Category: English

On my wedding day, the makeup artist saw that the venue was booked at a high-end hotel. She suddenly changed everything from the look we had originally agreed upon. My fiancé looked at her with amusement and asked, “What, you want me to marry Crayon Shin-chan?” Turns out the expensive makeup artist I’d booked was my fiancé’s ex-girlfriend. Watching how familiar they were with each other, I removed my makeup on the spot and called off the wedding. As Ethan tried to stop me, Mandy suddenly stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips. That’s when I noticed—beneath her mask, she’d already done her makeup perfectly. So this was her plan all along. To steal my wedding. I raised an eyebrow. Stealing a wedding means taking on more than just the man. The final payment for that $700,000 sky-high banquet was to be paid in full by the bride’s family. I hoped she could handle that too. Last night, I’d stayed up late discussing wedding details with both sets of parents. I didn’t get to bed until very late. And this morning I had to get up at the crack of dawn. So when the makeup artist greeted me, I was still half-asleep. As soon as she walked in, she started looking around the hotel room. When she saw the expensive jewelry laid out on the table, her hands paused slightly as she unpacked her makeup kit. “Ha, Miss Olivia, does your husband treat you that well? Booking such a fancy hotel for the wedding, preparing such elegant jewelry—it’s enough to make anyone jealous!” “This must have cost a fortune, right? I really envy you, finding such a generous man.” At her words, I felt a surge of distaste. All the expenses for today’s wedding were being covered by my family. She hadn’t bothered to learn anything about the situation, yet she automatically assumed it was the groom’s family paying. But I didn’t need to explain myself to a stranger. I nodded and didn’t take it to heart. But she suddenly yanked her makeup kit open forcefully and looked at me with a half-smile. “Miss Olivia, why do you think women these days love stealing other people’s things so much?” “Are they just born shameless?” Honestly, hearing this nonsensical talk, I was getting angry. But there was no time now to find a replacement makeup artist. After she applied my foundation, I dozed off. I kept my eyes closed the whole time, pretending to rest. She was from a well-known brand’s shop after all—I wasn’t worried about her stealing anything. I figured if she needed me to open my eyes, she’d ask. But when I finally opened my eyes again, I was startled by the stranger in the mirror. I was about to ask the makeup artist what the hell she was doing, frowning. My mind was already racing, thinking about how to claim compensation. This was a massive professional failure on her part. But when I looked over at her, she was looking down, trying to suppress her laughter. Her shoulders were shaking nonstop, as if she’d seen something hilarious. I gradually realized something was wrong. This was clearly intentional. To be fair, I didn’t think I’d done anything to offend her. I frowned, thinking through the possibilities. When our eyes met, the girl couldn’t hold it in anymore. She burst out laughing. “Hahaha—” Laughing, she ran behind Ethan, who’d just opened the door and walked in. Her small hands clutched at the back of Ethan’s suit. “I… I’m sorry, Ethan! I didn’t mean to laugh!” “I just never imagined Miss Olivia’s face would be so… suited to this kind of makeup!” She covered her face again, trying to stifle her laughter. Seeing my ridiculous appearance, she hid behind Ethan, her malice obvious. Hearing her call out Ethan’s name, my sense of unease grew stronger. My intuition was usually accurate. This girl knew Ethan. And they were quite familiar with each other. I didn’t want to think the worst. I frowned and looked at Ethan. “What’s the meaning of this?” “You two already knew each other? What kind of stunt are you pulling? Is today a wedding or a theatrical performance?” When Ethan saw my face, he froze too. He looked down helplessly at the girl behind him, but he didn’t scold her. My originally irritated mood suddenly felt like it had been doused with cold water. Ethan leaned casually against a chair, looking at the girl with a familiar tone. “The trial runs went fine before. Why are you dropping the ball today?” “What, you want me to marry Crayon Shin-chan?” He looked at her with amusement. The girl shrank her neck, stuck out her tongue, and made a sound. “You’re asking me to do makeup for your bride. I can’t be that magnanimous.” She looked at my face with a half-smile, clearly enjoying my humiliation. I pulled out my phone and found the contact information for a backup makeup artist. “Make her apologize to me.” “I’ll call someone else to come redo my makeup. I’ll go downstairs whenever they’re done.” “We can talk about compensation later.” Right now, I didn’t care how the two of them knew each other. Today was my wedding day. The guests my parents invited were all business partners. I didn’t want any last-minute problems. Ethan and I met through matchmaking. I came from an upper-middle-class family. Ethan’s family wasn’t well off. He came from a single-parent household—his mother had raised him alone. Ethan himself was fairly capable, with good career prospects. But here, he had no house, no car. Even with a decent annual salary, he wasn’t exactly a hot commodity in this first-tier city’s matchmaking market. I’d chosen Ethan because I valued his personal abilities and his looks, which is why I’d agreed to date and marry him. But I didn’t expect that hearing my words, Ethan would actually frown. He pressed down on my hand as I was about to make the call. “Is that really necessary?” “You look like this anyway.” I was so angry I laughed.

Hearing this, the girl also let out a delicate laugh. “Ethan, is that any way to talk to a girl?” “After all this time, you’re still such a typical guy!” Even if I were an idiot, I could guess that this girl and Ethan had an unusual relationship. They might even be exes. But even if I couldn’t recognize his ex, couldn’t Ethan? From selecting the makeup artist to the trial runs to the final booking, Ethan had been with me the whole time. And he’d never mentioned this. Was he trying to give his ex a job opportunity, or were old feelings still lingering? I didn’t want to dig deeper and upset myself needlessly. I grabbed my makeup remover, went straight into the bathroom, and washed my face clean. Then I called my parents and told them I needed to reconsider the wedding. If I went through with today, I’d regret it. We hadn’t registered our marriage anyway. I didn’t avoid the two of them when making the call. Ethan heard everything loud and clear. His face darkened almost instantly. His previously calm expression turned stormy. He was about to speak when a pair of soft hands pulled him back. The girl wrapped her arms gently around Ethan’s waist from behind. “Ethan! If Miss Olivia doesn’t want to marry you, I will!” “Propose to me!” “You promised before that you’d only marry me~” Then, right in front of me, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Ethan on the lips. But I didn’t miss the greedy look in her eyes when she stared at the expensive jewelry on the table. At her words, Ethan froze. He turned his head slightly, his eyes conflicted. When he spoke again, there was a hint of guilt and excitement in his voice that even he didn’t seem to notice. He looked at me. “Let Mandy take your place at the wedding today and clean up your mess.” “You’ll still be my wife. You can rest assured about that.” “Go downstairs and tell your parents. Don’t make a scene that would embarrass everyone.” “Of course, you’re also free to make a scene.” Ethan was confident I’d swallow my anger for my parents’ sake. He also knew that today’s wedding had many of my parents’ important business partners in attendance. With that, he pulled Mandy toward the door. I finally remembered her name. Mandy. Mandy looked at me with triumph in her eyes. She stared directly at me, silently curling her lips into a provocative smile. As if she’d won the lottery. Only then did I notice—beneath her mask, she’d already applied exquisite makeup. Compared to the makeup on my face, it was night and day. Even her hair was already styled in the design I’d chosen. Oh, so this was all premeditated! “Sorry, Miss Olivia, I don’t want to leave myself with regrets!” “If you want to report me to the shop, go ahead!” Seeing her completely unbothered attitude made my anger spike.

I won’t deny it—Mandy had gotten under my skin. But I knew that being angry wouldn’t solve anything. After I told my parents what had happened, they looked shocked. They hurriedly apologized to the guests and came upstairs. Seeing that I’d truly decided not to marry Ethan, my parents sighed, feeling somewhat guilty. “Sweetheart, we had no idea the kid from the Hayes family was so unreliable!” “We originally thought he was decent, worth investing in. Looks like that’s no longer necessary!” “Forget it. My daughter doesn’t need to chase after Ethan Hayes!” I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d been worried my parents wouldn’t agree. After all, the guests were all important people. I was also concerned that my sudden decision to call off the wedding would burden my parents. Originally, my parents had planned to use the wedding as an opportunity to introduce Ethan to some connections. Looks like that wouldn’t be necessary anymore. This hotel handled mid-to-high-end banquets. The deposit was paid in advance, but the balance was due after the wedding. When our families discussed it, they’d decided the groom’s family would pay the deposit. The bride’s family would pay the balance—$700,000. Deposit: $30,000. Balance: $700,000. For appearances, Ethan’s mother had insisted that Ethan sign the contract with the hotel. Though the contract noted that the bride’s family would cover the balance, my name wasn’t specified. So now that the bride had become Mandy, Ethan’s mother could only ask Mandy for the money. Ethan called me, telling me to send the jewelry over to Mandy. After all, Mandy’s hair was already styled—she was just waiting for those accessories. Hearing Mandy’s triumphant laughter on the other end of the line, I hung up and blocked him. Was he joking? My family paid for all this. Why would I let Mandy wear it? When no one came to deliver the items, Ethan got somewhat angry with me. He decided to teach me a lesson. He had people take down the posters that were originally of us. He had them rush to replace them with photos of him and Mandy. The bride’s name was also changed to Mandy. He originally hadn’t planned to change any of this—he’d just wanted Mandy to substitute for me at the wedding. Now, this was his warning to me. But he didn’t know—this played right into my hands. Now the bride had completely and officially become Mandy. The debt collectors couldn’t come after me. I’d always been rational, so I chose to cut my losses. Even though I’d admittedly developed some feelings for Ethan. But sunk costs don’t factor into major decisions.

Seeing the screen display photos of her and Ethan, Mandy was over the moon. She posted multiple updates on social media and videos. Showing off her high-end wedding. Mandy put on the wedding dress my parents had paid a premium to custom-make for me. Even though it didn’t fit her perfectly, she couldn’t resist coming to glaunt it to me. Every word dripped with veiled sarcasm. “Miss Olivia, this dress seems to fit me better than you!” “Ethan’s so silly… ordering a wedding dress without getting your measurements right. I’ll have to talk to him about this! He has no idea how to take care of people. Such a typical guy!” She smiled smugly. Seeing that I remained unmoved, she wasn’t bothered. “Oh, by the way, Ethan just called in a highly experienced professional makeup artist. The kind that charges ten thousand dollars an hour.” “He said how could a bride do her own makeup?” “He’s still the same as before! Never listens to advice.” “Not frugal at all. Don’t take it personally, Miss Olivia! Today really has cost you quite a bit~” “If he keeps being like this in the future, call me and I’ll talk to him!” “Miss Olivia, thank you for being so gracious today and making mine and Ethan’s old dream come true.” Mandy covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes full of provocation as she looked at me. Deliberately disgusting me, and not even trying to hide it. I laughed coldly. Looks like Ethan wasn’t completely clueless—he just didn’t want to care! When I was wearing makeup that obviously didn’t suit me, he said I just looked like that and even the most expensive makeup artist couldn’t help. But when it came to Mandy, he thought of everything. Even hired a professional makeup artist. But did he have the money?

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Eight months pregnant, and the housekeeper’s daughter suddenly created a “pregnancy wellness plan” for me. She required me to spend six hours every day in the scorching 108°F outdoor heat, sunbathing. I was roasted until I nearly lost the baby. I begged her to open the door and let me inside. But she just sat there eating chilled watermelon, smiling sweetly. “Ma’am, pregnant women need plenty of sunshine. It’s good for you. I’m only doing this for your own good.” The door stayed locked. No one dared open it. I couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed a flowerpot and smashed through the balcony window. An hour later, Sebastian hurried home from his meeting and immediately unleashed on me. “Vivian, how can you be so vicious! Do you realize that because you threw your tantrum and smashed that window, Sophie got heatstroke and ended up in the ICU?” “Sebastian, you have time to worry about the housekeeper’s daughter, but you can’t spare a thought for your own wife and child? If I’d stayed out there any longer, the baby would’ve died!” Sebastian stared at me for a moment with an unreadable expression, said nothing, and left. But that night, someone dragged me out of bed and locked me inside a metal baking chamber. Outside, dozens of the housekeeper’s relatives had gathered. Sebastian stood there with his arm around Sophie’s waist, watching me coldly. “Vivian, you’re utterly malicious and show no remorse. Today I’m going to make you pay for what you did to Sophie!” My heart kept sinking. I was completely disappointed in him. I decisively pulled out my phone and called my brother, Marcus. “Marcus, don’t leave a single one of them alive. Not the Hayes family, not the Walsh family. Kill them all.”

The moment those words left my lips, all those relatives outside turned deathly pale. Only Sebastian let out a cold sneer. Following his disdainful laugh, everyone else belatedly burst into hysterical laughter. “Miss Vivian, do you still think you’re some mob princess? Marcus is long dead. Who are you trying to scare?” “Exactly! If Mr. Hayes hadn’t been kind enough to take you in, you wouldn’t even be worthy of shining Sophie’s shoes!” Hearing these outsiders insult me, Sebastian just smiled faintly, not defending me at all. He pulled Sophie’s slender waist closer and slowly walked to the small window, casually tapping on the glass in front of me. “Vivian, feeling hot? Do you understand what you did wrong?” The red thermometer on the metal wall showed the baking chamber had been set to 122°F. The room was suffocatingly hot, like being in hell. My skin had turned bright red from the heat. No matter how deeply I breathed, my chest felt like it was being pierced with needles, so stifling I could barely breathe. Sweat poured off me like rain. My voice was hoarse. “Sebastian, what did I do wrong by escaping the sun to go into an air-conditioned room? If I hadn’t forced my way in, your child would already be dead in my belly!” I was about to continue when suddenly, under the intense heat, a violent cramping pain shot through my lower abdomen. Accompanied by frequent fetal movement, I crouched down and curled up, screaming. “Sebastian, let me out! It’s too hot in here—the baby can’t take it! Aren’t you the one who’s been so desperate for him to be born?!” Sebastian’s gaze dropped to my belly, his eyes dark and unreadable. Watching his reaction, my heart grew colder and colder. I had a weak constitution. Before this, I’d been pregnant five times, but every single one ended in miscarriage. Each time I lost a baby, Sebastian was so devastated he looked ready to kill someone. This time we’d been so careful with the pregnancy, finally making it to eight months. Once, when I was making him noodles and my belly was exposed to heat from the stove, causing frequent fetal movement, he’d been both angry and heartbroken, staying by my side all night. And now, because of Sophie’s ridiculous heatstroke, he’d personally locked me in a baking chamber. My heart ached with bitter pain. I was about to speak through gritted teeth when Sophie clutched her head and swayed unsteadily, her voice unbearably weak. “Sebastian, let her out. She’s been pampered all her life—how can she endure this suffering? She didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all my fault. I’m just a housekeeper’s daughter. Even if I die of heatstroke in this hundred-degree weather, it’s only what I deserve…” My blood boiled with rage. Just minutes after I smashed the window, she’d turned around and gone back to the bedroom, having a servant bring her half a chilled watermelon. The one who’d been roasting outside for hours, nearly suffering heatstroke—that was me! My eyes turned bloodshot as I glared at her. Just as I was about to speak, Sebastian slammed his fist against the glass window. His voice turned ice-cold. “Go turn up the temperature 9°F. She’s pampered and afraid of heat? Today I’ll make sure she gets back every bit of grievance Sophie suffered!” He affectionately ruffled Sophie’s hair, his eyes practically overflowing with tenderness. “I know you’ve been wronged. You were kind enough to help with her pregnancy care, and she nearly killed you for it. Go on, Sophie, adjust it yourself. I dare her to say one word against it!” When Sophie walked back, the red thermometer on the metal wall showed 140°F. She’d raised it a full 18°F! The baking chamber instantly became like hell itself. My entire body felt like it was being deep-fried in oil. My dress had long been soaked through with sweat, clinging wetly to my swollen belly. The frequent fetal movement was practically my baby’s desperate cry for help. For the sake of my child, I dragged out my smoke-damaged voice, hoarse beyond recognition, and admitted fault. “I was wrong, Sebastian. I know I was wrong…”

The instant I spoke, Sophie’s father suddenly interrupted, his booming voice drowning out my plea. “Mr. Hayes, your wife has such a great figure. Even with that pregnant belly, she’s so sexy. Just looking at her makes a man unable to resist…” My hoarse voice was swallowed up. The man’s excited, undisguised gaze fixed directly on me. That look was utterly disgusting. I clutched my body and shrank back toward the corner. But after prolonged exposure to the scorching heat, as soon as I lifted my foot, a layer of skin on my sole separated instantly from the flesh, torn open with bright red blood flowing out. The piercing pain made it nearly impossible to stand on one foot. I staggered and stepped down, the skinless sole pressing against the burning metal floor. In that instant, the stabbing pain shooting to my scalp made me scream shrilly. Sebastian clearly heard my scream. He frowned slightly and shot Sophie’s father a warning look before standing and walking to the small window. Seeing the complete footprint of skin and the bright red blood on the metal floor, his heart clenched. Just as he was about to speak, Sophie bit her lip and walked over weakly. “Just give Sebastian a simple apology. It doesn’t even have to be sincere. You know his temper—if you don’t apologize, how could he possibly let you out…” My internal organs were churning. I was nearly cooked through by the high temperature. I opened my mouth but could barely make a sound. Watching me, Sophie’s lips curved up. She suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself twice, then cried out that she wanted to open the door and be punished alongside me. “Sebastian, since she won’t apologize, just let me go in there and be punished with her. I really can’t bear to see her suffer like this. I’ll just take all the blame—it’s my fault for getting heatstroke, my fault for going to the ICU!” Seeing Sophie’s apparent kindness, whatever softness Sebastian had felt vanished instantly. He glared at me viciously, his voice full of disappointment. “Vivian, you’ve truly disappointed me. You used to have at least some sense of shame, but now you’re completely shameless. You hurt Sophie and don’t feel even a shred of remorse. Sophie is kind enough to want to accompany you, but you’re not worthy!” “Fine. Since that’s how it is, today I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of your dead father!” With that, he waved his hand and ordered, “Go raise the temperature another 9°F. I don’t believe her mouth can stay this hard at 140°F! If she won’t apologize, she’s not coming out!” As soon as he finished speaking, the other maids in the house rushed over, pleading on my behalf. “Sir, please forgive her this once. She’s eight months pregnant after all. The temperature in there is so high—it could be fatal for the baby.” Sebastian frowned and glanced at me through the small window. After a few seconds of silence, just as he was about to nod, Sophie suddenly cried out and collapsed. Sebastian immediately gathered her into his arms. “Sophie, where does it hurt? I’ll take you to the hospital.” Sophie shook her head, tears brimming. “I got sick and ended up in the ICU because of my own weak constitution. It has nothing to do with her. Since everyone’s pleading for her, Sebastian, just let her go. I’m fine…” Before she could finish, she curled up in apparent agony, gasping heavily as if about to go into shock. The “okay” stuck in Sebastian’s throat never came out. His voice turned sharp and cold. “Those who do wrong must be punished. Do as I said!” The maids glanced at the horrific scene inside the baking chamber and tried to continue pleading, but Sebastian’s cold stare shut them down. “Sophie only made her sunbathe because she was helping with pregnancy care. Not only is she ungrateful, she even smashed windows and hurt people. Even now she shows no remorse—she deserves to suffer! If any of you plead for her again, pack your things and leave immediately.” He paused, then ordered, “Go adjust the temperature! And have an ambulance wait outside.” Hearing this, the maids didn’t dare say anything more. Sophie’s mother and Sophie exchanged a glance, then hurried to adjust the temperature. When she returned, the temperature inside the baking chamber had changed to 158°F. She’d raised it another full 18°F.

