Category: English

Part One After I thought I had breast cancer, I conspired with Sophie Williams, my fiancé Ethan Parker’s admirer, to stage a drunken one-night stand. Ethan was heartbroken but still tried to care for me through various means, hoping to salvage our relationship. My condition was brought under control, requiring lifelong medication, with only some difficulty in getting pregnant. Ethan and I reconciled. After Ethan proposed again, I honestly told him about my condition. Then Ethan disappeared… Today was the day Ethan and I were supposed to pick up our wedding photos from the studio. We had taken traditional-style photos – I was dressed in an elegant red gown with an ornate headdress, looking more graceful and charming than usual. Ethan looked dashing in his formal suit, like a prince from a fairytale. “My dear, we truly are a match made in heaven,” Ethan whispered intimately in my ear. I felt my ears grow hot. “Oh stop it, who compliments themselves like that? Besides, we’re not officially married yet, so don’t get ahead of yourself,” I laughed, playfully swatting his arm. “But you know, Ethan, even though you didn’t become valedictorian in school, at least you got to feel like one during this photoshoot.” Ethan took my hand and kissed it gently. “Lily, I may not have excelled academically, but I have the best eye for choosing a life partner. Look at you – the most perfect woman to be my wife. I knew it from the moment I met you in preschool.” His words made me blush, and I turned away shyly to look at the photos instead. Ethan moved closer to me. “Lily, once we get the medical check results, let’s pick a good day to quietly get our marriage license. I can’t wait to be your lawfully wedded husband. You’re so old-fashioned, insisting on waiting until after we’re legally married to move in together. I don’t know where you get that from – even our parents are more relaxed. The earliest auspicious wedding date the fortune teller gave us is still five months away. It feels so far off. Lily, I don’t want to wait another moment.” Ethan wrapped his arms around me and gently pinched my cheek. His tall frame bent down slightly to meet my eyes, gazing at me with those beautiful, loving eyes of his. His tone was pleading. My face flushed again at his words. I lowered my head and mumbled a soft “Okay,” before hurriedly pulling the photographer away to look at some more dress options for the ceremony. “Haha, Lily, be careful walking in those heels! I’ll come find you in a bit,” Ethan called after me with a hearty laugh. I felt a bit embarrassed. The photographer beside me smiled and cautioned, “Miss Anderson, please watch your step. The floor can be slippery here.” I didn’t look back at Ethan, but I could feel his tender gaze following me. After choosing the dresses for the wedding ceremony, Ethan and I planned to grab lunch before heading to the hospital together in the afternoon to pick up our pre-marital health check results. At the restaurant, we had just started looking at the menu when Ethan’s phone rang. He glanced at it, frowned slightly, and declined the call. I looked at him but didn’t say anything, just pointed out the soup of the day on the menu – it was the duck soup he liked. “Lily, just order whatever you like. You’ve gotten thinner lately with how busy work has been…” Ethan reached out to stroke my hair gently and was about to continue when his phone rang again. He declined it once more. I lost my appetite and said, “If you’re busy, go take care of work first. I can pick up the results myself later.” I knew the calls were from Sophie Williams. She was Ethan’s junior in college, one year below him. Ever since seeing Ethan at the freshman welcome party, she had been chasing after him relentlessly. Now she even worked at the same company as him. Maybe her feelings for Ethan were no less than mine. But love is selfish, possessive and exclusive. There’s only so much of it to go around – once given to one person, there’s none left for another. Fortunately, Ethan had always chosen me. “It’s nothing, just an unknown number,” Ethan said casually. “I don’t have anything scheduled today. We planned this day to pick up the photos, choose dresses, get the health check results, and then start decorating our new place.” He didn’t realize that when he lied, his eyes would shift away slightly, his lips would purse unconsciously, and the tips of his ears would turn red. I knew him too well – we’d known each other for over a decade, maybe even better than he knew himself. I just smiled without saying anything. The meal ended up being rather tasteless for both of us. After lunch, it was time to go to the hospital for our test results. Ethan’s phone rang again. He glanced at it and answered, “I’m out right now. Yes, now? Okay, I’ll be right there.” He hung up and turned to me with an apologetic and frustrated expression. “Lily, something urgent came up at work that I need to handle personally. I can’t go with you to get the results…” Before he could finish, I stepped forward and gave him a quick hug. “Ethan, it’s okay. I can go by myself. I drove here today anyway, so don’t worry. Just give me your ID and go take care of work. I’ll call you after I pick up the results.” Without waiting for his response, I got in my car and slowly merged into traffic. In the rearview mirror, Ethan’s figure grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared. I believed in Ethan and in the unshakeable love between us. Our relationship had always been smooth sailing, with both our families’ full support and blessings. Thinking of how happy we looked in the wedding photos earlier, my disappointment at Ethan not being able to accompany me gradually faded. He held an important position and the company relied on him. Part Two At the hospital, I scanned both our IDs at the self-service kiosk and printed out a stack of reports. We had opted for the full comprehensive health check. After collecting the papers, I didn’t rush home but went to sit in the small garden near the hospital. This was Ethan and my secret spot – I always tried to stop by whenever I had errands in the area. The garden was lush and green, with a canopy of trees providing cool shade. Delicate pink roses bloomed shyly. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dancing on the flower petals and painting them in vibrant hues. Birds chirped melodiously. A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of flowers, caressing my hair and kissing my lips before rustling through my white sundress. I sat on a bench and slowly looked through the test results. I checked Ethan’s papers first. Page after page showed everything was normal. I smiled to myself, then started on my own results. But then one page caught my eye – it recommended a biopsy. I rubbed my eyes and looked closer. It was the breast exam report, describing an irregular mass in the left breast, measuring 4×3.5×2.5 cm. The report mentioned enlarged lymph nodes and other concerning details I didn’t fully understand. But I had a sinking feeling it wasn’t good news. I wondered if I had grabbed the wrong papers by mistake. I double-checked the name – Lily Anderson. It was definitely mine. But how could I be sick? I had no symptoms at all. There must be some mistake. I rarely even caught colds growing up. I grabbed the papers and ran back into the hospital, finding the nurse who had assisted us earlier. Seeing my pale, anxious face, she quickly came over and took my hand. “Miss Anderson, what’s wrong?” “I think there’s a problem with the report. I may have taken the wrong one.” She took the papers I was clutching tightly and looked them over. “Miss Anderson, please try to stay calm. Let me take you to see the head doctor, okay?” I let her lead me to the doctor’s office… The doctor asked if I had any family with me. I shook my head and said to just tell me the results directly. The doctor sighed and slowly explained that they recommended a biopsy, as the report findings were concerning and cancer was a strong possibility. We would need to wait for the biopsy results to determine next steps for treatment… I stared blankly as the doctor’s mouth moved, but all I registered was the word “cancer”. I walked out of the office in a daze. “Miss Anderson, would you like me to contact your family?” The nurse carefully helped me sit on a couch in the VIP waiting room and brought me a cup of warm milk. “Can you keep the contents of the report confidential?” She nodded. “Miss Anderson, I still recommend discussing this with your family and scheduling further tests as soon as possible. The earlier we intervene, the better the treatment outcomes.” I waved her off and gazed out the window. It was early fall, but the afternoon sun was still bright and intense. The warmth on my skin contrasted sharply with the coldness spreading through my heart. I felt frozen to my core, as if my blood was turning to ice. Just this morning I had been discussing wedding plans with Ethan, dreaming of our happy future together. Now in the afternoon I was facing a potentially life-ending diagnosis. Life had a way of delivering its cruelest plot twists when you least expected them. My phone rang in my purse. I took it out and saw Ethan’s name. I didn’t answer, just sat there staring blankly until the sunlight faded from my body and the city lights began twinkling outside. A text message alert dinged. I sighed and opened it. It was from Ethan: “Lily, are you busy? I’m done with work. My parents want me to stop by to discuss some wedding details. Call me when you’re free.” I could imagine Ethan patiently and lovingly typing out that message. We were about to start a whole new chapter of our lives together. Why did this have to happen to me, of all people? I had no doubt about Ethan’s love for me. But if I’m being honest with myself – if my condition was truly life-threatening, what would happen to Ethan? Could he bear losing me? Would he be able to move on and live a good life? Was I willing to leave him alone to face a world without me? If my illness could be cured but I lost a breast in the process, was I willing to spend the rest of my life with Ethan as an imperfect version of myself? The answer to all of these was no. I loved Ethan too much. He deserved the very best this world had to offer. I texted Ethan back: “Ethan, something urgent came up at work this afternoon. I dropped the wedding photos off at our new place. I need to go on a business trip for about 10 days. I’ll be in touch when I’m back.” Ethan replied quickly: “Lily, stay safe. Talk to you when you’re back.” My job often required last-minute travel, so Ethan didn’t suspect anything unusual. I put my phone away and left the hospital. The streets were bustling with the evening rush hour crowd. The whole city felt like it was putting on an elaborate stage production. What was my role in all of this? On the drive home, I kept the windows down. The sweet scent of osmanthus flowers drifted through the air – it reminded me of Ethan’s cologne. In that moment, I missed him terribly. I wanted to tell him everything that had happened. But as I reached for my phone, I hesitated. [This marks the end of the preview section] Part Three Ethan and I had been childhood sweethearts. Our parents used to work together, and even after Ethan’s dad retired early to start his own business, Ethan and I still went to school together. As he liked to say, being my classmate helped him improve his grades and kept his parents happy, saving him from their scolding. We were in the same class from preschool all the way through high school. As a child, Ethan had an outgoing personality – he loved excitement, standing up for others, and making friends. He had many great qualities, but studying wasn’t one of them. In an era when academic performance was everything, his poor grades often earned him beatings from his father, who believed in strict discipline. Ethan learned early on to either run away or stoically endure a few hits when escape wasn’t possible. My childhood personality was the complete opposite of Ethan’s. I was quiet and preferred being alone, with reading as my only real hobby. I had very few friends. Adults saw me as obedient and well-behaved. Both sets of parents thought the other’s child had a better personality and hoped we would balance each other out. So they kept putting us in the same class. We went to and from school together and did homework together. Ethan always protected me. He said I was his little sweetheart that he’d chosen since preschool, and it was his duty to look after me. In elementary school when classmates bullied me by damaging my things or messing with my homework, I was too afraid to tell the teachers or my parents. But Ethan stood up for me. He confronted the bully privately – they both came out of the storage room with bruises and got disciplined by the school, but I was never bullied again after that. In middle school, Ethan would walk me home after evening study sessions, keeping me safe…I thought we’d always be in school together, until college admissions separated us. We ended up at universities hundreds of miles apart. The day before I left for college, Ethan came to see me. He waited for me under the osmanthus tree in front of my building. He demanded that I not date any boys in college. Then he hugged me tightly and whispered in my ear that from now on, he would be my boyfriend, and later my husband, the father of my children, the grandfather of my grandchildren… I can still vividly recall that scene – Ethan embracing me, flower petals falling on our heads, the sweet osmanthus scent enveloping us. It felt like we were the only two people in the world. Now every autumn when the osmanthus blooms, I love taking walks with Ethan to enjoy the fragrance. Though in the two years since graduating college, we’ve both been so busy with work that we haven’t gone on many walks together…Even though so much time has passed, I can still clearly remember every detail of my story with Ethan. I wonder if there will be more chapters to write. I arrived home to find my parents had already eaten dinner. “Lily, you didn’t have dinner with Ethan tonight?” my mom asked, seeing me back so early. “He went to his parents’ place,” I replied. I went straight to my room instead of chatting with them in the living room like usual. My expression must have seemed off, because soon after, Mom knocked and came in to sit on my bed. “Did you have a fight with Ethan? You look upset.” Mom took my hand and spoke gently. Tears started streaming down my face. I hadn’t cried when I first saw the test results, but faced with Mom’s tender concern, my armor cracked. I suddenly felt incredibly wronged. I was only 23 years old. I threw myself into Mom’s arms, hugging her tightly. Mom was startled by my reaction. She frantically tried to wipe my tears while saying, “Lily, what happened? Don’t cry, sweetie. Don’t be afraid. Mom’s here. Dad’s here too. We’ll protect you no matter what. Please don’t cry – you’re making me want to cry too.” Mom’s voice grew choked up as she saw how distraught I was. Dad heard us from the living room and came in. Seeing both Mom and me in tears, he looked helpless. “Lily, why are you crying? Did Ethan upset you? I’ll go teach that boy a lesson right now.” I took the tissue Dad handed me and wiped my eyes. Seeing how worried and anxious my parents were on my behalf, the pressure I’d felt since getting the test results melted away in the face of their comfort. My heart suddenly felt at ease. I got up and took the medical reports out of my bag, placing them in front of my parents. “This…Lily, is this real?” Mom’s hand trembled as she held mine. “Lily, don’t be scared. We’ll take you to a different hospital tomorrow for another check-up. Try not to worry, okay?” Dad patted my shoulder, feigning calmness. “Your mom will sleep with you tonight. I’ll go make arrangements for the hospital visit tomorrow.” Dad turned to grab his phone, but I quickly grabbed his sleeve. “Dad, please don’t contact Ethan’s parents yet. I haven’t told Ethan about this. Can we keep it from him for now?” “Lily, are you two having problems? Why do you want to hide this from him?” Mom asked, confused. “Let’s just keep it from Ethan for now. I don’t want him to worry. He can’t really help with the medical stuff anyway,” I said softly, looking down. “Alright, we’ll do as you say,” Dad agreed, seeing I was insistent. Then he left my room. Mom hummed a lullaby and patted me gently like when I was little. I quickly fell asleep to the familiar tune. Part Four For the next few days, my parents took me to various hospitals. All the doctors who saw my test results and medical records urged me to be admitted for treatment as soon as possible. I didn’t want to be hospitalized. I was terrified of surgery and the idea of parts of my body being cut away. Even if I recovered, I’d be a woman with physical defects – incomplete. Just thinking about it made me feel like dying would be better. At my parents’ urging, I had taken extended leave from work and handed my projects over to colleagues. I was starting to feel some pain and fatigue. I looked at my phone, at the message I had sent Ethan about extending my work trip. He had replied with updates about his work, little details about his daily life, and some scenic photos…The cool, dignified image he presented to others contrasted with the warm, affectionate side he showed only to me. I turned off my phone and curled up on the couch, listening to the mundane chatter of a TV drama – the kind of ordinary life I used to scoff at, but now desperately longed for yet felt out of reach. “Lily, Dad knows you don’t want to go to the hospital because you’re scared of surgery. Dr. Huang said they can start with a conservative treatment plan. Trust Mom and Dad – we won’t let them do any procedures you don’t want,” Dad said gently in a calm voice. Mom came over and hugged me. Since seeing the test results, my parents had put their work on hold to be with me. In just a few days, I could see more grey in their hair. They looked less composed and steady than usual. My illness was causing them just as much pain and distress. Only parents can truly empathize with their child’s suffering. I agreed to be admitted to the hospital. The conservative treatment plan involved controlling the disease with medication. Both my hands were bruised from IVs. I couldn’t keep food down and the drug side effects were severe. I lost a lot of weight quickly. “The disease is progressing rapidly. You really should try to convince her to have the surgery. She’s so young – if we operate now and follow up with chemotherapy, there’s still hope for a cure. If we wait much longer, it’s hard to say…” I overheard Dr. Huang talking to my parents outside my room. The leaves on the plane tree outside had finally started to fall. “Mom, Dad, I heard what Dr. Huang said. I’ll agree to the surgery,” I told my parents calmly. “But before the operation, I want to break up with Ethan.” I continued in a steady voice, “If the surgery is successful, my body will be disfigured. I can’t let him see me like that. He’s such a wonderful person – he deserves a perfect wife. If the surgery fails and I lose my life, his life will go on. I don’t want to burden him with mourning me.” Tears streamed down my face as my voice grew hoarse. “Mom, Dad, I’m sorry for causing you so much worry. Please let me be selfish just this once.” “Okay, as long as you’re willing to get treatment, we’ll support whatever you decide,” Dad said, coming to the bedside and embracing Mom and me. “You’re a good girl. You have nothing to apologize for.” After we had all calmed down a bit, I asked my parents to go home first and pack some things for me. Once the room was quiet again, I took out my phone and called Sophie Williams. “Lily, are you sick? Is it serious? I’m so sorry I lied to Ethan that day. He’s always been cold towards me. I won’t bother you two anymore. Ethan told me about your relationship – I was really touched. Don’t worry, Lily. I’ll wish you both the best…” Sophie babbled nervously as soon as she entered my hospital room. She was just as I had imagined – tall and pretty, with a bubbly personality. Her sunny presence brightened up my gloomy hospital room. She seemed frightened by the floor I was on – the 8th floor of Sky Hospital was for critically ill patients. From her explanation, I learned that the day Ethan and I were picking up our wedding photos, she had faked being in a serious car accident. When Ethan didn’t answer her calls, she had others keep calling him. Since it involved a company car, Ethan had to go deal with it. That explained the scene I had witnessed. Such a lovely girl – surely she could help Ethan get through the brief pain of our breakup. “Can I call you Sophie? I have a favor to ask. Would that be okay?” … Part Five In a private room at an upscale bar, I wore a form-fitting dress and heavy makeup. My lips looked especially alluring with bright red lipstick. But a close look would reveal my unnaturally pale skin. The table was covered in open wine bottles. I had splashed some wine on my hair and dress, then lounged on the sofa. In the dim lighting, the scene looked intimate and suggestive. Sitting next to me was my cousin Jack, a sophomore in college. In his white dress shirt, he bore a striking resemblance to a younger Ethan. “Lily, do we really have to do this? Why don’t you just tell him the truth? Why deceive him like this? No man can accept this kind of thing. He’ll hate you for it,” Jack pleaded, still trying to talk me out of my plan. He had been against this “drunken one-night stand” scheme from the start. But I couldn’t think of any other way to make Ethan willingly leave me. “Better he hates me than spends a lifetime heartbroken,” I said flatly. “Lily, if you’re so sure he loves you, why are you afraid to tell him the truth?” I didn’t know how to answer. Maybe I was afraid of losing. So I could only resort to this clumsy plan to deceive Ethan and push him out of my life.

