Category: English

My wife, Jessica Davis, had always loved Tristan Carter. But when he killed a patient, she decided to pin everything on me, Brian Hughes. “It’s just getting fired from the hospital. It’s not a big deal. “Tristan is different. He’s about to be promoted. His career can’t have any stains.” I was dragged to the rooftop by the patient’s family and thrown off the third floor. Miraculously, I survived. And with that fall, the memories I had lost seven years ago came rushing back. Calmly, I canceled my ID and dialed my assistant, Tyler Morgan. “Tyler, send someone to Rhenova to pick me up.” “Mr. Sinclair? Oh my God, finally! I’ll send a helicopter right away!” On the other end of the line, Tyler was so overwhelmed with emotion that I could hear his voice trembling. The moment I hung up, the front door opened. Jessica walked in, chatting and laughing with Tristan as if nothing had happened. “Who were you on the phone with?” she asked casually while bending down to grab Tristan’s slippers. She didn’t even look at me. My answer clearly mattered far less than Tristan’s bright, cheerful voice. “Jessica, you’ve been running around so much for me these past few days. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thank God this whole hospital mess is finally over.” Jessica glanced at me, looking slightly awkward. I chuckled to myself. Why would a useless man like me matter to her at all? I silently walked into the kitchen and took my medication. As usual, I made myself a cup of coffee. Jessica, meanwhile, finished sorting Tristan’s documents and personally escorted him to the door. Only after he left did she finally sit down on the couch and reach for the cup next to her, only to find it empty. She turned to me, her face filled with irritation. “Are you seriously giving me attitude just because I asked you to take the blame for Tristan? “Do you even understand how rare this opportunity is? He’s about to be promoted to professor. You, on the other hand, are just a lowly assistant. Losing your salary for a while won’t kill you. “Besides, Tristan even booked a private room tonight to celebrate your discharge.” At the pre-surgery meeting that day, I had pointed out that Tristan’s treatment plan was flawed. Jessica, as the hospital’s vice president, had publicly humiliated me, telling me, an assistant, to stay out of it. Not only did she dock my pay, but she also personally approved that flawed plan. When everything went south, she turned around and accused me. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you? You knew there was a problem, but you didn’t do everything in your power to stop it.” And just like that, the entire hospital threw me under the bus. Maybe she sensed something different about me because she frowned slightly and walked toward me, only to notice the gift bag by my side. “You bought a new watch? Isn’t the one you have still working?” The last flicker of warmth in my already numb heart turned ice-cold. I didn’t bother telling her that it was a birthday gift from someone else. After a moment of silence, I simply said, “Just picked it up randomly.” “Perfect. Tristan’s watch is getting old. I’ll give this one to him.” I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, she had already reached for the gift box. Just then, my phone screen lit up. [Mr. Sinclair, do you have any further instructions? I’m boarding the plane now.]

Jessica’s gaze shifted from the phone screen to my face. I was about to brush it off with some excuse. But then she suddenly sneered. “Mr. Sinclair? Seriously, Brian, do you think you’re some kind of big shot? Stop playing games with your loser friends.” I turned off my phone. “Got it.” Before I could say anything else, her phone started ringing. She was standing so close that I could clearly hear Tristan’s frantic voice on the other end. “Jessica! I left the document you just signed at your place. I need it right now. What should I do?” Jessica’s grip on her phone tightened instinctively. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring it to you right away. This is a crucial moment for your promotion. You need to stay composed. I’ll take care of everything.” After hanging up, she looked at me and said seriously, “Something came up at the hospital. I’ll be back to pick you up for the celebration later.” She turned to leave. I suddenly remembered that I still needed to get a new SIM card. So, I stood up and followed her. “I’ll go with you.” Jessica immediately flared up like a porcupine with its spikes raised. “Why the hell are you following me? What’s wrong with you? Do you want to put a leash around my neck, too?” Seeing the anger flicker in her eyes, I spoke in a low voice. “My SIM card is broken. Drop me off at the mobile service center on your way to the hospital. Any problem with that?” She froze for a moment. Ignoring her dazed expression, I put on my shoes and walked out the door. There was a time when I felt uneasy about how close she was to Tristan. But after the hospital attack, I was just exhausted. My wounds hadn’t fully healed, and a dull pain lingered all over my body. Every time it ached, all I could think about was that moment, Jessica shielding Tristan, watching me collapse in a pool of blood, and coldly saying, “You got your revenge on Brian. Isn’t that enough? Why go after Tristan, too?” That was the moment my love for her completely disappeared. After getting my SIM card replaced, I remembered I still had some things to pack at the hospital, so I went back. Turning a corner, I saw Jessica in Tristan’s arms. He was kissing her. Rage surged through me. Without thinking, I strode forward and punched Tristan. Jessica’s eyes were wide and shocked at first, but the second she saw Tristan get hurt, her expression changed. She glared at me, full of accusations. “Brian, what the hell are you doing?” Tristan, looking pitiful and innocent, muttered, “I couldn’t help myself. If Brian wants to hit me, I deserve it.” Jessica’s heart ached for him. Her voice softened immediately. “Tristan, it’s not your fault. I was willing. “I recognize you so late as my savior. I was just following my heart. If Brian wants to throw a fit, let him.”

I frowned, “What do you mean, savior?” Tristan shook his head at Jessica, silently telling her not to explain. But Jessica couldn’t stand seeing Tristan take the blame. “Fine. I’ll tell you,” she said. “Seven years ago, I was kidnapped by rebels during the Auristia war. Tristan saved me. Without him, you wouldn’t even have me today. “I fell for him back then. If it weren’t for you interfering, we wouldn’t have lost all these years.” I thought, “Interfering?” She was the one who confessed first. That was why we got together. I let out a bitter laugh. Tristan sighed, “Jessica, stop. I don’t want to ruin your marriage over this. “It’s been so many years. You should let go of your obsession with me. I’ll put my feelings aside and leave the hospital.” Hearing that, Jessica panicked and clutched his hand. “No! You’re not leaving. Even if it’s not for me, can you really walk away from the career you built over seven years?” Tristan took a deep breath. “But Brian…” “Brian!” Jessica turned to me. “You better promise you won’t mind Tristan being around anymore. If he leaves, I’ll never forgive you!” I looked down, chuckled at myself, and said, “Let’s get a divorce. I’ll give you both the world you want.” Shock flashed across Jessica’s face. I turned and walked away. Tristan suddenly grabbed my wrist. He showed a satisfied smirk before he winced and clutched his hand in pain. “Brian has every right to hit me,” he said weakly. “Jessica, don’t worry about me. Let him get his anger out.” Jessica’s palm landed hard across my face. “Brian, you make me sick. “There’s a limit to how much you can throw a tantrum. Tristan saves lives with his hands, and you dare hurt them? I never even said I wanted a divorce! Why are you being so dramatic?” I laughed lightly and spoke calmly. “I’m serious. Let’s divorce.” Behind me, Jessica was fuming. I couldn’t care less about her emotions anymore. I collected my things from the hospital and stopped by a store to pick up some local specialties. Then my phone rang. It was Jessica. “The private room is full. Get here soon, and bring a gift for the elders,” she ordered. I didn’t want to go. Jessica’s voice turned firm. “We’re still married. You need to fulfill your duties as a husband.” Exhausted, I hailed a cab. When I arrived outside the private dining room, Jessica’s laughter and chatter with her friends were especially grating. “Jessica, did Brian really ask for a divorce?” one of her friends asked. She scoffed, “He’s just throwing a tantrum. He’s nothing but a homeless stray. Do you think he’d actually leave me? “He knows he can’t compare to Tristan. He’s just acting out. But once he begs me properly later, I might be kind enough to forgive him.” I thought, “Homeless stray. So that’s what gave her such confidence.”

I pushed the door open and walked in. Jessica looked at me, her eyes flickering with surprise. Her mother, Sarah Davis, let out a cold snort. “No respect for your elders. You’re so late! If Jessica didn’t like you, I would’ve kicked you out a long time ago.” I gave a faint smile, already used to Sarah’s insults. Just as I stepped forward, a waiter blocked my way. “Sir, please put on shoe covers.” In the past, for Jessica’s sake, I had endured this humiliating rule that seemed to apply only to me. But now that I no longer loved her, I saw no reason to put up with it. Sensing my resistance, Jessica stepped forward and dismissed the waiter. “Come in.” She took my hand and led me to sit beside her. But when she saw the gift in my hand, her expression instantly darkened. “Brian, is this how you buy gifts? “I went through the trouble of inviting my parents to celebrate your recovery, and this is what you bring? This cheap, embarrassing thing?” Tristan, sitting nearby, tried to calm her down. “Jessica, don’t be upset. Getting angry isn’t good for your health.” I let out a small laugh, hiding the self-mockery in my eyes. The Davis family had made me sign a strict split-the-bill agreement with Jessica the moment we got married, just to make sure I wouldn’t leech off them. Then came the hospital lawsuit, draining all my savings. They never cared whether I had enough money to get by, but now they looked down on my gift for being cheap. Looking at them now, I realized my years of devotion had been a complete joke. I turned to leave, but Tristan suddenly stepped forward, holding a cup of steaming hot cocoa. “Brian, Jessica didn’t mean it that way. This misunderstanding is my fault. Here, let me make it up to you with this cocoa instead of wine.” As he spoke, he insisted on handing me the cup, pressing it toward my hands. Just as I dodged, the cup slipped from his grasp, spilling all over his hand. Jessica’s eyes widened in shock. She lunged forward. My face turned slightly to the side. “Brian, I’m so disappointed in you!” I clenched my jaw. Beside me, Jessica’s voice softened as she fussed over Tristan. “Does it hurt? Why didn’t you pull your hand away?” She hovered over his hand, her face full of distress. Seeing this, I stepped aside, clearing a path for them as they hurriedly left the private room with Tristan. Taking out my phone, I typed my final message. [Thank you for the past seven years. It ends here.] Right then, my ride arrived. The moment Tyler saw me, he rushed over and clung to me, sobbing uncontrollably. “Mr. Sinclair, thank god you’re alive!” I pried his arms off with a sigh. “Stop crying. It’s embarrassing.” After changing into my travel gear, I walked out of the hotel, surrounded by my security detail. Above us, the roar of helicopter blades echoed through the air. People instinctively looked up, their bodies swaying from the sudden gust of wind. Jessica and the others stood below, caught in the storm. As the helicopter descended, I passed by Jessica. She turned her head, looking up, her eyes widening in disbelief as she got a good look at the man in front of her. At the open cabin door, my black trench coat billowed wildly in the wind with black pants, short boots, and a simple, low-profile outfit, yet impossible to ignore. Jessica squinted, struggling to believe what she was seeing. Finally, recognition dawned in her eyes. “You… you’re my lifesaver!”

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My roommate was sharing her love life on a livestream. With a sweet smile, she said she was dating a wealthy older man and they’d get married right after graduation. Afraid she was being deceived, I kindly tried to persuade her. But she spread rumors with her online followers that I was jealous of her, causing me to be cyberbullied to the point of suicide. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my roommate officially announced her relationship with the supposedly rich guy. She boasted proudly, “This Hermès bag costs tens of thousands! My sugar daddy said he’d buy it for me, so he did!” I blinked and said, “Girl, have you considered the possibility that this was stolen from my house by my family’s driver?” My roommate Zoe was a relationship influencer. After posting a video about her daily life with her 36-year-old boyfriend, she gained tens of thousands of likes. Netizens urged her to be cautious, warning her not to be deceived by bad people. They questioned why she would waste her youth on an older man. But when she posted her next video showcasing the gifts her boyfriend had given her, the internet exploded. The video was filled with exquisite luxury items worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. “Oh my god, a Hermès bag worth tens of thousands!” “This guy is loaded!” “To be honest, if they’re serious about getting married, this influencer doesn’t need to work hard anymore.” “I’m not gonna lie, I wouldn’t mind experiencing the life of a rich wife. Even if he’s an old man, I’d be fine with a monthly allowance of tens of thousands!” “Sister, I wish you all the best.” “Although her boyfriend looks ordinary, he’s not ugly. Being rich is definitely a bonus.” Countless comments praised Zoe’s good fortune, saying she didn’t need to worry about finding a job after graduation. The video quickly surpassed 100,000 likes. Zoe was thrilled and decided to continue developing her social media account. I watched the video with a cold eye. If you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t notice the small crack on the strap of that exquisite Hermès bag – it was made by my family’s dog. Most people wouldn’t notice it. That’s why I had discarded the bag, carelessly tossing it aside. I never imagined it would be taken by my family’s driver.