The instant intense heat struck, I could no longer stand. My whole body trembling, I collapsed onto the scorching metal floor. The moment my feet left the ground, one foot had a layer of skin and flesh torn off by the metal plate, while the other had a layer of scab ripped away. As my body hit the floor, a “sizzle” sounded where my skin touched the metal plate. The contact area instantly swelled and oozed blood, as if being pan-fried. Piercing, bone-deep pain shot through my entire body. Blood kept seeping out from various places. To protect the baby in my belly, I ignored the pain and struggled to adjust my position to lie on my back. Every movement tore away the layer of skin and flesh pressed against the scalding metal. By the time I’d adjusted my position, there was hardly any intact flesh left on my body. And the baby in my belly had also gone completely still. The people outside who’d been jeering and laughing gradually fell silent as they watched the bloody scene inside. Feeling my child’s life slipping away, I screamed with all my strength. “Sebastian! My baby is dead—you killed him with your own hands! When I get out, I’ll have Marcus kill all of you. You all deserve to die!” Sebastian’s expression changed drastically. In the sudden silence, he walked to the small window, seemingly wanting to check on my condition. When he saw me covered in blood without a single patch of healthy skin, his pupils contracted sharply. He was about to order someone to get the key when Sophie suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his hand. “Ma’am, how can you say such things? You know how much Marcus made Sebastian suffer, how much he was held back. Now he’s long dead, yet you still use him to pressure Sebastian. Aren’t you just stabbing him in the heart?” She turned to look at Sebastian, her voice gentle. “Sebastian, I know about all the grievances you suffered back then. Don’t be sad. I’ll always stand by your side. As for her, you should still let her out. She’s speaking recklessly—she can even say things like killing us. Who knows what she might do if this continues, just like that Marcus of hers…” Sophie’s words stirred up Sebastian’s humiliating memories. He flew into a rage, slamming his fist against the metal wall. “Go raise the temperature another 9°F. Let’s see just how stubborn she can be!” Seeing Sebastian’s anger, no one behind him dared persuade him further. They obediently went to raise the temperature by 9°F. Instantly, piercing burning heat struck from below. My entire body felt like it was being grilled on a hot plate. My internal organs felt like they were being cooked through by the penetrating heat. I couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed onto my side. The moment my belly touched the metal plate, a gush of fresh blood poured from my lower abdomen. The blood flowed along the metal plate and out through the door crack. Even outside, it still steamed with heat. Realizing my child had completely left me, I screamed like I was coughing blood. Many people outside cried out, “Someone’s going to die!” Sebastian had been furious, but hearing this cry, he turned back and was also frightened by the seeping blood. He frantically grabbed the person next to him and roared, “The key! Go get the key!” Sophie volunteered eagerly. “Sebastian, I know where the key is. I’ll get it!” As she left, she glanced at me through the small window. That look contained undisguised malicious glee and triumph.

After she left, Sebastian frowned tightly, occasionally glancing at me, already barely alive in the baking chamber. After waiting for what seemed like forever without Sophie returning, he exploded. “Where is she! Go see why the key isn’t here yet!” “You few—go cut the power! Get the ambulance over here now!” Watching people scatter in panic, a flash of pain crossed Sebastian’s eyes. Shortly after the power was cut, Sophie came running back in a panic, tears falling. “Sebastian, the key… the key is gone…” Sebastian’s face turned deathly pale. He staggered toward Sophie, his voice laced with cold fury. “Why would the key be gone? You’d better not be lying to me!” Sophie dropped to her knees with a “thud.” “This baking chamber was custom-made and only came with one key. The servants were cleaning up earlier and accidentally threw it away with the trash…” I looked weakly at Sebastian. Ridiculously, he actually believed such a clumsy excuse. He had people go make a duplicate key while looking at me through the window. “Vivian, just wait a little longer. I’ll let you out soon. Just hold on a bit more.” Seeing the worry in his eyes, Sophie suddenly said, “Sebastian, you gathered all my family’s relatives here, saying you wanted them to witness her apology to me. They’re all still here…” “Anyway, the power’s already off. Just give everyone an explanation. Just have her say she’s sorry. It doesn’t even have to be sincere…” Sebastian looked at me, then at the wronged and obedient Sophie. Finally, he tapped on the small window. “Vivian, no matter what, today’s incident was your fault. Just give a simple apology and I won’t pursue this matter anymore, okay?” Seeing I didn’t respond, his tone softened. “Be good. Everyone’s waiting for your apology. Once you apologize, I’ll let you out. Sophie will take good care of you from now on, and I’ll love you properly too.” The physical burning and massive blood loss had already made me barely conscious. I crawled up from the pool of blood with all my strength, instinctively using blood to write on the metal plate, word by word: “Marcus… will kill… you all…” Sophie’s eyes were full of contempt, but her words came out as wronged sobs. “Ma’am, I know you’ve always been domineering. I just want an apology to give my family an explanation. Is that really too much to ask?” “Besides, Marcus was already turned into a human swine long ago. You’re the only one left in your family. What’s the point of this? If you don’t apologize, even if I want to let you out, my family won’t agree…” As soon as she finished speaking, Sophie’s relatives outside started chattering. “Miss Vivian, stop dreaming. Everyone knows your entire family was wiped out three years ago. If Mr. Hayes weren’t protecting you, you’d have died countless times by now. And you want to kill us? What a joke.” “Mr. Hayes, I think she’s just pretending. She nearly killed Sophie this time. If you don’t teach her a proper lesson, who knows how she’ll bully people in the future.” “Exactly, Mr. Hayes. She’s bullying people like this—you can’t let her off so easily.” Sebastian irritably pressed his temples, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness when he spoke again. “Vivian, Marcus is long dead. You’re not some mob princess anymore. Without my protection these years, you’d have struggled just to survive. Right now, I’m your only support. Just apologize once and I’ll let you out immediately, okay?” The temperature in the baking chamber hadn’t dissipated, but the heartbeat of the baby in my belly had completely stopped. That little life that had accompanied me for eight months—I ultimately couldn’t keep him. Tears blurred my vision. I was consumed with grief. I had no strength to answer him. I just hung my head and resolutely wrote two words on the floor in blood: “Never.” Sebastian’s expression shifted. “Vivian, think carefully. Besides me, no one can save you!” The moment Sebastian finished speaking, a “bang” echoed as a bullet grazed past his scalp. Accompanied by a massive sharp ringing sound, a team of gang members wielding assault rifles burst in. A cold, stern voice rang out from behind him. “Who says no one can save her?”

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My husband, Ethan Hayes, was diagnosed with cancer. I decided to sell my premarital property to raise money for his medical expenses, but my mom stopped me. “Don’t tell him the truth yet,” my mom said. “Tell him you’re the one with cancer and see what he says.” I thought my mom was being petty, but she insisted: “If he’s willing to stand by you and sell the house to help with your treatment, then I’ll agree to let you sell your property.” I did as she said. But the very first day after I told him, Ethan’s face turned cold. “You have cancer and you still want me to sell the house to pay for your treatment? You’re just dragging me down!” “I’m not being selfish, but cancer is like a bottomless pit. In the end, you won’t get better, and I’ll be bankrupted.” Without another word, he took our bank cards. “I’m telling you to just give up on treatment. At least you can enjoy the last few days of your life. If you keep trying to treat it, we’re getting divorced.” I stared at him in stunned silence for a long moment, then gave a cold laugh. “Fine. I won’t get treatment then.” After all, I’m not the one with cancer.

When Ethan heard me say this, his expression immediately softened considerably. He sighed and stepped forward to comfort me. “Sophia, don’t blame me for being heartless.” “Getting cancer out of nowhere—no one can predict these things. It’s not that I don’t want to treat you, but cancer is a bottomless pit.” “Think about me, think about your parents. If something happens to you and you’re gone, someone still needs to take care of them, right?” Ethan spoke with such apparent sincerity that he almost moved himself to tears. But inside, I was laughing coldly. Sure enough, when something really happens, that’s when you see someone’s true colors. Normally, Ethan was thoughtful about everything. After five years of marriage, I thought we were one of those rare loving couples. He always blow-dried my hair for me after I washed it. Every night, he personally prepared my footbath water, making sure it was the perfect temperature—not too hot, not too cold. I was touched by these little details. I believed that when facing hardship together, we should give our all for each other. But now, thinking I had cancer, Ethan directly told me to give up treatment while putting on this affectionate act. It was truly disgusting. I remained silent as Ethan’s voice continued in my ear. “Sophia, I know you’re upset about having cancer, but put yourself in my shoes.” He gently held my hand, looking so devoted. “If I were the one with cancer,” “Even if you wanted to spend all our savings on my treatment, I wouldn’t agree, because I wouldn’t burden you even a little bit.” I looked at him silently. “But I have cancer. Wouldn’t you even consider selling a house to help raise some medical expenses for me?” “What if treatment could give me a fighting chance?” Ethan’s brow furrowed tightly. “Sell the house for treatment? Sophia, you’re being too naive.” “Do you know how much those targeted cancer drugs cost?” “Our house would probably be like throwing a stone into a well—you wouldn’t even hear a splash. We’d probably end up completely broke.” “Besides, my mom still needs to live in this house. If we really sell it, where would our whole family sleep? Under a bridge?” My mother-in-law, who had been eavesdropping in her room, couldn’t help but come out. “Sophia White, you’ve been married for five years and haven’t even produced an egg, and now you want my son to sell the house to pay for your treatment? Dream on!” “Everyone has their fate. If you’re short-lived, blame yourself. You can’t blame anyone else!” “Mom!” Ethan frowned and interrupted his mother. “Sophia is sick after all. Don’t talk like that.” He gave her a look. “Go to the market and buy a chicken. Make some chicken soup for Sophia to nourish her body.” His mother looked reluctant and muttered under her breath. “She’s about to die anyway. What’s the point of chicken soup? Pure waste!” The door slammed shut. Ethan pulled out his phone and fiddled with it for a while. I snapped back to reality and glanced at it. “What are you buying?” “Painkillers for you, of course.” Ethan didn’t even look up, seemingly clicking to pay. “I bought you six months’ worth of painkillers. If the pain gets unbearable, just take some.” “After all, having cancer is basically a death sentence. There’s no need for you to keep going to the hospital.” Ethan’s voice sounded so gentle, But to me at that moment, it was like a death-beckoning demon. I was so angry I laughed. “Ethan, are you now even taking away my right to go to the hospital?” Is this the love you’ve been claiming all along? Is this the man I trusted for five years? “Sophia,” Ethan frowned and stood up. “Don’t make it sound so harsh.” “I’m not stopping you from going to the hospital. I’m just trying to be considerate, in case you can’t bear the pain.” “After all, you’ve already given up on treatment. Going to the hospital would just waste more money.” I couldn’t listen anymore. I grabbed my bag and turned to leave. “Where are you going?” Ethan’s voice called after me. “Remember to come back early tonight. I’ll make chicken soup for you.” I took a cab to my mom’s house. The moment I opened the door, my mom looked somewhat startled. “Sophia, why did you come back?” “Mom, you were right. I lied and said I had cancer, and forget about selling the house for treatment—Ethan wouldn’t even spend a penny on me. He told me to just give up on treatment.” And here I was, ready to sell my premarital property to pay for his treatment. My mom’s expression also turned cold as she held my hand with concern. “Sophia, since your husband said to give up, then give up.” “Didn’t you buy Ethan a lot of insurance policies recently? Just wait.”

I stayed at my mom’s house for three nights straight. Ethan, who usually checked in on me every day, Didn’t send me a single message for three whole days. It wasn’t until the fourth day that Ethan’s message finally arrived. “Why aren’t you back yet? Sophia, you didn’t ignore my advice and go to the hospital, did you? I told you it’s useless.” “That bank card is linked to my transaction alerts. If you buy medicine or anything, I can see it clear as day.” My stomach churned violently, a strong wave of nausea rushing up. Looking at these two messages, I felt chilled to the bone. This was the man I’d loved for five years, the person I thought I could live and die with. Yet he was this petty and mean. Knowing I was dying, he was still worried about me spending a single penny of his money. “I’m coming back today.” I typed my reply. After all, I’d paid half the down payment on the house we were living in and had been paying the mortgage together. Since Ethan wronged me first, I couldn’t let myself lose both the person and the property. I had just pushed open the front door when the sound of a man and woman laughing in the living room completely threw me. At some point, Ethan had brought a strange woman home. The woman was wearing a miniskirt, curled up on the sofa in Ethan’s arms, the two of them intimately entangled, talking and laughing. They were sharing a grape. When it dropped, Ethan grabbed the woman’s chin and kissed her. “Ethan, I’m not dead yet.” Seeing me standing in the doorway with a dark expression, Ethan not only didn’t panic, but instead kept his arm around the woman’s waist and spoke matter-of-factly. “Sophia, you don’t have much time left anyway. You can’t expect me to spend the rest of my life lonely, can you?” “I’m finding a companion in advance. When you’re underground, you’ll be at peace too, right?” His words nearly made me sick to my stomach. My mother-in-law chimed in from the side. “Exactly. My son has such good prospects—what kind of woman can’t he find?” She glared at me coldly with a sarcastic tone. “If you weren’t such a short-lived burden dragging him down, would my son have to go through all this trouble finding another woman?” With that, she carried a fruit plate over to the strange woman with a smile plastered on her face. “Chloe, I just washed these cherries. Try some.” “When you marry into our family, you can eat as much expensive fruit as you want.” Chloe Brooks smiled sweetly and accepted them. “Thank you, Auntie.” My expression grew even colder. Those were cherries I’d bought just recently. I hadn’t even eaten any yet, and they’d already finished them all. I clenched my fists tightly. At that moment, my heart was colder than ice. Five years in this family, and I’d given my all to these people. But they couldn’t wait for me to die. “Sophia, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m Chloe Brooks, just good friends with Ethan.” Chloe flashed a provocative smile and shoved a photo in my face. “This was taken when we were at the cycling club.” I coldly glanced at it from the corner of my eye. In the photo, Ethan and Chloe in short shorts had their arms around each other, looking very close. This wasn’t the first time I’d heard Chloe’s name. The first time was when Ethan was gaming with his teammates in his study. “Do you know that Chloe Brooks?” “The one with the outgoing personality. Her body is just… wow. If I could ever… ahem, forget it. That’s not something we should be thinking about.” Standing outside the door at the time, my heart flared with anger when I heard this. But since he didn’t finish the sentence and nothing actually happened, I pretended I hadn’t heard it. But now, he’d brought her home. “Sophia.” Chloe reached out and smacked Ethan’s butt, teasing. “Last time I just wore a bikini and Ethan couldn’t control himself. He pulled me into his tent to sleep.” “I was just helping him with his physical needs. Don’t take it to heart.”

