Category: English

“Boss, I’m pregnant.” My hand jerked, causing the pen to leave a long streak across the A4 paper. “What did you say?” Alexander’s Perspective I, Alexander, am a CEO worth billions. One minute ago, my assistant submitted her resignation, citing pregnancy as the reason. She wanted to go home and have her baby. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. How could she be pregnant? Was it because I wasn’t giving her enough work? She was practically tied to me 24/7. Apart from eating and sleeping, we were hardly ever apart. Where on earth did she find the time to get pregnant? I gazed out of the floor-to-ceiling window at the bustling city below, lost in thought. Where had things gone wrong? “Boss?” My assistant called out, pushing the resignation letter towards me again, clearly waiting for my final response. Of course, I didn’t want to accept it! I had gone to great lengths to get her as my assistant in the first place! Now, there were even rumors circulating that I was a harsh boss who had driven away 11 assistants in a row. But… I glanced at my capable assistant, her face etched with determination. I had no doubt that if I didn’t agree now, she might whip out a labor law book and slap it in my face the next second! “Ahem…” I cleared my throat, trying to appear unperturbed. “Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider? Our company offers excellent maternity benefits.” My assistant touched her still-flat belly, smiling as she declined, “No, thank you. I want to relax and take care of myself during the pregnancy. After all, this is my first child.” My heart ached, but I maintained my composure. “Very well, I respect your decision.” As I watched her leave, my facade of calm crumbled. I cursed under my breath, tossing the pen aside and leaning back in my chair, rubbing my temples in frustration. Damn it! I’ve been outplayed! Olivia’s Perspective I, Olivia, am a working-class hero who sells her soul to capitalism daily for mere scraps. Ten minutes ago, I handed my resignation letter to my boss. He seemed reluctant to let me go. This was within my expectations. After all, assistants like me – available 24/7, always rushing to meet his unreasonable demands, occasionally covering up his mistakes, working 365 days a year, even sending emails while on an IV drip with a 104°F fever – are hard to come by these days. But life can’t just be about work! When I came across several news stories about young workers my age dying from overwork and stress, I had an epiphany! You can always make money, but only if you’re alive to do so! After my insistence, my boss finally nodded and told me to inform HR and complete the handover before leaving. The moment I stepped out of the CEO’s office, even the air felt freer! … After completing the handover and signing the resignation documents as quickly as possible, HR handed me a thick envelope. Huh? I’d never heard of our company having any sort of graduation gift culture for departing employees. Besides, the envelope was so thick, it didn’t seem like just a farewell letter… “This is specially arranged by the CEO for you,” the HR lady said as she pushed the envelope towards me. I could see envy and… curiosity? in her eyes. “The CEO also asked me to tell you to take care of yourself and the baby.” ???? Bro? Don’t say it like that! It’s easy for people to misunderstand! The money felt like it was burning a hole in my hand. The HR lady’s eyes were clearly saying, “I never thought you and the CEO had that kind of relationship!” Miss! It’s not what you think! Alexander’s Perspective I’m Alexander. On the first day after Olivia left, I missed her… On the second day after Olivia left, I missed her even more… Does the new assistant who replaced Olivia have any brains at all? Why can’t she even make a decent cup of coffee? When I asked her to coordinate my outfit for the evening gala, she brought me a red suit, a black shirt, and a hot pink tie… Has her sense of style been flushed down the toilet? I’m going to a gala, not some eyesore competition! Don’t tell me it’s because she’s new and needs time to learn. Olivia was new once too, but she never made such basic mistakes! I cancelled the gala and didn’t even bother with the driver. Instead, I drove aimlessly through the city alone. I needed some time to myself… Without realizing it, I found myself outside Olivia’s apartment complex. She probably doesn’t know that I actually own the apartment she’s renting. I wonder how she’s doing now, if her partner is treating her well… As if the heavens had heard my thoughts, Olivia suddenly appeared in my line of sight! It looked like she had just returned from shopping, carrying several full bags. She seemed to be struggling, stopping every few steps to rest. The bag on her shoulder kept slipping off, and she had to keep adjusting it. Where was her partner? Why wasn’t he helping her? Letting a pregnant woman go out alone and carry so many heavy things? Damn it! What a jerk! Olivia’s Perspective Life without work is so great! It’s been ages since I’ve been able to sleep in without phone calls, emails, or work on my mind. I’ve rarely spent much time in this apartment before, so it lacks a homey feel. I don’t plan on starting a new job right away, so I’ve begun to decorate the place. The sofa cushions are too hard and need to be replaced with softer ones; the fridge is empty except for some bottled water, so it needs to be stocked; the kitchen doesn’t even have basic seasonings, which won’t do; also, there are no books or snacks in the cupboards, all of which need to be remedied! I went to the supermarket and before I knew it, I had bought a ton of stuff. Looking at the four full shopping bags that came from one overflowing cart, I took a deep breath and picked them up. They’re so damn heavy… The supermarket is two bus stops away from my place, so walking back is out of the question; the bus would be too crowded at this rush hour, and I’d be inconveniencing others with all these bags; as for a shared bike… I don’t think my skills are up to carrying this much stuff. In the end, I bit the bullet and decided to splurge on a taxi. However, the security at my complex is quite strict, and outside vehicles aren’t allowed in. The taxi could only drop me off at the entrance, leaving me to walk the rest of the way… I watched as the driver helped me unload the four shopping bags from the trunk, and I let out a heavy sigh. At times like these, it would be nice to have a boyfriend to help carry things… It’s all because of that damn job that took up all my personal time! Heartless capitalists!

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My boyfriend is a physics professor with a brain full of nothing but research. When the apocalypse broke out, he turned into a zombie. While other zombies were busy biting people, he was busy telling me dad jokes. “What does God ride?” he asked, pinching my cheek. His almond-shaped eyes had turned red with excitement. It was hard to imagine that this physics professor would seriously ask me a dad joke. I thought for a long time but couldn’t figure it out, so I stammered, “I don’t know.” Adrian lowered his eyes, then grabbed my neck, forcing me to look at a book of dad jokes. His sinister voice whispered in my ear: “It’s a Godsicle, because it’s a divine popsicle.” Me: … Before the zombie outbreak, Adrian and I had a big fight. “Adrian, let’s break up,” I said flatly. Adrian took off his glasses, loosened his tie revealing his sexy Adam’s apple, and sat down on the couch exhausted. He rubbed his forehead with his right hand and asked me wearily, “Emily, can you stop being unreasonable?” It was because he was so engrossed in his research that he forgot my birthday. Although he apologized early this morning, I was still very angry. Anger had taken over my brain. I angrily said, “How am I being unreasonable? It’s clearly your fault!” I choked up and said, “Yesterday was my birthday. What were you doing? You were researching your damn physics!” I have a tendency to cry easily. Before we’d even argued for long, tears were already streaming down my face. Adrian froze, looking at me with remorse. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he said hoarsely, “I’m sorry, I… yesterday-” I cut him off before he could finish. I didn’t want to hear his excuses. I grabbed my phone and ran downstairs. As I was leaving, I actually felt a bit regretful. After all, this was the only time Adrian had forgotten. He had always been very thoughtful before. I was just a little angry and wanted to vent, not make a big deal out of it. But I’m too proud, so I stubbornly got into a taxi. Once in the taxi, I asked the driver to take me to the supermarket in the suburbs. I don’t have any other special traits, but when I’m angry, I like to go on a shopping spree. Adrian’s black Volkswagen followed steadily behind the taxi. I took this opportunity to forgive him and used his card to buy two shopping carts full of snacks, bottled water, and instant food. There was too much stuff to fit in Adrian’s trunk, so I had it all delivered by a delivery guy. After finishing at the supermarket, I was in a good mood. He took this chance to coax me, saying he’d take me for Japanese food at the new mall. On the way to dinner, my phone received a message: Attention all residents, please quickly find a safe and secure location. Unknown creatures that bite people have appeared in the East District. Please protect yourselves first! The government and military are taking action! Please trust us! I clicked on the video. It showed a person walking strangely, with blood on the corners of their mouth. Their black pupils had turned blood-red, looking terrifying. It was a zombie! The zombie twisted its body and lunged at nearby people at an extremely fast speed, tearing and biting. Twenty seconds later, the bitten person also became a zombie. Adrian and I exchanged a glance, and he immediately stepped on the gas, driving me to the villa suburb in the south of the city as fast as possible. He told me to protect myself, then drove back to his lab. Watching his determined back as he left, tears filled my eyes. I cursed in frustration, “Adrian! Is that research more important than your life? What about me? What am I supposed to do?” Adrian stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me. The setting sun shone on him, and he still seemed relaxed. He smiled gently and said, “Emily, I’m just a mortal. If I die, I die. But the research results can benefit humanity. They can’t be destroyed.” With that, he quickly opened the car door and drove away. That’s just how Adrian is. Once he’s decided on something, he never looks back. I desperately closed the curtains, no longer watching his departing figure. The lab was in the East District. By going there, he was undoubtedly going to his death.

After Adrian left, the villa’s security system was activated. Anyone who touched the gate or walls would get electrocuted. The windows and doors were all sealed shut, but I didn’t know how long it would hold. The zombies spread very quickly, biting person after person. Now, just a few hours after the outbreak, there were already many zombies on the streets. The military had also shot and killed some zombies, but those zombies bit so quickly and were so strong that it was impossible to control. The entire city had fallen into chaos. The latest news was constantly updating on my phone. Officials had confirmed this was a zombie virus, and a vaccine and cure were being researched. Looking at the drone footage of the East District, I regretted why I had argued with him. It was only when he left that I remembered how good he was to me. I wished he would call me “Emily” one more time. If I had known this day would come, I would have cherished Adrian like my heart and soul. I definitely wouldn’t have fought with him. He loved me so much. He never got angry with me. When I was sick, he would take care of me without rest. On my birthdays, he would personally prepare gifts for me. Even when I caused trouble, he would quietly clean up the mess for me. On the contrary, I had always taken him for granted. The East District had already fallen. The streets were full of strangely walking zombies. I knew Adrian’s chances were slim, but I still prayed with wishful thinking that he could come back. Actually, I never believed in ghosts or gods, but for him, I was willing to believe in Buddha just this once.

At 10 PM, I sat alertly on the couch clutching a baseball bat, listening to the zombies’ howls and curling up in fear. I should have listened to Adrian and exercised with him every morning. Then I wouldn’t be so scared now. The sound of electric shocks at the door was constant. I gripped the baseball bat tightly, secretly peeking at the situation outside from behind the large floor-to-ceiling window. In the dim light, there was a man wearing a white shirt stained red with blood. His handsome face was also smeared with blood. His once-gentle almond eyes had turned red. He stared blankly, like a polluted white lotus. It was Adrian! He wandered in front of the villa gate like a lost puppy, only knowing to keep touching the gate, looking pitiful and wronged. My first instinct was to open the door for him, but reason told me I couldn’t. I pulled the curtains closed, no longer looking at him. I sat blankly on the couch for two hours, my mind empty but my ears catching the sound of footsteps not far away. I immediately grabbed the baseball bat tightly and hid behind the door, ready to strike at any moment. The entire villa was pitch black. The footsteps were particularly jarring in the night. I silently counted as I listened to the approaching footsteps. When I sensed someone touching the doorknob, I quickly emerged from behind the door and swung the bat down hard. “Ah!! Don’t hit me!” A cry of pain came from my right. But I couldn’t stop my momentum. The second swing had already landed. The person inhaled sharply, sounding very pained. He gritted his teeth and said, “I’m not a bad guy.” I crouched down cautiously and turned on my phone’s flashlight, illuminating the floor and allowing me to see the person to my right clearly. It was the delivery guy who had helped me with my groceries this afternoon. I recognized him. He looked very young and was now grimacing in pain, covering his bleeding head that I had hit. Using the flashlight, I could see his face clearly. He was a young man. He said, “Big sis, I’m the one who delivered your groceries today. My name is Leo.” “I’m a sophomore at State University. I can’t go back now. Can you take me in? I’m a sports major. I can be your bodyguard. I can definitely protect you!” Leo’s gaze was sincere. Afraid I wouldn’t believe him, he started to lift up his shirt to show me his muscles. I quickly stopped him and took a step back to distance myself. “My name is Emily. Let me be clear, I don’t support freeloaders. The zombies are so vicious. Are you sure you can protect me?” Leo didn’t immediately reply. Instead, he thought for a few seconds. His gaze was clear and transparent as he said seriously, “I’m not certain, but as long as I’m alive, I’ll definitely keep you safe behind me.” Leo must have stayed because of the two carloads of supplies in my basement. The number of zombies was increasing. When we ran out of supplies, how would a weak woman like me go out to fight for resources? The only option now was to take him in. The clock on the wall pointed to 1 AM. I felt the desolate autumn wind and lifted a corner of the curtain to look at Adrian at the door. The next second, as if sensing my gaze, he raised his face and looked over. When he saw me, his eyes flashed red, looking at me with a kind of forceful possessiveness and frenzied excitement. Before, he had never looked at me with that kind of gaze. But now, the bloodthirsty and crazy Adrian looked terrifying. I closed the curtains, not daring to look at him anymore.

