Category: English

Three years after breaking up with River Wright, I accidentally ran into him on a film set while working as a background extra. By then, he had already established himself as an elite, visionary director. The extras around me were whispering, gossiping about how the leading lady of this film was his girlfriend of three years, and that they were likely getting engaged soon. They looked at her with pure envy, talking about how lucky she was to lock down River, effectively securing her future as a permanent fixture in the untouchable Wright dynasty. Looking at the freezing, intimidating man surrounded by a massive entourage, I could barely recognize him as the same boy who used to squeeze into a cramped, miserable studio apartment with me to survive. While I was still lost in my memories, he suddenly stopped walking. He instructed his assistant to have the lead actress, Ashley Blair, step out because she was feeling unwell. He ordered them to use a stunt double for the upcoming water scene. Then, he casually lifted his eyes, carelessly pointing a single finger directly at me. When his gaze locked onto mine, the corner of his mouth twitched upward into a provocative smirk. He asked if I had a problem with it. 1 An icy rain had just stopped, leaving the air biting and cold. I huddled within the crowd of extras, pulling my heavy cotton coat tight around myself. My friend, Maya, leaned in, barely suppressing her excitement. “Did you see Director Wright’s face when Ashley accidentally bumped into that prop?” She was a massive fan of the River and Ashley relationship, constantly obsessing over their every interaction. I gave a weak hum of agreement. I had been on set all night, taking the freezing wind directly to the face. Right now, I was shivering violently and just wanted to crawl into bed. Another extra next to us jumped into the conversation. “Ashley is so incredibly lucky. Three years ago she was a literal nobody playing nameless extras. Now she is a massive, A-list movie star.” “Well, look at Director Wright’s family. The Wright Entertainment Empire! Making someone a star is basically a hobby for them.” “Ashley really hit the jackpot. Marrying him and having the Wright family backing her? She is set for life.” Maya argued back, “What do you mean ‘hit the jackpot’?” “When Director Wright directed his first indie film, nobody had any idea he was the Wright heir. Everyone knows he had some desperate ex-girlfriend who dumped him because she thought he was broke and wanted to climb the social ladder.” “Honestly, thank god that girl was completely blind. She practically handed him over to Ashley.” Maya nudged me, looking for backup. “Right?” I gave another slow, exhausted hum. 2 When I was dating River. I had absolutely no idea he came from insane wealth. To be fair, he never mentioned it. But honestly, nobody looking at the sweet, exhausted, endlessly patient junior camera assistant he was back then would ever connect him to the billionaire heir of the Wright Entertainment Empire. And I certainly did not dump him to climb the social ladder. Because nobody climbs the social ladder just to end up as a nameless extra on their ex-boyfriend’s set. Maya cleared her throat, about to say something else, but suddenly froze. The normally terrifying Assistant Director was walking toward the extras’ rest area, leading a tall, imposing figure. River Wright had personally come to the extras’ holding area. They had been filming for a month, and this was the very first time. The AD glanced at his phone and whispered something. River replied dismissively. “Ashley is not feeling well. Let her rest in the trailer.” “Find a double for the water sequence.” Even though I was shrinking back and keeping my head down, I felt a stare lock onto me like a physical needle. “Use her.” River’s voice was quiet, but it carried an undeniable, absolute authority. My chest tightened violently. I slowly raised my head, locking eyes with River’s freezing, pitch-black gaze. Our eyes met. The corner of his lips curled up slightly, his brow arching in a silent challenge. “What? Do you have a problem with it?” His voice felt like it had been soaked in ice water. 3 My legs felt like lead as I followed the AD. The rigging crew was already waiting by the edge of the deep water tank. I gritted my teeth, fighting back violent waves of dizziness and shivering. Maybe because I looked genuinely sick, the usually brutal AD offered a rare word of comfort. “It is just a wide shot. Do not stress.” He gave my shoulder a quick squeeze. A PA suddenly yelled his name from a distance. “Director Wright needs you.” I turned my head. Through the chaos of the scrambling crew, I immediately spotted River. He was standing behind the monitor, arms crossed, his expression impatient and harsh. Everyone hovered around him like anxious satellites, waiting for his command. I snapped back to reality as the slate clapped and the AD yelled, “Action!” The wire violently yanked me up, suspending me high in the air. Below me was the freezing, pitch-black water. Memories I had desperately tried to bury suddenly surged to the surface. Splash— The freezing water slammed into me from all sides, crushing my chest. A delayed, violent panic hit me. I instinctively began thrashing. “Cut.” The crew dragged me out of the water, dragging my freezing body onto the concrete. In the chaos, a massive shadow fell over me. I struggled to look up, only seeing the sharp, merciless line of River’s jaw. A second later, his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Absolutely pathetic.” Because I had water in my ears, his voice was muffled, but the cruelty was unmistakable. “How does someone with zero talent and zero professionalism even get hired on my set?” He checked his expensive watch, tapping the glass as he spoke to the crew. “Dry her off. We are going again.” Over the roar of the industrial space heaters, I caught fragments of the crew whispering. “It is just a wide shot. You cannot even see her face. Why are we doing another take?” “…He is in a terrible mood… Ashley scraped her knee…” I lowered my eyes. I methodically wrung the freezing water out of my hair with a towel. I kept my mind completely blank. From the second I decided to return to acting, I had mentally prepared myself to endure absolutely anything. We shot the water plunge five times. River finally gave a tight nod of approval. The crew immediately scrambled to tear down the set, prep for the next location, and move on. The entire soundstage was a chaotic blur of noise and movement. I tried to move my limbs, slowly swimming toward the edge of the tank. But no matter how hard I tried, my completely frozen body just started dragging me down into the water. Until my consciousness finally slipped into absolute darkness. 4 When I woke up, I was lying in a strange, unfamiliar bedroom. The heavy blackout curtains were drawn shut. The room was dark and suffocating. It felt like a completely isolated island. A massive wave of pure panic crashed over me. I violently threw myself out of the bed. The sudden movement ripped the IV needle out of the back of my hand. Blood immediately started pouring down my skin. When the dizziness finally passed, I grabbed my phone, which was aggressively vibrating on the nightstand. A breaking news notification immediately popped up on the lock screen. [River Wright carries Ashley Blair off set! Actress posts a sweet photo confirming their happiness!] My hand shook. The screen automatically unlocked to a social media app. Half an hour ago, Ashley had posted two photos. One was a steaming bowl of ginger soup. The other was a dark, blurry shot of the water tank. The caption read: [The hardest scene is finally here! It is freezing outside, remember to drink your ginger soup. Feeling so warm and happy inside.] The comment section was split into a massive war. One side was aggressively defending the “carry,” claiming Ashley fainted from exhaustion and River rushed her to the medic. Another side was viciously attacking the production team and her manager, demanding to know why an A-list actress was forced to shoot a freezing water sequence for hours until she collapsed. Scattered in between were obsessive fans screaming about how perfect River and Ashley were together. Soon, the hashtag #AshleyBlairProfessionalism hit the number one trending spot. I glanced at it for a few seconds and closed the app. My head was still throbbing violently. It felt so heavy I thought if I tilted my neck, it would snap right off. As I slipped my shoes on, my brain finally processed something. I was wearing thick, dry, completely different clothes. Just as I started looking around for my soaked costume, the bedroom door opened. River walked in, holding a steaming bowl of ginger soup. “Looks like you are fine.” He casually set the bowl on the nightstand, staring at me with a dark, calculating intensity. The dim light cast heavy shadows across his face, hiding his expression. After a long pause, a mocking smirk curled his lips. “Lily Evans, look how pathetic you have become.” I let out a short, dry laugh. My throat felt like it was lined with broken glass, but I managed to speak. “Isn’t this entirely your fault?” 5 River’s face darkened instantly. I scanned the room again. Still no sign of my costume. Whatever. I didn’t care. It was just a shame about the money. The production company charged a two-hundred-dollar penalty for lost wardrobe. I tried to walk past River to leave. But he moved faster, suddenly closing the distance. With almost zero effort, he shoved my exhausted, weak body back down onto the bed, pinning me there. River grabbed my wrist with one hand, his eyes dropping to the bleeding puncture wound from the IV. The corner of his mouth twitched. His other hand grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at him. “Still the exact same. Totally unreasonable.” His tone was intimate, almost teasing, with a faint smile playing on his lips. But his dark eyes were completely dead. There was absolutely zero warmth. I twisted my head violently, trying to escape his grip and the hot, suffocating breath hitting my face. River let me struggle, his grip like iron. “Three years ago, you vanished without a single word.” “When you did that, did you ever imagine this is how you would end up?” His thumb slowly traced the line of my brow. “Three years ago… did you act like this in his bed too?” A massive, overwhelming wave of pure humiliation crushed my chest. I didn’t even have time to feel angry. The blood pounded violently in my temples. My teeth started chattering uncontrollably, my entire body violently shaking. A flash of genuine regret crossed River’s eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t…” I snapped my head to the side, sinking my teeth violently into the hand pinning my face down. My mind went completely blank. I just bit down harder. And harder. The heavy, metallic taste of blood instantly flooded my mouth. River gritted his teeth, finally letting out a sharp hiss of pain. His face twisted as he struggled to maintain control. Right at that exact second, there was a soft knock on the door. “River? Are you in there?” Ashley’s voice was hesitant and probing. 6 I ran out of the hotel. Standing under a pitch-black, suffocating sky, I felt completely lost. Someone gently tugged on my sleeve. It was a group of extremely young, panicked-looking girls. The girl leading them looked at me nervously. “Miss, are you crew for The Emerald Cage?” She pointed at the production logo printed on my jacket, her voice frantic. “Do you know how Ashley is doing? Is she okay?” They told me they were Ashley’s super-fans. When they saw the news that she fainted, they panicked, paid off a scalper, and snuck onto the lot. Their faces were pale with genuine fear and concern for their idol. “She is fine,” I rasped, my throat burning. “You guys need to go home. This area is restricted, and it is not safe for you to be out here in the dark.” As they turned to leave, one girl who had been standing quietly in the back hesitated, her voice trembling. “Lily Evans? Is that you?” When she saw me freeze, her face lit up. “It is you!” “I used to watch your shows and movies! I loved your acting so much!” “When you quit the industry, there was absolutely no news about you. I was so worried about you.” “Are you ever going to come back to acting?” I never imagined that, in this miserable, humiliating moment, I would hear someone say they loved me and loved my work. The sheer shock of it hit me like a physical blow. My nose burned. My throat completely locked up. I could only manage a single, heavy nod. “I will.” The girl stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me in a tight, gentle hug. “I never believed a single word of those tabloid rumors,” she whispered in my ear. “Keep fighting!” She gave me a bright smile and ran off to catch up with her friends. I watched her until she disappeared into the dark. Only then did I look down. My tears hit the concrete, shattering into tiny, dark flowers. Three years ago, the tabloids exploded with a story that “manipulative D-list actress Lily Evans” slept with a billionaire heir to secure a role. The photos they leaked showed me practically unconscious, hanging off a man as we stumbled into a hotel room, and later leaving with my clothes completely disheveled. The entire internet ripped me apart, using the most vile, toxic language imaginable to destroy me. Even just ten minutes ago. The man who used to love me used the exact same rumors to degrade me. But this stranger? She looked me in the eye and said she believed me. 7 The production provided a cheap, rundown dorm for the background extras. When I walked in, Maya was just climbing down from her top bunk. “You are finally back.” She aggressively ushered me to sit down, grabbing pillows for my back and pouring me a glass of hot water. “Even if River is obsessed with protecting Ashley, what he did today was completely psychotic.” Her eyebrows were twisted in a tight, angry knot. “You were the one who went into the freezing water. You were the one who passed out. But the second Ashley posts a picture, the entire internet is praising her dedication!” She cursed a few more times, then suddenly shot me a very strange, calculating look. “By the way… the AD told me to tell you that Director Wright was extremely impressed by your raw talent today. He said you have great instincts, and he is writing a specific speaking role just for you.” I gave a weak, exhausted nod. My head was pounding so hard it felt like a construction crew was operating inside my skull. I dry-swallowed two painkillers and collapsed onto the thin mattress. Just as I was slipping into unconsciousness, my phone vibrated. It was a text from my mom. [Transferred some money to your account. Please don’t starve yourself.] Her profile picture was a screenshot of a character I played years ago. A photo of twenty-two-year-old Lily Evans. Arrogant, confident, and utterly fearless. The words on the screen blurred into a watery mess. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, tangling into my hair, making my scalp itch. It felt just like the day before I left home to return to the city. Resting my head on her lap, she gently stroked my hair, her voice thick with helpless love. “I don’t care about anything else. I am just terrified you are going to get hurt. I am terrified you are going to be miserable.” “But I know you. Once you make a choice, you will smash your head against a brick wall before you ever turn back. You will walk this path no matter what.” “Whenever you get too tired, just come home. Do not torture yourself for nothing.” I didn’t reply. I honestly didn’t know what to say. As I closed the chat app, a tiny red dot suddenly appeared on my contacts tab. Under the [New Friends] requests, there was a blank profile with the username “M.” I locked my phone screen. Rolling over, I sank back into the dark.

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My life took a devastating turn when I was eighteen. I fell madly in love with Mike Maxwell, a thirty-five-year-old widower. To be with him, I abandoned the ballet career I valued more than my own life and turned down a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study in Paris. I even ignored my parents’ furious warnings and tearful pleas, ruthlessly cutting all ties with them. But then, the fantasy shattered. I caught Mike red-handed, holding another woman in his arms. They were laughing without a care in the world. I heard him whisper in her ear that girls who danced ballet were just a bit more flexible, and that after marriage, all women were exactly the same. He told her I couldn’t even compare to her little finger. Watching that scene, I didn’t throw a hysterical fit. I didn’t shed a single tear. Taking a page right out of his playbook, I turned around and became the sugar mommy of a handsome, young college student named Declan. Everything was perfect until one night when Declan got dead drunk. Through his slurred, drunken haze, I heard him call Mike “Uncle.” He mumbled, “Uncle, I did exactly what you asked. I played with her feelings. You better treat Phoebe like a goddamn queen from now on.” Those few words felt like a bucket of ice water, completely waking me up from years of delusional dreaming. I finally made my decision. Mike or Declan, it didn’t matter. Both of these men made me absolutely sick to my stomach. 1 “You have to treat Phoebe right and make her happy for the rest of her life. Otherwise, I swear to God I’ll take her far away from here! If it weren’t for Phoebe, there is no way in hell I would have ever helped you with this.” Having said his piece, Declan looked entirely drained. He slumped at the table, downing his drink gulp after bitter gulp. A satisfied smirk crept onto Mike’s lips. His gaze flicked toward me for barely a second before darting away. “Relax. Phoebe is the first woman in this world to ever show me what real love tastes like. She taught me how to love, and I will never let go of her hand as long as I live.” “I only asked you to play this little part because I was worried Sylvia was too obsessed with me to ever agree to a divorce. I just didn’t want my Phoebe to suffer even the slightest grievance.” I lay quietly on the velvet sofa, faking a deep, drunken sleep. But my heart plummeted into an endless abyss. A biting cold seeped into my veins, freezing my limbs completely numb. Mike had once poured those exact same sweet words out to me, holding nothing back. He had held me so tight, his eyes swimming with deep affection and regret. “Sylvia, it’s such a tragedy we were born at the wrong times. We are seventeen years apart. Will you ever resent me when I get old?” Back then, I was totally blinded by the honey trap of love. I fought my parents to the bitter end and turned a deaf ear to my friends’ desperate warnings. “Mike, I am in love with who you are, not your age. We are going to be the happiest couple in the world!” I sounded so incredibly determined back then. Looking back now, it was absurd to the point of being sickening. To force me into asking for a divorce, he carefully orchestrated this entire scheme, bringing in his own nephew to run a romance scam on me. Could there be a more grotesque joke in this world? “Sylvia loves you? Hah! I just fed her a few sweet nothings and took her out for a couple of joyrides, and she is already dead set on me! Just watch. The second I mention marriage, she will slap those divorce papers right in your face tomorrow morning.” “A woman like Sylvia, who falls for whoever gives her the time of day, isn’t even worth a strand of Phoebe’s hair. She actually genuinely believes I am obsessed with her! It’s hilarious!” Declan laughed out loud, completely unbothered, entirely missing the way Mike’s face instantly darkened. Declan’s gaze swept over my body with undisguised mockery. After making sure I was still passed out, he turned back to Mike. “You really think I’d treasure the used trash you got bored of? It’s just a game. Honestly, touching her makes me feel filthy.” The moment those words hit me, a sharp ache shot up my nose, and my eyes inevitably welled up. My chest felt so tight I could barely breathe. When Declan and I first met, he knew perfectly well that I was a married woman. Back then, he would blink those innocent, clear eyes and gently pull me into his embrace. His eyes were always swimming with heartbreaking tenderness. “Your husband clearly doesn’t know how to cherish you. I don’t care that you are married. I just want the right to quietly stay by your side. Can I?” That day, I stood completely frozen for a long time. Even after I wandered home in a daze and mechanically cooked dinner for Mike, my chest still burned from the heat of his hug. It had been so many years. The heart that had long died inside that frigid marriage felt like it was finally beating again. Later on, every time he saw me, he brought a bouquet of vibrant red roses. I tried to push them away, tried to decline, but he would just forcefully yet gently press them into my arms. “Sylvia, it’s just a few roses. I only hate that I can’t give you more right now. Once I finally take over the business, I swear I’ll buy you an entire rose estate!” Roses. How long had it been since I last received them? Ever since I married Mike, whenever I hinted at wanting flowers, he would shoot the idea down with the most half-hearted excuses. The only exception was the night he finished celebrating Phoebe’s birthday and casually tossed a withered, dying rose onto the table in front of me like it was garbage. Because of that, when Declan approached me with such burning passion, I grabbed onto him like a drowning woman clinging to driftwood, refusing to miss out on love again. But looking at it now. That decision was fatally stupid. I was just a laughingstock to him, a toy to be used and tossed aside. The truth was far too cruel. Mike didn’t stay in the private room much longer. Shortly after, Declan carried my body out to leave early. By the middle of the night, I was burning up with a high fever. My head was splitting, and in a dizzy, spinning haze, I was rushed to the hospital by Declan. By the time I finally forced my heavy eyelids open, it was already the next morning. Faint sounds of giggling and flirting drifted in from the hallway. Through the glass window on the door, I caught sight of two highly familiar figures. Declan was breathing heavily, pinning Phoebe tightly against his chest. He lowered his head and planted a deep kiss on her cheek. “Phoebe, what on earth are you thinking? How could I possibly fall for Sylvia? What does she have that could ever compare to you? I am pushing through the disgust to do all this just for you. You heartless little tease, how are you going to make this up to me?” A stunning blush immediately spread across Phoebe’s cheeks, and she gave Declan a playful glare. Then, she stood on her tiptoes and carefully, seductively kissed him on the lips. “Come over to my apartment tonight, okay? Your uncle went out of town on a business trip. I will make sure to reward you properly tonight. You know how it is, Declan. My heart loves Mike, and I want to be his legal wife, but my body and my passion will always belong entirely to you.” Declan’s breathing instantly grew heavier. After they finished their nauseating display of affection outside, Declan slowly straightened his wrinkled shirt collar and pushed open the hospital room door. Seeing that I was awake, a fleeting panic flashed in his eyes, but it was replaced by flawless concern in the blink of an eye. “Sylvia, you’re awake? How are you feeling? Does anything still hurt?” I kept my lips pressed tightly together, saying nothing. My eyes were dead-set on the faint red hickeys peeking out from beneath his collar, a violent bitterness flooding my mouth. So the things I heard last night were not just a bad dream after all. Seemingly noticing my unusual stare, Declan very naturally pulled his collar up a bit, leaning in to pinch my cheek with a grin. “Why the long face? Did you black out? You got completely wasted last night and started gnawing on me like crazy. The marks on my neck still haven’t faded. When exactly are you going to take responsibility for me?” My stomach immediately did flips, and my already pale face lost whatever color it had left. He had used this exact same excuse countless times before. Almost every single time he spent the night at my place, he would wake up the next morning with fresh red marks all over his neck and collarbones. He would always look at me with a suggestive, teasing smirk. “Sylvia’s stamina was incredible last night. Look at all your trophies on me. Are you satisfied with your masterpiece?” Deep down, I never really believed it. All my old friends knew I was a happy sleeper when drunk, never the type to go crazy or lose control. But the evidence was always right there in front of me. So every time, I would be teased into a blushing, utterly mortified mess. And Declan would only take it further, pulling me tightly into his arms and pressing a highly restrained kiss to my forehead. “So, when are you going to make me an honest woman? Sylvia, I really want to marry you and tie myself to you for the rest of my life.” I used to think those words were the absolute pinnacle of romance and happiness. Knowing the truth now made it feel incredibly nauseating. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I leaned over the edge of the bed and started dry heaving violently, my ghostly pale face turning beet red from the strain. Declan was clearly stunned. A flash of genuine worry crossed his eyes. He snapped out of it, hurriedly rubbing my back while frantically pressing the call button for the doctor. His anxious act was absolutely bulletproof. “Sylvia? What’s wrong? Is your stomach acting up again?” Meeting his worried gaze, I zoned out for a split second. Declan. Your acting belongs in Hollywood. By the evening, my high fever finally broke. Declan was incredibly sweet as he stayed with me through dinner, but then put on an apologetic face, claiming a sudden company emergency required his immediate attention. His face was a picture of heartbreaking guilt. “Sylvia, I am so sorry I can’t stay here at the hospital with you. The moment I handle things at the office, I promise I’ll sprint right back to you, okay?” I put down my water glass and locked eyes with him. Deep down in the darkest corner of my heart, I still held onto one last, pathetic shred of hope. “But Declan, today is our three-year anniversary. You promised me you would spend it with me.” He was the one who always initiated our anniversaries. Every single time, he would cancel all his meetings and social events just to focus entirely on me. I used to worry that his impulsive behavior would give his rivals ammunition in the family business, but he always acted like he couldn’t care less. “I am just completely helpless when it comes to you. I am more than happy to be the man in the shadows. Let people talk. In this world, the only opinion that matters to me is yours.” “Sylvia, what the hell is work anyway? How could it ever compare to a single strand of your hair? Being with you is the most important thing in my life.” Those words used to make me want to laugh and cry at the same time. They melted my heart into a puddle, warm and burning. I hadn’t felt that kind of unwavering, devoted preference in years. But this time, Declan frowned slightly, a visible trace of annoyance flashing across his features. His tone became stiff and dismissive. “Sylvia, can’t we just celebrate it in a few days? Be reasonable. This project is life or death for me, and I cannot afford to drop the ball at a critical moment.” “Just be good, okay? I will come straight back to you the second I am done.” He didn’t even leave me a second to argue. He grabbed his coat from the chair and walked out of the room without a single backward glance. I sat quietly on the bed. It wasn’t until the air in the room had completely turned cold and dead that I slowly raised my hand to wipe away the dried tears on my cheeks. That last, pathetic sliver of hope finally vanished into thin air. “Declan, I won’t be waiting for you anymore.” Declan never came back that night. The next morning, however, Mike called me out of the blue. His tone was incredibly nasty, his impatience radiating right through the phone. “Sylvia! Where the hell is Phoebe? Didn’t I explicitly tell you to set up a room for her at the house? Did you pull your lady of the house routine and kick her out again? How can you be this petty? Where is a young girl like her supposed to go out there!” “All I asked was for you to help out and cook her a warm meal! Could you not show even a shred of decency to a young girl? When did you become so vicious?” When it came to Mike, I had long since run out of tears and expectations. After all, his countless, blatant affairs over the years had ground whatever fiery love I once had for him into dust. I had dragged out signing the divorce papers purely out of a sick sense of revenge. I maliciously thought that as long as I refused to give up my title, Phoebe would remain nothing but a dirty little secret in the shadows. But now, I was truly exhausted. I didn’t want to play this disgusting game for another second. “Mike, let’s get a divorce.” I hadn’t absorbed a single word of his harsh accusations, nor did I care to. The line went dead silent. It took him a full thirty seconds to find his voice again. “What, couldn’t handle the loneliness and found yourself a new toy? Or did you actually fall for some random guy? Sylvia, is this another one of your games to play hard to get? Using divorce as an excuse to force me to the negotiating table and beg you to stay? Aren’t you tired of this routine?” “How many times do I have to repeat myself? The only woman I will ever truly love is Phoebe!” I couldn’t even be bothered to argue. I actually found his clownish behavior incredibly funny. Didn’t he set up this entire trap himself? How did he have the nerve to play the victim of betrayal now? I simply gave a calm sound of agreement, coldly stated a time to meet at the courthouse for the paperwork, and hung up without hesitation. When Declan rushed to my house, the first thing he saw was the signed divorce agreement laid flat on the table. Joy practically exploded across his face. He didn’t even try to hide the fresh hickeys on his neck or air out the pungent scent of women’s perfume clinging to him before leaning in close. “Sylvia! You finally decided to go through with it?” I nodded expressionlessly. His smile grew so wide it nearly reached his ears. “This is absolutely perfect! Once you are officially single, we won’t have to sneak around like thieves anymore! You’ll marry me then, won’t you? I swear, I will never let you suffer even a fraction of what your ex put you through!” “Sylvia, you have no idea how happy I am!” Looking at Declan’s beaming face, I couldn’t help but let a small smile curl my lips too. Because once those papers were filed, my future would be scrubbed entirely clean of both of these scumbags. Mike disgusted me. Declan made me want to throw up. I didn’t see Mike in person until the day we finalized the paperwork. For some reason, he looked incredibly grim, a dark storm brewing in his eyes. “Did you really fall for someone else? You’re in such a rush to dump me just so you can marry another guy? Sylvia, your so-called true love is pitifully cheap.” I shrugged indifferently, my face a mask of absolute calm. My complete dismissal seemed to instantly ignite Mike’s temper. He took two aggressive steps forward, invading my personal space. “I am warning you one last time! Playing hard to get won’t work on me! You better actually sign those papers! If you try to pull any stunts in there, I will ruin your life!” “And from now on, Phoebe is my legal wife! After this is done, you will personally apologize to her! If you hadn’t kicked her out, she wouldn’t have had to suffer in a hotel! You are deeply manipulative!” I treated his words like absolute garbage. I pushed open the glass doors of the building first, walked straight to the counter, and slapped my ID down. Before the clerk could even go through the standard questions, I spoke up. “I am absolutely certain. I want a divorce.” The process was faster than expected. With no property disputes holding us up, it was a breeze. Before long, the certificate of freedom was resting securely in my hands. The moment I stepped out of the building, I noticed two incredibly flashy luxury cars parked by the steps. One was Declan’s sports car, the other was Phoebe’s ride. Declan hurried over the second he saw me, a massive grin on his face. “Sylvia! Congratulations on your freedom! I came specifically to pick you up to celebrate! I already booked first-class tickets to Paris. Let’s leave today!” At the same time, Phoebe pushed her car door open. Like a fluttering butterfly, she threw herself straight into Mike’s arms, completely ignoring the public setting. “Mike! I’ve waited for you for so long! Does this mean I get to officially be your wife today? My heart was practically breaking from the wait!” Standing on the steps watching this play out, I actually felt a twinge of admiration. All three of them knew exactly how filthy this whole setup was, yet they could still act with such raw, convincing emotion. But mostly, it was just a physiological urge to gag. To complete their supposedly pure, elevated romance, they had effortlessly offered me up as a sacrificial lamb. Could the world get any more absurd? I wasn’t going to give them what they wanted. I slightly shifted my body, coldly dodging Declan’s hand as he reached for mine. His smile froze instantly. Behind me, I could clearly feel Mike’s piercing gaze locked onto my back. “Sylvia, what’s wrong? You finally got rid of that guy, aren’t you happy? You always said you wanted to marry me. The man you truly love is me.” Mike let out an incredibly grating sneer. He deliberately held up his divorce certificate, sporting the smug look of a victor. “Sylvia, we are legally finished. Let me give you a piece of advice. Don’t stick to me like chewing gum anymore. You were acting so aloof inside. What, the moment you step outside, you’re already dying to take it back?” “Sylvia,” Phoebe’s voice was sickeningly sweet, yet laced with hidden venom. “Please, stop trying to steal Mike from me. We are soulmates. Doesn’t Declan love you too? We both get what we want. Isn’t this the perfect ending.”

