurring. Asher’s alarmed face swayed in the distorted light: “Quinn? What’s wrong? I’ll take you to the hospital…” “Don’t touch me!” I slapped away his outstretched hand, my nails drawing blood on his knuckles, “Asher, we’re over. From now on, you go your way, I’ll go mine.” His hand, frozen mid-air, slowly clenched into a fist: “What if I refuse to let you go?” The sound of rain suddenly grew heavier. My head throbbed. I knew the will of this world was closing its net. “Asher, we ended a long time ago.” 6 I moved, and my best friend, Chloe, invited me for coffee that weekend. She pushed the coffee cup toward me, the bottom clinking against the glass table: “That godforsaken part of town north of here doesn’t even have a decent coffee shop. You might as well become a nun!”

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My best friend and I were transported to a tribe of shapeshifters. She became the substitute for the aloof Raptor Priest’s idealized love, While I ended up as the devoted pet of a possessive Snake King with two formidable appendages. We used our modern knowledge to greatly improve the tribe’s infrastructure. But the tribe’s holy woman branded us as heretics and brutally murdered us. Beheaded and torn apart, our bodies were left in pieces. When I opened my eyes again, I immediately grabbed my backpack and knocked on my friend’s door, “Ready to die?” “Let’s die together.” After our demise, both our husbands went mad. 0 When the Raptor Priest returned, Lily and I were figuring out what to do with our last box of supplies. She carefully sorted through the items at the bottom of the box. From small bottles of hot sauce to folding tents, everything was precious. Over the years, we had unknowingly accumulated a small warehouse through our efforts to modernize the tribe. She crouched on the ground, examining each item with interest. As I stood beside her, I felt both envious and proud. Suddenly, an urgent announcement came from outside: “The High Priest has returned to the tribe!” Lily jumped up in an instant. Without hesitation, she shoved me along with the packages under the bed: “Hide well and don’t make a sound!” Her strength was frightening. She handed me a three-kilogram pot as if it weighed nothing more than a feather. “If that priestess makes a move first, use this to bash her!” Just as she finished speaking, the door was kicked open with a loud bang by the Raptor Priest. Although “priest” was a civilized title, the man before us was still very much a predator. His height nearly blocked out the light from outside, his body covered in sleek muscles. One look down from him was enough to make one’s heart tremble. Lily, who had just been engrossed in sorting supplies, now raised her head with tears in her eyes, looking so helpless she seemed about to shatter: “Why didn’t you send word of your return so I could welcome you properly?…” She choked back a sob, her voice filled with resentment. The Raptor Priest’s gaze shifted, his voice like a crack in a glacier: “Where have you hidden Sophia?” “Sophia is missing?!” Lily’s face was full of shock, not looking like an act at all. “How many times have I told you, she is the holy woman guided by the gods. My intimate rituals with her are destined by fate.” His patience was like thin ice. Before he finished speaking, his eyes had already turned gloomy, making one’s scalp tingle: “You meet her in private once, and she vanishes without a trace. Now you’re still trying to put on an act for me?” “I really don’t know. She called me over, saying she wanted to talk…” Lily’s voice trembled softly as she reached out to grasp the hem of the Raptor Priest’s robe, only to be coldly shaken off. The force was too strong, instantly leaving a red mark on Lily’s wrist. She shivered, tears streaming down her face. Seeing the mark, the priest paused for a moment before turning to leave: “Without my orders, don’t take half a step out of this room!” After he spoke, the hem of his robe disappeared through the doorway. Lily was left wailing and pleading: “My lord, please stay… don’t go…” Her sorrowful voice lingered in the air as I stared wide-eyed from under the bed. Lily’s acting skills had improved. As soon as the man’s figure turned out of sight, Lily immediately locked the door, wiped her face, and said: “You can come out now. The show has begun.” “Sophia’s started making trouble. After messing with the priest, it’ll be your snake’s turn.” “I think so too.” I crawled out and looked back at the spoils of war scattered on the floor. Lily and I exchanged glances, and I cleared my throat: “Ready to die?” Lily nodded without hesitation: “We must die to teach those men a lesson.” 0

Lily and I were both transported to this world. Her identity here was the substitute for Callum’s idealized love – the holy priestess Sophia. In this savage tribe of shapeshifters, the priest held an exalted position blessed with divine power. Callum was handsome and revered by everyone in the tribe. Unfortunately, his heart was always fixated on the priestess Sophia. No matter how beautiful, a cold butt that can’t be warmed is useless. As expected of best friends, my situation was even worse than hers. When we first arrived, not understanding the situation, a row of naked men knelt before us begging to be chosen. I just had to pick the most dangerous-looking one. With a low, icy voice and a dangerous aura. Everyone in the tribe feared the Snake King’s venom, and even more so his ruthless cruelty. It wasn’t until the man was in bed that I realized how powerful those two appendages of his were. To protect myself, I became the Snake King Liam’s devoted pet. As long as he was happy, I suffered a little less. In our previous life, Lily and I relied on our modern knowledge to greatly improve the tribe. We built bridges and roads, constructed houses and wove cloth, and even dug a simple well. But while our men were away, Sophia needed only one word to turn us into sacrificial offerings on the altar. The two of us were tied to pillars, watching helplessly as Sophia, wearing a pristine white robe and an angelic smile, raised a dagger to my face. Slice by slice, slice by slice. My blood stained the altar red. I was beheaded, my body torn to pieces. With a final burst of flame, Sophia burned our very souls. “What did she actually talk to you about?” “How would I know? I never went to meet her.” Lily gritted her teeth. “Living a second time, I’m not that stupid.” I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “Callum may be cold, but even if Sophia causes trouble, he’ll just be distant for a few days. At worst, he might send you away.” I laughed coldly, though my heart was pounding: “But that snake of mine…” Lily shuddered along with me: “Your psycho snake is truly terrifying. He might really flay you alive.” “It’s not just ‘might’.” I trembled, recalling the rumors about the Snake King: Apparently, to extract information, Liam once cut off a prisoner’s ears and then skinned the shapeshifter alive. The screams echoed endlessly, scaring the enemy into fleeing in all directions. It became a legend that established his reputation. Unfortunately, such a “god of death” had never stayed for me. His heart and eyes were also fixed on the woman who had doomed Lily and me — Sophia. Thinking about having to die, I also needed to plan my escape luggage. As soon as I entered the door, I was grabbed by the waist and pinned against the wall in a dizzying motion. A voice that made my heart race sounded: “Where have you been?”

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Everyone said Liam Blackwood was absolutely obsessed with me. Even after my mother and I were kicked out of our home, he still went through with our engagement. He even rehearsed our perfect wedding ninety-nine times, all by himself, just for me. They had no idea. The brides at those weddings? They were chosen by drawing lots from the ninety-nine kept women Liam Blackwood maintained. “Ava, you’re already Mrs. Blackwood. It’s just a wedding for each of them. That’s not asking too much, right?” I numbly took the large box of cash he handed me, then rushed to the hospital. It wasn’t until my own wedding, when he walked down the aisle with my father’s illegitimate daughter, that I finally couldn’t hold back my tears. “Anyone else, but why her?” I choked out. A chilling smile played on Liam’s lips. “She’s carrying my child.” “Ava, be generous. Don’t be like your mother. She got so old, and you still had to beg people for her medical bills.” Under the mocking stares of every single guest, I clutched the money and fled in a panic. But at the hospital entrance, I saw my mother plunge. Her blood splattered across my face, her eyes wide. With her last breath, she rasped, “Ava Sterling, don’t ever beg him again.”

