Category: English

Because I was diagnosed with a terminal illness, my wife urged me to give up treatment and leave all my assets to our son. Even my eight-year-old, Kevin, had absorbed it all, asking me more than once, “Dad, when are you going to kick the bucket? Mom says I can’t get my inheritance until you’re gone!” Later, when I went back to the hospital for a follow-up, a zombie outbreak hit. To save themselves, Brenda and Kevin tried to trick me into a horde of zombies. But when Brenda learned I carried a precious zombie serum, she righteously demanded my blood. “We’re family! It’s your duty to save me!” I slammed the door, trapping her in a room swarming with zombies. “Sorry, I don’t know you.” 1 All the way from the hotel to the hospital, Brenda and Kevin were fuming. Once we got there, they plopped down on the waiting room bench. They wouldn’t stop muttering. “Typical, burning through our money. I told you it’s a lost cause, but no, you just *had* to come to this fancy hospital. It’s a money pit!” “Mom, you promised that house would be put in my name. Dad won’t go back on his word, right?” My heart felt utterly cold. I dragged my body, still battling a low fever, into the long registration line. My nose felt warm, and then a nosebleed started again. I quickly cupped my hand over it, my eyes searching for the restroom. It was the weekend, and the first-floor lobby was packed, stretching as far as the eye could see. The anxious questions of patients and their families, the shouts of doctors and nurses clearing paths, the constant calling of numbers over the loudspeaker – it all blended into a chaotic mess that made my head pound. People were pressed so close, even breathing felt difficult. It was like I was inhaling everyone else’s exhaled carbon dioxide. Amidst the noise, a piercing scream caught everyone’s attention. But it lasted only a few seconds. After all, in a hospital, screams and cries were nothing out of the ordinary. People murmured and speculated, sighing at fate’s cruel twists. I thought of the stark, sharp words “LEUKEMIA” on my test results and let out a bitter laugh. My body had always been so healthy, and I’d kept up a regular exercise routine for years. Anyone who knew me, colleagues or friends, always praised how fit I was. How could I suddenly get leukemia? I don’t know how long I’d been waiting; my nosebleed had already stopped. Finally, it was my turn. Just as I was about to hand my ID through the window, a nurse suddenly ran in from the side, anxiously whispering something to the nurse at the counter. That nurse gave me a “one moment” gesture, stood up, and left. I muttered about my bad luck. Soon, impatient grumbling started behind me. People in line couldn’t wait; many moved to other lines to re-queue. I hated to give up on the progress I’d made, so I stayed put, waiting. But quickly, I realized something was off. This was the biggest hospital in the city, with ample medical staff and resources. So, what kind of emergency would pull even a registration nurse away? I waited ten minutes. She still hadn’t come back. After thinking it over, I decided to head to the restroom first to wash the blood off my face. I didn’t notice. The moment I stepped into the restroom, the lobby erupted in a chorus of roars and screams. 2 Before I even left the restroom, I caught a strong whiff of blood. Even for a hospital, this intense smell was completely abnormal. I pressed my ear closer to the restroom door, listening carefully. The noise outside seemed even louder than before. But mixed in with the chaos were some unnatural sounds. They were a bit like drunken retching, yet far more terrifying, almost inhuman. For some reason, a chill ran down my spine. If Brenda and Kevin knew, they’d probably mock me for being a coward, call me neurotic. But I trusted my gut feeling. I carefully pulled the door open a crack and peeked out. Outside the door, almost everyone was scrambling to escape. Some rushed towards the main entrance, others towards the stairs. Every face was contorted in terror, like they were running for their lives. But the door blocked my view of the entire lobby. I moved as quietly as possible, pushing the crack wider, then squeezing out sideways. When I finally saw what was happening in the lobby, I immediately raised my hand and bit down hard on the web of my thumb to keep from screaming. People scattered like headless chickens. The main entrance was already a dense pile of bodies, pushing relentlessly forward. The people at the very front were pressed tightly against the glass, no longer moving. Yet, more kept surging towards the exit. The information desk had been overrun. Dozens of people were huddled inside, cowering, and others kept clambering over the counter. Looking towards the direction people were fleeing, I saw a few figures in hospital gowns, covered in blood, limping slowly. Their limbs twitched uncontrollably, bending at angles no human body should. Those chilling growls were coming from their mouths. An elderly man, unsteady on his feet, was knocked to the ground by the stampeding crowd. I watched, horrified, as a man staggered over to the old man and bit into his neck. Blood erupted instantly. The others—or whatever those creatures were, no longer human—instantly became frenzied, moving with shocking agility to swarm the old man. Within ten seconds, the old man was torn beyond recognition, a bloody mess. Then, that gruesome, mangled pile of flesh on the ground twitched, stood up, and joined the horde of wandering creatures. Clearly, everyone had witnessed the tragedy. The crowd fell silent for two seconds. Then, someone, I don’t know who, was the first to snap out of it and screamed. “Z-Zombies! Run! There are really zombies!” I never thought scenes I’d only seen in novels and movies would actually happen in real life. Snapping back to reality, I frantically searched for a suitable hiding spot. The restroom and the main entrance were diagonally opposite. Plus, the main entrance was completely blocked by bodies. Escaping the hospital was impossible. The stairs were right next to the restroom. Now, going upstairs seemed like the best option to find a way to survive. I tiptoed, trying to make no sound, and took two steps at a time up the stairs. Soon, I realized I was wrong. The second floor seemed even worse. Blood, like it had been splattered everywhere, already formed a thin, sticky layer on the corridor floor. Several doctors in white coats were already victims, roaring incessantly in the hallway, searching for their next target. Despite my caution, a few zombies spotted me. They lurched towards me, blood-filled mouths gaping beyond recognition, quickly attracting the attention of other zombies in the corridor. The hospital corridor was a long loop, and zombies were closing in on me from both directions. Down on the stairs, first-floor zombies were also starting to search for living people upstairs. I shuffled my trembling legs, backing up continuously. Until my back hit the hard wall. There was nowhere left to go. The zombie on my left was just two steps away, reaching out with a hand missing two fingers. I let out a bitter laugh, closing my eyes in resignation. Suddenly, something hard jabbed my lower back. It felt like a doorknob. By sheer reflex, I pressed the handle, twisted, ducked inside the room, and locked the door. A zombie rushed past, its putrid stench brushing against my clothes. After the close call, I gasped for air. I quickly patted myself down. No wounds. I finally relaxed, sinking to the floor. Thank god, I was still alive. 3 I leaned against the wall and rested for a bit, slowly regaining my composure. Shaking, I immediately pulled out my phone and dialed 91

Before it could even connect, police sirens wailed from outside the window. My eyes lit up. I rushed to the window. Only one police car was parked downstairs. Three officers, fully geared up, quickly got out. But they weren’t here to rescue us. They swiftly pulled down the fire shutters over the main entrance and the perimeter fence. While cutting off the zombies’ escape route, they also cut off my chance to escape the hospital. The police car’s loudspeaker blared, repeating: “Survivors inside the hospital, please remain calm. Find enclosed spaces to protect yourselves and wait patiently for military rescue.” The loudspeaker’s sound agitated the first-floor zombies. They repeatedly slammed their bodies against the glass, creating terrifying thuds. After three repetitions, the police car sped away. My rekindled hope shattered again. I felt a wave of despair. I pulled out my phone, mechanically dialing 911 again and again. But it was always a busy signal. I don’t know how many times I dialed until my arm ached, and the phone slipped from my grasp. Without food or water, trapped in this small consultation room, no bigger than ten square meters, I wondered if I’d live to see rescue. My phone suddenly rang. I tensed up and quickly answered. But it wasn’t the police. It was Brenda’s voice. “Where are you? Are you okay? Kevin and I are so worried about you. He keeps asking for his dad.” She handed the phone to Kevin. “Dad, come find us! I’m scared!” For some reason, both their voices were muffled and low, like they were in a very small space. A flicker of suspicion sparked in my mind. When Brenda first learned I had leukemia, she’d repeatedly urged me to just give up treatment and not waste money. Even my eight-year-old, Kevin, had absorbed it all, asking me more than once, “Dad, when are you going to kick the bucket? Mom says I can’t get my inheritance until you’re gone!” After several such instances, my heart had grown cold. Before coming to the hospital, I had already made up my mind: no matter the follow-up results, I was divorcing her. I’d rather take my assets to the grave than let those ungrateful leeches get a single cent. How could two people who so eagerly wished for my death suddenly care about my safety? I kept my guard up, not answering directly, but instead asked: “Where are you guys? Are you okay? You haven’t been bitten, have you?” “No, no! Luckily, I hid fast. The moment I realized something was wrong, I ducked away. We’re in the first-floor restroom now. There’s a small window here. Come find us, we can climb out together!” I replied, feigning surprise: “Really? That’s great! I’m coming right now.” Two minutes later, I whispered impatiently: “I’m here. Where are you?” Brenda sounded excited: “You’re sure you’re here, right?” I snapped, annoyed: “Of course! What are you doing? Hurry up!” “Good, that’s great!” Before she could finish, a ridiculously loud, obnoxious tune blared from the bathroom. It was Kevin’s smartwatch. Brenda and I had even picked that ringtone together. The music echoed through the entire building, enraging the zombie horde. They roared and surged towards the first-floor corner. Amidst the roars, Brenda’s voice turned manic: “Alex, you’re going to die anyway. Just make yourself useful to us!” Maybe my heart was already numb. Hearing her words, I felt no ripple of emotion, only amusement at her stupidity. Thanks to her, the second-floor corridor was now empty. Stepping out, I looked down. Two figures, one large and one small, dashed from the janitor’s closet near the stairs towards the main entrance, only to be blocked by the heavy fire shutter. Seeing this, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. The call hadn’t hung up yet. Brenda’s furious curses and screams came through the line. “Oops, I forgot to tell you guys, the main entrance is completely blocked. No way out now.”

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To amuse his new mistress, Damon ordered me, pregnant and exhausted, to dance in the water for his entertainment. When I finally dragged myself out, gasping for air, his mistress took one look at me and started gagging. “Your Majesty, I’m with child. I can’t stand the smell of fish.” It was only because I was a Merfolk princess that my legs transformed into a shimmering tail in the water. Damon exploded with rage. He had me locked in a crystal cage and sunk deep underwater, forbidding anyone from opening it without his permission. “Even if you can become human, you can’t hide that disgusting fishy scent! It’s revolting!” No matter how I struggled or pleaded, he didn’t care. He and his mistress even found it amusing. And so, I drowned, my body eventually dissipating into the water. He didn’t know that while we Merfolk can breathe underwater, we must reside on land to bear our young. After a full day and night, he finally seemed satisfied with my punishment and ordered me released. But I could no longer surface.

I never thought I’d die by drowning, and certainly not at the hands of the man I loved most. “Ariel, what are you standing around for? Seraphina is waiting for your dance performance! Are you defying even your King now?!” Damon, with the giggling Seraphina wrapped in his arm, glared at me with an unfriendly gaze. Remembering his threats against me, I had no choice but to enter the water. I began to perform the dance unique to our Merfolk, just as he demanded. Before, moving in water felt as natural as walking on land. But now, I was pregnant. My movements were clumsy, and I needed far more oxygen to sustain myself underwater. It wasn’t long before I was gasping for air, completely out of breath. I had to stop and pull myself onto the shore to breathe. I hadn’t expected that seeing me surface would make Seraphina immediately turn away, gagging. “Your Majesty, I smell such a strong fishy scent! I just found out I’m pregnant, and I simply can’t tolerate this smell right now.” With that, Seraphina nestled herself into Damon’s embrace, looking so fragile and helpless that it stirred compassion in anyone who saw her. Hearing Seraphina’s words, I felt utterly humiliated. Though I was Merfolk, I wasn’t an actual fish. How could I possibly smell of fish? And Seraphina’s mention of her pregnancy also bothered me. Damon and I had been married for years, yet we had no children. Damon had once confessed to me that their royal line struggled to produce heirs due to their immense power in battle. Some spent their entire lives without offspring, so he didn’t care about it and accepted he wouldn’t have children. Therefore, when I told Damon I was pregnant, he didn’t believe me. Seraphina had just entered the palace then and was in his prime favor. Damon thought I was faking it to gain his affection and lashed out at me. “Ariel, you’re truly shameless! To fake a pregnancy just to win favor—how could you? Don’t you know it’s hard for me to have children?!” I expected Seraphina to receive the same reprimand, but instead, Damon was overjoyed. “Really? Seraphina, you truly are my lucky star! I thought I’d never have a child of my own, and yet you’re pregnant!” “Unlike some who fake pregnancies for attention, you can’t hide your fishy scent, even if you come ashore and become human.” After saying that, Damon ordered me locked in the crystal cage he’d specially made for me and sunk to the bottom of the water. “You’ve disgusted my beauty. When my beauty is no longer angry, I’ll let you out.” Hearing Damon’s words, I was horrified. Once the crystal cage sank, it wouldn’t float back up. Being pregnant, I couldn’t breathe underwater for long periods. If I stayed too long, I would suffocate from lack of oxygen. My own death was meaningless, but my child—he hadn’t even been born, hadn’t seen the world with his own eyes. “Damon! You can’t do this to me! If you keep me in the water, I’ll drown! Let me out, now!” Damon listened, his eyes cold. “You’ll drown? Ariel, listen to what you’re saying! You’re a Merfolk princess!” “I’ve never heard such a ridiculous joke.” He finished speaking and, ignoring my struggles, locked me in. Then, he picked up Seraphina tenderly and turned to leave. Watching his cold, heartless demeanor and Seraphina’s triumphant gaze, I was filled with bitter resentment. But there was nothing I could do. And so, filled with despair, I sank to the bottom.

