Category: English

After a night of passion, my childhood friend thoughtfully prepared a morning-after pill for me. I held his wrist and pouted, “The pill is bitter. I don’t want to take it. If I get pregnant, let’s just get married.” Hearing this, Jack patted my head and chuckled, “Don’t be silly. Having a baby is much more bitter than taking a pill.” “Besides, I’m getting engaged on Sunday. Whose child would it be if you had one?” I froze on the spot. Jack kissed my forehead casually, coaxing me, “Be good, Aria. Pack up your things and take them with you later. We can’t play like this anymore.” “My wife wants me to be faithful.” Hearing this, I numbly threw my things into the trash can and then called my father. “I’ll marry him.” “To be honest, I’m used to having you around.” “How many years have we known each other? Since elementary school until now?” Even as Jack held me in his arms, I couldn’t stop the chills running through my body. Jack and I had known each other for sixteen years and had been sleeping together for eight. Five minutes ago, he was trembling, desperate to become one with me. I thought we were in love. Although we never said it out loud, I always believed we had an unspoken understanding. I had long considered us to be in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. But I never expected… was I just a friend with benefits? The morning-after pill stuck in my throat, too bitter to swallow. “Want to go another round?” Jack gently pushed me back onto the bed. The pink bedsheet was the one I had put on yesterday when Jack carried the mattress. At that time, he joked, “We’re like an old married couple.” Now, my heart was in shambles. “We’ve already taken the pill, might as well not waste it,” he said. “Let’s make this a perfect ending to our wild youth.” I instinctively pushed against Jack’s shoulder. “You just said… you’re getting engaged?” Jack grabbed my wrist excitedly, his attractive voice penetrating my ears. “I wanted to tell you earlier, but a certain little glutton was too eager to satisfy her hunger and shut me up~” “Rachel’s back. She said she still wants to marry me.” Rachel Zhou, the class beauty who confessed to Jack at our high school graduation ceremony and was rejected. The person Jack punished himself with three drinks for not wanting to mention. They’re getting engaged?! Jack, oblivious to my shock, enthusiastically shared with me. “I checked, and the earliest auspicious date is this Sunday!” “Rachel doesn’t have many old friends abroad, so you can help her fend off drinks at the engagement party and be her bridesmaid at the wedding.” As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and took out an invitation card from the bedside table. “Rachel said I should design the wedding invitation, but I don’t understand you girls’ tastes.” “Be a good girl, Aria, and give me some advice.” Twenty minutes ago, what he took out of that drawer was the morning-after pill that was now bitter in my throat. The white invitation card was low-key yet elegant, with Jack and Rachel’s initials intertwined like a pattern. It was clearly an expensive, carefully designed piece. Jack had long decided to marry Rachel, preparing for their wedding while entangled with me in bed. The immense anger made my whole body tremble. “Jack, you’re letting me look at your wedding invitation with another woman while I’m in your bed?” I tore the invitation into pieces in two swift moves. “You’re getting engaged, getting married, so what the hell am I?” “Aria Lin! Are you crazy?! Why did you tear up my invitation?!” Jack was busy picking up the pieces, not noticing my expression at all. Seeing me get out of bed to get dressed, he grabbed my arm. “What are you throwing a tantrum for?! Am I not supposed to get engaged or married? Do you expect me to play around with you forever?! I don’t even like you!” After shouting, he seemed to realize he had gone too far. He frowned at me, his voice dry: “I’ve always treated you as my best friend, close enough to share everything, my childhood sweetheart…” He said this, but his hand let go of me as if touching garbage. His expression returned to his usual nonchalance, tilting his head to look at me teasingly: “Or are you saying my charm is so great that you’ve unknowingly fallen head over heels for me?” “Aria, don’t scare me.” Jack pretended to be calm, but his panicked eyes betrayed him. That fearful look of being saddled with responsibility made me laugh bitterly, laughing until my eyes burned. This made him even more panicked, and he turned his back to me to get dressed. “Aria, we’ve been the best of friends since we were kids. You crying like this makes it seem like I’ve bullied you.” “We’re in an age of gender equality now. Don’t be so old-fashioned, it’s not interesting!” He finished dressing and turned to leave: “Rachel’s flight has arrived. I’m taking her to a hotel tonight.” “Pack up your things, especially all those cheap identical knick-knacks you bought. Take them all with you, don’t leave any for me.” The last thing he said to me before closing the door was: “We can’t play like this anymore. It’s not fair to Rachel.”

It wasn’t until the door had been slammed shut for a while that the frantic vibration of my phone brought me back to reality. In our old high school class group chat, Jack had dropped a bombshell: [The class president is back in the country. Party at the old spot tomorrow! Everyone must come! @all] The accompanying picture showed two happy faces close together, Jack kissing Rachel’s hand. Below were a flurry of curious comments, [Jack! Even if the class president hasn’t been back for years, you don’t need to be this enthusiastic!] [Did I wake up in a parallel universe?! Since when can you kiss the class president?!] Many people even tagged me. [Aria, come to the front row to watch, your childhood friend has strayed!] At our graduation party when we were eighteen, Rachel publicly confessed to Jack. The girl on one knee, full of hope, was only met with Jack’s scornful laugh. “Are you misunderstanding something, my dear class president?” “It’s not Chinese New Year yet, I haven’t prepared any red envelopes!” Seeing Rachel’s reddening eyes, Jack turned away and put his arm around my shoulder: “I have my little Aria here, that’s enough for a lifetime! We’re getting married after college! None of you are allowed to miss it! You all better bring wedding gifts!” Rachel stood up and slapped me hard across the face before running away in tears. Thinking back now, his reddened eyes at that time weren’t out of concern for me, but probably worry that Rachel’s hand might hurt. Just then, Jack sent another voice message: “I can’t kiss the class president, but I can kiss my fiancée.” “I’m getting engaged to Rachel.” Instantly, all the comments tagging me disappeared like the wind. Only a flood of congratulations remained. Someone else joked, [Looking at the background, a night of passion is worth a thousand gold (dog emoji)] Jack replied almost immediately, “Get lost! Don’t make such jokes!” His tone was serious, full of protection. I suddenly thought of myself. At a class reunion six months ago, a guy in our class asked about my performance in bed. I got angry and argued with him. But Jack said I was no fun, “We’re all classmates, don’t take jokes so seriously.” It turns out, he just didn’t care. As I smiled bitterly, Rachel posted in the group: [Getting legally married on Sunday, law-abiding citizens doing things by the book (sunglasses emoji)] Everyone quickly followed suit, offering congratulations. Rachel then actively tagged me, [Aria, I’m sorry. Eight years ago, Jack used you as a shield, which led to me slapping you. Now you’re being joked about because of us again.] [Jack said you volunteered to be my bridesmaid, thank you! See you tomorrow, old classmate!] I was still wondering what she meant by “shield” eight years ago when Jack’s messages came flooding in. [Aria! Why are you pretending not to see?] [Can we not bring up ancient history?] [Rachel just got back, and you’re already trying to put her in an awkward position?] [Reply quickly!] The messages came one after another, piercing my heart without giving me a chance to breathe. Finally, he dropped one last message, [If you don’t want to reply, forget it!] Then he tagged me in the group again, [Don’t party too hard, remember to take the morning-after pill (dog emoji)] Rachel quickly followed up with, [I guess all those years abroad were wasted, I’m not as open-minded as Aria (covering mouth laugh emoji)] I was about to reply when I realized I had been muted by the group admin, Jack. Overwhelmed with anger, I called Jack. After a few seconds of connecting, it was Rachel’s voice that came through. “Jack, when you rejected me back then, did you really think I couldn’t compare to Aria?” Jack’s familiar tone answered without hesitation, “Aria? I never even thought of her as a woman.” “At that time, my dad’s company was in trouble. I didn’t know if my family could recover, so I couldn’t bear to let you suffer with me. I had to find an excuse to make you give up, and I didn’t want to mess around with other girls.” “But now all that’s in the past. I can support both of us now.” “Rachel, I’m never letting you go for the rest of my life.” After a rustling sound of kissing, Jack said tenderly, “Let’s wait until we’re legally married. We have a lifetime together, there’s no rush.” “I don’t want to wrong you without making things clear.” I abruptly hung up the phone. At the graduation party, Jack had drunk too much. A few classmates carried him to a hotel. I was afraid to leave him alone, so I stayed to take care of him. In the small hotel room that cost $30 a night, Jack pulled me into his arms. The next day, seeing the bloodstain on the sheets, he slapped himself hard. “I’m sorry.” At the time, I thought that “I’m sorry” was for me. Now I realize it was probably for Rachel. Sorry for rejecting her. Sorry for sleeping with me. I wiped away the cold tears on my face and called a moving company. It only took a few hours to clear out the room I had spent years decorating. Watching the garbage truck drive away, I left the spare key in the shoe cabinet. My parents divorced when I was young, and I was tossed back and forth like a soccer ball. If there’s any advantage to that, it’s probably that I can quickly accept all heartbreaking things. No matter how much my heart hurts, I can force myself to act like nothing’s wrong. Closing the door, I called my dad. “I’ll agree to marry that disabled person you mentioned.” “Consider it repaying the debt I owe you.”

Back when Jack’s family was in decline, I secretly begged my estranged father to help them out. At that time, I promised I would definitely repay this debt. Three months ago, my dad’s company faced a crisis and urgently needed a large sum of money to keep operating. “Either you get that Jack to pay back the money! Or you obediently go through with this business arrangement marriage to get the money!” “If the Zhang family in Beijing wasn’t desperate because of his disability, how could they look at a good-for-nothing like you! Throwing yourself at men! I’ve told you before, all men are ungrateful dogs!” Several times when my dad called asking for money, Jack was right beside me. I thought he couldn’t hear. Now I know, he was just pretending. Just then, a new post popped up on SnapChat. It was a photo Jack took of Rachel’s silhouette against a sky full of fireworks, looking exceptionally happy. [If I can’t pluck the stars for you, I’ll give you a starry sky. Welcome home, my princess.] There was a comment below with many likes: [A masterpiece of love by the fireworks master! Spending millions to make a beauty smile, Jack is so generous!] I suddenly remembered the month after Jack and I first slept together, on my 18th birthday, he bought me a sparkler. In the dim light, the boy’s face was full of sincerity, “Aria, when we get through these hard times, I promise I’ll show you the most beautiful fireworks in the world!” At that time, I didn’t know there was a little baby in my belly, nor did I know that after the hard times would come even harder times. In the hospital room, Jack looked at my pale face after the surgery, “I’m sorry, Aria. From now on, I’ll buy the most expensive contraceptives. I’ll never let you suffer again!” I should have woken up then. It’s all my fault. The memories scattered in the cold wind. I put my frozen red hands back in my pockets with my phone. The last message on my phone was from my dad. [You better behave yourself! The Zhang family is coming to pick you up tomorrow.] Dragging my suitcase, I plunged into the dark night. One last cry, and after dawn, Jack and I would have nothing more to do with each other. After a night of tossing and turning, I finally found a hotel to settle in. Just as I was falling into a light sleep, I was jolted awake by my phone ringing. Jack’s angry voice made my heart ache, “Where are you?” “Just because Rachel asserted her position in the group chat yesterday, you’re being this petty?” “Everyone’s coming to welcome Rachel back at the class reunion! Why do you have to be different from everyone else?” “Do we need to send a sedan chair to invite you?” “Just because you’re not coming, Rachel has been worried that you’re still holding a grudge about that slap!” “Come over quickly and explain clearly! Don’t let Rachel feel uneasy!” The once gentle voice was now full of impatience. I used to think I was the exception to Jack’s bad temper, but now that the real exception had returned, I realized I was just a self-deluded joke. But I don’t want to be a joke anymore. “Why should I go? What does it matter to me whether Rachel feels at ease or not?” “And who are you to order me around?” “Jack, in what capacity are you calling me? Do we have any relationship?” This was the first time I had ever snapped at Jack. My temper isn’t particularly mild, it’s just that in the past, I had covered my sharp edges with love. Jack was stunned for two seconds, then lowered his voice, “Aria, are you jealous now? What’s the point?” “I told you we were just playing around, you have no right to be jealous!” “Besides, Rachel and I are serious. No matter how much you make a fuss, it’s useless.” “Aria! I’m begging you! Can you not cause trouble for me?!” I hung up the phone directly and started to get ready. The Zhang family was coming to pick me up today. My mom always taught me when I was little that if I agreed to be a bargaining chip, I should be a bargaining chip worth having. I was planning to go downstairs to wait for the Zhang family, but unexpectedly, I ran into Jack, Rachel, and a group of old classmates in the hotel lobby. Rachel grabbed my arm, smiling, “I was wondering why Jack suddenly wanted to change the location, turns out Aria was waiting here!” “I knew Aria wouldn’t refuse Jack. Not replying to messages was just to make a surprise appearance and get extra attention from old friends, right?” After eight years apart, Rachel’s gaze on me still felt like a hook, scrutinizing, “Disappearing for a night was to get all dressed up, huh? People might think you’re really trying to compete with me for today’s leading role!” Rachel’s nails dug into my wrist as she forcefully pulled me into her arms, as if for a long-awaited reunion hug, but whispered in my ear, “Looks like yesterday didn’t make you back off. You couldn’t hold onto Jack for eight years, now you’re just making a fool of yourself by being clingy.” With that, Rachel suddenly pushed me hard, making me fall heavily to the ground.

The high heels I was wearing twisted my ankle badly, with a slight cracking sound that instantly covered me in cold sweat. Three years ago, Jack had a high fever in the middle of the night, right when there was a power outage in our neighborhood. I carried Jack, who was two heads taller than me, down eight floors, and missed a step, twisting my ankle. The doctor said I must never injure that ankle again, or I might end up with a permanent disability. The pain now was even worse than that year. As I fell, my phone flew to the side, now flashing on and off. My voice trembled with pain, “Jack, call an ambulance for me.” The Zhang family’s son I was supposed to marry was missing a leg, and I didn’t want to end up disabled too. I pleaded with Jack. He rushed towards me urgently, but just as he got close, Rachel hugged him around the waist. Rachel’s eyes were red as if she had suffered a great injustice and shock. “I… I didn’t!” She looked at Jack with teary eyes. “Jack, I didn’t!” “I really didn’t push Aria! I don’t know why she pulled me down with her!” As she spoke, large tears fell from her eyes, crying pitifully, “I did slap Aria before, but this time I really didn’t.” “How can I prove myself? How can I make you believe me!” “Jack, I’m so stupid, please tell me, how can I prove it?” The old classmates watching behind whispered among themselves, “Putting on a show of framing someone as soon as they meet?” “On the way here, Rachel was saying she was worried Aria might still hold a grudge about that slap from before, afraid of something like this.” “Guess she was right!” “Even if they’re childhood friends, it doesn’t matter! Jack has a girlfriend now! Who does she think she is to be so possessive!” Jack held Rachel tightly in his arms, “You don’t need to prove anything, I’ll always believe you unconditionally.” Then he frowned and gave me a cold look as I lay there unable to move due to my twisted ankle. “Aria, stop acting! Aren’t you ashamed?!” “I didn’t…” The slightest movement brought another wave of dull pain. Jack laughed coldly, interrupting me. “I thought I knew you well enough.” “But Rachel’s right, men can never imagine how cruel women can be to each other.” “Just because Rachel slapped you once eight years ago, you’re sure everyone will believe it’s her hurting you again.” “Not answering calls, playing disappearing acts, showing up all dressed up, and now using such a low trick. Aria, doing this only makes me feel disgusted with you.” I could only grit my teeth and explain, “It’s not like that, I’m here waiting for my fiancé…” Rachel cried even more heart-wrenchingly, and in her emotional state, she even made to kneel down to me, “Aria! I admit it!” “If you say I did it, then let’s say I pushed you! I’ll kneel down and apologize, okay!” “I’m begging you! Please don’t try to steal my Jack.” “I care about everything else, but I only want Jack. Please, give him to me!” I understood there was no hope in relying on them, so I could only painfully crawl towards my phone. Just as my fingertips touched the phone, Jack forcefully stepped on the screen. “Acting so real, you’ve lost all sense of shame, you should be nominated for an Oscar!” “Want your phone? Apologize to Rachel first.” I futilely pushed at Jack’s ankle, “I’m really not acting! You forgot my foot was injured before?” “I’m not lying either! I really am waiting for my fiancé!” “I never thought about competing with Rachel for you!” But these words only made Jack angrier, his eyes filled with a disgust I had never seen before. “You can even say you have a fiancé!” “You just have to bring up how you were injured for me in front of Rachel, don’t you? You just have to air everything between us for everyone to know, right!” “Fine! Aria, you asked for this!” Jack crushed my phone under his foot, ignoring my pain as he grabbed my collar to face everyone, “Rather than let you spread lies, I might as well tell the truth myself!” “Yes, I did sleep with Aria for eight years!” “But I never said I would marry her! From the beginning to the end, Rachel was the only one in my heart!” “I rejected Rachel back then because I was afraid she would suffer with me! That’s why I had Aria act out a play with me! Aria was the one who took it seriously and deluded herself!” Amidst the shocked gasps of the onlookers, Jack grabbed my clothes and slapped me hard across the face. “Now I’m the one slapping you, so hate me if you want!”

