Category: English

The day after my miscarriage, Lucas Reed’s charity auction was trending on social media. Facing the cameras, the tech billionaire gazed lovingly into the lens, “This piece of jewelry represents only a fraction of my love for my wife.” “My wife is my everything.” Fans quickly dug up stories about Lucas Reed and his wife Aria: “He left a board meeting just to bring his wife some lobster mac and cheese.” “He bought the Moonlight Lake Resort, the most scenic spot in the city, just for his wife to enjoy alone.” … The internet was in a frenzy, and Lucas Reed was crowned the king of true love. Our relationship was dubbed a fairy tale romance by netizens. I watched the video several times, only to end up laughing bitterly at myself. If I hadn’t received that text message, I wouldn’t have seen Lucas embracing another woman, calling her “wife” affectionately. And that woman had a swollen belly. I wouldn’t have lost my own child. I don’t want this rotten marriage anymore. Looking at the medical report in my hand, I called Lily, the wish-fulfillment streamer. “Hello, I want to record four videos as my last words. Name your price.”

For the first episode, “Love Has Rusted,” I took Lily to the orphanage where Lucas and I first met. I was an orphan, but I was gifted academically and quite attractive. I always had many suitors. Knowing the games rich people play, I focused solely on my studies, wanting to carve out my own path through hard work. Lucas was different from the others. He volunteered at the orphanage every week, buying treats for the children. The kids affectionately called him “Brother Lucas.” During his free time, he would ask me for help with his studies, always polite and never mentioning his feelings. When I fell ill, he would bring medicine in the middle of the night. He spent a fortune hiring Ivy League tutors for himself and invited me along, claiming he felt lonely studying alone. When I broke my leg, Lucas insisted on carrying me to school on his back to ensure I didn’t miss any classes. He climbed 108 steps every day for 120 days. On the day of our final exams, Lucas knelt down with a bouquet of flowers, “Aria, will you be my girlfriend? Let’s create a beautiful future together.” My heart finally melted, overwhelmed with happiness. Shallow love is common, but a connection of souls is rare. I became the top scorer in that year’s exams and was admitted to the Electronic Science and Technology program. Lucas enrolled in Business Administration at Stanford, not far from my university. After we got together, our love didn’t diminish; if anything, it grew stronger. If I hadn’t discovered Lucas’s secret family two days ago, I should have been the happiest woman alive. It’s just as they say, “Those who fall in love quickly are the first to grow cold, while those who fall slowly are still warming up.” Lily filmed me playing with the children, She captured the ancient tree carved with our names. Then I took Lily to the secret hideout Lucas and I shared. I carefully dug up the love lock we had buried, looked calmly at the camera, and said, “Lucas, the lock is rusty now. Do you think our love has rusted too?” “If it has, please tell me, okay?” “I love you, but I don’t want to live in a lie.”

For the second episode, “Who Broke the Wedding Vows,” I took Lily to Moonlight Lake Resort. This was where Lucas and I got married. Back then, Lucas wasn’t a billionaire yet, but he still rented out the entire resort. That day, Lucas put the ring on my finger with tears in his eyes, lifted my veil, and solemnly promised, “Aria, I will love you with my life for the rest of our days. Even if I’m no longer alive, my soul will always protect you.” “I will never betray you, never leave you.” Looking at the ring on my finger, tears rolled down my cheeks. From that moment, I was no longer homeless. “Lucas, I will strive to be the best Mrs. Reed. In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, I will never betray you, never leave you.” Lily looked admiringly at the picturesque venue, “Aria, your husband treats you so well. No wonder netizens call your relationship a fairy tale romance.” She sighed, “In today’s society, how many people can stay true to their first love? You’ve made so many people believe in love again.” I smiled lightly and walked solemnly down the red carpet, “Lily, make me look beautiful. I want your brother-in-law to remember how stunning I was back then.” The altar from our wedding was still there. I slowly stepped onto it, faced the camera, raised my hand, and vowed, “Lucas, I will strive to be the best Mrs. Reed. In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, I will never betray you, never leave you.” “Lucas, I love you, my vow is eternal.” “Lucas, is your vow still there?”

For the third episode, “Witnessing Your Betrayal,” I took Lily to the central garden. Sitting under a tree, we watched a petite young woman with a protruding belly taking a stroll in the distance. Lily’s expression had already changed. She cried, “Aria, I just started believing in love. Why are all men so fickle?” “Aria, you’re so pitiful. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure your video goes viral so everyone can see what a scumbag he is.” I forced a smile on my pale face and patted her hand to comfort her, “He loved me once, maybe he still does. We had sweet moments, isn’t that good enough?” “Love isn’t something you beg for. If someone doesn’t love you anymore, you should love yourself.” Swallowing my bitterness, I smiled and walked towards the young woman, “Hello, beautiful. We’re doing street interviews. We’d like to test how much your husband loves you. Of course, we have a great gift for you.” The young woman scoffed, “My husband absolutely adores me. See that house? He bought it for me.” She showed us her phone, “See this huge children’s playground? It’s a gift from my husband for me and our son. He says we’ll always be his treasures.” I stared at the children’s playground with a heavy heart. Lucas once told me that if we had a child, he’d buy the best playground for us, so we could always be his happy treasures. It turns out he had already given my promises to someone else. Perhaps my child sensed the falseness of his father’s love and didn’t want to come into this family. I immediately took out a bracelet, “If you can get your husband to come here right now, we’ll believe your husband loves you 100%, and we’ll give you this bracelet. We’ll also promote you as the ultimate couple goals.” The woman’s eyes lit up, greedily eyeing the bracelet. This was a Valentine’s Day gift from Lucas, worth over $200,000, with our initials engraved on it. I seized the opportunity to put the bracelet on her wrist, flattering her, “Beautiful, our views depend on you now.” The young woman proudly took out her phone and spoke in a sweet voice, “Honey, I want to eat the lobster mac and cheese from Fifth Avenue. Can you go buy it for me?” I don’t know what the other person said, but the young woman pouted and continued to whine, “No, I want it now. I want you to go buy it now. Why can’t you leave the meeting?” A chuckle came from the other end, and the young woman put it on speakerphone, “You clingy little thing, if you miss me, just say so. I’ll be there in five minutes.” The young woman blew a kiss into the phone, “Love you, honey.” She hung up and said proudly, “See? With just one word from me, my husband will drop everything and come running.” “He even left his meeting. Isn’t that proof enough?” I sneered. So the man who once loved me to death now loves someone else just as much. The wind blew, making me squint. Tears seemed to well up, and I hurriedly wiped them away, but the more I wiped, the more they came. This damned wind, always stirring up emotions. Five minutes later, Lucas came jogging over, carrying a takeout box. The young woman immediately smiled and threw herself into his arms, tilting her head up for a kiss. Lucas’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he lowered his head and captured her luscious lips. They began to kiss passionately, oblivious to their surroundings. I watched this fiery scene from a distance. Even though I already knew the truth, I couldn’t help but imagine for a moment. But seeing it in person made me realize how much it hurt, like a knife twisting in my heart. It was as if every nerve was trembling, my chest tight with held breath, tears streaming uncontrollably. The young woman’s arms were around Lucas’s neck. If he had glanced away for even a second, he would have seen the bracelet with our initials clearly engraved. But he was kissing her so earnestly, so passionately, so lost in the moment. I still remember our wedding night when Lucas excitedly held me, gently kissing my forehead, eyes, and nose. With tears in his eyes, he whispered in my ear over and over, “Aria, you’re finally mine, and I will always be yours alone.” “I love you, and I will love only you for the rest of my life.” Back then, I truly thanked the heavens for blessing me with such a wonderful person who loved me so much. But now, he had long forgotten his vows. He had made new promises to someone else. After their prolonged kiss, the young woman tugged on Lucas’s tie and whispered something in his ear. Lucas immediately scooped her up and headed towards the stairs. As they entered, the young woman turned back and waved at me, the bracelet dangling from her arm. Lily silently put away her phone, “Aria, if you’re sad, just cry it out. You’ll feel better if you let it out.” I touched my face and realized it was already wet with tears. No matter how much I had prepared myself not to be sad, the tears still came.

For the fourth episode, “Never to Meet Again,” Lily and I sat on the couch. I took out my medical report. When Lily saw the words “late-stage acute leukemia,” she burst into tears. “Aria, let’s not film anymore. I don’t want the money. Please go get treatment, okay? If your husband won’t go with you, I’ll go with you.” The young girl cried so hard that the camera drifted away. I had to steady the phone and face the camera myself. “Stop crying, your nose is running. If this video goes viral, you’ll definitely become a meme.” Lily finally stopped crying and said chokingly, “Aria, if you have any wishes, tell me. I’ll make sure to fulfill them for you.” I smiled lightly at the camera, “Lucas, by the time you see this video, I’ll be resting eternally in the snow-capped mountains.” I frowned, thinking quietly for a moment, “Which do you think is better, the Swiss Alps or the Rocky Mountains? You said you’d take me to see snow-capped mountains, but I guess that’s not possible in this lifetime.” “Lucas, don’t come looking for me. Let me rest peacefully in the mountains. I don’t want to be in a cemetery. I’m afraid all the neighboring graves will have visitors, but mine won’t. Even as a ghost, I’d be embarrassed.” I muttered softly, “I’m more afraid that you’ll bring your new love to see me, or even your children with her. That would remind me of our child.” I sat up straight and smiled, “Lucas, it’s time to say goodbye.” “No, not goodbye. We’ll never meet again.” I inserted a few video clips captured by a private investigator, In a private room at a bar, Lucas and his best friends were each holding a beautiful woman, playing truth or dare. The bottle landed on Lucas. His friends jeered, “Who’s better in bed, Aria or your new girl?” Lucas smirked, pressing down on the girl beside him and biting her hard, “Of course it’s my new girl. She’s mind-blowing, exciting.” “Aria’s like a dead fish.” The atmosphere grew more intense, “Who was your last time with?” “Of course, with my new girl. In the car, it was hot and intense.” “Hahaha…” I was familiar with that private room, but I had left early. I didn’t expect the lead role to change in just a moment. I played another video from before, “Come on, who told you to call these questionable women? Besides your sister-in-law, who else could I possibly be interested in?” Someone lit a cigarette, and Lucas immediately put it out, “My wife doesn’t like the smell of smoke.” Someone opened a bottle of wine, and Lucas threw it away, “My wife doesn’t like me drinking.” Someone turned up the music, and Lucas immediately lowered the volume, “My wife doesn’t like it too loud.” At that moment, Lucas had already peeled and cut the perfect fruit and was handing it to me, “Honey, eat more fruit. It’s good for your skin.” … At the end of the video, Lily was crying so hard her nose was bubbling, but she still held up my diagnosis notice to summarize the video. After finishing the video, I sent Lily away, telling her to release the video a month later. I also asked her to send a copy directly to Lucas. I spent half a day donating all the things Lucas had bought for me to charity foundations. I had the cleaners take down our wedding photos, and packed all my toothbrushes, towels, clothes, teacups, and other belongings into black garbage bags. In less than three hours, the house was completely cleared out. I picked up my bag, gently closed the door, and headed to the airport. A month later, Lucas was watching the news when suddenly a viral wish-fulfillment livestream popped up. It had over a million followers. Lucas casually clicked on it, and his heart suddenly jolted. He stared wide-eyed at Aria, the subject of the wish video. A month ago, hadn’t she gone to their secret base for research? Today was exactly one month, and he had specially prepared a grand fireworks display to celebrate her successful return. Lucas’s heart began to race. He quickly clicked on the first video.

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I couldn’t resist trying a sip. When I got home, he grabbed me by the throat. “Stay away from her.” Suddenly, I remembered years ago, He had warned my arranged marriage partner the same way. Then he stole my wedding car and took me home. “You like her that much?” I smiled, watching Jack lose control. Well, I’ll make it happen for you then. I thought to myself silently. My husband’s affairs came one after another, But I never cared, pretending nothing happened, Still acting like a loving couple in public. Our marriage was something I had begged my dad for on my knees, I wouldn’t allow any possibility of failure. Even if my heart was shattered, I would only cry alone under the covers. Fortunately, Jack was just playing around outside and didn’t directly threaten our marriage. But this girl was different. When I went to bring Jack coffee, I saw a corner of divorce papers peeking out. My movement woke him up. He took a small sip of the coffee I brought. “Too bitter.” “No need to bring me coffee anymore.” I don’t know how I left his study, only that my trembling hands betrayed my emotions. I called someone to investigate for me. They found that Jack often went to a coffee shop. After his business success, his tastes became more and more picky, only drinking hand-brewed coffee. As if trying to shed his former poor boy image, He wouldn’t even look at those cheap little shops. But this one, I carefully checked the photos my assistant sent me. It was a hidden, affordable little shop in the university town. I walked in, and a girl called out “Welcome!” with a smile. Like a little sun, My heart trembled, No wonder Jack would have an affair. “I don’t know what to drink, could you recommend something for me?” I watched the girl skillfully grind the beans and add ice. Then she handed it to me. “Enjoy!” I found a seat by the window and carefully took a sip of coffee. So sweet, the taste of artificial sweetener filled my entire mouth.

I only drank one sip of the coffee, left a bill, and left the little shop. That night Jack came home drunk, The smell of alcohol made me cover my nose. I walked around him with a glass of water, “Go take a shower, your smell is keeping me from sleeping.” I don’t know when Jack and I’s relationship started becoming so strange. Married for seven years, the former passion had faded, leaving only disgust for each other. He rolled over, deliberately rubbing the smell onto me. I angrily slapped him. “I went to a coffee shop today.” “Next to our old university, I never noticed it before-” He suddenly grabbed my throat, “You went to see her?” I quickly realized who “her” referred to. Jack used to find other women before, But I turned a blind eye and never interfered. “Yeah, that little vixen seducing other people’s husbands, can’t I teach her a lesson?” I deliberately said cruel words, feeling Jack’s hand slowly tightening. “I’m warning you, don’t touch her.” I laughed, laughing until tears came out. The oxygen entering my airway became less and less, I started to roll my eyes. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, Jack released my throat. I collapsed on the bed coughing for a long time. There were hideous handprints on my neck. “Lila, she is my bottom line. If you dare touch her, I can make your family’s business go under.” He slammed the door as he left. I sat silently on the bed. In that moment near death, I only had one thought. He really would kill me for that girl.

The girl’s name was Emma, a student at the university. Still in school, she worked part-time at the coffee shop near campus because her family was poor. Three months ago, Jack started frequently coming here for coffee. Sometimes he wouldn’t even go to the office, just sitting here all day. “You like her that much? You’d strangle me for her.” I muttered to myself, remembering how Jack used to strangle others for me. “She’s my wife now, stay away from her.” Jack and I met in college, Back then he was still a poor college student, working three jobs to survive. He was running errands on campus and spilled coffee all over me while delivering it. I wasn’t angry, it was just a piece of clothing, I could have someone buy a new one in 10 minutes. He apologized with a red face, and the next day stood in front of me holding the dress from last year that now reeked of laundry detergent. He carefully avoided touching my fingers when handing it over. Awkwardly cute. I found him interesting, and started paying him to buy me coffee. Back then I was trying to act mature, only drinking iced Americanos, So bitter I could barely open my eyes, Jack secretly put double cream and sugar in it. “It’s sweet.” It was an age when even whispering made us blush. But now, looking at myself in the mirror, disheveled, with horrifying red marks on my neck. I searched all over the house but couldn’t find where the first aid kit was, In the past, if I accidentally bumped into a table leg, Jack would anxiously carry me to bed and rush to get band-aids and anti-inflammatory medicine. I sat hugging my knees on the bathroom floor, My phone vibrated, it was a message from Jack. “Let’s get divorced.” Attached was a divorce agreement, Leaving me the house and car, For Emma, he was willing to leave with nothing. I put on a turtleneck sweater and took a taxi to his company. This was my first time coming here. The receptionist officially asked me for an appointment. “I don’t have one, tell Jack his wife is downstairs.” The young receptionist snickered. “Miss, that’s not how you social climb. We’ve all met Mr. Lee’s wife before. While I haven’t called security yet, please see yourself out.” I was about to take out my phone to call Jack, “Good morning!” A voice sounded behind me, Emma was wearing overalls, her ponytail tied high. For a moment, I thought I saw myself from college. She smiled and greeted everyone. The receptionist bowed to her. “Good morning, Mrs. Lee.” She emphasized the “Mrs.” especially heavily. Her eyes were full of mockery as she looked at me. “I brought coffee for everyone, I made it myself!” “Thank you Mrs. Lee, our Mr. Lee is so lucky to have married you. Beautiful and talented, unlike some girls who just daydream.” The girl lowered her head shyly and bounced into the elevator. I was left standing there, like a mascot. I called Jack several times, All were immediately hung up. “If you want her to be legitimate, come downstairs and invite me up.” My hand trembled as I pressed the phone, tears already flowing from my eyes. All these years, I tried so hard to pretend I didn’t care, Thinking it was okay, Jack loved me, those other girls were just for fun, Soon, Jack’s assistant came down to bring me upstairs. As we approached Jack’s office, I could see the girl’s delicate skirt. She was half-embracing Jack coquettishly. Seeing me approach, the girl hurriedly let go. “You still have work, I won’t disturb you.” I instinctively raised my hand to stop her, And saw the jade pendant hanging on her chest. It was the one I had gotten for Jack when he was seriously ill, Kneeling step by step up the mountain to pray for it. I opened my mouth, but my throat felt stuffed with cotton, unable to make a sound. Behind me, Jack narrowed his eyes at me in warning. “Do you need something?” I came back to my senses and let go of her arm. “Nothing, your pendant is very pretty.” “Thank you.” 5 “Seems you didn’t take my warning from yesterday to heart.” After Emma left, Jack reverted to that cold, unapproachable face. He tossed a file to me. I opened it and glanced – it was a project my dad’s company was working on. “Lila, I’m not joking with you. If I want, your dad will lose everything right now.” “How long do you think you can keep playing princess?” I licked my dry lips. So all these years, he had been harboring resentment in his heart. When I brought Jack to confront my dad, the old man was furious, refusing to let me marry someone who had nothing back then. He knelt in front of my dad and was humiliated, but stubbornly refused to let go of my hand. The divorce papers were thrown in my face. Just like when my dad threw a stack of bills in his face back then. I guess what goes around comes around, and now it’s my turn. Actually, why bother with all this? If he had just told me he didn’t love me anymore, I never would have clung to him. I picked up the divorce papers, Jack’s name was already signed next to it. I couldn’t help but laugh, seems he really does love her. “Can I ask you something?” I looked up at Jack, now dressed like a gentleman. “What do you like about her?” Jack didn’t answer. Seven years of marriage ended in silence. The day we went to get the divorce certificate, Jack brought Emma along. I couldn’t help but mock him. “Saving yourself a second trip?” Emma was shielded behind Jack, like a mother hen protecting her chick. “Sister Lila, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you and Jack had that kind of relationship. If I had known, I definitely wouldn’t have interfered in your relationship.” “But you’ve seen how Jack was suffering with you. Since you’ve parted amicably, I hope you can give us your blessing.” Such a pretty face, saying words that make people want to die. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to invite you to our wedding.” She handed me an invitation. I silently looked at Jack. Wanting to see a glimpse of how he used to be. How he used to love me, But his gaze was entirely on Emma’s blushing face, not sparing me a glance. The ink was barely dry on the divorce papers, and the wedding invitations were already fresh off the press. 6 Their wedding was extravagant, taking up a large section of the news. Jack smiled tenderly, arm-in-arm with Emma in her white dress.