Damon carried Seraphina back to his royal chambers, a place that once, apart from him and me, no one was ever allowed to enter. But ever since Seraphina arrived, everything had changed. I, too, had become one of those forbidden to enter. I’d even been reduced to a personal entertainer, summoned at her whim and dismissed at her pleasure, without any of the dignity befitting a Queen. As long as Seraphina pouted to Damon about being bored, I had to appear and sing or dance for her. If I showed any reluctance, Damon would threaten my people. But he had forgotten—he once promised to protect me and my tribe forever. Now, he was the one trying to harm us. When Damon was inheriting the crown, he was surrounded by enemies. Brothers coveted his throne, and rival kingdoms loomed threateningly. In such a desperate situation, he sought help from my father, the King. My father was initially unwilling. We Merfolk never meddled in the affairs of other races. But because Damon and I fell in love, my father had no choice but to lend his aid. Though we helped Damon ascend to the throne, our tribe was greatly weakened and slowly began to decline. Damon also crowned me Queen, promising to protect our people. But just a few years later, Seraphina arrived. Everything he had said meant nothing anymore. Damon protected Seraphina with such tenderness, as if she were a fragile treasure. It was a look I hadn’t seen directed at me in a long time. In the first few years we were together, Damon had treated me with exceptional affection and care, as if I were too precious to hold, too delicate to even breathe near. Seraphina leaned against Damon, her voice weak and soft. “Your Majesty, don’t blame my sister. This is just my pregnancy, it’s not her fault at all.” Damon’s face darkened when Seraphina mentioned me. “If she makes my Seraphina uncomfortable, then it’s her fault. She deserves to be punished.” “I was too good to her in previous years, spoiled by luxury, so now she gets breathless with just a few movements. Seraphina, don’t worry, she’s just locked in water. She won’t die.” Hearing Damon’s words, a wave of sorrow washed over me. How could I not die? I was already dead. I remembered how, when I felt unwell in the past, Damon would take meticulous care of me, unlike now, when he knowingly confined me to a cage despite my discomfort. Seraphina heard Damon’s words, and the smile on her lips was almost impossible to suppress, yet she still feigned innocence. “Your Majesty, when my sister comes out later, she won’t come looking for trouble with me, will she? After all, she’s the Queen, and I’m just your mistress.” Damon’s eyes widened. “She wouldn’t dare! Don’t be afraid. No one can release her without my permission.” “Once you bear my child, I’ll depose her and make you Queen.” “Ariel hasn’t given me a single child in all these years. She should have been deposed ages ago!” “Oh, Your Majesty, you’re so good to me.” Seraphina finally looked satisfied, having received Damon’s promise. My heart twisted in agony watching this. I should have had a child too, but now he would never have the chance to be born. Because of Damon, he and I had died together. I couldn’t understand how a person could change so quickly, forgetting vows of eternal love in just a few short years. He got a new love and forgot the old. We promised to be each other’s only love forever, but as soon as someone new appeared, everything changed.

After Seraphina arrived, Damon used my poor health as an excuse to banish me from his royal chambers. Ostensibly, it was for my well-being, but in reality, he and Seraphina spent every night in revelry. Damon’s frequent visits gradually became occasional, and eventually, he stopped coming altogether. Now, every time he said he wanted to see me, it was only to make me sing and dance for Seraphina, humiliating me to please her. He said, “You are Seraphina, and you are worth everything I have to make you happy.” Once upon a time, he had said those very words to me. Whenever I was homesick or upset, he would gently comfort me, gathering all sorts of interesting things to make me smile. But now, I had become nothing more than a tool to please someone else. “Your Majesty! Terrible news! The Queen has stopped struggling! She’s sunk to the bottom!” Just as Damon and Seraphina were enjoying a tender moment, a servant suddenly rushed in. Damon froze for a moment. “What did you say?” Then, as if the words registered, he frowned, looking annoyed, his face darkening. “She sank? So what? She’s Merfolk; what’s so strange about her sinking to the bottom of the water?!” The servant, frightened by Damon’s expression, quickly explained, “But… the Queen, she… her eyes are closed, her face is pale, and she seems to have stopped breathing.” Damon dressed quickly and stood up, appearing ready to follow the servant out. Seeing Damon’s movement, Seraphina quickly spoke. “Your Majesty, didn’t you say you’d stay with me? How can you leave me halfway?” “My sister is Merfolk; she lives in the water. Nothing bad will happen to her. This must be her throwing a tantrum. Your Majesty, you’ve been with my sister for so many years; you know she’s like this. When she’s angry, she ignores everyone.” Damon’s expression suddenly changed, clearly angered by something she had said. “Hmph! She’s definitely throwing a tantrum. Ignore her. I’ve never heard of Merfolk drowning in water.” Then he turned back and issued another command. “Go tell everyone that no one is to release her without my order. If I find out otherwise…” Damon’s words hung unfinished, but the servant was already nodding frantically, terrified. “Yes, yes, Your Majesty! I’ll go watch immediately. I’ll make sure not even a fly gets out!” Damon finally looked satisfied. Seraphina giggled, whispering sweet nothings that so utterly captivated Damon he lost all sense of time.

Damon didn’t think of me for the entire night. I imagined by now my body wouldn’t last much longer before it dissipated. We Merfolk grew up in water, and upon death, we dissipate back into the water, returning nutrients to nurture future generations. By the time Damon finally descended from his bed, satisfied, the sun was already high in the sky. “I wonder how my sister is doing now. Has her anger subsided? You know, the last time my sister was angry, she didn’t show her face for three whole days and nights.” Seraphina’s words stirred my memories. It was when Seraphina had just arrived. Though she was favored, she wasn’t as openly bold as she was now. Damon still cared about me somewhat and hadn’t gone too far. And at that time, I still believed Damon loved me, and Seraphina was just a passing novelty. I thought he would return to me once he grew tired of her. So, when Seraphina came looking for trouble, I slapped her without hesitation. Seraphina ran back crying to complain, and Damon, in a fit of anger, slapped me back. It was the first time I had ever been hit in my life, and to be treated this way by the man I loved, I couldn’t bear it. I immediately jumped into the water and hid. For three days and three nights, I didn’t show myself. It was after that incident that Damon never came to console me again, and he began to openly lavish Seraphina with his affection. Damon, prompted by Seraphina, clearly remembered that incident. He paused for a moment, as if recalling my very existence, then suddenly became enraged. “Hmph! I’ll go see if she knows her place now!” With that, Damon stormed towards the royal gardens. Servants were diligently guarding the area, and my pale body lay there. As soon as Damon arrived, he impatiently demanded, “Has Ariel acknowledged her mistake? Has she begged me to let her out?” Hearing Damon’s words, I scoffed internally. How was I supposed to acknowledge a mistake, or beg for mercy? Hadn’t I already done all that before I died? Was it any use? Moreover, what had I done wrong? Was I wrong for getting tired while dancing, or wrong for letting a fishy smell disgust Seraphina? None of it was true. These were just false accusations you, Damon, imposed on me to humiliate me and please Seraphina. My biggest mistake was loving you and believing your lies. The servant shook his head. “To answer Your Majesty, the Queen… she…” “Since she sank, she hasn’t surfaced. She hasn’t opened her eyes, nor moved an inch.” Damon’s expression froze. He took a few hurried steps to the water’s edge and looked down. My face was pale, and I lay quietly at the bottom. Because the water was moving, my clothes and hair also swayed. Coupled with the strong midday sun, it was hard to see clearly. It looked as though I was floating, occasionally making slight movements. Damon clearly misinterpreted this. “Hmph! What do you mean she hasn’t moved? She’s clearly faking her death!” “Since you like staying underwater, then stay there forever! Don’t ever come up again!” Hearing Damon’s words, I felt a burning hatred. Was it that I didn’t want to come up? I was killed by you, Damon! I could never surface again! Damon finished speaking and angrily turned to leave. It was then that I saw my body beginning to dissipate. The servant saw it too. He screamed in terror, “The Queen… The Queen… she’s gone!” Damon stopped dead in his tracks and ran back to the water’s edge, looking down. The bottom of the water was empty. My body was no longer there.

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When I was eighteen, I plunged into a frozen river to save my childhood sweetheart, Declan Thorne, a talented swimmer. I got severe frostbite, damaging my uterus. The doctors told me I’d been in the ice too long, sustained severe damage that would make having children incredibly difficult. Declan knelt by my hospital bed, swearing to cherish me forever, even if we never had kids. And just like that, he pampered me, making me the city’s most privileged elite. This year, at thirty-two, marked our tenth wedding anniversary, a decade we’d built side by side. But on our anniversary, I received an anonymous envelope. Inside were growth photos of Declan’s eight children. I stared at my husband, who was meticulously massaging my leg. My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise, making it hard to breathe. Yet, he looked up and said, “Aria, perhaps we should adopt some children.” He then shamelessly, brazenly, brought his mistress and their eight children right into our home. That day, tears blurring my vision, I dialed his best friend’s number. “Liam, I’m giving you a chance. Come help me put on a show!”

“Aria, I think we should…” “We should adopt a few children to look after you when I’m not around.” He said this while leading a boy and a girl out from a nearby room in the lobby. Looking at their eerily similar faces, I felt a bitter, cynical twist in my gut. Declan walked over and pulled me into a deep hug. “They’re just adopted.” “I’ll still love you most, always!” “That whole thing was so many years ago…” “Aria, maybe we both need to move on.” The memory of almost dying to save him, only for him to betray me, hit hard. The suffocating terror of the river water, the feeling of drowning from all those years ago, flooded me again. “Get out! All of you, just get out!” I fiercely pushed away the two children standing in front of me. Declan’s voice turned sharp, a furious roar. “Aria Maxwell, don’t be so unreasonable!” “They’re just kids. Why are you throwing a tantrum at children?” We’d been childhood sweethearts, and this was the first time he’d ever yelled at me. My heart splintered, like shattered glass. I stormed out of our tenth wedding anniversary dinner. But he didn’t grab my hand like he usually would. The other guests had no idea what had just transpired. They only saw me, pushing the kids away like a madwoman, and their whispers and stares followed me. That evening, Declan came home with the children. I was packing my bags to leave. “Aria, if you don’t like them, I can arrange for them to stay on the second floor.” My packing paused for a beat, then resumed. “Whatever.” It wouldn’t concern me anyway, not anymore. Declan let out a sigh of relief. When I finished packing and reached the living room, I heard the children’s noisy shouts coming from the far right room on the second floor. He’d put the children in *my* old room! I raced upstairs. What greeted me was an utter disaster, the room torn apart. The letters Declan had written me, the tiny straw cricket he’d woven, the handcrafted ring he’d given me when he proposed… And all the toys my parents had given me! Everything was strewn across the floor and the bed, broken. My throat felt like an invisible hand was choking it, and a metallic taste, sharp and bitter, flooded my mouth. *Slap!* I slapped Declan hard across the face. “Declan, do you have any heart at all?!” Declan’s head was turned, and in his eyes, I saw no trace of the love he once held for me. “Aria Maxwell, do you always have to be so demanding?” Declan glared at me, his eyes blazing, while the boy behind him made a mocking face at me. Suddenly, all those years of shared history felt like a cruel joke. I turned to leave, but the boy picked up a jade pendant, clearly intending to throw it out the window. My pupils constricted. “Stop!” Declan spun around. “It’s just a pendant!” “Aria, what kind do you want? I’ll buy you a new one, okay?” “Why argue with a child?” With Declan’s permission, the little boy flung the jade pendant out the window. That was the last birthday gift my mother gave me before she passed away. “No!” The pendant shattered on impact. My eyes burned red with unshed tears. “Go pick it up for me!” My hand had just brushed the boy’s shirt when Declan rushed over and shoved me to the ground. My fingers hit the floor awkwardly and fractured, a searing pain shooting from my hand through my entire body. Declan pulled the boy into a protective, comforting hug. “Aria Maxwell, I never realized you were so vicious!” I remembered how, once, a nanny accidentally broke my hair clip, and he’d lost his temper, making her kneel and apologize to me. Now, he held the boy, led the girl, and walked away without a backward glance, leaving me alone, sobbing uncontrollably. I went to the hospital alone. Dr. Reed, while bandaging my hand, sighed. “What’s gotten into Mrs. Thorne this year?” “Mr. Thorne used to protect you like the apple of his eye. You rarely visited the hospital. Now, you’ve actually broken your finger.” The doctor’s words were like a dull knife, twisting slowly in my chest. I stayed silent, biting back tears. While I was being bandaged, I received a text from him. [Aria, I was too hasty earlier. I’ve prepared a surprise for you.] My heart ached until it felt numb. No surprise he could offer would compare to the “surprise” of these two children. I pushed down the pain and dialed Declan’s best friend, Liam Hayes. “Liam, interested in helping me put on a show?”

I deleted the text message from Declan. I just wanted to grab my luggage and leave, but as I opened the front door, Declan enthusiastically pulled my hand, leading me into the living room. “Aria, are you upset with the kids because you don’t want to take care of them?” “It’s okay, I found a nanny to look after them.” “Now you can relax!” “She just happens to have six children of her own, so she’ll need to live with us.” “Don’t worry, she’s a professional when it comes to kids…” He chattered on, completely ignoring my reaction, beaming as if he’d accomplished some great life feat. Looking at the eight children, big and small, in the living room, my stomach churned. I covered my mouth, feeling nauseous. Seraphina Vance glided over, her hand reaching out to steady me. “Hello, Mrs. Thorne, I’m the new nanny.” Her grip tightened imperceptibly on my broken finger, a searing pain that made me gasp. Blood instantly bloomed, soaking through the gauze. She leaned in close, her voice a poisonous whisper. “Sweetheart, the unloved one is the mistress.” She then shrieked loudly, staggering backward. “Mrs. Thorne, if you don’t like me, just tell me to leave! Why did you push me?!” Declan rushed forward in one stride, catching her. “Aria Maxwell, have I spoiled you rotten these past few years?” “Why is your temper so terrible?” His words from our wedding day echoed in my mind, the solemn vow he’d made before the priest: “Aria, I’ll pamper you into the most cherished princess!” I lifted my bleeding hand. “It wasn’t me!” “Enough!” Declan’s eyes instantly filled with resentment. Looking at the family of ten before me, I felt utterly superfluous in my own home. I turned and went back to my room to get my luggage. Seraphina gently patted Declan’s arm. “I’ll go comfort Mrs. Thorne.” She walked in and closed the bedroom door, dropping her fragile act completely. Seraphina grabbed my arm, yanking me close to her. “A barren hen like you, still clinging on?” “I come from a lineage renowned for its boundless fertility. As you can see, all eight of those children are mine, children I bore for Declan.” “A woman who can’t even have children, truly a disgrace to us women.” “If I were you, I’d have left gracefully long ago.” I stared at the beautiful woman before me. A chill ran down my spine. I didn’t want to engage in a pointless argument; I just wanted to leave. But she blocked my way again. “Do you really think you still hold a place in his heart?” She grabbed my hand and, with it, slapped herself hard across the face. My palm went numb from the impact. As expected, her scream drew Declan’s attention. Declan rushed in, caressing the red mark on her face with tenderness. Then he turned and shoved me, sending me tumbling. My lower back hit the corner of a cabinet, and pain shot through my entire body. He wasn’t done. He swung his hand, connecting with a sharp crack across my face. Blood welled up at the corner of my mouth, and my cheek burned with searing pain. “Aria Maxwell, you’ve gone too far!” “I’ve gone too far? What about your promise to protect me forever?!” His pupils constricted, his expression flustered. But when he heard Seraphina’s sobs again, he chose to turn away from me, helping Seraphina out of the room. After they left, I was in too much pain to move. “Mr. Thompson, call a doctor…” “Mrs. Thorne, all our family doctors are currently in the nanny’s room, tending to *her* face…” “Mr. Thorne won’t let them come.” Declan had once arranged for ten family doctors for me. And now, all of them were attending to Seraphina’s face! The butler’s words were like needles, piercing my entire body, leaving only a dull, aching throb. I bit back the tears, refusing to let them fall, and dialed 911 myself. “Mrs. Thorne, congratulations! You’re two months pregnant!” “Though you’ve had a slight scare, please be sure to take good care of yourself when you go home!” I instinctively touched my lower abdomen, disbelief washing over me. Tears streamed down my face. My hand trembled as I called Declan. “Declan, we… we’re having a baby.” There was no joy, no surprise as I’d hoped. Only a sneer. “Aria, are you really so desperate to fight with the kids that you’d make up a lie like that?” I froze, unable to speak. Before the call disconnected, I faintly heard a woman’s soft moans from his end. I tilted my head back, forcing the tears not to fall. When I got home, Declan walked out of the nanny’s room. The hickeys on his neck were a glaring, painful accusation. I forced myself to ignore them and handed him a document. He paused for a second, then laughed, signing his name with a flourish. “Aria, I’ll buy you whatever you want, but you need to be obedient, okay?” “Tomorrow, I’m planning a party to announce that all eight of these children are mine!” I laughed, a bitter, angry sound. He wasn’t even pretending anymore? “You said you only adopted two. Why are you claiming the other six now?”