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The moment my son took his own life to prove his innocence, my husband Richard was receiving the “Annual Moral Role Model” award. He had unhesitatingly stood up and identified our son as the perpetrator of extreme school bullying that led to a classmate’s suicide, even attempting to use his position as a father to whitewash the situation. A torrent of abuse against our son flooded in from all directions. But at that time, no one knew that this was just a lie Richard had deliberately told to protect his ex-girlfriend’s daughter. Our son, utterly desperate, doused himself in gasoline and set himself on fire while Richard was accepting his award. On the live TV broadcast, Richard shielded his ex-girlfriend and her daughter behind him, his expression solemn: “Before the law, everyone is truly equal!” I numbly held my son’s charred body, my fingers touching his heart that no longer beat. His last cries echoed in my ears. “Mom, why is Dad helping others hurt me? I’m his son!” I couldn’t utter a word. But in my heart, I made a vicious vow— I will not let my child leave this world bearing false charges! All those who owe this blood debt must pay with their lives! … “Mom, I can’t go on anymore. This world is too painful…” “I don’t understand why Dad would frame me. I’m his own son…” In the last moments of his farewell video, tears rolled down Lucas’s cheeks. Then, my son drenched himself in gasoline and set himself on fire at the venue where his father was receiving an award. When I rushed to the ICU, he was already burned beyond recognition, with only a faint heartbeat reminding me he was still alive. I stood by the hospital bed, feeling as if the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed. My whole being felt as if my soul had been sucked out. “Please, save him! He’s only twenty-two, he just passed the bar exam… He has his whole life ahead of him!” I knelt before the attending physician, my voice breaking. The doctor’s expression was grave as he turned and entered the emergency room. I bit my lip hard, using the pain to keep myself conscious. Lucas’s life was hanging by a thread; he needed me to be strong now more than ever. Suppressing my grief, I dialed Richard’s number. That beast I loathed to the core. He had driven Lucas to his death! A week ago, the police suddenly burst in and arrested Lucas, accusing him of organizing an extreme school bullying group that led a student to commit suicide by jumping off a building. Not only did they find the victim’s suicide note and threatening evidence on Lucas’s phone. There was also eyewitness testimony against him. My husband Richard, Lucas’s biological father. He mercilessly accused his own son of being the organizer of school bullying in court. “When he came home that day, his hands were shaking, and his computer was full of chat records threatening the victim. The evidence is irrefutable!” “I’m a human rights lawyer, it’s my duty to protect the weak, even if it’s my own son!” “Richard, have you gone mad? Do you know what you’re doing?” I couldn’t believe my ears. When I turned to look at him, I saw a flash of disgust in his eyes. A sense of foreboding suddenly came over me. Taking advantage of Richard’s attendance at a public event, I broke into his study and hacked into his computer. The bloody truth pierced my heart like a sharp blade. The real organizer of the school bullying was Chloe! She was Samantha’s daughter, Richard’s college sweetheart! It was Chloe who organized the online bullying group that drove the classmate to suicide. Samantha had turned to Richard for help. “Richard, you must help us. Chloe still has a bright future ahead of her. If this gets out, her life will be ruined!” In the chat records, Richard replied calmly and professionally: “Leave it to me to handle. I won’t let anyone harm Chloe. She’s a child I’ve watched grow up, I’ll protect her.” “I already have a plan. Dry your tears and trust me…” So his carefully crafted “plan” was to let his own flesh and blood take the fall? Lucas was his only child! Sadly, I wasn’t shocked at all in my heart. For the sake of Samantha and her daughter, Lucas and I had been ruthlessly abandoned countless times. On the day of Lucas’s high school entrance exam, he had a high fever, but Richard took a day off to accompany Chloe to a piano competition; When Lucas won the law school freshman scholarship, Richard attended an education forum with Samantha; Once, when Lucas was hospitalized after being ambushed by thugs off campus, Richard canceled his hospital visit just to celebrate Chloe’s 18th birthday… Similar incidents were endless and heartbreaking. Every time I questioned him, he would put on the pose of a moral role model: “Professor Samantha has been my comrade-in-arms for many years, and her daughter is like my niece. You’re too petty. As the wife of a public figure, you need to have a broader mind!” For the sake of Lucas’s growth needing a father, I chose to be understanding time and time again. But Richard, how dare you strike such a deadly blow against my son! I rushed to his office like a madwoman, loudly accusing him of his beastly behavior. But he pushed me away expressionlessly, his tone ice-cold. “Samantha is a single mother, it’s not easy for her to raise a daughter alone. We must help with such small matters.” “Lucas is strong, he’ll get through this. I’ll use my connections to make sure he doesn’t suffer too much.” Due to questionable court evidence, Lucas was temporarily released on bail. After returning home, he became a different person, silent all day, his eyes hollow. My son was like a walking corpse, the light of life forcibly extinguished. Watching him slowly break down before my eyes, my heart ached unbearably. I wanted to quickly find evidence to clear his false charges. But Richard’s actions were faster and more vicious than mine. He publicly released a legal commentary article, completely destroying Lucas’s last line of defense. “The fight against school bullying should start from the family. Exposing my own child’s crimes is the bottom line for a legal professional.” As a top human rights lawyer in the country, his words carried extreme weight. In just a few hours, the article had over a million reads, and the entire internet was in an uproar. Overnight, everyone believed Lucas was a despicable school bully, calling for his punishment. I argued for his defense until my voice was hoarse, but society collectively silenced me. “Even Lawyer Du has personally testified against him, what more do you have to say?” “A legal professional wouldn’t wrongly accuse an innocent person. His son must be guilty as charged. You’re just a mother who can’t face reality!” What followed were colleagues’ sidelong glances, neighbors’ contempt, collective blocking on social media… Lucas’s newly acquired internship at a law firm was canceled. The victim’s family even came to our door every day to make a scene. Blood splattered on the door, threatening letters stuffed the mailbox… The endless harassment made it impossible for us to take a single step. Although I guarded Lucas day and night, he was still like a withering pine, gradually losing his will to live. “Mom, I don’t understand. Why would my father, who taught me to pursue truth and justice since I was young, use the law to kill me?” “Is my existence so offensive to him…” Faced with his desperate eyes, my heart was cut like a knife, but I couldn’t give an answer. Now, my Lucas finally couldn’t hold on anymore. He used to be a stubborn boy who wanted me by his side even for a cold. Setting himself on fire at his father’s award ceremony, he must have endured unimaginable pain and despair. I finally got through on the phone. Just as I was about to speak, Richard’s ice-cold voice came from the other end: “Is it that unfilial son Lucas causing trouble again? How many more problems is he going to give me?” “Haven’t we already agreed that once this storm blows over, I’ll use my connections to send him abroad to study? How can he still be unsatisfied?” “He can’t even handle a bit of criticism from righteous public opinion, how weak! He’s completely disgraced the law school!” Looking at my son covered in burns and fighting for his life in the ICU, I almost lost my mind: “Richard, Lucas is in ICU emergency treatment… He set himself on fire while you were receiving your award. Come to the hospital quickly…” Before I could finish, a sweet female voice came from the other end of the phone. “Richard, I’ve revised the speech. Let me help you check the positioning again, the camera needs to capture all three of us.” “If it weren’t for you stepping up during this time, I really don’t know how Chloe and I would face the world…” It was Samantha’s voice! My blood instantly froze. The next moment, the phone went “beep” and hung up. The harsh alarm of the heart monitor echoed in the intensive care unit. I felt as if I had fallen into an ice cave, standing there in a daze for a long time, involuntarily reaching out to touch Lucas’s face. But 90% of his body had been burned, his skin carbonized and peeling off, like a wooden puppet scorched by raging flames. I didn’t dare touch him, afraid of causing him more pain. I bit my lip hard, but tears still gushed out like a broken dam. “Mom… Mom… don’t be sad… I’m not in pain…” “Only my flesh… was burned… My conscience… has finally returned…” On the hospital bed, Lucas’s entire body was wrapped in bandages, only his swollen and red eyes exposed. He struggled to squeeze out a smile, his vocal cords hoarse from inhaling hot air. “I’m sorry… Mom… I’m… too useless…” “Please… don’t call him… He’s not my father… A true… human rights defender… wouldn’t… kill… an innocent person…” “In the next life… I’ll only be… your son…” Looking at his weakly trembling fingertips, my soul felt as if it had been torn apart. I can’t remember the scene of being forcibly pulled out of the emergency room by medical staff. I can’t remember how many hours I paced in the corridor. From dusk to deep night. The attending physician took off his mask and walked towards me, his eyes filled with undisguisable regret. At that moment. My world collapsed. I covered my ears tightly with both hands, but couldn’t block out the cruel fact shattering my heart. I collapsed on the cold hospital floor, my throat emitting a heart-wrenching wail, everything spinning before my eyes. At this very moment, the TV screen in the emergency lobby switched to a live broadcast. Richard was delivering a speech at the national “Anti-School Bullying Annual Summit”. Because of his “brave act of exposing family scandal”, he was awarded the “Outstanding Moral Role Model” prize. He wore a tailored suit, his eyes bright and spirited, looking dignified and imposing. Behind him, Samantha and her daughter Chloe stood dressed elegantly, smiling gracefully.

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I broke up with Ethan Xavier, my parents’ family friend, just yesterday. Today, during a company video call, I forgot to mute my microphone. “You mean Ethan?” I joked with a straight face. “He looks like he wouldn’t last five minutes in bed.” My best friend Zoe burst into laughter, and I continued my boasting: “I never take men over 25 seriously anyway.” Everyone in our social circle knew I had broken up with that rich boyfriend of mine because he couldn’t satisfy me. But after our souls mysteriously switched bodies… That night, Ethan pinned me against the bed and whispered in my ear with a low chuckle. “Aria, is that all you’ve got?” “Didn’t you want to test if I was good enough? Still dare to spread rumors about me not lasting long?” “You little bitch! How dare you report me?!” “As long as I’m at Xavier Corp, I’ll make sure you never succeed here!” Mr. Lewis, the manager, yelled at me furiously, throwing a pile of documents at me that was almost a meter high. “If you don’t sort these out today, you’re fired!” This Mr. Lewis always misused company funds for his own pleasure and harassed the young women in the office. He had hinted before that if I became his mistress, I’d be rewarded. I glanced at his pig-like face and felt nauseous. I grabbed what little hair he had left and smashed a cupcake from the break room into his face. “When people treat you like a human being, could you at least try to act like one?” “Do you think everyone’s obsessed with your beer belly just because no one says anything?” “Were you hiding when humans were evolving?” “Honestly, your facial features are quite unique – each one seems to be rebelling against the others!” My rapid-fire insults drew admiring looks from the girls around us. Mr. Lewis stood there stunned, then exploded in rage. With cake crumbs all over his face, he roared, “You little slut! Are you lashing out because I rejected your advances?!” I smirked, “Aww, such a sweet mouth. How many bottles of laxatives did you drink?” I dared to be so bold because I had Ethan backing me up. Two months ago, my mom had unexpectedly brought home Ethan Xavier, the prince of the business world. And just like that, I gained a close family friend. I was interning at Ethan’s company for my senior year, but no one knew about our connection. Hearing me directly confront my sleazy, incompetent boss, the man in the conference room curled his thin lips into a smile tinged with playfulness. His slender fingers picked up the phone: “Tell Audit to check Mr. Lewis’s expense reports.” I submitted my resignation letter, and Ethan pulled me into the CEO’s office. His gloomy eyes stared at me, as if reproaching me for causing him trouble. “Enjoyed your outburst?” The man pursed his lips, his tone calm. “No!” I blurted out without thinking. “I want to resign, and also!” “What else?” Ethan’s deep voice seemed to carry a hint of displeasure. I ignored him and continued, “And break up! I’ve told you so many times.” As if finding it absurd, he laughed coldly. “Who was it that insisted on clinging to me that night, stripping naked and sleeping in my arms?”

Hearing this, I immediately blushed. I stepped forward to cover his mouth. Even my mom didn’t know that the day after she brought Ethan home, we slept together. Just sleeping, he pretended to be drunk and hugged me to sleep first. Who could resist Ethan’s perfect body and brooding face? Was this some kind of test for officials? I went all in and stripped naked before crawling into his arms. The next day, he insisted I had ruined his innocence and stubbornly wanted to be with me. To avoid alarming my mom, I simply agreed to go along with it for now. As I was thinking this, Ethan ignored the gossiping employees outside the window. He cupped my chin and bit down hard on my neck. “Ouch!” I pushed him away in pain. “Are you part dog?” But his arm around my waist only tightened. Ethan answered the phone, his thin lips parting. “Tell him he doesn’t need to come in tomorrow.” The HR person on the other end broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly trying to dissuade him. “Mr. Xavier, if we only fire Mr. Lewis out of the two involved employees, we may have to pay double severance…” The man looked at me thoughtfully, then said lazily: “Are you telling me how to do my job?” “I’m not here to be fair. I’m here to back her up.” The HR person hung up the phone, trembling in fear. “I helped you get rid of him. How will you repay me?” I couldn’t even be bothered to glance at him, answering lightly: “By breaking up. That’s how I’ll repay you.” Not getting the answer he wanted, Ethan lowered his eyes. He knew he couldn’t be too forceful with women, and he knew she was afraid of this kind of “hidden” relationship. The night Mom brought Ethan home, he had gotten drunk over a long-lost crush. I couldn’t help but grumble to myself. Why did rich heirs always need to have a first love? This first love had even sent him a box of candy, which he treasured like some precious gift. I decided then and there to stop fantasizing. I said I wouldn’t be the one to break them up. That day, his deep voice tinged with mockery lingered in my ears. “Break what up? Don’t overthink it. I only get hard for you.” Ethan took out a black credit card from the drawer with one hand. My eyes immediately lit up with dollar signs. His seductive voice tempted me: “Still want to break up?” “If we do, I’ll go tell your parents you slept with me right now!” I selectively forgot about the candy with Olivia Young’s name on it at his house. I pounced on that black credit card with a grin: “No breakup, no breakup. This is a voluntary gift, right?” “Of course.” Zoe asked me why I didn’t hold on tight to a perfect older guy like Ethan. It wasn’t just because he couldn’t forget his first love Olivia Young, but more because we were from two different worlds. Besides, he was now like family to me. If we got together, I didn’t know how worried my parents would be. One way or another, we had to break up eventually. It was best not to anger him now. Otherwise, that madman Ethan would definitely tell my mom. I proudly told Zoe, patting my chest: “I’m giving up ownership rights, but enjoying usage rights.” So I dragged Zoe along to go on a shopping spree at the mall. Patek Philippe watch, Chanel bags, haute couture jewelry. I even got Zoe the LV trio she’d been eyeing. In total, I charged over 7 million to Ethan’s card. Back at Zoe’s place, I sent Ethan a breakup text and then blocked him. The next day, during the company’s video call, I forgot to mute my mic. “You mean Ethan?” I joked with a straight face. “He looks like he wouldn’t last five minutes in bed.” My best friend Zoe burst into laughter, and I continued my boasting: “I never take men over 25 seriously anyway.”

The man in the conference room who overheard the two girls laughing now had a completely dark expression. His face was tense, his eyes cold as ice. Seeing the red exclamation mark in the chat box, a burst of anger rose within him. The man trembled slightly with rage, veins visible on his hands. Everyone in our social circle knew I had broken up with that rich boyfriend of mine. Because I said he couldn’t last long enough to satisfy me. The video call hadn’t even ended when a red Maybach came speeding up and stopped downstairs. Ethan effortlessly threw me over his shoulder and took me back to his villa. Leaving Zoe shocked in place. The man threw me heavily onto the bed and pressed down on top of me. “You blocked me? Who taught you that?” I pushed him away forcefully, closing my eyes with a stubborn expression. “Ethan, have some shame. You’re my…” Before I could say “family friend”, he sealed my lips with a kiss. His deep eyes made no effort to hide his burning desire. “Aria, I threw that thing away.” Implying he didn’t care about Olivia at all, nor her gift. I glared at him coldly: “That has nothing to do with me.” He was very annoyed. Why did I insist on breaking up with him? And refuse to listen to his explanations. As we argued and tussled, he bumped into me. When we got up again, I was somehow wearing Ethan’s clothes. Looking closer, they weren’t his at all! Ethan and I had switched souls! Compared to my shock, Ethan was much calmer. He looked me up and down, commenting lazily: “So this is how handsome I am.” Then he looked down at his chest with disgust, shaking his head: “Too small.” I gritted my teeth: “What do we do now?” Ethan, wearing my face, looked at me with pure innocence. “I guess we’ll just have to play each other’s roles.” I gave in, but worried Ethan might do something inappropriate. I warned him in a low voice: “We’ll check in with each other every night about what happened that day. Don’t you dare…” He interrupted me, using my voice to whine: “Aria, you’re so cruel. You actually don’t want me anymore.” Then he thrust his hips forcefully, as if punishing me. A wild and familiar sensation washed over me. Until after two rounds when I begged him to stop between gasps. That night, Ethan pinned me against the bed and whispered in my ear with a low chuckle. “Aria, is that all you’ve got?” “Didn’t you want to test if I was good enough? Still dare to spread rumors about me not lasting long?” I placated him weakly, completely exhausted. “You last long, you last long. Just give me a break.” Ethan had gotten a taste and was even more unsatisfied that we’d only slept chastely before. For the next month, he entangled me almost every night. He asked what our relationship was now. “Friends with benefits? Sugar daddy and sugar baby? Surely not actually family friends!” He just smiled faintly, tilting my chin up to ask: “What does Aria want us to be?” “I…” His long, soft kiss overwhelmed me, leaving me dizzy. His gaze intense, he looked at me firmly: “Aria, don’t worry. I’ll handle things with Olivia, okay? Leave it to me.” Ethan was in the shower, his phone buzzing on the nightstand. The noise was giving me a headache, so I grabbed it. But I saw a group chat message from Olivia Young pop up. The group was her friends, with Ethan in it too. [It’s my birthday this weekend, Ethan. You’re coming, right?] As I scrolled up, my hand trembled uncontrollably. Until I saw: [Mr. Xavier has finally waited for Olivia to return. His patience paid off.] [I always thought they were perfect for each other, a golden couple.] [Don’t say that, you’ll make Ethan blush.] [Besides, I heard Ethan might have a girlfriend now.] Olivia sent two coy messages: [That must just be Mr. Xavier playing around. Olivia, don’t take it seriously.] [I’m so envious of you, Olivia. I heard Mr. Xavier even got drunk the night he picked you up from the airport.] [Of course, our Mr. Xavier is so devoted. How lucky!] Ethan hadn’t said a single word the entire time. The group chat was bustling with excitement, but I felt like I’d fallen into an ice pit. The next day I was in low spirits, listless and dejected. Catching sight of my state, Ethan tilted his head, half-jokingly: “Is being with me such a mental burden?”

