Category: English

I woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep from morning sickness. Just as I was about to contact my husband, I stumbled across a post. [What’s a secret you could NEVER let your wife know!] The top-liked comment was pinned: [She’ll never know that the person who had sex with her on our wedding night wasn’t me.] The comments section exploded. [Dude! You have a cuckold fetish?] [Or do you have erectile dysfunction?] The guy replied: [No. I just promised the woman I truly love that I’d never have sex with anyone else. She’s been studying finance in the UK, and she’s coming back tonight.] A wave of nausea hit me. I felt even sicker. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the man’s profile. A hand reaching out of a car window, wearing a distinctive diamond ring. I recognized it instantly. That was the wedding gift I gave my husband. Custom-made, one of a kind in the entire world. My mind went blank. I was about to call my husband to confront him. But then he suddenly sent me a message: [Jason Johnson, you used protection that night with my wife, right?] I frowned. Jason? The cold, ruthless heir of the Johnson family was the one who ravaged me all night? How was that possible? …

The message was quickly deleted. I pretended I hadn’t seen it and hurriedly screenshot the post and profile, saving everything. Sure enough, when the post started trending, Nico Brown deleted his comment. But soon after, he couldn’t help himself and posted his first status update. [Waiting for her.] Two simple words, accompanied by a photo of the airport late at night, revealing Nico’s anticipation. I sneered sarcastically and continued taking screenshots. So his “working overtime” was actually picking up his beloved mistress. I’d planned to tell him about the pregnancy tonight, but now there was no need. Without any hesitation, I immediately called my older brother. “Ian, find someone reliable and have them stake out the airport right now. Watch Nico.” Silence on the other end for a few seconds, then a deep exhale. “He’s cheating?” “Yes.” “How dare he!” Ian’s sleepiness vanished instantly. While arranging for someone to go to the airport, he growled in a low voice. I toyed with the diamond ring on my finger, speaking indifferently: “Since he doesn’t care, let’s just let the Brown Group die completely.” “Whatever you say!” After hanging up, I felt drained of all energy and collapsed onto the bed. Nico’s profile had already updated with a second post. This time it was the back of a young woman, paired with song lyrics. [Your gaze evaporates into clouds, then falls as rain, only then can I draw near.] Beneath it, disgusting men quickly piled on, egging him on: [Come on bro, you still haven’t sealed the deal? Go for it!] Nico replied in real-time: [I couldn’t bear to before. After all, I married a domineering nouveau riche. Didn’t want her to get hurt.] [But now I’m not afraid of anything. No matter what, I can take half her money.] Those men all praised his clever planning. They even asked him for advice. He pontificated in the comments about how easy it was to fool a brainless woman like me. I scoffed inwardly, looking at the illusory, dazzling light on my ring finger. “Ha, Nico…” “I’m afraid you don’t know that I married you precisely because you’re stupid.” I opened the safe. I took out a thick file from inside. Walking to the floor-to-ceiling window, I looked out at the brightly lit skyscrapers outside. A cold laugh rose in my heart. Nico. Since you’re heartless, don’t blame me for being ruthless. “Schedule an abortion for me. The sooner the better.” Early the next morning, I called the top private hospital. Just after hanging up, my secretary rushed in to report. “Ma’am, Mr. Nico suddenly wants to use the wedding memorial hall to host a welcome party for a friend.” “For whom?” “A Miss Penny, he said.” “Penny…” I thought for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed. So that’s why Nico insisted on keeping the wedding venue. This was his plan all along. Claiming he wanted to preserve our beautiful memories together. In reality, he wanted to throw a secret lavish wedding for his returning mistress. Too bad he couldn’t afford the rental fee for the eight-star hotel ballroom. The permanent usage rights were in my hands alone. “Tell him I don’t agree.” “What gives you the right to disagree?” The words had barely left my mouth when Nico burst through the door. He threw down the cheap packaging in his hand and began his interrogation. “Fiona, I’m your husband. Do I need to file a report to use a venue?” “And I even waited in line for two hours to buy you porridge!” I glanced sideways at the completely cold fish porridge, a cold sneer forming at the corner of my mouth. The paparazzi had already sent me photos— This was just leftovers from the old restaurant where he and his mistress relived their student days. “Then I’d like to know what kind of bigshot deserves to use my wedding venue.” Nico blinked guiltily, unconsciously raising his voice. “Of course someone a thousand times better than you!” “Oh?” I raised my eyebrows playfully. “In that case, I’d like to see exactly who this person is.” 2. The welcome party was scheduled for noon. As soon as I entered the venue, a young woman in a white dress came over. Anyone could see she and Nico were wearing matching outfits. How audacious. “Nico.” She called out sweetly, and right in front of me, enthusiastically kissed Nico’s cheek. Then she tightly hooked her arm through his and asked me provocatively: “Miss Fiona, I’ve gotten used to being abroad. You don’t mind, do you?” Nico looked impatient, glancing at me with disgust. “She’s just a nouveau riche who didn’t even finish high school. What would she understand?” My face remained expressionless as I quietly flexed my wrist. “And you are?” The people standing around were all friends of Nico and Penny. Hearing me ask this, their voices were full of contempt. “Her name is Penny. She’s the daughter of Nico’s family’s housekeeper.” “They grew up together.” “Nico funded her to study abroad these past few years, which is how you got your chance.” Hearing this, I laughed scornfully and removed the diamond ring from my finger. “The housekeeper’s daughter…” “No wonder even your schemes are so beneath contempt.” My voice was neither loud nor soft, but enough for everyone to hear. Penny bit her lip awkwardly, and Nico’s expression changed dramatically. “Fiona, who are you looking down on!” My gaze instantly turned sharp, and I slapped him without hesitation. The crisp sound echoed through the banquet hall for a long time. “A housekeeper’s daughter thinks she deserves to use my wedding venue for a welcome party?” “Nico, have you lost your mind?” Nico covered his face in disbelief, trembling with rage. “You’re just a nouveau riche who got lucky! What are you so arrogant about!” “Don’t forget, you’re legally married to me! We didn’t sign any prenuptial agreement, so I can take half of everything you have!” He was confident, thinking he’d found my weakness. I laughed as if I’d heard a joke, sneering. “Is that so? Then go ahead and try.” I turned away dismissively. On my way out, I collided with a solid chest. The scent of warm sandalwood heated by body temperature filled my nose, incredibly familiar. I slowly looked up and saw that noble face. It was Jason. “Are you alright?” He steadied me, scorching warmth spreading from his palm. I was about to apologize when I heard Penny’s shrill retort. “So what if I’m a housekeeper’s daughter? It’s still not your place to look down on me!” “Oh? Then tell me, what kind of person am I?” I suddenly became interested. I pulled out a chair and sat down. Penny tapped her wine glass, getting everyone to quiet down. “I didn’t want to broadcast this everywhere, but seeing Nico so humiliated, I have no choice but to speak up—” “I am the renowned stock market genius trader, codename Black Swan!” After speaking, she proudly puffed out her chest. Gasps of surprise filled the room. Black Swan! The legendary trader who could shake the entire stock market! Unpredictable stock trades, ruthless execution, an undefeated career! Having her was like having a money tree! “But Black Swan suddenly disappeared two years ago. How do you prove you’re her?” Someone at the table questioned. Penny smirked confidently and pulled out an exquisite velvet box from her bag. When she opened it, everyone nearly dropped their jaws. Inside was the gold coin gifted by the Stock God himself! The engraved black swan on the back even had the Stock God’s personal fingerprint! Then she pulled out a gold-embossed certificate and placed it on the glass turntable for everyone to examine. It was personally issued by the government, impossible to fake. “This gold coin, I’m sure everyone here has heard of it.” “This should be proof enough of my identity.” 3. When the coin turned to face me, I knew at a glance it was real. But how did it end up in her hands? Seeing me frown, Penny thought she’d gotten to me and became even more arrogant. “Miss Fiona, this is me—climbing to the top of my industry through my own efforts.” “And you? Besides your family’s money, what else do you have?” Hearing this, everyone around looked at me smugly, waiting for me to embarrass myself. After all, my high school expulsion was known throughout the city. Every teacher said they couldn’t teach me. Everyone said I drove the teachers crazy, not knowing it was their own incompetence. Thinking about this, I suddenly found it strange. If Penny really got into that top finance university, how could she not have heard of me? My phone suddenly vibrated a few times. It was investigation materials from Ian. Before I even finished reading, I couldn’t help but laugh. So that’s how it was. I stood up unhurriedly and asked in a voice just loud enough for everyone to hear: “What if I said I’m the Black Swan?” The moment I spoke, the air suddenly went silent, then everyone burst into laughter. Penny laughed until her shoulders shook. Nico nearly rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “Fiona, you didn’t even finish high school. Do you even know what Black Swan is? How dare you spout nonsense.” “Hurry up and apologize to Penny, then pay the full venue fee, and we won’t hold this against you.” Just as everyone was laughing hysterically, a hoarse yet incredibly steady voice rang out. “I believe her.” Everyone looked over in unison, their pupils dilating in shock. It was Jason again! Had he… lost his mind?! His eyes were dark, staring at me with deep, burning intensity. As if afraid I hadn’t heard clearly, he seriously repeated: “I believe her. I believe Fiona is the Black Swan.” I looked up and met his gaze. Fragments of that crazy wedding night flashed before my eyes. My face inexplicably began to heat up. I hurriedly turned away. “Fine, you say you’re the Black Swan. Then what can you use to prove it?” “Don’t tell me you’re going to pull out a gold coin too?” Penny’s lackeys started making trouble again, then deliberately laughed together with the people beside them. Nico didn’t even bother pretending anymore, directly embracing Penny. After all, with the Black Swan, who’d worry about cash flow problems? “Fiona, can you stop being so stubborn?” “Hurry up, pay the money and get lost. Stop embarrassing yourself here.” “Go back and prepare a villa for Penny, or I’ll divorce you!” I raised my eyes slightly, still expressionless. “What proof? How boring.” “Tomorrow morning when the stock market opens, we’ll have a real showdown. Then we’ll know who’s the fake.” Some people in the industry who knew me pulled at my sleeve worriedly, whispering advice: “Miss Fiona, you don’t even know what the stock market is. What kind of showdown can you have?” “You absolutely can’t do this recklessly. You could lose money.” “Even if your family is incredibly wealthy, you can’t afford to lose like this!” Probably afraid I’d back out, Penny quickly stepped forward to agree. “Fine! Let’s compete!” “But let me say this upfront—if you lose everything, Nico will have to suffer with you.” “Before that happens, signing a divorce agreement shouldn’t be a problem, right?” As soon as Penny finished speaking, her friends immediately started making noise. “Exactly! You want to kill yourself, but you can’t drag others down with you!” “Stupid and malicious women are the worst! Divorce is the best risk mitigation!” After hearing this, everyone else could barely stay seated. Everyone knew the Brown family begged for this marriage alliance precisely because they needed my financial help. Now that they’d finally latched onto this big tree, how could Nico possibly divorce? But the next second, Nico agreed without thinking. “I agree!” Those who didn’t believe it before were instantly stunned. “Are you sure?” I crossed my arms in front of my chest, sneering as I asked him. He immediately answered. “I’m sure.” “Fine, then I want you to return all the funds I allocated to the Brown family immediately.” Nico’s arrogant expression froze on his face. The Brown family had begged for ages to get that funding. How could they just return it! “Why should I!” His expression turned ugly. Penny beside him couldn’t help but remind him. “Nico, she really is as dumb as a pig.” “She only knows to demand the funds back, but doesn’t know to make you sign a marital property agreement.” “Divorcing now is actually good for you. Whether she dares show up tomorrow or not, you must take half her assets!” “That’s right!” Nico suddenly understood and immediately had the finance department return all the funds. Before the money even arrived, he loudly proclaimed to everyone: “I ask everyone here to witness—from this moment on, Fiona has nothing to do with me!” People below shook their heads and sighed, expressing sympathy for me. Only Jason stared at me with burning eyes. I stood up decisively, my heels clicking against the marble. The crisp sound was like another slap about to land on his face. “Fine, I agree.” “The bet is now in effect. Tomorrow at the exchange, see you there.” Penny looked triumphant. “Don’t be a coward tomorrow.” The door slowly closed behind me. I couldn’t hold back anymore and rushed to the bathroom, vomiting violently. When I looked up, a black silk handkerchief had somehow appeared beside my hand. I immediately turned around, but the doorway was empty with no one in sight. Only a faint, lingering scent of sandalwood remained in the air.