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My Wife’s Childhood Friend Killed My Parents in a Drunk Driving Accident I wanted to report it to the police, but my wife blindfolded me and took me to a basement prison. For three years, I endured various tortures without seeing daylight. After each round of torture, I would hear an icy cold female voice: “Lucas, do you still hate him?” Until that day, when I was crawling on the cold floor, begging on the other end of the phone. “I don’t hate him anymore, I really don’t!” On the phone was my wife’s cheerful laughter. The day they let me out, I avoided my wife’s embrace. She stood there stunned for a long time. When I numbly asked her for a divorce, she went crazy. … In the damp and dark basement prison, I sat in the corner with a crippled leg. The wet wall soaked through my shirt. The light from the opening door made me shield my eyes uncomfortably. Hearing footsteps, I instinctively shrank back further. “Sir, Ms. Hannah sent me to pick you up.” I looked up at the man walking towards me. It was Hannah’s long-time bodyguard. I lowered my eyes and responded. “Okay” I struggled to stand up, limping a few steps. The bodyguard’s face was full of shock. “Sir, your foot?” My hand gripped my pants tightly, my head hanging low. “It was crushed by a cabinet earlier, probably a fracture.” The bodyguard looked at me in surprise, eyes wide. “Why didn’t you tell Ms. Hannah?” I gave a bitter smile, not answering him. What could I say? Even if I told her, would Hannah let me out to see a doctor? Or would she call a doctor for me? “Let me help you walk.” The bodyguard supported me with a complicated expression. Shortly after leaving the basement, I saw Hannah and Leo getting out of a car. “Hannah, I told you he would definitely pretend to be pitiful to make you feel sorry for him. Look, he even needs someone to support him for such a short distance.” Hannah looked in my direction when she heard this. She didn’t say anything, but her eyes were full of smugness. She walked quickly towards me. When she was closest to me, Suddenly, she opened her arms. But I violently flinched. Hastily avoiding her embrace. I curled up, seemingly unaware of the pain in my leg. “Don’t hit me, please stop… I was wrong, I really was!” Hannah’s arms were still outstretched. Her face full of disbelief. Hannah slowly lowered her arms, standing in front of me. “What’s going on?” She questioned the bodyguard beside me. The bodyguard seemed shocked by my reactive response too. Hearing Hannah’s question, he finally came to his senses. “Sir, he—” “Hannah!” Leo suddenly called out, and Hannah instinctively turned her head in his direction. The bodyguard’s words got stuck in his throat, forcibly swallowed back. “Lucas, you’re not holding a grudge against Hannah for keeping you here to reflect, and putting on this act to make her feel guilty, are you?” “Alright, stop pretending. Since you’ve admitted your mistake, Hannah and I won’t pursue the matter of you wrongly accusing me anymore.” He emphasized the words “that matter” heavily. The next second, I stopped trembling in a daze. Leo let out a light laugh. “See, what did I tell you, Hannah?” I didn’t get up, still crouching in place. Hannah’s voice suddenly turned cold. Speaking flatly from above my head. “Lucas, three years, isn’t that enough time for you to reflect!”

“Alright Hannah, don’t be angry. We have an appointment with Director Chen soon, let’s go.” Seeing that I was still crouching, Hannah gripped her Hermes bag tightly, scolding me in exasperation: “Lucas, you really are useless! Look at Leo, and then look at yourself!” “These three years, it’s been Leo by my side helping me. Without him, I would have collapsed long ago! Lucas, look at the state you’re in now! Do you think you’re still worthy of me?” After saying this, she took Leo’s arm and turned to leave. Leo gave me a mocking smile. Silently mouthing the word “loser!” I watched them leave together, trembling all over. “Sir! What happened to your little finger!” I slowly lowered my head. Looking down at my right pinky finger. After three years apart, Hannah only glanced at me briefly before leaving. She didn’t even notice the abnormality in my leg. Let alone my right pinky finger twisted strangely. I smiled self-mockingly. “It’s nothing, just a badly healed fracture.” “…I should still take you to the hospital.” The bodyguard supported me as I stood up. My body felt drained of all strength, all my weight leaning on him. Leo had only come into Hannah’s life three years ago. I always knew Hannah had a childhood friend, a boy she grew up with. Later that boy’s family ran into some trouble, so they sent him abroad. In all the years after, Hannah never dated anyone, nor had any ambiguous relationships with other men. I knew she was waiting for him. And I was waiting for her too. In those years, my family introduced many girls to me, but I politely declined them all. I kept myself so pure that my parents almost thought I liked men. Until that day, when Hannah ran to find me in the pouring rain. “Lucas, I’m done waiting. Do you have someone you want to marry?” “If not, how about me?” I was so excited I couldn’t contain myself, hugging the woman in front of me tightly. Hannah had no idea. How much I loved her at that time. I devoted everything I had, pampering, tolerating, and loving her infinitely after marriage. As time passed, all I gave finally received positive feedback. But all of this changed when Leo reappeared. I had found an eyewitness. Proving that it was Leo who drove into my parents! Moreover, he was drunk driving and fled the scene, afraid of being framed for killing someone. So he repeatedly ran over my parents! But Hannah just wouldn’t believe it. She came forward to vouch for him, saying Leo was with her the entire night. In the end, even the witness changed their testimony. I was isolated and helpless, treated like a madman jealous for love! I’ll never forget. The two already unrecognizable, cold and stiff bodies I saw when I rushed to the hospital that day. And I’ll never forget! How Hannah deceived me, taking me to that basement prison. How cruelly she imprisoned me! “Lucas, you’re too agitated, you need to calm down.” … “How did you get injured like this?” The doctor frowned instinctively, glancing at the bodyguard beside me. “Are you the patient’s family?” The bodyguard nodded reluctantly. “Why did you wait so long to seek treatment for an injury this old? Even if we realign this pinky finger, it won’t fully recover.” “And your leg, how did you injure it?” I slowly raised my head, looking at the bodyguard beside me. I knew he was under Hannah’s orders. I couldn’t say a word about the basement prison. Otherwise, Hannah would never tell me. Where she buried my parents.

The bodyguard dropped me off at the villa and left on his own. Before opening the door. I clearly saw the password he entered. It wasn’t the original password for this house. But Leo’s birthday. I limped in, looking at everything inside. It was the same as three years ago, yet somehow different. The pair of slippers at the entrance – one female, one male. The female ones were Hannah’s, the male Leo’s. In Hannah’s bedroom, there were two pillows. In the closet, her clothes on the left, Leo’s on the right. In the bathroom, two toothbrushes and cups. Men’s products, bottles and jars of all sizes. Everything was telling me. Hannah and Leo had long been sleeping together. When I heard the door close, I walked out of this room that no longer belonged to me. Two intertwined figures. Kissing passionately in the dark moonlight. “Click!” I turned on the living room light. Hannah’s flushed face was full of shock. She instinctively pushed Leo away. “When did you get back?” Hannah rubbed her forehead. “I drank too much. If Leo hadn’t sent me home, I don’t know how I would have escaped those old drunks.” Then, her face changed to an accusing expression. “Lucas, these things should have been done by you. If you hadn’t gone crazy back then, why would I have had such a hard time all these years.” I stood motionless. Listening to the endless complaints from her mouth. Until Leo brought out a cup of hot water from the kitchen. “Drink some hot water to soothe your throat.” Leo’s gentleness, compared to my current wretched state. Made him seem more like a caring husband. Hannah rolled her eyes at me again, letting out a heavy sigh. She drank down the water Leo handed her in one gulp. “Leo’s been looking for a place to live recently. Until he finds one, he’ll be staying at our house.” Just when Hannah thought I still wouldn’t respond, I spoke softly. “I know, your bedroom is full of his things.” Hannah’s expression froze, the glass in her hand accidentally shattering on the floor. “You went into my bedroom?” Her suddenly serious and low voice, along with the sound of breaking glass. Seemed to instantly pull me back to that dark, moldy basement prison. My mind went blank. Making me instinctively want to apologize when I heard her words. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Hannah stood stunned for a few seconds, then frowned as she slowly walked forward. “Lucas, what’s wrong? I was just asking casually.” I didn’t speak. And answering her was Leo’s light sigh. “Sigh, Lucas, you really don’t need to be like this.” “I didn’t realize you hated me this much. Even after three years, you’re still like this. You didn’t lie to Hannah just to get out, did you?” Hannah seemed to suddenly be enlightened by his words. “Is that so, Lucas?” “I’ve told you countless times, I was at a business dinner that day, Leo was with me. Why won’t you believe it? Do you know you almost got Leo killed! His promising career was ruined because of your one accusation of ‘murderer’. He can’t even go out without being pointed at and whispered about. Do you understand how much you owe him! How can you be so hateful!” “You… you have no idea, because of you, Leo almost jumped off a building to kill himself!”

My silence finally angered Hannah. She picked up a glass from the table. And threw it at me. The glass shattered with a crash. And my forehead slowly began to bleed. She looked up at me in shock. “Why… why didn’t you dodge?” Dodge? How could I dodge? Wasn’t it her order? I couldn’t dodge. If I dodged, She would feed my parents’ bones to the dogs. Hannah always did what she said, didn’t she? She once yelled at me. “Lucas, if you dare spread lies about Leo, I’ll make sure you die a miserable death.” And in that basement. Just because Leo lost a few hairs over that incident, She had people beat me several times. When Leo couldn’t eat, I wasn’t allowed to eat either. Not only could I not eat, but I had to control my water intake too. When Leo almost jumped off a building, She had people break my leg and hand bones. The blood kept flowing. I blinked dizzily. Hannah quickly walked to my side. “Leo, hurry and bring some iodine and gauze!” Leo stood still. “Hannah, this is the effect Lucas wants. Standing there motionless to be hit by you, just to successfully make you feel guilty.” Hannah froze in place. The hand holding my arm suddenly let go. After a long while, her voice lowered. “Lucas, how childish are you? Do you think you can manipulate me like this?” “You’ve been out for so long, have you apologized? As long as you sincerely apologize to Leo now, for your past rudeness and rash behavior, I won’t pursue your mistakes anymore and I’ll forgive you.” Leo sneered. “Hannah, is a light apology really enough?” Hannah gave me a complicated look. Then nodded firmly. “Lucas, kneel down and apologize!” Blood from my forehead suddenly dripped onto Hannah’s hand. Like scalding hot water. She instinctively pulled away. Leo walked in front of me, pulling Hannah to his side. He took out a tissue to carefully wipe her hand. “Lucas, what are you waiting for?” Hannah’s face looked very unpleasant. I numbly raised my head. After a while, I took a deep breath. “I can apologize, I can even kneel down, but I want to know, where are my parents buried?” Hannah was caught off guard by the question. While Leo’s eyes seemed to dodge. After a long time, Hannah frowned and looked at Leo. “Leo, I remember you arranged this matter back then. Where were they buried?” Leo’s evasive eyes made me sense something was wrong. I stepped forward and tightly grabbed his hand. “Where did you bury my parents!” “Let go of me first!” I gripped even tighter. “Tell me, where did you bury my parents!” Leo’s dark face suddenly twisted into a strange smile. “Lucas, why do I feel like you hate me even more than before? You’re not planning to pretend to please Hannah, then turn around and find a random car to run me over too, are you?” Hannah, standing to the side, suddenly widened her eyes. “Lucas, let go!” I remained motionless. Hannah shouted. “I said, let go!” “Lucas, do you want to go back for more reflection!” Go back? I don’t want to go back! I suddenly let go of my tight grip. Tiredly looking at the woman standing opposite. “Hannah, let’s get divorced.” The room suddenly fell silent. Hannah looked at me in disbelief. The expression on her face gradually cracking. “Divorce? Are you joking?” “I just told you to let go, and you want to divorce me? Didn’t you see you hurt Leo? Lucas, what exactly are you trying to do?” I pressed my lips together, staring unblinkingly at the woman I once loved deeply. Every day in that basement, I lived worse than death. I really couldn’t believe Hannah would go this far for Leo. Even more unbelievable was that she would have people torture me, just to vent Leo’s anger. I spoke numbly. “Since you two love each other so much, why don’t I just let you be together? Isn’t that good?” Hannah’s face looked like her secret had been exposed. Her eyes wandered to the side. “What nonsense are you talking about, Lucas? Be good, stop making trouble. I never thought about divorcing you. Leo and I—” “But I want to divorce you.” I interrupted her. Hannah’s face turned ugly. Leo laughed mockingly. “Lucas, where can you go if you leave here? The company belongs to Hannah now. You’re crippled and your hand is disabled. Are you planning to become homeless?” His words hit me like a boulder. But when Hannah heard this, she looked at me in surprise. “What? You’re crippled? What happened? And your hand?” I followed her gaze downward. Sneering, I raised my hand. “Didn’t you know about all this already? Why are you so surprised?”

When Hannah saw my strangely twisted pinky finger, she immediately walked over with a serious expression. “I didn’t know!” She didn’t know? How is that possible? That voice after each brutal beating was definitely Hannah’s voice. “What exactly happened?” She quickly grabbed my hand as it was about to fall. I didn’t miss the disbelief in her eyes. But I still chose to push her hand away. I pressed my lips together, giving Hannah a deep look. “Whether or not it has anything to do with you doesn’t matter anymore.” “Hannah, I’m already disabled.” No matter what the truth is. Whether or not Hannah ordered people to beat me. It’s no longer that important. Because the person who tricked me into that basement in the first place was her! If it wasn’t for her so-called “wife’s duty” to “punish” me for my stubborn views about Leo, I wouldn’t have ended up like this. “I don’t want anything. The company is yours. I’ll leave with nothing. Just tell me where my parents are buried. I’ll have someone draw up the contract tomorrow.” My face was pale, and my stomach was aching subtly. This was an old problem I developed during my three years in the basement. Eating half-cooked rice and cold rotten vegetable leaves every day. A bowl of porridge so thick it was hard to swallow. Hannah’s face showed panic I hadn’t seen in a long time. “Lucas, I really didn’t know. Are you saying you don’t believe me?” “Hannah, do you think Lucas would really be willing to divorce you? He’s just saying this on purpose. Don’t take it seriously. Have you forgotten how he took all the blame when your project went wrong, resigning rather than exposing you?” “Lucas only has you now!” Leo was right. Back then, after my parents passed away, I really only had Hannah left. Later, Hannah made a serious mistake at work. She didn’t want to be fired. Her dream was to become a powerful businesswoman. She didn’t want to be looked down upon by those she once despised. The day she found me, she was crying her eyes out. “Lucas, please help me. I’m pregnant, we’re going to have a new life in our family. You’ve given so much to the company, even if you made this mistake, the worst that could happen is being scolded by the board. If you resign voluntarily and I take over, the company will still be ours.” “You’ve worked so hard for so many years, let me help you, let me take over. You can stay home and take care of our baby, okay?” I sacrificed for her and the child. But in the end, we lost that unborn child. The day Leo returned to the country. Hannah went to pick him up at the airport but got into a car accident. When I arrived, I saw her lying in a pool of blood. Hannah suddenly realized, then her face filled with disgust. “Lucas, how childish are you, using this tactic on me? If you really had the guts to divorce me, I might actually respect you a little!” “Alright, if there’s nothing else, just go rest. Leo and I have work to do, unlike you who just freeloads.” Hannah led Leo back to the study. Leo closed the door tightly. As for what they were doing inside, whether working or something else. I no longer cared. I took out my old hiking backpack from the side room and packed some of my things. When I left, the two of them still hadn’t come out. Only faint sounds could be heard through the door crack.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296096”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #惊悚Thriller #重生Reborn

What to Do When Your Wife Suddenly Becomes Rich? Divorce Her Immediately! Don’t Hesitate for Even a Second or You’ll Lose! The day Melissa became the richest woman in River City, I walked away with most of her assets in the divorce settlement. She glared at me with bloodshot eyes, grabbing my collar: “Adrian, how could you be so heartless!” After ten years, the pig I had been fattening up was finally ready for slaughter. Oh, the joy! Who could understand? I’m probably the first man to want a divorce because his wife got rich. The reason is simple – I discovered Melissa was on the verge of having an affair. She was just one step away from actually cheating. After the initial shock and heartbreak, I came to terms with it. Actually, I had a feeling this day would come ever since her company got its first round of venture capital funding five years ago and started growing rapidly. They say money changes men, but the same is true for women. … Melissa had no idea that the day she was discussing her potential affair with Natalie, I was standing right outside the study door with a cup of coffee. “So Melissa, what do you think about that handsome TV host Ryan? He seems pretty great,” Natalie probed. Melissa replied nonchalantly, “He’s a bit clingy.” “But you still bought him a Maserati? That’s quite generous even for someone as rich as you.” My fingers froze and my heart sank. A Maserati? Talk about going all out. Then I heard Melissa’s slightly weary voice: “It’s just a car.” “Well, I’ll keep him on the hook for you then. Who knows, you might change your mind someday.” “Whatever.” The topic of Ryan ended there, and they went back to discussing business projects. It seemed like just some casual girl talk over afternoon tea. Nothing too serious. That cup of coffee ended up in my stomach, but I lay awake all night. The ironic thing is, when we got married, we were too poor to even have a wedding reception. Now Melissa was planning an extravagant wedding ceremony for us. She felt guilty towards me, but that didn’t stop her from trying to please other men. Hah, the human heart is unfathomable, the sea of money bottomless. Divorce. We had to divorce. And quickly! Before it was too late.

I met with my lawyer friend Howard at a coffee shop. As luck would have it, the TV in the lobby was playing Ryan’s financial talk show. I guess that’s where Melissa first met him. The young, handsome host spoke eloquently and intelligently, completely at ease even when interviewing intimidating billionaires. Howard was an old classmate of mine who had become a famous divorce lawyer. Noticing me staring at the screen, he joked, “Adrian, that Ryan guy kind of looks like you.” I immediately bristled, snapping, “No way!” Ryan was the pretty boy type that women fawned over. I was all man. Howard blinked in confusion. “Anyone who knows you both says you look alike. It even came up at our last class reunion.” I frowned, scoffing, “How unfortunate.” Not in the mood to discuss Ryan, I got straight to the point and told Howard I wanted to divorce Melissa. “Adrian, you can’t be serious! You’re finally successful and now you want a divorce?” “Do I look like I’m joking about marriage?” I rolled my eyes. Our group of classmates had witnessed how I married Melissa when her company was on the brink of bankruptcy. No wonder Howard was so shocked. “You married her when she was dirt poor, and now you’re leaving her when she’s filthy rich. Adrian, you sure know how to make a statement.” I replied calmly, “Howard, I could handle that poor girl back then. But do you really think I can handle the richest woman in River City now?” “You’ve handled so many divorce cases. I thought you’d understand best of all.” Weren’t lawyers, especially divorce lawyers, the ones who understood the dark side of human nature best? Howard was speechless for a long time before tentatively asking, “Did Melissa… have an affair?” “She’s one step away from it.” “Can’t you try to salvage things? Isn’t it too harsh to sentence her to death right away?” I laughed bitterly. “If I’m not harsh now, she’ll be the harsh one soon enough. Howard, tell me, from all the cases you’ve handled…” “Do people get more in a divorce settlement out of love or out of guilt?” Once the new lover officially takes over, how much I’d get would depend entirely on her whim. I refuse to be the passive one in this situation! Howard was taken aback by my words. “Adrian, your calmness scares me.” Calm? My calmness was the result of five years of simmering emotions. Besides Ryan, there was also Melissa’s male secretary Henry who had his eyes on her. I couldn’t remember exactly when, but one day when I went to have lunch with Melissa, I saw through the partially open door Henry zipping up her dress. Afterwards, he carefully took out a thermos of hangover soup from his own lunchbox. Henry was always trying to impress her, and she always refused. But that day, the hangover soup I had made and sent with the driver was still untouched in its container when it came back home. Even the knot I had tied myself hadn’t been touched. … Long ash fell from my cigarette as Howard looked at me pensively. “Adrian, I should really have my clients come learn from you.” I leaned forward to stub out my cigarette, smiling wryly. “It wouldn’t help. They can’t let go, and they don’t have the heart to be ruthless.” Those who can’t let go think they can handle such an exceptional wife, that they’re different. Until the very end when all love is gone, they don’t have the heart to be cruel. That’s why people shouldn’t be too greedy, wanting both money and the person. They’ll end up losing everything. I’m different. Because no one else could do what I did – always planning an exit strategy in my marriage. Of course, I want a divorce. But before that happens, I need to have a proper meeting with Ryan as Melissa’s husband!

