Category: English

Kidnappers had taken both my son and my wife’s beloved dog hostage. They told Olivia she could only choose one to save. My eyes were bloodshot as I fell to my knees, shouting, “Save Leo! Save our son! He’s only five years old!” But Olivia was agonizing between our child and the dog. Lucas’s face was pale as he spoke with a trembling voice, “Olivia, don’t worry about Snowball. It’s just a dog. But… it’s my only emotional support now…” She glanced at me, her eyes filled with complexity. “I’ll decide with a dice roll,” she said. The kidnappers laughed and agreed to her proposal. Odd numbers would save our son, even numbers would save the dog. The dice landed on three. I instantly felt relief wash over me, my body going limp. But Olivia shouted, “That doesn’t count! My hand slipped. I demand another roll!” The kidnapper sneered, “One finger buys you another chance to roll.” Without hesitation, Olivia broke her own pinky finger. I watched in horror as she rolled the dice again with her shaking hand. This time… it landed on four.

“Even number! It’s an even number!” Olivia exclaimed with relief, shouting at the kidnappers. The kidnapper grinned, his voice dripping with mockery, “Hahaha! Mrs. Quinn, you’re fucking hilarious!” “You could have saved your son on the first roll, but you chose to save a damn animal instead. Mrs. Quinn, you’re truly one in a million!” Olivia’s face flushed red, but she didn’t argue back. She just stubbornly repeated, “This is fate!” My heart sank to the bottom of an abyss. My whole body was shaking, blood and tears blurring my vision. Olivia carefully walked over to Lucas, opened the cage, and took the terrified Samoyed into her arms. “It’s okay now, Snowball is safe,” she cooed. Lucas ran to her side, crying uncontrollably. Meanwhile, my son Leo had a pale face, his mouth taped shut, crying so hard his body was turning purple. I rushed over to embrace Leo. His tiny body trembled in my arms. Only then did Olivia seem to remember us and walked over. “Is Leo okay?” she asked casually, her eyes never leaving the dog in her arms. My throat was too constricted from shock to make any sound. Suddenly, Lucas cried out, “Olivia, Snowball is dying! We need to get him to the hospital right away!” “Okay, let’s go now!” Olivia said anxiously, turning to leave with the dog in her arms without sparing us another glance. She only threw a cold sentence to the kidnappers: “The money will be transferred to you. Release my son.” With that, she hurried away supporting Lucas. The iron door of the warehouse slammed shut, cutting off everything outside. I held my son, my body ice-cold. The kidnapper squatted down in front of me. He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he sneered at me, “I’ve never seen such a heartless wife. Where did you find this piece of trash?” I stared at him blankly, unable to utter a word. The kidnapper blew a puff of smoke in my face, bringing me back to reality and making me cough. “Tell you what, I’m in a good mood today. I’ll give you one more chance,” he said. He held his phone out to me. “Call your wife.” “If she’s willing to turn back now, I’ll let you and your son go.” “How’s that? Pretty merciful, right?” He laughed at his own words. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the phone. I dialed Olivia’s number. The phone rang for a long time before it was answered. “Hello?” It was Olivia’s voice. In the background, I could clearly hear Lucas’s anxious voice. “Olivia…” I sobbed, “Save Leo… please come back…” From the other end came her impatient voice. “Gabriel! I’m in the middle of getting emergency treatment for Snowball. He’s in shock!” “Leo is my son. The kidnappers won’t dare do anything to him once they get the money. Don’t make trouble for me now!”

With that, she hung up without hesitation. The kidnapper listened to the dial tone and took back his phone. He shrugged and said with a cold smile, “I gave you a chance. Mrs. Quinn is a busy woman, and she hasn’t even transferred the money to me yet.” “You can’t blame me for what happens next.” He gestured to his men behind him. One of them with dyed yellow hair roughly snatched Leo from my arms. “No!” I let out a heart-wrenching roar, crawling on all fours to try and stop him. Another thug kicked me hard in the chest. I slammed against the wall before crumpling to the ground. Blood flowed from my forehead, obscuring my vision. My son’s cries echoed in my ears. “I want Mommy! Mommy, come save me!” “Daddy! Daddy, save me!” The next second, both Leo’s terrified screams and my cries were abruptly silenced. I saw Leo’s tiny body collapse softly to the ground, motionless. I kept shaking my head, my jaw trembling, as I slowly supported myself up and staggered over to my son. My hand caressed Leo’s face, which had been so full of life just hours ago. The blood on my hands smeared his face, and I frantically tried to wipe it away, but there was more and more blood. I picked up my son and finally broke down in loud, uncontrollable sobs. When I had cried myself out, I looked up to find myself surrounded by a group of men who weren’t the original kidnappers. Before I could react, they swung the clubs in their hands, striking my legs and arms. I heard the sound of bones breaking and was nearly driven unconscious by the pain. In the last second before I passed out, I heard their malicious laughter. “This bastard can’t take a beating at all. Brother Lucas said to just break his arms and legs, leave him barely alive.” … I woke up in the hospital. My whole body ached as if I had been torn apart and haphazardly put back together. The doctor said I had suffered comminuted fractures in my left arm and right leg, and they had barely managed to save me. I stared blankly at the ceiling, feeling a twinge in my heart, but I had no more tears left to cry. Why didn’t they just let me die along with Leo? A nurse came in and asked me in a low voice, “Is that little boy’s body in the morgue your son?” “The forensic examination is complete. The family can come claim the body now.” My heart was stabbed again. Just then, Olivia pushed open the door to the hospital room. She was holding Snowball in her arms, with Lucas following behind her, his eyes red and puffy. Seeing that I was awake, Olivia’s face broke into a smile. She was about to show me the dog when I spoke. Her voice held a hint of relief: “Snowball was in critical condition, but luckily we saved him.” I remembered the doctor saying I had nearly died too. A dog’s life, a human life… Hah, this was my wife. I stared vacantly at the wall without speaking. After a long silence, just as Olivia was starting to get impatient, I spoke in a hoarse voice. Each word felt like a knife scraping my throat. “Olivia, the doctor said they issued twenty-five critical condition notices for me. I almost died.” “I barely managed to survive, but Leo will never come back!” I practically shouted the last sentence, tears falling in large drops onto the bedsheet. Olivia was taken aback, then sighed, “You know dogs are more fragile, of course we had to save Snowball first.” “You’re fine now, aren’t you? You have good recovery abilities, unlike Snowball who still needs months of care.” Then, as if just remembering something, she frowned and asked me. “What happened to Leo? Did the kidnappers release him?” I looked at the face I had loved for ten years, suddenly feeling it was very unfamiliar. I opened my mouth, my voice raspy: “Leo… is dead.” “You killed him!” My emotions suddenly collapsed, and I began to scream hysterically. “You killed him! Olivia, you’re a murderer!”

Olivia’s face instantly turned ugly. Lucas quickly came forward to hold her back, gently persuading, “Olivia, don’t be angry. Gabriel just woke up and is emotionally unstable.” Olivia shook him off, pointing at my nose and scolding, “Gabriel Gray, have you had enough? What kind of madness are you spouting?!” “Lucas has already contacted the kidnappers. They said they received the money and released Leo long ago!” “Where did you take Leo? What kind of father are you? You can’t even watch your own child!” I looked at her in disbelief. She didn’t believe our son was dead. I stared at her with wide eyes, my lips trembling slightly, “The kidnappers killed him because you didn’t transfer the money immediately…” Olivia let out a cold laugh, “Gabriel Gray, I know you hate me for choosing Snowball, but how can you make up such lies just to make me feel guilty!” “How could Leo possibly be dead? The kidnappers just wanted money!” “You must have lost him and are too afraid to admit it, so you made up this nonsense to trick me!” “Hurry up and find Leo! Stop being so unreasonable!” With that, she left holding the dog and pulling Lucas along, without looking back. I shouted and threw everything I could reach onto the floor. The sudden movement caused my freshly sutured wounds to burst open, blood soaking the sheets. I collapsed to the ground, my chest aching violently. On the day I was discharged, Olivia came to pick me up. I sat in a wheelchair as she pushed me out of the hospital. She didn’t mention Leo again. Lucas told her I had accepted the fact that I had “lost” our son, but the shock was too great and I needed time to recover. She believed it. After returning home, I started having nightmares every night, often waking up crying. In my dreams, I always saw Leo dying before my eyes. That night, I was again awakened by a nightmare and went to the kitchen for water. As soon as I turned on the light, I saw a dog’s body by the sink. I went over and found it was Lucas’s Snowball! Before I could react, Lucas cried out behind me. “Gabriel, you actually… you actually killed Snowball!” The sound drew Olivia, who immediately pinned the blame on me without asking what happened. She looked at me with disgust and scolded harshly, “Gabriel Gray, how could you be so vicious?! Even if Leo’s disappearance broke your heart, Snowball was innocent!” “Besides, it was your failure as a father. How can you make an innocent dog bear the consequences of your own mistakes?!” I shouted back with red eyes, “So Leo deserved to bear it all, to the point of death?!” Olivia looked at me with disappointment, “You’ve really gone mad, completely mad! I’ve told you Leo just went missing. Why do you keep cursing him dead?!” I didn’t want to argue anymore. I rushed out of the house, ignoring Olivia’s angry shouts behind me. I ran to the hospital barefoot, my soles already bloody and raw. At the entrance to the morgue, I couldn’t take another step forward. I crouched down covering my face, sobbing. Olivia caught up behind me. She roughly pulled me up from the ground, her scolding raining down on me. “Gabriel Gray, what the hell are you doing?!” “Running to a place like this in the middle of the night, are you sick?!” “I haven’t even settled the score with you for killing Snowball, and you ran away because you feel guilty!” I looked at Olivia’s contorted expression, the anger in my heart finally erupting. I lunged forward and grabbed her throat. The next second, I was violently kicked away by her, my head hitting the wall. My broken leg couldn’t support me and I fell to the ground, blood dripping down. I looked up to meet Olivia’s bloodshot eyes. She pointed at me, “Gabriel Gray, wasn’t killing Snowball enough? Now you want to kill me too?!” I laughed, laughing so hard tears streamed down, laughing until the wounds on my chest ached sharply. I wiped the blood from my face and struggled to stand up on shaky legs, the pain like walking on knife edges. But it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. “Didn’t you say Leo just went missing?” “He’s lying in there right now. Do you dare to go in with me and see?!” “See what your choice has done to your five-year-old son?!”

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Marcus doesn’t love me or our daughter. Yet he’s fallen madly in love with Lily’s dance teacher. He spent a fortune buying a luxurious mansion to keep her as his mistress. His love for her is no secret. The dance teacher came to see me, revealing the red marks on her body. “I’m so sorry, I never meant to be the other woman,” she said tearfully. “But he won’t let me go. Please help me leave the country.” In a moment of weakness, I agreed to help her escape. Marcus went berserk. He strapped a bomb to our daughter. “Tell me where Melody is or I’ll blow her up right in front of you.” I broke down sobbing and quickly told him Melody’s location. After he left, a timer appeared on the bomb strapped to Lily. Beep…beep…beep… I rushed over without thinking. The blast threw me backwards. My daughter’s body exploded into a bloody mist, painting the world red. “No!” I screamed. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I discovered Marcus was keeping a mistress. My phone buzzed with another text from an unknown number. This time it was several photos. In the pictures, Marcus gazed at the woman before him with tender affection. No matter what she was doing – eating, looking at her phone, or just staring into space – his eyes were always fixed on her adoringly. That woman was the apple of my husband’s eye, the one who taught him the meaning of love. This mysterious number would occasionally share little moments of Marcus and Melody’s romance with me. It was through these glimpses that I saw the human side of Marcus. The unknown number continued messaging: [Do you know how much your husband cares for that woman? If she so much as frowns, he’s beside himself with concern.] [They’re holding their wedding at Evergreen Manor tonight. You’re not planning to crash it, are you?] [Why don’t you just get divorced? Do you think you still have a chance?] I gripped my phone tightly. I had tried tracing this number before, but could never uncover who was behind it. But I had my suspicions. The grief and terror of losing my daughter still haunted me. Shaking, I texted back: [It’s you, isn’t it?] There was no reply. I won’t be going to Marcus’s wedding this time. I went in my past life. Back then, I was shocked to learn my husband was holding a wedding with that woman. Though Marcus and I had been legally married for years, we never had a proper ceremony. I lost all reason and rushed to Evergreen Manor. At the wedding, I caused a huge scene. Marcus looked at me like I was a stranger and publicly handed me divorce papers. “Just sign them. I want to give Melody a real family,” he said coldly. Melody was sobbing uncontrollably. “No, if you divorce your wife because of me, I’ll be a homewrecker!” Seeing her cry made Marcus even more protective of her, fueling his hatred towards me. That wedding was the final nail in the coffin of my marriage to Marcus. After that, every time Melody tried to run away, Marcus assumed I was behind it. Each escape attempt resulted in Marcus torturing me – locking me in the basement, abandoning me in a snowy field overnight, or dumping me in the middle of nowhere. When I begged for a divorce, Marcus just sneered: “Divorce? I gave you the chance before and you didn’t take it. It’s too late now!” That disastrous wedding was the start of all the tragedies. I can’t make the same mistake again. I went back to Lily’s bedroom. Seeing her sleeping peacefully finally calmed my racing heart. In the darkness, a tear slid down my cheek. It wasn’t always like this. Marcus used to have a gentle side towards me and Lily. In the first few years of our marriage, he treated me well. His love was clumsy but passionate. He would bring me flowers every day when he came home from work. He would hold me and say, “Honey, I don’t know how to love, but I’ll try my best to be good to you.” Back then, he was like a lost puppy – pitiful and helpless. I knew that Marcus’s grandfather, in order to groom the family heir, had subjected Marcus to emotional desensitization training from a young age. Like killing the dog Marcus had raised and forcing him to eat it. Or sending away the butler who had been so kind to him. Most horrifically, even driving Marcus’s own mother to self-immolation… Marcus was expected to be devoid of love or personal attachments, a puppet with no emotions of his own. But how could a person truly achieve that? I tucked the blanket around Lily. As my fingers brushed her soft cheek, I suddenly remembered when she was first born. Marcus had been so tense as he carefully cradled her in his arms. He held her like she was made of the most delicate crystal. After a long moment, he finally managed to say: “Such a tiny human.” In the warm glow of the hospital lights, his eyes held a tenderness he didn’t even realize was there. I thought we were finally on the right track. But then he went back to the family estate once, and everything changed. He reverted to his old cold self. No, he became even more callous and unfeeling.