I clenched my fists, my whole body trembling. So it wasn’t just a mental betrayal— He’d physically betrayed me too. “Enough, Ethan. Even if I really only have a few days left, it’s not your place to humiliate me like this.” Ethan frowned slightly. “Sophia, how is this humiliating you?” “You said before that you loved me so much that if you left before me, you wouldn’t want to see me lonely for the rest of my life.” “Don’t worry. If Chloe and I really end up together, we’ll definitely bring flowers to visit you every year on holidays.” I was already furious, but inside I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. We’d see who’d be bringing flowers to whom. I had no time for this nonsense. I turned and headed for the bedroom. “Stop.” Ethan suddenly called out, then tossed me a comforter and pillow. “Sophia, I’ve thought it over. Since you’re not feeling well, you might be uncomfortable at night. Why don’t you move to the guest room for now?” My mother-in-law chimed in from the side. “That’s right. You have cancer now—it’s so unlucky. Don’t pass your sickness on to my son.” I was so angry I laughed. “So this is what you’ve been planning while I was gone these past few days.” “Fine. I’ll make you happy.” That afternoon, I pushed open the study door. Ethan quickly pushed Chloe under the desk. Chloe deliberately made trouble. I pretended not to notice Ethan’s barely controlled expression. “Sign this.” I expressionlessly dropped a document on the desk. Ethan’s eyes were glazed, trying to stay composed as he glanced at me. “What… is this?” His words came out in a strange tone. Only in bed did Ethan make that kind of hoarse sound. What they were doing was self-evident. “Sophia, you’re not asking for a divorce, are you?” “Of course not.” I glanced at Chloe crouched under the desk and let out a sneer. “It’s a cancer treatment waiver.” “Sign this.” “Then I won’t get treatment.” This suggestion clearly suited him perfectly. Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t even read it, just signed the last page directly. “Sophia, go rest.” “Didn’t the doctor say that even if you give up treatment, you still have a month to live?” “You always wanted to see the Northern Lights. In a while, I’ll take time off work and take you…” Ethan’s subsequent words became increasingly fragmented. I checked the waiver to make sure the signature was fine, gave a cold laugh, and as I left, kindly reminded him: “Use the bed.” “The bed is so big. Why squeeze in here so awkwardly and secretively?” With those words, I ignored Ethan’s shocked and stunned expression and slammed the door shut. That night, Chloe clearly had no intention of leaving and stayed directly in our marital home. She refused to sleep on the sofa and, wearing my pajamas, headed straight for the master bedroom. Seeing my dark expression, she covered her mouth and laughed. “Sophia, you don’t have many days left anyway.” “Why fuss over so much? These silk pajamas are really comfortable. Why don’t you just give them to me?” “Take them off.” I stared at her coldly. “You’d even bully a dying person?” “Even if I die, I’m burning these and taking them with me. I won’t let some homewrecker have them.” “And I’m not dead yet. You’re a guest. You should sleep on the sofa.” Chloe leaned close to my ear and lowered her voice. “The sofa is too hard. I can’t sleep comfortably on it. Plus I need a familiar environment—I need to hold a man to fall asleep.” As Chloe said this, she winked at Ethan. Ethan impatiently spoke to me. “Enough, Sophia.” “Instead of making things difficult for Chloe, you should be doing everything you want to do. After all, you only have a month left to live.” “Especially at night—won’t your stomach hurt terribly?” Ethan let out a light scoff and pointed to the nightstand in the guest room. “See that? I’ve already prepared painkillers for you.” I gritted my teeth. “How thoughtful of you.” I voluntarily gave up the master bedroom. Ethan smiled with satisfaction and patted my shoulder. “Sophia, you’re much more sensible than before.” “I’ve already bought tickets to see the Northern Lights. In the last stretch of your life, I promise you’ll spend it happily.” With that, Ethan pulled Chloe’s slender waist and disappeared into the master bedroom. That night, listening to them rolling around in the master bedroom, laughing and playing. Yes, he still has a month to live. I told myself. It won’t be much longer.

When I came out early the next morning, Chloe was already sitting at the dining table like the lady of the house. She’d finished an entire bowl of chicken soup and smiled with satisfaction. “Auntie, your chicken soup is delicious. I want more.” After saying this, Chloe belatedly covered her mouth. “Sophia, I’m so sorry. I heard that was chicken soup Auntie made for you, and I drank it all…” “You haven’t even had breakfast yet. It’s all my fault!” Watching Chloe’s self-reproachful expression, Ethan affectionately ruffled her hair. “It’s just a bowl of chicken soup. We can make more.” “Sophia isn’t feeling well. She can’t digest such nutritious food anyway.” I really couldn’t watch this. My stomach was full just from anger. “I’m not eating.” I grabbed my bag and turned to leave. Ethan’s expression suddenly changed as he clutched his stomach and ran to the bathroom. When he came out, his mother asked worriedly, “Son, what’s wrong? Why has your stomach been hurting more and more frequently lately?” Ethan sighed but didn’t think much of it. “Probably ate something bad recently.” Only I looked down, my expression dark and inscrutable. How could it be food poisoning? After all, stomach cancer couldn’t be symptomless. His mother’s expression flickered strangely. “How odd. Sophia has stomach cancer but doesn’t seem uncomfortable. How is it that you…” Ethan laughed and interrupted. “Mom, what are you worried about? Your son’s physical exam results came back. I’m perfectly healthy.” That day, after shopping with my best friend, I was eating an ice cream cone as we went upstairs. Before I could finish half the ice cream, Someone coming toward me violently knocked it out of my hand. Ethan stared at me coldly. “Sophia, are you crazy?” “You know you have stomach cancer and you still dare eat ice cream? Are you trying to die faster?” For a moment I was startled, as if I saw worry and heartache in Ethan’s eyes, but I quickly realized it was just an illusion. Ethan didn’t even care about my life. Why would he care if eating ice cream would make my stomach hurt? “What do you want?” Ethan rambled on about many things before finally getting to the point. It turned out he’d come to find me, even waiting downstairs without complaint, just to force me to transfer my premarital property to Chloe. “Since we’ve both decided to be together, Sophia, we were married after all. Just give the house to Chloe as a wedding gift.” I could hardly believe my ears. “Why should I give her my house as a dowry?” Ethan looked displeased. “What kind of talk is that?” “You don’t have many days left anyway. After you die, won’t your premarital property be inherited by me as your legacy? Chloe is an orphan. You won’t even give her a wedding gift?” Ethan pulled out a property transfer agreement. “If you sign obediently now, I’ll still consider taking you to see the Northern Lights so you won’t have regrets.” “Otherwise, just wait to regret it.” I coldly scanned those unfair terms, completely motionless. “I’ll never sign.” Ethan laughed in anger. “Sophia, you’re so confused.” “You’re about to die. What use is holding onto this property? Don’t forget, we’re married. After you die, all the money will be mine…” I took a deep breath. “Ethan, do you know that actually it’s you who…” Before I could finish, Ethan’s phone rang. He picked it up and looked at the caller ID, frowning. “City Hospital? Why are they calling now?” He remembered he’d been feeling off these past few days and went for a physical exam. This must be the doctor calling about the results. Ethan didn’t hesitate to answer, his tone casual. “Hello?” “Is this Mr. Ethan Hayes? Your test results are in. You’ve been diagnosed with late-stage cancer…”

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The day my billionaire parents came to take me home, everyone in the village reluctantly saw me off. But as soon as I arrived at their house, they forced me to donate bone marrow to my sister, Claire. I yanked out Claire’s oxygen tube in response. Seeing this, my parents locked me in a room to “reflect.” That night, while they slept, I climbed out the window and turned on the gas before leaving. Unfortunately, I was caught red-handed. Unable to tolerate me any longer, they blindfolded me, packaged me up, and dumped me in the infamous Outlaw Village. As soon as we arrived at the village entrance, my dad immediately threatened me: “Everyone here is a criminal. A kid like you won’t even have bones left after three days.” My mom pretended to persuade me: “Vivian, if you donate the bone marrow, you’ll still be our precious daughter. But in a place like this, you’ll die here.” I stubbornly shook my head. My mom’s fury peaked. She ripped off my blindfold and shoved me to the ground. I looked at everything familiar before my eyes. Why didn’t anyone tell me that the village I’d lived in for twenty years was called Outlaw Village?

I looked up at Uncle Sam, the village chief not far away, my eyes lighting up. I wanted to speak but couldn’t make a sound. I only felt my cheeks burning with pain. My mom leaned against the car door with a satisfied smile. “A new product from the company. It’ll keep you quiet for a while.” My dad added his threats from the side: “Behave yourself sooner rather than later, or you’ll regret it.” I curled my lip in a cold smile. Hmph! It was only because they couldn’t force me. Every time they tried to drug me or drag me to the hospital, I turned the tables on them. Plus, they were important people who cared about their reputation. I was different. If they dared to touch a hair on my head, I’d kill them. Seeing my silence, my dad pulled out a video and shoved it in my face. He gripped my chin, forcing me to watch the content. “Think carefully. If you don’t agree, you’ll have a spot in there.” Looking at a group of people lying in a pigsty, stuffing rotten fish and shrimp into their mouths from the manure pit, I rolled my eyes. Idiots. The one person I’d never fear was Uncle Sam. When did he develop a hobby of keeping people like pigs though? Uncle Sam dealt with human traffickers like these every year. At first, I thought I’d been abducted by them too. Day and night, I prayed for God to tell my biological parents to come take me home. But gradually, I realized the uncles and aunts in the village were all very kind to me. Slowly, I let go of that hope. But when news came from my biological parents, my heart couldn’t help but skip a beat. Mom and Dad should be different from the uncles and aunts, right? So I caught the earliest train before dawn to meet them. But now it seemed these parents were better off dead. I pressed my lips together, butted my head forward, and knocked the phone away. I struggled to my feet and ran toward Uncle Sam. My dad’s last bit of composure vanished. He grabbed my hair and yanked me back. Furious, he raised his hand and slapped my face several times. “I see you won’t cry until you see your coffin.” I was beaten until I saw stars, collapsing limply to the ground. Blood trickled down from my nose. He immediately let go in disgust, hurriedly pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his hands. Seeing this, my mom raised her hand to check her watch. She tugged at his sleeve. Not to plead for me, but to tell my dad to hurry up. “Claire needs to take her medicine soon. If we’re not there, she’ll throw a tantrum.” My dad glared at me, the muscles on his face taut. “Claire can’t stand the smell of blood, and this disaster deliberately got it on me.” “If she wasn’t still useful, I’d really want to lock her in this village forever.” Watching their careful, anxious manner, and the natural tenderness in their eyes when they mentioned Claire—if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought that in my memories, Mom and Dad would treat me the same way. That they’d see me as precious, worry about me being sick and not taking my medicine properly. My mom stared at the tears flowing from the corners of my eyes and paused. Then she frowned: “So ugly. If it weren’t for the paternity test, I’d really doubt whether I gave birth to her.” “Darling, hurry up and deal with her. I really don’t want to stay in this godforsaken place for even one more second.” My dad nodded and pulled out an iron rod from the back seat. He grabbed my collar and dragged me dozens of meters, tossing me aside like garbage. Then he aimed at my right leg and smashed down. As he prepared to strike a second time, I whimpered and cried, crawling toward Uncle Sam who had walked over. He stared at me, a trace of reluctance showing in his eyes. “This must be the person sent here to learn obedience.” “That’s enough. Leave her to me to handle.”

My dad dropped the iron rod and pulled a bag of cash from the car, tossing it on the ground. He glanced at me dragging my broken leg, desperately trying to escape. With a fake smile, he said: “This time is different. We’ll stay to supervise personally.” My mom, who had been about to leave, paused at these words. But when it involved Claire, she nodded without hesitation. “That’s right. Claire’s bone marrow bank can’t have any mistakes.” Ha, bone marrow bank. In the end, in her eyes, I wasn’t even human. I no longer held any hope for them. My hand tightly gripped Uncle Sam’s pant leg as I hummed the lullaby he’d sung to me since childhood. But the burning pain in my throat made even breathing difficult. Uncle Sam looked at me questioningly. As he was about to crouch down to examine my disfigured face more closely, my dad spoke up. “I remember there’s a butcher in the village, a dissection expert who personally killed and dismembered his own wife?” “Call him over. I’ve got merchandise.” “The feeling of slicing off flesh bit by bit without killing someone must be quite something.” As he spoke, his gaze fell on me. He smiled cruelly. As if certain I’d be scared into obediently going back. I gave him a look like he was an idiot. The Mr. Baker he mentioned did indeed have good knife skills, but he was also extremely protective of his own. When I was little and lost a fight with kids from the neighboring village, he went straight to their house and dealt with the whole family. If he recognized me here, they’d suffer worse than death. Seeing I was unmoved, my dad stepped forward and stomped on my injured leg, constantly applying pressure, his face twisted. “I want to see just how stubborn you are.” My mom beside him held up her phone, signaling to keep the noise down. “Claire wants you to answer the phone. Don’t let her know…” My dad picked up a dirty cloth nearby and stuffed it in my mouth, then answered the phone with a face full of affection. “Sweetheart, have you been good and taken your medicine like the doctor said?” “I’m taking your sister on an overseas trip right now. It’s not convenient for her to answer the phone.” “Don’t worry, you’re the child Daddy and Mommy love most…” Crying could be faintly heard from the other end of the phone. My parents immediately panicked, coaxing her as they walked outside. Taking advantage of the dim light, I gritted my teeth. I pressed the exposed bone fragment back into the flesh, rolling on the ground in pain. Uncle Sam looked at me with heartache and brought over crushed herbal medicine. He applied it to the wound and reluctantly opened his mouth. “Child, don’t blame me. The children in the village need money for school.” Tears streamed down my face as I whimpered and raised my hand to point at myself. Vivian, I’m Vivian! Uncle Sam froze. “Child, what are you trying to say?” I dipped my finger in the herbal juice, preparing to write on the wall. But the cellar door was suddenly pulled open. My parents walked in holding their phone, all smiles. They were discussing taking Claire for Japanese food on the weekend. “Claire loves king crab. You’d better perform well then.” My dad smiled from ear to ear. “Don’t worry, honey, I already made a reservation.” “After we eat, we’ll take Claire to see the new movie.” Claire’s bell-like laughter came through the phone. The family of three’s atmosphere was incomparably warm.

I hadn’t eaten in a day and a night and was now ravenous. Noticing my small movements of swallowing and covering my stomach, my mom’s smile remained, but her eyes gradually turned cold. She scooped out a ladle of slop from the swill bucket in the corner and poured it in front of me. “Eat. You were born to be lowly.” “Can’t let you actually starve to death. What would happen to Claire then?” The foul smell rushed straight into my nostrils. My vision darkened as I lay on the ground, struggling to breathe. Uncle Sam murmured: “How is this food for humans?” My mom looked down at him imperiously and glanced at him coldly. “Mind your own business.” I don’t know how much time passed before the door was pulled open. Mr. Baker walked in, his whole body reeking of blood from years of butchering pigs. He habitually stroked his beard and looked at me coldly. He coldly rebuked my parents behind him: “A girl like this isn’t worth my effort. Too embarrassing. I’m not doing it.” With that, he picked up his boning knife and was about to leave. But after just a few steps, my mom stopped him. “Don’t want the money anymore?” Mr. Baker’s face turned ashen. He glared at my mom. Muttering curses under his breath, he roughly drove everyone out of the cellar. “I don’t like people watching when I work. Get out, get out, get out.” He took a puff of his pipe and looked at me earnestly: “Child, I don’t want to hurt you.” “You look about the same age as a child who left our village. Just agree to whatever they’re asking you to do.” I shook my head desperately with my hoarse voice, tears streaming down my face. Mr. Baker had always been good to me since I was little. Though he was a butcher, he loved reading and writing. I learned to read and write from him. Thinking of this, I slowly moved my blood-stained fingertip across the ground. But under the severe pain, my whole body trembled and my hand spasmed, turning each stroke into illegible scribbles. Mr. Baker sighed: “Girl, I can’t understand what you’re writing.” “Can you speak?” I shook my head, gasping nervously. If I missed this opportunity, it would truly be over. What else could prove my identity? I wracked my brain. Right, the birthmark! I had a crescent-shaped birthmark on my forearm that everyone in the village knew about. I was ecstatic and struggled to bite and tear at the cloth binding my hands. As long as he saw the birthmark, Mr. Baker would recognize my identity immediately. Perceiving my intention, Mr. Baker put down his pipe and walked over. Just as I was about to roll up my sleeve, my dad pushed the door open and entered. His gaze fell on my untied hands. His face darkened. “What’s the meaning of this?” I whimpered desperately, growling to get Mr. Baker to look at me. My mom immediately spotted the crooked bloody writing on the ground. Her face changed dramatically as she drove him out. I watched helplessly as Uncle Sam left with Mr. Baker, then a slap came flying. The scratch from her long nails burned painfully on my cheek. My mom snorted coldly: “This damn girl is trying to send messages to others.” My dad said nothing. He took down a hammer from the wall. He pressed me down forcefully and smashed my fingers one by one right in front of me. “This is what happens when you don’t behave.”

