Category: English

My family wanted me to choose someone for an arranged marriage, but I wasn’t ready to settle down yet. So I picked a notorious playboy prince as my husband, thinking we’d both do our own thing after getting married. I didn’t expect that when I was partying at a bar late one night, he’d send people to shut the whole place down. He shooed away the male models keeping me company, then placed my hand on his abs with a pitiful look: “I may not have dated before, but I can learn whatever you want.” On my 20th birthday, my parents told me I needed to choose someone for a business marriage arrangement. My brother laid out photos of eligible bachelors for me to pick from. “This is the eldest son of the Cloud family. He has exceptional intelligence and leadership skills, and heads Cloud Corporation. This one is the second son of the Qi family. Not only is he handsome, but he also has a brilliant mind and is pursuing scientific research. And this is the eldest son of the Fu family. His looks are impeccable, but… he spends all his time idling about, eating, drinking and having fun…” “I’ll take him,” I said without hesitation, pointing to Ethan Fu, the Fu family’s eldest son. My parents and brother were stunned. They never expected I’d choose a notorious playboy. First of all, I’m all about looks, and Ethan was extremely handsome in his photo. I liked that. Secondly, I’d heard he had quite the reputation as a player in the city. Most importantly, I wasn’t done having fun yet. Choosing someone who also liked to party meant we could each do our own thing. Perfect. I got so drunk on our wedding night that I blacked out. I have no idea how I even made it to the bridal suite. When I woke up the next morning, Ethan was already sitting on the couch playing video games. He glanced up at me: “You’re awake?” “Yeah. Is there anything to eat? I’m kind of hungry,” I said awkwardly. It was pretty embarrassing that the bride had gotten wasted on her wedding night. Ethan pointed to the kitchen: “There’s warm milk and eggs in the kitchen.” I brought out the milk and eggs and started eating. “Sorry about last night. I drank way too much,” I said between bites. “I understand you were excited to marry me. But you really shouldn’t drink that much. Good thing I was there, or you’d have spent the night hugging the toilet.” When he said the first part, I wanted to punch him. As if I was thrilled to marry him! But hearing the second part, I held back. Sounds like I must have been quite a handful. My girlfriends were all texting me to come out, so after breakfast I rushed out the door. Ethan wanted to come with me but I refused: “Bro, you’re too handsome. Better not come or my girls will be all over you.” The corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile as he acquiesced to my decision. I thought to myself, shouldn’t a guy that good-looking be desensitized to compliments by now? Why did he seem to enjoy being praised so much? This was my first time going out with my girls after getting married. Everyone was excited and peppered me with questions about the wedding night and my new husband. I shut it all down with one sentence: “I was drunk, I don’t remember anything.” My answer clearly disappointed them. But partying was our real purpose: “Girls, go wild tonight. Drinks are on me!” We went from karaoke to the bar. Before we knew it, it was the middle of the night. Before I got married, my parents would call to nag me to come home when it got late. Now that I was married, no one could tell me what to do. Haha, I was going to party as much as I wanted. I tossed my phone aside. It’s not like anyone was going to call and tell me to come home. Ethan was probably out drinking with his friends too.

One of my girlfriends tried to convince me: “Mia, maybe you should head home. It wouldn’t be good if your husband gets upset.” “No way! We have no real feelings, it’s just a business arrangement. Why would he care about me? Besides, isn’t it better if we each do our own thing?” As I spoke, I called out to the male model across from me: “Pour me another drink, let’s keep going!” Just then, the bar owner came in looking nervous. He told the model: “Mr. Fu is here. You all need to leave, quickly.” Next thing I knew, Ethan walked in. His face was expressionless as he scanned the room, his gaze finally landing on me. Seeing Ethan sobered me up instantly. “What are you doing here?” I asked. Before he could answer, my girlfriends all grabbed their purses and abandoned me, leaving just the two of us in the VIP room. He came and sat down next to me, gazing at me tenderly. I have to say, he was the most handsome man I’d ever seen. As our eyes met, I felt my heart start to race in a way I’d never experienced before. The next moment, he took my hand and placed it on his abs, saying pitifully: “I may not have dated before, but I can learn whatever you want.” Hmm? I couldn’t detect any hint of lying in his eyes. But I just didn’t believe him. Wasn’t he supposed to be a notorious playboy? How could he have never dated anyone? My hand was forced to roam over his abs. My fingertips felt electrified by the contact, sending tingles through my entire body. My face flushed hot as I quickly pulled my hand away. “It’s late, we should head home,” I said. The corners of his mouth turned up as he obediently replied: “Okay, wifey.” This was my first time being alone with a man while sober. I couldn’t help feeling nervous. I grabbed my most conservative pajamas and went into the bathroom. When I came out, he had already showered and was lying on the bed waiting for me. In the soft light, his chiseled features, damp hair, and long lean body made me swallow hard. I’d seen plenty of male models at the clubs before, but none of their looks or physiques compared to Ethan’s. How could I not be attracted? “Come to bed, wifey,” he said softly, patting the space next to him and winking at me. I often went out partying with my girlfriends and had seen lots of men, but I’d never actually shared a bed with a stranger before. Now that I was about to lie down next to him, I suddenly felt very nervous. Seeing him gazing at me so tenderly, I wondered if he was planning to do that with me. At the thought, my face turned bright red. I quickly said, “Um, I’m on my period, so don’t get any ideas.” He burst out laughing: “Wifey, what are you thinking? Even if you weren’t on your period, I wouldn’t force you if you didn’t want to. Come on, let’s just sleep.” For some reason, I believed him and climbed into bed. The next second, his strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me tightly against him. The more I tried to wriggle free, the tighter he held me. “Stop squirming. I just want to hold you while we sleep. If you keep moving around, I can’t guarantee what might happen next,” he whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

That’s when I felt something poking me from behind. It was very uncomfortable. I froze, not daring to move a muscle for fear of what he might do next. A few moments later, I heard his steady breathing. He had fallen asleep. I finally relaxed and tried to escape his grasp. “Don’t move. Go to sleep,” he mumbled in a low voice that startled me. I didn’t dare move again. I had planned to wait until he was in a deeper sleep before sneaking away, but I ended up falling asleep myself without realizing it. The next day, he suggested we go to the store to buy some snacks and groceries, since this would be our home now and we should stock up. I do enjoy snacks and fruit, so I agreed to go to the store with him. In addition to snacks and fruit, I also bought some feminine products to have on hand. He bought lots of vegetables, rice, and other staples. I was surprised. Wasn’t he supposed to be a playboy? Did he actually know how to cook? “You can cook?” I asked. “A little bit,” he replied. Actually, I can cook too. When I studied abroad, I couldn’t get used to the food there so I taught myself to make dishes from home. But I’m lazy and just want to have fun. I rarely set foot in the kitchen unless absolutely necessary. As we passed by the checkout counter, his eyes lit up when he saw some small boxes on a shelf. He immediately grabbed two and tossed them in the cart. I quickly averted my gaze, pretending not to notice, but my cheeks instantly turned red. Even when we were checking out, I was too embarrassed to look at those two boxes. We had just left the store when a woman in a miniskirt called out to Ethan. “Ethan, baby! I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she said coyly, reaching for his arm. Ethan stepped back to avoid her. “Ethan, when I heard you got married, I couldn’t sleep all night. We…” “We should keep our distance. I’m a married man now,” Ethan said, taking my hand and interlacing our fingers. The woman looked dissatisfied, giving me a disdainful glance before continuing: “But baby, it’s my birthday today. Can’t you celebrate with me?” His brows furrowed as he said coldly: “No.” “You two chat, I’ll wait in the car,” I said. I didn’t want to get involved in his personal life, just like he stayed out of mine. You can’t keep tabs on a man who isn’t faithful anyway. And this was just a business arrangement, we had no real feelings for each other. “Let me get the car door for you, honey,” Ethan said, hurrying to open the passenger door for me. The woman rushed over, saying in a cutesy voice: “Ethan, baby, can you give me a ride? It’s on your way.” “It’s not on our way.” “But I haven’t even said where I’m going yet!” “Wherever you’re going, it’s not on our way.” After coldly dismissing her, Ethan turned to me and said gently: “Buckle up, honey. Let’s go.” As we drove off, I saw the woman stomping her foot angrily in the rearview mirror. I almost burst out laughing. Ethan glanced at me, looking annoyed: “What’s so funny?” He seemed upset. Was it because I was there, interfering with their plans to meet up later? I stopped smiling and said: “Is she your… ex-girlfriend? Or just one of your many conquests? The way she looked at you was pretty intense.” “She looks at any rich, handsome guy like that. I would never have anything to do with her.” “Oh really? That doesn’t seem like your style. I thought a player like you would always have women around…” Before I could finish, he slammed on the brakes, pulling over to the side of the road.

By the time I came to my senses, his handsome face was right in front of mine, so close I could feel his breath. If either of us moved even slightly, our lips would touch. I suddenly felt very nervous, barely daring to breathe: “What are you doing?” “As my wife, do you want me to be surrounded by other women? Do you want me to be with lots of women?” “I… that’s not what I meant.” “You weren’t even a little upset when that woman was all over your husband?” “I…” I shook my head slightly, but seeing the anger flashing in his eyes, I quickly nodded instead. What I didn’t realize was that my face had turned bright red and my breathing had become rapid. The next second, one of his hands cupped the back of my head while the other tilted my chin up. He kissed me, starting gently but quickly becoming more passionate and demanding. He didn’t give me any time to react. My first kiss, gone just like that. Just as I was about to suffocate, he finally released me, looking satisfied. “I’m your husband. You’re supposed to get jealous when other women talk to me, got it?” he lectured. He forcibly kissed me and then had the nerve to scold me! He continued: “And everything you’ve heard about me is just rumors. It’s not true.” I stared at him in disbelief for a long moment before reluctantly nodding. He could tell my nod was forced. He shook his head helplessly and said: “Let’s go home. I have something important to take care of tonight.” Something important to do tonight? I suddenly remembered those two boxes he bought at the store and felt nervous all over again. That evening, he took me out to dinner, saying some of his good friends wanted to get together. I didn’t want to go, but he refused to let me stay home: “You should meet my friends. I don’t want to keep any secrets from you.” I wanted to say I didn’t care about any of that, I just wanted my freedom to party as much as I wanted. But I ended up going along. He introduced me to the five or six people there as his good friends. It was from his friends that I learned the truth – his playboy reputation was entirely fabricated. He had two reasons for creating that image. One was to avoid taking over the family company and being tied down to work. The other reason was to avoid marriage. Once people heard about his womanizing ways, no one dared try to set him up anymore. “Then why did you agree to marry me? Am I just a shield for you?” I asked, confused. His friends exchanged glances and laughed: “You’ll have to ask Ethan about that. We have no idea.” They didn’t answer my question, but I realized why Ethan had brought me out tonight. He wanted his friends to help clear up the rumors about him. Whether it was true or not, it showed he was making an effort. “So Ethan, tell us about all the romantic things you’ve done since getting married,” his friends said, looking at us curiously. I wondered, did they mean him storming into the bar to bring me home late at night? Or encountering that clingy woman outside the store? Or forcibly kissing me in the car? “Can’t you guys talk about anything else?” Ethan said, giving his friends an exasperated look. Then he turned to me and asked gently: “Are you still hungry?” I quickly shook my head, smiling. I knew I was acting a bit fake. Normally I’m very casual and straightforward, not all sweet and smiley like this. But I was trying to save face for this man. After all, I was his wife. “Want to go for a walk?” he asked me. “Sure,” I agreed readily, standing up. Even though they were his good friends, I still felt a bit awkward meeting them for the first time. At that moment, I actually felt more relaxed being alone with Ethan.

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As soon as we got home, Lucas went to the balcony to answer a sudden phone call. “Little Lucas, my grandson is asking for his dad to come keep him company. Get over here quick!” “That Amber woman, just keep her company for show. The most important thing is not to let Jasmine and my grandson down.” His mother spoke without any restraint, her tone doting. Probably thinking I couldn’t hear from the living room, Lucas didn’t even bother to turn off the speakerphone. When he finished, he returned to the living room with a calm expression and tossed me the medical checkup appointment form, reminding me: “Amber, I think the kids at that orphanage in the south part of town are really good.” “Let’s go for our checkups tomorrow, and once we have the certificates ready, we’ll go adopt a child. Just imagine how happy we’ll be watching them grow up!” He spoke with a dreamy look on his face, reaching out to hug me as usual. But this time, I didn’t hug him back like I normally would. I just silently kept my distance from him. Noticing something was off, he paused slightly, about to ask what was wrong when another call came in. He fumbled to answer it, and immediately a shrill voice rang out. “You’re so slow just coming to see the kid. Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for that Amber woman?” “You talked a big game before about doing it for my love, but now you’re two-timing!” “Eating out while keeping an eye on what’s at home. What, are you planning to have a kid with Amber tomorrow too?” The woman on the phone fired off a barrage of accusations. Lucas hurriedly hung up and tried to explain to me. “Amber, it was a wrong number. What a coincidence, someone with the same name as you…” “Quite a coincidence indeed.” Looking at his face that showed not a hint of guilt, I couldn’t help but laugh. It really was quite a coincidence – the voice even sounded exactly like Jasmine’s. I silently sent a message urging my friend to hurry up with the divorce papers. Lucas seemed to think I had bought his excuse. He came over and tried to take my hand. I dodged without a word and played along with what he had said. “Weren’t we going to adopt a child? When are we doing that?” As soon as I said it, his face lit up with excitement: “Amber, you really agree? Then can we go for the checkups tomorrow?” “Then our beautiful love will be passed down through this adopted child.” He finished speaking and eagerly handed me the checkup appointment form he had pulled out. I had just reached out to take it when Lucas rushed out the door. “Amber, take a look at the appointment form first. If there are no issues, we’ll go for the checkups tomorrow. I need to take a client call first.” I said nothing, letting him leave. Walking to the door, I could hear his complaining tone coming through. “Honey, I’m sorry for hanging up on you earlier. But you know how clingy that Amber woman is. If I’m not careful and she finds out the truth, then goes running to George, it could ruin your happiness for life!” “Victory is within reach. In a couple days I’ll go through the motions at the orphanage and bring Andy home, swapping him in.” “You can push George to come check on his ex-wife as an excuse to see Andy. Won’t that work out perfectly?” “Let me go in first and mention it to her, then go see Andy. Tomorrow we’ll smoothly get the paperwork done and take Andy to Mom’s place first.” “Then our son – she’ll have to raise him whether she likes it or not. Don’t be angry anymore, okay?” His words were full of schemes against me, not at all how a married husband should treat his wife. But for Jasmine, he was all patience and persuasion. A sudden message notification sounded on my phone. It was from Jasmine. “Amber, do you really think Lucas loves you?” “Let me tell you, all I have to do is crook my finger and he comes running like a dog, ready to do whatever I say!” “Do you know where Lucas went before coming home? You couldn’t win George from me back then, and now it’s the same with Lucas!” Along with it she sent a revealing photo of her and Lucas embracing intimately in bed.