He treated me and Lily like we didn’t exist. I wondered if something had happened at the estate, if he was being pressured somehow. But when I voiced my concerns, he just looked at me like I was an idiot. “You don’t actually think Grandfather is threatening me, do you? Have you been watching too many soap operas?” “Olivia, I just realized that developing feelings for you was disgusting.” Disgusting! That’s how he described our relationship. Up to that point, we might have still maintained a facade of normalcy. But then Melody appeared and things spiraled beyond the point of no return. He fell madly in love with her, defying family pressure for her sake, nearly giving his grandfather a heart attack. When I confronted him, he offered no explanation. He didn’t love me. He didn’t even respect me. My phone buzzed insistently in my palm. It was that unknown number again: [Coward.] I whispered under my breath, “If being a coward means my daughter and I survive, then so be it.” Marcus loves Melody. Let him love her then. I won’t interfere this time. After leaving Lily’s room, I called my lawyer. “Hello, I need help handling the division of marital assets…” This time, I’ll agree to the divorce. I’ll take Lily and leave this place far behind. But it seems fate enjoys playing cruel jokes on me. An hour later, Marcus came home after being away for ages. He kicked the door open with a thunderous bang. Before I could even ask what was wrong, he knocked me to the ground with a vicious kick. I fell backwards into the fish tank. The glass shattered everywhere. Shards of glass embedded in my back, blood immediately pooling beneath me. Marcus stared at the blood, a dark glint in his eyes. Rage burned in his gaze as he ground his shoe into my hand. “Olivia, where have you hidden Melody?” he snarled, yanking my head up by the hair. Melody had run away again? The pain was blinding. I hastily tried to explain: “I don’t know, I didn’t do anything. She must have left on her own.” “You dare lie to me?” Marcus slammed me against the wall. I heard my bones crack. He advanced on me step by step: “She’s such a good girl! She promised she’d wait for me. You must have done something to scare her into running away!” “I told you, it wasn’t me!” My voice shook from the pain. Why wouldn’t this monster just leave me alone? I hadn’t done anything this time around. Even in my past life, all I did was help Melody leave at her own request. How did that result in such a gruesome end for me and my daughter? Marcus sat on the couch, his expression unreadable as he stared at me. After a long silence, he suddenly spoke: “Don’t you care what happens to Lily?” My whole body went rigid with fear. The horrific image of my daughter’s death was still vivid in my mind. This inhuman beast was threatening our child again. Something snapped inside me. Ignoring my injuries, I crawled towards him. I kowtowed over and over, begging: “Please, I’m begging you, don’t hurt our daughter. Don’t hurt her…” “Believe me, I never did anything to Melody. I’ll sign the divorce papers right now if you want.” Seeing my panic, Marcus fell silent. Suddenly, he stood up and roughly dragged me down to the basement. The stench of mold and decay assaulted my senses. As icy chains locked around my wrists and ankles, I finally saw the machine in the corner. It was the electroshock device Marcus used for torture. “Tell me where Melody is,” he said, turning a dial on the machine. The hum of electricity filled the basement. “It wasn’t me!” I cried. The current felt like it was exploding through every inch of my skin. I had experienced this torture in my past life too. That time, I had nearly died.

Wires wrapped around my ankles and wrists. Each time I struggled, the shocks intensified. “Does it hurt? Not knowing where Melody is hurts me even more,” Marcus whispered in my ear. Suddenly, the creak of a metal door echoed from deep in the basement. Then came the sound of a child crying. “Mommy!” My blood ran cold instantly. As Marcus released his grip, I screamed desperately: “Marcus, don’t hurt her!” Marcus glanced back at me. That look in his eyes – it was like he was regarding a corpse. A minute later, Marcus returned carrying Lily in his arms. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, but she still clung to her father trustingly. “Daddy, why is Mommy tied up like that?” she asked in a small voice. Marcus gently wiped the tears from her face and replied casually: “It’s just for fun. Do you want to try it too, sweetheart?” I shook my head frantically, horrified. “Please, Marcus, I’m begging you. I’ll die to prove I never hurt Melody. Just please don’t harm our daughter.” I was beyond desperate. If my death could buy Lily’s safety, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second. As I prepared to bite my tongue, Marcus suddenly gripped my throat. “You want to die? Your life isn’t worth much. You’d better stay alive until I find Melody.” Just then, Marcus’s phone rang. He set Lily down. She immediately ran to my side, crying softly. She tried to undo the chains but didn’t know how. On the phone, one of Marcus’s subordinates was reporting to him. “Mr. Holt, we’ve found your wife.” Of course. Melody was the one they called “wife.” I was just “that woman.” Marcus found Melody at the airport. She had been trying to leave the country when his men spotted her. I was dragged along, still chained, to the airport. From a few meters away, I watched Marcus embrace Melody tightly, breathing heavily. “Why do you keep running away? Are you trying to break my heart?” he choked out. “Melody, you’re taking advantage of how much I care for you.” Marcus’s voice cracked with emotion, trembling as he spoke. Melody shrank into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “But what can I do? I’m the other woman. I’ve come between you and your wife. I’m a sinner.” “I deserve to die. I deserve to die! I’ve ruined Lily’s family. I was her most trusted teacher, and now she’ll hate me…” As she spoke, she grabbed the Swiss Army knife from Marcus’s belt and tried to plunge it into her own throat. In a split second, Marcus grabbed the blade. Blood dripped from the knife onto Melody’s pure white dress. Like a red rose blooming, shockingly vivid. Melody immediately let go of the knife, staring at the man’s deeply cut hand in distress. “Why…why are you so good to me? I’ve fallen in love with you. What am I supposed to do now?” Melody wept as she pounded Marcus’s chest, crying so hard she could barely breathe. Marcus tossed the knife aside and hugged her fiercely, as if trying to fuse her into his very bones. I watched numbly, my heart too numb to feel anything anymore. Marcus patiently comforted her. After a while, Melody’s sobs subsided. She turned to look at me, tears falling again. “I’m so sorry, Lily’s mom. I never meant for this to happen…” “Don’t apologize to her,” Marcus interrupted, stroking Melody’s hair tenderly. “It’s not your fault. I’m the one who forced you into this. I pressured you. My Melody is the kindest girl in the world.” “Melody, you’re more important to me than anyone.” Hearing this, Melody cried even harder. The two gazed at each other with such passion, the scene looked tragically beautiful. Marcus reverently kissed Melody’s forehead. “Be good now. Don’t run off again. Stay by my side.” Melody nodded weakly. But she hadn’t eaten properly, and the stress caused her blood sugar to crash. She suddenly fainted in his arms. Panicked, Marcus lifted her up, hands shaking. He rushed off with her in his arms. As he passed by me, he shot me a vicious glare. That look – as if I were his mortal enemy.

Melody came to find me a week later. She looked healthier, having gained some weight. Wearing a little white dress, she looked like an ethereal fairy from afar. She found me at the mansion. At the time, I was planning to bring up divorce with Marcus again. Melody kept her head down, unable to meet my eyes. “Lily’s mom, I’m so sorry. I’m scared too. I don’t know what to do.” “Maybe…you could help me. I want to leave the country.” Here we go again. This time it came earlier. In my past life, she didn’t pull this move until six months later. “I won’t get involved in your affairs,” I told her firmly. Melody looked up in shock. She had assumed I would happily accept this request as a way to get rid of her. She blurted out, “Why not? Don’t you want to drive me away so you can win Marcus back?” Realizing what she’d said, she quickly looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” I waved her off. “You should go. If you don’t get back soon, Marcus will go crazy looking for you.” … Marcus came home that night. Just because he knew Melody had come to see me. He interrogated me the moment he walked in. “What did you say to her?” I shook my head. “I didn’t say anything. She asked me to help her leave the country. I refused.” Hearing this, Marcus looked at me in surprise. It was like he was seeing me for the first time. “You’re acting strange,” he said suspiciously. “You’re imagining things.” Marcus didn’t press further. After getting a call from Melody, he hurried to leave. As he was walking out, I handed him a document. He impatiently asked, “What’s this?” “It’s a permission slip for Lily’s overseas study program. We both need to sign it as her parents.” In a rush to go see Melody, he barely glanced at it before scrawling his signature. He had no idea that hidden beneath the permission slip was a divorce agreement. After the door slammed shut, I let out a long breath. I gathered our luggage and took Lily to the airport. But before we could leave the house, several luxury cars pulled up out front. My heart sank. Marcus got out of one of the cars and strode over. He kicked over the suitcase. Lily started crying in fright. He didn’t even look at our daughter, just glared at me venomously. “Where do you think you’re going? Trying to run after what you’ve done?” Cold sweat broke out on my skin as I hugged Lily, my hands shaking. I tried to keep my voice steady: “What happened? Explain it to me clearly.” “You dare play dumb.” Marcus snarled, grabbing my throat. His face was twisted with rage. Lily cried and tried to pry his hand off me, but it was no use. Marcus’s voice was ice cold: “Melody broke out in a rash right after she left you.” I was stunned. So once again, he suspected I had drugged Melody somehow. I tried to explain, but Marcus pulled out a gun and shot my right hand. The loud bang made Lily wail in terror. The pain nearly made me black out. Just before I lost consciousness, I heard Marcus’s frigid voice: “You’re lucky Melody wasn’t seriously hurt. Otherwise a bullet would have been the least of your worries.” I woke up three days later. The bullet had been removed, and my arm was heavily bandaged. Lily’s small form was curled up asleep next to me. My phone buzzed just then. It was that unknown number. [Marcus is on vacation with Melody right now. Leave while you can.] I had suspected the person behind these messages might be Melody herself. But now I knew it wasn’t her – it was someone I hadn’t seen in a long time. I checked myself out of the hospital against medical advice. The doctor had no choice but to call Marcus. On the other end of the line, Marcus was clearly in a foul mood. “What, is she dead?” he snapped. The doctor broke into a sweat. “Well, no…” “If she’s not dead then don’t bother me.” Marcus cut him off. In the background, Melody’s gentle voice could be heard. “Darling, is that about your wife? Did something happen to her?” “She’s fine. Don’t worry about her…” After the call ended, the doctor awkwardly looked at me and approved my discharge. I took Lily and left without looking back. As the plane took off, the view outside the window was breathtaking…

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I am Aria, the one with the purest bloodline in the Celestial Clan. Yet on the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, the sacred beast I had nourished with my own essence since childhood denounced me as impure and unfit to lead. Desperate to prove myself, I attempted to transform into my true form, only to become an ugly black serpent. Meanwhile, Rose, the servant girl I had taken in as an adopted sister, revealed herself to be able to transform into the majestic form of our clan. The sacred beast bowed at Rose’s feet, sneering at me with disdain. My father, enraged, disowned me on the spot. And Blake, my childhood sweetheart and fiancé, berated me: “How dare a lowly black snake try to impersonate our heiress!” I was scorned by thousands and exiled from the clan. Driven out, I ultimately perished in a horde of wild beasts. After death, I watched as Rose assumed my identity, married my fiancé, and became the revered heiress of the clan. Given a second chance at life, I returned to the day of my coming-of-age ceremony.

“Heiress, hurry up and draw your blood!” The pain of being trampled by countless beasts still made me shudder. But when I opened my eyes, I found myself back in my chambers. The sacred beast’s attendant held out a porcelain bowl containing a dagger, glaring at me impatiently. I felt disoriented. Until Jade, my handmaid, gently reminded me: “My lady, the ceremony begins in two hours.” “The sacred beast needs to partake of your essence before the ritual.” I suddenly snapped back to reality. This was amazing – I had truly returned to the day of the ceremony! “No!” I shouted, snatching the dagger and throwing it to the ground. “What sacred beast?” “It’s nothing but a parasitic bloodsucker!” The attendant flew into a rage. “How dare you! The sacred beast is our clan’s divine protector.” “As the heiress, it’s your duty to nourish it. How can you speak so disrespectfully?” I let out a cold laugh. The sacred beast was a small golden dragon. It had hatched on the day of my birth and was chosen as the clan’s divine guardian. Legend said it could protect our clan’s fortunes. But the beast was weak and could only survive by feeding daily on the heiress’s essence. In my past life, I had cut my wrist every day to feed it. I gave not just my blood, but a portion of the power I had worked so hard to cultivate each day. Yet despite all that, it had betrayed me! I was the heiress with the purest bloodline. My mother was the previous heiress of the Western Seas, my father the king of the Eastern Seas. But on the day of my ceremony, the sacred beast had denounced my bloodline as impure, causing me to fall from grace. Why should I show any courtesy to such an ungrateful creature? “Disrespectful?” I picked up the dagger from the ground and coldly stared at the attendant. “You talentless sycophant, you only have your current status because you serve the sacred beast.” “What right do you have to lecture me?” “Get out!” “If you dare speak to me like that again, I’ll have you executed on the spot!” The attendant fell to his knees, terrified. He wanted to argue but couldn’t get a word out. Just then, a gentle voice drifted in: “The attendant is only doing his duty, sister. Why are you so angry with him?” I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging into my palms. A graceful figure appeared before me. It was Rose. The mastermind who had stolen my identity in my past life! At this moment, Rose was smiling sweetly as she helped the attendant up, speaking to him in a soft, soothing voice. Then she looked up at me, her eyes alluring. She spoke in a considerate tone: “Sister, you shouldn’t be so hard on the servants.” “It will only invite gossip if word gets out.” I laughed coldly inside and retorted: “If I really enjoyed bullying servants, I wouldn’t have allowed you to manipulate things behind my back all this time.” Rose’s smile froze. She wasn’t of our clan’s bloodline, and had once been nothing more than a lowly servant girl. Later, she saved my father’s life and was adopted as his daughter. Suddenly elevated in status, she became the clan’s second princess, with a reputation for being kind and magnanimous. Yet she secretly had all the servants who knew of her past killed. Rose’s expression twisted for a moment before quickly returning to normal. She smiled and said: “Sister, you should draw your blood soon. Don’t make things difficult for the attendant.” She held out the dagger to me. I sensed something was off. In my past life, before the ceremony, Rose had been as meek as a mouse, never daring to challenge me. Now she was repeatedly provoking me. And she seemed oddly insistent on me drawing blood for the sacred beast. Could this be related to why I had transformed into an ugly black serpent in my past life? I made a mental note to be cautious. Pretending to be reluctant, I took the dagger and coldly stared at Rose and the attendant. “What? Are you going to watch me draw blood?” Rose and the attendant had no choice but to leave the room. I turned to my handmaid Jade and whispered: “Jade, do exactly as I say.” Half an hour later, a bowl of blood was handed to the sacred beast’s attendant. The blood was golden, infused with my spiritual essence and power. Pressing the wound on my wrist, I snapped impatiently: “Now get out!” The two finally left. As they were leaving, thinking I was out of earshot, Rose muttered: “Enjoy it while you can!” “When you turn into an ugly black snake, heh…” I was shocked. So Rose had been reborn as well. Realizing this, I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. For countless years, I had diligently cultivated my powers, never slacking off or harboring ill intentions. But why? After suffering such an unjust fate and tragic death in my past life, I had finally been given a second chance. Yet my enemy had been reborn as well. Was the heavens truly so unfair?

