Category: English

On the eve of my promotion to Chief Healer, my Alpha, Leander, secretly submitted a medical deployment application to the Northern War Zone in my name. When I confronted him, he brushed it off. “Celeste used my computer yesterday and accidentally submitted it for you. It was just a little joke.” “Isn’t there a second confirmation? You could have rejected it.” Leander knew perfectly well that if I failed to respond within twenty-four hours, the application would be automatically confirmed. Once it went through, I would have to spend three years in the Northern War Zone, where whether I lived or died would be anyone’s guess. Not only had he kept it from me beforehand, but he had also called it a joke, as though I would be vicious for holding Celeste accountable. Seven years together, and in the end, they meant less than a pretty intern who had been hovering around him for three months. My heart went cold. I said nothing more and confirmed the deployment myself. I never expected him to regret it. … APPLICATION SUBMITTED. If not actively withdrawn within twenty-four hours, deployment to the Northern War Zone will be automatically confirmed for a three-year assignment. When I received the email from the Moonbound Healers Alliance about the Northern War Zone medical deployment, I froze for a second. Then anger surged through me. The documents I had asked Leander to submit yesterday were clearly for my promotion to Senior Healer. What came back instead was a deployment application. My phone buzzed. A colleague from the Alliance’s Human Resources Office had messaged me. Dr. Hart, did you submit the wrong form? High-risk territory deployment applications have a twenty-four-hour cooling-off period. You can still withdraw it. Leander and I had been together for seven years. As an Alpha, there was no way he did not know how dangerous the North was. He had almost died on the border himself. And now I was learning that he had filled out an application sending me there. Our Mate Bond ceremony was supposed to take place next year. I took a deep breath and called Leander with trembling hands. “I received a deployment confirmation for the Northern front. Why?” His careless voice came through the line. “Oh, that. Celeste came to my office yesterday to discuss the data and saw me organizing your materials. She said the Northern War Zone needed complex-trauma specialists like you the most, so she jokingly submitted the application for you.” He paused, his tone as light as if we were discussing what to have for lunch. “She just graduated from the Wolf Medical Academy. She’s passionate and impulsive. She was only joking with you. There is a twenty-four-hour cooling-off period, isn’t there? Just withdraw it.” Celeste. Again. She was the new trainee healer Leander had brought into the pack this year, and after I was promoted to Chief trauma Healer, she was the person most likely to take over my position on the project. Young. Pretty. And every time she looked at Leander, the worship in her eyes was impossible to miss. He knew that if the application was not actively withdrawn within twenty-four hours, it would automatically enter the review process. And once a Northern War Zone medical deployment was approved, it meant at least two years away. Yet he described it as a little joke. “If I hadn’t checked my email in time, that order would have gone into effect. Do you understand how serious this is?” My voice tightened. I could not understand why he had not told me earlier. Leander sighed into the receiver, the impatience in his voice obvious. “Elowen, when did you become so uptight?” “It was a joke. Celeste was going to remind you today anyway. Even if you had really missed the email, she would have told you tomorrow at the latest.” “If you want to report her, go ahead and report me too. I was the one who gave her access.” Then he hung up. I stood before the tall window of the Blackridge Pack Medical Center, looking out at the empty streets before dawn. For the first time, I felt as if I had never truly known the person beside me for the past seven years. Withdrawing the application would take only one email. But at that moment, I no longer wanted to withdraw it. I opened the border medical station database and began downloading epidemiological data, combat-trauma protocols for werewolf patients, and maps of local armed factions. A colleague knocked on the duty-room door. “Dr. Hart, someone is looking for you downstairs.” Celeste was standing in the medical center lobby with two coffees in her hands. When she saw me, she hurried over, her smile bright. “Dr. Hart.” She handed me one of the coffees. “I just spoke to Alpha Leander. He is taking the team to the Northern territories this weekend for a medical outreach program, and he invited me to be his assistant. Do you think it would be appropriate for me to go?” Her eyes were clear, her tone sincere, as though she truly wanted my opinion. It had been three months. Ever since this top student from Stanford Wolf Medical School had joined Leander’s project team, she had been doing the most provocative things with the most innocent expression. I took the coffee but did not drink it. “What do you think? You two have already made up your minds. What do you need my blessing for?” Celeste tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Alpha Leander said this medical outreach is important. But I was worried you might misunderstand. After all, you used to be the one who partnered with him…” “Then don’t go.” She froze. “Weren’t you asking for my opinion?” I set the coffee down on the reception desk. “That is my opinion. Don’t go.” Celeste’s expression shifted. Before she could speak, the elevator doors opened. Almost at the same moment, tears welled in her eyes. Leander frowned when he saw her. “Celeste, what happened? Did someone upset you?” “Alpha, no one upset me. I only came to ask Dr. Hart for her opinion… I was afraid she would be unhappy.” Celeste lowered her head, tears falling at exactly the right moment. “I just didn’t expect her to say she didn’t want me to go.” Leander patted her shoulder and comforted her. “It doesn’t matter whether she agrees or not. Since when do I need someone else’s approval to choose my assistant?” Then he turned to me, his eyes full of impatience. “Look how much Celeste cares about your feelings. And you? You’re still making things hard for her over the Northern application?” “She cares about my feelings? For three months, she has been bringing you breakfast and leaving caring notes right in front of me. She fights to sit beside you in meetings, posts ambiguous photos of the two of you on Instagram, and now she wants to act innocent? Who is she performing for?” “I am your partner. But everywhere she goes, she acts as though she is the one who belongs beside you. She has no sense of boundaries at all. She is trying to take my place right in front of me. Calling you ‘Alpha’ every other sentence–doesn’t it make you sick?” “She calls me Dr. Hart to my face, but behind my back she probably wishes I would disappear.” Celeste went pale. She even forgot to cry. Leander stared at me as if he were looking at a stranger. “Are you done? When did you become this cruel?” “Celeste is on my project team. It is my responsibility to mentor her. Why do you always have to make everything so ugly? It’s a normal professional relationship, and you’re twisting it into something dirty.” “Celeste is generous enough not to argue with you. Apologize to her, and this ends here.” I laughed from sheer anger. “Are you insane? You want me to apologize to the person who submitted a Northern deployment application for me? Impossible.” Leander pressed his lips into a thin line. “Elowen, if you insist on refusing to apologize, then the Mate Bond ceremony we planned for next year can be canceled too.” Looking at the man before me, I felt more and more as if he were a stranger. The way he protected Celeste made my anger seem like a joke. I lowered my eyes and said softly, “Fine. Then let’s do as you said. Cancel the ceremony. End whatever bond is left between us.” Shock flashed through Leander’s eyes. Celeste immediately looked as though she wanted to mediate. “Alpha, Dr. Hart must only be saying that because she is angry. Please don’t argue because of something so small involving me.” Leander came back to himself and gave a cold laugh. “Fine. Canceled, then. Don’t come crying to me in the middle of the night, begging to get back together.” He left with Celeste. Before they were gone, I heard him speak to her in a gentle voice. “Don’t worry. We have been together for so many years. She always comes around.” “I have spoiled her too much all these years. This time, she needs to learn a lesson.”

When I returned to the duty room, the computer screen was still glowing. Three hours remained on the withdrawal countdown. I began searching for the latest briefings from the Northern border medical stations. Last week, an ambulance had been ambushed and two healers had been killed. One treatment station, short on supplies, had been forced to choose which of the wounded could receive care. But it was also where the most advanced combat-trauma techniques for werewolf patients were being developed, and where the world’s best healers rotated through the front line. If I returned after two years, that experience alone would allow me to compete directly for a Senior Healer position. Maybe it was not so bad after all. In the past, to fit into the stable life Leander wanted, I had given up three chances to take high-risk territory deployments. Now, it seemed I no longer had to worry so much. I shut down the computer. A message from my best friend, Maeve, popped up. Elowen! I saw Leander and Celeste at pack social night! God, the two of them were practically pressed together during the game! She sent me a video. The lighting was dim, but I recognized Leander at once in the center of the crowd. Celeste sat beside him, her cheeks flushed. Someone shouted, “Leander, truth or dare? If it’s a dare… hug the nearest woman for thirty seconds!” Amid the laughter, Leander turned and naturally pulled Celeste into his arms. Whistles and cheers exploded around them. They looked so intimate that anyone would think they were the fated pair. My heart stung as if pierced by a silver needle. I replied to Maeve: I know. Leave them alone. Then I began organizing the documents I needed to take with me when I left. After all, there was not much time. I would depart in a month. Two weeks later, Leander’s beta delivered an invitation. “Tomorrow evening, Alpha is hosting a project wrap-up dinner at the Mooncrest Medical Exchange Center. He asks that you attend.” “I’m busy.” The beta looked surprised. “But you contributed a great deal to this project…” “I have plans.” He smiled. “You may bring a companion. Alpha specifically said he hopes you will be there.” Several colleagues looked over at us. I accepted the invitation. On the night of the banquet, Celeste stood at the entrance to the hall in a pink cocktail dress, holding a certificate for Outstanding Young Researcher. The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up and she hurried over. “Dr. Hart, you’re here. Today is the day I passed my probation. I was afraid it wouldn’t feel festive enough, so I begged Alpha to combine his project wrap-up dinner with my celebration.” Expressionless, I said, “Congratulations.” “Thank you, Dr. Hart.” Her smile was radiant. “We saved you a seat at the main table.” I found a seat in the corner. Leander came looking for me. His suit was impeccable, his face handsome, his expression cold. “Elowen, go to the main table. What are you doing hiding here?” “It’s quiet here. I like it.” Leander took a deep breath. “I have let you give me the silent treatment for two weeks. Are you not finished yet? Since when have you not sat beside me at a celebration banquet? All this over a deployment order that has already been withdrawn?” Several people looked toward us. I met his eyes and said nothing. I also did not tell him that I had never withdrawn the order. A familiar professor smoothed things over. “Dr. Hart, come sit with us. We have kept a seat for you.” There was indeed an empty chair beside Leander. Celeste walked over naturally and took it. Then she turned to Leander. “Alpha, this is perfect. We were just discussing next month’s Global Pack Medicine Summit. Now that I have become a full staff member, you said you would take me out to see more of the world.” She looked at me with clear eyes. “Dr. Hart should come too. The three of us can go together.” I lifted my glass of water. I remembered the night Leander and I returned from South Sudan last year. He had said he would definitely take me to the next global summit. “When the time comes, you need to take photos with those top experts,” he had said while helping me smooth my skirt. “Let the people who say you rely on me see that this is your own strength.” The way my heart had moved then was real. The way it had gone cold now was real too. “The two of you should go. I don’t have time lately.” The moment I finished speaking, Leander’s face darkened.

Halfway through the banquet, I went out to the terrace for air. Leander followed me and grabbed my wrist. His palm was callused from years of holding surgical blades. “Elowen, what exactly do you mean by this?” “Exactly what I said.” I pulled my hand free. Leander laughed in anger. “How long are you going to keep acting like this? Is this still about the Northern deployment order?” Clearly, from beginning to end, he had believed I was merely throwing a little tantrum. “I asked Celeste. She really did plan to remind you. Even if you hadn’t seen the email, she would have told you the next day at the latest. Stop being so petty.” I nodded. “Yes. You’re right. I should thank her.” “Don’t use that tone with me.” He released my wrist, his voice hard. “You are coming with me to the summit next month. We agreed on that.” Then he turned and left, the hem of his suit jacket cutting a sharp line through the air. At eight o’clock on the morning of the summit, I stood at my apartment window and looked down. Leander’s car was parked below, and Celeste leaned against it, occasionally glancing up toward my floor. I drew the curtains shut. My phone vibrated with a message from Leander. Come down. Do not make me say it again. I replied: Packing. Not going. Is the summit less important than packing? If you do not come this time, don’t regret it. After sending that message, he left with Celeste. That day, he posted three updates on Instagram. Every single one included Celeste. Brought a young researcher to her first world-class summit today. That spark in her eyes reminds me of the beginning. She got shy after a few legends in the field praised her work. Summit photo. New voices deserve to be seen. The future belongs to them. Comments from mutual friends appeared one after another. Is Alpha bringing a student or a mate? He is so attentive. Dr. Hart didn’t go? Did the strongest healing duo break up? Celeste really is talented. Alpha has an eye for people. Maeve sent me screenshots, furious. Celeste is absolutely doing this on purpose! You and Leander may not have gone public, but everyone in the circle knows you’ve been together for seven years. This is disgusting. Aren’t you going to do something? Was it disgusting? A little. But more than that, it was liberating. One intern had been enough to let me see clearly what seven years of love had been worth. The more I cherished him, the more he took it for granted. The withdrawal period for the Northern deployment order had passed. That was that. I began preparing my gear. High-risk territory aid was not easy. I needed ballistic armor, emergency healing kits, multiple vaccines, antimalarial drugs, and psychological training for battlefield post-traumatic stress disorder. But once my mind settled, it felt less like exile and more like a new beginning. Before I left, I asked Maeve to have dinner with me. Northern food would take some getting used to. I might as well start early. Maeve stared at me. “Leander and that intern are already acting like that, and you still have the mood to try new food?” “Why wouldn’t I?” I smiled. Work was work. Love was love. Whenever Leander and I had argued before, I had always been the one to make peace. But this time, he had crossed my bottom line. On the way back to my apartment, I even found myself humming. Maeve looked at me in disbelief. “Have you really let go? I saw Leander and Celeste’s Instagram. They’ve been interacting even more since they came back from the summit…” I did not answer. When we passed the old campus of the Wolf Medical Academy, I asked Maeve to go ahead and went alone into the ivy-covered laboratory building. The rooftop was where Leander and I had first met. Eight years ago, I had still been a wolf medical student. He was already the youngest regional director of the Moonbound Healers Alliance and the newly appointed Alpha of Blackridge Pack. That night, I had been harshly criticized by my mentor for a surgical error and had hidden there to smoke. He found me and led me to the railing. “Look down.” He pointed at the thousands of city lights below. “What is one mistake in the span of an entire life?” From a terrified wolf medical student, I later became the partner who worked most seamlessly with him. Before every dangerous mission, we often came here. Together, we discussed injuries, argued over treatment plans, and shared our breakthroughs. Leander liked leaning against the railing and looking out at the lights of the medical center in the distance. “Elowen, you’re improving so quickly that I almost feel threatened.” Back then, I had smiled at his profile. “Then you had better work hard. Don’t let me surpass you.” In our third year, in an interpack border zone, a breach appeared in the area under my responsibility and three team members were infected. Headquarters investigators accused me of negligence in front of an entire tent of people and wanted to send me back to the pack. Leander stood up and stepped in front of me. “I am the chief supervisor of this epidemic zone. I will take responsibility for every issue. Dr. Hart’s protective protocol carried my final signature. If anyone is to be disciplined, discipline me.” He bore all the pressure and voluntarily applied to extend his time stationed there as a remedy. After the investigators left, I stood in the tent that reeked of disinfectant and watched Leander’s profile as he organized medical reports. My trust in him and my love for him grew so full they almost overflowed. We got together after that night. Now, those memories had become sharpened silver blades, cutting deep.

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On Valentine’s Day, a $5,200 charge popped up on my credit card. I was still processing it when an unknown number called. “Hello, is this Ms. Tiffany Vance? I’m calling about the Valentine’s package from Mr. Jenkins. The Ecuadorian roses and the Dom Pérignon are out for delivery, and your 3-star Michelin dinner reservations for tonight are all set. Will you be at the office to receive the delivery?” I froze. Liam and I kept our office romance a secret for three years. Just two days ago, he held me close and reassured me: “Baby, just wait a little longer. Once I make Director, we can finally go public.” I asked the so-called luxury concierge, “Are you sure you have the right person?” The guy paused, checking his notes. “Let me pull up the details… It says here it’s from your boyfriend, Liam Jenkins. Is that right?” I nodded at first, but then it hit me. My last name is Vance. But my first name isn’t Tiffany. Tiffany was our new intern. The second she joined, she made sure everyone knew she was the CEO’s niece. By week one, she closed a massive client I’d spent three months chasing. Liam scoffed at her back then. “Total nepo baby. She only landed that deal by riding her uncle’s coattails. What’s the big deal?” I just smiled and let it slide. Turns out, he was playing the perfect boyfriend to someone else—on my dime. I let out a cold laugh. “Actually, swap those roses for a massive funeral wreath. And cancel that dinner reservation.” …… I hung up just as Tiffany strolled in, armed with a dozen aggressively expensive coffees. “Happy Valentine’s Day! My boyfriend wanted to treat the whole department to coffee!” She slammed a cup on my desk with a smirk. “Emilia, this is Blue Bottle. You’ve probably never had it, right?” My coworkers instantly swarmed her, kissing up as usual. “Your boyfriend is so good to you! Rich, handsome, and so considerate—he even thought of us!” “Seriously, Tiffany is literally God’s favorite. The CEO’s niece and she has a perfect boyfriend? When do we get to meet this dream guy?” Tiffany noticed my silence and seized the moment. She raised her voice so the whole office could hear. “Emilia, didn’t you mention you had a boyfriend too? What did he get you for Valentine’s? It’s awfully quiet over there…” She looked at me in pure mockery. “Don’t tell me… he didn’t get you anything at all?” A coworker scoffed. “Emilia talks about this guy every day, but have any of us actually met him? Three years, and not a single sighting. I bet she just made him up!” “Yeah, totally. Look at Tiffany’s boyfriend—the surprises never stop. Emilia, what has your boyfriend ever given you?” I shot a glance at Liam. Panic flashed across his face. He forced an awkward laugh, scrambling to change the subject. “Come on guys, leave Emilia alone. So she invented a guy to save face. It’s no big deal.”

