Category: English

I had been married to Lucas for sixty years. After we both died, we were reborn. This time, at the proposal scene, he handed the flowers to my roommate standing beside me. “Olivia, whether you accept me or not, I just know that if I don’t confess to you today, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.” Our friends were all stunned. They couldn’t understand why the proposal ceremony had turned into a confession to another woman. I looked at Lucas, but he avoided my gaze. “Amber, even the most beloved person becomes tiresome after a long time. In this life, I want to live differently.” I didn’t say anything more, just silently left. Later, Lucas came to find me and proposed earnestly. “Let’s get married, Amber. I’ve had my fun, can we get our life back on track?” I raised my hand, showing him the diamond ring. “I’m sorry, Mr. Parker, you seem to have forgotten that marrying into the Parker family was always just a task for me as a Thompson daughter.” “Since I can’t marry you, I had to marry your uncle Ethan instead.” When I opened my eyes, I found myself at the bottom of the dormitory building. The ground was covered with roses and candles, incredibly romantic. Lucas was holding a guitar, softly singing a love song. This song was the birthday gift he gave me on my 22nd birthday. My roommate Olivia was holding my arm, her smile a bit unnatural. “How wonderful, Lucas confessed to you.” “You two have been childhood sweethearts, and you’re both from wealthy families. It’s a perfect match. Are you going to get married after graduation?” I didn’t notice her tone, just staring dazedly at Lucas singing softly. He was holding the guitar, his face turned to the side, his profile looking exceptionally handsome in the candlelight. It was 22-year-old Lucas. I saw him again. My eyes blurred, and I wiped away tears, a smile on my face. “Lucas!” But before I could get close, Lucas stopped playing. He walked straight past me to Olivia. “Olivia, I like you.” “Whether you accept me or not, I just know that if I don’t confess to you today, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.” I froze, turning around in confusion. I clearly remembered that this was the day Lucas proposed to me. Olivia glanced at me intentionally or unintentionally, a smile on her lips. Her eyes were extremely pleased, but when facing Lucas, her face was full of hesitation. “Lucas, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake? Shouldn’t you like Amber?” “After all, you two are a perfect match, while I’m just an ordinary person.” As she spoke, Olivia deliberately lowered her eyes, looking sad. Lucas looked at her, his eyes filled with pity. “Olivia, you’re still like this, always thinking you’re not good enough. You don’t need to feel inferior, you deserve everything in the world.” Saying this, Lucas pulled Olivia into his arms. I watched this scene silently, the flesh and blood in my heart collapsing inch by inch. Something was wrong, something was not right. I looked at Lucas, noticing his eyes. Such eyes would not belong to 22-year-old Lucas. They would only appear on the face of Mr. Parker who had inherited the family business. Lucas had also been reborn. Just as I had this guess, Lucas raised his eyes, meeting my gaze. He slowly opened his mouth, silently mouthing. “Sorry, Amber, even the most beloved person becomes tiresome after a long time. In this life, I want to live differently.” Live differently. In our previous life, we were childhood sweethearts. After graduating from college, Lucas confessed to me. We dated for a year before getting engaged, and then held a grand wedding witnessed by both families. After marriage, the Parker and Thompson families formed a strong alliance. I quit my job to stay at home and manage the household for Lucas. Lucas focused on fighting for power in the company without distractions. After marriage, I gave Lucas three sons and a daughter. He also loved and protected me, promising me lifelong fidelity. When Lucas died, he was lying in my arms, still holding my hand. “Amber, I have no regrets in this life.” After he left, I was overwhelmed with grief and passed away not long after. When we met again, I thought it was heaven’s grace, allowing us to be together for another few decades. But Lucas said he was tired of me. It turned out that lifelong fidelity was a lie, and having no regrets was also a lie. Olivia was his regret. I coldly watched the two embrace. A few friends hesitantly came forward. “Amber, are you okay?” At the same time, there were also glances with mockery. “Amber Thompson relied on being a rich girl, chasing after Lucas all day, but in the end, Lucas doesn’t even like her.” “That’s right, what’s the use of being a wealthy heiress? Lucas still prefers Olivia.” I stood there, suppressing the bitterness in my heart. Lucas, you said you want to live differently. But I, Amber Thompson, have never been someone who only had you as an option. Even though I had seen through Lucas’s true face, I was still a bit dazed when I returned to the dormitory. After all, we had been married for sixty years in the previous life. The sweet words Lucas once said to me seemed to still linger in my ears. Now, it all seemed like a dream. It made me start to doubt. Were all those happy memories from the previous life just my imagination? As graduation approached, people from other dorms had mostly moved out. But the people in our dorm were all still here. I was staying because I had been accepted for graduate studies at the same university. Olivia didn’t leave for some unknown reason. The other two roommates hadn’t found suitable jobs yet. I felt unwell, with waves of pain coming from my stomach. So I climbed into bed to lie down, wanting to take a short nap to feel better. But just as I was about to fall asleep, a commotion came from outside the door. “Olivia, this is Lucas Parker, the heir to Parker Enterprises! He’s going to inherit the whole company in the future!” “That’s right, we all saw it just now, he didn’t even look at Amber when he passed by her, he was just staring at you. He really likes you so much.” It was the voices of my two roommates. Olivia kept responding coyly. “It’s not as exaggerated as you say.” “Amber and Lucas have been childhood friends after all, he must care for her like a sister.” “Actually, Lucas and I have been dating for a year, but I didn’t let him tell you guys.” Hearing this, I suddenly pulled open the bed curtain, glaring at Olivia with red eyes. “What did you say!” They were startled to find I was in the dorm. I suppressed the surging emotions in my heart and repeated word by word. “What did you just say?” Olivia met my gaze, a hint of smugness in her smile. But the next second, she shrank behind the two roommates. “Amber, I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’ve talked to Lucas about it, but he said he only likes me.” “I know you’ve liked Lucas for many years, but you can’t disregard his feelings.” I watched her pretend to be pitiful, my hand gripping the bed sheet tightly. Seeing me like this, the other two roommates started to speak up for Olivia. “Amber, what’s wrong with you? Lucas likes Olivia, why are you angry?” “That’s right, you’re always so high and mighty, what are you being arrogant about now? Don’t tell me you really think Lucas is your personal property?” I looked at these two, barely feeling any emotion in my heart anymore. Just a few days ago, they were still following me around every day, begging me to find them positions at Thompson Group or Parker Enterprises. In the previous life, out of four years of dormitory friendship, I agreed to their requests. I found them two easy positions in the company and gave them generous monthly salaries. Now, just because Lucas confessed to Olivia, they’ve completely changed their attitude. “Olivia, now that Lucas likes you so much, he must agree to whatever you say, right?” One roommate looked at Olivia expectantly. Olivia smiled: “Don’t say that, Lucas and I are just boyfriend and girlfriend.” “Oh come on, future Mrs. Parker, just ask Lucas to arrange jobs for us at Parker Enterprises.” Olivia looked a bit troubled, took out her phone, and seemed to be messaging someone. After a while, her phone notification sounded. Olivia smiled slightly. “Lucas agreed.” The two roommates cheered and showered Olivia with compliments. I coldly observed everything, and after a moment, I still asked Olivia. “Is it true that you were dating before?” Olivia sighed and looked at me with a hint of condescension and pity. “Amber, I know you might think that because my family background isn’t as good as yours, I don’t deserve to be with Lucas.” “But think about it, if he really liked you, why didn’t he confess to you in the four years of college?” I sat on the bed, vaguely recalling memories from the previous life. Yes, Lucas hadn’t confessed to me in the previous life before graduation. Before he proposed at graduation, we didn’t even have an official boyfriend-girlfriend relationship on the surface. But that was because we had grown up together, and everyone in our social circle knew about our relationship. Although there was no formal confession, we had done everything that couples do. I had asked Lucas before why he didn’t confess to me. He smiled helplessly and tapped my nose. “Everyone in our circle knows you’re my little wife, Amber.” But I never thought he actually had something going on with Olivia. Seeing my expression change, Olivia’s smile grew wider. “Lucas told me he had to marry into the Thompson family, so he couldn’t publicly announce our relationship.” “For the past year, Lucas and I have always met in secret.” “But he just told me that this time, he wants to give me a perfect relationship rather than relying on the Thompson family’s support.” After Olivia finished speaking, I felt dizzy and my ears were ringing. When I came back to my senses, Olivia had already changed clothes and happily left for a date with Lucas. My phone rang, and I looked down to see it was my dad. Sure enough, he must have received news of Lucas confessing to Olivia. “Useless girl, you can’t even do such a simple thing. I just asked you to maintain your relationship with Lucas.” “I don’t care what method you use, win Lucas back as soon as possible. As the Thompson heiress, you must marry into the Parker family.” I smiled bitterly. Of course it would be like this. In my father’s eyes, I was always just a tool for exchanging benefits. But for my mother’s sake, I had to agree. I supported myself to climb down from the bed and silently packed my things. I called the driver to pick me up at the dormitory building. In the previous life, my happy married life with Lucas was no longer credible. He had betrayed me from the very beginning. Perhaps Lucas remembered his previous life and believed he could easily win the competition for heir without relying on the Thompson family’s support. So he went to pursue his true love, Olivia, without worries.

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I had been married to Jack Wilson for ten years, but we had long since been living separate lives. He was deeply in love with his secretary, while I had my own string of young lovers. I thought this was how our lives would continue indefinitely. Until I met a young man who touched my heart. He didn’t care about my money – he just wanted to marry me. I was moved. I went home and asked Jack for a divorce. That night, Jack smashed everything in the house. He grabbed me by the throat and snarled viciously: “Who gave you permission to take this seriously?!” I was dozing on the couch late one evening when the doorbell rang. I shuffled over in my slippers to open the door. Jack stumbled in, reeking of alcohol. His young secretary was struggling to support him. When she looked up at me, her eyes flashed with disdain even as she flipped her bangs coyly. “Rachel, Mr. Wilson had too much to drink so I brought him home,” she said. She emphasized the words “I brought him” before continuing in a wifely tone: “Rachel, why don’t you make some hangover soup for Mr. Wilson? But don’t add any longan – he doesn’t like that.” She gave a shy smile. “He always wants it when he’s hungover in the morning.” I had to stifle a laugh. This fresh college graduate’s attempts to mark her territory were so clumsy that I couldn’t even be bothered to spar with her. I took Jack from her arms and said coolly: “Alright, thank you. Do you need me to call you a cab home?” “Jack is so careless, making such a pretty young girl bring him home. Aren’t you worried about going back alone? It could be dangerous.” Olivia’s face fell and she said nothing. I couldn’t be bothered to engage further. I closed the door and kicked Jack, who was slumped on the couch. “Alright, you can stop pretending now.” Jack didn’t open his eyes, but his voice was completely sober: “Thanks. She’s been clingy lately, always talking about marriage. I figured I’d give her the cold shoulder for a while.” I said nothing. Olivia was different from the others. Over the years Jack and I had lived our separate lives, with women coming and going from his side. The longest any had stayed was three months. He was a born playboy, never willing to settle down with one person for long. At the time, I thought I would be the exception. But just three years into our marriage, he was already unable to resist the temptations outside. This Olivia was different though – she had been with him for two years now. It was clear Jack truly cared for her. With anyone else, he would have moved on long ago. But this time he was just trying to cool things off a bit. He clearly couldn’t bear to let her go. In the past, I probably would have been crying and screaming, utterly heartbroken. Now I just said emotionlessly: “Jack, let’s get a divorce.” Jack cracked open an eye to look at me and snorted. “Rachel, what’s gotten into you now? Didn’t we agree to live our own lives? What are you on about?” He rolled onto his side, long legs curled up on the carpet, and reached out halfheartedly to take my hand. “I was wrong tonight, okay? I shouldn’t have let her bring me home. She’s young and naive, don’t hold it against her.” I pulled my hand away and took out a divorce agreement from the coffee table drawer, placing it in front of him. “I’m serious. I’ve met someone.”

Jack finally deigned to open his eyes fully. But he still had that lazy, contemptuous look, as if certain I was just acting out again. He picked up the divorce agreement and flipped through it casually, but his expression slowly froze. I leaned over to look, worried he wouldn’t understand. “We have 17 properties in total, including the ones in Australia and America. I had them appraised – I’ll take 8, you take 9. As for the company, I have a 22% stake. You can buy me out at market price if you want. The rest isn’t worth much, we can each keep our own things. What do you think? If it’s not okay I can have a lawyer revise it.” Jack slowly sat up straight. That lazy demeanor vanished in an instant, his whole being radiating pressure once again. “Rachel.” He looked up at me, a cold glint flashing behind his wire-rimmed glasses. Jack’s eyes were a pale color, especially under the lights. When he stared at someone, there was an inhuman indifference in his gaze. “You’re serious?” Of course I was serious. I had brought up divorce before, but that was years ago. Back then, to try to get Jack to change his ways, I had cried and screamed and threatened suicide. I had tried everything. But this time, I truly wanted a divorce. “Rachel, what is it you want this time?” Jack tossed the agreement onto the coffee table in frustration. “Olivia won’t affect your status. Why can’t you just accept her?!” He thought I was making a fuss over Olivia. And it’s true, when I first found out about Olivia, I had thrown some major tantrums. The worst time, I smashed everything in the house. I sat amidst the wreckage with my hair wild, like a madwoman, threatening to slit my wrists with broken porcelain if he didn’t break things off with Olivia. It was useless. He stayed with her anyway. I shook my head. I really had been such a lovesick fool back then. So pathetically desperate, I wanted to go back in time and slap some sense into my worthless self. “It’s not about her this time,” I said, meeting Jack’s eyes. I gave a slightly embarrassed smile. “It’s that young guy I’ve been seeing. He’s insisting on marrying me, won’t take no for an answer. I just can’t say no to him.”