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I woke up to find myself ten years in the past. Ethan Shaw, my husband, had just told me he’d traveled back in time from the future. He slapped me hard across the face: “Ten years from now, you’ll betray me and sell out our family business to our competitors, you bitch!” He claimed that in the future, only his first love Olivia Parker truly loved him. To cure a gravely ill Olivia, he believed in some quack remedy and took me, five months pregnant, to an illegal clinic. He forcibly removed our unborn child, just to use the placenta as medicine for Olivia. I finally gave up on him. Since he claimed I would betray him to his competitors in ten years, why not do it now? I rushed to his office, seeing him for the first time since my “rebirth.” With a lump in my throat, I said: “Ethan, I’m sorry.” After a brief moment of shock, his expression turned cold. “Go ahead, tell me how you’re going to torment me this time.” During that final explosion in my past life, I remember Ethan didn’t make it out. He knelt beside me, always impeccably dressed, and said: “Olivia, don’t be afraid. I’m here with you.” He was 38 years old then. Worth hundreds of millions, he gave it all up without hesitation. To die with me in the inferno. … It was a midsummer evening, the setting sun blood-red outside the window. A stuffy breeze blew into the room. I woke from my dream, sitting dazed on the bed. The clock in the corner ticked away, the calendar lying quietly on the desk. “Ma’am, Mr. Shaw called earlier to say he won’t be home tonight,” the housekeeper’s voice came from the living room, calm and peaceful. I looked down at the shiny new wedding ring on my finger. I closed my eyes briefly. I had really returned to ten years ago. The raging inferno from before my death, and the warm, strong embrace – it had all felt so real. In our final moments, Ethan had told me: “Don’t be afraid, Olivia. I waited too long for you in this life. In the next one, I’ll find you much sooner.” Was this a dream or reality? I pinched myself hard, feeling a dull pain in my thigh. The sound of a car horn outside jolted me from my confused thoughts. After the initial shock, a wave of lingering pain and bitterness washed over me. A misunderstanding, fabricated by others, had caused me to hate Ethan for many years. During that time, his business rivals used every tactic to undermine him. Barely giving him room to breathe. At home, I treated him coldly, so he rarely came back. Ethan’s parents had died young, and he had few relatives. He guarded a business empire alone, living half a lifetime that way. Later, when the misunderstanding was cleared up, we had a brief period of happiness, even expecting a child. But before I could tell him about the pregnancy, we met with an untimely death. … “Ma’am, the flowers have arrived. Are you ready to leave?” the housekeeper came in to ask. “What?” My mind was still in a confused state. “The flowers. Weren’t you going to visit Mr. Brown?” Noah Brown… Hearing that name suddenly, I was stunned. A thread emerged from the tangled mess in my mind. So it was this day. Noah Brown was my childhood friend. He was also a talented actor. But unfortunately… an “accident” left him with severe burns all over his body, requiring long-term hospitalization. In my past life on this day, I had gone to the hospital with a bouquet of flowers. After spending Noah’s birthday with him, I left the hospital to find Ethan sitting in his car, a cigarette burned down to the filter between his fingers, completely unaware. I didn’t want to explain anything, I didn’t even want to see him. “Olivia.” Ethan noticed me, stubbed out his cigarette, and got out of the car, his tone melancholic. “…Today is my birthday.” I stopped, turning back to look at him coldly, “So?” Ethan’s dark eyes gazed at me, saying nothing. I said: “Today is also Noah’s birthday. To marry me, you used any means necessary, ruining his face and his future. How do you expect me to treat you?” Ethan opened his mouth, explaining futilely: “That was just an accident…” “If you hadn’t invited him that day, he wouldn’t still be lying in the hospital. How can I believe it was an accident?” Ethan fell silent, finally saying to me: “I’m sorry.” From that day on, my relationship with Ethan took a sharp downward turn. We began a long and painful cold war. Later, I learned that the “accident” even Ethan believed to be true was merely a scheme by certain people to drive a wedge between us. “I’ve already put everything in the car for you, ma’am. If we leave any later, we’ll hit traffic.” The housekeeper came back to call me. Outside, the sun was half-set, the light growing dim. I came to my senses, hurriedly putting on a coat and getting into the car, suddenly realizing that this was ten years ago – everything could still be changed. The driver merged into traffic, “The road to the hospital is already jammed. Should I call Mr. Brown and ask him to wait a bit…?” “We’re not going to the hospital,” I said, gazing at the changing traffic lights outside the window. “Go to the office.” … Actually, I didn’t have much impression of Ethan’s company. When I was young and hated him, I never came once. Later when I loved him, he was being targeted by enemies, surrounded by danger, so I didn’t dare visit. Now as I stood among the towering office buildings, I felt lost. Which one was his office building? Passersby curiously eyed me: holding a huge bouquet, dressed elegantly, made up – I looked like a girl about to confess her love. Feeling uncomfortable, I took out my phone and pulled up Ethan’s contact. Just his full name, not even listed as an emergency contact. I pressed dial, expecting to wait a while. But after just two short rings, he picked up. His cool, distant voice came through the receiver: “What is it?” Hearing his voice again, my eyes suddenly grew hot, my own voice choking up. “Ethan, where’s your office? I can’t find it…” The passersby looked at me even more strangely. A woman who couldn’t find her husband’s office, standing on the curb, sobbing loudly. There seemed to be a meeting going on on Ethan’s end. He paused briefly, saying: “We’ll stop here for today.” Then he said to me: “Go stand on the sidewalk. I’ll come down.” A few minutes later, Ethan walked out of an office building. His tall figure cut through the neon lights, impeccably dressed in a suit, refined and aloof. In contrast, looking in a mirror, my eyeliner had run down with my tears, making me look like the lead in a horror movie. Damn, it was all ruined. “Why are you here?” His tone was flat, almost cold. I turned around. The tall, handsome man was looking at me coolly, his pupils reflecting my ghastly face, his expression stiffening slightly. No matter when, Ethan was always impeccably put together. Like a flower blooming on a cliff edge, untouched by a speck of dust. “I’m sorry,” I lowered my head, not daring to look at him. “I’ve disturbed you…” “Today…” He only said two words, not continuing. I knew what he wanted to say. Today I should be spending Noah’s birthday with him, not appearing here. But it did remind me of something. I shoved the flowers into his arms, mumbling: “Happy birthday.” A long silence. I snuck a glance at him, seeing him staring at the bouquet, not looking very happy. After a while, he raised a bitter, mocking smile. “Olivia, these are the ones he didn’t want, right?” “What?” I realized his mood was off, my gaze suddenly falling on the bouquet, my heart sinking. Oh no! Ice blue roses. The flower meaning was: I’ll give you the stars and sea. Noah’s favorite was also the stars and sea. My memories were so jumbled upon waking that I had been single-mindedly focused on finding Ethan, overlooking these details. “I’m sorry, I—” “Thank you for the birthday gift.” Ethan’s tone was almost stiff. “It’s getting late. Have the driver take you home.” He turned to leave. I quickly grabbed the hem of his jacket. “Wait!” Ethan hadn’t expected me to do this. Unable to stop in time, he stumbled, causing me to lose balance and crash hard into his back. The back of his designer suit now had colorful stains. Ethan turned back, staring at my fingers for a long time in silence. I stubbornly insisted, “Ethan, I’m not going back.” His expression was desolate as he asked, “Olivia, how are you going to torment me this time?” That question was really hard to answer. In my memories, Ethan and I had just gotten married, and I was fighting with him. I was 23, he was 28. The arguments were almost entirely one-sided output from me. I said whatever hurtful things came to mind. Even when giving him gifts on holidays, I deliberately chose things that would hurt him. I was like the boy who cried wolf. After calling “wolf” too many times, he stopped believing me. Thinking back to how I had handled things in my past life after the misunderstanding was cleared up, my methods had been quite direct and crude – just pouncing on him was enough. This man may look cold, but he was surprisingly easy to coax. But that method might not work right now. Besides, Ethan had endured too much torment and grievance. I wanted to make amends somehow. After pondering for a while, I said: “Let me treat you to a meal.” Ethan lowered his eyes coldly, “No need. I have work tonight.” “Then let’s order takeout!” I shamelessly followed behind him. “I’ll order you some longevity noodles.” Ethan said nothing, not even acknowledging me. He still clutched that bouquet tightly in his hand. Passing a trash can, I thought he would throw it in without hesitation, but he didn’t. I followed him all the way into his office. It was empty. A cold boxed meal lay untouched on his desk. Was this how he planned to get through the night? My heart ached inexplicably. I took out my phone and ordered him a bowl of longevity noodles. Clear broth, light on salt, no green onions. I added some tomato beef and a few vegetable dishes, all non-spicy. In the past, Ethan had always ordered very strongly flavored food to accommodate me. It wasn’t until later that I learned he had a sensitive stomach and couldn’t eat anything too spicy, oily or salty. After placing the order, I sat on the couch, not knowing what to say. Anything I said didn’t seem quite right. Ethan was unwrapping the flower packaging, about to put them in a vase. The ice blue roses pained my eyes. Without thinking, I went over and snatched them away, throwing them in the trash. He was stunned, looking at the drop of blood on his pricked thumb. With a tired sigh, he said: “Olivia, have you had enough?” “No.” I held back the ache in my heart, angry that he was so passive, like a clay figure with no temper. “Forget those. You don’t like them, I’ll buy you something else.” Ethan pulled out a tissue to press on the wound, his eyes lowering slightly as he said resignedly: “Forget it.” I ignored him, picking up the trash and saying, “Wait here,” before hurrying out. On summer evenings, the roadside was full of flower vendors. Compared to the hundreds or thousands spent at flower shops, the quality was a bit lower. I ran to several stalls, buying up all the red roses and roughly tying them into a bouquet with simple wrapping paper. The takeout had just arrived, so I carried everything back upstairs. The 19th floor was even quieter than before. The few employees working overtime had already left. Only Ethan’s office still had a small lamp on. I softened my footsteps, pushing open the door to enter. He stood with his back to me by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his silhouette lonely. The feeling was like an abandoned stray dog. The heavy flowers and takeout banged against the door with a thud. Ethan’s figure stiffened, turning back abruptly to see me nearly crushed under the weight. “Hey, what are you standing there for? Help me!” I panted. He seemed not to have expected me to return. After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly walked over, taking the flowers and food with one hand while supporting me under the arm with the other, helping me to the couch. I caught my breath, sweating a bit, but still smiling, “For you. I bought all the roses from the street vendors.” Ethan’s handsome face showed a brief blank expression. Oh no, the current him didn’t seem able to adapt to how I was treating him. Did I have to… insult him for things to feel normal? Seeing he was about to go back to eating the cold boxed meal, I let out an exaggerated groan. Ethan immediately looked over, his eyes flashing with barely concealed concern. I leaned back on the couch, raising my chin impatiently, “Can’t you eat something hot? Just looking at you eat that boxed meal irritates me.” Ethan: “…” For the next half hour, my complaints echoed through the office. “Don’t you know how to eat?” “Can’t you see that big piece of beef?” “Not eating your vegetables? Still picky at your age?” “Slurp your noodles! Did I buy them just for you to look at?” After my painstaking urging, the steaming bowl of noodles was finally emptied. Worried Ethan wasn’t full enough, I had added two small buns and even gave him the osmanthus cake I’d brought for myself. If I had to nag like this every day, how would I survive? My throat was parched from all the talking. Suddenly a glass of water appeared before me. Looking up, I saw Ethan staring at me. “Wet your throat before you keep scolding.” His expression had softened considerably. Though his eyes were still dull and lifeless, at least the icy wariness was gone. I restrained the urge to hug him, saying: “Ethan, let’s have a good life together from now on.” Hearing this, he lowered his gaze, silently clearing away the dishes without directly answering my question. “Put on your coat. I’ll have the driver take you home.” “But I just got here…” He quickly pushed open the door and left, as if escaping something. After all, tasks like taking out the trash didn’t require a CEO to do them. I couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. Reborn once, why did this man seem even harder to coax? I sat on the couch, formulating my next strategy. Should I just pounce on him directly, or pour my heart out first before pouncing? A sudden phone ringtone interrupted my thoughts. I absent-mindedly answered. A familiar voice from long ago came through the phone. “Olivia, where are you?” My previously excited mood instantly plummeted as I remembered this person still existed. “Oh, it’s you…” My tone wasn’t particularly warm. Noah’s voice was gentle: “I’ve been waiting for you a long time. Didn’t we agree you’d spend my birthday with me?” Recalling everything that happened in my past life, my fingers gradually tightened until my knuckles turned white. “Noah, we’re… childhood friends who grew up together, right?” Noah sensed something was off and corrected me: “Olivia, we’re family.” “Family.” I repeated the words, suddenly asking, “You… don’t have anything you want to tell me?” He paused, sighing, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have secretly eaten some cake without you.” See? Why can the person being cared for carelessly lie, make demands, joke around? While Ethan always has to stand in the background, bearing everything? My whole body went cold. I couldn’t even force a smile anymore. “I have something to do today, so I won’t be coming over. Happy birthday.” Hanging up the phone, I took a deep breath, my chest feeling tight. I thought of the phone call Noah made to me before I was kidnapped, asking where I was. I fell into deep thought. He was the person I trusted most. But what if from the very beginning, that explosion was orchestrated by someone familiar? Looking up, I saw Ethan standing in the doorway, his profile hidden in shadow, his expression unreadable. After hesitating for a long time, I asked: “Did you… hear all that?” “Mm.” “I—” “Let’s go.” His tone carried a kind of forced calmness after intense suppression. “The car is waiting downstairs.” I opened and closed my mouth, not knowing how to explain the events that would happen in the future. Afraid he’d think I was crazy. I followed him out the door, feelings of guilt surging. “Ethan.” He only slowed his steps slightly, not turning back. “That was Noah calling me just now,” I spoke rapidly, “Yesterday I did promise to spend his birthday with him, but today’s me is different. I’m from the future—” Ethan suddenly stopped, turning around with a layer of ice in his eyes. “Enough.” He closed his eyes briefly, suppressing his emotions before saying: “The meal today was very good. I’m also very happy you could spend my birthday with me.” I stared at him intently, seeing the pain hidden deep in his eyes. Ethan’s lips were very pale. Every word seemed to tremble out of someone in extreme pain: “So in the end, if you want to go find Noah, I accept that. Because that’s the price.” In my past life, Ethan once told me that back then, every bit of kindness I showed him had to be exchanged for even more suffering. So he never dared to hope for anything, always prepared for me to leave at any moment. These words now felt like a knife stabbing into my heart. Twisting painfully. In my past life on this day, while I was gone, his dinner was just that cold boxed meal. No one said “happy birthday” to him. Is that why he waited for me outside the hospital? Ethan just wanted to hear me say “happy birthday,” but I told him not to meddle and to stay away from me. The belated truth made it hard for me to breathe. He looked away. “I’m sorry, I misspoke. It’s not safe when it’s dark. If you’re going to the hospital, hurry—” I suddenly grabbed Ethan’s hand, forcefully intertwining our fingers. His whole body stiffened, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he asked in a hoarse voice, “Olivia, what are you doing? Haven’t you humiliated me enough?” I raised my head, suddenly grabbing his tie and pulling him down. “Darling, don’t move.” Those four short words were like a spell, completely immobilizing him. I stood on tiptoe and kissed Ethan’s cold lips. The elegant scent of pine was chaotically disrupted by my clumsy movements. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pushing him against the wall, carefully comforting him… From his initial rigidity, to shock, and finally to surrender, he closed his eyes in defeat, allowing me to “ravage and humiliate” him. His pristine white shirt became a crumpled mess. Without realizing it, he had gripped my waist, gradually tightening his hold until he greedily pressed my back, pulling us tightly together. The lights overhead flickered on and off. Finally, we separated in the darkness, foreheads touching as we caught our breath. “Olivia,” Ethan’s tone was low and gruff as he said with difficulty, “Don’t do this…” “You don’t like it?” “It’s not that.” He was silent for a long time before saying: “Don’t tempt me. While I still have some reason left, go to him.” “Can you bear it?” I softly blew on his ear, pouting pitifully, “Aren’t you jealous? Angry? Can you stand me kissing someone else—” Ethan seemed provoked. He suddenly lowered his head, covering my mouth, reversing our positions. He picked me up and tossed me back onto the couch. Before I could react, his large hand cupped the back of my head. Venting his frustrations, he kissed me again… I smiled slightly. If I didn’t use some drastic measures, he really could endure quite a lot. But the subsequent developments went a bit beyond my control. “Ethan!” I suddenly became alert. “What… what are you doing? I meant we should go home first and then…” I only heard his voice, warm and rich: “I gave you a chance. You didn’t leave.” “Now, that chance is gone.” With those words, I was flipped over, lying face down on the back of the couch. The man’s voice floated softly into my ear, sexy and alluring: “Olivia Sanders, prepare to suffer.” I thought that given Ethan’s personality, he wouldn’t do anything too outrageous. But I forgot that in my past life, he was the kind of madman who dared to die with me. Deep down, there was a bit of a savage side to him. “You… you—” My weak protests were swallowed up between our lips. In the end I could only helplessly wrap my arms around his neck, calling out: “Ethan… have some mercy on me…” He seemed to be angry and wasn’t listening to my words at all. I gritted my teeth, hugging him tightly, my nose stinging as tears fell onto his shoulder. Ethan’s whole body stiffened. He carefully stopped, saying, “I’m sorry.” I rested my chin on his shoulder. Looking up, I could see the bright moonlight outside the window. “Ethan, I’ve already thought of names for our child.” In my past life, I had pondered for a long time but never got to tell him. “Olivia, don’t say it.” His voice was hoarse as he murmured softly. “You don’t believe me?” I was met with endless silence. He probably didn’t dare to hope that we could have a child together. I said, “One boy and one girl. I’ll let you choose the nicknames—” Little did I know, the man who had just regained his senses would fall back into the web of losing control. Ethan didn’t give me a chance to say anything more. He picked me up and carried my half-dazed self through the small door to one side of the office. The door closed gently. The wind lingered outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. The moonlight was clear and bright. On the other side of the door were soft murmurs. ? In the early hours of the morning, I got bratty and kicked him, saying I didn’t want him anymore. Ethan wordlessly dragged me back, asking: “If you don’t want me, who do you want?” He asked very seriously. I blushed furiously. “Anyone but you!” “Mm.” He buried his head. “What you say doesn’t count.” That night’s dreams were filled with Ethan’s entanglement, as well as raging fires. I lay in a pool of blood, my body strapped with explosives. Ethan rushed into the fire, picking me up, his whole body shaking. I saw him crying. I could only weakly raise my hand to push him away. “Get lost…” “Ethan, I told you to get lost… Don’t touch me, I’m begging you…” The dream was shattered by the sound of crying. The warm sensation instantly dissipated. I fell back into darkness, suddenly opening my eyes to find my cheeks wet with tears. I had been dreaming. Coming to my senses, I realized I had pushed Ethan to the edge of the bed. Judging by his expression, I must have been talking in my sleep. He handed me a tissue but remained sitting at a distance from me. His fingertips also avoided touching me. My heart sank. He had misunderstood again. “Ethan.” I tried to speak. “I just had a dream.” He was really listening to me attentively. I spoke with a choked voice, “I was in a huge fire with explosives strapped to me. You wanted to die with me.” “So that’s why I yelled those things. Don’t misunderstand.” Ethan’s eyes only brightened briefly, as if realizing something, before returning to their lifeless state. “Alright, I believe you.” After saying this, he tucked me in and picked up his pillow, heading for the door. “Ethan!” I called out to him, saying to his back, “You’re lying.” He said nothing. I grabbed a pillow and threw it hard at his back. “Fine, go then! My whole body aches and you, you ungrateful bastard, are just going to leave me here to fend for myself!” I didn’t look at him after saying this, curling up into a ball and burrowing under the covers. No wonder they say young people are stubborn. The 28-year-old Ethan was rigid in his thinking, not cute at all. After a long silence, the bed dipped behind me. Ethan sighed, “Go to sleep.” “I want to be held while I sleep.” He obediently pulled me over, wrapping me in his arms. The night was still long, but I stared at the boundless darkness, unable to sleep. Since my rebirth, too much information was swirling in my mind. The person who kidnapped me had previously crossed paths with Ethan – a CEO whose company had gone bankrupt. That accident that happened to Noah years ago was actually a scheme by my uncle to drive a wedge between Ethan and me. These were all things I learned in the final year of my past life. My whereabouts had always been closely guarded by Ethan. But I was kidnapped on the way to a prenatal checkup at the hospital. How did the kidnapper find out? The only possibility was that phone call Noah made to me. Including Ethan’s last words before we died: “Thank Noah. Without him, I wouldn’t have found you.” Hindsight is 20/20. Looking back now, what role did Noah, my most trusted childhood friend of over a decade, really play in all this? ? Due to insomnia the night before, I had a splitting headache the next morning. “Ethan, I can’t get up! How could you do this to me!” After kicking him a few times, he said helplessly: “Get up and have breakfast.” “No.” He really was stubborn to a fault. I said resentfully: “You don’t like your younger self at all.” He paused for a moment before good-naturedly asking: “My younger self?” “Yes!” I fiercely snatched the blanket from his hands, wrapping myself up. “I like the 10-years-older you! Go get old and stop bothering me while I sleep!” I wriggled to the warmest spot, comfortably stretching out my limbs, feeling Ethan’s scent all over my body. I slept until the afternoon. He had clearly anticipated the possibility of me waking up hungry. Lunch was neatly arranged on the table. The room was extremely tidy, everything in perfect order. While my big bed was an island of chaos amidst the orderliness. It was a complete mess. Because of my wild behavior last night, the sheets had been pulled into strips, all tangled around Ethan. I have to say, the 28-year-old Ethan was much more innocent compared to his 38-year-old self. I shook my head, trying to clear away those blushing, heart-pounding images from my mind. After quickly freshening up and eating breakfast, I put on Ethan’s shirt, opened the door and peeked out. The office was silent. A video conference was open on the computer. The setting sun cast slanting rays through the floor-to-ceiling windows, falling on Ethan in his suit. It nicely balanced out the innate coolness and aloofness in his demeanor. My heart skipped a beat… I unconsciously blushed to my ears. Ethan had always been extremely perceptive. The moment I opened the door, he looked up. Seeing what I was wearing, he suddenly froze. I coughed lightly a few times, uncomfortable. Making sure no one else was around, I walked out red-faced and sat across from Ethan. Opening my phone, I saw Noah had called me five times and sent over a dozen text messages. All late at night. By then, I should have been in a daze, not woken by the ringtone. Could it be… I stared thoughtfully at Ethan. He looked focused, as if he hadn’t noticed my presence. Just pretend, why don’t you. I crossed my legs, swinging them back and forth right in his peripheral vision, not caring if I was flashing him. Ethan’s voice suddenly caught as he was speaking. After a brief pause, he said, “That’s all for today.” With that, he ended the meeting. He leaned back slightly in his chair, frowning. “Olivia.” “Oh? Last night you called me ‘darling,’ now I’m back to Olivia?” Look at that proper, upright appearance. Who would believe he’s the same man who did all those things last night, then pretended nothing happened? I nudged his leg hidden under the desk. “Mr. Shaw, did my phone ring last night?” Ethan calmly lowered his eyes. “I’m not sure.” “Is that so?” I leaned across the desk, grabbing his tie and pulling him closer. His eyes were like hooks. “Olivia, this is work hours.” He seriously reminded me. If not for his slightly uneven breathing, I really would have thought he was above such worldly desires. “Oh.” I lightly kissed him. “Want more?” He was silent for a moment before saying directly: “…Yes.” I kissed him again. “I’ll be next door. Wait for you to finish work so we can go home together.” Back in the room, I received another call from Noah. “Olivia, I’ve been discharged.” His voice on the phone was hoarse, his nose sounded congested, as if he hadn’t slept well all night. I was taken aback. “Why were you discharged?” “I’m not getting treatment anymore.” His tone was dejected. “If it can’t be fully repaired, I choose to give up. I want to live a quiet life with you.” I frowned. “We have no future together. Besides, I’m married.” “Then what about me?” Noah said. “What do you think our promises meant? Is it because my face is ruined that you don’t like me anymore?” I started to speak but stopped myself. “You’re the one who said we had to break up for the company to promote you, for you to go further in your career.” “But you promised you’d wait for me,” he said. “How long am I supposed to wait?” I sighed. “You had countless opportunities, yet you kept making me wait.” My uncle was the type of person who would use any means necessary to achieve his goals. After I was born, my parents abandoned me with the Sanders family and each moved overseas to start new families. I was just a pawn for the Sanders family. Noah was earning rave reviews on the big screen, while I was being backed into a corner by my uncle. That night, I called Noah over and over, but he kept rejecting my calls. The next day, I watched his on-screen first kiss and accepted my uncle’s proposal with a heavy heart. Now, Noah was asking me on the phone: “You… you’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?” I didn’t hesitate at all. “I love him.” After that, Noah didn’t message me again for several days. I thought about many things. To catch the culprit who harmed me in my past life, I would need Ethan’s help. The first step was getting him to accept the fact that I had been reborn. So he wouldn’t have me committed to a mental hospital. “…So after this young miss is reborn, she starts investigating who destroyed her family in her past life. Having insider information from the future is a huge advantage. Aren’t you curious how she turns the tables and succeeds in the end?” I rested my chin on my hands, lying in front of Ethan as I enthusiastically recounted the story. This was already the third rebirth novel I had read to him this month. Ethan listened attentively. “If you like it, I can invest in making it into a TV series.” “It’s not about whether I like it. The point is, do you like it?” He looked at the wrinkled shirt I was wearing and sighed, “If you like it, I like it.” I persisted, making a fist to use as a pretend microphone. “Then tell me your thoughts.” Ethan: “…” Recently, my interactions with him had become much more harmonious. He was very accommodating towards me, almost indulging my every whim. But I still felt like there was something between us. “Ethan,” I pulled my chair closer, sitting in front of him with a serious expression. “I think it’s time to tell you.” He put down his chopsticks, adopting a posture of listening intently. “Go ahead.” I began gravely, “Actually, I’ve also been reborn.” Silence. A long silence. Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly, his lips pressed tightly together. He wanted to laugh. I pointed at him. “Aha, you really don’t believe me!” “Continue, Olivia.” The corners of his mouth twitched, but he forcibly suppressed it. “I believe you.” I decided to go all in, recounting everything that had happened in my past life. At first, he listened like an adult humoring a child telling a story. He thought it was just a new trick I had learned. Gradually, he frowned. I knew I was saying the right things. “…The person who stabbed you was surnamed Lewis, probably an employee of your company who later went out on his own. Of course, that’s ten years from now, so I don’t know where he is now. Also, my uncle was involved. Finally, we need to be careful of Noah—” Before I could finish, we were interrupted by a shrill ringtone. Ethan and I both saw the name displayed on the phone screen. “Noah.” Due to my oversight, Noah’s contact was still saved under a nickname instead of his full name. Ethan’s expression closed off, reverting to his cool demeanor. He stood up, picking up the plates. “I’ll go wash the dishes…” That feeling came back again. He was deliberately avoiding the topic. He was still afraid. I gritted my teeth, grabbing the phone and following him to the kitchen. He stood with his back to the door, turning on the faucet. I pressed the speakerphone button. Noah’s familiar voice came through the speaker. “Olivia, this may be the last time I call you.” Besides his voice, there was also the sound of howling wind. I immediately tensed up. “Where are you?” “On the roof of our old high school.” His voice was very soft. “Olivia, do you remember? The day my parents left me, you said your family didn’t truly care for you either. You said we could be each other’s family from then on.” “When I was 18, I wanted to jump from the roof. You stopped me.” His voice was light, tinged with regret. “Now you don’t want me anymore. I feel like there’s no point in living.” “Noah, don’t do anything rash.” My mind went blank. I turned to grab my coat, putting it on. “Wait for me! I’ll be right there!” Hanging up the phone, I turned to find Ethan still standing by the sink with his back to me. As if he hadn’t heard anything, just the sound of running water. I panicked, rushing over. “Hey, are you stupid?! Why aren’t you changing?”

