Category: English

My husband had a low sperm count, and after 33 grueling rounds of IVF, I finally managed to conceive. On the day of delivery, I was hemorrhaging badly and needed an emergency C-section. My husband had barely signed the consent form when he rushed off to his childhood friend’s birthday party. But the surgeon just stood there. “Lily, the online system shows you’re single. This consent form isn’t valid…” I froze. It hit me then: my supposedly perfect marriage had been a lie all along. Later, my parents rushed to the hospital to sign for me. But the baby didn’t make it, too long without oxygen. After the surgery, my hand trembled as I signed the cremation consent form for my child. Then, without a second thought, I dialed a number. “Owen, are you free now? Meet me at the courthouse.” *** Owen still looked a little dazed after we’d gotten our marriage certificate. “Lily… did you really marry me?” Seeing his goofy expression, I couldn’t help but crack a smile. But it pulled at my incision, and I winced, my brows furrowing in pain. Owen frantically rushed me back to the hospital, pressing a careful kiss to my forehead. “I have to go out of town for some business. You focus on recovering. I’ll be back to pick you up.” Dragging my weak post-op body to marry Owen had exhausted me, and I drifted off to sleep. But in my hazy state, I overheard Caleb and his friend talking. “Your wife almost died! Why aren’t you changing the marriage info back in the system?” “Just wait. Seraphina is seriously ill, and her only wish is to marry me.” “But if your wife finds out, she could leave you anytime!” “No way? She’s suffered so much for me. How could she possibly leave?” When I opened my eyes again, Caleb’s face was filled with worry. “Lily, you’re finally awake! My mom made some chicken soup, drink it while it’s hot.” His cautious demeanor made me wonder if the earlier conversation had been a hallucination. I cut straight to the chase. “Caleb, why does the system say I’m single?” Caleb’s movements stiffened. “Maybe the hospital’s online system hasn’t updated the info yet. Don’t worry about it, I’ll handle it.” He added, “I’m so sorry, I should have been there with you…” Catching the fleeting flicker of panic in his eyes, my heart plummeted. But I pretended it was nothing. “Yeah, their system definitely needs an update.” Caleb visibly relaxed and patiently ladled out chicken soup for me. “Don’t overthink things. Oh, by the way, where’s the baby?” The baby? I froze. Had no one told Caleb the baby was gone? Of course not. Caleb wasn’t my legal spouse, so no one would inform him. My chest tightened, and my voice wavered slightly. “The baby was too weak. Still in the incubator.” Caleb didn’t suspect a thing. He was about to say something when he suddenly shot to his feet. “Seraphina! What are you doing here?!” He was so agitated that the scalding chicken soup spilled all over my hand, instantly turning it red. But Caleb didn’t even notice, his eyes fixed on the small, delicate figure. He clenched his fists, his voice trembling with anxiety. “What happened? Are you feeling sick again? Why didn’t you tell me?” Seraphina’s small face was pale. “It’s nothing major, just my period seems delayed, and you had something more important…” She glanced meaningfully at me. Caleb lightly tapped her head. “Nothing is more important than you!” I couldn’t help but speak up. “Caleb…” Only then did he pull his attention away, looking at my hand. Before I could even speak, he frowned, tugged off my jacket without hesitation, and possessively wrapped it around Seraphina’s waist. “Exposing your legs in this cold weather? How old are you! Come on, I’ll take you to see a doctor!” From start to finish, he didn’t spare me another glance. In that moment, I realized just how foolish I’d been. 33 rounds of IVF, and Caleb had never once accompanied me. Always “working late” or “too busy.” I, someone so afraid of pain, had bitten down hard, like an idiot, learning to inject myself with ovulation shots, leaving my stomach a canvas of needle marks. It wasn’t that he was busy. His time, all of it, was for Seraphina. The signs of love and indifference were so painfully obvious. Caleb, I really don’t have the energy to keep playing this game with you. 2 I didn’t see Caleb for the next few days. Through her Ins posts, I knew he was constantly by Seraphina’s side. Expensive luxury goods flowed like water to her bedside. The giant screen facing the hospital was rented out, playing his blessings for Seraphina 24/7. Seraphina even posted an update with a picture of their tightly clasped hands. “I’m the happiest woman in the world.” I said nothing. Under the sympathetic gazes of the doctors, I handled my discharge papers alone. Only that day did Caleb finally call. He demanded, displeased, “Where’s the baby? Why won’t they let me see them?” “I haven’t recovered, and you must be incredibly busy. I left the baby with my parents.” He caught the sarcasm in my tone. For once, he sounded a little guilty. “Lily, you’ve been through so much. Wait until I—” I hung up without mercy. Caleb, I hope you’re still as calm when you find out the truth. Back home, I instructed the maid to pack up all my belongings. The scattered items were all memories of Caleb and me. There was the limited edition collectible figure he’d waited 12 hours in line to get me, and the good luck charm he’d prayed for at a temple when I first got pregnant. But how could these tiny acts of affection compare to even a thousandth of what he gave Seraphina? With a single fire, I burned them all to ashes. I was planning to move abroad with Owen; the visa application takes five days. I just wanted to spend these last few days in peace. But Caleb wouldn’t let me. He suddenly burst in and grabbed my collar, choking me. “Lily! Where have you hidden Seraphina?!” I managed to gasp out, “I don’t know.” Caleb’s gaze darkened. “You better actually not know! Otherwise, I won’t let you off the hook!” He threw me aside. I gasped for air, still unwilling to give up. “Caleb, do you even remember I’m your wife?” Caleb’s steps faltered. He hurriedly threw out an explanation, “Don’t overthink things. Seraphina’s mother asked me to take care of her before she died. She’s my sister.” Then he left without looking back. I laughed at myself, bitterly. In the past, even if I disappeared for half a month on a business trip, Caleb never bothered to ask. He really *was* worried about this “sister” of his. I went to the embassy to submit my paperwork. When I returned, I found Caleb had already found Seraphina. “Silly girl, why run off? If you’re pregnant, just have the baby. I’ll take good care of you and our child!” But Seraphina stubbornly shook her head. “No! How could I bear to have a baby born without a dad?” Caleb panicked, blurting out, “You’re my legal wife! How could he be without a dad!” A pang of sorrow hit me. I wasn’t paying attention and stepped on a fallen leaf, making a loud crunch. Both of them noticed me then. Caleb instantly flustered. “Did you hear something?” I shook my head. “I just got back.” He let out a sigh of relief, then hesitated. “Lily, Seraphina might need to stay here for a while. Is that okay?” I smiled, walking straight to my room. “Would it matter if I said no?” “Lily!” Caleb couldn’t help but raise his voice. But Seraphina suddenly said, “Caleb, I’m a little hungry. I heard Lily is a great cook, could she make me something?” Caleb looked hesitant. “Wouldn’t that be a little awkward?” Seraphina’s mouth immediately drooped, and tears welled up. “I knew it, I shouldn’t have come here to impose. It’s okay, I’ll just leave—” Caleb immediately interjected, “Lily, you’re the lady of the house, hurry and play hostess!” Not wanting to cause further trouble, I went to the kitchen and made a dish for Seraphina. When Caleb saw the dish, he paused. Pork Rib and Pear Soup. A dish I’d once joked I’d make if we ever broke up. The word ‘pear’ sounds like ‘leave’ in Chinese, a subtle, bitter joke now. Before he could ponder its meaning, Seraphina had already taken the bowl of soup. But after just one sip, she suddenly shivered and threw the bowl onto my chest! I was drenched from head to toe, standing there, humiliated, while Seraphina innocently covered her mouth. “Oops, I’m so sorry, it was too hot… I just dropped it…” 3 Seeing her reddened eyes, Caleb’s face immediately darkened. “We’ve been married for five years, and you can’t even do this right? Or are you upset with Seraphina and deliberately targeting her?” I tried to explain, but he was already anxiously cupping Seraphina’s hand. “Does it hurt? Wait here, I’ll bandage it right away.” I suddenly felt utterly disheartened. Out of sight, out of mind. I left the villa and checked into a hotel. But the day before my departure, I realized I’d forgotten my documents at home and had no choice but to go back. The villa was hosting a party. Caleb stood beside Seraphina, a perfect couple, surrounded by guests. Some guests whispered. “Mr. Turner is so good to his wife! Look at Seraphina’s designer clothes, that must be hundreds of thousands!” Someone in the know corrected him. “Are you blind? The woman who just walked in is Mrs. Turner!” The first person looked embarrassed. “Oh, really? Her clothes look like they cost barely anything, doesn’t really look like it—”

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My husband personally sent me to a reform school for the sake of his childhood sweetheart. I was abused to death there, while he threw a lavish birthday party for his true love. A year later, he finally drove to pick me up and take me home. Later, when he was about to go on a date with his sweetheart, I kissed him sweetly and said, “Go ahead, darling. I’ll wait for you to come back.” He was very pleased: “Sending you to that reform school was the right decision after all.” I smiled faintly: “Yes, darling.” But what he didn’t know was that this person wasn’t really me. The real me was already dead. Chloe came to visit our home and broke the only thing my grandmother had left me. Looking at the shattered purple jade bracelet on the floor, I pushed her away. I didn’t use much force, but she fell to the ground, her cry bringing my husband running. Lucas immediately slapped me across the face and helped Chloe up: “Are you okay, Chloe?” The tenderness in his eyes and voice was something I had never heard before. Chloe leaned into his arms, quietly sobbing, “I… I accidentally broke Olivia’s bracelet. I’m so sorry…” Lucas glanced at the bracelet on the floor and comforted her, “It’s fine, that’s not important.” I stared at them in disbelief. This was the only thing my grandmother had left me. And he said it wasn’t important? My fingers trembled with anger, but Lucas just walked away with her in his arms. That evening, his assistant rushed over with a new bracelet. It was prettier and more expensive than the one that broke. But I didn’t want it. Lucas handed me the bracelet, telling me not to be so petty – it was just a bracelet, not worth getting so worked up over. I clutched the new bracelet, staring at him blankly, “That was my grandmother’s wedding gift to me.” My grandmother was the only one in the family who was ever kind to me. She had set aside this wedding gift, but wasn’t able to attend my wedding. Lucas just paused briefly, then frowned, “Chloe didn’t mean to. What do you want?” “I saw her take it out of the drawer and throw it on the floor herself. How was that not intentional?” “Enough!” Lucas cut me off harshly, “Olivia, there aren’t many people as petty as you in this world. You’ll say anything to slander Chloe.” I was suddenly at a loss for words. Looking at him was like looking at a stranger. Seeing my stunned expression, Lucas softened his tone: “Don’t be angry. I’ve already found someone to repair the bracelet. You can have it back in a few days.” Hearing that, I felt a little better. But I still couldn’t entirely let go of my resentment, clearly remembering the stinging slap he had given me without hesitation.

The next day, Chloe suggested going to see a movie and brought me along. It was a romantic film. Chloe cried throughout, quietly sobbing. Lucas wiped her tears and rubbed her back soothingly, pulling her into his arms to comfort her. I sat to the side, feeling like an outsider. The quiet theater felt like an invisible knife, slowly torturing me. When it was time to leave, Chloe said she had left her purse in the theater and Lucas went to get it for her. As soon as he left, Chloe touched her reddened eyes and smiled at me. She had finally dropped the act. “Mrs. Lucas, don’t you think you were quite eye-catching today?” I was in such a foul mood that I didn’t want to respond to her. Seeing that I wasn’t saying anything, she began to size me up. “I don’t know how Lucas ever fell for you and actually married you.” “Oh right, I left him so decisively back then, I must have broken his heart. He probably married you just to spite me.” “He doesn’t love you anyway, so of course he doesn’t care what you look like.” My anger turned to bewilderment. Her words played over and over in my mind as I struggled to process them. My fingernails dug into my palms, the pain barely registering. I suddenly understood. So that’s how it was. No wonder all these years I always felt Lucas was too reserved, never telling me he loved me. It turns out there was always someone else in his heart. And now that person had come back, which is why he suddenly seemed like a different person. Actually, he hadn’t changed – he just didn’t love me. “Mrs. Lucas, why don’t you bow out gracefully? If you drag this out, you’ll only embarrass yourself in the end. I don’t want to be the bad guy here.” “After all, Lucas really likes me. With just one word from me, he’d dump you in a heartbeat.” Chloe was very confident. Judging by how Lucas had been doting on her these past few days, she certainly had reason to be. However, I didn’t want to give up. Lucas was the man I had secretly loved for years and finally managed to win over. At the very least, I was still Lucas’s wife right now. Hearing my response, Chloe sighed sympathetically. “You’re going to lose.” With that, she grabbed my hand and pushed herself down the stairs. A figure immediately rushed over and caught her in his arms. In that moment, I thought she was actually quite desperate. If Lucas had asked for a divorce, I probably would have packed my bags and left immediately. However, he didn’t.