I screamed and bit down hard on his hand. I was determined to tear off a piece of flesh. My dad cried out in pain and struck my head heavily on the spot. Seeing me bleeding from the head, collapsed on the ground, my mom panicked and rushed forward to check my condition. She glanced at my dad with displeasure. “Honey, you’ve beaten her to death! What about Claire!” My dad took the opportunity to kick me several times. He pulled out a handkerchief to press on his bleeding wound and cursed: “Don’t worry, a disaster like her won’t die.” I bloodthirstily curved my lips. With blood all over my face, I stared straight at him, grinding my teeth like a wolf in challenge. So yeah, don’t let me catch an opportunity. Otherwise, you won’t even know how you died. This action clearly infuriated my dad. “Looks like you still haven’t learned.” He sneered, picked up the rope from the ground, and looped it around my neck. He knocked out my entire right molar. Just as he was about to knock out the second one, the door was pushed open. A delicate figure emerged from behind Uncle Sam. Seeing who it was, my dad hurriedly released me. He blocked me behind him, afraid the blood would dirty Claire’s eyes. My mom was both surprised and delighted, stepping forward to pull her outside. “Claire, how did you get here?” “Come out with Mom. It’s too dirty here, bad for your condition.” Claire had a smile on her pale face. She shook her head and released my mom’s hand. She walked up to me, tears rolling down in large drops. “Vivian, it must hurt a lot.” “If you just behave, you won’t have to suffer. Mom and Dad really do like you.” “Once I get better, we can study together, go to school together…” My gaze grew cold. Looking at her face barely concealing a smile, I spat a mouthful of bloody saliva on Claire’s face. Hmph, in your dreams. Going through all this trouble to send me here and torture me in every way—it was nothing more than to make me voluntarily become Claire’s mobile organ bank. Everyone knew she had a rare disease and needed organ replacements periodically as they failed. She wiped her face while screaming and falling to the ground. My dad kicked me over with one foot. My mom picked up scissors, about to cut off my mouth. Seeing this, Claire quickly grabbed them both. A flash of viciousness crossed her angelic face. “Mom, Dad, don’t blame Vivian. I can understand if she’s unwilling.” “Maybe if we change methods, Vivian will agree.” Hearing this, joy spread across my mom’s face. She quickly grabbed her. “Claire, really?” Claire nodded, her gaze falling on my lower abdomen. A meaningful smile appeared. “The attending physician said that as long as it’s direct bloodline, it can save me.” I froze in place. The next second, my dad called over Uncle Sam. Pointing at me on the ground, he said coldly: “Call all the men in your village, regardless of age. As long as she gets pregnant within a year, that money still counts.” Uncle Sam looked at me gasping on the ground. He looked away and nodded. Soon, I was married off by lottery to the village watchman. A lame man with Down syndrome. The night before I was sent to the old house, Uncle Sam came in. Looking at me tied up like a dumpling, he silently rolled up my sleeve. Seeing the scalded wound where the birthmark had been, he shook his head: “I was so confused. How could it possibly be Vivian?” I watched his retreating figure in despair. Claire walked in, arms crossed, looking at me with a cold laugh. “You didn’t really think you could escape, did you?” “Still wanting to use the birthmark to get someone to pass on a message.” “Don’t worry. For the rest of your life, even in death, you can only die here.” Early the next morning, I was carried to the groom’s home with my face veiled. Claire suggested removing my veil and having me kiss the groom publicly. The moment it was removed, the foolish groom before me paused, clapping his thick, stubby hands. Drooling, he looked at me and laughed happily: “Vivian, the bride is Vivian.”

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Everyone in high society knew that the cold-hearted billionaire Jackson had given up on his childhood friend he’d waited seven years for and started dating. More importantly, his new girlfriend was disabled, with only one eye. When Jackson brought me to my first charity gala, everyone was startled by my purple cosmetic prosthetic eye. But Jackson pulled me into his arms. “She became like this to save me. If any of you say one more word, you’re making an enemy of me.” I looked up at him with complete dependence while others retreated awkwardly. Then suddenly, a gentle female voice came from behind me. “Is that Jackson? Long time no see.” The body holding me instantly tensed up, and even his heartbeat accelerated. I suddenly understood—this was his childhood friend, the one he loved but couldn’t have. Jackson’s arms around me recoiled as if shocked, and the usually cold man actually started stuttering. “You—you’re not in Australia?” The woman paused, then smiled. “I missed you, so I came back.” My heart trembled and clenched tightly. Fortunately, Jackson frowned. “Aren’t you in a relationship? What are you talking about?” The woman laughed. “We have twenty years of history. Fate brought us together before we were even born. Between friends, can’t I miss you?” Jackson seemed to remember something, his expression shifting slightly as he took half a step forward, creating distance between us. “Violet, you’ve been gone so many years, I thought you—” Violet tilted her head, interrupting him. “Jackson, is this your girlfriend? Her eye—” Jackson snapped back to attention and grabbed my arm, yanking me behind him. Pulled by the sudden force, I lost my balance and ended up kneeling solidly behind him. Laughter erupted around us. Jackson didn’t notice my reaction at all, only explaining on his own. “Don’t misunderstand. She’s disabled. I’m only taking responsibility because her parents entrusted her to me—I pity her!” I sat collapsed on the ground, looking up at him helplessly. Just a responsibility? What about the man who felt sorry for my altitude sickness on the snowy mountain and gave me his only oxygen canister despite his own pale face? What about the man who proposed to me on one knee at sunset, who rented a luxury cruise ship on the ocean to celebrate my birthday? What about the man who loved everything about me, who once took care of all the work for my parents and friends? Was I really just a responsibility to him? Violet ruffled his hair like she used to. “I understand. Our Jackson has always had the softest heart.” “The auction is about to start. I’ll head over first. You bring your… girlfriend and come sit down too.” Violet, wearing a gilded gown, walked away with extraordinary grace. Only then did Jackson remember I was still sitting on the ground. He reached out and pulled me up, full of apology. “Amy, let me explain…” I nodded. “Go ahead, explain.” Jackson opened and closed his mouth. “I’ve known Violet for so many years. She found a boyfriend who’s an heir to a multinational corporation, but I… Amy, you understand, right?” His cautious manner was completely different from when he held me in his arms earlier, telling everyone “don’t mock me.” I couldn’t help wondering if coming here with him today was the right choice. People surged around us, but I couldn’t hear a word. Jackson’s mouth opened and closed, finally turning into a sigh. Violet’s voice came again. “Jackson, the auction is starting. Come sit.” Jackson squeezed my wrist. “Be good. She’s an outsider, you’re family. When we get home tonight, I’ll apologize.” “I did my research before coming. I promised you that jade piece that can be used as an eye massager. You need to take care of your eye more so it doesn’t atrophy.”

Jackson pulled me into the venue, but looking left and right, there was no seat for me. Jackson’s expression soured as he raised his hand, about to call a waiter, when Violet’s pale hand pressed down on his and pulled it back. Violet smiled gently. “Jackson, I switched the seats. We haven’t seen each other in so many years—I have so much I want to say to you. My seat is over there. Could this young lady sit there instead?” I keenly noticed Jackson’s gaze fixed on their intertwined hands, his eyes filled with deep joy. Having been with him this long, I’d heard about their history. Simply put, Violet kept Jackson as a backup. When she had a boyfriend, she wouldn’t say a word to him for a year or two. When she didn’t have a boyfriend, she’d occasionally have physical contact with him but never cross that line. And now, this was just a woman’s sense of crisis. After all, her former lapdog was dating someone—how could she feel good about that? So little favors like holding hands, getting close, hugging—Violet was now giving these to Jackson. Violet shook his hand twice, and Jackson immediately came back to his senses, looking at me apologetically. “Amy, go sit over there. We don’t get to see each other often, okay?” I remained unmoved, my feet rooted to the spot. Jackson shook off my hand, tightening his grip on Violet’s hand. “Amy, are my words meaningless now? Don’t make me say it twice!” He pulled Violet toward the front row. Violet looked back at me with an apologetic smile, her eyes full of smugness. Only when the waiter impatiently reminded me to take my seat did I react, slowly walking to the corner seat. I didn’t know if it was psychological or what, but my prosthetic eye hurt terribly, sore and swollen. In the darkness, I secretly removed it, leaving only one eye to watch them. Throughout the entire auction, the two of them had their heads together, whispering about who knows what. Jackson didn’t give me a single glance. Not until that jade piece appeared did the atmosphere reach a small climax. This thing wasn’t rare, just natural, polished by a master, and hyped up by these people, so naturally its value soared. After several rounds of bidding, it had been driven up to 3 million. Jackson lightly raised his hand. “Ten million. Stop bidding, I’ll take it.” Everyone was shocked by his big gesture. The thing was valuable, but not worth ten million. The waiter was thrilled and immediately handed the jade to him. Under everyone’s gaze, Jackson held the velvet box and slowly walked toward me. The camera followed Jackson’s steps, projecting onto the big screen. The spotlight timely shone on me. Jackson knelt on one knee, holding up the jade. “Amy, I—” His words didn’t finish, but his smile froze on his face.

I was somewhat bewildered. Not until gasps arose around me did I realize I’d forgotten to put in my prosthetic eye. I immediately lowered my head, even though the bright light made me tear up. But my body was bumped by someone, and the purple prosthetic eye in my hand rolled to the ground. Violet, who had rushed over, screamed and threw herself into Jackson’s arms in fright. “Jackson, the eyeball, the eyeball!” Jackson immediately stuffed the jade into his pocket, scooped Violet up in a princess carry, and walked away. Everyone whispered. “My God, did you see that? She actually has a fake eye!” “So terrifying, her eyelid is tightly shut. I’ve never seen someone like this before—I’ll definitely have nightmares tonight!” “Didn’t Mr. Jackson say she saved him? I think she’s just exploiting his gratitude! She probably figured she couldn’t get married in the future so she latched onto Mr. Jackson!” Mocking voices filled the auction hall. Those with small courage didn’t dare look at me, while the bold ones kicked my prosthetic eye around like a football. Not until the waiter who had told me to find my seat roughly yanked me up from my chair, yelling at me to get lost, did I come to my senses. My face burned as if I’d been slapped. I didn’t even grab my shawl before turning and running. The auction was held in a villa on a mountaintop in the suburbs. Without a car, I couldn’t get back at all. After running two miles, because I couldn’t see on one side, my heel accidentally got stuck in the mud and I fell into a mud pit. Holding back tears, I dialed Jackson’s number. The phone rang for dozens of seconds before being answered just as I was about to hang up. His lazy voice came through. “What is it?” I choked out. “Please, come pick me up. Everyone mocked me, I fell…” Jackson’s voice tightened. “You fell? Where are you?” But Violet’s voice came through the phone. “Jackson, I drank too much at the party and my head hurts terribly. My dad told you to take care of me—you wouldn’t abandon me for a woman, would you?” Jackson was silent for a moment. “I’ll transfer you money. Take a cab home. I’ll come see you first thing tomorrow morning.” “Amy, you went too far. How could you take out your eye at such an important occasion?” “Do you know that Violet is timid? She’s even afraid of walking at night. Now she stepped on your eyeball—you really scared her to death!” With that, he hung up and transferred me 100 dollars. But he didn’t think about the fact that this was a villa area halfway up the mountain. Apart from people specifically coming to the gala, where would I find a cab? Cold and in pain, I tried to curl myself into a ball, leaning against a tree trunk and falling asleep. The night dew was heavy. I was woken by the cold several times. But each time I checked my phone, there was no call from Jackson. Not until the next morning, when I saw a taxi that had just dropped off passengers at the villa area, did I rush out from the darkness and block the car. My hair covered my face, and only the mottled stains on my clothes could be seen. The taxi driver was startled. “Damn, are you trying to die?” I said carefully. “I’m sorry, I got lost and slept outside all night. Please take me home. I’ll pay you double, okay…” The taxi driver looked at me and counted on his fingers. “Fare is 300, car wash fee 500, emotional distress fee 200. If that works, let’s go.” I nodded and pulled open the car door to get in. The car sped all the way to the home Jackson and I shared. I paid 1,000 before getting out of the car. The moment my finger touched the handle, the fingerprint recognition opened the door. What greeted me was a pair of familiar golden high heels, and Jackson’s shoes beside them.

I trembled as I pushed open the bedroom door. Violet was wearing my camisole nightgown, her white back exposed as she slept on her stomach on the bed. Although Jackson was sleeping beside her in pajamas, his hand rested on her hair, unconsciously stroking it. I was furious. “You cheaters!” The two woke with a start, shocked to see me like this. Especially Violet—she screamed. “A ghost!” Jackson got out of bed barefoot and ran to my side. “Amy, what—how are you just getting back now? What happened last night? Didn’t I tell you to take a cab home?” He anxiously turned me left and right. When his gaze landed on my swollen ankle and angry eyes, he looked away. “You—you misunderstood. We just lay down together, like when we were kids. We didn’t do anything!” I laughed coldly. “A man and woman alone in one bed, and she’s wearing my clothes—you’re saying nothing happened? Violet, don’t you have a boyfriend? Why are you here disrupting our lives! You homewrecker…” Before I finished, a crisp slap landed on my face. Jackson stared at his palm in horror. “I’m sorry Amy, I didn’t mean to—I just can’t stand—” Violet smiled. “I didn’t expect it, Jackson. After all these years, you’re still the same—when you hear someone insult me, you automatically step in to defend me. I didn’t care about you for nothing!” “One-eyed lady, I think you misunderstood. Jackson and I have known each other for twenty years. If I had any designs on him, would it be your turn?” I covered my face as scalding tears poured out. “Jackson, we’re breaking up! I want to break up with you!” Jackson grabbed me tightly. “No! I already apologized—what more do you want! How about you hit me back!” As he spoke, he grabbed my hand and swung it toward his face. Before it could touch his face, Violet spoke. “Jackson, I don’t have time to watch you two lovebirds. Smith called me—I need to go. You two take care!” With that, she took off her nightgown right in front of us, naked, and bent down to pick up her underwear from the side. Jackson and I froze on the spot. I could clearly feel Jackson’s body tense, his lower body hard as iron. The body holding me was burning hot, but I was ice cold inch by inch. How ridiculous. My boyfriend got physically aroused looking at another woman. As Violet passed us, she smiled at Jackson’s lower body. “I didn’t realize, Jackson—you really don’t show it! You’re not inferior to foreign men at all.” Jackson’s face turned bright red. I chased after her, only to see her pick up the jade Jackson had bought at a high price last night and put it in her bag. I shouted. “Put it down—that’s mine!” Violet raised an eyebrow. “Yours? What’s yours? To be blunt, even your man is mine.” “Oh, I forgot to tell you—my Maltese’s birthday is next month. The collar is missing a piece of jade exactly this size, so Jackson gave it to me.” With that, she opened the door and left. I’d just finished processing her words, trembling all over. “Didn’t you say that was for me?” Jackson looked away. “I have money. I can buy you another one like that. Violet begged me for half the night saying she wanted it. Amy, you’re the most sensible, right?” I curved my lips. “Begged you? How did she beg? On her knees? Or with her body?” Jackson’s face darkened. “Amy, you can’t talk about Violet like that. We’re innocent.” Looking at him, I suddenly felt very tired. “Jackson, I’m serious. Let’s break up.” “Before yesterday, I always thought you loved me. But not anymore. You love yourself, you love Violet, you love face—you just don’t love me.” “I saved you that year simply because you were you, not because of your family background. I didn’t expect anything from you—you were the one who said you wanted to be with me.” “Jackson, go explain to them that I didn’t exploit your gratitude, that I didn’t latch onto you, that I’m not desperate for you.” “Jackson, I’m really tired.”

Seeing my serious expression, Jackson’s breathing hitched. He threw down a black card and rushed out the door. “Amy, we both need to calm down. I’m leaving first. I’ll come find you in a couple days.” The door slammed shut. I lost all strength, slowly sliding down against the door frame, crying my heart out. After crying myself out, I started packing. Though this was supposedly Jackson’s and my home, there really wasn’t much that belonged to me. Barely one suitcase was enough to hold everything. He’d bought me a lot of clothes, food, and daily necessities. But I always felt they weren’t mine, that using them made me uneasy, so they were all sealed in a small cabinet, untouched. After washing up, I sat at the vanity, staring at the woman in the mirror for a long time. My left eyelid was tightly shut, my right eye was swollen red like a walnut from crying, and a bright red handprint marked my face. Anyone who saw this would call it a ghost. I took a deep breath and opened the vanity drawer. It was full of various prosthetic eyes Jackson had bought me, 108 of them in total. When he bought them, he looked at me with a smile full of tenderness. “My wife, so what if you can’t see with one eye? That’s your badge of love for me, and I cherish it.” “From now on, I’ll buy you all kinds of colors and styles. Your eye deserves to hold the sun, moon, and stars—it shouldn’t be confined to plain black.” I reached out to touch the red one—the first eye he bought me, red, with a bit of straight-guy aesthetic. Then I touched the green one—back then he smiled and told me we’d cosplay Hatsune Miku someday. Then the gem purple one, the same as the one I lost yesterday. I loved purple, so he bought me a dozen. The person who used to stroke my hair and praise my left eye like a rainbow. Now he looked at me with disgust, finding my tightly shut eyelid revolting, blaming me for embarrassing him. I took one last look at those prosthetic eyes and closed the drawer. Before leaving, I exported the bedroom surveillance footage, captured screenshots of Violet walking around my house naked with a light mosaic, and posted it online. [My boyfriend Jackson’s childhood friend Violet used being drunk as an excuse to wear my nightgown and sleep in my bed in my house, then said I was overthinking it. Is this my fault?] After posting, I logged out of the account and turned off the computer. The post named names and showed faces. I didn’t believe they could suppress it completely. Perhaps even Jackson himself didn’t remember. The surveillance he installed so I could see clearly with my bad eye had become the final straw that broke them. I bought a ticket on the next flight to Miami. I left the organized keys, bank cards, and a guarantee letter Jackson had personally written to show his loyalty on the entrance table. I left without looking back, without a trace of attachment. The moment I closed the door, the landline behind me suddenly rang with Jackson’s voice. “Amy, answer the phone!!” Only he knew the home phone number. Anyone could guess who was calling. I curved my lips and forcefully shut the door. Jackson, we’ll never meet again.