My instincts told me something was off. Usually, whenever coworkers joked about my boyfriend, Liam would just ignore them and play dumb. But today, he was way too eager to brush it off. I checked my banking app, only to find my alerts under $1,000 were turned off. $388… $698… $999… Dozens of charges I never made. All from this month alone. So that’s why. No wonder Liam tried to shut them up so quickly. He was terrified I’d connect the dots. My blood boiled. I shot out of my chair. “Liam…” But before I could finish, Tiffany’s shrill voice cut me off. She walked over, flashing a smile as she looped her arm through Liam’s. “Everyone, let me officially introduce you. Liam is my boyfriend.” “I wanted to keep it low-key, but Liam didn’t want to keep me hidden anymore. He insisted on going public for Valentine’s Day!” The office erupted. “Wait, Liam is your boyfriend? No wonder I saw you guys leaving together last month!” “You two are literally a perfect couple! Wealthy heiress and handsome high-flyer!” “Come on, Liam. Don’t tell me coffee is all you got her for Valentine’s. Spill!” Tiffany giggled behind her hand, but her gaze cut me like a knife. “Oh, it’s nothing crazy. He just Zelled me $15,000 for Valentine’s, ordered 999 roses and booked a Michelin-star dinner. They’ll be delivered here in a bit, you’ll see.”

I stood there, staring at Liam in disbelief. Three years of a secret romance. He told me he valued his privacy. That he didn’t want to be office gossip. I respected that. I never breathed a word about us to anyone. But now? Tiffany just claimed he insisted on going public for her. Then what the hell was I? What were our three years together? Liam came from nothing. He sent most of his paycheck back to his family every month, and I never complained once. I figured he was strapped for cash, so I always picked up the tab. No big deal. It wasn’t until this moment that the truth hit me. He wasn’t broke. He just didn’t think I was worth his money. I bit my lip hard, refusing to let him see me break. Tiffany shot me a taunting look. “Emilia, what’s with that look? Aren’t you going to congratulate us?” Looking at her expression, it all clicked. She knew about Liam and me from the very beginning. She did all of this on purpose.

I ignored her, locking eyes with Liam. My voice cracked. “Liam, I don’t buy it. Tell me yourself.” Liam avoided my gaze for a split second. But he quickly squared his shoulders. His tone was cold and detached. “Emilia, I admit you’re attractive, but face reality. Tiffany is the one I love.” “Could you stop obsessing over me? It’s pathetic. You’re acting like a total stalker.” I scoffed. Thinking back, when Tiffany landed that massive client, Liam wasn’t sneering. He was jealous. Bitter that his own girlfriend was just a nobody. Bitter that a trust-fund baby like Tiffany wasn’t already in his pocket. At his words, the coworkers’ stares felt like daggers. “Jesus, Emilia. Did you seriously think you were Liam’s girlfriend?” “This is hilarious. Tiffany is rich, connected, and capable. What do you even have?” “Tiffany, your uncle is the CEO, right? Just have him fire this psycho. Sharing an office with her is gross.” I let out a cold laugh. “Fire me?” “Why don’t you ask Tiffany if she has the pull?”

Tiffany paled for a second. But the crowd’s flattery fueled her ego. She marched up to my desk, glaring down at me. “Emilia, do yourself a favor and just quit. I’ll pretend the whole ‘hitting on my boyfriend’ thing didn’t happen. Otherwise, I’m calling my uncle to get you kicked out!” I sat back down, unbothered. “Sorry, but I won’t be quitting. If anyone has a problem with me, there’s the door. Don’t let it hit you on the way out.” “You—” Tiffany’s face turned beet red. “Fine, Emilia! Since you’re so desperate to humiliate yourself, I’ll let you see what a real Valentine’s gift looks like!” “If Liam is really your boyfriend, where’s your surprise?” I let out a laugh. A surprise? Bring it on. I’ll wait. Because they’re the ones in for a rude awakening today… Not me.

The office drama died down for now. I stepped out to use the restroom, only for Liam to corner me in the hallway. He looked impatient. “Emilia, was I not clear enough? Why are you still dead set on hanging around the office?” “Tiffany is the CEO’s niece. Being with her fast-tracks my career by ten years. And you? What could you possibly offer me?” I stared at him. So this was the real Liam. “You’re dumping me just because Tiffany claims to be the CEO’s niece?” Liam frowned. “Don’t make it sound so ugly. People trade up. I did nothing wrong. If you want to blame someone, blame your own family for being nobodies!” He turned and stormed off. I watched him walk away with a cold laugh. When I first joined the company, my dad—Robert Vance, the real CEO— wanted to put me straight into the executive suite. But I wanted to work my way up from the bottom. Just to prove myself. To avoid any special treatment, I kept my identity under wraps. After three years of grinding it out, my dad decided it was time. At the quarterly meeting, he’d reveal who I was and make me Marketing Director. I had planned to tell Liam today. Give him a Valentine’s surprise. I didn’t expect a slap in the face instead. Three years of my life, completely down the drain.

Back at my desk, I pulled up every charge Liam made on my cards. Especially all the times he secretly swiped my card to buy gifts for Tiffany. I screenshotted every receipt and built a detailed document. Right before I clocked out, a huge commotion erupted outside. Two coworkers rushed up to my desk, sneering down at me. “Liam’s gift for Tiffany is here, down in the lobby! Come see what a real gift looks like!” “I bet you’ve never seen anything this luxurious in your life.” They didn’t stop talking as they grabbed my arm, dragging me out. Instead of fighting back, I just went with it. After all, they had a point. I had never seen what a $5,200 funeral wreath looked like. I kind of wanted to see it myself. As we hit the lobby, a concierge’s booming voice echoed through the space: “Delivery for Tiffany? Valentine’s gift from a Mr. Jenkins.” I looked over. Inside the black van sat a massive object shrouded in velvet. Tiffany gloated before stepping forward, acting shy. “Hi, my boyfriend ordered this for me. Thank you.” The crowd buzzed with envy. A few even shot me mocking looks, hoping for a scene. The next second, the concierge yanked the velvet cloth away. Underneath sat a giant wreath of white lilies and chrysanthemums. The concierge raised a megaphone and blared: “One funeral wreath from your boyfriend, Mr. Jenkins. Sign here, please.” The room went dead silent. All the color drained from Tiffany’s face.

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It was our eighth anniversary party. I lost at Truth or Dare. My punishment? A full glass of 151 rum. The amber liquid sat before me. All eyes in the Manhattan penthouse locked onto Julian Vance. The taunts began. “Julian, time to be the hero!” “Take the fall for your queen!” After all, everyone in New York high society knows me. Aurora Hayes. Severely allergic to alcohol. Five years ago, one bite of a rum cake put me in anaphylactic shock. I ended up in the ICU. Julian stayed by my bedside for three days, his eyes bloodshot. He swore he’d never let me touch a drop of alcohol again. I looked at him. But Chloe, his new intern, sat beside him. She pouted, her innocent look now edged with challenge. “Oh? Does sweet Aurora get to skip the rules?” The party fell silent. Julian didn’t take the glass away. Instead, he calmly pushed it closer to me. “She’s right. A game’s a game.” He ruffled my hair. “Be good. I brought your EpiPen. I won’t let anything happen.” Triumph flashed in Chloe’s eyes. I didn’t glance at the medicine in Julian’s hand. My hand closed around the glass of rum. I tilted my head back and downed it. The liquor burned my throat like a blade. Julian was right. A game’s a game. This eight-year game of love was over. … The rum hit my stomach like a bomb. I grabbed the marble countertop. “Excuse me,” I muttered, stumbling towards the door. After my last ICU trip, my doctor’s warning was dire. He’d said it in front of Julian. For my allergy, pills were useless. Alcohol meant immediate throat swelling. I would need an injection and a hospital, fast. A mild reaction meant shock. A severe one meant death. Luckily, a private hospital was across the street. I could make it. “Aurora!” I reached the door when Julian grabbed my wrist. “It’s just a game. Don’t be dramatic. Here, take this. I’ll drive you to the hospital now.” From his suit pocket, he produced a sleek metal case. The cap twisted off as he tipped it into his palm. Empty. He froze, shaking it again; nothing.

Julian looked stunned. His head snapped towards Chloe. “Mr. Vance…” Chloe blinked, her voice trembling. “The… the stuff inside… I threw it out…” “I was tidying your suit jacket… I thought it was an empty, expired vitamin bottle, so I got rid of it.” Her eyes welled up as she spoke. My throat started itching and burning. My vision began to blur. Julian finally realized something was wrong, pulling me close. He glanced at Chloe, let out a sigh, and said, “Just be careful next time.” A bitter sting shot through my chest. I leaned on him, each breath a struggle. After eight years together, I knew Julian inside and out. He was a control freak, possessive of his space. No one, including me, was allowed to touch his things. When we first moved in, I tidied his study once. I organized some papers he’d left on his desk. He came home, saw it, and his face went dark. He didn’t speak to me for the rest of the night. I sent over twenty apology texts. He read every single one but ignored them all. A midnight drive to his office, Beef Wellington in hand, was my last resort. All that effort earned me was a grudging, “Don’t let it happen again.” I learned my lesson that night. From then on, his things were completely off-limits. But Chloe, an intern for six months, went through his pockets. She threw away the medicine that could save my life. And all she got was a soft, “Just be careful next time.” The color drained from my lips. A frantic rhythm hammered in my chest. Then my legs gave out from under me. I slid down his body, falling to the ground. “Aurora!” Julian’s voice was sharp with panic. He fumbled, trying to lift me. The room erupted into chaos. Someone yelled, “Call an ambulance!” Chloe let out a piercing scream. “Ah!” The arms about to lift me paused. Then they pulled away, turning elsewhere. A sickening thud. My head slammed against the cold, hard floor. The crystal chandelier above shattered into glittering specks. Through the haze, I saw Julian’s back. He was bent over Chloe, anxiously checking her ankle. Something deep inside me snapped. A voice in my head spoke with clarity. This eight-year game of love was over. I had lost. Then, everything went black. I blacked out.

I woke up in a private VIP room. A nurse came to check my vitals. “Miss Hayes, you’re aware of your severe allergy to alcohol, correct?” I just nodded. She flipped through her clipboard, her tone sharp. “You knew, and you drank anyway? You were in shock last night. Ten more minutes, and you would’ve been dead.” My head cleared a little. I held onto one last sliver of hope. “Who… who brought me here?” She gave me a look like I was an idiot. “The paramedics. A server found you passed out on the apartment floor and called 911.” It was his party with all his friends. If even he left me there, why would any of them help? The nurse was still lecturing me. “Remember, you can never, ever touch alcohol again.” “I know. I’ll make sure she stays away from it.” I froze, my head snapping towards the voice. Julian stood in the doorway. Chloe stood right behind him.

She was wearing a cream cashmere sweater. It had a small, embroidered logo, a perfect match to the one Julian had on. That was the matching set I’d commissioned from a designer in Italy for his birthday. We were supposed to wear them on our trip to the Amalfi Coast. But Julian had always called the sweater “childish.” He never once put it on. Yet here he was, wearing his, while he’d given mine to Chloe. His eyes caught mine; he nervously tugged at the hem of his sweater. “Things got messy last night. A drink spilled all over Chloe’s silk dress, soaked right through. I had to take her back to the apartment to change. By the time I got back, the server said an ambulance had already taken you.” His explanation revealed an even crueler truth. The night I was being rushed to the ER, he took the woman who pushed me to drink to our home. Bile rose in my throat, but nothing came up. Chloe hid behind him, looking like a scared little rabbit. “Aurora, I am so, so sorry about last night. I told Mr. Vance this morning I absolutely had to apologize in person.” I didn’t say a word. My eyes were locked on the sweater she was wearing. My voice was ice when I finally spoke. “Take it off.” Chloe shuddered. Julian immediately stepped in front of Chloe. “Aurora, what the hell are you saying? She came to apologize and you’re telling her to strip?” My knuckles went white on the bedsheets. I gritted my teeth, my glare burning past him, fixed on the collar of her sweater. “I said, take it off!”

Tears instantly flooded Chloe’s eyes. She shot a helpless glance at Julian, then slowly unzipped the sweater. Beneath it, a vintage dress appeared. It was a vintage Dior. My mother’s hands had restored it for me, the same winter she was diagnosed with cancer. The chemo made her hands tremble. But from her hospital bed, stitch by painful stitch, she mended the torn lace and intricate beadwork. She told me she wanted me to wear it for our first dance at the wedding. “I might not be there to see it, honey… but if you wear this, it’s like I’m with you.” I remembered Julian making a solemn vow.  “I swear, if I ever hurt Aurora, I don’t deserve to live.” My mom just looked at him, sighed, and said nothing. After she died, I held that dress and cried for days. I thought at least I still had him. But that promise was now smoke. Julian’s eyes followed mine, landing on the dress. His expression changed. His voice was sharp, accusatory. “Why are you wearing that?” Tears clung to Chloe’s lashes as she bit her lip. “You said I could pick anything from the closet… I saw this one in the very back and just assumed it was… old…” Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the side zipper. “I’ll take it off for Aurora right now.” There was a sharp, tearing sound. She’d yanked the fragile antique zipper. The seam my mother had sewn at the waist ripped apart. A long gash now split the delicate satin.

“Chloe!” I shot up in bed, my eyes burning with rage. “Ah!” she shrieked, clutching the torn fabric to her chest. “I… I didn’t mean to.” “Enough!” Julian snapped, shrugging off his jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders. “Aurora, it’s just a dress. Did you really have to push her this far?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “That dress was…” “I know. The last thing your mother gave you…” His voice rose, thick with impatience. “But she’s gone! It’s just a dress. Things get old, they tear. It happens. If you’re so attached, I’ll have a replica made. A perfect one. Ten of them, if you want! A hundred!” A white-hot rage flooded my veins. My grip on the sheets tightened; blood backed up into the IV tube. “My mother restored this herself! It’s one of a kind! You can’t buy that!” As we screamed at each other, Chloe’s sobs grew louder. “Please, stop fighting… It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have worn your clothes. I’ll pay for it, okay?” She pulled out a cheap, worn-out purse and fumbled for crumpled bills. A twenty, a ten, a five… “Take this. If it’s not enough, I’ll give you my paycheck next month… and the month after…” She held out the pathetic pile of cash, leaning over to place it on my nightstand. The jacket slipped, exposing her bare shoulder again. Chloe gasped, scrambling to cover herself, her face a mask of embarrassment. His face filled with pity, Julian pulled a black card from his wallet. He threw it on the bed. “There’s two million on it. Buy all the vintage dresses you could ever want.” He looked down on me, his eyes like chips of ice. “Aurora, what have you become? Humiliating a girl over a dress, trying to shame her with money. You’re being irrational. Get some rest. We won’t bother you again.” He put his arm around Chloe and walked out without a glance.

Before she left, Chloe looked back over her shoulder. With a victorious smile on her face, she raised an eyebrow. Then she hooked her arm through Julian’s, right in front of me. The door slammed shut. I picked up the black card, tears finally breaking free. This was the card for our joint trust account. We’d made a pact to put money in it every month. It was for our future wedding, our first house, our global travels… our entire life together. And now, for another woman, he took it out without hesitation. My tears dripped onto the plastic, blurring our names. “Aurora Hayes” and “Julian Vance” bled together into an unrecognizable smudge. Just like our relationship.

I checked myself out of the hospital alone. I went back to our penthouse in SOHO to pack. Now that it was over, nothing was left for me in that home. The apartment was a rental. A clean break. I dragged out a suitcase and started throwing things inside. A folder tumbled out from the walk-in closet. I bent down to grab it and saw what was inside: a property deed. My whole body went rigid and I rubbed my eyes hard. The owner’s name was printed in sharp, clear letters: Chloe Miller. The date on the deed was three years ago. A sudden, icy dread washed over me. Chloe had only started at Julian’s company six months ago. An intern, who was immediately made his executive assistant. I’d questioned it. Making an intern his right-hand woman seemed reckless. But Julian said he’d seen himself in her. A kid from nothing who just needed a chance, just like he’d been. He never mentioned they already knew each other. He kept saying Chloe was just an employee. And I believed him. But looking at this, the lies started three years ago. The rot in our relationship had set in long ago. I was just now smelling the stench. Then, I heard a key turning in the lock. “Aurora?”