I had no time to dwell on it. Jade and the other maids helped me get dressed and ready, putting on my ceremonial armor and headdress as I walked step by step towards the sacred altar. My father sat upon his high throne, looking down at everyone. The clan members surrounding the altar cheered for me, their voices mixing with the drumbeats in a deafening roar. I gazed at it all impassively. Though our clan was said to be the mightiest of the six realms, filled with talented individuals and seemingly prosperous, the royal family knew the truth. Among all these powerful clan members, not a single one could transform into our clan’s true form to inherit the throne. Then on the day of my birth, the clan’s seer had a prophecy. I, Aria, was the only descendant in countless years who could manifest our clan’s true form! Only I could lead our clan to glory! But in my past life, I had transformed into an ugly black serpent before everyone’s eyes, shattering all their dreams of a mighty clan. The clan members’ expectations for me had all turned to fury. Even those who had once been close to me couldn’t wait for me to die! “Aria, you look beautiful today.” Blake waved his hand in front of me, smiling. “I think after your ceremony is over, we should announce our engagement.” The people around us exclaimed in admiration: “Blake is the talented prince of the Western Seas, with countless admirers. Yet he fell in love with the heiress at first sight and has remained faithful to her.” “I heard Blake and the heiress grew up together. They’re a match made in heaven.” “When will I find a true love like that?” … I had to force myself not to sneer. I looked up at Blake’s gentle smile, wanting nothing more than to slap it off his face. Once, I too had believed it was true love. Blake and I had grown up together. He went from being like an older brother, to my teacher, and finally my lover when we fell for each other. How could centuries of affection change? But in my past life, when I was denounced by thousands, Blake had been the first to publicly betray me. He had said: “How dare a lowly black snake try to impersonate our heiress!” When I was exiled from the clan, it took less than three days for him to announce his engagement to Rose. All that talk of childhood sweethearts and true love… It was nothing but a product of his ambition and greed. I nodded: “Alright. I hope you won’t regret it.” Blake immediately swore: “How could I ever regret it?” “My love for you is as true as the heavens above!” “If I ever change my heart, may 49 bolts of divine lightning strike me down and obliterate my soul.” My disgust for him grew even stronger. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Rose’s face twisted with jealousy. I couldn’t help but laugh coldly inside. I remembered how in my past life, after I died, I had seen Blake’s portrait in Rose’s room. Only then did I realize she had long harbored feelings for my fiancé. The crowd soon fell silent. As the ceremonial music began to play, the atmosphere grew solemn. All eyes were on me. The ceremony was about to begin! My father descended from his throne step by step. In his hands he held the crown that belonged only to our clan’s royal family. His gaze as he looked at me was utterly calm. “Aria, as the heiress, it is your duty to sacrifice everything for the clan’s greater good.” I didn’t react with tears of joy like I had in my past life. I simply lowered my gaze to avoid his eyes. Just then, a thunderous roar suddenly rang out: “Wait!” Everyone looked up. The golden sacred beast was coiled around the ceremonial pillar, its gaze fierce and its scales gleaming. The clan members all knelt down. “We pay our respects to the sacred beast.” The sacred beast looked down at me arrogantly from its high perch: “Aria’s bloodline is impure. She is unfit to lead.” “The crown cannot be given to her!”

The clan members were shocked: “What?!” My father frowned deeply and lowered the crown. Blake looked stunned and hesitant. But Rose couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips. The clan’s seer was the first to object: “Impossible!” “I witnessed the heiress’s birth with my own eyes. Her mother is from the Western Seas royal family and her father is our current king. Her lineage couldn’t be more noble.” “You can’t make such baseless accusations!” The sacred beast snorted coldly: “Seer, you once prophesied that the heiress was the only descendant in centuries who could manifest our clan’s true form.” “If that’s the case, she should be able to prove her innocence by transforming right now.” “Why don’t we have her demonstrate her true form in front of everyone?” “Or is she too afraid to try?” All eyes turned to me. I let out a small sigh: What was meant to happen would happen eventually! My father snorted: “Aria, what do you say?” I didn’t refuse. I slowly raised my hand, golden energy immediately enveloping me. The seer shouted excitedly: “You see? How could there be any mistake?” But in an instant, the energy dissipated. Just like in my past life, I had transformed into an ugly little black snake, surrounded by pitiful wisps of energy as I flopped around on the ground. The seer coughed up a mouthful of blood: “How is this possible?!” The sacred beast looked smug: “Do you believe me now, seer?” Then it shook its head in feigned regret: “As the clan’s divine guardian, I absolutely cannot cover up for an imposter.” “Moreover, only an heiress who can manifest our true form is the hope for our clan’s future.” “Seer, surely you don’t intend to go against the entire clan by insisting on protecting this fake?” Staring at my ugly transformed state, the seer was dumbstruck. For the first time, he began to doubt his own prophecy, muttering: “No, this can’t be right.” Then, as if struck by a thought, he looked up and stared hard at the sacred beast: “As our divine guardian, you need the heiress’s essence to survive. If Aria isn’t the true heiress, how have you managed to live all this time?” The sacred beast sneered: “Of course Aria isn’t the real heiress.” “But I’ve survived to this day because the true heiress is someone else.” It slowly descended from the pillar, its body prostrating at Rose’s feet, its eyes filled with unprecedented tenderness. “She is the true heiress!” As soon as the words left its mouth, Rose’s entire body began to glow with a dazzling light. “Ah!” In an instant, brilliant golden scales covered her entire body. A thunderous roar shook the heavens! An enormous golden dragon coiled in the sky above. Its body was so massive it nearly blotted out the sun. The clan elders were almost moved to tears: “Though I’ve only seen it in ancient texts, there’s no mistaking it!” “This is our clan’s true form!” “To think Rose was our clan’s hope all along!” Rose looked down at me with utter disdain: “Aria, you’re nothing but an ugly black snake, yet you’ve occupied the position of heiress for centuries, enjoying the clan’s reverence for nothing.” “Now, I’ll eliminate you, you mongrel!” She lunged at me ferociously. The clan members scrambled backwards in fear, leaving me alone in an empty circle. Her dragon breath engulfed me. I had nowhere to escape. The black snake’s flesh rapidly dissolved, leaving nothing but bare bones – a pitiful and horrifying sight. The familiar pain washed over me. This pain was even worse than being trampled by beasts. It made me want to end my own life just to escape it. But even in such agony, I simply closed my eyes. Rose gloated: “Have you given up struggling?” I shook my head and spoke softly: “Rose, your methods are still so crude.” “I know exactly what trick you used to turn me into a black snake.” Rose’s triumphant smile froze on her face. “What?” [To be continued…]

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On our wedding night, my succubus craving cycle hit. I lay on the bed, my face flushed with a shy blush, waiting for my husband, Julian Vance, to comfort me. But then, his first love, Seraphina Thorne, suddenly got dosed with an aphrodisiac. He kicked open the bedroom door, yanking me off the bed. “Sera can’t wait. You’re a succubus, your body’s tough, you can hold out a little longer.” He paused, a dismissive wave of his hand. “Don’t overthink it. If I don’t help her, she’d be in absolute agony. Don’t worry, you’re still my only wife.” I didn’t cry or make a fuss. I calmly got dressed and walked out. His cronies, peeking from the hallway, whistled. “The boss’s woman really knows her place! What did I tell you? Even if she’s asleep, she has to make way!” “Mrs. Vance truly lives up to her name. With that incredible self-control, she’s certainly got the main Mrs. Vance position locked down!” Julian was already impatiently kissing Seraphina’s lips. He caught me in his peripheral vision, his eyes full of annoyance. “Good girl. Didn’t you always want a bespoke diamond ring? I’ll have the butler take you shopping tomorrow.” I shook my head. That very night, I knocked on the door of Damian Blackwood, the city’s most powerful billionaire. “Looking for a new master? I assure you, I can be quite… dominant. Guaranteed to be an experience.” … I stood at his doorstep, a blush still staining my cheeks. Damian Blackwood froze, the files in his hand scattering to the floor. His expression was unreadable as he took one step after another towards me. “Cassandra Hayes, you better not be messing with me.” My fingertip brushed his tie, tracing downwards, my gaze seductive and intensely predatory. “Care to find out?” Damian abruptly grabbed my hand as it slid lower, his breathing heavy. “Cassie, are you only here because you’re angry with Julian Vance?” I shook my head, my other arm wrapping around his neck. “I don’t want him anymore.” At those words, Damian instantly wrapped his arms around my waist, his kisses falling wildly, one after another… After a night of pleasure, I left a note that simply said “Wait for me,” and returned to the Vance estate. The moment I stepped inside, I saw Julian Vance’s four cronies neatly sprawled outside the master bedroom door. From inside, Seraphina’s sugary cries drifted out, along with Julian’s barely suppressed grunts. My heart sank, my fingertips trembling. The cronies saw me and swaggered over, laughing. “Well, well, Mrs. Vance, you actually came back.” “Why don’t you come listen? Julian’s a real beast in bed. He’s making Sera cry like that, it’s getting me all worked up~” The sounds from the room picked up right on cue, growing wilder, each collision a heavy hammer striking my heart. I couldn’t stop trembling. My hand instinctively reached into my bag for my medication, but I accidentally dropped it. I bent down to pick it up, but one of the cronies kicked it, grinding it under his heel. “Whoa, Mrs. Vance, what’s this? Some kiddie pacifier? Julian not enough for you, Mrs. Vance? You gotta get your kicks yourself?” “If you can’t handle it, just ask us! We might be able to help you out~” I glared at him, my teeth gritted, my fingers clutching the corner of the crushed medicine box. Suddenly, the bedroom door opened. Julian Vance emerged wrapped in a bathrobe, Seraphina Thorne hiding behind him, draped in nothing but a few scraps of fabric. “What are you doing?! Get out!” Julian roared, and his cronies instantly scattered. My muscles ached terribly. All I could do was pick up the crushed medicine from the floor and shove it into my mouth. Julian finally looked at me, a flicker of disdain in his eyes. “You? Mrs. Vance? You look nothing like her.” I scoffed internally. What kind of Mrs. Vance was I anymore? Since his company went public, he’d kept thirty mistresses outside, yet not one of them had dared to cause trouble in front of me. That was until Seraphina appeared. Julian dismissed everyone for her, even bringing her into our home. Last night, he knew a succubus in her craving cycle wouldn’t “explode” without a man, yet he still abandoned me to comfort Seraphina. Now, Seraphina, covered in love bites, picked up a delicate, antique crystal figurine and disdainfully dropped it to the floor. “Oh, Cassie, so sorry! My hand slipped.” She gave me a simpering smile. “We were just looking for a toy, and this thing was pretty useful. Do you have more, sweetie?” I gasped, practically lunging forward, but I could only watch helplessly as the crystal figurine shattered before me. It was a cherished heirloom, passed down from my mother, always kept locked in my safe. But now, it wasn’t just broken; it was stained with some sickening, unknown fluid. Julian glanced at it, his eyes completely devoid of emotion. “If you like it, I’ll have one custom-made for you. That trash is only good for a quick fix anyway.” I glared at the two of them, my heart utterly cold. Not even my medication for volatile moods could suppress the furious rage swelling inside me. Seraphina flashed a triumphant smile at me, then climbed onto Julian’s neck, leaving a playful row of bite marks on his ear. “Julian, darling, it’s all their fault for interrupting! Didn’t you say you still had to punish me? I haven’t been good at all~” Julian’s face flushed instantly. He stole a glance at me, but his hand unconsciously tightened around Seraphina’s waist. “Sera’s medication hasn’t worn off yet, Cassie. You should go.” Before he even finished speaking, he was already impatiently scooping Seraphina into his arms and heading back into the room. The door slammed shut with a heavy thud, followed immediately by the creaking of bedsprings and rhythmic thumps. My fingertips dug into the floor, scraping until they were bloody, before my mind cleared a fraction. I rushed to the storage room, fumbled for my rage stabilizers, and crammed a handful into my mouth. The moment the pills went down, it was like someone had pulled my plug. I collapsed to the floor, listening as the sounds from the next room grew louder, wilder… **2.** I drifted in and out of a daze, waking only when morning light filled the room. Seraphina emerged from the bathroom, draped in a bathrobe, her face still flushed from the night. She swayed her hips as she approached me, a smirk in her eyes. “Oh, Cassie, so sorry about taking your bed.” She giggled. “Couldn’t help it. Julian’s just too wild. If we’d stayed on the couch, I’m not sure I’d be able to get up today~” As she spoke, her hand loosened, and the bathrobe slid open, revealing sheer silk lingerie and a body covered in love bites. “Julian never treated you like this, did he, sweetie?” Suddenly, the front door clicked open. Four cronies stepped inside, instantly freezing at the steamy scene before them. “We didn’t see anything!” They immediately clapped their hands over their eyes, though they couldn’t resist peeking through their fingers. “Ahhh!” Seraphina shrieked, squatting down to grab her bathrobe and wrap herself. “Sera!” Julian Vance burst down the stairs and pulled her protectively into his arms. “Get out, all of you! If anyone dares to look again, I’ll gouge out your eyeballs!” Seraphina immediately started to whimper pitifully, tears streaming down her face. “Cassie, why would you pull off my clothes and humiliate me? Julian was just helping me with my treatment, I never wanted to steal your place! Why are you doing this to me? My reputation means everything to a woman!” I was dumbfounded. I was at least five steps away from her. How could she possibly pin this on me? And talk about a “reputation” after fooling around with a married man? Julian, however, turned to me, his face cold. “Cassandra Hayes, apologize to Sera.” “Julian Vance, use your idiotic brain for once! How could I possibly pull off her clothes from this distance?” But he wouldn’t listen. He strode forward and slapped me across the face. “Apologize, or you’re not going to the company today!” My face burned, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. I’d spent three months on this project, making dozens of trips back and forth. He knew that. Now, just as the contract was about to be signed, he wanted to keep me home, all for Seraphina? I clenched my fists. “Julian Vance, if you don’t want Mr. Kingston’s business, then go ahead and call him right now!” With that, I didn’t spare that disgusting pair another glance and turned to leave. At the company, my assistant looked hesitant. “Ms. Hayes… Mr. Kingston called. He said Mr. Vance cancelled the meeting.” “What?” My mind exploded. I’d nearly run myself ragged, pouring everything into this deal, and he just threw it away like that? I slumped onto the sofa, feeling dizzy. My assistant hesitated. “Should I try to contact him again…?” I shook my head, sighing softly. “I’m just the VP. If the CEO doesn’t want to make this deal, I can talk until I’m blue in the face, it won’t matter.” After a long silence, I looked up, my eyes red. “Contact my industry contacts. I’m selling my 25% shares.” Just as the words left my lips, the lounge door opened. Julian Vance entered, his arm around Seraphina’s waist. “Cassie, you’re finally being obedient for once. How about this: transfer your shares to Sera. You go home, manage the house, take care of me and her, and I might consider forgiving your past mistakes.”

