Category: English

For years, Macbeth Watkins and I had been entangled in a clandestine love affair. Since he was my so-called uncle, we had kept our relationship a closely guarded secret. At the engagement party with my childhood friend, I was struck by the news that he was planning to marry his ex-girlfriend, Sabina Stevens. Disregarding the stares of the crowd, I hurried to his house in a frenzy. Though I didn’t find him there, I inadvertently overheard a revealing conversation between two maids. “Macbeth is really doting on Sabina now, even more than he did with Lainey Stone.” “You bet. Back then, it was Lainey’s father who broke them up.” “He’s been secretly with Lainey all this time, maybe just to get back at her dad…” I stood there, thunderstruck, unable to process what I had just overheard. Before I could even begin to make sense of it all, Macbeth walked in with a woman by his side, Sabina. It was my first time seeing her in person, though her name was far from unfamiliar to me. I knew she was Macbeth’s ex-girlfriend, but I never imagined their breakup had been orchestrated by my father. The revelation hit me like a tidal wave, leaving me breathless and disoriented. He noticed me standing there, frozen, and his expression turned icy. He pulled Sabina closer and introduced her to me, his voice cool and detached. He said, “Lainey, this is Sabina, my fiancée. We’re gonna marry soon.” I was utterly devastated, my voice trembling with disbelief as I managed to ask, “Macbeth, what am I supposed to…?” He cut me off before I could finish, his eyes cold and distant, a stark contrast to the man I thought I knew. He exclaimed, “Enough. Today, we’re welcoming the future lady of the house. Sabina and I just want to enjoy the moment without any distractions. Unless you’ve got something important to discuss, you should leave for now.” Before I could even process what was happening, Sabina gently took my hand, her smile warm and unassuming, and uttered, “Come on, Macbeth. She didn’t mean any harm. Don’t be so hard on her. So you’re Macbeth’s niece, right? I’m going to be part of this family now. Looking forward to getting to know you.” Her tone was gentle, but the look in her eyes was sharp enough to devour me whole. Ignoring the venom in her gaze, I turned stiffly, ready to make my exit. But before I could take a step, she burst into tears and threw herself into Macbeth’s arms, her sobs echoing dramatically through the room. Then she said, “Macbeth, does your family not like me? Maybe… maybe I should just leave.” He pulled her closer, his voice softening with concern. He then turned to me, his tone firm but laced with an unspoken plea, and yelled, “Lainey, are you deaf or something? Sabina said hi. How about showing some respect and at least saying hello? What’s wrong with you?” It was the first time he had ever raised his voice at me since I moved into his villa. Back then, he promised he would always protect me, and he truly did. Throughout all those years of love at first sight and being together, he treated me with nothing but tenderness. He never let me suffer the slightest grievance, let alone dared to scold me. He spoiled me so much that even I began to believe he would always treat me this way. But today, for Sabina, he broke that promise. His furious voice echoed through the entire villa. I bit back my tears, stubbornly meeting his gaze, refusing to say a word. Then, with a sharp crack, a harsh slap landed across my face. The maids standing nearby shot indignant glances, their eyes filled with silent outrage. Having been in the Watkins family for so long, I had developed a bond with them that went beyond mere employer and servant. They knew all about the relationship between Macbeth and me, and now, they couldn’t bear to see him side with an outsider to hurt me like this. Sabina, noticing the disapproving glances from those around her, let out a soft, pitiful sob. Her voice quivered as she spoke, “Macbeth, just drop it. Don’t break everyone’s heart just for me.” In the end, he didn’t dare to push me too far. Instead, he immediately turned his anger toward the maids, venting his frustration on them. He shouted, “Lainey lacking manners is one thing, but what’s with your attitudes? Who taught you to act like this? Guards, hit them. Maybe that’ll teach them to remember their place.” The bodyguards behind him immediately sprang into action, their batons raised high before coming down hard on the maids. The agonized screams that followed echoed through every corner of the villa, a harrowing scene that was almost too much to bear. “That’s enough.” Unable to bear seeing them suffer because of me, I pleaded with a trembling voice, my words choked with desperation. I carried on, “Sabina, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. Please, just let them go. I’m begging you.” I knelt on the ground, pleading desperately, my appearance a complete mess. For a brief moment, a flicker of pain crossed Macbeth’s eyes, but in the end, he raised his hand, signaling the bodyguards to stop. He surveyed the chaos in the house, his gaze cold and commanding as he looked down at everyone, and exclaimed, “You all better remember today’s lesson. From now on, Sabina is the lady of this house. If anyone disrespects her, this is what’s gonna happen.”

The maids were punished; some were injured, and others were bruised. I tended to their wounds, my hands trembling as I applied the medicine, afraid to press too hard. One of the maids noticed the red mark on my face. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she whispered, “Honestly, it’s just crazy how Macbeth used to dote on you. How could he just change like that overnight? And now, for that Sabina, he not only went off on us but even laid a hand on you. Guess he really can’t get over her, huh?” Hearing this, tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. He was utterly consumed by his love for Sabina, unable to let her go all these years, and now he was even marrying her. So why did he bother coming into my life in the first place? Macbeth and I weren’t related by blood. He was my father’s most trusted friend, my uncle by title. A man of principle and tradition, yet I fell for him the moment I laid eyes on him. When I threw caution to the wind and confessed my feelings, I was prepared for his stern rejection, for him to cut me off entirely. Instead, he took my hand, his eyes filled with tenderness, and promised to take care of me for a lifetime. I moved into his villa, and to outsiders, it simply seemed like a close family relationship. He claimed he didn’t care about gossip or what others thought. He asked me to give him a little more time. And then he would declare his love for me to the world. I believed him. But what I waited for wasn’t his declaration but his betrayal. Numbly, I got to my feet and stepped out of the room. Downstairs, Macbeth was celebrating with Sabina, as if the earlier events had never happened, as if nothing had changed. My heart turned to ash. With trembling hands, I dialed my father’s number. Through the phone, I murmured, “Dad, I know I messed up. Is the engagement with the Hayes family still on the table?” With a sigh, he said, “Lainey, I admit I was wrong to arrange the engagement with Cairbre Hayes behind your back. But I’ve known that kid since he was little. I know him inside and out. I’d never steer you wrong. Even after you walked out on him in front of everyone, he didn’t bat an eye. He said he’d wait for you to come back.” I froze for a moment, caught off guard. On the other end of the line, my father talked again, his voice earnest and pleading, trying to reason with me. He uttered, “Anyway, I’m just glad you’ve come around. This time, don’t you dare run off again. I promise you this. No more secrets, not even about the wedding date. We’re gonna do this right, give you the wedding you deserve, and make sure no one looks down on you.” A wave of warmth washed over me, and I agreed without hesitation. As I glanced around the house one last time, I finally made up my mind that it was time to leave. Early the next morning, the clamor of construction work buzzed through the house, grating on my nerves. Frowning, I made my way downstairs and found Macbeth directing workers, and overseeing the renovations. Sabina caught sight of me, a smug grin spreading across her face as she spoke, “Oh, I hope we didn’t disturb your sleep. Blame Macbeth. He insisted on redoing the whole place just the way I liked it. Pretty much everything’s been remodeled. Hope you don’t mind.” Well, none of this mattered to me anymore. Then, in a calm and steady voice, I said, “No big deal, as long as you’re happy with it.” Sabina’s expression froze, her mouth opening as if to say something. But before she could, Macbeth stepped in. He took her hand in his, his presence cutting through the tension, and drawled, “Let the workers handle the renovations. This afternoon, I’ll take you to try on your wedding dress.” Overcome with excitement, Sabina pressed a lingering kiss to his lips. I watched them, lost in their own world, and felt a bitter smile tug at the corners of my mouth. Without a word, I turned and headed back upstairs to finish packing. Not long after, Macbeth pushed open the door to my room, following close behind. “You mad?” The moment he noticed me packing my things, his face darkened with alarm as he asked, “Look, I know this is sudden, but I’m marrying Sabina, and whatever was between us is over. But you’ll always be my niece. Lainey, just stay here in this house. I’ll treat you the same as I always have.” A bitter laugh escaped me as I stared at him in disbelief, and then I scoffed, “How can you even say that with a straight face? You’ve got no shame. I’ve got my own home, and I’m leaving. For good.”

Seeing how coldly I responded, he suddenly broke into a smirk and sneered, “Lainey, you can’t live without me. The fact that you ran away from your engagement proves you still love me. But Sabina, she’s different. I can’t live without her.” As soon as he finished speaking, Sabina’s voice called out from outside, and he hurried off without another word. I took a deep breath and quietly continued packing my things. When I arrived home, my father’s face lit up with relief and joy as he chirped, “I get that you two are close, but Macbeth’s about to get married. It’s not really appropriate for you to keep staying there.” Though my mind was filled with questions, especially about how my father had driven Macbeth and Sabina apart, I simply nodded, promising I wouldn’t bother him again. In the days that followed, I threw myself into preparing for the upcoming wedding. When my father handed me the freshly printed invitations, he said, “Since you’re close, why don’t you deliver his invitation yourself?” My face fell. I wanted to refuse, but I couldn’t risk my father suspecting anything about our relationship, so I agreed. When I returned to Macbeth’s villa, I noticed the maids had all been replaced. The renovations were nearly finished, and everything felt unfamiliar, almost unrecognizable. Every corner of the house seemed foreign now. Ignoring the unease settling in my chest, I stepped into the living room, only to freeze in my tracks. There, on the couch, Macbeth and Sabina were lost in a passionate kiss, completely oblivious to my presence. I was about to drop the invitation and leave when Sabina caught sight of me. She shrieked, “Ah!” Her face flushed crimson as she buried herself in Macbeth’s arms. He, on the other hand, looked frustrated, his expression tinged with guilt and discomfort when his eyes met mine. He scoffed, “So you finally decided to come back, huh? Now that you’ve had your fun these past few days, try not to run off again. Just behave yourself, alright? After all, Sabina wants you at the wedding to see how happy we are.” I pushed down the unease in my chest, not in the mood to argue, and simply handed him the invitation, saying, “My dad told me to give this to you…” But he left it hanging, refusing to accept it. “What is it?” “A wedding invitation.” “Whose?” “Mine.” His head snapped up, and our eyes locked. The icy detachment in my stare seemed to hit him like a sharp jab. For a moment, he hesitated, then slowly reached out and took the invitation. After a brief look, he let out a quiet laugh and said, “Lainey, stop messing around. I’ll explain everything about Sabina and me later. But you don’t have to fake a wedding invitation just to get under my skin.” I dodged his hand, unsure of what he was getting at. Sabina’s eyes landed on the invitation, and her expression shifted to one of stunned disbelief as she spoke, “Lainey, so your wedding is on the 8th too?” It all clicked in an instant. So, our wedding was on the same day. No wonder he thought the invitation was fake. He probably assumed it was just some petty trick of mine, born out of jealousy. But there was no point in explaining further. I turned to leave, only for Macbeth to step in and block my way. He exclaimed, “Sabina mentioned that you girls probably have a lot in common. She’s been having trouble finding the right wedding dress and was hoping you could help her pick one out.” I couldn’t help but laugh, already forming a biting retort in my mind. However, Sabina abruptly lunged at me, her voice ringing out in alarm as she spoke, “Watch out.” The chandelier, freshly installed, came crashing down from above, right where I had been standing. She shoved me out of the way, taking the brunt of the impact, and collapsed, unconscious. But the floor, cluttered with sharp tools and nails from the renovation, became a minefield. My legs were impaled, the pain so intense that I let out a blood-curdling scream. Macbeth snapped into action, but his first instinct was to scoop up Sabina, who lay motionless. I was trapped, my legs immobilized, every inch of my body screaming in agony. As I watched him carry her away, panic surged through me. Driven by sheer survival instinct, I screamed at the top of my lungs, “Macbeth, help me, please.”

He paused, his gaze locking onto the blood soaking the ground around me. His face hardened, a serious, almost pained look replacing his usual calm, and he said, “I’ve already called 911. I don’t know how bad your injuries are, so I can’t risk moving you. Just hang in there. The paramedics will be here soon, and they’ll take care of you. Sabina’s unconscious. I have to get her to the hospital now.” I watched his retreating figure, tears streaming down my face as the pain consumed me. My vision blurred, fading into darkness until I finally passed out, overwhelmed by despair. Even as I woke up in the hospital, that same suffocating feeling clung to me, refusing to let go. I slowly opened my eyes, my body numb and heavy, as if disconnected from myself. In a daze, I could faintly hear Macbeth speaking with the doctors, their voices distant and muffled. “Kirsten Chapman is a bit of an eccentric, but he’s incredibly talented and one of the best in his field. This year, he chose our hospital for his only clinical surgery.” “Mr. Watkins, to be honest, if you weren’t the largest shareholder here, we wouldn’t have even considered giving this opportunity to you.” “This is a one-time chance. I think it should go to Lainey, given how severe her injuries are. Sabina’s brain damage is serious, but with long-term rest and proper treatment, she can stabilize over time.” “Lainey’s fall injuries are treatable, but her legs are full of sharp tools and nails. If she doesn’t get this surgery soon, the damage could become permanent, and she might never walk again.” The thought of never being able to stand again jolted me awake, panic surging through me. I mustered every ounce of strength to push myself up, only to collapse back onto the bed, weak and trembling. The noise caught Macbeth’s attention. He stood in front of me, his expression a mix of guilt and heartache. Tears streaming down my face. With my voice breaking with desperation, I begged, “Macbeth, I can’t lose my legs. You know what that would mean for me.” Before I got together with him, dance was my greatest passion. But my father, Tedros Stone, wanted me to take over his dull, monotonous business. He even sent Macbeth, someone I was close to, to convince me to give up the art I’d spent years mastering. “Lainey, can’t you just dance at home?” He whispered, “I’ll be your only audience.” I reluctantly agreed, stepping away from the stage for good, though a part of me always carried that regret. Now, struggling to sit up, I clutched at his sleeve, desperation in my grip. Just as he was about to make his decision, the doctor suddenly called out, “It seems like there’s something wrong with Sabina. I need to go check on her.” At those words, Macbeth sharply pulled back, his voice icy and unfeeling as he spoke, “I’m sorry, Lainey. But her condition has to be my top priority right now.” The flicker of hope in my eyes died out completely. I could feel just how severe my condition was. Every ache and numbness screamed the truth. If the doctor had said only Kirsten’s surgery could save me, then I would have believed it. After all, his clinical procedures were legendary, something even the wealthiest and most powerful couldn’t easily secure. Years ago, my father might have been able to pull strings, even if it meant spending everything we had. But now? It was really difficult. Macbeth had been given this rare opportunity, and he chose to save Sabina instead. With that, he shattered any last hope I had left. I lay in the hospital bed, my eyes empty, like a hollow shell of a person, devoid of feeling. Out of guilt, Macbeth stayed by my side, tending to me. My father called, his voice filled with concern and urgency as he asked, “Lainey, Macbeth told me you got hurt. What happened? Cairbre heard the news too. He was in Sparkletown picking out your wedding dress, but now he’s rushing back. Your wedding’s in a week. Let’s not have any more surprises, okay?” Before I could react, Macbeth’s hand clamped down on my wrist. He stood there, his expression stormy, and snapped, “What wedding?” I ended the call without a fuss, pulled my hand free, and replied, “Nothing important. I was just letting my dad know I’m okay, and we ended up talking about your wedding.”

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I offered to exchange my life for Gabriel Foster’s mother with the kidnappers. But they went back on their word and killed her on the spot. My own sister, Chloe Collins, reported me as the mastermind behind it all. As a result, I was sentenced to five years in prison. My parents, both politicians, felt I had disgraced the family name by going to jail and disowned me. Gabriel Foster, however, treated me the same as always, telling me with deep emotion: “Aria, I believe in you.” Until I overheard his conversation with his friends outside a private room. “Gabe, when are you planning to avenge your mom? Isn’t it time that bitch Aria gets what she deserves?” “In seven days, I’ll release the video of her moaning beneath me to the public. I want everyone in the city to see just how slutty Aria Collins really is! I’ll make sure she’s run out of town for good!” My blood ran cold. Seven days later was supposed to be our wedding day. Those intimate videos taken in moments of passion would become his final blade to stab me with. Gabriel Foster, I won’t give you the chance. Before then, I’ll get those videos back and disappear from your world forever!

I returned home with a heavy heart, only to find my front door plastered with pornographic cards. The woman in the cards was me, with my face swapped using AI. I trembled in fear, my whole body shaking uncontrollably. Then, I frantically tore down those cards with all my might. But I didn’t know that those maliciously face-swapped pornographic images had already spread far and wide. My sister Chloe, who had righteously turned me in before, called. “Sis, how do you like those little cards? Gabriel specifically told me to find a sexy model, one that matches your reputation.” “Don’t you think so? You mastermind!” I should have guessed long ago who was really behind all this. So, in seven days, those videos secretly recorded by Gabriel were going to be spread to the world in this way? Gabriel Foster, I didn’t realize you hated me this much. Too heartbroken to grieve, I frantically searched for Gabriel’s laptop. Those videos must be stored there. Unfortunately, the computer was password-protected. I tried all his usual passwords but couldn’t unlock it. I finally gave up. I opened my phone and booked a flight to Melbourne for seven days later. A few minutes later, customer service called. “Hello Miss Collins, the flight seven days from now at noon may be delayed due to heavy fog. Would you like to change your flight?” “Yes, please change it to an earlier flight.” Gabriel Foster, who had just walked in, happened to hear this and anxiously asked: “We’re getting married in seven days. Where are you going?” “I’m just booking a flight for a friend. Where else would I go?” “That’s good. Aria, I’ve been busy preparing for our wedding these past few days and may have neglected you. After we’re married, I’ll make it up to you in every way.” Looking into those seemingly sincere eyes, I couldn’t tell how much of Gabriel’s words were true and how much were false. Composing myself, I nodded casually. Then Gabriel slipped his hand inside my shirt, his lips teasing my ear. He knew exactly where my sensitive spots were. But the desire he aroused in me only made me feel more ashamed. Trying to suppress my emotions, I pushed him away forcefully. “Gabriel, I’m not feeling well today. Another time.” Gabriel froze for half a second, then gently let me go.