That evening at the dinner table, I deliberately put on Ryan’s show as background noise – the episode featuring Melissa. She touched her face self-consciously. “What, you think I looked beautiful that day too?” She acted completely normal, without a hint of guilt. I almost believed the Maserati was just a toy car. “Melissa, I’ve got my eye on a car,” I said casually. She replied offhandedly, “Oh, it’s rare for you to be interested in cars. Which model? We can go pick it up together someday.” I watched her carefully as I said, “The Maserati Levante.” Her smile slowly faded as she gave me a scrutinizing look. “I thought you liked Range Rovers?” I tapped the table. “Fine, let’s go with a Range Rover then.” As long as it was more expensive than a Maserati. … It wasn’t long before Ryan and I had a fateful encounter. His Maserati crashed into my Range Rover. I had engineered it. Unfortunately for him, his car didn’t fare well in the collision. Ryan stood helplessly by his car, glaring resentfully at my vehicle’s front end. The collision between two luxury cars caused a traffic jam, and the police arrived promptly. “Mr. Shen, the video shows you made an illegal U-turn. You’re fully at fault,” the officer stated. Ryan looked painfully at his crumpled front door, shattered headlights, and bent bumper. “Couldn’t you have just let me go? I was prepared to get points on my license. Now both our cars need repairs,” he whined, his eyes reddening as he played the victim. His entitled attitude even surprised the police officer. A hot-headed driver nearby couldn’t help but shout, “What, are you used to people always giving way to you? This is a Range Rover, buddy. It’s not afraid of your little toy car.” “Serves him right! Fight fire with fire!” Having enjoyed the spectacle enough, I leisurely opened my car door and stepped out. Ryan’s accusations hit me immediately: “Why were you driving so slowly up front? Is the road your personal runway? I wanted to overtake you but you wouldn’t let me. Were you deliberately blocking me?!” “I was in a hurry and had no choice but to step on the gas a bit. You—” His words cut off abruptly when he saw me, his face turning pale. I smiled slightly. “With such a nice car, you still have to rush to work to make money? Looks like a Maserati can’t change your fate after all.” Ryan bit his lip, his face ashen. Without another word, he got back in his car. He told the officer, “Just handle it. I’ll pay for the damages.” The officer nodded and quickly moved to direct traffic. I watched Ryan’s retreating figure thoughtfully, letting out a cold laugh. … I was in a hurry to get divorced. But I didn’t expect Ryan to be in an even bigger hurry. Maybe he was still upset about me crashing his car. A few days later, I received a video file from Natalie’s phone. Around a mahjong table, Melissa was leaning close to Ryan, waving her hand as she explained the game. Ryan glanced at her coyly, saying in a whiny voice, “Big sis, which tile should I play? My palms are all sweaty.” Melissa looked at him indulgently. “Whatever you want. If you lose, it’s on me.” The others at the table laughed loudly. As Ryan lowered his head to look at his tiles, his bangs kept falling into his eyes. Melissa gently and naturally brushed away the hair blocking his view. “Play your best, okay?” she said softly. My fingers trembled as I angrily turned off the phone and threw it on the bed. A sour, painful feeling welled up inside me. I felt unsteady, my blood rushing to my head. I had to grip the edge of the table tightly to calm myself down. If Melissa’s affair partner had been anyone but Ryan, I might have graciously let her go. … Not long after receiving the video, Natalie called me. She anxiously tried to explain: “Bro, I’m so sorry, I can’t take back the video. I really didn’t mean to send it, I swear it wasn’t me.” “Please, whatever you do, don’t tell Melissa.” I replied flatly, “I know it wasn’t you.” She let out a huge sigh of relief. “Don’t overthink it. You know how Melissa feels about you. That was just her being polite for business.” “I guarantee she’d cheat on me a hundred times before she’d ever cheat on you!” “So you’re trying to drag her down with you, huh?” I retorted. She sheepishly admitted, “Yes, yes, you hit the nail on the head. It was wrong of me.” I hung up the phone, feeling utterly disgusted. I didn’t believe a word from this notorious player. But there was one thing she wasn’t lying about. As wild as she was, even she wouldn’t dare send that kind of video to my phone. That kind of thing could only be done by someone like Ryan – someone raised with a sense of entitlement who learned from example! Natalie’s earlier words, “I’ll keep him on the hook for you,” proved she had feelings for Ryan too. She just didn’t dare steal him from Melissa. It probably wasn’t hard for Ryan to get access to her phone. I called Howard: “How’s that divorce agreement coming? Can you get it done in a week?” “Come on, we’re old friends. I was just giving you time to cool off.” “If I don’t have it by tomorrow, I’m finding someone else.” “Alright, alright, fine.” It was time to confront Melissa.

I walked into the CEO’s office and got straight to the point: “Melissa, I have a favor to ask.” Melissa rested her elbows on the desk, fingers interlaced, and gave me an appraising look. “You’re my husband. Whatever you need, just ask.” I leaned down, flashing a cold smile. “Alright then, I want something.” “What is it?” I enunciated each word clearly: “The keys to the Maserati Levante.” She froze, her expression rapidly changing. We stared at each other for several seconds, neither backing down. Finally, she sighed and tried to placate me. “Adrian, that’s not important. It wasn’t even that expensive.” Her face showed she thought I was being unreasonable. “You’ve never been so petty before.” I couldn’t be bothered to argue. “Ms. Mu, can you get them back or not?” Melissa’s gaze was fixed on me, seemingly trying to gauge how serious I was. I stared back unflinchingly. She bit her lip and rubbed her forehead, but eventually replied, “Fine. I’ll give them to you tomorrow.” This was the first time I had ever been so disrespectful to Melissa. But it didn’t matter. I had achieved my goal. “Thank you,” I said with a faint smile, turning swiftly to leave. As I grasped the doorknob, Melissa’s voice came from behind me: “Adrian, are you jealous?” I replied noncommittally, “You can think that if you want.” As I closed the door, I heard the sound of something being swept off the desk inside. Then came the loud thud of a fist slamming onto the desk. Outside, Henry the secretary looked at me in shock. I gave a slight smile and entered the elevator. This was good. Once the decision was made, what was the point in keeping up appearances? … After getting the Maserati Levante keys, I wasted no time in setting up a meeting with Ryan at the TV station. At a café downstairs, Ryan arrived late, looking haggard. It must not feel good to have a gift taken back. “Please, have a seat Mr. Shen,” I gestured. His eyes landed on the car keys next to my coffee cup and his pupils constricted sharply! He plopped down unceremoniously and sneered at me. “Did Mr. Ou come to show off?” He flicked his bangs, looking at me defiantly. “Ms. Mu did ask for the keys back, but a woman of her status would surely compensate with something even more valuable when taking back a gift,” he said. I gazed at him calmly. Of course I understood such a simple principle. But it didn’t matter. “Besides, Mr. Ou, doing this makes big sis lose a lot of face.” I waited silently for him to finish, then slowly pushed the car keys towards him. “Her face doesn’t matter to me. Mr. Shen, a Maserati isn’t worth showing off to me. I got it back only because I wanted to—” I paused, and he looked at me warily. I chuckled softly. “I just wanted to give it to you personally.” He stared at me intently. “What do you mean?!” I explained slowly and deliberately: “If you want it, I can give it to you. But you can’t steal it. Understand, my dear little brother?” The color drained from his face. The coffee he was holding splashed out and he quickly set it down. I leaned back with a cold smile, looking at him. At that moment, I felt like a porcupine with all its quills raised. That’s right, Ryan was my half-brother from the same father. As of today, we hadn’t seen each other in 20 years. So we both pretended not to recognize each other. Actually, the first time I heard the name Ryan Shen, I knew it was him. At the accident scene, Ryan recognized me immediately too. His target was Melissa – how could he not investigate my identity? He just chose not to acknowledge our relation since he hadn’t officially gotten his position yet. Knowing my stepmother’s style and upbringing, once Ryan achieved his goal, he’d probably put on a pitiful act and say, “Big brother, I’m so sorry, I really didn’t know Melissa was your wife.” How could I let him have his way! I can accept a divorce, but the idea of Ryan even getting a whiff of Melissa is a sign of my incompetence. He wants to recreate what Linda did to my mom back then? Not a chance. Thanks to that mother-son duo, I learned an important lesson from a young age: Never let anyone catch you off guard!

“I’ll get divorced. But you will never be Melissa’s husband, because that’s one of my conditions for the divorce.” I smiled coldly as I watched the color drain from Ryan’s face. I continued to mock him: “Of course, you can choose to be her secret lover and get some pocket money from Melissa. But Linda would be disappointed, wouldn’t she?” “Linda has always had high hopes for you, surely she wants you to surpass me. A mere lover is beneath you, isn’t it?” Ryan’s excitement hadn’t even had a chance to rise before I crushed it mercilessly. He bit his lip and asked shakily: “Big brother, do you hate me that much? I was innocent back then too.” I coldly watched him put on an act. Then he tried to appeal to my emotions. “Dad has felt very guilty about you all these years, he just couldn’t get in touch with you.” “I don’t know what to say about what happened between my mom and Aunt Ou, but we’re different. We’re brothers by blood.” I remained unmoved and laughed coldly: “Ryan, don’t try that act with me! I’ve already lost once in life. That’s enough.” Ryan’s expression changed. He clearly hadn’t expected me to be so unswayable, so he stopped pretending. “I heard from Melissa that your marriage hasn’t been happy these past few years. She said you’re the unsatisfied one, and she actually feels very tired being with you.” “That’s right, but you’ve lost your chance!” I ended the meeting confidently and turned to leave. Ryan shouted behind me: “Big brother, even if I just make you get divorced, I still win!” “Don’t flatter yourself. At most, you’re just one of the catalysts for my divorce.” I tossed back the words dismissively and left without looking back. … After returning home, I started giving Melissa the cold shoulder. First, of course, because I was angry that of all people, she chose my stepmother’s son. Second, since we were getting divorced, I couldn’t keep acting all lovey-dovey. I had to show some signs. When the event planning company contacted me about the wedding arrangements, I put the project on hold, saying I’d get back to them when I had new ideas. Who wants a wedding that’s past its expiration date! That night I had a nightmare. Back then, my name was still Adrian Shen. I was three years old. Ryan’s mother Linda was my dad’s secretary, determined to climb the social ladder. That day, she barged into our home with an ultrasound, her belly swollen. She said she was carrying a boy, the young master of the Shen family who couldn’t be left out in the cold. Using the child as leverage, her attitude was arrogant. Although my mom had me as a son, a stay-at-home housewife was no match for an experienced office vixen. My dad held that ultrasound like a treasure. Shamelessly, he told Linda not to upset the baby and ordered my mom to get out! My mom fainted from anger. In the end, it was my grandmother who stepped in to mediate. Unlike my dad, she couldn’t be easily fooled. She placated Linda while reassuring my mom. “Janie, what man with money doesn’t fool around outside? Those are all shameless hussies. You gave birth to Adrian, no one can shake your position.” To give credit where it’s due, my grandmother was pretty good to me, her eldest grandson, back then. My mom was somewhat swayed by her words. Mainly because she hadn’t worked in years, having devoted everything to my dad and our family. If they divorced, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get custody of me. … But Linda only behaved for a short while before causing trouble again. Later when my grandmother passed away from illness, she became even more unrestrained. She went around telling everyone she was pregnant with my dad’s child, firmly grasping his weakness. As she became more and more involved in the company, she started to treat it as her own. She began urging my dad to transfer assets, saying it was for their son’s sake. If he gave anything to my mom, it would all go to another man’s family when she remarried. My dad was so brainwashed by Linda that he ended up forcing a divorce. In the end, my mom was left with nothing and couldn’t even take me with her. Since she had no income, I was naturally awarded to the Shen family. From age 3 to 8, for five whole years, Linda became my lifelong nightmare. In that house, I was treated worse than a servant. Later when Linda gave birth to Ryan, her figure changed. My dad started spending his days gallivanting with other women again. This made my life even more miserable. Linda took out her dissatisfaction with my dad on me. She would beat and scold me at the drop of a hat, or lock me up as punishment. Because of this childhood family trauma, I thought I would never get married in my life. Until I met Melissa. Now, Ryan wants to recreate the story of the previous generation? Did he ask for my permission? I won’t end up like my mom, left with nothing in the end.

When Melissa heard the wedding was canceled, she came to ask me what was going on. I casually took out the divorce agreement: “Let’s get divorced.” Melissa shot to her feet: “Adrian, have you lost your mind?!” I looked at her calmly: “You know I haven’t. You’ve known for years that I’ve had this idea, haven’t you?” Her chest heaved as she paced back and forth, hands on her hips: “Is it because of Ryan? Stop being unreasonable, I know he’s my brother-in-law!” I angrily threw the divorce agreement in her face: “You don’t know shit! If you knew, you wouldn’t have done this!” I shouted, my voice distorted and shaking: “Melissa, how did I not realize you’ve become so full of yourself since getting rich! What exactly are you trying to do?!” The paper’s edge left bloody scratches on Melissa’s face. She stared at me in shock for a long while. She seemed unable to believe I would react so strongly. After a long time, she came over and hugged me tightly: “Adrian, I just wanted you to reconcile with your birth family. I was still hesitating whether I should do it when you found out.” My armor of indifference crumbled in that moment. Strong emotions of grief and anger made tears fall from my eyes. They silently dropped onto the shoulder pad of her suit. “Melissa, you don’t understand anything,” I said. “I do know. You’ve been seeing a therapist for five years. I know everything, Adrian,” Melissa gripped my shoulders tightly, her voice restrained and pained. I muttered: “Melissa, what gives you the right—” What gives you the right to be my savior when you haven’t experienced my pain? That family – I wish they were all dead! It’s not just me who’s a victim of that family, you are too! What gives you the right to make me reconcile with them! They don’t deserve it! Melissa wiped away my tears: “Adrian, believe me, I’ve never betrayed you. I gave Ryan the car because Natalie wanted to pursue him. You know how fickle she is.” “He is your brother after all—” I shoved her away forcefully. Whether she only saw Ryan as a brother-in-law, I didn’t want to delve into it. But Ryan’s desire to take my place was clear as day. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Melissa. Sign the papers. When we got married, we promised that if one day this relationship made either of us uncomfortable, we would let the other person go.” “Adrian!” she called out helplessly. I said wearily: “I know the company is at a critical stage right now. We won’t divide assets. I just want shares. Also, Melissa’s husband can’t be Ryan. Those are my only conditions.” “Adrian, do you think this is fair?” Melissa angrily threw aside the divorce agreement and came towards me. With bloodshot eyes, she grabbed my neck and pushed me against the wall. “What did I do wrong for you to treat me so cruelly!” “Melissa, I don’t want to test human nature. You’ll thank me for this in the future.” She stared at me for a long while, then buried her head in my chest, asking in a small voice: “Adrian, does it really have to be this way?” “Please grant me this, Ms. Mu.” I said. She glared at me fiercely. I met her gaze calmly. Melissa then pushed me away, turned around, and quickly signed her name without looking at me again. “You’ve really outdone yourself, Adrian!” … The day after finalizing the divorce, I went to have dinner at my mom’s place. Ever since I was 8 years old, when she finally had the means to support herself and fought to get me back, we had relied on each other. For my sake, she never remarried. Seeing me arrive alone, she chided me for not bringing Melissa along. I had a feeling that if I told her about the divorce right away, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the meal properly. So I just said Melissa had a business engagement. My mom nodded, urging us to hurry up and have a child. She gripped my hand tightly, earnestly advising: “Adrian, is Melissa the one who wants to avoid pregnancy?” “She used to say it wasn’t the right time for kids, but she can’t make excuses anymore now, can she?” Seeing my mom so anxious and insecure, I had a sudden realization. If I had continued my marriage with Melissa, I probably would have ended up like my mom. Insecure. Desperate, clinging to a child as a lifeline. I replied flatly: “Neither of us said we don’t want kids, and neither of us said we do. We’re just letting nature take its course.” Thinking about it seriously, Melissa and I had only discussed having children once in all our years of marriage. That one time, in our shabby rented apartment, she held me with restrained emotion.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296112”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #惊悚Thriller #重生Reborn #校园School

I live in a novel. My sister is the tragic heroine. To save her life, my family traveled back ten years in time, determined to protect her at all costs. The price? Destroying me. My career was ruined for her. My husband was stolen by her. My child died because of her. And in the end, to save her, they handed me over to her deranged admirer, who stabbed me until I was left mutilated and broken. Later, I was tortured to death by the housekeeper. Only then did they realize their mistake. They went mad trying to find traces of my existence, driven by regret. The metallic scent of blood filled my nose. I pushed the door open and froze. My Samoyed, Coco, lay on the floor, barely breathing, blood pooling around her. My mind went blank. I turned to the man holding the knife—my father. “Dad! What are you doing?!” I screamed, my voice cracking. But he ignored me, his gaze fixed on Coco. Before I could stop him, he plunged the knife deep into her belly. Then, with a brutal motion, he dragged the blade upward, leaving her mutilated beyond recognition. I collapsed to the floor, cradling Coco as her faint whimpers filled the room. She looked up at me, her eyes full of pain, but still tried to wag her tail, as if to comfort me one last time. Then, she went still. “Not in her stomach?” my sister’s airy voice drifted over. “I thought she swallowed my ring.” My father, unfazed, tossed the knife aside and reached into Coco’s open belly, still searching. “Stop!” I screamed, my voice hoarse. “She’s just a dog! How could you do this to her?!” My sister, startled by my outburst, shrank back, tears welling in her eyes. She clung to my husband, Jason, for comfort. “I was just desperate to find my ring…” she murmured pitifully. Jason wrapped his arm around her, frowning at me. “It’s just a dog,” he said dismissively. “I’ll buy you another one.” His words stabbed at my chest. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to speak, but my father cut me off. “Enough,” he said, his tone cold and commanding, a far cry from the man who once doted on me. “Enough.” That’s all they ever said to me since they came back from ten years in the future. Since then, they’d lavished my sister with unconditional love and affection, while I was told to step aside, again and again. Jason, still holding my sister, frowned as he watched her cry. He let out a sigh and walked toward me. “Your ring,” he said, holding out his hand. I stared at him, confused and frozen. Before I could react, he slid my wedding ring off my finger. Turning back to my sister, he pressed it into her hand. “This ring might not compare to yours,” he said gently, “but at least it’s something to keep you company.” She looked up at him, her tears quickly replaced with a smile. “Jason, you’re so good to me,” she whispered. I stared at them in disbelief. I scrambled to my feet, reaching for the ring, my hands still stained with Coco’s blood. But before I could grab it, my bloodied hands brushed against my sister’s white dress, leaving crimson smears on the fabric. Jason immediately shoved me away, his eyes filled with annoyance. “Stop it,” he said. “I’ll take you to pick out a new ring tomorrow, okay?” I bit my lip until I tasted blood, my heart shattering into pieces. Still, I wouldn’t back down. I reached for the ring again, only to feel the sting of my father’s palm across my face. “You’re being ridiculous!” he snapped. The sharp pain burned on my cheek as I staggered back. And then, just like that, my father threw me and Coco out of the house. The rain poured down in torrents, washing over me and the lifeless body of my dog. I clung to her, sobbing uncontrollably. A small hand tugged at my sleeve. “Mommy?” I looked up to see my son, only six or seven years old, staring at me with wide, worried eyes. But before I could respond, my father appeared behind him. Without a word, he grabbed my son by the arm and dragged him back inside. “Your mother needs to be punished for what she’s done,” he said sternly. “You’re not going to stand out here and get sick because of her.” My son kicked and screamed, crying for me as he was pulled inside. I lunged forward, trying to reach him, but the door slammed shut in my face. The cold rain mixed with the blood on my hands, and I sank to the ground, choking on my sobs.

