Category: English

My fiancée Rosalie, the CEO, told me the company wasn’t doing well and cut my salary in half. But then I saw her assistant Tyler bragging on Instagram. “The boss not only gave me a raise but also bought me a luxury car because she was worried I’d be tired from work. She’s so thoughtful!” In the photo, he and my fiancée were standing in front of a newly purchased million-dollar luxury car, looking blissfully happy. I pondered for two seconds, then hit the like button. That evening, Rosalie called an emergency meeting. Using the excuse that I was disrupting the company’s atmosphere, she withheld my entire month’s salary and gave it to her assistant as compensation for emotional distress. Everyone looked at me sympathetically, thinking I would go crazy and make a scene. But I just calmly packed up my things from my desk and handed my resignation letter to her. “Docking my salary isn’t enough for bullying a colleague? I’ll resign voluntarily.” As soon as I finished speaking, Rosalie’s assistant Tyler quickly chimed in. “Felix, how can you resign over such a small matter?” “You’ve been with the company for so long, and Rosalie has always been so good to you. If you resign at this critical moment, how will everyone view Rosalie?” “Rosalie, please come and talk Felix out of it!” Rosalie might have wanted to persuade me earlier. But after hearing Tyler’s words, her anger grew. She snorted coldly: “Why should I persuade him? If he wants to leave, let him leave. I have nothing to hide, I’m not afraid of what anyone might say.” Then, without hesitation, she signed my resignation letter and threw it in my face. The onlooking colleagues were dumbfounded. A colleague who was close to me quickly whispered, urging me to apologize and not to act on impulse. Almost everyone present knew that I had helped Rosalie build this company from scratch. When the company was short on money, I worked tirelessly to secure investments. When projects couldn’t be completed, I led the team in pulling all-nighters to get the work done. I had poured countless hours and emotions into every aspect of the business. Now that the company had completed its financing and was about to go public, anyone in their right mind wouldn’t leave at this time. But I remained calm, picking up the resignation letter from the ground. “I’ll leave after I finish handing over my work.” “No need for a handover, just get out now,” Rosalie said coldly, pointing at the door. Seeing this, I said nothing more. After saying goodbye to a few people, I picked up my things and left. Before I left, I looked back at Rosalie one last time. I clearly saw a flash of complexity in her cold, calm eyes. Of course, I knew why. She didn’t think I would leave. We had fallen out before, but after leaving for a short while, I would always regret it and go back to her as if nothing had happened, apologizing and continuing to work as usual. But perhaps she didn’t know that this time was different from before. My patience with her had finally run out. I walked to the parking garage. I found my old car that I had been driving for ten years, with several patches of paint worn off. Next to it was parked a brand new top-of-the-line Porsche, the one Rosalie had just given to Tyler today. There were many empty spaces in the garage, yet he chose to park right here. I understood. This was his way of taunting me. These weren’t just two cars; they were more like the two of us. I had been with Rosalie for ten years, yet I wasn’t as valued as Tyler who had only joined ten months ago. I laughed self-mockingly and got into my car. Just then, a text message came through. I opened it to see a transfer from my friend. This morning when Rosalie said the company wasn’t doing well and wanted to cut my salary, I was worried she was under too much pressure. I immediately contacted a friend and borrowed fifty thousand dollars. I had originally planned to give it to her, but then I inadvertently saw Tyler’s Instagram post about Rosalie buying him a new car. At that moment, I was surprisingly calm, feeling neither sad nor jealous to the point of madness. Perhaps it was because it had happened too many times. Tyler had been recruited into the company by Rosalie as an exception. His work ability was a complete mess, but Rosalie, who had always been serious and meticulous about work, could tolerate his mistakes time and time again. From small things like serving plain water to clients during meetings while getting milk tea for herself, to big mistakes like sending the bottom-line price list to partners instead of the quote list, causing the company to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. When I questioned Tyler about these issues, Rosalie would unhesitatingly stand in front of him to protect him. She would look at me with impatience. “Tyler just graduated, isn’t it normal to make some mistakes? Why are you being so harsh on a newcomer?” Over time, Tyler became increasingly arrogant, to the point where he didn’t take me seriously at all. Soon after, I left the parking garage. As I was waiting for the barrier to rise, my car suddenly jolted. Realizing I had been rear-ended, I got out of the car, only to see Rosalie and Tyler getting out of the car behind, hand in hand. “I’m so sorry… Oh, Felix, it’s you?” Tyler immediately walked up, looking distressed at his dented car front. “But why did you brake so suddenly? I didn’t have time to react.” “What a shame, Rosalie just gave me this new car,” he added. Rosalie also looked at me with a gloomy face and said coldly, “Did you do this on purpose? Did you know Tyler was behind you and deliberately brake to get revenge?” I almost laughed at her accusation. It was always like this. She would push all the blame onto me without distinguishing right from wrong. Before I could say anything, Tyler’s eyes slowly turned red. “Rosalie, don’t blame Felix,” he said. “Felix just resigned because of me, it’s normal for him to be angry with me.” “After all, it’s all my fault.” As he spoke, he clenched his fist and hit his forehead hard, as if in frustration. But just before his fist touched his forehead, he deliberately loosened his grip. Rosalie couldn’t see through this act. Her eyes filled with concern as she gently rubbed his forehead, saying lovingly, “It has nothing to do with you. Don’t take everything on yourself.” After saying this, she glared at me angrily. Seeming to get more upset the more she thought about it, she poked my forehead hard. “Felix, can’t you learn from Tyler and take some responsibility?” “He knows how to be humble. You’ve been working for so many years, why are you still so childish and arrogant?” I stumbled back a couple of steps from her push. After regaining my balance, I found it somewhat amusing. Over the past year, it had been Tyler constantly stealing my achievements and scheming to pin blame on me. Now suddenly he was humble and responsible, while I was childish and arrogant. Knowing that talking further would be a waste of breath, I couldn’t be bothered to say anything more. I turned around, preparing to leave. “Wait a moment,” Rosalie suddenly stopped me. I thought she was going to scold me again and defend Tyler, but to my surprise, she pulled me aside. She spoke earnestly. “Felix, I admit my attitude towards you today was indeed too harsh.” “But it’s because I have high expectations for you, that’s why I’m so strict with you.” Hearing her gentle words, I was still a bit confused. However, I soon understood her intentions. Rosalie smiled lightly at me and patted my shoulder. “I’ll withdraw your resignation letter. Just come to work as usual, but find a time to apologize to Tyler in front of everyone.” “Also, you’re fully responsible for this rear-end collision. I’ll deduct the compensation from your salary later.” I realized what was happening. I let out a sneer and looked up at Tyler. He had probably already known what Rosalie was going to say. His face was full of smugness as he winked at me provocatively. I sneered again. “No need.” “As for who’s responsible for the rear-end collision, we can check the surveillance footage. If that’s not enough, you can call the police.” “I have things to do, I’m leaving now.” With that, I left directly. Rosalie was fuming behind me: “I’ve already given you a chance, don’t regret it!” Regret? I won’t regret it. I got back in my car and sent a message to my friend. “I’ve resigned. I can start working at your company tomorrow.” My friend called back in less than half a second, his tone excited: “Are you serious?” He sounded a bit unsure: “Do you want to discuss it with Rosalie again?” My friend and Rosalie had started their businesses around the same time. Compared to Rosalie who started from scratch, my friend had more resources and could offer more attractive benefits. My friend was in desperate need of excellent technical talent, so he promised me higher shares and profits to get me to help them out. He even made an exception and offered to let me work part-time after learning about my relationship with Rosalie. But for Rosalie’s sake, I had refused without hesitation. When I was at my lowest point, lying in the snow almost freezing to death, it was Rosalie who dragged me into a police station and saved my life. I was very grateful to her, so I gave up everything and devoted myself wholeheartedly to the business, doing everything I could to help Rosalie’s company grow step by step. But now it seemed that she didn’t care at all. Moreover, after so many years, I had more than repaid her kindness. I didn’t need to keep compromising myself anymore. “No need, I can make my own decisions,” I replied. After chatting with my friend for a bit more and confirming the time to sign the contract, I drove home first to get the documents needed for signing. I thought Rosalie wouldn’t be back until late at night as usual. But to my surprise, she walked into the living room not long after, talking happily on the phone with Tyler. Seeing me, her face immediately darkened. She deliberately rolled her eyes at me before pushing open the bedroom door. I knew she was waiting for me to coax her. Every time we had an unpleasant encounter at the company, I would always find ways to apologize to her and beg for her forgiveness. Even when she was the one at fault, I would still have to swallow my pride and admit I was wrong. Before, I thought I should do this, whether it was to repay her kindness or to maintain our relationship, I should pamper her. But now I just found it boring. I focused on looking for things in the drawer. After a while, she came out of the room with a gloomy face. “Has Tyler’s car been fixed? Have you fixed your car?” she asked. I knew this was her signal of giving me a chance to make up. In the past, I would have thought she had forgiven me and would have rushed to please her. But now, I didn’t even look up as I replied indifferently, “It’s just an old car, not worth fixing.” Rosalie frowned. “What do you mean by that?” I looked up at her in confusion, not understanding what she was unsatisfied with now. This car had been scratched many times before. When I said I wanted to fix it, she would say the same thing I just said. I thought she was going to get angry again, but to my surprise, she let out a sigh. “Tyler has indeed been doing well at work lately, so I gave him a car to keep him motivated.” “You’re my boyfriend, and when we get married, won’t the company be yours too? Why do you have to be so calculative about salary with him?” “Felix, everything I do is for the company. I don’t want other colleagues to think I’m favoring you.” Realizing she was actually trying to explain to me, I was a bit surprised. She had never bothered to explain these things to me before. But I knew clearly that these were just excuses. In the company, all the colleagues knew how Rosalie treated me and Tyler differently. Projects that I had worked on for three days straight, she would suddenly hand over to Tyler on a whim. He would just make a PowerPoint presentation, and it would become Tyler’s achievement. Clients that I had negotiated with for days and were about to sign contracts, she would take Tyler to have one meal with them under my name, and the contracts would become Tyler’s accomplishment. There were countless such incidents. Over time, other colleagues only felt that Rosalie favored Tyler more. Some even thought Rosalie didn’t like me, and because of this, I endured quite a bit of side-eye and bullying in the company. She saw it but pretended not to notice. I didn’t want to explain. Anyway, even if I did, she would say I was making excuses. “Oh,” I responded indifferently. “You don’t need to tell me these things. I have nothing to do with the company anymore. Do whatever you think is best.” Rosalie didn’t say anything. Finally, she let out a sigh. She walked up to me, stood on her tiptoes, and wrapped her arms around my neck, her breath warm against my skin. “Actually, I have my own selfish reasons. I want you to take a break for a while and think about our wedding.” “When are you planning to propose to me?” she asked with a coy smile. But I had already proposed many times before, and each time, she had rejected me. Every time we had a fight, she would use marriage to coax me. Sometimes, I felt like I wasn’t her boyfriend, but more like a dog she was toying with. I didn’t say anything. Rosalie then scratched under my chin like she was teasing a dog. “Don’t be angry anymore, can you smile for me?” she said. As she spoke, she deliberately kissed my Adam’s apple, as if trying to please me. She rarely took the initiative to be intimate with me. In the past, I would probably have been very happy. After her advances, I would have taken control, only to be pushed away by her, laughing as she called me dirty-minded. Thinking about it now, I really found it quite boring. I pulled her arms away and wiped my throat with a wet wipe. Rosalie stood there as if struck by lightning, dumbfounded. “You’re disgusted by me?” she asked. “I have to go out later, I’m going to change clothes now,” I said flatly. I turned around, ready to go back to the bedroom. Rosalie tried to follow, but I closed the door without hesitation and locked it. “Fine! Don’t regret it!” Rosalie seemed to have really gotten angry this time. After throwing out these harsh words, she kicked the door hard and stormed off. When I came out of the bedroom, the living room was already empty. Rosalie had sent a message in the company group chat saying she was treating everyone to dinner and asked who wanted to join. Everyone remained silent. Only Tyler sent three “excited” emojis in a row. I knew Rosalie was deliberately trying to make me jealous. This had happened many times before. Every time it was like this – other colleagues were unwilling to participate, and only Tyler would enthusiastically respond. In the past, I would have already been jealous and followed them, only to be mocked by them. Now, I couldn’t be bothered. I went directly to my friend’s place to sign the contract. My friend was very happy and specially arranged a celebration dinner for me. After three rounds of drinks, I went to the restroom. As I was walking, I heard familiar voices from a nearby private room. I instinctively stopped. Through the slightly open door, I saw Rosalie nestled in Tyler’s arms. I don’t know what they said, but Rosalie was laughing uncontrollably. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Tyler quickly lowered his head and kissed her lips. Rosalie was stunned for a moment but didn’t push him away. “Rosalie, when are you going to break up with Felix?” Tyler asked. “I can’t wait to be with you. Do you know how upset I am every day seeing you with him?” Tyler said with a grieved expression. Rosalie moved her lips, seeming to want to say something. Finally, she hugged Tyler back, gently patting his back like comforting a child. “Wait a little longer,” she said. “It won’t be too long.” The two of them cuddling intimately looked exactly like a couple. I sneered and didn’t watch any further. Back in the private room, after a few more drinks, we called it a night. As we were entering the underground parking garage together, my friend suddenly pulled me in front of a top-of-the-line Porsche and asked if I liked it. I nodded, not quite understanding. Thinking it was his new car, I was about to compliment him when my friend suddenly shoved a set of car keys into my hand. “It’s for you,” he said. He winked at me. “I’ve been wanting to replace that old car of yours for a long time. It’s in such bad shape. Now that you’ve joined us, it’s time for an upgrade.” I was about to refuse, but he seemed to already know what I was going to say and went straight to the point: “I heard Rosalie gave a car to that new guy in your company. With his terrible skills, he can drive a luxury car, so of course you can’t be worse off than him.” “You know, I’ve seen the stuff that new guy of yours produces. The style is different every time, obviously copied from somewhere. I don’t know how he’s managed to stay in the company…” Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, but my friend spoke without any filter, complaining non-stop about Tyler. I remained silent. What he said was right. All those things were actually done by me and other colleagues in the team. Almost every time, just as we were about to finish, Rosalie would demand that we hand it over to Tyler. That’s why Tyler’s style was always different. Even my friend, who wasn’t in the company, could see through this. Yet Rosalie somehow couldn’t understand. I thanked my friend and chatted with him for a bit more before heading home. As I opened the door, I saw Rosalie already sitting on the living room couch. “Where have you been?” she asked. She seemed to be in a good mood, her tone much lighter. The scene of her and Tyler embracing in the hotel flashed before my eyes again. I felt a wave of nausea. “Had dinner with a friend,” I said flatly, walking straight towards the bedroom. After just a couple of steps, Rosalie suddenly blocked my way, frowning. “You’ve been drinking?” “Didn’t we agree that you wouldn’t drink when I’m not around?” I couldn’t help but sneer. The implication was that I could only drink when I was helping her entertain clients. I didn’t say anything. Rosalie, however, seemed to think of something and suddenly smiled, looking somewhat smug. “You’re still upset about me going out with Tyler, aren’t you? If you didn’t want me to go out alone with him, you could have just said so. Was it necessary to drink so much?” “You’re overthinking it. My drinking has nothing to do with you,” I said. I felt tired and sat down on a chair. “But I do have something I want to tell you.” “What is it?” Probably thinking I was going to apologize, Rosalie’s tone became even more smug. “Let me tell you in advance, it’s too late to apologize to me now. I’m very angry about what happened this afternoon.” “Don’t think a simple apology will make me forgive you.” As she spoke, she rolled her eyes at me. I pretended not to see it and said, “I…” Before I could finish, her phone rang. Rosalie looked down at it. I noticed the caller ID was Tyler. “Wait a moment, I need to take this call,” she said. With that, Rosalie had no intention of paying any more attention to me and was about to answer the phone. I looked at her cold and resolute back, and calmly spoke up. “Let’s break up, Rosalie.” As soon as I said this, Rosalie’s body seemed to freeze for a moment.