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I fled with my pregnancy for four years, never expecting to run into my foster brother Diego late one night at the pediatric emergency room. I wore a mask. He didn’t recognize me. His gaze first fell on the child in my arms: “How old?” “Five,” I lied. He touched Jesse’s throat with a cotton swab, then gently pressed his abdomen twice before turning back to his desk to write up the medical record. Mycoplasma pneumonia. Nebulizer treatment and observation required. Halfway through writing, his pen tip paused. “Where’s the child’s father? Didn’t he come with you?” “He’s dead!” I said. His pen tip stopped on the medical record for three seconds. “The detailed examination will take about two and a half hours.” He handed over the prescription, never once looking up at me again throughout the entire process. I took the slip, and the moment I turned to leave the examination room with Jesse in my arms, the nurse’s voice drifted over clearly from behind: “Mr. Diego, your fiancée just called to say she wants to change the bouquet for the engagement party the day after tomorrow to white bellflowers.” Fiancée? Engagement party? My arms suddenly tightened, pulling Jesse closer. I buried my head and hurried toward the end of the corridor. The observation room had only one wall lamp lit, its warm yellow glow mingling with the smell of disinfectant. After Jesse was hooked up to the nebulizer and given medication, his burning body finally cooled down, and he drifted off to sleep in a daze. I sat on the hard plastic chair beside him, staring at the white mist dispersing from the nebulizer. Jesse clutched my finger in his sleep. Who he resembled—anyone who’d seen them could tell at a glance. His eyes, nose bridge, the curve of his lips—all carved from the same mold as Diego. So for these four years, I never brought him anywhere we might run into Diego’s family. I kept this child hidden away completely. At three-thirty in the morning, Jesse’s temperature returned to normal. I wrapped him tightly in his blanket, picked him up, and headed out. Passing through the emergency corridor, the examination room door was ajar. Diego was still inside. He leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, as if taking a brief rest. A cup of coffee sat on his desk, with a photograph pressed beneath it. I didn’t see clearly who was in the photo, and I didn’t want to. I quickened my pace and rushed out of the hospital entrance. The next day, Jesse’s fever was completely gone. His spirits much improved, he sat on the living room carpet assembling Legos. I changed clothes preparing to leave when Raven’s call came in: “Miss Annie, the Thomas Group moved up the meeting. They want to see you at nine.” “Got it. I’m leaving now.” I drove to the company and changed into a tailored ash-gray suit and skirt. The person in the mirror bore no resemblance to the woman from last night at the hospital, frantically registering with a child in her arms. Annie Smith, founder of Smith Medical Technology, with annual revenue of $230 million last year. No one in the entire company knew I had a son, and even fewer knew I’d been raised for over a decade in the Thomas household, that I was once the person Diego cherished above all. In the conference room, three representatives from the Thomas Group had arrived, led by a man in his forties. “Miss Annie, we’ve heard so much about you. Our chairman places great importance on this collaboration and would like to meet with you personally the day after tomorrow.” “Your chairman—is that Kane Thomas?” My hand holding the water glass didn’t move an inch. Kane Thomas. Diego’s father, the helmsman of the Thomas Group, and the man who years ago had slapped a check in front of me and told me to get out of the Thomas family. “Miss Annie?” Director Mason looked at me. I set down my glass and uttered a single word: “Fine. I’ll be there.” That evening when I got home, Jesse had completely recovered, running around barefoot on the floor. After his bath, he lay in bed hugging his little astronaut doll: “Mommy, that doctor yesterday was so gentle.” My hand tucking in his blanket froze. “Mommy, does he look like Daddy?” “Go to sleep peacefully, Jesse.” I turned off the lamp. In the darkness, his breathing quickly became steady and even. I sat by the bed for a long time without moving. Does he look like him? He IS his biological father. The day after tomorrow, Thomas Group headquarters, the fifty-fourth floor of a CBD office building. I wore a fitted black suit and skirt, my hair completely pinned up, full makeup applied—not to see anyone in particular, but as protocol for going into battle. The elevator reached the fifty-fourth floor. The receptionist led me to a very large conference room. When the door opened, people were already seated inside. Three people from Director Mason’s side, a man who looked like legal counsel, and a woman in her late twenties with long hair and delicate makeup, wearing a beige tweed suit. When she saw me, she stood up politely: “Miss Annie, hello. I’m Eve, Chairman Thomas’s assistant. Mr. Thomas had something come up at the last minute and asked me to receive you first.” Eve. The name the nurse had mentioned that night. Diego’s fiancée. She didn’t recognize me. We’d never met before. I was Diego’s completely buried past, the stain the Thomas family never spoke of.

“Miss Eve, hello.” I extended my hand. She gripped it lightly before letting go. “Miss Annie is young and accomplished. Smith Medical has been very aggressive in the industry these past two years. Our Mr. Thomas has been paying close attention.” “You’re too kind.” After the pleasantries ended, we got down to business. Director Mason reported on the previously finalized cooperation framework. Eve took notes on the side, occasionally interjecting with questions. Her questions were all sharp and professional—she was definitely not just an empty-headed vase. After forty minutes of discussion, her phone rang. “Excuse me, I need to take this call.” She walked out of the conference room. The door didn’t close completely, and her voice drifted in from the corridor: “Diego, I’m in a meeting at Thomas Group. Yeah, the high-end medical equipment company, Annie Smith. Do you know her? You don’t? Okay then, let’s go taste the menu tonight. The banquet menu still isn’t finalized. Okay, love you.” I kept my head down staring at the contract terms, reading word by word, but my fingertips were slightly white. Eve returned, smiling as she sat down: “Sorry, personal call. Let’s continue.” When the meeting ended, I stood to grab my bag and leave. Eve walked me to the elevator. “Miss Annie, may I ask something presumptuous—are you married?” “No.” “Do you have children?” I looked at her: “Miss Eve, does this question relate to our cooperation?” “No, just curious. Women powerhouses like you are mostly single.” The elevator arrived. I stepped in, unable to tell if she was asking casually or had already sensed something. Monday, there was trouble at the company. “Miss Annie, Thomas Group responded. They’re adamant about a thirty-eight percent profit split.” Raven’s expression was terrible. “The reason given is that Mr. Thomas personally set it, and they said if we don’t agree, they’ll turn around and work with our competitors.” “Competitors? There are no same-tier competitors in our sector.” “They mentioned a name. Carter Medical.” I set down my pen. Carter Medical—a company established just four months ago. The founder was our former technical director who’d jumped ship, taking three core engineers with him. Their product was still in development and hadn’t even obtained market authorization. Thomas Group was using a shell company without even a finished product to pressure me. They were bluffing. “I thought so too, but what if they really invest? The offline channels in the East are too important to us.” I thought for a moment: “Set up a meeting with Kane Thomas for me. I’m done dealing with intermediaries.” “Are you sure you want to meet him directly?” “At the negotiating table, I’m Annie Smith, founder of Smith Medical. Any other identity doesn’t exist.” Raven hesitated, then returned five minutes later: “It’s arranged. Wednesday afternoon, Thomas Group headquarters. Kane Thomas will see you personally.” “Good.” Wednesday, I stood in the elevator on the fifty-fourth floor of Thomas Group headquarters, taking a deep breath. Kane Thomas. The last time I saw him was five years ago. Back then I was still the Thomas family’s adopted daughter, twenty-three years old. I didn’t know how to apply sophisticated makeup, wore cotton dresses bought from Amazon. He sat on the leather sofa in the Thomas family living room, speaking to me across the coffee table: “Annie Smith, the Thomas family doesn’t need an adopted daughter who doesn’t know her place, much less one who has feelings for Diego. Here’s two million. Take it, sign the papers, get out of the Thomas family, and never come back.” I didn’t take that two million. I left. Only when I left, I was already carrying a small life in my belly. Today’s me wore a sharp suit with full presence, completely different from that timid girl of years past. “Miss Annie, Mr. Thomas is waiting for you inside.” By the floor-to-ceiling windows, a man around sixty stood talking on the phone. Kane Thomas hung up and turned around: “Miss Annie, please sit.” His eyes held scrutiny. Five years had changed me too much. He wasn’t certain, but his gaze told me he found me familiar. “Mr. Thomas, our previous framework negotiations stalled on the profit split. I wanted to discuss it with you face to face.” “Miss Annie certainly gets straight to the point.” He sat down. “Thirty-eight percent was my decision. I have my considerations.” “What considerations?” “The value of Thomas Group’s channels isn’t just distribution—it’s a complete after-sales system and technical training system. Factor in those costs, and thirty-eight percent isn’t high.” “Mr. Thomas, I’ve done my due diligence. Seventy percent of Thomas Group’s after-sales team is outsourced. A thirty-eight percent split should correspond to a mature end-to-end system, not a half-built work in progress.” He laughed: “Very thorough homework. Cooperation requires mutual benefit. Thirty-three percent—I can additionally provide completely free training support for the first batch of equipment, saving you labor costs.” He stared at me for ten seconds: “Miss Annie, you remind me of someone.”

He called my name. He’d recognized me. I don’t know if he recognized me that night in the examination room but didn’t expose me in front of the nurse, or if he only confirmed it later by checking medical records. It didn’t matter anymore. So what if he recognized me? My child and I don’t need anything from him. For the follow-up, I’d switch to another hospital. I immediately called a pediatric director I knew well: Scheduled for the next day at City Central Hospital. Definitely not Municipal Hospital. Definitely wouldn’t see Diego. That evening, I was at home reviewing the final cooperation contract when the doorbell rang. The housekeeper went to answer it and soon returned: “Miss Annie, someone at the door delivered a document envelope. They said it’s from the hospital.” In the waterproof envelope was a detailed lab report and a handwritten note. I recognized the handwriting. It was Diego’s. He’d had the report delivered to my home. He knew my home address—it was in the medical record system. I put the report in a drawer, crumpled the note into a ball and threw it in the trash, then picked up my phone and sent him a text: “Report received. Already scheduled follow-up at another hospital. Please don’t disturb my life again.” After sending it, I blocked him directly. After the examination at City Central Hospital, everything was normal—just a simple allergic constitution. I held Jesse’s hand, walking down the steps at the hospital entrance when suddenly a black Maybach smoothly stopped by the roadside. The black Maybach’s door opened, and Diego bent down and stepped out. He still wore Municipal Hospital’s white coat, sleeves rolled to his elbows exposing the clear veins on his forearms. His eyes were bloodshot—clearly he’d rushed over right after surgery. He’d been waiting outside the hospital for a full three hours. I yanked Jesse behind me. But Jesse poked his head out from my side, his round eyes brightening as he called out crisply: “Uncle!” Diego’s gaze fell on the child’s face, his Adam’s apple rolling hard. Finally he didn’t look at the child, his eyes locked deadly on my face, voice hoarse like sandpaper: “I waited for you for three hours.” I adjusted my mask, voice cold as ice: “Mr. Diego, you’re overstepping. I’ve seen the child’s follow-up results. Everything’s normal. No need to trouble yourself.” I pulled Jesse to leave. Diego stepped forward, steadily blocking my path. He didn’t touch me, just stood half a step away, pulling a folded document from his white coat pocket and holding it before me. The document cover bore the logo of a forensic identification center. The moment I opened it, my blood ran cold. Paternity test report. The conclusion line spelled it out clearly in black and white: Cumulative paternity index greater than 99.99%, supporting Diego as Jesse’s biological father. The follow-up slip in my hand dropped to the ground with a “thud.” My fingertips trembled uncontrollably, yet I still forced out a cold laugh: “Forging something like this—don’t you think that’s beneath you, Mr. Diego? I don’t accept it.” Diego’s voice carried four years of suppressed collapse: “Annie, four years—did you plan to hide him forever? Plan to let him live without a father his whole life?” I bent down to pick up the slip, gripping Jesse’s hand tightly, and turned to leave, my steps almost fleeing. This time, Diego didn’t stop me. I got in the car with the child, and the car sped away. Through the rearview mirror, I saw him slowly crouch down and pick up the crumpled note I’d just dropped—the one he’d written with the follow-up reminder. I’d clearly thrown it in the trash, but somehow Jesse had secretly retrieved it and tucked it in my bag.

I brought Jesse home and locked myself in the study all night. That paternity test report sat on my desk like a red-hot branding iron, burning my eyes painfully. The fortress I’d built around myself over four years cracked the moment I saw that report. As dawn approached, Raven’s call came in, her voice carrying unprecedented panic: “Miss Annie, disaster! Thomas Group unilaterally tore up our previous agreement. They want to acquire us—otherwise they’ll report us to the FDA for non-compliance!” I snapped alert instantly, the confusion in my eyes fading to leave only coldness. Kane Thomas indeed had ulterior motives from the start. If he could chase me out of the Thomas family with two million years ago, today he could use capital to swallow the empire I’d fought four years to build. I immediately convened an emergency meeting with the core team, only to receive even more devastating news. Our core non-invasive cardiac function monitoring patent had been preemptively registered by Carter Medical. Their application was filed three days before ours, and the technical documentation submitted was almost identical to our core code. The former technical director who’d jumped ship did it. And behind Carter Medical stood Kane Thomas. The team was in turmoil, but I remained unusually calm, methodically arranging countermeasures. It wasn’t until the meeting ended and I was alone in the office that I collapsed weakly against the chair back. Just then, my work email received an anonymous message. The moment I opened it, my whole body shook. The email contained all the evidence of Carter Medical’s patent fraud, including transfer records between the technical director and Kane Thomas, recordings of private dealings, and even backend credentials showing they’d falsified application timestamps when registering the patent. The attachments also included internal documents about Thomas Group’s Eastern regional channels, clearly marking all channel partners’ bottom lines and payment period vulnerabilities. I immediately had the tech department trace the sender’s address. The only result: the address was encrypted, originating from Municipal Hospital’s internal network. My hand on the mouse trembled slightly. Suddenly I recalled that over these four years, the company had faced more than one life-or-death crisis. In the early startup days, I couldn’t get medical device production certification. After countless rejected applications to various departments, just as I was about to give up, someone anonymously helped me submit supplementary materials, and certification was approved within a week. The second year, the capital chain broke. Suppliers blocked the door demanding payment. A nameless angel investment suddenly hit the company account, exactly filling the gap. Even last year, when competitors maliciously smeared my product, before I could act, their dirty laundry spread throughout the industry first. I’d always thought I was just lucky. Only now did I understand—it wasn’t luck. Someone had been silently protecting me for four years from where I couldn’t see. Before I could process all this, the housekeeper’s call suddenly came in, her voice shaking badly: “Miss Annie! Come home quickly! Jesse suddenly can’t breathe, his lips are purple—I’ve already called 911!” My mind went blank with a “buzz.” I grabbed my car keys and rushed out, ran three red lights, driving like mad toward home, but still caught up to the ambulance carrying Jesse at Municipal Hospital’s emergency entrance. Jesse lay on the gurney, his little face deathly pale, lips blue-purple, breathing weak, already in semi-consciousness. A doctor ran out holding examination results, expression grave: “The child has congenital ventricular septal defect causing acute left heart failure. We must perform open-heart surgery immediately, or his life is in danger at any moment!” My legs gave out. I steadied myself against the wall, voice trembling: “Do the surgery! Who’s your best doctor? I want the best doctor!” The doctor answered: “This surgery is extremely difficult. The child is young and the defect location is special. In the entire city, only Director Diego from Cardiac Surgery has successful experience with similar surgeries on patients under three years old.” Diego. Those three words stabbed into my heart like a knife. Four years of pride, four years of defenses, four years of gritting my teeth and persevering—all shattered to pieces before my child’s life. I didn’t even have time to hesitate before hearing urgent footsteps behind me. Diego ran over. He’d just finished a ten-hour bypass surgery and hadn’t changed out of his surgical scrubs, sweat still on his forehead. Seeing my ashen face, he simply reached out and steadily supported my arm, voice firm as an anchor: “Annie, trust me. I won’t let anything happen to him.” Looking at those bloodshot eyes, the hatred and grievances I’d accumulated over four years suddenly collapsed completely in that moment. I nodded, tears finally falling: “Diego, please, save him.”