I don’t know how I fell asleep, but when I woke up again, it was already 10:30 AM. The zombies’ howls outside had gotten a bit quieter. When I went downstairs after getting ready, Leo had already cooked breakfast and was waiting for me. After eating, he told me that the surrounding zombies seemed to have received some kind of signal and all headed towards the East District. He took advantage of this lull to go to the supermarket and get some more supplies. He also reinforced the villa’s walls a bit. Hearing this, I immediately ran up to the second-floor balcony to see if Adrian was still at the door. The villa gate was empty, with only bloodstains on the ground. I felt an indescribable sense of loss. I opened my phone to check the drone footage. The next second, my body froze, and my phone fell to the ground with a crisp sound. In the video, Adrian was standing on top of an SUV. Countless zombies were kneeling at his feet. His eyes were filled with undisguised madness. At this moment, he was looking directly at the drone, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, but only revealing a murderous aura. The next second, the video went black as the drone was torn apart. Adrian had undoubtedly become the Zombie King. “Emily, what’s wrong?” Leo’s voice suddenly sounded in my ear. I said flatly, “A Zombie King has appeared in the East District.” As soon as I finished speaking, he pulled out his phone to watch the latest drone footage. For some reason, when he saw Adrian’s face clearly, he said, “How can it be him.” What connection does he have with Adrian? “That’s my boyfriend. Do you know him?” I probed. Leo was visibly flustered and tried to cover it up: “No, I don’t know him.” Something strange was definitely going on.

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After losing my memory, I mistakenly thought my sworn enemy was my husband. I even moved into his house. On the day I regained my memory, I was tugging at his sleeve, asking for a kiss. As memories flooded back, I froze, about to run away. But he, usually cold and aloof, frowned and leaned down to kiss me, saying resignedly: “There, now will you stay put at home?” Before regaining my memory, I thought Liam Winters was the best husband in the world. I loved him to death. I’d cry if I couldn’t see him for even a second. At the breakfast table one morning, I was clinging tightly to Liam’s sleeve, refusing to let go. Tears welled up in my eyes. “Are you going to abandon me again?” “Aria, let go.” The man I was clutching looked at me coldly, tugging his arm. The buttons on his suit jacket made a dangerous creaking sound. I stubbornly hugged his arm, my tone plaintive: “You didn’t say that before, honey. You said you’d love me forever. I’ll die without you…” This kind of conversation happened every morning. On average, I’d throw a fit every two or three days. Only Liam could calm me down. Liam closed his eyes briefly, giving up the struggle. “I’m just going to a meeting. I’ll be back tonight.” “How late is ‘tonight’? I’m scared to sleep alone.” Seeing he didn’t respond, I started crying with my head down. A flash of exasperation crossed Liam’s face. Suppressing his temper, he asked quietly: “What do you want this time?” I turned my face, pointing at my cheek. “You haven’t kissed me goodbye yet.” My coquettish figure was reflected in the mirror. Liam’s tall frame sat beside me. We really were… a match made in heaven— Before I could finish that thought, my mind suddenly went blank. That handsome face gradually overlapped with the one in my memories. As my memories came flooding back, I froze in place. My loving gaze slowly turned to horror. Wait. What am I doing? I’m Aria Rose, CEO of Rose Corporation. Liam Winters and I have been locked in a cutthroat business war. And now I’ve lost my mind and called him my husband?! I tensed up, about to mock him. But then the usually cold Liam frowned and leaned down to kiss me on the cheek. That cool kiss was like an electric current. It instantly coursed through my whole body. Liam’s tone was resigned: “There, now will you stay put at home?”

Liam left. I stood there stunned, taking a full twenty minutes to recover. Did he just… kiss me? To describe my relationship with Liam Winters, we’d stab each other given half a chance. The last time we met, I cheerfully cursed him to “die young”. Liam gave me a cold glance and replied flatly: “If so, I’m afraid I’ll have to take Miss Rose down with me.” Who would have thought that in just two weeks, I’d experience a car accident, lose my memory, and fall in love with Liam at first sight. I even pestered him until he let me move into his private residence. What a mess… The mansion was eerily quiet. I sat in a chair, thinking calmly for a long time. I was certain of one thing: I absolutely could not admit that I had regained my memory. Liam would mock me for the rest of my life. I frantically searched the room for my suitcase, finally discovering my work phone in a hidden pocket. When my assistant answered my call, she nearly burst into tears: “Miss Rose, where have you been these past two weeks? Liam Winters has almost stolen all your business.” I gritted my teeth in anger. No wonder he’d been so unusually gentle with me these past two weeks. So he was secretly laughing at me while aggressively swallowing up my business? “The Yuzhou contract is being signed today, right?” My assistant was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan: “Yes, Yuzhou is planning to sign with Liam since you’ve been missing for over two weeks.” My heart sank. I immediately got dressed and headed out: “I’ll go stop Liam. Tell Hughes that if he can’t secure this deal, he’s fired!”

That day, I took the flight after Liam’s and landed in Yuzhou. William Hughes, the company’s VP, had been handling this project. My unfamiliar face was perfect for making a splash. The evening banquet hall was filled with the clinking of glasses. I examined my pale gold mermaid gown in the lobby’s glass reflection, satisfied. I had bought this using Liam’s card while I had amnesia. Including jewelry, I had spent nearly 10 million in total. Even this flight ticket was charged to his card. Liam must know I’m here. I stood at the entrance, scanning the crowd, but didn’t see Liam. Just as I was about to leave, I suddenly bumped into a solid body behind me. Liam’s familiar cold, elegant woody scent instantly enveloped me. His icy voice dripped with sarcasm in my ear. “Done pretending, Miss Rose?” I froze for a second, then spun around and threw myself into his arms. “Honey, I missed you so much!” The movement was too big, exposing a large expanse of my back. It attracted quite a few stares. “Who’s that?” “Looks like Mrs. Winters.” Liam stiffened, then covered me with his jacket and led me by the waist into a prep room. The cold table edge dug into my backside, making the dishes clatter. Liam’s eyes were dark. “Aria, what are you trying to do?” He only called me by my full name when I had amnesia. Looks like I fooled him again. I played with his tie, my eyes wandering. “Nothing, I just missed you…” “Tell me the truth.” The smile fell from my face as I instantly teared up. “They said… you have a mistress in Yuzhou… I came to see…” There wasn’t a hint of warmth in Liam’s eyes. “That’s not true.” “You’re lying!” I kicked him petulantly. “I just saw you talking to a woman. You don’t love me anymore…” “…” Liam frowned. “That was a business partner.” Of course I knew it was a business partner. The VP of Yuzhou Minghua Group. I turned my head away. “I don’t believe you! Unless you take me with you tonight.” Liam was at a loss dealing with me. “Fine.” That night, I hung on Liam’s arm like a happy butterfly. I chatted animatedly with the Minghua Group representatives. Liam’s business discussions were interrupted by me several times. In the end, he sat in a corner, his dark eyes silently watching me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. As soon as the banquet ended, Liam took me back to our room. The door slammed shut. Darkness fell. Liam’s rough fingertips pressed against my neck, gently caressing: “Aria, I never realized you were such a social butterfly.” His voice was steady, made even more seductive by the darkness. I had a few drinks tonight and was feeling a bit tipsy. I clung to him and whined: “I just didn’t want you talking to other women…” I secretly shook off the goosebumps. Damn, how embarrassing… Was I really like this when I lost my memory? Liam chuckled for no reason. “No commitment, yet so possessive.” He set me down on the bed as his phone suddenly rang. The flashing light was a bit blinding in the dark night. He answered the call. His assistant’s words floated out of the speaker. “Mr. Winters, Miss Rose’s people snatched the Yuzhou contract.” “Who did you say?” “Her subordinate, William Hughes.” The room fell dead silent. The clock in the corner ticked in time with my heartbeat, striking my nerves. I nonchalantly hooked my foot around him while holding my breath, waiting for Liam’s reaction. The rustling of his suit pants was audible. He hung up the phone, a cold smile playing on his thin lips: “Aria, you knew I was signing the contract today, didn’t you?” I nestled in his arms, breathing in his deep, mellow scent, staying silent. He gripped my chin, lifting it to examine me for a moment before suddenly smiling: “Memory back?” My heart skipped a beat. If I admitted it now, I’d be dead meat tonight. I gave him a blank look and mumbled: “Honey, it’s hot…” He saw my face flushed from alcohol. Those deep eyes fixed on my face, unmoving. Liam hid the calculation in his eyes, his tone gentle. “Aria, you think I’m that easy to fool?” “I like you… how could I be fooling—” Liam’s smile faded as he leaned down to bite my lip. The kiss held a trace of unresolvable anger. He bit until the taste of blood spread between our lips. Only when I frowned in pain did Liam release me, coldly laughing as he stroked my messy hair: “Go on, what other nonsense haven’t you said yet? Hubby’s listening.” I caught my breath, my gaze sincere: “I love you—ah!” Accompanied by a sharp ripping sound, my dress was torn in half at the waist. Liam’s eyes were completely tinged with cruelty. “You really won’t learn until you see the coffin.” He forcefully pinned me in the corner, his fingers intertwining with mine. Chuckling softly: “I hope you can say that again the day you regain your memory.” “Otherwise, I don’t mind killing you with my own hands.” …

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When the real heiress returned, James and I had been married for three years. She looked at our clasped hands, her eyes reddening with grievance. “So all those childhood promises to marry me were lies.” As soon as she spoke, James, who was usually calm and composed, instantly lost his rationality. I watched their tightly embracing silhouettes and silently prepared the divorce papers. The real heiress had returned, so it was time for me, the fake one, to exit the stage. But James tore up the divorce agreement and forcefully kissed my lips: “Lily, don’t overthink it. I only see her as a sister.” That day, the stars in his eyes were especially dazzling. I thought, perhaps he really belonged to me. But it wasn’t until the very end that I understood – what didn’t belong to me never would. In the Bennett family’s private clinic, Claire was banging her head against the stark white wall like a madwoman, until it was dotted with blood stains. This act was solely to keep James from leaving. “Go ahead and leave! If you go, I’ll kill myself. Then there will finally be no one left to interfere with you and that fake’s lovey-dovey act.” Claire cried heartbrokenly, her swollen red eyes fixed on James as his hand touched the door handle. “Claire, I haven’t been home in three days already.” Though he said this, James’s hand had already fallen away from the door. “James, please, we’re begging you. Stay with Claire a bit longer, alright?” “This child has had such a hard life. She finally made it back home, only to suffer another shock. We’re really afraid something might happen to her.” Mr. and Mrs. Bennett earnestly tried to persuade him to stay with Claire longer. They had completely forgotten that I was James’s wife. I looked at James without a shred of hope. Because I knew he would choose to stay. As I expected, he sat back down by the hospital bed, allowing Claire to clutch his hand as she wept. Perhaps out of guilt, he personally tended to the wound on her forehead, as if they were the married couple.

Not long after, Claire fell asleep. James took the opportunity to extricate his hand and hurriedly left the hospital. I instinctively followed him, watching as he repeatedly dialed my number, but no one picked up. “Throwing another tantrum, are we?” James’s brows furrowed, his voice thick with displeasure. This was already a precursor to his rage. But before Claire returned, he had never once been angry with me. Seeing he couldn’t get through, James drove home. Pushing open the door, the inside was deathly quiet. “Lily Sinclair? Come out.” He called for me, searching everywhere for any sign of me, but found nothing. He dialed the phone again, but there wasn’t a sound in the house. He realized I wasn’t home at all. “Beep beep beep.” He made several more calls, but still no one answered. Finally, he lost his patience. [Lily Sinclair, have you had enough of this tantrum?] [You were clearly in the wrong this time. What are you sulking about now?] The voice messages were sent, but sank like a stone. I wanted to say I wasn’t throwing a tantrum, and I hadn’t done anything wrong. But I was dead, and James couldn’t hear me. “If you’ve got the guts, then don’t come back! Let’s see how long you can hold out!” He gripped his phone, grabbing whatever was nearby and hurling it. There was a crisp “crash”, and he turned to look, but his phone rang again. The screen lit up with “Wife”, and he answered the call, his tone cold: “Finally remembered to call back?” But it wasn’t my voice on the other end. That number belonged to Claire now. “James, come back quickly and check on Claire. She’s climbed up to the roof again.” The anxious voices of the Bennett couple rang out, interrupting James’s train of thought. Hearing that Claire was about to jump off the building, his expression turned panicked. He hurriedly grabbed his coat and rushed back to the hospital.

