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After Finding My Billionaire Parents, My Fiancée Deliberately Caused a Car Accident to Steal My Family Heirloom Pendant She sent her male secretary to meet my parents instead. When I begged for her help with a steel bar piercing my thigh, she was busy comforting her shocked male secretary. Before leaving, she smashed my phone and said coldly, “You’ve enjoyed the benefits for so many years. Let Lucas have the pendant now.” Later, I was rescued by a kind passerby. I lay unconscious in the hospital bed with no one visiting. When I woke up, I saw my fiancée and her male secretary sharing a passionate kiss, supposedly for a fundraising project. The caption read: “No matter how many times, my heart will always lean towards you.” My heart finally died. I dialed my billionaire mother’s number. “Mom, cancel the grand wedding.” “Ethan, why cancel so suddenly? Did something happen?” The elegant woman’s voice on the other end of the line was filled with worry. I didn’t want to trouble this mother who had only found her biological son when she was nearly fifty. After making up an excuse, I hung up the phone. The next second, Olivia pushed open the door, reeking of alcohol. Her eyes were unfocused, and her silk shirt was wrinkled in several places. Seeing me sitting on the sofa, her brows immediately furrowed. “Where have you been messing around for the past two weeks? Your phone was off. I thought you might have died somewhere.” Her tone was accusatory. She asked as if it was perfectly natural, seemingly forgetting that she was the one who left me on the road after the accident and smashed my phone. When she didn’t get an answer from me, Olivia clearly became impatient. She irritably loosened the silk scarf around her neck and walked towards the bedroom. A cluster of hickeys suddenly appeared in my line of sight. I didn’t know if it was the alcohol or if she simply didn’t care about my feelings. She made no attempt to hide them. Even at this point, my heart still ached dully like it was being cut by a knife. During the two weeks I spent recovering in the hospital, I might as well have been a living corpse. I had multiple fractures, and the steel bar that pierced my thigh put me at risk of amputation. But even so, I had hoped she would come to see me just once, even if only for a fleeting moment. I would have made excuses for her as I had always done before. And then continued to love her despite the pain. But when I got my new phone, I saw this woman I had loved for eight years publicly embracing and kissing her male secretary, smiling shyly and charmingly. The cheers of the crowd seemed to cast a filter of happiness around them. Suppressing the bitterness rising in my throat, I took off the plain ring on my index finger and placed it on the table. Olivia came out after her shower and saw this scene. Her face darkened, and she quickly walked over, using all her strength to slap me across the face. The force was heavy, and half of my face almost instantly swelled and went numb. “Who told you to take it off? Have you forgotten what I said?” she demanded. I met those angry eyes and spoke hoarsely: “How could I forget?” “Take off the ring, the vow is void, we’re over.”

Olivia looked at me in disbelief. “Who are you to say it’s over? If it weren’t for me, you’d still be living on the streets!” My gaze fell on the hickeys on her neck as I spoke calmly: “Where were you during the time I was in the hospital?” “Were you busy impersonating me to meet my parents, or were you fooling around in bed with Lucas?” Hearing my words, she realized what I meant and thought I was jealous. She immediately relaxed and approached me with a coquettish tone. “Lucas told me you only had minor injuries. You’re almost thirty and still lying to make me jealous?” Then, as if remembering something, her voice softened considerably: “Lucas has suffered a lot since childhood. He needs that identity more than you do.” “Besides, he promised me that after meeting your parents, countless business opportunities would pour into the company.” “We’re about to get married anyway, so why not give this chance to someone who needs it more?” I pushed away her body as she tried to get closer. I didn’t know how much Lucas had suffered. But over the years, in my search for my parents, I had been driven out of the orphanage, ended up on the streets fighting with stray dogs for food. I was almost kidnapped for a meal. Olivia knew all of this. Yet for Lucas’s sake, she casually asked me to give up the parents I had just found. “Why should I give it up? They’re my parents. You know how many years I’ve been looking for them.” Olivia was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered: “What can you do if you don’t want to? I’ve already taken the pendant that could prove your identity.” “Even if you speak up, who would believe you?” As soon as she finished speaking, her phone rang. I glanced at it; the contact name was a heart emoji. Olivia awkwardly hid her phone behind her back and said: “This matter is already settled. Don’t do anything unnecessary.” “Do I need to remind you of your place?” I heard such belittling words from her almost every day. As her footsteps gradually faded away, she answered the call. I heard an intimate male voice from the other end of the phone. “Babe, I didn’t make you uncomfortable earlier, did I? It’s all your fault for being so seductive today, I couldn’t help myself.” Followed by Olivia’s embarrassed response: “Stop teasing, I’m at home.” Bitterness welled up in my heart. I lowered my eyes to look at the plain ring on the table and muttered to myself: “I had already met them privately.” “I was originally planning to introduce you to them as my fiancée this time.”

Before Lucas appeared, my life with Olivia could be considered happy and ordinary. She was often dizzy with work at the company. When she came home, I would prepare a hot bath for her and timely offer her a cup of hangover tea. When did cracks start to appear in this life? Probably on Lucas’s first day at the company. I received a friend request on SnapChat. After adding him, he didn’t say a word. But his SnapChat stories were frequently updated with his daily life at the company with Olivia. “The boss worked overtime today, giving her a foot massage.” “Accidentally brushed against her lips today, so sweet.” “She really seems to like my scent, even the buttons on my shirt were torn off.” “Babe blushed, so cute.” This clearly exceeded the distance that should exist between a boss and a subordinate. I could feel that he was showing off to me, but I still chose to trust Olivia. Until that day, when I brought soup to the company and he poured it out in front of me, replacing it with a glass of high-proof liquor. From the corner, I watched Olivia drink it without hesitation. At three in the morning, I received a photo from Lucas of the two of them cheek to cheek. “She’s so beautiful tonight.” “Are you still waiting for her to come home?”

That night, I didn’t sleep a wink. Tears that I hadn’t shed even when I was bullied and beaten at the orphanage soaked my pillow that night. My thoughts returned to the present. It started raining heavily outside, and the damp air made the wound on my thigh ache dully. I propped myself up and walked into the guest room to pack my clothes. Olivia was a light sleeper. To let her sleep well, I had been staying in the guest room almost every day, rarely disturbing her. Halfway through packing, a photo fell to the ground. It was our first photo together at eighteen. I picked it up and looked at it for a long time, then tore it in half and threw it in the trash. Come to think of it, I hadn’t received much kindness over the years. That’s why I had made Olivia my emotional support. I had been wandering since childhood, struggling alone in society for many years. While washing dishes in a kitchen, I happened to encounter Olivia, who was almost abducted. Her parents had fled abroad with her brother to avoid debts due to failed business investments. They left her alone to face the creditors. I initially wanted to ignore it, but she looked so pitiful crying. I couldn’t bring myself to abandon her, so I grabbed an iron shovel nearby and confronted the thugs. My reckless behavior scared off those debt-collecting hooligans. When I came to my senses, my eyes were already covered with warm blood. Eighteen-year-old Olivia, wearing a white dress, hugged me, trembling and begging me not to die. She cried beautifully, stirring the long-dried softness in my heart. I used all the money I had saved over the years to support her through college. I switched to working at construction sites, doing the hardest and most tiring jobs. I thought that if I had Olivia for the rest of my life, it wouldn’t matter if I couldn’t find my parents. Later, she graduated smoothly and joined a financial company. In less than three years, she became a big name in the industry and established her own studio. I hid outside her company building, the dust on my body making me afraid to approach that moonlight. But in front of everyone, she flew into my arms like a butterfly. I just never expected that under the influence of power and money, even the high-hanging moon would become dim. I never questioned true love, but true love can change in an instant. Fortunately, it was only eight years. I could afford to lose.

I bought a ticket on my phone for a flight to the capital city the next day. After packing my things, I reached out to knock on Olivia’s door, but heard mixed male and female voices flirting inside. The door was slightly ajar, as if it hadn’t been closed properly. Olivia had her phone on speaker and was applying body lotion to her legs. The conversation inside reached my ears word for word. Lucas’s voice came through, whining and coaxing: “Olivia, can we be together after I meet your parents? Ethan doesn’t deserve you at all.” “You’ve already repaid what you owed him long ago. Didn’t you tell me you don’t love him anymore?” Olivia’s hand paused as she was applying the lotion, her voice turning cold: “Lucas, I can give you anything you want.” “Except for this.” “I don’t love Ethan, but I still have a responsibility to him.” Then she softened her voice again, coaxing the man: “I’ve given you everything. What else are you unsatisfied with? Being too greedy isn’t a good thing.” “But Olivia, do you really want me to be the other man?” A smile appeared on Olivia’s face, her voice lazy and drawling. “How could you be the other man?” “The one who isn’t loved is the other man.” I closed the door and turned to leave. Laughing at myself for the thought of saying goodbye just now.

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It’s hard to describe how I felt when I heard those words. Samuel was leaning forward, burying his face in Chloe’s neck, inhaling the scent of her long hair. Chloe was his therapist. Samuel had been saying lately that his mental state was a bit chaotic and he needed to see a doctor. I didn’t expect it to be this kind of “seeing”. The intimate scene between them was jarring. The pain of betrayal instantly consumed all my rationality. I wanted to rush in and confront him, asking why he would do such a thing. For three lifetimes, Samuel’s heart had always been with me, from beginning to end. I believed this with all my being, but the reality of this fourth life hit me like a ton of bricks. I was in such disbelief that I wondered if I had misunderstood something. Then the Samuel I thought loved me most – the most devoted and faithful Samuel – spoke. He glanced sideways, playfully twirling the long hair of Chloe who was sitting on his lap, and sneered: “Dr. Feng, do you think I’m really crazy? “But I feel like the three previous deaths weren’t fake. Even now when I think about that pain, I still get chills.” Chloe clutched her chest, showing exaggerated concern: “What should we do? You won’t die again this time, will you?” Samuel curved his lips into a smile: “How could I? I’ve played along with Sophia every lifetime, but ended up dying by her side each time. “Originally I wanted to see how she would save me, but now I think she must be bad luck. Look how well I’m living now that I’ve stayed away from her. “This lifetime, I have you, Dr. Chloe.” His voice lilted upwards at the end, causing Chloe to blush and coyly chide him: “Well, you’ve found the right person. Dr. Chloe will cure you this lifetime.” At that moment, the laughter of the man and woman inside sounded distorted, as if coming through a filter to my ears. Those few sentences from Samuel’s voice kept replaying and amplifying in my mind, constricting my heart and leaving me breathless. I leaned against the wall, gasping for air. I can’t remember how I got home that day. I only remember collapsing onto the sofa, feeling like all the strength had been drained from my body. As if my spine had been removed, I went limp. This is not an exaggeration at all. What had supported me through multiple rebirths was the obsession with saving 28-year-old Samuel. In our first life, he died when we were most in love. We had just gotten our marriage license, and he was driving us on a trip. I was still admiring the ring in the car, saying I wanted to design a matching set of earrings. Before he could even finish saying “Okay”, an out-of-control truck crashed into us on the highway. In that instant, time seemed to slow down. In my eyes, widened with horror, I clearly saw him lunging towards me, half his body shielding me. In the end, I saw his eyes, unable to close, bloodied, filled with love and pain. I cried out hoarsely, weeping in disbelief. There was only one thought in my mind – no, no, Samuel can’t die, we still have so many things we haven’t done… I have to go back, I have to save him! Suddenly, it was as if a voice in my head asked me: Are you sure? Are you sure you want to give up your future, to go back and do something that might fail, to repeat it over and over? I said yes. So I spent a lifetime, two lifetimes, giving it my all… And in this life, he tells me he knew everything. He just watched me desperately, pathetically, begging him to live. He even said I was bad luck, that I was the one causing his death.

When Samuel came home, it was already late at night. I was still sitting dazed on the sofa, replaying in my mind where exactly things had gone wrong, when exactly his heart had changed. “Why are you sitting in the dark? What are you spacing out about?” His tone was as gentle as always. He sat down next to me and naturally reached out to wrap his arm around my waist, acting so normal as if what I had seen earlier was just a dream. I reflexively dodged his touch. The atmosphere became awkward. A hint of coldness flashed across Samuel’s eyes. He had clearly noticed my abnormal behavior. But as if tired of it all, he didn’t inquire further. “I’m going to bed first. You should get some rest too.” That night I slept poorly. Even though Samuel was right beside me, my mind kept flashing back to scenes of his death. In our first life, he died instantly in the car accident. Blood poured out from his body, soaking through my shirt. In our second life, we got married but didn’t go on a honeymoon, so that car accident never happened. But then a freak accident occurred. He was picking me up after work when a billboard suddenly fell from above. It landed squarely on top of him. I watched helplessly as the tall man was crushed without a trace. It was as if fate was determined to take his life. I refused to accept it, so we came to our third life. This time I quit my job. After we married, I hardly left his side for a moment, terrified that he would have an accident if I wasn’t paying attention. So we made it to his 28th birthday without incident. On his birthday, the candlelight illuminated his sparkling eyes. In the warm glow, he professed his love to me, eyes glistening: “Sophia, I’m so lucky to have you.” My heart was racing. But then his smile seemed to fade, his face becoming blurry. An overwhelming sense of dread nearly knocked me over. Then Samuel coughed up a mouthful of blood. Perhaps too much time had passed, or perhaps my mind was too panicked to retain other memories. I don’t remember the name of his illness, it seemed to be some rare condition. His life ended so suddenly, almost absurdly abrupt. My final memory is of a stark white hospital room. In the deathly silence, only the faintly glowing monitor by his ear persisted in beeping, as if desperately clinging to his last traces of life. How could I accept this? How could I possibly be okay with this? Samuel and I met when we were young. Back then, I was a country bumpkin who had come to the city. Because I was pretty and had an enviable talent for dance, some girls in class started picking on me. I endured and endured, until the day they knocked over my grandmother’s pancake stand. Amidst the mess on the ground, I held back tears as I helped my grandmother up. The girls stood there looking pristine and superior, laughing with shrill voices. They called me Pancake Girl and told me to go back home and make pancakes. My grandmother was mute. She moved her lips silently, gesturing to wipe the oil stains off my clothes. The girls laughed even harder. That’s when Samuel appeared. He was holding a camera and made one phone call to summon the school leaders. He was a good student from a well-off family, quite an impressive figure in our small town. It was evening, and though the day had been gloomy, somehow at that moment the sunlight broke through the clouds, shining directly onto Samuel. He reached out his hand, holding a clean, neatly folded handkerchief. The first thing he said was: “I’m sorry I didn’t come help right away. I wanted to get evidence on camera first.” Even now, I still remember how my heart pounded that day. Fierce and strong, it sustained me as I traversed alone through countless worlds of his death.

