Category: English

I served three years in prison for my wife Juliet, and when I got out, all I received was a one-dollar bonus. Just as I thought there must be some mistake, I noticed my male colleague Collins had received a check. That evening, I scrolled through Collins’s Instagram and saw him showing off a check: 【My girlfriend is the most generous boss in all of America! She gave me a hundred million dollar bonus!】 Many people left comments expressing envy and congratulating him on finding such an outstanding girlfriend. Not only did Juliet fail to explain, she was eager to distance herself from me: “You just got out of prison. It’s not appropriate to make our relationship public. Call me ‘boss’ in front of others.” Then she turned around and liked Collins’s Instagram post. I took a deep breath and called her archrival. “From now on, I’m working for you.” “You were willing to spend three years in prison for Juliet’s career, so why do you suddenly want to work for me?” “I remember she promised you over and over that when you got out, she’d give you the department manager position. Are you sure you don’t want it anymore?” I rubbed the one-dollar bill over and over, unable to hold back a bitter laugh. “Yeah, I don’t want it anymore.” The moment I said it, Juliet suddenly appeared in front of me, asking suspiciously: “Don’t want what?” I hung up the phone calmly and told her the truth: “The department manager position.” At my words, a flash of light appeared in her complicated expression, as if she was relieved. “Perfect. I was planning to give it to Collins anyway. You can start as a clerk.” Hearing this, I couldn’t help but frown. I had endured three years behind bars for Juliet’s company. She had promised me over and over that when I got out, this position would be mine and mine alone. But who could have imagined that in the end, I’d become just a lowly errand boy. At this very moment, Juliet broke the promise she’d made three years ago with her own mouth. But I couldn’t see even a trace of guilt in her eyes. My eyes burned hot, and an unstoppable stabbing pain flooded my heart. Seeing that I remained silent, Juliet pulled an agreement from her briefcase and tossed it on the table. She said casually, “This is a secret marriage agreement. Consider it for the company’s sake.” The four words “Secret Marriage Agreement” stabbed painfully at my eyes. Three years ago, the day before I went to prison, Juliet and I got our marriage license. The only belief that sustained me through it all was the thought of a happy married life after my release. But now I had become something she was ashamed to speak of, something she even wanted to erase from existence. I mocked myself silently, and without thinking, I grabbed the pen at hand. Juliet suddenly turned her head, watching my hand about to sign, her brow furrowing. How could he, who used to be desperate to announce this marriage to the world, suddenly be so decisive? She instinctively pressed down on my wrist, saying something incomprehensible: “You’re not even going to think about it?” I didn’t lift my eyes and immediately signed. Having gotten the secret marriage agreement as she wished, she fell inexplicably silent for a moment. After a while, she cleared her throat, her voice becoming gentle: “Taylor, don’t worry. Once the company stabilizes, I’ll definitely compensate you properly.” I gave a perfunctory “mm-hmm,” and just then the company group chat lit up. Collins had become the company’s first department manager, and all the employees were congratulating him. 【You’ve been by Miss Juliet’s side these past three years, we’ve all seen it. You truly deserve this position!】 【I think Collins is department manager today, but tomorrow he’ll probably be Juliet’s husband, right? We better start sucking up to you now.】 Right after, Collins sent a dog emoji, tacitly accepting everything. 【I still think Taylor is the lucky one. Three years in prison and he still gets to be a clerk at the company. Juliet really values him!】 Knowing the truth, he was obviously mocking me. I couldn’t bear to keep looking at the screen, but inadvertently saw Juliet staring at her phone. The smile at the corner of her mouth was a tenderness I’d never seen before. It made me wonder whether she was hiding our marriage for the company’s sake, or for Collins’s sake.

To fulfill the secret marriage contract, Juliet moved from the master bedroom to the guest room. Besides that, she made things crystal clear: I wasn’t allowed to ride in the same car with her. I wasn’t allowed to talk to her at the company, could only call her “boss.” And the relationship between her and Collins was just an act—I wasn’t allowed to make a big deal out of it. After giving her instructions, Juliet disappeared for three days. It wasn’t until I took a day off for a fever that she bothered to call me: “Taking time off after just a few days of work—isn’t that a bit dramatic?” “You’ll have to go to the hospital yourself. I’m still on a business trip, no time to take you.” It was the expected result. I answered groggily with a “mm-hmm.” But the moment I finished speaking, a familiar male voice came through the phone: “Juliet, come help me tie my necktie!” Although Juliet hung up quickly, I still heard her hurried footsteps rushing over. Opening Collins’s Instagram again, I saw he’d changed his profile picture to a photo with Juliet. I remembered when we were dating, I always pestered her to post couple photos of us on Instagram. But she always had countless reasons to refuse me: Troublesome, childish, tacky… For some reason, she went crazy sending me messages and calling me. I only replied with one line: 【Right now is my rest time. Please understand, boss.】 After finishing my IV, I returned to the company. My colleagues were as indifferent as ever, piling work all over my desk. Probably in their minds, I was just a lucky guy taken in by Juliet after getting out of prison, so I should bear more responsibility. I adjusted my mood and packed all the couple’s items from the storage cabinet into a black garbage bag. If I’d known earlier they’d never see the light of day, I wouldn’t have worked so hard to bring them to the company. I was about to go throw them away when Juliet came back unexpectedly. Before I could react, she furiously dragged me all the way to the stairwell. Juliet saw the garbage bag in my hand, her face darkening: “You have time to pack up trash but no time to return my calls?” The strong smell of men’s cologne on her made me involuntarily step back, saying indifferently: “I sent a message back.” At these words, Juliet seemed to ignite like a flame, demanding: “Why did you call me ‘boss’ in the text?” What was the difference between on the phone and in reality? She was the one who told me to do it, so why was she unhappy when I did? Seeing that I had no intention of explaining, she let out a cold laugh: “You know I don’t like petty men. You’d better not turn into someone I hate.” With that, she snatched the bag from my hand and threw it forcefully on the ground. In the resounding crash that echoed through the stairwell, she strode away. Looking at the shattered couple’s photo and matching mugs, my heart trembled. Just like our years of feelings would eventually shatter into pieces. I cleaned up the fragments and called a lawyer to draft a divorce agreement. After getting the document, I went to the print room to make a copy. Just as I’d psyched myself up and was about to knock on the door, Juliet opened it first. Meeting her cold gaze, I calmly handed over the document: “Sign it when you have time.” But Juliet didn’t even glance at it, flipping straight to the last page and signing. Then she handed it back casually and instructed: “Come with me to a business dinner later. Be smart about it—remember to drink with the clients.” I was puzzled. Juliet’s alcohol tolerance was exceptional, so why would she need me to drink with clients? Before I could ask, I saw Collins emerge smugly from behind her: “You’re so thoughtful! You even remembered I have a cold and can’t drink!”

Collins sprawled casually next to Juliet, his arm draped directly around her shoulder. Seeing me, he complained with a furrowed brow: “Juliet just makes such a big fuss. It’s just a cold, but she won’t let me drink or even come to work. If I hadn’t begged her, she wouldn’t have brought me to this dinner.” Hearing him say this, Juliet affectionately tapped his nose. “I don’t care what you say, but don’t complain when it’s time to take your medicine.” The two people in front of me were clearly a couple in love. Her gentleness and consideration were unfamiliar to me. I clutched the divorce agreement in my hand, feeling inexplicably relieved. Arriving at the restaurant, Juliet exchanged pleasantries with the business partners for a while. Then she stepped back and began introducing everyone. “This is Collins, our company’s department manager.” When introducing me, the partner’s boss frowned slightly. “I remember very clearly that this gentleman went to prison for debt default. Miss Juliet, you’re truly loyal and righteous.” Juliet’s nerves tightened. She glanced at me, then smiled apologetically in acknowledgment. During the project discussion, Juliet and Collins sat close together. She kept giving me looks, signaling me to proactively block drinks for Collins. During the meal, someone noticed their intimate behavior and couldn’t help but tease: “Miss Juliet and Mr. Collins look so well-matched. I wonder if Miss Juliet is married?” As soon as the words fell, Juliet looked at me, a flash of hesitation in her eyes. The next second, we said almost in unison: “No.” Though we gave the same answer, she whipped her head around to stare at me in shock. When the partners went to the restroom, she sent me a message: “It’s all just an act. Don’t take it to heart.” Juliet was talking about acting, but I was telling the truth. After all, she’d already signed the divorce agreement. I glanced at the message and turned my phone screen down. Seeing this, Juliet, sitting across from me, was about to stand up when I turned and headed to the restroom. Coming out of the stall, I ran into Collins. He stood with his arms crossed, clearly in a victor’s stance. “Taylor, you’re truly pathetic as a man. Being despised by your wife to this extent—if I were you, I’d be too ashamed to show my face.” I washed my hands on my own, saying indifferently: “That’s none of Mr. Collins’s concern.” After drying my hands, I prepared to leave. But Collins flashed over to block my path, looking me up and down. “How come Juliet’s husband is still wearing rags?” “Oh, I forgot—Juliet probably spent all her money buying me luxury custom pieces. Sorry about that.” The expensive designer brands on him seemed to constantly remind me of the difference between one dollar and one hundred million. Instantly, the bitterness that had been building in my heart exploded, and I fled in panic. Returning to the private room, I grabbed my things to leave. Juliet hurried forward to stop me, her tone gentle: “Don’t leave yet. I’ll drive you home in a bit.” I was about to refuse when Collins suddenly burst in looking panicked. Instantly drawing everyone’s attention. Juliet immediately let go of me and ran over to ask what had happened. Collins frantically searched through his bag, then patted down all his pockets. Then he cried out in alarm: “My custom watch is missing!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone in the private room started helping Collins look for the watch. While searching, he kept muttering: “This is a birthday gift Miss Juliet gave me, worth over thirty million! I really don’t want to lose it!” Though I didn’t know what game he was playing, I just wanted to leave immediately. But just as I reached the door, Collins reached out to stop me. “Taylor, let me check your bag too. Otherwise you won’t be free of suspicion either.” Whether or not I’d stolen his watch, I knew the truth myself. “I’m tired. Mr. Collins can look for it himself.” Seeing me insist on leaving, Collins actually grabbed my bag directly. In the struggle, the contents of my bag spilled all over the floor. And among the scattered items, there really was a watch. I stared at the watch in shock, then met Collins’s provocative gaze. “Why are you framing me?” Turning around, I found everyone behind me looking at me with contempt. Especially Juliet—she was frowning, her eyes full of disgust toward me. I instinctively tried to explain to her: “I didn’t take this!” But my explanation seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the glaring “evidence.” Then Collins picked up the watch and began to act aggrieved: “This watch is very important to me. How could Taylor steal it?” “I thought Taylor had reformed in prison, but I didn’t expect him to still be willing to do anything for money. I won’t dare work with you anymore…” Collins’s few words made everyone present look uncomfortable. The partner’s boss broke the awkward silence first, saying sternly: “Miss Juliet, let’s call off this collaboration!” With those words, he left the private room angrily with his people. I wanted to chase after them to explain, but received a solid slap from Juliet. Meeting my disbelieving gaze, there was no regret in her eyes. “I never imagined you were this kind of money-grubbing person!” “I brought you here, not to have you steal things!” Juliet’s one sentence completely convicted me. Didn’t she know what kind of person I was? Had she also forgotten why I went to prison? Looking at the fury in her eyes, I knew she would never believe me. I could only smile bitterly and hand over my phone. “Then call the police.” She looked down at the phone, then frowned up at me, but made no move. The long stare seemed to let me see clearly the woman before me. After a while, Juliet snorted coldly, “Unreasonable!” The woman turned around, helped Collins put on the watch, and gently coaxed him away. In the private room, only I remained, along with the mess on the floor. I picked up my scattered belongings and headed to the airport without hesitation. Late night at the departure hall. I’d planned to write my resignation, but received Juliet’s termination notice first. Her words carried anger: 【Don’t come to the company anymore. Stay home and reflect on yourself!】 Seeing her absurd demand, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Without thinking, I took a photo of the divorce agreement both of us had signed and sent it over. With accompanying text: 【Juliet, I wish you and Collins eternal happiness!】 【But first you need to get the divorce certificate with me, or I’ll report you for bigamy.】 After I sent this message, Juliet on the other end began frantically calling me like crazy.

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My eight-year-old Border Collie, Bella, suddenly refused to go out for walks no matter what. Without a second thought, I listed the house for sale online and planned to move a thousand miles away that very night. My friends all said I’d lost my mind, and my husband blocked the doorway, roaring: “If the dog doesn’t want to go out, then just don’t take her! What the hell is wrong with you?” But I clutched the leash, my fingernails digging into my palms: “No. We have to move. Now.” My husband yanked the leash until it snapped: “If you walk out that door, we’re getting a divorce!” I nodded. “Fine. You can have the house and our savings. I’ll leave with nothing… but tonight, we must leave this city. Because the dog is blocking the door.” Ethan stared at me, his eyes full of confusion. He clearly thought I’d lost my mind—completely and utterly. But I couldn’t worry about his anger. I frantically stuffed documents and cash into my canvas bag. Bella, the Border Collie I’d raised for eight years. Right now, she was lying like a heavy iron weight, blocking the inside of our front door. She normally loved going out. The moment I picked up her leash, she could jump three feet in the air. But now, her movements had become extremely sluggish. When I called her name, it took several seconds before she slowly twitched an ear in response. She no longer looked at me, or at Ethan. Instead, as if possessed, she stared fixedly toward the northwest. I tried to open the door. Bella suddenly lunged forward and bit down on my pant leg, pulling desperately toward the back of the house. She was trembling. That kind of tremor that seeps out from the bones traveled through my pant leg to my ankle. “Sophia, when are you going to stop this?” Ethan slammed his fist on the shoe cabinet, making the vase on top buzz: “Bella’s just tired today. She doesn’t want to go out, so just let her rest!” “Why the hell are you having a breakdown about moving in the middle of the night? And a thousand miles away?” I didn’t look at him, moving faster: “She’s not tired, Ethan. She’s afraid.” “Afraid of what?” Ethan’s face screamed that I was being unreasonable. He came over to grab my bag: “Do you know I’m meeting new clients with my team tomorrow?” “If I sign this project, I’ll be VP!” “And you want me to drive with you to move to another city right now? Have you been working so much overtime you’re hallucinating?” I stopped and stared at him hard. Of course I knew. Ten years ago, Ethan and I left everything behind to move to New York. To put down roots here, we both worked ourselves to the bone. I asked Ethan one last time: “Are you coming with me or not?” Ethan got even angrier, snatching the leash from my hand and ripping it apart: “I’m not going! And I won’t let you go either!” “Sophia, if you walk out that door, we’re getting a divorce!” Bella stumbled from being yanked. Her four paws scraped against the floor, making a teeth-grinding sound on the hardwood. I took a deep breath, my eyes stinging. But logic told me every second counted. I didn’t have time for my emotions, or for explanations: “Fine. The house, the car, the hundred thousand in savings—it’s all yours. I just want Bella.” Ethan froze. He looked at me like I was an alien, and after a long moment finally choked out: “You’re giving up our good life together… for a dog?” “Yes.” I shook off his hand. I scooped up the thirty-pound Bella and practically ran backward toward the entrance. Bella curled up desperately in my arms like a frightened child. But she still stubbornly twisted her head, looking northwest. I shoved Bella into the back seat of my little car. The moment the car shot out of the garage, Ethan’s call came through, but I hung up.

