Category: English

I thought Hudson Marshall was the love of my life, so I fought hard within the family to win a perfect wedding with him. My parents also decided to launch the billion-dollar “True Love” jewelry collection on our wedding day. But seven days before the wedding, Hudson said he wanted to marry Emilia Bell, his first love, to fulfill her mother’s last wish before he married me. He looked impatient, saying, “For Emilia’s filial piety, all these can be sacrificed. If you can’t spare that little money, go find someone else to marry now.” It turned out that in his world, I, and my career, could make way for Emilia at any time. I turned around and called my brother, Adam Macleod, directly, saying, “Adam, the wedding is as usual, but please help me find a new groom.” On the day of my wedding dress fitting, I waited downstairs at Hudson Marshall’s company for a long time before he came downstairs slowly. As soon as he got in the car, he tossed me a necklace. “Emilia asked me to give it to you. You embarrassed her at the funeral yesterday, so take the time to apologize to her.” The necklace was clearly a freebie that came with a genuine purchase. I had seen it in Hudson’s shopping cart a couple of days ago. “I don’t want it,” I said flatly. Hudson frowned. “What are you getting at again? You’re the one who rushed to the funeral and embarrassed her by saying I wasn’t her fiancé. She didn’t even count it and wanted to bring you a gift, and you’re so ungrateful?” The man who had once protected me was no longer there, and now he cherished someone else. Hudson annoyingly opened the window and blew out the air. After a long time, seeing that I wasn’t coaxing him, he said, “Forget it. I’m going to accompany you to your wedding dress fitting today, so I won’t bother with you.” It was the first time he had gone soft this year. We arrived at the bridal store and were greeted by the clerk. “Mr. Marshall, Ms. Macleod, your specially customized twenty wedding dresses and suits are ready.” Hudson, however, wasn’t looking at the clothes but instead was looking down at his cell phone with a bit of urgency on his face. After noticing my gaze, he hastily put away his phone with a hint of apology on his face. “Sienna, something happened to Emilia, so I have to rush over right away. Try on the wedding dress yourself, and pick out a suit for me. I trust your taste.” After that, he hastily beckoned a cab and left, leaving me alone. The clerk rushed up and said tentatively, “Ms. Macleod, would you like to choose the suit yourself?” I withdrew my gaze and nodded. I’d pick the suit, of course, just not for Hudson. After all, the groom had changed. I called my brother, Adam Macleod, directly, saying, “Adam, the wedding is as usual, but please help me find a new groom.” Adam said incredulously, “Are you going to repudiate the marriage?” “No, it’s that he’s marrying someone else,” I smiled bitterly. I had worked very hard in my family to get my parents’ approval to be with Hudson, and to have the “True Love” jewelry collection released on the day of the wedding. Now, it was all for nothing. Adam was silent for a long time before saying, “Then, there’s only Finley Henderson. His family’s been pushing hard, and he’s been looking for a marriage partner lately.” My brows furrowed. Finley was my sworn rival. On my engagement day, he’d cursed that my marriage would shatter. And now his words had come true. With time pressing, I said, “Fine, choose him then. Ask him if he’s interested. If not, I’ll find someone else.” Adam blurted out, “No need to ask. He’ll definitely agree.” “What?” I was shocked. Before I could press him, Adam mumbled something and hung up. After picking out the dress, I headed home. I’d expected Hudson to stay out all night, but he showed up before dinner. He strode over to me, carrying a takeout box. “I went all over the city to buy you late-night snacks.” I looked at the pizza inside. There were three pieces fewer than usual, and one of them with a bite mark. Clearly, someone had taken a bite. Half an hour earlier, I’d seen Emilia Bell’s Instagram post, which showed the exact same food in my hand, with the caption: [My husband went out late at night to buy me snacks. Thanks, honey. I love you!] I put down my fork with a self-mocking smile, suddenly losing my appetite. I said, “I’m not hungry. Throw it away.” Hudson frowned at me but held back his anger, sitting down beside me to complain, “You have no idea how pitiful Emilia was today. My parents went to her place and insulted her family for being poor, saying they couldn’t even afford a decent wedding gift. She almost cried her eyes out. “Emilia just got back to the country and doesn’t have much money. I was thinking of giving her your wedding gift first.” His domineering tone made me sick. I sneered, “So, I should give my wedding gift to your wife?”

Back then, I cared about Hudson. If he asked, I would give him anything and do anything for him. But now, he slapped me awake himself. Thinking back, I found that since Emilia came back from overseas, everything Hudson had done had been for her. He had forgotten I was the one who was supposed to spend the rest of his life with him. My reply annoyed Hudson. “What do you mean by that? You don’t want to? You better get it straight. Emilia’s my best friend. You better make her happy, or I won’t marry you.” With that, he slammed the door and left. Feeling all stirred up inside, I went downstairs and went for a run in the park. I’d barely finished one lap when Finley called. Thinking of Finley, who always had that poker face, I hesitated for two seconds before answering. “Once you’re on my boat, you’re my person. Try to run, and I’ll tie you back,” said Finley directly. I stayed silent, and he continued, “Send me your valid passport first. Let’s get the paperwork done. I’m scared you’ll back out.” I thought, “Finley, something’s up with you.” I’d already imagined a million scenarios of him using marriage to mess with me. In the end, I could only say, “See you at the wedding, Mr. Henderson.” As soon as I finished speaking, Hudson showed up behind me. “You’re inviting Finley to our wedding? I won’t allow it.” He looked at me like I was the enemy. “Sienna, I told you not to talk with Finley. He’s got a thing for you. If you insist on inviting him to our wedding, I won’t marry you.” Before I could say a word, he’d already laid down the law. Hudson had always disliked Finley for no good reason, just full-on hostility. When we first got together, he’d get jealous over me and Finley talking on WhatsApp. Later, I gradually cut ties with Finley. But now, he actually said Finley had gotten a thing for me. I was about to press him for answers when Emilia suddenly slumped against Hudson’s neck. “Hudson, you’re hurting me.” Only then did I notice that they were walking hand in hand. Hudson coughed awkwardly but didn’t let go of her hand. Emilia looked at Hudson with tenderness and “apologized” to me with feigned helplessness. She said, “Sienna, sorry. Hudson and I were just getting familiar with the wedding flow. I won’t spill the beans about you beating me up or messing with my mom’s grave. But don’t hurt Hudson. True feelings can’t stand tests.” I didn’t want to watch her act and turned to leave. “Since you’re so into it, I’ll have someone beat you up tonight and dig up your mom’s grave.” Suddenly, Hudson slapped me hard. “Sienna, how could you be so evil?” he frowned angrily, his chest heaving. Was I evil? He believed someone else’s gossip with a single word, but our five-year friendship couldn’t earn him a smidge of trust. A sudden anger flared up in me. I was about to grill Hudson when Emilia stepped in front of him. She begged me, “Sienna, please. After the wedding, I’ll give Hudson back to you. Please spare my people and Hudson. Don’t hurt him.” Hudson quickly grabbed her waist to stop her, glaring at me. “Sienna, stop bullying others. You know I hate that. If you still wanna marry me, stop it.” With that, he warned me not to show up in front of them before the wedding. But the next day, Hudson took the initiative to contact me. He shouted, scolding me, “Sienna, did you really dig up Mrs. Bell’s grave? I never thought you’d be that type.” Full of doubts, I called my assistant, Luna Young, to investigate and found out something jaw-dropping. Emilia’s mom was still alive!

No wonder Emilia was crazy enough to dig up her mother’s grave to frame me. It turned out that the whole “death” thing was a scam. I texted Hudson: [Emilia’s mom’s not dead. The truth’s in the email I sent you.] Whether he read it or not, it was not my problem. Finley booked me the flight for three days later in person. When Hudson got back, he saw me packing. Half my clothes were in the trash, and I would send a few things to Southwild. “What’s with the packing?” Hudson looked puzzled. I replied casually, “Moving.” He paused, didn’t catch the vibe, and continued, “The Macleod family’s company’s in Southwild. We’re moving there after the wedding. You’re right. We should pack early.” Then, he gave me a mean look. “Apologize to Emilia for her mom. Don’t make me embarrassed. Do it at the wedding. Okay?” Hudson tossed his phone aside to find his valid passport. Today was the day he and Emilia were getting their marriage license. He didn’t come back till night. I checked my phone, and Emilia’s text popped up. The picture showed Hudson and her in matching outfits and in bed together. I closed my eyes, but my heart still stung. I swallowed the pain and turned off my phone. Deep into the night, my phone buzzed every hour, Emilia taunting me with videos of her and Hudson. Till morning, Finley texted me: [Ms. Macleod, everything is ready. Take your time coming back.] It was attached to a marriage license and a pot of vibrant red roses. I never thought he’d still have that plant I gave him years ago. A strange feeling welled up in me, and I replied: [Okay.] I put my phone down to pack my work files, not noticing Hudson had returned. He packed his everyday stuff, saying, “I’m moving in with Emilia for a few days. She’s swamped with wedding preparations. Don’t be late to the wedding the day after tomorrow.” Then, he went on and on, justifying it, telling me not to make trouble again. “Yeah, I won’t,” I said, looking down. After last night, any feelings I had for him were gone. Hudson saw how calm I was and got a weird panic. He hesitated. But then, he thought of Emilia, and his grip on his phone loosened. He thought, “Sienna loves me so much. Nothing will go wrong.” Relieved, he stopped arguing and left. I watched him leave, then called a number. That night, a helicopter landed in the square. A guy walked up, saying, “Ms. Macleod, your chopper’s here. It’ll take you to Southwild safely in half an hour.” I nodded and handed him a file. “Take this to the wedding tomorrow. It’s my wedding gift for the bride and groom.” Free Point The next day, I sent Hudson a text right on time: [Happy wedding day!]

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Six months ago, my daughter was diagnosed with kidney failure and needed me to donate a kidney for her transplant. But on the eve of the surgery, I accidentally discovered that my daughter wasn’t sick at all! The one who really needed my kidney was my husband Jack’s ex-girlfriend’s son! It turned out to be a scheme set up by Jack to trick me into donating my kidney. My daughter was also a participant and accomplice in this deception. I was the only one kept in the dark! At that moment, ten years of marriage and family bonds crumbled, leaving only heartbreak and despair. I threw the divorce papers at Jack, along with custody of our daughter. I didn’t want it anymore. “Tricking you was wrong, but is divorce really necessary?” Jack frowned. “Besides, I just wanted you to donate a kidney. You won’t die from losing one, but Tommy will die in a few days without a good kidney.” I closed my eyes briefly and pushed the divorce agreement towards Jack. “Sign it.” “Look, you’ve been a housewife for ten years. You’re completely out of touch with society. I’ve been supporting you all these years. You can’t survive without me,” Jack shook his head helplessly. “Stop being unreasonable. Go to the hospital with me tomorrow for the kidney donation surgery. Don’t worry, I won’t look down on you for being partially disabled after the surgery. I’ll still give you a monthly allowance and take care of you.” “How dare you talk about divorce! You’re just a maid who eats and lives in our house,” my daughter Lily angrily shouted at me. “Besides, why won’t you donate? You’re only losing a kidney, but Tommy will lose his life!” I stared at her in disbelief, unable to believe my sweet daughter would say such things. “A woman like you with a ruined figure, average looks, and no skills – what man would want you if you left Dad? Even if you tried to throw yourself at a homeless person under a bridge, they wouldn’t want you!” Lily looked at me with disgust and held a mirror up to my face. “Look at yourself, you’re like a pig! Fat and ugly. It should be your honor to donate a kidney to Natalie’s son! Don’t be so ungrateful!” The person in the mirror looked haggard and aged, completely different from ten years ago. “Are you going to say again that you developed health problems from overworking during postpartum recovery, and that taking medication for years made you gain weight?” Lily rolled her eyes. “Please, don’t blame me for your laziness and lack of self-discipline. Natalie also had a child, so how come she’s still so slim?” I remembered how Lily never let me attend parent-teacher conferences. I thought she was being considerate of my weak health and inability to handle crowds. It turns out I was just deluding myself – she was actually ashamed of me. The family I thought was happy and complete turned out to be nothing but a mess.

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Terminal Cancer, Husband Falls for His Young, Juicy Secretary I return home after chemotherapy to find my husband in our marital bed with his secretary, their bodies intertwined in passion. Seeing me, the secretary giggles coyly: “Oh sis, don’t be angry. I’m just helping take some of the burden off you, since I was worried it might be too much for you to handle.” My husband casually lights a post-coital cigarette: “You never let me touch you anymore. You’re as cold as a dead fish in bed!” “I’ve been so pent up I’m about to lose it. Amber here has been working overtime to help you out. From now on, give her half your allowance!” On the verge of death, I cough up blood in shock. The secretary laughs at me, saying I must have bought fake blood to make such an unconvincing performance. My husband is embarrassed by me and ignores my unconscious state. He takes his secretary to a 5-star hotel to reignite their passion. But later, when he receives my critical condition notice, he goes mad.