Both of my hands were raw and bleeding. It had taken everything I had to bury Coco, my sweet dog, in the cold, hard ground. The effort left me so drained that I collapsed. When I woke up, I was back in my bedroom. Jason was slumped over the side of the bed, asleep. Hearing me stir, he shot up, his eyes filled with concern. “Babe, you scared me to death! Are you hungry?” He reached out to touch my forehead, then bent down and kissed me gently. A small smile crept across his face. “Looks like your fever broke,” he said softly. I stayed silent, watching him as he pulled a familiar object from his pocket—a ring. Carefully, he slid it back onto my finger. “I got the ring back for you. Don’t be mad, okay? Your sister’s still unwell, and she doesn’t have much time left. Let’s be a little more understanding, for her sake.” I remained quiet. I wanted to ask him so badly: If she’s dying, does that mean I deserve to suffer? Before I could say anything, the sound of the door creaking open interrupted my thoughts. My sister walked in, carrying a bowl of steaming soup. On her finger glinted a brand-new diamond ring, the size of a pigeon egg. “Jason was going to give you this ring,” she said with a sly smile, holding up her hand to show it off. “But when he saw how much I liked it, he decided to give it to me instead.” Her voice was light, but the challenge in her tone was unmistakable. She placed the bowl in front of me. “You must be starving. Try some of the soup I made for you.” The smell made my stomach turn. I shook my head, refusing to eat. Jason, ever the peacemaker, picked up the bowl and spooned a piece of meat toward me. “Come on, eat something,” he said gently. When I kept my mouth shut, he didn’t pull the spoon away. He just sat there, waiting, until I had no choice but to take a bite. The moment it hit my tongue, something felt wrong. My sister’s voice, dripping with malice, broke the silence. “How’s Coco’s meat? Tasty?” Something in my brain snapped. I spat the food out, gagging as bile rose in my throat. My stomach churned violently as I stared at the pink chunk of meat in the bowl. My sister sighed dramatically. “Jason had to work so hard to dig her back up. It would’ve been such a waste to leave all that meat in the ground.” Her words hit me like a slap. I turned to Jason, my eyes wide with disbelief. “You… you did this?” Jason couldn’t even look at me. He hung his head in shame, then reached down and picked up a small puppy from the floor. He placed it in my lap. “This is for you,” he said quietly. “To make up for it.” The little dog barked and wagged its tail, full of life and energy. But I felt nothing but cold emptiness. I hurled the bowl of soup to the floor, the ceramic shattering into pieces. “Get out! Both of you, GET OUT!” I screamed, clutching my face as tears poured through my fingers. My wedding ring—chosen secondhand after my sister’s approval. My dog—boiled into soup after years of unconditional love. I stared at the meat on the floor, my chest tightening until it was hard to breathe. “I’m sorry, Amelia,” my sister said softly, crouching down to pick up the broken pieces of the bowl. She winced as a shard of porcelain cut her hand. Jason immediately panicked. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, sucking the blood from the cut before carefully wrapping it in a tissue. “Be careful next time,” he said gently, leading her out of the room. But before leaving, he turned back and looked at me, disappointment etched into his face. “You’re being unreasonable, Amelia. You never used to be like this.” I sat frozen, staring at the door as it closed behind them. Unreasonable? I didn’t even know how to respond anymore. The shrill ring of my phone shattered the silence. I answered it, only to be met with my manager’s furious voice. “What the hell is going on, Amelia? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You’ve ruined your career!” I blinked, confused. “What are you talking about?” I asked weakly. “Seriously? You’re married, and you still couldn’t control yourself? You’ve completely destroyed your reputation!” I grabbed my phone and opened social media. The words trending at the top of the page made my blood run cold. #Famous Actress Amelia Harris Caught Cheating#

I clicked on the trending topic. It was a series of photos. Under dim lighting, a woman was wrapped in the arms of an overweight man. The faces were blurry, but I recognized the silhouette immediately. It was my sister. But my family, in their usual way, had already logged into my social media account. They made me take the blame. The statement they posted read: “I deeply apologize for wasting public attention. Please don’t misunderstand or blame my sister. It was my own lapse in judgment that led to my infidelity. I fully acknowledge my mistakes and regret implicating my sister in this matter. To everyone who has supported me, I’m sorry. Starting today, I will be leaving the entertainment industry as an act of self-reflection.” When I read those words, my hands trembled with rage. I tried to log back into my account to post the truth, but the password had already been changed. The door creaked open, and my mother walked in. She pulled me into a hug, her eyes red and brimming with tears. But she wasn’t here to comfort me. She was here to persuade me. “Sweetheart, your sister is at the peak of her career. If this kind of scandal gets out, her life will be ruined forever.” I stared at her blankly, the tears on my face already dried. “And what about me, Mom?” What about me? Wouldn’t this destroy me too? My mother faltered under my gaze, guilt flickering across her face. “Honey, listen to me. You have Jason. He knows the truth; he won’t turn his back on you. But your sister—she’s not married yet. Her future can’t handle this.” A wave of nausea hit me. I grabbed the black card she had given me and slammed it to the ground. “She made this mess, and she can clean it up herself. I’m not sacrificing my life for her career!” My raised voice startled her, and just as she was about to respond, the door opened again. My sister stepped in, her face streaked with tears. She cried and apologized, taking my hand and pressing it against her cheek. “Hit me, Amelia. If it’ll make you feel better, go ahead. I deserve it.” Her performance ignited something inside me. I clenched my teeth and, as she wished, slapped her hard across the face. The sharp sound of the slap echoed in the room. Before I could react, Jason stormed in and yanked me away from her. “What the hell are you doing?!” he shouted. My sister, clutching her reddened cheek, smiled at me through her tears. “Your karma is coming,” she whispered. I didn’t understand what she meant. I could only watch as my family surrounded her, comforting her as they left the room. But I understood soon enough. People started questioning the photos. Some began to doubt whether the woman in them was really me. Sensing the shift in public opinion, my family responded in the only way they knew how—by escalating. Private photos of me, meant for Jason’s eyes only, suddenly flooded the internet. The scandal exploded, overshadowing everything else. I clutched my chest, struggling to breathe. I knew then that my life was over. I sat in a daze, unable to move, when the phone rang. “Mommy…” It was my son’s voice, trembling and tearful. “Mommy, Auntie took me to Hollow Lake. I’m scared…” His words were cut off abruptly. The last thing I heard was the sound of something heavy splashing into the water. Panic consumed me as I grabbed my coat and ran out the door. By the time I arrived, it was too late. My sister stood by the lake, calm and composed, smiling as if nothing had happened. “Your son is so rude,” she said casually. “He said I was bullying you and even tried to hit me.” She tilted her head, feigning innocence. “But he’s so clumsy. He slipped and fell into the water all by himself.” She shrugged lightly. “Not that it matters. I can’t swim, you know.” Her words made my mind go blank. I shoved past the crowd and dove into the lake, frantically searching until I found him. I pulled him to the surface and carried him to the shore, but it was too late. His small body was limp, his face pale, his lips tinged with blue. He was gone. The son I had promised to protect was gone.

I knelt helplessly in front of my son’s lifeless body, clutching him in my arms as uncontrollable sobs wracked my body. The crowd around me began to murmur, their judgmental voices cutting through the air like knives. “She deserves it! A woman like her, throwing herself around—her son’s death is just karma!” Rotten vegetables and trash were hurled at me, but I couldn’t muster a single word in my defense. And then she walked over—my sister. She leaned down, her voice low and threatening. “You still want to clear your name? This is what happens. Think carefully before you act.” Her cold indifference snapped something inside of me. I lunged at her, grabbing her by the collar, screaming, “He was just a child!” My son. My sweet, smart, loving boy. Just yesterday, he was holding my hand, calling me “Mommy.” And now, he was reduced to this—cold, lifeless, gone. “Amelia! Amelia!” Jason pushed through the crowd, rushing toward me. The moment he saw our son’s body, his knees almost buckled. But he steadied himself and wrapped his arms around me. “It’s going to be okay,” he stammered, though his voice was trembling. “Just calm down. Please, calm down—” I shoved him away with all the strength I had left and slapped him across the face. The love I once felt for him was gone, replaced by a searing hatred. My parents arrived moments later, rushing past me to check on my sister. “Are you hurt?” they asked her frantically. She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “I saw someone take little Ray, so I ran after them… but I was too late.” Her words, laced with guilt, were enough for my parents. They believed her without question. They surrounded her protectively, whispering reassurances while offering me hollow condolences. But I didn’t care. Their words were meaningless to me now. Everything I cared about was gone. Holding my son’s body, I felt as though my soul had been ripped away. Suddenly, someone in the crowd screamed. “He’s got a knife!” People scattered in all directions as a heavyset man stormed toward us, a knife glinting in his hand. He was shouting my sister’s name. I recognized him immediately—the man from the tabloid photos, the one who had been holding my sister in his arms. Jason and my parents tensed up, immediately positioning themselves in front of my sister. They knew exactly who he was. In the original timeline, this man had been my sister’s obsessive admirer. His obsession had grown so twisted that he ultimately killed her. Now, as he charged toward us, they instinctively shielded her, pushing her behind them. And then, I felt it. A hand shoved me from behind, hard. Still clutching my son’s body, I stumbled forward—straight into the man’s path. His eyes, wild and full of rage, locked onto me. He didn’t even glance at my sister. “It was you,” he snarled, his voice dripping with venom. “You’re the one who told her I wasn’t good enough. You’re the one who tried to break us apart!” His grip on the knife tightened. “You filthy bitch. You should die!” In that moment, everything became clear. I wasn’t his target by chance. I was his target because of them. The knife sank into my body, cold and unrelenting. I gasped, the pain blinding, but I managed to turn my head. Jason, my parents, and my sister were already gone. They had climbed into a car and driven away, leaving me behind without a second thought. The world around me blurred as blood poured from my wound, staining everything red. The pain—oh, the pain. I clutched my son even tighter, tears streaming down my face. “It’s okay, baby,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Mommy’s coming to find you.”

I never thought I’d survive. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the blindingly white ceiling of a hospital room. “Amelia! You scared us to death! Do you even know how long you’ve been unconscious?” My mom’s warm arms wrapped around me tightly. When I didn’t respond, she wiped her tears and hesitated before speaking again, her voice trembling. “Sweetheart, I need to tell you something. Please, stay calm, okay?” I lifted my hollow eyes to meet hers. Her face was full of pain. “Your mom failed to protect you,” she said, her voice cracking. “Your lower body… you’re paralyzed now. We did everything we could to save your legs.” I couldn’t feel my legs at all. But I didn’t scream. I didn’t cry. I didn’t even react. I felt like an empty shell, barely human. My mother grew more anxious at my lack of response. Then the door opened, and my sister walked in. She wrinkled her nose, her face twisting in disgust. “What’s that smell? It’s awful,” she said casually. Jason followed close behind her. At her words, he froze, then hurried over to me. He pulled back the blanket covering me. I had wet myself. For a split second, I caught the flash of revulsion on my mom’s face before she quickly masked it. Jason, on the other hand, looked genuinely concerned. He shooed my mom and sister out of the room and gently started cleaning me up. His frail hands cradled me as he whispered, “I thought I’d lost you. I thought I’d never see you again.” I turned my head away, refusing to look at him. My son was dead. I had no reason to keep living. Jason finished cleaning me up, murmured a few comforting words, and left the room. I drifted off into a restless sleep. I didn’t sleep for long. I woke to the sound of muffled voices coming from the bathroom nearby. It was my sister. Her breathy voice carried through the thin walls. “See? You like kissing me too. Why won’t you just admit it?” She paused, her tone turning pleading. “I don’t know how much longer I have left to live. Can’t you just grant me this one wish?” Jason’s voice followed, low and strained. “Emily, I can’t. I can’t betray Amelia… I just—” Before he could finish, she cut him off. The sound of a kiss filled the silence. I stared at the ceiling, tears slipping silently down my cheeks. I didn’t need to see what was happening. The sounds were enough. I didn’t know how much time passed before they finally emerged, one after the other. Emily’s hair was disheveled, and her neck was marked with faint red bruises. When she saw me staring, she smirked, her expression full of challenge, and wrapped her arm tightly around Jason’s. Jason pulled away from her, looking flustered, and rushed to my side. “Amelia, it’s not what you think,” he started, his voice desperate. I didn’t respond. Two months later, I was discharged from the hospital. Jason pushed my wheelchair as my mom walked behind us, chatting cheerfully. “That maniac is in prison now,” she said with relief. “Thank God for you, Amelia. Without your testimony, we wouldn’t have had the evidence to put him away. Now we can all breathe easy.” I stayed silent the entire time. When we got home, the caretaker Emily had hired greeted us at the door. In front of my family, she was the picture of warmth and kindness. But as soon as she wheeled me inside and shut the door, her expression darkened. Without hesitation, she slapped me hard across the face. “I’m warning you,” she hissed, her eyes narrowing. “If you try anything, I’ll make your life a living hell.” I stared at her, my voice calm despite the sting on my cheek. “This was Emily’s idea, wasn’t it? She told you to hurt me, to make me suffer.” The caretaker sneered, her sharp eyes glinting with malice. “You’re smarter than you look.” She disappeared for a moment and came back with a bowl of steaming porridge. Without giving me a chance to prepare, she shoved spoonful after spoonful into my mouth. The scalding liquid burned my throat, making me choke and cough violently. Tears filled my eyes as I struggled to breathe. Anger and humiliation churned in my chest, but I knew better than to fight back. If I reported her, Emily would defend her. My family would believe Emily over me, dismissing my words as hysterical outbursts. And if the caretaker stayed, her abuse would only get worse. I clutched my throat, coughing uncontrollably. Through my blurred vision, my gaze landed on the surveillance camera in the corner of the room. If my words wouldn’t be enough… Would the footage be?

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296128”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #浪漫Romance #魔幻Magic

Everyone’s calling me a homewrecker because I stole my twin sister’s fiancé. But what they don’t know is that this was all an elaborate scheme orchestrated by my sister… all because she can’t have children. I’m getting divorced. My husband, or soon-to-be ex-husband, is named Lucas Parker. He’s a high-level executive at a publicly traded company – respectable job, respectable looks. The only thing not so respectable about him is his wife – me, Olivia Reed. Because I’m the “other woman”, the one who stole her own twin sister’s fiancé. Everyone who knows Lucas is aware of this fact. Ever since I married Lucas, I’ve often been the target of mockery and disdain. I’ve grown used to it. Even if Lucas and I didn’t have this messy entanglement, I was frequently the object of ridicule anyway. And it’s all thanks to my sister, Emily Reed. I’m not sure what kind of relationship she truly had with Lucas, or if there were real feelings involved. But they were officially boyfriend and girlfriend for seven years. If I had to guess why Emily pursued Lucas, I’d say it was probably just to spite me. Emily and I are identical twins. We look very much alike, but our personalities couldn’t be more different. According to our mom, Emily is the perfect lady – gentle, virtuous, and well-mannered. I, on the other hand, am the family disappointment, the black sheep. I have no comment on that assessment. Emily hates me, and I can’t say I’m particularly fond of her either. From a very young age, I was always a loner. I vaguely remember having many friends when I was little, but those friendships never lasted long. Whenever I made a new friend, it wouldn’t be long before they became Emily’s close friend instead. Eventually, I just stopped trying to make friends altogether. Back then, I’d often overhear people gossiping nearby: “Emily, you’re twins, but how come your sister looks so… unpleasant in comparison?” Every time, Emily would smile that fake smile of hers and explain, “Oh no, my sister is fine.” Then when I wasn’t looking, she’d flash a smug grin in my direction. As a teenager, I still had some of that youthful defiance in me. I really couldn’t stand her two-faced act. So I felt I had to get back at her somehow, and my attitude towards Emily grew increasingly hostile. The angrier I got, the more pleased she seemed. In the end, of course, I became the villain, while she was the poor little princess everyone sympathized with. I scoffed at this, trying not to let it bother me. I figured I could just keep my distance. But I never imagined Emily’s malice towards me ran so deep that she’d set me up even on my wedding day. In my youth, I had someone I liked too. But due to my insecurities and tendency to keep to myself, I could only bury those feelings deep in my heart. That guy looked so handsome in a white dress shirt. I remember secretly peeking at his profile in the library, hiding behind a book. He was different from the other boys in our class. His eyes were warm and gentle when he smiled. But now those same eyes look at me with nothing but venom, devoid of any emotion besides resentment. I’m sure you’ve guessed by now – he’s my current husband, Lucas Parker. Back then, I thought I had hidden my feelings well. I believed no one knew about my secret crush. But not long after, rumors about me having a crush on him spread all over campus. I panicked and tried to distance myself, thinking if I just avoided him, the gossip would eventually die down. But I never expected that the next time I paid attention to Lucas, he was already dating Emily. Emily even had the audacity to claim that all those rumors about me liking Lucas were false, because she was the one who truly liked him, not me. The implication was that Lucas had fallen for the wrong person, and that I wasn’t worthy of him at all. Although I didn’t believe her, everyone else seemed to. So I forced myself to believe it too. Later on, probably because of Emily, I started seeing Lucas more often. But the way he looked at me grew increasingly disgusted. There was even one time when he asked to meet me alone. Before I could ask why, he got straight to the point: “Even though you and Emily are twins, I only like Emily. Emily’s been too nice to say it to your face because you’re her sister. But I’m different. I’m telling you to give up on me for good.” I was completely stunned. What was this about? I’d been going out of my way to avoid them when they came over for dinner. What more did he want me to do? To be honest, hearing the person you like directly tell you they dislike you – even someone with skin as thick as mine was genuinely hurt for a long time. But in the end, I healed on my own. Because no one came to comfort me.