I clutched my mother’s rapidly stiffening body, my own blood turning to ice. My mouth hung open, but no sound escaped. Liam Blackwood’s phone rang, a frantic sound. I answered it instinctively. His lazy voice drifted through the line. “Ava, it’s Skylar’s and my wedding night. We’re out of protection at the house. Go buy a box and bring it back.” My fingers trembled, ready to hang up, but his voice came again. “Oh, right. And grab a box of milk candies. My little one’s afraid of pain, I’ll just sweet-talk her.” My mind flashed back to the night Liam Blackwood came to pick up my mother and me from our run-down apartment. He gently slid a ring onto my finger. “Trying to hide from me? You had me looking for so long.” “Even if you’re not the Thorne family’s eldest daughter, you’re still my wife, Ava. I’ll give you a perfect wedding.” On our first night, I was in so much pain I teared up. He slipped a milk candy into my mouth and murmured tenderly, “My little one, will sweetening you up with a milk candy make you forgive me?” Even though I knew about Liam Blackwood’s notorious playboy reputation, I still greedily fell in love with him. I never cared about those kept women. I knew he was just putting on a show. But Skylar Thorne was different. He allowed her to carry his child. In our five years of marriage, no matter how passionate Liam got, he always made sure to use protection. My greed finally met its punishment. His one exception was the person I hated most. If not for Skylar Thorne, my mother wouldn’t have lost her husband, and I wouldn’t have lost my father. He hung up first, as always. I stared blankly as the funeral home staff took my mother away. When they handed me a small box, I finally lost control, sobbing uncontrollably. After getting the death certificate, a call came in. “Miss Sterling, the DNA report shows that your mother was Mr. Sterling Senior’s biological daughter, lost years ago.” “Your plane tickets are booked. Would you like to meet your grandfather? Don’t worry, the old man isn’t as terrifying as rumors suggest.” I clutched my mother’s urn tightly, tears streaming down my face. “Yes.” “Then in three days, bring your identification. Someone will pick you up.” I returned home numbly, only to hear a group of drunken playboys loudly discussing. “Liam, Skylar Thorne is your wife’s half-sister. Didn’t you hate her the most? How did she suddenly become the bride for today’s wedding?” Liam Blackwood slowly swirled his red wine, chuckling softly. “Can’t help it. The mother of my child needs to have noble origins.” After the guys cheered, someone cautiously asked, “So, Liam, what about your wife?” Liam’s smile turned wicked. “Ava? Oh, she’s very obedient. I’ve been with other women right in front of her, and she’d still obediently hand me protection. It’s just a wedding. I can always give her another one later, right?” The group burst into laughter. “Liam, aren’t you worried your wife will actually get angry and leave? After all, if not for Skylar Thorne, your wife would still be the Thorne family’s eldest daughter!” Liam replied indifferently, “No way. Even if I kick her out, she’ll still kneel on the ground, crying and begging me not to abandon her.” “After all, her frail mother still depended on me to keep her alive.” I staggered backward, bumping into someone who had silently appeared behind me. “Sister, you’re back.” I turned, my eyes darkening as I saw Skylar Thorne’s face. “I don’t have a sister.” I turned to walk out the side door, but Skylar suddenly shrieked. “Ah!” Instantly, the chatter in the living room ceased.

Liam Blackwood walked over, hands in his pockets. He saw Skylar Thorne on the floor and gave me a meaningful look. “Did you push her?” Skylar quickly explained, “No, no, Sister didn’t push me. I just tripped accidentally.” Then she sobbed softly, “Liam, my stomach hurts a bit. Is the baby…?” Liam clicked his tongue, then scooped Skylar up in his arms. He looked back at me, his voice cold. “Come here.” He carried Skylar back into the mansion, setting her gently on his lap, like a delicate, precious gem. The playboys exchanged glances and quietly cleared out. I walked in silently. The playboy I brushed past whistled, as if watching a show. Before, no matter how much of a playboy Liam Blackwood was, they never dared to openly disrespect me. They were smart enough to see that Liam’s treatment of Skylar Thorne was different from the ninety-nine kept women outside. So, I was now treated like those kept women – free for anyone to tease and toy with. When I realized this, a sharp, jagged pain sliced through my already numb heart. He didn’t ask anything. He just looked at me with cold indifference. “Ava, apologize.” I bit my lip hard until my mouth filled with the coppery taste of blood. “I didn’t push her.” A cruel smile played on Liam Blackwood’s lips. He instructed the butler, “Go get the madam’s cat.” My pupils constricted. “What are you doing?” Liam Blackwood’s smile was savage. “Ava, Skylar is different from those other women. She’s my business partner, the Thorne Group’s eldest daughter, and she’s carrying my child.” “I cannot tolerate anyone bullying the mother of my child, including you.” “So, you need to pay a price to understand your mistake.” The moment he finished speaking, the cat was thrown into a pot of scalding liquid, letting out a horrific shriek. I lunged forward, but Liam Blackwood grabbed me. He pressed my head down onto the table, making me watch as my little cat, who had been with me for ten years, was scalded alive. Liam Blackwood leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Ava Sterling, this time it’s just the cat. If you dare to bully Skylar again, next time, you’ll have to consider your mother’s life.” The tears welling in my eyes fell silently. The memories of him protecting me in front of those kept women now felt like a cruel boomerang, striking me right in the heart. Next, Liam Blackwood placed a divorce agreement in front of me. “Sign it. My child can’t be born out of wedlock.” I trembled as I stared at the cat floating in the pot. It had been my only solace when my mother and I were thrown out of our home. Now, like my mother, it was completely gone. This marriage no longer held any meaning. I took the agreement and swiftly signed my name. Liam Blackwood frowned imperceptibly, seeing no hesitation in me. He gave a soft “Hmph.” “Since you’re no longer Mrs. Blackwood, move to the staff quarters. Your mother’s future medical expenses will be earned through your labor.” I forced a bitter smile, recalling my mother’s dying wish. I said faintly, “No need.” Just then, sounds of vomiting came from my room. My heart sank. I rushed into the room, only to see my mother’s handmade bedsheet covered in vomit. Skylar Thorne got up, looking apologetic. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Sister. I just couldn’t hold it in.” She then pulled a ten-dollar bill from her wallet. “This bedsheet looks old anyway. Here, ten dollars for it.” *“Slap!”* My eyes were bloodshot. I slapped her hard across the face. “Skylar Thorne, you’ve gone too far!” Skylar Thorne clutched her face, looking utterly wronged at Liam Blackwood behind her. “Liam, I didn’t mean it. I already apologized to Sister.” The next moment, a searing pain exploded on my own cheek.