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I decided to stop by my fiancée’s corporate headquarters to pick her up and surprise her for her birthday. As I stepped out of the elevator, a young man I’d never met blocked my way. He was her new personal assistant. With a flat expression, he told me that meeting the CEO required an appointment scheduled forty-eight hours in advance. He even took the homemade birthday cake I was carrying, calling it an “unidentified high-calorie food item” that broke office policy. I couldn’t believe it. I took out my phone and called my fiancée’s private number. The call connected, but the voice that answered belonged to the assistant standing right in front of me. He said, his tone full of contempt, that a man who spent all day revolving around a woman was a pathetic simp and deeply unmanly. Later, I confronted my fiancée. She dismissed it completely, saying her assistant was just being professional and enforcing boundaries. She told me not to be so sensitive. In that moment, I knew I had nothing left to say to her. I quietly took out my phone and texted my mother, telling her to cancel the $500 million joint venture with the Sullivan family immediately. My reasoning was simple: I wanted to learn how to keep strict professional boundaries, too. After all, for some people, investing real emotion and money in a woman is clearly just bad for business. 1 It was Victoria Sullivan’s birthday. Carrying a cake I had spent hours baking myself, I drove to her company to pick her up, hoping to give her a sweet surprise. I never expected what happened next. The second I stepped into the elevator, someone literally shoved me back out into the lobby. Victoria’s new executive assistant, Liam Pierce, stood there in a sharp suit. Using an incredibly cold, corporate tone, he looked at me and said, “Apologies. This is the private executive elevator. Unauthorized personnel are strictly forbidden from riding it.” His voice echoed through the lobby. Employees and clients immediately turned to stare at me. Feeling my face heat up, I opened my mouth to explain who I was. He did not even let me speak. Flipping open his leather portfolio, he continued, “Mr. Sterling, I am well aware you are Ms. Sullivan’s fiancé. However, you are not on the CEO’s itinerary for today.” “Anyone wishing to see the CEO must submit a request to my office forty-eight hours in advance for approval and scheduling.” “This is the new company policy. I expect you to respect our operational protocols.” I stood there, completely frozen in disbelief. Not wanting to cause a humiliating scene in front of a lobby full of people, I pulled out my phone, planning to just call Victoria directly. Before I could dial, Liam’s voice cut through the air again, dripping with irritation. “Furthermore, the birthday cake you are holding qualifies as an unidentified high-calorie foreign food item. It is strictly prohibited from entering the executive workspace.” “Per protocol, you must surrender it to the front desk for a security screening. You will receive a claim ticket to retrieve it when you leave.” I was absolutely dumbfounded by the sheer audacity of this guy. Before my brain could even process what was happening, he snapped at the young receptionist behind the desk. “Security breach at the front desk. I am docking your monthly bonus by fifty dollars. Pay attention to your job. Do not just let random loiterers wander into the building.” I finally hit my breaking point. I stepped forward, my voice hard. “Mr. Pierce, do you not think you are crossing a line? I am Victoria’s fiancé. Are you seriously telling me I cannot visit my own fiancée at her office?” The poor receptionist looked like she was about to cry. “Exactly, Liam! Everyone in the company knows Mr. Sterling. I obviously cannot deny him entry.” Liam’s face hardened into a stone wall. He did not yield an inch. “Rules exist for a reason. No one gets special treatment. I am confident that by strictly enforcing company policy, the CEO will entirely support my decision. Have a good day.” With that, he pulled out a black VIP keycard and swiped it against the scanner with a deeply arrogant flourish. Beep. The heavy metal doors of the executive elevator began to slide shut. Right before the doors closed completely, he lifted his chin, locking eyes with me. There was no attempt to hide the smug superiority in his gaze. It was a silent, arrogant declaration. He won. And he successfully ignited a massive fire of rage in my chest. I immediately dialed Victoria’s private, personal cell phone. I needed to ask her exactly what the hell was going on, and who she thought she hired. The phone rang endlessly, but nobody answered. Furious, I was about to turn around and leave the building when the call suddenly connected. But before the word “Victoria” could even leave my mouth, a familiar, icy male voice echoed through the speaker. “Apologies, the CEO is currently unavailable. If you have an urgent matter, I can relay a message on your behalf.” At this point, my temper completely snapped. My voice was lethal. “Mr. Pierce, please inform Victoria that her fiancé is currently blocked from seeing her. Tell her to come down to the lobby and personally sign me in.” I expected him to panic, or at least get defensive. Instead, the line went dead silent for a second. Then, he replied in a flat, robotic tone. “Understood. I have recorded your demand.” “By the way, if I may be so bold…” “Mr. Sterling, do you genuinely have nothing productive to do with your life? Constantly hovering around a woman like a lovesick teenager… it is honestly pathetic.” I stared at the screen as the call disconnected. I stood in the lobby for a full minute, completely stunned. Eventually, I just started laughing. I had nothing to do? I was a lovesick teenager? I was hovering? It was beyond absurd. I graduated with my Ph.D. at twenty-six. Every elite bio-research institute in the country was in a bidding war to hire me. My daily schedule was ten times more packed than Victoria’s. And he had the audacity to call me unemployed? And calling me a simp was even more hilarious. At my eighteenth birthday gala, Victoria took one look at me and fell head over heels. From that night on, she spent years aggressively pursuing me. She followed me from New York to London. She chased me for three solid years before I finally agreed to be her boyfriend. The second I graduated college, she pressured both our families into finalizing an engagement, terrified I would change my mind and run. Saying I was obsessed with her was a massive joke. It was the exact opposite. But at the end of the day, Liam was just a glorified assistant. I was confident that once I told Victoria what happened, she would fire him immediately. But I had zero desire to stand in this toxic building any longer. Whatever. I was done. Just as I turned toward the revolving doors, my phone rang. It was Victoria. When she realized I was stuck in the lobby, she immediately started apologizing. “Baby, I am so sorry! I was stuck on a massive conference call. I had no idea you were here. I will send Liam down to escort you right now.” “Please do not be mad at me. I already booked a table at your favorite French restaurant for tonight. Give me a chance to make it up to you?” I let out a long, exhausted exhale. Remembering it was her birthday, I swallowed my irritation and stopped walking. I waited for several more minutes. With a soft chime, the executive elevator doors finally opened. I shot a freezing glare at Liam as he elegantly stepped out. He still wore that pristine, corporate smile. There was absolutely zero apology or regret on his face. “Mr. Sterling, the CEO has granted special authorization for me to escort you up.” I ignored him completely, walking straight past him into the elevator. But before I could step inside, Liam stepped into my path, physically blocking me again. “Mr. Sterling, per company policy, non-employees entering the executive floor must sign in and be escorted at all times. Here is your temporary visitor QR code.” “Please scan to register.” In that exact moment, I genuinely wanted to turn around, walk to my car, and never look back. But my desire to march into Victoria’s office, throw this in her face, and demand an immediate explanation was stronger. I clenched my jaw, fighting back the urge to punch him. I scanned the code. I registered. And I let Liam “escort” me down the hall to the CEO’s office. We finally reached her door. It was closed. Liam knocked softly. As I waited, my eyes casually drifted over to the massive, custom-built desk reserved for the executive assistant. My brain suddenly short-circuited. Sitting right next to his monitor was a deep purple, artisanal ceramic mug. It looked incredibly familiar. Aside from the color, it was an exact replica of the mug sitting on my desk at the research institute. It was a gift Victoria had painstakingly picked out for me during a business trip to Amsterdam last month. When she gave it to me, she made a massive deal out of it. She bragged that it was designed by an obscure European artisan, unavailable anywhere in the States, guaranteeing nobody else would ever have one like it. Liam noticed me staring at it. He casually commented, “The CEO has exquisite taste, doesn’t she? When I accompanied her to Amsterdam last month to help pick out your souvenir, she noticed how much I admired it. So, she bought one for me as well.” “She told me this color matched my aesthetic. Oh, by the way, I remember you really loved the blue one she got you. You even posted it on your Instagram story.” I did not say a single word. My stomach violently plummeted. Victoria never bought casual gifts for other men. I was the only exception. And she knew damn well how much I absolutely despised wearing or owning the exact same thing as someone else. While my mind was spinning, Liam pushed the heavy oak doors open. The moment she saw me, Victoria immediately muted her microphone and gave me a brilliant smile. “Hey baby! My call wraps up in ten minutes. Just hang out on the sofa for a bit.” Liam’s face remained completely passive. He walked smoothly over to the executive desk. With practiced familiarity, he picked up Victoria’s water glass and refilled it with warm water. Using the brief pause in her meeting, he flashed a flawless smile, rapidly debriefed her on two urgent matters, and turned to leave. Right before stepping out the door, he casually added, “Boss, you left your stomach medication in my car last night. I transferred it to the glovebox of your Bentley. Do not forget to take it on time.” The delivery was smooth, elegant, and perfectly professional. It was as if I did not even exist in the room. As if he had not spent the last twenty minutes aggressively humiliating me in the lobby. He was acting like absolutely nothing happened. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to remain calm. I sat on the designer leather sofa, waiting for Victoria to finish her call. But the longer I sat there, the more a sick, creeping suspicion began wrapping around my brain. It was about Liam. Honestly, I met him on his very first day on the job. At the time, Victoria explicitly instructed him that, as her personal assistant, one of his duties was to ensure my requests were handled promptly. Liam had smiled politely and agreed. And for a while, he seemed to do his job perfectly. Even though we rarely interacted face-to-face, he was always involved. Whenever Victoria and I had a date, Liam would text me a curated list of restaurant options, confirm my choice, and handle the reservations. For holidays and anniversaries, he would draft a spreadsheet of luxury gift options for Victoria, sending it to me so I could pick out what I wanted her to buy me. It looked like flawless, hyper-competent service. But slowly, I started feeling like something was deeply wrong. Whenever I called Victoria, Liam was always the one answering, immediately telling me she was tied up in meetings. Whenever I texted her, she would leave me on read for hours, later apologizing and saying she was too swamped to check her phone. Even when she was on business trips in cities where I happened to be attending conferences, whenever I tried to take her out to dinner, Liam would immediately block me, claiming she had back-to-back networking dinners. It happened so often that it started to feel intentional. It felt like Liam was systematically building a wall, isolating Victoria from me. As a result, unless Victoria had a rare night off and came home to our apartment, actually getting in touch with her had become nearly impossible. But whenever I voiced my frustration to Victoria, she always acted like I was being paranoid. “The company is in a massive expansion phase. I am drowning in work. I literally do not have the mental bandwidth to micromanage these tiny details.” “Stop overthinking it, baby. Once this quarter wraps up, I promise I will take you on an amazing vacation.” I believed her. I had tested Victoria for three entire years before dating her. I implicitly trusted her character. Her obsession with me was undeniable, and I never once believed she would cheat. I just assumed she was a workaholic. And since my own research schedule was brutal, I let it go. I thought Liam was just doing his job as a personal assistant, managing her chaotic life. But after everything that just happened, my intuition was screaming at me with absolute clarity. Liam viewed me as a threat. To spare me from waiting any longer, Victoria hurriedly wrapped up her conference call and rushed over to coddle me. “I am so sorry! It is so rare for you to actually pick me up from work, and I made you wait.” Before I could even open my mouth to explain what happened downstairs, or demand to know why Liam had a matching Amsterdam mug, Victoria threw her arms around my neck, pulling me tight against her and kissing my forehead. She was just leaning in to kiss my lips when Liam suddenly walked back into the office. Startled, I immediately pulled away from Victoria’s embrace. “Apologies, Boss. I thought your meeting was still ongoing. I just wanted to slice the cake Mr. Sterling brought and serve it.” Liam apologized verbally, but there was not a single trace of embarrassment on his face. Victoria did not even scold him for failing to knock. Instead, a bright smile spread across her face. “You brought me a cake? Let me try a piece, I am starving.” I opened my mouth to tell her I baked it from scratch. But when I looked down at the slice on the plate, I immediately realized something was wrong. “This is not the cake I brought. My cake was filled with blueberries. This one is plain vanilla.” I shot a dark, questioning look at Liam. He smiled politely, his voice calm and perfectly steady. “Mr. Sterling, the cake you brought was excessively high in sugar. It is not suitable for the CEO’s dietary plan. Since today is her birthday, I took the liberty of pre-ordering a keto-friendly, low-sugar alternative from her favorite bakery.” Victoria did not seem to care at all. She took a massive bite. “Wow, this is actually really good. You are always so thoughtful, Liam.” She completely failed to notice that my face had turned into a thunderstorm. I shoved the plate Liam offered me away, my voice dropping into a lethal, quiet register. “Where is the cake I brought? Who gave you the authority to throw away my property without my permission?” “How do you know the cake I baked was not low-sugar?” “Is this the ultimate power trip of a ‘Gold-Star Executive Assistant’? You think you have the authority to dictate what the CEO’s fiancé is allowed to feed her?” Liam’s perpetually composed mask finally cracked. A flash of genuine panic crossed his eyes. His voice trembled as he immediately started apologizing. “I am so sorry. I am so sorry, Mr. Sterling. Your cake is still in the breakroom, untouched.” “I was merely prioritizing the CEO’s health, given her recent focus on fitness.” Liam played the role of the terrified, hyper-professional subordinate perfectly. He looked absolutely nothing like the arrogant tyrant who had barred me from the elevator twenty minutes ago. I was genuinely stunned by his acting skills. As soon as his apology hung in the air, Victoria frowned. “Let it go. It is just a slice of cake. Liam was just looking out for my health. Since he already apologized, stop blowing this out of proportion. We can take the cake you brought back to the apartment and eat it later.” “Liam, do not let this happen again. Leave us alone and shut the door behind you.” Liam gave a shallow, perfectly executed bow and turned to leave. Still playing the flawless corporate servant. But right before he turned his head, both Victoria and I clearly saw the corners of his eyes turning bright red, as if he was holding back tears. Victoria let out a heavy sigh, wrapping her arms around me again to soothe my temper. “Come on, Liam was just prioritizing my health. Do not let a minor misunderstanding ruin your mood.” “Minor misunderstanding?” I stared at Victoria in total disbelief. Remembering the aggressive humiliation I endured in the lobby, I completely lost my filter, dumping every single detail of Liam’s psychotic power trip directly onto her. As I spoke, Victoria’s frown deepened, but she remained completely silent. When I finally finished, the room was dead quiet. I fully expected her to storm out there and fire Liam on the spot. Instead, she let out a long, exhausted sigh. “He is just a young guy who takes his job a little too seriously. He enforces strict professional boundaries. Stop being so petty.” I was so stunned I physically shoved Victoria away from me. Three years ago, she fired an assistant on the spot and paid him severance just because he misspelled my first name on a document. Now, I was explicitly telling her that her new assistant had maliciously and intentionally humiliated me in public. And her response was to casually brush it off as him being “professional.” I let out a dark, bitter laugh. “What about the mug on his desk? You know exactly how much I despise receiving matching gifts.” “Victoria, you used to have absolute, flawless boundaries when it came to other men.” Victoria rubbed her temples. Looking completely exhausted but endlessly patient, she looked at me and said, “Yes, he is a bit rigid with the rules. But you just said it yourself. He was strictly enforcing company policy. Do you expect me to punish my employee just because he refused to break the rules and give you special VIP treatment?” “As for the gift. You always seemed so happy with the presents Liam picked out for you. That is why I let him choose your souvenir this time. While we were shopping, I noticed he really liked the design. The mug was only a few thousand dollars. It is basically pocket change. Is casually buying an employee a cheap souvenir really a federal crime?” Hearing her actively defend Liam, I felt a wave of absolute disgust wash over me. I could not stop the bitter questions spilling from my mouth. “Fine. He was just strictly enforcing corporate policy.” “Then let me ask you this. He is just an assistant. Why does he have unrestricted VIP access to your private elevator?” “Why does he have the authority to confiscate a homemade birthday cake brought by the CEO’s fiancé and replace it with a store-bought one?” “Why does he have the authorization to screen your private calls, intercept your personal texts, block your fiancé from seeing you, and openly mock me for being a pathetic simp? Are those tasks included in his official job description?” “Do you really think this is about the money? You bought him the exact same mug you bought me. What is the subtext there? Are you implying he holds the same weight in your life as I do?” “If you told people he was your assistant, they would believe you. If you didn’t, they would assume he was the one engaged to you.” Victoria’s face darkened, but I did not see the shock or outrage I expected. Instead, she grabbed my arm, falling right back into her usual routine of placating me like a child. “He has to escort high-profile clients up to this floor all the time. Giving him a VIP card just makes logistical sense.” “As my personal assistant, when I am swamped, having him screen my calls and answer texts is completely standard practice. It is just a ceramic mug. Are you seriously going to launch a full-scale inquisition over a cup?” “Honestly? All I see is an assistant who executes his duties flawlessly and pays extreme attention to detail. I had no idea you harbored this much irrational hostility toward him…” Hearing Victoria refuse to acknowledge a single issue, all the fight completely drained out of me. No matter how I phrased it. He was the one actively destroying boundaries, and she was the one passively enabling it. Yet somehow, I was the petty, jealous, irrational villain in this story. “Baby, are you just feeling hyper-sensitive lately? Stop throwing a tantrum. Once this quarter is over, I will take you on a nice, long vacation to relax. Okay? Just smile for me.” Victoria wrapped her arms around me again, using that sickly sweet, pacifying tone. It was obvious she did not care about this situation at all. I had absolutely nothing left to say. I pushed her off me, stood up, and walked toward the door. Victoria sighed heavily but followed me out. As I walked past Liam’s desk, I remembered something and stopped dead in my tracks. Taking a deep breath, I looked down at him. My voice was ice cold. “Give me my cake back.” Liam froze. He clearly did not expect me to actually demand it back. His eyes involuntarily darted toward the stairwell door. I followed his gaze, taking a few long strides and pushing the heavy fire door open. There it was. The cake I had spent my entire day baking with love. Treated like literal garbage. The box had not even been opened. It was shoved into the top of the industrial trash can. I slowly turned around, staring dead into Victoria’s eyes. “Victoria. Behold your completely unbiased, hyper-professional assistant.” Without waiting for her to formulate another pathetic excuse, I turned my back on her, walked straight to the elevator bank, and pressed the button for the standard employee elevator. Behind me, I heard Liam’s frantic, whispered apologies. “I am so sorry, Boss. I assumed you would not be able to eat both cakes, so I temporarily set it aside. I had no idea the cleaning staff would throw it away.” “I swear I had no malicious intent. I think Mr. Sterling just completely misunderstands me.” I did not even bother turning around. I just threw a freezing response over my shoulder. “You know damn well whether the janitor threw it away, or if you threw it away yourself. Let me give you a piece of advice. You need to relearn how to show basic, human respect to your boss’s fiancé. If you pull a stunt like this again, the only person who is going to end up humiliated is your boss.” Victoria grabbed my arm, aggressively suppressing her own temper, still trying to defuse the situation. “Liam already explained it was a misunderstanding! Stop obsessing over a stupid cake and embarrassing everyone!” “Today is my birthday. Can you please just give me some respect and stop causing a scene?” I violently ripped my arm out of her grip and sneered. “Do you even need me here? I am pretty sure your gold-star assistant already has your entire night perfectly planned out.” With that, I stepped into the elevator. Right before the metal doors slid shut. Victoria’s face looked absolutely livid. Meanwhile, Liam stood right next to her, maintaining that flawless, robotic corporate smile, staring directly at me. He was still playing the role of the perfect assistant. Once I got back to my car, I sat in the driver’s seat for a long time, completely unable to calm down. The more I thought about it, the more furious I became. I pulled out my phone and quickly typed a text to my mother. [Mom, pull our funding from the five-hundred-million-dollar joint venture with the Sullivans. Terminate it. I figured some things out today. It is better to maintain strict professional boundaries.]