It was rare to see such a blank expression on Jack’s face. After a moment, his expression finally darkened. “Rachel, I’ve already said Olivia won’t affect your position. There’s no need to be so stubborn about this.” He still didn’t believe me. I almost wanted to laugh bitterly. “How about this – you can have a larger share of the assets. The villa in Australia can be yours too. My side is in a rush, so let’s consider it compensation for emotional damages.” Jack stared at me for a while, as if trying to determine if I was really serious this time. He narrowed his eyes, his expression suddenly inscrutable. “Is it that young guy who drove you home last time?” I nodded. Ethan had dropped me off at home once and Jack had seen him. Ethan had even smiled and greeted Jack, calling him “sir”. At the time, Jack’s expression had been a bit stiff, but he hadn’t said anything. After all, the open relationship had been his idea in the first place. He had been actively living that way for years, so he really had no right to object. Thinking of Ethan, I couldn’t help but smile. Today at the beach, he had taken out a ring. The diamond was at least one carat. But compared to my other jewelry, it was actually quite modest in size. I thought it might be fake and didn’t pay much attention. But he knelt down in front of me very seriously: “The ring is a bit small, please don’t mind. I bought it with money from my part-time job. I was going to save up more, but I just couldn’t wait any longer. Rachel, divorce him and marry me.” Most proposals are “Will you marry me?” But he came right out with “Divorce your husband and marry me.” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I was about to brush it off casually when Ethan grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go. The sea breeze carried a crisp, moist scent. His black hair was plastered to his fair forehead with sweat, his eyes shining with pure light that reflected my entire being. The young man’s love burned fiercely like a fire, heedless of time or place, with the courage to consume everything. In that moment, I was suddenly infected by his courage too. A voice appeared in my heart. It was my own voice. I’m already 29. I’ve been entangled with Jack for 9 years. How many more 9-year periods do I have left in my life? Am I going to keep living like this for the next few decades? The wind howled past, waves crashing against the rocks on shore, spraying snow-white foam. After a long while, I heard my own voice. “Okay.”

To be honest, I started regretting it as soon as I got home. After being with Jack for so many years, even just dividing up our assets would be a very complicated affair. For both of us, it would be a painful ordeal. That’s why all these years we had tacitly agreed to live our separate lives, but never actually brought up divorce. But remembering Ethan’s eyes, I felt a secret excitement and reckless sense of liberation in my heart again. Perhaps it was time to start a new life. “Kids, you know,” I smiled. “Always acting on impulse. If I don’t agree he’ll just get upset again. You understand, right?” I looked at Jack. “Isn’t Olivia the same way?” Jack’s brows lowered, revealing a hint of gloom he couldn’t hide. “Rachel, you’re really serious about this?” Admitting I was serious about a guy 8 years younger than me wasn’t something I could easily say out loud. But I still nodded. “Ethan is different from the others.” Jack had once said those exact words to me, when I demanded to know why he had to be with Olivia: “Olivia is different from the others.” His “others” of course included me. I never thought I’d be saying those words back to him now. Jack paused, a storm of emotions gathering in his eyes. His fingers slowly clenched, knuckles turning white. He sneered, “Rachel, you’re really regressing. What can some snot-nosed kid give you?” He jerked his chin at the coat I had carelessly tossed on the couch behind me. “Could he afford even one of your coats with a year’s salary?” That wasn’t untrue. Over the years, although Jack’s heart hadn’t been with me, he had still been very generous materially. I could use his credit cards freely. I didn’t even need to go look at new luxury items myself – the store managers would bring models to try things on for me at home. No wonder Olivia was so desperate to secure her position. The life of a rich man’s wife truly was decadent and luxurious. I touched the unremarkable diamond ring on my hand. It was from an average brand, with average clarity and an average setting. The kind of thing that would never even appear in my jewelry box. But I liked it more than all the others. “It’s fine, I don’t care about those things.” Jack had clearly noticed the ring on my hand too. The engagement ring he had bought me was a 7 million dollar pigeon egg diamond, dazzlingly opulent. He had it specially shipped from Hong Kong. I had always been too afraid to wear it, so I bought a cheaper pair of matching rings for us to wear instead. But after those first few good years passed, we started living separate lives. Or rather, he unilaterally grew tired of me. He stopped wearing his ring, because the young girls outside didn’t like it. During one of our countless fights, I yanked off that ring and threw it as hard as I could. Afterwards, that ring was never found again. My hand remained bare until now. I repeated, “Jack, let’s get divorced.” He paused for a moment, then suddenly lunged forward! The coffee table crashed to the floor, the vase shattering with a crisp sound. I was startled, but he grabbed me by the throat! Jack leaned in close, his eyes full of viciousness. “Rachel,” his voice lost its usual coolness for the first time, “Who gave you permission to be serious?!”

I was shocked, then shoved him away forcefully. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” I complained, rubbing my neck. “Why are you suddenly going crazy?!” Jack stumbled but caught himself. He picked up the agreement: “I’m going crazy?! Do you have any idea how much property we’d have to split up if we divorced? Just that villa you mentioned is worth $120 million! You’re willing to give up all that money for divorce – is that guy really so important to you?!” I thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes.” It wasn’t that I was blinded by love. Mainly, half of our assets was already more than enough for me to live comfortably for several lifetimes. Why should I stay trapped in this relationship for money I couldn’t even spend? I had thought it through. Even if it wasn’t for Ethan, I didn’t want to keep torturing each other with Jack anymore. Jack clutched the divorce agreement tightly, crumpling the thick stack of papers in his grip. He had always been good at hiding his emotions. In the past, no matter how hysterically I screamed and cried, he would just watch coldly without revealing a hint of feeling. But now he seemed truly furious. His face was dark with anger – I could even see the red veins in his eyes. Just when I thought he might actually hit me, Jack suddenly took a deep breath. He pushed up his glasses, bit down on his back teeth, and regained his usual rational demeanor. But his eyes were heavy, emotions unreadable. “Rachel,” he tore the agreement to shreds and tossed it aside. “If you want a divorce, keep dreaming.” … Jack stormed out, probably to find Olivia. I lay back on the couch alone, covering my eyes with my arm. A message came from Ethan. “Did you talk to him about the divorce? Did he give you a hard time?” I didn’t reply. I didn’t know how to respond. I suddenly felt very tired. How did we end up like this? In the beginning, Jack and I had been so deeply in love. Back then he had no money. After work we’d be starving, but we’d scrape together enough to buy one order of cold noodles to share. He’d swallow hard and push it towards me: “You eat it.” I refused, and we kept pushing it back and forth. In the end we each started from one end, slowly eating towards the middle. He stuffed the last bit of topping into my mouth. When we got married, he was as excited as Ethan is now. Back then he didn’t even have as much money as Ethan. The diamond was so tiny, like the ring Tom gave to the goddess – you needed a magnifying glass to see the stone. He held me close. The young man’s body temperature was so high, I broke out in a sweat. He said: “Rachel, I’ll be good to you for the rest of my life.” Of course I believed him. We were so in love then, we thought growing old together was the most natural thing in the world. It was only later that I realized, the human heart is the most fickle thing of all. In that moment, Jack probably truly meant to be good to me for life. Later, he also truly wanted to be good to others. In our third year of marriage, he came home smelling of Chanel No. 5 perfume that hadn’t yet faded. Tears immediately fell from my eyes as I demanded to know what was going on. He held me and swore up and down that he had just been entertaining clients at a karaoke bar, that the scent had rubbed off. He absolutely hadn’t been unfaithful to me. I believed him. Then it happened a second time. A third time. He slowly lost patience and stopped trying to placate me. He just irritably pushed me away: “Men have to socialize for work, what can I do? Can you stop being so unreasonable!” Later, he got together with Olivia. She was a girl who looked a bit like me, but much younger. Fresh out of college, full of youthful energy. He had made an exception to hire her. Jack started staying out night after night. I knew he was tired of me. With such a young, vibrant body available, why would he come back to sleep next to me? My heart slowly burned to ashes, night after agonizing night. So when he said to me: “Rachel, I think we should try an open relationship. You can go out and find whoever you want, I won’t interfere. And you don’t interfere with me. Of course, I won’t let anyone outside threaten your position. How about it?” I looked at Jack. The man before me didn’t have even a trace of the boy I once knew. That boy who would squat with me at the subway entrance to share a roll of cold noodles was just my imagination, I suppose. The years hadn’t killed him. They had simply revealed his true nature. A nature I had never seen clearly before. After a long while, I closed my eyes. “Okay.” Meeting Ethan was an accident. At the time, I was trying to get revenge on Jack by using his money to hire male models every night. That day I was drunk out of my mind. The manager had sent over five batches of models but I hadn’t liked any of them. Irritated, I stumbled to the bathroom.

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At the CEO’s birthday banquet, I accidentally wore the dress of his late wife. His ten-year-old son shoved me into the champagne tower in front of everyone. He stood there, watching indifferently as I struggled on the floor, blood streaming down my body. His expression mirrored his father’s, cold and emotionless. “Wearing my mom’s dress doesn’t make you her. “You’re just my dad’s secretary. I can have him fire you!” Cold champagne soaked me to the bone. I lay there weakly, staring at the child I’d raised for ten years. “Don’t bother. I’ll submit my resignation tomorrow.” Ten-year-old Nash Vincent’s eyes were icy, sharp enough to cut. I took the shawl handed to me by the maid and turned to go back to my room to change. The hem of my dress snagged on the table corner, ripping a long tear down the fabric. “You ruined it! That was my mom’s favorite dress!” The previously mocking Nash instantly transformed into a furious little lion. His eyes were burning with anger as he glared at me, hatred written all over his young face. I looked at him with a complex expression. “Nash, you’re lying.” Nash’s mother always preferred luxurious styles; she would never have liked such a simple, elegant dress. Caught in his lie, Nash looked guilty. He stomped and stormed off. I didn’t chase after him to comfort him as usual, letting him vent his anger. After the guests had left, I returned to my room alone. As I opened the door, a dead dog dangled in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. Bright red blood dripped to the floor, staining my shoes and soaking Snowball’s soft fur. I was stunned, and before I could recover, Nash’s shrill laughter exploded behind me. “Serves you right! You took my mom away, now I’ll make you feel the pain of losing what you love!” He made a face at me and ran off triumphantly. I stared at the shocking pool of blood on the floor, unable to speak for a long time. Years ago, I arrived in this city with nothing but a small suitcase. I was hired to work for the Vincent family. The Vincent Villa was vast, but it felt more like a gilded cage than a home. They stripped me of all my hobbies, leaving me with nothing but a demanding child and a spoiled little dog. It took me ten years to raise them. But losing them happened in an instant. After a sigh, I caught the familiar scent of fir. Looking up, Maddox Vincent stood quietly before me. Maddox and Nash were two sides of the same coin, equally arrogant and cold. He stood there with his arms slightly open, expecting me to change his clothes like always, while saying, “I heard about what happened today. “Stella, you were in the wrong first.” Seeing my lack of response, he frowned, clearly displeased. He glanced at the glaring blood on the floor, his tone softening slightly. “Nash is still young. Just let him have his way.” With a look from Maddox, someone immediately came to clean up the blood on the floor. The lights were dim, the shadows hazy. Snowball, who had once played around the table, seemed as if he had never existed. Just like me, who had cared for them day in and day out for ten years, yet never left even a trace in the hearts of them. After changing, Maddox sat on the sofa, gently tapping the table to signal me to pour coffee. I instinctively complied. As I approached, he pulled me into his arms. His fingertips gently brushed my cheek as he said in a low voice, “It’s your birthday tonight. Skip the pill. If you get pregnant, well, that’s your gift to me.” His warm breath on my neck sent a chill through my bones. Maddox had a strong appetite in that regard. In my first month at the Vincent Villa, I was found to be pregnant. Before I could even feel anything, I was handed an abortion pill and told to take it. “In this lifetime, I only love Sylvia, and I will only acknowledge Nash as my child. “If you had a child, you might develop other thoughts and wouldn’t be able to take good care of Nash.” After that, he would always watch me take the contraceptive pill. For ten years, without fail. Tonight, I was supposed to be grateful and give him what he wanted. But for the first time, I avoided his touch. “Mr. Vincent, our ten-year agreement is over. I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

Whatever warmth and hope I once had were long gone. Maddox snapped, “Nash is just a kid! “As his… nanny, it’s your job to raise him right. I haven’t held you accountable, yet you dare to throw a tantrum?” Nanny? I let out a dry laugh at that word. Years ago, Maddox fell head over heels for my friend, Sylvia Olsen. Despite his family’s disapproval, he married her anyway, and the Olsen family quickly climbed the social ladder thanks to him. They went from a nobody family in the middle of nowhere to high society almost overnight. After marriage, they were inseparable, deeply in love. But fate had other plans. Sylvia died giving birth. Fearing the loss of support, the Olsen family sent me, their adopted daughter, as a replacement. Maddox, deeply in love with Sylvia, refused to remarry but couldn’t bear to see young Nash left uncared for. So the two families made a ten-year arrangement: I would stay at the Vincent Villa as a so-called personal assistant. Though called a personal assistant, I had no formal employment contract or legal protection. My entire life was defined by a single piece of paper. Looking back, it was almost laughable. I raised Nash for ten years. Technically, I was still single. I collected my thoughts and calmly said, “I’m not throwing a tantrum. The agreement has expired. “Staying here without a defined role will only stir up gossip for you and Nash.” Maddox’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly. His gaze was probing, but his tone softened. “If you’d have a child for the Vincent family, I will include you and the child in the family registry, giving you the status you deserve…” “No, thank you.” No one would willingly lower themselves like that. In this life, I had suffered enough as an illegitimate child. How could I bear to let my child endure the same? I straightened my clothes and retrieved the company seal and documents related to the Vincent family’s assets from the bedroom. “I’ve already sorted out all the accounts. Sylvia’s people will take over my responsibilities. “Nash has grown up. He should be taught by professional tutors. I’m not qualified to teach him anymore.” Maddox waved his hand dismissively. The priceless property documents and the agreement were scattered on the floor like trash. He stepped on them without hesitation. “Stella, don’t push your luck. “Considering it’s your birthday, I’ll let it slide. “Stay in your room for the next few days and think about what you’ve done.” The heavy mahogany door closed, separating us into two worlds. I looked up at the sky, watching the faint glow drift away until it vanished. I couldn’t help but smile. It was a sky lantern, lit to celebrate my birthday and pray for blessings. But today wasn’t my birthday. It was the day Maddox first met Sylvia. The night before I was sent to the Vincent Villa, my adoptive mother came to me. She told me to memorize everything about Sylvia and imitate her every move. “Stella, you must impress him. Only then will you have a place in the Vincent family.” Her eyes burned with intensity, her tone leaving no room for doubt. As she predicted, Maddox, who cared little for anything, remembered my birthday. It was the one day of the year I looked forward to. Only on this day could I feel a hint of familial warmth, briefly held in his thoughts. But stolen things must eventually be returned. As I sighed, a sharp pain shot through my forehead. Nash stood on the wall, proudly holding a slingshot. “If you keep clinging to the Vincent Villa, one day it won’t be a stone hitting your head, but a bullet!” He was proud of his marksmanship. He completely forgot I was the one who taught him how to shoot and drive fast cars. Yet, ten years had passed. Maddox treated me as invisible, and Nash seemed eager for me to vanish immediately.