I floored the gas pedal and headed straight for the highway entrance. Bella lay in the back seat, still curled into a ball, her eyes fixed on the view outside the window. Grandpa’s dying words echoed in my mind again: “Sophia, dogs are very spiritual. They can smell danger.” The car sped down the highway. I didn’t dare close my eyes for a second. When we crossed out of New York, the gray film over Bella’s eyes cleared considerably, and her pupils began to focus. She slowly blinked, letting out a faint whimper. When Ethan couldn’t get through to me on the phone. He turned around and posted a video on social media from our home security camera. In the video, I looked anxious and haggard, frantically dragging the dog outside. The background showed our home in disarray from our earlier argument. His caption read: [After five years of marriage, I matter less than a dog.] [My wife wants to sell everything and divorce me because the dog won’t go for a walk. She’s moving away in the middle of the night.] [Can anyone tell me what I should do?] The comments exploded instantly. Some mocked me for being “mentally unstable.” Others said I was “having an affair and using this as an excuse to transfer assets.” One comment, pushed to the top, was especially cutting: [This woman probably can’t have kids, so she’s treating the dog like her own child. Her brain’s broken.] Below it, a chorus of agreement: [Exactly. Obsessed with her dog.] I didn’t bother explaining. I kept driving. Around 3 AM, I got a call from my mother-in-law, Margaret. The moment I answered, she started cursing through the speaker. She’d clearly heard the whole story from Ethan. “Sophia! You can’t have children yourself, so you treat that dog like treasure!” “I’ve put up with you long enough! Are you trying to destroy my son?” “He’s finally about to become VP, and you’re pulling this crazy stunt?” I hung up immediately. Right after, my own mom sent dozens of voice messages, her voice full of tears: “Sweetie, go back and apologize to Ethan right now!” “You two have worked in that city for ten years and finally got stable.” “How can you get divorced over a dog?” My best friend and coworkers also sent private messages: [Sophia, did something happen to you?] [The boss says if you don’t come back, he’s filing a missing person report in the morning and getting a court order to declare you mentally incompetent.] I looked at Bella in the back seat. I silently blocked everyone. Despair and helplessness washed over me. I knew Ethan was using public opinion and family pressure to force me to submit. But he didn’t understand—Bella wasn’t blocking the door for no reason. She was trying to save us. I turned off my phone, my eyes fixed on the road ahead. Soon, he sent me an ultimatum: [Sophia, I’ve been reflecting since you left.] [But I really can’t understand why you’re doing this today.] [I’ve frozen your bank accounts. If you don’t come back, I’m really filing for divorce.] He thought cutting off my money would make me return. But he didn’t know I wasn’t throwing a tantrum. I was running for my life. I looked toward New York, my heart pounding. That feeling of dread grew heavier, like an invisible hand choking my throat. I tried messaging a few close friends in New York: [Listen to me. Leave New York tonight. As fast as you can.] The next second, I was kicked out of the group chat.

The group admin left a message: [Sophia, stop spreading panic. Even crazy has its limits.] I laughed bitterly to myself, closed my phone, and floored the gas pedal. Tears finally fell. We’d already driven two hundred miles from New York. Bella could now turn over and stand up on her own. She nuzzled against my neck. Her reactions were faster, and her eyes had regained their usual sparkle. “Bella, you’re the only one who believes me, aren’t you?” I asked through my tears. Bella whimpered softly, her eyes clear and mournful. She understood better than any of them. I’d become the target of everyone’s scorn, a madwoman in everyone’s eyes. A crazy woman who couldn’t have children and treated her dog like her child. But I looked at the fuel gauge. Half a tank left. Just two hundred more miles and I could reach the mountains, completely leave this city behind. And Bella kept looking out the window, in that direction—toward survival. At 5 AM, I had to stop at a rest area. By now, Bella had completely recovered. She jumped out of the car nimbly to drink water. Aside from being a bit tired, she looked normal. Drowsiness hit me like a wave. I dozed off in the car for about two hours. But just as I was about to start the journey again. A familiar black sedan suddenly cut in front of me, completely blocking my path. The harsh sound of brakes woke up many people resting at the service area. Then Ethan got out of the car. Behind him were two of his strong, burly friends. His eyes were bloodshot, stubble darkening his chin. He looked exhausted and frantic. “Sophia, get out of the car!” He pounded on my window, hitting it so hard it seemed like the glass would shatter. All my blood rushed to my head in an instant. He’d tracked my location through the car’s GPS. I locked the doors, my hands gripping the steering wheel tight: “Ethan, I’m not going back with you!” I shouted through the glass. “I’m done talking!” Ethan turned to the onlookers gathering around and shouted: “Everyone, please help! My wife has severe delusional disorder. She treats the dog like a child and wants to run away from home with it! She’s mentally unstable right now, and I need to take her back for treatment!” Rest area people always loved to meddle. Several passersby crowded around, pointing and whispering about me. “Oh my, that woman looks pretty, but what’s wrong with her head?” “Just go home with your husband and stop making a scene.” Ethan’s friends even pulled out rope. Their stance made it clear—they really planned to tie me up like a mental patient and drag me back. “I’m not crazy!” I shoved the car door open, desperately holding up my phone: “Ethan, if you touch me again, I’m calling the police!” “You can choose not to leave—that’s your life—but don’t stop me!” “Or I’ll report you for kidnapping with accomplices!” Ethan pointed at Bella in the back seat, his eyes full of helplessness and confusion: “You’re going to call the police on me? Because of this dog?” While I wasn’t paying attention, he suddenly yanked open the back door and reached for Bella: “Do I have to kill it before you come to your senses?” Bella dodged in a flash, a thunderous growl rising from her throat. Her reflexes were lightning-fast now. She bit down on Ethan’s watchband. “Fuck! How dare you bite me!” Ethan thrashed like a madman. I screamed and lunged forward, waving pepper spray to protect Bella: “Get away! She’s trying to save your life! She’s trying to save all our lives! We can’t stay in New York—there’s something wrong with that city!” The scene descended into chaos. Ethan pinned me against the car door. His strength was shocking, crushing the air from my lungs. “Sophia, look at the sky!” He pointed toward the horizon, gradually brightening: “New York is perfectly fine!” “It’s 5:30 in the morning. The first early risers are already out exercising!” “Nothing happened! How long are you going to keep this up?”

I looked toward the distance. Yes, dawn had broken. Everything seemed so calm. The people around me started whispering. In that moment, I wavered slightly too. Had my instincts been wrong? But I looked down at Bella. She was still cowering under the car seat, her teeth chattering, all her fur standing on end. Her eyes were still locked on the northwest. No! Impossible! Bella’s terror was identical to the scene from eighteen years ago. Seeing the tears in my eyes, Ethan’s attitude suddenly softened. He walked over and gently took my hand. His tone carried an almost pleading tenderness: “Sophia, I’m begging you. Please stop this and come home with me.” “Mom rushed over in the middle of the night because she was so worried.” “She’s already home making your favorite dishes, waiting for us to come back and eat.” “The old lady worked all night. She just wants us to be happy together.” “Even if you’re angry at me, don’t disappoint her good intentions, okay?” His eyes were sincere. I knew he just didn’t understand. Didn’t understand why a dog could make his wife abandon everything. Seeing I still wouldn’t budge, his tone carried a resigned sigh: “I’ve really lost to you this lifetime. If you insist on leaving, then I’ll come with you and see.” “But don’t run off alone anymore. It’s not safe.” In that moment, I thought he’d finally given in. My nerves, stretched to the breaking point, relaxed. Ethan took me to fill up the gas tank. Then went to the restaurant to buy me a sandwich and gave Bella a bowl of water. I sat on a bench, my hands still trembling slightly as I looked at the map. Just one and a half more days of driving, and we’d reach the northwest. This nightmare would be over. But just as we were about to get back in the car and continue. An ambulance siren suddenly grew from distant to near, screeching to a halt right in front of us. Several medical staff in white coats, carrying restraints, jumped out: “Which gentleman called about his wife having severe delusional disorder and violent tendencies, requesting mandatory hospitalization?” Under my disbelieving gaze, Ethan hesitated for a moment. His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something. But in the end, he gritted his teeth and stepped forward, pointing at me: “It’s her. I contacted you earlier. My legal wife.” “She’s showing obvious signs of self-harm and delusion right now. Please help.” The sandwich in my hand fell to the ground. Realizing something was wrong, I jumped to my feet and tried to run to the car. But the next second, Ethan and his friends pinned my shoulders down hard. “Sophia, be good!” Ethan’s voice was almost shaking: “When you get better, we’ll go home and live a good life. Please, I’m begging you. Stop this, okay?” I clawed at the iron railing beside me, my nails nearly breaking: “I’m not sick! There’s a major problem in New York! Let me go! We have to leave now!” More passersby gathered to watch, and some even took photos. Ethan looked at me, his eyes full of pain and confusion. Just as the doctor pulled out a sedative, ready to inject it into my arm. His phone suddenly rang in his pocket. It was his mother, Margaret. Ethan paused, answered the call, and put it on speaker: “Mom, I’m taking Sophia to the hospital right now…” Before he could finish, Margaret cut him off frantically. On the phone, she was sobbing incoherently: “Son!!! Something’s happened at home! They’ve put up police tape outside, and the whole building’s been sealed! The police say it’s an infectious disease!” “So many people have gone crazy, crawling on the ground like dogs. Several people even jumped off the building…” Ethan’s face went white instantly: “Mom? Tell me clearly! What happened?” “Don’t come back… whatever you do, don’t—” “Beep—” The call cut off abruptly, leaving only deathly silence. Ethan held the phone. His whole body froze like a weathered stone statue.

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I had just secured a $10 billion project for the company and was about to report this good news to the CEO. But as I reached the CEO’s office door, I heard CEO Adrian discussing me: “That project Jade signed? Pure luck, nothing more!” His secretary immediately chimed in with flattery: “Exactly! A country bumpkin like her landing a major deal is mainly thanks to you and the company’s reputation!” Adrian continued: “Don’t lay her off yet. She’s been with the company for years. The severance would be too high. Transfer her to clean toilets. If she can’t handle it, she’ll quit on her own!” “Besides, a woman’s most important skill isn’t work—it’s serving men! She doesn’t act like a woman at all!” I tore up the project contract in my hands and turned to leave. Then I immediately called Adrian’s competitor: “Send the offer tomorrow. I’ll take that branch president position.” Adrian continued to humiliate me: “Jade is so old and doesn’t even have a boyfriend. She’s probably psychologically twisted.” “A woman’s greatest skill is serving men well. What kind of logic is it for women to compete with men for performance? Send her to the janitorial department to reflect!” Standing outside the door, the blood in my veins seemed to freeze instantly. The scene from that rainy night eight years ago flashed vividly before my eyes—me running wildly with a dying child on my back. I had just turned twenty then, working odd jobs in town. When I found the child, he had been abandoned by human traffickers in the roadside grass, burning with fever, barely breathing. I wrapped him in my only thick coat and walked over ten miles of mountain roads in the rain. The old doctor at the town clinic said if I’d been half an hour later, the child wouldn’t have made it. I later learned he was Adrian and Lauren’s only son, born after many years of marriage. Because he was frail, the traffickers thought he wouldn’t survive and casually dumped him. To express her gratitude, Lauren brought me out of the mountain village. She said, “Jade, you’re our family’s savior. From now on, you’re my sister. I’ll help you make money and establish yourself in the city!” Later, she really did teach me hand-in-hand how to read reports and negotiate with clients. From a warehouse partition to renting a proper office, almost every hard battle was fought by her and me together. She would put her arm around my shoulders and proudly introduce me to clients: “This is Jade, our company’s ace salesperson and my co-founder.” Until three years ago, when her heart condition flared up and she had to step back from the frontlines to recuperate. It was also from that time that Adrian’s eyes on me became increasingly complicated. At first, Lauren still came to the company often, but later, less and less. Occasionally when I visited her, her smile never reached her eyes. Once, when her son Max threw himself into my arms calling me “Jade,” she suddenly turned cold. “This child is closer to you than to me.” I found it strange at the time but just assumed she was in a bad mood from her illness and didn’t take it to heart. Instead, I threw myself wholeheartedly into the company. Adrian wasn’t cut out for business. The projects he led lost money consecutively, and morale plummeted. The suggestions I made were always rejected by him on the grounds that women had shallow vision. When I went to Lauren, she only said, “Jade, Adrian’s in charge of the company now. You need to listen to him.” This hundred-billion-dollar order I’d fought desperately to secure was already the company’s last lifeline. And now, it had become the trumpet call for my dismissal. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The embarrassment on both their faces flashed briefly before being replaced by anger. “Jade, why didn’t you knock before entering? Can’t shake off those country habits, can you!”