Her words were full of smug triumph. Seeing I didn’t respond, she frantically kept asking. I simply turned off my phone screen. Jasmine didn’t know that I had long been aware of her affair with Lucas. As I sat back down on the couch, Lucas returned. He started chattering non-stop about plans for tomorrow’s checkup. “Amber, make sure to get ready early tomorrow morning. We’ll go for the checkups first thing, and once all the documents are in order, we’ll go adopt a child right away.” “Then the three of us can watch our child of love grow up every day and take care of us in our old age. Won’t that be wonderful!” His words were full of anticipation for the child’s arrival. Thinking I didn’t know about his child with Jasmine, he spoke completely naturally. I casually agreed. Soon his mother called again to urge him. “The guests have been waiting so long, you rascal still haven’t come over?” After making some excuses to me, Lucas had just left when there was a knock at the door. “You must be Aunt Amber. My dad said he’d let me move in in a few days. My mom told me to come get familiar with the place first.” “Oh right, you probably don’t know – my dad only truly loves my mom. My mom says you’re just a stand-in at best.” “All that love and devotion to you? It’s all an act my dad put on. Well? Impressed by his acting skills?” Opening the door, I saw a young boy’s face full of hostility towards me. He finished speaking and pulled out a thick stack of letters from his pocket, throwing them at my feet.

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My girlfriend won $300,000 in the lottery. That night, she threw all my belongings out of our apartment. She even yelled at me, saying I wasn’t even worth her ex’s toenail. Looking at my girlfriend and her mother showing their true colors, I grabbed my luggage and ran. Because I had also won the lottery. Not much, just $70 million. “I won!” I whispered, staring at the numbers on the ticket in my palm, comparing them to the winning numbers. I checked several times before I could believe it. The lottery ticket I bought on a whim had won $70 million! With trembling hands, I instinctively wanted to call my girlfriend and share this exciting news with her. I dialed her number, but no one answered for a long time. I couldn’t wait any longer. I immediately packed up my things and rushed home, forgetting about overtime work. Who cares about that stupid job now! It was already past midnight, but I couldn’t contain my excitement. I splurged on an Uber for once to get home. As soon as I opened the door, I called out eagerly. “Lily! We can afford your mom’s treatment now!” I called twice but no one answered. I figured Lily and her mother must be asleep since it was so late. I put down my bag and noticed the table full of dishes and a half-empty bottle of wine. I felt confused. Lily and her mother were usually very frugal. What special occasion were they celebrating? I casually pushed open the bedroom door. The scene before me shocked me. At that moment, Lily was lying naked on the bed with a man on top of her. Their bare bodies were pressed tightly together, a sight that made me nauseous. Anger surged through me. “Lily, what the hell are you doing while I’m not home?!” Startled by my angry shout, Lily hurriedly wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, her face full of panic as she tried to explain. “James, why are you back? This… this isn’t what it looks like… we…” She stumbled over her words, unable to explain. The man beside her deliberately provoked me by putting his arm around her shoulder and saying, “Baby, tell him about our relationship.” Lily instinctively wanted to explain to me. I rolled my eyes, grabbed her unfinished glass of wine from the bedside table, and threw it in her face. Lily stared at me with wide eyes as the wine dripped down her hair. The wine seemed to wake her up. The man beside her looked at me, and I immediately recognized him. He was none other than Jack, Lily’s ex-boyfriend she had always pined for. She spoke with a sob in her voice, “Lily, why are you afraid of him! Hit him back!” Hearing him say that, Lily’s gentle demeanor changed completely. She suddenly got up and grabbed my arm, trying to push me to the ground. But she wasn’t as strong as me, only managing to make me stumble back a few steps. I stood there, a sour feeling creeping up. Lily tugged at my clothes, pointing and cursing at me, “I’ve had enough of you all these years!” “Who do you think you are! I’m done pretending, I won $300,000 in the lottery! I’m a millionaire now! Get the hell out of here!” “You think you’re good enough for me? If I hadn’t seen you were stupid and willing to work hard, earning money for me to spend, I wouldn’t have even touched you.” “You’re not even worth Jack’s toenail!” After saying that, the man beside her leaned down and kissed her, his eyes full of smugness.

Hearing her words, I stood there stunned, unable to believe these words came from the woman I had loved for four years. I had been with Lily for four years, and she had always been good to me, gentle and caring. In our four years of dating, she had never been unreasonable or caused drama. Our love life could be described as peaceful with a touch of sweetness. We were even planning to get married early next year. Because I once thought meeting Lily was my blessing. I’m an orphan, grew up in foster care, so I’ve always longed for a family of my own. Lily’s family wasn’t well-off either. Her father died early, and her mother raised her single-handedly. Last year, her mother was diagnosed with stage 2 gastric cancer. Faced with expensive medical bills, I never thought about giving up on her and her mother. I paid the rent, supplemented our living expenses, worked four jobs a day just to support our little family. I even took out all my savings for her mother’s treatment. Now that she had won the lottery, the first thing she did was abandon me and go back to her ex? She even went to find her ex-boyfriend who had dumped her before, with bags of shopping, just hours after winning the lottery this morning. Looking at it now, those four years between us were truly laughable. I crouched on the ground, laughing coldly. I silently touched the lottery ticket in my pocket and looked up at her. “Does your mom know about you two?” I still had a glimmer of hope that someone would speak up for me. Lily’s mom had been good to me, always saying she treated me like her own son. I looked at Lily, only to see her nod. “My mom knows, she’s the one who told me to break up with you quickly.” I laughed bitterly. The familiar voice of Lily’s mother sounded from the living room. “What’s all this noise in the middle of the night? Can’t you let people sleep?” Lily’s mother had just woken up, probably because of the lottery win. She now looked radiant, with no trace of illness visible. She glanced at me on the ground, with contempt in her eyes that I had never seen before. Mrs. Zhang waved her hand, “Hurry up and kick this jinx out! Can’t you let people sleep at night?” Mrs. Zhang glared at me, her eyes almost rolling to the sky. “James, don’t blame auntie for being heartless. Look at your face and your fate, you’ve already caused your parents’ death, are you planning to curse me and my daughter too?” “It’s because of your bad luck that I got cancer! Get out of here now! You’re bad luck!” She was still cursing. “You jinx, you look poor, I’m afraid you won’t be able to give my daughter a good life in the future.” “Jack is much better.” I looked at the mother and daughter in front of me, feeling utterly unfamiliar. It was as if the two people who had been good to me and treated me as family never existed. So money has such great power, $300,000 can make people drop their masks and show their true faces. Since everyone’s done pretending, I’ll stop pretending too. I waved my hand, “Then I’ll be direct too. To tell you the truth, I also won the lottery, $70 million.”

Hearing what I said, the three people in front of me had disbelief flashing across their faces. Suddenly, they burst into laughter, as if they had heard some ridiculous joke. Lily reached out and patted me, “James, have you gone crazy? You think everyone is as lucky as me? $70 million, you couldn’t even win $7.” “Don’t think you can lie to win me back. Even if you won $700 million, I wouldn’t want you.” I didn’t say anything, a faint smile hanging on my lips. I casually picked up my bag and put it on my back, making up my mind. “Believe it or not, Lily. With your behavior, I was only with you out of pity before. Did you really think you were that beautiful? Look in the mirror!” “Let me tell you, from today on, Lily, even if you and your family die, it has nothing to do with me!” I turned and went back to the bedroom to take out my watch and put it in my bag. Although the watch wasn’t worth much, maybe $2,000, I wouldn’t leave anything of mine for them. Seeing me taking things, Mrs. Zhang panicked. “You thief! Are you stealing from our house!” I looked around at the 400-square-foot rental apartment. My things weren’t worth much. For the past two years, to pay for her mother’s treatment and to have a small home for us, I had been living frugally to save money. The clothes I bought for myself were of the poorest quality, compared to how I tried every way to be good to Lily and her mother. The only valuable thing on me was that watch, and she accused me of being a thief? Thinking about it now, I was really foolish and crazy back then! To be good to people like them. I shook my head, feeling nauseous at the thought of saying another word to these people. I held back the disgust in my heart, but Mrs. Zhang kept nagging. “You can’t take even a grain of rice from our house! Leave the bag here, who knows if you’ve stolen something from us!” Saying this, Mrs. Zhang reached out to grab my bag like a shrew. I laughed coldly, rushed into the kitchen, and took out a kitchen knife and an unprocessed butterfish. Holding the butterfish, I suddenly stepped forward and slapped Mrs. Zhang’s wrinkled face with it. Her mouth immediately swelled up. She covered her mouth and screamed. Jack came over to stop me, and I slapped him with the butterfish in my hand again, making the flesh on his cheeks jiggle. Holding the butterfish in my hand, I thought no one should escape. I used all my strength to stuff the now-broken butterfish into Lily’s cursing mouth. She suddenly ate a mouthful of raw butterfish, her face turning blue, and she bent over and vomited, holding her waist. The three of them were angered by me. I curled my lips and held the kitchen knife in my hand, pointing it at them. “Damn it, who dares to stop me! Who dares to take my things!” “I’ll kill you all! You want to act crazy? Let’s see who’s crazier!” Once I started acting crazy, they didn’t dare do anything to me. They could only back off reluctantly. The three of them stood aside, not daring to stop me as I walked out aggressively. Walking out of the house, I called the landlord. “I’m not renewing the lease. Ask Lily for the rent for the first half of the year.” Not only that, I took out the medical bill from my bag, tore it into pieces, and threw it into the trash can. Damn it, fortunately, I hadn’t paid Mrs. Zhang’s medical bills for the past six months. Let these bastards pay it themselves! I kept all the previous transfer records and payment records. I’ll get everything back even if I have to go to court! What’s mine, these dogs shouldn’t think of taking a penny!

That night, I booked myself a five-star hotel. I was about to become a billionaire, so I might as well enjoy it properly. I quit all four of my jobs, lay down on the hotel’s big bed, and slept until noon the next day. When I woke up, a pre-ordered feast was waiting for me. The next day, I found some common sportswear, and prepared a head cover, hat, and sunglasses. Dressed like this, no one could recognize who I was. Fully armed, I took my relevant documents and went to the lottery center to claim my prize. As soon as I walked into the lottery center, I saw a group of reporters interviewing several people, saying someone had won the lottery, winning millions. I took a closer look and found that the interviewees were none other than Lily and her family. The three of them stood in front of the camera, gesticulating excitedly, eager to announce this to the world. Lily was wearing a dress, dressed up glamorously. She started bragging to the camera, “For me, actually, our family has quite a lot of assets. $300,000 is nothing to me.” Mrs. Zhang’s eyes were full of smiles, “Yes, my daughter has been lucky since she was young. Whatever she does, she succeeds. $300,000 is just pocket change.” Jack beside her was dressed in a suit and tie, and he took out his phone to show his TikTok account to the camera. “Everyone can follow my account. We will often give gifts to our followers. $300,000 is just small change. The red packets we give out in one live stream are more than this.” “Remember my account, make sure to follow.” Seeing their boastful appearance, I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. I knew that only fools would be so ostentatious. Winning the lottery is something that should be kept as quiet as possible, especially for someone like me who had won tens of millions. Only by keeping a low profile can I ensure my safety. While everyone’s attention was focused on Lily’s family, I quickly found a staff member and entered the work area to exchange the lottery ticket. I got the redemption slip from the lottery center and hurried to leave. That day, I cashed in at the bank. That night, after paying taxes, over $50 million was deposited into my account. Looking at all those zeros in my bank account, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. My life as a rich man was finally about to begin.

After getting the money, I immediately bought a slightly smaller unit in One57 with full payment, spending $12 million. It was enough for me to live alone. With the bank card in my hand, I first urgently customized various suits and daily clothes, and bought several watches by series. I deposited the rest of the money in the bank. The monthly interest alone was nearly a million, directly achieving financial freedom. Back home, leaning on my sofa and looking at my 4,000-square-foot apartment, I felt satisfied. I casually picked up my phone and glanced at my social media feed, only to see Lily showing off her wealth. She posted a selfie. In the selfie, she was wearing an outfit full of logos, sitting in her newly bought BMW, pretending to casually show off the brand-name bracelet and ring on her wrist. Caption: Just an ordinary BMW, I’ll buy a Mercedes tomorrow. Any recommendations? Seeing her ridiculous appearance, I suddenly became interested, finding it quite amusing. I found Jack’s TikTok account directly based on his plea for followers to the media today. His TikTok was identical to Lily’s, all about showing off wealth. One photo showed a newly bought watch. Caption: My wife insisted on buying it for me. He had shown off quite a few luxury goods on his homepage recently, all probably bought by Lily. But with just $300,000 from the lottery, at this rate of spending, they probably won’t last until next month. And Lily’s mother’s illness was a bottomless pit, $200,000 would barely be enough. I thought for a moment, that won’t do! Although I’m now a billionaire, every penny I spent on their family during the four years I dated her can’t be less. I immediately found a lawyer and gave him all the organized transfer records and the medical bills I paid for her mother. I even calculated the $3 or $5 I spent on groceries. When I calculated, I was shocked. In four years, I had spent over $300,000 on Lily. After subtracting what she spent on me, she still owed me $310,000. Thinking about it now, was I under some kind of spell during those years? Now she shouldn’t think of shorting me a single cent. Expensive lawyers are indeed efficient. In just a few days, everything was handled, and a lawyer’s letter was sent directly to her home. If they don’t pay, they can wait to be sued to death! As soon as the lawyer’s letter was sent, I received a call from Lily that night. As soon as the call connected, Lily’s cursing voice came from the other end of the phone.

