Category: English

I had just sat down in the VIP lounge of the club when the door was violently thrown open. A woman in a red dress stumbled in, crashing into the fifty-thousand-dollar crystal antique ornament I’d just acquired. She grabbed my arm, her eyes reddening as she put on a pitiful act: “Mr. Reed, save me! Bad people are chasing me outside. Please let me hide here!” Before I could respond, her thoughts suddenly exploded in my mind: [This innocent no-makeup look didn’t go to waste—men really do fall for this act!] [When his friend bursts in after me, I’ll put on a show of being wrongly accused. Once I hook Ethan Reed, heir to the Reed empire, won’t all the Reed family money be mine?] I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. I opened the lounge door and waved to my friend Shane outside: “You looking for this person? She’s right here.” The woman’s face turned green and red with disbelief as her eyes widened. Shane strode upstairs and pulled me to his side. “Ethan, are you alright?” “Her name is Laura Stone. She’s the daughter of Sterling Pawn Shop’s owner. I’m taking her with me first.” “As for the money she owes you for breaking your antique, I’ll get it back for you.” Shane didn’t elaborate, but with our understanding, I figured something must have happened. But he didn’t want to tell me, to spare my ears from being sullied. Laura, however, had no such reservations. At his words, she immediately put on an aggrieved expression. “Mr. Reed, don’t listen to her nonsense!” “I was being a Good Samaritan, exposing her true colors, which made her furious and want to cause me trouble!” “Today is the baptism banquet for the young master of the Harris family. I was fortunate enough to be invited.” “But I never expected to see Shane sneaking drugs into Damien Harris’s drink!” “I couldn’t stand by and watch, so I exposed her directly, which made her fly into a rage!” After Laura finished, she straightened her back, acting like she wasn’t afraid of the powerful. “I know I’m just a nobody, of ordinary background, and shouldn’t oppose Miss Shane.” “But when I witness injustice, speaking up for the innocent is my duty!” She glanced at me, her eyes containing hidden smugness. [Let’s see how Shane tries to defend herself now! That last line of mine—won’t it charm Ethan Reed to death!] [Look at him frowning in thought—he must be disgusted with Shane but doesn’t know how to say it.] I paused, feeling somewhat speechless. I was just thinking about how someone like her, daughter of a pawn shop owner, would have the qualifications to attend a banquet of the Harris family’s caliber. Besides, baptism banquets only required elders to attend. Like our family, only Father attended as the representative. The reason Shane was there was because the Harris family matriarch was her grandmother. What was Laura supposed to be? The next moment, Laura’s thoughts answered my question. [A beauty like me with such a sweet talk—who could resist?] [I’m a modern person. I just used a few flirting tricks and had that male assistant by Damien’s side completely smitten!] [He brought me into the Harris residence and led me into the banquet.] [But my goal wasn’t to date this assistant—it was to climb up to that Harris young master!] [But Shane ruined everything!] Laura complained inwardly while gritting her teeth outwardly. [Since she ruined my plans, I’ll just steal her man!] [I’m so excellent—I could marry any wealthy heir I want, let alone an Ethan Reed?] [Though Ethan Reed has a better family background than Damien, so I’ll make him my official boyfriend and keep Damien as my lover. That’s not really settling!] I couldn’t help the cold laughter rising inside me. Shane had already clenched her fists in anger. “You’re talking nonsense! I clearly caught you secretly photographing Damien, and you dare twist the truth!” “If I hadn’t been worried about alarming the guests and damaging Damien’s reputation, do you think you could have escaped the Harris residence?” Laura quickly hid behind me. “Mr. Reed, save me. Look how fierce Miss Shane is. I’m really scared…” I stepped aside, directly avoiding Laura, then patted Shane’s arm reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I believe you.” Laura’s face changed as she looked at me. I continued, “With only you two present, it’ll be hard to determine the truth when both have different accounts.” As soon as I finished speaking, Laura’s lips curved up smugly. “But…” I continued, “Someone like her wouldn’t have the qualifications to attend the Harris family banquet.” “There’s definitely something wrong with this. And she navigated to the banquet hall so easily—even more suspicious.” “I think you should investigate Damien’s assistants, especially his personal one.” Laura’s eyes widened. The smug smile froze on her face, looking rather ridiculous. At the same time, intense screaming erupted in her thoughts. [Ahhhh! What’s going on? How does this damn Ethan Reed know all this?] [Aren’t these rich young masters supposed to be brainless and innocent? How could he figure this out so quickly!] [Hmph, fine then. Don’t blame me for using some methods.] [I originally had some genuine feelings for Ethan Reed since he’s good-looking.] [But if he dares to belittle me like this, I’ll force him to marry me, and then…]

[He can forget about being my official boyfriend. At most, he’ll be a backup.] [And his family assets, his trust fund—I want it all!] Shane quickly traced it back to that assistant. But what I didn’t expect was that the assistant adamantly refused to admit he’d been manipulated by Laura. He only said he’d been confused for a moment, fell for Laura, and wanted to see her one last time during the chaotic baptism banquet. When the assistant was dismissed, he cried and begged to see Laura one last time. Mrs. Harris couldn’t bear it and had someone notify Laura, but she never showed up. Shane told me all this later. A clown like her—I hadn’t taken her seriously at all. Until one day, when the jewelry store received a new collection, I happened to drop by. After browsing without finding anything I liked, but not wanting to leave empty-handed, I casually picked up a bracelet. Just as I was about to pay, a hand suddenly reached out beside me. Laura first gave me a calm smile, then looked at the counter. “I’ll pay for this gentleman’s purchase. How much is it?” The sales assistant waited a moment. Seeing I didn’t speak, she finally said, “Fifty thousand, ma’am. Would you like me to wrap it for you?” Laura’s smile froze. In her mind, she’d already started cursing. [Damn, I only came up to pay for him because he picked something so ordinary looking. I didn’t expect it to be this expensive!] [But I’ve already said it. I can’t back out now. This man has probably never met a woman as generous as me, right?] [Sure enough, no matter what era, men can’t resist women willing to spend money on them!] [Look, Ethan Reed was so harsh with me that day, but now he’s obediently quiet, waiting for me to pay. Tsk…] “Fifty thousand isn’t expensive. If it makes Mr. Reed happy, it’s worth it!” Who knew that as soon as Laura finished speaking, the sales assistant would interject: “Indeed not expensive. Every time Mr. Reed comes, he usually selects jewelry worth over a hundred thousand to take home.” “This time it’s because our brand’s new collection hasn’t arrived yet, so nothing caught Mr. Reed’s eye.” Having worked in this shopping district for so long, the sales assistant naturally excelled at reading people. She glanced at Laura and continued: “Just Miss Shane from the Shane Corporation alone—the jewelry she’s bought this year to give Mr. Reed to wear for fun exceeds a hundred thousand!” Laura’s face turned ugly as she pressed her lips together. After a moment, she suddenly gave a bitter smile. “Well, Miss Shane has a huge family business. Naturally I can’t compare.” “But this is still my sincere gesture. To give Mr. Reed this bracelet, I scrimped and saved for a month…” I couldn’t hold back anymore and burst out laughing. “Idiot.” My blunt words completely stunned Laura. “You’re already this poor, yet instead of figuring out how to make money, you’re focused on these cheap tricks.” “You have to scrimp and save for fifty thousand dollars? Why not use that money to help your dad pay off his debts?” “And do I care if you buy me a bracelet? Did you forget you still owe me fifty thousand?” “Last time you broke my antique ornament at the club—it was all caught on surveillance.” “When does Miss Stone plan to repay the money? You’re not planning to default, are you?” Laura’s face flushed red. She stammered, unable to speak. I lost patience and my face darkened. “I’m giving you three days. If you don’t transfer the money to my account, I’ll pursue legal action.” “Also, transfer the money to my assistant’s account. Stop harassing me—I find you annoying.” “Walking around the whole city in that red dress every day—people who don’t know better would think you’re walking some third-rate red carpet!” “An eyesore.” I finished speaking and turned to leave. Behind me were Laura’s resentful curses. [What does he know about fashion? What’s wrong with a red dress?] [Ethan Reed, that damn man, turns out he has a sharp tongue!] [Looks like I can’t get out of paying that fifty thousand.] [But it doesn’t matter. Once he marries me, I can get back however many fifty thousands I want.] [When that time comes, I’ll torture him properly to repay today’s humiliation! Just wait—I definitely won’t give up!]

Laura did repay the fifty thousand within three days. However, on the day she repaid it, she pestered my assistant Mason, complaining about how difficult it was to gather the money, hoping he would pass her words to my ears. But after Mason collected the money and listened for a few moments, he impatiently closed the door. This day, I went alone to visit my grandmother. On the way back, I happened to notice a small stand selling burgers by the roadside. The vendor was an elderly woman who looked about the same age as my grandmother. She busied herself back and forth, looking spirited and healthy. But my grandmother’s eyes had grown dim, and she was often hospitalized—all from ailments caused by overwork in her youth. Grandfather had built his empire from scratch. All his skills were honed through fighting in the business world. He suffered, and Grandmother suffered too. In her youth, she stayed home alone, raising five children by herself. She made a living by setting up a stall with her excellent burgers. Later, when Grandfather achieved success and the company went public, Father married Mother. Mother never looked down on Father’s humble origins. The two had always been devoted to each other. Everyone found happiness, except Grandmother, who now suffered from various ailments. Even the finest delicacies had lost their flavor for her. Thinking of this, I stopped the car and ordered a burger from the old woman. Before I could eat, Laura somehow appeared out of nowhere. She directly picked up the burger from my table and casually dumped it into the trash can, fawning: “How could Mr. Reed eat something from a roadside stand like this!” “Mr. Reed, wait a moment. I’ll personally make a burger for you to try. My cooking skills are exceptional!” After speaking, she forcibly snatched the utensils from the old woman’s hands and began clanging about busily. Her disgusting thoughts once again transmitted into my ears. [Won’t this move Ethan Reed to death?] [Don’t people say that real men don’t belong in the kitchen?] But I don’t care! Where else can you find a woman willing to cook for a man?] [Once I win over Ethan Reed’s stomach, the way to his heart will be wide open!] But by the time she returned with the burger, I had already driven away. Only my assistant Mason remained at the stall. Mason looked at her mockingly and said slowly: “Mr. Reed said since you love making burgers so much, make a hundred today and send them to the welfare home in the suburbs.” “Don’t worry, Mr. Reed will pay for the ingredients needed to make the burgers.” As he spoke, he pulled out his phone, scanned to transfer money, and handed the old woman a stack of cash. “Ma’am, Mr. Reed said he’s delayed your business, so this is compensation for you.” Laura stood there holding the burger, unable to process what happened for a long while. Her face had turned somewhat green. Mason rolled his eyes. “What are you standing around for? Start cooking!” “You’re not leaving today until you finish making a hundred burgers. These bodyguards and I are staying here to supervise you.” “Aren’t you always saying those rich people in the city bully you?” “Today I’ll show you what real abuse of power looks like.” Laura’s eyes darted around, but in the end, she couldn’t think of a solution and could only resignedly complete a hundred burgers. “Mr. Reed, you should’ve seen it—when Laura left, she was so exhausted her limbs weren’t coordinating. It was hilarious!” While organizing documents for me, Mason casually described the situation. “But the look in her eyes before she left made me think she hasn’t given up on you yet. How can someone be so annoying!” “We can’t really do anything to her. So frustrating!” I said casually, “Ignore her. Just treat it as entertainment.” But I didn’t expect this “entertainment” would be bold enough to nearly drag our entire Reed Corporation down with her.

Over the past few months, my younger brother Nathan Reed had been acting strangely. Nathan, who usually didn’t like going out, started frequently attending various parties and gatherings. When he returned, he always looked pleased with himself, his face glowing. When he saw me, he was no longer timid. Unusually, he’d gained some confidence. “Ethan, I heard your engagement is about to be finalized? Who is it? After all this, did they still arrange for you to marry Shane?” “It’s a marriage arranged by the family, but I want to sincerely ask you—do you really like Shane?” “You just think she grew up with you from childhood, you’re familiar with each other, and her family background is compatible, right?” “Do you really understand what love is? Do you understand what it means to date freely?” “Do you know how happy and joyful it is to be with someone you truly love?” Looking at his baseless smugness and his act of being the only sober one in a drunk world, I felt impatient. “Has your brain short-circuited?” Nathan’s face darkened at these words. He pointed at me and shouted: “I’m kindly reminding you to fight for true love, yet you’re so ungrateful!” “Fine, fine. I have no standing in this family anyway. I won’t say anything more. Do as you please!” He turned and left in a huff. I frowned in confusion. He was the son from Father’s youthful mistake, so naturally he didn’t have as much standing in the family as I did. However, though Father didn’t favor him, he never lacked for food, clothing, or material needs. Nathan was well aware of this, so he’d always been content and well-behaved. Forget raising his voice at me—he’d never even spoken this many words at once before. What had gotten into him? Or had someone manipulated him? I quietly instructed Mason, who left to carry out my orders. Unexpectedly, before long, Mason brought me shocking news. “Mr. Reed, the your younger brother has been frequently visiting private hospitals and asking people about going abroad for surgery.” “I checked—the department he’s asking about is plastic surgery.” “Do you think something happened?” I shot to my feet and strode toward Father’s room. Halfway there, I saw Nathan wearing cleaning staff clothes, sneaking out furtively. After thinking for a moment, I changed direction and followed him. In a secluded corner behind the Reed family mansion’s back door, Nathan’s worried voice drifted over. “Laura, I’ve done everything you asked. Now you have all the dirt on me. When will you fulfill your promise?” “You said you’d be with me. You can’t go back on your word!” Hearing the name “Laura,” my eyelid twitched sharply. I leaned forward and indeed saw Laura. She smiled, her eyes constantly darting around, looking cunningly calculating yet unable to calculate clearly.

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As the only expert capable of completing a rescue at a depth of one thousand meters, I received a salvage order worth millions. Over a decade ago, I had dove into those same waters. My son Alvarez’s research submarine was damaged on the ocean floor. He suffocated to death in the darkness, deprived of oxygen. I was consumed by grief. It was my husband Thomas who held me through countless nights of despair. Only later did I learn that he had personally diverted the only rescue vessel capable of reaching that depth—all to save his best friend’s daughter. And that girl had merely choked on some water in the shallow end. From that day on, I divorced my husband and threw myself into deep-sea salvage and rescue work with obsessive intensity. Until I knew the currents of these waters better than my own home. I only hoped that one day, my son’s tragedy would never happen again. Today. The same waters. The same hull deformation. Oxygen depleted. Extremely high risk. But when I saw the client’s information, I froze on the spot. That name, that face—I would never forget them for as long as I lived. I smiled slightly and pushed the documents back to my partner. “This time, I can’t dive.”

“Samuel, have you lost your mind?” Julian snatched the documents and spread them in front of me again. “Ten million. Do you know how many risks we’d have to take to earn this kind of money? You say you won’t dive—you need to give us a reason.” I put my gloves back on and began my routine inspection of the diving equipment. “I won’t dive because I won’t dive.” “Then look at this.” Julian flipped to the back of the folder. “The hull deformation is severe. There’s less than twenty-four hours of oxygen left. There’s a living person inside—a twenty-three-year-old young woman!” My fingers stopped on the valve. Alvarez was also twenty-three the year he died. “Samuel, in our entire operation, you’re the only one who can complete a docking rescue at this depth.” Julian moved closer and lowered his voice. “If you don’t go, she really will die.” I tightened the valve and turned to look at him. “Julian, you’ve been with me for seven years. When have I ever refused a job because of something like this?” He froze. “Then why…” I didn’t answer. “Whether I know them or not.” Julian panicked and grabbed my arm. “They’re paying real money…” “I wouldn’t dive for a hundred million.” I pushed his hand away, my voice still calm. “Don’t ask why. In seven years, I can count on one hand the number of jobs I’ve refused. Just trust me.” Julian’s face flushed red, like he was choking on words he couldn’t say. He’d been with me for seven years. He’d been there since I first got my deep-dive certification and started working out of a rented metal shack. He’d seen me get three ribs broken in a four-hundred-meter current. He’d seen me drag a child who had already stopped breathing back to the deck from the ocean floor, then crouch at the stern and dry heave all night. But he’d never seen me like this. “Fine.” Julian finally closed the folder and slammed it on the table. “I trust you.” He walked to the door, then stopped, his voice muffled. “But that young woman is a living, breathing life… If you change your mind… we’ll be ready anytime.” The door closed. I stood alone in the equipment room, staring at the documents Julian had slammed on the table. On the cover, Thomas’s photo looked older than it had ten years ago, but those eyes hadn’t changed. Alvarez had used up his last breath of oxygen, one gasp at a time, eleven hundred meters beneath the sea. Thomas had diverted the only vessel that could go down, simply because Phoebe had called him crying, “Thomas, Alice fell in the water.” She’d been in the shallow end. She’d lost her footing getting in and choked on some water. I closed my eyes and pushed the documents to the corner of the table. My phone buzzed. It was a message from Julian. [The client called. They want to speak directly with the technical director. Should I put them through?] I stared at the message for a long time. I replied, “Put them through.”