My husband is away on a business trip, so I have to go to the hospital alone. Seeing the word “cancer” on the diagnosis report, I’m struck as if by lightning. If I die, how will my husband who loves me so deeply go on living? I drag my heavy feet home. As soon as I open the door, I smell an intimate scent in the air. My already heavy heart sinks even further. The bedroom door is wide open. A man’s low growls and a woman’s gasps shamelessly rise and fall. Ryan’s secretary Amber clings to him like a vine, her face flushed red. Her exposed skin is white and tender, smooth as satin. Ryan’s muscular back is covered in red scratches, as he passionately grips the woman’s soft curves. Amber’s long hair is spread out like seaweed on our custom-made bed. This bed was my late father’s wedding gift to me, the only one of its kind in the world. Yet Ryan has brought another woman to do unspeakable things on our marital bed. Their intimate sounds threaten to pierce my eardrums, my very soul trembling. “Oh Ryan, you’re so bad, not being gentle with me at all.” “Hmm? How else could I satisfy an insatiable little vixen like you?” Ryan is lost in passion, their bodies tightly joined. He hasn’t noticed me at the door at all. I think I must have been delusional. Even if I died right now, he probably wouldn’t care at all. Amber peeks out from under Ryan and glances at me with a coy smile. “Darling, this is your marriage bed. Won’t your wife be upset if she finds out?” Ryan brushes his hand over Amber’s red lips, leaving a suggestive trail in the sunlight. “What does she have to be upset about? Being my lawful wife is a blessing few women could hope for in several lifetimes!” “She may be a competent wife, but she’s as stiff as a board in bed. Only a seductive little minx like you can truly excite me!” Amber shoots me a challenging look, then rakes her nails down Ryan’s back again: “You’re so bad! What am I to you? You’re my first and only man!” “Alright, alright. I’ll buy you that lakeside villa tomorrow as a gift!” Amber lets out an incredulous gasp: “Really, darling? But that villa costs at least $5 million. I’m afraid your wife won’t agree.” Ryan laughs dismissively: “So what if she finds out? She loves me so much she’d never leave me!” Amber turns away from me and clings tightly to the oblivious Ryan. My chest aches, a metallic taste rising in my mouth. I stumble, nearly falling to the ground. The noise I make interrupts their passionate moment. Ryan moves quickly, pulling the large red comforter over to wrap Amber up tightly. My stomach churns. I have to grip the doorframe to stay standing: “What’s this? You’re shameless enough to have sex in broad daylight, but too afraid to be seen naked?” “How did you sneak in like a ghost without making any sound? Barging in like this, don’t you know to respect others’ privacy?” Secure in his favoritism, Amber shrinks behind him, her face unable to hide her smugness. “Sis, Ryan was feeling unwell from the heat today. I was just helping him feel better with a massage. Please don’t misunderstand.” She coyly stretches out her delicate hands towards me: “People with heatstroke need to stay cool, so we’re a bit underdressed. But Ryan’s feeling much better now…” “Look how swollen my hands are from working so hard… I only had good intentions, please don’t be angry at Ryan!”

I don’t respond. Ryan’s brow furrows, his voice icy: “Weren’t you supposed to be at the hospital? Why are you back so soon?” It feels like every bone in my body has been crushed by a massive weight, crumbling to dust. I shake my head, hardly able to believe my ears. Has the world gone mad? How could the man who once loved me more than life itself speak such cruel words to me? Tears fall uncontrollably, blurring my vision. I use all my strength to barely choke out: “Ryan, we promised to love only each other for life!” Ryan impatiently waves his hand: “Love is love, sex is sex. Don’t confuse the two. Amber is sacrificing herself to help take your burden with no recognition. She hasn’t complained, yet you’re the one feeling wronged!” “Wake up! We’ve been together for 10 years since we were 18. Would you still wear clothes you’ve had for 10 years? Everyone in our circle has lovers on the side. Why should I have to repress myself and suffer with an old, frigid fish like you?” I look at my reflection on the floor, my heart turning cold. It’s true, I’m already 28 years old. And a 28-year-old with terminal cancer at that. Since starting chemo, my hair keeps falling out. The harsh side effects have left me gaunt and sallow. I lie awake night after night in agony, tearing holes in the sheets from gripping them so tightly. I really do look like an old, worn-out piece of clothing now. I’ve changed so drastically, yet Ryan comes and goes without noticing, as if he’s gone blind. Later, medication made me swell up all over. I looked like I’d gained a ton of weight. His gaze finally changed from indifference to disgust. I had thought that I was letting him down by having an uncooperative body that couldn’t accompany him through life as promised. I endured the torture of illness, pretending not to notice his change in attitude. But how could he compare me, with my numbered days, to a worn-out piece of clothing unfit to be seen? I shouldn’t have tied my short life to such a rotten cucumber. “Ryan, let’s get divorced.” Ryan’s mocking expression freezes in place. He sneers contemptuously: “Divorce? Where would a useless old hag like you go? Who else would pamper you like I do?” “Just be a good Mrs. Zhou and you’ll never go hungry…” Seeing my tears fall rapidly, Ryan’s tone softens slightly. “Be a good girl and listen to me. I promise I’ll never abandon you in this lifetime!” Amber pinches his waist in displeasure: “What about me? Will you toss me aside when you’re bored?” Ryan grins wickedly and pushes Amber’s head down: “Afraid I’ll get tired of you? Then you’d better learn some new tricks to keep me satisfied, you little minx!” These two shameless dogs are so brazen right in front of me. They’re not just disrespecting me as Ryan’s wife, they’re not even treating me as a human being. I can no longer control myself. A mouthful of blood sprays out. The bright red blood is shocking, splattering everywhere. Even Amber, hiding behind Ryan, isn’t spared. Her previously flawless makeup is now a mess, transforming from a beauty to a hag in an instant. She’s furious, her affected cutesy voice cracking: “You disgusting old woman, how revolting!” Anger flares in my chest. I lunge forward and grab her hair, yanking hard: “You little slut, get off my bed right now!” She effortlessly pushes me to the ground: “Ryan, I’m so upset! It took me hours to do my makeup and now it’s ruined. You have to get justice for me!” Ryan gently wipes Amber’s face with a wet wipe from the bedside table, not forgetting to turn back and warn me. “Olivia, stop acting like a shrew!” What little life force I had left is not enough to withstand such a vicious attack. My broken body collapses helplessly to the floor. I want to get up but have no strength, only able to struggle weakly on the ground. But Ryan pays me no mind, allowing Amber to mock me freely. “Ryan, it’s such a waste of talent that your wife isn’t an actress. Look how convincingly she’s faking coughing up blood!” “Even her half-dead look after spitting blood is flawless. Who knows how many times she’s rehearsed in private! What a terrifying jealousy!” My heart aches. I want to cry but have no tears left. I try to call out but my parched throat makes no sound. It feels like a million steel needles are churning in my brain. My soul is instantly riddled with holes. My vision darkens. The air seems to be thinning. I’m struck with fear… With my last shred of hope, I look pleadingly at Ryan, my lips moving weakly: “Husband, save me.” “Quickly, take me to the hospital…”

A flicker of guilt flashes in Ryan’s eyes as he pulls away from Amber’s clinging arms. “Don’t worry, honey. I’ll take you to the doctor right away.” But Amber refuses to let go, pressing herself against him again: “Don’t go, Ryan. I’m so cold, hold me! She’s clearly acting, don’t believe her!” Ryan roughly yanks Amber’s arm off him, tossing her onto the bed: “Get off me! Don’t tell me what to do! If anything happens to my wife, you’ll be in big trouble!” Amber doesn’t give up. She switches to an even more alluring pose, showcasing her body’s softness to the fullest. Her tone is seductive: “Ryan, can’t you smell it? That’s clearly chicken blood!” “How could a healthy person cough up so much blood? Look how lively your wife seems. She must have held the blood in her mouth beforehand!” Ryan’s expression turns doubtful. His steps towards me come to a halt. “She’s even using the ‘playing dead’ trick to compete for attention. Look, she’s even put on ‘seriously ill’ makeup!” “Not content with being the first wife, she’s getting a bit greedy…” Ryan’s body, which had tensed up from nervousness, completely relaxes. He stands in place, carelessly looking me over. After a long moment, his face twists with intense disgust. He picks up the trash can by the bed and dumps its contents over my face. “You want to compete for attention? Then open your eyes wide and see clearly who can truly bring out the joy of being a man!” “The stuff at home that was about to expire – Amber and I used it all up this afternoon!” “Please… you… hospital…” I beg. He can’t be bothered to look at me as I struggle on the brink of death, pleading desperately. He flips the trash can over my head, his tone ice-cold. “Give it up. Stop acting. You’ve been exposed. There’s no point in continuing this performance!” “Amber understands you lonely, bitter old women best!” Amber, feeling validated, cheers excitedly in her coquettish voice: “Of course I do! I’ve watched so many palace dramas, I know all about these troublemaking old women!” With the heavy trash can over my head, I can barely breathe. I bite my tongue to maintain my last shred of clarity: “Save me, I’m really dying. Call 911…” Amber lets out a shrill scream. “I know this one! The next act is ‘diagnosed with terminal illness’!” “Tsk tsk, sis, where did you take your acting classes? That tuition was well spent!” “But have you considered how much money Ryan could be losing? He makes millions in deals every minute. You’re being so inconsiderate!” The stench of the couple’s lovemaking from inside the trash can assaults my senses, jolting me awake. It’s better to rely on myself than others. Using my last ounce of strength, I shake off the trash can and crawl towards the door on trembling hands. The security guards patrol regularly. If I can just get outside, I have a chance of being rescued. Behind me, Amber’s mocking voice rings out loudly. “Ryan, your wife is really going all out. She’s really selling this ‘struggle for life’ act.” “It’s a shame about this fine hardwood floor though. She’s making such a mess, it’ll definitely leave marks.” My whole body is shaking, every cell trembling. Tears and sweat mingle, stinging my eyes fiercely. I ignore Amber’s sarcasm and finally reach the door. With great effort, I raise my hand to reach for the doorknob. Again and again I try, I don’t know how many times, until I finally grasp it. But the door doesn’t open. Ryan violently swats my hand away. “If your brain’s not working right, hurry up and go see a doctor. No one has time to watch you act out this sob story!” It feels like millions of insects are gnawing at my body. I clench my fists tightly, my palms bleeding. “I’m really sick, I feel terrible. Let me go to the hospital myself, I promise I won’t bother you!” The immense psychological trauma combined with extreme pain makes me feel like I’m seeing two figures, one black and one white. No, I can’t die now. I still have so many unfulfilled wishes. In this desperate situation, I can only play along, swallowing my pride and begging: “Please open the door. I’ll go to the hospital myself, I really won’t cause you any trouble…” Ryan looks at the blood smeared on his calf with disgust and kicks me hard. I’ve completely lost all my strength. I can only lie on the cold floor, feeling my heartbeat grow weaker and weaker. Ryan grabs my hair and drags me towards the door without a care.

