Category: English

The day of my divorce, I got hit by a car. When I woke up, everyone had a line of text floating above their heads. The nurse: [27 years old, eight years from now, breast cancer.] I picked up my phone. The first contact was my ex-wife, Vivian. After a second of hesitation, I opened her social media. Her latest post showed her and her new boyfriend in the Maldives, captioned “The rest of my life with you.” The location showed it was posted three hours ago. Our divorce papers had been finalized just yesterday. My daughter sent me a voice message: “Dad, Mom says I can’t go to her new house anymore. That man doesn’t like kids.” Gripping my phone, I went to pick up my daughter and ran into my ex-father-in-law, Robert Miller, at the entrance to the complex. Above his head, it read: [62 years old, three months from now, gas poisoning.] The moment he saw me, he started cursing: “Useless piece of trash! My daughter should’ve divorced you years ago!” “My daughter’s new boyfriend is young and handsome, and he’s a wealthy heir. What the hell are you?” I glanced at the text above his head and deleted the warning message I’d typed out, character by character. Then I took my daughter’s hand. “Come on, sweetheart. Dad’s taking you for pizza.” 1 At the pizza place, my daughter Lily handed me a slice. “Dad, you eat it. You’ve gotten so skinny.” She was only six years old, but she’d already learned to read adults’ faces. I bought her a Coke. My phone buzzed again. Vivian sent a text: “Figure out Lily’s tuition yourself. I need to pay off the loan on my new car.” But she had money for plane tickets to the Maldives. I didn’t reply. I just flipped my phone face-down on the table. Lily asked quietly, “Dad, does Mom not want us anymore?” “Mom just doesn’t want Dad anymore. She’ll always be your mom.” Even as I said it, the words felt hollow. What kind of mother wouldn’t even pay for her daughter’s tuition? Halfway through the meal, my phone rang again. This time it was Robert. I answered, and he immediately launched into a tirade. “Listen here, Lucas Gray. My daughter letting you walk away with nothing was being generous!” “The house is in my name. Don’t think you’re getting a cent!” “And Lily—don’t send her to our family! We’re not raising her for you!” He ranted for a full three minutes. I didn’t say a word back. Because all I could think about was that line of text above his head. 62 years old, three months from now, gas poisoning. “What, are you mute?” Robert shouted into the phone. “Yeah. I’ve gone mute.” I hung up. Lily had finished all her pizza. Her hands were greasy, and she was wiping her mouth with a napkin. “Dad, did Mr. Miller yell at you again?” “No, sweetheart. He said he misses you.” Lily tilted her head, thinking. “But last time Mr. Miller said I was a waste of money.” A six-year-old. She remembered everything. I paid the bill and walked Lily home, holding her hand. My phone pinged with a notification from the delivery app. The courier account I’d registered yesterday had been approved. Starting tomorrow, I’d be a delivery driver. Security guard wages were too low, and factory shift work was too rigid—I wouldn’t be able to pick Lily up from school. Delivery work was the only option. Flexible hours, and the more I worked, the more I earned. Back at our rental apartment, Lily fell asleep quickly. I sat on the edge of the bed and scrolled through my phone’s photo album. There were still pictures from our wedding. Vivian in her rented wedding dress, smiling brightly. Back then she’d said, “Lucas, we’re definitely going to have a good life together.” Seven years of marriage. The hard times finally ended—and she left. I deleted every photo of Vivian from the album. Not a single one left. Then I opened the delivery app and checked tomorrow’s weather forecast. Light rain. Rainy days meant more orders. Time to hustle. On my first day as a delivery driver, I witnessed the full spectrum of humanity in this city. I left at seven in the morning after dropping Lily off at kindergarten. At the entrance, Lily clung to the hem of my jacket and wouldn’t let go. “Dad, can you pick me up this afternoon?” “Yes, sweetheart. Dad promises.” I rode my electric scooter to the commercial district and started accepting orders. The first delivery was an Americano for an office worker in a high-rise. When I handed it to her, she didn’t even look up. She grabbed the coffee and shut the door. Above her head, it read: [29 years old, twelve years from now, liver cancer.] I bit my lip and said nothing. This wasn’t something I could control. Nor should I. 2 During the lunch rush, I completed twelve orders in a row. My legs were sore. I sat on the curb, eating bread. My phone buzzed with a news alert: Renowned businesswoman Sophia Quinn dies of organ failure at age 69. Sophia Quinn. That name was all too familiar. In high school, her granddaughter had been my classmate. Once, she’d invited me to her house, and I’d seen her grandmother. I told her she had eight hours left. She lasted exactly eight hours. Afterward, Sophia gave me five million dollars. That money paid for my college education and made me believe my life was finally turning around. Then, the second year after graduation, I married Vivian. A woman from a small mountain village who’d clawed her way out and was determined to climb higher. The first time Robert met me, he asked, “How many properties does your family own?” I said none. The smile faded from his face. But back then, Vivian had said, “Robert, Lucas treats me well, and he has capital. That’s enough.” Was it enough? Seven years of marriage. I spent every cent of Sophia’s five million dollars on Vivian’s graduate school, Vivian’s startup, Vivian’s luxury car to keep up appearances. Five million dollars. Gone without a trace. What did I get in return? A Maldives Instagram post saying “The rest of my life with you” to another man. At two in the afternoon, my phone rang. It was Vivian. “Just letting you know—I’m pregnant. Expenses are high, so I won’t be giving you a cent of child support for Lily anymore.” Pregnant. We’d been divorced less than a week, and she was pregnant. No need to calculate when this baby was conceived. “Vivian, you cheated during our marriage.” “Don’t make it sound so ugly. Caleb and I didn’t officially get together until after you moved out.” Caleb. That was her young new boyfriend. Her tone was calm as she said this. I didn’t hang up. I was waiting for her to say something—anything—about Lily. Even just asking “How’s Lily doing lately?” would’ve been enough. She didn’t ask. After telling me she was pregnant, she hung up. I set my phone down. The rain had stopped. Sunlight broke through the clouds and shone on my soaked courier uniform. I stood up. Time to keep working. On my third day of deliveries, I received a strange order. The address was an upscale complex in the the Southside. The notes said: Please ring the doorbell three times. Do not knock. I rang the doorbell three times. The door opened. A woman in her forties appeared. She wore a silk nightgown and a pearl necklace. As she reached for the food, I accidentally glanced up. The text above her head made me freeze. [45 years old, two days from now, strangled to death by husband.] My hand jerked. I nearly dropped the bag. “What’s wrong?” She looked at me. “Nothing.” I handed her the food and turned to leave. After two steps, I stopped. “Um—” I turned back. The woman was still standing in the doorway, rummaging through the bag. “Does your husband treat you well?” She looked up, her eyes guarded. “Why are you asking that?” “No reason. Just wondering. Please… be careful.” I got on my scooter and left. That night, I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about that woman’s face. There was a faint bruise on her face, covered with foundation. But I’d been close enough during the delivery to see it. The next day, I received another order to the same address. Same person. This time when she opened the door, there was a fresh cut on her face, running from her brow to her temple. The text above her head had changed. [45 years old, one day from now, strangled to death by husband.] I handed her the food. My grip was tight. “Ma’am, you need to call the police.” “Call them for what?” Her voice was soft. “Your husband hit you, didn’t he?” She looked at me for a moment, then shut the door. I stood outside and heard a man’s voice from inside: “Who was it?” “Delivery,” she said. “Don’t order delivery anymore. I’ll cook for you.” The man’s voice sounded gentle. I got on my scooter and sat outside the complex entrance for ten minutes. Then I pulled out my phone and dialed 91

“Hello, 14 Maple Gardens, Building 302, the Southside. There’s domestic violence happening. The woman has head injuries.” “Are you the victim?” “No, I’m a delivery driver. I saw it.” “Understood. We’ll send someone to investigate.” I didn’t know if the police could change anything. But the text said “one day from now.” I had to do something. 3 The next day at noon, I saw a local news headline while scrolling— “Man at Maple Gardens, The Southside, Detained for Domestic Violence. Woman Sent to Hospital for Treatment.” She didn’t die. The text above her head must have changed. I wasn’t certain—I couldn’t see the text of people in news articles. But she was alive. That was enough. That day, I completed eight extra deliveries. Earned enough for a week’s worth of Lily’s living expenses. On my fifteenth day of deliveries, Robert blocked me outside Vivian’s complex. He stood in front of my scooter. “Lucas Gray, have you no shame? Vivian says you’re demanding three thousand dollars a month in child support?” “The court ordered it.” “Court or no court, you’re just a delivery driver. Does raising a kid really cost three thousand?” “Vivian’s pregnant, and Caleb’s expenses are high. Can’t you ask for less?” I looked at the text above his head. Still the same line. [62 years old, two and a half months from now, gas poisoning.] The countdown was ticking closer every day. “Vivian—” her voice came from behind. She walked out of the complex with a tall, stylishly dressed young man beside her. That was Caleb. My first time seeing him. He wore designer streetwear, limited-edition sneakers, and his hair was perfectly styled. Above his head: [26 years old, four years from now, car accident.] When Vivian saw me, she hesitated. “What are you doing here?” “Picking up Lily’s things. She left some clothes at your place.” Vivian frowned and said to Caleb, “Wait for me in the car.” Caleb didn’t move. He looked me up and down and sneered. “So this is your ex-husband? He looks pretty rough. No wonder you weren’t into him.” He was five years younger than me, with the spoiled attitude of a trust fund kid. I wasn’t interested in arguing with him. Vivian tossed me a plastic bag. Inside were three of Lily’s old outfits and a stuffed bunny missing an ear. It was Lily’s favorite toy. Robert had cut off the ear. He’d said girls shouldn’t play with such delicate things—it made them weak. Lily had been only four years old then. She’d cried for an entire afternoon. I took the bag and turned to leave. Robert spoke up again. “Lucas Gray, stop right there. Let’s settle this child support matter.” “The court ordered three thousand. You pay three thousand.” “Three thousand? Why don’t you just rob us? Vivian’s expecting now, and Caleb needs to invest in—” “That’s your family’s problem.” Robert started cursing again. “Let me tell you something—my daughter’s money is our family’s money. You, an outsider, don’t get a cent!” I didn’t respond. I hung the plastic bag on my handlebars and started my scooter. Robert kept shouting behind me. Caleb stood off to the side, playing with his phone, completely indifferent. Vivian didn’t say a single word in my defense. Not one. That night, Lily fell asleep hugging the one-eared bunny. I sat by the window and counted this month’s earnings. Fifteen days of deliveries: forty-eight hundred dollars. Subtract fifteen hundred for rent, twelve hundred for Lily’s kindergarten tuition, a thousand for food, scooter charging fees, phone bill. One hundred and ten dollars left. One hundred and ten dollars. That was the total balance my daughter and I had left in this city. My phone buzzed. Vivian sent a text: “I’ll be a few days late with this month’s child support. Caleb’s got his eye on a watch, so I need to buy it for him first.” I put my phone under my pillow. Didn’t reply. 4 I stared at the long crack in the ceiling and made a decision. I couldn’t let this ability go to waste. Years ago, Sophia had given me five million dollars for one reading. How many people in this city wanted to know how they’d die? How many would pay to change their fate? I was done playing the saint. I was going to use these eyes to support my daughter and me. I spent three days working out a plan. I couldn’t just tell people how they’d die like I did as a kid. Too scary. Too risky. I registered a short video account called “Delivery Guy Talks Health.” The concept was simple: every day, I’d film a segment about real encounters I had while delivering food. Of course, I changed all the details. My first video: “Today I delivered to a woman with bruises on her face. Let’s talk about how to seek help if you’re experiencing domestic violence.” Combined with the news story from Maple Gardens, the video got over fifty thousand views. I didn’t mention anything supernatural. I just talked about the people I “saw,” then packaged it as common sense. … Two weeks later, I delivered a three-hundred-dollar order to an office building downtown. A three-hundred-dollar delivery. I’d never seen that before. When I opened it, it was afternoon tea for an entire office floor. The receptionist told me to leave it on the desk. As I was unloading the boxes, the conference room door was open. Inside sat a circle of people. At the center was a man in his early forties, wearing a sharp suit with a commanding presence. Above his head: [43 years old, one year from now, cerebral hemorrhage.] Next to him stood a little boy, about four or five years old, playing on an iPad. Above the boy’s head: [5 years old, today, anaphylactic shock.] Today. I set down the box and glanced at the order notes: [Nut allergy. All items must be nut-free.] The order had been placed by the receptionist. I opened one of the cake boxes and checked the ingredients list. Almond flour. “Hey, that cake—” The receptionist had already grabbed a box and was heading toward the conference room. I rushed over and snatched the box from her hands. “What are you doing?” The receptionist jumped, glaring at me. “This cake has almond flour. Your notes said nut allergy.” The girl froze, then flipped through the ingredients list. “Oh… I didn’t notice…” The man in the suit walked out of the conference room. “What’s going on?” The receptionist’s face went pale. “Mr. Hayes, the cakes contain nuts. I missed it…” Mr. Hayes glanced at the cake, then at his son playing on the iPad in the conference room. He took a deep breath, visibly shaken. “You’re the delivery driver?” He looked at me. “Yes.” “What’s your name?” “Lucas Gray.” Mr. Hayes had his assistant remove all the cakes and reorder. He called me into the hallway and handed me a thick stack of cash. “Thank you. My son’s nut allergy is severe. Last time he had an accidental exposure, he was in the ICU for four hours.” I felt the weight of the envelope. At least two thousand dollars inside. More than I’d make in three days of deliveries. “Mr. Hayes, I don’t want the money. But I’d like to ask you something.” “Go ahead.” “Have you been getting frequent headaches lately? Have you had it checked out?” Mr. Hayes’s expression changed. His eyes sharpened. “How do you know?” “I meet a lot of people doing deliveries. At your age, with high work stress, high blood pressure is common. I’d suggest getting a brain CT scan.” Perfectly worded. No one would suspect a delivery driver’s well-meaning advice. Mr. Hayes stared at me for five seconds. “Lucas Gray, what did you do before this?” “I ran a small business.” He nodded and shoved the money into my pocket. “Take it. And give me your contact info.”

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Early in the morning, my neighbor from next door, Lily Monroe, suddenly tagged me in the building’s group chat: “That whore from 1101! Have you no shame? Calling my husband to fix your pipes in the middle of the night—can’t find somewhere else to throw yourself at men?” “If you dare seduce my husband again, I’ll kill you!” I was completely stunned. I didn’t even know her husband, had never spoken a single word to him! I explained over and over, but she acted like she’d lost her mind, refusing to listen, just kept cursing at me. I had no choice but to block her and ignore this lunatic. But a few days later, she somehow snuck into my apartment. The moment I opened my front door, she lunged out from behind it and stabbed a knife straight into my chest. “This is all your fault! My husband doesn’t want me anymore! You’ll pay with your life!” My vision grew blurrier and blurrier. Even as I died, I never understood when I’d ever stolen her husband. When I opened my eyes again, I’d returned to the day she cursed at me in the group chat! Looking at those vicious insults, I couldn’t hold back anymore and fired right back: “Stop your crazy rambling! Your husband ran off with his mistress three years ago!” 1 The notification sounds from the building’s group chat suddenly went crazy. I opened it and my heart sank. Lily Monroe from apartment 1101 next door was tagging me in the group chat, cursing at me hysterically. “You whore from 1101! Get out here!” “I’ve been married to my husband Lucas Gray for over ten years, and we love each other dearly! You slut, just because you don’t have a husband, you try to steal someone else’s, secretly seducing my husband!” “Calling him to fix your pipes in the middle of the night—what are your intentions? Running out of places to spread your legs, so now you’re trying to steal someone else’s man!” A few gossipy neighbors in the group immediately chimed in: “How can our community have people like this? Shameless! So young and instead of behaving properly, she has to be a homewrecker and destroy other people’s families!” “People like this should be kicked out of the community. What a disgrace!” Seeing people backing her up, Lily became even more smug, her insults growing more vicious, one filthy message after another flooding the screen: “You slut who’s been screwed by every random man, you think you’re worthy of eyeing my husband?” “Give my husband back right now, or I won’t let you off!” Looking at these twisted accusations on my screen, I felt nothing but absurdity. My pipes were fine. Why would I call someone to fix them for no reason? Let alone call her nonexistent husband. But Lily gave me no chance to explain, just kept flooding the chat with curses: “You bitch, let my husband come home! If anything happens to him, I’ll drag you down with me!” The neighbors who’d been cursing at me earlier joined in: “Exactly! People need to have some moral boundaries. Let the woman’s husband go home. Stop being so shameless!” Looking at these accusations without any attempt to understand the truth, memories from my previous life suddenly came flooding back. In my previous life, I explained repeatedly in the group that I didn’t even know her husband, had never called him to fix anything. But not a single person in the group believed me. They all thought I was making excuses. Even more terrifying, Lily later snuck into my apartment while I was taking out the trash. She ransacked my place, searching everywhere for her so-called husband, and of course found nothing. Blinded by rage, she took it out on me, grabbed a knife from my kitchen, and stabbed me right in the chest. “This is all your fault! My husband doesn’t want me anymore! You’ll pay with your life!” Her screaming from my previous life, and the searing pain in my chest—even thinking about it now made my whole body run cold. I died without ever understanding what I’d done wrong, why I had to suffer such an undeserved disaster. Pulling my vision back from the memories, Lily’s curses in the group chat continued. This time, I couldn’t hold back anymore. The anger and resentment bottled up inside me exploded instantly, and I sent a voice message directly to the group: “Stop your crazy rambling! Your husband ran off with his mistress three years ago. Where’s this husband you’re talking about?!” 2 The moment I sent that message, the frantically jumping notifications in the group chat came to an abrupt halt. I stared at the screen for half a minute. No new messages appeared, and Lily’s stream of vile curses finally stopped. Looks like I hit a nerve. I let out a breath of relief, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over me. The fear from my previous life mixed with the anger of this one, leaving me with no desire to look at my phone anymore. I’d already said what needed to be said. Whether people believed me was their business. At least it was better than the last life where I explained myself to deaf ears. I casually turned off my phone screen, got up to wash up and go to bed, just wanting to turn the page on this miserable day. But just as I reached the bathroom door, a sharp, frantic roar suddenly came from outside, instantly shattering the silence of the night. “Lucas Gray! Get out here! I know you’re in this slut’s apartment, stop hiding in there!” It was Lily’s voice! She actually came to my door? My heart skipped a beat. The terror from my previous life when she broke into my home and attacked me instantly surged up, making my hands and feet go cold. “You won’t even come home for this woman? You’ve really got some nerve!” Her voice grew closer and closer, filled with hysterical madness. “You think I can’t find you just because you’re hiding in here? Open the door! Open this door right now!” Then came the sound of pounding on my door—“bang bang bang”—so forceful it seemed like she wanted to tear the door off its hinges. The commotion woke up the surrounding neighbors. Soon, chaotic footsteps and whispers came from outside. “What’s going on? Why all this noise in the middle of the night?” “Looks like Lily from 1101 is banging on Mia Watson’s door in 1102?” “Didn’t the group chat say Mia was seducing her husband? Is he really hiding in there?” Several nosy neighbors had already gathered at my door, craning their necks in the hallway light, their gossiping becoming more direct. “I bet it’s true. Otherwise why would Lily be this worked up? That cheating bastard and homewrecker must be hiding inside, too scared to come out!” “Absolutely shameless, hiding someone else’s husband in her apartment in the middle of the night!” “Got the guts to do it but not the guts to open the door? What a disgrace!” These words pierced my heart like needles, identical to the accusations in the group chat from my previous life. I clenched my fists, nails digging deep into my palms, anger overwhelming fear. Lily kept pounding on the door, her screams growing more shrill: “Mia Watson! You bitch, stealing my husband—I’ll kill you! I’ll skin you alive today!” Her voice was especially bone-chilling in the quiet early morning, every word dripping with murderous intent. My mind instantly flashed to the searing pain of being stabbed in the chest in my previous life, her twisted face at that moment, and my body began trembling uncontrollably. But the next second, a nameless rage suddenly rose in my heart. What right did she have? What right did she have to divorce three years ago but still imagine a husband to slander me with? What right did she have to take my life in the previous life and still come to ruin my life in this one? “Screw off!” I couldn’t hold back anymore and yanked the door open. The hallway light flooded in. Lily was raising her fist, ready to pound on the door again. Seeing me suddenly open it, she froze for a moment, her eyes full of hostility. I didn’t give her a chance to react. I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face. The crisp smack echoed through the hallway. The surrounding chatter instantly stopped. The neighbors were all stunned, not expecting the usually quiet me to suddenly strike. Lily’s head jerked to the side from the slap, a clear red mark immediately appearing on her face. She was dazed for a few seconds, then like a lit firecracker, lunged at me with claws out: “You dare hit me? I’ll kill you!” I was already prepared. I quickly dodged into my apartment and stuck out my foot lightly. Lily, already out of her mind with rage, lost her footing and fell hard to the ground with a heavy thud. Looking at her sprawled on the floor, the hatred from being stabbed to death in my previous life surged up instantly, rage consuming me. I quickly stepped forward, sat down hard on her back, pinned down her struggling body, then grabbed her hair and yanked it in opposite directions. “This is for your screaming! This is for banging on my door! This is for slandering me!” I roared with red eyes, the pent-up grievances and anger from both lives erupting completely in this moment. “Let’s see what you’ve got! Today I’ll show you what happens when you slander people!” “Ahhh—! Mia Watson, you shameless homewrecker! There’s no justice! I’m calling the police! I’ll have them arrest you!” Lily, pinned under me and unable to move, could only tilt her head back and scream shrilly, her voice full of venom and unwillingness. The surrounding neighbors finally snapped out of it and rushed over to pull me off: “Stop it! Stop it! Let’s talk this out!” “Why are you hitting people? Someone’s going to get hurt if this continues!” “I already called property management. They’re coming to handle this!” Some grabbed my arms, others tried to pull me off Lily. I stared at Lily still cursing from the floor, my chest heaving violently. In my previous life, this lunatic stabbed me to death in my own home based purely on her delusions, leaving me to die without understanding why. In this life, she wanted to pull the same trick again. How could I possibly let her succeed? After the neighbors pulled me away, I continued glaring at Lily, but those neighbors turned around and started scolding me instead. “Mia Watson, you’re in the wrong here. Even if Lily said harsh things, you can’t hit people!” “Being a homewrecker and still so self-righteous, even attacking people—you’re too vicious!” “This can’t just end here. If property management can’t handle it, we’re calling the police to sort this out!” Call the police? I let out a cold laugh. Of course we should call the police. Even if they didn’t, I would. I shook off the neighbors holding me and, right in front of everyone, pulled out my phone and dialed 91