Declan stammered, his eyes darting away. “Seraphina’s children were constantly getting bullied at school. If I acknowledged them, no one would dare mess with them anymore.” “She’s a single mom, it’s not easy for her, you can understand that, right?” He reached out, taking my hand and gently stroking it. A wave of nausea washed over me. I pulled my hand away and left. I just had to wait for Liam to finalize the property division, then I’d be free. The next day, when I arrived at the banquet hall, Seraphina and Declan were dressed in extravagant evening wear, greeting guests at the entrance. Anyone who didn’t know them would think they were the couple of honor. In the past, Declan always had custom gowns made for me for every event, big or small. I walked up to Declan, gesturing to my simple attire, then to Seraphina’s elaborate gown. “What is the meaning of this?” Declan waved his hand dismissively. “Seraphina hasn’t worn such beautiful clothes before. Anyway, the children are the stars tonight.” “It doesn’t matter what you wear, does it?” Even though I was determined to leave, seeing the husband I’d loved for so many years like this, my heart still twisted with a sharp, familiar pain. I wandered aimlessly through the banquet, eventually finding myself in the children’s resting room. Looking at the two sleeping infants in their cribs, I thought of my own baby, who would someday be just as adorable, and reached out to hold them. Suddenly, the older children who had been playing nearby rushed over, grabbing my arms and biting down hard. The others ran to the door, screaming that I was trying to kill the babies. They ganged up, pushing me to the floor, pulling my hair, and splashing water on me. Soon, the guests and Declan rushed into the room. The children, seeing them, immediately sat on the floor and started crying. Declan shoved through the crowd, hurrying to my side. Without a word, he slapped me, not once, but ten times. I was too stunned to speak, my cheeks swelling painfully. Seraphina clutched a child, sobbing hysterically. “Mrs. Thorne, just because you can’t have children, do you have to harm other people’s children?” It happened so fast. I hadn’t even processed it, only felt the screaming pain from every part of my body. “That’s right, Mrs. Thorne! Mr. Thorne’s kindness to you is well-known in the elite circles.” “He doesn’t mind you can’t have children. Can’t you even let him adopt a few?” Everyone started to accuse me. Declan, without asking a single question, had already decided I was trying to harm the children. The guests’ words only fueled the fire. “Someone, lock this vicious woman in a room! Let her out after the banquet!” I cried out in disbelief. “No! It wasn’t me!” He ignored me. I was locked in that hotel room for three days. No phone, no one brought me food. I was dizzy and lightheaded from hunger every day. I kept pounding on the door until my palms were raw and bleeding. Declan had completely forgotten about me. He only remembered when he came back to settle the hotel bill. When he saw me, my hair was disheveled, and I was pale and gaunt. I felt a warm liquid trickle down my legs. Gathering my last ounce of strength, I rasped out, “Declan, save… save our baby!” I collapsed before him. Not long after, I was jolted awake by a splash of icy water. “Aria, why do you keep lying about having a baby?” “I told you, I’ll still treat you well after adopting the children!” Seraphina stood nearby, her eyes gleaming with unconcealed triumph. “Mrs. Thorne, lying will teach the children bad habits.” “I heard you’re terrified of water. We should soak you in the bathtub to teach you a good lesson, to set an example for the kids.” After that drowning incident all those years ago, I never went swimming again. Even showering, I had to do it quickly. Declan knew about my fear of water, yet he stood by, watching me with cold indifference. My hands were tied and hoisted up. Seraphina operated a mechanical arm, dipping me into the water, then pulling me out, then plunging me in again. “No! Please, no!” “My baby!” “Mrs. Thorne, you’re clearly on your period. And you’re still lying about being pregnant.” “Hmph! Give her a lesson she won’t forget, so she won’t dare to lie again.” The air in my lungs grew thinner and thinner. My lower abdomen ached, as if hammered. But nothing, nothing compared to the agony in my heart. I felt my child slipping away from me, little by little. In the depths of despair, on the verge of death, I lost consciousness. 5 I woke up to the stinging smell of antiseptic. When I opened my swollen eyes, Liam Hayes was sitting by my side. He shot up the moment he saw I was awake.

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Working overtime until midnight, I was about to head home when floating comments suddenly appeared in the sky. [Is this the lucky girl chosen by the male lead to be escorted home? She’s so ordinary, I wouldn’t even give her a second glance on the street.] [Yeah, the male lead is handsome and rich. This plain girl got a free chance to be favored by him. Her ancestors must be burning incense in their graves.] [Don’t be jealous, you guys. The male lead is just a chivalrous knight protecting girls. He won’t stop for any woman. He’s the male lead for all women, destined to conquer them all.] I quickly stopped my motion of walking out the door. Calling harassment “chivalrous escorting”? What nerve! Escort me? He’s not worthy! Saying this, I called my three brothers. Just as the call connected, a man suddenly rushed towards me. “Hello, I’m Jack. I’m taking on a challenge to escort 100 girls home at night. You’re the 20th one I’ve chosen. You’re really, really lucky!” His tone was upbeat, as if I had won a million-dollar prize. But I remained vigilant, just lowering my head to quickly send my location to my older brothers on my phone. Seemingly unsatisfied with my reaction, he brought his camera close to my face. “Excuse me, miss, how do you feel about being chosen by me?” As he spoke, he deliberately moved his face closer to mine, creating an intimate pose. Because he was so close, I could smell the sickeningly sweet cologne on him. I had been working overtime until dawn, my mind already foggy. Smelling this scent made me want to throw up even more. Fighting the nausea in my stomach, I took a big step back: “I don’t need you to escort me home. My family is already on their way. Please leave immediately!” I thought I had made myself clear enough and he would politely withdraw. But he suddenly laughed, And affectionately tapped my nose: “It’s already midnight. If someone was really coming to pick you up, they’d be here by now.” “Alright, I know you’re just lying because you’re shy. You’re worried I might be a bad guy, but don’t worry, I don’t blame you. I’m really not a bad person. I just saw a girl hadn’t gone home so late at night and was worried about your safety. I want to protect you and escort you home. Give me a chance, okay?” “Don’t worry, I’m just doing a challenge task. I’ll be your escorting knight, letting you enjoy the most beautiful night. You should trust…” Before I could answer, he suddenly grabbed my hand and tilted his head to act cute at me. Feeling the heat from his arm, I felt nauseated and violently shook him off. After shaking him off, I vigorously wiped my arm with a tissue, scrubbing so hard I almost broke the skin. Jack’s hand hung in mid-air, looking incredulous. The floating comments exploded. [No way, this plain girl actually rejected our handsome male lead? Has she looked in a mirror? Does she think she’s qualified to be picky?] [I don’t think she’s rejecting him. This girl is probably playing hard to get. She’s doing this to make our male lead remember her. After all, the harder to get, the more memorable, right?] [I think so too. Aren’t all women like this? Saying no when they mean yes~] Come to think of it, that makes sense. He’s the male lead in a harem novel. The author’s setting is that he’s practically irresistible to women. Jack’s face soured, but he quickly put on a gentle expression again and apologized to me: “I’m sorry, I wasn’t mindful of boundaries and scared you. But I really just want to escort you home and complete a challenge. Beautiful lady, can you please help me out?” He rubbed his hands together and pleaded with me: “Please, big sister, I promised my fans I’d do this challenge. Can you help me out~” Goosebumps rose all over my body and I felt a chill. “No, my brothers will be here soon. You should leave now.” “If you want to challenge escorting someone home, find someone else. I’m not available.” After saying this, I no longer looked at him and opened a match-3 game on my phone to pass the time. Just as the “Unbelievable” sound effect played, Jack walked dejectedly towards the exit carrying his helmet. Watching his retreating figure, I let out a long sigh of relief. Thankfully, this area was covered by surveillance cameras. He wasn’t so depraved as to force me against my will. I quickly exited the game and opened the chat with my brothers. In the past when I worked late, they would always come pick me up. Tonight I thought I was working until dawn, and didn’t want to disturb their rest, so I specifically told them not to come and decided to take a cab home. But because of this Jack guy challenging to escort strangers, I no longer dared to take a cab home alone. After all, there was a 500-meter blind spot in the surveillance cameras from here to the street corner. If something happened to me there, even the police wouldn’t be able to find me. The only reliable option was to wait for my brothers to pick me up under the surveillance cameras. They would arrive in just 10 minutes. But at that moment, Jack returned. He was holding a bouquet of flowers, walking towards me with deep affection. I was completely disgusted, not expecting him to still be so persistent. “Didn’t I tell you to leave? Why are you back!” I grabbed the pepper spray from my bag and watched him warily. If he made any inappropriate moves, I would definitely teach him a lesson. But Jack just held the flowers out to me. “Miss, this is my sincere gift. Please accept it. I’m sorry for bothering you so late at night. After you accept this, I’ll leave right away.” His eyes were full of sincerity, as if he really was apologizing. Thinking of those influencers I encountered on the street who wanted to do street photography with me, who were also this persistent but actually just doing their job, I suddenly felt a bit softer. Maybe I had thought too badly of him. I hesitated for a moment, about to reach out and accept. The floating comments appeared again. [Brothers, here we go again, it’s the male lead’s shining moment. Every time he gives flowers, no girl can resist. Let’s wait and see this girl eat her words.] [Haha, soon she’ll be desperately clinging to the male lead, wishing she could stick to him.] [These materialistic women, they can’t take their eyes off a bouquet of flowers. Women are just this cheap.] My heart tightened and I held my breath, quickly retreating several big steps. Only when I was over a meter away from him did I release my nose and let myself breathe. No girl can resist when he gives flowers? How could there be such an effective method? My sixth sense reminded me of the news I had seen about drugs that would make people obedient just by smelling them. “I don’t need your flowers. Leave now!” Jack’s expression changed and he explained to me pitifully: “What’s wrong, sister? I’m just giving you flowers to apologize. Did you misunderstand something?” “Is it that you don’t like roses? Are you allergic to pollen? If you don’t want the flowers that’s fine, don’t upset yourself. I’ll leave the flowers here and go first.” The panic in his eyes wasn’t fake. For a moment I was dazed, wondering if I had overthought things. But suddenly a wave of dizziness surged through my brain and I almost lost my balance. Jack, who had just left, exclaimed: “Miss, are you okay?” He tried to come forward to support me. I gritted my teeth and scolded him: “Get lost! Take your flowers and get lost!” Not only did he not leave, he kept coming closer. I got anxious: “I told you not to come near me. Can’t you understand human language?” “Do you want to wait for the police to come?” I glared at him fiercely, holding up my phone with “911” dialed. “Or do you want them to check what you sprayed on these flowers? What kind of unspeakable things are in there? Are you sure if this gets investigated, you can still be an influencer?” At these words, Jack’s eyes clearly panicked. He seemed not to expect that I would know about this. Seeing his expression, I was certain my guess was correct. I had originally just wanted to bluff him, but I didn’t expect him to reveal his guilt. This was the so-called male lead in the book? Disgusting. There were no girls willingly falling for him. They were all tricked by him. He actually took advantage of girls’ kindness, step by step achieving his goals. The phone started ringing, and Jack’s face changed. I put the phone to my ear, glaring at him fiercely: “Hello, I’d like to report a crime. Someone is…” Seeing I was serious, Jack panicked and ran away clutching the flowers. As soon as he left, I collapsed weakly against the chair back. My head was dizzy and my whole body felt weak. That drug was too strong. I had only smelled it a little but was still affected. I looked at my phone that I had just turned off and smiled. Thankfully, I had bluffed Jack before turning it off. Otherwise it would have been dangerous. I slapped my cheeks hard three times to keep myself alert. Now, I either had to go back to the 25th floor office to charge my phone, or go to the security booth 500 meters away to use their phone. After thinking it over, I decided to return to my company. I was afraid Jack hadn’t gone far and was lurking outside. Going to the security booth meant walking 500 meters. I pinched my palm hard and slowly walked towards the lobby elevator. Pressing the 25th floor button, I leaned against the door to rest as the elevator closed. But just as the elevator was about to close, a large hand blocked the doors. I suddenly opened my eyes. Jack tilted his head, smiling sinisterly while holding the flowers: “Sister, I thought about it. I still have to give you these flowers.” “Look at you, your phone is dead and you can’t contact your family. How can you get home alone? I still need to escort you, that’s the only safe way…” I was thunderstruck, completely frozen. I didn’t expect he hadn’t left and even knew my phone was dead. Huge panic enveloped me. In the enclosed space, the scent from the flowers grew stronger and stronger. The dizziness in my brain intensified. My whole body was going weak. Jack’s voice became distant. “Sister, come with me. I know you’re a good girl. You’ll agree to come with me, right?” He reached out his hand to me. My remaining consciousness told me to refuse, but my hand raised uncontrollably. Tears flowed from my eyes. My mind was becoming unclear. Just as I was about to touch his hand, I bit down hard on my tongue. The taste of blood filled my mouth, giving me a moment of clarity. I grabbed the pepper spray from my bag and sprayed it in his eyes. The spicy scent wafted out as Jack let out a heart-rending scream. He had never expected me to defend myself, which allowed me to succeed. I grabbed my bag and used all my strength to push past him and run away. Just then a security guard was making his rounds. I quickly ran over to him. “Help! Help! Someone is trying to kidnap me!” The security guard was a man in his 40s. We had met before when he helped me receive packages. Hearing what I said, he took out his phone to call the police for me. “It’s a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. Sir, she’s my girlfriend. We just had an argument. This is just a lovers’ quarrel. You should understand the situation clearly before calling the police. Otherwise it would be a false report and you’d be held responsible.” The security guard thought Jack had a point and hung up the phone. But he still tried to probe Jack: “You say you’re this young lady’s boyfriend. Tell me, what’s her name? What does she do at the company? When’s her birthday…” Jack fell silent. I felt a glimmer of hope. “Sir, you see he can’t answer. I have no relationship with him at all. I…” “Her name is Olivia. She was born on April 20, 1997. She works in social media doing video editing. She’s working so late tonight because her colleague called in sick today, so…” He narrowed his eyes and recited all the details about me word for word. He even knew the specifics of my work without any errors. I felt like I had fallen into an ice pit. How did he know all this? After hearing these details, the doubt in the security guard’s eyes faded considerably. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and said with dissatisfaction: “I really don’t understand you young couples nowadays. Why come to an office building late at night for a date? Hurry home and don’t hang around outside.” Hearing this, Jack nodded repeatedly and responded: “You’re right, sir. Sorry to disturb your work. If I hadn’t gone to buy flowers, we wouldn’t have delayed so long.” He deliberately held up the bouquet of roses. The security guard, who had still been slightly suspicious, saw the flowers and patted Jack on the shoulder. “You’re quite the romantic young man. But in the future, think about the girl…” Listening to these words, a wave of despair welled up inside me. I wanted to run, but my body had no strength. What if I ran outside the surveillance area and got caught? But now the security guard didn’t believe me and wouldn’t help me call the police. My phone was dead too. Did I have no choice but to go with him? No, absolutely not! I took out a pen from my bag and held it to my throat. “Sir, you know me. I’m begging you, please call the police. He’s really not my boyfr-” Before I could finish speaking, I fainted into Jack’s arms. He affectionately brushed the stray hairs from my forehead. “Seriously, how old are you to still be so willful? Alright, alright, I’ll order that bag you wanted later.” I wanted to speak, but my mouth wouldn’t obey. I couldn’t make a sound. I could only see the floating comments surging in the sky. [See, I told you this girl was just playing hard to get. What a gold digger…] [Still pretending? She’s already fallen into our handsome male lead’s arms.] [As expected of a harem novel’s male lead. He’s just so charming.] Jack’s tone grew even gentler. One arm around my waist, he waved goodbye to the security guard with the other: “Sir, we’ll be going now. Sorry for disturbing your work.” Watching the security guard’s figure grow more distant, a wave of despair welled up inside me. Tears flowed down like broken strings of pearls. Jack leaned close to my ear and said ind in a voice only we could hear: “It’s useless, Miss Olivia. I already promised my fan I’d deliver you to his house. He paid me $20,000. I’m keeping that money, and I’m definitely his house delivering you.” I couldn’t speak at all as he carried me to his motorcycle. He picked up the helmet he had prepared for me. Just then, familiar shouts came from up ahead. My three brothers got out of a car.