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I am a Reaper who ventured into the mortal world to save the woman I love. Olivia. I defied fate’s repeated calls for her death, and after five years of knowing and loving each other, we were about to get married. On our wedding day, she discovered my identity as a Reaper. She ran away from the wedding and used her own life to blackmail me into saving her ex-boyfriend who had cancer. “If you don’t save him, I’ll die with him!” she threatened. Later, when death came for her again, I took her life as commanded. But she cried until her eyes were bloodshot, kneeling on the ground begging me. “Honey, I regret it. Please, save me one more time.” “Lucas, so Olivia ran away from the wedding to be with another man.” At our pure white wedding venue, the big screen suddenly started live streaming, showing my runaway bride. My Olivia was tightly hugging a man in her arms. The man looked pale, while Olivia’s eyes were full of concern. “Don’t worry, Ethan. I’ll find a way to keep you alive.” The video cut off abruptly, just like my suddenly stopped heart. In the four hours since this morning, my bride had only left me one message: “Lucas, since you’re a Reaper, I think we need to reconsider our wedding.” Just when I thought we were about to find happiness together. She left me standing alone to face everyone’s mockery. A burst of loud static came from the speakers… the two of them reappeared on screen. My trembling body was surrounded by layers of wedding guests, their voices full of ridicule and sarcasm. “Looks like even falling for a medical genius can’t save you from being cheated on.” “She’d rather comfort her own patient than come walk down the aisle. If you ask me, the bride herself must have sent this video to the big screen.” “Hey, hey, don’t say that. It can’t be. Look what they’re doing?!” Following the voices, I stared fixedly at the screen. The huge screen was filled with intimate images of Olivia and Ethan. On the pure white hospital bed, the two of them were entangled. Amidst Ethan’s weak tears, Olivia kissed him passionately. In an instant, all the memories of the past and the sudden loss exploded in my mind, shattering and raging. Then, my gaze instantly dimmed, like a fallen star. The guests began to leave. Someone said, could there be a more miserable groom than me? No, there couldn’t be. So I would no longer be her groom. I don’t know how long I sat there. When I got up to leave, Olivia rushed back with disheveled clothes. Our eyes met. She awkwardly rubbed her nose and started to explain. “I’m sorry honey, Ethan almost died just now, so I had to go to him first.” Hah, almost died. That’s the excuse she used every time she went to see Ethan. But didn’t she just find out? I’m a Reaper. How could I not know who was struggling on the brink of death? My heart was completely exhausted. I couldn’t be bothered to expose her lies. Seeing my expression, Olivia frowned in displeasure: “Come on, was it really necessary to throw the groom’s suit on the ground?” I swallowed the bitterness on my tongue, my lips stiff. “I didn’t throw it. The guests tore it off me while mocking me.” Hearing this, her face stiffened slightly, a flash of apology in her eyes. She took the initiative to put the suit back on me. “Alright, stop sulking. I’m back to marry you, aren’t I?” She looked at me, a smile on her lips, her tone certain. “Stop pretending. Didn’t you say you can’t live without me? You should be grateful I came back.” I pulled at the corner of my mouth, saying sarcastically, “Oh yes, I’m so grateful you came back after running away from our wedding.” She glanced at me and continued. “I’ll marry you, but you have to save Ethan first.” In an instant, I looked up at her in disbelief. She continued speaking nonchalantly. “You’re a Reaper, right? You said you saved me. What’s wrong with saving one more person?” “You’ve already saved one, what’s the difference between saving one or two?” At this moment, anger surged in my heart. No wonder she took the initiative to apologize to me. It was all for her beloved Ethan. But she knew better than anyone that there was a price for a Reaper to save someone. Saving her alone had already left my mortal body riddled with wounds. Now she wanted me to save Ethan too. I stared straight at her and said coldly: “Absolutely not.” In an instant, after a moment of satisfaction, her anger flared. “Lucas! How dare you say you love me?!” “I’m telling you, if you don’t save Ethan, you can forget about this marriage!” “Not only that, if Ethan dies, I’ll die with him!” Looking at her furious expression, I felt a sadness and exhaustion I had never experienced before. I had told her long ago that saving anyone other than her would make me disappear into smoke. I laughed weakly, tearing off the veil on my head and the ring in my hand, throwing them all on the ground. “Do whatever you want.” “If you don’t want to get married, then fine.” As I was leaving, I heard her shouting behind me. “Lucas! When I die, don’t you dare cry!” My steps didn’t falter. I won’t cry anymore. Olivia. I will never again be heartbroken over your death.

After leaving the wedding venue, I received a call from my subordinate. “Reaper, we’ve just received information on Olivia’s manner of death. Cancer will take her life in 30 days…” “We’ve already thought of how to…” “No need,” I interrupted. The subordinate was stunned, then reacted. “You mean you’ll find a way to save Olivia yourself this time?” “No, there’s no need to save Olivia this time.” After a long while, the subordinate let out a soft “Mm”, as if hesitating over whether I was speaking out of anger. Because over the years, I had silently borne the consequences of defying fate for each of Olivia’s deaths. Knowing she would die in a car accident, I kept her locked by my side for an entire day. Knowing she would be crushed to death by a heavy object, I stayed by her side constantly and took the blow of that object for her. From the moment I couldn’t bear to see her stabbed to death in a medical dispute, I used my frail body and endured illness. I exchanged my wellbeing for her safety time and time again. But now, my heart was dead. “From now on, don’t inform me in advance of any death notices for Olivia. Follow the normal death procedures.” Just as I finished saying this, Ethan sent me a message. “Olivia said she wouldn’t let me face death alone.” Below was a voice recording of Olivia: “Ethan, you’re the one I truly love. If I have to die, I’ll die with you.” Even though I knew Ethan was different in Olivia’s heart, hearing her say this still made me feel suffocated. Back then, she single-handedly resisted Death’s call for her patients. While marveling at her abilities, I fell in love with her. Later, I saved her when she was about to be stabbed to death by an angry patient’s family. She cared for the wound on my stomach, and that’s how we fell in love. For five years of dating, while I bore the consequences of defying fate, she always took meticulous care of my weakened body. But after Ethan appeared, everything changed. She began to intentionally or unintentionally avoid me, forgetting about my condition. When I was injured by a heavy object for her sake, she even went for a walk in the park with Ethan. Just when I thought she still loved me by choosing to marry me… She ran away from the wedding, and when she reappeared before me, it was to ask me to save Ethan. It turns out that even the most profound love is small and laughable in the face of human hearts. I coldly blocked Ethan and called my subordinate again. “Change Olivia’s time of death to 7 days from now.” We do have the right to advance the time of death for those who volunteer to die early. Olivia, didn’t you say you two would face death together? Then, as you wish. “Let Ethan and Olivia face the pain of illness together.” The moment I finished speaking, I passed out.

It must have been the price for interfering with Olivia’s death last time. I found myself in the hospital again when I woke up. I don’t know who saved me, but as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Olivia in front of me. Her expression was unreadable. Before I could say anything, she spoke first. “Alright, I know you deliberately made yourself sick to come find me, but it won’t be so easy for me to forgive you.” The next moment, a group of people appeared at the door. In our five years of dating, I vaguely recognized some of them – Olivia’s relatives, uncles and aunts. “If you want me to forgive you, then make all my relatives live long and healthy lives!” “After all, you’re only paying the price of some illness, while they can live the rest of their lives without any pain or sickness.” “Cough!” I gritted my teeth hard, a metallic taste filling my mouth. Looking at Olivia, I only felt disgusted. All those years of true love crumbled in my mind, each scene carrying an extremely cold chill, freezing my heart with pain. “Get out!” I shouted. Large amounts of blood were coughed up. If my subordinate hadn’t arrived in time to drive away the crowd of people, Olivia might have really taken my life. As she left, she still said, “Lucas, you’re not even taking the way out I’m giving you. Just wait and regret it when I die!” I pulled at the corner of my pale lips, seeing the sympathetic look in my subordinate’s eyes, and smiled weakly. “Let’s go, back to the Underworld.” I would never return to this mortal world again. Three days after returning to the Underworld, I remembered that I still had something in the room I shared with Olivia that was suppressing her fate. When I appeared before Olivia again to retrieve the item, her complexion was already quite pale. The pain of cancer must have left her weak and listless, but seeing me, she was still arrogant and smug. “Finally knew to come back and apologize? How come you weren’t so tough when you were throwing the ring and chasing away my relatives?” I coldly took down the peach wood sword by the bed that was used to drive away ghosts, without saying a word. “Hurry up and take away all your unlucky things. I was wondering why I felt surrounded by a deathly aura, turns out it was your doing.” “Now you’re trying to find a way to keep me from dying? I’m telling you, don’t even think about me forgiving you if you don’t save Ethan.” Taking a deep breath, I coldly threw all the items into the trash can and turned to leave. Seeing me like this, Olivia thought I was going to come back to apologize and beg for forgiveness like before, even though I was putting on a cold face while thinking of ways to save her. So her voice behind me became even more arrogant. “I’m telling you, even if you find a way now, I won’t forgive you so easily.” “If you want to make it up to me, come back tomorrow and save the patient I’m treating!” I paused in my steps, turning my face to the side and saying coldly. “Just you wait.” While she was still fantasizing about becoming the savior of those around her, I had already left home without looking back. My subordinate sent me a message that the death procedures were proceeding as scheduled. In four days, I would need to personally collect Olivia’s life to make amends for my mistakes. The four days passed quickly. When I arrived by Olivia’s side as she was on the brink of death, She was lying on the street, barely breathing, having just been rejected by Ethan and berated by her relatives. Seeing me… A light drizzle fell on her face, but she still maintained a superior attitude. “Now you know to come save me? It’s too late!” “I’m telling you, the way I am now, rejected by them, is all because of you. I’m very unhappy, so you better figure out what to do.” I calmly looked down and walked in front of her. The disdain on her face became even more apparent. “I gave you too much face before, that’s why you don’t even know to help me up when you see me like this. Lucas, there’s a limit to throwing tantrums. Do you have to wait until I’m about to die before coming to save me?” “Who will you cry to when I’m dead!” She stumbled as she tried to stand up, her hand shaking in the air. I stood in place, looking down at her coldly. “I told you long ago, I won’t cry.” “What did you say?” Olivia looked up with wide eyes. But when she saw my umbrella, she regained her arrogant and smug expression. “Stop pretending, Lucas. Don’t forget that if it weren’t for me, how could you have lived until today? You love me so much, you can’t live without me.” “I’m telling you, if you save me now, I can cooperate, but you have to save Ethan first.” “And my patients and relatives too.” “Otherwise, I’ll go die right now and see what you’ll do!” She was fearless, but didn’t expect me to just smile slightly. “As you wish.” “What?” Olivia frowned. I raised my hand, materializing a dagger with the symbol of Death on its hilt. Slowly crouching down, I placed it against Olivia’s neck. “Your life was obtained through countless trials I endured in the mortal world. But as long as I don’t care about your life, fate’s call would have been enough for you to die a thousand times over.” “As for the others, didn’t you say you’d die if I didn’t save them? Then as you wish, face death!” I lightly pulled the dagger across her chest… Finally pressing it against her heart.

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At the graduation party when I was eighteen, Jacob Taylor introduced me to an adult secret. I endured the initial discomfort, but secretly smiled the whole way home. Six years of secret love, from middle school to high school graduation, had finally come to fruition. I curled up in bed, my fingertips lightly tracing the marks he left behind, as if this could make that moment last forever. Until the next afternoon, when I returned to school early to retrieve a forgotten notebook and heard Jacob and his basketball teammates laughing in the empty classroom. “Nice job, you scored with the class beauty,” a gruff male voice rang out – it was Mike, the team’s center. My heart skipped a beat as I stood in the shadows of the hallway clutching my notebook, my cheeks burning. “I wanted to pursue Jessica, but was afraid she’d think I was too inexperienced,” Jacob’s casual voice was like a dull knife, slowly cutting open my chest, “So I practiced my skills with Emily first.” I didn’t say a word, I just changed my first college choice from New York University to the University of Florida – the option furthest from New York.

The notebook slipped from my hands, landing with a muffled thud on the carpet. I stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning. On a hot July afternoon in Minnesota, I felt my blood turn to ice. “As expected of our captain, even the class beauty is just practice for him,” another teammate, Chris, whistled. “Doesn’t that make her like, what do you call it, one of those inflatable practice dolls?” Mike laughed crudely. Jacob laughed and threw a textbook at him: “Don’t say it like that, it’s not like she lost out.” “Seriously though, the class beauty is too skinny. Compared to Jessica the cheerleading captain-” “Shut up,” Jacob interrupted, but with a laugh in his voice, “It was just the mood at the time. Besides, I could tell she was struggling quite a bit…” “Wow, who knew our straight-A class president Emily was such a closet freak!” “Who could resist Jacob’s charm? When meat is served to your mouth, how can you not eat it?” “Emily’s been chasing you for so many years, she’s probably fantasized about it countless times, right?” A burst of harsh laughter erupted from the classroom. I bit my lip hard until I tasted iron. My nails dug deep into my palms, the pain barely keeping me standing. Footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway, and I frantically picked up my notebook and fled into the farthest stall of the girls’ bathroom. The moment I locked the door, tears began to fall. I covered my mouth, suppressing my sobs as my body slid down the partition to the cold floor. The girl in the mirror had red, swollen eyes and messy hair – this was how Jacob Taylor saw me, a convenient post-it note girl to be used and discarded. Outside the stall, the sound of running water and girls chatting drifted in. I held my breath, listening to them discuss prom and their upcoming college lives. Most people had chosen schools on the East Coast, including Jacob – he had received a sports scholarship to New York University. And I had originally planned to follow him to New York, applying for a scholarship to the same university. With trembling hands, I took out my phone and logged into the college application system. The deadline was midnight tonight. My finger hovered over the screen for a long time before I finally changed my first choice from New York University to the University of Florida – the farthest option from New York. “Emily? Are you in there?” My best friend Sarah’s voice came from outside the door. “The graduation ceremony is about to start, everyone’s looking for you.” I quickly wiped away my tears and took a deep breath: “I’ll be right out.” As I pushed open the stall door, I fixed my appearance in the mirror. The girl in the reflection had changed – something soft had died in her eyes. At the graduation ceremony, I mechanically accepted my diploma. As I stood on stage, my gaze swept over the crowd – Jacob was laughing and joking with his basketball teammates, not even bothering to look up at me. That night, while everyone else was celebrating graduation by the lake, I sat alone at home and clicked the “Confirm Submission” button. The system displayed a successful change: Emily Carter, University of Florida, Biochemistry major. Thirteen hundred miles from New York.