Early the next morning, Gabriel and I went to the bridal shop we had booked long ago to try on wedding dresses. As soon as we walked in, I saw the mocking looks from the staff. Someone whispered: “That woman looks just like the one on those cards outside the neighborhood yesterday.” “I heard the man next to her is Gabriel Foster, that famous businessman in the city.” “This Mr. Foster must be so blind to be fooled by such a gold digger. Looks like he has no idea.” I stood there speechless. The next second, Gabriel waved over his assistant. “Fire all those gossiping women. Also, look into what’s going on with those cards, who did it, and chop off their hands!” I looked at Gabriel in confusion. For a moment, I even thought this might not have been his doing after all. After quickly trying on the wedding dress, Gabriel said he had some business to take care of and let me go back first. In the car, I realized I had forgotten my keys at the bridal shop. Hurrying back, I saw Chloe standing next to Gabriel. She was wearing the wedding dress I had just ordered. She smiled innocently. “Gabriel, do you think this dress looks better on me or Aria?” “Of course on you. That mastermind bitch isn’t even fit to be your maid!” Chloe’s smile deepened. “Were you satisfied with those cards yesterday? Gabriel, now we just have to wait for our wedding in seven days. Once you release all those videos at the ceremony, Aria will truly be ruined for good.” So, in seven days it would be their wedding? And I was just a condiment in all of this? This was all Gabriel Foster’s idea. He wanted to utterly destroy me. How could a person be so patient, nurturing love for three years, all for an elaborate scheme to frame me. My heart felt like it had been ripped out, the pain unbearable. Whenever I was sad, I would always go to the little courtyard my grandmother left me to clear my head. This time, I went there without hesitation. But as I approached, I saw the yard full of construction workers and the house being torn down. My tears finally fell uncontrollably. I cried and asked them: “Who are you? Why are you tearing down my grandmother’s house?” They didn’t answer, continuing to chop down the cherry tree my grandmother had planted especially for me. I couldn’t help but hug the cherry tree. “Don’t cut it down! Who are you people?” “Miss, don’t obstruct our work. The owner hired us to demolish this place, said he’s building a new house for his wife. That cherry tree you’re hugging is going to be made into furniture for the lady.” “Who told you to come?” “We don’t know the details, just that the surname is Foster.” Foster? Was it Gabriel Foster again? A few years ago, my dad had given him this courtyard as a birthday gift. Gabriel knew this was the only thing my grandmother left behind. He had promised me he would protect this house with his life. But he broke his promise after all. He personally destroyed everything, truly going all out to please Chloe. When Gabriel came looking for me, I was curled up in a corner crying. He stroked my head tenderly. “I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you. This old house is too run-down and no longer meets city standards for old buildings. It has to be demolished and rebuilt.” I knew these were all his excuses. Years ago, Chloe had wanted to tear down the house and rebuild it. Back then, I fought tooth and nail to stop her from getting her way. I never expected Gabriel would secretly make the decision for her. But it doesn’t matter. I’m leaving soon anyway. With the house gone, my last attachment is severed. From now on, there will be nothing left here to tie me down.

Perhaps out of guilt, Gabriel suddenly became much more attentive after that day. He came home on time every day to make soup for me and bought me limited edition handbags. If it weren’t for the secret hidden in that laptop, I would have almost believed he had truly fallen for me. Seeing me staring blankly at the laptop, Gabriel waved his hand in front of my eyes. “What’s wrong? Do you have something on your mind?” “No, I’m just a bit tired.” I shook my head, making up a random excuse. “Are you nervous about getting married soon? I’ll take you out tomorrow to relax.” The next day, when we arrived at our destination, I realized Chloe had come too. I glanced at Gabriel. His eyes darted away, then he quickly gripped my hand tightly. “I didn’t know she was coming. James must have brought her.” James came over smiling to greet us. “I brought Chloe. Surely you won’t mind, sis? After all, you’re sisters. It’s only right for a sister to attend her sister’s bachelorette party.” Chloe nodded with a smile. “That’s right, sis. We’ll always be sisters. As your little sister, I truly wish you happiness.” I didn’t know what game they were playing today, but my instincts told me things weren’t as simple as they seemed. After the party started, those guys pulled Gabriel outside. I saw them discussing something, with Gabriel looking very reluctant. But in the end, he seemed to nod. Then they all left the room. Only Chloe and I were left in the room. With everyone gone, Chloe finally showed her true colors. She looked at me mockingly, her smile becoming grotesque. “Aria, Gabriel has prepared a big surprise for you later. I hope you enjoy it.” With that, she left too. The empty private room held only me. A sense of foreboding suddenly arose in my heart. Soon after, several drunk men barged into the room. The bearded drunk in the lead said: “That bitch wasn’t lying. The lady in here really is a beauty. Come on boys, let’s show her a good time.” Seeing these drunks, I finally understood. Gabriel’s reluctant expression earlier was because of this. He may have hesitated. But he still nodded. He agreed to their proposal. Watching the drunk men lunge at me, I trembled in fear, crying out for help. “Help! Someone help me!” But the people outside had all been sent away by them. No one responded to my cries. I watched as they tore my clothes to shreds, my pale purple bra exposed. Just as that man was about to grab my chest, I steeled myself, ready to bite my tongue and end it all. But the next second, the door was kicked open. It was Gabriel who had returned. He stood across from me, like a deity descending from heaven. I looked at his bloodthirsty eyes, unable to understand the meaning behind his loss of control. In a flash, he flew at the drunk man in front of me and kicked him to the ground, then knocked down the other two drunks with his fists. He seemed to use great force. His knuckles were bleeding, impossible to tell if it was his blood or the drunks’. Then he took off his jacket and draped it over me. He gently kissed my hair. “I’m sorry I was late.” Then he glared fiercely at the drunks on the ground. “Chop off all their hands and feed them to the dogs!”

Everyone present was stunned. This was all his idea, so why was he now acting so devoted? Who was he putting on this show for? I was too exhausted to think about it. I wearily leaned against his chest, letting him carry me home. Back home, he carefully bathed me and changed my clothes. I just lay on the table, not saying a word. Gabriel worriedly stroked my head. “It’s okay now, Aria. Everything’s fine.” With red eyes, I asked him: “Gabriel, can you promise me one thing?” “Of course. Not just one, I’ll promise you ten things.” “Alright. I want to use your laptop later. I want to check if what happened earlier has been leaked online.” “It won’t be. Anyone who dares leak it, I’ll chop their hands off myself.” I lay on the table silently again. Gabriel finally told me his laptop password. I never expected the password to be the anniversary of when we started dating. That night, after he fell asleep, I secretly opened his computer. He must have forgotten to log out of WeChat. All the messages from his group chat with his buddies popped up. “Gabe, what do you mean? Didn’t we agree to let those drunks have their way with Aria? We had the cameras all set up, just one step away.” “Gabe, don’t go soft now. Our plan only has two days left. Don’t tell me you’re going to chicken out of releasing the videos.” “Yeah, Chloe’s waiting backstage. If you don’t release these videos, are you really going to abandon Chloe and marry Aria?” Below was Gabriel’s reply an hour later: “The original plan continues. I won’t back out.” Even though I was prepared, when I saw that “I won’t back out”, I felt like I had fallen into an icy abyss. Seeing the folder named “Aria’s Secrets”, I opened it with trembling hands. Sure enough, all the videos Gabriel had carefully recorded over the years were in there. Without hesitation, I right-clicked and pressed delete. Then I went to the recycle bin and permanently deleted the files I had just trashed. Watching the videos disappear, my heart finally calmed. Gabriel Foster, you no longer have anything to hold over me. The next morning, Gabriel specially made my favorite breakfast wraps. He gently kissed my forehead, as if I was his most precious treasure. “Aria, we can’t see each other the night before the wedding. I’ll be waiting for you at the ceremony tomorrow.” I smiled and nodded. After Gabriel left, I threw out everything in the house related to me. The wedding photos on the wall, the clay dolls we made together, all the gifts I had given Gabriel. I opened the trash can and tossed them all in without hesitation. On the wedding day, I took my suitcase and headed to the airport without looking back. Before boarding, I posted one last update on social media: “From now on, we go our separate ways. Gabriel Foster, farewell forever!” Then I took out the SIM card from my phone and casually tossed it in the trash… Meanwhile, Gabriel had been waiting at the wedding venue for a long time. Someone tapped him on the shoulder.

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I’ve been married to Lucas for three years, only to suddenly discover he has had a girlfriend for eight years. When I proposed divorce, he cried and told me he had a mission to complete. “Emma, we can’t divorce. I’ll die!” “If we’re not married for at least four years, I’ll die!” What mission? This is absurd! I sneered at him and filed for divorce anyway. Later, I really saw his obituary on social media. Today is our wedding anniversary. Lucas and I had agreed to have dinner at this restaurant. The waiter enthusiastically ushered me to the private room. Just as I was about to push the door open, I heard his sneering voice, “If it weren’t for completing the mission, would I have married her?” “A woman who’s been used by other men, would you want her if I gave her to you?” I don’t know who he was talking to on the phone. The speaker was on, and a teasing voice came from the other end, “I’ve been envying your wife’s figure and looks. If you don’t want her anymore, why not let us brothers have some fun?” He slowly blew out a smoke ring, and even more offensive words came out of his mouth, “She’s no better than any prostitute out there.” “Once you’ve tasted her, you’ll realize she’s nothing special.” He spoke carelessly, as if I were an object that could be discarded at will. The waiter had tactfully left long ago. I stood at the door, listening to his tone that didn’t sound like a joke, my eyes rimmed with red. I let go of the hand that was about to push the door, not even having the courage to confront him. In the end, I went home in a daze. Lucas had pursued me for three years. When he learned that William Shen was going to break up with me and get engaged to the real heiress Cindy Lin, he disregarded his boss’s scolding and resolutely broke his appointment with a client to hold an umbrella for me in the pouring rain. “If he doesn’t want you, I do!” “Emma, look back. I’ve always been here.” I was stunned by his sudden appearance, and the tears I had been holding back could no longer be controlled, falling along with the heavy rain. In the following days, he took care of me wholeheartedly, helping me get over the breakup. He would drive me around, and appear by my side immediately whenever I felt sad. To confess to me, he rented the largest electronic screen in the city center. Declaring his love for me to the whole world. He said, “Emma Lin is the best Emma Lin in the world. I, Lucas Lu, will have no one but you!” That day, in front of our friends, he said he would give me the happiest life. So, we got together under the witness of our friends. During our relationship, he kept his promise to me. His kindness to me made all our friends envious. In the fourth year of our relationship, he and his friends carefully planned a proposal for me. When he asked if I was willing to face the future together with him, my eyes welled up with tears. Without saying anything, I extended my hand. He was overjoyed, and I cried tears of happiness. We stood in the middle of the crowd, accepting everyone’s blessings. After marriage, his care for me became even more meticulous, from daily meals to hospital stays when I was sick. Even outsiders couldn’t find any fault. Let alone me. The moment I opened the front door, looking at the empty room, the sadness in my heart intensified. I dragged myself to the sofa, and my phone screen lit up at the right moment. “Baby, have you arrived?” “I ordered your favorite lobster.” I nestled tiredly on the sofa, recalling what Lucas had said in the restaurant. A woman who’s been used… no better than a prostitute… Every word stabbed my heart, almost drawing blood. Even though I heard it with my own ears, I couldn’t believe these words really came from his mouth. The person who was so good to me that he would give his life for me. I’d rather believe these were drunken ramblings. But they say drunk words are sober thoughts, and he was clearly so sober… My eyes unconsciously reddened again and again, tears falling like broken strings, seeping into the sofa and disappearing. I took a deep breath, wiped away my tears, no longer wanting to let this matter occupy my mind. I forced an ugly smile and replied to his message, “Baby, I think my period came. My stomach hurts so much. I’m already home now.” “I’m sorry, I should have told you earlier.” He quickly replied, “You don’t need to apologize. My baby’s health is the most important.” “Wait for me at home, I’ll be there soon. I’ll make you some ginger tea when I get back.” He was always so understanding. It only takes 20 minutes from the restaurant to home, but it was more than an hour later when he got home. He hurriedly pushed the door open, carrying my favorite seafood porridge. “Babe, I got held up a bit on the way, so I’m a little late.” “But I packed some seafood porridge for you.” He proudly placed the porridge in front of me and opened it, then handed me a tulip. I looked at the porridge and flower in front of me and smiled weakly. But my mind was in turmoil. He patted my head and turned to the kitchen, “You eat the porridge first, the ginger tea will be ready soon.” The moment he went in, his phone screen lit up. A notification from a food delivery app. It was a cake, delivered to an unfamiliar address, with a bouquet of flowers. The note said “Love you forever.” My mind exploded in that instant. I asked hoarsely, tentatively, “Lucas, did you buy cake and flowers for someone else?” He reflexively denied, “No, of course not.” The screen darkened, and my heart sank a few degrees. So all this wasn’t my misunderstanding? “I bought it for you, silly. I thought you couldn’t eat cake during your period, so I had the order sent to someone else.” He came out with the ginger tea, a gentle smile on his face, “If I really had it delivered here, could you resist eating it?” I stared at his face, trying to find any flaws. But there were none. He disguised it well.

I smiled sweetly, “I thought you had another woman outside.” His expression seemed to freeze for a moment, but before I could be sure, he returned to his gentle self, lightly tapping my head. “What are you thinking? How could I have another woman? You’re enough for me in this lifetime, Emma Lu.” With that, he kissed my forehead again and again. In the past, I would have believed him without a doubt. But today, I had heard him disparage me with my own ears. I remained calm, acting as usual, giggling as I pushed him away, “Go wash up, you stink!” After he left, I picked up his phone and opened the messaging app. This was the first time I had ever checked his phone. It was clean, nothing suspicious. But it was too clean. Finally, in his payment records, I found an unusual expenditure. Every month, he would transfer money to this account, for five years. Seeing the name on the account, I remembered a person I had seen earlier. Opening her profile, I quietly noted down the phone number displayed. By the time he came out, the phone was back in its original position on the table. He glanced at me, his expression inexplicably flustered, but quickly returned to normal, “Baby, did anyone message me?” He was wiping his hair, pretending to ask casually. I feigned ignorance, got up and looked at his phone, “No.” The next day, on what should have been a workday, I took a day off. After Lucas left for work, I dialed the number I had noted down last night, “Hello?” The other end responded, the voice gruff, a man. I suppressed my pounding heart and exhaled, thinking, thankfully it’s not her. But the next moment, his question plunged me into an icy abyss. “Are you here to rent an apartment?” I couldn’t control my trembling voice, and just managed an “Mm.” “You’re in luck, a tenant is just moving out. You can come take a look.” “Don’t worry, our security is very good. This tenant who’s moving out has lived here for five years!” He was enthusiastically promoting the place, and when I heard “five years,” everything seemed to fall into place. Why Lucas often worked overtime. Why he always smiled stupidly while looking at his phone. Why it took him an hour to get home yesterday when the restaurant was so close. It turned out that while I was being kept in the dark, while he was being good to me, he had another woman. And they had been in contact for five years. I took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions about to burst forth, “Can I come take a look later?” After he agreed, I hung up the phone. The tears that had been welling up in my eyes broke free, and I could no longer control myself from crying out loud. After a long while, I composed myself and called my best friend Sophie to go with me to the address the man had sent. Seeing my distress, Sophie asked what had happened. I told her everything about Lucas, and she angrily asked, “So what are you going to do?” I laughed lightly, “Everything needs evidence.” We arrived at the address the man had given and followed him to the apartment that was about to be rented out. Standing at the door, watching the man’s back as he knocked, I suddenly felt as if time had frozen. I gripped Sophie’s hand tightly, but still couldn’t help sweating. I still hoped, deep down, that this person didn’t exist. The moment the door opened, my eyes stared blankly at the person who opened it. “Here to see the apartment?” he asked proactively. I frowned and looked at Sophie, who also looked confused at me. Was this whole thing really just me misunderstanding Lucas? After viewing the entire apartment, I pretended to be dissatisfied and walked out. Sophie exchanged a glance with me, “Landlord, do you have any other apartments?” The landlord hesitated, “There is one, but the tenant went out this morning. I’d have to ask if they’re willing to let us in to view it first.” We nodded, saying we could wait, and he went to call the tenant. “Sophie, I think I really misunderstood him. How am I going to explain to him?” I nervously held her arm, my face full of worry. She told me to relax, that everything would turn out fine. The tenant agreed to let us view the apartment, and we casually looked around. Thinking that after this viewing, I would go home and make a loving dinner for him. All these years, he had always been the one cooking for me. The times I cooked for him could be counted on one hand. The landlord was introducing the layout and lighting to us. Finally, afraid we wouldn’t rent, he told us, “A young woman lives here. All in all, she’s been living here for five years.” Five years? This number made me extremely sensitive. Our previously jovial expressions now turned solemn. Sophie casually asked, “She looks quite pretty. She must have a boyfriend, right?” The landlord chuckled, “Of course! It’s always her boyfriend who pays the rent. I even have his WeChat in my phone.” He took out his phone and showed us the chat history with Lucas, full of money transfers. I froze in place, my mind in chaos. Sophie was the first to react, “Are you sure this is her boyfriend?” The landlord looked disdainful, “Of course! He always comes during the day, rarely seen at night!” His voice suddenly lowered, “This girl is probably a mistress! What couple has a boyfriend who’s never there at night, right?” My eyes were already red. I felt like a walking corpse as Sophie supported me. I lowered my head, silently wiping away tears, then forced a smile, “Can we take some photos? We’ll discuss it when we get back.” The landlord happily agreed. Sophie looked at me worriedly. I squeezed her arm and said softly, “Now we have solid evidence, don’t we?” It’s not all bad. I took photos of the room’s layout, and secretly took a photo of the girl’s picture.