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After learning that I voluntarily gave up my promotion opportunity to her beloved junior colleague, my wife, who had always been adamant about not having children, surprisingly agreed to have a baby with me. When the junior colleague found out, he became insanely jealous and threatened to resign, even picking up a scalpel to harm himself. My wife panicked and, to appease him, not only gave him my bonus but also moved out of our home to accompany him on a month-long world tour. Afterwards, my wife acted completely indifferent. “Lucas and I have been busy attending medical conferences. Unlike you, who’s been sitting around doing nothing and jumping to malicious conclusions!” “You’re the one with the dirty mind. People with rotten hearts see everything as filthy!” I clutched the pregnancy test report that her junior colleague had sent me earlier, feeling no anger, just a slight smile. Seeing that I didn’t argue, my wife looked satisfied and promised with a smile that she’d give me a big, chubby son later, fulfilling my wish to become a father. But she didn’t know that we had no future together. Not long ago, she had unknowingly signed our divorce papers with her own hand. 0

It had been a month since I last saw my wife, Olivia. As she and Lucas arrived at the hospital entrance, their colleagues immediately greeted them warmly: “Dr. Jiang, Dr. Chen, welcome back from your conference!” Watching this scene, I couldn’t help but feel a bitter laugh rising in my throat. Conference? They had actually been on a global tour! Throughout the past month, Lucas had constantly sent me photos of him and Olivia on their travels. They watched sunsets on beaches, saw the Northern Lights in the Arctic, and even took cheesy couple photos at the Eiffel Tower. Along with the pictures, Lucas would send me voice messages, gloating about how much more Olivia favored him and telling me to back off. At first, it felt like my heart was being ripped out. Now, I just felt numb and somewhat amused by the absurdity of it all. I had originally planned to return some things to Olivia’s office. Since she was back, I might as well give them to her in person. I approached them, looking directly at Olivia. “Dr. Jiang, I have something for you.” Lucas smirked and said, “Jack, are you bringing a gift for Olivia? How thoughtful.” Immediately, our colleagues turned to me with mocking looks. “A gift? Does Jack even know his place?” “As if he has a chance with Dr. Jiang. Talk about delusional!” I ignored their jeers. After all these years, I was used to it. Olivia and I had been secretly married for seven years, but she always refused to make our relationship public. She never posted photos of us together on social media or mentioned me in any of her updates. Even at the hospital, she insisted on maintaining a professional distance, making me call her “Dr. Jiang” and treating me coldly and strictly at work. Our colleagues had no idea about our relationship. When I sent Olivia flowers for our anniversary, they assumed I was just trying to curry favor with her. They mocked and isolated me, thinking they were pleasing Olivia by doing so. And Olivia? She just watched it all happen, letting me bear the brunt of their disdain. Snapping back to the present, Olivia also assumed I was bringing a gift and coldly said, “Jack, it’s work hours. If you have this much free time, you should focus on your job instead.” “Actually, this is work-related,” I replied. I handed her my white coat and ID badge, which I had already removed. Olivia froze for a moment, confused. “Jack, what’s the meaning of this?” I was equally puzzled. I had resigned, so naturally, I needed to return these items. In fact, I had wanted to quit a month ago, but I had patients under my care that I needed to see through to recovery. Just yesterday, after my last patient was discharged, I immediately went through the resignation process with HR. I had even sent Olivia an online resignation request, which she had approved. But now, why did she look so clueless? It dawned on me that she probably hadn’t even read my message before approving it. I was about to explain about my resignation when Lucas interrupted. “Jack, are you quitting?” He tugged at Olivia’s sleeve, his eyes reddening. “Olivia, Jack must be upset about the promotion incident. That’s why he’s resigning.” “Maybe I should give the promotion back to Jack. He has more experience and would be better suited for the Chief of Surgery position.” Olivia’s face immediately softened with concern. She patted Lucas’s shoulder gently. “Lucas, don’t put yourself down like that.” “You’re so talented. Jack can’t even compare to you. You absolutely deserve to be Chief of Surgery!” She then turned to me with a cold glare. “Jack, stop trying to use your seniority! If we’re going by that logic, even the old guard dog at the gate has been here longer than you!” I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Olivia really had a talent for twisting the truth. The reality was that Lucas lacked the necessary skills and was only hired because of Olivia’s special treatment. Since joining, he had made frequent mistakes, lacking even basic diagnostic skills and nearly killing patients by prescribing the wrong medications multiple times. Each time, I had to clean up his messes. Despite all this, Olivia still insisted that Lucas was brilliant and told me to learn from him. A month ago, she even wanted me to give up my promotion opportunity to Lucas. When I refused, she gave me the cold shoulder. Not wanting to upset her further, I eventually gave in. But she still wasn’t satisfied and accused me of throwing my weight around. I let out a cold laugh. “You’re right. I can’t compare to Lucas. The hospital is all yours now.” Olivia raised her chin haughtily. “Good that you know your place. By the way, Lucas has been busy traveling lately. You’ll take over his surgeries and research reports, won’t you?” In the past, Olivia had always exploited me like this, claiming it was to “train” me. If it weren’t for her deliberately holding me back, I would have been promoted to Chief of Surgery long ago. Moreover, my skills were far from lacking. She didn’t know that many hospitals had tried to recruit me, but I had turned them all down to stay by her side. Now that I think about it, it really wasn’t worth it. So this time, I firmly refused. “I have no obligation to cover for Lucas. Besides, I’ve already—” Before I could say “resigned,” Lucas tugged at Olivia’s sleeve again, whispering, “Olivia, I’ll do it myself. Jack’s probably just jealous that we went on the trip together…” Olivia’s eyes immediately turned cold. She pulled me aside and hissed, “Jack, are you done with this childish behavior? Lucas and I were busy attending medical conferences. Unlike you, who’s been sitting around doing nothing and jumping to ridiculous conclusions!” Conclusions? It seems she had told this lie so many times that she started believing it herself. I gripped my phone tightly, the screen still showing the private message Lucas had sent me just half an hour ago. It was Olivia’s pregnancy test report! So this was their idea of “attending conferences” and “working.” This time, I didn’t confront Olivia hysterically about her lies like I used to. In the past, whenever I questioned her, she would accuse me of being paranoid, and if she couldn’t argue her way out, she’d give me the silent treatment indefinitely. It was all so tiresome. Thinking about this, I simply smiled. “You misunderstood. I refused because I’m not feeling well.” Hearing this, Olivia’s expression changed, her tone softening slightly. “Not feeling well? Are you sick?” Just as she was about to reach out to me in concern, Lucas suddenly clutched his chest, dramatically exclaiming that he felt dizzy and his chest hurt. Olivia immediately turned her attention to Lucas, running towards him. “Lucas, are you okay? Don’t scare me like that…” Of course, when it came to choosing between Lucas and me, Olivia would always pick Lucas. I had no interest in watching their melodramatic performance, so I turned to leave. As I took the elevator down to the parking garage, I noticed a brand new Mercedes parked next to my car. I recognized it immediately—it was the car Olivia had bought for Lucas!

This Mercedes was Olivia’s gift to Lucas for his promotion. She had always been generous with Lucas, sparing no expense, while being incredibly stingy with me. My old Honda was falling apart, with peeling paint and tires that had been patched up multiple times. It often stalled on me. When I mentioned wanting to get a new car, Olivia told me not to be so materialistic and to learn to be content with what I had. On my birthdays, she would only give me a brief verbal congratulation, sometimes a handwritten card. While I tried not to mind, I couldn’t help feeling envious when I saw other people’s social media posts about the lavish gifts their partners gave them. So, on my 35th birthday, I finally worked up the courage to ask Olivia for a proper gift. She got annoyed. “Jack, we’ve been married for so long. Do we really need to fuss over these trivial things?” If I had truly fussed over every little thing, we would have separated long ago. Over the years, I had given up promising career opportunities and high-paying jobs to stay and work by Olivia’s side. My base salary was the bare minimum, while my workload was the heaviest. Olivia always found reasons to dock my pay. If I entered the hospital with my left foot first, she’d claim it affected the feng shui and deduct money. When Lucas threatened to quit, she’d somehow twist it to be my fault and use my bonus to placate him. Looking back, I realize all that money she held back from me went to spoiling Lucas. The reason Olivia treated me so dismissively was simply that she thought I would never leave her. But this time, I was truly exhausted. It was time to end this miserable marriage. Snapping out of my thoughts, I drove to a law firm to draft divorce papers. Afterwards, I went home to pack a few things before heading to my apartment. I had originally planned to add Olivia’s name to the apartment deed. But when I bought it, I had a sudden change of heart and got it notarized as pre-marital property, as a sort of insurance policy. Now, I’m grateful I made that decision. Otherwise, I’d have nowhere to go after moving out. Arriving at the apartment, I entered the passcode to open the door. To my surprise, the lock flashed red and emitted a harsh beeping sound. The password was wrong! I tried several more times, but none worked. A sense of unease grew in my chest. I quickly called a locksmith to force the door open. When the door swung open, I was completely stunned. The sharp smell of cigarettes hit me, and the floor was littered with cigarette butts and scattered clothes. My beloved minimalist Italian decor had been replaced with a moody blue color scheme. The walls, once covered with photos of Olivia and me, were now plastered with pictures of her and Lucas. Then I remembered—Olivia knew the apartment’s passcode too. Since getting together with Olivia, I had kept nothing from her. But while I gave her my whole heart, she had been using this place as a love nest with Lucas behind my back. Looking at the apartment filled with traces of their life together, I felt sick to my stomach. There was no way I could live here anymore. Using what little savings I had left, I rented a small studio to stay in temporarily. Then I immediately listed the apartment for sale at a low price. Soon, someone contacted me wanting to rent the place. After signing the contract, I sent them the passcode. The new tenant moved in quickly. Just as I finished dealing with all this and was about to rest, my phone rang. I answered, and Olivia’s voice came through. She feigned innocence: “Jack, did you change the apartment passcode? And why is someone saying you sold the place to them?” I didn’t bother hiding it. “Yes, I sold it.” There was a pause on the other end, then Olivia’s voice came back shocked and angry. “You sold it? How could you make such a big decision without consulting me?” I coldly retorted, “The apartment was mine. I had every right to sell it.” “Besides, why are you so worked up about me selling my own apartment?” Olivia was at a loss for words. In the past, I never would have confronted her like this. I always said that what was mine was hers, and she had gotten used to taking advantage of that, claiming everything of mine as her own. Thinking we were family, I didn’t mind. I never expected my sincerity would be met with such entitlement. She never treated me like a husband, so why should I treat her like a wife? Hearing my uncharacteristically harsh tone, Olivia thought I was still upset about her breaking promises. Her voice softened a bit. “Jack, I know you’re still angry that I stood you up, but there were reasons for that.” “I promise, once things settle down, I’ll step back from work and give you a son. Wouldn’t that make you happy?” “But first, you need to get the apartment back from the tenant.” “I forgot to tell you, when Lucas first came to me, he had nothing. I felt bad for him, so I let him stay at your apartment since it was empty anyway. I didn’t expect you’d sell it.” “Now because of you, Lucas has nowhere to live. Jack, stop being difficult and get the apartment back. I’ll keep my promise to you eventually…” There she went again. Whenever Olivia couldn’t argue her way out, she’d make empty promises to try and get me to give in. But after all these years, I was tired of her false promises. Thinking of this, I coldly said, “Fine, I’ll get it back. But Lucas needs to pay rent first.” Olivia angrily berated me. “Money, money, money. Is that all you care about?” “Lucas came to the big city alone with nothing. They say an older sister is like a mother, and as his mentor, I’m practically his mother. It’s only right that I look after him.” “And you? Not only do you refuse to help, but you’re kicking him while he’s down. When did you become so cold-hearted?” I laughed bitterly to myself. Olivia certainly had taken good care of Lucas—she even “took care” of having his child. Besides, Lucas was the one freeloading. How had this become my fault? Seeing my silence, Olivia thought she had me cornered and pressed on, “Jack, if you don’t agree, I’m really going to get angry!” In the past, whenever Olivia got angry, I would immediately apologize and sweet-talk her, even if I had to go against my conscience. But now, I was so done with her that I couldn’t care less if she got upset. Thinking this, I enunciated each word clearly: “Olivia, Lucas’s difficulties are not my doing. I have no obligation to pay for his problems.” With that, I hung up the phone. After settling into my new place, I took the divorce papers and drove back to Olivia’s and my home, intending to have her sign them. As I approached the front door, I heard laughter coming from inside.