Tears of heartbreak and humiliation had long since fallen. Jacob’s words echoed in my mind over and over again. They had almost completely destroyed all of my self-esteem. If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I never would have believed that he and the person who had been so intimately entangled with me last night were the same person. Apparently, it was possible to do such intimate things without love. Even in the most passionate moments of losing all reason, it was possible to lie and deceive. What I had foolishly believed to be the fruition of our relationship was nothing more than a joke to others. The more I cried, the more upset I became. But I didn’t dare make a sound, my body shaking uncontrollably. After a long while. My phone buzzed with a message notification. It was Jacob. [Take a cab home yourself, the team has a celebration party tonight, it’s not convenient to take you.] I didn’t reply. He added another message. [Remember to go to CVS and buy Plan B, I don’t have time to go with you today. Make sure to take it, be good.] I stared at these two messages for a long time without saying anything. Yesterday from evening until dawn, Jacob had worn me out over and over again. In the end, when we were both exhausted, just before he fell asleep holding me, he had mumbled twice. “We weren’t fully prepared for the first time, I’ll definitely take you to buy emergency contraception tomorrow.” He even reminded me that girls need to protect themselves, and that Plan B is more effective the earlier you take it. At the time, I thought he was being responsible towards me, that I had finally found my happiness. But now… In an instant, I sobered up quite a bit. I pinched my palm hard, forcing myself to stop crying. I wiped away my tears and tidied myself up before leaving the bathroom. Too embarrassed to go to the pharmacy myself, I just ordered the pill on Uber Eats. After the rider left it at the door, it took me a long time before I dared to sneak out and bring it back. After swallowing the pill with tears in my eyes, I seemed to lose all my strength and just sat numbly on the carpet, staring blankly. Ever since Jacob’s family moved in next door, I had followed him around like a little tail for ten years. I had never imagined what a world without him would be like. I didn’t dare to imagine it either. But from now on, it would just be me alone. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the lights of Minneapolis came on one by one, then gradually went out. I don’t know how much time had passed when my best friend Sarah FaceTimed me. “Emily, why didn’t you come to the graduation party with Jacob tonight? “That cheerleader Jessica showed up instead, and she’s been all over Jacob while you’re not here. They’re being so gross right now.” Sarah turned the camera to show me.

In a dim corner of the party, Jacob and Jessica the school beauty were sitting close together. Jessica was wearing a crop top and tight jeans tonight, showing off her slim waist and long legs. The two of them were clearly separated from the people around them. Even their conversation seemed like intimate whispering. The flirtatious atmosphere was palpable even through the screen. My chest tightened involuntarily. Jacob had just said this afternoon that he wanted to pursue her, and it looks like he’s already succeeded tonight. Jessica drew “guy does push-ups over girl” for Truth or Dare and had to pick a guy to do it with her. Not surprisingly, Jacob immediately volunteered. Everyone started cheering them on. Jessica blushed and obediently lay down on the couch. Jacob hovered over her and did dozens of push-ups in one go. He was very restrained the whole time, trying hard to avoid touching Jessica’s body. Until the very last one, whether he finally lost his strength or did it on purpose, He couldn’t hold himself up and fell directly on top of Jessica. The screams around them grew even louder, nearly taking the roof off. Jacob and Jessica’s faces turned even redder. Amidst the crowd’s frenzied cheering, Jacob simply lowered his head and kissed Jessica. The two kissed shamelessly, ignoring everyone around them. It lasted a full three minutes before they reluctantly parted. During those endless three minutes, I stared at the screen without blinking, so stunned I nearly forgot to breathe. My heart felt like it was being torn apart. I wanted to cry, but I had cried too much earlier without drinking water, so I had no tears left. “OMG Emily, did you see that? You could hear them kissing, he’s so into her,” Sarah exclaimed as she turned the camera away and left the party room. She found a quiet corner and sincerely advised me: “Emily, don’t blame me, but if you didn’t see it with your own eyes, you wouldn’t give up on him.” My throat was dry, and the sounds I made were barely audible. “Mm, I don’t blame you.” I only blame myself for being so stupid for so many years. I thought that since I was always allowed to follow Jacob around, that spot next to him would always be mine. “I just can’t stand Jacob. How could he string you along pretending to be an innocent boy when he knew you liked him for so many years, watching you fall deeper and deeper?” “You saw it clearly just now. I really hope you’ll seriously reconsider. Don’t let him waste another four years of your life in college…” “I won’t, Sarah,” I interrupted her, stating calmly. “I won’t give myself that chance again. “Sarah, I’ve already decided. I’m going to the University of Florida with you. “But you have to promise to keep it a secret for now.”

After saying that, to prevent myself from hesitating again, I opened my laptop in front of Sarah. Without any hesitation, just before the deadline, I changed my Early Decision application through the Common App from New York University to the University of Florida. Sarah was so happy she almost jumped up. She had been trying to persuade me to apply to the same university for a long time. But in our sophomore year of high school, Jacob and I had made a promise to work hard together and go to his dream school in New York after graduation. That’s where his dream sports management program was. So even though I was actually more drawn to the warm sunshine of California and didn’t particularly care for the hustle and bustle of New York, for three years of high school, I had always treated NYU as my only goal. After years of being neighbors, both sets of parents were happy for us to attend the same university. Everyone, including myself, thought that Jacob and I would naturally become a couple after we became adults. But now, I couldn’t find any reason to go to New York anymore. Or rather, after today, if I were to follow Jacob around like before, I would look down on myself. Now I just wanted to hide far away. It didn’t matter where, as long as Jacob wasn’t there. If he was on the East Coast, then I would go to the southernmost point.

Before bed, I filled an entire bathtub with water, wanting to wash myself completely clean. But when I took off my clothes, the purple bruises from his kisses were still clearly visible on my skin. Memories of last night came flooding back involuntarily. The burning heat of the boy’s skin as we held each other tightly, the scorching breath in my ear as we moved together – the lingering warmth seemed to still surround me. I shook my head violently, trying to shake off these wild memories. I found a loofah and scrubbed my skin over and over again until my whole body was red before I stopped. Clumsily attempting to erase this most shameful experience of my life. The result was that I was in so much pain I couldn’t sleep well all night. Jacob didn’t send any more messages either. Breaking the habit we’d had since getting phones of saying goodnight to each other without fail for six years. This was for the best. It would have happened sooner or later anyway. Might as well start detoxing from tonight. I tossed and turned until nearly dawn before finally falling asleep. Early the next morning while I was still sound asleep, I suddenly felt someone plant a light kiss on my forehead in my dream.

I woke with a start. But when I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar chin and Adam’s apple. The scent enveloping me from above was Jacob’s favorite Creed cologne, along with a faint unfamiliar citrus fragrance. I had almost forgotten, Jacob always had a spare key to my house. Seeing that I was awake, Jacob simply moved lower, chuckling as he tried to kiss my lips. I hurriedly turned my head to avoid it. I pushed him away and retreated to the other side of the bed. Jacob was stunned for a moment, then laughed at me: “Morning, sunshine. Why so shy?” I didn’t say anything, just pulled the covers over my head. Jacob scolded me while trying to pull off my blanket. “Emily Carter, you’ve got some nerve. You didn’t say goodnight to me last night and even turned off your phone. “Now you’re hiding from me?” He was quick, diving under the covers in an instant. Before I could react, he had me completely wrapped in his arms. “Hey, how many times have I told you not to skip breakfast? “I went out of my way to bring you your favorite – pumpkin spice latte and blueberry muffin from that Starbucks you love. “Do you want to get up and eat now, or… do you want me to eat you first…” His breath was extremely close to me, and his hands followed suit. Sobering up from my daze, I struggled desperately. But at 5’4″, I was no match for the 6’2″ athlete. I really couldn’t understand what he was thinking. He already had Jessica, why was he still messing with me? After struggling hard for a while, I was panting, but hadn’t broken free. Instead, he held me even tighter. “What’s wrong with you? “Are you angry? Just because I didn’t take you to the party last night? Such a small thing?” I didn’t say anything. He buried his head in the crook of my neck and laughed. “Let me guess, your gossip queen friend Sarah livestreamed it for you? “It was just a game, is that worth being jealous over? “Why are you still like before, getting upset whenever I get a little close to other girls?” I was furious to the extreme, at a complete loss for words. Remembering what I learned in self-defense class, I suddenly raised my knee and aimed for his groin, then quickly ran off the bed while he was in pain. “Emily!” Jacob gritted his teeth, his face turning red. I quickly grabbed a hoodie and threw it on over my pajamas, hurrying to the living room. I didn’t want to be in the same room as him, especially not my bedroom. Jacob came out shortly after, looking both angry and helpless. After a long while, he seemed to suddenly remember something and casually asked: “By the way, you took the Plan B yesterday, right?” “Don’t cause any accidents, we can’t explain it to your parents.” Jacob walked to the kitchen island and picked up the latte, holding it out to me. “Come on, drink something before you get angry. You know you have low blood sugar.” I didn’t say anything and didn’t take it. Jacob’s hand holding the cup froze in mid-air for a long time before he finally lost patience. “What the hell is your problem? “Emily, there’s a limit to throwing tantrums, you know?” I coldly replied: “I’m not good enough for you.” Jacob’s face turned white with anger. He slammed the coffee down on the counter. He used too much force, and the lid popped off, splattering coffee everywhere. “What do you mean by that? “Who do you think you are, Emily? “It was just a one night stand, and now you want to control me? Do you know how suffocating that is?” His tone was unprecedentedly fierce. In an instant, tears streamed down my face without a second of build-up. Yesterday’s humiliation and hurt all came rushing back. Jacob seemed unprepared for my sudden intense crying and was at a loss for what to do. He apologized with frustration: “Shit… I’m sorry, I drank too much last night and wasn’t thinking when I said that just now.” Jacob walked up to me as he spoke, reaching out to wipe my tears, but I dodged him again. He froze, his hand stopping in mid-air. He was about to say something else when his phone suddenly rang. He only glanced at the screen before his expression changed, and he immediately grabbed his jacket to leave. “I have an emergency, you calm down first. “We’re going to college now, stop being so childish. Who could put up with this in the future?”

Less than half an hour after he left, Sarah sent me a screenshot. It was Jessica’s Instagram story. [✨Magic breakfast appears when you’re hungry✨ Is this what they call mutual crush?] The photo showed an Einstein Bagels packaging bag identical to the one on my dining table. I didn’t reply. I just silently wiped away my tears and knelt down to clean up the coffee Jacob had spilled. After trying for a long time, I was upset to find that the stains on the wooden floor had seeped into the grain and couldn’t be wiped away. In a fit of anger, I contacted a flooring company to come refinish and reseal it. After all, this was the eco-friendly sealant that Jacob and his parents had specially recommended to my family after returning from their vacation in Hawaii. While I was at it, I gathered up Jacob’s sweatshirt, toothbrush, game console, and all the gifts he had given me over the years. I even went through the photos of us together on my phone, sorting them all out. I was busy until late at night before I finished packing everything into donation boxes. He probably wouldn’t care about these old things anyway. After Jacob left that day, there was no news from him for several days in a row. I guess things were going well with the cheerleading captain. Or maybe he was waiting for me to contact him first. In the past six years, every time we had a cold war, I was always the first to give in, without exception. But this time I didn’t reach out to him. There was no need to reach out to him anymore. I blocked his phone number and all his social media accounts, changed the password on my front door, and deleted my old Instagram. After doing all this, I called my parents who were on a business trip in China. I told them I wanted to go to San Francisco to stay with Aunt Linda during spring break. My plan was to fly directly to the University of Florida with Sarah when the break was over. Besides Sarah, no one else knew I had changed my ED application. This plan should perfectly avoid any chance of running into Jacob. Mom laughed on the phone and asked, “Sweetie, are you going to California with Jacob?” I gave a vague answer, not wanting to explain too much. I just said I wanted to keep Aunt Linda company after her recent surgery. Dad booked me on the earliest flight the next day, and I packed my bags overnight to prepare to leave. As I was heading out, I unfortunately ran into Jacob’s mom in the driveway. She enthusiastically rolled down her car window: “Emily, why are you alone? Isn’t Jacob picking you up? “Didn’t he say he was taking you to Cancun for spring break? Have fun you two!” I was a bit confused. During the most stressful part of senior year, I had indeed mentioned to Jacob that I wanted to see the blue seas and skies of Cancun, Mexico. But how could we possibly travel together now, given our current situation? But my Uber had already arrived, so I just said a quick goodbye and left. What I never expected was that at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, I would actually run into Jacob.