When I got home, Lucas had already prepared dinner and was waiting for me. “I’ve made dinner, come eat quickly.” The phone screen lit up. It was the landlord. “Miss, the apartment you viewed later can be moved into the day after tomorrow. You should decide quickly.” I replied, “How can it be so fast?” “The tenant today went out to buy a house with her boyfriend. They said they’ve already decided and will move out by the day after tomorrow at the latest.” “Okay.” I sneered as I looked at Lucas, who was still busy. Now he’s washing clothes and cooking for me, but during the day he went out to buy a house with his mistress. How wonderful. Lucas saw my expression and moved me to the dining table, kissing the corner of my mouth, “Is my baby unhappy today?” I looked at him for a while before speaking, “I went to your company to find you today, but you weren’t there.” Lucas’s expression visibly stiffened. I continued to press, “You weren’t at work? Where did you go?” His smile had already gradually disappeared, but the next second it rose again, “I went out to meet a client today. Why did my baby come to the company to find me?” I smiled lightly and hugged his waist, snuggling into his arms, “Nothing, I just missed you.” I took out my phone and flipped to the photos of the apartment I had taken in the afternoon, “Sophie and I went to look at apartments this afternoon. What do you think of this one?” I handed the phone to him. His smile became particularly uncomfortable, but his tone was still gentle as usual, “Why are you looking at apartments?” I spoke softly, carefully observing his expression, “Sophie said she wants to renovate the one she bought, so she needs to rent one temporarily.” He nodded casually and handed the phone back to me, “This one is not bad.” I smiled and flipped to the girl’s photo to show him, “I saw this girl when I was viewing the apartment. She’s quite pretty, so I couldn’t help but take a photo.” He glanced at it, his expression evasive. His hand shook a little as he served me food, “She is pretty, but my baby is prettier.” I smiled and put away the phone, “Let’s eat.” This was the most silent meal we had had since we got together. That night, when he wanted to be intimate, I coldly pushed him away, “Have you forgotten? I’m on my period.” He retreated sheepishly, holding me tightly in his arms. The day after tomorrow is my birthday. As usual, I would celebrate with Sophie first and then come home to celebrate with Lucas. But on this day, Sophie and I went directly to that community. We stood outside the community, watching Lucas and another woman laughing and kissing passionately. Sophie was about to rush over to confront Lucas, but I stopped her. We followed them to their new community where they were moving. To my surprise, Lucas was so bold as to buy a house in the same building as ours. How loving. I deliberately returned home at ten o’clock as before, after celebrating my birthday with Sophie. When I got home, I didn’t turn on the lights. I sat on the sofa in the dark, waiting for Lucas to come back. Lucas came back at half past ten. When he saw me sitting on the sofa, he was startled. The next moment, he returned to normal, just like before, holding a cake in his hand and a bouquet of tulips I liked. “Baby, I’m back! Happy birthday!” I looked at his performance quietly, chuckling, “Thank you.” I accepted the cake and blessings as usual. He sang me a birthday song, turned off the lights, and let me make a wish. I closed my eyes and made a wish for a long time. When the candles were about to go out, Lucas started to urge me, “If you take too long, it won’t come true.” I blew out the candles and spoke in the darkness, “Lucas, would you be as good to other women as you are to me?” When Lucas turned on the lights, I saw his panicked expression again, “Baby, what are you talking about?” He pinched my face, “You don’t seem to be in a good state lately. Is it because of your period?” I couldn’t control my emotions anymore and slapped his hand away, “Lucas, have you had enough of this act? How long do I have to play along with you?” His expression froze, and he stared at me blankly, his eyes panicked. “Are you going to confess yourself, or do you want me to say it?” Seeing him not speaking for a long time, I sneered and stood up, taking out a report from my bag and throwing it in his face. “This is the pregnancy test report I saw in your car yesterday.” ———-This is the cutoff point———-

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I had finally accepted Lucas’s proposal after his 99th attempt, believing he would fulfill his promise to marry me. But on the eve of our wedding, he not only called it off at the last minute, making me a laughingstock, but also abandoned me to go on a stargazing trip with his childhood sweetheart Tiffany. I begged him to honor our engagement. Instead, he forced me to go rock climbing barehanded and catch 520 fireflies, all to make Tiffany smile. It was an absurd romantic gesture that I was coerced into. When a mudslide suddenly hit, he left without a second glance, carrying Tiffany in his arms. I was trapped on a cold, steep cliff for three days and nights without food or water, my body temperature dropping dangerously low. My body froze, and so did my heart that once loved him. Even when Lucas later apologized profusely, I could only respond with a bitter laugh. “Stop pretending. You disgust me.” I was hanging from a dead tree halfway up the mountain. The violent impact from falling off the cliff left me in excruciating pain. I couldn’t move, with broken bones all over my body. Only the taste of blood in my mouth kept me barely conscious. “We found her!” When I was discovered, Tiffany was livestreaming my rescue. She hugged my battered body while crying, her manicured nails digging into my wounds that were deep enough to see bone. “Chloe, you’re so reckless! How could you gamble with your life like this?” “Don’t leave the campsite on a whim just because you’re upset. You’ve not only broken Lucas’s heart, but also wasted public resources.” “This time, I’m donating $2 million to the disaster-stricken area on behalf of the Lu family. I hope it can atone for Chloe’s sins.” After her repeated gentle persuasion, Lucas reluctantly picked me up in his arms. He was extremely reluctant to have any physical contact with me. My body was left suspended in mid-air, like a piece of garbage he found repulsive. A clap of thunder sounded. It seemed to pull me back to those three desperate days. Fear made my stomach churn violently, forcing a trickle of blood from the corner of my mouth. Lucas’s expression changed abruptly, and he immediately let go of me in disgust. “Are you addicted to acting now?” Looking at me trembling on the ground, he impatiently called for someone to put me on a stretcher. “Chloe, stop pretending.” “It’s your own fault for being unreasonable, insisting on joining our stargazing trip without even basic safety awareness.” “Look at the stupid thing you’ve done, causing me so much trouble.” The more he spoke, the angrier he became. “It was Tiffany who went to great lengths to contact the rescue team for you, praying for your safety every day.” “You’ve wasted manpower and resources just to save your worthless life. You’ll never be able to repay her.” I curled up, staring at the countless wounds on my body as tears streamed down my face. The fireflies that were meant to witness their love almost became witnesses to my death. Their hypocritical kindness crushed my dignity and innocence bit by bit. My tears seemed to spark a flicker of complexity in Lucas’s eyes. He clicked his tongue and took off his jacket to drape over me. “Alright, you’ve overacted. You look ugly when you cry. Aren’t you usually good at holding back your emotions?” For the first half of my life, I had compromised and endured everything just to marry him. But in those short three days of being lost, my heart had turned to ashes. I no longer wanted to survive falling off a hundred-meter cliff. I didn’t want to be a desperate, clingy girlfriend anymore. I refused to beg on my knees for his love. My battered body was punishment for loving him. The love I had accumulated over the years was worn away along with my broken bones and spilled blood. When I woke up again, I was alone in the intensive care unit. My body was full of various instruments and tubes. The doctor said there were thirty steel nails embedded in my body. Tiffany came in arm-in-arm with Lucas, fussing over me. She was holding a bowl of yam and cilantro porridge that I hated most, like leftover slop. It was as if they were the loving couple, not us. Tiffany raised my hospital bed, wanting to feed me the porridge herself. Sensing my resistance, Lucas grabbed my chin, forcibly prying open my mouth. The scalding porridge rolled down my throat. I struggled desperately but knocked over the bowl. The intense burning sensation left my entire arm red. “Who allowed you to waste Tiffany’s kindness?” With that, Lucas picked up the bowl and smashed it against my head. Wet strands of hair stuck to my forehead. Compared to the torment of waiting to die slowly, this humiliation was nothing. I peeled off the rice grains and vegetable leaves from my head, stuffing them into my mouth without missing a single one. Lucas looked at me with disgust, throwing a wet wipe at me. “Chloe, are you a beggar? How revolting.” I chewed mechanically. Taking in Tiffany’s provocative smirk from the corner of my eye. They had candlelit dinners. Meanwhile, I had gnawed on tree bark just to stay alive, even swallowing insects raw. Staying alive had become a luxury. In the end, I was the one covered in scars, I was the one bearing the brunt of rumors and slander. Perhaps the only thing I had damaged was their secret love affair.

The nurse came in to change my dressings. Lucas immediately ordered her to disinfect the room. He fanned his nose in disgust, telling me to change into clean clothes. While looking for clothes, I accidentally found the wedding photos I had secretly cherished. In the photo, Lucas wore a rare smile. During every moment I was on the verge of collapse while trapped on the cliff, This photo had always given me strength. But now, it was nothing more than a thin piece of paper. After changing, I stumbled back to the ward. The VIP room originally booked for me by Lucas’s grandfather had been given to a regular crowded ward after Tiffany’s exaggerations. The noisy, cramped space was filled with endless complaints and crying. This time, I didn’t make a fuss. I just silently dragged my injured body back and forth. As I was almost done moving, Lucas stopped me. Beside him were Tiffany and his best friend Chris. My once close friend looked at me, the fallen dog, with mockery all over his face. Chris spoke with sarcasm, “Well, well, you survived a near-death experience and you’re still alive?” I clutched the rough hem of my clothes, feeling a deep, stinging pain in my heart. When we first got engaged, they had mocked me for being delusional. I never argued back, even humbly trying to please the Lu family’s housekeeper. But what I thought was loving the whole family for Lucas’s sake was just wishful thinking in his eyes. The thunder and rain were all blessings he bestowed upon me. His slightest smile could make me give up everything. A slight frown from him could also drag me into the abyss. Chris found a news article and handed it to me. “You’ve been pestering Lucas for so many years, but he never had you in his heart. Now that this news is out, even Lu Corporation’s stock price has been affected. How could he accept someone with such a bad reputation as his wife?” “Luckily Lucas was wise enough to call off the wedding and stay away from a jinx like you. I advise you to know your place and stop getting between Tiffany and Lucas!” Seizing on my weakness, those who already disliked me became even more vicious. They twisted the facts, deciding I was the culprit. Threatening the interests of Lu Corporation, destroying Lucas’s love. No one blamed Lucas for suddenly calling off the wedding. No one was outraged that Tiffany was pursuing a man who was engaged. And no one cared if I was in pain during those three days. I trembled all over. Meeting Lucas’s cold gaze, I instantly crouched down covering my head. “I’ll be good, don’t abandon me.” I knelt at his feet trying to beg for mercy. But Lucas pulled his leg away. One step and I would have rolled down the stairs, the pain of falling off the cliff overwhelming me again. “Save me!” “Chloe, you…” There was no expected pain. Lucas had pulled me into his arms. He pushed me away with some frustration, his tone icy: “I’ll marry you.” I was stunned. Lucas was convinced I would be grateful. So he tried every means, even ruining his own reputation, to break off the engagement. How could he possibly want to marry me now? I opened my mouth but couldn’t speak. But he smiled coldly: “We won’t register the marriage. It’s just for show.” “To control public opinion and make the stock price rise.” Tears instantly gushed out. He wanted to pretend to be deeply in love. To stand on the moral high ground and gain a good reputation before bowing out. In his eyes, I was trending gossip, a tool to be used. But never his wife. Before he finished speaking, Tiffany smiled coyly, “Lucas, you’re so bad.” She walked in front of Lucas, fixing his tie. Casually playing with her hair, revealing the huge diamond ring on her ring finger. I lowered my eyes and swallowed the bitterness in my throat. I no longer had the strength for hysterics.

Chris kept taunting me viciously. Insulting me to no end. I looked at the crimson seeping through my bandages, walking past them to go downstairs and check out of the hospital. I wanted to hide away, not wanting to endure the cold hospital and indifferent Lucas anymore. He wouldn’t give me the sense of security I needed most. Just let me fend for myself. At the stairway landing, Lucas grabbed my wrist. “You’re half crippled now.” “If you leave me and check out, how many more people do you want to harm?” I pried his fingers off one by one. Three days ago, I was barely clothed and starving, dangling precariously halfway up the mountain. Listening to wolf howls, too afraid to sleep, terrified until dawn. At my most desperate, I even thought about jumping off the cliff to end it all. From beginning to end, I was the one covered in scars, I was the one bearing the brunt of rumors and slander. Perhaps the only thing I had damaged was their secret love affair. Seeing my resistance, Lucas irritably pushed me against the cold, hard wall. “Stop being so delicate, okay? Be a good girl and listen. I can give you anything except love.” “Why can’t you be more considerate of me like Tiffany? Is that so hard?” “If you keep acting like this, you might as well have died at the bottom of that cliff.” His increasingly harsh words were like a curved blade. Slowly cutting open my deepest fears. The back of my head hit the wall hard, my pupils gradually losing focus. My hands weakly pounded on his shoulders as I kept repeating, “Let me go.” Lucas was annoyed and picked me up in one motion. But he didn’t know that my determination to get away from him had reached its peak. In my desperate struggle, I collided head-on with a nurse’s treatment cart. I fell among countless shards of broken glass. My wounds reopened, a bloody mess. The clean clothes I had just changed into were in tatters again. “Chloe!” Lucas was startled and carefully tried to reach out to help me up. But I lay on the ground gasping for breath, only managing to stand with difficulty with the nurse’s support. My avoidance made a murderous aura emanate from him. “You hate me touching you? Then why did you desperately beg me to marry you?” “Now you’re even playing hard to get?” I was dizzy, my ears ringing. His malicious speculations shattered the rose-colored glasses I had for him piece by piece. The light that had kept me alive went out. I could gather 520 fireflies for him, even if it wasn’t for me. I could obediently stay put, even if he didn’t come to rescue me first. But I couldn’t accept that he never even thought about finding me. So I’m tired, I don’t want to love anymore. “Chloe, I’m very disappointed in you. How did you become like this?” I didn’t understand where the pain in his eyes came from. This question should have been for me to ask him. I vaguely remembered five years ago, when my mother was on her deathbed. After donating a kidney to Lucas’s grandfather, her only wish Was to secure my engagement to Lucas. He personally carried my mother’s coffin, silently wiped away my tears, and held me in his arms like a treasure. “No matter what happens in the future, I will never abandon you.” But in the face of the raging mudslide, My tears dried up once again. All because Lucas had broken his vow.

My emotions completely collapsed. I remembered my mother’s dying wish for me to be happy. Then I thought of how desperate and lost I was on that rainy night. I hugged myself tightly, my eyes red-rimmed. “It hurts so much, Lucas.” “Why didn’t you save me? The cliff was so dark and cold. I won’t cling to you anymore, just don’t leave me alone.” “I’ll give you back to Tiffany, please don’t abandon me.” “Stop torturing me…” He looked at my shaking shoulders, unable to say anything harsh. He couldn’t help but soften his tone. “Chloe, I’m right here. I didn’t abandon you. What’s wrong?” “Didn’t you jump off the cliff yourself to get sympathy?” Lucas carried me back to the Lu mansion and called for a private doctor to take care of me. He carefully used a cotton swab to moisten my lips. “If you don’t want to stay in the hospital, then come home.” “Tiffany and I are both here. She’s sensible and will take care of you.” “I’ll let bygones be bygones for what happened before, but why are you so afraid?” I suddenly felt a bit wronged and choked up, ready to explain. But before I could open my mouth, a graceful figure affectionately leaned against Lucas. Tiffany pressed her bleeding fingertip to his lips. “Lucas, I cut my finger while making food for Chloe.” “Can you blow on it for me?” Lucas’s furrowed brow showed his distress. “You should have let me do it.” I looked at him in disbelief. Lucas was a male chauvinist who never stooped to cooking because of his privileged upbringing. If I had cut my finger, he would probably just scold me for being clumsy. I closed my eyes in despair. Lucas tucked me in and sighed. Seeing this, Tiffany suddenly spoke up: “Chloe, Lucas and I grew up together. I can tolerate your resentment towards me given your engagement.” “But last time during the camping trip, that was the company’s new project. We were just doing a site survey.” “You shouldn’t have thrown a tantrum, stolen supplies and hidden in the mountains, then jumped off the cliff before we arrived.” “Because of your scandal, Lu Corporation lost hundreds of millions in revenue. Can you take responsibility for that?” After her embellished account, Lucas snorted coldly, a self-mocking smile on his face. “I almost fell for your tricks again.” “Tiffany, don’t bother with her. This kind of scheming woman will bite you harder the nicer you are to her.” A sense of powerlessness washed over me. I wanted to argue with red-rimmed eyes. But I could barely choke out a complete sentence through my sobs. “She’s lying…” Lucas raised his hand high. Even my crying became shaky with fear. My eyes brimmed with tears as I bit my lip hard, refusing to let them fall. He swept everything off the bedside table with one motion. After staring at me deeply for a moment, he left without looking back. Only my whimpers remained in the large guest room. I covered my chest as large teardrops fell on my face. Hearing him gently comforting Tiffany through the wall, I laughed bitterly, “Lucas, let’s end this.” “I don’t want to love you anymore.” I found the agreement Lucas’s grandfather had once given me. I signed my name. ———-This is the cutoff point———-