As soon as I entered, I saw Olivia and Lucas’s matching shoes in the entryway. His black leather shoes next to her white stilettos—they looked perfectly coordinated. Actually, long ago, I had suggested to Olivia that we could be like other couples, wearing matching outfits and using couple items. But she had dismissed the idea, saying we were too old for such childish things and it would be embarrassing. Yet now, she was clearly enjoying it. It seems Olivia hadn’t disliked couple items—she just disliked the idea of doing it with me. In the living room, our wedding photo had been deliberately defaced. Someone had scribbled over my eyes in the picture and drawn a large X across my face. Before I could process this, I heard playful laughter coming from the kitchen. “Lucas, just stand there and be good. I promise this porridge will be perfect for your taste.” “Really? Then I can’t wait to try it~” In the kitchen, Olivia had her hair tied up, exposing her slender neck as Lucas leaned in close to help her tie on an apron. Halfway through cooking, she didn’t forget to scoop up a spoonful for Lucas to taste. The two flirted and joked around, completely at ease with each other. I felt like an intruder in my own home. Just then, Lucas noticed me. “Jack! What are you doing here?” “But it’s good timing. Olivia just made some delicious rice porridge. Would you like a bowl?” As he spoke, Lucas was about to go to the kitchen to get me some porridge, acting every bit the host. Olivia quickly stopped him, giving me a cold look. “Lucas, that porridge was made specially for you. There’s none for certain others.” “By the way, Jack, isn’t it still work hours? Why are you home?” “This counts as skipping work. That’s a $200 deduction. Make sure you report it to HR later!” After all this time, Olivia still didn’t know I had resigned? But I couldn’t be bothered to explain. The resignation had been approved; she’d find out sooner or later. I had more important matters to deal with. “I came to see you. I need you to sign something.” I took out the divorce papers and handed them to Olivia. Seeing this, Lucas immediately chimed in with fake concern: “Olivia, Jack must be here to apologize about the phone call earlier. Look, he even brought you a gift! I wonder if it’s a car or a house this time?” Hearing this, Olivia’s expression softened. She also assumed these were some sort of gift to make amends, and signed without even looking. It made sense. In the past, I often placated her this way. Whenever Olivia was unhappy, I would secretly buy her jewelry or a car to cheer her up. But this time, she was in for a disappointment. “You’ve misunderstood. These are div—” Before I could finish, Olivia haughtily cut me off. “Jack, just because I accepted your gift doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you.” “If you want my forgiveness, you need to apologize to Lucas first.” “Also, since you sold the apartment, Lucas has nowhere to stay. He’ll have to move in with us for a while. You’ll need to give up the master bedroom for him…” “No problem,” I replied. Seeing me so agreeable, Olivia looked pleased. “Jack, if only you had been this understanding from the start.” I coldly interrupted her: “It’s not just the room. I’m giving you up too.” With that, I turned to leave. Lucas’s eyes immediately welled up with tears as he stammered, “Jack must be mad at me. Olivia, I should go. I don’t want to cause problems between you two.” “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine even if I have to sleep under a bridge…” Every time Lucas played the victim, Olivia would melt with sympathy. She immediately glared at me and snapped, “Jack, what’s the big deal about giving up a room? If you don’t want to, then don’t. Why are you being so passive-aggressive?” “Besides, Lucas is already in such a difficult situation. Do you really want him sleeping on the streets? If you keep acting like this, I swear I’ll divorce you!” Lucas quickly tried to mediate, while subtly fanning the flames. “Jack, you should apologize to Olivia. What if she really divorces you? What about your job?” “The job market is tough these days, and you’re not exactly young anymore. Without Olivia, what kind of work could you even find?” Olivia snorted, also using my job as a threat. “That’s right, Jack. You’d better apologize to me and Lucas right now. Otherwise, I’ll divorce you and leave you with nothing!” Olivia was certain I wouldn’t dare leave her. She was trying to use this to force me to give in. But I just laughed and tossed the divorce papers at her. “No need for all that. We’re already divorced.”

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The Curator and all the experts were high-fiving and shaking hands, celebrating a major win. Only Chloe, my junior colleague, the so-called genius who claimed she could commune with the ‘spirits’ of artifacts, was clinging to my leg, her eyes red and glistening. “Harper, I know your methods are outdated, but you can’t just give up like this! The relics need you!” I coldly pulled my leg away. In my past life, every time she ‘appraised’ an artifact, she’d just light a ‘Spirit-Scent Incense’ and accurately state its age, material, and even its hidden stories. But all of that? It was data I’d pulled from sleepless nights in the lab, my own research. In the end, she framed me as a national treasure thief, and I died unjustly in prison. Now, I’ve been reborn to that exact moment: she was holding a fake legendary Dragon’s Seal, just about to light her ‘mystic incense’ to ‘read’ it. Chloe looked at me, her expression wounded. “Harper, I know they don’t understand, but you believe me, right?” The incense stick wavered in her hand, a thin trail of green smoke curling upwards. In my last life, I was completely manipulated by that innocent, pitiful act. “Chloe, are you really going to perform your little occult show in front of all these experts?” My voice was so calm, it even surprised me. She froze for a second, clearly not expecting me to say that. “Harper, I truly can sense the history of artifacts…” “Enough!” The Curator slammed his hand on the table. “What ‘sensing’? This is an artifact appraisal center, not some fortune-telling booth!” Other experts shook their heads, sighing. “Chloe, it’s good for young people to have ideas, but this method…” “It’s just ridiculous!” “We’re here for scientific research, not superstition!” Chloe’s tears finally spilled. She bit her lip, her face stubbornly defiant. “I know you don’t believe me, but I really… I really can sense it!” With that, she lit the incense stick. Pale green smoke slowly rose, filling the room with a strange, heavy scent. I stared at that incense stick, a wave of immense fury swelling inside me. In my past life, it was this very incense stick that made everyone believe in Chloe’s ‘divine power,’ making her famous overnight, while I became her stepping stone. “Experts, please observe!” Chloe closed her eyes, putting on a show of piety. “I can sense the history of this legendary Dragon’s Seal…” She began to babble, talking about emperors’ grievances and tears of blood from history. But soon, her tone shifted. She started rattling off the exact scientific data I’d spent several sleepless nights compiling. The experts in my past life listened, their jaws dropped. They actually ended up believing she could ‘read’ the artifacts. But this time, I wouldn’t let her succeed. “Chloe, are you done with your act?” I suddenly stood up. Everyone looked at me, including Liam, who was sitting next to me. “Harper, you…” Chloe opened her eyes, a flicker of panic in them. “You think lighting an incense stick will fool everyone?” I sneered. “Do you even know what’s been added to this stick?” Chloe’s face instantly went pale. “You’re lying! It’s just regular sandalwood incense!” “Regular sandalwood?” I walked over to her, snatched the still-burning stick from her hand. “Then why does it contain hallucinogenic compounds?” The conference room fell silent. The Curator frowned. “Harper, what do you mean by that?” I turned to the Curator, my voice sharp and clear. “Curator, I suggest we immediately perform a chemical analysis on this incense.” Chloe’s hands began to tremble. “Harper, why are you doing this to me? I just wanted to prove myself…” “Prove yourself?” I scoffed. “Or prove how clever your deception is?” Liam stood up, looking at me with concern. “Harper, aren’t you getting too worked up? Chloe hasn’t done anything. Don’t scare her…” I turned my head to look at him, a wave of profound disappointment washing over me. He was just like this in my past life. Even when he knew Chloe was problematic, he always used that gentle tone to make excuses for her. “Then you tell me, what’s the scientific basis for ‘Spirit-Scent Incense’ appraising artifacts?” “I didn’t… it’s just…” “Just what? Just that you think I’m being unreasonable, that I’m targeting your perfect, innocent little junior sister?” Liam’s face flushed. “Harper, don’t talk like that.” “Alright! Everyone quiet down. We’ll test the incense’s components now. Get someone from the forensics lab down here.” The Curator made the final decision.

The forensics lab colleague came in with the report. “The results are out. It’s just regular sandalwood incense, no additives.” My heart sank. Hard. Chloe immediately looked up, a triumphant glint in her eyes. “Harper, you see? I wasn’t lying. I really don’t know why you have such a prejudice against me…” The Curator cleared his throat. “Harper, your accusation just now was a bit… over the top.” “Wait.” I forced myself to stay calm. “Even if the incense is fine, it doesn’t prove she can actually ‘read’ artifacts.” Chloe bit her lip, looking wronged. “Harper, why won’t you just believe me?” She relit the sandalwood incense, and the green smoke curled up again. “I’ll demonstrate again, to prove I really can sense the history of artifacts.” The experts in the room started whispering among themselves. Some were clearly impatient with this ‘occult’ performance. “Ridiculous!” One expert directly stood up. “I don’t want to waste my time watching this trick.” “Exactly! What era is this, still doing all this superstitious stuff?” another expert echoed. Chloe’s tears streamed down her face. She spoke in a trembling voice. “This ancient jade disc… it’s crying out in pain. It’s not the real legendary Dragon’s Seal…” The conference room erupted in laughter. “She couldn’t even tell that?” “Everyone knows it’s a fake!” “You called us here just to hear this?” A few experts directly stood up, ready to leave. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This time, finally, it wouldn’t… “It’s a celadon jade from the ancient lands, hardness 6.5, density 2.95, containing tremolite 87%, actinolite 11%, and other minerals 2%.” Chloe suddenly spoke. The experts who were leaving stopped dead in their tracks. “The craftsmanship uses late ancient polishing techniques, but the carving style is clearly medieval. There’s a clear anachronism.” “The patina on the jade surface is artificially aged, using tea water and smoke treatment…” The laughter died down instantly. These data points? I’d worked until 3 AM last night in the lab to get them! I hadn’t even released them to anyone yet! “There are three tiny air bubbles inside the jade, located at the dragon head, belly, and tail, which are characteristics of modern casting techniques…” No! Impossible! The Curator, shocked, flipped open my detection report on my desk. His face instantly changed. “This… these data points are perfectly consistent! Not a single word off!” Everyone’s gaze snapped to me. “Harper, did you tell Chloe in advance?” an expert questioned. “Impossible!” I quickly defended myself. “My report was just finished last night. I haven’t shown it to anyone!” Liam looked at Chloe in astonishment, his eyes starting to show a mix of curiosity and admiration. “Chloe, you really can sense all this?” Chloe opened her eyes, tears welling up as she looked at me. “I don’t know why either. Harper, you see, it’s really talking to me. Now… do you believe me?” I felt a wave of dizziness, as if the world was spinning. History wasn’t just repeating itself; it was crashing down on me even faster. “This is incredible!” The Curator’s attitude completely shifted. “Chloe, your ability…” “It’s simply a gift!” “Our country’s artifact appraisal field is about to see a prodigy!” Praise erupted from all sides. “No!” I suddenly stood up. “She must have seen my experimental data in advance!” “Harper, what else do you have to say?” The Curator frowned. “She broke into the lab last night!” I was nearly hysterical. “She stole my data!” Chloe cried even harder. “Harper, I was in my dorm all last night. My roommates can prove it…” The Curator’s attitude completely changed. “Harper, this is getting tiresome. Chloe clearly has this talent. If you’re jealous, just say so.” “Harper, that’s enough!” Liam finally exploded. “Why are you pushing Chloe like this? Is it so hard to admit someone else is talented?” “I’m not pushing her! I’m just trying to prove…” “Prove what? Prove that you’re jealous of her talent?” That sentence hit me like a thunderbolt. Everyone looked at me with strange eyes, filled with disdain, disappointment, and the mocking gaze reserved for a clown. And Chloe, she stood there, tears in her eyes, yet unable to hide the triumphant smile playing on her lips. Just like in my past life. I closed my eyes, my fists clenched. Was I truly unable to escape this outcome?