He used all his strength, knocking me to the ground, without even sparing me a glance. He walked straight to Skylar Thorne, carefully checking her face. “Are you okay?” Skylar Thorne whimpered, burying her face in Liam Blackwood’s embrace. “It’s my fault. I ruined Sister’s bedsheet with my vomit.” Liam Blackwood’s gaze finally fell on the stained bed. He said indifferently, “Burn it.” “No! That’s my mother’s! I can wash it myself, don’t burn it!” But he knew perfectly well that I had nightmares every night and could only sleep peacefully while holding that bedsheet. He ignored my pleading gaze and instructed the housemaids behind him, “When the new madam moves in, throw out all these old things.” *“CRASH!”* The wedding photo on the wall crashed to the floor, swept out of the room like trash. Yet, all I could hear was his vow from when we took those photos. He had once sworn in front of everyone, “I, Liam Blackwood, will only ever love Ava Sterling.” When the bedsheet caught fire, I rushed to the brazier, grabbed it with my bare hands, and smothered the flames with my body. Blisters immediately swelled on my hands. Liam Blackwood rushed over in a flash, grabbing my hand, his eyes sharp. “Does it hurt?” Skylar Thorne suddenly clutched her stomach, pointing at the already opened urn. “I’m allergic to dust. Why is Sister bringing back a pile of ashes?” “Cough, cough, cough! Liam, help me!” I lunged forward. “No!” But my mother’s ashes were kicked over by Skylar Thorne. I could no longer control the rage burning within me. I rushed at her, tearing at her hair, my eyes blazing red. “You did that on purpose?!” “Slut! Wasn’t it enough that your mother was a homewrecker who seduced my father? Now you’re rushing to be a mistress, stealing someone else’s husband!” Skylar Thorne shrieked, “Liam, Sister’s gone crazy! She’s going to kill me!” I squeezed Skylar Thorne’s neck with all my might, but Liam Blackwood kicked me away. The moment I fell to the ground, fresh blood streamed from beneath me. I crawled to gather my mother’s ashes, leaving a glaring trail of blood across the floor. Tears dripped onto the ashes. “Mom, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” But the next moment, Liam Blackwood snatched the urn from my arms. He coldly emptied all of my mother’s ashes into the toilet! *“WHOOSH!”* The sound of the flushing water almost shattered my eardrums. I knelt there, stunned, in front of the toilet, looking up to meet Liam Blackwood’s gaze, my eyes burning red. “Liam Blackwood, I will never! Never forgive you!” His eyes flashed with shock and pain, but it was only for an instant. Skylar Thorne held the handful of hair I’d torn out, crying like a wilting flower. “Liam, Sister pulled out so much of my hair! I don’t want to have your baby now, having babies makes you so ugly!” Liam Blackwood tenderly picked her up, cooing, “No, you won’t, Skylar is the most beautiful girl in the world, she won’t turn ugly.” Then, his gaze fell on me, like I was a lifeless object. He ordered the maid standing outside, “Get me some scissors.” He took the scissors, stood before me, and contemptuously pinched my chin. “Ava Sterling, have I been spoiling you too much?” With that, he pressed the scissors against my scalp, cutting off my long hair, strand by strand, as if he were trimming useless weeds. Just the day before our wedding, he had held my hair, treating it like a precious treasure, “I love Ava’s long hair the most.” He didn’t stop until my head was practically bare, with only a few sparse strands left. Then, Liam Blackwood threw the scissors aside. He turned, embraced Skylar Thorne, and reverently kissed her hair. “Do you still think you’re ugly now?” Skylar Thorne’s tears turned to laughter. She looked at me, her eyes full of triumph. “Heh, Sister looks like a little clown!”

My eyes stared blankly at everything before me. I cried and laughed at the same time. Pointing at Liam Blackwood, my voice was icy. “You will regret this.” But Liam Blackwood had someone bring a dog leash. He casually applied ointment to Skylar Thorne’s wound, not even looking up. “Tomorrow is Skylar’s birthday party. It seems the only way to keep you in line is to tie you up.” A maid stepped forward to fasten the leash around my neck. Her eyes widened when she saw the blood beneath me. She looked at Liam Blackwood repeatedly, hesitating. “Sir, the madam… she seems to be bleeding.” The next instant, the maid was struck by the scissors Liam had thrown. A cruel smile spread across Liam Blackwood’s lips. “It seems Ava Sterling has been bribing you all quite a bit. I’ll give you one more chance. Tell me, who is the madam?” The maid immediately knelt, begging for mercy, facing Skylar Thorne. “I’m sorry, Madam. I spoke out of turn. I’ll punish myself!” With that, the maid furiously slapped herself. Skylar Thorne, however, clutched Liam Blackwood’s arm, whimpering, “Liam, maybe I should just go. No one here likes me.” Hearing this, the maid immediately turned and fastened the leash around my neck. Like training a dog, she kicked me. “Crawl, now!” Then she turned back to Skylar Thorne with a fawning smile. “Madam, please don’t worry, we all love you!” Skylar Thorne finally gave a satisfied smile, while Liam Blackwood’s gaze remained solely on Skylar Thorne the entire time. He watched her, utterly captivated. I was leashed like a dog in front of the mansion gates, listening to the sounds of passionate intimacy from upstairs for an entire day and night. The next evening, guests arrived in a steady stream. Liam Blackwood and Skylar Thorne stood at the entrance, welcoming guests like a truly loving couple, completely oblivious to my presence. The wives who used to be close to me now fawned over Skylar Thorne. They approached me, showering me with insults. “Well, well, isn’t this the former Mrs. Blackwood? How did your hair get cut like some bald, pathetic creature? Standing guard here?” “Oh, my heavens, you’re giving her too much credit! ‘Mrs. Blackwood’? Please! She’s even more worthless than the kept women Mr. Blackwood keeps outside.” “Haven’t you heard? After she and her mom got kicked out of the Thorne family, she got involved in some shady dealings. She’s all used up, that’s why she can’t even have kids…” “…” The playboys still whistled, “kindly” tossing a piece of meat in front of me, their hands tracing indecently over my body. “Looks like Liam really dumped his wife. Why not come with me?” The group cheered, “Liam doesn’t want her anyway. What’s wrong with us brothers having a taste of his ex-wife?” With that, someone unfastened the leash from my neck. They impatiently stripped off my clothes. Some even sat on me, ignoring the fresh blood staining me, and began to move on their own. Loud, lewd laughter filled the air. The moment I looked up, I met a pair of cold, indifferent eyes on the second floor. Liam Blackwood swayed his wine glass, watching coldly the entire time. Perhaps he was annoyed by the noise, but he turned and walked away without a backward glance. I finally closed my eyes in despair, but the tears streaming down my cheeks were covered by a warm sensation. I opened my eyes to see the man who had been on top of me lying sprawled to the side, eyes wide and unseeing. The blood gushing from his neck splattered onto my face. The vile men scattered like they’d seen death itself. When I finally made out the face in the dim light, I gasped in shock. “How are you here?” A few minutes later, Liam Blackwood received the land transfer agreement signed by the Thorne family. His lips curved slightly.