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Emma Thompson and Lucas Graham had known each other since childhood, their families close for generations. When Lucas’s family went bankrupt, Emma’s parents stepped in to help, covering their debts and supporting them financially. Emma stood by Lucas through college, helping him get into a top university and later paving the way for his career. Their marriage seemed inevitable, a natural progression of their relationship. When Lucas expressed his desire for children, Emma put her thriving career on hold to focus on starting a family. But her world shattered when she stumbled upon a photo of Lucas embracing Lily Chen, her family’s former housekeeper’s daughter, on a luxurious vacation in Dubai. The image of their passionate kiss burned into her mind. Confronting Lucas only led to Emma being locked in the basement. Helpless, she was forced to watch as Lucas and Lily sold off her family’s assets and orchestrated her parents’ deaths. While they lived happily as a family of four, Emma died alone, filled with hatred and regret. But fate had other plans. Emma opened her eyes to find herself back in time, before it all began. Emma and Lucas’s families had agreed they would marry when they were still children. The summer Emma graduated from middle school, Lucas’s family company went bankrupt due to his father’s mismanagement. Unable to bear the massive debt, Lucas’s father took his own life. Emma’s parents, seeing Lucas and his mother in such a pitiful state, paid off their debts and took on all their expenses. In other words, Emma’s family was supporting them entirely. After graduating from university, Lucas started working at Emma’s family company, and they got married. Emma’s parents had good intentions, but they had raised two ungrateful wolves. Lucas and his mother resented Emma’s parents for not paying off their debts before Lucas’s father’s suicide. They conspired with others to cause the deaths of Emma’s parents. Lucas even caused Emma to become infertile, using her guilt to take control of her family’s company. By the time Emma discovered all of this, Lucas and his mistress already had two children. That day, after countless attempts at IVF, Emma finally succeeded in getting pregnant. Overjoyed, she rushed downstairs to share the news with her beloved husband. It was also the day her family’s company declared bankruptcy. Lucas, finally free from having to keep up appearances with Emma, brought his children to meet her. Emma stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the happy family of four. The two children looked just like Lucas; she couldn’t deny the truth even if she wanted to. “Lucas, who are they?” Emma asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “My wife and sons,” Lucas replied coldly. Lily Chen, heavily pregnant, walked over to Emma’s side, step by step. She was the daughter of Emma’s former housekeeper. “Well, well, little rich girl. Not so rich anymore, are you?” Lily sneered. “Your family’s fortune is mine now, and your man loves me.” She snatched the medical report from Emma’s hand. “Oh my! You’re pregnant?! After all those birth control pills, how did that happen?!” Birth control pills? Emma had never taken any. Suddenly, she remembered the vitamins Lucas had always prepared for her, constantly reminding her to take them. Emma turned to confront Lucas, but Lily shoved her down the stairs. Instinctively, Emma tried to protect her stomach, but it was futile. As pain ripped through her abdomen, Emma struggled to ask Lucas to take her to the hospital. She saw Lucas covering his sons’ eyes, looking at her as if she were trash. “Please… help me…” Emma begged. No one moved to assist her. As she felt blood pooling between her legs, her body growing colder by the second, Emma heard Lucas’s voice. “Finally dead. If only she had been in the car with those two old fools, we wouldn’t have had to deal with all this trouble.” “Emma?” “How dare you daydream during Mrs. Zhang’s class?” Emma found herself sitting in her high school classroom, as if waking from a long dream. She was back in her senior year of high school. “Lily Chen.” Hearing that name again, Emma’s hand clenched tightly around her pen. Lily stood up confidently, her high ponytail swinging as she answered the teacher’s question. Emma turned her head slightly, catching a glimpse of Lucas through Lily’s arms. And the look of adoration in his eyes. So Lucas had fallen for Lily even back then. Lucas and Lily had consistently held the top two spots in their grade. In her previous life, they had ended up at the same university. Emma had thought Lucas fell for Lily during college, but it seemed to have started much earlier. Actually, at the beginning of high school, Emma had been the top student. She used to outperform the second-place student by dozens of points. But Lucas would always tell her that constantly outscoring him made him anxious. He said that with her family’s wealth, whether she went to university or not wouldn’t make much difference. He claimed that his feelings for her wouldn’t change regardless of her grades, and encouraged her to enjoy life instead of studying so hard. Gradually, influenced by him, Emma only managed to get into an average university for her college entrance exam. Meanwhile, Lucas and Lily were admitted to the country’s top university. After they married, Emma’s ordinary degree became a reason for Lucas’s mother to look down on her. An average university graduate wasn’t good enough for her son from a top university. Now, Emma couldn’t believe how foolish she had been. Why had she pinned her entire future on a man? Especially one who relied on her family’s support. During the break, Emma buried herself in her textbooks. Although she hadn’t completely neglected her studies in her previous life, she hadn’t been as diligent as she had been in her first year of high school. Given a second chance, she was determined to make up for lost time. Her deskmate nudged her arm. Lucas was approaching. “Emma, this is for you,” he said, holding out a star-shaped bottle. Just like in her previous life, Emma noticed the reluctance hidden in Lucas’s eyes. “Thanks,” she replied flatly. As if he had completed a task he’d rather avoid, Lucas turned and left without another word. Emma carelessly placed the bottle on her desk and returned to her studies. Her deskmate stared at the bottle for a moment before poking Emma again. “Emma, about that star bottle…” “What about it?” “I think I’ve seen one just like it with Lily…” Emma nodded, appearing to focus on her book while listening intently and keeping an eye on Lily from the corner of her vision. She watched as Lily listened to Lucas explain a problem, her face flushed with shy adoration. Emma also overheard Lucas’s friends talking. “What’s up with Emma today? She’s so calm.” “Yeah! Lucas gave her a gift, hand-delivered! Shouldn’t she be crying with joy?” “You don’t think she knows it’s the one Lily didn’t want, do you?” “As if! Lily’s leftovers are too good for her!” Emma remembered how in her previous life, she had reacted exactly as Lucas’s friends expected. She had been overjoyed, crying tears of happiness. It had been one of the few gifts Lucas had ever given her. That day, she had posted about it on all her social media accounts. Back then, her deskmate had said the same thing, but Emma had furiously denied it. Emma turned to her deskmate with a guilty look. Her deskmate, still with baby fat on her cheeks, looked alarmed and crossed her arms. “I’m straight, just so you know!” Way to ruin the moment. Emma went back to her studies. After school, Emma couldn’t wait to get home. She missed her parents terribly. She also wanted to tell them that she wanted to break off the engagement, that Lucas and his mother were ungrateful leeches. Emma rushed into the house, but couldn’t find her parents anywhere. She asked the housekeeper, “Where are Mom and Dad?” “Miss, don’t you remember? Mr. and Mrs. Thompson went abroad. They won’t be back for another two weeks.” Right, Emma had forgotten. She also realized something else. Her father had always valued loyalty and friendship. He and Lucas’s father had been best friends, which was why he had paid off their debts after Lucas’s father died.

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On Jack’s birthday, I shyly put on the lingerie I had bought for him. But when he saw me, his eyes flashed with disgust. “What are you wearing? Take it off quickly! What if my girlfriend sees?” I froze, my voice trembling. “Girlfriend?” “Yeah, Sophia. She just accepted my confession.” Seeing my stunned expression, he sneered disdainfully. “You’re just too old-fashioned. We only slept together a few times. You didn’t think we were actually dating, did you?” “If childhood friends were meant to be lovers, we would’ve gotten together years ago. Why wait until now?” We had lived together for a year and done everything couples do. I always thought we were in a secret relationship. Even our family and friends assumed we were going to get married. But my childhood friend suddenly said we were just adults comforting each other. In that moment, I felt utterly hopeless. I quit my job and left for a faraway city. But he regretted it and came begging on his knees: “We’ve already slept together. Are you really going to be so irresponsible?” 0

After a night of passion, my legs were still shaky as I got dressed. But thinking of his delighted reaction when he saw me made me hurry. After dressing, I shyly looked at myself in the mirror, remembering his intimate whispers in my ear last night. “Olivia, wear it for me. I like it.” We had lived together for over a year, and I always fulfilled his requests unconditionally. Plus, it was his birthday today. I was willing to make this sacrifice for him. Full of anticipation, I opened the door. But instead of Jack’s excitement, I was greeted by his impatient expression as he held his phone. He said tenderly into the phone: “Wait for me.” After hanging up, his expression changed to disgust when he looked at me. “What are you wearing?” I was stunned. He had clearly hinted at wanting me to buy this, even putting it in my Amazon cart himself. I felt lost. The room was cold in the early autumn, and I shivered. He grabbed my lingerie and threw it at me. “Hurry up and change. My girlfriend will misunderstand if she sees!” My mind went blank. I asked in disbelief: “Your girlfriend?” His face softened. “It’s Sophia, the beauty from the dance club. She accepted my confession.” It felt like a blow to the head. I could hardly believe my ears. Sophia was the girl he had chased for half a year in sophomore year. But then she went abroad, and he seemed to get over her quickly. I always thought it was just a passing crush, and that I was the one who truly understood him. He turned to get dressed, the scratches from last night still visible on his back. Childhood friends, with over 20 years of history between us. Living together for over a year, we ate together, watched TV, hiked, saw sunrises, wore matching bracelets, even had couple profile pictures on SnapChat. The man who had been intimately entangled with me just last night suddenly told me he had a girlfriend. What did that make me? Seeing me standing there motionless, he frowned and sneered. “What’s with that expression? Don’t tell me you thought we were actually a couple?” My teeth were chattering, my throat too choked up to make a sound. He threw his jacket at me, saying disdainfully: “You’re just too old-fashioned. We only slept together a few times. We’re both adults, do I really need to spell out this kind of unspoken arrangement?” “If childhood friends were meant to be lovers, we would’ve gotten together years ago. Why wait until now?” I trembled violently, the chill from the floor seeping up to my chest. Holding back the ache in my nose, I forced a stiff smile. “You’re right, it was just sleeping together a few times.” I stiffly started to get dressed, but it was so cold I couldn’t even pull my pants on properly. His phone rang. It was Sophia urging him to come downstairs. He hung up and impatiently pushed me towards the door. “Hurry up, she’s almost here!” I stumbled and fell flat on my face, my nose hitting the floor. Tears immediately welled up. He seemed about to help me up, but then remembered something and ran to the mirror to cover up the marks on his neck. He grumbled impatiently: “You women just love leaving these marks, as if that makes you my girlfriend.” I froze, seeing his mocking and contemptuous gaze. I scrambled to my feet, just wanting to escape this room as quickly as possible. As I was about to open the door, he called out to me. “I don’t want Sophia to misunderstand. Delete your fingerprint access, and leave the key too.” He hummed cheerfully, completely ignoring the blood dripping from my nose. In that moment, I wanted to ask him why he was being so cruel. We had chosen this smart lock together, and set the passcode to our couple numbers. I bit my lip hard, holding back tears as I quickly deleted my access. When the success tone sounded, I couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears streamed down my face. I fled as fast as I could. 0

I left in such a hurry that I didn’t even put on socks, walking out into the chilly autumn street in just thin shoes. Passersby kept turning to look at me, because I was crying, wearing only a thin jacket, with messy hair and a swollen nose. I didn’t dare go home. I stood alone by the bridge in the cold wind for a long time, until my tears were dried by the wind. Then I got a call from work. My manager said the client needed to check a document from last year. All my files were locked in the cabinet at Jack’s place. After hanging up, I reluctantly dialed his number again. The phone rang for a long time before someone picked up. I could hear noisy voices in the background. I tried hard to suppress my emotions, not wanting to sound like a jealous woman. “Jack, I left some documents at home. Can you give me the passcode?” Thankfully, he just asked what documents they were. I described them, and he hesitated before saying: “Why don’t you come over? I’ll give you the key.” “No need, just give me the code. I’ll delete it afterwards, don’t worry.” He insisted: “Come get the key. I’ll text you the address. Sophia’s moving in tonight, I can’t guarantee she won’t throw your stuff out.” He said it so casually, but those were all things we had bought together. I remember how nervous and happy we were when we picked out those little items. Now he was treating them like trash. I gave a bitter laugh and took a taxi to the address he gave. I entered the private room and immediately saw it was full of friends Jack and I had in common. They were all toasting Sophia. She sat in the place of honor, elegant and haughty. Her gaze swept over me with contempt. “Jack, is this your little childhood friend?” Only then did I notice Jack sitting beside her, focused on peeling shrimp for her. The plate next to her was already piled high with peeled shrimp. The man who couldn’t even use chopsticks in front of me was now acting like an attentive waiter for another woman. I swallowed the bitterness in my heart and reached out my hand to him. Before I could speak, he suddenly stood up and came over to me. “Sophia, I invited her here today to prove I have nothing to hide. There’s nothing between us, we’re just family friends. I couldn’t refuse out of consideration for our families.” Ignoring my suddenly pale face, he turned to our friends. “You guys can vouch for me, she’s the one who’s been chasing after me this whole past year.” I looked at him in shock, then uncertainly at our friends. They had all witnessed Jack’s and my relationship develop. They saw us go from being inseparable to living together. We spent every important holiday together. They had all seen our passionate embraces. No one would meet my eyes. They just muttered: “Yeah, Sophia, don’t misunderstand. They’re just friends.” “Olivia’s the clingy type, that’s why she’s always hanging around Jack.” I opened my mouth, feeling a stab of pain from my fingertips to my chest. “Sophia, now do you believe me? There’s really nothing between us. I’ve seen her looking like an ugly tomboy, who would fall for a buddy like that?” Sophia snorted. “So you’re saying she shamelessly threw herself at Jack to live with him? Olivia, you’re really pathetic.” I jerked my head up, glaring coldly at her about to retort. Sophia suddenly threw her phone at Jack. “Prove it to me. If you don’t love her, announce in all your group chats that she’s the one who chased you. So no one will misunderstand.” I froze in shock. Jack and I had gone to the same schools since childhood. We had so many mutual friends. We were in almost all the same group chats. That was my entire social circle. 0

Jack seemed to hesitate too. He glanced at me furtively. I bit my lip hard, past caring. “Sophia, there’s nothing between Jack and me. You don’t need to worry or test me anymore. I won’t contact him again.” But Sophia just sneered again. “If there’s nothing, what are you afraid of? Jack, don’t tell me you’re too scared? Was it a lie when you said you only love me?” Jack glanced at me quickly and muttered “Sorry.” He picked up the phone and, right in front of me, opened one group chat after another. “Listen up everyone, there’s nothing between Olivia and me. I only love Sophia. Please don’t spread rumors about us anymore.” “Sophia is my only girlfriend!” My phone started buzzing non-stop, vibrating so much my hand went numb. My heart felt numb too. When he finally finished, Sophia patted his head like rewarding a dog. “I heard Miss Olivia plays piano. It’s Jack’s birthday, why don’t you play something to liven things up?” I looked sharply at Jack. Only he knew I played piano. He also knew that I could no longer play after my fingers were damaged saving him. That year, there was a fire in the school gym equipment room while Jack was moving equipment inside. No one dared to go in, but I forced open the red-hot iron door with my bare hands. I had always loved arts, dancing and piano came naturally to me. Though I never had formal training, I was quite talented. But after that incident, my fingers were fused from the burns. I could never play piano again. I still remember when the doctor broke the bad news, Jack’s hands trembled as he gently stroked my face: “Olivia, I’ll protect you forever from now on.” Those words still echoed, but the person had changed. Catching my pained and shocked gaze, he looked away uncomfortably. Sophia sneered: “I heard you used to play for Jack all the time. I guess I’m not worthy.” She made as if to leave. Jack immediately stopped her and coaxed her to sit back down. Then he came over to me and said in a low voice only I could hear: “Olivia, just play something for show. Sophia just got back, don’t make her lose face in front of my friends.” I said shakily: “Jack, you know I can’t play piano anymore!” At a party years ago, someone had also urged me to play. Jack angrily smashed a glass to make them shut up. Jack gritted his teeth, his voice turning cold: “Then leave. But you won’t get your documents.” “Those documents are important, right? Didn’t you always want a promotion?” An icy chill ran through me. So he knew. Had he forgotten I gave up a overseas assignment for him, ruining my chances at promotion? I looked at him, my eyes burning and nose stinging. The boy I loved had completely changed into someone I didn’t recognize. Something inside me slowly shattered. I lowered my head and gave a bitter smile, holding back tears. “Fine.” I walked to the piano and slowly sat down, gently placing my hands on the keys. It had been five years since I touched a piano, but I felt no joy, only numbness and sadness. As expected, even a simple “Happy Birthday” came out discordant and awful. Whispers broke out in the room. I heard Sophia’s friend snicker: “Look at her hands, they’re like chicken claws. If I were her, I’d be too embarrassed to keep playing.” “Sophia, why don’t you play instead?” The next moment, Sophia stood up and came over, her voice haughty. “Miss Olivia, what a coincidence. I also learned piano, and even won some small awards.” She shoved me aside and sat down. Her long fingers quickly produced a melodious tune. Jack led the applause, and the room immediately erupted in enthusiastic clapping. It made me feel even more like a pathetic clown. When she finished playing, Sophia stood up. Jack immediately went over to take her hand, looking at her adoringly. “Sophia, you play so beautifully.” Sophia glanced at me meaningfully. “Jack, you should eat something good.” I stood in the warm room but felt chilled to the bone. This farce finally ended after Sophia’s grand performance. Jack gave me the key. As I was leaving, he grabbed my arm. “Olivia, don’t be angry. We’re still friends. If you ever need help in the future…” I raised my hand and slapped him hard. “Future?” Tears streamed down my face. “We have no future!” 0