The next day’s appraisal meeting. On the table lay a rare Renaissance landscape painting. I’d once again pulled an all-nighter, working until 3 AM, conducting a detailed age analysis and technique study on this painting. Ink composition, paper fibers, mounting process – I verified every single detail repeatedly. I was like a drowning person, clinging desperately to science as my last straw. Chloe sat across from me, holding that same sandalwood incense stick. “Harper, you didn’t get much sleep last night again, did you?” She looked at me with concern. “Your eyes are so dark.” I ignored her. The Curator pointed to the painting. “Today, we’re appraising this piece. Harper, is your report ready?” “I won’t need a paper report today. I’ve memorized everything.” I looked at Chloe. “Why don’t we let Chloe go first?” Chloe nodded, lighting the incense. Green smoke rose again. She closed her eyes, putting on that pious act. “I hear the painting’s voice…” “It says it was created by the master Leonardo da Vinci, using fine linen canvas and mineral pigments blended with linseed oil…” The pen in my hand snapped. I had just finished analyzing these data points last night! How could she possibly know! “The mountains in the painting use sfumato techniques, the trees employ atmospheric perspective – typical of da Vinci’s style…” The Curator’s eyes widened. “My god! Chloe, you can even sense the painting techniques?” Chloe opened her eyes, triumph sparkling within them. “It also told me that this painting was once cherished by a renowned 19th-century collector. That person loved it so much, they’d look at it every day…” She started fabricating poetic stories, packaging my scientific data into emotional narratives about the artifact’s ‘soul.’ Everyone listened, utterly captivated. “Chloe, your ability is truly miraculous!” Liam’s gaze softened. “I never knew you had such a gift.” I was left on the sidelines, like an irrelevant clown. An expert whispered, “Harper’s technical skills are amazing, of course, but the efficiency difference is just too much…” “Yeah, what Chloe can solve in minutes takes Harper all-nighters.” “Times are changing. We need to keep up.” My fists clenched, my chest ached as if a hole had been torn through it. Chloe, however, smiled humbly. “This is all thanks to Harper’s excellent guidance. I’m just lucky enough to understand what artifacts are saying.” “Chloe, you’re too modest!” Liam praised. “This kind of talent is one in a millennium.” I watched his gaze on Chloe soften more and more, a growing sense of dread rising within me. The scenes from my past life began to replay. The Curator stood up. “I’ve decided that from now on, Chloe will primarily handle the appraisal of important artifacts.” I snapped my head up. “Curator, I don’t think that’s appropriate…”

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On the morning of our planned destination wedding, my fiancée Evelyn finally rushed to the airport from her company. But just before boarding, she suddenly received an urgent message from her male secretary. “I’m so sorry, honey. The company just got a huge project that needs my approval,” she said. “Why don’t you go on the trip first? I’ll join you in a few days once I’ve dealt with all the work stuff.” Though disappointed, I understood the importance of her work and agreed. After Evelyn left, I tore up my plane ticket. I decided to go back and see which clueless company dared to discuss a major project with my wife’s company – which I had just fully reclaimed that very morning – bypassing me, the current CEO, to find her, a mere figurehead shareholder. I followed her all the way to the billion-dollar wedding venue hotel I had gifted her when we first started dating. The welcome sign nearly blinded me with its giant letters: [Congratulations on the marriage of Miss Evelyn Bridges & Mr. Lucas Gray] On the carefully edited wedding photo beside it, Evelyn was beaming in a wedding dress, Embracing a man who wasn’t me – her supposed destination wedding groom – But Lucas Gray, her male secretary who had just messaged about the “huge project”. It all made sense now. No wonder when we discussed getting married, she said she was tired of putting on a show at work and didn’t want to go through all those empty formalities. She just wanted a quiet destination wedding with me. Turns out she had someone else in mind for the wedding photos, ceremony, and marriage license. Before entering the hotel, I made a phone call. I had just settled into the seat with the best view when I saw Evelyn’s father walking her down the aisle under the officiant’s direction. They slowly made their way to where I was sitting. Lucas also walked down from the other end of the aisle, solemnly extending his hand to Evelyn. Just as Evelyn’s dad was about to place her hand in Lucas’, I decisively kicked Evelyn hard in the shin, sending her face-planting onto the floor. Her veil fell off and her bouquet scattered everywhere. Lucas was also knocked down by her fall. Evelyn, sprawled at my feet, was about to curse loudly, But she only raised her head to look at me once before all the blood seemed to freeze in her body. Lucas kept calling for Evelyn to help him up, but she didn’t even dare to look at him. I looked down at the panicked Evelyn, who still hadn’t managed to get up, and asked: “Why the grand gesture? Are you asking me for a wedding gift?” Suddenly hearing my voice, Lucas turned to look at me in disbelief, his face turning pale with fright. He instinctively tried to hide behind Evelyn, but was grabbed by her father. Evelyn’s dad put on a shrewd expression. He arrogantly pointed at me and shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear: “You shameless homewrecker! You just won’t give up, will you?” “Didn’t I already chase you away outside the hotel? How did you get in here?” As soon as he finished speaking, all eyes in the room focused on me. “No wonder he looks so shifty. Turns out he’s a homewrecker.” “Evelyn is the most dedicated girl. She’s utterly devoted to Lucas. Anyone who has designs on her is just wasting their time.” “Evelyn and Lucas have known each other since they were in diapers. They started dating in middle school. As soon as Evelyn graduated and made it big, she immediately brought Lucas to the city to enjoy the good life. She even made him a boss to help manage her company. Who do you think you are? Take a good look at yourself in the mirror before trying to come between them.” Childhood sweethearts. Together since middle school. Well, well. I nodded along as I listened. Evelyn had pursued me relentlessly since we started college. It wasn’t until our senior year that I was finally moved by her persistence and decided to be with her. Up until today – the day of our destination wedding. I had been forced to be the “other man” for 3 years. While she and Lucas were actually in love all along, why did she pursue me in the first place? The answer was obvious – it could only be for my identity as the son of a billionaire and pop diva, and my endless wealth. This was just perfect. I kicked Evelyn over again. “So you think I’m the ‘other man’ too?” Evelyn’s face was full of guilt as she kept shaking her head at me. Just as she was about to explain something, Lucas suddenly screamed and pounced on her. “Evelyn, are you okay?!” He hugged her tightly, desperately trying to signal her with his eyes. Evelyn met his gaze for a moment, slowly calming down as a calculating look flashed in her eyes. Seeing Evelyn get hit, all the guests were indignant. “Who do you think you are, hitting people?!” A man nearby rolled up his sleeves, raising his fist as if he was about to punch me in the face any second. “Wait.” Evelyn’s demeanor changed completely from her previous cowering. “Ryan Shaw, you’ve been pestering me for years. I’ve already clearly rejected you and told you my heart belongs to someone else.” “Today is my and Lucas’ happiest day. I absolutely cannot allow anyone to ruin the wedding I’ve so carefully prepared for him.” “You need to leave now. Don’t make me call security to throw you out.” I met her gaze with a cold smirk. “Evelyn Bridges, don’t forget where this hotel came from. What right do you have to throw me out?” “Or do you think that as long as I leave, no one will ever find out about all your dirty secrets?” Lucas stepped forward, still holding Evelyn’s hand. “Brother Ryan, I know you’ve always liked Evelyn and it hurts to see her marry me.” “But Evelyn has always loved me. You can’t force these things.” “We’re already married now. I hope you won’t come bother her anymore in the future.” I wasn’t actually surprised by Evelyn and Lucas’ relationship. It was precisely because I discovered their affair that I decisively took back the company I had funded, staffed, and worked tirelessly to help Evelyn establish and grow. And I had kept all of this from Evelyn until now. Originally, I was afraid my actions were too harsh and wanted to give her one last chance. Now it seems I had thought too much of her. I was about to throw the proof of reclaiming the company in Evelyn’s face, When her father’s eyes suddenly lit up and he deliberately raised his voice: “Oh I get it now, you must be that male secretary Evelyn told me about before – the one who had designs on her at the company!”

I wanted to laugh hearing that. I nudged Evelyn’s foot with my shoe tip. “What status do you have and what status do I have? Me, be your secretary?” “How come your dad doesn’t even know what his own son-in-law does for work?” Before I finished speaking, a man eating sunflower seeds nearby spat a mouthful of shells in my face. The whole room burst into laughter. “You gold-digging homewrecker, you didn’t even bother to find out how wealthy your target is?” “Do you know who Evelyn is? She’s a billionaire boss and CEO, with mountains of companies under her, not to mention countless luxury cars and mansions.” “See this hotel? This huge, luxurious wedding venue – it all belongs to our Evelyn!” “And Lucas is even more impressive.” “Not only does he help Evelyn manage all those companies under her, he’s also closed I don’t know how many major deals for her, increasing the value of Evelyn’s company by hundreds of millions in one go, directly propelling it into the ranks of the world’s top 100.” Lucas helps Evelyn manage the company, Closes deals for her, Increases her company’s value, pushing it into the world’s top 100? When in reality it was me who invested hundreds of millions of my own pocket money into her company time and time again, It was me who leveraged my parents’ connections to build her network everywhere, It was me who endured countless wine-soaked business dinners to negotiate one deal after another for her, It was me who stayed up countless nights guiding her step by step, and even had to personally take over and complete work that should have been hers due to her extremely narrow vision and utter lack of experience. Without my help, how many generations would it take for Evelyn – a poor country girl who couldn’t even afford college tuition – to achieve today’s success through talent and hard work alone? Someone who couldn’t stand my arrogant attitude advised Evelyn: “If you ask me, you’re just too lenient with your employees. What kind of secretary has the guts to come cause trouble at your wedding?” “If I were you, I’d fire him on the spot to teach him a lesson about overreaching.” Voices of agreement rang out across the banquet hall. Evelyn looked at me as if she really was reprimanding her subordinate. “After causing such a scene, there’s no way I can keep you on as my secretary.” “But considering you’ve worked for the company for so many years, even if you haven’t made major contributions, you’ve at least put in the effort. I’ll transfer you to a branch office instead of completely ruining your livelihood.” “If you still don’t know what’s good for you, don’t blame me for firing you.” Her actions won a round of applause. “Evelyn really lives up to her reputation as a big boss. She’s so magnanimous, willing to give even this kind of man a chance.” But I was not grateful at all. I even let out a cold laugh. “Fire me?” “Why don’t you try firing just me then? I’d like to see how you fire me.” Someone immediately mocked me sarcastically. “I guess someone like him wouldn’t be afraid of getting fired.” “Even if he gets fired, he can still go sell himself. How much money can he make as a secretary anyway?” As soon as those words were spoken, everyone had meaningful expressions on their faces. The shirtless, greasy man looked at me lustfully, almost drooling. “Not bad body, little brother. Are you up for anything? How much for one time?” “Uncle can’t give you as much as those bosses, but at least give me a discount since I’m a friend of the Bridges family, yeah?” I glared at Evelyn, my expression terrifyingly dark. “Evelyn Bridges, are you really going to keep hiding our relationship to the bitter end, just watching them humiliate me like this?” Evelyn paused for a moment, but ultimately turned away. “Lucas is my husband. I have a clear conscience when it comes to him.” “As long as you leave now, we can let bygones be bygones.” Lucas had a smug look on his face. “Brother Ryan, I know you’re upset that after causing such a scene, you’ve ruined your own reputation but gained nothing.” “Normally, someone as magnanimous as Evelyn probably wouldn’t mind if you tried to blackmail her for some money. But you really shouldn’t have come to make trouble on our wedding day.” “Even though you’ve slandered Evelyn like this, she still hasn’t fired you. Hasn’t she been kind enough to you? Don’t you have any conscience?” As he spoke, Lucas shed tears of distress for Evelyn. Evelyn quickly pulled out a tissue to wipe his tears. I was furious watching them put on this act. I raised my foot and kicked Lucas hard in the lower back. Lucas cried out in shock, falling straight into Evelyn’s arms. “Ryan Shaw, have you gone mad?!” Seeing Lucas get hit, Evelyn’s eyes blazed with fury. She lunged forward and slapped me hard across the face. I collapsed onto the dining table, not only getting covered in soup and grease, but also suffering large patches of scalding burns due to my light summer clothing. Evelyn not only ignored this, but pulled Lucas into her arms and yelled at me harshly: “Apologize to Lucas right now, or this isn’t over!” Lucas’ eyes were full of smugness. I endured the excruciating pain, barely managing to prop myself up with my arms. On my exposed arms, the red, grotesque burns seemed like a gaping bloody maw, silently yet viciously mocking my so-called love of these past few years. The burning sensation from the wounds intensified, but my voice grew increasingly cold: “Evelyn Bridges, you hid your relationship with Lucas Gray and dated me for three years; then on the day of our destination wedding, you married him at the hotel I gave you; now you’re even making me apologize to him?” “Is it because I’ve given you everything you wanted all these years that you think you can walk all over me and step on my head? Do you believe I can’t make you lose everything in an instant?”

Evelyn was momentarily stunned by my words. Hearing what I said, people at the tables kept whispering to each other. “This guy just said he dated Evelyn for three years and today was supposed to be their wedding day. He even said this hotel was a gift from him to Evelyn. Could any of that be true?” “It’s obviously fake. Anyone can make up stories. We’ve all watched Evelyn grow up, we know what kind of person she is.” “He even claimed the hotel is his. Why doesn’t he just say Evelyn’s whole company was started by him?” Just then, a faint female voice spoke up: “But I saw the brand of clothes he’s wearing online. It seems to be a super expensive designer label that even Lucas doesn’t wear…” Lucas immediately glared at the girl angrily. “This is your first time even coming to the city. What do you know about what’s good or not?” “I can’t believe someone from our village would take a stranger’s side like this!” The girl shrank back, not daring to say anything more. Evelyn looked satisfied as she turned away. She raised Lucas’ hand high in the air, showing off the dazzling matching rings on their ring fingers to everyone. She looked down at me condescendingly, as if I was already a complete loser. “Ryan Shaw, you say today was supposed to be our wedding day. Do you have any proof?” “My parents and all our relatives are here, but not a single person has ever seen you before. If I was really going to marry you, wouldn’t I introduce you to my family first?” “Besides, did I get a marriage license with you? Did I take wedding photos with you? Did I give you any wedding gifts?” “You need evidence when you speak. I prepared all of those things for my Lucas.” Lucas nestled against her shoulder, smiling triumphantly. “That’s right, Brother Ryan. You can take medicine recklessly, but you can’t speak recklessly.” Evelyn’s words completely confirmed my guilt, because I had no way to refute them. It’s true, when I agreed to marry Evelyn, I was stupid enough not to ask for anything. At the time, I happened to love her and happened to want for nothing. I never imagined that one day, this love would become a knife stabbing straight into my heart. Everyone in the hotel was pointing and whispering about me. “Homewrecker who tried to come between a couple. What do you have to say for yourself now?” “We can’t just let him off like this. We need to teach him a lesson!” Someone grabbed my hair and forcefully dragged me to the ground. Lucas’ father gave a look to the shirtless, greasy man. The greasy man immediately understood, bending down with a lecherous grin and grabbing my abs. “Little brother, being a homewrecker is immoral. Uncle is going to teach you a good lesson today.” I let out a piercing scream, desperately twisting my body to try to escape his evil clutches, but my limbs were firmly pinned down. Fear swept through my entire body. I shouted Evelyn’s name loudly, hoping she would have a change of heart and make these people stop. Evelyn’s pupils constricted. She was about to intervene, But Lucas pulled her back. “They ruined our wedding. I’m not happy about it and want to teach him a small lesson.” Evelyn hesitated. “But…” “It’s just a small lesson. You know the guys from our village, they know their limits.” “Besides, we’re right here watching. What could happen?” So Evelyn said nothing more. Lucas embraced her. Evelyn absently stroked his back as she watched more and more men and women grope me. “Let go of me! This is sexual assault, you’ll go to jail for this!” But the next second, someone’s slap sent me seeing stars. “What right does a homewrecking slut like you have to accuse us? This isn’t assault, this is justice!” Countless vulgar insults instantly drowned me. Just when I had completely given up hope, a voice suddenly came from the doorway: “I’m so sorry everyone, I’m late…” But upon seeing my face clearly, that voice abruptly turned to horror: “Stop! What are you doing?!”