After half a year apart, when I saw Jacob again, we had both changed quite a bit. He was even thinner, had dyed his hair, but of course still looked as handsome as ever. I’ve never been good at reading people, but my aesthetic sense has always been on point. Otherwise I wouldn’t have known to follow him around like a puppy since I was little. I was only stunned for a brief moment before I smiled and greeted him casually. “Hi Jacob, you’re here too.” Jacob’s hand froze in mid-air as he was reaching for my luggage, looking at me in disbelief. Since we were little, both sets of parents had repeatedly told me to call him “big brother Jacob” many times. I had stubbornly refused to ever call him that. Now with a different mindset, it came out naturally. But Jacob seemed to have a hard time accepting it. It was a long time before he finally took my luggage with shaking hands. Mom whispered an explanation in my ear. “We came out to pick you up and happened to run into Jacob at the entrance. He insisted on coming along to help.” I smiled and gestured that it was fine. In the car, I couldn’t wait to share all the recent interesting stories from school with my parents, making them laugh non-stop. No one paid attention to Jacob, but from the corner of my eye, I noticed his lips curling up in a secret smile the whole way. That day he seemed to want to come sit at my house for a while, but all three of us politely declined together. The entire winter break I was out early and back late every day to practice driving, and in the evenings I was always out with some high school friends. I heard Jacob came looking for me a few times, but we always missed each other. I was a bit surprised, not thinking there was anything we needed to talk about. This year my grandmother and aunt had come back for the New Year. On New Year’s Eve, the house was especially lively. After the New Year’s Eve dinner, the older folks were watching the Spring Festival Gala on the couch, while the younger generation was learning to play mahjong. But Jacob’s family of three suddenly showed up at our house with bags of gifts.

“Our house is too quiet, mind if we join in for a game?” Jacob’s mom joked with a smile. In previous years, our two families had always spent the Spring Festival together. This year, because of my relationship with Jacob, my mom had declined his mom’s invitation to have New Year’s Eve dinner together. But when guests show up at the door, you can’t just turn them away. Jacob naturally sat down next to me, watching me play mahjong. My cousins didn’t know about the situation between Jacob and me, and kept teasing us. I laughed it off and clarified each time. Jacob’s expression soured a bit. When we went out to set off fireworks at midnight, he grabbed my hand, seeming to want to say something. But my phone suddenly rang. My face reddened a bit as I pulled my hand away from Jacob’s and stepped aside to answer the call. It was a classmate from Florida named Jack who I had met through a student club. He was very good-looking too. Not the cold, aloof type of handsome guy, but more of a funny, goofy boy who loved to laugh. He talked a lot and was full of jokes. He often made me laugh so hard I couldn’t straighten up. He said he called because he was bored being alone and wanted to count down to the new year together with us. I didn’t think much of it and didn’t hang up since it was New Year’s. I let him participate in our New Year’s countdown ritual remotely. Just before hanging up, he chuckled. “Actually, I just wanted to be the first person to wish you Happy New Year after midnight. “Happy New Year, Emily.” I smiled happily and wished him well too. We chatted for a while longer, and when he was finally willing to hang up, I turned around to find Jacob standing behind me with an icy expression. I don’t know how long he had been listening. “Boyfriend?” he asked hoarsely. “Not quite yet,” I replied honestly after thinking for a moment. “…” Jacob was silent for a long time. I thought he had nothing more to say and was about to head back to the living room to continue playing mahjong. But he suddenly spoke up again, “Out-of-state guys aren’t necessarily reliable. It’s better to find someone local who you know well.” I nodded. “You’re right, you never truly know someone. I’ll keep evaluating him. “Thanks for the advice, Jacob. You should settle down soon too.” Jacob looked like something had stabbed him in the heart. He didn’t say anything else and left the yard directly. I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t the first time he’d thrown a tantrum. Before, when I had rose-colored glasses on, I thought everything about him was perfect. But now… After that, I accompanied my grandmother and parents to visit relatives and then went on road trips. I barely stayed at home. I didn’t run into Jacob again either. The winter break was short, and soon I was back at school. But the next day, I actually saw Jacob at the university gates.

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It was a Sunday evening when I got a call from Lucas while having dinner. “Ava, I’m sorry. I cheated again.” I calmly put some vegetables into the pot and replied, “Buy me a car to apologize, and we’ll move on.” Lucas fell silent for a moment before dropping the bomb. “She’s pregnant.” I stopped eating and stared at the bubbling broth. “Oh, that won’t do. You’ll have to add an apartment too.” … After my face was registered for the lock of the 4,600 square foot penthouse downtown, the keys to a white Cullinan also arrived in my hands. Lucas, my fiancé, truly lived up to his reputation as the cream of the crop among the city’s second-generation rich. This time, his mistress was a stunning woman named Mia, who confronted me aggressively. “Break up with Lucas! He loves me!” “While you were sitting at home alone, we were kissing by the lake! He took me horseback riding and we made love passionately every night at the resort! That’s when the baby was conceived…” What a riveting love story. If I’d come across it on TikTok, I’d have given it a like. My gaze lowered to Mia’s slightly protruding belly beneath her heaving chest. I’d seen many mistresses before. But one coming to confront me while pregnant? That was rare. She was the second. The first was me. I looked at her, my expression unchanging. “Miss Mia, don’t get carried away. Lucas is young and likes to play. When he’s tired of someone and wants to get rid of them, he hands them over to me. You’ve entered the after-sales stage.” Lucas’s pinned post on Instagram was our engagement photo, and he always wore the Harry Winston wedding ring on his left middle finger. Anyone still throwing themselves at him would be treated as “asking for it.” “As for the authenticity of the child, I’ll take you for a paternity test tomorrow. Once we have the results, we can discuss compensation.” Mia slammed the table and stood up. “Ava, are you even human? You’re talking about me and my baby like we’re commodities.” I remained as calm as still water. “Being a mistress comes with its own treatment. Miss Mia, if you could reach Lucas and make him take responsibility, would you be sitting here for three hours waiting for me?” Mia’s expression faltered, and I delivered my final blow gently. “Coincidentally, Lucas always uses protection when he sleeps with others. I never give him condoms that are more than six months old, and I insist that he confirms the other person’s health status before sleeping with them. How strange that this time there was an accident?” Hearing this, Mia was not only shocked by the content of my words but also showed a moment of panic. Her fingers, gripping the cup, trembled and turned white. “Maybe… it was just bad luck…” Her voice trailed off, quickly swallowed by her cup. I smiled without speaking. Her phone rang. Suddenly, Mia’s gloomy face brightened. “I’m not afraid. You can check all you want. But I’m telling you, if the report shows it’s really Lucas’s child, you’ll have to step aside and break up with him!” My eyes darkened. This idiot Lucas really fell for it. Mia pressed her advantage. “Ava, if Lucas really loved you, he wouldn’t have slept with someone else. You’re so calm about his cheating, do you really love him?” I thought to myself, youth is beautiful, still believing in love. Adults are all about mutual benefits and satisfaction. I stood up, gathering my things to leave. “Since Miss Mia is determined to take my place, I wish you success. However, from now on, you won’t be dealing with me, but with William.” Hearing this name, Mia’s whole body tensed. “William… you’re going to hand me over to him?” William, the undefeated killer in the business world, was Lucas’s older brother and the most outstanding young CEO in the city. He doted on his playboy younger brother Lucas the most. Those who dared to scheme against his brother were always ruthlessly dealt with. Seeing Mia’s fear, I gave examples of William’s skillful methods of causing “accidental” bloodshed. Mia’s features crumpled as she protected her belly. After an internal struggle, she decisively grabbed me. “I choose to negotiate with you…” I wiped away her tears. “Alright. I’ll help you get the maximum financial compensation.”

After transferring the seven-figure compensation to Mia’s account, I received a message from Lucas. He invited me to a party tonight, saying there would be new people. I stood outside the private room for two minutes. Lucas was sitting in the corner of the sofa, his arm around his childhood friend Rachel as they played a game. When Rachel got tired, she clung to Lucas’s arm and whispered in his ear. Lucas smiled, gently pinching her cheek. The ambiguity was thick in the air. Someone like Mia had probably been forgotten long ago. Lucas’s philandering was like a powerful air conditioner that suddenly cuts off. A person who’s gentle to everyone is actually cruel to everyone. Fortunately, I was even more gently cruel than him. Just as Rachel was about to lean in closer to Lucas, I pushed open the door. Lucas’s face lit up with joy, and he immediately stood to greet me. Rachel’s face darkened, and she furiously tapped on her phone. “Ava, I’ve missed you so much. Thank you for your hard work. When we get home, I’ll make it up to you…” Lucas’s sweet talk came as naturally as breathing. I let it go in one ear and out the other, never taking it seriously. “It wasn’t hard. But in the future, you need to be more careful and avoid these accidents. I can help you keep things under control, so they won’t reach your parents’ ears.” I was always generous and considerate. No matter how many women Lucas flirted with outside, I never cried, made a scene, or acted out. I even took the initiative to clean up his messes. His friends were dying of envy. But I simply didn’t love him. Lucas led me to a secluded corner of the room. “Ava, let me introduce you to a new friend. He’s one of my brother’s business partners, and I’ve been asked to entertain him recently…” As the neon lights flashed by, they illuminated two faces from deep in my memory. My college first love and his affair partner. It took all my strength to clench my fists and not make a sound, but I still showed the biggest loss of composure in nearly three months. “Noah, did you see that? Ava’s expression just now was so ridiculous, still as stupid as ever…” Contemptuous, frivolous, malicious female voice. I once broke down and cried under such a voice. Now, it only took me two seconds. I took the initiative to raise my glass and greet them with a smile. “Hello, I’m Ava, Lucas’s fiancée.” Zoe, wearing a wine-red spaghetti strap dress, turned her head haughtily, disdainful of me. Instead, it was Noah, hidden in the darkness, who accepted my toast. His voice was low and bewitching. “Lucas is lucky to have such a good fiancée.” Compared to before, Noah had become more sophisticated and less cold. Lucas joked, “Brother Noah, are you envious? I can introduce you to some quality girls. Someone as outstanding as you doesn’t need to hang onto a crooked tree. Find someone you can show off…” A blatant insult to her face. Zoe finally realized and glared at Lucas. Lucas didn’t flinch, smiling softly and innocently. Zoe had miscalculated. Lucas might seem good-natured, but he was actually sharp-tongued, playing dumb to outwit others. Zoe had offended me, so he targeted her. The air froze. Noah smoothly mediated the situation. “Thanks for your kindness, Lucas, but I’m a man of singular taste. Once I’ve found someone I like, I don’t change easily.” “New clothes might be nice, but old friends are irreplaceable. The more people you meet, the more you miss the sincerity and companionship of your first love.” He seemed to be defending Zoe, but his gaze fell on my face. I turned away, pretending to look at my phone. Suddenly, there was a loud noise at the door. Usually, I deal with one mistress a month, but today I’ve encountered three in one day. The girl standing at the door with her arms crossed and glaring was Ella. Two months ago, I had seen her at Lucas’s friend’s rock climbing gym. That day, Lucas had complimented her a couple of times, and Ella had blushed, finding ways to talk to him. After lunch, Lucas told me he was going to the hotel next door to take a nap. Not long after, Ella disappeared too. I pretended not to see or hear anything. Rachel couldn’t find Lucas, so she asked me. I said I didn’t know. Rachel was frantic: “Ava, can’t you control him more?” I never controlled Lucas; in fact, I indulged him. Men can’t be controlled; the more you try, the more they resent you.