Zoe was one of my few friends in college. In my previous life, I had a cold and indifferent personality. I was pretty laid-back and didn’t like to get involved in drama. As long as things weren’t too outrageous, I would turn a blind eye. Reborn to the time when my roommate and her boyfriend had just officially announced their relationship, I tried to respect others’ fates, set aside my urge to help, and decided to let this pair of scoundrels be. “Lily, I’m out of sunscreen. Can I borrow some from you? I’ll buy a new one and return it to you next time.” At this moment, Zoe was wearing full makeup and a stylish dress, with her phone set up on the table. She was probably recording a makeup video. While asking, her hand had already skillfully unscrewed the cap and was about to apply it to her skin. I smirked, “Sure, it’s $1000 a bottle. You’ve used about half, so just give me $500. WeChat or PayPal?” In my previous life, Alex had invited her out for dinner tonight. Zoe had previously hinted, both consciously and unconsciously, that a guy was pursuing her, claiming he was from a wealthy family. But later, when I learned the truth, I realized that all her jewelry and gifts were stolen by Alex from my home. Since they weren’t limited editions, it wasn’t easy to notice unless you looked closely. After all, I had so many bags that they filled several large wardrobes. Zoe paused in disbelief. “Five hundred? Lily, I’m just borrowing it. Why are you being so petty?” I glanced at the table behind her, and she unconsciously moved to block my view. I laughed coldly to myself. She often came to take my things without asking, and never returned them after using them. Although I didn’t lack for anything, these were all high-quality items. “The face masks you borrowed from me last time, you’ve used them all, right? So pay up, five thousand.” I pointed at the empty box behind her. Zoe was shocked because I usually never cared about these things. Everything she wanted, as long as she asked, or sometimes even without asking, would come and go without return. Three whole years had passed, and almost everything on her desk was taken from me. Indeed, two thieves, a perfect match. Let them have each other. “How can you be like this, Lily? Why didn’t you tell me it cost five thousand dollars when I borrowed it? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me? Do you think I can’t afford to pay you back?” Our other roommate, Emma, rolled her eyes. “Yeah, if we had known it was so expensive, Zoe definitely wouldn’t have borrowed it. She just needed it urgently. Can’t her boyfriend buy her whatever she wants?” Emma was the one in our dorm who benefited the most from Zoe’s generosity. Initially, when Zoe had leftover snacks, she would share them with us. Later, to monopolize everything, Emma would sarcastically say, “Oh my, I’m the poorest in our dorm. Who’s as rich as Lily? She probably looks down on these things anyway. Why don’t you give them all to me, Zoe?” “Yeah, you can’t even find these online. My boyfriend specially drove his Rolls-Royce to deliver them to me. Lily, I’ll bring you something better next time.” She coyly handed everything to Emma. I wanted to say something but held back. These bulk snacks, some even without a brand, were things even my dog wouldn’t eat. To maintain her face, I could only smile and say, “You guys enjoy.” In exchange, Emma would bring food for Zoe every day and answer roll calls for her, like a loyal servant. Zoe would occasionally offer to buy me a milk tea, but in the end, I always ended up paying. After all, from the first day of school, I had made no secret of my rich girl persona. In my previous life, I foolishly considered her a good friend and was deeply touched. Now I realize she was just using a little kindness to leech off me as much as possible. “Are you blind? Can’t you see that huge logo? Money doesn’t grow on trees. Isn’t your boyfriend rich? Ask him for money. Hurry up, I need to go to class. Otherwise, I’ll report this to our counselor.” I waved my phone. Zoe, seeing she was about to be late for her date, glared at me angrily, muttered “I’ll transfer it to you tonight,” and stormed out in her high heels, slamming the door. Emma couldn’t stand it anymore and started to confront me, “Some people think they can bully others just because they’re rich. They pretend to be friends on the surface, but they can’t shake off that petty nature.” I shrugged, “Emma, do you know why you didn’t get the poverty subsidy this year?” She suddenly became serious, “You know about that?” I knew how important this money was for her, coming from a poor family. “See for yourself.” I sent her all my chat records with Zoe. “Lily, Emma really smells bad. I can’t stand it anymore. I feel sick whenever she comes near me. Do you think she caught some disease outside? I really want to ask the counselor to change my dorm.” “Lily, will you come with me?” I had replied, “But I think she’s quite clean. Just bear with it.” “No, I can’t swallow this. I’m going to tell the counselor.” But later, the counselor didn’t move her out of our dorm, and suddenly said that due to moral issues, Emma’s subsidy for this year was canceled. Perhaps Zoe felt that her lackey still had some use value and didn’t ask for a dorm change. Emma angrily threw her chair, “Just you wait, Zoe.”

I took the afternoon off and returned to my familiar home. I hugged my parents tightly. In my previous life, under the pressure of netizens’ doxxing and harassment, I was tormented beyond endurance. Even my father’s company suffered a stock market crash. They aged overnight because of my situation. What they never expected was that the mole was right in our own home. “You’re all grown up, but still so impulsive. Wash your hands and come eat.” I took the chopsticks my mother handed me. “Dad, help me investigate someone.” Early the next morning, I rushed back to school for class. The classroom was packed. I calculated the time; Zoe was probably still cuddling with her old boyfriend. This was the strictest professor’s class. Skip once, and you fail the course. I looked at the familiar bag in the video. In this life, Zoe had once again posted a video of the Hermès bag Alex gave her. It received the same admiration from netizens. If I remember correctly, isn’t this Hermès bag only available to VIP customers? Your boyfriend must be really rich, beautiful. Zoe lost herself in a chorus of flattery. Oh, this is just an insignificant gift from my sugar daddy. He’s very good to me. He says we’ll get married after I graduate. I commented using a throwaway account: Isn’t this man too old? Doesn’t he smell like an old person? Haha, who knows, maybe you’re just his mistress on the side. As soon as I posted this, I was bombarded with replies from many netizens. After the trials of my previous life, I now felt completely unmoved by these responses. [You said exactly what I was thinking.] [Oh my god, does he really not have a wife?] [Even if we take a step back, would such a rich person really go for a college student?] [This girl really hit the jackpot, but she looks so bitter and mean-spirited.] I put down my phone, very satisfied with my stirring of the pot. I’m sure Zoe must be fuming on the other end.

When I returned to the dorm after class, I heard Zoe angrily questioning me and Emma: “Why didn’t you respond to my messages? Didn’t you answer roll call for me?! Do you know I’m about to fail the course, you heartless people!” “You hypocritical bitch, how dare you report my makeup to the counselor. And to think I helped you so many times before.” Emma went to slap her, and I stepped aside to make way. The slap landed squarely on Zoe’s face. Zoe held her face in disbelief. “Are you crazy? What right do you have to hit me! You’re the one with severe body odor, don’t you know that?” So the two started fighting. Emma had a fiery temper and was stronger, and a lot of Zoe’s hair was pulled out. I watched with great amusement. Then, she seemed to realize something and suddenly pointed at me, “You told her?” Her clothes were pulled down a lot, revealing fresh red marks on her chest from last night. She must have suffered quite a bit. Emma sneered, “So that’s why you receive so many gifts every day. You’re sleeping around. I’m going to tell the counselor right now and ruin your reputation!” “What nonsense are you spouting?! I’m in a proper relationship, it’s none of your business. Shut your stinking mouth!” “Lily, how could you do this to me? I’ve been so good to you, and this is how you betray my trust?” “You can do despicable things, why can’t I talk about them?” “Lily, don’t bother talking to her anymore. Wait until I report her to the counselor this afternoon, let’s see what she has to say then.” Emma pulled me away. Zoe cursed as she walked to the bathroom, preparing to remove her makeup. After a while, she suddenly screamed. “My face, my face!”

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I slipped the matchmaker $500, asking her to make me sound as appealing as possible. She really delivered, describing me as accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy and painting – the perfect combination of a virtuous wife and loving mother, beautiful both inside and out. Thanks to her efforts, I managed to marry a great husband. The kind that’s always abroad and rarely comes home. With the added condition of taking care of a child under 5 years old. I agreed without hesitation! From then on, pizza and burgers became our daily staples. The kid and I lived carefree days, happy as can be! Now, I dabbed at non-existent tears with a tissue, crossing my legs as I spoke softly into the phone to my husband: “No matter how big the house is, it’s not a home without you here.” A low chuckle came through the line, his deep voice tinged with amusement: “Honey, there are cameras in the house.” “More than one.” I stopped swinging my leg and carefully slid it under the covers. Keeping my tone unchanged, I said, “Darling, what do you mean there are cameras? I had no idea.” I glanced around the large villa, lavishly decorated. I had installed much of the furniture myself while James was away, and he hadn’t been back since. How could there possibly be cameras? “Are you trying to scare me? I’m already nervous being alone in this big empty house, and now you say things like that!” I pretended to get angry, huffing into the phone, “I’m not talking to you anymore!” Then I quickly hung up. Sitting on the bed, I started to calm down and think. For now, I’d play it cool. Damn it, it had been eight months! A full eight months before he mentioned cameras? James was definitely lying. If it was true, then all my carefully crafted image would be ruined!

James and I met through a dating service. He’s 31 this year, makes over a million dollars annually, and is both muscular and handsome. Apparently he had a girlfriend before, but James’ work is special – he’s often away for months at a time. Plus he has a child. Entrusted to him by his late brother. His ex-girlfriend thought she could handle it at first, but the problem was the kid. This wasn’t an ordinary child – he had very strong aggressive tendencies. On their first meeting, he apparently knocked the girl down with a sweeping kick. His pranks were endless. She ran away after less than two days. Until she met me. I came from a poor family without much education. My only asset was my thick skin. I gave the matchmaker $500 to make me sound as good as possible. By the time it reached James, I had become an accomplished musician, artist and chef – the perfect virtuous wife and loving mother, not to mention a great beauty. James was intrigued and agreed to meet me. After seeing me in person, he was even more interested. The next day we got married. The bride price was a million dollars, plus this big villa. But there was one condition – I had to take good care of that violent little boy. I held my head, eyes darting around nervously. I really couldn’t be sure if James was telling the truth or not. Just then, there was a knock at the door. I was a bit slow to respond, and the door was forcefully pushed open.

A little figure stood in the doorway. With big eyes and thick brows, he looked like a perfect little gentleman doll. He wore a small suit with suspenders, the very picture of a young master. At the moment, he was glaring at me with a gloomy expression. I knew what this meant – he was hungry. In the past, I would have rushed over with a big grin, hugging and kissing his chubby cheeks no matter how much he struggled. I’d cackle like a witch and exclaim, “Who’s this adorable little angel? Let auntie give you a big kiss!” But I couldn’t do that now. If there really were cameras like James said, I had to maintain my image. Even if it was a lie, surely James wasn’t watching 24/7. Maybe I still had a chance to fix things. “Emily, you are graceful and virtuous. You are gentle and kind,” I told myself. So I put on my most gentle smile and glided over to the little boy. I crouched down and said softly, “Sweetie, are you hungry? Would you like auntie to make you some pasta?” The boy was stunned. He even took a step back. After hesitating for a while, he frowned and said: “Did you take the wrong medication?” “…” I raised a finger to cover my smile: “What are you saying, darling? I’ve always been like this.” The boy thought for two seconds, then turned and ran to his room. Soon he came back with a water gun from who knows where. He started spraying me, as if trying to take me down on the spot. The stream was very strong, hitting me right in the face. I stopped smiling.

I wiped my face and took a deep breath. The boy’s surname was Lu like James, and his name was Leo. When James wasn’t around, I always called him “little bean” which felt natural and affectionate. Now I didn’t dare, so I put on a sad expression instead. “Leo, do you still hate me?” I covered my face and cried. With my face all wet, you couldn’t tell if I was really crying. My voice choked up as if I was extremely upset. “Auntie has done everything she can. I buy you whatever you want. Why do you still hate me…” Leo was stunned again. His little brain couldn’t understand such abstract adult behavior. He tilted his head in confusion and asked, “Leo?” Didn’t she always call him “little bean”? I choked again, about to break character. I quickly got up to heat some milk for the child. Leo was an extremely picky eater, so I always had him eat small frequent meals to make sure he got enough nutrition. Thinking back, Leo and I had a very rough start too. The day James and I got married, he disappeared. He just gave me the keys to the villa and told me to settle in on my own. So when I realized James wasn’t around and I had full control of this villa, I threw a huge celebration that very night. I made myself a big pot of spicy hotpot. A really extravagant one. I bought loads of shrimp, meat, and meatballs – things I never dared to imagine before. The first time Leo saw me, before I could even speak, he came at me with punches and kicks. He was surprisingly strong. Like a furious little lion defending his territory. I got angry too and spanked his little bottom, warning him he’d get no dinner if he was so rude again. Leo didn’t listen, so I really didn’t prepare any dinner for him. By the time I had almost finished my hotpot, I finally remembered the child. Feeling guilty, I cooked the remaining beef and put it in a bowl for Leo. At first he refused to eat, but as the smell of hotpot spread, he got too hungry and finally dug in with a scowl. Then he had diarrhea for three days and nights. I had no idea the kid’s stomach was so delicate. As a first-timer with no experience, I was terrified. I carried Leo to the hospital in a cold sweat. The whole time I held him, rubbing his tummy when it hurt and singing lullabies when he whimpered in discomfort. Leo clutched me tightly with his little hands. We stayed like that for three days and nights. After that, he never hit me again. And that’s how one hotpot cured a problem child.

I finally managed to get Leo to sleep. After maintaining my graceful act for half a day, I was completely drained. After showering, I lay in bed desperately trying to think of other ways to show my virtuous wife and mother side. But I was so tired that I fell asleep before I knew it. So I had no idea that in the middle of the night, someone picked the lock on my door. A figure radiating heat and danger stood by my bed. But Leo heard. He still retained memories from when he was younger. He was only two then, living abroad. On a dark night just like this, a group of people brazenly broke into his home. They hacked at his defenseless parents, then did unspeakable things to his mother’s corpse. He didn’t cry, but it was all burned into his memory. He vividly remembered the desperate fear of that night, which was why he instinctively tried to solve everything with violence. If that didn’t work, he wanted to kill them all. Leo silently appeared outside the door, holding a weapon Uncle James had given him. He didn’t want that woman to die now. She may act crazy, but he just didn’t want her to die. He wasn’t sure if the dangerous person inside was from the same group that killed his parents. But he wasn’t afraid this time. He would protect her. Before Leo could act further, the person inside suddenly appeared behind him. A hand swung towards his face with frightening speed. Leo quickly stepped back, drawing his weapon, ready to fight to the death. But he was scooped up in strong arms. “Huh?” Leo was startled. By the time he realized what happened, he had already been carried downstairs. When Leo saw who it was, his face lit up with joy. “Uncle James!” “Shh.” James held Leo, sitting him on his sturdy thigh. “Don’t wake her up.” After studying the boy for a moment, he nodded, “You’ve gained some weight.” Leo pursed his lips in a small smile. Being fed five meals a day, he was already trying hard to control his weight. James had three days of leave this time. To be honest, he was very intrigued by his young wife. His work abroad involved dangerous, grueling missions. His only interest and hobby was watching what new tricks his little wife would get up to each day. She looked as beautiful as a butterfly in the cameras, her antics both amusing and endearing in their silliness. James naturally knew her true nature. In their line of work, seeing through a person was child’s play. But if his little wife wanted to act, he was happy to watch her performance. Though he couldn’t help teasing her a bit. “Do you like her taking care of you?” James asked softly. He knew that after over half a year together, Leo and Emily’s relationship, while not loving, was at least peaceful. Perhaps with a hint of affection? Leo really thought about it seriously before nodding. “She’s an interesting woman.” James couldn’t help but smile. “That move earlier was pretty good. I’ll teach you a few more tricks in the morning.” Leo nodded, unable to hold back a yawn. James let the child go to sleep, but not before reminding him, “No matter what you hear in the morning, don’t worry. I’ll be here for three days, we’ll all be very safe, okay?” Leo nodded and went to bed fully at ease this time. James was still in his camouflage uniform, his boots caked with dark red mud. He raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, then decided to strip it all off. He took a shower and changed into comfortable loungewear. Then step by step, he returned to the bedside. Though lively in personality and prone to little white lies, her sleeping form was quiet and docile. James silently climbed into bed. He first kissed her forehead, then couldn’t resist kissing the corner of her mouth. Slowly, he gathered her into his arms. The face he had only been able to watch through cameras for nearly eight months was finally in his embrace. Ah… He hoped his little wife wouldn’t be too startled when she woke up.