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### “Faking death?” The voice on the other end of the line was filled with shock and hesitation. “Miss Jane, are you sure about this? Our team is professional, no doubt, but once you go through with this paperwork, it’s as if you’ve vanished from society. You’ll never be able to show your face to your family and friends again…” “I’m sure,” Jane Faulkner’s voice was soft yet resolute. “Let’s set the date for seven days from now.” Seven days later was her sister Summer Faulkner’s final surgery. At this very moment, Jane’s blood was steadily flowing into a specialized container, waiting to be sent to Summer’s hospital room. The nurse, seeing Jane’s pale complexion, couldn’t help but interject with concern. “Doesn’t your family have anyone else with this rare blood type? You can’t keep doing this alone! You nearly fainted earlier!” Before Jane could respond, the door swung open, and a visibly anxious William Grant rushed in. “Is it done yet? Summer can’t hold on much longer.” The nurse quickly explained, “Mr. Grant, Miss Faulkner doesn’t seem to be feeling well—” William frowned impatiently, cutting her off. “What now?” The word “now” hit Jane like a needle, small and sharp, pricking deep into her heart. William grasped her wrist and let out a sigh. “Jane, stop making a scene. We’re at a critical point after the second surgery. Who else can help Summer if not you?” “I know this isn’t fair to you, but… I owe Summer too much. Please, think of this as helping me repay my debt to her, okay?” “You’ve gotten through it all these years, haven’t you? Just bear it a little longer. It’ll all be over soon.” Jane stared at him calmly. Yes, she had endured it all for so many years. It didn’t make sense for her to stop now. But… she couldn’t bear it any longer. From the very beginning, Jane Faulkner’s life had been marked by “expectations.” Summer Faulkner had been born with severe anemia, her blood type so rare that even hospitals often ran out of stock. She was the beloved darling of the family, raised like a delicate treasure, but growing up, she couldn’t escape bouts of fainting spells and emergency hospital visits. Jane Faulkner was born to fill that gap. She was healthy, which was fortunate. But she shared the same rare blood type, which was unfortunate. Put bluntly, she was Summer’s “walking blood bag.” Jane’s existence was for one purpose: to keep Summer alive. She thought her life was destined to stay that way—until she met William Grant in college. William was the one who taught her to fight back, the one who showed her that there was another way to live. That she didn’t have to belong to anyone but herself. At the time, Summer had a crush on William, so Jane and William’s relationship was kept in secret. For the first time in her twenty-something years of life, Jane had “taken” something from her sister. When the truth came out, the family’s fury was like a tidal wave. Jane became the ungrateful villain in everyone’s eyes. The day she was kicked out of the house, she called William, who was away on a business trip. She couldn’t even say a word—just let out a sob. William immediately booked the next flight back, showing up by her side that very night. He held her close and said, “Jane, you can always count on me.” With William’s support, Jane cut ties with her family and thought she could finally live a life of her own. But then William’s family business ran into trouble. To protect Jane, William kept everything from her. It wasn’t until Summer went to prison to take the fall for William that Jane learned the truth—that William was supposed to be the one behind bars. By the time William managed to get Summer out on bail, it was too late. Summer had suffered greatly in prison. Her pelvis had been fractured, leaving her nearly paralyzed. That day, William carried Summer into the emergency room, his eyes bloodshot, and hoarsely pleaded with Jane: “Jane, only you can save her.” It was like the first twenty years of her life all over again. She was back to being her sister’s supplement. But having glimpsed a better life, Jane couldn’t go back. She didn’t want to be a blood bag anymore. And she didn’t want William anymore, either. After the transfusion, Summer’s face regained some color. She smiled weakly and asked Jane, “Jane, are you okay? What do you feel like eating? I’ll have William get it for you…” Her words carried a subtle claim of ownership, as if she and William shared a deeper intimacy. Jane replied coolly, “Don’t bother. You should rest. I’m heading out.” But Summer grabbed her wrist. “Jane… are you mad at me?” Her lips quivered, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “Jane, I know this has been hard on you. I promise, once this surgery is done, I’ll never come between you and William again.” “How could it be a bother?” William walked in with two thermoses in hand, frowning as he overheard the conversation. “Jane, what did you say to your sister?” “Summer, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have suffered so much. Don’t worry, I’ll take full responsibility.” Summer’s eyes reddened with gratitude. “William, it’s okay. I chose this myself.” Jane couldn’t listen to another word of their heart-wrenching “sacrifice and devotion.” She turned and walked out of the room. William followed her, shoving one of the thermoses into her hands. “I got you red date and goji berry soup—it’s good for replenishing blood. You’ve just had a transfusion. Drink up.” Jane didn’t take it. She stared at the steaming thermos, her brow furrowing slightly. “William, I’m allergic to red dates.” William froze. The one who loved red dates was Summer. She’d been anemic since childhood, and their mother had always made sure there were endless supplies of red dates for her. Summer had tried every variety under the sun and never got tired of them. “I forgot…” William retracted the thermos, pressing his fingers to his temple. “Jane, it’ll all be fine once your sister gets through the surgery.” “Go take care of her,” Jane replied flatly. She didn’t bother arguing. Ever since she’d seen a property deed at home a few days ago, she hadn’t felt like wasting energy talking to William. It was for the luxury apartment next door. Only now, the owner’s name had been changed to Summer Faulkner. That day, Jane ran into the neighbor who was moving out and struck up a conversation. The neighbor smiled and said, “Miss Jane, you’ve got yourself a great boyfriend.” Jane smiled politely and asked, “Why do you say that?” The neighbor replied, “Well, he said your sister’s been sick and needs someone to take care of her, so he bought this apartment from me—for double the market price! I mean, if he’s this thoughtful about your sister, he must treat you even better.” In that moment, Jane’s smile froze on her face. She held the property deed in her hand, her curiosity about the details suddenly vanishing. William had made his decision, all without consulting her. Maybe he didn’t think he needed to. Maybe he believed Jane wouldn’t object to her sister living next door. William’s hand on her arm brought her back to reality. “There’s something I haven’t had a chance to discuss with you yet,” he said hesitantly. “What is it?” “After Summer’s final surgery, I was thinking we could bring her home for a while. Just until she’s fully recovered,” William said, carefully. “It’ll be more convenient that way.” “Sure,” Jane replied without hesitation, her quick agreement catching William off guard. “You’re not against it?” he asked, surprised. Jane merely said, “It’s your house. Do whatever you want.” She brushed his hand off her arm, leaving William with his outstretched arm hanging in midair. And just like that, she walked away. William watched her go, suddenly unsure of himself. The day after she received her fake medical records, Jane followed the agency’s instructions and signed a body donation agreement. The agreement was real, but the person who would “die” was an actor hired by the agency to stage her death. To make the arrangement more convincing, the agency recommended getting a family member to co-sign. So Jane called Mrs. Faulkner. Mrs. Faulkner’s voice was as cold as ever. “The one who’s dying is Summer. What nonsense are you up to now? A body donation? Do you think if you die, we won’t find someone else with the same rare blood type?” “You’ve really grown wings, haven’t you? Forgotten your place completely.” Jane was silent for a moment before quietly asking, “What if I really were dying?” Mrs. Faulkner scoffed. “Then come over. I’m with Summer right now.” She didn’t believe her. Jane wasn’t actually sick, but Mrs. Faulkner’s reaction still made her heart grow cold. She arrived at the hospital and handed the crumpled donation agreement to Mrs. Faulkner. Mrs. Faulkner didn’t even glance at it before signing her name with a flourish. She even sneered, “Summer, your sister says she’s dying. Do you believe her?” Summer bit her lip, looking hurt. “Jane, I know I’ve been such a burden to you lately, but you don’t have to make up lies to scare us…” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I’ve been looking for other donors with the same blood type. I won’t keep bothering you. I promise.” Just as she finished speaking, William walked in. He was holding a bouquet of baby’s breath—Summer’s favorite flowers. “Who upset the Faulkner princess this time?” he teased gently. Summer let out a tearful laugh. “William, don’t joke around. No one upset me. I’m just feeling a little embarrassed.” “My body’s been so weak… I’m almost thirty years old, and I still have to rely on my sister’s blood to stay alive…” William hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Jane. She was standing there, thin and frail, her cheeks hollowed out. She looked almost sickly—though maybe it was just anemia from everything she’d been through recently. William tried to smooth things over. “Come on now. Jane’s your sister. She’d never blame you for anything.” Their mother, however, was less patient. “Jane, aren’t you going to apologize to your sister?” “You’re in your late twenties. How do you still not understand gratitude? If it weren’t for Summer’s illness, do you think we would’ve even had you? Let alone let you stand here now, threatening us like this?” Jane froze in place, her resolve crumbling under those few short sentences. She had always known. If it hadn’t been for Summer’s severe anemia and rare blood type, her parents never would’ve had her. She wouldn’t exist. But hearing it said out loud, hearing her worth as a person reduced to nothing, still felt like a knife twisting in her chest, leaving her breathless. Instinctively, she looked to William. Once, he had been the one to tell her she wasn’t anyone’s accessory. But now, William avoided her gaze. “Jane,” he said quietly, “the doctor said Summer needs to stay in good spirits…” “Just apologize to her. Make her feel better.” Jane’s entire body trembled. She took a step back and let out a hollow laugh. “Why should I apologize?” she asked, her voice steady but her eyes defiant. William stepped closer, frowning deeply. He lowered his voice and said, “Summer’s sick. Her health is fragile. Can’t you just be a little more understanding?” All her life, Jane had been the “understanding” one. Because of William, she had learned to rebel, to stop being “understanding.” But now, the person asking her to be understanding again… was William. She blinked rapidly, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall, but her eyes still turned red. “William, I’m sick too. My health is failing. I’m dying. Can she, for once, show some understanding for me?” The truth was, Jane’s body wasn’t completely fine. The doctor had warned her that if she kept donating blood and overextending herself, her immune system would eventually collapse. It wasn’t a matter of if, but when. So yes, she had been losing weight—rapidly. But no one seemed to notice. William’s brow furrowed, carving deep lines across his face. His patience was wearing thin. “Jane, stop this nonsense, will you?” he said with a sigh. “No matter what, Summer is your sister—your blood relative. And now, just to avoid donating blood, you’re making up lies like this?” “Why are you even wasting time arguing with her?” Jane’s mother snapped coldly. “William, you need to keep an eye on her. What if she runs off the day Summer has her surgery?” “Mom, don’t say that…” Summer interjected quickly, her voice soft and soothing. “Jane, don’t worry. I’ll do my best to find other donors with the same blood type in the next few days. I won’t keep troubling you.” “She won’t run,” William said, taking Jane’s hand and pulling her out of the room. “I’ll take you home.” It had been a while since Jane had ridden in William’s car. Out of habit, she climbed into the passenger seat. When William first got this car, Jane had joked with him, “The passenger seat is for your girlfriend only.” He had laughed and said, “Don’t worry. Without Miss Jane’s permission, no one else will ever sit here.” But now, as she opened the door, she froze. The seat—the seat that had once been hers—was customized for Summer. A wheelchair, neatly folded, was placed there for easy access. The seat was adjusted far forward to accommodate Summer’s slim frame. And the faint scent of Summer’s perfume lingered in the air, unmistakable and pervasive. William approached, reaching for the wheelchair, but Jane stopped him. “Forget it. I’ll sit in the back,” she said. William hesitated, then offered an explanation. “She sits in the front so I can keep an eye on her. It’s easier for me to take care of her that way.” “I know. I know everything,” Jane said, rolling down the window. The hot night air rushed in, tangling her hair in disarray. Her voice, however, was lifeless, a barren wasteland devoid of emotion. “Everything is about my sister. Her health is all that matters. I don’t matter. Even if I’m dying, it doesn’t matter.” William slammed on the brakes, the car jerking to a halt. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white, staring into the rearview mirror. When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy with frustration. “Jane, how can you say that? I’m really disappointed in you.” Jane laughed softly at his words, the sound light and hollow. William pressed on. “If it weren’t for your sister, I’d be the one who went to prison back then. I’d be the one who almost ended up crippled. I owe her too much, Jane. I can’t just walk away from her. “And she’s your sister, your family. How can you be so cold to her?” He exhaled sharply, his frustration spilling over. “Half a year ago, I went with you to get a full check-up. The doctor said you were perfectly healthy. It’s just some blood, Jane. Donating it won’t kill you. “Can’t you hold on for just a little longer? Once Summer’s surgery is over, everything will be fine.” Jane looked at him, and for the first time, she realized she had never truly known this man. This was the man who had once saved her from her cage. And now, he was the one locking her back inside. Jane’s voice was calm when she asked, “You’re not planning to just take care of her for a little while, are you?” William froze, a flicker of panic crossing his face. “I saw the property deed,” Jane continued. “She’s going to be living next door to us. You’re planning to take care of her for the rest of your life.” William pounded his fist against the steering wheel, his eyes bloodshot. “I owe her!” “Then keep owing her,” Jane said as she pushed the car door open and stepped out. Before walking away, she turned and added, “William, I hope you and the Faulkners understand one thing: I don’t owe Summer anything.” Her figure quickly disappeared into the crowd. William remained in the car, sitting in stunned silence. His mind replayed the look Jane had given him before she left. Her gaze had been calm, but there was a finality to it—decisive and unyielding. His eyes drifted to the back seat, where a slip of paper caught his attention. It was a cancer diagnosis. William’s calls came in rapid succession. Jane declined the first, but he kept calling, forcing her to answer. Before she could say a word, William’s voice came through, sharp and anxious. “What’s this about a cancer diagnosis?!” Jane froze, realizing she had accidentally left the paper behind. After a brief pause, she replied softly, “It’s for a friend. She knew I go to the hospital often and asked me to pick it up for her.” William let out a long breath, relief flooding his voice. “Thank God. Have you made it home yet? If not, let me come pick you up—” In the background, Summer’s voice chimed in, playful and insistent. “But I really want those dumplings from that one place! And I want them now!” Jane cut him off before he could answer. “You’re busy. I’ll make it home on my own.” She hung up decisively. Listening to the dial tone, William felt a strange emptiness in his chest. He wondered if he had missed something. But Summer, now dressed and glowing with excitement, looked up at him with stars in her eyes. “William, are we leaving now?” He could only nod. “Yeah. Let’s go.” It was past midnight when William finally came home. He slid into bed, his cold body waking Jane from her sleep. She instinctively shifted away, but William rolled over and pulled her into his arms. His voice was heavy with exhaustion. “Jane… just let me hold you.” “These past few months have been so hard. “Thank God you’re still here with me. Between the company and the hospital, I don’t think I could’ve kept going without you…” He kissed the back of her head, and for a moment, Jane’s heart softened. But then her eyes fell on the new ring on his finger. It was from a brand known for selling rings that could only be purchased as a pair—rings meant for soulmates. When William had proposed to her, she had asked why he hadn’t chosen that brand. She had wanted it so much. William said lightly, “If I’m giving you a gift, of course, it has to be the best and most expensive one.” The ring was, indeed, worth a small fortune. But to her, its value paled compared to its brand. She didn’t like it. Still, she wore it anyway. Her cold fingers pressed against William’s palm, brushing over the ring. She asked softly, “Is it a couple’s ring?” William froze, his composure slipping. “Oh, I went shopping with Summer today. She saw the ring and thought it was pretty. They were sold as a set, so I bought both. She insisted I try one on, and I… forgot to take it off.” As he spoke, he sat up halfway, quickly slipped the ring off his finger, and carefully placed it into a jewelry box on the nightstand. Jane’s stomach twisted painfully. Watching his back, she felt a wave of nausea rise, the kind that made every fiber of her body scream in discomfort. She thought to herself how foolish she was—just moments ago, she’d been debating whether or not to forgive him. But how could she? Turning to the side, she gagged several times, her face pale and drained of all color. William rushed to her side, gripping her arm. “Jane, what’s wrong?” “Nothing… probably just a chill. My stomach hurts a bit,” Jane evaded his touch, and to her surprise, even his mere presence now made her feel sick. “I’ll just take some meds. It’s fine.” William hurried to the living room to fetch her some medicine. But before he could find it, Summer’s call came in like a siren. Her voice was tearful. “William, I had a nightmare. I dreamed I was in prison, locked in the dark, and people were hurting me. I was in so much pain… I was so scared…” “Please, can you come over? I need you.” Without a second thought, William bolted out the door. He didn’t even glance back at Jane, not once, even as she curled up on the floor, unable to straighten from the pain in her stomach. Jane was later diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis. At the ER, the pain was so severe she nearly blacked out. A nurse asked her for an emergency contact. Jane hesitated, then dialed William’s number. To her surprise, William answered with, “I was just about to call you. You need to come to the hospital right away—Summer’s anemia is acting up, and she needs a transfusion.” Jane paused, her voice hoarse. “William, I’m not feeling well…” “Isn’t it just a stomachache? Take some medicine and stop being so dramatic,” William snapped, clearly losing patience. “This is a life-or-death situation—get here now!” Jane hung up without another word. William called several more times, but she muted her phone and ignored them all. After getting an IV, Jane finally felt some relief and drifted into a deep sleep. When she woke up, it was already the next afternoon. Her phone was flooded with missed calls from William and countless text messages. The last one read: “Jane, that’s your sister. How can you be so heartless?” Jane let out a bitter laugh. She laughed and laughed until tears rolled down her face. Pulling out the IV needle, she slowly made her way to the third floor, where Summer’s room was. What greeted her was unexpected—a lively, almost celebratory atmosphere. The kind of buzz that didn’t belong in a hospital. A small group of patients and visitors crowded near the door, craning their necks to peek inside. Jane approached, and someone immediately stepped aside for her, grinning. “Oh, look who’s here! Your sister’s in there confessing her love to your brother-in-law. It’s so romantic!” Jane felt a chill run down her spine. Goosebumps erupted all over her skin. Peering into the room, she saw Summer sitting in a wheelchair, holding a large bouquet of red roses. William stood in front of her, his back to Jane. Summer was smiling, her eyes shimmering like they held all the stars in the sky. “William, I’ve actually had a crush on you since college. All these years, I’ve always liked you.” “I know saying this might trouble you, but I just had to get it off my chest. For the rest of my life, I’ll never love anyone else.” “No one will ever treat me like you do.” Her eyes glistened with tears as she gazed at William, her voice filled with emotion. William stood frozen, unable to respond. The crowd outside the room erupted in encouragement. “What are you waiting for? Say yes already!” “Yeah, everyone knows you’re always here for her. You two are obviously made for each other!” “Don’t let this chance slip by, man! Girls with her kind of courage don’t come around every day. Hold on to her!” William hesitated, finally opening his mouth. “But I’m still with—” “William,” Summer interrupted, her voice trembling and her eyes now red-rimmed. She lowered her head, her fragile neck bowing like a butterfly with a broken wing, lifeless and defeated. “It’s okay,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “You can reject me. Maybe… maybe I don’t deserve happiness after all.” She let out a sad smile, her eyes full of hurt. “Really, you don’t have to give me an answer. I just wanted you to know how I feel…” “I’m already broken. Even if surgery can save me, I’ll never be the same as I was before…” The next moment, William took the bouquet from Summer’s hands. He pulled her into a gentle embrace, his hand softly brushing over the top of her head, his voice tender and comforting. “How could I ever think that, Summer?” he said quietly. “You have to keep going, to stay strong. Don’t give up—not for yourself, but for me. No matter what happens, you’ll always have me.” The room erupted into cheers, celebrating Summer’s “successful confession” as if it were the happiest moment in the world. Only Jane remained silent. She turned and walked away, making no effort to stay. It was then that Summer spotted her. In surprise, she called out over the excited crowd, “Jane? When did you get here?” After paying her hospital bill, Jane noticed William waiting at the entrance. His expression was calm, as though he’d been standing there for some time. Seeing the receipt in her hand, William walked over and asked, “Were you sick?” Jane gave him a faint smile, her tone almost teasing. “Yeah, I am. Maybe I’m dying soon.” William’s expression changed instantly. He grabbed the receipt from her hand, looking panicked, but when he saw the diagnosis was just gastroenteritis, he exhaled in relief. “Jane, don’t joke about things like that,” he said, his tone heavy. Jane chuckled lightly before asking, “What counts as a joke, William? Summer confessed to you, and you accepted. Does that count as one?” William rubbed his temples, letting out a long sigh. “Jane, I’m sorry. You saw the situation. I couldn’t exactly reject her in front of everyone…” Jane let out a soft laugh—not angry, just distant. William continued, trying to explain. “Her surgery is the day after tomorrow. If I upset her now, she might refuse the operation. I didn’t want to risk saying something that would affect her mood.” As he spoke, Jane seemed to realize something—the seven days were almost up. “She’s been through so much already,” William added. “She’s fragile after everything that’s happened since she got out. Once the surgery is over, she’ll recover, and everything will go back to normal.” Jane’s expression remained calm, her voice steady as she replied, “It’s fine. I’m not upset.” William seemed relieved that she wasn’t angry. He even went so far as to reach out and take her hand gently, as if to seek her approval. “There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about,” he said hesitantly. “Our wedding was supposed to be in two months…” William paused, clearly struggling to put his thoughts into words. “But after talking to the doctor, I realized that Summer’s physical and mental state will take at least six months to stabilize after the surgery.” “She told me she loves me, Jane. I’m worried that if we move forward with the wedding now, it might upset her. So I was thinking… maybe we could just get the marriage license and postpone the ceremony until next year?” Jane looked at him, her lips curving into a faint smile. “You’ve clearly already made up your mind. Why are you even asking for my opinion?” William sighed deeply. “Jane, you’ve always been the understanding one.” “Just think of her as a child throwing a tantrum for candy. Don’t take it personally.” Jane stood there in silence for a long time before finally speaking. “William, do you remember what you said to me when you first encouraged me to leave my family?” William froze, caught off guard. “What did I say?” “You said the loudest child always gets the most attention. That Summer was too good at crying, too good at demanding, and that I couldn’t keep backing down.” Jane’s tone was calm, but every word cut deep. “And now, you’re asking me to be the one who compromises,” she added. William looked at her, confused. “What are you trying to say?” Jane didn’t have the energy to explain anymore. She simply shook her head. “Forget it. Do whatever you want.” William thought she was giving him permission and let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you for understanding, Jane.” But Jane’s silence wasn’t understanding. It was resignation. That evening, William drove Jane home before returning to the hospital. Before leaving, he rolled down the car window and reminded her, “Don’t forget—Summer’s surgery is at 8 a.m. the day after tomorrow. Make sure you’re there in case she needs a transfusion during the operation.” “I probably won’t have time to pick you up, so call a cab. And could you bring some soup? She’ll need something soft to eat after the surgery.” Jane simply nodded. “Got it.” As William drove away, he glanced in the rearview mirror. Jane’s figure grew smaller and smaller in the distance. For a moment, a strange feeling of emptiness settled over him. She was right there, standing still. So why did it feel like she was slipping further and further away? William shook off the thought, pressing the gas pedal as he headed back to the hospital. The day before Summer’s surgery, Jane quietly took care of everything. She arranged for her body to be donated. The forged cancer diagnosis and death certificate were handed over to the agency. Every asset she owned was transferred to a new offshore account. At 8 a.m. on the day of Summer’s surgery, Jane boarded a plane in disguise, her face hidden beneath a hat and sunglasses. As the plane taxied down the runway, a text came through from William’s mother: “Where are you? Why aren’t you here yet? Are you seriously going to let your sister die?” “Get to the hospital NOW!” Moments later, William’s calls and messages began flooding in one after another: “Jane, where are you? Stop messing around and get here.” “Summer needs a transfusion. Are you really going to just stand by and watch her die?” Jane scrolled through the messages calmly, then composed one final text: “William, this is the 45th day since I was diagnosed with cancer. I’ve realized I can’t continue anymore. Physically and emotionally, I’ve been fighting this battle alone.” “I’ve decided to stop treatment. Don’t bother looking for me.” “Goodbye. I hope you and Summer find happiness.” She snapped her SIM card in half without hesitation. She knew that in ten days, the agency would deliver her death certificate and a forged letter to William. Jane, as they knew her, would cease to exist.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295376”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #魔幻Magic #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #惊悚Thriller #玄幻Fantsy #重生Reborn