Tonight, Ella came in full force. I stood up, wearily going to meet her. “Miss Ella, if you have something to discuss, let’s go outside…” Ella, taller than me, took advantage of my attempt to reason and slapped me to the ground. “Ava, haven’t you overstayed your welcome in the Lucas family? I’ve done my research, you’re quite the gold-digger. You even seduced the boss of a finance company before, your reputation is in tatters, everyone wants you gone…” The crowd gasped, and discussions broke out. It was like having a bucket of ice water dumped on me in winter. My heart clenched, and the light in my eyes went out like a switch. That suffocating feeling of being overwhelmed came rushing back. Before I met Lucas, I had been struggling in that kind of darkness, lost and confused. Ella turned and changed her demeanor. She grabbed Lucas and pleaded earnestly. “Lucas, don’t be fooled by Ava, she’s no good. Her mother is just an ordinary worker from Xinjiang, and her father died fifteen years ago.” “She has neither background nor connections, but she’s beautiful. Women like her have no bottom line, they’ll do anything to climb up, using men as stepping stones.” “She’s only close to you for your family’s money. Break up with her…” Another one trying to force me out. But this time, she was going through Lucas. Before I could counterattack, Lucas laughed. He looked at Ella with curved eyes, but there was coldness deep within. “Miss Ella, have I offended you somehow? Why are you slandering my beloved fiancée?” Ella was stunned, suddenly feeling uneasy, and waved her hands repeatedly. She had underestimated my relationship with Lucas. I was the daughter-in-law recognized by the Lucas family, with interests aligned with Lucas. My face was his face. Ella’s foolish public exposure, her self-righteous good intentions, were actually trampling on his face. Lucas looked up at me, his lips silently forming two words. “Get up.” Behind Ella, I was already at arm’s length, my eyes bloodshot. Grabbing that flamboyant high ponytail, I directly hit her head with the bottle of Dom Pérignon in my hand. “Ah!” Ella screamed, followed by other girls screaming, mixed with Zoe’s cold laughter. “Don’t go over there.” Lucas sternly warned others not to move. “Can’t you see your sister-in-law is angry about being wrongly accused?” Sometimes, I felt Lucas and I were a perfect match. I unconditionally tolerated his philandering, and he stood by my side and defended me without limits. Ella panicked and was about to explain. I quickly stunned her with another bottle. Straddling Ella, I slapped her face one after another. “This is for spreading rumors about me, this is for making up stories, this is for repeatedly trying to ruin my relationship with Lucas…” Apart from Ella’s whimpers and the crisp sound of slaps, the room was silent. More than a dozen people looked at each other with complex expressions. Until someone abruptly applauded. “Bravo, bravo, Miss Ava is truly impressive, it’s quite an eye-opener…” I suddenly came to my senses and stopped my actions. The one applauding was Noah. He walked step by step into the light. Phoenix eyes, thin knife-like lips, a slightly aquiline nose. His mouth curved up, but his eyes were full of mockery. Every move exuded a dangerous aura. “I’m becoming more and more interested in Miss Ava…” Noah and I looked at each other across the space, separated by four years. After a long while, I was the first to look away. I forgot to manage my expression, leaving indifferently. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lucas following me. I deliberately waited a while at the elevator, but no one came. I laughed self-mockingly and pressed the elevator button to go down. I dialed William’s number; I wouldn’t turn to him unless absolutely necessary. “Hello, big brother, help me deal with someone named Ella.” “…Yes, I did delete everything back then, I don’t know where she dug up the dirt, she publicly exposed my affair with Jack…” Downstairs, I bought a milk tea to ease my anxiety. Behind me, a black G-Class drove up. Noah’s well-defined face was gradually revealed by the car window, which had tinted film on it. It wasn’t hard to imagine his purpose for the tinted windows. In the past, Noah and Zoe were like dry tinder, ready to ignite at any moment, and they had played in all sorts of places. While they were recklessly indulging, I was making soup for Noah and ironing his shirts. The man’s slender knuckles knocked on the car window: “Let me take you home.” I held back the nausea rising in my throat: “No need, Lucas will be down soon.” Noah pretended to think for a moment. “What a pity, Grace is very clingy, she won’t let Lucas come down easily tonight…” I was surprised. I had heard of Grace, she was a famous escort. Thinking back, she did seem to be in the private room earlier. So, Lucas’s footsteps were held back by her. In just a second, I reacted: “You arranged this?” Noah chuckled softly, getting out of the car himself to pull me. “Don’t worry, Grace has a clean health check report.” He came closer, I stepped back. I turned and ran back towards the building. Noah didn’t waste words, his large hand caught my waist and locked me in the car. ———- This is the breakpoint ———- Seeing the car drive out of the city center against my will, I was both anxious and angry, desperately calling Lucas.

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Six months ago, I signed the divorce papers. I wanted the money, not the son. My ex-husband Sebastian Quinn sneered, “I’m the best you’ll ever get.” “After the divorce, I can find someone new anytime, but you? You’ll just be a divorced woman no one wants!” Our son Liam Quinn rolled his eyes at me, “Good riddance. I want Aunt Scarlett to be my mom. You’re not worthy!” Half a year later, both father and son begged me to come back. They were certain I’d eventually soften and agree. Until I showed them my engagement ring: “Sorry, gentlemen, I’m getting married.” Not far away, a little girl ran into my arms. She called out sweetly, “Mommy!” I never expected to see Sebastian Quinn again. After the divorce, I returned to my hometown, while Sebastian and our son stayed in New York. The distance between us was a three-hour flight. Enough to never cross paths again in this lifetime. Until a business dinner, where the manager introduced me to a Mr. Quinn, supposedly one of the top 100 investors in the Northeast. I had imagined many possibilities. But I never thought that the always proud and arrogant Sebastian Quinn would stoop to discuss a project worth less than a million dollars. After we sat down, his inquiring gaze remained fixed on me. I calmly picked up my wine glass, smiling and cooperating with the manager’s negotiations. Sebastian didn’t say a word throughout. Until several business partners started pressuring me to drink: “Miss Hart, you’re full of hidden talents. You’ve only been in this industry for less than six months, and you’re already making a name for yourself.” “You won’t refuse this toast, will you?” … One glass after another, the liquor burned down my throat, making my stomach ache. Even the manager noticed something was wrong. He tried to intercept the drinks for me, but was skillfully brushed aside by the partners, leaving him helplessly worried. Until I could barely stand. I heard Sebastian’s displeased rebuke: “Enough! A bunch of grown men forcing drinks on a young woman, what does that look like?” “Are we still discussing this deal or not?” The middle-aged balding men finally put down their glasses, exchanging awkward glances and forced smiles. A wave of nausea hit me. I excused myself and hurried to the restroom. After throwing up violently in the stall, my stomach still cramping, I managed to support myself and walk out. A pack of tissues appeared from my left. I looked up to see Sebastian’s handsome profile hidden in the shadows, his eyes unreadable. His tone was concerned: “Amelia, after divorcing me, it seems you’re not doing well at all.” “If I hadn’t stepped in earlier, were you going to drink until you threw up?” At first glance, he seemed genuinely worried about me. I pushed his hand away, sneering, “Cut the act, Sebastian. Who do you think you’re fooling?” “I’ve dined with these partners before.” “One has high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol, another has fatty liver, and the third just had surgery. They rarely touch alcohol. Without your instructions, why would they suddenly force drinks on me?” “Swooping in to help after seeing me in distress, Sebastian, does this satisfy your male ego every time you do it?” It’s not that I’m being paranoid, but Sebastian had done exactly the same thing before. Before marrying him, I planned to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. After getting married, on my mentor’s recommendation, I got an interview opportunity for a job position. If things went well, I could even join a research institute in the future. At the time, I immediately shared this good news with Sebastian. However, after the interview, I heard nothing back. Not only that, but my usually caring mentor suddenly became very cold towards me. He wouldn’t answer my calls or reply to my messages. I was devastated and began to doubt myself. Had I messed up some part of the interview? Had the company not liked me, disappointing my mentor? Sebastian, on the other hand, comforted me: “Honey, they’re the ones without vision. They can’t appreciate your talents.” “If it doesn’t work out, you don’t need to work. I can support you.”

I was deeply touched at the time. However, I never gave up on my career aspirations. If one company didn’t work out, I’d try another. I was even willing to take on sales roles related to the mechanical industry. But my luck seemed terrible. I’d barely last three or four months before the company would lay me off, citing restructuring. I was caught in a vicious cycle. Countless times, I asked myself: Am I really such a failure? Later, I became pregnant with our son Liam. Severe morning sickness tormented me, and I had to get many injections at the hospital to prevent miscarriage. Even walking was a struggle. I had no choice but to rest at home. When my mentor’s 60th birthday came around, after much hesitation, I sent a congratulatory message and a gift. That night, I received a call from my mentor. On the other end, the old man was drunk but still audibly upset: “Amelia, all these years, I’ve felt both love and disappointment for you, my last student.” “You’ve always been ambitious. Why did you reject the job I arranged for you back then?” “Do you know how many favors I called in to get you that opportunity, and you just gave it up!” I was stunned. After some probing, I learned that I hadn’t been rejected at all. Someone had declined the offer in my name. My mentor thought it was my personal decision, and when he heard I got married, he was greatly disappointed. A flash of realization hit me, and I called my previous employers. Only then did I discover that the “me” from before had often inexplicably insulted colleagues, sent emails complaining about heavy workloads, and even reported company leaders. Who would dare to hire me? And the culprit behind all this was none other than Sebastian. I confronted him in tears. Sebastian, with his mistress in his arms, coldly replied: “Amelia, you should be grateful. I’ve let you stay at home and enjoy life all these years instead of working.” “Besides, you’re a woman. Why do you need such a strong career drive?” “Always out for work, not even able to take care of our son properly. What kind of image is that?” Our son Liam, whom I had carried for ten months, looked at me with contempt: “Mom, you’re being ungrateful.” “Even if you went out to work, you’d never be as successful as dad. Why not just be a good housewife?” Even my friends advised me: Sebastian was at the peak of his career, and it wouldn’t be wise to fall out with him. I should hold onto his heart tightly and not let this golden opportunity slip away. After all, I was just a housewife who hadn’t worked in years. Apart from relying on Sebastian, I had no other options. At that time, I was like a moth trapped in a spider’s web. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t break free.

After I exposed his true colors, Sebastian’s face darkened. He threw the tissues in his hand into the trash can, unable to hide his disappointment as he said, “Amelia, you’ve changed.” “You used to be gentle, considerate, and understanding. Now you’re sharp-tongued and vulgar.” I remained calm: “Mr. Quinn, if you flew all the way from New York just to criticize me,” “Please, feel free to continue.” I didn’t care much about his words and turned to leave. Sebastian reached out to stop me: “Today is our son’s birthday. He’s been asking to see you.” “You must come with me.” Thinking of that face so similar to Sebastian’s, with an identical personality, I felt disgusted and directly refused: “I’m busy!” “The divorce agreement was very clear. I don’t want custody of the son, but I send child support every month.” “Besides, didn’t he desperately want your mistress to be his mom?” “Why is he clinging to me now?” Sebastian lowered his voice and said, “Amelia, is a $500,000 project enough to buy your presence at our son’s birthday party?” I paused. For Sebastian, this dinner was just about an insignificant small project, not even worth a second glance. But the entire project team had been working on it for three months. They all hoped the negotiation would succeed, so they could use the bonus to pay off mortgages, fund their children’s education, pay for their parents’ medical bills… I couldn’t let them all down because of me. “Fine, I agree.” After sending the drunk manager and project team colleagues to their cars, I opened the door of the Porsche Cayenne. Sebastian drove personally. On the way, he kept trying to make conversation. From inquiring about my life to attempting to get my attention with talk of our son. Unfortunately, I had no interest. He talked, and I kept tapping away on my phone, sending messages. When we arrived at the villa. I had just gotten out of the car when a small figure rushed over, bumping into me painfully. “Mom, why did you make me wait so long?” It was my son, Liam Quinn. He was wearing a well-tailored suit, looking exactly like a miniature version of Sebastian. Ignoring the fact that I was wearing high heels, he dragged me into the living room. The interior was lavishly decorated: expensive 3D models, flashy ribbons, various toys, and luxury goods crammed into the corners… In the center of the coffee table in the living room sat an eight-inch mango cake. Everything was so familiar. I clenched my fists, my nails turning white, my body slightly trembling.

Sebastian walked up beside me, completely oblivious, even with a hint of nostalgia and a smile in his voice: “Do you notice? This is exactly how we decorated for Liam’s birthday a year ago, before we divorced.” “He still remembers every detail to this day.” “Amelia, you carried him for ten months. He loves you so much. Now that you’ve seen him, can you really bear to leave?” I could no longer contain my anger, and retorted word by word: “Why wouldn’t I be able to bear it?” “Sebastian, you should know very well that birthday party was a humiliation for me.” Five years into our marriage, Sebastian had taken up with a starlet. Her name was Scarlett Rose, strikingly beautiful, but with a carefully crafted public image of innocence. My husband Sebastian doted on her. He often brazenly brought Scarlett home, and upon seeing me, his eyes were filled with undisguised contempt: “Amelia, look at yourself. No figure, no ability, just a freeloader.” “Learn from Scarlett. She’s already an Oscar-winning actress at such a young age.” “I’m embarrassed to be seen with you in public.” Even our son Liam, whom I had carried for ten months and raised with care, preferred Scarlett. “Mom, why are you my mother?” “If dad’s wife was Scarlett Rose, I could brag to others that I have an Oscar-winning actress for a mom.” “But you’re just a housewife. When my classmates ask about you, I feel ashamed.” My heart was overwhelmed with helplessness. I wanted to defend myself but didn’t know where to begin. It was Sebastian who had completely destroyed my career opportunities. Yet he turned around and accused me of being a freeloader. I had carried Liam for ten months and devoted myself to him wholeheartedly. But I still couldn’t compare to Scarlett, who only saw him once a week. What finally made me determined to divorce was on Liam’s birthday a year ago. He rarely spoke to me gently: “Mom, all my friends have nice birthday parties. I want one too.” He pleaded with me. I immediately organized the entire birthday party. That evening, Liam invited all his classmates to our house, and Sebastian invited many business partners. Then Scarlett showed up. She brought a $20,000 Lego set as a gift and gracefully sat down next to Sebastian. Liam’s classmates were very envious and asked, “Liam, what’s your relationship with the famous Scarlett Rose? Why is she so nice to you?” At that moment, I was about to bring out the cake I had made myself. But I heard Liam’s clear voice answer, “Scarlett is my mom.” His classmates obviously didn’t believe him and pointed at me, saying, “She’s your mom.” Liam looked at me with disgust in his eyes: “No, she’s not my mom. She’s just our housekeeper.”