He drove me out to the suburbs, and when I asked where we were going, he said he was taking me to meet someone. When we arrived at our destination, there was no one there to meet. There was only an old iron gate with a sign that read “Reform School.” I struggled desperately, trying to escape, but it was no use. I was tied up and thrown inside. Lucas stood outside the gate, coldly watching me, saying he would come pick me up and bring me home in a year. But three days later, I died in a cramped, stuffy dormitory. In those three days, I was beaten with sticks, electrocuted, forced to kneel for hours, made to roll on beds of nails, taught how to be a proper person, and instructed in the ways of female obedience. Bruised and battered, I returned to the dorm room and was about to lie down when the door was suddenly kicked open. A group of men dragged me from the bed to the floor. The leader grabbed my chin, looking me over. Someone said, “She’s quite a looker, boss.” He sneered, “Well, she is Lucas’s wife. Even with his poor taste, he wouldn’t choose someone too ugly.” “You’re unlucky to run into me. Who told Lucas to mess with me?” “He bankrupted my family. Is it too much for me to mess with his wife?” The lackeys chimed in, “How could that be too much? Lucas brought this on himself. Go ahead boss, we’ll keep watch.” “Keep watch? What kind of brothers are you if you don’t join in?” The man laughed cruelly and started tearing at my clothes. I cried and struggled, but with just one hand each, they could pin me to the floor, unable to move, at their mercy. Despair and anguish spread through my chest as I recalled Lucas’s cold expression when he left me here. And how carelessly he had said he would come pick me up in a year. Suddenly all my strength drained away as I stared blankly at the moldy ceiling. They took videos and photos, but decided it wasn’t enough – they wanted to call Lucas too. “No… please don’t!” I shuddered violently, then shook my head desperately, crying and begging him not to do it. The man laughed loudly as he dialed the number. Thankfully, Lucas didn’t answer. They tried calling several times with no luck. The man hung up and showed me a video. It had just been posted moments ago. It was from Chloe. In the video, she was holding a bouquet of bright red roses, wearing a birthday crown, sitting next to the man who had sent me to this place. Lucas turned to look at her, his eyes overflowing with tenderness and love. I stared blankly, forgetting the pain, forgetting where I was. “Tsk, sending his wife to a place like this while throwing a birthday party for another woman. This Lucas sure knows how to play.” The man put the phone away, lamenting that it was a shame Lucas couldn’t witness his wife being violated in person. They tormented me all night long. On the third night, I died in that dormitory.

One year later. When Lucas drove up to the reform school, the sky was already growing dark. A woman stood at the entrance, smiling gently at him. He got out of the car, and before he could get close, she ran over and hugged him. “Darling, I’ve missed you so much.” Lucas paused, then smiled in satisfaction: “How was it in there?” The woman tilted her head thoughtfully, then said: “Not bad at all.” Lucas brought his now obedient and submissive wife back home. He called her Olivia. But I was already dead. The one by his side was my twin sister, Sophia. I followed them back to the city in spirit form. Lucas was especially patient with his newly returned wife, telling her about the changes at home and what he had been up to over the past year. He told her everything, except about Chloe. But I knew. After death, my spirit had left my body and wandered the human world. I knew everything he had done crystal clear. Including every meal with Chloe, every movie, every intimate encounter. His change in attitude was probably out of guilt, wanting to make it up to me. That evening, after showering, Sophia put on a lacy nightgown and slipped under the covers, wrapping her arms around the man’s waist. Lucas instinctively locked his phone, which was open to a chat window. Sophia acted like she hadn’t noticed, snuggling against him like a kitten. Looking down at the woman’s cleavage, his Adam’s apple bobbed. As if sensing the man’s heated gaze, Sophia looked up, her eyes sparkling, red lips parted slightly as she let out a soft moan. Lucas paused, his eyes flickering. No longer paying attention to the messages popping up on his phone, he flipped her over and pinned her beneath him. I had thought that after a year, nothing he did would affect me anymore. But the stabbing pain in my heart at that moment was undeniable. My Sophia was now lying beneath my husband, begging for his attention, with a triumphant smile playing at her lips. The next day, Sophia went to a cemetery on the outskirts of town, stopping in front of a blank headstone. She placed a bouquet of jasmine flowers before the grave, her slender fingers lightly tracing the unmarked stone. A crazed smile spread across her face. “Rest in peace, sister.” “Your husband is mine now.”

Returning to the mansion, Sophia ran into Lucas dressed in a tailored suit, his hair carefully styled, wearing men’s cologne. She smiled at him, “Are you going out, darling?” “Mm,” he paused, then said, “I’m going to see Chloe.” Lucas and Chloe’s chat the night before had been cut short, and Chloe was upset. He was going out now to appease her. If it had been me before, I definitely would have questioned him and thrown a fit. But Sophia just kissed him sweetly, “Go ahead, darling. I’ll wait for you to come back.” Lucas was very pleased with this response: “Sending you to that reform school was the right decision after all.” The woman’s lips curved into a smile: “Yes, darling.” Of course it was right. How else would I have died? How else could she have taken my place? Sophia had liked Lucas for a long time. In high school, the three of us went to the same school. Lucas was the golden boy – wealthy family, top grades, strikingly handsome. There was hardly a girl in school who didn’t have a crush on him. Lucas and I were in the same class. My secret crush on him was the only joy in my otherwise dull high school life. I realized Sophia also had a crush on him when she started frequently coming to our classroom during breaks. Sophia and I looked about 60% alike, but in terms of delicate features, she wasn’t as pretty as me. Despite coming to our classroom every day, she never entered Lucas’s field of vision in those three years. When it came time for college applications, Lucas didn’t go abroad, but applied to a local university instead. Fortunately, after three years of hard work, I finally caught up to him and we entered the same university. Sophia, on the other hand, got sick and had to take a year off from high school. She was still in her senior year when I started college as a freshman. She missed her chance with Lucas. I started dating Lucas in the second semester of sophomore year. We got married after graduation. In all those years, Sophia never appeared before me. So Lucas didn’t know Sophia. After I was sent to the reform school, Sophia came to see me and somehow found out I had been abused to death. She made a deal with them. Later she got plastic surgery. When she reappeared at the reform school, no one recognized her anymore. Sophia took my place, while the reform school kept my death a secret. She came back this time to stay by Lucas’s side in my stead.

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It had been three years since our breakup. My childhood sweetheart, Liam, and I were back together again. He treated me just as he always had, maybe even more thoughtfully than before. I truly believed this time, we were finally on the right track, headed for a happy ending. Until I happened to pass by the private booth next door. I heard Liam’s friends teasing him. “Didn’t you say you were done with Chloe? How is this fair to Cassie?” Inside the booth, Liam’s eyes were slightly glazed over, but his words were crystal clear. I watched him gently squeeze the slender neck of the girl beside him. He chuckled, playfully chiding, “Cut the crap. Be there on time for the wedding next month.” The private booth was loud and boisterous. But Liam’s voice cut through the noise, clear as day. My body went cold. I had to brace myself against the wall to keep from collapsing. The conversation inside continued. “I’m telling you, just be straight with her. You finally managed to win Cassie back and sweet-talked her into agreeing to marry you. Don’t mess this up now.” It was another voice. Jake, Liam’s best friend. He was also a witness to our on-again, off-again relationship for years. Liam waved a hand, shrugging it off. “What’s the point of just nagging me? Why don’t you tell her to keep her distance from that boss of hers?” Jake gave Liam a fed-up kick. “Cassie already said she wasn’t dating him during those three years you guys were broken up…” “And you believed her? The rumors about her and her boss have been going wild at the office! I was the only idiot kept in the dark…” His voice grew more bitter as he continued. “Always working late, always out entertaining clients—who knows if she was actually in the office or in someone’s bed!” Those words were truly disgusting. Everyone in the room was too stunned to speak. And I, standing outside the door, felt my blood run cold. A shiver that I couldn’t control ran through me. It’s already tough enough for women in the workplace. Arthur had only taken me under his wing because I was a former student of his. I honestly believe I worked myself to the bone to earn this position today. I’ve been fair to everyone. But to avoid Liam misunderstanding, I clearly told him the situation on the very first day we got back together. Liam had also told me more than once that he trusted me and supported my work. But I never imagined he was actually thinking this about me behind my back. And slandering me with such disgusting words in front of all his friends. If I hadn’t happened to pass by this booth, was he planning to just trick me into marrying him? That would be absolutely terrifying. In that instant, my brain made the decision faster than my heart. I pulled open the door, walked straight up to Liam. Before he could even react. *Smack!* The sound echoed through the entire room. I slapped Liam. It landed with a lot of force. Two seconds later, the girl beside him shrieked, crying as she reached out to touch his face. But Liam abruptly pushed her away. He stood up, flustered, and started to explain to me. “Listen, I can explain…” “Liam, we’re done.”

Tonight, I’d successfully closed a huge deal. I’d put on a brave face and drank myself silly. I had planned to use this bonus as our honeymoon fund, for Liam and me. But by a cruel twist of fate, I ended up hearing his true thoughts instead. Destiny truly loves to play jokes on me. I flexed my numb hand, stumbling towards the restroom. Looking up, I saw my eyes looked terrifyingly hollow. I splashed cold water on my face, hoping to calm down. But somehow, I couldn’t seem to wipe the water from my face. My eyes just kept getting redder. A wave of delayed grief hit me like a ton of bricks. I just crouched there and cried until I had no tears left, setting a five-minute alarm. When the alarm rang, I slowly calmed down. The dinner wasn’t over, and the clients hadn’t left yet. This wasn’t the time to lose myself in emotion. So, while no one was looking, I slipped back into the private booth. “What took you so long?” Arthur, my boss, sitting beside me, turned his head to look. His eyes burned into mine, as if he could see straight into my soul. I nervously avoided his gaze, casually made up a lie. “Ran into someone I knew. Just said a quick hello.” Arthur nodded, saying nothing more. Ten minutes later, the dinner ended. A sigh of relief escaped me. I’d expected to stay until midnight tonight, but it ended so early. Good. I’d have a little more time to sort out my messed-up feelings. And it wouldn’t affect my work performance the next day. After seeing the clients off, Arthur and I stood at the entrance, waiting for the company driver. Suddenly, he pointed at the dark circles under my eyes and spoke calmly: “Go home and get some rest. Your eyes are all red from staying up.” I froze. Just as I was about to say something, I was interrupted by an angry shout. “Cassie!” Not far away, Liam was glaring at us, furious. “Was I wrong about anything I said just now? If there’s nothing going on between you two, then why did you lie to me tonight and say he wouldn’t be here?” Before I left for the client dinner, Liam had asked me if my boss would be there tonight. I’d said no because I truly hadn’t received any notification. Who knew the client was difficult and insisted Arthur oversee the signing before they’d agree to the contract? My colleagues had no choice but to ask Arthur to come. But I couldn’t bring myself to say any of this to someone who clearly didn’t trust me. I slapped his hand away from where he was pointing at Arthur, warning him coldly: “Liam, this is between *us*. Be respectful to other people.” Liam probably hadn’t expected me to disrespect him so openly in front of others. He gritted his teeth, repeating “Fine, fine” through them. “This is all because of him, isn’t it? That’s why you want to break up with me? “Well, guess what, I don’t agree!” With that, Liam stormed off in a huff. Fuming, I wanted to chase after him and argue. But suddenly, my wrist was grabbed. I turned my head. A strange emotion flickered in Arthur’s usually stoic eyes. “That childish, ridiculous man—is he really worth you going back to him again and again? Cassie, did he save your life or something?”

Arthur was a year ahead of me in school. He was a campus legend I’d heard about frequently during my college years. Everyone who knew him always praised how gentle and polite he was in how he treated everyone. And in the three years I’d worked under him, he’d lost his temper with me only twice. Once was when I first started. I’d swallowed my pride and put up with a harassing client just to get the company a deal. He chewed me out for not knowing how to protect myself. The second time was just now. He mocked me for being upset over a worthless man. But what Arthur didn’t know was that Liam really *had* saved my life.

Liam and I were next-door neighbors. He was only twelve when he first moved in. I was two years older than him. One time, the kids in our neighborhood were playing together. I walked by and was playfully pushed into the river. The river wasn’t deep, but it was deep enough to be life-threatening for fourteen-year-old me. The other kids either froze in fear or scattered, terrified of getting into trouble. Only Liam. Without a second thought, he jumped right into the water. He struggled to pull me out. CPR, chest compressions—he did everything he could. When I finally opened my eyes to the world again, the first thing I saw was Liam’s clear, innocent eyes. That night, my parents went to Liam’s house with some fruit and milk to thank them. Once inside, we found Liam getting yelled at by both his parents. When we asked why, I found out. Liam, who’d just saved me, had only been taking swimming lessons for three days at that point. One wrong move, and both of us could have drowned in that little river. He was grimacing from the scolding, but still managed to greet us: “Cassie, Uncle, Auntie, please make yourselves comfortable…” Because he saved my life, Liam and I were always close growing up. Once we hit our teenage years, that closeness became even more apparent. I was the first to realize it. Liam really wasn’t good at hiding his feelings. After I called him out, he actually got all shy and awkward before confessing to me. “Cassie,” he’d said, all flustered, “I’ve liked you since we were kids. And I can tell you like me too. We’ve already kissed, so why don’t you just say yes…?” In my panic, I blushed and used my grades as an excuse. “Your grades are terrible! No one’s going to want you!” I never thought Liam would actually buckle down and study harder because of that one sentence. His grades weren’t bad to begin with; he just had a lazy approach to studying. Now that he was actually putting in the effort, the results were incredibly obvious. But when he confessed again, I still turned him down. “Liam, I’m not ready for a serious relationship right now.” He didn’t get angry, just confidently raised an eyebrow at me. “Fine,” he’d said, a confident smirk on his face, “but I’ll stand proudly by your side one day. You’ll see.” His confidence wasn’t misplaced. Because two years later, we really did get together.