On my 23rd birthday, Emily was uncharacteristically enthusiastic about celebrating with me. Based on what I knew of her, I suspected she was up to no good. But after being ignored for so many years, suddenly receiving warmth from my parents and old friends – I found myself craving it. Because of that small desire, I walked right into a trap. You might not be able to imagine how cruel a woman can be when she sets her mind to it. Emily showed me exactly what that looks like. On my birthday, I was dressed like a princess in a designer gown. My parents were there, and even some of my old friends showed up. Because of Lucas and Emily’s relationship, I wasn’t surprised to see Lucas there as well. I sang “Happy Birthday” with everyone, feeling a bit awkward as I made my wish. That day, I secretly told myself that no matter how difficult the past had been, I was ready to make peace with it all. Because I still had my family. Since it was my party, I inevitably drank too much. The next time I woke up, it was to Emily’s piercing screams. I looked groggily at Emily, then at my dad and mom. Their expressions were all different – Emily’s eyes held disappointment, while my parents looked furious. Feeling scared, I asked them, “Mom, Dad, what’s wrong?” “Don’t call me Mom. I’m not your mother,” my mom said as she strode over and slapped me across the face. My head was spinning – I still couldn’t grasp what was happening. As I was slowly coming to my senses, I heard a derisive snort beside me. I turned to look – it was Lucas. Suddenly everything clicked, and I lifted the covers. The evidence of our intimacy was unmistakably displayed all over my body. It was over, I thought to myself. Lucas was very calm. He got up and got dressed, then looked down at me condescendingly. “Olivia Reed, I always knew you were devious. But I never imagined you’d stoop so low. Emily was kind enough to throw you a birthday party, and this is how you repay her? By getting drunk and crawling into my bed?” “I don’t remember anything,” I tried to defend myself. But Lucas’s scorn only deepened. “Olivia Reed, do you think we’re all idiots? Look around – this is my room, far away from yours. If you didn’t do this on purpose, how did you end up here?” At that, I looked up at Emily, and everything became clear. How ironic that just yesterday I was thinking about making peace with the past. I said nothing, just quietly got up and got dressed. Because I knew that anything I said would be useless. When I went out to the living room, it was full of people – everyone who had been at my birthday party. They all knew about my one-night stand with Lucas. Unsurprisingly, their faces were full of contempt and disdain. They didn’t even try to hide their mocking voices as they spoke: “How shameless, sleeping with your own sister’s boyfriend.” “I always knew she was no good, but I didn’t realize she was this awful.” “If you ask me, she’s just desperate. Aren’t there any other men out there? Even rabbits know not to eat close to home.” … For a moment, I thought about ending it all. But in the end, I still clung to life. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here now. As the memories faded, I recalled how Lucas had acted so nobly that day, saying he would marry me. It was laughable. Emily had said she found him “tainted” now, putting on an act of being hurt yet magnanimous as she told him to take responsibility for me. If I hadn’t caught her secret smirk directed at me, I might have really believed she had my best interests at heart.

Lucas and I have been married for five years, and there hasn’t been a single day without arguments. During these five years, Emily has become like the air in our home – everywhere and inescapable. I developed severe depression. I toss and turn at night, unable to sleep, losing clumps of hair. But no one knows about this. After marrying me, Lucas hardly ever comes home. He leaves me alone in this house to fend for myself. Because he has to keep Emily company – I heard she developed serious depression because of what happened between Lucas and me. Speaking of which, Lucas even got physical with me once over Emily’s depression. Because I often couldn’t sleep, I developed a habit of drinking heavily. One night when I came home late, the house was dark. Suddenly I felt something yanking at me, dragging me outside. In my drunken state, I managed to open my eyes and saw Lucas pulling me by my hair. “Lucas Parker, are you insane?” I yelled. “If it weren’t for you, Emily wouldn’t be depressed and suicidal. She’s in such bad shape at the hospital, and here you are partying at bars?” Lucas snarled through gritted teeth, sounding so self-righteous. I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly inside. I kicked Lucas away and finally snapped. “If you were really so great, you wouldn’t have ended up in bed with me. You can act all high and mighty now, but you’re only fooling those idiots out there. Lucas Parker, don’t tell me you didn’t recognize me that night. I may have been drunk, but you certainly weren’t. Now you’re acting like some chaste martyr – who are you trying to impress?” Lucas froze. I had guessed correctly. After all these years of liking him, I finally realized he was nothing but a hypocrite in sheep’s clothing. Because of my bad reputation, he had the audacity to make me take all the blame just to protect his own dark desires. On what grounds? I had never wanted to escape this prison as badly as I did in that moment – to go somewhere far away from Emily. I don’t know if her depression is real or not. But my condition is no better than hers. It’s just that I’ve never shown anyone my medical reports. Otherwise, I suspect she would have driven me to suicide by now. Lucas looked a bit defeated. He stopped pulling at me and sat down on the couch, lost in thought. To be fair, he’s never actually abused me physically. I actually kicked him several times just now. Maybe because this fight got particularly ugly, Lucas seemed to tone things down after that. He started ignoring me instead of constantly berating me like before. I suspect it’s because I called him out that night and exposed what was really in his heart. He wasn’t as devoted to Emily as he claimed to be. Lucas and Emily had been together for years without being intimate – Emily told me this herself. She used to brag about how she could keep a man completely devoted without using her body. That man was Lucas Parker. In a way, I felt a bit sorry for Lucas. But I didn’t think he was pitiable. He chose to be willfully blind in the name of love. I couldn’t say anything about that – you can’t wake someone who’s pretending to be asleep. I’m not sure if Emily’s condition has improved. I’ve blocked my parents’ numbers – since they wanted to cut ties, let’s keep it that way. These days, I’ve been thinking about what I really want. I used to want Lucas – that’s been true ever since I first met him. But now I don’t want him anymore. The price I’ve paid for this has been too high. But I never considered divorce. Maybe I hadn’t completely given up hope yet. Sometimes I wonder, if I got divorced, where would I go? In this vast world, I have nowhere to call home. I blocked Emily’s number too, but I know she and Lucas are still in contact. Later, I started frequenting bars, but I only drank – no flirting. The bartender at one place was quite nice. He not only mixed great drinks, but also helped me out of some sticky situations a few times. He was tall, handsome, and seemed very reliable. Maybe because people saw him looking out for me, rumors started spreading in that bar that I was his mistress. The stories got wilder and wilder. He never explained, and I couldn’t be bothered to say anything. After all, I barely knew any of them. But you always have to pay the price for your actions. Some people will come after you even if you don’t provoke them – like Emily. The day I ran into her and Lucas, I had gone to the bar as usual and ordered a bottle. Emily walked in on Lucas’s arm, appearing right in front of me. Lucas’s eyes were dark and unreadable. I glanced at him once, then ignored them. Nothing good ever came from those two being together. But Emily wasn’t about to let it go. She was clearly here to humiliate me. She sat down next to me and said, “Sister, why are you ignoring me? Lucas and I – I mean, my brother-in-law and I – just happened to be passing by when we saw you drinking here.” “What, you want a drink too?” I asked Emily. “Oh no, I can’t drink. The doctor says it’s not good for my health right now.” “Then hurry home and rest. You’re so delicate – if you get sick again, you’ll find some way to blame me, and I won’t be able to defend myself.” While I was talking to Emily, Lucas hadn’t come over. But I didn’t care. I was already over Lucas. The bar owner muttered to the bartender: “So that pretty regular isn’t your girlfriend after all.” That comment seemed to spark something in Emily. She turned to the bartender and said, “My sister is already married. That man over there… is my brother-in-law.” I felt incredibly awkward. I had barely interacted with the bartender, but now he was being dragged into this mess. Looking at him, I felt a bit guilty. But he didn’t seem to mind. He just smiled and asked Emily, “Is that so? But what does that have to do with me? Just like how no one cares why a sister-in-law would be hanging on her brother-in-law’s arm in a place like this.” “That’s because you don’t know why I ended up like this. If your boyfriend was stolen by your own sister, you wouldn’t be saying that about me.” Emily’s voice got louder. The people around us immediately changed the way they looked at me. Some who had tried to hit on me before now had contempt in their eyes. But that bartender seemed naturally unsympathetic towards women. He glanced at Lucas and said, “You two actually look well-matched. From what I can see, I don’t think your boyfriend was stolen. You seem more like you’re here to show off. If your boyfriend was really stolen, you should know how hurtful it is to be the other woman. But you’re still interfering in their marriage. I don’t think you’re as innocent as you claim.” “You…” Emily bit her lip, looking a bit hurt. She turned back to give Lucas a pitiful look. Lucas was about to step in, but he was clearly annoyed too. The relationship between him, me, and Emily was supposed to be a private matter. But Emily had just aired it all out in front of so many people. Lucas had always cared about saving face – how could he not be upset? But the bartender wasn’t done. He smiled and continued, “Your acting skills really aren’t very good. People who work in bars long enough have seen it all. You’re living too fake a life.” With that, he turned and went into the back room behind the bar. Emily had probably never been shut down like that before. Her eyes were brimming with tears. She turned, wanting to seek comfort from Lucas. This time, Lucas actually stepped away from her a bit. He looked at me. I met his gaze, took a sip of my drink, and said nothing. Emily tried to say something else, but Lucas came over to me first. He grabbed my wrist and said, “You’ve had too much to drink. Let’s go home.” I didn’t protest. I left with him. The whole way home, Emily sat in the driver’s seat, chattering away about something. Lucas would occasionally respond, but not much. I don’t know why he was acting so strangely today, but I couldn’t be bothered to think about it. I leaned back in the rear seat and slowly drifted off to sleep. To be honest, this was the most at ease I’d felt in a long time. At the bar, I kept wondering if that bartender would end up pointing fingers at me like everyone else. I have to admit, Emily is very skilled. After all these years, I’ve grown so afraid of her taking things from me. Lucas dropped Emily off at home first, but he didn’t stay. I could tell Emily was extremely unhappy about this, but Lucas didn’t give in. It was quite novel. I didn’t particularly want to watch this scene, but as we were about to drive off, Emily woke me up. She had that look on her face like she was about to cry, trying to get Lucas to stay. I unbuckled my seatbelt and said to the lovebirds, “You two carry on. I’ll take a cab home.” I was about to get out of the car when Lucas locked the doors. He said to Emily, “She’s drunk. I need to take her home first. We’ll talk tomorrow.” And so we drove away, leaving Emily with a resentful look in her eyes. I didn’t say anything, and neither did Lucas.

We arrived home quickly. I went straight to take a shower. When I came out, I saw Lucas sitting on the living room couch, already cleaned up. He doesn’t usually come back here. I’ve been the only one sleeping here. I was surprised he stayed today. I glanced at him but had no desire to talk. I was heading to the bedroom when he followed me in. I was about to ask what he was doing when he pushed me onto the bed. “Lucas Parker, have you lost your mind?” I snapped. “Olivia Reed, you’re a married woman. What’s going on between you and that bartender?” Lucas accused me first. I felt like I understood him less and less. He was all touchy-feely with Emily, and now he was trying to make it look like I was the one having an affair? I struggled hard, but Lucas wouldn’t let me go. He kept pressing against me, slamming into me over and over. This was the second time I’d been with Lucas, while I was fully conscious but completely unwilling. The strange thing was, Lucas was also fully conscious this time. I wonder what Emily would think if she knew. Afterwards, Lucas actually held me and cleaned me up a bit. I thought he must be possessed or something. How else could he suddenly be so gentle with me? Shouldn’t he hate me to death? After that night, Lucas started coming back to our house frequently. He didn’t treat me like before anymore. I don’t know what happened between him and Emily, but he stopped mentioning her to me. After being neglected for so many years, Lucas’s sudden kindness made me start to fall for him again. I even began to feel something called hope. I never went back to that bar after that day. Lucas came home every day after work. We ate together, slept together, watched movies, kissed, made love – it was passionate and intense, like we couldn’t get enough of each other. I was completely addicted. If only I hadn’t gotten pregnant. If only I hadn’t overheard Lucas talking to his parents later. Then I wouldn’t have felt so desperate. I got pregnant a year and a half after marrying Lucas. When I got the test results, I cried. Lucas stood next to me, a flash of complexity in his eyes. I didn’t pay attention to it. I thought that with this baby, we would surely have our own little family in the future. Lucas’s parents’ attitude towards me gradually improved too. But I could tell that every time, they were more concerned about my belly than me. Pregnancy made me very sleepy. Eventually, his parents simply moved into our little home. At the time, I was still daydreaming about how wonderful our big family life would be in the future. Looking back now, I was truly foolish. When I was about five months pregnant, Lucas treasured me dearly. That should have been my happiest time. If I hadn’t discovered the truth, I really would have believed that love could grow over time. One stuffy night, I carefully got out of bed and slowly went downstairs for some water. I was feeling lazy, so I didn’t turn on the lights. Standing at the corner of the staircase, I saw several people sitting in the living room, planning something. It was just like that time before I married Lucas. My parents, Lucas’s parents, Lucas, and Emily were all huddled together, whispering about something that sent chills down my spine. It turned out Emily couldn’t have children anymore. For all this time, the reason she hadn’t come to bother me was that she had made a deal with Lucas and the others. They wanted me to get pregnant and have the baby, then divorce me. That way, they could all be one big happy family again. Because Emily couldn’t have children, she didn’t mind Lucas being with me for a while. But she had one condition – the child I gave birth to would be raised by her. She wanted both the baby and Lucas. Shockingly, Lucas had agreed to this absurd proposal. How foolish of me to think Lucas had had a change of heart. I thought he had finally realized I wasn’t as bad as Emily made me out to be, and that Emily wasn’t as pure and innocent as she seemed. They must want me dead, right? That was my first reaction. Then I collapsed to the floor, making a loud noise. Everyone turned to look at me, their expressions varied. My mom seemed like she wanted to scold me, but I couldn’t hear anything clearly. My consciousness was fading, and I felt a sticky liquid flowing between my legs. In a daze, I think I saw Lucas rush towards me, his face anxious as he picked me up and carried me out. This child must be so important to him, I thought as I lost consciousness.