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My Husband and I Went to the Orphanage to Adopt a Child, and the Little One Suddenly Ran Over and Called Him Daddy After a car accident left me, Bella Carson, unable to have children, my husband Mason Reed suggested we adopt. So, we went to the adoption center. When we met the little boy Mason had chosen, a healthy, fair-skinned boy named Liam Archer, he suddenly rushed into Mason’s arms, calling out, “Dad, why did it take you so long to get here? Mom and I have been waiting forever…” Mason had a low sperm count, so after we got married, I repeatedly went to the hospital for IVF in hopes of having a child with him. Finally, in the third year of our marriage, I got pregnant. Both Mason and I were deeply invested in this long-awaited child. We often imagined what the baby would look like when it was born. But, in the end, our hopes were shattered. At six months pregnant, I was in a car accident on my way to a check-up. The accident caused me to lose the baby, and it also left me unable to have children again. I was devastated. Although Mason was just as heartbroken, he showed a smile and said it was okay. He told me that, compared to the baby, he cared more about me. He said if I really wanted a child, we could adopt one from an orphanage. However, when we went to the orphanage to adopt, the child Mason immediately picked out jumped into his arms and said, “Dad, why are you so late? Mom and I have been waiting for you!” The child’s words made my heart drop. Though I didn’t want to doubt Mason, my rational side couldn’t help but want to dig deeper. I squatted down and looked at the boy, who looked about 80% like Mason, and smiled as I asked, “If he’s your dad, then who’s your mom?” Mason’s face immediately paled. Before the child could answer, Mason hurriedly spoke, “Of course it’s you! This child is smart. He can tell we’re the perfect parents for him! Even before we officially adopted, he started calling us mom and dad!” “Dad, that’s nonsense. My real mom isn’t this dull, lifeless woman…” The child pushed me away from Mason and stood there defiantly. My heart sank. I thought, “Dull… Lifeless… These weren’t words a five-year-old should be able to say.” Mason’s face turned ashen. Just as I was about to press for more answers, the door to the break room opened. Mason’s secretary, Ruth Sterling, walked out. She looked surprised to see Mason and said, “Mr. Reed? What are you doing here? I’m off today, just came by to see the kids… Liam, what are you bothering Mr. Reed for? Didn’t I tell you before?” She walked over and yanked the child, who was still clinging to Mason, away, scolding him. Mason, looking flustered, hurried to my side, grabbed my hand, and awkwardly smiled as he explained, “All the kids here act like this. When they see good adoptive parents, they rush to call them mom and dad…” I calmly pulled my hand away. “Then why did he call Ruth mom’? I came here with you, shouldn’t he call me?” “Uh…” Mason hesitated, then replied, “After we decided to adopt, I came here with Ruth to check things out. This child had met us before and immediately decided we were his parents… you know, kids from orphanages crave affection but can be really stubborn. Changing their initial view takes time.” “Really? I guess I was just overthinking…” I stood up and started walking out. Mason hurried after me, asking, “Aren’t you going to finalize the adoption today?” “Adopting a child isn’t a small matter. I’ll think about it more carefully and let you know.”

I thought, “Women are sensitive creatures, especially those who have just lost a child and their ability to have more.” That day, at the orphanage, after the seed of doubt was planted in my heart, I couldn’t help but pay closer attention to Mason’s work and personal life. I always had the feeling that Mason and his secretary, Ruth, were up to something. One night, as I passed by the study on my way to the bathroom, I overheard a phone conversation. “The child would have been better off dead. He shouldn’t have come into this world! So what if he was a fully formed baby boy? He’s nothing compared to even a single strand of hair from Ruth’s child…” It was Mason’s voice, deliberately lowered. I thought, “Who was he talking about? Who was nothing compared to Ruth’s child?” I pressed my ear to the wooden door, straining to hear more. Then, I heard the voice of his father, Jackson Reed, come through the phone. “Are you out of your mind? How can you say something like that? Do you really think you deserve Bella? “When you and Ruth broke up because of the business trouble, you were drunk all the time and didn’t care about the company. If it weren’t for Bella begging her parents to help you, you wouldn’t be the president of the Carson Group today! You wouldn’t even have a job fixing shoes on the side of the road! “And yet? You didn’t appreciate Bella. On your wedding night, you drugged her and told her you had a weak sperm count. Bella, despite all that, didn’t blame you. She risked everything and went through nearly three years of IVF. The doctors even told her to give up, but she stubbornly insisted on having a child to carry on the Reed family legacy. But you? “You heartless bastard, not only did you fail to cherish her, but you also caused a car accident to kill the child in Bella’s womb for the sake of your and Ruth’s child and even bribed the doctor to make sure she could never have children again! How the hell did I end up with such a soulless scumbag son like you?!” “That was her choice,” Mason’s cold voice cut through the conversation. “If she hadn’t insisted on IVF, she wouldn’t have miscarried, and I wouldn’t have had the chance to make sure she couldn’t have children. “Now it doesn’t matter what you want. Bella can’t have children anymore. If you don’t let Ruth’s child, Liam, into the Reed family, you can forget about keeping any of our fortune.” I stood frozen outside the door. I thought, “What were they talking about? Mason was the one who caused my miscarriage? He was also the one who made sure I could never have children again. Was all this just so he could bring Ruth’s son, Liam, into the Reed family and secure his future?” The cold truth made my teeth clench together tightly. Then, I heard Jackson’s voice, nearly breaking down. “When your company was on the verge of bankruptcy, Bella’s parents helped you out because of her. They saved your company. After everything they did for you, why didn’t you just leave their daughter alone? Why marry her if you didn’t love her? And then, you didn’t even cherish her. Do you have any idea how much damage you’ve done to her?” “I didn’t want to marry Bella either! But it just so happened that her family, the Carson Group, could save my company, and she just happened to like me… I was just going with the flow! But that wasn’t love. The only one I’ve ever loved, from the beginning to the end, is Ruth!” I couldn’t listen to it anymore. Stumbling, I returned to the bedroom and buried myself under the covers. Over and over again, I replayed Mason’s words in my head. So, Mason had never loved me. What he married was just my position as the only daughter of the president of the Carson Group. But after the Carson Group went bankrupt and my parents passed away last year, my identity had become meaningless. That was why he dared to orchestrate a car accident to kill the child I was carrying, to hurt me beyond repair, all to make way for Ruth’s child and for Ruth herself.