During an Antarctic expedition, an avalanche struck. I desperately saved my wife, but ended up trapped forever in that frozen land. Afterwards, not seeing me, my wife mistakenly thought I had abandoned her and escaped alone. She fell into another man’s arms, saying, “Timothy, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have survived. I want to divorce him and be with you!” Later, our expedition was certified by Guinness World Records. My wife signed a contract with the Antarctic research team to be their guide for future Antarctic expeditions. However, during the Antarctic journey, another avalanche struck. My body was washed out by the snow, and the truth was suddenly exposed. My wife knelt in front of my corpse, wailing inconsolably, wishing she were dead! At the Guinness World Records award ceremony. I watched Lily Graham accept the award, smiling bitterly. Our team of five, led by me, formed an expedition group. During the Antarctic extreme night, we trekked on foot and recorded the entire phenomenon. This feat filled a gap in human historical records, thus being certified by Guinness World Records. Thinking back on this journey, dangers were everywhere. But thanks to the route I planned, we were almost at the end point. However, before I could rejoice, a massive avalanche suddenly erupted. I desperately saved Lily, but ended up permanently buried in the snow mountain myself. Now, what’s present here is my soul. A reporter at the scene asked: “Miss Graham, you’ve now become a world-renowned female explorer, and many young women look up to you as their idol. Do you have anything you’d like to say to them?” Lily looked at the camera, her eyes twinkling. “When choosing a partner, everyone must keep their eyes wide open. It’s during hardships that you see someone’s true colors.” “This trip to Antarctica also made me realize my ex-husband’s true nature. I must also thank Timothy for saving me.” Seeing this, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. When Lily was rescued after the avalanche. She couldn’t find any trace of me and searched everywhere. Timothy, seeing this, added fuel to the fire, saying I had abandoned her, and even produced a video. The video showed me running away, and he also took credit for saving Lily. Lily was furious because of this and filed for divorce upon returning home. Now, a year has passed, and she has successfully regained her single status. The reporter, seeing this, asked a provocative question: “Miss Graham, as we know, you’ve just successfully divorced. Do you really have no lingering feelings for your ex-husband at all?” Hearing this, Lily’s face immediately darkened. “None! In fact, I’d like to use your cameras right now to tell him!” “Zack Quinn, when the avalanche hit, you abandoned me and ran away alone, and you’ve been hiding from me for a whole year out of guilt! Now that the divorce proceedings are over, I have nothing to do with you anymore!” Hearing this, netizens in the live stream began to condemn me. “Taking his girlfriend to Antarctica and then running away alone, how disgusting!” “Birds of a feather flock together, but each flies alone in adversity. Our ancestors weren’t wrong!” Seeing the live stream’s popularity soaring, the reporter asked another question. “After the avalanche, Mr. Quinn never appeared again. Miss Graham, is there any possibility that Mr. Quinn died in Antarctica?” Hearing this, Lily shook her head. “First of all, I have video evidence proving he ran away at that time.” “He also had a life information monitoring device on him, and I can see that he’s healthy now.” Hearing this, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. If Lily had paid a little more attention to me, she would have discovered that I truly disappeared forever in that beautiful snowy night. At this moment, in the spotlight, Timothy came on stage and knelt on one knee in front of everyone. “Lily, from now on, let me be your husband, to protect you in times of difficulty, and to walk hand in hand with you in happiness. Will you marry me?” The whole venue erupted in cheers. Seeing this, Lily nodded vigorously, tears in her eyes. “From the moment you saved me from the avalanche, I knew you were the one destined for me!” Then, she and Timothy embraced tightly, kissing passionately. Watching this scene, my face turned pale, my heart feeling as if it had been sprinkled with broken glass.

After the proposal, the venue moved on to the next agenda. This wasn’t just a Guinness award ceremony. It was also the signing ceremony for Lily with the Antarctic research team. Afterwards, she would lead the research team members across Antarctica, exploring the extreme night phenomenon and filming a documentary about it. The signing was completed smoothly. A month later, Lily and Timothy came to meet with the research team. But when she saw one of the team members, she frowned. “Ethan Dawson, why are you here?” Ethan sneered, “I’m also a member of the research team, why shouldn’t I be here? I’m going to Antarctica to investigate the truth!” “Lily Graham, for the past year, you’ve been saying Zack abandoned you when danger struck, you said he’s still alive, but I’ve waited for him for a whole year, and he never showed up!” “You said he abandoned you so he’s hiding from you, but why would he hide from me?” Watching this scene, I sighed. Ethan was my friend, the youngest research member of the Antarctic expedition team. When I went to Antarctica, he had asked me to help collect some research samples. I never thought that while I got the samples, I would end up permanently buried in that frozen land. After my death, he was the one who cared about me the most. He had come to ask Lily about my whereabouts more than once. But he was always driven away by Lily, who even reported him for sexual harassment. He almost lost his position as a research team member because of this. Seeing this, Timothy spoke calmly: “Ethan Dawson, the route Lily and I took before was too dangerous, even we almost died in the avalanche in Antarctica.” “So this time, I’ve redesigned the route, and we won’t be following the previous one.” Hearing this, Ethan became angry, “You’re just trying to cover up the truth, Zack must have been killed by you!” Lily spoke coldly, “You may be professional in research, but when it comes to outdoor exploration, we are the professionals!” “If Zack had listened to Timothy last time, we wouldn’t have encountered the avalanche at all.” “If even he couldn’t manage, how could you?” Hearing this, I immediately felt indignant. Timothy was actually like my apprentice, having only been involved in outdoor activities for a year. If it weren’t for Lily’s strong insistence on bringing him to Antarctica, I would never have taken him. The route he designed seemed shorter and safer, but was actually full of dangers. That route not only had to pass through mountains infested with snow wolves but also cross dangerous rivers. Any accident at any point could have led to casualties in the team. The route I had planned, on the other hand, was very safe. If it weren’t for the unexpected avalanche, we wouldn’t have had any problems at all. Lily didn’t trust me, a person with ten years of outdoor experience, but instead trusted Timothy, who had only been doing outdoor activities for a year. It was really laughable. Hearing this, Professor White immediately pulled Ethan back. “Don’t worry, leave professional matters to professionals.” “We will strictly follow your route.”

Soon, under the escort of helicopters, they landed on the Antarctic ice. Lily immediately spoke: “From now on, everyone must strictly follow what Timothy and I say, to avoid accidents, understand?” The research team members all nodded. Even Ethan did the same. On the first day, they were safe on the outskirts of Antarctica. The second day was the same. However, on just the third day, problems arose. They entered the hunting grounds of a wolf pack. The male students of the research team, holding hunting rifles, were carefully guarding against the wolves. In the middle of the group, Ethan, with an unpleasant face, questioned Lily: “It’s only the third day, and we’re already being targeted by a wolf pack. According to their habits, they’ll definitely keep following us, we can’t conduct any research at all!” “How did you plan this route?” Lily also had an unpleasant expression, “This might be an accident, we didn’t know the wolf pack had migrated here.” Timothy, shrinking behind Lily, spoke timidly. “It’s okay, maybe these wolves just happened to come here by accident, we’ll keep walking for a few more days and they might leave.” Professor White spoke up, and Ethan finally gave in. On the fifth day, one of the male students fell ill and couldn’t go on. Immediately, a snow wolf charged up. Bang——! Timothy shot and killed a wolf. Just as he was about to be praised by Lily, he was scolded by the people around him. “Don’t you know you can’t fire guns randomly in Antarctica? What if it causes an avalanche?” “Moreover, gunshots won’t drive away the wolf pack, it will only provoke their ferocity, you’re worse than a novice!” Lily anxiously protected Timothy behind her, “Timothy just wanted to save someone urgently, he didn’t think that far.” I watched this scene, couldn’t help but mock myself. If it were my route that had such problems. She would probably have cursed me out loud by now. She wouldn’t have explained for me at all. But for Timothy, she was so tolerant. Seeing this, Ethan’s face darkened. “Professor White, I think we should cancel this scientific expedition.” “If we continue, we might lose lives. We can sacrifice our lives for scientific research, but not for something like this!” Hearing this, Professor White hesitated. “This time, the investment in the research team from above is huge.” “It would be too much of a waste to give up halfway.” Ethan became anxious, “But if we don’t retreat now, and encounter more dangerous situations later, it will be too late!” Seeing this, Lily spoke coldly: “Ethan Dawson, you’re just being alarmist!” “Antarctic research is inherently dangerous and difficult, if we retreat at every little setback, I don’t think you should have come!” I knew that Lily was worried that if they returned now, it would affect her reputation. Ethan looked at her with an iron-gray face, “You call this a little setback? Do we have to wait until someone is bitten to death by wolves before we leave?” Hearing this, Professor White’s face seemed to soften. Lily saw this and gritted her teeth: “You just want to force me to take the route my ex took, don’t you?” “Fine, let’s do it! Professor White, we’ll take the route we took before, now you should feel at ease, right?” Hearing this, the professor nodded, “A route we’ve taken before should be much safer, so let’s continue.” Ethan didn’t object either. I knew he didn’t trust Lily and Timothy, but he trusted me. After all, when the whole internet was cursing me for abandoning my wife and running away, he still insisted that I wasn’t that kind of person. When they started following my route, it became much safer. The wolf pack retreated on the fifth day. The research team began to set up camp and conduct research. A month later, the research indicators were completed, and they continued to traverse. I followed beside Lily, looking at the snow-capped mountains in the distance. My body was buried in that place. Only, my body was covered with thick frost, there was no day it would see the light again. “Is this the place where you encountered the avalanche back then?” Ethan walked over and suddenly asked. Lily sneered, “Yes, this is where Zack Quinn abandoned me. Didn’t you want to know if he died here?” “Go find him now, I also want to see if that man who abandoned me can be found here.” Hearing this, Ethan’s face darkened. At this time, a research team member came over from afar. “Professor White, we found a seal nearby that seems a bit unusual, it’s too quiet around here, in case…” Hearing this, Professor White frowned and immediately ordered: “Everyone gather together, hold your guns tight, let’s go take a look together.” The atmosphere immediately became tense, the team members with guns surrounded the outside, carefully observing the surroundings. Soon, they saw that unusual seal. “Why does that seal seem to have something on it? Could there be people nearby?” Ethan was a bit confused. “Catch it and take a look, be careful not to fire your guns,” Lily frowned. As they spoke, everyone worked together to catch the seal, finding that it actually had a sensor attached to it. Ethan’s pupils suddenly contracted, “Wait! Isn’t this the one Zack Quinn wore a year ago?”

“I’ve seen this style before, it’s definitely his! Zack Quinn must be dead for this device to be stuck on this seal!” Saying this, Ethan grabbed the sensor and suddenly raised his head to glare at Lily angrily. “Lily Graham! How do you explain this!” At this time, Timothy stepped forward, frowning: “Impossible, I saw him run away with my own eyes, you must have mistaken it, many explorers have this kind of device.” Hearing this, Lily also sneered: “That’s right, it can’t be his. The direction of the avalanche was to the north, we’re in the south now, this must be lost by someone else.” Hearing this, Ethan suddenly laughed, with two clear tears flowing out. “There’s a name abbreviation engraved on this device, and it happens to be ZQ!” “Lily Graham, what else can you say! Zack Quinn is dead, he was killed by you!” Lily looked at the ZQ abbreviation on the device, completely stunned. “Impossible! This is a coincidence!” Ethan gritted his teeth, full of resentment, “The evidence is right here, what are you still pretending for!” At this time, someone else discovered a corpse, but the appearance of the corpse was unrecognizable. Ethan’s gaze immediately locked onto the action camera on the corpse. “When the camera video comes out, I’d like to see how you explain!” As soon as he finished speaking, the monitoring device video lit up under the manipulation of the research team members. But the screen was full of green light and mosaics, and the sound was very sharp and piercing. The research team member scratched his head, “It seems to be broken?” Seeing this, Lily snorted coldly, “I would recognize Zack Quinn even if he turned to ashes, this corpse is definitely not him!” Timothy also echoed beside her, “That’s right, Zack Quinn abandoned us and ran away at that time, he ran in the northern direction. Even if he really died, his body shouldn’t be here, right?” Ethan tightly clenched his fists, his eyes full of bloodshot. Seeing this, Lily sneered, “That bastard Zack Quinn, he used to say how much he loved me, but when the avalanche came, I fainted alone on the spot!” “He thought I was a burden and abandoned me directly! If it weren’t for Timothy saving me, I might have died! This kind of selfish bastard couldn’t have just died like this!” “The corpse on the ground can’t be him!” Hearing this, many research team members were infected by her words and indignantly condemned me. At this time, the research team member who had just been working on the device suddenly looked happy, “It’s fixed! Everyone come and see!” Everyone gathered around. Lily looked at the figure appearing in the screen and sighed, explaining: “These are the other two teammates who were exploring with us. When the avalanche hit, they happened to be outside getting fresh water, so we lost contact with them.” “I had always prayed that they had just gotten separated from us, I didn’t expect their bodies to be here so close.” “And it looks like they survived the avalanche, but died due to losing their equipment and freezing after getting separated from us. Ethan Dawson, they are not the Zack Quinn you’re looking for.” Seeing this, I also sighed. At that time, after the avalanche, I was worried about the safety of these two teammates, and because the campsite I had set up had a snow barrier, I immediately went out to look for them. That’s where the video in Timothy’s hands came from. “But, what’s the situation with this sensor?” “Could it have fallen onto the seal when he was running away?” Lily looked at the little device in her hand, frowning deeply. Hearing this, Ethan laughed angrily, “Lily Graham! Can the monitoring information of humans and animals be the same?! You can’t even figure this out! Did you ever really care about Zack Quinn?” Hearing this, I also smiled bitterly and asked Lily: “Yeah, did you ever really care about me?” After saying this, I shook my head. She couldn’t hear me anyway. But, the next moment, Lily said coldly, “Of course I cared.” Hearing this, I was stunned. “I once saw him as my only one, I loved him more than anyone else in this world, I was willing to die for him.” “But what about him? When difficulty came, he abandoned me and ran away alone! Ethan Dawson, tell me, is such a person worth loving, worth caring about?” As she spoke, Lily’s eyes reddened. I knelt in the snow, grabbing my hair and shouting loudly: “Lily Graham! I didn’t abandon you! I really didn’t abandon you!!” But only the desolate cold wind responded to me. I turned my hopeful gaze to Ethan, hoping my friend could explain for me. Because he knew what my real purpose was for going to Antarctica. Ethan sighed, “Lily Graham, if I tell you that Zack Quinn took you across the extreme night because he wanted to declare his love for you to the whole world when the extreme night ended.” “Would you still think he would abandon you in public?” Hearing this, Lily was stunned, she opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound. At this time, a team member excitedly shouted, “Wait, there’s more video!”