When he first went to college, that was the most carefree time of our lives. We did all the things couples in love do. Sweet gestures, thoughtful gifts, exciting surprises. Every day was a new adventure. But the turning point came because of that. He was handsome, and had a charming personality. When he first started college, lots of girls loved chatting with him. He’d smile and chat right back. Boundaries between men and women—he just couldn’t grasp them. I’d walked in on them a few times, and we argued about it countless times. But it always ended with me heartbroken and him feeling misunderstood. Liam didn’t understand why I got so angry over him just talking to someone. And I didn’t understand why he couldn’t keep his distance from other people. Too many petty arguments can really damage a relationship. We started constantly breaking up and making up, and eventually, we were both exhausted from the drama. Liam couldn’t take it anymore and initiated the breakup. He chose to study abroad. I, too, grew rapidly during those years, becoming the professional woman I’d always aspired to be. And it was then that Liam came back. He came back with an engagement ring. … My silence stretched on. Arthur finally let go of my hand, letting out a silent sigh. “I’m giving you three days off. Take some time to think things through.” Snapping out of my reverie, I nodded wearily. “Okay.”

Back home, I tore up the marriage leave request I’d prepared a week ago. I started thinking about how I’d spend these next three days. Maybe I was just too tired today, too drained to think about anything that upset me. The moment my head hit the pillow, I was out cold. But my sleep was restless. Fragments of memories about Liam kept appearing in my dreams. I also dreamed about the girl sitting beside him. Her name was Chloe. She was a hardworking student Liam had sponsored while abroad. After we got back together, we’d confessed our three years apart to each other. I hadn’t dated anyone. And Liam had completely changed from his usual thoughtless self, quietly studying abroad. But Chloe was an exception. Liam said the resilient look in her eyes reminded him of me, and that was why he chose to sponsor her. Over time, they developed feelings for each other. Liam said they had a brief relationship. But ultimately, she wasn’t me. In the end, he chose to break up with her and come back home to try and win me over again. And it was then that I impulsively agreed to his proposal. And he had completely cut ties with Chloe. But then the scene shifted in my dream. I dreamed of his hand gently stroking Chloe’s neck again. Such an intimate and natural gesture—how could that be “cutting ties”? Liam… he hadn’t changed at all, right from the start. The dream turned nightmarish at that moment. I snapped awake, as if I was trapped in a suffocating shroud of black mist. It was four in the morning. I was wide awake. There wasn’t much of Liam’s stuff at my place. Most of his belongings, along with mine, had already been moved to our wedding house. It was a new house we’d both loved, after looking at so many options, that he’d bought a month after returning home. Now, my only comfort was that he’d paid for it in full. We didn’t have any property division issues to sort out yet. Thinking about this, my heart still sank. When Liam first came back, I truly planned on making things work with him. I thought we could both be more tolerant, more compromising. After all, we’d loved each other for so long. And found it so hard to forget each other. But when Chloe reappeared by his side. The moment those ugly words came out of his mouth. I realized how foolish I’d been. Liam was still Liam. He couldn’t be tolerant, couldn’t compromise. He couldn’t even guarantee his love. While I was still lost in thought, my phone rang. It was Jake. I pulled at the corner of my lips, a sarcastic smile playing on them. For so many years, whenever Liam and I argued, he’d come over afterward to play the mediator. But things had been so tense last night, I was curious how he’d even try to convince me now. “Cassie, I’m not getting involved in your business anymore. But I hope you two can really clear the air before you go your separate ways. So you don’t have any regrets later.” “Regret? Why would I regret it? Finding out before the wedding means it’s a blessing in disguise.” I spoke softly. Jake fell silent. After hanging up, I lay on the couch for a while. It was true, I should have a proper talk with Liam. I needed to explain things to my parents, at least. But I couldn’t get through to Liam’s phone. I remembered that when we first got back together, he’d linked a location-sharing app to my phone. I dug it out and opened it. It showed he was at a hospital. I didn’t overthink it. I quickly got ready and hailed a cab. My time off was almost over—only two and a half days left. I needed to get these things sorted out quickly. The location sharing was precise—it even showed the building and floor. I made my way to the hospital room. And that’s how I unexpectedly heard Chloe’s familiar voice. “Liam, it hurts so much.” Inside the room, Liam had his back to me. He gently ruffled Chloe’s hair, his voice filled with remorse. “I’m sorry. I won’t let you get hurt next time.” Chloe’s response was to wrap an arm around his waist. She smiled sweetly. “I never blamed you.” Anyone seeing this scene would assume they were a loving couple. Even I felt a moment of confusion. But I’d grown so much in these three years. It hadn’t even been ten hours since we’d ripped each other apart last night. And I could already suppress the pain in my heart, knocking on the door without batting an eye. “Liam, step outside for a moment.” 8. Liam frantically rushed out, breathlessly explaining to me. “When I pushed Chloe away yesterday, I hurt her, that’s why I brought her to the hospital.” He grabbed my hand, his voice catching slightly.

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Eight years married, twelve pregnancies, twelve heartbreaks. Each time, a mysterious miscarriage stole my babies away. Everyone whispered it was my fault, that my wild youth had ruined my body. I endured countless IVF treatments, swallowed mountains of pills. But no matter what, I could never hold onto a pregnancy. I couldn’t bear to see Liam so tormented. Tears blurring my vision, I nodded, agreeing to let his childhood sweetheart, Chloe, bear him a child. Chloe became pregnant, and the baby was perfectly healthy. He wrapped me in a tight embrace, his face alight with pure joy. “Now you won’t have to go through the pain of IVF anymore. This child, once born, will be the sole heir to the Davies fortune.” I truly believed the storm had passed, that we could finally settle into a loving, peaceful marriage. But then, I stumbled upon a conversation between Liam and Chloe that shattered my world. “I knew your heart was always mine. I told you, I made Avery believe it was her fault, by putting miscarriage-inducing drugs in her food.” Liam gently stroked her belly, a soft smile gracing his lips. “She’s so unbelievably stupid. She believes anything I tell her. If it wasn’t for making her get the hint and divorce me willingly, I wouldn’t have even bothered with the drugs. Once our baby is here, everything in the Davies family will be ours. And his parents? They won’t be able to do a damn thing.” I thought about the endless IVF cycles, the infections, the internal damage to my body, and a wave of ice-cold horror washed over me. Eight years of marriage. It was all a lie. And it was finally time for it to end.

My fists clenched, my eyes burning red, my whole body shaking with pure rage. The sounds from the room continued, sweet whispers turning into fervent kisses. “Liam, my love, I remember everything you’ve done for me. You’ve worked so hard. Let me show you my gratitude.” “Stop, darling, you’re pregnant.” The tenderness Liam showed her, a tenderness he had *never* shown me, made my entire body ache, numb with pain. For eight years, he’d often held me, comforting me about our lost children, making me feel eternally guilty. He had suggested, with feigned anguish, that Chloe help us have a child. I couldn’t bear to see him suffer, so I agreed. I never, *never* imagined that the twelve children in my womb had been murdered by his own hands, all so he could be with Chloe. I turned and walked away, immediately sending the video I’d just recorded to his mother, Mrs. Davies. Mrs. Davies arrived quickly. The sounds from the room hadn’t stopped. As she listened, her face turned a terrifying shade of dark. I wanted to stop her, but she kicked the door open, ignoring everything else. Liam and Chloe gasped in shock, scrambling to pull the covers over their naked bodies. “Mom? What are you doing here?” Mrs. Davies landed a resounding slap across Liam’s face. The sickeningly sweet scent of their betrayal still hung in the air. I stopped at the doorway, mortified. Mrs. Davies’ shoulders heaved with fury. She pulled out her phone and played the video I’d sent her. “You animal! Those were your own flesh and blood! How could you do such a thing?” Liam finally realized what was happening, his face contorting with anger. He glared at me, his eyes burning with hatred, his jaw clenched tight. “You disgust me, Avery! How dare you tattle on me?” My heart turned to ice. I just stared at him, utterly heartbroken. He seemed to realize there was no point in pretending anymore. He gently stroked Chloe’s belly, then tossed a vasectomy report onto the bed. “Mom, you want a grandchild, right? The baby in Chloe’s belly will be the only child I’ll ever have. I’ve had a vasectomy. I can’t have any other children.” Mrs. Davies looked utterly shattered, her face drained of color. She swayed, almost collapsing, but I managed to catch her just in time. The report clearly stated that Liam’s vasectomy was permanent, with no possibility of reversal. Chloe, tears welling in her eyes, nestled gratefully into Liam’s embrace. She met Mrs. Davies’ gaze, her expression defiant. “Auntie, you forced me away once. But now, I’m carrying the only Davies heir. Do you really want to send me away again, and let your family line die out?” Mrs. Davies’ face flushed with anger, then slowly softened. She looked at me, a flicker of guilt in her eyes. “Avery, this is the Davies family’s *only* child. Be the bigger person, darling. Don’t fight them on this. The Davies family has wronged you, I know, but I promise you, the Lady Davies title will always be yours.” My face went deathly pale. I instantly understood her true intention. She wanted me to swallow my pain, to endure it until the baby was born. Before I could even respond, Liam’s voice cut in, full of resentment. “Mom, I don’t understand why you’re so against Chloe and me being together. Is it just her family background? Avery is nothing but a down-on-her-luck heiress herself. If I stayed with her, imagine how many people in this city would mock me for marrying into a bankrupt family?” He looked at me with utter contempt, the disgust in his eyes a sharp stab to my heart. He gritted his teeth. “Avery, even if you *pretend* to be the bigger person, I will *never* love you.”

Mrs. Davies dragged me away, practically by force. Behind us, Liam’s furious accusations still echoed, but Mrs. Davies held herself upright, refusing to collapse. Her trembling hand clasped mine. “Avery, Liam is the only heir left in our family. Chloe’s baby simply *cannot* be harmed. For my sake, please, just let it go.” My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, a desolate pain settling over me. Liam and I weren’t just a business arrangement; we were childhood sweethearts. He was the one who chased me as a child, insisting he’d marry me someday, setting this whole engagement in stone. “What about my twelve lost children? Am I just supposed to pretend they never existed?” “Let bygones be bygones. We need to focus on the future. As a woman, you have to be more understanding.” Mrs. Davies’ tone grew impatient, as if I was being utterly unreasonable. The light in my eyes slowly faded. After the truth came out, Liam dropped all pretense and spent his days at the office. I couldn’t care less about seeing him. Since we still worked at the same company, bumping into Liam and Chloe was an everyday occurrence. Chloe suffered from severe morning sickness, but Liam didn’t have her stay home to rest. Instead, he made her his personal assistant at the office. Naturally, the whispers among the staff began. “Look at how careful Mr. Davies is with her. That baby the assistant’s carrying has got to be his, right?” “But I heard Mr. Davies and his wife were so in love?” Someone scoffed, cutting in. “In love? Please. Mrs. Davies went through IVF a dozen times and couldn’t keep a baby. Rumor has it her uterus was ruined from all her past wild partying. Look at Mr. Davies – one try with someone else, and the baby’s perfectly healthy.” Before the words even finished, everyone’s gazes flickered to me, filled with blatant contempt and mockery. I ignored them, walking straight into my office. “Ms. Shaw, your assets are deeply intertwined with Mr. Davies’. It’s very difficult to separate them without his signature. You’ll need to discuss this thoroughly with Mr. Davies.” I sighed, a wave of helplessness washing over me. Liam would never agree to this easily. I wanted to sort out the assets first before filing for divorce, just to avoid any further complications. “So, all I need is his signature?” “Sign what?” Liam pushed the door open, his entrance perfectly timed to my phone call. Before I could answer, his eyes landed on the contract on my desk, and he frowned, displeased. “You want to split our assets? Typical. Always putting profit first, terrified of losing a single thing.” I met his gaze, my expression chillingly calm, a faint smile playing on my lips. I softly called his name: “Liam.” My voice was so cold, it made him visibly flinch. He just stared at me, dumbfounded. “What do you *think* I should do? Hand over everything I own to my husband and the child he had with another woman? Do you honestly think I’m that stupid? Don’t forget, you’re the one who murdered my children. I haven’t sought revenge. You should count yourself lucky.” He had never seen me look at him with such intense hatred, as if I wanted to sever every last tie. His face darkened considerably. He stood there, forcing himself upright, his eyes sweeping over the contract on the desk. He let out a series of cold, hollow laughs. “Fine. If you want to cut ties, I’ll grant your wish. I don’t care about your paltry assets anyway. Just don’t come crying to me later.” Liam signed the contract, then flung it right at my face. He sneered, a superior smirk on his face. “What’s the point of just signing a property division agreement? If you’re so brave, divorce me outright! Deep down, you just want to use our marriage to control me. You don’t actually want a divorce.” He wore an expression that suggested he knew me inside out, then scoffed and turned to leave. I gave a self-deprecating smile, bending down to pick up the contract before handing it to my lawyer. “I’ve sent all the divorce-related details to your email. You can handle it from here.”