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My fiancé was trapped by hundreds of venomous snakes in the exhibition center. A massive python was coiling around him, tightening its grip with each turn. Its slick scales rubbed against his skin as it constricted, causing his veins to bulge and his breathing to become labored. Several starving king cobras had even brazenly slithered up his legs, attempting to crawl into his waistband. His brother Samuel, red-eyed, pleaded with me: “Rachel, you know better than anyone how dangerous these snakes are! You’re the only one who can control them now. Please, go save him!” My best friend Claire, her eyes also red with panic, cried out: “Rach! Those vipers are deadly! Lucas is your fiancé! For the sake of your future happiness, please go rescue him!” I casually opened a bag of chips and a can of soda, watching my fiancé’s struggle with a cold smirk: “No need to get your panties in a twist. Sit back and enjoy the show.” 1 My words exploded like a bombshell among the crowd. “Is that Rachel woman insane? She’s just standing there doing nothing! Two lives are at stake!” “Now I understand why they say women who handle snakes are heartless! She’s not even human!” “What the hell! Lucas must have been blind to fall for such a vicious woman!” Samuel immediately knelt before me, his eyes brimming with tears: “Rachel! I’m begging you! I’ll kowtow to you! Last year, Lucas almost fell off a cliff while collecting snake venom for you. He even gave up an arranged marriage for you. How can you treat him like this?” I stepped aside, letting him fall flat on his face. “Save your groveling. My family’s ancestors would roll in their graves if I accepted that.” Seeing that I wouldn’t budge, my best friend Claire put on a righteous expression: “Sis! If you won’t do it, I will!” “Even if it costs me my life, I won’t let Lucas be in such danger!” With that, she took a deep breath, pulled out a bamboo flute, and started playing as she walked towards the mass of snakes. Surprisingly, the agitated snakes seemed to calm down under her music. Even the python wrapped around Lucas loosened its grip slightly. [Way to go! Now that’s a true heroine! That Rachel doesn’t even deserve to shine her shoes!] [Now this is a damsel saving her knight in shining armor! I’m falling for her already!] Claire couldn’t help but let a smug smile creep onto her face. But in the next second, a king cobra suddenly reared up, letting out an angry, piercing hiss! As if on cue, the entire mass of snakes erupted into chaos again. Countless serpents frantically slammed against the glass enclosures. The glass was instantly covered in cracks, on the verge of shattering completely and unleashing the snakes onto the crowd! “Ahh—!” People scrambled backwards in panic. “W-what’s happening? Why did the snakes go berserk again? Was the music wrong?” Seeing the king cobra lunging towards her, Claire no longer cared about Lucas. She crawled away from the center of the exhibition, tumbling to a stop at my feet like a dead dog. I set down my soda can and nudged her arm with the tip of my shoe, sneering: “Amateur hour’s over. Stop embarrassing yourself.” Claire’s face instantly turned the color of a ripe tomato. Samuel rushed to help Claire up, then turned to berate me in front of the crowd: “Everyone, look! This is the heiress of the Zhou family animal sanctuary!” “Not only does she refuse to save a life, but she’s also mocking her best friend who tried to help!” “She’s deliberately stalling, wanting Lucas to die! She even wants to let the snakes loose and kill everyone here!” His words ignited the crowd’s fury. [You beast! She’s a psychopath! She won’t save him herself and won’t let others save him either. She wants to drag everyone down with her!] [Someone call the police and arrest her! This is attempted murder!] [Mr. Lucas, you can’t marry a woman like that! I feel dirty just looking at her!] Facing the crowd’s condemnation, I didn’t even bat an eye. I just smirked coldly at Claire on the ground. “You want me to step in and save him? Fine.” “Just kneel down, kowtow to me three times, then slap yourself and shout ‘I’m an ungrateful wretch’ three times.” “Then I’ll go save your dear Lucas.” 2 As soon as I said this, everyone looked at me like I was insane. [Is she crazy?! What kind of demand is that?] [A man’s life is at stake, and she’s making her best friend kneel and kowtow? What kind of grudge is this?] [God, how could Lucas fall in love with such a heartless demon! It’s terrifying!] Samuel was stunned for a moment, then shouted with even more indignation: “Rachel! You’ve gone too far! Claire risked her life to save your husband, and she’s even pregnant! How can you treat her like this? Have you no conscience?” I just smirked and settled back into my lounge chair, opening another bag of chips. “The solution’s right here. Take it or leave it.” Claire glanced at Lucas, who was once again surrounded by the snakes. “Claire, save me!” Lucas cried out, his eyes filled with tears. Finally, she gritted her teeth and put on a long-suffering expression. With a loud thud, her knees hit the tile floor in front of me. Then she bent down, slamming her forehead against the ground. “Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!” Three loud, heavy kowtows left a purple bruise on her forehead. She then raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face. “Slap!” “I’m an ungrateful wretch! I’ve betrayed Rachel! I don’t deserve her kindness!” “I’m an ungrateful wretch!” “Slap!” “Slap!” Each slap was crisp and loud, filled with humiliation. I watched her swollen cheeks with glee, bending down to pat her face as I laughed so hard tears nearly came to my eyes. “That’s a good girl. See how easy that was?” “If you’d been this obedient from the start, none of this would have happened.” My laughter stung the onlookers, who were furious: [Devil! She’s nothing but a devil!] [I’ve never seen such a vicious woman in my life! Someone record this and post it online! Let everyone see her true colors!] [Mr. Lucas! Listen to us! This woman will ruin you!] But I seemed not to hear their curses. I stood up lazily, stretching and even adjusting my collar. Only then did I put my fingers to my lips and let out a sharp whistle from deep in my throat. “Shhhh—” Instantly, all the frenzied venomous snakes froze in place. A second later, they all turned around, retreating like the tide. In just a few seconds, they cleared a path straight to Lucas. Everyone was stunned speechless by this scene, their mouths hanging open. However, I didn’t even glance at Lucas. I just walked up to Claire, who was still kneeling, and kicked her arm. She stumbled and fell to the ground. Looking down at her, I smirked: “What are you waiting for? Your dear Lucas is scared stiff. Go help him up.” 3 A flash of humiliation crossed Claire’s eyes. Samuel quickly ran over to help her up, glaring at me: “Claire, let’s go! Don’t bother with this narrow-minded bitch! She’s not fit to shine your shoes!” The audience also reacted: [Holy shit! So she could control them all along! She deliberately didn’t step in just to watch her friend kneel and kowtow! ] [That’s disgusting! She had the ability but didn’t use it earlier when lives were at stake. Instead, she used this opportunity to humiliate her own friend! Her heart must be made of stone!] [This kind of woman deserves to be struck by lightning! She’ll meet a bad end!] Claire and Samuel walked into the center of the exhibition hall, humiliated. They supported Lucas on either side and led him out of the venue. Lucas slumped weakly into a chair backstage, his whole body still trembling. Concerned onlookers immediately crowded around, offering water and tissues: [Mr. Lucas, are you alright? Don’t be afraid, we’re all here for you!] [Don’t take it to heart. Marrying a woman like that would ruin your life! You deserve better!] [That’s right! Break up with her immediately! We can all testify today that she’s a complete scumbag!] Lucas shook his head at the crowd, his voice weak but with a hint of magnetism: “Thank you, everyone. Really, thank you all.” “Please don’t blame her. Rachel, she’s… she’s not usually like this…” “She must not be feeling well today, or maybe she was upset seeing Claire rush in, feeling like she lost face…” “She didn’t mean it. She still cares about me deep down.” His “turning the other cheek” attitude further ignited everyone’s anger and sympathy: [Look at that! What a good man!] [Even at a time like this, he’s still defending that vicious woman! Sir, you’re too kind! You’re wasting your love on her!] “It’s not like that, Rachel usually…” Lucas hadn’t finished speaking when Claire beside him let out a sharp scream, her face contorted in pain. Everyone followed his gaze. Large patches of blood were seeping through Claire’s white dress! “My stomach, my baby… my baby…” She went limp, sliding off the chair. The scene instantly descended into chaos. [Oh my God! She’s bleeding! Call an ambulance! It might be too late if we wait!] [She risked her life to save someone while pregnant! If she loses the baby, it’s all that vicious Rachel’s fault!] People scrambled to comfort Claire while Samuel immediately pulled out his phone to call 91