“Hello, is this the technical director for deep-sea rescue?” The voice on the other end was steady and arrogant. Ten years later, I still remembered that voice. “It’s me. Go ahead.” My voice wasn’t what it used to be. Ten years of deep-sea operations—the equipment and environment had caused irreversible damage. “Good. I’m Thomas from Ocean Corporation. I assume you’ve reviewed the situation.” He paused. “Name your price.” “I’m not taking this job.” There was a moment of silence on the other end, then he laughed. “Didn’t catch that? I said name your price. Any price.” “I said I’m not taking it.” “Fifty million.” His voice held no hesitation, as if he’d just casually thrown out a number. “Fifty million in cash. Half when you dive, half when you bring her up. That’s a one-of-a-kind offer anywhere in the world.” I didn’t respond. Thinking I was considering it, he continued raising the stakes. “Stock options work too. Point-five percent of Ocean Corporation. Annual dividends…” “Mr. Thomas.” I cut him off. “When I said I’m not taking it, I wasn’t negotiating price.” The breathing on the other end grew heavier. “Then tell me why.” “No particular reason. Refusing is my right.” “Your right?” His voice suddenly turned cold. “Do you understand the situation down there? Over a thousand meters deep, the hull is already deformed. That’s a human life!” “I know.” “You know? And you’re just refusing me outright?” His speech quickened. “You’re the only person here who can dive to that depth. You won’t even consider it… You realize this is the same as letting someone die, right?” My hand gripped the phone tighter. “Letting someone die… Mr. Thomas, hearing those words come out of your mouth is quite interesting.” “What do you mean by that?” “Nothing.” I replied calmly. “In any case, I can’t take this job. You’ll have to find someone else.” “There is no one else!” He was practically shouting. “I’ve already done my research. In these waters, you’re the only one with the capability to descend immediately!” “If you won’t do the rescue, you at least owe me a reason!” “Then there’s nothing I can do.” “You…” He took a deep breath, trying to suppress his rage. “Listen carefully.” His voice was low, each word ground out through clenched teeth. “I don’t care about your reasons or your attitude. I’m giving you two hours to think it over.” “After two hours, if this is still your answer… you and your operation won’t be working in this industry anymore.” I closed my eyes and gripped the phone tighter. “Mr. Thomas, save your time for yourself. If you don’t hurry up and consider other methods, forget about recovering your daughter—you might not even be able to recover her body.” “You…” “Good luck.” I hung up. Julian poked his head in from the doorway, looking at my expression but hesitating to speak. “Samuel… that Thomas… did he threaten you?” I shoved my phone back in my pocket and bent down to continue maintaining the equipment. “He can’t threaten me.” “But he…” Julian hesitated. “He said he’d blacklist the operation.” “He can say whatever he wants. I don’t owe him anything.” Julian didn’t ask again, but I saw the complicated expression on his face as he turned to leave. “Samuel, what kind of history do you have with that man?” I tightened the last valve, stood up, and wiped my hands. “He owes me a life.”

In the early morning hours, Julian broke down my dormitory door. “Samuel, something’s happened.” I sat up in bed and saw his face had gone deathly pale. “My daughter Clark…” “Clark’s company just transferred her from the administrative department to the inspection team on a deep-sea drilling platform…” My heart sank. “When did this happen?” “Just now… She sent me a message saying she suddenly got a notice from HR this afternoon, telling her to take a helicopter to the platform tonight to report.” “She doesn’t know anything. She studied financial management. She doesn’t even have an offshore operations certificate…” “Did you call her?” “I tried. She’s not picking up.” Julian’s eyes were red. “Her last message said she arrived at the platform and told me not to worry. Then I couldn’t reach her anymore.” I took his phone and looked. The last message was from half an hour ago—a blurry photo of iron-gray deck railings with pitch-black sea in the distance. Her last message read: [Dad, I’m here. The wind is really strong. Talk tomorrow. Good night.] “Samuel!” Julian suddenly crouched down, hands clutching his head. “I know it was that Thomas who did this. He’s coming after me!” “Don’t panic.” “How can I not panic?” He frantically grabbed at his hair. “The drilling platform inspection team—you know what they do, don’t you? They walk around on deck, and when the waves are big, people can get swept right off into the sea…” “He wouldn’t dare actually hurt Clark. What he wants is for you to beg me.” Julian froze, then slowly dropped to his knees. “Samuel…” “Get up.” “Samuel, I know that man must have wronged you somehow. I shouldn’t be kneeling. But Clark… she’s only twenty-two. She doesn’t understand anything. She’s afraid to even touch a crab…” His forehead pressed against the cold cement floor, sobbing convulsively. “I’m begging you. After seven years with you… You can yell at me, hit me, whatever… just please save Clark.” I crouched down and put a hand on his shoulder. “Julian, look at me.” He raised his head, tears covering his face. “I promise you, Clark will be fine.” “Then will you…” “I have other ways to deal with him.” I pulled him up from the floor. “I’ll figure out a way to keep Clark safe. But this job—I can’t take it.” Julian froze, wanting to say something but unable to get it out. Suddenly, a massive roar came from outside. The sound of helicopter blades approached from far away, and the entire room shook. A black helicopter was landing on the base’s helipad, with Ocean Corporation’s silver logo on its side. Before the rotors had fully stopped, the cabin door opened. Thomas stepped out wearing a dark coat, followed by two bodyguards in suits. Then came a woman I’d seen before. Ten years later, she looked the same. Perfect makeup as always, looking pitiful as always, carefully helped down by Thomas holding her hand as always. “It’s them.” I turned to look at Julian. Fear and fury alternated across Julian’s face as his trembling fists clenched. “Samuel, they brought bodyguards…” “Doesn’t matter.” I grabbed my jacket from the bedside and put it on. “Let’s go.” Thomas stood in the middle of the helipad, with people already at his side. His gaze swept across this shabby facility—the rust-stained metal shacks, the dock piled with equipment, the cables wrapped in grease—his lips curling with undisguised disgust. Then he saw me. His gaze stopped on me for less than half a second before looking away. He didn’t recognize me. After all, the person I was now bore little resemblance to the wife he used to hold hands with every morning ten years ago. “Who’s in charge?” Thomas spoke, clearly out of patience. Julian instinctively glanced at me. I walked two steps toward Thomas. “Me.” He finally gave me a proper look. “You?” “Me.” He laughed coldly and said something to the bodyguard beside him. Then he looked at Julian behind me. “You’re Julian? How’s Clark doing on my platform?”

Julian instantly lost it, but I reached out to stop him. “Don’t move.” Thomas watched Julian being held back by me and laughed even more brazenly. “I said I’d give you two hours to think it over. You didn’t want them, so I had to come in person.” Phoebe walked forward from behind him in high heels, her face full of grievance and sorrow. “I know you must think we’re being unreasonable.” “But that’s my daughter. My Alice is only twenty-three, and she’s been down there for fourteen hours…” Her eyes reddened as she turned her head and took Thomas’s arm. Thomas patted her back, then looked at me with cold eyes. “Fifty million. I’ll transfer it immediately. Put on your equipment and go down right now.” “I told you, I can’t take this job.” “You’re negotiating with me?” He tilted his head. “Fine. Name your price. A hundred million? Two hundred million? I’ve seen plenty of people like you… just price gouging. Fine. I’ll pay it.” “It’s not about money.” “Then what is it about?” He stepped forward, bringing an intense sense of oppression. “You say it’s not about money, then what? Do you have some grudge against me? Have I even met you before?” I looked into his eyes—those eyes that had once looked at me with such affection now held only impatience and indifference. “Never met.” “Then there’s no reason.” He waved his hand, issuing a final ultimatum. “I don’t care who you are or what kind of attitude you have. Alice is down there waiting to die… and right now you’re the only person who can save her. You choose: either take the money and dive now, or…” He turned to look at Julian. “She’s just an intern without even an offshore operations certificate. If there’s an accident, it won’t even count as a workplace injury.” Julian’s face went white. “What do you mean?” Julian’s voice trembled. “Nothing much.” Thomas looked at him coolly. “I just want you to know that people fall off drilling platforms into the sea every year. Especially those… inexperienced newcomers.” “You’re… you’re threatening me with Clark’s life?” Thomas didn’t answer, only looked at me. “And you all—if Clark doesn’t survive, then when you work in these waters in the future, you’d better pray nothing happens.” Phoebe stepped forward, her eyes very sincere. “Samuel, I know this isn’t right. But you’re also a woman. You should be able to understand a mother’s feelings, right? My Alice is down there… she must be so scared and cold…” She reached out to take my arm. I stepped back. “Don’t touch me.” Phoebe’s hand froze in midair. A flash of annoyance crossed her face, but she quickly adjusted. “I didn’t mean to offend you… I’m just so worried…” Thomas pulled her back to his side, his gaze sharp as he looked at me. “Last time. What’s your answer?” “I won’t dive.” He laughed—that brazen laugh again. “Fine.” He pulled out his phone and made a call. “Hello, the platform… have that new intern work the night shift inspection tonight. Yes, alone. The whole deck perimeter.” Julian couldn’t control himself anymore and rushed forward. “No! You can’t!” A bodyguard shoved him back, and Julian’s whole body slammed into a shipping container. “Samuel!” Julian crawled up from the ground and knelt before me, face covered in tears. “Samuel… please…” Thomas hung up and looked at me. “You see. This could have been so simple, but you had to make it like this.” I looked at Julian with blood trickling from his temple, kneeling on the ground trembling. Then I looked at Thomas with that same self-righteous expression. Ten years ago it was like this. Now it’s still like this. Other people’s lives had always been nothing but bargaining chips to him. “You think I’m afraid of you?” “Being afraid doesn’t matter.” He shrugged. “If you don’t go down, your partner’s daughter will become a number in a maritime accident report tomorrow, and before long you all will become an accident too. Do you think it’s worth it?” “For a salvager’s pride, sacrificing Clark and your future accidents?” Phoebe stepped forward again to comfort me. “Samuel, you only need to make one dive and then it’s all over. We’ll still pay you, and we can even fund your operation. Clark will be safe and sound. Why not?” She smiled, her tone unbearably gentle. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I can’t save someone who caused Alvarez’s death.” “If you insist on making me go, I’ll finish her off myself and rest there forever.”

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On the fifteenth day after I gave birth, I received a text from an unknown number. It was a photo. My husband Martinez and a woman lying in my bed, covered with my wedding quilt. Below the photo was a line of text: “Your husband says you’re loose and ugly after giving birth. He doesn’t even want to touch you.” I showed the photo to Martinez. He glanced at it and frowned. “You went through my phone?” I froze. He cheated, and he blamed me for checking his phone. The nanny stood at the door holding the baby, wanting to say something but holding back. My mother-in-law Antony leaned back on the sofa, sipping red wine. “Men will be men. It’s normal for them to play around outside. Just focus on taking care of the baby and stop being paranoid all the time.” Everyone thought I should just endure it. I didn’t argue or make a scene. I put down my phone and continued eating my postpartum recovery meal. They didn’t know that my phone contained all the evidence from the past year. They didn’t know I’d been waiting for this day for a long time. They didn’t know… my mom was a judge. The hospital I chose—the attending physician was my mom’s best friend, Laura. Three days after giving birth, I obtained Martinez’s paternity test results, along with records of his company’s tax evasion. He thought I was helpless and isolated. He didn’t know that behind me stood an entire legal front line.

I noticed something was off with Martinez on the seventh day postpartum. That day, my episiotomy wound still hurt. I lay in bed, unable to even turn over without difficulty. He was on the balcony taking a call, his voice lowered. “Babe, just wait a little longer. Once she gets through these few weeks of postpartum recovery, I’ll take you out.” “Her? She’s gained twenty pounds now. She’s like a pig. I feel sick just looking at her.” I closed my eyes, pretending I hadn’t heard. Pretending I hadn’t heard my own husband describe me that way to someone else. On the tenth day postpartum, my phone rang. Unknown number, iMessage. I opened the first one—a photo of Martinez kissing a woman in a car. The second showed them sitting in the Western restaurant I often went to, eating my favorite steak. The third showed them lying in the wedding bed I’d personally chosen. The woman was wearing my silk nightgown. Below was a line of text: “Your husband says I look way better in it than you do.” I stared at the screen. My fingers trembled, but my mind was unusually calm. I saved the photos into an encrypted folder. On the thirteenth day postpartum, another unknown number sent me a message. This time it was a video. In the video, Martinez and a woman were embracing in a VIP private room. The woman smiled at the camera: “Look how much your husband dotes on me. He says your body’s all out of shape after giving birth, and he never plans to touch you again.” I saved the video and transferred it to the encrypted folder. There was already a lot stored there. Screenshot chat logs, credit card statements, hotel check-in records, dashcam audio recordings. Everything was organized clearly, marked with dates and locations.

On the fifteenth day postpartum, the mistress sent me her first high-definition face photo. She sat in my living room, legs crossed, drinking the coffee I bought. The photo was captured from the surveillance camera in the living room… the one I installed when I was pregnant to watch the cat. I never expected it would capture a wildcat. Below the photo, she sent me a message. “Your husband says he’s taking me to Hawaii in a couple days. What do you think—which swimsuit should I wear?” I stared at the photo for a long time. She smiled arrogantly, her face directly facing the camera, without the slightest attempt at concealment, as if declaring her sovereignty. I saved the photo. Then I used another phone to send my best friend Bella a message. “Bella, I need you to help me look someone up.” Bella was a cybersecurity engineer. Three seconds later she replied: “Tell me.” I sent her the mistress’s profile picture. “Help me find out everything about this person. Name, workplace, home address, assets under her name.” “Who is this?” “The person destroying my marriage.” “Give me three hours.” Three hours later, Bella sent me a folder. It contained all of the woman’s information. Her name was Susan, twenty-three years old, a receptionist at some company. Married. Had a two-year-old daughter. She’d been sued last year for defaulting on credit cards. No house or car under her name, renting in the low-income housing area in the north of the city. I read through it line by line, memorizing all the key information. Then I sent Bella another message. “Bella, help me check Martinez’s bank statements. I need to know how much money he transferred to Susan.” “How much did he transfer?” “Every single transaction. Time, amount, purpose.” “Are you preparing to go to court for a divorce?” I touched the incision on my abdomen. The scar from the C-section was still scabbing. “No.” I typed. “I’m going to send them to prison.”

On the twentieth day postpartum, Martinez didn’t come home until 3 a.m. Reeking of alcohol and perfume. He collapsed beside me, back turned toward me, and soon started snoring. I didn’t wake him. I got out of bed carefully and picked up his phone from the nightstand. I’d memorized the password long ago—his birthday. I opened iMessage. The pinned conversation—Susan. I scrolled through the chat history for half an hour. The more I scrolled, the more my hands trembled. “When is she going to get lost? I’m so sick of living in this dump.” “What’s the rush? Wait until we trick that house under her name into our hands. I’ve got her completely under control right now.” “You don’t still have feelings for her, do you?” “Feelings my ass. Fat and slovenly, walking around in that ratty nightgown all day. I feel disgusted just looking at her.” “Then why do you still sleep in the same bed with her?” “How else can I keep her stable? Her mom has a connection, someone with a project I need. Once I get that contract, I’ll kick her out immediately.” I took screenshots. Then I kept scrolling. I found something even more chilling. Martinez’s message to Susan: “Don’t let her go to that postpartum recovery personal training class. Provoke her some more, best if you can push her into postpartum depression.” “That way we can claim she has mental issues and we won’t even have to fight her for custody.” “You’re so ruthless. The child is yours, after all.” “Once I get custody, my mom can take care of the kid. Then we can have as many kids as you want.” I put the phone back on the nightstand. Then I got up and walked to the balcony. At 4 a.m., the city lights were dim and yellow. I stood there for a long time. The C-section wound throbbed dully, and my breasts ached from engorgement. I covered my mouth and cried silently. Not from feeling wronged, but from cold. A cold that seeped out from the marrow of my bones. That man who had been married to me for three years, who picked out the wedding bed with me, decorated our new home together, tied my shoelaces when I was pregnant… he was conspiring with his mistress about how to push me into postpartum depression. How to take my child away, how to drain me dry and then kick me aside. When I finished crying, I wiped away my tears. Then I picked up my phone and called my mom. At 4 a.m., my mom was woken up, her voice still heavy with sleep. “Hello? Ulysses, what’s wrong? Is the baby sick?” “Mom.” I heard my own voice, surprisingly calm. “I want a divorce.” Three seconds of silence on the other end. Then my mom’s voice became completely alert. “What happened?” “Martinez is cheating. He’s plotting with his mistress to push me into postpartum depression, to take the baby.” “Is the evidence solid?” “Solid.” My mom was silent for another two seconds. When she spoke again, her voice was no longer that of a mother, but the professional tone of someone who’d been a judge for twenty years. “Alright. From now on, do exactly as I say. First, don’t share a bed with him anymore. Second, back up all evidence in triplicate. Third…” “Third?” “I’m coming to get you tomorrow.”