The moment Mrs. Davies found out Liam and I were estranged, she called me. Her voice, when she spoke, was laced with accusation: “Avery, what is going on with you? I hear you’ve moved out? How can a wife abandon her husband like that? Liam made a mistake, yes, but he’s learned his lesson. Chloe’s baby will be your child too, someday. You need to show some care. It’s done, Avery. Can’t you just be the bigger person?” Mrs. Davies didn’t give me a chance to speak, her accusations tumbling out one after another. She had no idea I’d already decided to divorce Liam. Whatever happened to Liam and Chloe, it had nothing to do with me anymore. Before anything else, I needed to go back to the family estate, to the old graveyard. I wanted to visit my twelve lost children. They were still buried in the Davies family plot. When I arrived home, I could hear Liam’s triumphant sneer from a distance. “Oh, look who decided to come back. I thought you’d be out running wild forever.” Chloe nestled into his arms, then leaned in provocatively and kissed the corner of his mouth. She raised an eyebrow at me. “Liam, darling, don’t blame Avery. She just doesn’t like me, that’s all, right? If she’s constantly around us, I’d worry about it affecting our baby.” I scoffed, ignoring them both, and headed towards the back hill of the estate. I had erected a tombstone for each of my twelve lost children, burying them in the Davies family graveyard. One after another, the cold, stark tombstones lined up before me. My eyes burned, and tears freely streamed down my face. If I hadn’t walked in on Liam and Chloe, I would have remained completely oblivious to the truth. After burning some offerings for my children – a tradition I’d maintained – I went back inside, packed the things I’d prepared for my unborn babies into a suitcase, and headed out. Liam saw me and, displeasure etched on his face, strode over to block my path. “Where are you going now?” He snatched my suitcase impatiently, opened it, and frowned. “Aren’t these things for *our* child? They’ll be perfect for Chloe’s baby. After all, it’s still *my* child. The agony of childbirth – you don’t have to suffer it now. Chloe’s doing it for you. Shouldn’t you be grateful? We’re not even asking you to thank her. Why the long face all the time? Who are you trying to impress?” Liam’s accusations rained down on me, one after another. Each word was a knife, twisting deeper into my heart. I looked up at him. “They were my flesh and blood! I yearned for them, dreamt of them coming into this world, giving them names, watching them grow. But in the end, they never even got a chance to live, their lives snuffed out by their own father. Now, there’s nothing but cold, desolate tombstones. You never even bothered to see them once! Just because they weren’t carried by someone you *loved*, does that make you so heartless, so cruel? Liam Davies, when you lie awake at night, don’t you ever worry that our children will come back to haunt you, demanding retribution?” My frenzied outburst clearly terrified Liam. His face went ashen, and he stumbled back, step after step. Finally, a faint flicker of guilt crossed his features. Seeing this, Chloe stepped forward, cradling her swollen belly, shielding Liam. She pointed an accusing finger at me, indignant. “It’s your own weak body that couldn’t hold onto those babies! What does that have to do with us? Besides, Liam never liked you from the start. He certainly wouldn’t have liked your babies. *Our* child is the crystallization of true love. Yours were nothing. Why should Liam feel sad for a bunch of embryos? They died in your womb. They deserved it.” I snapped. My hand shot out, delivering a stinging slap across her face. Chloe was stunned. Liam immediately stepped in front of her to shield her. I kicked him away, grabbed his shirt collar, and slapped him, hard, again and again. But the pain of my palms striking his face was nothing compared to the agony in my heart. I roared, “How dare your ‘true love’ be built on *my* suffering? If you didn’t want me to have those children, you could have just said so! Why did you have to murder them in secret? Your hands are stained with their blood! Both of you murdered them!” Liam was so startled, he forgot to fight back for a moment. Chloe reached out, clawing at my arm, trying to pull me away. But reason had abandoned me. All I wanted was for the people who’d destroyed my children to feel a fraction of my pain. I violently shook Chloe’s hand off, just as I was about to unleash more. Then, a pained shriek erupted from behind me. I froze, turning to look. Liam had shoved me, hard, sending me sprawling onto the floor. Chloe was curled on the ground, trembling with agony. Her white dress was rapidly blooming with scarlet. “Help! My baby! Someone, please, help my baby!”

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The day I went into premature labor, James was celebrating his first love’s birthday. After I almost died from hemorrhaging, he coldly said: “Let’s get divorced. Since we lost the baby, there’s no point in staying together.” He didn’t know our child was in the NICU under observation. Three years later. James stared at the son holding my hand. He panicked. The day I found out I was pregnant, I was excitedly planning to go home and tell James. However, when I eagerly pushed open the door, I saw James tenderly embracing Sophia and whispering to her. The man who was always cold and distant with me was now smiling in a way I’d never seen before. They sat side by side on the couch I had carefully chosen for our home. Their tightly clasped hands made my excitement feel like the cruelest joke. I froze in place, my elbow accidentally hitting the doorframe. The loud thud finally made the two engrossed in conversation notice my presence. They turned to look at me simultaneously, both their expressions changing. Sophia instinctively pulled her hand from James’ grasp. She stood up from the couch, her intertwined fingers betraying her panic and unease. However, I only gave her hesitant face a brief glance. Looking away, I calmly gazed at James. The man now had his arms crossed, looking at me with an unpleasant expression. “You shouldn’t be home now.” I silently laughed to myself. Right. Normally at this time, I should be at the office handling work for him. But today, halfway through work, I suddenly felt short of breath and nauseous. After enduring it for a while with no relief, my lower abdomen started cramping. Not daring to delay, I immediately had my assistant take me to the hospital. After a series of examinations, the doctor told me I was already two months pregnant. Because of my poor health and overwork, I was now showing signs of threatened miscarriage. It took quite a bit of effort at the hospital to stabilize the pregnancy. Looking at the “2 months pregnant” on the report, I finally felt belated happiness. My first thought was to tell James this news. Because I knew he had always wanted a child. But I never expected Sophia would be back. The woman James had loved since childhood. The woman who…had married someone else but remained an indelible obsession in James’ heart.

I closed the bedroom door and calmly walked over to them. Sophia grabbed my hand, tearfully trying to explain. “Lily, I just got divorced. James was only comforting me, don’t misunderstand.” I silently let her hold my hand, my gaze lowering slightly to her snow-white arm. So she was divorced. No wonder. No wonder James had been leaving early and coming home late lately, too busy to even care about his own company. I let out a soft laugh, feeling indescribably desolate inside. In two years of marriage, James had never taken a day off work to spend time with me. But it turns out it wasn’t because he was a workaholic by nature, just that I wasn’t worth him pausing for. These two years, to have more time with him, I had voluntarily taken on the company’s business. I accompanied him working overtime, attended social events with him. I was even pregnant now and nearly miscarried because I was so busy with work. And now, he was with Sophia while I endured the pain of medical exams alone. He had even brought her back to our marital home, openly holding hands with her. I felt like crying, but also felt I deserved this. Who told me to marry him knowing he always liked Sophia? Who told me to…start liking him ten years ago? Taking a deep breath, I felt my lower abdomen start to cramp again. Silently clutching the test results in my pocket, I forced a smile at Sophia. “It’s fine, I don’t misunderstand.” Turning around, I handed the test results to James. James looked at me with dark eyes, but didn’t reach out to take it. I shrugged, feigning nonchalance: “You’re going to be a father.” James’ eyes flickered, and he finally took the thin A4 paper. He quickly scanned the test results. After a while, he calmly looked up and said to me without any emotion: “Go tell Grandpa the good news tomorrow. Don’t go to the office these next few months, just stay home and take care of the pregnancy.” Sophia also leaned over to look at the test results. Then, she put on an expression of pleasant surprise and looked at me with shining eyes. “Lily, you’re going to be a mom?! Congratulations!” I didn’t miss how she deliberately omitted James’ role. But seeing James’ indulgent look, I could only swallow my words. I smiled at her and softly said: “Thank you.”

The next day, I went with James to see his grandfather and tell him about my pregnancy. For the next period of time, I stayed home to take care of the pregnancy. During my pregnancy, I didn’t see Sophia again. James also didn’t mention her in front of me, so I deluded myself into ignoring his gentle eyes when he made phone calls on the balcony every night. My body had many health issues from birth, so this pregnancy was not stable. By seven months, my whole body had lost weight except for my belly. That day, I wanted to bring coffee to James who was working in the study. But when I waddled to the study door with my big belly, I heard his pleasant voice saying tenderly: “What do you want for your birthday? Shall I take you to the South Islands?” My hand holding the coffee shook, and the cup fell to the floor. There was a loud crash as the ceramic mug shattered. James finally looked up, his lips tightening slightly when he saw me standing in the doorway. After softly reassuring Sophia, he hung up the phone and quickly walked over to me. He held my arm, carefully leading me around the spilled coffee and ceramic shards. Bringing me to sit on the couch in the study, he asked in a low voice: “Are you hurt?” I instinctively shook my head, but thinking of the phone call I just overheard, I couldn’t help grabbing his sleeve. “You just…” I bit my lip, hesitating before asking. “Who were you just on the phone with?” James’ brows furrowed instantly. But very quickly, he relaxed again and looked into my eyes, saying very frankly: “Sophia.” “It’s her birthday next Wednesday, I was asking if she wanted any gifts.” My suspicions were confirmed, and for a moment I felt short of breath. Perhaps due to pregnancy hormones, I clearly felt my emotions spiraling out of control. Gripping his arm tighter, I said softly: “Can you not spend her birthday with her? I…I’m a bit scared being home alone.” But as soon as I finished speaking, James’ face changed instantly. He pried my hand off his arm without mercy, his gaze cold and gloomy as he said: “Lily, you’ve crossed the line.”

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The day before the final round of the Beta selection, I was poisoned with wolfsbane and locked inside my home as it was engulfed in flames. The fire spread unnaturally fast. My wolf, Seraph, was screaming inside my head, but the wolfsbane had weakened me too much to shift. I clawed at the door, my nails breaking against the wood, the heat searing my skin. When I was rescued, my face was severely scarred, my skin torn and raw, and my body covered in extensive burns. Outside the operating room, I heard my mother’s agonized sobs. She kept repeating, “It’s my fault… I locked the door by accident… I never meant to…” My mate, Alpha Laurence, mobilized every healer in the Silver Claw Pack, swearing to restore my health. “Easy, girl,” the doctor whispered. “We’ll get through this. One step at a time.” The doctor busied himself with the anesthesia. Then ,Drowsiness pulled me under, but just before I slipped into unconsciousness, I overheard my mother’s hesitant voice: “Laurence… wasn’t it too much? Poisoning Ella with wolfsbane, setting the fire, locking the door… just so Celia could become Beta? She’s—she’s burned beyond recognition…” Alpha Laurence let out a cold scoff. “If Ella wasn’t so vain and selfish, I wouldn’t have had to do this. She knew Celia was fragile, struggling with depression, yet she paraded her victories in front of her like a damn trophy. All Ella lost was her looks, but Celia lost her confidence, her happiness. This is what Ella owes her.” “Don’t worry. I’ll marry Ella. Once she’s Luna, no one will dare say a word about her disfigured face. She should be grateful I’m treating her so well.” Destroying my health and my career is what he calls treating me well? I pressed a trembling hand to my bandaged chest, barely feeling the pain through the numbness creeping over me. My wolf let out a low, agonized growl inside me, the remnants of wolfsbane still dulling her strength. I bit down on my cracked lip, tasting blood. The mother who once cherished me. The mate who was meant to protect me. I didn’t want either of them anymore.