“It’s cold at night. Don’t catch a chill.” I gave him one last reminder before turning and heading back to my bedroom. The next morning, my adoptive mother showed up in a panic and blocked the doorway. Just like ten years ago, she dropped to her knees, begging. “Stella, Nash still needs you. “Your father and brother depend on Maddox’s support, and the Olsen kids rely on you too. You can’t just walk away on a whim.” I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “You’ve said all that, but have you ever asked how I’ve been?” She was stunned. A car pulled up outside, cutting her off mid-sentence. A woman stepped in, all elegance and charm. As soon as she entered, Nash rushed over and threw himself into her arms. “Monica, I’ve missed you so much!” Hand in hand, they walked right past me without so much as a greeting. The scent of her perfume lingered as the housemaids started whispering, “Poor Ms. Spears spent years trying to win over Mr. Vincent and his kid, and now she’s not even worth a footnote in the family.” “Yesterday she was desperate to leave, and today she’s changed her mind,” someone sneered. “Probably panicked when Monica showed up, afraid of losing her position.” Nash lifted his little face, nuzzling into Monica Stewart’s arms, his voice sweet and syrupy. “Dad’s been waiting for you. Let’s go see him. “I like Monica best. You smell pretty and talk nicely, not like someone who always acts like a naggy hillbilly.” I stood there, frozen, feeling as if something had stabbed my heart. I grew up in the south, and when I first moved here, nothing felt familiar. The cold hit like a blade, and I got sick so often that I barely pulled through. The servants mocked me for being uncouth, refusing even to bring me medicine. Back then, only little Nash stayed by my side, whispering sweetly, “Stella, get better soon. You look so cool when you ride your bike.” That little boy who once never left my side had now become a sharp thorn, piercing my heart. This turn of events was something I never could have imagined. Monica smiled politely, every move calculated and graceful. But her words carried a subtle dig. “Don’t take what a kid says too seriously, Ms. Spears.” I ignored her and turned to help my adoptive mother up. “You see, Maddox and Nash are never short of people to care for them.” Monica was the second daughter of the Stewart Group. With her striking resemblance to Sylvia, she could freely enter the study I was barred from, effortlessly winning the hearts of both father and son. My adoptive mother stood up, her earlier sorrow gone, and coldly demanded. “Are you really leaving?” “I won’t waste my life stuck in this gilded cage, chasing after two men who couldn’t care less about me,” I said firmly. With a loud smack, she slapped me hard across the face. “You’re hopeless,” she scolded. “If I hadn’t taken you in, you’d have drowned in that river years ago! How can you be so heartless? You’re worse than the Olsen family’s dog.” As she raised her hand for another slap, I caught her wrist. “They raised me until I was eight. I gave them ten years in return. “We’re even now,” I said, staring into her eyes. For ten years, I endured Maddox’s cold indifference. In the Vincent Villa, I managed every detail. I treated Nash as my own son, giving him all my love and care. I had done my best, with a clear conscience. The only person I had failed was myself. My adoptive mother left in a rage, her persuasion unsuccessful. I turned around and met Maddox’s unfathomable gaze.

His expression was cold, like he was looking at a disobedient pet. He tossed a remark my way, casual and dismissive. “Stella, you’re smart. You know leaving the Vincent family means you’ll have nothing. “I’ve had someone find a prettier dog for you. I’ll send it over later.” He spoke casually, like he was doing me a favor, “If Nash gets too annoying, Monica can help you take care of him. I’ve already had the room prepared for her to stay here.” In Maddox’s script, I was supposed to be overwhelmed, then meticulously arranged everything for Monica, playing the role of the virtuous and dutiful wife. But I was truly tired of it all. “Let the butler handle it. I’m leaving.” Monica stepped out gracefully from behind Maddox, her voice soft. “You don’t seem too pleased. Maybe I should leave. “Ms. Spears is a noble lady. Someone like me, a divorced woman with a child, naturally wouldn’t meet your standards.” She hadn’t taken more than a few steps before Maddox stopped her. “Why belittle yourself? A woman’s happiness depends entirely on a man’s opinion,” he said, glancing at me before scooping Monica into his arms. Soon, the sound of their heavy breathing drifted from the study, leaving people flushed and embarrassed in broad daylight. Nash made a face at me. “I want Monica to be with Dad. She’s not like you, a vain and wicked woman.” I stared hard at the little brat I’d raised, wanting to hear what he’d say. “Is that really what you think?”

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My best friend Olivia and I were both adopted as fake heiresses. After an accidental fall into water, we both gained a new set of memories. We learned that the real heiress, once found, would seek revenge on us for stealing her life for over a decade. So Olivia and I decided to seek protection. She chose the cold and aloof older brother, while I seduced the dark and unpredictable younger brother. But when the real heiress returned, things started to turn against us. Olivia and I pooled our secret savings and decided to make a graceful exit. Two years later, we were caught at the airport. The unpredictable younger brother, Ethan, imprisoned me and smiled coldly, “Lily, you’ve been such a naughty girl, leaving me for so long. How should I punish you, hmm?” As Olivia was slapped to the ground, I was trembling under the bed. “I told you, I didn’t do anything! Why won’t you believe me?” Olivia sobbed, tears falling from her reddened eyes. As she cried, she glanced at me, tucking the hem of my dress that was peeking out from under the bed. “Emma wouldn’t lie to me,” Nathan looked down at Olivia coldly, his eyes like glaciers. “Besides, if it wasn’t you, who else could it be? Did Emma throw herself down the stairs?!” Olivia cried heartbrokenly, “We’ve known each other for ten years. Don’t you know what kind of person I am? If she wouldn’t lie to you, do you think I’m capable of doing such a thing?!” Her voice, choked with sobs, made even my heart ache. But Nathan’s voice remained ice-cold, “She’s back now, which means you’re about to lose everything you once had. People will do anything for money, won’t they?” “Nathan! Is your heart made of stone? I’ve followed you for so many years, is this what you think of me?” Olivia struggled to her knees, clutching Nathan’s clothes, begging through tears, “Please, believe me, okay? I really didn’t touch her. She fell by herself. Please believe me…” Another resounding slap followed. Olivia was knocked to the ground again. Then came Nathan’s warning voice, “You’d better pray Emma is alright. If anything happens to her, I’ll have your life!” With that, Nathan turned to leave. Olivia cried and chased after him, “Don’t go, Nathan, please, don’t go…” But the door was slammed shut mercilessly. Only when I heard the sound of a car engine starting downstairs did I slowly crawl out from under the bed. Olivia was taking selfies with her phone, pouting. “You know, my teary-eyed, pitiful look is quite photogenic.” I was speechless. Walking over, I examined both sides of her face. “Your guy is quite considerate, slapping both cheeks evenly.” “It hurts like hell,” she grumbled, taking out a first-aid kit from the bedside table and applying ointment to her face. “This isn’t working. If things keep going this way, we’re definitely going to lose to Emma.” “What should we do?” I asked, “That Emma has a thousand tricks up her sleeve. In less than half a year since she’s been back, look at how much we’ve suffered!” Olivia’s expression turned serious, “We can’t rely on men anymore. Let’s plan our escape.”

Olivia and I grew up together in an orphanage. When we were ten, because one of us had similar eyes and the other had a similar mouth, Mr. and Mrs. Lin adopted us from the orphanage to comfort their longing for their lost daughter. We enjoyed eight years of life as young heiresses. At eighteen, Olivia and I both fell into water. When we woke up, we had gained a new set of memories. In these memories, the real heiress would be found when we turned twenty-one. She would seek revenge on us for stealing her life of luxury for over a decade, launching a series of vicious attacks. In the end, after her repeated framing and slander, Olivia and I would be tortured to death by the two brothers. After this revelation, we decided to seek protection. She chose the cold and aloof older brother, while I seduced the dark and unpredictable younger brother. Though these two men had vastly different personalities, they did have something in common. They were both incredibly handsome and unbelievably rich. Filthy rich. Either one of them alone could dominate the entire city of New York. For three years, Olivia and I used every trick in the book to develop somewhat improper relationships with them. We played the roles of hopelessly devoted lovers while using unlimited black cards to splurge everywhere. Until the real heiress, Emma, returned. At first, we were able to cleverly dodge her little schemes. But Olivia and I together couldn’t make up one complete brain, and gradually we became overwhelmed, starting to stumble repeatedly. Especially this time. Emma directly framed Olivia for pushing her down the stairs, cleverly using the camera angles to create the illusion that Olivia had pushed her. In an instant, Olivia became the target of everyone’s anger. And our big brother Nathan, Olivia’s chosen protector, still chose to blindly believe Emma. If this continues, we’ll probably still end up being tortured to death. “Plan A seems to have failed,” Olivia started rummaging through drawers and cabinets. “We can start preparing Plan B now.” “Right now it’s me who’s stumbled, Nathan will at most torture me mentally. When that real heiress targets you, with your guy’s methods, you’ll probably die even more miserably.” Thinking of Ethan’s face, I immediately nodded in agreement. “Right, let’s run, quick!” Ethan and Nathan were half-brothers with different mothers. Nathan took his father’s surname, while Ethan took his mother’s. Unlike Nathan, everything Ethan owned was earned through his own abilities, carved out of a sea of blood. I once saw him stab a knife into the eye of someone who tried to harm me, then calmly wipe the blood off his face, take my hand, and casually end that person’s life with a single word. This scene haunted my nightmares for a long time after. I heard that when Ethan was young, he was very close to his biological sister. If Emma were to frame me, that knife would probably end up in my eye. Olivia finally took out a stack of documents from a drawer with three locks, dumping them all on the bed. Looking at the pile of bank books and new identity documents, my eyes lit up. “You’re still the best, preparing everything so thoroughly.” Olivia gave me an exasperated look, “What else? Rely on you? If we relied on you, we’d both starve to death in the future.” From the day we decided to change our fate three years ago, Olivia and I had been planning two strategies simultaneously, just in case. For three years, we saved every penny we could, entrusting it all to Olivia, who studied finance, to manage. Now it had become a considerable sum. “How are we going to escape?” I asked her. Olivia took out two pieces of paper, writing “kidnapping” and “suicide” on them respectively, crumpling them into balls, and letting me choose. “If you pick suicide, you die first. If kidnapping, you die later.” I rubbed my hands together, mentally pointing back and forth between the two options. Everyone would want to choose suicide, to die first and be done with it. The person who gets kidnapped not only has to act out one last play but also face various unexpected situations, which is thankless work. After praying to my ancestors for eighteen generations to bless me, I still ended up choosing kidnapping. I let out a wail. Olivia made a sympathetic sound, “No choice, it’s fate. Sorry about that~”