The next morning, my mom arrived right on time. She didn’t ring the doorbell, just used the key I’d given her to open the door. Martinez was still asleep. Antony was in the kitchen making porridge. When she saw my mom come in, she froze. “Lester, so early…” My mom ignored her and walked straight into the bedroom, yanking Martinez out from under the covers. Martinez was pulled awake, dazed for a few seconds. “Mom? How did you…” My mom threw the printed chat logs in his face. The papers scattered across the bed. “What is this?” Martinez picked up one sheet, glanced at it, and his face instantly went white. “Mom, let me explain… this is… someone photoshopped this… someone’s trying to frame me…” Antony came running in after hearing the commotion and picked up a sheet of paper. After reading it, her expression changed several times. But the words she spoke completely froze my heart. “Lester, I know about this. I’ve met that girl. She’s quite decent.” “This whole thing—I told Martinez to find someone on the side.” My arms holding the baby tightened. My mom turned around and stared at Antony. “What did you say?” Antony wiped the soup ladle on her apron, speaking with complete self-righteousness: “Ulysses has been so moody since giving birth, treating Martinez like he doesn’t exist. Martinez is a man—he has needs.” “Besides, Susan said she doesn’t want any title or status, she just likes Martinez.” “Martinez hasn’t cut Ulysses’s household allowance. Men will be men—it’s normal for them to play around outside.” She was still smiling. My mom stared at her, then spoke, her tone cold as ice. “Are you saying you procured a prostitute for your own son?” Antony’s smile instantly froze. “You… what are you saying? What prostitute…” “No need to explain.” My mom cut her off, her voice devoid of warmth. “Martinez committed adultery during marriage and maintained an improper relationship with a third party. Your entire family knew, condoned it, and even covered it up.” “These chat records and transfer receipts—I’ve already submitted everything to the court.” Antony’s face turned ashen. Martinez panicked: “Mom… Mom, don’t listen to her nonsense. Susan and I have nothing going on, really nothing…” My mom didn’t even glance at him, turning to me instead. “Ulysses, is everything packed?” “All packed.” I pulled the suitcase I’d packed from behind the closet. Actually, I’d packed it long ago—on the tenth day postpartum, the night I received the first photo. I held the baby in one arm and dragged the suitcase with the other, heading out. Martinez rushed over to block me. “Ulysses! Don’t be ungrateful!” Antony was shrieking behind him. “Let her go! Leave the baby! A Martinez grandson can’t be taken away by her!” I turned to look at her. “A Martinez grandson?” I pulled out a sheet of paper from my bag and threw it in front of her. “Look carefully. This is a paternity test.” “The child has absolutely nothing to do with the Martinez family.” Antony froze. Martinez froze too. I held the baby and walked out that door. The baby was asleep in my arms, little face pressed against my chest, warm. I heard my own heartbeat, steady and strong. Sitting in my mom’s car, I looked at that door one last time. My mom started the car and asked me. “Ready?” “Ready.” “It’s going to be hard from here on.” “I know.” I looked at the sleeping baby in my arms. “But I have no way back.” The car slowly drove out of the complex. That door behind me—the door I’d spent three years of my youth going in and out of—grew smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. I withdrew my gaze. Then I took out a USB drive from my bag. It contained all the evidence. Chat records, transfer receipts, hotel check-in records, phone recordings, and the detailed accounts of Martinez’s company’s tax evasion. Over three hundred gigabytes total. I gripped the USB drive tightly. “Mom, help me schedule a lawyer.” “Who?” “The most expensive one.”

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On our wedding night, Mario finished his drink and leaned close to my ear, whispering, “Aurora, that worker who raped you years ago—I was the one who arranged it.” My deepest scar was torn open. I raised my head in disbelief, but Mario just smiled softly as he caressed my cheek. “Shocked? Aurora, you’re just too obedient. That day, it was supposed to be Neyland who got violated.” “But I wasn’t with her at the time, so I could only call you over. You were prettier than Neyland, so the man let her go.” My eyes reddened as my entire body trembled uncontrollably. My parents standing nearby turned their heads away. “Neyland has suffered ever since she found out about her true background. It’s only right that you make some sacrifices for her.” Seeing my tears, Mario pulled me into his arms with what looked like tenderness. “Aurora, it doesn’t matter that you lost your innocence. You’re still the true daughter of the Williams family, and you’re my wife.” As soon as he finished speaking, he handed me a business card. “But you need to understand—Neyland tried to kill herself because we got married.” “I’m afraid seeing you will upset her, so for the next couple of days, stay at Mr. Chris’s place.” Mr. Chris—the man infamous throughout Los Angeles for his lechery. Mario lit a cigarette and continued, “Mr. Chris has his eye on Neyland. If you keep him company for a few days, he’ll back off.” “It’s not your first time anyway. Just think of it as helping your sister.” Not the first time. This wasn’t the first time Mario had hurt me for Neyland’s sake either. But it didn’t matter. I only had one month left. One month, and I could leave this painful place forever.

I gripped the business card tightly, then threw it in the trash. “Mario, I won’t go.” For the last month of my life, I just wanted to live for myself for once. Mario’s brow furrowed. He was about to speak when Neyland walked in from outside, her eyes red. “Aurora… I know I’m not Mom and Dad’s biological daughter, so you’ve never liked me.” “But now that you have Mario, won’t you even do me this one favor?” When my parents saw Neyland, they rushed to wipe her tears as if she were their actual daughter. “Don’t cry, Neyland. Don’t worry!” “Even though the family’s going through hard times, we absolutely won’t let that bastard touch you.” My heart ached terribly as memories of being violated flashed through my mind. I looked up at them, my voice trembling. “What about me? Can anyone just touch me however they want?” I still couldn’t forget how I’d truly believed Mario back then, how I’d been pinned down by that disgusting worker. I lay on the cold ground covered in blood. It was Mario who carried me to the hospital, his eyes red as he begged me to open my eyes. After more than ten years of companionship since childhood, I never imagined he would personally push me into hell. And now, he wanted to humiliate me in the same way again. Mario froze for a moment, then his tone softened. “Aurora, stop making a scene. I’m just asking you to stay at Mr. Chris’s place for a few days. Nothing’s going to happen to you.” “Besides, you’ll always be my wife. If something happens to Neyland, how will she ever get married?” My heart felt unbearably bitter. Neyland. Always Neyland. Ever since Mario was brought back to the Jordan family, his eyes had only been for Neyland—only her safety and her reputation mattered. Even if it meant exposing my scars in front of everyone, he didn’t care at all. I wiped away my tears and turned to leave. But suddenly Neyland grabbed me and shoved her phone in my face. “Aurora, you’re always targeting me. You’re the one who brought Chris around, aren’t you?” A chat record appeared before my eyes. It showed messages I had supposedly sent to Chris. [Mr. Chris, Neyland isn’t the Williams family’s biological daughter. If you like her, feel free to take her.] But after I was diagnosed with cancer, I’d been so weak most of the time that I spent my days sleeping. I barely looked at my phone—how could I have possibly sent messages to Chris, someone I didn’t even know? I instinctively denied it. “It wasn’t me, I—” But the next second, my father’s palm struck my face. “Just like a jealous shrew raised by country bumpkins! You’d even plot against your own family!” My father grabbed me and started dragging me outside. “Since you wanted to set Neyland up, then you can go keep that bastard company yourself!” I broke free from his grip and looked at Mario with pleading eyes. “Mario… it wasn’t me. Please believe me…” My parents, who had only recently found me, might not know the truth. But Mario, who grew up with me, knew me better than anyone. He would never believe this. But Mario didn’t look at me. He just stared coldly at the screen, then his brow furrowed. “Aurora, have I been too lenient with you all these years?” “Did I not tell you—never hurt Neyland?” “Since your mind is so poisonous, from today on, you’re not allowed to step foot in the Williams house again.” “After you’re done with Chris, go back to the countryside.” Hearing the anger in Mario’s voice, it felt like my internal organs were being twisted together. He knew my character better than anyone. We were both children raised by Grandma. Why had he become so unfamiliar now? At that moment, the maid had already dragged my luggage to the door and began throwing my clothes outside one by one. Seeing the mockery in Neyland’s eyes, I wiped away my tears and forced out a bitter smile. “Mario, I’ll grant your wish. Let’s get divorced.”

Mario’s body stiffened. He looked up in disbelief. “Divorce? Aurora, have you lost your mind?” He grabbed my hand roughly. “Just because I asked you to help Neyland?” “You’re the one who hurt Neyland, what right do you have to play the victim here?” Mario released his grip and sneered. “Fine. After the divorce, you’ll cover Grandma’s medical expenses.” “And everything you’re wearing from head to toe—I bought it all. Take it off. Now.” My entire body went cold. Grandma had been like a mountain of kindness to Mario and me. It was she who sold scrap to feed us, two children she’d picked up off the streets. She’d only had brain tumor surgery last year and was still hospitalized for recovery, unable to even get out of bed. Mario knew full well that I had no standing in the Williams family and couldn’t possibly afford the astronomical medical costs. Not only did he not believe me, he was making me strip in front of all these people, and he didn’t even care about Grandma’s life. Seeing that I remained silent, Neyland stepped forward and tore off the outer layer of my wedding dress. I was left in nothing but thin undergarments. She put on a pitiful expression. “Since Aurora won’t help me, at least let me vent a little.” She reached for my straps again. “Your body’s already been seen by everyone anyway. What’s one more person?” I couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed her hand, but Mario shoved me away hard. He gently lifted Neyland into his arms, his expression full of disgust toward me. “Enough! You’re the one who wronged Neyland. Stop being so unreasonable.” “Tomorrow I’ll take you to Chris’s place myself.” With that, he turned and left carrying Neyland. I walked outside and picked up my clothes one by one under the servants’ mocking laughter. But on my way out of the Williams estate, a masked man suddenly covered my mouth and nose. When I opened my eyes again, I’d been tied up in an unfamiliar place. Chris smiled as he removed his jacket. “Aurora, didn’t expect this, did you? Neyland sold you to me ages ago.” “It was all just an act. I never thought Mario would care about her so much.” “He actually handed over his newlywed wife just like that.” Looking at the lecherous man before me, my terror surged up again. Those nightmare memories—I would never forget them as long as I lived. My voice trembled. “Let me go… I’ll give you whatever you want.” Chris froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. “A real daughter who’s worth less than a fake one—what could you possibly give me?” His greasy hand stroked the side of my face, then his eyes lit up. “Oh right, let’s watch something first to get us in the mood. You’ll definitely love it.” As soon as he finished speaking, a video appeared on the huge television screen. The people on screen were actually Mario and Neyland. They were tangled together on our wedding bed, sex toys scattered across the bed I had decorated with my own hands. In the video, Neyland gave the camera a sweet smile. “Mario, what if Aurora finds out about us?” Mario’s hoarse voice responded. “So what if she does?” “She’s already been touched by that kind of person. I feel sick just sleeping with her.” Hearing those words, my entire body shook. During that period, I’d been in a daze, attempting suicide several times. It was Mario who cried with red eyes, begging me over and over not to leave him, saying that no matter what happened, he would love all of me. It had all been lies. But it wasn’t my fault. I had only trusted him, only wanted to accompany the frightened Neyland. Chris laughed mockingly and turned the volume up to maximum. The moaning grew louder and louder. “How does it feel? Pretty exciting watching your man with another woman, isn’t it?” As he spoke, Chris’s hands began wandering over my body. Suppressing my disgust, I bit down hard on his hand, then struggled free from the ropes with all my strength. But Chris was a man after all. After recovering, he kicked me viciously. I was thrown several meters, and intense pain shot through me. My weak body immediately coughed up a large mouthful of blood. Chris’s body stiffened. “You bitch, how are you—” But before he could finish, I used my last bit of strength to run out. I never expected that as soon as I rushed onto the street, I would lock eyes with Mario, who was holding Neyland.

In my fading consciousness, I saw Mario rushing over, but his first words were: “Aurora! Do you have no shame at all?!” When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in the Jordan family’s private hospital. Seeing me wake up, Mario breathed a sigh of relief, then questioned me with red eyes. “Why did you leave Chris’s place yesterday? I specifically said I’d pick you up tomorrow.” My body ached terribly, and my throat was so dry I could barely speak. Mario instantly grew angry. He furrowed his brow and sneered. “Aurora, were you really that impatient? Still not divorced and already trying to cozy up to someone else?” “That incident back then—wasn’t it because you were careless and didn’t resist that it happened?” Hearing those words, my heart felt like it was being cut by knives as tears poured out. Mario had forgotten that I used to be terrified of pain, and because of my weak stomach since childhood, I’d always been painfully thin. Escaping this time was pure luck. But back then, how could I have had the strength to fight off a strong, grown man? The old Mario used to say indulgently that I was timid, then quietly protect me from behind. But now, he was the one who pushed me into the abyss, yet blamed me for my helplessness. I looked at his no-longer-familiar features. I forced out a bitter smile and finally managed to speak. “Mario, sign the divorce papers. Let me go.” But Mario suddenly choked up. He seemed about to say something when Neyland called him away. “Neyland has a bit of a cold. I’m going back.” “I made a mistake back then. I had people protecting you, but they didn’t make it in time.” “Rest well. And don’t mention divorce again.” With that, he strode out of the hospital, brushing past the doctor who was just coming in to notify me of my condition. I couldn’t even remember anymore how many times he’d abandoned me for Neyland’s sake. The doctor looked at me sympathetically. “Still so young. Are you really giving up on chemotherapy?” I nodded. I was already in late-stage stomach cancer. Chemotherapy would worry Grandma. Since I had so little time left anyway, I might as well spend it with her properly. After resting for a while, I changed clothes and went to Grandma’s room. Seeing me arrive, Grandma happily grasped my hand. “Aurora, I don’t ask for you to be rich and noble.” “As long as you and Mario support each other, I’ll be at peace.” “You two have been inseparable since childhood. You’re definitely a perfect match!” Facing this old woman who looked at me with such love, my eyes stung with tears. If she knew what had happened between Mario and me, would she be even more disbelieving than I was? Just then, the hospital room door suddenly opened. Neyland walked in wearing high heels. Grandma recognized her and smiled, reaching for her hand. “You must be Aurora’s sister. Thank you for being so understanding toward Aurora.” But as soon as the words left her mouth, Neyland slapped Grandma’s hand away. “What makes a trash-collecting country woman like you think you can touch me?” Then she held up a tablet in front of us. On the screen was surveillance footage of when I was violated by that worker. After the incident, Mario had tortured that worker until he was barely alive, then sent him to prison. He promised me that all the surveillance footage had been completely destroyed. I never imagined he hadn’t destroyed it—he’d kept it all along. I panicked and begged her. “Don’t… don’t play it. My grandma’s health isn’t good…” But Neyland ignored me. She just smiled lightly and clicked play. In the video, I went from struggling to numb. The filthy memories surged up, and my breathing instantly stopped. Grandma was so shocked by the scene that her whole body trembled. She stared wide-eyed in disbelief. “Aurora, is that you? When did this happen?” Neyland blocked my way, then laughed viciously. “Old hag, this was all voluntary. She just loves finding thrills like this.”

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My betrothed, Damien Thorne — the Alpha heir — was ambushed during a hunt and rescued by a girl. To save him, the girl transferred every ounce of her wolf’s power into Damien. Her own wolf withered and died. Damien was dead set on breaking our betrothal. That same night, I caught Faye Vale shifting under the moonlight. Her wolf was perfectly intact — stronger, even, than most rogues. The moment she returned to human form, she dialed a black-market dealer. “Get me those long-term shift suppressants. As long as I never shift, Damien will spend the rest of his life believing he owes me everything.” I sent word through a messenger, warning Damien to look into the truth before making any decisions. Three days later, Faye was dead. Three years after that, Damien officially took the Alpha seat. The first thing he did was drive a silver spike through the mark on the back of my neck during our mating ceremony. Then he destroyed the entire Silver Moon Pack. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at my first shift ceremony. I was eighteen. You love that Omega so much? Fine. I’ll make sure you get exactly what you deserve.

I died at my own mating ceremony — killed by my Alpha mate, Damien Thorne. He didn’t waste a single word before he did it. A silver spike pressed against the back of my neck — the place where a wolf marks its mate. He drove it in. The moment the silver burned through my nerves, my entire body seized like I’d been struck by lightning. Feeling drained from my limbs one joint at a time. First my fingers. Then my forearms. Then my knees. I collapsed onto the altar. I didn’t even have the strength to struggle. Damien grabbed a fistful of my hair and wrenched my face up toward his. Pure hatred. “Your family owes her a debt. I’m collecting it with your life.” Owed who? I stared at his twisted expression, my mind a haze. The Thorne family and our Silver Moon Pack had been bound by alliance for ten years. My father had poured every resource the pack had into helping the Thornes secure the Alpha seat. In all the years Damien served as Alpha, the Silver Moon Pack never once asked for anything in return. And yet here he was — dragging me onto the Blood Moon Altar, executing his own betrothed like a traitor. “Who the hell are you talking about?” I ground the words out through clenched teeth, forcing them past my throat. Damien didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. The memory surfaced from somewhere deep — Faye Vale. The rogue who had died eight years ago. The girl who once took a beast’s claw for him during a surge. For eight full years, he had turned that woman’s death into a blood debt worthy of annihilating an entire pack. And the ones who owed it? Me, and every last member of the Silver Moon Pack. I wanted to laugh. Before my lips could even twitch, Damien ripped out the silver spike and plunged it straight into my heart. A mist of blood swallowed my vision whole. “Miss, don’t listen to those rumors going around.” My Omega attendant, Lina, said. The altar was gone. The silver spike was gone. The hole in my chest was gone. The ancestral shrine blazed with candlelight. I had been reborn — back to my first shift ceremony at eighteen. I hadn’t married into the Shadow Pack yet. The Silver Moon Pack had just won three mines in the Northern Territories. Our influence was at its peak. It was time to settle every debt from my past life. “Miss?” Lina pursed her lips, about to say something more. I already knew the rumors. Damien had issued three consecutive declarations to the Alliance Council, demanding our betrothal be dissolved. The reason was simple enough. He’d been surrounded by a beast surge during a solo hunt and fallen off a cliff. A rogue girl had dragged him out from the bottom, half-dead. To wake his wolf, she’d forced every last drop of her own wolf’s power into him. Her wolf died from the strain, and she could never shift again. Damien brought her back to the Shadow Pack. He had only one thing to say: he would marry no one but her. “Miss, don’t lose heart! Your betrothal was sealed by both packs — he can’t just throw it away like that—” I raised a hand and cut Lina off. I didn’t want to hear a single word of comfort. Not again. Lina fell silent abruptly, leaned close to my ear, and her tone shifted completely. “Miss — he’s here.”