“Hold off on the surgery. Have all the doctors wait outside,” Alpha Laurence commanded. The doctor, who had just slipped on his gloves, froze. “Alpha Laurence, Miss Ella’s burns are severe. There are traces of wolfsbane in her system, preventing her natural healing. If we don’t act now—if we don’t detoxify and operate—she won’t just be disfigured. She could lose her wolf completely. If that happens, she’ll be wolfless, vulnerable, and—” “Ruined?” Alpha Laurence cut in with a cold chuckle. “If she’s ruined, so be it.” I was barely conscious, my body a wreck of seared flesh and excruciating pain, but my hearing was sharp. And the way he said it—so indifferent, so final—made my stomach churn harder than the wolfsbane had. A pause. Then my mother spoke, her voice hesitant. “Laurence… Ella is too gravely injured to participate in the Beta selection tomorrow. Maybe we should—” “Should what?” His voice turned sharp. “Let her recover? Give her a chance to fight back? No. If she can’t be Beta, she’ll find ways to sabotage Celia. You know how Ella is—vain, competitive, selfish. Leaving her half-dead, wolfless, and helpless is the only way to stop her from bullying Celia.” Vain. Selfish. That’s what he thought of me? Alpha Laurence exhaled, Then, with a tenderness so grotesquely out of place, he dipped a swab into water and gently pressed it to my cracked lips. The contrast made me want to retch. “Ella, this is for your own good, You need to learn humility.” My mother sighed, then turned to the doctors. “Just relieve her pain. Clean her burns lightly—don’t let her suffer too much.” Suffer too much? My breath came in ragged gasps, my chest rising and falling in a painful rhythm. No one noticed how violently I trembled beneath the blankets, as if a blade had pierced my heart and pinned me to the bed. The fire hadn’t been an accident. The wolfsbane wasn’t a coincidence. It had been him. It had always been him. And my mother—my own mother—had helped. Outside, they stood talking about me like I wasn’t even here. “It’s for the best,” Alpha Laurence murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. “I promised Celia she’d be Beta. I won’t let anyone stand in her way.” The numbness in my limbs couldn’t stop the fire of hatred igniting in my heart. I had loved this man. The mate the Moon Goddess had chosen for me. The one I thought would fight beside me, protect me. But I was wrong. I bit down hard on my lip until I tasted blood, forcing myself not to cry out. Don’t give them the satisfaction. A metallic taste spread over my tongue as the pain gnawed at my chest. My vision blurred, and before I could stop it, a mouthful of blood surged up, splattering onto my sheets. The room fell into momentary chaos. My mother gasped and rushed toward me, stopping short when she realized there wasn’t a single inch of me she could touch without causing more harm. Tears streaked her face. “Ella, Mommy is here. Does it hurt? Don’t be afraid. Mommy will always stay by your side.” Alpha Laurence, on the other hand, was seething. “Where are the damn doctors? If anything happens to my Luna, this hospital will cease to exist!” The doctors, already in on the scheme, fumbled for an excuse. “Alpha Laurence, they’re on their way. There was a traffic accident—the car is stuck. They won’t arrive until tomorrow at the earliest.” Alpha Laurence didn’t even let him finish before he kicked the man out of the room with a growl. “Get lost!” Then, he turned back to me, his expression softening into a look of practiced guilt. He crouched beside my bed, his eyes searching mine as if he actually cared. “Ella, I’m so sorry. It’s my fault for not getting here sooner. I should’ve protected you better. But don’t worry,” he whispered, grasping my unburned fingers. “No matter the cost, I’ll make sure you’re healed. You’ll always be the strongest Beta in my heart.” I looked at him. This man—who had orchestrated my downfall—was playing the role of a devoted mate so flawlessly that if I hadn’t heard him earlier, I might have believed him. I swallowed down the bile in my throat, my voice so weak it barely made a sound. “Will I really recover?” “You will,” he vowed, his thumb grazing the back of my hand. “I promise.” his false sincerity painting me as nothing more than a fool. To eliminate me as a threat to Celia, my mate—the man who had promised to love me all his life—had strung me along with one lie after another, only to push me down a path of destruction. Even my mother, who had once held me as her treasure, chose to raise the blade against me for Celia, the two-faced adopted daughter. At that moment, I wanted to ask them why they had been so cruel to me. But every word dissolved into the growing coldness in my heart, leaving nothing but a suffocating silence. A group of doctors entered with disinfectants, their faces marked by pity and regret as they gazed at my mutilated body. “Miss Ella,” one of them said gently, “the specialists aren’t here yet. We’ll just do some basic disinfection for now. Please bear with it.” The moment the disinfectant touched my burns, agony ripped through me like lightning. My fragile veins, still weakened by wolfsbane, burst under the treatment. Blood and pus seeped through the sheets, the sharp, acrid scent filling the air. My mother let out a strangled sob, her hands trembling violently as she covered her mouth. Alpha Laurence clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, his red-rimmed eyes making it look as if he were the one in pain. Their performances were flawless. But I saw the truth. Everything was a lie. Only the betrayal—and the scars—were real.

The first thing I felt when I woke up was pain. A deep, bone-gnawing pain that made my wolf whimper weakly in the back of my mind. She was still there—barely—but I could feel how weak she was, how much the wolfsbane had drained her. Normally, a werewolf’s body would heal on its own, even from severe burns. But with the poison still in my system, I was trapped in this raw, agonizing state. And that’s when I heard them. “Laurence, Ella’s condition is already so severe. We’ve delayed her treatment for two days now, and you still want to give her the hospital’s newly developed psychological medication?” It was my mother’s voice, just outside my hospital room. “The doctor said the drug hasn’t been fully tested yet. The side effects might include seizures and incontinence,” my mother said hesitantly. After a few seconds of silence, Alpha Laurence’s voice turned resolute. “That’s exactly what we need.” A cold sweat prickled down my spine. “Today is Celia’s celebration banquet. There will be many pack elites and Alphas attending. Ella is already a disgrace; a little more humiliation won’t make a difference. Once she’s completely stripped of her dignity, she won’t fight Celia for the Beta position anymore.” I clenched my fists beneath the thin hospital blanket, my burned skin screaming in protest. My nails dug into my palms, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the hurt in my chest. “Tomorrow, after the banquet, I’ll announce our engagement—it’ll be my way of making it up to her.” Making it up to me? Burning me alive, poisoning me, robbing me of my future as Beta—and now parading my humiliation in front of the entire pack? And somehow, an engagement to the mate who betrayed me was supposed to fix it? Alpha Laurence continued, completely unfazed. “Mom, make sure the doctors wait outside the packhouse. Once the banquet ends, they can detoxify her and schedule the surgery.” “Alright,” my mother agreed without hesitation. I stared at the ceiling, my mind blank, my throat too dry to even scream. This was the man I had once trusted with my life. And the woman who had given birth to me had just sealed my fate without a second thought. The two people I trusted most had destroyed everything I had worked for. From a young age, despite my frail health, I had strived tirelessly to become a Beta worthy of my father’s legacy. With just a few casual words, they crushed all my dreams. A sharp, searing pain shot through my chest, as if my wolf was howling in grief. If I had known this was the outcome, I’d rather have died in the fire. The door creaked open. Alpha Laurence entered, his face a perfect mask of concern. If I hadn’t overheard his little plan, I might have been fooled by the way he softened his eyes, the way he lowered his voice like he actually cared. “Sweetheart,” he murmured, pulling a small bottle from his pocket. “I just spoke to the doctor. These are newly developed painkillers—completely safe. They’ll help you suffer less.” I lowered my gaze to the two bright red pills, my throat feeling like it was coated with rust. My voice came out hoarse. “Laurence, the pills taste too bitter. I don’t want to take them.” He hesitated for only a moment before smiling and taking my hand. “Watching you endure all this pain hurts me too. Can you really bear to see me like this?” He exhaled heavily, shaking his head as if I were the unreasonable one. “My sweet Ella, do it for me.” Without giving me a chance to refuse, he pressed the pills to my lips. “Good girl, let me help you.” The moment the pill touched my tongue, its bitterness spread like acid, searing through my senses. I tried to spit it out, but it dissolved almost instantly in my mouth, leaving a thick metallic taste coating my throat. A wave of dizziness hit me, making the room spin. My vision blurred at the edges. Not enough to knock me out completely—but just enough to dull my reflexes, to make sure I wouldn’t put up too much of a fight. Alpha Laurence seized the moment to grab my hand. “Ella, today is Celia’s celebration banquet. Her greatest wish is for your blessing. If you don’t attend, people will spread rumors that you’re petty and can’t accept your adopted sister’s success…” I cut him off before he could drag it out any longer. “I’ll go. Prepare the clothes.” Alpha Laurence blinked, surprised by how quickly I agreed. He had expected resistance—an argument, at the very least. But I knew there was no point in fighting him now. He had already planned everything, left me no room for refusal. If I couldn’t escape the humiliation, then fine. I’d let him think he had won. Let them all think they had broken me. My mother walked in just as I spoke. When she heard my agreement, her face lit up with joy. “Good girl, Ella. I knew you were always so sensible.” “Once Celia’s banquet is over, I’ll personally host your wedding with Laurence,” she added with a warm smile. I numbly pulled my hand away, my heart completely dead inside. The car ride to the celebration banquet was silent. I didn’t bother looking out the window, didn’t try to track the route. It didn’t matter where I was being taken. By the time we arrived, the dizziness had worn off, but my body still felt sluggish, like I was wading through mud. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was blinded by a burst of flashing lights. Cameras. Journalists. A pack of them, waiting like hungry rogues. Panic flared in my chest. My hand shot out instinctively, reaching for my mother— But I grasped at empty air. In the corner of my eye, I saw her walking away, her arm linked with Celia’s, the both of them beaming as they stepped into the banquet hall. She didn’t even glance back. My breath hitched, and I yanked my hat down over my face, trying to shield myself. But the reporters had already closed in, their voices like claws, ripping into me. “Miss Ella, is it true that you tried to burn your sister alive out of jealousy because you didn’t want her to become the Beta of the Silver Claw Pack?” “Miss Ella, how does someone as malicious as you even have the audacity to show up at your sister’s celebration banquet? Don’t you feel any shame?” “Miss Ella, you were so fierce in past combat tournaments, yet you couldn’t escape a simple fire. Could it be that the rumors were true all along? I heard you bribed male warriors with your body to go easy on you during matches. But since your opponent this time was your sister, that tactic didn’t work, so you resorted to arson instead?” The words slammed into me, but I barely reacted. Until— A hand shot out. And in one ruthless motion— The reporter tore off my hat.

Gasps erupted in unison. A face disfigured beyond recognition by fire was exposed under the cameras’ relentless scrutiny. “Oh my God, that’s disgusting. Is that even human?” “I’m gonna puke. Damn, that’s hideous—a hell devil come to life in broad daylight.” Their words sliced through me like silver blades. My heart pounded, the sound deafening in my ears. I couldn’t even process the shame fast enough before another voice, gleeful and dripping with malice, rang out: “The most arrogant female warrior—immoral, malicious, and spiteful. She deliberately set a fire to kill her sister and ended up paying the price. They say there isn’t a single patch of intact skin left on her. Let’s see for ourselves what it means when karma comes knocking.” Phones were lifted. Streams went live. My stomach churned. My vision blurred as black spots danced before my eyes. Then— A hard shove. I hit the ground, my already battered body collapsing under the force. My clothes—thin, oversized hospital scrubs—ripped like wet paper. My arms were exposed. My thighs. My waist. A sharp, broken gasp tore from my throat, but the noise of the crowd swallowed it whole. Then came the tremors. My hands and feet twitched first. Then my entire body seized violently, jerking against the cold pavement as if struck by an electric current. The cameras zoomed in. “She’s having a seizure! This is gold—get a close-up, quick! It’s all prime footage!” I writhed in agony, my eyes rolling back as my fangs pushed painfully against my gums, as foam spilled from the corners of my mouth.. I knew the drugs were taking effect, but there was nothing I could do. Like a clown stripped bare, I was at their mercy as they shredded my dignity into nothingness. And the worst was yet to come. A horrifying warmth spread beneath me, wet and shameful. The acrid scent hit my nose first, just before the gasps and laughter started. “Oh, shit! She pissed herself!” “I thought wolves had some dignity left—guess not!”

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Just because I accidentally broke the dried flower arrangement made by my wife’s childhood friend, she sent me to a “men’s etiquette school” for reformation. Facing inhuman torture at the school, I desperately screamed, struggled, and begged on my knees. But no one paid any attention to me. After forty-nine days of brutal body modification, my limbs were removed and I was molded into a vase. When Sophia received an invitation to a private auction, she whispered to the boy beside her: “Jake, I’ll bid on this vase. It would be perfect to display your new dried flower arrangement.” At the moment of my last breath, a commotion broke out in the crowd. With just one glance, Sophia’s eyes widened in shock as she frantically raised her bidding paddle. With a crisp slap, Sophia’s hand struck my face. “Ryan! You useless good-for-nothing!” she snarled, her face dark with anger as she jabbed a finger at my nose. “I didn’t marry you so you could live a life of luxury! You can’t even handle this simple task! How dare you carelessly ruin Jake’s heartfelt gift?” Jake rushed over, looking very apologetic. “Sophia, please don’t blame Ryan. It wasn’t intentional,” he pleaded. “These dried flowers weren’t anything special – just a small gift I stayed up late for a week to make for you,” Jake continued. “It’s a shame you liked them so much, but I didn’t even get a chance to give them to you before Ryan broke them…” He crouched down and carefully gathered up the remains of the dried flowers. I hurriedly tried to explain: “It was an accident! I was being careful, but he-” “Enough!” Sophia cut me off impatiently. “Look at yourself, then look at Jake!” “Jake always puts me first and considers my feelings. But you? All you do is cause trouble for me!” “I’ve told you before not to mess with Jake. Did it all go in one ear and out the other?” She looked at me with disdain and disappointment in her eyes. “Apologize to Jake right now and learn from him how to be a proper husband!” I held my stinging cheek, my heart bitter. After five years of marriage to Sophia, I took care of the household chores, shielded her from drinking at social events, and gave up my own career and hobbies for her. Yet in her eyes, I couldn’t compare to a simple dried flower arrangement from Jake. An immense sense of loss washed over me as I forced myself to apologize through gritted teeth. But Jake still wasn’t satisfied. Sophia declared she would “punish” me to teach me a lesson. Jake approached and patted my shoulder. “Ryan, don’t be upset with Sophia. She just wants you to improve,” he said smoothly. “You’re so handsome and strong. You just need some refinement in your manners.” His tone suddenly shifted. “I heard about a top-notch men’s etiquette school that recently opened downtown. Not only does it cultivate proper behavior, but it also offers physical training.” “Why don’t we send Ryan there to study? It’ll be like returning him to his prime at age 20. What do you think?” This wasn’t a suggestion – it was a poisoned trap! Fear gripped me like an invisible hand. By the time I realized what was happening, I was already restrained by security guards, unable to move. “No! Sophia! I won’t go! You can’t do this to me! Jake has ulterior motives!” I couldn’t help but scream, struggling desperately and crawling to clutch at her legs. But Sophia turned a deaf ear, her eyes cold and impatient. She ignored my pleas and protests. A guard chopped the back of my neck. Darkness instantly swallowed me.