When Mason’s footsteps sounded at the door of the bedroom, I quickly closed my eyes, not wanting him to know that I was awake. He tiptoed over to my bed and gently kissed my forehead. In the past few years, he often did small things like this. At that time, my heart was full of sweetness. But now, when he kissed my forehead, I only felt a chilling, spine-tingling cold. Just a moment ago, during our phone call, he had clearly told me that he didn’t love me. Yet now, he was casually making a move that contradicted his true feelings and kissed me. He was so good at pretending! His scheming was so deep it was almost terrifying. I had no power right now, so I absolutely couldn’t tear my face off with him just yet. I couldn’t let him know I had already uncovered the truth. If I did, given Mason’s unpredictable nature, I was afraid I might not even survive this. I had to quickly find the evidence of Mason’s affair and his involvement in killing our child and harming me. Then, with the law’s protection, I could completely break free from this scum of a man. Mason fell asleep soon after. Maybe I had been so naive and unaware before that Mason didn’t guard himself around me. Once he was asleep, I used his phone’s password for the first time since we got married. The phone looked clean. Whether it was WhatsApp or text messages, everything was about work and normal, everyday conversations. But this couldn’t be right. He loved Ruth so much. He had even killed our child and made sure I would never be able to have children again, all for Ruth. In such a situation, there was no way his personal phone would be so spotless. I’d heard that some cheating men set up two systems on their phones, so I tried switching the system. And sure enough, there was another one. I tried the old lock screen password. It didn’t work. Then I tried Ruth’s birthday from the HR form, and it worked. It seemed this system was set up just for Ruth! When I switched over, the first thing I saw was a wedding photo of Mason and Ruth embracing each other. In the photo, Mason had the brightest, most radiant smile. But I remembered that when Mason and I took our wedding photos, he always kept a straight face. The photographer had asked him to smile, and he’d said he wasn’t someone who liked to smile. It seemed he wasn’t someone who didn’t like to smile. He just didn’t want to smile for someone who wasn’t important to him! Although I already knew he didn’t love me, the bitterness in my heart still flooded over me. I took a deep breath and opened WhatsApp. In his WhatsApp contacts, there were only two people. One was Ruth. The other was their son, Liam. Just as I logged in, Liam had sent Mason a voice message. After glancing at the sleeping Mason, I clicked to convert it to text. [Dad, Mom is mad at me! She says it’s my fault I said the wrong thing in front of that woman, and that’s why I can’t come back to you… But I said that on purpose, we’re supposed to be a family! I don’t want anyone else to be my mom except for her!] I didn’t reply, but instead, I opened the chat between Mason and Ruth. I saw the latest messages. [I just gave your son a good scolding! With all the trouble he caused today, don’t even talk about him coming back to the Reed family to claim his place. It’s going to be tough.] Mason replied: [He’s still young, don’t hold it against him. I’ll think of a way here. Bella listens to me. I’ll talk to her in a couple of days. Maybe she’ll agree to let Liam come live with us.] [Why do you need her to agree? Why don’t you just kill her and be done with it? After all, she doesn’t have any family to back her up.] [Don’t talk like that. I’ve been married to her for three years…] [Wait, are you developing feelings for her? Choose her or me. If you pick her, I’ll take the kid and disappear from your life forever!] [I’ll choose you…] [Then kill her! Kill her, and I’ll take the kid, and we can proudly be your wife. From now on, we’ll be together forever as a family.] [Murder is illegal…] [Then use someone else to do it! Didn’t you always say your driver, Noah Blackwood, looks at Bella with interest? Why not arrange for an accident? Make sure they both die in a car crash. If it’s investigated and they find out the car was tampered with, we can blame it on Bella and Noah having an affair and committing suicide together!]

I thought, “The Driver… Yes, I do have a driver named Noah Blackwood. He’s a young man with great driving skills.” His wife had breast cancer, and to pay for her treatment, he worked three jobs every day. One time, after he collapsed in front of my house, I learned about his situation from a passerby. I found out that his combined salary from three jobs didn’t even add up to a third of what my family’s driver earned, so I decided to offer him a helping hand. At that low point in his life, Noah didn’t turn me down. When he started working as my driver, I advanced him a year’s worth of salary. He used the money to get his wife the surgery she needed in time, and now, she’s able to live a normal life again. Once his wife regained her strength, Noah was extremely grateful. Every day when he came to work, he would bring me some food made by his wife, and he would tell me that she wanted to meet the person who saved her life. From beginning to end, there was never anything inappropriate between Noah and me. I never noticed Noah looking at me in a way that wasn’t proper. Noah had his beloved wife, and his Instagram was full of pictures of them together, living happily. I didn’t understand why Mason, who also had Noah’s WhatsApp, misunderstood the situation. Even more confusing was why he would tell Ruth about these baseless rumors. I thought, “But none of that matters now. What matters is that Mason, taking Ruth’s advice, decided to make a move against me and Noah tomorrow. It’s truly sad. They say that a married couple shares affection. But for me, after three years of marriage, I’ve only earned hatred so intense that they wish they could get rid of me completely.” Fighting back my frustration, I saved all these chat records. I also looked through the earlier messages and saved some evidence that could prove Mason’s infidelity, the abortion, and how he caused harm to his wife. I then logged out of the system and put his phone away. Perhaps the truth hit me so hard tonight that I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned in bed all night while Mason, in his sleep, muttered Ruth’s name the most. Occasionally, my name came up, too. I thought, maybe in his dream, I had some kind of conflict with Ruth. Otherwise, how could someone like me end up in the same dream as Ruth? But never mind, after tomorrow, everything will be over. The next morning, when I opened my eyes, I saw that Mason was already gone. When I was having breakfast, he came back home. As I was eating, I noticed the smell of gasoline on him. “Did you drive out?” “Yeah, Dad suddenly felt unwell last night. Since the driver had finished his shift, I drove myself over to check on him…” I thought about Jackson, who had been defending me last night while Mason kept attacking him, and I couldn’t help but put my fork down and ask, “How’s your dad doing?” “He said his heart was bothering him. I’ve already taken him to the hospital… Honey, do you want to go see him?” “I should go,” I replied calmly, finishing the last bite of my egg. Mason looked at me with a complicated expression. “You don’t have to go if you’re not up for it… Your health hasn’t been great since the miscarriage…” “I’ll go. After I married you, your dad has always treated me well. If he’s unwell, I should see him,” I said, standing up and asking Sara Baker to get me some clothes. But then Mason came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and buried his head in my neck. He took a deep breath and said, “Honey… I’m sorry…” “Why are you suddenly apologizing?” “Since we met, you’ve helped me so much, but because of me, you’ve suffered so much… When we got married, I promised I’d give you a lifetime of happiness, but now, it seems I was too confident back then.” I couldn’t help but laugh coldly to myself. I thought, “Was this regret? But Mason, even if you regretted it, you still didn’t stop me from jumping into your trap of death!” With Mason seeing me off, I walked to the door. Outside, Noah, already at work, opened the car door and greeted me with a bright smile. “Good morning, Mrs. Reed!” I nodded at Noah and got into the car. Mason stood at the door, watching us leave. In the rearview mirror, Mason’s figure grew smaller and smaller. In the end, he even chased after the car, but… it seemed like it was already too late! Noah drove steadily, but if something were to happen to the car, the brakes would have to be tampered with. I didn’t know much about cars. And I didn’t know how Mason had tampered with the brakes. But I could clearly feel the car, which had been driving at a constant speed, picking up speed. Noah seemed to notice it, too. He tried to brake. But it failed. “Mrs. Reed…” He looked at me with a pale face and said with a trembling voice, “The brakes seem to be failing! I checked everything before leaving yesterday…” “It’s fine!” I pointed ahead at the bridge railing and said coldly, “Crash into it, and after the car falls off the bridge, use the safety hammer’s blade to cut the seatbelt and break the window to escape. I can swim!”

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On the tenth anniversary of my marriage to Ryan Thompson, I discovered he was cheating. I had no photos, no evidence. My only reason for suspicion was that he said “Good morning” to me when he woke up. After ten years of saying “Morning,” he suddenly switched to “Good morning.” When the private investigator sent the photos, I was sitting in my usual cafe at my usual time, drinking my usual cappuccino. The steam from the coffee blurred the images on my phone screen, but the content was crystal clear. Ryan had indeed been unfaithful. The other woman was barely twenty, twelve years younger than me. Seeing him gazing lovingly at her, I set down my coffee cup. Today’s coffee tasted bitter. I first suspected his infidelity two days ago. That morning, he woke up looking cheerful, wearing a hoodie instead of his usual dark suit. Then he said, “Good morning” to me. They say a woman’s intuition is accurate. It certainly was. That morning, without photos, evidence, or any woman causing a scene, I knew my husband of ten years had strayed. After he left that day, I called a private investigator. Today’s results merely confirmed what I already knew. I felt oddly calm, so calm that I wondered if I had already lost all feelings for Ryan. I saved the photos, paid the investigator’s final fee, settled my coffee bill, and took a taxi to Ryan’s office. The receptionist tried to announce me, but I stopped her. I took the elevator to Ryan’s office on the ninth floor. When I opened the door, he was grinning at his phone. Seeing me, he quickly changed his expression to his usual gentle, caring demeanor: “Olivia, what brings you here?” I stared at him silently, watching the nervous sweat form on his brow, seeing the guilt he couldn’t quite hide in his eyes. After making him squirm, I finally spoke: “Nothing much. I just remembered today is our tenth wedding anniversary. I booked a restaurant and thought we could have dinner after work.” Ryan’s face paled for a moment. I knew he had completely forgotten. I also knew he had promised to take that young girl to the amusement park to ride the Ferris wheel tonight. The investigator was thorough – he even sent me the girl’s social media account. I browsed through it out of boredom. They first met ten months ago. The girl’s name had “Zhi” in it, and she was a pastry chef at a cake shop. That explained why desserts from a brand called “Azhi Handmade” kept appearing at home. Several times, Ryan had even brought home desserts with mango – the fruit I’m allergic to. The girl also had a white cat, which explained the cat hair on Ryan. He’s actually allergic to cats, which is why we never got one despite how much I love them. Ryan was really sacrificing for love. Twenty-year-old girls are easy to read and can’t hide things well. Her account was full of lovey-dovey content. She called Ryan “Uncle.” For nine months, she had been documenting their sweet story: [Uncle came to buy my cake again today. I drew a special heart on it just for him.] [Uncle confessed to me! It feels like a dream. I’m the happiest girl in the world now.] Photo: roses.jpg That night, Ryan didn’t come home. I remember it clearly because I had a stomachache and called him several times, but he didn’t answer. The next day, he came home looking disheveled, hugged me and apologized, saying there was an emergency at work and he had to pull an all-nighter.

I kept scrolling through her posts – birthdays, trips, dates. They did look happy. Until the most recent update: [Uncle finally agreed to ride the Ferris wheel with me tonight! We’ll kiss at the highest point, so we’ll never be apart!] Ryan didn’t go with her to the Ferris wheel after all. He chose me. Ten years of companionship still outweighed ten months, it seemed. The familiar revolving restaurant, the familiar table – from here, we had the best view of the entire city. Ten years is a long time. Long enough for us to go from sharing a bowl of noodles to sitting at the highest point of the city, ordering two steaks that had been flown in from Holland that morning. I pushed the gift I had prepared towards Ryan. He had to feign gratitude. It was a pair of cufflinks worth six figures, but Ryan wasn’t wearing a suit today. He wasn’t even wearing his wedding ring. “I’m touched, thank you, Olivia.” “I really should apologize too. I’ve been so busy that I forgot our anniversary, so I didn’t have time to get you a gift. Can you forgive me?” Ryan held my hand, apologizing with seeming sincerity. I smiled: “It’s alright, I forgive you.” The double meaning was clear. I hoped he would understand. After that, we fell silent. We clinked glasses silently, cut our steaks silently. The knives and forks made harsh sounds against the plates. Ryan seemed uncomfortable, constantly checking the time. “Do you remember when we were poorest? I found a great part-time job as a waiter at a five-star hotel. One table ordered over ten thousand dollars worth of food. While serving, I dropped a pastry. The customer got angry. That pastry cost $1,345 – half a month’s salary for me. It was so expensive.” “Olivia, why are you suddenly bringing this up?” Ryan’s face showed a hint of embarrassment. I ignored him and continued: “The manager scolded me harshly. I had to stand there for two hours as punishment. After the customers left, I secretly packed up that pastry and took it home. We squeezed into our tiny, powerless rental apartment and shared it, bite by bite. I thought it was the most delicious pastry in the world then, but today…” I looked up, and Ryan avoided my gaze guiltily: “I suddenly can’t remember what that pastry tasted like anymore.” “Olivia, do you want some dessert? I can order some right away,” Ryan said eagerly. “Forget it, let’s just eat,” I said, lowering my eyes. But Ryan suddenly stood up: “Olivia, there’s an emergency at work. I need to go back. I’ll make it up to you for our anniversary another time.” He left in such a hurry he almost tripped, not even looking back. All because that girl had just posted an update: [Uncle is a big liar. I don’t want to talk to him anymore. crying] The photo showed her burned hand and a half-finished anniversary cake. I looked out at the glittering city night view. I put down my knife and fork, finally remembering what that pastry from years ago tasted like. It was bitter. In the reflection of the glass, I saw my tear-streaked face. Ryan had forgotten. That night, squeezed onto our tiny single bed, he held me tight and said: “Olivia, I promise I’ll make something of myself. I’ll let you sit at the highest point of the city and eat the most expensive meal.” Now I was eating that meal, but the person was gone. It turns out ten months really can be longer than ten years.

After that day, Ryan didn’t come home for three days. Love is always impulsive and passionate. Before midnight that night, they rode the Ferris wheel, kissed at the highest point, and promised to never be apart. “Here’s your cake.” “Thank you.” I politely closed the photo on my phone screen of the two of them kissing on the Ferris wheel. I carefully examined the girl before me. We were finally meeting. Emily Davis, Ryan’s mistress. She smiled warmly, showing her cute little fangs. “This is our shop’s signature cake. It’s super delicious!” Young girls really are different – so full of energy and sunshine. I tried a bite of her cake. It tasted good, just too sweet. Sickeningly sweet. “It’s very good.” “Can I get another one to go? I want to bring it to my husband.” She smiled: “Of course, beautiful sister. You and your husband must have a great relationship.” I didn’t respond, just watched her carefully tie a bow on the bag. As I was leaving, she said sweetly: “Come back again soon! I hope your husband likes my cake too.” “He will. He’ll love it.” I gave her one last long look, then turned and left. I sat on the sofa waiting for Ryan to come home. Because he hadn’t been home for several days, he had an ingratiating smile when he saw me. “Olivia dear, I’ve been so busy these past few days. I brought you a gift. Please don’t be mad at me, okay?” He came up behind me, put his arms around my shoulders and buried his face in my neck. But I could still smell that sickly sweet scent on him. I shrugged out of his embrace without a word. I handed him the boxed cake. Sure enough, when he saw the packaging, the color drained from his face. “Why did you suddenly buy cake?” He was testing me. I kept my face expressionless. Ryan was still trying to keep up appearances. He pulled a velvet box from his pocket containing a jeweled bracelet. “Olivia, are you still mad at me? I swear, it won’t happen again. Really.” “Don’t be angry, okay Olivia?” I used to find Ryan’s wheedling childish but endearing. No matter how decisive and ruthless he was outside, at home he was always my Huaizhi. But now, this special treatment had become his way of lying to me. I forced a smile: “I was passing by and remembered you like it, so I bought some.” Ryan let out a sigh of relief. He leaned in again and fastened the bracelet around my wrist. “I knew my Olivia couldn’t stay mad at me.” I felt dazed. I used to think Ryan had never changed. In my heart, he was always that 20-year-old boy. Now, I could clearly see the fine lines around his eyes, his sagging cheeks, the gray hairs mixed in with the black. “How many years have we known each other?” “Fifteen years. Five years dating, ten years married.” Ryan answered quickly, as if afraid of making another mistake I might notice. “Fifteen years… that really is a long time.” “Only fifteen years, Olivia. We still have many more fifteens ahead of us.” Ryan was eager to prove his loyalty. But fifteen years really was too long. So long I thought it would be a lifetime. Long enough for someone to grow tired of it.

After that day, out of guilt, Ryan stayed home obediently for a week. Then he started not coming home again. I went back to Azhi Handmade. Sat in the same spot as before. Scrolling through Emily’s page. Turns out they went skiing last week. The same cake was placed in front of me. Emily still had that same smile. “Nice to see you again, beautiful sister.” I nodded but didn’t touch the cake. “What’s wrong? Not going to try it today?” “I’m tired of it.” I said simply. Emily’s expression froze for a moment before she recovered her smile. “That’s okay, we have other flavors in the shop. They’re all delicious!” “You can try a different one.” Try a different one. Indeed, I could try something different. I took out my phone and snapped a photo of the shop, posting it with the caption: [Delicious.] Within minutes, Ryan called. I ignored it, hanging up and putting my phone on silent. Emily was making a cake. I stood up and slowly walked over. She looked up and smiled at me. “Want to give it a try, beautiful sister?” “It’s different when you make it yourself.” I nodded. So she brought me into her workspace. She guided me hands-on in making a cake. As we worked, she chattered away: “Beautiful sister, let me tell you, I met my boyfriend while making cakes. The first time he made one, it was all crooked and ugly.” “You two must be very close.” Emily smiled shyly, her eyes sparkling: “Yes, I love him so much.” “We need to trim the cake first.” She handed me the knife. I looked at her young, radiant face and raised the knife. Suddenly I heard a shout: “No!” Then I saw Ryan rush in, roughly push me aside and shield Emily, looking at me in panic. “Olivia, I know I was wrong, but don’t hurt her.” My shoulder slammed hard into the wall, a sharp pain shooting through me. The knife slipped and cut across the back of my hand, drawing blood. I stared at Ryan as I put down the knife and straightened up. Emily was still confused. She clung to Ryan, gripping his clothes tightly. “What’s wrong, Uncle?” I took off my ring and held it up in front of her. It matched the one on Ryan’s left hand as he shielded her. She finally realized – I was the original wife he had no feelings for, who made him lose his passion. Those were her words on her blog: [I feel so bad for Uncle, trapped in a loveless marriage. But it’s okay, I don’t need anything. I just want his love.] She had known all along that Ryan was married. I watched her face turn pale with shock, then suddenly gather her courage and step forward. She bowed to me, her voice shaking: “I’m sorry. I know what I did was wrong, but I have to say it. Uncle and I truly love each other. I don’t want anything else, I just want him.” Ryan looked at her with eyes full of emotion. How pure, I thought. But he had forgotten that I said those exact words ten years ago. Kneeling in front of my father, my face set stubbornly. [I don’t need anything. I just want him.] Back then, Ryan had grabbed my hand and told me he would never let me down. But now. “Olivia, I’m sorry, but I love her.” Ryan looked the picture of undying love as they embraced. I had become the evil supporting character getting in the way of the leads’ romance. Slap! I raised my hand and struck Ryan hard across the face, so hard my palm stung. The wedding ring traced a beautiful arc through the air, fell to the ground, and rolled out of sight. Ryan held his face, not daring to look at me. The young girl was heartbroken for him. She wanted to say something to me, but Ryan held her back. I didn’t say a word. I just straightened my back, walked out of the workspace, smoothed my hair, and picked up my bag. Then I turned back to Ryan and said the only thing I had to say since he arrived: “I’ve sent the divorce papers to your email. Sign them quickly.”