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A Tale of Two Sisters: Reborn My sister and I were given a second chance at life on the day our parents divorced. Once again, my sister rushed into the arms of our future millionaire father. “Mom’s love is the most precious, I’ll let my sister have it!” she said sweetly. But as I looked at my seemingly gentle mother, who would jump from a high-rise building with me ten years later, I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Opening my eyes again, I found myself back on the day of my parents’ divorce. Stella suddenly pushed me aside and threw herself into Dad’s arms. She looked back at me coldly, but her words were sweet and soft: “Mom’s love is the most precious, I’ll let my sister have it.” I instinctively turned around and shuddered at the sight of Mom sitting in the shadow of the sofa. She was wearing a plain white dress, her face unclear, like a merciful Buddha statue. Hearing Stella’s words, she seemed unsurprised and beckoned to me. “Alright, Lily, come here.” Stella and I are sisters. In my previous life, after our parents divorced, I went with Mom, a highly educated violinist, while Stella went with our good-for-nothing father. But unexpectedly, fortunes c ed. The good-for-nothing became the richest man in A City, and Stella transformed into an elegant little princess adored by all. Meanwhile, Mom injured her hand and could no longer play the violin. Our family fell into poverty, and she gradually became mentally unstable. In her delirium, she eventually lost control and jumped from a high-rise building with me— The intense pain of falling from the building was still coursing through my body. Now, Mom’s cold, merciful face alternated in my mind with her disheveled, blood-stained face from ten years later— I couldn’t help but let out a sharp cry of rejection: “No! I want to go with Dad, together with my sister!” Mom’s hand hovered over my shoulder. She froze, asking uncertainly, “Lily, what did you say?” At this time, Mom was still the lead violinist of the A City Orchestra, pursued by countless admirers, while Dad was just a middle school dropout without a job. She couldn’t understand why I would give up going with her to choose that good-for-nothing father. Dad rubbed his hands together, calling out to me excitedly, “Lily? My good girl, come with me, that’s right…” He started walking towards me— “No way!” Stella clung tightly to Dad, shaking his arm and pleading, though her eyes were cold as she looked at me, “I’m Daddy’s little princess, Daddy said he likes me the most!” Dad tried to reason with Stella, “It’s not that I don’t want you, how about both Stella and Lily come with Dad?” “No.” Stella pouted and started crying crocodile tears, “I want Dad’s exclusive love, Dad can only have me…” Stella had always been more like Dad, with the same phoenix eyes and quick wit, while I was more like Mom – quiet but better at studying. Dad had always preferred Stella. Hearing his daughter’s coquettish words, his eyes lit up with pleasure, and he stopped moving towards me. I panicked: “Dad…” But my weak voice was drowned out by Stella’s cries. Dad was busy comforting Stella, holding her in his arms and wiping away her tears. I stood in the corner, enviously watching them, as if seeing through this scene to their flower-strewn life in the next ten years. Stella’s eyes inadvertently met mine, and those eyes showed no childish naivety or innocence, only malicious satisfaction and mockery— “Sister, you still can’t beat me.” This wasn’t right… In the previous life, although Stella had also chosen Dad, she hadn’t been so resistant to me. Her eyes looking at Mom and me had once been full of envy. I watched Stella’s small hand tightly gripping Dad’s clothes, And came to an absurd conclusion— Stella… had also been reborn! Standing at the desolate doorway with a heavy backpack, Mom was frowning as she tried to hail a taxi. I secretly looked back; through the window, I could see the warm light inside. The despised good-for-nothing dad was combing Stella’s hair. His eyes were gentle, his movements careful, afraid of hurting Stella. Even after becoming the richest man in A City, I heard that when it came to matters concerning Stella, Dad always handled them personally. So, as soon as Stella shed a tear, Dad unhesitatingly gave up on me— Still couldn’t manage to go with Dad… I struggled to adjust the shoulder strap of my backpack, my nose tingling. “Lily, get in the car.” Mom’s cold voice interrupted my thoughts. I got into the car. From the corner of my eye, I could see Mom sitting straight. She was always like this; even when we later fell into poverty, her neck was always proudly raised like a swan’s. But a swan’s feathers can’t be eaten. I unconsciously rubbed my palm, feeling a smooth texture, only to remember that I was still a child, not yet having to wash dishes at small restaurants to supplement our income like in my previous life. The cold water in the small restaurant’s kitchen was biting, painfully cold. In my previous life, I had developed thick chilblains. Mom and I moved into her pre-marriage small apartment. The apartment was in disrepair, with a thick layer of dust on the dust covers. Mom pushed a box of instant noodles in front of me, rubbing her temples, looking very tired. “Lily, eat.” I lowered my head and stirred with the disposable spoon. The noodles had been soaking too long, looking pale and unappetizing, with oil floating on the surface making me nauseous. I couldn’t help but think of visiting Dad’s house in my previous life. Dad, wearing an apron, cooking for Stella – braised prawns, cola chicken wings, fish soup, and carefully ar ed fresh fruits. Tears dripped into the instant noodle cup. Why, why couldn’t Dad take both of us? Why did Stella have to drive me away? She had already been a pampered little princess for years, why couldn’t she give me even a little sweetness? The feeling of grievance gradually consumed me. “Lily, I’m starting a tour tomorrow. You’ll stay at your uncle’s house, and I’ll come back to pick you up when it’s over.” Tour? I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and boldly asked, “Mom, can I not go to Uncle’s house? I want to go with you.” Mom glanced at me and sneered. “Didn’t you want to go with your dad? Why do you want to come with me now?” I didn’t know how to answer. “Alright, I’ll only be gone for half a month. I’ll come back to pick you up in half a month.” Before I could respond, Mom got up and went into the bedroom, closing the door with a ” “. In my previous life, for this tour, Mom also said half a month, but in reality, she was gone for a year. When she came back to pick me up a year later, her hand was injured, and she had lost her job. The once favored violinist of the orchestra had become a fallen dog overnight. After that, Mom, who was already lonely and sensitive, became even more unpredictable in her moods. She never allowed anyone to mention that accidental injury and didn’t give me a good face either. If… if that accident hadn’t happened, even if I couldn’t become a little princess like Stella, at least our lives wouldn’t have been so miserable. The violin was Mom’s soul, I didn’t dare to suggest she give up the tour. I paced in the living room, finally wrote a note saying “Be careful”, and slipped it into Mom’s bag. I thought that when I woke up early the next morning, I must plead with Mom face to face again, to take me along. Having an extra pair of eyes watching at the scene would always be an extra hope. 3 I fell asleep in anxiety. In my dream, Mom’s eyes were streaming with bloody tears, staring at me intently, both resentful and relieved. She was crying and laughing, her white long dress covered in filth. But I didn’t expect Mom to leave without saying goodbye in the middle of the night. The next day when I opened my eyes, I heard Uncle calling my name from outside the room, “Lily, your mom has gone on tour, come home with me—” While eating after school, I overheard Uncle and Aunt chatting. Uncle was a police officer and knew a lot of information in his daily life. “I heard that Robert got a big business deal, working for the Walker family’s eldest son.” “He’s probably bluffing. How could someone with such a useless face do big business? If we had known earlier, we wouldn’t have agreed to let Natalie marry him…” Natalie is my mom, Natalie . My mom’s whole family looked down on Robert, that is, my dad. But only I knew that Robert wasn’t bluffing. He really did get a business deal from the big boss of A City. He did this deal very well and became the right-hand man of Mr. Walker overnight. The Robert they despised would cradle Stella in his arms, comb her hair, cook for her, buy her beautiful clothes, and would soon soar to great heights. While Natalie, who was considered “too good for Robert”, left without saying goodbye, abandoning her daughter who had just experienced her parents’ divorce at her uncle’s house. Uncle and Aunt were originally well-off, but they had no children. Over the years, they had been running around trying for IVF, almost emptying their savings, but still couldn’t fulfill their wish. Aunt’s face was long every day, and I was like a little chick living under someone else’s roof, cautious in everything. I lowered my head and angrily poked at the rice in my bowl. This family looks down on some and flatters others, not knowing Dad’s good qualities. I remembered that in my previous life, after Dad’s career took off, Uncle once took me to visit. By then, Mom’s wish to recover as a violinist had become an obsession, but we couldn’t afford the expensive surgery fees. We had no choice but to go to the Lin family for help. When we were invited in by the housekeeper, we only learned that Dad was on a business trip, and only Stella was at home. We wanted the Lin family to lend us some money, considering that they had kept the house when they divorced. I will never forget the arrogant and contemptuous look in Stella’s eyes when she said, “You looked down on my dad, and now you come begging for food. How shameless!” Uncle, who was over fifty, flushed red, and we left in embarrassment. But Dad was still kind. When he came home and heard about this, he sent us a million dollars through someone. He said we didn’t need to pay it back, just to use it. I was so grateful I didn’t know what to say. I excitedly took the money to find Mom, wanting to tell her that we finally had enough money for her treatment— But I was grabbed by Mom, whose eyes were desperate, and she jumped directly from the high-rise building… … After dinner, Uncle patted my head and sighed deeply. “Your mom will be back next week. She… has it tough, you should understand her more.” I remained silent. Uncle sighed again, “Lily, your mom still loves you very much, you’ll understand in the future.” How far in the future? In my previous life, ten years passed, and Mom still didn’t have a good face for me. Occasionally when she was in a good mood, she would speak to me gently for a few sentences, but soon after, she would have an emotional breakdown again. Those days of living with Mom in the apartment were like an endless nightmare, gray, absurd, and long-drawn. At night, the phone in the room suddenly shrilly. I answered groggily, and surprisingly, it was Stella’s voice on the other end— “Lily, find a way to stop Mom from participating in tomorrow’s performance—” 4 Psycho. I instinctively wanted to up the phone. “Lily, Mom can’t participate in tomorrow’s performance!” she repeated. Why? I frowned, trying to remember. The last performance of this tour was in C City, the climax of the entire tour. If I remember correctly, this performance also made a young starlet famous… Autumn . Also Stella’s future stepmother. I found my guess unbelievable, “Stella, are you crazy? You’d rather ruin your own mother’s performance to please your future stepmother?” Indeed, Stella was not only reborn, but she also knew that we both had a second chance at life. She wasn’t surprised at all by what I said, just impatiently repeated once more, “Don’t worry about that, just don’t let Mom participate in tomorrow’s performance. I’ll give you money, is a hundred thousand enough?” I laughed bitterly. How dare Stella, after stealing my life, come to me high and mighty asking for help, wanting me to intervene and stop Mom’s performance to please her stepmother. How shameless. “I won’t do it. If you want to do it, go find Mom yourself. I’m ing up—” “Don’t up!” Stella’s tone carried a hint of barely noticeable anxiety, “Mom won’t answer my calls, I can’t reach her…” “Lily, please help… This has nothing to do with Autumn .” Nothing to do with Autumn ? Then why is she so insistent on not letting Mom participate in tomorrow’s tour? What exactly is going to happen during tomorrow’s tour? In my previous life, Mom had always been secretive about that year of touring, never willing to tell me what happened. Even though I was reborn, I was still in the dark. I paused, “You can’t reach her, and I can’t either. Mom doesn’t like to be disturbed during her performances, you know that.” Disturbing Natalie during her performances and training would result in scolding. She might not even answer our calls at all. Both Stella and I knew this very well. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, and when she spoke again, there was a hint of pleading in her voice. “You can do it… Pretend to be sick, pretend to be injured, whatever method you use, Mom will answer your call.” “Lily, please.” “You don’t want Mom’s hand to be injured again, do you?” —?!! I took a deep breath and asked with a trembling voice: “Is Mom’s accident tomorrow?” “Yes, so Lily, you must stop Mom.” After ing up the phone, my mind was in chaos. In my previous life, from the day our parents divorced, Stella and Mom never saw each other again. How did she know about Mom’s accident in another city? Can I trust her? But… what if what Stella said is true? Can I save Mom? From a young age, Mom had been traveling between various performances, rarely coming home to accompany us. We saw her more in performance videos than at home. She loved the violin more than her own life. When I was very young, I once had a high fever that wouldn’t break. Mom was called back from Beijing, and in my delirium in the hospital room, I heard my parents arguing. It was a very important apprenticeship opportunity for Mom, and because of me, she had missed it. Mom accused Dad of not taking good care of me at home. Their voices buzzed in my head, too unclear to hear properly, but I did hear Mom slam the door in anger as she left. Dad held my hand, muttering, “Are we, your family, really less important than your violin?” I felt so guilty that my heart ached. My thoughts returned to the present. Thinking about how angry Mom would be if she discovered I was faking illness, I felt uneasy. It’s okay, Lily. I comforted myself. After all… Mom might not even answer your call, and even if she did, she might not come back. “Beep, beep—” In the quiet of the night, I could hear my own clear heartbeat. At two in the morning, Mom answered. 5 “Lily, what’s wrong?” “Mom…” I’m not very good at lying, but thankfully, over the phone, she couldn’t see my panicked expression. I pressed my lips together. “Mom, I don’t feel well, I think I have a fever…” There was a sound of something breaking on the other end of the phone, “When did the fever start? How high is it? Where’s your uncle?” Her tone was quick, accompanied by the sound of high heels hitting the floor, as if she was pacing back and forth. “Probably in the evening… I’m not sure, I woke up feeling very hot on my face.” “Uncle… isn’t here.” I’m sorry, Uncle, I was afraid Mom would entrust me to you and not come back herself. After giving the reason, I immediately regretted it. Were the symptoms too mild? A fever and cold could be cured with some medicine. I felt frustrated, thinking I should have said I accidentally cut my hand, or accidentally broke my leg. “Don’t sleep, I’m calling for an ambulance now. There’s a digital thermometer in the first aid kit in the living room. Can you walk? Go and take your temperature.” I mechanically followed Mom’s instructions, went to the living room to get the thermometer, and only realized after putting it under my armpit— I didn’t have a fever, I was lying to Mom. The phone hadn’t been hung up, probably Mom was using someone else’s phone to call an ambulance. I suddenly felt a surge of absurdity from the bottom of my heart, very scared. Aunt suddenly burst in from outside, “Lily, your mom said you have a fever?” I opened my mouth, but my throat was so dry I couldn’t make a sound. “The ambulance will be here soon, don’t be afraid…” My breathing became a bit rapid, I felt very nervous, my heart pounding. Did I… make a mistake? The digital thermometer beeped. I took it out and looked. 38.1 degrees Celsius (100.6°F). Half an hour later, I was lying in a hospital bed. Five hours later, Mom appeared in front of me, with heavy dark circles under her eyes. She had borrowed a car and driven on the highway all night. Mom looked pale and exhausted, more like a patient than I did. She glanced at me, said nothing, and quickly turned to walk to the doctor’s office. My temperature had gone down by the time I reached the emergency room. I stared blankly at the stark white ceiling. I recognized the emergency room doctor from earlier. It was the same Dr. Wilson from when I had a fever as a child. The moment I saw him, fragments of memory collided violently in my mind, and I remembered some things— Dr. Wilson was Mom’s classmate. In my previous life, after Mom’s hand was disabled, he had come to visit us at home. I had eavesdropped on their conversation through the door crack. “Natalie, there’s a new treatment method from abroad that might be able to cure your hand. You finally have a chance to return to the stage.” “Thank you, but the surgery fee is too expensive, I can’t afford it. Besides, I have more important things…” “One million dollars should be enough for the treatment and follow-up care. I can help you apply for the project.” Back then, my focus was all on the surgery fee. I didn’t pay attention to the more important things Mom mentioned. What were those more important things? The memory seemed to be covered by a layer of frosted glass. My head was throbbing with pain. The thing that had made me so anxious didn’t happen. Mom gave up the second half of the tour and stayed home to accompany me. She didn’t question why I had lied. Until the orchestra called, the voice on the other end was chaotic, “Natalie, there’s been an accident during the performance! The center of the stage collapsed…” My heart was pounding wildly. “How’s your daughter? It’s a pity to give up this opportunity.” “…But it’s also good, you dodged a bullet!” Mom’s voice was faint, exc ing a few casual greetings before ing up the phone. She looked at me, her calm eyes showing no emotion. I was very uneasy, afraid that Mom would be angry because I had disrupted her performance, yet relieved that I had actually saved her. “What are you rolling your eyes about?” she suddenly asked. I blurted out instinctively: “Are you angry with me?” 6 Mom’s expression seemed to blank for a moment. She looked very confused, “Why would I be angry?” “Because I… you interrupted the tour…” Ms. Natalie rolled her eyes slightly, looking like she couldn’t be bothered to deal with me, and got up to the laundry. I sat on the sofa, lost in thought. “Lily, come help me hold the bedsheet.” Pulling at the corner of the half-dry bedsheet, my mind was wandering aimlessly when I suddenly felt this scene was fami . The sunlight slanted in through the window, casting a soft halo on Mom’s profile, softening her usual sharpness. I seem to have… helped Mom laundry many times. But I don’t remember. And Dr. Wilson, why did I only remember him at the hospital? We had met many times before. “Lily.” “…Huh?” Ms. Natalie looked a bit exasperated and impatient. “I’m not angry, and I won’t be angry.” She tugged at the corner of her mouth, shaking the bedsheet forcefully. “Lily, in the future, even if you’re not feeling well, you should call me immediately. Don’t think too much about other things, understand?” I dryly responded, “Oh, I understand.” “Your performance…” Mom interrupted me, “Missing one performance won’t affect my status, don’t worry unnecessarily.” But how did Stella know that Mom would have an accident during this performance? The performance accident from that year hadn’t leaked out at all. Even I, who was by her side, was kept in the dark until Mom came home a year later. I had tried to investigate on my own, but the accident seemed to have been deliberately hidden, and I found nothing. Perhaps only Stella knew what had happened. I called her many times. But st ely, after Mom came home, I could never get through to Stella’s phone again. Dad’s career had taken off, and they quickly moved to a villa in the city center. The person who answered the phone was a middle-aged woman who introduced herself as Stella’s nanny. She said Stella had gone to a closed boarding school. The nanny tactfully told me that Stella was doing very well now, Robert also had a new girlfriend, and asked me not to disturb them anymore. That’s fine then. We ended up living completely different lives, just like in my previous life. Fortunately, Mom was healthy and hadn’t become depressed due to her hand injury. In fact, because she came home early, we had more time to spend together. Thinking of this, my fear of the future temporarily subsided. As for Stella, perhaps there were really some memories I had forgotten that she still remembered. Out of familial affection, she came to warn us. If there’s a chance in the future, I will repay her too. I won’t interfere with the little princess’s life. But four months later, on a deep night, I received another call from Stella. Unlike last time, her voice was very low, sneaky, and it sounded like she was in a very noisy place. “Lily, tell Mom not to go out recently, be careful of cars on the road, and don’t contact me!” “…Stella, what’s going on? Aren’t you at boarding school?” “Just do as I say, I… beep, beep, beep—” The phone suddenly cut off. Stella said not to contact her, so I didn’t dare call back. I had a vague feeling that doing so would cause trouble for her. If the first warning could be explained by retained memories from being reborn, then with the interruption of Mom’s performance, recent events could no longer be predicted through memory. Why would Stella still issue a warning to me? Was the accident really an accident? In the living room, Mom was packing her things to go to work. I jumped down and rushed out. “Mom—” 7