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The day I found out I was pregnant, Shane was helping his childhood sweetheart, Rose, pick out a cat. The day I lost the baby, Shane was with her again—this time at the vet, taking care of her sick cat. Later, Rose posted on social media, showing off their closeness for the world to see: “Fifteen years and counting. So lucky to have you by my side.” The photo? Shane holding her cat at the vet, smiling softly at her like she was the center of his universe. Meanwhile, I was lying in a cold hospital bed, empty and broken. I couldn’t reach Shane; his phone kept going to voicemail. After my tenth attempt, I gave up. I laughed bitterly, opened Rose’s post, and left a comment below her picture: “I hope you two stay together forever and don’t go around grossing others out.” The moment I lost the baby, I knew my marriage to Shane was over. Three years of marriage, and Rose had always been between us. Shane’s childhood friend, his precious Rose—so precious, in fact, that whenever she called, Shane would drop everything to be by her side. It didn’t matter what the reason was. If Rose needed him, he’d leave me without a second thought. I used to tell myself that having a child would fix things, that it would bring us closer. But even a pregnancy couldn’t keep Shane from running to her. If that was the case, why should I fight for this marriage anymore? As I scrolled through Rose’s post again from my hospital bed, I saw the photo of Shane holding her cat, his smile soft and warm. Her caption read: “Fifteen years and counting. So lucky to have you by my side.” I stared at my phone, bitterness curling in my chest. Then I left my comment: “I hope you two stay together forever and don’t go around grossing others out. A second later, my phone rang. It was Shane. I answered, and before I could say anything, his angry voice cut through the line. “Claire, what the hell is wrong with you?!” “What’s wrong with me?” I repeated, my tone icy. “What were you thinking, leaving a comment like that on Rose’s post? Do you know how bad that makes her look? People are already misunderstanding her because of you!” In the background, I heard Rose sniffle dramatically. “Shane, don’t blame Claire,” she said softly, her voice trembling. “It’s my fault. She probably called you earlier, and you didn’t pick up because you were busy with the cat. She must’ve misunderstood…” Shane’s frustration spiked. “Claire, I’m ordering you to delete that comment and apologize to Rose right now!” I listened to his rant in silence, my hand tightening around the phone. Then, without a word, I hung up. I got out of bed, discharged myself from the hospital, and went home to the apartment Shane and I shared. The first thing I did when I got there was call a lawyer. I had the divorce papers drafted immediately. Afterward, I went to the bedroom, packed a suitcase, and was about to leave when Shane walked in, his hair disheveled and his face flushed from rushing back. He froze when he saw my suitcase, then his lips curled into a mocking smile. “Running away from home? Really, Claire? How childish can you get?” I looked at him, my expression calm. “It’s not running away.” “I’m leaving you.” I pulled my suitcase toward the door, but his voice stopped me. “Claire, how long are you planning to keep up this tantrum? Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused Rose? People are calling her a homewrecker because of you!” He took a step closer, his tone dripping with condescension. “You knew I’d come back to talk this out, didn’t you? That’s why you’re pulling this dramatic little stunt—to guilt me into staying.” “Claire, you know I don’t have the patience for this.” His words were so certain, so full of himself, as if he knew I’d eventually back down. And I did. I stopped, turned around, and walked back toward him. For a moment, a smug look crossed his face, like he thought he’d won. But then I raised my hand and slapped him. Hard. The sound echoed through the room. “That,” I said, my voice steady, “was for everything you put me through.” “Shane, you are so disgusting, you make me want to throw up.” Before he could respond, a gasp came from the doorway. There stood Rose, her hands covering her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. “Claire, if you’re angry, blame me!” she cried, rushing over to Shane, her tears falling as if on cue. “I’m the one who asked him to come with me to the vet. It’s not his fault!” She touched his cheek gently, her fingers brushing over the red mark I’d left. “How could you hit him?” she demanded, glaring at me. “Don’t you know how much men value their pride?!” Then she turned back to Shane, her voice soft and full of concern. “Are you okay? Does it hurt?” Shane’s expression softened immediately. He reached out to comfort her, his voice low and reassuring. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” When he turned back to me, though, his gaze was cold. “Claire, stop this nonsense. You’re ruining Rose’s reputation. Do you even care what kind of damage you’re doing?” “She’s an unmarried woman. Do you know how hard it’ll be for her to move on if people keep thinking she’s a homewrecker?” He took a step closer, his voice sharp. “Delete your comment. Post an apology. Now.” “And if I don’t?” I asked, my tone mocking. Shane’s jaw tightened. “If you walk out that door without fixing this, don’t expect me to come after you.”

Of course. To Shane, no one could ever be more important than Rose. Not me. Not even our child. Even when I lost the baby, even after the procedure, when I was still bleeding and weak, Shane chose to stand by her. To protect her. Me and our baby together couldn’t compete with one Rose. So why did he marry me? Why drag me into this mess, pull me into the mud, only to leave me there alone? The overwhelming sense of injustice hit me like a wave. My throat tightened, my vision blurred with tears. When Shane saw me crying, he hesitated for a moment, his hand twitching as if he wanted to reach for me. But Rose stopped him, slipping her arm through his. She smiled faintly, her voice soft but cutting. “Claire, you can’t just cry and expect your mistakes to disappear like magic.” “You’re not a child anymore. You need to grow up.” She turned to Shane, her expression filled with mock indignation. “It’s fine if she takes out her anger on me, but how could she let people spread such awful things about you? Shane has been nothing but devoted to you. He’s never even looked at another woman since you got married, and he tells everyone how much he loves you. What more do you want?” Her tone turned pitying, almost condescending. “Shane’s been like a brother to me ever since my parents died in that car accident. He’s just looking out for me, that’s all. If we really had something going on, do you think you’d even be in the picture?” Word by word, she painted me as some petty, jealous wife who couldn’t tell the difference between friendship and an affair. I looked at her, my chest tightening as my mind flashed back to the baby I’d lost before it even had the chance to live. The anger hit me like a spark in dry wood, burning away all reason. I raised my hand and slapped her with everything I had. The sound echoed through the room as Rose’s head snapped to the side, the mark of my hand blooming red across her cheek. Before I could take another breath, Shane shoved me hard, nearly knocking me off balance. “Have you lost your mind?” he yelled, his eyes filled with fury. I met his gaze, my voice cold and trembling with emotion. “Shane, you will never understand what we lost today.” He froze, blinking in confusion, as if he wanted to ask what I meant—but Rose cut him off. She clutched her face, glaring at me with tears in her eyes. “Claire, I’ve held back again and again because you’re Shane’s wife. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just let you humiliate me. First, you hit me. Then you spread disgusting rumors about me. What’s next? Are you going to try to kill us?” She sniffled, her voice dripping with venom. “No wonder you can’t have a baby. A woman as cruel and spiteful as you? Karma’s just paying you back.” Her words hit me like a knife to the chest. I thought of the ultrasound, the tiny flickering heartbeat on the screen. The doctor had said the baby was healthy. I thought of the evening I had planned, how I’d been so excited to tell Shane he was going to be a father. We were supposed to have dinner together that night. I’d chosen a quiet little restaurant, imagining his reaction when I told him the news. But then Rose called. She was crying, her voice trembling as she told Shane her cat was sick. She begged him to come. “It’s raining,” she’d said. “And I’ve already lost my parents. I can’t lose my cat too.” Shane didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his keys and told me, “Claire, you’re not like Rose. She lost her parents when she was just a kid. Her cat is like family to her. Dinner can wait, but Rose needs me right now.” And then he left. I stood there in the rain, stunned, heartbroken—and completely alone. Moments later, as I tried to cross the street, a delivery bike came out of nowhere. I didn’t even see it until it was too late. I was knocked to the ground, clutching my stomach in pain. The driver called for an ambulance. Shane didn’t. He was already gone. I was taken to the hospital, where they told me I’d lost the baby. And while I lay in the cold, sterile hospital bed, bleeding and broken, Rose posted a picture of Shane holding her cat, smiling at her like she was the only thing that mattered in his world. The memories hit me all at once, like a dam breaking. I snapped. Rose ducked behind Shane, clutching his arm like a scared little girl. “Shane, help me!”

Rose was always like this. She’d act weak and helpless in front of Shane, letting him fight her battles, while flashing me her smug, triumphant smile when his back was turned. It wasn’t even subtle. If Shane had cared enough to look, he would’ve seen right through her. But he never wanted to see. Rose’s boldness came from the security Shane gave her. She knew he’d always take her side. I didn’t have that. I never did. Looking at Shane now, I wasn’t angry anymore. Just… disappointed. My silence seemed to anger him even more. “What the hell is that look?” he snapped. I didn’t bother responding. I turned and grabbed my suitcase, heading for the door. As I reached the threshold, Rose’s voice rang out behind me. “Claire, you keep this up, and even the most patient man will get tired of you eventually.” She said it like a casual observation, but it was clear she was baiting Shane. And it worked. His tone grew colder. “You know what, Claire? If you walk out that door, don’t bother coming back. I’ll file for divorce myself. I’m done wasting my time with someone as impossible as you.” He thought I’d beg. He thought I’d cry and plead for him to forgive me. But he was wrong. I didn’t even look back as I walked out the door. That night, I checked into a hotel and got a call from my lawyer. The divorce papers were ready. I signed them without a second thought, handed them off to the lawyer, and booked a one-way ticket to Riverton. My family lived in Riverton. This city didn’t belong to me. It belonged to Shane and Rose. The moment my plane landed, my brother’s car was waiting to pick me up. When I arrived home, my parents were standing outside, waiting for me. The moment my mother saw me, she burst into tears and pulled me into her arms. “You’ve lost weight. It’s okay now. You’re home.” My father, usually so stoic, stood awkwardly behind her, his eyes red as he fumbled with something in his pocket. Finally, he pulled out a black card and shoved it into my hand. “Take this. Buy whatever you need. I’ll take care of you.” My brother laughed and ruffled my hair. “What were you thinking, acting like you didn’t have a home to come back to?” He wasn’t laughing for long—our parents smacked him upside the head in unison. And just like that, I felt the weight on my chest lift. This was family. No matter what mistakes I made, no matter how far I fell, they would always be there to catch me. Three days after leaving Shane, I sent him a little farewell gift. That afternoon, I was helping Mom water the flowers in the garden. Earbuds in, I listened to my best friend laughing wickedly through the phone. “You should’ve seen Shane’s face,” she cackled. “He went pale. Like, really pale. Claire, how the hell did you even come up with such a savage move? Genius!”

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A crazed woman barged into my home. She pulled my hair, tore at my clothes, and screamed, calling me a mistress. The neighbors, pretending to care, rushed over, phones out, live-streaming every second and making millions off my misery. During the chaos, I was shoved down the stairs. I ended up in a coma, my body rotting away until I died. It wasn’t until much later that I realized the true cause of my death: a single, misplaced food delivery. And then, I opened my eyes… and found myself back on the day the delivery arrived. This time, I wasn’t going to let it happen. The first thing I did was snap a photo of the delivery and post it in the building’s group chat. “Who ordered food to my apartment?” 1 “Hey, that’s mine! Thanks so much!” A shrill, overly-sweet voice pierced the air, jolting me back to reality. Christina Sherman stood there, grinning like she’d just won the lottery. She reached out to grab the delivery from the guy’s hands. “Wait!” I shouted. Both the delivery guy and Christina froze and turned to stare at me. I snatched the bag out of the delivery guy’s hands and glanced at the receipt. My eyes widened in disbelief. It actually was addressed to my apartment—20