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After receiving the tenth call from his mistress, I finally decided I’d had enough and asked for a divorce. All that talk about a business marriage and mutual benefits can go to hell. I just want to get away from that cheating bastard. When I told my mother-in-law about my plan to divorce in advance, she was silent for a long time. Then, suddenly, she said, “Lily, I’m coming with you. Take me with you when you leave.” What the hell? What’s going on here? I sat on the couch, stunned for a long time, doubting if I had heard correctly. Otherwise, how could I have heard such words? “Lily…” I looked up to meet my mother-in-law’s eager, expectant eyes and tentatively asked again, “Mom, what did you just say?” “I said, I’m coming with you. From now on, it’ll be just the two of us!” “But, Mom… James is your son…” To be honest, I never felt that my mother-in-law was particularly fond of me. When our families had dinner together to discuss the marriage, she barely said a word the entire time. After marrying James, every time we visited, she would only exchange a few pleasantries with me before ignoring me completely. So how could this same mother-in-law say she wanted to leave with me when I divorced her son? “Lily…” My mother-in-law came over and held my hand. “I mean every word.” “But… but how can you come with me? I’m leaving this family.” “I’m leaving too! I’m divorcing your father-in-law!” “What?” I stood up in shock, looking at my mother-in-law’s serious face in disbelief. “Mom, what are you saying?” You should know that in our city’s high society, James’s parents were considered a model couple. For the past thirty years, my father-in-law’s daily needs were all taken care of personally by my mother-in-law. She never relied on anyone else. “Lily, I’m serious. You divorce James, and I’ll testify about his affairs during your marriage. We’ll try to make sure he leaves with nothing. I’ll divorce your father-in-law and get half of the family assets. Then we can live together, buy a big house, hire seven or eight maids, and live comfortably for the rest of our lives.” Wait a minute… She’s got it all figured out? I couldn’t help but feel her forehead. “No fever…” “I’m telling the truth!” Seeing that I didn’t believe her, my mother-in-law hurried upstairs and came back with some papers. “Look at this.” I took the documents she handed me and my eyes widened again. “Divorce agreement?” My mother-in-law nodded solemnly. “I’ve got everything prepared. Now it’s up to you.” Seeing this divorce agreement made me start to believe that my mother-in-law was serious. I put down the agreement and looked at her, voicing my confusion, “Mom, I don’t understand. You never seemed to like me before, so why…” “Ah. I never got close to you before because I thought you had poor judgment for falling for James.” Me: “???” “I raised James myself until he was three years old. But after his third birthday, Robert’s family took him back to the family estate, saying they wanted to start grooming him as the heir from a young age. From age three to twelve, I could count on one hand the number of times I saw James.” As she said this, a worried look crossed my mother-in-law’s face. She continued, “But what you don’t know is that Robert’s mother never liked me from the start. She looked down on me because of my ordinary background and always felt I wasn’t good enough for Robert. Everything she did afterwards was just to drive a wedge between me and my son. Sadly, she succeeded. I’m sure you can see that James isn’t close to me…” Indeed, it was true. After marrying James, we rarely visited the family estate, except for major holidays. We mostly stayed at our own home. Even when we did visit the estate, James acted like a young master, expecting to be waited on hand and foot. He would occasionally get angry if the food his mother prepared didn’t suit his taste. At the time, I didn’t find it strange because James told me that his mother had sent him to live with his grandmother when he was young because she found him too mischievous and he interfered with her work. I never imagined the truth was like this. “But now it’s different. You want a divorce! This proves that you do have good judgment after all.” At this point, my mother-in-law’s eyes lit up as she looked at me. “These past three years, even though we haven’t interacted much, I’ve seen how you’ve treated James. Despite how terribly he’s behaved, you’ve still been able to tolerate him, which shows your excellent character. And now you want a divorce, proving that you know when to cut your losses. That’s why I want to go with you!” After hearing all this, my mind was completely blown. Is this supposed to be a compliment?

I left the family estate in a daze, needing time to process everything my mother-in-law had said. Now, while I still had the courage, I hurried back to my own home, intending to tell my parents about this. Standing at the front door, I took a deep breath before pushing it open and walking in. As soon as I entered, I saw them eating dinner. Seeing me, they were clearly surprised. “Why are you here?” My father was the first to speak. Listen to that tone, as if some unwelcome guest had arrived. I ignored him and walked straight over. “Oh, Lily, why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” My mother stood up and came over, looking behind me. “Don’t bother looking. I came alone.” My mother’s expression immediately became awkward. “I came back today because I have something to tell you.” “What is it?” Look at this couple. Their daughter comes home and they don’t even offer her a seat. Whatever, it’s not like this is the first time. My heart had long since grown cold to it. I took a deep breath and said, “I’m divorcing James.” “What?” The sharp voice rang out, hurting my ears. I saw the shocked and angry expressions on their faces and for some reason felt a strange sense of satisfaction. “I’m planning to divorce James. I came to let you know.” “What divorce? Don’t be ridiculous!” “I’m not being ridiculous. I can’t take it anymore. These past three years, I’ve lost count of how many women he’s been with. At least ten have come to confront me. I don’t want to be a puppet anymore.” “That’s because you’re not capable enough!” My father shouted. “If you had the skills, why would James go looking elsewhere? Look at yourself now, dull and boring. What man would like you?” How ironic that my own father would say such things about me. Hah, it’s truly disgusting to think that such blood flows through my veins. “Lily, you can’t blame everything on James. What man doesn’t do this? Besides, our family’s current success is all thanks to the Evans’ investment. Just turn a blind eye and let it pass…” “Then you can turn a blind eye yourself.” I cut off my mother’s words, looking at her with hatred. She was always so weak, always trying to persuade me to compromise. If it wasn’t for her threatening suicide back then, saying that if I didn’t agree to the marriage with the Evans family, my father would definitely divorce her. If she divorced, she said she would kill herself. If it wasn’t for her, how could I have broken up with my boyfriend of five years and lived like a puppet in the Evans family for three years, submitting to James’s every whim? “You’re weak yourself, but you insist on dragging me down with you. I’m sorry, but I’m not falling for it anymore.” “Lily…” Clearly, she hadn’t expected me to be so resolute. She stared at me with those innocent big eyes, as if I were some kind of criminal. “I came to inform you. Now that I’ve done that, I’m leaving.” But the next second, with a “bang,” blood flowed down my forehead. My mother screamed in shock. I had no reaction, looking at the bowl that had rolled onto the floor, my heart dying completely along with it. “Fine! Lily Evans, if you dare divorce James today, we’ll sever all ties with you!” I looked up at them, flashing a sincere smile. “Mr. Evans, a man of his word. That’s exactly what I want.”

When I got home, as soon as I walked in, I frowned. There was a smell of cigarettes. It seemed James was back. Sure enough, as I walked in, I saw the man sitting on the couch. He saw the wound on my forehead and smirked, “Lily, why put yourself through this misery?” I ignored him and went upstairs by myself. I didn’t expect him to follow me up, constantly nagging behind me. “Your parents called me to apologize, saying you only wanted a divorce on a whim. Considering you’re hurt, I can forgive…” “What do you mean by that?” James was stunned when he saw the divorce papers in my hand. “Are you blind or illiterate?” “Lily, how dare you speak to me like that?” “I’m divorcing you anyway, what do I have to be afraid of!” I threw the divorce papers at him. “I’ve already signed. You sign it and let me know. We’ll go queue up at the registry office first, then get the certificate in a month…” “Lily, I haven’t agreed to a divorce.” James cut me off urgently. “What’s the point of not divorcing? I’m just making room for all your mistresses. This mansion is so big, you could fit another ten or eight of them.” “You’re jealous!” James suddenly smiled, as if he had found the reason why I insisted on divorcing. Actually, it’s not his fault for being so confident. I’ve given him the illusion that I really liked him all these years. Initially, for the sake of my mother and the Evans family, I tried my best to please James after the marriage. When he said east, I didn’t dare go west. If he asked for the moon, I wouldn’t dare give him stars. Because he made a bet with his friends, I waited for him for three hours on a cold winter night. When I was numb with cold and about to leave, he slowly drove up, smiling at me and saying, “Good wife, you helped me win money today. Hubby’s happy, I’ll invest in your family’s company tomorrow.” When he drank with those fair-weather friends until dawn, one phone call and I’d crawl out of bed to pick him up. “James is so lucky, having such a full-time maid. This money wasn’t wasted.” I endured his friend’s mockery. “Hah, money talks. What can’t you find with enough cash? Right, Lily?” I took all his taunts in stride. It’s a fact that I took the money, so there’s nothing to complain about when doing the job. But now it’s different. I don’t want to take this money anymore. I don’t want the weak mother I can’t support. There’s nothing holding me back anymore. These three years have been the limit. Seeing that I didn’t speak, James thought he had guessed correctly and said smugly, “I knew you were just trying to make me jealous. Alright, I’ll make her leave tomorrow, and we’ll…” “James, stop being so full of yourself. The premise for jealousy is love, and I’ve never had any of that for you. Want to make me jealous? Keep dreaming!” “You… Lily, don’t push your luck. I’m giving you a way out here. Be smart and take it. Don’t make me angry, or your family’s company will go bankrupt tomorrow.” “Go ahead, I’m begging you not to hold back.” “You…” James wanted to say more, but his phone rang at that moment. He frowned as he looked at it and answered, “Hello, Dad.” “What did you say? Alright, I’ll head back now.” After hanging up, James suddenly looked at me angrily, “Come back to the family estate with me.” When James and I arrived at the family estate, we found the place in chaos. Fiona was sitting calmly on the sofa, while Robert was still angrily smashing things.

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Avery’s company was having a team-building cycling trip where family members could join. She brought along her childhood friend. Her business partner couldn’t stand it anymore and secretly sent me photos. The homewrecker was brazenly hugging and kissing my wife in public. As the cycling conditions became more extreme, we found ourselves trapped in a blizzard with thick fog. Avery kicked me away despite my severe injuries, hugging her childhood friend as they fled the mountain. Leaving me alone in the extreme conditions, she coldly said, “You chose to come here yourself.” I was a mess, crawling on the ground, enduring pain and hypothermia, breaking down and begging for help. “Don’t leave me behind. I promise I won’t interfere with you and Jasper anymore!” My breath no longer came out hot, and my vision was gradually blurring. As my body heat faded away, I used my last ounce of strength to grab the hem of Avery’s clothes. I looked at the shapely woman before me, my wife, who impatiently crouched down and shook off my hand. “You chose to come along yourself. Why are you acting so weak now?” She grudgingly pointed towards the direction of the mountain base: “It’s just this short distance. Can’t you make it?” Beside her, her childhood friend Jasper’s cries suddenly stopped. Avery ran over to check on him in a panic: “Baby, baby, wake up. It’s dangerous to fall asleep here.” I couldn’t make a sound, only able to claw at the mud inch by inch, begging her to take pity on me. I didn’t want to die here. I still had dreams, things I hadn’t finished. Avery said she didn’t want children, but I had already started the adoption process. I had originally planned to show Avery photos of the child I had chosen after this cycling trip was over. I had originally wanted to tell her that we shouldn’t argue about past issues anymore, that we were about to welcome a third member to our family. But now my palms were covered in wounds, with no blood left to flow. I struggled to breathe out my last breath, knowing it was useless, still futilely grasping at thin air. I still wanted a future with Avery. But what was left for me was the sight of Avery hugging her childhood friend as they walked down the mountain, two figures clinging tightly together for survival. The phone in my pocket suddenly rang. Fighting through the pain of my gradually stiffening body, I reached out to answer it. My already stiff arm broke as I finally picked up the phone. “Help…” Yesterday, when I received photos from a stranger, I was still in the recording studio laying down tracks. The photos showed my wife and her childhood friend being intimate. Swallowing my humiliation, I trailed at the end of the cycling group, watching them flirt in front of me. This mountain range was dangerous for cycling, with frequent extreme weather. I was worried about Avery’s safety. But my fears came true: torrential rain, gale-force winds, hail, and thick fog all hit at once. At the back of the group, I endured many times more suffering than the others. The people in front escaped death by the skin of their teeth, but Death had grabbed my ankle and was dragging me back. Once, we took a bus along the coast. She frowned when she noticed the sea breeze made me cold, closing the window for me and warming my hands with her breath. Now, in the silent mountain forest, I lay on the muddy ground, allowing wind and rain to erode my body as I died without a sound. At the foot of the mountain, several tents had been set up. People were struggling to find firewood to light a campfire for warmth. Jasper used the campfire to light a cigarette for Avery, then obediently lay in her arms. I sat high atop a tent, looking towards where my body lay. Fierce winds whipped up layers of dark clouds that tumbled and rolled. I couldn’t feel the cold at all. The mountain base was so far from me, yet Avery had abandoned me, who had rushed here ill-prepared. With her actions, Avery had shattered the beautiful memories of us that remained in my heart.