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Reborn on the day of my engagement to the prestigious Wilson family. In my past life, I was brought home as an illegitimate daughter to become my sister Chloe’s substitute. I replaced her at every event she didn’t want to attend, including spending time with that Los Angeles rich heir, Robinson Wilson. In the end, to ensure Chloe could smoothly marry into the Wilson family, they didn’t hesitate to kill me in a plane crash. This time, when my parents handed me that white dress again, I refused. “This is Chloe’s engagement. I can’t be her substitute anymore.” But my parents locked the door, smiling as they said this would be the last time. I was forcibly dressed in the gown and made to wear a mask, becoming the substitute. Until Robinson walked through the crowd, and when everyone expected him to put the engagement ring on his fiancée’s finger, the mask on my face was torn off instead. He grabbed my chin, mockery in his eyes. “So that’s where you’ve been hiding. Playing Chloe’s substitute? Jennifer, you really know how to degrade yourself.” I instinctively looked up. He was wrong. In this life, the one who would be degraded wasn’t me.

The moment the mask was torn off, the entire ballroom fell silent. Camera flashes went off continuously, capturing my panicked expression with perfect clarity. I instinctively tried to cover my face, but Robinson gripped my wrist tightly. His strength was terrifying, as if he wanted to crush my bones. “What’s wrong? Can do it but can’t own up to it?” His low voice carried mockery, echoing through the quiet hall. I looked at his face so close to mine, those eyes churning with anger and disappointment I couldn’t understand. The entire venue erupted in discussion. The guests’ whispers pierced my ears like needles. “Oh my God, that’s not Chloe Franklin, the eldest daughter!” “Who is this? Why does she look exactly like Chloe?” “Twins? No, I remember hearing at the hospital back then that they had one daughter.” “A substitute? Using a substitute at an engagement party? Has the Franklin family lost their minds?” My father Johnson’s face turned iron-blue. He rushed over first, raising his hand to slap me. But his hand stopped mid-swing, halted by Robinson’s sharp gaze. Johnson could only resort to cursing instead. “You wretched girl! Who told you to come out here and embarrass us!” “Apologize to Mr. Wilson right now!” Johnson’s wife Bella rushed over next, squeezing out a few tears as she complained to Robinson. “Mr. Wilson, please don’t misunderstand. It’s all because of Jennifer! She’s jealous of Chloe!” “She’s been twisted since childhood. She must have deliberately come to ruin Chloe’s engagement party!” “We’ll take her away immediately. We won’t let her offend your eyes any longer!” I watched them frantically trying to distance themselves, my heart growing colder bit by bit. Of course it was like this again. Chloe arrived late, her face covered in tears as she looked at me. “Jennifer, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the hospital?” In my past life, it was the same. Whenever I finished cleaning up Chloe’s messes, they would immediately hide me away. As if I were a rat in the gutter, something that couldn’t see the light of day. This time, I didn’t want to endure it anymore. Just as I was about to speak, Robinson beat me to it. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to lift my head. His thumb rubbed against my cheek, the motion hardly gentle, even carrying a hint of punishment. “Your face is much easier on the eyes than Chloe’s plastic surgery face.” His words made all three members of the Franklin family turn deathly pale. Chloe bit her lip hard, the jealousy in her eyes practically overflowing. Robinson completely ignored them, releasing my chin and pulling me into his arms instead. His warm chest collided with me, leaving me somewhat dazed. The man’s crisp woody scent enveloped me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and announced to the entire venue. “The engagement is canceled.” Everyone gasped. Johnson’s legs went weak, nearly collapsing to the ground. Robinson paused, then dropped an even bigger bombshell. “From today on, she—Jennifer—is mine.” With that, under the shocked gazes of my parents, Chloe, and all the guests. Robinson tightened his arm and lifted me up horizontally. Not a princess carry—he hoisted me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. My head hung down, my stomach pressed painfully against his shoulder. All I could see were swaying figures and crystal chandeliers. “Robinson! Put me down!” He completely ignored me, striding with long steps through the crowd toward the ballroom exit. Behind us came my parents’ frantic shouting. “Mr. Wilson! Mr. Wilson, please let us explain!” “The marriage alliance was supposed to be with Chloe! You must have made a mistake!” Robinson’s footsteps didn’t pause for even a moment. I was thrown into the back seat of his sports car, the soft leather seat unable to cushion my impact. The car door slammed shut with a bang, cutting off the chaos outside. The next second, the man leaned over me, pinning me beneath him. In the cramped space, all I could smell was his scent. His scorching breath hit my ear, his voice low and hoarse. “Jennifer, did you think you could escape?” “You should have been mine three years ago.”

He pressed me firmly against the seat, his hands pinning my wrists. “The person who saved me three years ago was clearly you. Why did you let Chloe take your place!” My whole body trembled. How did he know about three years ago? That winter, he was being chased and escaped into a back alley. I used money I’d saved from part-time work to buy him medicine and watched over him all night. Later, the Franklin family discovered what happened. They stole the token Robinson left behind and gave it to Chloe, forcing me to swear I would never reveal the truth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I turned my face away, not daring to meet his eyes. Robinson grabbed my chin and forced me to turn back. His eyes were terrifyingly red. “In the past life, when they put you on that plane, were you still celebrating that you were finally free?” My heartbeat skipped a beat. He was reborn too. “You’re so stupid.” “Did you think they’d let you go after you died?” “They didn’t even bother collecting your body!” Tears fell from my eyes without warning. The despair from before the crash in my past life surged through me again. Robinson released my wrists and sat up straight. “Be my woman. I’ll help you destroy them.” I wiped my tears roughly. “I don’t need anyone’s help.” “Mr. Wilson should mind his own business.” I pushed open the car door and stumbled into the night. I didn’t want to get involved in any wealthy family disputes anymore. I just wanted to escape far away. When I got back to that damp, cramped rental apartment and took out my key, the door was pulled open from inside. Johnson kicked me in the stomach. I flew backward and slammed into the opposite wall, excruciating pain hitting me as if all my internal organs had shifted. Bella walked over in her high heels. She grabbed my hair and dragged me into the room. “Getting bold, aren’t you? Actually daring to seduce Mr. Wilson!” “Do you know how long Chloe has been preparing for this marriage alliance!” Chloe sat on the sofa, leisurely drinking tea. “Mom, don’t hit her face.” “I still need to take her to the gallery tomorrow to meet clients.” “If her face gets messed up, who’s going to drink for me?” I spat out a mouthful of blood. “I won’t be your substitute anymore.” Johnson grabbed the ashtray from the table and smashed it against my forehead. Blood instantly blurred my vision. “You don’t get a choice!” “We still have your mother’s ashes!” “If you dare disobey, I’ll scatter them right now!” I bit my lip hard, tasting blood. This was my family. They not only wanted to suck my blood dry, they wouldn’t even let my biological mother go. The next morning. I was woken by urgent phone ringing. The wound on my forehead still throbbed with pain. It was a colleague from the company calling. “Jennifer, check Twitter now!” “Chloe posted about you and started a cyber-mob!” I opened Twitter. The number one trending topic prominently displayed Chloe’s name. #Genius Painter Chloe Betrayed by Illegitimate Sister# Clicking in revealed an essay over a thousand words long. She portrayed herself as a kind sister who tolerated everything. While I was a vicious illegitimate daughter who had stolen from her since childhood, stolen her boyfriend, and even drugged people at the engagement party trying to climb the social ladder. The accompanying images were surveillance screenshots taken out of context. Plus embarrassing photos of me when Robinson tore off my mask at the party. The comments section had completely fallen. “Illegitimate daughters deserve to die!” “Feel so bad for Chloe. Jennifer’s mother wasn’t any good either! All trash!” “Jennifer get out of Los Angeles!” I stared coldly at the manipulated narrative on the screen. Chloe was as impatient as ever.

I put on a hat and mask to go to the pharmacy to buy gauze. The moment I walked out of the apartment complex gate, an egg smashed into my forehead. Egg liquid mixed with blood flowed into my eyes, stinging sharply. “That’s her! That shameless homewrecker!” Several young girls rushed up. They held rotten vegetable leaves and garbage they’d just pulled from trash cans, frantically throwing them at me. “Die, you bitch!” “How dare you steal Chloe’s fiancé!” I was pushed to the ground, my knees scraping against the pavement and losing a large patch of skin. I was utterly disheveled. More and more onlookers gathered around. No one came forward to help. They all held up their phones, taking photos and videos. I struggled to my feet and pushed through the crowd to move forward. With every step, garbage pelted my back. When I got back to the rental, my whole body reeked. As soon as I took off my filthy clothes, my phone rang. It was Johnson calling. “Enjoying getting beaten?” “This is what happens when you offend Chloe.” His voice dripped with smug superiority. “Record an apology video right now and post it online.” “Admit that you were just jealous of Chloe and that you seduced Robinson.” “Otherwise, I’ll flush your mother’s ashes down the toilet right now!” The hand holding my phone trembled uncontrollably. “Johnson, you wouldn’t dare!” He laughed coldly. “Listen to this.” The sound of a toilet flushing came through the phone. My rationality completely collapsed in that moment. “Don’t touch her!” “I agree! I’ll agree to anything!” I collapsed to my knees on the floor, shouting into the phone. Johnson hung up with satisfaction. I looked at myself in the mirror, covered in filth. The wound on my forehead still seeped blood, my eyes full of bloodshot veins. I picked up my phone and dialed another number. The phone only rang once before it was answered. Robinson’s voice was low and calm. “Made up your mind?” My voice was hoarse beyond recognition. “Help me get my mother’s ashes back.” “Okay.” Half an hour later, Robinson brought over a dozen people and kicked down the door of the Franklin family villa. Johnson and Bella were in the living room drinking champagne in celebration. Seeing Robinson storm in with people, they were so scared their glasses fell to the floor. “Mr. Wilson, what are you doing?” Robinson kicked over the coffee table in front of him. Glass shattered everywhere. “Looking for something.” The people he brought immediately spread out and began ransacking the villa. Chloe ran downstairs screaming to stop them. “What are you doing! This is trespassing!” Robinson walked over and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her entire body up. “Where are the ashes?” Chloe’s face turned red, her hands frantically beating against Robinson’s arm. Johnson was so frightened his legs went weak. He fell to his knees with a thud. “In the basement! In the storage room in the basement!” A few minutes later, a bodyguard came out carrying a dusty urn. Robinson released his grip. Chloe fell to the ground, coughing violently. He took the urn and turned to stride away.

When Robinson placed the urn in my hands. My whole body shook as I clutched that cold box tightly, tears falling heavily onto it. Robinson stood beside me, handing me a tissue. “Now, can we talk about cooperation?” I looked up and met his eyes. “Okay.” “I want them completely ruined and left with nothing.” I was settled by Robinson in a penthouse apartment in the city center. The security here was tight. The Franklin family couldn’t get in at all. I had just showered and changed into clean clothes. The doorbell rang. Robinson was in the study having a video conference. I walked over to answer the door. Outside stood an impeccably maintained middle-aged woman. It was Robinson’s mother, Mrs. Wilson. She looked me up and down, her eyes full of disgust. “You’re that illegitimate daughter from the Franklin family?” She walked into the living room in her high heels. She pulled out a checkbook from her bag, scribbled down a string of numbers, and threw it on the coffee table. “Here’s ten million.” “Take the money and leave Robinson immediately.” “Our family can’t afford this kind of disgrace.” I walked over and picked up the check. Right in front of her, I tore it into pieces. The scraps fluttered down onto the carpet. Mrs. Wilson’s face turned livid with rage. “Don’t be ungrateful!” “You think Robinson will really marry you? He’s just interested in something new!” “Chloe is the daughter-in-law our family has chosen!” I looked at her coldly. “Then you should go discipline your son instead of coming here to yell at me.” Mrs. Wilson raised her hand to hit me. Robinson pushed open the study door and walked out. Seeing this scene, he said coldly, “Mom, what are you doing.” Mrs. Wilson immediately pulled back her hand. Feeling humiliated, she pointed at me and cursed. “You’re throwing away the family’s reputation for her?” “The Franklin family has already told me everything!” “She’s just a bitch who’ll stop at nothing to climb the social ladder!” Robinson walked over and stood in front of me. “When did my affairs become yours to interfere with.” “Show her out.” Mrs. Wilson was escorted out by security. As she left, she looked at me as if she wanted to swallow me alive. The next day Robinson went to the company for meetings. I was alone in the apartment researching information about Chloe’s art exhibition. The door lock suddenly turned. I thought Robinson had returned, but it was Mrs. Wilson and Chloe who walked in. Chloe wore a smug smile on her face. In her hand was the apartment’s spare key. “Jennifer, aren’t you scared living in such a big place all alone?”

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The day my wife Austin gave birth, Anderson said the child was his. Seeing my mother and me frozen in shock, Austin sighed: “James, the child really is Anderson’s. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you wouldn’t agree.” Perhaps overcome by shock and rage, my mother’s hand slipped weakly, and the baby she was holding instantly fell. Anderson punched my mother in the face, and I immediately swung back at him. Our relatives all secretly mocked me. My mother grew more and more furious as she listened, and died of a sudden heart attack. As I lay crying over my mother’s body with swollen eyes, Austin called me: “How could your mother be so heartless, trying to kill my child?” I said angrily: “Austin, my mother has been killed by your actions. I’ll make you all pay!” Austin froze instantly. Even through the phone, I could sense her trembling. “James, what are you saying? Your mother is dead?” Austin’s breathing grew more and more rapid, guilt consuming her entire heart. I thought she would rush to the hospital to see my mother one last time, but then Anderson spoke while holding the child. “Dying now of all times, right when I was about to call the police and charge her with child abuse. Think I don’t know what scheme you two are plotting?” “You just want to use Austin’s guilt to trick her into coming back so my child has no milk to drink.” “Absolutely inhumane. Hurting my son and then cutting off his food supply. You better watch out for karma.” Anderson’s roar made me lose control. I gripped my phone and shouted back: “You already slept with my wife and had a child with her, and you still have the nerve to call me vicious.” “My mother isn’t—” “Enough, James. I just gave birth and I’m still very weak. If you really love me, you should be making soup for me, not hiding away making up lies about your mother dying.” “The reason I had a child with Anderson is because he has problems in that area. This pregnancy was through artificial insemination, not as dirty as you think.” Before I could speak, the phone line went dead with beeping sounds. I looked at my mother’s body, tears flooding my eyes again. I didn’t know what emotions to use to describe the grief and rage I felt in that moment. From the day I learned she was pregnant, I rejected my superior’s invitation to become an executive at a branch office. Because I was going to be a father, I had to think of this family. I couldn’t leave home for even a moment. When my mother found out, she was overjoyed and agreed to all of Austin’s unreasonable demands. I never imagined that the woman my mother and I spoiled day after day was carrying not my child, but the child of Anderson—the man I hated most. Just because this scumbag worked at the same company as me and constantly made things difficult for me. If it weren’t for Austin’s sake, I would have castrated him long ago. Now she had a child with the man I hated most. How could I bear this? My mother even died in the hospital because of this. This humiliation was like being stripped naked and judged by the whole world. As I picked up my phone to message my boss requesting leave, I saw that Anderson had updated his Twitter. He was holding Austin on his lap, and Austin was holding the baby. The family of three had their heads together in an intimate photo. “I’m finally a father. After living for decades, this is my happiest and most joyful moment.” The comments below weren’t congratulations, but questions. “This… this is so dramatic??” “The woman you’re holding looks like James’s wife!” “Don’t say that, maybe she’s a twin.” “But I remember James saying his wife was an only child, not a twin.” I smiled bitterly and left a comment: “You guessed right, he’s holding my wife.”