Even by the second morning, I was still in a daze. Samuel got up at this time. He put on the clothes I had ironed for him and glanced at me setting breakfast on the table. “You’re not going to the dance troupe? “You’re just going to stay at home all the time? There’s not much for you to do here anyway…” His voice trailed off at the end, tinged with confusion. I paused while wiping the table and looked up at him. But I only saw him quickly averting his gaze. “Have breakfast at home. I’m not eating. Don’t see me off, and don’t come pick me up tonight either. “I’m going to see Dr. Chloe.” He rubbed his brow, his tone flat. In the past, I definitely would have worried about his condition. But now, I only felt a chill in my heart. He was about to turn 28, and we were about to get our marriage license. In previous lives at this time, I had completely lost interest in work, spending my days anxious and afraid. So I simply quit my job at the dance troupe and truly became a full-time housewife. Back then, he thought I was working too hard and said with a smile: “Then don’t go anymore. From now on, just dance for me alone. With me here, what do you have to worry about?” I accompanied him to and from work. He proudly introduced me to his colleagues. He raised his hand to show off our matching rings. But now, he looked at me warily and coldly, telling me: “Stop watching me all the time. Find something to do for yourself.” I caught my breath, followed by the loud slam of the front door. An eerie silence fell over the house. I sat at the table, mechanically picking at the breakfast in front of me. It was still warm, but tasted unusually cold in my mouth. How did things end up like this? Ever since Samuel started therapy, the distance between us seemed to gradually grow. He began to resent and reject my presence. After spending three lifetimes with me, had he now found true love? But saving Samuel was like a program hardwired into my very being. Suddenly being told to give up felt like losing the center of my life. I felt I should rush up and confront him, ask if all my efforts over the past few lives were just a joke to him. But then why did he keep playing along with me each time? But I still acted as if nothing had happened. I watched helplessly as Samuel grew more and more distant and cold towards me, as we spoke less and less. I watched as Chloe and he grew closer, to the point where some nights he didn’t even bother pretending anymore, openly calling Chloe from the balcony. In the darkness, even through the glass, I could see the smile spreading across Samuel’s face. Then one evening, I stubbornly sat at the dining table like a bitter wife, waiting for him to come home. It was almost 9 PM. After reheating the dishes countless times, Samuel finally returned. Except Chloe came back with him.

Chloe nodded a greeting to me, then naturally took off her shoes and entered the living room. “Don’t misunderstand, Miss Sophia. I’m just here to help with Mr. Samuel’s treatment. “Mr. Samuel described being troubled by memories from the past, or memories that don’t exist. So I came to look at the home environment, which can actually have a big impact on one’s mental state.” Her smile was open, her words professional. Facing me, she was completely different from the coquettish woman by Samuel’s side earlier – very proper and dignified. It almost made me feel like her intimacy with Samuel had been my imagination. But the next second, her eyes met Samuel’s, and she flashed a meaningful smile, full of their private understanding. “Get rid of these few things, and redesign the sofa layout over here…” Her red lips opened and closed, but by the end I could no longer make out what she was saying. I only saw our carefully decorated home being completely changed by her. Her gaze turned smug and challenging as she lifted her chin to look at me: “One must always look forward. It’s best to throw away old things.” She took a charm off her bag and hung it by the front door, her tone coy: “Mr. Samuel, seeing something bright and colorful before leaving home will improve your mood.” “This is our marital home…” I watched Samuel’s lips curl up involuntarily as he reluctantly saw Chloe off. Then I spoke up, my lips trembling. “What’s wrong?” he asked, puzzled. Our carefully designed marital home – how could you just bring another woman back here, casually rearrange our decor, and leave her traces behind? “Sophia, Dr. Chloe is a professional. If things aren’t arranged properly, they should be changed. I’m sick – should I just stay sick?” His tone was a bit exasperated. But I could hear the underlying impatience. “Don’t be so stubborn. If you don’t like the current arrangement, we can change it again later based on your preferences.” Bitterness welled up in my throat. I took a deep breath and forced a smile: “Samuel, aren’t we supposed to get our marriage license next month? “Do you still want to go through with it?” Samuel frowned: “What are you going on about? Just because Chloe came to look at the house? Sophia, I think you have too much free time on your hands. “If you have nothing to do, go find something. Stop obsessing over me and jumping to conclusions. Now you’re even saying such things.” He was about to say more, but froze in place. My tone was very flat and cold: “Let’s call it off.” Just three words, but I struggled to get them out. Samuel didn’t react at first, confusion in his eyes: “What did you say?” As he spoke, his voice trembled slightly, as if suppressing some joy. I suddenly remembered what he had said in front of Chloe: “She’s always clinging to me, like bad luck by my side. How could I not have problems?” The tears pooled in my eyes, but I held them back. Instead, a wave of grief and anger rushed to my head. The cold blood seemed to ignite, and I let out a silent laugh: “What? Are you satisfied that I said we should call off the wedding? “Samuel, you haven’t really fallen for someone else, have you? Are you that eager to get rid of me?” Realizing I seemed to be joking and toying with him, his face instantly darkened, his expression frightening: “Sophia, I think you’re the one with mental problems. Is this funny to you? “No wonder my condition has been poor lately. Turns out you’ve been affecting me.” He looked down at me imperiously, angrily tossed his coat aside, and went to sleep in the guest room. Silence fell over the living room again, but that oppressive feeling lingered. I looked up at the ceiling, and the tears I had held back for so long didn’t retreat, but rushed out in a flood. After that day, things became even more strained between Samuel and me. He began openly going to see Chloe. Faced with my heartbroken questioning, he just looked at me coldly, his expression mocking: “Then why don’t you give up on me? Go ahead and call it off. “Your world doesn’t revolve around just me.” He was so calm, making me look like the crazy one. I was left speechless. I couldn’t accept it. I had invested four lifetimes. My sunk costs were too great – so great that I didn’t have the courage to give up everything from before. I kept thinking I should wait a bit longer, until the day we were supposed to get our marriage license.

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I was just ten days away from my due date when I discovered a flight check-in message on my husband’s phone. Curious, I asked, “Who did you buy tickets for?” Jack hesitated, avoiding eye contact as he mumbled, “For me and my parents.” Shocked, I couldn’t believe my ears. I asked again: “You have tickets for tomorrow with your parents? Where are you planning to go?” Jack paused, then reluctantly said, “We’re thinking of going to the capital for a few days.” I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Incredulously, I asked him, “What are you talking about? I’m about to give birth, and at this crucial time, you’re planning to go on a trip with your parents?” Jack tried to explain, “I’ve been so busy with work lately, and now that I finally have some time off, my parents have been wanting to visit the capital. So I thought I’d take this opportunity to take them on a nice trip.” I found it unbelievable and said, “The only reason you have time off is because you took paternity leave, right? And you’re using that paternity leave to go on vacation with your parents?” Jack frowned and said irritably, “The paternity leave is my time off, and how I use it is my business. Besides, your due date is still ten days away. I need to plan this time reasonably. I can’t just sit at home with you every day. You’re not going to give birth that quickly, and I’d be so bored!” “Plus, we’re only going for five days. We’ll definitely be back before you have the baby.” No wonder he had insisted on taking his paternity leave early. I thought he was worried about me being alone at home and might go into labor at any time, so he wanted to stay by my side to reassure me. I was quite touched. I never expected he had planned all along to use this time for a vacation. I tried to suppress my anger and said, “Then why didn’t you tell me about this beforehand?” Jack muttered quietly, “If I had told you in advance, you definitely wouldn’t have agreed…” I interrupted him: “So you decided to act first and inform me later, is that it? Last time we went for a prenatal check-up, the doctor also said that the baby might not necessarily come on the due date, it could be earlier or later. What if I suddenly go into labor when you’re all gone and I’m left alone at home?” Jack said impatiently, “It’s not that easy to give birth! Besides, doctors say that to avoid liability. If the baby comes early or late, they can’t be blamed. Even if you do go into labor early, the hospital is right next door. You can call 911, and an ambulance will be at our doorstep in five minutes. The doctors and nurses are so professional, there’s no way anything could go wrong. Plus, my mom said that first babies always take longer to be born. You’ll probably be in labor for several days, so we’d have plenty of time to fly back.” I stared at him in shock, never dreaming these words could come from a man about to become a father. Seeing him argue so forcefully, I didn’t want to reason with Jack anymore. Jack didn’t want to comfort me either, and the atmosphere became tense. Just then, a phone call broke the cold war. Jack’s face froze when he saw the screen. He hesitated for a moment before answering the call, saying in a low voice, “Mom, yeah, we’re all ready… No, we didn’t fight… Don’t overthink it.” “Sigh, why are you suddenly saying you won’t go? We really didn’t fight.” “The flights and hotel are all booked. You’ve been talking about wanting to visit the capital for so long, I’ll definitely take you there.” “No, no, no…” Jack hung up the phone and sighed after a while, saying, “See how considerate my parents are of you? As soon as they knew you were unhappy, they immediately said they wouldn’t go.” “My parents have sacrificed so much for you, why can’t you consider them a little? My parents were so excited about this trip, they told all our relatives about it. Everyone envied them.” “After you have the baby, my parents will come to help take care of the child. For at least the first three years, forget about traveling – they won’t even be able to take a day trip to the next city.” I laughed coldly to myself. If they really cared about me, they wouldn’t have talked about going on a trip at this critical time. I conceded, “Let’s compromise then. I don’t want your parents to resent me over this. They can go on the trip tomorrow as planned, and you stay home with me.” To my surprise, Jack reacted strongly, jumping up and saying, “That won’t work! My parents are old and have never traveled far. They’re unfamiliar with the place. Forget about sightseeing, they wouldn’t even know where to go after getting off the plane! How can you suggest I abandon two elderly people in the capital? How can you say such a thing? You’re so heartless!” I retorted, not backing down, “So you’re fine with abandoning me alone at home? Aren’t you worried that I might go into labor at any time with no one around? Don’t you know that giving birth is like having one foot in the grave? There’s always a risk of both mother and child dying. Are you unaware of this?” Jack glowered at me and scolded, “Stop trying to scare me with that nonsense! With today’s advanced technology, how could anyone die from childbirth? If it were that dangerous, would so many people still have children? What are the odds that this one-in-ten-thousand chance would happen to you? Driving a car is more likely to cause an accident, so why do so many people still drive?” “I was hesitating about whether it was appropriate to go on a trip with my parents without you, but now I think this decision was absolutely right! We’re definitely going tomorrow!” And so, neither of us was willing to back down, and we ended up not speaking to each other after the argument. In the middle of the night, I lay stroking my swollen belly, recalling Jack’s words from earlier. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that in his mind, taking his parents on a trip was more important than me giving birth to our child. Unable to sleep, I opened my phone and saw that Linda had posted several WeChat moments after hanging up the phone: “Sigh, I never thought that after working hard all my life, my daughter-in-law wouldn’t even let me go on a trip. Getting old really makes you unwanted!” “You can pour your heart out for someone, but they might never be satisfied, I guess. After all, I’m not her birth mother.” “Nowhere is suitable to go, might as well just stay at home! Saving money for my son.” “Thank you all for your concern. We’ve decided not to go on the trip. We’re used to staying in our hometown all these years. Now that we’re old, we won’t trouble my daughter-in-law anymore!” With all this passive-aggressive venting, I had become an ungrateful daughter-in-law who didn’t want her in-laws to enjoy life. But the truth is, my in-laws have never sacrificed anything for me. Jack and I are both only children, but my family’s financial situation is a bit better than his. They live in a self-built house in the countryside, while my parents bought an apartment in the city for us newlyweds to live in.

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I received a call about a terrible car accident on the highway. My husband Finn, his childhood friend Charlotte, and her son Leo were involved while on their way to a picnic. Finn died at the scene. Charlotte fell into a coma, but she had managed to protect Leo, who only suffered minor injuries. Upon hearing the news, I quickly arranged for Finn’s body to be taken to the funeral home. My in-laws, George and Evelyn, rushed back from out of town and immediately took Leo into their care. A week later, Charlotte woke up. Upon learning of Finn’s death, her first words were: “Leo is Finn’s son. He has inheritance rights.” George and Evelyn immediately backed her up, claiming the child was indeed their grandson. I stated that as long as they could prove Leo was Finn’s biological son, I wouldn’t object. Since Finn had already been cremated, George offered to do a DNA test with Leo as supporting evidence. I wasn’t worried at all. In fact, I almost wanted to laugh, because I knew the results would show no blood relation between them.