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Five years of marriage, yet my wife never let me touch her. It wasn’t until she left me in the emergency room to pick up her true love at the airport that I finally understood. She was saving herself for her ideal man. And I was just a substitute, a toy she could discard at will. I gave up, choosing to let them be together. But my wife grabbed my clothes, kneeling on the ground, refusing to let go. “You said you’d love me for a lifetime,” she pleaded. My girlfriend was lying on the couch, editing photos on her phone. As I walked by, I accidentally caught a glimpse of a picture of her with her ideal lover. The two of them were wearing matching outfits, cuddling together, looking like the perfect couple in love. My heart instantly turned cold. In our five years of marriage, forget about matching outfits – she wouldn’t even walk next to me in public, saying I was too ugly and embarrassed her. I had a crush on her for four years in college, and we rushed into marriage right after graduation. I knew it was because her ideal lover had abandoned her that day, and I happened to be by her side when she impulsively chose me. Despite this, I still believed that through sincere dedication, I could make her fall in love with me. But now, seeing this photo, I realized it was just my wishful thinking. I confronted her with a dark expression: “Why do you still have this kind of photo with Chris?” To my surprise, she exploded, looking down on me with contempt. “Who told you to look at my phone? This is private, don’t you understand?” Private? After five years of marriage, I just glanced at her phone, and she talks about privacy? Chris was practically kissing her cheek, and she had a big smile on her face. I felt sick. Seeing that I didn’t respond, Mia became even more aggressive. “Chris is now working with our company, and this photo was just for a game. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do about it.” “People with dirty minds think everything is dirty.” With that, Mia walked away without looking back. In the past, I would have tried to stop her. But today, I didn’t. I was starting to lose hope in her. Did she even believe what she was saying? What kind of game requires matching outfits? And looking at the watch Chris was wearing, it was clearly a couple’s set with hers. Was that part of the game too?

That night, I was negotiating with a client and ended up with an acute gastric perforation. The doctor said I needed a family member to take care of me. In this city, Mia was my only family. It was because of her that I came to this city in the first place. I had no choice but to call her. “Mia, can you come to the hospital to take care of me?” Before I could finish, she coldly interrupted me. “It’s just a photo, and now you’re pretending to be sick to trick me? I’m out right now!” Before she finished speaking, I heard a man’s voice, and then the call was abruptly ended. Looking at the five-second call on my phone, I laughed bitterly, my heart turning cold. I recognized the voice – it was her ideal lover, Chris. I was her husband, drinking myself to the point of gastric perforation just to help her more. Yet she would rather accompany her true love than come to the hospital for me. No wonder in five years of marriage, she wouldn’t let me touch even a finger. She was saving herself for her ideal man. Maybe if I really had an accident, she would be happy. After all, without me as an obstacle, she could openly be with her true love. That night, I spent the most painful night of my life in the operating room. I thought I would be very angry, that my heart would ache. But surprisingly, I felt nothing, not a single emotional fluctuation. I knew this was a sign of falling out of love. Mia could no longer affect my emotions in any way. The doctor saw that I didn’t make a sound during the surgery and couldn’t help but admire me. It wasn’t that I couldn’t feel the pain, it was just that in my state of despair, this little pain was negligible. The day after the surgery, ignoring the doctor’s advice, I forcibly checked out of the hospital. I printed out a divorce agreement downstairs. Lying on the couch, I quietly waited for Mia to come home. 2 It wasn’t until midnight that Mia returned home, drunk and smiling. In five years, I had rarely seen her smile so happily. She could smile and speak softly to others, but to me, she was always cold-faced, speaking in a commanding tone. Seeing me lying on the couch, Mia waved her hand and coldly ordered: “Jack, go get me some water to wash my feet.” Seeing that I didn’t move, Mia’s expression turned colder. “Jack, are you deaf? I’ll say it again, go get me some water to wash my feet.” I had just had surgery on my stomach and couldn’t move easily. I shook my head. “Go get it yourself.” As soon as I spoke, Mia’s eyes turned ice-cold. “You think you’ve grown wings now, daring to disobey me?” Mia sat down opposite me with a mocking expression, reeking of alcohol, her eyes full of disdain. I laughed coldly inside. It seems she had quite a few drinks today, and she was in a good mood. No wonder, two old lovers reuniting. If she had said she wasn’t coming home tonight, I wouldn’t have been surprised. After loving each other for so many years, having dinner, drinking, and maybe rolling in bed to reminisce – not too much to ask, right? I took a deep breath and looked at her calmly. “Mia, let’s get a divorce.” Mia’s expression changed as she looked at me. It wasn’t pleading or reluctance, but shock. “You dare to divorce me?” Her tone was high and mighty, as if speaking to her servant or slave. She couldn’t believe I had the guts. For five years, I had been like a dog, accepting everything she did. When we got married, she refused to serve tea to my parents as a sign of respect. She said she had already served tea to her ideal lover’s parents before, and that she would only do it once in her life. She could only have one set of in-laws in this lifetime. The wedding venue fell silent instantly. It was me who jokingly took the microphone and went along with her wishes. Under my parents’ grim expressions, I served that cup of tea on her behalf. Thinking about it now, I was such an idiot! I handed her the divorce agreement, my expression flat. “Sign it. I’m making way for Chris. From now on, the man of this house will be the one you’ve been dreaming of day and night. You won’t have to face this substitute anymore.” Mia’s face changed, looking a bit flustered. “How did you know? Did you follow me?” “If you had spoken a little quieter on the phone a few days ago, I wouldn’t have heard. And didn’t you go to see him today?” I laughed coldly. Did I need to follow her? A few days ago, they were video calling in the living room, laughing and chatting, completely disregarding my presence. They even openly planned their travel itinerary. It’s really ironic when I think about it. She never went out to eat with me, not even to watch a movie. But for her ideal lover, she could drop all her work just to accompany him properly. Mia fell silent at my questions, her eyes dodging mine. But she quickly regained her composure. “Jack, don’t be delusional. When I married you, you had nothing. Now that you’ve achieved a little success, you want to fly solo? Not a chance. I’ll make sure you leave with nothing, you ungrateful bastard!” I looked at her calmly, my eyes full of disappointment. The year we graduated, because I had a falling out with my parents, I was penniless. Her parents demanded a $50,000 bride price, plus a house and a car. I borrowed from everywhere, but still fell short. Because of this, her parents always looked down on me, thinking I wasn’t good enough for Mia. Mia negotiated with her parents to pay them in installments. I agreed readily, vowing at the time to love her, cherish her, and spoil her for a lifetime. I never expected that after five years of marriage, I still couldn’t warm her heart.

“I can sign the agreement. The company is yours. I came with nothing, and I’ll leave with nothing. Consider it the final punctuation mark for all these years of dedication.” I didn’t want to argue with her anymore. After we got married, to give Mia a better life, I chose to start a business and worked part-time at night. Once the company stabilized, Mia said she wanted to help and asked me to arrange a vice president position for her. I gladly agreed. But she only took a salary, going out shopping with friends every day. It was me who went to entertain clients, drinking until I got a gastric perforation. I personally negotiated all the important projects for the company. Mia knew nothing about the company, no wonder she was worried. If she wanted it, she could have it all. Consider it my closure for these five years of marriage. This way, at least there would be no financial disputes. “Divorce is impossible. You said you’d love me for a lifetime. Are you going back on your word? Don’t you have any feelings for me at all?” Mia suddenly changed her attitude, stepping forward and tearing the divorce agreement to shreds. “What about you? Can you put your hand on your heart and say you have feelings for me?” I asked sarcastically. The room fell silent for a moment. My words had stumped her. Looking at Mia standing there dumbfounded, I felt no ripple in my heart. Five years of marriage, no, nine years of love. How ridiculous. “I’ll print another copy of the divorce agreement. This marriage is over, as far as I’m concerned.” I looked at Mia, then stood up to leave. Perhaps I got up too quickly. A sharp pain shot through my abdomen. I clutched my stomach, staggering and almost falling. Mia frowned slightly and came forward to support me. Seeing me clutching my stomach, pale-faced and sweating profusely, she lifted my shirt despite my protests. The bandage on my abdomen was soaked with blood. I must have torn the wound open with my sudden movement. “You had surgery? Why didn’t you tell me?” Mia asked, shocked. I laughed bitterly. “Didn’t I tell you? Oh right, you were too busy rushing to the airport to pick up your true love to listen to me.” “I… I’ll take you to the hospital,” Mia said, her eyes dodging mine. “No need to trouble you, Ms. Lee. I’ll go myself.” She flinched at my formal address. I used to call her “honey”. Addressing her by her title for the first time signified that she no longer held a place in my heart. “You can’t leave. I won’t allow it,” she said weakly. Hearing her powerless words, I said flatly, “I’m tired. I can’t love you anymore.” “You proposed marriage back then. Today, let me end it.” “Mia, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t have attended that graduation party. I wish… I had never met you.” With that, I pushed her away, ignoring her attempt to grab me, and walked out the door. I didn’t have much in this house anyway. I was always an outsider here. Mia would lock the door whether she was sleeping or showering. Who else was in the house besides me? She guarded against me like I was a thief. Was there any point in continuing such a marriage? Once outside, I took a taxi back to the hospital to have my wound restitched. I felt utterly exhausted, so I stayed at the hospital for the night. The doctor was worried about my wound reopening, so he quickly arranged a bed for me. The next day, I went to a small shop outside the hospital to print another copy of the divorce agreement. Just as I was about to go back and end this relationship that had exhausted me for years, I saw a man and a woman approaching, laughing and chatting. They were carrying gifts, as if visiting someone in the hospital. The woman was my wife, Mia, and the man was her ideal lover, Chris.

Of course, I didn’t think they were coming to see me, because Mia had no idea I was in this hospital. Mia was startled when she saw me. She looked flustered and quickly put down what she was carrying, walking up to me. “Honey, why are you here?” Honey? How ridiculous. In five years of marriage, this was the first time she had called me that. Yesterday she was making a fuss about not wanting a divorce, and today she’s laughing and chatting with her ex. The term made me feel sick. “Don’t call me honey. It makes me nauseous,” I said, looking at Mia with disgust. Seeing me, Chris’s face took on a playful expression, like a cat that had stolen some fish. “Hello, I’m Mia’s friend. Nice to meet you.” “Are you here to visit a patient too? Mia insisted on coming with me to see my mom. I told her it was just a fever, but she was so worried.” “Look, she even bought all these gifts.” After speaking, he gave me a smug look. I laughed coldly inside, ignoring him. When I was lying in the hospital unable to even drink a sip of water, I didn’t see Mia come to visit me once. But when her ideal lover’s mother just had a headache and fever, she rushed to visit as if the woman might die any second. How ridiculous. Anyone who didn’t know better would think they were the real family. Mia seemed to remember why I was in the hospital and looked at me with guilt. I sneered, “The divorce isn’t final yet, and you’re already so eager to see your future mother-in-law?” Mia looked at me nervously, “I didn’t… you misunderstood me.” I waved my hand dismissively. “That’s not important.” “Just sign the agreement quickly. We’ll go to the civil affairs office this afternoon. Otherwise, if I leave, you and he won’t be able to be together openly.” Mia’s face changed. “You’re leaving? Where to?” “None of your business!” After coldly saying this, I ignored her and turned to go home to pack, leaving her to do whatever she wanted with her ideal lover. I had very few belongings, just a few changes of clothes and shoes. My only suit was bought for the graduation party. Over the years, although I had earned quite a bit of money, I rarely spent it on myself. It was mostly to please Mia, buying her things to make her smile. For every holiday, anniversary, or birthday, I would prepare a gift for her. But she would always throw them in the trash without even looking, trampling my sincere feelings at will. As I thought about this, I fell asleep on the couch. I was woken by the sound of the door opening. Mia was back. I looked at the time. It was already afternoon. That meant she and her ideal lover had been out playing all day. They might even have been invited to her future mother-in-law’s house. Seeing Mia nervously approach me, I took out the divorce agreement I had signed. “Hurry up. Sign it and we’ll go to the civil affairs office. I don’t want to delay your date.” I said coldly. But Mia suddenly grabbed my clothes, her face pleading. “Jack, let’s not get divorced, okay?” “I know I wasn’t good to you before. I’ll make it up to you.” “I even bought some lingerie. You’ve always wanted children, right? I’ll give you one today.” As she spoke, Mia started to undress. It was the first time I had seen her white body. It was so alluring. The body I had longed for day and night was right in front of me, but I felt no desire at all. In fact, I felt a bit disgusted.

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My stepsister married the billionaire who was supposed to be my fiancé. As she walked past me on his arm, she gave me a smug smile. “Little sis, this incredible fortune was too much for you to handle. Your big sister had to step in and take it off your hands.” I just smiled back without saying a word. I still remember how she later ended up beaten bloody by debt collectors, kneeling and begging me for help. What a pitiful sight that was. My sister had locked me in the house. Today was the day my fiancé Jack was returning to the country. We had been betrothed since childhood, an arrangement made by my late mother and Jack’s mother when they were young. My stepmother had known about this for a long time. She had always despised me, so how could she possibly let such good fortune fall into my hands? They locked me in my room and had my stepsister take my place. Chloe gave me a vicious kick, hitting me right in the stomach. I was already hungry, and now the pain made me curl up on the floor. The next second she roughly yanked me up by the arm. Her eyes were full of mock pity as she sneered, “Little sister, I’ve stolen everything from you for twenty years. Now I’m even taking your fiancé. How does it feel? Do you hate me?” I glared at her fiercely, wanting to fight back, but the pain left me too weak to move. Seeing this, she slapped me hard across the face. “You’ve got some nerve giving me that look. Don’t even think about resisting.” The bright red handprint stung on my cheek. Chloe was very pleased with my wretched state. She taunted me cruelly: “Who can you blame for the misery of your 25 years? Your short-lived mother for leaving you all alone in this world? If you want to blame someone, blame her – you poor motherless child.” “Oh right, you don’t know this, but I’m the one who got your mom killed.” My body went rigid with shock. Everyone had always said my mother was assaulted and killed by some thugs. I had suspected my stepfamily’s involvement, but those thugs had mysteriously died afterwards. Even if I wanted to prove their guilt, I had no evidence. Chloe cackled with laughter. “That’s what you and your mother get for being so pretty. You deserved to be ruined.” I clenched my fists tightly, trembling with rage. No, now wasn’t the time to strike back. I had to wait a little longer. Chloe kicked me again before continuing: “When I was little, I was on my way to buy candy when I came across your mom. She was lying motionless on the ground. I was so scared at first.” “When I got closer, I realized she was still barely breathing. Want to know what happened next?” She crouched down and whispered in my ear: “She weakly called out to me, ‘Chloe’. She begged me to call 911. Her phone was right there next to her.” “But I didn’t. Hahaha I watched her die right in front of me. All I could think was that you were motherless now, but I still had my mom!” “I don’t know why, but seeing you in pain just made me so happy. The more you suffered, the better I felt!” I felt my blood run cold, my body frozen stiff. My stepmother’s voice came from the doorway: “Why are you telling her all this? Hurry up and go meet your fiancé!” “Coming, Mom!” Chloe called back. I stared out the window at the sunset, biting my lip hard until I tasted blood. Only then did I manage to calm myself as memories flashed through my mind. Suddenly, I smiled. Their time to be so arrogant was running out.

From the moment I was born, I had been aware that I was living in a story. I knew how everything would unfold. My so-called billionaire fiancé was actually a despicable hypocrite. He appeared refined on the surface, but was rotten to the core – an abusive gambler and womanizer who would eventually be shot dead. His wife, after enduring endless torture and humiliation, would end up jumping to her death. My stepmother would die alongside her daughter. The mother-daughter pair’s fate could be considered karmic retribution for their evil deeds. Now, if the story went according to the usual script, they would inevitably bring about their own downfall sooner or later. But I never expected there would be a twist. I suspected that the Jack Johnson in this story had been replaced by someone else.