“Hello, police? I need to report something. There’s a mentally unstable person making a scene at my door, and she keeps threatening to kill me. Please come handle this right away.” 3 Hearing that I’d called the police, Lily suddenly broke free from the neighbors holding her and lunged at me like a madwoman, slapping me twice across the face. The crisp, loud slaps echoed through the hallway. My face immediately swelled up. “You bitch! Stealing my husband and you dare call the police? I think you’re tired of living!” She glared at me through gritted teeth, eyes full of poison. The slaps left my head ringing. I raised my hand to hit back, but just as I lifted my arm, two nosy neighbors grabbed my wrists tightly. “You want to hit back?!” One neighbor gripped my arm hard: “No matter what she said, you can’t hit first. Now you want to keep hitting? Can’t you just behave?” Another woman chimed in: “Exactly! You’re a homewrecker who hit first. This is outrageous.” Seeing me restrained, Lily became even more arrogant, standing in front of me with her hands on her hips, cursing even more viciously—her language was absolutely vile. The surrounding neighbors also joined in condemning me, saying I’d destroyed someone’s family, caused a disturbance in the middle of the night, and had no sense of public decency. “I didn’t!” I struggled to break free from their hold, stubbornly retorting: “I’ve explained so many times—I’m the only person in my apartment! I don’t even know her husband. How could I have seduced him?” I looked around at the watching neighbors, sweeping my gaze across their faces, raising my voice: “Besides, she says her husband is in my apartment. My door is wide open right now. Look inside—do you see anyone?” At those words, the previously chattering hallway instantly quieted down somewhat. Several neighbors instinctively craned their necks to look into my empty living room, doubt gradually creeping into their eyes. That’s right. The door was wide open, the inside completely visible. Forget a man—there wasn’t even an extra shadow. Seeing this, Lily immediately shrieked in defense: “He must have just run away! He was still inside when I was banging on the door. He must have heard we were calling the police and snuck out the back door or window!” I let out a cold laugh, struggling against the hands restraining me: “We’re on the 11th floor. How could anyone climb out a window? They’d have a death wish! Besides, there are only a few apartments on our floor. If someone ran out of my place, wouldn’t you all have heard something?” Everyone froze, exchanging glances. The commotion from Lily banging on my door earlier had been so loud, and they’d all been gathered in the hallway. If someone had actually run out of my apartment, it would have been impossible for no one to notice. One man muttered to himself: “True, I was standing at the hallway corner the whole time. Didn’t hear any doors opening or closing.” Hearing this, people finally calmed down a bit. Just then, two police officers in uniform walked into the hallway: “Who called the police? What happened here?” I immediately broke free from the neighbors’ hands, stepped forward, and pointed at the still-panting Lily: “Officers, I called. This woman, the resident of apartment 1101, Lily Monroe—without any evidence, she accused me of seducing her husband, claiming I was having an affair with him in my apartment. She not only verbally abused me in our building’s group chat but came to my door and banged on it, and just now she hit me.” I pointed to my swollen cheek where the five-finger mark was still clearly visible. Lily, who had been so aggressive moments before, suddenly deflated the instant she saw the police, actually falling silent and lowering her head. The officer looked at Lily and asked: “Ma’am, is what she said true? Why would you slander her?” Lily was silent for a long while before reluctantly raising her head and muttering: “Never mind, officers. My husband Lucas Gray already ran away. What’s the point of you coming now!” “Ran away?” I immediately seized on that, my sharp gaze fixed on her. “I think you’re just feeling guilty, aren’t you? I’ve lived in this building for five years. Three years ago, I saw with my own eyes your husband Lucas Gray fighting with you, dragging you through a divorce, and I haven’t seen him since!” “You’re lying!” Lily’s head shot up, her eyes excited as she glared at me, suddenly stepping forward and grabbing my arm tightly. “You keep saying you have nothing to do with my husband. I’m asking you—if I have evidence proving you’re having an affair with my husband, what will you say?” Her grip was strong, her nails almost digging into my flesh. I endured the pain, looking straight into her eyes, saying firmly: “If you can produce evidence proving I’m having an improper relationship with your so-called husband, I’ll move out of this building immediately and promise never to set foot here again or seduce your husband ever again!” “Good! Those are your words!” Lily immediately turned to the watching neighbors: “Everyone heard that, right? This is Mia Watson’s own promise. Don’t try to back out later!” The neighbors all nodded, whispering to each other. Lily grabbed my arm and dragged me toward her apartment: “Fine, I’ll let you see with your own eyes whether I have evidence or not!” I didn’t resist, letting her pull me forward. The curious neighbors followed behind, wanting to see what evidence she could possibly have. As soon as I stepped into Lily’s apartment, a warm, homey atmosphere hit me in the face. Men’s slippers sat on the shoe rack by the door. A freshly washed suit jacket hung on the balcony. The bathroom and kitchen items were all matching couples’ sets. Even the bedroom bed clearly showed signs of two people sleeping in it. Most eye-catching was the wedding photo hanging on the wall. In the photo, Lily wore a white wedding dress, nestled in Lucas Gray’s arms, smiling blissfully. Seeing all this, my heart couldn’t help but skip a beat, a trace of doubt creeping in. Could she really not be divorced? Had my memories from my previous life been wrong? Seeing me freeze, a triumphant smile appeared on Lily’s face. She turned and pulled out a stack of photos from a drawer, throwing them viciously in front of me: “Take a good look! Is that you and my husband in these photos!” I looked down at the drawer, my pupils contracting sharply, instantly falling silent. “Everyone saw that, right?” Lily raised her chin smugly, addressing the watching neighbors. “This is the evidence! She still dares to say she didn’t seduce my husband? Now that the proof is ironclad, Mia Watson, you should keep your promise and get out of this building!” The neighbors looked at the photos, their eyes full of contempt and certainty: “So it really happened. You really can’t judge a book by its cover.” “Never thought Mia Watson, who seems so quiet, would actually be a homewrecker.” “Having someone like this in our building is disgraceful.” Even the police frowned, looking at me disapprovingly. Feeling these strange looks, I took a deep breath, pulled out the divorce papers from the drawer, and threw them hard in front of Lily. “You take a good look at this. What is this?” 4 Lily’s gaze locked onto that divorce certificate, the smugness on her face instantly freezing. Her mouth hung open, the curses she’d prepared stuck in her throat. Her expression shifted from triumph to shock, then to panic. The surrounding neighbors also stopped their chatter, all eyes focusing on that suddenly appearing divorce certificate. The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds. “What… what is this?” Lily muttered to herself, as if unable to believe her eyes. I didn’t speak, just stared at her coldly. The next second, she suddenly scrambled up from the floor, snatched up that divorce certificate, then threw it violently to the ground like it was something dirty. “Fake! This is definitely fake! Mia Watson, to clear your name, you actually fabricated that Lucas and I got divorced!” She shrieked. “Lucas and I never got divorced! We have a great relationship. You had someone forge this certificate!” While shouting, she suddenly rushed over and slapped me again. Smack—this one was even harder than before. My other cheek instantly burned with pain, and I even tasted blood at the corner of my mouth. “This is all your fault! If you hadn’t seduced him, why would he have asked me for a divorce! It’s all your fault! You destroyed my family!” This slap completely ignited the emotions of the watching neighbors. Those who had shown some doubt moments ago now seemed to have found an outlet, all pointing and criticizing me. “Exactly, Mia Watson. You must have lured away her husband. Lily is already so miserable, and you’re still trying to blame her!” “You said it yourself—if there’s evidence, you’d move out of the building. Now the proof is ironclad. Don’t try to weasel out!” “Just move out. Our building can’t tolerate someone like you who destroys families!” The condemnations came one after another. They looked at me with contempt and disgust, as if I really were that unforgivable homewrecker. I rubbed my swollen cheek and a cold smile curved my lips. “To catch an affair, you need to catch both parties. You all keep saying I stole her husband—so where is her husband, Lucas Gray?” I looked around at the surrounding neighbors, my voice clear and firm. “This is a society governed by law. Everything requires evidence. And this divorce certificate has the government seal and a registration number. If you don’t believe it, you can verify it!” “Stop making excuses!” A middle-aged woman shouted with her hands on her hips. “Lily’s apartment is full of her husband’s things, and their wedding photo is still hanging on the wall. How could they be divorced? You must have done something!” “Exactly! So stubborn!” Another neighbor chimed in. “Lily, quick, call your husband and have him come confront her. Let’s see how she weasels out then!” Everyone echoed this sentiment, all urging Lily to make the call. Lily’s eyes flickered, a trace of hesitation crossing her face, her earlier arrogance diminished by half. She clutched her phone, her finger hovering over the screen, hesitating to press down. “I can’t… I can’t call…” She said in a low voice: “Lucas is busy right now. I can’t disturb him, or he’ll get angry and be even less willing to come home…” At these words, the surrounding chatter immediately quieted down. A female neighbor in a red jacket frowned, stepped forward, and looked at Lily with disappointment: “What are you doing this for? He already cheated on you, and you’re still trying so hard to win him back? This kind of man isn’t worth it!” “Exactly. You can’t force love. Why torture yourself like this? What’s the point?” Another neighbor also tried to persuade her. Lily’s eyes reddened, but she still stubbornly shook her head: “You don’t understand. Lucas still has feelings for me. It’s all because of this woman that he was confused for a moment…” She spoke, then glared viciously at me again. I took a deep breath, stepped forward, and looked calmly at Lily and the surrounding neighbors: “Since you won’t have him come here, then I’ll just have to take you all there.”

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After my sister ran away from her wedding, I married the Face-Blind CEO in her place. After another late-night sex session, I was scrolling through my phone before bed when I came across a trending post: [What should I do after discovering my wife deceived me?] [I was supposed to marry her sister, but I can’t recognize faces. She took her sister’s place at the wedding and even gave me an adorable daughter.] Someone angrily commented below: [Deception is poison to a marriage! You must divorce her and make her pay!] The poster stayed silent for a moment before replying: [Divorce? That’s not necessary… but punishment is still in order.] I was so scared I couldn’t sleep all night, terrified that Holden Stone would use ruthless methods to destroy me. The next day, I nervously clicked on the update— [This morning when I made eggs, I secretly burned my wife’s portion a little and deliberately didn’t arrange it into a heart shape.] [Even though I know she’s been cutting out sweets lately, I still added an extra half spoon of sugar to her milk.] [When I showered, I also closed the door completely without leaving a gap for her to peek through.] [This way, she should know I’m a bit angry, right?]

The moment I received the news that my sister was returning home, Holden Stone had me pinned against his lap, kissing me. Because he’d caught me talking to the new male intern, he seemed jealous. Tonight’s sex was particularly intense. My voice was hoarse from begging for mercy, but he still wouldn’t let me go. When he carried me to the bathroom to wash up, I was exhausted, my legs trembling. Fortunately, though Holden was clingy in bed, his aftercare was always thorough. Within half an hour, I was back in the soft bed. The man’s strong arms wrapped around my waist, his voice hoarse with satisfaction. As if mentioning it casually. “Baby, do you remember what I hate most?” My whole body stiffened. I unconsciously recalled how when I first married him, Holden didn’t like me. On our wedding night, he threw a contract at me and coldly warned me. “Automatic divorce after five years. By the way, I hate lies more than anything, so don’t let me catch you deceiving me.” Remembering his expression and tone then, I couldn’t help but tremble. I carefully studied his expression and answered in a low voice. “You hate… being lied to most.” Hearing my answer, Holden’s lips curved slightly. As if coaxing me, he murmured. “Then baby, have you ever lied to me?” Though his tone was gentle, I inexplicably detected a hint of danger in it. Alarm bells ringing in my mind, I immediately leaned in, obediently kissed Holden’s lips, and acted cute. “I love you most of all. I could never lie to you!” But the man didn’t answer right away. After a long silence that made cold sweat gradually seep down my back, Holden finally lowered his eyes and gave an emotionless “Mm.” Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief. After confirming Holden was asleep, I took out my phone. I opened the text my sister had sent. [Janelle, I’m coming home the day after tomorrow and won’t be leaving again. Mom told me you married Holden Stone. Is this true?] [When the Stone family proposed a marriage alliance back then, I refused.] [I didn’t expect them to still be so persistent. You and he have never even met—did someone force you to marry him?] Looking at this string of questions, I sighed softly. Yes, I had indeed deceived Holden. Back then, our family had a cash flow problem. Only the Stone family was willing to help, but they had one condition. My sister had to marry into their family. Apparently, Holden had accidentally run into my sister speaking at an academic conference and immediately proposed a marriage alliance. But my sister was devoted to her research and extremely averse to men. She refused without a second thought. Growing up, my sister and I had always been closest. I couldn’t bear to see her forced to marry someone she didn’t love. So that very night, I booked her a plane ticket and encouraged her to flee abroad to escape the wedding. Then I suggested to my panicking parents: “I found out Holden has severe face blindness. My sister and I look so similar—it’ll be the same if I marry him instead!” Desperate and with no other options, my parents accepted my proposal. After marrying Holden, I lived in fear every day, terrified my lie would be exposed. But whenever I thought about how my sister could have her freedom, it all felt worth it. Lost in thought, my phone suddenly refreshed to show a trending post. [What should I do after discovering my wife deceived me?] [I was supposed to marry her sister, but I can’t recognize faces. She took her sister’s place at the wedding and even gave me an adorable daughter.] My fingers froze. I stared at the post. As if possessed, I turned to look. In the moonlight, Holden was sleeping with his eyes closed, his profile refined and aloof. I climbed out of bed and carefully went to the living room. Only then did I click into the post.

The poster’s description was brief, but the comment section exploded. [Substitute bride? Aren’t you the one who can’t even recognize your own wife? The child is already born and only now you’re asking what to do!] [Besides, if she was a substitute bride, she shouldn’t have any feelings for you. You’ve been married so long—didn’t you ever find it strange?] [Right, love and indifference are pretty easy to tell apart, aren’t they?] The poster, who had been silent the whole time, immediately replied to this comment. [There’s no way my wife doesn’t have feelings for me. She loves me very much. If it weren’t for my work, she wouldn’t want to be apart from me for even a moment.] [I believe she must have had her reasons for taking her sister’s place.] [Don’t talk nonsense and try to drive a wedge between my wife and me.] The comment section went silent for a long time. Finally, someone slowly typed out a line. […Top-tier lovebrain. I’ve really seen it all now.] The poster replied again instantly. [Lovebrain? My wife does have a bit of that. She’s beautiful and naive. I often worry about her being deceived by others outside.] The comment section completely erupted. [?? Mind-blowing… Are you sure the lovebrain is your wife?] [It’s obvious who the real lovebrain is! But since you posted this, you must want a solution.] [Right, when it comes down to it, you were still deceived all these years.] [Deception is poison to a marriage! You must divorce her and make her pay!] This time, the poster stayed silent for a moment before replying. [Divorce? That’s not necessary… but punishment is still in order.] After posting that response, no matter how much the comment section goaded him, the poster never replied again. Looking at the poster’s tone, I unconsciously bit my lip. A ridiculous thought suddenly formed in my mind. Both involved arranged marriages, both involved substitute brides, and this poster’s word choices felt strangely familiar. Could this post have been made by Holden? At that thought, I immediately stood up. I carefully pushed open the bedroom door. The room was very dark, and Holden was still sleeping. Biting my lip, to completely dispel my concerns, I walked to Holden’s bedside and picked up his phone. In five years of marriage, I’d never checked Holden’s phone. After all, he was famously aloof and self-controlled, never getting close to women. Recalling the few passwords he commonly used, I quickly unlocked the screen. Before clicking into the app, I hesitated for a few seconds. The next moment, my wrist was caught. A man’s burning chest pressed against my back, his breath highly aggressive, his voice revealing no emotion. “Baby, what are you doing?” I bit my lip hard. My thoughts raced. In my panic, my mouth found an excuse without my control. “My… my phone died, so I’m borrowing yours.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. What a terrible excuse. As if Holden would believe it. Unexpectedly, the man was silent for a long time but ultimately said nothing, as if accepting my explanation. Back in bed, my thoughts couldn’t settle for a long time. I didn’t tell Holden that just before he woke up, his phone had received a notification. It was a new comment from the forum. [Why hasn’t the poster replied? You still haven’t said how you’re going to punish your wife. You’re not really going to divorce her, are you?] So that poster really was Holden. Not only did he know I’d deceived him by taking my sister’s place, he was also planning to punish me for the deception. Recalling how the business world had described Holden over the years—vengeful and ruthless—I couldn’t help but shiver. I was done for. I wouldn’t survive tomorrow.