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My girlfriend became an A-list actress. The very first night she hit the big time, she stabbed me seventeen times. I bled out and died. But after killing me, she took her own life. In her hand, as she died, was a voice recorder. Engraved on it: “To Liam.” Inside, it was filled with a raw, agonizing mix of adoration and longing. Liam was her idealized crush, the one she’d yearned for three years. He’d died in a car accident before she ever got the chance to confess her feelings. On the recording, she sobbed, her voice tearing through her, “It’s all because of you! You made me lose my love!” When I opened my eyes again, I watched her run toward the surging traffic. I didn’t stop her. Instead, I poured every ounce of my being into saving *her* love. Seeing her hold him close, like she’d found the most precious treasure, I let out a bitter, mocking smile. This time, Chloe, I set you free. Just don’t come crawling back. “Alex, thank you for supporting me all these years. I’m truly grateful.” The woman before me smiled, radiant as a blooming flower. But my legs gave out beneath me, and I could only cling to the tablecloth as I crashed heavily to the floor. Plates and bowls clattered and shattered around me. I watched, my stunned gaze fixed on the beautiful woman as she slowly, deliberately pulled a sharp knife from within her clothes. A chilling glint of satisfaction danced in her eyes as she approached. In my dazed state, she plunged the blade deep into my flesh. A scream tore at my throat, but no sound escaped. The pain was excruciating. I wanted to demand, *Why?* Her heavily made-up face twisted into a grotesque mask. “It’s all your fault Liam died! Why wasn’t it *you* who died instead?!” “This is what you owe Liam! You deserve to die! Because of you, I never even got the chance to confess to him!” It hurt. So much. But I couldn’t open my mouth. I could only helplessly widen my eyes, watching her plunge the knife into me again and again. I guess I died. Killed by a woman, by the girlfriend I’d pampered for seven years. What a pathetic way to go. After I died, my soul floated above, watching Chloe frantically stab my corpse. My body was riddled with holes, blood pouring out relentlessly, making the scene a horrific, foul-smelling mess. She seemed to finally believe I was dead. Her hands trembling, she pulled out an old high school uniform and crammed herself into it. The clothes were ridiculously ill-fitting, and with her heavy makeup, she looked like a grotesque clown. My eyes widened in disbelief. The next second, the sharp blade pierced her own heart. A faint smile on her face, Chloe slowly collapsed to the ground, whispering faintly, “Liam, I finally got revenge for you. Just wait for me down there, I’ll be right there with you!” I watched her bleed out. I watched her take her last breath. *Liam*, I thought. *Who the hell is Liam?* I floated there for two hours, waiting for the housekeeper to arrive and call the police, waiting for the fully armed officers to sweep into the scene. Finally, deep from the recesses of my memory, I dredged up some long-forgotten past. Liam was Chloe’s high school sweetheart. He’d died seven years ago. And Chloe had only agreed to date me the month after Liam died. At the time, I thought she’d lost her love and desperately needed a relationship to heal herself. I poured everything into pleasing her, treating her like a fragile porcelain doll, coddling and spoiling her. Throughout our entire relationship, she never had to lift a finger at home. I thought, after all my effort, after seven whole years by her side, even a block of ice would have melted. But it hadn’t. Suddenly, a woman’s voice cut through the silence, sobbing, her voice tearing through her. I snapped back to attention. A police officer had pulled a voice recorder from Chloe’s grasp, his finger still on the play button. “Alex Cooper, you forced me to stay by your side, making me waste seven whole years of my youth!” “Yes, I killed you. I want you to feel how painful death is, so you can know how much pain I suffered! This is all your fault! If it weren’t for you, I would have never lost Liam!” The recording ended with her saying, “Alex Cooper, I hate you! I want you to go to hell and atone to Liam!” I, along with the police, listened to that recording five times. The scene was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. I was utterly speechless. Suddenly, my death felt so meaningless. What on earth did I ever love about that lunatic?

But her craziness didn’t stop there. The day after Chloe took her own life, the audio from the voice recorder was posted on her Ins account. It was a scheduled post. Seems like she’d set it up before she died. The recording, combined with a lengthy, emotionally manipulative caption, was enough to utterly ruin my reputation. That day, her fanatical followers flooded my DMs with messages too vile to even glance at. Even though I was already dead, even though I couldn’t reply or defend myself, they remained obsessed, and negative headlines spread like wildfire. Chloe truly lived up to her “A-list actress” title; she’d even orchestrated our deaths for her own narrative. Her fans didn’t see her as a murderer. Instead, they believed she’d endured and schemed for years, all to make me pay for what I’d done out of love. I, the victim, was painted as the ultimate villain, the one who tore a perfect couple apart, the one who caused such a talented actress, in the prime of her life, to die. My entire life story was dug up and aired for public consumption online. My tombstone became a twisted landmark for her crazed fans, who found sick joy in defacing it. If the staff hadn’t stopped them, they probably would have dug up my ashes and scattered them to the winds. The Cooper Group’s stock crashed. Even worse, the rival company mysteriously got their hands on the Cooper Group’s confidential core data. In just a few days, my family’s company was facing bankruptcy. My name, my career, my life—Chloe had utterly destroyed everything. Even my very existence was taken by her hand. Never had I realized so clearly that the woman who’d slept by my side for so many nights had only ever wanted me dead. That’s when it finally hit me why Chloe hated me. Seven years ago, I’d blocked Chloe from rushing into oncoming traffic. Because of that, Liam was hit and killed by an out-of-control car. It turned out, from that moment on, Chloe had blamed everything on me. She said I made her miss the chance to confess to Liam, the idealized crush she’d worshipped from afar for three years. It made no sense. Even if I hadn’t confessed to her that day, she wouldn’t have confessed to Liam anyway. I was just unlucky. Unlucky not only to confess to Chloe the day Liam died, but to fall in love with that lunatic. I thought, *This time, I truly regret it.* The next moment, a piercing shriek dragged me back to reality. A figure slammed into me, pushing me hard, then sprinted toward the surging traffic. “Alex Cooper, get out of my way! If anything happens to Liam, I’ll make you pay for it with your life!” I watched her hold Liam close, like she’d found the most precious treasure. I let out a bitter, mocking smile and tossed the bouquet in my hand into a nearby trash can. *Pay for it with my life?* *Does Liam even deserve that?* By the time I died, I’d already figured it out. There are so many women in the world. Why was I so hung up on *this one*? She was a beautiful but poisonous poppy, demanding my very life. What was the point?

My current situation was crystal clear. A bouquet, a confession, and a car accident. Chloe looked at me with pure disgust in her eyes. She appeared so innocent and young. This couldn’t be the Chloe I’d spent seven years with, the one who’d been steeped in the entertainment industry and learned to mask every emotion. This Chloe couldn’t hide a thing. Only one possibility remained. I had been reborn. And the woman in front of me was Chloe, seven years ago. I immediately turned to walk away, desperate to put eight hundred miles between myself and that lunatic. But she suddenly called out to me. “Alex Cooper, what are you doing?! Can’t you see Liam’s hurt? Aren’t you going to help?!” I glanced over. He was indeed badly hurt. Though Liam hadn’t been dragged under the car like in my previous life, he hadn’t managed to fully escape either. His legs limply collapsed, like raw spaghetti, blood soaking through his pants. Oh. He’d probably be a cripple. A perverse satisfaction swelled in my chest. *Help? Get my hands dirty? No way.* Out of a sense of humanitarian duty, I dialed 911. “The ambulance will be here any minute. Before I go, there’s something I want to tell you.” The girl looked at me, her expression growing even more haughty. She seemed afraid I’d grab her, unconsciously hugging Liam even tighter. “If it’s a confession, don’t bother. I—” I chuckled, cutting her off. “Not a confession. Just a blessing.” The ambulance sirens wailed in the distance. I met the girl’s stunned gaze and offered a smile. “Chloe Jenkins, I wish you and Liam Anderson all the happiness in the world.” *Hopefully, you’ll stay together forever.* Chloe’s face darkened. Without waiting for her to speak, I turned and left. I needed to go home and figure out exactly what point in time I was in, and what I could do about it. Now, I was sitting back in a classroom. It felt like another lifetime. The droning lecture on trigonometry was a lullaby to most of my classmates, who were slumped asleep, but my eyes were wide awake and bright. “Alex Cooper is doing great today, full of energy! Everyone should learn from him!” The teacher praised me, a rare occurrence. But there were no approving murmurs. Instead, I could hear two guys next to me, deliberately loud, sneering. “Learn what? How to simp for a goddess? Or how to keep last place in the class?” “Everyone knows what he’s like. He just has a bit of dirty money, that’s all. Why’s he acting so smug? Probably just waiting for Chloe to come back so he can fawn all over her again!” I said nothing, just smiled. They weren’t wrong. I did have a bit of dirty money, and I’d consistently held the last place in class for years. Those weren’t my weaknesses. The stupidest thing I’d ever done in this class was fall for Chloe. Now, she was tied up with the hospital, unable to return. I glanced down at my phone. The media swarmed her like blood-sucking locusts. She would undoubtedly be tied up for a while. I was enjoying my newfound freedom. Unfortunately, I soon realized that those good days were coming to an end. Just as class was in session, someone knocked on the classroom door. I looked up and met the gaze of the person standing at the front. Her eyes still held that familiar haughty stare. *Ugh.* Chloe had managed to get away so quickly and was back in class. Just my luck. I thought she’d at least be a little wary of me. But then, Chloe pointed across the room from the front of the class. “I want to sit next to Alex Cooper.” My smile faltered. I froze in my tracks. Chloe sat down next to me, but I still couldn’t understand her motive. “Surprised to see me?” She slid a note across to me.

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Chloe and I fell in love. She was gentle and caring, incredibly devoted to me. Soon, we moved in together. One night, I was deep in sleep when a faint sound of running water woke me. I turned over and saw the bathroom light on in our bedroom. *Must be her*, I thought, and drifted back to sleep. But quickly, a cold sweat drenched me. *Why would a blind person turn on the light to use the bathroom at night…?* I lay still, my back to the bathroom, deliberately slowing my breathing. My heart hammered faster and faster. “Click.” It was the sound of the light switch. I felt her slide back into bed, wrapping her arms around me from behind. Her light breath brushed my neck, chillingly cold. The next morning, I was still reeling from the strange incident last night. She sat across from me, eating breakfast. There was no way she could see. I had seen her eyes before; they were like an ink wash painting, the black swirled within the iris as if bleeding in water, incredibly surreal. But why did she turn on the light last night? My mind heavy with worry, I needed to get out and clear my head. I wolfed down a few bites of toast, and even though it was early, I muttered something about being late and headed for the door. Just as I turned to leave, I thought I saw her glance up towards the wall clock. *A blind person… needs to check the time?* A day of frantic work left me exhausted, body and mind. After much thought, I figured I was just overthinking things. Maybe I was still getting used to living with a blind girl. Things would surely get better after we’d lived together for a while. I drove to Chloe’s workplace to pick her up. It was a music studio, where she taught the pipa. She was already packed up, waiting for me by the door. I walked over, took her hand, and she smiled knowingly. No words were needed between us; we understood each other. I took her bag, helped her into the back seat, placed her bag next to her, and carefully buckled her seatbelt. She always sat in the back; the spaciousness made it easier for her. The car passed an intersection when a child on a bike suddenly darted out. I slammed on the brakes, swerving the steering wheel hard. The car spun in a circle on the road. Thankfully, I didn’t hit the mischievous kid. She asked what happened. I said it was nothing, just a kid who popped out at the intersection. It was fine now. As we continued driving home, I saw her through the rearview mirror bending down. She picked up a small hair clip and put it into her bag. It must have fallen out when I braked suddenly. *But how did she know the hair clip had fallen out?* After dinner, I took her hand, and we walked to the park downstairs. This was something she loved to do, something she loved doing with me by her side. The park was lively, with many kids practicing rollerblading and elderly people dancing. She didn’t talk much, and I quietly held her hand. Her long, waterfall-like black hair gave off a faint, sweet scent. Ahead, a little girl on rollerblades stumbled and plunged headfirst into the roadside bushes, only her small legs flailing wildly. I was about to tell Chloe about the comical sight, but when I turned to face her, I saw a faint smile on her face. Not her usual gentle smile, but the kind of suppressed amusement when someone sees something truly funny. A growing unease settled in. Was this gentle, beautiful woman truly blind? Everything felt so strange, so illogical. Should I ask her directly? But would that make her think I was crazy? Girls like her often lacked a sense of security; would it hurt her? During lunch break, I told Liam, my best friend, about some of the strange things that had been happening. Liam found it hard to believe too. “If what you’re saying is true, she’s definitely got issues,” Liam said. “But why would she pretend to be blind and get close to me?” I asked. “First, we need solid proof that she’s faking, not truly blind,” Liam stated, confident in his words. “That’s hard. I don’t want to hurt her. What should I do?” I was caught in a dilemma. Finally, Liam offered a plan: First, I’d tell Chloe I had something to do that evening and couldn’t pick her up, so she should take a cab home. Later, Liam and I would go home together. Liam would go inside, and I’d wait outside. If she was truly blind, she’d just assume it was me coming home. Liam wouldn’t speak, so she wouldn’t notice anything unusual. If everything was normal, Liam would quietly slip out, and I’d go in, acting as if nothing happened. But if she was faking, and saw a strange man in the house, she’d surely be startled, revealing her deception. Then I’d rush in and demand the truth. “That’s a masterstroke, absolutely brilliant!” I exclaimed. The sky had already darkened, a blue shroud covering the earth. Liam and I exchanged glances in the hallway. Liam took out the keys, unlocked the door, and entered my apartment. The hallway was eerily silent. After the motion-sensor lights flickered off, only the dim blue light from outside the window illuminated everything before me. I anxiously clutched my phone, waiting for the results of the test. Three minutes later, the door opened, and Liam stepped out. “No one’s home,” Liam said. I quickly grabbed my phone and called Chloe. Chloe said it was too boring at home by herself, so she was sitting in the small park downstairs, getting some fresh air and waiting for me to get off work. My heart warmed. I deeply understood how important I was to this seemingly blind girl. Since I had chosen to be with her, it was natural that I would be her lifelong support. Liam and I went downstairs together. In the small park, we saw Chloe sitting on a bench, her simple white dress strikingly bright in the dim night. I said goodbye to Liam and walked over to sit beside Chloe. Hearing my voice, she naturally leaned her head on my shoulder. I squeezed her hand tightly. How could anyone not adore a girl like her? After sitting in the park for a while, I took her hand, and we walked back home. As we walked on the gravel path in the complex, a figure suddenly darted out of the greenery ahead. In the dim light, I couldn’t make out their face. As we got a little closer, I realized it was Liam! He hadn’t left after all. He gave me a shushing gesture, signaling me not to show any alarm. I said nothing more, just continued walking forward, holding Chloe’s hand. Liam stood directly in Chloe’s path ahead. If she didn’t dodge, she would collide right into him. Under the cover of night, our footsteps were remarkably clear. The early autumn breeze was refreshing, but it couldn’t wipe away the fine sweat on my forehead. Just as Chloe was about to collide with Liam, he swiftly stepped aside. Nothing happened. I dared not show any reaction, only glancing back. Liam made a phone gesture at me, then turned and left. After we got home, I made a simple dinner. Our life together was peaceful yet happy. She lay sleeping soundly on my arm, her soft snores carrying a hint of a woman’s unique charm. I remembered Liam’s departure and picked up my phone. The faint glow of the screen was a bit harsh. I opened the message Liam had sent; it only had two words: *Something’s wrong.* *What’s wrong?* I texted back. Soon, Liam’s reply came: *Can’t explain it. Talk tomorrow. Stay safe.* With that, Liam’s profile picture turned gray. He was offline. I put my phone down, and suddenly realized: Chloe’s soft snores in my arms had stopped. The phone’s light vanishing left me briefly blind in the darkness. I couldn’t make out Chloe’s face, wondering if, in the pitch black, she was now watching me… Soon, my eyes adjusted. Her eyes were tightly closed, and she was no longer snoring, her breathing even, her face serene. The next day, I arrived at work early. Liam was already waiting at my desk. “You said something was wrong last night. What was it?” I asked. Liam explained that he had lived with his grandmother in a senior community for a while, and many residents there, including his grandmother, were blind. He knew what it felt like to be around blind people—it was a deep, intuitive understanding that permeated every detail of life, almost like a subtle energy field. But yesterday, with Chloe, he hadn’t felt that sense, even though she genuinely appeared to be blind. I couldn’t quite grasp what he meant. I just chuckled and said maybe young people were different from old people. Liam didn’t seem convinced. He suggested inviting Chloe and me out for dinner, so he could observe her more closely. I agreed, but reminded him, “Don’t hurt her, and don’t go too far.” All day, I couldn’t focus on work. All sorts of thoughts swirled in my mind. Was she truly blind or not? If not, how could I explain her strange actions? If she was, why would she pretend to be blind? Did she see the message on my phone last night? But she hadn’t harmed me. What did she want? Liam had reserved a table at a boat restaurant on Lake Serenity. Such a fancy place was beyond my expectations. As I led Chloe onto the boat, the slight rocking of the gangplank on the water made her nervous. Once aboard, she clung tightly to my hand. I instinctively put my arm around her, comforting her softly. Entering the main hall, elegant orchestral music echoed around us. The hall was lively; this restaurant was packed every night. I inquired about our table with the hostess. As I turned, I noticed Chloe, standing beside me, was facing directly towards Liam’s table. *Had she recognized Liam? Recognized him as the one who tried to test her in the apartment complex?* Liam, however, showed no signs of alarm. Throughout dinner, his humorous conversation kept Chloe giggling. The harmonious atmosphere made me relax quite a bit. A server brought over three drinks. Liam thoughtfully took them and placed them in front of each of us. Chloe fumbled to pick up her glass, taking a small sip.