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Eight years into our marriage, I was kidnapped along with Ryan Pierce’s sister, Chloe Song. Ryan Pierce, worth millions, only brought ransom money for one person. When forced to choose, he told me: “Ava, your dad is rich. He’ll come save you. But Chloe only has me.” When I escaped and made it home barely alive, the media was busy glorifying their love story. As I stumbled home, countless reporters were camped outside our mansion, cameras aimed at my husband and Chloe, interviewing them. Ryan held Chloe tightly as reporters praised their ride-or-die love, completely forgetting that Chloe was nothing more than a homewrecker. It seemed in their eyes, a moment of passion trumped marital loyalty. As I got out of the car, I was a complete mess. My torn clothes hung off me like rags. Camera flashes went wild. My dad tried to shield me with a huge blanket, desperately fending off the reporters. But it was all in vain. Ryan’s face flashed with shock, then quickly turned to disgust. My whole body ached, especially my abdomen which felt like it was being carved up. The pain made me curl up until I blacked out. In my dreams, I was still in the kidnappers’ clutches. Chloe had already been taken away by Ryan. The kidnappers had taken nude photos of Chloe, so she begged Ryan not to call the police. Ryan agreed and brought ransom money to save us. But ridiculously, despite being worth millions, Ryan only brought enough ransom for one person. When forced to choose, he held my hand tightly, eyes full of emotion. “Ava, your dad is rich. He’ll come save you. But Chloe only has me. You understand, right?” At that moment I didn’t understand. I only knew those men had been eyeing my clothes for a while. I was terrified, so I cried and begged him: “Ryan, don’t leave me here. Pay my ransom and I’ll have Dad pay you back when we get home!” Ryan lowered his head. “I’m sorry, but my company’s project is really important. If I take out money now, your dad might not help me. I’m sorry!” With that, Ryan yanked his hand away and ran off with Chloe. I didn’t even get a chance to tell him I was pregnant. Our little one was already two months along. But those words never got a chance to be said. They ripped my clothes and gagged me. My limbs were bound to a pillar with wire. As I struggled, the wire cut into my flesh, as if violently scraping away the life in my womb. Meanwhile, my frantic father had no idea about any of this. After Ryan took Chloe home, she was too traumatized by the nude photos to speak about what happened. My dear husband actually didn’t say a word about my whereabouts. The police couldn’t get any information from them about where I was, so they could only waste time searching carefully. At this point, even my dad’s money was useless, because I had seen the kidnappers’ faces and they were planning to sell me to Southeast Asia. Luckily, the kidnappers let their guard down during transport, allowing me to find a chance to escape. Along the way, I crawled through mud, slept in dumpsters, and even fought stray dogs for food. After countless brushes with death, I finally made it back to the city and was found by the police. My dad nearly fainted when he first saw me, but still shakily wrapped me in a blanket. In my dream, I seemed to see a little girl with pigtails in a princess dress, waving at me. “Baby, baby, Mommy is so sorry!” I ran towards the child like a madwoman, but she kept getting further away until she disappeared. I suddenly opened my eyes to see Ryan sitting by my bed. Seeing him made me want to vomit, so I desperately tried to drive him away. “What are you doing here? Get out, I don’t want to see you.” Ryan angrily scolded me: “We’re husband and wife. Isn’t it normal for me to come see you?” Agitated, I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him: “I don’t want to see you. Get out!” Seeing this, Ryan furiously yelled: “Can’t you learn from Chloe? At least she knows to comfort me. You just get angry at me. Such a spoiled rich girl attitude. I’ve been worried sick about you two for days without sleep. What right do you have to be angry?” Hearing this, I let out a bitter laugh. How could his few sleepless nights compare to the pain all over my body? I was electrocuted, whipped, and even burned with cigarettes by the kidnappers every day. They were angry at my husband for refusing to pay my ransom. I gave a tragic smile: “Ryan Pierce, your heart must be made of sewage rocks – filthy and disgusting! You say we’re husband and wife, but what kind of husband would abandon his wife to a group of brutal kidnappers?” Hearing me say this, his attitude softened. “You know I’ve been short on cash for the company lately. I’m not from a rich family like you. Your dad is loaded. Besides, you were rescued in the end, right? What’s there to be angry about!” Just then my dad suddenly pushed open the door. Seeing Ryan, he immediately lunged to attack him. But Ryan shoved him away hard! “Dad!”

Seeing my dad fall heavily to the ground, Ryan finally realized what he’d done. “Dad, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to. I didn’t see clearly just now!” He hurried over, trying to help my dad up, but was pushed away. My dad glared at him angrily, struggling to his feet on his own. “I don’t care if you saw clearly or not. Get out now, my child needs rest!” Seeing my dad’s anger, Ryan obediently left. He knew very well that even though our family was bankrupt now, my dad’s connections were still not something he could handle. After Ryan left, I quickly helped my dad up. But he pulled me into a tight hug instead. “Don’t be afraid, sweetie. Daddy’s here!” I hugged my dad tightly and broke down sobbing. I really didn’t understand why I was always the second choice. I cried for a long time before falling into a deep sleep again. Due to the trauma and torture of the past days, I kept having nightmares. In my dreams, I seemed to see the ridiculous story of my life. As a high school girl full of innocent puppy love, I fell for the class heartthrob Ryan Pierce. Perhaps every class has a boy like that – good grades, good habits, polite and gentle. But Ryan’s family situation was very bad. His mother had been raped and gave birth to him as a result. Shortly after he was born, his mother was hospitalized for schizophrenia. He grew up with his grandparents, but they didn’t care much for this child who had ruined their daughter’s life. Sympathizing with a boy became the start of my tragedy. Our class was the top class in school at the time. Besides getting in on grades, you could also get in based on family wealth. So the class was split half and half between smart kids and rich kids. Ryan happened to be the permanent top student in our grade, which easily made him a target of jealousy. That’s when I appeared, protecting him time and time again. At first Ryan looked down on me, until one day when I got into a big fight with another classmate to stand up for him. I was pushed to the ground, fracturing my wrist as I tried to break my fall. After that, Ryan’s attitude towards me changed. He started taking care of me more. To be with him, I worked hard to get into the same college. My dad also approved of my relationship with him. In his eyes, Ryan was a rare talent. With my dad’s support, I started asking Ryan out. Ryan didn’t agree, but he didn’t clearly reject me either. Blinded by love, I stupidly assumed I was his girlfriend. I had known since high school that Ryan had a sister named Chloe Song. She was his uncle’s daughter. But what I didn’t know was that she was adopted by Ryan’s uncle. She grew up with Ryan, but just before starting high school, she was suddenly taken away by his uncle. It wasn’t until our wedding day that this girl suddenly appeared at our ceremony. She stumbled in barefoot, covered in injuries. Even her light blue dress was stained with blood. She looked at Ryan with tears streaming down: “Brother, I escaped. Why didn’t you wait for me?” With just that one sentence, the ring Ryan was about to put on my finger suddenly fell to the ground. That night, Ryan didn’t come back. On our wedding night, he was at the hospital with his sister. Despite the bitterness in my heart, I could only swallow it. After all, I had always been the one chasing him. The next day I changed clothes, planning to visit the hospital. But I ran into my dad at the door. “Going to the hospital? Not allowed! My daughter hasn’t stooped so low as to let others humiliate her!” I cried and begged my dad to let me go to the hospital. At that point I was in too deep. After all, during my pursuit of Ryan, he had given me many responses. Those responses were enough to make up beautiful youthful memories. I really couldn’t let go. However, at the hospital I learned a shocking truth. Chloe wasn’t Ryan’s uncle’s biological daughter at all. The reason she was taken away back then was because the two kids had developed romantic feelings. Ryan’s uncle sent Chloe abroad and ordered her to cut off contact with Ryan, or he would disown her. Chloe studied hard abroad, all for the day she could escape her father’s control and return to be with Ryan. On my wedding day with Ryan, she finally broke free and escaped back. I covered my mouth as I listened to this, finally fleeing back to our marital home in disgrace. When Ryan returned, I asked for a divorce. But he refused and made up for our wedding night. That day I was in physical and emotional pain. He roughly had his way with me all day, falling into a deep sleep after. I was left alone crying. I slapped myself hard, but still couldn’t wake up. I wanted to try again. That “try” lasted 8 years. 8 years of a ménage à trois marriage left me physically and mentally exhausted. Just as I was about to ask for divorce again, Chloe and I were kidnapped at the same time. And in this kidnapping incident, I lost the child I had yearned for for years. Waking from the nightmare, I was still in the hospital. My father’s hair had turned much whiter overnight. But soon, an even more devastating news came that would crush my poor old man. Somehow a tumor had appeared in my stomach. When I was in dire straits, their punches and kicks caused the tumor to rupture. Now the cancer has spread, and I only have three months left to live.

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Jack is my husband. I met him during my freshman year of college. He was the one who pursued me first. Four years of college, four years after graduation, a total of eight years. Before we got married, he said he would love me for a lifetime, and only me. After we got married, I heard he went to a nightclub while I was still heavily pregnant. I slapped him hard outside the operating room while supporting my pregnant belly. I even questioned whether the child inside was his. Jack said it wasn’t, he had just met her for the first time. I laughed coldly, “Oh, so you slept with her the first time you met? Well done, Jack.” His face darkened instantly. The doctor said the girl’s heavy bleeding was due to her pregnancy, but told us not to worry. The girl was fine, just the baby couldn’t be saved. Late at night, Jack and I stood outside the girl’s hospital room. I had calmed down by then. I watched him chain-smoking and frowned, saying, “Jack, what do you plan to do?” Before he could answer, I continued, “I told you before we got married, if you ever cheated, the house would be mine, the car yours, and I’d get all our assets after marriage. You’d be left with almost nothing.” I added, “The baby can’t stay with you.” The baby in my belly, almost ten months along now. Jack took a deep drag of his cigarette, looking very impatient. After a long while, he said, “Ava, the child can’t be born without a father.” I laughed, “With a father like you? Better off without one.” Jack seemed very sensitive to my sarcasm. He looked at me coldly, “Ava, watch your words.” I sneered, “Why don’t you watch yourself?” Jack refused to divorce me. He even called his mother from their hometown to persuade me. As soon as his mother arrived, she grabbed my hands and said all men cheat, even if I divorced Jack and married someone else, the next guy might cheat too. She went on about how excellent her son was, already making a six-figure salary. If I really divorced him, where would I find another man making that much, especially in my pregnant state? Listening to her made me sick to my stomach, strengthening my resolve to divorce. Back when Jack’s career was struggling, I supported him for years. When he wanted to start a business, I even used all my savings, including mortgaging the house my parents bought for me. Now that Jack was making good money, with our child about to be born, he didn’t mention redeeming that house or any of those things. It seemed he had forgotten who helped him get where he was today. Later, when I brought up divorce again, Jack argued with me due to disagreement and pushed me to the ground with one hand. I felt a dull pain in my abdomen. I went into premature labor. Due to fetal displacement, I stayed in the operating room for two days and two nights. I saw blood-soaked medical gauze changed again and again. I heard Jack and his mother shouting outside the operating room, “Save the baby! You must save the baby!” I felt more exhausted than ever before, like I had struggled to swim to shore, only to be pushed back into the water just as I was about to climb out. Extreme suffocation.