Plan B officially launched, and our escape countdown began. Olivia prepared to act out a few more scenes of heartbreak, pretending to have depression and visiting a psychiatrist a few times to get some reports for show. I came back to wait obediently for instructions, while also figuring out how to get some more pocket money from Ethan. After all, who doesn’t like having more money? Not long after I got home, Ethan returned, looking travel-worn. I sat obediently in the living room, smiling as I waited for him. He threw off his coat and pulled me into his arms, his cool fingertips brushing across my lips. I thought he was going to kiss me, so I gently closed my eyes. But after a while, his lips didn’t touch mine. I opened my eyes to find his obsidian-like eyes studying me coldly. My heart skipped a beat. “Your location system was turned off this afternoon. Where did you go?” “I went shopping. My phone died, and I only charged it when I got home.” To prove myself, I handed him my phone that had just been charged. “Mm, good girl.” He patted my head like he was petting a puppy, then produced a strawberry cake as if by magic. “I bought this for you.” My eyes lit up, and I snuggled into his arms, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. Unlike Nathan, Ethan had an almost obsessive possessiveness. What he wanted was a detailed response and equally passionate love for everything. Ethan was an illegitimate child, and his mother had passed away when he was very young. At eight years old, he was brought back to the Lin family. But the Lin family wasn’t kind to him. Throughout his childhood, only Emma, who was like an angel, showed him any affection. I also knew that in his heart, I was far less important than the real Emma. But when Ethan was with me, he was very good to me. To others, he was violent and fierce, but in front of me, he always tried his best to be gentle. I feared the bloody smell that often clung to him, so he would always shower before coming to see me. He learned that I liked sweets, so he would bring me various desserts almost every time he came back. Emotionally, he gave me a sense of security. Materially, I never lacked for anything. He even bought an entire island for me, decorating it exactly the way I liked. On the balcony of the villa, we kissed passionately in the sea breeze. He left deep and shallow bite marks on my neck, “If I ever lose sight of you again, I’ll lock you up, on this island.” “Only I can see you, touch you, like this…” His hands explored deeper, and I, red-eyed, gradually surrendered to his dominance. For a moment, I even entertained the thought of staying by Ethan’s side for a lifetime. But I knew I couldn’t. More than love, I hoped to live freely in the future. “Ethan…” In the heat of passion, I chanted his name over and over. And he, bit by bit, pressed me deeper. In the dead of night, Ethan woke up but didn’t see me. He searched the entire villa before finally finding me facing the sea. I wore only a coat, my thin figure swaying in the sea breeze. “I told you, you’re not allowed to leave my sight, ever.” Ethan embraced me from behind, his domineering lips kissing from my neck to my ear. When he saw my tear-stained face, he froze. “Why are you crying?” “Will you marry me?” I asked him, my tear-filled eyes full of uncertainty and pain. I had approached Ethan with a purpose, and to please him, I played the role of an obedient girl as best I could. In every aspect, we were perfectly compatible. This was the first time, in front of him, that I asked for a formal commitment. He frowned but didn’t say a word. My tears fell harder, “It’s been three years, and no one knows I exist in your life. I can’t see any future.” “Ethan, tell me you’ll marry me, okay? Even if… even if it’s a lie, please?” He let go of me. I anxiously grabbed him, the light in my eyes shattering bit by bit, “What am I to you? You won’t even lie to me?” The phone rang at that moment. He answered it. It was from the hospital, and I clearly heard the doctor’s voice on the other end. Emma had woken up from her coma. After hanging up, Ethan turned to leave. I cried and threw myself at him, begging in a humble tone, “Don’t go, stay, stay with me, please?” He shook me off, his expression cold, his tone full of undisguised irritation. “Lily, I don’t like women who don’t know their place.”

I stood by the sea, watching his yacht cut across the water. The entire island was left with just me. I threw the eye drops I had used to fake tears into the trash can, then ran up and down the villa several times, digging out all the private money I had hidden in various corners. Three cards, and some valuable but inconspicuous trinkets. After packing up my belongings, I called Olivia. She had everything prepared on her end too. The next day, before leaving the island, I sent messages to Ethan every few minutes as usual. The content was all crazy talk I found online. Things like “If you don’t pay attention to me, I’ll die” and such. Sure enough, when I tried to send another message, it showed a red exclamation mark. Ethan had blocked me. A woman who wasn’t obedient enough, he wouldn’t even bother to comfort. This was good too. I had achieved my goal and could finally send Olivia off properly.

Emma had woken up, but the doctor said that the fall had caused permanent nerve damage in one of her legs, and she might never be able to stand again. “This Olivia is too much!” Nathan was furious. He held Emma’s hand tightly, “I will definitely give you justice for this, sister.” Emma’s eyes reddened, and large tears fell uncontrollably. She kept shaking her head. “It’s the two sisters who have been with you day and night for over a decade, not me.” “I suddenly came back and took everything that should have belonged to them. It’s understandable that they hate me.” “It’s okay, brother. It’s just one leg. Don’t cause trouble for Olivia because of me.” “As long as you brothers are happy and our family can be together, I don’t mind what happens to me.” Compared to Olivia’s willfulness and selfishness, Emma’s self-sacrifice made Nathan feel even more guilty. Originally, he still held out hope, thinking this might all be an accident. But hearing Emma’s words, even if he didn’t want to admit it, he had to believe. His woman had actually crippled his own sister. Nathan took out his phone, his face cold, and dialed a number. The line was busy. He tried several more times, but then it went straight to voicemail. Just as he was about to try again, he received a call from me. “What do you want?!” Nathan’s angry shout almost made me forget the script I had prepared. After a while, I finally remembered my task and anxiously recited my lines. “It’s terrible, Nathan. I just got a call from Olivia. She was crying non-stop, saying she was in so much pain, that she couldn’t go on living. It was like she was leaving her last words.” “Now I can’t reach her no matter how I call. Did Olivia do something stupid? I can’t get away right now, you need to go check on her immediately!” Nathan just laughed coldly, his tone full of sarcasm. “Enough, Lily. Are you trying to deceive me along with Olivia now? Tell her, I’m tired of these little tricks!” “This time she crippled Emma, and she thinks she can escape responsibility with this method?” “Impossible! She’d better have committed suicide, otherwise, I’ll make her pay for her evil deeds!” With that, he hung up without giving me a chance to speak.

After hanging up, Nathan stared at the several unanswered calls he had made, lost in thought. Amid his anger, his heart felt inexplicably empty. As if something had disappeared. “Brother, I just heard. Is Olivia really going to commit suicide?” Emma’s face showed anxious concern. “Then you should hurry back to check on her. I’ll be fine here. Olivia is more important.” Nathan frowned, “Emma, you’re still too kind. You don’t understand how wicked people can be.” “She’s used this trick more than once. It’s just to escape responsibility. Don’t worry about it.” He walked over and tucked Emma’s blanket in. “Don’t worry, I will give you justice. I won’t let you suffer in vain.” Emma lowered her eyes, biting her lower lip lightly. A tear hung at the corner of her eye before finally falling. She whimpered, burying herself in Nathan’s arms pitifully. “Brother… I just wanted our family to accept me. Why did it turn out like this…” Nathan, who had planned to go home and check, saw Emma’s fragile and pitiful state and ultimately softened, deciding to stay with her. As night fell, Nathan looked at the sleeping Emma behind him, opened his phone, and stared at the empty chat window with Olivia. He tried calling her again. It was still the cold robotic voice of the switched-off prompt. He sat on a bench, looking at the bright moon in the sky, and rubbed his somewhat empty-feeling heart. He carefully recalled the events of the past few days. It seemed that since Emma’s return, he had been neglecting Olivia. During this time, she had mostly been crying, breaking down in tears, hysterical due to his distrust. Even at the end, when he was leaving, he saw her kneeling on the ground, begging him so pitifully. But at that time, he seemed to not even look at her, and even said harsh words to her. Thinking of this, Nathan suddenly stood up, pacing anxiously on the balcony for several rounds, before finally calling me again. “Did you find Olivia? Tell her to stop throwing a tantrum and call me back immediately.” “Yes, I found Olivia,” my voice sounded hoarse, as if I had just been crying. “But unfortunately, she can’t call you anymore.” “She’s dead. Suicide. She took sleeping pills and set herself on fire.” “She didn’t even want to leave you a complete corpse. Are you satisfied now?” The other end of the line suddenly went quiet. Nathan was silent for a long time. If it weren’t for his increasingly rapid breathing, I would have thought the call had been disconnected. “Lily, this joke isn’t funny.” “Now, immediately, let Olivia contact me. I can overlook her pushing Emma. Just let her…” “If you don’t believe me, you can come back anytime,” I interrupted him, my voice breaking into sobs again. “We just found her body.”

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When my wife underwent artificial insemination for her cancer-stricken first love, I left a divorce agreement and walked away. Before leaving, I commented on their sweet photo on social media: “Let’s divorce. I’m making room for you two.” A minute later, she called, “Ethan, how can you be so selfish? Can you bear to let him die without an heir?” I laughed coldly and replied, “I don’t love you anymore. It has nothing to do with me.” But she became anxious. On our wedding anniversary, I asked my wife to come home early. Her usually cold expression showed a brief surprise before she silently nodded. That night, I prepared dinner and cake, waiting for her on the sofa until dawn. She never came home. Zoe Pei and I had been married for five years, but we were husband and wife in name only. She was the only daughter of Pei Group, the future heir. As for me, I was just an adopted son Grandpa Pei picked up from an orphanage twenty years ago. I met Zoe when I was eight years old. It was my first time being brought into the Pei family by Grandpa Pei. Years of living in ordinary circumstances made me feel out of place in such a grand house. Every move I made was cautious, careful not to upset anyone. Despite this, Zoe gradually helped me integrate into the family, taking care of my fragile self-esteem. To this day, I still remember when Old Mr. Pei told me to marry Zoe. I was overjoyed, thinking it would be worth it even if I died that day. Although everyone around me said I wasn’t good enough for her, I still plunged headfirst into the relationship. After all, who would pass up the chance to hold the moon in their arms? I sat on the sofa, silently watching the clock on the wall strike midnight, but there was still no news from Zoe. I couldn’t help but call her, but all I got in response was a cold electronic voice. Just as I was about to go out to find her at the company, Leo sent me a photo. In the picture, Zoe was hugging Leo, who was wearing a hospital gown. They looked intimate. Like a loving couple. Below the photo was a message from Leo: “Sorry, Ethan. I’m sick, and Zoe is keeping me company. The hospital needs to be quiet, so I muted her phone.” Leo’s message shattered my last bit of hope. I should have known all along that Zoe never loved me. I always knew that Zoe was never my moon. It’s just that for a moment, the moonlight really shone on me. I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at myself, mocking how long I had clung to the title of her husband. So long that I had become complacent. I didn’t reply. I just silently walked into the kitchen and reheated the already cold food. I swallowed this bitter dinner bite by bite, along with the cake. In fact, I had long understood that Zoe loved Leo. Leo was her first love from her teenage years. One was a beautiful and well-mannered heiress, the other a campus celebrity. And I was just the Pei family’s adopted son, hidden in the shadows. No matter how you look at it, they should have been a couple, but Grandpa Pei didn’t agree to their relationship. After Leo left heartbroken, I was able to pick up this bargain. On my eighteenth birthday, I wished that Zoe would look at me once more, and later she married me. Now, at twenty-eight, I only ask that she let me go in the little time I have left. At the same time, I’m letting myself go too.

A year ago, Leo, who had been missing for a long time, suddenly reappeared. Unlike before, his still handsome face now had a sickly pallor. After learning that he had cancer, Zoe began to devote her entire heart to him. Every day after work, she would go to the hospital to take care of him. I, who was already insignificant in her eyes, became completely invisible to her now. Occasionally, I would call Zoe to come home for dinner, only to be met with her cold rebuke. “All you think about is these trivial matters. Do you know how much Leo is suffering alone in the hospital?” “Honestly, why couldn’t it have been you who got this disease? It’s a waste for Leo to suffer like this.” Before I could answer, she would hang up. Sometimes, even Zoe’s gaze towards me carried a hint of resentment. Perhaps she hated me for agreeing to Grandpa Pei’s marriage arrangement back then, hated me for driving Leo away. But no matter what she thought of me, it no longer mattered. Because, just as she wished, I had been diagnosed with bone cancer six months ago. I had been hiding it from Zoe, afraid she would think I was trying to gain her sympathy by appearing weak. Ironically, even God seemed to think I was redundant. In these six months, my condition had rapidly deteriorated. The chemotherapy that was once a month became twice a month or even more frequent. The pain that seeped into my bones tortured me constantly. But I still persevered. I wanted to live a little longer, to see my moon once more. Until that day, right after chemotherapy, trembling in pain on the hospital bed, I saw Leo’s social media post. “Thank you to my angel for bringing me a little angel when I needed companionship the most.” Accompanied by a sweet photo of the two of them. At that moment, I only heard a boom in my mind, my heart feeling like it was being wrenched. Even the lingering pain from the chemotherapy couldn’t compare to the pain in my heart at that moment. The girl I had loved for over ten years, my wife of five years. She was having a child for another man. Nothing could be more heartbreaking than this. I knew it was time to let go. I drafted the divorce agreement. Zoe rarely came home these days, and I wouldn’t pretend to be pitiful to trick her into coming back. So, I chose our wedding anniversary as a reason to ask her to come home. To tell her about the divorce decision, and also to tell her that my time was running out. I didn’t expect that I had underestimated Zoe’s indifference and overestimated my position in her heart. I cleaned up the dining table, went back to the bedroom to pack my meager belongings, and left with nothing. I had entered the Pei family with nothing, and now leaving, I naturally couldn’t take anything with me. Thinking about how I had spent my entire life seeking a proper home. Now, as I was about to die, I realized that being clean and unencumbered was quite good too. After doing all this, I left the house keys along with a copy of the divorce agreement on the dining table. I sent Zoe a message. “The divorce agreement is on the table. I’m making room for you two.” Then I turned off my phone, closed the door, and left without looking back.