When I woke up the next day, Holden was already up. Since we’d been married, he’d been a good husband and father. He even made breakfast by hand every day according to our tastes. I walked to the dining table slowly, step by step. I looked up at the man who was feeding our daughter breakfast with refined, elegant movements. Taking a deep breath, I spoke softly. “Holden, there’s something I want to tell you…” “Eat breakfast first.” Long fingers pushed a side plate in front of me. Holden’s expression was calm, as if he knew nothing about my deception. I lowered my head and only then noticed the breakfast on the plate. It was no different from what I usually ate—two slices of toast, a fried egg, and vegetables. Even the mayonnaise had been thoughtfully spread for me. Because of last night, I had no appetite. I randomly stuffed a few bites into my mouth and was about to put down my fork. When I looked up, I saw Holden staring at me with deep, meaningful eyes. He raised an eyebrow ambiguously. “You… didn’t notice anything different?” I froze, unconsciously thinking back to the taste of breakfast. But a terrible thought surged in my mind. Could Holden hate me so much that he couldn’t even wait a day and directly poisoned my breakfast? My back went cold. I asked tentatively. “Should I have noticed something different?” Holden was silent for a moment. The expectant look in his eyes dimmed. He withdrew his gaze and answered as if it didn’t matter. “Nothing. I just wanted to casually ask how today’s fried egg was.” I didn’t understand, but I still answered immediately. “Delicious. Your cooking skills keep getting better.” My intention was to please him a bit. So when he settled accounts later, he might spare me. But for some reason, Holden’s expression darkened even more. He stared at me somewhat resentfully. Then looked at the plate in front of me. I thought he was blaming me for not finishing breakfast. I quickly picked up my fork and stuffed the remaining sandwich into my mouth. While eating, I praised: “It’s really good. I like it a lot.” Holden became even more strangely silent. After a long while, as if finally accepting reality, he took our daughter’s hand and walked out. His voice somehow sounded a bit annoyed. “Is that so? Since it’s so good, I’ll make it for you again tomorrow.” I stared at the man’s somewhat dejected back, feeling a bit strange. Holden… seemed angry? But I clearly finished all my breakfast. Men’s hearts are really hard to understand. After Holden left, I quickly took out my phone. I opened last night’s post. Regarding what Holden said last night about punishment, the comments below were dense, but he hadn’t replied to a single one. It wasn’t until a few minutes ago that he finally posted an update. [I punished my wife a bit this morning, but she doesn’t seem to have noticed. Was I not obvious enough?] The comments immediately became lively. [You punished her so quickly! You really are fast. Did you divorce your wife?] [What are you thinking? The city hall isn’t even open at this hour.] [Based on last night’s lovebrain comments, plus the fact that your wife didn’t notice it was punishment… he probably just silently sulked, right?] [It’s not that serious. He probably just secretly looked at his wife a few times less.] The comment section became more and more lively. Holden stayed silent for a long time. Then he first replied to the first comment. [I said I won’t divorce my wife. I swore an oath back then—even if I die, I’ll be with her for life.] [If there are any more comments trying to damage my relationship with my wife, I’ll block you.] After a pause, he replied to the comment about him sulking. [Of course not. I’m a man of principle. I won’t indulge my wife like that.] [But is sulking useful? If it is, I can try it tonight and make sure she knows she was wrong.] Someone in the comments was curious. [How does the poster know your wife didn’t notice the punishment? What if she knew but pretended not to because she felt guilty?] This time Holden replied quickly. [Because she kept smiling at me, making my heart beat so fast I didn’t dare look at her much. That’s definitely not the behavior of someone feeling guilty.] [I understand my wife. She’s so innocent and kind—she wouldn’t fake things with me.] Even though the comment section was already prepared, everyone collectively fell silent again. Instead, Holden himself posted another comment. [When I get home tonight, I’ll definitely punish my wife severely and make her understand the consequences of lying to me!] Looking at these words, my back inexplicably went cold. After thinking it over, I still couldn’t figure out what Holden’s punishment this morning had been. I instinctively wanted to pack my bags and run. But thinking of the Stone family’s influence throughout the country, I ultimately gave up and silently sat back down on the sofa. Only one thought remained in my mind. Tonight was my real death sentence.

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To get to Florida for my medical appointment, I rushed to the airport early in the morning, only to be denied boarding by my husband, Captain Ethan. “The flight’s oversold. Take the next one.” I pulled out my appointment confirmation and begged him to let me on the plane. “I went through so much to get this specialist appointment. If I miss it, I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait. The doctor said my illness can’t be delayed. Our son, Leo, is only three. He can’t grow up without a mother.” He replied sternly, “Rules are rules. Even if you’re family, no exceptions.” Just then, I saw Chloe, the underprivileged student I’d sponsored, arrive late but board smoothly. I was furious. “I was here two hours before her! Even if it’s oversold, shouldn’t I be boarding and she rebooking?!” He flung my hand away, irritated. “Can’t you be a little kinder? What are you arguing with a young girl for? She’s never been to Disney. What’s wrong with letting her go? And stop trying to manipulate me by faking an illness. You’ll set a bad example for our son.”

“It took me so much effort to get this appointment. If I miss it, I’ll have to wait forever.” I explained urgently, “This is life-saving.” Having rushed to the airport early in the morning after pulling an all-nighter, my disheveled appearance earned Ethan’s utter disdain. “What’s all this fuss about? Our airline isn’t refusing to compensate you. We even upgraded your seat. Don’t be so greedy!” I threw the five-hundred-dollar voucher he shoved at me, my emotions crumbling. “I don’t want an upgrade. I just need to get to my appointment on time. The doctor already said that if I don’t get treated soon, it could turn cancerous. Can five hundred dollars compensate me for my life?” Seeing that I wasn’t backing down, Ethan’s face immediately darkened. “Are you done yet? I thought you quit your job to better take care of Leo, but it turns out you just wanted to be lazy and fake illnesses all day at home. It’s one thing to put on an act at home, but now you’re doing it in public? Isn’t that shameful? So much drama, why don’t you try acting?” His harsh words pierced my heart. When I married him, I not only defied my parents’ wishes but also chose to forgo a wedding house and gifts. After we married, he was incredibly gentle with me. The only imperfection was how difficult it was for us to have a child. To fulfill his dream of becoming a father, I endured physical discomfort and psychological pressure, finally conceiving after hundreds of IVF injections. But shortly after Leo was born, I found out that the multiple IVF treatments had stimulated my uterine lining, leading to lesions. Just at this crucial point, Ethan entered a critical phase in his career, about to be promoted from co-pilot to captain. Fearing he’d be distracted, I kept my illness a secret and voluntarily quit my job to be a stay-at-home mom. It wasn’t until the doctor sternly told me that I couldn’t overexert myself, needed more rest, and recommended a specialist in Florida for urgent surgery, that I started to panic. But the specialist was so sought after, I couldn’t get an appointment. To prevent my condition from worsening, I strictly followed medical advice, no longer frequently cleaning the house or doing a lot of daily chores. Ethan’s dissatisfaction grew daily. I thought he would understand and empathize after I explained, but instead, he believed it was just an excuse to avoid housework. Watching the boarding time tick by, I was burning with anxiety and could only bring up Leo. “For Leo’s sake, please let me through. He’s only three, he can’t be without a mom.” Hearing me mention our son, the disdain in his eyes deepened. “You have the nerve to bring up Leo? Making a scene and being a compulsive liar in public, are you fit to be his mother? Aren’t you afraid you’ll set a bad example for him? I advise you to stop playing games. As a captain, I won’t show favoritism. Airline policy states that in cases of overselling, only rebooking is allowed. And you, you’re no exception!” Looking at his “impartial” face, I was utterly disappointed. Just then, a female passenger, Mrs. Davis, came forward and tried to persuade him. “Your wife looks very unwell. She might really be sick. How about I give her my seat? I’m not in a hurry.” My eyes lit up, but Ethan rejected her outright, without a word. “Olivia, don’t think I didn’t see your annual physical report from last year. It clearly states you’re perfectly healthy.” “When did I get a phy—” “Silence!” Ethan rudely interrupted. “Don’t keep using others’ kindness to achieve your ulterior motives.” At his words, Mrs. Davis, who had sympathized with me, immediately gave me a look of mixed emotions. The next second, she walked into the boarding gate without looking back. Left with no choice, I pulled out my electronic appointment confirmation and a screenshot of my medical records. “Ethan, look, I really did book an appointment with an oncology specialist at Florida Affiliated Hospital. I pulled several all-nighters to get this slot, I really can’t afford to miss it.” Ethan didn’t even glance at it, sneering repeatedly. “Your lying skills are getting more sophisticated. Wouldn’t it be better to spend that free time taking care of the family and Leo?” Looking at this man I thought I knew so well, I trembled with anger. “Ethan, in your eyes, am I someone who would joke about her own life?” “Who knows? All I know is that to gain my attention and concern, you’ve completely lost it.” Before he finished speaking, the airport announcement blared for the third time. “Attention Ms. Chloe Thorne, flying to Florida, your flight T2135 is about to depart. Please proceed to Gate 5 immediately.”

Originally, I thought it was just someone with the same name. It wasn’t until she appeared in person that I confirmed she was indeed Chloe Thorne, the underprivileged student I’d sponsored for years. She walked unhurriedly towards the boarding gate. Seeing me there, a flicker of surprise crossed her face. She eyed me up and down, her tone devoid of its usual humility. “Olivia, if Ethan weren’t by your side, I almost wouldn’t have recognized you. Ethan is a captain. You should at least try to look presentable when you go out. How do you expect him to hold his head high in front of his colleagues?” She looked radiant, a stark contrast to my disheveled self. Her subtle taunt made me uncomfortable, but at that moment, I couldn’t care less. I grabbed her hand like a lifeline. “Chloe, I have a life-saving medical appointment today. It’s an emergency. Can you please switch with me and take the next flight?” She immediately looked at Ethan, who frowned, clearly displeased. “Switch? What switch? Every seat corresponds to an individual’s identity information. If everyone did what you’re doing, would there be any safety guarantee?” Then, he looked at her with a doting expression. “Go on in, quickly. Any later, your Disney plans will be ruined.” A smirk played on Chloe’s lips, the glee in her eyes impossible to hide. “It’s a security risk, I really can’t help…” Seeing her refuse, I grew desperate. “Chloe, I’m begging you. I sponsored you from high school through college. I’m only asking you for this one favor, please?” A trace of embarrassment flashed across her face when I mentioned my sponsorship. The onlookers, seeing her hesitation, began to voice their indignation. “Young lady, she helped you for years. If you don’t have anything urgent, just let her go first.” “Look at her, all dressed up in designer clothes. She’s clearly made it big and is now completely ungrateful.” “There are so many ungrateful people these days. You never truly know someone.” The crowd’s murmurs made Chloe’s face flush. Ethan, seeing this, immediately shielded her behind him and loudly reprimanded me. “Olivia, you were so eager to sponsor her back then. Now you’re trying to guilt-trip her? Don’t pretend to be so noble or generous.” To board the plane, I suppressed the urge to lash out at him. “Fine, no switch. I can buy it, right? Chloe, how much was your ticket? I’ll pay you double. If that’s not enough, I’ll cover all your Disney hotel and ticket expenses.” To my surprise, Chloe’s eyes immediately reddened. “I may not be as rich as you, but you can’t just throw money at me like that. What do you think I am?” Seeing her feign distress, Ethan was utterly heartbroken. “Olivia, are you insane? I never knew you were so materialistic. Don’t think you can corrupt a young person’s soul with your dirty money. It’s her first time flying, her first time celebrating her birthday at Disney, and it happens to be the 10th-anniversary celebration. Can money buy that kind of happiness? How vulgar!” He stopped looking at me and eagerly pushed her towards the boarding gate. I snatched the boarding pass from her hand and demanded sharply, “Ethan, she checked in two hours after me. If the flight is oversold, why isn’t she, the latecomer, rebooked, instead of me?!” A gentleman from the crowd leaned in for a closer look and immediately sided with me. “She’s right. She arrived first. Even if there’s a rebooking, it shouldn’t be her.” Hearing the gentleman’s testimony, everyone immediately focused their attention on Ethan. Facing their questioning and scrutinizing gazes, his expression faltered. “It’s… it’s all randomly selected by the airline system. Whoever is chosen has to rebook. And besides, think about it: someone who isn’t sick trying to fake an illness to board, don’t you find her motives suspicious?”

His words made everyone step back simultaneously, looking at me as if I were a hijacker. I closed my eyes heavily. Three years of dating, six years of marriage — this was the man I defied my parents for, sacrificed my career for, risked my life to have a child for, and loved my whole life… My hands clenched into fists, trying to control my emotions. “Ethan, you keep saying I’m faking illness, but you can surely believe the words of my attending physician, right?” I called Dr. Miller. “Dr. Miller, hello, could you please take a few minutes to explain my condition to my husband? He’s not letting me go to Florida for treatment.” Dr. Miller’s voice immediately rose several octaves upon hearing this. “That’s outrageous! Your condition absolutely cannot be delayed. You must go to the hospital immediately!” Ethan snatched the phone, sneering. “Stop acting! I don’t care if you’re Dr. Miller or Dr. anyone else. How much did my wife pay you to act along with her?” He hung up the phone and turned to leave. “The plane is about to take off. Olivia, I’m warning you, go rebook your ticket, and stop disturbing everyone here!” I tightly clutched his sleeve, pleading with a last shred of hope. “Ethan, we’ve known each other for so many years. I swear on our relationship, I’m really sick and I have to go to Florida.” My voice carried the desperation of someone at the end of their rope. A subtle softening appeared in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang. Chloe’s sweet, coy voice carried from the phone. “Ethan, when does the plane take off? She’s already rebooked, right? If she knew you specifically reserved her seat for me, I wonder what she’d think.” My eyes widened in disbelief. “Why would you do this?! What did I ever do to you?! You’d rather give the ticket to Chloe, who arrived late, than let me get medical treatment. Ethan, you’re a monster!” My desperate roar made passersby stare. Seeing the truth exposed, Ethan whispered to me. “Yes, I gave your seat to her. So what? She had a difficult upbringing, didn’t have much of a family. Today is her birthday, why can’t you be a little kinder and let her have this? And don’t you ever look in a mirror before you leave? Even if you’re faking illness, don’t look like a homeless person. It’s an embarrassment!” I looked down at myself: a sweatshirt stained with milk, loose pants, and mismatched shoes. But what could I do? He was never home, always focused on his promotion. Leo had a high fever last night. To avoid affecting his work, I stayed awake at the hospital all night by myself. By the time my mother came to take over at the hospital, I rushed to the airport non-stop. Where would I have had time to wash up and get dressed? Watching his retreating figure disappear into the boarding gate, my heart felt dead. Ten minutes later, the plane I should have been on soared into the sky. For Leo’s sake, I knew I couldn’t give up. I called Dr. Miller again. After understanding the situation, he immediately helped me contact the Florida specialist. Learning that an afternoon slot had opened up due to a last-minute cancellation, I thanked him and rushed to the train station. On the way to Florida, I saw Chloe’s SnapChat updated. She was smiling radiantly in front of a Disney parade float, gently embraced by a man. The caption read: “My first time celebrating my birthday with the one I love most, in my favorite place. So happy!” Although the man’s face wasn’t visible, that figure, that hand… I’d recognize it anywhere. It was Ethan. The scar on his wrist from being bitten by a wild dog when he protected me years ago — I’d never forget it. I silently exited SnapChat and immediately turned off my phone. I don’t know how I arrived at the hospital, or how I signed for the surgery. All I know is that I woke up the next day. When I turned on my phone, besides my mother’s worried messages, there was not a single message from Ethan. It was clear he was lost in his new “paradise,” completely forgetting about me and his responsibilities. Just after I replied to my mother, Chloe’s message came in. “My boyfriend invited me to his promotion party on the 25th. What do you think I should wear to match my style? After yesterday’s boarding incident, I’m sure you’ve guessed who my boyfriend is, right? I advise you to step aside quickly, and stop deluding yourself.” I replied coldly, “Chloe, only decent people deserve to dress up. You’re worse than an animal!” After that, I blocked her. A moment later, Ethan furiously called. “Olivia, you’re getting more and more out of control! Your mother said Leo is sick and hospitalized, and you don’t even care. Do you even act like a mother anymore?” I didn’t respond to his accusation. I just said, seemingly out of the blue, “Our son’s birthday is in three months; he wants to go to Disney. You take him.” He paused for two seconds before demanding, “You’re his mother, why don’t you take him? Don’t you know I’m in a critical period for my promotion? And I’ll be on a business trip on the 25th. You better get back from Florida before I leave…” I hung up before he finished. The surgery was successful. The specialist advised me to stay for a few more days, but I insisted on being discharged early. After being discharged, I immediately had a private investigator track his and Chloe’s every move. I also found a passenger who was at the boarding gate that day. The next day, I went to a law firm with the evidence. Then, I sent the full account of the rebooking incident to a media contact. Soon, the 25th arrived. I quietly arrived at the banquet, put on a mask, and found a quiet corner to sit in. Chloe, dressed in a beautiful, elegant gown, affectionately linked her arm with Ethan’s. They moved through the banquet like a perfect couple. Everyone who saw her smiled and said, “Congratulations, Mrs. Thorne.” Ethan didn’t deny it, and Chloe accepted it readily. As the banquet began, he stood confidently on stage, sharing his flying experience and thanking his superiors for their mentorship. Applause erupted when he finished his speech. Just then, his superior, Director Thompson, quickly came on stage, announcing with a serious face: “We just received the latest notice from the board of directors: all of Captain Thorne’s work is suspended, effective immediately.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “389283”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