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After my twin sister died of cancer, my family manipulated me onto my brother-in-law’s bed. The next day, I knelt naked before Julian Vance, begging him for a chance at life. His dark eyes lingered on my face, a mirror image of the woman he’d lost. A flicker of something — yearning? — crossed his features, and he took me into the Vance family. For ten years, I tirelessly managed their daily lives, serving both father and son. Then, when I was pregnant again, Julian Vance tore up the lab results. “Get rid of the child.” But his stepson, Leo, who always seemed to despise me, stepped in front of me. “Don’t hurt Mom!” Yet, when I was six months pregnant, after drinking the porridge Leo himself had prepared for me, I bled uncontrollably. A cruel satisfaction spread across Leo Vance’s childish face. “Finally, this day has come. Disappointed, aren’t you?” “I only recognize Dr. Serena Wells as my mother. As for you? Just die!” What he didn’t know was that I married into the Vance family for one reason: to avenge my sister.

As consciousness slowly returned, my eyes met Julian Vance’s grim stare. He carried the distinct scent of Serena Wells’s perfume. Our gazes locked, and a trace of lingering memory still clung to his face. Seeing me instinctively touch my stomach, Julian Vance’s expression immediately hardened. “Awake?” “Leo is still just a child. It was only an embryo, don’t hold it against him.” I lowered my gaze, a sorrowful expression on my face. But inside, I let out a sigh of relief. It was for the best. This child was never meant to stay. “The doctor said you’ve completely lost your fertility after this miscarriage. That’s good, actually.” “Now you’re no longer a threat to Leo, and he’ll be more affectionate towards you.” My face remained indifferent; I had long prepared myself for this. This wasn’t the first child I’d lost. Only after marrying into the Vance family did I realize what a monster Julian Vance was, despite his ruthlessness in the corporate world. Because I bore an uncanny resemblance to my sister, he often, in a haze of twisted obsession, used me to vent his frustrations over the sister he loved but could never truly possess. To satisfy his perverse desires, he forced me to take special medication that induced lactation. But the drug also damaged my body. Every time I became pregnant, I would experience a threatened miscarriage within three months. The fact that this child lasted six months inside me was a miracle. At the loss of this tenacious little life, I wasn’t sure whether to feel relief or regret. Seeing my prolonged silence, Julian Vance grew impatient. He pressed down on my shoulders, one hand ruthlessly clamping my throat. “Clara Davies, don’t try my patience.” “As compensation, I’ll agree to collaborate with the Davies family on the new downtown project.” “You schemed your way into my bed, didn’t you? Just so your family wouldn’t lose out on profits after your sister died?” My knuckles turned white as I gripped the bedsheet. He had no idea. I wished nothing more than for the Davies family to collapse. Years ago, my sister had a first love, a relationship of many years, and they were on the verge of getting married. But Julian Vance, fixated on a minor favor my sister had once done for him, insisted on marrying her once he regained power. For the sake of profit, our father broke them apart, even orchestrating a car accident that sent her fiancé plunging off a cliff. Consumed by despair, my sister finally agreed to marry into the Vance family. I’ll never forget the day of the wedding, seeing my sister in her pure white gown, forcing a smile and still trying to comfort me. “Mr. Vance loves me so much, he’ll surely treat me well after we’re married. Don’t worry.” I was so naive then. I actually believed my sister’s words, thinking she’d still find happiness in the Vance household. But when I saw her again, she was covered in injuries. She barely managed to beg me to look after Leo Vance before she took her last breath. Driven by hatred, I married Julian Vance, and for years, I constantly humbled myself and acted subservient within the Vance family, slowly lulling him into a false sense of security. And finally, I found the compromising evidence: his illegal research into mind-altering drugs. I lowered my head, suppressing the raging hatred in my eyes. When I looked up again, my face had returned to its usual docile expression. “I married you… it was never for profit.” “I just hoped that one day, you would see my feelings for you.” My suffering from unrequited love seemed to amuse him. He sighed regretfully. “If only your sister had been half as obedient as you, I wouldn’t have had to resort to such drastic measures.” “On the day the collaboration is announced, you will attend as Mrs. Vance.” I forced a faint smile. The day that new project launches will be the day of your public downfall, Julian Vance.

The day I was discharged, I handled the paperwork alone. My phone, in my purse, kept buzzing. I opened it to find a barrage of photos from Serena Wells. She and Julian and Leo were all in matching outfits. Lately, they’d gone on an expedition to Antarctica, seen the Northern Lights in Iceland, and watched dolphins leap from the water in Alaska. Serena’s message read: “Julian and I have known each other since childhood. If I hadn’t gone abroad, how would you and that short-lived sister of yours have managed to swoop in?” “Everything that belongs to me, I’ll take back, little by little!” The image of my sister’s emaciated face before she died flashed in my mind, and my heart felt as if it were being torn to shreds by a sharp blade. These were all places my sister had longed to visit in her lifetime, but Julian Vance had held her captive, never allowing her to fulfill those wishes until her dying day. I opened Ins, and the very first post was a photo of Leo Vance and Serena Wells. He was nestled in her embrace, a joyful smile plastered on his face. “Happy Birthday, Serena Mom!” My nose stung. I stared blankly at the photo until my phone screen went dark, then snapped back to reality. They had all forgotten. Today was also my sister’s death anniversary. I suppressed the disappointment festering in my heart and took a cab to the Vance family cemetery. My sister had loved freedom more than anything, but Julian Vance refused to honor her dying wish of having her ashes scattered at sea. “Elara Davies will never escape my grasp, not in this life, nor in any other.” Touching the necklace around my neck, my voice was hoarse. “Sister, I’ll be able to avenge you very soon.” Back at the mansion, I heard cheerful laughter from the living room before I even pushed open the door. But the moment I stepped inside, the sounds abruptly ceased. Julian Vance’s lips thinned. “You’re back just in time. It’s Serena’s birthday today. As Leo’s mother, you should at least show some appreciation to his private doctor.” “Though you’re useless in most regards, your cooking is somewhat presentable. You’ll prepare tonight’s dinner.” But Leo Vance hurled a teacup at me from the table. “This woman isn’t my mom! I only recognize Serena Mom!” Warm blood trickled down my temple, and a sharp, stabbing pain shot through my heart. When I first married into the Vance family, Leo Vance was quite fond of me. But after he fell gravely ill at age seven, he woke up no longer recognizing me. Serena Wells rose and walked towards me. Still wearing her matching outfit, she subtly pulled my hand, a silent boast. “Leo is still young and speaks his mind. I hope you’ll be patient with him, sister.” I pulled my hand away, my voice cold. “I only have one sister, and she’s dead.” “If you want to be my sister, you’ll have to ask her in her grave if she agrees.” A flicker of discomfort crossed Serena’s face. She took two steps back, casting a helpless glance at Julian and Leo. As she turned, I noticed the gemstone necklace around her neck. I lunged, grabbing it. My voice trembled. “My sister’s keepsake! How did you get this?!” Serena cried out in pain. Leo Vance immediately charged, knocking me to the ground like an enraged bull calf. “This is something Mom left for me! Whoever I give it to, that’s my new mom!” “I’ve been wanting to give it to Serena Mom as a birthday gift!” “As for you, you scheming woman, don’t ever think I’ll acknowledge you!” My heart chilled to the bone. I pressed my hand tightly against my chest, trying to relieve the suffocating despair that engulfed me. “You only remember that today is Serena’s birthday.” “But do you remember that today is your mother’s death anniversary?!”

Leo Vance’s small face immediately went pale. But the next second, he roared at me. “Shut your mouth! You’re not worthy of mentioning my mother!” I raised my hand, and with a loud crack, five angry red marks appeared on his face. I looked at him with profound disappointment. “I am your mother’s biological sister. Your aunt.” “The same blood runs through our veins. We were the closest people in the world. How can I not mention her?” My gaze swept over them, one by one. “If I’m not worthy, then neither are you!” “Leo Vance, you are her only son, yet on her death anniversary, you embrace another woman as your mother. Are you worthy of mentioning her?!” I then pointed at Julian Vance, but before I could speak, he cut me off. “Enough!” “My heir is not for you to lecture.” “Someone, bring the discipline.” The barbed iron whip was brought in, and the servants forcibly bound me. Julian Vance put on white gloves, looking at me as if I were already dead. “After all these years, have you still not learned what to say and what not to say?” He raised the whip and lashed it hard across my back. One lash, two lashes. Each strike tore away a piece of raw, bleeding flesh, and my screams echoed through the villa. After ninety-nine lashes, my back was a mangled mess of wounds. I lay in a pool of blood, my breathing barely perceptible. Julian Vance tossed the whip away, his voice cold. “Take the madam downstairs.” Leo Vance let out a cruel, maniacal laugh. “You wretched woman! You deserve this!” Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. Every inch of my body screamed in agony, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. His words were like sharp blades, each one a cold, gleaming knife, gouging out my heart until it bled. I was dragged into the utility room by a maid. She spat at me and tossed me onto a wooden plank to die. “Gold-digging homewrecker! You couldn’t wait to jump into his bed before the former madam’s grave was even dug! You deserve it!” Not long after she left, a click echoed, and the door opened again. Serena Wells’s hateful face came into view. I turned my head away, unwilling to look at her. But she leaned down, whispering into my ear like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. “I didn’t even care about your sister. As for you, I care even less.” “You don’t know, do you? At first, Julian really was good to her.” “It was I who framed her for still pining over her first love, which made Julian harden his heart and kill her.” I completely lost all reason, struggling to get up and fight her. Serena immediately stumbled and fell. Just then, Leo Vance pushed open the door. He walked in to see Serena on the ground. He yelled furiously. “Evil woman! Serena Mom came here out of kindness to put medicine on you, how could you be so ungrateful!” I screamed, my voice raw. “Serena killed your own mother! Are you still going to protect her like this?!” Serena feigned sorrow. “Clara, I know you don’t like Leo being close to me, and you’re trying every way to get rid of me.” “But Leo’s mother died of cancer, and I was studying abroad at the time. How could I have possibly harmed her?” With that, she covered her face and began to sob. But through her fingers, I saw her cast a defiant smile at me. In an instant, my entire being felt like it was boiling with rage. But just as I gathered every last ounce of strength to make Serena pay, a bucket of saltwater was thrown squarely in my face. The icy water streamed down my back, and instantly, a pain like a thousand ants gnawing at my flesh erupted from my wounds. Leo Vance burst into cruel laughter. “High-concentration saltwater, specially prepared for you! Do you like it?!” Immense agony pierced through my flesh, and my eyes filled with profound disappointment as I looked at Leo Vance. He was my sister’s only child. On her deathbed, my sister had even begged me to be his safety net. His hatred for me was truly chilling.