Christina’s smile faltered, her brows furrowing in irritation. I clutched the bag tightly. No way was I giving this to her. Swallowing hard, I said, “The receipt says 201. You live in 202.” Christina’s tone turned sing-songy, her words laced with a fake Californian accent. “Oops! My bad. I must’ve accidentally put the wrong address!” I shot back, “Or maybe my boyfriend ordered this for me. I need to check with him before I hand it over.” Christina pouted. “Oh my gosh, you’re being so mean! This is obviously my food, and now you’re trying to steal it.” The delivery guy, clearly uncomfortable, mumbled, “Look, I don’t care whose it is. It’s delivered. You two figure it out—I’ve got more orders to run.” And with that, he bolted. Christina crossed her arms over her chest. “Seriously? You’re making such a big deal over one delivery?” I held the bag behind me. “If it’s yours, show me the receipt from your app.” Her face turned red, then pale, then red again. “No receipt? Then I can’t hand it over. This wasn’t cheap, you know.” I knew she couldn’t prove it. Christina never ordered food herself—her sugar daddies always did it for her. Grinding her teeth, Christina spat, “Fine! Keep it, you shameless beggar. Consider it charity.” In my last life, I’d believed her when she said it was hers. Without a second thought, I’d handed it over. I never imagined that one delivery would become the spark that set my entire life ablaze. This time, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake. Back in my apartment, I snapped a photo of the delivery receipt and posted it in the building’s group chat. “Who accidentally sent food to my apartment?” Christina wouldn’t dare claim it publicly. That wasn’t the point. I did this to make sure someone else saw it—someone who needed to know. Because Christina’s sugar daddy? He lived in the same building as us. Christina was a small-time influencer—a wannabe star who spent her days making cringy TikToks and livestreaming at night. Her earnings weren’t much, but they were enough to keep her afloat. Through her streams, she’d met her sugar daddy, James Whitmore. And James’s wife lived in the same building. “501: @201 That’s my husband’s order. I’ll come down to get it.” My heart skipped a beat as I read the message. Moments later, there was a knock at my door. I opened it with trembling hands. Standing there was a gentle-looking woman, her hands resting on her pregnant belly. It was hard to believe that this kind, soft-spoken woman was the same person who had once turned into a vengeful storm that destroyed me. My heart pounded as her warm smile greeted me. “May I come in?” she asked, her tone polite but firm. I nodded stiffly, chills running down my spine. She stepped inside, her movements calm and deliberate. Last time, she’d done the same—entered quietly, with an air of control. And then, moments later, she’d grabbed my hair and dragged me to hell. My breathing quickened, my legs felt like jelly, and my heart thumped like a drum. But instead of attacking me, she suddenly grabbed my hand. Her voice cracked, her eyes filling with tears. “Thank you,” she whispered. 2 A Wad of Cash? What’s Going On? A thick stack of paper bills was shoved into my hands. I glanced down and froze. It was a pile of crisp, freshly-printed cash—each bill adorned with the face of President Harper. I’d never seen so much money in my life, not even in my wildest dreams. My fingers trembled as I ran my thumb over the edges. So thick. As I watched the woman walk away, carrying her takeout order, I couldn’t help but sigh. Must be nice to be rich. I thought that would be the end of it—that after what happened, Christina’s takeout orders would stop showing up at my door. But the next day, I woke up to yet another delivery. Same address: Apartment 201. Same phone number: that all-too-familiar one. At this point, I was certain—this wasn’t a mistake. It was a setup. They were doing this on purpose. In my previous life, even James had implied to his wife that I was his mistress. All of this had been orchestrated for one reason: to protect Christina. That night, I bought a security camera and installed it by my front door. I thought about using the cash James’s wife had given me to rent a new place and move far away. But when I remembered the hell I’d been through in my last life, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Not without fighting back. After I fell into a coma, I learned the truth about James’s wife. She had bipolar disorder. In my last life, she’d stormed into my apartment in a frenzy, yanked my hair, and screamed that I was a homewrecker. It took everything I had to calm her down. But just as she was starting to settle, Christina showed up with her phone camera rolling. “Homewrecker?” Christina shouted dramatically. “I always thought it was weird that someone kept sending her takeout. Turns out she is a homewrecker!” Those words were like gasoline on a fire. James’s wife snapped, lunging at me again. Christina, still filming, yelled, “Don’t worry! I’m here to help!” But instead of helping, she subtly steered James’s wife toward the staircase. I was trapped. Christina kept egging her on, and before I knew it, I was falling. I hit the stairs hard, my head slamming against the edge. The world went black. When I woke up, I couldn’t move. I was a vegetable. The police came, and James put on the performance of a lifetime. He removed his glasses, dabbing at his dry eyes as if he were weeping. “Officers,” he said, his voice trembling, “I won’t cover for my wife. “She has bipolar disorder. Her mental health has been fragile for years, but I love her deeply. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her, and I let my selfishness blind me to the harm she was causing others. “After this… I know what I have to do. I’ll have her committed to a psychiatric facility. “And as for Miss Lee…” He gestured toward my unconscious body. “I’ll take full responsibility for her medical expenses. I’ll make sure she gets the best care possible.” Then Christina jumped in, acting like we were the best of friends. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, “Let me take care of her! We’re neighbors. We’ve always been close. I never imagined something like this would happen to her.” Normally, the hospital would’ve contacted my parents. But my parents didn’t care about me. They only had eyes for my older brother, and I was nothing more than a forgotten shadow in their lives. When they heard Christina was volunteering to look after me, they happily signed the papers, took the settlement money, and washed their hands of me. James’s promise to “take full responsibility” turned out to be a joke. They moved me to a private hospital, not to help me recover, but to keep me out of sight. And Christina’s offer to take care of me? A lie. She only showed up when James wanted her there. My hospital room became their love nest, my body nothing more than a convenient excuse for them to spend time together. I was the bridge that connected them, the cover story that hid their affair in plain sight. 3 A Chance Encounter in the Elevator A flash of beige caught my eye, snapping me out of my thoughts. James’s wife had just stepped into the elevator. Gripping the bag of ribs I’d just purchased, I hurried after her. The elevator was spacious, but it felt stifling with just the two of us inside. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I remembered her fate in my last life—locked away in a psychiatric hospital. Meanwhile, James and Christina spent their days exchanging flirtatious glances and their nights kissing beside my hospital bed. Looking at her now, so different from the deranged, broken woman I had known, I felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t deserve to stay with a scumbag like James. But… what if she wasn’t as innocent as she seemed? Suddenly, a slender, pale hand appeared in front of me. I looked up. She was smiling. “I forgot to introduce myself last time,” she said warmly. “I’m Rachel Whitmore. I live upstairs in Apartment 501.” I shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Lily Carter.” The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. But the sight waiting for me outside made my blood boil. Christina was standing at my door, messing with another takeout order. She loved her soups and broths, but without fail, she spilled them every time. The greasy puddles she left behind were like her personality—disgusting and impossible to scrub clean. This time, I had proof. With my newly installed camera, I had everything I needed to catch her in the act. I charged out of the elevator, my voice sharp and cutting. “Do you not know where your own apartment is? Why is your takeout always ending up at my door?” Christina didn’t even flinch. “I told you already—it’s a mistake.” “A mistake?” I scoffed. “You ‘accidentally’ put the wrong address every single time? And last time, you said the delivery was yours, but someone else claimed it!” She folded her arms and snapped back, “Maybe I misread the receipt. Is that a crime?” I pointed at the camera above my door. “I’ve installed a security camera now. Let’s see you ‘misread’ your way out of this.” Her face paled. For a moment, she was silent, but then she regained her composure and shot back, “This is illegal! You can’t just install a camera in a shared space! It’s against the rules!” “Illegal?” I raised an eyebrow. “It’s on my door. How is that illegal?” She sneered. “This is a common area! Everyone here pays for it! You didn’t get permission from the rest of us to install a camera. That’s not allowed!” Before I could respond, she spun around and marched toward the door of Apartment 210, pounding on it like her life depended on it. The door swung open, revealing a burly man with a scowl. “What the hell is it now?! You people are always making a racket!” Christina batted her lashes, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. “Oh, hi, neighbor! There’s a problem with the tenant in 201. She installed a camera in the common area, and when I tried to talk her out of it, she wouldn’t listen. Isn’t that so unfair?” The man’s irritation melted away the moment he recognized her. His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. “Wait a minute… I know you! I’ve seen you online!” Christina’s expression brightened. “Oh, really? You’ve watched my streams?” “Yeah, yeah!” he exclaimed, smacking his forehead as if trying to jog his memory. “Aren’t you… uh… what’s your name again? The one with all the cooking videos…” Christina’s voice turned saccharine. “That’s right, that’s me! I’m so glad you watch my streams!” His face lit up even brighter. “Oh, I remember now! You’re LilBabyPeachy! That’s your username, right?” Christina’s smile froze. I couldn’t help it—I laughed out loud. For the record, Christina’s username on her streaming platform was definitely not “LilBabyPeachy.” Her face turned an alarming shade of red, but she quickly recovered, grabbing the man’s arm and leaning in closer. “Neighbor, you’re so sweet! But please, you have to help me. This camera is totally against the rules!” For a moment, it seemed like the man might actually take her side. But then he glanced up at the camera, frowned, and gently pulled his arm free. “Look, lady,” he said, stepping back. “If she wants a camera on her own door, that’s none of my business. You’re on your own.” Then he slammed the door in her face. I later found out that the man was married—and completely under his wife’s thumb. Back in the hallway, Christina stood frozen for a moment, her face a mix of fury and embarrassment. Finally, she turned to me, her voice trembling with anger. “Don’t get too comfortable. I’m calling the building manager. Let’s see what he has to say about this!” I stared at her, incredulous. Christina… how many men have you roped into your little web? Does James even know? 4 That afternoon, I finally met the so-called “building manager” Christina had been bragging about. He stumbled toward my door, unsteady on his feet, wearing a baseball cap pulled low over his face. The massive dark circles under his eyes were impossible to miss, as was the sour attitude he brought with him. Without a word, he raised a hand and smashed my security camera. I stared at the live feed on my monitor as the screen went black. Then, I calmly picked up my phone and called the police. The bigger this mess got, the better. Let everyone see what was really going on. I crouched by the remains of the camera on the floor, took a few photos, and uploaded them to the building’s group chat. “This is what happens when you try to protect yourself,” I captioned the post. Soon enough, a crowd began to gather outside my door. By the time the police arrived, there was a full-blown audience. I walked up to the officers the moment they stepped out of their car. “The building manager destroyed my security camera,” I said, pointing to the shattered pieces on the ground. “I paid over $3,000 for it!” The building manager, who had clearly come under duress, widened his eyes in disbelief. “Three grand for a camera? Are you insane?” He turned to the officers, throwing his hands in the air. “I swear, I didn’t destroy anything!” I crossed my arms and shot back coldly, “I have footage.” He scoffed and tried to save face. “Even if I did destroy something, it’s not the point! She was using a shared space for her personal equipment! That’s what’s really wrong here! I was just doing my job, protecting the interests of the community. Officers, please, you’ve got to see how unreasonable she’s being!” One of the officers frowned and turned to me. “You were taking up a shared space?” I sniffled and said, “He’s calling my front door a shared space.” The officer blinked, looking genuinely baffled. “Your own door is considered shared property?” The crowd collectively gasped. It was a moment of silence for the absurdity of the “building manager.” I let a couple of tears fall for dramatic effect. “Officers,” I said, my voice trembling, “please help me. I’ve had this camera for a while, and we’ve been through so much together. I even got emotionally attached to it!” I wiped my cheeks and straightened up, my tone suddenly firm and righteous. “Officers, I have reason to believe the building manager didn’t destroy my camera on his own accord. Someone put him up to it!” From the back of the crowd, Christina flinched, her shoulders jerking involuntarily. “And,” I added, my voice sharp enough to cut glass, “I still have the footage.”

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In the fifth year of my marriage to Gregory Chapman, the girl he kept in a hotel was exposed, and it became public knowledge. To keep her from being labeled as the other woman, Gregory came to me holding the divorce papers and said, “Her father, Harold Palmer, helped me back in the day. Before he passed, he asked me to take care of Alice. Now that this has come to light, I can’t just ignore it.”  Over the years, Alice Palmer had always been Gregory’s first choice. In my past life, when I heard this, I broke down, yelling and refusing to divorce him. It wasn’t until I fell into severe depression that Gregory, after hearing Alice say, “Katherine doesn’t look like she’s sick,” concluded that I was faking my illness. He thought I was just playing hard to get and setting me up to accuse me of cheating, and he filed for divorce. It was then that I realized I could never compete with a favor owed. In despair, I tried to take my own life. When I opened my eyes again, I didn’t hesitate to sign those divorce papers.

“Katherine, after this is all over, will you remarry me?” I was sitting on a stone bench in the villa garden, lost in thought when Gregory and Alice walked up to me. Just three hours ago, Alice was exposed by the paparazzi as Gregory’s lover. The whole internet dug into her past, calling her the mistress who ruined the sweet love between Gregory and me, a homewrecker. Gregory’s image as the loving husband collapsed, and the Chapman Group’s stock began to tumble. In my past life, when Gregory came to me with those divorce papers, I was furious. I tore up the roses he had planted for me in the yard and screamed at him, demanding to know his relationship with Alice. She was just the daughter of his mentor. There were a million ways he could have handled this. But he chose to sacrifice me. He did it only to avoid worsening Alice’s depression. What he didn’t know was that, during the media frenzy, I had been diagnosed with moderate depression. “Katherine,” Gregory called my name again, pulling me out of my daze. I looked down at the divorce papers on the stone table. He kneeled on one knee before me, his deep eyes fixed on mine. His warm hand gently covered my hand, his tone coaxing and gentle. “Katherine, please, for me, will you? “We’ll tell everyone that our marriage was already on the rocks. We planned to divorce a year ago but just didn’t find the right time.” I stayed silent. Behind him, Alice, dressed in a white dress with Gregory’s jacket draped over her shoulders, had pale lips and red, swollen eyes. “Katherine, please help me,” she pleaded, her voice weak, tears in her eyes. “My mother killed herself because of online bullying and depression. I don’t want to follow in her footsteps. Please, Katherine, I’m begging you…” Just as Alice was about to kneel, Gregory quickly stood up, caught her, and held her close. His face darkened as he softly scolded, “What are you doing?” Alice swallowed, her voice still trembling with emotion. She looked down with her tearful eyes. “I… I just want Katherine to feel better.” Gregory’s expression grew impatient, and he looked at me, the tenderness in his gaze fading completely. “Katherine, I didn’t come here to negotiate. “I’ve already made up my mind. If you’re unwilling to divorce, don’t blame me…” I slowly looked up to meet his gaze. His words stopped, but I knew what he was about to say. He wanted to say, “Katherine, you know my methods. I have countless ways to make you sign those papers. “If we go to court, you won’t win against the Chapman Group’s lawyers.” Those were his exact words in my past life. Eventually, I was set up and sent to the beds of several male models with proof of my affair. Overnight, I became the adulterous woman, publicly humiliated, while he and Alice were seen as innocent victims. “I can sign the papers, but you have to promise me one thing,” after a long pause, I spoke.

Gregory glanced at me and then nodded in agreement. He handed me the pen, and without any change in my expression, I signed my name on the divorce agreement. “Aren’t you going to look over the agreement again?” Gregory asked, furrowing his brow. I smiled faintly, “No need.” He left with almost nothing, giving up all his assets to me, just for Alice, just to repay a past kindness. “Take some time tomorrow to go to the courthouse,” he said. “Okay,” I replied. Gregory paused for a moment with the divorce papers in his hand. He looked at me, his eyes filled with confusion, but in the end, he said nothing. As they were leaving, Alice turned around and shot me a mocking glance, her lips silently moving. “You lost.” I did lose. I lost last time, so now I didn’t want to lose anymore. After a while, my phone lit up with a message from Gregory. [I’m sorry for making you go through this today, Katherine.] [Once this is all over, I’ll throw you a grand wedding, and we’ll remarry.] [I couldn’t just stand by and watch Alice’s depression worsen. You understand, don’t you?] I read his message and couldn’t help but smile, tears welling in my eyes. It was the same in my past life. To force me into a divorce, Gregory had his friends come up with schemes and then got so drunk. But he forgot, his friends were also my friends. Arthur Dodson had tried to persuade Gregory, telling him not to sacrifice his marriage just for Alice. Then, he came to me, trying to get me to understand Gregory, saying that he was a good man. If it hadn’t been for Alice’s father recognizing Gregory’s abilities, investing in him, and helping him start his business, Gregory wouldn’t be where he was today. Back then, I had cried and argued back. “Gregory could have cleared things up a thousand different ways. Why did it have to be a divorce?” Arthur fell silent. He had asked Gregory, and Gregory had replied at the time. “There has to be someone I let down, so I’ll make Katherine suffer. She loves me, and she’ll understand.” Because I loved him, I sacrificed myself. Where was the fairness in that? Luckily, I still had a chance.

When it came to anything involving Alice, Gregory always acted quickly. Just hours after signing the divorce papers with me, he arranged a press conference and sent his assistant to invite me to attend and clarify things. I hadn’t even said a word yet. The assistant thought I might refuse, but fortunately, he relayed Gregory’s message to me. He said, “Ms. Buckley, you should attend this press conference. Even if it’s not for Mr. Chapman, at least for your reputation.” I paused for a moment and then gave a cynical laugh. Gregory was threatening me. He was trying to use the same tactics he had in my past life to force me into submission, to smear my name, and let me struggle under public opinion. In the end, I would have no choice but to give in. I still couldn’t figure out whether Gregory saw me as his wife or as his enemy… Now, he wanted to publicly clarify his relationship with me. I had no choice either. The press conference was held in the grand lobby of Jymara’s most luxurious hotel, with only the most influential reporters invited. When Alice appeared in a dress, arm-in-arm with Gregory, the reporters swarmed them. Gregory instinctively shielded Alice, stepping in front of her to block the microphones with a smile. “I’ll answer all your questions one by one. Please give us some space.” His voice was gentle, and as he looked up, he happened to meet my eyes. I was surrounded by reporters. At that moment, I actually hoped Gregory would step in and help me out of this situation. But the next second… He calmly shifted his gaze away, his smile still present as he held Alice’s hand and walked onto the stage as if he hadn’t seen me at all. I gave a bitter laugh. The reporter closest to me seemed to be an intern, nervously handing me the microphone and asking. “Ms. Buckley, is it true that you’re divorced from Mr. Chapman?” “Yes,” I smiled and nodded in response. The intern adjusted her glasses. “But you met Mr. Chapman in high school, dated for seven years, and were married for five. “Mr. Chapman even bought you an island last month, spending a fortune, and named it after you.” I kept smiling, but it was not a warm one. “That’s what he owes me.” To make up for missing my birthday while caring for the sick Alice, he gave me that gift. In my past life, I had even felt proud of that gesture, only to later learn that the idea was Arthur’s, the island was picked by Gregory’s assistant, and Gregory didn’t even know where it was. “Do you still love Mr. Chapman?”  She looked at me nervously, and the reporters around me fell silent. Even Gregory, on stage, looked at me. His brows furrowed slightly. I met his gaze for a moment and then smiled and said, “Not anymore.”

I didn’t stay for the rest of the interview. After Gregory clarified that our marriage had been falling apart for over a year, I left. Overnight, I became Gregory’s dumped woman. Meanwhile, Alice became the only victim of this public scandal. That interview stayed pinned on social media for days, and the buzz didn’t die down. Especially the part where Gregory said: [Katherine and I had already planned to divorce a year ago, but it wasn’t the right time.] [We wanted to handle it quietly, but now it has affected others, so we had to clarify things publicly.] [Alice is not the cause of our breakup.] [She is the only person my mentor cares about in this world. I take care of her, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I hope everyone can look at this rationally.] Some fans, led by this, claimed that the reason our relationship fell apart was because I couldn’t stand the idea of Gregory’s pure sibling bond with Alice and that I was too petty, unable to understand his deep loyalty. They said I was small-minded, and after five years of marriage, I hadn’t learned Gregory’s sense of loyalty and care. The topic kept gaining traction for days. I became the target of public scorn. After getting the divorce certificate from the courthouse, I walked out. Gregory stopped me. “Don’t take what’s said online to heart. It won’t be long before everyone forgets about it.” I stopped in my tracks and couldn’t help but laugh lightly. How was it that the difference was so stark, even though we were both being slandered online? “Katherine, the Christmas is only two months away. “Why don’t we remarry early next year?” He looked at me, stepping closer, but I took a step back and, with a calm expression, turned my gaze to the reporters not far away, blocked by the bodyguards. Gregory seemed to sense that it wasn’t the right moment and stopped in his tracks. “Gregory, I’m going back to Gerelden.” “You really haven’t been back in a long time. It might be good for you to visit. When Christmas comes, I’ll come to pick you up…”  “I’m not going back to Jymara,” I calmly interrupted Gregory. His faint smile froze on his face, and his eyes were filled with confusion. I continued, “When I agreed to sign the divorce agreement, you promised me something. Now, it’s time to fulfill that promise.” Gregory stared at me, stunned. When I first came back to life this time, it only took me a few seconds to digest my feelings of love and resentment towards Gregory. The moment I saw the divorce papers, I considered going crazy and tearing them up, maybe even causing more trouble with him. But in the end, reason prevailed. After a long silence, I smiled. “Gregory, I hope you never show up in front of me again.”