People gathered around the campfire. A male colleague who knew me spoke up softly: “Ms. Parker, is Mr. Gray in your tent?” Avery’s tone was mocking: “Mr. Gray? What’s he to you? Has he paid your salary?” Jasper in her arms suddenly became sad, as if feeling left out. Avery quickly comforted him, glaring at that colleague: “Call him Mr. Reed. No, that doesn’t sound good. How about we call our darling ‘Mr. Jasper’, hmm?” The colleague stammered for a while, anxious but helpless: “Mr. Jasper, do you know where that guy at the back went?” Jasper snuggled deeper into Avery’s arms, not answering him. The colleague quietly called over a few subordinates, huddling together: “Let’s go look for Mr. Gray. I don’t think I saw him come back. What if he’s hurt up in the mountains?” They were about to head back up the mountain. Avery had just put Jasper to sleep in the tent. Seeing the group whispering suspiciously, she spoke venomously: “He can walk down by himself. Are you lot trying to die on the mountain, or get us all eaten by wolves?” As if on cue, a chorus of wolf howls echoed from the distant forest. “But, but Mr. Gray is all alone…” That colleague was nearly in tears from anxiety. Avery angrily lifted the tent flap and went back inside, coldly tossing out one last sentence. “How many times have you even spoken to Lucas Gray? What kind of person do you think he is, to risk your lives for him like this? What does it matter to you if he lives or dies?” “I won’t stop anyone who still wants to go look, but from the moment you step into the forest, consider yourselves fired, without even severance pay!” Indeed, these colleagues who had only met me a few times knew I was missing and wanted to find me. While Avery, after eight years together, all the countless money and time I had spent on her, only responded with harsh words. When she was starting her business, I was at the peak of my career, with my songs popular across the country. I put aside all my work to help her research the market. When a boss made her drink three bottles of liquor, I drank them for her out of concern, damaging a singer’s most important asset – my voice. I could only switch to doing rap instead. I accompanied her without complaint as she built the company bit by bit. I didn’t understand what I had done to deserve this from her. What made her so certain I could walk out of the mountains on my own? I couldn’t help but wonder myself. My soul was confined near Avery, watching her enter the tent. Jasper inside was covered with her clothes. As Avery tucked him in, she realized Jasper had only been pretending to sleep, his eyes red from crying. “Baby, don’t cry anymore.” She kissed away his tears lovingly. Jasper hugged her tightly in return. I silently observed everything. Whenever Avery saw me cry, she would always keep her distance. Once when drunk, she finally revealed her true feelings to me: “Lucas, do you know how afraid I am to see your tears? They’re proof of my incompetence.” I had originally thought this was her way of expressing her love for me. But I never considered that women are naturally inclined to pity men – she simply didn’t love me and chose to turn a blind eye. Jasper and Avery were childhood friends. When I first met them, Avery was just a little brat. I was in a band with Avery’s sister Sophia. Sophia pointed at her little sister and told me helplessly: “The little brat wants to come see the world.” So Avery gradually occupied my life. She would play games nearby while I worked, and chat with me during my breaks. When her parents pressured her too much, she showed up at my door on a rainy night, stubbornly silent until I pulled her inside. We gradually got together, secretly married against everyone’s wishes. She tried starting a business. Having entered society earlier, I had met many people, so I helped her negotiate deals. At some point, I noticed Avery increasingly disliked talking about work with me. Whenever the company came up, her face would immediately darken, and she’d throw down her chopsticks and leave. “Don’t just talk to me about money. How did you become this kind of person?” “I know you’re confident in everything you do, but when you’re with me, can’t you be less materialistic?” I felt wronged, thinking of the month I stayed up late investigating competitors, the business partners I had to schmooze with a fake smile, the endless gifts I had to send even though they were useless. My voice ruined from drinking, my body gradually falling ill from inability to adjust. I nodded meekly. I thought, this is the person I love most, I want a future with her. There’s nothing worth arguing about. No matter how bitter or difficult, I’ve come through it all alone. When I first suspected I might be ill, I ignored how Avery kept smiling stupidly at her phone during meals, as if reliving a first love. I recalled those pill bottles not very well hidden in the bedside drawer, which Avery always ignored. But when I went to the hospital alone for a check-up, I saw photos sent from an unknown contact on SnapChat. A man and woman leaning close together, laughing. It was my wife and her childhood friend. I wanted to go crazy, to cry my heart out, to demand why she would do this. But then I saw the location. It was a place where cycling enthusiasts often had accidents. I bought the fastest ticket there, arriving at the team building location, only to receive a few harsh words. My soul felt empty. As she wished, I would never ask about her work again, completely disappearing from her world.

Gloom shrouded the campsite as Sophia rushed there in a hurry. People had called for rescue, and firefighters quickly began search and rescue operations in the mountains after assessing the situation. Avery refused to speak with Sophia, only cuddling with Jasper in their own intimate little world off to the side. Jasper unhappily threw off his jacket. Avery coaxed him, repeatedly picking it up and gently putting it back on him, telling him not to get cold. Sophia chased after Ryan, the colleague who had wanted to search for me earlier, repeatedly asking about what had happened. The more she asked, the more distressed Ryan became: “I don’t know. There was fog and then a hailstorm. Avery told us to go ahead while she brought up the rear. I never saw Lucas again after that.” It seemed Avery had already warned them not to call me “Mr. Gray” anymore, fearing it would upset her darling Jasper. I smiled wryly. Avery finished comforting Jasper and was now nonchalantly brushing his hair by the campfire. The more Sophia heard, the angrier she became. Unable to contain her rage any longer, she yanked Avery away, startling Jasper who nearly toppled into the fire. Avery frantically shielded Jasper, her body shaking with anxiety: “Sis, what are you doing?! Don’t you know my baby gets scared easily!” “Lucas is missing and possibly dead. You were the last one to talk to him. You’re refusing to give the rescue team any information. Do you know you’re sending him to his death?!” Sophia shouted. Avery shook off Sophia’s tight grip on her hand, leisurely fixing every stray hair on Jasper’s head. Back when we were deeply in love, I grew my hair to medium length at the nape of my neck, like those artists. She would smile and say, “Honey, you’re the most handsome to me no matter what hairstyle you have.” Now she said: “Lucas missing and possibly dead? Ha! That man just loves having people worry about him and die for him. He won’t die.” Avery was cold-hearted, remaining unmoved while everyone else worried. Jasper took out a mirror – a wedding anniversary gift I had once lost that Avery had given me – and examined his short hair from different angles. “Babe, should I grow it out a bit?” he asked. “Long hair is for sissies. It’s ugly,” Avery replied with disgust. So the words people say when in love are sweet as honey, but when love is gone, they become invisible daggers that kill. Sophia frowned severely at Jasper: “Why are you two together? Where did Lucas really go?” Jasper had grown up in the shadow of the “neighbor’s kid” Sophia since childhood. Seeing her was like seeing a stern disciplinarian. He hid in Avery’s arms, eyes vacant as he cried: “It wasn’t me. I don’t know anything.” “Sis, you’re overstepping. Why are we together? It’s to make way for you and Lucas!” Avery pulled Jasper behind her, her voice tinged with difficulty. “You think I don’t know what this place is? Mount Cedar is where you confessed to Lucas!”

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I loved and fought with Lucas Stone for five years. During the time he went missing, I became his half-brother’s mistress. Later, he used every means to force me to divorce, Calling me a cheap slut in front of his new girlfriend, But I refused to let go. Today, however, I handed him the divorce papers myself. Because I’m going to marry his brother. “What are you up to now?” Lucas Stone stared at the divorce papers on the table, his eyes full of disgust and impatience. I wasn’t surprised by his reaction. For the past year, I had clung to him like a madwoman, desperate to keep him. I’d gone crazy, made scenes, even cut my wrists. But today, I saw Lucas at the hospital accompanying his girlfriend for a prenatal checkup. My battered heart finally died. I sniffled and put on a carefree smile. “Lucas Stone, you’re so boring. I don’t want to play anymore.” Lucas’s face darkened as he grabbed my neck forcefully. “Aria James, are you asking for death?” He gritted his teeth, seeming ready to kill me. Just as I was about to suffocate, Lucas’s phone rang, saving me. A girl’s soft sobs came from the other end: “Lucas, don’t be hard on Aria. I don’t need any status…” Lucas gently comforted her. The speaker was Chloe Zhang, the girl I had adopted and who was now Lucas’s girlfriend. After hanging up, Lucas swiftly signed the divorce papers, as if afraid I might change my mind. I wasn’t upset and moved on to discuss the property division. “You can have the house and the money. I just want this ring.” It was the wedding ring Lucas had given me. Back then, his proposal was broadcast non-stop on the mall’s big screen. The whole world knew Lucas Stone loved me. Now, only this ring could prove he once loved me. Lucas frowned deeply. “Stop acting.” He threw the divorce papers in my face. “Aria James, you disgust me.” I silently picked up the scattered papers from the floor. “I’ll move out as soon as I find a place.” After Lucas left, I collapsed onto the sofa in relief and called Nathan Stone. “It’s all over now. Are you satisfied?” I sat in Nathan’s car, clutching the divorce papers tightly. “Aria,” Nathan pulled over and smiled at me. “Lucas never loved you. If you were really as materialistic as he claims, why did you risk everything for him back then? He’s just afraid to investigate.” “None of that matters anymore,” I interrupted him, asking where we were going next. “I remember you haven’t been home in a long time.” I laughed bitterly, “I don’t have a home anymore.” When my mother found out I had become Nathan’s mistress, she slapped me hard. She said she had sacrificed everything to save Stone Corp, but never imagined her daughter would betray her life’s work. She refused to acknowledge me anymore. I had knocked on our home’s door countless times, but the servants avoided me like the plague. My mother adopted a girl who looked just like me. I watched them from afar at an amusement park, the three of them riding the merry-go-round together. From that moment, I knew I no longer had a home. Nathan stroked my head, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an abyss. “Aria and I are the same now. Aria only has me, and I only have Aria.” He had schemed to make me become like him. “So Nathan, can we not go home?” Nathan’s lips curved slightly upward. “But how can our wedding not have our parents’ blessings?” I returned to the James house alone. The housekeeper was surprised to see me when he opened the door, as if he hadn’t expected my visit. “Miss, the madam isn’t home today.” I tilted my head to look inside. Chloe was lounging lazily against Lucas’s side, while Lucas adjusted the butterfly hairpin on her head. My mother was taking photos of them with a camera. I recognized the butterfly hairpin. It was a birthday gift my mother had once given me. Now the hairpin was hers, my mother was hers, and Lucas was hers too. I was the outsider. My mother stood up and walked towards the door, her face full of smiles until she saw me and froze. “How dare you come back? Why don’t you just die!” She angrily pushed me, shouting for me to die. I lost my balance and stumbled backwards, falling hard down the stairs. I was dizzy and disoriented. My mother still wore a cold expression, showing no concern as she watched me struggle to get up. My head was spinning, my body ached, and so did my heart. Chloe came out of the living room arm-in-arm with Lucas, feigning surprise. “Aria, why are you here? Mom, didn’t you say Aria wasn’t allowed back…” Her voice trailed off, clearly meant for me to hear. Lucas looked at me with disgust. He stood protectively in front of Chloe, as if afraid I might hurt her. My mother also quietly urged her to go back inside, moving to close the front door. I grabbed the door handle. “Mom, I’m going to marry Nathan Stone.” A gust of wind blew past my ear, and my cheek stung with pain. “You shameless wretch! Why did I ever give birth to you!” My mother slapped me and grabbed my collar, cursing me at the top of her lungs. Chloe covered her mouth in disbelief. “Aria, how could you… That’s Lucas’s brother!” Her act made me sick. I turned to leave. But my arm was seized in an iron grip. I looked back to meet Lucas’s gloomy eyes. “So you were in such a hurry to divorce because you’re marrying him? Aria James, you’re such a slut!” “Yes, but Lucas Stone, you’re the one person I’ve never wronged in this life.” I looked at him through tear-filled eyes, enunciating each word. He pushed me to the ground and looked down at me: “Aria James, you’ve wronged me your entire life.” I returned to the small apartment where Lucas had proposed to me. Right here, Lucas had said: “Lucas Stone will love Aria James forever.” He forgot, but I didn’t. I raised my ring finger, now bare. The back of my hand was bleeding from a scratch. As I was leaving, Chloe noticed I was still wearing the wedding ring from Lucas. She tearfully asked Lucas if he still had feelings for me. Lucas coldly said I wasn’t worthy. He forcibly yanked the ring off my finger, ignoring my protests. In the struggle, the ring cut my hand. The symbol of our love became a weapon he used to hurt me. He was unmoved, repeatedly wiping the bloodied ring, as if I had tainted it. But I clearly remembered when Lucas proposed, he was so nervous he went from kneeling on one knee to both knees, too choked up to speak. He said Aria James deserved all the beautiful things in this world. Those almond-shaped eyes made me drown in an ocean of tenderness. But he broke his promise. Chloe flashed me a victorious smile when Lucas wasn’t looking. She had won. I had to admit, she was truly a great actress. She publicly slandered and insulted me, while playing the innocent victim in private. She wanted me to be abandoned by everyone. She wanted rumors and gossip to drown me. She wanted to replace me. No matter what I did, it was wrong. Everyone knew that when Lucas went missing and was presumed dead, I got involved with his brother. No one believed me. I didn’t want to argue anymore. I got up clumsily, my thin clothes fluttering in the wind. Looking at Chloe’s tear-stained face, I said flatly: “I’m giving it all to you.” “I don’t want anything anymore.” I didn’t want to love Lucas Stone anymore. It was too painful. I sat by the floor-to-ceiling window watching the sun rise and set. But the sun in my heart would never rise again. The sun would never shine on me again. When I went back to the Stone house to pack my things, I found my fingerprints could no longer open the door, and the passcode had been changed. Chloe let me in. I hadn’t expected Lucas to be so eager to move her in. He must really love Chloe. The way he once loved me. Chloe acted every bit the lady of the house. “Lucas went out to buy me lychees. I didn’t want him to make the trip, but…” She lowered her head and stroked her belly, smiling smugly. “He said we can’t let our baby go hungry no matter what.” Although I had known about her pregnancy for a while, hearing her say it herself still felt like a stab to the heart. The man who once loved me so much now had a child with someone else, and I didn’t even have the right to question him. After all, in everyone’s eyes, I was the one who betrayed him first. I said nothing, so Chloe started to push her luck. “Aria, stop trying to get Lucas’s attention like this. It only makes him hate you more.” I rolled my eyes at her, not wanting to engage further. “Excuse me, I’m just here to collect my things. I’ll leave right away.” She didn’t budge from the doorway, pointing to a nearby trash can instead. “Your things are all in there.” The trash can was empty. The garbage collectors must have already taken everything away. I didn’t have many possessions, but there were some very precious items to me. Just as I angrily demanded to know why she threw out my things, Lucas returned. He stood in front of Chloe protectively. Glaring at me fiercely. “I told the housekeeper to throw it out. Chloe’s pregnant and can’t be around dirty things.” His protectiveness silenced any words I might have said. In his eyes, all my belongings were dirty. Even I was dirty. Chloe dramatically collapsed against Lucas’s shoulder, tears falling again. “Aria, it was just a charm. Why are you making such a big deal?” Lucas’s expression flickered for a moment. I think he probably hadn’t forgotten either. Nor had he expected that someone as materialistic as me would treasure such a worthless charm. Three years ago, I fell seriously ill with no apparent cause. Even the doctors were at a loss. When I was drifting in and out of consciousness, Lucas went to Lingyin Temple and kowtowed three times every nine steps, crawling up the stairs to obtain this charm for me. After wearing the charm, my illness miraculously improved. Back then, Nathan was still a carefree young master, and we had a good relationship. He told me: Lucas kept begging the Buddha, his forehead bleeding from kowtowing, all while murmuring: “I offer my life in exchange for my wife’s.” After hearing this, I stubbornly refused to wear it anymore, crying that I didn’t want Lucas to die. Later, I kept it in a box like a treasure. Now, it had become “dirty” in Lucas’s words. It had become a small pile of ashes in some incinerator. I wonder if Lucas still remembered that my life was exchanged for his devout prayers when we were young. I was once the person he would have given his life to protect. Before leaving, I stared at the lychees Lucas was holding and reminded him: “Lychees are cooling. They can cause miscarriage if eaten during early pregnancy.” Chloe immediately bristled at this, accusing me of cursing her child. She dropped her innocent act completely. She cried and threw a tantrum at Lucas, demanding that he kill me, that I should die. But this time, Lucas said nothing. He just stood there silently watching me leave. I went to the airport to pick up Hazel Greene. When she saw me, she burst into tears. She said I had gotten so thin she barely recognized me. Looking at myself in the airport bathroom mirror, I examined my face repeatedly. My pallid face was devoid of color, my eyes hollow and lifeless. There wasn’t a trace left of the radiant girl I once was. No wonder she didn’t recognize me. I couldn’t even recognize myself anymore. She cooked a feast of all my favorite dishes, saying I needed to eat more to regain my strength. I sat at the table and picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork. “Lucas and I are divorced. I’m marrying Nathan on the 8th of next month.” Hazel’s hand trembled violently, dropping her chopsticks on the floor. She looked up at me in confusion. “Aria?” “He didn’t want me anymore.” I ate the sweet and sour pork, only tasting bitterness. “This past year while you were gone, I suffered so much.” “No one believed me. Even Lucas bullied me.” Hazel angrily smashed a bowl. “How dare he! Doesn’t he know that back then you…”