I stood outside the chaos, watching everything unfold with cold eyes. I pulled out the unfinished bag of chips from my pocket and emotionlessly ate another one. As if the woman suffering wasn’t my best friend. Paramedics loaded Claire onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. Samuel immediately started a livestream. The camera focused relentlessly on Claire’s pale face and the blood on her dress. “Everyone, do you see this? Claire might be having a miscarriage!” “It’s all because of that beast Rachel! She deliberately refused to save her own fiancé, forcing Claire to step in. She scared Claire and her baby!” “She’s trying to kill her fiancé and her best friend’s child!” Samuel followed all the way to the hospital, raising his phone in the ward with bloodshot eyes, shoving a miscarriage report in front of the camera. “It’s gone, the baby’s gone…” “The doctor said it was a miscarriage caused by extreme shock to the mother. We got here too late, couldn’t save it…” “Rachel! You don’t deserve to be human!” In an instant, the hashtag #SnakeParkHeiressHeartlesslyCausesFriend’sMiscarriage rocketed to the top trending topic. The entire internet was condemning me. [Scum! Trash! She should be put down!] [Even tigers don’t eat their cubs! This woman is worse than an animal!] [Boycott the Zhou family animal sanctuary! The animals raised by someone like her must be evil too!] [Poor Ms. Claire, poor baby. May there be no pain in heaven, and no such inhuman women either!] [I’m reporting her by name. Relevant authorities must thoroughly investigate! We can’t let such a dangerous person remain in society!] Faced with the torrent of abuse on the screen, I just brushed some chip crumbs off my hands. Then I looked at the camera with a cold smile. “Miscarriage? That’s getting off lightly.” 4 [What the fuck! Did I hear that right? Did she just say she should have killed her best friend and the baby? Is this something a human being can say?] [Viper’s heart! I can’t find words to describe this demon anymore!] [Why doesn’t she just die? This scum living in the world is an insult to all normal people!] [Ban her! Don’t let her appear in public ever again!] Samuel was clearly both shocked and delighted by my self-destructive response. He immediately seized the opportunity, pounding his chest and stomping his feet at the camera: “Everyone, did you hear that? This is her true feelings!” “She doesn’t care at all about Claire and Lucas’s lives! She just wants them dead!” He started frantically tagging various internet celebrities and influencers online, calling for them to come to the hospital. “I call on all righteous friends to come! Use your influence to speak up for poor Claire and the innocent Mr. Lucas!” “We must unite and absolutely cannot let this vicious woman go unpunished!” “What happened to her best friend today could happen to any of us tomorrow!” Soon, a group of influencers wielding selfie sticks rushed to the hospital. They surrounded Claire lying in the hospital bed, with Samuel and Lucas on either side, crying to the camera about my crimes. Lucas held Claire’s hand with a grief-stricken face: “Claire is too kind-hearted. When she rushed in, she was only thinking about saving me, not considering herself or the baby at all…” Samuel had a look of grief and indignation, his fists clenched tight: “My poor sister! She gave her whole heart, but was used by that vicious Rachel, losing her child. I, Samuel, have failed her!” “I truly regret it! I never should have helped Rachel set her up with Lucas!” “If it weren’t for me, Lucas wouldn’t have met a snake-hearted woman like Rachel! Now poor innocent Claire has been dragged into it too!” He finished speaking with tears in his eyes, garnering a wave of sympathy: [Samuel, this isn’t your fault! You’ve been speaking up the whole time! It was that vicious Rachel who stood by and watched!] [That’s right, you just misjudged her character! That witch Rachel was too good at disguising herself. You’re all victims!] “No, it’s all my fault. I failed to protect them. When Lucas was surrounded by snakes and Claire, a frail woman, rushed in, how scared must she have been?” This true brother squeezed out a tear in anguish, while I pushed open the door and walked in. Whoosh—! All the influencers immediately turned their cameras, shoving lenses and microphones in my face. [Rachel! How dare you show your face!] [You murderer! Why did you refuse to save your fiancé?] [Did you plan to kill them all along? Did you want Claire to miscarry?] [Give us an explanation! You owe the whole internet an answer!] Sharp questions flew at me from all sides, but I just smirked: “That’s right, I did hope she’d miscarry.” “Oh my God! Did you all see that? This is her true face. She really did want to kill her own best friend!” Samuel immediately pounced on me like a dog that had caught the scent of blood, while I just picked up the miscarriage report. I smiled, my gaze pointedly sweeping towards Lucas beside her. “I’m very curious.” “Claire, my best friend for ten years, when did you get a boyfriend without me knowing?” “You’re with me every day, not even going on dates. How did you suddenly get two months pregnant?” “This lost child, whose was it really?”

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On my twentieth birthday, the girlfriend I’d been with for three years pushed me from a high-rise building. “Finally rid of you, you pathetic loser,” she spat, her voice chillingly cold. In that last moment, I watched as my so-called best friend wrapped an arm around her, both of them smirking down at me. I had loved her for three years, and she tried to murder me. A crushing wave of despair washed over me, and I closed my eyes in resignation. Then, I was reborn. I reclaimed the family keepsake that proved my identity, taking back what was rightfully mine as the heir to a wealthy fortune. Now, she was on her knees, pleading, “Asher, please, save me. Please?” In my past life, my girlfriend tricked me into meeting at a guesthouse, claiming it was for my birthday. After she and Liam Thorne drugged my drinks until I passed out, I woke up tied to the top floor of a high-rise. My eyes fluttered open, slowly clearing. Liam stood there, his arm around Chloe Miller, both of them staring down at me with utter contempt. “Awake, are we?” she said, her voice dripping with venom. “Good. Any last words? If I’m feeling generous, I might even grant one.” They both chuckled, leaning into each other. Chloe’s sharp, hyena-like laughter sent shivers down my spine. I’d never seen her like this before. The wind on the rooftop was fierce, whipping against my face, filling me with dread. I turned my head, gazing down at the dizzying heights and the tiny, ant-like figures below. My heart hammered with terror. One step, and I would plummet from this building, splattering into a bloody mess on the pavement below. The image of that gruesome scene made me tremble. I glared back at them. They were still grinning, as if my life meant nothing. My fear morphed into a burning rage. I roared at her. “Chloe Miller!” “I was so good to you! Why would you betray me? How could you be so cruel?!” They wanted me dead, and I didn’t even know why. My legs began to give out, my mind shattering with despair. One was the girlfriend I’d loved for three years, the other, my childhood best friend. “Why?!” Her eyes turned vicious as she stepped closer. “Because you’re a worthless garbage! Poor, and utterly worthless. Why would I ever be with you?” “Do you know, Asher, every time my friends asked about my boyfriend, I couldn’t even bring myself to talk about you.” “You were an embarrassment!” I stared up at her, disbelief etched across my face. Behind her, Liam Thorne smirked, slowly walking toward me. A large hand pressed down on my head, pushing me closer to the edge. My eyes burned red with defiance as I glared back at him. “Since you’re so pathetic, I’ll tell you a little secret, Asher.” “No, wait, it should be Asher Thorne, right? The Thorne family’s—second young master.” I gasped, my tense body went slack. I almost tumbled off the building. As I steadied myself, I finally saw what he held in his hand. It was the carved bead I’d worn around my neck for years! The one he’d been asking me for! Could it be?! A wave of shock slammed into me. I met his smiling eyes. He’d used this bead to claim my identity, to become the young master in my place! “Liam Thorne! You treacherous bastard!” I roared at him, my voice raw and hoarse. “Hahahaha! Looks like you figured it out! Let me tell you, Asher, you deserved every bit of it!” “You have to die. Only then can I truly rest easy.” He stepped closer, and Chloe, still smiling, joined him. Knowing the truth, tears of bitter rage streamed down my face. I stopped struggling, my heart filled with hatred for them, and even more, for my own stupidity! “Thud—” They both shoved me. I plunged into the air, clutching my fists, closing my eyes, my heart burning with vengeful hate… “Asher?!” My eyes snapped open. A hand waved suddenly in front of my face. The raw agony of that last moment made my body tremble, and I instinctively grabbed the nearby table for support. My chest heaved, and I gasped for air, desperate to fill my lungs. When I calmed down, I looked around, slowly realizing that I hadn’t died. The vivid terror and burning fury still seared through me. My body still trembled, and I wrapped my arms around myself. “What’s wrong, Asher? You look so pale.” I snapped back to reality. Liam Thorne and Chloe Miller, those two dreadful figures, were standing right in front of me. Chloe reached out a hand, a worried look on her face, to wipe the beads of sweat from my forehead. But recalling her monstrous grin on the rooftop sent a cold shiver down my spine. I dodged her hand, taking a step back. “So, Asher, can I have that bead?” Liam asked, his handsome face creased with a slight frown. I lowered my gaze, picking up the smooth, brown bead hanging around my neck. My initial ‘A’ was carved into it. My mind raced. I was back. Back to the day he’d asked for this very bead. I remembered then. His birthday was approaching, and he’d outright asked for it. He claimed he’d been having bad luck lately and wanted something to bring him good fortune, and my bead had caught his eye. My heart lurched. I clutched it tighter. Seeing my nervous expression, he actually tried to grab it. He tugged at the cord around my neck, refusing to let go. I tightened my grip on the bead, glaring at him, seething. “No!” I roared. My drastic reaction made both of them look up in surprise. Liam flinched, staring at me with stunned disbelief. It was then I realized how loud I’d been. It was probably the first time I’d ever raised my voice like that. “Asher, it’s just a bead, right? Just give it to Liam,” Chloe said. “He’s been so unlucky lately. He’s been sick three times this month and still isn’t feeling well.” Three times in one month? I scoffed inwardly. So, they were already hooking up back then? She remembered the exact number of times he’d been sick. “No…” My anger from earlier had faded, and I weakly pushed back. Seeing my softened demeanor, Liam’s tense posture visibly relaxed, as if he’d let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He’d been wary of me. “I’m sorry, Liam, but I’ve worn this since I was a kid. I can’t imagine being without it.” “I’ll get you a different gift.” Silence hung in the air. I wondered if he knew the significance of this family keepsake yet. It wasn’t until I turned to leave that I caught his reflection in a mirror behind me—his face twisting into a malicious sneer, his eyes dark with menace. Only then did I realize. He knew. And he was doing this on purpose.