After Katherine finished speaking and disappeared into the crowd, Gregory was left frozen, unable to react. For a brief moment, he felt a strange panic, as if he were about to lose something incredibly important. It was the same feeling he had when Katherine calmly signed the divorce papers, a quiet unease in his heart. She hadn’t yelled or caused a scene. It seemed as though she had already predicted the outcome. But just not long ago, Katherine had been furious with him for forgetting her birthday, causing a huge uproar. He even got slapped by her. He had thought when he brought up about faking the divorce, Katherine would have gone crazy, causing a scene, and he was even prepared for it. But she didn’t. She picked up the pen. Her expression was calm. At that moment, he had thought about stopping her, but in the end, he did nothing. He convinced himself it was okay, that Katherine loved him. They were only faking it, and after things settled down, he would propose to her again, giving her the marriage she deserved. But Alice was different. She couldn’t be hurt because of him. If it hadn’t been for Alice’s father recognizing his talent all those years ago, taking the risk of being kicked out of the shareholders’ meeting to invest in his project, and helping him grow and rise as a new force in Jymara, he wouldn’t have achieved what he had today. He didn’t deserve Alice. Before Alice’s father passed away, he had asked him to protect Alice, to ensure she lived a peaceful life. He didn’t want to be the kind of person who betrayed his word. Arthur had once asked him, “If one day, both Alice and Katherine fall off a cliff, who would you save?” At the time, he laughed, thinking the question was beneath him. He would save Alice, but he would die with Katherine. Arthur laughed along but then asked, “But what if Katherine doesn’t want to die? “Gregory, you can’t always take Katherine’s love for granted. If she can’t feel your love, she will despair.” At the time, he didn’t take his words seriously. He had never even considered them important. He didn’t expect it, but in the end, his words came true.

That night, Gregory returned to the villa. Since their marriage, Katherine had always lived in the villa halfway up the mountain. She was an outstanding artist. At the age of ten, her extraordinary landscape oil painting earned her the title of a young prodigy, and everyone believed she would become a leader in the art world. In fact, she did. However, after marriage, Katherine’s style changed and was never the same again. Her teacher tried to guide her but had little effect. Eventually, Katherine gave up painting, even resisting picking up a brush. Gregory walked into Katherine’s studio. When he saw the landscape painting on the easel, he froze for a moment. A few simple strokes, yet it was vivid and lifelike. The maid, Joan Cross, noticing the light in the studio, came over and was surprised when she saw Gregory. “Mr. Chapman.” Gregory looked up. “When did Mrs. Chapman paint this?” The maid, Joan, answered, “The day you came back with Ms. Palmer.” Gregory nodded and tried to smile, but it wouldn’t come. He left the studio and went to the room he had shared with Katherine. Despite telling himself countless times that he and Katherine were only pretending to be divorced, he kept reminding himself that once the storm passed, he would propose to her again, giving her the grand wedding she deserved. But somehow, he couldn’t shake the feeling of something being wrong. His heart always felt empty. Today, he took Katherine’s words as nothing more than the nonsense she spoke when angry. He wondered how Jymara had their home and how she could not come back. The door to the master bedroom was suddenly knocked on. Gregory, sitting at the end of the bed, looked up to see Alice. She was dressed in a thin outfit, her face slightly flushed, standing at the door, silently watching Gregory. “What are you doing here?” Alice bit her lip. “I was scared of being alone at the hotel, so I came to find you. “Is it…?” She looked down as she spoke, “Did I… disturb you?” Gregory furrowed his brows slightly but still said, “It’s fine. It’s just a little late. “I’ll have Joan prepare a guest room for you. You can stay there for now.” As he was about to call Joan, Alice stepped forward, entering the room, her soft, tender eyes fixed on Gregory. “Gregory, I don’t want to stay in the guest room. “Is that okay?” she asked softly, her voice tentative. Gregory’s brows furrowed deeper. He opened his mouth to refuse, but when he met her slightly reddened eyes, his resolve softened.

The plane landed in Gerelden, and Edward Fleming was there to pick me up. When he was eighteen, he had been falsely accused of assault after saving a girl and was sentenced to three years. Because of his criminal record, no company would hire him. I met him at an art exhibition. He never spoke to anyone and always kept his head down. When others approached him, he would only shrink back in fear. Then, one night, on my way home, I was accosted by some thugs and nearly assaulted. He happened to pass by, and I thought he would ignore me. But he didn’t. Without a moment’s hesitation, he intervened. That night, I asked him, “What if I sue you?” He gave a wry smile. “Then I’d accept it.” I used my family’s influence to clear his name, and when the truth came out, he stood from afar, looking at me with reddened eyes, bowing to thank me. Three years in prison hadn’t dulled his kindness. My father, grateful for how he had saved me, offered him a job and brought him into the company. Starting from the ground up, now he was my father’s most trusted assistant. “Ms. Buckley, long time no see,” Edward said, wearing a trench coat and casually taking my suitcase. I nodded, inexplicably feeling tears in my eyes. Five years ago, after I married Gregory, I went north with him. In my previous life, when I got into trouble, he had been sent by my father to Anloria for closed training. I never saw Edward again until today. “Ms. Buckley, are you leaving again after coming back this time?” he asked. “No, I’m not leaving,” I replied. Edward smiled, “Mr. Buckley was very happy when he found out you were back.” Suddenly, I froze for a moment. My hand, which had been in my pocket, clenched involuntarily, and a bitter feeling rose in my chest. Back then, my divorce with Gregory had been the talk of the town. My father, fearing I’d be wronged, had flown to Jymara overnight. He tried to persuade me earnestly. “Gregory always thinks things through poorly. “Back then, he chose to cooperate with that old man from the Palmer family instead of accepting your help. To put it nicely, he didn’t want to rely on you, but let’s face it, wasn’t he relying on the Palmer family’s investment? “Katherine, if you’re divorced, then so be it. Gregory isn’t right for you.” He wanted to take me back to Gerelden, but I refused, crying and begging to stay. With tears in my eyes, I said, “I love Gregory. I don’t want a divorce. “Why should I sacrifice myself to fulfill his favor? Even if he pushes me to death, I won’t divorce. I’m not leaving.”

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My wife is a popular outdoor adventure influencer. She’s rarely home, always off exploring some rugged terrain, and frequently collaborating with another male influencer for her videos. In my previous life, the two of them planned a dangerous trek through the mountains. I thought it was far too risky, so I stopped her from going that day and kept her at home. Not long after, it started pouring rain. A landslide struck, and the male influencer was crushed to death by falling rocks. But instead of being grateful, my wife resented me for it. She blamed me, grew cold, and eventually poisoned me. I died in agony, wasting away in a hospital bed. As I lay there, gasping for breath, she leaned down, her voice trembling with hatred as she hissed in my ear: “This is all your fault. If you hadn’t stopped me that day, he’d still be alive. You’re the one who killed him!” Her words were the last thing I heard before the darkness swallowed me. But then I woke up. I opened my eyes and realized I had gone back in time—back to the very day she was supposed to leave for that deadly trek through the mountains. This time, I didn’t stop her. This time, I pulled back the hand that had once blocked her path. If she loved him so much, and then fine. She could die out there with him in the mountains.

“Mia, you can’t go. That mountain is way too dangerous!” “Jack, what’s your problem now? I’ve told you a thousand times—filming hiking videos is my job! Can you stop being so unreasonable?!” Hearing Mia’s familiar voice and seeing her irritated expression again, a sudden flash of light burst through my mind. Wait… what’s going on? Did I just… come back to life?! My eyes widened in shock as I stared at my hands, shaking them to make sure they worked. Every joint moved freely. I wasn’t dead. I was alive. I grabbed my phone to check the date. July 27, 2024. It was the exact same day, three years ago, when I stopped Mia from going on that treacherous mountain hike. I was back. I really came back! Mia, my wife, is a well-known outdoor adventure influencer. She’s never home, always traveling, hiking, climbing, and filming her content. Recently, she’s been spending a lot of time with another influencer, a guy named Henry. They often team up to film videos together, and their chemistry has caught the attention of their fans. Mia never told her audience she was married, so over time, her fans started shipping her and Henry as a couple. Her username is MiaExplores, and her channel has been blowing up lately, partly because of her collaborations with Henry. I hated it. I hated the way she acted like our marriage didn’t exist. Every time I confronted her about it, she’d brush it off like it was nothing. “It’s just for the videos, Jack! Why are you making such a big deal out of it?! Fake relationships bring in views. Views bring in money. And let’s be real—who else is paying the bills? You?” Her words stung. It was true that Mia was the breadwinner, but only because she’d insisted I quit my job to take care of the house. And now, she threw it in my face like I was worthless. And then there was Henry. Henry was the textbook definition of a thrill-seeker. His videos were always extreme—skydiving from insane heights, base jumping, trekking through uninhabitable canyons teeming with venomous creatures. His fans loved his reckless stunts, leaving comments like: “This guy’s soul is probably chasing his body from the afterlife.” “His ancestors must be working overtime keeping him alive.” When Mia started working with him, he dragged her into his dangerous lifestyle. Sure, her channel grew, but every time she came back from one of their trips, she was covered in bruises and scars. This time, it was Henry’s idea to hike the deadly mountain range. In my previous life, I had a terrible feeling about the trip. I’d checked the weather forecast and saw a warning for heavy storms. Something deep in my gut told me something was going to go horribly wrong. I’d begged her not to go. I even blocked the door, refusing to let her leave. After hours of arguing, Mia finally gave up and stayed home. Henry, on the other hand, was stubborn. He went on the hike alone. But the storm that day was beyond anything anyone could’ve predicted. It was like the sky had ripped open, pouring rain down in an endless torrent. The mountain couldn’t take it. A landslide roared through the cliffs, sending rocks and debris tumbling down. Henry was caught in the avalanche. He didn’t make it. When rescuers found him, his skull had been crushed by a boulder. His brain had spilled out onto the ground. His family later posted an announcement on his social media, informing his followers of his death. When Mia found out, she was devastated. But instead of grieving, she turned all her anger on me. She blamed me for everything. She said it was my fault Henry died, because I’d stopped her from going with him. Her resentment festered into hate. She started poisoning me, slowly, over months. At first, I didn’t realize what was happening. But as time went on, my body began to fail. The pain was unbearable. My organs shut down one by one, until I was nothing but a broken, withered shell of a man. By the time I lay dying in a hospital bed, I couldn’t even lift a finger. My body was skeletal, covered in bedsores that reeked of rot. And Mia? She stood over me, her voice dripping with venom as she leaned close to my ear. “If you hadn’t stopped me that day, he wouldn’t have died.” Her words were the last thing I heard before I died. But now… Now, I had another chance. God, fate, or whatever power controlled the universe had given me the opportunity to go back, to relive the moment everything went wrong. This time, I wouldn’t stop her.

“Jack, what the hell is wrong with you? First, you block me from leaving, and now you’re just standing there like an idiot?” Mia rolled her eyes in exasperation, her tone dripping with annoyance as she stared at me. “Move! I’m running late, and Henry’s already waiting for me!” “Oh, uh, right.” I quickly stepped aside, clearing the way for her to leave. “Mia, it’s raining today. Be careful out there, okay?” I gave her a final reminder before she walked out the door, but she just brushed it off with a scoff. “So what? I’ve dealt with worse. The riskier it gets, the better the views. Danger equals clicks, and Henry’s a real man. He always manages to make it out alive. With him there, we’ll be fine. What, you think everyone’s as useless as you?” She shot me another disdainful look before slinging her hiking pack over her shoulder, grabbing her trekking poles, and heading out. The door slammed shut behind her, leaving the house eerily quiet. I stared at the closed door for a moment, and then let a cold smirk curl across my lips. Mia, this is the path you chose. Let’s see how your arrogance and stupidity serve you now. As in my last life, the rain started not long after she left. Heavy, relentless rain. I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the storm rage outside. The rain came down in sheets, pounding against the glass, driven by fierce winds. The weather only got worse. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning, schools canceled classes, and underground parking garages in several neighborhoods were completely flooded. The wind was so strong that even thick, mature trees were snapping and falling over. A breaking news alert flashed across my phone screen: “Emergency Bulletin: Due to heavy rain, a landslide has occurred on Boulder Mountain. Roads leading up the mountain are now blocked by debris. Residents are advised to stay away from the area for their own safety.” Reading the news, I couldn’t help but let out a quiet, cruel laugh. Boulder Mountain. That was the very mountain Mia and Henry had gone to film their video. The mountain was infamous for its treacherous terrain. Landslides were so common that even locals avoided it, let alone tourists. But Mia and Henry, in their endless pursuit of views and adrenaline, had decided to climb it during a storm. Just like in my last life, Boulder Mountain had collapsed again. By now, they were either buried under the falling rocks or trapped somewhere in the rubble. Either way, there was no happy ending for them. “Ring! Ring!” My phone suddenly buzzed, cutting through the silence. It was Mia. Her name flashed across the screen, the word “Honey” glaring at me in bold letters. I stared at the phone as it vibrated in my hand, but I didn’t answer. I didn’t hang up either. Forty-five seconds later, the call ended on its own. I remained exactly where I was, silent and still.

The phone rang again, buzzing loudly in the quiet room. After letting it ring for a few seconds, I finally picked up. The moment I answered, a barrage of angry yelling erupted on the other end. “Jack, are you dead or something?! Why didn’t you pick up earlier? Don’t you know I’m in serious danger right now?!” She wasn’t dead yet. That was my first thought, though I kept it to myself. Instead, I played dumb, feigning ignorance as best as I could. “Oh, sorry, Mia, I fell asleep. What’s going on? Are you okay?” Her voice trembled as she continued, but the connection was already breaking up. “Help me… call someone to—” The signal suddenly cut out. “Mia? What’s happening? Are you okay? Mia?!” “Help… BOOM—” The call ended abruptly, leaving nothing but the flat, monotonous beep of a disconnected line. I didn’t need her to explain. I knew exactly what had happened. Boulder Mountain had claimed its victims once again. I stood there, staring at the phone in my hand. The thought of what had happened to me in my last life—the poison, the humiliation, the slow, agonizing death—sent a wave of cold satisfaction through me. If Mia and Henry were buried under the landslide, or trapped beneath the rubble, it would be nothing less than what they deserved. But letting them die so easily? That wasn’t enough. No, I wanted more. After a moment of thought, I dialed 911. If I didn’t make an effort to pretend to save her, someone might blame me for not trying. And I wasn’t about to take responsibility for her death—or Henry’s. When the dispatcher answered, I put on my best panicked voice. “Hello? Yes, please, I need help! My wife just called me—she said she’s in danger! Please, you have to save her!” “Sir, calm down. Can you tell me where your wife is and what kind of danger she’s in?” “I-I don’t know! She’s an influencer, always out filming hiking videos. Today, she said she was going with a friend to climb Boulder Mountain, but that’s all I know! I swear!” “Boulder Mountain?” the dispatcher repeated, her voice rising in alarm. “There are still people up there? That area is completely unsafe right now!” “I don’t know! Maybe? Please, you have to do something! What if she’s trapped? What if she’s hurt? Please, you have to save her!” “Sir, we’ll dispatch a rescue team immediately. Please stay by your phone in case we need more information.” “Thank you! Thank you so much!” After hanging up, I smirked to myself. Boulder Mountain was a death trap. The storm had made it impossible to navigate, with mudslides and falling rocks blocking every path. Even the rescue teams wouldn’t dare go too close in these conditions. Sure enough, after several failed attempts, the authorities called off the rescue until the rain stopped. Later that evening, the police called to update me. “Sir, we understand you’re worried, but the rain is too heavy, and it’s simply not safe for our team to proceed right now. We’ll resume as soon as the conditions improve.” “I understand. You’ve already done your best. Thank you for trying…” I said, my voice trembling as though I were holding back tears. “Don’t worry, sir. Once the rain stops, we’ll do everything we can to bring her back.” “I appreciate it. Really, thank you.” The storm lasted all night and most of the next day before finally subsiding. The rescue operation resumed immediately, but Boulder Mountain was still dangerous. Falling rocks and unstable terrain slowed their progress significantly. Another day and night passed before they managed to locate Mia and Henry. But by then, the damage was already done. The rescue crew pulled Mia and Henry from a pile of rubble. Both were still alive—but barely. Mia’s legs were crushed beyond repair, leaving her permanently paralyzed. Her face was so badly injured that it was beyond recognition. She would never walk again, and her once-beautiful face was now a patchwork of scars. Henry, on the other hand, had escaped with only minor injuries. He was unconscious from exhaustion but otherwise unharmed. When I arrived at the rescue site, I made sure to put on the performance of a lifetime. I fell to my knees in the mud, crying hysterically as the cameras rolled. “Mia! Where are you? Please, God, don’t take her from me! I can’t live without her!” Firefighters rushed to pull me off the ground, patting my back and trying to comfort me. “Sir, don’t worry. We’ll get her out safely. Just stay strong a little longer.” Nearby reporters caught every moment on film. One journalist even gave a heartfelt report to the camera, saying: “In the face of tragedy, we’re witnessing the purest form of love. This man’s devotion to his wife is nothing short of inspiring. Let’s hope their love can overcome even the harshest of trials.” When the story aired, the footage of me kneeling in the mud and begging for Mia’s safety went viral. Social media exploded with comments praising me as a devoted and loving husband. “This is the kind of love we all dream of. God, please don’t take her away from him!” “I’m crying! He’s risking everything for her. What a hero!” “I wish I had a husband like him. Mine would probably celebrate if I got buried in a landslide.” “Please let her survive! If not for her sake, and then for his. It’s heartbreaking to see him like this.” The internet ate it up. By the time Mia was brought to the hospital, I’d become a national sensation. When she woke up, the first thing she saw was her reflection in the hospital window—a shattered, unrecognizable face wrapped in layers of bandages. All for a man who probably never cared about her in the first place.