Watching James’s anxious retreating figure, my heart began to ache sharply. I wanted to stop following him, but I couldn’t control my soul from chasing after him. He walked very quickly, running almost every red light along the way. This was a side of him I had never seen before. James had always been steady, but I didn’t know – did he get this anxious every time he heard Claire was jumping off a building? How many times had Claire tried to jump now? I lowered my head in thought, realizing this was already the sixth time. Yet James had never grown impatient with her antics. But when I asked him to stay with me a while when I was sick, he exploded in anger. By the time I came back to my senses, I had already seen Claire. She stood on the roof of the hospital, her expression vacant, tears in the corners of her eyes, like an abandoned child. James ran up to the roof breathlessly, calling out to her cautiously: “Claire!” “Why did you come? Wouldn’t it be better to let me die?” “I have nothing left, everything’s been stolen by her.” “You promised you would marry me. Why did you lie?” Claire saw James and her tears fell more violently. Her eyes gradually reddened, as if she had suffered a great injustice. I clenched my fists, my heart unbearably sour. He didn’t just lie to you. The one who was deceived… was me too. I was the one who married James. She was the one who smiled and gave her blessing after being rejected. But later, she jumped off buildings again and again, went crazy again and again, and pulled James away from my side again and again. She always said I stole her things. But I didn’t gain anything either, except for James. And that was already in the past. The James of now no longer belonged to me. From beginning to end, the one who had nothing was me.

I originally had birth parents. But they called me Daisy, wouldn’t let me go to school, and always beat and scolded me. Later when they had a son, they sold me. That day, I was cleaned up and sent to the Bennett family. They said I was lucky to be chosen by a wealthy family, and told me to please them so they could benefit. But how could the Bennetts not see through their true nature? So they were driven out of the city. I looked timidly at the elegant lady before me, not daring to speak. “Child, let mommy hug you.” She embraced me, holding me tightly in her arms. It was the first time I felt such warmth. Just as I was about to respond, I heard her choke out “Claire”. But I wasn’t Claire, I was Daisy. At that moment, I lowered the hand that wanted to hug Mrs. Bennett back. Afterwards, they gave me a new name. Lily Sinclair. Pretty, isn’t it? But later I learned they only adopted me because my features resembled their kidnapped daughter. Lily, thinking of Claire. The name I had longed for was just their way of coping. I tried calling them “Mom and Dad”, but was scolded. They wouldn’t let me live in their house, instead setting up a small attic for me not far away. My purpose was just for them to look at when they missed their daughter. They would hold birthday parties for me every year, but carve Claire’s name on the cake, and not let me eat a bite. I didn’t have a birthday, because I didn’t know when it was, and no one cared. All these years, I never touched Claire’s room or any of her things. I didn’t steal anything from her, not a single bit. Only after meeting James did I develop selfish desires. But he was Claire’s childhood sweetheart. I couldn’t have him, and didn’t dare to.

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I never thought my boyfriend would go to such extremes just because I inadvertently upset his half-sister while showing our affection. During an extreme sports event, Lucas pushed me off a high platform. The head injury left me blind, but he stayed by my side, seemingly devoted. It wasn’t until the third year of my blindness that my sight finally returned. To surprise Lucas on his birthday, I deliberately told him I couldn’t make it. When I arrived at the movie theater he had rented out, filled with excitement, I was horrified to discover my intimate videos playing on the big screen. “Lucas, bro, thanks for sharing such interesting videos with us,” one of his friends said. “She can’t make it today. Don’t breathe a word of this to her, or you won’t get to see any more,” Lucas replied coldly. “Lucas, if you’re so afraid of her leaving, why did you push her off that platform back then?” “She deliberately provoked Rachel, which led to Rachel’s suicide attempt. This is just teaching her a lesson.” I fled the scene, my heart shattered. I immediately made an appointment for an abortion and agreed to go abroad to take over the family business.

The moment I left the theater, my legs gave out, and I collapsed on the ground. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. My mind was reeling from Lucas’s words and the intimate videos on the big screen. I took out my phone and called my parents overseas. “Dad, Mom, I’m ready to go abroad now.” “Mia, you’ve finally come around. We need to fly to another country for a while, and getting visas and passports will take some time. Your father and I will wait for you here in a month. That should give you enough time to settle things at home.” After hanging up, Lucas’s call came through. “Mia, my friends want to come over tonight. Let’s have a little get-together, okay?” His tone was gentle, completely different from his cold voice in the theater. “Okay…” I struggled to control my emotions, trying to sound normal. “I knew you’d understand, baby.” Lucas’s voice echoed in my mind, mockingly. Lucas and I had been classmates since high school. Back then, our grades were neck and neck. We were both rivals and teammates. In college, he fell in love with extreme sports, while I focused on my studies but still accompanied him on his adventures. He said he loved my boldness, and I loved his sincerity and courage even more. Perhaps the Lucas of the past was too dazzling, which is why I couldn’t let go for so long. But he chose to hurt me without hesitation for Rachel Sullivan. That night, Lucas brought the group from the theater back to our home. I pretended I still couldn’t see, carefully asking, “Lucas, is that you?” Lucas glanced at me, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. “It’s me, baby. I brought some friends over.” Several disgusting gazes roamed over my body. “Sister-in-law is quite a beauty,” one of them said, his tone filled with malice rather than compliment. They sat down in the living room, and I quietly sat to the side. At first, they chatted about other things, but suddenly, my intimate video was cast onto the TV screen. They boldly watched the video in front of me, but muted it so I wouldn’t notice. My hands clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms as I struggled to control my emotions. As they watched my video, they kept eyeing me lecherously, grinning. My body trembled uncontrollably. “Baby, what’s wrong?” Lucas asked. Once, when Lucas called me ‘baby,’ I would pretend to find it cheesy while secretly feeling sweet inside. Now, hearing those words only made my skin crawl. “It’s nothing, Lucas. I’m a bit tired. Can I go back to the bedroom?” Lucas studied me for a moment, seeming to sense something was off. He hesitated for a long while before letting his guard down. “Go ahead, baby. We’ll chat for a bit longer and then leave.” I nodded and made my way back to the room, holding onto whatever I could for support. Those sickening, leering gazes only disappeared after I entered the bedroom. “She’s quite a dish. Even hotter in person than in the video.” I leaned against the door, gasping for air. It felt like an invisible knife was piercing my arteries, leaving me bleeding profusely. That night, I lay quietly against the bedroom door. Lucas hugged me from behind, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Baby, are you asleep?” I didn’t respond, but my tears had already soaked the pillow. Early the next morning, Lucas left for work, and I went to the hospital alone.

“Your uterine wall is very thin. If you abort this child, there’s a high chance you won’t be able to conceive again.” I placed my hand on my belly. My nose stung with unshed tears. I’m sorry, baby. Mommy is so sorry. But I can’t keep this child. I have to do this for myself. An hour later, I was lying on the operating table. As the cold instruments entered my body, I slowly closed my eyes. When I left the hospital, there was no longer a little life growing inside me. I had originally planned to share this good news with Lucas on his birthday. But now, it seemed pointless. My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. “Baby, are you pregnant?” My heart skipped a beat. “I found your test results in a gift box at home. Baby, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Where are you now? I’ll come pick you up.” “At… at the hospital.” Soon, Lucas’s car pulled up in front of the hospital. He got out to help me. “Why did you come for a check-up alone? It’s dangerous.” “It’s fine…” Perhaps feeling guilty after learning about my pregnancy, he unexpectedly took me shopping for jewelry. Just as we entered the jewelry store, a familiar voice sounded from behind. It was Rachel Sullivan. “Sister Mia, what a coincidence!” “Rachel?” I didn’t respond. Back then, Rachel had attempted suicide just because I posted a photo on social media. If it weren’t for her suicide attempt, I would never have known she was deeply in love with Lucas. “Brother Lucas, what are you two up to? Can Rachel join?” “Sure.” Lucas was always like this. Whenever it came to Rachel, he would agree to anything. Rachel linked her arm with Lucas’s, and they walked side by side towards the counter. The sight stung my eyes. I gripped my cane tightly, my knuckles turning white. “You two make such a lovely couple,” the sales assistant said sweetly, as they often do when seeing couples. Lucas looked a bit embarrassed, finally noticing me behind him. “Please help her find a suitable bracelet.” The assistant paused but didn’t say anything. She took out a new design from the counter. “This lady has very delicate wrists. This bracelet would be perfect.” The assistant put the bracelet on my wrist. I pretended to feel it carefully. “Do you like it?” Lucas leaned down to ask. I nodded. Did I like it? How could I? “Brother Lucas, I want one too,” Rachel said, tugging at Lucas’s arm. “Please get me another one just like it,” Lucas said to the assistant. “I’m sorry, sir, but this is a limited edition. We only have one in stock.” “Brother Lucas, I really want this one.” Lucas glanced at me, then without hesitation, took the bracelet off my wrist. “Baby, let’s give this one to Rachel. We can choose another one for you.” Of course, she could have it. I’ve already given you to her anyway. Behind Lucas’s back, Rachel looked at me triumphantly, as if declaring victory. “Sister Mia, can I come home with you today? I’d love to taste your cooking.” I remained silent, waiting for Lucas’s response. “Of course you can. Mia, I know you can’t see, but Rachel doesn’t come over often. Don’t be so stingy.” He didn’t consider the danger of me cooking while blind. He only cared about what Rachel wanted. “Alright.”

Soon, I had laid out all the dishes on the table. In the living room, Lucas was watching extreme sports videos with Rachel. “Brother Lucas, when will we see you take on new extreme challenges?” “I don’t like it anymore. Haven’t since three years ago. But if Rachel wants to see, I could consider it.” Just like me, his once-favorite hobby was abandoned three years ago. Otherwise, how could he give up so easily? At the dinner table, the two chatted happily in front of me, completely ignoring my presence. Feeling unwell, I retired to the bedroom early. But I was soon awakened by Lucas’s angry shouts. “Mia Anderson! What did you put in the food?!” Lucas grabbed my neck and dragged me to the dining table. “You might be blind, but don’t you know Rachel is allergic to cilantro? Are you trying to kill her? How could you be so vicious!” Rachel looked weak at the table. In the past, I might have believed I had accidentally added her allergen. But now, I was absolutely certain I had never put cilantro in the food. “Brother Lucas, don’t blame Sister Mia. It’s my fault for being allergic to cilantro.” “I didn’t put any in!” I replied firmly. My definitive answer seemed to fuel Lucas’s rage. He flipped the table and slapped me hard across the face. “When did you learn to lie? How can you be so sure, you blind woman? Lying without even thinking it through.” With that, Lucas picked Rachel up in his arms and left our chaotic home. As they left, Rachel gave me a contemptuous look, mouthing the words, “You deserve it.” Lucas didn’t come home for many days after that. During those days, Rachel kept sending me photos of Lucas taking care of her. Her social media was also updated daily. “Being cared for like a child, so blissful.” “Even food tastes better when fed by the man you love.” I turned off my phone and burned all our photos together to ashes. It wasn’t fair that only I was trapped in memories, and it shouldn’t be. On the seventh day, Lucas returned. Seeing the house restored to order, a flash of guilt crossed his face. “Mia…” Lucas hugged me from behind once again. “I’m sorry. I know I was a bit too emotional the other day.” Lucas buried his face in the crook of my neck. Not every apology deserves forgiveness. “Lucas, do you like me?” My voice was flat, devoid of emotion. “I do.” “Then do you like Rachel?” Lucas frowned, pulling away from me. “Mia Anderson, Rachel is just my sister. Can you stop being so suspicious all the time? It’s annoying. I’m tired, you know?” “Okay.” Realizing his tone had become harsh, Lucas hugged me again to comfort me. “Mia, how about we go out for some fresh air these next few days? Let’s go camping, okay?” I nodded. Seeing my obedience, Lucas smiled with satisfaction. It’s almost over, Lucas. We’re nearly done.