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The rivalry between Smith and me started back in high school. His father was the man who wrecked my mother’s marriage, leaving a permanent, unbridgeable chasm between us. So, when I found out the lead investor for our new project pitch was Stella Lancaster, I already knew the outcome. She is my wife, but Smith is the ghost of her past. He is the one who got away, and I knew that better than anyone. When the pitch results were announced, Stella handed the golden branch straight to Smith, exactly as I expected. He walked up to me, his tone dripping with unconcealed smugness. “Even if you married her, so what? In her heart, I will always be number one.” “Everything you bleed to achieve is handed to me on a silver platter.” I followed his gaze to where Stella stood a few yards away. Suddenly, a wave of sheer, bone deep exhaustion washed over me. I was done. I did not want to play this endless game of tug of war anymore. This time, I choose to let go. Rather than letting a hopeless marriage drain the life out of me, I was going to focus on my own empire. 1 The new investor was stunning. Her looks, her ruthless competence, and her elite family background had already sparked a wildfire of gossip across our floor. The investor was Stella Lancaster. My wife. The moment I saw her name on the executive brief, I knew my silent war with Smith was already lost. In the breakroom, my coworkers were whispering furiously over their coffees. “Did you hear? The CEO of Summit Peak is heading the investment this time. Stella Lancaster herself.” “She is a literal goldmine. If she picks our team’s design, we will not have to worry about our quotas for the next five years.” “Honestly, Smith’s team is probably going to bag it. Word on the street is that Smith is her college sweetheart. Her first love. She is only investing in Nova Design because he works here.” Hearing those words made my chest tighten. I walked back to my desk like a hollow shell. The news of Stella’s arrival had taken over the office. Our department director, Harrison, called Smith and me into his office. “Rob. Smith.” “Stella Lancaster from Summit Peak is funding this cycle. I want both of you to lead your teams and draft a concept. You have one month to submit your final pitches.” Harrison gave Smith a long, meaningful look, his eyes practically shining with approval. It was obvious Harrison had heard the rumors too. He knew exactly why Stella had chosen our firm. Before I even stepped out of the office, I knew my team’s grueling work would be for nothing. Competing against Smith meant I was just there to be the sacrificial lamb. Out in the hallway, Smith stopped in his tracks. We stood face to face. I met his gaze, and he offered a slight smile. It was arrogant, bright, and completely infuriating. “May the best man win, Rob.” But his eyes said he had already won. He knew exactly who Stella would choose. I watched him walk away with that confident stride before turning on my heel. The design department was basically throwing a parade for him. If my team’s proposal got rejected, I would be demoted to working under Smith. I would have to swallow my pride and take his orders. I refused to bow down to him. Right before clocking out, a crowd formed around Smith’s desk, showering him with praise. “You are incredible, Smith.” I looked at him through the sea of people. He was the center of attention, surrounded by warmth and laughter. In contrast, my corner of the office felt bitterly cold. I stood alone. He caught my eye and smirked. I looked away, grabbed my trench coat, and walked out into the chilly evening air. 2 Stella got home late. Her expression carried its usual detached, untouchable grace. Despite everything, I could not stop myself from asking. “Stella, did you invest in my company?” She looked up at the sound of my voice. Her eyes met mine, calm and unreadable. She gave a soft hum of confirmation. “Why Nova?” I pushed. I forced a casual, joking tone. “Are you going to give your husband a backstage pass?” Stella’s brow furrowed slightly. She looked entirely serious. There was not a trace of humor in her striking eyes. She paused for a moment. “It was a board decision. I do not make the final call on the proposals alone.” Her underlying message was crystal clear. Being her husband gave me absolutely zero privileges. I did not press any further. She was always like this. Cold, pragmatic, operating entirely on her own strict logic. She never bent the rules for me. And like a fool, I constantly humiliated myself by hoping I could be her one exception. Stella turned away and walked into her home office. The heavy mahogany door did not click shut all the way. I could hear the low murmur of her voice on a phone call. The voice echoing faintly from the speaker was Smith’s. Stella would occasionally let out a soft, low laugh in response to whatever he was saying. When the call ended, she pushed the door open. She walked to the entryway and pulled her coat off the rack. Slipping into her camel trench and sliding on her leather heels, she stood tall and looked back at me. “I have a business dinner. I need to head out.” I just nodded. Stella was breathtaking. She had sharp, aristocratic features, a high nose bridge, and perfectly sculpted lips. Her tailored suit underneath the trench coat made her look powerful and commanding. The heavy front door clicked shut behind her. She came home very late that night. Any questions I wanted to ask died in my throat the moment I saw Smith’s newest post on Instagram. It was a group photo. Four people. Smith, Stella, and two of their old college friends. Staring at that picture, I realized my question was pointless. I wanted to ask Stella if she would favor Smith. The answer was already staring me in the face. I used to leave a warm lamp on in the living room whenever she had late dinners. Tonight, I turned off every light in the house and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. When I woke up, Stella and I barely crossed paths. We left for work separately. At the office, the entire department treated Smith like royalty. Everyone knew the truth. If it were not for Smith, Stella would never have looked twice at our firm. My bad blood with him was my own problem. My coworkers only cared about their annual bonuses and hitting their quotas. Today, Stella arrived at the office for an investor walkthrough. Director Harrison immediately summoned Smith to escort her. When Smith finally returned to the floor, all eyes locked onto him. “Smith, is CEO Lancaster super intimidating in person?” Smith’s lips curved upward. His answer was deliberately vague and intimate. “I have known Stella for a long time. She is not intimidating at all. You guys can relax.” The junior designers exchanged knowing, excited smiles. I had already read every single detail of Smith and Stella’s college romance online. If I were not Stella’s husband, I probably would have thought their youthful love story was beautiful too. But reading the compilation of their history, painstakingly put together by their old classmates, only left me with a mouth full of ash. Smith still had an old, active Twitter account from college. It was a digital diary of their romance. I used to torture myself by scrolling through it late at night. The more I read, the more I realized how fiercely Stella had loved him. She would read every single one of his mundane tweets, liking and replying to them. She was the one who chased him first. It took me a full year of relentless pursuing just to get Stella to look my way. When I first found out Stella’s ex was Smith, a sick thrill had run through me. I thought I had won. I thought it was the ultimate revenge against him. But I quickly realized I had lost, brutally and completely. The fact that my wife still harbored feelings for her ex was not a victory. It was the ultimate humiliation. It just gave Smith another way to crush me under his heel. 3 Smith and I had been sworn enemies since middle school. We were like fire and ice, completely incompatible. His father manipulated his way into our home. The stress and betrayal broke my father’s health, sinking him into severe depression. I almost lost my dad entirely. In high school, Smith followed me again. He was one point short of getting into the elite prep academy, so my mother, Victoria, pulled strings and paid off the board to get him in. That same year, my father left the country to recover in a private sanatorium. I was left behind in the Kensington estate. I thought if I acted out, if I was cruel enough, Smith and his father would take the hint and leave. My tactics were not clever. Honestly, they were stupid. I tried to poison their tea with black ink. I wanted to terrify them, to mark my territory. Instead, Smith went straight to my mother playing the victim. Victoria’s face turned dark with fury. She cornered me and berated me for being a monster. I hated them, but I never had it in me to do real, permanent damage. Everything I did only made my mother feel worse for Smith and his father. By college, I was finally at a different university. The final nail in the coffin of my relationship with Victoria came during my freshman winter break. She took Smith to a high society gala instead of me. When people asked, she did not even deny it when they assumed Smith was her biological son. She even mentioned changing his last name to Kensington. I told her if she let him take our family name, I would drop it entirely and take my father’s name, Reed. Her eyes burned with rage. She raised her hand, ready to strike me across the face. But a tall, imposing figure stepped in and caught her wrist. That person was Stella. After graduation, our paths crossed again. I spent an entire year chasing her. Just when I was on the verge of giving up, she finally said yes. It was only after we signed the marriage papers that I found out Smith was her ex boyfriend. She had even visited the Kensington estate before, formally introduced as Smith’s girlfriend. When my mother found out Stella and I were married, her face drained of color. She clutched her chest, struggling to breathe. “Did you do this on purpose?” she gasped. “You knew she was his ex. Did you marry her just to spite him?” I was paralyzed. During the holidays, I refused to go back to the estate. But Stella insisted. She dragged me back. The moment we walked through the doors, Smith and I got into a physical altercation in the courtyard. We both lost our footing and fell hard. Stella reacted purely on instinct. She lunged forward and caught Smith, holding him up. I hit the concrete. Later at the hospital, with red, stubborn eyes, I asked Stella why she did not catch me. She calmly peeled an apple, not even looking at me. “I did not see you.” When Stella stepped out of the hospital room, Smith walked in. He looked down at me in the hospital bed, a victor’s smile on his lips. He spent the next ten minutes recounting every beautiful detail of his college life with Stella. He painted a picture of a warm, passionate Stella that I had never met. My heart felt like it was being crushed in a vice. After I recovered, I found myself trapped in the same orbit as him again. We ended up at the same design firm. We were constantly at each other’s throats. He weaponized his status as the heir to the Kensington Conglomerate to make management bow to him. And now, he had the added armor of being the lead investor’s unforgettable first love. Everyone worshipped the ground he walked on. I knew my pitch was doomed. But I still pushed my team to work overtime, perfecting every single detail of our proposal. A month later, I walked into the executive boardroom holding my portfolio. Everyone was seated. Except Smith. He walked in a moment later, side by side with Stella. The morning light from the floor to ceiling windows hit them perfectly. Stella occasionally tilted her head up, matching Smith’s height, listening intently to whatever he was whispering. 4 Her profile was sharp against the projector’s light. Her dark eyes held a faint, rare smile. When her gaze accidentally flicked to mine, I searched her eyes, desperate to find some hidden emotion. But there was nothing. Just that same chilling, detached indifference. We drew lots for the presentation order. I was up first. I walked to the podium, perfectly composed, and pulled up my slides. I poured my heart into the presentation, breaking down every inspiration and structural concept. I was completely immersed in the work. When I stepped down, the applause was painfully sparse. The only person clapping with any real enthusiasm was Noah, a bright eyed kid who had been my intern since he graduated. Stella’s face was completely blank. No one could read her. Director Harrison kept stealing glances at her, trying to decipher her mood. Then it was Smith’s turn. He walked to the front and naturally locked eyes with Stella. They shared a private, knowing smile. The other executives exchanged glances, barely hiding their gossip fueled grins. Noah leaned over to me and whispered anxiously, “Rob, are we going to lose this?” I forced the corners of my mouth up into a rigid smile. When Smith finished, the room erupted. The applause was deafening compared to mine. Harrison clapped so hard his face turned red. A faint, unmistakable smirk touched Stella’s lips. We took a thirty minute recess. Lately, the suffocating rumors about Stella and Smith were draining the air out of my lungs. The way she looked at me was so cold it made my chest physically ache. Listening to the office chatter, I learned even more about their past. Stella had pursued him relentlessly. She waited outside his dorm every morning to bring him coffee. Everyone at their elite university knew how deeply Stella worshipped Smith. I sat frozen in my chair. Watching the backs of Stella and Smith as they walked out of the boardroom together, my nose stung. The woman I had bled to win over was harboring the soul of the man I hated most in the world. The boardroom emptied out until only Noah and I were left. Noah gave my arm a comforting squeeze. The thirty minutes were up. The results were in. Stella and the executives from Summit Peak had already left the building. Harrison stood at the head of the table to announce the verdict. There were three deciding votes. All three went to Smith. When the words left Harrison’s mouth, my eyes burned. A hot, pathetic dampness threatened to spill over. I bit the inside of my cheek and forced the tears back down. Harrison shot Smith a look of pure, validating triumph. A crowd immediately formed around him. “Smith, you are an absolute god!” I packed up my laptop and walked toward the exit, a solitary shadow in a room full of celebration. Smith caught up to me in the hall. “Rob.” I stopped. His eyes were bright with mockery. “Even if you are the one married to her, I will always be her priority.” “Everything you break your back to get, I can have just by reaching out my hand.” He was right. When we were fourteen, he effortlessly stole my mother’s love. Now, he effortlessly occupied my wife’s heart. Down the hall, Harrison was kissing up to Stella by the elevators, treating her like royalty. Suddenly, the fight drained out of me. I did not want to compete with Smith anymore. And I did not want Stella anymore, either. The elevator doors remained open. Harrison spotted us and practically begged Smith to join them in the elevator. I had no choice but to step in too. The heavy metal doors closed. The car descended. Harrison immediately started his usual brown nosing. “CEO Lancaster, you and Smith are such a powerful match. Truly a match made in heaven.” A few other managers chimed in eagerly. “Exactly! We heard rumors that you two were already married. You are so supportive, coming all the way to our firm just to back your husband’s project.” I listened to their sickening flattery in dead silence. My heart did not even skip a beat. It was just numb. I felt a heavy, burning gaze lock onto the side of my face. I turned my head. Stella’s face had gone completely rigid. Harrison nudged my arm, silently ordering me to play along. “Right, Rob? Do not they look perfect together?” The elevator dinged. The doors slid open. I looked calmly into Stella’s eyes. “Yes. A perfect match.” Panic flashed through her usually icy eyes. Her lips parted slightly, as if she was desperate to say something. 5 I stepped out of the elevator and walked away fast. Behind me, a low, urgent voice rang out. “Rob.” I did not hesitate. I did not stop. I pushed through the lobby doors and escaped the crowd. The tears I had been swallowing down finally clawed their way up my throat. The suffocating weight of my grievances broke me. When I was fourteen, my father had a mental breakdown and was committed to a facility because my mother was sleeping with another man. I was terrified and lost. When Stella blocked my mother’s hand from striking my face, I thought she was my savior. But everything I fought desperately to hold onto slipped through my fingers and flowed straight to Smith. My luck was always just one step short. I hid in my car in the underground garage and broke down completely. Once the tears finally stopped, my vision cleared. Stella’s tall figure appeared in the dim light of the parking garage. She was walking fast, her heels clicking aggressively against the concrete. Just as she reached out for my door handle, I slammed my foot on the gas and tore out of the garage. I drove straight to the Kensington estate. Neither Victoria nor Smith’s father was home. The sprawling mansion was dead quiet, save for a few maids. The bedroom I had grown up in had long been seized, completely remodeled into Smith’s personal sanctuary. I grabbed my passports, my financial documents, and a few valuable heirlooms. The entire house was infested with traces of Smith and his father. On the desk in the study sat a framed photo of Smith’s college graduation. I looked away. When Victoria first found out I married Stella, she exploded. She accused me of sacrificing my own marriage just to get back at Smith. If I had known Stella was his ex, I would have just assumed she had terrible taste in men. I would have tossed her into the same garbage bin as him. As I walked out of the grand double doors, I ran straight into Smith. He leaned against a marble pillar, looking at me with pure amusement. “Rob.” “It is boring fighting you. You know why? Because I can take whatever you want without lifting a finger.” “Your dad lost to my dad. You lose to me. It runs in your blood.” “I heard you chased Stella for a year? Half the guys on campus were obsessed with her back then.” “But she was known as the Ice Queen. Completely untouchable.” “Yet with me? I do not have to do a single thing, and she will always take my side.” “It was true four years ago, and it is true today.” In Smith’s eyes, Stella was gentle, fiercely loyal, and devoted. In my eyes, she was cold, ruthless, and entirely indifferent. Smith’s old tweets were a brutal reality check. Only after seeing how Stella loved someone else did I realize she never loved me at all. Smith loved playing the social media game. We only added each other on messaging apps after we started working at the same firm. Stella would occasionally like his random, mundane status updates. Sometimes she would even leave a comment. I had started a massive fight with her over it once. She just frowned, looking at me with total disdain. “Rob, why are you always targeting him?” I was so furiously heartbroken I could barely string a sentence together. Did she not know what boundaries were? All I wanted was for her to choose me. Just once. Smith’s voice snapped me back to reality. “Rob, you can never beat me.” “The woman you love? I was the one who taught her how to love.” “I even took her first kiss.” I just smiled faintly and walked past him without a word.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “435827”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