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I was staring blankly at the two pink lines on the pregnancy test. Suddenly, my husband, who was out for a business dinner, called and asked me to bring him some medicine. His tone was urgent, and he hung up immediately after speaking. Worried and anxious, I rushed across town. But when I arrived, Ryan snatched the medicine from my hand without a word and turned away. I was left forgotten in the freezing cold, swallowing the words I hadn’t had a chance to say. I waited until late into the night. When he finally came out, he had another woman in his arms. 0 “Emma, it’s cold out. You’re not dressed warmly enough. Let me drive you home,” Ryan said gently, wrapping his coat around the woman standing opposite him. Seeing this scene, my steps towards him came to an abrupt halt. The woman called Emma noticed me first and lowered her head, nudging Ryan. He asked curiously, “What’s wrong?” Then he followed Emma’s gaze and looked behind him. When he saw me, he blurted out, “Why are you here?” His tone when speaking to me was completely different from how he had spoken to Emma. My feet, numb from standing in the cold wind for hours, felt heavy. My mouth was also numb. I stuttered, “Didn’t you ask me to come?” He had asked me to come, then left me here while he was being intimate with another woman. I turned my gaze to Emma. She seemed to suddenly wake up from a dream, clutching Ryan’s coat as she stepped out of his embrace. “Lily, I’m so sorry for the trouble,” she said. “I just had a bit of a stomachache, and Ryan overreacted, insisting I take some medicine.” Her words were apologetic, but her tone was full of pride. Only then did I realize that the medicine Ryan had asked me to bring was for Emma. I had been so worried, constantly urging the driver to speed up on the way here. I was still processing Emma’s words when Ryan spoke up. “It’s no trouble at all. She’s free anyway,” he said. It was the first time I had heard Ryan speak about me like this. I looked up at him in disbelief. But Ryan just turned to me and asked, “Do you need anything else?” “If not, I’m going to take Emma home first.” “She’s delicate and lightly dressed, unlike you, bundled up like an Eskimo.” I dressed warmly because I was sensitive to cold, and winters were always difficult for me. I even had to work from home during winter because I couldn’t go out. Ryan knew all of this. Yet he said this about me in front of Emma. At that moment, I didn’t know if I felt more embarrassed or angry. After speaking, Ryan had already brought the car around. I was about to move towards the passenger seat when Emma quickly stepped in front of me. “Lily, I get carsick. Could I sit in the front?” she asked. I wanted to say no. But Ryan had already made the decision for me. “Emma, go ahead and sit in front,” he said. “Lily goes to bed early, and it would be too late if I came back after dropping you off.” “She can take a cab home and get to bed earlier.” With that, Ryan handed me his wallet and drove off. He didn’t even give me a chance to speak. But I had been waiting here because I couldn’t get a cab. I was so angry at Ryan that my stomach hurt. Belatedly, I began to suspect the nature of his relationship with Emma. If they were just ordinary colleagues, why would he abandon his own wife to drive her home? I walked for two hours with this suspicion. Finally, unable to bear the cold any longer, I checked into a shabby hostel. The walls were just thin wooden boards, and I could hear drunk people shouting outside. I was so scared that I didn’t sleep all night. 0

The next day, feeling groggy, I left the hostel and received a call from Ryan. His tone on the phone was impatient. “Lily Song, where did you go last night? Why didn’t you come home?” “You’re a married woman, how could you spend the night out without telling me?” I had been worried sick and disappeared for a whole night, but Ryan showed no concern. Instead, every word was an accusation. My pent-up emotions finally burst out. “Ryan Shaw, you say I shouldn’t have spent the night out.” “But you, a married man, abandoned your wife to drive another woman home. Is that appropriate?” “Did you consider my feelings? What right do you have to blame me?” My grievances came pouring out. I thought he would realize his mistake. But Ryan turned it back on me. “You’re older than Emma, how can you not be more mature about this?” “Besides, weren’t you right there when I offered to drive Emma home?” “If you didn’t agree, why didn’t you say something then? Why are you making a fuss now?” “I’m so sick of you!” After scolding me without rhyme or reason, Ryan hung up the phone. I stood there, stunned, listening to the dial tone. It wasn’t until my stomach started to hurt that I snapped out of it. Remembering the two lines on the test yesterday, I forgot about Ryan’s attitude and rushed to the hospital, worried and scared. By the time I arrived, there was obvious blood on the hem of my pants. The doctor said I had indeed been pregnant. But now, the baby was gone. It hadn’t even been 24 hours from when I learned of its existence to when I lost it. I struggled to grab the doctor for confirmation, but because I moved too quickly, I fell to the ground. “Please… please, doctor… save my baby…” “I beg you, save it!” Everything had happened so fast, I hadn’t even had time to react. I instinctively begged the doctor for help. But he just sighed deeply at me. “Your body was already weak, and you caught a chill right after conceiving.” “It’s too late now!” Too late! My baby was gone! I was in a daze, not knowing how I got back home. The moment I opened the door, I saw Emma sitting on the sofa, playing with one of my dolls. Ryan, hearing the door open, poked his head out from the kitchen, smiling from ear to ear. “Lily, Emma’s all alone and lonely, so I invited her to come over for dinner more often.” “You’re back just in time. Why don’t you make a couple of your specialties for Emma to try?” I looked at Ryan as he spoke, then shifted my gaze to Emma’s face. Suddenly, anger welled up inside me. “Go to hell!” I shouted, using a curse word I had never uttered before in my life. After yelling this, I lunged at Emma, grappling with her, trying to push her out the door. “Get out! You’re not welcome in our home.” “Get out!” I lashed out at Emma like a madwoman. Ryan, who had been in high spirits, saw me like this and his smile froze on his face. “Lily Song, what’s wrong with you?” 0

He rushed over in a few quick strides and pulled me away. His force was so strong that I was thrown to the ground. When I came to my senses, I remembered that Ryan was also responsible for the death of my child. So I got up and started pushing him out too. “You get out too, you’re no better, get out!” Ryan shielded Emma behind him and grabbed my arms, shouting, “Lily Song, have you gone mad?” “Yes, I have gone mad!” “Ryan Shaw, if it weren’t for you, the baby wouldn’t have been lost. You’re both murderers!” I grabbed Ryan’s collar and yelled these words, then calmed down slightly. Ryan asked me, confused. “What baby?” I laughed coldly and told him what I hadn’t had a chance to say yesterday. But Ryan blurted out, “How is that possible?” “I always used protection.” After he said this, the air fell into silence. I hadn’t expected his reaction to be doubt rather than joy. It felt like a thousand needles were piercing my heart, hurting so much I couldn’t speak. “As you wished, the baby is gone now.” After saying these words to Ryan with a bitter smile, I slowly let go of his collar. In this silence, Emma suddenly let out a shrill scream, then covered her mouth. “Lily, Ryan said you guys used protection. Could it be that this baby… wasn’t his?” “Were you afraid Ryan would find out, so you got rid of the baby yourself, killing two birds with one stone by making him feel guilty?” She spoke on and on, as if she had discovered the truth, spinning her own wild theories. After finishing, she dramatically tried to explain herself to me. “Lily, I didn’t mean it like that… it’s just that in novels, that’s how it usually goes…” Emma put on an exaggerated performance in front of me, pretending to be hesitant, but somehow her act had an audience who believed it. Ryan looked at me, hurt, and questioned, “Lily Song, haven’t I been good enough to you?” “Why would you do this to me?” I laughed bitterly at his words and pointed at Emma, asking in return. “We’ve been married for five years, and you believe her over me?” Ryan’s expression froze for a moment. Emma pitifully clutched at his sleeve and said, “Ryan, you know I never lie.” Ryan looked at her in silence for a while. Then he turned to me and said, “Emma doesn’t lie.” “You think she doesn’t lie, so you believe her biased words and think I’ve wronged you?” “Ryan Shaw, I’ve been with you for so long, am I not worth as much as someone you’ve known for just a few days?” “She doesn’t lie, but when have I ever lied to you?” Every word Ryan said stabbed me in the heart! My already unbearable pain became even more desperate. An indescribable sense of powerlessness filled my heart, making me lose the will to wait for his answer. Without waiting for Ryan to respond, I coldly said, “Ryan Shaw, let’s get a divorce.” “I’ll draft the divorce agreement and send it to you.” 0

After forcing myself to say everything, I closed my eyes and said no more. Ryan angrily kicked the door twice. Then he stormed out, dragging Emma along. As he left, he deliberately mocked me, “Lily Song, you’re really willing to say anything now just to get attention.” “You can even joke about a child so easily, making up lies about being pregnant and losing it.” “I despise you!” As his words fell, the door slammed shut, and the room fell into silence. In the end, he didn’t follow Emma’s lead and accuse me of the child not being his. But his words were still hurtful. If I could, I would wish more than anyone that this was all made up. That way, I wouldn’t have lost my child. But unfortunately, it wasn’t. I curled up on the sofa, tears sliding down my cheeks as I sobbed. That night, Ryan suddenly called. I was startled awake from a nightmare, opening my eyes, not knowing where I was. After a moment, I answered the phone, and Ryan’s slightly drunk voice came through. He asked me, “Lily Song, have you realized your mistake?” I sneered and was about to hang up when his next words came. “I just didn’t expect you to be pregnant, I wasn’t doubting you.” “I spoke harshly earlier today, don’t be angry.” As soon as he finished speaking, Emma’s coquettish voice came from the other end of the line. “Ryan, Ryan, stop playing with your phone and come keep me company.” The call was immediately disconnected. I remembered what Ryan had said to me, and his contradictory actions, and burst into tears holding my phone. After crying enough, I lay awake until dawn. Then I immediately contacted a lawyer to draft a divorce agreement. I didn’t want to spend another day with such an unclean person and such an unclean relationship. But Ryan came back the next evening, bringing my favorite mung bean cake. He smiled at me as if nothing had happened, seeking praise. “Lily, I went out of my way to buy this mung bean cake for you.” “It’s still warm, try it quickly.” I looked at the mung bean cake in his hand, slowly reached out to take it, then crushed it. “Ryan Shaw, once it’s broken, it can’t be eaten anymore.” After saying this, I left him and went back to my room. Ryan was so angry he was panting heavily. After a long while, he pounded on my door with his fist. “Lily Song, that’s enough.” “I bought this to make peace with you, and this is how you react?” What could I mean? No matter how delicious a favorite food is, once it’s crushed, it can’t be eaten. No matter how much you love someone, once there’s a crack, you have to let go. The mung bean cake was like that, and so was Ryan Shaw! Outside, snow had started falling softly at some point. I stared blankly out the window while listening to Ryan pounding on the door behind me. He got tired of pounding and stopped, changing to gentle persuasion. “Lily, Emma is still young. She might not always know how to speak or act appropriately, but you don’t need to take it so seriously, do you? She’s just a kid.” Even at this point, Ryan was still trying to explain for Emma. How thoughtful of him. I turned away from the window, went barefoot to open the door. And slapped Ryan across the face.