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The Sunset Mansion was shrouded in darkness, with moonlight spilling onto the balcony. Jack stood there alone, gazing silently at the grounds below. His phone was pressed to his ear, the voice on the other end filled with concern. “Jack, are you sure about this?” Jack nodded slightly, his tone resolute as he replied, “Yes.” A soft sigh came through the phone, followed by: “You’re the sole heir to our family fortune, yet you’ve stayed away for seven years because of a woman. Now that you’ve come to your senses, it’s not too late. When do you plan to return to South City?” Silence hung in the air as Jack seemed to steel himself for a difficult decision. Finally, he spoke: “In three days.” The voice on the phone took on a half-joking tone: “Alright then. I have a gala to attend in Zheng City in three days anyway, so I can pick you up on the way. But are you really over Zoe now? I hope you won’t cause a scene wanting to go back to her as soon as you return…” “Aunt Claire, don’t worry. I’m completely over Zoe. In three days, we’ll part ways for good.” After hanging up, Jack turned his gaze towards the mansion grounds. At the entrance, Zoe was intimately nestled against Ethan, her old flame. The two were laughing and chatting, looking every bit the picture of a couple in love. This was the seventh year of his secret marriage to Zoe, and the sixth year she had refused to let their child call her “mom”. The heart he had tried to warm for seven years remained cold in the end. Jack clenched his fists, a mix of emotions churning inside him. Suddenly, a small hand gently grasped his larger one. Jack whirled around in surprise. There stood Lily in her thin pajamas, clutching a worn Barbie doll in one arm while holding his hand with the other. She looked up at him with innocent, wide eyes. Startled and concerned, Jack quickly crouched down and said: “Lily, what are you doing out here? It’s cold outside, go back to your room.” He picked Lily up, intending to carry her back inside. Lily looked up at Jack and asked softly: “Daddy, are we really going to leave Mommy?” Jack paused mid-step, instinctively glancing back at the intimate couple below. Then he turned to Lily with a smile: “Lily, Auntie’s old love has come back. We… don’t have a reason to stay anymore.” “Daddy will take you back to our own home, okay?” Lily looked at the Barbie doll in her arms, her eyes full of reluctance. She looked back at Jack, tears glistening in her eyes: “Daddy, do we have to go? I… I still haven’t been able to call her Mommy properly…” Jack felt like his heart had been struck. He opened his mouth but found his throat too tight to speak. After a long moment, he managed to say softly: “Lily, Auntie… she doesn’t like having us around…” Lily pleaded pitifully: “Daddy, can we give Mommy three more chances? If… then we’ll leave, okay?” Jack was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said gently: “Alright! We’ll do as Lily says and give Auntie three more chances!” A bright smile immediately lit up Lily’s face. Jack carried Lily back into the mansion, about to head upstairs. Just then, Zoe walked in with a smile on her face. Lily excitedly wriggled out of Jack’s arms and ran towards Zoe, calling out happily: “Mommy, you’re back…” Zoe’s expression instantly darkened. She glared at Lily and snapped: “Who told you to call me Mommy?” Lily froze mid-run, the bright smile vanishing from her face. She stood there motionless, like a child who had done something wrong, not knowing what to do. Zoe looked up at Jack, her voice full of anger: “Jack, how many times have I told you!” “Don’t let her call me Mommy. Are you both deaf?” Lily fearfully took a step back, lowering her head and apologizing timidly: “I’m sorry, Mom… Auntie!” Jack immediately stepped forward, shielding Lily behind him as he glared coldly at Zoe: “Zoe, it’s one thing if you don’t like me, but Lily is just a child. Why are you yelling at her?” Zoe’s eyes widened in fury: “Jack, what right do you have to lecture me about the child?” Her face twisted with hatred, “You know perfectly well how that child came to be!” Zoe advanced step by step, jabbing her finger viciously at Jack’s chest: “Seven years ago, you took advantage of me when I was vulnerable and raped me!” “You’re nothing but a rapist who hurt me!” She turned her piercing gaze to Lily, her tone dripping with disgust: “And she is just the daughter of a rapist. Why should I be nice to her?” Jack hurriedly covered Lily’s ears, not wanting her to hear such vicious words from her own mother. But even for him, those words cut deep. He glared at Zoe through gritted teeth: “Zoe, I’ll say this one last time. Seven years ago, it was you who—” “Enough! Jack, how much longer are you going to keep up this charade? Do you think I can’t see through your little schemes?” “Schemes? Zoe, if you think this was all some scheme, why did you marry me and have Lily?” Zoe’s face was a mask of ice as she spat out: “Because… I wanted to remind you every single day what a monster you are! I wanted you to pay for what you did!” Jack’s eyes reddened, his voice trembling slightly: “So from the very beginning, you never loved me at all?” Zoe glanced at Jack’s pained expression, her own eyes reddening. She yelled in a low voice: “You dare to speak of love? Jack, from the moment you took advantage of me when I was drunk seven years ago, you became nothing but a piece of filth in my eyes!” Tears began to fall unbidden down her cheeks. Jack’s heart ached. He instinctively reached out to wipe away Zoe’s tears. Zoe reacted first, quickly wiping away her own tears. She took a deep breath and looked at Jack with contempt: “Seven years ago, you stooped to such despicable acts just to climb the social ladder and live a good life. Not only did I not hold it against you, I even gave you luxury cars, a mansion, status, position. Jack, what more do you want?” “Zoe, is this really how you’ve seen things all these years?” Jack’s eyes were red-rimmed, filled with disbelief that the woman he loved so deeply could view him this way. Zoe’s face twisted with disdain as she said: “How else am I supposed to see it? Jack, I’m warning you, don’t push your luck. Otherwise, I can take back everything I’ve given you just as easily!” With that, she strode past Jack and Lily, heading upstairs. Jack stared after Zoe, silently explaining in his heart: But… Zoe, I married you and had a child with you because — I truly loved you… I thought that after we were married, I could slowly warm your cold heart. But I forgot that a heart as cold as stone cannot be warmed… His thoughts seemed to be pulled into the past by an invisible hand, memories flooding back like a tidal wave. Seven years ago in a hotel hallway, a drunk Zoe had crashed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. He had been flustered and at a loss, yet his heart began racing uncontrollably. In that moment, his world narrowed to just the fragile woman in his arms. Then, through a series of misunderstandings, they had spent the night together. The next morning, Zoe had vanished without a trace. He thought they would never meet again, but half a month later, Zoe had shown up looking grim, saying she was pregnant. He had been shocked too, but still made his commitment responsibly. He had married Zoe in secret, concealing his true identity, and quietly used his family’s resources to help her. But her attitude remained cold and distant. It was only after investigating that he understood — that night, Ethan had gone abroad, which was why Zoe had gotten so drunk and ended up with him. Though it was an accident and Zoe didn’t like him, he believed that with time and effort, he could warm her heart. But after seven full years, that heart remained frozen, and their daughter was denied a mother’s love as well. Now Ethan had returned, and he and Lily were clearly no longer important. It was time to go back. … Jack took a deep breath, blinking hard to pull himself out of his memories. He gazed at Zoe’s retreating back, silently making a decision: Seven years of devotion, not a hint of response from you. Zoe, I’m tired… Lily looked up at Jack curiously, asking: “Daddy, why did Auntie say you’re a rapist?” Jack’s eyes reddened as he fought back tears. He crouched down, forcing a smile as he said, “Because Auntie misunderstood Daddy!” Lily reached out her small hand to gently wipe away the tears at the corner of Jack’s eye. “Don’t cry, Daddy! Auntie may misunderstand you, but Lily never will.” Jack hugged Lily tightly, deeply moved: “Lily is such a good girl.” After thinking for a moment, Lily said sadly: “Daddy, Auntie… still has two chances.” Jack paused, then looked into Lily’s eyes. His eyes reddened again as he nodded firmly: “Okay!” In Lily’s room, on the bedside table, sat a framed photo collage of the three of them. In the photo, Jack was holding Lily, his face beaming with happiness. Zoe’s photo, however, was cut out and pasted on the right side, stuck into the same frame. This seemingly complete picture was actually pieced together. Lily was now tucked into bed. Jack bent down carefully to tuck in the blanket. She clutched the blanket, hiding her mouth and nose underneath, only her bright eyes peeking out as she stared at Jack, wide awake. Jack affectionately pinched Lily’s nose and said softly: “Time to sleep~ Winter break is over, you start school again tomorrow~” Lily poked her head out from under the blanket, her eyes sparkling with hope: “Daddy, can you ask Auntie to come with me to the back-to-school ceremony tomorrow? The other kids all have their moms, I want a mom too…” Jack hesitated, his voice uncertain: “Lily, Auntie might… not have time tomorrow…” He sounded reluctant, afraid of shattering the child’s fantasy. “Daddy, let’s count it as our second chance for Mommy, okay?” Her eyes were pleading as she sat up in bed, hands clasped together. Jack pondered for a moment before finally nodding: “Alright, Daddy will go ask Auntie.” He tucked Lily back in before quietly leaving the room. … In the master bedroom, Zoe had just emerged from the shower, surrounded by wisps of steam. Just then, her phone chimed with a Snapchat notification. She walked over to the bed, picked up her phone, unlocked the screen and played the voice message. Ethan’s magnetic voice came through the speaker: “Zoe, I miss you already even though we just parted. I wish I could see you all the time.” Hearing this, a sweet smile spread across Zoe’s face. She quickly tapped the voice input and replied happily: “Okay okay okay, I promise you’ll see me first thing when you wake up tomorrow!” Soon after, another voice message from Ethan came through: “Really? Oh by the way, Zoe, I heard the richest man in Zheng City is hosting a gala at the Grand Hotel in three days. Even the Jiang family from South City will be there. I just got back from abroad and need to build connections. Could you introduce me around?” Zoe was about to reply when a sudden knock on the door broke the silence in the room. She frowned in annoyance, looking up towards the door. Jack gently pushed the door open and walked in. Zoe merely glanced up at Jack before lowering her head again, fingers busy tapping on her phone screen as she asked irritably: “What do you want?” Jack paused for a moment before carefully saying: “Lily has school tomorrow. She’s hoping you could attend her back-to-school ceremony…” At that moment, Zoe was completely focused on her phone screen, paying no attention to what Jack was saying. She was in the middle of typing a reply, having just typed out the word “okay”. “Okay!” Zoe reflexively responded out loud. Her verbal response coincided with sending the message. Jack’s face lit up with surprise, a glimmer of joy flashing in his eyes. He asked in disbelief: “You agreed?” Zoe looked up, frowning in confusion at Jack, her tone icy: “I’m going to sleep. Don’t bother me if it’s nothing important!” Jack was about to confirm again when Zoe shoved him out of the master bedroom. He stood outside the door as Zoe forcefully slammed it shut. He stood there dazed, a mix of emotions churning inside. Just then, Lily suddenly poked her head out of her room. Her eyes held a hint of anxiety and disappointment as she asked softly: “Daddy, did Mommy… not want to…” Jack walked over, immediately plastering on a smile as he said: “Lily, I’m not letting you sleep? Why are you out of bed again?” Lily looked at Jack nervously: “Daddy, did Auntie agree?” Jack reached out to pat Lily’s head, “Of course she agreed! Auntie said she’ll attend your back-to-school ceremony tomorrow.” Lily’s eyes instantly lit up as she bounced excitedly, hardly believing her ears: “Really, Daddy?” Jack’s mood lifted seeing Lily so happy. He nodded firmly. “That’s great! Daddy, when Mommy comes to the ceremony tomorrow, I’m going to tell her that the teacher likes me best!” Lily said excitedly, her little face beaming with happiness. “Wonderful! Our Lily is the best!” Jack said as he picked Lily up and carried her back to her room. At the bedside, he carefully laid Lily down and tucked her in. Lily looked up expectantly, her eyes shining: “Daddy, when I wake up, we’ll go to school with Mommy, right?” Jack affectionately pinched Lily’s nose: “That’s right, now go to sleep!” Lily obediently closed her eyes, a sweet smile still on her lips. Jack stood up, quietly turning off the lights and closing the door. He turned around, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards Zoe’s bedroom as he thought: Zoe, I hope you won’t disappoint Lily tomorrow… The morning sunlight streamed through the windows into the mansion’s great hall. Jack stood in the center of the hall, skillfully doing Lily’s hair. She was already dressed and wearing her little backpack. Lily kept glancing upstairs as she asked hopefully: “Daddy, why isn’t Mommy coming down yet?” Her eyes betrayed her anxiety and longing. Jack’s hands didn’t stop as he said, “Once Daddy finishes your braid, we’ll go upstairs to find Auntie together, okay?” “Okay!” Lily agreed obediently. Soon, Jack had finished Lily’s braid. He looked at the neat and pretty braid with satisfaction: “The braid is done, let’s go call Auntie!” Lily nodded happily, her eyes sparkling with joy. Jack took Lily’s hand as they headed upstairs together. They stood outside the master bedroom, knocking once, twice, but there was only silence from within. Jack’s face gradually filled with anxiety. Lily looked up, her eyes full of worry: “Daddy, could Mommy be sick? Maybe she didn’t hear us knocking?” Jack knocked more urgently, asking anxiously: “Zoe? Zoe? Are you in there? Say something!” His voice held a note of unease as he pounded on the door, but there was still no response from inside. Jack’s brows furrowed as he said sternly: “If you don’t answer, I’m coming in…” As he spoke, he looked down at the doorknob. In a moment of distraction, his mind flashed back to the day they got their marriage certificate. Inside the Pei family mansion, Zoe had led him in, one in front and one behind. Zoe had carelessly tossed the marriage certificate onto the table, then turned back to look at his joyful face, saying haughtily: “Jack, even though we’re married now, I have to lay down some ground rules.” He had smiled at Zoe, quickly agreeing: “Of course, go ahead!” Zoe had stated coldly: “One, we must keep our marriage a secret from everyone.” “Two, you are not allowed to enter my room or touch my things without my permission.” “Three, you are not allowed any intimate contact with me!” The smile had frozen on his face then, but in the end he had nodded and said softly: “Alright!” Snapping back to the present, Jack gritted his teeth and made up his mind, pressing down on the doorknob. The unlocked door swung open gently. Lily ran in excitedly, calling out loudly: “Mommy…” But her words trailed off as she saw the room was empty and tidy. Lily turned back to Jack in confusion: “Daddy, where’s Mommy?” Jack looked at the empty room, his mind going blank as fear gripped his heart. He pulled out his phone and quickly dialed Zoe’s number as he hurried downstairs. The cold voice prompt came through the phone: “The number you have dialed is powered off.” Jack kept redialing Zoe’s number as he rushed to the cake by the stairs. But the call still wouldn’t go through. “Jack, you really are ungrateful. I specially bought you a cake, and you play disappearing act on me!” She angrily threw her phone onto the sofa, crossing her arms and glaring. “Not answering the phone, huh! Don’t you dare come back if you have the guts!” Zoe got angrier as she spoke. She picked up the cake, about to throw it forcefully. However, when the cake was raised halfway, she suddenly stopped. “Forget it! Jack, I’m in a good mood today so I’ll let you off this once. Just wait till you get back, I’ll settle accounts with you then!” Zoe put down the cake and stomped back to her room in a huff. … Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Grand Hotel, two rows of bodyguards stood at attention, waiting respectfully. The convoy of cars slowly pulled up in front of the hotel. As soon as Jack got out of the car with Lily, the bodyguards bowed deeply in unison, calling out: “Welcome back, Young Master! Welcome, Little Miss!” Jack held Lily’s hand, no longer hiding his natural air of nobility and grace. Lily looked at the bodyguards in surprise, then up at Jack, calling out uncertainly: “Daddy…” Jack looked down at his daughter, smiling as he said: “Lily, Daddy is taking you home!” Just then, Aunt Claire emerged from behind the bodyguards. Jack and Lily immediately looked up at Aunt Claire, then walked over to her. Seeing Aunt Claire, Jack noticed the new wrinkles on her face. A lump formed in his throat, his eyes reddening. His voice choked with emotion as he called out: “Aunt Claire!” Aunt Claire saw Jack’s distress and stepped forward to give him a warm embrace, gently patting his back: “These past seven years, you’ve been holding onto a woman who could never change her mind. You’ve suffered so much.” “I’ve been unfilial, leaving all the family burdens for you to bear alone, Aunt Claire…” Aunt Claire smiled as she released Jack, reaching up to pat his shoulder, her tone teasing: “If you know I’ve had it tough, then hurry up and take over as head of the family so I can retire early and enjoy the rest of my life!” Jack nodded, feeling a long-absent warmth in his heart, a smile spreading across his face. At that moment, in a corner of the hotel lobby. Ethan had just walked out, looking up to see Jack. He immediately took a step back, quickly ducking behind a pillar. He muttered in confusion: “Jack?” He narrowed his eyes, staring viciously at Jack and Aunt Claire’s interactions, a cold smirk suddenly appearing on his face. He pulled out his phone, quickly snapping a photo. On the phone screen appeared a photo of Jack and Aunt Claire embracing. Ethan looked at the photo with a sinister smile, then glanced back at Jack and Aunt Claire before turning to leave with a smug expression. Aunt Claire looked down at Lily with affection, crouching to gently pat her head: “You must be little Lily, right?” Lily nodded shyly, then looked at Jack in confusion. “Lily, say hello to Great-Aunt!” “Hello, Great-Aunt!” Lily gave a sweet smile as she greeted Aunt Claire. Aunt Claire smiled as she gently stroked Lily’s cheek, her smile growing even brighter. “Such a good girl! Great-Aunt has prepared a welcome gift for little Lily!” Aunt Claire stood up, clapping her hands at the waiting staff. Immediately, two staff members wheeled out a rack of beautiful princess dresses. The dresses were colorful and exquisite, especially a few Frozen-themed princess dresses in various colors. Lily’s eyes widened at the sight of the dresses, her face lighting up with delight. She couldn’t help but gasp in wonder: “Wow~” “These are all for Lily. Do you like them?” Lily nodded vigorously, walking over to gently stroke the blue Elsa dress, unable to hide the love in her eyes. A memory flashed through her mind: At an amusement park, a group of little girls were playing together in beautiful Frozen princess dresses. She had stood to the side, looking at them with envy. One of the girls had given her a disdainful look, saying scornfully: “Lily, your clothes are so ugly!” She had looked down at her own clothes, unconsciously taking a few steps back, feeling dejected. … Aunt Claire walked over, taking down the blue dress Lily loved, asking gently: “Does our little Lily like this dress?” Lily nodded hard again, her eyes full of anticipation. Aunt Claire handed the princess dress to Lily. “Why don’t we have our little Lily wear it to the gala tomorrow, how about that?” Lily nodded excitedly, saying happily: “Okay!” Jack watched Lily’s joyful expression, feeling a pang of sadness. He said reproachfully: “I’ve been remiss. I overlooked that little girls all like these things.” “Lily is a girl, and girls all love pretty princess dresses and shoes. It’s normal for a rough guy like you to overlook these things!” Jack looked at Lily, momentarily speechless, his heart full of guilt towards his daughter. “By the way, tomorrow is the day our Jiang family officially enters Zheng City. I’ve already spoken to Mr. Lin, the richest man in Zheng City. From now on, all the business in Zheng City will be handed over to you.” “Aunt Claire, I haven’t returned to South City yet. For now, let’s not announce my identity publicly!” “That works too!” She then added meaningfully: “It’ll prevent certain people from getting any ideas when they hear the news! But you still need to attend the welcome gala Mr. Lin is hosting tomorrow!” Jack nodded. Aunt Claire smiled at Lily, holding out her hand: “Come on, Lily. Great-Aunt’s friend has prepared a beautiful tiara for you too. Let’s go try it on!” “Okay!” Lily agreed happily, nodding. With that, Aunt Claire took Lily’s hand as they walked into the hotel, their steps light and quick. Jack watched them walk away for a moment before following them into the hotel. … The next morning, Zoe woke up groggily, checking her phone to see it was 7am. She rubbed her eyes and got out of bed with her phone, calling out: “Jack? Jack!” But the mansion was silent, with no response to her calls. Furious, she stormed to the guest room, thinking Jack was inside. She barged in, talking as she entered. “Jack, you…” Her voice cut off abruptly as she found the room empty. Zoe’s expression froze, then twisted with anger as she clenched her fists and shouted: “Jack!” Enraged, she opened her phone and immediately called Jack, but the call wouldn’t go through. Zoe frowned, opening Snapchat to send Jack a message full of threats: “Jack, I don’t care where you are. Get back here in half an hour, or face the consequences!” After sending the message, there was no response. Her anger growing, she sent a voice message: “If you’re not back in half an hour, don’t bother coming back at all!” Zoe angrily went downstairs, clutching her phone with her arms crossed as she sat fuming on the sofa, waiting fiercely for Jack to return. Time ticked by minute by minute. She glanced at the time, “One minute left!” She stared at the door, starting to count down: “Thirty seconds… ten seconds…” As she counted lower, Zoe’s voice grew heavier, “Three, two, one!” Just as she reached one, the doorbell rang. Zoe let out a relieved sigh, a smug smile spreading across her face as she scoffed: “I knew you couldn’t stay away from me!” She got up leisurely and went to open the door. But when she opened it, the smile froze on her face. Outside stood Ethan and his son Aiden. Aiden saw Zoe and immediately called out excitedly: “Auntie Zoe!” Ethan also smiled and said: “Zoe!” Before Zoe could speak, Aiden darted inside, looking around as he called out loudly: “Auntie Zoe! I’m hungry, can you make me something to eat?” Ethan followed him in. Zoe closed the door in a daze, asking in confusion: “Why are you… here?!” “Isn’t there that gala at Mr. Lin’s tonight? I thought I’d come over with Aiden first to meet up with you.” He glanced at Aiden, smiling as he said, “Aiden’s hungry. Why don’t you cook him something?” Zoe looked at Aiden, then down at her own hands, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside her. A scene flashed through her mind: In the kitchen, she was about to cook some noodles when Jack walked over, smiling as he took the pot from her hands, saying softly: “Your hands are too beautiful for cooking. From now on, just tell me what you want to eat and I’ll make it.” Zoe lowered her hands and nodded, her voice a bit hoarse as she said: “Alright… okay!” She walked into the kitchen while Ethan and Aiden made themselves comfortable on the sofa. Ethan glanced at Zoe in the kitchen, a calculating look crossing his face as a barely perceptible sly smile appeared. He casually said: “Oh, by the way, Zoe, guess who I saw at the hotel yesterday?” Zoe asked absently: “Who?” Ethan paused deliberately, then said: “Jack!” At first Zoe didn’t react, responding indifferently: “Jack…” But suddenly realizing something was off, she jerked her head up, shock written across her face: “Who did you say?” Ethan’s mouth curved into a malicious smile as he said pointedly: “You know, that Jack who’s been pursuing you! Zoe, it’s a good thing you didn’t accept him. Yesterday, I saw him at the hotel with a child, going to a room with some rich older woman!” Zoe was stunned, nearly dropping the pot in her hands. Her eyes filled with disbelief as she mumbled: “How… how is that possible? You must have seen wrong…” Ethan put on an exaggerated look of indignation, shaking his head and clicking his tongue: “I saw it with my own eyes, how could I be wrong!” “Such a morally bankrupt, shameless person.” He narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression growing more contemptuous. He glanced at Zoe meaningfully, saying in a serious tone: “Zoe, you should really stay away from these unsavory characters in the future!” Zoe’s hand gripped the pot tightly, her knuckles turning white. Her mind was in chaos, images of Jack’s usual gentle demeanor clashing with the scene Ethan described. The scales in her heart tipped towards believing Ethan, and a surge of anger welled up inside her. Zoe gritted her teeth and muttered lowly: “Jack! Just wait till you get back, I’ll teach you a lesson!” Her hand gripping the pot had turned red from the force, her body trembling slightly with anger. Ethan watched Zoe’s angry reaction with secret delight, a look of smug satisfaction spreading across his face. Meanwhile, in a private room at the hotel, Lily had already changed into the beautiful Elsa princess dress. Aunt Claire took out a diamond tiara from an exquisite box. The tiara sparkled brilliantly under the lights. The moment Lily saw the tiara, her eyes widened in awe: “Wow! It’s so pretty!” Aunt Claire smiled, her eyes full of affection, “This was specially chosen for you by Mr. Lin himself. Come try it on.” Aunt Claire gently placed the tiara on Lily’s head. After putting it on, she stepped back to admire Lily, her smile growing even brighter: “With this tiara on, our Lily is the most beautiful little princess in the world!” Lily twirled in her dress, then turned to look at Jack expectantly: “Really, Daddy?” Jack nodded with a doting smile: “It’s true, our Lily is the most beautiful little princess.” Lily spun around happily in her dress, her joyful laughter filling the room. Jack watched Lily’s blissful smile, his heart full of contentment. His gaze slowly fell on the tiara on Lily’s head as he mused thoughtfully: “This tiara is the final work of the master jeweler Mr. Ou. I imagine Mr. Lin went to great lengths to obtain it.” Jack sighed softly, a look of appreciation on his face, “It’s clear he put a lot of thought into this.” Aunt Claire looked at the happy Lily and explained: “Of course he had to put thought into it. With our Jiang family entering Zheng City and partnering with him, even a hundred tiaras would be worth it to him.” Jack nodded in agreement. Aunt Claire glanced at the time and said: “The gala is about to start. Shall we go?” “Mm, let’s go.” The two each took one of Lily’s hands as they walked out of the hotel room. Their silhouettes in the light looked especially warm and happy. The luxurious and dazzling banquet hall was brightly lit, crystal chandeliers casting a soft yet brilliant glow that illuminated the neatly arranged cakes and wine glasses. The cakes were exquisitely crafted, adorned with fresh fruit and delicate sugar flowers. The wine glasses sparkled alluringly in the light. Amidst the perfumed air and elegant attire, people chatted softly, their champagne flutes occasionally clinking together with aclear tinkling sound. The entire hall exuded an atmosphere of luxury and elegance. Zoe entered the hall gracefully in a haute couture gown, accompanied by Ethan and Aiden. Ethan looked around at the opulent and grand hall, his eyes widening in awe as he remarked: “So this is what a gala thrown by the richest man looks like! It really is high-class!” A smug smile tugged at Zoe’s lips. Ethan turned to Zoe with a calculating gleam in his eyes: “I heard the heir to the Jiang family from South City will be making an appearance today!” “The Jiang family is the business powerhouse of the entire southern region. Zoe, I’m at a critical point in my career after returning home. You’ll have to help introduce me around later!” Zoe smiled and replied: “I’m fairly well acquainted with Mr. Lin. It shouldn’t be a problem to have him introduce us to the Jiang family representatives and get familiar.” Ethan’s smile grew even brighter at her words. “That’s wonderful! Don’t worry Zoe, once my company takes off, I’ll be sure to repay you handsomely!” “No need to talk about repayment between us. Come, all the movers and shakers of Zheng City are here today. Let me introduce you around first!” With that, Zoe led Ethan towards the crowd. Just then, Aiden suddenly spotted some exquisite pastries on a nearby table. He pointed excitedly and said: “Daddy, I want to go eat those!” Ethan frowned slightly, a hint of annoyance crossing his face: “Aiden, didn’t you just eat at Auntie Zoe’s house? How can you…” “Let him go eat, it’s fine!” Zoe smiled indulgently at Aiden, her eyes full of affection. “Aiden, Auntie Zoe and Daddy have some things to take care of. Can you go eat by yourself?” Aiden nodded happily, “Okay!” With that, he let go of Ethan’s hand and eagerly ran off to eat the pastries. Zoe looked up and spotted two CEOs chatting nearby. Her eyes lit up and she immediately led Ethan over to greet them. “Mr. Liu, Mr. Zhang, it’s been a while…” The two men turned around, smiling as they responded: “Oh! Ms. Pei, you’re here!” Their gazes fell on Ethan, confusion flashing across their faces as they asked: “And this is…?”