When George and Evelyn both insisted that Leo was Finn’s biological son, I wasn’t surprised at all. Because I also knew that Leo was indeed Finn’s child. That’s why I had arranged for Finn’s cremation so quickly, and even had the house thoroughly cleaned, leaving not a single hair behind. But even if he was Finn’s son, I could still prevent him from inheriting anything. “You can’t just say it’s true without proof. What if there’s been a mistake?” I said, forcing my swollen eyes open. “We can’t just take her word for it. We need evidence.” Charlotte, her head still bandaged and looking pitiful, said, “We can do a paternity test.” Evelyn, hearing this, stood up angrily. “It’s because of you, you barren hen! We hadn’t even arrived, and you had him cremated. How are we supposed to do a test now?” I shook my head, crying, “We can’t just make baseless claims. I won’t accept it without proof.” Evelyn was about to berate me further when George stopped her. “Calm down. She’s grieving too. But we can’t let my grandson be left out in the cold. I can do a DNA test with him. After all, Finn was my only son, so a test with me should serve as evidence. Aria, will you accept the results if they come back positive?” I nodded, “I don’t understand the science, but if the testing center says it’s valid, I’ll accept it. Whatever he’s entitled to, he’ll get, even if he is… illegitimate.” Evelyn flew into a rage again. “Who are you calling illegitimate? He’s our family’s only heir! You can’t even have children, and now you’re trying to ruin the child’s reputation.” I scoffed internally. The kid was clearly born out of wedlock, and they were upset about calling him illegitimate? I looked at the three people in the room. The arrogant George, the bitter Evelyn, and Charlotte, who had caused all this trouble and was now playing the victim. I wondered what kind of drama would unfold in the future. I do love a good show. I watched George call the DNA testing center, barely able to hold back my laughter. When the results came back, it would be time for me to enjoy the spectacle. Because I knew the test would show no blood relation. That’s when my real hunt would begin. None of these three would get off easy.

I watched Evelyn fuss over Charlotte, my eyes full of contempt, though hidden behind my swollen eyelids. “Go home and make some chicken soup for her. Nothing too greasy,” Evelyn instructed me. I nodded and got up to leave. As I was about to exit the hospital room, I heard Charlotte say, “Mom, thank you. I’ll take good care of you from now on, and Leo will be a filial grandson to you and Dad.” Hah, laughable. If they knew that their son had been killed because of Charlotte, I wonder if they’d still be so kind to her. I had already retrieved the dashcam footage from the car. The contents were quite interesting indeed!

Back home, I ordered takeout and had it delivered to the hospital. I chose a place with the worst reviews. The chicken soup I made myself was for me to eat, of course. I had lost a child too, so I needed some nourishment. So, I ate what I cooked, and she could have the takeout. After I finished eating, I’d take it to her. How amusing, I’ve ended up in the position of serving my husband’s mistress. I discovered I was pregnant a year ago, just three days after learning that Finn and Charlotte had a child together. After losing the baby, I had someone investigate the situation thoroughly. It turned out that Finn and Charlotte had been involved even before our marriage, and things only intensified after we wed. Finn and I had been married for four years, and their child was four years old. Ironically, Leo was conceived during what should have been our honeymoon period. Unfortunately, it was during my honeymoon that they conceived their child. I couldn’t understand why, if they were already involved, they didn’t just get married. Why did Finn have to marry me and ruin my life? Was it just for the thrill? As for my in-laws, they knew about the child too, and even helped Charlotte with childcare regularly. I didn’t want to know the reasons anymore, since Finn was now just a pile of ashes. The day George took Leo for the DNA test, I didn’t go with them. I said, “Dad, I trust you. I’ll just look at the results when they’re ready. If the child really is Finn’s, I’ll divide the inheritance as required. Don’t worry.” George nodded, “That’s how a good wife should behave. Be generous. Leo is also your child now, and you should treat him as your own in the future.” I thought to myself, “Really?” Once the estate was divided, I planned to take my share and disappear. What? Did they expect me to stay and serve Charlotte and her illegitimate son just because I married into their family? Watching George’s confident stride as he left, I felt disgusted. His son had just died, and he didn’t seem particularly grieved. All he cared about was getting his grandson recognized. But when the test results came back, he would be devastated, wouldn’t he? His precious heir was about to go down the drain.

On the day the DNA test results came out, I had just finished dinner and was returning home. Since my husband’s death, I hadn’t cooked at home. Evelyn did all the cooking because she had to take care of Charlotte and Leo. I said I had to work and was getting busier, so she had no choice but to do it herself. She had tried not cooking at all, waiting for me to come home and do it. But I didn’t play along. I either ate out before coming home or went shopping after eating and came back late. That day, when I got home, George said the test results were ready and asked me to go with them to see them the next day. I agreed and took a day off from work. I wouldn’t miss the chance to witness this drama unfold firsthand.

Early the next morning, we took a cab to the testing center. When George received the report, his face was glowing with anticipation. But when he saw the results, his face turned green, like he was looking at a stock market crash. I peered over and saw that the results showed no blood relation. I covered my mouth in shock, “Oh my God, was she really trying to scam us?” Charlotte heard me and snatched the report, not believing what she was seeing. “How is this possible? How can it say we’re not related? He is Finn’s child, he really is!” I tried to comfort her, “Miss Charlotte, maybe you should think carefully. Was there anyone else you were with during that time? Maybe there’s been a misunderstanding? The child might be someone else’s!” She raised her hand to slap me, but I dodged it. “Are you lashing out because you’re embarrassed? Don’t get physical here. You tried to scam our family for Finn’s inheritance, and now that you’ve been exposed, are you going to pretend to be crazy? Dad, we can’t fall for her tricks.” Charlotte’s eyes were red with anger. She pointed at me, trembling. “You faked the results, didn’t you? Leo is Finn’s son.” I was speechless. How could I possibly have the power to change the results of a test I never even touched? George stepped in at this point: “She never touched anything, so she couldn’t have faked it. But you, you’ve been lying to me all these years, saying Leo was my grandson. How much money have we spent on you? How much did Finn spend on you? You’re quite something, taking our money and making a fool out of my son at the same time.” “Dad, I didn’t, I really didn’t. The child is Finn’s, I don’t understand why the test results say there’s no blood relation.” George snorted coldly and turned to me, “Finn even bought her a car and a house. Sue her and get everything back.” I cried, tears streaming down my face, desperately covering my mouth. Of course I had to cover it, or I might have laughed out loud. What an unexpected windfall. Charlotte was utterly dejected, desperately trying to explain that the child was indeed Finn’s. But George didn’t believe a word: “If you try to scam our family again, I’ll call the police. And return all the money Finn gave you. We gave you money because we thought Leo was our family’s only heir, but now he’s just a bastard. Return all the money we spent on you, or I’ll report you for fraud.” Charlotte wailed loudly. I sat in the chair, watching her pitiful state, feeling a bit sorry for her. Because among everyone present, only I knew that she was truly wronged. The child was indeed Finn’s. Charlotte’s persistent pleas were silenced by a slap from George. She knelt on the ground, crying hysterically, while I helped George leave. Back home, George told me exactly how much money Finn had spent on Charlotte.

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Just because of one sentence from his first love, Adrian suspected that I had put a love curse on him. I desperately tried to explain that I hadn’t, but he still didn’t believe me. “I hate it when people use such underhanded methods to control me!” he spat. He was determined to make me confess, so he deliberately sent me to a criminal’s bed. And he live-streamed the whole thing. Separated by just a door, he and Scarlett watched with cold amusement as I faced off against the criminal. “Why don’t you use your voodoo now? Curse him! Make him fall in love with you, control him!” Scarlett’s voice taunted through the speakers. I trembled in fear. Scarlett was right, I did know voodoo. But my ability to use voodoo had disappeared when I became pregnant. As the criminal pinned me down, tears streamed down my face. I looked at the camera with pleading eyes, praying that Adrian would come to save me. But I was brutally assaulted all night, and that door never opened. The next day, when I was carried to the ambulance barely alive, I learned that my husband had been drunk by Scarlett and taken to a hotel. After finding out about my miscarriage, I left a divorce agreement and walked away. … As the criminal’s weight pressed down on me, a searing pain shot through my belly. Adrian still didn’t know that I was carrying his child. Tears filled my eyes without me realizing. With all my strength, I screamed, “Adrian! I’m pregnant, you can’t do this!” But the only response was the sound of the door being locked. And the heavy breathing of the man behind me. My heart sank to the depths of despair. “Olivia, I’m giving you one last chance. Will you confess or not?” Adrian’s cold voice came clearly through the speakers. I gritted my teeth and stubbornly said, “I didn’t put a curse on you! Adrian, don’t you trust me at all?” Remembering how much Adrian trusted Scarlett, my heart ached. My eyes stung, but I held back my tears. Adrian was silent for a moment. Then Scarlett’s sweet voice chimed in, “Olivia, there’s no point in denying it anymore.” “It doesn’t feel good to be deceived. If you really love Adrian, then prove it to him.” Hearing this, I abruptly cut her off, “I’ve said it already, I didn’t use any voodoo! And I can’t use love curses!” Through the wall, I heard Scarlett’s voice, clearly startled by my outburst. “Enough! Olivia, even at this point, you still refuse to admit it!” Adrian’s angry voice came through. My heart felt desolate. After all this, he still didn’t believe me! Realizing I could only rely on myself now, I said nothing more. I gritted my teeth, flipped over, and used all my strength to punch the criminal hard. Taking advantage of his pain, I seized the opportunity to run to the door, trying to open it. After several forceful tugs, I despairingly realized the door wouldn’t budge! “Fuck! You bitch!” The criminal quickly recovered and cursed as he walked towards me. My heart sank further into despair, and my whole body began to shake. Just as he was about to touch me, I finally couldn’t help but shout at the camera in the corner. “Adrian! Come save me!” But all I got was Adrian’s cold laugh and a flippant reply: “I’ll save you, as long as you admit you put a love curse on me.” But how could I admit to something I hadn’t done? “Adrian! How many times do I have to tell you, I didn’t put a love curse on you!” “We… we were truly in love…” Remembering how Adrian used to cherish and love me, I could no longer hold back my tears and began to cry loudly. The man who once couldn’t bear to see me cut my finger, how could he have changed like this? After a while, Adrian’s low voice sounded. “Olivia, stop making excuses.” “I don’t believe you.” With these words, I closed my eyes in despair. All the love we had shared was completely shattered at this moment. The criminal had already started tearing at my clothes. He was rough, and I could only desperately cover my belly, trying to protect my child. Scarlett’s gentle voice came through the speakers. “There are so many people in the live stream now, Adrian. Everyone’s asking if Olivia will use voodoo on him.” Live stream? I widened my eyes, looking at the camera in disbelief: “Are you live streaming this?” But no one answered my question. A chill ran through me as the criminal stripped me naked. I struggled desperately, but the criminal slapped me hard across the face! Instantly, I saw stars and lost all strength. Yet Scarlett’s soft voice continued to come through. She seemed to be saying something about having a drink. My regret reached its peak. At this moment, how I wished I wasn’t pregnant! In our tribe, once a woman becomes pregnant, her ability to use voodoo disappears. I had made such a big decision to have this child with Adrian. I thought it would be the crystallization of our love, but now, it had become a knife stabbing into me! Watching helplessly as I was about to be violated, despair washed over me. I couldn’t bear it anymore and cried out loudly. “Adrian, I admit it! I admit I put a curse on you! Let me out!” “The baby, we have a baby! The baby will die!” My voice was so miserable that even the criminal paused for a second. But Adrian outside remained silent. I stared intently at that door, expecting it to open any second. But the next second, my body was roughly flipped over! At that moment, the whole world seemed to freeze. The night passed. There wasn’t a spot on my body that wasn’t bruised or hurt. As I lay there barely conscious, I saw a lot of blood pooled beneath me. I blinked weakly. A severe pain shot through my belly, and I knew, my child was gone. The one who saved me was Adrian’s assistant, James. As I was being lifted into the ambulance, I heard James sigh. “The boss has really messed up this time, abandoning his wife and going to a hotel with Scarlett! Even if Mrs. Olivia really did put a curse on him, there was no need to be so cruel! They’ve been married for seven years after all!” “Now look what’s happened, Mrs. Olivia not only lost the baby, but she might lose her life too!” I closed my eyes numbly. I couldn’t believe that my husband of seven years would really do this to me. Just because of one word from Scarlett, I had lost everything. If that’s how it is, I’ll let you two be together. When I woke up again, I learned in despair that because of last night’s live stream, the video of me being assaulted by the criminal had gone viral online. My phone was flooded with malicious messages, and calls were coming in non-stop. My hands shook uncontrollably as I gripped my phone, not knowing what to do. “Mrs. Olivia, are you alright?” James asked worriedly. “Don’t be afraid, Mr. Adrian will surely handle this matter!” I gave a bitter smile. How would he handle it? Wasn’t this live stream planned by him? But I still held onto a last shred of hope for him: “Where is he then?” With these words, James fell silent. I stared at him intently, my eyes gradually turning red. He then hurriedly said, “Something urgent came up at the company, Mr. Adrian… went back to deal with it…” As he spoke, he realized how unconvincing it sounded and fled the room. “I’ll go buy you some porridge to warm your stomach.” Adrian must be with Scarlett, right? I laughed bitterly. What a poor excuse about dealing with company matters. After all, in the past, Adrian could accompany me for a whole month without going to the company. … “Isn’t this woman in the video you?” I never imagined that just stepping out to get some medicine would lead to someone recognizing me from the video. Seeing me purse my lips in silence, the man examined my face carefully for a long time. Then he slapped his thigh and shouted, “It is you! The woman in this video!” Instantly, everyone in the hospital turned to look. The man looked extremely pleased with himself. His lips spread into a wide grin as he started playing the video. “I even recorded the live stream! You have a mole on your inner thigh, it’s so sexy when you shake!” In an instant, the surrounding crowd erupted. “It is her! I heard she used voodoo to marry into a rich family! Her husband was so angry that he—” “She deserves it! Look at her pitiful state now, abandoned by her man!” “I gotta say, her moans are pretty nice. Hey bro, send me a copy, will ya?” Suddenly, my ears were filled with a buzzing noise. I stood there rigidly, like a withered tree, my world reduced to nothing but the sound of my own cries and pleas. I don’t know how I was pulled out of there. When I came back to my senses, I only saw James’s anxious face. “Mrs. Olivia! Why did you go out? Don’t mind what those disgusting people said! How dare they bully you when Mr. Adrian isn’t around! When Mr. Adrian comes back, he won’t let any of them off!” I looked at him blankly. “Adrian… will he really come back?” “Of course he will! Mr. Adrian loves you so much, we all see it. Mrs. Olivia, if you just apologize, Mr. Adrian will definitely come back!” Seeing James’s expression, as if he wanted to apologize on my behalf, I suddenly felt numb. No one believed me. So what was the point of staying here? After sending James away, I changed my phone, stopped going online, and hurriedly booked a ticket back home. Then I started the divorce proceedings. When I received the divorce agreement from the lawyer, several days had passed. During these days, Adrian hadn’t come to see me once. The last glimmer of hope in my heart disappeared. With James gone, the one who took care of me the most was a nurse I didn’t know. She probably didn’t use the internet and hadn’t recognized me. Seeing that no one was looking after me, she was heartbroken: “Where’s your husband! Why isn’t he here to take care of you?” Seeing her angry eyes, for a moment, I didn’t know how to answer. How could Adrian come to take care of me? All these wounds on my body were because of him. But the day before I was discharged, Adrian actually came to my hospital room. He was unusually flustered. “Olivia, are you alright? I’m sorry I came late, I’ve already dealt with the video online!” I nodded calmly, not giving him any extra glances. “Olivia! You had a miscarriage?” Seeing that I didn’t speak, he became even more anxious. Gripping my shoulders, he said, “Say something, was what you said that day true? Did you really have a miscarriage?” I frowned and brushed his hands off: “Yes.” Adrian froze instantly, as if struck by lightning. I found it laughable. Did my words have so little credibility in his heart? Would I joke about something like pregnancy? Besides, wasn’t my miscarriage because of him? Now he’s putting on an act of being sorry for me, who is he trying to fool? “Olivia, the baby… it’s my fault.” “Hit me, scold me, whatever makes you feel better. But I really didn’t know you were pregnant…” Adrian’s face was full of remorse. I looked at him and spoke softly: “What good would hitting or scolding you do? Would it bring our child back?” Adrian froze. The air stagnated. I saw Adrian lower his eyes, as if making a major decision, then look at me steadily. “Olivia, I forgive you for putting a curse on me. We’re even now.” “Can we go back to how we were before?” Go back to how we were before? I almost laughed out loud. I never put a curse on him, so what forgiveness was he talking about? The damage had been done, how could we go back to before? Moreover… Looking at the divorce agreement in the drawer, I fell silent. Now that Adrian had come to me himself, I might as well be straightforward about the divorce. It would save me another trip. Thinking this, I opened my mouth: “Adrian, we—” Before I could say “let’s divorce”, I was interrupted by a phone ringtone. It was Adrian’s special ringtone. He ignored what I was saying and immediately answered the call. Sure enough, it was Scarlett. Her soft tone clearly came through the quiet air to my ears. “Adrian, didn’t you say you were going to buy cupcakes? Why aren’t you back yet~” My heart ached. Even coming to see me was just an errand for him? Adrian hurriedly explained in a low voice: “There’s a bit of traffic. Are you thirsty? Should I buy you something to drink?” “Sure, hurry up, I can’t wait~ It’s so cold being alone at night~” “Wait for me.” With that, Adrian hurriedly stood up and strode towards the door. He only left one sentence: “I’ll come see you again tomorrow.” I had to swallow the words I wanted to say. Never mind, we’d be divorcing sooner or later anyway. In the middle of the night, I dreamed of Adrian from before. Back then, there was no third person between us, it was when we loved each other the most. Adrian was extremely busy with work, only able to squeeze out time to be with me. Once, he was very late for a date. I sulked and said I wouldn’t like him anymore, that I’d go find another man. He didn’t get angry, just smiled and pinched my nose, saying he didn’t believe me. His smile was so handsome, my heart fluttered a little. I couldn’t help but ask him why he didn’t believe me. His handsome features relaxed as he peeled shrimp for me and said, “Because I trust you.” In an instant, I woke up. My heart filled with bitterness. Yes, in the past, he used to trust me so much. When did it all change? At three in the morning, my phone vibrated with a message from Adrian. “I love you, Olivia.” “Scarlett just came back from abroad, I’m just taking care of her a bit more now. Don’t mind it. Once she can take care of herself, I won’t bother with her anymore. We’ll live our own life, okay?” I put down the phone without replying. Scarlett is a grown woman, what kind of care does she need? What kind of care involves sharing a bed? Early the next morning, I checked out of the hospital. When I got back “home”, I only took a few necessary things. After leaving the signed divorce agreement on the table, I hesitated. After some thought, I still left two voodoo insects. Since my miscarriage, my ability to use voodoo had returned. Since Adrian was convinced I had put a curse on him, wouldn’t it be a waste if I didn’t actually do it? After doing everything, I set off on my journey home. When Adrian arrived at Olivia’s hospital room, he only saw an empty, cold bed. After some inquiries, he learned that she had been discharged today. How reckless, checking out when she wasn’t fully recovered!? Thinking this, Adrian stepped hard on the gas pedal. When he got home, he’d have to have a good talk with her! But when he got home, he didn’t find her. Instead, he found a signed divorce agreement on the table.