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I paid with my husband Daniel’s payment card at a boutique, spending 30,000 dollars on a designer bag. When Daniel’s mother, Nora Howard, saw this, she immediately rushed over, snatched the bag from my hands, and slapped me across the face. “You bitch! Daniel works so hard for his money, and you’re spending it so recklessly! “You dress yourself up so beautifully every day. Tell me, are you carrying on with other men?” With these words, she picked up the scissors and slashed the bag open before throwing it into the trash. She even threatened to have Daniel divorce me. I shrugged my shoulders and gave her an indifferent look. After all, this bag wasn’t for me. It was a gift Daniel had asked me to buy for his client. When I got home, Nora was just coming out of the bedroom. It looked like she had just gotten up. Before I could greet her, she immediately spotted the bag in my hand and rushed over to grab it. “You bitch! Daniel works so hard for his money, and you’re spending it so recklessly!” My lips moved slightly as I was about to explain, but she slapped me across the face first. She looked at me with a twisted expression, then scolded, “I’ve always known you were a spendthrift woman. If Daniel didn’t like you so much, there’s no way I’d let you marry him! “In all the years that you’ve been married, you’ve never contributed anything to this family. You just stay at home every day, spend Daniel’s money, and expect me to take care of you.” With that, she spat on the floor. “You dress yourself up so beautifully every day. Tell me, are you carrying on with other men?” I was furious, unable to believe how shameless she was. What did she mean, I only stayed at home and spent Daniel’s money? Why was she accusing me of having an affair? I stayed at home because my job was running a social media account. Now I made over 10,000 dollars a month. Aside from regular savings, I spent all of it on the family. I knew Daniel was busy with work, so after finishing my video editing tasks, I took on chores like grocery shopping and cooking. I also knew he was a filial person, so when he said he wanted to bring his mother to live with us, I didn’t object. If anyone hadn’t contributed to this family, it should be Nora.

I covered my face, which was slightly swollen. Although I was really angry inside, I didn’t lash out. After all, I still had to live with Nora in the future, and she was an elder. I tried to explain, “Nora, this bag wasn’t for me. It was for Daniel’s client…” Before I could finish my sentence, she angrily slapped me again. The force of the slap was so strong that I stumbled back. Now, both sides of my face were burning with pain. I had explained everything clearly, but she wouldn’t listen. “Do you think I’ll believe your excuses? “Yesterday, I asked Danny for money to shoot some craps, and he told me that the money from his payment card went to you to buy this bag!” Her eyes were filled with resentment as she glared at me. “It’s all your fault, spending all of Daniel’s money, leaving me without money for shooting some craps. “You’re such an unfilial, spendthrift wife. Back in our hometown, they’d tie you to a tree and beat you!” That was when I realized why she was so furious. It turned out that she hadn’t been able to get the money for the craps yesterday. She was just taking out her anger on me. Even the calmest person would be enraged by those two slaps. And with her constantly interrupting me and wrongfully accusing me, I couldn’t take it anymore. I yelled at her, “What do you mean I’m unfilial? “I give you money for craps once a month, and this month I already gave you 3,000 dollars. You lost it all yourself! “Look around the house—these health care products, the massage chair—didn’t I buy all of these for you?” I stormed into her room and grabbed a few boxes of healthcare products from her drawer. “You were scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars for them. You were afraid that Daniel would find out, so you had me pay for all of it. “How have I treated you badly? “Don’t even say this bag wasn’t for me. Even if it was, so what?” After hearing all that, her face grew even darker. When she saw the boxes of medicine in my hand, it seemed like she couldn’t take it anymore. She rushed over and knocked the boxes out of my hand. The pills scattered all over the floor.

“It’s your duty to spend money on me, but spending Daniel’s money is wrong.” Nora was being unreasonable, hands on her hips, her neck flushed red. Her face was twisted with anger as her eyes darted to the scissors on the living room table. She strode over. Realizing what she was about to do, I rushed to stop her, but she shoved me away. Without hesitation, she grabbed the scissors and slashed the surface of the bag. “How could you buy this! How could you spend Daniel’s money! “Today, I’m going to show you who’s in charge of this house!” After slashing the surface, she snipped the strap off the bag and then casually threw it into the trash can. She looked at me smugly. “I bet you won’t dare buy another bag again! This is the consequence of defying me!” I stood there, my mouth agape in shock. A 30,000-dollar bag, just like that, was tossed away. Seeing me frozen in place, she grew even bolder, not the slightest bit remorseful. It seemed like she wasn’t done yet; she stormed into my bedroom, her eyes fixed on my vanity. With a swift motion, she knocked the entire vanity over. My cosmetics and skin care products shattered on the floor. “Nora! What are you doing?” I screamed, unable to believe the scene unfolding before my eyes. I bought these cosmetics last week. I’d barely used them, and now they were all broken! “Don’t you love makeup? You always spend so much of Daniel’s money on it. I’ve hated it for a long time! “Today, I’m going to clean all your stuff out! “Without these, let’s see if you can still seduce other men!” She said this as she looked around the room, her eyes landing on my wardrobe. She opened it, grabbed the scissors, and began cutting my clothes, one by one. In no time, every piece of clothing was ruined, shredded into tatters. She kept cutting, her jealousy almost palpable as she looked at me. “Look at you, Stella. Buying so many clothes I’ve never seen before! “Tell me, did some man buy these for you? Are you carrying on with other men?”

Looking at the twisted expression on Nora’s face and then at the shattered cosmetics and shredded clothes all over the floor, I couldn’t hold back my anger anymore. It felt like I lost my mind. I grabbed her by the hair and slapped her face, one slap after another. My hands shook with rage, and I had no idea how hard I was hitting her. “Stella! You dare hit me… you bitch!” She struggled, but I held her tightly, slapping her over and over again. With the combined pain in her scalp and cheek, her arrogance from before turned into begging. “Stell… stop hitting me, please! It’s my fault. It’s all my fault! “Please stop. My head hurts… my face…” Hearing her groaning, I finally regained some control. I let go of her, and she fell onto the broken glass scattered on the floor. “Ahh!” Immediately, her hands were cut by the shards of glass. She stared at her hands in disbelief, then shot me a vicious glare, as if she wanted to tear me apart. “Stella! You bitch! You’ve beaten me like this. Daniel will never forgive you! “When he comes back, I’ll make sure he divorces you!” I took a deep breath, trying to suppress my fury, and picked up my phone to call him. The moment the call was connected, she grabbed my phone like a mad woman. “Daniel! I’m at home, and Stella’s going to kill me! If you don’t pick up now, you’ll never see me again! “Come back and divorce this bitch!” I just turned on hands-free, so I could hear him impatiently saying, “I’m at work right now. Why do you keep stressing me out every day?” She kept complaining on the phone, insisting that he come back right away. Finally, he relented. “I’ll come back after work.” She instantly wore a triumphant expression, looking at me smugly. “When Daniel gets back, you’re toast!”

After Nora realized she was holding my phone, she immediately threw it to the ground. The screen flickered a few times before going black. “Ugh! Who gave you permission to use such an expensive phone? “Just so you know, those clothes you’re wearing, Daniel bought them for you. Once you’re divorced, you won’t be able to take anything with you!” I was absolutely furious. At this point, nothing she said would surprise me anymore. I was more curious to see Daniel’s reaction when he came back. After all, this bag was something he had asked me to buy for his client, and it was a limited edition. The one I bought was the last one in the boutique. His company had recently faced a financial crisis, and the client he was gifting the bag to was the only one who could save his company. I’ve always had a love for designer bags, and I know the salespeople at the boutique. After begging me for three days, he finally convinced me to help him buy it. Now, the bag was ruined. Without that bag to win over the client, his company was probably doomed. “Fine, let’s see who Daniel will blame when he comes back.” Seeing that I still wasn’t backing down, she became even angrier. She pointed at me as if to scold me, but in the end, she held back. It seemed like she realized that, being elderly, she couldn’t win against me. But she wasn’t ready to give up just yet. She tilted her head, thinking for a moment. And then, as if coming up with a devious plan, she quickly walked to the door, opened it, and sat down in the hallway outside. She started crying loudly, “My life is so miserable! At my age, being abused by my son’s wife! I must have had the worst luck in the world! “Someone, help me! If I hadn’t run out of there, this bitch would have killed me! “She’s abusing me! She’s trying to kill me!” As she said this, she slapped her thigh and then suddenly screamed in pain. It seemed she had forgotten that her hands were covered in broken glass, and blood was still oozing from her palm. Though I was still very angry, I couldn’t help but be amused by her actions. She shot me a glare and, seeing no neighbors come out, got up and started knocking on doors. “Someone’s going to die! Someone’s going to die!”

Nora kept banging on the door and shouting, and the neighbors could no longer pretend they didn’t hear. They cracked their doors open just enough to peek outside. Mary Nelson, a neighbor who was friendly with Nora, immediately gasped. “Oh my God, what happened to you? Why are your face and hands all bruised? Who did this to you?” Nora looked at Mary like a savior, almost moved to tears. She pointed at me and yelled, “She’s the one who did it. “She spends all of Daniel’s money on useless luxury items. I only said a few words to her, and she hit me! “Look, my face and hands are all bruised from her! “I’m so old. How can I stand this kind of abuse from her?” People love gossip. Soon, several other neighbors came out to watch the drama unfold. They looked at her, bruised and battered, and then at me, who appeared completely unharmed. They believed her words, and one by one, they shot me looks of disgust. Mary started accusing me, “She’s your husband’s mom. How could you abuse her? “You’re just a stay-at-home wife. How can you be so shameless to spend all your husband’s money?” Two other neighbors also started murmuring about me, “She’s really a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She seemed so gentle, but who would have thought she’d be so cruel to her husband’s mom?” “Daniel’s really pitiful, marrying a woman like her. What bad luck!” “If I were Daniel, I’d break her legs and lock her in the house to make her reflect on her actions. What kind of wife hits her husband’s mom?” “I’ve always said she’s not a good woman. Look at how she dresses up so brightly every day. She probably has an affair!” Listening to their slander, Nora almost laughed out loud. I felt my face go dark, barely holding back my anger. I was about to shout back at them when the elevator dinged. Daniel walked out from inside.

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Three years into our marriage, I finally became pregnant with Jasper Adams’ child. He was ecstatic, and I quietly felt relieved—at last, my mother-in-law would stop her constant nagging. That is, until the day I went to his company to bring him lunch and was mistaken by his secretary for someone trying to curry favor with the wealthy. “You schemer, how dare you try to attract the attention of our CEO?” She threw the food on me and tore my clothes, leading to a miscarriage right there in the office. Before I lost consciousness, I heard her bragging to Jasper Adams, “Mr. Adams, I dealt with a woman trying to seduce you. How do you plan to thank me?” I carried a lunchbox into the lobby of Adams Corporation. The receptionist didn’t recognize me and said she needed to call Jasper Adams. “Go ahead,” I replied. “I’m his wife, Eloise Taylor, here with his lunch.” After a brief call, the receptionist nodded at me, “Ma’am, apologies for the wait. You may go up.” Seeing my slightly rounded belly and noticing my difficulty moving, she thoughtfully pressed the elevator button for me. I thanked her as the elevator slowly ascended to the top floor. With a chime, the doors opened, but instead of Jasper Adams, a young, unfamiliar woman stood there. I assumed she was an employee and was about to walk past her when she blocked my path. “Are you the woman here to see Mr. Adams?” Her tone was extremely rude, prompting me to respond coolly, “I’m here to bring my husband lunch; what’s it to you?” “Get out!” She suddenly grabbed my lunchbox and, before anyone could react, opened it and dumped the contents over my head! The incident was so unexpected that I let out a scream, stepping back and trying to brush the food off. “What are you doing!” She tossed the lunchbox aside, looking smug, and shouted, “I’ve seen plenty like you, thinking you can catch Mr. Adams’ eye with your looks!” Hearing the commotion, several employees gathered around. An older employee recognized me and turned to scold her, “Fiona Brooks! What are you doing? Apologize to the boss’s wife!” Fiona Brooks was unfazed. “What boss’s wife? Our CEO doesn’t even have a girlfriend!” She looked me up and down, her gaze lingering on my simple attire. Planning to visit a park after lunch, I’d dressed casually, my hair in a messy bun. Fiona Brooks sneered and, without warning, rushed over and tore my clothes! “Ah!” I couldn’t dodge in time, and the fabric ripped loudly, exposing most of my shoulder. A manager who knew me quickly took off his jacket and draped it over me, dispersing the onlookers. He sternly addressed Fiona Brooks, “Fiona Brooks! Apologize now!” Then he turned to me, “I’m sorry, Ms. Taylor, she’s just an intern assistant who clumsily ruined your clothes. You can change in my office.” Since this was Jasper Adams’ company, I didn’t want to escalate the situation, so I turned to leave. But Fiona Brooks wasn’t done; she shoved the manager aside and kicked me to the ground! “Faking it, are you? I’ll teach you a lesson!” She sat on my stomach, and I instinctively protected my belly, screaming as she slapped me. “You schemer, trying to seduce Mr. Adams. I’ll make you pay today!” The intense pain spread through my limbs, and I gradually lost the ability to fight back. Her attacks grew more vicious, and I felt a warm liquid flowing down my legs. “Blood! She’s bleeding!” Amid the employees’ gasps, Jasper Adams finally rushed over. He positioned himself between Fiona Brooks and me, holding me in his arms. “Jasper, our baby…” I weakly lost consciousness, and before passing out, I heard Jasper’s anguished shout and Fiona Brooks’ scornful voice: “Mr. Adams, I took care of that ungrateful woman for you. How do you plan to thank me?”