He was lounging on the sofa as my stepmother Fiona brought him tea, grinning from ear to ear. “Oh my, what a handsome face! I like this son-in-law more and more!” She reached out to touch Jack’s face, but Chloe quickly pushed her hand away. “Mom! What are you doing?” she scolded, clearly annoyed. Fiona just chuckled. “Alright, alright. I know he’s yours. I won’t steal him, you little brat.” Sitting across from them, I smirked as I watched the scene unfold. In the original story, there was even a plot where the mother and daughter fought over the same man. However, my smile caught Jack’s attention. He asked, “And who is she?” Fiona quickly spoke up: “That’s Chloe, Abigail’s sister that I told you about.” “Is that so? For some reason, I have a feeling she’s actually the real Abigail Quinn,” Jack replied. The room went silent for a moment. Fiona panicked. “No, no, that’s impossible. You two have never met before. I already told you she’s Chloe. Why would I lie to you?” She hurriedly tried to pull me into another room to lock me away again. But Jack said, “Wait.” Fiona nervously swallowed. Jack smiled. “She is Abigail Quinn, isn’t she?” “Impersonating someone else’s identity is a crime, you know.” I could feel Fiona’s hand trembling violently as she gripped my arm. Chloe stepped forward, shielding Fiona. “It was all my idea. Don’t blame my mom!” As I listened to their conversation, I frowned in confusion. In my memories, Jack had married Chloe without any doubts, completely fooled by the deception. Could it be that he knew something? Looking into Jack’s dark, inscrutable eyes, I had an ominous feeling.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Suddenly Jack burst out laughing. It was a cruel, dangerous sound. “Why are you all so nervous? Even if she is the real Abigail, I’ve already given my heart to Chloe. Let’s just have the wedding as planned. You’re all part of the Quinn family anyway.” Hearing this, Chloe’s eyes immediately lit up with joy. She clutched Jack’s arm, asking excitedly, “Really? Do you really mean it?” Jack patted her head. “Of course I do.” Fiona happily clapped Jack on the shoulder. “You naughty boy, you nearly gave me a heart attack! As punishment, you have to have a drink with me tonight!” Chloe shot me a smug look. “Little sister, I guess you just don’t have the good fortune to enjoy all this wealth and luxury!” Thanks for the offer, but I wouldn’t want that “good fortune” even if you gave it to me. Jack’s little performance tonight made me suspicious. His tone, logic, and even appearance were completely different from the character I remembered from the story. I had a bold theory – I suspected he had been replaced by someone else. Friend or foe, I couldn’t be sure. I also couldn’t be certain if this transformation meant he was now on a path of righteousness. If that was the case, I’d have to carry out my revenge on my own. For now, I couldn’t figure it out. I turned to go back to my room, but Chloe grabbed my arm. She looked down at me haughtily and commanded, “I order you to bring me a basin of water to soak my feet.” Look at that, she’s already putting on airs before officially becoming Mrs. Johnson. Unfortunately for her, I had no intention of indulging her. I dumped an entire bucket of scalding hot water all over her body. The boiling water instantly turned her skin an angry red. She let out a piercing scream. “Ahhhh! Abigail! Are you trying to kill me?!” “Mom! Mom! Hurry up and beat her to death!” Chloe was bright red all over, like she’d just been pulled out of a boiling pot. She wailed as she ran to pour cold water on herself. As she passed by, I slapped her face hard twice. “Stop putting on an act, sis. I’ve been holding back for a long time today.” If it weren’t for wanting her to successfully marry Jack, I would have run away long ago. Did they really think they could keep me trapped with their puny brains? Fiona rushed over to hit me, but I caught her arm and flipped her whole body. Her flabby rear end hit the floor with a thud as she cried out in pain. “Owww!” I sneered, “Stepmother, are you so arrogant because you have some animal protection group looking out for you?” “Unfortunately, you’re nothing but a couple of mad dogs.” “Next time you bark at me like that, I guarantee I’ll beat you until you can’t even afford the medical bills!”

I didn’t give them a chance to react before heading back to my apartment. As soon as I opened the door, my cat Sweetie jumped into my arms, nuzzling against me. After petting her fur and feeding her, there was a knock at the door. Through the peephole, I saw it was Jack outside. I frowned, not planning to let him in. But then he spoke: “You’ve awakened, haven’t you?” My heart skipped a beat. Did he know? “Don’t be so extreme. They are family after all.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “You fake, are you here to speak up for them?” Jack: “Yes. Don’t go against your stepsister.” So he really was on their side. My clenched fists trembled violently. “And what if I don’t listen?” I challenged. Jack didn’t respond. After a long silence, I realized he had already left. It seemed he would have to be dealt with as well.

The wedding was set for three days later. Before then, I went to cash in a winning lottery ticket and used the money to hire some people. But I didn’t expect to run into Chloe on the street. She was dressed up glamorously. As soon as she saw me, her eyes blazed with fury. She charged at me, ready to attack. But Jack grabbed her arm, stopping her. “What are you doing?” “Jack, she poured boiling water on me yesterday. I have to get revenge!” She tried to lunge forward again, but Jack said in a low voice, “Enough.” Chloe didn’t dare defy him, but she still glared at me, grinding her teeth in hatred. She turned to me, “Little sister, you were quite bold yesterday!” I raised an eyebrow. “I suppose.” Chloe looked up at Jack and said, “Jack, you don’t know this, but my sister is actually a prostitute. She didn’t come home last night – who knows which man she was sleeping with.” Those kinds of insults didn’t faze me at all. But Jack’s gaze as he looked at me was very searching. “Soon I’ll be the high and mighty Mrs. Johnson. When you see me, you’ll have to kneel and beg forgiveness!” Chloe gloated. I found it amusing. “Has the water damaged your brain, sis? The nonsense coming out of your mouth is laughable.” “You-!” She sputtered in anger. “Just wait and see me walk down the aisle in three days!” I smiled and agreed. Sure, in three days you’ll be walking straight into your coffin. I didn’t expect Chloe’s revenge tactics to be so crude. That night, as I was leaving work, someone knocked me unconscious. When I came to, I found myself tied up and lying on a bed. I smirked in disgust. Using a small knife, I cut through the ropes. Opening the door, I realized I was in a hotel. Hiding behind a wall, I saw a shadowy figure sneak into the room I had just left. Soon after, I heard him cursing and making a phone call: “What the hell are you playing at?!” The person on the other end said something. The man snapped in frustration: “I don’t care! Come see for yourself!” A few minutes later, Chloe showed up at the hotel. But before she could say much, the man roughly dragged her into the room. Her shrill screams rang out. [CUT-OFF POINT]

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After Dad brought me back home, I was bullied by my twin sister for ten years. To control me, she went as far as drugging her boyfriend and staging a scene where I was caught in bed with him. Just when I thought I could finally escape my sister’s control by debuting through a talent show, I was bombarded with crazy declarations of love from sponsors, and my name was all over the trending topics. When my sister discovered that her string of boyfriends had suddenly turned to fervently support me, she flew into a rage and released a flood of scandals and compromising photos of “me.” I couldn’t defend myself and had to accept being blacklisted from the industry. My sister then brought her entire entourage of boyfriends to mock me, saying, “You think you’re worthy of taking what’s mine? Even if I don’t want something, you can only have it if I allow it!” Even with her pregnancy bump showing, she still imperiously ordered me to sleep with her husband. Later, she even embraced other men in front of her husband and framed me for it. But her husband wasn’t like the boys in her string of boyfriends – he could really bite back. I refused to be my sister’s puppet for life. So, in the middle of the night, I knocked on the door: “Brother-in-law, open up.” 0

I opened my eyes to find myself lying next to a man I knew but wasn’t close with. It was none other than Sebastian Hayes, my sister’s fiancé and the eldest son of the Hayes family. At that moment, Sebastian and I were in bed together, completely naked! The soreness throughout my body and the glaring red stain on the sheets screamed one fact at me—I had slept with my soon-to-be brother-in-law, but he seemed to have mistaken me for my sister. To avoid being exposed, I fled in a panic. On my way home, I made sure to stop by a pharmacy for some emergency contraception. As I pushed open the front door, I saw my sister Vivian standing at the top of the stairs with a cold smirk. “Out all night? Is this how I taught you to behave?” “I had a bit too much to drink at a class reunion and crashed at a friend’s place,” I lied. Vivian knew full well how poor my social circle was. She let out a mocking laugh, clearly thinking I was just making excuses to drown my sorrows after being blacklisted from the entertainment industry despite all my efforts. Vivian and I are twins. When our parents divorced, it made sense to split us up—one went with Dad, the other with Mom. I was the one who returned to our hometown with Mom. Unfortunately, that area was quite underdeveloped, and I got lost not long after. It took years before I was found and brought back. By the time I returned home, Mom had already passed away, and Grandma who had been raising me for a few years had also died. That’s how I ended up being brought back to the Quinn family by Dad. But Dad was hands-off, leaving everything to Vivian once he brought me home. She’s been running the household ever since. I worked hard in the shadow of Vivian’s academic brilliance. Though I could never match up to her, it was still much better than life in our small hometown. The two sisters lived together peacefully like this for years. Until the night before I participated in a talent show, when Vivian caught me in bed with her boyfriend. She took photos and videos of the scene, cursing me for being shameless and cheap. Our sisterly relationship was never the same after that. From then on, Vivian made no effort to hide her contempt for me. She threatened me, controlled me, and monitored my every move. Even when I debuted in the entertainment industry with a face similar to hers, she saw it as something beneath her status. She didn’t hesitate to release a flood of false scandals about “me” to ruin my career. Everything about me was laid bare before Vivian. As time went on, I somehow got used to it and never thought about resisting her control. Looking back now, I realize I never actually slept with her ex-boyfriend. The so-called evidence in Vivian’s hands was either staged photos or pictures of herself. It was all just a ploy for her to manipulate me. Back in my room, I locked myself in the bathroom, stuffed my clothes into the washing machine, and stood under the shower. To my surprise, I heard Vivian shouting and opening the door outside. Years of conditioning under Vivian’s rule had stripped me of the habit of locking doors. I hadn’t thought of it this time either. If Vivian barged in and saw me covered in hickeys… I didn’t dare imagine what that psycho would do. In a panic, I hastily wrapped a towel around myself and ran smack into Vivian as she opened the door. Vivian stood with her arms crossed, eyeing me suspiciously. “Why are you showering in the middle of the day?” I said, “I was out drinking all night and smell awful. You don’t like that, right?” My show of weakness didn’t soften Vivian’s heart one bit. She looked me up and down for a while, then suddenly smiled with her eyes narrowed, though there was no warmth in her gaze. “Slept with a man?” Is Vivian so sensitive about me being with men because she’s afraid I’ll discover I didn’t actually lose my virginity back then? I kept my head down, meekly saying, “No, I really was at a friend’s place last night. You can call and ask her if you don’t believe me, sis.” “That won’t be necessary,” Vivian said. Then, with a cold look in her eyes and a curl of her lips, she continued, “If you didn’t sleep with a man, what are you afraid of? Open your towel and let me take a look.” 0

My pupils constricted as water droplets and cold sweat ran down my back. Seeing my hesitation, Vivian’s suspicion grew. “Do I need to do it myself?” I kept backing away, my heart in my throat, not daring to take a single breath. Just as the situation reached a critical point, Vivian’s phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, she broke into an excited smile. She cleared her throat and answered sweetly, “Sebastian.” Hearing my brother-in-law’s name, my relaxed nerves instantly tensed up again. The heart that had just settled back down leapt right back into my throat. Even my hair stood on end in fear. What if Sebastian asked about last night… Watching Vivian’s expression change as she spoke, my emotions rollercoastered along with her facial expressions. Thankfully, I managed to get through this crisis without incident. After showering, I went downstairs to find Vivian pensively examining a tube of ointment. I tried to quietly slip past, but Vivian caught me with a glance and blocked my way. She raised her arm as if to hit me, but I nimbly dodged. “You dare dodge?” Vivian’s face turned ashen as she demanded loudly, “Tell me! What exactly did you do last night? Why did Sebastian bring me this?” Looking at the ointment in front of me, I wracked my brains and came up with a seemingly convincing lie. Seeing Vivian buy my story, I finally let out a sigh of relief. Vivian handed me the ointment and went back to scrolling on her phone. Just when I thought I’d made it safely through the day, Vivian’s calm voice exploded in my ears: “Find an opportunity to sleep with Sebastian.” Excuse me? I always feel out of sync with this world because I’m not twisted enough. Vivian keeps pushing the boundaries of my understanding of her. I couldn’t help but mock her, “Is sis afraid Sebastian will find out you’re not pure anymore?” Thinking of Vivian’s endless string of boyfriends and her debauched lifestyle as a spoiled rich girl, it seemed to make sense. “Want me to smack that smart mouth of yours?” she threatened, avoiding my question. I didn’t push it. “Sis, have you forgotten? I’m not a virgin either. That time…” “I’ll take you to get it fixed,” Vivian interrupted coldly, as if everything was under her control. “Why don’t you go yourself? Or is sis planning another ‘caught in the act’ scene?” I said lightly, as if just making casual conversation. Vivian’s face changed. She tossed out a “mind your own business” and left. The next morning before dawn, Vivian burst into my room, threw some clothes on me, and dragged me to a sketchy back-alley clinic. I snapped wide awake, looking at Vivian in disbelief, silently questioning her with my eyes. Vivian instantly understood my meaning and said dismissively, “We didn’t come to the wrong place. We can’t leave any records that might raise suspicion.” I dawdled as I walked through the door, about to turn back and come clean to Vivian, when I heard her tell the doctor, “Break it first, then fix it. I paid good money for this.” Vivian was still as malicious towards me as ever. But I had actually slept with Sebastian, so there was no need for any “fixing.” Looks like I’d have to use some tricks. I picked up the scalpel and twirled it expertly, pressing it precisely against the doctor’s neck. It was easy enough to get him to agree to play along with me. I didn’t expect the doctor to be such a coward. I even gained some unexpected intel that gave me a glimpse into Vivian’s little secret. It wasn’t a waste to go along with Vivian’s scheme after all. 0

When I came out, Vivian just gave me a cursory glance before stepping on the gas and driving off alone. I knew crystal clear that Vivian had definitely run off to meet up with one or more of the boys in her string of boyfriends. But unlike usual, I didn’t try to bargain or negotiate. I just kept staring intently at Vivian’s belly. No wonder Vivian had become more generous with money lately. Turns out it was thanks to the little one in her belly! But Vivian went through men faster than I went through pen refills. Did she even know who the baby’s father was? And how could she be sure she could keep it a secret from the Hayes family? If the truth came out, wouldn’t the entire Quinn family become targets for the Hayes family’s revenge… Lost in thought, a black car sped past then reversed back to stop beside me. The window rolled down to reveal none other than my soon-to-be brother-in-law. “Didn’t you use the ointment I gave you? Get in, I’ll give you a ride.” Following the man’s gaze, I looked at my wrist. Damn! I remembered to apply it on my legs but completely forgot about this spot. But from the looks of it, he seemed to have mistaken me for Vivian again. I kept reminding myself: Stay in character, stay in character! Thinking about how I could squeeze some more money out of Vivian when I got back, a professional smile instantly spread across my face. I smoothly opened the car door and got in. “Thanks, bro-” My polite self almost slipped up. Meeting the man’s scrutinizing gaze, I gave an awkward laugh and continued, “Can I borrow your charger? My phone’s dead.” Sebastian didn’t probe further, and my little life was saved. After getting home, messages from Vivian came pouring in. “Make sure you seal the deal with Sebastian tomorrow night.” “The weather forecast says it’ll rain tomorrow. I’ve mailed you some aphrodisiacs via express delivery. I don’t need to teach you what to do, right?” “Don’t try to be clever. Remember to take photos in bed for me to check! Otherwise tomorrow’s headline will be your sex tape. You know I’m capable of anything.” “You wouldn’t want to experience cyberbullying again, would you?” Vivian sure moved fast. She could still think of everything while fooling around with her boy toys. That’s something. Counting the string of zeros in the payment Vivian sent me, I slept soundly that night. The next evening, I timed it perfectly to get caught in the rain on my way to Sebastian’s villa. When I arrived, Sebastian lived up to his reputation as a gentleman, easily agreeing to let me stay the night. Perhaps to avoid making me uncomfortable, he hid in his study all evening without coming out. I sat in the living room, watching the clock hands go round and round, but there was no sign of him emerging from the study. I pondered silently, then heated up a glass of milk, secretly dissolving a sleeping pill in it, and carried it to Sebastian’s study. I handed him the milk and made sure to give him a suggestive look before leaving, coyly reminding him, “Don’t lock your door tonight, okay?” Then I sashayed out. I mentally calculated how long it would take for the drug to kick in. When I estimated the time was right, I took my phone and snuck into Sebastian’s bedroom, planning to stage some suggestive photos. Just when I thought I had succeeded and was about to leave, his hand suddenly wrapped around me like a vine, locking me in place like an iron clamp. He even unconsciously gave my butt a light pat, mumbling drowsily, “Still being naughty in my dreams?” As soon as he finished speaking, his burning lips crashed onto mine fiercely. It was as if he wanted to swallow me whole, clearly intending to thoroughly feast on me. I didn’t dare struggle too hard for fear of waking him, but my small attempts to break free were completely ineffective against his grip. I was both angry and anxious, only able to silently curse Vivian. The intel didn’t say he was resistant to sleeping pills! That Vivian really set me up this time. To think I delivered myself right to his doorstep, letting him have an all-you-can-eat buffet for free! 0

I woke up groggily in the morning and instinctively looked to my left. He happened to glance to his right at the same time. Our gazes collided unexpectedly, like an electric shock, and we quickly looked away. In that instant, the awkward atmosphere in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I was so uncomfortable I couldn’t even stay for breakfast before fleeing in a panic. Mission accomplished. Vivian was in an unusually good mood and treated me with unexpected kindness for two whole months. Until I just got her call, I realized the interest on her kindness was more than I could bear. Looking at the cold $100,000 in my bank account, my heart was pounding. This… this couldn’t be hush money, could it?! When I rushed to the hospital, I even doubted if I had gone to the wrong place. My sister, my brother-in-law, and one, two, three… countless guys from Vivian’s string of boyfriends. What a chaotic scene!! I had anticipated that the $100,000 wouldn’t come easily, but I never imagined it was for me to inherit Vivian’s “harem”! Looking at all these men, I felt my scalp tingling. My mind was screaming: This many men, I really can’t handle it! This is not okay at all! Vivian didn’t care about any of that. When she saw me arrive, it was like she had found a lifeline. She grabbed my hand tightly and said, “Aria, you’re finally here. Your brother-in-law came with me for a prenatal checkup, but these boyfriends of yours mistook me for you. Quickly explain to your brother-in-law.” After saying this, she took advantage of everyone’s distraction to pinch my waist hard without leaving a trace. Under Vivian’s threatening gaze, her boy toys swarmed towards me one by one. I welcomed them all without discrimination. To everyone’s shock and bewilderment, I gave each of them a resounding slap across the face. I muttered under my breath, loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly: “Each of you claims to love me the most, yet you can’t even tell me apart from my sister. What a bunch of brainless losers. No wonder none of you can become official boyfriends. Your intelligence is really worrying!” After finishing, I noticed from the corner of my eye that they were still dumbfounded, not yet recovered from the shock. I quickly turned my head, flashed a ingratiating smile at my brother-in-law, then made a swift escape from this “den of trouble”. Not long after I got home, Vivian predictably came storming in to confront me. Those little fish in her pond had each whispered lies in her ear, instantly bewitching my sister to the point where she couldn’t tell north from south. Fortunately, our family is now on the brink of bankruptcy with nothing left. We don’t have to worry about my sister doing anything as stupid as “using sex to gain favors from powerful men.” But I still underestimated Vivian. To please her boy toys, she actually outsourced the task of “bonding” with my brother-in-law to me. Seriously? Is this right? Even when filming movies, the lead actress’s name appears in the credits while a body double does all the work! But thinking of the threatening messages bombarding my phone from her sugar daddies, I had no choice but to continue following Vivian’s orders. Who would have thought that Vivian’s little fish were all richer and more powerful than me! If I were to betray her now, who knows what trouble it would stir up. With this helpless mindset, I came to Sebastian’s house again. As soon as I entered, without a moment’s hesitation, I walked straight towards the study door. “Sis…” I was about to say “Sis’s husband, open the door.”