I was awakened by the glare of surgical lights above me. The scent of antiseptic mixed with crisp cedar cologne filled my nostrils. My hands and feet were bound, leaving me completely immobile. I used all my strength to shout: “This is illegal detention! It’s a crime! I’m calling the police!” But the room was empty – no one responded to my cries for help. Overwhelming panic seized me like a tidal wave. They had taken my phone, cutting off all contact with the outside world. I realized with horror that no one was coming to save me. Despair coiled around my heart like vines, making it hard to breathe. After a while, the heavy door opened. A man in a white coat entered, his face expressionless. Without a word, he gestured to the men behind him. Two large men came forward and held me down as a syringe was forcibly injected into my arm. My body gradually went numb, but my mind remained terrifyingly alert. The man in the coat approached and firmly pinched my now-insensate arm. “Ah!” I couldn’t help but cry out in pain, my body shaking violently. He smiled eerily. “Good, the pain receptors are still active. This will make our ‘artistic creation’ much more soulful.” The familiar scent of cedar cologne wafted into my nose. I forced my eyes open wide, finally recognizing the face hidden behind the surgical mask. It was Jake! That bottle of cedar cologne was a gift Sophia had given him just yesterday to welcome him. Now he was discussing my “vase modification plan” with two doctors. “Jake! Let me go right now! Sophia won’t let you get away with this!” I shouted. He didn’t even glance my way. Sophia, you fool! She had no idea that Jake, her dear childhood friend, wasn’t sending me for simple fitness training. He intended to humiliate me, to turn me into a living… vase for people to admire! With the last bit of strength left in my body, my survival instinct exploded. I desperately struggled to roll off the operating table. I had to crawl away! I had to escape! I had barely crawled half a meter when a shiny leather shoe stomped down hard on my right hand! “Ahhhhh!” An agonized scream erupted from my throat. “Trying to escape? Where do you think you can go? Ryan, you need to learn to submit,” Jake said. As he spoke, he deliberately twisted his shoe, grinding it into my fingers. I was in so much pain I nearly passed out. The sound of bones crunching was sickeningly clear. I no longer cared about dignity: “I was wrong, please, I’m begging you, let me go please…” Just then, Jake’s phone rang. He casually answered and put it on speaker. Sophia’s voice came through. “Jake, how is… Ryan doing? Is he still causing trouble?” I thought I detected a hint of concern in her voice, but quickly dismissed the notion. How naive of me – even at this point, what was I still hoping for? Jake glanced at me and smiled smugly. “Don’t worry, Sophia. Ryan is undergoing a body modification treatment. He’ll be completely obedient to you soon.” As he spoke, he ground the toe of his shoe into my hand again. I let out an even more piercing scream. I used my last ounce of strength to beg Sophia for help. But not only did she show no mercy, she laughed coldly: “Ryan, don’t be so ungrateful! Jake is helping you – you should be thankful! Stop trying to play the victim and gain sympathy. I’ve seen through your act!” “Behave yourself and don’t embarrass me!” I thought back to five years ago at our wedding, when she vowed to love me for life and support each other forever. Those promises now seemed utterly ironic and laughable. Immense disappointment and betrayal washed over me. I stopped calling for help and closed my eyes, my heart dying in that moment. Jake hung up the phone and directed the men to move me back onto the operating table. He gripped my jaw, forcing me to look at him. “Ryan, what I hate most is that pretentious face of yours,” he sneered. “And you’re too noisy. It would be better if you were quiet.” Before I could react, a cold scalpel slashed viciously at my tongue! Excruciating pain shot through me as blood gushed out. The agony was so intense I couldn’t even scream. My vision went black as I passed out completely.

When I regained consciousness, I discovered I had truly been turned into a “vase”! And before me was an auction hall. I was trapped inside the vase mold, completely immobilized. Every inch of skin, every bone in my body, screamed with unbearable pain. In a daze, flashes of the operating table came back to me. That devil Jake had personally broken my bones, forcibly molding my body into the shape he desired with clay. Countless tiny needles repeatedly pierced my skin, carving out bizarre patterns. I kept waking from the extreme torture only to pass out again, unable to bear it. That feeling of wishing for death was so intense, I almost forgot I was still alive. The more my body hurt, the deeper my hatred for Sophia and Jake grew. But I was utterly helpless, like a fish on a chopping board, at their mercy. The crowd stared at me intently as the auctioneer spoke passionately. “Ladies and gentlemen, look at this human vase! It took exactly forty-nine days to create the crackle glaze effect!” “Real human blood was used for the red glaze. The more pain the subject felt, the more beautiful the patterns became!” Whispers spread through the audience. Apparently I had been sent to an auction. “This is so artistic! I’ve never seen a vase made from a real person before. It would be quite a conversation piece!” “New patterns are still forming – how fascinating! Truly a rare treasure!” “This auction was well worth attending!” I could feel my life force slowly draining away, barely clinging to existence. Looking closer, I saw Sophia seated in the front row. Her gaze paused on me briefly as it swept across the room. She didn’t recognize me, instead turning to complain to her assistant. “Why hasn’t Ryan made any contact recently?” Jake immediately reassured her, his voice low but just loud enough for me to hear. “Sophia, Ryan is probably focusing on his training. Don’t be angry with him. Maybe he’s planning a surprise for you.” Sophia scoffed after hearing this. “Speaking of vases, why is he so special? I prefer the one on stage.” I had no energy to argue. Let her think what she wants. I was already at their mercy. The crowd below had gone into a frenzy, emotions running high as they bid astronomical sums to acquire me. My gaze met Sophia’s again. From not far away, she seemed to finally recognize me. A look of disbelief flashed in her eyes. “This vase… why does it look like… Ryan? What’s he doing here?” “Putting a person… inside a vase? Is that safe?” She stood up, perhaps wanting a closer look, but Jake grabbed her arm. “Sophia, don’t worry. This must be Ryan’s way of pursuing an artistic effect – he made himself into a vase shape.” “Besides, isn’t he more special this way?” “He can’t go anywhere or cause any more trouble for you now.” Sophia nodded thoughtfully at his words and sat back down calmly. Watching them chat intimately, the physical pain paled in comparison to the despair and hatred in my heart. Sophia! Jake! I truly hate you both so much!

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The day Asher confessed to me, Serena, who had chased him for three years, jumped off the roof. Before she took her life, she cried, accusing me of campus bullying and having a messy personal life. It was only when I went into labor and Asher refused to take me to the hospital that I realized his confession had just been a ploy to get rid of Serena. And after Serena’s death, Asher became obsessed with her, falling madly in love. He blamed me entirely for her demise. When I was heavily pregnant, he imprisoned me at home, tormenting me until I drew my last breath. I never expected to open my eyes again and find myself back on the day Serena jumped. “Get together! Get together!” The chaotic shouts jolted me back to reality, the familiar scene merging with my memories. My gaze fell on Asher, standing before me with flowers in hand. Just like me, he looked around, a bewildered expression on his face. His eyes lit up, then he tossed the flowers aside and frantically ran towards the rooftop. Watching his retreating figure, I realized that both Asher and I had been reborn. We were back on the day Asher confessed to me. In my previous life, on this very day Asher confessed, Serena had stood on that rooftop. From the top of the building, her face filled with despair, she cried out to the entire school, accusing me of campus bullying. Everyone pressured me, demanding I kneel and beg for her forgiveness, for her to come down. Even though I had never bullied her, I was forced by the whole school to kneel and plead with her not to jump. But after I knelt, she screamed even louder, collapsing in tears: “You’re willing to kneel in public just to force my forgiveness? Does a bully apologizing mean the bullied has to forgive them?” “I’ll tell you this: I’ll never forgive you, never.” With that, she leaped from the rooftop. The incident went viral online, and without any real evidence, I became the infamous bully everyone demonized across the internet. Later, after a police investigation, a statement was released proving my innocence, that I hadn’t bullied anyone. But by then, no one believed me. The official police clarification video was filled with hateful comments about me: “Why would she kneel and apologize if she didn’t bully anyone?” “Do you think anyone would use their life to frame someone else?” “Who’s pulling strings for this bully? Why isn’t she in jail?” … The school couldn’t handle the online pressure either and advised me to withdraw. I gradually developed depression, and after multiple failed suicide attempts, Asher reappeared. He repeatedly told me he believed I was innocent, helping me slowly recover. He gradually became my only lifeline. Later, I moved to another city for college, choosing the same university as Asher, and we officially started dating. After graduation, we got married. Lulled by his sweet words, I pregnant and promptly quit my job to become a stay-at-home wife. Little did I know, that was the beginning of my nightmare. He imprisoned me at home, cutting me off from the outside world, tormenting me daily with photos of Serena. When I was heavily pregnant and nearing delivery, he forcibly locked me in a room, brutally abusing and tormenting me. It was then I realized that after Serena’s death, Asher had suddenly realized she was the one he truly loved, regretting that he hadn’t cherished her. He blamed me for Serena’s death, believing I had provoked her into taking her own life He channeled all his hatred onto me, exacting a furious revenge. His prolonged torment led to my water breaking and premature labor. He watched coldly as I struggled in the room, cruelly tormenting me until I drew my last breath. I never expected to open my eyes again and find myself back on the day Asher confessed to me, the day Serena jumped.

I watched his retreating figure with cold indifference. Facing the curious gazes of the bystanders, I picked up a broom and swept the flowers into the trash can. My eyes scanned Asher’s friends, the ones who had been loudest in their cheering, and I spoke flatly: “What’s with all the fuss? College entrance exams are coming up soon. Don’t you want to focus on your studies, or do you plan to repeat this year?” Under my cold stare, they exchanged glances, then quickly returned to their seats. Once the classroom was quiet again, I pulled out my textbook and buried myself in studying. Thinking of everything I’d suffered in my previous life because of that toxic pair, an irritable rage simmered within me. This time, I had to stay far away from those two. Asher didn’t reappear at school after leaving until evening dismissal. I glanced at their empty seats, packed my things, and practically sprinted home. Seeing my parents, looking years younger, in the living room, my eyes welled up. I let out a choked sob and threw myself into my mom’s arms. Seeing me like this, she panicked, holding me close and gently patting my back. “Honey, what’s wrong? Did someone bully you at school? Tell Mom, I’ll make sure you get justice.” After a long while, I calmed myself, sniffling. “No, I just… suddenly missed you both so, so much. And I’m so sorry.” Hearing me, Mom sighed in relief, playfully patting my head. “Did you mess up a test this time?” My dad chimed in from behind, “Don’t be too stressed, it’s just the college entrance exam. Even if you mess up, Dad will support you for life.” Watching the harmonious atmosphere at home, my heart gradually settled. My parents were so good to me, yet in my previous life, Asher’s manipulation had led me to give up my career after pregnancy and become a stay-at-home wife, handing over full control of the company to him. Because my parents disagreed, I had a huge fight with them and cut off all contact. This also allowed Asher to use my pregnancy as an excuse to trick me into moving away, imprisoning me in a secluded basement he’d prepared just for me. No one found me for a long time after I died. Meanwhile, he used his position to embezzle company funds, draining the accounts and leaving the company bankrupt. My parents, reeling from the twin shocks of my death and the company’s bankruptcy, became distraught and were tragically killed in a car accident. I clenched my fists. This time, I would protect them, no matter what. In the middle of the night, I dreamed of my previous life again. In a dimly lit room, my hands were cuffed to the bed frame. Suddenly, a beam of light, and a pair of polished leather shoes appeared before me. I recoiled in terror, shrinking into the corner, but the owner of the shoes wouldn’t let me go. He stomped on my calf, grinding his heel back and forth: “Does that hurt? Imagine how desperate Serena must have been when you bullied her until she jumped. You should go to hell to atone for your sins.” I croaked, struggling to explain, “Asher, I never bullied her.” “Still trying to deny it!” He lifted his foot and slammed it without hesitation into my stomach. “No!” As I struggled, the handcuffs snapped. Seizing the opportunity, I threw a straight punch directly at his most sensitive spot. I didn’t waste a second, getting up and hitting Asher with a left hook, then a right hook, until he was on his knees, begging for mercy.