I gently placed the termination notice on the desk. “Mr. Anderson, I need an explanation for this.” “I made this decision.” Lauren took over, her tone displeased. “The company needs transformation now, fresh blood. You’ve worked hard and achieved much. You should rest.” Adrian leaned back, his gaze lewdly sweeping across my chest. “That’s right, Lauren is thinking of you. Administrative positions are easy, low-pressure. Women at a certain age always have to think about family.” “Thinking of me? Lauren, do you remember what you said to me eight years ago? You said we would together…” A flash of struggle crossed Lauren’s eyes, but she quickly regained composure. “Jade, people can’t keep living off past achievements. I’m grateful you saved Max, so I gave you opportunities, but you can’t keep using that favor to extort, can you?” She pushed another document toward me. “I’ve already reserved an administrative position for you. Think it over carefully. With your background, where else could you go if you left the company?” I reached out, grabbed the transfer notice, and tore it to shreds. “I appreciate Ms. Anderson’s kind intentions.” “But although I’m from the countryside, I still have self-respect. I can’t learn to serve people.” Ignoring their roars behind me, I turned and left the office. The glass on both sides of the corridor reflected my straight-backed silhouette, and also reflected this city I had once given everything for. Lauren hadn’t always been like this. In those first few years, she would often tell me that women should have their own careers. But I don’t know when it started changing. Her social media began sharing posts like “A woman’s true wisdom is making her husband shine.” The company atmosphere gradually changed too. Susan from Finance was transferred to manage archives after refusing to sign off on Adrian’s messy accounts. Mr. Quinn from Marketing was sent to the warehouse after questioning Adrian’s hole-riddled proposal. When I went to confront Lauren about it, she was learning to make soup from a video. After hearing me out, she put down the ladle and looked up at me with terribly unfamiliar eyes. “Jade, the company belongs to Adrian and me. You need to remember your place.” I stood frozen, taking a long time to find my voice. “Lauren, but didn’t we together…” She cut me off with a cold laugh. “Together what? I’m the boss, you’re the employee. You can only have what I give you. Including… the right to point fingers.” At that moment, I felt like I’d fallen into an ice cave. I said nothing more and just turned and walked out. But what chilled my heart even more was how she treated female employees. She promoted “women’s workplace skills” in the company, even bringing in a sex expert to preach that “a woman’s main battlefield isn’t the workplace, it’s the bedroom.” A promising new female intern liked to follow me around asking about sales techniques. Three days later, Lauren transferred her to receptionist. The intern felt wronged, but Lauren gently patted her shoulder. “Young girls shouldn’t always think about learning money-making skills. Finding a capable man—that’s the real skill.” The intern timidly glanced at me, but I couldn’t say anything. Because I knew that if I spoke up for her, she would probably be fired outright. And I wasn’t ready to leave at that time. I couldn’t let go of this empire she and I had built together. I even foolishly hoped she might return to being the old Lauren. But my silence seemed to fuel her suspicions. After I’d close a major deal, Lauren would praise me in a seemingly casual way.

“I heard that boss is very difficult. Ms. Jade must have put in a lot of effort!” But gradually, rumors began circulating in the company about me using special means to land projects. Lauren would always appear at the height of the rumors: “Everyone, don’t spread rumors. Jade is my sister. I know her abilities best.” In private, though, she’d hold my hand and sigh. “Jade, reputation is most important for girls. With you acting like this, how can I feel at ease as your sister?” I used to stupidly think that was concern. My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a formal offer letter from the rival company’s HR director. [Ms. Jade, please confirm this offer. Position: Group Vice President and European Regional President, reporting directly to the CEO. Base salary, performance bonuses, and equity incentive details are attached. We look forward to your earliest start date.] Back at my desk, I began packing my things. A photo frame still sat on the desk—a picture of us from the early startup days. Lauren had her arm around my shoulders, smiling bright and radiant. I couldn’t reconcile her with the bitter, harsh woman from just now. “Packing up so soon?” Lauren’s voice sounded behind me. My movements paused, but I didn’t stop what I was doing. “Jade, do we really have to go this far?” She stood behind me, her voice softening, coaxing me like she had countless times before. “Isn’t this all for your own good? Why can’t you understand my good intentions!” I finally turned around and looked her in the eyes. “For my good? After I land a hundred-billion-dollar order, you throw me into cleaning toilets, and you call that for my good?” The gentle mask on her face finally showed a crack. “Of course it’s for your good! Jade, I’m grateful to you, grateful you saved my son and helped me build this empire.” “But why do you have to keep reminding me of this? Why do Max’s eyes light up when he mentions you? Why do company employees think that without you, Jade, the company can’t function?!” “Even when Adrian mentions you, that look in his eyes…” “Let me tell you, Jade—everything you have, I gave you! Without me, you’d still be scraping dirt in the mountains! Me having you clean toilets is elevating you!” I finally understood. Turned out all these years, every achievement I made was one more threat in her eyes. The life-saving favor was a debt, sisterly affection was an act, fighting side by side was foolishness. Perhaps initially, she truly treated me as her sister. But hearts change, and when I became “too accomplished for a subordinate,” This sister who once protected me couldn’t wait to destroy me. Seeing my silence, Lauren seemed even more enraged. “I wanted to leave you some dignity. But things have come to this, and there are some things I must say.” “Several important client files have been leaked recently, and projects keep getting snatched by competitors. I investigated for a long time, until yesterday when I confirmed the leak source was in the sales department!” “Not only that. This person also repeatedly tried to seduce Mr. Anderson. I caught her more than once! Out of old sentiment, I wanted to transfer her to administration to reflect, waiting for her to come to her senses before returning. But what did she do?” “Ungrateful, biting back instead. Since that’s how it is, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” Before I could refute, Lauren had already ordered people to restrain me. “Ms. Jade is suspected of leaking trade secrets. Until the investigation is clear, please have her rest in the storage room.” The ones restraining me were Leo from Finance—last year when his mother was critically ill, I privately advanced him $100,000 for surgery.

The other was Zoe from Marketing—when she was harassed by a client, I brought a lawyer in the middle of the night to rescue her. They held my arms on both sides, hands trembling but gripping hard. I was half-pushed, half-dragged toward the storage room at the end of the hallway. Passing familiar faces, some averted their eyes, some pretended to be busy, some hesitated to speak but ultimately stayed silent. My heart sank bit by bit to the bottom. The dust in the storage room made me cough constantly. Leo and Zoe pushed me hard, keeping their heads down, not daring to meet my eyes. “Ms. Jade… I’m sorry, we…” Leo’s voice was choked with tears. Before she could finish, Zoe pulled her hard. “Let’s go! Do you still want your job or not!” The door was locked again, cutting off all sound from outside. I slowly slid down the wall to sit on the floor. I reached into my pocket for my phone—the screen was pitch black. The last hope of contact with the outside world was gone too. I scanned the narrow space, wondering if I could crawl out through the ventilation shaft. Suddenly, footsteps sounded at the door. The lock clicked open, but my heart inexplicably panicked. Adrian slipped through the door crack and locked it behind him. He walked toward me, his gaze lewdly roaming over my body. “Look at this—our illustrious Ms. Jade, how did you end up like this?” I stood up, looking at him coldly without speaking. “Lauren just has a quick temper, acts impulsively. But I’m not incapable of helping you.” He moved closer, his tobacco-scented breath spraying on my face. “You were just too stubborn before! But from now on… as long as you’re smart and obey me.” “I can talk to Lauren and let you come back, even keep you as sales director. How about it?” I slapped away his hand reaching for my face and shouted angrily. “Don’t touch me.” The fake smile on Adrian’s face instantly vanished. He raised his hand and slapped me. “Ungrateful bitch!” “Jade, if it weren’t for your looks, I wouldn’t bother with you!” He grinned menacingly, grabbed both my hands, and pushed me against the wall. “You don’t want to? Doesn’t matter. I just need to have my fun today!” “Let’s see how long your stubborn bones can last!” Humiliation and rage made me instantly raise my leg and kick with all my strength toward his groin. Caught off guard, Adrian groaned and released his grip. But before I could run, he grabbed me from behind and slammed me hard to the side. My ears immediately rang, and a rusty, metallic taste filled my mouth. My vision blurred. I could only see his furiously twisted face and his hand raised high again. However, the expected second beating didn’t fall. The storage room door opened once more. Lauren stood backlit in the doorway, her expression as twisted as a ghost. “Jade, I knew I was right—you two really are having an affair!” Hearing this, I found it utterly absurd. But before I could refute, Adrian’s face was already plastered with flattery. “Lauren! Don’t misunderstand! She lured me here, trying to seduce me! She just wanted me to let her out.” “She even said she’s familiar with all the company business and will take those client resources and go solo, so she won’t have to deal with you, this nagging wife.” Lauren’s chest heaved violently, her eyes stabbing viciously at me.

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My fiancé Ronan ran away from our wedding two years ago. For those two years, he’d been accompanying his adopted sister Tia on hunting trips in Africa. When I went to pick someone up at the airport, I ran into him by chance. I was wearing sunglasses, but he spotted me in the crowd immediately. “Layla, I came back to marry you.” I hesitated. “You are…” He smiled helplessly. “Come on, don’t be mad at me. I didn’t mean to run away for so long. After Tia finished hunting one group of animals, she wanted to hunt another group. She’s my only sister—I had to indulge her.” “But look, as soon as filming wrapped, I rushed straight back to fulfill our engagement!” Only then did I recognize the man before me—my ex-fiancé Ronan! But didn’t anyone tell him that on the day he ran away, I married his brother Leo, the Alpha heir? The airport was packed with people. Ronan held a Chanel bag in one hand and pushed a suitcase with the other. Tia, whose skin had also darkened several shades, sat on top of the suitcase while Ronan pushed her along. After two years of hunting in Africa, they both looked like they’d been baking in the wilderness for years. Dark as night. Ronan used to be fair and handsome with a great physique. Back then, so many friends said I had good taste for finding such an outstanding fiancé. But now… Good thing he’s not my husband. I took off my sunglasses and forced a polite smile. “Sorry, it’s been so long and you’ve both changed so much, I didn’t recognize you at first.” Tia sneered as usual. “Stop pretending you didn’t recognize us. You came here to pick up Ronan, didn’t you?” “If Ronan and I hadn’t thrown away our SIM cards and cut off contact with home after going to Africa, you probably would’ve chased after us!” Tia huffed and turned her head away angrily. Ronan ruffled her hair and tapped her nose helplessly. “Once I marry Layla, she’ll be family too. You can’t talk to family like that.” “Otherwise, next year I won’t go to the next hunting zone with you.” After comforting Tia, he turned to explain to me: “She’s just childish, you know. Her father died protecting me when the Rogues attacked, and she lost her father because of it.” “After we get married, we’ll be one flesh. I hope you can help me take care of her and treat her like your own sister.” Did he even hear what nonsense was coming out of his mouth? I elegantly rolled my eyes and showed him the wedding ring on my hand. “Ronan, thank you for not marrying me back then. It let me marry a man a thousand times, ten thousand times better than you.” “Please don’t flatter yourself. I’m here today to pick up my husband.” Ronan froze. Then he squinted at me for a long moment before smirking. “Layla, do you think I’m an idiot?” “The alliance between Dubois pack and Ravencrest pack—our wedding two years ago was witnessed by all the werewolf packs. So many Alphas came to the ceremony. Who doesn’t know you’re my fiancée?” “I know running away made you lose face, and that’s my fault. But with your reputation ruined, if you don’t marry into our Dubois pack, who else would take you?” So that’s why he dared to run away—he was convinced that as an “abandoned bride,” no one else would want me! He really overestimated himself and underestimated me. His father, Alpha Orion, had to clean up his mess at great cost—losing both a son and resources. To appease my father, the Alpha of Ravencrest pack, Alpha Orion voluntarily offered to transfer the pack resources meant for Ronan to Ravencrest pack. Apparently, Ronan knew nothing about this. Well, of course not. He’d been out of contact with Dubois pack for two years for Tia’s sake, hadn’t even made a single phone call home. Naturally he wouldn’t know. I just hoped he could still laugh about it tonight when he got back to the pack.

Ronan and I were fated mates. We fell in love at first sight and quickly started dating. Ronan used to take me on dates to all sorts of places every day. But before long, a spoiled-princess adopted sister named Tia appeared by his side. On our wedding day, Ronan received her call: “Ronan, remember what you promised me? That you’d go hunting with me in Africa.” “I’m waiting for you at the airport. If you don’t come, I’ll drink wolfsbane!” Ronan just gave me an apologetic glance, didn’t hesitate to let go of my hand, abandoned all the wedding guests, and ran off. I received two text messages from him, then couldn’t reach him again. [Tia’s father saved my life. She’s his only daughter—I can’t let anything happen to her!] [Don’t worry, I’ll just accompany her on one hunt, then I’ll come back. A week at most, and I’ll return to complete the wedding. Then we’ll go on our honeymoon.] Alpha Orion was furious. To give Ravencrest pack an explanation, Alpha Orion promised me: “Layla, it’s my fault for not raising him properly. Whatever compensation you want, just say it!” I pointed at Alpha Orion’s eldest son, the current Alpha heir of Dubois pack, Leo. “Then give him to me. This wedding is still missing a groom.” Leo happened to have never met his mate and was single, so he and I completed the wedding ceremony. After the wedding, I had a witch sever the mate bond between Ronan and me. On our wedding night, Leo marked me. Just like that, I officially became Ronan’s brother’s mate. Thinking of this, I checked the time. Leo’s flight should be arriving soon. I was about to ask when I saw his message: [Honey, flight delay. I just boarded. Might be very late. Don’t wait for me—let the driver pick me up.] [Love you.] A big heart emoji. I couldn’t help smiling, my brow relaxing. Even looking at this infuriating ex-fiancé, current brother-in-law, seemed more tolerable now. Ronan crossed his arms, smirking at my phone. “Oh, where’d you find this actor? Saved as ‘Husband’? Flight delay too?” “Layla, don’t make jokes like this anymore. You know I get jealous.” He suddenly leaned closer, reaching out to touch my hair. I quickly stepped back. His hand froze in midair. “I told you, I’m married. If you keep harassing me, you’ll probably get your legs broken when you go home tonight.” Ronan laughed like he’d heard something hilarious. He pointed at my neck and raised an eyebrow. “That gemstone necklace you’re wearing—Father said he’d give it to his daughter-in-law. You’re wearing it now and lying to me about marrying someone else?” The necklace was indeed a gift from Alpha Orion, just not to his younger son’s wife, but to his elder son’s wife. “I married—” Before I could finish, Tia interrupted. “Is that the emerald necklace?” She jumped down from the suitcase and walked over, inserting herself between Ronan and me. When she saw clearly that the necklace I wore was the one she’d been thinking of, her eyes instantly reddened. She grabbed Ronan’s arm, her voice dejected. “Ronan, I’ve loved this emerald necklace for so long, but Father wouldn’t give it to me. Now he’s given it to an outsider instead.” “Does Father… not consider me his daughter?” “But I’m just the daughter of an ordinary wolf warrior. I only became Father’s daughter because he was kind enough to adopt me. I can’t compare to Layla, an Alpha’s daughter. Even Father favors her.” Hearing this, Ronan’s face filled with apology again. He looked at me with some difficulty. “Tia is young and has a pitiful background. She’s always insecure. Just give in to her.” “She likes this necklace, so give it to her. I’ll buy you a ruby one later—I guarantee it’ll be prettier and better quality than this one.”

