Category: English

I had been Alexander Turner’s secret lover for three years when I discovered I was pregnant. Alexander said he didn’t like children and was preparing to get engaged to a wealthy heiress from a suitable family. Not wanting to lose my baby, I quietly packed my bags and disappeared with his money in the middle of the night. After leaving New York, I raised my son alone for four years. The little rascal grew up to be incredibly handsome, his striking looks making him an overnight internet sensation. I built a career around my son’s popularity, becoming a successful livestreamer. When people discovered I was a single mother, I had to explain to save face: “I’m a widow.” I proved that a woman doesn’t need a man to live well, gaining a large following of independent female fans. Until one day, I noticed something familiar about the profile picture and IP address of my top supporter… It couldn’t be such a coincidence, could it? How could Alexander Turner be watching my livestreams? That serious, stoic man I once knew? To my shock, he showed up at my door that very night. He pinned me against the wall, his eyes blazing with anger as he growled through gritted teeth: “A widow? I didn’t realize I was dead.” With one hand, he grabbed my son by the collar and held him in front of me. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at me and demanded: “And what exactly is this?”

My name is Sage Brown, and I was the secret lover of business tycoon Alexander Turner. For three years, our arrangement had been mutually satisfactory. Until today. I went to his office, excited yet nervous, clutching my positive pregnancy test. Alexander was still in a meeting, so his secretary told me to wait in his office. I couldn’t help but notice a wedding dress catalog next to his computer. When had Alexander started looking at wedding dresses? My heart fluttered. Maybe he remembered my offhand comment about wanting to do a wedding photoshoot someday. Perhaps he did care about me after all. But just then, I glimpsed his tall figure through the window, walking arm-in-arm with a woman. I recognized her from the photos I’d secretly seen in Alexander’s private album – she was Chloe, the woman he’d always idealized. I lowered my head and laughed bitterly at myself. Of course Alexander wouldn’t remember something I’d said in passing. His perfect woman was back, he was looking at wedding dresses… he was getting married? I grew up in a blended family. After my mom left, my dad married another woman and had a son. So from a young age, I lived with my grandfather in the countryside. Later, when my grandfather had a stroke and was hospitalized, I was on my own. In college, I had to earn my own tuition and living expenses, plus money for my grandfather’s medical bills. The summer of my junior year, I heard that waitressing at nightclubs paid well – one night’s work could equal 3-4 days at a fast food joint. I couldn’t resist and went to interview as a waitress. That night, I happened to serve Alexander Turner’s private room. He happened to be drunk after a breakup. He pulled me into a hotel suite. The next morning, my legs were so sore I could barely walk. My manager thought I was slacking off since I’d disappeared all night and hadn’t done my other assigned work. I was fired on the spot. I couldn’t explain what had really happened. I could only ask Alexander to compensate me for my lost wages. Alexander was very generous. He immediately offered me a high-paying job – if I took good care of him, I could earn over $10,000 a month. It was a shameful arrangement. But I couldn’t let my limited dignity get in the way of money. I’d already given Alexander my virginity, so there was no point in being coy. Besides, Alexander was tall and handsome, with washboard abs and bronze skin. He looked like a male model straight out of a blockbuster film. Sleeping with him wasn’t exactly a hardship! After two seconds of consideration, I agreed and signed the contract. He paid me $30,000 a month. I had to be available whenever he called and take good care of his needs. When we signed the agreement, he told me not to develop any feelings for him. He wouldn’t take responsibility. He didn’t want love, and I pretended I didn’t either. For three years, I only talked about money and pretended in front of him. Now the woman he loved was back, and he was getting married. He didn’t need me anymore. We couldn’t even talk about money between us now. And at this most inconvenient time, I’d gotten pregnant. This baby’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Disappointed, I folded up the pregnancy test results and put them in my bag. Just then, Alexander pushed open the office door. I looked up at him. Impeccably dressed in his suit, handsome as ever, with that hint of coolness in his chiseled features. He walked to his desk and sat down, asking me: “What did you want to see me about?” I’d originally planned to tell him about the pregnancy. But now