Category: English

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The mafia boss Shaun Hale got into a car accident and lost his memory, forgetting that he had once forced me to be his. When his parents found out, they immediately pressured him to divorce me. Within a single day, I found myself in another city, clutching a divorce certificate in one hand and a massive check in the other, completely dazed. After being trapped in Shaun Hale’s obsessive love for so long, suddenly gaining freedom left me feeling strangely lost. I started a quiet new life in this unfamiliar city. One day while shopping for groceries, someone suddenly covered my nose and mouth. When I opened my eyes again, I was in a dark but familiar basement, hearing a man’s familiar voice in my ear: “Be good and stay mine. I can give you everything you want.” Perfect. Everything was exactly the same as back then. I learned about Shaun Hale’s amnesia a full week after his car accident. The doctors worked for hours to save his life. His mother told me about it with grief and fury: “If he hadn’t been looking for you, Shaun wouldn’t have ended up like this!” She said that day Shaun was getting treatment for a gunshot wound when he discovered I’d escaped. He immediately drove after me, and in his distracted state, crashed head-on into an oncoming truck. Luckily his car was expensive enough that the truck driver managed to swerve at the critical moment. Otherwise he might have died. I suddenly understood. Oh… so that’s what happened. No wonder he hadn’t come looking for me all these days. I thought the tracking device was broken. It made me waste a whole week on that island getting windblown. I was a wife obtained through Shaun Hale’s forceful seizure. I couldn’t figure out what attracted him to me. I was just an ordinary employee, while he was a mafia boss. And he was also the largest shareholder of my company. My only interaction with him was when I once smashed a wine bottle over his cousin’s head at a cocktail party. Because his cousin was sexually harassing my female colleague. At the time, I fully expected to be fired. The next day, however, I received a transfer notice. They moved me from that struggling branch office to headquarters that everyone was desperate to get into. My monthly salary tripled. I was thrilled. Shaun Hale seemed to appreciate me too, always greeting me with a smile, giving me raises and promotions every few days, firing supervisors who made my life difficult, helping me get rid of my clingy ex-boyfriend. He both affirmed my work abilities and covered for all my mistakes. The cheap cufflinks I gave him stayed on his sleeves day after day, year after year. I felt grateful for my good fortune, thanking my lucky stars every day for having such a great boss. I was willing to work for him my whole life. Then one time I had too much to drink. In my daze, Shaun Hale helped me into his car. He let me lean on his shoulder and said gently: “Sleep. I’ll take you home.” I can’t hold my liquor well, and I’d drunk a lot that day—enough to sleep all the way home. But that day I happened to wake up halfway through. The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Shaun Hale secretly kissing my lips. He admitted he liked me. A mafia boss’s pursuit was always direct and intense. Private jets, yachts, diamonds, gowns, priceless paintings—there was nothing I dared not dream of that Shaun Hale couldn’t afford to give me. And beyond these material things, his own qualities were just as impressive. Eight-pack abs, tall physique, sexy when he smiled, coldly ruthless when he didn’t. Every time I went to galas with him, countless women shot me envious looks. But I still didn’t like him. I knew that a man like him existed in a different world from mine. I always thought his infatuation with me was just temporary novelty. But I never expected he was genuinely serious. After I rejected Shaun Hale’s pursuit yet again, he ran out of patience. He had a waterfront estate with an airtight little dark room. Whenever I dared to run, he’d drag me into that room and lock me up. Then we’d have wild sex. Afterward, his face still flushed, he’d force me to marry him. “Be mine. I’ll give you everything you want.” He threatened that if I didn’t agree, he’d break my hands and feet and lock me by his side forever. Of course, he’d said these things countless times but never once followed through. Every time he caught me and brought me back, seeing my indifferent expression would make his eyes turn red with anger. At first, this game of me running and him chasing was kind of fun. After a while, even I found it boring. I couldn’t escape, and he couldn’t bear to really hurt me. Plus I was tired of constantly being locked in that dark room. So one sunny morning, I married Shaun Hale.

Most of the time, Shaun Hale was domineering around me. Like every other powerful person who took what they wanted, he wished he could tie me to his belt and control my every move. But he also knew our marriage was obtained through his despicable methods. His possessiveness didn’t decrease after marriage. One day while I was sleeping, he secretly planted tracking devices in my phone and jewelry. If he discovered I’d been out for more than a day, within an hour he’d appear and drag me home. After figuring out this pattern, I simply started using him as my personal driver. When I got tired of wandering around outside, I’d just find somewhere to sleep. Sure enough, when I woke up I’d be wearing pajamas in the big bed at home. Of course, the price was that each time he’d punish me with sex. This time I miscalculated. I’d only wanted to take a day trip to the island he gave me, but after three days I still hadn’t gotten a single call from him. I sat by the sea, feeling the breeze, checking if the tracking device in my phone was broken. I even started wondering if a satellite had fallen from the sky. Never did I imagine something had happened to Shaun Hale. How wonderful—now he’d lost his memory and forgotten me completely. Others told him he was married. He just waved his hand dismissively: “Let’s divorce then. I don’t remember that woman anyway.” Fate’s casual brushstrokes turned disaster into blessing for everyone. Shaun Hale returned to being that cold, woman-avoiding mafia boss he once was. Shaun’s mother could finally find him a wealthy heiress according to her wishes. And I—I was free. Plus I got eighty million dollars. Before I left, Shaun’s mother warned me never to appear before her son again. “Shaun’s previous obsession with you was just a psychological disorder. Now that he’s nearly cured, don’t delude yourself into thinking he’ll still think of you like before.” I’d heard about Shaun Hale’s psychological disorder—paranoia caused by childhood trauma. Perhaps that explained his fixation on me. Three years of marriage felt like a dream. When I woke up, the estate, the yacht, the diamonds, the dark room… all gone. All I had left was the light-as-air eighty million dollars in my hand. Shaun’s mother told me to get as far away as possible, and I kept my word. I measured out the city farthest from Shaun Hale on a map, booked the nearest flight, and flew away without looking back.

I settled down in this unfamiliar city, bought a modest house, and furnished it simply. Then I found a relaxed part-time job at a dessert shop. Everything seemed no different from before I met Shaun Hale. The shop owner, Mrs. Brown, had a grandson named Sean who was a senior in college. During breaks he’d occasionally help out at the shop. He liked watching financial gossip. The shop’s little projector constantly played news about billionaires’ scandals and stories from home and abroad. The next time I saw Shaun Hale was on one of these news segments. He’d been discharged from the hospital. Media outlets rushed to photograph his still-pale face, but he didn’t spare them a single glance. Cold, distant, unapproachable. A reporter asked about rumors of his secret marriage, even showing a blurry photo of me from who knows where: “Mr. Hale, is this woman your wife?” Shaun glanced at it and said without emotion: “Sorry, I have no recollection of her.” Seeing this, Sean sighed beside me: “Mr. Hale must be over thirty by now, and he’s still not married?” “You know him?” “Yeah, he’s a famous entrepreneur. Lots of people admire him.” “These rich people aren’t as glamorous behind the scenes,” I said lazily, propping my head up. Sean said Mr. Hale was different. I laughed coldly. Few people knew his cruel and ruthless side. A mafia boss—who knows how much blood stained his hands. Anyway, from the moment I met him, he was already a bastard who’d stop at nothing to get me. Whenever I dared resist him, all I got was crazy retaliation. I thought he not only had paranoia but was also a sex addict. Thank goodness he’d lost his memory. News about Shaun Hale had been endless these past few days. Losing three years of memories seemed to have no impact on him. Today he’d acquire this company, tomorrow he’d negotiate with that CEO. Business was booming more than ever. He seemed normal in media interviews too. The host asked if he was considering marriage soon. He said frankly he had no expectations for love and would most likely have an arranged marriage. “But what if you meet a girl you like in the future?” He smiled faintly: “Even if I meet someone, I probably wouldn’t do anything. I respect the other person’s wishes.” I fell silent in front of the screen. Sean came out of the kitchen carrying a cocktail. “Wow, so generous today.” I raised an eyebrow. He smiled proudly: “Of course! Celebrating getting my job offer.” “Congrats! Which company?” “Hale Group.” I choked, coughing twice from the drink going down wrong. “I remember… isn’t Hale Group headquarters in East City?” “They’re opening a branch office. Didn’t you see?” He rewound the interview by half an hour. At that point Shaun Hale was eloquently discussing company expansion, and the first stop for territorial expansion was right in our city. Remembering my experience at the branch office before, I warned him: “Hale Group headquarters is great, but branch offices are usually really demanding.” “But the pay is good.” “You’re still young. Why rush to make money?” Sean glanced at me lightly, then said meaningfully: “Maybe… to have more confidence when pursuing someone I like.”

I don’t know if it’s my imagination. Sean seemed to like me. Boys in their early twenties are too easy to read—his face turning red when making eye contact with me, his nervous fidgeting with his sleeves. And deliberately finding topics to chat with me—it all exposed his feelings. Not surprisingly, he confessed to me. And I immediately rejected him. He was so different from Shaun Hale. Faced with my rejection, Shaun Hale wouldn’t care about my opinion. He’d just find ways to possess me. Even if he couldn’t have my heart, he’d have my body. But Sean obviously had a thinner skin. After my rejection, his eyes immediately reddened as he left with a “Sorry, I bothered you.” At eleven PM, seeing he still hadn’t returned, Mrs. Brown paced anxiously in the room. I was about to call him when I saw his message— [Mia, I’m at the police station. Can you come get me? Also, don’t let my grandma know.] My heart jumped. Sean didn’t seem like someone who’d cause trouble and end up at the police station? When I rushed to the station, I finally relaxed. He hadn’t done anything rash because of the failed confession. He’d gone to work as usual. During dinner with a client that evening, after several rounds of drinks, the client said he’d take Sean somewhere fun. Sean was somewhat drunk and groggily followed along. Not until someone started unbuckling his pants at a bar did he suddenly wake up. “I didn’t know my client was gay, and the place he took me was a gay bar… I panicked and called the police.” “But then that man told the police first that I seduced him!” “The client said he won’t let this go,” Sean was on the verge of tears. “My boss is coming too…” “Your boss,” an uneasy premonition rose in my heart. “Which boss?” “It’s…” Before he could finish, he suddenly stood up and walked toward someone behind me with tears in his eyes. “Mr. Hale, you’re here.” After half a year, Shaun Hale really hadn’t changed at all. Still unpredictable as a ghost. I didn’t want to face him, so I pulled my cap down low and huddled in the corner. He efficiently handled the follow-up with the police and mercilessly sent that client to detention. Through the window, I heard him comfort Sean: “Don’t panic when you encounter things like this in the future. I’ll always prioritize my employees’ safety.” “When socializing, no matter what client you meet, you have the right to refuse drinking.” Sean sniffled: “I’m sorry, Mr. Hale. I just… my confession was rejected and I was in a bad mood, so…” “Love is inherently random, and having someone you like also happen to like you is a low-probability event.” Like a gentle, understanding elder, he patiently counseled Sean. “There are many girls in the world. Someone will be right for you. Some things shouldn’t be forced.” I eavesdropped from the side, feeling somewhat comforted. First time hearing Shaun Hale talk sense. Felt weird getting used to it. “By the way,” Shaun suddenly asked, “where’s your family?” Sean came to his senses and pointed at me in a fluster: “Ah, over there.” Shaun Hale looked toward me following the sound. And at that exact moment, I turned my head.