Perhaps God wanted to spare my life. Both the baby and I survived. The day I left the operating room, I saw my mother-in-law’s face fall when she heard it was a girl, muttering “money-losing burden.” Jack didn’t even glance at the baby, just lit a cigarette and left. I stared blankly at the hospital ceiling, constantly comforting myself. It’s okay, I still have my daughter. I slept in the ward for a day. When I woke up, my parents had rushed over from out of town. Seeing them, I felt a sense of relief. But tears kept flowing. I said I wanted to divorce Jack. My parents had already heard what happened. Seeing my haggard state, they supported my decision to divorce. When I called a nurse to take my parents to see the baby, the nurse looked surprised and said, “Your mother-in-law just took the baby out.” My face turned pale. I called Jack. He told me his mother was worried I’d be too tired caring for the baby, so she took her back to their hometown. My whole body shook as I tried to steady my trembling voice, “Jack, the baby is only two days old and very fragile. She can’t be exposed to wind. Please bring her back…” I heard his mother snort on the other end of the phone, saying sarcastically, “What’s there to be delicate about a money-losing burden? It’s not a boy. She’ll be married off sooner or later anyway. If she dies, she dies. Just have another one.” I had the call on speaker. Hearing my mother-in-law say such things, my parents were furious and wanted to drive over to confront them. But Jack on the phone didn’t panic. Instead, he laughed and said to me, “Ava, I still have feelings for you. Are you sure you still want to divorce me?” I didn’t understand why he was asking such an obvious question. Things had come to this point, how could I not divorce him? Suddenly, a loud “bang” came from downstairs. Soon after, I heard nurses shouting, “There’s been a car accident! We need help!” A chill ran down my spine, my heart turning ice cold. Based on the timing, my parents should have been in the car by now. I bit my lip hard, holding back tears as I said word by word, “Jack, if anything happens to my parents, I will never let you off!” Jack actually had the audacity to laugh. Fortunately, my parents were fine. The car had just started moving when the gas pedal was too loose and the brakes failed, crashing into the hospital wall. No one was hurt, except my dad’s leg got stuck and he’ll need a cane for the rest of his life. I didn’t tell my parents about this accident being related to Jack. They didn’t suspect anything either. I stopped mentioning divorce to Jack. Our baby was still with his mother in their hometown. Every day, I would receive videos of the baby from his mother. But my hatred for Jack only grew. I knew he was using our baby to threaten me, to prevent me from divorcing him. I hated him every day, hated how he pushed me to this point, hated that I had wasted eight years of my youth on this scumbag. Because of this, I learned that Jack didn’t want to divorce me because his company was competing for a partnership with a big corporation. His married status would help him stand out among other candidates. I didn’t want him to get this project at all. Especially when I found out the big corporation was hosting a banquet and invited us as a couple to attend, I wanted to sabotage it. But Jack seemed to know what I was thinking. As we got in the car, he casually said to me, “Ava, if you want to see our baby’s corpse tomorrow, go ahead and do whatever you’re planning.” He always knew how to hit my weak spots. He always knew. At the banquet, I naturally didn’t do anything rash. But I learned a lesson. If I didn’t get rid of this psychopath, he would control me for the rest of my life, and my child would always be in danger. I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. Jack’s career was thriving, while I had become a tool he used to maintain his image in business circles. Looking at his increasingly smug face, I felt utterly disgusted. On one hand, I was looking for an opportunity to bring him down, on the other, I carefully avoided any resistance. After a while, I really found a breakthrough. Jack liked women. After I caught him, he became even more reckless. Few women could stay around him for long, but there were always exceptions. And this exception was a woman named Fiona. I didn’t know Fiona, but someone among my friends did. When I intentionally posted a photo of scenery from a shopping trip, someone recognized the woman in the photo as Fiona. My friend asked me, “Ava, how do you know Fiona?” Without waiting for my answer, she continued, “She’s the mistress of the CEO of Saint Corp. Any chance you could introduce us sometime?” Saint Corp? I remembered, that was the big corporation Jack had partnered with through my efforts earlier. I just didn’t expect Jack to be so bold as to get involved with the wife of his business partner. I casually replied to my friend that I didn’t know her well, but inside I was overjoyed. Because I had finally found a chance to deal with Jack. Jack was very cautious. I couldn’t gather much information from his side, so I started following Fiona. Fiona was a rich housewife. Every day, besides playing mahjong and getting beauty treatments, she would meet Jack at various hotels to have fun. Jack met her quite often, at least three times a week. I captured all those moments – hand-holding, kissing. While holding back my disgust, I carefully took more evidence, hoping for some other juicy details to emerge. Perhaps heaven heard my call. One day, I noticed something odd about Fiona. She didn’t go play mahjong or get beauty treatments. Instead, she went to a psychiatric hospital. That psychiatric hospital was famous in our city, specializing in patients with mental illnesses or confusion. I didn’t enter the hospital, just waited outside, timing how long she stayed. A full hour. Fiona stayed inside for a whole hour. I didn’t want to give up any leads and wanted to investigate further. But facing this heavily guarded psychiatric hospital, I knew that even if I barged in, I wouldn’t be able to find out anything. So I needed someone to help me, and that person had to be a professional. So I asked a friend to contact the most reliable private investigator in the city. A few days later, my friend introduced me to someone. He was expensive, but guaranteed results if he took the job. Jack controlled all my credit card transactions to keep tabs on me. Luckily, I had saved some secret funds. Though not a huge amount, it was enough to buy this information. So I said, “As long as your results satisfy me, I’ll pay whatever it costs.” My instincts told me that once I knew this secret, things would completely turn in my favor. Not long after, the investigator arranged to meet me. We met at a coffee shop. When we met, I was surprised by how young and handsome he was. He handed me a manila envelope and said, “The person Fiona visited at the psychiatric hospital is named Lily, a 21-year-old performing arts student. She was often with Fiona recently, and Fiona took very good care of her. Last month, she went to a nightclub and had an accident, then went to the hospital…” I already knew the latter part of what he was saying, because this Lily was the girl Jack had made bleed heavily that night. I glanced at Lily’s photo in the envelope and saw another piece of paper. Then I heard him say, “The CEO of Saint Corp has never had a son. A fortune teller read his birth chart and said he’d have a better chance with a young woman whose birth chart matched his. But Mr. Saint is old now and can’t perform, so they could only use IVF. The baby in Lily’s belly was actually Mr. Saint’s…” I didn’t need to hear the rest to know what happened. Lily lost the baby at the nightclub and no longer had any value to them, so Fiona put her in the psychiatric hospital.

I asked, “Is Lily really sick now or…?” The investigator shook his head, sounding regretful, “She’s already lost her mind.” Looking at Lily’s young, beautiful face on the table, I felt sorry for her. At such a good age, she should have had a bright future ahead, but now she could only stay in a psychiatric hospital. After getting this information, I went home, planning to use it to force Jack to return our child and divorce me. The CEO of Saint Corp was already in his sixties and had never had a son. The baby in Lily’s belly could be said to be his last hope. Jack had caused the loss of that child, so Mr. Saint must hate him. So I wanted to use this point to make Jack compromise. However, I didn’t expect that when I went to negotiate with Jack, Fiona was there too. When I laid out the evidence on the table, Fiona’s presence made me realize something was off. Since when had Jack and Fiona become so close that he’d bring her to our home? Just as I thought this, I saw Fiona pick up the evidence from the table and smile meaningfully, “So you really found out, huh.” I immediately sensed something was wrong. Fiona had already torn up the evidence I had worked so hard to gather. As she tore it up, she looked at Jack, “She already knows everything. Is there any point in keeping her around? If she goes to the old man and exposes us, what chance will we have?” My heart sank as I suddenly realized what was happening. Could it be that Jack and Fiona were in cahoots, and they had deliberately caused Lily to lose the baby?! If Lily’s child was really born, it would indeed be a threat to Fiona. Lily was young and beautiful, and she was carrying a son. With that, she could easily take Fiona’s place. But I never imagined they would intentionally scheme to make Lily lose the baby! These two monsters! Weren’t they afraid of karma?! I was furious at their actions, but Jack said, “You think Saint Corp’s deal was really closed because of you? The only reason I’ve kept you around until now is because of that insurance policy!” Jack and I had signed a contract before marriage stating that if one party died accidentally, the other would receive a huge accidental death payout. So that was his plan all along! I suddenly started shaking all over and turned to run! But Jack had anticipated this and worked with Fiona to knock me out! When I woke up, I found myself in a sealed wooden crate. It was tightly sealed on all sides, with only a tiny gap at the top where I could see outside. It was pitch black outside, with occasional shadows of leaves making me realize we were in some remote wilderness. Before I could fully react, the crate containing me was heavily set down, and someone knocked on the side. It was Fiona. She seemed to know I was awake and said to me, “You might as well reincarnate soon. Your husband doesn’t love you, your child isn’t with you, and you don’t even have any money to your name. What’s the point of living like this?” After saying that, she put me into a large pit. The sound of sand and dust hitting the crate told me she was trying to bury me alive. I struggled and cried out, wanting to see Jack. I couldn’t believe that after so many years together, our relationship meant nothing to him. How could he be so heartless as to want me dead? But I heard Jack’s voice outside saying, “Ava, rest in peace. In a few days, I’ll let our child come join you.” At that moment, my heart completely shattered. I kept kicking at the crate, trying to save myself, to escape. I desperately hoped that if I could get out, I would protect my child and make this evil couple pay for what they’d done! But the sand kept piling up thicker, and the air in the crate was getting thinner. I felt like I was about to die. But after who knows how long, suddenly someone tapped on the crate and pried open the lock. ———-This is the cutoff point———-