Julian’s face lit up when he saw me. He smiled. “You’re back. Why didn’t you call? I would’ve picked you up.” He didn’t explain why Chloe was behind him. He strode over to hug me, boasting to her over his shoulder. “See? I told you. Aurora can’t stay mad at me for long.” I dodged his arm and threw the property deed down in front of him. “What is this?” The smile vanished from his face. “Oh, that…” He swallowed, forcing a casual tone. “Chloe’s from my hometown. Her family is struggling. They wanted her to drop out and marry for money. No education, no way to survive in the city. So when she came to New York, I set her up with a small apartment through the company.” “But don’t worry, it’s just a loan. She’ll pay it back.” He shot a look at Chloe. “Right, Chloe?” I thought of her crumpled bills in the hospital. The irony almost made me laugh. “How is someone who pays for a dress in installments going to repay a three-million-dollar apartment?” Chloe’s face turned bright red. The innocent act dropped. “Who the hell are you to judge me? You’re the other woman here. Why shouldn’t my fiancé spend money on me?” She grabbed Julian’s arm, chin held high, pointing right at me. “Truth is, when we wore those matching outfits, we were meeting the parents. We’re engaged, and we’re setting a date.” The words hit me like a lightning bolt, the room starting to spin. I had prepared myself for him cheating. I had prepared for lies. But I never, ever imagined he had a whole fiancée back home. I stared at him in disbelief, my lips trembling. “Is that… true?”

His eyes darted away, unable to meet my gaze. “It was an old arrangement from back home. A promise our families made… But I swear, nothing happened between us! I have never cheated on you!” He sighed, as if making a huge sacrifice. “Since you already know, I’ll just be straight with you. The apartment is compensation for her.” “Why are we compensating her?” Julian just kept finding a new low. That apartment was worth three million dollars. Two million of that was my inheritance. My mother’s legacy. Another six hundred thousand was from my personal savings. Julian only put in four hundred thousand, and half of that was a loan. His face flushed with anger. “I’ve supported you for eight years! So what if you pitched in?” I gave him the seed money. My contacts were his first clients. I built the core of that company. He was just the face of the operation, and now he was claiming he supported me. The sting of betrayal faded, leaving only a cold numbness. I looked at him, my voice flat and steady. “Julian. We’re done.” I grabbed my suitcase and turned to leave. His face tightened as he started after me. But Chloe grabbed his arm. “You can go. But you need to pay the rent first.” “This apartment is in my name. You’ve lived here three years without paying a single dime.” I stopped dead and turned back to Julian. Seeing he had my attention, his tone softened instantly. “Alright, stop making a scene. I just hadn’t gotten around to telling you. And let’s be real, Aurora. You’re twenty-eight. Who do you think you’ll find after me? Be smart, okay?” Right on cue, Chloe snickered. I looked at the man in front of me. He was not the man who knelt by my mother’s bedside and swore to protect me. At this point, I didn’t even care about the money anymore. I looked up at Julian, and a slow smile spread across my face. “Fine.”

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In my past life, as the rightful legitimate daughter of the clan, I was framed by an impostor, left homeless and died miserably on the streets. Reborn, I returned to the day my biological parents came to take me home. This time, I will bind the Truth System to that fake daughter. The rain was cold. My blood was colder. I was Elara, the true daughter of the Vance Pack. In my first life, I was framed by an impostor. My parents kicked me out. I was a weak human in a world of wolves. I starved to death on the dark streets. In the Afterlife, the Arbiter looked at me. He was a giant wolf with fur like white smoke. His eyes were gold. “They did not believe your truth,” he growled. “I will give you a second chance. I will give you a Truth System.” A flash of light hit me. I was back. I stood in the Vance mansion. It smelled like expensive pine and rain. Jessica, the girl who took my place, walked through the door. She looked like a sweet, perfect wolf. “Sister,” she purred. “I have been looking forward to meeting you.” Suddenly, a glowing screen popped up over her head. **[System Notification: She is planning to rip your throat out. She wants to see you rot in the dirt.]** Jessica’s mouth twisted. Her voice changed. “Dammit! They found this trash. I need to make Mom and Dad kick her out into the street tonight!” Jessica slapped her hands over her mouth. Her eyes were wide with terror. The room went silent. Every wolf in the room stared at her. I smiled. Let the game begin. 1. My parents, Alpha Richard and Luna Martha, stared at her. “Jessica!” Richard growled. His voice was deep. It made the floor shake. “What is this foul language? We raised you to be a Lady Alpha!” “We taught you etiquette! How can you curse like a rogue?” My chest tightened. They only cared about her manners. They didn’t care that she called me trash. Jessica started to cry. She looked like a wounded pup. “I… I don’t know what happened… Those weren’t my thoughts…” She looked at me. Her eyes turned a dark, venomous red. “Daddy, Mommy… the moment Elara walked in, I felt a dark energy. She is cursed! She brought a demon into our house!” My parents turned to me. Their gazes were like ice. “Elara!” Martha hissed. “What kind of dark magic did you learn in that backwater town? How dare you use it on your sister?” “Listen to me. You are a Vance now. Leave that low-class garbage behind!” “We brought you back because we had to. Don’t embarrass us!” My brother, Tyler, sniffed the air. His muscles tensed. “Jessica is right. She smells like rot. We need a cleansing. I won’t feel safe sleeping under the same roof.” I shook my head. “I didn’t bring anything! She spoke her mind!” They ignored me. Richard called Brother Thomas. He was a rogue shaman who took bribes. Thomas looked at Jessica and winked. “Miss Elara has a dark attachment,” Thomas lied. “It requires physical expulsion. Jessica must be the one to do it. She must strike Elara eighty-one times with a silver-tipped whip.” The guards tied me up. The silver in the whip burned my skin. Jessica picked up the whip. Her eyes gleamed. **[System Notification: Her wolf is begging to see your bone. She wants to lick your blood off the floor.]** “I’m so sorry, Elara,” she whispered. But her mouth said: “Look at this! Mom and Dad always take my side. In this pack, you are nothing but a dog to me!” Hearing this, my parents only frowned. “Jessica, hit harder! Beat the demon out of her!” The leather sliced my skin. The silver bit into my flesh. Eighty-one times. When it was over, I collapsed. I smelled like iron and pain. “The storage closet is best,” Thomas said. “A dark space will keep the demon away.” They threw me into a damp, windowless room on the first floor. No bed. No light. 2. I curled up in the corner of the closet. My body was trembling. The door creaked open. Jessica walked in. She looked down at me like I was a cockroach. “You did something, didn’t you? You made me speak.” “You are so naive, Elara. Even if I say the truth, so what? Mom and Dad will always choose me. You are a loser from the boonies.” “Do yourself a favor and go back to the dirt you came from.” Footsteps approached. Jessica’s face shifted to terror instantly. “Sister, what are you doing? Please, don’t hurt me!” She grabbed a silver letter opener. She jammed it violently into her own arm. Hearing her scream, my parents burst in. “Elara! What did you do to Jessica?!” I looked at them coldly. “I didn’t do anything. I just watched her perform a show.” “You think we’d believe she stabbed herself? Are you insane?” Jessica gasped weakly. “I just… I just asked if she was scared… and she… she stabbed me…” Richard and Tyler glared at me with pure hatred. Their eyes turned yellow. “How can you be so vicious? How did our blood produce something so heartless?” Richard raised his hand to slap me. But Jessica’s voice rang out again. **[System Notification: She is proud of her trick. She wants to see you dead.]** “I came in here to trigger this bitch! I told her she has no place here, and then I stabbed myself to frame her!” She slapped her hands over her mouth. Richard’s hand froze. “Did you hear that?” I asked. “That is the truth.” Tyler scoffed. “Clearly the cleansing wasn’t enough. The demon is making her say crazy things to frame herself.” They took Jessica to get bandaged. They didn’t even look at me. “Why?” I asked their retreating backs. “You know she is telling the truth. Why do you still side with her?” Martha turned. Her lip curled. “Elara, love takes time. Jessica has been our daughter for eighteen years.” “Even if she is a liar—look at her. She is elegant. She is a strong wolf. That is what a Vance looks like.” “You? You are a farm girl. You are unpresentable.” “Then why bring me back at all?” “The police made a scene! We couldn’t leave our blood out there without the media tearing us apart.” “The Vance Pack won’t let you starve, but don’t you dare think you can replace Jessica.” They walked away. My heart finally turned to stone. 3. I went to find Silas Powell. He was the Alpha of the Shadow Pack. He was the strongest, most dangerous wolf in the city. He was supposed to marry Jessica. I walked into his office. He looked at me with boredom. “What? Is the Vance family swapping brides now?” He stood up. He was huge. He smelled like a storm and rain. He walked toward me. He looked like he wanted to break my bones. “Get out of my sight!” he growled. **[System Notification: Heart rate 180. He is desperate to claim you as his Mate. His wolf is howling for you.]** I did not move. “I’m here to make a deal.” Silas stepped closer. His skin was burning hot. He leaned down and sniffed my neck. **[System Notification: His wolf is begging to lick your skin. He wants to bite you.]** “What kind of deal, little wolf?” “I know you don’t want to marry into my family. If Vance Enterprises goes bankrupt, your parents will cancel the wedding.” “I have a way to tank their stock. I help you destroy them. In return, you give me ten million dollars and the Vance estate.” Silas laughed. It was a dark, cynical sound. “You want to destroy your own pack? You are a dangerous female.” “Do we have a deal, Alpha Silas?” “If your family goes under, you go down too. You want to lose everything?” “I told you, this is a trade.” Silas nodded. “Ten million. It’s a gamble. But nobody is stupid enough to scam me.” He handed the slip of paper to his secretary. Five minutes later, the funds cleared. “Next week is the Grand Gala,” I said. “I need you to add a segment to the program.”

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I am a child psychologist and school evaluator. Today, I was temporarily assigned to a prestigious private preschool to conduct admission evaluations. During the parent-child activity, a little girl clung to her mother, refusing to let go. She sobbed, saying her daddy had promised he would make it today. The woman knelt, wiping the tears from her daughter’s face. She whispered that her father was an antique conservator, currently working out of town on a high-security restoration project for a rare collection. My pen froze on the evaluation sheet. My husband is also an art conservator. Recently, he told me he was locked in an off-site, high-security project with strict NDAs, saying it wasn’t even convenient for him to take a FaceTime call. Before the activity started, the woman’s phone rang. She answered it and sighed. “Julian, Mary won’t stop crying. If you don’t show up soon, I won’t be able to handle her.” A low chuckle came from the other end of the line. My fingers clamped tightly around the clipboard. “I’m almost there. Even if the museum’s priceless artifacts shatter today, I’m putting you guys first.” Julian. That was my husband. The one who was supposed to be “locked in a high-security lab.” Ten minutes later, Julian ran onto the playground, holding a bouquet of sunflowers. He knelt, scooped the little girl into his arms, and leaned in to kiss the woman’s forehead. “I’m sorry I’m late.” Standing under the canopy with my evaluation sheet, I watched them. He looked up and saw me. His steps halted. The smile on his face froze. His arm tightened around the child. So, this was his exclusive, high-security project. He wasn’t restoring antiques. He was busy playing husband and father here.

Clara Miller looked at me, then turned her eyes to Julian. “Julian, do you know Ms. Carter?” Julian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. I stared at him, waiting for him to speak. Instead, he held Mary tighter and muttered, “Yes. She’s the evaluator here today for the preschool admission.” My fingers clenched the pen so hard the tip almost ripped through the evaluation form. Mary rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes red as she asked, “Daddy, who is Ms. Carter?” Julian avoided my gaze, stroking the child’s hair. “She’s the teacher who’s going to help evaluate you today.” Clara took Mary’s hand and spoke gently. “Mary, say hello to Ms. Carter.” Mary whispered, “Hi, Ms. Carter.” I looked at the little girl. The child was innocent. I lowered my gaze and wrote on the form: Severe separation anxiety. High level of dependency on primary caregiver. My pen lingered on the words “primary caregiver.” The teacher clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Our first parent-child activity is starting! Parents, please guide your little ones across the balance beam.” Mary immediately grabbed Julian’s sleeve. “Daddy, you promised you’d walk with me.” Julian glanced at me, then quickly looked away. Clara took half a step back. “It’s okay, Mary. Julian might be busy today. I can walk with you.” But Mary burst into tears. “No! Daddy promised yesterday he wouldn’t lie to me again!” Julian’s face shifted. He grabbed Mary’s hand and gently pulled Clara to his other side. “I’ll walk with you.” Standing under the canopy, I crumpled the corner of my evaluation sheet. I remembered my first follow-up appointment after my miscarriage. He had promised he would be there. But when the nurse called my name for the third time, I only received a text from him: An emergency came up at the project site. Back then, I replied: Work comes first. So, it wasn’t that he couldn’t make it. He just chose who was worth making time for. After the activity, Mary clung to Julian’s leg. The teacher praised her for being brave. She looked up at Julian, beaming. “Daddy, was I good?” Julian leaned down and kissed her head. “Very good.” I turned to leave, but Julian chased after me, pulling me into the corner of the hallway. He lowered his voice. “Chloe, don’t make a scene in front of the kid. You’re going to scare her looking like this.” I yanked my hand back. “Am I making a scene?” “How else should I look?” I demanded, staring into his eyes. “Should I smile while taking notes on my husband playing daddy to someone else’s child?” Julian looked away. “It’s not what you think.” “Mary’s situation is complicated. I’m just helping out.” “Does ‘helping out’ require Clara to call you her husband?” His face went pale, and he avoided my eyes. “Mary’s therapist said she needs to feel her parents are a united front to build a sense of security.” “On the phone, I was just playing along to calm Mary down. It was purely for her therapy.” I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Then what about earlier? Taking Clara’s bag and telling her she’s been working hard?” He whispered defensively, “She’s a single mother. It’s not easy for her. I was just—” “Just what?” I pressed. He let out an impatient sigh. “Chloe, you work in child psychology. You of all people should understand. We can’t break her sense of security.” I dug my nails into my palms. He was using my own profession to demand that I swallow his betrayal. He was entirely confident that I would endure this for the rest of the day. At the end of the hall, Mary ran out and threw herself into Julian’s arms, crying. “Daddy, is Ms. Carter going to take you away?” Julian knelt and held her close. “No. No one is taking me away.” I stood frozen in the hallway. He didn’t even look back.

Once Mary calmed down, Clara led her over and gave me a apologetic nod. “Ms. Carter, I’m so sorry. Mary was startled.” “She doesn’t have a father. Julian has helped us a lot, so sometimes she gets confused.” I stared at her. “Did you know Julian is married?” Clara lowered her eyes. “Yes. That’s why I’ve never asked anything of him on my own.” I gripped my clipboard. Before I could speak, Julian frowned and scolded me. “Chloe, don’t be so harsh.” I looked straight at him. “Am I the one being harsh here?” He went speechless. Clara spoke up softly. “Julian, stop. Ms. Carter has every right to be angry.” She shrank back, and Julian instinctively stepped in front of her, shielding her. I reached down, tapped the pause button on my phone’s voice recorder app, and sent a message to Adrian, my clinical director: Conflict of interest. Requesting immediate withdrawal from this on-site evaluation. But until my replacement arrived, the record could not be interrupted. The preschool director smiled and walked over. “Next is the family photo session. Ms. Carter, please continue recording Mary’s family interaction stability.” My hand holding the pen tensed. The observation had already begun. A sudden change in evaluators would ruin the assessment. I couldn’t just throw my clipboard down and storm out in front of the children. Julian glanced at me, remaining silent. A photo booth was set up in the center of the lawn. The teacher called out, “Mary’s mommy and daddy, come over! Mary, stand in the middle.” Mary ran over, holding Julian’s hand on one side and Clara’s on the other. Julian looked at me. Clara whispered, “Maybe we shouldn’t. Let’s not make things difficult for Ms. Carter.” Mary immediately panicked. “Daddy, are you leaving again?” Julian sighed and walked over to them. The photographer smiled. “Dad, lean closer to Mom. Perfect. Mary, smile for the camera!” Julian leaned closer to Clara. Clara didn’t move away. The sunlight fell beautifully over them. I looked down at the evaluation sheet. I remembered our wedding photo shoot. Julian had promised me that in every photo, he would always stand by my side. After the photos were printed, Mary ran to me with a small copy. “Ms. Carter, look! This is my mommy and daddy.” I looked at Julian in the photo. His lips were pressed in a tight line, but he didn’t say a word to deny it. I flipped to Mary’s enrollment application form. Under the “Family Guardian” section, it read: Julian. Relationship: Father. The signature was Julian’s. The date was three months ago. That day was our wedding anniversary. No wonder the preschool staff kept calling him Mary’s dad. I shut the folder and wrote the first line in the evaluation recommendation box: Highly recommend verifying the authenticity of the family relationships to prevent the child from internalizing false parental identities. Julian walked over, saw the words, and his face drained of color. He lowered his voice. “Chloe, don’t do this.” “You know she’s just a child.” “So?” I countered. “Because she’s a child, I’m supposed to help you write a better script for this play?” His brow furrowed deep. “That’s not what I meant.” Clara stood nearby, whispering, “Ms. Carter, I can explain.” “She really is dependent on Julian.” “I know it’s not the child’s fault,” I said, looking straight at Julian. “The adults are the ones to blame.” Julian didn’t argue, nor did he admit it. Mary tugged at his hand. “Daddy, does Ms. Carter not like me?” Julian knelt to soothe her. “No, Mary. You’re great.” “Then why isn’t she smiling?” Mary asked. Julian paused. “She’s just tired today.” I gripped my pen. He wouldn’t even admit that he was the reason I was tired.