When I awoke, I saw the hospital’s white walls, and Jasper Adams sat by my bed, his expression dark and unreadable. My hand slowly moved to my abdomen. It was flat. There had once been a small life there, but now it was gone. “Elle…” Jasper Adams held me, his voice deep. “We’ll have another baby.” I broke into tears. “Jasper, the baby was killed by that intern! I want justice! I want her to pay!” “Elle, calm down. I’ve already fired her,” Jasper Adams tried to reassure me. “You won’t see her again.” I stopped crying, staring into his eyes as if seeing him for the first time. “She insulted me, attacked me, and killed our baby. Is just firing her enough?” Jasper Adams avoided my gaze, picking up a slice of apple and offering it to me. I turned my head away, refusing to eat. “Jasper, tell me, why let her go?” After an awkward silence, Jasper Adams finally spoke, “She…” “Because she’s Jasper Adams’ sister.” My mother-in-law entered, draped in a silk shawl, and looked down at me with arrogance. Jasper Adams’ father had passed away early, and his mother had raised him alone, developing a strong-willed personality. The first time I met his family, she bombarded me with questions and finally sat on the sofa, ready to lay down the law. I was also raised by doting parents, so I couldn’t endure such humiliation. I turned and left, breaking up with Jasper Adams. That was a tough period. I sulked in my dorm room for a few days, then resumed classes and part-time jobs. Jasper Adams waited outside the dorm. Every time I stepped out, he’d follow me at a distance, even getting questioned by the guards a few times. “Just go,” I said. “I date to marry. I don’t want to live in fear under your mom’s watch.” Later, I heard he had a big fight with his mother, saying he’d stay single for life if he couldn’t marry me. “My friends all say that Eloise Taylor must be blind to fancy me! If you don’t let me marry her, I’ll never find someone as good!” Under Jasper Adams’ persistence, his mother finally relented but insisted on living with us. Jasper Adams told me everything and promised that although his mother would live with us, she wouldn’t interfere with our lives. I still had feelings for him, and seeing him stand up to his mother for me, I agreed to his proposal. After marriage, my mother-in-law started pressuring me to have children. I said I’d wait a few years until my career was stable. “How long is that?” she pressed. “A woman’s prime years for childbirth are few, and besides, Jasp’s company can easily support five of you. Why earn a meager salary at a kindergarten? Instead of raising other people’s kids, why not have one, no, two of Jasp’s!” I frowned, ready to argue, but Jasper Adams interjected, “Mom, I’m busy with a big project right now. We can have kids later.” When Jasper Adams said the same thing, his mom didn’t push. Instead, she told him to take care of himself and not overwork. Jasper Adams chatted about other things, and her attention shifted. At the time, I was pleased, thinking I hadn’t misjudged and had found a man worth spending my life with. I forgot that hearts can change and old flames can be hard to forget.

“Sister?” I repeated slowly. “I’ve been married to Jasper Adams for three years, and he has a sister I didn’t know about?” My gaze landed on Jasper Adams’ face. He quickly stood up, claiming he had to take a call, and rushed out like he was escaping. My mother-in-law laughed proudly. “Didn’t he tell you? Compared to you, a mere opportunist, Fiona is the perfect match for him!” I forced myself to sit up, leaning against the headboard. “What do you mean?” She explained that Fiona Brooks and Jasper Adams grew up together, childhood friends, inseparable. But she later moved abroad with her family, and they lost touch. Recently, Fiona graduated and returned to find a job. My mother-in-law was arranging to set her up with Jasper Adams, getting her into Adams Corporation. “If it weren’t for Jasp acting on impulse, do you think you could have entered the Adams family? Fiona is his equal in every way—background, education, looks. She’s far superior to you!” I scoffed. “Just because she went abroad doesn’t mean she died. If they had any feelings, why just reconnect now? Besides, I’m already married to Jasper Adams. I’m his legal wife. If he has anything with Fiona, it’s cheating!” She stood, looking down at me. “You married Jasp for his money. He’s got plenty of it, but you can’t even keep his heart!” “You don’t control Jasper Adams. If you want to push him to marry Fiona Brooks, that’s up to him!” I argued back with her, but inside, I was anxious. Jasper Adams is decisive but can’t easily go against his mother. As he puts it, she raised him, and now he has to make her happy. I understood his feelings. Many times when she targeted me, I either pretended not to hear or quietly avoided her, not wanting to make things difficult for Jasper Adams. I never thought my tolerance would make her think I was easy to bully, so bold as to place someone next to Jasper Adams! “You can’t make decisions for Jasper Adams. If you want to persuade him to marry Fiona Brooks, it’s up to Jasper!” I was arguing with my mother-in-law, but inside, I felt anxious. Jasper Adams is decisive, but he struggles to defy his mother. As he puts it, she raised him, and now that he’s successful, he feels obligated to keep her happy. I understand this. Many times when his mother targets me, I either pretend not to notice or quietly avoid her to spare Jasper any awkwardness. But my patience has made his mother think I’m easy to push around. Now she’s audaciously trying to set him up with someone else! She left with an air of superiority, saying, “I’ll tell Jasp to give you more money. You should leave early and make room for Fiona!” Shortly after, Jasper came back hesitantly. Once he saw his mom had left, he sighed with relief. “Mom loves to meddle, Elle. Don’t let it get to you.” Hearing this, I gave him a cold stare. “She brought Fiona Brooks into Adams Corporation, and you didn’t refuse, did you?” Jasper quickly defended himself, “Elle, there’s nothing between us! Her family helped me before. Now that she’s back from abroad looking for a job, my mom asked me to help, so I just placed her in the company.” “She’s been arrogant for a while!” All my grievances spilled out. “Your mom asks, and you just comply? She used to mess with me, and now Fiona Brooks, who studied abroad and has everything, gets a job at Adams Corporation?” “We’ve waited for this baby for so long, and she brushes it off with a misunderstanding?” I shouted, my emotions nearly out of control. Jasper’s face flushed with embarrassment and frustration before he finally managed, “I already told her off…” “What’s the use of that?” I was nearly hysterical. “Do you know what she just said to me? She said Fiona Brooks is the perfect wife for you! Jasper Adams, give me a straight answer. Are you going to marry her? Either divorce me or get Fiona and your mom out!” “Eloise Taylor!” Jasper interrupted me sharply, then softened his tone. “Just focus on recovering. I’ll handle everything else.” He pressed an orange into my hand and left quickly. I took a bite. It was sour, so I tossed it aside.

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My Husband and I Went to the Orphanage to Adopt a Child, and the Little One Suddenly Ran Over and Called Him Daddy After a car accident left me, Bella Carson, unable to have children, my husband Mason Reed suggested we adopt. So, we went to the adoption center. When we met the little boy Mason had chosen, a healthy, fair-skinned boy named Liam Archer, he suddenly rushed into Mason’s arms, calling out, “Dad, why did it take you so long to get here? Mom and I have been waiting forever…” Mason had a low sperm count, so after we got married, I repeatedly went to the hospital for IVF in hopes of having a child with him. Finally, in the third year of our marriage, I got pregnant. Both Mason and I were deeply invested in this long-awaited child. We often imagined what the baby would look like when it was born. But, in the end, our hopes were shattered. At six months pregnant, I was in a car accident on my way to a check-up. The accident caused me to lose the baby, and it also left me unable to have children again. I was devastated. Although Mason was just as heartbroken, he showed a smile and said it was okay. He told me that, compared to the baby, he cared more about me. He said if I really wanted a child, we could adopt one from an orphanage. However, when we went to the orphanage to adopt, the child Mason immediately picked out jumped into his arms and said, “Dad, why are you so late? Mom and I have been waiting for you!” The child’s words made my heart drop. Though I didn’t want to doubt Mason, my rational side couldn’t help but want to dig deeper. I squatted down and looked at the boy, who looked about 80% like Mason, and smiled as I asked, “If he’s your dad, then who’s your mom?” Mason’s face immediately paled. Before the child could answer, Mason hurriedly spoke, “Of course it’s you! This child is smart. He can tell we’re the perfect parents for him! Even before we officially adopted, he started calling us mom and dad!” “Dad, that’s nonsense. My real mom isn’t this dull, lifeless woman…” The child pushed me away from Mason and stood there defiantly. My heart sank. I thought, “Dull… Lifeless… These weren’t words a five-year-old should be able to say.” Mason’s face turned ashen. Just as I was about to press for more answers, the door to the break room opened. Mason’s secretary, Ruth Sterling, walked out. She looked surprised to see Mason and said, “Mr. Reed? What are you doing here? I’m off today, just came by to see the kids… Liam, what are you bothering Mr. Reed for? Didn’t I tell you before?” She walked over and yanked the child, who was still clinging to Mason, away, scolding him. Mason, looking flustered, hurried to my side, grabbed my hand, and awkwardly smiled as he explained, “All the kids here act like this. When they see good adoptive parents, they rush to call them mom and dad…” I calmly pulled my hand away. “Then why did he call Ruth mom’? I came here with you, shouldn’t he call me?” “Uh…” Mason hesitated, then replied, “After we decided to adopt, I came here with Ruth to check things out. This child had met us before and immediately decided we were his parents… you know, kids from orphanages crave affection but can be really stubborn. Changing their initial view takes time.” “Really? I guess I was just overthinking…” I stood up and started walking out. Mason hurried after me, asking, “Aren’t you going to finalize the adoption today?” “Adopting a child isn’t a small matter. I’ll think about it more carefully and let you know.”

I thought, “Women are sensitive creatures, especially those who have just lost a child and their ability to have more.” That day, at the orphanage, after the seed of doubt was planted in my heart, I couldn’t help but pay closer attention to Mason’s work and personal life. I always had the feeling that Mason and his secretary, Ruth, were up to something. One night, as I passed by the study on my way to the bathroom, I overheard a phone conversation. “The child would have been better off dead. He shouldn’t have come into this world! So what if he was a fully formed baby boy? He’s nothing compared to even a single strand of hair from Ruth’s child…” It was Mason’s voice, deliberately lowered. I thought, “Who was he talking about? Who was nothing compared to Ruth’s child?” I pressed my ear to the wooden door, straining to hear more. Then, I heard the voice of his father, Jackson Reed, come through the phone. “Are you out of your mind? How can you say something like that? Do you really think you deserve Bella? “When you and Ruth broke up because of the business trouble, you were drunk all the time and didn’t care about the company. If it weren’t for Bella begging her parents to help you, you wouldn’t be the president of the Carson Group today! You wouldn’t even have a job fixing shoes on the side of the road! “And yet? You didn’t appreciate Bella. On your wedding night, you drugged her and told her you had a weak sperm count. Bella, despite all that, didn’t blame you. She risked everything and went through nearly three years of IVF. The doctors even told her to give up, but she stubbornly insisted on having a child to carry on the Reed family legacy. But you? “You heartless bastard, not only did you fail to cherish her, but you also caused a car accident to kill the child in Bella’s womb for the sake of your and Ruth’s child and even bribed the doctor to make sure she could never have children again! How the hell did I end up with such a soulless scumbag son like you?!” “That was her choice,” Mason’s cold voice cut through the conversation. “If she hadn’t insisted on IVF, she wouldn’t have miscarried, and I wouldn’t have had the chance to make sure she couldn’t have children. “Now it doesn’t matter what you want. Bella can’t have children anymore. If you don’t let Ruth’s child, Liam, into the Reed family, you can forget about keeping any of our fortune.” I stood frozen outside the door. I thought, “What were they talking about? Mason was the one who caused my miscarriage? He was also the one who made sure I could never have children again. Was all this just so he could bring Ruth’s son, Liam, into the Reed family and secure his future?” The cold truth made my teeth clench together tightly. Then, I heard Jackson’s voice, nearly breaking down. “When your company was on the verge of bankruptcy, Bella’s parents helped you out because of her. They saved your company. After everything they did for you, why didn’t you just leave their daughter alone? Why marry her if you didn’t love her? And then, you didn’t even cherish her. Do you have any idea how much damage you’ve done to her?” “I didn’t want to marry Bella either! But it just so happened that her family, the Carson Group, could save my company, and she just happened to like me… I was just going with the flow! But that wasn’t love. The only one I’ve ever loved, from the beginning to the end, is Ruth!” I couldn’t listen to it anymore. Stumbling, I returned to the bedroom and buried myself under the covers. Over and over again, I replayed Mason’s words in my head. So, Mason had never loved me. What he married was just my position as the only daughter of the president of the Carson Group. But after the Carson Group went bankrupt and my parents passed away last year, my identity had become meaningless. That was why he dared to orchestrate a car accident to kill the child I was carrying, to hurt me beyond repair, all to make way for Ruth’s child and for Ruth herself.

When Mason’s footsteps sounded at the door of the bedroom, I quickly closed my eyes, not wanting him to know that I was awake. He tiptoed over to my bed and gently kissed my forehead. In the past few years, he often did small things like this. At that time, my heart was full of sweetness. But now, when he kissed my forehead, I only felt a chilling, spine-tingling cold. Just a moment ago, during our phone call, he had clearly told me that he didn’t love me. Yet now, he was casually making a move that contradicted his true feelings and kissed me. He was so good at pretending! His scheming was so deep it was almost terrifying. I had no power right now, so I absolutely couldn’t tear my face off with him just yet. I couldn’t let him know I had already uncovered the truth. If I did, given Mason’s unpredictable nature, I was afraid I might not even survive this. I had to quickly find the evidence of Mason’s affair and his involvement in killing our child and harming me. Then, with the law’s protection, I could completely break free from this scum of a man. Mason fell asleep soon after. Maybe I had been so naive and unaware before that Mason didn’t guard himself around me. Once he was asleep, I used his phone’s password for the first time since we got married. The phone looked clean. Whether it was WhatsApp or text messages, everything was about work and normal, everyday conversations. But this couldn’t be right. He loved Ruth so much. He had even killed our child and made sure I would never be able to have children again, all for Ruth. In such a situation, there was no way his personal phone would be so spotless. I’d heard that some cheating men set up two systems on their phones, so I tried switching the system. And sure enough, there was another one. I tried the old lock screen password. It didn’t work. Then I tried Ruth’s birthday from the HR form, and it worked. It seemed this system was set up just for Ruth! When I switched over, the first thing I saw was a wedding photo of Mason and Ruth embracing each other. In the photo, Mason had the brightest, most radiant smile. But I remembered that when Mason and I took our wedding photos, he always kept a straight face. The photographer had asked him to smile, and he’d said he wasn’t someone who liked to smile. It seemed he wasn’t someone who didn’t like to smile. He just didn’t want to smile for someone who wasn’t important to him! Although I already knew he didn’t love me, the bitterness in my heart still flooded over me. I took a deep breath and opened WhatsApp. In his WhatsApp contacts, there were only two people. One was Ruth. The other was their son, Liam. Just as I logged in, Liam had sent Mason a voice message. After glancing at the sleeping Mason, I clicked to convert it to text. [Dad, Mom is mad at me! She says it’s my fault I said the wrong thing in front of that woman, and that’s why I can’t come back to you… But I said that on purpose, we’re supposed to be a family! I don’t want anyone else to be my mom except for her!] I didn’t reply, but instead, I opened the chat between Mason and Ruth. I saw the latest messages. [I just gave your son a good scolding! With all the trouble he caused today, don’t even talk about him coming back to the Reed family to claim his place. It’s going to be tough.] Mason replied: [He’s still young, don’t hold it against him. I’ll think of a way here. Bella listens to me. I’ll talk to her in a couple of days. Maybe she’ll agree to let Liam come live with us.] [Why do you need her to agree? Why don’t you just kill her and be done with it? After all, she doesn’t have any family to back her up.] [Don’t talk like that. I’ve been married to her for three years…] [Wait, are you developing feelings for her? Choose her or me. If you pick her, I’ll take the kid and disappear from your life forever!] [I’ll choose you…] [Then kill her! Kill her, and I’ll take the kid, and we can proudly be your wife. From now on, we’ll be together forever as a family.] [Murder is illegal…] [Then use someone else to do it! Didn’t you always say your driver, Noah Blackwood, looks at Bella with interest? Why not arrange for an accident? Make sure they both die in a car crash. If it’s investigated and they find out the car was tampered with, we can blame it on Bella and Noah having an affair and committing suicide together!]