I followed Lina’s gaze — Damien was already standing in the entrance of the great hall. Every breath in the room tightened at once. The shift ceremony was the Silver Moon Pack’s most sacred bloodline ritual. An outsider entering uninvited was an act of open provocation. Damien clearly didn’t care. One arm was wrapped around the waist of the woman beside him. The other rested on her shoulder, as if shielding something fragile. Faye Vale cowered behind him, her eyes darting nervously across every face in the hall. Damien and I had grown up together after our packs formed an alliance. When I lost control during my first shift, he’d bitten his own finger open and used his blood to suppress my feral wolf. When the Elders publicly punished him as a boy, I’d knelt in the snow to beg for mercy on his behalf — knelt until my knees were black with bruises. Everyone in both packs had been certain: I would be the Shadow Pack’s future Luna. And now, at my own shift ceremony, he stood in the doorway with another woman in his arms. Faye stepped out from behind Damien, walked straight to me, and dropped to her knees on the stone floor. Cheek pressed to the ground. Arms stretched forward. A textbook Omega submission — the highest gesture of deference a lower-ranked wolf could offer an Alpha. She trembled all over. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her voice thin as a string about to snap. “Serena, I’m so sorry… this is all my fault…” Her fingertips twisted the hem of her dress until they turned white. “If you won’t forgive me, I’ll leave right now — I’ll never appear in front of Damien again… Please don’t blame him. He only did this because the guilt was eating him alive…” Every word came out broken, choked with tears. Her face was the picture of guilt and terror — a wolfless Omega standing before a room full of Alphas, so helpless it was hard to even look at her. In my past life, this scene had melted my heart on the spot. She was an Omega who had lost her wolf. As an Alpha’s daughter, I had a natural obligation to protect someone like her. I’d even gone to the Silver Moon Elders myself. “She’s a lone rogue — it’s too dangerous for her out there. Why not grant her protected status and let her stay in the Shadow Pack as an Omega? That way she’d have a legitimate place, and it wouldn’t affect the betrothal. Everyone wins.” That kindness became the thing that killed me. This time, I stood beside the blood pool and didn’t move a muscle. Faye waited. And waited. No response came. She lifted her head. Tears slid down her cheeks. Her voice splintered further. “Serena, I know I don’t deserve it… I don’t deserve anything… I don’t even have a wolf anymore. I’m just a burden to everyone…” Then she started kowtowing. One bow after another. Her forehead struck the stone with a dull thud. Blood ran down her face, mixing with tears, dripping onto the snow-white floor. Murmurs rippled through the hall. Someone gasped. Others whispered to each other. Lina tensed and took half a step forward. I glanced at her. She froze. I picked up the ceremonial blood wine from the attendant’s tray and took a slow sip. Let’s see how far she’s willing to take this little performance. Because that’s all it was — a performance. Every single second of it. The whole “wolfless, broken Omega” act was fake. Those pitiful tears were fake. Every tremor and sob she’d ever put on in front of Damien — not one word of it was real. In my past life, behind the Shadow Pack’s main compound, outside a hidden chamber — I’d seen Faye shift in the dead of night with my own eyes. Her wolf was perfectly intact. Stronger, even, than most rogues. The moment she returned to human form, she’d called a black-market dealer. “Get me those long-term shift suppressants — the kind that won’t show up on blood tests or provocation scans.” “As long as I never shift, Damien will spend the rest of his life believing he owes me.” “I don’t need him to love me. I just need him to feel guilty forever.” Damien had been played. I had been played. Both packs — every last one of us — had been dancing on her strings. And in my past life, I’d asked Damien one question: why he could never let Faye go.

“I’m the Alpha’s son. From the day I was born, everyone’s obedience came from bloodline dominance.” “They fear me. They respect me. All because of the power behind my name.” “Including you, Serena — if there were no betrothal between our packs, would you have chosen me?” In my past life, those words had left me speechless. Our alliance was the only reason we’d ended up together. Remove that, and there was nothing left to talk about. “Only Faye — a rogue who’d lost her ability to shift — saved me without knowing who I was. She gave up the most precious thing she had.” “How could I feel nothing after a sacrifice like that?” I hadn’t been able to argue. Growing up, the Elders had hammered the same lesson into me over and over: every move an Alpha’s daughter makes must serve a purpose. Throwing yourself into the fire on blind impulse? That wasn’t something I was built for. But after being reborn, the holes in his logic were laughable. When Damien fell off that cliff, he’d been wearing Shadow Pack battle armor. On his chest was the pack crest — forged from black meteorite, a symbol exclusive to Alpha bloodlines. Only five existed in the entire wolf alliance. Even a blind woman would’ve known from touching that armor alone that the wolf she was saving was no ordinary one. The whole “she didn’t know who he was” story? It had been calculated from the very start. “Stop!” Damien’s voice cracked through the hall like a whip, his Alpha dominance flooding the room. Every sound died instantly, as if someone had pulled the plug. Faye’s body went rigid. Slowly, she lifted her forehead from the stone. Blood was still running down her face. She didn’t wipe it. She just stared at me with those pitiful eyes. I knew that look all too well. In my past life, she’d used it to wait for me to say “enough” so she could gracefully exit the scene. This time, I wasn’t playing along. I swirled the blood wine in my palm and raised an eyebrow. Faye clenched her jaw, lowered her head again, and braced her hands on the floor to keep going. Damien crossed the distance in a single stride, grabbed the wrist holding my cup, and squeezed. Hard enough to grind bone. The wine cup shattered in his grip. Shards bit into my palm. Blood ran down between my fingers. “Serena, look at her! Look at what she’s done to herself!” “Do you even have a heart?” He crouched down, pulled Faye into his arms, and dabbed at her forehead with his sleeve. His voice went low and aching. Then he looked up at me, eyes glacial. “Apologize. Right now. In front of everyone.” I glanced down at my palm, bleeding where the shards had cut in. I almost laughed. In my past life, the first thing I did after discovering Faye’s deception was send a sealed letter to Damien through a trusted messenger. Time, location, every detail of her secret shifting behind the compound, the black-market suppressant deal — all of it, laid out clearly. I’d urged him to investigate. Three days later, Faye was dead. Damien sent one line back through the messenger: “Thank you. Anyone who dares deceive me won’t be left breathing.” I’d believed him. I thought he’d uncovered the truth and dealt with the liar himself. That was exactly the kind of thing he’d do — he was always ruthlessly decisive when it came to debts and betrayals. But eight years later, in the split second that silver spike pierced the back of my neck, I finally understood. The “liar” he’d been talking about was never Faye. It was me. “Serena, are you even listening to me?” “I’m the one ending this betrothal. Faye hasn’t done anything wrong.” I looked down at the wounds on my palm and let the corner of my mouth twist. “Lina.” I turned to her. “There are Grand Elders from the Alliance Council in the rear hall, aren’t there?” Lina blinked, then nodded. I flicked the blood from my fingertips, gathered the hem of my ceremonial robe, and headed straight for the rear hall. By the time Damien realized what was happening and came after me, I was already several steps ahead. “Wait — the Grand Elders didn’t come publicly. You’re going to—” I didn’t look back.

The Alliance Council’s Grand Elders don’t show up at a junior’s coming-of-age ceremony for no reason. My two older brothers had just captured three mines in the Northern Territories, securing the largest resource share in the alliance for the Silver Moon Pack. My father had been appointed Supreme Commander of the Northern Front. His reputation was at its zenith. A century of accumulated power had made the Silver Moon Pack second only to the Shadow Pack among the five great packs. And right at this critical juncture, the Shadow Pack’s heir had publicly issued three declarations demanding the dissolution of our betrothal. The Shadow Pack Alpha couldn’t sit still. Terrified that the Silver Moon Pack would turn hostile, he’d personally brought the Grand Elders to keep things under control. In the corridor behind the rear hall, Damien was on my heels. “Serena, don’t make a scene in front of the Grand Elders.” “I already swore a blood oath in front of Faye. A wolf’s blood oath can’t be broken.” “If you step aside willingly, I give you my word — the Shadow Pack won’t touch Silver Moon territory.” I stopped and turned to face him. He’d been born with the strongest Alpha bloodline in the Shadow Pack. Everything he’d ever wanted had been handed to him. He had no concept of what the title “Luna of the Shadow Pack” actually meant. It wasn’t a woman’s claim to a man. It was the anchor holding a century-old alliance between two packs together. My expression must have been cold enough to cut, because Damien opened his mouth and nothing came out. I pushed open the doors to the rear hall. The Shadow Pack Alpha was seated at the head of the table. “Blackwood girl — what’s got you running back here in such a rush?” The core Elders of both packs filled every seat in the room. I gave a proper junior’s bow. Then I spoke. “I’m sure the Elders have all heard — the bond Damien and Faye forged through shared hardship is truly moving.” “I wouldn’t dream of standing in the way of someone’s fated connection.” “Today, I ask everyone here to bear witness: Serena Blackwood voluntarily withdraws from the betrothal with Damien Thorne.” The words landed, and the rear hall went airless. The news spread through the entire wolf alliance overnight. The Silver Moon Alpha’s daughter — at her own coming-of-age ceremony, before the core Elders of both packs — had voluntarily dissolved the betrothal with the Shadow Pack heir. Damien’s face went ashen on the spot. He swayed where he stood. The Shadow Pack Alpha was livid. Right there, in front of every Elder, he unleashed his Alpha dominance and forced Damien to one knee. “You ungrateful bastard!” My father was waiting for me in the Silver Moon Pack’s council chamber. “Who gave you the nerve!” “The foundation of a century-old alliance — and you tear it up on your own?” “You’re leaving for the Shadow Pack right now. You’ll apologize to their Alpha in person. Tell him you’re young and foolish.” “No.” “You think you’re still a catch after calling off this betrothal? Which Alpha among the five packs would dare take you as their Luna now?” “You might be surprised.” My father’s finger nearly jabbed me between the eyes. “You’ve lost your mind!” He slammed the doorframe hard enough to rattle the walls. Before all this, I would never have dared. From childhood, the pack had molded me into the “proper Alpha’s daughter” — composed, dignified, always putting the bigger picture first. But where had that bigger picture gotten us? The Silver Moon Pack was nowhere near as powerful as the Shadow Pack. Appeasement and concessions would only get us killed faster.

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After my husband cheated, I ended up sleeping with the deaf-mute college student he was sponsoring. When my husband brought his secretary home to have sex, I was in the next room having sex with the guy he was sponsoring. He bit his lip, holding back, his face flushed red, his eyes hazy. He typed on his phone, then played the audio: “Stop! Please don’t touch there!” The volume was too loud—my husband heard it from the next room. The night my husband Ethan threw a banquet to celebrate the patent award of the college student he was sponsoring. I slept with that guy. Right now, he was crying. Naked, his broad chest covered in scratch marks from my nails, plus bite marks. He was crying hard, but he made no sound. Head lowered, typing on his phone, his hands trembling. Why typing on his phone? Because he was deaf and mute. At the banquet, I—a married woman—fell in love at first sight with this fresh, clean-looking guy. A fair, clean-looking guy, really good-looking, shy and reserved, totally my type. I did have wicked thoughts about him. But I never expected things to go this far. We drank too much and ended up sleeping together. I remembered his name was Barry, one of the many people Ethan was sponsoring. And the hardest-working, most accomplished one. He typed several times before finally finishing. Suddenly, the electronic male voice from the text-to-speech started looping loudly: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” The sudden noise startled me into freezing. He had actually been using sign language with me earlier, but I didn’t understand, so he resorted to typing on his phone. Barry’s face was bright red, tears falling nonstop. The way he sobbed was strangely pitiful. I couldn’t help laughing. “Was that your first time?” He lowered his head again, silently confirming. I was even more satisfied. I gently soothed him: “Don’t worry, it was just an accident. As long as you don’t say anything, no one else will ever know.” I didn’t take this incident to heart. Nor was I afraid Ethan would find out. Ethan had been coming home later and later recently. Every time, he’d call me: “Sorry babe, looks like I’ll have to work late again. Don’t wait up, go to sleep early.” He played the good husband, so I played the good wife. We had a good relationship—the one really getting anxious was Ethan’s secretary, his affair partner. Once again, after Ethan came home late from a business dinner, Daisy was supporting him as she knocked on my door. A blackout-drunk Ethan was leaning against Daisy. She gave me a coy, flirty smile. “Ethan got drunk and he’s so clingy. I had to coax him to come home.” Her ambition and provocation were written all over her face, openly trying to provoke me. I glanced at Ethan and smiled brightly. “Yeah, this disobedient dog doesn’t even know what kind of crap he’s been rolling in outside.” Daisy’s face turned absolutely ugly. A pretty young secretary, a top graduate fresh out of school, only twenty-four this year. Almost everyone around Ethan knew his relationship with this secretary wasn’t innocent. But they deliberately helped him hide it from me. After all, in the business world, a man having a few mistresses was nothing unusual. It’s fine. You can’t hide it forever. I’d known for a long time. Thanks to Daisy. The young girl was anxious and couldn’t keep things to herself—she was desperate to stake her claim in front of me. So she deliberately posted on Instagram a photo of Ethan carrying her home on his back. Caption: “With you here, I’m not afraid of even the darkest night.” So romantic. So romantic I couldn’t help but like the post. Within minutes the photo was deleted, and Daisy messaged me privately to apologize: “Lena, please don’t misunderstand. I just twisted my ankle, and Ethan was just helping me get home.” You twisted your ankle—couldn’t you call an Uber? Couldn’t you go to the hospital? You had to make him carry you? I should have been angry. But somehow I wasn’t really that angry. We’d been in love for so many years, going from having nothing to this happy life. I should have screamed and cursed at this homewrecker. But that was ugly, and I didn’t like ugly. Six years of dating, six years of marriage—I guess I was tired of it too. So I replied: “If it’s serious, remember to go to the hospital.” Daisy didn’t reply.

To this day, Ethan still doesn’t know I’d long since discovered his affair. He played dumb, and I played dumb too. Adults care more about interests. Seeing the hickey on his neck that Daisy had deliberately left. I just felt disgusted. I simply threw the reeking-of-alcohol Ethan into the bathroom. He still wanted me to take care of him? In his dreams. After tossing Ethan into the bathroom, I went straight back to my room and slept. As expected, Ethan caught a cold the next day. He came at me right away: “How could you just dump me in the bathroom and ignore me? Are you even my wife?” I looked at him with an innocent face. “Sorry honey, you know I’m not good at taking care of people. “But I think that secretary of yours is pretty good—Daisy, right? Why not pay her extra so she can take care of all your needs?” When I mentioned Daisy, a flash of guilt clearly crossed Ethan’s face. Then he quickly composed himself. “Are you jealous? There’s nothing between me and her. Last night at the business dinner, those guys were forcing drinks on Daisy. She’s just a young girl, I couldn’t ignore that. “I just had too much to drink, and she brought me home. Don’t be paranoid—don’t you trust me?” Who asked him? I just said one thing, and he immediately confessed without being asked. I blinked in confusion. “I wasn’t suspicious of you, honey. I didn’t say anything. Why are you so worked up?” “If that’s what you think, then there’s nothing I can do.” Ethan’s face kept changing colors, and finally he stormed out, slamming the door. How ridiculous. After getting upset with me, he’d probably go seek comfort in Daisy’s arms. I checked Ethan’s recent spending records. Chanel, Balenciaga, Hermès. The clothes Daisy wore, the shoes, the bags she carried, the makeup she used—Ethan bought all of it for her. If I didn’t spend his money, the mistress would. With that in mind, I immediately called my best friend out to go shopping, buying whatever was most expensive. After shopping, I took my best friend to a restaurant for dinner. I didn’t expect to run into Barry here too. It had been half a month since that night. Honestly, I’d been savoring the memory. I had even considered keeping him as a kept man. But seeing him acting like such a chaste virgin, he probably wouldn’t agree. Barry was bowing nonstop and apologizing to a customer. Because he had accidentally spilled water on them—actually, the customer had bumped into Barry, which is why the water spilled. But the customer was aggressive. “Do you know how expensive this outfit is? A waiter like you couldn’t afford it even after working your whole life! “Say something! Are you mute or what!” Seeing Barry’s hearing aid, the customer paused, then sneered mockingly: “So you’re deaf AND mute. Get your manager out here—I want to ask what kind of people they hire!” Barry was working part-time here to support his studies. He also had a seriously ill mother. The $100,000 prize money Ethan gave him was probably all going to the hospital. If he lost this job, he probably couldn’t even afford food. Thinking of that, I stepped forward and put Barry behind me. Many eyes turned toward us, but I didn’t care. Barry’s tears shimmered with helplessness. Being unable to speak meant he couldn’t even apologize or explain. “How much? I’ll pay for him.” The customer wouldn’t let it go. “Who are you? What business is it of yours?” I pulled out a wad of cash I’d just withdrawn from my bag and threw it in his face, stunning him. “Is this enough?” I threw another stack in his face. “If not, I have more. “Bullying someone vulnerable—what exactly are you so superior about?” After throwing the money, I just pulled Barry away. My best friend stared blankly at me and at Barry, whom I’d brought along. “He, isn’t he the college student Ethan was sponsoring?” She had been at the banquet too that day. Without time to explain too much, I paid the bill and took Barry away. When we got somewhere private, Barry typed on his phone and played the audio for me. “Thank you. I’ll write an IOU and pay back all the money.” Because deaf-mute people couldn’t speak, their tone of communication was different from normal people’s. But somehow, this made him seem cute—his earnest attitude. He probably still remembered what happened that night vividly, because he didn’t dare look me in the eye. The more he avoided looking at me, the more I wanted to look at him. How could someone be so good-looking? I finally understood why men all love innocent women. I liked innocent men too. Unable to hold back, I held his hand. I asked him: “Do you want to be with me? I can give you money, so you won’t have to work so hard at part-time jobs anymore.” I didn’t expect him to react so intensely, pulling his hand away. The male voice from his phone played loudly: “You’re Mr. Ethan’s wife, we can’t do this!” People passing by gave us strange looks. His bluntness made me laugh. “It’s fine, we both do our own thing.” It’s just that Ethan didn’t know yet that I had someone on the side. He seemed unable to believe that Mr. Ethan, whom he respected and was grateful to, could be that kind of person. He looked shocked, almost shattered. But Barry was someone with a strong moral compass. Without hesitation, he refused me again and fled. Fine, if he didn’t agree, whatever. He’s not the only man in the world. Hmph, he’s not even that good-looking, I don’t care.