On our fifth anniversary, I walked into the country club carrying a cake, only to overhear something I shouldn’t have. “Who said I love Eleanor? I’m only with her because she looks like Vivian. She’s nothing but a stand-in.” “Besides, Vivian’s too delicate. Eleanor’s just a tool I use to get off.” Laughter erupted from inside the private room. I stood outside the door, my heart sinking bit by bit. Five years. I’d pulled all-nighters for him countless times to secure deals, even lowered myself into the dust to love him. Only to end up as nothing more than “a tool to get off” in his mouth. I didn’t storm in to confront him. I didn’t cry or make a scene. I turned around, threw the cake in the trash, and dialed the number of Tobias’s biggest rival. “Mr. Holt, I’d like to accept your invitation to join your team.” Eleanor’s POV The corridor of the upscale country club was dimly lit. I clutched the homemade mousse cake in my hand, my footsteps freezing outside the half-open door of a private room. Today marked the fifth year of my relationship with Tobias. “What do you mean, what should I do? These past five years, Eleanor’s spoiled Tobias rotten. Everyone in investment banking knows she’s the sharpest blade in his hand. Not only does she dominate at the negotiating table, but she goes home and takes care of Mr. Reed like nobody’s business.” Derek’s voice carried a teasing, mocking tone. My breath caught. My grip on the cake box handle tightened. Tobias and I kept our relationship secret. He said his grandfather didn’t like publicity, and once he firmly secured his position as head of the Reed family, he’d give me a grand public announcement. I believed him. For five years, I’d been like a tireless top, charging into battle for him in the business world, blocking attacks both open and hidden. The room fell silent for a few seconds, then came the crisp sound of a lighter wheel striking. “Vivian’s too soft. Those old vultures in the Reed family are ruthless, and the business world is even more cutthroat.” Tobias’s voice carried its usual cold indifference. “Eleanor’s smart and resilient. Using her as a shield to pave the way for Vivian couldn’t be more perfect.” Each word pierced my heart like an ice pick. “Damn, you’re ruthless.” Derek sucked in a breath. “So these five years, you’ve just been using Eleanor as a human shield? But seriously, Eleanor’s absolutely stunning. You never caught feelings?” “Feelings?” Tobias let out a soft, disdainful laugh. “A woman whose biological father is unknown, raised on her stepfather’s meager salary. Does she deserve to enter the Reed family? If she didn’t look a bit like Vivian around the eyes, I wouldn’t have given her a second glance when Vivian went abroad.” The room erupted in laughter. “That’s why Mr. Reed is so devoted. For our Miss Sullivan, he forced himself to tolerate a stand-in for five years despite his germaphobia.” “Right? Eleanor probably thinks she can actually cross class barriers, working herself to death in investment banking every day, not realizing she’s just working for Vivian.” Outside the door, my entire body went cold, my limbs so stiff I couldn’t even muster the strength to step back. Vivian Sullivan. My half-sister on my mother’s side. The one my mother took with her when she left, raised in the Sullivan family, pampered and spoiled, held in everyone’s palm like a little princess. While I struggled at the bottom with my sick stepfather. I studied desperately, clawed my way up desperately, all to be worthy of Tobias. But it turned out, from the very beginning, I was just a joke. A living target pushed to the front to protect Vivian Sullivan. I looked down at the cake in my hands. It still read “Happy 5th Anniversary.” The irony was almost poetic. I took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the stinging in my eyes. I took that cake I’d spent all afternoon making and precisely tossed it into the trash can beside the corridor. The soft thud sounded like a funeral for five wasted years of my youth. I turned and walked away from the club without looking back. The night breeze was cool, blowing away the lingering scent of alcohol and vice. I sat in the taxi, pulled out my phone, and calmly unpinned Tobias’s chat, then opened another pinned number. “Dad, how are you feeling today?” I tried hard to keep any trace of emotion from my voice. “Eleanor, I’m doing fine. Don’t worry so much about me. You work so hard. Take care of yourself.” My father’s weary but kind voice came through. “Did Tobias spend the anniversary with you today?” Hearing my father’s words, my nose tingled sharply, tears nearly spilling. My father had severe kidney disease. He was currently staying at a private hospital owned by Reed Corporation, surviving on expensive experimental drugs. “Yes, he took me to a fancy dinner.” I tilted my head back, forcing the tears back in. “Dad, focus on getting better. Don’t worry about anything else.” After hanging up, I watched the neon lights streak past the window. Back at the luxury apartment I shared with Tobias, I felt no attachment. I pulled out a suitcase and started packing my belongings. Clothes, skincare products, laptop. The things that belonged to me were pitifully few. Five years, and I’d barely left any trace of life in this gorgeous cage. All those designer bags and expensive jewelry Tobias casually bought. I hadn’t touched a single piece. They were all neatly arranged in the walk-in closet. I found them disgusting. I’d just zipped up my suitcase when I heard the electronic lock at the entrance click open. Tobias walked in carrying a faint scent of alcohol mixed with his signature mint fragrance. He loosened his tie and casually tossed his suit jacket on the sofa. When he saw the suitcase in the middle of the living room, his narrow eyes narrowed slightly. “What’s this tantrum in the middle of the night?” His tone carried a hint of impatience. I gripped the handle of my suitcase and looked at him calmly. “Tobias, let’s break up.”

Eleanor’s POV The air in the living room seemed to freeze instantly. Tobias’s hand paused mid-motion as he was unfastening his cufflinks. He looked up, his gaze cutting across my face like a blade. “Eleanor, do you think this little trick will get you what you want?” Tobias walked to the sofa and sat down, crossing his long legs, his posture still arrogantly superior. “If you’re upset because Vivian’s back in the country, fine, throw your tantrum. But know your limits. Don’t make me think you’re being unreasonable.” Hearing these matter-of-fact words made my stomach churn. “You think I’m throwing a tantrum?” I laughed coldly, my fingers gripping the suitcase handle tightly. “Tobias, I genuinely feel disgusted.” “You pushed me out front to take the hits for Vivian. You made me drink until I had a bleeding ulcer at business dinners to close deals, while behind my back you and your buddies discuss me like I’m some kind of joke.” I looked at that flawless, refined face of his, speaking rapidly. “I’m disgusted, Tobias. These five years. I must have been blind.” Tobias’s expression finally darkened. He stood up and approached me step by step, his tall frame radiating intense pressure. “You went to the club?” His brow furrowed, his eyes sinister. “What, afraid I’d hear about your dirty little schemes?” I met his gaze. “Tobias, I don’t owe you anything. The projects I closed for you, the money I made. It’s more than enough to repay whatever favors you’ve done for me these past few years.” “Favors?” Tobias looked like he’d heard the funniest joke in the world. He suddenly reached out and grabbed my chin, his grip so hard it felt like he might crush my bones. “Eleanor, did a few compliments in the investment banking circle make you actually think you’re something special?” I frowned in pain but refused to make a sound. “Don’t forget. Your stepfather is still lying in my hospital!” Tobias’s voice was ice-cold and piercing. “Without Reed’s experimental drugs, without me pulling strings to secure that overseas specialist’s schedule, he won’t make it past next month! What gives you the right to talk about breaking up? His life?” Those words silenced me instantly. My lips trembled slightly. I clenched my teeth, my heart churning with barely concealed despair and hatred. Yes, how could I leave? My father’s life was in his hands. I was like a bird with clipped wings. I didn’t even have the freedom to fall. Tobias released his grip, his fingertips lightly brushing across my chin as his tone returned to its usual composure. “Put away that pathetic pride of yours.” Tobias looked down at me condescendingly. “You’re a smart woman. You should know what choice to make. Tomorrow’s final meeting for the Stellar Acquisition. You’ll attend as planned. Do well, and I’ll arrange your father’s medication and specialist consultations for the second half of the year.” “Tobias, you’re absolutely insane.” I said. “Call me whatever you like.” Tobias turned toward the bathroom. “Put that suitcase away. I won’t say it twice.” As the bathroom door slammed shut, I collapsed onto my suitcase. I covered my face with my hands as tears broke free, silently hitting the floor through my fingers. I couldn’t fall apart. For my father’s sake, I had to endure. But from this moment on, the Eleanor who loved Tobias for five years was dead. The next morning. I applied bold red lipstick, did my best to hide my pallor, and walked into the top-floor conference room of Reed Corporation wearing a perfectly tailored black business suit. I was the Deputy Director of Reed’s Investment Department and the absolute core of the Stellar Acquisition. I’d worked on this project for three solid months, pulling countless all-nighters to figure out the other party’s bottom line. Once I closed this deal, it would be the crown jewel of my resume, and the bonus alone would cover my father’s medical expenses for the rest of the year. The conference room was already full. Tobias sat at the head of the table, expressionlessly flipping through documents. I walked straight toward my seat. Just as I was about to sit down, I noticed someone was already sitting there. A woman in a white suit with a pure, delicate appearance. Vivian Sullivan. Seeing me, Vivian stood up with an innocent, harmless smile on her face. “Eleanor, you’re here. Tobias said you’ve been too exhausted lately, so he asked me to take over the final stages of the Stellar Acquisition. You don’t mind, do you?”

Eleanor’s POV The conference room fell completely silent. Everyone’s eyes darted back and forth between Vivian and me. I looked toward Tobias at the head of the table. His expression remained impassive. He didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Eleanor, Vivian just returned to the country and needs a high-profile project to establish herself at the company. She’ll be fully responsible for the rest of this deal. Hand over all the core data and bottom-line figures to her.” My hands, hanging at my sides, clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms with sharp pain. “Mr. Reed,” I began. “The core data for Stellar involves the company’s highest-level secrets. Miss Sullivan only completed her onboarding yesterday and hasn’t even gone through basic M&A procedures once. Having her handle the final stage. Are you trying to destroy the entire project?” Tobias finally looked up, warning clear in his eyes. “Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?” “Tobias, don’t be angry with her.” Vivian quickly grabbed Tobias’s sleeve, her eyes instantly reddening, her voice as pitiful as a frightened rabbit. “Eleanor’s right. I don’t have experience. If I ruin the project, I’ll feel guilty forever. Let Eleanor keep handling it. I can just assist from the side.” Tobias held Vivian’s hand in return, patting it reassuringly. When he looked at me again, his eyes were cold as ice. “Eleanor, watch your attitude. The project will be credited under Vivian’s name. This is a notification, not a discussion.” Tobias’s tone was firm and uncompromising. “If you feel wronged, you can leave right now.” Strip away my hard work to pave the way for Vivian Sullivan. So this was what he meant by “Vivian needs a high-profile project.” I smiled. “Fine. Since Mr. Reed isn’t afraid of the project falling apart, why should I care?” I pulled out the core data document I’d stayed up countless nights compiling from my folder and threw it directly onto the table in front of Vivian. The sharp slap made Vivian flinch. “The data’s all here, Miss Sullivan. Make sure you read it carefully. Don’t fall for the other party’s bait and embarrass Reed Corporation.” I didn’t spare Tobias another glance as I turned and strode out of the conference room. After leaving the conference room, I went straight to the restroom. I braced myself against the marble counter, looking at my pale face and red-rimmed eyes in the mirror, taking a deep breath. I couldn’t go on like this. Tobias could steal my project today; tomorrow he could cut off my father’s medication. I needed to find leverage to break free from his control as soon as possible. I pulled out my phone and dialed a hidden number. “Hello, Mark. It’s Eleanor.” “You mentioned before that Cosmos Capital was hiring partners. Is the position still open? I’ll take it. One condition. Help me transfer someone abroad to the Rion Medical Center in Switzerland. You must guarantee a top-tier medical team throughout the journey.” The headhunter on the other end paused, then his voice filled with excitement. “Miss Hart! You’ve finally come around! No problem. Mr. Holt at Cosmos has had his eye on you for ages. As long as you’re willing to join, this request is nothing! I’ll arrange your interview immediately!” After hanging up, I washed my face with cold water and reapplied my lipstick. Tobias, you think you can trap me forever? We’ll see about that. For the next week, I was like a ghost at the company. I handed over all my work and watched coldly as Vivian, with Tobias’s protection, clumsily pushed forward the Stellar deal. Sure enough, due to Vivian’s inexperience and misjudgment, negotiations hit a deadlock. The other party took advantage and drove down the price. Reed Corporation stood to lose hundreds of millions in profit. Tobias threw a massive fit in his office. Just as I was about to use this opportunity to finalize my contract with Cosmos Capital, the hospital suddenly delivered devastating news. “Miss Hart, your father’s condition has suddenly worsened. He’s experiencing severe rejection. Current domestic medications can’t control it. He needs to use Rion’s latest targeted therapy drug immediately, or else… he won’t make it through this week.” My grip on the phone tightened sharply, my mind going blank. “Is that drug available domestically?” “I’m sorry, that drug is still in Phase II clinical trials. Domestically, only Reed Medical’s laboratory has a few slots available.” The doctor’s voice carried helplessness. Reed Corporation. It was Reed Corporation again. I closed my eyes as despair flooded over me like a tide. All my plans crumbled instantly in the face of my father’s life and death.

Eleanor’s POV I practically raced to Tobias’s office. When I pushed open the door, Tobias was sitting in his oversized executive chair while Vivian stood behind him, intimately massaging his shoulders. Both froze when they saw me burst in. “Don’t you know how to knock?” Tobias frowned, his tone displeased. I completely ignored Vivian’s presence and strode to the desk, bracing my hands on its surface, my voice trembling with extreme panic. “Tobias, I need Rion’s latest targeted therapy drug. I know your lab has slots. I’m begging you. Give me one dose.” Tobias leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming the desk unhurriedly. “Begging me?” He paused. “Eleanor, your attitude when asking for favors is a bit too perfunctory, don’t you think?” My jaw clenched tight. “What do you want me to do? As long as you give me the drug, name your terms.” Tobias chuckled softly, his gaze sweeping over me. “Tomorrow night is Vivian’s welcome-home party. Everyone in our circle will be there. Vivian just got back and needs a capable assistant. Tomorrow night, you’ll stay by her side, serving water and taking care of her. Do that, and I’ll have the drug sent to the hospital immediately.” The office fell into deathly silence. Vivian covered her mouth, looking shocked. “Tobias, that won’t do! Eleanor is so proud in investment banking circles. How can you make her do menial servant work? What will people think of her…” “Proud? She’d better have the credentials for it.” Tobias looked at me coldly, his tone contemptuous. “Eleanor, my patience is limited. Will you do it or not?” I stared at Tobias, wishing I could carve a piece of flesh from his body. Five years of feelings turned out to be not just a joke, but a knife he could stab me with at any time. “Fine.” My hoarse voice echoed in the office. “I’ll do it.” For my father’s life, I could trample any shred of dignity underfoot. The next evening, at the Junlan Grand Hotel ballroom. Perfume and silk, clinking glasses. Vivian wore an expensive custom gown Tobias had specially ordered for her, surrounded like a proud princess in the center of attention. And I, wearing the most inconspicuous black uniform, holding a tray like an actual server, stood quietly three steps behind Vivian. “Oh my, isn’t this Miss Hart? How come instead of closing hundred-million-dollar deals at the negotiating table today, you’re carrying trays?” Several women I’d previously dominated at negotiating tables deliberately raised their voices as they approached, mockery filling their eyes. “What Miss Hart? She’s just a dog Mr. Reed keeps on hand. Now that the real heiress is back, of course she has to show her true colors and do servant work.” Vicious taunts filled the air. The malicious gossip around me was like a light breeze. Vivian glanced back at me, a malicious smile curving her lips. She turned around, deliberately pretending to lose her balance, her body tilting sideways. The glass of red wine in her hand spilled perfectly all over my uniform. Dark red liquid ran down my neck. I looked utterly pathetic. “Oh no, Eleanor, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to. These heels are too high, I lost my balance…” Vivian cried out, quickly pulling out a handkerchief to wipe, but her exaggerated movements knocked against the marble table edge. Crack. The expensive designer bracelet on Vivian’s wrist that Tobias had just given her today struck the marble edge and broke in two, falling to the floor. “Ah! My bracelet!” Vivian clutched her wrist as tears instantly fell. She pointed at me, looking completely wronged. “Eleanor, I was just trying to help wipe your clothes. Why did you push me? I know you’re jealous that Tobias gave me such an expensive gift, but you can’t be so cruel…” The surrounding crowd instantly erupted, everyone condemning me as vicious. The commotion quickly drew Tobias over. He pushed through the crowd and walked in. Seeing the broken pieces on the floor and Vivian’s tear-streaked face, his expression instantly turned terrifyingly dark. “What happened?” He demanded sharply. “Tobias, Eleanor… she pushed me…” Vivian threw herself into Tobias’s arms, crying so hard her whole body shook. “That was the gift you gave me, and now it’s broken…” Tobias pulled Vivian protectively into his embrace, then turned to look at me, his eyes frighteningly cold. “Eleanor, have you lost your mind?” He stepped closer, lowering his voice to a volume only we could hear, saying viciously, “I warned you. Don’t touch her!” I looked down at the broken pieces on the floor, then at Vivian playing the victim in Tobias’s arms, and suddenly felt utterly exhausted. “I didn’t push her.” I said. “Mr. Reed, if you don’t believe me, check the security footage.” “Check the footage? This corner happens to be a blind spot. You calculated this pretty well, didn’t you!” Vivian’s friend mocked from the side. “Mr. Reed, a vicious woman like this should be thrown out!” “Eleanor, apologize to Vivian immediately.” Tobias’s eyes were ruthless and cold. “I didn’t do it. Why should I apologize?” I held my head high, refusing to compromise. “Why?” Tobias laughed coldly, leaning close to my ear. “Because your father’s targeted therapy hasn’t been delivered to the hospital yet. If you don’t apologize, I’ll have the drug destroyed right now.”