Half a month later, I came to the hospital to complete this month’s last chemotherapy session. On my way to deliver the medical report. I happened to run into Zoe accompanying Leo for a checkup. “Pregnant?” I asked casually. “No, Zoe is just accompanying me for a checkup. Thanks to her, I’ve recovered so quickly,” Leo explained, seeing my unfriendly expression. “That’s good, congratul-” Before I could finish, Zoe, who had been holding Leo’s arm, interrupted me. “Ethan, what are you doing? Why aren’t you answering your phone?” “And what’s this about divorce? Who allowed you to divorce? Are you planning to leave with nothing?” “What, now you’ve come to the hospital to win me back? Are you trying to play the victim?” Zoe’s barrage of questions made my already unclear mind feel even worse. Thinking about the upcoming chemotherapy, I didn’t bother with them anymore and walked straight into the doctor’s office. “Mr. Cheng, this is your last chemotherapy session for this month.” “Given your current condition, we suggest you start inpatient treatment after this session.” The doctor’s expression was grave. Combined with my current physical state, even I understood. My time was running out. I nodded, telling the doctor I wanted to think about it and finish this chemotherapy session first. After arranging with the doctor, I walked out of the office, preparing to enter the treatment room. Zoe grabbed me at the door. Leaving Leo looking at us with reluctant eyes. “Ethan, what are you doing? Are you serious?” Zoe crossed her arms, her usual dismissive gaze showing a hint of confusion. “What else? At this point, what reason do I have to lie to you?” I waved my hand wearily, just looking at her calmly. “Then why didn’t you say anything? Dragging it out until now, are you waiting here to make me pity you or-” “Do you remember our wedding anniversary half a month ago? I wanted to tell you that day, but where were you?” Zoe’s expression was shocked when I suddenly interrupted her, as if she couldn’t believe it. In fact, this was the first time in my life I had ever interrupted her. In the past, I would have been happy for an entire day just for having an extra word with her, but now I only found it annoying. Her words were either constantly ignoring me or endlessly mocking me. She really thought the world revolved around her. Although I hadn’t received the divorce certificate with Zoe yet. In my view, since I had drafted that divorce agreement, we had already become strangers. Suddenly realizing this, I felt that I was actually colder than I had imagined. Once I decided I had no relationship with someone, I thoroughly cut off everything with them. Be it relationships or emotions. The deeper my love for Zoe had been, the more indifferent I felt towards her now. At this moment, the nurse from the chemotherapy room called my name, asking me to come in for treatment. Hearing this, I turned to leave. Seeing me about to leave, Zoe hurriedly said, “What about my grandfather?” With these words, I immediately understood her meaning. Back then, Grandpa Pei had used the Pei Group heir position to threaten her into marrying me. Now that I wanted a divorce, I naturally had to give Grandpa Pei an explanation. “Don’t worry about that, I’ll explain everything to him.” After saying this, I left directly, not looking back at her once. In the past, I always watched Zoe’s retreating figure. Now, I no longer needed to.

After the chemotherapy, I stared blankly at the ceiling of the hospital room as usual. The color was so white it made me feel cold. It reminded me of the morgue where my adoptive father’s body was kept twenty years ago. Everything there was equally hopeless. As far back as I could remember, the only person by my side was my adoptive father. My adoptive father made a living as a taxi driver. The neighbors all said he was a bachelor approaching thirty who still hadn’t found a wife. And I was an orphan abandoned by my birth parents from birth. At that time, I was just a baby, thrown like garbage at my adoptive father’s doorstep. Seeing that I was as pitiful as him, he took me in. For the next eight years, it was just me and my adoptive father relying on each other to survive. Although life was tight then, those were some of the few happy days in my impoverished life. Perhaps it was destined that I shouldn’t have lived a peaceful life. When I was eight, my adoptive father went out to work a night shift in the rain and never came back. I only remember being led by a group of people in white coats into a very cold place. My adoptive father’s cold body was lying there stiffly. No matter how heart-wrenchingly I cried, he wouldn’t get up and hold me like he used to. Gently patting my back, telling me not to cry, that everything would be alright. After my adoptive father’s death, the neighbors avoided me like the plague. I became an orphan once again, entering the orphanage as my final destination. The long night was hard to endure, but the sun would always rise as usual. On the second day after I entered the orphanage, Grandpa Pei personally came to take me back to the Pei family. “Child, what’s your name? Would you like to come with me?” “My name is Ethan, meaning peace.” Ethan means long-lasting peace, to be safe and sound for life. My adoptive father hadn’t read much, I only heard him often murmuring in my ear that as long as one lived peacefully, it was good enough. After I finished speaking, he gave me a smile. That smile made me feel like my adoptive father had returned. It was also this smile that made me plunge headfirst into a world that didn’t originally belong to me. It was in this world that I met the person I would chase for most of my life. When we first met, Zoe was wearing a pure white princess dress, sitting at the grand piano in the center of the spacious living room. Her fingers, white as jade, continuously played beautiful notes. At that moment, I gazed at her as if entranced. Perhaps seeing my gaze was too intense, Zoe looked at me and walked over with a smile. “Are you the new friend Grandpa mentioned? Hello, I’m Zoe Pei.” “Zoe means ‘like’ or ‘love’, you know!” As she spoke, she reached out her hand to hold mine, leading me to tour every corner of the Pei house. At that time, I didn’t ask for anything, didn’t want anything, just a home, just love. Even if I died, I didn’t want to be abandoned again. Thinking of this, I unconsciously gripped Zoe’s hand tightly. Like a drowning person clinging desperately to the only lifeline nearby. In the days that followed, Zoe became like my little shadow, following me wherever I went. In her words, I was the only one in this family willing to play and have fun with her, her best companion. We absolutely couldn’t be separated. And so, Zoe and I grew closer and closer. Sometimes, the colder a person is, the more they want to get close to something warm. Zoe was gentle and passionate, like a ray of sunshine illuminating my originally barren life. When I was with her, I always felt a long-lost sense of peace and tranquility. So, I will never forget what she once said to me: “From now on, this is your home, and I am your family.” But now, hearing these words, I only feel extremely bitter.

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My son was murdered while buying a birthday cake for his father. That evening, Jake’s childhood friend posted on SnapChat: “Someone with a mango allergy insists on eating the mango cake I bought.” Fighting back tears, I called Jake to come see our son one last time. “Can’t you stop bothering me? Emma rarely comes back to celebrate my birthday with me.” As a crime scene cleaner, Jake personally cleaned up the cake shop where our son was killed. “Look at other people’s kids, remembering their dad’s birthday. My ungrateful brat is just like his mother, only knows how to ask for money.” With a heart turned to ashes, I decided to divorce him. “Think about Kevin. A child without a father’s love will never be happy.” After slapping him, I dragged him to kneel before our son’s ashes. “Ma’am, we need you to come to the police station. There’s a body here for you to identify.” The moment I received that call from the police, my mind went blank. Just half an hour earlier, my son Kevin had snuck out, saying he wanted to prepare a surprise for his dad. I checked my phone. The first message was from Kevin: “Mom, I’m buying a birthday cake for Dad. I’m going to give him a big surprise tonight!” With trembling hands, I tried calling Kevin’s phone. No answer. I tried again… still no answer. I don’t even remember how I got to the police station. After giving them Kevin’s name, the officer sighed. “Do you know Kevin Zhang?” he asked. I nodded numbly. “He’s my son. What… what happened to him?” “I’m sorry,” the officer said, gesturing for me to come inside. As we entered, I noticed the sign on the door: Morgue. The officer lifted a white sheet. I forced myself to look. And then I collapsed to my knees. On the cold metal table lay Kevin, his face and neck horribly mutilated. But it was unmistakably my little boy. “Has… has the killer been caught?” I asked through gritted teeth, tears streaming down my face. “Yes, we’ve apprehended the suspect,” the officer replied. Okay. At least they caught the monster who did this. “Can I take Kevin home now?” I asked. The officer nodded. “You may.” With shaking hands, I pulled out my phone to call my husband Jake. We should at least bring Kevin home together. The phone rang for a long time. He hung up on me three times before finally answering on the fourth try. Before I could speak, Jake’s irritated voice cut in: “Can’t you take a hint? Emma came all this way to celebrate my birthday with me. Can’t you just leave us alone for once?” Emma? Jake’s childhood friend. Ever since Jake and I got married, Emma had constantly needed his help for every little thing. And Jake was always eager to solve her problems. Especially after Kevin was born, when Emma left the country out of jealousy, Jake felt that Kevin and I had driven away his dear friend. The officer’s eyes held even more sympathy now. A female officer came over and helped me up. “Ma’am, we can drive you and your son home.” But I couldn’t let Kevin go without saying goodbye to his father! This was his dad, after all. I called Jake again. This time he picked up quickly. “Olivia, do you have nothing better to do? Emma and I are just having a normal get-together. If you keep bothering me, don’t blame me for getting angry.” I lowered my voice. “Kevin’s been in an accident. You need to come.” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word “dead.” “Oh come on, you’re using Kevin as an excuse again? Everyone knows you two are always scheming together.” Before I could respond, I heard a woman’s voice in the background. “Jake, I’m scared to cut the cake. Can you help me?” The call disconnected again. I saw Emma’s latest post on Instagram: “Someone with a mango allergy insists on eating the cake I bought. 🙄” The photo showed a mango cake, along with a selfie of her and Jake. My legs went weak. The female officer had to support me to stand up straight. “Don’t be scared, Kevin. Mommy’s taking you home,” I whispered. I brought Kevin home and began preparing for his funeral. Jake never came home that night. The next morning, on the way to the crematorium, Jake finally called me. “Make some pumpkin soup and bring it to the hospital. Make extra – Emma wants some too.”

My hand shook as I gripped the phone, too angry to speak. After a long pause, I managed to say: “Jake, don’t you dare regret this.” I suddenly felt that Jake didn’t deserve to be Kevin’s father. As I watched Kevin being pushed into the cremation chamber, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I crouched down and sobbed. From a young age, Kevin had been so understanding. He knew his father wasn’t very attached to our family, so he always behaved well and never asked Jake for anything. This time, he had snuck out on his own just wanting to use a cake to improve his relationship with his dad. At the parent-teacher conference a week ago, I could sense how envious Kevin was of the kids whose fathers attended. But now, it was all gone. As I carried Kevin’s ashes out, a light drizzle began to fall. Not long after I got home, I received a call from the cemetery. “Ma’am, I’m sorry but the plot you reserved this morning has been sold to someone else for a higher price.” What? I had carefully chosen that spot for Kevin. “But I already paid a deposit. How can you sell it to someone else?” I protested. The person hemmed and hawed before another voice came on the line. “Listen lady, money talks. We’re paying more, so naturally we get priority. Besides, you didn’t sign a contract, so it doesn’t count.” I knew that voice all too well. It was Jake. “Jake, let’s just forget it. We can find another spot for my uncle. No need to insist on this one,” I heard Emma say in the background. I took a deep breath. “What about honoring agreements? I paid a deposit. You can’t do this.” Jake was still comforting Emma. “Your uncle is my uncle too. I’ll make sure this gets taken care of.” How touching. The cemetery staff sounded uncomfortable. I really didn’t have the energy to argue, especially not with someone connected to Jake. I just wanted Kevin to rest in peace. “Ma’am, we can compensate you, or you can come by this afternoon to choose another plot?” the staff member offered. “Fine,” I agreed. We’ll just find another spot. The funeral preparations continued. Jake’s parents had both passed away, so his family couldn’t help. I called my parents and asked them to come assist with the arrangements. My parents hugged me tightly when they arrived, and we all cried together. “Oh sweetheart, you’ve been through so much,” my mom said. I had moved far away when I got married. Jake had knelt before my parents and sworn he would take good care of me. And now… I took a deep breath. “Mom and Dad, can you please go to the funeral home and set up the memorial? I need to go to the cemetery first.” When I arrived at the cemetery, the staff came out personally to greet me. As soon as I entered, I locked eyes with Emma in the distance. She immediately grabbed Jake’s hand and hurried away from the cemetery. Her expression suggested she knew something. I composed myself and chose a new plot for Kevin. After finishing up, I ran into Jake on my way out. “Olivia, are you following me?” he demanded. I let out a cold laugh. “Follow you? To watch you and your little friend being all lovey-dovey?” “How many times do I have to tell you, Emma and I are just friends. She’s all alone here – what’s wrong with me helping her out?” “Fine, go ahead and help your dear friend then!” I snapped before walking away. As I was leaving, I thought I heard Jake mutter something. About cleaning up the cake shop crime scene. Oh right, I’d almost forgotten – he’s a crime scene cleaner. So… Would he be cleaning up the cake shop where Kevin was murdered? When I got home, everything was ready at the funeral home. The funeral would be tomorrow. I had no friends or relatives here. Just a few of my parents’ relatives had come. “Damn that bastard Jake! He won’t even come to his own son’s funeral?” my uncle fumed.