After getting home, my best friend bombarded me with calls. “What’s going on with you and that college student?” I told her everything: “The day Ethan threw the banquet for him, I slept with him.” She screamed in disbelief: “WHAT?!” I hadn’t wanted to tell her about Ethan’s affair. But I couldn’t keep it in. After telling her, I felt much better. She cursed up a storm: “Those two pieces of trash! How dare he?!” She couldn’t imagine Ethan being that kind of person—neither could I. After all, he was so good. Whether in the eyes of family, lovers, friends, or outsiders, he was a really good man. But underneath, this outstanding person had long since rotted through. If I were twenty, I would have screamed and confronted him, made a scene with him. But I was already twenty-seven. I just thought, college students have great stamina and great bodies. My best friend asked when I was going to divorce him. “No plans for now. Whether I divorce or not is basically the same to me.” She stopped talking and just kept sending me photos of hot guys. Young, handsome, great bodies—wasn’t any one of them more tempting than Ethan? But looking at these guys’ photos, all I could think about was Barry’s face. He couldn’t speak, but he sure could go all out. Crying and going all out at the same time. It was really addictive. The third time I ran into Barry was at the hospital. Because I couldn’t be sure when Ethan started cheating, and I didn’t know if he’d picked up anything outside. Just in case, I planned to go to the hospital for a checkup, plus a full physical. That’s when I saw Barry in the hallway, holding a payment notice and silently sobbing. When he cried, his shoulders shook, his hands covered his face—he looked so pitifully helpless. I shouldn’t have gotten involved. After all, he’d clearly rejected me that day. But I just felt sympathy stirring in my heart. I had someone look into it and learned that Barry’s mother was also at this hospital. She was in the ICU every day, money flowing out like water. The $100,000 Ethan gave him was quickly used up. The rate at which he could earn from part-time work couldn’t possibly keep up with the rate of spending. Ethan would only give him tuition and living expenses, not money for his mother’s treatment. Now her condition had worsened and she needed surgery. The doctors told him to prepare at least one million dollars. How could he possibly come up with a million? So I quietly paid this bill for him. Consider it building good karma for myself. I did a good deed without leaving my name, but somehow Barry figured out that I had paid the money, and within a few days he found me. While I was drinking with my best friend at a bar, he suddenly appeared in front of me. She elbowed me, raising her eyebrows suggestively. “Here’s your chance, go go go!” I took him to a private room at the bar. He skillfully typed on his phone and played: “Thank you for your help. I will pay you back.” I sat on the bed, looking at him with a half-smile. “How are you going to pay me back?” He was a bit flustered, and continued typing: “I’ll repay you, with interest.” Actually, he didn’t know how to repay me. In his eyes, money was very important, so this was the only way he could think of to repay me. But I didn’t need money. I rubbed his calf with the tip of my high heel. He startled and backed away a few steps. “You know what I want.” From the very beginning, what I craved was his body. Barry’s expression was conflicted, an internal battle waging. After thinking for a long time, he gritted his teeth and took off his clothes. I was just surprised that he actually agreed, when suddenly he knelt in front of me, his trembling hands reaching to pull down my dress zipper, and looking up he kissed me clumsily. His face was red enough to bleed, he was almost crying, but he was still very earnestly, very obediently “repaying” me.

Afterwards, he sank into unbearable, agonizing guilt. He typed and played: “I’m a bad person. I’ve wronged Mr. Ethan. I’ll stop accepting his sponsorship.” His serious demeanor was just too cute—my heart melted watching him. I stroked his head, then kissed his cheek. “Don’t feel guilty. He has women outside too. Our marriage is just a marriage in name only now.” Barry was stunned. I grabbed his phone and left my number. “If you really want to repay me, let’s make a deal. “From now on, I’ll cover all your mother’s medical expenses. You just need to spend every weekend with me.” After all, I’m a normal person too. I have normal physical needs. Ethan was dirty, I didn’t want to use him. Barry was incredibly simple—although too proper, he was easy to coax. Plus he really needed money right now. With a few words, I coaxed him into agreeing. I comforted him: “No one will know. “You’re not a bad person, you’re my little sweetheart.” Barry couldn’t handle being teased—he was so embarrassed he wanted to take off his hearing aids. After adding his contact info, I FaceTimed him every day. Barry couldn’t speak, so whatever I said, he just nodded or shook his head. Taking advantage of the fact that he couldn’t speak, I teased him every day. Watching the innocent college guy blush in embarrassment—what a life. Being with Barry, I rediscovered the passion of my younger dating years. I’d even forgotten that, since the one-sided fight Ethan had with me, he hadn’t been home for a long time. The lover was obedient, the husband didn’t come home—life was getting more and more promising. I had coaxed Barry into taking off his shirt to show me his abs, and had just hung up the call. Ethan came home. He pushed the bedroom door open without turning on the light. He lay down beside me, reached out to pull me into his arms, and intimately called my name: “Lena, I love you.” This was him having strayed and feeling guilty about it. He wanted to kiss me, but the thought of where his mouth might have been on Daisy made me sick. Without thinking, I pushed him away. Ethan was stunned for a moment. He asked me: “Are you still angry?” He sighed helplessly. “Can I apologize to you? It was all my fault. I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you that day.” I continued playing innocent. “Honey, what are you talking about? I just feel bad that you work so hard. You should rest.” Ethan frowned. He felt something was off. But he couldn’t say what was off. We hadn’t had marital relations in a long time. Daisy was so clingy, she’d long since made him push me aside. He had finally come back to me. But I didn’t want him. How could he not feel something was off? I knew Ethan still loved me. Because I knew him, I knew what he was like when he loved someone. It’s just that now, he separated love and the body very clearly. He loved me, but that didn’t stop him from sleeping around outside, seeking thrills. A seventeen-year-old boy could sincerely say he loved me. The twenty-seven-year-old Ethan could also say he loved me. But the Ethan of now was no longer the Ethan of before. Trying hard to ignore the strange feeling in his heart. He hugged me, gently pressing his face against the back of my neck. “Babe, you’re so good.” Then, by the light of the lamp, he noticed the hickey on the back of my neck. “What’s this?” He shot up suddenly, brows furrowed, face dark, staring intently at that mark. I reached up and touched it. I remembered—it was from the day Barry said he wanted to repay me. At first he had acted like he was being forced into it, but then he got too into it and sucked one out. I lied with a straight face: “Mosquito bite. The pest control hasn’t been very good lately.”

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My dad is a murderer. He had top-tier medical skills, but on the day my mom was hemorrhaging to death, he turned around and ran off to give another pregnant woman a prenatal massage. Later, that pregnant woman successfully gave birth to a daughter. Meanwhile, my mom died on a cold operating table. It wasn’t until the next day that the people collecting bodies discovered I still had a breath of life left in my belly. For forty years, Grandma raised me with her calloused hands. She put me through the country’s top medical university. The day I became the nation’s leading obstetrics specialist, a girl in difficult labor came to the hospital. Her husband grabbed my hand, his voice desperate. “Dr. Sally, only you can save my wife!” I carefully flipped through the medical records. When I reached the name and address section, I froze. I stared at the girl’s photo for a long time. Then I lifted my head and said softly. “I’m sorry, I can’t save her.” The man’s expression instantly stiffened, as if he couldn’t believe his ears. “What did you say?” “My wife’s life is hanging by a thread, and you’re the best doctor in the country. Why won’t you save her!” I turned my head, my gaze sweeping over the person lying on the hospital bed. The girl’s face was deathly pale, breathing weakly. Her eyebrows, nose bridge, even the slightly drooping corners of her eyes—they were all identical to that person. I withdrew my gaze and flipped through the scheduling chart in my hand. “Before you arrived, another pregnant woman in labor had already completed her admission procedures and is waiting in the operating room. I need to perform surgery on her first.” The department head rushed through the door. He first nodded and smiled at the man. Then he quickly walked to my side and lowered his voice. “Do you know who you’re dealing with?” “The heir to this city’s renowned pharmaceutical conglomerate. They have extensive business dealings with the hospital.” “His wife is also Mr. Johnson’s daughter. Mr. Johnson has practiced medicine for 50 years with countless honors. He’s called a national treasure-level medical doctor. Surely you know this?” The director paused, his tone growing more serious. “They specifically requested you to operate because they trust your skills. That ordinary pregnant woman—just turn her away. I’ll arrange another doctor.” He was deliberately smoothing things over, naturally speaking for both parties to hear. Hearing this, the man’s expression eased slightly. An arrogant, contemptuous look unconsciously surfaced on his face. My gaze remained calm, seemingly unfazed by the visitor’s background. My voice rang particularly clear in the quiet examination room. “Director, we’re a public hospital.” The refusal in those words was obvious. The director froze, not expecting me to be so unreasonable. He grew anxious. “Dr. Sally, you need to learn flexibility!” I paused, my fists unconsciously clenching tight. “This is a hospital for saving lives, not a private clinic where people can pull strings at will.” “The pregnant woman ahead of you has been waiting two months for my schedule.” “I’m the hospital’s chief physician. I should uphold the baseline of medical practice even more.” My words instantly dropped the examination room’s atmosphere to freezing point. The man beside us turned completely grim. He laughed coldly. “Dr. Sally, did I hear you correctly?” “The Brown family has donated funds to buy equipment and support research projects for years, investing countless resources.” “Now my wife’s life is at stake, yet we can’t even get priority?” “Tell me, what kind of logic is that!” I organized the medical records in my hands, not even raising an eyelid. “Resource donations are business collaborations.” “And your wealth and background…” I shook my head. “Cannot override my principles.” The man was left speechless by my words. Fury completely rushed to his head. He stared at me intently. “Good. How very principled of you.” He sneered through gritted teeth. “Sally, don’t regret this.” The man turned and left. Seeing this, the director glared at me with disappointment. “Do you know what kind of people you’ve offended!” “They only need to lift a finger to make sure you can never hold your head up in this profession!” “I’ll stabilize Mr. Brown’s wife for labor first. When you’ve come to your senses, go apologize and then prepare for surgery.” I slowly lifted my head. “I will prepare for surgery.” “But not for them.” The director understood my choice. He gritted his teeth and quickly chased after the man. “Sally, you’re finished.” Offending the powerful—he probably thought I was seeking my own death. Little did he know I’d been waiting for this day for a very long time.

Just after finishing the pre-surgery consultation. A woman dressed in expensive clothing walked into the department. The director respectfully opened the door for her, then called all the idle staff outside. I also stood to leave but was stopped. “Sally, this is Mr. Johnson’s wife, Mrs. Laura. She also carries great weight in the industry. You two should talk.” With that, he gently closed the door. I looked up at the visitor, clearer than anyone about her identity. Laura, the female heir to the country’s largest pharmaceutical conglomerate. Decades ago, the kind of person who could command wind and rain in the industry. Her hair was styled in a fashionable curled bob, a Cartier bracelet on her wrist. She looked much younger than her actual age, well-maintained. “Dr. Sally.” She sat down across from me. Her posture carried the arrogance that only absolute confidence could nurture. “I hope you’ll perform surgery on my daughter.” Along with her words came a recommendation letter placed before me. This was the threshold to entering the Academy of Sciences. Its weight was substantial. She looked at me, her eyes full of certainty and disdain. I lifted my head without looking at the recommendation letter. “Mrs. Laura, I already have an appointment for my next surgery.” “Your daughter—I’m unable to help.” At these words, Laura’s expression darkened. Only then did she truly look at me, sizing me up from head to toe. “Dr. Sally, why make things difficult for your own future?” “Even if you help those bottom-feeders a thousand, ten thousand times, it won’t be as worthwhile as operating on my daughter once.” “I know you have concerns. I’ll handle that pregnant woman.” Laura’s tone was casual. As if that person wasn’t a living human being, but an ant that could be crushed at will. Just like my mother. She died on a cold operating table with no one caring. Even her husband, driven by self-interest, cruelly abandoned her. In that desperate situation, all she could do was fight with everything she had to secure a thread of life for the child in her womb. I laughed lightly and asked without humility or arrogance. “Mrs. Laura, you’re so skilled at this speech.” “I wonder—how many people’s corpses did you step on to get where you are today?” Laura’s expression completely darkened. She leaned back against the chair, looking down at me from above. The feigned reasonableness vanished, revealing her mean, hypocritical true face. “Do you think you climbed to your current position entirely by yourself?” I looked at her, my expression calm. “If my daughter hadn’t chosen to start a family, with her credentials and background, the chief physician position would never have been your turn.” Laura’s fingers lightly tapped the table as she scoffed. “You need to understand—with our family’s background and connections, destroying you is as easy as moving a finger.” “I don’t care if you climbed to this position through sleeping your way up or whatever despicable means, but if you dare put on airs and flaunt principles in front of me, I’ll make you cry miserably.” I organized the patient files in my hands, nodded, and stood up. “Mrs. Laura, my principles won’t change.” “Please leave. I need to perform surgery now.” If just a few threatening words and bribes could make me compromise, I wouldn’t only be letting down my patients—I’d be letting down my mother even more. She endured excruciating pain and used a scalpel to cut open her own abdomen, trading her life for mine. I would never allow her child to bow to her enemy. Laura’s eyes suddenly turned cold, laced with chilling intent. “Rejecting kindness, acting like a saint while being a hypocrite.” “Just wait and see. I want to see how long you can stay smug!” She grabbed her rare leather handbag and slammed the door as she left. The deafening sound rang in my ears. My whole body trembled. Not from fear. But from excitement. Because I knew I was about to meet the real murderer who killed my mother.

Soon, the hospital director came striding over with an ashen face. He stopped directly in front of me, his tone brooking no argument. “Sally, this is my final warning. Go perform surgery on Mr. Johnson’s daughter immediately!” I was writing notes in the medical records, not even lifting my head. “The hospital has its rules and regulations.” “As the director, you shouldn’t be the one breaking the boundaries.” Seeing I remained unmoved, he panted heavily. “Do you know who Mr. Johnson is!” “A renowned physician in domestic obstetrics, practicing for fifty years, saving tens of thousands of mothers and newborns. He’s the most respected senior in the entire medical field!” “With his status and connections, he doesn’t even need to act himself—countless people in the industry will fight to teach you a lesson!” “By doing this, you’re not just harming yourself—you’ll drag the entire hospital down!” Saving countless mothers, yet abandoning his own wife pregnant for ten months. He wasn’t a renowned physician—he was a murderer. I couldn’t help but scoff. Seeing I was unmoved, the director issued his ultimatum. “If you insist on this, the hospital will terminate your position and revoke all your medical honors.” I took a deep breath and put on my surgical gown. I turned and headed to the disinfection area. Within ten minutes, an elegant, elderly figure walked in. Johnson stood tall with gentle features—the saintly physician everyone praised. That face—I’d remembered it for forty years, hated it for forty years. Every midnight dream left me nauseated with hatred. He walked to my side, his tone composed and assured. “Young lady, you’re very capable.” “As a fellow doctor who saves lives, I admire you very much.” “But I don’t want this pride of yours to destroy you.” He calmly put on rubber gloves. His tone steady, carrying the pressure of an elder. “There’s still one last chance. I’ll operate on your pregnant woman, and you operate on my daughter.” “I’ve lived my whole life with a clear conscience. This is the only time I’m overstepping bounds—I only ask you to save my daughter who’s also in labor.” “I promise I’ll remember this debt and ensure your future is secure.” He wore an expression of sincerity and pain. But I wasn’t moved in the slightest—I only felt disgusted. She could have had a better life, but she worked three jobs a day to put you through medical school. When you had nothing, she was still willing to suffer alongside you. She waited with joy for her husband to welcome their daughter together, only to be cruelly abandoned. When you were sweet with your mistress, did you ever think about how much pain she was in? I stared at the disinfectant in the sink. “You say you’ve lived your whole life with a clear conscience…” I laughed coldly, then turned my head and said word by word. “What about all those innocent souls you killed while climbing up!” Johnson’s face stiffened. His voice suddenly turned harsh, revealing his true face beneath the skin. “Who exactly are you!” I stared into his eyes but didn’t see any answers there. I suppose when you’ve done so many guilty deeds, you can’t even recognize the daughter you nearly killed all those years ago. The corner of my mouth carried mockery. “What do you think?” In less than two seconds, Johnson calmed down again. His eyes held disdain and contempt. “I’ve seen plenty of troublemakers like you.” “Without evidence, you’re nothing but a clown.” “In the end, won’t you come begging me to spare you?” It seemed over the years he’d dealt with quite a few suffering people seeking justice. But he didn’t know that even the tightest net has gaps. That child who should have become a wronged ghost— She’s come carrying her mother’s hatred to collect his debt! I slowly exhaled. “Mr. Johnson, who wins and who loses—that’s not certain yet.” He looked at me, narrowing his eyes. Then he snorted coldly with ambiguous meaning. “You brought this on yourself.” I entered the ordinary operating room for the pregnant woman. Johnson walked toward the special treatment room for his daughter. Disinfecting, lifting the scalpel, suturing. Every step, I gave my full concentration, abandoning all distractions from my mind. I wasn’t just saving an ordinary mother. I was saving my mother who had been helpless all those years ago. The surgery ended. Mother and child were safe. Everything went smoothly. But the moment I walked out of the operating room, A wave of public opinion and online harassment swept across the entire internet.