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Just before I was wheeled into the operating room, Lucas held my hand tightly and kissed my forehead, his eyes full of love. “Don’t be scared, Anna. It’ll be over soon. It won’t hurt, I promise. I’ll be waiting for you outside.” I placed one hand on my belly, fighting back tears as I forced a smile for Lucas. Our little angel, who should have been eagerly anticipated, was diagnosed with a defect. I had no choice but to send it back to where it came from. The doctor administered the anesthesia and pushed my bed into the operating room. Under the harsh fluorescent lights, I gradually lost consciousness. However, I overheard a nurse’s curious inquiry. “Dr. Thompson, this patient’s baby is developing well. Why does Mr. Graham want to terminate the pregnancy and even remove her uterus?” “Shh, don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. This is all Mr. Graham’s decision.” “Oh no, could it be because of that rumor…” Wasn’t the baby supposed to have a defect? What’s this about removing my uterus? What rumor? Overwhelming panic gripped my heart. I struggled to wake up and ask for clarification, to stop this surgery. But my consciousness was dragged into a bottomless abyss. When I finally opened my eyes, only Lucas was in the hospital room. He had stubble on his face and bloodshot eyes, clearly having stayed up all night watching over me. Seeing me awake, his eyes lit up. “Anna, you’re awake. How do you feel?” The incision on my abdomen throbbed with pain. I felt as if a huge part of me was missing, with cold wind whistling through the void. Tears uncontrollably slid down my cheeks. I truly believed Lucas trusted me. I never imagined he would cruelly kill our child and even permanently deprive me of the right to be a mother, all because of Jasmine’s slanderous words. I had stayed by his side every moment to reassure him. How could I possibly have had an affair? But I didn’t know that my eagerness to prove my innocence only appeared as guilty behavior in Lucas’s eyes. Lucas assumed I was just upset about losing the baby and comforted me, saying we would have children in the future. I stared at him steadily, unable to believe how someone could be so loving yet so ruthless at the same time. “Lucas, do you really not mind what Jasmine said that day?” I just wanted an answer, one that wouldn’t leave me in such agony. Lucas gently flicked my forehead, then chuckled indulgently. “Anna, didn’t we already say it was just a dream? Why do you remember it more clearly than I do? Don’t worry, I love you so much. If I can’t trust you, who can I trust?” My heart ached terribly. I swallowed back all the accusations in my throat. After resting in the hospital for two weeks, Lucas brought me back home. As soon as we entered the Graham mansion, I heard Jasmine’s light laughter as she chatted with Lucas’s mother. A strong sense of discomfort welled up. I frowned at Lucas, only to find him looking completely unsurprised. Ever since Jasmine made those remarks, I had been very averse to seeing her. Lucas had even promised me he wouldn’t let her come to the Graham house anymore. Disappointment spread like wildfire again. Strangely enough, I had an “as expected” feeling. When Jasmine saw us, she knelt down in front of me, clutching her belly with tears in her eyes and a guilty expression. “Anna, I’m so sorry. I was out of my mind before when I drugged Lucas. I know I was wrong, but the baby is innocent. Please forgive us, mother and child.” This news hit me like a ton of bricks. My mind went blank, unable to process anything. Lucas’s mother clearly sympathized with Jasmine, who was carrying her first grandchild. She looked at me with displeasure. “Jasmine has admitted her mistake and apologized. Don’t be petty about it.” Lucas’s mother, who had treated me like her own daughter because my parents weren’t in the country, now looked at me with such unfamiliarity that I was bewildered. I could ignore all of this. What I cared about most was Lucas, who kept saying he loved me. I turned to look at the silent Lucas, unable to control the lump in my throat. “When did you find out?” “Anna, I’m sorry.” Lucas didn’t answer, just pulled me into his arms and buried his head in the crook of my neck. This was Lucas’s usual trick when apologizing. I used to find his gap moe adorable, and in the past, whenever he did something wrong, I would quickly forgive him if he did this. Did he think an affair could be easily forgiven with just an apology? What did he take me for?! I shoved him away forcefully, ignoring his shocked expression as I wiped away the tears that had unknowingly streamed down my face. Lucas explained helplessly, as if my distrust of him was very hurtful. “Anna, I really had no idea she would drug me. The baby… I only found out yesterday. I know you’re very upset, but Jasmine said she just wants to give birth to the child and then hand it over to us to raise.” Jasmine seized the opportunity to interject, choking up as she spoke. “Anna, you’ve been a mother too. You understand why I don’t want to abort the baby, right?” Thinking of the child who had been deprived of life before it was even born, my heart began to ache again, so painful I could barely breathe. Had Lucas known about Jasmine’s pregnancy all along, and that’s why he so readily took away my child? When you love someone, can you really bear to hurt them like this? For the past ten years, Jasmine had a crush on him, but he always made me feel secure, never crossing any lines in his words or actions. Whenever friends teased him, he would always put me first. “Anna is my only love, and I only recognize her.” I thought marrying Lucas meant marrying for love, but in reality, love couldn’t overcome all obstacles. A single flimsy prediction was enough to shatter all the beauty I once believed in. Suddenly, I felt so tired, losing all strength to argue. A mistress eager to climb the social ladder, a mother-in-law who deliberately made things difficult, and a husband who looked like he loved me but used a gentle attitude to force me… Perhaps leaving was the best solution. I tugged the corners of my lips into a self-mocking smile, the dull pain in my chest silent yet grinding. “Do whatever you want.” Lucas thought I had agreed and let out a huge sigh of relief. His mother snorted coldly at me, then turned to Jasmine with a beaming smile, her eyes full of concern. “Look how haggard you are. I’ll have the cook make some soup to nourish you later.” Jasmine coyly pulled Lucas’s hand and placed it on her belly. “Lucas, look, the baby is kicking me again.” Watching this family scene of love and harmony coldly, I turned and went upstairs without a word, asking my friend abroad to book me a flight to leave. Since someone always had to be the odd one out, I might as well bow out and let them be happy. I woke up startled in the middle of the night, my mind full of scenes of that child crying and asking me why I didn’t save him. I trembled, silently shedding tears. The cold empty space beside me reminded me of my failed marriage. Jasmine had said she had a nightmare, and Lucas was worried it might affect the baby in her belly, so he said he would go check on her. He never returned all night. That Lucas who used to hold me in his arms and gently comfort me whenever I had a nightmare, no matter when, would never exist again. I got out of bed intending to go downstairs for a glass of water, but there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, it was Lucas. The hidden meaning in his eyes made me feel like a stranger. “Anna, Jasmine had a dream where you didn’t like the child and pushed her down the stairs. Now she doesn’t want to give the baby to you.” “There’s a Buddha statue in Mom’s room. Can you go kneel there for a night, pray for blessings for that child, and apologize to Jasmine?” I wondered if I was still dreaming. “She just had a dream and you believe everything? Lucas, do you believe in dreams or do you just believe her?” Dreaming about that child made my emotions a bit intense. Lucas’s displeased frown made it even harder for me to pretend to be calm. In his eyes, it was just an illegitimate child. How could he feel guilty? I was so angry that tears streamed down my face, unable to say a complete sentence. Lucas sighed tiredly, as if my unreasonable behavior made him very troubled. “Anna, be good. Just kneel for one night, it’ll be fine.” “I’m doing all this for your own good. Didn’t you always want a child? Your child is gone, but Jasmine has one now. Maybe this is fate.” I trembled all over, finally unable to hold back and slapped Lucas across the face. If it weren’t for him, how could anything have happened to my child? Lucas’s expression turned cold as he looked down at me condescendingly. A chill rose in my heart. I instinctively sensed something was wrong and wanted to close and lock the door, but Lucas blocked it. “You care so much about that child? Why do you get so agitated whenever it’s mentioned?” “Anna, be more obedient and don’t make me angry. You’ve already put me in a very difficult position, but it’s okay. After all, I love you so much that I can overlook your affair. But if you keep being so willful, I’ll feed that bastard’s ashes to the dogs!” I stared at Lucas in disbelief, unable to believe that the man I had loved for so many years could become so unfamiliar, could say such things. “What evidence do you have that I had an affair? You’re the one who made the mistake first! Lucas, that was our child, how could you be so cruel…” Lucas neither confirmed nor denied, clearly not believing my words. I had no choice. That child had already been deprived of life. How could I bear to see him not rest in peace even after death? “Fine, I’ll go kneel.” I closed my eyes, not wanting to look at Lucas again. Choking back the taste of iron in my throat, I squeezed out a response. I wanted to pray for that child, hoping the Buddha would bless him. Next time, may he not be born into a family where his father doesn’t want him. “Also, Jasmine said she’s not comfortable sleeping in the guest room. For the baby’s sake, why don’t you switch rooms with her for a while?” Lucas didn’t care what my reaction was. He announced it like a notification and hurried away when he heard Jasmine say she was uncomfortable. Leaving me standing there, my heart shattered into pieces. From that night on, I had to kneel in front of the Buddha statue for two hours every night. Lucas’s mother found me an eyesore and had someone move the Buddha statue to a corner by the stairs next to the storage room. She even made me kneel when the servants were around. “Who knows if you’re sincere or not if no one’s watching?” I remained silent, praying sincerely for my child amidst the servants’ gossip. Meanwhile, Lucas, who said he loved me, appeared with Jasmine in places where I used to be. His little childhood sweetheart also became the “wife” in the mouths of company employees, the “sister-in-law” among Lucas’s friends, and the “true love” of Mr. Graham in media reports. Their love story was praised by everyone, their ten-year unwavering devotion admired. And I was naturally left behind, even becoming a topic of after-dinner gossip as the third wheel. I thought Lucas would take the opportunity to file for divorce, but even when I put the signed divorce papers in front of him, he remained unmoved. “You and Jasmine are in love and have a child together. Isn’t divorce the best choice for us?” I had already compromised this far. I didn’t understand what else Lucas wanted. I had already shattered my heart into pieces. I couldn’t give anything else. Lucas picked up the divorce papers, his eyes dark and unclear, his face covered with a layer of gloom. He tugged the corner of his lips into a smile, but without a trace of joy. “I’ve already forgiven your affair and am trying to find a way to permanently solve the problem. Yet you’re only thinking about leaving.” “What, are you in such a hurry to go find your lover? Are you that desperate?” Lucas had always been gentle and polite in front of me, never saying such crude and vulgar words. I thought I couldn’t be disappointed anymore, but Lucas always managed to surprise me. I endured the embarrassment, endured the nausea churning in my stomach. There was no point in arguing with someone who didn’t believe you at all. Once I got the signed divorce papers, I could take the earliest flight out tomorrow. “It’s none of your business.” “You accuse me of having an affair but can’t produce a shred of evidence. On the contrary, you’ve been sneaking around with Jasmine, and now you’re openly attending various events with her during our marriage. Who’s really having the affair?” I was prepared to see Lucas’s angry expression at being exposed, but I didn’t expect him to look so pleased. “Anna, you’re jealous of me.” “That’s good, but for us to be more stable in the future, I have to ask you to cooperate with me for a bit.” I frowned as I watched Lucas stand up, unbuttoning his shirt cuffs as he walked towards me. I instinctively backed away, feeling a strong sense of unease. Lucas saw through my intention to escape. He closed the distance in a few quick strides and grabbed my hand, pulling me out. I struggled desperately, pounding and clawing at his arm, but I couldn’t break free. The feeling of unease peaked when I saw the storage room. My face instantly turned pale. “Lucas, what are you doing? Let me go, let me go!” I clung desperately to the doorframe, my eyes full of fear of that dark, narrow room. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I couldn’t hear the sounds around me, only the rapid beating of my heart threatening to burst my eardrums. “Lucas, I don’t want to go in there. Please, Lucas, don’t do this…” My whole body shook uncontrollably, the air seemed to thin, and a sense of suffocation washed over me. My pleas couldn’t soften Lucas’s heart even a bit. He pushed me into hell without hesitation. As the door slowly closed, the last bit of light disappeared, and I fell into complete despair. I had been kidnapped as a child. The kidnappers locked us children in a small dark room, threatening to kill us if they didn’t receive the ransom by the deadline. The thin door couldn’t block out the sound of flesh being hacked and blood splattering. It was only a few hours, but it left me with a lifelong trauma. The first time I told Lucas about this experience, he was so heartbroken he cried. He kissed my face gently, which was pale despite my attempts to appear calm, and promised with absolute determination: “I will never let you be alone in the darkness.” But now he was the one pushing me into the abyss of despair with his own hands. I tried to curl up, tears streaming uncontrollably as I weakly knocked on the door. “Lucas, Lucas…” Save me, please save me… The buzzing of electricity sounded, and Lucas’s voice came through the device. “Anna, stop pretending. It’s just locking you up for a while. How can it be that painful? You should reflect on yourself.” My last lifeline cruelly snapped all my hope. I lost track of time, completely gripped by despair, on the verge of breakdown, unable to squeeze out a shred of rationality. Lucas, why do you say you love me, yet hurt me constantly… Biting my wrist in a daze, in my fuzzy consciousness, a voice urged me. Bite down, and you can leave this place. You’ll never be afraid again. Some liquid flowed down. Just before I passed out, the door was kicked open and someone rushed in to hold me. Lucas’s voice rang out, suppressing his anger. “You care more about my wife than I do, her lawful husband. How dare you still say you’re innocent?!” But the next second, Lucas’s expression changed when he saw me clearly, his face full of anxiety as he ran towards me. “The patient went into shock due to excessive blood loss. If she had been brought in any later, even God couldn’t have saved her.” I woke up to the doctor’s stern criticism, staring blankly at the ceiling. “Anna, you’re awake? How do you feel?” That voice… I turned my head in confusion, surprised to see Ryan there. Ryan looked relieved and explained, sensing my confusion. “You asked Emily to book you a flight. She was worried you had suffered some grievance, and since I happened to be on a business trip to the country, she asked me to check on you.” “It’s a good thing I came in time. That bastard Lucas…” Ryan couldn’t help but grit his teeth in anger at the mention of Lucas. Lucas and Jasmine were so high-profile, and Ryan had personally witnessed me being locked up and falling ill. Of course he would be angry. “Don’t tell Emily, or she’ll cry while cursing me for sure.” Ryan, Emily, and I had played together since we were kids, but I was the only one who got married early. If it weren’t for Lucas, I wouldn’t have left the familiar environment I grew up in to marry into a foreign country. I won’t forgive Lucas. The dull pain in my wrist kept calling out, and Lucas must pay for his mistakes. “Ryan, can you help me with something?” … When Lucas arrived, Ryan had already left. He sat down silently by the hospital bed, staring at my bandaged wrist with a complicated expression. This was self-inflicted when I was unclear-headed in the storage room. The wound was deep. Sensing an uneasy aura, I began to tremble involuntarily in my sleep due to weakness. Lucas was clearly startled. He wanted to come closer to check but froze when he saw me shaking even more violently. I furrowed my brows, as if having a nightmare, and woke up with tear stains at the corners of my eyes. Lucas’s entire demeanor turned cold again, looking at me without a trace of warmth. “The adulterer has been caught. What else do you have to say?” I remained silent for a moment, then looked up at Lucas with fragile sorrow in my eyes. “Ryan is just my friend. You’ve always known that, haven’t you?” “Besides, he came on a business trip. The person he likes isn’t me.” Lucas sneered, clearly not believing it. “Friend? Would just a friend rush over so anxiously after hearing you and I were divorcing? Do you really expect me to—” “He likes Jasmine.” Lucas was stunned, clearly not having considered this possibility. “Don’t you remember? When we confirmed our relationship abroad, Jasmine flew over overnight to congratulate you. Ryan liked her even back then, but Jasmine always had feelings for you… so he never said anything.” I sobbed lightly, my eyes full of dependence on him. My bandaged hand trembled as it clutched at the hem of his clothes. “Lucas, I was so scared then. No matter how I called for you, you didn’t respond. I thought I was really going to die…” Did Lucas love me? He did. He was silent at first, but seeing my tears flow more and more, he couldn’t help but hold my hand and embrace me, softening his voice to comfort me. “Anna, there are no more obstacles now. We can finally live peacefully like before.” But I found it pathetic. Lucas’s love was limited, unable to overcome his self-righteousness. Resting my head on Lucas’s shoulder, I flashed a challenging smile at Jasmine, who stood at the door of the hospital room with an ashen face. It doesn’t matter. I won’t care anymore, more or less. After being discharged from the hospital, I pretended not to know that Lucas had already signed the divorce papers and widely publicized it to lure out the so-called adulterer. I calmly returned to the Graham house. As soon as I opened the door, there was Jasmine with a face full of “I’m doing this for your own good.” “Lucas, Anna is no longer pure. You’ve seen it yourself. Why do you still want her to come back?” I saw Lucas’s hesitation and inwardly sneered. “Jasmine, Lucas did all this just to live a good life with me. Those things are in the past, he won’t hold them against me anymore.” I affectionately linked arms with Lucas, smiling happily. “Thank you for your hard work, Jasmine. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely treat the child well after it’s born.” “Lucas has always treated you like a real sister. We’ve both been worried about you being alone all these years. I have a friend abroad, if you’re willing, I can introduce you two?” Jasmine’s face changed, and she was about to make a sarcastic remark when Lucas nodded and interrupted her. “I know Anna’s friend too. He’s a talented young man, very suitable for you.” Jasmine was at a loss, forcing a smile through her anger. “Lucas, you know I’m just worried about you and Anna. In my previous dream, Anna passed away from that disease…” Jasmine’s voice got smaller and smaller, her expression becoming awkward, as if there was something difficult to say. Lucas frowned in displeasure, a flash of disgust in his eyes that didn’t escape my notice. I remained calm, thoroughly ignoring the malice coming my way. As the atmosphere grew tense, the doorbell suddenly rang. Soon after, the housekeeper came in carrying a beautifully wrapped bouquet of roses. “Someone sent flowers for Miss Chen. The card seems to be from a Mr. Lewis.” Assuming Ryan had started pursuing Jasmine, Lucas happily handed the flowers to her, then put his arm around me and went upstairs. After closing the bedroom door, I deliberately distanced myself from Lucas. “Lucas, when are we going to remarry?” Lucas, who was about to come closer, paused in his steps. “Anna, I’ve been too busy these past few days. Let’s not rush the remarriage. I still need to prepare a surprise for you.” Without waiting for my response, Lucas left on the pretext of having something to do. I knew he was concerned about what Jasmine had said. That’s fine. It also provided me with cover. Not long after Lucas left, Jasmine appeared in the room. “Anna, you’ve got the wrong room. Your room is in the guest room.” I ignored her pretense. Just thinking about her lying in this room before made me feel sick. I didn’t plan to stay here. As I brushed past her, Jasmine blocked my way. “Lucas won’t remarry you.” She snorted meaningfully, her tone full of certainty. There’s a corner staircase leading out of the master bedroom. After speaking, Jasmine deliberately stumbled down it. I stood on the stairs, coldly watching her self-directed play. “Anna, I really just wanted you to accept the baby. I didn’t mean anything else.” Jasmine was cruel to me, but even crueler to herself. She fell down hard, her face instantly turning pale, blood gradually seeping out from beneath her. Lucas rushed over to find Jasmine clutching her belly, looking helpless and panicked. He glared at me fiercely, his face gloomy. “You really did push Jasmine down the stairs because you don’t like this child!” “Lucas, she fell down on her own. She’s trying to frame me. Please believe me, okay?” I explained weakly, the hope in my eyes shattering under Lucas’s gaze that deemed me the culprit. “Anna Quinn, how dare a lying, disgusting thing like you.” Lucas picked up Jasmine and hurried downstairs to the hospital. I turned around with a heartbroken look, went to the guest room to pack my luggage, and left through the front door under the servants’ strange gazes. Unsurprisingly, Jasmine lost the baby. Lucas stayed with her at the hospital for several days, watching her lie pale and weak in bed, silently shedding tears. His heart ached terribly. “I just wanted Anna to spend more time with the baby and develop feelings for it. I never thought she would be so intolerant of the baby.” “Lucas, I really wasn’t lying. I dreamed she pushed me down the stairs, I dreamed she had an affair, and I dreamed she got that disease. She doesn’t deserve your love at all.” The veins on Lucas’s hands bulged as he gritted his teeth. “Jasmine, I’ll make her come to the hospital to kneel and apologize to you. She dared to deceive me. She must pay the price.” With that, Lucas took out his phone and dialed my number, but no one answered. He laughed angrily and dialed the home number. “Where is Anna Quinn? Not answering her phone, off to see which wild man again? Tell her to get to the hospital immediately!” On the other end was the stammering voice of a servant. “Sir, Madam said she was going to the temple on the mountain to pray for atonement. She left a letter for you and left.”