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On my first day after passing the prosecutor’s office background check, my sister-in-law Lester’s daughter Amy died horribly in my room. When she was found, her lower body was covered in filth, and she had suffered a prolapsed uterus. Lester had a mental breakdown and jumped from the top floor. My adopted brother Liam stabbed me through the kidney with blood-red eyes. My wife Kaya denounced me as a depraved murderer, immediately filed for divorce, and then turned around and married Liam. To make amends to him, my police chief father pulled strings to skip the investigation and directly charged me with rape. My CEO mother took it upon herself to give all my assets to Liam, helping him become a billionaire philanthropist in New York. Unable to defend myself, I was sent to prison for eight years. On the day of my release, my whole family met me at the prison gates. I laughed coldly. Back then, it was they who forged evidence and pushed me into hell. They broke both my legs and injected me with neurotoxins to paralyze my brain so I couldn’t appeal. And all of this was just to cover up the truth that Liam was the real killer!

I raised my hand to wipe the filth from my eyes. Limping, I walked toward the edge of the crowd. “Daniel!” My mother’s voice rang out behind me, trembling with disbelief. “Where are you going?” I didn’t look back and kept walking forward. My ex-wife Kaya quickly stepped forward to block me, pressing her lips tightly together. “Daniel, come home with us first. Stop making a scene.” My steps paused. I dragged my half-crippled legs toward them. The voice rolling from my throat was like sandpaper scraping: “Home? Do I still have a home?” My gaze fixed on my father’s face. “Dad, you were the one who pointed at my nose and called me a bastard, said I didn’t deserve the Williams name.” My father’s face suddenly froze. I looked at my mother and gave a crooked smile. “Mom, when you handed over everything I had to someone else, did I still have a home?” My mother looked away. “Daniel Williams!” Kaya grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my flesh. “Can’t you just talk nicely?” I shook her off like I was shaking off something filthy. “Almost forgot about you.” “Congratulations. So happy you two finally got together. By the way, Liam went to great lengths to marry you—killed his own daughter, then drove his wife to death…” “Kaya, when you and Liam are having sex in bed, I bet their mother-daughter souls are right there beside you, faces covered in bloody tears, watching!” Slap— My father’s palm struck me so hard my head snapped to the side, my ears ringing. “Bastard!” My father’s face flushed red with rage, his whole body trembling. “You committed the crime yourself, and now you’re pinning the blame on Liam and Kaya. You’re nothing but a vicious bastard!” My mother chimed in shrilly. “Daniel, what kind of attitude is this! Kaya married Liam to atone for your sins. What right do you have to slander them?” “It’s bad enough you’re rotting in the gutter yourself, but you want to drag them down too. What a poisonous heart you have!” Kaya’s eyes reddened: “Daniel, Liam and I really aren’t what you think…” “When Liam lost two family members, he drank himself into gastric cancer day and night. I only married him to take care of him.” She stepped forward to touch my face: “I married Liam as a temporary measure. Now that you’re back, we can go back to how things were.” I used every ounce of strength to slap her hard across the face. My voice trembled but carried bone-chilling coldness: “Go back to how things were?” “Kaya, you disgust me!” “What makes you think I’d want a woman who’s been screwed rotten? I want to vomit just touching you!” My father’s hand veins bulged as he grabbed my throat and roared: “Daniel, you’re insane! Shut your mouth!” Talk nicely? “What did I do wrong?” I stared into each of their eyes, word by word. “From beginning to end, what exactly did I do wrong?” “Liam is the real culprit!” “You held him in the palm of your hand but couldn’t wait to grind me into the dirt, threw me in prison without reason, and ruined my life!” My mother snarled. “What real culprit! Watch your filthy mouth!” That man charged at me again, a steel pipe smashing viciously onto my already crippled legs. The dull sound of bone shattering. I collapsed to the ground, cold sweat instantly soaking my entire body. “How dare you slander Mr. McKenzie’s reputation! I think you’re tired of living!” My ruined legs took hit after hit, the pain making me tremble uncontrollably. Kaya looked at my twisted legs, her face showing reluctance. “Daniel, come home with us. Whatever you want, I’ll compensate you.” I spat a mouthful of blood on her face. “You’re all so hypocritical! Get lost! I feel sick just looking at you!” My father flew into a rage, pointing at my nose and cursing: “Daniel, I’m giving you one last chance. Apologize to Liam and Kaya!” “Otherwise… get out of this family and never come back!”

Liam had somehow arrived at the scene. He pushed through the crowd and suddenly spoke: “Dad, don’t do this. Daniel is your son after all.” Everyone’s attention instantly shifted as Mom and Dad surrounded him. My mother grabbed his hand lovingly: “Didn’t we tell you not to come?” “Right, you’re so busy with work. There’s no need to make the trip, especially when it just reminds you of sad memories.” My father also said hurriedly. Even Kaya pressed close to him, standing between Liam and me, as if afraid I might harm him. My eyes grew even drier. Once upon a time, I too had received such tender care. That was when I was eighteen, before Liam was adopted by my parents. I was kidnapped in retaliation by my father’s enemy. It was he who fought the criminals alone and accidentally fell from the fifth floor. He suffered comminuted fractures all over his body and lay in the hospital for a whole year. Even though it hurt terribly, he held my hand and comforted me: “It’s okay. This is Dad’s badge for protecting you. It doesn’t hurt at all.” And Kaya—when we were dating, even if it was my fault that drew curses from passersby, she would stop at nothing to drive that person out of New York. The love in my memories was as warm as ocean waves, but the reality before my eyes was like a bucket of cold water, completely waking me up. While no one was paying attention to me, the thug who had beaten me earlier charged over with several others. Someone pinned down my limbs, preventing me from moving. My right palm bones shattered with a sound. Extreme agony shot to the top of my skull, my vision turning blood red. They actually used an iron hammer to crush my right hand! “Destroying this hand so you can never be normal again! Let’s see how you harm people now!” “Rapist! I’m going to break your dick!” The blade flashed cold light, slashing toward my lower body. Eight years in prison had taught me to struggle. I used all my strength to kick one person away and scrambled backward. The rough ground tore up my palms, the pain nearly making me pass out. From the corner of my eye, Kaya was nestled in Liam’s arms, smiling sweetly. That expression was a tenderness I had never seen before. When Mom and Dad glanced toward me after hearing my cries of pain, their faces showed only disgust. And Liam seemed to just notice the situation, shouting loudly: “What are you doing!” He chased away those thugs and bent down to help me up, his face full of concern. “Daniel, are you okay?” His leather shoe landed squarely on my mangled right hand,without impartiality. He pressed down hard. A wheezing gasp escaped my throat as I curled up in agony. He leaned down, his breath spraying in my ear, soft as a viper’s hiss: “So what if you’re back? I’ll take everything from you—not just your assets, but your family and wife too…” Looking up, he resumed that anxious, flustered appearance: “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” But my father kicked me hard in the chest. I fell to the ground, my internal organs shifting out of place. “How long are you going to keep up this act?!” He ground his shoe sole against my face. “Liam kindly tried to help you up, and you put on this pathetic show for who? Trying to frame him again?!” As if finding an outlet, he kicked my legs viciously, one foot after another. My legs, which had been broken and healed dozens of times over eight years, fractured again. I curled into a ball, darkness clouding my vision. “You’re a rotten person who wants to drag everyone else down with you! Remember this! I could send you to prison once, I can send you there countless times!” “Dad! Stop hitting him!” Kaya grabbed him, her voice breaking: “Dad, Daniel is your son…” “Son? I don’t have a bastard son like him!” “Eight years ago, my only son became Liam!”

Kaya looked at the furious father, then at me barely clinging to life. In the end, she walked toward me: “Your hand… Let me take you to the hospital to treat your wounds.” As soon as she finished speaking, Liam bent over clutching his stomach, his voice weak: “Kaya, my stomach doesn’t feel good.” “Don’t worry, I’ll take you to the hospital right now.” Kaya carefully supported him. From start to finish, she didn’t spare me even a glance. My father’s voice was like a poisoned blade as he ordered the bodyguards: “Clean this up. Don’t let certain people have a chance to harm Liam!” After speaking, they quickly followed, escorting Liam to the hospital. The chaotic scene was suddenly left with only me. “See? Who would like a rapist?” The man from earlier squatted down, his nails digging into the wound on my hand. “Weren’t you pretty good at dodging just now? Why aren’t you dodging now?” Another spat in my face: “Rapists should be nailed to the pillory!” They tied me spread-eagle to a pillar, then pulled out a box of needle and thread from a bag. “Since he likes throwing dirt on others, let’s sew his mouth shut!” “And those hands—destroy them all!” I struggled desperately, only to receive over a hundred slaps in return. A bodyguard nearby couldn’t bear watching anymore and called my father. “Sir, Daniel is being assaulted by passersby right now. What should we…” “You’re calling me over something this trivial?” My father impatiently cut him off. Through the phone came the sounds of Kaya and my mother fussing over Liam. After a long while, my father added in an icy tone: “Today, I won’t allow anything that damages Liam’s reputation to get out.” “As for that bastard, let them do whatever they want. As long as he’s breathing.” Those thugs overheard the conversation and doubled over laughing: “Hear that? You’re at our mercy!” When the needle pierced my lip, the taste of rust filled my mouth. One stitch, two stitches—the thread pulled at the flesh, sewing my screams back into my throat. The steel needle shuttled back and forth between my upper and lower lips. After just a few passes, my mouth was full of blood. Then they raised the iron hammer, lifting and dropping it. The bones in my wrists and ankles shattered completely. But what came from my throat wasn’t screaming—it was broken whimpering. I don’t know how long they tortured me. Finally bored, they threw me into the icy river water. Rain poured down mercilessly, the cold making even the bone fragments in my joints scream. I bit through my back molars and used my chin to brace against the riverbank, dragging my body up inch by inch. My phone screen glowed dimly in the rain. When I pressed those numbers, the stitched lips tore open again, blood dripping on the screen. This number had mysteriously appeared on my bedside during my imprisonment. He said that if I agreed to cooperate, all my grievances could be cleared. “Hello?” I opened my mouth, letting blood and rain flow together into my throat: “I agree to cooperate.” My voice was so hoarse it didn’t sound human. “Name any condition. I want them all to go to hell!” This was my last chance!

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The third miscarriage. The anesthesia had just worn off, and I woke up groggy in the hospital bed. I heard my husband Adrian’s conversation with Lila drifting to my ears. “Lila, don’t worry. I’ve arranged everything. Natalie won’t find out.” “Dad’s will said whoever has a child first, that child becomes the family heir. I’ll make sure you give birth to my brother’s child first.” My whole body went cold. Two years. Three failed pregnancies. Two hemorrhages. I’d always thought it was my poor health, bad luck. Turns out it was this husband I’d loved for five years who, for the sake of his childhood sweetheart Lila, personally killed my babies. The moment the severe pain hit, I completely lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes again. I’d been reborn, back to the day I first woke up after my first miscarriage. Adrian was holding my hand, his eyes full of what looked like heartache: “Honey, don’t be sad. We can have another baby.” I looked at this face I once loved deeply and slowly pulled my hand away. “Adrian, let’s get divorced.”