I looked at my uncle, my meaning clear. “Once this is over, I’m divorcing him,” I said. “That still doesn’t excuse him from attending his child’s funeral. What kind of father is he?” My uncle stood at the entrance and started making phone calls. I stared at Kevin’s black and white portrait, tears falling uncontrollably. He was only six years old. How could fate be so cruel? It started raining again. My dad stood next to me holding an umbrella. I clutched Kevin’s portrait throughout the entire funeral. Jake never showed up. I had tried to contact him, but he had blocked my number. I couldn’t even send him a message. I didn’t know any of his friends to reach out to. I had just brought the urn home when Jake finally called. Looks like he unblocked me. “Olivia, what kind of scene are you trying to make? Haven’t you embarrassed me enough? Telling all your relatives our family business – you’re just taking advantage of the fact that I don’t have anyone to back me up, aren’t you?” Taking advantage? If that was my goal, I wouldn’t have married him without asking for any dowry, and even contributed over $10,000 of my own money when we got married. Now in his eyes, I’m the one taking advantage. “I don’t know what my uncle said, but you should come home when you can. I need to talk to you about something,” I said. “No way, I don’t want to deal with your relatives. They all look down on me anyway.” How ridiculous. If they really looked down on him, why would I have quit my job to focus on our family? Only later did it become “useless housewife” in his eyes. He hung up on me again. Fine, he’s probably still cleaning up at that cake shop. I’ll go find him there tomorrow to explain the situation. Coming to this place filled me with dread. All I could think about was how Kevin looked when he died. He was always so afraid of pain. I can’t imagine how terrified and desperate he must have felt in his final moments. The shop was cordoned off, so I could only wait outside for Jake to come out. I could clearly hear the voices talking inside. “Did you guys hear? The kid they killed was only 6 years old. Apparently he was buying a cake for his dad’s birthday when he ran into the killer.” “Tsk tsk, look at that kid, still remembering his dad’s birthday. My ungrateful brat is just like his mom, only knows how to ask me for money.” That was Jake’s voice. So in his eyes, Kevin had become the ungrateful one. “Aw, they just don’t understand your work.” Jake chimed in: “Exactly! My wife even tried to get me to switch jobs. Not at all understanding like Emma. Only Emma supports me behind the scenes.” What a joke. Why did I ask him to change jobs? It was all for Kevin’s sake. During a school survey, Kevin had proudly described his father’s job as a crime scene cleaner as noble and selfless. The result was endless bullying and ostracism. The other kids at school called him unlucky and said he smelled like death. No one wanted to be his friend. Kevin never dared tell Jake about it. If I hadn’t accidentally discovered him crying alone in his room one day, I never would have known either. That’s the only reason I suggested Jake change jobs. Of course Emma would support him – she wasn’t affected by it at all. “Hey, I heard the security footage is still around. You guys brave enough to watch it?” someone asked.

I wondered how Jake would react if he saw the victim was Kevin. “Ugh, that’s disgusting. I heard the killer even smashed out the kid’s teeth. It must be a bloody mess. I don’t want to see that and have nightmares.” That’s right. Sometimes my little Kevin didn’t even have any teeth left. An hour later, Jake finally finished work. He seemed surprised to see me waiting outside. After saying goodbye to his coworkers, he pulled me over to a nearby alley. “What are you doing here?” he demanded. “Let’s get a divorce,” I said. “Are you crazy? Is this about Emma again? How many times do I have to tell you, it’s not what you think.” As we were talking, Emma suddenly appeared. She immediately latched onto Jake’s arm and smiled at me. “Sister-in-law, you’re just too jealous. If I really wanted Jake, do you think you’d stand a chance?” How sweet of her to say. I was about to respond when my phone rang. “Ma’am, we need you to come to the police station again. There’s been a development in the case.” After hanging up, I turned to leave. Jake grabbed my wrist. “Where are you running off to? Did Emma hit a nerve? You really are just a jealous shrew.” I yanked my hand away and slapped Jake hard across the face. “Watch your mouth. I don’t have time for your nonsense right now.” I rushed to the police station. The officer offered me a glass of water first. “So, have you or your family made any enemies recently?” he asked. I thought about it. I hardly ever left the house, let alone made enemies. I barely even saw anyone. So it had to be related to Jake somehow. But given Jake’s unusual job, I’d never heard him mention conflicts with anyone. Suddenly, Emma came to mind. I remembered the look in her eyes at the cemetery. I nodded. “My husband has a mistress. Does that count?” The officers exchanged glances. “It could.” “What’s going on? Did the killer say something?” “Well, we have reason to believe Kevin’s murder was a contract killing.” A contract killing. Kevin was so young. Who could be so heartless? “Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I asked. The officer looked embarrassed. “I apologize. It was an oversight on our part.” The rest of the details were confidential, so the police couldn’t share more with me. When I got home from the station, I was surprised to find Jake there. He was lounging on the couch with his legs crossed, seemingly unaware that our son was missing. “Where’s Kevin? Out playing again?” he asked casually. Unbelievable! I set down my things. “Now you care about your son? Where were you before?” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Jake, let’s get divorced,” I said. I took a deep breath. I would just have to accept that Kevin no longer had a father. More accurately, Jake didn’t deserve to be a father. Seeing how serious I was, Jake started to panic. He smiled and took my hand. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’ve been married for so many years. You can’t throw it all away over this little thing with Emma.” “Oh, so you do remember how long we’ve been married,” I said with a bitter laugh. “Then please, just agree to the divorce. Don’t make this painful for both of us.” Jake came up and hugged me from behind. “How can you bear to divorce me? Don’t you want Kevin to have a father? Do you want him to be bullied for not having a dad?” SSo he did know that kids without fathers get bullied. I turned and grabbed Jake by the collar, dragging him to Kevin’s room. “Look closely. These are your son’s ashes.”

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Two months after our wedding, my husband Lucas suggested we split all our bills equally. Living expenses, supporting our parents, social obligations, raising children – everything was to be split 50/50. I accepted. Later, he couldn’t handle it himself. He begged me to support him! I kicked him out. “Get lost, you jerk!” My dad fell ill. The doctor informed me that after deducting the health insurance coverage, we still needed to pay over $15,000 for the surgery. I regretted buying a new car just last month. I called my husband, Lucas. “Honey, can you lend me $15,000? My dad needs surgery.” “We agreed to split our expenses equally, remember? We’re each responsible for our own families,” Lucas replied, his tone colder than that of a casual acquaintance. I gritted my teeth, trying to stay calm. “I said ‘lend.’ I’ll pay you back!” “I don’t have it. Figure it out yourself.” He hung up without even a word of concern. Furious, I threw my bag onto the chair. What a piece of trash I had chosen! “Amelia, did you manage to borrow the money?” My mom asked, having heard the commotion. “Yes, don’t worry!” I lied. Left with no choice, I called my boss at work. “Boss, I have about $10,000 in commissions from last quarter that haven’t been paid out yet. I was wondering if I could get an advance.” “What happened?” he asked. I explained my dad’s situation. “Alright, I’ll make an exception. If you need more, I can lend you some personally.” Seeing $15,000 deposited into my account, I covered my face and cried. What had marriage given me? Nothing but a mess. The respect and trust I earned through my own hard work and perseverance were worth so much more.

Four years ago, I married Lucas. I was blinded by love, captivated by his good looks since college. Even though my parents objected, thinking Lucas wasn’t reliable enough. Even though Lucas’s family didn’t offer a bride price, I thought love was priceless. Even though I had to bring a house as a dowry, I was willing. But after the wedding, he proposed splitting all our expenses equally. Living expenses, supporting parents, social obligations, raising children – everything was to be split 50/50. I was shocked and didn’t understand. Although we both worked and had our own incomes, I had never asked him for living expenses. We just lived casually. Occasionally, I would pay for utilities, he would pay for gas. I would buy groceries, he would buy daily necessities. I didn’t like to fuss over details and never calculated who paid more. But Lucas kept a little notebook, recording every expense. After two months, I guess he felt he was losing out. But aren’t couples supposed to weather storms together? Did we need to be so calculative? Lucas, however, had his arguments to convince me. “Many people in Western countries do this. It’s progressive and can reduce conflicts.” “But it feels like we’re business partners, not a married couple,” I protested. “Marriage is about choosing the most suitable partner. Besides love, we need to think long-term.” I started to reflect on our dating process, realizing I might have spent more. But I had never calculated it. Since that was the case, I decided to give it a try. From then on, Lucas recorded every bill, and we split them equally, accurate to two decimal places.

A year later, I got pregnant. I had severe morning sickness and had to stay at home after six months of pregnancy. I applied for unpaid leave from work, as my maternity leave hadn’t started yet. Lucas’s face was very dark during that period. I thought he was worried about my health, but it turned out he was concerned about my income. “We agreed to split expenses, remember? You haven’t been paid for months, and I can’t help you,” he said. I frowned. This was even harsher than settling accounts between siblings. Seeing that I didn’t respond, Lucas hurriedly explained. “You still have some savings, right? It should be enough for a few months.” I made a list including formula, diapers, baby clothes, bottles, strollers, and more. “We need to buy all these. It’s a significant expense. You buy them first, and I’ll pay you back later.” Lucas’s frown deepened. He clearly hadn’t planned for this. “It’s so expensive. I don’t have money either.” “Where did your money go?” I asked. Lucas glared at me, displeased. “We agreed to split expenses, remember? We don’t interfere with each other’s spending.” “Split, split! So for having a baby, should I be pregnant for 5 months, then hand it over to you for the next 5 months? I had to take unpaid leave to have this baby, and you don’t consider me at all. You just keep talking about splitting!” Lucas looked at me incredulously. “I can’t help you with childbirth. It’s not that I don’t want to.” “But you can help with the expenses, and you won’t?” “We agreed to split, didn’t we?” I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. “Get out! If you won’t cover it, I’ll just starve. We can all starve together!” Lucas muttered dissatisfaction as he slowly left the room. I heard him making a phone call in the next room. “Mom, can you transfer me $5,000?” “Isn’t my salary card with you?” “Amelia has severe morning sickness, and I need to cover some expenses. She’ll pay me back later.” “She’ll definitely pay back. Once she starts working again, I won’t cover anymore. I’ll make her pay.” As I listened, my heart grew colder. Lucas had given his salary card to his mother. No wonder he never said where his money went. Now he needed $5,000 and had to ask his mother’s permission. What a calculation! He treated me like an outsider. What if we had a conflict that led to divorce? Our marital property would be divided, but he wouldn’t have any money!

I turned and contacted my mom, giving her my salary card too. My mom didn’t want to take it at first, but I insisted. “Did you have a fight with Lucas? You two should get along, especially now that you’re pregnant.” “No, nothing like that. He’s very filial, and he taught me to be filial too. Just take it, I know what I’m doing.” My parents kept my card but used it to buy me lots of nutritional supplements, a crib, and baby blankets. I also sold my stocks and funds at an opportune time and opened a new account under my mom’s name. I could be carefree when I didn’t care, but I could also be meticulous when I did. Lucas finally noticed that I had changed my account and password. “You changed your bank card password?” “Yes, why are you trying to log into my bank account? Aren’t we splitting everything?” Although we had been splitting expenses, we knew each other’s account numbers and passwords. I was cautious, worried that if one of us suddenly died or had an accident, the other wouldn’t know how much money was left or which bank it was in. “No reason, just wanted to plan. Thinking of buying a bigger car. It’ll be convenient when we have a child.” I nodded. I actually had the same plan. “Let’s wait until I start working again. I’m worried about money these few months.” Lucas keenly noticed my issue. “Did you sell all your stocks?” “Yes, I ran out of money.” “What about your salary card?” “It’s with my mom.” Lucas’s face changed immediately. “Why did you give your card to your mom? How are we going to live? I’ve already covered so much, I can’t cover anymore.” “I learned from you. Didn’t you give your card to your mom? For several months before, I covered a lot for you too.” Lucas paced back and forth, grabbing his hair, very anxious. He clearly hadn’t planned for this. After pacing for a while, he finally thought of a solution. “How about this, from now on, we’ll settle accounts every month. No more covering for each other.” See, this is my husband. Even credit cards are paid off the next month, but my husband wants to settle immediately.

I finally gave birth to a big, healthy boy. It was a natural birth, which saved quite a bit of money. Lucas was very happy. His parents also came to the hospital to see me and their grandson. “Good, very good. Take good care of Amelia, she’s been through a lot,” my mother-in-law said, then ran off faster than a rabbit, afraid I’d ask her to help with my postpartum recovery. Lucas didn’t react immediately. “Your parents will help with your postpartum recovery, right?” “Let’s hire a postpartum nanny. We’ll split the cost.” “I don’t have money for a nanny. Isn’t your mom retired? She’s free anyway.” “What about your mom? Isn’t she free at home too? Why did she run away?” Lucas sighed reluctantly. “She’s not in good health. It wasn’t easy for her to raise me. Besides, my sister-in-law is also pregnant with twins. My mom needs to cook for her.” “Your mom never cooked a single meal for me when I was pregnant.” “Why bother about that? You wouldn’t have liked her cooking anyway.” Lucas stopped arguing with me and went out to take a call. I actually really didn’t like my mother-in-law’s cooking, but I just wanted to make a point. When I’m generous, you nitpick with me. When I nitpick, you talk about being generous. Hmph, such double standards. In the end, my mom compromised. She moved in with me to take care of me and her grandson. Lucas was quite happy about it. He moved into the study, living just like before he became a father. When I asked him to change diapers, he frowned and said he didn’t know how. My mom quickly came over. “I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” When I asked him to prepare postpartum meals, he again claimed he didn’t know how. My mom looked up recipes online herself. “I’ll do it, I’ll do it!” “Mom, we agreed to split expenses. You’re helping me, not him. He should be doing these things!” My mom glared at me, her eyes conveying many meanings. “We’re all family.” Lucas found an excuse to back down and hurried out to buy groceries. “Mom, if you spoil him like this, when my recovery is over and you go back, this child will be left to me alone.” My mom sighed. “You should have opened your eyes before marriage. After marriage, you make do with what you have. You’ve got it backwards.” I was choked up by my mom’s words, unable to argue back. “I really want to get a divorce!” “Don’t think like that. You’re in postpartum recovery now, your hormones are dropping, it’s easy to get depressed. Wait until you can take care of yourself and feel better, then you’ll be able to handle things. We can’t let Tommy be born into a family without a father.” I looked at the sleeping baby. He was so cute. Ah, I couldn’t bear it.