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In the seventh year of my marriage to Lily, her wealthy first love returned from abroad. He had a face that was 70% similar to mine. At the class reunion, he cornered me in the bathroom and taunted: “Tell me, who does she think of every night, you or me?” I couldn’t help but throw a punch. But Lily yelled at me for his sake: “Why don’t you just die?” She didn’t know that I was indeed dying. At the class reunion, Lily’s first love had returned from abroad. Now successful and famous, he walked past old classmates amidst their flattery, stopping in front of Lily to say a simple “long time no see.” With just those words, Lily’s eyes instantly turned red. Classmates laughed and teased, “After all these years, Zack still only has eyes for Lily.” “If Lily had married Zack back then, she’d be Mrs. Jack now, instead of running that small company.” “I say it’s not too late for Lily to get a divorce now.” “…” Everyone was gossiping, with Zack and Lily at the center of attention. And I, as Lily’s husband, sat to the side, more like a piece of background scenery. I studied Zack. He had a face that was 70% similar to mine. In fact, I had always known that I was just a substitute Lily had found. I once vowed to use the rest of my life to make Lily truly fall in love with me, but— Now, I was dying.

Feeling suffocated, I went out for some air. But at the bathroom door, I encountered Zack. He smiled contemptuously, “Thank you for taking care of Lily all these years.” “Now that I’m back, she doesn’t need you anymore.” A lump formed in my throat, causing pain throughout my body. I looked at him coldly, “The choice is Lily’s. At least for now, I’m her legal husband.” Zack’s cold laughter rang out. “Where does your confidence come from? Just that face that looks a bit like mine?” “Tell me, when she’s lying next to you at night, who is she thinking of, you or me?” Every word was particularly grating. I couldn’t hold back anymore and punched him hard in the face. However, a cry of surprise came from behind: “Zack!” Turning around, Lily had already run up. She helped Zack up, glaring at me with red eyes. In seven years of marriage, she had never been this angry. “Ethan Summers, are you crazy?” “What right do you have to hit someone?” Their classmates also came forward to help Zack, looking at me with hostility. “Lily, your husband is really something. Even if he’s jealous, he can’t just hit people!” “Yeah, he’s so lacking in self-awareness. If it were me, I’d pack up and leave as soon as the real deal came back.” Amidst the chatter, Lily looked at me coldly, “You’ve really disappointed me.” My chest seemed to hurt even more. Suddenly, I tasted blood in my throat, but I managed to hold it back. I turned and left. On the steps outside the hotel, I slowly took out the medical report from my pocket. Ethan Summers, male, late-stage stomach cancer. The sunlight shining on that thin piece of paper was a bit dazzling. I couldn’t hold it back anymore and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Seven years ago, Lily approached me, using the excuse of avoiding her family’s pressure to marry, saying she wanted to live together as partners. At that time, it was my third year of secretly loving Lily. So I agreed without hesitation. For seven years after marriage, we lived together respectfully, and later even developed feelings. I held that piece of ice in my palm for seven years, watching as the fortress she had firmly built slowly crumbled. To the extent that, later on, I even believed she had fallen in love with me. Now it seems. I was just deluding myself. Without realizing it, I fell asleep curled up on the sofa. When I woke up, it was to the sound of the door closing. When Lily came in, the wall clock was just pointing to 3 AM. Seeing me awake, she paused, then took off her coat and hung it in the closet. That coat looked a bit familiar. In the afternoon, it had been on Zack’s body. Lily walked to the sofa, half-squatting to hold my hand, “Still angry?” I didn’t say anything, just pulled my hand away and pushed the prepared divorce agreement in front of her. “This is the divorce agreement. Take a look.”

Lily was stunned for two seconds, then her face showed the anger of having her intentions exposed. “Ethan Summers, what do you mean by this?” “Nothing happened between us, we just met up with old classmates today.” “Can you stop being so unreasonable like a woman?” She asked three questions in a row, getting more and more agitated. The anger I had been suppressing all day finally burst out at this moment. “What about you?” “Lily, in these seven years of marriage, have I been a husband to you or just a substitute?” “When you kiss me, are you thinking of me or Zack?” I didn’t want to argue with her. But the knife-like pain in my stomach made me unable to hold back this question. Lily was instantly silenced. After a while, she got up and walked towards the door. “Ethan Summers, are you going to be this childish until you die?” Throwing down these words, she slammed the door and left. But I was stunned. Yeah. I’m about to die, and I’m still this childish.

Lily hasn’t been home for two days. I called her three times, wanting to urge her about the divorce. The first two times she hung up, and the last time she simply turned off her phone. I remembered that a few years ago, she had pulled me into her classmates’ Facebook group. I opened the computer and logged into the account I hadn’t used in a long time. It was still there. Someone in the group had posted some photos of a private gathering of classmates. I saw Lily in the photos, as well as Zack. She seemed to have been drinking and was passed out in his arms. I looked at every photo, then calmly tagged Lily in the group. “Come home, let’s sign the divorce papers.” She responded to me quickly. “What are you going crazy about now?” Soon after, I received a message notification: “You have been removed from the group chat.” Lily’s phone was still unreachable. But someone rang the doorbell. I pressed on my aching abdomen and went to open the door. “Mom? Why are you here?” Outside the door, my mother-in-law was carrying bags full of things, smiling tiredly, “You’ve been saying your stomach wasn’t feeling well lately, right? Mom got some herbal medicine from a traditional doctor. Remember to drink it.” “I heard this traditional doctor is very good at treating stomach problems.” Several bags were placed on the ground, filled with medicinal soup and dishes we liked. My nose suddenly stung. This old lady who had rushed over from dozens of miles away with bags and packages still didn’t know— No matter how good the doctor was, they probably couldn’t cure my body now.

After some hesitation, I still brought up the matter of divorce with her. “Mom, I’ve thought about it for a long time and decided to divorce Lily.” With a dull thud, the teacup in her hand fell to the ground. Shattered. Hot water splashed everywhere. I hurriedly went to help her up, but she grabbed me instead, “Ethan, did you two have a fight?” “If she did something wrong, tell Mom, I…” “No,” I interrupted her, “It’s my fault, we’re having some problems with our relationship.” I didn’t intend to expose her daughter’s misdeeds in front of my mother-in-law. For seven years of marriage, my in-laws had always treated me like their own son. Whatever Lily did wrong had nothing to do with them. Suddenly, there was the sound of a key in the door outside. Lily was back. “Ethan Summers, isn’t it enough that you’re making a scene at home? Do you have to make it public too?” Lily’s voice suddenly stopped when she saw her mother. However, my mother-in-law had already seen Zack behind her. Zack didn’t seem flustered, instead he took the initiative to come over, “Auntie, I don’t know if you remember me, I’m Zack Jack.” “Before I went abroad, I even had a meal with you.” My mother-in-law remained silent with a cold face. The atmosphere was awkward. Lily came forward to smooth things over, but was grabbed by her mother, “Lily, let me ask you, are you divorcing Ethan for him?” Lily’s face cTomed, “Mom, don’t get involved in this.” “Whether we divorce or not is between me and Ethan, we…” “Slap—” A slap interrupted Lily’s words. “Foolish girl!” My mother-in-law pointed at Zack, her hand shaking with anger, “Do you think he truly loves you? If he loved you, he wouldn’t have left you to go abroad in the first place!” Lily was also angered by that slap. The mother and daughter argued fiercely. Until I noticed my mother-in-law’s face didn’t look right. “Stop arguing!” I went forward to support her, “Mom, are you okay?” “Mom…”

My mother-in-law was hospitalized for a heart attack, fortunately it wasn’t serious. In the hospital room. Lily and I sat by the bed, my mother-in-law tightly holding my hand, tears streaming down her face. “Ethan, Lily is being foolish. This child has always been stubborn since she was little. Give her some more time, she’ll come to her senses.” I didn’t say anything. The old lady’s voice choked up as she gently patted the back of my hand, “All these years, we’ve always treated you like our own son. We only recognize you as our son-in-law.” “Mom’s health won’t last for another two years. If you two divorce, Mom…” “Mom won’t be able to close her eyes even on her deathbed.” I felt a lump in my throat. Unable to bear seeing the old lady crying and begging, I took a deep breath and said okay. Only then did my mother-in-law feel at ease. … In the corridor. I clutched my aching stomach and looked at Lily, “Find a day to get the divorce certificate.” Lily was stunned, “Didn’t you just say…” “I was lying to the old lady.” The more my stomach hurt, the calmer my expression became, “I don’t want the old folks to worry about our affairs.” “I’ll send you the divorce agreement when it’s ready.” “I don’t agree!” Lily frowned, “Ethan Summers, can you stop this nonsense? Zack and I are just classmates. He just came back, and our classmates have been organizing gatherings every day.” “Besides, we agreed to live together as partners from the beginning. Whether Zack is back or not doesn’t affect our marriage.” I found it laughable. Just as I was about to speak, I saw Lily’s expression cTome. Turning around. I saw Zack walking over with gifts. Lily, who had just been adamantly refusing divorce, suddenly fell silent. The pain in my body was almost unbearable. No longer having the strength to argue with them, I gave Lily a look, “I’ll send you the divorce agreement when it’s ready.” With that, I turned and left. And this time, Lily didn’t refuse. Next to Zack, she chose to remain silent.

At midnight. In the dark office. Lily fumbled around in the dark, searching through the desk drawers, almost turning over every drawer. While I sat quietly on the small sofa in the corner, watching her. Recently, the company was participating in a very important bid. And Zack, having just returned to the country and eager to establish business connections, was likely to have his eye on this bid. Lily still came. She came to steal our company’s bid documents for Zack. Seven years of marriage, all affection, completely destroyed in this moment. In the darkness, I held the bid documents and spoke softly— “Are you looking for this?” “Ah!” Lily screamed, seemingly almost collapsing from fright. When the lights came on, I saw her face clearly. Her expression was terrified, her eyes darting around nervously. “Ethan…” She came to her senses, calling my name with obvious lack of confidence. Soon. Zack’s figure appeared at the office door. Obviously, he had seen the lights come on in the office from downstairs. “Lily,” I looked at her calmly, “If you hadn’t tried to steal these bid documents, I would have still tried to leave us both with some dignity.” Lily bit her lower lip, “Zack just came back, this bid is very important to him…” “Isn’t it important to my company too?” Lily was at a loss for words. She knew better than anyone that this bid was also very important for the company. But she still chose to help Zack. As the atmosphere grew tense, Zack shielded Lily behind him, “I asked her to get it, what’s wrong with that?” “Half of this company belongs to Lily, why can’t she take it?” Under the fluorescent lights, he looked me up and down, his laughter contemptuous. “Ethan Summers, as long as I’m back in the country, this bid will definitely be mine.” “So will Lily.” Knowing he was trying to provoke me, but with the pent-up anger in my chest surging, I still threw a punch at him. “Go to hell!” Zack and I started fighting. Lily cried out and tried to separate us. “Ethan Summers, can’t you stop making trouble?” “Slap—” In the chaos, she raised her hand and slapped me. It didn’t hurt, but it was loud. Lily looked at me in shock, her hand still in the position from just now, trembling slightly. “I didn’t mean to…” My stomach was hurting badly. I suddenly felt more exhausted than ever before. Struggling to pick up the bid documents from the ground, as I stood up, I suddenly started coughing heavily. I covered my mouth with my hand, only to find I had coughed up some blood. But Lily didn’t notice my weakness. She was still trying to persuade me, “Ethan Summers, this bid is really important to Zack. Please, I’m begging you, okay?” I didn’t want to talk to her anymore. I turned around with the bid documents and slowly walked out of the office. I had given up on Lily. But this bid, I couldn’t. 9

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My elder brother, Roman White, fell in love with a poor student in his class. He thought she was inspiring, kind, and wonderful. My parents, Eric White and Sharon Wilson, after failing to persuade him, could only try to send him abroad to study. Roman chose to run away from home. My parents and I had a car accident on the way to look for him. I was reborn. This time, before I could persuade Eric and Sharon, they directly agreed to Roman’s marriage with that girl and kicked him out of the house. “Dad, Mom, Laura and I are truly in love,” Roman held Laura Cox’s hand and sat opposite us. They looked at each other affectionately, while Eric and Sharon looked very calm. I thought it was a bit strange. In my previous life, when Roman brought Laura to our house, we had a big quarrel. He insisted that she was the most inspiring, kind, and wonderful girl he had ever known. Although her family was poor and her academic performance was not good, she could give him warmth. He even found photos to show us the soup she made for him. Just because she made soup for him, Roman was so touched. Eric was so angry that his high blood pressure flared up, and Sharon even slapped Roman. My parents and I took turns to persuade Roman, but he was still stubborn and insisted on choosing Laura, believing that Laura was the love of his life. In the end, in order not to study abroad, he chose to run away from home. And the three of us died in a car accident on the way to find him. When I was in a hazy state of consciousness, I could still hear Sharon whispering Roman’s name. When I got the chance to be reborn, my first thought was to leave him alone. Now I didn’t care what he wanted to do. “Roman, you’re already grown up. Since you’ve chosen to be with Laura, we respect your choice.” Eric looked indifferent, but he held Sharon’s hand tightly. I didn’t expect that they had the same thought as me. I thought, “Could it be that they were reborn too?” Roman didn’t expect that the matter was resolved so smoothly and hadn’t reacted yet. Laura stood up excitedly and bowed to us. “Uncle, Auntie, Roman, and I will be happy.” Although Laura was a poor student, she had a decent appearance and looked pitiful. Moreover, since all the clothes she was wearing today were bought for her by Roman, her inspiring, kind, and wonderful qualities didn’t show up. Roman came to his senses, his eyes were red, and he choked up, saying, “Dad, Mom, thank you. Laura and I will take care of you in the future!” “You are welcome. We don’t need you to take care of us. You’re grown up, and this is your own choice.” Although Eric felt a bit reluctant, he was firm. “We agree to your marriage. Now you can leave.” Roman was stunned. “Dad, this is my home. Where do you want us to go?” Hearing this, I just felt it was ironic. He didn’t say that when he ran away from home in my previous life. At that time, he said that Eric was a tyrant and a control freak, and this place was not his home at all, but a shackle on him. “I respect your choice, but I don’t approve of it. So don’t come back here in the future.”