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On my wedding day, my husband Adrian ordered me to have my uterus removed. I fell to my knees, begging him to spare our child. I promised to serve them and never interfere with him and Sophia again. But he just wrapped his arm around Sophia’s waist and looked at me coldly, “Don’t want an empty womb? Then after the abortion, I’ll send you to the Snake Pit. Let the snakes fill your belly.” That night, while feeding Sophia some porridge, Adrian asked his subordinate, “Has she realized her mistake yet?” The subordinate, sweating profusely, replied, “Ma’am… she hasn’t made a sound for a long time…” Adrian’s brow furrowed even deeper. “What? She still hasn’t admitted her fault? Then keep her locked up. Tell her that unless she can open the bulletproof door of the Snake Pit and come out on her own today, she’ll never get out.” The old butler, pale-faced, said, “Young master, the young mistress might not make it. She was taken by the king cobra. At first, there were cries for help, but then… then there was no sound.” Adrian sneered, “What? Are you worried she’s dead?” The old butler’s expression changed, and he dared not speak anymore. “She’s good at playing the victim, just trying to gain my sympathy. I’ve raised those snakes for years. I know better than anyone that they won’t eat humans. At most, they’ll bite her a few times to teach her a lesson. She won’t die.” The butler stammered, “But the young mistress just had her uterus removed. Her body and wounds haven’t recovered, and now with the snake venom…” Adrian impatiently interrupted, “She’s already been injected with anti-venom. The snake venom won’t kill her, but it will make her feel the pain of a thousand bites gnawing at her bones. She poisoned Sophia and caused her miscarriage, so I’ll let her taste the agony of being consumed by venom.” “The young mistress seemed to cry out that her stomach wound had opened and snakes were crawling in…” “Hah! Then they can be her children in her belly. Speak for her again, and I’ll send you to the Snake Pit to keep her company!” The old butler didn’t dare to say another word. He left with a heavy heart, sighing repeatedly. Adrian carried the bowl of porridge into Sophia’s room. It was the brightest place in the entire villa. Originally our bridal chamber, Adrian had given it to Sophia, turning it into their love nest. The private doctor in the room saw him enter and quickly left. Sophia threw herself into Adrian’s arms, sobbing. “Adrian, I’m still in so much pain. We’ve lost our baby.” Adrian held her tenderly in his arms. “It’s okay, we’ll have children in the future. I’ve severely punished that poisonous woman this time. When she comes out after admitting her mistakes, I’ll make her prepare medicinal meals to nourish your body. You’ll definitely be able to conceive again.” “Isn’t this unfair to Olivia? I feel like I’m a bad woman… Although Olivia caused me to lose my baby, it was me who couldn’t control my feelings and wanted to be with you first.” “You’re not a bad woman. You’re the woman I love most.” Adrian cupped Sophia’s face, reverently kissing away the tears on her cheeks. “She knew I loved you, yet she still insisted on marrying me, trying to take your place in my heart. It’s her own fault for being so presumptuous.” “But… I still feel guilty. Adrian, you forced Olivia to remove her uterus to avenge me. When I think of her hateful glare at me, I’m afraid to sleep.” “Don’t be afraid, I’m here with you. That woman is still being punished. She won’t harm you.” Adrian changed into his pajamas and lay down in bed with Sophia, feeling her soft body snuggling into his arms. His eyes darkened with desire. Sophia looked at him with gratitude, “Adrian, you’re so good to me. What good deed did I do in my past life to meet you in this one?” Adrian gazed at her lovingly, “No, it’s the good deeds you’ve done in this life, especially when you risked everything to help me get back on my feet, and even gave me one of your kidneys. I’ll never forget that for the rest of my life.” They kissed passionately. My soul floated in the room, watching this scene, my heart turning to ashes.

There wasn’t a single photo of Adrian and me in the bridal chamber. Instead, there were only pictures of Adrian and Sophia from childhood to adulthood. “Crash!” Adrian, engrossed in the kiss, found the ornament on the bedside table annoying and swept it to the floor with a wave of his hand. It shattered into pieces. My dead heart suddenly twinged. Even as a ghost, I could still feel pain. The broken ornament was a custom-made figurine of our baby based on the ultrasound image. That day, I had excitedly shown it to Adrian, telling him we were going to have a baby, that we would be a happy family of three. Adrian had looked at the figurine several times then. I thought he would impatiently say I was being silly, but to my surprise, he had nodded and agreed to let me put it on the bedside table. It was also that day when I thought Adrian and I could reconcile. “Adrian, my body isn’t ready yet…” Sophia panted, grabbing Adrian’s large hand. Adrian’s eyes were full of desire. “Sophia, help me.” His suggestive gaze fell on Sophia’s lips. Sophia let out a shy cry, playfully punched Adrian’s chest, then knelt down and bent over. As I watched the scene of debauchery, hearing Adrian tell Sophia to rest well so they could have a child together, I seemed to feel the excruciating pain in my belly again. Adrian really knew his little darlings well. After the king cobra dragged me into the snake’s nest, the other snakes smelled the blood from the wound on my stomach and rushed to crawl into it. They used their sharp, venomous fangs to bite and tear at my wound. Snakes as thick as chopsticks crawled into the gaping, bloody hole. I wanted to scream from the pain. “Help me, snakes are getting into my stomach!” I struggled to extend a hand from the writhing mass of snakes covering my body. The people outside the glass door panicked, their hands shaking as they reached for the keypad, intending to open the door. But Sophia’s aggrieved voice came at that moment: “Adrian, the hospital you sent her to is the Shen family’s private hospital. The lead surgeon’s skills are top-notch internationally. He must have stitched her wound perfectly. She’s saying this just to provoke your sympathy.” “Besides, it’s all because of her greed. If she hadn’t become intolerant of my child after getting pregnant herself, viciously killing our unborn baby, you wouldn’t have to punish her like this.” “She must be blaming everything on us now. I don’t mind if she resents me, but Adrian, you’re the most innocent one here.” Sophia held Adrian’s hand with a look of concern, moving Adrian even more. How good his Sophia was. Even though she had lost her child because of that venomous Olivia, she still only thought of him. In comparison, a woman like Olivia who refused to repent deserved to die! “Who told you to open the door! Keep it locked!” Adrian scolded the bodyguard who was about to open the door. The bodyguard trembled and quickly withdrew his hand, not daring to speak. After reprimanding the bodyguard, Adrian looked at me, who was engulfed by the mass of snakes, with utter disgust. My broken body was completely hidden by the vines of intertwined snakes. I couldn’t struggle free. “You still dare to play mind games with me even now. I must have been too lenient with you before! This time, you must be taught a lesson! You can come out when you crawl to the door on your knees, begging for forgiveness!” Just as he finished speaking, the intelligent monitoring system of the Snake Pit issued a warning. “Alert! Alert! Snake agitation index detected to be abnormally high. All personnel in the pit, please evacuate immediately to the area outside the bulletproof door!” Adrian’s face changed.

But Sophia suddenly spoke up: “It’s spring now. The snakes are agitated because it’s their mating season. It seems this intelligent monitoring system isn’t intelligent enough.” Hearing this, Adrian’s expression relaxed, and he regained his composure. I cried out in pain from the bites, knowing this was my last chance to save myself. Nearly suffocated by the king cobra’s coils, I managed to free up enough space to speak and pleaded with all my might: “Adrian, I was wrong. I truly know my mistake now. I’ll divorce you. I won’t interfere with your happiness anymore. Please let me out. I’ve been bitten…” “Ah, my stomach hurts so much. The residual poison must be acting up,” Sophia suddenly screamed, interrupting me. “Never mind… Adrian, let her out. You were married to her after all. Seeing her so pitiful, you’re bound to feel some compassion. Isn’t that why your father took her in and had you marry her when her mother died?” Adrian’s face immediately darkened as he remembered something. His cold gaze pierced through the glass door, fixing on me. “You slut! If you want to act, keep putting on your show with the snakes! Maybe if you act well enough, these snakes will be seduced by you and stop biting you.” “Let’s all leave! Let her perform her solo act here! Unless we push her to the brink of despair before letting her out, she won’t realize her mistakes.” Adrian left without even glancing at me again. I screamed desperately, begging him to stop, but he didn’t pause. Soon, I couldn’t scream anymore. Because as soon as I opened my mouth, a snake slithered in, its tongue flicking. They consumed my internal organs from top to bottom and bottom to top. I made hissing sounds from my mouth, feeling the blood rapidly draining from my body, the flesh peeling off. I couldn’t scream anymore because my tongue had been eaten, my vocal cords bitten through. I heard Sophia’s voice. “Oh my, she’s really stopped calling out. Adrian, you were right. She was just pretending to be pitiful for your sake.” “Sophia, don’t mention that ill-fated venomous woman anymore. You’re the only one in my heart. No matter how she acts, I won’t be fooled again.” As the footsteps gradually faded away, the king cobra finally tired of toying with its prey. Slowly coiling its thick, slippery body, I heard the sound of bones breaking throughout my body. At this moment, Adrian was instructing the servants to throw all my belongings into the storage room. Because Adrian wanted to officially announce to all the staff that Sophia would be the new mistress of this villa. As my body was almost drained of blood, Adrian burned the love letters I had written to him and knelt on one knee to put a diamond ring on Sophia’s finger. “I’m sorry. I hope you can accept this belated proposal. I was deceived and manipulated by her before, which is why I married her. But I’ll make her divorce me as soon as possible.” “What if your father doesn’t agree? He clearly treats Olivia differently…” “That’s not up to him anymore. This morning, when I registered my marriage with that venomous woman, his share transfer agreement was already handed to me by the lawyer. Now I don’t have to care about his opinion anymore. He’s been bewitched by an old slut himself, yet he still presumes to control how I treat the little slut.” As Adrian expressed his disgust towards me, the king cobra opened its foul-smelling mouth and swallowed me whole. I was completely enveloped in its belly. Amidst the intense compression and corrosion, I closed my unwilling eyes in despair. A drop of blood-tinged tear slid from the corner of my eye, mourning for the life I had wrongly devoted. When I opened my eyes again, I was already floating above their heads.

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On the day I held Alexander’s urn at our wedding ceremony, I moved alone into what was supposed to be our new home. Little did I know that as soon as I stepped through the door, his younger brother Lucas would pin me against the wall. “My mother blames you for my brother’s death,” he hissed. “She says I have to father children with all my brothers’ widows to continue the family line.” Margaret, my mother-in-law, had people guarding the main entrance. My sisters-in-law rushed in to hold down my legs as they dragged me kicking and screaming into the bedroom. I fought with every ounce of strength, slamming my head against the wall until blood ran into my eyes. But even then, they wouldn’t let me go… After the memorial service for Alexander and his two older brothers, I was shoved into the bedroom. Lucas sat on what should have been my wedding bed, his eyes filled with lust as he loosened his tie. “I’ve been waiting for this moment,” he said with a smirk. “You’re finally mine.” The room, still decorated with wedding symbols, suddenly went dark. I felt like a fish on a chopping block as my clothes were torn away. “Lucas! Have you lost your mind?” I screamed. “Your whole family has gone crazy! I’m your sister-in-law!” “So what?” He laughed coldly. “I’ve already had my way with my other two sisters-in-law. You’re no different.” His rough lips traced my forehead, mouth, collarbone, and chest. His hands groped my frail body mercilessly. I was paralyzed with disbelief, unable to process what was happening. Was this the same man who had been sobbing uncontrollably at his brother’s funeral just two weeks ago? “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you in my brother’s place,” he whispered. I stared at his face, so different from Alexander’s, and struggled with all my might. I banged my head against the floor, desperate to escape. “Get off me! Don’t touch me!” A storm raged outside as Lucas lost patience. He lifted me up and tied my hands to the bedpost. “Don’t touch you? My mother says I’m the only son left. I have to ‘sacrifice’ myself to give all of you children for my dead brothers.” “I suggest you cooperate,” he threatened. “Or do you want to see what happened to my other two sisters-in-law?” Of the four sons in the family, including my husband, three had died. I couldn’t believe Margaret wanted Lucas to father children with all of us widows. How could they propose something so immoral without fear of divine retribution? From outside the room, Margaret’s voice drifted in like a ghost’s whisper. “Stop pretending to be pure. Women’s bodies are made for men to use.” “Listen here, you sluts killed my sons. You owe me grandchildren as compensation. Otherwise, this old lady will kill you herself, and no one would blame me.” Cold air seeped into the room. I tried to curl up, but Lucas stopped me. The chill spread from my chest to my limbs as I bit my lip, filled with murderous rage. If Alexander’s spirit was watching, how could he bear this? The assault continued. “What, afraid someone will hear? My brother is dead. He can’t hear anything anymore.” “Acting like a whore but still pretending to be virtuous.” The pain was excruciating, but I refused to make a sound. He grabbed my hair and slammed my forehead against the floor repeatedly. “If you won’t behave, I’ll teach you a lesson!” I clenched my jaw, letting the tears flow silently. Death would be preferable to this hellish existence. I closed my eyes, praying for a swift end. The torment lasted all night. As dawn broke, the room finally fell silent. Heaven had ignored my fervent prayers. I hadn’t died, but remembered every detail of the previous night’s horrors with painful clarity. After Lucas fell asleep, I dragged my battered body out of the room. They had taken my phone, leaving me no way to contact the outside world, but I had to find a way to call for help. The few steps from the bedroom to the staircase felt like miles. With each step, I left a trail of blood on the carpet, my strength rapidly fading. Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air. I looked up to see several women standing at the corner of the hallway. Two of them, disheveled and gaunt, were the sisters-in-law who had helped Lucas restrain me. My gaze fell on a woman huddled in the corner. When I recognized her face, a chill ran down my spine. It was Emily, Lucas’s wife. Emily stared at me blankly before bursting into maniacal laughter. Veins bulged on her forehead as she shrieked, “Die! Die! Die!” She lunged at me like a madwoman, but a chain around her neck kept her tethered to the railing. “You…” Before I could finish, a fist flew past me and struck Emily in the stomach.