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My husband’s mistress was dead – murdered. That afternoon, my husband and I were taken to the police station. I actually had no idea my husband was having an affair. If it weren’t for this murder case, I might have been kept in the dark forever. To identify the killer, the police took our fingerprints and asked about our whereabouts during the victim’s estimated time of death. The victim, Mandy Liu, was a 28-year-old office worker. She died around 11 PM on July 30, 2019. The cause of death was a severed carotid artery, leading to massive blood loss. It had been three days since Mandy Liu’s death. With only three days passed, I clearly remembered what happened that night. My husband had been with me the whole time, sleeping very soundly. So I naturally told the truth. My husband and I were questioned separately by the police. I was interviewed by a man and a woman. The man, Mike, was around 30 and a deputy leader of the major crime unit. The woman, Wendy, looked to be in her late 20s and was quite beautiful. Perhaps because I was pregnant and had just learned about my husband’s affair, they saw my red-rimmed eyes and were very gentle when questioning me, probably worried I couldn’t handle the psychological stress. Especially Wendy – she looked at me with kind eyes and asked, “Mrs. Lin, please think carefully. Are you absolutely certain your husband didn’t leave the house that night? Is it possible he snuck out while you were asleep?” I was taken aback, considered for a moment, then said, “Officer Wendy, since becoming pregnant I’ve been sleeping a lot, so I go to bed early every night. All I can say is that my husband was there when I fell asleep and when I woke up.” Wendy and Mike exchanged a glance. Curiously, I asked, “Officer Wendy, can’t you extract DNA evidence from the rape victim? If you suspect my husband, you could test for that.” Even as I said this, I was thinking – they were already having an affair, why would he need to rape her? The killer definitely wasn’t my husband. Seeing my question, Wendy shook her head and said, “The killer was clever and didn’t leave any useful evidence. So this case is a bit complicated to investigate.” I made a sound of acknowledgment. Wendy asked how far along my pregnancy was. I told her just over 4 months. She smiled and glanced at my belly, saying it looked quite large and might be twins. She added that pregnant women are prone to emotional reactions and advised me to try to stay positive and take good care of myself. I was very touched by Wendy’s words. After chatting a bit more, I left the police station. I thought my husband would be coming home with me, but Officer Mike said he needed to stay and assist with the investigation. With no other choice, I had to go home alone. Back in my neighborhood, I learned from neighbors that several police officers had come by. They had checked the security camera footage and asked if anyone had heard our door open between 9 PM and early morning on July 30th. I asked what the neighbor had told them. She said she hadn’t heard anything, so she told them the truth. Hearing this, I felt reassured. I assumed my husband would be spending the night at the police station since he wasn’t answering my calls. But just as I was about to go to sleep after dinner, he came home. He was still cold and aloof as usual. I got up to heat some food for him, but he stopped me. I asked, “Honey, why didn’t you answer my call earlier?” He said the police had taken his phone to copy his chat and call records. Thinking about all the intimate exchanges with that woman on his phone, I felt disgusted. But considering the baby, I held back. After all, that woman was dead now – what was there left to be upset about? But I was wrong. My lack of concern didn’t mean others felt the same. As I dozed off, I suddenly felt a violent choking sensation. Opening my eyes, I realized my husband was frantically strangling me, trying to kill me.

I struggled desperately, pushing against him while choking out, “Honey… I’m carrying your child… Do you really… want both of us dead?” My words had the desired effect. He slowly released my neck, forcefully gripping my shoulders instead. Glaring at me with bloodshot eyes, he shouted, “Lucy, tell me – did you hire someone to kill Mandy?” His rage terrified me. I quickly explained, “Honey, you’re… you’re wrong. I don’t have the guts for that.” “Hmph! You’d better hope I don’t find out you did it. Otherwise, I’ll strangle you myself.” With a final menacing glare, my husband got off the bed and left. He didn’t return to the bedroom that night. I tossed and turned, his furious face haunting my thoughts. It wasn’t until nearly dawn that I finally drifted into a fitful sleep. I was woken by the sound of the doorbell. After listening for a while and realizing no one was answering, I drowsily got up to go downstairs and open the door. But as I descended the stairs and saw the scene in the living room, I let out a scream of horror. My husband was slumped motionlessly on the sofa, surrounded by a large pool of blood. He had slit his wrists. A bloody scalpel lay on the coffee table. Seeing this terrifying sight, I screamed again. I couldn’t bear to look a second time – it was too horrific. My whole body went limp and I collapsed to the floor, shaking uncontrollably. The doorbell kept ringing. Hearing my screams, it became even more urgent. I wanted to open the door but found I had no strength. I could only sit there sobbing. After what felt like forever, the door was forced open from outside. Wendy and Mike entered, followed by two uniformed officers. When they saw my husband, they were all startled. Mike immediately called the medical examiner, while Wendy helped me up from the floor where I sat crying. The medical examiner arrived quickly and made a preliminary determination of suicide, with time of death around 2 AM. His face was contorted, as if he had experienced something terrifying just before dying. Mike told me that my husband was the one who had killed Mandy Liu. I didn’t believe it at first, but he said the evidence was conclusive. They had obtained security camera footage from both our neighborhood and Mandy’s. Although he had avoided the cameras in our complex, he wasn’t as familiar with Mandy’s area. They had captured an image of him there around 10 PM on the night of the murder. I was stunned. Mike also told me they had found WeChat records on my husband’s phone confirming he and Mandy had planned to meet those days. So their initial conclusion was that my husband had committed suicide out of guilt. I felt devastated. I crouched down, my body shaking uncontrollably like a sieve. The police took my husband’s body away for further examination. Our living room became a crime scene, surrounded by police tape. Especially that pool of blood on the floor – it made my heart race with fear just looking at it. After I finished giving my statement, Wendy seemed very sympathetic. She put a comforting hand on my shoulder and asked softly, “Lucy, I see bruises on your neck. Did Charlie abuse you?” Her question reminded me of the previous night’s events. I wiped away my tears and carefully said, “Last night I confronted him about the affair. He was in a bad mood and got physical.” Wendy looked thoughtful, then said after a pause, “The neck is a vulnerable area. It seems he was trying to kill you. Why didn’t you call the police?”

Wendy’s words startled me. I took a deep breath and said, covering my neck, “Officer Wendy, he’s my husband – the father of my unborn child.” Seeing my response, Wendy didn’t press further. As they prepared to leave, she advised me to stay at a nearby hotel if I felt unsafe at home, and to call her if I needed anything. I nodded in agreement and watched them go. I grew up in a rural area, with my parents still living far away in the countryside. My husband’s parents were from another city. After college, we both found jobs here, so we bought our marital home in this city. But I never imagined I’d end up alone in this 2000 square foot house. The thought made me incredibly sad. I went upstairs to pack a few changes of clothes and checked into a nearby hotel. After eating a little, I took out my husband’s bank cards and called the online banking customer service. To my surprise, I discovered there was over $500,000 in deposits across his accounts. I didn’t actually know my husband’s bank card PINs. But recently I had purposely asked him to take me shopping for baby items. By watching him enter his WeChat Pay password multiple times, I had secretly memorized it. I guessed that like most people, he probably used the same password for WeChat, Alipay and his bank cards to avoid forgetting. Sure enough, my hunch was correct – it worked on the first try. Ever since getting pregnant, I had suffered from severe morning sickness and was forced to quit my job as a makeup artist at a photo studio. My husband was very guarded about money and only gave me $500 a month for living expenses. This had always bothered me. I put away the bank cards, feeling exhausted. I dozed off on the bed and had a nightmare. In the dream, I was lying motionless in bed while Mandy Liu and my husband Charlie grinned eerily at me, reaching out to strangle me. I jolted awake, realizing it was just a dream. Parched, I was about to get up for some water when my phone on the nightstand rang. Seeing it was Wendy calling, my heart skipped a beat. I took a deep breath before answering. Wendy asked which hotel I was staying at, saying there were some more things they needed to understand. I gave her the hotel name. About 30 minutes later, Wendy arrived alone – Mike wasn’t with her this time. I let her into the room. Wendy smiled and said, “Mrs. Lin, although your husband’s death appears to be suicide, the autopsy found a significant amount of alprazolam in his system – much more than a normal dose. Did he have any medical conditions requiring this medication?” “Alprazolam?” I pondered the drug name, then realized, “Oh, you mean the sleeping pills? My husband had insomnia. He only took a couple pills when he couldn’t sleep.” “Is that so? But the amount detected in your husband’s body was at least five times a normal dose. How do you explain that?” Hearing Wendy’s words, I gave a bitter laugh.

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Jasper is a renowned philanthropist in his circle, and I am his assertive wife. He has a cherished muse, and I went to great lengths to make him marry me. During a covert mission, his muse disappeared. In his quest for vengeance, he broke my legs, locked me in a dungeon filled with water, and tormented me relentlessly. “I don’t want you dead; I want you to live a life worse than death, repenting for your sins day and night.” I pleaded with him, insisting I didn’t kill her, but he refused to listen. He whipped me, the barbs tearing into my flesh. Until, as an agent constantly protecting him, I was tortured to death. Then, his fragile muse appeared, pointing a gun at him and revealing her true identity as an assassin, leaving him in a state of madness over his regrets. The 99th lash broke during the beating, blood slowly dripped down my scarred legs, echoing in the dim, damp dungeon. My legs had long lost feeling, hanging unnaturally, my hands bound with rough ropes, shoulders dislocated. I couldn’t remember how many days had passed. Jasper’s bodyguard couldn’t bear it, “Boss, if you keep this up, the madam will die.” Jasper’s face was full of hatred, “I can’t let her die so easily. I want her to kneel at Lydia’s grave every day, offering incense in repentance.” “A lifetime of torment is the greatest punishment for her.” The rope suddenly loosened, and I fell heavily to the ground, my broken legs twisting grotesquely. My face scraped against the rough ground, burning with pain. But compared to the tearing in my heart, this physical pain was insignificant. Jasper grabbed my hair, dragging me to a pristine tombstone. It was a blank monument he had erected for Lydia. He gripped my neck, slamming my head onto the ground. “Who do you think you are? Just because I married you, you think you’re Mrs. White?” “Aren’t you an agent? Agents are supposed to be tough. Why are you crying? Stand up!” He roared, “I protected Lydia for five years, never raising my voice, afraid of her slightest grievance.” “How dare you harm her, who gave you the courage?” “Bang, bang, bang…” A series of crashes, I felt my head was about to shatter, ears buzzing. I was the best agent, bleed but don’t cry, I couldn’t cry, even if my teeth shattered, I had to swallow them. But why does my heart hurt so much? Jasper, how could you bear to treat me like this? Why do you treat me like this? I wanted to argue, but only weak whimpers came from my throat. Jasper’s sharply defined face was inches away, but those eyes no longer held any of the past tenderness. He stepped on my already deformed hand, grinding it, the sound of bones breaking was clear. I lay on the ground, curling up and whimpering. Seeing me in such a humiliating state, Jasper finally smiled with satisfaction, “Call the doctor, I’ll give you the best treatment, with the best medicine.” “Tomorrow… I’ll come see you again.” He was like a demon from hell, giving me despair again and again. Watching Jasper’s departing figure, my thoughts drifted back to the past. Jasper’s business spanned the globe—finance, medicine, weapons, technology—he was involved in almost every industry, and his public identity was a philanthropist. Many assassination organizations wanted him dead to take over his business empire, and I was sent to protect him. To avoid suspicion from enemies, I forced him to marry me, so I could be by his side 24/7. But I made a fatal mistake, I fell in love with him. Over the years, I’ve used my life countless times to shield him from assassinations, but it was all in vain! He didn’t listen to my explanation, directly accusing me of a baseless crime. To him, I was just an unimportant tool. I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Since that’s the case, I should leave.

Jasper arranged the best medical team to treat me. He personally took the ointment handed by the doctor, gently applying it to my wounds. He fed me ginseng soup spoon by spoon, but his words were so cold, “Seeing you so obedient, I won’t punish you today.” I knew he didn’t want me dead; he wanted to torment me every day to vent his anger for his beloved. I struggled to speak, “When I arrived that day, Lydia was already gone. I didn’t kill her, I really didn’t…” Before I finished, Jasper’s gaze turned icy, he smashed the soup bowl in his hand, “You don’t deserve to mention her name!” “I’ve already investigated, it was you who pushed her into the basement during the explosion, stop denying it.” He turned and ordered the guards, “Increase the intensity of the electric shocks.” Then he walked out the door without looking back. My heart grew numb, maybe soaked in icy water for too long, I couldn’t feel the pain anymore. He never believed me, not even a sliver of trust. The electric shocks were too strong, my consciousness began to blur. Before I fainted, I heard Jasper and the bodyguard talking outside. “Boss, if you only love Lydia, why did you agree to marry Adeline?” “With your strength, no matter what means Adeline used, she couldn’t force you to marry her.” Jasper was silent for a moment, his voice carried a gentleness I’d never heard before, “You don’t understand what it feels like to truly love someone.” “Lydia is a pure good girl, unlike me, I live on the edge of a knife, I couldn’t bear her to suffer if enemies involved her.” The bodyguard suddenly understood, “So you married Adeline, all the enemies would target Adeline, in reality protecting Miss Lydia.” Jasper softly responded, “Adeline is different…” “Even facing all kinds of torture, she can easily cope with the training she received since childhood.” The bodyguard hesitated, “What if she can’t withstand it?” Jasper’s voice was cold, “Then it’s her fate.” I felt all the blood in my body freeze, my heart turned cold. So, I was just a shield Jasper used to protect Lydia. No wonder, many times when I was kidnapped, the kidnappers directly targeted Mrs. White. It was all part of his plan. The feeling of being deceived and used was more painful than any torture . I don’t know how long it was before the sound of high heels echoed outside the door. A familiar figure appeared at the door, Lydia! “You’re not dead!” Lydia chuckled, “Surprised? I’m alive and well, fooled both you and Jasper.” “Men, you can’t get emotionally involved. Tsk tsk, look at you, tormented like this for a man, you disgrace the agents.” Her slender fingers brushed over the blank monument, “He’s such a clever person, yet I played him like a fiddle, it’s really amusing.” “Jasper is rich, devoted, handsome, and in bed… top-notch, it feels great to play with.” Lydia was not the weak woman needing protection from Jasper. She used his love for her. And I became a pawn in her scheme. “Who exactly are you?” Lydia’s lips curled into a meaningful smile. “I’m only after wealth, not lives.” “I want him to watch his financial empire, built over years, crumble.” “You better protect your husband, many people want him dead.” She made a “shush” gesture with her fingers, “And… Jasper actually loves you, he just doesn’t realize it yet. I can’t wait to see his face when he realizes it after you’ve been tortured to death…” “We’ll meet again.” Lydia quickly disappeared into the night. When Jasper forced me to bow and repent again, the blank monument suddenly broke. Lydia had tampered with the monument! Jasper was furious, kicking and hitting me, “Your repentance is insincere!” I looked at his angry face, feeling only deep sorrow. This man, blinded by love, had become someone else’s pawn without realizing it. I closed my eyes, letting tears silently fall. This was the last time I cried for Jasper, also for my foolish self. Goodbye, Jasper. I sent a message to the organization using a secret communicator, “I should return to the agency.” “I don’t want to protect him anymore.”