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To save my girlfriend, I ended up crippled. She had promised to marry me, but on our wedding day, her first love showed up to interfere. “You’re a waste of space! You think you deserve to marry Lily? She’s been taking care of you for a whole year. Isn’t that enough? Do you want her to spend her whole life looking after you?” My girlfriend, who had once promised to love me forever, now held her first love’s hand and tearfully begged me to let her go, “If only you hadn’t saved me back then, I wouldn’t be stuck in this situation. It’s all because of you. Please, let us go.” I nodded, agreeing to let go of our marriage. I told her everything would go as she wished. After receiving my consent, she smiled and said, “We may not be able to be husband and wife, but we can still be like family. I’ll never forget how you saved me.” But what she didn’t know was that I had saved her because I was bound to a True Love System. Now that she had married someone else, the system was taking everything I had given for her, starting with my healthy legs.

“Since we’re like family, why not just give the house to Lily as a wedding gift?” I was about to leave when my girlfriend’s first love, Ethan Carter, called me over. Before I could even refuse, he pulled my girlfriend, Lily Thompson, over to thank me. “Lily, let’s thank Oliver for giving us the house. From now on, we’ll treat him like a real brother.” I looked at Lily, who was awkwardly bowing, and asked, “Do you really want this house?” Lily stiffened. Before she could say anything, Ethan slapped me on the shoulder and laughed, “Come on, don’t make it awkward. We’re family. No need to split hairs. The house is for all of us. “And let’s not forget, you’ve been sick in bed for the entire year, and Lily’s been looking after you. She didn’t even ask you for any money for taking care of you. A man shouldn’t be sweating the small stuff with a woman.” I glanced at Lily. She stayed silent but nodded in agreement. She knew full well that, even though I hadn’t been working this year, I had been living off my savings. Not to mention, if it weren’t for me pushing her away back then, she would be the one in my place, with the broken legs. I still remembered that right after the accident happened, she cried in my arms, fainting several times. She said that she owed me her life and she would do anything to repay me. She even said she was willing to marry me. She made a public vow, promising that she would take care of me for the rest of her life. She said she would love me forever and never leave me. Those passionate vows still echoed in my mind, but less than a year later, she broke her promise. Not only did she want to marry someone else, but she was trying to take my money too. She grabbed my hand, pleading, “It’s just transferring the title of the house. The house is still yours. After everything we’ve been through, don’t you trust me?” The image of her gentle, kind self that I had held onto collapsed in that moment. I felt a bitter emptiness inside. I shook my head to show my rejection. “You’re going to marry someone else. If we keep talking about what we’ve been through, aren’t you worried your husband will get upset?” She nervously glanced at Ethan. But he didn’t seem bothered at all. He wrapped his arm around her and smiled, “Never mind. I’m a very generous person. I respect your past. “Why can’t you just be generous like me? Give us the house as our wedding gift. Show us what it means to be a man.” Around us, Lily’s friends started chiming in, “Lily and Ethan have already pleaded with him, and he’s still being difficult? “Exactly! He’s so petty, no wonder Lily left him. Looks like he’s not just physically disabled, but emotionally as well. I actually used to believe in their love, but now…pfft.” Hearing their gossip, her face grew momently darker. “Oliver, it’s just a house. Don’t let everyone look down on you.” When I heard her words, I couldn’t help but laugh, “Anyone who wants to be respected can give their own house. I’m sure this lovely newlywed couple will be very grateful. But I won’t stick around for this.” With that, I pushed my wheelchair and started to leave, ignoring the chilly atmosphere around us. She stopped me from leaving and was about to say something when her mother, Diana, suddenly walked over. With a serious expression, she said, “Lily, we can’t take his house.” I looked up at her, feeling touched. Diana was still as sensible as ever. Over the past year, whenever Lily had slackened in taking care of me, Diana would scold her, “Lily, the reason you can still walk and live a normal life is because of Oliver’s help. You have an obligation to take care of him.” To me, she was kind of like a mother. As she walked closer, I was about to greet her when her tone suddenly changed. She looked at me coldly and said, “Oliver, the house was left to you by your late parents. We have no right to take it.” “But the 200 thousand dollars in compensation from your car accident…surely you can give that to us, right?” The words I was about to say caught in my throat. I was stunned for a moment, unable to respond. But then again, she was Lily’s mom after all. To them, morals and promises clearly didn’t matter as much as money. Ethan smiled warmly at Diana, then turned to look at me, mocking, “That money was originally Lily’s. What right do you have to hold onto it and refuse to give it up? “I get it now. You must’ve intentionally thrown yourself in front of the car just to get 200 thousand dollars, right?” I shot him a cold stare. No one would be foolish enough to choose money over their own legs. Some of the guests couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up on my behalf, “If it weren’t for Oliver, Lily would be the one in a wheelchair right now. You’re going too far.” I thought for sure Ethan would back off, but instead, he arrogantly shot back, “What do you know? Lily’s the most popular girl on campus. Oliver’s doing all this just to try and marry her.” Lily, who had been silent up until now, shook her head and said bitterly, “Ethan, if I lost my legs, I’d be the one they’d reject.” At this, Ethan put his hands on her shoulders and said passionately, “Lily, I love you. Even if you were paralyzed, I’d never leave you. “We could’ve been together a long time ago, but it’s all Oliver’s fault. He threw himself in front of the car on purpose, using his ‘favor’ to manipulate you and tear us apart.” Moved by his words, Lily threw herself into his arms. Watching them embrace, I couldn’t help but think back to just a few days ago when she said she wanted to marry me. I was so hopeful then. Now, it all seemed so ridiculous. I didn’t want to stay any longer, so I turned around and started to leave. But just as I was halfway around in my wheelchair, Ethan grabbed me. “Oliver, you’re not going anywhere until you hand over the money.” When he said that, Lily looked at me with disappointment. After a long silence, she finally gave in and said, “We need the money for the wedding. How about you just consider it a loan? I’ll write an IOU and pay you back as soon as I save up enough.” Earlier, I was confused. If she had already decided to marry Ethan, why was she still promising to marry me? Now, seeing how determined she was to get the 200 thousand dollars, I finally understood. The whole wedding was just a scam to get money. I shook my head. “I’ll go to the bathroom first. We’ll talk after.” Ethan sneered, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do. You’re just looking for an excuse to slip away. If you need to pee, just go. Aren’t you wearing adult diapers? No need for the bathroom.” I turned to look at Lily, and to my surprise, she’d told Ethan everything. Ethan saw my reaction and sneered even more, “What’s with the look? A cripple still worried about dignity? Don’t forget, when you first became disabled, you wet yourself in front of the whole family. It was Lily who changed your pants. “What a shame! If I’d been there, I would’ve recorded it to show everyone. A man in his thirties still wets his pants!” His mocking laughter made everyone around us stare at me in a strange way. When I first lost my legs, aside from the physical pain, the worst part was feeling completely powerless, with no dignity, at the mercy of everyone around me. I never wanted to experience that again. But Ethan wouldn’t let me leave. He grabbed my wheelchair and pulled out his phone, pointing it at me. “You either give us the money, or you piss yourself in front of everyone. Your choice.” Seeing his smug face, I couldn’t take it anymore. I raised my hand and slapped his phone out of his hand. As he bent down to pick it up, I grabbed a bowl from the table, ready to throw it at him. But before I could, Lily suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked the bowl away. She shot me a scolding look and said, “Enough. Ethan was just joking with you. If you’re not going to lend the money, fine. But why break his phone and even try to hit him? “Do you really want to ruin our relationship over 200 thousand dollars? “Don’t forget, all your parents and relatives are gone. I’m the only family you have left.” Seeing her stand in front of Ethan, glaring at me like I was her enemy, I couldn’t help but feel disgusted. It was Ethan who ruined my wedding and used my dignity to force me into giving him money, and all I did was resist. But according to her, I was the one causing trouble. I didn’t need a family like that. I shook off her hand and pushed my wheelchair away. Ethan blocked my path with a dark expression. “You’re not going anywhere unless you hand over 200 thousand dollars today!” I dialed the police on my phone and held it up to show him. “Are you sure about this? Extortion for 200 thousand dollars could land you in jail. A minimum of three years, up to ten at most. If you want to go to prison, I can make that happen.” Ethan’s face turned red with fury. He raised his fist to strike me, but Lily stepped in to stop him. I knew her intention was to protect him. After all, with so many people around, if things escalated, they’d both be in legal trouble. I pushed my wheelchair out the door. As soon as I felt the fresh air, Lily ran up and squatted down beside me, trying to explain, “Oliver, please don’t be mad at me. You can’t stay home forever, living off what little savings you have. Sooner or later, you’ll run out of money. “I don’t have another choice. I’ll have to marry someone else. That way, we can both support the family and take better care of you.” If she had said this earlier, I would’ve yelled at her. But now, I didn’t want to say another word to her. “I’m fine. You should go back inside. Don’t delay the important moment.” She was surprised when I didn’t react angrily. She looked at me with a pleased expression, then happily cupped my face in her hands. “Ethan’s just tough on the outside, but he’s soft on the inside. He didn’t mean to target you. “He even promised me he’d get you the best prosthetics from abroad. We’ll take good care of you.” She had just finished speaking when someone called her away. I nodded, watching her leave. Let her keep the prosthetics for herself. As the words “I do” echoed from inside, I heard the long-awaited system voice. “Detected that Lily has entered the wedding hall with another person. The True Love Contract is now void. In three days, everything will return to its original state.” She didn’t know that the reason I saved her was because of the True Love System. Now that she had broken the contract, the system would help me reclaim everything, including the legs I had lost.