Days dragged on, and finally Tommy was 3 years old and started preschool. I finally got some relief, bought a new car, and everything seemed to be back on track. But then my dad fell seriously ill. When life is smooth sailing, you can’t see the good and bad in people around you, whether they’re human or beast. But once you encounter storms, the ugliness of human nature appears. I never expected Lucas wouldn’t help at all. “My mom and I don’t have time to take Tommy to preschool. We need to go to the hospital. You take him.” “It’s not my month, remember? You figure it out. Next month is my turn.” I really wanted to curse. Even my colleagues were willing to switch shifts to help, but he completely ignored the situation. Even if he were just a relative, just a friend, he would at least offer money or effort, or some words of comfort. But he completely distanced himself, as if my dad were a stranger. This time, I truly saw through him. Since you’re heartless, I’ll be ruthless too. What goes around comes around. Don’t let it come back to me.

Unexpectedly, this karma came back quickly. Three months after my dad was discharged, my mother-in-law fell. Lucas called me urgently. “Amelia, my mom is in the hospital. Go there quickly.” “Why should I go to the hospital? I’m at work.” “I’m busy, about to board a high-speed train. Go to the hospital to pay the bills. My mom fell.” “We split expenses, remember? Handle it yourself.” I hung up the phone. Lucas kept calling back, but I kept hanging up. Lucas sent me voice messages on WhatsApp. “Amelia, that’s my mom. You can’t be like this. You’re her daughter-in-law. Can’t you go take care of her?” “Three months ago, how did you treat my dad? That’s how I’ll treat your mom.” I quickly replied and then muted my phone. After a while, my father-in-law called. “Amelia, your mother-in-law is in the hospital. We need to pay the bills.” “Why don’t you ask your son? Why are you calling me?” “He’s on a business trip.” “I’m busy too. We split expenses, remember? We agreed I don’t take care of your family, and he doesn’t take care of my parents.” “What split expenses? Nonsense. I don’t understand that. Come pay the bills quickly, or if something happens to your mother-in-law, it’s on you.” I hung up the phone directly. I took time off work, feeling that if I stayed at the company, I might get cornered. Sure enough, after work, my colleague called me.

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On the night of my birthday, Jack opened the gates of the amusement park for me. The park, usually closed at night, was lit up like daylight. I had always believed that wishes made on the Ferris wheel were more likely to come true, as if the sky could hear them more clearly. I stepped into the Ferris wheel cabin, but Jack let go of my hand. His phone rang. I glanced at the screen – the caller ID read “Lily.” “I’ll just take this call. When you finish your round, I’ll come up and join you,” he said, looking up at me with an indulgent smile on his face as he gazed at the screen. I lowered my eyes, feeling dejected, but nodded obediently. When the Ferris wheel reached its highest point, I clasped my hands together and closed my eyes to make a wish: I hoped that after Jack and I got married, Lily would disappear from our lives forever. Even though I knew this wish might be asking too much of the heavens. Jack had two childhood friends – me, his fiancée since childhood, and Lily, an orphan who had grown up in his family. She had always been like a little tail following us around since we were kids. As we grew up, she constantly had “Brother Jack” on her lips, and Jack was always at her beck and call. It made me, his fiancée, feel like the third wheel intruding on their relationship. Although I no longer had any hope for him, our families’ arranged marriage was set in stone long ago. As I was lost in thought, suddenly there was a loud “clang,” and the cabin shook. The Ferris wheel had malfunctioned and stopped! I was still about ten feet from the ground. I could see Jack sitting on a bench, his fingers tapping the screen of his phone, the light from it illuminating the brilliant smile on his face. He must be video chatting with Lily, or watching her livestream. Only for Lily would he show such a pure and doting smile. I was mesmerized by the sight. But then he put away his phone, stood up, and turned to leave. He walked briskly towards the exit of the amusement park. I panicked and started banging on the glass door of the cabin, calling out his name loudly, until I watched him get into the white Porsche Cayenne parked at the entrance and speed away. I stared blankly as tears rolled down my cheeks. If only he had looked back once, he would have seen that I was trapped in the malfunctioning Ferris wheel. My purse with my phone, my coat, and my birthday cake were all still in his car. I couldn’t even call for help. As the night grew colder, I could only curl up in the corner, hugging my arms, praying that the staff coming to work the next day would find me early. The amusement park was brilliantly lit – it was specially decorated to celebrate my birthday. Now it all seemed like a joke. That night, I came to understand many things. An arranged marriage doesn’t need deep love between husband and wife. Both parties are united for the sake of benefits. As long as we don’t interfere with each other’s lives, it’s enough. Once I realized this, I suddenly felt lighter all over. The next day when I returned home, I had dark circles under my eyes and looked exhausted. Mom called me to have breakfast, but I wearily shook my head, only wanting to go back to my room to catch up on sleep. She stopped me and said with an awkward smile, “So… did you have fun with Jack yesterday?” “Mm, it was fine.” She hesitated, then said tentatively, “Well… Mom knows you young people like to have fun, but you still need to protect yourself and take precautions. If you get pregnant before the wedding, it won’t look good in your wedding dress.” I was stunned. “I know, Mom.” How could I possibly be pregnant when we hadn’t even kissed in a long time? When I woke up from my nap in the afternoon, I used the house phone to call Jack, asking him to bring back the things I had left in his car last night. After all, it was boring without my phone. He was silent for two seconds, as if just remembering that he had left me alone at the amusement park. Regretfully, he said: “Bella, I’m so sorry. Last night I… I suddenly had something come up and had to leave early. I forgot to tell you.” I replied flatly, “Mm, I know.” His tone lightened considerably as he said, “I knew you wouldn’t be mad at me. Next year I’ll definitely throw you an even bigger birthday party to make up for it.” “So can you have someone bring my bag to me now?” I asked. He said he would have his driver bring it right over. I waited for half an hour, then he said to come pick it up myself, that he wanted to apologize to me in person. I had no choice but to drive over to the Wilson house. Laughter could be heard coming from the kitchen – it was Jack and Lily baking a cake together. Jack dipped his finger in some frosting and smeared it on Lily’s nose, laughing exaggeratedly as he said, “Little… kitty… cat.” “Stop it~” Lily chased after him, playfully hitting him. No matter how you looked at it, they were the perfect couple. I leaned quietly against the doorframe, not wanting to disturb the two of them, but the flour they were tossing around irritated my nose. As I coughed, they both turned around at the same time. The scene froze for two seconds.

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The day my wife Emily went to fulfill a ten-year promise with her high school sweetheart, I left a divorce agreement and walked away. Before leaving, I commented on their photo together on social media: “Wishing you a lifetime of happiness. I’m stepping aside to make room for you two.” A minute later, Emily called. “Jack, we’re just fulfilling an old promise. Why are you being so selfish?” I laughed coldly and replied, “I don’t care about you anymore. There’s no need to explain anything to me.” But she became frantic. The day Emily went to fulfill a ten-year promise with Nathan, I left a divorce agreement and walked away. Before leaving, I commented on their photo together on social media: “Wishing you a lifetime of happiness. I’m stepping aside to make room for you two.” A minute later, Emily called. “Jack, we’re just fulfilling an old promise. Why are you being so selfish?” I laughed coldly and replied, “I don’t care about you anymore. There’s no need to explain anything to me.” Emily was at a loss for words. Just as she was about to say something, I hung up with a loud click. I could guess what she wanted to say – probably accusing me of making a fuss over nothing, insisting that she and Nathan were just old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years. Hah, friends. More like friends who shared a bed. Emily had never been patient with me. Seeing that I dared to hang up on her, she immediately sent me a question mark. I slowly typed back, “Emily, find time to sign the papers and finalize the divorce. Then you can be with Nathan forever.” I don’t know if Emily truly didn’t want a divorce, or if she was just angry that I was the one to bring it up first. She sent me a long string of insults, ending with the declaration that she would absolutely never divorce me, and that I should give up on the idea. In the past, if Emily had said she would never divorce me, I would have been over the moon. Now it just made me sick. How could someone be like this – refusing to let me go while secretly fooling around with an ex? Seven years. I thought even a rock would have warmed up by now. But I learned that some people’s hearts are harder than stone.

Emily and I fell in love in college. We survived the “graduation breakup” curse and eventually got married. Seven years have passed since then. We worked hard to build a life together in this unfamiliar city, going from renting and taking the subway to owning a home and car. For someone like me without grand ambitions, this was already the best life I could imagine. But for some reason, the happiness that once came so easily now seemed impossible to find. In college, both Emily and I had limited spending money. We were both from rural areas, and our families weren’t well off. If we wanted to buy something or pay school fees, we had to be very frugal. Saving money was important, but so was earning it. Whenever I had free time, I would work part-time jobs. Combined with the scholarships I earned each year, we managed to get by without too much hardship. Emily had a younger brother, so her allowance was even tighter than mine. Whenever Emily’s meal card ran out of money, I would add funds for her. I was terrified of her going hungry. Looking back now, I was just a pathetic fool. Near graduation, Emily fell ill. She cried and told me she didn’t know what to do. Without hesitation, I gave her my savings. But when I tried to help her contact the hospital, Emily anxiously stopped me. “Jack, I’ve had this condition since I was little. There’s an old Chinese medicine doctor back home who can treat it. It’s just that the herbs he uses are expensive…” I was naive enough to believe her flimsy excuse. Emily said she didn’t want me to worry or see her sick, so she wouldn’t let me visit her even once. After we got married, Emily told me that because of that illness, her health wasn’t good. So I let her stay at home while I went out to earn money. Even then, I didn’t let Emily do much housework. I cooked, and she just had to set the table and eat. I earned money, and as soon as I got paid each month, I transferred it to her account. Emily didn’t even need to spend time sweet-talking me, because from the beginning I felt I owed her. I thought my background wasn’t good enough, and that Emily was suffering by being with me. Over seven years, my love for her only grew more intense and irrational. And Emily came to see my devotion as something she was entitled to. But now I realize, to Emily I was just an ATM, a tool she could use. After all, how could Emily not have money for medical treatment when she had Nathan supporting her behind my back? And that year, Emily wasn’t sick at all. She went home to have a baby.

I discovered Emily’s affair with Nathan six months ago, during Chinese New Year. Because this winter was especially cold, my company gave us an early holiday. Emily and I followed our usual custom of returning to our respective hometowns for the New Year. This was Emily’s idea after we got married. Emily said the holiday travel rush was too crowded and tiring. She didn’t want me to suffer through that. As long as we sent gifts, that was enough. Plus, I was an only child and her brother was away at school. It was more filial for us to each keep our own parents company. At first I thought Emily was being considerate, so I agreed with her idea. It wasn’t until I discovered Emily’s affair with Nathan that I realized it wasn’t about going home to be filial – it was to keep me from finding out about her dirty secret. That day, Emily went home first. I followed right after her, buying a ticket for the next high-speed train to surprise her. This year I had discussed with my parents and told them I would spend New Year’s Eve at Emily’s home, then visit them after the holiday. Believe it or not, in seven years of dating I had never been to Emily’s hometown. Whenever I brought it up, she always found excuses to put it off. So this time I simply didn’t tell her I was coming. After getting off the bus, I trudged through the snowy village with my luggage, taking one careful step after another. Just as I reached the village entrance, I saw two older women in headscarves sitting on a doorstep chatting. “Can you believe the daughter from the Jiang family still hasn’t married that Sun boy, even though their kid is so big now?” “Tsk, don’t you know? Emily has a husband in the city. I heard he’s quite well-off. The Sun and Jiang families have bad blood, so even with a child the Jiangs won’t let their daughter marry into the Sun family.” “But I heard the Suns have come into money recently. The two families might reconcile for the sake of the child.” Emily? When those two words entered my ears, they set off a storm in my heart. Could they be talking about my wife Emily? By the time I came to my senses, icy snowflakes had already frozen on my eyelashes and eyebrows. I moved my stiff hands and feet, continuing towards the Jiang family home according to the address. I had never visited in all these years, but I often bought gifts for Emily’s parents. Actually, Emily’s parents had always looked down on me. They thought their daughter was beautiful and accomplished, deserving of someone better. Why did it have to be me? Emily even threatened to cut ties with them to marry me, kneeling in the rain for a whole day before they finally agreed. Because of this, I was even more devoted to Emily. Thinking back on it now, I shook my head. Yes, Emily loved me so much – how could she possibly do anything to betray me?