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At the party, I accidentally ingested a love potion and ended up spending a wild night with my sworn rival. The next day, when my friend Rachel asked me how it was, I tried to save face by lying, “It wasn’t anything special. I barely felt a thing, and then it was over.” Unfortunately, my rival overheard this comment. With a smirk, he forcefully dragged me back to the hotel where it all happened. Pinning me down, he slowly removed his hearing aid and mouthed the words: “Now that it’s off, I won’t stop.” “Don’t beg for mercy like you did that night.” “After all… I can’t hear you.” With a loud rip, I tore James’s designer shirt in half. Straddling him, my fingers clumsily roamed over his abs, eliciting heavy breaths from him. Just as I reached for his belt, he suddenly grabbed my hand, frantically signing: I managed to make out that he was trying to say no. “Damn it, James! Are you trying to kill me here?” “I’m already like this, and you won’t touch me? Are you impotent or something?!” “If you can’t do it, find me a real man who can.” I burst into tears. Who would have thought attending a party could lead to being drugged? And the effects were so strong, I was burning up and losing all reason. If I didn’t get a man soon, I feared I might actually die. James’s grip on me loosened for a moment. His sharp Adam’s apple bobbed a few times as he swallowed hard. He signed again: “Are you sure you won’t regret this?” I lost my patience and pushed myself up to kiss him fiercely. “If you’re a real man, just do it! Why so many questions?!”

The next morning, I woke up with an aching body and a parched throat. Supporting my sore waist, I was about to get up for some water when I caught sight of James resting beside me with his eyes closed. His hair was disheveled, and visible scratches and kiss marks adorned his neck, looking utterly debauched. Especially that large bite mark on his chest. My breath caught as my brain went into overdrive. Who am I? Where am I? What did I do? Who is this man next to me? Then I let out a high-pitched scream like a startled meerkat. Holy crap, I had spent an entire day and night rolling around with James, my sworn rival!! Forgetting all shame, I hurriedly put on my clothes and fled the room on shaky legs. When I got home, my parents, who had been unable to find me, looked me over several times. Seeing that I was unharmed, they finally relaxed. “Oh, Lily dear, have you seen my James?” a voice suddenly cut in, making me jump. It was James’s mother. I looked up and realized that James’s parents were also at my house, seemingly having been there for a while. James’s mother’s face was filled with worry: “That boy disappeared after the party last night.” “We checked the security footage and saw you two leaving together.” “How come only you came back?” Meeting James’s mother’s gaze, my heart suddenly tightened, and I couldn’t help but look away guiltily. Of course I knew where James was. We had been lying in bed together just hours ago, doing unspeakable things. If our parents found out we had slept together, they would definitely try to get us together. But James was my sworn rival. We could never be together. Besides, last night was just an accident.

Just as I was wracking my brain for how to respond, James’s mother’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she hurriedly walked past me: “James—” As soon as she spoke, an intense and piercing gaze fell silently on my back, like a sharp knife scraping against my flesh. I stiffly turned around to find James looking at me. He signed, indicating he was fine, then lifted his eyelids to look at me. He asked: “Why did you leave first?” His expression reminded me of last night when I was on top of him, and he kept signing to ask if the intensity was okay. As the chaotic memories flooded my mind, I hurriedly turned away and fled upstairs. Back in my room, I locked myself in the bathroom and dunked my head underwater, trying to shake off those indecent memories swirling in my brain. “Lily Evans, what kind of R-rated thoughts are you having?!” I scolded myself. I forced myself to stay calm, silently reassuring myself. So what if I slept with James? It’s not a big deal. James probably doesn’t care either. He might even be disgusted by it. We can just pretend nothing happened. Just like how he’s always kept his distance from me before.

James and I grew up together as childhood friends. Because our families lived close by, we played together all the time as kids and were practically inseparable. Back then, James’s hearing was still fine, and he didn’t need a hearing aid. Every day after school, the first thing I’d do was go find him, and he never tired of playing with me. Until that year when James was ten. He came down with a high fever, and due to delayed treatment, he was left with a disability. From then on, he had to wear a hearing aid to hear. It was from that day that the once gentle boy gradually became unpredictable in his moods. He grew quiet and withdrawn, often shutting himself in his room and refusing all treatment. I tried to cheer him up, but whenever he saw me, he would throw things, lose his temper, and angrily tell me to go away. Even at that young age, I could clearly sense that he didn’t want to see me and even resented my presence. But I’m not one to give up easily. The more James pushed me away, the more I appeared before him, deliberately opposing him in everything. As we grew older, he continued to distance himself from me. And so he became the rival I was determined to challenge at every turn.

I hid at home for three days. During that time, my best friend Rachel kept trying to get me to go out, but I made excuses and refused. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go out. My waist was still sore from James’s intense… activities. James was nearly 6’2″, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His muscular arms could easily lift my 130-pound frame with one hand. That night, he had me pinned against the wall with one arm as my body endured wave after wave of pleasure. And he still wasn’t satisfied, insisting on trying multiple locations. I began to suspect he might have an addiction to this kind of thing. It wasn’t until the fourth day, when my body had somewhat recovered, that I finally agreed to meet up with Rachel. As soon as we met, Rachel eagerly asked what had happened between James and me. “Spill it! What’s going on with you and James? He’s been asking me about you non-stop lately.” James asking about me? My first reaction was disbelief. After keeping me at arm’s length for so many years, shouldn’t he be avoiding me like the plague? But under Rachel’s persistent questioning, I ended up telling her about sleeping with James. “What? You slept with James—” Rachel looked utterly shocked, her voice rising to an alarming pitch. I quickly covered her mouth before we could attract attention in the cafe. “Damn, Lily, you’ve really done it now. You actually managed to bed James Potter.” “So, how was he? Was it mind-blowing?” Rachel nudged me with her elbow, a mischievous grin on her face. My face instantly turned red. Although I didn’t want to admit it, I had to say that James was pretty good in that department. The only issue was communication. Sometimes when things got intense, his hearing aid would fall off, and no matter how much I begged, he wouldn’t stop. In the end, I could only press against his ear, brokenly crying and pleading between gasps.

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At 17, I took in three young boys. As adults, they each took something from me. One took my kidney, another my uterus, and the third drained half my blood. All because their dream girl was gravely ill and urgently needed these three things. “Zoe, you can live without those organs, but Rosie will die if she’s not treated,” they said. What they didn’t know was that all my organs had been damaged in an explosion years ago. These three parts combined were enough to cost me my life. I lay pale and weak on the hospital bed after having half my blood drained. Lucas rushed in to take the blood bag, then turned back halfway to toss a black credit card at me. “Use this card for anything you need. I’ll compensate you double once Rosie recovers,” he said before leaving without looking back. This was the third time. I trembled as I tried to get out of bed. But as soon as my feet touched the ground, I blacked out from blood loss and fell. At the same time, sharp pain shot through two wounds on my abdomen. I took a few deep breaths and shakily pulled open my hospital gown. There were two freshly stitched incisions on my abdomen. One on my lower belly where my uterus had been removed. Another on my side where a kidney had been taken. And the people who took my organs were the children I had raised with my own hands. I leaned against the wall, shaking as I slowly made my way to the door. As soon as I opened it, I heard Lucas’s voice from next door. “Don’t worry Rosie, I’ll cure you no matter what. Leaving you back then was unavoidable, but I’ll make it up to you tenfold from now on.” “Tch, taking all the credit for yourself? Have some shame! I’m the one who begged Zoe on my knees for that kidney!” “Enough, let’s focus. Lucas, hurry and give Rosie the blood transfusion.” I froze, a bitter taste filling my mouth. The three speakers were the children I had raised. Rosie and I were separated by just one wall. But since I was brought to the hospital, they had only visited me three times. Once to take my kidney, once for my uterus, and once to drain my blood. Ignoring the pain, I took out my phone to message Quinn. “I’ve made up my mind. I’m leaving.” Quinn replied quickly: “It’s about time! You raised them to adulthood, you don’t owe anyone anything anymore. I’m buying a plane ticket now, wait for me!” She was right, I no longer owed anyone anything. Six years ago, I found Lucas on a rainy night. He was hiding by a dumpster, injured. I didn’t mind the dirt and held my umbrella over him. “Where’s your family, kid?” I asked. Lucas looked up with clear eyes. “My parents died long ago. My grandma who loved me most is gone too.” Seeing the injuries all over him, I asked if he wanted to come with me. Later I learned that Lucas’s grandmother had died in an explosion. His relatives mistreated him, leaving him hungry, cold, and beaten. A week after taking in Lucas, I took in two brothers. Their parents had also died in an explosion. Their relatives had stolen all their assets and repeatedly tried to kill them. With three teenage boys in the house, expenses multiplied. While my peers were preparing for college entrance exams, I decisively dropped out of school and worked six jobs a day to support them. When Quinn found out, she rushed over and jabbed a finger at my forehead in frustration. “Have you lost your mind?! Dropping out for three strangers? You’re working to put them through school, but what about your future? Is someone forcing you to do this?” I shook my head, silently looking at the calluses on my hands. “No one’s forcing me. This is what I want.”

Quinn said I had an overdeveloped sense of morality and that I’d regret it someday. But for all her scolding, she would still secretly slip me money. Later on, Quinn often called them three ungrateful brats. Back then, I would still defend them. Now I see Quinn wasn’t wrong – they really were ungrateful brats. But if I could go back six years, I would still take them in without hesitation. I snapped out of my thoughts and held onto the wall as I walked into the hallway. But the next moment, I saw Sean coming out of the room next door. He was one of the two brothers I had taken in. The skinny teenager had grown taller than me as an adult. Sean frowned when he saw me out of bed. “Where are you going?” “It’s boring in the room. I wanted to take a walk.” I tried to brush past him, but he grabbed my wrist tightly. “Rosie isn’t fully recovered yet. Don’t think about running off.” My heart felt like it had been doused with ice water. I tried to shake him off, but I was too weak. “Sean, let go of me, damn it!” As we struggled, Rosie’s voice came from the next room. “Is that Zoe outside? Let her in.” “I owe my recovery all to her. I want to thank Zoe in person.” Sean forcefully dragged me into the room. The movement pulled at my wounds, and my face went deathly pale. But Sean didn’t notice anything wrong. As soon as we entered, he rushed straight to the bed. He didn’t look at me once. There were three men in the room – all the boys I had raised. Now these three men were hovering around Rosie. Lucas was feeding her ginseng soup. When he saw me, he didn’t even pause. Rosie waved her hands saying she didn’t want more, but her eyes gleamed with triumph as she looked at me. “Zoe, please tell them to stop. I’ve said I don’t want ginseng, but they insist on feeding me.” “Just one more sip. You just had surgery and a major blood transfusion. You need to replenish your strength,” Lucas coaxed, giving her a few more spoonfuls. My throat felt like it was on fire. The bitterness in my heart threatened to overwhelm me. Rosie looked nothing like a sick person. Her face was rosy, her eyes bright. She looked healthier than me. “If you don’t want it, just pour it out,” I said flatly, wanting to leave as soon as possible. To my surprise, Rosie burst into tears at my words. “Zoe, do you hate me? I know I owe my life to you. But if you don’t like it, I won’t get treatment.” Lucas and Sean rushed to comfort her. Henry, the other brother, pointed at me angrily. “Zoe, you’ve gone too far! Rosie just wanted to apologize. Why have you been glaring since you came in?” I wasn’t glaring. My wounds had reopened. The sharp pain was consuming me, not to mention I had just lost half my blood. A nurse walked in at that moment. She was startled to see me and quickly helped me to a chair. “Miss, are you feeling unwell? Even your lips are white.” My heart felt like it was being stabbed by countless needles. A stranger could see something was wrong, but they couldn’t. They all stood by Rosie’s bed scolding me. I couldn’t stay any longer. I thanked the nurse and left.