A post published by a hospital staff member went viral online. The title read: Renowned Physician Mr. Johnson’s Daughter’s Life Hangs by a Thread, Maliciously Refused Treatment by Female Doctor—Chilling! The post didn’t mention first-come-first-served at all. The lengthy text described how I turned a blind eye to a critically ill patient and insisted on refusing to perform surgery. After learning the patient was renowned physician Mr. Johnson’s daughter, I even angrily accused them of trying to use their status to cut in line. The accompanying image was a high-definition photo. In the frame, Johnson was bowing in pleading, tears at the corners of his eyes. Meanwhile, I looked cold and mocking. The trending topic instantly dominated the feeds, occupying the top of the charts within half an hour. Countless netizens flooded the comments with wanton abuse, public opinion completely one-sided. Some were heartbroken. 【Mr. Johnson practiced medicine for fifty years, saving countless mothers and infants, protecting countless families’ happiness. Now his own daughter is in critical labor and life-or-death crisis, yet he’s publicly humiliated by a doctor. How heartbreaking!】 Some made malicious speculations. 【Sally climbed to chief physician at such a young age—definitely through connections and sleeping her way up. This time she’s kicked an iron plate!】 Even more people banded together, jointly calling for the hospital to severely punish me. They would never allow someone with corrupt morals to taint the medical profession. Gossip and slander filled the sky, instantly crushing my years of effort and honors to dust. The hospital swiftly issued an official announcement. 【After investigation by the hospital, physician Sally lacks professional integrity and has deplorable medical ethics. She is hereby immediately dismissed and permanently barred from employment.】 As soon as the announcement went out, the entire internet cheered. I stared at the faintly glowing phone screen where there was a text from an unknown source. 【Fight with me? You’re not qualified.] 【From now on, I’ll make you completely disappear from this industry.】 Grandma brought me a plate of pasta. “Sally, eat something. You haven’t eaten all day.” Her voice was hoarse, full of heartache. “We can’t fight them…” “How about… we just let it go…” I gripped Grandma’s hand in return. The rough calluses scraped my palm raw. Those were her medals from raising me single-handedly. “No.” I said. “We’ll win.” “Mom has been waiting for this day for 40 years.” The next day, the hospital arranged a media interview with Johnson’s family on-site. The location was the obstetrics ward. Mr. Johnson’s daughter, Mia, had awakened and lay weakly in bed. Brown held the baby, standing at her side. Laura and Johnson sat on the soft stools nearby. Behind them hung several silk banners. They read: Benevolent Heart Saving the World, Healing the Dying and Wounded. The director personally attended, his tone sincere and solemn. “Here, on behalf of the entire hospital, I formally apologize to Mr. Johnson and his family.” “Our hospital failed in due diligence and personnel vetting, disappointing Mr. Johnson’s benevolent heart and betraying everyone’s trust in our hospital.” “These banners represent the hospital’s sentiments, symbolizing our respect for you and expressing the gratitude of countless patients you’ve saved from the brink of death.” These words fell, and the atmosphere grew more solemn. Johnson slowly raised his hand, adopting the magnanimous posture of a senior. His voice was gentle, carrying tolerance. “I also climbed up from the bottom step by step. I deeply understand how difficult practicing medicine is. I’ve always been willing to be tolerant of younger generations, giving young people chances to correct mistakes and grow.” The audience was moved by his broad-mindedness. But then Johnson’s tone suddenly shifted, his eyes filled with deep disappointment and helplessness. “But I’m truly heartbroken. The foundation of being a physician is maintaining kindness and upholding principles. Yet some young doctors today, once they achieve a little success, become arrogant and abandon the most fundamental medical ethics. It’s truly disheartening.” The livestream chat instantly exploded. 【This is heartbreaking! Mr. Johnson spent his whole life saving people, and in the end he has to suffer this kind of grievance!】 【The older generation of physicians’ character and professionalism—some people will never learn it in their lifetime!】 Next, the reporter asked about Mia’s feelings. Hearing this, she gently gripped the bedding. Her voice was soft yet forceful, her gaze determined. “Thank you, Director and everyone, for your understanding, but I cannot generously forgive this matter.” Her voice trembled slightly. “This difficult labor was extremely high-risk. If an ordinary doctor had operated, I most likely wouldn’t have survived. If my father, over seventy years old, hadn’t personally operated on me, I wouldn’t be alive today.” She turned toward the camera, eyes reddening. “My father devoted his entire life to medical care with a clear conscience. Yet in his old age, he has to watch his daughter in danger and lower himself to beg others. I cannot swallow this grievance.” After a pause, her tone became firm and resolute. “My father is magnanimous, but I cannot allow injustice to spread unchecked.” “I will formally submit materials and sue Sally! Make her pay the legal price she deserves!” These words rang powerfully, instantly igniting the livestream. 【Worthy of being Mr. Johnson’s daughter—such spirit!】 【Support defending rights! Sally must be severely punished!】 Seeing the timing was right, I pushed the door open directly. I was the first to applaud. “What a performance of impartiality and physician’s benevolent heart!” Everyone turned to look. Seeing who it was, Mia frowned and demanded. “Sally, you still have the nerve to show up!” I laughed lightly, mockery flashing in my eyes as I looked straight at Johnson. “Clear conscience?” “Then do you remember the wife you abandoned to curry favor with the powerful—the one who died miserably on the operating table?”

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I’m an emergency room doctor. I had just finished my night shift and walked out of the hospital entrance. Then I got a call from a colleague at the hospital. “Dr. Morgan, you need to come back right away. A critically injured patient just arrived, and the director wants you back immediately to assist with the emergency procedure!” I instinctively turned around to head back. But suddenly, floating text appeared before my eyes. [Whatever you do, don’t enter that operating room! Don’t participate in this procedure!] [The patient is already dead. You’re just going to be the scapegoat for the director’s daughter!] [This patient comes from a powerful family. Not only will you get a death sentence, but your parents will be driven to suicide too!] My footsteps froze. A few seconds later, my heart went cold. I decided to trust these messages. To take this gamble. My eyes quickly scanned the ground. I immediately locked onto an uncovered manhole on the road surface. I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut. Then threw myself deliberately into the opening.

I’ve been working as an emergency room doctor for almost ten years now. I’ve always valued my patients’ lives more than my own. So when I received that call from my department, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I immediately turned back. Just as I was about to reach the emergency building entrance. These floating messages suddenly appeared out of nowhere before my eyes. I froze. I shook my head frantically and rubbed my eyes, wondering if working night shifts had finally broken my brain. But the messages kept scrolling steadily above my head. [It’s over. The moment you step into that operating room, they’ll declare the patient dead.] [They’re waiting for you to go in so you can be their scapegoat.] [The entire operating room will cover for the director’s daughter, Emily Tang, claiming your operational error caused the patient’s death.] [Be careful!] My mouth fell open. Emily Tang was my roommate and close friend throughout our four years of medical school. Why would she choose me as her scapegoat? Countless questions swirled through my mind. I didn’t know what to do. Just then, I heard passersby nearby discussing a car accident at the intersection. “Did you see that Bentley with the 8888 license plate that went into the river earlier?” “The owner’s already been sent to the emergency room. Looks like someone important.” At that moment, my phone buzzed twice. Messages from Emily Tang. “Morgan, where are you? Hurry up!” “Pre-op is ready, we’re just waiting for you!” “Move it! I’m waiting for you at the operating room entrance!” Seeing these three urgent messages, the blood in my veins practically froze. Could there really be such a coincidence? A patient with serious connections, and Emily frantically urging me to get to the operating room. Thinking calmly about it, this was supposedly just a routine emergency. The emergency department had so many doctors on duty. What reason could there be that specifically required a doctor who just finished a night shift to rush back for surgery? Thinking about it this way, the floating messages seemed highly credible. Once I put on those scrubs, from that moment on, I’d become a lamb led to slaughter. The patient’s death would be entirely blamed on me. Combined with testimony from all my colleagues, I wouldn’t be able to clear my name even if I jumped into the ocean. I didn’t dare think further. The more I thought about it, the more terrified I became. Looking at Emily’s messages, I didn’t reply immediately. Almost ten minutes had passed since I received the notification. I quickly made a decision in my mind. Since the messages said I would be framed… Then I’d take this gamble!

As long as I didn’t appear in that operating room. No one could frame me. My eyes quickly scanned the ground. I immediately locked onto a spot in front of the emergency building. An uncovered manhole on the road surface. I pretended to hurry toward the emergency entrance. As I approached the opening. I gritted my teeth and suddenly shut my eyes. Then threw my entire body into the manhole. The sensation of weightlessness suddenly engulfed me. I instinctively tensed my body. The next second, I crashed heavily onto the hard cement floor at the bottom of the well. A dull “thud.” The impact shook my internal organs with pain. Fortunately, the bottom of the well was dry with no standing water. But the bare hard ground provided no cushioning whatsoever. Intense pain radiated from my head and lower leg throughout my entire body. I convulsed with pain, cold sweat instantly soaking through my clothes. I knew in my heart—most likely I had fractured bones. This old drainage well outside the hospital had been abandoned long ago. A few days ago, someone had stolen the manhole cover. It hadn’t been replaced yet. Only an inconspicuous warning barrier surrounded the opening. In my rush to get to surgery, I hadn’t looked carefully and stepped into empty air. There couldn’t be a more perfect accident. My phone, which had fallen nearby, kept ringing repeatedly. The ringtone echoed especially sharply in the dark, silent bottom of the well. But I didn’t move. I let the phone ring and stop, stop and ring again. I kept my eyes tightly shut. After all, how could an unconscious, comatose person answer a phone call? I just needed to wait quietly for someone to discover me. The longer this took, the better. Fifteen minutes later. Construction workers arriving to install a new manhole cover reached the scene. They immediately spotted my purse scattered near the opening. The worker’s heart tightened. He immediately leaned over to look inside. His flashlight beam penetrated the well, instantly revealing my motionless form at the bottom. “Someone fell in! Quick, rescue them!” The worker immediately grabbed his walkie-talkie and called for emergency help. I maintained my unconscious posture the entire time, eyes tightly closed. I let the commotion above grow louder and louder. I could only hear countless footsteps and shouting from the opening. The crowd grew larger and larger. I could even hear the clicking of phone cameras. Before long, police and firefighters arrived in succession. The rescue ladder was quickly set up. The firefighters carefully secured my severely injured, unconscious body to ropes and slowly lifted me out of the deep well. The moment I emerged from the well, everyone could see clearly. My head and face were covered in blood. I was groaning softly. No one dared delay. They immediately carried me into the nearby emergency building. While I waited for rescue. Through the floating messages, I learned what the original plot had been. Emily and I were classmates in medical school, close as sisters for four years. Later, we both entered this top-three hospital in the country. But the difference was I got in through my own abilities, while Emily relied on her father the director’s connections. She had always lived in my shadow, and gradually her mind became twisted. She wanted to surpass me in everything. This accident was her responsibility to handle. But Emily’s medical skills weren’t solid, and she was desperate to show off. This directly led to the patient’s premature brain death. However, her first thought was to make me the scapegoat. This way she could avoid prison and eliminate me at the same time. After reading message after message. My entire body went cold. Four years of college, I had treated her like my best friend with complete sincerity. I had never harmed her in the slightest. But I never imagined. Her heart could be so dark and vicious. Fortunately, my gamble paid off. Let’s see how she tries to pin this on me now.

The one treating my wounds was Kevin Zhang, a male doctor from my department. When he saw my face clearly. His hands paused mid-motion. His pupils contracted sharply. Kevin blurted out: “Dr. Morgan? You—how are you here? Shouldn’t you be in the operating room saving a patient right now?!” As soon as he finished speaking, a police officer standing nearby spoke first to explain: “Oh? She’s a doctor at your hospital? She accidentally fell into a manhole. We just rescued her.” Kevin froze instantly upon hearing this, his gaze falling on my face. His mouth opened and closed, clearly wanting to say something several times but holding back. It seemed he was in on it. But with the police present. He didn’t dare say another word, only silently picked up his instruments and carefully treated my wounds. The process of cleaning and suturing was clear and agonizing. The wound on my forehead required three full stitches. My right leg was also put in a cast due to the fracture. Next, I was wheeled into the examination room for a head CT scan. Fortunately, the results showed only a mild concussion, nothing serious. Seeing that I had regained considerable consciousness. Two police officers entered the observation room with their notebooks. They routinely took my statement about the accident. “Dr. Morgan, please describe the complete sequence of events leading to your fall.” I leaned against the headboard, making an effort to recall: “I had just finished my night shift and walked out the main entrance when I got a call from a colleague, telling me to rush back to the operating room immediately to assist with an emergency procedure.” “I was anxious and my mind was foggy. I didn’t notice the uncovered manhole on the road and stepped right into it.” The officers nodded as they listened. Shortly after, staff from the hospital’s surveillance room rushed over. They brought complete road surveillance footage and handed it to the police for verification on the spot. The surveillance footage was clear and complete, matching my account exactly. After reviewing the footage, the police confirmed this was a pure accident. Just then, I suddenly cried out. I acted urgent: “Oh no! Oh no! They’re waiting for me to do surgery! How could I have been delayed here so long!” I tried to show the normal reaction an emergency room doctor should have. So despite the pain throughout my body. Despite the police trying to stop me, I struggled to get up. “Wheel me over there! I need to get to the operating room!” The officers also tried to calm me: “Dr. Morgan, please stay calm. Your physical condition isn’t suitable for surgery right now.” I acted extremely anxious, forcibly propping myself up and insisting on sitting in the wheelchair: “No! I can’t rest easy. I have to go check!” Everyone couldn’t stop me. But when I hurried to the operating room entrance. The atmosphere there was already deathly silent. A mass of patient family members surrounded the area, crying hysterically, completely breaking down emotionally. The operating room lights were off. The emergency procedure had already ended.

Standing before the family members was Emily Tang in surgical scrubs. I watched as she lowered her eyes, feigning deep sorrow as she sighed: “I’m sorry. We did everything we could, but the patient couldn’t be saved and has been pronounced dead.” The family members instantly broke down, their heart-wrenching cries suddenly exploding. Emily’s tone shifted, her voice carrying a hint of veiled accusation. She deliberately directed blame toward me: “Actually, there was a good chance we could have saved his life, but unfortunately the lead surgeon, Dr. Morgan Bennett, made repeated errors, which led to…” This statement was like a spark falling into a powder keg, instantly igniting everyone’s fury. “Where is Morgan Bennett! Why doesn’t she dare come out!” “Criminal negligence! We demand justice!” The family members were instantly enraged, frantically demanding I pay with my life. I sat in my wheelchair, quietly watching her twist the truth. In the chaos, one family member locked eyes on my ID badge and read it word by word: “Emergency Room Doctor, Morgan Bennett!” At those words, everyone’s eyes turned to me. The patient’s wife had been collapsed on the floor sobbing, but upon hearing this, she instantly lost control. She scrambled up from the ground, eyes bloodshot, and charged at me like a madwoman. “It’s you! You’re the negligent one who killed my husband!” She grabbed my collar, her nails digging deep into my flesh. The violent pulling sent waves of intense pain through my right leg. The surrounding family members swarmed forward, completely out of control. Shoving, cursing, one after another. “Quack doctor! Criminal negligence!” “You killed someone and your conscience doesn’t hurt?!” “She must pay with her life!” My fractured right leg left me with absolutely no ability to fight back. I could only grip the wheelchair tightly, enduring the intense pain and sense of injustice. I tried desperately to explain. But each time my voice was drowned out by the chaotic cursing. “It wasn’t me! I had nothing to do with this surgery. I wasn’t involved in the emergency procedure at all!” But my defense seemed pale and powerless before the furious family members. Standing at the back of the crowd, Emily Tang watched coldly as I was surrounded and attacked by everyone. A vicious smile played at the corners of her mouth. “Morgan Bennett, you still want to make excuses at this point?” She feigned deep anguish, raising her voice: “You caused a medical accident and instead of taking responsibility, you deliberately faked a fracture. I think you’re just trying to evade accountability!” These words completely sealed my “guilt.” The scene spiraled completely out of control. In the chaos, a young man roared: “Faking a fracture, huh! I’ll show you fake!” Before his words finished, he violently kicked the side of my wheelchair! The unstable wheelchair instantly tipped over. I lost my balance and fell onto the cold floor. The family member lifted his foot and used all his strength. He viciously kicked my right leg that had just been put in a cast. “Ahhh!” Excruciating, bone-piercing pain instantly swept through my entire body. I couldn’t hold back anymore and let out a piercing scream. I convulsed on the ground from the pain. Hearing the commotion, the police and Kevin Zhang rushed over. The officers quickly pushed into the scene and shielded me behind them. “Stop! This is a hospital!” The patient’s wife stepped forward and grabbed the officer’s sleeve: “Officer! This doctor was criminally negligent! She killed my husband! You must arrest her and put her in prison!” Accusations rose one after another. Everyone was convinced that I was the culprit behind this medical accident. Only Emily Tang, seeing the police, reacted with confusion at first. Clearly she didn’t know what had happened to me outside. The lead officer’s gaze swept coldly over the noisy family members. He asked clearly and pointedly: “You’re saying that Dr. Morgan Bennett just made an operational error in the operating room and killed the patient?” The family members didn’t even think before immediately responding in unison: “That’s right! It was her!” Upon hearing this, the officer let out a cold laugh: “How absurd!” He then pulled out his phone from his pocket and held it up high. Pointing it at everyone present. “Then you’d all better take a good look at what this is.” After seeing what was on the phone. Emily Tang’s pupils contracted sharply, the color draining from her face instantly. The family members’ expressions changed dramatically, and the entire scene fell silent.