I thought, “The Driver… Yes, I do have a driver named Noah Blackwood. He’s a young man with great driving skills.” His wife had breast cancer, and to pay for her treatment, he worked three jobs every day. One time, after he collapsed in front of my house, I learned about his situation from a passerby. I found out that his combined salary from three jobs didn’t even add up to a third of what my family’s driver earned, so I decided to offer him a helping hand. At that low point in his life, Noah didn’t turn me down. When he started working as my driver, I advanced him a year’s worth of salary. He used the money to get his wife the surgery she needed in time, and now, she’s able to live a normal life again. Once his wife regained her strength, Noah was extremely grateful. Every day when he came to work, he would bring me some food made by his wife, and he would tell me that she wanted to meet the person who saved her life. From beginning to end, there was never anything inappropriate between Noah and me. I never noticed Noah looking at me in a way that wasn’t proper. Noah had his beloved wife, and his Instagram was full of pictures of them together, living happily. I didn’t understand why Mason, who also had Noah’s WhatsApp, misunderstood the situation. Even more confusing was why he would tell Ruth about these baseless rumors. I thought, “But none of that matters now. What matters is that Mason, taking Ruth’s advice, decided to make a move against me and Noah tomorrow. It’s truly sad. They say that a married couple shares affection. But for me, after three years of marriage, I’ve only earned hatred so intense that they wish they could get rid of me completely.” Fighting back my frustration, I saved all these chat records. I also looked through the earlier messages and saved some evidence that could prove Mason’s infidelity, the abortion, and how he caused harm to his wife. I then logged out of the system and put his phone away. Perhaps the truth hit me so hard tonight that I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned in bed all night while Mason, in his sleep, muttered Ruth’s name the most. Occasionally, my name came up, too. I thought, maybe in his dream, I had some kind of conflict with Ruth. Otherwise, how could someone like me end up in the same dream as Ruth? But never mind, after tomorrow, everything will be over. The next morning, when I opened my eyes, I saw that Mason was already gone. When I was having breakfast, he came back home. As I was eating, I noticed the smell of gasoline on him. “Did you drive out?” “Yeah, Dad suddenly felt unwell last night. Since the driver had finished his shift, I drove myself over to check on him…” I thought about Jackson, who had been defending me last night while Mason kept attacking him, and I couldn’t help but put my fork down and ask, “How’s your dad doing?” “He said his heart was bothering him. I’ve already taken him to the hospital… Honey, do you want to go see him?” “I should go,” I replied calmly, finishing the last bite of my egg. Mason looked at me with a complicated expression. “You don’t have to go if you’re not up for it… Your health hasn’t been great since the miscarriage…” “I’ll go. After I married you, your dad has always treated me well. If he’s unwell, I should see him,” I said, standing up and asking Sara Baker to get me some clothes. But then Mason came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and buried his head in my neck. He took a deep breath and said, “Honey… I’m sorry…” “Why are you suddenly apologizing?” “Since we met, you’ve helped me so much, but because of me, you’ve suffered so much… When we got married, I promised I’d give you a lifetime of happiness, but now, it seems I was too confident back then.” I couldn’t help but laugh coldly to myself. I thought, “Was this regret? But Mason, even if you regretted it, you still didn’t stop me from jumping into your trap of death!” With Mason seeing me off, I walked to the door. Outside, Noah, already at work, opened the car door and greeted me with a bright smile. “Good morning, Mrs. Reed!” I nodded at Noah and got into the car. Mason stood at the door, watching us leave. In the rearview mirror, Mason’s figure grew smaller and smaller. In the end, he even chased after the car, but… it seemed like it was already too late! Noah drove steadily, but if something were to happen to the car, the brakes would have to be tampered with. I didn’t know much about cars. And I didn’t know how Mason had tampered with the brakes. But I could clearly feel the car, which had been driving at a constant speed, picking up speed. Noah seemed to notice it, too. He tried to brake. But it failed. “Mrs. Reed…” He looked at me with a pale face and said with a trembling voice, “The brakes seem to be failing! I checked everything before leaving yesterday…” “It’s fine!” I pointed ahead at the bridge railing and said coldly, “Crash into it, and after the car falls off the bridge, use the safety hammer’s blade to cut the seatbelt and break the window to escape. I can swim!”

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On the tenth anniversary of my marriage to Ryan Thompson, I discovered he was cheating. I had no photos, no evidence. My only reason for suspicion was that he said “Good morning” to me when he woke up. After ten years of saying “Morning,” he suddenly switched to “Good morning.” When the private investigator sent the photos, I was sitting in my usual cafe at my usual time, drinking my usual cappuccino. The steam from the coffee blurred the images on my phone screen, but the content was crystal clear. Ryan had indeed been unfaithful. The other woman was barely twenty, twelve years younger than me. Seeing him gazing lovingly at her, I set down my coffee cup. Today’s coffee tasted bitter. I first suspected his infidelity two days ago. That morning, he woke up looking cheerful, wearing a hoodie instead of his usual dark suit. Then he said, “Good morning” to me. They say a woman’s intuition is accurate. It certainly was. That morning, without photos, evidence, or any woman causing a scene, I knew my husband of ten years had strayed. After he left that day, I called a private investigator. Today’s results merely confirmed what I already knew. I felt oddly calm, so calm that I wondered if I had already lost all feelings for Ryan. I saved the photos, paid the investigator’s final fee, settled my coffee bill, and took a taxi to Ryan’s office. The receptionist tried to announce me, but I stopped her. I took the elevator to Ryan’s office on the ninth floor. When I opened the door, he was grinning at his phone. Seeing me, he quickly changed his expression to his usual gentle, caring demeanor: “Olivia, what brings you here?” I stared at him silently, watching the nervous sweat form on his brow, seeing the guilt he couldn’t quite hide in his eyes. After making him squirm, I finally spoke: “Nothing much. I just remembered today is our tenth wedding anniversary. I booked a restaurant and thought we could have dinner after work.” Ryan’s face paled for a moment. I knew he had completely forgotten. I also knew he had promised to take that young girl to the amusement park to ride the Ferris wheel tonight. The investigator was thorough – he even sent me the girl’s social media account. I browsed through it out of boredom. They first met ten months ago. The girl’s name had “Zhi” in it, and she was a pastry chef at a cake shop. That explained why desserts from a brand called “Azhi Handmade” kept appearing at home. Several times, Ryan had even brought home desserts with mango – the fruit I’m allergic to. The girl also had a white cat, which explained the cat hair on Ryan. He’s actually allergic to cats, which is why we never got one despite how much I love them. Ryan was really sacrificing for love. Twenty-year-old girls are easy to read and can’t hide things well. Her account was full of lovey-dovey content. She called Ryan “Uncle.” For nine months, she had been documenting their sweet story: [Uncle came to buy my cake again today. I drew a special heart on it just for him.] [Uncle confessed to me! It feels like a dream. I’m the happiest girl in the world now.] Photo: roses.jpg That night, Ryan didn’t come home. I remember it clearly because I had a stomachache and called him several times, but he didn’t answer. The next day, he came home looking disheveled, hugged me and apologized, saying there was an emergency at work and he had to pull an all-nighter.

I kept scrolling through her posts – birthdays, trips, dates. They did look happy. Until the most recent update: [Uncle finally agreed to ride the Ferris wheel with me tonight! We’ll kiss at the highest point, so we’ll never be apart!] Ryan didn’t go with her to the Ferris wheel after all. He chose me. Ten years of companionship still outweighed ten months, it seemed. The familiar revolving restaurant, the familiar table – from here, we had the best view of the entire city. Ten years is a long time. Long enough for us to go from sharing a bowl of noodles to sitting at the highest point of the city, ordering two steaks that had been flown in from Holland that morning. I pushed the gift I had prepared towards Ryan. He had to feign gratitude. It was a pair of cufflinks worth six figures, but Ryan wasn’t wearing a suit today. He wasn’t even wearing his wedding ring. “I’m touched, thank you, Olivia.” “I really should apologize too. I’ve been so busy that I forgot our anniversary, so I didn’t have time to get you a gift. Can you forgive me?” Ryan held my hand, apologizing with seeming sincerity. I smiled: “It’s alright, I forgive you.” The double meaning was clear. I hoped he would understand. After that, we fell silent. We clinked glasses silently, cut our steaks silently. The knives and forks made harsh sounds against the plates. Ryan seemed uncomfortable, constantly checking the time. “Do you remember when we were poorest? I found a great part-time job as a waiter at a five-star hotel. One table ordered over ten thousand dollars worth of food. While serving, I dropped a pastry. The customer got angry. That pastry cost $1,345 – half a month’s salary for me. It was so expensive.” “Olivia, why are you suddenly bringing this up?” Ryan’s face showed a hint of embarrassment. I ignored him and continued: “The manager scolded me harshly. I had to stand there for two hours as punishment. After the customers left, I secretly packed up that pastry and took it home. We squeezed into our tiny, powerless rental apartment and shared it, bite by bite. I thought it was the most delicious pastry in the world then, but today…” I looked up, and Ryan avoided my gaze guiltily: “I suddenly can’t remember what that pastry tasted like anymore.” “Olivia, do you want some dessert? I can order some right away,” Ryan said eagerly. “Forget it, let’s just eat,” I said, lowering my eyes. But Ryan suddenly stood up: “Olivia, there’s an emergency at work. I need to go back. I’ll make it up to you for our anniversary another time.” He left in such a hurry he almost tripped, not even looking back. All because that girl had just posted an update: [Uncle is a big liar. I don’t want to talk to him anymore. crying] The photo showed her burned hand and a half-finished anniversary cake. I looked out at the glittering city night view. I put down my knife and fork, finally remembering what that pastry from years ago tasted like. It was bitter. In the reflection of the glass, I saw my tear-streaked face. Ryan had forgotten. That night, squeezed onto our tiny single bed, he held me tight and said: “Olivia, I promise I’ll make something of myself. I’ll let you sit at the highest point of the city and eat the most expensive meal.” Now I was eating that meal, but the person was gone. It turns out ten months really can be longer than ten years.

After that day, Ryan didn’t come home for three days. Love is always impulsive and passionate. Before midnight that night, they rode the Ferris wheel, kissed at the highest point, and promised to never be apart. “Here’s your cake.” “Thank you.” I politely closed the photo on my phone screen of the two of them kissing on the Ferris wheel. I carefully examined the girl before me. We were finally meeting. Emily Davis, Ryan’s mistress. She smiled warmly, showing her cute little fangs. “This is our shop’s signature cake. It’s super delicious!” Young girls really are different – so full of energy and sunshine. I tried a bite of her cake. It tasted good, just too sweet. Sickeningly sweet. “It’s very good.” “Can I get another one to go? I want to bring it to my husband.” She smiled: “Of course, beautiful sister. You and your husband must have a great relationship.” I didn’t respond, just watched her carefully tie a bow on the bag. As I was leaving, she said sweetly: “Come back again soon! I hope your husband likes my cake too.” “He will. He’ll love it.” I gave her one last long look, then turned and left. I sat on the sofa waiting for Ryan to come home. Because he hadn’t been home for several days, he had an ingratiating smile when he saw me. “Olivia dear, I’ve been so busy these past few days. I brought you a gift. Please don’t be mad at me, okay?” He came up behind me, put his arms around my shoulders and buried his face in my neck. But I could still smell that sickly sweet scent on him. I shrugged out of his embrace without a word. I handed him the boxed cake. Sure enough, when he saw the packaging, the color drained from his face. “Why did you suddenly buy cake?” He was testing me. I kept my face expressionless. Ryan was still trying to keep up appearances. He pulled a velvet box from his pocket containing a jeweled bracelet. “Olivia, are you still mad at me? I swear, it won’t happen again. Really.” “Don’t be angry, okay Olivia?” I used to find Ryan’s wheedling childish but endearing. No matter how decisive and ruthless he was outside, at home he was always my Huaizhi. But now, this special treatment had become his way of lying to me. I forced a smile: “I was passing by and remembered you like it, so I bought some.” Ryan let out a sigh of relief. He leaned in again and fastened the bracelet around my wrist. “I knew my Olivia couldn’t stay mad at me.” I felt dazed. I used to think Ryan had never changed. In my heart, he was always that 20-year-old boy. Now, I could clearly see the fine lines around his eyes, his sagging cheeks, the gray hairs mixed in with the black. “How many years have we known each other?” “Fifteen years. Five years dating, ten years married.” Ryan answered quickly, as if afraid of making another mistake I might notice. “Fifteen years… that really is a long time.” “Only fifteen years, Olivia. We still have many more fifteens ahead of us.” Ryan was eager to prove his loyalty. But fifteen years really was too long. So long I thought it would be a lifetime. Long enough for someone to grow tired of it.