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A car accident caused my soul to swap with Vivian’s, my husband Alexander’s childhood friend. Vivian, now in my body with an injured leg, took my place as the lady of the Sterling household. Meanwhile, I was relegated to the guest room, forced to listen to their nightly passion and watch everyone praise their “undying love” despite the accident. When I lashed out in desperation, Alexander locked me up, gripping my throat: “Vivian endured pain for you. She deserves to enjoy your life now.” “Be good and I’ll keep you as my mistress. I’ll take responsibility!” But the day I was exposed as “the other woman”, Alexander personally kicked me out of the house. He left me to sleep on the streets as onlookers hurled insults, ignoring when I was assaulted by homeless men and miscarried. As I lay dying on the street, cradling the lost child that wasn’t even mine, I swore vengeance. When I was reborn, I immediately handed Alexander divorce papers… “Baby, you learned a new position?” “Same body, but such a different sensation – how thrilling!” The housekeeper standing outside blushed hearing their passionate exchange, marveling at the couple’s intimacy as she blocked my way. I barely held back tears, my chest heaving, as I brandished the knife I had prepared: “I’m going in there today no matter what!” After the soul swap, Alexander had moved into the master bedroom with Vivian, who had stolen my body. They flaunted their love shamelessly every day. He always told me to be patient, for his sake and for Sterling Corp which had just gone public. We couldn’t let anyone notice anything amiss! But no matter how much I endured, they only grew more brazen! I shoved the door open. The couple on the bed, tightly joined, appeared before me without warning. My heart shattered seeing them like that. Alexander had always insisted they were just pretending, but this looked all too real! Our five years of tenderness had clearly become Vivian and Alexander’s love nest long ago! “Ah!” Vivian let out a shrill scream, quickly hiding in Alexander’s arms. The man glared at me furiously: “How dare you! You think the Sterling house is your playground, barging in wherever you please?” Alexander showed no trace of panic, still acting like the lord of the manor, as if he truly didn’t know I was his real wife. With a glance, he dismissed all the servants. Roughly running a hand through his hair, he threw on some clothes before coming to stand before me, irritated: “Didn’t I tell you not to come here? Why won’t you listen?” I pointed at the bed, my vision blurring with tears: “So this is what you call pretending, Alexander? What an actor you are!” I had discussed boundaries for their interactions many times since the accident. But Alexander had gone from promises to dismissive excuses! He argued back, unrepentant: “What am I pretending? It’s your body, so how can it be cheating?” “Besides, do you know how much Vivian has sacrificed for you? You lost a leg in the crash, but Vivian took on that pain for you! Now she’s even giving her body to play my wife convincingly. Why can’t you be as understanding as Vivian?” I stared at him in shock, tears flowing freely. How dare he bring that up? In that critical moment during the crash, Alexander’s first instinct was to protect Vivian in the backseat instead of me right beside him. And when I first woke up in Vivian’s body, before Alexander even knew about the swap, he had immediately embraced and kissed me to comfort me. He later explained he was just too emotional. But looking at the rumpled sheets on the bed now, everything suddenly became clear! I grabbed a nearby vase and hurled it at him, demanding: “You two were sneaking around long before this! You’ve been lying to me this whole time!” “I don’t want to pretend anymore. I’m going to tell everyone the truth!”

I turned to leave, but Alexander couldn’t stop me. In desperation, he grabbed my wrist! “Who would believe you now? Besides, Sterling Corp has just stabilized! Can’t you think of me for once?” When I ignored him, Alexander simply threw me over his shoulder and locked me in a room! He hissed through gritted teeth: “Think of our child. He’s only one year old. If you keep quiet, you can still see him by pretending to be my childhood friend living with us. But if you speak up, you’ll be seen as mentally ill and locked away in a hospital!” At the mention of our son, I calmed down. He was right, but how much longer did I have to endure this? When I first married Alexander, I knew about Vivian’s existence. She was orphaned young and grew up in the Sterling household. Back then, I admired Alexander’s loyalty in still caring for his childhood friend even after our marriage. I didn’t mind Vivian living with us since she had nowhere else to go. But over time, the two grew increasingly intimate in front of me. It wasn’t until after this soul swap that I finally realized the truth. They had just been hiding their true relationship all along! I gazed at Alexander through the window, lost and confused: “So you only married me for my family name and wealth? Just because I’m the Turner heiress?” Alexander turned away, unable to meet my eyes: “Don’t overthink things. Just calm down for now, alright?” His footsteps faded as sounds of pleasure once again drifted from across the hall. I laughed bitterly, realizing all my sweet memories with Alexander now felt like a dream. As night fell, my heart grew colder. The next day, my door remained locked. After Alexander left for work, Vivian had the nanny bring our son to play in her room. Seeing my child, I couldn’t help but warn her as she passed: “Don’t you dare touch him!” Vivian, still holding a puppy, looked at me with amusement. “Why can’t I touch my own son?” she taunted in a low voice. “I’ll take care of him however I want.” A sense of dread washed over me. The nanny hurried after her with two leashes – one for the dog, and one for…my son! “Leo!” I cried out. “What are you doing?” Vivian glanced at me as she set both the child and dog on the ground, making them compete for food from a single bowl on the floor. My blood boiled as I frantically rattled the doorknob! Vivian seemed utterly relaxed: “I’m just training the kid. If he can beat a dog, he won’t get bullied in preschool later. You wouldn’t understand a mother’s love.” “You monster!” I kicked at the door desperately. The servants found my reaction strange, but no one helped. Only Daisy, who used to care for me, apologized: “I’m sorry Miss Wood, but Mr. Sterling ordered us not to let you out!” Vivian even kicked the dog to make it more aggressive. My son was already crying from being scratched by its sharp claws. I clutched Daisy’s hand like a lifeline. “Please, I’m begging you. Just bring me my phone!” She hesitated before secretly passing it through the window. I immediately called Alexander. “Alex, hurry and have someone open the door! Vivian is abusing our child! I need to save him!” I put the phone on speaker and held it out the window: “Mr. Sterling says to let me out right away!” Seeing this, Vivian’s face flashed with guilt. But the next moment, Alexander’s annoyed voice came through the speaker: “Do you have nothing better to do? An outsider couldn’t possibly care for a child better than his own mother. If you keep saying such things, don’t blame me for disowning you as my sister!” Click. The call ended abruptly. I was still in shock when Vivian’s laughter reached my ears. “I’m disciplining my own child, yet my ‘sister’ tattles to my husband? Aren’t you overstepping, dear?” The servants nodded in agreement. They had always disliked Vivian’s behavior, thinking I was finally standing up to her. Little did they know our souls had long since swapped. The person before them was no longer me, but Vivian. She snatched my phone away and turned to Daisy. “Go treat the child’s wounds. Press hard – the more Leo cries, the more effective the medicine!” “No!” I cried out. My son’s wails tore at my heart. I smashed everything in the room trying to break down that door, but it wouldn’t budge. I slumped against the door, my eyes bloodshot: “What do you really want?” Vivian looked down at my defeated form from outside: “Find a chance to leave the Sterling house. Otherwise, you may never see Leo again!”

Her words chilled me to the bone. I didn’t know if Vivian would actually harm Leo, but I couldn’t take that risk! “Fine! I’ll do what you say!” My voice shook. I just needed to wait for Alexander to return and tell him everything. That evening when Alexander came home, he saw the injuries on our son. I waited anxiously for him to realize something was wrong. But Alexander simply put an arm around Vivian’s waist to comfort her: “It’s okay, honey. New moms are bound to make mistakes.” “Don’t blame yourself too much. Boys are tough – he’ll be fine!” He gently wiped away Vivian’s crocodile tears. The tender gesture made my anger and grief surge. When Alexander finally came to unlock my door, I told him what really happened. But he just brushed me off carelessly: “Don’t be so sensitive. It’s normal for kids to get bumps and bruises. You never used to blame the staff before. Why have you become so unreasonable since swapping bodies with Vivian?” A wave of helplessness washed over me. Tears streamed down my face: “You still don’t believe me?” I curled up, burying my face in my knees. Ever since that car accident, everything had changed. Every time Vivian gave me that taunting look, I felt intensely unsafe. As if the moment I let my guard down, I would lose everything I cherished – my child, Alexander, all of it! I missed my mother terribly. If she were here, would she recognize me? Would she understand my pain? Alexander sat down and held me close, sighing at my state: “You’ve been a pampered heiress all your life. You don’t know how hard it is for those of us who grew up without parents. Is this little setback really too much for you?” “I’ve been more than good to you! Even though you’re in someone else’s body, I still love you.” “Olivia, please don’t make things harder for me.” He leaned in to kiss me, but I shoved him away, wiping my tears: “Is it really for my sake? Or is it because of this body? I bet you and Vivian were already sleeping together long before this!” “You don’t want to sleep with me – you want to sleep with her!” My voice broke as I glared at him accusingly. Alexander’s anger flared, his hand raised to strike me. But he held back at the last second: “Fine! We did have an affair! You think I’m not hitting you because of you?” “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s only because this is Vivian’s body that I can’t bring myself to hurt it!” I stared at him unblinkingly, my heart turning to ash in an instant. Vivian burst in at that moment, slapping me hard across the face. “Don’t worry about my body, Alex. People who need discipline should be disciplined!” I wanted to hit her back, but Alexander quickly shielded her. Vivian pointed at me indignantly: “Alex has been agonizing over our situation, working himself to the bone to keep up appearances for Sterling Corp!” “Meanwhile all you do is cause trouble and throw tantrums!” “If I’d known you were this useless, I never would have let you marry into the family!” As they ganged up on me, I started to doubt myself. Was it really all my fault? They were the ones having sex in my bedroom! They made my child compete with a dog for food. How could I not fight back? Alexander looked down at my wretched state, his tone dripping with pity as he volunteered: “I’ll invite your mother over tomorrow so you can see her. If you behave yourself this time, I won’t restrict your movements in the future.” Vivian chimed in: “Don’t forget your promise from earlier, sis. What’s more important – you or the child?” I tossed and turned all night, but seeing my mother the next day lifted my spirits immensely. I rushed to greet her, but Vivian beat me to it, taking my mother’s hand coyly: “Mom, I’ve missed you so much!” Her expression and tone were identical to mine. My mother didn’t suspect a thing, smiling as she walked arm-in-arm with Vivian right past me. “What are you standing there for? Go prepare some tea and snacks.” Vivian ordered me haughtily. I swallowed my emotions and busied myself in the kitchen. When I returned, Alexander and Vivian sat on either side of my mother, cradling Leo. They looked like the perfect family. My hands shook as I poured tea for my mother, scalding myself. I wiped it away silently and served her. She finally glanced at me, saying happily: “Vivian has really matured. She’s becoming more and more like Olivia. When you get married someday, I’ll prepare a dowry for you too.” My voice quivered as I couldn’t hold back any longer: “Mom…” Hearing me speak up, Alexander quickly changed the subject and pulled me aside: “Olivia! You need to accept the situation. If Mom sees you acting like this, she’ll get suspicious!” He continued trying to persuade me: “Look how pleased Mom is with you now. She doesn’t dislike Vivian anymore like before.” “If you two get along well, maybe she’ll even adopt you as her goddaughter someday. Then Mom can shower you with more affection. Wouldn’t that be nice for all of us?” After a moment of silence, I looked up at him: “But all that affection was originally mine!” “You’re the one who’s happy, aren’t you? With a wife and a mistress on the side?” Alexander’s fist flew past my ear, slamming into the wall behind me: “So what?” “Are you trying to disgust me by saying that? You two can’t switch back anyway. Who else could you possibly marry now? Why not just serve me together?” “Olivia, I’m telling you – you have no choice!” He forcefully pinned me against the wall by the balcony, crushing his lips against mine. The more I struggled, the deeper he probed. Just as my dress was about to be torn off, I bit down hard on his lip. Only then did he release me! “You’ve got guts, Olivia! We’ll see how long you can keep this up.” Alexander stormed off angrily. I crouched in the corner for hours. When the house finally grew quiet, I snuck back to my room in my tattered clothes. The next day, photos of Alexander and I kissing passionately went viral online! Chapter 5 “I told you that Vivian girl was trouble! I said to kick her out, but you just wouldn’t listen!” my mother ranted furiously, clutching Vivian’s hand as she repeated the same scoldings she used to give me! I faced the group, listening to my mother’s tirade while awkwardly standing off to the side. My face burned with shame, but I couldn’t utter a word in my defense. She jabbed a finger at my nose: “And to think I praised you for being sensible yesterday! I should have known you’d never change, you disgraceful creature!” She then turned her rage on Alexander, hurling whatever was in reach at him: “And you! How could you do this to my daughter?” Alexander didn’t dodge, letting my mother vent her anger. Only when he looked at me did he finally speak: “I treated you like a sister. How could you try to seduce me?” “Apologize now. For old times’ sake, I won’t press charges!” I stared at him wide-eyed, stunned that Alexander would pin this on me! Seeing I didn’t move, he kicked the back of my knees, forcing me to kneel: “Mom, don’t worry. I won’t let Olivia suffer for this.” I laughed bitterly, finding his words jarringly insincere. I tried to stand, but Alexander gripped my hair, whispering in my ear: “Think of the child! Apologize now!” My lips trembled as I knelt before everyone, forcing out each word: “I’m sorry! It was wrong of me to seduce Mr. Sterling. It’s all my fault!” Tears rolled down my cheeks as Vivian pressed on relentlessly: “You’ve brought such shame on us. The Sterling house can’t keep you any longer!” “Throw her out!” I jerked my head up in shock. Even Alexander seemed taken aback as he looked at her. “For the child’s sake, I can’t risk keeping someone so morally corrupt around. You wouldn’t understand a mother’s concerns!” Vivian continued applying pressure. Alexander stood frozen, hesitating. My mother eagerly agreed, nodding in approval: “It’s about time! Alexander, go take care of it. Don’t disappoint the Turner family!” “Alright!” Alexander grit his teeth and complied. I couldn’t read his expression as he turned away. “I’ve already apologized. Isn’t that enough?” I pleaded desperately. “It’s all my fault. Please don’t make me leave. I’m begging you!” Once I left, I would have nothing left! But Alexander ignored my pleas, shoving me out the door in nothing but my nightgown. “Just bear with it for now. I’ll bring you back after your mom leaves!” he whispered. The door slammed shut with finality. In the freezing winter air, I pounded on the door, shaking uncontrollably! But all I got in response was a bucket of ice water dumped on me by a maid! My body began to stiffen from the cold. Survival instincts kicking in, I desperately begged passersby for help. Finally someone gave me a thin jacket, but then they recognized me as the homewrecker from the viral photos. A barrage of cruel insults rained down. “Why give her clothes? The ungrateful bitch! The Sterlings raised her from childhood, but she still did such a disgusting thing!” “Yeah, the Sterling couple is so in love! She just had to insert herself as the other woman. This is what she deserves!” “Get lost! Don’t hang around my shop – you’re bad for business!” I was chased away like a stray dog, clutching the thin jacket as I fled. I just had to make it until nightfall. Surely Alexander wouldn’t abandon me completely. But as night deepened with no sign of him, I noticed several homeless men had started following me. Terrified, I ran frantically towards the Sterling mansion. But the security guards wouldn’t let me in! “There are bad men after me. Please, you have to help me!” I begged. The guard yawned indifferently: “Mrs. Sterling already gave orders to cut all ties with you. Even if you get assaulted, it’s got nothing to do with us. Now scram! You’re disrupting my nap.” My strength finally gave out. The Sterling house had been my last hope. I weakly pounded on the iron gates. The group of homeless men grabbed my legs, dragging me into a dark corner. My bloody fingernails left desperate scratches in the snow as my hoarse screams for help mixed with the men’s vicious laughter. My body went numb. I lost count of how many men violated me before the endless flow of blood between my legs finally made me lose consciousness. In my haze, I saw Alexander rush over with reddened eyes. He stumbled to his knees before me: “Olivia, wake up! You animals, I’ll kill you all!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296021”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #重生Reborn #惊悚Thriller