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In my past life, Sarah Collins’ childhood sweetheart tried to develop an electric car on his own, but the battery exploded. The Collins Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy overnight. Without hesitation, I married Sarah and took over the mess Perry had left behind. I poured my heart and soul into developing a new generation of intelligent electric vehicles, pulling the nearly bankrupt Collins family back to the top of the industry. But on the day the company went public, Sarah publicly accused me at the bell-ringing ceremony of murdering Perry and stealing his technical achievements. The entire Collins family cursed me as ungrateful and treacherous. Sarah even sent me to prison and watched as I was tortured to death. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day Sarah’s grandfather decided who would lead the new car project. He sat in the main seat, his brow furrowed. “Oren, I’ve watched both you and Perry grow up.” “But there can only be one person in charge of this new project.” I bowed and refused: “Old Mr. Collins, my abilities are limited. I really can’t handle this. But Perry is talented and will definitely lead the company out of this predicament.”

Sarah’s grandfather looked alarmed and raised his voice: “Oren, do you know what you’re saying?” I stood up and looked calmly at Sarah. “Old Mr. Collins.” “I’m not capable enough to lead the WindRunner project.” “Perry is brilliant and forward-thinking. He’s more suitable than me.” “Besides, Sarah would agree with what I’m saying, wouldn’t she?” Seeing how sensible I was being, her eyes turned cold: “At least you know your place!” Whether in terms of technical skills or qualifications, I was far more suitable for this position than Perry. Before today, everyone had assumed I would lead this project, and my marriage to Sarah would naturally follow. But in this life, Sarah’s cold gaze fell on me. I immediately understood—she had also come back. Since you’re so determined to save your childhood sweetheart. Then I won’t stand in your way. Sarah said nothing and quickly left the conference room. I knew where she was going. At this time, Perry was testing his battery design, and that explosion would take his life. There was still time for everything. I stayed where I was, my heart frozen. Ten years of marriage in my past life couldn’t compare to her favoritism toward Perry. “Oren, do you know what you’re saying!” Old Mr. Collins’ cane struck the ground heavily. I met his disappointed gaze. This old man who had personally taught me mechanical engineering now looked at me with complete bewilderment. I spoke calmly: “Old Mr. Collins, Sarah’s heart is with Perry. I won’t compete.” Old Mr. Collins and Mrs. Collins exchanged glances. Thinking of Sarah’s resolute departure just moments ago, they couldn’t bring themselves to scold me. I silently returned to my room, packing only a few clothes and a portable hard drive containing the core of the project. The next morning, an internal company email announced the new personnel appointment. Perry became the chief director of the WindRunner project, accompanied by a photo of him looking high-spirited. I put the hard drive in my backpack without any expression. Close to noon, violent arguing erupted from the office downstairs. Standing at the end of the corridor, I heard Perry roaring. “Sarah! You promised me that as soon as I became the director, you’d immediately hand over the German partnership to me!” “So why is Oren’s name still on it?” Sarah replied helplessly: “Perry, Oren handled all the preliminary technical communications for that partnership. If we change people now, the Germans will object!” “I don’t care!” Perry said with dissatisfaction. “I’m the future of the Collins family! Sarah, do you trust an outsider over me?” The German partnership was key to the Collins family acquiring the latest generation battery management system. In my past life, I had secured this partnership and optimized it, which led to the Collins family’s new car achieving great success. Sarah knew this perfectly well. A few minutes later, my phone rang. It was Old Mr. Collins. The old man sat in his office, looking exhausted. “Oren, this matter… I’ve wronged you.” I suddenly understood—Sarah had given the position with the German contact to Perry after all. I spoke flatly: “Old Mr. Collins, you don’t need to say anything.” “I understand.” Old Mr. Collins looked up at me with complex emotions in his eyes. He had always treated me like his own grandson. But caught between his granddaughter’s request and the successor he favored, he ultimately sided with Sarah. From my backpack, I took out the hard drive containing all my efforts and placed it in front of him. “The hard drive contains all the data and technical plans for the WindRunner project, including materials for coordination with the Germans.” Every file on this hard drive embodied countless nights of my hard work. Watching my calm face, Old Mr. Collins’ lips moved, but he couldn’t say a word. I stood up and bowed deeply to him. “Old Mr. Collins, I will never forget your years of guidance.” At that moment, Sarah and Perry burst through the door. “He agreed?” Sarah didn’t even look at me, asking Old Mr. Collins directly. Old Mr. Collins nodded, and Perry moved to take the hard drive. But I suddenly spoke. “Wait a moment.” Perry immediately stared at me warily: “Oren, what are you trying to pull now?” I shook my head and pulled out a document from my pocket. “This is the most important Battery Safety Agreement from the German partnership. I just finished organizing it yesterday and haven’t added it to the hard drive yet.” Perry took the document, and as he looked at the strict terms and data, his expression changed. “This agreement has extremely high standards. If any single item doesn’t meet specifications, the Germans will revoke the technology authorization, and our tens of millions in upfront investment will go down the drain.” My tone was flat. “With your design, meeting these agreement standards shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Perry’s face flushed red, but he still stubbornly snorted. “Stop fear-mongering. It’s just a safety agreement. I can handle it in no time.” I said nothing more. Perry’s approach of sacrificing safety for performance was basically a ticking time bomb.

Sarah spoke coldly. “You can leave now.” “From today on, the Collins Group and you, Oren, are completely unrelated.” I was about to leave when Perry stopped me. “Wait!” “Since Oren is no longer the project director, he’s not part of the Collins family anymore, right?” “According to the rules, everything he’s currently using belongs to the Collins family. Before he leaves, shouldn’t he return everything?” “Sarah, am I right?” I turned around and ignored Perry’s smug face, looking only at Sarah. “Is this what you want?” She stood there, her eyes briefly evasive. But in the end, she acquiesced. When Old Mr. Collins heard this, he angrily smashed the cup beside him on the floor. “Oren has been with the Collins family for eight years. Even if he’s not my granddaughter’s husband, he’s still like half a grandson to me!” “Grandpa!” Sarah finally spoke, but only to defend Perry. “Perry’s right. Since he’s leaving, we should settle accounts clearly to avoid trouble later.” I looked at her and suddenly smiled. “Old Mr. Collins, since this is Sarah’s decision, I’ll listen to her.” “But if we’re settling accounts, then I need to settle mine too.” “I joined the Collins family at twenty and learned technology from you. Until today, exactly eight years.” Perry scoffed disdainfully. “So are you trying to take credit for that?” I glanced at him and continued: “In my second year at the company, I improved the production line process, saving the group over three million dollars annually.” “In my fourth year, the chassis tuning plan I led secured the largest municipal procurement contract that year for the Collins family.” “In my sixth year, to solve the motor overheating problem…” I listed them one by one. With each item I mentioned, Sarah’s face grew paler. “All of this added together—over eight years, the profit I created for the Collins family has long exceeded everything the Collins family gave me.” Sarah’s lips were pressed tightly together. She certainly knew the weight of these achievements. In my past life, the Collins family had relied on these accumulated gains to come back to life under my leadership. “The Collins family supported me for eight years, and I worked my life away for the Collins family for eight years.” “The effort I put in is enough to repay Old Mr. Collins’ cultivation.” “From now on, we owe each other nothing.” But Perry sneered mockingly. “That sounds nice, but the car you drive, the house you live in—which of them is actually yours?” He stepped forward and pointed at the car keys in my pocket. “This Mercedes was provided by the company, right?” He then pointed at the watch on my wrist. “This Patek Philippe must be worth close to a million, right? Could a poor kid like you afford it?” Finally, he pointed at the documents on the desk. “And that apartment in your name—Grandpa gave you that too, didn’t he?” “All of these—which one doesn’t belong to the Collins family?” I let him mock me, keeping my gaze on Sarah the entire time. But she remained silent. “Sarah.” I couldn’t help but ask her. “On my birthday that year, the promise you whispered in my ear—have you forgotten it all?”

Finally, she squeezed two words through clenched teeth. “I forgot.” I had thought that returning to this life, my heart had already died. I didn’t expect that at this moment, those two words would still stab with sharp pain. I forcibly suppressed the dull ache in my chest and began removing the watch from my wrist. Old Mr. Collins suddenly stood up. “Oren!” “Don’t do this!” “Old Mr. Collins.” I interrupted him, placing the watch on the desk. “Rules are rules.” The car keys, apartment keys—I took them out one by one and placed them next to the watch. Finally, I took off the expensive suit jacket I was wearing, folded it neatly, and placed it on the desk. Only a thin white shirt remained. Perry’s face showed vengeful satisfaction. Sarah finally couldn’t stand it and called out to me. “Enough! Stop taking things off!” I looked at her calmly. “From now on, I’m just me.” “I, Oren, am no longer your fiancé.” As I walked out of the office with my backpack, the hallway outside was packed with employees watching the spectacle. On the company’s internal forum, news of my removal had been pinned to the top. My colleagues’ pointing and whispering felt like needles stabbing into me. “Look, that’s him—the guy who tried to climb into the Collins family is finally being kicked out!” “He actually thought he could live like royalty. Should’ve known his place from the start!” “Without the Collins family, he’s nothing!” I dragged my heavy steps through the crowd. Just as I walked out of the group’s main entrance, a black Rolls-Royce stopped in front of me. The window lowered, revealing a serious middle-aged man’s face. “Are you Mr. Oren?” “We’re from the National Automotive R&D Center.” “Our director would like to invite you over for a conversation.” I got into the black Rolls-Royce with my backpack. The car drove smoothly toward the outskirts of the city and stopped in front of a heavily guarded building. A weighty sign hung at the entrance: National Automotive Research and Development Center. The middle-aged man led me through the corridors to a spacious office. An elderly man with graying hair sat behind the desk. When he saw me, he immediately stood up and extended his hand warmly. “Mr. Oren, hello. I’m Dr. Thomas, the director here.” I was somewhat flattered and quickly shook his hand. “Dr. Thomas, hello.” “Please sit. Don’t be nervous.” Dr. Thomas gestured for me to sit. He personally poured me a cup of hot tea and got straight to the point: “We’ve been following you for quite some time.” “We’ve heard about every project you’ve done at the Collins family.” “Especially your several patents in battery safety—they’re very forward-thinking.” My heart trembled slightly. Dr. Thomas looked at me with eyes full of appreciation. “So when the Collins family announced Perry as the project leader, we were surprised.” He sighed. “Perry’s design—our institute evaluated it too.” “To pursue extreme performance and range, he sacrificed the most basic safety redundancies.” “To put it bluntly, that’s not an electric car—it’s a bomb on wheels.” “We can’t understand why the Collins family would make such a foolish decision.” I remained silent, not explaining the grudges with the Collins family. “The Germans aren’t fools either.” Dr. Thomas continued. He took out a document from the drawer and pushed it in front of me. “This is an internal email the Germans sent us. They’ve already commissioned us to conduct a final safety assessment of Perry’s design.” “Once the assessment fails, they’ll immediately terminate the partnership and demand substantial breach-of-contract penalties.” I opened the document. The Germans had long since developed doubts about Perry’s abilities. The only reason they hadn’t immediately withdrawn their investment was that they were waiting for an official, convincing justification. And the research institute’s assessment report would be the final straw that broke the camel’s back. “The Collins family is in for a major fall this time.” Dr. Thomas shook his head. “But that’s not what we want to see.” “Our automotive industry needs steady progress, not this kind of suicidal recklessness.” He looked at me with burning intensity. “Mr. Oren, the nation needs you.” “On behalf of the research institute, I formally invite you to join us.” “We’re preparing an entirely new project.” “The goal is to develop the world’s safest and highest-performing next-generation power battery.” “I hope you’ll serve as chief engineer for this project.” Dr. Thomas stood up, his tone solemn. “As for compensation, we can offer you triple your current salary.” “And provide you with an independent research lab and expert apartment.” “Whatever resources you need, the nation will fully support you.” I barely hesitated. “Dr. Thomas, I’m willing.” In my past life, I exhausted myself for the Collins family, only to be rewarded with ruin. In this life, being able to serve my country was more than I could ask for.

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“Please, just divorce me, okay?”  I pushed the divorce agreement toward him, my fingertips trembling. But Evan didn’t even glance at them. Right in front of me, he tore the papers in half, the shredded pieces hitting my face. “Sophia, you owe Clara a life. Don’t even think about getting away from it for the rest of your life.” He turned and pulled Clara into his arms. His voice was unbearably tender. “Clara’s body is fragile. Go clear out the master bedroom for her.” I stood there, didn’t cry, didn’t argue. Three months ago, I was diagnosed with stage two stomach cancer. Yesterday, I found out I was four weeks pregnant. Today, to give Clara a blood transfusion, he drew 400cc of blood from me. The baby was gone. The moment they strapped me to that donation chair, it was already gone. “Fine, I’ll clear it out.” I bent down, picked up the paper scraps from the floor, and pieced them together one by one. Evan, this time, I truly don’t want you anymore. Sophia’s POV “Sophia, your biopsy results are in. Stage two stomach cancer. If we intervene immediately, there’s an excellent chance of recovery, but you absolutely cannot overwork yourself anymore.” I took the thin diagnostic report, my fingertips trembling slightly, my face turning even paler than the paper. “Thank you, Dr. Smith.” I folded the report carefully and tucked it into my bag, then pulled out a divorce agreement I’d drafted long ago. Today was the third anniversary of my secret marriage to Evan, and the tenth year I’d harbored feelings for this man. Ten years. I’d gone from a girl who silently followed him around to New York’s youngest surgical expert, and became his wife in name only. His on-call personal physician. When Evan’s grandfather fell gravely ill, I used my medical skills to save his life. In gratitude, his grandfather forced Evan to marry me. From that moment on, in Evan’s eyes, I became a scheming woman who’d used manipulation and tricks to marry him. Some things can’t be earned through effort. Like Evan’s heart. I walked out of the hospital. The sky hung heavy and dark, wild wind carrying cold rain that lashed against my face, bone-chillingly cold. I returned to the empty hillside villa and placed the divorce papers neatly on the coffee table in the living room, waiting quietly. At eight o’clock that evening, the villa’s front door was pushed open from outside. Evan was back. He wore an impeccably tailored black designer suit, his features cold and stern, unreachable as always. Except this time, a frail, pale woman rested in the crook of his arm. Clara. Evan’s first love from years ago, the woman he’d waited for even if it meant defying his family, had finally returned from abroad. “Get the medical kit.” Evan didn’t glance at the divorce papers on the table. He carried Clara straight to the sofa and sat down, his voice cold and commanding, as if ordering a servant. I stood frozen. A stabbing pain seized my stomach, making my breath catch for a moment. “Didn’t you hear me?” Evan raised his eyes, his gaze slicing toward me like a blade, carrying an authority that permitted no resistance. I lowered my lashes, forcefully swallowing the metallic taste rising in my throat, then turned to retrieve the medical kit from the storage cabinet. When I got closer, I could finally see Clara’s hand. A shallow scratch marked the back of it, the blood barely dried. For this tiny wound, he’d specifically summoned me, a chief surgical physician, to act as his nurse. “Clara scraped her hand on her luggage when she got off the plane. Treat it for her. Be gentle. She’s sensitive to pain.” Evan’s tone carried a nervousness and extreme tenderness he himself hadn’t even noticed. A tenderness I’d never possessed in ten years. I silently crouched down and took out the iodine and cotton swabs. Perhaps the stomach pain was affecting my nerves, or maybe it was the high fever I’d been running for days, but my hand trembled uncontrollably. The cotton swab lightly brushed the edge of Clara’s wound. “Ah!” Clara flinched, her eyes instantly reddening as she looked pitifully at Evan. “Evan, it hurts.” The next second, Evan violently knocked my hand away. The force was so great that my already weakened body fell backward, landing hard on the floor. My palm scraped heavily against the edge of the marble table, leaving a long, bloody gash. “Can’t you even do basic bandaging anymore?” Evan looked down at me from above, his eyes utterly cold. “Or are you taking issue with Clara and deliberately hurting her?” I stared at my bleeding palm and suddenly laughed. The smile didn’t reach my eyes. Only desolation remained. “Evan, I’m a surgeon, not your personal maid.” I braced myself against the cold floor and stood up, my voice hoarse from fever. “Since she’s so afraid of pain, why don’t you just put her in a sterile chamber?” “Sophia!” Evan’s expression darkened instantly, a terrifying fury rising in his eyes. After all, in Evan’s mind, I’d always been that docile, rational, even somewhat boring woman. I was like a convenient tool, never resisting any of his decisions. But today, I’d dared to talk back. Clara tugged at Evan’s sleeve at just the right moment, choking out considerately, “Evan, don’t blame Miss Sophia. Maybe my sudden return disturbed you both. I should leave. I don’t want to affect your marriage…” “This is my home. You’re staying here.” Evan gently clasped Clara’s hand, his icy gaze piercing toward me. “Since you don’t want to help, go back to your room and reflect.” I didn’t argue, didn’t spare them another glance. I hid my bleeding hand in my sleeve, my gaze sweeping over the table. The divorce papers had already been knocked to the floor by Evan, now stained with mud from Clara’s shoe, filthy beyond recognition. “Fine, I’ll leave.” I dropped those words quietly and turned toward the stairs. The moment I closed the bedroom door, I leaned against it and slid to the floor, strength draining from my body. Violent pain surged through my stomach. I bit down hard on my hand, swallowing every agonized whimper back into my belly, unwilling to make a single sound. Ten years of devotion and delusion. It was finally time to wake up.