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When I was eight months pregnant, I walked in on my Alpha husband Kael having sex with my adopted sister Lila. When I caught them, Kael glanced up at me and frowned impatiently. “You can’t satisfy me while you’re pregnant. Lila’s kind enough to help share the burden. What are you making a fuss about?” I couldn’t help but slap him across the face, screaming at him, “She’s my sister! How could you do something so disgusting!” But Lila knelt before me and said, “Elara, don’t blame Kael. I was the one who seduced him. I like him.” I was so angry I went into premature labor right there. Kael left me stranded in the wilderness and took Lila shopping instead. That night, rogues attacked the Pack border. Trembling all over, I begged him through tears, “Kael, come back! The rogues broke in! The baby and I can’t hold on much longer!” “Enough. Stop using the baby as an excuse to throw a tantrum. I’m busy comforting Lila. I don’t have time for your drama.” He hung up directly, then blocked me. The rogue’s claws kept scratching at the tent door. I hugged my belly, curled up in the corner, tears silently falling to the ground. In that moment, I finally gave up completely. Kael, I don’t love you anymore.

The moment I pushed open the door, the intimate atmosphere in the hunting tent hit me in the face. Kael was sitting on the sofa fastening his belt. His collar hung open, and the hickeys covering his neck stung my eyes. Lila leaned against him disheveled. When she saw me enter, not only did she not panic, she actually snuggled closer into Kael’s arms and smiled at me smugly. I froze in place, all the blood in my body turning ice cold in an instant. Kael glanced up at me and frowned impatiently. “Why are you back? Didn’t you say getting the anti-miscarriage medicine from the doctor would take until evening?” No explanation, no guilt, just irritation at being interrupted. Lila pushed him away half-heartedly and stood up supporting her waist. Her legs were still trembling, her voice soft and weak. “Elara, don’t misunderstand. I just saw that Kael has been so tired from work lately, so I came over to give him a shoulder massage…” “A shoulder massage that ended up in bed?” My voice shook uncontrollably, tears falling without permission. Kael laughed mockingly, stood up and walked over to me, his fingertips casually brushing away the tears on my face. “Elara, can’t you be more understanding? You’re pregnant, so I can’t stay pent up forever, right? Lila is one of us. She’s considerate and willing to help me release my needs. What are you making a fuss about?” “I’m making a fuss?” I looked up at him in disbelief. “Kael, she’s my sister! My sister who I raised for over ten years!” “So what?” Kael shrugged. “Look at yourself now. Where’s even half of Lila’s gentleness? If it weren’t for the fact that you’re carrying my child, I wouldn’t even want to waste words on you.” His words were like a hunting knife coated with wolfsbane, stabbing viciously into my heart. I endured the pregnancy swelling alone to queue at the hospital, get blood drawn, and do prenatal checkups. I was nearly hit by an out-of-control rogue outside the hospital. And I was still making excuses for Kael, saying he was busy with work, so it was normal he didn’t have time to accompany me. But I never imagined he was having a great time with my adopted sister in my bed. Kael crossed his arms and leaned against the sofa with a condescending air of having already compromised. “Alright, Lila and I have done it many times already. Crying about it now won’t help.” “I know you’re upset. Whatever you want, limited edition jewelry or company shares, I’ll give it to you. Let’s just turn the page on this. Don’t let the whole Pack know. It’s embarrassing enough.” He spoke lightly, as if the affair was just a small matter that could be glossed over with some gifts. I trembled with rage, staring at him with red eyes. “Kael, I don’t want any jewelry or shares. I want you to kick Lila out of the Pack right now and cut ties with her completely!” I thought my absolute bottom line would make him restrain himself even a little. Instead, Kael actually laughed out loud, as if he’d heard the biggest joke. “Elara, has pregnancy made you stupid? I’m giving you a way out. Take it. Don’t be shameless.” “Kick Lila out? On what grounds? She’s someone the Elder Council is focused on cultivating now.” “Besides,” Kael looked at me with an ambiguous smile, “if she leaves, can you satisfy me while you’re pregnant?” He grabbed my chin, his grip so hard it hurt. “Let me tell you, without me, you’re nothing. Do you think your biased mother will take your side? If this gets out, you’re the one who’ll be humiliated. You’re the one people will laugh at. At worst, Lila will just be called inconsiderate for a bit, and I can still protect her.” I tried to raise my hand to hit him, but he grabbed my wrist. “Want to teach me a lesson?” Kael sneered and flung my hand away. “Are you worthy? Just give birth to the child obediently and be a good Luna. I’ll still give you some dignity. If you insist on making a scene, you’ll only end up humiliating yourself.”

In the struggle, I touched something in the sofa cushions. It was Lila’s underwear. The underwear was torn to shreds and still carried Kael’s cedarwood scent. I felt my brain buzz, and everything before my eyes began to blur. Kael snatched the underwear from my hand and casually tossed it on the table. “What’s the big deal? Yesterday you said the fetal movement was uncomfortable and told me to sleep next door, so I tried it once with Lila on the sofa. Pretty exciting.” “Ugh—” I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I rushed into the bathroom next door and threw up violently until even bile came out. Lila’s falsely sweet voice came from outside the door. “Elara, are you okay? Don’t get upset, you still have the baby. Kael just said that next month when I get my official position, he’ll take me to the Far North to see the aurora. Elara, if you want to go, we can take you along too.” That nauseating feeling nearly swallowed me whole. I leaned against the wall, clutching my swollen belly in despair. Why? Why would Lila do this to me? Since childhood, I’d always given in to her. Academy recommendation slots, my room, even my inheritance rights and company shares. I treated her with all my heart, and she turned around and climbed into my Alpha’s bed. I glared at Lila with red eyes. “What did I ever do to you?” Lila hid behind Kael, scared, holding out a bowl of herbal medicine. “Elara, drink some medicine to calm down. It’s all my fault. Don’t get so angry it hurts your health…” I raised my hand and knocked the ceramic bowl away. The scalding medicinal soup splashed all over her hand. “I don’t need your fake kindness!” “Ah!” Lila cried out in pain, tears instantly falling, looking utterly aggrieved. “Elara, are you being completely shameless?” Kael quickly grabbed Lila’s hand, his voice ice cold. “Lila kindly made you herbal medicine, and instead of appreciating it, you hit her? Look at yourself acting like a shrew. Where’s even a trace of the only daughter of White Pack’s Alpha?” “Your mother was right. You’re just bad-tempered, malicious by nature, and can’t stand seeing others do well!” I looked at Kael with red-rimmed eyes, finding it utterly ironic. Since childhood, my mother always saved the best prey, the best room, the best things for Lila. My friends would eventually all become Lila’s friends. Things I liked would eventually end up in Lila’s hands. When I was desperate and depressed, it was Kael who held me and said, “Even if the whole world favors Lila, I’ll always stand on your side.” But now, he was scolding me for Lila’s sake. He glared at me viciously. “I’m telling you, if anything happens to Lila, I’ll make sure you and the baby in your belly suffer!” Lila leaned in his arms looking at me, the corners of her mouth curling into a provocative smile. I stood there, trembling with rage. I was pregnant with his child, betrayed by him and my adopted sister, and in the end, I was the one in the wrong. “I’m taking Lila to the doctor to treat her burns. You reflect on yourself! When you’ve figured it out, then you can come out!” Kael slammed the door and left, driving away with Lila. I collapsed on the cold floor, my pregnant belly making it hard to breathe. Soon I heard the howls of rogues in the distance. I dragged my heavy body and called Kael over and over. He rejected every call. Until the last one, he finally answered. His voice was full of impatience, with Lila’s flirtatious laughter in the background. “What are you fussing about now? Lila’s hand is blistered from your scalding. I’m buying her gloves to make it up to her. She cried the whole way, kept asking if Elara hates her. She cares about you so much. Can’t you be more understanding?” The rogues’ roars had already reached outside the tent. I trembled all over, begging him through tears. “Kael, come back quickly! The rogues broke in! The baby and I can’t hold on!” “Enough. Stop using the baby as an excuse to throw a tantrum. I’m busy comforting Lila. I don’t have time for your performance.” He hung up directly, and then he blocked me. The rogue’s claws kept scratching at the tent door, making piercing sounds. I hugged my belly and curled up in the corner, shaking all over. Tears fell silently to the ground. I finally gave up completely.

When I woke up, every bone in my body felt like it had been crushed. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw my mother, the current Luna of White Pack, sitting by the bed. I grabbed her wrist, choking back tears despite the pain. “Mom, Kael cheated on me with Lila. They left me in the wilderness. The baby and I almost died.” I thought she would at least curse Kael for being a bastard. But she just pulled her hand back impatiently and wiped the spot I touched with a handkerchief. “Making a fuss over such a small thing. Which Alpha doesn’t have a bunch of Omegas around him? You can’t satisfy him while pregnant, and you won’t let him find someone else?” My emotions surged. “But he cheated with Lila! My sister!” “I know.” I looked up in disbelief, meeting her calm gaze. “Lila is sensible and gentle. She helped you keep your Alpha’s heart steady. Instead of thanking her, you blame her?” She had absolutely no intention of speaking up for me, only annoyance at my lack of understanding. “You knew?” I grabbed her arm, my voice breaking. “You knew and you watched them together?” “What are you shouting about?” She shook off my hand. “Since childhood, haven’t you always given in to her? Now it’s just one Alpha. What are you competing with her for?” I looked into her eyes. There was no guilt whatsoever, only dissatisfaction with me. “You can’t keep your Alpha’s heart. Who’s to blame?” One casual sentence, pushing all the blame onto me. In the afternoon when Kael and Lila came to see me, my mother deliberately stood up to give them her seat. As soon as Lila entered, she rushed to my bedside crying. “Elara, I’m sorry. If I hadn’t left you alone in the tent, you wouldn’t have been attacked by rogues. It’s all my fault.” She cried hard but deliberately dangled the wolf-pattern necklace Kael bought her in front of my eyes. I turned my face away, not even bothering to look at her. She cried even harder, then turned and threw herself into Kael’s arms, tugging at his sleeve coquettishly. “Kael, is Elara mad at me? I’m so stupid, I don’t even know how to apologize. I can’t make Elara feel better.” Kael reached out to pull her into his arms, patting her back gently to comfort her. “It’s not your fault. She’s just petty. It has nothing to do with you.” After comforting Lila, he finally turned to look at me. His expression instantly darkened, his tone full of impatience. “Elara, didn’t you hear Lila apologize to you? Who are you making that face for?” I looked at Lila in his arms, tears falling uncontrollably. Kael probably felt he’d gone too far. He casually pulled out a small doll from his pocket and tossed it on my bed. “Alright, I know you were scared. The doctor said you and the baby are fine. This is a snow rabbit doll Lila specially brought for you and the baby. Don’t be ungrateful.” That crude doll wasn’t even as good as what street kids played with. I stared at him and asked, “Kael, what capacity are you speaking for her in? As her brother-in-law? Or as her lover?” Kael’s expression instantly turned cold. He sneered. “No wonder your mother doesn’t like you. Lila is still gentle and understanding. Unlike you, covered in thorns. If I were your mother, I’d favor her too.” I broke down and grabbed the doll from the bed, hurling it at them. “Get out! Both of you get out!” Perhaps out of guilt, when Kael came the next day, he finally placed in my hands the wolf-pattern necklace I’d begged for over a year. His tone carried condescension. “Elara, stop making a fuss. I bought you the necklace you wanted. Let’s turn the page on this. We’ll live a good life from now on.” The necklace lay in my palm, cold as ice. I’d begged him for one year and three months. He never took it to heart. Now that I’d caught him cheating, he brought it out to placate me. I threw the necklace back in his face. Looking at his stunned expression, I said calmly, “Kael, let’s get divorced.” My mother exploded instantly, pointing at my nose and cursing. “Are you crazy? Who’ll want you after divorce with a child? Without Kael, you’re nothing!” But Kael pulled out a divorce agreement he’d already prepared from his pocket and threw it on my bed. “I’ve been waiting for you to say that.”