I rushed back to the office as fast as I could and worked until 3 AM to finish everything. My head was pounding. The day’s events had left me utterly exhausted. Instead of going home, I fell asleep right at my desk. In my dream, I returned to Jack’s and my teenage years. He was full of vigor, leading me through mountains and rivers. His youthful voice clear and bright: “Olivia, when we get married, let’s build a house here with a big yard…” I was woken by a commotion. Vaguely, I heard people whispering: “I saw clearly, isn’t that Olivia’s boyfriend?” “Yeah, her childhood friend!” I rubbed my aching head and opened my eyes to find it was already bright outside and my coworkers had arrived. Seeing me awake, my colleague Amy pulled me to the window. I immediately saw Jack standing below, holding something. Even from a distance, I could see his angry expression. “Olivia, get down here!” I was startled by Jack’s harsh tone. To avoid making a scene during work hours, I could only text him. “Can we talk after work? Today is really busy, please.” I was already using my most humble tone to beg him. When I didn’t get a reply for a while, I thought he had agreed. But a minute later, the office door was pushed open. My manager was discussing yesterday’s work with me when Jack marched straight up to my desk and slammed down what he was holding. “Olivia, you’re so manipulative! I told you clearly there was nothing between us, that I don’t love you! But you turn around and have your parents bring this stuff to my house!” “Don’t you know yesterday was my dad’s birthday? Sophia was there, all our relatives were there. Where am I supposed to put my face?” “You made Sophia cry. What are you trying to do? Do I have to spell it out for you? I’m not going to marry you!” I felt like I’d been stripped naked and thrown onto the street for everyone to gawk at. I was utterly humiliated. My coworkers’ stares, my manager’s scrutiny – it all felt like being sliced apart over and over. The shock left me trembling all over, my tongue so stiff I couldn’t make a sound. Jack wasn’t done. He called Sophia and put her on speakerphone, shouting loudly: “Olivia, listen up! Even if you were the last woman on earth, I wouldn’t marry you! I only love Sophia!” “Stop chasing after me. If you want a man, I can introduce you to someone!” “We’re just friends, stop doing things that make people misunderstand!” The stares of everyone around made my mind go blank. Sophia’s voice came through, choked with sobs: “Please stop seducing my boyfriend! He was corrupted by you. I’m not like you, sleeping around. I’ll only sleep with my future husband!” I clutched at my collar, struggling to breathe. Tears spilled from my eyes, blurring my vision. I opened my mouth, using my last ounce of strength to point at the door: “Get out!” Jack left. The office was dead silent. But I felt crushed under the weight of a thousand stares and unspoken judgments. My back was rigid as I wiped my tears over and over, quickly packing up my things on the desk. My phone on the desk rang. It was my mom. “Olivia, your dad collapsed. Come to the hospital quickly.” … I arrived at the hospital. The doctor found me and spoke earnestly: “Your father’s airways and blood vessels have always been weak. He needs to avoid emotional stress.” I nodded and went to my father’s bedside, feeling ashamed. He was awake, but his face turned red with anger when he saw what I was holding. “That bastard Jack! How dare he say my daughter isn’t good enough for him? He humiliated you in front of all those people, saying you were chasing after him! What bullshit! We all saw how he couldn’t bear to be apart from you all these years!” “When you were kids, he’d cry if he was away from you. At night when the adults weren’t around, he always wanted to sleep next to you!” “You lived together for a year, and now he says you’re just friends?! How did I not see earlier what a scumbag he is?” Yes, Jack used to be such a good person. He was humble and polite, and extremely protective of me. He never let anyone bully me. As kids, he got into countless fights for me, taking so many beatings from his mom on my behalf. It was all these little things piling up that turned into love, making me willing to live with him for a year without any official status. My mom sighed and explained what had happened. Apparently they had gone to Mountain Temple a few days ago and heard it was good for praying for marriage. My mom had knelt for half a day and gotten two red strings and a pendant from the monk. They took it very seriously, bought gifts, and chose yesterday’s auspicious date to personally deliver everything to Jack’s house. When they explained the items and their purpose, Jack immediately threw everything out and said a lot of hurtful things. My dad just scolded him a bit, but for Sophia’s sake, he actually yelled at this elder who had always doted on him. He even kicked my parents out, spouting nonsense about introducing men to me if I couldn’t get married. … Tears fell from my eyes in big drops. It was my love for Jack that had humiliated them like this. I knelt in front of my dad, silently crying for I don’t know how long until my tears were almost dried up. But my heart slowly grew more determined. I choked out: “Dad, Mom, let’s go stay with Uncle. The doctor says your condition needs a change of environment to recover.” My uncle lived in River City and had always wanted us to move there. My parents only stayed because they didn’t want to separate me and Jack. They were stunned for a moment, but quickly nodded. “Okay, we’ll do as you say. Our Olivia can thrive anywhere.” … With things decided, I immediately listed the house with a realtor and started the resignation process at work. A week later, the house sold smoothly and I got my resignation paperwork. But the day before leaving, I ran into Jack again at the mall while buying seasonal clothes for my mom. Since I had blocked him, his expression turned ugly when he saw me. He was clutching his stomach, with dark circles under his eyes. Sophia had dragged him out shopping. “Olivia.” He stood in front of me, carefully looking me over. “I heard you quit your job?” I didn’t want to talk to him, but was afraid he’d make a scene. So I just gave a faint “Mm.” “Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice was tinged with grievance. “I had to hear it from friends.” I ignored him. He trailed pitifully behind me: “Are you really angry about last time? They just showed up suddenly, Sophia misunderstood. I was just trying to calm her down.” Seeing I wasn’t responding, he stepped in front of me, putting on his usual act of weakness. “Olivia, my stomach hurts again.” In the past when his stomach was bad, I’d search everywhere for folk remedies to make for him. I spent a year breaking his habit of drinking on an empty stomach to finally improve his stomach. But in just a week, he was back to his old ways. I looked up at him. His eyes immediately lit up with joy. He tried to grab my hand but I dodged. I laughed: “What, being a lapdog not comfortable enough? Can’t even eat dog food properly?” He had posted an official announcement with Sophia on Instagram. Sophia commented: “Good boy, my little puppy.” His expression darkened, then he smiled strangely: “Olivia, Sophia says you like me. You’re not jealous, are you?” I stared at him silently, like looking at an idiot. He thought he had guessed right and smiled: “Olivia, we’ve been together so many years. I understand you. You’re just jealous.” “I said we could still be friends. Isn’t tomorrow your birthday? I’ll come see you, okay?” “Didn’t you always want to see the sunrise? I’ll go with you. We can stay at the mountaintop hotel for a night.” I looked at his excited, expectant eyes and smirked. “Sure, I’ll wait for you.” Sophia called his name from outside. He answered, then quickly kissed my forehead. “Wait for me at home tomorrow.” After he left, I disgustedly wiped off the mark on my face. Wanting to have your cake and eat it too. Jack, you really are despicable to the extreme. But this time you might be disappointed. I don’t want you anymore. … The next day, just before the plane took off, I got a call from Jack using another number. “Olivia, you sold the house? Where did you all go? Where are you going without me? Why didn’t you tell me? Aren’t I the person you care about most? You lied to me!” I laughed lightly: “Oh, I’m off to find a man who’ll marry me after sleeping with me.” His anguished yelling came through the phone. I hung up, blocked the number, and turned off my phone. The plane took off, carrying me towards a beautiful new future. 0 When we got off the plane, we were greeted not by my uncle, but by a stranger. The man called my name: “Olivia?” I searched my memory but was sure I didn’t know him. He smiled: “Your uncle sent me to pick you up. I’m Ethan.”

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I was secretly dating Lucas Gray. At some point, he became insatiable, growing more and more unsatisfied. He even had the audacity to ask me in front of my official boyfriend: “How long are you going to keep torturing me?” At my 22nd birthday party, as it was winding down, Lucas pulled me into the emergency stairwell. His eyes, hazy with alcohol, fixed intently on my lips. “Aria Reed, I’ve got a birthday gift for you.” With that, he leaned in and kissed me. A strong whiff of alcohol mixed with a faint mint scent enveloped me. As if possessed, I closed my eyes. Perhaps surprised by my compliance, he paused, his forehead resting against mine, our noses touching. “You like it that much?” I tilted my head up and initiated another kiss. He leaned against the stair railing, watching me with a smile. “Dare to come with me?” “What about your girlfriend?” I secretly pinched my palm, trying to sober up. Lucas was like a wild, mischievous wolf cub – very aggressive, wild, ruthless, and heartless. I had long felt that this kind of man was dangerous. Not to be approached lightly. But danger also meant allure. Lucas seemed to have heard something amusing. He narrowed his eyes and smirked, “Isn’t she in your boyfriend’s room? Are you really that naive, or just pretending?” I was shocked for a moment but quickly hid my reaction. I knew my boyfriend had betrayed me, but I didn’t know he was so shameless as to go after his best friend’s girlfriend. Lucas turned his head, pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it. The gray-white smoke billowed from his nostrils, swirling in the air, obscuring half of his face. The crimson glow flickered on and off, falling into his pitch-black eyes, like the brightest star at the edge of the sky. “Want to come with me?” After finishing his cigarette, his voice was lower and hoarser than before. Mixed with the night, it crept into my ears with a bewitching quality. I stepped forward, meeting his watery eyes: “Do you know what you’re doing?” He raised his hand to caress my face: “Of course. It’s a win-win, isn’t it? Don’t you want to get back at your boyfriend?” My boyfriend was his childhood friend. His good friend had slept with his girlfriend, so he came after me. Fighting fire with fire – I liked it. I wrapped my arms around his waist and gave him a hard pinch: “Let’s go.”

I never imagined Lucas would take me straight to his place. “Couldn’t we go to a hotel?” I asked, tugging at his sleeve. He glanced around the room: “Unless you want to be helpful and change the sheets for me?” We sat awkwardly in the living room for an hour. Suddenly, Lucas angrily smashed a vase on the table and cursed under his breath: “This is boring. I’m done playing. Go find your Noah.” Noah Parker was my boyfriend. We were high school classmates who got together after the college entrance exam. We didn’t attend the same university, but we were in the same city. Back then, he was very good to me, always accommodating my wishes. I was strong-willed, so he was the one who always gave in. In the second semester of our junior year, he participated in an entrepreneurship competition. He was busy day and night and received a lot of praise. I admired him deeply, and to make it easier to take care of his daily life, I agreed to his suggestion of living together. During that time, we, naive and innocent, learned to manage a household together, tempering our relationship through the daily grind of life. Our friends all said we would definitely end up together, and I believed it without a doubt. When exactly did things start to change? A sharp pain pierced my heart, as if countless needles were pricking my tender flesh. I walked over, crouched in front of him, and gently held his hand: “Lucas, what if I take the initiative?” Would that make it more fun? The next morning, I woke up in Lucas’s arms. We hadn’t slept in the bed, but were squeezed together on a narrow, cramped sofa, our bodies intertwined like two symbiotic plants. Looking at his peaceful sleeping face, I felt like a thief, secretly reaching out my hand to trace his features, being especially gentle and careful when I reached his lips. The phone rang abruptly, and I hastily withdrew my hand, putting on a smile to cover my embarrassment: “You’re awake?” Lucas didn’t fully open his eyes, just gave a faint “Mm” and said: “Answer the phone.” I picked up the phone and saw it was that little bastard Noah. Last night he said he had an urgent matter at the company and had to rush back to deal with it. Huh, I wonder which hotel he ended up “dealing” with it in. He probably didn’t have the guts like Lucas to bring someone back home, right? “Hello, what’s up?” I answered. He said a few caring words, then suddenly changed his tone, sounding a bit aggrieved: “Why didn’t you call me last night? Are you mad that I left early?” I laughed silently. Did he really want me to call and disturb him? “I didn’t want to bother you. When are you coming back?” I asked. “I can’t make it back today, still have to work overtime. Take care of yourself.” I tilted my head to look at Lucas, then after a few seconds, smiled and said: “Okay, don’t worry. Focus on your work.” After hanging up, Lucas sat up from the sofa and stretched: “Last night was exhausting. Shall we go grab a bite together to recharge?” I checked my schedule and replied with some regret: “I have meetings during the day, very busy. Maybe after 10 PM I’ll be free.” “Huh… no wonder your boyfriend cheats on you,” Lucas stared at me and said mockingly. I retorted, not backing down: “You’re no better. Didn’t your girlfriend find someone else too?” Before leaving, Lucas gently embraced me from behind. Through the thin fabric, I could clearly feel the rhythm of his heartbeat. “When do you plan to break up, and how?” My gaze fell on an empty spot as I zoned out for a moment. “I never said I was going to break up.”

After getting home and taking a shower, I drove to the office. As bad luck would have it, I ran into Noah and Lucas’s girlfriend on the street. They had just come out of a hotel and were saying a lingering goodbye on the sidewalk. Disgusting. I don’t know if they noticed my car, but Noah suddenly pushed away the woman in his arms and dodged to the side. I didn’t stop, just kept driving normally. Soon after, Noah called me. His tone was nervous, but with a hint of deliberate concealment: “Babe, have you had breakfast?” “Not yet, I’m driving. What’s up? Want to have breakfast together? I can detour to your office to find you,” I replied while driving. He seemed to relax a bit: “No, you focus on driving. Don’t come over, it’s too much trouble. I’ve ordered takeout to be sent to your office. Remember to eat.” “You’re so good to me.” “Of course, I’m your husband after all.” Ugh. I almost threw up last night’s dinner. At 9:50 PM, I finished organizing my plans and stretched, finally having time to check the messages on my phone. Noah had called me once and sent three casual greetings on SnapChat. I could reply or not, it didn’t matter. Lucas had sent me six messages. “Lunch together?” “Finished work?” “Dinner together?” “???” “How can you have an affair when you’re so busy?” The last one was sent three minutes ago: “I’m downstairs at your office. Come down when you’re done.” After thinking for a while, I typed back a simple “Okay”.

Lucas is really reckless and does whatever he says. When I went downstairs, he was already in the elevator going up, and we ran into each other. If I had been even a little later, he would have really gone to knock on my door. “He didn’t do anything to you, did he?” Lucas naturally put his arm around my waist and sniffed me like a puppy. I collapsed tiredly into his arms: “Was everything today planned by you?” Lucas didn’t completely condemn Noah, but left some hope for him just right, then coldly watched how he struggled for this false hope. In this process, he even brought his girlfriend along to play. Vicious. Lucas raised his hand and pinched my nose: “Don’t think of me as so complicated. I just want to… with you…” He glanced down and smiled flirtatiously. Lucas took me back to his place again, proudly pointing at the bedroom and telling me he had changed the bed – it was especially big and soft now. I glanced at the sofa, vividly remembering the details of indulging our desires that day. Huh… I guess a stable married life with kids just wasn’t in the cards for me. Is it my failure, or is life just like this – endless disappointments, unfulfilled promises, inescapable relationships, and messy affairs? I closed my eyes, and just before my emotions were about to collapse, I turned around, stood on tiptoe, grabbed Lucas’s collar, and kissed him squarely on the lips. He responded almost immediately. He understood me well, or perhaps he just understood women well. Rough when needed, yet patient and tender at the right moments. At the height of passion, Lucas hugged me tightly. I bit my lip, too preoccupied to pay attention to him. But unexpectedly, he suddenly flipped over and got off the bed: “If you won’t even give me this little sweetness, why should I bother trying?” I lay dazed on the bed, not knowing whether to cry or laugh. Later that night, as I was drifting off to sleep, I felt myself being pulled into an embrace that smelled faintly of tobacco. That person seemed to whisper in my ear: “Goodnight, babe.” Uh, must be dreaming. Lucas didn’t seem like the type to play these little games with me. When I woke up in the morning, there was no one beside me. I checked my phone and saw it was only 6 AM. Where did he go? I rubbed my messy hair and got up to leave the room. As soon as I opened the door, I smelled a sweet aroma wafting through the air. Following the scent, I saw Lucas busy in the open kitchen. The light from above illuminated his profile, making it look smooth and handsome. A surge of emotion suddenly rose in my heart, almost making me cry out loud. This intense reaction terrified me, and I couldn’t understand it. So I ran. Without makeup, face unwashed, I fled out the door in a mess, running wildly. Only when I was far from Lucas’s place did I stop at a bus stop, belatedly realizing what a stupid thing I had done. I also came to a clearer realization – Lucas and I weren’t evenly matched players in this game of love. I wasn’t as rational or mature as I thought. When it came to relationships, I was just a novice. I needed to retreat quickly, or the risks would be unpredictable.

When I arrived at the office by taxi, Noah suddenly appeared and blocked my way. “Aria, how are you… I’m sorry, it’s all my fault for making you so upset.” Seeing my listless appearance, his eyes filled with deep guilt. This is ridiculous, running into an ex without makeup on. He tried to take my hand, but I stepped back slightly and said coldly: “I need to go to work.” “Okay, then I’ll come pick you up after work.” Noah smiled with excessive gentleness. “No.” I took a deep breath, “I need some time alone to think clearly about how we should handle our relationship.” Noah panicked and quickly grabbed my hand, holding it to his chest: “Aria, I was wrong before. I didn’t give you enough security. Please don’t do anything rash. I’ll change, just give me one more chance.” I forcefully pulled my hand back and walked straight past him towards the office building. Back in my office, I took out my phone to message Lucas. “Don’t show up for the next few days. I’m very busy.” The message was sent less than a minute ago when he replied: “Oh.” He’s really cold and indifferent. If only I could be as detached and carefree about relationships as him, how nice that would be. Unfortunately, talent means nothing in the face of hard work. In the days that followed, Lucas really didn’t contact me again. But through his daily SnapChat updates, I knew he was living a very colorful life, not missing me as just one of his sources of fun at all. As for Noah, he would stake out my office every day whenever he had time, trying to make amends in various ways. My colleagues didn’t know about our situation and just thought we had a good relationship, urging us to get married soon. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself, so I just went along with it perfunctorily. But I didn’t expect Noah to really take it to heart. Friday night, as soon as I left the office building, I saw him kneeling in a circle of flickering candles, holding roses with a face full of tenderness. I paused, feeling a wave of nausea rising in my stomach. It’ll be over soon, almost there… “Aria Reed, marry me!” Noah shouted excitedly, his voice straining. The crowd that had gathered around was ignited by this sound, all cheering and egging him on. Through the dreamy, flickering candlelight, I looked at Noah, unable to help but sneer inwardly. Beneath this beautiful facade lay a festering wound too ugly to look at. If no one knew his true face, what a pity that would be. I squeezed out some tears, stepped over the candles, walked to his side, and looked down at his eager gaze. After a while, I finally broke through the sticky feeling in my throat and spoke: “Noah, I love you.” He suddenly stood up and pulled me into his arms: “I know.” He knows? This threw me off for a moment. Is he that confident? I suddenly felt like I couldn’t continue acting. Seeing that I didn’t speak, Noah released me, took out the ring from the jewelry box with tears in his eyes, and slipped it onto my index finger: “Aria Reed, I love you more.” Suddenly, a low chuckle came from behind, sounding particularly jarring in this romantic atmosphere. Noah’s expression changed abruptly. In his pitch-black pupils, I saw Lucas’s figure. My heart immediately jumped to my throat. Why did he come? “Lucas, what are you doing here?” Noah pulled me behind him, confronting Lucas warily. Lucas’s relaxed demeanor made it seem like he had just happened to stroll by while walking his dog. He stood with his hands in his pockets, the bangs on his forehead swaying gently in the night breeze, making the fragments of light in his eyes flicker on and off. “Hmm…” As if deliberately, he fixed his gaze on me, dragging out his tone, taking a long time to get to the point, leaving people on edge. “I’m here to propose too.” As soon as these casual words fell, he unhurriedly pulled out a sparkling diamond ring from his pants pocket. Compared to the one Noah had just put on my finger, it was much bigger and more exquisite. “Lucas, have you gone crazy?” Noah shouted, losing control. “Aria Reed, do you dare?” Lucas tilted his head and smiled innocently. I heard the cracking sound of Noah clenching his fists, feeling a rush of pleasure in my heart. But this wasn’t enough. The pain after joy, the loss after gain, that would be truly intense. I took the initiative to hold Noah’s hand: “Let’s go, I don’t know what he’s doing.” Noah held my hand as we left, passing by Lucas. As we did, I gave Lucas a deep look. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but there seemed to be a glimmer of moisture in his eyes. “How long are you going to keep torturing me?” His voice was very soft, but I still heard it. I had been intentionally trying to win over Noah’s mom for a while now. When she found out Noah and I were successfully engaged, she was extremely excited and video called Noah for nearly two hours, urging us to get married quickly. I pretended to be shy: “Didn’t Noah say there’s a headhunter trying to recruit him? Would getting married now interfere with that?”