Every time Lucas took me out to relax, I used to be excited for days. But this time, my heart couldn’t stir even a ripple. As we drove along, Lucas seemed very happy. I just quietly watched the changing scenery outside the window. “Lucas.” “Hmm?” Hearing me call his full name, he seemed a bit uncomfortable, furrowing his brow. “Do you still like extreme sports?” “I used to love it, but that kind of passion has an expiration date.” Does that include me too? But I never voiced that question. I should have realized earlier that he had long lost his former courage and passion. Soon, the car entered deep into the mountains. The scenery here was beautiful, but few people ventured this far, perhaps because it was too remote. Lucas didn’t let me do anything, setting everything up himself. For a moment, I thought I saw that radiant boy from the past. At night, Lucas held me as we sat under the stars. “Baby, I know you can’t see, so let me describe it to you.” Lucas described the starry sky to me, while my heart was in endless turmoil and pain. I couldn’t even tell which was the real him anymore. “Lucas, if you lost me one day, what would you do?” But this question was drowned out by the sound of a ringing phone. Seeing it was Rachel, Lucas immediately answered. “Brother Lucas, I’m so scared. Can you come and stay with me?” Lucas turned to look at me, hesitating for a few seconds. During those few seconds, I was in utter torment. I stared straight ahead, maintaining the appearance of being blind. “Rachel, wait for me. I’ll be right there,” Lucas said soothingly. “Baby…” “Go ahead.” “I knew you’d understand. Wait for me, I’ll be back soon.” Lucas left. The moment he departed, the surroundings became terrifyingly quiet. My eyes were brimming with tears. I looked up at the sky he had described. There wasn’t a single star, only a blanket of dark clouds. All the beauty was just his fabrication. How foolish had I been these three years? In his eyes, I was probably nothing more than a clown. I sat there dazed all night. At dawn, I opened my phone. The first post on social media stabbed my eyes. It was a photo of Lucas holding Rachel’s hand tightly as they slept peacefully. Their ambiguous relationship, disguised under the name of siblings, went far beyond acceptable boundaries. Everything was so sickening. As daylight broke, my tears had dried up. I stumbled down the mountain, each step feeling like it took all my strength. When I arrived home, I found Lucas and Rachel watching an extreme sports documentary in our living room. It was the documentary Lucas and I had treasured from our past. Seeing me, Lucas was startled, as if suddenly remembering something. “I’m sorry, baby. I forgot. Are you hurt?” “No,” I replied, my voice calm and indifferent. “I’m really sorry, Sister Mia. It’s all my fault. Otherwise, Brother Lucas wouldn’t have left you alone,” Rachel said. I didn’t respond, heading straight to the bedroom. “Mia Anderson, I’ve already said I forgot by accident. Why are you giving Rachel the cold shoulder? If you have any complaints, take them out on me. Don’t hurt Rachel.” A slap followed by a sweet gesture – this had become Lucas’s norm. I closed the door tightly. In the afternoon, Rachel knocked on my door. “Sister Mia, let’s go out together.” I pressed my lips together, not responding. The next moment, Lucas kicked the door open. “Mia Anderson, what do you mean by not answering? Rachel has already humbled herself to ask you. What more do you want? You don’t have the status of a princess, but you sure have the temper of one.” I was forcibly dragged out. Walking side by side on the street, the two of them chatted happily, completely ignoring me. Suddenly, we heard the screech of brakes nearby. A car came speeding straight towards us. Instinctively, I reached out to grab Lucas. But Lucas hugged Rachel and threw themselves to the side, holding her tightly in his arms. I was hit by the car and thrown several meters away. It felt like my internal organs were shattering. I lay in a pool of blood, my consciousness fading. In moments of danger, a person’s instinctive actions reveal their true feelings. I was never… his first choice. How can love be divided between two people? Seeing me close my eyes, Lucas panicked. His hands trembled as he dialed for emergency services. “Mia… hang on a little longer.”

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After I Got Sick, He Cried His Eyes Red from Worry and Ran All over Town to Raise Money for Me, But I Still Broke His Heart I, Elodie Sterling, got sick while working at a club and drinking with guests. The doctor told me to raise money fast. I begged my mom, Nova Sterling, to lend me some. Nova shoved me aside and sneered, “Your mouth down there’s a mess. What was wrong with the one up here? Still works fine, doesn’t it?” I was so broke I didn’t even have pride left. I was scrambling for money anywhere I could. Then my boyfriend, Beckett Hastings, found me, eyes bloodshot. He kept shoving money into my account. “You need cash, right? I’ll give you whatever you want! A hundred grand, will that cover it? A million, just say the word!” I let out a cold laugh. “I’ve got a gynecological disease. You still wanna send me money?” Beckett pulled me into his arms, his voice shaking. “I’ll send it. I’ll send it all…” I clutched my stomach as I walked out of the hospital. The doctor told me I had a serious gynecological condition and needed money fast for treatment. This was all thanks to Nova. I didn’t even know when it started. At some point, my dad got addicted to gambling. Nova not only didn’t stop him, she made me pay off his debts. She said, “We raised you till you were eighteen. It’s time to pay us back.” Nova told me being a prostitute was the fastest way to make money. Then she hooked me up with a shady club, just like that. The money did come fast. But so did the filth. I was about to call Nova when she beat me to it. “Your dad lost money again. Send me five thousand dollars now. I heard you’ve been busy lately. You must’ve made a lot, right?” I hesitated, then spoke, “Mom… I’m sick. Didn’t I already give you all my money? Can you loan me just a little? I’ll pay you back once I get better.” Nova exploded, “Sick? Oh, cut the crap. You just don’t wanna pay, huh? You want me to tell the whole school what you’ve been doing behind closed doors?” I was choking on tears. “Mom, I’m not lying. I’m really sick. I can show you the diagnosis…” She interrupted me without mercy, “Quit the damn excuses. Send the money, or you’ll regret it.” She hung up on me with a loud snap. I needed thirty thousand dollars for surgery. I only had five hundred dollars left to my name. All the money I’d made at the club had gone straight into Nova’s pocket. I even picked up a part-time job at school to make ends meet. But I had no choice now. I had to ask him for help.

Just as I got to the school gates, Beckett stopped me. I’d met him while working part-time at the campus café. He took one look at my pale, weak face and pulled me into his arms. “What happened to you? You look terrible. Are you sick?” Hearing the concern in his voice made me break down and start sobbing. I couldn’t imagine how he’d react if he ever found out I was a prostitute. I tried my best to steady my voice. “It’s nothing, just a stomach issue. I just got back from the hospital. I’ll be fine after some rest. Don’t worry.” “How can I not worry?” he frowned. “You didn’t reply to my texts all morning. And didn’t you say you loved taro cake? Look, I got you some. Maybe if you eat it, your stomach will feel better.” He gave me a goofy grin, dangling the bag in his hand. Beckett was loaded. His clothes, pants, backpack, laptop, and any single item cost more than I could make in two months of entertaining clients. I thought, “Life was just unfair. Some people are born into wealth. Others can’t even afford a train ticket in their whole lifetime.” He was one of the sugar daddies I targeted at school. I hesitated for a long time, looking conflicted, before I finally spoke, “Beckett… can you lend me some money?” “Of course,” he said instantly. “How much do you need? I’ll transfer it right now.” He never said no to anything I asked. I couldn’t say it out loud. I just held up three fingers. “Transaction complete. Three thousand dollars.” I froze for a second at how fast he sent it. For a moment, I almost wanted to say yes to his confession, to throw it all away and just be with him. “I’ll pay you back,” I told him, looking into his eyes. He pouted playfully, pretending to be angry, “What, are we strangers now? If you keep being so formal, I’m gonna get mad.” But I knew I didn’t deserve him. I only approached him for one reason, his money.

The surgery money was still far from enough. Desperate, I went back to selling my body. Things were already awful. What was a little worse? While others went to class, I skipped school to sleep with clients. After a week of no attendance, my academic advisor noticed my week-long absence and called me in for a talk. “Can you explain why you’ve been skipping class for an entire week? Is something serious going on?” Just as I opened my mouth, a sharp pain twisted inside me, like a blender was tearing my insides into pulp. I broke out in a cold sweat. My vision blurred, and everything went black. I collapsed to the ground.

I woke up to the smell of antiseptic. Nova was outside talking to the doctor. The moment she saw I was awake, the doctor hurried over to check on me. Nova stood there, arms crossed, throwing me disgusted glances every few seconds. The doctor told her, “Her condition is serious. She needs to stay hospitalized for a few days and then schedule surgery. If we wait any longer, it might be irreversible.” Nova looked doubtful. “Surgery? For something like this? Can’t you just give her some meds? Young people heal fast. Look at her. She seems fine. And I don’t have money for surgery.” The doctor got visibly angry. “This isn’t some minor illness! Medication alone won’t help. She’s already in the late stage. As her guardian, you have a responsibility…” Nova snapped, “What kind of doctor are you? This isn’t about responsibility. If I had money, of course, I’d get her the damn surgery. Since you care so much, why don’t you pay for it?” Frustrated, the doctor stormed off. I stared blankly at the ceiling, desperate inside. For the first time, I thought, “Maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad. If I died, I wouldn’t have to sell myself any more. I wouldn’t have to be sick. I wouldn’t have to feel what it’s like for my mother to throw me away like trash.”

After the doctor left, Nova tossed two thousand dollars in cash onto my face. She could’ve sent it digitally, but she wanted to humiliate me. I didn’t even know if these two thousand dollars were my money or hers. It didn’t matter. Whoever earned it, it was all the same, equally dirty. Nova had a job. She also worked as a hostess at a nightclub. Back when I was still in high school, she came home around 3 a.m., reeking of booze and smoke. Her chest was barely covered, makeup smeared. Before she came home, I had to cook and leave dinner out for her. But every time, she’d complain that my cooking sucked and then throw the entire table of food onto the floor. She’d drag me out of my room, away from my homework, and force me to cook all over again. She’d rip up my finished assignments and scream, “Study? What good does it do?! Do you think studying puts food on the table?! Go find some man to support you already. Stop wasting my damn money!” She never used her earnings to pay off my dad’s debts. She blew it all on designer perfumes, Chanel bags, and luxury makeup. I once asked her, “Don’t you have money too? Why make me earn it to pay Dad’s debts?” She slapped me hard. “You think raising you was free? Now it’s your turn to pay us back. We’re not here to support you. You’re here to support us. Got it?” Nova said I was nothing more than a money-making tool. The cash was scattered across the floor. I lay motionless in bed, letting her spit poison at me. “What did I do to deserve such a useless child? Can’t do anything right. Maybe if you had a brain, you wouldn’t have gotten yourself sick. “You’re just dead weight. “You know what? You should just jump out the window right now and die. Save me the trouble of wasting more money on you.” I listened quietly as her words cut through me like knives. I didn’t say a word. Seeing me stay silent, she started shoving me and then hitting me in a frenzy. Covered in blood, I begged her to stop.

I always seemed to run into Beckett at my lowest. After Nova finally cooled off, I snuck out quietly. And, of course, I ran right into him. “What happened? Who hit you?” He grabbed my hand and gently brushed my cheek. I wanted nothing more than to throw myself into his arms and tell him everything that had just happened. But I couldn’t. If he found out I was sick, he’d turn and walk away in a heartbeat. Even if Beckett liked me, really liked me, it wouldn’t matter. On the first day of college, Nova had made it clear. I wasn’t here to study. I was here to bait a guy. That was the mission she gave me. She said her life was already hard enough, and she needed me to help her live a better one. At first, I refused. Then she threatened me with my nude photos. Eventually, I met Beckett. And once I found out he came from money, I set my sights on him. I’d link arms with him, call him sweetly, and Beckett would melt every time at my sound. Whenever Beckett made coffee, I’d lean in close, pretending to admire it. When he got scalded by hot water, I put his fingers in my mouth, pretending to soothe the pain, but really, I was flirting with him intentionally. I made cute little desserts for him. I would often prepare small, inexpensive surprises for him. And finally, one day, Beckett confessed his feelings. But I kept stringing him along because he wasn’t the only guy I selected.

I pushed Beckett’s hand away. But he followed behind me, voice low and pleading. “What’s wrong? Did I do something? Why won’t you talk to me? “Please… just say something. You’re scaring me right now.” The more Beckett cared, the more disgusted I felt with myself. I hated myself. I thought, “What did I ever do to deserve someone like him? Why was I using such a good guy? But did I really have another choice? If I could, I’d confess for real. I’d tell him I like him too.” I walked faster, his voice fading behind me. I didn’t want to let his kindness go to waste anymore. Back in my dorm, I sent him a long message on WhatsApp. Then I shut off my phone.

I was getting worse. If it went on like this, I really wouldn’t make it. I opened a loan app and withdrew ten thousand dollars. I could earn more money later. Right now, saving my life came first. I went to the hospital again. But as I stood at the entrance, someone called out from behind me. “Elodie? Wow, what a coincidence. What are you doing here?” I turned around. A blonde guy in a black tracksuit was pushing a bike, grinning at me with that sly, up-to-no-good look. He squinted those seductive eyes, staring me down. It was Ronan Carver, another rich guy I was stringing along. He walked right up, eyeing the names of the gynecological departments on the hospital sign. “Oh? Are you sick? Here to see a doctor?” I didn’t say anything. He kept going. “Well, well. Didn’t expect you to catch something like this. Just wait. Beckett’s gonna find out soon. Let’s see how he reacts then.”

ack at school, people kept turning to look at me as I walked by. I told myself I was just being paranoid and kept going. Then a guy ran past me, did a double-take, and shouted to his buddies, “It’s really her!” Free Point “Stay away from her, man. You don’t wanna catch something.” Exaggerated laughter followed from behind. I quickened my pace back towards my dorm. The campus utility poles were plastered with my photos. One of them showed me standing outside a gynecology clinic, and someone had scrawled words like whore and slut beside it. For a second, I didn’t even feel shocked because maybe I was a whore. I let out a bitter laugh and started tearing the pictures down. But then, garbage, eggs, and even ink started flying at me from all sides. I just stood there, silently letting them vent, mock, and humiliate me. I didn’t know how long I stood there until suddenly, someone picked me up. Beckett wrapped his jacket around me and stepped out of the crowd, carrying me in his arms. “Don’t be scared. I’m here now. I’ll protect you.” Beckett held my head to his chest and gently stroked my hair.