I woke up feeling incredibly refreshed and headed to school. Asher and Serena entered the classroom one after another after the second period ended. Serena, walking in behind Asher, had swollen, glistening lips and flushed cheeks. Faint hickeys peeked from her neck. It was obvious to anyone what had happened last night. Asher’s friends exchanged knowing glances and started chanting: “Asher, what happened? Weren’t you going to confess to our class president, Avery? How did you end up with Serena overnight?” As they spoke, their eyes darted between Serena and me. They were all curious how Asher, who had rejected Serena so many times, had suddenly gotten together with her overnight. Asher shot me a dismissive glance, then pulled Serena into a tight embrace. “Serena and I had some misunderstandings before, but now they’re cleared up. Say hi to your new sister-in-law!” At his words, Serena’s face flushed deep red, and she quickly buried her face in Asher’s chest. At the same time, she cast a guilty glance my way. I gave them a bland look and returned to my worksheets. Serena and I used to be best friends. We were neighbors back then, and we practically lived at each other’s houses, always sharing meals and sleeping over. I remember being smaller than other kids my age, and often getting picked on by classmates. Afterwards, she would always take me to confront the bullies. We promised to be best friends for life. But later, in middle school, her dad got into gambling, and the sounds of him yelling and hitting people often came from her house. My parents told me not to go to Serena’s house anymore. But I felt sorry for her, so I kept playing with her. Until eighth grade, I suddenly had a growth spurt, and my features became more defined. The boys who used to bully me started sending me love letters and told me the real reason they had picked on me in elementary school: it was Serena who had used the snacks I gave her to bribe them into bullying me. When I found out, I confronted her. She sneered, “Why? There’s no why. I just didn’t like you.” I was heartbroken. Around that time, my parents’ company also started making a profit, and they decided to give me a better environment for school. We quickly moved out of our old neighborhood. I never expected we’d meet again in high school. I thought we’d be casual strangers. Until one day after school, I saw her being beaten by a group of people in an alley. When I went to help her, I found out she was the other woman, and the people beating her were the man’s wife and her friends. I promised to keep her secret. The very next day, she stood on the rooftop, crying and accusing me of campus bullying. There was less than a hundred days left until the college entrance exams. This time, I was determined to study hard, aiming for a top-tier university in finance and management, to take over the company and expand it significantly. Because Asher had been reborn and was already an adult mentally, he wasn’t afraid of the teachers’ authority. He openly dated Serena at school, not even trying to hide it. He even dramatically recorded their love story on his phone and posted it online. This was the era when the internet was booming. I knew he wanted to get into the influencer game. In just a few days, Asher and Serena’s accounts were gaining significant traction. Ever since I was subjected to that online mob in my previous life, I realized the immense harm that biased, one-sided reports from sensationalist online accounts could cause. Later, I started learning how to run an account myself, to expand my influence and speak up for more people who faced injustice. Gradually, I understood how to crack the algorithm for going viral and successfully built a following. In my spare time, I even started a daily couple’s account with Asher in my previous life, explaining the techniques to him and guiding him to become an internet influencer. I scrolled through his current account’s cringey, low-quality videos titled “High School Love Daily.” I clicked one open. They were hugging and deeply kissing, the captions vulgar and overly dramatic. Serena in the video smiled sweetly, swaying her hips in a way that left little to the imagination. I closed my phone, the comments below full of disgusting remarks. The account he was running now was the exact case study of the simplest, most successful launch by a popular influencer that I had analyzed and explained to him years ago in my previous life. It involved starting with controversial content to gain traction, then leveraging a major incident to ‘cleanse’ their image and go mainstream. I had told him that while this method was simple, promoting problematic values could easily get you banned, and successful transformation was incredibly difficult. Clearly, he had only heard the “simple” part. This time, he was using this strategy directly. I wondered how he planned to pivot later. I didn’t pay them any more attention. With my experience from the previous life, I also registered an account, studying and running my own content page simultaneously. I absolutely had to seize this internet opportunity. Their public displays of affection didn’t last long. Soon, their indulgent, anti-study behavior was reprimanded by the school, and their parents were notified. Reportedly, the principal’s office was utter chaos that day. Asher’s family was very conservative. Knowing that Asher’s grades had plummeted and he faced expulsion, his mother immediately grabbed Serena’s hair in the office and slapped her repeatedly, left and right. The teachers present couldn’t even stop her. She only stopped when Serena’s dad showed up and saw the scene. Asher’s mom then started yelling obscenities at Serena’s father. Serena’s father, a notorious lowlife, wasn’t angry after learning Serena and Asher were dating and had slept together. Instead, he started demanding a hefty payout from Asher’s family. Initially, Asher’s parents refused, but since Serena was underage, taking it to the police would mean Asher could be charged with sexual assault. And so, with the teachers as witnesses in the office, they negotiated the payout and got engaged. The principal had originally wanted to expel both of them, but Asher’s mother threw such a dramatic, shameless tantrum on the floor that he reluctantly compromised, agreeing to expel only one. Asher’s parents, who hated Serena, forced her to drop out so their precious son could continue school. They believed their brilliant son had Ivy League potential, but was now obsessed with the internet, talking crazy about making money online. Serena’s father, after getting the money, didn’t care about her at all. Serena dropping out for love caused a huge stir, spreading throughout the school. The campus social media was filled with praises for their love story. I seized the opportunity to report on this incident. Soon, the story went viral online, and they gained even more popularity. Asher was overjoyed, immediately telling Serena to start live streaming from home to make money. Just as I expected, their follower count skyrocketed. Their account name changed from “Serena’s High School Love Daily” to “Serena, High School Dropout, Caring for Boyfriend Daily.” I created a new burner account to follow them. After school, I saw them engaging in sleazy live challenges and casually sent them a few thousand dollars in donations. Watching their beaming faces, a slight smirk played on my lips. Enjoy this happy time while it lasts. In the days of peak popularity, Asher took a leave of absence from school to live stream with Serena at home. He returned to school three weeks later. Asher caused a stir, strutting in his latest Air Force Ones and a PRADA outfit.

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I was betrothed to Asher since childhood, but because he didn’t love me, I became just another woman in his life. Mrs. Chen said whoever gives birth to a son for the Chen family will be the future mistress. In my previous life, because I loved Asher deeply, I swapped the birth control pills and got pregnant at the same time as his cherished first love. She accused me of carrying a child that wasn’t of Chen blood to secure her position! Asher was furious and forcibly ended the life of my five-month-old unborn child! “You treacherous woman! How dare you betray me? I’ll make sure you can never have another child again!” But the real traitor was his cherished first love! Not only that, she staged a miscarriage and suicide to frame me! “If my sister can’t tolerate me, then I’ll just die!” “You vile woman, disgracing yourself and trying to harm Cora! I’ll make your life a living hell!” He forced me to swallow the ashes of my closest kin, removed my uterus in front of Cora’s grave despite my cries, and left me to die in the wilderness. In this life, I won’t foolishly give my heart or let anyone trample on me. Asher, I don’t need your cheap affection.

“What, you’re pregnant?” Asher turned his head in disbelief, frowning slightly with irritation. “Didn’t I give you birth control pills? How could you still get pregnant?” Asher grabbed my chin, his gaze deep and probing. “How could this be? Didn’t Asher always stay in Cora’s room?” “Who knows what tricks Adeline used; now she and Cora are both pregnant. Guess who the Chen family will choose.” “Who knows, but it’s definitely not me.” “Isn’t it obvious? Just look at how Asher favors Cora. Adeline is just a sycophant.” A few beautiful, tall women gathered, discussing with envy and jealousy. They were all Asher’s lovers and contenders for the position of the Chen family’s mistress. Grandma Chen once said whoever gives birth to a son first will be Asher’s wife. In my previous life, I tried everything for this title but never won his affection. I ended up switching the birth control pills to get pregnant. I never expected Asher to torment me to the point of wishing for death for Cora, and now standing in this scene again, I just want to escape, away from this sickening place. “I don’t know.” I turned my head impatiently, breaking free from his grip. “How can you not know, you shameless woman! You just want to have my child? You don’t even care about your dignity for the mistress position!” Asher insulted me angrily, his eyes full of disdain. “This is my child, none of your concern.” I said coldly, my gaze sharp. “Stop pretending to be high and mighty! Shameless thing! Go to the hospital and abort this child now!” With that, Asher forcefully dragged me outside. “Nonsense!” Mrs. Chen suddenly came downstairs, tapping the floor hard with her cane. “Since Adeline is already pregnant, this child is of Chen blood, and your wedding can be arranged.” Mrs. Chen and my grandmother were very close friends. After my parents died in a car accident, she took me in and cared for me, always intending for me to be her granddaughter-in-law. “Grandma!” Asher protested unwillingly, “Didn’t you say whoever gets pregnant first will be my wife? Cora is also pregnant, did you forget?” “Grandma.” Before Mrs. Chen could speak, I quickly interjected, “Cora got pregnant a month before me, so logically, she should be the mistress of the Chen family.” Asher and everyone else looked at me in surprise, not expecting the usually eager-to-marry-him follower to willingly give him up. “Stop pretending to be innocent! You just want to gain Grandma’s sympathy, you scheming woman. I will never marry you!” Asher glanced at me disdainfully, pulling the silent Cora close. “Grandma, Cora is my first love, my only true love in this life. Please fulfill your promise and let me marry her.” “There’s no need to discuss this further. Adeline is from a reputable family, far more suitable than someone who can’t be presentable.” Mrs. Chen spoke with underlying meaning, clearly looking down on Cora. “Grandma, are you going back on your word?” Asher asked in a low voice, challenging Mrs. Chen’s authority, which was incredibly foolish. I wisely stayed silent. “Forget it, Asher.” Cora moved slightly in his arms, looking down pitifully. “If Grandma doesn’t like me, just let me go. I hope you and Adeline have a happy life.” “Don’t worry, Cora. If I can’t marry you, I would rather die alone!” Asher swore sincerely, his emotional display making me sick. Cora’s eyes brightened, casting a triumphant glance at me. “You ungrateful thing!” Mrs. Chen was furious, but Asher didn’t even glance at her, his mind full of Cora. “Grandma, don’t be angry. Although Adeline and I are both pregnant, it’s still uncertain if it’s a boy or a girl. Asher is just afraid of marrying a sister who might give birth to a girl.” My body went cold, remembering how my unborn child was beaten to death in my past life, the bloody scene making my stomach churn. I covered my mouth, dry heaving. “Stop pretending to be pitiful!” Asher glared at me viciously, then looked at Mrs. Chen. “I think Cora is right. It’s uncertain if they are boys or girls, and there’s the question of a safe birth. It’s too early to discuss a wedding date.” Asher’s dangerous gaze filled me with fear, and my lower abdomen ached faintly. “Besides, it’s uncertain if this child is even of Chen blood.” “Cora!” I reflexively shouted in anger. In my past life, my poor child was killed because of Cora’s deceit. I clenched my fist tightly. “Are you trying to disgrace the Chen family with your words?” “Sister Adeline, don’t misunderstand. I’m just thinking of Asher. Everyone knows you have a childhood friend studying abroad. Who knows if you’ve been in contact?” Cora spoke with a slow, deliberate tone, her eyes shifting. The childhood friend she mentioned was Jasper, my mother’s classmate’s son, who went abroad for college. We grew up together, but I always had a crush on Asher, so I had little contact with him. In my past life, Cora framed me with Jasper similarly. Seeing the scene about to repeat, this time I didn’t avoid it. I chuckled, responding confidently, “Sister, if you say it’s for the Chen family, I’m willing to take a paternity test to prove my innocence.” Cora didn’t expect my calmness, nervously clenching her fists. “Adeline, if I find out your child isn’t mine, you’re done for. I’ll make sure you suffer!” Asher sneered, threatening me. He had said this countless times in my past life, and I was already numb to it. “Since Cora is also considering the Chen family’s best interest, for fairness, let’s have her tested too, so everyone can be at ease.” “Why should I!” Cora was the first to speak, pouting, “I’ve only ever been with Asher. Do you think everyone is like you?” I smiled mockingly at her. Of course, she wouldn’t agree because she was the one involved with someone else! She switched the paternity test in the past, leading to my cruel fate. “Why are you panicking? Do you have a guilty conscience?” I pressed on, scaring Cora into clinging to Asher’s arms. “Asher.” She called out weakly. “Enough! The child in Cora’s belly is certainly mine. She would never be as shameless as you!” “The shameless one is you!” Mrs. Chen scolded, “Since both children concern the Chen family bloodline, let’s follow Adeline’s suggestion and have both tested.” “Grandma!” Asher wanted to protest, but Mrs. Chen waved her hand, cutting him off. Cora stood behind Asher, looking at me with venomous eyes. The next day, Cora and I went to the hospital to have the paternity tests signed. To prevent any repeat of past tragedies, I kept a close watch on her to ensure she couldn’t switch the reports again. “You think I don’t know what you’re up to?” Cora sneered, “If you know my child has issues, why not expose me?” “Because you’re afraid Asher won’t believe you. You’re really deep.” Cora’s face twisted, abandoning her sweet facade. “I’m aware of your tricks. You want to harm my child, but it’s not going to happen.” I crossed my arms, planning to leave once her deceit was exposed. I no longer loved Asher, so there’s no need to stay. “You’re wrong.” While I was lost in thought, Cora suddenly began to laugh wickedly. “Do you think I stayed in the Chen family with only one trick?” With that, she deliberately fell backward down the stairs. “Asher! Save me! My baby!” Suddenly, blood spread beneath her.