Eleanor’s POV Fury and desolation intertwined in my chest, nearly tearing me apart. I stared hard at Tobias’s face, the one that had captivated me for five years, now feeling nothing but disgust. Around us, the onlookers whispered, their eyes full of condescending pity and mockery. Everyone was waiting for my backbone to break, waiting for me to grovel at Vivian Sullivan’s feet like a dog. “Eleanor, actually, if you just lower your head and say you’re sorry, this will all be over. After all, we’re family…” Vivian peeked out from Tobias’s embrace, her voice soft and sweet, yet laced with poison. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My lungs felt filled with shattered glass. Every breath tasted of blood. My father was still struggling in a hospital bed. I had no right to be stubborn. I slowly bent my knees, about to bow my straight spine. “Mr. Reed, quite the show of power. Forcing a woman to submit in your own venue to demonstrate authority. The Reed family’s upbringing is truly eye-opening.” A low, lazy voice carrying absolute authority suddenly rang out from the ballroom entrance. The entire hall fell instantly silent. Everyone turned toward the sound. A group of people entered through the main doors. The man at the front wore an impeccably tailored black suit, his tall frame commanding. His features were sharp and defined, his eyes carrying the cold detachment of someone long accustomed to power. He casually toyed with a ring on his finger. With each step, his presence seemed to compress the air around him. The true helmsman of Cosmos Capital. Sebastian Holt. Why would he come to this level of party? Everyone present gasped, and even Tobias’s expression changed instantly. He unconsciously released Vivian, a trace of wariness crossing his features. “Mr. Holt, what brings you here?” Tobias suppressed his shock and approached. Sebastian didn’t spare him a glance. He walked straight past Tobias and stopped directly in front of me. Sebastian removed his suit jacket and naturally draped it over my trembling shoulders. “Miss Hart, the offer Cosmos made was for you to become a partner, not to be treated like a performing monkey by a bunch of fools.” The man’s voice wasn’t loud, but it struck like thunder throughout the ballroom. I froze, looking up at this nobleman who seemed as untouchable as a deity. I knew Mark was helping me connect with Cosmos Capital, but I never imagined that Sebastian Holt, the true power behind Cosmos, would personally intervene to save me. “Mr. Holt, what exactly do you mean by this?” Tobias’s expression turned ugly. He stared at the men’s jacket draped over my shoulders. “Exactly what I said.” Sebastian finally deigned to turn and give Tobias a glance, his tone dripping with contempt. “Eleanor Hart is now my person at Cosmos. If Mr. Reed has any complaints, feel free to come find me. As for this mess on the floor…” Sebastian glanced at the broken pieces, then turned to instruct his assistant Mike. “Go pick out two decent bracelets and send them to Mr. Reed. Consider it a gift from Miss Hart, my compliments to Miss Sullivan.” The word “compliments” was used with maximum insult. Vivian’s face instantly went pale. She swayed unsteadily. Tobias clenched his fists so tight his veins bulged, but facing the supremely powerful Sebastian Holt, he didn’t even have the right to lose his temper. “Let’s go, Miss Hart. Don’t let this disgusting place dirty your eyes.” Sebastian turned slightly, making an extremely gentlemanly gesture of invitation. Without a moment’s hesitation, I pulled the jacket tighter around me and walked out of the ballroom alongside Sebastian, not sparing Tobias a backward glance. As soon as we exited the hotel, the cold wind hit me. My tightly wound nerves finally relaxed, my legs went weak, and I nearly collapsed. Sebastian caught my wrist with quick reflexes, steadying me. His palm was warm and dry, radiating reassuring strength. “Thank you for helping me, Mr. Holt.” I steadied myself and subtly created distance. Sebastian withdrew his hand, twisting the ring on his finger. “No need for thanks. I told you, what I value is you… your capabilities. Eleanor Hart, Cosmos doesn’t shelter the weak. The medical jet transferring your father to Switzerland takes off at eight tomorrow morning. Before then, clean up your messes. All of them.” I jerked my head up, my heart filled with disbelieving joy. “You mean… the jet and the hospital are all arranged?” “Cosmos’s way of protecting our own has always been simple and direct.” Sebastian opened the car door, his voice low. “Go. Make your break. Tomorrow, I expect to see a brand new Miss Hart.” Watching Sebastian’s car disappear into the distance, I clenched my fists tightly. Finally, I could completely escape that lunatic Tobias.

Eleanor’s POV I didn’t return to the apartment. Instead, I went straight to the hospital. With Sebastian’s promise, I could finally relax a little. I worked through the night handling my father’s transfer procedures, coordinating with the medical team for tomorrow morning’s jet. As long as I made it through tonight, I could leave with my father. At 2 a.m., I returned to the apartment to retrieve some of my father’s important medical records and documents. As soon as I pushed open the door, a heavy smell of alcohol and acrid cigarette smoke hit me. The living room lights were off. In the darkness, a tall, ominous figure sat on the sofa. “Where were you?” Tobias’s voice was hoarse, filled with barely suppressed mania. I flipped the switch at the entrance. Harsh light flooded the room. Tobias’s eyes were bloodshot, his shirt buttons undone, his tie thrown carelessly on the floor. He stared at me, or rather, at the oversized suit jacket I still wore. Sebastian’s jacket. “Mr. Reed, instead of fawning over Vivian in the middle of the night, what are you doing here losing your mind?” I removed the jacket and carefully draped it over a chair back without even glancing at him, heading straight for the study. “Stop right there!” Tobias shot up like a crazed predator, charging over and slamming me against the wall. He roughly gripped my chin, his strength nearly crushing my jawbone. “What, now that you’re with Sebastian Holt, you can’t even be bothered to look at me?” Tobias ground his teeth, his rapid breathing reeking of alcohol washing over my face. “No wonder you’ve been so defiant these past few days, not even caring about your father’s life! Turns out you’ve already lined up your next man! Eleanor Hart, do you have no shame? Sebastian Holt, that ruthless capitalist. You think he could actually be interested in you? You’re nothing but a tool he’s using to get at me!” I was forced to tilt my head back, looking at this man before me, distorted beyond recognition by jealousy and rage. I suddenly felt unbearably sad. This was the man I’d loved for five years. Not only cold-blooded, but arrogant beyond redemption. “Tool, plaything. Whatever.” I laughed coldly. “At least Sebastian gives me dignity, instead of grinding me into the mud beneath Vivian Sullivan’s feet like you do! Tobias, what exactly are you so angry about? That I didn’t kneel before you like a dog and beg, or that your pathetic control over me has failed?” “You think you can escape?” Tobias suddenly lowered his head, trying to bite my lips. I turned my head away in disgust. His lips scraped heavily across my cheek. “Don’t touch me. You disgust me.” I coldly spat out those words. Tobias’s movements froze abruptly. He stared at me, his chest heaving violently. After a long moment, he suddenly laughed. That smile cold and cruel to the extreme. “I disgust you? Fine, Eleanor. You’ve got guts.” Tobias released me and stepped back, straightening his disheveled shirt, resuming that superior, domineering posture. “You think Sebastian Holt can save your father’s life? All the clinical data from that overseas specialist is in my hands! Without my approval, no one can take that targeted therapy drug! Even if you fly your father to heaven, all he can do is wait to die!” My heart clenched sharply. “Vivian Sullivan is at my villa right now. One word from her, and all those projects you fought tooth and nail for become hers. And you’ll forever be nothing but a stand-in hiding in the gutter, never seeing the light of day!” He stepped closer, leaning near my ear, his voice soft yet venomous. “Eleanor, whenever Vivian needs something, you’ll have to step aside. I’m giving you three days. Break it off with Sebastian. Come back to me obediently and kneel to beg me. Otherwise, I guarantee your father won’t see tomorrow’s sunrise.” With that, Tobias turned and strode out of the apartment. The door slammed shut with a deafening bang. I leaned against the cold wall, my body trembling uncontrollably. Not from fear, but from bone-deep cold. I knew Tobias too well. What he said, he would do. He was a madman. To clip my wings, he would do anything. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I walked into the study and pulled out the transfer agreement I’d prepared long ago from the bottom drawer. An assignment I’d secretly applied for through the company. A brutal overseas market in Africa. All to escape Tobias. If he could control everything here, then I’d disappear completely. As long as the medical jet took off tomorrow, I would never be threatened by anyone again. I picked up the pen and signed my name without hesitation. My pen pressed hard into the paper. Every stroke was final.

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Before I married my childhood friend Ethan, I had been married once before. My ex-husband Victor was my first love. Three years into our marriage, I came home early from a business trip. When I opened the door, I caught him kissing another woman right there in our living room. It was my father’s illegitimate daughter. The shock caused me to miscarry. Ethan was the one who took me to the hospital for the procedure and personally handled my divorce case. The day I got my divorce papers, Ethan gave me a solemn confession. He said: “Leah, I’ve had a crush on you for years. I would never do this to you.” The year after my divorce, I married him. This year marks our third anniversary. On this business trip, I managed to wrap things up with the client ahead of schedule and came home early, planning to surprise him. However, when I opened the door, I found him having sex with my father’s illegitimate daughter on the couch. The moment Ethan saw me, he frowned and moved to shield her behind him. His muscular upper body was covered in red marks. “Leah, don’t blame her. I started it.” Looking at him, I suddenly remembered when Ethan sat with me in the hospital corridor that day. I was trembling from crying so hard. He draped his jacket over my shoulders and said: “I’ll always be on your side. I’ll always love you.” Always. Turns out his “always” was the same as Victor’s.

Standing in the doorway, I suddenly found this scene laughable. The same door, the same woman, the same bed. Only the man standing by the bed had changed, while the woman standing at the door was still me. Leah, you really know how to pick them. I let out a mocking laugh and said coldly: “Move.” He didn’t budge. In fact, he defensively took half a step forward. “Leah…” “I said move.” My voice was calm. “I’m not going to hit her.” Ethan hesitated for two seconds. Perhaps my crazed reaction when I caught Victor cheating four years ago had left him traumatized, because he didn’t quite trust me. Even as he stepped aside, his entire body still leaned protectively toward that woman. I took two steps closer. My father’s illegitimate daughter, Claire, was huddled at the head of the bed with the blanket pulled up to her chin, revealing a face I knew so well it made me sick. She looked exactly as she had four years ago, even her panicked expression hadn’t changed. Her eyes were red as she looked at me pitifully, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something. I didn’t give her the chance: “Your mother stole my father, and you slept with my husband. Is scavenging trash the only trick you two know?” Tears immediately spilled down her cheeks. Ethan stepped between us, bent down to pick up some clothes, handed them to Claire, and patted her gently: “Get dressed first, don’t catch a cold.” Then he ushered her out the door: “Go home first. Don’t be scared, I’m here. I’ll come find you once I’m done here.” He even leaned down and kissed Claire on the forehead. Only after all this did Ethan turn back to me, frowning with irritation: “Leah, you’re being too aggressive. Claire is younger than you. Your words are too harsh.” He’d been so busy protecting Claire that he hadn’t even had time to put on his shirt. As he bent down to pour water, the tattoo on his waist stretched taut— “Leah” When he confessed to me back then, he said he’d gotten it tattooed a long time ago but hadn’t had a chance to tell me before I got together with Victor. So he hid his feelings, just wanting to stay by my side forever. But this “forever” turned out to be short-lived after all. Ethan added two lemon slices to the water, stirred it, and brought it over to me. His tone was calm, as if nothing had happened: “I noticed you’ve been nauseous lately, so I did some research. It said drinking lemon water might help.” That was before my business trip. I’d been unable to eat for several days, constantly nauseous, but I was too busy with the company’s merger case to spare the time. Ethan had been busy too during that period, saying the law firm had taken on a major case. He left earlier than me every day and came home later. I’d thought he was too busy to notice, but I never expected he’d still seen it. “Have you been to the hospital? I happen to have time today. Let me take you to get it checked out.” The lemon water in my hand was the perfect temperature, yet it sent a bitter chill from the deepest part of my heart, making my voice tremble: “When did it start?”

Ethan’s voice was flat, as if discussing something trivial: “Last year when you kicked Claire and her mother off the board. She came to me desperate, with nowhere else to turn. You know, your sister looks quite a bit like you, and she’s younger. I just couldn’t resist.” I snapped my head up to look at him. My father had built his business using connections from my mother’s family. After my grandfather died, my father confessed to my mother that he had another woman on the side, and she’d even given him a daughter. He was a father, he said, and couldn’t bear to leave his child out in the cold. He made it sound so noble, but it landed my mother in the hospital. Yet my father acted like nothing happened, actually bringing Claire and her mother home. Before he died, he even left them shares in the company. It took me years to finally drive those two out, and I never imagined that my childhood friend and husband would get involved with that illegitimate daughter at that very moment. Ethan looked down at me: “Leah, you can’t blame me for this.” “You know I love you. I love you enough to accompany you to abort someone else’s child, to confess to you on the day of your divorce. But Leah, I’m a man. Ever since we got married, every time we were intimate, I’d think about how you once carried someone else’s child. Every anniversary, I’d remember that you were previously married to someone else.” “Leah, that’s not fair.” He delivered his verdict: “You were married to Victor for three years, so I’ll sleep with Claire for three years. That’s fair. After two more years, I’ll send her away. The position of Mrs. Johnson is reserved for you alone.” I could hardly believe such absurd words were coming out of Ethan’s mouth. I hurled the glass in my hand at him. Ethan didn’t move. The warm water splashed on him, and he just smiled helplessly: “I understand how you feel right now, but Leah, this is fair.” “Have you no shame, Ethan! You were the one who insisted on marrying me!” Before Ethan could respond, his phone rang with a special ringtone. He glanced at it and answered immediately. I don’t know what the person on the other end said, but he casually grabbed a shirt and started buttoning it as he walked toward the door. As he was about to leave, he hung up the phone and looked back at me: “Leah, have you no shame? You got involved with Victor when you were eighteen, got pregnant and had an abortion at eighteen. If you had any shame, you wouldn’t have slept with Victor at eighteen.” I swayed, nearly unable to stand. Ethan’s voice was ice cold: “Claire is pregnant. I’m going to check on her.” “Someone like you who’s been pregnant twice should know that emotions are most unstable in early pregnancy. Try to be understanding.” After Ethan finished speaking, he opened the door and slammed it shut with a loud bang. The room was a complete mess. My stomach churned violently, but nothing would come up. I crumpled the pregnancy test report from my coat pocket and threw it in the trash. While away on business, I’d felt so terrible that I had no choice but to go to the hospital. The result: I was pregnant. I’d wanted to surprise Ethan. Now it seemed this child, like the one before, had come at the wrong time. Perhaps it was the emotional turmoil, but my stomach hurt badly. I felt blood slowly trickling down my legs. I pulled out my phone and scheduled a hospital checkup, then looked around and contacted a real estate agent to list the house. This apartment was what I’d gotten in my divorce from Victor. Ethan had personally handled the case, and with Attorney Johnson on the job, Victor left the marriage with nothing. After we married, since this place was close to both my company and Ethan’s law firm, we simply moved in. Ethan assumed I couldn’t live without him. But he forgot that what Leah never lacked was the courage to start over.

I’ve always been decisive in my actions. After handling some company matters, I headed straight to the hospital. The doctor looked at the test results and frowned: “Threatened miscarriage. This embryo’s quality isn’t good.” “Let’s do the D&C procedure now. Don’t delay. By the way, where’s the father? This is such a big deal—why didn’t he come with you?” My eyes stung. Aside from the unexpected pregnancy when I was eighteen, the other two had both come when I was hoping for them. But only I had been hoping. My voice caught: “He cheated on me.” The doctor looked at me with sympathy. As the anesthesia entered my body, I felt cold all over. The doctor helped me out of the operating room and had me sit and rest. I never expected to run into Ethan here. He was clearly startled too, then immediately stepped in front of Claire: “Leah, I already told you—after two years, I’ll send her away myself. Why did you have to chase us to the hospital? You’re so aggressive, I’m really exhausted. I’ve accommodated you for over twenty years. Can’t you accommodate me just once?” What accommodation. If I had to compare, I hated Ethan even more than I hated Victor’s betrayal. Ethan’s parents were busy and entrusted him to my mother’s care. Ethan spent his entire childhood and adolescence growing up in the household. My mother treated him like her own son. He knew very well what a terrible blow Claire’s mother had dealt my mother, so much so that she’s still lying in a hospital bed. Yet he still got involved with Claire. I braced myself against the wall and slowly stood up. My body was weak, my legs trembling, but I forced myself not to show any sign of distress. “Fine, I’ll accommodate you. Let’s get divorced, Ethan.” With that, I turned to leave. Before Ethan could respond, Claire suddenly said softly: “Don’t be angry with Ethan. It’s my fault. I’m the one who insisted on keeping this baby. Yesterday when my mom found out I was pregnant, she almost beat me to death. Thankfully Ethan got there in time.” She took a step forward. Ethan reached out to stop her, but she gently shook her head, smiled at him, then continued: “I know you hate me. But I really don’t mean to compete with you for Ethan. Ethan said that you’ll be his only wife for life, and once I have the baby, he’ll let you raise it.” She touched her still-flat belly, her eyes slightly reddening, her tone impossibly sincere: “You haven’t had it easy these years either—pregnant three times but couldn’t keep any of them. From now on, you can be this child’s mother. I won’t compete with you.” “Claire…” Ethan called her name softly, guilt in his tone, but he didn’t deny what she said. I stared at their faces and suddenly laughed: “Let you raise it for me?” Claire nodded, her eyes bright: “Ethan said the position of Mrs. Johnson will always be yours.” I looked at Ethan. He gazed at me with heavy eyes, remaining silent. I felt sick to my stomach. “Ethan,” my voice was quiet, “do you think I can’t live without you?” I waved my phone at him: “I’ll have my lawyer send you the divorce papers. Happy divorce, Attorney Johnson.” Ethan’s head jerked up. The words rolled around in his mouth, but finally he said calmly: “Leah, as long as I don’t want a divorce, we will never get divorced.” I had nothing more to say. This man and woman—one a hypocrite, the other brazenly shameless. Standing before me, one performing devotion, the other performing magnanimity. Just watching them exhausted me. I turned toward the elevator. Pain from my lower abdomen came in waves. Behind me came Claire’s voice, tearful: “Please don’t be angry. I really didn’t mean it.” I didn’t look back. The elevator doors opened and I quickly stepped inside, my hand gripping the handrail, my whole body trembling. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a hand suddenly reached in and stopped them. It was Ethan. His face looked terrible. He stared at me with complicated eyes, as if wanting to say something. His gaze moved from my face downward, pausing on my lower abdomen where my hand rested. I suddenly realized something, reached into my pocket, and sure enough—when I’d pulled out my phone earlier, I’d accidentally brought out the miscarriage report too. Without noticing, I’d dropped it on the floor, and Ethan had picked it up. He gripped that paper tightly, his knuckles white. His voice was hoarse beyond recognition: “You were pregnant and didn’t tell me?” I said nothing. He took a step forward, the hand clutching that paper trembling: “Leah, was it really an accidental miscarriage or did you want to abort it? Do you hate having my child that much?” I looked into those reddened eyes of his and suddenly found it laughable. He’d just been protecting Claire, personally saying he’d let her give birth to the child for me to raise. Now, holding my miscarriage report, he had the nerve to ask if I really didn’t want his child. “Ethan, you’ve known me for almost thirty years. I’ve always been someone who can let go. Since you’re unfaithful to our marriage, why would I keep the child?” I looked at Claire rushing over behind him and raised my chin: “Besides, Ethan, your child is already in Claire’s belly, isn’t it?” “As for me, all I can give you is divorce papers.” He staggered backward. The elevator doors slowly closed. I leaned against the elevator wall, tilted my head back to look at the lights overhead, and wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes.