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After I was forced to donate my kidney to my sister, she finally got pregnant with my husband’s child. My parents and brother took my savings, my car, and my house to congratulate the newlyweds. On their wedding day, my best friend – the only one who knew about my death – sent a row of funeral wreaths… along with my death certificate. I watched as a flicker of panic crossed the faces of my parents and brother, which had been cold towards me for over twenty years. On the day of Mark and Evelyn’s wedding, they each called me, wanting me to come back. Although the calls didn’t go through, it didn’t stop the three of them from discussing how to transfer my house to Mark and Evelyn. My dad said, “It’s just a house. Lily is being too stingy.” My mom said, “It’s been six months. Evelyn just had a kidney transplant and got pregnant. She needs someone to take care of her. Lily hasn’t even come to help.” My brother said, “Hmph, don’t let me see her. If I do, I’ll force her to sign over the house to Evelyn.” My dad took a deep breath and nodded, “That’s all we can do. If she won’t consider Evelyn’s needs on her own, we’ll have to make the decision for her.” They finished their discussion in a few sentences and turned their attention to wedding preparations. I floated in the air, watching them busily prepare for the wedding. Surprisingly, I felt no ripples in my heart. Perhaps it was because I had never felt any familial love from them. Even in death, I didn’t expect them to show any concern for me, who had been missing for six months. Because my sister needed cord blood, my 40-year-old mother desperately gave birth to me. Whenever my sister had a need, I, as her younger sister, had no right to say “no.” From something as big as a kidney to something as small as a pencil. This range also included my Harvard acceptance letter and my husband, Mark. Mark was a classmate I met after retaking the SATs and getting into Yale. We were in the same class. We got together because of our shared interests. We were very much in love and happy. So, with no one paying attention to me, we got married very smoothly after graduation. I think if it weren’t for that chance encounter with my sister on the street, I probably would have lived out my life peacefully like this. The first time my sister saw Mark, her eyes seemed to light up. It was a look I was all too familiar with. Since childhood, whenever she set her eyes on something, they would emit this light – that intense desire to possess, which loomed over me like a nightmare. I knew she had her sights set on Mark. And in the days that followed, she deliberately seduced him. From the moment Mark said, “I don’t think your sister is as bad as you say,” I watched them grow closer and more intimate. They even had sex in my house.

Before it happened, my parents gave me a report of uremia. It was my sister Evelyn’s. My father looked troubled and said, “I know it’s difficult to ask you to donate a kidney to your sister, but without your kidney, your sister will die.” My mother’s tears had already fallen. “Your sister is still so young. You’re sisters, you can’t not help her. If your father and I had kidneys that matched your sister’s, we wouldn’t have to come to you.” I looked at the report and at my birth parents. I asked, “Did Jack also do a kidney matching test?” Jack is my brother. Like my sister, he’s the apple of my parents’ eyes. From childhood, whatever my sister had, my brother had, and whatever my brother had, my sister also had. Only I… had nothing. My parents fell silent, their eyes not daring to meet mine. I tugged at the corner of my mouth, my heart like still water. Their attitude had already made it clear that they hadn’t planned to ask Jack to donate a kidney. In this family of five, if someone had to be sacrificed, it would definitely be me. If someone could benefit, it definitely wouldn’t be me. I refused my parents’ request. They started scolding me. They scolded me for being inconsiderate, for being ungrateful, for disregarding the bond between sisters. I walked in front, and they followed behind, scolding me. They didn’t care how passersby looked at them. They were determined to make me agree to donate the kidney. I didn’t listen or speak, letting them make a scene. Until we got home. I opened the door. The three of us simultaneously saw Evelyn and Mark, both naked, in the throes of passion. Actually, before this, I had already seen Mark and Evelyn’s chat history. The explicit content had made me nauseous for many days. Now, seeing their naked bodies entangled, I thought I would scream and go crazy, then pull away the blanket they were using to cover themselves and call the neighbors to come and see. But in reality, I was incredibly calm. I even managed to pull out a smile and say to my parents, “Under these circumstances, do you still want me to donate a kidney to her?” My parents looked embarrassed, but only for a moment. They quickly regained their composure and asked Mark and Evelyn to get dressed. Under my dad’s organization, the five of us sat on the sofa. The four of them sat together, opposite me. Looking at their happy faces, I felt I should take out my phone and take a “family photo” for them. In this marriage, I was the extra one. In this family, I was also the extra one. My dad broke the silence. He said, “Since this is the case, you and Mark should get divorced soon, while you don’t have children. Neither of you has lost anything.” My mom hesitated for a moment, but still bravely said what was on her mind: “Mark doesn’t have a future with you, but he’s still our son-in-law. In the future, when we meet, we’ll still be family.” The meaning was very clear. They had already accepted Mark and Evelyn. I had anticipated this outcome. When I looked through Mark and Evelyn’s phone chat history, I also saw their family group chat. In the family group, there was my dad, my mom, my sister, my brother, my husband, but I didn’t exist. That group had been established last year. The five of them would often inform Mark and Evelyn about my schedule in the group. Several times, to let Mark and Evelyn date smoothly, my brother, who disliked me, would ask me to go shopping, and my parents, who didn’t like me, would ask me to come home for dinner. During that half year, I once thought that I had finally gained the love of my family. I didn’t expect it to be just a fleeting illusion in the end.

Evelyn was already used to this kind of scene. Faced with my silence, she brought out her usual coquettishness, which only I found affected. “Lily, don’t blame Mom and Dad, and don’t blame Mark. If you want to blame someone, blame me. It’s all my fault.” I looked at her and said slowly, “Mm, it’s your fault. So are you going to kneel down and apologize to me?” Evelyn was momentarily speechless. At this moment, my mom’s eyes darted towards me: “How dare you speak to your sister like that? Apologize.” When Evelyn snatched my pencil, I cried and made a fuss. In the end, I apologized to Evelyn to end the matter. When Evelyn took my college acceptance letter, I still cried and made a fuss. Again, I apologized to Evelyn to conclude the affair. Now, my husband had been snatched by Evelyn. I didn’t cry or make a fuss, showing self-awareness, yet my birth mother still said that one word: “Apologize.” I smiled slightly and looked at my mother: “Alright, I’ll apologize.” I stood up and bowed 90 degrees to Evelyn. Then, devoutly and seriously, I said: “I’m sorry, sister. If I had known earlier that you liked Mark, I shouldn’t have married him. I should have sent Mark to your bed.” Hearing me say this, my parents and sister’s faces darkened slightly. Mark hadn’t expected me to be like this. He hurriedly stood up and supported me, his face full of guilt: “Don’t be like this, Lily. We’ve wronged you.” The guilty expression on his face should be genuine. Mark wasn’t someone who could pretend. I tried to find a hint of reluctance to part with me on his face. But his next words made me feel that the world’s malice towards me was truly great. Mark said: “Your sister’s uremia is in the late stage. If you don’t help her, she really has no way out. Lily, people have two kidneys, you won’t die with one less. Your salary is so high, with good care you can recover to a normal person’s level.” The guilt on his face was gone without a trace. Instead, it was replaced by full calculation. Pitiful calculation. At the mention of kidneys, Evelyn’s whole body weakened. Seeing Evelyn’s discomfort, my parents, along with Mark, pressured me. My dad said: “This is your sister, donating a kidney is your responsibility.” My mom said: “I gave birth to you because of your sister, you should be grateful.” Mark said: “Evelyn is the person I love most, I can’t live without her. For the sake of our past love, help us.” I didn’t have the ability to argue against the group. I also didn’t have the attitude to act weak and pitiful. I certainly didn’t have a compassionate heart that embraced all of humanity. So, I chose to escape. I fled that place empty-handed, not even taking the bankbook hidden in the cabinet. I refused their request. I refused to save Evelyn. I refused to be forced to give up everything like when I was a child. I’m grown up now, I have the ability to resist, I choose my own life, I protect my own body.

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I attended a private auction with my Uncle Jack. Little did I know that the items up for bid were intimate photos of Bella, the girl everyone thought was the real heiress. Uncle Jack urged me to place a bid. But just then, I received a text message: “If you dare to bid, I’ll reveal your secret.” In that moment of hesitation, a man swooped in and won the bid for Bella’s private photos. I thought Uncle Jack would be angry with me, but to my surprise, he suddenly chartered a yacht, saying he wanted to celebrate my 20th birthday. He boasted that he’d give me an unforgettable surprise! But I never imagined that on the yacht, in front of everyone, he would display photos of me from when I was trafficked. Uncle Jack stood behind Bella, coldly addressing me, “You didn’t want to bid on others’ photos, so how about yours? Let’s see if you’ll bid on yourself.” I stumbled backward in disbelief. The screen displayed a series of degrading photos. In them, I was filthy, living in a pigsty, my eyes lifeless. Today’s attendees were all from high society – wealthy heirs and heiresses. They sneered at me, “We always knew this so-called ‘real heiress’ was trash, but we didn’t expect her to be this dirty, like a filthy pig.” “Holy shit, there are even photos of her in bed with old men!” I instantly recalled a terrifying scene from years ago, shuddering uncontrollably. Instinctively, I searched for Uncle Jack, but he was busy chatting with Bella, not sparing me a glance. Yet it was he who had once offered me a helping hand. Now, he was pushing me back into hell. Suddenly, Bella spoke up, “Everyone, please stop. My sister must be so upset.” She then playfully tugged on Uncle Jack’s ear, as if scolding him. Everyone watched this scene curiously. After all, Jack wasn’t just some rich kid, but a real business tycoon. Jack didn’t disappoint. He affectionately patted Bella’s head. The next moment, he slowly swept his cold gaze over me, landing on the large screen behind him. “Tonight, everyone enjoy yourselves. Consider this Bella’s 20th birthday celebration.” So that’s why Uncle Jack said he wanted to celebrate my birthday early. It was just a ruse; he only wanted to celebrate Bella’s birthday. After a pause, Jack glanced at me again, “Those photos were my first big gift to Bella. I’ve decided to auction these photos to all of you, and the proceeds will go to Bella to do as she pleases.” Bella tugged on Jack’s sleeve before continuing, “My sister was trafficked into the mountains before. I think the children there are so pitiful. I’ve decided to donate all the auction money to those children.” Jack smiled slightly and led the applause. The applause echoed throughout the room, each clap feeling like an invisible slap to my face. Everyone looked at me as if I were merchandise for sale. I excused myself to use the restroom, my body trembling as I entered. But when I came out, several people were already bidding on my photos. “This one’s not bad, she looks like a dog. Do you think if I gave her some food back then, Lily would have knelt like a bitch?” The man who said this made an obscene gesture. The men in the room burst into laughter. Jack frowned and immediately covered Bella’s eyes. “Bella, you’re still young. Don’t look, it might taint your eyes.” But had Jack forgotten that I was actually a year younger than Bella? It was just that when I first came back, Bella insisted on calling me sister, so the family defaulted to me being the older one.

Seeing me return, people mocked even louder. The next moment, a waiter looked at me disdainfully, “Miss Lily, while you were away, several gentlemen have already placed bids. The current highest bid is two million. Are you in or out?” I looked at the big screen. This photo was of me fighting with pigs for food. Because I refused to submit, that family starved me. After Uncle Jack brought me back, he once cried in front of me, vowing never to let me suffer again. I closed my eyes, swallowing the tears in my heart, and said hoarsely, “I’ll place a bid.” As soon as I finished speaking, Jack laughed coldly, “Lily, when it’s your turn, you’re not selfish anymore?” “Since you want to bid, let’s add a few videos to the mix.” Instantly, the big screen displayed a video. I watched in horror as the scene unfolded. It was a shadow I never wanted to touch in my life. In the video, I was pinned down by two men, with another man violating me. I was screaming in pain, like a lone beast fighting alone. I was so scared that I fell to my knees, hugging my head and shaking. Jack reflexively took a step towards me but was quickly pulled back by Bella. “Uncle, don’t provoke my sister anymore. She seems to be having an episode. Although my sister doesn’t like me, and even caused… that incident, I believe she didn’t mean to.” Jack immediately stopped in his tracks, as if awakening from a trance. “She deserves it.” I slowly raised my head and looked at Jack again. He clearly knew I had depression, yet he still chose to provoke me like this. The waiter ignored me and smiled at the crowd again, “Next is the second photo, a full-body nude. Starting bid is 5.2 million.” I looked at the image on the screen in horror. How did Jack have this photo? He had ordered these photos deleted when he rescued me. But Bella’s words instantly solved my confusion. “Uncle, I just wanted to see some photos of my sister in the mountains, and you actually spent a whole week recovering these high-resolution images. I don’t know what to say.” Jack still hugged Bella affectionately, “Bella, I’ll give you anything you want.” The young ladies present looked at this scene with envy or jealousy. “You had these photos recovered?” Jack just smirked, his eyes filled with amusement. “Just because I didn’t bid on Bella’s photo?” Jack only reacted when he heard this name. His sharp gaze cut into my heart like a knife. I watched bitterly as Jack turned to hold Bella’s hand tenderly. That big hand once firmly held mine as we crossed mountain after mountain. I always thought he was my real uncle. Until that night when I turned eighteen, he burst into my room. After that wild night, I realized he had no blood relation to me. But after that night, he never mentioned it again. He gradually became indifferent towards me.