I laughed—out of anger this time. “Ronan, I suggest you wash your brain. If I remember correctly, Tia is twenty-three this year, a few months older than me, right?” “I hate two things: man-children and scheming women who steal other people’s things. She happens to be both.” Provoked, Tia’s tears fell immediately. “Ronan will spoil me no matter how old I am. You’re just jealous!” “You haven’t even married Ronan yet—what right does an outsider have to take things from Ronan’s family? You’re the shameless one!” Though Tia had been taken in by Alpha Orion, she’d never been legally adopted or changed her surname, so she wasn’t an official family member legally or within the pack. Ronan had made a fuss about making Tia a true member of the Ronan family, but Alpha Orion made his position clear and refused, so he had to give up. That’s why he felt guilty toward Tia. Now seeing Tia upset, he felt sorry for her. He frowned. “Tia is different from you. She has no parents, only me. Father won’t agree to let her officially join our family, so she feels insecure…” I cut him off with a suggestion. “Want to make Tia your family? That’s simple.” “Just marry her. I’ll gladly give her this necklace as a wedding gift. Alpha Orion’s daughter-in-law would truly deserve to wear it.” I took off the emerald necklace from my neck and held it out to Tia. Tia’s eyes widened in shock, then filled with unconcealed delight. She immediately reached out to take it. “No!” Ronan snatched the necklace away and clutched it tightly in his palm. “What nonsense are you talking? Tia is just… just my adopted sister. You’re the one I want to spend my life with!” “You can be jealous of anyone, but not Tia.” “She’s family, and you’re my lover. Stop saying these angry words, or I really will get mad.” Being stared at by those affectionate eyes, I felt no emotion—only nausea. Not wanting to waste more words, I turned and walked away. Ignoring whatever Ronan was saying behind me. Walking out the airport doors, a low-key Maybach pulled up right in front of me. The driver got out and opened the door for me. “Layla, Leo asked me to pick him up later. Should I take you to Alpha Orion’s house first?” Leo had been on this business trip for half a month. Alpha Orion knew he was returning today and specifically told us both to come to his house for dinner tonight. Suddenly, someone pushed past me and got in the car first. After Tia sat down, she sneered. “Didn’t you say you’re married? Why are you hitching a ride in Ronan’s family car? Go take your husband’s car!” Tia recognized this Maybach—it was Leo’s. Ronan clearly recognized it too. He seemed flattered, since Leo usually didn’t handle these small matters, much less send a car to pick someone up. He sat down next to Tia, helped her fasten her seatbelt, then turned to me. “You sit up front. Tia’s used to sitting next to me. I’ll have the driver drop you off at your place first.” “No need, I have my own car. Driver, please take them home. I have other plans.” I pulled out my car keys and pressed unlock. In the distance, a Lamborghini Veneno’s lights flashed twice. Seeing me drive off in a supercar, jealousy flashed in Tia’s eyes. Ronan sighed. “She came specifically to pick me up—she must be mad I didn’t take her car.” Then he asked the driver: “Did Leo send you to pick me up?” The driver answered honestly: “No, I’m here to pick up Leo.” The air froze for two seconds before Ronan said: “…What a coincidence. So where’s Leo?” “Flight delay.” I went to a beauty salon for a spa treatment, enjoying myself thoroughly. Seeing it was almost dinnertime, I drove to Alpha Orion’s house. As soon as I got out of the car, I saw two people kneeling stiffly like wooden stakes at Alpha Orion’s front door. Turns out, after the driver brought them home, when Alpha Orion heard it was Ronan and Tia who’d returned, he threw his cane on the spot and wouldn’t let them in the door. “Get out! Why didn’t you just die out there instead of coming back?” Ronan bet on Alpha Orion softening, so he dropped to his knees at the door with a “thud.” Tia, to accompany him, knelt too. Seeing me arrive, Ronan stood up and blocked my way. His previously dejected expression vanished instantly, replaced by a beaming face. “I knew you couldn’t let me go.” “Did you rush over because you heard Father punished me?” I turned my face away in disgust, trying to go around him. But he blocked me again, looking like he was “doing me a favor.” “Don’t go in. Father’s still angry—I’m afraid he’ll take it out on you.” Tia somehow sidled over too. She pointed at my nose, sternly questioning: “Are you still holding a grudge about Ronan running away for me that year?” “You stirred things up, didn’t you? Father usually dotes on Ronan most—how could he not let him in the house?” “You came here just to laugh at us!” She rushed at me to grab me, but I sidestepped and she face-planted. Tia fell to the ground, her knee hitting a sharp stone, instantly cutting open a wound. She looked completely aggrieved. Ronan pressed his lips together, his smile fading. He crouched down first to check Tia’s wound. Seeing she was fine, he skillfully picked her up in a princess carry and coaxed her for a long time before a smile returned to Tia’s face. Only then did Ronan remember me. He sighed. “Layla, you’re making me feel like I don’t know you anymore.” “Tia speaks without thinking. If you’re going to marry me, you must learn to tolerate her.” “Apologize to Tia this time and we’ll call it even. In the future, I hope you can change your personality.” What? My vision darkened. I sneered. “Should I also give her some compensation to soothe her fragile heart?” Greed flashed in Tia’s eyes. “I still need a car to get around. The one you drove today barely catches my eye.” A Lamborghini Veneno—only 3 in the world, 23 million dollars each. Tia had quite the appetite. Ronan started making decisions for me again. “Since Tia rarely likes something, give her the car. Consider it compensation for hurting her.” I flat-out refused. “Impossible!” I pushed past Ronan and walked straight toward the house. “Stop!” Ronan realized he’d been played. His face turned ashen as he threatened: “Layla, I’m saying this once—if you don’t apologize to Tia, forget about marrying me, forget about stepping foot in Dubois pack!” “BANG—” Suddenly, a cane flew out and hit Ronan square in the head. From several meters away, Alpha Orion’s vigorous voice reached everyone’s ears clearly: “Get out! She’s Leo’s wife—of course she can enter Dubois pack!”

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This time, I was back at the beginning of my downfall. It was the day my fiancée was secretly stealing company money to spend on the man she truly loved. But unlike before, I didn’t foolishly sell all I owned to cover for her. Instead, I took the evidence straight to the police. While she was held for questioning, I quietly ended our engagement. And just like that, I disappeared from her life completely. I did it because in my last life, I’d loved her completely for thirty years—yet she never once smiled at me. She even claimed I’d trapped her into having our daughter, and more than once, tried to kill our child with her own hands. Then came the earthquake. I was crushed under rubble after shielding her and our daughter. Once they were rescued, they calmly stopped the rescuers from coming back for me. My daughter, whom I’d cherished for over twenty years, was affectionately calling another man “Dad.” She told me, “If you hadn’t forced Mom to marry you with your money, we’d have been happy long ago.” My fiancée, Isabelle, wept happily in that man Marcus’s arms, saying, “It’s over. We can finally be together openly.” So in this life, I decided to let go. I’d let these “true lovers” have their happy ending. … 1 “Bryan, do you have any cash right now? Could you transfer me fifty million? It’s an emergency.” “Just think of it as an early wedding present from you to me!” The familiar voice and words snapped me back to reality. In my last life, when I hesitated, she went ahead and stole the company funds anyway. When she was caught, she came to me in tears, begging me to cover for her. I couldn’t bear the thought of her going to prison so young, so I drained my family’s savings, even took out loans from loan sharks. Only later did I learn the truth. The money wasn’t for a family medical emergency. It was for a grand, reckless gesture to win a trophy piece for her true love at a high-end auction. This time, I refused to be the fool. I hung up the phone. Then I called her boss and told him everything. Sure enough, the next day, Isabelle was taken away by the police for embezzling company funds. A colleague approached me, his voice cautious. “Bryan, I heard from the boss that if Isabelle can pay back the money, he won’t press charges.” “She’s your fiancée, after all. Aren’t you going to help her out? Otherwise, she could be facing over a decade behind bars.” I just shook my head. “I want to, but I can’t. Fifty million is no small sum. I could sell both my kidneys and still not come close.” My colleague nodded, murmuring, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” After he left, my mind drifted back to my past life. I was the one who had sacrificed everything to fix her mistake. Her parents, grateful, had pushed for our wedding to happen immediately. But Isabelle saw it as a trap. She believed I had orchestrated the whole thing to force her into marriage. As revenge, she carried on her affair with Marcus behind my back. She even had his child. And that very child, the daughter I had spoiled and adored for nearly three decades, was the one who stopped the rescuers from saving me. She said my money had torn her real family apart. That I was the monster responsible for her parents’ separation. That I deserved to die. And my beloved wife? Not only did she fail to silence her, she joined in the condemnation. “Bryan, if you hadn’t guilt-tripped me, I never would have married you. The only man I have ever loved is Marcus.” “Besides, I never forced you to help me. Even without you, I know Marcus would have saved me.” “Do you know why I could never stand to be in the same room with you? Because every time you touched me, I felt sick to my stomach! You’ve had me for thirty years. My daughter and I want to spend the rest of our lives with Marcus.” With that, they turned their backs on me, walking away arm-in-arm with Marcus, the perfect picture of a happy family. Trapped beneath the crushing weight, my heart flooded with rage, despair, and a grief so profound it suffocated me. I couldn’t hold on long enough for another team to arrive. I died of a broken heart. But fate gave me another chance. This time, I would not lift a finger for her. I would not be the fool again. This time, I was morbidly curious to see if Marcus would really be the knight in shining armor she believed him to be. 2 During her days in custody, Isabelle tried to contact me repeatedly. I ignored her calls. So, she had the audacity to call my parents. “Isabelle said she just made a stupid mistake,” my mother told me over the phone. “She said she was trying to invest the money so you two would have a better life after you got married.” “Bryan, you’re going to be husband and wife. You have to be there for each other, in good times and in bad. If you can help her, you should. Your father and I have some savings, you could…” I cut her off. “Mom, she’s lying to you. She took that money for another man.” I laid out the whole story for her. My mother was silent for a long time. “But honey, your father and I have known Isabelle since she was a little girl. Are you sure there hasn’t been some misunderstanding?” “There’s no misunderstanding, Mom. Just don’t you and Dad worry about this.” After hanging up, I booked my parents a month-long cruise. With them out of the city, they wouldn’t be caught in the middle of this mess. I never expected to see Isabelle again so soon, but there she was, at a friend’s party. Apparently, she’d cut a deal with her company, promising to return the full amount within two weeks. In return, they temporarily dropped the charges. Out of courtesy, everyone avoided the topic, but the glances they shot between me and her were charged with a strange tension. I couldn’t have cared less. But when my eyes met hers, and I saw the pure hatred simmering there, a jolt went through me. My gut told me: she’s been reborn, too. Just as the conversation in the private room was getting lively, the door was kicked open. Isabelle’s beloved Marcus stormed in, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at me. “Bryan, what kind of man are you? Your fiancée is locked up, and you don’t even bother to visit her once!” “It’s a good thing you two aren’t married yet. You would have ruined her life!” I glanced coolly at the raging man, then my eyes flickered to Isabelle. I saw her entire face light up at the sight of Marcus, an undisguised tenderness in her eyes. I couldn’t help but think of my last life. Even after thirty years of marriage, she had begrudged me a single smile, let alone a look like that. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She could put on an act when she needed something from me. And every single time, it had something to do with Marcus. Like when she begged me to give him our house to live in, rent-free. Or when she asked me to empty our life savings to fund his startup. Or when she pleaded with me to donate half of my liver to him. Isabelle never tried to hide her feelings for Marcus. And I wasn’t blind. I knew. I just thought that if I loved her enough, if I was good enough to her, one day she would see me. I forgot that some people’s hearts are made of stone. You can’t warm them, no matter how hard you try. My silence only fueled Marcus’s anger. He grabbed the collar of my shirt, roaring, “Didn’t you hear me? I’m talking to you!” “Isabelle is your fiancée! Are you really going to let her go to prison? Are you even human?!” His outburst started a ripple of whispers among our friends. “Bryan always seemed so devoted to Isabelle. I can’t believe he’d just abandon her the second she got into trouble.” “Well, they’re not even married yet. It’s every man for himself when things go south.” Listening to them, I finally understood Marcus’s little performance. He and Isabelle were trying to use public pressure to force my hand. Too bad for them. The reborn me didn’t give a damn about any of it. I shoved Marcus’s hand away, my voice like ice. “For an outsider, you seem a lot more worked up about this than her actual fiancé. I guess it’s no wonder my fiancée would embezzle company funds just to buy you a trophy.” 3 The room fell silent. Every eye was now on Isabelle and Marcus. Isabelle’s face went through a kaleidoscope of colors. She shot me a look of pure disgust. “So, you knew.” I glanced at her, my voice flat. “And if I hadn’t, were you planning to just soft-soap me into cleaning up your mess?” In my last life, I only found out the truth after our wedding. We had just returned to our new home when Marcus showed up at our door. He held a diamond ring, one bought at that same auction, and slid it onto Isabelle’s finger, right in front of me. Then, he looked at me with a smirk. “I’m sure you don’t mind, Bryan. After all, you basically paid for it.” That was when I learned that her so-called “investment” was a lie. The money my parents and I had scraped together, selling almost everything we owned, had been spent on Marcus. When I confronted her, Isabelle just said it was the price I had to pay for tearing her and Marcus apart. Fine. In this life, I wished them a lifetime of being chained together. I thought that by laying the cards on the table, there would be nothing left for them to say. I was wrong. Marcus pointed a finger in my face and spat, “Bryan, you’re a real piece of work!” “The only reason Isabelle was even at that auction was because you said you wanted that pair of matching rings! She wanted to buy them for your wedding.” “Now that she’s in trouble, not only do you wash your hands of it, you try to drag her and me through the mud with you.” As he spoke, Isabelle looked at me with a wounded, resentful expression. I was certain I had never said any such thing. But our friends didn’t know that. The way they looked at me started to shift. “I always thought Bryan was a stand-up guy. I can’t believe he’s so twisted behind the scenes.” “Poor Isabelle. To have a fiancé like that.” “Isabelle, we’ve known you for years. We trust you.” “Isabelle, you need to break up with him before you get married. You can’t be with a man like that.” … They all started comforting Isabelle, one after another. With red-rimmed eyes, Isabelle thanked them. In that moment, it was as if I were the villain, the one who had betrayed her trust, the scum of the earth. But in my last life, I had treated Isabelle and her daughter like queens for thirty years. What had I done wrong? Why did I deserve such an end? I reined in my emotions. I had no intention of playing along with their little act. I was confident that my true friends wouldn’t doubt my character based on a few words from a stranger. As for the others, once they walked out of this room, I had no intention of ever seeing them again. When it became clear that I wasn’t going to cave and offer to pay her debt, Marcus started to get antsy. Just as I raised a glass of juice to my lips, he swatted it out of my hand. The glass shattered on the floor, the sound silencing the room once again. “Bryan, you’ve caused Isabelle so much misery, and you have the nerve to sit here and drink juice?” At this point, I was just tired of it all. I looked up, my eyes cold as I stared at him. “Isabelle embezzled that money for you. All the items from that auction ended up in your pocket. How dare you say I’m the one who caused this?” Marcus sneered. “If you hadn’t demanded those rings, Isabelle and I would never have even gone to that stupid auction!” “And what do you mean, the items are in my pocket? They’re all in your new house!” “Bryan, you go on and on about how much you love Isabelle, but when it comes down to it, you’re just trying to use her as a shield. Don’t you have a conscience?” Isabelle stood up then and, without a word, slapped me across the face. “Bryan, you are the biggest disappointment of my life. I’m breaking our engagement!” Her friends immediately chimed in to support her. “This is about more than just breaking up. Bryan, since this all started because of you, you’re the one who has to fix it for Isabelle.” “Exactly! If all those auction items are yours, how can you let a woman pay for them? That’s just pathetic.” “If Isabelle actually goes to prison because of you, will you be able to live with yourself?” … Listening to their accusations, I ran my tongue over the inside of my cheek where she’d hit me. I looked up and met Isabelle’s triumphant gaze. Did she really think a little public pressure would make me bend to her will? I turned on the TV in the room and connected my phone. A security video played for everyone to see. It showed the scene after the auction. Isabelle was walking out, arm-in-arm with Marcus. “Marcus, did you have a good time tonight?” “I did. But Isabelle, what about that fifty million you embezzled? How are you going to pay it back?” “Don’t worry. I’ve got that fool Bryan wrapped around my finger. All I have to do is cry a little, beg a little, and he’ll find a way to get me any amount of money I need.” “Isabelle, you’re so good to me…” Then, without a care in the world, they started kissing. I looked at Isabelle’s deathly pale face and smirked. “About that broken engagement you mentioned… I agree. After all, I have no desire to be anyone’s fool.” With that, I turned and walked out of the room.