Right after I posted the comment, the woman who had hung up on me called again. “James, why did you leave that comment on Anderson’s Twitter? Couldn’t you say I was your wife’s twin sister?” “Do you really enjoy announcing to everyone that your wife cheated?” “Aren’t you afraid they’ll mock you?” “Because of your comment, Anderson is being criticized by his colleagues now. Are you happy?” Every word was in defense of Anderson. Not a single word of guilt or apology to me. In that instant, my heart, wrapped in sorrow, became as calm as stagnant water. My mother’s death had shown me clearly. My tone was light with sarcasm: “So you are afraid that acquaintances will know you’re morally corrupt, having a child for someone else without even divorcing first.” Austin’s volume instantly shot up: “James, how am I morally corrupt?” “Anderson injured himself down there trying to save me. Shouldn’t I give him a child in return?” “After hearing your heartless words, I think you and your mother are the ones without morals.” “If you mind that I had a child for someone else, then let’s get divorced!” In front of my mother’s cold corpse, I smiled coldly and nodded: “Then let’s divorce!” Austin froze for a long time. She couldn’t believe that I, who had always loved her like life itself, would agree to divorce. Suddenly, Anderson’s voice came from nearby. “Austin, help me apply some medicine. I can’t reach my back.” This was how Austin was. Whenever it concerned Anderson, she would leave me in the cold and forget we were even on a call. “There, done. Does it still hurt?” “That doesn’t hurt anymore, but I have somewhere else that hurts. You look so sexy in this nightgown.” “Anderson, don’t. I’m still in postpartum recovery.” I heard both of them breathing heavily. The ambiguous atmosphere was palpable even without being there in person. “Austin, I really miss the time we spent together. I can’t forget your body either.” “Now that we have a child, won’t you divorce him for the child’s sake…” “Anderson, I won’t divorce James.” “There won’t be a second man in this world who loves me like he does.” “I know he’s still angry right now and won’t accept it for a while, but after I finish postpartum recovery, I’ll go home.” I said nothing and just hung up the phone. She said it was artificial insemination, but that was another lie. She was running off to have sex with Anderson every night under the excuse of working overtime. I prepared to stand up when my phone received a message from Anderson. “Did you hear that just now?” “Pathetic loser, do you know how I slept with her?” “While you were working overtime outside, I held her and kissed her in the bathroom.” “We’ve left our marks in the office, in your bed, even in your car.” “Remember that day at the supermarket buying condoms? There was only one box left and you let me have it. I used it that very night to sleep with your wife.” I was so angry I turned off my phone, both hands clenched into fists. Just as I was about to break down, I remembered I couldn’t lose control in front of my mother. If her soul was beside me, how heartbroken would she be? Fighting through the unbearable pain, I sent my mother’s body to the crematorium. I took her ashes back to our hometown and chose an auspicious day to bury my mother. After finishing these matters, I stayed in my hometown for a month. When I returned to the city, I found the house still looked exactly as it had when I left. She hadn’t come back even once, nor had she called. Her heart and her person were with Anderson and his son. I contacted a lawyer and asked him to help me draft divorce papers. When she came back, I would file for divorce. After putting down my phone, I sighed. Going back to the company tomorrow, there would surely be plenty of gossip about me.

Just as I stepped into the company, my colleagues saw me and enthusiastically greeted me at first, then all bowed their heads in hushed discussion about me. I knew I couldn’t escape the mockery behind my back, so I walked in expressionlessly. “Ugh! If I were James, I’d definitely beat up that pair of cheaters.” “He doesn’t dare. The company is owned by Anderson’s uncle. Jobs are hard to find now. If he really hit Anderson, he’d lose his job too.” “Does that mean he has to just take this humiliation, watching his wife get screwed by someone else and raising another man’s child?” “What else can he do? Poor people have no right to oppose rich people.” Various embarrassing voices reached my ears, making them ache. The entire company knew that my sworn enemy had slept with my wife and had a child with her. Suddenly, the discussion stopped. Because across the hallway, Anderson stood there holding a coffee. The moment our eyes met, he saw intense hatred in mine. All my colleagues held their breath, staring intently at the two of us. “Are they going to fight?” “Quick, call security up here.” Afraid I would retaliate, Anderson pulled out a small fruit knife from his pocket. I stared at him impassively and walked forward. As I passed alongside him, he smirked coldly: “Right after her postpartum recovery ended, she played with me for a day and night.” I stopped walking. Anderson raised the fruit knife a bit higher. I knew he was trying to provoke me into attacking first, so he could claim self-defense while stabbing me, then rightfully have me arrested. The security guards rushed in too. Such a big fuss—they really underestimated me. “James, you took a month off, causing your group’s performance to decline.” “If you still want to work here, come to my office later to get the files and complete them.” I had thought about resigning, but the people in my group were all my good friends. My month-long absence had caused them to be constantly criticized. Even if I was leaving, I had to help them achieve results and get promoted first. Seeing I had no intention of fighting back, Anderson relaxed and sneered mockingly: “What an obedient dog. Knowing those colleagues are indebted to you, you’ll stay here feeling wronged.” The implication was that if I quit, he would fire my colleagues. They had elderly parents and young children to support. I couldn’t bear that responsibility. Back at my desk, my colleagues gathered around. “James, let’s all just resign together! We don’t need to take his humiliation.” “Right, don’t be sad. A woman like that isn’t worth keeping anyway.” I stopped what I was doing and looked at them calmly: “I’m single now, I’m not afraid. But you’re different from me.” “Before I leave, I’ll help you out.” Putting on my work badge, Anderson’s person came over to urge me: “James, Director Anderson is urging you to hurry up and get the documents to process.” When I arrived outside Anderson’s office, through the half-open door, I saw with my own eyes Austin sitting on the desk, her legs wrapped around his waist. In that moment, my mind went completely blank. I realized Anderson had deliberately lured me over to witness how he was having sex with my wife. I kicked the door open with one foot and walked in coldly.

Austin, still lost in passion, roared furiously: “Who is it!” “Not even knocking before—” The rest of her words went unfinished as her eyes widened larger than lanterns. They were still entangled together in an ambiguous, explicit position. What they were doing was self-evident. “James?” She hurriedly jumped away from Anderson’s body and out of his embrace. Frantically pulling down her skirt, scrambling to pick up the stockings Anderson had torn to shreds. As she picked them up, she suddenly stopped her frantic movements, breathing rapidly as she stood up straight, her eyes darting away as she looked at me. “James, let me explain.” “It’s not what you think.” “I told him that after my postpartum recovery ended, I wouldn’t see him anymore. I was going back to my family.” “Anderson asked me for one last—” “Director Anderson, I’m here to collect the documents.” I didn’t look at the flustered woman, but coldly at Anderson, whose face was smeared with lipstick. He stood up with a contemptuous, disdainful smile, zipped up his pants, and then handed me a stack of documents. I took the documents and left without saying a single word to Austin the entire time. Because shouting was useless, and talking to her would only exhaust my emotions. A dirty woman should just be discarded. Austin watched my back, a feeling of unease creeping up in her heart. At lunch, she came to find me to eat, and I treated her like she was invisible. Wherever I went, she followed. Unable to bear my cold treatment any longer, she broke down. “James, can we talk?” “Fine. I’ll send you the divorce papers later, and we should sit down and have a proper talk then.” Everyone in the company looked at us with strange eyes. I didn’t care anymore. Austin, however, lost control. Just then, our supervisor notified us of an emergency meeting. “Whoever can close the deal with FLY Company will receive a two hundred thousand dollar bonus.” “Plus a promotion and raise.” The supervisor looked at me: “James, especially your group. Because you took a month off, your group’s performance tanked.” “Upper management said they’re planning to fire you all.” “So take this opportunity to make up for it!” I was alone now and not afraid of losing my job, but those colleagues absolutely couldn’t lose their jobs because of me. From then on, I threw myself into work frantically, working overtime until late at night, drinking coffee until my stomach hurt. Outside, thousands of lights illuminated the night, but not a single one was lit for me. Austin had gone home. She couldn’t stand my cold treatment anymore. I worked overtime partly for my colleagues, and partly to avoid her. Finally, after completing a project proposal I was satisfied with, I arranged to meet with the potential partners. They deliberately made things difficult for me, forcing me to drink until I nearly died in the private room. “James, why are you working so hard you’d risk your life? I’m really impressed.” “I’m very satisfied with the project plan. We’ll come over to discuss the rest.” However, the next day when I woke up and returned to the company, I heard the supervisor praising Anderson. “Not bad, the partners are very satisfied with this proposal. I didn’t expect you to be smarter than James.” Smarter than me? Anderson hadn’t participated at all! When I walked closer to look, the content on that proposal was identical to mine. My brain exploded. Anderson had stolen my proposal and claimed it as his own. But the only person who knew my computer password was Austin. I glared at her with bloodshot eyes. She guiltily looked away. I couldn’t hold back anymore and rushed forward: “This proposal was done by me. When did it become his?” “Austin, why are you doing this to me?” To them, my rage was just a madman venting emotions. “James, you can’t produce results and still have the nerve to make a scene? Your whole group just wait to be fired!” No one believed me. Had I once again helped him get promoted and a raise? After the supervisor left, Anderson had his assistant bring cake and wine to celebrate. The anger in my heart kept burning, but Anderson smirked and handed me the wine. “The proposal was indeed yours. Austin helped me steal it.” “This kind of thing has happened plenty of times before.” “Every solution you came up with—didn’t Austin reject it? She deliberately rejected them to stop you from implementing them, then told me the solutions so I could implement them and get promoted and raises.” “Your former boss knew this, which is why she wanted to transfer you to a branch office in a high position, away from me. But you were stupid and stayed to work for me for Austin’s sake.” “Your group is in big trouble now.” I was so angry my face turned red, the rage in my chest wouldn’t dissipate. Before I could strike, Anderson smashed the cake in my face and poured red wine from my head down to my feet. “Pathetic loser, you dare try to hit me…” In that moment, I lost control of my emotions. I found a fruit knife on the table and stabbed it toward Anderson…