I didn’t go home. I went straight to a hotel near my company. Early the next morning when I arrived at the office, Ethan was already sitting on the couch in my office. The receptionist looked apologetic when she saw me come in: “Ms. Smith, Attorney Johnson, he…” “It’s fine. You can go.” I set down my bag, sat down, and glanced at him. He wore a dark gray suit with a document folder beside him. If he put on a lawyer’s robe, it would be his standard courtroom attire. He was treating me as the opposing party. “Leah,” he stood up, his tone calm as if nothing had happened yesterday, “I know you don’t want to see me right now, but there are some things we must discuss.” He opened the folder, pulled out a stack of documents, and pushed them in front of me. “This is your company’s current equity structure analysis. You hold 51%, of which 12% was previously held by Claire and her mother combined. The rest are scattered shares.” I glanced at it but didn’t touch it. “And so?” “So,” Ethan looked at me, “I need you to transfer the 12% you took from Claire back to her name.” I thought I’d misheard. “What did you say?” Ethan’s voice remained calm, as if stating a universally acknowledged fact: “Since you don’t want our child, then barring any accidents, Claire’s child will be my only child in this lifetime. She’s carrying my flesh and blood. In the future, that will be your child too. I need to consider the child’s future.” I stared at him, suddenly feeling like he was a complete stranger. Was this really the same Ethan who once draped his jacket over my shoulders in that hospital corridor and said, “I’ll always be on your side”? “Ethan, I spent two years and fought three lawsuits to get that 12% back from those two! And now you want me to give it back?” Ethan frowned, his pretense of patience seemingly exhausted: “Leah, legally speaking, Claire is your sister. You share blood…” “She is not my sister!” I cut him off. “Her mother slept with my father, and she slept with both my husbands. Ethan, you want me to transfer my shares to her? Do you think I’m some kind of dumping ground where any trash can be thrown?” Ethan’s patience ran out, his expression finally darkening: “Leah, I’m trying to have a civil discussion with you.” “So am I.” He fell silent for a few seconds, then pulled another document from the folder and handed it over: “Then I’ll have to take a different approach.” I took it and saw it was a draft of a lawyer’s letter. The gist was that Ethan, as my legal spouse, had the right to claim 50% of the assets I’d acquired during our marriage, including half of my company shares. “Are you insane?” “I’m not insane.” Ethan’s lips curved into a smile, his eyes glancing at me. “Leah, you know I’m one of the best lawyers in the country. I handled your divorce case and left Victor with nothing. I know exactly how to play this game.” He took a step closer to me. His tone carried a chill: “If you cooperate and transfer the shares to Claire, there won’t be any issues between us. You’ll still be Mrs. Johnson. After Claire gives birth, we’ll have you raise the child. Everything continues as before. But if you refuse—” He paused, looking at me with pity: “Then we’ll see each other in court. I’ll show you just how easy it is for a top lawyer to take your company away.” I stared into his eyes. I used to love those eyes, thinking they were filled with nothing but me. Now I finally saw clearly—they were full of calculation. “You’re threatening me?” “I’m giving you advice,” he stepped back, resuming that gentle tone. “Leah, you know I never want to hurt you.” I said nothing. He picked up the folder and walked to the door, then suddenly turned back: “By the way, regarding your mother, I’ve already contacted the hospital and moved her to a new room. You don’t need to worry about the expenses. I’m her son-in-law, your husband. I’ll arrange everything. I also have the right to arrange it.”

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On the day of my fifth wedding anniversary with Ethan Wright, I discovered he was cheating through the smart body composition scale at our house. The scale’s app showed a new guest record: weight 99 pounds, body fat percentage 18%. Meanwhile, my weight had long soared to 132 pounds, a side effect of years on fertility drugs. I held my phone, watching Ethan sitting on the couch, sending a voice message to his “good buddy,” Chelsea Miller. “Bro, I weighed myself at your place today, and I’ve lost more weight. You definitely need to treat me to a feast to fatten me up.” Chelsea’s voice leaked from the earpiece. Ethan chuckled, responding, “Alright, I’ll take you out for a nice meal tomorrow.” I calmly took a screenshot, then canceled the 30 million dollar transfer scheduled for his company the next day. Since he liked playing charity, let him swallow the bitter fruit of bankruptcy himself. “Ava Sterling, these pajamas are really comfy. You don’t mind if I borrow them for a night, do you?” Chelsea, draped in my silk pajamas, boldly leaned on Ethan’s shoulder. I’d paid twenty thousand dollars for those pajamas, custom-made in Italy. The tag hadn’t even been cut off the collar yet. Now, they hung loosely on Chelsea, the collar wide open, revealing a lot of her fair skin. Ethan sat on the sofa, a glass of red wine in his hand. He frowned and nudged Chelsea slightly to the side, but the gesture was clearly half-hearted. “Chelsea’s pipes burst at her place, nowhere to stay, so I told her to crash here for a night.” He looked up at me. His tone was a statement of fact, not a request for discussion. I stood in the entryway, still holding the medical report I’d just picked up from the hospital. “Take them off,” I said, looking at Chelsea. Chelsea paused, then dramatically covered her mouth. “Oh, Ava, you’re not actually mad, are you?” She shrank closer to Ethan. “I just treat your husband like my brother usually, so I didn’t think too much of it.” “If you mind, Ava, I’ll take them off right now.” She started to unbutton the pajamas, but her movements were incredibly slow. Ethan instantly pressed her hand down. “Ava, what the hell is wrong with you?” He stood up, looking down at me. “It’s just a piece of clothing. Chelsea’s a girl; what do you expect her to wear if she takes them off now?” I tossed my bag onto the entryway cabinet. “Anything. Just not mine.” I walked over, staring at Chelsea’s innocent face. “Those pajamas cost twenty-two thousand. Take them off now, and I’ll throw them away like trash.” “If you don’t, then transfer the money.” Chelsea’s eyes instantly welled up. She bit her lower lip, looking at Ethan for help. “Ethan, did I make Ava unhappy?” “I told you I shouldn’t have come, but you insisted.” “I’ll leave then. I’ll just sleep under a bridge.” Ethan’s face darkened completely. He pulled Chelsea behind him, shielding her. “Ava Sterling, do you have to cause such a scene over a piece of clothing?” “Chelsea’s my best friend. What’s wrong with me helping her when she’s in trouble?” “You used to be so understanding; now you’ve become so petty.” I looked at his self-righteous face and suddenly found it amusing. Five years of marriage, I’d been with him from nothing to his company going public. I’d developed endocrine disorders and my body had changed because of fertility drugs. Yet, he thought I’d become petty. “Ethan, I saw the record on the body composition scale.” My voice was calm. Ethan’s gaze flickered. But he quickly straightened his posture. “What body composition scale? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Chelsea came over this afternoon to pick up some files and weighed herself. That’s all.” “Are you even monitoring me now?” Chelsea poked her head out from behind him. “Ava, you don’t actually think there’s anything between Ethan and me, do you?” “Come on, we’re pure buddies, like he’s my male best friend.” “You’re just too insecure.” She sized me up, her gaze lingering on my waist for two seconds. It was an utterly contemptuous look. I ignored her, turning to walk towards the bedroom. “Replace this sofa tomorrow.” I stopped, without looking back. “It’s been touched by trash; I find it repulsive.” Behind me, the sound of a glass shattering echoed. “Ava Sterling, don’t push it too far!” Ethan’s voice boomed in the living room. I closed the bedroom door and locked it. I pulled out my phone and dialed Mark, my assistant. “Send me the financial assessment report for Wright Industries by 9 AM tomorrow.” “Also, cancel all supplementary cards I issued to Ethan from my accounts.” Mark’s respectful voice came from the other end. “Understood, Ms. Sterling. Should I notify Mr. Wright?” “No need.” I looked at my slightly drawn face in the mirror. “He’ll find out soon enough.”

“Ethan, was Ava really angry last night?” Chelsea sat in the passenger seat, biting her straw and sneaking glances at me in the back. Today she was wearing a loose men’s hoodie. I recognized it instantly as the limited-edition one Ethan had bought last month. Ethan steered with one hand, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. “That’s just how she is. She’ll get over it in a couple of days.” “We’re going to that trendy brunch spot. Didn’t you say you were craving smoked steak salad?” His tone was indulgent, completely ignoring me in the backseat. Today was Wright Industries’ annual gala. As Ethan’s legal wife, I was supposed to attend. But he’d insisted on picking up Chelsea first, using the excuse that it was “on the way.” “Ava, that dress looks pretty on you, but it makes your stomach look a little big.” Chelsea turned around, smiling at me. “Unlike me, I just can’t gain weight no matter how much I eat. It’s so annoying.” She purposely puffed out her flat stomach. I looked down at the financial report on my phone, not bothering to look up. “Is that so? That’s good then.” “After all, besides eating, you don’t seem to have any other talents.” Chelsea’s smile froze. She looked at Ethan, feigning hurt. “Ethan, look at Ava, how can she talk like that?” Ethan slammed on the brakes. “Ava Sterling, are you looking for a fight today?” “Chelsea was just trying to give you a compliment. Why are you being so sarcastic?” I looked up, meeting his angry gaze. “I’m merely stating facts.” “If she feels wronged, she can get out of the car.” Ethan took a deep breath, seemingly trying to suppress his rage. “Fine, I won’t argue with you.” The car restarted, and the interior fell silent. The gala was a glittering affair. As soon as I walked into the ballroom, several familiar wives surrounded me. “Mrs. Wright, I hear your company is securing a big investment recently?” “Mr. Wright is truly promising.” I responded politely, but my peripheral vision caught Ethan leading Chelsea towards the circle of core investors. Chelsea clung to Ethan’s arm, beaming brightly, almost excessively. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was the president’s wife of Wright Industries. “Who’s that?” one of the wives asked, following my gaze. “Mr. Wright’s assistant? She looks new.” I took a sip of champagne. “Just someone who doesn’t know her place.” Halfway through the gala, it was time for the charity auction. I had mentioned a blue diamond necklace to Ethan once before, something I’d taken a liking to. As soon as the auctioneer presented the necklace, Ethan raised his paddle. “Fifty thousand.” A wave of appreciative murmurs went through the crowd. “Mr. Wright is so devoted to his wife!” “Mrs. Sterling is truly blessed.” I looked at the necklace on the stage, but my heart felt nothing. Ultimately, Ethan won the necklace for eighty thousand dollars. He walked down the stage with the gift box, heading straight for me. I was about to reach out. But he brushed past my shoulder, walking towards Chelsea, who stood behind me. “Try it on.” He handed the necklace to Chelsea, his voice soft. All eyes in the room instantly focused on that corner. The air seemed to freeze. Chelsea covered her mouth, a look of feigned surprise on her face. “Ethan, this is too precious, I can’t accept it.” “Just take it,” Ethan said, pressing the necklace into her hand. “You helped me follow up on that big project recently. This is a well-deserved reward.” Chelsea’s face flushed, and she put on the necklace in front of everyone. She then turned, purposely walking up to me. “Ava, isn’t it beautiful?” She touched the blue diamond on her neck, smiling like a victor. I looked at the necklace around her neck, which was originally meant for me. My smartwatch on my wrist suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Mark, my assistant. “Ms. Sterling, the account Mr. Wright used to pay for the auction item just now was your mother’s medical emergency fund account.” I stared at the line of text on the screen. “Why is that necklace on your neck?” I looked up at Chelsea. Chelsea froze for a moment, then her smile grew even wider. “Ava Sterling, Ethan said I helped him secure an investment, and this was his special reward for me.” “You wouldn’t try to snatch this away too, would you?”

“A thirty-million-dollar shortfall. How do you plan to cover it?” I slammed the financial report onto Ethan’s desk. Papers scattered, falling to the floor. Ethan didn’t even look up. He was focused on peeling an orange for Chelsea, who sat on the sofa. “The company’s cash flow was tight, so I temporarily diverted some money from the foundation in your name.” He placed the peeled orange on Chelsea’s plate, then pulled a tissue to wipe his hands. His tone was as flat as if discussing the weather. “That’s the life-saving money for my mother’s heart surgery next month.” I stared into his eyes, my voice like ice. That foundation was established before our marriage, specifically to deal with my mother’s potentially worsening condition at any time. Only Ethan and I knew the password. Ethan finally looked up. He irritably tugged at his tie. “Ava Sterling, can you stop always making such a fuss?” “Your mother’s surgery isn’t until next month, is it? As soon as this batch of payments comes in, I’ll put the money back immediately.” Chelsea, eating her orange, mumbled an interruption. “That’s right, Ava. Ethan’s doing this for the company’s good too.” “I worked so hard to get that project through my connections. If the funding stops, all the initial investment will be wasted.” She pulled a wet wipe to clean her mouth, then walked up to me. “Ava, you’re also part of the company. You can’t just stand by and watch Ethan’s hard work be ruined, can you?” “Besides, your mother’s illness isn’t new. A few days’ delay won’t kill her.” I looked at Chelsea’s self-important face. I raised my hand and slapped her hard. A crisp smack echoed clearly in the office. Chelsea stumbled, clutching her face, looking at me in disbelief. “You hit me?” Ethan abruptly stood up and pushed me away. “Ava Sterling, are you crazy!” He tenderly cupped Chelsea’s face, checking her for injuries. “Chelsea, are you okay?” Turning his head, he glared at me, his eyes bloodshot with fury. “How dare you hit her? Diverting the funds was my idea, what does it have to do with her?” I was pushed, hitting the edge of the office desk, a sharp pain shot through my waist. But I straightened up, coldly looking at the despicable pair. “How dare I?” I sneered. “Because she used my mother’s life-saving money to fill the hole in her shell company.” “Ethan, do you really think I don’t know what her so-called ‘big project’ is?” I pulled a document from my bag and threw it directly at Ethan’s face. “A shell company with only ten thousand dollars in registered capital, and you poured thirty million into it.” “The money went in, but it vanished without a trace.” “Are you running a business, or a charity?” Ethan’s face changed. He glanced down at the documents on the floor, his eyes showing a hint of panic. But he quickly recomposed himself. “You don’t understand business. This is called early-stage investment.” “Chelsea has wide connections; this money will double quickly.” I looked at his stubborn refusal to admit his mistake, losing even the energy to be angry. “Fine, I don’t understand.” I nodded. “But do you understand that misappropriating funds for a specific purpose is considered embezzlement?” “If I call the police, how many years do you think you’d spend behind bars?” Ethan froze. He hadn’t seemed to expect me to say such a thing. “Ava Sterling, are you threatening me?” He gritted his teeth, glaring at me. “For thirty million, you’re going to send your husband to jail?” Chelsea, hiding behind Ethan, added fuel to the fire. “Ethan, I told you Ava doesn’t love you at all; she only cares about money.” “Look at how aggressive she is now, not an ounce of a good wife in her.” I looked at Chelsea. “Shut up.” I pulled out my phone and activated the recording function. “Ava Sterling, your mother’s surgery can be delayed by half a month, she won’t die.” Ethan pointed a finger at my nose, completely dropping his pretense. “But if Chelsea’s project fails, she’ll be ruined.” “I used this money. What can you do about it?” I pressed save. Putting my phone back in my bag. “Ethan Wright, remember what you said today.” I turned and walked towards the door. “I hope you won’t be begging me on your knees later.”

“Ava Sterling, Ethan’s gaming all night with me, so he won’t be coming home.” Chelsea’s triumphant laugh came through the phone. In the background, there was deafening club music, mixed with the cheers of men and women. I sat on a cold corridor bench in the city hospital. In my hand, I clutched the diagnostic report I’d just received. Hippocampal atrophy, early-stage Alzheimer’s. Commonly known as irreversible memory loss. The doctor said I would slowly forget everyone, forget my way home, until I became a shell of a person, unable to even feed myself. “Put him on the phone.” My voice was calm, without any fluctuation. Chelsea clicked her tongue on the other end of the line. “Ava, you’re checking up on him too much.” “Ethan finally got a chance to relax; do you have to ruin the fun?” “Hey, Ethan, Ava Sterling insists on talking to you.” A rustling sound came from the other end. Followed by Ethan’s impatient voice. “What now?” “Did the house catch fire or the sky fall? Why call at this hour?” I took a deep breath, trying to make my voice sound normal. “Ethan, I’m at City Hospital.” “I got my check-up report today, the doctor said…” “Alright, alright, another check-up report.” Ethan cut me off directly. “You just want to say your endocrine system is out of whack again, and you need to buy some expensive imported medicine, don’t you?” “Ava Sterling, can’t you try a new trick?” “It’s Chelsea’s dog’s birthday today; everyone’s in high spirits. Don’t be a downer.” My knuckles, gripping the phone, turned white. “Ethan, I’m sick. Very seriously.” “That’s your problem.” Ethan’s voice was as cold as a stranger’s. “If you’re really about to die, just call 911. What’s the point of calling me? I’m not a doctor.” “Don’t call again. It’s annoying.” Beep, beep, beep. The call ended. I looked at the darkened phone screen. Suddenly, I felt a sense of release. I folded the diagnostic report neatly and put it in my bag. Stepping out of the hospital, a torrential rain poured down outside. I didn’t open my umbrella, letting the rain soak me completely. Back home, I walked straight into the study. I opened the safe and took out the divorce papers I had already prepared. On the line for the wife, I signed my name. Then, I called Mr. Davis, my lawyer. “Mr. Davis, all the materials I asked you to prepare can be submitted now.” “Yes, all of them.” “Including the ledgers detailing Wright Industries’ suspected tax evasion, and the evidence of Ethan Wright’s fund misappropriation.” After hanging up, I placed the divorce papers on the coffee table in the living room. Beside it, I placed the men’s hoodie Chelsea had left behind. Having done all this, I pulled my suitcase and walked out of the villa I had lived in for five years. The night was deep. I sat in a taxi heading to the airport, watching the neon lights outside speed past. My phone suddenly vibrated violently. It was Ethan’s assistant calling. I pressed the answer button. “Madam, where are you?” Mark’s voice sounded full of panic. “Mr. Wright drank too much at the club just now, got into a fight, and was hit in the head with a bottle. He’s currently in emergency care…” “What? Madam, what did you say?” Mark swallowed, relaying the message to Ethan. “Mr. Wright, Madam was in a serious car accident on Oceanview Road just now. Also… all your assets were frozen ten minutes ago.” Ethan’s weak and shocked voice came from the other end of the line. “What did you say?”

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I spent fifteen years working myself to the bone, handing every dollar I earned to my husband, Derek, to fund his PhD and launch his career as a professor. Then one day, I walked into his office and found his student, Sienna, halfdressed and sitting in his lap. He just looked away and said nothing when she called me “the housekeeper.” I walked out without a word. Then I enrolled in community college. One month later, at his tenure review hearing, I stood at the podium as a firstyear student giving a speech while the screen behind me scrolled through fifteen years of bank transfers and photos of him with his girlfriend. I smiled and asked the room: “A professor built on his wife’s blood and sweat who’s also sleeping with his own student does he deserve to stand in a classroom?” I pushed open the door to my husband Derek’s office. He was sitting behind his desk. With a girl in his lap. She was straddling him, clothes disheveled, cheeks flushed pink. “Professor,” she cooed, “I really don’t understand this part.” My footsteps made them both look up. Derek shoved the girl off him like he’d been electrocuted. “Lynn I mean, Sarah?” He stumbled over my name. “What are you doing here?” I didn’t answer. The girl turned to look at me. Her eyes dropped to the shopping bag in my hand the one holding the dress shirt Derek needed for his lecture tomorrow. “Oh, are you the housekeeper?” She crossed her legs and tilted her chin toward the water cooler. “Get me some water. Warm, please.” I looked at Derek. He looked away. Said nothing. I set the shopping bag by the door, walked to the water cooler, filled a cup with warm water, and placed it on the desk in front of her. She didn’t even glance at me. She turned back to Derek with a smile. “So, Professor should we keep going?” Derek finally spoke. His voice came out rough. “Sienna. That’s enough for today. I have something to take care of.” Sienna slowly gathered her things. As she passed me, she stopped and leaned in, studying my face. “Huh. You kind of look like the Professor’s relative or something.” She paused, smiled, and walked out. The door clicked shut. Derek crossed the room quickly, reaching for my hand. “Sarah, just let me explain” I stepped back. “What relative?” I asked. He froze. “No you’ve got it wrong.” The words came out fast. “Sienna’s father is on the board of trustees. I have to keep her happy. She was just here about her thesis, we were looking over her paper” “Are you coming home tonight?” I asked. “Yes, of course.” He sounded almost desperate. “I don’t have anything tonight. We can sit down and talk, really talk” “That’s okay.” I reached down and picked up the shopping bag. I opened the door. I looked back at him one last time. Fifteen years. I’d carried him from a broke college student to a PhD. He’d gotten a teaching position, made associate professor, and now he was one step away from full professor. I had washed dishes, delivered food, stocked shelves at a grocery store. During his PhD years, I worked three jobs at the same time. His tuition, his living expenses, money for textbooks and faculty dinners every single dollar had come from me. Now he was a professor at a prestigious university. And I was “some relative from back home.” My voice was very calm. “Derek. Your tenure review hearing is next month, right?” He blinked. “How do you know about that?” “You left the paperwork on your desk. I saw it.” I paused. “Good luck preparing.” I closed the door. I walked to the stairwell and stopped at the landing. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. The recording indicator was lit up red. 2 minutes, 47 seconds. I hit save and named the file: “office.” Then I opened my contacts and scrolled to a number I hadn’t called in years an old coworker who’d eventually opened a print shop near the university district. She picked up. “Janet? It’s me, Sarah,” I said. “Quick question can your shop make copies of bank statements? Years’ worth of them?”