Outside, Chloe looped her arm through mine, just like she always did, chatting and laughing. But she’d just sided with Liam. They were clearly hooking up. I pulled my arm away with disgust. She flinched, then pretended it didn’t bother her. Suddenly, she giggled, pulling out her phone and letting out a gasp of envy. “Asher! Look at this bag! It’s gorgeous!” She shoved her phone screen in my face. It was a designer bag worth thousands. Seeing my silence, she pouted cutely, mumbling, “Ugh, it’s way too expensive. I guess I can only dream.” “Even though everyone else in class has one, there’s nothing I can do.” Her eyes welled up, threatening to spill over. I scoffed inwardly. In my past life, I’d been completely taken in by that innocent, pitiful act of hers. She always made me feel like I owed her something, mentioning how other people had new bags and new makeup. Every time I saw her look so miserable, my heart would soften, and I’d want to do everything in my power to make her happy. So, despite being financially strapped, I would work multiple part-time jobs, eating only ramen and cheap sandwiches for days, just to scrape together enough money for her gifts. I still remembered that rainy winter day. I was out with an umbrella, handing out flyers, soaking wet and utterly miserable. My hands and feet were numb with cold, but I forced myself to visit every shop, humbly begging them to take a look at the flyers. I’d only made fifty bucks that afternoon, but the bag she wanted cost fifteen hundred. Later, walking home from work, I passed a fried chicken place. My legs felt heavy, glued to the spot, as I stared longingly at the golden fried chicken, practically drooling. But I thought of her gift and her happy smile, and I held back, even though I hadn’t eaten meat in six months. After a month, I finally saved enough to buy the bag and gave it to her as her birthday gift. She giggled with delight when she received it, spinning around, saying she was the happiest girl in the world. At the time, I thought all my hardship was worth it. Because for someone who grew up in an orphanage like me, she was my only family, the only girl in my heart. Now, looking back, I just feel utterly stupid. A true lover wouldn’t let you go hungry for days, wouldn’t ignore your struggles, wouldn’t be clueless about your whereabouts. She had only ever been using me. Silence stretched between us. Seeing my indifferent expression, she looked a little lost, on the verge of tears. I frowned, letting out a weary sigh. “Chloe, I’m out of cash.” “I can’t even afford a meal tomorrow.” Her body stiffened. She forced a twitch of a smile, but no words came out. It wasn’t until her phone rang that she quickly said, “Asher, I think my roommate is looking for me. I gotta go.” She wiped her eyes, then turned and scurried away. Watching her fleeing back, I let out a soft, mocking laugh. I’d skip meals for what she wanted, but she wouldn’t even spare me enough for one meal. I truly was a pathetic clown. I clenched my fists, the hatred in my heart deepening. Looking at the smooth bead around my neck, I decided it was time to get things back on track. I was going to claim my true identity.

I arrived at the Thorne family’s grand mansion and pressed the doorbell. I’d been here once before, in my past life, for Liam’s party. Back then, he’d invited me to celebrate him finding his family. “Hello, who are you looking for?” A kind-faced housekeeper opened the door. When she saw the bead around my neck, her eyes widened in astonishment. She quickly turned and shouted, “Madam! He’s here! He’s here!” The door remained open, and I stepped inside. I stopped just at the entrance to the living room. After the housekeeper exchanged a few words with Madam Thorne, Eleanor suddenly looked up, her eyes wide as saucers. She was practically supported by the housekeeper as she slowly walked toward me. She stared intensely at the bead around my neck, then swept her gaze over my face. “You’re home. You’re finally home!” she cried, a bright smile breaking across her face. I noticed the streaks of silver in her hair. At that party, I’d heard that Madam Thorne had been searching for her child for over a decade, losing sleep every night because of him. Even after so much time, she’d never given up. The tender love in her eyes when she looked at Liam then had made me envious. I wished I had a mother too. My eyes welled up, blurring my vision. My heart ached. My mother must have suffered so much. “Mom—” A deep, resonant voice spoke from behind Eleanor. I looked toward him. It was my brother, Julian. His lips parted slightly, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He froze for a second, then rushed forward and wrapped me in a tight hug. “My little brother.” A scene of profound brotherly affection. He patted my head and chuckled. “Come, sit down. Talk to Mom.” He murmured softly, and Mom pulled me down beside her. She told me that when she was busy starting her business years ago, she’d left me with Julian. But he hadn’t watched me carefully enough, and I’d been snatched. She’d searched endlessly, running to countless cities, visiting numerous orphanages, but I was nowhere to be found. I listened in silence, noticing the discomfort on Julian’s darkened face. Slowly, he spoke, a hint of self-reproach in his voice. “Little brother, I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have endured so much hardship…” I gave him a comforting smile. “Bang—” The living room door burst open. Liam Thorne rushed in, looking flustered and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. He gasped, panting, “He’s an impostor!” Eleanor, who was holding my hand, flinched. She looked between us, her eyes wide with disbelief. Just then, Chloe Miller emerged from behind Liam. She cowered forward, looking at me with a strange mix of fear and pleading. Her next words sent a fresh wave of ice through me. “Asher, please, just give Liam back his bead, okay?” Her words hit me like a physical blow. My mind went blank, and a deafening buzz filled my ears. I realized they were conspiring to frame me. Liam was still trying to snatch my identity.

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That summer when I was 18, Ryan took my virginity. I endured the pain, but secretly felt happy all night long, thinking my six years of secret love had finally come to fruition. Until the next day, when I overheard his friends teasing him: “Not bad, you scored with the class beauty.” I felt embarrassed and was about to quietly leave. Then I heard Ryan’s casual reply: “I want to pursue the school beauty, but I’m afraid she’ll think I’m too inexperienced. “So I’m using Mia to practice my skills first.” I didn’t say anything. At the last moment before the deadline, I silently changed my college application from New York to Florida.