Leo Vance seemed stung by the disappointment in my eyes, his gaze flickering for a moment. But he quickly recovered, anger spreading across his face. He threw a divorce agreement in front of me, his cold, dark eyes identical to Julian Vance’s. “Sign this divorce agreement and get out of the Vance family. Make way for Serena Mom!” I gritted my teeth. “No, not yet…” Leo Vance thought it was an excuse to buy time. He raged. “Then don’t blame me for being rough!” He ordered someone to bring a bucket of water and mercilessly pushed my head into it. One minute… two minutes… Bubbles gurgled to the surface. In my blurred consciousness, I thought I saw a younger Leo, smiling sweetly at me. “Auntie.” But when my head was pulled out again, his face was utterly ruthless. “Still not agreeing?” I bit my lip hard, enunciating each word. “Never.” Leo Vance’s lips thinned into a straight line, and he pushed me back into the water. After continuous torture, I was barely breathing. Seeing that I wouldn’t yield, he snorted coldly. “I’ll come back another day to take good care of you, until you agree.” He sneered. “Mom.” Before completely falling into unconsciousness, I clutched the necklace concealing the chip, thinking: “Don’t worry. The day I avenge sister is the day I leave.” “I won’t spare Julian Vance, and I don’t want you either.” … On the day the new project launched, as I was leaving the house, I coincidentally ran into Leo Vance, who was heading to school. A malicious glint flashed in his eyes. My heart suddenly lurched. But when I looked again, his small face had already changed to one of docile obedience. “Goodbye, Dad. Goodbye, Mom.” I suppressed the strange feeling in my heart, took a deep breath, and got into the car heading downtown. This project collaboration was incredibly important. The attendees at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were all prominent figures from various industries. I hadn’t found the exact location of the lab, so the evidence I had wouldn’t be a devastating blow to Julian Vance on its own. But with the complex web of powerful figures present today, if I merely hinted at the truth, many rivals would surely launch their own investigations. This was my perfect opportunity to bring Julian Vance down. My entire body trembled with excitement, revenge so close. When it was my turn to speak, the screen behind me changed. A collective gasp swept through the crowd. I picked up the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to report Julian Vance for illegally researching mind-control drugs for unfair competition and personal gain…” But the crowd’s expressions weren’t outrage; instead, they were a gossipy, entertained curiosity, as if watching a show. I sensed something was wrong. I turned around, and when I saw what was on the screen, my blood ran cold. The large screen behind me displayed not the content extracted from my chip, but rather, my sister, covered in wounds.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297230”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance

（ succubus ： Succubus is a spiritual demon that exists in European and Middle Eastern mythology and is said to invade male (female) dreams at night to draw strength and satisfy their own needs, causing the affected male to gradually weaken and even die. ） My Demon Husband Married My Sister! Undercover for three years, I finally came home. Pushing open the door, I saw my demon husband with a baby in his arms and a toddler by his side. “Say Mommy.” He pushed the baby towards me. I froze. But then my in-laws pulled out my heavily pregnant sister. “Julian’s reached adulthood, he has to reproduce, or his body will literally tear itself apart! You can’t expect us to lose our son, can you?!” In our meticulously decorated wedding home, I watched them intimately intertwine right in front of me, a disgusting mess left on the floor. “Julian, do you like me or my sister?” My sister’s syrupy voice rose and fell. “Of course, it’s you, my little devil! Your sister is frigid, utterly boring!” Julian’s tone was dismissive. I clapped a hand over my mouth, fleeing out the door, only to be struck by an oncoming car. When I woke again, the doctor looked troubled. “Ms. Hayes, your account is empty. If you can’t pay by 5 PM this afternoon, you’ll have to be discharged.” My sister walked in, carrying a sad, crumpled fruit basket, a massive, fiery diamond necklace glittering on her neck. “Sister, take care of yourself. I’ll look after Julian for you. Our children are your children.” My heart completely froze over. Turning away, I called the gang leader who had taken me in for the past three years. “Godfather, my sister and my husband are getting married. Could you bring some gifts… the kind from *our* world?”

“Hello, Mommy!” The moment the child’s voice chirped, my mind went blank with a loud buzz, like someone had slammed a bat over my head. I stood in the doorway, my hand still on the doorknob, unable to let go, completely frozen. Three years undercover, I had finally completed my mission and returned home. I opened the door with a heart full of joy, only to see this scene. The house was festively decorated, a red “Welcome Home” banner hanging in the center of the living room, the floor covered with balloons and streamers. On the sofa sat Julian Thorne, my demon husband, but he was holding a tiny, pink baby boy in his arms, and a little girl, about two years old, was clinging to his hand. I was utterly speechless. From the bedroom door, my mother-in-law, Eleanor, smiled, leading out a heavily pregnant woman—my own sister, Willow Hayes. “Why are you just standing there? Come quickly, listen! Your son is kicking Mommy’s tummy. This six or seven-month-old is just so restless.” I stood my ground, my voice stuck in my throat, barely managing a sound after a long moment: “Mom, what is going on?” Eleanor shot me a sidelong glance, a smile in her eyes, then took my hand and led me to the children. “Come on, say Mommy.” “Mommy!” The children’s voices were clear and joyful, but they made my scalp tingle. I yanked my hand away from Eleanor, seeing the intimate glances between Julian and Willow. I looked at Eleanor in disbelief. “You know, when an incubus reaches adulthood, he *has* to reproduce, or his body will explode from within. And you haven’t been back for three years. We couldn’t just stand by and watch Julian die, could we?” Eleanor’s expression was righteous, as if *I* were the one who had done something wrong. Willow leaned against Julian’s arm, soft as a boneless doll, her large belly prominent, her face glowing. “Sister, Julian and I didn’t dare to tell you… but he was truly on the verge of not being able to hold on.” My whole body went cold, as if a blunt object had crushed my heart. Three years undercover, I walked a tightrope, risking my life, taking bullets and blows for the boss, until I finally turned that criminal kingpin around. I fought tooth and nail just to return early and spend my life with my husband. But now, my husband was entangled with my own sister, had children with her, and was making them call *me* Mommy? Julian saw the look on my face and carefully helped Willow up. He walked towards me, his seductive demon aura brushing my nose, still as alluring as ever. “Look at you, getting angry again. Don’t be so serious. Your sister has the same genes as you; even a paternity test wouldn’t show a difference. Isn’t it basically your child? You wouldn’t really be heartless enough to watch me explode and die, would you?” He spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, as if the children had just appeared out of thin air and I hadn’t been cheated on. I just wanted to throw up. “Oh, who are you making that gloomy face for?” Eleanor’s expression suddenly turned cold. “Three years, not a single word. If your sister hadn’t held this family together, do you think you’d still have a home to come back to?” “Your sister not only fulfilled your filial duties, she even took care of the children for you, arranging everything perfectly. And what do you do? You come back acting like a wronged wife catching her husband cheating. Can’t you have a little conscience?” “They’re about to get married, really. Why come back and stir up trouble?” Married? My mind went blank, yet suddenly, I understood everything. Willow’s face was like a peach blossom as she stepped forward, excitedly taking my hand. “Sister, you’ll bless us, won’t you?” “Tomorrow, Julian and I are getting married. Guess what role we’ve specially arranged for you?” I said nothing, my fingers trembling. “You’re the one who’ll give the bride away!” She excitedly raised my hand as if announcing a lottery win. “When you personally give me to Julian, the effect will be truly stunning. You know, you were once the one he cared about most. That’s what makes it so touching~” She squeezed my hand hard, her nails digging deep into my skin, her eyes full of provocation: “How memorable! You, crying tears of joy as you hand me over to him in front of everyone. The whole crowd will be weeping! The emotional arc complete, a perfect ending to the story! Don’t you agree, Sister?” Seeing my silence, Eleanor pinched my arm hard. “Like a statue! Learn from your sister! Your sister is so good, she didn’t even mind that you, his *actual* wife, are still alive and well, yet here you are, acting all high and mighty?” My sister “thoughtfully” slipped a script into my hand: “Don’t worry, I’ve written the script for you. Just read it on stage. The first line is: ‘Today, I give my dearest sister to the man I love most…’” I could barely breathe. Willow continued to ramble on, oblivious: “Oh, by the way, Sister, you know how to take photos, right? Tomorrow morning, you can come help us with our wedding photos first. These are the most touching moments, the greatest witness to our love! If you post them online, you might even ride our coattails and go viral! I’ve even thought of the title: ‘How *Liberated* is a Woman Who Gives Her Own Husband Away?’” I stood there stiffly, my heart feeling like it was being carved out inch by agonizing inch.

The next day, I was still lost in sleep when a large hand roughly pulled me up. Before I could even open my eyes, a heavy slap landed squarely on my face. Eleanor’s voice boomed in my ear: “Still sleeping? You think you’re the bride today? Grab the camera and get to work!” I stared blankly at the camera, which was bigger than my head. Without a word, I was dragged to the wedding venue. Aside from Julian and Willow, there were only a few women in designer clothes taking pictures. “Oh, isn’t that Scarlett Hayes? Personally taking wedding photos of her husband and sister, tsk tsk tsk, even more outlandish than a TV show.” They looked at me with disdain. Willow feigned annoyance: “Girls, don’t talk nonsense. She’s my most sensible and wonderful sister~ She even came back to bless us, and volunteered to be the photographer.” I watched them burst into fits of laughter, and I bit down on my teeth, forcing back the humiliation as I pressed the shutter. Suddenly, a stiletto heel kicked my knee without warning. The searing pain made me fall to my knees with a thud. The sound of my knee crunching echoed up my spine, and I trembled with agony. “Kneel to take pictures; it makes legs look longer. Don’t you even know that? Useless.” One woman flipped through my photos, sneering: “Tsk tsk tsk, I bet she still hates them. Is she deliberately trying to make these look like a horror movie?” Willow lowered her gaze and smiled, her eyes cold, then said sweetly, “Sister wouldn’t be so petty, would she~” Before I could say anything, a hand roughly grabbed my hair, and several slaps rained down. My cheeks burned with pain. “Who are you trying to jinx with these pictures? Our Willow is the bride today! You pathetic bitch, you couldn’t keep your man, and now you’re trying to sabotage us?” “We were shocked when she came back, thought she was going to crash the wedding. Turns out she’s just here to take pictures. Vile to her core.” They laughed, doubling over, then grabbed my right hand and twisted it back hard, forcing the camera onto my arm, making me hold it high. “If these pictures aren’t perfect today, don’t even think about walking out that door!” They stomped on my left hand, grinding it against the floor until my nails broke, bleeding profusely. But they still weren’t satisfied, and they climbed onto my back, riding me like livestock. Unable to bear the weight, my hand slipped, and the camera crashed to the floor with a bang, splitting in two. In a haze of pain, I saw Julian rush towards me. I actually thought he might show a shred of his old affection, but instead, he kicked me hard in the stomach: “Are you insane?! That camera cost me twenty thousand! Pay me back!” Immediately, a metallic taste filled my throat, and my stomach pain made me curl up on the floor. I struggled to stay conscious, staring in disbelief as he snatched my phone. After a few taps, he threw it at my face like trash. Willow strolled over, looking down at me sprawled on the floor. “Sister, do you know how hard it was for our family these three years you were gone? I held this house together. I helped you so much, how could you harbor such resentment?” “You were never supposed to come back. Why didn’t you just die out there?” I gasped for air, glaring at the sister I had once loved more than anything. Our parents died when we were young, and I had always looked after her like my own daughter, only to raise such a monster! Willow raised an eyebrow, smiling sweetly at her friends. They understood, grabbing my hair and dragging me to a room upstairs. The moment I was thrown into the elevator, Willow turned back, her smile cold and malicious. “Girls, we need to teach her a lesson, so she never dares to bother Willow again.” The mean girls dragged me into the room, tore off my clothes, pinched my chin, slapped me while taking pictures, and even stomped on my palms with their stiletto heels. I struggled in agony, but my old injuries made me too weak to resist. “Do you know where your sister and husband are right now? Right next door, in that room~ They said they needed to warm up for their big day today, know what I mean?” They roughly forced me to my knees outside the room door. “Can you hear it? Your sister is enjoying herself for you, isn’t this the ‘reunion’ you always dreamed of?” Soft moans emanated from the room, my sister’s syrupy voice rising and falling. “Julian, do you like me or my sister?” “Of course, it’s you, my little devil! Your sister is frigid, utterly boring!” Julian’s tone was dismissive. I never imagined the man I had given my heart to for so many years saw me this way. The last shred of hope shattered in my heart. I knelt in despair, tears streaming from my eyes. After their ‘joyful’ session, everyone left, leaving the room a disgusting mess, reeking of their ‘joy.’ Before Julian left, he didn’t forget to warn me: “You still have to give Willow away later. If you look like this, do you want to embarrass her?” I gave up completely. My hands shaking, I dialed that familiar number. “Godfather, my sister and my husband are getting married today. Please bring some… gifts from *our* world.” I covered my mouth, my eyes filled only with hatred. I staggered out of the hotel, and just as I stepped through the main entrance, the world spun, and a blinding white light rushed towards me. “CRASH!”

When I opened my eyes again, my nose was hit with the pungent smell of iodine and disinfectant. “Teacher, bed 38 is awake.” Several doctors in white coats gathered around. “Ms. Hayes, you were seriously injured in the car accident. Since we couldn’t reach any family members, we had to perform surgery. The surgery fee is two hundred thousand. Please pay as soon as possible.” The attending physician shoved the bill in front of me. I struggled to lift my hand, which was riddled with IVs, my fingers stiff as I reached for the bag on the nightstand. Opening my phone and swiping to my banking app, the cold numbers on the screen slapped me in the face. Balance: $28.10. My breathing hitched. My chest felt like it had been ripped open—where was my thirty million?! My trembling fingers furiously tapped through my account history, and then the monstrous transfer message popped up: “Transfer successful, amount: $30,000,000. Recipient: Julian Thorne.” My mind exploded with a buzzing sound. I suddenly remembered Julian had used my phone when he demanded I pay for the camera! Just as I was reeling from the shock, the hospital room door was violently pushed open. “Oh, so Sister actually woke up.” Willow walked in, arm-in-arm with Julian, holding a sad, crumpled fruit basket. “Sister, we came to see you. Good thing you’re not dead, didn’t waste the money on this fruit basket.” Her fingertip deliberately traced her neck, and only then did I notice the fiery diamond necklace on her throat. I had seen such diamonds at auctions; a single one could cost over a million. The one on her neck was at least ten million. The doctor, sensing trouble, stepped in front of me: “Excuse me, please don’t upset the patient.” “Upset her?” Julian scoffed. “She’s my wife. If I tell her to die, she’ll have to do it with a smile!” The doctor’s hand visibly paused. He looked at Julian suspiciously. “You’re the patient’s husband? Then you need to pay the two hundred thousand medical fees by 5 PM this afternoon, otherwise, we’ll have to discharge her.” “Two hundred thousand?!” Julian’s eyes bulged as if he wanted to eat someone alive. “Do you think I’m an ATM? She’s not worth that much even if you sold her! Maybe we should sell her organs to make up the difference—perfect, we still need some funds for our wedding.” Hearing that, I instantly got so angry I almost choked. Thankfully, the doctor spoke my mind: “Your wife is in this condition, do you have any humanity?!” But Julian ignored him. He violently yanked out the IV drip from my hand. Blood spurted out, staining the bedsheets red, and I gasped in pain. “Don’t put on a sob story for me. Get out of the hospital. You have something important to do today: give Willow away.” I froze, fury practically burning in my eyes: “Are you insane?! I’m injured like this, and you’re still talking about the wedding?” “You just got hit by a car, didn’t you? You ruined Willow’s once-in-a-lifetime wedding. You owe her at least fifty million!” I seriously wondered if I was still conscious. A man who wouldn’t even pay two hundred thousand was demanding fifty million? “I’m done with this nonsense. Where’s my thirty million? You said twenty thousand to replace the camera, what about the rest?!” Julian yelled back at me, his neck stiff, like a madman: “Do you understand marital property? What’s wrong with me taking it? Willow needs a necklace, shouldn’t you, as her sister, buy it for her?” I stared deadly at the necklace, my teeth grinding. I had lived a life on the edge, walking a tightrope, every penny I saved through sheer grit, only for it to become *their* dowry?! “Alright, stop wasting time.” He grabbed my arm and dragged me out. “Get changed and go to the wedding venue.” I was pulled out of the hospital room, my wounds still bleeding, but my heart ached even more. The wedding venue was packed with guests. The moment I stepped into the hall, all eyes swiveled towards me. “Tsk, she actually had the nerve to show up? Her husband is marrying her sister, and she’s the one giving the bride away.” “Whose fault is that? She disappeared for three years, and now her husband gets someone else pregnant, *then* she decides to come back.” I stood my ground, veins throbbing with anger, my nails almost digging into my palms, fighting the urge to kill. This show wasn’t over yet!