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After I was kidnapped, my whole family was relieved because the kidnappers had mistaken me for my sister Bella, who was supposed to be the target. When the police rescued me, I was bleeding from almost every pore on my body. I didn’t cry or make a fuss. I developed emotional indifference syndrome. I had no emotions and could no longer feel sad about anything happening around me. I felt more at ease than I had on any previous day. But later, they all regretted it and begged me to return to my former self. When I returned home from the hospital, there was no one in the house. Even the furniture had been moved out. Unable to contact my family, I called the housekeeper and found out they had moved to a new place. I went to the address she gave me. The whole family was already sitting at the dining table, ready to eat. Seeing me return, everyone at the table looked a bit uncomfortable. “Why didn’t you tell me you were moving?” I asked. “Well, your sister has been having nightmares lately about being kidnapped,” Mom said casually, as if discussing the day’s menu. “I figured the old house might have some bad energy, so we changed locations. Your sister has a delicate constitution. It’s good you’re back – sit down and join us for dinner.” The table was full of Bella’s favorite dishes. My face was covered in thick bandages and I walked with a limp, but no one seemed to care. In the past, I would have been very upset by this. But now I felt nothing. My emotions were gone. Seeing me sit down calmly, Bella suddenly leaned over. “I’ve been so scared these past few days, I didn’t even dare to go out. That’s why I couldn’t visit you in the hospital. Mom and Dad were worried I might get kidnapped too, so they had to stay home with me. You don’t blame me, do you, Aria?” Before I could respond, Dad jumped in: “It’s not a big deal. You two are sisters – can’t you understand each other?” I didn’t know how to react. I was the one who had actually been kidnapped. Bella let out a hearty laugh. “Hehe, I was just afraid Aria might overthink things!” She picked up a shrimp and put it in my bowl. “Anyway, Aria has always been so independent and much braver than me. I really admire people with guts like that.” I silently put down my chopsticks. I’m allergic to shrimp. Not a single person at the table remembered.

My name is Aria, born on July 7th. My sister’s name is Bella. We are full-blooded sisters, believe it or not. A fortune teller said my fate was inauspicious and I shouldn’t be raised at home, so my parents sent me to live with my grandparents in the countryside. For many years, they hardly ever came to see me. It wasn’t until my grandparents passed away that they brought me back home. I returned with high hopes, but I quickly realized this home didn’t belong to me. The day I was kidnapped, Bella had insisted on taking a shortcut through a deserted alley. After walking a bit, she said she needed to find a restroom and told me to wait right there for her. The next thing I knew, I lost consciousness. I will never forget what happened during that time. … “Worthless trash,” the kidnappers growled as their fists rained down on me, venting their anger. They had mistaken me for Bella and kidnapped the wrong person. My family refused to pay the ransom for me, so the kidnappers couldn’t get a single cent. I was starved for three days and tortured for three days. My throat was so raw I couldn’t make a sound. When the police burst in, the kidnappers were about to strip off my clothes. Blood obscured my vision, but I still strained to look behind the officers. No one was there. Not a single family member had come. I wanted to cry but no tears would come. The doctor said I had post-traumatic stress disorder, specifically manifesting as a loss of emotions. Medically, it’s also called emotional indifference syndrome. The hospital room was empty. After the police officer in charge of the case left, no one else came to visit. 2 The people at the dinner table treated me like I was invisible. The three of them chatted and laughed, looking like the picture of a happy family. In the past, I would have tried hard to join their conversation, but today I did nothing. “I’m done eating,” I said, casually wiping my hands on a napkin. “Which room am I staying in?” Mom looked startled for a moment before responding. “The other rooms haven’t been set up yet.” “Aria, don’t blame Mom and Dad. They’ve been so busy lately they can barely keep up with everything,” Bella said, acting protective of our parents while subtly implying I was being unreasonable. She had done this many times before. I countered, “Did I say I blamed them?” I gently put down the hand towel and said flatly, “Then I’ll just pick an empty room. Enjoy your meal.” As I slowly walked upstairs, I could hear my parents’ conversation. “Where did she get this prickly attitude from? Bella, don’t take it to heart. Here, have some of the pigeon soup I made – you haven’t tried it yet!” Bella went along with it. “My sister’s probably just shaken up by what happened.” Mom disagreed. “What does she have to be shaken up about? She came back just fine, didn’t she?” … I closed the bedroom door, shutting out their chatter.

That evening, Noah came home. He’s not the Wilsons’ biological child – he was adopted by my parents. Bella and I call him our brother. I had always dreamed of having an older brother to stand in front of me and protect me. Noah did fit all my imaginations of a good big brother, except he protected Bella. Towards me, who suddenly appeared and took away some of Bella’s attention, he was full of hostility. From the moment he walked in, Noah didn’t spare me a single glance. The lack of welcome was written all over his face. How had I been so blind before? Even when he treated me this way, I always tried to get close to him, fussing over him and giving him gifts. I envied Bella and was jealous that she had the whole family’s love. But now that all those emotions had disappeared, their behavior seemed forced and uninteresting to me. I felt a bit hungry. Noticing I hadn’t greeted him, Noah gave me a couple extra glances. “Hey, I don’t want your stuff,” he said, pulling out an elegantly wrapped gift bag. I recognized it as the birthday present I had chosen for him. It was a jade pendant I had polished and carved myself. I had given him many gifts, and each one was publicly returned to me. He and Bella both seemed to enjoy the process of trampling on my dignity. “Noted,” I said, my attention completely elsewhere. The food was all laid out, but I had no appetite. The table was full of seafood. There wasn’t a single dish I could eat. Just looking at it made my wounds ache. Noah was taken aback. In the past, this girl would always beg him to keep her gifts. This time she agreed so readily – was she playing some new trick to get the family’s attention? “Brother, what did Aria give you?” Bella asked, her hand already unwrapping the gift before he could answer. “Oh, what a beautiful jade pendant! Aria must have put a lot of thought into it. Brother, you should keep it.” Noah pressed his lips together. Keep it? Wouldn’t that mean he was accepting this person? She was the reason Bella felt insecure and cried countless nights. “I’ll never accept anything from her. Take it back,” he said to me, his tone brooking no refusal. My stomach was hurting from hunger. Faced with a table full of seafood I couldn’t eat, I just wanted to go out and get something else. I had barely stood up when Noah, taking it as me being unwilling to face him, grabbed my wrist. “Take your stuff back.” Bella gave me a look that said she was enjoying the show. According to past patterns, I should be crying by now. “Just throw it away,” I said. “What?” Seeing that no one was moving, I took the jade pendant and tossed it in the trash. “I said, if you don’t want it, throw it away. I’m leaving now.” Everyone at the table fell silent. This version of me was too unfamiliar to them. I ignored them and directly left the table. Noah felt a bit unsettled, watching that annoying figure gradually disappear. It was as if something had quietly slipped out of control. Bella glanced at Noah, her hand gripping her chopsticks tightly.