After that day, out of guilt, Ryan stayed home obediently for a week. Then he started not coming home again. I went back to Azhi Handmade. Sat in the same spot as before. Scrolling through Emily’s page. Turns out they went skiing last week. The same cake was placed in front of me. Emily still had that same smile. “Nice to see you again, beautiful sister.” I nodded but didn’t touch the cake. “What’s wrong? Not going to try it today?” “I’m tired of it.” I said simply. Emily’s expression froze for a moment before she recovered her smile. “That’s okay, we have other flavors in the shop. They’re all delicious!” “You can try a different one.” Try a different one. Indeed, I could try something different. I took out my phone and snapped a photo of the shop, posting it with the caption: [Delicious.] Within minutes, Ryan called. I ignored it, hanging up and putting my phone on silent. Emily was making a cake. I stood up and slowly walked over. She looked up and smiled at me. “Want to give it a try, beautiful sister?” “It’s different when you make it yourself.” I nodded. So she brought me into her workspace. She guided me hands-on in making a cake. As we worked, she chattered away: “Beautiful sister, let me tell you, I met my boyfriend while making cakes. The first time he made one, it was all crooked and ugly.” “You two must be very close.” Emily smiled shyly, her eyes sparkling: “Yes, I love him so much.” “We need to trim the cake first.” She handed me the knife. I looked at her young, radiant face and raised the knife. Suddenly I heard a shout: “No!” Then I saw Ryan rush in, roughly push me aside and shield Emily, looking at me in panic. “Olivia, I know I was wrong, but don’t hurt her.” My shoulder slammed hard into the wall, a sharp pain shooting through me. The knife slipped and cut across the back of my hand, drawing blood. I stared at Ryan as I put down the knife and straightened up. Emily was still confused. She clung to Ryan, gripping his clothes tightly. “What’s wrong, Uncle?” I took off my ring and held it up in front of her. It matched the one on Ryan’s left hand as he shielded her. She finally realized – I was the original wife he had no feelings for, who made him lose his passion. Those were her words on her blog: [I feel so bad for Uncle, trapped in a loveless marriage. But it’s okay, I don’t need anything. I just want his love.] She had known all along that Ryan was married. I watched her face turn pale with shock, then suddenly gather her courage and step forward. She bowed to me, her voice shaking: “I’m sorry. I know what I did was wrong, but I have to say it. Uncle and I truly love each other. I don’t want anything else, I just want him.” Ryan looked at her with eyes full of emotion. How pure, I thought. But he had forgotten that I said those exact words ten years ago. Kneeling in front of my father, my face set stubbornly. [I don’t need anything. I just want him.] Back then, Ryan had grabbed my hand and told me he would never let me down. But now. “Olivia, I’m sorry, but I love her.” Ryan looked the picture of undying love as they embraced. I had become the evil supporting character getting in the way of the leads’ romance. Slap! I raised my hand and struck Ryan hard across the face, so hard my palm stung. The wedding ring traced a beautiful arc through the air, fell to the ground, and rolled out of sight. Ryan held his face, not daring to look at me. The young girl was heartbroken for him. She wanted to say something to me, but Ryan held her back. I didn’t say a word. I just straightened my back, walked out of the workspace, smoothed my hair, and picked up my bag. Then I turned back to Ryan and said the only thing I had to say since he arrived: “I’ve sent the divorce papers to your email. Sign them quickly.”

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Five years of marriage, yet my wife never let me touch her. It wasn’t until she left me in the emergency room to pick up her true love at the airport that I finally understood. She was saving herself for her ideal man. And I was just a substitute, a toy she could discard at will. I gave up, choosing to let them be together. But my wife grabbed my clothes, kneeling on the ground, refusing to let go. “You said you’d love me for a lifetime,” she pleaded. My girlfriend was lying on the couch, editing photos on her phone. As I walked by, I accidentally caught a glimpse of a picture of her with her ideal lover. The two of them were wearing matching outfits, cuddling together, looking like the perfect couple in love. My heart instantly turned cold. In our five years of marriage, forget about matching outfits – she wouldn’t even walk next to me in public, saying I was too ugly and embarrassed her. I had a crush on her for four years in college, and we rushed into marriage right after graduation. I knew it was because her ideal lover had abandoned her that day, and I happened to be by her side when she impulsively chose me. Despite this, I still believed that through sincere dedication, I could make her fall in love with me. But now, seeing this photo, I realized it was just my wishful thinking. I confronted her with a dark expression: “Why do you still have this kind of photo with Chris?” To my surprise, she exploded, looking down on me with contempt. “Who told you to look at my phone? This is private, don’t you understand?” Private? After five years of marriage, I just glanced at her phone, and she talks about privacy? Chris was practically kissing her cheek, and she had a big smile on her face. I felt sick. Seeing that I didn’t respond, Mia became even more aggressive. “Chris is now working with our company, and this photo was just for a game. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do about it.” “People with dirty minds think everything is dirty.” With that, Mia walked away without looking back. In the past, I would have tried to stop her. But today, I didn’t. I was starting to lose hope in her. Did she even believe what she was saying? What kind of game requires matching outfits? And looking at the watch Chris was wearing, it was clearly a couple’s set with hers. Was that part of the game too?

That night, I was negotiating with a client and ended up with an acute gastric perforation. The doctor said I needed a family member to take care of me. In this city, Mia was my only family. It was because of her that I came to this city in the first place. I had no choice but to call her. “Mia, can you come to the hospital to take care of me?” Before I could finish, she coldly interrupted me. “It’s just a photo, and now you’re pretending to be sick to trick me? I’m out right now!” Before she finished speaking, I heard a man’s voice, and then the call was abruptly ended. Looking at the five-second call on my phone, I laughed bitterly, my heart turning cold. I recognized the voice – it was her ideal lover, Chris. I was her husband, drinking myself to the point of gastric perforation just to help her more. Yet she would rather accompany her true love than come to the hospital for me. No wonder in five years of marriage, she wouldn’t let me touch even a finger. She was saving herself for her ideal man. Maybe if I really had an accident, she would be happy. After all, without me as an obstacle, she could openly be with her true love. That night, I spent the most painful night of my life in the operating room. I thought I would be very angry, that my heart would ache. But surprisingly, I felt nothing, not a single emotional fluctuation. I knew this was a sign of falling out of love. Mia could no longer affect my emotions in any way. The doctor saw that I didn’t make a sound during the surgery and couldn’t help but admire me. It wasn’t that I couldn’t feel the pain, it was just that in my state of despair, this little pain was negligible. The day after the surgery, ignoring the doctor’s advice, I forcibly checked out of the hospital. I printed out a divorce agreement downstairs. Lying on the couch, I quietly waited for Mia to come home. 2 It wasn’t until midnight that Mia returned home, drunk and smiling. In five years, I had rarely seen her smile so happily. She could smile and speak softly to others, but to me, she was always cold-faced, speaking in a commanding tone. Seeing me lying on the couch, Mia waved her hand and coldly ordered: “Jack, go get me some water to wash my feet.” Seeing that I didn’t move, Mia’s expression turned colder. “Jack, are you deaf? I’ll say it again, go get me some water to wash my feet.” I had just had surgery on my stomach and couldn’t move easily. I shook my head. “Go get it yourself.” As soon as I spoke, Mia’s eyes turned ice-cold. “You think you’ve grown wings now, daring to disobey me?” Mia sat down opposite me with a mocking expression, reeking of alcohol, her eyes full of disdain. I laughed coldly inside. It seems she had quite a few drinks today, and she was in a good mood. No wonder, two old lovers reuniting. If she had said she wasn’t coming home tonight, I wouldn’t have been surprised. After loving each other for so many years, having dinner, drinking, and maybe rolling in bed to reminisce – not too much to ask, right? I took a deep breath and looked at her calmly. “Mia, let’s get a divorce.” Mia’s expression changed as she looked at me. It wasn’t pleading or reluctance, but shock. “You dare to divorce me?” Her tone was high and mighty, as if speaking to her servant or slave. She couldn’t believe I had the guts. For five years, I had been like a dog, accepting everything she did. When we got married, she refused to serve tea to my parents as a sign of respect. She said she had already served tea to her ideal lover’s parents before, and that she would only do it once in her life. She could only have one set of in-laws in this lifetime. The wedding venue fell silent instantly. It was me who jokingly took the microphone and went along with her wishes. Under my parents’ grim expressions, I served that cup of tea on her behalf. Thinking about it now, I was such an idiot! I handed her the divorce agreement, my expression flat. “Sign it. I’m making way for Chris. From now on, the man of this house will be the one you’ve been dreaming of day and night. You won’t have to face this substitute anymore.” Mia’s face changed, looking a bit flustered. “How did you know? Did you follow me?” “If you had spoken a little quieter on the phone a few days ago, I wouldn’t have heard. And didn’t you go to see him today?” I laughed coldly. Did I need to follow her? A few days ago, they were video calling in the living room, laughing and chatting, completely disregarding my presence. They even openly planned their travel itinerary. It’s really ironic when I think about it. She never went out to eat with me, not even to watch a movie. But for her ideal lover, she could drop all her work just to accompany him properly. Mia fell silent at my questions, her eyes dodging mine. But she quickly regained her composure. “Jack, don’t be delusional. When I married you, you had nothing. Now that you’ve achieved a little success, you want to fly solo? Not a chance. I’ll make sure you leave with nothing, you ungrateful bastard!” I looked at her calmly, my eyes full of disappointment. The year we graduated, because I had a falling out with my parents, I was penniless. Her parents demanded a $50,000 bride price, plus a house and a car. I borrowed from everywhere, but still fell short. Because of this, her parents always looked down on me, thinking I wasn’t good enough for Mia. Mia negotiated with her parents to pay them in installments. I agreed readily, vowing at the time to love her, cherish her, and spoil her for a lifetime. I never expected that after five years of marriage, I still couldn’t warm her heart.

“I can sign the agreement. The company is yours. I came with nothing, and I’ll leave with nothing. Consider it the final punctuation mark for all these years of dedication.” I didn’t want to argue with her anymore. After we got married, to give Mia a better life, I chose to start a business and worked part-time at night. Once the company stabilized, Mia said she wanted to help and asked me to arrange a vice president position for her. I gladly agreed. But she only took a salary, going out shopping with friends every day. It was me who went to entertain clients, drinking until I got a gastric perforation. I personally negotiated all the important projects for the company. Mia knew nothing about the company, no wonder she was worried. If she wanted it, she could have it all. Consider it my closure for these five years of marriage. This way, at least there would be no financial disputes. “Divorce is impossible. You said you’d love me for a lifetime. Are you going back on your word? Don’t you have any feelings for me at all?” Mia suddenly changed her attitude, stepping forward and tearing the divorce agreement to shreds. “What about you? Can you put your hand on your heart and say you have feelings for me?” I asked sarcastically. The room fell silent for a moment. My words had stumped her. Looking at Mia standing there dumbfounded, I felt no ripple in my heart. Five years of marriage, no, nine years of love. How ridiculous. “I’ll print another copy of the divorce agreement. This marriage is over, as far as I’m concerned.” I looked at Mia, then stood up to leave. Perhaps I got up too quickly. A sharp pain shot through my abdomen. I clutched my stomach, staggering and almost falling. Mia frowned slightly and came forward to support me. Seeing me clutching my stomach, pale-faced and sweating profusely, she lifted my shirt despite my protests. The bandage on my abdomen was soaked with blood. I must have torn the wound open with my sudden movement. “You had surgery? Why didn’t you tell me?” Mia asked, shocked. I laughed bitterly. “Didn’t I tell you? Oh right, you were too busy rushing to the airport to pick up your true love to listen to me.” “I… I’ll take you to the hospital,” Mia said, her eyes dodging mine. “No need to trouble you, Ms. Lee. I’ll go myself.” She flinched at my formal address. I used to call her “honey”. Addressing her by her title for the first time signified that she no longer held a place in my heart. “You can’t leave. I won’t allow it,” she said weakly. Hearing her powerless words, I said flatly, “I’m tired. I can’t love you anymore.” “You proposed marriage back then. Today, let me end it.” “Mia, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t have attended that graduation party. I wish… I had never met you.” With that, I pushed her away, ignoring her attempt to grab me, and walked out the door. I didn’t have much in this house anyway. I was always an outsider here. Mia would lock the door whether she was sleeping or showering. Who else was in the house besides me? She guarded against me like I was a thief. Was there any point in continuing such a marriage? Once outside, I took a taxi back to the hospital to have my wound restitched. I felt utterly exhausted, so I stayed at the hospital for the night. The doctor was worried about my wound reopening, so he quickly arranged a bed for me. The next day, I went to a small shop outside the hospital to print another copy of the divorce agreement. Just as I was about to go back and end this relationship that had exhausted me for years, I saw a man and a woman approaching, laughing and chatting. They were carrying gifts, as if visiting someone in the hospital. The woman was my wife, Mia, and the man was her ideal lover, Chris.

Of course, I didn’t think they were coming to see me, because Mia had no idea I was in this hospital. Mia was startled when she saw me. She looked flustered and quickly put down what she was carrying, walking up to me. “Honey, why are you here?” Honey? How ridiculous. In five years of marriage, this was the first time she had called me that. Yesterday she was making a fuss about not wanting a divorce, and today she’s laughing and chatting with her ex. The term made me feel sick. “Don’t call me honey. It makes me nauseous,” I said, looking at Mia with disgust. Seeing me, Chris’s face took on a playful expression, like a cat that had stolen some fish. “Hello, I’m Mia’s friend. Nice to meet you.” “Are you here to visit a patient too? Mia insisted on coming with me to see my mom. I told her it was just a fever, but she was so worried.” “Look, she even bought all these gifts.” After speaking, he gave me a smug look. I laughed coldly inside, ignoring him. When I was lying in the hospital unable to even drink a sip of water, I didn’t see Mia come to visit me once. But when her ideal lover’s mother just had a headache and fever, she rushed to visit as if the woman might die any second. How ridiculous. Anyone who didn’t know better would think they were the real family. Mia seemed to remember why I was in the hospital and looked at me with guilt. I sneered, “The divorce isn’t final yet, and you’re already so eager to see your future mother-in-law?” Mia looked at me nervously, “I didn’t… you misunderstood me.” I waved my hand dismissively. “That’s not important.” “Just sign the agreement quickly. We’ll go to the civil affairs office this afternoon. Otherwise, if I leave, you and he won’t be able to be together openly.” Mia’s face changed. “You’re leaving? Where to?” “None of your business!” After coldly saying this, I ignored her and turned to go home to pack, leaving her to do whatever she wanted with her ideal lover. I had very few belongings, just a few changes of clothes and shoes. My only suit was bought for the graduation party. Over the years, although I had earned quite a bit of money, I rarely spent it on myself. It was mostly to please Mia, buying her things to make her smile. For every holiday, anniversary, or birthday, I would prepare a gift for her. But she would always throw them in the trash without even looking, trampling my sincere feelings at will. As I thought about this, I fell asleep on the couch. I was woken by the sound of the door opening. Mia was back. I looked at the time. It was already afternoon. That meant she and her ideal lover had been out playing all day. They might even have been invited to her future mother-in-law’s house. Seeing Mia nervously approach me, I took out the divorce agreement I had signed. “Hurry up. Sign it and we’ll go to the civil affairs office. I don’t want to delay your date.” I said coldly. But Mia suddenly grabbed my clothes, her face pleading. “Jack, let’s not get divorced, okay?” “I know I wasn’t good to you before. I’ll make it up to you.” “I even bought some lingerie. You’ve always wanted children, right? I’ll give you one today.” As she spoke, Mia started to undress. It was the first time I had seen her white body. It was so alluring. The body I had longed for day and night was right in front of me, but I felt no desire at all. In fact, I felt a bit disgusted.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295973”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #重生Reborn #惊悚Thriller #校园School