Adrian’s mask of the gentle husband cracked for a moment. His brows furrowed like he’d heard something absurd, then he softened his voice to coax me: “Natalie, I know you just lost the baby and you’re upset, but you can’t just casually talk about divorce.” He tried to grab my hand again. I avoided him directly. His tone instantly dropped several degrees: “Don’t be so willful. Don’t you care about the company’s reputation or what people in our circle will think?” “It’s just one baby. We can have another.” I watched him coldly, finding it laughable. “Adrian, since we’re settling accounts, let’s settle them clearly.” “I’ve been married into the Sterling family for one year and five months.” “On our wedding night, you said Lila, who you grew up with, wasn’t feeling well and you needed to go take care of her.” “The next day you told me Lila’s parents died young, she lived alone at the Sterling house and it was pitiful, we should take care of her. So I gave her $100,000 every month.” “She said she needed to attend galas, so I sent all my haute couture dresses and limited edition bags to her closet.” “My dad regularly ordered imported supplements for me. You said Lila had been sickly since childhood, that the medicine made her feel much better, and I didn’t even blink before having them sent to her.” I counted each item, my voice calm as if reading a stranger’s ledger. Adrian’s face changed from shock to embarrassment, finally flushing bright red. “Those… those were because the company was having cash flow problems at the time. We couldn’t let Lila suffer. Lila was doing it for the family…” I interrupted him: “Then tell me, why does your annual salary and your project bonuses always go to her account first?” “Sterling Group’s financial seal is in her hands. I’ve been married in for a year and haven’t even seen the company’s financial reports.” “Every time you bring back gifts from abroad, the first choice always goes to her.” “Even with this pregnancy, the folic acid and vitamins you sent every day had to be prepared by her. You said she understood medicine and could help verify they were safe for me.” I stared into his eyes, enunciating each word: “Adrian, in your heart, Sterling Group and Lila will always come before me and our child.” Then I shook my head: “No, there’s no place for us in your heart at all.” “You married me only because my family had enough cash flow to fill Sterling Group’s holes, so you could support your precious childhood sweetheart!” Adrian shot to his feet, his face livid: “Natalie West! What nonsense are you spouting!” His chest heaved as he pointed at me: “Have you lost your mind! I think the miscarriage has scrambled your brain!” He grabbed his coat from the chair, turned, and slammed the door on his way out. I leaned against the headboard, as if I’d lost all my strength, and called toward the door: “Emma.” Emma, my assistant of many years, pushed the door open, her eyes rimmed red: “Miss West…” “Get out my prenuptial assets and fund lists. Cross-check them against Sterling Group’s business accounts and Lila’s personal accounts, one by one.” “List out everything that went into Sterling’s business account or someone else’s private account.” “How much is missing, where it went, who handled it—write it all out clearly.” I looked at her and added: “Also, the vitamins I took every day before the miscarriage—collect what’s left and keep them safe. Don’t let anyone touch them.” Emma nodded vigorously: “Yes, Miss West!” Emma left the room. I lay in the hospital bed, placing my hand on my lower abdomen. In my previous life, I had three little lives. But before they could come into this world, they were personally killed by their own father. Adrian. Lila. This life, what you owe me, I will collect back bit by bit, with interest.

Lila came again that afternoon. She wore light makeup that only made her face look paler, with a trace of grievance between her brows that made people’s hearts ache. Adrian followed behind her, his face dark enough to drip water. Lila sat down, her voice so soft it could squeeze out water: “Natalie, I heard you and Adrian had an argument?” “You’re still young, and you just had a miscarriage. You’re hurt and feeling wronged. I understand all that.” Her tone was gentle, like coaxing a child who didn’t understand: “But divorce—that’s not something you can just say casually. A divorced woman’s reputation is damaged. The gossip in our circle could drown you.” “The Sterling family has such prestige and cares most about appearances. Plus so many eyes are on the company. If you make this kind of scene, Adrian will be laughed at in our circle.” With each sentence she spoke, Adrian’s frown smoothed out a bit, and his eyes looking at her filled with gratitude for being understood. Lila raised her hand, gently pressing her fingertip to the corner of her eye, her voice choking: “It’s all my fault really. My poor health has kept Adrian worrying about me, making him neglect you.” “I’m the one who caused you two to fight like this. It’s all my fault.” Adrian cut her off sharply: “Lila! How can you say that! Taking care of you is my responsibility.” He looked at me, his eyes carrying a hint of threat: “Natalie, Lila is so much more thoughtful than you! She’s this worried about you, and you don’t even appreciate it!” Lila looked up, her eyes brimming with tears that hung precariously on the edge of falling: “No, it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t stayed at the Sterling house, always making Adrian worry about me, you two wouldn’t have…” She got halfway through before she couldn’t hold on anymore, lowering her head to cover her face, her shoulders trembling slightly as she sobbed quietly. I watched her crude performance and suddenly laughed out loud. Hearing the laughter, Lila’s crying stopped abruptly. She looked up, her face full of shock. Adrian roared: “What’s so funny!” “I’m laughing at Lila for having at least some self-awareness.” I spoke each word clearly, my voice bright. “She knows she’s freeloading at the Sterling house, distracting Adrian, stirring up trouble between us as husband and wife.” “Watching you cry, I almost believed it. With your acting skills, it’s a real waste you’re not making movies.” “Natalie West!” Adrian bellowed. Lila suddenly stood up, her body swaying: “Natalie! How can you slander me! I’m doing this for you two…” I stared at her, my eyes cold as ice: “On my wedding night, you said you weren’t feeling well. Adrian didn’t even change out of his wedding clothes—he spent the whole night in your room.” “On my birthday, you said you were afraid of the dark. He abandoned me and the cake to rush over and keep you company through the night.” “The day before my miscarriage, it was pouring rain in the suburbs. You said you felt dizzy and your heart was racing. Without a word, he left me behind and drove to pick you up. I walked home alone in the rain.” “Your body really knows when to get sick. Every single time right when I need my husband!” I turned to look at the guilty-faced Adrian: “Everything I just said—don’t you, as the person involved, have any idea?” Adrian opened his mouth, speechless. As soon as I finished speaking, Lila held her head, swaying unsteadily: “Adrian… Adrian, I can’t… I’m dizzy…” “Dizzy again?” I picked up the glass of water on the table, raised my wrist, and splashed the water directly in her face. Lila’s elaborate hairstyle plastered against her face, her expression stunned. I put down the glass, my voice cold: “If you’re going to faint, go faint in your own place. Don’t be an eyesore here.” Lila’s motion to collapse into Adrian’s arms froze mid-air. She slowly straightened up, the fragility instantly fading from her face. A cold glint appeared in her eyes. The fainting act couldn’t continue. “Emma, call security to throw them out. I’m tired.” Emma came forward with two security guards, directly blocking them. Lila gave me a long look, stopped pretending to be weak, turned on her high heels and walked out. Where was any trace of frailty now? Adrian stayed behind last, looking at me with shocked and unfamiliar eyes: “Natalie, you’ve changed.” I turned my back to him, too lazy to look at him again: “It’s you who never truly saw me.” That evening. Emma placed a thick stack of transaction records and divorce papers in front of me: “Miss West, it’s all been verified. Your account is missing $56 million. The money trail and handlers are all listed here.” I picked up the divorce agreement, signed my name at the bottom, and pressed my fingerprint. “Send this to Adrian’s office. Tell him to transfer back my prenuptial assets and everything else that belongs to me within three days. And sign the divorce papers.” “Otherwise, I don’t mind letting everyone in the business circle know how Sterling Group sucked its daughter-in-law’s blood to maintain their empty shell of a prestigious family. At worst, we’ll mutually destroy each other and let Sterling get delisted.”

I went home first thing the next morning. Mother held my hand, tears streaming: “My daughter… but that’s Sterling Group. After just one year you want a divorce? What will people think of you? Where does that leave the West family’s reputation?” Father’s face was stern, displeased: “Natalie, it’s not that Mom and Dad aren’t on your side, but a divorced woman—her reputation is ruined.” “Adrian may have his faults, but what man can be considerate in every way? You need to understand him. Once you have another child and Adrian becomes a father, naturally he’ll be more family-oriented.” “Listen to Dad—go back and talk properly with Adrian. If necessary, tell Adrian that for Sterling’s new development project, Dad will give him an extra percentage point.” I interrupted them: “Mom, Dad, I didn’t come home to throw a tantrum or have you talk me out of it. I’ve already sent over the divorce papers. My divorce from Adrian is final.” Father angrily grabbed the teacup from the table and smashed it on the floor: “You! How can you be so willful!” Mother sat on the sofa covering her face and crying: “You’re going to be the death of us! Your sister is coming back from abroad soon. If you make this scene in our circle, how will she marry into a good family in the future?” In the middle of this standoff, a steady voice rang out from the doorway: “If Natalie wants to come home, let her come home.” Ethan walked in, wearing an impeccably tailored suit, his posture upright, his features handsome. This was the brother my family had adopted since he was young. “Ethan…” I looked at him. He gave me a reassuring look, then turned to my parents, his tone carrying an unquestionable strength: “This house will always have a place for Natalie.” “The Sterling family bullied her and didn’t value her. That’s their heartlessness, not her fault.” “Whatever gossip is out there, if anyone dares bring it to the West family’s doorstep, I’ll handle it.” My parents were momentarily speechless. Mother’s crying quieted down. Father sighed and said: “Natalie, go upstairs and rest for now.” I nodded, got up, and went upstairs. Ethan followed behind me. At the stairway landing, I took out a pill bottle and handed it to him: “Ethan, I need to ask you for a favor.” Ethan sat down, his gaze falling on the pill bottle. I opened it and poured out one pill: “These are the folic acid and vitamins I took every day before this miscarriage.” “I suspect my miscarriage wasn’t an accident. These pills might be the problem.” Ethan picked up the bottle, examined it carefully, then looked up at me: “You suspect someone tampered with them?” “Exactly.” I met his gaze. “I don’t believe my body would just miscarry like that.” The pain of three miscarriages in my previous life had already seared into my bones. This lifetime, I would never endure it again. Ethan was silent for a long while, then put the bottle away: “Alright.” “I have some business and need to go to the capital for a few days. I’ll take these pills with me and have an authoritative institution test them.” He looked at me, his gaze complex yet gentle: “You just rest at home and take care of yourself. I’ll arrange for someone to watch the West house. The Sterling family won’t come harass you.” He slowly stood up, walked to the door, but his steps suddenly stopped. “Natalie, you must wait for me to come back.” “Whatever you want, whatever you want to do, I’ll help you.” I froze. He seemed to see through my confusion but didn’t explain, only giving me a reassuring smile: “Rest well. Don’t overthink.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he pushed the door open and walked out. I sat alone in the gradually darkening room, staring at the closed door, my emotions churning. I stayed home for two days, adjusting my state of mind. Then I simply went to the company to take over the family business. Occasional glances from longtime employees carried a trace of curiosity and sympathy. On the third day at noon. I was leaning by the window looking at the new quarterly reports. Emma ran in hurriedly, her face pale: “Miss West! This is bad! The Sterling family sent people!” “So many people! Damian, Adrian, Lila… and several lawyers! They’ve blocked the whole building entrance! The chairman has already gone down!” I put down the report and took a deep breath. So they finally came. I straightened my suit jacket and walked out.