I went out and ate to my heart’s content. When I got back home, Mom and Dad were sitting in the living room waiting for me. “Come here, I have something to say to you,” Dad said. I could probably guess what they wanted to talk about. Since I came back, the two of them had barely spoken to me. The few times they did, it was always about wanting me to go on blind dates for an arranged marriage. Money always circulates among a small group of people, and it’s common for wealthy families to form connections through marriage. They just didn’t want Bella to do these things. Besides, Noah and Bella had grown close over time and showed signs of mutual affection. My parents were unwilling to disrupt that, so they had put off the idea. However, my return solved this problem. The unfavored second daughter was the perfect tool. “Aria, the youngest son of the Cloud family has returned from abroad. You two are about the same age. Why don’t you meet up sometime, have dinner and chat?” Mom added, “After what happened to you, your father and I were so worried. We thought if you had a man by your side to protect you, we’d feel much more at ease.” I had always refused these kinds of arrangements. These rich kids grew up living decadent lifestyles and were involved in all sorts of unsavory business. Mom and Dad clearly didn’t care about my wellbeing at all, which had upset me for a long time. But now it didn’t matter. If meeting once could shut them up, that would be best. I nodded. “Okay, when should we meet?” They seemed surprised that I agreed so readily. The long lecture they had prepared had nowhere to go. Both of them paused awkwardly before Dad recovered first. “Tomorrow at noon, at the restaurant owned by Cloud Corporation. If he takes a liking to you that would be great, but it’s fine if he doesn’t. They’re not just any ordinary wealthy family.” I nodded. The atmosphere fell silent again. “Is there anything else?” I asked. “No… that’s all,” Mom said. I got up to go upstairs, my movements quick and decisive. Mom and Dad exchanged a glance, both seeing complex emotions in each other’s eyes. “This girl has been acting strange lately. I hope she’s not planning anything,” Dad said. “I’ll have the housekeeper keep an eye on her. We can’t let her cause trouble for the family,” Mom replied. “If only she was half as sensible as Bella.” “How could she compare to the daughter we raised ourselves…” I let out a soft laugh. Right, only Bella was “our daughter” in their eyes.

I met the blind date, Zack, one afternoon. He was leaning against the driver’s side window, lighting a cigarette but not smoking it. He didn’t like smoking, but felt compelled to maintain an image of vice. When the cigarette burned out, he messed up his hair and got out of the car. I happened to witness this whole scene. The impossibly handsome young man unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and slouched in his chair with an air of decadence. “Hello, are you Zack?” I went over to greet him. “Mm, and you’re… Aria?” He hesitated, as if wondering what kind of girl would have such an unusual name. “I heard you’ve turned down a lot of people before?” I asked. “Can’t say I’ve turned them down when I’ve never even met them,” he replied. He suddenly smiled. “I guess that makes you pretty special.” “What’s your take on this arranged marriage business?” he asked. “What can I say? My life is worthless, so my family calls all the shots.” The kidnapping incident hadn’t spread, but Zack surely knew about it. He gave me a meaningful look. “Miss Wilson, you and I are the same kind of people.” He raised his glass, wanting to toast with me. I pushed my glass away. “Not quite. I’d like to eat first.” Zack paused for a moment, then rested his chin on his hand with a slight smile. “Alright then, let’s eat first.” I sighed. I had hoped to encounter an idiot, but instead I met someone with more schemes than a beehive has holes. As soon as I finished eating and parted ways with Zack, I received a message from my parents. The Cloud family was very satisfied with me and hoped to proceed with the marriage soon. I had miscalculated. I had only intended to find some fool to cooperate with me so my parents would stop forcing me to go on blind dates. Who knew I’d end up meeting Zack and digging myself into a big hole.

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My family is the wealthiest in the city, and I’m the designated heir. But my two brothers brought home a girl, saying we’d be sisters from now on, and even allowed her to impersonate me. Before the family inheritance announcement, my two brothers escorted her onto the stage in front of everyone. All eyes were drawn to her, believing she was the family’s chosen heir. Chloe looked at me as I followed her onto the stage, her expression haughty: “Olivia, this stage for the heir isn’t a place for you. Get off and go stand with the guests.” “If it weren’t for my brothers kindly adopting you as our family’s foster daughter, someone like you would never even set foot in the Sullivan mansion.” I knew she was relying on my brothers’ favoritism to act so arrogantly, even trying to steal my position as heir. But she didn’t know I’d been reborn. In my past life, I yielded at every turn, only to end up disowned and penniless. This time, I kicked her right off the stage: “Who do you think you are? How dare you act wild in front of me. You’re trying to steal what’s mine – do you have a death wish?”

I kicked Chloe off the stage with one swift move. Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Olivia, how dare you be so reckless, doing such a thing to Chloe!” My eldest brother Ethan’s face was livid with rage. My second brother Nathan rushed over and slapped me hard across the face. “You insolent foster child, how dare you bully Chloe like this! You’re asking to be punished!” They were shaking with anger, utterly shocked that I, who had always been so meek, would fight back now of all times. In their minds, I would at most cry at our father’s grave, then resign myself to my fate. “Punishment? Let me ask you – since when does an orphan you took in get to replace my identity?” Looking at my two brothers twisting the facts, my eyes were filled with cold fury. I had been so foolish before, always yielding to Chloe to please my brothers, even letting her impersonate me. Hearing my cold words, Ethan’s face darkened as he angrily berated me: “Olivia, what nonsense are you spouting? We kindly took you in, letting you live comfortably in the Sullivan home. Yet you dare to publicly assault our family’s only heir!” Nathan could barely contain his anger as he spoke: “It’s all my fault. I thought letting you attend would broaden your horizons. I never imagined your delusions would be so severe that you’d think yourself the Sullivan heir and make such a scene in public.” Chloe had returned to the stage with Ethan’s help. She looked at me with feigned hurt in her eyes: “Olivia, I never thought that my constant yielding to you would make you misunderstand yourself as the Sullivan heir.” “It’s my fault for being too indulgent. But Olivia, you absolutely cannot disrupt such an important occasion!” The three of them twisting the facts made all the guests start whispering among themselves: “An orphan taken in by the Sullivans, instead of quietly enjoying the luxury, actually dares to hit the real heir. The world’s really turned upside down!” “Is she trying to get herself disowned and cut off?” Hearing the guests’ comments, Ethan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Then he waved his hand dramatically, ordering the security guards standing nearby: “Since she’s so delusional, I hereby declare that as long as we’re around, you’ll never set foot in the Sullivan mansion again!” “Take her away!” The security guards swarmed menacingly onto the stage. Seeing the guards approaching, my eyes grew even colder: “Ethan, who gave you the authority to target the Sullivan family’s true heir in front of everyone?” “Don’t forget Father’s will on his deathbed – I am the sole heir to the entire Sullivan family.” Hearing my forceful tone, my two brothers’ eyes flashed with panic. But Ethan quickly furrowed his brow and snapped: “Olivia, what are you playing at? How could the Sullivan heir possibly be a foster child like you?” The security guards had already surrounded me threateningly. Nathan also recovered, speaking condescendingly: “Olivia, you really have some nerve. Don’t forget that everything you’re wearing right now was given to you by us!” “What are you waiting for? Throw her out of here immediately!” Seeing the guards getting closer, I angrily smashed a nearby champagne bottle. “Listen up! I am the sole heir to the Sullivan family. I dare any of you to touch me!”

The sound of shattering glass plus my angry shout made the entire ballroom fall silent. All the security guards were intimidated by my aura. Then I turned to my two brothers, my face cold: “Ethan, Nathan, you’re still twisting the facts! This foster daughter you brought home has been completely out of control, relying on your support!” “She’s not only enjoying our family’s wealth, but now wants to steal my identity as heir! You two really think you can do whatever you want in this family!” Ethan’s face grew darker and darker as he spoke icily: “Olivia, you’re the one who’s out of control. Not only did you publicly assault Chloe, you’ve ruined the event we worked so hard to prepare!” “Do you think you can muddy the waters and steal the Sullivan inheritance like this?” Many guests whispered among themselves: “This Olivia they adopted into the Sullivan family is really something else. She’s already part of the family, yet she’s pulling these tricks to try and steal the inheritance!” “But why do I feel like Olivia has an air of nobility about her, more befitting of the Sullivan heir? Who’s telling the truth here?” Hearing the guests’ comments, Nathan’s eyes flashed with anger: “Olivia, your delusions are getting more and more severe. There’s only one heir here, and that’s Chloe!” “What are you all standing around for? Throw her out immediately!” Ethan paused for a moment, then spoke with an extremely grim expression: “She’s bullying Chloe like this now. We might as well just cut her off financially to teach her a lesson. We can’t let others think the Sullivan family rules are lax.” When my brothers mentioned cutting me off, the anger in my heart instantly filled my entire chest. In my past life, my brothers always sided with the orphan Chloe they brought home. Whenever Chloe was unhappy, my two brothers would punish me. To please them, I kept yielding again and again, even giving up my position as heir. But in the end, Chloe said she wanted to see something exciting. My two brothers directly cut me off financially, leaving me penniless and on the streets. As I desperately begged for help, my brothers were laughing and chatting with Chloe outside. As I lay dying, I couldn’t understand – I was their real sister, so why did they favor an outsider they brought home so much? In this life, after careful investigation, I finally understood the reason. Thinking of this, I looked at my two brothers even more coldly: “You want to cut me off? Who do you think you are to treat me so rebelliously? Aren’t you afraid Grandmother will find out?” Nathan’s face instantly paled. He whispered in Ethan’s ear: “Brother, if Grandmother Sullivan hears we cut Olivia off, that would be disastrous. We should just throw her out for now.” Seeing Nathan’s fearful look, I couldn’t help but sneer. The entire Sullivan family empire was built by Grandmother. She only had my father as a child. After my father died, Grandmother personally named me the heir to the entire Sullivan Group according to my father’s will, while she retired overseas. These two brothers aren’t my real brothers at all, but the children of my mother’s brother. It was only because my brothers’ parents died early that my mother begged my father for two weeks before he allowed these two brothers to enter our Sullivan family. That’s when their last name was changed to Sullivan. Ethan’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of Grandmother Sullivan, but he still spoke firmly: “What are you afraid of? Once Chloe inherits the family business, what can Grandmother say even if she’s unhappy?” I just sneered: “I’m standing right here. Who can steal my identity as the Sullivan heir?” Hearing my words, Ethan pointed at me in a rage: “You little brat, you dare to keep spouting nonsense? You really think you’re the Sullivan heir!” “Why are you all still standing there hesitating? I’ll say it right now – $100,000 to whoever hits her. Cash on the spot!” As soon as he finished speaking, one of the young security guards rushed over and punched me hard. “A foster child picked up by the Sullivans, still daring to make a scene here? Know your place!” Touching my aching nose, I laughed bitterly. A random security guard I’d never seen before dared to punch me. It seems my two brothers really thought they could do whatever they wanted in the Sullivan family. My expression grew colder as I kicked the guard’s left knee hard. In pain, the guard immediately knelt before me. “Ethan, Nathan, you two really have some influence, offering $100,000 for a punch! Who gave you the right to spend the Sullivan family’s money?” Seeing I was still resisting, Ethan spoke in fury: “What are you all standing around for? Take her to the basement and lock her up! Whoever does it gets a million dollar reward!” Nathan’s voice was equally icy: “Anyone who doesn’t move, pack your bags and get out!” Under my brothers’ threats and bribes, the guards began closing in on me. Just then, an angry shout came from outside the hall: “What are you all doing? The event started so long ago, why is it still so chaotic!”

Everyone turned to look at the door. The newcomer was my mother. Upon entering, she saw the bloodstains on Chloe’s clothes and rushed to her side, fuming: “Chloe, what happened? How did you get hurt? Tell me who did this!” Chloe looked down at me, tears in her eyes. Ethan pointed at me angrily: “Mom, who else could it be but this little brat?” Nathan was shaking with rage, “Mom, look how arrogant this brat is. She kicked Chloe off the stage right in front of us. She’s still bleeding.” Mother rushed over and punched me hard in the face: “Olivia, who gave you the guts to bully Chloe? Have you lost your mind?” “You’ve ruined today’s event. Are you trying to completely destroy the Sullivan family’s reputation?” “I need to teach you a lesson. Get on your knees and apologize to Chloe right now!” Seeing my mother’s actions, the guests frowned and muttered: “Isn’t that Hannah Sullivan, the former family head’s wife? From her reaction, it seems Chloe is her real daughter!” “Damn, this Olivia has some nerve, openly claiming to be the Sullivan heir. I almost believed her.” Hearing the guests’ discussions, my expression darkened further. I shoved my mother away hard. “Teach me a lesson? You’re not fit to be my mother anymore!” In my past life, besides my two brothers unconditionally favoring Chloe, even my mother doted on Chloe extremely. One time, I accidentally broke one of Chloe’s toys. My mother locked me outside kneeling for a whole day before forgiving me. After that, I always followed Chloe around, pathetically trying to please her to win back my brothers’ and mother’s love. But in this life, I finally understood. Chloe wasn’t some orphan brought in from outside. She was my mother’s child with my mother’s brother. To protect my inheritance rights, my father had specifically left a will for Grandmother to announce me as the sole Sullivan heir. But my father never anticipated that his wife would not only try to steal my inheritance, but even wanted to get rid of me completely. My two brothers had known about this all along, and were scheming to help their real sister. I was so stupid before not to notice these things. Mother was furious, glaring at me as she spoke: “You dare talk back? You’re really getting out of control!” I met my mother’s angry gaze directly, speaking coldly: “Hannah Sullivan, don’t forget that I’m the Sullivan heir. An outsider like you has no right to speak.” “As long as I’m here, your illegitimate daughter Chloe will never take over the Sullivan family!” Hearing my words, Mother exploded in rage. Chloe lunged at me first, followed by my two brothers pouncing on me viciously. Mother grabbed my collar and slapped me again. “You little brat, say that again? I’ve been running the Sullivan family for years. Your grandmother hasn’t been involved in ages. Why can’t I make decisions?” I was pinned down unable to move. I licked the blood from the corner of my mouth, still staring fearlessly at my mother. I had already notified Grandmother to return earlier. By my calculations, she should arrive any moment now. Seeing my smile, Hannah grew even more enraged. Chloe kicked me hard in the stomach. “You little brat, you still dare to hit and curse at me? Who gave you the guts? Remember, you’re the foster child in the Sullivan family!” My two brothers didn’t hold back either, each slapping me across the face again. “Olivia, who do you think you are? Stop daydreaming. The entire Sullivan family rightfully belongs to Chloe!” Just then, an elderly but strong and authoritative voice rang out from the doorway: “Who gave you the guts to bully my granddaughter, the Sullivan family’s only heir! Do you all have a death wish?”