Lunch was held in the classroom. The teacher reminded us to observe the children’s self-feeding abilities. Mary sat between Julian and Clara. She picked out the cilantro with her spoon. “Daddy doesn’t eat cilantro either.” Clara pulled a thermos out of her bag and handed it to Julian. “Your stomach has been acting up. Don’t drink ice water.” Julian took it and took a sip. He saw me, and his hand froze in mid-air. Last night at ten, I texted him to remind him to eat and take his medicine. He still hadn’t replied. I turned off my phone screen. Mary pulled out a hand-braided leather bracelet and held it up to me. “Ms. Carter, look! Daddy made this for me.” She pointed to Clara’s wrist. “Mommy has one too.” Clara was indeed wearing the exact same bracelet. Julian cleared his throat. “Mary, eat your lunch.” Mary kept talking. “Daddy said this bracelet won’t break. It means our family will never be separated.” I stared at Julian. He bit his lip, offering no explanation. For our tenth anniversary, I asked if we should upgrade my ring. He said he was too busy with his projects. So, he did have time. Just not for me. The classroom speakers began playing the pre-recorded video introductions of the kids. Mary’s voice echoed through the room. “My name is Mary.” “My mommy is Clara, and my daddy is Julian.” The classroom fell dead silent. Julian’s lips trembled. I watched him, waiting for him to speak. But he said nothing. Clara kept her head down, pressing a napkin to her lap, looking at neither of us. I wrote in the observation log: Role designations have become fixed. The child has fully internalized this father identity. Julian leaned in, whispering, “Can you please not write it so harshly?” I put down my pen. “How would you prefer I write it?” “She’s still young. If the report is too severe, the preschool will mandate psychological intervention.” I let out a soft laugh. “Oh, so you do know this will affect her?” Julian looked miserable. “Chloe, I know you’re hurting right now. But Mary has had it hard enough.” “And what about me?” I asked directly. He lowered his voice further. “Just let it slide for today. Bear with it for my sake.” Hearing those words, I gripped the back of my chair. When I was signing the paperwork alone in the hospital during my miscarriage, he had told me the exact same thing: Just bear with it for now. It turned out I was always the one expected to suffer in silence. I picked up my pen and looked at him. “Julian, do you expect me to fake an official psychological evaluation for you too?” His face stiffened. Clara chimed in. “Ms. Carter, just write whatever is professional.” “Julian is just worried about Mary.” I turned to her. “Clara, have you always been this understanding?” She clenched her napkin. “I just know I have no right to demand anything.” “But you’ve also never rejected anything, have you?” She fell silent. My phone vibrated. It was Adrian calling on WhatsApp. “Chloe, the preschool director just notified me that you have a personal relationship with the accompanying parent.” “You don’t have to force yourself to stay. Hand over the case and leave immediately. Whatever trouble comes up, I’ll handle it.” His voice carried a clear tone of protectiveness. I glanced at Julian, whose finger was being held by Mary, and replied coldly, “Okay. I’ll submit the conflict of interest form.” Julian stood up.

In the director’s office, the director said, “Ms. Carter, your records will be sealed.” “Since you have a personal relationship with Julian, you cannot continue with this evaluation.” Julian rushed in, blocking the desk. “Chloe, don’t let this ruin Mary’s enrollment.” I looked at him. “Even now, she’s the first person you think of.” He frowned. “She’s just a child.” “Then what am I?” I pressed, stepping closer. Silence filled the office. Julian didn’t answer. Outside the door, Mary’s cries broke out. “Daddy! Daddy, come out!” Clara’s voice was soft as she tried to comfort her. “Mary, don’t cry. Julian has his own home.” Mary cried harder. “But Daddy said I am his home too!” I turned back to Julian. “You said that?” Julian opened his mouth. “She was in a terrible state back then. I was only—” “Only comforting a child?” I interrupted. He went quiet. I clenched the hem of my coat. I had been waiting for him to admit his mistake, waiting for him to explain. After a long silence, he dropped a sentence: “Chloe, just don’t make things difficult for me today.” He truly believed I was the one who should always compromise. Clara’s voice came from outside. “Julian, you should stay with Chloe. I’ll comfort Mary, though it might take a while.” Every word she spoke was designed to push him out the door. Mary sobbed, “Daddy, don’t go. You promised you’d stay with me and Mommy today.” Julian lowered his head, turned around, and walked out of the office to kneel in front of Mary. I stood inside, watching his back. He said, “I’m not leaving.” Mary sniffled. “Really?” Julian wiped her tears. “Really. I’ll stay with you and Mommy today.” I let go of my clenched fists. I slid my wedding ring off my finger and set it on the desk. I pushed the spare house keys right next to the ring. Julian turned, saw this, and instantly rushed back in. “Chloe, what are you doing?” I said, “Julian, you don’t have to come home to explain anymore.” He reached out to grab my wrist. “Don’t be like this. I’ll come back later tonight and explain everything.” I stepped aside, dodging his hand. “You already have a home to go to.” “I’m done waiting.” His hand froze in mid-air. I ignored him and turned to the director. “Please give me the withdrawal form.” The director handed me the paper. I took the pen and wrote my name: Chloe Carter. Reason for withdrawal: Personal relationship with the primary caregiver, Julian, which compromises evaluation neutrality. Julian stared at the words “primary caregiver.” His knuckles turned white. I handed the form back to the director. “From this moment on, I am officially off this case.” Julian wanted to chase after me, but Mary’s crying voice stopped him. I grabbed my bag, walked right past him, and closed the office door behind me. Ten minutes later, Adrian received my full written statement. Julian probably didn’t realize that the “home” he had so carefully built for someone else was about to be torn down, piece by piece.

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I took the fall for my ex-husband’s mistress and spent eight years behind bars. The day I was released, my ex-husband, Julian Vance, showed up at a pharmacy with a swarm of reporters, kneeling before me to beg for a second chance. His eyes were red-rimmed as he held out a bouquet of vibrant roses. “Amara… I’ve waited eight years for you.” The reporters shoved their microphones in my face, urging me to kneel and thank him for his “devotion.” As Julian wrapped me in what looked like an affectionate embrace, he leaned close and whispered in a voice as cold as a venomous snake, “If you dare reject me, your father’s ventilator will be unplugged tomorrow.” I clenched my crippled right hand, ready to explode. Just then, an eight-year-old boy rushed over and threw his arms around Julian’s leg. “Daddy!” A heavily pregnant Chloe Mille suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me, tears streaming down her face. “The child is innocent…” Every camera instantly turned toward my bloodstained face. Then my own parents charged over. My mother slapped me so hard I crashed onto the floor. “You curse! Chloe is our real daughter!” I lay on the freezing tile, watching them surround the woman who had destroyed my life as they escorted her away like a hero. The pharmacy owner kicked me in the side. “Murderer. Get out!” As the rain poured down, I finally understood the truth. They hadn’t just wanted me to take the blame. They wanted me dead.

I spent eight long years in prison, taking the fall for my ex-husband’s mistress. The day I was released, he cornered me in a local pharmacy with a swarm of media cameras behind him. His eyes were red, and he dropped to his knees right in front of the flashing lenses, looking deeply devoted. “Amara, I have waited eight years for you. Let’s get remarried.” Dozens of blinding camera flashes went off in my face, nearly blinding me. Reporters aggressively shoved microphones right into my face. “Miss Sterling. Dr. Julian Vance has remained single for eight years just for you. He even wore your wedding ring to the International Medical Summit. You have been dodging him. Doesn’t your conscience hurt?” “As the felon who killed a patient back then, shouldn’t you be on your knees thanking Dr. Vance for his deep devotion now that you are out?” I stared at the man in front of me, dressed in his expensive, custom-tailored suit. My stomach churned with pure disgust. Eight years ago, I was the youngest chief trauma surgeon in New York. But just three days before Julian and I were supposed to register our marriage. His little assistant, Chloe Miller, made a fatal mistake during an operation. She accidentally severed a major artery, causing a VIP patient to bleed to death on the table. To protect Chloe, who was already pregnant with his child, Julian personally fabricated the surgical logs. He used my sick parents’ lives to blackmail me into taking the plea deal. Then, he played the righteous hero in court. Tears in his eyes, he personally testified against me and sent me to a maximum-security prison. He climbed to the top over my shattered bones. Now, he was the powerful Chief of Medicine at New York Grace Hospital. Meanwhile, my right hand had been brutally broken in prison by inmates he hired. The nerves were completely ruined. Now, my hand shook so badly I couldn’t even hold a medicine bottle steady. Julian remained on one knee on the dirty, muddy tile floor, holding a bouquet of bright red roses. The roses were dripping wet, their deep red color looking exactly like the blood that wouldn’t stop gushing from the patient’s artery on the operating table eight years ago. “Amara, come home with me. Whenever you’re ready, you can always come back to the hospital.” His voice cracked, his eyes brimming with tears. But as he leaned forward under the pretense of handing me the flowers. He whispered in my ear, his voice dropping to a freezing, ruthless murmur that only I could hear. “Amara, the hospital is up for the national prestigious ranking this week. If you dare reject me in front of these cameras, believe me, I’ll pull the plug on your father’s ventilator tomorrow.” My body went completely numb. Staring at this monster, my teeth rattled with pure rage. This was his so-called “deep devotion.” The reporters were still swooning over his greatness, some even tearing up at the scene. I clenched my crippled right hand, preparing to tear his hypocritical mask off even if it cost me my life. But a sudden cry broke the silence.

“Daddy! Mommy and I finally found you!” An eight-year-old boy pushed through the crowd and threw himself right into Julian’s arms. Chloe walked in elegantly, wearing a flowing dress that draped over her slightly swollen belly, flanked by two burly bodyguards. She still had that innocent, helpless look that made men want to protect her. She looked at me, a brief flash of smugness and contempt crossing her eyes. Then, turning to the reporters, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor right in front of me. “Amara, it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been young and stupid back then, I wouldn’t have caused you to make that mistake during the surgery…” She wept beautifully, her tears like tiny daggers stabbing right into my chest. “Julian has waited for you for eight years, and I’ve lived with guilt for eight years. But I beg you, the children are innocent. Leo needs a father, and the baby in my belly is about to be born…” The cameras instantly whipped around to capture Chloe’s tear-stained face. Gasps filled the room. “Oh my God, Chloe has carried this guilt for eight years? She’s too kind!” “Amara Sterling, Chloe is pregnant! You’re a convicted felon, how can you be shameless enough to try to tear their family apart?” I stared at the shouting little boy. I had been in prison for exactly eight years. Which meant Chloe had given birth to this child the exact year I was locked up. While I was taking the fall for her, absorbing the curses of the public, they were already celebrating their new baby. While my right hand was being systematically broken in that dark cell, Julian and Chloe were playing happy family. Before I could speak, a harsh roar cut through the crowd from the entrance. “Amara! You shameless bitch! Are you trying to ruin our family the second you get out of prison?” My biological parents pushed through the crowd, panting heavily. The moment my mother reached me, she didn’t hesitate. She swung her hand and slapped me hard across my right cheek! Slap. The sharp crack echoed through the pharmacy. The force of her blow sent me crashing to the floor. My forehead slammed against the sharp corner of a metal medicine rack. Hot blood immediately trickled down, blurring my vision. My mother trembled with rage, pointing a finger at my face. “You curse! You spent eight years in prison and dragged our family’s name through the mud! If Chloe hadn’t sent us money and medicine every single day, your father would have died of his stroke last month!” My father, leaning heavily on a cane, limped over. He cast a disgusted look at me, then obsequiously helped Chloe up. “Sweetheart, please don’t get upset. This ungrateful brat is just jealous of you. We don’t have a daughter like her! You are our real daughter!” Lying on the freezing floor, looking through a veil of my own blood, I watched my biological parents fuss over the woman who had ruined my life. They despised me. They hated me. They wished I had died in prison so they could comfortably enjoy the wealth Julian and Chloe threw at them. Julian hugged Chloe protectively. Before leaving, he looked down at me with pity. “Amara, your parents are just emotional right now. I still owe you for what happened back then. Here is ten thousand dollars and my business card. Take it.” He pulled a thick stack of bills from his bespoke suit pocket and threw them in my bloody face like he was tossing scraps to a stray dog. The green bills fluttered down through the air, hitting my swollen face. It stung. The happy family of three, flanked by my parents and escorted by the admiring press, marched out of the store. Tom, the pharmacy owner, walked over with a dark face. He snatched the mop from my hands and spat on the floor. “Amara, don’t bother coming in tomorrow. My shop is a small business. I can’t afford to keep an ungrateful felon around! Pack your trash and get out!”

Tom’s words struck like a thunderbolt, ringing in my ears. I looked at my right hand, covered in dirt and blood. The knuckles were severely swollen from rheumatoid arthritis, and my fingers trembled uncontrollably from the permanent nerve damage. Eight years ago, these hands performed high-precision brain surgeries. Now, I couldn’t even grip a broom. “Tom, please, don’t fire me.” I bent my back, discarding every ounce of my dignity, and grabbed the hem of Tom’s shirt. “I don’t need wages. Just give me some scraps and let me sleep in the back storage room. Please…” Tom violently shook me off, throwing me back onto the damp, cold floor. “Amara, I saw the news. You killed someone, and Julian and Chloe have been incredibly generous to you. Instead of being grateful, you humiliated them in public!” “My pharmacy is in a tight-knit community. If the neighbors find out I hired a killer, who will buy medicine from me? Get out! Now!” He tossed my battered backpack out into the street like garbage. The zipper had broken back in prison. My few old clothes spilled into the muddy puddles, instantly stained black by the dirty water splashed by passing cars. The storm finally broke, rain pouring down in sheets. I clutched my soaked backpack, limping down the streets of the small town. As I passed the corner convenience store, the young clerk who usually smiled and called me “Dr. Sterling” while asking for advice on cold meds was now pointing his phone at me, whispering to his coworker. “See her? That’s the ungrateful felon ex-wife from the news. She looks decent, but her heart is black. She actually tried to bully a pregnant woman.” “Stay away from her. People like her are bad luck. Absolutely disgusting.” He spat on the pavement, just inches from my foot. I lowered my head, letting my wet hair cover my face, and ran into the rain. I tried to find work elsewhere in town. Clinics, pharmacies, even small diners. But the moment I walked in, they would see my deformed hand. Then they would look at the viral video playing on their phones, and their faces would instantly turn sour. “Sorry, we don’t hire murderers.” “Get lost. Don’t ruin our business. You’re bad luck!” By midnight, the rain had stopped. I had nowhere to go. I huddled under the rusted metal roof of a bus stop, shivering from the cold. I pulled my right hand out of my sleeve, trying to touch it with my left. Between my thumb and index finger, there was a jagged, hideous scar that looked like a centipede. It happened on my first night in prison eight years ago. Several female inmates used rusty nails to pierce and shred my hand nerves, inch by inch. That night, I fainted from the pain three times on the cold concrete floor. I thought it was a random prison assault back then. But looking back now… Who else but Julian and Chloe would be so terrified of my surgical hands? They didn’t just want me to take the fall. They wanted to permanently cripple me, ensuring I could never return to an operating table, never use my skills to clear my name! I bit my lip so hard it bled, my nails digging deep into my palms. Julian. Chloe. You say you owe me, but you clearly want me dead!