After breaking up with my secretly wealthy ex-boyfriend, I quickly got together with his adoptive father. Not long after, I found myself sitting at their family dinner table. Right across from me was my ex and his new flavor of the month. Smiling sweetly, I picked up a piece of green bell pepper and dropped it right into Logan’s bowl. Everyone knew it was the one vegetable he absolutely despised. I looked at his new girl and casually mentioned that since she called Sebastian her step-dad, she ought to start calling me step-mom. I even made her an offer. Fifty grand if she called me Mom once. Half a million if she said it ten times. Hearing this, Logan slammed his hands on the table and shot up from his chair. He furiously demanded to know who the hell I thought I was, screaming that since his dad had not said a word, I had no right to order his girlfriend around. I simply shifted my gaze to the man sitting beside me. Sebastian was slowly chewing his food, not even bothering to lift his eyes. I gave a thoughtful nod, reached into my purse, and tossed a crumpled medical bill onto the table. The moment Logan’s new girlfriend saw that paper, all the color drained from her face. She grabbed Logan’s sleeve, her voice trembling with tears, and begged him to just call me Mom. I was twenty-two, and Logan was eighteen. I had been forced to drink until I blacked out. When I woke up, my head was splitting, and I was completely naked. Logan was sitting on the edge of the bed smoking a cigarette, his jacket draped over his shoulders. He did not even bother to look back at me. “You were the one begging for it last night.” My brain was a hazy mess. I had zero recollection of what happened, but the guilt crushed me. I immediately apologized. “I am so sorry. What do you want? Anything I can do to make this right, I will do it.” Logan thought about it for a second. He told me to become his girlfriend to compensate for taking his virginity. I nodded and agreed. My shifts at the campus bar were not enough to cover both my living expenses and Logan’s tuition and allowance, so I picked up a second job working the day shift as a cashier at a convenience store. I was working two jobs, running myself into the ground. To be closer to his dorm, I rented a cramped, overpriced room in a rundown apartment building near his university. On my one rare day off, I took Logan out on a date. By the time we got back to my apartment, it was already ten at night. My roommate, Sierra, was just heading out for her night shift. She rolled her eyes the second she saw me. “Was that your boyfriend downstairs? Looks like a broke loser, just like you.” “Unlike me. I just met a trust-fund kid a couple of days ago. He tipped me a thousand bucks without blinking.” When I ignored her, she scoffed. “Forget it. Trying to talk sense into your thick skull is a waste of time. Those rich guys and corporate billionaires are incredibly easy to please. Keep your mouth sweet, act a little submissive, and stroke their egos. That is how you get paid.” “If one of them actually takes an interest in you, even if you are just his side piece, you are still set for life.” I ignored her. Most of my paychecks went straight into Logan’s bank account. Whenever we had our weekend dates, he would press his lips against mine and whisper sweet promises. “Do not worry, Ivy. Once I graduate, we will get married, and it will be my turn to take care of you.” His long fingers would roam over my body, the air in the room turning heavy and hot, but we never went all the way again. I always assumed it was because our first time was so traumatic. I thought I had forced myself on him, leaving him with emotional baggage. I buttoned up my coat and walked him back to his dorm. Just as I turned to leave, I heard his frat brother laugh and ask who I was. Logan’s voice drifted out, casual and annoyed. “Her? Just some desperate stalker who will not leave me alone. She is so annoying.” Lately, Sierra had been acting incredibly anxious. When I walked into the apartment, I caught her aggressively taping up a shipping box containing the heavy gold bracelet her sugar daddy had bought her a few days ago. “Gold prices are tanking right now. Why not wait a few weeks? You could get a lot more for it,” I asked, setting down my cheap takeout box. “I will sell my stuff whenever I damn well please. Mind your own business.” Her eyes darted to my dinner, and a nasty smirk crossed her face. “You should spend more time worrying about your little boy toy. I heard his frat is throwing a massive party at the club downtown tonight. Do you have a night shift? With a pretty face like his, if you do not keep him on a tight leash, some rich girl is going to snatch him right up.” Seeing me freeze, Sierra paused. “…Wait, do not tell me he did not even invite you?” Logan and I had been together for three years. He usually played the role of the sweet, obedient boyfriend, but I constantly worried about him. Ironically, we had met at a bar, so I knew exactly what happened at those parties. I called my manager, faked a sick leave, and rushed to the club. Standing outside the VIP room, I leaned in to peek through the glass. Before I could, the heavy door swung open. Logan’s frat brother stumbled out, completely wasted, squinting at me in the dim light. “Oh, you are… Logan’s stalker, right? Looking for him?” I ignored the insult, trying to look past him into the booth. “Do not bother looking. Logan is not here. He does not even live in the dorms. Why would he waste his time slumming it at a frat mixer?” “He does not live in the dorms?” That was impossible. “You really are clueless, aren’t you?” The guy looked me up and down with obvious disgust. “Everyone on campus knows Logan’s family is loaded. You are out here flipping burgers and scrubbing floors, thinking you can bag a billionaire heir? Keep dreaming, sweetheart.” My heart plummeted into my stomach. An hour later, I was standing outside the gates of the most exclusive luxury high-rise in the city, getting aggressively blocked by a security guard. “I said no entry. I see girls like you showing up in the middle of the night all the time. If you go in there and cause a scene, I am the one who gets fired!” While we were arguing, the roar of an engine cut through the night. A sleek, limited-edition sports car pulled up ten feet away. Logan hopped out of the driver’s seat, laughing and dapping up his wealthy friends before they drove off. Still smiling, Logan turned around and locked eyes with me. His grin vanished instantly. “Ivy… I thought you had a shift tonight?” “This is my friend’s place. I was just visiting,” Logan lied, his voice tight. “Stop lying.” I took a step forward, my anger boiling over. “That jacket you are wearing? The watch on your wrist? I have never seen them before. You are rich. You can afford to live in a place like this. So why the hell have you been bleeding me dry for three thousand bucks a month? Why did you play the pathetic, broke victim for three years?” For three years, I gave up any semblance of a normal life. I lived in a roach-infested shoebox. I ran between two exhausting jobs and survived on four hours of sleep. I gave up all my weekends just to take him on dates, and I paid for every single movie ticket and dinner. If the food was not expensive enough, he would throw a tantrum. My eyes burned, and tears of pure frustration spilled over. Logan lunged forward, wrapping his arms around me. The harder I pushed, the tighter he held on. “Ivy, I am so sorry. I was just terrified you would freak out if you knew the truth. I was planning to reveal everything on your birthday. It was supposed to be a massive surprise.” He was still lying to my face, and I genuinely could not comprehend what he gained from this twisted game. But the crushing heartbreak suddenly gave way to razor-sharp clarity. He wanted to put on a show? Fine. I would play along. I wanted to see exactly how far Logan was willing to take this. So, as he spouted his hollow excuses, I slowly nodded. And Logan actually bought it. He faked a relieved smile and kissed the corner of my mouth. “Ivy, I knew you loved me too much to stay mad.” That night, I slept in Logan’s sprawling, multi-million-dollar penthouse. When we walked through the lobby the next morning, the same security guard practically bowed to me. “Have a wonderful day, Miss.” The following day, Logan handed me a platinum card with two million dollars loaded onto it. For the first time in my life, I walked straight into a luxury designer boutique. “Box this up.” The sales associate completely ignored me, continuing to fold scarves. I slammed the platinum card onto the glass display. “I said, box it up.” The associate’s demeanor flipped instantly, flashing me a brilliant, obsequious smile. I returned to my crappy apartment carrying a mountain of designer shopping bags. Sierra nearly choked on her water. “Where the hell did you get the money for that? Did you finally bag a sugar daddy?” I threw myself onto the cheap sofa and opened a real estate app to browse luxury apartments. “My boyfriend.” “You dumped the broke college kid?” “Nope.” Sierra shrieked. “He is a trust-fund baby?! Are you kidding me? How did you get that lucky?” I let out a dark, self-deprecating laugh. “Yeah. So lucky.” I walked into my room, packed my bags, and moved out of that miserable apartment forever. The night before my twenty-fifth birthday, I got a call. Logan was wasted and demanded I come pick him up. It was pouring rain outside. My umbrella was useless against the wind, and by the time I reached the upscale restaurant, my clothes were soaked through. I stood outside the private dining room, raising my hand to knock, when a burst of obnoxious laughter echoed through the wood. “I officially won the bet, right? I dated that bartender for three whole years! I played the broke college kid, drained her bank account, and the stupid bitch was still totally obsessed with me! I told you guys, women are all gold-diggers. Give them enough money, and you can make them do whatever you want.” It was Logan. My hand froze mid-air as a chorus of mocking voices joined in. “Logan is the absolute king! Rich or poor, he gets the job done. Fair is fair, the keys to the Porsche will be at your house tomorrow.” “You gotta admit though, that bartender’s body is insane. When I dragged him to your bed that first night, I copped a feel. Her waist and ass are top-tier. You got lucky, bro.” “Whoa, chill. I never actually slept with her. That one-night stand was completely staged just to trap her into dating me. You know how strict my family is. If I accidentally knocked up some trashy nobody, I would be cut off.” “Smart move, man. Escorts like her are just for practice anyway. When it is time to settle down, you have to marry someone from our tax bracket.” My fists clenched so hard my nails dug into my palms. I kicked the door open with a deafening crash. The room went dead silent. Logan, his face flushed with alcohol, stared at me in shock. “What are you doing here?” I plastered a sickeningly sweet smile on my face. “I heard you had too much to drink. I came to take you home.” I dragged Logan’s drunk weight back to the penthouse and dumped him on the bed. He passed out immediately. Grabbing a cold beer from the fridge, I sat alone on the balcony. The things they said were vile, but surprisingly, I felt absolutely nothing. Because I never actually loved Logan. Our entire relationship was built on the crushing guilt I felt over taking his ‘virginity’. Since he faked the whole thing, the debt was wiped clean. I owed him nothing. In fact, he owed me three years of my youth. I pulled a crumpled piece of paper from my pocket. It was a private phone number I had secretly copied from Logan’s phone—the number of his legal guardian. The phone rang three times before a deep, irritated voice answered. “Who is this?” He sounded like a man who was very unhappy about being woken up in the middle of the night. “Mr. Sebastian Vance, I am Logan’s girlfriend. I am pregnant. I need to meet with you tomorrow. Does that work for you?” I lied through my teeth without missing a beat. “Why the hell should I believe you?” I let out a soft laugh and switched to a video call, panning the camera over Logan’s passed-out face in the moonlight. “If you refuse, I cannot guarantee your golden boy will wake up in one piece. I am sure his heroic late parents would not want anything bad to happen to their only son, right?” Sebastian Vance was a notoriously ruthless corporate titan. Anyone who dared threaten him usually had a team of private security kicking their door down within thirty minutes. I swallowed hard, trying to hide my terror. The line was dead silent for a long time. Finally, the man sighed. “Fine. Meet me at the Jade Garden tomorrow.” When Logan finally woke up, I was calmly setting out a massive breakfast spread on the dining table. He leaned against the doorframe, a nasty sneer on his face. “You heard everything last night, did you not? Why are you still here? Who are you putting on this pathetic housewife act for?” “Do not think I am going to pity you. The bet is over. I am done playing house with you.” I completely ignored him, sitting down to eat my eggs. Logan laughed maliciously. He pulled out a chair across from me and kicked his feet up on the table. “Playing deaf? Fine. I will make sure you get the message.” He pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and instantly switched to a sickeningly sweet voice. “Baby, I am sending you my address right now. Come over, I have a massive surprise waiting for you. Love you.” Hanging up, he immediately ordered a bouquet of 999 premium roses on a delivery app. He cranked the volume on his video game to the max, glaring at me every few seconds to see if I was crying yet. I acted like he did not exist, calmly stood up, and started washing the dishes. The second I finished, the doorbell rang. Before Logan could even stand up, I beat him to the door and yanked it open. Sierra was standing on the doorstep, dripping in head-to-toe designer labels. The moment she saw me, her perfectly manicured eyebrow arched. “Well, well. If it isn’t Ivy, the girl who bagged a billionaire. What are you doing in my boyfriend’s apartment?” Logan shoved me out of the way, pulling Sierra inside. “I got black-out drunk a few years ago and accidentally touched this club waitress. She has been stalking me ever since. You know her?” Sierra let out a mocking laugh. “We do not know each other. I just saw her serving drinks at a dive bar across town.” “I knew it.” Logan pulled out the massive bouquet of roses he had ordered. “There is no way a high-class girl like you would associate with trash like her.” The two of them treated me like invisible air, aggressively flirting back and forth before collapsing onto the sofa, practically making out. I stood a few feet away, entirely unfazed, casually pulling out my phone. I snapped a crystal-clear photo of them swapping spit, then slipped the phone back into my pocket. “Ivy, I already have a fiancé. Sierra’s family runs a massive international conglomerate. She just moved back from Europe. We belong to the same social class, so just give up.” “Keep the money I gave you. Consider it a tip for your services. We are done.” “No,” I said flatly. “Unless you wire me another five million, I am not leaving.” Before Logan could even react, Sierra leaped off the couch and slapped me hard across the face. My cheek burned instantly. I glared at her, but she violently shoved me backward. I tripped and fell hard onto the floor. “Ivy, stop being a greedy, delusional bitch!” She grabbed the massive bouquet and started hurling the heavy roses at me, snapping the stems against my skin. “A useless, pathetic loser like you deserves absolutely nothing!” “Five million? In your dreams. Do you even know who Logan’s guardian is? Sebastian Vance. Say one wrong word to the press, and he will have you erased before dinner.” Slam! The heavy oak door was violently shut in my face. Sitting on the floor of the hallway, rubbing my stinging cheek, I suddenly started laughing. Logan faked being poor to scam me out of my money, only to get scammed by a fake heiress pretending to be rich. Karma really was a bitch. My phone buzzed in my pocket. “Hello, Miss Ivy? This is Mr. Vance’s driver. I am pulling up to the lobby now. You can come down.” It was my first time sitting in a customized Maybach. When I arrived at the Jade Garden, Sebastian had already ordered. The table was covered in the most aggressively spicy, heavy dishes imaginable. Two glasses of expensive liquor sat in the center. Sebastian pushed one of the glasses toward me. “Drink.” I did not move. He chuckled, picking up his own glass and taking a slow sip. “Drink it, Miss Ivy. I had my team run a sweep. You have absolutely zero medical records at any OBGYN in the state, and no pharmacy records of buying pregnancy tests.” “I think it is safe to assume you are not pregnant.” Sebastian was thirty-four. A relatively young age in the cutthroat corporate world, yet he held absolute, terrifying control over the entire Vance empire. A few hours was more than enough time for him to strip my entire life bare. Everything I knew about Sebastian came from two sources. First, networking with high-end escorts at the luxury clubs I visited after Logan gave me the black card. Second, vague complaints Logan used to make when he was drunk. Sebastian was an illegitimate child, utterly despised by his aristocratic family. He spent his childhood being viciously bullied by his half-siblings. When he was sixteen, they pushed him into a freezing, rushing river and walked away, leaving him to drown. Logan’s mother, Officer Morgan, was walking by with her husband. Logan’s father dove into the freezing rapids and managed to shove Sebastian to the riverbank, but the current dragged him under. He never resurfaced. Logan was three years old. Two years later, Officer Morgan was killed in the line of duty. Logan’s greedy relatives swarmed like vultures to steal her pension, completely abandoning Logan. By then, an eighteen-year-old Sebastian had brutally seized power within the Vance family. He crushed all opposition, legally adopted Logan, and became his sole guardian. Did Sebastian actually love Logan? Absolutely not. Everything Sebastian did was driven by a heavy, suffocating guilt toward the people who died to save him. He provided Logan with unlimited wealth and protection. He had more than repaid his debt. I picked up the glass of liquor and threw it back like a shot. The alcohol burned my throat. “Logan told me he is marrying a European heiress named Sierra. Why did you not stop him?” I asked. “He is an adult. We share no blood, and legally, he is not my responsibility anymore. I do not care who he marries.” Sebastian smiled lazily. “But instead of talking in circles, why do you not get to the point?” I took a deep breath. “If Logan keeps acting like a degenerate psychopath, he is going to destroy Officer Morgan’s legacy. You do not step in because he constantly weaponizes his parents’ death to guilt-trip you.” “But I have zero emotional baggage with him. On top of that, he scammed me out of three years of my life. Nobody knows exactly how to break him better than I do.” “I read the financial reports. The Vance board of directors is pressuring you to get married to stabilize the stock. Let us sign a contract. A fake marriage.” Sebastian raised a sharp eyebrow. “You have guts, I will give you that. Coming into my territory and actively plotting revenge against my ward.” He stood up. The sheer physical presence of the man made me instinctively shrink back, a cold shiver running down my spine. I was gambling with my life. If I won, I would get everything I wanted. If I lost, the absolute worst-case scenario was going back to scrubbing floors. I had already hit rock bottom. I had nothing to lose. His deep, freezing voice dropped from above me. “But I have to admit, I am extremely curious to see exactly how you plan to discipline my deadbeat son.” “Come home for dinner tonight, Mrs. Vance.” I won. Sebastian moved with terrifying efficiency. An hour later, holding a freshly stamped marriage certificate, I was sitting in his car heading toward his sprawling private estate. On the way, his phone rang. He casually tapped the speakerphone button. “Hey Dad, I am bringing my new fiancée home for dinner tonight. Figured it was time you met her.” “Fine.” Sebastian’s dark eyes slid over to me. “Perfect timing. I just got my marriage certificate. There is someone I want you to meet as well.” Before Logan could ask a single question, Sebastian hung up. The estate was obscenely massive. A butler in a tailored suit respectfully took my cheap duffel bag and carried it up to the master suite. Sebastian led me down a different hall and opened the double doors to a walk-in closet the size of my old apartment. Racks of pristine, haute couture dresses lined the walls. “Pick one.” I pulled out a soft pink silk gown. The fabric felt like water. In twenty-five years, I had never touched anything so expensive. “Do you have a secret girlfriend? Do not worry, once the contract expires, I will sign the divorce papers immediately. I won’t ruin your actual relationship.” “I do not have one.” “Then who are these for?” I turned around. Sebastian was leaning against the doorframe, his face blank. “There is no other woman. I just had my assistant buy a wardrobe based on your measurements this afternoon. If my staff could not handle a basic task like that, I would fire them.” He paused, then added defensively, “If I actually had a girlfriend, why the hell would I fake a marriage with you?” I snorted, covering my mouth to hide a laugh. For a guy who looked like a literal mafia boss, his personality was surprisingly petty. I picked a sleek, understated black dress and applied the absurdly expensive makeup he had provided. Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror, I actually gasped. Money really was magic. The exhausted, overworked barista was gone. Staring back at me was a polished, dangerous socialite. “Are you ready? Logan is pulling up to the gates.” “Coming.” I walked out of the closet. Sebastian’s gaze dropped from his Rolex to me. He froze completely still. “Is it… too much?” I asked, feeling suddenly self-conscious. “It looks good.” He quickly averted his eyes, clearing his throat. “Let’s go down. They are waiting.” “Dad! Where have you been? My fiancée has been waiting out here. You are being totally disrespectful to her—” Logan was lounging on the imported Italian leather sofa, his arm draped possessively around Sierra. Sierra was picking nervously at her nails, looking absolutely terrified to be in Sebastian’s house. Seeing Sebastian and I walking down the grand staircase, fingers tightly laced together, Logan’s voice died in his throat. He shot to his feet. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I lifted my chin. Sebastian remained completely silent. I knew the rules. From this second forward, Sebastian was not going to fight my battles for me. “Why shouldn’t I be here?” I held out my free hand. The butler immediately stepped forward, placing the red marriage booklet onto my palm. I flipped it open, shoving the stamped photo right into Logan’s face. “I am Sebastian’s legally wedded wife. That makes me your stepmother. Watch your tone when you speak to your elders, Logan.” “Bullshit! Where did you get a fake ID printed so fast? Dad, say something!” Logan looked panicked, desperately searching Sebastian’s face for a denial. Sebastian ignored him completely and walked straight to the dining table. Because we had guests, the private chef had prepared a massive feast. My eyes immediately locked onto a sizzling plate of spicy green bell peppers. Technically, this dish should never have been served, since Logan threw a fit whenever he smelled them. I threw a quick glance at Sebastian. He was hiding a smirk behind his water glass. The man was petty as hell.