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Five years ago, Logan’s tech startup went bankrupt, leaving him drowning in a mountain of debt. At the time, I was pregnant with his child. But I was terrified that if I stayed with him, we would end up starving on the streets. So, without a single word, I packed my bags and ran away, taking our unborn baby with me. The next time I heard his name, it was five years later. Word on the street was that he had become the ruthless, undisputed head of the multi-billion-dollar Sinclair family empire. But there was a catch—a horrific car accident had allegedly left him permanently sterile. As fate would have it, right around the exact same time, my son was diagnosed with a severe illness, and I desperately needed a massive amount of money to save his life. I bit my lip, swallowed my pride, and grabbed my little boy’s hand. “Come on, sweetie. Mommy is going to take you to see your daddy.” 1 Lying in his hospital bed, little Leo rolled his eyes at me with zero hesitation. “Mom, are you losing it? Didn’t you say my dad died a long time ago?” I let out an awkward, dry laugh. “Oh, well, he was really, really sick back then. I thought he was going to die. But, surprise! The doctors fixed him.” Leo’s eyes suddenly lit up like fireworks. “Does that mean I can get fixed by the doctors and go home, just like Daddy?” I nodded firmly. “Of course you can!” Kids are so easy to trick. A few simple words, and he believed me completely. Walking out of his hospital room, I reopened the browser on my phone. The screen displayed a massive headline from a major financial news outlet, reporting that the CEO of Sinclair Enterprises was left infertile following a catastrophic car crash. At first, I honestly thought it was just some guy who happened to share the same name. But when my thumb slipped and I clicked the article, my heart dropped. The man in the high-resolution photo didn’t just share Logan’s name—he had Logan’s exact face. There are no coincidences that massive in this world. There was only one logical explanation: Logan had lied to me, too. He was never the broke, struggling kid from the wrong side of the tracks that I thought he was. He was the heir to an empire. Standing in that sterile hospital corridor, I didn’t know whether to scream or cry. But at the very least, for Leo’s sake, this was a godsend. I immediately booked two first-class plane tickets to New York City for the next morning. When my mom arrived at the hospital to drop off dinner, I was already throwing clothes into a suitcase. “Another business trip? Are you trying to dump the kid on me again?” she grumbled, setting the Tupperware on the table. “I told you exactly what was going to happen five years ago. I told you not to have this baby, but you refused to listen. And now that he’s here, you constantly dump him on me. I am supposed to be enjoying my retirement, but instead, I’m trapped in this house playing nanny.” I glanced nervously at the bed. Leo was awake, watching us. I lowered my voice to a harsh whisper. “Mom, please. Can you stop saying that in front of him? He’s little, but he understands. It hurts his feelings.” “Oh, whatever. You did it, but I’m not allowed to talk about it…” “Mom. If you have nothing else to do, go give Leo a hug. Tomorrow morning, I am taking him to New York.” I cut her off sharply. She froze. Then, she grabbed my arm and dragged me out into the hallway. “Did you scrape together enough for the surgery?” she demanded, her voice dropping. “No, wait… where did you get that kind of money? You’ve been raising a kid by yourself for five years. You don’t have a dime to spare.” I kept my eyes on the floor. I had zero intention of telling my mother the truth right now. “Just drop it, Mom. Honestly, I have no idea when we’ll be back.” “You can finally go enjoy your peaceful retirement. Leo and I won’t be dragging you down anymore.” My mom’s face instantly hardened into a furious scowl. “You little brat. You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You know perfectly well I just talk tough, but I love that kid.” She waved me off dismissively. “Forget it. I’m not wasting my breath on you. I’m going to go see my grandson.” 2 Early the next morning, my mom squeezed Leo so tight she could barely breathe, sobbing hysterically in the hospital lobby. “Leo, my sweet boy, Grandma is going to miss you so much.” “Once the doctors fix you up, you hurry right back to Grandma, okay?” See? People are always like this. They complain when you’re around, but the second you actually try to leave, they act like the world is ending. Just before we stepped into the Uber heading to the airport, my mom shoved a debit card into my coat pocket. “I called around and borrowed some cash. It’s not a fortune, but it’ll help in an emergency. You know the pin. Take good care of my boy.” I waved from the window as the car pulled away, but my stomach was in knots. If my mom knew my actual plan was to hand Leo over to Logan and walk away, she would literally murder me. My own heart felt like it was being run through a meat grinder. But to guarantee Leo got access to the absolute best medical care in the world, this was a trip I had to take. Sitting on the plane, I leaned close to Leo and started laying down the ground rules. “Listen to me, Leo. From now on, whenever there are other people around, you have to call me ‘Auntie.’ Do you understand?” “Why?” Leo tilted his little head, his face entirely scrunched up in confusion. I took a deep breath and patiently fed him a lie. “Think about it. When your dad was super sick, I didn’t stay and take care of him. He is probably incredibly mad at me. If he finds out I came back, who knows how he might try to punish me?” Leo blinked his big eyes, only half understanding. “Mom… are you not going to stay with me at Daddy’s house?” Guilt slammed into me so hard I couldn’t even look him in the eye. “Once the doctors make you all better, Mommy will come right back and pick you up.” “You promise you aren’t tricking me?” “I would never.” “Pinky promise.” “Okay. Pinky promise.” 3 I didn’t go straight to Logan. Instead, I used every resource I could find to track down Logan’s mother, Melora Sinclair. We met at a tiny, obscure coffee shop in Brooklyn that completely clashed with her custom Chanel suit. She kept her oversized designer sunglasses on, sitting rigidly in the cheap wooden booth. “You are claiming you have a child? And that this child belongs to my son?” She spoke first, her sharp gaze slowly dragging from my face down to Leo, who was sitting quietly beside me. The very next second, her entire demeanor shattered. “Oh my dear Lord… is this a carbon copy of Logan?” She practically lunged across the table, grabbing Leo’s small hands, examining his face with frantic excitement. “This… this is exactly what Logan looked like as a little boy! Exactly!” Melora wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest. From the day I found out I was pregnant to the day I gave birth, Logan was entirely absent. But regardless of the angle, Leo was the spitting image of his father. I slid a thick manila folder across the table. It contained Leo’s complete medical history, his birth certificate, and all his identity documents. “Leo was diagnosed with a severe congenital heart defect a year ago. He requires immediate, highly specialized surgery.” “If your family has any doubts whatsoever, I fully support a DNA test.” Melora’s face turned deadly serious. She stared at me intensely. “And you are the boy’s…” “I have no relation to the child. I am simply acting on behalf of someone else.” “If the Sinclair family is willing to claim this boy, I will disappear immediately.” Melora stood up, stepped outside the coffee shop, and made a rapid phone call. Ten minutes later, a sleek black SUV pulled up, and she escorted us to the most elite private hospital in Manhattan. Shortly after we arrived, a man in a sharp suit delivered a sealed plastic bag containing a single strand of dark hair. The moment the rapid DNA results were handed to her, Melora’s eyes lit up like the Fourth of July. While the pediatric specialists whisked Leo away for a preliminary workup, Melora opened her designer handbag, pulled out a massive stack of crisp hundred-dollar bills, and slid them across the waiting room table. “Thank you,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “The Sinclair family will ensure this boy has everything he could ever need.” I politely pushed the money back. I had fully intended to raise this boy myself. But clearly, fate had other, much crueler plans for us. As I turned to walk away, Leo suddenly ran out of the examination room and grabbed the hem of my coat. “Auntie… you promise you aren’t tricking me, right?” His big eyes were bloodshot and brimming with tears. He hadn’t forgotten our deal on the plane. I crouched down and gently cupped his cheek. Because of his illness over the last year, he looked so much smaller and more fragile than other boys his age. I was a terrible mother. I had failed him. I fought back the tears burning the back of my throat and forced a smile. “Did you forget? We pinky promised.” 4 I didn’t leave the hospital until I physically saw the Sinclair family’s private security detail escort Leo into the ultra-luxury VIP pediatric suite. When I finally got back to my cheap hotel room, my chest felt like a hollow, echoing cavern. It felt like someone had reached in and violently ripped out the most important piece of my soul. I collapsed onto the stiff mattress and stared blankly at the popcorn ceiling. I have no idea how much time passed. I was violently jolted awake by my cell phone screaming on the nightstand. It was an unknown New York number. I hesitated for a second, then pressed answer. “Where are you?” A low, vibrating male voice filled the speaker. “Who is this?” I asked on pure instinct. It took me a solid five seconds to realize why the voice sent shivers down my spine. How many nights had we spent tangled in the sheets, sweating and breathless, while he whispered exactly how much he loved me right into my ear? “You know exactly who this is. Send me your location.” It wasn’t a request. It was an absolute command. My fingers clamped around the phone in terror. “I’m sorry, you have the wrong number.” I panicked, hung up the phone, and threw it across the bed. My heart was hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. After five entire years of absolute radio silence, why the hell was Logan calling me? And how on earth did he get my number? Before I flew to New York, I had done my research. Logan was currently unmarried. He only had one long-term girlfriend who had been by his side for a few years. If the media reports about his accident were true, Leo was going to be the only heir to the Sinclair empire. That was the exact reason I was so dead-set on handing Leo over to them. Growing up in the Sinclair mansion was infinitely better than growing up in a tiny apartment with me. But my situation was different. I was the ex-girlfriend who abandoned him during the absolute darkest, poorest year of his life. I didn’t have the guts to ever cross paths with him again. The next morning, I planned to sneak into the hospital, get one last glimpse of Leo from a distance, and then head straight to JFK to fly home. As I carefully crept down the VIP corridor toward his suite, I peered through the glass. Logan was sitting by the bed, wearing a razor-sharp, custom-tailored suit. He was completely focused on peeling an apple with a small knife. He didn’t look like he had aged a day, but his aura was completely different. The raw, imposing wealth radiating from him was suffocating. Looking back, it was almost comical that I genuinely believed he was just some broke kid struggling to make rent. Sitting up in the hospital bed, Leo was clearly impatient. Before Logan even finished peeling the apple, Leo leaned forward and took a massive bite right out of his hand. The two of them locked eyes and broke into identical, brilliant smiles. Watching them, my vision blurred with hot tears. Maybe… maybe this really was the absolute best ending for everyone. I looked down and aggressively wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. But right at that exact second, Logan’s head snapped up. His eyes locked onto the small window in the door, staring directly at the spot where I was standing. My heart completely stopped. I violently threw myself backward, flattening my spine against the wall. I held my breath, praying to God I moved fast enough. A few seconds later, the bright sound of Leo’s laughter echoed from inside the room again. 5 It was blatantly obvious that Logan adored the boy. That was all I needed to know. I could finally breathe. I pulled out my phone and pulled up the airline app, looking for the earliest flight back to Chicago. I desperately needed to keep my brain occupied. If I stopped moving, the crushing reality of what I had just done would drown me. But as I stared at the screen, walking down the crowded hospital corridor, the words were just a blurry mess. Before I realized what was happening, I slammed hard into someone walking the opposite way. “Oh! Miss, are you alright?” A soft, polite voice asked. I snapped my head up and froze. If my memory of the tabloid articles was correct, the woman standing right in front of me was Chloe, Logan’s long-term girlfriend. I panicked and waved my hands frantically. “I’m fine! I’m so sorry, totally my fault.” I turned to sprint away, but Chloe gently grabbed my arm. “I saw you walking from down the hall. I just wanted to ask, is the pediatric VIP wing in that direction?” I went completely rigid. She was going to the pediatric wing. She was going to see Leo. I couldn’t help but stare at her. Chloe was undeniably stunning. But she had a very soft, gentle, entirely non-threatening beauty. In one hand, she held an absurdly expensive basket of imported fruit. In the other, a massive, limited-edition Lego set. That was why she couldn’t brace herself when I completely bulldozed into her. I opened my mouth, trying to figure out how to answer her, when a chillingly familiar voice echoed from down the hall. “Chloe.” My spine instantly turned to ice. Chloe looked up, her face breaking into a bright smile. She stepped past me, walking toward Logan. “This hospital is an absolute maze! I was walking in circles for ten minutes.” Logan gave a low, noncommittal hum. His eyes darted past her. “Who were you talking to?” I don’t know if I was just being paranoid, but it felt like a sniper’s laser was burning a hole right between my shoulder blades. Chloe brushed it off casually. “Oh, just a stranger. We accidentally bumped into each other.” A wave of relief washed over me. I turned my head down, desperate to escape. But then Logan’s voice cracked through the hallway like a whip. “You. Turn around.” There was zero doubt in my mind. He was talking directly to me. Chloe instantly picked up on the tension. She reached out, lightly touching his arm. “Logan, what are you doing? She’s just a stranger. And she didn’t hurt me, I promise. Just let it go, don’t make a scene.” Ah. So Logan was just being fiercely protective of his girlfriend. I couldn’t help but find my own panic slightly pathetic. It had been five years. No one stays stuck in the past forever. What the hell was I so terrified of? I took a deep breath, slowly turned around, and looked directly at Chloe. “I am so sorry again for bumping into you.” For the entire agonizing ten seconds it took me to apologize, Logan’s eyes were locked onto my face like a predator. He didn’t say a single word. 6 The second I walked out of the hospital sliding doors, I booked it straight to the airport. Sitting in the back of the cab, Logan’s terrifying, dead-eyed stare played on a loop in my head. I remembered back to five years ago. His startup had completely collapsed, and aggressive debt collectors had actually tracked down our apartment. I emptied my savings account, withdrew the last fifteen thousand dollars I had to my name, and shoved it into his hands so he could pay off the worst of the sharks. Logan had looked at me with that exact same intensity. Then, he had pulled me into a crushing hug. “Baby, I can’t take your money. I promise you, I swear to God, I am going to make it.” “The second I make it, I am going to put a ring on your finger.” At the time, I didn’t think he was just feeding me empty promises. When we first met, if you combined both our bank accounts, we wouldn’t even break two hundred bucks. We rented a tiny, miserable one-bedroom apartment in a bad neighborhood. Rent was eight hundred a month. I took the bedroom and paid five hundred. He slept on a thrift store couch in the living room and paid three hundred. We split the utilities right down the middle. In the beginning, neither of us ever imagined we would end up falling in love. Logan had an absolutely relentless drive. He regularly worked on his laptop until three in the morning. One night, I came home late from drinks with some girlfriends and found him still hunched over his glowing screen. I casually held up a styrofoam box. “I brought back some leftover wings. You want them?” Logan practically launched himself out of his chair. “Yes!” We sat on the cheap carpet, eating cold wings, and talked for hours. That was the night I found out he had blown up his relationship with his wealthy family and walked out, swearing he wouldn’t return until he had built an empire with his own two hands. Not wanting to kill his vibe, I offered some generic encouragement. “With how hard you grind, as long as you find the right market, you’re guaranteed to succeed.” Logan looked at me, and I swear there were literal stars in his eyes. Maybe it was because I was the only person who offered him genuine support and a lifeline during the absolute darkest chapter of his life. But as soon as his startup finally gained a little traction, he asked me out. We stayed in that same miserable apartment. Except we weren’t splitting the rooms anymore. We were both sleeping in the bedroom. And Logan quietly took over the entire rent payment. It felt like our lives were slowly, steadily climbing toward the light. And then reality hit us with a baseball bat. Logan spent every waking hour drowning in a sea of toxic debt. He was barely coming home. And right at the absolute peak of the crisis, I found out I was pregnant. At first, I didn’t have the guts to tell him. I just wanted to help him survive the immediate financial bloodbath. But then, one afternoon, I came home early and overheard him on a phone call. “What is going on between me and Serena is none of your damn business. Stop interfering in my life, okay?” “Relax. Dating is one thing. When it comes time to actually pick a wife, I will reconsider my options.” I was Serena. I was so incredibly furious I saw red. I thought to myself, This guy is literally bankrupt and running from loan sharks, and he still has the audacity to act like a billionaire playboy? Did he honestly think every woman on earth was going to orbit around his massive ego? I was genuinely terrified that if I stayed with him, I would end up starving to death in a gutter. So, I made the split-second decision to dump him. Just to twist the knife, I left a handwritten note on the kitchen counter. I look at you and I see absolutely zero future. We’re done. I’m sure you understand. After all, I have the right to chase someone who can actually provide for me. Then, I blocked his number, blocked him on every social media platform, and vanished. It wasn’t until I was sitting on the Amtrak train halfway back to my hometown that I remembered one crucial detail. I was still carrying Logan’s baby. 7 For a brief, insane moment, I considered turning around, marching back to the apartment, screaming in his face, and telling him about the pregnancy. But then I remembered the absolute garbage he spewed on that phone call. I realized going back would just be volunteering for more humiliation. He never, for a single second, envisioned a future with me. As for the baby… Since he was already here, I decided to just let fate run its course. Over the years, I occasionally heard whispers about Logan through the grapevine. Apparently, his company had miraculously risen from the ashes. He paid off all his debt and was expanding aggressively. I immediately blocked the friend who told me. I had zero interest in hearing about his meteoric rise. Later, after I gave birth to Leo alone, my mom was furious. She complained constantly. But the very first time Leo giggled and reached for her face, my mom’s harsh voice melted into absolute honey. Ever since my dad passed away, my mom had been entirely hollow. It felt like Leo finally gave her a reason to wake up in the morning. She took care of the baby, and I worked double shifts. The days bled together. It was exhausting, but it was peaceful. Until Leo caught a “bad cold” that wouldn’t go away, and that peace was entirely obliterated. Sometimes, late at night, I honestly wondered if I had committed some horrific atrocity in a past life. Because every single time I thought my life was finally stabilizing, the universe would violently smash a brick into my face. … Snapping back to reality, I realized my face was completely drenched in tears. Great. How the hell am I going to explain this to my mom when I get home? My flight wasn’t until 2:00 PM. I still had an hour to kill sitting at the gate. Right on cue, my phone vibrated with a FaceTime call from my mom. Every instinct in my body screamed to decline it. But my mom is relentless. If I didn’t answer, she would call the airport police and report me missing. Defeated, I swiped the green button. “Where is my Leo?” The very first words out of her mouth. She didn’t even say hello. I rubbed my nose, trying to sound casual. “He’s right here, playing.” “Show him to me.” I purposefully jerked the camera toward the empty seat next to me. “He’s throwing a fit. He doesn’t want to be on camera.” My mom wasn’t an idiot. “Serena, are you at an airport gate? I thought you were checking him in for surgery! Why are you coming back so fast?” “Point the damn camera at Leo right now. I just want to say hi.” I stared at the screen, entirely frozen. “Serena! What the hell kind of game are you playing?” “Are you completely ignoring your mother now?!” Honestly, I couldn’t even process what my mom was yelling anymore. Because staring back at me on my phone screen, hovering just inches behind my right shoulder, was Logan’s face. He was standing right behind me. My mom was still screaming through the speaker. “Serena! If anything happens to my grandson, I swear to God I will end you!” “Mom, I gotta go!” In a blind panic, I jammed my thumb onto the red end-call button. I forced myself to take a shallow breath, plastered on a neutral face, and slowly turned around. “Can I help you?” Considering he currently had physical custody of my child, I couldn’t exactly pretend I had never met the guy. Logan glared down at me, his jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth would shatter. “Serena. You are just as completely heartless as you were five years ago. First you abandon me, and now you are throwing your own son in the trash?” What do you mean, I abandoned him?! I shot to my feet, my own anger flaring up. “Get your story straight! I didn’t abandon you, you completely betrayed me first!” And wait—he already knew Leo was my biological son. Well, obviously. Unless he suffered a traumatic brain injury in that car crash, any idiot could do the math. Logan scowled, his dark eyes swirling with something I couldn’t read. I pushed forward. “Look, if you actually feel sorry for Leo, then once he recovers from the surgery, can I please come back and get him?” “Not a chance in hell.” Exactly as I predicted. The absolute second the Sinclair family knew this boy existed, my chances of ever getting him back dropped to zero. “Fine. Then take good care of him. I will make sure I never show my face to him again.” Logan was going to marry a billionaire heiress. Leo was going to have a wealthy, connected stepmother. My presence would only be a toxic, humiliating complication for their perfect family.

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After Grayson Cole broke off our engagement, he immediately started pursuing his young secretary. That secretary, however, had a backbone. She repeatedly rebuffed his advances, claiming she would never bow to money. In the end, though, Grayson bought his way into her heart. The real irony? The woman then gloated to the world, proclaiming that what she truly enjoyed was this kind of pure, simple love. Now, only a year later, word is that their fairy tale has devolved into a bitter war. When I heard the news, I pulled up a chair, grabbed some popcorn, and settled in for the show. 1 “Mr. Cole took a woman home last night.” I didn’t pay much attention when my assistant told me. It wasn’t the first time, after all. “To the house at Riverside Manor.” I snapped the file in my hands shut, my brow furrowing. My engagement to Grayson had been a business merger, and the villa at Riverside Manor was meant to be our marital home. The plan had been to move in after the wedding. I could accept that he didn’t love me. I could even accept him having other women. But I could not accept him so blatantly disrespecting me. I rubbed my temples. “Take me to Cole Corp.” The receptionist saw me and was about to call up to Grayson’s office, but I stopped her. “I want it to be a surprise.” She understood immediately, gesturing for me to go ahead. I took the private elevator straight to the 28th floor. Pushing the door open, I was greeted by quite a scene. Grayson had a woman pinned against the wall. Her face was pale, her expression one of defiant resistance. What was this? Some kind of toxic romance novel fantasy? The girl saw me and shoved the man away. She ran over to me, tears streaming down her face, her voice a mix of hurt and warning. “Ms. Shaw, you need to control your fiancé. I’m not just a prop in one of your rich people games.” Well now, that was a spicy little line. But she was threatening the wrong person. “Then why not just quit?” I asked calmly. “Stay far away from us rich people.” She blinked, stunned, then clenched her fists. “I earned this job with my skills. I haven’t done anything wrong. Why should I be the one to leave?” Stubborn, I’ll give her that. I frowned slightly. “Fine. In that case, I’ll have Mr. Cole reassign you. You just can’t be his secretary anymore.” She was still not satisfied. “I’m a good secretary. Why should I be moved? You wealthy people love to abuse your power.” Right. So now being wealthy was our original sin. Grayson had heard enough. He stepped forward, putting himself between us. “Victoria, stop bullying her,” he said, his voice low and protective. “Anna is too pure-hearted to play your games.” So, her name was Anna. Pure-hearted? Or just simple-minded? Grayson used the excuse to dismiss Anna, then turned to me. “What did you want?” I looked at the man before me—tall, handsome, the picture of a perfect catch—and got straight to the point. “Did you take a woman to our house at Riverside?” He didn’t flinch. Instead, he pulled out a checkbook. “Our engagement is off,” he said flatly. “This is your compensation.” I took the check he wrote and glanced at it. A very generous three hundred million. I was a little curious. “Are you sure this woman is what you really want?” Grayson met my gaze, a strange light in his eyes. “I want a wife. A safe harbor. Not someone who comes home after a day of negotiating deals only to start negotiating our personal interests.” “My wife doesn’t need to be strong. I’m strong enough for both of us.” Ah, so that’s where Anna’s strength came in. “Right. I get it.” I pocketed the check and walked away without a second thought. I’d been eyeing the multi-billion South Hill development project, and thanks to Grayson’s friendly contribution, funding was no longer an issue. See? While other women were trapped in some CEO’s twisted power fantasy, I was already soaring. I ran into Anna in the hallway, carrying a tray of coffee. She saw me and immediately stood taller, her chin held high. “Ms. Shaw, I know you look down on love between people like us, who aren’t rich.” “But I’m telling you, if I love someone, it has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not he has money.” Her little speech just left me confused. So… did she like Grayson or not? 2 Fueled by the superpower of cash, Anna was eventually won over. Six months later, they held their wedding of the century at a castle in France. The guest list was a who’s who of high society, and the event dominated the headlines for weeks. Even a year later, people still talked about it with envy. But for those of us on the inside, it was a different story. I ran into Grayson at a birthday gala. He came over with a glass of champagne, trying to make small talk. As he reminisced about our past, I kept my responses polite but distant. He was alone. No Anna in sight. “Trouble in paradise, Mr. Cole? Making you miss your ex?” It was meant as a joke, but his expression turned serious. “What if I said yes? Could we start over?” My face remained a placid lake. I looked at him coolly. “You went to great lengths to win her over. Are you telling me you’re already bored?” A flicker of embarrassment crossed his face. I could smell the gossip, but I had no desire to get tangled up with him again, so I resisted the urge to ask for details. I remembered how Grayson had bought out every billboard in the city to declare his love. Subway stations, office lobbies, building light shows—all broadcasting their “pure” romance. It reeked of money, but when a reporter interviewed Anna, she had bashfully claimed, “I just love this kind of simple, down-to-earth affection. I don’t need fancy cars or mansions, as long as he loves me with all his heart.” Right. My mistake. She was wrong about one thing, though. I wasn’t the one looking down on their love. I was just another prop in their game. After the gala, Grayson tried to add me back on social media. I gave him my assistant’s contact info. “If you need something, contact my assistant. He’ll pass it on.” Just because the marriage was off didn’t mean the business had to be. The next day, in a torrential downpour, Anna threw herself in front of my car. She looked like a drowned rat. I took her to a nearby cafe and had my assistant call Grayson. Anna’s jaw was set stubbornly. “Don’t call him. I don’t want to see him.” So they’d had a fight. “You must be feeling pretty smug right now, huh?” she muttered, staring down at her hands. “What would I have to be smug about?” This was ridiculous. Her head snapped up, and she glared at me. “Why are you trying to seduce him? Don’t tell me you’re still not over him.” I scoffed. “I swear, I haven’t even had his number since we broke up.” She didn’t believe me. She pulled out her phone and showed me a video she’d taken the night before. In it, Grayson was drunk, slouched on a sofa, muttering to himself. “Victoria, I can’t forget you. Let’s start over, please.” “Victoria, I was wrong. You’re the one I really love.” I couldn’t listen to any more of it and reached over to stop the video. “As you can hear, he’s the one who’s not over me. I don’t do leftovers.” Anna pushed her luck. “Then promise me you’ll stay away from him from now on.” I leaned back in my chair and flatly refused. “Can’t promise that. We’ll likely have professional dealings.” Before I could react, she threw her cup of coffee in my face. The warm liquid streamed down my cheeks. The cafe erupted in gasps. Someone was already recording on their phone. I pressed my tongue against the inside of my cheek, already calculating how much I was going to bill Grayson for this. 3 Tonight’s headline: #Ex-Fiancée of Cole Corp CEO Exposed as Homewrecker, Confronted by Wife. #Wedding of the Century a Joke as Grayson Cole Cheats. The accompanying photo was of me, coffee dripping down my face, an infuriatingly defiant smirk on my lips. Grayson showed up at my office uninvited. He sat across from me, radiating guilt and self-loathing. The perfect picture of a cheating husband. “Name your price.” I had to admit, dealing with people who spoke my language was much easier. I played coy. “What do you mean?” He chuckled humorlessly. “I know you, Victoria. You always get your pound of flesh. You didn’t go after Anna yesterday because you knew you could get something better from me.” Fine. No more games. “The Crestfall property development. I want in.” “I can give you half.” “Sixty percent.” “Done.” A moment of silence passed, then his clear, low voice filled the space. “Victoria, did you ever love me?”