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I was heartlessly thrown into a burning building just because my husband Adrian’s dream girl said she wanted to see a fire escape scenario. When I crawled out of the inferno, I saw Adrian holding his perfect girl, coaxing her to enjoy a candlelit dinner. When she said she was afraid of the color red, I was stripped of what little clothing I had left and thrown naked onto the street. When I tried to resist, Adrian said, “It’s all because of you that Chloe had to suffer so much outside. You’ve taken Chloe’s place for so many years, what’s wrong with suffering a little?” Later, as I touched my slightly swollen belly, ready to accept my fate, Chloe hid in Adrian’s arms and cried, saying that seeing me reminded her of her nightmares as a bar girl. In a fit of rage, Adrian threw me into a nightclub, breaking every bit of pride I had left, making me taste all the bitterness Chloe had supposedly experienced. But later, Adrian had people throw Chloe into a snake pit. He then carefully caressed every wound on my body and forced me to drink fertility medicine. “Emma, have a child for me, let me make it up to you properly,” he said. I nodded numbly in his arms, ignoring his delighted face. He didn’t know that the child he longed for had been gone three years ago. And because I was beaten during my postpartum recovery period, my body was completely ruined. I only had three days left to live.

When Adrian came, I was kneeling on the ground, holding an ashtray. The manager following Adrian smiled obsequiously. “Mr. Foster, rest assured, we’ve trained her well. Now, there’s no woman in the entire club more obedient than her.” As he spoke, the manager took a lit cigarette and viciously extinguished it on my arm. Blood immediately flowed from the scarred limb. Seeing that I didn’t even make a sound, Adrian frowned, wanting to step forward to help me up, but I quickly retreated. “Mr. Foster.” This cowering appearance, where was the radiance of the once most envied wife in the city? Adrian hadn’t expected that our reunion after three years would be like this. He withdrew his hand that had been suspended in mid-air. Since marrying Adrian, my temper had grown under his indulgence. In the past, even if Adrian jokingly scolded me, I would glare at him until he apologized, or make him carry me on his back until I calmed down. But now… Adrian’s expression seemed both happy and melancholic. He sighed deeply: “If you had been this docile earlier, I wouldn’t have had the heart to send you here to learn manners.” When the manager sent me out, I was still in a daze. After three years, I had finally escaped that hell, and would no longer be… The scenes of humiliation flashed crazily before my eyes, frightening me into shuddering. Adrian thought I was cold and took off his coat to put it on me, but I instinctively wanted to kneel down. Adrian stopped me with a cold voice. “Stand up!” The smell of cigars enveloped me as Adrian lowered his head to adjust my clothes. “As long as you behave and don’t go against Chloe anymore, I won’t let you suffer again.” Did that mean I didn’t have to go back to that hell? A glimmer of hope finally flashed in my numb eyes as I got up to follow Adrian into the car. No matter how clean the floor in the club was, kneeling for a long time inevitably left stains, not to mention that my clothes were only washed once every half month. I curled myself into a small ball, afraid of dirtying the car, but there were still obvious stains on the seat cover. Adrian had always been a neat freak. He frowned at the stains and clicked his tongue. I carefully glanced at Adrian, thinking he would throw me out of the car, but to my surprise, Adrian just looked away without saying anything. “Emma, it’s only been three years since we last met, how did you turn into a beggar?” Chloe’s voice suddenly rang out in the car. Only then did I realize she was there too. She was wearing a haute couture outfit from the fashion show, with an imperial jade bracelet on her wrist, and an expensive ruby necklace around her neck, looking like a genuine lady from a noble family. She touched her necklace and said guiltily, “Emma, Adrian saw that I liked this necklace, so he gave it to me. You’re not angry, are you?”

“It’s just a necklace, what’s there to be angry about? Besides, these things were originally yours,” Adrian said, soothingly stroking Chloe’s hand. Right, the necklace, the clothes, even her husband’s love and this marriage, all belonged to Chloe. And I was just a thief who stole someone else’s things, an unworthy person. I thought numbly. “But Emma seems unhappy. Never mind, I’ll give it back to Emma,” Chloe said with a look of grievance, about to take off the necklace. “I said you don’t need to!” Adrian carefully put the necklace back on Chloe’s neck. When he looked at me, his eyes were full of disgust. “I thought you had changed your old habits, but I didn’t expect you to be jealous of even a necklace. If I had known, I should have let you stay in the club for a few more days!” “No!” The terrible memories surged up, and I reflexively knelt down, pulling at Adrian’s clothes. “I don’t want the necklace. Please don’t send me back! Mr. Foster, I know Miss White is the real wife, I won’t fight for the necklace, I’ll be obedient.” Adrian unusually didn’t say anything. Was my attitude not sincere enough? I bit my nails, my dull eyes rolling restlessly in their sockets, like a drug addict going through withdrawal. “I can sweep the floor, I can even live in the bathroom… No, I can leave, I won’t be in your way here. Just treat me like a stray dog, don’t send me back.” As I spoke, I started barking like a dog at Adrian. My words were jumbled, and I don’t know which sentence triggered Adrian, causing his face to darken even more. “Shut up!” Adrian roared in a low voice. I looked at Adrian blankly. In the past, when I learned to bark like a dog, they would be satisfied and let me go. Why didn’t it work on Adrian? Chloe sighed. “Adrian, why don’t we just send her back? To deal with me, she can even resort to pretending to be crazy.” Adrian didn’t refute, but was seriously considering the feasibility. The experiences in the club appeared in front of my eyes like a kaleidoscope, frame by frame. Being splashed with unknown liquids, kneeling naked in the snow, being forced to eat pieces of meat… No, I’d rather die than go back to the club! I suddenly lunged towards the car door, without hesitation, about to jump out. Just as my feet were about to touch the ground, Adrian caught me by the waist and pulled me back. Before I could even sit steady, a slap came flying at my face. “You may not care about your life, but don’t dirty my car!” Adrian yelled. I mumbled, “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to make you angry.” This was the only solution I could think of. Chloe leaned on Adrian’s shoulder. “Adrian, since she wants to get out of the car, let’s let her. It’s only ten miles to the old house, she can walk there with a bit of effort. That’s much safer than jumping out of a moving car, don’t you think, Emma?” It’s just ten miles, which was already much better than being dragged behind the car. I nodded frantically, afraid that a second’s delay would send me back. “Since you’re so eager to get out of the car, how can I not grant your wish?” The Maybach stopped, and Adrian grabbed my hair and dragged me out. The pouring rain hit me, and I realized it was raining. Panic flashed across my face as memories I had carefully hidden were dug up again, tearing at my heart. When I first came to the club, I was still very stubborn. The manager dragged me out of the room in front of everyone, and a stick as thick as a wrist hit my stomach. There was a pool of blood beneath me… I dared not close my eyes, feeling as if the next moment I would see the child crawling through the rain, asking me with a face full of blood and tears why I didn’t protect him. Seeing Adrian and Chloe about to get in the car, I clung desperately to the car door. “Mr. Foster, I beg you to let me in the car. Don’t leave me alone here.”

Chloe folded her arms: “Emma, didn’t you just insist on jumping out of the car? Now that we’ve let you out, why are you unwilling? Were you just pretending earlier?” Guilt and fear for the child occupied my entire mind, and I could no longer understand what Chloe was saying. I just nodded randomly in the rain. A look of mockery crossed Adrian’s face as he kicked me in the stomach. The intense pain momentarily brought me back to that day. Adrian’s face also turned into the manager holding the stick. I curled up into a ball, covering my stomach, mumbling incoherently. “Don’t hit me, don’t hit my child…” Adrian’s pupils contracted: “What child?!” Before I could speak, Chloe interjected. “Adrian, she might be pretending to be crazy again. She was making a fuss about jumping out of the car earlier, and now she’s bringing up a child.” Her voice suddenly became aggrieved: “I didn’t expect Emma’s attitude towards me to still be so bad. I should leave, I don’t want to make Emma uncomfortable here.” As she finished speaking, Chloe made to leave, but Adrian reached out with his long arm and pulled her into his embrace. His disgusted gaze fell on me, thinking about how he had almost been fooled by me. He applied more force with his foot. “Stop pretending! I’ll give you three hours. If you can’t make it to the old house in three hours, I’ll send you back.” “If it happens again, I won’t let you off so easily!” The pain awakened my sanity. By the time I crawled up from the ground, the Maybach was already far away. Was what I did still not good enough? Why did they still want to send me away? I tightly gripped the safety lock on my neck, numbly walking forward. The sound of a child crying kept inexplicably ringing in my ears, and my lower abdomen ached dully. I don’t know how long I walked before my body could no longer support me, and I collapsed on the ground. In the moment before I lost consciousness, I heard the shrill honk of a car. When I regained consciousness, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a pure white ceiling. When did the Foster house become like this? No, I clearly didn’t make it to the Foster house yesterday. I suddenly sat up, pulled out the IV and got out of bed. I had to hurry to the Foster house, otherwise they would really send me back! “Watch where you’re going… Hey, why are you running?” In my haste, I bumped into a man’s arms. The man looked to be in his early twenties, his slender fingers rubbing his sore nose, still holding a medical chart in his hand. “The nurse said your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. Why are you getting out of bed instead of resting properly? If something goes wrong again, I won’t treat you anymore.” “Thank you,” I managed to say after a moment. “But sir, I really have an urgent matter.” “Just call me Dr. Sullivan. What could be more urgent than recovering?” Dr. Sullivan was about to pull me back when suddenly a great force came, yanking me to the other side. Then came a slap that knocked me onto the table, blood seeping from the corner of my mouth. Adrian stood in front of me, his gaze as fierce as if he wanted to eat someone alive. “You slut, can’t stay away from men for even a moment, can you?! I was worried about you last night, thinking something might have happened to you, but I didn’t expect you to be fooling around with some strange man here!” “I didn’t,” I covered my face, my vision blurring. Dr. Sullivan tried to intervene but was violently pushed away, his head hitting the wall, leaving him dazed for a while. “Then who is this person?” Adrian grabbed my hair and kicked me in the stomach. “I thought you had changed, but I didn’t expect you to still be so cheap!” I shook all over in pain, unable to say a word. Adrian angrily pulled my arm, but when he saw the pool of blood beneath me, he cried out in shock.

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My dad’s new girlfriend was coming over for dinner to meet me for the first time. But when she saw my Hermès bag, her face darkened instantly. She threw down her fork and stormed out. When my dad asked why, she said, “How can someone so young afford such an expensive bag? She must be living off her parents!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “You have a point. We shouldn’t leech off our parents or our children. So I guess I’ll have to cancel my dad’s credit card!” I had just finished a company meeting when I received a call from my dad. “Honey, are you free tonight? I’ve been dating Autumn for almost a year now, and she suggested we have a formal dinner together. What do you think?” I checked my calendar and saw I had no plans for the evening. “Sure, let’s have dinner at home. I’ll be there.” My dad was thrilled to hear I was coming home. He excitedly told me he’d ask the housekeeper to make my favorite chicken stew before hanging up. My mom passed away in a car accident when I was six. Since then, my dad had been both working and taking care of me on his own. People had tried to set him up, but he always refused, worried it might affect me. It wasn’t until after I graduated from college that he finally started dating someone introduced by a friend. I had been too busy with work to ask much about it, but I occasionally heard from my dad’s calls about how gentle and caring this woman named Autumn was. Thinking this would be our first meeting, I asked my assistant to buy a Chanel handbag as a gift. After work, I drove straight to my dad’s house. After he retired, he moved back to our old family home. I had been living near my office for convenience and realized it had been almost six months since I last visited. As soon as I opened the door, I came face to face with a well-maintained woman. She looked startled for a moment but quickly put on a smile. “You must be Lydia! I’m your father’s girlfriend. You can call me Aunt Autumn!” Before I could greet her, I noticed her gaze shift to my bag. It wasn’t until my dad’s voice came from behind that she slowly moved aside to let me in. It had been two months since I last saw my dad. He was clearly happy to see me, asking non-stop about how I’d been and if there were any developments in my love life. I found it amusing. “Dad, just take care of yourself. I’m in no rush!” Dad chuckled, his gaze naturally drifting towards Autumn, who was busy in the kitchen with the housekeeper. At the dinner table, I took out the gift I had prepared. My dad immediately said, “See how thoughtful my daughter is! She bought you a bag for your first meeting. Quick, see if you like it!” Autumn, whose attitude had been somewhat cool since I arrived, suddenly beamed. She eagerly accepted the gift box, giving me a coy look. “Oh, you shouldn’t have! I feel terrible, I forgot to bring a gift for Lydia. I’ll make it up to you later, I promise!” I just smiled in response. I didn’t really care about gifts; as long as my dad was happy in this relationship, that was all that mattered to me. I lowered my head, sipping the soup the housekeeper had made, when I heard my dad’s confused voice. “What’s wrong? Why do you suddenly look unhappy?”