Just the thought that in three days I’d be able to stand again made the bitterness in my heart fade a little. I sat in my electric wheelchair, slowly making my way home. It was a struggle to push open the door, and the first thing that caught my eye was the wedding congratulatory banners hanging on the wall. But seeing those banners only made me feel more ridiculous. This was the old house my parents left me, a three-bedroom apartment. I stared silently at the locked door to the master bedroom. Earlier, Lily had said she wanted to turn our master bedroom into a honeymoon suite and had moved me into the tiny nursery. At the time, I thought she was just looking for some symbolism. Since I figured I’d be moving back soon, I didn’t think much of it. But now, as I opened the door to what was supposed to be our honeymoon suite, I finally understood. There was a large wedding photo of Lily and Ethan on the wall, making it clear that this room wasn’t for me and her. It was for her and her lover. No wonder her whole family had been keeping me away from it. Sitting in my wheelchair, I slowly began gathering the wedding photos and other wedding items from the room, moving them into the living room to get rid of them. Just as I was about to finish, Lily and Ethan walked in, chatting and laughing. When they saw the mess in the house, their smiles instantly disappeared. Ethan scoffed and said, “Oliver, it’s just your legs that are hurt, not your hands. You’re home this early and still haven’t cleaned up? You’re hopeless!” Diana dropped her bag and immediately joined in. “He’s always like this, using being sick as an excuse. He’s so lazy, always expecting Lily to take care of him” Lily nervously asked her mom to stop, and only then did Diana be silent. No one knew better than them that Lily had already been tired of looking after me a long time ago. And I had already learned how to take care of myself. After that, Lily hung up her coat and said to me, “We’re all a bit tired today. You should clean up soon, or mom will keep nagging you.” I nodded. “Yeah, I was planning to tidy up all this stuff anyway.” Hearing that, everyone leaned in to take a look, and only then did they realize that the pile of things in the living room was all the stuff they’d prepared for the wedding room. Diana immediately jumped up from the couch. “The wedding stuff can’t be thrown away! It’s bad luck!” With that, she rushed over to put everything back in place. Ethan rolled his eyes and stood up with a huff. “If someone doesn’t want me here, then I don’t want to stay either!” Seeing him about to leave, Lily hurriedly stopped him and reassured him, “Oliver didn’t mean it like that… “Oliver, go apologize to Ethan right now, or I’ll break up with you!” She thought this would pressure me, but I just gave a cold smile. “Break up with me? Fine, you can move out on your own then, so I don’t have to kick you out.”

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My husband cheated on me. His mistress brazenly approached me with their love child, mocking me for being a barren woman and telling me to step aside. Later, watching my husband kneel before me begging for forgiveness, I didn’t get angry. Instead, I gently suggested, “Why don’t we register the child under my name?” “The child in this photo is Jack’s and my son.” I calmly observed the young woman sitting across from me. She was pretty and petite, not looking at all like someone who was already a mother. If only her smug and arrogant expression could be ignored, it would be even better. I stared at her delicate face, thinking to myself. The Jack she mentioned was my husband. Being suddenly told that your husband has a child with another woman feels absurd, but I chose not to make a scene. On the contrary, I remained rational. I listened coolly as the young woman across from me recounted how she met my husband, fell in love, and gave birth to the fruit of their love. “So?” Out of politeness, I had patiently waited for her to state the purpose of seeking me out, but she kept going on and on about her love story with Jack Thompson. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I finally couldn’t help but ask. “You… you…” She looked at me in shock, as if she hadn’t expected me to say that. She was completely stunned. Under her shocked gaze, I elegantly took a sip of the coffee in front of me. She quickly regained her previous arrogant demeanor. “Hmph, Jack told me you had a miscarriage before, and you probably can’t have children in this lifetime. “Now that I’ve given Jack a son, what right do you have to still hold the title of Mrs. Thompson when you’re just a barren woman? “If I were you, I’d voluntarily divorce him. You might even get some money out of it. Better than ending up kicked out with nothing, just an old hag that no one wants.” I didn’t expect Jack to even tell her about my infertility. But what she doesn’t know is that I was once pregnant. It was Jack’s and my first child. At the time, I didn’t know I was pregnant. I was busy accompanying him with work and social engagements, and due to overexertion, I miscarried. It damaged my body, and since then I’ve had a tendency to miscarry. I remember Jack swearing to me in front of my parents. “Emma, don’t worry. Even if we never have children in this lifetime, I will love you forever. If I ever cheat on you, may I die a terrible death.” My parents, who had never liked him, weren’t moved by these words. Their expressions only grew heavier. I was the only one who was touched. Thinking about it now, I was so foolish. To believe such words. I chuckled lightly and said, “You want to be Mrs. Thompson? Then you shouldn’t be coming to me, you should go to Jack. It seems he doesn’t know you came to see me, right? “You may be younger and prettier than me, but so what? His success today is because of me, because of my family! “Why don’t you go ask him if he dares to divorce me for you and this illegitimate child? Does he dare?” With that, I took out my wallet, placed some cash on the table.

“I’ve paid for the coffee. You should keep the money you’ve earned as a homewrecker and mistress for yourself.” Having said that, I ignored her murderous glare, picked up my bag, and left the coffee shop. Leaving the cafe, I found myself in a daze at a private hospital. Today was originally the day I was supposed to pick up my medical report. After that miscarriage, I became very concerned about our health. At first, he would accompany me to get the medical reports, but in the past two years he always said he was too busy and let me go alone. He trusted me completely with this task. Now that I think about it, he was probably just too lazy to ask. “Emma, here’s your medical report. There’s nothing wrong, but Jack’s situation isn’t good. Why do you look so upset?” my best friend Lily asked with concern. She’s a doctor at this hospital, which is owned by her family. I wanted to put on a brave face and maintain my dignity. But at that moment, seeing my caring best friend, I couldn’t hold back the hurt in my heart any longer. My voice was choked with tears as I spoke: “Lily, Jack cheated on me. He even had a child with another woman. What should I do? How could he do this to me? “He said he didn’t care if we had children or not, that he would love me forever.” From childhood to adulthood, I rarely cried because my life had always been smooth sailing. Even after marrying Jack and going through some hard times, I still had my parents’ help and support. But now, I hated myself for being so weak, yet the tears still flowed uncontrollably. Jack and I were college classmates and have been married for seven years. In these seven years, we experienced the sweetness of passionate love, but that passion eventually faded into calm. I should have realized earlier that behind any calm surface, there are always turbulent undercurrents hidden beneath. Seeing me cry uncontrollably, Lily frantically tried to wipe away my tears. “That bastard Jack actually dared to cheat on you behind your back. Emma, don’t cry. Let’s divorce him! “I knew he was no good when he persuaded you to sneak your ID to get married. I felt he wasn’t a good person. These past two years he’s been so busy he can’t even spare the time to accompany you to get medical reports. But you just loved him so much, you wouldn’t listen to anyone. “I was wondering how to comfort you, but now it seems there’s no need. Karma! Jack Thompson deserves this!” Indeed, when I first introduced Jack to Lily, she didn’t like him. She always believed Jack wasn’t good enough for me, and I often defended him to her. I’m an only child from a wealthy family, pampered since childhood. I hardly encountered any difficulties or setbacks growing up. In college, I met Jack. After a few encounters, he started pursuing me. Having never dated before, I fell into the whirlpool of love. Blinded by love, I secretly married him right after graduation, persuaded by his sweet talk. Although my parents were angry with me, they reluctantly accepted him due to the circumstances. For my sake, my parents not only provided financial support but also introduced business connections, giving him the greatest support and boost in his career. During the early days of the company, I accompanied him in working overtime and attending business events. Later, as the company gradually got on track, I retreated behind the scenes, becoming what outsiders saw as the pampered Mrs. Thompson. Before meeting this woman, I had always been grateful that I hadn’t misjudged him. Now I see that Lily’s judgment of people was indeed accurate, at least better than mine. I was wrong, terribly wrong. Just then, my phone rang. It was Jack’s mother, my mother-in-law. “Where have you been? I found a folk remedy from my hometown. The master said it can cure your illness. Hurry back home from wherever you are and drink it while it’s hot, so you can give our Thompson family a child.” Ever since learning about my health issues, my mother-in-law didn’t say much at first. Actually, I’m not stupid. I know it’s not that she didn’t want to say anything, but that Jack had specifically instructed her not to. At that time, the company wasn’t as big as it is now, and still couldn’t do without my parents’ help. If they upset me and displeased my parents, the company’s business would be over. So for those few years, my mother-in-law treated me, her daughter-in-law, even better than she treated Jack, her own son. In the past two years, Jack has been quite successful, growing the company bigger and bigger, gradually no longer needing to rely completely on my parents’ help. With her son now having a say in the company, my mother-in-law started to show her true colors, nitpicking at me and finding fault everywhere, often forcing me to drink Chinese medicine to improve my health. Every time I mentioned this to Jack, he would use the excuse that his mother was old, telling me to be patient and bear with it. I loved him and knew he was busy with work and under a lot of pressure, so I didn’t want to trouble him with this. Even though I was reluctant, I forced myself to drink a lot of bitter Chinese medicine. As for him, he went behind my back to find a mistress and had an illegitimate child. How ridiculous when I think about it! “Mom, these folk remedies have no scientific basis and can be very dangerous. They might even kill someone. Please don’t look for these remedies anymore. I won’t drink them.” Because of Jack’s affair, I was in a bad mood, and my tone was somewhat harsh. My mother-in-law on the other end of the phone heard it too, and immediately became sarcastic. “Well, if you won’t drink it, that’s fine. But can you give me a grandson? Look at you, married to Jack for seven years and still haven’t given our Thompson family a child. “Our Jack is almost thirty, the only son of the Thompson family, the boss of a big company. If it weren’t for your inability to bear children, how could he not have a child by now? Is this how your parents taught you to be a daughter-in-law? “You better come back and drink this medicine, or don’t blame me for making Jack divorce you! A barren divorcee like you probably won’t be able to find a good man like our Jack again.” Before I could retort, she hung up the phone. “The Thompson family is really too much! Divorce! Emma, you must divorce him!” My best friend Lily indignantly said. I stared at the medical report in my hand, lost in thought. Just then, my phone received a text message from Jack. “Emma, don’t be angry with Mom about the medicine. She means well. She’s old and has high blood pressure. If she says a few words to you, just bear with it. After all, she’s your elder. “I’m coming home for dinner tonight. Remember to wait for me. I have something to tell you.” Again, asking me to bear with it. But I’ve endured enough. I don’t want to endure anymore. I did love Jack, but my love for him ended the moment I found out about his affair today. The child looks just over three months old, which means he’s been cheating for at least a year and a half. And I’ve been kept in the dark all this time. Thinking back on this past year and more, he often used overtime and business trips as excuses to not come home for days, not answering my calls. Even his attitude towards me became increasingly perfunctory and cold. I foolishly thought it was because of his work pressure. On our wedding anniversary, I called him to come home for dinner, and he accused me of being unreasonable and inconsiderate. It turns out it wasn’t my problem. He already had someone new. I’m not a fool. I won’t tolerate him continuing to trample on my dignity. I want to make him pay for this. “Lily, you’re right. I was blinded by love before, but now my mind is clear. “Divorce? That would be letting Jack off too easily. The company might even have to be split in half. If it weren’t for my parents’ help and support back then, the company wouldn’t be what it is today, and Jack Thompson wouldn’t be where he is now. “If I didn’t have this medical report, I might choose to divorce him. But now, I absolutely won’t divorce Jack. I know him. He would definitely leave everything to this child. “They want a son and she wants to be Mrs. Thompson? Well, I won’t let them have their way. “Back then, I co-founded the company with him. My efforts were no less than his. “For the sake of the company, I lost my child. But he broke his vow from back then. Since he’s being cruel, he can’t blame me for being ruthless. He can forget about the company.” I didn’t plan to sit idly by. Lily has a wide network and knows many people. I asked her to help me find a very capable private investigator. How much it costs doesn’t matter to me. After all, money is the least of my concerns. Jack gives me a sum of money every month as my living expenses. Although I no longer work at the company, I’m still a major shareholder and receive dividends every year. Plus, I have a good head for financial investment, earning enough money to cover my daily expenses. I need to find evidence of Jack’s affair as soon as possible, just in case. I also asked the private investigator to thoroughly investigate the background and identity of Jack’s mistress. She dared to arrogantly arrange a private meeting with me, presumably because Jack gave her the courage. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have told me such private information about my inability to conceive. Over the years, I’ve noticed Jack’s desire to have his own child. I’ve seen many doctors for this, but unfortunately, we’ve never been successful. At first, when my mother-in-law made me drink Chinese medicine, he would try to stop her. But in the past year, he directly told me to go along with my mother-in-law’s wishes. I suppose by then, he was already with Mia. People really are fickle. After seven years of marriage, I still know Jack’s personality inside out. He’s someone who responds better to gentle persuasion than to force. I believe that if I lower my stance and show some weakness, given our years of feelings and my parents’ influence behind me, he definitely wouldn’t divorce me for someone like Mia. But the premise is that I have to accept his illegitimate child. He’s no longer the poor boy who could only rely on my family. He now has his own connections and resources. So he’s willing to risk falling out with me and my parents to have his own child. Even though doing so would have a huge impact on him. But for this illegitimate child, this child he’s been longing for, he might really be willing to do anything. After all, he’s an only child, the only heir of the Thompson family. But I’m not willing. Why should I? I’m not the one who did anything wrong. He’s the one who cheated first, betraying our love and our marriage. Life is truly marvelous. It can bring you shocks, and it can also bring you surprises when you least expect them. Jack came back. As soon as he got home and saw me, he immediately apologized with a guilty face. “Honey, it’s all my fault. I had an emergency meeting yesterday and then worked overnight on a project. I didn’t have time to tell you, and I made you wait for me all night.” He looked remorseful and sincere. If I hadn’t seen the video Mia sent me, I might have believed his lies. Now he’s just full of lies, not a single word of truth coming out of his mouth. Seeing him like this, it’s clear he doesn’t know that I’ve found out about his affair. But since that’s the case, I’ll pretend I don’t know either. I kept my composure and replied, “It’s okay, I know you’re busy with work. I understand.” “I knew it, honey. You’re always so understanding. There’s something else I need to tell you. You know the economy hasn’t been good this year, which has led to some cash flow issues in our company. So I’ve been working on a big project. If we get it, our company will be able to overcome this difficult period. “The client is a well-known foreign company, but we’re not the only ones after this project. Other companies want it too. I’ve found out that the project manager on their side is the son of your dad’s old war buddy. Do you think you could ask your dad to help make a connection?” So that’s it. I looked at Jack’s fawning face in front of me and suddenly felt utterly disgusted. The person I once loved has long since become unrecognizable. I’m afraid he’s had no place for me in his heart for a long time. I’m just a ladder for him to climb up, a bridge to gain benefits. But I’m grateful that heaven is still on my side. I was wondering why my mother-in-law suddenly changed her attitude towards me. It turns out her precious son needs something from me. If he needs something from me, then many things will be much easier to handle. “Is that so? Honey, don’t worry, of course I’ll help you. I’ll talk to Dad about this.” Seeing that I agreed so readily, Jack was very happy. “Honey, there’s something else I want to ask you.”