I had barely reached the lobby when Henry caught up and grabbed my shoulder roughly. “Zoe! Rosie just had surgery. The doctor said she needs rest.” “We’ve been trying so hard to cheer her up these past days. Then you come and make her cry!” “Come back with me and apologize to her!” How absurd. They only saw that Rosie had surgery. But I had organs forcibly removed – the damage to my body was far worse! They couldn’t see any of that. I pushed him away and walked towards the exit. Henry wouldn’t let me leave. He forcefully grabbed my clothes. There was a loud ripping sound. My clothes were torn open in public, exposing my entire upper body. Everyone in the busy lobby turned to look. Henry froze for a moment, then quickly took off his jacket to cover me. “Zoe, I didn’t mean to…” Before Henry could finish, I raised a trembling hand and slapped him. I held back tears, my face flushed with humiliation. “Henry, I don’t owe you three anything anymore. Don’t contact me again.” I left without looking back. Henry was about to chase after me, but he got a phone call and ran upstairs in a panic instead. The old door creaked as it opened. I was finally home. I collapsed exhaustedly onto the couch. But the next moment, a wave of nausea hit and I coughed violently, spitting up blood. I stared blankly at the blood on the floor, then cleaned it up as if nothing had happened. I knew I was dying. Eight years ago, I was caught in a fuel tanker explosion that killed many people. Though I survived, my internal organs were severely damaged. The doctors said my organs would never fully recover. Since then, I couldn’t do any heavy work. Even walking too fast left me breathless. Only Quinn knew about this. So when she found out I was working six jobs for three strangers, even she couldn’t understand what I was thinking. Just then, Quinn called. “Zoe, you’re so inconsiderate! You didn’t even come pick me up! Never mind, I’m out of the airport now. I’m coming to find you – are you still living in that old house where you raised those three ungrateful brats?” “Yes, I’m so sorry Quinn. I’ve been too busy with work to get away.” I lied to Quinn. She still didn’t know what I’d been through at the hospital. After hanging up, I got up to pack my bags. But the next moment, I heard a key turning in the lock outside. I froze. Besides me, only those three had keys to this old house. The door opened. Lucas entered first, pausing when he saw my packed suitcase on the floor. Sean pushed past him and came up to me, pulling me towards the door. He looked very anxious. “Rosie’s condition suddenly worsened. She needs your blood. Come to the hospital with me, quick!” I yanked my hand away forcefully and slapped him, my hand shaking. “Sean! I’m a person too! Have you ever thought that I need blood as well?!” Sean suddenly knelt before me, like he used to when begging for favors. “Please sis, save her one more time. Blood can be replenished, but if Rosie isn’t treated, she really will die.” “No need to beg her. She’s probably hoping Rosie dies soon,” Henry said coldly as he walked in. “Zoe, I’ll give you two choices. Either you walk to my car yourself, or I’ll tie you up and carry you there.” Seeing I didn’t respond, Henry’s expression darkened as he advanced towards me. Lucas stood blocking the doorway – my only escape route. How ironic. The three boys I raised with my own hands were now forcing me into a corner. “What if I say no?” I asked. “You don’t have the right to refuse.” My heart turned to ice. I stripped naked in front of them, revealing my mutilated body. My arms were bruised from blood draws. There were two incisions on my waist and abdomen. I pointed at these wounds and shouted: “This is my body!” “You’ve already taken two organs from me and drained half my blood!” “Now you want more of my blood – are you trying to kill me right in front of you?!” The three grown men froze, averting their eyes. Finally, Henry approached me. “You won’t die, but Rosie will die right now if we don’t save her. I’m sorry Zoe, but we’ll make it up to you a thousand times over when this is all over.” Henry helped me dress, then forcibly carried me to the car. At the hospital, I was back in the familiar room. Blood flowed steadily from my body into an empty bag. My lips had turned white, but the bag was only a quarter full. “Should we continue?” the doctor asked hesitantly, knowing I had given blood earlier that day. Lucas looked at me, conflicted. “Just a bit more.” “No! Draw two-thirds. This amount is too little, it won’t be enough for Rosie,” Henry insisted, staring at the blood bag. How nice. I truly don’t owe you anything anymore. I closed my eyes with a bitter smile. The next moment, Quinn burst into the room like a madwoman, but was held back by security. “You animals!” she screamed. “Zoe’s organs were damaged 8 years ago! Drawing her blood is killing her!”

Everyone in the room was stunned by Quinn’s outburst. Sean hesitated, then moved to turn off the blood drawing machine. Henry grabbed his brother’s hand, glaring. “Get that crazy woman out of here!” “You three ungrateful bastards can go to hell!” Quinn yelled as security dragged her out. Her shouts echoed down the hallway. Henry watched the blood bag intently. When it was two-thirds full, he suddenly stopped the doctor. “Draw 50 more milliliters.” What little blood I had left was drained out. I finally couldn’t hold on and passed out. When I came to, Lucas was by my bedside. Seeing I was awake, he offered me a bowl of ginseng soup. “You just gave blood. Drink this to replenish your strength.” I knocked it away. The next second, Henry grabbed my jaw and forced the soup down my throat. “Cough cough cough!” I hunched over the bed, coughing violently. Each cough pulled at the wounds on my abdomen and waist. “Brother, don’t be so rough with Zoe,” Sean said, gently patting my back. His voice held worry. “Was what that woman said true?” Before Sean could finish, Henry let out a cold laugh. “She used to carry cement bags at construction sites without breaking a sweat. Now she’s acting all delicate?” “Besides, her kidney and uterus were transplanted into Rosie just fine. How could they be damaged?” I coughed until I cried. Quinn was right. These three really were ungrateful brats. Just then, a nurse informed them that Rosie had been saved. The three of them immediately ran to the next room. Lucas was the last to leave. He cast a worried glance at me, but still abandoned me to go. After they left, I coughed up blood all over the floor. I knew I was dying. My organs were already severely damaged. Now I was missing two organs and had lost most of my blood. Death wasn’t far off. But I felt a sense of release. I lay back in bed, stroking the ring I always wore on my right hand. I should have died in that explosion years ago. A fuel tanker was heading straight for me. If not for a couple pushing me out of the way, I would have perished in the inferno. The husband managed to escape, but his wife wasn’t so lucky. She was caught in the blast and died in the fire. There was a second explosion. The man and I were trapped in a corner, along with an elderly woman. The escape route was narrow. The man and the old woman told me to go first. One out of kindness. One out of longing for his wife. I had just crawled out of the corner and was reaching back to help the old woman. Then the fuel tanker exploded a third time. The man and old woman couldn’t escape in time. They both died in the flames. That couple were Sean and Henry’s parents. And that old woman was Lucas’s beloved grandmother. If not for saving me: Sean and Henry would be rich kids, fretting over whether to buy a sports car or designer watch. Lucas would have the grandmother who loved him most in the world. But because of me: Sean and Henry lost their parents and were ostracized by relatives. Lucas was kicked around by family members, going hungry and cold every day. Out of guilt, I took them in and gave up my education to support them with all I had. Now they had taken three parts of my body. And I was dying. I felt I no longer owed them anything.

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My girlfriend ran off for her idol again. Only this time, it was during our engagement party. No matter how much I begged, she wouldn’t soften her stance one bit. In the end, I dismissed the guests and called off the engagement. Then she came back crying, begging me for another chance. My girlfriend ran off for her idol again. Only this time, it was during our engagement party. No matter how much I begged, she wouldn’t soften her stance one bit. In the end, I dismissed the guests and called off the engagement. Then she came back crying, begging me for another chance. I was adjusting my suit, getting ready to go out and toast the guests when Hannah rushed in, dragging her wedding dress, a worried look on her face. “Ryan, Alex just called me. He got into a racing accident and I need to go to him right now.” “We’re about to start toasting the guests,” I said, grabbing her arm as she turned to leave. “Do you know what day this is?” The guests had already taken their seats. Our engagement party was about to begin. And now she was saying she wanted to leave. What kind of game was she playing? “I know. But he’s hurt, it could be serious,” Hannah said, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at me. I felt myself wavering, sighing in resignation. “Don’t worry, I’ll send someone to check on him, okay?” I must have said something wrong because Hannah suddenly yanked her hand away and shouted at me. “Ryan, you’d be happy if he died. Would you really send someone to help him?” Her words cut like a knife, piercing my heart. Back when I was pursuing Hannah, I hadn’t exactly been kind to Alex. But I never thought she’d see me this way. In her eyes, was I really someone who would disregard another person’s life? Hannah grabbed the car keys from the table and turned to leave. I took a couple of steps to block the doorway, our eyes meeting. “Yes, I don’t like Alex, but I would never joke about someone’s life.” She met my gaze, her eyes showing no sign of backing down. “It’s just an engagement party, isn’t it? We can have another one. I’ve already agreed to marry you, what more do you want?” She forcefully pushed me aside and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Finding her wedding dress cumbersome, she tore off the skirt. It was the dress she had said was so important for the engagement, the one we had spent hours shopping for, comparing different stores before finally buying. My body felt cold, as if I’d fallen into an ice cellar. I watched her retreating figure. Silently, I made a decision. Hannah, it’s time we ended this.

When Hannah ran without hesitation towards someone, but that someone wasn’t me, I finally woke up. This engagement party was nothing but a joke. I walked into the hall and, in front of both our families, cancelled the party. My mom, who had been chatting animatedly with Hannah’s parents, quickly pulled me aside to a corner. She asked in a low voice, “What kind of game are you playing? Is this a day to mess around?” “Hannah’s gone. The engagement party can’t go on,” I said. Only then did she realize Hannah wasn’t by my side. Hannah’s mother hung up the phone, looking somewhat angry. But her first reaction was still to apologize to me. “Ryan, Hannah was wrong to do this. I apologize on her behalf. Can you give her a chance to make amends?” I shook my head and returned the engagement ring the host had given me to her. “Mrs. Lin, I was too hasty about this marriage. I hope Hannah finds someone she truly loves.”

After dismissing the guests, I returned home. I gathered all of Hannah’s belongings, preparing to throw them away. In a paper box were letters I had written to her. Hannah and I were childhood sweethearts. We were each other’s first love. During our time dating, I felt like the happiest person in the world. But then Alex appeared. She said Alex was her idol, her ideal type. In all the years I had known Hannah, I had never seen her care so much about someone. So, I started competing with Alex in everything. Once, when he beat me in a competition, Hannah cheered happily beside me, jumping up and running to congratulate him. Leaving me standing alone in desolation. There were so many people congratulating him on stage, one less wouldn’t matter. But my dejected heart really craved encouragement. In the past, she would have definitely patted my shoulder and said with a smile, “It’s just one award, we’ll get it next time.” If I couldn’t beat him academically, I had to outdo him in basketball. When I scored consecutively, racking up over a dozen points, I looked towards the audience. Hoping to hear her cheer for me. But I saw her gaze fixed unwaveringly on Alex. After the game, I ran happily to her side. Only to receive a flippant comment from her. “What’s the use of being good at basketball?” She then turned with a beaming smile to help Alex wipe his sweat. In the second half, Alex suddenly upped his game, playing more aggressively than before. By the end of the match, we were both drenched in sweat. Alex’s exposed arms had several bruises. Hannah got angry, glaring at me fiercely. “Ryan, what’s wrong with you? It’s just a game, was that necessary? Apologize to him right now.” She tenderly massaged his bruises. “It’s fine. You can’t play basketball without getting hurt. Besides, this shows that Ryan gave it his all, which is a way of respecting his opponent,” Alex said. “This isn’t giving it his all, it’s being reckless!” Hannah exclaimed. Hannah’s eyes were only for Alex. Otherwise, she couldn’t have missed that I was equally injured. She took Alex to the infirmary. Coldly leaving behind a sentence. “Don’t follow us.” This was the first time Hannah had gotten angry at me for someone else. Before I could even react to question her about who her real boyfriend was, she came to apologize to me. Hannah approached me with a handmade scarf, looking apologetic. “Ryan, I’m sorry. I was wrong today, I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” I had actually been thinking I wouldn’t forgive her so quickly. But when I saw her nose reddened by the cold wind, I couldn’t help but want to pull her into my arms to warm her up. She smiled and snuggled closer into my embrace, looking up to ask me. “So, do you forgive me? I really know I was wrong.” I nodded. She stood on her tiptoes and gave me a kiss. Then she started to act coy. “You don’t know how scared I was when you looked so angry today.” She knew I couldn’t resist when she acted cute. My tone softened considerably, “It won’t happen again.” She giggled, earnestly promising me. “Don’t worry, you’ll always be the most important person to me.”

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