I got home at four in the afternoon. The apartment was eight hundred square feet, two bedrooms. The university had assigned it to Derek when he made associate professor a faculty housing benefit. Only his name was on the title. At the time, he’d said it was simpler that way. The living room shelves were packed with his academic books. My things were crammed into a small corner of the bedroom. In fifteen years, I’d moved nine times. Always renting. Every move, I owned a little less. He used to say: “once things settle down, we’ll buy a real place and put both our names on it.” Things had settled down, all right. He’d settled into being Professor Collins. And I’d settled into being “the housekeeper.” I went to the bedroom and pulled an old suitcase out from under the bed. It was full of notebooks. Kraftpaper covers, eleven of them in total. From 2008, when he first started college, all the way to now. I opened the first one. “September 3, 2008. Transferred $6,800 for tuition. $1,000 for living expenses. Kept $300 for myself.” “October 12, 2008. Transferred $800. He said he needed reference books.” “November 7, 2008. Transferred $1,200. He said his advisor was organizing a group dinner and everyone needed to chip in.” Every transfer was followed by a note of my income that month. I closed the last notebook and picked up my phone. I opened my banking app and pulled up the full transfer history. I searched: “Derek Collins.” A long list filled the screen. I screenshotted everything. Fortyseven pages. Then I opened my laptop and went to the university website. I enrolled in the community college. It was affiliated with Derek’s university the same campus, a different program. Tuition: eight thousand dollars a year. “System notification: Please report for your placement exam next Monday.” I closed the browser and opened a new Word document. Title: “The Cost of Building a Professor: A Financial Analysis” I picked up the first notebook and started typing. “Chapter One: Direct Financial Support Itemized Record.” The sound of the keyboard filled the quiet apartment, steady and even. At nine that night, Derek came home. He looked tense when he walked in. When he saw me sitting at the computer, he frowned. “What are you doing?” “Organizing some files.” He walked up behind me and glanced at the screen. I’d already switched to a browser tab a recipe site. “Sarah.” His voice softened. “About what happened today we need to talk. Sienna is just a student. Her father is on the board of trustees. I have to manage that relationship. Earlier, we were literally just going over her paper” “I know,” I said. I saved the Word document and password protected it. “That’s your reaction?” His voice sharpened. “I just explained everything. What more do you want?” He paused, then: “Sarah, you need to understand I’m in a very visible position right now. A lot of people are watching me. I can’t afford any complications. I need you not to make things difficult.” I stood up and turned to face him. “Derek. For your tenure review does your spouse need to sign anything? Provide any kind of documentation?” He blinked. “What?” “The review process. Do they need my signature, or any supporting documents from me?” “No.” His tone shifted, a little uneasy. “Why are you asking that?” “Just curious.” I headed toward the kitchen. “Did you eat?” “Already ate.” He hesitated. “Sarah. The review next month is critical. During this period try not to come by the university to find me, okay? The other faculty wives are always comparing notes on everything.” “Understood.” I cut him off. He exhaled, visibly relieved. His voice warmed up. “Once I get the promotion, the pay bump will be significant. I’ll take you shopping get you some nice things. You deserve to treat yourself a little.” “Sure. That sounds good,” I said. He went into his study. I could hear him on the phone, voice low, with a laugh in it. “”It’s fine. Handled it. Yeah, she doesn’t know anything…”“ I washed my hands and sat back down at the computer. The document was already at ten thousand words. I created a new folder and named it “Evidence.” I moved in the bank statement screenshots. I photographed the notebooks, page by page, making sure every entry was legible. I added the recording from today. Then I opened my photo gallery. I scrolled back to last week the day I’d gone to campus to drop off a flash drive he’d left at home and pulled up the photos I’d taken from the hallway. In the photos, Derek and Sienna were walking side by side. Sienna’s hand was looped casually through his arm. Timestamp: October 18, 2023. I dragged the photos into the folder.

The community college placement exam was straightforward. As I turned in my test, the proctor looked at me for a second longer than necessary. “What do you do? You don’t look like a recent grad.” “I’ve been at home,” I said. A brief flicker of understanding crossed her face. She’d pegged me as a housewife. Three days later, the results came out. I’d passed. On enrollment day, I wore a plain tshirt and jeans, carried a canvas backpack. Most of my classmates were in their twenties and thirties working adults coming back to upgrade their credentials. No one paid me any attention. The program coordinator was a young teaching assistant. After handing out the syllabi, he said: “Even though this is an evening program, the university holds us to full academic standards. You need the required credit hours, and assignments and exams are nonnegotiable.” He raised his voice: “And don’t even think about coasting through. This department does not play around with academic standards. Fail enough courses and you’ll be out.” A few groans from the back. After class, I walked over to the main campus library. My new student ID worked for everything. I found the core accounting textbooks a thick stack and carried them to a seat in the corner. I’d barely sat down when I heard familiar laughter. Across the reading room, by the window, Derek and Sienna were sitting together. She was leaning into him, practically pressed against his arm, pointing at something in an open book. He was tilted toward her, a small smile on his face. Two cups of coffee sat on the table in front of them. Same cups, different colored straws. Matching set. I lowered my head and opened “Introduction to Financial Accounting. Chapter One: Cash and Cash Equivalents.” My phone buzzed. A text from Derek: “Department dinner tonight. Don’t wait up.” I typed back: “OK. Don’t drink too much.” Then I raised my phone, zoomed in on the window seats across the room, and took a photo. Three shots in a row. Sienna fed Derek a piece of fruit from her cup. He ate it. I saved the photos to the “Evidence” folder. Life settled into a rhythm. Tuesday and Thursday evenings. All day Saturday. Classes. Everything else: the library, selfstudy, auditing open lectures from the accounting department. There was a woman in my cohort named Mia. She worked as an assistant at an accounting firm. When she noticed how hard I was studying, she offered to lend me her practical training notes. “Are you doing this to find a job?” she asked. “Yeah. I want to be an accountant.” “Then you’ll need to sit for the CPA exam. But you need a bachelor’s degree to register.” “I know.” I smiled. “I’ll get the degree first.” Mia pointed me toward online courses and study guides. I bought all of them. I pulled the money from the household budget. Derek gave me three thousand dollars a month for “household expenses.” I logged it in the notebook under: “Education personal development.” He never noticed. He was getting busier. Home two, maybe three nights a week, always talking about preparing materials for the review, “building relationships” with the evaluation committee. One night he came in well past midnight, and there was perfume on his jacket. Not mine. I spoke into the dark. “Derek. The review hearing it’s on the fifteenth, next month, right?” He tensed. “How do you know that?” “You mentioned it once.” I paused. “Which room is it in?” “Conference Room A in the admin building. Why?” “I thought I might come watch. I’ve never seen you present before.” He made a short, dismissive sound. “You wouldn’t follow any of it. It’s all technical content. They’ll be streaming it live on the university site. Just watch it from home.” “Oh. Okay.” A beat of silence. Then his voice softened, already getting drowsy. “Once the promotion goes through, the package gets a lot better. We’ll go somewhere in Europe. And I’ll get you a decent bag.” He was almost asleep. “You should have some nice things…” His breathing evened out. I lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Then I reached under my pillow for my phone and opened the calendar. “November 15. Hearing.” Twentythree days away. I got up quietly, went to the living room, and opened the laptop. “The Cost of Building a Professor” was already at Chapter Five: “Invisible Labor and Social Capital Management.” I created a new chapter: “Academic Ethics and Personal Character: An Analysis of Their Relationship.” I started typing. “”The criteria for the Professor rank explicitly includes evaluation of professional ethics and conduct.”“ “”The following constitutes partial evidence of Professor Derek Collins’s inappropriate conduct with female students over the past several years…”“ I inserted the photos. The office. The library. Last week’s shot of Derek’s car Sienna in the passenger seat. Photo timestamps: June through October, 2023. “”Furthermore, Professor Collins has on multiple occasions described his legal spouse, Sarah Collins, as a ‘distant relative’ in public settings, suggesting deliberate concealment of his marital status for reasons that remain unclear…”“ I logged into the campus forum under my anonymous account three months old, levelthree status, enough to send private messages. I found a user called “Academic Tea Spillers.” They ran an anonymous tip account faculty drama, departmental scandals, the kind of thing people whispered about but never said out loud. I sent a message: “I have significant material on Professor Derek Collins. Financial misconduct, inappropriate relationships, ethics violations. Timed for before his review. Interested in collaborating?” Ten minutes later: “Do you have proof?” I sent a blurred photo Derek and Sienna, silhouettes in his car. “More available in person. I need you to guarantee the post goes live at exactly 10 a.m. on November 15th.” “Why that time?” “That’s when his tenure hearing starts.” Silence for a few minutes. “Deal. How do we stay in touch?” I gave them a second phone number. “Pleasure doing business.” By the time I finished, it was almost dawn. I shut the laptop and went back to bed. Derek was sound asleep, face relaxed, the faintest upward curve at the corner of his mouth. Probably dreaming about his promotion. I closed my eyes. Twentythree days. The countdown had started.

Derek stopped coming home entirely. He said the review had entered a critical phase and he was staying in faculty housing to be “available for the team at all times.” I put everything into studying. Mia noticed how fast I was improving and pulled me into her study group two other guys, both preparing for the CPA exam. “Honestly, you should just start studying for the CPA now,” Mia said. “You’ve got realworld experience, which gives you a huge advantage. As for the degree I know a way to fasttrack it.” “What kind of way?” “There’s an accelerated path for adult learners. Extra fees, extra exams, but you can finish in a year.” She lowered her voice. “I have a contact. But it costs money.” “How much?” “Thirty thousand dollars.” I thought about it all night. The next morning, I went to Derek’s office. No warning. I knocked. There was a rustling sound inside. Half a minute passed before the door opened. His expression went flat when he saw me. “You again.” “I need to talk to you.” I walked in. “Make it quick. I have a meeting.” He didn’t sit down. “I need thirty thousand dollars,” I said. He stared at me. “For what?” “Family matter.” His eyes narrowed. “Sarah, you’ve been acting strange. Always out somewhere. And now you’re asking for this kind of money.” He paused, and suspicion crept into his voice. “Did someone tell you something?” “Tell me what?” I asked. He opened his mouth, closed it, waved his hand. “Never mind. I can give you the money, but I’m tapped out right now. Wait until the promotion comes through the bonus will cover it.” “I need it now.” “Are you being reasonable?” His voice rose. “Do you have any idea how much I’m spending to manage this review? I don’t have thirty thousand dollars to hand you.” “Stop making things harder, Sarah. Not right now.” I looked at him steadily. “When you said you needed a laptop for your research, I pulled out everything I had saved four thousand eight hundred dollars. I gave you every cent. You said you’d pay me back when you were earning.” His expression shifted. “When your mother needed surgery, the bill was fifty thousand dollars. I borrowed from every coworker I had, then took out a highinterest loan. You said she was as good as my own mother and you’d never forget what I did.” “When your paper got rejected and you needed money to get it placed, I worked three jobs for two months and lost fifteen pounds. You said that once you made something of yourself, you’d never let me struggle again.” “That’s “enough”.” He kept his voice low, but the edge in it was sharp. “You want to drag up the past? I’m “working” on it. Once the promotion goes through, everything gets better. That was always the plan.” “So. Thirty thousand dollars. Yes or no?” He stared at me for a long moment. Then he grabbed his wallet, yanked out a card, and slapped it on the desk. “The PIN is my birthday. There’s twentyfive thousand in there that’s everything I’ve got. Take it and go.” I picked up the card. I turned and walked out. As the door closed behind me, I heard him get on the phone, voice deliberately softened. “”Nothing. Just a relative needing a loan. Took care of it…”“ I didn’t take the elevator. I walked down the stairs. At the landing, I called Mia. “I have the money. Go ahead and start the paperwork for the accelerated degree. As fast as possible.” “On it! You just focus on studying, I’ll handle everything else.” “CPA registration opens in April you’ll make it no problem.” I hung up and pushed through the building’s front doors. I opened the campus forum app and checked my anonymous inbox. “Academic Tea Spillers” had messaged: “Evidence received. This is explosive.” “You’re sure about 10 a.m. on the 15th? That’s when he’s midhearing. Maximum impact.” I replied: “Confirmed. I want the exact moment it destroys him. Down to the second.” “Understood. Final payment?” “Thirty minutes before the hearing starts. In full.” “Pleasure doing business.” I logged out and cleared the cache. Then I opened the encrypted audio file on my phone. Derek’s voice came through the speaker: “”Sienna is just a student. Her father’s on the board. I have to manage that.”“ “”The other faculty wives are always comparing notes.”“ “”Once I get the promotion, I’ll take you shopping.”“ I clipped several segments, opened “The Cost of Building a Professor,” and inserted the audio links into the final chapter with the note: “Additional recordings available in the attached archive.” I compressed the file, encrypted it, and backed it up to three separate cloud accounts. When that was done, I walked to the accounting department’s administrative office. “Hi I had a question about CPA exam registration. If someone is currently enrolled in an adult bachelor’s program, can they register?” The advisor pushed his glasses up. “Per current regulations, you need a completed bachelor’s degree.” “However, if you can provide an enrollment verification and your transcripts, we can run a preliminary review. You’d submit the actual diploma once it’s issued.” “What’s the fastest timeline for getting a degree?” He flipped through some paperwork. “Standard track is two years. Expedited…” He scanned the page. “Three to four months, but it requires additional coursework and fees.” “I want the expedited track,” I said. “You’ve got real drive,” he said with a smile. “Bring in your documents and I’ll submit the paperwork personally.” “Thank you.” Walking out of the office, I got a call from Derek. His tone had done a complete oneeighty. “Hey. I was pretty short with you earlier I’m sorry about that.” “Take whatever you need from the account. If it’s not enough, just tell me.” “I’ve been under a lot of pressure. Don’t take it personally.” A pause. “The fifteenth they’re streaming the hearing live on the university site. You can watch from home.” Another pause. “Wish me luck.” “Good luck,” I said. “You’ll do great.” I hung up and stood outside the building in the open air. I held my phone tightly. Ten days until November 15th. I just needed nothing to go wrong.

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I spent six years helping the down-and-out mafia boss Ethan Chase build his empire from nothing. Everyone around me urged me to push for marriage, but he always said to wait—wait until everything was more stable. Then, the night before my birthday, I saw him talking to an old wooden box with a tenderness I’d never heard before. “My wife, I made it through another year. Now I have everything, but I’ve spent less time with you.” “Don’t worry. Once everything settles down, I’ll make it all up to you.” My heart ached. That box was a keepsake from his mother. He said he would keep the most important thing in his life inside it. I thought that after all these years of taking bullets for him and risking my life, he finally felt he owed me something, so he’d bought me an expensive birthday gift. After he returned to the bedroom, I tiptoed to the study and opened the wooden box. Inside was only a yellowed wedding invitation. The groom’s name was Ethan Chase, and the bride’s name was Sophia Hayes. Beneath the invitation was a birth certificate. A boy, six years old. Fighting back tears, I reached for a document at the very bottom. It was a deed of gift transferring all his assets, signed with his handwriting. “To my only child in this life, Eric Chase.” I felt like I’d been struck by lightning, frozen in place, unable to move. So all those times he made me lose our children—it was because he already had one. And the wife in his heart wasn’t me. There had been someone else all along.

My fingers trembled as I carefully placed everything back in the box exactly as I’d found it. The next second, the butler Zane came running over in a panic. “Ethan never lets anyone touch that box. You… you didn’t touch it, did you?” His eyes darted away. “Zane,” I looked up at him, “all these years, you’ve watched me go through hell and high water with him.” “Can you tell me when these things were put in the box?” Zane’s shoulders slumped, his eyes filled with reluctance. “The old invitation—that was when you helped us escape from New York to Las Vegas six years ago. Before we boarded the ship, he put it in himself.” I laughed, my throat tightening. Six years ago, the Chase family was framed and went bankrupt overnight. Ethan insisted on finding the mastermind and ended up being hunted. I didn’t hesitate to cut ties with my family, changed my name to Lily Lynn, got him fake documents, pulled every string I had to arrange passage on a ship to Las Vegas, and fled New York with him and Zane, desperately fighting for our lives. On the ship, he kept his head down and said nothing, clutching that wooden box tightly to his chest, tears dripping onto it. I thought he was grieving his mother’s death and the cruel reality that had crushed him. Heartbroken, I held him in my arms. “Ethan, don’t be afraid. I’m here.” He buried his head against my chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me. He said, “Lily, you’re all I have now.” It turned out he didn’t only have me. I was just the only one left willing to suffer with him. His tears were for his first love, Sophia Hayes, who had left him the moment she learned his family went bankrupt. Zane looked at my pale face and sighed before continuing. “The birth certificate was placed inside six months after we arrived in Las Vegas. Ethan stayed with Sophia until after the child was born before returning to Las Vegas.” Those six months were the most miserable of my entire life. I stayed with him in the gambling city, calculating cards day and night, winning him his first fortune for his comeback. But in doing so, we offended some dangerous people at the casino. They threatened to kill us. We had to hide and run from constant attempts on our lives. That’s when I took a bullet for him. It pierced through the right side of my chest, just one centimeter from my heart. At that time, I was already carrying our first child. But the day after I was admitted to the hospital, Zane came to tell me, “Ethan’s mother’s death anniversary arrived. He secretly went back to New York to pay his respects.” “Also, Ethan says you need to be careful. Things are too chaotic right now.” Then he left. That trip lasted two full months. During those two months, I was captured by those people and tortured relentlessly. Covered in wounds, they forced me to reveal Ethan’s whereabouts and where he’d hidden the money. I gritted my teeth and said nothing. Because of the severe beatings, I lost the baby. Now I know—he was with the woman he truly loved and their child. I was such a fool. Zane looked at my calm expression, his eyes reddening too. “The asset transfer contract was signed and placed inside yesterday.” Yesterday. I laughed until tears streamed down my face. Yesterday he held me and said, “Lily, if things go smoothly in New York this time, I’ll give you a grand wedding and make you the happiest wife.” It turned out the man I loved with my life had been lying to me all along.