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It was my boyfriend Gavin’s birthday, and he was completely wasted. Someone in the crowd started chanting, urging him to kiss me. But instead of leaning in, he stared at me with glassy, unfocused eyes and slurred out the wrong name. The room fell into an awkward, stunned silence. One of his buddies let out a nervous laugh, trying to diffuse the tension. “Mila, don’t take it to heart. Gavin’s had too much to drink. Chloe’s married, for God’s sake. There’s no way anything’s going on between them.” But Gavin wasn’t done. He drunkenly pushed my hand away, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “The only person I care about is Chloe,” he blurted out, swaying unsteadily. “If you didn’t look like her, do you really think I’d ever have dated you?” The humiliation hit like a slap. My vision blurred, but I refused to cry in front of them. Instead, I calmly turned around, stepped out of the room, and pulled out my phone. Dialing a familiar number, I spoke evenly into the receiver: “Mrs. Rhodes? I’ve decided to leave Gavin. You can transfer the million dollars now.” 0

My dad was the Rhodes family’s driver. After his sudden passing, they took me in as their foster daughter. By the time I got to college, I had become Gavin Rhodes’ girlfriend—the golden boy of the family. People around us whispered that I was a phoenix rising from the ashes, lucky to hold on to Gavin, my so-called golden ticket. To outsiders, he seemed like the perfect boyfriend. But I knew the truth—I was nothing more than a stand-in. When Mrs. Rhodes called to confirm my decision, I gave her a firm answer. She promised the money would be wired into my account the next day. She asked me to keep the arrangement confidential and gave me time to pack my things. Not that there was much to pack. I owned little of my own. Most of the clothes in my closet weren’t even my style, just things I had been given to wear to “fit in.” I folded my few favorite outfits, placed them carefully in a small suitcase, and zipped it shut. That’s when Gavin stumbled out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes in irritation. He clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. “Where are you running off to now? Back to the dorms? Or some budget motel?” Then, as if it was nothing, he shrugged and added: “What’s the big deal? I only mentioned Chloe. She’s not even back yet, so your ‘Mrs. Rhodes’ title is still safe for now.” But I didn’t want that title anymore. I was about to tell him I was leaving for good when his custom ringtone for Chloe started playing. His face lit up, and before I could say a word, he was racing back to the bedroom to answer her call. “Mila,” he said as he came rushing back out, excitement plastered all over his face. “Chloe’s coming home. I’m going to pick her up right now. Since you’ve already packed, just go stay in the guesthouse next door for now.” He tossed me a key without waiting for a response. I nodded calmly. “Sure.” For a moment, he looked surprised, even a little confused, before shaking it off. “It’s only temporary,” he said quickly. “Once Chloe’s settled, you can come back.” “No need,” I replied quietly. I didn’t explain further. I’d already applied to a prestigious university overseas and was waiting for my acceptance. 0

Gavin, assuming I was just sulking, didn’t press the issue. He left in a hurry to pick up Chloe, too preoccupied to notice the finality in my words. I, however, left the key on the couch, grabbed my luggage, and checked into a five-star hotel. For once, I could afford the luxury. The money Mrs. Rhodes promised had already hit my account. I planned to stay here until graduation, and then leave this city—leave Gavin and his “perfect” Chloe behind for good. But before I could even settle in, my phone buzzed. Gavin’s name lit up the screen. “Come to Golden Maple Estates,” he ordered the moment I picked up. “Chloe wants to see you. Be here in thirty minutes.” “I’m not interested,” I replied flatly. There was a pause, and his voice sharpened with irritation. “Mila, quit being so dramatic. Have I ever asked you for much? These past few years, I’ve paid for everything—your school, your clothes, your vacations. The least you can do is show up when I need you.” Before I could respond, he added coldly, “The driver’s on the way. Be downstairs.” The line went dead. I sighed and stared at the phone, its screen now blank. For the sake of keeping my agreement with Mrs. Rhodes, I reluctantly hailed a cab and headed to the estate. The moment I stepped into the private dining room, a cake flew straight at me. I didn’t have time to dodge—it hit me squarely in the chest, smearing frosting across my sleek black dress. Across the room, Chloe stood with a little boy at her side. She was wearing a strikingly similar black skirt, the kind that looked made for her. Feigning a scolding tone, she gently nudged the boy. “Sweetheart, apologize to the lady for throwing the cake.” But the boy just stuck out his tongue and sneered. “Bad woman! You’re copying my mom’s clothes! But you’re ugly, and you don’t look as good as her!” He wasn’t wrong. Chloe, with her effortless elegance and undeniable charm, wore the dress like it was made for her. Gavin, standing nearby, frowned slightly and motioned toward the bathroom with a tilt of his chin. “Mila, why are you wearing that? Go change into something else.” 0

Chloe gave a small, amused smile and said, “Gavin, don’t be so harsh. It’s just a dress. Anyone can wear it. If Mila likes it, let her keep it.” The words stung, not because of what she said, but because I knew the truth. Gavin had bought me this dress because it was a replica of hers. He’d gone out of his way to track it down after it sold out, even paying a ridiculous price to get it secondhand. I wiped most of the frosting off my skirt with a napkin and kept my head down. “It’s secondhand anyway. Now that it’s ruined, I might as well toss it.” Chloe’s expression froze for a moment, her confident smile faltering just slightly. Then she pouted, her tone laced with mock hurt. “Mila, there’s no need to be so passive-aggressive. Sure, I’ve been divorced, but my feelings for Gavin are genuine.” She glanced at Gavin, her lips curving upward again. “Anyway, what’s the point of rehashing old stories? None of that matters now that I’m back, right?” I frowned. She had left years ago, not because of me, but because Mrs. Rhodes had fired her after finding out she was pregnant. Yet here she was, twisting the narrative as if I had something to do with it. But Gavin didn’t give me the chance to respond. Instead, he squeezed Chloe’s hand tightly and declared, loud enough for everyone to hear, “No one will ever have the power to make you leave again.” He shot me a pointed, almost accusatory look, as if I were the villain in this story. The bitterness in my chest swelled, and I excused myself under the pretense of cleaning my dress. I slipped into the bathroom, where I sent Gavin a short message: “We’re done.” But before I could leave, Gavin was already outside the door, waiting for me. He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, a frown etched deep into his face. “What’s that supposed to mean?” “It means I’m done, Gavin,” I said, my voice steady. “Chloe’s back now. There’s no need for me, the stand-in, anymore.” His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist tightly. His laugh was sharp, tinged with disbelief and anger. “You’re breaking up with me? Do you think you have that kind of power? Don’t forget, Mila, everything you have—everything—was given to you by the Rhodes family. Even you belong to us.” He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a cold whisper. “If you leave now, people will think Chloe had something to do with it. Is that what you want?” 05 Ignoring my protests, Gavin dragged me back to the private room. Chloe lifted her wine glass with a smug smile, tilting it slightly in my direction. “I thought you’d left already,” she said sweetly, as if she were welcoming an old friend. “Thank you for taking care of Gavin while I was gone all these years.” Gavin pressed a shot of vodka into my hand. “Chloe’s toasting you. Don’t be rude.” I stared at the glass, my stomach churning. Memories from years ago flooded my mind. It was the summer before college, shortly after Chloe had left. Gavin had been devastated, spending his nights drinking himself into oblivion. One night, he got into trouble at a bar, and a group of thugs forced him to drink an entire bottle of vodka. I had stepped in, grabbing the bottle and downing it myself to protect him. The alcohol was so strong that I ended up vomiting blood from stomach ulcers. Ever since then, Gavin had been fiercely protective, forbidding me from touching alcohol. Anytime someone pressured me to drink, he would step in without hesitation. But tonight, he didn’t say a word. Chloe, meanwhile, took a tiny sip of her red wine, coughing delicately as her face turned pink. Gavin immediately rushed to her side, taking the glass from her hand. “Don’t drink anymore. I’m here. No one can force you to do anything.” Chloe leaned against him, her gaze soft and adoring as she glanced at me. “What about you, Mila? Are you not drinking? Don’t tell me you can’t handle it either?” Gavin’s voice cut through the tension. “She can drink. Mila, don’t ruin the mood.” I said nothing. Without hesitation, I downed the vodka in one shot. The burning sensation clawed at my throat and settled like fire in my stomach, but I didn’t flinch. I simply placed the empty glass on the table and turned to leave. Gavin frowned but didn’t stop me. “Gavin,” Chloe murmured, her voice soft and sweet, “it’s so late. Aren’t you going to walk Mila home?” He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “She’ll be fine on her own. I need to take you and the baby home.” That was it. The last thread of warmth I had for him snapped. The pain in my stomach became unbearable by the time I got back to the hotel. A staff member ended up driving me to the emergency room, where I was treated for alcohol-related gastritis. While I lay in the hospital bed, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was a message from Chloe. The photo attached showed her lying in my bed, wearing nothing but the sheets. A steaming bowl of soup sat on the nightstand next to her. Her message read: “Thanks for training him so well. My stomach was feeling off, and he even made me soup. :)” 06 When I saw her message, I was surprised to find I didn’t feel any sadness—not even anger. Just… nothing. “Wish you both the best.” That’s the text I sent back. Shortly after, Gavin called. “Mila, I didn’t sleep with her. Don’t go around saying things like that,” he blurted out, his voice tense. After a brief pause, he added, “And don’t ruin Chloe’s reputation. She’s about to start working at your college as a counselor.” “Oh, got it,” I replied flatly. I was about to graduate. None of this mattered to me anymore. My calm tone left him at a loss for words. In Gavin’s mind, I’d always been the obedient one, but I had a tendency to get a little moody when it came to him—especially when another woman was involved. I would sulk, get upset, and he’d usually respond with annoyance. But now? I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t upset. And that seemed to unsettle him. “You’d better not start anything,” he said awkwardly. “Chloe will be at your graduation ceremony. And remember, her divorce is a private matter. Don’t go spreading it around.” “Sure thing. Anything else you need me to do, sir?” I asked, my voice laced with sarcasm. Gavin hung up abruptly. What I didn’t see was him furiously throwing his phone across the room, his face red with frustration. He thought my indifference was just another one of my tricks to get his attention. In retaliation, he cut off my credit card. “When you finally understand where you stand, come beg me for money.” It was ironic. There had been countless times before when he’d tossed his card at me, telling me to “spend whatever you want.” But aside from covering basic living expenses, I’d never really used it. And now? I didn’t need it anymore. 07 At the graduation ball, Gavin showed up with Chloe, just as I’d expected. The moment they walked in, the entire room seemed to pause. Then came the whispers, the subtle glances darting between me and Chloe. “That’s Mila’s boyfriend, isn’t it? Why is he holding someone else’s hand? And… why are they dressed so similarly?” “I heard Mila’s just a stand-in. Gavin’s always been in love with her.” I hadn’t realized the champagne-colored gown I’d chosen for the night would end up matching Chloe’s. I’d picked it myself, thinking it was the perfect choice. The only person I’d shown it to beforehand was Gavin. I’d even asked him to take a picture of me in it to see how it looked. At the time, he’d been impatient, brushing me off with, “Wear whatever you want. It’s not like I care.” But now, he stood beside Chloe, treating her like she was the most precious thing in the world. Even his tie matched the color of her dress. I instinctively turned to leave, but Chloe called out to me, her voice soft and apologetic. She bit her lip, feigning guilt. “Mila, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you’d wear this dress too. I thought you wouldn’t… you know, try to copy me again. Should I go change?” Her words stopped me in my tracks. Before I could respond, Gavin strode toward me, his face dark with anger. “Mila, I thought you’d moved on,” he snapped. “But here you are, pulling this stunt. Take off the dress. Now.” “Why should I?” I shot back, standing my ground for the first time. “I bought this dress with my own money. Not a single cent of it came from the Rhodes family.” Gavin’s lips twisted into a mocking smirk. “Your own money? Mila, you’re an orphan. The only reason you’ve survived this long is because of the Rhodes family. What right do you have to act defiant now?” He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low, menacing tone. “If you won’t take it off, I’ll have it taken off for you.” He glanced around and gave a subtle nod. From the crowd, a group of his security guards stepped forward, heading straight for me.

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I’m the real daughter of the Cooper family, the one who was maliciously swapped at birth. She’s the fake—the girl who lived in my place for seventeen years, raised by the Coopers as their own. She’s prettier, sweeter, more charming—at least, that’s what everyone says. And because of that, my so-called family has always favored her, the imposter. Everyone’s waiting for me to lose it. They expect me to explode with jealousy, to break down in tears, to rage against the unfairness of it all. But what they don’t realize is… I don’t care. Not one bit. Because being reborn into this peaceful, prosperous time—a world without war, without suffering—is already a blessing greater than I could’ve ever asked for in my last life. The moment I woke up, I clutched my chest tightly. I remembered it vividly—an arrow piercing my heart during my final battle, the force throwing me off my horse and straight to my death beneath a towering tree. But now, everything around me was stark white. The furniture, the surroundings—none of it resembled anything from my homeland. Fragments of unhappy memories flooded my mind. They belonged to the original owner of this body. Her life had been nothing but pain, hardship, and humiliation. I didn’t have time to process it all before voices from outside the room broke through my thoughts. “She’s definitely faking it,” a sharp, mocking voice said. “Throwing herself into an icy lake in the middle of winter? What a pathetic attempt to gain sympathy. Lucas, don’t let her fool you.” A steady, composed voice replied, “You may be my sister’s fiancé, but that doesn’t give you the right to make baseless accusations about someone you’ve never even met.” The door creaked open, revealing the boy with the mocking tone. With a scoff, he said, “Fiancé or not, let me make one thing clear: only Stephanie will ever be the daughter-in-law of the Lewis family. Don’t even think about replacing her with this wild stray.” “Enough,” the other voice cut him off. Then, noticing me stir, he added, “Amanda? You’re awake?” Amanda. That’s my name now. From the fragmented memories, I pieced together a miserable story: I’d been kidnapped as a baby and sold to a remote mountain village. My so-called adoptive parents beat me mercilessly, and I grew up enduring relentless abuse. It wasn’t until the end of my previous life that my grandmother revealed the truth—I wasn’t their child. I’d been stolen. I’d fought tooth and nail to escape that village, traveling far and wide to find my real family. And I found them. My biological parents. My twin brother. But instead of a warm embrace, I was met with cold indifference. They already had a daughter—Stephanie, the girl who had taken my place for seventeen years. She was beautiful, graceful, and everything I wasn’t. To them, I was nothing more than an unpolished embarrassment. I didn’t know how to act like a proper lady. I lacked the poise and refinement of someone raised in privilege. In the six months since I’d returned to the Cooper family, they had shown nothing but disdain for me. They humiliated me, rejected me, and made it clear they wished I’d disappear altogether. What they didn’t know was that in my previous life, I’d been a warrior. I was trained from a young age in horseback riding, archery, medicine, and poisons. I had climbed out of hell itself to fight on the battlefield, slaying countless enemies. And yet, I’d been betrayed—killed by the man I loved. Now, the memories of my past life and this one were merging, becoming clearer by the second. The boy sneering at me was James, Stephanie’s fiancé. The calm man was Lucas, my twin brother. Lucas had already called for a doctor to check on me. Once the doctor confirmed it was just temporary memory loss and nothing serious, Lucas finally relaxed. “She’s not sick—she’s just stirring up trouble,” James said with a smirk. “She’s jealous of Stephanie because Stephanie’s better at everything. That’s why she lured Stephanie to the lake, hoping to push her in. But instead, she slipped and fell in herself. Ha! Talk about karma.” In the original Amanda’s memories, she had indeed felt insecure and jealous. Stephanie was her age but seemed perfect in every way. But the truth? Stephanie had been the one to invite Amanda to the lake. And Stephanie had been the one to push her in. “Stephanie is my sister, and so are you,” Lucas said firmly. “Mom and Dad will treat you both equally. They’ll arrange a good marriage for you and give you a share of the company.” Marriage? Shares? I had no interest in any of that. “Where are Mom and Dad?” I asked. “They’re at Stephanie’s dance recital, of course,” James said with a shrug. Then, glancing at his watch, he added, “I’m running late—I need to go.” He paused at the door and turned to Lucas. “Aren’t you coming?” Lucas gave me a small nod. “Get some rest. We’ll check on you once we’re finished.”

I found it laughable. If this had been the old Amanda, she would’ve been desperate for their approval and affection. But not me. I didn’t know much about this world yet, but I had always been a quick learner. Reaching under the pillow, I found a device called a “phone.” Using the memories of the original Amanda, I unlocked it and searched for everything I needed to know. It turned out that thousands of years had passed since the war-torn era I once lived in. This country knew no war or bloodshed. Children here grew up happy and carefree, surrounded by peace and prosperity. Though I missed the past, I found myself liking this world much more. I stayed up late into the night, lost in thought as I absorbed everything. By the time I finally fell asleep, my mind was a whirlwind of ideas. When I woke up again, the parents and brother of this body were standing by my hospital bed. My father, Grant Cooper, frowned deeply, while my mother, Emily Cooper, spoke gently. “Are you feeling better?” I nodded, keeping my distance emotionally. I had no interest in bonding with them. “After winter break, can I move into the dorms?” That was the reason I’d asked Lucas yesterday where Mom and Dad were. Grant immediately lost his temper. “How long are you planning to keep this up? You’re constantly at odds with Stephanie, always stirring up trouble. And now you’re trying to threaten us by moving out? This is completely unreasonable!” Emily shook her head with a sigh, her tone tinged with frustration. “Just tell us—what is it that you want this time?” At that moment, a girl walked in. Stephanie. She wasn’t particularly beautiful, but she carried herself with an air of refinement. Her carefully cultivated grace and polite smiles gave her the aura of someone who had been raised in wealth and privilege. She exuded the kind of elegance that came from being the favored child of the Cooper family. “Alright, Amanda,” she said with a practiced smile. “I’ve already forgiven you for what happened yesterday. You don’t need to say things like ‘moving out’ just to be dramatic.” In the original Amanda’s memories, Stephanie had always looked down on her. But there was also a hint of fear—because Stephanie knew the truth. She was the fake. She was the one who had no blood ties to the Cooper family. Years ago, it had been Stephanie’s mother who orchestrated the switch, swapping her daughter for me. If not for that, I would’ve been the one raised in privilege. And even now, with the truth out in the open, nothing had changed. Stephanie’s mother was still perfectly fine, living her life as if nothing had happened. The Coopers had no intention of kicking Stephanie out. Why? Because Stephanie was everything they wanted in a daughter. She was graceful, composed, and well-educated—the perfect image of a Cooper family heiress. To them, I was nothing but an unpolished outsider who could never take her place. I smiled faintly. “I heard there are security cameras by the lake. Should we check the footage?” Stephanie’s composed demeanor cracked for a moment, panic flashing in her eyes. “Mom, Dad, I… I feel so dizzy.” Grant’s expression immediately shifted to one of concern. “You must be overworking yourself with all that dancing.” “She should see a doctor,” Emily said, her voice filled with worry. And just like that, the three of them—Stephanie and my supposed parents—left together, leaving me alone in the room.