Before Roman could react, he was kicked out by Eric. I closed the door and turned around to see Eric and Sharon behind me in tears. No one knew how we felt after the car accident in the previous life. We encouraged each other and waited for the rescue workers to arrive. Eric was the most seriously injured. To protect me and Sharon, he didn’t instinctively turn the steering wheel to the left. Instead, he turned it to the right, causing the truck to hit the driver’s seat directly. He bled a lot. But at that time, he comforted me and said, “Megan, don’t be afraid. We’re all here.” When the rescue workers arrived, we all hoped that they would rescue the other two people first. But we were all too seriously injured, and finally, we died on that day. “Dad, Mom, is this real?” Sharon smiled gently and pulled me into her warm embrace. Eric hugged us tightly and shed tears. “Megan, don’t be afraid. We’re all here.” Roman and I were fraternal twins, and we grew up together. As fraternal twins, I always thought that I knew him the best. I knew his ambition and aspiration, I understood his sense of responsibility, I was familiar with his words and deeds, and I even knew his naivety and childishness sometimes. According to the original plan, after he graduated, he was going to manage the company with our father, and I could choose my hobby. Roman was smart since he was a child and had a talent for business. When he went to university, he decisively chose the business school. Eric said, “Roman, although I hope that you can take over my position, I respect your decision. You can choose the major you like.” Roman smiled and said firmly, “This is my hobby.” I was used to following him since I was a child, so I also chose the same major as him. Although our family was rich, we didn’t like to show off. Our life was not luxurious, and we had no pursuit of luxury goods. No one except my close friends knew that our family was wealthy. Originally, we would all go on as planned at the beginning, but in our sophomore year, he met a poor student, Laura. She was from the School of Foreign Languages but transferred to our class. “Hello, everyone. My name is Laura. I’m glad to meet you all.” She was thin and nervous, wearing clean but simple clothes, and her eyes were attractive. Roman was the monitor and also the president of the student union. As a poor student, Laura’s various application materials for the scholarship were all sorted out by Roman with her. “Brother, you’ve been helping Laura sort out the materials every day. You haven’t had a meal with me for a long time,” I complained discontentedly, leaning on Roman’s shoulder and feeling angry.

He said, “This is my job. And Laura is so pitiful. Her mother abandoned her when she was a child, and her father is an alcoholic all day long. If she didn’t have the scholarship, she couldn’t live.” I was just acting coquettish and wouldn’t be angry because of that. I even gave Laura brand-new clothes from my wardrobe. He asked, “Megan, do you really not want these clothes anymore?” I nodded and explained, “I haven’t worn these clothes before. But I’ve gained some weight recently and can’t fit into them. If you don’t mind, just do me a favor,” I looked at the unchanged number of my weight and sighed. Laura restrained the smile on her face and took the clothes. “Thank you, Megan.” The next day, Laura put on the new clothes I gave her. Sure enough, Laura looked more energetic in the new clothes. “Laura, this dress is nice. It’s not cheap, is it?” The classmates all gathered around her, touching her clothes and admiring them. Although I didn’t pursue luxury goods, I had high requirements for the texture of clothes. Laura said shyly, “It’s not expensive. Doesn’t it look nice?” “It looks great. Just by looking at it, you can tell it’s not cheap. Is this cashmere?” “Yes, I bought it with the money I earned from working part-time.” When I heard her say this, I was a bit surprised. The classmates around her were knowledgeable and curious. They immediately took out their phones and searched for this dress. “Goodness! This dress costs 8899 dollars?” Hearing the price, Laura was stunned, and the smile on her face froze. “Laura, aren’t you a poor student? Why can you afford such an expensive dress?” I, sitting behind the pillar, sighed. I wanted to stand up and tell the truth, but I was afraid of hurting her self-esteem. Just when the atmosphere was getting awkward, Roman said, “There are so many knockoff clothes nowadays. The one she’s wearing should not be the real one, right?” He saved Laura from the awkward situation. The look of admiration in her eyes for him couldn’t be hidden, and she even subconsciously grabbed the hem of his clothes. “Roman, is there a knockoff of such a niche dress?” “Yeah, she suddenly has so many new clothes. Is she squandering the scholarship?” The undisguised contemptuous looks of the classmates hurt Laura’s self-esteem. “I’m not. I didn’t…” Laura stood there crying, and Roman handed her a tissue. “How can you say that without evidence?” The weak always arouse people’s desire to protect, so I didn’t find it strange that he protected her like that.

When I found that Laura often sat next to Roman, I didn’t think it was strange. I thought it was just a normal friendship. I thought the small gifts she gave him from time to time must be to thank him for standing up for her in the cafeteria. After all, Roman had never been in a relationship since he was a child and had no interest in women at all. I had secretly looked at his computer before to see if he was interested in women, but I found nothing. Over the years, the number of girls he had rejected was a lot. Therefore, I thought he couldn’t possibly fall for Laura. When I saw them holding hands and smiling sweetly, I was so shocked that I fell down the stairs. Although the stairs were not high, my ankle was still sprained. Roman carried me to the infirmary, with Laura following behind. He said, “How could you even fall when you’re just walking?” “I didn’t mean to!” I replied discontentedly but frowned as I looked at Laura behind him. The sprain wasn’t serious, but he was worried. He took a few days off for me and took me home. If Roman and I had always been very low-key, then Sharon’s temperament was that of a standard rich lady. Although she was already in her forties, she took good care of herself. Her skin was smooth, her eyes were beautiful, and her pearl necklace made her shine. Moreover, she had a luxury car with a driver and did not look like she was from an ordinary family. Sharon’s appearance confirmed the fact that Roman and I were children of the wealthy. Even though Laura concealed it well, I still saw her excited smile. “Is that Roman’s girlfriend?” Sharon frowned and asked me as soon as she closed the car door. I said, “They often hold hands on campus.” “That girl is not good,” Sharon said with certainty. The last time she said so firmly that someone was not good was last year. She could tell at a glance that the new assistant in the company had bad intentions and wanted to seduce Eric. In the end, that assistant was fired by him. I said, “But Roman likes her. Besides, this is probably his first girlfriend.” Sharon said helplessly, “We’ve just protected you two too well. The girl’s motive is not pure. Roman has been single for so long and can’t resist the temptation of such a girl at all.” I shook my head, not understanding. Although Roman had been single for many years, many girls confessed to him. I didn’t think he would fall in love with Laura. She said, “Do you think you understand love just because you’ve watched a lot of dramas? Many men like weak women.” Although Sharon had never had a job, she had been studying all these years and obtained a PhD in psychology.

She said, “Especially girls like this. Although they are weak, they are very nice to him, and even worship him, making him think that he is amazing and that he is her support. Excessive sympathy is scary. Roman is just an ordinary person. It’s normal for him to fall in love, but he needs to discover the problems behind it.” Later, I felt Roman’s overflowing sympathy. Laura bought him breakfast every day. She would cry when she encountered problems she couldn’t solve, and she used the money she earned from working part-time to buy Roman a pen. I watched Roman slowly fall and spend all his money. Laura’s clothes became more and more expensive and turned into various famous brands. But her thin body didn’t look good in these clothes at all. Money couldn’t solve all the troubles but most of them. Now she was smiling as if she had no troubles. “Megan, Roman said he’s going to participate in the college basketball game today and asked me to accompany you to the infirmary.” The perfume smell on her was faint, but it still smelled bad. I said, “Forget it. You’re thinner than me. You can’t support me.” She said, “We’re all family. I should help you.” I said, “Family? You and my brother aren’t married yet, are you?” I was dissatisfied with Laura’s tone. She and Roman were just dating but already wanted to be my sister-in-law. I sat on the chair and didn’t move. She didn’t say a word, turned around, and ran out. When I was sleeping, I was woken up by the ringtone of my phone. I said, “Brother, what…” “Megan! Why did you scold Laura?” I was confused. I was already angry enough to be woken up while sleeping and didn’t expect to be blamed. I said, “When did I scold her? How did I do that?” I took a deep breath, wishing I could confront him right away. “Roman, don’t get angry at Megan. She might have said something without thinking because she was in a bad mood.” Laura sobbed on the phone and even smeared me on purpose. Roman said, “Laura, Megan is spoiled. She shouldn’t have hurt you.” I didn’t want to argue with him anymore, feeling disgusted. I said, “Roman, since you don’t believe me, don’t contact me anymore.” I directly blocked his contact information and went back to sleep. But I couldn’t fall asleep at all. I was too aggrieved to calm down. I turned on my phone and surfed the Internet, and I actually found the evaluation of Laura by our schoolmates. The post was from half a year ago, but there were a lot of people discussing it. [Do you know that poor student in our college?] [You mean Laura? She loves to pretend to be pitiful.]

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Mia Lawrence became a household name after starring in a script I wrote. We had been together for three years. Zoe Sanders, Parker’s assistant, posted on Instagram while playing with our engagement ring. Parker’s voice could be heard in the background, sounding affectionate. “Zoe, stop playing around. You’re hungry, and it breaks my heart.” Parker’s manager commented below: “Are you two not hiding it anymore?” So, the office dinner was actually a sweet date for the two of them. Later, Parker caught me kissing his arch-nemesis, both of us half-naked and reluctant to part. Parker’s eyes turned blood-red as he demanded, “What are you doing?” I was scrolling through my phone on the couch when a news notification popped up: “Popular actor Parker Sullivan spotted holding hands with a woman late at night. When discovered by paparazzi, he lashed out at them.” I opened the full-size image. Under the streetlight, Parker was holding Zoe Sanders’ hand. Zoe was looking at Parker with stars in her eyes. The comments were flooding in rapidly. “OMG, big star x little assistant, I ship it so hard!” “Parker Sullivan’s emotions seem really unstable. He’s yelled at paparazzi twice this month.” “Don’t the paparazzi deserve to be yelled at? Celebrities have private lives too, you know?” I met Parker on a film set. I was the head writer, and he was a newcomer auditioning for a role. Parker’s acting was impressive. Against everyone’s advice, I replaced the studio-backed second male lead with him. When Parker found out, he came to thank me. With his curly hair and handsome, cool demeanor, he looked exactly like the male lead I had envisioned for my new script. This was my first time writing a romance, and I was struggling to find inspiration. Looking at Parker, I blurted out, “Parker, do you have a girlfriend?” Parker coughed awkwardly and glanced away, “No, I don’t.” I asked him seriously, “Then would you like to date me?” Parker’s ears turned red as he pressed his lips together and said, “Let’s give it a try.” That “try” lasted three years. At first, I thought Parker didn’t have deep feelings for me and was just dating me to star in my scripts. Two years ago, I went to a small town in the south to find inspiration for a new script. Unexpectedly, I got caught in a major flood and was stranded in a remote bed and breakfast. There was no signal, and I was far from any populated areas. Parker, ignoring everyone’s warnings, paddled a canoe by himself to find me. When we finally reached safety, he held me tightly, shaking and thanking every god he could think of. After he calmed down, Parker said in a hoarse voice, “Mia, I was so scared. The news said there was a flood here, and I couldn’t contact you. I was terrified of losing you.” Since then, Parker would accompany me whenever I went out to write, even if it meant canceling all his other engagements. Last month, on our third anniversary, I told Parker the time and place I had planned for my research trip. Parker hesitated for a while, looking conflicted, “Mia, I have a work commitment that day that I can’t reschedule. Can you go by yourself this time? I promise I’ll go with you next time.” Knowing that Parker had just been promoted to B-list and needed the exposure, I nodded understandingly. Parker’s tone was full of regret, “Mia, I promise, this is the last time.” Afraid that Parker would worry, I constantly sent him photos during my trip. Parker replied promptly to every photo I sent. When I blew out the candles on our anniversary cake alone, my wish was for Parker and me to remain as sweet as we were in the beginning. That night, I saw photos of Parker and Zoe on her social media. It turned out that Parker had refused to come with me because he was attending her graduation ceremony. Zoe was holding onto Parker’s arm, Parker was smiling freely, and Zoe was beaming sweetly. They looked exactly like a loving couple. I tried to tell myself they were just friends. But the intimacy in their photos and my uncontrollably shaking hands betrayed my true thoughts.

As I was scrolling through the comments, Parker came home, storming in with a dark face and marching up to me. “Mia, did you see what those reporters posted? Don’t pay attention to them, they’re always talking nonsense.” I sat up and smiled at him, “Next time, be nicer to the reporters. Otherwise, they’ll be even more eager to follow you around.” Parker frustratedly ran his hand through his hair and scoffed, “It’s so annoying! There’s nothing between Zoe and me. She just lost her balance, and I helped steady her.” Then, a smile appeared on his face, “That little girl is always so clumsy. She’s only five years younger than you, but she doesn’t have an ounce of your maturity.” I nodded and smiled, not feeling like responding. Parker looked at me suspiciously, “Why aren’t you saying anything?” Parker had been talking about Zoe non-stop lately, and I was tired of hearing it. I suddenly asked, “Where’s your ring?” Parker didn’t react at first, then furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before saying, “The ring didn’t match my outfit today, so I left it at the office.” I nodded, pretending to believe him. Parker thought I didn’t have Zoe’s contact information, so he lied to me without hesitation. What he didn’t know was that Zoe had found an excuse to add me on social media the first time we met. Seeing how innocent she seemed as she was just starting her career, I didn’t refuse. Parker, still uncertain, said, “I’m going to take a shower. We had a office dinner today, and Zoe insisted on having hot pot. Now I smell like it.” Parker only liked light flavors and avoided all strongly flavored foods. I loved hot pot and often asked him to try new hot pot places with me, but he always refused. I never thought he’d make an exception for Zoe so easily. I nodded indifferently.