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Today was our tenth anniversary, and our third wedding anniversary. To the outside world, Patrick and I were the perfect couple. But a string of disasters had cast a shadow over our life. It started with Patrick’s friend Dylan. He’d borrowed two hundred thousand dollars from us, then gambled it all away. Patrick was devastated, apologizing repeatedly. I swallowed my own anxiety and comforted him, telling him we’d figure it out. Two weeks later, Patrick had a minor car accident. The elderly other driver demanded compensation; we eventually paid ten thousand to settle it. A month later, Patrick’s father was diagnosed with kidney failure. An urgent transplant would cost around fifty thousand dollars. I remembered ten years ago, when a boulder nearly hit us on a hike. Patrick shielded me with his body, landing him in the ICU. When he woke, he transferred all his assets to my name, saying it was to ensure my safety. But now, three years into our marriage, he was secretly moving those same assets. I once overheard the delicate girl in his arms call me a washed-up hag, asking when I’d die. Patrick soothed her, saying, “Just wait a little longer.” I kept asking: what is love? Then I saw a forum post: “How do you know if he truly loves you?” The top comment read: “Love is fluid. It answers to no one.” In that moment, something settled inside me. A decade, leading here. But I wouldn’t accept this as my ending. … It was one thing after another, a crushing weight that left us breathless. Patrick held me, his tears dampening my neck. “I’m so sorry, Anna,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry for dragging you through all this.” “This is nothing,” I murmured, stroking his back as I transferred the money to his parents’ account. “We’ve been through worse.” And we had. After grad school, Patrick caught the tech wave, co-founding Serenity Tech with a classmate to develop stress-relief mobile games. In the early days, they were short-staffed and had no money for employees. After a sleepless night, I quit my stable government job and became Serenity Tech’s fourth employee. My bachelor’s was in accounting and my master’s was in finance, so I took on everything: administration, finance, sales, even cleaning. At our poorest, we were crammed into a sixty-dollar-a-month basement, living on instant ramen. I remember joking through a mouthful of noodles, “Patrick, when can I upgrade to the cup noodles?” His eyes had turned red, his voice thick. “Anna,” he’d sworn, “one day, I’ll make sure you have beef soup for breakfast, pork ribs for lunch, and Italian steak for dinner.” Back then, the good life was just a meal with meat. Now, six years later, Serenity Tech was on the verge of going public, thanks to a few hit games. We’d moved from that basement to a sprawling penthouse downtown. The recent expenses were a drop in the bucket, but old habits die hard, and every large withdrawal still felt like a punch to the gut. After sending the money, I let out a long sigh. “Patrick, I feel like we’ve had a run of bad luck. I’m going to go to the Sanctuary of Hope tomorrow and get a charm for you.” I was a staunch atheist, but four years ago, that had changed. We were on a road trip, driving through the mountains, when a massive rock dislodged and came hurtling down, slamming directly onto the hood of our car. Before I could even process what was happening, Patrick had thrown his entire body over me in the passenger seat. I was untouched. He was left unconscious with a severe head injury and rushed to the ICU. That night, the doctor told me, “He took a direct hit to the head. There’s bleeding in his brain. If he wakes up within 24 hours, he should be fine. If not, we’ll have to perform surgery. And even then, there are no guarantees.” I collapsed, my legs giving out from under me, begging the doctor to save him. He must have taken pity on me. “Miss,” he’d said gently, “there’s a small chapel near the north entrance. Maybe you should go there. He’s down, but you need to be strong.” I knelt in that chapel for two solid hours, praying to any god that would listen to let Patrick wake up. I offered ten years of my life for his safety. If ten wasn’t enough, I’d give twenty. The next morning, as the first rays of dawn streamed through the hospital window, Patrick’s eyes fluttered open. The tears I’d held back while he was unconscious came flooding out, and I cried until I couldn’t breathe. Once he was stable, he squeezed my hand. “Anna,” he said, his voice firm, “I’ve made up my mind. When I get out of here, I’m putting all my assets in your name.” I didn’t understand. He brushed a stray piece of hair from my forehead. “Anna, when I was in the coma… I could hear you. All I could think was, if I really died, what would you do? We’re not even married. My relatives would have swarmed in to fight over my inheritance, and you would have been all alone. So I’m giving everything to you. That way, if something happens, I can rest in peace knowing you’ll be taken care of.” “Don’t say that! Don’t you dare leave before I do,” I’d choked out, tapping his chest with a weak fist. He’d cried out, “Oww, that hurts!” As I leaned in, worried I’d actually hurt him, he produced a diamond ring from under his pillow. “Anna Scott,” he’d whispered, “will you marry Patrick Leigh?” There was no hesitation. This man had saved my life with his own. If it wasn’t for him, I would have been the one lying in that hospital bed. I slipped my finger through the ring. It was a perfect fit. He pulled me into a hug, his body still trembling with the aftershock. “Babe, I was going to propose on this trip. I guess fate had other plans. But they say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. From now on, I’m going to treat you like a princess.” From that day on, I started to believe. I would stop at every church, every chapel, not for myself, but to pray for Patrick’s safety. … So the next morning, I drove to the Sanctuary of Hope, the most visited spiritual place in the city. I knelt before the altar for two hours straight. With the blessed charm in hand, I was about to leave when I heard a small cry from the entrance. “Ma’am, I twisted my ankle. Can you help me?” The girl who called out was in her early twenties, dressed in a simple white dress, her makeup minimal. A high ponytail swung as she moved, and her fair face had a touch of stubbornness to it, reminding me of myself right after college. I felt an instant sense of connection and rushed over to help her up. She thanked me profusely. “Oh, thank you so much! A lot of people just walked past, but you were the only one who stopped. You know,” she gushed, “when I saw you, I felt this instant connection, like we were meant to be sisters.” Her enthusiasm was a little overwhelming. “It’s no problem,” I said, trying to gently disengage. “Let me get security to help you.” But she suddenly gripped my hand. “Oh, by the way, my German tutor taught me a word the other day, Seelenverwandt. I can’t for the life of me remember what it means. Do you know?” The change in topic was abrupt, and my guard went up instantly. She was smiling at me, but her eyes held a new glint of condescending amusement. I’d never formally studied German, but Patrick had minored in it. The very first word he ever taught me was Seelenverwandt. A spiritual twin. A soulmate. Patrick used to call me his Seelenverwandt. He said our love was symbiotic, a bond that would last until death. For years, it was our secret code, the word we’d whisper before we kissed. My pinned social media post was still the nine-photo collage from the day we got our marriage license, the caption reading: Congratulations to my Seelenverwandt, Mr. Leigh. You’ve just won the chance to spend the rest of your life with me. And now, a complete stranger was asking me what Seelenverwandt meant. My mind went to the one place I didn’t want it to go. Patrick was cheating on me. I struggled to keep my voice steady. “Do you know Patrick?” The girl blinked innocently. “Nope, never heard of him. Oh! I just remembered I have German homework to finish. I should get going. Can we exchange numbers, though? If you don’t mind.” She continued, her words a rapid-fire assault. “By the way, my name is Piper. My German tutor loves calling me ‘Anna.’ He says Piper is peaceful, and so is Anna. Isn’t he cute? Oh, I have no filter, you’ll have to forgive me. I’ll call you later to thank you properly.” Normally, I would have politely declined. But Piper had planted a seed of doubt, and I couldn’t stand uncertainty. Some things had to be brought into the light. By the time I got home, it was evening. Patrick had said he had a business dinner and would be home around nine. Our housekeeper, Maria, brought me a bowl of soup. “Ma’am, the mister specifically asked me to make this for you. He said your period is coming, and you always get bad cramps, so you need to eat well and stay warm.” I sat at the table, lost in thought. On one hand, there was a decade of Patrick’s unwavering care and affection. On the other, a stranger’s vague, provocative words. Shouldn’t I give the man I shared my bed with more credit? Maria kept chattering. “He’s so good to you, ma’am. You’ve been married all this time with no children, and he never pressures you. Whenever anyone asks, he just jokes that it’s his fault. If you ask me, you should hurry up and have a baby. Otherwise, all those other women out there will be lining up to have one for him…” I slammed my bowl down on the table. “Maria, if you’re tired, perhaps it’s time for you to go home and retire!” She shut her mouth, looking chastened. But her words had tightened the knot of anxiety in my chest. We had been together ten years, married for three, and were still childless. At first, it was because of the startup. Then, last year, I’d had a chemical pregnancy, a loss that happened before we even knew to be excited. So, at the beginning of this year, I had stepped down from my role as CFO at the company to focus on getting pregnant. And now, I was faced with the possibility that my entire marriage was a lie. I immediately contacted the best private investigator in the city. Whatever the outcome, I needed the truth. Once that was done, I tried to clear my head and idly scrolled through my phone. The first thing I saw was a new post from Piper. Got in trouble with my German tutor again. I forgot the meaning of Seelenverwandt today, so my punishment is to whisper it in his ear a thousand times. And if my pronunciation is off, I get a little swat. Can someone report a teacher for corporal punishment? The accompanying photo was taken in a massive floor-length mirror. A girl in a tight, black lace dress was kneeling. Behind her stood a man in a suit, holding a leather riding crop. The photo was artfully blurred, but the man’s build was unmistakably Patrick’s. Half an hour later, another post from Piper. Class is finally over. I’m exhausted. The picture was just the riding crop, lying on a plush surface, the leather gleaming under the light. I couldn’t breathe. A war raged in my head. You’ve been together for ten years. You’ve been through hell and back. You know him better than anyone. How can you doubt him? He took a rock for you! He has a permanent get-out-of-jail-free card with you! Love is fickle. Do you really think it can withstand any temptation? Piper is younger, prettier, has a better body. If I were a man, I’d choose her too. “Enough!” I slammed my hand on the table, my control finally snapping. The soup bowl tipped over, red broth spilling across the wood and dripping onto the floor. A complete mess. “Babe, what’s wrong?” It was Patrick. He was home. The timing was perfect. Piper’s “class” had just ended, and here he was. The suspicion was so thick I couldn’t even pretend to be happy to see him. I fantasized, for a moment, about him confessing, and me destroying everything he had ever built. Patrick glanced at my phone screen and let out a long, heavy sigh. “Babe, I knew this day would come. Let me explain.”