When the plane crash happened, my pilot husband Samuel immediately snatched away my life jacket. He pinned me firmly against the emergency exit, using me to shield his first love from the raging flames. Giving her the chance to survive. In my previous life, the same thing happened. He pushed me out to save his first love. As the plane disintegrated, I was burned alive, my body completely destroyed. He cried inconsolably at my funeral, yet married his first love the very next day. But then he got into a car accident. Before dying, he said he regretted his actions. If given another chance, he swore he would save me. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the moment of the plane crash. Once more, he chose to save his first love, tying me to the disintegrating plane to await death. … Samuel used a safety rope to bind me tightly to the emergency exit. Having learned about airplane emergency procedures, I knew clearly that he intended to use my life alone to give everyone else a chance to escape. Using my body to block the oncoming flames, delaying the disintegration of the plane’s emergency exit. But I would be incinerated the instant the exit broke apart, my body torn into countless pieces. This was something emphasized repeatedly in survival training. Samuel must have remembered. “Samuel!” I shouted, but in the blink of an eye, I saw him embracing his first love as they jumped into the sea together. He held her figure tightly in his arms. The plane’s fuselage grew hotter and hotter, plummeting at an extreme speed. And I was left hanging at the emergency exit, experiencing the torment of ice and fire. My arms were scorched by the fierce flames. The skin gradually curled and blistered. The plane began to rapidly break apart in two places. At that moment, my entire body was overwhelmed by the fear of impending death. Looking at the death knot Samuel had tied with his own hands, seeing my wrists bruised purple from being trapped, I finally understood how laughable Samuel’s deathbed regrets in my previous life were. Heaven had given him another chance. Yet he still gave the opportunity to live to his first love, Olivia. This time, he even felt sorry that Olivia’s face had been burned in the previous life due to the fire, so he directly used me to block the rapidly approaching flames. Watching the fire consume my arms, yet calmly helping his first love put on the life jacket snatched from my hands. Using the life-saving rope meant for escape to seal off my path to survival. Enduring the pain, I watched as the plane was about to disintegrate, feeling the agony of my limbs being torn apart. It hurt so much, the pain made me faint. But when I opened my eyes and saw white walls, I was momentarily dazed. “She’s awake!” Having just regained consciousness, I was surrounded by a crowd of people. Several doctors and nurses pushed through the crowd and approached me. “Vitals normal!” “No adverse reactions!” “Excellent!” The doctor in charge told me that in the last moment before the plane disintegrated, I had fallen into the nearby sea. A man who had been sea fishing rescued me. He drove through the night to bring me to the hospital. Most fortunately, that man was also an accomplished surgeon, so along the way, he saved my life using his extensive emergency medical knowledge. The group surrounding me were mostly reporters. This plane crash with zero casualties had received extensive media coverage. Due to the massive exposure, the media discovered that there was one unauthorized passenger on the flight beyond the official headcount. But the airline refused to provide the specific passenger list, citing protection of customer privacy. In the end, it was the pilot Samuel who admitted that his wife Chloe had used his name to board the plane against regulations.

As a result, many uninformed members of the public believed I deserved such severe injuries. Some even publicly stated that I should have been dismembered and killed when the plane broke apart. My personal information was released online. During my hospitalization, countless media outlets and social media influencers wanted to get a first-hand interview with me, constantly harassing me. The hospital could only tell them I hadn’t fully regained consciousness and was still in a coma, blocking them from entering. But Samuel, as my husband, never showed up. Looking through those reports, I learned that Samuel had been named an outstanding pilot and everyday hero for his rescue efforts. He even did interviews with his first love Olivia, the two of them playing off each other, claiming that I had obstructed their rescue efforts. And that I had always been suspicious of their pure friendship, deliberately using Samuel’s name to board the plane. All because I was jealous. They said it was my jealousy that nearly endangered everyone on the plane. There were even people online starting to ship them as a couple, with captivating videos that even had me mesmerized. As I was watching, the attending physician walked in. “I see your spirits have improved a lot, you’re even interested in shipping your husband with someone else?” I closed my phone and cooperated with his examination. A whole patch of skin on my arm had been burned off, and every dressing change felt like death. He looked at it and said: “Logically, sitting in the middle, you should have been among the first group to escape. How did you end up burned so badly?” “And why are there marks on your hands as if you were tied up?” I looked at the attending physician. “I’ve been following the news for so long, why haven’t I heard anything about the black box?” “It hasn’t been found yet, after all it fell into the sea.” I shook my head. It would be found soon. Once found, everything would become clear. In my previous life, Samuel’s accident happened just before it was found. At that time, I really thought he was distracted by guilt over me, causing him to be hit by a car and die. Only later did I learn that it was because the black box had been found, and the fact that he had illegally allowed his first love into the cockpit and pushed me out to die was about to be exposed. After enjoying being adored by people for so long, he couldn’t accept going from heaven to hell. “Once the black box is found, everything will be clear.” “Alright!” Not long after the attending physician left, Samuel arrived. Olivia was following behind him. Seeing their matching couple outfits, I turned away in disgust. But Samuel sat down beside me and said: “Now that you’re awake, do an interview and say what I tell you to.” He tossed a notebook at me, hitting my hand. Using an imperious tone, he said: “Just take responsibility for everything yourself. It’s not like they’ll do anything to you anyway. It’ll save my job and help Olivia get reinstated too. It’s a good thing.” A good thing? I couldn’t hear anything good about it. He put the nearly wilted flowers he was holding into my vase. “As long as you obediently say what I tell you, I won’t divorce you. You’ll still be Samuel’s wife. If you don’t…” He glared at me before continuing: “We’ll have to get divorced.” This kind of threat had existed since I married him, and it had always worked before. This time he thought it would work too. Olivia stood to the side, looking at my injuries with disdain. But she put on a pitiful act and said: “Sister, you really misunderstood. Samuel and I are just ordinary friends. If you hadn’t boarded the plane this time, none of this would have happened. So… please, do me a favor. After all, you were in the wrong!” I didn’t board the plane? I was on that flight because of a sudden work assignment. The company booked the ticket for me. The HR department even specially grabbed this ticket for me, considering that my husband Samuel and I lived apart most of the time.

But in their words, it became me insisting on coming to catch them in the act. They even claimed that leaving me at the emergency exit, nearly causing me to be dismembered, was what I deserved. Olivia cried and pointed at the scar on her hand, “If it wasn’t for you constantly obstructing Samuel from rescuing me, I wouldn’t have had such a large area of skin burned off.” Samuel looked at her with heartache before turning to me and saying: “Look what you’ve caused. Don’t you feel any guilt? Olivia has so many burn injuries. If you hadn’t fought for the life jacket and refused to give it up, how could her injuries be so severe?” I let out a cold laugh. “I was a legitimate passenger who bought a ticket. That life jacket was from my seat.” I looked at Olivia. “As for her!” “Captain Samuel should know best how she got on board!” At this point Samuel fell silent, just lowering his head and fiddling with his fingers. He knew very well that this flight was going to a seaside destination. Olivia had insisted on going on a beach vacation with him, just the two of them, without me around. So Samuel made an exception and let her sit in the cockpit. Since they were all part of the same flight crew, everyone turned a blind eye, and Olivia just sat in the cockpit accompanying him on this flight. Moreover, Olivia played a big part in causing this plane crash. This was probably something even Samuel himself didn’t realize. “Olivia was originally part of our flight crew. If it wasn’t for you reporting her and getting her suspended, she wouldn’t have had to sneak on board with me. So you share responsibility too!” I reported her? I looked at Olivia and saw her face turn bright red in an instant as she lowered her head, not daring to speak. Although I had always been dissatisfied with Olivia’s relationship with Samuel, because their flight routes were so dangerous, I worried about Samuel getting into an accident. So I basically turned a blind eye. I hadn’t even shown anyone else those provocative messages she sent. Let alone report her. “What did I report her for?!” I asked, and Samuel immediately raised his voice by several octaves. “You reported her for improper conduct and seducing your husband. Who else but you would report that!” Improper conduct? I couldn’t help but laugh. At this moment, Olivia suddenly seemed to break down and blurted out: “Who else could be so petty but you? You still won’t admit it? I asked the people in the complaint department, and they said it was you!” Just as she was speaking, a group of reporters rushed in, holding up various equipment. They excitedly rushed up to me. “Regarding the recent news about you, what’s your own view? Did you go to catch your husband cheating and obstruct him from rescuing other passengers, causing the accident to worsen?” I looked at Samuel, took the microphone, and said softly: “My husband wants me to admit to everything, so I’ll admit to it all!” The reporters looked at me in confusion. At that moment, someone in the crowd shouted: “The black box from the plane crash has been found! Officials say they’ve extracted important evidence and will hold a press conference soon to announce the cause!”

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I returned to the country ahead of schedule without telling my husband, Herbert Foster, because I wanted to give him a surprise. Following the location, I rushed to the pub’s box. However, through the glass window, I saw him passionately kissing another woman in his arms. All his friends were cheering, and one of them said, “You said you’d be a DINK for your wife, but you still got Stella pregnant. Your wife is so high and mighty and boring. She won’t even give you a kid.” Herbert frowned and scolded, “Shut up. Don’t make jokes about my wife. When Stella’s baby is born, I’ll find an excuse to let my wife adopt him.” After lighting a cigarette, he added, “My wife is delicate and can’t have children. If anyone lets my wife find out about these things, I won’t let them off the hook.” Everyone swore they would keep it from me, and I stood outside the door as tears streamed down my face. The man who once doted on me and said he couldn’t bear to see me suffer from pregnancy and was willing to be a DINK for me had already had a child with someone else behind my back. Such being the case, I would never let him find me for the rest of his life.

I came home in a daze. I knew that woman. She was Stella Edwards, the new secretary Herbert Foster had hired. Everything I saw outside that box seemed to be etched in my mind and lingered there for a long time. Those hurtful words kept echoing in my head and reminded me that Herbert, the man who I thought loved me with all his heart and soul, had truly betrayed me. I took out my phone and initiated a video call to Herbert, but he hung up on me in a flash. Almost immediately, several messages popped up on my screen. [What’s up, babe? I’m in the middle of a meeting.] [Sorry, I can’t answer your call right now, babe.] [Are you missing me? I miss you, too, honey. I’ll wrap up this meeting soon, and we can have a video chat then. Love you.] If I hadn’t seen him locking lips with another woman with my own eyes, I might have fallen for his sweet-talking lies. I sent him a voice message, telling him that I had come home early. Herbert quickly replied: [Why’d you come home early, honey? I’ll be home right away.] I didn’t bother replying to him. Instead, I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the night view of Rivrt. Yesterday, while I was at a fashion show overseas, my assistant, Tiffany Reed, told me that Herbert had specifically told her to buy every single piece of clothing that caught my eye. Tiffany had laid it on thick, trying to speak up for Herbert. “Ms. Brown, Mr. Foster loves you so much. He wants to bring all the good things in the world to you.” She was right, in a way. Herbert had loved me. He loved me so much that even though I saw him kiss another woman with my own eyes, I still doubted if I had seen it wrong. My mom died of amniotic fluid embolism when she gave birth to me. My dad raised me until I was eighteen and then committed suicide by cutting his wrists to join my mom in death. He left me with hundreds of millions of dollars in inheritance, which made me a prime target for all sorts of people with malicious intentions. Then, Herbert entered my life. He was my knight in shining armor, protecting me from all the dangers and harm, creating a safe bubble around me. He refused to get even a single cent of my money. Instead, he transferred all of his properties under my name. Everyone said that his love for me bordered on obsession. He was such a proud and dignified man, yet he’d race back just to catch a glimpse of me even when he was swamped with work and only had half an hour of break time. I had a deep-seated psychological trauma because of my mom’s death, and I was terrified of having children. Herbert would hold me close in his arms and plant gentle kisses on me, saying, “It’s probably for the best if we don’t have a baby. I’m scared that once he’s here, he’ll steal all your love away from me, and I’ll be envious. Honey, having you is more than enough for me in this lifetime. You’re the only one I love.” Herbert’s love had almost suffocated me in a way. Even though I was angry at my dad for leaving me behind, I envied the unwavering love my parents had for each other, a love that was strong enough to make one follow the other into the unknown. I once thought that, just like my mom, I had married for true love and was the luckiest woman on the planet. But in the end, it all turned out to be a beautiful dream that shattered into a million pieces.

Time seemed to stand still until the sound of the door opening broke the silence. Herbert stood at the door with a beaming face. After he warmed up a bit, he rushed over and hugged me tightly. He said, “Honey, why did you come back early? Wasn’t your flight supposed to be tomorrow? Why didn’t you tell me? I could have come to pick you up.” I stared blankly at the lipstick mark on Herbert’s neck and reached out to wipe it off for him. “Herbert, I don’t like this smell on you.” There was a scent of women’s perfume on him that didn’t belong to him. The glaring lipstick mark and the cloying perfume were like a silent challenge from that woman to me. Herbert’s expression froze for a moment. But then, he quickly regained his composure. He took a step back, took off his overcoat, and threw it on the floor. Looking at me with a remorseful face, he said, “Sorry, honey. There was a client at the meeting tonight whose perfume was way too strong. It’s my fault. I was in such a hurry to come back and see you that I didn’t have time to deal with it.” Herbert was so smart. He mixed truth and falsehood in his words. It was true that he was eager to come back to see me, but the story about the client’s perfume was a lie. A cold smile played on my face. My fingers wrapped around his tie, and I gave it a hard tug. With our faces just inches apart, I said slowly, “Herbert, you’re not fooling around with someone else behind my back, are you?” Herbert’s pupils trembled slightly, and a look of panic flashed across his face. But years of experience in the business world had already honed his ability to stay calm in any situation. He quickly composed himself and looked at me with a pitiful expression, and there were even tears glistening in his eyes. “Honey, you’re the only one in my heart. Did I do something wrong to make you ask me such a question?” Seeing how nervous he was, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, saying, “Just kidding. Why are you so serious? Look, you’re even sweating. Go and take a shower.” I reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Herbert’s stiff body quickly relaxed. He kissed my lips and said in a soft, reproachful voice, “Don’t say such things again. You almost scared me to death.” He kissed me for a while before going to take a shower. The moment he turned around, my smile disappeared, replaced by overwhelming feelings of resentment and disgust. Tears streamed down my face, and I wiped my lips vigorously. The moment I saw the panic in his eyes, I felt that the man I had loved for nearly ten years was so unfamiliar and repulsive. When Herbert came out of the shower, he wrapped his arms around my waist, attempting to be affectionate. I subtly moved away and curled up in the corner. “I’m tired.” Herbert felt so sorry for me. He carefully adjusted the quilt for me and patted my back as if he were coaxing a child. He said, “You’ve had a long day, babe. Get some rest. I’ll spend more time with you tomorrow.” Gradually, I heard his even breathing. I stared at Herbert’s face in the dark, and my tears wet the pillow. Even when he was sleeping, he would unconsciously mumble my name. I couldn’t figure it out. How could he not love me anymore?