I looked up in shock, only to see joy on Kael’s face. “Here’s the agreement. If there’s no problem, just sign it. After all, it doesn’t look good for Lila to be with me without a proper status. After you divorce me, give your official Elder Council seat to her as compensation.” “Don’t worry, you’re still my person. I’ll support you and the child in the Pack.” Only after I signed did I realize what he’d said. “Kael, do you still remember what you promised me?” Kael paused, as if trying to recall. Clearly, he’d forgotten. Back then, to give birth to his child, I gave up my inheritance rights as White Pack’s heir. He promised me, “Elara, you sacrificed so much for me. When the baby is born, I’ll personally send you to the Elder Council and give you a seat that belongs only to you.” Now he wanted a divorce and to give my Elder Council seat to Lila. Before I could speak, Lila walked to my bedside with a fake smile on her face. “Elara, it’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you and Kael wouldn’t have fought like this. If you really don’t want to give me the seat, I’ll tell the Elder Council I don’t want it anymore.” Looking at her pretentious act, I couldn’t help but speak up. “Lila, stop pretending in front of me! You climbed into my Alpha’s bed, took my position, and now you want to take my Elder Council seat. How can you be so shameless?!” “Elara!” Lila’s eyes instantly reddened, tears falling like broken pearls. Kael immediately shielded Lila behind him. “Elara, what are you going crazy about? Lila kindly brought you herbal medicine, and instead of appreciating it, you curse at her like this!” “I don’t have a sister like this!” I trembled with rage, supporting my pregnant belly as I stood up. “She’s just a homewrecker who steals other people’s men and things! Who in the whole Pack doesn’t know she climbed into your bed?” I raised my voice. The Pack members nearby all looked our way, their eyes full of mockery. Kael’s face burned with embarrassment. He completely lost his temper and shoved hard on my shoulder. “Shut up! You’re making a scene!” His strength was immense. I fell backward violently, my belly hitting right on the corner of the stone table. “Ugh.” A sharp tearing sensation came from my lower abdomen. Warm blood instantly soaked through my nightgown. I curled up on the ground in pain, my vision going dark. I could only see Kael frantically shouting for a doctor. In the last moment before darkness took over, I saw eighteen-year-old Kael kneeling in the snow, putting a wolf-pattern ring on my finger. “Elara, I’ll treat you well for a lifetime.” Turns out a lifetime is so short. The baby was born two months premature. Even his breathing was weak. Kael stood by the bed, hypocritically holding my hand, his eyes red as he said, “Elara, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you. Don’t be angry. After Lila’s inauguration ceremony, I’ll cut ties with her completely and live a good life with you, okay?” I turned my face away without looking at him. Tears silently soaked the pillow. After leaving the hospital, I was locked in a villa by Kael. He even hid my phone. “Kael! Let me out! What right do you have to lock me up!” He pinched his brow while applying medicine to me, his expression helpless. “You’re too emotionally unstable right now. Lila’s inauguration is tomorrow. I’m afraid you’ll go out and make a scene, ruining her reputation. She just came of age and finally has this opportunity. Can’t you be more generous?”

My mother chimed in from the side. “Exactly! Lila’s inauguration is a great occasion for our Pack. If you dare go out and make a scene, I won’t acknowledge you as my daughter anymore! Just stay inside obediently. We’ll naturally let you out when the ceremony is over.” For Lila’s glamorous ceremony, they locked me and my weak premature baby in a room without even heating, not even giving us a sip of hot water. Yet Lila enjoyed everything that should have been mine. The baby beside me suddenly started wailing. I touched his burning forehead, my heart twisting like a knife. “Kael! Open the door! The baby has a fever! Open the door and save him! I’m begging you!” I banged on the door hysterically, my fingernails scratching out bloody marks. The crying finally brought Kael. “What are you fussing about now? Not letting people sleep in the middle of the night?” I knelt on the ground holding the baby, begging him without dignity. “Kael, I’m begging you, please open the door. The baby has a fever, a very high fever. If we don’t get a doctor, he’ll die! I promise, I absolutely won’t sabotage Lila’s ceremony. Please open the door and save the baby, okay?” Hesitation and conflict flashed in his eyes. “But…” My mother walked over and said coldly, “Don’t believe her! She just wants to trick you into opening the door so she can disrupt Lila’s ceremony. Children get fevers all the time. Just give him some fever medicine. How could he die so easily?” Kael looked at the baby in my arms, a trace of hesitation in his eyes. But thinking of Lila, his expression instantly hardened. “Elara, that’s enough! Stop using the baby as an excuse!” I laughed, my whole body shaking. “I should stop?” He didn’t understand. “Lila is your sister. Why can’t you be more generous instead of making trouble at her important moment?” Just then, he took a phone call, his face breaking into a smile. “Mom, Lila’s inauguration ceremony is about to start. Let’s go.” I looked at the baby in my arms with his flushed face. As if feeling no pain, I desperately broke through the door. But covered in blood, none of the Pack members passing by dared give me a ride. I finally ran to the hospital. The doctor shook his head helplessly. “Why didn’t you bring him earlier? The baby was already premature. How could you be so careless as a mother?” Holding my baby’s cold corpse as I returned to the territory, my heart turned to ashes as I set fire to the room. In the firelight, the drone of a helicopter was particularly harsh. Leon slowly walked toward me. “I’m sorry. I came too late.”

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At the Black Pack banquet, the Elder held up an invitation to the Far North hunting grounds and asked Alpha Kael of the Black Pack, the academy’s chief professor, with a smile: “Alpha Kael, who are you planning to take to the Far North?” Every eye in the hall instantly fell on me. I was Elara, the only daughter of the White Pack Alpha and Kael’s fiancée. Everyone knew that after the Far North hunt, Kael and I would be holding our wedding. I clutched the vow we’d written together when I was sixteen, waiting for him to speak my name. But Kael didn’t even glance at me. He casually handed the invitation to his student Lila standing beside him. “Give it to her. She’s been working so hard on her thesis defense lately.” My best friend Rhea’s knuckles went white with rage. “The four of us made a pact as kids that we’d hold our weddings after the Far North hunt! Has he lost his mind, giving the invitation to someone else?” I smiled, suppressing the sting in my eyes. “The wedding goes on as planned. I’ll be standing in the Far North snow in my wedding dress.” “If he doesn’t want to go, I’ll just find myself a new groom.”

My fingertips gripped the crumpled little piece of hide in my pocket until my knuckles turned white. Today was the Black Pack banquet, and the day we’d agreed to officially announce our four-way union. I’d specifically worn the wolf tail necklace Kael had given me on his coming-of-age ceremony, waiting for Kael to announce to all the pack members that I was his Luna, the love of his life. His fingers held the envelope containing the invitation to the Far North couples hunt. Under everyone’s gaze, he handed it to his student, Lila. There was a tenderness in his eyes I hadn’t seen in a long time, his voice soft like he was coaxing a child: “It’s yours.” Lila’s eyes instantly lit up as she accepted the envelope with surprise and delight. “Thank you, Alpha Kael, for always thinking of me! I don’t even know how to repay you.” She paused, her eyes flickering toward me with a challenging look, then softened her voice tentatively: “Why don’t you come with me? I can warm your hands while we hunt, okay?” Every gaze in the room fell on me in unison. Everyone knew I was Kael’s mate. Everyone knew this Far North hunting slot was meant for our wedding. Rhea jumped to her feet, ready to charge forward, but I grabbed her wrist tightly and forced out a deliberately casual smile. “Kael won’t agree to it.” I gripped that crumpled little note in my pocket tightly. Going to the Far North for our wedding was a promise the four of us had kept for twenty years. There was no way he’d agree. The moment the words left my mouth, I heard Kael’s voice, tinged with amusement: “Alright, I agree.” “Thank you, Alpha Kael!” Lila performed an exaggerated curtsy. As she turned, she lifted her chin at me triumphantly, drawing laughter from those around us. “Has he lost his mind?!” Rhea was trembling with anger. “Lila is deliberately provoking you right to your face! Can’t he see that?” “We made a vow as kids! To hold our weddings together after the Far North hunt! Has he really forgotten or is he pretending?” The more she spoke, the angrier she got, tears nearly spilling from her eyes. I placed my hand over hers and patted it gently. “Sit properly. Don’t get worked up. Everyone’s watching.” Kael sat back down beside me, apparently noticing the expressions on mine and Rhea’s faces. He took my hand, his thumb rubbing against my knuckles, his tone dismissive like he was placating a troublesome child: “The Far North hunting grounds are crowded and chaotic. Nothing fun about it. How about at the end of the year I take you to a private ice field hunting ground, just the two of us, okay?” I gently pulled my hand back. “No need. You do what you need to do.” He froze for a moment, probably not expecting this reaction from me. Then he smiled, withdrew his hand, and said nothing more, turning to chat with the Elder beside him about Lila’s thesis defense. On my left, Rhea pulled out her phone stubbornly and quickly typed out a message, shoving the bright screen toward me: “Rain’s giving a speech soon. I’ll have him force Kael to announce the wedding date on the spot. If he dares refuse, I’ll beat him up.” I smiled at her gratefully, though I knew in my heart it was useless. Rhea, Rain, Kael, and I were the heirs to North America’s four top wolf packs. We’d grown up together, the default future ruling combination in the entire werewolf circle. The council uniting the four great packs was something the four of us had worked countless days and nights to build, fighting with everything we had to survive the most dangerous rogue invasion period, building it step by step. The four of us were supposed to be the closest family. Before long, Alpha Rain of the Rain Pack was invited onstage as Council Chairman. He took the microphone, scanned the audience below, his gaze landing on Rhea. “Next month! I’m holding a union ceremony in the Far North! To marry my beloved mate Rhea!” The crowd below erupted in cheers, wolf howls and whistles filling the air. Rain’s voice suddenly softened, his eyes filled with undisguised love: “I hope to spend my life with my mate and make her the happiest Luna.” Rhea’s eyes reddened, but she still cursed with a smile: “You’re ridiculous.” Rain’s tone shifted as he looked toward Kael. “Kael! The four of us promised a Far North wedding together! Now Rhea and I are getting married. What about you?”

The entire hall fell silent instantly. All eyes focused on Kael. Rhea gripped my hand, her palm slick with nervous sweat. I looked at Kael, holding onto one last shred of hope. As long as he said yes, I could pretend all of today’s humiliation never happened. But Kael smiled and waved his hand, his tone casual as a joke: “No thanks. Too crowded with four people. Too much trouble.” The love that had been churning in my heart completely drained away in that moment. Rhea gripped my hand so hard her knuckles went white. If I hadn’t been holding her down, she would’ve charged up and punched Kael already. Rain awkwardly touched his nose, forcing himself to smooth things over. Not far away, Lila turned her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her gaze moved past Kael and settled quietly on me. In those eyes was triumph, and a trace of unclear pity. I nodded at her calmly, my lips curving into a polite but distant arc. That entire day, Rhea didn’t speak another word to Kael. When their eyes accidentally met, the hatred in hers nearly overflowed. When the banquet ended, Rain had planned to take the four of us to the restaurant he’d reserved long ago to finalize the last wedding details. But Kael stopped walking. Lila appeared from nowhere and naturally hooked her arm through Kael’s. “Alpha Kael, you promised me you’d take me to process the hunting permits after the banquet. If we’re late, the Elders will be off work.” She deliberately glanced up at me, her tone sounding impossibly innocent: “Oh, I forgot you all had plans. Maybe I should just go myself. It’s just that I don’t really understand these procedures. I’m afraid I’ll fill out the information wrong and waste the slot…” Kael patted her hand. “It’s fine. I’ll go with you.” He turned to look at me. “You three go to the restaurant. I need to take Lila to process the paperwork first.” Rhea finally couldn’t hold back anymore. She shook off my hand and charged forward, pointing at Kael’s nose and cursing: “Kael, are you sick? This is the wedding planning meeting the four of us scheduled half a year ago! On such an important day, you’re ditching Elara to go with her? Did a rogue eat your brain?” “Rhea, don’t be so uptight.” Kael frowned, his tone impatient. “Lila’s an Omega going to the Far North for the first time. She doesn’t know anything. If I don’t go with her, who will?” “Elara knows all about Far North equipment. She can help Lila pick out a proper cold-weather outfit when she gets back. She’s small, so it’s hard to find the right size.” He even smiled at me after saying this, as if he were assigning me a perfectly normal task: “Thanks, Elara. Pick the best one. I’ll transfer you the money.” Lila also smiled sweetly, bowing to me with bright eyes: “Then I’ll trouble you, Elara!” I looked at the two of them standing side by side and suddenly laughed. Our twenty years of history meant less to him than an Omega he’d just recently met. “Sure, I’ll pick something out for her when I get back.” Rhea looked at me in disbelief. “Elara, have you lost your mind?!” I patted her hand and shook my head. There was no point anymore. Really no point. Kael seemed satisfied with my compliance. He nodded and turned to leave with Lila. Lila walked away with her arm hooked through his, turning back to lift her chin at me triumphantly. I stood there watching their backs disappear into the crowd. Rain stood beside me and sighed, wanting to say something comforting but feeling that all words were powerless. After the dinner ended, I went home alone. I sat on the living room carpet for a long time. It wasn’t until the sky outside was completely dark that I finally started packing things up. The moment I stood, the wolf tail necklace around my neck suddenly slipped off. The instant my fingertips touched the cold pendant, those old memories sealed away in the snow came flooding back.

This necklace was what Kael gave me when he confessed on his coming-of-age ceremony. He was so nervous then that he was drenched in sweat, his words stumbling. When he handed me the box, he said: “I don’t have the qualifications to enter the Far North hunting grounds yet, but I want to give you this ice field first. I promise you, soon I’ll take you to see the real thing.” I saw myself reflected in his eyes, shining like the entire Far North’s stars. I rubbed the ice field stone that had oxidized somewhat, feeling a cold sensation against my fingertips. At the very bottom of the drawer was a photograph. A photo of the four of us together. In it, Rhea and Rain smiled carelessly, Kael had his arm around my shoulders, and I leaned against him. Four people in their prime. I remembered that day after the coming-of-age ceremony when we sat on the academy wall. Rain had sighed: “After the four of us take power, we’ll make the four great packs better and better!” But I frowned, murmuring quietly: “I don’t like weddings that are too lively. If I had to choose where to hold the ceremony, I’d still prefer the Far North snow. Snow falling from the sky, wolf howls as the best background music.” Kael had pinched my cheek then, smiling indulgently: “Alright, we’ll do what you want. In the future, the four of us will go to the Far North for our weddings together. You and me as one pair, Rain and Rhea as another, how about it?” “It’s a deal!” “We swear by the Moon Goddess!” Four little fingers hooked together, making that vow. It seemed laughable now. To preserve that sense of sacredness, I’d fantasized about the Far North countless times but never once actually gone. I stubbornly hoped that the first time I set foot on the snowfield, it would be with him. Wearing a white wedding dress, stepping into the second half of my life. But now he casually said the Far North was full of people and nothing special. The sound of a key turning pulled me back to reality. I stuffed the necklace and photo back in the drawer and had just sat back on the sofa when Kael walked in. He still carried Lila’s sickly sweet cedar scent. While changing his shoes, he said: “Did you pick out Lila’s cold-weather gear? She’s small, so it needs to be fitted at the waist. Don’t buy anything too heavy.” After a pause, he added a perfunctory explanation: “Taking her to process the paperwork today took a bit longer. She’s my student. I have to be responsible for her. Don’t overthink it.” His explanation was perfectly reasonable, leaving no room for criticism. I nodded calmly: “Mm, I know.” He relaxed with satisfaction and poured himself a glass of water, sitting beside me. I rubbed the wolf tail necklace and spoke calmly: “Today I had dinner with Rhea and Rain. They’ve finalized all the details for their Far North wedding.” I paused, looking into his eyes, asking softly: “What about ours? When are you planning to arrange it?” The moment the words left my mouth, Kael’s expression darkened instantly. He shot to his feet, his voice full of barely suppressed fury: “Elara! Will you ever give it a rest?!” “I’ve been busy all day and I’m exhausted, and the first thing you do is pressure me about marriage? Can’t you be more mature? Can’t you stop being so childish?” I looked at his furious face, my fingers gripping the hem of my shirt, my voice very soft: “I just don’t want to break our promise. Back then the four of us agreed—” Kael impatiently cut me off. “I think I’ve spoiled you too much. You’re becoming more and more inconsiderate! I’m busy preparing Lila for her defense, busy with Council matters. Where would I find time for wedding stuff?” “If you absolutely must keep that so-called promise, go get married by yourself. I’m not dealing with this.”