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The celebrity boyfriend I had been dating for eight years proposed on stage at an awards ceremony. But the person he proposed to wasn’t me – it was my younger sister. My father told me to be gracious about it. I smiled and agreed. As I turned away, I bumped into my ex-boyfriend’s playboy uncle. Our eyes met. The man beneath me had a fierce, terrifying look in his eyes, as if they were saying “Go to hell!” Oh no, how could I explain to him that I had just accidentally bumped into him when I turned around? That I had accidentally kissed him too – it was all just an accident. Camera flashes went off all around us, instantly drawing attention away from the proposal happening on stage. “Had enough of kissing?” The man roughly pushed me off him and wiped the lipstick from his mouth, brushing dust off his expensive suit and irritably adjusting his tie. In the next moment, he smoothed the anger from his features and curled his lips into a smile, a hint of malice glinting in his eyes as he breathed into my ear: “Miss Chen, we’ll have plenty of time together in the future!” The man left without giving me a chance to respond. Um, wait, you’ve got some of my foundation smeared on your face. After he walked away, the awards ceremony erupted into chaos. The normally poised and haughty celebrities all started whispering amongst themselves. Well, the man I had accidentally kissed was a social media sensation, known as Lucas Howard, the young master of the Howard family who could shake up the entire entertainment industry with a stomp of his foot. He was also my boyfriend’s uncle. Oh, I mean ex-boyfriend. We had just broken up the day before. Thinking of this, I looked towards the stage. My ex-boyfriend was still down on one knee, proposing to my younger sister. The two of them were frozen on stage, no one caring about the outcome of this supposedly grand proposal. Everyone was too absorbed in the kiss between Lucas and me. The proposal ended abruptly. Ha, serves them right. My sister, a newly minted top celebrity, shot me a murderous glare. I smiled and waved at her. But karma came for me all too quickly.

In the backstage dressing room, I leaned against the wall with my head down, drawing circles on the floor with my high heels as I faced judgment from the three people opposite me. My father, my younger sister, and my ex-boyfriend. Isabella started sobbing dramatically: “My own sister causing a scandal with my boyfriend’s uncle – how can I ever show my face in public again?” What? Afraid of losing face? You didn’t seem to care about that when you got together with your sister’s ex-boyfriend. I smirked sarcastically, but Isabella caught my expression. She cried even more pitifully: “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t fallen for Aiden, none of this would have happened. But sister, you shouldn’t use this to get revenge. Don’t you know Mr. Howard isn’t someone to be trifled with?” She paused, looking worriedly at our stone-faced father before continuing hesitantly: “If you really offend him, forget everything else – I’m just afraid he might not even spare MJ Entertainment.” I raised my head, about to mock Isabella for making a mountain out of a molehill, when I was met with a slap across the face. The sharp sound echoed through the dressing room. “Dad!” Isabella exclaimed in surprise, but her eyes betrayed a hint of schadenfreude. The left side of my face instantly turned red, and a sharp ringing filled my left ear. Dad pointed at my nose and started cursing: “Sophia, you little brat!” The look in his eyes as he glared at me was filled with bone-deep hatred. It was as if I wasn’t his own daughter, but some mortal enemy who had murdered his entire family. “If Mr. Howard really gets angry, even your death wouldn’t be enough to make up for it!” I rubbed my swollen left cheek and glared right back at him defiantly: “What? Upset that I ruined your plan to sell your daughter for your own gain?” Isabella immediately jumped up: “Sophia, don’t go too far! Aiden and I truly love each other.” Me: “Truly love each other?” Aiden stood in the shadows, a cigarette between his fingers. Half his handsome face was obscured by smoke. As if he couldn’t bear to watch this farce any longer, he frowned and pushed open the door to leave. Isabella immediately chased after him. Dad’s gaze on me grew even fiercer: “Sophia, don’t forget how much your sister suffered for those 18 years! And whose fault was that?” Isabella had been kidnapped from an amusement park when she was three years old. It wasn’t until two years ago that I finally found her. They said it was supposed to be my trip to the amusement park that day. That I had snuck out with her and caused her to get lost. During the years she was missing, everyone looked at me with accusing eyes, including my mom. She even sent me away to live with my grandfather because of it. The excuse was “out of sight, out of mind.” When I was in high school, my grandfather passed away and I was brought back home. But the very next day, Dad told us Isabella would never come back – she was dead. At the same time, Mom died too. Between me and Isabella, she chose to go be with Isabella. I became the wretched daughter who caused her sister to get lost and her mother to commit suicide. The blame for causing my sister’s disappearance clung to me like a curse. Whenever I did anything that went against their wishes, they would invoke that curse, bringing searing pain. I held back the tears stinging my eyes, clenching my fists so tightly that my sharp nails dug into my palms until they were a bloody mess. “I’ve told you before, breaking up with Aiden was the last time. I’ve atoned for my sins.” Aiden pushed open the door, rubbing his brow. His eyes held disgust as he spoke in a condescending tone: “Sophia, you should be grateful you’re Isabella’s sister. Otherwise I wouldn’t bother with you. I’ll smooth things over with my uncle.” Isabella gratefully threw herself into his arms, hugging his waist and burying her face in his chest. “Aiden, thank goodness we have you.” Aiden placed his hand on Isabella’s back, his gaze deep as he spoke gently: “Bella, don’t cry. I’ll take care of everything.” “Sophia, this is the last time. Behave yourself from now on!” He emphasized those last four words especially heavily. My heart turned ice cold. Just three months ago, I never could have imagined that the man who had whispered sweet nothings in my ear and sworn to love me forever would now be telling me to “behave myself.” Drawing on some inner wellspring of pride, I enunciated each word clearly: “Aiden, that won’t be necessary. It’s better if we keep things clear between us.” “Suit yourself!” He tossed out those three words impatiently before immediately taking Isabella’s hand and walking out. Isabella glanced back at me, not bothering to hide the mockery in her eyes. Dad snarled viciously: “Sophia, I don’t care if you have to kneel or die, you must make Mr. Howard calm down within three days.” The dressing room suddenly emptied out. I slid down the wall to the floor, finally feeling the pain from my bloodied palms. As my mind slowly cleared, I remembered one important thing. I had badmouthed Lucas Howard behind his back before, and he had caught me red-handed. Hopefully…maybe…he’d forgotten about it? After all, it had been two years.

On the set of a fantasy drama, Lucas was sprawled in a chair. Even through his sunglasses, I could feel his arrogance. He lifted his sunglasses slightly, revealing a sliver of his eyes as he glanced at me and said sarcastically: “Well, if it isn’t the princess of MJ Entertainment. What brings you to seek out this good-for-nothing playboy who only knows how to mooch off his family?” Great, he hadn’t forgotten. I took a drink from his assistant’s hand and respectfully offered it to Lucas: “Mr. Howard is just being filial, giving up his career to spend more time with his elders.” He took the drink and drawled: “Is that so? I thought I was just an arrogant, unreasonable young master.” I forced a smile: “That just shows Mr. Howard has a unique, determined personality and doesn’t blindly follow others.” He took off his sunglasses and looked me up and down carefully before chuckling: “Miss Chen, your mouth has certainly gotten sweeter than before!” Oh please, you’ve just gotten even more petty and vengeful! Lucas’s gaze made my skin crawl. Beads of sweat broke out on my forehead. Thankfully, a coquettish cry from afar rescued me from the situation. “Mr. Howard!” The female lead of the fantasy drama threw herself into Lucas’s arms like a delicate songbird, clinging to his arm and pouting. “Look at them, making me do all the stunts for such a minor scene. The wire harness really hurts.” Lucas pulled her into his embrace: “That won’t do at all. If my little darling gets hurt, it’ll break my heart.” Help, I’m still here. Can you consider the audience a little? “What should we do then?” Lucas’s eyes fell on me again. “Why don’t we ask Miss Chen to help out?” The actress in Lucas’s arms instantly froze. She had just been casually complaining and hadn’t noticed the princess of MJ Entertainment was here. Although Sophia wasn’t favored by her family, the actress was just a passing fancy in Mr. Howard’s garden. She didn’t want to become collateral damage in the games of these powerful figures. She stammered: “Mr-Mr. Howard, I’ve thought about it and I think I can manage. The wire harness doesn’t hurt that much after all.” Lucas pulled the actress closer: “No, you can’t. Miss Chen, what do you think?” I swallowed hard and forced out: “Fine. I. Can. Do. It.” The next moment I was strapped into the wire harness. As the ropes lifted me up, in no time I was five meters off the ground. Looking down at the people and scenery below that were growing smaller, I gripped the ropes tightly with both hands. My whole body started to go weak and my legs wouldn’t stop shaking. The last time I had looked down from such a height was back in high school, the day my mom died. When she heard the news of my sister’s death, she took me to the amusement park where Isabella had disappeared. She pulled me onto the Ferris wheel with her. When the Ferris wheel reached its highest point, she suddenly undid her safety belt, pushed open the safety barrier, and jumped. The Ferris wheel stopped at the top for half an hour. I stood there at that height, staring down at the bloody, mangled body below for thirty minutes. It was like I was having a mental breakdown. One moment I felt like I was still on the Ferris wheel, the next I thought I had jumped down with my mom and become part of that bloody mess on the ground. From that day on, I never went anywhere high again. As the rope lifted me higher and higher, my heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest. My breathing became more and more rapid. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and let out a piercing scream: “Let me down! I want to get down!” The assistant director, stagehands and others below scrambled to lower me back down. I collapsed on the ground. Lucas walked up to me and looked down at me, his narrow eyes devoid of any emotion. “Giving up already? Miss Chen, you’re not sincere enough!” I struggled to my feet on shaky legs and stumbled away without looking back, trying to leave the terrifying experience behind me. I got into my car. Uncontrollable sobs rose from my throat. I bit down hard on my hand. Damn it, Sophia. Don’t you dare cry. Don’t you dare give up. Don’t you dare show weakness! A Rolls-Royce with a license plate full of 8s drove up from behind. Lucas was in that car. He glanced over through the half-open window. I was so scared I ducked my head under the seat, only realizing a moment later that he couldn’t see inside the car anyway.

It was evening by the time I got home. As soon as I entered the house, I sensed something strange about the atmosphere in the living room. All the maids kept their heads down, deliberately avoiding my gaze. What was going on? Isabella stammered: “Sister, Lucky…Lucky…” Lucky was the little dog my grandfather had left me. I had raised him for fifteen whole years. You could say he was the last family I had left in this world. I shoved Isabella aside and started searching the house for Lucky: “Lucky, sister’s home! Come out, boy!” Isabella’s eyes turned red. Crystal tears hung from her long lashes as she tugged at my sleeve: “Sister, Lucky…Lucky’s gone.” “Aiden and I were taking Lucky for a walk today when he ran off on his own and got hit by a car.” I grabbed Isabella’s shoulders, praying this was just another one of her cruel jokes: “Isabella, what did you say?” She turned away from Aiden and flashed me a vicious smile, speaking in a voice only the two of us could hear: “Lucky wasn’t killed by the first hit. He was still crawling on the ground, whimpering pitifully. It sounded so sad!” I raised my hand and slapped her across the face: “Isabella, you’ll pay for this!” Aiden rushed over and shoved me to the ground: “Sophia, it was just a dog. Why are you overreacting?” Just a dog? Overreacting? This was the only thing my grandfather had left me. On his deathbed, he had held my hand and smiled as he comforted me: “Sophia, don’t worry about me being gone. You’ll still have Lucky to keep you company!” Aiden avoided my gaze as he said: “That dog was already 15 years old. It was time for him to go anyway!” I glared at Aiden, feeling like I was seeing his true face for the first time: “Aiden, you should have died long ago. You’re an accomplice!” He glared back furiously: “Sophia, I’ll let this slide since your dog just died!” Isabella had the maid bring out Lucky’s body. I picked him up. The dog who used to run to my feet and bark happily every time I came home now lay motionless on the cold floor. His once snow-white curly fur was matted with blood. Both his hind legs had been crushed by the car. “Where’s the person who hit him?” Isabella put on an innocent face: “Sister, it wasn’t intentional. The driver even had a 5-year-old child with him! I felt bad, so I let him go.” Lucky’s cries kept echoing in my ears, but the body in my arms was already starting to grow stiff and cold. Lucky was really gone. It felt like my grandfather had left me for a second time. Isabella crouched down, pretending she was going to help me up. But she leaned in close to my ear and imitated Lucky’s whimpering, mocking me: “Sister, you must really want revenge right now, don’t you? But you have nothing. People with nothing don’t deserve revenge!” Isabella laughed gleefully. She had always resented me for causing her disappearance. But she forgot that when she went missing, she was only 3 years old, and I was just 6. I had long since repaid my debt to her. She shouldn’t have…she shouldn’t have taken it out on my Lucky. With bloodshot eyes, I set Lucky’s body down and suddenly lunged at Isabella, wrapping my hands tightly around her throat. Aiden and the maids swarmed over to pull me off her. Ignoring the pain, I clawed chunks of flesh from Isabella’s neck: “Isabella, you murderer! I won’t let you get away with this!” I was dragged back to my room like a madwoman. With a loud bang, the door slammed shut. I was locked in for a day of solitary confinement as punishment. It wasn’t until the next day that I received a phone call – a call that would ensure no one dared stop me from leaving.

I followed the waiter down a long hallway before finally stopping in front of a top VIP private room. As the door opened, I was hit by the stifling smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke. The dark green carpet, the crystal chandelier overhead casting a kaleidoscope of sultry colors. Sitting on the couch opposite were a row of people. Some I recognized, some I didn’t. To the me of the past, these were all Mr. Howard’s friends and lackeys. The karaoke room fell silent. All eyes focused on me as Mr. Howard’s friends exchanged glances, surprised that the princess of MJ Entertainment would come to their playground. Lucas lounged in the center seat, sprawled lazily on the leather couch. The pink lighting cast an otherworldly glow on his face. He glanced at me, exhaling a cloud of white smoke: “You’re here? Have a seat.” I carefully made my way through the crowd to his side. The pretty redhead sitting next to Lucas glared at me fiercely before reluctantly moving aside. Strangely, even though Lucas had called me here, he acted like I didn’t exist, not saying a word to me for a full half hour. The people in the room chain-smoked as if they’d been granted immunity from lung cancer. I felt nauseous from the smoke and slipped away to the bathroom when no one was looking. I splashed some cold water on my face. The mirror reflected back a pale, exhausted version of myself. This past year had been like a nightmare. Ever since Isabella was found, Aiden, who had always stood by my side, had inexplicably moved to her side instead. Now Lucky was dead too. Isabella said people with nothing had no right to revenge. Well then, I would go find my ally, my support! I pushed open the door and re-entered the private room, sitting down next to Lucas. I leaned in close to his ear: “Mr. Howard, want to date?” Lucas suddenly lowered his head, pressing his forehead against mine: “Why?” I didn’t back away, meeting his upturned smile: “He cheated on me, with my sister. I want revenge. I want to make that scumbag call me ‘auntie’.” He abruptly pulled back, lighting another cigarette and holding it between his lips: “That won’t do. Aiden is my dear nephew after all!” Ha, dear nephew my ass. The two had been at odds since childhood. Lucas’s mother was the new young wife Mr. Howard Sr. had married, while William was born to the original wife who had passed away early. William’s wife was childless. To continue the family line, he had brought home Aiden and Aiden’s mother, who was William’s mistress. Lucas’s mother naturally sided with William’s wife. Aiden and his mother secretly cursed Lucas’s mother for being a homewrecker and mocked her for shamelessly marrying an old man. Lucas overheard and told Mr. Howard Sr., who sent away Aiden’s mother that very night. The two became mortal enemies after that. “Unless Miss Chen can finish this whole bottle of alcohol. Then we might have something to discuss.” Lucas placed an entire bottle of liquor from the black marble table in front of me. I had no idea how Lucas always managed to find my weaknesses. I was afraid of heights, so he made me do the wire stunt. I was allergic to alcohol, so he was forcing me to drink. We really were like mortal enemies. But when I thought of Lucky’s cold, lifeless body, everything else seemed bearable in comparison. I took a deep breath, grabbed the bottle and chugged the entire thing in one go. The people around us were stunned, breaking into cheers and applause. As the last drops slid down my throat, I clutched Lucas’s collar: “Quick, take me to the hospital. I’m…I’m allergic to alcohol.” Lucas’s expression changed instantly, his nonchalant gaze turning panicked: “Shit, are you crazy?” He scooped me up in his arms and ran to the car. The driver immediately sped off towards the hospital. Seeing his furrowed brow, I knew this bastard must be cursing me in his head. At the hospital, the elderly doctor quickly hooked me up to an IV drip. He sternly warned Lucas: “Young man, how could you be so careless? You didn’t even know your girlfriend was allergic to alcohol? Pay more attention!” He didn’t contradict the doctor, just brushing it off with a few vague words. To my surprise, he didn’t leave. Instead, he sat next to me as I got the IV drip. In the empty hallway, it was just the two of us. I coughed lightly to get his attention: “Mr. Howard, let’s forget what I said earlier. An uncle getting together with his nephew’s ex-girlfriend would surely anger Mr. Howard Sr. We should call it off.” This was a risky move. Lucas was famously carefree and unpredictable. But there was one thing that had remained constant for decades – his opposition to his father, Mr. Howard Sr. I had once heard Aiden mention a rumor in the Howard family. Lucas had always believed his older brother – Aiden’s father – was responsible for the death of Lucas’s mother. But Mr. Howard Sr. had covered up his eldest son’s crime. That’s why Lucas despised Mr. Howard Sr. He opposed everything his father supported and liked everything his father hated. Mr. Howard Sr. cared about face and propriety above all else. What could make him angrier than his son getting together with his nephew’s ex-girlfriend? For the first time, I felt like Lucas was really looking at me. He smiled, revealing his canine teeth in a rare moment of brightness: “Miss Chen, I’m starting to like you a little!” I held out my hand: “Well then, Mr. Howard, shall we work together?” “Let’s work together!” He finally reached out and shook my hand. “But Sophia, don’t drink again next time. You look too ugly.” The smile froze on my swollen face. Lucas really had no filter. Talking like that was just asking to get punched. “Okay, sure!”