She collapsed to her knees but didn’t try to stand. Instead, she looked up at Lucas with a twisted smile. The other two women crawled over, nuzzling Lucas’s ankles like dogs. He grabbed one by the collar and sneered, “Come on, bark for me.” The woman obediently barked twice, even wagging her nonexistent “tail” like an animal. Lucas seemed pleased and lightly slapped her face. “Are you hungry?” She cupped her cheek, her eyes misting over. “I’m so hungry… so hungry…” Her emaciated body looked as if it would shatter at the slightest touch. Lucas ordered someone to bring leftover food, which was dumped on the floor in front of them. The women lapped it up with their tongues like dogs, pausing only to thank Lucas between bites. “Thank you, master. Thank you, master.” I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was this really Emily, the vivacious socialite I had once known? My hands trembled uncontrollably at my sides, but even in the depths of my terror, I refused to cry. Alexander had taught me never to let the enemy see my fear. Lucas approached me, smiling as he whispered in my ear, “Enjoying the show, sister-in-law?” “Want to know what it feels like to be a dog?” His threat was clear. They had no shame, no limits to their cruelty. Shivering, I couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you afraid of karma for doing this?” “If your brother were still alive…” Before I could finish, a powerful force slammed me against the wall. Lucas’s face contorted with rage as he pinned me there. Like a wild beast, he looked ready to tear me apart. “Don’t you dare mention that dead man to me,” he snarled. “Alexander is rotting in his grave. Say his name again, and I’ll grind his bones to dust.” The hatred in his voice shocked me. Memories of the past flooded my mind. Since college, Alexander had worked five part-time jobs, toiling day and night. “My two older brothers are sickly, and my younger brother is still a child. I’m the family’s only hope,” he used to say. I worried about his health, but he never complained. “My mother struggled to put four kids through school. As the eldest, I should help support the family.” At just over twenty, his hands were already as calloused as a middle-aged laborer’s. Yet despite all his efforts, Margaret never showed him any kindness. After his death, Lucas shamelessly took credit for Alexander’s research projects, using them to advance his own career. They were never a real family. They were just parasites feeding off Alexander’s hard work. Noticing my hateful glare, Lucas smirked and ordered the servants to keep me under strict surveillance. “If anything happens to her, I’ll break your bones and feed them to the dogs,” he threatened. I was now a prisoner in my own home. For seven days, I tried everything to escape, only to be met with Lucas’s increasingly sadistic abuse. Yet even as they tormented me, they made sure to feed me regularly, never allowing me the chance to take my own life. “Wake up, sleepyhead. How long are you planning to rest?” After another night of torture, I had passed out. When I came to, I found Margaret standing before me with two men in white coats. A sense of foreboding washed over me. “What are you planning?” Margaret said nothing, motioning for the men to hold me down on the bed. “Just give her the injections. Two shots of estrogen should be enough to get her pregnant.” The needle pierced my skin, sending the drug coursing through my veins. The dose was potent. My entire body ached unbearably. “How can you do this without fear of damnation?” I gasped. “Damnation?” Margaret lifted my chin. “If I hadn’t sent him to bring you dinner that night, he wouldn’t have gotten into that car accident.” “You’re the one who caused my son’s death. If anyone’s going to hell, it’s you!” That night, I had been working late. Alexander, worried about me, called to say he was bringing me some soup. I waited happily in my cubicle for him to arrive. But the next call I received was the news of his death. “Only 26 years old, found clutching a lunchbox. Such a tragedy,” they told me. I knelt in the morgue for two days straight, not eating or drinking. I never even got to see his face one last time. “You say I caused Alexander’s death?” I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. “You lost your husband young, and now three sons in middle age. Who has the cursed fate here, you or me?” “People like you and Lucas don’t deserve children. Your bloodline deserves to end!” If they had cared even a little for Alexander or his brothers, they could never treat us this way. Once, I had hoped to be a good daughter-in-law and sister-in-law after marriage. But these inhuman monsters didn’t deserve to be called family. “I’d rather die than give your family an heir!” I spat. Margaret’s face darkened as she glared at me. I met her gaze unflinchingly. “Increase her dosage,” she ordered. “We’ll see if you can resist getting pregnant then.” A new wave of pain washed over me. I curled into a ball, whimpering. Margaret slapped me hard across the face. “You bitch. I’ll only tolerate you until the baby is born.” “If it weren’t for my son’s sake…” She snorted and left the room without finishing her sentence. I closed my eyes, feeling utterly drained. The pain in my abdomen threatened to consume me. At last, I could no longer hold back my tears.

I was pregnant. When the constant nausea and missed period coincided, I knew there was no escaping it. My blood ran cold. I slapped myself hard, wanting to cry but finding no tears left. Despite taking cold showers and forcing myself to vomit up the prenatal vitamins, I couldn’t prevent the pregnancy. I stared at my still-flat stomach in the mirror, remembering how Alexander and I used to dream about having a baby someday. His greatest wish was to give me, an orphan, a real family of my own. But now… the life growing inside me wasn’t a blessing. It was the product of a heinous crime. “Alexander, if you knew I was carrying your brother’s child, would you hate me?” “No… you’re too good. You’d never blame me…” I crouched in the bathroom, shivering despite the rising temperatures outside. I couldn’t keep it. I submerged my face in the sink, letting the water wash away my tears. No matter what it took, I had to get rid of this baby. “Hiding in the bathroom again? What are you plotting now?” Lucas suddenly pushed open the door, eyeing me suspiciously. “I’m warning you, don’t try anything stupid. You’ll never escape.” His hand caressed my back, making my skin crawl. A crazy idea flashed through my mind. Fighting back nausea, I turned and draped my arms around his neck, forcing a smile. “What could I possibly be plotting? Why don’t you find out for yourself?” Lucas was stunned for only a moment before chuckling. He swept me up and carried me to the bedroom. He stripped off my clothes efficiently and entered me without any preparation. I batted my eyelashes seductively, my delicate arms encircling his neck. But even as I forced myself to play along, I couldn’t truly give myself to someone I despised. I closed my eyes, desperately pretending the man above me was Alexander. This was all just a nightmare. He had never left me. Tears slid down my cheeks. Lucas, misinterpreting my reaction, seemed pleased. “Finally come around, have you?” “Realizing how good I am to you?” I suppressed the urge to strangle him, the discomfort in my body reaching its peak. “Harder, please?” I whispered. Encouraged, Lucas increased his efforts. Suddenly, I felt a warm liquid flowing from within me… “What the hell? You’re on your period and you still seduced me?” Lucas noticed something was wrong and shoved me away. There was a lot of blood. As my body relaxed, it gushed out steadily. I smiled at him serenely. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. This isn’t menstrual blood.” “It’s your child’s life.” I laughed grimly as darkness engulfed me. … Outside the emergency room, Lucas berated Margaret. “You senile old hag! How could you not know she was pregnant?” Margaret defended herself, “I was planning to take her for a checkup in a few days. But she said she had her period, so I didn’t think…” “No excuses. The child must be saved at all costs. If not, I won’t let either of you off the hook.” The light in the emergency room went out, and the doctor emerged. “We made it just in time. The mother and child are safe, but you must be very careful from now on. No more intercourse.” I was still unconscious, but I vaguely heard the doctor’s words. Why? Even after all that, the baby was still alive? It clung to me like a malignant tumor, impossible to remove. Endless despair consumed me. The physical pain paled in comparison to the anguish in my heart. No, I couldn’t give up hope. While the mother and son were away, I caught the eye of the nurse who came to give me an injection. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom. Could you please take me there?” She nodded and helped me into a wheelchair. The hospital corridor bustled with patients and visitors. No one paid me any attention. The main entrance was so close. My heart raced with anticipation. Just a little further… “Where do you think you’re going?” Lucas stood guard at the door. Tall and imposing in his crisp suit, he radiated an aura of authority. As the nurse began to explain that she was taking me to the bathroom, I suddenly stood up, shoving the wheelchair away. I ran frantically towards another exit. The searing pain made me stumble, and Lucas quickly caught up to me. He bent down, his gold-rimmed glasses glinting. His hands gripped me tightly as he smirked, “Did you really think you could escape?” I couldn’t. Despair washed over me. Was I doomed to spend the rest of my life with this monster? Never. I bit down hard on Lucas’s fingers. He yelped in pain and loosened his grip. Seizing the opportunity, I used my remaining strength to climb onto the window ledge of the corridor. Without hesitation, I jumped.

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During the experiment to extract the anti-cancer drug, both my wife and her first love, Finn Carter, were exposed to contamination. Despite the danger, my wife chose to give the protective gear and the anti-cancer drug to Finn Carter. I pleaded desperately from behind the glass door, but she shut it firmly, meeting my eyes with a cold stare. “Finn has always been frail, and his immunity is too weak. Besides, this experiment was originally our research. Finn is merely an innocent participant, and I must prioritize his safety. You wait.” Afterwards, my wife pinned all the blame on me, quickly closed the laboratory to destroy any evidence, and even replaced my research results with Finn Carter’s name. Together, they used the findings to save more than a dozen cancer patients and were hailed as promising young talents. Yet they still waited for me to admit my mistakes and beg for the drug. What she didn’t know was that I had been diagnosed with cancer six months prior. The contamination from this experiment accelerated my decline, and the anti-cancer drug no longer had any effect on me. After enduring hours of agony, I watched helplessly as my skin turned black and sank in. I was rushed to the hospital, where I was kept alive through round-the-clock emergency care for a week. In the end, only my eyes could move, and I stared past the tubes invading my body towards the door. No one came; my wife didn’t even see me one last time. As the machine emitted a long, continuous beep, a tear slipped down my cheek. The hospital finally issued my death certificate. My soul left my body, and all the pain finally ceased. Suddenly, my soul was inexplicably drawn to my wife, Eloise Carter. She was gently blowing on the soup in a spoon, tenderly feeding it to Finn Carter. Finn coughed weakly a few times and then smiled. “You’ve taken care of me for so long. Jasper didn’t have protective gear and didn’t take the anti-cancer drug in time. Could he be in danger?” Eloise’s smile froze instantly, and she snorted dismissively. “Jasper’s health has always been robust. At the time of the incident, he was even trying to grab the protective gear from you. You’re too kind, Finn, worrying about him. The anti-cancer drug is effective if taken within two weeks. Feeling unwell is normal. He’s just claiming he’s dying out of jealousy. How unlucky! I’ll think about giving him the drug once he realizes his mistake.” I laughed at myself bitterly, but my heart, though no longer beating, still ached. This was the wife I cherished and loved with all my heart. Finn took the drug in time and snatched my protective gear, so his health was never at risk. Yet, I endured the agony of infection and the cold tubes piercing my skin alone. I still had to suffer Eloise’s sarcasm and doubt. Despair made even my soul tremble. Seeing Eloise’s smile felt like acid eating away at me, full of blisters. I had never seen such a warm, patient smile before. Eloise, you don’t need to give me the drug anymore. I no longer need it. There was a knock on the door of the VIP room, and a group entered. Eloise instinctively frowned, not wanting Finn’s rest disturbed, which is why she booked the best VIP room. The leader of the group, with tears in their eyes, held a banner. “Professor Carter, thank you. Your new anti-cancer drug saved our families from the brink of collapse. The first batch of patients who took your drug has shown positive results, with cancer cells ceasing to multiply and gradually decreasing!” Eloise and I were both professors at prestigious institutions in our country, both driven by the loss of family members to cancer. So, we dedicated our lives to anti-cancer drug research. Hearing this, Eloise smiled and quickly pulled Finn Carter over. “It’s not just my work; it’s also Finn’s…” Before she could finish, an older person interrupted. With a smile, they took Finn’s hand. “You must be Professor Carter’s husband, Professor Jasper. Thank you so much. We heard you’ve both been researching anti-cancer drugs to benefit patients. Truly good people!” Finn’s face turned extremely pale. Eloise couldn’t stand Finn being wronged and immediately changed her expression. “What are you talking about! All the data and publication credits go to me and Finn. It has nothing to do with Jasper. He’s just a fame-seeker. Without his interference, the experiment would’ve succeeded long ago.” I looked at Eloise with disappointment. She knew how much effort I put into the experiment. But just for Finn’s feelings and future, Eloise denied all my efforts and handed my hard work to Finn. I felt like my chest was being torn by a blunt knife, painfully unbearable. After the awkward moment, they started praising Finn and Eloise, belittling me in various ways. Both of them enjoyed my honor with a clear conscience. I quietly listened to the abuse and doubt directed at me until a nurse came into the room. “Is there any family for Jasper Carter? Mr. Carter was confirmed dead at 13:18. Family, please sign the document.” The room fell silent, as if a pin drop could be heard. Eloise was stunned, then reacted with a sneer. “Jasper? He’s too stubborn to die. Your hospital must have made a mistake with the name. I don’t have time to deal with this; believe it or not, I’ll file a complaint!” The young nurse was somewhat intimidated, doubting herself. She looked at the name on the death certificate and the spouse information with Eloise’s name. She wanted to say something but, faced with Eloise’s impatient gaze, the nurse apologized and left. After all, if it were truly her husband’s death, even the same name would be checked immediately. Eloise’s indifferent attitude made her miss the chance to learn about my death. Others also found excuses to leave, seeing her coldness toward her husband while wholeheartedly caring for another man. Their admiration turned to disdain. Finn tugged on Eloise’s sleeve, looking down. “Eloise, could Jasper have asked the nurse to lie to get you to see him? Maybe you should go see him. I’m fine.” A flicker of hesitation appeared in Eloise’s eyes. Finn struggled to get up, but as soon as he stood, he staggered backward. Eloise’s face was full of worry, and her tone was reproachful. “You’re like this, and you still care about that liar’s feelings? We could have reconciled six months ago, but he tricked me with cancer. He never tells the truth; I’ve had enough. This time, I’m going to teach him a good lesson!” I felt like I was being tortured in a frying pan. My already fragile soul grew even fainter. Eloise and Finn were each other’s first love, sharing the same aspirations and hobbies. But Finn wanted to develop abroad, even cutting off contact for years. Eloise’s family kept urging her to marry. In their third year apart, I met Eloise. For her, I was willing to marry into her family. I took care of her parents with all my heart, loved Eloise without reservation, handed over my salary every month, and signed a prenuptial agreement. Yet, she always felt I was beneath her and had ulterior motives, believing my love was all a scheme. Until six months ago, when I was diagnosed with cancer, Finn suddenly returned to the country, and Eloise filed for divorce. But then her parents forced her to stay and take care of me. Even she felt a twinge of pity, accompanying me for checkups. My report was switched by Finn, and no matter how much I explained, Eloise refused to believe me. Thinking of the past, my chest hurt. After that, I lost weight rapidly, my hair kept falling out, and my regular checkups showed increasingly grim results. Yet, all of this was seen by Eloise as me using old tricks. She was a renowned cancer expert, dedicating her life to anti-cancer drug research. Yet, she couldn’t see her husband suffering from cancer. Even in the late stages, she turned a blind eye. I bit my hand until it was bloody, and Eloise would only lightly say, “Done acting? Next time, are you planning to hold a funeral for yourself?” I stumbled and curled up on the ground. Eloise, oh Eloise. This time, you really are going to attend my funeral. Finn licked his chapped lips, “Eloise, I want an orange.” Eloise immediately nodded, “Okay, wait for me.” She ran downstairs without even putting on a coat, and I followed her, running alongside. Seeing her hair soaked with sweat, I instinctively wanted to wipe it for her. When my hand passed through her forehead, I realized with a delayed reaction. I was already dead. I chuckled bitterly, watching Eloise carefully pick oranges, frowning. “How do I choose sweet oranges? Finn doesn’t like sour ones.” I knew how to pick oranges because I took care of all the meals and chores meticulously. Eloise liked oranges, so I would always pick them carefully. But when I was sick and wanted Eloise to peel an orange for me, she would scold me for a long time. Let alone spend time picking them for me. She always said her time was precious, and wasting a minute would delay the research progress. But Finn was always her exception. Eloise pressed her head, took out her phone, and removed me from the blacklist. She was surprised that I, who always treated her like my life, hadn’t left any message or call. Eloise called, but there was no answer. She was furious, “He’s got some nerve, not answering my call! I was going to let him pick oranges for Finn, and then I’d consider giving him the drug. Looks like I’m still too kind to him!” Eloise said this and headed back to the hospital with the oranges. I floated in place, feeling heartbroken. I wanted to leave, but fate tormented me. I couldn’t break away from Eloise. — But Finn Carter was always the exception for her. Eloise Carter rubbed her temples, took out her phone, and unblocked me. She was somewhat surprised that I, who always treated her as the most important person, hadn’t sent any messages or calls. Eloise dialed my number, but I didn’t pick up. She was furious, “You’ve grown bold enough not to answer my calls! I was going to have you pick oranges for Finn Carter and was even considering giving you the medicine. I guess I’ve been too good to you!” With that, Eloise grabbed the oranges and headed to the hospital. I lingered nearby, my heart aching as if pierced by knives. I wanted to leave, but fate was cruel, tethering me to Eloise. I could only watch as she carefully peeled the oranges and fed them to Finn Carter with a fork. Finn Carter accepted Eloise’s care as if it were a given but spat it out the next moment. “So sour, Eloise.” Eloise immediately threw the oranges away, her tone irritable. “It’s all Jasper Carter’s fault. If he’d answered the phone, he wouldn’t have picked sour ones. I don’t know why he dared not to answer my call!” A calculating look flashed in Finn Carter’s eyes. “Maybe he’s upset? Eloise, let’s leave the hospital first. Then we can go see Jasper Carter, and I’ll explain.” Eloise sighed, looking at Finn Carter with a pained expression. By now, I was numb with pain, my eyes hollow as I watched everything unfold. Eloise helped Finn Carter into the hallway, where they ran into my attending physician. The doctor hurried over, “Professor Carter, why haven’t you signed your husband’s death certificate? Our hospital doesn’t make mistakes. You should go see your husband one last time. Otherwise, the medical school staff will soon take Mr. Carter’s body for an autopsy.” Eloise’s face turned grim, and she instinctively clenched her fists. “How long are you going to keep this up? How much did Jasper Carter pay you all? Our school’s people performing an autopsy on Jasper Carter’s body? Hmph, you really know how to fabricate lies.” The doctor was a bit confused, unsure if Eloise had been too overwhelmed and was mentally disturbed. He softened his tone, “Mr. Carter signed an organ donation agreement before he died. He donated them freely to your medical school for research. Did you not know?” The day I was diagnosed with cancer, I thought long and hard. I even considered discussing it with Eloise, but she just brushed it off back then. “Do whatever you want with your body, at least I won’t have to take care of your corpse.” Every word was like a needle piercing my heart. Even in death, I didn’t want to trouble her one bit. In hindsight, it seems like the best decision I ever made. Eloise suddenly felt a pang of fear and unease creeping in, spreading anxiety. Finn Carter suddenly spoke up, “Eloise, you forgot Jasper Carter has many students who respect him. They probably teamed up to deceive you. Otherwise, why donate to your school specifically? Isn’t it just to avoid outsiders exposing the truth?” Eloise’s pale face gradually calmed down, even though her earlier worry wasn’t fake. Anger suppressed her reason, the feeling of being fooled made the always proud Eloise’s chest heave with rage. “If you all want to play along with Jasper Carter, I don’t have the time! You want an autopsy? Hurry up!” Eloise quickly signed her name, then threw it on the ground, stepping over it with her high heels, trampling on my sincerity along with it. Even though I already knew the answer, Eloise’s indifference was still unbearable. Eloise left with Finn Carter without looking back, but Eloise, you only needed to glance sideways to see my body being wheeled out by the staff. You only had to look at that death certificate to notice something amiss, but your eyes were only for Finn Carter. Eloise cared for Finn Carter for a few days; Finn slept in my bed, wore my pajamas. And I could only squat helplessly in the corner, enduring the torment. Until the medical school leaders kept urging Eloise to return to campus. After hanging up the phone, Eloise looked annoyed. Her tone softened, “Finn Carter, get some rest, I have to return to school. Who knows where Jasper Carter is! Never home, never at school, everything falls on me!” Finn Carter laughed with a hint of something, “Alright, I’ll wait for you to come back.” Eloise went to school and looked for me everywhere, but everyone gave her strange looks. This made Eloise even more restless until my student, Xiaoyan, walked up to her. “Aren’t you looking for Professor Carter? He’s inside, go on in.” Eloise snorted, “So this is where you’re hiding! Jasper Carter, I’ve had enough of your tricks. Get out here and admit your mistake, or I’ll throw the medicine away instead of giving it to you!” But inside was only a cold mortuary table and a white sheet, the color slowly drained from Eloise’s face. Her legs felt as heavy as lead, trembling as she slowly lifted the white sheet. I’m sorry, but I need the entire text to provide a translation that meets your needs. Please share the complete text so I can assist you better.

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