At 5:00 AM, my cheap phone vibrated loudly, breaking the silence of the bus stop. I stared at the caller ID, a number burned into my very soul. Laughing dryly, I swiped to answer. “Amara, I heard you got fired from the pharmacy. You don’t even have a place to stay now?” Julian’s voice was as gentle and caring as ever. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the phone. “Did you put a tracker on me, Julian? Or are those reporters just your personal bloodhounds, watching me twenty-four hours a day so you can enjoy the show?” A soft chuckle came through the receiver, carrying the casual amusement of a predator playing with its prey. “Amara, you’re still as prickly as ever. I’m just looking out for you. In this world, who else actually gives a damn if you live or die?” “You’re thirty-two, you’ve spent eight years in prison, and your right hand is ruined. Do you honestly think any company in this country would hire you without my permission?” My breathing turned heavy, my eyes burning with absolute hatred. “You did this to me. Julian, you know exactly who altered those medical records, and you know exactly who hired those inmates to shred my nerves.” Julian’s voice suddenly turned freezing cold, carrying a sharp warning. “Watch your words, Amara. That case was closed years ago. If you start babbling about conspiracies now, people will just think you had a psychotic break in prison. Be a good girl. Come back to New York.” “I have already set everything up for you. There is an opening for a file clerk in the archives department at Grace Hospital. The pay isn’t high, but it’s enough to get you off the streets. And… Chloe is now the deputy chief of surgery. Since you’re so experienced, you can work as her personal technical advisor. Guide her a bit.” “You want me to assist the murderer who ruined my life? Guide her?” I laughed so hard tears came to my eyes, each word squeezed through my gritted teeth. “In your dreams, Julian! Even if I starve to death on this street, I will never go back to beg for your scraps or be your sick PR prop!” “Is that so?” Julian’s voice remained calm, almost pitying. “Amara, you’re always so stubborn. Do you really think you have a choice?” Before I could reply, loud, chaotic screaming erupted on his end of the line. Suddenly, my mother’s shrill, hysterical voice cut in. “Amara! You curse! Who did you offend out there?!” “The nursing home just threw your father and me out on the street with all our luggage! Your father still has his feeding tube in! They said our account is delinquent and pushed his wheelchair right onto the pavement!” “Julian said we could live here for free forever! Why did he change his mind? Did you offend him again, you ungrateful bitch? I swear, if your father dies on the street today, I will jump off the roof of this building! I’ll write a suicide note in blood blaming you!” My mother’s shrieking voice pierced through the speaker like a red-hot wire, wrapping tightly around my neck, making it impossible to breathe. I knew my parents too well. They were incompetent, selfish, and ignorant. When I got arrested, they didn’t hire a single lawyer for me. Instead, they forced me to confess quickly so I wouldn’t ruin my younger brother’s college prospects. Later, when Julian put them in a luxury nursing home. They immediately treated him and Chloe like their savior and viewed me as embarrassing garbage. If my father really died because his treatment was cut off, my mother would absolutely keep her word. She would commit suicide in front of the media to completely destroy whatever little reputation I had left. Julian took the phone back. His voice was smooth as silk again. “Amara, your parents are old. They can’t handle this kind of stress. If you get on the morning bus back to New York right now, the nursing home’s account will be funded in five minutes.” “You’re a smart girl. You know what to do. I’ll expect your employment paperwork in my office in three days.” The line went dead. The dial tone echoed in the empty bus stop, sounding like a chorus of mockery. I slowly bent over, burying my face in my knees, and finally let the tears pour out. Eight years ago, they stole my innocence, my career, and my hand. Eight years later, they were dragging me back to that hell, wanting to leash me like a dog at their feet just to show the world how “forgiving” they were. I squeezed the dirty, wet business card I had picked up from the puddle. Julian. Chloe. Since you refuse to let me go, since you are forcing me back to New York. Then I will see you in hell.

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My sister, Chloe, got sick. Since then, she slapped my fiancé, Ethan, every single day. “Ethan Carter! You thought my family was biased toward me, didn’t you? You wanted to avenge my little sister, right?” “Hit me back! Why don’t you hit me back?!” “Why do you look down on me? Why do you call me a drama queen? You hate the whole world, but you only love Scarlett, don’t you?” Slowly, Chloe’s screaming turned into sobbing. “Why? Why does everyone else love me, but you don’t?” That night, Ethan didn’t come home. Later, on my birthday, the night of my surgery, and the night I almost died, he never came back either. When I finally saw him again, he tricked me onto the operating table under the guise of a marriage proposal, just to drain my bone marrow for Chloe. At their wedding, to protect Chloe’s reputation, Ethan publicly accused me of being the one who seduced him. So, I left the city. I walked away from that sole, fake, and fleeting bit of love. 1. Five years later, Ethan found me at a funeral home. I was doing reconstructive makeup on a corpse that had been completely disfigured in a car accident. Ethan’s lips trembled. “After leaving me, you ended up living like this?” “Thanks to you and your wife, being a mortician is the only makeup artist job I could find.” Ethan’s eyes turned red. He said anxiously, “Scarlett, I only wanted to teach you a lesson. I didn’t want you running around screaming to everyone that Chloe was a homewrecker… I never thought you’d rather vanish than apologize to me.” I shoved him away. “State your business and get out. If you don’t have any, just crawl back to where you came from.” His lips moved, and he said, “Chloe’s cancer relapsed. We need you to donate bone marrow again.” I burst into laughter. “Ethan, did you forget? You told the world I was a homewrecker. Why would a dirty little homewrecker be sweet enough to donate bone marrow to her rival?” Hearing my response, Ethan’s eyes widened in shock. His face turned cold, and he reached out to grab my arm. “Scarlett, stop talking like that out of spite.” “You just packed up and ran away all these years. Chloe was the one staying by your parents’ side, taking care of them. Plus, she’s your sister.” “How can you just watch her die?” I took a step back. My voice wasn’t as hysterical or angry as I thought it would be. “I just rebuilt the face of a dead person.” “I earn my own living with my own hands. I don’t find it creepy or cursed at all.” “At least dead people don’t team up with my fiancé to steal my bone marrow.” I picked up my makeup kit and brushed off some non-existent dust from my apron. “So don’t talk to me about sisterhood. If you don’t have anything else to say, stop bothering me. My new client today was in a horrific car crash, and the facial reconstruction is going to take a lot of work. I don’t have time to waste on you.” Something I said must have triggered him. His face darkened. Just as he was about to point his finger at my face and lecture me like he used to, his phone rang. I saw the caller ID. It was Chloe. He turned his back to me and picked up. “Chloe? Yes, I found Scarlett.” “Oh, she’s doing just fine. She’s too heartless to actually suffer. Don’t worry, she’s thrilled to hear we’re letting her come home.” “Yes, she’ll agree to the donation.” I stood there, listening to him twist the truth so effortlessly. I was completely speechless. When he hung up and turned back to me, that smug, confident look was back on his face. He acted as if my rejection just now was nothing but a cheap negotiation tactic. Sure enough, Ethan started offering me terms. “You know Chloe has been fragile since we were kids. We can’t let her know about certain things. It’ll stress her out.” “If you’re still bitter about the past, you don’t have to move back into the family house. I’ll buy you a separate condo and wire you a huge sum of cash. But we can only visit you twice a week at most. You know how Chloe gets…” I cut him off. “Save it.” Ethan froze. His endless babbling stopped instantly. The look on his face was pure shock. After all, the old Scarlett would never have interrupted him. Back then, just to have him stay with me a little longer, I would listen to him ramble and scold me like a submissive puppy. “I have work to do, and I can afford my own meals. You should save your charity for the homeless, Mr. Carter.” Ethan was choked by my words. Finally, he let out a long sigh. “Scarlett, do you really have to talk to me like this?” How else should I talk to him? I didn’t think there was anything left to say between us. “Scarlett, you weren’t like this before. You’ve changed. You know I had no choice back then. It didn’t mean I didn’t love you. Why can’t you just understand me?” “Didn’t I use to be the most important thing in your life?” Of course I knew I wasn’t like this before. But when you get tripped up and fall flat on your face enough times, you naturally learn to grow thorns to protect yourself. I looked up and stared coldly into his eyes. The sheer chill in my gaze made him flinch for a second. Suddenly, I smiled. It felt as if a heavy chain around my heart had finally snapped. “Yes, because back then, my world was too small, and I was starving for love.” “So I foolishly believed you were my rock, the lover who would protect me.” “But now I realize, Ethan, you’re really nothing special.” The color instantly drained from Ethan’s face. I gave him a mocking smirk. “What? Are you going to get my boss to fire me again?” “Get lost. If you stay here any longer, your wife might find out I won’t save her. She’ll get so stressed she might have another panic attack.” Ethan followed me all the way to the morgue doors before finally stopping. He stood there, hesitating, a flicker of conflict in his eyes. After a moment, he turned and left. Another reconstructive mortician nudged me with her elbow. “Who was that hot guy?” “I heard he put up a million-dollar bounty just to find you.” My chest tightened. A million dollars. When my parents threw me out of the house, he wouldn’t even give me a hundred bucks. But for another woman, he didn’t hesitate to throw around a million. He loved her so much, yet he still came to me acting like a heartbroken, tragic hero. I didn’t hesitate to tell my colleague, “Just a piece of trash from my past.” She laughed nervously. “Alright, you don’t have to say if you don’t want to. No need to be so harsh.” Without looking up, I said, “If someone tricked you into being a homewrecker, stole your bone marrow, and now comes back demanding more, what would you call him?” She fell silent. After a while, she whispered, “An enemy. Someone I’d pray ends up on my prep table so I can mess up their embalming.” I didn’t hate him that much. Love and hate both take energy, and I didn’t want to waste a single drop of mine on worthless people. To be fair, Ethan never technically tricked me into being a homewrecker. He just waited until my bone marrow was inside Chloe, and then immediately released a joint statement with her family announcing that the bride-to-be had been switched to Chloe. And when I screamed at him in front of the reporters, he looked at me and said, “Scarlett, I never said I was going to marry you. It was all in your head.” Chloe, who had just recovered from her illness, sobbed on camera. “Scarlett, I don’t know why you’re doing this. Since we were kids, you’ve always wanted to steal everything from me. I let you have everything else.” “But Ethan is the love of my life. I can’t let you have him.” The flashing camera lights turned my face pale. I looked past the crowd at our parents. They stood quietly behind Chloe. When my dad met my eyes, he turned his head away. My mom had pity in her eyes, but her mouth opened to spit out: “Scarlett, how can you be so shameless? Seducing Ethan, your own sister’s fiancé?” 2. I wasn’t always the outcast in this family. They used to love me. I used to be an important part of the household. On our living room wall, there were two height-tracking charts. The higher one was Chloe’s, and the lower one was mine. Every time we measured our heights, Mom would hug me and say, “Look at that! My baby is growing so fast!” No matter how busy they were, they would always take us on vacations around the world every summer and winter. We watched penguins in Antarctica and lions in the African savanna. Once, we saw a flock of flamingos gathered by a drying riverbank. With a few loud cries, they took flight, looking like a massive, flying red cloud. “Wow!” Back then, Chloe and I held hands, completely amazed by the sight. But when I looked down at the riverbank, I heard a sad cry. We looked closer. It was a flamingo with a broken wing, running fruitlessly after the flock. I thought it was so sad and asked Mom and Dad to save it. But Chloe was the opposite. She was always the cold, rational one. She looked at me and said, “That’s just nature, Scarlett. Survival of the fittest. You shouldn’t try to change fate.” The moment she finished speaking, blood started gushing from her nose. Mom said the African heat was too dry for her. So, we flew back home immediately. Our parents took Chloe to the hospital for a check-up. When they came back, their faces were pale. With red eyes, Mom stroked my head. “Scarlett, Chloe is very sick. You have to let her have her way from now on, okay?” Dad nodded beside her. “Chloe won’t be able to play with you for a long time. You need to learn to take care of yourself, and take care of her.” After saying that, he turned around and wiped his tears. Being so young, I only understood one thing. Something bad had happened to my family. So, I nodded solemnly. “I will.” I thought this was just me being a mature, understanding daughter. But slowly, my entire existence was erased, piece by piece. Because Chloe needed more sunlight, my bedroom was turned into her playroom. Because Chloe suffered from severe migraines during her treatments and needed absolute quiet, my piano lessons were canceled. Later, on my birthday, Chloe handed me a gift. My usually elegant sister leaned in close and whispered, “Scarlett, why couldn’t the sick one be you? You’re so useless anyway.” I gasped and stumbled backward. The gift dropped and shattered on the floor. But Chloe burst into tears before I could even process what happened. “Scarlett, I know Mom and Dad have been ignoring you because of my sickness.” “But you don’t have to take it out on the gift I bought you. If I could choose, I wouldn’t want to be sick either. Do you know how jealous I am watching you celebrate your birthday?” “Every year, you get to look forward to a new age. But for me, it’s just terror. I don’t even know if I’ll survive to see the next one.” Our parents’ hearts broke. They wrapped her in their arms, their faces filled with pain and pity. When they looked at me, their eyes were full of disgust. My mom, who used to praise me for being so easygoing, said coldly, “Throwing a tantrum over nothing! You are so selfish and greedy. Why can’t you be more mature?!” From that day on, I never had another birthday party, because it made Chloe sad. Hearing this, Mia, my colleague, gasped. “Your sister said that to you, and you didn’t tell your parents?” I smiled faintly. “When people are biased, the truth sounds like a lie anyway. What was the point of talking?” At first, I did try to tell them about Chloe’s cruelty toward me. But they just sat in silence for a long time. Then, the woman who gave birth to both of us said with a sigh of disapproval, “Chloe is sick, Scarlett. Why do you have to be so petty with her?” “Can’t you just let her win for once?” Eventually, even when I said absolutely nothing, Mom would lean against the hospital wall, exhausted, and stare at me with cold, hollow eyes. “Scarlett, your sister was right.” “Why couldn’t the sick one be you?” Mia’s eyes welled up with tears. She looked at me, trying to blink them away. Then she said, “Screw them. We don’t need them.” “From now on, we’ll celebrate every single birthday with you.” I smiled warmly at her. “Thanks, I appreciate it. But after some things happened, I stopped celebrating birthdays altogether.” She wanted to ask why, but hesitated. I said casually, “The day I was tricked into donating bone marrow, and the day I found out the truth…” “That was my birthday.” “When I was lying on that operating table, Ethan told me he had a birthday surprise for me.” “When I woke up, I saw him putting a ring on Chloe’s finger, telling her they’d pick out the prettiest bridesmaid dress for me.” 3. Honestly, they didn’t even have to trick me. I wouldn’t have refused to donate my bone marrow to Chloe. They were just paranoid because of their own guilt. Because they knew how much they owed me. My SAT scores were great, which made Chloe cry. So, to keep the peace, I chose a major they hated: Mortuary Science. The day my college acceptance letter arrived, my mother actually looked a bit guilty. “We have enough money to support you for the rest of your life.” “It’s just a college major, don’t be so dramatic. Why don’t you drop out and come work at the family company?” I ignored her. Mom frowned, clearly annoyed. That night, when I went downstairs to get some water, I heard her talking to Dad. “Scarlett is too cold-hearted.” “She always acts like we owe her something. If she wasn’t my own flesh and blood, I wouldn’t even look at her.” Dad replied, “Then don’t.” With just those few words, my college fund was cut off. I didn’t receive a single dime for living expenses. I had to work multiple part-time jobs. Using my skills in cosmetics, I occasionally got hired to do makeup for freelance models. That was how I met Ethan, who had also been cut off by his family and was working as a part-time model. He was incredibly handsome, and everything he wore looked like custom designer clothing. He was constantly booked for gigs. Naturally, we got close. When he found out about my family, his eyes were full of sympathy. At that time, we hadn’t made things official yet. There was just that sweet, innocent tension between us. One day, Ethan suddenly told me he was going home to call off an arranged engagement. I thought he was joking and laughed. “I didn’t know you were some rich heir. Who even does arranged marriages these days?” But Ethan’s face was deadly serious. He looked straight into my eyes. “I’m serious, Scarlett.” “I have someone I love now. So I am calling off that wedding, no matter what.” A few days later, my parents, who hadn’t called me in months, suddenly phoned. They stared at me as if they were evaluating a piece of cheap merchandise. After a long silence, they sighed with disappointment. “Studying dead people really brings bad luck.” “No wonder he wants to call off the wedding.” “Yeah, if only Chloe weren’t sick.” They dragged me to a luxury hotel without explaining anything. When they pushed the door open, a wealthy middle-aged couple was sitting inside. Next to them was Ethan. The engagement cancellation was never mentioned again. When Ethan realized that I was the younger daughter of the Miller family, his eyes lit up like stars. He told me, “Scarlett, we are meant to be.” “Don’t worry. I’m here now. I will protect you and never let you suffer again.” “I will love you forever.” What a beautiful promise. And back then, I actually believed him. I believed he would love me forever. My heart was so full of happiness that I forgot to refuse my parents’ demand for me to move back home. When we arrived, Chloe was sitting at the dining table, slowly sipping an expensive organic green juice. Seeing me, a smirk spread across her face. “What happened? You look so happy.” Instinctively, I hid my ring finger behind my back. Her smile vanished instantly. She said flatly, “Scarlett is a big girl now. She has secrets.” That very night, Chloe went missing. Our family searched for her all day. My parents were losing their minds. I walked up to Mom to comfort her. “Don’t worry, Mom. Let’s call the police first. We’ll find her.” Suddenly, her hand flew up and slapped me hard across the face. My ears rang from the impact. “This is all your fault!” “You have someone who loves you! You think you’re so special! If Chloe weren’t sick, you wouldn’t even be standing here gloating!” “You ungrateful brat! Chloe left a note. She said you were rubbing your wedding in her face because you hate her! Now she’s sick, her immune system is weak, and she’s been gone for twenty-four hours. Are you happy now?!” Dad watched the whole thing with cold eyes. Nobody bothered to ask if I had even spoken a single word to Chloe since I got home. Eventually, Chloe was found in the public library. She looked at the red slap mark on my cheek, and her lips curled up. She turned to Mom and said, “Mom, Scarlett really crossed the line this time.” “We should teach her a lesson, right?” Seeing our parents nod, my heart turned to ice. At that moment, I wanted to see Ethan so badly. So, even though they locked me in the basement, I managed to break the small window and crawl out. The broken glass sliced my arms and legs, leaving me covered in blood. I dragged myself all the way to Ethan’s apartment. He wanted to hold me but was terrified of hurting my wounds. His eyes were filled with tears of pure rage and heartbreak. “How could they do this to you?! What right do they have?!” After my wounds were bandaged at the hospital, Ethan wanted to go demand justice from my family, despite my protests. I held him back. Ethan was more furious than I was. He asked hoarsely, “Are we just going to let them get away with this?” I shook my head. It wasn’t that I didn’t want justice; it was just impossible. If a stranger hurts you, you call the cops. But with family, the law just calls it a “domestic dispute.” “You can’t choose your bloodline, and you can’t easily cut off your family.” Ethan gently held my hands, treating them like fragile glass. “It’s okay, Scarlett. You can choose your partner.” “From now on, as long as I’m here, I will never let anyone hurt you again.” Ethan used to be my entire world. 4. The memories faded from my mind. I guess Ethan’s sudden appearance had dragged up all those old, painful thoughts. Not long after Ethan found me, my deputy director, Robert, called me into his office. He poured me a cup of tea and started talking about family, his own struggles, and his past conflicts with his parents. Then, he said in a warm, fatherly tone, “Scarlett, I know how hard it was when you first started here. As a parent myself, hearing about your past breaks my heart.” “But blood is thicker than water. When you get to my age, you realize that regretting not making peace with your parents before it’s too late is a pain you can’t cure. You’re still young. Don’t let your past become a permanent regret.” I knew someone had pulled some strings. Whether it was my parents or Ethan, I didn’t care. The old Scarlett believed family was an unbreakable bond. The current Scarlett believed that some bonds were meant to be burned. I looked calmly at Robert. “Whether they are family or strangers, donating bone marrow is a personal choice.” “I know what you’re trying to do, but I already donated once.” “I don’t owe them anything. So, my answer is still no.” Robert sighed. “But she’s your sister.” “Have you thought about what happens if you refuse? She will die.” “If you let your own sister die, how will people look at you? It’ll ruin your reputation here at the funeral home.” I didn’t get it. I worked at a crematorium. My daily “clients” couldn’t talk. Why would I care about my reputation? I looked up at the man who had been a good boss to me. The door to his private lounge was slightly ajar. I didn’t even need to guess who was hiding inside. “I understand, but I still refuse.” “To them, I’ve always been invisible. Since I’m just an extra, we should keep out of each other’s lives. They throw me away when they don’t need me, and drag me back with guilt trips when they do.” “I despise people like that.” “Bam!” The lounge door was kicked open. My father rushed out and slapped me hard across the face. He glared at me, his eyes bloodshot with rage. “We raised you! We fed you, clothed you! How dare you talk about cutting us off?! You ungrateful bitch!” Robert jumped up instantly and pulled me behind him. “Keep your hands to yourself! Why are you hitting her?!” “Do you want to solve this or not?!” My cheek felt numb. I knew it was already swelling up. I looked at my furious, weeping parents. Then I looked at Ethan, who was standing behind them with a slight frown, and I just laughed. I turned to Robert. “Robert, you said the old director brought me here when I was a complete mess.” “You gave me a job, and I appreciate that. Usually, I wouldn’t say no to you.” “But did you know? The day the old director found me, I was actually trying to hang myself.” “But I was so broke, I couldn’t even buy a decent rope. It snapped.” The angry expressions on my parents’ and Ethan’s faces turned white instantly. Guilt and panic flashed across their faces. Honestly, The time I spent with Ethan after escaping my family was the happiest of my life. No Chloe, no toxic parents. We did everything I had always wanted to do but couldn’t because of Chloe. We ate foods I was never allowed to touch. Then, Ethan was scouted by a talent agent. He starred in a few low-budget web series and became an overnight sensation. Dozens of agencies wanted to sign him. Ethan’s only condition for signing any contract was that I had to be his personal makeup artist. When his first movie premiered, his agency threw a massive party. My parents and Chloe showed up. Ethan held my hand tightly under the table and whispered, “Scarlett, my manager invited them. If you’re uncomfortable, we can leave early.” “No need.” This was his big night. I didn’t want to ruin it for him. Chloe walked over, smiling as she swirled a glass of juice. “Scarlett, you ran away for so long without a word. Mom and Dad were worried sick. Turns out you were just busy chasing a boyfriend.” I raised my glass of champagne, drank it in one gulp, and walked away without saying a word to her. When I turned back, Chloe was still standing there, smiling. My mother was whispering insults next to her. I knew she was calling me ungrateful. A few days later, Ethan suddenly said to me, “Scarlett…” “I think your sister is actually pretty pitiable.” “She’s so young and has this awful disease. She can’t eat anything fun, can’t travel, and her family doesn’t even understand her.” I didn’t get it back then. My parents practically worshipped the ground she walked on. How did Ethan come to the conclusion that Chloe was unloved? It wasn’t until I woke up on that cold operating table that I finally understood. The “ununderstanding family member” he was talking about… was me.