I was stunned. Though such a clumsy method often appeared on TV, I didn’t expect her to be so ruthless, disregarding her own body. “You’re crazy!” I shouted, panicking. “So what if this child isn’t of Chen blood? Now it’s gone because of you, dead with no proof. Guess who Asher will blame first?” She laughed triumphantly, then clutched her belly, weeping loudly. “It hurts! It hurts! My baby!” Everyone in the hospital gathered to watch, and Asher rushed through the crowd, lifting Cora’s frail body. Suddenly, blood spread beneath her. 2. I was stunned. I’ve seen such clumsy tricks on TV all the time, but I never imagined she’d be so ruthless, disregarding her own body. “Are you out of your mind?!” I shouted, feeling utterly helpless. “Even if this child isn’t from the Chen family, what does it matter? Now that he’s gone because of you, there’s no evidence left. Who do you think Asher will blame first?” She laughed triumphantly before clutching her stomach and crying out. “It hurts! It hurts! My baby!” The entire hospital staff gathered around to watch the commotion. Asher anxiously pushed through the crowd, cradling Cora’s weakened body. “Cora, hang in there. The doctor is on the way.” “My baby… my baby.” Cora’s voice was choked with sobs, tears streaming down her face, while the blood beneath her continued to spread. “Adeline!” At that moment, Asher despised me, shouting hoarsely, “I’m going to kill you! You killed my child with Cora, you malicious woman!” “I didn’t!” I was shocked but immediately defended myself, “She fell on her own; it has nothing to do with me. If you don’t believe me, we can check the security cameras!” I looked up, hoping to find footage, only to realize we were in a camera blind spot. No wonder Cora spoke to me here. She feared the child’s parentage would be exposed, so she planned everything in advance. “You’re still denying it in the face of danger!” Asher picked up Cora. “If anything happens to Cora, I’ll make you pay with your life!” With a vicious threat, he hurried to the emergency room with her in his arms. “Miss Cora’s body suffered severe trauma. It will be difficult for her to conceive again.” The doctor shook his head in regret, while Asher held the tearful Cora, his expression filled with pain. “It’s okay, Cora. Even if we don’t have children, I will only marry you. This is what the Chen family owes you.” “Asher…” Cora softly leaned against his shoulder, occasionally glancing at me. “Don’t blame my sister. I’m sure she didn’t mean it.” Only then did Asher remember I was still there. He immediately stood up and rushed over, grabbing my throat. “Adeline, you deserve to die! You killed my child with Cora. I’ll make you pay!” His grip tightened, making it hard for me to breathe, and my vision began to blur. “How do you know… the child is yours?” Using the last of my strength, I spoke. Asher let go, and I fell to the floor, gasping for air. “Sis Adeline!” Cora cried stubbornly, tears in her eyes, “I know you hate me, hate that I took Asher away, but you can’t insult my child like this! He’s already gone, and you still won’t let him rest?” “Adeline, you’re asking for it!” Asher clapped his hands, and several strong bodyguards came in. “Hold her down and beat her hard.” I widened my eyes in disbelief, shouting anxiously, “I’m carrying your child! How can you do this to me!” “Who knows if your child is part of the Chen family? Besides, you killed Cora’s child, so yours will pay for it!” I struggled in panic. Though I avoided the paternity test, I still couldn’t protect this child! I cried out, “This is your child! Let him go, please!” “If I let him go, who will let my child with Cora go? A child born of such a vicious woman is just as worthless!” Asher’s cruel words pierced my heart like a stake, leaving me pale with pain. “How can you treat me like this? What did I ever do to you? You’ve already killed me once, isn’t that enough?” In desperation, I screamed, clutching my belly. “What nonsense are you talking about!” Asher frowned impatiently, stuffing several pieces of paper into my mouth. “You’re too noisy, disturbing Cora’s rest.” He gave me one last cold look, then ordered the bodyguards to act. I whimpered in pain, but the paper in my mouth choked me, preventing any cries for help. Just like in my past life, the thick stick fell brutally onto my body. My lower abdomen throbbed with a tearing pain, and a warm flow beneath me—blood, I knew it was. “Mr. Chen, the report is out.” The secretary rushed into the hospital room, her pupils shrinking when she saw me lying weak on the floor. Despite the intense pain, I lifted my head, thinking I was finally saved. But the next second, Asher tore the report into pieces. “So what if it’s my child? She killed Cora’s child, so she must pay!”

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In the fifth year of our marriage, I helped my wife’s family business, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, go public. At the celebration party, my wife showed up with a pair of twins and her much-admired ex-boyfriend. She remarked, “Jack is a top student, and you should appreciate him for bringing in some fresh genes to improve the family line.” “You’ll still stay with my family, and as a token gesture, one of the kids can take your last name.” She wanted me to step down from my Vice President position. “The company’s success has nothing to do with you. Even a pig can fly when there’s a strong enough wind!” “Replace you with Jack, and he’ll do even better!” Everyone was mocking me, and my father-in-law and mother-in-law, who always claimed to value me, silently agreed with everything. Watching this shameless family, I sneered, “Fine, let the Anderson Group go bankrupt then!” “Declan, what kind of joke is this? Everything you have now was given to you by our family!” “If the Anderson Group goes bankrupt, you’ll have nothing left!” My wife Fiona didn’t believe a word I said and continued to mock me: “I even thought about letting you manage the company as a formality after you step down as VP.” “But now it seems someone as lowly as you, with ambitions beyond reach, is unworthy of managing our Anderson Group!” “I want a divorce. Get out of the Anderson Group!” I looked at Fiona’s disgusted, perfectly made-up face and gritted my teeth: “Fine, let’s divorce!” Fiona sneered and handed me a divorce agreement. The terms demanded that I leave with nothing! “When you married into our family, we signed an agreement. If we divorce, you can’t take a penny, and you have no right to refuse!” Instinctively, I looked at my in-laws. Fiona might not understand my contributions to the company since she doesn’t work, but they should know better. But my in-laws, who praised me at lunch, now avoided eye contact, their stance clear! Amid the guests’ laughter, I heard some whispers. “No matter how capable Declan is, he’s just a son-in-law living with them. If his wife says to dump him, she can dump him!” “He’s just brought in billions in revenue for the company, acting all superior in front of us. But at home, he’s still just a pushover for his wife.” I knew these people always looked down on me. Even though I poured my heart into Anderson Group and took it public in five years, expanding into overseas markets. I looked at my wife and the man behind her, and the last glimmer of hope in my heart extinguished. The person I once shared a bed with used me as a stepping stone, secretly plotting with that man to replace me entirely! “Alright!” I choked out. Before I finished speaking, Jack eagerly put his arm around Uma’s shoulder: “Oh dear Una, rest assured. With my help, the company will develop even faster!” Uma returned his embrace, her radiant smile dazzling, stinging my eyes! It was a smile she never showed me! Even though I married into her family and endured countless humiliations! Even though I turned myself into a vassal of the Anderson family! With those thoughts, I hesitated no more. I signed the divorce papers and left without looking back!

As soon as I left, the employees who never respected me started to gossip. “With that son-in-law gone, our days will be much better.” “Yeah, the Andersons are wealthy and kind. With Declan gone, company benefits will surely improve!” “I heard from a friend in the secretarial department that the Andersons wanted to increase employee benefits several times, but that son-in-law always vetoed it. After climbing from the bottom, he looked down on us!” Not far from them, I heard their words and couldn’t help but chuckle. Did they really think I could veto decisions made by the top leadership? In fact, during my years in charge, I constantly applied for benefits for the company, only to be blocked by my in-laws, who didn’t want to give any benefits, wishing employees would work for free. Now, hearing them praise my in-laws as kind-hearted, I almost laughed! If I hadn’t always spoken up for the employees, they wouldn’t be so eager to kick me out. To them, I was just a VP. Kicking me out was no big deal! I left the venue and called a number that had been in my phone for five years. “I’m done with Fiona.” The person on the other end chuckled coldly: “You should have ended it sooner! Since I found out Fiona was seeing other men, I’ve been telling you to leave. Now you’ve finally come to your senses! Since that’s the case, come home.” “For years, you stopped me from taking action against the Andersons, but I won’t hold back anymore.” I said, “Got it, sis. I’ll come home soon.” Fiona didn’t know I was actually from a wealthy family. Years ago, due to family changes, my sister had to exile me to protect me. Two years ago, she finally avenged us against the Li family, allowing us to live peacefully again. She reconnected and showed evidence of Fiona’s affairs. Unfortunately, I was still in love with Fiona then, thinking she hid it because she loved me. Why else would she do it, right? Despite knowing my unreliable in-laws, I started planning for any unforeseen changes, hoping to have leverage against the Andersons. But I never thought I’d need to use it. After losing hope, I agreed to go home. My sister immediately wanted to send someone to fetch me. I smiled and said, “No need. I should handle these things myself.” My sister agreed but couldn’t help but nag: “I’ve always told you to come home. I’m getting married, and the family business will be yours. There’s no need to marry into another family. Who needs a small, shabby company like that?” “For your next marriage, I’ll find you a suitable heiress.”

The next morning, Fiona was at the registry before I was for the first time. Throughout our seven years of dating and marriage, she always made me wait, whether for a small meal or a whole day of plans. She’d rather pay to replay a movie than arrive early. For her, it was a game to tame me. Making me wait at least half an hour each time showed I loved her. Seeing me, she stood there arrogantly, waiting for me to approach. I coldly looked at her and said, “If you don’t come over, there won’t be a divorce.” That hit a nerve, and only then did Fiona walk over. After getting the papers, she smugly said. “Look at you now, older than Jack and less capable.” “Did you know? Yesterday, Jack took over the company and immediately signed a big contract with Carter Corporation! You couldn’t close that deal after a month, but he did it right away. Haha, without you, my future is smooth sailing!” I coldly watched her, not bothering to respond. Carter Corporation’s contract was always picky, and they were rushing us lately. I didn’t take it because I suspected issues with the deal. I didn’t expect Jack to take it right away. He didn’t even consider if it would impact them. It seems this so-called top student might be overhyped. Anyone with a brain wouldn’t make such a blunder. I sneered, too lazy to deal with these fools, and turned to leave. As I stepped outside, I saw an eye-catching Rolls Royce my sister sent. The woman in the car took off her sunglasses, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. It was my sister’s longtime friend, Phoebe. Seeing me looking, Fiona sneered: “Don’t bother looking. No matter how much you look, she won’t be yours!” I ignored her and walked over. The woman got out, smiling as she tossed me the keys, saying: “Young Master, the car returns to its rightful owner.” I got in the car, and as I did, Fiona’s disdainful voice rang out: “You brought out a domestic limited edition car, Declan. I didn’t know you loved me this much. Too bad, do you think I can’t tell you’re putting on a show, trying to make me think you’re a super-rich second generation so I’d grovel and beg?” I found her amusing. Fiona, spoiled since childhood, always carried an unwarranted confidence. Seeing my silence, she added. “Don’t forget, the only one available for rent is with my friend. Do you believe I can call her now, and she’ll revoke your rental rights, ensuring you never rent a luxury car for show again?” I ignored her foolishness, hit the gas, and sped away. The phone rang, and Phoebe put it on speaker. I heard Fiona’s furious voice: “Without you, my life will get better and better! And you, you’ll always be the trash beneath my feet!” “If you’re smart, come back and apologize on your knees. I might consider giving you a way out. Otherwise, let’s see how long your little stash can keep you alive!” I disregarded that foolish woman, stepped on the gas, and quickly drove away. My phone rang, and Phoebe put it on speakerphone for me. I heard Fiona yelling, “Without you, my life will only get better! And you, you’ll always be beneath me!” “If you have any sense, come back and beg for forgiveness. I might consider giving you a way out. Otherwise, let’s see how long your little stash of money can keep you afloat!” I replied, “Fiona, after the divorce, you have no right to involve yourself with me, understand?” With that, I hung up and threw the phone out of the car, deciding to sever all ties with her completely. Phoebe taunted me, “You and your sister fought over this woman for years?” I was at a loss for words. “Wanna grab a bite at my place?” She replied, “Of course, after all, I am your future fiancée.” I paused, a bit taken aback. I hadn’t expected my sister to have plans for us. Phoebe just smiled and asked, “What, you don’t like me?” I thought, it’s not about liking or disliking. After all, no matter how promising the beginning, the end is always the same.

Back home, my sister looked at me for a long time, snorted, yet didn’t say anything. She directly arranged for me to join the company and handed over all her responsibilities to me, showing complete trust. It warmed my heart. In the Anderson Family for years, I never earned this kind of trust. They either criticized me for not being a top university graduate or complained that a project I handled lost them a million dollars. No matter how much I explained about relationships, long-term benefits, or concessions, they didn’t care. When their precious daughter brought home an unknown man, they immediately arranged for me to divorce her. I don’t know how much my in-laws despised me over the years. Even when they smiled at me, they were always thinking about how to get rid of me. Thinking back now, I was foolish. But not anymore. My sister placed Phoebe by my side, supposedly to help me take over the company. I looked at the woman in front of me, speechless. She stretched out her leg wrapped in black stockings and teasingly asked, “What, afraid of me?” Afraid of her? I snorted. But it led us to start working together on company matters. Soon, we were handling the first deal after I returned to the company. Just after the project was discussed, I got a call from Fiona. “Things haven’t been going well for you, right? Here’s a chance. If you lower your head and apologize to me, I’ll let you come back to work at the company. How about that?” I knew right away that Fiona must have run into some trouble with a project. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so generous. I said, “No thanks.” I was about to hang up when she suddenly yelled, “Declan!” “I’m giving you a chance because we were married for years. Otherwise, believe it or not, I’ll blacklist you online, and you’ll never find a decent job again!” I laughed, more in disbelief than anger. “No need. Without you, I’m doing just fine.” I hung up. A minute later, she called back, unable to contain her frustration. “Do you know there’s a problem with the project you signed before? The company is expected to lose fifty million! If you don’t come back and fix it, I’ll sue you and make you pay!” 5 Hearing this, I couldn’t help but laugh. Her inexplicable confidence was both amusing and puzzling. “Go ahead then, do as you please. I’ve already left the company, so whatever happens there is no longer my concern. If you insist on blaming me, I have nothing to say.”

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