The next day, Jasper entered the dungeon, his expression both gentle and mad. I hung in the water dungeon, with any slight movement, my fingers felt excruciating pain. He carefully untied me, gently washed my body. He patiently dressed me in a dress, combed my hair, even applied a light lipstick. He finally spoke, “Last night I dreamed of Lydia.” “She said she’s lonely down there, I plan to send you to accompany her.” My blood froze instantly, he was going to bury me with Lydia. His tone was so gentle, as if coaxing a child, “Don’t be afraid, it won’t hurt, it will be over soon.” I wanted to escape, but dragging my severely injured body, I couldn’t run. Like a puppet, I numbly let him manipulate me. The car stopped before a desolate cemetery, the surroundings were deathly silent. Jasper carried me, walking through a long gravel path, arriving at a grave with a blank monument. He pointed at the monument, his eyes filled with pathological madness, “Look, this is Lydia’s home.” My blood ran cold. He wanted me to be buried with Lydia. His voice was gentle, as if coaxing a child, “Don’t be afraid, it won’t hurt, and it will be over soon.” I wanted to escape, but with my severely injured body, I couldn’t run away. I was like a puppet, numbly letting him control me. The car stopped in front of a quiet cemetery, surrounded by a deathly silence. Jasper held me, walking through a long gravel path to a tomb with an unmarked headstone. He pointed at the headstone, his eyes filled with a pathological madness, “Look, this is Lydia’s home.” “Don’t be angry, Lydia. I didn’t put your name on it to keep anyone from disturbing your sweet dreams.” He then pointed to a freshly dug grave next to the unmarked stone and said to me, “Adeline, this is your new home.” I wanted to laugh at myself, but I couldn’t. I wanted to cry, but no tears came. This was the real Jasper, a madman smiling while burying me alive. He placed me into the cold, damp grave. At that moment, my heart was ashen. Just as the grave was about to be sealed, an offering on a nearby gravestone was knocked over, making a noise. Jasper turned around sharply, his gaze fierce. The moment he saw who it was, his body froze. His face went from blank, to surprised, to ecstatic, finally turning into a near-mad longing. He trembled as he spoke, “Lydia… is it you?” Jasper, like a child who had lost his mind, stumbled toward her and hugged her tightly, almost crushing her into his body. The once-calculating Jasper was now crying uncontrollably. “Lydia, you’re alive… Is this a dream?” “I missed you so much, why didn’t you come to find me?” Realizing she had been discovered, Lydia decided to play along. “I thought I would never see you again, I was so scared.” “I barely escaped, and all I could think about was finding you. But I was afraid you’d moved on, so I just watched from afar. Brother still cares about me…” Jasper looked pained, “Silly girl, you’re my most precious person. My heart could burst with pain.” Watching their intimate display, I realized how unnecessary I was. Since she was discovered, Lydia continued her act. She collapsed weakly into Jasper’s arms, sobbing softly. “I thought I’d never see you again. I was so scared.” “I barely escaped, and all I could think about was finding you. But I was afraid you’d moved on, so I just watched from afar.” “Brother still cares about me, that’s wonderful.” Jasper cupped her face, his eyes full of pity, “Silly girl, how could I not care about you? My heart could burst with pain.” I had never seen him so out of control. This man, who was so heartless and ruthless to me, dropped all his defenses in front of Lydia. It seemed Jasper had forgotten my existence, eagerly entwined with Lydia. Completely ignoring me, still in the cold grave. The sounds of their intimacy intertwined. At that moment, I felt utterly pathetic and ridiculous. Suddenly, Lydia smirked at me. She deliberately nudged the grave lid with her foot, and with a dull thud, the lid closed. Darkness swallowed me instantly, and the air in the grave became increasingly thin. Breathing became harder and harder. I gasped for air, desperately pounding on the walls, leaving bloody scratches on the wood. But there was no response. My brain started hallucinating, and my consciousness blurred… Just when I was about to give up, there was a frantic knocking from above the grave. Fresh air rushed into my lungs. Jasper’s bodyguards nervously pulled me out of the grave. The cemetery was already devoid of Jasper and Lydia’s presence. I was completely disheartened, with no lingering feelings for Jasper. But when I got home, Jasper suddenly began to take care of me meticulously, as if making up for something or hiding something. I knew he still needed me as a “wife” to face danger and protect Lydia. It didn’t matter anymore; I no longer cared about anything here. Anyway, I would leave first thing in the morning. Given my special status, I didn’t need divorce papers or anything like that. When I decided to leave, I had my ways to disappear completely from Jasper’s world, making sure he could never find me. But before I could leave, an unexpected situation arose. The organization sent me an order: “Attention, the Black Scorpion Assassination Group has appeared. Head to the charity site immediately to protect Jasper.” I intended to leave quietly, but it seemed I had to meet Jasper again. At the charity gala, I silently stood in a corner. It was the best observation spot. Years of training had made my senses unusually sharp, and nothing escaped my eyes in the crowd. On stage, Jasper looked at Lydia with deep affection. She cooperated with a happy expression, “I once thought silently protecting you was enough. Now I want the whole world to know I love you, only you.” “Tonight, I’m transferring all my financial assets to your name, so you can always be a carefree princess.” “Anything you want, I’ll give you!” The audience burst into applause, and flashes went off one after another. “So this is Jasper’s true love? They really are a perfect match, a match made in heaven.” “He’s got the looks and talent, and she’s so much gentler than that shrew Adeline. Even I, as a woman, want to cherish her…” Listening to the mockery directed at me, I was long past caring. At that moment, Jasper’s gaze swept the crowd, unintentionally meeting mine in the corner. His once gentle eyes flashed with impatience and disgust. Maybe he thought I was there to pester him. After all, I used to claim my territory at similar events, but he always let me. What I thought was favoritism was a complete deception. Suddenly, an unusual signal interference appeared inside the venue, and the lights went out, plunging the scene into chaos.

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The wolf who raised me tore Genevieve’s childhood friend’s favorite white shirt. In response, she called a butcher to cut off the wolf’s paws and throw him into acid. I held him, barely clinging to life, and shouted at Genevieve. “I told you wolves raised me. How is this any different than severing my own father’s limbs?” But Genevieve just stared at me coldly while shielding Asher’s eyes. “You’re just a stray my stepfather picked up from who knows where, trying to deceive me with your words!” The wolf struggled, bloodied, to crawl towards me. I crawled over and held him close. “I stayed to repay the Aiden family’s kindness in giving the wolves a home. You couldn’t bear to let me go and chased me for miles, but it has only brought you harm.” That night, I knelt with the wolf before Nolan’s memorial, bowing several times. “Nolan, the Aiden family’s animal parks are now everywhere. They don’t need my ability to command animals anymore. I should have left long ago.” …… I was about to blow the bone flute around my neck when she struggled to stop me. Wolves repay kindness. The Aiden family took in the weak and sick animals, giving them a home. I knew he wouldn’t want me to destroy the Aiden family unless it was absolutely necessary. The vet shook his head, looking at the bones soaked and cracked by the acid. “Doctor, he used to be the fastest wolf in the forest. Just because he can’t be restored doesn’t mean he should die, right?” I cried out in despair. The wolf tried to wipe my tears with his broken limbs but, realizing he had no paws, curled up dejectedly. I watched over him all night and eventually cried myself to sleep. With a bang, the door was kicked open. The butler dragged me to kneel before the Aiden family hall. Asher lay limply on a soft chair, his collar open, looking lifeless. I was just about to get up when Genevieve slapped me hard. “Asher was bitten by those ungrateful beasts while surveying in the wild! Tell me, did you order them?” She pointed to a nearby iron cage, and I saw a few wolf pups inside, beaten and barely alive. Ignoring the pain on my swollen face, I crawled to the cage to release them, but the butler dragged me away. Genevieve looked down, “You don’t care about the injured people; instead, you care about these beasts! Bury them alive for me!” I dragged myself to the cage. The wolf pups had leg bands I had personally put on them. I had helped deliver them in the forest. Their soft paws rested in my palm as if telling me not to worry. But their low whimpers pained my heart. I gritted my teeth and glared at Genevieve, “They didn’t harm Asher. They said they saw Asher being kidnapped and scared off the bad guys to save her!” Genevieve hesitated, a hint of doubt in her eyes. Asher immediately got up weakly and grabbed Genevieve’s hand. “It was these beasts that hurt me, Genevieve. When have I ever lied to you?” “It must be him up to his tricks again. Who can understand what animals are saying?” “If he really understood, wouldn’t he have let his snake bite you, proving he intentionally hurt you?” Genevieve glared at me angrily and ordered the whole cage to be taken to the back of the villa. Previously, to find a way to save Genevieve, I got bitten by that snake, suffering many wounds, but it turned out the snake wasn’t venomous. And why did the usually docile snake suddenly attack Genevieve? I couldn’t figure it out. Before I could finish, Genevieve approached and grabbed my neck, as if to strangle me. “Then how did I get poisoned? Declan, even lying has its limits! If Asher hadn’t brought the serum, I’d be dead by now.” I broke free from her grip, mimicking a wolf’s posture, baring my teeth on top of the cage. Everyone was too scared to approach. “Anyone who dares to touch them will have to step over my dead body!” Genevieve saw my strange posture and her eyes widened, her tone softening, “I really don’t understand you. Why do you care so much about these beasts and even imitate them?” My heart was full of bitterness. Before, she allowed me to keep all kinds of animals in the villa because I loved them, even saying I was as cute as a little wolf. But after she got bitten by the snake, all those companions were sent away, leaving only the wolf by my side. Yet now she says she doesn’t understand me. I glared at them with red eyes, not letting them approach, but suddenly my head was hit hard, and everything went black. When I woke up, my scalp was in intense pain, and I held my head, rubbing it continuously. A familiar cold voice sounded in my ear, “Didn’t I tell you to go easy? Why isn’t he awake yet?” The butler bowed repeatedly, apologizing. Seeing I was awake, he quickly informed Genevieve. She hurried to the bedside, but just as she was about to sit down, she stopped and couldn’t help but mock me, “Now you know it hurts? You were so stubborn just now. Those beasts are already dead. Just apologize to Asher, and this will be over.” I grabbed her clothes, my voice trembling, “Genevieve, why are you doing this to me?” Her eyes flashed with indifference as she shook off my hand. “Nate was a homewrecker who caused my mom’s death. You’re just a stray he brought back, letting a snake bite me to take over my family’s wealth. What else do you expect?” “I’ve said that as long as you behave, I can let you live well in the Aiden family, but you keep defying me for those beasts.” “Nolan wasn’t a homewrecker! After your mom’s suicide, he and Madam Luke met because of their love for animals—” Crash! Genevieve knocked all the cups and saucers off the table, interrupting me. “You’re going to tell that ridiculous story about being raised by wolves again. I must have been under a spell to believe you before!” With that, she stormed out, her face cold. Watching her back, I felt utterly hopeless. Years ago, Nolan stopped a hunter from shooting me in the wild. He cautiously approached me and was shocked to find I was a naked teenager. I bared my teeth and growled at him, but he extended his hand to me. From then on, he taught me to read and walk upright. With the Aiden family’s wealth, he expanded a large wolf habitat. And I used my unique ability to communicate with animals to help him gather rare data, making the Aiden family a global leader in animal research, earning many patents. He brought me back to the Aiden family, and a few years later, I fell in love with Genevieve. She held my hand and said she’d marry no one but me. Until her childhood friend Asher returned from abroad with photos of her mom cheating with Nolan, and then suddenly got poisoned. After that, Genevieve changed, seeing me as an enemy. My only trusted ally, Nolan’s assistant, came in with a heavy expression. “Young Master Declan, I’ve investigated everything. You need to be prepared.” The assistant handed me the materials. The photos nearly knocked me off my feet! When we got married, Genevieve swore to me. The Aiden family would only send abandoned cubs and animals unable to hunt to zoos, never training them for dangerous performances out of greed. But the documents showed that over the years, the Aiden family built zoos everywhere, capturing rare animals under the guise of animal welfare to expand their collection. In the photos, various animals were cramped in small cages, unable to stand. They used whips to force tiger cubs to jump through fire hoops and monkeys to hold their breath underwater. Cheetahs had their sharp teeth and claws removed for photo ops, and brown bears were chained, unable to move, having bile extracted daily. The cheap and useless ones were euthanized, the valuable ones sold cheaply to circuses. Many of the poor beasts in the photos were my childhood companions. I remembered the joy of running together in the forest, but now their eyes were filled with fear. They lost their habitat to a forest fire, suffering severe injuries. I thought the Aiden family’s zoo would be a refuge, but I unknowingly sent them to hell. Their original habitat was developed into a hunting ground for the rich. Seeing them holding animal heads for photos made me sick to my stomach. I was responsible for their suffering… The assistant supported me with concern, “Young Master Declan! Protecting animals was Nolan’s lifelong goal. Now it’s up to you.” I nodded firmly, gritting my teeth. I had to take the wolf away, blow the bone flute, and make the Aiden family face the consequences! I had the wolf placed in a locked room and limped to the door, but saw a trail of blood leading from the room to the back of the villa. Sensing something was wrong, I rushed over. Before I reached the exit, I heard Genevieve’s voice from inside, “If you want wolf fur, I’ll find you another one. Why—”

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