When I arrived at the Jiang family’s door, I could hear lively conversation inside. I was holding gifts and about to push open the gate when someone came out. It was Emily and a little boy, followed by a man. I looked closer – it was Nathan, Emily’s “good friend.” For a moment I froze in place. What was he doing here on New Year’s Eve? The sun was setting, and they hadn’t noticed me standing outside. I was debating whether to go in when Emily suddenly spoke. “Nathan, our son says he wants to build a snowman. Why don’t you play with him for a bit?” Emily’s words stopped me in my tracks. Son? I stared unblinkingly at the three of them standing close together. Only then did I realize the little boy looked eerily familiar – it was the child Nathan had posted photos with on social media. Why was Emily calling him son? Before I could react, Nathan suddenly stepped forward and pulled Emily into his arms. “What’s the rush? Won’t we have plenty of chances to play with him in the future?” “Emily, I can finally stand by your side openly now. I’m willing to wait for you to get divorced and come back to me. Our family of three can be reunited soon.” The little boy jumped up and down happily beside them, shouting loudly: “Daddy and Mommy are hugging, how embarrassing!” Hearing the child’s words, Emily blushed slightly and leaned gently against Nathan’s chest, her face full of tenderness. “Nathan, I’ve missed you too. If it weren’t for my parents’ opposition back then, how could I have separated from you?” “Even our son – I can only come back occasionally to see him. I feel so guilty.” Emily sighed. “Back then you gave me money for college, but I ended up marrying Jack. Nathan, I’ll make up for all the time I’ve wasted in the future.” Emily’s voice was as gentle as ever, and her words were clear and articulate. But why couldn’t I understand when they were put together? It felt like someone had taken a knife and carved open my chest. The pain made it hard to breathe. I realized that my eager journey to surprise Emily had turned me into a fool in an instant. I don’t remember how I left that night. I only recall that the fireworks were bright, and the journey back was very cold. I checked into a random hotel in town and started to process everything that had happened that day. I knew Nathan. The first time I learned about him was from Emily’s phone. That time she told me she was going to a high school reunion, and Nathan would be there. She even openly told me about him and had us add each other as contacts. It was precisely because of Emily’s frank attitude that I never suspected anything. But now that I think about it, what great acting. I opened Nathan’s social media and saw he had posted many photos with the child, occasionally showing glimpses of the mother’s clothing or shadow. The most recent post was of their family reunion dinner that night. Nathan said he had finally gained his mother-in-law’s approval. After learning about his relationship with Emily, looking at these photos made me feel increasingly ridiculous. Here was a family of three secretly flaunting their happiness, while I stupidly wished them well like an idiot. The instant noodles in my bowl had congealed into a lump. I took two big bites and found them unpalatable. In college, to buy gifts for Emily, I had lived frugally. Even instant noodles seemed like a luxury then. On the rare occasions I ate them, they tasted amazing. But now, taking another bite, they were just salty and disgusting. The next day, I woke up early. My mind was in chaos. I didn’t know whether to leave or confront Emily directly. Actually, even now I didn’t know what I was still hoping for. I had witnessed Emily and Nathan’s intimate scene with my own eyes, but I still clung to one last shred of delusion.

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Every time Alexander cheated on me, he would transfer $500,000 to my account. After three years of dating, I had already achieved several of my financial goals. This time, he transferred $1 million to me. I accepted the money and immediately packed my bags to leave. By the time he found me, I had already become a teacher. Alexander looked at me with disdain, “Stop fooling around. What could you possibly teach them?” I casually made up an answer, “Of course, I’ll use my personal experience to teach girls how to find rich, generous husbands who are rarely home!” He completely lost it, his eyes turning red as he questioned me, “Lily, am I just a teaching tool to you?” “Of course not!” I replied. Before he could feel relieved, I added, “At best, you’re a failed case study, because you always come home…” After being with Alexander for three years, I had achieved several of my financial goals. I successfully transformed from a poor college student to a young wealthy woman. It wasn’t because he loved me so much. It was because every time he cheated, he would transfer $500,000 to me. One can’t reject money just for the sake of dignity, right? So I diligently played the role of a love-struck girlfriend by his side. Many people in our social circle laughed at me. They thought that even if I caught Alexander in bed with another woman, I would turn a blind eye and continue to stay with him. I wholeheartedly agreed. If they knew that the price of being the most cheated-on person was getting several million dollars, they would surely think I was lucky. Compared to all that money, being cheated on was just water under the bridge. However, this time was different. I received $1 million at once. I was a bit conflicted. Unlike most cheating men, Alexander came to see me very frequently. He also had high demands. Although we always used protection and had regular check-ups, I still couldn’t help but worry. Deep down, I found him somewhat disgusting. A man shared by so many women – I couldn’t bear to think how dirty he might be. Looking at the transfer notification on my phone, I was torn. On one side was a job with an astronomical salary but the constant risk of disease; on the other was a free life without any more payouts. My eyelid twitched suddenly. I seemed to see a future version of myself, infected with a dirty disease, my body oozing with pus. One can’t risk their life just for money, right? Besides, I was already a young wealthy woman with millions in my account. I could easily do what Alexander did – keep a few young lovers, turn the tables, and be the boss myself. As for work, I’d figure something out! My life was more important. So I decided – I would leave him! I had made up my mind to leave, but I couldn’t depart just yet. First, I hadn’t received my diploma yet. Second, I planned to sell the jewelry and bags Alexander had given me. Each gift was compensation for emotional damage. If I couldn’t take them with me, I would be truly restless. The gifts filled an entire display cabinet, and I didn’t know where to start. While I was lost in thought, Jessica sent me a video clip. She had been secretly in love with Alexander for years but never expected me to snatch him away. So she had always disliked me. The video was dimly lit, clearly taken in a private room. Alexander sat in the middle of a group, with a girl in a white dress next to him. Her features were very similar to mine. However, her eyebrows and eyes were gentle, with downturned corners, making her look lovable. My eyes, on the other hand, were slightly upturned at the corners, sharp and aloof. They were playing a game, and the bottle on the table pointed at the girl next to Alexander. The punishment was to kiss someone of the opposite sex at the table. Everyone started teasing them. The girl giggled and hid in Alexander’s arms. “Sophia is shy, don’t force her,” he said, clearly protective. “Come on, Alex, don’t be a spoilsport,” someone said. The next second, Alexander cupped the girl’s face and gently kissed her. The video ended there. Jessica sent another message. [Lily, Sophia is Alexander’s true love. You can’t compete with her. You should break up with Alexander while you can.] After a while, she awkwardly added. [I’m not warning you out of kindness. It’s just that I despise Sophia more than I dislike you.] I couldn’t help but be curious, [Who exactly is this Sophia?]

She quickly replied with a long message. It seemed she had prepared this information, just waiting for me to ask. After skimming through it, I found that these two had a romantic entanglement worthy of a prime-time soap opera. Sophia, originally named Sophie, was the daughter of the Zhou family’s housekeeper. She was the same age as Alexander and grew up with him. You could say they were childhood sweethearts. On Alexander’s 18th birthday, Sophia offered herself as a gift to him. When Alexander’s parents found out, they were furious. They immediately fired the housekeeper and gave Sophia’s family a large sum of money to send her abroad. Before leaving, Sophia secretly went to the police station to change her name. She left a letter for Alexander and then disappeared without a trace. [The old Sophie is dead. From now on, there’s only Sophia, living with your name.] Alexander was depressed for quite a while after this, until he saw my face, which was 80% similar to Sophia’s. The little flame in his heart reignited. Sophia. I silently mouthed this name. Alexander had indeed protected her well. In all the years we had been together, I had never heard this name. The only clue was Alexander’s username on SnapChat. “Starting anew” When we first got together, I once asked Alexander why all his usernames were this. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze falling into space as if reminiscing about something. After a while, he finally spoke. “Starting anew, naturally hoping that the stories in life will be better than my expectations.” At that time, I didn’t catch the deeper meaning in his words. I just thought that Alexander, who seemed to care about nothing, actually had such delicate thoughts. Now everything had a reasonable explanation. Sophia, Starting anew. All he wanted was for his story with Sophia to be better than he expected. One million dollars – only Sophia was worth him giving double the price. My chest tightened, and tears suddenly poured out. Actually, I had rarely cried for Alexander anymore. If I had to cry every time he cheated, I’m sure my tears would have dried up long ago. But this time was different. I had truly loved Alexander. But his feelings for me were just using me as a substitute for his true love. When I met Alexander, I was only 18 years old. I had come from a small town in the Midwest to study at the best university in New York City. After performing a dance at the freshman welcome party, I had just returned backstage when I received his friend request. He pursued me for half a year, and almost everyone knew about it. But my reputation wasn’t great. There were always people gossiping behind my back at school. “That Lily from the Literature Department, she thinks she’s so pretty that she can keep Alexander waiting.” “With the Zhou family’s status, how could Lily, a poor student from some small town, ever be good enough?” “If Alexander was pursuing me, I would have agreed long ago.” “Just watch, I bet you Lily is just playing hard to get. She’ll give in within a month.” Alexander helped me deal with these voices, publicly declaring his love online. [I’m the one shamelessly pursuing Lily, but I haven’t succeeded yet. Please don’t scare away my future girlfriend, everyone!] I was too young then and mistook him for a savior rescuing me from public opinion. I mistook gratitude for love and agreed to his pursuit. But I overlooked the fact that if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been caught in the whirlpool of public opinion in the first place.

It wasn’t until three years later, today, that I finally realized Alexander was just using me as a substitute. The passionate first love of my youth turned out to be nothing but an empty dream. I wallowed in melancholy for a while, but quickly snapped out of it when I saw my bank balance. That’s when I realized Alexander hadn’t come home tonight. In the past, he never stayed out overnight. Even if he played with other girls until dawn, he would always come back to sleep with me. I had always secretly complained that he was disturbing my beauty sleep. Today, not waiting for him made me even angrier. Damn Alexander, not coming back and not even giving me a heads up, making me wait for nothing. But thinking about it, it made sense. After all, Sophia was his true love. How could she be treated like other girls? I was glad to be free of the trouble and decided to go to sleep first. In my drowsy state, someone hugged my waist from behind. It was Alexander. “Honey, why didn’t you wait up for me tonight?” he complained, nuzzling my neck from behind. He was quite drunk and not entirely lucid. I pretended to turn over and pushed him to the floor. After a dull thud, Alexander passed out. I jumped out of bed and angrily kicked him twice. Not wanting to stay in the same space with him, I went back to the living room sofa. His phone was on the table, and a message notification popped up, like Pandora’s box calling to me. I couldn’t resist opening it. It was from Sophia. [Alex, I’m home! Thank you for sending me back.] There was only one page of chat history, a message Alexander had sent not long ago. [Sophia, don’t listen to their nonsense. Lily can’t compare to you at all.] [I’m just playing around with her. You’re the one I truly love!] Perhaps Alexander’s friends had joked about how Lily and Sophia looked similar, upsetting her. I laughed bitterly at myself. Alexander, is disparaging me your way of showing Sophia how much you care? When Alexander sobered up, he returned to his cold demeanor. He showed no intention of explaining the million-dollar transfer. Looking at his calm and indifferent face, I felt utterly deflated. After careful consideration, I still asked, “Why was it a million dollars this time?” Perhaps he would tell me the truth. “I thought about how you’ve been with me for so long. If not for your contributions, at least for your efforts.” His tone was casual, as if he was just appeasing a pet throwing a tantrum. I lost my patience and laid it all out, “It’s because of Sophia, isn’t it?” He finally looked up at me, “How do you know about her?” “Never mind that. Since your true love is back, let’s just break up. We can part on good terms.” “Don’t be ridiculous, Lily. Sophia and I are just friends.” “Friends? What kind of friends kiss each other?” He stared at me for a few seconds, then chuckled, “So you’re jealous.” “I kissed Sophia last night to help her out of an awkward situation. Don’t overthink it.” I was utterly speechless, “Don’t be so full of yourself. I said I want to break up, do you understand?” Something about this statement seemed to anger Alexander. He suddenly stood up, “Lily, stop acting up!” “Everything you eat, wear, use, and live in now – which of it isn’t bought with my money?” “Even if we were to break up, it’s not your place to bring it up!”

I was stunned. So this was how he defined our relationship. Alexander also realized he had said something wrong. He walked over and ruffled my hair, “Come on, don’t be upset. I was wrong earlier.” After saying this, he ignored my emotions, put on his coat, and left. I sat dumbfounded on the sofa, completely unable to understand his thinking. He clearly had someone he loved, yet he still came to pursue me. When I fell for him, he kept other women outside. Now that his true love had returned, and I voluntarily stepped aside, he was still dissatisfied. He didn’t love me, but he wouldn’t let me go either. I thought for a long time but still couldn’t understand Alexander’s logic. I could only conclude that he was “cheap”. Eating from his bowl while eyeing the pot, and still wanting to take away the leftovers. He might be cheap, but I was definitely going to break up. After the unpleasant parting with Alexander, he didn’t contact me for a week. Not having to serve my sugar daddy, I had plenty of time on my hands. I packed up everything in the house and sent it to a second-hand luxury store, not even sparing the vases and ornaments. They gave me a very satisfying figure. Looking at the increased numbers in my bank account, my resentment towards Alexander vanished into thin air. Who could be dissatisfied with a god of wealth? To successfully run away with the money, I decided to mislead Alexander a bit. I turned and posted a heavily edited selfie on social media. I deliberately deepened the shadows under my eyes, making me look 90% similar to Sophia. Caption: [I don’t need a lot of money, I just want a lot of love.] This move pleased Alexander, and he messaged saying he would come home tonight. The worker who had been on a week-long break returned to her job, feeling slightly uncomfortable. When Alexander entered the door, he was shocked by the scene before him, “Was the house robbed?” In the huge mansion, only a few pieces of large furniture remained, everything else had been cleaned out. I walked up to him and skillfully took off his suit jacket, “No, I just felt annoyed looking at everything, so I had Old Wang take it all to sell.” “Then go pick out some new things in a few days, use my card.” I hooked my arms around Alexander’s neck, “Have a drink with me?” He was about to agree when his phone suddenly rang. One glance, and he hurriedly answered. I caught a glimpse of the contact name on the screen, “Sophia” “Lily, there’s a problem at the company, I need to go deal with it.” I held him back, “Alexander, can’t you stay?” “Don’t be difficult, this project is really important.” I didn’t insist. I let go of his hand and stared at him for a long time, “Go then, be safe on the road.” I had my own agenda. After all, he was someone I had loved deeply in my youth. I wanted to say a proper goodbye at the end of our story. But when it came down to a choice, I became the option he gave up. Looking around this house I had lived in for three years one last time, I finally felt no attachment. I got on a plane leaving New York City directly. As soon as I got off the plane, I saw my dad waiting at the arrival gate. His hair had turned completely gray, his eyes searching anxiously for me. I ran over and stood in front of this small, tanned old man. “It’s good you’re back, it’s good you’re back. Are you leaving again this time?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296054”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #校园School #重生Reborn