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Right before the drop tower launched, my best friend gave my boyfriend a quick look. In perfect sync, he unbuckled his safety harness and ran off with her. I was left sitting on the ride, completely frozen. My boyfriend stood in the safe zone, smiling. “Serena said you’re too chicken. She said the only way to cure your phobia is to face it head-on, so have fun riding it alone!” The ride shot up. As Serena watched my terrified, ridiculous expression, she burst into hysterical laughter, snapping photos of me with her phone. My boyfriend said something to her, a helpless smile on his face, before picking her up and hoisting her onto his shoulders so she could get a better angle for her photos. I couldn’t hear his words over the wind, but I could easily guess what he was saying. “Alright, once you’ve had your laugh, don’t tease her anymore. Chloe is sensitive, she’s pathetic enough as it is.” I have always been a coward. We grew up together for twenty years, and this was always their way of “helping me build courage.” When we were kids, Serena purposely threw rocks to attract a stray dog. Ethan carried Serena on his back and climbed up a wall, leaving me to be chased around the yard, sobbing in terror. In high school, Serena locked me in a room with two creepy older guys who started groping me. She and Ethan stood outside the door, giggling. … Every time I shook with fear, it was just entertainment for Serena. And Ethan would always stand behind her, lazily saying, “Don’t do it again next time.” But his “next time” was always just a green light for Serena to find a new way to torment me. As the drop tower climbed sixty feet into the air, the stomach-churning weightlessness hit me. But suddenly, I realized I wasn’t scared anymore. When the ride finally hit the ground, two pairs of hands reached out to help me up. I pushed them both away. “From now on, I don’t need either of you to help me build courage.”

Ethan laughed, reaching out to ruffle my hair. “Did you freeze up, Chloe? Your courage didn’t grow, but you look even dumber now.” Serena chimed in, banter rolling off her tongue smoothly. “Hey, I’m willing to take my time to help her get better.” I pressed my lips together, staring at the two of them putting on their little show. “This isn’t helping me. This is bullying.” Serena’s smile froze on her face. “Chloe, that’s actually so hurtful. I spend my free time trying to help you, and you call it bullying?” “Fine! How about I go ride the roller coaster? The one thing I’m absolutely terrified of. Would that make us even?” She turned and started walking toward the roller coaster. Ethan frowned, glared at me, and grabbed her arm. “Don’t force yourself. You cried last time. I’ll go with you.” I just stood there. Yet, just minutes ago, before we got on the drop tower, Ethan had looked at me and said: “You can’t be this childish, Chloe. It’s just an amusement park ride. You don’t need someone to hold your hand.” When the roller coaster came to a stop, Serena was buzzing with excitement. “Having someone ride with you is actually so fun! See, Chloe? It’s not even that scary!” But nobody was riding with me. Ethan looked at my expressionless face. “If you’re still mad, how about we ride the drop tower with you one more time?” But this time, they chose the double-seater drop tower—the “Lovers’ Express.” It was designed so that the riders had to face each other and hug tightly, or the seats would tilt during the drop. Engraved on the ride was the slogan: “Give your deepest trust to the one closest to you.” When the operator mentioned they only had room for two, Ethan glanced at me. “Chloe was pretty freaked out just now. Let’s not push her. Serena and I will go.” They laughed and strapped themselves in, facing each other. It was so strange. When they wanted a good laugh, I wasn’t allowed to be scared. But now, suddenly, my fear was convenient for them? I stared at them as they buckled their safety harnesses. “Ethan, the engagement ceremony in five days? Let’s call it off.” Ethan’s playful expression vanished, replaced by sudden panic. “Chloe, stop throwing a tantrum! We’ll talk when I get down!” Once the ride ended, they chased me all the way to the entrance of my neighborhood. My mom was sitting outside, chatting with the neighbors. Seeing me, she frowned. “What’s wrong? Did you have a bad time?” Serena suddenly walked up, looking incredibly hurt, and wrapped her arm around my mom’s. “Mrs. Miller, we were just trying to help Chloe with her anxiety like you asked. But she said I was bullying her, and now she wants to break up with Ethan.” Ethan caught up, adding, “You can’t just throw the word ‘breakup’ around so easily, Chloe.” My mom’s face darkened instantly. She grabbed my ear, pinching it hard. “Calling off the wedding just like that? Who do you think you are?!” The neighbors started whispering. My mom’s voice grew louder and harsher. “This girl is a coward. Ethan and Serena were nice enough to help her, and she’s being an ungrateful brat!” “Do you want to stay a useless loser hiding in this house for the rest of your life?!” As the neighbors stared and gossiped, my face burned as if I had been slapped. Ethan stepped in front of me, shielding me slightly. “It’s okay, Mrs. Miller. It doesn’t matter if Chloe is like this. I’ll protect her.” Hearing this, my mom got even angrier. She dragged me upstairs by my arm. The moment the front door slammed shut, my tears finally spilled onto the floor. “Mom, why am I your daughter, but you always believe other people over me?” My mom let out a cold sneer. “I gave birth to you. You think I don’t know what kind of pathetic creature you are?” “Ever since you were a kid, you’ve been terrified of everything. You’re nothing like Serena. You can’t do anything right… you’re just like your spineless father!” Her words carved into my bones like a knife. But I wanted to be brave too. When I was little, money was tight. My mom had high expectations, and she viewed my dad’s gentle nature as cowardice. She used to scream at him, saying his weakness was the reason we were poor. So, she tried to “toughen me up” since I was a toddler. When I was three and afraid of the dark, she locked me in the dark closet. I cried until I lost my voice. When she finally let me out, she beat me anyway. When I was afraid of water, she shoved my face into a basin. If I couldn’t hold my breath, another beating followed. She called it “desensitization.” But it only made me more terrified. Because making a mistake meant punishment, and punishment proved I was useless. Then, when I was eight, my dad decided he would rather lose custody of me than stay with my mom. He divorced her and left. From that day on, I didn’t dare to do anything wrong. I was terrified that if I messed up, my mom would abandon me too. Meanwhile, Serena, who grew up next door, was outgoing, charming, and always knew exactly what to say to please adults. My mom would always say wistfully, “I wish Serena were my daughter.” My mom pointed toward my bedroom, her voice dripping with disgust. “Go to your room and think about what you did.” “If you leave Ethan, who else is going to do charity work by marrying you?” She then dialed Serena and Ethan’s numbers. Her voice instantly softened, sweet and warm. “Serena, sweetie, I’ll make Chloe apologize to you guys. Come over for dinner tonight, okay?” I leaned against my bedroom door, wiped my tears, and called my friend. “Lucy, you’re leading that volunteer teaching program to the remote mountain school in five days, right? Do you still have an opening?” “Are you sure, Chloe? That place is totally off-grid. No signal, no Wi-Fi, and there are snakes. Aren’t you terrified of snakes?” “I’m not scared.” “But what about your engagement? How are you going to explain this to your mom? She’ll skin you alive!” I gripped my phone tightly. “Lucy, I want to run away. Just this once, I want to be brave for myself.”

Serena and Ethan arrived early, carrying heavy grocery bags. Ethan came to me first to apologize. “Chloe, we bought all your favorite foods. Don’t be mad anymore, okay?” I didn’t answer. When dinner was served, the table was covered in Serena’s favorites: mashed potatoes with sausage, ratatouille, and red wine braised beef. Serena gasped. “Oh my gosh, these are all my favorites! Thank you, Ethan, for driving all the way to get them, and thank you, Mrs. Miller, for cooking them!” But in front of me sat only a single ceramic pot. I lifted the lid. Inside was a bowl of live, crawling garden snails. I almost knocked the bowl off the table. Back in elementary school, some boys had stuffed snails into my backpack. When I reached in to grab my books, my fingers brushed against that slimy, wriggling texture. I had screamed and cried, and from that day on, they gave me a nickname: “Snail Girl.” Since then, I had been utterly terrified of them. But when my mom found out, she started forcing me to eat them. “It’s because you haven’t had them enough. Eat more, and you won’t be scared anymore.” Once, she forced me to swallow one. I vomited so hard I ended up in the ER with acute gastroenteritis. Back then, Ethan had snuck into my hospital room, gently stuffing a chicken leg into my hand. “Chloe, move in with me in the future. I promise I will never force you to eat anything you’re afraid of.” “It’s okay to be a little cowardly.” The sincerity in his eyes back then was the exact reason I fell in love with him. But now, he picked up one of the crawling snails with his fork and dropped it into my bowl. “They look scary, but they’re actually super nutritious. You can even eat them raw.” I stared at the crawling snail in my bowl, picked it up, and dropped it into Serena’s bowl. “Then she should eat it.” Ethan immediately grabbed it back and put it in my bowl. “How can you do that? Serena thinks they’re disgusting. Just looking at them gives her goosebumps.” My mom slapped the back of my head. “Just eat it and stop dragging your feet. Who are you pulling that miserable face for?” I stared at the bowl for a long time. Then, I picked up the snail and put it in my mouth. I felt like throwing up. But I forced myself to swallow. It turned out… it wasn’t actually that scary. They watched me, their faces filled with satisfaction, like scientists looking at a successful experiment. The dinner continued to be lively. Ethan picked the bones out of the fish for Serena, and my mom scooped soup for her. I sat there like an unwanted piece of furniture. Halfway through the meal, Ethan suddenly spoke up. “Oh, by the way, Chloe. For your team’s project presentation tomorrow at the office… why don’t you let Serena do it?” “You get so nervous in front of crowds. You’ll probably stutter.” For once in my life, I caught on instantly. I knew exactly what Ethan was doing. He pretended to care about my anxiety, but he also knew this project was a huge deal. He wanted to hand the spotlight to Serena. But I had stayed up for three consecutive nights to finish that deck. I didn’t care about showing off, but I wanted to try. Just once, I wanted to stand at the front. “I want to present it myself.” The table fell dead silent for a second. Ethan frowned. “Are you sure? There will be a lot of people tomorrow. Don’t freeze up on stage.” My mom gave me another disappointed look. “You can’t even speak clearly in front of your own relatives. Why bother?” “It’s fine if you embarrass yourself, but don’t embarrass Ethan.” I looked at them seriously. “Haven’t you guys always wanted me to be braver?” Serena tried to smooth things over. “I think it’s amazing that Chloe is taking this step. I support you!” That night, I stayed up until 2:00 AM practicing with the slides. But I never expected that when I stepped onto the stage the next day, several key data slides would be completely blank. I froze on stage. Ethan sat in the front row, watching me calmly for a few seconds. Then he stood up and spoke to the room. “Having the courage to stand on stage is the first step. But professional capability is about mastering your data and improvising under pressure.” At the same time, my phone buzzed in my hand. It was a Snapchat message from Serena: “Ethan and I deleted those two slides on purpose! In the real world, clients throw curveballs at you all the time. You need to learn how to improvise without panicking!” Dozens of eyes stared at me. My hands shook uncontrollably. No slides. No data. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I stumbled through it. I tripped over my words three times. It wasn’t a masterpiece, but I finished it. When I was done, Ethan and Serena looked visibly stunned. Stepping off the stage, I received a text from Lucy: “We’re leaving for the mountains the day after tomorrow. Have you made up your mind?” I replied: “Yes. I already bought my ticket.”