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1 The day Phill and I signed our marriage papers, his boys suggested we go live on stream to share the moment with our followers. I smiled and agreed. I held up the freshly signed documents, showing off our happily ever after to the camera. Right then, Phill’s childhood bestie, Beth, rolled out a massive tiered cake. The two of them exchanged a secret, knowing look. Just as Beth opened her mouth, supposedly to wish us well, a vicious force slammed into the back of my head, shoving my face buried deep into the cake. A blinding pain ripped across my forehead. The hidden plastic dowels supporting the cake tiers had sliced my skin open. Sweet vanilla frosting mixed with warm, metallic blood, sliding down my face. “Surprise!” The whole room erupted into roaring laughter. The camera stayed dead focused on my humiliating, messy state. The live chat exploded, scrolling faster than I could read. Phill affectionately pinched Beth’s cheek. “Happy now? The boys really pulled through for your little dare.” He chuckled. “Even hijacked my own wedding for it. See, Beth? Now you know who spoils you the most.” Only then did he casually turn his gaze to me, using that condescending tone reserved for a toddler. “Oh, come on. We are just messing around.” I stared at the ruined cake splattered across the floor. Without saying a single word, I ripped our freshly signed marriage certificates into tiny, useless shreds. Frosting choked my throat. I could barely breathe. Laughter, jeers, camera shutters clicking. It was pure chaos. The stream was going viral. Within minutes, my humiliating photos and the hashtag about my ruined wedding were trending number one. My phone blew up with calls from my agency. And the mastermind behind it all was hiding behind Phill, her voice trembling, her face completely devoid of any real guilt. “I think Malika is mad at me…” “It is all my fault for losing that dare. The guys just felt bad for me and wanted to help…” My custom gown, the one I waited six months for, was ruined. My hair and makeup, which took three hours starting at dawn, were destroyed. It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head. My overflowing joy turned into nothing but pathetic, hollow sorrow. Phill draped his suit jacket over my shoulders to cover the mess, but then he saw my red, swollen eyes. He froze. “Are you actually crying?” “If it bothers you that much, we can just throw another wedding. Okay?” “I promise the next one will be even bigger.” The Phill from the past was never like this. At eighteen, he was a broke kid who emptied his pockets just to take me to a bridal boutique. He carefully smoothed out the train of a dress I tried on, promising to give me a beautiful, proper wedding one day. At twenty eight, as a successful entrepreneur, he bought me a designer gown, holding me like I was his entire world, promising a lavish ceremony as soon as his company stabilized. Now, at thirty three, Phill shattered our promises and spat on his vows. He gave me the most humiliating wedding imaginable. Smack. I slapped him across the face with everything I had. The room went dead silent. His friends scrambled to cut the live feed, tripping over their words to apologize. “Sorry, Malika.” “We just wanted to cheer Beth up…” Phill wiped a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes flashing with irritation. “Why are you taking this so seriously?” “Wedding ceremonies are boring anyway. I let Beth have a little fun to lighten the mood. Why are you picking a fight with a kid?” “You were never like this…” I whispered. Beth always loved playing cruel pranks on me. She stomped on the flowers Phill bought me, ruined our anniversaries. She orchestrated hate campaigns in my comment sections, causing me to lose hundreds of thousands of followers. She even mixed poison ivy extract into my perfume, giving me a full body rash so I would miss a massive brand deal. Every time, Phill would stroke my hair and say he would teach her a lesson and that she was just being immature. But his punishments were always empty threats. A loud bark with absolutely no bite. “Phill! Beth’s dad saved your life, but that does not mean you get to enable her like this!” I screamed. “She has no basic decency! She is a brat!” Beth buried her face in his chest and wailed. “I miss my daddy…” “Malika!” Phill snapped at me. “Do not cross the line!” “Do you think poking at her trauma makes you a better person?” I choked back my tears. I never imagined he would protect her with absolutely zero boundaries. “You really think she did nothing wrong?” Phill instinctively opened his mouth to defend her. “Fine,” I cut him off. “Since you cannot see how messed up this is.” “Then we are done.” “We are over.” I went home, hid in the bathroom, and cried until I was numb. Then I scrubbed my face, packed away my emotions, and started dealing with the catastrophic mess. My boss, Marcus, screamed at me over the phone. “You turned your own wedding into a circus!” “Meme photos everywhere! You have been trending for three hours. The brand sponsors are blowing up my line. Terminated contracts, penalty fees, it is a disaster!” “Do you have any idea how much money we are losing?” The crisis meeting lasted until four in the morning. The living room was pitch black, lit only by the cherry of a cigarette burning down to my fingertips. Nicotine numbed my frayed nerves. I watched the wedding video over and over, trying to figure out what to say to the public. How to spin my absolute humiliation into a funny joke. How to pretend my tears meant nothing. “Heh…” I let out a self deprecating laugh and collapsed against the sofa. The last time I was this exhausted was when I was paying off Phill’s bankruptcy debts. I livestreamed day and night, testing toxic skincare products until my face broke out in chemical burns, doing eating broadcasts until I got a stomach ulcer. All just to earn those daily payouts to ease his stress. Eventually, my account blew up. Phill bounced back, too. But the very first thing he did when he got rich again was bring Beth right back to his side to live the high life. Meanwhile, I was still stuck under a predatory contract with my agency. Swallowing Marcus’s empty promises at work, and Phill’s empty promises at home. I was so incredibly stupid. Fifteen years. Gone in a flash. By my thirtieth birthday, Phill had consumed half my life, my youth, and my brightest years. I grabbed my phone and opened Beth’s socials. She had recently posted a celebration for her two thousand day snap streak with Phill. They ate a seven tier cake, set off fireworks, and rented out an entire theater for a midnight fairy tale play. Phill only ever showed his playful, childish side to Beth. With me, he complained that those things were too immature. [Could not sleep, so my Phill took me stargazing.] That was her latest update. The photo showed them on a mountain peak, the city lights glittering below. She was sitting on his shoulders. I blinked, not even realizing my tears were sliding down my temples into my ears. The updates kept rolling in. [Late night hot springs.] A picture of their heads leaning close together in a private pool. [Breakfast made with love by Phill.] Eggs fried in the shape of a little cat. Dawn broke. My mom’s name popped up on the screen. “Malika, sweetie, did you sleep okay?” “I am fine, Mom.” She hesitated for a few seconds. “Malika, about your wedding yesterday…” “Mom, it was all scripted!” I forced a bright laugh. But the damn tears poured out uncontrollably. “It was a marketing stunt by the agency. I am totally fine.” My mom let out a heavy sigh of relief. “I knew it. I kept saying there was no way Phill would ever treat you like that.” I bit my lip to muffle a sob. “Yeah.” “Phill loves you the most. You have to cherish him.” “Yeah.” The words felt like broken glass in my throat. The screen went black, reflecting my tear soaked face. Mom, the Phill who loved me the most is gone. He disappeared a long time ago. I changed my clothes and headed straight to the agency. I took several deep breaths before pushing open Marcus’s office door. “I am sorry…” “It is handled,” Marcus said, crossing his legs. “Phill paid off every single one of your breach of contract fees.” “Do not let this happen again.” “Go prep for tonight’s stream. You need to salvage your image. If you do not hit your sales quota, I really will ship you off to the European branch.” I pressed my lips together. After a long pause, I spoke. “Send me to Europe.” Marcus sat up straight. “Are you serious?” The company had expanded overseas a few years ago. Signing that transfer meant a twenty year commitment. Most top streamers avoided it like the plague. I had wanted to go back then. But Phill refused to do long distance. I had been so naive, telling him he could just expand his own company and come with me. Phill stammered for a long time before finally saying Beth was staying in the city and she could not survive without him. Then he held me and begged me not to leave, saying he could not survive without me either. So, I gave up the opportunity. Thinking about it now made me sick. He used his tears to trap me. And years later, at our wedding, he let my tears shatter against the floor without a second thought. “If you go, you are the Vice President of the London branch.” Marcus pulled out the contract. “Sign it if you are sure.” I signed my name without a hint of hesitation. “Good,” he smiled. “You fly out next week. Go wrap up your loose ends.” I went back to my studio. While prepping the products for tonight, I scrolled through the online drama. The narrative had flipped. Someone had dug up Beth’s secret accounts. All her targeted bullying, her attempts to seduce Phill, and her passive aggressive posts flaunting their weird relationship were dragged into the light. [She is so shameless! He has been with his girlfriend for fifteen years, why is she playing the third wheel?] [She is a pick me girl! She loves being surrounded by guys and destroying relationships. It is disgusting!] [Poor Malika.] My fans flooded Beth’s comments, demanding an apology. Before I could even scroll to the bottom, Phill’s name flashed on my screen. The second I answered, he exploded. “Did you orchestrate this?!” “Malika! How could you weaponize your fans to cyberbully Beth!” I could hear a girl sobbing violently in the background. “Yes, she went too far yesterday. She messed up your work. But I already paid your penalty fees! Why will you not just let her go!” I let him scream. I listened as he made endless excuses for Beth, minimizing the devastating damage she caused me into a simple, harmless mistake of a naive child. “What about when Beth started rumors about me, intentionally sending her trolls to attack me?” I asked him quietly. “She incited a mob. They cornered me offline. In the chaos, someone slapped me so hard it ruptured my eardrum.” “I was so afraid you would worry, I never told you.” “Phill, to this day, I am completely deaf in my right ear.” “Does my pain mean anything to you at all?” Dead silence on the other end. “That cannot be true…” “Beth!” Phill barked at her. “Did you not say it was just a harmless prank?” The girl burst into hysterical wailing. “I… I just made a joke in the comments… I did not know people would actually go after her…” My head was pounding. I hung up, put my phone on silent, and tossed it into my drawer. I felt a suffocating, heavy exhaustion and a faint, dull ache. It was not until early evening, right before I went live, that I checked my phone again. Phill had texted me. [Malika, just quit streaming.] [I will take care of you. Let us get married. I will give you all my credit cards, okay? I will hire the best specialists in the world to fix your ear.] Then came the real motive. [Beth accidentally hurt you, and I will make sure she gives you a proper apology.] [But please, just issue a public statement clearing her name first. Apologize to the fans to calm them down.] [We need to stop the cyberbullying immediately.] I only replied with two words. [Keep dreaming.] The scandal was boiling over. When I went live, the chat was a warzone. Phill logged into the stream, desperately trying to defend Beth amidst the relentless wave of insults. Marcus’s voice crackled through my earpiece. “You need to address this right now, or no one is going to buy a single thing.” I stared directly into the camera lens. I plastered on my brightest, most professional smile. “My boyfriend and I have officially broken up. Please do not worry about my personal life anymore.” The chat went nuclear. [Oh my god! So Beth really is the homewrecker!] [Trash man! Trash girl! Malika deserves better!] My phone lit up with rapid fire texts from Phill. “When did I agree to a breakup?” “Are you insane?” “Are you trying to completely destroy Beth’s life?” “I promise I will keep my distance from her from now on. Just clear her name, please!” I ignored him and continued showcasing the lipstick. “Forgive me, Malika. I have no other choice.” Phill started dropping massive donations in the stream. Within seconds, he shot to the number one viewer spot. Using the premium VIP chat effects, he broadcasted his message to millions of viewers. [Beth is my girlfriend.] The message faded. He dropped another massive donation. And another. I stared blankly at the glowing gold text taking over the screen. My fingers went slack. The expensive glass perfume bottle hit the floor and shattered into pieces. [Beth and I have been together for years. We are very happy. Please leave us alone.] [And I would appreciate it if the streamer stopped using our relationship for clout.] [Anyone who continues to slander Beth will be hearing from my lawyers.] Phill dropped tens of thousands of dollars to fabricate a fake innocence for Beth. He did not hesitate to erase our entire past. He completely denied our years of survival, our struggles, and the purest, most passionate love we ever shared. Fifteen years meant absolutely nothing to him. My world went completely silent. I opened my mouth, but all I could taste was copper. It felt like a giant, invisible hand had reached into my chest, violently crushing my heart and tearing my sanity to shreds. It ripped the boy I loved most right out of my universe, leaving behind a barren, scorched wasteland. The harsh studio lighting offered no place to hide my breakdown. I covered my face and broke down sobbing in front of millions of people. It was an unbearable, suffocating agony. The kind that destroys all logic and rips you apart from the inside out. The studio plunged into chaos. “Block the camera!” “Cut the feed! Cut everything!” “She passed out! Someone catch her!” The stream died. I was rushed to the hospital. When I finally opened my eyes, Phill was standing by the window, talking on his phone. “Is Beth okay?” “She is not threatening to jump off the balcony again, is she?” “Malika collapsed. I am stuck at the hospital. Go handle the PR. Make sure you suppress everything on the internet.” “I do not care what it costs. Do not let a single negative word reach Malika’s ears.” I buried my face in the stark white blanket, desperate for even a fraction of safety. My mind was flooded with the final comments from the stream. People calling me delusional. Saying I made up a fake relationship for clout. Saying I was the homewrecker trying to steal Beth’s man. Netizens had scoured Phill’s social media. All they found were pictures of Beth. I did not exist in his digital world. I knew it all. “Phill,” I croaked softly. My vision blurred as I stared at his back. “Does your conscience hurt at all?” He whipped around. He hung up the phone, rushed to my bedside, and crouched down to my eye level. “Malika, I had no choice.” “Beth was getting death threats. She was about to jump off a building. I owe her my life, I could not just watch her die…” I raised my arm. Smack. The IV needle tore out of the back of my hand. Drops of blood splattered against Phill’s cheek as his head snapped to the side. “So I am the one who has to be sacrificed?” I was so tired. Tired of enduring. Tired of turning a blind eye. Tired of holding onto fifteen years of memories while letting him cross the line over and over again. I had spent my whole life begging Phill for an answer he was never going to give. So, I swallowed the thousands of words screaming in my throat. There was no point in speaking anymore. No more torture. “…Just go.” “Let us pretend we never met.” Phill’s pupils shrank. He frantically reached for my hand, but I pulled away. “Malika, please, just give me a little more time.” “When this blows over, I will release a statement! I will give you the most beautiful wedding in the world! We will be happy again!” I had heard these lies far too many times. And I had believed them far too many times. “I swear! I will put you first from now on! I will do whatever you want! I owe you too much, I will never…” His phone rang, slicing through his desperate vows. A frantic voice screamed through the speaker. “Phill! Beth is crying hysterically! She wants to see you!” “She is super unstable, you need to get here right now…” A bitter smile touched my lips. I reached out and gripped Phill’s forearm. “Did you not just say you would do whatever I want?” “Then I want you to stay.” Crashing sounds erupted from the phone. “Phill! She is climbing onto the window ledge!” Phill panicked. He violently yanked his arm out of my grip, jumped to his feet, and sprinted out the door without looking back. It was exactly what I expected. I did not try to stop him again. I grabbed my phone and dialed Marcus. “Move up the transfer.” “I am booking my own flight. I am leaving tonight.” Phill threw money at the platforms to erase the trending hashtags and censor the keywords. But he could not stop people from talking. Wearing a mask, I stood at the boarding gate. As I walked through the terminal, I heard the whispers. “I bet there is a plot twist to this drama.” “It is so messy. Apparently, this is not the first time Beth has pulled this. She is a total mean girl. She bullied several of the guys’ girlfriends out of the group. The victims are speaking out.” “They dated for fifteen years, and Beth ripped them apart.” “That guy is trash anyway. Keeping his options open like a coward.” I lowered my eyes and pulled my mask up higher. Hearing those words did not even cause a ripple in my chest anymore. My phone buzzed repeatedly. Texts from Phill. [Malika, you are not at the hospital? The nurse said you left.] [Where are you? Did you go home? I bought your favorite soup.] [Just answer the phone, please. We need to talk.] I did not reply. I powered off my phone. The plane accelerated down the runway. The glittering city lights shrank into tiny sparks before being swallowed entirely by the dense clouds. I reclined my seat and buried my exhausted body under the thin fleece blanket. Fifteen years felt like a long, agonizing fever dream. It was time to wake up. I was ready for my new life.