Zoe was a new intern assistant who had joined Parker’s studio two months ago. She had a pure and sweet appearance. During her interview, she claimed to be Parker’s high school junior and also his fan. I advised Parker not to get too close to fans. Parker impatiently retorted, “You make the decisions for your scripts, insisting on casting James Hudson as the male lead. I make the decisions for my studio.” Before I could speak again, he continued. The male lead in my new script was completely different from Parker’s personality, so I chose the A-list actor James Hudson. Parker was still resentful about this and often used it to argue and sulk with me. Zoe, with teary eyes like a little white rabbit, timidly pleaded, “Senior, I’ll work hard, please give me a chance. I’m young, I don’t want to go to jail.” Parker glanced at me and said to her meaningfully, “You’re hired.” I didn’t say anything more, just silently sighed in my heart. My best friend Natalie Quinn called me, her tone full of anger, “Mia, I saw the trending news. What’s Parker thinking? Holding hands with another girl and making such a big scene.” I laughed nonchalantly, “I’m planning to break up with him and move back to Harbor City to develop my career.” I had moved to Capital City with Parker for his career. Now that he didn’t need me anymore, I wanted to go home. Natalie exclaimed happily, “If you come back, I’ll have a companion again! You don’t know how I’ve survived these three years!” I laughed and patiently explained, “In a few days, I need to attend the opening ceremony for the new movie. You know how important this film is to me.” Natalie laughed loudly, “I know, I know, it’s your transformative work, right?” After chatting for a while, we hung up. Parker came out toweling his hair and asked, “I thought I heard you mention Harbor City earlier? Hasn’t your career all moved to Capital City?” I calmly replied, “I was just talking to Natalie about the past.” Parker nodded and didn’t ask further. He yawned tiredly and said, “Mia, let’s go to bed. I have an event tomorrow and need to get up early.” I said softly, “I’ll sleep in the guest room. You rest well.” Parker’s hand stopped in mid-air as he was drying his hair, frozen in place. I ignored him and went to the guest room, closing the door behind me.

Since I had decided to return to Harbor City, I started handling things here first thing in the morning. The house we lived in was Parker’s first property purchase. I still remember him hugging me in this place when it was still just a shell, looking at me expectantly and saying, “Mia, when I save up a bit more money, let’s get married, okay?” I hugged him back, smiling with pure happiness. Now Parker owned many properties but had never proposed to me. Looking at each object now, each with its unique memory, my eyes stung, but I couldn’t shed a single tear. As I was packing things, Parker came back in a hurry, his face dark as he strode up to me. “Mia, did you see what those reporters posted? Don’t pay attention to them, they’re always talking nonsense.” I didn’t look up and continued packing, “I forgot, it’s been about two months.” Parker’s expression became panicked as he explained, “Don’t mind what Zoe posts. She’s just young and innocently admires me, there’s nothing else to it.” Parker always used this excuse to placate me. If I was older, I should be more understanding; otherwise, I was being immature. I nodded indifferently and continued packing. Seeing my apparent lack of concern, Parker grabbed my arm, forcing me to look at him. “I was wrong to lie to you about the ring yesterday. Zoe really liked the style of our rings, so I just let her wear it for a bit. You won’t hold it against her, right?” I calmly said, “I won’t hold it against her. I’m older than her, I’ll be understanding.” Parker seemed to remember something else and lowered his stance to continue explaining, “She begged me to go to her graduation ceremony, saying her family was out of town and she envied her classmates who had someone to accompany them. I was wrong not to tell you the truth, please forgive me, okay?” I found him ridiculous and casually agreed, “Okay, I forgive you.” Parker finally relaxed, a smile appearing on his face, “The day after tomorrow is your birthday. I’ve booked your favorite restaurant.” I nodded slightly. Parker, finally at ease, said he still had work to do and hurriedly left.

I shipped most of my luggage to my house in Harbor City, then contacted a friend at a car dealership to sell this car. As I was driving, my mind was still on Parker’s anxious explanations earlier, and I was a bit distracted. Suddenly, an electric bike darted out from a small alley. I couldn’t avoid it in time and crashed into the roadside barrier. My heart was pounding, and my throat felt tight, but fortunately, the other person wasn’t injured. I rarely drove myself and this was my first time encountering such a situation. After immediately calling the police, I dialed Parker’s number. As soon as the call connected, I started explaining what had just happened, my voice choked with tears. But Zoe’s sweet voice came through, “Sister Mia, Parker is still working. I’ll tell him when he’s done. ” Before I could say anything, the call was hung up. The police arrived quickly and investigated the scene. After questioning me and the electric bike rider, they quickly determined the accident responsibility. The insurance company contacted me, saying they needed the real-time video from the dashcam at the time. I went home and started checking the card on my computer. When adjusting the time, there was an error, and last week’s recording appeared. Parker had parked the car in our community parking lot and was reaching for something in the back seat when Zoe suddenly leaned in and kissed his face. Parker dodged a bit, instinctively looking around, and Zoe pouted coquettishly. “What are you dodging for? Mia Lawrence is out of town on a business trip, she’s not here.” Parker’s expression was helpless as he said, “Zoe, I only see you as a little sister.” Zoe’s eyes reddened, and she was about to cry. Parker immediately changed his tone, coaxing her gently, “Okay, okay, I shouldn’t have been harsh. I was wrong.” Zoe broke into a smile, reaching out to wrap her arms around Parker’s neck and kissing him on the mouth. Parker didn’t know that my dashcam had a two-way camera. His expression changed from calm to passionate, his hands instinctively and skillfully caressing Zoe’s body, reaching to the back seat to grab the condom he hadn’t taken out earlier. The computer froze on this scene, and I didn’t want to watch any further. I remembered when I came back from my business trip, Parker had boasted to me, “Mia, I know you like things clean. While you were away, I had someone clean the house and your car.” I had always thought Parker was only emotionally unfaithful, but I never imagined he had already physically cheated. Parker would drive my car for his private engagements to avoid paparazzi following him. The pain in my chest was unbearably sharp. I pressed hard against my heart, bending over and gasping for air. The tears that hadn’t fallen while packing now flowed uncontrollably. The door lock clicked, and Parker came back carrying a bouquet of flowers. As he took off his shoes and jacket, he said, “Mia, I’m back. I specially went out of my way to buy you your favorite blue roses.” Blue roses were my favorite flowers, symbolizing the impossible, precious, and rare. Now it seemed that Parker’s true love was the impossible thing for me. I didn’t respond, just staring straight at the screen. Parker’s gaze passed over me and fell on the computer screen, freezing in place. Parker’s face turned pale, and he rushed over in a panic, slamming the laptop shut. He knelt beside my feet, desperately trying to explain, “Mia, I lost my head for a moment. I was wrong. Can you give me another chance? I’ll fire Zoe tomorrow, no, I’ll fire her right now!”

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My wife, Gigi Chapman, worked as a flight attendant. It all started when I boarded a flight she was working on. I was minding my own business when I heard unmistakable noises coming from the lavatory. Before I could even process what was happening, Gigi stepped out, followed by some foreign guy. That was when I stumbled upon the airline’s dirty little secret. Gigi was a stunner as a flight attendant. She was nearly five-foot-seven, with a figure that was just about perfect. I mean, she could turn heads in an instant. We’d known each other for five years, married for three, but we’d barely spent any real time together. Gigi loved the freedom of flying, so after we tied the knot, I gave her all the space she wanted. Our only real couple time was on weekends when we were both off. That day, the company sprung it on me that I had to go overseas to check out a project. Then, by coincidence, I ended up on Gigi’s flight. To cut costs, they only got me an economy seat, but I managed to upgrade on my own. After that, I slapped on a hat and a mask right after security, all geared up to give Gigi a surprise. Once I boarded the plane, I spotted Gigi right away. Even among all those other flight attendants, she stood out like a sore thumb, looking as gorgeous as ever. With her leading the way, I settled into my seat, but oddly enough, first class was practically empty, just me and three other guys, all foreigners, each with an iced Americano in front of them. “Sir, what can I get you to drink?” “An iced Americano, please.” I tried to keep my voice down on purpose. But for some reason, I could practically see Gigi’s mood lift right before my eyes. “I’ll be right with you.” There were three flight attendants in first class. Besides Gigi, there were two other stunning women. I’d just slipped into my slippers when one of the girls, Monica Geller, Gigi’s colleague, took a tumble and landed right in my arms. I caught her instinctively, then helped her up. “You okay there?” “Thanks, sir. I was so clumsy. Need anything else?” “Nah, I’m good. Thanks.” My attention snapped back to Gigi, who was swaying toward me with my drink, but there was a flash of anger in her eyes. I thought, “Oh, crap. Did she recognize me?” Then, I realized she wasn’t making a beeline for me. Instead, she told Monica, “Monica, watch your step next time. You mess up again and make a passenger unhappy, I’ll bust you down to economy.” “I’m sorry, Ms. Chapman. It won’t happen again.” Since when did Gigi have that kind of authority? I was gobsmacked, having no idea she was the chief flight attendant. “You’d better hope this gentleman forgives you.” As Gigi spoke, she swung her gaze my way and handed the iced Americano to Monica. Monica crouched down a bit, her cheeks turning beet red, her eyes darting around, and handed me the drink with both hands. “Mr. Lewis, would you be kind enough to forgive me?” “Sure, don’t sweat it.” I took a swig of the iced Americano. Then, I shut my eyes, pretending to rest before I blew my cover. Monica let out a sigh of relief and tagged along with Gigi as they left. It wasn’t until the plane took off that I cottoned on to what that cup of iced Americano was all about.

“This flight’s gonna be a ten-hour haul, and we’ll touchdown at eight tonight.” The moment Gigi said that, two of the foreigners hopped to their feet. Another flight attendant swooped in and said with practiced ease, “Gentlemen, the lavatory is right this way.” Half an hour later, the third guy, Dominic Monaghan, also got up. This time, it was Gigi who greeted him. “Right this way, Mr. Monaghan.” I had a sneaking suspicion something was off, thinking, “Everyone’s gotta pee at the same time? But there are only two lavatories up front. What is this, a magic airplane?” Another ten minutes or so passed, and not a single one of them came back. I was even more flummoxed. Were they all having tummy troubles the second they boarded the plane? Just then, Monica scurried over and crouched down next to me. “Mr. Lewis, allow me to show you to the lavatory.” “What? I’m not ready to go yet.” I was caught off guard and couldn’t help asking, “How many lavatories are there anyway?” Monica blushed and said, “Six in total. Four in first class and two at the back.” Was that for real? I was bowled over and thought, “Maybe it’s because I hardly ever take these international flights.” Half an hour later, the two foreigners finally sauntered back, looking as content as could be. They were just plain weird, and I couldn’t help but give them a side-eye. I was just about to head to the lavatory myself when Monica swooped in like she had radar. “Mr. Lewis, the lavatory’s this way.” The first-class treatment was something else. I cracked a smile and followed Monica to the lavatory. Just as my hand touched the doorknob, a breathy whimper slithered into my ears. My hand froze in mid-air. I thought, “Who the heck are they? What are they doing something like that on a plane for?” I frowned, turned on the faucet, and was about to wash my hands. The next second, the door swung open, and Dominic came out, still hitching up his pants. “Your service was top-notch. I’ll be asking for you next time.” “Thank you, Mr. Monaghan.” Hearing the woman’s voice, I whipped around in disbelief. Gigi trailed out after Dominic. She had sweat on her face, her makeup was smeared, and her clothes were all wrinkled. Her black stockings were gone, and she didn’t seem to notice or care. Instead, she snapped at Monica behind me, “What are you just standing there for? You gonna let the passenger wait like this?” Monica shivered and yanked me into the lavatory. “Mr. Lewis, I’m not very good at this. Maybe you could take the lead?” I was so distracted I didn’t even hear Monica. “Mr. Lewis, let me help you take off your pants…” She started undoing my belt, and that was when I snapped back to reality and pushed her away. “Is this what you call service?” Monica’s face drained of color, and she dropped to her knees. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lewis. I…” Before she could finish speaking, I interrupted her, “I’m not blaming you. Just tell me, what the heck is your service all about?” Monica peeked up at me nervously. “Mr. Lewis, you ordered an iced Americano, right?” “What’s that got to do with it?” “If it’s an iced Americano, a flight attendant is required to provide you with service unconditionally throughout the whole flight.” I was rocked to my core, and the last shred of hope I had was gone. My breathing sped up. Then, I spun around and was about to make a break for it. Monica clung to me like a limpet and begged, “Mr. Lewis, please. If you go out like this, Ms. Chapman will think I didn’t do my job right and I’ll get demoted. Please, help me. Let me serve you just once!” I turned around and glared at her coldly. “Do you even realize this is illegal?” Before Monica could say a word, there was a knock on the door. Then, Gigi’s voice came from outside. “Sir, Monica’s still learning. I need to give her some pointers. Could you open the door?” “Nah, we’re good here.” It took a full minute before Gigi’s retreating footsteps finally faded. Then, Monica’s eyes welled up with gratitude. “Mr. Lewis, please, just let me do my job. If I don’t, I’ll get written up, and I…” “If you don’t wanna get a complaint filed against you, just do as I say, okay?”

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