The next day, Herbert really stayed by my side all the time. The formidable president of a corporation was willing to act like a nanny for me. Even when it came to eating grapes, he would peel them and feed them to my mouth. That night, he booked the most luxurious high-altitude restaurant in the whole city for a date with me. The view outside the window was dazzlingly beautiful. Herbert took out the necklace he had designed himself and put it around my neck. This necklace was called Love-Samantha, and it was inlaid with a valuable ruby. Herbert looked at me with eyes full of love. “Honey, you look so beautiful wearing this necklace.” He leaned over and was about to kiss me when the phone on the table rang. I glanced at it, and it was a phone call from his secretary, Stella. Herbert answered the phone with a look of impatience, “I told you I’m spending time with my wife today. I’m not available. Can’t whatever work-related matter wait until tomorrow?” I didn’t know what the person on the other end said, but Herbert’s tone softened, and a look of panic flashed across his face. “Wait for me. I’ll be there right away.” After hanging up, Herbert looked at me guiltily. “Sorry, honey. I need to deal with an urgent matter. I promise I’ll be back soon.” He tried to kiss me, but I dodged him subtly. “Don’t keep her waiting.” Herbert left in a hurry, and I looked at those dishes on the table that I used to love the most. At this moment, they tasted like sawdust to me, and I could hardly swallow them. I turned my head, and my tired and disappointed face was reflected in the glass window. The dazzling necklace around my neck made me look like a clown. I got up to go home, but the wedding ring on my hand suddenly fell off. In the dark, I couldn’t see it and could only squat down to look for it. The ring got stuck in the crack and was pushed further and further away. My heart suddenly skipped a beat. Maybe it was the fated arrangement. Herbert and I were like this wedding ring, getting further and further apart. On the way home, my phone received a photo of Herbert. Herbert was looking at the pregnancy test report in his hand with a gentle smile. A dull pain hit my heart. The person then sent me several videos of her being intimate with Herbert, which were filmed in the car, his office, or a hotel room. There were countless pieces of lingerie and sex toys, and condoms were all over the floor. That person kept sending me messages: [Just because I said my stomach hurt, he left you and came to me. Samantha, can’t you see which woman is really in Herbert’s heart?] [He said that I’m young and fun and that you’re haughty and uptight. You’re so stiff in bed that he’s already grown tired of you.] [The one who isn’t loved is the outsider. You’d better leave on your own. Don’t make me kick you out with my baby.] Every gasp in the videos wildly stimulated my nerves. My hands were shaking so violently that I could barely hold my phone. A wave of overwhelming pain washed over me, and tears streamed down my face. In the end, I covered my face with both hands and broke down into sobs. When Herbert came back, it was almost midnight. At that time, I was lying on the sofa, pretending to be asleep. Herbert thought I had fallen asleep while waiting for him. He felt extremely guilty, picked me up in his arms, and put me on the bed. He held my cold feet against his chest to warm them up. I opened my eyes, facing away from him. In the stillness of the night, I asked him, “Herbert, do you love me?” The person behind me froze. Then, he hugged me tightly, and scalding tears fell on my shoulder. I couldn’t tell if it was out of guilt or some other emotion. At that moment, Herbert was indeed crying. He said, “I’m so sorry I came back so late and made you wait for so long, honey. Please don’t ever doubt my love for you. You mean the world to me, more than my own life.” I turned around and met Herbert’s intense gaze, his bright eyes filled with my reflection. It brought back memories of the time when I was alone and vulnerable, and he had stepped in to protect me from the harsh realities of the world, and the way he had looked at me with those clear eyes back then. I had never doubted true feelings, but true feelings could change in an instant. I smiled and touched his face. “I love you, Herbert.” I would always love Herbert, whom I met when I was eighteen, but I wouldn’t stay with him anymore. Herbert held me tightly in his arms as if holding something fragile. He whispered, “Honey, shall we adopt a child in a couple of years?” I knew he was talking about the child he had with Stella. I didn’t hesitate. “Okay.” Anyway, I was going to leave, and he could adopt whoever’s child he wanted.

When I woke up, Herbert had already gone to work. On the bedside table, there was breakfast he’d personally prepared, along with a freshly plucked rose. My phone was flooded with affectionate messages from Herbert. Amidst them were some lurid videos sent by Stella. Just as Herbert sent me a video updating me on his whereabouts, Stella was using her hand to pleasure him. A wave of nausea surged within me. I raised my hand and swept the breakfast off the bedside table. After yanking the necklace from around my neck and tossing it into the trash can, I booked a flight ticket abroad. In the afternoon, Herbert returned and personally assisted me in putting on a dress. “You must accompany me to the company dinner tonight, babe. I want everyone to envy me for having such a gorgeous wife,” he said. I didn’t decline and let him lead me to the car. I had met Stella before, yet I was still taken aback by her transformation tonight. Money truly could work wonders for a person. She no longer had that timid air she’d had when I first met her. Instead, she’d become an elegant and radiant woman. There was a faint resemblance between her features and mine. As an assistant, she was clad in an expensive, custom-made dress and decked out in jewelry from head to toe. She truly seemed to be the one Herbert cared for most. Herbert remained by my side throughout, holding my hand, but he kept stealing glances in Stella’s direction until a CEO asked Stella to have a drink with him. Stella couldn’t refuse and was about to raise the glass to her lips. Herbert swiftly let go of my hand, snatched the glass from Stella, and drank the wine in one gulp. He did it so forcefully that I nearly lost my balance and fell to the ground. Suddenly, all the surrounding eyes turned towards me. There were looks of mockery, confusion, and pity. Herbert then realized and rushed towards me. He nervously took my hand and explained, “Stella is pregnant and can’t drink. As her boss, I couldn’t just stand by and watch her risk her health for the sake of business, right?” I suppressed the urge to slap him and stared at Stella with a smile. “Ms. Edwards is truly capable. She’s still socializing even though she’s pregnant. I’m curious what the father of the child is up to?” Stella stood beside Herbert and showed me the ruby bracelet on her wrist. “The father of my child is busy making money. My husband designed this ruby bracelet himself. It’s called Love-Stella.” My heart constricted painfully, and the sudden, intense ache made my face turn pale. So, Herbert had designed a necklace and a bracelet, giving one to me and the other to Stella. Noticing my appearance, Herbert pushed Stella aside and nervously grasped my arm, looking concerned as he said, “Honey, why do you look so pale? Are you feeling ill?” I shook my head, steadied myself against the table, and pushed his hand away. “I’m a bit tired. I’m going back first.” Herbert wanted to accompany me back. I smiled and pushed him toward Stella. “It’s okay. Take good care of the pregnant lady. Make sure she doesn’t drink again.” With that, I turned around and left. When Herbert saw me leave like this, a strong sense of unease and anxiety flashed through his heart. He was about to chase after me, but Stella tightly latched onto his arm. “Herbert, I bought the clothes you like the most.” Herbert hesitated for a moment, then turned back and pinched Stella’s cheek. “You are such a coquettish girl.” I didn’t leave but was sitting in the car across the road. I watched as they came out hand in hand and got into Herbert’s car, saying to the driver, “Wayne, follow them.”

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I’m Pregnant, But All I Got Was “Aria Collins? I Despise Such Commodities with a Price Tag.” After he got drunk, I found lipstick marks on his shirt collar that weren’t mine. My heart turned to ashes. I terminated our child. On the day of our divorce, I threw down the agreement: “Mr. Bennett, we’re done.” I left everything in our marital home, including his photos. He asked me with reddened eyes: “What about me? Are you leaving me behind too?” Later, Lucas Bennett stopped me in the pouring rain like a madman, pulling out a crumpled prenatal check-up form: “We clearly had a child…” I stood at the hospital entrance, clutching the test results tightly. The late spring breeze, carrying the scent of hospital disinfectant, rushed into my collar. The ultrasound image burned hot in my palm. Three months. It seemed that reckless, drunken night had truly left me with a gift. As the digital lock beeped, the entryway mirror reflected my upturned lips. In my mind, I rehearsed countless times how I should break the news. “Lucas, I’m pregnant.” I kept repeating this phrase in my head. I walked up to the second floor. The door to the study was ajar, and Lucas’s voice, mixed with the soft clink of ice cubes in his whiskey glass, came crashing down. “Aria Collins? I despise such commodities with a price tag.” Standing outside the study, I suddenly turned into a laughable statue, the wedding ring on my ring finger painfully digging into my bone. Three months ago, when he woke up drunk by my side, his tone was just as cold. “I was just drunk.” My nails dug into the edge of the test results, a tear falling onto the paper. So my three years of patience, the entryway light I left on late at night, even the fresh flowers I deliberately changed to match his mood, were all just price tags on a commodity in his eyes. I heard Lucas getting up from his chair in the study. As I quickly left, I knocked over a vase at the corner. Instinctively, I protected my belly. Lucas frowned at me and said, “Is your gastritis acting up again?” I didn’t answer him, only saying, “I’m going back to my family’s place for a few days.” He didn’t ask why, just walked past me, leaving behind one last word. “Troublesome.” I squeezed my eyes shut, trying hard not to let the tears fall.

I stayed in a hotel for five days, staring blankly at my phone screen every day, but Lucas didn’t call even once. Every day, I practiced in my mind how to tell him about the pregnancy, but I kept asking myself: Does he really want this child? In the evening, my phone suddenly vibrated. I almost pounced to answer it, my heart beating so fast it almost jumped out of my throat. But Lucas’s voice was as cold as ever: “Come back to the family estate for dinner tomorrow night.” I gripped the phone tightly, my throat constricting: “Okay.” After hanging up, I stood in front of a pile of clothes, lost in thought. I chose a loose-fitting beige dress that just covered my slightly protruding belly. The lights at the Bennett estate were warm and bright, with Mrs. Bennett already waiting at the door. She affectionately took my arm: “Aria, why have you gotten thinner?” I shook my head with a smile. Although Lucas had no feelings for me, his aunt and uncle were very kind to me. The dining table was full of my favorite dishes, but I couldn’t taste anything. Suddenly, Mr. Bennett put down his chopsticks, his gaze moving back and forth between Lucas and me. “When are you planning to give me a grandchild?” My hand trembled, and the fork made a crisp sound against the porcelain plate. Lucas said without changing his expression, “Dad, we’re too busy with work right now, we haven’t considered it yet.” Mr. Bennett frowned and said, “No matter how busy work is, you need to consider family…” Lucas interrupted him, saying coldly, “Dad, it’s a crucial time for the company right now. A child wouldn’t be appropriate.” I lowered my head, pushing the rice around in my bowl, tears almost falling into the soup. This meal tasted like chewing wax. I could hardly remember what I had eaten. As we walked out of the estate, the night breeze carried the scent of gardenia. I mustered up the courage to speak: “About the child Uncle just mentioned…” Lucas interrupted me, his voice cold as ice: “I don’t want one.” My heart turned to ashes. It wasn’t because of the company or anything else. It was because he didn’t want it. He didn’t want a child with me. I stood still, watching him open the car door. The taillights drew two glaring red lines in the night, just like the blood marks my nails had left on my palm. I touched my belly, where a life that would never be anticipated by him was growing.

No matter what, staying at the hotel indefinitely wasn’t a solution. Regardless, this was Lucas’s child, and he had to know. I stood at the villa’s entrance with my suitcase, taking a deep breath before swiping my card to enter. A strong smell of alcohol hit me, making me cough involuntarily. Mrs. Wilson poked her head out from the kitchen, still holding a bowl of hangover soup. She lowered her voice and told me, “The master got drunk today.” I nodded, leaving my suitcase in the entryway. Three months ago, on that rainy night, he had barged into my room just as drunk. “I’ll go check on him,” I told Mrs. Wilson. I tiptoed upstairs. The study door was slightly ajar. Lucas was slumped in his leather chair with his eyes closed, his tie hanging loosely around his neck, the top three buttons of his shirt undone. Given how drunk he was tonight, it clearly wasn’t a good time to talk about serious matters. I stood at the door watching him for a while, but eventually just gently closed it. Back in the master bedroom, I put down my bag and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. The bathroom light was still on, and his dirty shirts were piled in the laundry basket. I sighed, bending down to pick up a shirt to throw in the washing machine. Suddenly, a jarring red caught my eye. I froze, my fingers involuntarily tightening. On the shirt collar, a complete lipstick mark was clearly visible, a bright red lipstick, glaringly obvious. I stared at that lipstick mark, suddenly recalling the scene from three months ago. That day, he had come home just as drunk, reeking of alcohol, pinning me against the wall, his hot breath on my ear. Tears fell uncontrollably, landing on the shirt and spreading into a small wet patch. I could only throw the shirt into the washing machine with trembling hands and press the start button. I crouched on the bathroom floor, my heart feeling like it was being cut by a knife. So in his eyes, I was no different from those women. As long as he was drunk, anyone would do. I stood up, leaning against the wall, my legs weak. The person in the mirror was pale, with swollen red eyes. Suddenly, the bathroom door was pushed open. Lucas stood swaying in the doorway, his shirt wrinkled beyond recognition. He squinted at me, his brows furrowed tightly. “You did the laundry for me?” His voice was hoarse. The washing machine’s end-of-cycle alert broke the silence. I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and responded to him. “Mm.” Then I left the bathroom without looking back at him again. I went to the garage, sat in the car, trying hard to calm myself. My hand caressed my belly, and I smiled. “Mommy will take you away from this cage.” There were 23 days left until the expiration of my contract with Lucas Bennett.