I was forcibly stuffed into a heavy red gown, my unmasked injuries visible, my leg still not healed, forcing me to hunch over. I leaned on Willow’s arm, leading her step-by-step towards the man in the sharp suit. The emcee, microphone in hand, excitedly announced: “Next, let’s invite the bride’s sister to offer her blessings to the happy couple!” The entire hall suddenly fell silent. All cameras, lights, and eyes swiveled to me. I looked at the crowd and smiled, a smile that made blood seep from the corner of my lips. “Thank you all for coming despite your busy schedules.” I paused, my voice ice-cold. “Today is a joyous day for my husband and my own sister. Come on, give a round of applause for this shameless, despicable pair!” A stir went through the crowd. Some people laughed out loud, as if I wasn’t an injured person, but part of the opening act. Julian’s face instantly twisted. He lunged forward and slapped me across the face. “SMACK!” The blow made me see stars, and my mouth was filled with the taste of blood. He leaned in and roared: “Are you insane?! Where’s the script Willow gave you? Do you want to ruin us?!” Willow stood to the side, wiping away tears: “Sister, why are you humiliating me?” I spat out a mouthful of blood and laughed like a madwoman. “You tore my life apart first, and now you’re playing the victim? You want to put on a show? I’ll play along until the very end.” I pulled out my phone, tapped the screen twice, and coldly watched the two of them. Julian narrowed his eyes: “What trick are you playing?” He looked around, saw nothing happen, and then he smiled, a cold, vicious smile. He leaned down close to me, grabbed my collar, and dragged me to the edge of the stage. “You think you can threaten me? A helpless orphan dares to challenge me?” “I’m telling you.” Before he could finish, he swung a punch at my face. Before I could react, he kicked me in the stomach again, the pain so intense I could barely breathe. “You want sympathy, don’t you? Then cry! If you don’t publicly kneel and kowtow forty-nine times to Willow and pay fifty million, I’ll make sure no one claims your body tomorrow!” Julian snarled, kicking me again. Just then. “BANG!” A deafening gunshot ripped through the wedding hall’s commotion. The main doors were kicked open, and a swarm of men in black suits flooded in, the atmosphere instantly freezing, like Death himself had arrived. The man leading them was tall and imposing, dressed in a dark black trench coat, his steps calm, yet each one radiated lethal intent. Seeing him, the entire hall erupted almost immediately. Silas Blackwood! The most untouchable man in South City, the living Grim Reaper of the underworld, a name that struck terror into hearts!

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In my poorest year, a fleeting thought flashed through my mind: [Lucas Gray, the heir to the Gray Empire, is looking for a lover who can’t hear his secrets.] A lightbulb went off in my head. I decided to pretend to be deaf and mute to seduce Lucas. No matter what scandalous things he whispered in bed, I remained impassive. Until his first love returned from abroad, and Lucas slapped a check for ten million dollars on the table in front of me. “You should move out for this month,” he said. I blurted out, “Sure thing, boss!” I grabbed the check and was about to leave when I realized I’d blown my cover. Another thought popped into my head: [LOL, this woman is so honest. Actually, the male lead has known her secret for a long time!] I froze on the spot, my mind going blank. Then I heard Lucas chuckle softly. “What’s wrong? Can’t keep up the act anymore, little deaf girl? And here I thought you could endure anything.” 0 Who would have thought a CEO would fancy a deaf girl? Well, apparently mine did! In fact, he wouldn’t have it any other way! Being his “deaf” sugar baby was quite convenient. I could appear anywhere without raising suspicion. Whether it was during confidential business discussions or industry gossip sessions, absolute secrecy was guaranteed. Plus, I didn’t have to listen to my sugar daddy’s endless chatter or insults. I could do whatever I wanted, even deliberately annoying him for fun if I felt like it. After all, I was “deaf.” I couldn’t hear what he was saying, right? Except I wasn’t really deaf. I was faking it. The only downside was sometimes… like now. Listening to Lucas’s words that were more explicit than an R-rated movie, I could only pretend not to hear and look at him with doe eyes. Pretending he was a perfect gentleman. In reality, I was cursing him as a pervert in my mind. Wait! I suddenly realized, maybe his ex-girlfriend ran away because of this! Lucas gently tapped me with his large hand. He used sign language to ask if I was hurt and if he should be gentler. But what he was actually saying out loud was utterly filthy. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes internally. What a fake gentleman. But on the surface, I looked at him pitifully, trying hard not to make a sound. The next day, I slept until the afternoon. 0

As I came downstairs, I heard Lucas talking to his friend in the living room. When they saw me, his friend’s voice suddenly stopped, and his gaze fell on me before turning back to Lucas. “She can’t hear,” Lucas said, waving me over. Gossip? My eyes lit up, and I casually sat down next to Lucas. His friend glanced at me and spoke to Lucas. “Chloe’s back. What are you going to do about her?” Chloe? She’s back?! Could this be Lucas’s ex-girlfriend? Everyone in their social circle knew there was a name that couldn’t be mentioned in front of Lucas. It was his Achilles’ heel, something no one dared to touch. Even after being by Lucas’s side for so long, I had never heard anyone mention her. I only knew that I was chosen from among the many women vying for Lucas’s attention because I somewhat resembled her. In my mind, a woman who could be so cherished by someone like Lucas, the heir to the Gray Empire, to the point where he would seek out a lookalike, must be his true love! I’d seen this plot in countless cheesy romance dramas. The protagonist finds a lookalike of his true love, then when the real deal comes back, I turn into the evil substitute. In the end, the male lead discovers my wicked nature, throws me out onto the streets, and lives happily ever after with his true love… Wait a minute… This plot development seems a bit off. As it stands now, I’ve somehow become the obstacle to the main couple’s happiness! No, no, I think I’ve skipped some steps here. My mind raced, and suddenly it hit me! Of course! Usually, the arrogant CEO hands me a check and tells me to get lost. Then the evil substitute refuses to leave, leading to the subsequent drama. Thinking about how generous Lucas had always been, I couldn’t help but smile. Don’t worry, I’ll leave promptly, quickly, at a speed of 800 meters per second, rolling out of the main couple’s world! Perhaps seeing my schadenfreude expression, Lucas tapped my shoulder, snapping me out of my reverie. He used sign language to ask what was wrong. Of course, I maintained my professional attitude and signed back. Just happy looking at you. Then I excused myself to get them some water. Lucas’s friend watched me leave and spoke again: “Are you really going to let Chloe see her?” Lucas sighed. I didn’t hear what else they said as I hurried towards the kitchen. I was afraid if I stayed a second longer, I wouldn’t be able to hold back my laughter. Don’t worry, I won’t let the “true love” see me! 0

That night, Lucas looked like he wanted to say something several times but held back. I was so anxious I almost wanted to prompt him myself. To be honest, I was quite reluctant to leave this pampered life as a sugar baby. After all, I’d gotten used to having everything handed to me on a silver platter and didn’t want to work hard again. But I also didn’t want to end up thrown out onto the streets. It was better to leave gracefully on my own terms. At the dinner table, I chewed my food in tiny bites, trying to make each mouthful last as long as possible. Just waiting for Lucas to speak up. Suddenly! Lucas took out a check from his pocket and placed it on the table. My eyes lit up, staring intently at the numbers on the check. Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions! Fifty million dollars! Enough for my mom and me to live on for the rest of our lives! I stared at the check, swallowing hard, completely oblivious to Lucas starting to speak. “Take this money…” Before Lucas could finish, I snatched the check with lightning speed and clutched it to my chest. The enormous sum had gone to my head. I jumped up and blurted out, “Thanks, boss!” As soon as I said it, cold sweat broke out all over my body. I’m screwed! Suddenly, a thought popped into my head, just like the fleeting one from years ago. [Warning! This woman’s been exposed! The male lead knows she’s been lying to him all this time. He definitely won’t let her off easy! I wonder if she has a backup plan. If not, she’s in big trouble!] Backup plan? What backup plan? My mind went blank as I looked up to meet Lucas’s amused gaze. He was fiddling with his custom cufflinks, his long fingers casting delicate shadows in the lamplight. “What’s wrong? Can’t keep up the act anymore, little deaf girl? And here I thought you could endure anything.” Lucas suddenly moved closer, the scent of his cedar cologne mixed with whiskey washing over me. “But you should know, I hate being lied to more than anything.” My throat tightened as I saw the words [She’s done for!] flashing repeatedly in my mind. This damn inner voice! I couldn’t help but recall how I had met Lucas by chance. The doctor said only hospitals abroad could possibly treat my mother’s illness, but the exorbitant fees forced me to scramble for money. I worked five jobs a day, but it still wasn’t enough to send my mother abroad for treatment. Until one day, that thought popped into my head. It said Lucas Gray, the heir to the Gray Empire, was looking for a lover who couldn’t hear his secrets. So I pretended to be deaf and mute and stayed by Lucas’s side for two years. Lucas grabbed my chin in one swift motion. “Mr. Gray, you must be joking,” I forced a smile, my nails digging into my palms. “Of course I’ll take the check you’ve given me. As for the rest…” Before I could finish, he gripped my chin, not forcefully but with an undeniable air of authority. Lucas’s thumb traced over my lips, where he had left bite marks the night before. “When you’re pretending to be deaf and mute, you always use that fake smile to deceive people. But do you know? Every time you pretend not to hear, I want to pin you in front of a mirror and make you see how your ears turn red.” Hot blood rushed to my earlobes, and I suddenly felt a chill run down my neck. Lucas had known about my act all along! For two years, I had diligently forced myself to remain silent no matter how Lucas tormented me in bed. But I had forgotten about the most instinctive human physiological response—when he whispered “Olivia, don’t hide” in my ear. My tense back, my trembling fingers, had long since betrayed my secret to this man who had seen it all. If this man had discovered my deception so early on, then every time after that… he had been deliberately toying with me! Seeing my indignant expression, Lucas suddenly seemed amused. “Don’t you have anything to explain? Hmm? Little deaf girl?” Lucas stood up, forcing me to sit on the table. I looked at Lucas, getting more and more irritated. What else could I say! He’s the client, I’m the service provider! I did the job I was paid for! He’s just a client who was fooled and moved by my acting skills! I’m not angry at all, waaah! But the urgent matter at hand was to protect this fifty million dollars. This was what I deserved! “I… thank you, boss? Boss is so generous?” Lucas was on the verge of laughing angrily. He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. “Since you can’t keep up the act anymore, you should pay some price, little deaf girl.” I knew this wasn’t good. “Lucas Gray! You want me to pay with my body! I don’t agree! This is an unfair clause!” A voice in my head screamed [This isn’t right, shouldn’t the male lead kick this woman out? What’s going on! Looks like we’re about to hit the paywall?!] Lucas threw me onto the large bed covered with silk sheets, then pressed down on top of me and lifted my nightgown. There was still a vase of blue roses I had arranged last week on the bedside table, now overshadowed by his silhouette. “Olivia, do you know that every time you pretend to be innocent, it makes me want to completely tear apart your disguise?” Lucas seemed to have unlocked a new world, directly unleashing his dominant side. He forced me to scream loudly all night long. Before going to sleep, Lucas said he had to go to the office to deal with an urgent matter. As he left, he tossed me one of his white dress shirts, the collar still warm from his body heat. 0

What urgent matter! He’s probably going to pick up his true love! Looking at the thoughts racing through my head, I grew increasingly frustrated. All this [The female lead is back, the sweet and gentle female lead baby is finally back.] And [This woman shouldn’t take away any more of the female lead’s affection, the female lead has suffered enough, other women should stay away!] And [The male lead can only belong to the female lead.] Who said I wanted to stay anyway! I was just about to stand up from the bathtub when my legs gave out, and I fell to my knees with a splash. Escape plan, to be continued tomorrow. The next day, Lucas was indeed not at home. I was preparing to quickly pack my things and run away with the money when I ran into Lucas, who had just returned. I looked at Lucas, then at my suitcase, and smiled awkwardly. “Are you… going out?” Lucas asked with a hint of a smile. I chuckled nervously. “What a coincidence, right?” Lucas walked past me and sat on the sofa. His voice was neither cold nor warm as he spoke. “I heard from my assistant that someone booked a flight to Germany at 8 PM tonight. I came back to see if this little money-grubber had emptied my house.” I dragged my suitcase over to Lucas and stood in front of him. “Lucas Gray, you’re spying on me!” Lucas looked up at me and smiled. “Spying?” He suddenly stood up and came closer, the tip of his shoe grazing the zipper of my suitcase by my feet. “Little deaf girl, you’ve been by my side for two years and know the location of every camera in the garage like the back of your hand. Now you’re talking about spying?” I stubbornly backed away, my lower back hitting the carved screen in the entryway. Lucas’s fingers traced my burning earlobe, suddenly pulling out the check I had hidden in my sleeve—he had swiped it without me noticing! “Thinking of running away with fifty million?” He waved the check, making a rustling sound. “Olivia, have you forgotten? The confidentiality agreement you signed states that if you leave without permission…” My heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, I noticed a blue ribbon peeking out of the inner pocket of his suit jacket. It was a little trinket I had stuffed into his pocket last week when we were picking out ties—he had called it “childish” but hadn’t thrown it away. “Stop!” I suddenly made a time-out gesture with my hands, raising my voice and signing, “I-I just remembered, I left some soup simmering in the kitchen!” Lucas raised an eyebrow as he watched me scramble towards the kitchen, my suitcase still tilted in the entryway. Just as I grabbed the microwave door handle, I heard a suppressed chuckle from behind. I turned to see him shaking his head at my suitcase. A half-capped lipstick had fallen out, drawing a crooked red line on the beige carpet. “The soup is on the third shelf of the fridge,” he suddenly said. “Also—” He pulled out a gold-embossed invitation from his inner suit pocket, “Tonight at 7 PM, charity gala at the Gray Trade Center. Chloe specifically asked to meet you.” Chloe! What! His true love wants to meet me! Wait, bro! You’re taking me, the substitute, to meet the real deal! Is this right? Is this okay?! Has the plot advanced already? Am I still destined to face retribution?