Just then, the study door burst open and Ethan rushed in, his eyes full of panic. He immediately looked at Zane with questioning eyes. Zane silently shook his head. Ethan’s anxious heart instantly relaxed, and that gentle smile returned to his face. He walked over quickly and raised his hand to wipe the tears from my face. “Lily, why are you crying?” I forced a smile. “It’s nothing. I couldn’t sleep tonight, so I was talking with Zane about everything we’ve been through together. I got a bit emotional.” He pulled me into his arms and said softly, “Those terrible days are over. I’ll never let you get hurt again. Never.” With that, he scooped me up and strode toward the bedroom. As soon as we reached the bed, his kiss pressed down forcefully. He slowly pulled down my nightgown and kissed the gunshot scar on the right side of my chest over and over with warm lips. This was something he did every time we were intimate. I thought he was cherishing my sacrifice. Now I realize—maybe he was just using that scar to force himself to stay with me, to bind himself with moral obligation. But that wasn’t love. I wrapped my arms around him and responded passionately. Perhaps this would be our last time. Consider it a proper goodbye. But just then, his phone rang urgently. When he answered, a childish crying voice immediately came through. “Daddy, I feel terrible. I miss you…” Then a gentle woman’s voice followed, choked with tears. “Ethan, our son has a high fever. He keeps crying for his daddy. Please come back and see him, okay?” It was Sophia Hayes. Ethan’s body stiffened. He pushed me away and frantically started getting dressed. “Lily, there’s a problem with the company project. I have to go right away. Don’t worry—tomorrow is your birthday, and I’ll definitely be back to celebrate with you.” He opened the door and was about to leave. But after one step, he suddenly stopped. He realized that from the moment he answered the phone until now, I hadn’t said a single word. Every other time he went on a business trip, I would give him a goodbye kiss and tell him to be careful. But not this time. I just looked at him with lifeless eyes. Guilt flashed across his face as he turned and kissed my forehead. “What birthday gift do you want? Tell me and I’ll buy it for you.” I looked up at him seriously. “I want a wedding. Can I have that?” He smiled and ruffled my hair. “Don’t be silly. There’s no way to prepare a wedding in one day.” He turned to leave. Clinging to one last shred of hope, I grabbed his hand, my eyes almost pleading. “Then can we at least get our marriage license?” His body froze for a moment. Then he pulled his hand away and smiled. “Once we move our business back to New York and get married in our hometown—wouldn’t that be more meaningful? Lily, just wait a little longer, okay?” Wait a little longer. He’d been saying those words for six years. This time, I wouldn’t wait anymore.

“Fine. Go.” I said softly. He breathed a sigh of relief. As he was leaving, he suddenly remembered something. He turned back seriously. “Tomorrow afternoon at that auction, you must win that land at any cost. It’s our only guarantee for returning to New York. Understand?” I looked at him expressionlessly. “Damien Foster is determined to get that land. Have you forgotten what happened when we framed his father Xavier Foster? If I, a woman, outbid him, what do you think will happen to me?” Back when he disappeared for those two months, I barely escaped from my captors and had nowhere to turn. I went to beg the underground emperor at the time—Xavier Foster. I knelt at his door for three days and nights before he gave me a chance. He said he could protect us, but the condition was that we’d give him fifty percent of our company shares and all dividends. And if we didn’t make a hundred million in profit within a year, he’d personally deal with us. A year later, we did it. We even exceeded expectations. But Ethan started resenting having to split half the profits with Xavier. So he pulled me into a scheme that sent Xavier to prison. Where he died from torture. The year after his death, his son Damien Foster, who’d been studying abroad, returned. Damien was even more ruthless than his father. He abandoned everything from the underworld and started legitimate businesses from scratch. In just two years, his empire spread across Las Vegas. He publicly vowed to avenge his father, to destroy Ethan’s reputation, to make him fall back to rock bottom. But now Ethan was asking me to face such a ruthless enemy alone. I laughed bitterly. “Ethan, I could die. Don’t you care at all?” He just waved his hand dismissively. “You’ve done this kind of thing for me many times over the years, and you’ve always pulled through. I trust you. This time will be no different.” His words were like an icy blade, shredding my last bit of hope. The next morning, I’d just changed and was about to leave. My phone received a message from an unknown number. I opened it. On the screen was a marriage certificate. The names were crystal clear. Ethan Chase. Sophia Hayes. Followed by a text message. “Lily, I know you’ve done a lot for him, but we truly love each other, and we have a child together. Please don’t interfere with us anymore. Please leave him.” The words “family of three” stabbed at my heart. I bit my lip hard to keep tears from falling. With trembling fingers, I replied. “Okay.” That afternoon, at the auction. The land started at ten million dollars. I kept raising my paddle. But in the end, I lost, letting Damien Foster win the land for eighty million dollars. After leaving the auction, I called Ethan to tell the result. He immediately started berating me. “Lily Lynn! Since when did you become such a coward? Afraid of Damien’s revenge, so you hand over our only hope of returning to New York? You’ve disappointed me!” Before I could speak, two large bodyguards suddenly appeared behind me and forcibly shoved me into a black SUV. I was taken to the rooftop of an abandoned building. I immediately saw Damien Foster sitting in a chair. He took my phone and video-called Ethan.

The moment the video connected, Ethan’s furious voice came through. “Lily Lynn! You made a mistake and won’t let me criticize you? How dare you hang up on me!” The next second, his voice cut off abruptly. Because what he saw wasn’t my face, but Damien’s cold, cruel expression. Damien sneered. “You’re right. She did make a mistake. Her mistake was driving the price up to eighty million before backing down, making me waste all that money.” “So I’m going to punish her.” With that, he raised a finger slightly. A bodyguard beside him swung a club viciously into my back. I coughed up blood. Damien spoke again. “Ethan Chase, if you come back right now to trade places with her, I’ll consider sparing her life.” Blood covering my face, I begged the Ethan on screen. “Ethan, save me!” His face went deathly pale. “Damien Foster, don’t touch her! I’m coming back right now. Wait for me!” But then Sophia’s and Eric’s voices came through the video. “Ethan, today is the day we’re getting our marriage license. You promised to celebrate with me. And Eric has been looking forward to this day for so long. Can’t you bear to disappoint us?” “Daddy, Eric doesn’t want Daddy to leave. Can’t Daddy just stay with us for one day? Please, Daddy…” Ethan hesitated. I trembled, pleading desperately. “Ethan Chase, please come back and save me.” Finally, Ethan looked up at me, apology in his eyes. “Lily, I have something very important here and can’t get away right now. I’ll head back first thing tomorrow morning. I believe you’ll find a way to hold on until then.” “When I get back, we’ll have the wedding right away, okay? Just hang in there.” I laughed—laughed wildly, laughed miserably. Damien immediately grabbed the phone and said to Ethan on screen, “I don’t have that much patience to wait for you. New York to Las Vegas—four hours is enough. Ethan Chase, you choose.” Ethan choked. He turned to look at Sophia and Eric, their eyes full of pleading. He gritted his teeth. “I’ll definitely be there by eight tomorrow morning. Damien Foster, don’t touch Lily!” I gave the screen a desperate smile. “Ethan Chase, forget it. I’m tired of waiting.” With that, I looked at Damien and said calmly, “If you want revenge, do it.” Damien didn’t hesitate for a second. He reached out and shoved me hard. My body went light as I fell over the edge of the rooftop. Wind roared past my ears, along with Ethan’s hysterical roar from the phone. “Lily! No!” I closed my eyes. Ethan Chase. I’ll never interfere with your family of three again. Never again.

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My husband Sean cheated on me and brought his mistress home right after her miscarriage, forcing me to swap lives with her. She would live in luxury in the city while I went to the countryside to do farm work. My in-laws completely approved. “Your health has always been poor. It must be because your parents raised you too delicately.” “Living in the countryside for a few days will strengthen your constitution.” In my previous life, they didn’t ask for my opinion and just threw me there. I moved into my husband’s mistress’s rural home, waking up before dawn and working until dark, ordered around by her parents. My already poor health deteriorated rapidly. After I fell ill, her parents found me useless for work and locked me in the basement, where I starved to death. When I opened my eyes again, I heard my husband and in-laws discussing this life-swap scheme once more. I refused, but my husband threatened me: “If you don’t go, we’ll get divorced and I’ll take custody of our child.”

“Then let’s get divorced!” “You can have the child. I don’t want anything.” I had figured it out—rather than being sent there to die, I’d rather be alone. Sean hadn’t expected me to make the decision so quickly. He froze for a moment, then his expression gradually twisted: “Are you seeing another man?” “I’m just asking you to live somewhere else temporarily to improve your health and make it up to Raina a little. And you treat me like this…” I didn’t want to explain. I felt that communicating with this psycho would make me one too. I walked around them and went straight to the bedroom to pack my clothes. I’d barely packed two items when he charged in, grabbed my hand, and pinned me against the closet. He forcibly lifted my chin, locking my gaze: “Can you not be so selfish? Having you swap lives with Raina is only temporary. Raina had a miscarriage and asked me for one wish.” “She just wants to be my wife for a while. You can improve your health in the countryside, and she can fulfill her wish. What’s there to object to?” Listening to his self-righteous arrangements, I felt a chill sweep through my entire body. Sean and I had married for love. We both had congenital heart disease. I cried and begged my father to give up my heart donor and save him instead. But I never found a suitable heart donor and had been staying alive on my family’s money. Fortunately, he had always loved me. We got married, had a family, even had a child. But these past few years, my episodes became more frequent, and I was hospitalized more often. Sean’s movements softened: “Go to the countryside and take care of your health. I’ll keep looking for a heart donor for you.” “Don’t be angry at Raina either. I just saw your shadow in her. I’m a man. I have needs. Your health is poor, so I could only…” “Don’t be angry. You’re the one I care about most.” I pulled away from his hand, suddenly feeling disgusted. I stared at him viciously: “Don’t talk about caring. It’s revolting.” “Just marry her already.” Sean’s eyes went cold for a moment. He was about to say something when there was a knock on the door. It was Diana’s voice: “Sean, the people are here. Get your wife out here.” I heard the voices of several familiar men from my previous life. Taking advantage of Sean’s distraction, I shoved him away. I rushed to the window, trying to climb down. With his long arms and legs, Sean caught up in a few steps, picked me up, and dragged me toward the door.

I was furious, pounding on his hands: “Sean, let me go!” The bedroom door flew open. Diana’s smiling face instantly darkened. Seeing Sean’s reddened hands, her eyes turned cold as knives. “She’s scheming. Just throw her in the trunk.” My son was woken up by the noise. He walked out of his room, saw me struggling, and his eyes filled with impatience: “Dad, can you cover Mom’s mouth? She’s keeping me awake.” “It’s just going to the countryside for a while. Why is she screaming like someone’s trying to kill her?” Hearing my son’s merciless words, my heart turned to ash. Sean looked at my expression with satisfaction and gagged me with a towel. “See, even our son is on my side.” “Go live there obediently. I’ll come back for you.” I was shoved straight into the trunk. The car started. The smell of gasoline mixed with cheap leather invaded my nostrils. The car jolted, and my heart ached with each bump. I bit my tongue to keep from passing out. While the car hadn’t gone too far yet, I had to save myself. When they tied me up, I deliberately kept my hands tensed. When I relaxed, it left a large gap. Sean had taught me this trick himself. Shortly after we got engaged, I was kidnapped by a psycho delivery driver. The man was jealous of my happy life and wanted Sean and me to be husband and wife in hell. Fortunately, Sean noticed something was wrong and successfully fought back. Sean held me after the rescue, crying tears of joy: “From now on, I’ll come home and cook for you. You don’t need to order delivery. I won’t let you be in any danger ever again.” Everyone envied me for having such a husband. He even taught me escape techniques, including this one. I never thought the first time I’d use it would be now. I jumped from the car. I ran through the night, my heart aching from fear and exertion. I lost a shoe while running, and by the end, my feet were scraped raw. The men trying to catch me were closing in again. Just when I was about to despair, a pair of hands appeared behind me. My best friend had come to save me. “Sophia!” In Lauren’s rental apartment, I drank hot water, calming my emotions. When Lauren heard my story, she was furious: “That bastard! How dare he?” “Sophia, don’t worry. I won’t let him find you.” Perhaps feeling safe, I felt drowsy after drinking the water. I fell asleep on the sofa. In my daze, I heard several familiar voices talking. “I even betrayed my best friend for this. Thirty thousand dollars isn’t too much to ask, is it?” “Mr. Whitmore, you’re a big boss now. You’re not going to be stingy, are you?” My body felt limp. I forced my eyes open a crack and saw my supposed best friend making a deal with Sean. Each mention of “best friend” was like a knife stabbing through me. I looked at my phone nearby and stuffed it into my bra. The transaction ended. Sean picked me up. Seeing the tears not yet dry in my eyes, he gently wiped them away. His movements were tender. I suppressed the urge to dodge and pretended to be unconscious. Raina walked over. Just as she was about to approach, she twisted her ankle and fell hard to the ground. Sean reacted quickly, throwing me back down to help her. The back of my head hit the floor hard. My consciousness faded along with his concerned voice for Raina.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the countryside. Raina stood alone watching me: “Sean is so good to you. He was worried you’d suffer here, so he came specially to check on your future living conditions.” “You’d better learn to adapt. After all, in this remote rural area, you can’t just sit around waiting to be fed. You have to work the fields.” After speaking, she went outside. Holding Sean’s arm, she introduced him to her parents: “This is my boyfriend. That woman inside is his sister. She was raised too delicately at home, so they’re sending her here for you to toughen her up.” “Treat her however you’d treat any other girl.” Her last sentence was in a heavily accented dialect. Translated, it meant: treat her like a pig, a dog, or livestock—anything goes. She walked to my side, smiling brightly at me, still speaking in dialect: “Right, bitch?” She thought I couldn’t understand and kindly explained: “Sophia, I’m praising you.” “Aren’t you happy?” Expressionless, I looked at her smug face, grabbed her father’s ashtray from the bed—still full of cigarette ash—and splashed it directly on her face. I mimicked her words: “Bitch.” “I’m praising you too.” Raina’s face instantly turned ashen gray. She shrieked and reached up to touch her face. The more disheveled she became, the more she cried from anger. Sean quickly grabbed her hand, pulled out a wet wipe, and wiped her face. He looked at me with fury: “Raina just had a miscarriage. Her health is already poor.” “How could you do this to her?!” Raina’s parents got agitated too. Her father picked up the coal tongs from the floor and was about to hit me with them: “You bitch! How dare you hurt my daughter!” I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him: “So what if I hit her? Kill me if you dare.” “She seduced my man and got me sent to this godforsaken place.” “If you don’t like it, call the police. Get yourselves all arrested.” The other neighbors who came to watch heard my words, and their eyes changed as they looked at them. “I thought his daughter married a rich man. Turns out she’s a mistress.” “And she brought the real wife here. How wicked.” “Wait, I heard she was dating him properly and they were going to get married officially?” Raina couldn’t stand the pointing and gossip. She snatched the wet wipe from Sean’s hand and threw it away. She snapped back at the crowd: “You’re listening to her bullshit! I’m Sean’s wife. Ask him if you don’t believe me.” “Sean, say something! You promised me!” Sean had already slipped back into character. He touched her head, helping her out: “Everyone, stop talking nonsense. Raina and I are the couple.” “She’s just a woman trying to seduce me. I sent her here to teach her a small lesson. I didn’t expect she still hasn’t changed.” His expression was full of disgust: “Now she’s even trying to frame Raina.” “I remember Raina telling me your village has ways of dealing with women like this…” My heart suddenly lurched. I had a bad feeling. “It’s time to teach her a proper lesson.” I slowly backed away until my back hit the wall. The room was locked. Several burly women rushed in with willow branch whips. They lashed down at me. “Mistresses are possessed by demons!”

“Willow whips drive out demons. We’ll help drive out your demons.” The willow whips were soaked in salt water. With the first strike, the salt water penetrated my wounds. I screamed. Sean tried to rush in but was held back. “Honey, they know what they’re doing. They won’t really hurt her.” “If you go in, she’ll know she can manipulate you even more.” Sean’s expression changed, but in the end, he didn’t go in. Sixty-six lashes. The dual pain in my heart and body left me unable to even scream. Something was flowing down my legs. The people in the room saw the blood and panicked. “Is she pregnant?” Sean heard the commotion and came in. Seeing the blood between my legs, he completely panicked. “It was just supposed to be a simple lesson. Why is there blood?” The women couldn’t say a word. They all looked at Raina. Raina panicked too. She quickly grabbed Sean’s arm and lowered her voice: “It must be her period.” “You know Sophia’s menstrual cycle best. Isn’t it around these days?” Sean’s worry subsided by half. “You’re probably right.” Raina smiled, looking at me with contempt: “Sophia is pretending to miscarry so you’ll soften and take her home.” “Sean, you’ve told me before that Sophia is very smart.” “She knows she can’t go back soon, so she wants to use her body to manipulate you.” I felt the life gradually dRainaing from my abdomen, and I laughed bitterly. In my previous life, I didn’t keep this child either. But the child wasn’t lost at this time. I lost it because they forced me to work the fields until I was exhausted. This time it was beaten out of me. Sean completely believed Raina’s words: “Sophia, you really are shameless.” “Still trying to scheme against me at a time like this, trying to make me take you away.” “Watching me worry—is that fun for you?” Raina looked at me with disapproval. “Sophia, using Sean’s concern like this is really wrong.” “Apologize to Sean quickly.” I gently placed my hand on my lower abdomen, feeling the warmth gradually fading inside. I bit my lip until I tasted the sweet metallic tang, then suddenly lunged forward, ramming straight into Raina’s stomach. Raina fell flat on her back, clutching her stomach, crying pitifully. “My stomach, my stomach hurts so much.” “Sean, will I never be able to be a mother now?” Sean slapped me hard across the face: “You’d better pray Raina will be okay.” He turned to Raina’s parents who were peeking in and raised his voice: “I’m taking Raina to the hospital first. She’s in your hands now.” “Just do what Raina said.” He carried Raina and left. As the car engine started, Raina’s parents sent the other people in the room away. Raina’s mother came forward and slapped me twice: “So what if you’re that CEO’s wife? He likes my daughter now.” “When you die, my daughter will be the CEO’s wife.” “Of course, we won’t let you die too suddenly. A spoiled rich girl who ran into a pigsty in a tantrum and got bitten to death by pigs…” Raina’s father grabbed my hair and dragged me outside. My legs were cut by stones, leaving a trail of blood. Raina’s father was quite satisfied. “Once I starve those animals for a few days, they’ll smell the blood and you’ll be their dinner.”

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