I spoke up again, interrupting this seemingly warm but actually filthy and hypocritical scene. “I’ll place a bid.” But this time, these men shouted at me like crazy beasts, “Are you fucking kidding? We let you have the last one, but you can’t have this one. I want to take it back for some fun!” The men exchanged knowing glances, revealing creepy smiles. “Yeah, I gotta say, Lily’s got a nice body. You can really see it when she’s naked. I’m getting excited just looking at it.” These insulting jokes made me feel like I was back in those nightmarish years. But this time, Jack silently allowed it all to happen. “Come on, guys, bid higher. You’re adding pennies at a time. My Bella is getting anxious.” Jack held Bella’s waist, his eyes filled with enough affection to drown everyone present. Bella turned and buried herself in Jack’s arms, playfully patting his chest, “Uncle, you’re always teasing me. I just feel bad for my sister bidding. She doesn’t have money of her own, just the allowance the family gives her.” I suddenly had a bad feeling. Sure enough, Jack frowned and sneered, “I almost forgot. Lily, you just returned to the family, but everyone gave you a million dollars. No wonder you’re so reckless.” He then coldly froze all my bank cards in front of everyone. “Since you want to bid on yourself, use your own money.” Everyone knew I grew up in the countryside and was a useless bumpkin, even after returning to the family! “Looks like Mr. Cold is really angry. He used to protect Lily so much, spoiling her to the core.” “Who would have thought that after a few years, Bella would be the spoiled one.” “It’s all Lily’s fault. Even though Bella isn’t her real sister, she shouldn’t have let other men buy Bella’s private photos.” The woman who spoke was immediately glared at by those around her, reminding her that Jack was still on stage. “I’ll place a bid.” I said again in a hoarse voice. “This woman’s got guts. She doesn’t think Mr. Cold will still cover for her, does she?” “You never know, what if she has private assets?” Bella tugged on Jack’s sleeve, pretending to be innocent, “Uncle, didn’t you give my sister a lot of money before? Is she planning to use that money to bid? But that sounds a bit strange, doesn’t it?” I thought Jack would immediately demand that money back. But he just remained silent, lost in thought. I won this photo again. But the next set of photos terrified me even more. This photo showed me lying on a dirty little bed covered in blood, with a baby sleeping next to me. I immediately went crazy, rushing up to punch the big screen. This was an indelible pain in my heart. Those bastards ruined my life! “This photo is even more intense. Who knew Lily had a child out of wedlock?” “She actually had a bastard child with an old man in the mountains. Lily is such a slut. No wonder Mr. Cold ignores her. He probably thinks she’s too dirty.” I turned to look at Jack with trembling lips. Was he treating me like this because he thought I was dirty?

Jack looked at me without emotion and walked towards me, letting go of Bella’s hand. But he asked me to hand over the black card he had given me before. “I’ve decided to give that black card to Bella as a gift.” Before I could speak, he signaled with his eyes, and the next moment, a waiter searched me in front of everyone on the ship and handed the cards I was carrying to Jack. Jack held up two cards and looked at them, saying flatly, “They’re dirty. Destroy them.” He then walked back to Bella, taking out a brand new card from his pocket and handing it to her. “I wouldn’t let Bella use something dirty that someone else has used.” Instantly, my heart felt as if it had been pierced by a thousand arrows. I could barely stand, swaying as I stood at the stern of the ship. The waiter’s voice rang out again, enjoying the show, “This photo’s bidding price is 3 million. Additionally, the winner can specify one thing for the person in the photo to do.” With these words, the whole place erupted. Those men with green eyes in their sockets looked like they wanted to strip me naked with their gazes! “So, can we make Lily perform a striptease right here?” Unexpectedly, Jack sneered, his words seeming to nail me to a pillar of shame, “It’s not like she hasn’t done it before.” “Damn, who knew Lily was such a wild one under that country bumpkin appearance. Did she learn all this while servicing people in the mountains?” I had indeed danced for Jack before. It was his birthday, and I didn’t know it was called a striptease. I only knew that if I danced, those people wouldn’t beat me and might even give me food. But after I danced for Jack that time, he was so heartbroken he almost punched himself. He solemnly told me, “You must never dance in front of anyone again.” I remembered, but he forgot! When I came back to my senses, the bidding price had already reached 5 million. “Uncle, look how upset my sister is. She’s about to cry but can’t. She probably has no money left. Why don’t we call it off? I really can’t bear to see this.” “Bella, I know you’re kind-hearted, but your kindness towards enemies is hurting yourself.” Jack brought his business tactics to educate Bella, as if I were some unforgivable villain. I could barely control my swaying body. So in Jack’s heart, I had already been classified as an enemy? “Alright, Mr. Huang’s highest bid is now 5 million. Is there anyone else? 5 million once, 5 million twice, then…” I directly interrupted, my heart as dead as ashes, uttering three words, “I’ll place a bid.” But now everyone knew I had no money left. They didn’t buy it, “Lily, you country bumpkin, do you know the rules? If you bid without money, you’re disrupting order. You’ll not only go bankrupt but also have to compensate everyone present.” Another sneer was heard, “Why are you explaining to her? This idiot wouldn’t understand. Besides, talking about bankruptcy, I think she’s already bankrupt now, isn’t she?” But I ignored their words and insisted on speaking again: “I’ll place a bid.” Seeing my stubborn appearance, Jack felt a surge of anger in his chest, “Don’t let her fool you. How about this, whoever wins the bid, I’ll throw in several sets of exclusive premium photoshoots.” The next moment, he snapped his fingers, and the screen displayed various nude photos of me, some in a dark basement, some in fields, and some even in pigsties. People got more excited with their bids, quickly reaching 10 million. But at this moment, Jack suddenly spoke up to bid, “13.14 million.”

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On our 5th wedding anniversary, my wife’s first love suddenly appeared at the party and started cutting himself with a knife. “Why? Why won’t you divorce him and be with me? Do I have to die for that to happen?” Ryan pleaded with tears in his eyes, begging me to give my wife Chloe to him. He knelt down and started banging his head on the floor frantically. Chloe was distraught. To comfort Ryan, she immediately booked tickets to take him abroad to clear his mind. She even took off her wedding ring and put it on Ryan’s finger. Afterwards, she explained to me matter-of-factly: “If it wasn’t for your sister bullying him back then, how could he have tried to drown himself?” “What I’m doing now is much better than what your sister did.” I watched the video of Ryan putting his arm around my wife’s waist and smirking at me, but said nothing and just nodded. Chloe thought I had become more understanding and obedient. She was very pleased and declared that she would make it up to me after Ryan’s emotions stabilized. But what she didn’t know was that I had already bought a plane ticket to leave the country. She had also unknowingly signed our divorce papers. Our home together was already gone.

The next day, while Chloe was accompanying her dear Ryan abroad, I packed up all my belongings and took a taxi to the airport. “He’s going abroad to chase after the missus again. When will he realize that she doesn’t love him?” I overheard the housekeepers gossiping behind my back as I was leaving. “I know, everyone knows the missus and Mr. Cooper were childhood sweethearts. If it wasn’t for his sister seducing Mr. Cooper and then abandoning him back then, the missus would have married Mr. Cooper long ago. How could it be his turn?” “Shh, don’t say that. He’s pitiful enough as it is. It’s all because of that awful sister of his who passed away.” I was used to hearing this kind of talk. It was only after marrying Chloe that I learned Ryan Cooper, her first love, was the man who had tried to drown himself and became mentally unstable after breaking up with my sister. After that, Chloe’s personality changed drastically. She repeatedly humiliated me for Ryan’s sake. The housekeepers also started targeting me, trying to curry favor with Ryan. Thinking of this, I turned around and smiled coldly at them. “I’m sorry, but I’m not going to find Chloe this time. I’m leaving the country and never coming back.” I ignored their mocking expressions and left without looking back. Just as I reached the front gate, I got a call from Chloe. Her self-righteous voice came through the phone: “I sent you a location. Go there to test the new medication.” I smiled bitterly as I opened the map to the medical facility she had sent. After Ryan fell ill, Chloe spared no expense to find miracle drugs to cure him. But the experimental drugs had major side effects and weren’t guaranteed to work. She couldn’t bear to see Ryan suffer, so she forced me to be the test subject for Ryan’s medications instead. At first I refused desperately, but Chloe had people forcibly take me to the medical facility and tie me down to test the drugs. Several times I felt terribly sick from the side effects. During those times, Chloe would comfort me gently. In my hazy state, I thought I saw glimpses of the Chloe who used to love me before we got married. I thought she would eventually come to her senses. Until Ryan had another episode, and she insisted on having me test an extremely dangerous drug, ignoring the doctor’s warnings. That time, the drug nearly killed me. I was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. But Chloe never came to see me once. She was too busy reading bedtime stories to Ryan at the nursing home. I finally gave up hope. The Chloe who used to love me dearly before we married was truly gone. “I don’t have time,” I replied curtly. “No time?” Chloe said coldly. “You have to make time. Don’t forget, Ryan’s illness is because of whose sister. You must atone for your sister’s sins to Ryan. Otherwise don’t blame me if I divorce you!” “His illness has nothing to do with me or my sister. As for divorce…” I was about to say “then let’s get divorced”, when Ryan’s weak voice came through the phone. “Chloe, it’s okay if Adrian doesn’t want to. I can test the drug myself.” “No way, the doctor said this drug has some side effects. We’ll wait until after it’s been tested before you take it, okay sweetie?” Chloe’s voice was as gentle as flowing water. Compared to how coldly she treated me, it was like two completely different people. I no longer felt the hurt and anger I used to. I only felt numb and cynical now. Seeing my silence, Chloe naturally assumed I had agreed. Her tone softened a bit. “Adrian, I know you always feel awful after testing the drugs. But Ryan’s condition is improving day by day. As the brother of the person mainly responsible, shouldn’t you feel happy about that?” “Ryan already said he doesn’t blame your sister anymore. You should learn from his magnanimity and forgiveness. He’s always been kindhearted, but ended up like this because of your sister.” Ryan chimed in softly: “It’s alright, this isn’t really Adrian’s fault after all.” Though he said that, there was a hint of mockery in his tone. Chloe didn’t notice and replied tenderly: “You dummy, always so naive. If someone sold you, you’d probably help them count the money.” Ryan said coyly: “With you here, who would dare try to take advantage of me?” The two of them went back and forth flirtatiously. I stayed silent, not bothering to argue anymore. Back then, Ryan had obsessively pursued my sister even after she broke up with him. He cheated on her multiple times when they were together. My sister couldn’t take it anymore and asked to break up, but he framed her by attempting suicide and making her look like the bad guy. Afterwards, he packaged himself as an innocent victim whose feelings were toyed with. Meanwhile, my sister faced relentless cyberbullying and took an overdose one night. I had tried to explain the truth to Chloe countless times, but she never believed me. “Hurry up and go test the drug. Don’t delay Ryan’s treatment. He’s not feeling well right now.” Chloe hung up before I could respond. Not long after, I saw Ryan’s latest social media update. The two of them were strolling hand in hand on a beach, looking like the perfect couple. As the light glinted off Ryan’s hand, I saw he was wearing the wedding ring Chloe had taken off at my birthday party to comfort him. I scrolled down further. At 7 AM that morning, Ryan had carried Chloe on his back to climb a mountain and watch the sunrise. His face looked rosy and healthy, without a trace of illness. The two of them were like newlyweds on their honeymoon. I smiled sardonically, not bothering to confront Chloe anymore. In the past, I always thought that once I proved my sister’s innocence, Chloe would regret her actions. Now I realized Chloe didn’t care about the truth at all. All she cared about from beginning to end was Ryan. I was about to get in the car when I got a panicked call from a friend. “Adrian, quick, check the trending topics online. Those photos must be fake, right?”