After I recovered, I was brought back to the Cooper family’s estate. Maybe it was because the holidays were approaching, but everyone in the household seemed busy. Dad was tied up with company affairs. Mom spent her days at brunches, afternoon teas, and spa appointments. My brother was focused on transitioning into his role at the company. And as for Stephanie? Her daily schedule revolved entirely around shopping—mall after mall, boutique after boutique. On New Year’s Eve, the family gathered around the dining table, laughing and chatting like the picture-perfect family. I sat there, watching them with indifference, like an outsider peering into a world that didn’t belong to me. I didn’t fit in with them, and honestly, I didn’t want to. I kept my distance, and they seemed to sense it too. Conversations rarely included me, and I preferred it that way. Finally, the day I had been waiting for arrived—school started again. The original Amanda, the one whose body I now inhabited, hadn’t had many friends. When we returned to school, it was no surprise that Stephanie immediately became the center of attention. Everyone gathered around her, showering her with compliments and endless questions about her winter break. Meanwhile, I sat quietly in a corner, unnoticed and alone. The students here were all from wealthy, influential families. For most of them, college entrance exams weren’t the only path to success. Their futures had already been paved for them with spots at elite universities overseas, secured by their families’ money and connections. Even the few students who excelled academically didn’t have to stress about exams. They had unique talents that had already earned them spots in special programs at prestigious schools. I was the only one who needed to work hard—truly work hard—if I wanted to leave the Cooper family behind. Fortunately, while the original Amanda hadn’t been exceptional in her studies, she had been diligent enough to maintain decent, above-average grades. Her knowledge was imprinted in my memory, and with my own natural ability to learn quickly, I had already mastered the basics of this world’s education system. Now, all I had to do was go deeper—study harder—and aim for the best possible score on the college entrance exams. During the afternoon free period, when most of the students were outside hanging out, I stayed behind, quietly reading in the classroom. That’s when a mocking voice rang out above me. “I heard you pulled a pretty stupid stunt over winter break.” Of course. In this world, there were no secrets—especially not in this circle. Everyone knew I was the Cooper family’s “adopted” daughter. And since I had no blood ties to them, most people didn’t bother hiding their disdain for me. Looking up, I saw a boy standing in front of me. He had a close-cropped buzz cut, with a diamond stud glinting in his left ear and another in his nose. Back in my previous life, only criminals who had been punished with mutilation would wear something in their noses. But here, in this safe and free world, I couldn’t fathom why someone would willingly choose such a look. As my memories pieced themselves together, I recognized him. His name was Benjamin—one of Stephanie’s admirers. Over the past six months, he had caused trouble for me more than once, all because of his infatuation with her. And now, it seemed, he was here to stir things up again.

“Did you pick another fight with Stephanie? She’s a good girl—kind and sweet, with no ill intentions toward anyone. But you? You grew up at the bottom of society, bitter, sharp-tongued, and—” I cut him off with a smile, my voice calm but biting. “And you’re not her fiancé. What gives you the right to lecture me?” “I… I’m just—” “You’re just a classmate, at most. What authority do you have to speak to me like this?” I stood up, my voice sharp and unwavering, completely different from the self-doubting Amanda of the past. “Move. A good dog doesn’t block the way.” His face froze, and then, flushed with anger, he spat, “You’re just an adopted daughter. How dare you talk to me like that? You won’t last a day at this school if you keep this attitude!” “Only weak people bully others,” I said coldly. “And with the school cracking down on bullying, I doubt you want to be their next example, do you?” Just then, the bell rang. Forced to back down, he stomped to his seat, but not before throwing me a glare. Throughout class, he kept turning to glare at me, clearly fuming. Over the next few days, Benjamin made it his mission to make my life miserable. During gym class, he deliberately threw a ball at my head. In class, he pelted me with crumpled pieces of paper. He slipped fake bugs into my pencil case, stuffed a live mouse into my backpack, and even organized a class dinner, inviting everyone except me. The original Amanda’s emotions flared up inside me, a mix of anger and helplessness. But I worked hard to push them down, transforming all of that frustration into motivation to study harder. As for Benjamin’s childish antics? I ignored them every single time. The more I acted indifferent, the more frustrated he became, often stomping his feet in anger like a child throwing a tantrum. But I had bigger concerns than dealing with him. My focus was on figuring out how to convince the Cooper family to let me live on campus. After thinking it over, I decided to approach Stephanie.

Stephanie was dressed to the nines, preparing to leave for yet another glamorous gala. She glanced at me with a smirk. “And why exactly should I help you?” “You dislike me. You’re wary of me. If I move into the dorms, you’ll remain the one and only Cooper family princess. Isn’t that reason enough to help me?” She raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “I’ll think about it.” The next morning, during breakfast, I brought up the dorm request again. Before my parents could respond, Stephanie chimed in, her tone sweet and supportive. “Mom, Dad, I think letting Amanda move into the dorms could be a good idea. It’ll help her focus on her studies. She’s not like me or Lucas—you’ve already paved the way for us. Plus, she doesn’t seem comfortable living here. She’d probably be happier on her own.” Honestly, my parents adored her. A few words from her were all it took for them to agree. And just like that, I packed my things and left the Cooper family without so much as a backward glance. The first thing I did when I got back to school? Deal with Benjamin. His little pranks didn’t bother me much, but they were a waste of my time. I decided to put an end to it once and for all—something that would make him think twice before messing with me again. Benjamin had a habit of jogging at night, and though he had a single dorm room, he rarely stayed there. The plan came together easily. Under the dark night sky, a large golden retriever suddenly emerged from the bushes and chased him across the entire campus. The next morning, the school was buzzing with whispers. Benjamin, furious and humiliated, marched straight to the teacher’s office to complain. “It was Amanda!” he insisted. “She knows I’m terrified of dogs. She must’ve found one just to scare me!” His outburst only made things worse. Now the whole school knew about his fear of dogs. I stood calmly as he pointed fingers at me. “You’re accusing me of sending a dog after you? Do you have any proof?” He froze, his confidence faltering. I suggested we check the security cameras. Sure enough, the footage didn’t show me anywhere near the scene. Instead, it captured him pulling all sorts of pranks on me: placing bugs in my pencil case, throwing paper balls at me, and sneaking mice into my backpack. The golden retriever, it turned out, was a stray I had been feeding regularly near the school’s fence. I hadn’t expected the dog to repay the favor by targeting Benjamin, but I couldn’t say I wasn’t pleased with the outcome. The next day, Benjamin fell ill. He didn’t show up to school for several days. By the time the end-of-semester exams rolled around, he was still absent. I heard his family had requested a copy of the test for him to take at home. His scores were abysmal—nearly at the bottom of the class. I didn’t pay much attention to him after that. My priorities were elsewhere. In addition to studying, I started working part-time jobs. I needed to support myself for the next six months, and I refused to rely on the Cooper family for even a cent. I was determined to save enough for college and my future. My hard work paid off during the monthly exams—I scored among the top students in my grade. The school even invited me to participate in academic competitions. I gladly accepted. Winning competitions meant scholarship money, and I needed every penny I could get. Stephanie, meanwhile, was busy with her own competitions—dance recitals, violin performances, and other artsy showcases. Immersing myself in the world of knowledge, I stumbled across something unexpected in the history books. The country I once lived in, the one torn apart by war, was nothing more than a forgotten chapter in history. I saw names I recognized, names that had once been etched into my memory. Among them, I even found my own name. As for Owen, my loyal partner and closest ally? The records said he had endured unbearable guilt after my death. After assassinating the enemy commander in a final act of defiance, he took his own life under the very tree where I had fallen. With tears in my eyes, I closed the book. A wave of grief and bittersweet gratitude washed over me. How lucky I was to have been reborn into this world. This country was prosperous and strong—so strong that no other nation dared to provoke it. I made a silent vow to myself: I would do whatever I could to contribute to its future, to ensure this country grew even stronger and more powerful. As the intense pace of studying continued, spring arrived, bringing with it the annual tradition of Memorial Day. The Cooper family insisted I return home to accompany them on a trip to their ancestral home to honor the family’s heritage. I was positioned behind Stephanie the entire time, treated more like a servant than a family member. She glanced back at me with a smirk that was impossible to miss. “See? Even though you’re Cooper family by blood, in front of our ancestors, you’re still stuck behind me.” “And why should that bother me?” I replied calmly.

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Natalie, my boyfriend’s cousin, moved in with him after her divorce. She was heavily pregnant and had a 5-year-old son. She took it for granted that my boyfriend Liam was her support and was unhappy with me. She thought I had stolen her cousin from her. At a family dinner, her son Noah threw his drink at me and shouted: “You can’t steal my daddy!” The sudden incident left everyone stunned. My parents and Liam rushed over to help me wipe the sticky orange juice off my dress. I was still in shock, silently staring at the angry child. He was only five, but his features resembled his mother’s – proper and cute. At that moment, however, his eyes were filled with rage, as if he was a little hero fighting injustice. Natalie came over and pulled him away, casually saying, “Noah, that’s not your dad. That’s your uncle.” She didn’t scold or even reprimand him, just tried to lead him away. My mom was furious. She yelled at Natalie, “Stop right there! Apologize to my daughter! Is this how you raise your child?!” Natalie still wore an indifferent expression, frowning as if we were making a fuss over nothing. “He’s just a little kid. What does he know?” “He may not know better, but surely you do?” I said sternly, my anger ignited. Liam’s parents started trying to smooth things over. But instead of asking them to apologize, they were asking me to be understanding. “Aria, don’t take it so seriously. It’s just a child. Let’s all have a nice time today.” That statement made it sound like I was the one making a scene. This dinner was the first formal meeting between our families, with important relatives from both sides attending. I had even worn a dress I usually saved for special occasions. But Noah’s drink had ruined my $200 dress in an instant. I was really heated up. He hadn’t even apologized. The atmosphere grew tense. At that moment, my nephew grabbed a drink and poured it on Noah. The whole place erupted. Natalie cried out in shock, frantically wiping Noah with napkins while glaring at us. My brother patted his son’s head and threw their words back at them: “He’s just a kid and doesn’t know better. Don’t take it so seriously.” It was a blatant counter-attack. But since it was their own words, they couldn’t argue against it now. Some of my frustration dissipated. Liam pulled Noah over and said sternly: “Apologize to Aria.” “No way!” Seeing even his favorite uncle scolding him, Noah became more convinced I was a bad woman. He ran up and shoved me hard, screaming: “Get out! Get out! I don’t want you as my aunt!!” In my mind, 5-year-olds should be innocent and lively. Why would he harbor such hatred towards others? I couldn’t believe this wasn’t due to his environment. I looked up at Natalie standing nearby. She was still standing there nonchalantly, as if nothing mattered. My parents lost their patience. They got up to leave, saying: “I think it’s better if this relationship ends here!” Liam panicked when he saw us leaving. He grabbed Noah, trying to make him apologize to me. “Liam, is this woman more important than your nephew?!” Natalie hadn’t seemed anxious before, but seeing her son treated roughly, she immediately came over to protect him. Liam’s parents also came to persuade us not to be so harsh on the child. Seeing their attitude, my parents got even angrier. They strode out of the restaurant, pulling me along. This was the first meeting between our families, and it ended so unpleasantly. My parents were still fuming when we got home. But a 10-year relationship isn’t something you can just end on a whim. As adults, we had more to consider, more concerns in our hearts. “Talk to Liam properly and see what happened today.” “I think this boy is quite good, how did he end up with such a problematic family?” Dad nodded in agreement: “And that cousin of his, stirring up trouble while heavily pregnant. I was worried she’d fake an injury if a fight broke out.” I couldn’t help but laugh. Mom poked my forehead: “You still have the heart to laugh? I really think his cousin is strange. Why is she living with them after getting divorced?” “And I got the feeling she really dislikes you, like you’ve stolen something from her.” That was true. I didn’t know much about Liam’s cousin Natalie. I only knew that Liam’s mom adored her younger brother, who had a daughter late in life. So she also doted on her brother’s daughter – Liam’s cousin. I heard from Liam that his cousin grew up with him since childhood, and they were very close. You could say they were like real siblings. That’s why he allowed his cousin to move in after her divorce. Even though Natalie had lost her source of income, she could still live comfortably largely because five people were supporting her. Liam’s uncle and aunt, Liam’s parents, and Liam himself. Perhaps in her mind, she felt that if Liam and I got married, she might suddenly lose four sources of financial support? She still had a 5-year-old son and an unborn child to raise. School and formula – everything costs money. Her ex-husband was useless and loved to fool around, so he wouldn’t give her any money. She could only pin her hopes on her dear cousin’s family. This explanation made sense. No wonder she felt like I had stolen something from her. My phone vibrated with a new message. I opened it to see a long apology from Liam’s mom. She said she was sorry that the first family meeting had gone so badly and felt terrible about it. The message lowered her own stance, and other family members who had been quiet in the family group chat, including Liam’s siblings, also started apologizing. My resentment eased a little. After all, from start to finish, I just wanted his family to show some attitude. Who could feel comfortable with their first visit to the boyfriend’s family going like this? I had just started typing a response saying it was okay when I saw Liam’s uncle apologizing to me too. “Today’s incident was all Noah’s fault, but it’s also our failure as parents for not teaching our child properly.” Then he tagged Natalie, asking her to apologize to me. The group chat suddenly went quiet. A full five minutes passed with no response. I couldn’t believe they couldn’t see each other’s messages while living together. Clearly, their attitude was that they didn’t want to apologize to me. My anger flared up again. I deleted the “let’s all get along” message I had typed in the chat. Another five minutes passed before Natalie finally sent a message: “Sorry about that, Miss Aria. Please be magnanimous.” Then she posted several photos. Without exception, they were all photos of me with a guy, including one where I was smiling radiantly while wearing a Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet. I felt like all the blood in my body had rushed to my head. These photos were ones I had posted on various social media platforms a long time ago. How did she find them?! I felt a sense of shame, as if I had been stripped naked and peeked at. “Miss Aria, you’ve had multiple meals with this man, proving you maintain an intimate relationship. That bracelet on your wrist was given by him too, right? I’ve observed for a long time, and with yours and Liam’s salaries, you couldn’t afford such a bracelet. Based on this evidence, I want to ask – are you this man’s mistress?” People say pregnancy makes you stupid for three years, but I feel she could be stupid for ten years. Bringing unfounded accusations into the family group chat, with such a smug tone. As if she wanted everyone to praise her detective skills. At this point, all I could do was send a smiley face. I had no words to reply. Liam was even more furious than me. He scolded: “What nonsense are you spouting?! This guy is Aria’s cousin. They only meet once a year at family gatherings, which is why she posted the photos. The bracelet was bought by him too. What on earth are you rambling about?! Have you gone mad?!” This was the first time I had seen Liam so angry in our 10 years of dating. He must have been infuriated to the point of spitting blood. Natalie quickly retracted her messages, but the photos couldn’t be deleted and remained in the chat, looking particularly glaring. Everyone in the group started chatting casually, trying to push those images up and out of view. But looking at those photos, I realized Natalie must have been stalking me for more than just a month or two. I post a lot of random thoughts on Twitter. To find these photos, she must have been watching since a year ago. After stalking for so long, she specifically saved these few photos of me dining with another man and wearing an expensive bracelet. Just to accuse me of being a mistress. I was too disgusted to speak, and at the same time, my anger was making me feel physically ill. Liam messaged me at this moment, comforting me not to let this upset me too much. “Our whole family is furious with her. We don’t know what she’s trying to do…” “Babe, don’t be angry. My mom says you should come over in a few days and she’ll apologize to you in person. We really went too far today. Please explain this to your parents first.” I suddenly felt relieved again and sighed: “Let’s not talk about it anymore. It’ll just make them angry again.” Liam had nothing to do with his cousin’s actions. I couldn’t take out my anger at his cousin on him. So I decided to give them one more chance. The next time I went to their house was on a weekend. Liam’s parents lived with his uncle and aunt. The house wasn’t big, but it was crowded with people, making it seem even smaller. Fortunately, his uncle and aunt were at work today, so there were only six people in the house. His cousin sat on the living room sofa watching TV, with Noah beside her. As soon as he saw me, Noah frowned and looked hostile. But he must have been warned, as he just glared at me without any other action. I sat down next to him. Natalie stroked her pregnant belly and questioned me when she saw me sit down: “Why aren’t you helping out? What are you doing sitting here?” “I’m a guest. Why should I help?” She was usually idle at home, but now she had double standards for others. Noah, seeing a new Transformers toy on TV, screamed and pulled his mom’s hand: “Mom, mom, I want to buy this! I want the $38 one!! Buy it for me, buy it for me!!” “Let’s ask uncle to buy it for you later, okay?” Natalie said it so naturally, as if this scene had played out countless times. So Liam was supposed to serve the three of them, huh? But I didn’t get angry. I just continued scrolling on my phone, my expression unchanged. Seeing that I wasn’t reacting, Natalie gently said to Noah: “Noah, you need to be sensible. When your uncle gets a wife someday, he won’t dote on you as much.”

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