Sophia’s POV The next morning, I was woken by a commotion. I pushed open my door to find several servants going in and out, packing up everything that belonged to me from the master bedroom and tossing it outside. Clothes, books, and the medical notes I used for research. Scattered everywhere on the floor. Clara stood at the master bedroom doorway wearing an oversized men’s shirt, Evan’s shirt, leaning lazily against the frame with a cup of hot milk in her hand. “Sophia, I’m so sorry.” Clara wore a victor’s smile, though her eyes were full of provocation. “Evan said the guest room mattress was too hard. I don’t sleep well, so he insisted I take the master bedroom. I had the servants clear out your things first.” So brazenly entitled. I calmly observed the mess on the floor, feeling no hysterical anger. My heart had died completely last night. Not even a ripple could disturb it now. “It’s fine. I was planning to move out anyway.” I spoke flatly and moved forward to collect my things. As I bent down, my gaze suddenly froze. In the corner, an exquisite glass hourglass lay shattered in pieces, its blue sand spilled across the floor. Three years ago, on our wedding day, Evan had casually bought that and tossed it to me. To him, it was just a dismissive gesture to placate me. But to me, it was the only keepsake in my barren marriage. “Oops, a servant accidentally knocked it over.” Clara walked over and looked down at me haughtily, then lifted her foot and ground the blue sand beneath her slipper. “It’s just a cheap hourglass. Someone as sophisticated as Miss Sophia surely wouldn’t mind, right?” My fingers clenched tight, nails digging deep into the wound on my palm. The pain was excruciating. I took a deep breath, straightened up, and was about to step past Clara when I heard steady footsteps coming from the stairway. Evan walked up carrying a freshly made breakfast. Seeing the scattered belongings and the two of us standing there in confrontation, his brow furrowed instantly into a knot. “Sophia, what are you doing?” He questioned coldly, striding forward and pulling Clara behind him protectively. “Evan, don’t be angry.” Clara immediately adopted a frightened expression, her eyes reddening. “Miss Sophia is probably upset that I took her room. She was just venting at me. It’s all my fault. I should just stay in the guest room.” “Don’t you dare.” Evan’s gaze turned glacial as he stared at me coldly. “Clara just returned and her health is poor. She should have the master bedroom. If you’re unhappy, go live somewhere else.” “That’s exactly what I intend to do.” My tone was surprisingly calm. I didn’t argue. I turned and pulled another freshly printed divorce agreement from my bag, placing it in front of Evan. “Yesterday’s copy got dirty. This is a new one.” I looked directly into Evan’s unfathomable eyes and said coldly, “I’ve already signed it. I’m leaving with nothing, not taking a penny from the family. Let’s finalize the divorce this afternoon.” Evan’s gaze fell on the divorce papers. His pupils contracted sharply. Then a mocking sneer crept across his lips. His long fingers gripped the agreement, and without even glancing at it, he tore it in half right in front of me. The white paper scraps fluttered down, mingling with the shattered hourglass on the floor. “Sophia, what game are you playing now?” Evan stepped closer, his tall frame radiating overwhelming pressure. “You schemed your way into marrying me, and now that Clara’s back, you’re using divorce to threaten me?” “I didn’t.” “Shut up!” Evan suddenly grabbed my chin, his grip so tight it felt like he’d crush my jaw. “I’m warning you. Without my permission, you can’t use the title of Mrs. Blake to remarry someone else. For the rest of your life, you’ll stay in this family and atone for what you did!” With that, he released me roughly, put his arm around Clara, and turned back into the master bedroom. The door slammed shut, severing me from everything inside. I stood there for a long time, so long that the stomach cramps surged back like a tide. I clutched my abdomen and slowly crouched down, picking up the torn divorce papers piece by piece, clutching them tightly in my palm. Atone? I’d loved him for ten years. I’d saved his grandfather’s life. For him, I gave up opportunities to study abroad. What crime had I committed to deserve being trampled like this?

Sophia’s POV Three days later. I’d been at home enduring the excruciating pain from stomach cancer, unable to even drink water, when Evan’s bodyguards forcibly dragged me out of bed. Clara had developed acute appendicitis with abdominal infection after returning to the country and struggling to adjust. While not critically urgent, she needed immediate minimally invasive surgery. Evan pulled every string he had, summoning the hospital director to Clara’s room and demanding that I perform the operation. And then Evan grabbed me by the throat and threatened me: “If you dare pull anything on the operating table, I’ll throw your brother out of that care facility and make him beg on the streets!” That was my only weak spot. Ten minutes later, I was forced into surgical scrubs and stood before the operating table. The surgical lights blazed on, harsh and cold against my pale face. I endured the spasms in my stomach, making each incision and suture with extreme precision. Drawing on my exceptional professional skill, the surgery was a complete success, the incision sutured flawlessly. But two hours after the surgery ended, urgent alarms suddenly blared from Clara’s VIP room. Clara had developed a severe allergic reaction. Her entire body broke out in red hives, her breathing became rapid, and she even experienced brief shock. When I dragged my weakened body to the hospital room, Evan stood there, eyes bloodshot, staring at the emergency monitors. They pulled up the security footage. The video showed that in the ten minutes before Clara’s allergic reaction, only one person had entered her room: me. I’d changed her IV drip. “You did this.” Evan spun around, charging at me like an enraged beast. “I didn’t. That was normal saline…” I tried to explain. Slap! A resounding slap struck my face, cutting off all my words. The tremendous force sent me stumbling backward several steps until my back slammed hard against the cold wall. My mouth instantly filled with a strong metallic taste. My ears rang. Everything went black for a moment. “You vicious woman! Can’t you stand to see Clara happy? Do you have to kill her?!” Evan’s roar echoed through the hospital corridor, drawing stares from surrounding medical staff. I covered my swollen cheek. Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth down my pale chin. I looked at this man I’d loved for ten years, and the last glimmer of light in my eyes extinguished completely. “I told you, I didn’t do it.” My voice was eerily calm. “Still lying! If anything happens to Clara, you’ll pay with your life!” Just then, the emergency doctor rushed out. “Mr. Blake, Miss Clara’s condition is critical. She’s lost too much blood and needs an urgent transfusion, but she has extremely rare RH-negative blood. The blood bank doesn’t have enough!” Evan’s head snapped around, his gaze like a poisoned blade fixed on me. He knew I also had RH-negative blood. “Draw from her.” Evan pointed at me, his tone utterly devoid of warmth, as if designating a spare blood bag from storage. “Draw until Clara is out of danger.” “Evan, I have severe anemia!” I jerked my head up, finally showing a trace of emotion in my eyes. I’d hidden the cancer, but the anemia was real. “That’s what you owe her!” Evan grabbed my wrist and dragged me mercilessly toward the blood collection room, forcing me down into the chair. The cold needle pierced my vein. Bright red blood flowed steadily through the transparent tube. 200cc, 300cc, 400cc… My vision started blurring. The warmth drained from my body bit by bit. I leaned back in the chair, watching my life’s essence flow into another woman, a bitter smile twisting my lips. I owed Clara? No. I only owed myself liberation.

Sophia’s POV After they’d drawn 400cc of blood, my vision had gone ghostly white. Even the strength to stand had been drained from me. A nurse couldn’t bear to watch and carefully handed me a cup of warm sugar water, only for Evan to block it mercilessly. “She won’t die.” Evan stood nearby, looking at my bloodless face with cold detachment, as if viewing a cheap disposable item. “This is the punishment she deserves for doing wrong.” Clara’s crisis was resolved. She was transferred overnight to a private hospital owned by the Blake family for better care. At two in the morning, New York was lashed by torrential rain. The bitter wind carried icy droplets that struck like knives. I dragged my crumbling body out of the hospital entrance, my thin white coat billowing in the wind. The violent stomach pain combined with the weakness from blood loss made every step feel like walking on blades. A black Maybach sat parked at the bottom of the steps. That was Evan’s car. The door hung half-open. Evan was carefully carrying Clara, wrapped in thick blankets, into the back seat. I bit my pale lips and used my last shred of strength to walk over. My hand had just touched the passenger door handle when a cold, sharp voice stopped me. “Who said you could get in?” Evan turned his head, disgust crossing his face as he glanced at my pallor and the blood spots on my sleeve. “Clara’s body is weak. She can’t stand the smell of blood on you. Get home on your own.” My hand froze in midair. I looked into the car. Clara was nestled in Evan’s arms, her lips curling in a provocative smile aimed at me. “Evan, I drew 400cc of blood. I’m still running a fever. I can’t get a cab here…” My voice was extremely low, carrying the faintest hint of pleading. I truly couldn’t hold on much longer. “That’s your problem. It has nothing to do with me.” Evan brushed my hand away without mercy and slammed the car door. The black Maybach disappeared into the rainy night, splashing mud that stained my white coat hem. The freezing downpour hammered down, instantly stripping away what little warmth remained in my body. I stood on the empty street. The stabbing pain in my stomach finally reached its limit. My throat turned sweet. I coughed up a mouthful of dark red blood that mixed with rainwater and spread at my feet. Before my vision plunged completely into darkness, I only felt that this world was so cold it was suffocating. When I woke again, it was noon the next day. I found myself lying in the hospital’s on-call room. A passing security guard had carried me inside. I propped up my aching body and reached for my phone on the side table. The screen showed dozens of missed calls and messages. One message came from the hospital HR department. Cold and impersonal. “Dr. Sophia, due to your involvement in a medical incident and violation of medical ethics, the hospital administration and our largest investor, Mr. Blake, have decided to suspend you indefinitely pending investigation, effective immediately.” My knuckles whitened as I gripped the phone, my breathing quickening. Then the department director sent an even more suffocating message. “Sophia, I’m so sorry. That targeted drug clinical research project you’ve led for three years. Mr. Blake has ordered it forcibly transferred. Now the project’s primary investigator… has been changed to Clara.” Boom. Like a thunderbolt to my brain, all the blood in my body went ice cold. I’d stayed up countless nights for that project, reviewed endless research papers, even used my own body for drug trials to achieve those results! It was my proudest achievement as a physician! To gild Clara’s resume, to pave Clara’s way in the medical field, Evan had so casually stripped away everything I had. Without a moment’s hesitation. Without a shred of mercy. I stumbled to the bathroom and looked at the woman in the mirror, ashen-faced, hollow-eyed, and suddenly burst into hysterical laughter. I laughed until tears streamed down, laughed until my stomach convulsed, coughing up mouthful after mouthful of fresh blood. Ten years. I’d devoted my youth, my life’s work, even my very life to this man. In return, I was drained of blood, stripped of my faith, trampled into the mud and humiliated. Evan, how could you be so cruel?

Sophia’s POV After leaving the hospital, I didn’t return to the hillside villa. With the little money I had left, I rented a basement apartment in the old district. Barely fifteen square meters, sunlight never reaching it. I wanted to spend the final days of my life quietly in that dark corner. But Evan wouldn’t grant me even that small wish. On the third night after I moved out, the decrepit wooden door of my basement was violently kicked open. Blinding flashlight beams struck my face. I instinctively raised my hand to shield my eyes. Before I could see who it was, two burly bodyguards grabbed me by both arms and hauled me up. “What are you doing?” I struggled weakly, cold sweat breaking out as pain radiated through my stomach. “Sophia, we apologize. Mr. Blake ordered that you be brought back no matter what.” The bodyguard’s voice carried no emotion. Like dragging a lifeless object, they roughly shoved me, still barefoot, into the car. Half an hour later, I was once again forced to enter that cage-like villa. The main hall blazed with lights. Evan sat on the sofa, his expression so dark it could drip water. Seeing me thrown onto the floor in such a wretched state, a faint trace of irritation flashed in his eyes. “Temper getting bigger, is it? Learning to run away from home?” Evan sneered as he walked over, using the tip of his shoe to lift my chin. “Did you think hiding in that rat hole would keep me from finding you?” I was forced to lift my head, my eyes as hollow as a soulless puppet. “What does Mr. Blake want with a suspended quack like me?” “Stop being sarcastic!” Evan suddenly grabbed my shoulder and pulled me up from the floor. “Clara’s condition is unstable. She can’t keep regular medication down. She vomits everything. Go prescribe medicine for her and use that treatment protocol you’re best at to help her recover.” So it was for Clara. My heart had already gone numb. I looked at Evan quietly, a mocking smile curving my lips. “What if I refuse?” “Refuse?” Evan laughed coldly. “You can try. If you dare refuse, tomorrow morning you’ll see your precious brother thrown out of his care facility and left to die in a garbage dump on the news.” That move again. He always knew exactly where to drive the knife deepest. “Fine. I’ll prescribe medicine for her.” I closed my eyes, hiding all the despair and desolation in their depths. Over the following days, I was completely reduced to Clara’s personal maid and physician. I was assigned to live in the cold, damp servants’ quarters. Every day at four in the morning, I had to get up to prepare Clara’s special liquid diet. The formula required extremely precise temperature control. I couldn’t leave the stove for even a moment. Between the late nights and exhaustion, my cancer symptoms grew increasingly severe. Late one night, while I was tending the stove, my stomach suddenly felt like countless dull blades were slicing through it simultaneously. An explosion of excruciating pain. My legs buckled and I crashed hard onto my knees on the hard tile floor. Pain. Too much pain. Cold sweat poured from my forehead in large drops. I bit down hard on a dish towel, refusing to let myself make a sound. The metallic sweetness churning in my throat could no longer be suppressed. I bent over the sink and vomited a large mouthful of crimson blood. Bloody threads swirled down the drain, shocking to behold. Just then, the kitchen door opened. Evan walked in wearing a robe. Seeing me kneeling on the floor, body trembling, he frowned. “Sophia, what are you pretending to be now?” His tone was full of impatience. “Is the medicine ready? Clara is waiting to drink it.” I frantically rinsed the blood from the corners of my mouth with cold water and struggled to stand, bracing myself against the sink. “Almost… ready.” My breathing came in tremors. “Stop pretending. Didn’t you use this pathetic act to deceive Grandfather back then? Get out of my sight. Bring it up as soon as it’s done.” Evan turned and left coldly. I watched his back, slowly sliding to the floor and burying my head between my knees. So this was true heartbreak. It made no sound at all.

Sophia’s POV Carrying the freshly brewed medicine, I climbed the stairs one painful step at a time. My legs felt like they’d been filled with lead. My vision kept going dark. With each step, the stabbing pain in my stomach felt like it would tear me apart. I pushed open the master bedroom door. Clara was lounging against the headboard playing with her phone. Seeing me enter, she set it down, a malicious smile curling her lips. “Oh, Sophia is here. Thank you for getting up so early to make it for me.” Clara’s voice dripped with sweetness, yet carried undisguised malice. I ignored her mockery and numbly set the bowl on the nightstand. “Drink your medicine.” Clara picked up the bowl and took only a small sip. Suddenly her wrist twisted, and the entire bowl of scalding brown liquid splashed directly at me. “Ah!!” Though I reacted quickly and turned aside, more than half the hot soup still splashed onto the back of my hand and arm. My fragile skin instantly turned bright red, even blistering. The searing pain made me suck in a sharp breath. Before I could speak, Clara suddenly screamed and deliberately smashed the empty bowl to the floor. Shards scattered everywhere. “Help! Evan! Help!” Clara covered her face, crying pitifully on the bed. Urgent footsteps sounded outside. Evan burst through the door in long strides. “What happened?!” Seeing the ceramic shards on the floor and Clara sobbing breathlessly, Evan’s expression darkened to its limit. “Evan, Sophia…” Clara pointed at me accusingly. “I said the liquid diet was too bitter and I wanted to wait until it cooled down. She suddenly got angry, smashed the bowl, and tried to hit me…” “You’re lying.” I clutched my scalded arm weakly and protested. “You threw it yourself.” “Enough!” Evan didn’t listen to my defense at all. His dark eyes bored into me, fury blazing in their depths. “Sophia, I gave you a chance by having you serve Clara, and you dare take your anger out on Clara!” “I told you, she threw it herself. Evan, why won’t you believe me even once?” I looked at him, my eyes full of sorrow. “Believe you? Why should I believe a scheming, vicious person like you?” Evan strode forward, grabbed my collar, and shoved me aside without mercy. “Get out! Stop polluting Clara’s eyes with your presence!” Already in extreme weakness from the cancer flare-up, his violent shove sent me flying like a kite with a broken string. My forehead crashed hard into the sharp corner of a table. Searing pain struck. Warm blood instantly streamed down my forehead, covering my left eye. The bright red droplets fell onto the light-colored carpet, shocking to see. I curled up on the floor. The stomach spasms made even breathing difficult. The pain radiating from my forehead left my mind completely blank. The agony was so severe I didn’t even have the strength to moan. I could only bite my lip hard until I drew blood. Evan saw the blood gushing from my forehead. He instinctively started to take a step forward. But just then, Clara cried out in pain. “Evan, my chest hurts so much…” Evan’s steps halted instantly. He turned immediately and gathered Clara into his arms, soothing her gently. When he looked back at me on the floor, his eyes had returned to their icy, piercing coldness. “Stop playing pathetic for me.” Evan looked down at me with disgust saturating his tone. “You scraped some skin and now you’re playing dead? Hurry up and get out, then clean this floor!” Scraped some skin. Hearing those words, I suddenly laughed. The laugh was weak, hoarse. Eerily unsettling in the silent room. I used my blistered hand to brace against the floor and shakily stood up. Blood still dripped down my cheek, but I seemed not to feel the pain at all, roughly wiping it away with my sleeve. “Fine. I’ll leave.” I didn’t spare Evan another glance, didn’t look at Clara. I turned and dragged my broken body out of the room, one step at a time. Behind me, the door slammed shut again, cutting off that man’s tenderness and cruelty.

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