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1 Heart racing to share my pregnancy news, I stood outside the door—until David’s voice stopped me cold. To his squadmate, he mocked me as “used goods” and a burden. His entire pursuit had been a calculated strategy: his true love, Ivy, had her sights set on my ex-husband Silas, and since I refused to sign the divorce, David married me to keep me in check. All his “protection” was just surveillance to prevent me from disrupting Ivy’s plans. The final blow was his forged paternity test, ready to brand my unborn child illegitimate so he could discard me guilt-free. Memories flooded back to five years ago, when I’d slept with David out of spite after catching Silas with Ivy. Their resulting brawl ended their friendship and pushed me into marrying David. For five years, he played the doting husband, shielding me from other men and convincing me I’d found happiness. But now, hearing him laugh, I realized it was all a meticulously crafted lie. I wasn’t his wife; I was a pawn in his game to please Ivy. I couldn’t listen to another word. When my senses finally returned, I was standing in the biting wind outside the military base. The ultrasound printout that was supposed to hold so much joy was now just a pathetic joke. My hands would not stop shaking. My phone screen lit up suddenly. A new text popped up. [Sweetheart, training ended early today. What do you want for dinner? I am cooking.] A laugh ripped from my throat, but the tears fell fast and heavy. My chest felt like it had been impaled by a combat knife. I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them again, the desperate hope in my eyes had died, leaving behind a cold, desolate wasteland. I opened my contacts and sent a message to Commander Brooks. [Commander, I heard the joint task force in Alaska needs a strategist. I am requesting a transfer.] Then I dialed the base medical center. “I need to schedule an abortion. As soon as possible.” I lowered my eyes, a faint, bitter smile tugging at the corners of my lips. David would probably never know that the marriage certificate we framed was a complete fake. This time, I could walk away without a single trace. 2 I do not know how I made it back to our base housing. The moment I pushed the door open, David was sitting in the living room. Seeing me, he immediately stood up. His eyes carried that familiar, gentle warmth. “You are back? I made chicken soup. Have some while it is hot.” I did not refuse. I sat down and forced two spoonfuls down my throat. His phone suddenly lit up on the table. I glanced at it instinctively, and my entire body froze. [David, that soup was way too salty. I do not want it. Give it to your wife like a good boy.] The timestamp was twenty minutes ago. The rich broth in my bowl instantly turned to ash in my mouth. I dropped the spoon, bolted into the bathroom, and hovered over the sink, dry heaving violently. David followed me in, gently rubbing my back. “What is wrong? Are you getting sick?” I slapped his hand away. “Do not touch me. We are sleeping in separate rooms tonight.” By the time I woke up the next morning, David was already gone. I drove alone to the base medical center for the first surgery slot of the day. The doctor looked over my chart, her expression grave. “Nora, your uterine wall is incredibly thin. If we proceed with this termination, it is highly unlikely you will ever conceive again. You need to think this through.” I nodded, my voice barely a whisper. “I am sure. Do it.” The procedure was quick. I grabbed my prescription painkillers and headed for the exit. Right at the doors, someone crashed into me. The impact was not heavy. But my body was so weak from the surgery that my legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the concrete. My forehead smashed against the edge of the steps. Black spots danced across my vision. I struggled to lift my head and finally saw the person standing over me. Ivy. She clutched her stomach and dropped to the ground, her face pale as a ghost. “Ivy!” Two figures sprinted over at the exact same time. Silas reached her first. He grabbed her shoulders, his voice frantic with worry. Right behind him was David. He was clutching a stack of medical charts in one hand and a bag of premium fruits in the other. All of Ivy’s favorites. “Silas… my stomach hurts so bad…” Ivy leaned into Silas’s chest, her eyes welling with tears. Without a second thought, Silas scooped her up in his arms and bolted toward the emergency room. David was half a step too slow. His extended hand hovered uselessly in the air. A sharp, pulling pain erupted in my lower abdomen. Cold sweat drenched my forehead. Just as I braced my hands against the ground to stand, a heavy canvas sack was thrown over my head from behind, trapping me in darkness. Before I could even scream, a heavy combat boot slammed into my stomach. The blinding agony choked the sound right out of my throat. I curled into a tight ball. Through the thick fabric, I could barely make out David’s voice. It was cold, ruthless, and entirely devoid of mercy. “Drag this blind bitch out to the back lot. Teach her some manners. Not just anyone gets to bump into her.” Several military police officers grabbed the sack and dragged me across the rough asphalt. I had just walked out of surgery. I was wearing a thick beanie and a surgical mask. He had no idea it was me. I thrashed and fought, but a heavy boot pinned me to the dirt. A tactical baton slammed mercilessly into my spine. The guards chatted casually as they rained blows down on me. “Commander David really goes all out for Ivy. Someone just bumps into her and he snaps. I bet his actual wife does not even get treated this well.” “Obviously. Did you know about that brutal disciplinary hearing years ago? The one where Nora caught those ninety nine strikes from the baton? David was the one who personally requested that punishment from the top brass.” “Yeah, he even ordered them to use the heavy steel batons. Said he wanted to punish her for dragging out the divorce and making Ivy unhappy.” A bomb went off in my skull. That brutal punishment, the one that nearly left me paralyzed five years ago… David was the one who asked for it? And I, like an absolute fool, had viewed him as my savior. The last faint flicker of light in my eyes finally went out. 3 When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in an infirmary bed. Through the glass window on the door, I could vaguely see a row of guards kneeling in the hallway. “You useless trash! You could not even recognize my wife?” The door was pushed open gently. David walked in, the violent rage still lingering around his eyes. Seeing me awake, he crossed the room in three long strides, his voice dropping into a soft, soothing hum. “Nora, you are awake? I already dealt with those blind idiots. Are you still hurting?” He reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear, but I turned my face away. His fingers froze in the air. He let out a heavy sigh. “It is my fault. It was so chaotic out there, I did not recognize you with the mask on. I am so sorry you got hurt. Hey, didn’t you always want to go to that private retreat in Florida? I told the operations desk to clear my schedule for the next few weeks. I will go with you, okay?” I just stared at him, my throat dry. “There is no need.” “You care about Ivy so much, why don’t you go keep her company?” David’s expression stiffened. “I know you do not like her. But her father is the four star general at the Northern Command. Our joint military drills depend on this alliance. If something happens to her, the whole operation falls apart.” “Besides… she is pregnant now. Whatever bad blood we had in the past should be buried. You cannot possibly still be obsessing over her and Silas. Have some perspective.” A ball of pure fire twisted in my chest. Before I could speak, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. It was the logistics department. “Nora, your transfer request to the Alaskan border has been approved. You can report for duty early next month.” David had exceptional hearing. The moment the word request came through the speaker, his brows knitted together. “What request?” “Nothing.” I murmured a quick thank you into the receiver before looking back at him. “Just a colleague’s shift change.” A few days later, I was discharged. I had spent the entire night perfecting my speech for the Joint Forces Defense Tech Summit. The auditorium was packed with military contractors and brass. Cameras were set up in the front row. I took a deep breath and prepared to walk up to the podium. Suddenly, the heavy double doors at the back of the hall were kicked open. David marched down the aisle, his boots echoing loudly. He stepped onto the stage, grabbed my wrist in a crushing grip, and glared at me with a terrifying, icy fury I had never seen before. “Nora, did I not say the past was swept clean? You married me. Why the hell are you still begging Silas to take you back?” “Let go of me!” I winced at the pain. “Begging who? I have no idea what you are talking about.” Before I could finish, a sharp slap struck across my face. Ivy appeared on the stage out of nowhere. Her beautiful face was twisted with disgust and absolute triumph. “Still playing dumb? Fine! Someone put it on the screen so everyone can see what a desperate slut she really is behind closed doors!” A few guards stepped up to the control panel. With a few clicks, my presentation slides vanished, replaced by a series of text message screenshots. [Silas, I truly love you. I do not care about David at all. Please, let us get back together.] [What is so great about that bitch Ivy? She is just a homewrecker. When you get tired of her, you will realize I am the better choice!] The words were vulgar and sickening. Scattered between the texts were several provocative, half naked mirror selfies. The face was cropped out, but the body shape was almost identical to mine. A collective gasp echoed through the auditorium. I violently tore my wrist out of David’s grip. “I did not send those! I am calling military police right now!” I pulled out my phone to dial, but Ivy suddenly clutched her stomach. Her face drained of color, and she stumbled backward. David moved like lightning, catching her in his arms. Leaning against his chest, Ivy took a few weak breaths. Then she pointed a shaking finger at the massive screen. “Wait. The woman in these photos has a crescent moon scar right above her breast. Nora, you claim this is not you?” “Then take off your shirt and let us check.” Two heavy set guards stepped forward and forced me to my knees. I looked up, my eyes burning red as I stared right at David. “Do I have a scar there? You know my body. Tell them.” David frowned and shook his head. “Nora, Ivy is pregnant. Her blood pressure cannot take this stress. Just let her check, and it will be over. Besides, if rumors spread that you are harassing your ex husband, your career is over anyway. Clearing it up right here is the fairest thing for everyone.” He gave the guards a slight nod. They lunged forward and brutally ripped my uniform blouse open. I fought with everything I had, but my body, still recovering from the surgery, betrayed me. I was completely exposed from the waist up. The entire auditorium stared in dead silence. My chest was perfectly clear. There was no crescent moon scar. Camera shutters clicked frantically. The harsh flashes blinded me. Those stares cut into my bare skin like rusted blades. What was supposed to be the proudest presentation of my career had been twisted into a public execution. Ivy went entirely limp and fainted on the spot. David abandoned all logic. He scooped her into his arms, threw down a cold order to take his wife home, and sprinted out of the hall without looking back. 4 They escorted me back to the empty house. The disciplinary notice was already in my inbox. Suspended pending investigation. Overnight, my reputation was slaughtered. I had absolutely nothing left. I dragged myself up, opened the nightstand drawer, and found the sleeping pills the military doctor had prescribed. I poured a massive handful into my palm and raised my hand to my mouth. The bedroom door slammed open. David charged in and smacked the bottle out of my hand. “Are you insane? Do you want to die taking that many?” I let out a soft laugh, though tears were streaming down my face. “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?” During my darkest years with Silas, I suffered from severe insomnia. I survived purely on those pills. It was David who had slowly pulled me out of that swamp, staying up with me night after night until I was finally clean. Now, he was the one shoving me back into the abyss, and the fall was much farther this time. David locked his jaw. “Enough. The misunderstanding was cleared up, wasn’t it? You used to pull this pathetic sympathy act on Silas, but it will not work on me. Stop being dramatic.” I could not hold it back anymore. I swung my arm and slapped him across the face as hard as I could. The sharp crack echoed in the bedroom. He turned his head slowly. A bright red handprint blossomed on his cheek. A flash of pure rage ignited in his eyes, but when he saw my red, hollow eyes, he held his tongue. Right then, his phone rang. He answered it, listened for a few seconds, and all the color drained from his face. “Guards! Get in here and hold her down!” Two military police officers rushed into the room, grabbing my arms and pinning me forcefully onto the sofa. A freezing chill crawled up my spine. David’s face was grim. “Ivy passed out again. Her pulse is dropping, and she is hemorrhaging. Silas brought in that holistic guru his family trusts.” “The guru said your dark energy is too heavy. It is poisoning the baby. We need to bleed the bad energy out of you to break the curse.” “No!” I thrashed violently against the cushions, but the men pressing me down were built like tanks. I could not move an inch. A combat medic stepped forward, holding a sterile tactical blade. The first slice cut deep into my forearm. Dark red blood welled up immediately. The sharp, searing pain made the room spin. The second cut went into my right hand. The third on my calf. The fourth. My struggling grew weaker and weaker. My face turned the color of ash. Blood dripped steadily from my limbs, turning the olive green sofa a sickening shade of black. Nineteen cuts. They finally let me go. I slumped against the cushions, drenched in my own blood, my breathing so shallow it was almost entirely gone. David looked down at my ruined, pathetic state from his high ground. After a long moment, he let out a soft sigh. “Nora, Ivy is carrying a child. You need to be more forgiving. I arranged a spot at the Florida retreat for you. You can stay there until she gives birth, then I will bring you back. You always wanted a kid, right? When this is over, we can have one of our own.” “Rest up. I need to get back to the hospital.” He did not look at me again. He ordered the medic to bandage me up and hurried out the door. The moment the heavy front door clicked shut, the very last spark of life inside me vanished forever. I sat there like a broken marionette, letting the medic wipe the blood and wrap the gauze tightly around my fresh wounds. Suddenly, my phone screen lit up. A text from Commander Brooks. [Nora, I heard what happened today. Do not worry. I have your back.] [Now, come with me.] A tear dropped onto the glass screen, blurring the words. With trembling, bloodstained fingers, I typed a single word. [Okay.] An hour later, covered in bandages and smelling of iodine, I stood in the terminal of the international airport. David’s assistant called. “Ma’am, your flight to Florida is booked. Do you need a driver to pick you up?” “No need.” I stared out the massive windows at the grey, weeping sky. My voice was eerily calm. “Do me a favor. Take that metal box I left on the kitchen counter and give it to David. And… do not call me Ma’am anymore.” I hung up and walked through the security gates. It was over. David, your lies end here. And I am walking into my new life.

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After our first time together, Ethan gently wiped the sweat from my forehead. He spoke softly, “Baby, let’s give our school’s Stanford acceptance to Sienna.” I looked at him in disbelief. “What did you say?” “Sienna was having sex with me when I got carried away and agreed. I just said yes in the heat of the moment.” My blood ran cold. “What if I don’t agree?” He chuckled and gently took my hand, then opened a video on his phone. The video showed us in our intimate moments just now. “Baby, you sound so sweet in my arms. I don’t really want to share that with anyone else.” ” Apply to other Ivy League schools next year. I’m sure you’ll get into one again. I promise, we’ll get married after you graduate from college.” I held back my tears. Ethan didn’t know that my mom had already arranged for me to go to Oxford University. I would never believe in his promised future again. “Baby, you know I hate threatening people. Especially you.” He brushed away the damp hair stuck to my forehead with sweat, kissing me tenderly over and over. But his words cut like sharp knives. “You have to understand my position though. Sienna stripped naked and climbed into my bed. I couldn’t just take advantage for free.” “And it’s because you were too afraid of pain. I couldn’t bear to hurt you, so I practiced enough on her first before using my best technique on you.” I stared at him in disbelief. My chest felt like it had been sliced open by a blade, grinding out unbearable pain. “Why? If you really loved me, why would you betray me?” My voice was terribly hoarse. Ethan acted as if nothing was wrong, gently caressing my bloodless cheek. “No reason. Sienna has a nice body and she’s clean. When meat is delivered to your door, why wouldn’t you eat it?” After saying that, he smiled suggestively. “You seemed to enjoy the technique I practiced pretty well just now, didn’t you?” I instantly felt like I’d swallowed a fly, desperately suppressing the nausea churning in my stomach. Seeing my face turn frighteningly pale, Ethan frowned and pulled me close with pity. “Little fool, don’t overthink it. Sienna is just a tool I use to satisfy my physical needs. She can’t compare to you at all.” “Besides, she’s your best friend. You know her inside and out. While I wait for you this year at Cambridge, sleeping with her means I won’t have to find dirty women outside. Doesn’t that put your mind at ease?” “Sienna is very kind. She doesn’t ask for status. She just hopes that after we get married, she can still hook up with me once or twice occasionally.” My whole body felt electrified, frozen stiff. I understood every word, but strung together, they made my entire body turn ice cold. One was my childhood sweetheart of ten years who kept saying he couldn’t live without me. The other was my friend whom I’d supported for three years, who said she’d spend her life repaying my kindness and whom I’d treated like a sister. I never would have thought that just an hour ago, I was full of hope for the future, blessed with both love and friendship. In a flash, I’d been betrayed by the two most important people in my life and left with nothing. I kept taking deep breaths to suppress the nausea and bitter pain that threatened to explode in my chest. “Ethan, I can give you up to Sienna, but I won’t give up my Cambridge acceptance.” As soon as I finished speaking, Ethan couldn’t help but laugh. “Stop playing around.” “You swore at eight years old that you’d marry no one but me. You’ve been following me around all these years like a puppy. Everyone knows you love me like life itself.” “Without me, could you even survive?” I felt like a fish thrown onto shore, suffocating and gasping for air. The year I turned eight, my parents divorced, and I was left with my frequently traveling father. The nanny taking care of me embezzled all the living expenses my dad left behind and tried to sell me to human traffickers. It was Ethan who was dragged for over a hundred meters by a black car, risking his life to save me. Though barely alive, before losing consciousness, he still remembered to cover my trembling, terrified eyes. “Luna, don’t look. I won’t die. I still have to protect you for the rest of your life.” That beam of light I’d taken as my salvation had become the sword piercing through my chest ten years later. Seeing my silence, Ethan pulled a document from the nightstand drawer. He shoved a pen into my hand, smiling as he hugged me from behind. “The waiver form for the acceptance. Be good and sign it.” The obscene sounds from my phone kept looping. Ethan watched with great interest. “Baby, you have such a nice body and sweet voice.” My whole body trembled. I bit my lip until it bled, unable to tell if it was from anger or hate. After a long while, I finally swallowed the tears bitter as salt and spoke hoarsely, “I’ll sign if you delete the video.” “Of course. Whatever baby doesn’t like, your husband promises to delete completely.” A phone ringtone sounded. The screen showed a contact saved as “My Little Sweetheart.” Ethan didn’t answer. He put on his pants, grabbed the signed document, and before leaving, kissed my forehead. “That’s my good girl.” Watching his retreating figure, I sat in a daze for a long time. Only after my tears flowed until I felt numb did I dial a familiar number. “Mom, I’ll listen to you. I’m coming to you.”

That evening, Ethan came to pick me up for a celebration party. A party celebrating Sienna stealing my Stanford acceptance. Just as I was about to open the passenger door, the car window rolled down first. Revealing Sienna’s carefully made-up face. She smiled sweetly. “Luna, Ethan says the passenger seat is only for the most important person. You don’t mind, do you?” I had gone with Ethan to pick out this car together. As a gift for both of us going to Cambridge. When we first bought it, he decorated all the interior to match my preferences. He put a label on the passenger seat that said “Wife’s Seat Only,” vowing he’d never let any other woman sit in the position that belonged exclusively to me. Now, the plush toy charm I loved had been removed and thrown at Sienna’s feet, its white fur bearing a clear footprint. Sitting on the seat labeled “Wife’s Seat Only” was the person Ethan called his most important. And Ethan acted like nothing was wrong, smiling as he pinched Sienna’s cheek. “Stop slandering my girlfriend. My Luna wouldn’t mind such a small thing.” I said nothing as he pushed me into the back seat. Throughout the ride, the two of them flirted shamelessly as if no one else existed. Sienna practically had half her body draped over Ethan. Seeing my pale face, she turned around with a giggle. “Luna, Ethan told me everything. Since you know now, I don’t have to work so hard to hide it from you anymore.” She deliberately loosened her collar, revealing the dense marks on her collarbone. The look she gave me was full of undisguised provocation and triumph. “You don’t know how wild Ethan is in bed. He made me cry until my voice went hoarse and still didn’t stop. Is he that rough with you too?” I looked at her, my eyelid twitching uncontrollably. It was like I was meeting this woman who used to follow me around for the first time. When we first met, she was timid. Because of me, she would work up the courage to warn Ethan not to bully me, and especially not to wrong me. But in just three years, she’d become the person who bullied me most, who wronged me most. She could even treat her shamelessness as casual conversation like it was nothing. A flash of discomfort crossed Ethan’s face. He scolded her quietly. “Sienna, stop it.” Sienna rolled her eyes. “What’s wrong with talking about it? Luna’s not an outsider.” She smiled as if it was perfectly natural. “I’ve already planned it out. After you two get married, I get you on weekdays, and you’re hers on weekends. How’s that?” When you’re speechless to the extreme, you actually want to laugh. Perhaps I’d already witnessed her shamelessness enough. At this moment, I didn’t even feel the slightest twinge of pain. My head felt wooden, my heart hollow and cold as if it had been carved out. It wasn’t until the car stopped and Ethan took my ice-cold hand that I realized my whole body had been tense to the breaking point. He rubbed my fingertips with heartache written all over his face. “Luna, don’t listen to Sienna’s nonsense. The person I love most will always be you.” I pulled my hand away and laughed mockingly. When we entered the private room, several of Ethan’s friends were already there. Watching how familiar they all were with each other, I suddenly realized that everyone knew Ethan and Sienna had been entangled for a long time. Only I had been like a fool, lost in their calls of “Luna.” After several rounds of drinks, Sienna collapsed into Ethan’s arms, crying that she’d finally made something of herself. I couldn’t stand listening anymore. I got up to leave, but she turned red-eyed. “Luna, why won’t you congratulate me? I worked so hard to get into Cambridge. Why do you still look down on me?” Got in? Even if I gave up my acceptance, Sienna’s grades weren’t good enough for the spot to go to her. The words ” special connections” might as well have been written on her face, yet she had the nerve to say she got in. I was angry enough to laugh, but before I could say anything, Ethan’s cold voice rang out. “Luna, today is Sienna’s big day. Don’t ruin the mood.”

I looked at Ethan’s darkened expression, thinking of the plane ticket information my mom had just sent me. I took a deep breath and sat back down. Sienna smugly curved her lips and gave someone a look. Immediately, someone suggested playing Truth or Dare. I was about to refuse when people had already started drawing cards. The first person chosen for Truth was Ethan. Amid the teasing, everyone laughed with knowing looks. “Ethan, tell us about your best experience?” Ethan crossed his legs and leaned back. His fingers were still drawing circles in my palm, but his hazy gaze fell on Sienna. With a half-smile, he said, “My place, bathroom, great water pressure.” As soon as he finished speaking, the cheering in the room nearly lifted the roof. Sienna blushed and raised her fist to lightly punch his chest twice. “You’re terrible.” Ethan grabbed her hand and used the momentum to pull her onto his lap. Their eyes met, and Sienna wrapped her arms around his neck. Amid everyone’s cheering, the two began kissing passionately as if no one else existed. I sat less than six feet away. The air conditioning in the room was warm, but I only felt the temperature in my blood dropping bit by bit. I don’t know how long passed before Sienna finally emerged from Ethan’s embrace, gasping for breath. The smile on her face carried thick malice. “Luna, I kissed your boyfriend. You’re not angry, are you?” Ethan indulgently picked up where she left off. “Enjoy being smug now. After I graduate and get married, my body and soul will belong only to Luna.” Hearing his condescending tone, cold laughter rose in my heart. Ethan had never asked me. He was even smugly confident that I had already digested their limitless disgustingness on my own. Obediently waiting until after college graduation, standing in place waiting for him to finish playing around before coming to marry me. But he didn’t know that I would never want someone who’d been dirtied. A flash of vicious resentment and unwillingness crossed Sienna’s eyes. Soon, she pouted and pointed at the crescent moon necklace around my neck, acting coy. “Since we’re going to separate eventually, can I have this necklace you gave Luna as a keepsake?” I instinctively covered my neck. Looking at Ethan. He knew this necklace was our token of love, that he’d personally apprenticed himself to craft it for me bit by bit. When he put it on me, the affection reflected in his eyes was vivid. “Luna, you’re the one I’ve marked as mine. As long as the moon doesn’t fall, my love for you will never change.” The moon won’t fall, but true hearts had already changed. “Luna, give it to Sienna.” As soon as he finished, he seemed to realize he’d gone too far and added, “We still have a long future ahead. It’s just one necklace. Your husband will buy you several more later.” It was the expected outcome, but my heart still couldn’t help but be wrung with pain. I lowered my eyes, forcing back the moisture in them, took off the necklace and placed it on the table. “You all have fun. I’m leaving first.” Ethan stared at my retreating back. His chest suddenly surged with an unsettling anxiety. As if once I walked out that door, we would head toward an irreversible ending. He instinctively stood up to chase after me, but Sienna suddenly grabbed his arm and pressed against him, whispering suggestively, “Ethan, today is my celebration party. I’ve prepared a second round for tonight. Black lace, your favorite.” Ethan’s gaze fell on her slightly open collar. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He struggled for a moment, but his steps ultimately retreated. It would be fine. After being together for so many years, he was my entire support and faith. I loved him so much, how could I bear to truly leave him? As if convincing himself, Ethan pulled Sienna close and sat back down with a clear conscience. No one saw the crescent moon necklace being casually tossed by Sienna into the trash can.