Early the next morning, Kael had his suitcase packed. Leaning against the entrance, he told me: “I’m going on a month-long business trip for the Council to teach some public classes and help with Lila’s defense.” I understood perfectly. In a month, it would be Rain and Rhea’s Far North wedding. To escape our wedding, he could even skip his best brother’s ceremony with a clear conscience. I didn’t call him out. I just nodded calmly: “Alright.” I walked him downstairs to the neighborhood entrance. His black SUV was already parked by the road. The passenger window rolled down to reveal Lila sitting inside, waving the plane tickets in her hand and smiling at us. Seeing us approach, she immediately pushed open the door and ran down, smiling innocently at me: “Don’t worry, Elara. I’ll take good care of Alpha Kael this month.” Kael opened the car door to get in. Before leaving, he turned back to me, his tone perfunctory: “I’m leaving. Call me if anything comes up at home.” On impulse, I called out: “Kael.” He stopped pulling the door and turned to look at me from several steps away. The morning sunlight fell on his face—still the face I’d loved for so many years as a teenager. But my heart couldn’t stir even the slightest ripple anymore. I forced out a smile, my voice soft but crystal clear: “Goodbye forever.” The noise of passing traffic drowned out my words. He didn’t hear clearly and frowned in confusion, asking loudly: “What did you say?” I didn’t answer again. I just smiled and waved at him. He seemed to sense something, hesitation flashing in his eyes. He was about to walk toward me when Lila pulled at him urgently: “Alpha Kael, hurry! We’re going to miss our flight!” He paused, but ultimately bent down and got into the driver’s seat. As the car started, he looked back at me one more time through the window. I stood there watching that black SUV merge into traffic and gradually disappear at the end of the road. Wind swept up fallen leaves from the roadside, brushing past my shoes. Twenty years of entanglement ended here. After seeing Kael off, I went alone to the hunting training grounds. The snow wolf mounts were still running tirelessly. On our first date, Kael had taken me riding on snow wolves. It was one of the few activities that didn’t require extra permission clearance, but we were thrilled anyway. He’d chosen two snow wolves side by side. “Elara, I love the feeling of two people racing forward together.” He reached out and, in the intervals of the snow wolves’ movements, grasped my hand. “On the road ahead, as long as I turn my head, I can see you. That’s my greatest happiness.” Ding dong— The training-end horn sounded. The snow wolves gradually slowed. I sat alone on the pure white snow wolf’s back. The seat beside me was empty. Turned out after going round and round seven or eight times, I’d returned to the starting point. My phone vibrated. It was a message from Rhea: “We’re going to the Far North tomorrow to finalize the wedding venue. Are you really sure you want to come with us?” My fingertips tapped out a reply: “Yes, I’m sure.” For twenty years, I’d been waiting for someone else to take me to see the snow. This time, I was going to the Far North. To find my own happiness.

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The boy next door used to be a piano prodigy. He had won countless awards by the time he was fifteen. But after he met my classmate, he gladly let her sit on his beloved piano and kiss him. He threw away his education for her, smashed his piano to pieces, and spiraled into total ruin. So, I told his parents. Because of that, the boy next door was forced to go abroad to study at a conservatory. Years later, he made a massive name for himself. He became the brightest, most untouchable superstar in the entertainment industry. And I ended up as a trainee at his management agency. Without even looking up, he pointed a finger at me. “I’ll take her.” That very night, my manager got me blackout drunk and sent me into the hotel rooms of powerful corporate investors. He stood by the doorway, biting down on a cigarette, and chuckled softly. “Consider this my way of thanking you for snitching on me back then.” I was abused to death on that freezing winter night. When I opened my eyes again, I was back before any of it had happened. 1 “Don’t you think dragging the untouchable golden boy down from his pedestal would be a total rush?” “His lips are so thin. I wonder if he’s a good kisser.” My desk-mate rested her chin on her hand, teasing playfully. Directly across the courtyard, a tall, striking silhouette sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was eighteen-year-old Caleb Bennett. I snapped out of my daze, clutching my chest and gasping heavily for air. I turned my head. The girl sitting next to me was my classmate, Ashley. In my previous life, she had sat exactly like this, resting her chin on her hand, staring at Caleb with a flirtatious gaze, looking absolutely determined to conquer him. Back then, I just thought she was talking big. But that very night, I saw her sitting on top of Caleb’s grand piano. Looking down and kissing him. I was back. I had been reborn, returning to the time before everything went wrong. I forced myself to stay calm and reached out to shut the window. “I need to study. If you don’t have anything else to do, go back to your own house.” Ashley pouted. “Aren’t you curious? I thought you had a crush on him.” I froze instantly. When I was seventeen, I made two massive mistakes. One, I secretly harbored a crush on the boy next door, but never had the courage to confess my teenage feelings. Two, I snitched on his secret relationship with Ashley. Because of that, he hated me for six years. He didn’t even hesitate to destroy me just to exact revenge for that betrayal. Thinking back to that desperate, freezing winter night in my past life… I squeezed my fingers tight, my teeth biting into my lower lip until it bled. 2 “No, I never had a crush on him.” I replied with deadpan calm. Ashley smiled slyly, the corners of her mouth curling up. “Good, then I don’t have to feel bad. I wasn’t sure how to tell you that Caleb and I are officially together. I didn’t want to trigger you.” In my past life, Ashley had brazenly staked her claim exactly like this. Ashley was a total player. Almost every decent-looking guy in school had dated her at some point. She was loud and unapologetic. While everyone else was stressing over SATs and finals, she was busy dating, smoking, drinking, and hitting the clubs. She was the exact opposite of a “good girl.” But girls like her possess a fatal attraction for guys who have spent their whole lives following the rules. Caleb was clearly one of them. I remembered the moments right before my death in my previous life. My hands, covered in cigarette burns, desperately clutching the cuff of Caleb’s crisp white shirt. I begged him to let me go. “Even if you hate me, you shouldn’t do it like this.” But Caleb just looked down at me, his cold lips curling into a smirk. He scoffed. “And how should I do it, Chloe? If it weren’t for you, Ashley wouldn’t have been forced to marry someone else, and she wouldn’t have died in childbirth. Why does she have to be dead while you get to live a perfectly happy life?” “Chloe, it’s just not fair.” He was right. Because of my snitching in our past life, Caleb was forced to move overseas. Ashley, distracted by the romance, bombed her conservatory auditions and ended up marrying a local street punk. Not long after, she got pregnant out of wedlock. Her parents disowned her. The punk bailed on her, and she ultimately bled out in a sketchy back-alley clinic. Caleb always believed that if I hadn’t told his parents, he never would have left the country. And Ashley never would have died. So, it was all my fault. I lowered my eyes. “That’s great for you guys. I wish you a long, happy life together.” Ashley gave me a weird look but didn’t say anything else. 3 Days passed by. The two of them dated in secret. Like all teenage couples, they skipped class to catch movies, got matching tattoos on their chests, and kissed on romantic Ferris wheel rides. They rode motorcycles through the midnight streets. They completely forgot that their primary identity was supposed to be high school students. I watched all of this with cold indifference. Meanwhile, I nervously prepped for my college entrance exams. In my previous life, heavily influenced by Caleb, I had chosen to attend the same performing arts high school as him, training to be a musician. I spent my life chasing his shadow, desperately hoping to touch his light. Now, I was planning to drop the arts track and switch back to standard academics. I was going to retake the standard exams and forge my own path. It was undeniably going to be a brutal uphill battle, but no matter how hard it was, I wanted to try. Until one day, I overheard Ashley bragging to some girls at school: “Caleb is just a piano nerd. He doesn’t know anything about the real world. Honestly, if he wasn’t famous for winning all those competitions and didn’t make me look good, I wouldn’t even be dating him.” Classmate A: “Yeah, right. Like he’d actually fall for you? He’s probably just messing around with you.” Ashley confidently fired back, “Don’t test me. If I tell him to jump, he asks how high.” Classmate B: “I heard he has a massive piano competition coming up. If you’re so powerful, make him skip it.” Ashley smirked. “That’s easy. Just wait and see.” I was sitting right nearby. And I knew that winning first place in that competition guaranteed a full-ride scholarship to a prestigious European conservatory. I knew exactly how important this competition was to him. Sure enough, even without my interference, the major turning point of my past life was still unfolding. In my previous life, I knew Ashley had ulterior motives. I dropped hints to Caleb several times, but he just thought I was a jealous drama queen trying to ruin their relationship. After hesitating for days, I finally chose to tell his parents. With his parents stepping in, the fallout was massive. The two were forced to break up. Caleb, devastated and completely out of it, ended up losing the first-place trophy anyway. However, he still secured an opportunity to study abroad. But he held a grudge against me for years because of it. To the point where he personally destroyed my life. By the time I snapped out of my thoughts, Ashley had leaned close to my face. She winked at me. “Chloe, you’re not going to snitch, are you?” I looked down, calmly flipping the page of my textbook. “Of course not.” This time around, I chose silence. I would respect other people’s fate. 4 Until I saw Caleb sitting on my front porch. This was the first time I had crossed paths with him since I was reborn. Thinking about what he had done to me in our past life… I swallowed down my nausea. I glanced down. Shattered beer bottles were scattered all over the ground around him. Blood was dripping steadily from his hands. The moment he saw me, he scrambled up from the ground and grabbed me, his eyes completely bloodshot. “Chloe, you and Ashley are close, right? Can you please call her for me? She said she wants to break up. I really can’t lose her.” “She said playing piano is boring. I can stop playing! The piano will never be as important as her. Just help me, please?” “I’m completely out of options. I love her. I’d give up anything for her.” I stared at the pathetic boy standing in front of me. His radiant halo was completely gone. His long, elegant, pale fingers were slashed open by glass, but he didn’t seem to care at all. In my memories, he used to guard those hands with his life. He used to say he was grateful to God for giving him hands that could play such beautiful music. He loved the rhythm of his fingers dancing across the keys. But right now, to him, a pianist’s most precious asset meant absolutely nothing compared to Ashley. He was no longer the boy I used to have a crush on. I suppose a first love is only beautiful when it stays a memory. I thought for a second, pulled out my phone, and dialed Ashley’s number. “Ashley, Caleb is drunk outside my house. Can you come over?” He stood carefully beside me, staring at the phone with desperate, hopeful eyes. Ashley seemed to scoff on the other end of the line. Then she said, “Ask him for me—is it true he’d do absolutely anything for me?” I had it on speakerphone, so Caleb heard it perfectly. He panicked and practically yelled, “Of course I can!” “Then don’t go to the competition.” With that, Ashley hung up the phone. Leaving a stunned Caleb standing rigidly on the porch. I studied Caleb carefully. I wanted to see what choice he would make in this life, without my interference. Dreams versus love. Which one would he choose? Caleb kept his head down. It took a long time before he finally let out a bitter laugh. “Is giving up the competition really the only way to prove how much she means to me?” He clearly wasn’t asking me. But I knew he already had his answer. I didn’t say a word. I just watched him turn around and walk away, looking completely defeated.