The lobby of West Corporation was tense. Adrian’s older brother, Sterling Group Chairman Damian, stood at the front with a superior attitude. He spoke, his voice slow and heavy: “Mr. West, Mrs. West. The fact that I personally came to your company today shows I’m giving you plenty of face.” “You’ve really raised your daughter well. Now she’s so willful—divorce at the drop of a hat. Not only do you not discipline her properly, you actually enable her to run back to her parents’ home? What are you thinking?” Father smiled awkwardly: “Please calm down. Our daughter is young and doesn’t understand. We’ll definitely talk sense into her…” Adrian looked at me, his eyes full of reproach: “Natalie, look how upset you’ve made your father. Stop making a scene and come home with me. I don’t blame you for what happened that day. Let’s just live our lives properly.” Lila had changed into a light-colored suit today, still looking delicate: “Natalie, I apologize to you. It’s all my fault. Don’t fight with Adrian, and don’t make things difficult for Damian and your parents.” “Adrian does have feelings for you. He’s just not good at expressing himself. Give him one more chance, okay?” The three of them put on quite a show. Playing good cop and bad cop so well I wanted to applaud. They clearly wanted to force me to go back. I stood in the lobby, looking at these faces. In my previous life, I was forced to retreat step by step by this kind of “greater good” and “relationships” until I lost my life. I spoke, and the hall instantly quieted: “Damian, Adrian, Lila.” “I’ve already made myself very clear. I want a divorce.” “The asset list has been sent to Adrian’s office. The three-day deadline has passed two days. Please have the Sterling family transfer my prenuptial assets back to my account as soon as possible.” “Adrian, please sign the divorce papers promptly too.” “From now on, I have nothing more to do with the Sterling family!” Damian roared: “You! Natalie West! How dare you! Do you think you can divorce just because you want to?!” I laughed: “Your Sterling family embezzled my money, made me suffer endless grievances, and now killed my child. A Sterling family like that—I really can’t climb that high!” “You’re talking nonsense!” Adrian’s face changed drastically. He stepped forward trying to cover my mouth. I dodged to the side. I looked up coldly: “Whether I’m talking nonsense or not, you know in your heart.” “Over $50 million from my private account—how much did you use to fill holes, grease palms, and maintain your prestigious family’s facade? Do I need to recount it one by one in front of everyone?” Adrian’s and Damian’s faces instantly turned between green and white, extremely ugly. That Sterling Group was strong on the outside but weak on the inside, propped up by the daughter-in-law’s private assets—this was the ugly truth they feared most being known. Adrian’s shame transformed into rage. He shouted: “Natalie West! You really don’t know what’s good for you! You should be grateful I married you! Who else would want you after leaving the Sterling family! Today! You’re coming with me!” His eyes filled with viciousness as he waved to the security guards he’d brought: Several burly guards immediately stepped forward. “What are you doing!” Father reached out to stop them but was pushed aside. “Mom! Dad! Get out of the way!” Chaos erupted. Emma tried to protect me but was pulled away by the Sterling family’s people. Adrian personally stepped forward, grabbing my wrist, no longer pretending, only showing shameless forcefulness: “Natalie, stop making a scene! Come with me!” I struggled hard: “Don’t touch me!” He dragged me outside, trying to shove me into the car parked at the entrance. My parents were blocked, so angry their eyes turned red. Emma cried out from the side. Company employees also exclaimed in shock. Damian’s eyes were frighteningly cold. Lila covered her mouth, looking terrified, but there wasn’t a trace of fear in her eyes—only cold indifference. Various voices mixed together in chaos. I was being dragged toward the car. Adrian’s face already showed a triumphant smile. Just then, the sound of orderly braking came from the roadside. “—Screech—!” A row of black Bentleys stopped neatly at the curb. The imposing presence made everyone present unable to breathe. A man in a custom suit with an extraordinary bearing got out of the car. He slowly stepped down from the lead Bentley.

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After my boyfriend Ethan Cross died in a car accident because of me, I remained unmarried until I turned thirty. My parents and friends all urged me to move on. Even he begged me in my dreams to look forward. So I agreed to a blind date, planning to say goodbye to him on his death anniversary. But just as I left the cemetery, I came across a post online. [Sixth anniversary! My husband bought me another luxury penthouse!] Looking at the photo, my whole body trembled, my scalp tingling. In the picture, the boyfriend I had personally buried was tenderly embracing a woman. I tracked down the address and knocked on the door. The moment our eyes met, I froze in place. This woman was none other than Vivian Quinn, the secretary Ethan had cheated with and fired six years ago. Our eyes met, and a flash of panic crossed Vivian’s face. “Winona…” She reflexively tried to close the door, but I blocked it. Just then, conversation from Ethan’s friends drifted from the elevator. “Ethan’s been married for six years now, and she’s still trapped in the pain of his death, unable to move on. She’s thirty this year and still hasn’t married.” “I heard she recently agreed to go on blind dates. Probably ready to let go finally.” “I’m just saying, what Ethan pulled was truly ruthless. Back then, he clearly crashed into that highway overpass because Vivian sent him a provocative photo—he was too eager to respond. But he let Winona believe he was rushing to celebrate her birthday.” “Winona even tried to kill herself several times out of guilt.” “But at least now that she’s agreed to blind dates, she’ll probably get married soon.” “Keep it down, don’t let Ethan hear…” Turning the corner and meeting my gaze, their voices cut off abruptly. His childhood friend Marcus Smith’s eyes darted away. “Winona, what are you doing here…” Just then, a familiar voice came from inside the apartment. “Vivian, are Marcus and the others here?” The familiar voice from inside made my breathing catch, my heartbeat nearly stopping. I spun around sharply to see Ethan standing there holding a bouquet of trimmed flowers. Seeing me, his body stiffened, his eyes trembling. I looked at the banner hung in the center of the living room—”Happy Sixth Anniversary, My Love”— I pulled my lips into a mocking smile. “Ethan, you’ve been doing really well for yourself, haven’t you?” Ethan instinctively pulled Vivian behind him protectively, his face somewhat embarrassed. Everyone else froze in place. The atmosphere turned terrifyingly silent. Six years ago, Ethan rushed onto the highway overpass in a rainstorm to celebrate my birthday, crashed, and fell into the sea to his death. By the time I returned, he had already become an urn of ashes. I was consumed by guilt and grief, thinking over and over that if I hadn’t been so fixated on his affair, he wouldn’t have gotten into an accident trying to appease me. The day he was buried, I collapsed from crying while clutching his gravestone. In the days that followed, I often couldn’t sleep from missing him. I’d run to the cemetery alone and stay there all night. During the hardest times, I even attempted suicide at his grave. A cemetery caretaker found me and saved my life. But I never imagined that it was all an elaborate scheme for him to fake his death. I picked up the photo frame on the table, looking at the two people standing together under the aurora. My eyes burned, making my heart ache. “Nice wedding photos. Did you take them in Iceland?” During our engagement, Vivian, as his secretary, was involved in everything. Once when I was debating where to take our wedding photos, she carefully suggested: “I think Iceland would be nice, because each aurora appears only once, symbolizing uniqueness.” Ethan had smiled and said her idea was great. But not long after, I discovered a lipstick in his car that wasn’t mine. Following the trail of clues, I identified its owner—Vivian. I insisted on canceling the engagement, but he stood on the ledge of an eighteen-story building. “Winona, if you cancel our engagement, I’ll jump.” My heart softened immediately. I gave him a chance to cut things off cleanly. He erased all traces, fired Vivian, and tried every way to make it up to me. He even died by accident because of me. But now, he stood alive before me, having built a home with that so-called “clean break” mistress. I laughed mockingly and smashed the photo frame hard onto the floor. Glass shattered everywhere. Vivian covered her cut face and screamed. “Winona, can you stop being crazy!?” Ethan’s eyes immediately turned red as he roared at me. I laughed at myself bitterly, my voice dry and painful. “I’m being crazy? That’s right, I am crazy!” “For the six years you’ve been ‘dead,’ I’ve been like a madwoman every single day!” Ethan’s chest heaved violently, his eyes red-rimmed, his tone full of blame. “Back then when I tried to jump, you were the one who stopped me!” “I did everything you asked, but you just wouldn’t let go of that one thing—you kept torturing me!” “Do you know how exhausting my life has been?” I slapped him across the face. The impact made my wrist ache as tears burst from my eyes. “Ethan, you were the one who cheated! You were the one who deceived me!” “How dare you say I tortured you, that your life was exhausting?” Vivian knelt before me, tears blurring her vision. “Winona, please stop fighting. This is all because of me. I’m shameless. I seduced Ethan.” “He did everything he promised you. I was the one who kept pestering him. I’ll divorce him immediately.” She pitifully covered her lower abdomen. “As for the baby… I’ll abort it.” Ethan’s eyes and brows filled with joy. “Vivian, you’re pregnant?”

My heart clenched suddenly, as if a hand was squeezing it tight. Pain stiffened my entire body. Vivian pushed away Ethan as he approached her, shrinking back. “The doctor said it’s only a little over a month. If I abort it now, it’s just a clump of cells.” “I’ll leave with nothing and give you the signed divorce papers.” “You… should compensate Winona properly.” With that, she rushed out without hesitation. Ethan’s expression changed drastically, and he immediately moved to chase after her. I instinctively blocked him, wanting an explanation, but he shoved me hard. “Winona!” His eyes were full of disgust for me, his tone ice-cold. “No matter how much you make a scene, this is between the two of us!” “Ever since you threatened her six years ago, Vivian has suffered from severe depression. When her emotions are triggered, she does extreme things.” “I’ve worked so hard to help her recover, and you want to destroy her so viciously?” “If anything happens to her, I won’t forgive you.” I lost my balance from his push, my body falling backward uncontrollably. My neck was sliced by broken glass, warm blood gushing out. Before I lost consciousness, I heard the conversation between Marcus and Ethan. “Ethan, Winona’s bleeding a lot!” “Call an ambulance and dump her at the hospital. Clean everything up—Vivian’s easily frightened!” When I groggily came to, nurses were whispering in the hospital room. “Miss Quinn only experienced some mild fetal distress, but her husband immediately put her in a VIP room and stayed with her the whole time, terrified something might happen.” “Look at this one—the glass almost cut her carotid artery. So dangerous! She’s been awake for so long and not a single person has come to see her. Really pitiful.” “The gap between people—how can it be so huge?” After the door closed, I slowly opened my eyes and laughed bitterly at myself. My hand touched the gauze on my neck. Tears fell, and I wiped them away before going to find a doctor to pay my bills. Just as I sat up, Ethan aggressively pushed the door open and rushed in. He grabbed my wrist hard, his tone cold. “Winona, what exactly are you trying to do?” “Deceiving you was my idea—it has nothing to do with Vivian!” “If you have a problem, come at me! Why did you deliberately get the media to accuse her of being a mistress online?” “She just woke up and saw those comments. She got so emotional she almost jumped off the building!” His grip was painfully strong, making my already pale face look even worse. I struggled with all my strength to shake off his hand, shouting back in anger. “Ethan, I never did anything like that!” He snorted dismissively and shoved his phone in my face. The screen was filled with comments calling Vivian a mistress. [Mrs. Cross of Cross Group—Vivian—homewrecker who stole someone’s position.] Besides that, there was a long post about how Ethan faked his death to escape and fabricated lies to deceive his girlfriend for his mistress. Cross Group’s stock had also become volatile because of this. And the media outlet that published this news was where my best friend used to work. Ethan’s eyes were cold, his tone dripping with mockery. “Still denying it? Your best friend works there, doesn’t she?” “Whenever anything involves you, she always rushes to the front line without hesitation.” I stood there stunned, explaining helplessly and aggrieved. “She went abroad three years ago. She doesn’t work there anymore…” “You’re still lying!” Ethan cut me off sharply, his eyes full of disappointment. “Winona, how did you become so manipulative and scheming?” “You used to be such a kind person. Now you’d stop at nothing to drive Vivian and her child to death.” He paused, his tone inexplicably softening. “Have you forgotten how much pain you were in when you lost your child?” I looked up sharply, locking eyes with him. My heart felt like it was being cut back and forth with a dull knife, turning the scabbed wound into a mangled mess. I suddenly remembered—six years ago, the day I found out I was pregnant, I caught Ethan and Vivian together in our wedding house. At that time, I had just discovered his affair and hadn’t confronted him yet when I became so emotionally distraught I ended up in the hospital. I returned home in a daze, only to hear the ambiguous sounds of a man and woman from inside. Like a madwoman, I rushed into the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and swung it at them. But he pushed me hard while desperately protecting Vivian, and I crashed into the vanity table. My abdomen hurt, something sticky flowed down below, and the baby was gone on the spot. Later came his apology, his threats of suicide, my compromise, and his false remorse. My tongue tasted bitter. I pulled my lips into a desolate smile, my voice hoarse beyond recognition. “Ethan, Vivian will never shake off the label of mistress for the rest of her life. Your relationship will always be shameful.” “Also, you have no right to mention my child.” “Winona, shut up!” Ethan frowned and shouted, his eyes ice-cold without a trace of guilt. “This is between you and me. It has nothing to do with Vivian.” He lowered his voice, looking down at me, his tone carrying naked threats. “You’ve been working so hard to earn money all these years just to get your adoptive mother a heart transplant, right?” “I heard a donor match has already been found?”