Early the next morning, I was still asleep when my door was suddenly slammed open with a crash. Before I could recover from being startled awake, a rough force violently dragged me off the bed. The moment I looked up, I met Ethan’s face burning with barely suppressed fury. “I already said things with Sienna were just for fun. Why did you still do this?” “Are you satisfied now that you’ve driven her to death?” I stared wide-eyed in confusion, having no idea what he was talking about. Then my phone was violently hurled at me. On the lit screen were Sienna’s indecent photos. Though the important areas were censored, her body’s contours were fully visible. Her address and phone number were even posted below. The title was crude and vicious: “Ungrateful scholarship student climbs into sponsor’s boyfriend’s bed, free slut, first come first served.” The comment section had already exploded with tens of thousands of floors of abuse. “Poor mountains and bad water breed loose women. Poverty doesn’t limit imagination, and it certainly doesn’t limit spread legs.” “This shameless trash plays around so much, any man can probably have her.” “Ungrateful wolf who bites the hand that feeds her should be eliminated from humanity. Living is just wasting air.” “Already on my way. Any brothers want to form a group?” “…” Ethan’s face was livid. “You drove Sienna to slit her wrists. She almost didn’t make it.” “I’ve already contacted the media. You’re going to the hospital to apologize on your knees and publicly clarify that you maliciously photoshopped these images out of jealousy.” I looked at him like he was a stranger. “I didn’t do it. I’m not going!” Sienna suddenly ran in wearing a pitiful hospital gown, crying until she could barely breathe. “Ethan, forget it. Don’t make things difficult for Luna because of me. It’s my fault for shamelessly falling in love with you. I don’t blame Luna for hating me. I only blame myself for not being able to control my feelings for you.” Ethan looked at her swaying, fragile figure and pulled her into his arms, his heart nearly breaking with pain. “You’re not the one who did wrong. Why should you blame yourself!” He looked up at me, the tenderness in his eyes completely replaced by ice. “Luna, I’m giving you one last chance. Post a statement now. Publicly clarify and apologize to Sienna online.” Sienna suddenly broke free from his embrace and quickly grabbed my hand, hitting herself in the face with it. “Luna, I just got accepted to Cambridge. I don’t want my future ruined. Just hit me. I’m begging you. If you’re angry, hit me. You can even beat me to death if you want. Just please let me leave with my reputation intact.” She used great force, pulling me stumbling toward the sharp corner of the coffee table. The pain made my vision go black. But she suddenly let out a shrill scream and fell backward. “Ah, Luna, don’t kick me…” Ethan quickly helped her up, his eyes practically shooting fire. “Luna Williams, have you lost your mind? You dare hit someone right in front of me? Is there anything you wouldn’t do?” He took a deep breath and pulled out his phone from his pocket, quickly tapping it several times. When the familiar obscene sounds started playing, my whole body froze, plunging into an icy abyss. “You promised me that if I signed the waiver, you’d delete the video. You lied to me?” I yelled with red eyes, every inch of my heart feeling crushed by heavy machinery. Ethan showed no guilt, his gaze ice-cold to the point of cruelty. “I gave you a chance. An eye for an eye. It’s fair.” His finger hovered over the send button, about to press down. “No!” I squeezed my eyes shut, humiliated tears hitting the floor. “I’ll apologize. I’ll clarify.” I opened my social media account and admitted to crimes I never committed, saying I was jealous of Sienna and maliciously photoshopped images to slander her, and publicly apologized to her. In less than two minutes, public opinion across the internet reversed. The dirty water redirected, flooding toward me. Ethan smiled with satisfaction. “I’ll let it go this time. Consider it a lesson. You’re going to marry me eventually. I don’t want my future wife to be a vicious woman.” After finishing his speech, looking at me sitting motionless on the floor with unfocused eyes, his heart suddenly tightened, as if something was about to slip through his fingers. He said somewhat guiltily, “I’ll delete the video now.” Just as he was about to do it, Sienna beside him turned pale and collapsed into his arms. “Ethan, I’m dizzy, I feel terrible…” He had to pick her up. Before leaving, he threw out, “Reflect on yourself properly. I’ll take Sienna to the hospital first and come check on you later.” The door opened and closed, falling into dead silence. Ten minutes later, my phone suddenly lit up. On the other end, Ethan had just sent Sienna to the hospital. After a thorough examination confirming she was fine, he finally pulled out his phone to call me. But as soon as he unlocked the screen, he was struck as if by lightning. Popping up across every platform online was the uncensored high-definition video from his phone.

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In the third year of my marriage to Adrian, I accidentally saw him having sex with my adopted sister on the home security footage. Their voices came through the monitor loud and clear: “When are you finally going to divorce that woman? I’m tired of sneaking around.” Adrian stroked her hair, his eyes carrying a coldness and calculation I had never seen before: “Soon. Her sense of smell is already deteriorating. Once she can’t smell a thing, can’t write new formulas, and has no value left to exploit, I’ll divorce her.” So the bowl of nutrient solution he personally handed me every night never held affection—it held chronic poison. I let out a cold laugh and immediately activated “Project Abyss”—a top-secret program that would make my social identity completely dead. Seven days left, and I would disappear forever. But before I disappeared, I was going to take back everything they owed me. Sophia POV “Sophia, your application for the Abyss Project has been approved. It’s a completely isolated twenty-year undersea research project. Once you enter, you’ll be declared legally dead to the outside world. All contact will be cut. You have fifteen days to back out.” The director’s voice was mechanical and cold. My fingers gripping the phone went white, but my voice stayed calm. “I won’t back out. I’ll report on time in fifteen days.” I hung up, set the phone face-down on the table, and looked up at myself in the mirror. Pale face. Eyes heavy with exhaustion. I was an internationally renowned perfumer. And the wife of billionaire Adrian Blackwell, CEO of Blackwell Corporation. We’d been married for three years. In everyone’s eyes, I was the luckiest woman alive. Adrian showered me with affection. No matter how busy, he always came home for dinner. He treated me like I was made of glass. Click. The villa’s front door opened. Adrian walked in wearing a custom-tailored suit, carrying my favorite mousse cake from that boutique downtown, bringing in a wave of cold air. When he saw me standing in the living room, his sharp features instantly softened. He strode forward and pulled me into his embrace. “Sophia, why are you standing here dressed so lightly? You’ll catch cold.” His voice was low and tender, filled with concern. I didn’t return his embrace as usual, but stood stiffly, letting him hold me. Adrian noticed nothing wrong. He pulled me onto the sofa and opened the cake box like it was a gift. “Try it. I had Mary make you some herbal tonic. You’ve been having insomnia. Drink this and sleep well.” Mary, our maid, brought over a steaming bowl and set it on the table. The tonic was dark and smelled faintly of herbs. I stared at that bowl of tonic, my stomach suddenly churning. I shoved Adrian away and rushed to the bathroom, dry heaving. Adrian hurried after me, patting my back while asking anxiously. “What’s wrong? Is your stomach bothering you? I’ll call the doctor right away!” “No need.” I turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on my face, using the sound to hide the tremor in my voice. “Probably just something I ate.” I raised my head, looking through the mirror at the man standing behind me. The concern in his eyes seemed so genuine. So genuine that if I hadn’t received that medical report today, I would have been kept in the dark forever. This afternoon, I’d gone to the hospital for a comprehensive toxicology screening. The report showed that a rare chronic neurotoxin had been accumulating in my body for an extended period. This toxin was colorless and odorless, slowly destroying one’s olfactory nerves, eventually leading to complete loss of smell and even mental breakdown. And the source of this toxin was precisely the “herbal tonic” that Adrian insisted I drink every single day without fail. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Adrian took a towel and gently wiped the water from my face. “You look terrible. I’ll take you to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow.” “Okay.” I lowered my eyes, hiding the despair and coldness in them. Back in the living room, Adrian picked up the now-lukewarm bowl of tonic and held it to my lips, his eyes tender enough to drown in. “Be good, drink your tonic. You’ll feel better after drinking it.” I looked at his long fingers, my heart twisting like a knife. I’d loved Adrian for ten years, been married to him for three. I thought I was his salvation, never imagining I was just meat on his chopping block. I took the bowl, tilted my head back, and in front of him, drained that bowl of poisoned tonic in one gulp. The poison slid down my throat, burning my internal organs. Adrian smiled with satisfaction, bowing his head to plant a light kiss on my forehead. “Good girl. Get some rest early. I need to handle some documents in the study.” Watching his retreating figure as he went upstairs, I bit my lip hard until I tasted blood. Fifteen days. Adrian, in fifteen days, I’ll return this life to you, along with all your false affections.

Sophia POV Late at night, the villa was silent. After Adrian fell asleep, I quietly got up and went to the study. I installed a micro camera in the most concealed corner of the bookshelf, the lens pointed directly at Adrian’s desk. After finishing, I returned to the bedroom and lay down beside Adrian. The man habitually pulled me into his arms, chin resting on the top of my head, breathing evenly. I kept my eyes open until dawn. The next day, after Adrian left for the company, I claimed I wasn’t feeling well and stayed home. I opened my laptop and connected to the study’s surveillance feed. At ten in the morning, the study door opened. The person who entered wasn’t Mary the maid, but Vivian. Vivian was the adopted daughter of the Sterling family, and nominally my sister. She wore a flamboyant red dress and high heels, walking straight to Adrian’s desk and opening his computer with practiced ease. Before long, the door opened again. Adrian had returned. In the surveillance footage, Adrian showed no surprise whatsoever. Instead, he locked the door behind him. Vivian draped herself over him like a boneless cat, hooking her arms around his neck and pouting. “Adrian, didn’t you say you had a morning meeting? How’d you get back so fast?” Adrian naturally wrapped his arm around her waist, lowering his head to kiss her lips, his voice husky. “I missed you, so I came back.” The two kissed shamelessly in the room, the image so piercing I could barely breathe. I stared at the screen, nails digging deep into my palms. When the kiss ended, Vivian leaned against Adrian, playing with his tie, her tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction. “When are you finally going to divorce that woman? I’m tired of sneaking around.” Adrian gently stroked her hair, his eyes holding a coldness and calculation I’d never seen before. “Soon. Her sense of smell is already deteriorating. Once she completely loses it and can’t create new formulas, I’ll have her committed to a psychiatric hospital. Then everything from Sterling Enterprises, plus all those top-secret core formula patents in her hands, will be yours.” Vivian’s eyes lit up. “Really? What about that ‘First Snow’ formula she’s been developing…” “Already copied to your flash drive.” Adrian pulled out a silver flash drive from his drawer and handed it to Vivian. “Next week’s International Perfume Competition. This will be your entry. I’ll pave the way for everything, make you a legitimate master perfumer.” Vivian excitedly took the flash drive, standing on tiptoe to kiss Adrian’s cheek. “Adrian, you’re so good to me! But… what if Sophia finds out?” “Finds out?” Adrian laughed coldly, his tone contemptuous. “She’s like an idiot now, completely obedient to me. So what if she finds out? She’s been drinking that tonic for so long, her nerves are already damaged. Who’s going to believe what a crazy person says?” In front of the screen, my whole body turned ice cold, as if I’d fallen into a frozen lake. So that was it. All his tenderness and consideration over these three years. It was all for Vivian. He not only wanted to destroy my career, but also my body, and even drive me insane! The love I took such pride in was nothing but a premeditated slaughter. I shut down the laptop. I didn’t cry or make a scene. My tears had already dried up last night. I pulled out my phone, looking at the countdown on the calendar. Fourteen days left. I stood up, walked to my vanity, and removed the expensive jewelry Adrian had given me piece by piece, throwing them in the trash. Since he wanted my formulas, wanted my life, then before I left, I’d play a good game with them.

Sophia POV Three days later, the Sterling family manor hosted a banquet. I walked into the hall in a black dress, my expression cold. The hall was filled with laughter and conversation. My biological parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, were gathered around Vivian, their faces full of affection. “Vivian is really making something of herself. She’ll definitely win first place at this International Perfume Competition!” Mrs. Sterling held Vivian’s hand, smiling from ear to ear. Vivian lowered her head with false modesty. “I just got lucky. Don’t praise me. Sophia is the real genius perfumer. My entry ‘First Snow’ was actually inspired by her previous work.” “What kind of genius is she!” Mr. Sterling snorted coldly, glancing at me with disgust as I entered. “Always with that sour face, like someone owes her millions. Nothing like you, considerate and sensible. If she had even half your talent, I’d thank the heavens!” I stood there, listening to my biological father’s degradation, feeling nothing inside. It had always been like this. Ever since Vivian was adopted, I became the Sterling family’s unwanted child. No matter how hard I worked, how excellent I became, in their eyes I could never match a single word of Vivian’s sweet talk. Adrian came downstairs, naturally walking to my side, putting his arm around my shoulders, smoothing things over. “Mr. Sterling, Sophia hasn’t been feeling well lately. Please don’t scold her.” He turned to look at me, his eyes so tender they seemed ready to drip water. “Sophia, why so late? Your hands are freezing.” I calmly avoided his touch, walked to the sofa and sat down, looking directly at Vivian. “You said your competition entry is called ‘First Snow’?” I caught a flash of guilt in Vivian’s eyes, but backed by Adrian’s support, she forced herself to remain calm. “Yes, Sophia. Why?” “Nothing.” I coldly curved my lips. “Just thought the name sounded familiar. If I remember correctly, this is a top-secret formula I started conceptualizing six months ago and locked in my laboratory safe.” The moment I spoke, the hall fell silent. Vivian’s face paled, her eyes instantly reddening as she looked at Adrian with grievance. “Adrian, Sophia… how can she slander me like this? This is clearly a formula I stayed up several nights to create!” Mrs. Sterling immediately stepped protectively in front of Vivian, pointing at me and cursing. “Sophia, have you no shame! You can’t write anything yourself because your inspiration’s dried up, so you’re jealous of Vivian? On what basis are you claiming Vivian’s hard work as yours!” “Whether it’s mine or not, checking the lab surveillance and computer records will tell us.” My tone was calm but each word hit hard. Adrian frowned slightly, stepping forward to stand between Vivian and me. He pulled out a stack of printed documents from his pocket and handed them to Mr. Sterling. “Mr. Sterling, these are Vivian’s creative drafts and timestamped records. Three months ago, Vivian had already completed the initial draft of ‘First Snow.’ And the records in Sophia’s lab were only created yesterday.” Adrian looked at me with pained, disappointed eyes. “I know you’ve been stressed lately, Sophia. But you can’t steal Vivian’s work just because you can’t come up with your own formulas. And then blame her for it.” I looked at the forged evidence in his hands and laughed. A cold, mocking laugh. He didn’t just steal my formula. He altered the timestamps and made me look like the thief. Slap! A resounding slap struck hard across my face. Mr. Sterling trembled with rage, pointing at me and roaring. “You shameless thing! Apologize to Vivian right now!” The blow made my head turn to the side, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of my mouth. I didn’t cover my face or defend myself. I just looked at this group of people with the gaze one reserves for the dead. “Fine, I’ll apologize.” I wiped the blood from my mouth, my voice cold as ice. “Vivian, I hope you win worldwide fame with my formula.” With that, I turned and strode out of Sterling Manor. I didn’t look back, but I knew that to them, the words of someone they considered mentally unstable and crazy wouldn’t matter at all.

Sophia POV My sense of smell was fading at a terrifying rate. A nose that could once easily distinguish the subtle differences between thousands of fragrances could now only detect the faintest bitter note even from the most potent rose essence. I knew the toxin had invaded my central nervous system. That evening, Adrian walked into the bedroom carrying a bowl of steaming soup. “Sophia, get up and have some soup.” He sat on the edge of the bed, helping me sit up, his movements gentle as if handling a fragile treasure. I leaned against the headboard, staring at the bowl of soup with vacant eyes. No scent. I couldn’t smell anything anymore. Adrian scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it to cool it, and held it to my lips. I didn’t open my mouth, just quietly looked at him. “Adrian, what exactly have you been making me drink every day?” Adrian’s hand paused slightly, then he smiled without changing expression. “Nutritious soup, of course. You’ve gotten too thin. The doctor said you need more nutrition.” “Is that so?” I suddenly reached out and knocked the soup bowl from his hand. The scalding liquid splashed onto Adrian’s hand, instantly turning it red. He shot to his feet, his expression darkening. “Sophia Sterling, what the hell is wrong with you!” “What’s wrong with me?” I laughed coldly, my eyes sharp as knives. “Adrian, do you dare drink this soup yourself? Do you dare tell me why my sense of smell is disappearing day by day!” Adrian’s pupils contracted sharply. He stared at me, seemingly assessing how much I actually knew. After a moment, he suddenly smiled. That smile tore away his mask of pretense, revealing cruel fangs beneath. “Since you already know, there’s no need for me to keep pretending.” Adrian methodically pulled out a handkerchief, wiping the soup from his hand. “That’s right, I’ve been poisoning you. Who told you to occupy the position of my wife while hoarding Sterling Enterprises’ core formula patents and refusing to hand them over?” He leaned forward, gripping my chin with force that nearly crushed my bones. “Sophia, you’re too smart and too proud. Only by destroying your pride will you obediently listen.” I was forced to raise my head, looking at this face I’d once loved to my bones, feeling nothing but revulsion. “Don’t even think about getting the rest of my formulas.” I said through gritted teeth. “Oh really?” Adrian snorted coldly and flung me aside. He turned and walked to the door, coldly instructing the guards outside. “Sophia is having a schizophrenic episode with severe self-harm tendencies. From today on, she cannot leave this room without my permission. Seal all the windows. Except for meal delivery, no one is allowed to visit.” The door slammed shut heavily, the sound of the lock clicking echoing especially harsh in the empty room. I was completely imprisoned. There wasn’t a trace of light in the room. All communication devices had been confiscated. I was like a trapped beast in a dark cage, unable to make any contact with the outside world. But I didn’t break down. I felt my way to the bed in the darkness, reaching under a loose floorboard to retrieve a palm-sized backup phone. This was the escape route I’d hidden long ago. I turned it on. The screen’s faint light illuminated my pale face. I skillfully dialed a complex encrypted number. “Abyss Project Headquarters. Ms. Sterling, how may we assist you?” My voice was terrifyingly calm. “My situation has changed. I’m requesting early evacuation.” “Received. Evacuation protocol initiated. Countdown: seven days. You must maintain stable vital signs and await extraction.” I hung up and hid the phone again. Seven days. Adrian, Vivian. What you owe me, I’ll collect every single debt over these seven days.

Sophia POV On the third day of my confinement, an uninvited guest came to the villa. Vivian wore a haute couture suit and arrogant high heels, walking into my room flanked by guards. The room was dark and damp. I was curled up on the corner sofa, hair disheveled, face pale as paper. Seeing my wretched state, Vivian let out a triumphant laugh. “Well, well, if it isn’t our high-and-mighty genius perfumer Sophia. How come you’re hiding here like a stray dog now?” I didn’t even lift my eyelids, treating her like thin air. This disregard completely enraged Vivian. She grabbed my hair and yanked my head up. “Don’t act so high and mighty! You think you’re still the Sterling heiress? Let me tell you something. Adrian already transferred every share of Sterling Enterprises to my name. You’re nothing now!” My scalp screamed, but I just stared at her. “Sleep well at night, knowing you took what’s not yours?” “Not mine?” Vivian cackled. “Sophia Sterling, don’t you get it yet? Adrian was never after you. He came for your family’s formula patents. He’s never loved you. The only woman he’s ever loved is me.” She let go, wiped her hands, and walked to the cabinet. Inside sat my mother’s only set of vintage perfumes. The last things she left before she died. “These broken bottles you worship like treasures? Just garbage.” I saw a flash of malice in Vivian’s eyes. She suddenly swept her hand across the display, sending all the perfume bottles crashing to the floor. Expensive glass shattered everywhere, rich fragrance instantly filling the entire room. This was my mother’s life’s work, my last connection to her in this world. “Vivian!” My eyes blazed with fury as I lunged forward, trying to stop her. But Vivian was prepared. Not only didn’t she dodge, she rushed toward me. Blood immediately gushed out. “Help! Sophia’s trying to kill me!” Vivian collapsed on the floor, screaming shrilly. The door was kicked open violently. Adrian burst in. Seeing Vivian lying in a pool of blood, his eyes filled with rage. He strode forward and kicked me flying. I slammed hard into the wall. It felt like all my internal organs had shifted. My throat sweetened as I coughed up blood. “Adrian, it hurts so much… Sophia’s gone crazy, she tried to kill me…” Vivian hid in Adrian’s arms, crying pitifully. Adrian tenderly lifted Vivian, then turned to look at me like I was already dead. “Sophia Sterling, you’re evil to the core! Vivian came to check on you out of kindness, and you tried to kill her!” I leaned against the wall, looking at this vicious pair, and suddenly burst into laughter. I laughed until tears came, laughed until my heart was torn apart. “Adrian, are you blind? She clearly cut herself!” “Enough!” Adrian roared, cutting me off. “You lunatic, nothing but lies! Since you love hurting people so much, those hands are useless anyway!” He set Vivian down, walked toward me step by step, and without mercy raised his leather shoe, stomping hard on my right hand. The hand I used for perfume creation. Crack. The sound of breaking bones rang clearly through the room. The pain shot from my fingers to my heart. My whole body convulsed, but I bit my lip hard and didn’t let out a single scream. I stared at Adrian, carving his twisted face deep into my bones. Adrian, that stomp severed the last thread of feeling between us.