Isabella was like a wild dog that could track human scents, constantly finding ways to harass me. “Sister, it’s been three days. What did Mr. Howard say? Should I have Aiden put in a good word for you?” I shot her a glare and walked into the house without responding. This action angered our father again. Actually, in many ways he didn’t fulfill any fatherly responsibilities. To me, he was just a man named Frank Chen. He barked harshly: “You insolent girl! Don’t you have any manners? Your sister is talking to you!” He raised his hand again, but this time another hand stopped him. It was Lucas. “Mr. Chen!” Lucas tossed the black bag he was holding into my arms. “Sophia, your bag.” Frank’s eyes widened in shock: “Mr-Mr. Howard!” Lucas put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close: “Mr. Chen, you’re not that old. Why the stutter? Oh right, guilty conscience. You know our Sophia was old Mr. Jin’s most beloved granddaughter. Aren’t you afraid his ghost will come back for revenge?” From my angle, I could only see his chiseled jawline. I couldn’t read his expression to guess why he was standing up for me. But this was the first time anyone had ever shielded me and spoken up on my behalf. Frank said: “Mr. Howard must be joking!” Lucas raised an eyebrow, not bothering to hide the arrogance and malice in his demeanor: “I’m not joking with you. Is a son-in-law who married into the family worth joking about?” Frank’s expression turned extremely ugly. His status as a son-in-law who had married into the family was a humiliation he had always wanted to wash away. He never expected Lucas to bring it up again. But revenge is a dish best served cold. One day Lucas would fall into his hands. He quickly smoothed the expression from his face, carefully putting on a fawning tone: “Yes, yes, sometimes I can be a bit harsh as a father.” Lucas squeezed my shoulder, feigning intimacy: “Mr. Chen, even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner!” Me: ? While I appreciated him standing up for me, couldn’t he have used a different phrase? Frank kept smiling and nodding along. Lucas seemed satisfied as he led me towards the door with his arm around me. Suddenly he turned back, his gaze falling on Isabella who was hiding in the corner: “Sophia, what was your sister’s name again? Isabella something?” Isabella hurriedly ran out: “Isabella Chen. I’m Isabella Chen.” “You seem to lack manners. Don’t you know how to address people properly? Didn’t Aiden tell you who I am?” Isabella bowed repeatedly in panic: “Have a good day, Uncle. Have a good day, Uncle.” Lucas pointed at me: “You’re not going to call her Aunt?” Isabella shot me a vicious glare. Lucas: “Are you glaring at your elder?” “No, no.” Isabella froze in a half-bow, her voice barely above a whisper. “Have a good day…Aunt.” “Your voice is too quiet. I’ll let it slide this time, but next time you see your elders, learn to address them properly!” Lucas said with slight displeasure, deliberately emphasizing the word “elders.” “Okay, okay, I’ll remember!” Other than the day Isabella was brought back, this was the first time I had seen her so flustered. I have to say, it felt pretty good to have someone powerful on my side. I was even starting to like Lucas a little. His sharp tongue was reliably devastating to everyone. Once we got in the car, Lucas withdrew his arm and told the driver in front: “Back to the old mansion!” My heart skipped a beat. Although I knew working with Lucas would inevitably mean facing Mr. Howard Sr., I hadn’t expected that day to come so soon. “Miss Chen, isn’t it time for you to help me out?” The Howard family’s old mansion was in the suburbs of a neighboring province. Mr. Howard Sr. was getting on in years, and a fortune teller had said that location had good energy that would help him live to a ripe old age.

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After the video in which the imposter daughter, Evelyn Anderson, framed me was exposed, my parents and my fiancé, Jonas Hawkins, stood up for me and gave me love and support. With an assured mind, I handed over the evidence to them, authorizing them to manage the matter in its entirety without any reservation on my part. They told me that Evelyn had met with a fatal car accident all of a sudden right when she was being driven out of the house. And I, without a shadow of a doubt, bought the story. It wasn’t until the fifth year of my marriage that I accidentally caught sight of her, who was presumed to have perished in that car accident. She was holding a little boy in her arms while tightly clutching Jonas’ hand, saying, “Jonas, if it weren’t for my parents and you, I’m afraid I would really have been tossed in jail by that ruthless woman, Renata. Lucky for me, Mom and Dad got rid of the evidence, and they even set up a jewelry studio for me. To keep her from getting suspicious, you even sacrificed your own marriage. I really appreciate you for what you’ve done for the past five years.” With a tender gaze fixed on the little boy, Jonas softly murmured, “Just think of it as me making up for Renata’s mistakes for you. As long as you and the little one are doing okay, I can set my mind at ease.” It turned out that the family I once thought was filled with happiness was, in fact, merely an elaborate hoax jointly fabricated by my parents and Jonas. My parents, my husband, and Evelyn were the real happy family, leaving me out completely. And I was nothing more than a fool who had been deceived for five years. Be it family love or romantic love, if it was not the one and only, true kind of love that I was longing for, then I would rather let them go.

At the hospital, with his eyes filled with tenderness, Jonas took the little boy by the hand and said softly, “All these years, you’ve been living a life way more decent and easygoing than that so-called real daughter, Renata. But you gotta be careful. Don’t let her catch on.” Evelyn snuggled coyly into his embrace, murmuring with a delicate giggle, “Jonas, if it weren’t for you, I’m afraid I would really have been tossed in jail by that ruthless woman, Renata.” Jonas knitted his brows a bit, yet he didn’t shove her aside. Merely, he swiveled his head to the little lad next to him. Then he reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair and spoke up, “Forget about this. It’s all that matters that Finn is alright. In a couple of days, it’ll be his birthday party. Mark, Tess, and I will be there on time, using the excuse of coming to pay our respects to you.” Finn Hawkins had no clue what the grown-ups were chatting about. All he did was fling himself into Jonas’ arms, whining and cuddling up to him. The sweet and harmonious vibe of the family attracted numerous envious looks from passersby, including me. I was on the verge of a breakdown. Leaning helplessly against the wall at the corner, my body gradually slid down until I finally collapsed on the ground, drained of all my strength. Evelyn was never driven out of the family home, or punished, nor did she die in a car accident. In the past five years, she had been living it up, far more content and triumphant than I, the actual victim. To add insult to injury, she even bore my husband’s child. My biological parents, my husband, and every single person close to me had all been toying with my life, all because of her. The happiness I had always believed in turned out to be nothing more than a colossal deception. Consumed by a sense of utter despair, I dropped to the floor, limp and defeated. Before I knew it, I picked up the ringing cell phone. The voice of my mom, Tess Miller, came from the other end of the phone, and she said, “Renata, I heard from Bree that you went to the hospital today. You haven’t had a break in days. Hurry back and get some rest. You look awful, and it makes me worried.” Just like on ordinary days, her tone was brimming with gentleness and concern. But now that I had learned the truth, every word from her made me feel as if I was plunging into an icy abyss, and a chill ran down my spine. She didn’t actually care about my feelings. All she was worried about was that I might run into Evelyn and uncover the truth. I uttered a few words in response, letting her know that I was at the Children’s Disease Exchange Conference on the first floor. Just as I expected, she was seized with sudden panic. She quickly urged me not to move around and instructed Jonas to come to me without delay. Five minutes later, he showed up, gasping for air. His voice was laced with urgency and, far from sounding concerned, it carried an undertone of reproach as he blurted out, “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? You’ve been doing surgeries these days. It’s wearing you out. Look at you. You don’t look so good today. Don’t hang around the hospital anymore. Let me take you home and get some rest.” His eyes flitted about, and his countenance betrayed a rather conspicuous air of guilt. He grilled me and said, “There are quite a lot of acquaintances here, right? Have you bumped into any of your old classmates or friends?” I tightened my grip until my fingernails cut into my palms, the sharp pain bolstering me to muster a smile and say, “No. I just miss you. Let’s go home. Mom said she cooked up the mushroom soup.” As he heard my denial, the deep frown on his forehead instantly smoothed out. Along the way, he talked and laughed with me. His gestures were thoughtful, and his tone was tender, making it seem as if the moment when I had witnessed him cheating just now was merely an illusion. However, not a shred of love could I perceive in his eyes any longer. The seemingly perfect love I had once believed in turned out to be nothing but his means of atoning. Just how deeply must he have loved that family to be willing to stake his marriage on it?

Jonas worded it with great delicacy. “Babe, I’ve been talking with your parents these days. It’s gonna be Evelyn’s Memorial Day in a couple of days. We wanna go and pay our respects. I know she did you wrong before, but she’s gone now. Mark and Tess raised her for so many years, and she and I grew up together, you know. We’re worried that it might upset you. So we thought it’d be better if just the three of us go. You…” I interrupted, “Go ahead. I’m not going.” Upon catching sight of my surprisingly accommodating manner, he couldn’t hold back the smile on his face. He inched closer and murmured affectionately, “I just knew you were the most understanding person. You just stay home and have a rest, okay?” Without betraying a single emotion, I deftly evaded his attempt to placate me with a kiss and tossed out a perfunctory response, “We’re outside. Let’s head home now.” I averted my face, pretending to be shy. However, in my tightly clenched palm, I had pinched myself so forcefully that the skin was already a blurred mess of blood. It hurt so much… My hand was in pain, and so was my heart. Upon arriving home, I nonchalantly fabricated an excuse to get rid of Jonas before slipping into his study. My trust, given without reservation, has led him to have no defenses against me. The moment I clicked, the computer screen sprang to life, revealing a photograph of Jonas, Evelyn, and Finn, a perfect family of three. The sight of it was like a stab to my eyes, making them ache with a bitterness that seeped into my bones. The computer was password-protected. I cast my eyes downward and tapped out several numbers on the keyboard. Just as I had expected, it was the birthday of Finn. Inside the photo album were page after page of photos, all showing the family beaming with joy as they faced the camera. Jonas had even recorded every single detail of this small family meticulously. The one-month-old celebration that he and Evelyn hosted, the parents’ meetings they attended together, and countless photos of their family activities were displayed on the screen. The more I scrolled downwards, the weaker my legs felt, as if they could no longer bear my weight and were on the verge of giving way. My lips trembled uncontrollably. Shock and grief engulfed me, leaving me gasping for air. It was not merely on account of Jonas. Rather, it was also due to the other two principal figures in these pictures, my parents. Everyone had been trifling with my life and emotions just to keep Evelyn out of harm. All of a sudden, it dawned on me that each time Jonas was interviewed, he would invariably wrap up the session by saying, “I love my family.” I had mistaken it for his reserved yet genuine affection for me. Looking back now, I just found myself ridiculously wrong. The recipients of those words were never limited to me alone. Evelyn and Finn were also part of it. It turned out that this love was never one of a kind. I forced a wry smile, feeling that my heart, which was already broken into pieces, could no longer hold on. I practically stumbled my way out of the study. A slight vibration came from my phone. In the split second when I caught sight of the message, I jerked to a halt. It was from Evelyn. Evelyn: [Hey, you saw it today, right? The happy scene of our family. Jonas and your parents shelled out the cash and put in the effort to set me up with a jewelry design studio. And now I’m living it up, all comfortable and fancy. Renata, what’s the big deal that you’re the biological kid? So what if I nearly screwed you over? Anyway, you’re the one nobody loves. Tomorrow morning’s the anniversary celebration of my studio. Wanna come and see for yourself just how happy Jonas and I are?] Right at this very moment, I heard Jonas’ voice coming from behind. He said, “Renata, I have to go on a business trip tomorrow. Go to bed early and don’t stay up waiting for me.” I didn’t show up at the studio. And I simply ignored Evelyn’s sly little digs. Instead, I bribed the servants in her house. Since they were all out today, I seized the opportunity, dressed up as a newly recruited cleaner, and managed to slip into the villa where she was currently living. This was the cream of the crop among the luxury housing developments under Hawkins Group. Every inch of it screamed opulence. In the very center of the living room, a gigantic family photo was blatantly on display. There was Jonas, Evelyn, Finn, and, unbelievably, my parents, all standing in a neat row, gazing straight at the camera with beaming, blissful smiles. I barely had time to rest my eyes on it for a moment before the maid Georgia grabbed me and yanked me away. She stated. “This is the calligraphy piece Finn’s grandpa Mr. Mark Anderson himself penned when Mr. Finn Hawkins was born. And that thing over yonder, I know it looks a bit all over the place, but it was Mr. Mark Anderson, holding Mr. Finn Hawkins’ hand, patiently guiding him to write each stroke. You be extra careful when you wipe them, got it? Mr. Mark Anderson just adores these. Every single time he drops by, he’ll gaze at this for ages. Keeps going on and on about how talented Mr. Finn Hawkins is.”

Tears welled up in my eyes uncontrollably. I quietly turned my head away, not wanting anyone to notice. My dad Mark was a celebrated calligrapher. Since being reunited with the family and officially recognized as his daughter, there were times when I, in private, pleaded with him for one of his calligraphic works or paintings. But he would always turn me down with a smile, saying gently, “I haven’t written for ages. I’m all out of practice. Just forget it.” It dawned on me that it wasn’t that his skills had grown rusty. The truth was, he just wasn’t willing to create anything for me. Georgia went on. “And these sweaters, make sure you wash them in cold water. Mrs. Tess Anderson knitted every single stitch for Mr. Finn Hawkins with so much care. I heard that even her own daughter didn’t get treated like this.” I chose to remain silent and didn’t pick up on that conversation. Presumably, the bitterness inside me was so overwhelming that I had lost the ability to speak. I felt like a thief, greedily longing for the affection that slipped out from Georgia’s idle chitchat, secretly peeking at the happiness that belongs to others. Actually, Evelyn was right. I was the one who was unloved. Georgia kept on speaking, “And these photos here, they’re all of Mr. Hawkins and his family at various times. He checks them out a lot. You gotta wipe them clean real carefully, frames and all, you know.” My gaze flitted across each and every one of those photos. In every single phase of their lives, Jonas had always been there, never once missing out on the important moments. As for me, I had nothing to show for our relationship but a solitary wedding photo. It was a stark contrast to their collection of memories. When I had tentatively brought up the subject of our lack of photos together, he had merely brushed it off with the excuse that he wasn’t fond of taking pictures. A pang of bitterness welled up inside me. I bowed my head and tugged my mask up more forcefully, desperately trying to hide the tears that had already welled up and dampened my face. Before I could even pull myself together, a sound came from the doorway. Georgia looked at me and said, “Looks like they are back from the amusement park. I’d better hurry over to the kitchen and check how it goes. Alright, pick up your stuff and go get busy.” In the foyer, Finn was snuggled up in Jonas’ arms. Whatever it was that he had murmured, it had both Jonas and Evelyn doubling over with laughter. Then the nanny took Finn away to change his clothes. Hiding in the shadow of the pillars, I listened intently to the conversation between them. Evelyn uttered, “Jonas, I know that Finn’s arrival was an accident. Back then, I just couldn’t hold myself back, and, well, we had him. And you’ve been so good to us, taking care of us and staying by our side all these years. But now, he’s growing up, and I don’t want him to always have to hide like this.” Jonas wavered for quite a while. In the end, he reached out, took her hand, and gently drew her into his embrace, murmuring soothingly, “No, he won’t. Just don’t go and make a fuss in front of Renata, okay? As for the rest, I’ll sort it out. Just relax and take Finn to his birthday party. We have already cooked up some excuses. Renata won’t find out.” I was shocked in a flash. In the past, Jonas had always been harsh and stern with Evelyn. Back then, he swore his love for me with unwavering determination. When it came to Evelyn’s underhanded act of drugging him, he was full of contempt, and he saw her with intense loathing, warning her harshly not to meddle in our relationship ever again and that he didn’t want to lay eyes on her anymore. I actually believed him and opted to forgive him, pretending to be oblivious. Never did I expect that it was all nothing but deceitful lies. I couldn’t stomach staying there a moment longer. Gripping the voice recorder and mini camera in my grasp, I spun on my heel and made my way to the backyard, intending to get out of there as quickly as possible. Little did I expect that, upon emerging, I would bump into Jonas. The moment my eyes met this familiar face, a throbbing pain, dull yet intense, coursed through me, yanking at my very core and nearly causing my knees to buckle. I instinctively grabbed onto the railing at my back to steady myself, then lowered my head in a show of respect, holding my breath as I waited for him to walk past. However, after just a couple of steps, he suddenly wheeled around and came back. His eyes fixed on me, burning with scrutiny as he asked, “Are you new here? I don’t recall seeing you. Why are you wearing a mask?”

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The day after I died, my sister’s wedding went on as planned. She wore a wedding dress and married my boyfriend. My mom called several times but no one answered. She angrily cursed me as an ungrateful brat. My brother sent a message scolding me: “Are you really that petty, holding onto something from two years ago?” My usually quiet dad said coldly: “Tell her if she doesn’t come home today, we’ll act like we never had this daughter.” They didn’t really want me to come home. They just didn’t want my sister’s wedding to be imperfect without my blessings. But I was already dead. From a very young age, I knew I wasn’t liked in this family. When Mom went on a business trip, she brought back two new toys and gave them to Ryan and Emma. As she was about to leave, I stopped her and gently reminded her: “Mom, what about me?” “You want one too?” Mom frowned impatiently, “They’re expensive. I didn’t bring enough money. I didn’t count you.” I was only five years old then, but I already had a vague sense of other people’s emotions. Especially when that person was my own mother. And now. At my sister’s wedding venue, after exchanging pleasantries with some relatives, Mom walked to a corner, turned her back, and kept dialing my number over and over again. No one ever answered. On the third try, the call was directly rejected. She looked like someone had grabbed her throat, her eyes widening in disbelief: “Lily, I’m your mother!” Ryan came over and patted her back reassuringly: “Mom, don’t be angry. Lily’s not worth it. You know what she’s like.” Mom’s irritation and frustration finally found an outlet with her beloved youngest son. “Of all three of you kids, I put the most effort into Lily. When she was born, it was supposed to be boy-girl twins. Even the doctor said she stole her brother’s nutrients to survive…” This sentence, from childhood to adulthood, I had heard her repeat countless times. In the end, it would usually result in me being punished and locked in my room, watching them – a family of four – go out to relax. “Mom, don’t be upset. Don’t worry, I’ll drag her back here today even if I have to tie her up,” Ryan said, comforting Mom. He then turned and sent me several messages on SnapChat. “Lily, you’d better show up within an hour.” “How can you be so selfish? You know Mom has a weak heart, yet you still want to upset her.” “Is a man really worth holding a grudge over until today? Besides, isn’t Emma still your sister?” After sending this message, his fingers paused over the keyboard. A few seconds later, he put away his phone and turned to help greet the guests. Yeah, even he didn’t believe it himself. Emma was his good sister, Mom and Dad’s good daughter. How could she be my sister?