My heart jolted violently. All the blood in my body seemed to freeze at that moment. I was an orphan from childhood. My adoptive mother took me in despite others’ gossip. By collecting recyclables and doing odd jobs, living frugally, she raised me bit by bit. When I first started dating Ethan, I never wanted him to take me home. I was afraid he’d look at me and my family with the same judgmental eyes as everyone else. But when Ethan found out, he cried with heartache. He held me in his arms, gently stroking my hair, his voice choked with emotion. “Winona, I’ll work hard to earn money, give you the best life, repay your mother, and slap the faces of everyone who looks down on you.” Later, he truly did it. When he proposed to me, he hired the city’s most authoritative planning team and created a sea of ten thousand roses that became the talk of the town, making me the envy of everyone. He bought a wedding house and put it in my name. He found doctors to care for my adoptive mother’s health and covered all medical expenses. Those who had once looked down on me and mocked me all came forward to congratulate me, saying all kinds of flattering things. Back then, they always said behind my back that Ethan must have done something terrible to feel guilty enough to treat me so well. I was deeply immersed in it, believing this love would last forever. Until Vivian’s intrusion shattered that dream. But I never imagined that now he would use my adoptive mother’s life to threaten me. Using my only weakness to please Vivian. I clenched my fists, nails digging hard into my palms, yet it didn’t compare to one ten-thousandth of the pain in my heart. Despair suffocated me. I closed my eyes as tears silently rolled down. When I opened them again, my eyes were filled with deathly stillness. I spoke softly. “Fine. I’ll apologize.” Ethan looked at me with satisfaction and snapped his fingers. His assistant placed a paper covered in text on the hospital bed. “Read it exactly as written. Don’t miss a single word.” I picked up the paper, my hands shaking uncontrollably. The entire page twisted the truth. It pushed all the blame onto me, saying I became vindictive from unrequited love and maliciously slandered Vivian. It even claimed that Ethan’s fake death was something I had imagined due to mental problems. But I had no way out. I could only force down my emotions and record a video reading from his prepared script, then post it. After finishing all this, my whole body was ice-cold, drenched in cold sweat. Ethan looked at the wound on my neck, took out a checkbook and pen from his pocket, quickly wrote several zeros, and stuffed the check into my hand. He sighed deeply. “Here’s a million dollars—consider it my compensation to you.” “Hurry and switch to another hospital so Vivian doesn’t see you and get upset.” Then he turned and left. I shakily completed the discharge procedures and left the hospital. My phone rang. It was my supervisor. “Winona, the company is restructuring and optimizing personnel. Your termination notice has been sent to your email, and the corresponding compensation has been transferred to your bank account.” I was stunned, finally managing only a few words. “Thank you for the company’s support. I understand.” After hanging up, I scrolled through my phone. The apology video I’d just recorded had already shot to the top of trending topics, while all negative news about Vivian had been scrubbed clean without a trace. Then my phone suddenly flashed with several new messages. They were from Vivian. In the VIP room, piled high with this season’s clothes, jewelry, and handbags. [Winona, look—this is just the tip of the iceberg of what he gives me.] [I’ll tell you the truth: he and I never broke up. During the time he was appeasing you, he came to me every single day.] [There’s no right or wrong in love. The one who isn’t loved is the real mistress.] I stood in the cold wind, tears dripping onto the screen, biting my lip hard to keep from crying out loud. Just then, I received a call from my adoptive mother’s attending physician. “Miss Walker, your mother had a sudden heart attack. The situation is critical. Get to the hospital immediately to sign for emergency surgery!”

I had no time for grief. I turned and ran madly toward the hospital. The elevator wouldn’t come down, so I rushed to the stairwell instead. Just as I reached the third floor, a group claiming to be reporters suddenly swarmed out and surrounded me. “Miss Walker, is it true that you became mentally unstable from unrequited love as a mistress and imagined Mr. Cross had died?” “Your former classmates have come forward saying you’re an orphan who survived by collecting trash since childhood. Is that accurate?” “Knowing Mr. Cross was already married, you deliberately harassed and slandered him. What exactly are you trying to achieve? Can you give everyone a response?” Camera flashes went off constantly, so bright I couldn’t open my eyes. Those harsh questioning voices made my ears ring, my head splitting with pain. I was so anxious I broke out in sweat, desperately pushing through the people surrounding me, my voice tearful and pleading. “Please let me through, okay? I have an emergency! My mother is critically ill and needs immediate surgery. I’m begging you!” But they still blocked me, continuing to interrogate and photograph me, forcing me to give them the answers they wanted. In the struggle, my phone slipped and fell to the ground, trampled beyond recognition. I bent down to pick it up but was slapped hard across the face. “A shameless homewrecker like you—you deserve to have a mother? Using your mother as an excuse to gain sympathy—absolutely disgusting!” The woman who hit me had a cutting tone, her eyes full of contempt and disgust. The slap left me dizzy and disoriented, my cheek burning with pain. Despair and rage swept through my entire body. Just then, hospital security rushed up, shouting sternly. “This is a hospital! If you don’t leave now, we’re calling the police!” Taking advantage of the gap, I desperately rushed upstairs. But the moment I burst into the hospital room, all the strength was instantly drained from my body. On the bed, my adoptive mother lay quietly, her face as pale as thin paper, her lips completely bloodless. The attending physician stood beside the bed, his face full of regret and sympathy. Seeing me enter, he sighed softly, his tone heavy. “Miss Walker, I’m sorry. We did everything we could.” My pupils constricted. My vision went black, and I nearly collapsed. A nurse beside me helped me up, explaining in a low voice. “The old lady was fine an hour ago. A woman came to her room and said something to her. They argued, and the old lady had an attack.” “When you didn’t come to sign the papers, we activated the emergency protocol, but the donor suddenly backed out.” Grief pressed down on me until I could barely breathe, yet I couldn’t make a sound of crying. I slowly broke free from the nurse’s support and moved step by step to the bedside, holding my adoptive mother’s cold hand. The person who had given me warmth and strength during my most difficult times would never open her eyes again. After carrying my adoptive mother to the crematorium for cremation, I simply buried her in a quiet cemetery. After kneeling and bowing, I dragged my numb body to the cross-river bridge. Standing at the edge, I recorded a video set for delayed posting and uploaded it online. Without a moment’s hesitation, I leaped down. Ethan was at the obstetrics department accompanying Vivian for a prenatal checkup. The two were discussing what to name the baby. Just then, his assistant’s phone call came through, an urgent voice on the other end. “Mr. Cross, something terrible has happened! Miss Walker jumped into the river!”

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When I was eighteen, I witnessed my father sneaking into our young nanny’s room late at night. I knew right then — he had betrayed my mother. But I didn’t wake Mom. Instead, I waited by the door until he came out. I had a calm conversation with him. Either divorce and I’d stay with Mom, or fire the nanny. Dad’s expression was heavy as he thought it over all night. The next day, he made me a promise. “I won’t see that nanny again.” Three years later, I learned that Mom had almost miscarried. Under my relentless questioning, Mom finally revealed the truth: “I saw your father with that woman with my own eyes! The shock caused the bleeding… Megan, what should I do?” I took a deep breath. Half an hour later, I returned to the country with my appointment letter in hand. Since Dad chose to break his word, he couldn’t blame me for blacklisting him from the entire industry. When I arrived at the hospital, Mom lay in bed like a puppet, her swollen belly clearly visible beneath the blanket. But my maternal grandmother, Eleanor, showed no consideration for Mom’s feelings whatsoever. “If you get divorced, there’s no room for you at home. Megan still needs to get married — you have to think about your child.” “I heard Matthew is about to be promoted to Vice President with double the salary. You’re carrying his son now. If you divorce, won’t you just be handing everything to that woman?” My maternal grandfather, Harold, was even more blunt. “What man doesn’t stray? Your nephew is about to buy a house and get married. He’s planning to borrow a million from Matthew. Just bear with it for now.” Despite being Mom’s own parents, Eleanor and Harold spoke over each other, trying to smooth things over. On the surface, they claimed to be thinking of Mom, but in reality, they were sacrificing her to support my uncle. Seeing Mom’s silent tears, I spoke harshly to Eleanor and Harold for the first time. “From now on, Mom has me. Please leave!” When Mom saw me enter, she grasped at me like a lifeline and broke into sobs. Eleanor and Harold spat in disgust, called me an ungrateful wretch, and stormed off. Mom couldn’t hold back her wailing anymore, as if trying to cry out all her grievances. “Your father and that tramp — it wasn’t just once or twice. He promised me that if I had a son through IVF, he’d completely cut ties with Susan.” That’s when I learned the whole story. Dad never fired Susan at all. The moment I left, he brought her back. The first time Mom caught them in the act was in the garage, seeing them together. She made a scene and demanded Dad end it. Dad gave her the silent treatment. When Mom tried to file a complaint against Susan’s company, they had a violent argument. Mom had once tried to have an honest conversation with Dad. He vented all the resentment buried in his heart. He blamed Mom for not giving him a son and promised that if she had a son through IVF, he’d break things off with Susan. Mom was furious and wanted a divorce, but her relatives’ persuasion made her waver. She was afraid the divorce would affect my career abroad, so she compromised. During my participation in new energy research, I was cut off from all outside contact. Yesterday, she had wanted to reconcile with Dad on their wedding anniversary, but Dad sent her Susan’s pregnancy ultrasound. Under the double shock, Mom nearly lost both her life and the baby’s. “I wanted him to send Susan away before you came back. You shouldn’t have to know about such dirty things… but he was too cruel.” Mom’s eyes were filled with shame. I shook my head through my tears and told her about what happened three years ago. Mom was shocked, both moved and remorseful: “This is my fault for making you bear so much.” I comforted her: “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll handle everything.” Dad was in the VIP room upstairs because Susan had stomach pains — scared by what happened with Mom. When he saw me arrive, Dad set down his cake spoon, a flash of embarrassment crossing his face. I confronted him: “Dad, what did you promise me! You taught me since childhood to keep my word.” A bouquet was thrown at my feet as Dad roared at me: “I’m your father! Show some respect!” “Don’t think that just because you got some worthless diploma from a no-name foreign university, you’ve grown wings!” “Susan is carrying my child now. You and your mother better behave, or you’ll both get nothing!” He protectively held the pretending-to-be-pitiful Susan in his arms. I just sneered. Who cared about his pocket change! The money in my account could literally bury this pair of cheating scum if I withdrew it all! But seeing Susan’s slightly protruding belly, my anger deflated like a punctured balloon. I spoke calmly: “I will pursue your marital infidelity to the end. Just wait to leave with nothing.” Dad thought I was just making empty threats. Without hesitation, he raised his hand. Just as he was about to strike, I dodged. It seemed Dad wasn’t even pretending anymore. Good. That meant I didn’t need to hold back either. Three years ago, I had submitted an application to use my achievements to exchange for an opportunity to join Dad’s company. To help Dad fulfill his lifelong dream. I never expected that his promotion would give him the confidence to abandon his wife and daughter. Dad didn’t know that I was his new boss. The higher Dad climbed now, the harder I’d make him fall.