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As the first zoologist to discover the mythical Harpies, my life was once shattered by fate. In my past life, I passed the entrance exam and partnered with the brilliant Stella for an overseas fellowship. Together, we won the highest international award, hailed as a dream team. But our success drove her envious junior colleague, Toby, to overdose. The night before our return, Stella made a televised accusation, claiming I had sold our national research to a foreign corporation. “You stole Toby’s study materials and pushed him to fail!” she cried, calling me a traitor unworthy of science. Only then did I realize she had stolen my father’s research, ruining his reputation. He died in disgrace. My mother, tricked by Stella into entering a wild reserve to help me, was killed by wolves, leaving no remains. The forged “traitor’s agreement” sealed my fate. No institution would take me, and I fell from promising scholar to a homeless wanderer abroad. One snowy winter night, I froze to death on the street, my life over in half a month. Now, back from hell with bitter memories, I held back. In the selection exam, I carefully scored second place. Watching Stella and her protégé celebrate on the results board, I smiled coldly. This time, I’d watch from the sidelines and see who that coveted award would truly destroy. 1 “Toby got first place? Isn’t Oliver always the one who aces these things? Could it be true what Toby’s been saying, that Oliver was cheating all this time?” Toby held the printout with his top score high in the air, strutting around like a proud rooster. “Those little quizzes were just warm-ups. A high-level thesis discussion like today’s is what really separates the wheat from the chaff. It seems some people around here rely on cheap tricks to get by!” He shot a contemptuous glare directly at me. Everyone in our two-hundred-person research division knew I was the one who practically lived and died in the lab. This crucial selection was a fluke victory for him, a blind squirrel finding a nut, and he was going to milk it for all it was worth to grind me into the dust. I leaned against the wall, a humorless laugh escaping my lips. “The scores are right there for everyone to see. You can keep barking, but it won’t change the facts.” He bristled as if I’d stepped on his tail, then turned and sagged against Stella’s shoulder, his voice dripping with faux-pity. “Stella, look at him! The way he scoffs at me. I was just having an off-period before, that’s the only reason he ever got ahead!” Stella wrapped an arm around his shoulders, her eyes slicing towards me like shards of ice. “So, you stole Toby’s study materials and still couldn’t manage to take first. Lashing out now that you’re embarrassed, are we? Let’s see how long you can keep playing these dirty, back-alley games.” I raised an eyebrow, catching the flicker of calculation in her eyes. In that instant, it hit me. She’s been reborn, too. Whispers immediately erupted around us. “Oliver stole Toby’s notes? That’s messed up. No wonder Toby was always stuck in second place, he was being sabotaged!” “If someone at Stella’s level is saying it, it must be true. What a scumbag, using tricks like that to get ahead. Makes me sick!” The glares and sharp-edged insults rained down on me, but I didn’t even flinch. I walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, calmly waiting for the Director to arrive and make his selection. In my last life, it was because I’d so spectacularly taken first place that the Director had singled me out, kicking off the nightmare that allowed Stella to destroy my entire family. This time, I had no interest in being the nail that stuck out in this cesspool. When the Director entered with the results sheet, his brow furrowed into a knot. “How is Oliver second? I’ve reviewed his files from the past two years. His performance metrics have consistently been the best in the entire institute.” Toby immediately crossed his arms, sniffing disdainfully. “That’s only because he’s so conniving. He stole my core notes before the exam. Otherwise, first place would have always been mine!” I almost burst out laughing. In all our previous tests, he’d fought tooth and nail just to scrape into the top ten. One lucky break and he was acting like he was the next Einstein. My undisguised smirk infuriated Stella. She shot me a warning glare before turning to the Director, putting on her expert air. “Oliver’s test scores are admittedly good, but that doesn’t mean he has the scientific intuition to handle a project of this caliber.” “Toby and I have worked together in the lab countless times. Our synergy is unmatched. If he’s my partner, I guarantee the project’s progress will double in speed.” She was the lead researcher, handpicked for the project. Her words carried immense weight. It was a blatant power play: choose Toby, or she’d walk. Watching the proud, certain look on her face, so sure the Director would cave, a bottomless, cold amusement filled me. In my last life, our partnership was nothing like the harmonious duo the media portrayed. She barely even bothered to show up at the lab. The all-nighters that left my eyes bloodshot and burning? I pulled every single one of them alone. On the rare occasion she graced the lab with her presence, her only pastime was to stand aside and mock me. “Toby is my true soulmate in science. No one but him will ever touch my core data.” “You schemed your way into his spot, so this is what you get. Let’s see what world-shaking discoveries you can make all on your own.” This time, without me toiling away in the dark for her, I was eager to see what kind of “world-shaking” results she and the useless Toby could possibly produce. The Director, cornered, looked helpless. His gaze shifted between us, finally landing on me with a hint of regret. “But Oliver was the first to discover traces of that rare, harpy-like creature. The higher-ups were actually leaning towards having him lead the subsequent in-depth research.” 2 Stella’s face darkened instantly. The look in her eyes was like a poisoned blade, promising to devour me whole if I dared to nod in agreement. “I’m sorry, but I’ve already decided on a new research direction. And frankly, I have zero interest in partnering with Stella,” I said, cutting off any possibility of negotiation. The Director opened his mouth to try and persuade me, but Stella cut him off harshly. Her jaw twitched, a muscle pulsing in her cheek as she forced a cold laugh. “If he’s going to be so ungrateful, why waste your breath, Director? I wouldn’t want to share a room with a sewer rat who steals from his colleagues anyway.” “A ‘new research direction’… I wonder which poor soul he stole that from.” At that moment, Toby’s sharp eyes landed on the thick stack of files at my side. He gasped, covering his mouth theatrically. “You’re not going to work on the amphibious mutant species, are you? I’ve been the one leading that research! What you’re holding has to be the raw data I spent nights compiling!” “Oliver, have you no shame? Are you going to steal my hard work, too?” I casually flipped through the file, my gaze cold as I stared him down. “Stolen from you? Again? Toby, is it that your brain is so incapable of producing anything of value that you assume every research breakthrough in the world must have been stolen from you?” In all his years at the institute, he hadn’t even managed to win a third-rate regional prize. The jab hit its mark. His eyes reddened, and he shrank behind Stella like a wronged child. “It just looked familiar, I was just saying! I never said for sure that you stole it. Oliver, why do you have to humiliate me like that?” Stella hugged him protectively, patting his back as if soothing a puppy. Her glare at me was murderous. She lunged forward, snatched the file from my hands, and, in front of everyone, ripped it to shreds with a vicious shrrriiip. “It’s just a few scraps of paper! What’s the big deal? I could produce a dozen better proposals for Toby with my eyes closed. You enjoy twisting the knife, don’t you? Waving this in his face just to feel superior?” That was the culmination of six months of fieldwork, countless trips to remote observation sites. In her eyes, it was worth less than a single one of Toby’s crocodile tears. She turned to the Director, her tone an undisguised threat. “Do you see now? Oliver is nothing but a bully who preys on the weak. If the board insists on forcing me to partner with a piece of trash like him, I’ll quit the project altogether!” The Director panicked. The institute couldn’t afford to lose a star like Stella. He quickly capitulated. “Alright, alright! Toby it is. You and Toby will form the special research team.” Toby peeked out from behind Stella’s shoulder, shooting me a look of pure provocation and contempt. I just shrugged, turning to leave the toxic room. “Stop,” Stella’s voice, sharp and commanding, cut through the air. She had regained her icy, superior composure. “Now that Toby is my partner, you will vacate your private lab for him. Also, you’ll take over all the menial tasks the Dean assigned him. He needs to be well-rested for the intense research ahead.” The sheer audacity of her gangster-like demands made me laugh. “My private lab was granted to me for winning a national gold medal last year. On what grounds should I give it to him? And why should I be his free labor for the work he’s supposed to do?” In this brutally competitive institute, only top-tier researchers who had won national-level honors or higher were granted a private lab. It wasn’t just about resources; it was a symbol of status. Toby didn’t deserve it. The administration had considered making an exception for him once, pulling strings just for him. But then I won that prestigious gold medal. Stella herself had marched into the Dean’s office and, with a grand gesture, donated a fortune to outfit it with state-of-the-art equipment, turning it into a world-class facility as a “surprise” for me. “Oliver, this is my first big gift to you. Be a good boy, and there’ll be more where that came from.” Those words, once spoken with a mix of pride and tenderness, now dripped with nothing but ice. “I’m the one who funded that lab for you. Now, I’m taking it back. Because you are no longer worthy of it.” That single sentence was a dull, rusty knife carving a bloody, ragged wound in my chest. I clenched my jaw, swallowing the metallic taste of blood that rose in my throat, and answered, word by word. “Fine. The lab is his. But as for the Dean’s assignments, I won’t write a single damn comma for him.” That lab was filled with her presence, with things that were never truly mine. They felt tainted. I was ready to leave it all behind. 3 I scrolled to the very bottom of my contact list, found the number I hadn’t touched in years, took a deep breath, and hit dial. “You once told me you wanted me as your permanent partner. Does that offer still stand?” There was no hesitation on the other end, just a clear, steady female voice. “That spot by my side has always been yours, Oliver. You just had to say the word.” Harper. The genius researcher who had swept countless international awards. In our last life, she had delayed her entire project waiting for me to come to my senses, ultimately costing her that year’s top global prize. This time, we would finally fight side by side. After hanging up, I immediately began the paperwork for a transfer to Munich. As I walked out of the HR office, clutching a thick stack of handover documents, I ran straight into Stella and Toby. Toby’s sharp eyes caught the “Overseas Transfer Application” printed on my folder. He let out an exaggerated, cold laugh. “And here I thought you had some backbone, that you’d actually give up on Stella. Turns out you’re just going to shamelessly follow us abroad? Have you no dignity?” Stella let out a derisive snort, her eyes filled with a lofty pity. “Oliver, why do you insist on torturing yourself? Even if you follow me across the world like a stray dog, I won’t give you a second glance.” I calmly flipped the file over, showing them the name of the receiving party. “I’m going abroad because I’ve found a new partner. This has absolutely nothing to do with you.” When Toby saw the thunderous name on the document—Harper—he froze, then burst into even harsher laughter. “You barely scraped second place in our own institute’s selection, and you think a god-tier researcher like Harper would even look at you? She’s at the absolute pinnacle of our field. You couldn’t come up with a more ridiculous lie if you tried!” Stella, however, stared at the name, her expression shifting like a volatile storm. I had no time for their games and was about to walk around them when Stella grabbed my arm, yanking me into a corner of the hallway. She lowered her voice, her tone laced with fury. “I know you threw the exam to let Toby win. You were trying to get back at me. But changing partners is a massive decision. Why didn’t you report it to me first?” “Go and cancel your application with her right now, before word gets out.” She tilted her chin up, so certain that I was still the puppet who danced on her strings. I wrenched my arm free, finding her entitled expression utterly ridiculous. “And why should I take orders from you?” Her jaw tightened, her eyes flashing with impatience. “Because I’ve already planned it all out. Toby will be my public partner, a face for the media. You will continue to be my shadow partner, working behind the scenes. Isn’t that a perfect solution?” I frowned, unable to process her twisted logic. She looked at me as if I were an imbecile, continuing to explain as if granting me a great favor. “The repetitive, tedious work in the lab is draining. Toby’s a light sleeper as it is; he needs at least twelve hours of rest a day.” “So, you’ll still be the one to handle the heavy lifting, the core data analysis. When the time comes… if we win an award with that data, I’ll speak to the Dean. I’ll have a brand-new lab built just for you as compensation.” Now I understood. She wanted me to sweat and slave away like a mule in a windowless basement, while Toby strutted onto a brightly lit stage in a designer suit to accept the accolades. The sheer audacity was breathtaking. I laughed, a sound devoid of any humor. “Putting someone else’s name on your work is called academic fraud. Do you have the guts to repeat that in the Director’s office?” She was instantly enraged, her eyebrows shooting up as she pointed a finger at my nose, hissing. “Oliver! I’m offering you a way out! You’re the one who started this jealous drama, all to force me to acknowledge you as my partner again, weren’t you?” Seeing the fury and arrogance swirling in her eyes, a chilling coldness crept up my spine. I remembered my past life, how I’d unhesitatingly rejected offers from three of the world’s top labs just to stay by her side. For the crumbs of affection she occasionally threw my way, I worked like a machine devoid of pain, my eyes burning from sleepless nights, secretly fixing God knows how many of Toby’s screw-ups. I clenched my fists, my nails digging deep into my palms, and stared into her eyes, enunciating each word. “I will never agree.” Her chest heaved with rage. Just as she was about to explode, Toby’s melodramatic sobs echoed from the other end of the hall. Stella’s expression changed in a flash. She hurried over to find Toby crumpled on the floor, clutching a reference book that had been cut to ribbons, crying his eyes out. “Stella, Oliver did this! To get back at me for taking his spot as your partner, he snuck into the lab and destroyed my core reference materials!” Stella pulled him into a tender embrace, her voice soft enough to melt steel. “Don’t cry. I’ll make him pay. I won’t let anyone who bullies you get away with it.” Toby, trembling like a frightened quail in her arms, shook his head theatrically. “Let’s just forget it and go abroad. If we stay under the same roof as Oliver, I’m afraid next time he’ll destroy months of my research.” I watched this pathetic melodrama unfold, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Your mediocre research is hardly worth my effort. Besides, this entire hallway, including the lab, is covered by 360-degree surveillance cameras. We can just pull the footage and see who’s really directing this little play. Or do you prefer to just keep wailing here?” My words only made Toby cry harder. Stella whipped her head around, her eyes promising murder. She snatched the shredded hardcover book from the floor and hurled it at my face. “You commit this disgusting act of revenge against Toby, show no remorse, and then have the audacity to bully him with your words! Oliver, you forced my hand!” The heavy corner of the book struck me right beside my eye. A sharp, piercing pain erupted, and warm blood trickled down my cheekbone. The last trace of expression vanished from my face. My voice was as cold as ice. “You won’t even check the cameras. You condemn me based on his word alone. Stella, have you ever considered that you’re nothing more than a puppet, and he’s the one pulling your strings?” She clenched her fists, roaring like an enraged lioness. “Toby’s heart is as pure as a blank sheet of paper! Even if I willingly let him use me, he would never stoop to something like this! Unlike you, with your mind full of schemes and gutter-water ambition!” Faced with her fury, I simply wiped the blood from my eye, my expression as placid as if I were looking at a stranger. Suddenly, she let out a chilling, eerie laugh and strode into my lab. She grabbed a scalpel from the desk and plunged it violently into the temperature-controlled incubator. The specialized glass casing shattered with a sharp crack. Warm, light-blue nutrient fluid and viscous matter spilled across the table. Those were the rare, thought-to-be-extinct biological specimens I had spent eight years cultivating, poring over ancient texts to bring back from the brink. They were only three days away from hatching. She turned her head, a sick, almost cruel smile on her face. “How does it feel? To have your life’s work destroyed in an instant?! Toby has poured ten times more effort into his research than you ever have, so you deserve to swallow this pain ten times over!” She overturned the entire incubator in a frenzy. The precious eggs rolled across the floor. In her high heels, right in front of me, she brought her foot down, again, and again, grinding them into a stinking, putrid mess. The crowd gathered at the door was dead silent, no one daring to breathe. They were all waiting, waiting to see me collapse to my knees as I had in the past, begging her to stop. But they were disappointed. I simply bent down, expressionless, picked up my scattered transfer documents, and walked away into the deepening night. While waiting in the airport lounge, my phone lit up with a text from a colleague. [Stella says if you come crawling back right now and kneel before the whole institute to apologize to Toby, she might consider asking the Dean to let you stay.] I replied without a moment’s hesitation: [Tell her not to bother. From this day forward, I am done with her, and with this place. Forever.] I turned off the phone, snapped the SIM card in half, and dropped it into a trash can. Boarding pass in hand, I walked onto the flight to Germany without a single look back. As for who would claim that grand international award, she could just watch and see.