Sophia POV With a shattered right hand, I received no medical treatment. Instead, Adrian had me transferred overnight to a secretive private psychiatric hospital. “Mr. Blackwell instructed that Ms. Sterling suffers from severe mania and persecution delusions, requiring mandatory treatment measures.” In the cold hospital room, a white-coated doctor emotionlessly read Adrian’s orders. I was roughly strapped to a frigid treatment bed, my limbs secured tightly with reinforced leather restraints. My right hand was swollen like a purple-red loaf of bread, every breath accompanied by excruciating pain. “What are you planning to do?” I looked at them coldly, my voice hoarse but eerily calm. The doctor didn’t answer, just waved his hand. Two nurses approached and attached cold electrode pads to my temples. “Begin electroshock therapy. Set voltage to maximum.” As the switch was flipped, a powerful current instantly surged through my brain. Indescribable agony blanked my mind completely, my body convulsing violently beyond my control. The restraints cut into my flesh, drawing blood. I bit my lip hard until my mouth filled with the thick taste of blood, but I never begged for mercy. Once, twice, three times… I don’t know how long it lasted before the electroshock finally stopped. I lay there like a dying fish, gasping for air, my body soaked in cold sweat, lacking even the strength to move a finger. “Ms. Sterling, Mr. Blackwell said that as long as you sign this equity transfer agreement and core formula authorization, you can suffer less.” The doctor held out a document before my eyes. I weakly opened my eyes, looking at that document, a mocking smile curving my lips. So this was his ultimate goal. Drain every last drop of use from me, then let me die like a madwoman in this sunless place. “I’ll… sign.” I forced out those words with difficulty. Surprise flashed in the doctor’s eyes, seemingly not expecting me to surrender so quickly. He unfastened my right hand restraint and shoved a pen into my hand. Enduring the agony of shattered bones, I used that nearly useless right hand to sign my name crookedly on the document. The moment I finished signing, it felt like all my strength had been drained. I collapsed limply on the bed. The doctor left with satisfaction, document in hand. The hospital room returned to deathly silence. I closed my eyes, silently calculating the time in my mind. Three days until the final deadline for the “Abyss Project” evacuation. Adrian, you think you’ve won? What you took is just garbage I don’t want. And I’ll let you taste what it’s like to fall from heaven to hell at your moment of greatest triumph. Over the next two days, I became abnormally quiet. I no longer resisted, no longer spoke. Like a true puppet with its soul extracted, I let the doctors and nurses do as they pleased. My compliance gradually made the psychiatric hospital guards lower their vigilance. Deep in the night, I used an extremely small blade hidden under my tongue to slowly cut through the leather restraints on my wrists. This was my last chance. I couldn’t afford any mistakes.

Sophia POV Evacuation countdown. Final day. Adrian came to the psychiatric hospital. A rare visit. He wore a perfectly tailored silver-gray suit. His hair was immaculate. He looked like a victor. Like a man who had already won everything. Tomorrow was Vivian’s global launch for her perfume brand, “First Snow.” And the celebration banquet for Blackwell Corporation’s complete takeover of the Sterling family assets. The hospital room door opened. Adrian looked down at me sitting in a wheelchair. I wore an oversized hospital gown, thin as a skeleton. My once vibrant face was now pale as paper, eyes vacant and dull, right hand hanging limply at my side like a lifeless rag doll. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but he quickly suppressed any extraneous emotion. “Sophia.” He walked over, crouched down, and tried to take my hand. I didn’t dodge, just looked at him woodenly, as if looking at a stranger. “Tomorrow is Vivian’s launch event. Once everything settles, I’ll bring you home.” Adrian’s voice was soft, carrying a false tenderness. “I’ll find you the best doctors, heal your hand, cure your illness. We’ll start over, okay?” Start over? I laughed coldly inside. Grind me into the mud, drain my blood, then condescend to say “start over”? I slowly raised my head, pretending those dead eyes suddenly held a flicker of light. I looked at Adrian, the corners of my mouth curving into an extremely faint smile. “Okay.” My voice was hoarse like sandpaper scraping. “I’ll wait for you… to take me home.” That word, that smile. It seemed to instantly relax Adrian’s tense nerves. He thought I’d finally accepted my fate, finally been completely tamed by him. “Good girl.” He satisfactorily reached out to stroke my hair. “After tomorrow, you’ll still be the distinguished CEO’s wife.” Adrian stood and turned to leave. He walked so decisively, steps light, never looking back once, eager to embrace his bright future. The moment the hospital room door closed again. Click. That soft sound seemed to sever the last thread of pretense. The wooden submission on my face vanished instantly, replaced by bone-chilling coldness and determination. I stood up, flexing my stiff joints. My bones made faint cracking sounds. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night. At 2 a.m., the psychiatric hospital corridor was silent except for occasional patient murmurs and the footsteps of nurses on duty. I moved like a ghost along the walls, precisely avoiding every surveillance camera blind spot, slipping silently into the medication room at the end of the corridor. I mixed several highly volatile and flammable chemical agents in specific proportions, my movements without a moment’s hesitation. I built a simple delayed bomb and snuck into the records room. I wedged it into the back of the ventilation shaft, where years of dry paper records had piled up. Once lit, the fire would race through the ducts. It would erase every trace of me and throw the place into chaos. When I was done, I followed the same path back to my room. I took off my wedding ring and placed it on the bedside table next to the suicide note I’d written long ago. Both neatly laid out. The note contained only one sentence. “Adrian, I’m giving your life back to you. May you two torment each other forever. May you never find peace.” I read the words, and the corner of my mouth twitched. At 3 a.m.,  the night was pitch black. A low, deep rumble approached from the distance, breaking the dead silence. The sound of helicopter rotors. The Abyss Project extraction team had arrived.

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The entire Moonclaw Pack knew that Alex loved me. When I was twenty years old, I was captured by vicious rogues. Alex ventured alone into the terrifying forbidden forest to rescue me. I thought I’d never meet anyone who loved me more than he did, not even a so-called fated mate. So we got together. In his younger days, he was wild and had many lovers. I knew this. During our first few years together, women constantly tried to seduce him. But those women would vanish the next day, as if they’d evaporated from existence. I thought I was the only one in his heart. But I was wrong. Before our Mark ceremony, Chloe appeared at Alex’s side. On her first day, Alex participated in a death match at the underground fight ring, all because Chloe wanted the necklace offered as a prize. On her seventh day, they slept together. On her twentieth day, he brought her back to what was supposed to be our home. So I decided to cancel my union with Alex and marry his brother instead—the former Alpha of Moonclaw Pack.

Lily POV This morning, Alex told me he was hosting a barbecue party with his friends. So today I left work early to help Alex entertain his friends. But when I reached the garden, I only saw a barbecue grill with no one around. Looking a bit further, I saw Alex pressed on top of a woman, their moans piercing my ears with each gust of evening breeze. My breath hitched. I strode over quickly. Then I violently flipped over the entire barbecue grill. “Ahhh—!” The searing coals scattered across the cobblestone ground with shrill screams. I watched as Alex whipped around, using his entire back to shield the woman, blocking most of the flying sparks. In that instant, my heart felt like someone had viciously squeezed it. He would actually protect her like this. “Chloe, are you okay?” His tone was so gentle it nearly made me sick. The woman called Chloe trembled as she grabbed his reddened, burned arm, sobbing softly. “I’m fine. But you… does it hurt?” I laughed coldly. “Stop acting. Get out.” Chloe’s face went pale as she shrank back. But Alex stepped in front of her, looking down at me from above, his voice cold as ice. “Apologize.” The Alex I’d known for seven years had never shown me such a cold expression before. I clenched my fists, my knuckles turning white. “In your dreams.” I ground out the words through gritted teeth, then turned and walked toward the house. The moment the door closed behind me, I could no longer pretend to be unaffected. Tears fell. I never imagined he could be so gentle with someone else. He betrayed me, yet demanded an apology from me. And I had to witness it today, in our home. I knew he’d been getting close to that woman recently. But she was just an Omega working as a waitress. I thought he was just fooling around. But I was dead wrong. He brought her home, right in front of me. He probably didn’t expect I’d accidentally discover them. Of course he didn’t expect it. He’d hidden it so well. Maybe his refusal to Mark me was precisely for this reason. He didn’t want to remain faithful to our relationship. I collapsed onto the bed that once belonged to both of us, tears dropping onto the pillow. I don’t know how much time passed before I was violently pulled from the bed and thrown onto the floor. Looking up, I saw Alex’s cold face. His shirt still bore traces of coal burns on the back, though the wounds had already healed. “What are you doing?” I asked hoarsely. He didn’t answer, just grabbed my shoulder. “The coals burned her just now. With such a serious wound, an Omega like her can’t guarantee it’ll heal on its own.” I froze, then laughed. The sound was particularly jarring in the quiet room. “So what? Are you going to burn me back now?” He was silent for a long time before sighing. “Lily, why do you have to target her? I promise you, in a month I’ll still become your mate. But for what happened today, you must make amends to her.” “Alex—” Before I could finish, I felt a sharp, searing pain in my shoulder! He actually burned me with a piece of coal he’d gotten from somewhere, its heat still lingering! I gasped for breath, the pain making my vision go black. I nearly laughed up blood. “You want me to apologize? Screw you!” His expression turned completely grim. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “Think about your Pack. Think about your broken father. Now answer me—will you apologize or not?” I felt thunderstruck, tears instantly blurring my vision. “You know what I care about most, and you’re actually using them to threaten me?” Yes, my pack wasn’t doing well right now. After my mother died, my father was devastated and never recovered. He no longer dealt with pack matters, and no longer had the ability to, because his wolf suffered every moment from the pain of losing his mate. A pack without an Alpha could hardly resist erosion by those with ambition. Even though I tried hard to maintain everything, to become the new leader, I couldn’t do it. That’s why I was here. Alex was the Alpha of the world’s most powerful Moonclaw Pack. My pack needed Moonclaw Pack’s protection. Fortunately, Alex loved me. At least that’s what I used to believe. A complex emotion flashed through his eyes. His tone softened, though it remained cold. “Lily, Chloe is different from you. She’s a poor Omega who’s been looked down on since childhood. You have things she never had. Why must you argue with her?” “So,” my voice trembled, “I should give her my man too?” He paused, avoiding my gaze. “No matter what I do this month, you’ll still be my mate. The Luna position will always be yours.” I closed my eyes, feeling dead inside. The burning pain in my shoulder intertwined with the coldness in my heart. “Fine. I’ll apologize.” He dragged me downstairs to the living room. Chloe was already waiting there, wearing my silk robe that she’d found somewhere. I lunged forward, trying to tear the robe off her. “That’s mine!” But Alex blocked me, his tone impatient. “It’s just a piece of clothing. I’ll buy you a new one. Hurry up and apologize!” His large hand gripped the back of my neck with force that nearly suffocated me. Only when I squeezed out “I’m sorry” through gritted teeth to Chloe did he finally release me with satisfaction. Watching the relieved smile at the corner of his mouth, my heart felt torn to shreds—a hundred times more painful than the burn on my shoulder. If he were my enemy, I would have bitten through his throat. But he wasn’t. He was my lover. And I still needed to rely on him to protect my pack. I thought this terrible farce had finally ended. But the next day, his people escorted me to the Pack medical center. He didn’t even look at me, just said to the doctor: “Take her in.” The cold operating table, the blinding surgical lights, the doctor expressionlessly preparing instruments, the needle gleaming with cold light. Before I fully understood what was happening, I heard him outside the door, speaking in the casual tone one might use to discuss the weather— “Chloe is very upset about the scar on her shoulder. Use your skin for her regeneration treatment.” The anesthetic needle pierced my skin with a sharp pain. I struggled in horror, but was held down firmly. Before I could resist or cry out, my consciousness rapidly sank into endless darkness. When I woke up, the white ceiling made me dizzy. Alex’s beta Evan quickly came forward to help me up. “Lily, you’re awake? Thank god. I’ll get the doctor.” Beta Evan hurried off to find someone, leaving his phone on a nearby stool. The screen was lit, and a conversation in the chat group between Alex and several of his close friends popped up. “Alex, what’s going on with you and Chloe? Are you really not going to be with Lily anymore? Your Mark ceremony is in a month.” “I didn’t say I wouldn’t. But this is the first time I’ve met someone like Chloe. She’s really sweet, really innocent. I feel soft every time I see her.” “Then what about Lily? She can’t tolerate any grain of sand in her eyes.” “Don’t worry. Her Pack is falling apart right now and needs my protection. She won’t leave me.” I gripped the phone tightly, my knuckles turning white from the pressure. The cold metal edges dug painfully into my palm. In that moment, the last trace of hope and doubt lingering in my heart was finally shattered by these naked words. So in his eyes, I was nothing more than someone begging for his protection, someone who could be discarded and used at will. I pulled at the corner of my mouth, wanting to laugh, but my throat felt bitter. Then I took out my own phone and calmly dialed the number of Alex’s mother. “Eleanor,” my voice sounded unnaturally calm, “I don’t want to marry Alex anymore.” Eleanor on the other end anxiously inquired. I answered softly, each word clear and terrifying. “No, I’m not refusing the union with Moonclaw Pack.” “I just… want to change the person.” “I want to become mates with Alex’s brother—Sebastian Sterling.”

Lily POV I knew that my Evans Pack was currently in a precarious position. If I lost Moonclaw Pack’s protection, those loan shark rogues would be the first to rush in and kill us all. But Eleanor didn’t only have Alex as a son. As long as I married into Moonclaw Pack, no matter who the partner was, Evans Pack could get a chance to breathe. Moreover, Alex’s brother Sebastian was the previous Alpha. However, during a hunt, he was ambushed and poisoned with something even witches were helpless against. His wolf was sealed, and he became extremely weak. On the other end of the phone, Eleanor’s voice carried surprise and hesitation. “Lily, you… have you thought this through? I know what Alex has done recently has hurt you, but the poison in Sebastian… if he Marks you, you might be affected by the poison too.” I closed my eyes, my voice calm. “Lady Eleanor, you know me. I’ve never been a magnanimous person. Since Alex likes that woman so much, I might as well fulfill their wishes.” I thought for a moment and added, “Besides, you should know my bloodline is pure enough. Maybe the final result will be that Sebastian’s poison gets cured.” I couldn’t guarantee this plan would be completely successful. But what if? My mother once said she had Lycan blood, though I didn’t know if it was true or not. My father used to be a powerful Alpha. My wolf was strong enough too. Marking a sufficiently powerful mate could always bring benefits. I believed Eleanor wanted Sebastian to recover more than anyone, not just because Sebastian was her son. But also because Alex wasn’t a responsible, qualified Alpha—he only knew how to sleep with women. Eleanor on the other end hesitated before finally agreeing. “Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t try to persuade you otherwise.” After hanging up, I stared at the white hospital ceiling, feeling hollow inside. Just then, Evan came in with two nurses to change my dressing. No matter how strong a werewolf’s healing ability was, having a piece of skin removed still required time to recover. If treatment was neglected and infection occurred, healing would be even slower. The two nurses chatted while working. “Hey, that Omega in the next room is so lucky. It’s just a tiny wound from the skin graft, but Alpha Alex had all the doctors from the medical center go see her.” “Yeah, making such a big fuss. Said he was worried about her wound getting infected.” I sat on the bed, listening to those casual remarks, and actually laughed. So Alex knew wound infections were dangerous. He just didn’t care about me. I couldn’t help but think of a year ago, when Alex and I were still deeply in love. I got a minor injury during a hunt. At that time, Alex did the same thing. He brought in all the doctors from the medical center, looking tense, as if I had suffered some life-threatening injury. I found it both funny and sweet then. But now, he gave the same tenderness to another woman. Back then I thought it was ridiculous but also touching. Now he was giving that same gentleness to another woman. After the nurses left, beta Evan seemed like he wanted to say something. I raised my hand to stop him. “Don’t bother. You can go. My injury isn’t serious. I don’t need care.” He hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying softly, “Then get some rest.” After I was alone in the hospital room, I braced myself against the bed and slowly stood up. The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet, making my steps unsteady. I had just reached the bathroom door when I heard Evan’s voice in the hallway: “Alpha Alex, shouldn’t you go see Lily? She’s all alone, it’s kind of pitiful…” “What’s pitiful about her?” Alex’s voice was very impatient. “Chloe is the victim. She’s the perpetrator. What’s happening to her now is what she deserves.” I froze in place, my chest feeling tight. The next second, I pushed open the bathroom door and locked it behind me. I didn’t want to hear another word from him. I suddenly remembered the night I fell in love with Alex. I had gone to an upscale nightclub to meet a strange Alpha, hoping to find aid for my Pack. That bastard actually had the audacity to slip his hand under my skirt. I angrily threw my drink in his face. Just as the guy grabbed my hair and was about to hit me, Alex appeared. Without a word, he pressed the man to the ground, his fists pounding down again and again, so viciously it frightened me, but also made my heart race. From that day on, I accepted Alex’s help and obtained the promise of protection from Moonclaw Pack that he represented. And I secretly decided in my heart that I was willing to give everything for this man. I knew he liked “pure” women. So I changed my style of dress, my makeup, my way of speaking. I became the “model of gentleness” in everyone’s eyes, became what he liked. Only when I saw Chloe did I finally understand. He didn’t like me. What he liked was that “fragility” that could stir his compassion. No matter how much I imitated it, I was only pretending. But her—she was naturally like that. Thinking of this, I laughed. Laughed at myself for diving headfirst into a trap I knew was there. Since it was like this, letting go was fine too. At least this time, I was the one who said goodbye first.

Lily POV On the seventh day at the medical center, he finally called. “How long are you going to keep this up? It was just one treatment. Are you planning to stay at the medical center forever? Chloe’s already gone home. When are you planning to come back?” I leaned against the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling and laughing coldly. “Home? Alex, that’s not my home anymore.” The other end went quiet for a moment. His tone seemed to soften slightly. “Lily, stop making a scene, okay? That’s your home, and our future home.” I had no interest in listening to his high-sounding lies and simply hung up the phone. But the next second, the screen lit up again. “Lily, you hung up on me?!” The anger in his voice nearly burst through the receiver. “Is there anything else? I need to sleep.” I was too lazy to deal with him. “If you dare hang up, I’ll withdraw all aid promises.” He said this through gritted teeth. The smile on my face instantly vanished. “Alex,” I said coldly, “you’re threatening me with this again? Are you addicted to it?” Silence for a few seconds. “It’s because you won’t talk to me properly.” I took a deep breath, suppressing my rising anger. “What do you want?” “There’s a charity gala the day after tomorrow. I’ll send you an invitation.” He said, “You must come. Consider it… my compensation to you.” The word “compensation” coming from his mouth was ironic. But I knew now wasn’t the time to tear off the facade. My Pack was teetering on the edge. Once he reneged on his aid promise, everything would be over. At least for now, Alex was still the Alpha. But I swore, after Sebastian and I held the Mark ceremony, he wouldn’t be anymore! So I answered, “I understand. Can I hang up now?” He wanted to say something else, but Chloe’s soft voice came through the phone. He quickly hung up. I watched the screen go dark, a hint of self-mockery on my lips, then turned off my phone. Two days later, Alex had someone deliver a gown to the medical center. The moment I opened the box, I froze. It was a white gauze dress—gentle, pure, respectable. Exactly the “look” Alex liked. I picked up scissors and cut it to shreds without hesitation, throwing the pieces in the trash. Then I made a call and had someone send over a red strapless gown. Confident, bold, sexy—that was me. After applying heavy makeup, I smiled at myself in the mirror. During those years with Alex, my clothes were always muted colors, my makeup so light it was nearly transparent. But I never liked muted colors, and I never liked pretending to be docile. Since I’d already decided to leave him, I didn’t need to pretend anymore. The charity gala venue was brilliantly lit. The moment I entered, I felt countless gazes focus on me. That kind of attention gave me a long-lost sense of satisfaction. After all, no one had seen me look like this. “Isn’t that Lily? Why is she dressed like that?” I heard someone’s surprised voice. The moment Alex turned around, I saw him visibly freeze. I smirked, raised my champagne glass, and toasted him from afar. His face darkened a few shades. Someone nearby teased, “Did you two break up? Does that mean I can pursue her now?” Alex laughed coldly. “She and I haven’t broken up. She’s probably jealous that I’ve been too close to Chloe lately, so she’s dressed like this to win me back.” Win him back? I laughed softly, the sound more bitter than wine. He continued socializing with others while I held my glass, drinking one after another. Until someone approached me, a hand reeking of alcohol trying to rest on my shoulder. I frowned in disgust and warned coldly, “Back off.” But the man grinned lewdly and still tried to touch me. I grabbed a wine bottle from the table and smashed it hard against his shoulder. The sound of shattering glass was deafening. He screamed and fell to the ground. I looked down at him, bared my fangs, my tone as cold as ice. “That’s a warning. Touch me again and I’ll bite through your throat!” The security warriors came and dragged him away. I picked up another glass of wine and continued mingling. Glass after glass went down, and my consciousness began to blur. I staggered toward the restroom, but just as I entered, I heard ambiguous panting sounds. That sound—I recognized it immediately. Alex. I froze in place, my fingertips going cold. For my “compensation,” he specifically called me here, yet turned around to embrace another woman. How absurd. I calmly washed my hands. The face in the mirror with red lips and heavy makeup looked cold and unfamiliar. The place in my chest that once held feelings now felt only numb. As the charity gala was ending, I finally understood his real purpose in calling me here. A thick stack of cooperation agreements sat on the table—all projects I wanted. At least tonight, I got what I wanted. “Wait for me at the parking garage,” I told the driver. I walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the basement level. The elevator doors opened. I had just stepped out when everything went black— I lost consciousness completely.

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