“Your father wasn’t always like this…” Finding the tissue box empty, I could only use the back of my hand to wipe Mom’s tears while waiting for a VIP room to open up. “If you want a divorce, I fully support you.” Since my work was classified, I only told Mom I had a job. But she misunderstood. “You’ve been such a good student since childhood. With the economy so bad now, just having a job is good. Mom has savings to support you.” I smiled softly, about to reveal that I was going to be Dad’s boss. But Eleanor and Harold burst in, interrupting me. Eleanor dramatically stroked Mom’s pregnant belly, clasping her hands together in prayer. “Claire, you’ve been with Matthew for over thirty years. What storm can’t you weather?” “Matthew’s about to become Vice President with double the salary, and you’re pregnant with his son. If you divorce now, won’t you just be handing everything to that woman!” Harold was even more direct. “What man doesn’t cheat? Your nephew is about to buy a house and get married. He’s planning to borrow a million from Matthew. Just bear with it for now.” Eleanor and Harold, despite being Mom’s own parents, chattered away trying to smooth things over. On the surface claiming to think of Mom, but actually sacrificing her to support my uncle. Seeing Mom silently crying, I spoke harshly to Eleanor and Harold for the first time. “From now on, Mom has me. Please leave, or I’ll call security.” Eleanor and Harold’s faces flushed with embarrassment. Unable to argue back, they could only curse me as an ungrateful old maid. When I pretended to expose Dad and his mistress, they frantically grabbed me. “We’re leaving! Don’t make a scene and affect his promotion.” Before leaving, they stuffed a thousand dollars into Mom’s hands, saying it was for supplements. “Don’t divorce. At worst, raise that nanny’s child. In the future, you’ll have one more child to care for you.” Mom threw the money at their feet. “I’m definitely divorcing Matthew!” Seeing they could no longer control Mom, they slunk away. I stayed with Mom in the hospital for three days of observation. When we returned home, I immediately noticed two banners hanging in the main hall. Celebrating Queen Susan’s 30th Birthday Congratulations to Mr. Rivers on His Promotion to Vice President of the Energy Corporation Dad and Susan stood on the steps, calmly accepting the guests’ blessings and flattery. Seeing me and Mom return, the crowd knowingly parted to create a path. “I told you they’d come to celebrate. The birthday girl was just asking about you two.” “She’s so kind, specially giving you the honor of cutting the double celebration cake so you can share in the good fortune.” Mom and I were pushed in front of the eight-tier cake, knives pressed into our hands. Dad’s voice was filled with joy: “Ms. Anderson has always been understanding and a strong businesswoman. Our collaborations have all been very successful.” “Everyone should consider using her housekeeping company. Today I’ve hired a chef — please enjoy yourselves.” So Dad had packaged Susan as a female entrepreneur and was using the opportunity to drum up business for her. In the past, when he threw parties for Mom, he only invited both sets of parents for a simple meal. Feeling Mom’s trembling, I pulled her forward. Facing all the guests, I clapped to get their attention and spoke loudly. “I have to ask — since when did our housekeeper become a boss? What exactly has Dad been collaborating with the housekeeper on? Collaborating on affairs or getting pregnant?” That sentence was like cold water dropped into hot oil. The guests’ mocking eyes stuck to Susan, leaving her nowhere to hide. But with Dad’s encouragement, Susan smiled confidently. Videos of Mom’s breakdown played on the wall, along with photos of me intimate with a man. “Miss Rivers, you should go to the hospital and get tested for STDs.” “Your mom looks crazy — you should take her to a mental hospital.” Dad sighed, looking like a man unfortunate in his family.

Instantly, all the guests turned mocking eyes on me. Some elders even spat at me, and their crude insults drowned me out. “Matthew spent so much money sending her abroad to study, and she went there to sleep around! I bet her fifty-year-old mom having a miracle baby at her age isn’t innocent either.” Eleanor and Harold straightened their clothes and stood tall next to Susan. Mom clutched her belly and groaned. I rushed over to support her. Sweat soaked her hair. She gripped my hand and shouted loudly. “Matthew, you have such a vicious heart! You had an affair with our housekeeper and even got her pregnant, but you don’t have the guts to admit it? My daughter went abroad to study with a clean reputation, and you conspired with this tramp to photoshop pictures and ruin her name. I’ll get a lawyer to sue you both!” I scattered the copies I’d prepared in my bag — Susan’s pregnancy ultrasound and intimate photos of her with Dad. The atmosphere in the room instantly turned against Dad and Susan. Seeing Susan couldn’t withstand the pressure, her eyes red like a rabbit’s, Dad couldn’t pretend to be distant anymore and pulled her tightly into his arms. The room fell deathly silent. Dad simply came clean: “Susan and I love each other. It’s rare that at over fifty, I’ve met true love. Claire and I had an arranged marriage. She almost let my family line die out.” “But I’m not a heartless man. I won’t divorce Claire. And Susan isn’t a shallow woman — she has her career to pursue. We won’t get married.” Everyone cheered and applauded his declaration of true love. Seeing he’d controlled the situation, Dad smugly pointed at Mom: “Just have the baby. After you’ve recovered, you can help Susan with her postpartum care. Megan, you shouldn’t work outside either. Dad will pay you to take care of your younger brothers.” “Matthew, you bastard! My daughter is more capable than you!” “Who do you think you’re looking down on! We’ll live better than you.” Mom cursed him out, but she didn’t mention my upcoming position. But all she got was roaring laughter. Everyone thought she was talking big. She firmly stood in front of me, angrily cursing those with ill intentions toward me. “Matthew, I married you at eighteen when you were so poor you couldn’t even afford rent. I worked three jobs a day to pay the rent and saved money to put you through college.” “The only reason you got into the energy corporation was because I traded my life for that opportunity. If I hadn’t saved Director Smith, in those days when jobs were so scarce, you getting in would’ve been pure fantasy!” “Shut up! That was my own ability!” Dad got angry. “Your ability is sleeping with a nanny younger than your daughter! Shameless!” As my parents continued arguing, Eleanor and Harold surrounded Mom, trying to calm her down and appease Dad. After the guests dispersed, Dad stormed upstairs with Susan. I took Mom to the hospital for oxygen. She looked dazed. In my memory, Dad had never raised his voice at Mom. He’d always been smiling, helping Mom cook. After I was born, we’d had a very happy childhood for a while. But now everything was unrecognizable. Some family ties needed to be cut when they needed to be cut.

But Dad didn’t let up. Eleanor and Harold came to Mom again, urging her to make peace with Dad. “Matthew refuses to lend money to your brother. Your nephew is about to get married, but the bride’s family says they’ll cancel the wedding if he doesn’t buy a house. Daughter, just sweet-talk Matthew for now.” “Loan interest is so high! As his aunt, you have to help your nephew!” I was about to say I’d lend the money when Mom covered my mouth. She agreed to go see Dad. On the way, I was confused: “I have money. If my cousin needs it, I can lend it to him.” Mom shook her head, her eyes filled with a determination I couldn’t understand: “That’s your uncle’s business. You don’t owe him anything. You don’t understand them — once you lend this money, it’ll be hard to get back.” “This divorce — I’m going through with it. But first, I need to put on a show.” The route led to the National Energy Company. Tomorrow was my official reporting day. Today I could familiarize myself with the place. We found our way to Dad’s office. He was glowing, listening to his subordinates’ flattery. Seeing me and Mom, his expression changed drastically. “You two go home now. The security guard should be criticized for letting just anyone in!” Dad slammed the table, telling his subordinate to reprimand the guard. “Mr. Rivers, the guard was someone you brought in.” Dad suddenly realized and stopped pursuing the guard’s responsibility, instead urging us to leave. “Say what you need to say and leave quickly.” Mom sat calmly on the sofa and spoke lightly: “What you said the other day woke me up. I choose to divorce you.” “Just sign it.” Dad was instantly furious at being slapped in the face. He stood up, slamming the table and cursing. “You want a divorce? Fine! But you have to pay back every penny I spent on you over the years! Otherwise, I’ll send you to prison!” Before I could speak, Susan barged in, making a scene. “Everyone help Mr. Rivers get justice! Today this money must be recovered!” Susan wore a business suit, looking like an elite professional. I hadn’t expected Dad to bring Susan into the corporation. “Uncle Matthew, is this the girlfriend you’re setting me up with?” A sleazy voice sounded in my ear. I turned to see a man nearly fifty reaching his hand toward me. “This is my uncle. He’s never been in a relationship. He doesn’t mind your messy private life. Miss Rivers, you should treasure this.” Susan stood next to the still-angry Dad, her face full of malice. “Get away! Don’t touch my daughter!” Mom protectively stood in front of me like a mother hen. The few leading the jeering were clearly Susan’s relatives. Dad was really something — treating the corporation like his private garden. Susan’s relatives kept stirring things up, disturbing the leader in the next office. “Mr. Rivers can’t encourage this kind of bad behavior. Today I’ll make the call — Ms. Taylor will get her money back. As a family member of Mr. Rivers disrupting corporate order, she must be severely criticized.” I looked up and memorized his face. The timing was about right. The person I was waiting for would arrive soon. Just then, an authoritative voice rang out. “Mr. Rivers is right! This must be dealt with seriously today!” Dad’s face lit up as he fawned over the Vice President: “As the Vice President says, arrest them immediately.” Everyone stepped aside respectfully, watching as the Vice President slowly walked toward me. But the storm Dad expected didn’t come. The Vice President respectfully extended his hand to me. “Let me introduce everyone. This is our new CEO, Ms. Megan Rivers.” Dad’s smugness instantly froze on his face.