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Nineteen again, and I woke up next to Annie Bright. The reckless abandon of last night flooded my mind. In my past life, I married him at twenty-three, becoming the envied Mrs. Bright, the woman who had it all in New York society. When the tabloids caught him with his childhood sweetheart at a hotel, I put on a brave face, smiling and saying I trusted him. When he asked if she could bear his first child, I swallowed my pride, saying it didn’t matter, as long as the child was his. It wasn’t until I was on my deathbed that he held my hand, his voice choked with anguish, asking if I would be his wife again in the next life. All I could think was: I never want a next life. I never thought I’d actually get one. 1 I lost the game and chose “Dare.” Following the gaze of everyone in the room, I stood up, walked over to the boy sitting next to him, and dropped to one knee. “Silas, you’re a god.” Then, I pressed a light kiss to the back of his hand. “Hahahaha!” The room erupted in laughter. Silas’s face turned crimson, and he just sat there, stunned. My best friend, Faye, nudged me with her shoulder. “Did I hear that right, or did you get your wires crossed?” she whispered, a mischievous glint in her eye. “I thought you were going to use this chance to finally confess to Annie.” She was right. All our friends knew I’d been crushing on Annie Bright for ages. A dare was the perfect cover. For months, I’d been clawing my way into their elite circle, all for the singular goal of marrying into the Bright family. Tonight’s villa party was a masterpiece of my own design; I’d begged Faye to pull every string she had to get Annie here. The moment I’d arrived, she had pulled me aside, her voice a conspiratorial whisper. “Annie just got dumped. Get him drunk, take him home. Trust me,” she’d said, “guys are simple. Even if there are no feelings now, there will be after you sleep with him.” In my last life, I did exactly that. And to his credit, Annie was a responsible man. Our messy beginning led to six years of marriage. It wasn’t a whirlwind romance, not some epic love story, but looking back on it sent a shiver of dread down my spine. A cold, deep-seated fear that I never wanted to feel again. This time, I didn’t want to marry him. The game continued around me, a chaotic symphony of laughter and shouting. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annie’s hand, the veins popping as he gripped his glass. He tossed back his drink, and for a fleeting moment, his gaze fell on Silas beside him, a flicker of contempt so subtle it was almost invisible. The party finally wound down around one in the morning. As the crowd thinned, I pulled on my down jacket, ready to leave with my friends. “I’ll drive you,” Annie said, getting to his feet. “It’s snowing out there. It’s not safe for you girls to go alone.” I was about to refuse, but my friends were already cheering. “Wow, thanks, Annie! You’re a lifesaver!” The estate was out in the suburbs. One by one, he dropped my friends off at their apartments until it was just the two of us left in the car. We sat in silence, the air thick with unspoken words. The car finally pulled up to my building. Just as I was about to get out, he spoke, his voice laced with an unreadable emotion. “Aren’t you going to invite me up?” In my past life, I was the one who asked. I’d invited him up to my apartment, and one reckless, passion-fueled night had led to a lifetime of entanglement. This time, I shook my head. “It’s too late. It wouldn’t be right.” I opened the door and turned to say goodbye, but his hand shot out, clamping around my wrist. I looked back, my eyes meeting his intense, burning gaze. His lips, thin and sensual, curved into a look that was part question, part invitation. “Jess Collins,” he murmured, his voice low. “You’re into me, aren’t you?” It wasn’t just “into.” I had loved him. Deeply. I looked at him, the fresh-faced, nineteen-year-old Annie blurring with the cold, distant twenty-five-year-old from my memories. The past was a phantom, a half-remembered nightmare. I grew up in a single-parent home, molded by my mother from birth to be the perfect trophy wife for a wealthy family. She’d spent a fortune consulting astrologers to pick the perfect C-section date for me, and the ugly scar on her stomach was a permanent reminder of her ambition. When I first learned to speak and called her “Ma,” she corrected me instantly. No, darling. The best families in New York say ‘Mommy’. She rented a tiny apartment for us near the Upper East Side, a place where every plant was positioned according to the advice of some spiritual guru for “good energy.” She worked three jobs to send me to a prestigious prep school, all so I could blend in with the children of the elite. Then, she sent me to study abroad in the UK. “Rich boys don’t talk about Adam and Eve,” she’d said. “They talk about Adam Smith.” So, I got into the Adam Smith Business School, where Annie Bright was my classmate. I aced every course while he partied his way through the semester, never showing up for group projects. Right before finals, he’d shamelessly ask me to reteach him everything the professor had covered. When the results came out, his score was two points higher than mine. He’d grinned, throwing an arm around me. “It’s all thanks to Professor Collins. Let me buy you dinner.” I thought it would be a simple meal, but we ended up eating our way through every Chinese restaurant in Glasgow. My mother had always told me that when a man went out of his way like that, it meant he was interested. I never dared to admit that I was the one who fell first. But Annie had a girlfriend back then, an art student in London. They were childhood sweethearts, a perfect match from two powerful families. “So what?” my mother had scoffed over the phone. “Steal him. Finding a husband is a competition, a war between women. If you marry into the Bright family, I’ll become a vegetarian and pray for your soul every day to build up your good karma.” But marrying into a family like the Brights was never easy. I used every trick in the book to weave myself into his world, finally catching him on the rebound during a break with his girlfriend. During the years we dated, we fought, we broke up, and it was always me who swallowed my pride and went back to him. When his love for me was at its peak, he fought with his family elders for three days and nights, begging them just to meet me. The prim and proper image my mother had so carefully crafted for me over the years was just enough to win their reluctant approval. Our wedding was the event of the season, a staggering eight-million-dollar affair that made headlines everywhere. My mother was ecstatic, praising me for securing both love and money. At the time, I believed it too. A sleazy tabloid reporter, hungry for a headline, wrote a piece about me: Billion-Dollar Gold Digger: From Rags to Riches as a Broodmare for the Elite. Annie saw the article on his phone and immediately made a call. The man on the other end was practically groveling. Annie wrapped his arms around me, holding the phone out to me with a lazy smile. “That phrase I taught you the other day,” he prompted. “Say it again.” I flushed, mortified. “You… you son of a bitch,” I stammered. “My business… is none of your goddamn business.” The words felt alien in my mouth, so contrary to the gentle, well-mannered woman I was supposed to be. My face burned with shame as I forced the sentence out. Annie burst out laughing, clutching his stomach, while the man on the other end of the line apologized profusely. I found out later that the reporter who wrote that story vanished from the New York media scene completely. Memories flooded back, fragmented and bittersweet. In those moments, it felt like maybe, just maybe, Annie and I had really been in love. But I had underestimated the destructive power of a first love. The day Isabelle Monroe came back, I learned that the scorching passion I thought he had for me had never been mine at all. Her flight back to New York was delayed by a category three storm. The paparazzi caught Annie waiting at the airport for her. Three hours late, and he sat there for three hours, not moving an inch. He carried her bags as they checked into a hotel, looking every bit the devoted knight. They didn’t emerge until the next morning. A provocative entertainment reporter shoved a microphone in my face. “Mrs. Bright, sources say Ms. Monroe was camped out in your husband’s hotel room for eight hours. Worried your throne is a little shaky?” I kept my expression neutral, wanting so badly to spit back the words Annie had taught me: Piss off! It’s none of your damn business. He’d even sent me a meme of my favorite actor saying it. But my mother’s voice echoed in my head. A high-society wife is always graceful. No matter what happens behind closed doors, you never lose your composure in public. So I smiled sweetly and said, “I trust my husband.” But trust? That had been eroded away long ago. That New Year’s Eve, Annie brought Isabelle to the Bright family estate for the first time. He had his arm around her waist, ignoring the furious glares from the family elders. “Izzy said our view of the fireworks is the best in the city,” he announced with a careless grin. “I just had to show her.” At that moment, I was with his grandmother and mother in the family chapel, kneeling before the altar. I didn’t dare lift my head. His mother didn’t move either, her chanting just growing a little louder. After dinner, as the annual fireworks display lit up the sky over the harbor, I stepped out of the dining room. In a dark corner of the terrace, I saw Isabelle stand on her tiptoes and kiss Annie. He saw me, his eyes meeting mine over her shoulder. Then, he wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and deepened the kiss. It was brazen. Shameless. I froze, my entire world tilting on its axis. When he finally looked back at me, he was still smiling. “Darling,” he said, his voice casual, “do me a favor and tell the family I had to step out for a bit.” It was a holiday. I didn’t want to ruin it for everyone by exposing his recklessness. I made up a simple excuse for the elders. Annie didn’t come home that night. He rarely came home after that. Isabelle wanted to be an actress, so he threw money and connections at her career. He took her to every social event, transforming the bankrupt socialite into a pageant queen. It was as if he couldn’t wait to prove that his hidden love and guilt had never faded. Even so, I maintained the dignity expected of me. If we happened to be at the same event, I would offer a polite nod and a quiet hello. Whenever people in our circle talked about me, it was with a tone of pity. “So what if she married up? Without a child to secure her position, she’ll be divorced sooner or later.” My in-laws, terrified of a scandal tainting the family name, forced Annie to use… certain medical means to ensure I got pregnant. The day he found out, he frowned. “Based on the due date, it’s about two weeks after Izzy’s. I won’t have time to take care of you. I’ll hire you some more nurses.” I rested a hand on my flat stomach, my back straight against the sofa cushions, and smiled. “Of course.” What I wanted to say was, Are you insane? That little tramp is having a bastard child! But I held my tongue. A calm environment was important for the baby. Besides, my position in the Bright family was already precarious. Without this child, Annie really might divorce me. My mother had told me that even if I couldn’t hold onto his heart, having his child would at least secure my status. But it seemed even fate was against me. The child didn’t make it. After the Brights publicly announced my pregnancy, Annie started putting on a “devoted husband” act and spent less time with Isabelle. I heard she threw several tantrums, and he had to shower her with jewelry to pacify her. That, combined with pressure from the Bright elders, finally made her quiet down. But every time I saw her at the private clinic for my check-ups, she’d shoot me a venomous glare before walking away. One day, the doctor confirmed I was having twin girls. Isabelle was having a boy. When she got her results, Isabelle approached me, a first for her. She told me she’d left Annie back then because her family’s problems were too much, and she didn’t want to drag him down. “I regret it,” she said, her voice soft. “I can’t forget him, Jess. I truly love him. If I hadn’t let him go, I would be the one who is Mrs. Bright right now.” “I’m sorry. I never meant to ruin your marriage.” “This is my sincere apology.” “But I can’t stop loving him. And I know he feels the same way about me.” I watched her gently stroke her swollen belly, her eyes filled with a dreamy anticipation. I wanted to slap her, to scream, You are the most shameless mistress in all of New York! But the words died in my throat. I just gave her a dismissive smile. I was Mrs. Bright. I couldn’t stoop to brawling with a mistress in public. If she had any decency, she would have stayed far away from me, not paraded her pregnancy in front of me like a trophy. Her voice was fragile, designed to evoke pity. “If I give Annie the first Bright grandson, do you think he’ll divorce you?” When I didn’t answer, she raised her voice slightly. “You just wanted to marry into a rich family. It didn’t have to be Annie, did it? You had other options.” That was it. I snapped. My hand flew out, the crack of it connecting with her cheek echoing in the quiet hallway. “You’re right,” I spat, my voice trembling with rage. “I would have been fine without Annie. So why don’t you go tell him to divorce me!” She stared at me, her hand pressed to her red cheek. I was just as stunned as she was. Then I saw him. Annie, standing right behind her. He pulled Isabelle behind him, his eyes fixed on me. “What did you just say?” His voice was low and cold, radiating the intimidating aura of a man used to being in control. I looked into his eyes, my hand still tingling, my mind a complete blank. A family like the Brights valued reputation above all else. Even if I was publicly humiliated, I was supposed to remain poised. His gaze was incredulous. “You want to divorce me?” he scoffed. “Don’t make me laugh, Jess. You were the one who schemed and clawed your way into this marriage. And now you want a divorce?” I had nothing left to lose. I found my courage again. “Yes. I want a divorce.” His expression turned to ice. “Forget it. You’re not going anywhere.” “You wanted the title of Mrs. Bright, and I gave it to you.” “Don’t play these games with me to get my attention, and don’t you dare touch Isabelle.” With that, he gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind Isabelle’s ear, then wrapped an arm around her waist and led her away. Every movement was filled with a tenderness I hadn’t felt from him since she had returned. That night, I went to the Bright estate. I knelt in the chapel and bowed three times to the altar. Then, I turned to the family matriarch, Annie’s grandmother, and said with unwavering resolve, “Grandma, I want a divorce.” The old woman continued to finger her prayer beads, her lips moving in a silent chant. She gave me no answer. In the end, I died on the operating table, still married to Annie Bright. Not long after that day at the clinic, Isabelle had a miscarriage. I overheard the household staff gossiping about it. They said that Annie’s grandmother had heard about the pregnancy and sent someone to negotiate with Isabelle. The plan was for her to give birth and let me raise the child. We would tell the world I’d had triplets. Isabelle refused. So the old woman forced her to have an abortion. Annie was convinced that I was the one who had told his grandmother, that I had sicced the family on Isabelle. When he came to see me, his white shirt was stained with blood; he’d just been punished by the family elders. I felt a pang of pity and reached out to treat his wounds, but he grabbed my arm, his grip like iron. “The title of Mrs. Bright will always be yours. What more could you possibly want?” he snarled, his eyes filled with a raw hatred I’d never seen before. “Was it really necessary to push her to the edge like this?” I tried to explain, over and over, that it wasn’t me. But he wouldn’t believe it. Human emotions are never fair. His hatred for me had long since eclipsed whatever shallow love he’d once felt. The Brights blacklisted Isabelle. No entertainment company in the city would touch her. Annie stayed by her side, comforting her day and night. He never came to see me again. By then, I had already made a deal with his grandmother. After the babies were born, I would divorce Annie and leave the Bright family. Someone else could have the damned title. When I told my mother, she screamed at me, a torrent of furious accusations. I stormed out of her apartment, my heart heavy with resentment. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, a figure lunged out of the shadows. It was Isabelle. Her face was a twisted mask of rage as she flew at me, her hands closing around my neck. “Jess Collins,” she shrieked, “you killed my baby, you stole my Annie, and now you’ve destroyed my career. I’ll haunt you even after I’m dead. I’ll see you in hell!” Before I could react, her grip tightened. A primal instinct for survival kicked in. I grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the wall. Blood streamed from a gash on her forehead. She screamed in pain, her disheveled hair matted with blood and plaster, making her look like a vengeful ghost. In the chaos, she kicked me hard in the stomach. I lost my balance and tumbled down the stairs. The world spun violently, and then, darkness. When I woke up, I was wearing an oxygen mask, each breath a struggle. Annie sat beside me, his face a canvas of pain, his hand gripping mine tightly. “Jess,” he choked out, “in the next life… will you be my wife again?” I didn’t answer. I just closed my eyes, letting the darkness take me. And when I opened them again, the villa party was in full swing, music pulsing and lights flashing. Outside, snowflakes drifted down from the night sky. It was the beginning, all over again.