Ryan’s words hit me like a bolt from the blue, completely catching me off guard. My mind went blank instantly. On such a hot summer afternoon, I felt chills all over my body. The conversation in the classroom continued. The others seemed stunned for a moment before speaking again. “As expected of Ryan, even the class beauty is just practice for him.” “Doesn’t that make her like, you know, a maid for ‘special services’ in those old wealthy families?” Ryan laughed carelessly: “Don’t talk nonsense. It’s not like she’s losing out.” Someone immediately agreed. “That’s right, the class beauty has gotten a bit thin. Compared to the school beauty, her figure is…” Ryan irritably threw a book at him, interrupting his comment. “It was just a moment of impulse. The mood was right, and she seemed to be struggling to hold back too…” The others exchanged knowing looks and teased him: “Who would’ve thought the class beauty was the sultry type.” “Tsk tsk, it’s our Ryan’s irresistible charm. Might as well eat the meat right in front of you.” “The class beauty has been chasing after Ryan for so many years. I guess she finally got her wish. She probably wanted to jump him long ago.” The laughter in the room grew noticeably louder. I bit my lip hard, my hands clenched into tight fists. It took all my strength to keep steady and not collapse at the classroom door. Footsteps approached from the end of the hallway. I snapped back to my senses and fled the scene in a panic. In my confusion, I hid in a bathroom stall.

Tears of heartbreak and humiliation were already flowing freely. Ryan’s words echoed in my mind over and over, nearly destroying all of my self-esteem. If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I never would have believed that he was the same person who had been so passionately intimate with me just last night. So it turns out you can do such intimate things even without love. Even in the most passionate, irrational moments, it’s possible to lie and deceive. What I foolishly thought was the culmination of our relationship was nothing more than a joke to others. The more I cried, the more upset I became. But I didn’t dare make any loud sounds. My body kept shaking uncontrollably. After a long while. My phone buzzed with a message notification. It was from Ryan. [Take a cab home yourself. My class is having a party tonight, so it’s not convenient for me to take you.] I didn’t reply. He added another message. [Remember to buy the morning-after pill yourself. I’m too busy today. Make sure to take it, be good.] I stared at these two messages for a long time, speechless. Last night, from dusk till dawn, Ryan had worn me out over and over again. Before falling asleep exhausted in each other’s arms, he had whispered twice: “I wasn’t fully prepared for our first time. I’ll definitely buy you the pill tomorrow.” He even reminded me that girls need to protect themselves, and that I must take the morning-after pill or it could be very harmful to my body. At the time, I thought he was being so responsible towards me. I thought I had finally found my happiness. But now… In an instant, I sobered up considerably. I pinched my palm hard, forcing myself to stop crying. I wiped away my tears, composed myself, and left the bathroom. Too embarrassed to go to the pharmacy, I just ordered the pill online. After the delivery driver left it at the door, I waited a long time before I dared to sneak out and retrieve it. After swallowing the pill with tears in my eyes, I seemed to lose all my strength. I just sat numbly on the carpet, staring blankly. Ever since Ryan’s family moved in next door, I had followed him around like a little puppy for ten years. I had never imagined what a world without him would be like. I didn’t dare to imagine it. But from now on, I would be alone. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, lights came on one after another, then gradually went out. I don’t know how much time passed before my best friend Lily video called me. “Mia, why didn’t you come to our class party with Ryan tonight? “That Claire from the liberal arts class showed up instead. She’s been clinging to Ryan while you’re not here. The two of them are being so gross.” Lily turned the camera to show me.

In a dark corner of the private room, Ryan and Claire, the school beauty, were sitting very close together. Claire was wearing a crop top and tight jeans tonight, showing off her slim waist and long legs. The two of them were clearly separated from the rest of the group. Even when they talked, it looked like they were whispering sweet nothings to each other. The flirtatious atmosphere was palpable even through the screen. My chest tightened uncontrollably. Ryan had just said this afternoon that he wanted to pursue her. It seems he had already succeeded by evening. Claire drew a “Truth or Dare” card that required her to do push-ups with a guy on top. She had to choose a male participant. Unsurprisingly, Ryan immediately volunteered. Everyone started cheering and teasing them. Claire’s face turned red as she obediently lay down on the sofa. Ryan positioned himself above her and easily did dozens of push-ups. He was very restrained the whole time, carefully avoiding touching Claire’s body. Until the very last one, whether he finally lost his strength or did it on purpose. He couldn’t hold himself up and collapsed directly on top of Claire. The screams around them grew even louder, nearly taking the roof off. Ryan and Claire’s faces turned even redder. Amid the crowd’s frenzied cheering, Ryan simply lowered his head and kissed Claire. The two of them made out passionately, oblivious to everyone else. It went on for a full three minutes before they reluctantly separated. During those endless three minutes, I stared at the screen unblinkingly, so shocked I almost forgot to breathe. My heart felt like it was being torn apart. I wanted to cry, but I had cried too much earlier without drinking water, so I had no tears left. “Tsk tsk tsk, Mia did you see that clearly? They were French kissing with tongue and everything. He’s totally into her.” Lily sighed as she turned the camera and left the private room. She found a quiet corner and earnestly advised me: “Mia, don’t blame me. If I didn’t let you see it with your own eyes, you wouldn’t give up on him.” My throat was dry and the sounds I made were barely audible. “Mm, I don’t blame you.” I only blame myself for being so stupid for so many years. I thought that since I was always allowed to follow Ryan around, that position by his side would always be mine. “I just can’t stand Ryan. What gives him the right to string you along for years, knowing you like him, pretending to be an innocent boy while watching you fall deeper and deeper. “Now you’ve seen it clearly. I really hope you’ll seriously reconsider. Don’t let him waste another four years of your life in college…” “I won’t, Lily.” I interrupted her, stating calmly. “I won’t give myself another chance. “Lily, I’ve decided. I’m going to college in Florida with you. “But you have to promise to keep it a secret for now.”

After saying that, to prevent myself from hesitating again, I opened my laptop in front of her. Without any hesitation, at the last minute before the deadline, I changed my first choice to that famous university in Florida. Lily was of course overjoyed. She had been begging me to apply to the same school for a long time. But when we first started high school, I had already made a promise with Ryan that we would work hard together and go to his dream school in New York after the SATs. That’s where his favorite aerospace program was. So even though I didn’t particularly like the cold North, and didn’t have much interest in that engineering-focused school, for all three years of high school, I still made it my goal. After being neighbors for so many years, both sets of parents were happy for us to go to the same college. Everyone, including me, thought that Ryan and I would naturally become a couple after we became adults. But now, I couldn’t find any reason to go to New York anymore. Or rather, after today, if I still clung to Ryan like before. I would despise myself. Now I just wanted to hide far away. It didn’t matter where, as long as Ryan wasn’t there. If he was in the North, then I would go South.

Before bed, I filled the entire bathtub, wanting to thoroughly wash myself clean. But when I took off my clothes, the bruises on my skin were still very visible. Memories of last night came flooding back uncontrollably. The scorching heat of the young man’s skin as we embraced tightly, the burning breath in my ear as we made love, the lingering warmth still seemed to surround me. I shook my head vigorously, trying to get rid of these wild thoughts. I found the roughest loofah and scrubbed my skin over and over again, only stopping when my whole body turned red. Clumsily trying to erase this most shameful memory of my life. As a result, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t sleep well all night. Ryan indeed didn’t send any more messages. Breaking the habit we’d had for six years, ever since we got phones, of saying goodnight to each other without fail. This was for the best. It would have happened sooner or later anyway. Might as well start detoxing from tonight. I dozed off fitfully until nearly dawn. The next morning while I was still sound asleep, I suddenly felt someone plant a light kiss on my forehead in my dream.