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“Who do you want to live with? Your father or your mother?” Mom asked me and my younger sister Lily on the day of the divorce. In my past life, I chose Mom. Dad was in a better financial situation, so following him would probably be easier for Lily. Later, Mom married a wealthy American businessman and took me to immigrate to the United States. Under my stepfather’s guidance, I learned figure skating. At eighteen, I became the first-ever American-Mexican female singles figure skating champion at the Olympics. But in this life, Lily beat me to it and said, “I’ll go with Mom.” “And what about you, Elena? Is your decision the same as hers?” I looked into Mom’s eyes. “Then I’ll go with Dad,” I said. The judge glanced at me again, probably thinking that this pair of twin sisters was unusually mature for their age, but didn’t dwell on it and continued processing the paperwork. Mom’s expression dimmed. She probably expected me to choose her. After all, I did choose her in my past life. She reached out and hugged me, then ran her hand through Lily’s hair. Lily obediently leaned into Mom’s embrace, but her eyes moved past Mom’s shoulder to look at me. That one look contained too much. It wasn’t the look an eight-year-old girl should have. It seemed Lily had also been reborn. But why did she want to take it? Whatever. One chance each—that’s fair enough. In my past life, Mom married that American businessman, and my stepfather treated me like his own daughter. I smoothly progressed in figure skating and became an Olympic champion at eighteen. That script was certainly appealing. I didn’t want to suspect her with ill intent. I understood her. But something in my heart still felt a slight prick from that look. The wind was strong outside the courthouse, though the rain had lightened. Dad came over with an umbrella, bent down to look at me, and said, “Let’s go.” His tone wasn’t exactly gentle—somewhat stiff, even. Dad had never been good at expressing emotions. In my past life, he sent me birthday gifts every year. The gift box always contained a card with just four words: “Happy Birthday.” Even the punctuation was perfectly proper. I stood up and followed him into the rain. When Dad started the car, I noticed his profile. A bit younger than I remembered from my past life—no gray hair at his temples yet, his jawline tight, as if he were clenching his teeth. It wasn’t that he didn’t love us. He just didn’t know how to show it. In my past life, Lily told me that after the divorce, Dad became much more silent. Later, when he married that woman, the atmosphere at home became even more tense. Lily said “that house was like an ice cellar.” Eventually, even the ice cellar was gone, leaving only Dad alone. As the car pulled out of the courthouse parking lot, I saw through the rearview mirror Mom and Lily standing at the entrance waiting for a taxi. Mom held Lily’s hand tightly. Lily’s face was small, rainwater plastering her bangs to her forehead. She didn’t look at me. I didn’t look at her again either. Dad’s new place was in New York. We lived in a three-bedroom apartment near the city center—not large, but kept very clean. My room faced south with good sunlight. New stationery and a desk lamp had already been set up on the desk. My grandmother had prepared them in advance, not Dad. Dad probably wouldn’t think of such details. The first week after moving in passed very quietly. Dad left early and came home late. I went to my new school during the day, came home after school, did homework, read, and went to bed on time. No one checked my homework. No one asked if I had a good day at school. The fridge was always stocked with pre-made dishes covered in plastic wrap—just heat them in the microwave and eat. This must have been the environment Lily grew up in during my past life. I suddenly understood a bit better why she became so sharp later on. “Lily is different from you,” my grandmother said once when she came to visit, sitting on the sofa peeling an orange. “She takes after her mother—quick-tempered, easily ignited. You take after your father—a closed book, keeping everything bottled up inside.” After my grandmother left, I sat alone in the living room for a while, thinking about one thing: when would Dad remarry? According to what Lily said in my past life, Dad married that woman when she was ten years old. Two years from now. What was that woman’s name again? Lily mentioned it, but I didn’t pay much attention. In my past life, I maintained a distant attitude toward Dad’s new family, after all, I had no contact with them. I only remembered Lily’s assessment of her: domineering, cold, extremely controlling. Lily’s exact words. I mentally tagged this stepmother I’d never met, then felt it wasn’t quite fair. After all, in my past life Lily was quick-tempered—if they couldn’t get along, it might not have been entirely the other person’s fault. Days passed one by one. Having an eighteen-year-old soul in an eight-year-old body was a strange experience. In any case, I didn’t act like a student of this age. Since I’d switched scripts in this life, I needed to figure out what I really wanted.

Figure skating. I lay in bed. In my past life, I started learning to skate when I was a bit over six years old. By eight or nine, I was already in formal training at a club in the United States. Now I was almost ten. If I still wanted to pursue that path, I was already starting late. And would Dad even send me to learn? In my past life, my stepfather loved winter sports and discovered my talent on his own. But Dad? Dad didn’t even have time to share a weekend meal with me. Would he be willing to drive me to the rink every week, pay expensive tuition, and hire coaches for me? I didn’t know. But I knew one thing: Lily would pursue that path. Sure enough, a few months later, Mom’s social media started showing photos of Lily at the ice rink. The first one showed Lily standing on the ice in rental skates. I stared at that photo for a long time. Everything was identical to the post Mom had made in my memories from my past life. The script hadn’t changed—only the protagonist had switched. I closed my phone and shut my eyes. There was an indescribable feeling in my chest—not jealousy, more like looking in a mirror and seeing someone else’s reflection. Over the next few years, Mom’s social media became my main channel for following Lily’s activities. She updated frequently, posting videos or photos of Lily’s training every two or three days. At ten, she started practicing double jumps. That same year, Mom posted a very long update saying that Lily had been noticed by a famous figure skating coach—a former Olympic medalist who was willing to take Lily as a student. The accompanying photo showed Lily with the coach, both standing at the edge of the rink. Lily wore training clothes, her face lit up with a brilliant smile. I recognized that coach. In my past life, he had been my coach too. In that moment, my last shred of hope vanished. Lily didn’t just want to learn figure skating—she wanted to completely replicate the path I’d walked in my past life. The same coach, the same club, the same training system, all pointing toward the same goal: Olympic gold. She would succeed. I thought. And I needed to learn to say goodbye to my past life. I needed to believe I had the ability to live in the present, not dwell on yesterday’s regrets. At ten, Lily won first place in the regional competition. Mom posted a grid of nine photos, each one of Lily on the podium, holding the trophy, wearing the medal around her neck, smiling with bright eyes. Dad happened to be home that day. Seeing me with my phone, he casually asked, “What are you looking at?” After Dad finished looking, he didn’t say anything. But after a while, I smelled the aroma of steak drifting from the kitchen. It was my favorite dish. That was just how Dad was. He wouldn’t say “Lily is amazing,” nor would he say “if you want to learn something, I can send you too.” He would just silently cook a dish you loved, stewing all the words he couldn’t speak into the meat. I walked to the kitchen doorway and leaned against the frame, watching him. “Dad,” I said, “I don’t envy Lily.” His hand paused while cutting scallions. “I just think,” I chose my words carefully, “she’s doing well. Really well.” Dad said “Mm” and continued cutting. But I saw his shoulders relax slightly. In the autumn of my tenth year, Dad brought home a woman. It was a Saturday. I sat on the living room sofa reading a book. I heard the door lock turn but didn’t look up, thinking Dad had come back from grocery shopping. He occasionally cooked on weekends—surprisingly well, actually. “This is my daughter.” Dad’s voice sounded tense.

I looked up. The woman stood in the entryway wearing dark gray dress pants and a white blouse with a black trench coat over it. Her hair was pulled back tightly without a single stray strand. Her features weren’t stunning, but the lines were sharp—high cheekbones, eyes slightly upturned at the corners. Her whole presence was like a freshly sharpened blade. Behind her stood a man who looked like a driver, carrying several gift boxes. “Hello.” She looked at me, her voice not loud but every word clear. “I’m a friend of your father’s. My last name is Sullivan. You can call me Ms. Sullivan.” Sullivan. I suddenly remembered—in my past life, Lily mentioned that woman’s surname was Sullivan. She never said the first name, only referring to her as “that Sullivan woman.” This was her. I closed my book, stood up, and smiled slightly. “Hello, Ms. Sullivan.” Ms. Sullivan’s gaze lingered on me for two seconds, then she nodded and said to Dad, “Your daughter has better manners than you.” Dad opened his mouth but couldn’t get words out. I smiled inwardly. Dad in front of Ms. Sullivan was like a cat grabbed by the scruff of its neck—uncomfortable all over. That day, Ms. Sullivan stayed for lunch. She sat at the dining table with her spine perfectly straight, using her fork with extreme precision, only her fingers moving when cutting, her wrist motionless. Dad had made steak. She ate two pieces, then set down her fork and seriously commented, “Very delicious.” Dad’s expression showed a mixture of relief and happiness… it was complicated. I couldn’t help wanting to laugh but held it in, lowering my head to eat. Ms. Sullivan turned to look at me. “Who helps you with your homework normally?” “I do it myself,” I said. “What are your test scores?” “First in the class for math and science, third for English.” She raised an eyebrow, seemingly a bit surprised. Then she glanced at Dad with a look that clearly said: Your luck is pretty good. Dad still couldn’t get words out. After that day, Ms. Sullivan came to the house more and more frequently. At first, she came for weekend meals, then it became three or four times a week. Eventually, her toothbrush appeared in the bathroom cup, her slippers in the shoe cabinet. Dad never formally discussed this with me. He probably didn’t know how to bring it up. In the end, Ms. Sullivan said it herself. That day she came carrying a document folder. She sat across from me and pushed the folder to the middle of the table. “Take a look?” I opened it. Inside was a copy of a property deed with her name on it, bank statements, and a printed A4 sheet with text in a standard font: Victoria Sullivan, female, forty-four years old, unmarried, no children, works in government. “The basic situation is all here,” Ms. Sullivan’s tone was like giving a work report. “I’m together with your father. If you don’t agree, we’ll treat this as if I never brought it up.” I looked at those documents and suddenly felt like laughing. But I knew that in my past life, Lily hadn’t agreed. According to her, she made a huge scene—throwing things, going on a hunger strike, crying in front of Dad for a whole week. Later, Dad and Ms. Sullivan got married anyway, but Lily never accepted her. The two fought openly and secretly for years until Ms. Sullivan and Dad eventually divorced. I actually thought it was fine. Dad had become visibly happier. As long as he was happy, that was good. “Of course I agree,” I said, pushing the folder back and looking into Ms. Sullivan’s eyes. “As long as you two are good together.” Ms. Sullivan paused. Just for a moment, but I caught it. On her perpetually poker face, something extremely faint—something like softness—flickered across. “Mm,” she said, taking back the folder and standing up. “I’m going out to buy groceries. We’ll have fish tonight.” I thought I saw her blush. As she changed shoes at the door, I heard her say quietly, “This child is much better than her father.” I pretended not to hear. The wedding was simple—no big production, just getting the marriage certificate at the courthouse and having dinner with both families. A few relatives from Ms. Sullivan’s side came, all people who didn’t talk much but had powerful presences. They dressed simply but carried an indescribable elegance in their movements. Among them was a boy who looked slightly older than me, maybe fourteen or fifteen.