Hearing this, I instinctively looked up. Autumn, who had been all smiles just moments ago, now wore a displeased expression, her eyes filled with discontent. “It’s nothing. Let’s eat,” she said, roughly shoving the bag back into the gift box and tossing it on the floor. The action was so forceful and loud, it was clearly meant to express her dissatisfaction. By now, I realized she had an issue with the gift. “Aunt Autumn, don’t you like the Chanel bag?” I asked directly, not bothering to hide my confusion. Autumn paused, put down her spoon, and sat up straight, looking at me. “Lydia, I shouldn’t say this on our first meeting, but don’t you think you’re being too obvious?” she said, pointing at the bag on the floor. “This bag isn’t even a tenth of the price of the one you’re carrying. As a younger person, giving an elder a gift that’s worth less than your own – aren’t you looking down on me?” Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it that way at all. My dad was clearly taken aback too. He quickly tugged at Autumn’s sleeve, whispering, “Lydia didn’t mean it like that! Besides, it’s the thought that counts when it comes to gifts. What are you doing?” “Your daughter is looking down on me, can’t you see?” Autumn turned to my dad, her face full of grievance. “If she really respected me, she would have bought me a Hermès bag too! Besides, it’s all your money anyway, so why is there a difference?” Autumn seemed genuinely upset and kept going. “And why is a girl in her twenties carrying a Hermès bag anyway? She’s so vain, who would want to marry her? Robert, you can’t spoil Lydia like this. If she keeps living off you, this child is going to be ruined!” “Are you done?” I said coldly, slamming my chopsticks on the table, startling even my dad. “If you don’t like the bag, I’ll take it back. And by the way, did you think my dad bought this bag for me?” Autumn snorted, “How else could a young girl like you afford it?” I smiled, “You’re right. Since you say we shouldn’t live off our parents, we also shouldn’t let our parents live off us. So I guess I’ll have to cancel my dad’s credit card!”

As soon as I said this, I prepared to leave. Autumn seemed stunned for a moment, then quickly grabbed my dad when she realized what was happening. “What do you mean? Your credit card is your daughter’s?” “Yes,” my dad said with a helpless expression. “Lydia is good with finances, so I let her manage my money. She opened a credit card for me, and my expenses are charged to her account.” Autumn was still a bit confused. Seeing me pick up the gift box from the floor, she quickly pressed her hand on mine. Her expression was a strange mix of anger and flattery. “Lydia, it was all a misunderstanding. I actually really like the bag you bought for me!” “Really?” I smiled. “Well, I don’t want to give it to you anymore.” I pulled the bag away forcefully and waved goodbye to my dad before leaving. On the drive home, I felt a knot in my chest. Every time my dad had mentioned Autumn, he’d always praised her non-stop, making me believe she was a genuinely nice person. But today showed how one bag could reveal her greedy nature. Who knows what other trouble she might cause in the future! I made up my mind to find an opportunity to talk to my dad alone. This relationship definitely needed careful reconsideration! Surprisingly, before I could contact him the next day, my dad showed up at my company. After graduating from college, I had started an investment company with a few friends, and it had been quite successful. That’s why my dad felt comfortable letting me manage all his savings. He had never come to my company before, saying he didn’t want to interfere with my work. When I got the news, I rushed to the reception room to find my dad lost in thought on the sofa. He only snapped out of it when I entered. “Lydia,” he started to stand up, but I gently pushed him back down. He continued, “Autumn was just in a bad mood yesterday, she didn’t mean anything by it. After you left, she cried for a long time, saying she had said the wrong things. Don’t be like her.” Seeing my dad still defending Autumn, I felt helpless. “Dad, I don’t want to interfere with your love life, but you saw it too. One bag was enough to make her start comparing, and now she’s accusing me of living off you and saying hurtful things. If she moves in, will I even be able to come home anymore?” Hearing this, my dad quickly said, “It’s my fault, all my fault. I hadn’t told her what you do for a living. We cleared everything up last night. She’s a good person, just afraid of being poor and always wanting to live better so others won’t look down on her. But Autumn genuinely likes me, I know that.” I could see the obvious anxiety on my dad’s face, and it made me feel bad too. After all these years, my dad had finally found someone he liked, and he had told me more than once that he wanted to marry Autumn. If it was just a bit of greed, I could handle that. I wasn’t short on money, and she couldn’t cause much trouble even if she tried. At worst, I could just visit less often. Seeing my attitude soften, my dad cheered up visibly. He even suggested having dinner at a restaurant in the city the next evening, saying it was Autumn’s way of apologizing to me. I reluctantly agreed and had someone escort my dad out. The next day, I arrived at the restaurant address my dad had sent me and headed straight for the private room. When the door opened, I saw not only my dad and Autumn but also a short, chubby guy sitting nearby, stuffing his face with food. His eyes lit up when he saw me. I frowned instinctively at the presence of a stranger and the fact that they had started eating without me. Just as my dad was about to speak, Autumn rushed over, pulling me to sit next to her, which was also next to the chubby guy. “Oh, Lydia, you’re finally here! We’ve been waiting for you for so long!” What did she mean by that? Was she implying I was late? I chuckled and showed her my phone screen. “There was no traffic today, so I got here in fifteen minutes. I didn’t expect this restaurant to be so efficient, serving all the dishes in just fifteen minutes. Sorry to have kept you waiting.” The screen showed my chat with my dad, where he had told me fifteen minutes ago that they had just arrived and that I shouldn’t rush. Autumn looked a bit embarrassed and sat back down. But she quickly thought of something else and enthusiastically said, “Lydia, your dad never told me what you do for a living, which led to my misunderstanding. I had no idea that someone so young could already be the boss of a company. That’s amazing!” Autumn’s eyes darted around, and she leaned forward, trying to appear intimate. “Lydia, I heard from your dad that you’re still single, right? A young woman like you should be thinking about marriage! You know what? I have a nephew who’s also single. Why don’t you two get to know each other? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could have a double wedding? It would be a double celebration!” As soon as she finished speaking, the chubby guy next to me reluctantly put down his chopsticks, wiped his greasy mouth with his hands, and grinned at me, extending his hand. “Hi, I’m Greg. You have a great figure!” I looked around the table, finally fixing my gaze on my dad, who was avoiding eye contact. Suddenly, I understood what this dinner was all about.

Some people say that when you get a stepmother, you also get a different father. I never believed this saying. I had even asked my dad before if he would stop loving me when he fell in love again. Back then, my dad got angry and said no one in the world would ever be more important to him than his Lydia. Now it seemed that someone had become more important. “That’s none of your business,” I said, standing up and suppressing my anger. “I thought this was a family dinner, but it turns out it’s an ambush blind date. I’m not interested in playing along. I’m leaving.” Seeing me leave, Autumn panicked and ran to block my way. “What ambush? How can you say such hurtful things, child? Robert, say something!” Autumn’s shrill voice called out my dad. My dad, who had been quiet like a quail, finally looked up, his smile obviously forced. “It’s just… just a dinner, and a chance to meet your Aunt Autumn’s family. As for the future… being friends is fine too!” “Wait, what?” Greg looked displeased. “Aunt, didn’t you say you were introducing me to a rich beauty to be the mother of my children? How did it turn into just being friends? Didn’t you say she had to be better than my ex-wife?” I laughed bitterly. So not only had they secretly arranged a blind date for me, but they had also set me up with a divorced man looking for a second marriage.

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It was Christmas Eve morning, and I was still at work. Rachel called to say our daughter Emily had a fever and told me to come home quickly. When I got home, Emily was already unconscious and convulsing from the high fever. But Rachel was nowhere to be found. I rushed Emily to the hospital for emergency treatment, but it was too late. I called Rachel, and she said: “Derek was lonely spending Christmas alone, so I’m keeping him company for dinner. Just give Emily some medicine.” I wanted to tell her about Emily’s death, but she hung up before I could. It wasn’t until I saw Rachel again at Emily’s viewing that I realized the truth. She was flirting with Derek, showing no signs of grief for our daughter. Worse still, behind the viewing room, she shamelessly took off her clothes in front of Derek. Emily’s photo was displayed at the front of the viewing room. It was Christmas Day, a time for family reunions, but I had lost my daughter. As I lit a candle for Emily, Rachel walked in arm-in-arm with Derek. They were standing very close, and I finally got a good look at her outfit. She wore a short red dress with a plunging neckline that revealed her lacy underwear when she bent over. Over it was a bright red fur coat, making her look like she was dressed for a cocktail party. This outfit was completely inappropriate for a funeral – she was treating Emily’s viewing like a social event. Derek whispered something in her ear, making Rachel giggle coyly. When she saw me, Rachel rolled her eyes. “Jack, you’ve really outdone yourself! Using such a low trick to lure me home on Christmas!” Faced with her accusation, my already frozen heart began to crack. Our daughter was dead, and not only did this mother not know, she didn’t even believe what I was saying. I felt all the strength leave my body as I slowly sat down. My eyes were dry and sore, the pain of losing Emily making me wilt. “I’m talking to you! Cat got your tongue? What are you sulking about? So I didn’t come home last night, why the attitude?” I looked up at her, no longer wanting to say a word. “Rachel, let’s get a divorce.” I never thought Rachel and I would end up divorcing. But Emily’s death made me realize the marriage I’d been desperately clinging to had lost all meaning. “Divorce? Jack, you’ve really gotten bold, daring to threaten me with divorce!” Rachel didn’t believe it. After all, it was common knowledge how desperately I loved her. She looked around, seeing that no other mourners had arrived yet. To her, this confirmed it was just my clumsy ruse. “Emily just had a fever, and you’re lying about her being dead? Isn’t this supposed to be a funeral? How come no one’s here? It’s obvious you’re tricking me.” Hearing her mention Emily made my dead heart ache again. Emily shouldn’t have died. She was only three, but the delay in treatment due to being left alone proved fatal. Now Rachel had the nerve to ask about it. Seeing I wouldn’t respond, Rachel lost her patience. She kicked my shin with her sharp stiletto. “I’m talking to you!” “Are you blaming me for not taking care of Emily? Derek was lonely on Christmas, try to understand.” “We’re together all year round, missing one day won’t hurt. I’m back now, can you stop making a fuss?” Rachel justified herself word for word, but there was no excuse for abandoning our daughter. Hearing her words, my heart felt like a suddenly exposed wasteland. “Derek was lonely? Can you get your priorities straight? Was Christmas dinner more important than Emily’s illness?” “Let’s not say anything else. We have to get divorced.”

Rachel thought she was placating me, but I was beyond consolation. Seeing me mention divorce again, she angrily stomped her foot. “Are you done yet? How long are you going to go on about this little thing?” “Jack, you’ve always been petty, but Derek was all alone on Christmas with no one to keep him company. How can you have no sympathy?” As she finished speaking, Derek, who had been silent until now, cleared his throat and put on an apologetic expression. “Jack, I’m new in town and only know Rachel. Don’t make such a big deal out of this. Rachel and I have known each other longer than you two have.” Though he seemed to be speaking up for Rachel, every word emphasized how important he was. His challenging gaze seemed to say, “See, your wife left even her child behind to spend Christmas with me.” Standing so close together, it was as if I was the outsider. This wasn’t the first time she’d neglected our family for Derek. But before it had always been small things – if she wanted to go out, I’d take time off work. Because I loved her, I was willing to be understanding. But this time was different. Emily had lost her life because of it. All along, for the sake of our family, I had been patient, always thinking Rachel would feel my love. But I never expected her to go even further. This time, I couldn’t tolerate it any longer. “Yes, you’ve known each other longer. You two can be together from now on.” “This is Emily’s funeral. Don’t flirt here, it’ll taint Emily’s journey to the afterlife.” Hearing me say this, Rachel got anxious. “What are you talking about? Derek and I are ancient history. Can’t you be a little more open-minded?” “That’s right, Jack. If I really wanted to break you up, you wouldn’t have gotten married in the first place. Don’t be so small-minded.” Derek chimed in from the side. Hearing this, I could no longer contain the fire in my heart. “Go to hell!” I couldn’t hold back anymore. I stood up abruptly and punched Derek hard in the face. I put all my strength into that punch, knocking him to the ground with a bloody nose. “How dare you say that to my face! If it weren’t for you, my daughter wouldn’t be dead!” As I raised my foot to kick Derek, Rachel forcefully pushed me aside. “Jack, you’ve gone too far!” “I thought you were just incompetent, but I never imagined you’d be so petty and violent. If anything happens to Derek, I won’t let you off easy!” I glared at her with bloodshot eyes and shouted: “Shut up! You heartless woman! Emily was so young, how could you be so cruel!” Rachel clicked her tongue impatiently. “You’re not going to let this go, are you? Fine, I admit I was wrong. I’ll apologize to Emily.” “Is she in the hospital? It was just a fever, what’s the big deal? The hospital must be overcharging, trying to milk us for money.” “Get rid of this viewing room quickly. It’s Christmas Day, setting this up is so unlucky and deliberately upsetting. It’s really inauspicious.” Even now she still thought I was tricking her. I broke down and shouted at her: “Apologize? It’s too late! Emily’s in heaven now, you can’t find her. Someone like you belongs in hell!” Rachel’s lips parted slightly as she blinked: “You’re not done tricking me, are you? How could she die from a fever?” “Have you been watching too many soap operas, using our daughter’s health to lure me home? Acting like those shrewish women who cry and make scenes!” I walked towards her step by step. She kept backing away, her lips quivering, unable to speak. “Emily is dead. She lost consciousness from the fever and died soon after reaching the hospital!” “You left her alone at home for Derek. She was only three years old! Rachel, I really want to strangle you right now!” I clenched my fists, my temples throbbing as I shouted: “I want to strangle you, do you understand? Pay for my daughter’s life!”