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Returning from a London business trip, I froze at the sight in my living room. My best friend Harper was lounging on my sofa while my boyfriend Sebastian carefully cracked snow crab legs, placing the meat in her bowl. His eyes held a deep, sweet adoration I had never seen him give me. It reminded me of three months ago, when Harper’s cheating ex left her with no alimony. I immediately moved her in, took her on trips, stayed up comforting her, and gave her an unlimited credit card. Whatever it took to make her smile, I did. Sebastian had frowned and complained back then. He mocked her for taking Uber Black everywhere, wearing dresses once before discarding them, and needing her seafood shells cracked. He criticized her for eating only the heart of a watermelon and the tips of strawberries. He even asked if I was her lapdog, saying someone so high maintenance deserved to be left. That was the first time I truly lost my temper with him. I told him Harper was my dearest friend and had always been there for me. I begged him to be patient, if only for my sake. Soon after, I left for London. I video called Harper every day, watching her gradually step out of the shadows. She began job hunting and planning her new life. I really thought everything was getting better. 1 A suffocating, dead silence filled the living room. The only sound was the canned laughter of a reality TV show playing on the flat screen. Harper was the first to react. She scrambled off the sofa, her face draining of all color as she stumbled toward me. “Stella… when did you get back? Why didn’t you text? We… I would have picked you up.” Sebastian stood quietly behind her. He didn’t say a single word. Harper forced a rigid, trembling smile. “You must be exhausted from the flight. Let me get you some water.” She spun around in a blind panic, grabbing a glass from the coffee table. Her hands shook so violently she knocked over the heavy glass pitcher, sending water spilling all over the expensive rug. Sebastian frowned. He immediately grabbed a handful of napkins and knelt to clean up the mess. “Stop trying to help. You don’t know how to do these things.” His tone sounded like a scolding, but the profound, effortless intimacy wrapped in his words was undeniable. The very last shred of naive hope in my chest disintegrated into ash. My grip on my suitcase handle tightened until the leather dug a painful trench into my palm. “When did this start?” Harper froze. She instinctively turned around to look at Sebastian. His expression remained completely stoic. He reached out with a long arm, pulling her safely behind his back. “This has nothing to do with her. It is all on me.” His voice was perfectly level. He sounded like he was discussing the weather. Sebastian was naturally aloof. In the corporate world, he was known for being a cold, ruthless shark. People always whispered that he was completely unapproachable, and that Stella was the only person who could ever pull a real emotion out of him. I used to believe I was his one and only exception. Until this exact second. He was standing on the opposite side of the battlefield, using his trademark coldness to completely sever me from his life. Harper looked frantic. “No… Stella, please listen to me. Let me explain, we aren’t…” I stood rooted to the spot, watching her stammer helplessly, unable to string a single coherent sentence together. A bitter, self-deprecating laugh slipped past my lips. “Can you really not even invent a decent lie to feed me right now?” Harper turned deathly pale. Sebastian firmly grabbed her trembling hands, his voice dropping into a low, soothing register. “Breathe. Let me handle this, okay?” He stepped forward and reached for my suitcase. “Stella, let us step outside to talk.” I stared at his face. Three months. That was all it took for the man I loved to become a complete stranger. I bit the inside of my cheek to fight back the burning tears. My voice wavered. “Sebastian, this is my house. You are asking me to leave?” He paused for a fraction of a second. A hint of pleading crept into his tone. “Stella, please. Do me this favor. She caught a chill yesterday and she is fighting a cold. Let her get to bed early, alright?” I pressed a hand hard against my chest. There was no physical wound, but the agony was so severe I felt like I was bleeding out. Sebastian picked up his designer coat from the back of the dining chair. He turned to Harper, his voice dripping with gentle concern. “Be a good girl and go to sleep. Leave the rest to me. I will stop by the deli on Pearl Avenue and bring you that creamy crab bisque you love on my way back.” I threw the front door open and practically ran out of the house. I couldn’t let them see the pathetic, humiliating tears streaming down my face. Inside a sterile hotel suite an hour later. Sebastian sat on the sofa furthest away from me, maintaining a polite, icy distance. He smoked two cigarettes in total silence before finally speaking. “I take full responsibility. Ask for whatever compensation you want. I will write the check.” “I was the one who caught feelings first. Don’t blame her.” I dug my fingernails mercilessly into my own skin. I took a deep, shuddering breath. “Why?” Sebastian lit a third cigarette. He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking exhausted. “Stella, you are brilliant. You are calculating, and you are entirely self-sufficient. But Harper is different. If I leave her, she will literally not survive.” Looking at his handsome face illuminated by the glowing cherry of his cigarette, I found the entire situation absolutely hilarious. A few months ago, Sebastian couldn’t stand the sight of my best friend. He called her a toxic drama queen, completely out of touch with reality. He said she was a useless parasite who only knew how to feed off other people’s bank accounts. When I was forced to take the London project three months ago, I practically had to beg him on my knees to occasionally check in on her. He had acted like a stubborn child back then, playfully biting my cheek. “Stella, I haven’t even put a ring on your finger yet, and you already have me doing your family chores. You are dumping a massive headache on my lap. You owe me big time for this.” I had stood on my tiptoes, kissing him softly, promising him that the second this London project wrapped up, we would finally get married. Three months. That was all it took for my entire universe to rot away. 2 Sebastian stood up. He pressed his lips together, his expression complicated. “I know I did you dirty. For the joint development projects we currently share, I will surrender twenty percent of my profits to you. If you ever need a favor in the industry, my door is open.” “But I have one demand. You mean the world to Harper. She does not want to lose you as a friend.” I looked up at him. It felt like I was listening to the punchline of a sick, twisted joke. I actually laughed so hard fresh tears spilled over my eyelashes. Three months ago, I used the exact same excuse to beg him to take care of my best friend. Three months later, I was the one being ordered to tolerate the betrayal so she wouldn’t feel guilty. My voice trembled with raw, unadulterated anger. “Sebastian, do you two honestly not realize how completely psychotic you sound right now?” “What makes you think I deserve to be treated like garbage? I am going to expose every single filthy thing you both did. If you have the guts to screw my best friend, you better have the guts to own it in public.” Sebastian took a step back. His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. “Stella, stop throwing a tantrum. You built your company from the ground up. You crawled through hell to get where you are. Do not ruin your own career over a petty emotional outburst.” The thinly veiled threat in his voice sent a violent chill down my spine. He stood tall, looking down at me with the absolute arrogance of an apex predator. People always told me Sebastian was ruthless and completely devoid of human empathy. I always defended him. Now, staring into his cold eyes, I realized the rumors were perfectly accurate. He just used to reserve all his warmth for me. Now, he was giving it to someone else. “I am heading back. If I am gone too long, she won’t be able to sleep.” “I will pack her things and move her out tomorrow. Sorry to make you sleep in a hotel tonight.” The heavy hotel door clicked shut. I finally collapsed onto the pillows, screaming and crying until my lungs burned. Outside the window, the city lights glittered like diamonds. I had flown thousands of miles, completely exhausted, desperate to sleep in my own bed. Instead, I was discarded in a freezing hotel room. Just a few blocks away, the two most important people in my entire life were tangled in my sheets, sleeping in my bed. It was pure, suffocating irony. The next morning, I put on a pair of oversized sunglasses to hide my swollen eyes. I parked my car outside a trendy artisan bakery downtown. Harper was wearing a cute pastel apron. When she saw me walk through the door, her eyes lit up with hope for a split second, but she quickly lowered her head in shame. She brought a cup of black coffee to my table and sat across from me. She forced a pathetic smile, her voice timid and careful. “Stella, I know you are furious with me. I am so sorry. I know you treated me better than anyone. I owe you my life…” “But look at me now! I have a real job. I promise I will pay you back every single cent I owe you…” I let out a harsh, mocking laugh. I stared at her. She was working as a junior baker, yet she was wearing a Cartier necklace that cost more than this entire storefront. “Pay me back? On a baker’s minimum wage?” Harper flinched. She had married rich right out of college and spent years living as a pampered housewife. Her ex-husband treated her like a princess, catering to her every insane demand. Combined with my unconditional, protective friendship, Harper had cruised through life on easy mode. Until six months ago, when her husband was caught sleeping with his secretary. Within two months, his lawyers legally butchered her. She was kicked to the curb with zero assets. If I hadn’t swooped in to rescue her, she would have literally starved on the streets. She claimed she wanted a fresh start. But after years of being completely detached from the real world, she couldn’t handle a normal corporate job. Because she used to bake cupcakes for fun in her massive suburban kitchen, she somehow landed a job at this high-end bakery. I didn’t say a word. I just raised my hand. The bakery manager immediately rushed over, bowing respectfully. “Ms. Davis, it is an honor to have you visit.” All the blood drained from Harper’s face. Her eyes widened in absolute horror. I took off my sunglasses, my voice dead and hollow. “After your divorce, you were suicidal. You finally told me you wanted a job to feel normal again.” “Harper, you are not stupid. Did you really never wonder why every single place rejected you, but this specific elite bakery miraculously hired a woman with zero professional culinary experience?” “I gave you my entire heart. I funded your life. And this is how you repay me?” Harper’s eyelashes fluttered wildly. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her voice shook violently. “I didn’t know… Stella, I swear I didn’t know…” She lunged across the table, desperately grabbing my hands. “But he is so good to me! He actually loves me! Stella, you are a powerhouse. You are successful, you are beautiful, you can survive without anyone. But I can’t.” “You always told me you would share anything you had with me. I don’t want your money anymore. I just want him. Please, Stella, let me have him.” I sat perfectly still, staring at the woman I had known since we were three years old. A quarter of a century of sisterhood had mutated into something absolutely grotesque. “Growing up, I gave you anything you ever asked for.” “But Harper, taking what isn’t yours behind my back… that makes you a thief.” 3 When Sebastian stormed into the bakery, he found Harper practically kneeling at my feet, sobbing hysterically. His expression turned lethal. He closed the distance in three massive strides, violently pulling her up and shoving her safely behind him. He glared at me, his jaw clenched tight enough to shatter teeth. “Stella, I told you to come at me. Stop terrorizing her.” “Add up every single dollar she spent on your credit cards. Give me the final number, and I will wire it to your account right now.” I looked at him, letting out a barrage of cold, bitter laughter. “Wow. It must be nice to throw your money around, Sebastian. But the debt you two owe me can’t be paid off in this lifetime.” Sebastian’s eyes darkened. He opened his mouth to fire back a vicious insult. Suddenly, Harper screamed at the top of her lungs. “Enough!” Her entire body was shaking, but she forced herself to look me in the eye. “Stella, this is what you owe me. I don’t care if you resent me or hate my guts. I am not letting him go. From this day forward, our friendship is officially dead. We are even.” She ripped off her pastel apron, grabbed Sebastian’s hand, and dragged him toward the door. They walked out without looking back. I sat alone by the window. Outside on the sidewalk, two teenage girls in high school uniforms were laughing brightly, sharing a single ice cream cone. I felt something cold drop onto my hand. I reached up and realized my face was completely soaked with tears. Harper and I had known each other since preschool. We were inseparable through elementary, middle, high school, and college. As far back as I could remember, my parents did nothing but scream and throw things at each other. They only stayed married because neither of them wanted the burden of keeping a child. Every time they destroyed our living room in a screaming match, Harper would quietly slip through the front door. She would help me sweep up the broken glass, grab my hand, and drag me to her house for dinner. The year we graduated high school, Harper secretly pawned her grandmother’s vintage gold locket to pay my college tuition. I remember her licking an ice cream cone, acting like it was no big deal. “Hey, my grades are garbage anyway. But you are a genius. It would be a crime if you didn’t go to a top university.” “Stop crying, Stella. I know you are going to be a massive CEO one day. When you strike it rich, just buy me ten Cartier bracelets to make up for it.” In the dark, lonely years of my youth, Harper was my very first hero. She was the most important piece of my soul. By the time I drove back to my house, every trace of them had been scrubbed clean. I stood in the center of the massive, empty living room, feeling completely untethered. When I first bought this multi-million dollar property, I specifically reserved a master guest suite entirely for Harper. Sebastian had been incredibly annoyed about it. I just smiled at him and told him it was a promise I made a long time ago. At Harper’s wedding, I was her Maid of Honor. When I caught the bouquet, I hugged her tight and swore that as long as I was breathing, she would always have a home with me. Now, I was the one left without a home. The house was still haunted by the things Sebastian left behind. Our framed certificates from university business competitions. Photos from our vacations to the Amalfi Coast. His toothbrush sitting in the master bathroom. The cashmere blanket he left tangled on the sofa, and a half-read novel resting on the coffee table. Every time I closed my eyes, my brain forced me to visualize the two of them rolling around together on that very sofa. I slapped a hand over my mouth, sprinting to the bathroom sink. I dry-heaved violently until my throat bled, feeling like I needed to vomit my own organs out to feel clean again. I looked up at my reflection in the mirror. I looked haggard and completely unrecognizable. Sebastian was my senior in college. We were partners in the national startup championship. The night he confessed his feelings to me, his usually icy face was flushed red. “Stella, you are the most brilliant, resilient woman I have ever met. Please give me the honor of taking care of you.” After graduation, I gained experience at a tech giant before catching a market trend and launching my own firm. Sebastian was my rock. He guided me through the darkest days of the startup grind. He was my partner in battle, and the love of my life. Because of him, I actually started healing from my childhood trauma. I started believing that I could actually build a healthy family. I truly planned to spend the rest of my life with him. I stared into the mirror, my fingernails digging painfully into my palms. They were the reasons I wanted to live. They were the ultimate goals of all my blood, sweat, and tears. And they rewarded me by driving a knife directly into my spine. Why should they get away with this? I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn’t called in a very long time. 4 Three days after I made that phone call, Sebastian barged into my executive office. He slammed the heavy glass door so hard the walls vibrated. “Stella, did you call Harper’s parents?!” “Her mother called her last night and screamed at her for a solid hour! She called Harper an ungrateful snake and said she was dead to the family! Harper cried so hard she almost passed out. Are you happy now?!” I let out a sharp laugh. “If you two had the guts to do it, why are you so terrified of people finding out?” But beneath my cold exterior, a sharp ache hit my chest. I never forgot how kind the Davis family was to me when I was a neglected kid. When my company took off, I repaid their kindness ten times over. I bought them cars and paid for their luxury vacations. Mrs. Davis had called me in tears, apologizing profusely for her daughter’s sins. Yet the person who actually owed me an apology hadn’t offered a single word of remorse. Sebastian took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. “Stella, this is your absolute last warning. You are going to march over there and apologize to Harper right now. If you do, I will pretend this entire incident never happened.” I looked at him like he had lost his mind. “Apologize? I am pretty sure I am the last person in this room who needs to apologize.” His face hardened into pure ice. “Starting today, I am permanently terminating all corporate partnerships with your firm. You are currently leading the Eastside Development project. The primary investors happen to be my people. You know perfectly well that without my backing, that project will implode.” “I am giving you three days to think this over. Stella, you have been a brilliant strategist your entire life. Do not commit professional suicide over petty jealousy.” Hearing his chilling ultimatum, the very last trace of affection I held for him vanished. When Sebastian loved someone, he would lay the entire world at their feet. But the second he turned on you, he was a merciless monster. He stayed true to his threat. Overnight, the Eastside investors pulled their funding. The project ground to a halt, and panic spread through my company like wildfire. But I refused to beg. Ten years ago, I was a broke orphan who bit down on my own tongue and clawed my way to the top of the food chain. Ten years later, I could easily carve a bloody path out of this mess on my own. A month later, I received a text from Harper. [Stella, Sebastian and I are getting married next month. You are the most important person in my life. I want your blessing. I know I betrayed you, but please, just this one last time. Can you forgive me?] I glanced at the message, locked my phone, and went back to my boardroom meeting. I didn’t reply. On the day of their wedding, I arrived exactly on time. Harper looked like a delicate little bird, clinging tightly to Sebastian’s arm. Her eyes were swimming with toxic, artificial sweetness. The moment they saw me walking down the aisle, the color drained from both of their faces. The crowded ballroom fell completely silent. My high-profile relationship with the ruthless Sebastian Lockwood was common knowledge in our elite circle. Yet somehow, within six months, the bride had miraculously changed. Sebastian instinctively stepped in front of Harper, staring at me with hyper-vigilant hostility. Harper looked at me, tears welling up in her eyes. “Stella… I…” I looked at the two of them and offered a bright, serene smile. “Relax. I promised you years ago that I would never miss the most important day of your life.” “I am just here to drop off my wedding gift.” Behind them, the massive screen playing their sickly sweet wedding montage suddenly went pitch black.

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