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The day the zombie horde broke out, I tore up my assignment roster, forcing myself to stay behind in the doomed Zone C. I held on until dawn the next day, just long enough to hear Caleb’s loud broadcast: Celeste had found a new oasis. Her discovery, he claimed, would be humanity’s last hope. Only then did I finally breathe a sigh of relief. As the horde smashed through the doors, I detonated all my explosives. In my previous life, Caleb had made sure I drew the winning lot. He used my luck-boosting ability to easily find the oasis and become a leader. He promised me that as soon as I found the oasis, he would send away all the other women he was seeing. I believed him. But when I lit the bonfire signal, what arrived wasn’t his support, but betrayal. “Celeste has no powers, she needs my protection more. I just want her and her child to be respected by everyone in this apocalypse. But you, you try to steal even this little bit of credit.” “She got a fever, terrified by zombies, just looking for you. I’ll make you feel ten thousand times her pain.” He chained me to a car and dragged me until I was torn to shreds by zombies. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day the horde erupted. This time, I’d let them have their savior dream.

“Astrid! Get in the car!” “Any later, and the horde will completely surround us!” I looked into the distance. The energy shield around the perimeter of Zone C was weakening. Leo was so anxious, he was almost in tears. “Astrid! You’re the only one with powers in the entire base! Where there’s life, there’s hope! Don’t throw away your life!” I was about to speak. The steel door of the safe house was violently kicked open. Caleb’s personal guard roughly seized my arms, dragging me out without a word. Leo roared from behind, his voice gut-wrenching. “Let her go! Astrid’s pregnant, you’ll make her miscarry dragging her like this! You damn lackeys of the base leader!” They finally pushed me to the base’s central plaza. A pre-assault rally was being held there. In the center of the plaza, a dozen people were already kneeling. These people were all scapegoats, accused of various crimes. Some were charged with hoarding rations, others falsely accused of trying to steal a vehicle to escape. Then, the enforcement squad stepped out. They carried a large wooden bucket, walking up to each person, prying open their jaws. Spoon after spoon of black-green liquid was forcibly poured down their throats. That water was contaminated from the base’s failed purification system, filled with radiation. The entire plaza was instantly drowned in screams and sounds of retching. A man next to me convulsed violently, foaming at the mouth. “We just wanted to save some extra food for our kids… Why are you doing this to us?!” I wasn’t spared either. A full spoon of contaminated water was forced down, and my stomach cramped in excruciating pain. Blood gushed from between my legs. I let out a muffled groan of agony, which startled those around me. “That’s Astrid! The Commander’s wife! They’re pouring it down her too?” “Isn’t she our hero in Zone C? She led a team to reclaim a batch of medicine yesterday! What in the world is going on?!” The intense pain made my vision blur, and I crumpled to the ground. “Medic! Call a medic now! Someone’s going to die!” Just then, the noisy crowd automatically parted, creating a path. Celeste, dressed in a brand-new white combat suit, looked impossibly clean for this apocalypse. She clung intimately to Caleb’s arm, a saintly, yet pitying smile gracing her face. Caleb’s gaze swept over us, groaning in pain on the ground, his face grim. Celeste dramatically covered her mouth. “Oh my, why is everyone collapsed? Who could be so heartless as to shake our morale at such a critical moment, with the zombie horde surrounding us?” Before she even finished, Caleb’s face was filled with rage, and he violently kicked my stomach. “You vicious wretch!” He roared at me, “The moment I step away from the base, you dare to incite people and cause internal strife!” “You’re so consumed by jealousy that you’d try to steal Celeste’s credit for finding the oasis!” That kick left me unable to even cry out. I looked at Celeste’s face behind him, twisted with a triumphant smirk. I gritted my teeth and squeezed out a few words from my throat. “I didn’t… It was her…” “Still trying to lie your way out of it?!” Caleb bellowed. “This isn’t the first time you’ve been so unscrupulous for credit! This time, I will not let you off!”

He pointed at the struggling survivors on the ground and ordered them. “Each of you, give her one shot from a taser. After you’re done, I’ll personally escort you to the oasis, and your food and medicine rations will be doubled.” The personal guard dragged me up from the ground, completely ignoring my miscarriage. The survivors who had been forced to drink the contaminated water looked at me, their eyes filled with reluctance. A middle-aged man walked forward, tears in his eyes, and pulled the trigger. “I’m sorry, Captain Astrid… I have two children at home…” One person, two people… Blue electric arcs flashed again and again, scorching the life out of my unborn baby. Only after everyone had tasered me and left did Caleb, satisfied, take the water Celeste offered him. He took her hand and walked over to me. He looked at me, covered in dust, my cheeks bruised, and a flicker of something complex crossed his eyes. But the next moment, he coldly lifted my chin. “Don’t blame me for making them do it. I had to teach you a lesson, so you know this is what happens if you dare to be jealous, if you dare to harm others again.” “Save yourself the trouble of trying to steal Celeste’s credit again.” My whole body trembled, and I looked up at him. So, I wasn’t the only one who had been reborn. No wonder they found the oasis even without my luck. No wonder he said it wasn’t the “first time” I’d done this. Because in my previous life, he had similarly framed me and sentenced me to death for Celeste’s sake. My eyes reddened, and I wiped away my tears. “Astrid, playing the victim won’t work anymore. No matter how capable you are, it’s useless.” “I’ve already had the medical team give Celeste the top-tier genetic enhancer. Her powers will definitely upgrade, helping me become the leader.” I gave a bitter laugh, clutching my constantly cramping abdomen. “I already paved the way for you. But why did you have them force contaminated water on me? Why destroy Zone C and kill my teammates…?” He paused, his brows furrowed. “Don’t talk nonsense. You clearly led your team in a failed breakthrough yesterday, resulting in the entire unit being wiped out.” Sweat streamed down my face from the pain. I grabbed his pant leg, trying to make him look at Leo, the scout, who was still alive on the monitoring screen. His face was filled with disgust, and he impatiently kicked my hand away. “Stop acting. If you want to prove you weren’t trying to harm Celeste, then tomorrow, during the base-wide broadcast, you can personally admit that your abilities were insufficient, that your reconnaissance failed, and that you begged Celeste to share some of her credit with you.” “Then you’ll hand over all your merits and supplies to her and the child she’s carrying, and in the future, you’ll serve as her loyal deputy.” “If you dare to play any more tricks, if you dare to touch a single hair on her head, this time I won’t just deal with you and your useless team—Leo, the one you care about most, won’t get a single dose of anti-infection medicine either.” My eyes widened, staring at Caleb in disbelief: “Caleb, you bastard! Leo was scratched by a zombie while covering me, he’s a hero of the base! How can you threaten me with his life?!” Caleb looked annoyed. “As long as you obediently serve Celeste’s team and take good care of them from now on, I won’t touch him.” With that, he put his arm around Celeste, ready to leave. “Celeste, thank you for finding hope for the base. I’m going to reward you well.” I watched their retreating figures, warm blood continuously seeping from my lower body because of the miscarriage. Professor Albright, a researcher who treated me like his own daughter, rushed over, his face paling when he saw my injuries. “Quickly, get her to treatment! If anything happens to Astrid, I won’t let any of you off!” I was sent to the medical bay, but the healing medic never showed up. Professor Albright, enraged, demanded to know where the medical team assigned to me had gone.

Mia, the assistant, spoke with difficulty. “Professor Albright, all the healing medics in the entire base have been called to Captain Celeste’s room by the Commander. Miss Celeste scratched her finger while testing a weapon, and Commander Caleb is worried something might happen to her, so he’s keeping all the healing medics on standby.” “Right now, there are no healing medics in the entire base.” Professor Albright was furious, constantly making calls. “He’s gone mad! His own wife is critically injured and clinging to life, yet he calls away all her healing medics for some mistress, completely disregarding her fate!” The communicator finally connected after the twentieth attempt. “Is Astrid stirring up trouble again and making you call me to back her up?” Professor Albright shouted excitedly, “Astrid is bleeding internally and has fainted! Several of our brothers in the team are about to die! And you’ve taken away her healing medics! Do you want to kill the base’s elite unit?!” Caleb scoffed, “Did Astrid tell you to call me? Her check-up was perfectly fine, what’s this critically injured and dying act now?” “Alright, alright, I still have Celeste and her team’s victory banquet to attend. She wants healing medics, does she? I’ll send someone over.” Professor Albright hung up the call, gripping my hand tightly. “Don’t be afraid, Astrid, the healing medics will be here soon.” I felt my life force gradually fading. I thought of my previous life, how my teammates were similarly stabbed in the back by Caleb’s team, eaten alive by zombies. I trembled all over, pulling Professor Albright’s hand, and said with difficulty. “Professor Albright, you promised me you’d treat me like your own child. If Caleb didn’t treat me well, you’d help me get away from him.” “I just want to save Leo’s life, and then survive.” Professor Albright was already in tears, saying repeatedly. “After Caleb was saved by you, he loved you so much. It’s all that vile creature, Celeste’s, doing. If she hadn’t suddenly appeared, you two wouldn’t have ended up like this.” I gave a tragic smile. How could a life-and-death companion, who once fought alongside me, become like this? The man who, after repelling zombies, would blush and say he’d face life and death with me, swearing that if he ever betrayed me, he’d die a horrible death, with no corpse left behind. Now, for another woman, he abandoned me without a second thought. “Please, Professor Albright.” I gritted out each word. Listening to my plea, Professor Albright finally nodded. “Tomorrow, I will announce that you are the sole power-user of Zone C. As for that ungrateful beast, I will no longer assist him!” Professor Albright immediately left to deal with the matter. I lay on the medical bed, the sharp pain in my abdomen surging like a tide. Professor Albright’s young assistant, Mia, anxiously kept hoping the healing medics sent by Caleb would arrive. Finally, someone came. But it wasn’t a healing medic; it was a logistics orderly. Seeing the bloody scene in the medical bay, he handed over a few bandages and a bottle of expired disinfectant. “Commander Caleb said it’s just a minor injury, nothing life-threatening. He told you to deal with it yourselves and stop bothering him with such disgusting things.” Mia cried and smashed the box. “Astrid, I’ll take you and the brothers to another base right now. You have to hold on.” My vision went black, and I finally passed out. When I woke up again, it was to a bucket of ice-cold snow water being abruptly poured over me. Caleb’s face, full of disgust, loomed before me. “You’re awake, stop faking it.” He looked down at me. “You know I’m about to announce the oasis and Celeste’s achievements, yet you’re making a scene about going to my enemy base. You just want everyone to think Celeste is bullying you, don’t you?” Celeste, clutching a report, stood behind him, tears streaming down her face, looking utterly pathetic. “Astrid, I know you hate me. But it’s okay to get revenge on me, why did you have Professor Albright try to steal my credit?”

“That assistant was still screaming that I was a vile creature before they dragged her away, saying I didn’t deserve to be the savior’s partner…” I opened my mouth, but not a single word escaped my throat. I could only shake my head with all my strength, trembling as I pleaded, “I… I didn’t… Send me to the medical bay… The brothers… They can’t hold on much longer…” “You’re lying again!” Caleb impatiently furrowed his brow. “Professor Albright rallied her old subordinates overnight and even found the base’s records officer. Wasn’t it you instigating her from behind? You think by stealing Celeste’s credit, you can secure the second-in-command position at the base?” Celeste cried and pleaded in his arms, “Astrid, I beg you, please don’t separate Caleb and me… If you really insist on taking my credit, I’ll just run out of the base alone and die in the zombie horde!” She made a move as if to run, and Caleb immediately held her tight. He was enraged, and he kicked my stomach again. “How many times have I warned you not to bully Celeste, but you just won’t listen! Since that’s the case, I’ll have to resort to special measures.” He suddenly turned and coldly ordered his personal guard. “She forced Celeste to run into the zombie horde, so she should pay the price. Go, shut down Professor Albright’s lab’s purification system, and throw the people out of the research facility!” “Caleb!” I shrieked, tearing my throat. “You’re insane! That’s Professor Albright! Her research is for all humanity!!” “So what?!” Caleb scoffed. “To get you into the command structure, she forced me to marry you. Now you’re a captain, and I’ve even let you command your own unit. If you couldn’t find the oasis, that’s your own uselessness. I’ve repaid my debt of gratitude, I don’t owe you anything anymore!” “Do it!” I frantically lunged at the personal guard, trying to stop them, but I was brutally kicked to the ground. The wound on my abdomen, which had barely stopped bleeding, burst open from the violent impact, gushing like a broken dam, instantly staining the floor beneath me crimson. I screamed in agony, my throat raw, curling into a ball. Caleb was about to drag me further, but then he suddenly saw the pool of crimson on the floor, and his face went white. He instinctively stopped, turning to Celeste and demanding. “What happened?! I told you to take care of her and her pregnancy, why is she still bleeding?!” Celeste’s face also changed slightly. But her eyes darted, and she quickly squeezed out tears. “I’ve always taken good care of Astrid… This is the medical report they did for her yesterday.” She handed over the report, her voice choked. “The report says she only has superficial wounds, and her bodily functions and the baby are all perfectly normal.” Caleb snatched the report. He only scanned it once, and he believed it. The next second, he furiously lifted me from the ground and violently threw me onto the cold, hard metal floor. My head slammed down hard, and blood instantly gushed out. “You dared to lie to me?!” He growled, “To make me soft, you can even fake a miscarriage?! How disgusting, how utterly vile!” “You thought I’d fall for it this time? Dream on!” He raised his leg, kicking my abdomen mercilessly, again and again. Blood mixed with screams splattered with every impact. “Ah… no… no…” I pleaded, almost tearing my throat, but my body grew colder and colder. Until I had no strength left to even beg, only able to curl up in my own pool of blood. He wiped his blood-stained boots and turned to Celeste, his face full of apology. “I’m sorry, Celeste, for making you smell this disgusting odor. I’ll deal with her right away. Once it’s done, I’ll fly you to the oasis to see the scenery, as compensation for my mistake, okay?” Celeste, however, shook her head tearfully, her voice pitiful. “Forget it. Astrid hates me so much. What if you leave with me, and she immediately comes up with a new way to sabotage me?” “Otherwise, I’ll just take my team and leave. I’ll even let her have the credit.” She spoke cautiously, utterly wronged, yet it perfectly struck Caleb’s nerve. His face instantly turned as dark as night, his voice gentle but chillingly cold: “Don’t worry, I won’t give her any more chances to harm you.” He waved his hand: “Lock her in the containment cell outside the base. Once I officially announce Celeste as the discoverer of the oasis tomorrow, then release her.”

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