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During my eight-month pregnancy checkup, the doctor told me that the baby in my belly only had one kidney. Every year since then, I’d take my daughter to the hospital for follow-up examinations. Today I brought her to the hospital as usual. The doctor moved the probe back and forth across both sides of my daughter’s waist. “Both kidneys look fine. No issues.” I suddenly sat up straight, staring at the monitor above the machine. “Doctor, are you sure both kidneys are intact?” The doctor nodded at me again. “Good health is a good thing, isn’t it?” Good health was indeed a good thing, but my daughter was born with only one kidney. Were the kidneys fake, or was the daughter lying on the examination table fake? This couldn’t be wrong. When I was eight months pregnant, the doctor had told me. The child in my belly was missing an organ. As a first-time mother, I was terrified, thinking it might be something vital like the heart or lungs. But the doctor said it was just a missing kidney, which wouldn’t really affect her life that much. Worried I’d be too concerned, the doctor even told me the gender outright. “Girls use less physical strength. Just be a bit careful in daily life.” I thought about how a few years ago, some people were willing to sell a kidney just to buy the latest smartphone. So missing one kidney probably wasn’t a big deal. After my daughter was born, I told her the truth. On one hand, I hoped she would pay more attention to her body. On the other hand, I wanted her to accept this reality from a young age, so she wouldn’t be unable to cope with it when she grew up. “Evelyn, you absolutely cannot tell anyone about the kidney. Only you, Dad, and I know about this.” I often reminded Evelyn that she couldn’t tell even her best friend. She always answered me very seriously. “Don’t worry, Mom. Even if someone offered me a hundred million dollars to talk, I wouldn’t say a word.” I suddenly snapped out of my memories, staring at Evelyn lying on the examination bed. She took the tissue the doctor handed her and wiped her body. “Mom, I told you there’s nothing wrong with my body.” “You just worry too much.” The tone was definitely Evelyn’s, even the way she furrowed her brow was identical. I swallowed hard and asked tentatively. “Evelyn, did you hear what the doctor said? Both kidneys are fine.” Evelyn tossed the tissue into the yellow trash can, then looked up at me. “Mom, my ears are fine. I heard clearly.” “Everyone has two kidneys. Are there people with three kidneys?” She really didn’t know about having only one kidney. But if she wasn’t Evelyn, who could she be? Evelyn turned around, straightening her dress. I stood behind her, watching her every move. Height, build, movements—this was my Evelyn. And the white hairs faintly visible on her head. Everything before my eyes told me she was my daughter. Could the kidney have grown back recently? How could such a strange thing happen? I reached forward and touched the top of Evelyn’s head. “Your white hair is growing back. Find some time to dye it.” Evelyn turned around and touched the spot on her head. “Mom, if you hadn’t reminded me, I would’ve forgotten about this.” “I’ll go after my birthday tomorrow.” She remembered about dyeing her hair, and she remembered tomorrow was her birthday. But how could she forget the most important thing? Back home, I sat on the sofa, pretending to be casual as I asked Evelyn, who was playing on her phone. “Evelyn, do you still remember our biggest secret?” Evelyn quickly put down her phone and moved closer to me, then covered my ear with her hand, letting out a giggling laugh. “Of course I remember.” I clenched my fist. “Then tell me what it is.” Evelyn deliberately pressed her lips together, trying to be mysterious, but seeing my serious expression, she spoke. “Dad has a mistress behind our backs. You told me not to tell anyone.” My body suddenly went limp, and I became even more certain that the person in front of me wasn’t Evelyn. I had indeed warned her not to tell others about her father’s affair, but in truth, the news had long spread among relatives. Our biggest secret was about her body. This Evelyn didn’t know the secret about her body, but seemed to know everything else clearly.

What was going on? Where had the real Evelyn gone? After the Evelyn at home fell asleep, I sat on the sofa, trying to recall recent events. After graduating high school, Evelyn had been accepted into the city’s medical university. Because it was close to home, she basically came home once a month. I would also take her to the hospital for checkups periodically. But this time, she said the school suddenly had an important experimental project she needed to participate in, which would take some time. It had been almost six months since her last visit home. So this checkup had also been delayed. But aside from this, everything else seemed normal. When she came home, she still brought me gifts as always, and shared what was happening at school as usual. I sat on the sofa until dawn. When Evelyn’s bedroom door opened, I suddenly came back to my senses. She was already wearing a brand new, form-fitting athletic outfit. “Mom, did you stay up all night?” “Come on, let’s go for a morning run.” Without giving me a choice, she pulled me toward the door. I did have a habit of morning runs, and every time Evelyn came home, she would wake up early to accompany me. I pulled my wrist free and stood at the entrance. “Mom’s outfit isn’t comfortable for running. I need to go back to my room and change.” Evelyn nodded and waited for me at the door. I changed clothes as quickly as possible and followed her out. She skillfully led me to the park entrance. The track was right in front of us. Evelyn pointed ahead. “Mom, let’s race and see who reaches the finish line first.” As soon as she finished speaking, she ran off without looking back. Even though it was an early autumn morning, a layer of fine sweat broke out on my back. I pinched the webbing between my thumb and index finger hard, signaling myself to calm down. “Who are you really? Where has my Evelyn gone?” Evelyn would accompany me on morning runs, but she had never actually run. She would only follow me on an electric scooter or wait at the finish line. Because I had told her that running was tiring, and with only one kidney, I was afraid vigorous exercise would be too much for her body. The Evelyn before me knew I liked morning runs, but didn’t know the real Evelyn wouldn’t run with me. Seemingly flawless, but actually full of holes. What was her purpose in taking Evelyn’s place and coming home? Could my Evelyn be in danger? At this thought, my heart clenched painfully. When I caught up with Evelyn, she was already sitting on a bench by the roadside, drinking bottled water. “Mom, you’re too slow. Did you slack off on your training while I was away?” I grabbed both sides of my waist, gasping for breath. “I’m getting old. My body can’t keep up anymore.” “Evelyn, what made you want to run with me today? You used to hate running.” Evelyn froze for a moment, her expression showing a flash of shock, then she laughed it off. “Mom, you’re so forgetful. Which day have I come home without running with you?” The smile on my face gradually became twisted, but I didn’t expose her on the spot. After all, I couldn’t be sure the real Evelyn was safe right now. If Evelyn was truly in danger, confronting this impostor would only make things worse for her. That evening was Evelyn’s birthday. I specially went to the bakery to buy a cake. I also made a big table full of dishes. Evelyn stared hungrily at the table. “Mom, these are all my favorites.” I sneered inwardly. These are your favorites, but not my daughter’s. While blowing out the candles, Evelyn clasped her hands together, revealing a diamond bracelet on her wrist. That was what I’d bought her for her eighteenth birthday at great expense. The bracelet was indeed the one I bought. But the diamonds looked like they’d been set in later. My heart jumped. Evelyn must truly be in danger now.

Using the excuse of going downstairs to buy something, I left the house. Evelyn had a best friend named Charlotte. She had visited our home a few times. Right now, I could only contact her. After all, the Evelyn at home had my daughter’s phone and all her personal belongings. Fortunately, Charlotte’s phone number was saved in my phone. I anxiously waited for her to answer. After a ring, a male voice came through. “Hello, what do you need?” This was Charlotte’s phone—why was a man answering? I didn’t immediately ask about Evelyn. “Hello, is this Charlotte? I’m Lisa, Evelyn’s mother.” The person on the other end had a bad attitude, with clear hostility in his tone. “Charlotte went abroad. Stop calling her.” The call was abruptly disconnected before I could ask more. But why wouldn’t she take her phone abroad? Besides, Charlotte’s family was just average, and her grades weren’t outstanding either. Going abroad suddenly didn’t make sense. Could Charlotte and my daughter both be missing? Evelyn’s school wasn’t far away, but it was after hours now, and the school gates had long been closed. After much hesitation, I called Evelyn’s advisor, Professor Watson. “Professor Watson, I wanted to ask about Evelyn Parker’s recent situation at school.” “Evelyn Parker? She took half a month’s leave, saying she had an experiment to do. She hasn’t been back to class in a long time.” Professor Watson’s voice was somewhat hoarse, sounding like he’d just woken up. I immediately gripped my phone tighter. How come I didn’t know about Evelyn taking leave? I continued questioning. “Professor Watson, do you know which laboratory they went to?” There was a long silence before he slowly spoke again. “I heard it was the Singularity Laboratory halfway up the northern mountain.” After hanging up, I looked up at Evelyn’s room window upstairs. The light was dim, but there seemed to be a figure standing behind the curtain. Just as I stood up to look again, the figure had disappeared. Was she monitoring me? When I got home, I packed my things that very night. Opening Evelyn’s room, I found she was already asleep. Worried she might suddenly wake up, I placed a bottle of sleep-inducing aromatherapy by her bedside. I also left a note on the table. “Emergency at work. Mom has to travel for a week. Handle your own meals.” The car started, and I began navigating to the address on my phone. It would take three hours to drive to the Singularity Laboratory. During those three hours, I imagined countless scenarios of Evelyn’s current situation—was she alive, or had she already… If she was just doing experiments in the laboratory, then how could the one at home be explained? Was it just to torment me?

But I knew Evelyn’s personality best. Though she was dependent on me, she would never lie to me, not even a single word. When the car reached the foot of the mountain, it was already 2 AM. I found a flashlight I hadn’t used in a long time from the trunk. Fortunately, it was bright enough to see the path ahead. The mountain path was rugged, but I didn’t feel tired at all. This was a path Evelyn had walked, so I had to walk every step carefully. Two hours later, I reached the place called Singularity Laboratory. Weeds grew wild all around, and the cawing of crows occasionally echoed from the distant sky. I hurried forward and found the door was locked. The lock was covered in rust, as if no one had been here in a long time. Would Evelyn really come to a place like this to do experiments? I held the flashlight in my mouth, then looked around for a stone or something that could break the lock. Just as the light swept over a patch of grass, something shiny reflected back. I rushed over, pulled the weeds apart, and swept the flashlight back and forth over the ground. At the root of the grass, there was a diamond half-buried in dirt. “That’s from Evelyn’s bracelet.” “How did it end up here?” I started talking to myself, unable to control my racing thoughts. Because when Evelyn received that bracelet, she had told me. “Mom, I love this bracelet so much. Unless I die, I’ll never take it off for the rest of my life.” Evelyn never joked. What she said, she would definitely do. A bad feeling arose. Could my Evelyn really have already… I slapped myself several times. She was just doing an experiment. She had just temporarily disappeared. The lock on the door was too big for me to break with my strength alone. The stars began to fade, and an orange glow appeared at the edge of the sky. There was a house not far from the foot of the mountain. Someone seemed to have woken up. I quickly ran down the mountain and walked to the door of that house. It was an old woman in her seventies. She held a sickle in her hand. Seeing me, she looked like she’d seen a rare guest. “Where are you going so early in the morning? You’re not planning to go up the mountain, are you?” I nodded and asked if she could lend me the sickle. Hearing I wanted to go up the mountain, the old woman’s expression suddenly became serious. “I advise you not to go up the mountain. That laboratory was haunted a while back.” “I definitely can’t lend you this sickle.” Haunted? A while back? I carefully recalled the last time Evelyn and I spoke. It seemed to be about half a month ago. She told me she’d been very busy lately and might not have time to call me. During that half month, I only occasionally sent her messages. Evelyn seemed really busy, always replying with just a few brief words. Half a month later, which was yesterday, Evelyn came home. I quickly took out my phone and confirmed with the old woman. “Ma’am, I want to ask when exactly this haunting happened.” “Was it half a month ago?” Though the old woman was in her seventies or eighties, recalling that night’s events still made her lean against the door frame. “It was half a month ago. The sound was so loud—the crying could be heard across several mountains.” While the old woman was speaking, I glanced into her house. I actually saw Evelyn’s backpack on the floor piled with potatoes. I quickly stepped over the threshold, rushed inside, and picked up the backpack. But everything belonging to Evelyn inside was gone, replaced by a backpack full of sprouting potatoes. I gripped the backpack straps, trembling as I looked at the old woman standing in the doorway. “Where did this backpack come from?” “Where are the things that were inside?” “Have you seen a girl named Evelyn Parker?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “381973”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

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