I floated upstairs and saw Emma sitting in the makeup room. The makeup artist was touching up her slightly smudged eye makeup. She clutched Dad’s hand, her eyes misty with tears: “Dad, is Lily really not coming? She’s my sister. On my most important day, I really hoped to have her blessing.” Dad, who had always been stern and cold towards me, patted her shoulder and said softly: “She will. I’ve asked Ryan to contact her. We won’t let you have any regrets.” He found Ryan in the hallway and said coldly: “Tell Lily if she doesn’t come today, we’ll act like we never had this daughter.” “Dad, she’s not even replying to my messages. She won’t even answer Mom’s calls,” Ryan said through gritted teeth. “I knew it. Someone like her is born heartless. She agreed to come at first just to give us hope, wanting to ruin Emma’s most important day.” Today was Emma’s most important day. She was about to walk down the aisle in her wedding dress to marry James, the man she had been dating for two years. Two years ago, when I brought James home, Emma fell in love with him at first sight. I still remember how her eyes lit up when she saw James. That night, she made an excuse to ask me out for a walk. She bought me a bubble tea and swayed her arm linked with mine: “Lily, I really like guys like James. You’re so amazing, you can definitely find someone even better. How about letting James be with me?” I refused. But not long after I returned to school, James broke up with me. I kept asking for a reason, and he probably got annoyed with me. He shook off my hand roughly. I fell to the ground, my palms scraped raw by the rough surface, stinging with pain. But he was indifferent, only looking at me with disgust. “Still trying to hide it from me? Even your family couldn’t stand it anymore and told me.” On a morning when Mom suddenly called me out to go grocery shopping with her. My brother, Ryan, pulled James aside and told him some “truths” about me. Bad character, stealing money from home, bullying classmates. Promiscuous, had an abortion in college. In the end, righteous Ryan sighed: “Lily is my sister, and I really want to side with her, but… I can’t just watch you fall into a fire pit.” My scraped palm was still stinging. I sat on the ground, looking up at James, listening to him recount what he had been told. As the last word fell, I suddenly laughed. He frowned: “Do you still want to explain something?” I shook my head and said with a smile: “They’re right about everything.” James didn’t have very deep feelings for me to begin with, let alone when the ones telling him how bad I was were my own family. My dearest, most beloved family. When I was alive, none of them cared about me. Of course, no one knew about my death either.

As we were talking, James arrived. Wearing a suit, he had styled his hair, making him look even more handsome. He kissed Emma’s cheek and asked softly: “Lily still hasn’t arrived?” Emma nodded, tears in her eyes. “Forget about her,” James’ face darkened. “Someone like that would only dirty our wedding if she came. Emma, you’re the bride today. Don’t cry over someone who doesn’t deserve it.” Emma took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck, looking up with a sad expression: “No matter what, Lily is still my sister.” Her expression seemed genuinely sincere. Just like three years ago, as an outstanding graduate, the school had proposed that my parents attend the graduation ceremony to say a few words on stage, which would also be convenient for the school’s promotional photos. I carefully chose my words and called home, timidly making the request. Mom agreed. But on the morning of the ceremony, she called to tell me she and Dad couldn’t make it. “Emma is sick. We’re not comfortable leaving her alone at home.” In the video call, Emma, with a slightly pale face, looked at me apologetically: “I’m sorry, Lily. I’m not feeling well… You’ve always been so independent. I’m sure you can handle things well even if Mom and Dad don’t go.” “Lily, congratulations on your graduation.” Congratulations on my graduation. How could I be happy? On the day of my graduation ceremony, I apologized to the teachers, to the college, to the staff in the activities department. As I passed by a camera, I happened to overhear someone complaining: “We’ve rehearsed the whole process, and now we have to redo everything. What a waste. And she’s supposed to be an outstanding graduate.” At the end of the ceremony, I took out my phone and saw that Emma had posted on Instagram. “It’s just a small cold, but Mom and Dad are taking such good care of me. Little happiness in life~” The photo showed the three of them together. The background was Emma’s bedroom. They hadn’t even gone to the hospital. What a severe illness indeed.

Soft piano music played in the banquet hall. Emma, wearing a long mermaid wedding dress, walked towards James holding a large bouquet of white roses. After Mom and Dad gave their speeches, it was Ryan’s turn. Standing on the stage, he jokingly waved his fist at James: “I only have one sister, and she’s the treasure of our whole family. If you dare to mistreat her, the whole family won’t let you off.” James gazed at Emma’s face, his tone deeply affectionate: “I wouldn’t dare.” Applause erupted from below. The stage was a picture of warmth. My soul stood on the flower arrangement at the edge of the stage, watching them woodenly. I thought I would feel heartbroken. But perhaps I had already experienced all the pain of a lifetime before I died. I only coldly observed all this, my heart empty and hollow, as if a wind was blowing through it. At one table, people were whispering: “Hey, I remember the Williams family has three children. Why did Ryan say he only has one sister?” “It’s because of their second daughter, Lily. Tsk, what’s the use of good grades? The most important thing in life is character…” Thanks to my parents. My bad reputation had spread far and wide among relatives on both sides. Actually, when I was young, there was an aunt who was quite nice to me. When she came to visit during New Year, she gave me a plush dolphin toy. Only I got one, neither Ryan nor Emma did. Ryan was used to getting his way. He asked me to let him play with it. When I refused, he directly cut the dolphin to pieces with scissors. Not long after, the aunt returned to pick up a scarf she had forgotten. She happened to see the pieces scattered on the floor. To protect the reputation of her beloved youngest son, Mom told the aunt: “Lily didn’t like the toy. She insisted on cutting it up with scissors, saying she didn’t want to see it.” The aunt’s expression changed immediately. After that, whenever she came to visit, she would skip me even when giving out red envelopes. After this incident, Mom probably felt a bit guilty and was nice to me for a while. But that soon faded away. In our family, Mom and Dad’s favoritism had a clear division of labor. The year Emma was born, Dad’s business had a big breakthrough. He believed Emma brought good luck, so he doted on her the most. As for Mom, she loved Ryan the most because he was the son she had longed for after having three children. As for me. I was born chubby and healthy, but my twin brother didn’t even survive 24 hours. They all thought I was unlucky. When I was young, I could never understand. Why was it that whatever Ryan and Emma wanted to eat, it would appear on the dining table the next day? But even though I was allergic to seafood, just because Emma said she wanted to eat crab on my birthday, Dad set the venue at a seafood restaurant. When I was twelve, there was an earthquake in the neighboring county. The whole family was taking an afternoon nap at home. Mom and Dad, without a second thought, each grabbed Ryan and Emma. I stumbled down the stairs, watching the shaking ceiling, crying my heart out. But no one came to save me. It was like this when I was twelve. It was the same when that driver grabbed me by the throat and dragged me into a desolate mountain forest.

In the afternoon, the wedding came to a perfect end. After seeing off the guests, Dad immediately darkened his face and told Mom to keep calling me. Emma’s eyes were red, the few rhinestones at the corner of her eyes reflecting tears. She held Dad’s hand, her tone understanding: “Let it go, Dad.” “Lily is still a child, maybe she’s just throwing a tantrum. I’m her sister after all, I shouldn’t hold it against her.” Sure enough, a trace of pity flashed in Dad’s eyes. Ryan said dissatisfied: “Sis, you’re thinking too highly of her. You treat her like a sister, but has she ever treated you like one?” Emma bit her lip, looking like she was about to cry. I stood beside them, looking at her, feeling nothing but irony. Emma was always like this. The family’s favoritism towards her was already so obvious it couldn’t be more clear, but she still felt it wasn’t enough. I knew it was because she hated me. Actually, at the very beginning, although Mom didn’t like me, she wasn’t that bad to me. On my birthday, she would bring back a cake to celebrate with me. But just as she lit the candles and I was about to make a wish, Emma suddenly cried. She wiped away her tears and smiled bravely: “It’s nothing, I just suddenly remembered that there should have been two people celebrating their birthday today.” With one sentence, Mom’s expression changed. She looked at me with a coldness I was very familiar with. She roughly pulled out the candles: “Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eating! Lily, do you know your brother died because of you? Do you have any heart?” I was scared, staring at her blankly. Mom got even angrier and directly swept the cake into the trash. After she went into the bedroom, I looked at Emma with tears in my eyes. With no one else around, she finally revealed her true emotions to me. Ten-year-old Emma, still wearing a gentle smile, spoke words as sharp as a poisoned knife. “Lily, why were you born?” She brushed her warm fingertips across my face, then suddenly pinched hard, “Originally, Mom and Dad only loved me. Now you’ve taken away their love. You should have died with your brother.” I never understood why she hated me so much. Yet after Ryan was born, she was so good to him. The year I took the college entrance exam, Ryan was about to start his last year of middle school. It was a crucial year, but Dad’s business was too busy for him to get away, and Mom was also at a critical point for a promotion. Mom demanded that I apply to a local university so I could conveniently take care of Ryan on weekdays. I didn’t agree. She looked at me with cold eyes: “Lily, don’t you know the situation at home? How can you be so inconsiderate?” After I left for college. Twenty-two-year-old Emma suddenly wanted to learn piano. Mom had someone throw away my bed and wardrobe, packing my clothes into the storage room. My bedroom became Emma’s piano room. She posted a video on Instagram of her sitting at the expensive new piano. Sunlight poured in. And she smiled serenely. I called home. Mom was still angry that I didn’t listen to her, her voice very cold: “Anyway, you’ve grown wings now and won’t listen to anything I say. You don’t plan to come back to this home, so what’s the use of keeping your room?” Emma took the phone: “Lily, don’t make Mom angry, okay? When you come home, you can sleep in my room. The family won’t leave you without a place to stay.” Even though she tried her best to hide it, there was still a hint of glee in her voice. I had only been gone for a month, and she was already eager to drive me out of this home. And Mom chose to acquiesce and indulge her.

In the afternoon, Emma went back to her new home with James. As for me, I followed behind Mom, Dad, and Ryan. Ryan was driving, with Mom and Dad in the back seat. The empty front passenger seat had always been reserved for Emma. I sat there, listening to them discussing my wrongdoings one after another. “She hates me so much, hates this family so much that she won’t even come back for her sister’s wedding.” Mom leaned tiredly on Dad’s shoulder, “I feel like I’ve really failed in my parenting.” Dad patted her comfortingly: “An ungrateful brat not worth raising, don’t waste your energy on her.” I turned my head, carefully observing their expressions. Trying to find even a trace of concern. But there was none. My sudden disappearance only made them feel annoyed and hateful. Not one person, for even a second, suspected. That maybe, something had happened to me. Even though I was just a soul, I could still cry. I cried and laughed at the same time, asking: “Mom, did you really, really ever love me?” “If you hate me so much, why did you give birth to me?” I had asked the same question a long time ago. It was when I was in my last year of middle school, a very stressful year for studying. Dad was out of town negotiating business, Ryan was still young, and Emma had just started her freshman year of college. Mom got kidney stones, and I was the one running between school and hospital every day to take care of her, losing a lot of weight. Mom seemed to be touched. That month, she gave me more pocket money than Ryan. When we met neighbors, she praised me several times, saying I was sensible and filial. When I was bullied by classmates, she even went to school to stand up for me. It seemed like everything was developing in a good direction. Until that afternoon, as we were crossing the street together, she somehow linked her arm with mine. This kind of mother-daughter intimacy was so foreign to me. I almost instinctively shook off her hand, causing her to stumble back two steps. It was just at dusk. The green light turned red. A car whooshed past us. Mom’s eyes slowly changed as she looked at me. It was a coldness I was very familiar with. She said flatly, with a straight face: “Sure enough, an ungrateful brat that can’t be raised well.” That night, I was almost consumed by regret and bewildered helplessness. I used a compass to poke several holes in my arm. Even the pain couldn’t alleviate the despair and anxiety rampaging in my heart. Finally, I walked into Mom’s room and asked her: “Mom, if you don’t love me, why did you give birth to me?” Mom closed her eyes and said nothing. But I knew she wasn’t asleep. She wouldn’t deign to answer me when I was alive. Now that I’m dead, she can’t hear me, let alone respond.

After dinner, Ryan called my phone again. This time, surprisingly, it was answered. His pent-up anger finally found an outlet: “Lily!! Are you an animal? You don’t come home for your sister’s wedding, making Mom and Dad sad. Do you think you’re so great? Is it fun to play us like this?” A moment of silence. A hoarse male voice came from the other end of the phone. “I’m her boyfriend.” “She says your whole family is quite disgusting, and she won’t come back to see you.” “Don’t call again.” The call ended. Ryan stared in disbelief, and after a moment, he suddenly kicked over a chair in a rage and cursed. But I was already stiff all over, having lost all my strength. The moment that voice sounded, I was forcibly dragged back into that memory. Before I died, I missed the last high-speed train due to overtime work. I had to take a taxi to the bus station. The driver was a young man with a pale face and a somewhat gloomy look. He seemed a bit familiar, but my brain was so exhausted that I just hugged my things and rested against the car window. At first, everything was normal. He chatted with me casually like all drivers do. At this time, Emma suddenly called. As the bride-to-be, even on the eve of her wedding, she didn’t forget to stimulate me one last time. “Lily, I’m marrying James tomorrow. I’m really a bit too excited to sleep.” She said softly, “Thank you for bringing him home.” I pressed my lips together, my voice filled with suppressed anger: “Emma, how many more times do you want to play these disgusting games, use these dirty tactics before you get tired of it?” She seemed completely oblivious. Her tone became even more light and sweet. “So it’s settled then, you must come to the wedding tomorrow, okay?” I hung up the phone, unable to help my rapid breathing, my chest heaving violently. The driver suddenly spoke: “Had a fight with your family?” I frowned and looked up, only to realize that the car had somehow been driven to a desolate wild area. My heart suddenly started racing. I forced myself to calm down and asked him: “How much do you want?” But he didn’t want money. Consecutive overtime had left me extremely tired, my limbs weak. I couldn’t escape the strength of a young man. He covered my mouth and dragged me into a small grove. The night wind was still, the moonlight falling gently. He tightly gripped my throat with one hand while slapping me hard with the other. He said, you bitch, don’t you regret leaving me now? Who do you and that rich guy think you are to look down on me? Beg for mercy, bark like a dog, and I’ll let you go. But I didn’t even know him. Who are you? Who are you? His hand suddenly loosened from my throat. He began to gently caress my face. He said, I’m your man. I always felt that he wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. But I just couldn’t remember where I had seen him before. I struggled with all my might and actually managed to reach my phone. The speed dial would call the most recent number. Ring, ring. After two rings. Emma hung up without hesitation. The man discovered what was happening. He laughed cruelly, put the phone in his pocket, then broke every finger on my right hand. In his pocket, there was also a switchblade. While I still had consciousness and sensation, I felt the blade cut into my left wrist, being slowly pulled and sawed off. The knife tip sliced open my cheek, tearing off a pitted and uneven piece of skin. He said: “Bitch, let’s see how you use this face to seduce others now.”

I don’t remember if I died from the pain or from blood loss. I only remember the wind of the wilderness that night. Howling as it blew across my exposed flesh and bones. Maybe people recall some beautiful things before they die. Vaguely, I thought of the time before I was five. To give birth to Ryan, Mom sent me to the countryside. Only my aging grandmother lived there originally. She was the kindest person to me in this world. She gave me all the warmth in my life. The tenderest buds from the tree, she would pick them, blanch them in water, and stir-fry them with eggs for me to eat. Mom called, saying Emma wanted to eat the tree buds, but they couldn’t be found in the market. Grandma said, “Oh my, there’s been too little rain this year, the buds haven’t grown out yet.” After hanging up the phone, the mischievous old lady winked at me and smiled. I always remember the taste that lingered on my tongue that night. But when I was five, Grandma passed away from illness. Ryan was only a year and a half old, so Mom was forced to bring me back home. She resented me for this. She whispered to Dad: “Is there something wrong with this child? How could she even cause her own grandmother’s death?” I looked at her woodenly. Actually, a five-year-old child doesn’t really understand life and death. I only knew that there was no one left in the world who would resolutely choose me among several people. From then on, I was the child who would never be favored. The moment my breathing stopped, my soul was pulled out of my body by the wind. I saw that man take out an axe from the trunk of the car and chop off the bones connecting my limbs. I saw the train speeding through thousands of miles under the starry sky, passing through the silent fields. I saw in one of the high-rise buildings, a little girl suddenly waking up from a nightmare, only crying out once before being hugged by her parents who rushed into the room, patting her back to comfort her. At the very end. I saw Emma yawning as she woke up, getting ready under Mom’s urging, changing into her going-out outfit. I came back. After death, I still returned to this home. I attended Emma’s wedding.

That man raped me, killed me, dismembered me, and took my phone. Ryan didn’t realize this. He just told Dad coldly: “Lily won’t even answer my call. She just had her boyfriend tell me that she finds our whole family disgusting.” Dad was furious. He slammed the table and cursed me as a beast. It seems that businessmen tend to be quite superstitious. He liked Emma because after she was born, his business developed rapidly, and his assets doubled in just two years. As for me, after I was born, his factory faced a crisis and nearly went bankrupt. So it’s understandable that he disliked me and thought I brought bad luck. Dad controlled the family’s finances. So Emma could attend a joint Sino-foreign university costing over $20,000 a year. Ryan could take tutoring classes at $100 an hour. While I, studying at a university in a first-tier city, had a monthly living allowance of just $200. For the next few days, I stayed in this house. Coldly watching them live their normal lives. Watching Mom call Emma, asking what she wanted to eat when she visited her parents after the wedding. Emma whined that she wanted seafood. When Mom went to the early market to buy it, she happened to run into our childhood neighbor, who was out shopping with her daughter, Meng Meng. Meng Meng and I were classmates from childhood to adulthood, and later we even worked at the same company. We weren’t very close friends, but at least we were quite familiar with each other. Mom enviously said: “Raising a daughter like Meng Meng is really heartwarming. She comes back and helps you buy and carry groceries. Unlike our inconsiderate Lily, who won’t even come home for her sister’s wedding, and even finds a boyfriend to scold us.” “Huh?” Meng Meng was a bit surprised, “Auntie, Lily doesn’t have a boyfriend.” Mom was stunned for a moment, looking at her. “She’s in the marketing department of the neighboring company, always so busy. Where would she find time for a boyfriend?” She said, “And Lily cares about you a lot. Last month when she got her bonus, we went shopping, and she bought a gold bracelet, saying she’d give it to you when she came home for her sister’s wedding.” A bewildered expression flashed across Mom’s face for just a moment, quickly fading back into the cold mockery I was familiar with. She said: “Lily just acts nice in front of others. You don’t know how she treats us at home.” Seeing this, Meng Meng and her mother couldn’t say anything more and politely said goodbye. Mom bought a lot of seafood that Emma loved and carried two big bags of groceries home. Standing at the door, she took out her keys to open it. Her phone rang. It was my number. “Is this Mrs. Lily’ mom? We’ve arrested a suspect in a series of brutal serial killings. We found this phone on him, and judging by the contacts, you should be the phone owner’s mother.” “The suspect has already confessed to the burial location. Could you and your family come to our City?”

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