I clicked on the trending topic and was immediately assaulted by intimate photos of myself from various angles. My vision went black for a moment. The comments below were full of vicious rumors and mockery. [Who knew Adrian Shaw looked so prim and proper on the outside, but was such a slut in private.] [I’ve seen Adrian Shaw before he married Chloe. He was already like this, working as an escort at clubs.] [Chloe is so generous to share her toy with us. When do we get a turn to play?] Countless filthy words flooded my eyes. My whole body broke out in a cold sweat. I had no idea when Chloe had taken these photos of me. My heart and temples were pounding uncontrollably. I quickly tried calling Chloe. She didn’t pick up after over a dozen calls. My mother called to berate me for bringing shame to the family. It was a while before Chloe finally called back. Faced with my questions, she was nonchalant: “Ryan was playing with my phone and accidentally posted them. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? I’ve already had people delete the photos.” I bit my lip until it bled: “Don’t you know many people have already saved them?!” “So what if they saved them? Just don’t look at them and it’ll be fine. Ryan didn’t do it on purpose. Don’t tell me you want him to apologize to you?” “He did something wrong. Shouldn’t he come apologize?” “Dream on. Keep this up and I’ll divorce you!” “Fine, let’s get divorced then.” There was a pause on the other end of the line. In the past, no matter how fiercely we argued, I had never mentioned divorce. We got married in winter and went to Iceland for our honeymoon. She insisted on bringing Ryan along, saying he wasn’t feeling well. While skiing, she told me to give my coat to Ryan. When I refused, she forcibly took it off me and left me on the ski slope. By the time I made it back to the hotel, frozen stiff, she ordered me a bowl of pear soup and apologized. “Ryan’s body has never fully recovered since he tried to drown himself that year. I was worried he’d catch a cold, that’s why I acted so hastily.” She pleaded for my forgiveness with tears in her eyes. I softened, thinking of how good she had been to me before. I told her it was okay. I thought my forbearance would be rewarded with Chloe’s care and remorse. I thought eventually the truth would come out and she would have a change of heart. But I never imagined my yielding would only make her more and more excessive. Chloe seemed to think I was just saying it in anger. After a moment of silence, she said dismissively: “Come on, it’s just a few photos. Why are you acting like it’s the end of the world?” “Ryan even told me to pass on his apologies. I didn’t expect you to be so petty, threatening divorce over such a small thing.” “Fine, to make it up to you for this incident, I promise we’ll have a proper celebration for your birthday when I get back. Happy now?” “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you mention divorce. Go online and post an apology statement for me. Then we can put this behind us.” “You have 10 minutes. Otherwise I really will divorce you.” Afraid I would keep pestering her, Chloe quickly hung up. In the past, whenever she threatened divorce, I would obediently do as she said. But what I cared about was never the divorce itself, but losing the chance to be with her. Now I finally understood that a relationship that started wrong was doomed to go wrong and end wrong. I insisted on not giving in. I sent her a message: [This was Ryan’s fault to begin with. I don’t know what state of mind he was in to “accidentally” post so many photos. As the victim, why should I take responsibility for him? Either he apologizes, or I’m pressing charges.]

After sending the message, I turned off my phone and continued heading to the airport. After marrying Chloe, even though she didn’t treat me well, she would always try to make it up to me afterwards. Sometimes with cash, sometimes with jewelry and gifts. I sold all the jewelry and gifts, saving up a sizeable amount. This money would be enough for me to live comfortably from now on, without having to rely on anyone else. On the way to the airport, I stopped by to hand over the signed divorce papers to the staff. When getting Chloe to sign the papers earlier, I had hoped she would notice. But Ryan had another episode then, so she rushed out the door and signed the last page without even looking. “Are you sure you don’t want to take another look?” I had asked, clinging to one last shred of hope. “No need. If it’s the liability waiver for the drug trials, it must be fine,” she had replied. I smiled bitterly. As long as it involved Ryan, she would agree without hesitation, not caring about my life or death. I handed over the documents. The staff told me they needed to confirm the breakdown of the relationship with the person directly before they could process the divorce. I showed them sweet photos Chloe had taken with Ryan, as well as our smashed wedding photo that she had broken in a rage over Ryan. The staff still said it wasn’t enough. “We need verbal confirmation from the person themselves.” I reluctantly turned my phone back on. As soon as it powered on, countless messages and missed calls from Chloe popped up. Because I hadn’t gone online to apologize within her set time limit, causing damage to the company’s and her reputation. She hurled all kinds of insults at me, finally declaring she would divorce me. I showed all the messages to the staff one by one. There was pity in their eyes, but they still shook their heads. I had no choice but to call Chloe. After a long time, she finally picked up. “Chloe, our relationship…” “What relationship? Nothing you say now matters. Ryan fainted because you threatened to sue him. Get over here and kneel down to apologize to him right now, or I’m divorcing you!” Thinking I would beg for forgiveness like before, Chloe hung up immediately. The staff finally believed me. With sympathetic looks, they started processing the paperwork, saying the divorce certificate would be issued in a month. As I walked out of the civil affairs bureau, a black van suddenly pulled up. Several bodyguards rushed out and forcibly dragged me into the van. The bodyguards took me on a private jet to the resort island where Chloe and Ryan were staying. Because I struggled too much, the bodyguards tied me up. Looking around the villa, I realized it was the one Chloe had bought to make up to me years ago. Familiar laughter drifted in from outside. I called out Chloe’s name as the door opened. Ryan sauntered in wearing my slippers and the couple’s pajamas Chloe and I used to share. His hair was disheveled as he walked in with the air of the man of the house. “I casually mentioned it to Chloe, I didn’t expect her to actually have you brought here.” As he spoke, he stomped on my fingers. His pupils reflected my pained expression with glee. “Your face looks so much like your sister’s. So much that I want to destroy you like I destroyed her. What right did she have to act proud in front of me? She even dared to try to dump me.” “I’ll tell you the truth – your sister didn’t commit suicide. I killed her.” My features twisted in agony as tears rolled down my reddened eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Chloe walked in from outside and instinctively bent down to check my injured fingers: “How did you get hurt?” As soon as the ropes were loosened, I forcefully pushed her away and shouted: “Ryan killed my sister!!” Chloe’s eyes flickered: “What nonsense are you spouting? Your sister overdosed because she couldn’t handle the criticism. It had nothing to do with Ryan.” I laughed bitterly. Ryan hid behind Chloe, smiling mockingly: “Chloe, is Adrian still mad at me?” “What right does he have to be angry? It was just a few photos. Adrian, apologize to Ryan right now and I’ll forgive your tantrum.” I lunged at Ryan. “I’ll make you pay for my sister’s death!!” Chloe forcefully pushed me away. I crashed into the table behind me. Sharp pain immediately shot through my lower back as I gripped the table for support. After carefully checking if Ryan was frightened, Chloe yelled at me furiously. “What’s wrong with you?! If anything happens to Ryan because of you, I’ll never forgive you. Go downstairs now, the doctor for the drug trial is here too.” “I won’t go.” “What did you say?” Chloe furrowed her brows. “Adrian Shaw, this is your duty. If you keep being unreasonable, I swear I’ll divorce you!” “I have no duty towards a murderer.” I bit my lip and threw the divorce papers at Chloe, ignoring the pain. “Also, we’re already divorced!”

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At the graduation party when I was eighteen, Jacob Taylor introduced me to an adult secret. I endured the initial discomfort, but secretly smiled the whole way home. Six years of secret love, from middle school to high school graduation, had finally come to fruition. I curled up in bed, my fingertips lightly tracing the marks he left behind, as if this could make that moment last forever. Until the next afternoon, when I returned to school early to retrieve a forgotten notebook and heard Jacob and his basketball teammates laughing in the empty classroom. “Nice job, you scored with the class beauty,” a gruff male voice rang out – it was Mike, the team’s center. My heart skipped a beat as I stood in the shadows of the hallway clutching my notebook, my cheeks burning. “I wanted to pursue Jessica, but was afraid she’d think I was too inexperienced,” Jacob’s casual voice was like a dull knife, slowly cutting open my chest, “So I practiced my skills with Emily first.” I didn’t say a word, I just changed my first college choice from New York University to the University of Florida – the option furthest from New York.

The notebook slipped from my hands, landing with a muffled thud on the carpet. I stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning. On a hot July afternoon in Minnesota, I felt my blood turn to ice. “As expected of our captain, even the class beauty is just practice for him,” another teammate, Chris, whistled. “Doesn’t that make her like, what do you call it, one of those inflatable practice dolls?” Mike laughed crudely. Jacob laughed and threw a textbook at him: “Don’t say it like that, it’s not like she lost out.” “Seriously though, the class beauty is too skinny. Compared to Jessica the cheerleading captain-” “Shut up,” Jacob interrupted, but with a laugh in his voice, “It was just the mood at the time. Besides, I could tell she was struggling quite a bit…” “Wow, who knew our straight-A class president Emily was such a closet freak!” “Who could resist Jacob’s charm? When meat is served to your mouth, how can you not eat it?” “Emily’s been chasing you for so many years, she’s probably fantasized about it countless times, right?” A burst of harsh laughter erupted from the classroom. I bit my lip hard until I tasted iron. My nails dug deep into my palms, the pain barely keeping me standing. Footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway, and I frantically picked up my notebook and fled into the farthest stall of the girls’ bathroom. The moment I locked the door, tears began to fall. I covered my mouth, suppressing my sobs as my body slid down the partition to the cold floor. The girl in the mirror had red, swollen eyes and messy hair – this was how Jacob Taylor saw me, a convenient post-it note girl to be used and discarded. Outside the stall, the sound of running water and girls chatting drifted in. I held my breath, listening to them discuss prom and their upcoming college lives. Most people had chosen schools on the East Coast, including Jacob – he had received a sports scholarship to New York University. And I had originally planned to follow him to New York, applying for a scholarship to the same university. With trembling hands, I took out my phone and logged into the college application system. The deadline was midnight tonight. My finger hovered over the screen for a long time before I finally changed my first choice from New York University to the University of Florida – the farthest option from New York. “Emily? Are you in there?” My best friend Sarah’s voice came from outside the door. “The graduation ceremony is about to start, everyone’s looking for you.” I quickly wiped away my tears and took a deep breath: “I’ll be right out.” As I pushed open the stall door, I fixed my appearance in the mirror. The girl in the reflection had changed – something soft had died in her eyes. At the graduation ceremony, I mechanically accepted my diploma. As I stood on stage, my gaze swept over the crowd – Jacob was laughing and joking with his basketball teammates, not even bothering to look up at me. That night, while everyone else was celebrating graduation by the lake, I sat alone at home and clicked the “Confirm Submission” button. The system displayed a successful change: Emily Carter, University of Florida, Biochemistry major. Thirteen hundred miles from New York.

Tears of heartbreak and humiliation had long since fallen. Jacob’s words echoed in my mind over and over again. They had almost completely destroyed all of my self-esteem. If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I never would have believed that he and the person who had been so intimately entangled with me last night were the same person. Apparently, it was possible to do such intimate things without love. Even in the most passionate moments of losing all reason, it was possible to lie and deceive. What I had foolishly believed to be the fruition of our relationship was nothing more than a joke to others. The more I cried, the more upset I became. But I didn’t dare make a sound, my body shaking uncontrollably. After a long while. My phone buzzed with a message notification. It was Jacob. [Take a cab home yourself, the team has a celebration party tonight, it’s not convenient to take you.] I didn’t reply. He added another message. [Remember to go to CVS and buy Plan B, I don’t have time to go with you today. Make sure to take it, be good.] I stared at these two messages for a long time without saying anything. Yesterday from evening until dawn, Jacob had worn me out over and over again. In the end, when we were both exhausted, just before he fell asleep holding me, he had mumbled twice. “We weren’t fully prepared for the first time, I’ll definitely take you to buy emergency contraception tomorrow.” He even reminded me that girls need to protect themselves, and that Plan B is more effective the earlier you take it. At the time, I thought he was being responsible towards me, that I had finally found my happiness. But now… In an instant, I sobered up quite a bit. I pinched my palm hard, forcing myself to stop crying. I wiped away my tears and tidied myself up before leaving the bathroom. Too embarrassed to go to the pharmacy myself, I just ordered the pill on Uber Eats. After the rider left it at the door, it took me a long time before I dared to sneak out and bring it back. After swallowing the pill with tears in my eyes, I seemed to lose all my strength and just sat numbly on the carpet, staring blankly. Ever since Jacob’s family moved in next door, I had followed him around like a little tail for ten years. I had never imagined what a world without him would be like. I didn’t dare to imagine it either. But from now on, it would just be me alone. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the lights of Minneapolis came on one by one, then gradually went out. I don’t know how much time had passed when my best friend Sarah FaceTimed me. “Emily, why didn’t you come to the graduation party with Jacob tonight? “That cheerleader Jessica showed up instead, and she’s been all over Jacob while you’re not here. They’re being so gross right now.” Sarah turned the camera to show me.

In a dim corner of the party, Jacob and Jessica the school beauty were sitting close together. Jessica was wearing a crop top and tight jeans tonight, showing off her slim waist and long legs. The two of them were clearly separated from the people around them. Even their conversation seemed like intimate whispering. The flirtatious atmosphere was palpable even through the screen. My chest tightened involuntarily. Jacob had just said this afternoon that he wanted to pursue her, and it looks like he’s already succeeded tonight. Jessica drew “guy does push-ups over girl” for Truth or Dare and had to pick a guy to do it with her. Not surprisingly, Jacob immediately volunteered. Everyone started cheering them on. Jessica blushed and obediently lay down on the couch. Jacob hovered over her and did dozens of push-ups in one go. He was very restrained the whole time, trying hard to avoid touching Jessica’s body. Until the very last one, whether he finally lost his strength or did it on purpose, He couldn’t hold himself up and fell directly on top of Jessica. The screams around them grew even louder, nearly taking the roof off. Jacob and Jessica’s faces turned even redder. Amidst the crowd’s frenzied cheering, Jacob simply lowered his head and kissed Jessica. The two kissed shamelessly, ignoring everyone around them. It lasted a full three minutes before they reluctantly parted. During those endless three minutes, I stared at the screen without blinking, so stunned I nearly forgot to breathe. My heart felt like it was being torn apart. I wanted to cry, but I had cried too much earlier without drinking water, so I had no tears left. “OMG Emily, did you see that? You could hear them kissing, he’s so into her,” Sarah exclaimed as she turned the camera away and left the party room. She found a quiet corner and sincerely advised me: “Emily, don’t blame me, but if you didn’t see it with your own eyes, you wouldn’t give up on him.” My throat was dry, and the sounds I made were barely audible. “Mm, I don’t blame you.” I only blame myself for being so stupid for so many years. I thought that since I was always allowed to follow Jacob around, that spot next to him would always be mine. “I just can’t stand Jacob. How could he string you along pretending to be an innocent boy when he knew you liked him for so many years, watching you fall deeper and deeper?” “You saw it clearly just now. I really hope you’ll seriously reconsider. Don’t let him waste another four years of your life in college…” “I won’t, Sarah,” I interrupted her, stating calmly. “I won’t give myself that chance again. “Sarah, I’ve already decided. I’m going to the University of Florida with you. “But you have to promise to keep it a secret for now.”