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At dinner, my 5-year-old son ate the last fried chicken piece—the one my stepdaughter always claimed. My wife immediately removed me from the family group chat for the 28th time, her voice icy: “Don’t even ask to rejoin until you teach your son to respect his sister.” What stung more was seeing her ex-husband’s sarcastic Instagram story minutes later: “Five years married, still treated like a stray dog. Guess who?” My boy was crying hysterically, fingers down his throat, trying to gag up the piece to give it back. In that moment, I snapped awake. I set my fork down, held my trembling son, and said with certainty, “If there’s no room for us here, we’re leaving.” Weeks earlier, he’d asked if I could divorce Mommy. When I asked why, he said in his small voice, “I don’t think Mommy loves us. She only loves Harper and Harper’s dad.” He went on, recalling how my wife used her Christmas bonus for them instead of his piano lessons, and gave away my birthday watch after Harper threw a fit. “She always kicks you out of the chat. You always have to beg to come back.” Then he broke me: “If you’re staying just for me, I’d rather not be your kid. I just want you happy and free.” Tears fell before he finished. This time, I was truly done. I was walking away. 1 Pamela froze for two seconds, her fork hovering in the air. “What did you just say?” I held my son tight against my chest. My voice was dangerously quiet. “I said, I want a divorce.” My ten-year-old stepdaughter, Harper, lit up. She dropped her fork onto her plate with a loud clatter. “Mom, do it! Let him leave! Then you and Dad can finally get back together.” Pamela shot her a warning glare. “Eat your dinner.” Harper rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide her excited smirk. She muttered under her breath, “It’s true anyway. Once the loser leaves, my real dad can come home.” The loser. I had been married to Pamela for five years. Not once had Harper ever called me “Dad.” She barely even called me by my name. She usually just yelled “Hey” or called me “the loser.” And Pamela never corrected her. She acted completely deaf to it. Pamela leaned back in her dining chair, studying me. Her tone softened into something patronizing. “Owen, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now? Is this seriously just because I kicked you out of the group chat?” I didn’t answer. She let out a heavy sigh, looking at me like I was an unreasonable toddler. “Look at the situation and tell me who is in the wrong here.” Finn shrank against my chest, his little fists gripping my shirt tightly. Pamela pointed at him. “He knows Harper loves the fried chicken drumsticks, but he still fought her for it. As a father, you should be teaching him to yield to his older sister, not coddling him.” “All I did was tell you to discipline him, and now you are threatening me with a divorce?” I stared at the single, half-eaten drumstick sitting on Finn’s plate, and my heart turned to lead. Harper liked fried chicken, which meant she was entitled to the entire bucket. Just a few minutes ago, there was exactly one piece left. Harper had pushed her plate away and loudly announced she was stuffed. Only then did Finn dare to reach for it. He had barely taken a single bite before Harper snatched her fork back up and screamed, “I wanted to eat that! Why are you stealing my food?!” Pamela had been scrolling through her phone. She glanced up, didn’t ask a single question, and instantly removed me from the family chat. It was the twenty-eighth time. Seeing my silence, Pamela assumed she had won the argument. Her tone grew sharper. “Harper isn’t your biological daughter, which means you should be going out of your way to treat her better. But what do you do? You encourage Finn to steal food right off her plate.” “If you cared about Harper even half as much as you care about Finn, I wouldn’t have had to do that tonight.” “I am just trying to remind you to be fair. Stop playing favorites.” Playing favorites? My mind flashed back to when we first got married. Harper was five. She suffered from terrible night terrors, waking up screaming and crying for her real dad. I was the one who paced the living room floor, holding her against my shoulder, rocking her back to sleep night after night. When Finn was born, I was terrified Harper would feel left out, so I spoiled her even more. When she spiked a 103-degree fever in the middle of the night and Pamela was out of town on a business trip, her biological father, Trent, refused to answer his phone. I was the one who held her in the emergency room waiting area until dawn. Finn was barely a year old at the time. I had to dump him at a neighbor’s house. When I picked him up the next morning, he had cried so hard he lost his voice. Yet, in their eyes, I was just a biased, toxic stepdad. Pamela looked at me, her voice softening just a fraction. “Alright, enough drama.” “Make Finn apologize to Harper. Have him promise he won’t do it again. I’ll monitor his behavior for a few days, and if he acts right, I’ll add you back to the chat.” I stared into her eyes. These were the same deep, beautiful eyes that made me fall for her on our very first blind date. When I found out she was a divorced mother of one, my own father had grabbed my arm and begged me to walk away. “Owen, what are you doing? She has a kid, and her ex-husband is still hovering around. If you marry her, you’ll just be a punching bag for all their baggage.” I refused to listen. I naively believed that if I was just kind enough, patient enough, and loved them hard enough, I could thaw her heart and become a real part of this family. But five years had passed. I was still just an outsider who could be deleted from the family group chat at the drop of a hat. “Pamela, in your heart, do you even consider me family?” She blinked, clearly caught off guard. I kept going. “If I am your family, why is there no space for me in a stupid text thread?” Her brow furrowed, a flash of genuine confusion crossing her face. “Everything has been perfectly fine. Whenever you fix your attitude, I always invite you back in, don’t I?” Perfectly fine? Yes, perfectly fine because every single time, I swallowed my pride and apologized. I did it because I loved her. I did it because I desperately wanted to belong. And later, I did it because Finn was too young, and I wanted him to grow up in a complete home. But now, I was exhausted down to my bones. “Twenty-eight times. Every time I don’t perfectly cater to Harper’s mood, or whenever I upset your ex-husband, you kick me out without asking a single question.” “But Trent divorced you six years ago, and he has never been kicked out of that chat.” “Pamela, who is actually your husband?” 2 The color drained from her face. “Are you really going to start being insanely jealous over nothing again? Trent is Harper’s biological father. He stays in the chat so we can easily communicate about our daughter.” Communicate? I let out a bitter, hollow laugh. My eyes burned. “And what about me? Every time you kick me out, I have to completely humiliate myself. I have to suck up to Trent, and I have to beg Harper for forgiveness, just so you’ll bestow the honor of adding me back.” “Pamela, have you ever, for a single second, considered how that makes me feel?” She fell silent. Suddenly, Finn wriggled out of my arms and sprinted to the kitchen trash can. “Mommy, don’t be mad at Daddy! It’s my fault! I’ll give the chicken back to Harper…” As he spoke, he shoved his fingers deep into his mouth, gagging violently over the plastic bin. I lunged forward and grabbed his hands. “Finn! Finn, stop! Do not do that, it’s not your fault!” He collapsed against my chest, sobbing so hard he couldn’t catch his breath, his little face flushed crimson. Harper pointed at him from the dining table and burst out laughing. “Mom, look! I told you he was a manipulative little brat. The loser taught him how to play the victim perfectly.” Pamela didn’t even stand up. She just sat there, her eyebrows pulled together in annoyance. “Look at this. This is because you baby him. He’s five years old and he already knows how to emotionally blackmail adults.” As a mother, she didn’t ask if Finn was choking. She didn’t ask if he was okay. I suddenly remembered last winter. Harper got into a scuffle on the playground and scraped her knee. Pamela got the call at work, burst into tears, abandoned a major client meeting, and drove like a maniac to the school just to carry Harper to urgent care. A month later, Harper purposely tripped Finn in our living room. His forehead slammed into the corner of the glass coffee table. Blood poured down his face, soaking his shirt. Pamela barely glanced up from her laptop. “He’s fine. Kids bump into things all the time.” I was the one who drove a screaming, bleeding Finn to the hospital alone. He needed four stitches. He cried the entire time. When we got home, Pamela didn’t ask how he was. She just accused me of being dramatic and seeking attention. Thinking about that day, I picked Finn up and stood tall. Pamela assumed I was finally backing down. She leaned back in her chair. “Take him to his room and calm him down. When he stops screaming, come back out, clear the table, load the dishwasher, and help Harper with her math homework.” I didn’t say a single word. I just carried Finn to his bedroom. As I shut the door behind us, I heard Harper’s gloating voice echo through the hall. “Mom, he is totally faking it. He’s just waiting for you to go in there and beg him. My dad told me Owen is a manipulative snake.” Pamela sounded irritated. “Let him throw his little fit. Ignore him and he’ll snap out of it.” A few minutes later, I heard the familiar chime of a FaceTime call connecting in the living room. Harper had called her grandparents. She immediately started whining. “Grandma! The loser is acting crazy again.” “His bratty kid stole my food, and when Mom yelled at him, he threw a massive tantrum and locked himself in the bedroom. He won’t even clean the kitchen! He said he wants a divorce.” My father-in-law scoffed loudly through the phone speaker. “That guy is getting more pathetic by the day.” Then, Trent’s voice echoed from the screen. He must have been at their house. “Come on, guys, don’t be too hard on Owen. I’m sure he has his own insecurities. I just feel so terrible for my little Harper…” My mother-in-law immediately chimed in. “What insecurities? The man can’t even cook a decent meal. Harper is our precious angel. She is a growing girl. Why should she have to walk on eggshells just to eat a piece of chicken in her own house?” “He’s completely biased. He only cares about his own blood.” “Things were so much better when you were still around, Trent…” Harper sounded incredibly smug. “Exactly, Grandma! That loser treats me like garbage. He is nothing like my real dad. My dad actually loves me.” “Mom, when are you going to divorce him? Dad is literally waiting to marry you again.” Trent chuckled softly. “Harper, sweetie, don’t say that. Your mom is a married woman.” “He’s not a real husband! I’ll never accept him!” Pamela murmured something low. I couldn’t make out the words. I sat on the edge of the bed, holding Finn against my chest, feeling an absolute, suffocating wasteland inside my soul. Five years. I had bled myself dry trying to take care of every single person in this family. When Pamela’s mother threw out her back, I spent hours every day making homemade bone broth and riding the subway across the city just to deliver it to her while it was hot. When her father had a heart attack and was hospitalized, Pamela was “too stressed” to deal with it. I took all my vacation days and slept in a hard plastic chair beside his hospital bed for a week, so exhausted I was hallucinating. And in return? I didn’t get a single word of gratitude. Meanwhile, Trent had been divorced from Pamela for six years, and her parents still lovingly treated him like a son. I closed my eyes, refusing to listen to the FaceTime call anymore. Finn gently tugged at my collar. “Daddy, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have eaten the chicken…” I looked down at his terrified, tear-streaked face, and my heart physically ached. “Finn, Daddy is going to take you away from here. Is that okay?” He blinked his swollen eyes. “To where?” “To a place where you can eat all the fried chicken you want, and nobody will ever yell at you.” He thought about it for a second, then whispered, “Is Mommy coming?” “Do you want Mommy to come?” He shook his head violently and buried his face in my neck. “Mommy only loves Harper. She doesn’t like me at all.” I hugged him fiercely. “Okay. Then Mommy isn’t coming. It’s just going to be you and me.” 3 That night, Pamela didn’t come into the master bedroom. It was her standard playbook. She was giving me the silent treatment, waiting for me to crack and apologize. But she didn’t realize that after twenty-eight times, I was completely done punishing myself and my son for her ego. The next morning, my alarm went off at 6:00 AM sharp. Normally, I would jump out of bed, cook a full breakfast, iron Pamela’s blouse and Harper’s uniform, and then gently wake them up. I would serve them, clean up their dishes, and then drive Harper to school. Today, I reached over, turned off the alarm, pulled the blanket over Finn, and went back to sleep. When I woke up again, I checked my phone. It was 8:40 AM. The apartment was dead silent. A few minutes later, panicked, heavy footsteps pounded down the hallway. The bedroom door flew open. Pamela stood there, her hair a tangled mess, frantically trying to zip up her pencil skirt. “Why didn’t you wake us up?!” Harper poked her head around Pamela’s hip, her face twisted in fury. “This is all your fault! I’m going to be late for homeroom and my teacher is going to scream at me!” Pamela stormed into the room, her face dark with anger. “You didn’t even make breakfast? Do you have any idea what time it is?” I didn’t get out of bed. I just gently patted Finn’s back as he stirred from the shouting. Ignored, Pamela’s scowl deepened. “Are you seriously still throwing a fit? Over a piece of chicken? Really?” “Fine! I’ll add you back to the chat, okay? Is that what you want?” She snatched her phone from her pocket, tapped the screen a few times, and shoved it in my face. “There. Happy now? Get up and make us something to eat!” I didn’t look at her. I picked up my own phone from the nightstand, opened the family chat, and pressed “Leave Group.” Then, I went to her contact and hit “Block.” Pamela’s face instantly dropped. Harper kept whining loudly. “Mom, I am starving! We have to go right now!” Pamela glared at me, turned on her heel, and slammed the bedroom door so hard the walls shook. A few minutes later, I heard the chaotic clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen, followed by Harper complaining about how disgusting the food tasted. A moment later, Pamela shoved the bedroom door open again. “Harper has a parent-teacher showcase at school today. I just got an email from my boss, there’s a crisis at the office and I have to go in. You need to go to her school.” “No,” I replied flatly. “Call her real dad. I have plans today.” Her expression turned venomous. “Plans? What kind of plans could you possibly have?” I threw off the covers and started digging through the dresser for Finn’s clothes. “I have an appointment with a divorce lawyer.” She froze. The anger melted into genuine shock. “Owen, have you lost your mind? You are seriously dragging us toward a divorce over a minor argument?” I completely ignored her and focused on getting Finn dressed. Harper yelled from the front door. Pamela stared at me for three long seconds. “You want to play hardball? Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep this pathetic act up.” She spun around and dragged Harper out the door. I made Finn a quiet breakfast, called into work to use a personal day, and took him straight to a lawyer friend’s office downtown. While Finn played with a box of Lego in the lobby, I sat in the office and had my friend draft an airtight divorce agreement. Just as we walked out of the law firm into the afternoon sun, my phone buzzed. It was Pamela. I had unblocked her just in case of emergencies. I answered, and her voice came through shrill and frantic. “Harper got hurt at school! You need to get to the hospital right now!” “What happened?” “The parent showcase! Because no one was there, she was running around the bleachers by herself, fell, and severely injured her leg! They took her to the ER. I am locked in a conference room and cannot leave. Get over there now!” I didn’t miss a beat. “Tell Trent to go. I am not her father.” Dead silence on the other end of the line. Then, her voice exploded, practically shattering the speaker. “Owen! What the hell is wrong with you?! If you had just gone to the school like I told you to, she never would have fallen! This is your fault, and you won’t even go check on her?!” Standing under the bright sunlight, a cold, empty laugh escaped my throat. “Pamela, you spent five years telling me I don’t care enough about her. Since I am already convicted of the crime, I figured I might as well show you what not caring actually looks like.” I hung up the phone. I looked down at my son. “Finn, you want to go to the amusement park?”

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