At the after-work happy hour, Serena had a few drinks and immediately started sharing embarrassing stories from my childhood. “You guys have no idea how much of a coward Chloe is.” “Back in middle school, some kids locked her in the gym equipment locker overnight. She just cried until her voice went hoarse. She didn’t even dare to knock on the door to ask for help!” A coworker wiped a tear from laughing. “Chloe, you’re literally a tragic pushover.” Serena nudged Ethan with her elbow. “Ethan, tell them. Am I lying?” Ethan looked at my humiliated face, hesitating for a moment. But Serena tugged at his sleeve, and he finally opened his mouth. “Yeah. When the teacher finally found her and asked what happened, she was so scared she just hid behind me and wouldn’t lift her head.” The entire table roared with laughter. My nails dug deep into my palms. I gathered every ounce of my courage. “Can you stop? I don’t like being laughed at.” The table went dead silent. A coworker leaned in and whispered to me, “Don’t pick a fight with Serena. Her family has connections. Even the boss told everyone to look out for her.” She paused, realizing something. “Wait, if you and Serena grew up together, you must know the boss too? Why are you…” I froze. I remembered how badly I wanted to be close to Ethan. I had worked myself to the bone to pass the interviews for this company. But when we ran into each other in the lobby on my first day, he didn’t even say hi. Later, he told me, “I don’t want people giving you special treatment just because of me, Chloe. You need to grow on your own.” I forced a tight smile at my coworker. “We just went to the same school. We aren’t close.” Later in the night, someone suggested going to an escape room. An asylum-themed escape room with a five-star horror rating. Clearly, it was targeted at me. When we were splitting into groups, everyone actively avoided me. One coworker joked, “We don’t want to get dragged down by you, Chloe.” In the end, only Ethan, Serena, and I were left. Ethan looked at me with conflict in his eyes, but ultimately stepped over to Serena’s side. “Chloe, this is a great chance to build your courage. Try doing it alone.” Everyone went in, paired up. Except me. I felt like I was eight years old again. My mom didn’t love me, and the neighborhood kids didn’t want to play with me. Whenever we played games, nobody ever picked me. I had wanted to go home back then, but my mom had dragged me back to the group. “You always shrink back like a sewer rat! If you acted more like Serena, people would actually want to play with you!” I had stood alone under a tree. Then, Ethan had walked over. “I’ll be in your group.” But the moment Serena’s partner left, Ethan immediately abandoned me to go to her. Twenty years later, I was still the one left behind. I used to think Ethan was the savior who would pull me out of my insecurity. But in reality, he had always held Serena’s hand, watching me drown in deep water. The staff member at the door asked me, “Ma’am, are you going in alone?” I clenched my fists. “Yes. Just me.” The heavy door pushed open, and everything went pitch black. The smell of bleach, flashing red lights, and mannequins draped in white sheets surrounded me. At a corner, Serena suddenly jumped out to jump-scare me. My foot slipped, and I fell hard, my forehead slamming against the sharp metal frame of a prop bed. The lights in the room flashed on instantly, followed by a chorus of laughter. “Oh my god, Chloe! You’re so easy to scare!” My knee was bleeding, and a huge bump was already forming on my forehead. I brushed the dust off my clothes, turned around, and walked straight out of the building. Ethan chased after me. “Are you mad? Serena only did that for your own good.” I swallowed the pain and shook my head. “I’m not mad.” He reached out, patted my bruised forehead, and smiled. “That’s my good girl.” The group dispersed. Ethan was going to drive Serena home. “Her apartment is in a sketchy neighborhood. It’s too dark for her to go alone.” “You can just Uber back, okay?” I looked into his eyes. “Why is it that when it comes to Serena, you never think she needs to ‘toughen up’?” His mouth opened, but no words came out. Suddenly, I had no desire to hear his excuse. “Forget it. Just go.” When I got home, my mom was sitting on the couch eating grapes. “Did Ethan drive you home?” “He went to drop off Serena.” My mom tossed a grape skin into the trash. “Look at how useless you are.” “Ethan has a great family, a great career. Serena fits him so much better. He must have been blind to choose you, and yet you’re still not satisfied.” I looked at my mom, really looked at her. “Mom, you’re right. Serena suits Ethan way better than I do.” “And she suits being your daughter way better, too.”

My mom snapped, standing up instantly. “You dare talk back to me? Who do you think wants you anyway?” “You’re just like your spineless father! You’ll never be half the girl Serena is!” I shut my bedroom door. She spent half the night screaming curses outside. I put on my headphones and began packing my bags. The next morning, I went out to buy supplies for the mountains. Snake repellent, bug spray, a first-aid kit… When I returned, the front door was slightly ajar. I heard laughter coming from the living room. First, it was Serena’s voice. “During the engagement party, when Chloe walks onto the stage, we should trigger a little prank to scare her. It’ll be great for her anxiety.” “Should we throw a fake snake or a dead rat?” Ethan went silent for a long time. Serena sounded annoyed. “Why are you making that face? If you’re going to take her side, then just ignore me!” He finally sighed. “Fine… but this is really the last time. I don’t want Chloe getting too traumatized.” He claimed he cared, yet he agreed to it anyway. My mom laughed along. “A little scare is good for her. She’s been talking back lately. This will teach her a lesson.” The afternoon sun was blazing hot, but I felt freezing cold. My own engagement party was going to be turned into a public humiliation prank. But it was fine. It really didn’t matter anymore. The room inside went quiet. I pushed the door open. Ethan immediately stood up, looking nervous, and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “We were just planning the perfect engagement party for you, Chloe.” “Okay,” I murmured. Serena leaned in. “Hey Chloe, I’m taking Ethan out for a bachelor night tonight. You don’t mind, right?” “I don’t mind.” But at 2:00 AM, my phone rang. I had to drive to a bar to pick up the two of them, completely drunk. Serena’s makeup was smudged with tears as she clutched Ethan’s sleeve. “If you hadn’t refused to go to the same college as me… if you had just confessed to me back then, I wouldn’t have lied and said I didn’t like you.” Ethan covered his eyes with his hand, his voice thick and raspy. “I regret it too… I shouldn’t have gotten drunk and kissed Chloe just to make you jealous. I shouldn’t have stayed with her.” “But she looked so pathetic when she smiled…” I leaned against the doorframe of the bar, my knees going weak. On the night of our high school graduation, we had all gotten drunk. Ethan, completely wasted, had pulled me into an alley, kissed me, and whispered, “I love you so much.” That was the first time anyone had ever told me they loved me. I had felt like the luckiest girl in the world, my head spinning with joy. He had fallen asleep on my shoulder, and I hadn’t dared to move an inch, my heart racing all night long. Ten years. It was all a mistake. I let out a mocking laugh at myself. Of course. Why would anyone ever love a girl like me? I hauled both of them into the car and took them home. The next morning, Ethan and Serena came to pick up my mom, saying they were going to the venue early to set up. I knew they were going to set up their “surprise.” Ethan stood at the door, smiling. “Take your time getting ready, Chloe. No rush.” I nodded, watching their car drive away. Lucy was waiting for me at the train station. When I arrived, Ethan Snapchat-messaged me: “Take your time, we aren’t fully ready yet.” In the background of his voice note, I could hear Serena shrieking with laughter. “No, this fake rat doesn’t look real enough! Find another one!” So that was their surprise. I didn’t reply. My mom sent a voice note in the family WhatsApp group: “Chloe is always so slow and can’t handle big crowds. We’re delaying the start of the ceremony to let her prepare.” I smiled, muted my phone, and stepped onto the bus with Lucy. Right before my phone lost signal in the mountains, I received one last voice note from Ethan. “Where are you? You can come now. We’re ready.” In the background, Serena laughed, “Hurry up, Chloe! Your surprise is waiting!” I turned off my phone and never looked back. Meanwhile, at the hotel banquet hall. Ethan and the others waited. The double doors were suddenly pushed open. Serena screamed and threw the prop rat. But the only person standing at the door was the hotel manager. “Miss Miller asked me to deliver a message. She won’t be attending her engagement party. She hopes you all have a wonderful evening.” Ethan’s smile shattered. My mom froze in utter disbelief.

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I’m a first-year OB-GYN resident, and I have a secret: I can hear unborn babies talk. Today, a pregnant woman came in. Her amniotic fluid index was running dangerously low. Suddenly, a tiny voice echoed in my head. “Doctor, my dad has drugged my mom three times already. Save me!” The ultrasound probe in my hand trembled. I looked up. The man standing next to the pregnant woman was staring at his phone, laughing at some screen. I took a deep breath, carefully choosing my words. “There’s a slight issue with this report. I highly recommend a follow-up scan.” Immediately, their entire family stood up. A dozen eyes glared at me. “Doctor, are you saying there’s something wrong with our baby?” Right at that moment, the baby spoke again. “Doctor, the killer is standing right in front of you.” Hearing the commotion, the Attending Physician, Dr. Ronald Carter, walked over with a frown. He snatched the report and glanced at it. “The levels are within the normal range. Paige, stop talking nonsense.” I nodded slowly. Fine. Believe whatever you want.

“Are interns these days just desperate for commission?” Victor Vance snatched the ultrasound report from Dr. Carter’s hands and pointed a finger directly at my nose. “It says right here in black and white: ‘No obvious abnormalities.’” “You open your mouth and demand a re-scan. You just want to scam us into paying for more tests, don’t you?” His spit flew onto my mask. I looked at him, my gaze cold. “The amniotic fluid is low. While it’s technically at the borderline, the fetal heart rate is showing abnormal fluctuations.” “For the mother’s safety, a follow-up is the safest option.” “Bullshit!” Victor’s mother, Eleanor, shoved me aside and stepped in front of her son. “My son is a high-level executive who graduated from an Ivy League school! You think he can’t read a simple report?” “You put on a white coat and think you can curse my grandson?” “Keep this up, and I will report you to the medical board and get your license revoked!” Ignoring her screaming, I turned to look at Chloe Lindemann, who was lying on the examination table. She was an heiress to a massive family fortune, and Victor’s wife. Right now, she was gently holding Victor’s hand, her voice soft and submissive. “Honey, don’t be mad. It’s not worth ruining your day over.” She looked at me, her eyes filled with disapproval. “Dr. Sterling, I know you residents have performance targets to meet.” “But my husband wakes up in the middle of the night just to brew organic herbal pre-natal tea for me.” “He even tests the temperature of my drinking water himself.” “How could he ever harm me?” Chloe caressed her swollen belly, her face practically glowing with happiness. “Your unprofessional scare tactics are honestly disgusting.” I stared at her. In my ears, the baby’s crying was growing louder. “Doctor! It’s poison!” “It’s so bitter! It hurts!” “He’s been poisoning me since I was tiny! And these past few days, he added an even stronger drug!” “Doctor, please look at me!” I gripped the medical clipboard tightly. “Mrs. Vance, some damages are irreversible.” “If there’s really nothing wrong with your diet, why has the baby’s growth stalled compared to last month?” “Shut up!” Victor suddenly snapped, shoving me hard. My lower back slammed against the metal equipment cabinet. I gasped from the sharp pain. “Ronald!” Victor turned and yelled at Dr. Carter. “Is this how you train your staff?” “This isn’t over. I’m taking this straight to the hospital administration!” Dr. Carter’s face turned pale. He glared at me, then immediately put on a fake smile for Victor. “Mr. Vance, please calm down.” “Paige is new and doesn’t know the rules. I will handle this strictly.” Victor let out a cold snort and helped Chloe up. “Let’s go, babe. We’re not staying in this trash hospital.” Chloe’s best friend, Amber Davis, rushed forward to hand over her designer bag. “Exactly, Chloe. Let’s go to a private clinic. No need to waste time with this cheap doctor.” As Amber passed by me, she rolled her eyes. They walked out. The baby’s crying slowly faded into the distance. By the afternoon, a hospital-wide warning was issued against me. Dr. Carter called me into his office and screamed at me for half an hour. “Paige Sterling, have you lost your mind?” “Chloe Lindemann is the heiress of the Lindemann Group, and Victor Vance is the vice president!” “You offended them! Do you want our department to lose our annual funding?” I stood straight. “Dr. Carter, the fetal heart rate was indeed abnormal. I was only doing my job.” Dr. Carter slammed his hand on the desk. “Your job? Your job is to follow my orders!” “Starting tomorrow, you are out of the ultrasound room. Go to the inpatient ward and do grunt work.” “If you cause any more trouble, I won’t sign off on your residency certificate.” I said nothing, turned around, and walked out of the office.

By the time I finished my shift, it was pouring rain outside. I walked down to the parking garage, ready to drive home. Just as I turned the corner by a concrete pillar, I froze. Under the dim yellow lights, a car was parked in the far corner, its door half-open. Victor had a woman pinned against the car door, kissing her passionately. The woman’s arms were wrapped tightly around his neck, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. “Victor, babe… when is that ugly brat in that bitch’s stomach finally going to die?” Victor was breathing heavily, his hands wandering under her skirt. “Soon, Amber.” “I increased the dosage of the drug. In two weeks at most, it’ll be a stillborn.” “When that happens, all the shares of the Lindemann Group will be ours.” Amber giggled. “Then you’d better reward me really, really well.” Standing in the shadows, I pulled out my phone and pressed the record button. The faint glow of the screen lit up my face. You can’t save someone who is bent on self-destruction. But I would never let that innocent baby die without a fight. The next day, Chloe was admitted to the hospital. Because of some light spotting the night before, Victor had rushed her to my ward for preventive bed rest. The entire department now knew she was a billionaire heiress. The head nurse had specially arranged the best private suite for her. When I walked in with the Doppler fetal monitor and blood pressure cuff for routine checks, the room was packed. Several relatives were crowding around Victor, showering him with praise. “Oh, Victor is truly the perfect husband.” “Right? He even washes her feet himself. You can’t find a man like this nowadays even if you search with a flashlight.” Victor was indeed kneeling by the bed, holding a towel, meticulously wiping Chloe’s feet. He looked up and gave a warm, gentle smile. “Chloe is carrying my child and going through so much pain. Doing this is the least I can do.” Chloe leaned against the pillows, her eyes red with emotion. “Honey, you’re so good to me.” I walked to the bedside to check her chart. “Chloe Lindemann, I need to take your blood pressure and check the baby’s heart rate.” Seeing me, Chloe’s face instantly hardened. She pulled her feet out of the water basin, frowning. “Why is it you again?” “Is this hospital short-staffed? Why are they letting someone who was disciplined touch my belly?” Ignoring her attitude, I quickly pulled the privacy curtains and squeezed the ultrasound gel onto her skin. “Lift your shirt, please.” Victor stood up, dried his hands, and blocked my path. “Dr. Sterling, I haven’t settled yesterday’s account with you yet.” “You’d better keep your hands gentle. Don’t press that probe too hard. If you hurt my wife, I’ll make sure you regret it.” I let out a faint smirk. “Don’t worry, Mr. Vance. I only treat patients. I don’t watch dramas.” After recording the vitals, I wiped her belly with a paper towel. Just as I was about to leave, the door was pushed open. Amber walked in with a designer thermos, a massive fake smile plastered on her face. “Chloe, Victor! I brought you some soup!” She placed the thermos on the nightstand, her eyes locked onto Victor’s with a subtle, electric tension. “Victor spent half the night brewing this organic chicken herbal broth. He said it’s the best thing for the baby.” “I went to his house this morning specifically to grab it. It’s still hot.” Chloe took Amber’s hand, deeply moved. “Amber, thank you so much for going through all the trouble.” Amber teased, “Oh, come on. We’re practically sisters. Your baby is my godson.” Victor unscrewed the thermos and poured a bowl of the hot, rich soup. He blew on it gently and brought it to Chloe’s lips. “Drink up, sweetie. It’s hot. Drink it for our healthy baby.” In that exact split second, a terrified shriek exploded in my head. “No!” “Doctor, save me!” “It’s poison! He added two whole packets of it last night!” “My stomach hurts! It hurts so much!” Hearing the baby’s desperate cries, I stared at the bowl of soup. Chloe opened her mouth, ready to take a sip. “Don’t drink that!”