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I have a strange illness: if I don’t kiss someone, I suffer from severe, paralyzing chest pains that flare up out of nowhere. Worse yet, the only person whose kiss can cure me is my lifelong archenemy, Nate Nelson. One second, I’m glaring at him with pure hatred, and the next, I’m tugging at the hem of his shirt with teary eyes, begging, “Can you just kiss me, please?” He raised a surprised eyebrow, let out a low chuckle, and asked, “Any way I want?” 1. Nate Nelson and I have been mortal enemies since childhood. It all stems from our parents. My dad and his dad grew up together and have constantly compared themselves to one another since day one. Both of them are fiercely competitive and refuse to ever settle for second place. From middle school onward, they competed over grades and trophies. Once they started working, they competed over promotions, salaries, and eventually, their families. When Nate and I were born, they naturally passed the torch of competition down to us. When I was a kid, if I scored even one point lower than Nate, my dad would shake his head in disappointment and sign me up for another summer prep course. That’s how all my happy childhood vacations vanished into thin air. Because of this, I harbored a deep, burning hatred for the sole culprit behind my misery: Nate Nelson. 2. The day the SAT scores came out, my dad went absolutely insane with joy. I scored a 1520, practically guaranteeing my spot at Columbia University, a top-tier Ivy League school. I was thrilled too, mostly because I had discreetly fished for information from Nate right after the exam. He had looked completely exhausted and muttered, “I bombed it.” This meant we finally wouldn’t have to go to the same school! I would never have to look at his highly punchable face ever again! My dad immediately called Nate’s dad, his voice dripping with faux sympathy. “Hey, Mr. Reed! Did Nate get his scores back yet? Oh man, let me tell you, our Chloe really didn’t perform her best this time. She only got a 1520! Looks like she’ll have to settle for Columbia.” I have to admit, my dad’s humblebragging was incredibly obnoxious. A booming voice came through the speakerphone. “Huh? What? Only a 1520? Tsk, yeah, that really is a bit disappointing. “My boy just checked his score too. What did you get again, son? My memory is going bad in my old age. Tell your dad what you got one more time.” A lazy, drawling voice echoed through the line: “1560.” “Oh, right, a 1560! Well, looks like my son didn’t do so hot either. He’ll just have to make do with Columbia too,” Nate’s dad sighed, his tone dripping with fake pity, every single word a fatal stab to the chest. My dad and I practically coughed up blood simultaneously. Furious, I whipped out my phone and texted Nate. Me: “Didn’t you say you bombed it?! You played me!” Me: “[Dog breathing fire meme.jpg]” Nate: “I didn’t get a perfect 1600. Does that not count as bombing?” Nate: “Gotta run. See you at Columbia.” My fingers were practically sparking as I furiously typed against my screen. I could picture exactly what Nate looked like right now. He was definitely sitting somewhere slouched and lazy, wearing a smug smirk while slowly typing out the most arrogant, rage-inducing responses imaginable. Why?! Why couldn’t I even escape him in college?! If God made Chloe, why did He have to make Nate?! 3. The good news was, even though Nate and I ended up at the same university, he was on the Pre-Law track while I was an English Lit major. Our departments were on completely opposite sides of the campus. In the first month of school, I had barely run into him. I sincerely hoped I wouldn’t run into him for the next four years. We could just be the most familiar strangers in the world. But my roommates didn’t share that sentiment. “Ahhhh! Girls, there’s an intramural basketball game today! Comp Sci versus Pre-Law! Guess who’s playing for Pre-Law?!” Mia squealed, clutching her phone and practically vibrating with excitement. Lexi, who always loved the drama, quickly asked, “Who? Who?! Are there hot guys?” Our edgy roommate, Roxy, raised an eyebrow. “Look at Mia drooling. It’s obviously the Pre-Law poster boy, Nate Nelson. You guys know ever since he blew up on the Campus Confessions Instagram page, Mia has been tracking his every move.” Mia giggled, blinking her big eyes. “I care about all hot guys equally. So, are we going or what?” “Let’s go. We don’t have anything better to do,” Lexi and Roxy agreed without hesitation. “Chloe, you coming?” Mia turned to me. I had absolutely zero desire to see my archenemy. Talk about bad vibes. I waved my hand. “I think I’ll pass…” Before I could finish my sentence, a robotic, electronic voice suddenly echoed inside my head. [Debuff: Angina attack. Countdown: 30 minutes.] [Cure: Kiss Nate Nelson for 5 seconds.] W-What the hell?! Was I suddenly the protagonist of some sci-fi simulation game?! 4. The cure was way too twisted. Kiss my sworn enemy?! Ha! I, Chloe Cooper, would rather die of a heart attack or jump out of a fifth-floor window today before I ever set foot on that basketball court! 5. “Wow! Chloe, did you see that?! Nate just sank another three-pointer! He is so hot!” Mia shook my arm violently, screaming until her voice cracked. To be fair, amidst the deafening roar of the crowd, her high-decibel squeal just blended into the background noise. I covered my ears and shuffled a little further away from her. Looking down at the court, staring at that tall, glowing figure standing out among the sweaty players, I felt a little guilty. Ahem. I was purely here because I love watching college boys play basketball. I totally hadn’t chickened out of my own boycott. Besides, I wasn’t here to see Nate. I was here to see— The Comp Sci player in the white number 8 jersey just passed the ball to a teammate. Catching my eye, he smiled and waved at me. Oh? I didn’t know he played too. A bit surprised, I waved back. Yep, that’s right. I was here to see him. It had absolutely nothing to do with Nate. Before I could even lower my hand, Nate, wearing his black jersey, followed Number 8’s line of sight and looked right at me. Seeing me, he seemed to freeze for a second. Then, his face went ice-cold and he swiftly looked away. That familiar, infuriating spark of rage ignited in my chest. What the hell was that expression?! Was he disgusted by me?! I hadn’t even rolled my eyes at his bad vibes yet!! I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white. “Chloe, why do you look like you’re about to murder someone?” Lexi asked, sounding slightly terrified. “Nothing, nothing. Just saw a really annoying bug, but I already squashed it.” I quickly fixed my expression and forced a smile. Roxy winked at me. “Hey, that cute guy who waved at you earlier is Caleb Hayes, a pretty well-known guy in Comp Sci. Fess up. How do you know him? What’s the tea?” I waved my hands frantically. “Don’t misunderstand! During move-in day, Caleb was a campus volunteer. He helped carry my luggage, we chatted a bit, and exchanged socials. We don’t even talk that much.” “Oh~ Sure~” Lexi and Roxy exchanged a look, dragging out their words suspiciously. Just then, Mia screamed, “Ahhh! What is going on with Nate and Caleb?! They suddenly started playing so aggressively! Two hot guys battling it out—I’m living for this!” I turned my attention back to the court. Nate cleanly dribbled past a defender, only to be blocked by Caleb. The atmosphere was suddenly suffocatingly tense, invisible sparks flying between their locking gazes. Suddenly, Nate moved. Caleb shifted left to block him, entirely falling for a fake-out. The crowd held its breath. Nate charged the hoop, leaped into the air, grabbed the rim with one hand, and delivered a flawless, thunderous slam dunk! “Hell yeah!” “Ahhhh, that was amazing!” Cheers and screams erupted from the bleachers. Yet the center of attention—Nate—just landed smoothly, his dark eyes entirely unbothered, as if that spectacular dunk was just a walk in the park. Tsk. What a show-off. I curled my lip in disgust. As he jogged back to play defense, Nate seemed to throw a side-glance in my direction. He was provoking me. Not one to back down, I glared fiercely right back at him. Right at that moment, the electronic voice echoed in my ear again. [Countdown: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6…] My entire body went rigid. No way. This was actually real?! The moment the countdown hit “0”, my heart felt like it was being violently stabbed by a thousand needles. The pain was so agonizing I couldn’t breathe. My vision went black. Clutching my chest, I collapsed weakly to the floor as the crowd gasped around me. It hurts so much… [Cure: Kiss Nate Nelson for 5 seconds.] The robotic voice coldly repeated the instructions. “Chloe! Chloe Cooper! What’s wrong?! Don’t scare us!” My roommates panicked, screaming my name. The commotion on the sidelines caught the attention of the players. In my hazy state, I saw Nate drop the basketball, his face darkening as he sprinted toward me. “Chloe!” He dropped to one knee beside me, his deep eyes filled with raw panic, all his previous basketball-court arrogance completely gone. I felt Nate pull me into his arms, looking down at me. [Cure…] The pain was unbearable. Mustering the absolute last ounce of my strength, I lifted my head and pressed my lips directly against his. So soft. “!!” A ripple of shock crashed through Nate’s eyes, like a stone dropping into a clear spring. As the agonizing pain receded like a pulling tide, I heard a collective, massive gasp from the crowd around us. Oh my god, I actually kissed my archenemy. I had zero principles. Nate was definitely going to think I was secretly in love with him. He was going to be so obnoxiously smug about this! Amidst my spiraling thoughts, my consciousness faded into darkness. 6. When I woke up, I was already in the campus infirmary. My heart was beating perfectly normally, as if that suffocating agony had been a mere illusion. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a silhouette sitting by the bed. I turned my head and saw Nate slouching lazily in a chair, his long legs bent awkwardly in the cramped space. He was still wearing his black basketball jersey, which made his skin look even paler. He was looking down at his phone, his expression bored and relaxed. As if sensing my gaze, Nate looked up. The second I saw his face, my eyes unconsciously dropped to his lips. That soft, warm sensation seemed to linger in my mind, refusing to fade. “Chloe, why are you blushing?” Nate raised an eyebrow, looking at me with a half-smile. I instantly snapped my gaze away, pulling the blanket up to cover half my face, suddenly too terrified to look at him. “I’m just hot.” Nate stared intently at me, as if seeing right through me, but didn’t interrogate me any further. “Feeling better? The campus nurse said there’s nothing physically wrong with you.” “Much better.” I nodded. “Did you feel sick before you fainted? The nurse didn’t find anything, so you might need to get checked out at a real hospital.” His tone was surprisingly peaceful. I blinked. This was weird. Whenever Nate and I interacted, we usually ended up in a screaming match before exchanging two sentences. If he wasn’t throwing sarcastic jabs at me, I was mocking him. Seeing him act so genuinely concerned was giving me whiplash. “My heart just hurt a bit. I’ll go get it checked when I have time…” “Don’t tell my mom!” I quickly added. Even though our dads were sworn enemies, miraculously, my mom and his mom were absolute besties. Both women worried about us constantly. I had a strong premonition that this “angina” wouldn’t show up on any hospital scan anyway. There was no need to panic our families for nothing. A soft chuckle escaped Nate’s lips. “Fine.” His long, elegant fingers casually spun his phone around, but his dark eyes were locked directly on mine. “Under one condition: you explain why you kissed me first.” “Have a crush on me?”

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I am a flight attendant. My husband is incredibly successful, but he doesn’t love me. Every month, he takes a flight that I am working on. And every time, he brings a different glamorous woman by his side. My heart bleeds, but I can only endure it in silence. The last time, right before the plane was about to land, I walked over, leaned down to his ear, and whispered softly: “Carter, I agree to the divorce. I have tomorrow off. Let’s go get it done.” 1 The plane was cruising smoothly at thirty thousand feet. I was at the rear galley organizing the meal carts when the lead flight attendant, the purser, walked over. I stood up straight. “Purser.” She took the checklist from my hands and looked it over. “You’re qualified to be promoted to First Class service. Why don’t you put in for it?” “I don’t think I’m good enough yet. I still have a lot to learn.” “Humility is a virtue, but being too humble isn’t good for your career. Go heat up the meals.” She handed the checklist back to me and returned to First Class. My gaze followed her, landing on the passenger in seat 1A. No one on this crew knew that the VIP in First Class—our airline’s most elite black card holder—was my husband. But sitting next to him was a stunning, radiant woman. I couldn’t go to First Class. I couldn’t bring myself to smile, crouch down, and provide flawless service to my own husband and whatever woman he had brought along. Even though we had been married for a year, we had never truly been husband and wife. 2 I was forced onto Carter by his grandfather. My grandfather and Carter’s grandfather had served in the military together. On our wedding night, he unbuttoned his shirt halfway, stood up, and went out to the balcony to smoke. Halfway through his cigarette, he turned his head. “I own a lot of properties. I probably won’t be coming home every day. Do whatever you want with your time.” He kept his word. He only came back to our marital home about once a month. Later, rumors of him with other women started splashing across the tabloids. Before I even had the chance to call and ask him about it, he called me first. “If you want a divorce, I will agree to it at any time.” That single sentence choked the words right out of my throat. That day, all I could do was nod. “I understand.” A few weeks later, he came home. “Still haven’t filed?” At that moment, it hit me like a physical blow—he was desperate to end this marriage. I just went to bed early, completely ignoring the topic. In the middle of the night, my pillow was soaked with tears. No one knew that I had fallen in love with him a long time ago. We had actually met seven years prior. But he had long forgotten. 3 “Hello, here is your chicken entrée. Please enjoy.” After handing out the meals, I pulled the cart through the premium cabin. He was busy working on his laptop. The woman beside him, draped in a vibrant silk scarf, was admiring the clouds outside the window. The purser walked over and knelt politely beside them. “Sir, would you like to change into some slippers? I can help you with your shoes.” “I can manage, thank you.” He politely declined. “Ma’am, let me help you with your shoes so you can change into slippers.” The woman pulled her gaze away from the window. “Thank you.” The moment Carter looked up, our eyes met. I immediately averted my gaze, quickly pulling the meal cart down the aisle and out of sight. Two hours later, the plane landed. “Have a great day, goodbye.” As they deplaned, the woman linked her arm through his, the wind catching her long, wavy hair. 4 “Still staring? They’re already in their private car.” I turned around to find my colleagues grabbing their luggage bags, getting ready to disembark. “I’m sorry, Purser.” “Do you like him?” I shook my head instantly. “No.” She patted my shoulder and smiled. “Don’t pass up the next promotion.” 5 That night, Carter came home. I didn’t expect him to. When he walked in, I was sitting on the sofa, watching TV with damp hair. Honestly, my mind was entirely blank; I hadn’t absorbed a single second of the show. He was tall and imposing. The moment he stepped inside, the entire penthouse felt smaller. I wanted to ask him about earlier, but the image of them on the plane flashed through my mind, and I swallowed my words. He walked over, sat on the opposite sofa, and took a phone call. That was when I caught the faint scent of alcohol on him. I grabbed a bag of potato chips, ripped it open, and started eating them one by one. “Tomorrow, 9 AM morning briefing.” He hung up the phone and looked at me. I looked back at him. “Nothing you want to ask?” I shook my head. Putting the chips down, I walked into the bathroom. In the mirror, my face looked terrifyingly pale and quiet. When I came out, he was out on the balcony. A few seconds later, the glow from his phone screen vanished. He turned sideways, a faint smile lingering on his lips before it quickly faded away. I stood frozen, speechless. His happiness, in the end, had absolutely nothing to do with me. 6 He slept in the guest room. I woke up extremely early to head to the airport. He was up, too. The elevator descended, but we stood on opposite sides of the cab. When we reached the lobby, I stepped out, while he took it down to the parking garage. The weather that day was horrendous. During the flight, we encountered severe turbulence, and the plane dropped violently multiple times. After we finally landed safely, everyone wept in relief. That particular flight even went viral on the news. Standing in the bustling terminal, I stopped and checked my phone. Not a single call. My sorrow, in the end, had absolutely nothing to do with him either. 7 The next time I saw him was a month later, on a flight from JFK to LAX. The weather that day was absolutely gorgeous. The sun was shining brightly, and the flight was incredibly smooth. He brought the exact same girl from last time. She had very pale skin. Halfway through the flight, she rested her head on his shoulder and fell into a peaceful sleep. It also happened to be a holiday. International Women’s Day. The airline had prepared roses. “Ladies and gentlemen, today is International Women’s Day. Our airline has prepared a rose for every female passenger on board. May all the women flying with us today live fearlessly and gracefully.” “Happy holidays to you!” “Thank you, the airline is so thoughtful.” “I don’t even get flowers on normal holidays, who knew I’d get one on a plane.” “Happy holidays to you too, miss.” After handing out the flowers, I glanced toward the premium cabin. The purser was handing a rose to the girl sleeping beside him. “Happy holidays. I’ll just leave this flower on your tray table, alright?” “Sure.” 8 I went back to the galley, washed the serving trays, and sat down in my jump seat. I stared out at the sea of clouds. My heart felt quiet, yet it ached deeply. The clouds began to part. My freezing fingers twitched. I tilted my head back. Some people are just not meant to be yours. Let it go. Let him walk away. “Ladies and gentlemen, we will be beginning our initial descent into LAX in thirty minutes… We hope to see you on your next journey.” The plane was about to lower its altitude. I stood up, walked over to him, and whispered softly. “Carter, I agree to the divorce. I have tomorrow off. Let’s go get it done.” 10 After work. I dragged a massive suitcase behind me. I pressed my thumb against the biometric lock and pushed the door open. Rarely, he was home early. Was it because we were getting a divorce? The penthouse wouldn’t feel so suffocating to him anymore, so he finally came home early? I hauled my suitcase inside. I started the rice cooker in the kitchen, then went to the master bedroom and began packing. He came and stood in the doorway for a moment. “Don’t pack. You can keep the house.” My body stiffened. I turned around and shook my head. “You bought this place before we got married. I didn’t contribute a single cent. I can’t take it.” With that, I went back to packing. He stood there for another minute before walking away. It was a good thing he left. Folding my clothes one by one into the suitcase, sweeping all my skincare bottles off the vanity and packing them away to take with me. It felt like I had merely been a temporary guest here. Now, it was time to move out. In that moment, I couldn’t feel even a shred of evidence that I was ever the lady of this house. Pathetic, pitiful, useless. 11 I hadn’t expected him to be home tonight. So I hadn’t bought any groceries. There was no need to act like the past, either. Whenever he came home before, I used to cook a multi-course meal, desperately trying to win his heart through his stomach. Once the rice was done, I went down to the deli on the ground floor and bought some cold salads and sides. “Let’s eat.” He put down his book by the floor-to-ceiling window and walked over. The food on the table clearly surprised him. “I thought you weren’t coming back and we were just meeting at the lawyers’ office tomorrow, so I didn’t buy groceries. We’ll just have to make do tonight.” I took a bite of plain white rice. To my surprise, the usually incredibly picky man actually sat down. We ate in total silence. Halfway through, he spoke. “Where did you buy the deli sides? They’re actually pretty good.” He even finished the entire bowl of rice I had scooped for him.