My hand shook on the steering wheel, tears blurring my vision, forcing me to wipe them away repeatedly. I watched the Bennett family villa grow smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror, finally disappearing into the night. The mechanical female voice of the navigation system announced “City Women’s and Children’s Hospital,” as if reading out the verdict for my marriage to Lucas Bennett. The hospital’s fluorescent lights stung my eyes. The nurse handed me the surgical consent form. I stared at the paper, my fingers trembling so much I could barely hold the pen. I looked up at the waiting area. A poster of a baby was on the wall, those clear big eyes seemed to be watching me. I closed my eyes, remembering how Lucas looked at me every time, with coldness, mockery, and disdain. I signed my name on the consent form, the pen tip scratching across the white paper as if cutting through my flesh and blood. The light in the changing room was stark white. I changed into a hospital gown, the fabric rubbing against my skin causing slight pain. Lying in the operating room, as the anesthesia was pushed into my veins, I heard the metallic clash of instruments. Suddenly, I remembered the scene from our marriage registration day. That day, I was full of joy, finally able to become husband and wife with the person I liked. But Lucas wore sunglasses, impatiently tossing the signing pen to me. Perhaps I should have understood then that this marriage was a mistake from the very beginning. In the ward, morning light leaked through the gaps in the curtains. When I sat up, a wave of intense nausea hit me. I dry heaved at the bedside, tears falling. I touched my belly with trembling hands; there was nothing there anymore. I had thought that three years of marriage would at least earn me a bit of affection from Lucas Bennett, but I was wrong. What I got from him was contempt, disdain, and his infidelity to our marriage. I was thoroughly tired of the Bennett family’s cage. A week later, I left the hospital. As I drove across the river bridge, I rolled down the window and threw out my wedding ring without hesitation. The platinum band traced a silver parabola in the sunlight, and as it plunged into the river, I felt as if I had let go of a great deal. Only 15 days left until I leave the Bennett family.

When I pushed open the villa door, the sensor light in the entryway immediately lit up, the glaring light making me squint instinctively. Lucas was sitting on the living room sofa, holding a finance magazine. I noticed faint dark circles under his eyes. Seven or eight empty coffee cans were scattered at his feet, like some bizarre warning line. Seeing me return, he closed the magazine with a sound like a judge’s gavel. “Where have you been all these days?” I bent down to change into slippers, feeling a dull pain in my lower back from the abortion surgery. “Dealing with some personal matters.” I returned to my room and sat at the dressing table. The drawer was stuck; I yanked it hard, and a photo album slid out, hitting my foot. I sat on the bed and opened the album. The first photo was from our wedding. I was wearing a white wedding dress, a happy smile on my face, while he stood beside me, expressionless, looking at the camera. Flipping further, there was a candid shot of me secretly looking at his profile during a birthday party. In the photo, he was on the phone, his brow furrowed like a distant mountain, while my hand holding the cake was white with nervousness. The album was full of photos of us together, and photos of him. But none of just me. In every photo, there was an unbridgeable distance between us. When there was a knock on the door, I flipped the album face down on my lap. “Come in.” Lucas entered with a bag that seemed to contain medicine. “We’re out of gastritis medicine at home. This is for you.” I didn’t say much, just a flat, “Oh, thanks.” He stood at the door like a statue, his shadow stretched by the light, crawling up to the foot of my bed. Seeing he wasn’t leaving, I frowned and asked, “Anything else?” He shook his head and then left the room. I went over and picked up the medicine he had brought me, throwing it all in the trash, along with the photo album. In 10 days, in this villa, I would only need to take myself away.

Today is a special day, the day of my divorce from Lucas Bennett. I stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the hotel, overlooking the central axis of River City. The glass curtain wall reflects my image, with fiery makeup and carefully styled curled hair. Surprisingly, Lucas hasn’t called me once today. I thought he would be more eager than me, after all, these three years of marriage were nothing but an unwilling contract for him. Never mind, the divorce agreement is already in my hands, I’ve signed it, now I’m just waiting for him to sign. I pick up the documents on the table and walk out of the hotel in 4-inch stilettos. Walking into the office building of Bennett Group, my reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors shows a white silk shirt and a black pencil skirt. The rhythm of my heels hitting the ground is quick and powerful, announcing my good mood today. Along the way, employees greet me. “Good morning, Mrs. Bennett.” “Mrs. Bennett, you look beautiful today.” I smile and respond to everyone, even joking with them a bit. In the past, I always walked by with my head down, afraid of disturbing others. Standing in front of Lucas’s office door, I take a deep breath and knock. “Come in,” his deep voice comes from inside. I push the door open. He’s looking down at some documents, his brow slightly furrowed. Hearing footsteps, he looks up, his frown deepening when he sees it’s me. His voice carries obvious impatience: “What are you doing at the company?” I don’t speak, just walk to his desk and place the divorce agreement in front of him. My finger lightly taps the place for his signature. He looks down at the document, then back up at me. For a moment, I actually see a hint of bewilderment in his expression. I tuck my hair behind my ear, smiling as I say, “Mr. Bennett, we’re done.”

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On the 100th day of having Alzheimer’s, I couldn’t find my way home. I dialed Jack Thompson’s number. But what came through first was the sultry moan of his stepsister, “Mmm… Jack, your technique is getting better and better!” Then came his hoarse, angry voice. “Rachel Moore, are you fucking retarded?” “You know Emily can’t be without me because of her skin hunger syndrome, yet you dare to interfere.” “If you can’t make it back, just go find a sea and die!” Later, I fulfilled his wish and really went to die. He then kept asking my tombstone, “Rachel, what should I do if I can’t find you?” “Miss, are you done with your phone call?” the store owner asked, looking at me with tear-filled eyes. He continued, “Miss, where do you live? I’ll take you home.” “Don’t worry, I won’t charge you. I just think it’s not safe for a young woman to be out alone so late at night.” I looked at the owner in confusion, unable to say a word. I couldn’t remember where home was. I only remembered Jack Thompson’s phone number, but Jack hung up on me. He wouldn’t come to pick me up, and he even told me to go die. Leaving the store, the late autumn wind made my thin nightgown flutter loudly. It’s so cold! I hit my head hard, trying to remember where home was. But I just couldn’t recall. Just as I was getting agitated, a man approached me and asked warmly, “Miss Moore, I know where your home is. I’ll take you back.” I took several steps back, eyeing the man warily. Jack had said not to trust any man other than him. “Miss Moore, don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person. I’m Jack’s friend. My name is Chris Sanders. He sent me to pick you up.” “Look, this is the message Jack sent me.” He even showed me a photo of him with Jack. I immediately smiled from ear to ear. I knew it. How could Jack not care about me? I’m his most beloved wife. I got into Chris’s car. Half an hour later, he took me to a dark, narrow basement. There was no Jack here, and Jack and my home didn’t look like this. I turned to leave, but Chris blocked me. I lowered my voice and said carefully, “Mister, let me go. I can give you a lot of money.” Jack had said that when in danger, pretend to be weak first, and save your life before anything else. Sure enough, hearing my words, Chris, who had looked vicious before, smiled. “Miss Moore, I’ll let you go, but I don’t want money. I just need you to… do me a small favor.” “What favor?” “I want Miss Moore to put these on and do a livestream for me.” Looking at the revealing lingerie, my forced calm instantly crumbled. I used all my strength to push Chris to the ground, then quickly ran towards the door. The moment my hand touched the doorknob, it felt like my scalp was being torn apart, followed by my whole body being slammed hard against the wall. “Bitch, you dare to run away!” “I’m telling you, you’re going to stream whether you like it or not!” “But first, let me enjoy myself a bit!” The sound of clothes tearing and the man’s disgusting touch terrified me. Jack, pick up the phone quickly! Please pick up! When Chris’s hand reached my pants, the phone was finally answered. “Jack, save me!” I cried out shakily. But the voice that came through the phone was Jack’s cold and mocking tone. “What? You were pretending to be retarded earlier, and now you’re putting on an act of being kidnapped?” “Then just go die!” “It’s not like that, I really…” The busy tone that came through the phone cut off my screams. “Bitch, you think Jack Thompson will come save you? You’re dreaming.” “Today is Miss Harris’s birthday. He’s busy accompanying Miss Harris. How could he come save you, the daughter of a murderer!” Right, I remembered now. Jack Thompson hates me. How could he possibly come to save me? After all, my dad killed his mom.

When I was 8, my family went bankrupt, and my dad became addicted to alcohol and gambling. When he was drunk or lost money, he would beat my mom and me. My mom endured it for three years before finally running away on a stormy night. My dad took out all his anger on me. That’s when Jack Thompson appeared. He was a year younger than me but saved me from my dad’s hands. He said, “You girls are always crying. Don’t cry anymore. I’ll protect you from now on.” A promise worth its weight in gold! He protected me for a full five years, breaking three ribs for me, and my dad went to jail because of it. Jack brought me back to the Thompson family. He told his parents, “This is the wife I’m going to marry in the future. You better take good care of her, or I won’t take care of you in your old age!” That earned him a good beating from Mrs. Thompson. Mrs. Thompson would make me lots of delicious food. I especially loved the strawberry cake she made. I loved listening to Mr. Thompson tell me history stories the most. The days at the Thompson house were my happiest times. On my 23rd birthday, Jack coaxed me into getting our marriage license. Mrs. Thompson was as happy as a child and said she wanted to prepare a grand wedding for me. I was spoiled and refused her kindness, even persuading her to go on a trip with me, leaving Jack behind. If it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t have encountered my dad, and Mrs. Thompson wouldn’t have died protecting me. My dad was the direct murderer of her death, and I was an accomplice. Jack hating me was justified.

I was covered in blood, stumbling back home at 7 AM. Jack had just put freshly steamed buns in front of Emily. Seeing me, Emily covered her mouth and shouted, “Oh my God, Rachel, where are your clothes? Why are you wearing a man’s clothes?” “Rachel, you’re too much. You were out all night, and Jack was so worried he couldn’t sleep.” Indeed, he hadn’t slept. Last night, Emily’s skin hunger syndrome flared up, and Jack had stayed up all night with her. Now, Emily’s Instagram still had a picture of them holding hands tightly, with the caption: “The best medicine to cure illness is the company of your loved one all night long!!” “Heh… Rachel, how much fake blood did you use this time?” Emily was referring to the time I had an episode and mistook her for my dad, crying on the phone for Jack to come save me and Mrs. Thompson. But when Jack rushed back, what he saw was me covered in fake blood. That was the first time Jack laid hands on me. He gripped my neck, “Rachel Moore, you’d use this excuse to compete with Emily for attention.” “Why couldn’t it have been you who died back then?!” … “Jack, if I told you I was almost raped last night, would you believe me?” I looked into Jack’s eyes and asked. Jack sneered, “Rachel Moore, your acting skills put even me, an award-winning actor, to shame!” “If you had listened to me back then and pursued a career in entertainment, you’d be the one winning Best Actress awards.” I couldn’t bear to hear his sarcasm anymore and shouted, “I’m sick, Jack! It’s because I’m sick!” “Sick? What illness? Depression or dementia?” Seeing the disdain on his face, my throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, unable to utter a single syllable. In the past, Jack would take every word I said seriously, but now he wouldn’t believe even half a word. “What rape? What illness? What? Are you trying to find a noble excuse for your promiscuous behavior?” “If I had known you were such a slutty woman, I would never have saved you, no matter what.” He violently threw a phone at my forehead. Blood covered my eyes, but I didn’t dare close them. I stared wide-eyed at the video playing on the phone. In the video, I was sprawled on top of Chris Sanders with disheveled clothes, whispering intimately in his ear. Although the video had no sound, anyone could tell from Chris’s smile that what I was saying must have been lewd words. I instantly understood everything. Chris was Emily’s man. Emily not only wanted to destroy me but also wanted Jack to despise me even more. It was truly killing two birds with one stone. Before, for Jack’s sake, I had always tolerated Emily, but now I didn’t want to anymore. I suddenly lunged at Emily, but she was prepared. She grabbed a fruit knife from the dining table and came at me. The fruit knife sliced across my palm, and blood splattered on the white floor, like blooming red flowers. But in Jack’s eyes, all he saw was Emily falling to the ground. His panicked gaze was exactly like when Mrs. Thompson had the accident. At that moment, I finally understood that Jack had no feelings for me other than hatred. As Jack carried Emily away, he said if anything happened to her, he would make me regret being alive. But Jack, I had long since regretted it.

At noon, I received a phone call. “Hello, Miss Moore. This is Sam Stewart. Have you considered what I told you this morning?” Last night, I had deliberately submitted to Chris, knocked him out when he wasn’t paying attention, and escaped. If I hadn’t met Sam, I probably wouldn’t have made it home that night. He lent me his coat and sent me back. He’s a lifestyle blogger looking for filming material. When he learned I was an Alzheimer’s patient, he wanted me to be his subject. To record the real life of an Alzheimer’s patient and call on young people to start taking care of their health early. “I’m willing to be your subject,” I said. I still had some use. That’s good. “But don’t release the video for now.” Jack was about to start filming a new movie. I didn’t want to affect him. Sam was quick; in less than an hour, he came to install cameras. Hidden cameras inside, and he would follow me outside. Looking at the empty villa, he asked, “Miss Moore, do you live alone in such a big house?” I nodded. Jack had moved in with his father to the Harris family three years ago. “Then where’s your partner?” “Divorced.” Actually, I lied to him. I had proposed divorce a month after Mrs. Thompson’s accident, but Jack didn’t agree at that time. He hated me but couldn’t bear to let me go. Back then, he would often crawl into my bed in the middle of the night, hugging me from behind and repeatedly asking, “Rachel, what should we do?” I had no answer, I could only silently cry.

I was becoming lucid less and less often. I didn’t know what I did when I was out of it, but every time I woke up, I was greeted by a mess. Like now, what I saw was Mr. Thompson’s angry gaze and the gloating looks of Emily and her mother. “Rachel Moore, not only did you kill Jack’s mother, but you’re also celebrating your birthday on her death anniversary. Has your conscience been eaten by dogs?” “You won’t die well, you’ll definitely face retribution.” This was the Thompson family’s old house. Looking at the festive decorations all over the house and the three-tiered cake on the table, I felt like I had fallen into an ice pit. Rachel Moore, that was Mrs. Thompson, the Mrs. Thompson who saved your life. What have you done? Rachel Moore, you really deserve to die. “Mr. Thompson, I’m sorry, I…” “I don’t want your apology. Get out of my house right now!” Seeing Mr. Thompson about to faint, I didn’t dare stay any longer. I bowed deeply to Mr. Thompson. “I’m sorry.” When I opened the door, I saw an furious Jack. “You wanted to celebrate your birthday? Then let me give you a proper celebration.” He took me to a bar’s private room and ordered a lot of alcohol. “It’s your birthday, so we must drink. Come on, have a glass.” Before I could move, he grabbed a bottle with one hand and pinched my jaw with the other, forcing the liquor down my throat. I don’t know how many bottles I was forced to drink, I just felt my stomach burning and aching. Finally, he even called four or five male models for me. He said, “These are my birthday gifts to you. Do you like them?” “Your task today is to please her well.” No matter how Jack punished me, I would accept it, but he chose to humiliate me in this way. But I didn’t even have the strength to struggle. I could only watch as he left holding Emily’s hand. “Be good, don’t look. It will dirty your eyes.” Dirty? Jack, so this is how worthless I’ve become in your heart. Before I lost consciousness, I dialed Sam’s number.

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