Before my brain could even process the thought, my body reacted. With a loud crash, I slapped the bowl right out of Victor’s hand. The boiling hot soup splashed all over the floor, and the ceramic bowl shattered into pieces. The room fell into a dead silence. Victor’s hand was scalded red. He flew into a blinding rage. “Are you fucking insane?!” Amber immediately started screaming. “Paige Sterling! What are you doing? Are you trying to murder Chloe’s baby?!” She frantically pulled out tissues to wipe Victor’s hand, her eyes filled with genuine panic and heartbreak. Chloe was frozen in shock. “Paige Sterling!” She threw off her blanket, not even bothering to put on shoes, and lunged out of bed. “Slap!” A stinging slap landed squarely across my face. “You miserable, jealous psycho!” Chloe pointed at my face, her entire body shaking. “You’re just jealous because my husband treats me like a queen!” “Yesterday you cursed my baby, and today you ruin the soup my husband stayed up all night to make!” “What the hell is wrong with you?!” Other patients and nurses outside gathered around the open door. Amber stood to the side, wiping fake tears to fan the flames. “Everyone, look at this! This doctor held a grudge because we reported her, and now she’s taking it out on a pregnant woman!” “Victor poured his heart into making that soup!” The onlookers started whispering and pointing at me. “That doctor is so malicious.” “Yeah, she just can’t stand seeing other people happy.” Holding my stinging cheek, I slowly turned my head. I looked at Chloe’s furious face, and then at Victor’s smug smirk. The baby’s voice in my head was now so weak it was barely a whisper. “Doctor… why did mommy hit you?” “It hurts…” I spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and smiled. “Chloe.” I stared into her eyes, pronouncing every word clearly. “There was a bug in the soup. I was just trying to help.” “But since you love his ‘hard work’ so much…” “By all means, drink up next time.” I pushed through the crowd and walked out of the room without looking back. You can’t wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep. But I could make sure she woke up screaming when the reality hit her. After getting slapped, I became a total outcast in the department. Dr. Carter didn’t even let me do basic ward rounds anymore. He assigned me to hand out flyers and organize dusty, archived medical files. Everyone avoided me like the plague, terrified of getting on the bad side of the Lindemann Group. I, however, enjoyed the peace. During lunch break, I sneaked back into Chloe’s room. While they were out at a fancy restaurant, I used a syringe to collect the residue of the soup trapped in the cracks of the floor tiles. In the afternoon, I found Ethan, a close colleague of mine in the pathology lab, and asked him to run an expedited chemical analysis. When I got the results, my hands were shaking. The report clearly showed a high concentration of Mifepristone, along with an unidentified neurotoxic compound. Mifepristone was a powerful abortion pill. And Ethan had left a warning note at the bottom: “The neurotoxin shows signs of chronic accumulation. This suggests the patient has been microdosing this poison since early pregnancy.” This would 100% lead to severe fetal skeletal malformations and facial deformities. Victor never wanted this child to be born alive. He wanted a deformed baby to completely destroy Chloe’s mental state. I took a deep breath and folded the report. I didn’t give it to Chloe directly. She hated me right now. Victor could easily lie his way out of it, and she would believe him. So, during a shift change, I slipped the report into Chloe’s medical chart hanging at the foot of her bed. As long as she opened it, she would see the truth. However, I underestimated how cautious and evil these people could be.

By evening, just as I changed out of my white coat to go home, Dr. Carter stormed into the locker room, furious. “Paige Sterling! Get your ass out here!” He crumpled a few torn pieces of paper and threw them at my face. “Are you sick in the head?” “You forged a lab report and slipped it into a patient’s chart? What are you trying to pull?” I looked at the shredded paper on the floor. I could make out the words “Mifepristone.” Victor’s mother, Eleanor, was standing behind Dr. Carter, her hands on her hips. “Dr. Carter, is this how you train your residents?” “Using fake reports to terrify my daughter-in-law! You’re trying to kill us!” “If you don’t fire her today, I will sue this entire hospital!” Dr. Carter pointed a trembling finger at my face. “Paige, you’ve deeply disappointed me.” “To get revenge on a patient, you resort to such disgusting, underhanded tricks.” “You are suspended. Effective immediately.” “And I will make sure your residency certificate is never signed. You will never practice medicine in this lifetime!” I looked at them coldly. “Dr. Carter, if you want to know if that report is forged, you can easily verify it with the pathology lab.” Dr. Carter’s expression shifted, his eyes darting away guiltily. “Verify what? Haven’t you embarrassed us enough?” “Pack your things and get the hell out of my department!” I understood then. Dr. Carter didn’t care about the truth. He only cared about the Lindemann Group’s donations and his end-of-year bonus. I took off my white coat and tossed it into the trash can. “Fine.” I looked at the smug Eleanor, a cold smile playing on my lips. “I hope your family gets exactly what you deserve.” Carrying my box of belongings, I walked out of the hospital doors. The night air was freezing. I touched the voice recorder in my pocket. It held the audio and video of Victor and Amber from the parking garage. Now was not the time to flip the table. I had to wait for the most brutal consequence to run its course. Three days after I was suspended, late at night. I was in my rented apartment, putting together clues about Victor buying illegal drugs on the black market. Suddenly, my phone vibrated violently. It was the landline from the OB-GYN ward. I picked up, and Nurse Mia’s panicked, crying voice came through. “Dr. Sterling, you need to come back right now!” “Chloe’s water broke! She’s hemorrhaging!” “Dr. Carter is out of town for a conference, and we only have two junior residents on duty tonight. They can’t handle this!” I stood up instantly. “Where is Victor?” “Mr. Vance signed the consent form to save the mother.” “But Chloe is refusing! She’s screaming to save the baby at all costs!” I grabbed my jacket and rushed out the door. In my ears, that weak, tiny baby voice echoed. “Auntie…” “I’m so cold.” At 2:00 AM, the delivery room smelled heavily of iron and blood. I threw on sterile scrubs and burst in. Chloe’s blood pressure had plummeted to sixty. The heart monitor was letting out sharp, warning beeps. “Dr. Sterling! Thank God you’re here!” Mia’s hands were covered in blood, sweat pouring down her face. “Her contractions are too weak, and the baby’s heart rate is disappearing!” I quickly moved to the operating table. Chloe was deathly pale, her sweaty hair plastered to her forehead. When she saw me, a desperate surge of survival instinct flared in her hollow eyes. She grabbed my sleeve tightly. “Paige… save my baby.” “Victor said to save me, but I won’t let him. I want my baby.” Looking at the pool of blood beneath her, my expression remained cold. “Save your energy, Chloe. Push.” I pressed the Doppler probe onto her abdomen. The voice from inside was barely a whisper. “Auntie…” “I don’t want to die.” “But my hands and feet feel so weird…” “I can’t get out.”

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Before our Mating Ceremony, my mate Damien withdraws our Mating Application overnight, then submits one with Nora. Nora, the younger sister of his late Beta. When I hear the news, there is only one day left before the deadline. Warrior Sam looks troubled as he explains for Damien. “Luna, Alpha says saving a life is the highest honor for our kind.” “It is a fake bond, just to let Nora stay in the Blackwood Pack for treatment. Only you can understand his intention.” I tear the application that was meant for our honeymoon into pieces. “I don’t understand, but I’ll let him have his way.” The scraps scatter across the floor. Sam’s face turns red. “Luna, Alpha, he also…” “Call me Healer Lola,” I say calmly. Sam freezes. His mouth opens, then he lowers his head. “Yes, Healer Lola.” “Alpha asked me to tell you, once Nora settles in the pack, he will end the bond with her and form a mate bond with you right away.” “He says you are the only one in his heart.” I gather the herbs on the table and place them into a box. “Who he keeps in his heart is his business.” “My application can only be submitted once.” “Go tell him, my mate slot has no backup.” Sam’s face goes pale. He wants to say something, but my phone rings. “Healer Lola, a patient’s condition just turned critical. We need you now.” “I’m on my way.” I hang up and put on my healer robe. Before I leave, I glance at Sam. “Anything else?” He shakes his head and steps aside. I walk out of the office. At the end of the hallway, I see Damien. He is in his combat uniform, standing by the window. Nora stands beside him, holding a coat, about to drape it over his shoulders. Damien does not turn around. He just looks out the window. Nora sees me. Her hand pauses in midair, and she gives me a smile. I look away and walk into the ward. Memories flood my mind. I have known Damien for twenty-two years. We grow up together. He drives away the male wolves who bully me. I mend his torn battle gear. He becomes Alpha, respected by the entire Blackwood Pack. I become the best healer. In everyone’s eyes, we are fated mates. He sets the largest room in the Pack House as our mate residence. The day we get the key, he lifts me up and spins me three times in our new home. He laughs. “Lola, this is our home from now on.” I wrap my arms around his neck. “Damien, welcome home.” I handle the entire renovation myself. As Alpha, Damien often goes to the border. I take half a month off and run across the whole territory to find materials. The day he returns, I cover his eyes. He opens them and looks at the new home. He says nothing for a long time. Then he pulls me into a tight hug. His eyes turn red. “Lola, you worked so hard.” I shake my head. “It’s not hard. I want to do it.” The day we submit our Mating Application, the whole pack celebrates. Damien’s mother holds my hand and places the Luna crown on my head. “Lola, I am your mother now. If Damien ever hurts you, tell me. I will deal with him.” I smile and nod. My eyes grow warm. Damien puts a ring on my finger and whispers in my ear. “Lola, you are my only mate.”

Nora appears one month after we submit our Mating Application. She is the sister of Ryan, Damien’s Beta who died. Ryan dies in a battle with another pack while protecting Damien. It has always been a thorn in Damien’s heart. Nora’s parents are long gone. Ryan is her only family. By pack rules, a lone wolf with no family is sent to the Neutral Lands. The conditions there are harsh, and there are no professional healers. Nora was born with a weak wolf. Damien brings her back from the Neutral Lands and settles her in the pack guesthouse. He tells me, “Lola, this is my responsibility.” I nod. “I understand.” I go with him to visit Nora. The girl is small and thin, wearing old clothes that do not fit. When she sees Damien, her eyes light up, then she lowers her head and speaks softly. “Brother Damien.” Damien hands her the food. “From now on, treat this place as your home.” Nora shakes her head. Tears fall. “I don’t have a home anymore.” Damien’s body stiffens. I walk over and take Nora’s hand. “Don’t cry. From now on, we are your family.” I take her to buy new clothes and bring her to eat good food. I even want her to move into our mate residence. Damien refuses.“It’s not convenient.” I think he is worried about me. Now I realize, he is worried about himself. Nora starts to look for Damien often. Today it is a headache, tomorrow a stomachache, the day after she cannot sleep. No matter what Damien is handling, he goes to her right away. Rumors start in the pack. They say Damien treats Nora better than me, his mate. I do not care. I trust Damien. I trust the bond we build over twenty years. Until the day we submit our Mating Application, we have a party. I wear a white dress and hold Damien’s arm. He looks handsome that day. Standing together, we receive nothing but blessings. A pack elder just walks up to us with a glass of wine when Damien’s phone rings. He glances at it. His expression changes. He says “Excuse me” and walks out with his phone. I stand there. My smile freezes on my face. The hall falls silent. All eyes are on me. Damien’s mother walks over and presses my hand. “Lola, ignore him. We continue.” I force a smile and drink the wine. It burns. Damien comes back soon. He walks to me and lowers his voice. “Lola, I need to go.” “Nora is at the guesthouse. Her wolf loses control. She hurts herself and loses a lot of blood.” My heart sinks. “How is she?” “I don’t know. The staff called. They say it is serious.” There is panic in his voice I have never heard before. I look at him. “Damien, today is our application day. She has been taken to the Healer House, and the healers will take care of her.” He avoids my eyes. “I know.” “But she’s in bad shape. She needs me now.” “I will explain when I come back.” He does not look at me again. He turns and leaves. I watch his back disappear at the door. I almost drop the glass in my hand. That night, I drink the rest of the wine alone. Damien does not come back. Early the next morning, I get a call from the Healer House. A wolf warrior is badly injured. I rush there, change into my healer robe, and work for eight hours straight. When it is over, it is already dark. I take off my robe and get ready to go home. In the hallway, I see Damien and Nora in a ward. Nora wears a hospital gown. Her face is pale. Her hands are wrapped in thick bandages. Damien holds a bowl of soup and feeds her one spoon at a time. “Eat a little more. You haven’t eaten all day.” Nora shakes her head. Her eyes fill with tears. “Brother Damien, I can’t eat.” “Am I useless? I only bring you trouble.” Damien puts the bowl down and gently touches her head. “Don’t think like that. I am here.” “Your brother is gone. I will take care of you for the rest of my life.” Nora cries harder. She leans into his arms, her shoulders shaking. “Brother Damien, you are so good to me.” Damien holds her and pats her back softly. I stand there and watch them. My phone alarm rings. It reminds me that today is my birthday. Damien hears it and looks up. He sees me. His expression stiffens for a moment, then he stands. “Lola, let me explain.” Nora sees me too. She peeks out from behind him and calls softly. “Healer Lola.” I look at them and suddenly feel it is ridiculous. I say nothing and turn to leave. Damien chases after me and grabs my hand. “Lola, don’t be mad.” “Nora, she just…” “Let go.” My voice is cold. He freezes. I shake off his hand and walk away without looking back. That night, I go back to our mate residence alone. I open a bottle of wine and sit on the floor. My phone is filled with dozens of messages from Damien. “Lola, I’m sorry.” “Lola, where are you?” “Lola, reply to me.” I do not reply to any of them. I just hold the bottle and drink it slowly. “Happy birthday, Lola.” I whisper to myself.

After that, we fall into a cold war. Damien comes to the Healer House every day to see me. I ask the other healers to tell him I am busy. So he waits outside my office from morning till night. Everyone in the Healer House sees it. One healer quietly asks me, “Lola, did you fight with Alpha Damien?” I shake my head. “No.” It is not a fight. It is disappointment. A week later, Damien blocks me in the parking lot. He leans against my car door. “Lola, what do you want?” His voice is tired. “Let’s talk.” I look at him and say nothing. He pulls the door open and pushes me into the passenger seat. Then he gets into the driver’s seat and starts the car. He drives fast. In the end, he stops in front of our mate residence. “Lola, I know I was wrong.” “That day, I shouldn’t have left.” “I shouldn’t have stayed with someone else on your birthday.” “But I had no choice.” “Nora, she… she is too pitiful.” “She has no parents since she was young. Her only brother is gone.” “She is alone here, with no one to rely on.” “If I don’t take care of her, she will die.” I listen to him and stay silent. He turns and looks at me. “Lola, you are the most generous, the kindest.” “You are not like her.” “You are strong and independent. Even without me, you can live well.” “But she can’t.” “If she leaves me, she won’t survive.” I finally lift my head and look at him. “So?” “So you sacrifice me to make her whole?” He is stunned by my question. “That’s not what I mean.” “Then what do you mean? Damien, tell me, what am I to you?” He falls silent. The air in the car turns cold. After a long time, he speaks. “Lola, you are the only she-wolf I want to form a mate bond with in this life.” “I love you.” He says he loves me. But those three words sound like a joke to me.

After that talk, Damien still gives Nora everything she asks for. Nora still accepts his care like it is only natural. The only change is that they start to avoid me. Damien stops coming to the Healer House to see me. He stops texting me and calling me. We are in the same pack, yet it feels like we are far apart. Sometimes, when I get off work and go home, I see his car parked under the guesthouse where Nora lives. It stays there the whole night. Sometimes, when I eat in the dining hall, I hear some wolves talking. They say Damien takes Nora to see a new movie. They say Damien buys Nora an expensive bag. They say Nora has already moved into our mate residence. I do not go to check. I am afraid they are all true. My heart feels like it is burning on fire. It hurts, but makes no sound. I cannot sleep. Night after night, I stay awake. When I close my eyes, I see Damien and Nora together. I lose a lot of weight. All the healers can see it. The Chief Elder of the Healer House calls me in. “Lola, something is wrong with you lately.” “Did something happen?” I shake my head. “No.” “Maybe I am just too tired from work.” The elder gives me leave and tells me to rest well. My heart feels empty. I do not know where to go. In the end, I go back to our mate residence. I think I need an answer. I also need an ending. I open the door. A scent that is not mine hits me. A pair of high heels sits by the shoe cabinet. Pink, with lace. It is Nora’s style. Damien’s coat is on the couch in the living room. I walk in step by step. The bedroom door is slightly open. Inside, there is a woman’s laughter and a man’s low voice. My legs feel heavy. I stand at the door, but I do not have the courage to push it open. At that moment, the door opens from inside. Nora walks out wearing my pajamas. When she sees me, she freezes for a second. Then she smiles.“Healer Lola, you’re back.” Her hair is wet. She smells like body wash. I look at her, my whole body shaking. “Where is Damien?” Nora feigns a shy look and points behind her.“Brother Damien is in the shower. He says he is very tired today.” I follow where she points. Inside the bedroom, our bed is a mess. Two empty glasses sit on the nightstand. A loud crack goes off in my mind. My wolf roars inside me. I turn and run. I do not know how long I run or where I go. There is only one thought in my head. I never want to go back to that place again.

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