I woke up with a start. But what I saw when I opened my eyes was a familiar chin and Adam’s apple. The scent enveloping me from above was Ryan’s favorite cedar fragrance, along with a faint, unfamiliar hint of lemon. I had almost forgotten, Ryan still knew the passcode to my front door. Seeing that I was awake, Ryan simply moved lower, chuckling as he tried to kiss my lips. I hurriedly turned my head to avoid it. I pushed him away and retreated to the other side of the bed. Ryan was stunned for a moment, then laughed at me: “Why so shy now? Hmm?” I didn’t say anything, just pulled the covers over my head. Ryan scolded me while trying to pull off my blanket. “Mia, you’ve gotten bold, huh? You didn’t even say goodnight to me last night, and you dared to turn off your phone and go to sleep. “Now you’re hiding from me?” He deftly slipped under my covers. Before I could react, he had wrapped me in his arms. “Be good, how many times have I told you not to skip breakfast. “I went for a 30-minute run specially to get you those crab roe buns you love. I queued for ages. “Do you want to get up and eat now, or do you want to… be eaten first…” His breath was very close to me, and his hands started roaming. Fully awake now, I struggled desperately. But at 5’3″, I was no match for a 6’2″ man. I really couldn’t understand what he was thinking. He already had Claire, why was he still messing with me? After struggling hard for a while, I was panting heavily. I hadn’t broken free, but was held even tighter. “What are you throwing a tantrum about now? “Are you angry? Just because I didn’t take you to the party last night? Such a trivial thing?” I didn’t say anything. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, laughing out loud. “Let me guess, your good friend Lily tattled to you? “It was just a game, is that worth being jealous over? “Why are you still like before, getting all sulky whenever I get a little close to other girls.” I was furious beyond words, with no idea where to even begin. Remembering what I learned during freshman orientation, I suddenly raised my knee and kicked him between the legs, then quickly ran off the bed while he was in pain. “Mia!” Ryan gritted his teeth, his face turning red. I hurriedly threw on a shirt over my pajamas and rushed to the living room. I didn’t want to be in the same room as him, especially not my bedroom. Not long after, Ryan also came out, looking both angry and helpless. After a long while, he seemed to suddenly remember something and casually asked: “By the way, you took the pill yesterday, right?” “Don’t cause any trouble. We can’t explain it to our parents.” Ryan walked to the dining table and picked up a soy milk, handing it to me. “Be good, eat something before you get angry. Your stomach isn’t great to begin with.” I didn’t say anything, nor did I take it. Ryan’s hand holding the soy milk hovered in the air for a long time before he finally lost patience. “What exactly is the matter? “Mia, even if you’re throwing a tantrum, there should be a reason and a limit, right?” I coldly replied: “I’m not worthy.” Ryan got angry too, slamming the soy milk down hard on the coffee table. He used too much force. The plastic cup cracked and all the soy milk instantly spilled onto the carpet. “What do you mean? “Who do you think you are, Mia? “We just slept together once by mutual consent, and now you want to control me? Don’t you know how suffocating that is?” His tone was unprecedentedly fierce. In an instant, tears streamed down my face without any buildup. Yesterday’s humiliation and grievances all came rushing back. Ryan seemed unprepared for my sudden intense crying and was at a loss for what to do. He apologized regretfully: “I’m sorry, I drank too much last night. I spoke impulsively just now.” Ryan crouched down beside me as he spoke, reaching out to wipe away my tears, but I dodged him again. He was stunned, his hand frozen in midair. Just as he was about to continue comforting me, his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at it once, his expression changing drastically. He immediately got up to leave. “I have an urgent matter to attend to. Calm down by yourself first. “We’re in college now. You can’t always act like a child. Who else could put up with that in the future?”

Less than half an hour after he left, Lily sent me a screenshot. It was Claire’s social media post. [Claire: Just said I was hungry, and a loving breakfast magically appeared! Feels like my crush and I are moving towards each other~] The photo showed packaging identical to the crab roe buns on my dining table. I didn’t reply. I just silently wiped away my tears and crouched down to carefully clean up the soy milk Ryan had spilled. After trying for a long time, I sadly discovered that the stain had seeped deep into the wool carpet and couldn’t be removed no matter what. In a fit of anger, I simply threw out the entire carpet. It was the one Ryan and his parents had carefully chosen and carried back for me after an entire afternoon of shopping during their trip to Nepal anyway. While I was at it, I gathered up all of Ryan’s things left at my place, as well as all the big and small gifts he had ever given me. I even collected all our photos together. It took me all day to pack everything up and throw it away. I guess he wouldn’t want these old things anymore either. After Ryan left that day, there was no news from him for several days in a row. I suppose things were going well with the school beauty. Or maybe he was waiting for me to give in first. In the past, I had always been the one to make up first after every cold war, without exception. But this time I didn’t reach out to him. There was no need to reach out anymore. I blocked his SnapChat and phone number, changed my home’s door passcode, and deleted all my social media accounts. After doing all this, I called my parents who were away on business trips. I told them I wanted to visit my aunt in America during the summer break. My plan was to spend the summer there, then go straight down south with Lily to start college when the break was over. Except for Lily, no one else knew I had applied to a school in Florida. This plan should perfectly avoid any chance of running into Ryan. Mom still teased me on the phone, “Oh my, are you and Ryan going on vacation together?” I made up an excuse to deny it, not wanting to explain too much. I just told her I wanted to spend time with my aunt and grandmother. I begged Dad to buy me a ticket on the soonest flight. I was planning to fly out that very night. As I was leaving, I unfortunately ran into Ryan’s mom at the entrance of our building. She warmly greeted me: “Mia, why are you alone here? Didn’t Ryan come to pick you up? “Didn’t he say he was taking you skiing in New Zealand? Go and have a great time, Auntie fully supports you two.” I was a bit confused. During our intense SAT prep period, I had indeed mentioned to Ryan that I wanted to go skiing in New Zealand to experience winter in the Southern Hemisphere. But given our current situation, how could we possibly go on a trip together? However, I was running out of time, so I just hastily made some vague replies before leaving. But what I didn’t expect was that at the airport, I actually ran into Ryan.

He was with a group of friends. Claire was there too. Ryan was carrying a woman’s handbag in one hand, his other arm around Claire’s waist. They were walking at the back of the group. From time to time Claire would turn her head to say something to him, and Ryan would always cooperate, patiently bending down to listen. Not like with me. Ryan had always been a head taller than me since we were kids, and he kept getting taller. When I was with him, I always had to jump up and down and lift my head to talk to him. It turns out he will lower his head for someone he truly cares about. I took a deep breath. Telling myself I must have some dignity. Whatever he does has nothing to do with me anymore. If I keep overthinking, I’ll slap myself. But there seemed to be only one path to the departure gates. I could only follow far behind them. Finally, we reached a fork in the path. Ryan seemed to be getting a bit distracted. He made several phone calls that didn’t go through, then fiddled with his phone for a while. In the end, he borrowed a friend’s phone and walked to a nearby restroom with a gloomy expression. Not long after, my phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number. “Mia, you’re really angry this time, huh? You won’t reach out to me unless I contact you first? “You even blocked me? “If you have the guts, then just keep not contacting me. Let’s see who will take care of you when you’re all alone in an unfamiliar place in New York.” Ryan’s tone was harsh as he berated me nonstop. I didn’t say anything. There was really no way to respond to that. But Ryan seemed to get even angrier. “I won’t say much more. Hurry up and add me back on SnapChat. “I’m about to go abroad with some friends for a couple days, so I might not be reachable by phone. Don’t worry and cry.” I couldn’t be bothered to say a single word to him. I hung up the phone immediately and turned it off. From a distance, I watched Ryan return to his group with a dark expression. He angrily pulled Claire along, no longer hesitating, and headed straight for the left departure gate. I sighed and turned to walk towards the right.

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