Rachel was frightened by my demeanor. After backing up several more steps, she pointed at me with her sharp nails. “Jack, I can’t believe how low you’ve sunk! You’re still hung up on Derek and me, and now you’re stooping to this level!” “You think I’d believe Emily is dead just because you say so? You’re just using our daughter to scare me. This is all you’re capable of.” At this point, Derek got up from the ground and slowly walked to Rachel’s side, putting his arm around her shoulders to comfort her softly. “Rachel, don’t get upset. How could Emily die? It was just a fever. Jack is just speaking out of anger.” After soothing Rachel, Derek frowned at me: “Jack, no matter how angry you are, you shouldn’t curse your daughter like this. What kind of father are you?” I laughed as if I’d heard a joke, laughing until tears came to my eyes. How I wished I was making it up, how I wished my precious daughter was still alive. This couple before me – the man without morals, the woman debased – they were the executioners who caused Emily’s death. Now they were turning the tables on me, criticizing me instead. “How ridiculous. Rachel, did you know Emily’s fever reached 104°F? Did you know she was convulsing and foaming at the mouth?” I pointed at Derek and walked towards her step by step. “For this man, you abandoned our daughter. Rachel, are you even human?” I grabbed her, my hands gripping her arms tightly as I roared. “It’s all because of you! My daughter is dead! Give Emily back to me, give me back my daughter!” Rachel screamed in terror, hiding behind Derek. But her words were still venomous, still thinking I was tricking her. “Jack, I may not have loved you all these years, but I gave you a child. You can’t say you’ve lost out!” “Now you’re saying such cursed things, showing how utterly graceless you are!” I no longer had the energy to argue with her. My only hope was to get divorced as soon as possible. “Rachel, Emily really is dead. I can’t forgive you. We must get divorced.” “I don’t believe a word you’re saying. Where is Emily now? I want to find her!” I looked at her and pointed to the small crystal coffin inside. Rachel’s gaze followed where I was pointing, her eyes glazing over for a moment. Because the body was covered with a white cloth, she couldn’t see who was underneath. “Jack!” She screamed and rushed in front of me, raising her hand to slap me. I easily dodged it. She stood there yelling inelegantly. “Emily is your daughter after all. How can you curse her like this! You came prepared, even having a coffin ready. How long do you plan to keep tricking me!” “Believe it or not, it’s up to you.” I looked at her coldly: “It’s still early. More people will be coming later. You’d better not make a scene. Let Emily pass on peacefully.” Rachel was about to say something else, but Derek pulled her aside. The two of them whispered for a while, though I don’t know what they said. But the anger disappeared from Rachel’s face, replaced by an air of nonchalance. She pulled Derek to the rest area in the back. The two were inseparable, no longer trying to hide it in front of me. If this had happened earlier, I definitely would have flown into a rage and beaten that bastard to a pulp. But now I had sobered up, calmed down. My heart was dead, so I no longer cared.

Soon, a few of my friends arrived. I already felt bad about holding a funeral during the holidays and inconveniencing others. It wouldn’t be appropriate for Rachel to be absent, so I went to the back rest area to find her. Before I could push open the door, I heard laughter from inside. “What was your husband thinking, joking about something like this? Pretty funny.” It was Derek’s voice. Rachel laughed lightly: “He thinks he can manipulate me using our daughter. Ridiculous. Who does he think he is?” “Your idea is good. When everyone arrives later, I’ll expose his true colors. If he wants a divorce, fine. I’m not the one who’ll be embarrassed.” Though she spoke confidently, no one paid attention to her words. Everyone thought she had gone mad. Finally, Rachel shouted angrily and strode quickly towards Emily’s small coffin. “None of you believe me, right? I’ll show you right now if Jack is lying or not!” She walked very fast. Before I could react, she had already yanked off the white cloth covering Emily. “Look carefully at who’s really lying here…” After pulling back the cloth, Emily’s slightly yellowed face was exposed before Rachel’s eyes. “Emily?” She froze, her lips trembling involuntarily. “Emily, are you helping your dad trick mommy too?” Emily didn’t answer her. “Emily, get up now and stop playing around. Lying isn’t what good children do!” Emily still didn’t answer, remaining asleep. The air around grew quiet. The entire viewing room was so silent you could hear everyone’s breathing clearly. “Emily? Emily!” Rachel panicked and reached out to try to pull Emily up. I ran over and pushed her away with one shove. “Don’t touch my daughter.” Her hand hung in mid-air, visibly trembling. I looked at her coldly, without a trace of warmth. “You don’t deserve to.” Rachel slowly lowered her hand but didn’t move away, just standing there motionless. Derek came over and touched her, but she still had no reaction. After a long while, she suddenly covered her face, crouched down on the ground and broke down crying.

“It’s not possible, this can’t be Emily. She just had a fever, why is she dead? Why!” I watched her expressionlessly, watched her cry until she could barely breathe. What was she crying for? Did she regret it? Probably not. These few tears were just crocodile tears, thinking they could fool me. “Rachel, are you satisfied now? Emily really is dead. No one tricked you. She really died!” I let out an angry roar, startling Rachel’s body into a shudder. Derek immediately went over to put his arm around her shoulders: “Jack, Rachel is heartbroken too. Don’t talk to her like that. She is Emily’s mother after all.” I slowly stood up, my tone as cold as ice. “If she were a real mother, she wouldn’t have abandoned her own daughter for an outsider.” “What right do you have to say these things to me? Who started all this?” With each word I spoke, my heart ached. I held back my tears and also held back from killing him. “This is Emily’s viewing. Please leave. You’re not welcome here.” I stared at Emily’s sleeping face, my voice somewhat distant. “You two dogs get out of here. Don’t taint my daughter’s journey to the afterlife.” Rachel’s body suddenly jolted. She looked up at me pitifully. “I’m sorry Jack, I didn’t know, I really didn’t know…” I sighed. “Whether you knew or not doesn’t matter anymore. Now I just want a divorce.” I mentioned divorce again. This time Rachel didn’t have her previous arrogance. She lowered her head, her body curling inward. “Believe me, I really didn’t mean for this to happen. Emily was my daughter too, how could I hurt her?” “This was an accident that none of us expected. But you can’t divorce me because of this. Don’t I deserve a chance to make amends?” She clung tightly to my arm, pressing close to me. “Emily is gone, but we’re still young. We can have more children.” “We’ve had a good relationship all these years. This time was my careless mistake. I won’t do it again, really, I’ll definitely change!” A few tears fell on my arm as she spoke. Rachel looked very pitiful. This was her most skillful move. Every time she cried pitifully like this, I would comfort her no matter what, willing to give her even my life. But now this trick didn’t work anymore. “Rachel, I loved you, but that’s not an excuse for you to trample on me again and again.” “I could tolerate you not loving me, but I can’t tolerate you not loving Emily.” “Seeing you reminds me of Emily, and I can’t help but hate you!” “Jack, do we really have to divorce? Is this such a big deal? Just because Emily is gone, does our family have to fall apart?” I angrily slapped her across the face: “Yes! It’s because Emily died!” “You think her death doesn’t matter? Then why don’t you die? Go die!” The viewing room was empty except for the echo of my voice. How could she not care at all? Her own daughter died, and she wanted to just brush it off. Rachel was startled by me. The pained expression disappeared from her face, replaced by a sour and vicious look. “I see you’ve wanted to divorce me for a long time, haven’t you? You’re just using our daughter as an excuse! Did you cheat on me? Did you betray me?” For a cheater to brazenly accuse me of infidelity, I had to admire her nerve. “Rachel, you really have no shame. Which one of us cheated?” There was a flash of guilt in her eyes, but then she jutted out her chin and said: “Anyway, I won’t agree to a divorce.” I nodded: “Alright, you won’t divorce? Then don’t blame me for not saving face for you.” Under everyone’s gaze, I opened my phone and played the video I had recorded earlier outside the door. There was an uproar among the onlookers. “Oh my god, that’s in the funeral home!” “Jesus Christ, she’s so shameless, doing that with a man behind her daughter’s viewing room… I can’t even say it out loud!” Their scandal was finally exposed. Rachel stood frozen like she’d been struck by lightning. Derek came forward and grabbed my collar, his face menacing. “Jack! You despicable bastard, secretly recording us. You’re disgusting!” I laughed at him. “I’m disgusting? Derek, look closely. The woman you’re screwing is my lawful wife. You’re destroying my marriage. Which one of us is really disgusting?” I deliberately used crude language. Because in my eyes, this pair were no longer human. They were animals, beasts that could go into heat anytime, anywhere. Looking back at Rachel, she was completely dumbfounded. With her scandal exposed, she had lost all face. “Rachel, don’t blame me. You two really went too far. What do you have to say for yourself now?” Everyone was whispering, some even taking out their phones as if wanting to shove them in Derek’s face to take photos. At this moment, Rachel’s parents who had rushed over after hearing the news burst in. Having lost their granddaughter, they were only briefly surprised and saddened before reverting to their usual haughty demeanor. “Jack, you want to divorce our Rachel?” I nodded and told them all the shameful things Rachel had done. Unexpectedly, her parents spoke righteously. “The child is gone, so we have to look to the future. Life must go on. Ten years of marriage…” “Stop!” I interrupted her mother’s long speech: “She’s been cheating with Derek for a long time. This directly led to Emily’s death.” “How do you expect me to move on? Forgive Rachel’s infidelity? Or not care about my daughter’s life and death?” “I can move on too, but definitely not with Rachel. We’re done. If she doesn’t agree, I’ll file for divorce in court directly.” “What?” Rachel’s parents got so agitated they nearly jumped up, pointing at my nose and cursing loudly. “Jack, our Rachel married you at such a young age, gave you a child, took care of you. We treated you like our own son!” “Now you say you want a divorce just like that? Is this how a person behaves?” “All these years, your job only earned a pittance each month. If it weren’t for our Rachel, your family of three would have starved long ago!” “Our daughter is the one who suffered. She hasn’t even complained, what right do you have to ask for a divorce?” “I see this is all your scheme! Emily was probably killed by you, but you’re blaming it on Rachel. You just want to divorce her, don’t you?” Rachel immediately chimed in, as if finally having someone to back her up. “That’s right, Jack. This is all your scheme. Emily just had a fever, why would she die? You’re despicable!” Looking at Rachel and her parents’ ugly faces, I really felt I had been completely wrong.

Marrying her in the first place was a mistake. I can’t believe it’s taken me until now to wake up. Her parents never approved of me from the start. They thought my job wasn’t good enough, that I didn’t earn much. Rachel was beautiful and well-educated – she could have found a rich guy. It was only after I repeatedly promised to treat her well for life, even kneeling down to them and promising all our money would be managed by Rachel, that they agreed. Seeing my resolute attitude, Rachel’s mother grabbed the cowering Derek. “This was all caused by you. You need to take responsibility for our Rachel!” Forced into marriage in front of everyone, Derek finally snapped and shoved Rachel’s mother away. “What responsibility should I take? It was your daughter who seduced me!” “I was minding my own business. She kept calling and texting me, even coming to my house. She’s so cheap, only your daughter would do something like that!” “She threw herself at me. Someone so worthless, only your daughter is capable of that!” Everyone present, including me, was stunned. I always thought it takes two to tango in these situations. But hearing Derek say this, it seemed it was all Rachel actively pursuing him. Rachel’s mother couldn’t stand losing face and started hitting and kicking Derek. Rachel, on the other hand, seemed to have her soul sucked out after Derek said those things, her eyes hollow. “Derek, what did you say? Say it again!” With things escalated to this point, it was impossible for Derek to get away unscathed. But as a scumbag, he had to try to clear himself as much as possible. So he looked at Rachel contemptuously: “What I said wasn’t true?” “Look at yourself. You’re not young anymore and you have a kid. Did you really think I liked you? If it weren’t for…” Suddenly he stopped talking. But I keenly caught a hint of something unusual. For what? According to Derek, as a woman, Rachel had nothing to attract him. So what he coveted was… Thinking of this, a seemingly absurd yet very possible hypothesis suddenly appeared in my mind. I called over the funeral home staff and had Rachel’s family and Derek all thrown out. Then I told the funeral home not to cremate Emily today, as I had suspicions about the cause of my daughter’s death. I found a friend who works in the justice system. He said if I suspected Emily’s death was unnatural, I could request an autopsy. Although I hoped Emily could ascend to heaven soon, once the seed of doubt was planted, it couldn’t be removed. During the wait for the autopsy, I proposed divorce to Rachel again. She cried and made a scene, but when I took out the video, she finally shut up. To avoid more people seeing it and for the sake of her future, she had no choice but to agree. The divorce papers were signed. All assets went to me. Rachel left with nothing. This must have been the most tragic Christmas I’ve experienced in my 30 years of life. My daughter died, and I got divorced. A true case of family destroyed. The house was cold and empty, without a trace of joy. I was entirely enveloped in the pain of losing my daughter. After divorcing me, Rachel immediately threw herself into Derek’s arms. Even though they had torn each other apart, even though Derek had said she was worthless. But now she had no other choice. She could only stick with Derek for the time being. A few days later, I received a call from the autopsy team. They found traces of a substance similar to poison in Emily’s body. It wasn’t available domestically and must have been obtained from abroad. For adults, taking it in controlled doses could treat erectile dysfunction and heart disease. But for children, it was essentially poison. How did Emily end up taking this medicine? Soon, I thought of Derek’s unfinished sentence. It must have been him! But where was the evidence?

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