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At the age of eight, I was taken in by the Sinclair family as their adopted daughter. They treated me like their own flesh and blood, and my brother granted my every wish. At my eighteenth birthday party, I accidentally got drunk and laid my heart bare. —I confessed my feelings to my brother. I thought I had just made a fool of myself. But I never expected that Carter’s endless pampering would be entirely withdrawn after that night. 1 I could feel Carter deliberately distancing himself from me. He left early, came home late, and practically ignored my texts. Growing up, Carter was the quintessential aloof heartthrob in everyone’s eyes. No matter how much people hyped his cold demeanor, he still had two lockers full of love letters. But to me, Carter was just a normal, doting older brother. If I cried, he coaxed me; if I caused trouble, he cleaned up the mess. Others teasingly called him fiercely overprotective of his little sister. He never denied it. I always thought I was special to him. It wasn’t until I took a hard fall and busted my lip that I realized the truth. Without the label of “sister,” I was absolutely nothing. When I realized Carter had stopped coming home altogether, I couldn’t pretend nothing had happened anymore. Because I remembered, and Carter remembered too. Mom packed a thermos of soup and asked me to drop it off at his company and bring him home. “Your brother dotes on you the most. He’ll definitely listen to you.” I forced a smile, bitterness flooding my mouth. When I reached the top-floor executive suite, Carter was still working overtime. Seeing it was me, his face remained expressionless as he shifted his gaze back to his screen. I placed the thermos on his desk. The moment I opened the lid, the rich aroma of homemade chicken noodle soup filled the room. “Carter, Mom made this. She wants you to come home and stop working so late.” “Mhm.” I gripped my sleeves tightly and offered a bitter smile. “Carter, I’m sorry about that night… I hope I didn’t freak you out. I drank too much and mistook you for someone else. Please don’t take it to heart.” Carter finally shifted his gaze back to me, his dark eyes bottomless and unreadable. “Mistook me for someone else? I don’t think you know another guy named Carter. Emma, you called my name, told me you liked me, and kissed me.” All the color instantly drained from my face. Carter’s casual words had basically handed me a death sentence. I gripped my trembling hands, desperately trying to stay calm. “Carter, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” He had never called me by my full first name before—not even when he was scolding me. So this was what he looked like when he completely stripped away his affection. “Carter, Mom is really worried about you. Just come home. This is your family, after all.” My voice grew hoarse. “If anyone should leave, it’s me. You don’t have to hide from me anymore. I’ll move out… Just stop hiding.” “Suit yourself,” he replied coldly. 2 I moved out, and stayed away for two whole years. I didn’t return home once during that time; I was even more ruthless than Carter. Mom called me more than once, crying and saying how much she missed me. All I felt was a suffocating sense of guilt. I was a complete and utter bitch. They treated me like blood, provided me with food and a luxurious life. Without them, I might have died a long time ago. Yet I was shameless enough to covet their real son. Even if they wanted me home, what right did I have to show my face there? When flu season hit, I unfortunately caught the bug. Just as I swallowed two cold pills, Mom’s call came through. Not wanting her to worry about my pale face, I immediately switched the FaceTime to an audio call. “Sweetie, what are you up to?” “Just got out of the shower.” “Did you wash your hair? Don’t blow-dry it all by yourself, okay? With your brother not around, I worry about you.” I froze, feeling a sudden wave of disorientation. Living alone for two years, I thought I had forgotten. Once, while drying my hair at home, I accidentally got a lock caught in the motor of the hairdryer. Ever since then, no matter how late or tired he was, Carter would always dry my hair for me. Through my hesitation, I inexplicably sensed that Mom was in a fantastic mood today. She said, “Sweetie, are you coming home tomorrow? I’ll have your brother pick you up.” Before I could answer, she dropped the bombshell. “Your brother is bringing his girlfriend home tomorrow.” “We’re all going to have dinner and officially meet her. Sound good? Mom misses you so much.” It felt like a grenade had gone off right next to my ear. My senses failed me. It felt like that shrapnel had hit me dead center, tearing me to shreds. “Emma?” I cleared my throat, forcing a tone of pleasant surprise. “No need to bother Carter! If he’s bringing his girlfriend home, I can just catch an Uber myself.” 3 Unsurprisingly, my fever spiked that night. Not wanting to face Carter and his girlfriend so soon, I took some fever reducers and dragged my feet until dinner time before finally heading to the Sinclair estate. The moment the door opened, Mom hugged me and started crying. “Oh, my sweet girl, how did you lose so much weight?!” Terrified she would notice my fever, I quickly brushed it off with a few comforting words. Mom led me to the dining room, and as my gaze shifted, I finally saw Carter and his girlfriend. According to Mom, the two of them had known each other in college. Reconnecting after starting their careers, they were more mature, and sparks naturally flew. The woman was elegant and beautiful, a perfect match for Carter. She was exactly the type I had always imagined he would like. “Hi Carter. Hi… sister-in-law.” I greeted them warmly, but my choice of words startled her. Mom laughed, patting my shoulder, and shot a look at the blushing Chloe before playfully scolding me. “Oh, this kid! Don’t mind her, Chloe. She’s just a bit clumsy with her words, but hey, it’s bound to happen sooner or later… haha.” Chloe quickly waved her hands in embarrassment, while Carter frowned, staring at me with clear displeasure. How had I managed to piss him off again? It was a title she’d have eventually anyway. The table was filled with my favorite dishes, but I had absolutely zero appetite. After dinner, instead of joining them on the couch for small talk, I ran upstairs to pack some things. My bedroom had a massive walk-in closet where I kept all the birthday gifts I had received over the years. My twelfth birthday present was a tiara. The princess aesthetic had been hugely popular back then. Seeing how much I loved it, Carter had one custom-made for me. He had handed it over so casually, as if he’d bought a cheap trinket from a flea market. It was densely packed with sparkling stones. For the longest time, I thought they were just rhinestones. I later found out they were real diamonds. But none of these belonged to me anymore. They belonged to Carter’s “little sister.” I grabbed a few items of clothing, threw them in a suitcase, and headed downstairs. Seeing me dragging a suitcase, Mom grew frantic. “Sweetie, you can’t stay the night?” “I have some stuff to take care of for grad school.” “Carter! Get Carter to drive you back.” Mom snatched the suitcase from my grip and shoved it into Carter’s hand. He and Chloe were standing shoulder-to-shoulder; they were clearly getting ready to leave together. Why would I third-wheel their romantic drive? Chloe had her arm linked with Carter’s, but Carter was now holding my luggage. No matter how you looked at it, the scene was completely comical. “It’s fine, really! I’ll just call an Uber.” “With your brother right here, why on earth would you take an Uber?” Mom spoke to me gently, then instantly whipped her head around to scold him. “Carter Sinclair! Is it really that agonizing to drive your sister home? Why do you look so miserable?! Chloe, you need to keep a tight leash on him. If you aren’t happy with him, yell at him. If he doesn’t fix his attitude, tell me. If he still doesn’t change, then dump him! A man like this is useless anyway.” Carter just stood there in silence, getting chewed out. At his company, he was the charismatic CEO everyone swooned over. At school, he was the untouchable heartthrob. But at home, Mom tore him down to absolute zero. After taking the scolding, Carter just nodded. He dragged my suitcase and shot a look at me. “Let’s go.” 4 When the car finally parked outside a run-down, aging apartment complex, Carter couldn’t hold back anymore. “What happened to the luxury condo Mom gave you?” Even at a moment like this, my stupid brain was thinking: Is this his way of caring about me? My head was spinning. “My boyfriend lives here, so I don’t really have a choice.” Having said my piece, I tried to bolt out of the car like a fugitive. But Carter was a step faster, instantly locking the doors from the driver’s seat. “Emma, you better explain this to me right now.” His icy tone frightened Chloe, who softly tried to intervene. “Babe, what are you doing? Don’t be so fierce with Emma.” Seeing them acting so affectionate in the front seat made me feel sick to my stomach. Would Carter treat Chloe the way he used to treat me? No, they were a couple. He would treat her a hundred times better than he ever treated me. “Explain what? You can date whoever you want, but I can’t?!” “You didn’t tell me, and you didn’t tell Mom and Dad.” “Did you announce it to Mom and Dad the second you started dating? I don’t need to report every single detail of my life to you.” Something about that sentence must have triggered him. Carter’s face darkened completely. “Say that again.” I was dizzy, my face flushed with fever. I couldn’t stop coughing, and as I did, tears streamed down my cheeks. I didn’t understand what Carter wanted from me. He was the one who cast me aside, and now he was the one getting angry. “I know… I know you look down on him. You think he’s poor and beneath us.” I wiped my tears. “But I don’t have some grand ambition… I just… I just want someone who treats me well, someone who loves me. That’s all I need.”