After saying that, to prevent myself from hesitating again, I opened my laptop in front of Sarah. Without any hesitation, just before the deadline, I changed my Early Decision application through the Common App from New York University to the University of Florida. Sarah was so happy she almost jumped up. She had been trying to persuade me to apply to the same university for a long time. But in our sophomore year of high school, Jacob and I had made a promise to work hard together and go to his dream school in New York after graduation. That’s where his dream sports management program was. So even though I was actually more drawn to the warm sunshine of California and didn’t particularly care for the hustle and bustle of New York, for three years of high school, I had always treated NYU as my only goal. After years of being neighbors, both sets of parents were happy for us to attend the same university. Everyone, including myself, thought that Jacob and I would naturally become a couple after we became adults. But now, I couldn’t find any reason to go to New York anymore. Or rather, after today, if I were to follow Jacob around like before, I would look down on myself. Now I just wanted to hide far away. It didn’t matter where, as long as Jacob wasn’t there. If he was on the East Coast, then I would go to the southernmost point.

Before bed, I filled an entire bathtub with water, wanting to wash myself completely clean. But when I took off my clothes, the purple bruises from his kisses were still clearly visible on my skin. Memories of last night came flooding back involuntarily. The burning heat of the boy’s skin as we held each other tightly, the scorching breath in my ear as we moved together – the lingering warmth seemed to still surround me. I shook my head violently, trying to shake off these wild memories. I found a loofah and scrubbed my skin over and over again until my whole body was red before I stopped. Clumsily attempting to erase this most shameful experience of my life. The result was that I was in so much pain I couldn’t sleep well all night. Jacob didn’t send any more messages either. Breaking the habit we’d had since getting phones of saying goodnight to each other without fail for six years. This was for the best. It would have happened sooner or later anyway. Might as well start detoxing from tonight. I tossed and turned until nearly dawn before finally falling asleep. Early the next morning while I was still sound asleep, I suddenly felt someone plant a light kiss on my forehead in my dream.

I woke with a start. But when I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar chin and Adam’s apple. The scent enveloping me from above was Jacob’s favorite Creed cologne, along with a faint unfamiliar citrus fragrance. I had almost forgotten, Jacob always had a spare key to my house. Seeing that I was awake, Jacob simply moved lower, chuckling as he tried to kiss my lips. I hurriedly turned my head to avoid it. I pushed him away and retreated to the other side of the bed. Jacob was stunned for a moment, then laughed at me: “Morning, sunshine. Why so shy?” I didn’t say anything, just pulled the covers over my head. Jacob scolded me while trying to pull off my blanket. “Emily Carter, you’ve got some nerve. You didn’t say goodnight to me last night and even turned off your phone. “Now you’re hiding from me?” He was quick, diving under the covers in an instant. Before I could react, he had me completely wrapped in his arms. “Hey, how many times have I told you not to skip breakfast? “I went out of my way to bring you your favorite – pumpkin spice latte and blueberry muffin from that Starbucks you love. “Do you want to get up and eat now, or… do you want me to eat you first…” His breath was extremely close to me, and his hands followed suit. Sobering up from my daze, I struggled desperately. But at 5’4″, I was no match for the 6’2″ athlete. I really couldn’t understand what he was thinking. He already had Jessica, why was he still messing with me? After struggling hard for a while, I was panting, but hadn’t broken free. Instead, he held me even tighter. “What’s wrong with you? “Are you angry? Just because I didn’t take you to the party last night? Such a small thing?” I didn’t say anything. He buried his head in the crook of my neck and laughed. “Let me guess, your gossip queen friend Sarah livestreamed it for you? “It was just a game, is that worth being jealous over? “Why are you still like before, getting upset whenever I get a little close to other girls?” I was furious to the extreme, at a complete loss for words. Remembering what I learned in self-defense class, I suddenly raised my knee and aimed for his groin, then quickly ran off the bed while he was in pain. “Emily!” Jacob gritted his teeth, his face turning red. I quickly grabbed a hoodie and threw it on over my pajamas, hurrying to the living room. I didn’t want to be in the same room as him, especially not my bedroom. Jacob came out shortly after, looking both angry and helpless. After a long while, he seemed to suddenly remember something and casually asked: “By the way, you took the Plan B yesterday, right?” “Don’t cause any accidents, we can’t explain it to your parents.” Jacob walked to the kitchen island and picked up the latte, holding it out to me. “Come on, drink something before you get angry. You know you have low blood sugar.” I didn’t say anything and didn’t take it. Jacob’s hand holding the cup froze in mid-air for a long time before he finally lost patience. “What the hell is your problem? “Emily, there’s a limit to throwing tantrums, you know?” I coldly replied: “I’m not good enough for you.” Jacob’s face turned white with anger. He slammed the coffee down on the counter. He used too much force, and the lid popped off, splattering coffee everywhere. “What do you mean by that? “Who do you think you are, Emily? “It was just a one night stand, and now you want to control me? Do you know how suffocating that is?” His tone was unprecedentedly fierce. In an instant, tears streamed down my face without a second of build-up. Yesterday’s humiliation and hurt all came rushing back. Jacob seemed unprepared for my sudden intense crying and was at a loss for what to do. He apologized with frustration: “Shit… I’m sorry, I drank too much last night and wasn’t thinking when I said that just now.” Jacob walked up to me as he spoke, reaching out to wipe my tears, but I dodged him again. He froze, his hand stopping in mid-air. He was about to say something else when his phone suddenly rang. He only glanced at the screen before his expression changed, and he immediately grabbed his jacket to leave. “I have an emergency, you calm down first. “We’re going to college now, stop being so childish. Who could put up with this in the future?”

Less than half an hour after he left, Sarah sent me a screenshot. It was Jessica’s Instagram story. [✨Magic breakfast appears when you’re hungry✨ Is this what they call mutual crush?] The photo showed an Einstein Bagels packaging bag identical to the one on my dining table. I didn’t reply. I just silently wiped away my tears and knelt down to clean up the coffee Jacob had spilled. After trying for a long time, I was upset to find that the stains on the wooden floor had seeped into the grain and couldn’t be wiped away. In a fit of anger, I contacted a flooring company to come refinish and reseal it. After all, this was the eco-friendly sealant that Jacob and his parents had specially recommended to my family after returning from their vacation in Hawaii. While I was at it, I gathered up Jacob’s sweatshirt, toothbrush, game console, and all the gifts he had given me over the years. I even went through the photos of us together on my phone, sorting them all out. I was busy until late at night before I finished packing everything into donation boxes. He probably wouldn’t care about these old things anyway. After Jacob left that day, there was no news from him for several days in a row. I guess things were going well with the cheerleading captain. Or maybe he was waiting for me to contact him first. In the past six years, every time we had a cold war, I was always the first to give in, without exception. But this time I didn’t reach out to him. There was no need to reach out to him anymore. I blocked his phone number and all his social media accounts, changed the password on my front door, and deleted my old Instagram. After doing all this, I called my parents who were on a business trip in China. I told them I wanted to go to San Francisco to stay with Aunt Linda during spring break. My plan was to fly directly to the University of Florida with Sarah when the break was over. Besides Sarah, no one else knew I had changed my ED application. This plan should perfectly avoid any chance of running into Jacob. Mom laughed on the phone and asked, “Sweetie, are you going to California with Jacob?” I gave a vague answer, not wanting to explain too much. I just said I wanted to keep Aunt Linda company after her recent surgery. Dad booked me on the earliest flight the next day, and I packed my bags overnight to prepare to leave. As I was heading out, I unfortunately ran into Jacob’s mom in the driveway. She enthusiastically rolled down her car window: “Emily, why are you alone? Isn’t Jacob picking you up? “Didn’t he say he was taking you to Cancun for spring break? Have fun you two!” I was a bit confused. During the most stressful part of senior year, I had indeed mentioned to Jacob that I wanted to see the blue seas and skies of Cancun, Mexico. But how could we possibly travel together now, given our current situation? But my Uber had already arrived, so I just said a quick goodbye and left. What I never expected was that at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, I would actually run into Jacob.

After half a year apart, when I saw Jacob again, we had both changed quite a bit. He was even thinner, had dyed his hair, but of course still looked as handsome as ever. I’ve never been good at reading people, but my aesthetic sense has always been on point. Otherwise I wouldn’t have known to follow him around like a puppy since I was little. I was only stunned for a brief moment before I smiled and greeted him casually. “Hi Jacob, you’re here too.” Jacob’s hand froze in mid-air as he was reaching for my luggage, looking at me in disbelief. Since we were little, both sets of parents had repeatedly told me to call him “big brother Jacob” many times. I had stubbornly refused to ever call him that. Now with a different mindset, it came out naturally. But Jacob seemed to have a hard time accepting it. It was a long time before he finally took my luggage with shaking hands. Mom whispered an explanation in my ear. “We came out to pick you up and happened to run into Jacob at the entrance. He insisted on coming along to help.” I smiled and gestured that it was fine. In the car, I couldn’t wait to share all the recent interesting stories from school with my parents, making them laugh non-stop. No one paid attention to Jacob, but from the corner of my eye, I noticed his lips curling up in a secret smile the whole way. That day he seemed to want to come sit at my house for a while, but all three of us politely declined together. The entire winter break I was out early and back late every day to practice driving, and in the evenings I was always out with some high school friends. I heard Jacob came looking for me a few times, but we always missed each other. I was a bit surprised, not thinking there was anything we needed to talk about. This year my grandmother and aunt had come back for the New Year. On New Year’s Eve, the house was especially lively. After the New Year’s Eve dinner, the older folks were watching the Spring Festival Gala on the couch, while the younger generation was learning to play mahjong. But Jacob’s family of three suddenly showed up at our house with bags of gifts.

“Our house is too quiet, mind if we join in for a game?” Jacob’s mom joked with a smile. In previous years, our two families had always spent the Spring Festival together. This year, because of my relationship with Jacob, my mom had declined his mom’s invitation to have New Year’s Eve dinner together. But when guests show up at the door, you can’t just turn them away. Jacob naturally sat down next to me, watching me play mahjong. My cousins didn’t know about the situation between Jacob and me, and kept teasing us. I laughed it off and clarified each time. Jacob’s expression soured a bit. When we went out to set off fireworks at midnight, he grabbed my hand, seeming to want to say something. But my phone suddenly rang. My face reddened a bit as I pulled my hand away from Jacob’s and stepped aside to answer the call. It was a classmate from Florida named Jack who I had met through a student club. He was very good-looking too. Not the cold, aloof type of handsome guy, but more of a funny, goofy boy who loved to laugh. He talked a lot and was full of jokes. He often made me laugh so hard I couldn’t straighten up. He said he called because he was bored being alone and wanted to count down to the new year together with us. I didn’t think much of it and didn’t hang up since it was New Year’s. I let him participate in our New Year’s countdown ritual remotely. Just before hanging up, he chuckled. “Actually, I just wanted to be the first person to wish you Happy New Year after midnight. “Happy New Year, Emily.” I smiled happily and wished him well too. We chatted for a while longer, and when he was finally willing to hang up, I turned around to find Jacob standing behind me with an icy expression. I don’t know how long he had been listening. “Boyfriend?” he asked hoarsely. “Not quite yet,” I replied honestly after thinking for a moment. “…” Jacob was silent for a long time. I thought he had nothing more to say and was about to head back to the living room to continue playing mahjong. But he suddenly spoke up again, “Out-of-state guys aren’t necessarily reliable. It’s better to find someone local who you know well.” I nodded. “You’re right, you never truly know someone. I’ll keep evaluating him. “Thanks for the advice, Jacob. You should settle down soon too.” Jacob looked like something had stabbed him in the heart. He didn’t say anything else and left the yard directly. I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t the first time he’d thrown a tantrum. Before, when I had rose-colored glasses on, I thought everything about him was perfect. But now… After that, I accompanied my grandmother and parents to visit relatives and then went on road trips. I barely stayed at home. I didn’t run into Jacob again either. The winter break was short, and soon I was back at school. But the next day, I actually saw Jacob at the university gates.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296235”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn #校园School