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Four years after my death, Nana dug out my old cell phone and called Olivia. Olivia: “It’s been exactly four years, and you finally thought to call me?” “What, did your sugar mamas run out of cash? If you’re broke, just go find a few more women to sell yourself to. Don’t play the victim with me.” “Let me tell you something: I don’t ever want to see you again, even if you’re dead!” On the other end of the line, Nana froze, her hunched back looking especially frail and lonely. She clutched the phone and asked cautiously, “Livvy, did you and my Ethan get into a fight? I can’t find him.” After saying that, Nana stared blankly across the empty room. As if suddenly remembering something, she murmured, “Oh, right. Ethan is dead. He’s gone. How could I forget again…” 1 Maybe it was because I couldn’t bear to leave Nana behind, but I stayed by her side as a spirit after I died. Unfortunately, Nana had Alzheimer’s, and she often forgot that I was dead. This time, she had another episode. She wandered off to the park by herself and forgot the way home. The stubborn little old lady sat on a bench, muttering to herself, “It’s okay if I can’t find the way. When Ethan realizes I’m not home, he’ll definitely come out looking for me.” My soul was hovering right beside her. Even though she wasn’t far from home, she couldn’t hear me, so I had no way to point her in the right direction. As the sun began to set, my ghostly form started pacing around frantically. An eighty-year-old woman spending the night alone in the park—she wouldn’t be able to handle the cold. Fortunately, Nana seemed to realize this too. Looking at the thinning crowd, she finally stood up. She walked up to someone, grabbed their arm, and asked, “Have you seen my grandson, Ethan?” I knew that as long as she asked someone, they would chat with her, realize she was lost, and probably take her to the local police precinct. Once she was at the precinct, she would get home safely. Unfortunately, Nana asked the wrong person. Because the person she grabbed was Olivia. Olivia looked down at Nana, a hint of impatience in her voice. “Where did Ethan go? Why are you out here alone?” “It’s so late and he just left you sitting in a park? He’s probably out messing around with…” 2 She didn’t finish the sentence, perhaps out of respect for Nana. But I knew exactly what she meant. She wanted to say I was probably out messing around with some random woman. See? Even though I had been dead for four years, this woman’s disgust for me hadn’t faded one bit. Nana didn’t pick up on the hostility. Seeing Olivia actually made her incredibly happy. “Livvy! It’s been so long since you came over for dinner. Don’t you love Nana’s homemade pot roast? Tomorrow is your birthday, come over and eat.” “You young people need to treat each other well when you’re dating. My Ethan is a good boy, he just likes to keep his feelings bottled up.” “When he left the house today, he said he was going to buy you a birthday present. He wanted to give you a surprise tomorrow.” So Nana’s memory was stuck on that exact day. Back then, we were still deeply in love, attached at the hip like any other passionately dating couple. And her childhood sweetheart hadn’t returned yet. What a shame. Hearing this, a mocking smirk tugged at the corner of Olivia’s mouth. “Nana, this isn’t funny.” “Ethan and I already broke up.” “And if he went out to buy a birthday present, it was probably for another woman.” Nana stared at her, stunned. “You broke up? But Ethan never told me.” “Livvy, don’t be mad. When Ethan gets back, I’ll teach him a lesson!” The little old lady looked adorable when she was angry. I wanted to hug her, to tell her not to be upset, but my arms just phased right through her body. Four years, and I still hadn’t gotten used to being nothing but a ghost. 3 Olivia’s smile grew wider, colder. She obviously didn’t believe a word Nana said. “I told you, we are completely over.” “If this is just some trick Ethan taught you to play, I’ll let it slide this one time.” “But please, never bring up his name in front of me again.” Just then, two neighborhood ladies walked over, looking surprised to see Nana. “Ma’am, it’s so late, why aren’t you home yet? Did you forget where you live again?” Then, one of them whispered to the other, clicking her tongue. “It’s a tragedy, really. She and her grandson were all each other had, but then the boy died four years ago. Now it’s just this poor old lady all by herself.” Yeah, I died four years ago. I remember that birthday four years ago. I went to the mall, full of excitement to buy her a present, only to see her walking arm-in-arm with another man. After stumbling out of the mall in a daze, I got a DM on Instagram from a stranger. I opened it. It was a selfie of a guy in a white button-down shirt, lying on messy white hotel sheets. Right next to him on the nightstand was a distinct, elegant custom lapel pin. Along with the photo was a message: They say a new fling can never beat a childhood sweetheart. Think you stand a chance against me? I recognized that lapel pin. It was the birthday present I had given her. I remembered it so vividly because, even though it wasn’t wildly expensive, I had designed and crafted every piece of it myself. Olivia never minded that it wasn’t a luxury brand. She even wore it to major corporate board meetings. She used to say it was the symbol of our love. But now, that symbol was casually sitting by another man’s hotel bed. That was the moment I realized love could be so incredibly cheap. 4 Hearing the neighborhood lady’s words, Olivia’s entire body went rigid. A chaotic mix of emotions flashed across her face. Finally, she asked in disbelief, “What did you just say? Ethan is dead?” “You’re lying to me, right? Ethan put you up to this.” “That man is a pathological liar.” The two ladies looked shocked. While holding onto Nana, they muttered to each other: “Who is this girl? Is she crazy?” “Seriously, who lies about someone being dead? That’s just cursing them.” Hearing them, Nana seemed to remember again. She opened her mouth, her lips trembling, and finally whispered, “Yes… my Ethan… he’s gone…” Olivia just stood there, completely frozen, looking almost ridiculous. And my drifting soul followed the two ladies as they helped Nana walk all the way home. When Nana finally stepped through the front door, I actually felt relieved that Olivia hadn’t followed us. Perhaps remembering my death made Nana sad. The lonely little old lady sat on the sofa, her thin, frail hands tracing the glass of my photograph as she cried silently. “Tell me, you were so young, how could you leave your Nana behind?” I floated over, trying to wipe her tears, but grabbed nothing but air. I could only cry with her. “Nana, I didn’t leave. I’m right here.” But she couldn’t hear me. Right then, the doorbell rang, followed by Olivia’s voice. “Nana, open the door. It’s me, Olivia.” I panicked. No. Don’t open the door for her. If she comes in and starts going through my old things… 5 I didn’t dare to imagine what would happen. Nana was a bit slow to react. Hearing the doorbell and the shouting, she slowly turned her head. She seemed to be trying to process it. Outside, Olivia’s voice rang out again: “Nana, just let me in.” “Ethan, I took a second to calm down and think about it. There’s no way you’re actually dead. You just wanted to trick me into coming over.” “Well, I’m here now! Stop pretending and open the door!” She was pounding on the door and aggressively ringing the bell. I was furious. All this shouting was going to terrify Nana. She never used to act like this. Back then, whether it was to me or Nana, she spoke softly, always terrified of sounding too harsh. But now, she wasn’t just ringing the bell; she was practically trying to break the door down. Filled with resentment, I rushed to the door to warn her off. But my ghostly form just phased right through the wood. No matter how angry I was, I was just weightless air. Because I couldn’t teach her a lesson, I felt completely helpless. Tears of pure frustration welled up in my eyes. But I was just a ghost; even crying lacked the cathartic release it had when I was alive. I screamed at her, “Yeah! I’m lying to you! So leave! Get out of here and don’t ever come back!” While I was throwing my tantrum outside, a loud crash echoed from inside the apartment. Terrified something happened to Nana, I phased back through the door. Thankfully, Nana was still sitting safely in her chair. It was just a picture frame that had fallen to the floor. Nana, looking as if she had just woken from a dream, stared at the frame on the floor and slowly bent down to pick it up. Holding it in her hands, she gently wiped my photo over and over again. “It got dirty. Ethan loved this picture the most. Thank goodness the glass didn’t break.” She was right. It used to be my favorite photo. Because Olivia had taken it. But I wanted to tell Nana that it wasn’t my favorite anymore. My favorite photo was the one sitting right next to her hand—a picture of me and her together.

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At the wrap party, everyone was cheering and egging on Valerie Stone and Chase Montgomery to “recreate the kiss” from the show. The two looked at each other and shared a knowing smile. A second later, their lips were locked together. Amidst the excited screams, someone suddenly shouted, “Let’s get the second male lead and the female lead to share one too!” Valerie’s eyes instantly darkened. I was the second male lead. And I was Valerie’s actual boyfriend. 1 The room fell completely silent under Valerie’s icy glare. It was a little awkward. Chase quickly grabbed Valerie’s hand. “Alright, guys, knock it off. I’ll kiss Val again for you, but don’t force her to do something she doesn’t like.” Something she doesn’t like? I wonder who it was that got drunk the night before and clung to me, kissing me for ten minutes straight. I set down my glass, stood up, and walked toward Valerie. “It’s just a kiss, isn’t it?” I smiled. “It’s no big deal. Play along, our Best Actress.” Valerie furrowed her brows. “Wyatt.” It was a warning tone. “Wyatt,” Chase also reached out to shield Valerie. “Everyone’s just joking around. Don’t take it seriously.” I lowered my gaze. Valerie’s hand was resting perfectly on his waist. The way they were holding each other, you’d think they were tragically being torn apart. “Screw off,” I said flatly. Chase froze, turning to look at Valerie. Valerie’s face grew even darker. “Wyatt, stop causing a scene,” she said sternly. Chase tugged at her arm gently. “Wyatt must be drunk. It’s the wrap party today, you can’t be mad at him.” She let out a soft, affectionate huff and flipped her hand over, gently holding his. How incredibly intimate. I looked up at this woman leaning into Chase’s embrace. Just like in the show, I was the malicious supporting character, and she was fiercely in love with the leading man. Even though I was her actual boyfriend, she had never once acknowledged me in front of others. “Screw off,” I repeated, swallowing my disgust. “This time, both of you. Screw off together.” 2 The main characters, of course, did not screw off. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, I slammed the door and left. While I was sitting alone on the hotel rooftop having a drink, a text from Valerie came through. “Come back and apologize to Chase.” “Just say you had too much to drink.” Heh. Without a second thought, I blocked her number. A light drizzle began to fall from the sky, and I looked up. I couldn’t help but think about the four years I had spent with Valerie. For four years, I stayed by her side, watching her grow from a trending internet star to an award-winning A-lister. Back then, she starred in a low-budget web series that accidentally blew up. Her agency arranged for her to do a PR showmance with the male lead, Chase, and she had no way to refuse. She was miserable at first. She used to hold me and say, “I really don’t want to fake this relationship with him. I have to pretend he’s you just to force a smile.” She said, “Wyatt, wait for me. Wait until I’m a big star who can stand on my own, wait until I’m no longer controlled by them. I promise I’ll tell the whole world that I love you.” Back then, we would dream about our future together. A dog, two kids, three meals a day, four seasons a year, our hearts beating as one. When did it start to change? She replied to my texts less and less, yet the way she looked at Chase grew softer and softer. They kept up their PR romance for four years. They never officially confirmed it, but the tension was always there. In public, he would tie her shoelaces on set and take her for scenic bike rides into the hills between takes. In private, she would lend him her lawyers for his defamation suits and bring him along to private dinners with renowned directors. The fans called them the “Details Couple,” always finding sweet little romantic clues in their interactions. Maybe some things, after being acted out for so long, eventually become real. I was just trapped in the game, too foolish to realize it. 3 When my manager, Toby, called, I was already a little tipsy. “Wyatt, where are you?” I mumbled a vague response. “Something happened! You’re trending everywhere!” Trending? That sobered me up halfway. I opened my phone. Someone had leaked a video of the wrap party online. The top four trending hashtags were all about Valerie and Chase. #ValerieAndChaseChemistry #ValerieChaseWrapPartyKiss #WhenWillValerieAndChaseGoPublic #HowMuchWouldYouGiveForValerieChaseWedding And starting from the fifth spot, it was all me. #WyattTheClown #WyattBullyingChase #WyattNepoBaby The comments under the tags were tearing me apart. “Who does this guy think he is? Does he have no shame? With that filthy mouth of his, he actually thought he could kiss our Valerie.” “So disgusting. Did they spray air freshener in the room after he left?” “He acts like such a diva, slamming the door and storming out. Who gave him the audacity? Someone needs to investigate who his sugar daddy is. Trash.” “Ugh, I’m so mad! Just because he bought his way in doesn’t mean he gets to bully our Chase!” “I usually separate the character from the actor, but with Wyatt, he was clearly just playing himself.” “Zero acting skills and brought his own funding. I heard he practically bought the second male lead role. No wonder he plays the villain so well!” Bought the role. Heh. I definitely didn’t buy the role. I had originally earned the male lead for this show through my own hard work. But right before filming started, Valerie’s agency pressured the producers to swap me out for Chase. They said Chase and Valerie had more on-screen chemistry, and that’s what would make the show a hit. Valerie even came to me and said that if we played a couple on screen, she’d have a hard time controlling herself and might expose our real relationship. I refused and got into a massive fight with her. “My contract with the agency is expiring soon. Wyatt, can’t you just be understanding for once?” She said I wasn’t thinking about her. But she had no idea how hard I had worked to win that role. The director didn’t agree with the change at first either. She chatted with me, saying she would stick by her casting choice. But the next day, the director was fired. And I was reassigned to the second male lead. The malicious villain. That night, watching Valerie and Chase do joint promotional interviews for the new show, I chewed on a piece of plain bread bite by bite. They say bread tastes sweeter the longer you chew it, but all I tasted was bitterness. Sometimes, people just refuse to give up hope until they see and hear it with their own eyes and ears. Back then, I still harbored a sliver of delusion. I thought that once her contract ended and she was free of her restrictions, we could finally be together openly. I wanted to be close to her. I wanted to spend more time with her, so I still took the role. But it felt like swallowing knives every day, witnessing her and Chase’s “sweet affection” off-camera, every single second. I scrolled further down and saw another trending tag. #ValerieProtectsHerMan The comments were flooded with demands for them to get married. And of course, every few lines, there was a curse or insult hurled at me. They said someone who bullies people like I do should go die. An hour had passed. Valerie hadn’t posted a single clarification. Everyone involved stayed completely silent, letting the trending tags climb to the very top. I took out my phone and unblocked Valerie. I had been impulsive earlier. Things still needed to be made clear. Word by word, I typed out the sentence I never thought I would ever write. “Valerie, let’s break up.” 4 It took Valerie three hours to find me. “Are you drunk? Did you seriously block me?!” she said, walking over and grabbing my arm. “Don’t touch me,” I said, shaking her off. “Wyatt, there’s a limit to throwing a tantrum,” she lowered her voice. “Causing a scene at the wrap party was your fault to begin with.” “Was I wrong to ask you to apologize? You could have solved this with a simple apology, but you had to blow it up so the whole internet knows.” I let out a dry laugh. “And did you suffer any losses?” She went silent. Of course she didn’t. This was incredible free publicity. The show was viral before it even aired. That was why all the trending hate toward me was still up. Nobody was going to deal with it. It was pathetic. I was pathetic. I stood up unsteadily and pushed her away. “Valerie, I really mean it. We’re done. Stay as far away from me as possible from now on.” “You’re drunk.” She frowned. “I mean every word.” Valerie stared at me silently for a moment, sighed, and softened her tone. “Honey, let’s stop fighting, okay? Let’s go home.” “You leave. Toby is coming to pick me up soon!” But instead of leaving, she forcefully squeezed into my arms. “Stop making a fuss. Come home with me. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear you this time, but you are never allowed to mention breaking up again. Do you hear me?” With that, she looked up and tried to kiss me. To be honest, her tricks used to work on me. A few times when we fought over Chase, this was exactly how she coaxed me back. But this time, just thinking about how she had been plastered against Chase a few hours ago made my stomach turn. “Valerie! Stone!” I pushed her away with all my strength and turned my head. “Do you not understand English? I am breaking up with you!” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the rooftop door. Toby was standing there, his eyes wide. He must have just arrived. I pushed Valerie away, grabbed Toby’s arm, and walked off. “Wyatt!” Valerie’s voice rang out from behind, carrying the subtle, bruised anger of someone who had just lost face. “Say what you just said one more time.” I took a deep breath, turned around, looked her in the eye, and enunciated every word. “I. Want. To. Break. Up. With. You.” “Fine. Fine. Perfect,” she laughed coldly. “A breakup, right?” “I accept. Don’t come crawling back.”

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