it didn’t seem necessary. He was getting engaged. Our arrangement would end soon. He definitely wouldn’t let me keep the baby growing in my belly. But I’d been his mistress for three years, hiding my shameful status. I was no longer the innocent girl I once was. My heart had no room for other men now. This child might be my only family in the future. I couldn’t give it up. I walked over to Alexander’s side and poured him a glass of water. I made up an excuse: “I saw a jewelry set I liked.” Alexander pulled me into his arms, his voice low and magnetic: “What jewelry? Wasn’t the set I bought you last time enough?” “Olvis just released a new diamond and jade necklace. It’s not that expensive, only about $200,000. I really want it.” “I’ll have my secretary take you to buy it later.” I pretended to be delighted and gave him a quick kiss. “Thank you, Alexander.” A barely perceptible smile crossed Alexander’s handsome face. His warm fingertips caressed my cheek. His thick lashes lowered as his gaze roamed suggestively over my lips. “Is that all?” As his kept woman for three years, the most important skill was anticipating the patron’s desires. I could see what Alexander wanted. I smiled coyly and sat on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. I timidly leaned in to kiss him. Just sitting there, he gave off an intimidating aura. As our cool lips met, I could smell a hint of pine. He quickly took control, holding my waist tightly as his hot tongue parted my lips. As we embraced, I could feel his heated breath. He finally lost control and carried me to the rest area, pressing me beneath him. Suddenly, I felt a twinge in my lower abdomen. My mind cleared instantly. I carefully protected my belly and pushed him away. He frowned at me in annoyance. I quickly explained: “Um… I just got my period…” “Wasn’t that supposed to be next week?” He scrutinized me as if he knew I was lying. I panicked but forced myself to sound confident: “I’ve been staying up late recently. My cycle is irregular. Is that not allowed?” Hearing this, he gently moved off me. His tone carried a rare hint of complaint: “Then why did you come to seduce me?” He sat up and straightened his rumpled suit and tie. I also got up and fixed my appearance. Unable to resist, I asked: “Alexander, do you like children?” “No,” he answered promptly and decisively. As expected. My heart sank. Then he looked at me and asked: “Why bring that up suddenly?” I forced a laugh, my voice soft and slightly hoarse: “Oh, it’s nothing. I just saw an adorable little boy who was lost outside the apartment building earlier.” “Do you want children?” Alexander looked me up and down. “No, no. I just thought he was cute. If I had to give birth myself, no thanks.” “Good. It’s better that way.” Alexander said this and walked out of the rest area, perfectly put-together again. I quickly followed him out. After leaving the office, I became determined to leave. I checked my bank account balance. I only had $500,000. That was far from enough for me. My grandfather was still in the hospital, and I needed to cover his medical expenses. Even if I left for a while, I had to leave enough money for grandpa’s care. The $500,000 I had would go to grandpa. After all, I’d need a year to have the baby. I could only come back to see grandpa after a year. So now I had to get enough money from Alexander to cover my pregnancy and the baby’s first year. But it was really difficult to get that much money in a short time. I was pregnant and would start showing soon. I didn’t have much time left by Alexander’s side. After thinking it over, I decided to sell all the jewelry and bags he’d bought me over the years. I took them to a shop to get cash. After the shop owner finished appraising all my jewelry and bags, he gave me an estimate. $500,000. I was shocked. These were all luxury items, some even limited editions. When Alexander bought them for me, he’d spent millions. How could they only be worth $500,000 now? The owner explained that he could only offer that much because these items depreciate as soon as they’re used. Unlike gold, they don’t hold their value. Disappointed, I gave the owner my account number. Just as the money hit my account and I turned to leave, an elegantly dressed middle-aged woman called out to me. I turned and saw it was Helen Turner, Alexander’s mother. I suddenly felt nervous. “Sage, are you that desperate for money? It seems my son hasn’t been treating you very well,” she said mockingly. “No, that’s not it,” I answered softly. The pressure from this older woman and wealthy socialite was overwhelming. I instinctively wanted to leave. “Wait, I have something to discuss with you.” Inside a coffee shop. Helen Turner casually tossed a check on the table in front of me. She said disdainfully, “Alexander is about to get engaged. Here’s a million dollars. I want you to leave him.” I immediately picked up the million-dollar check from the table, unable to hide my joy. I was thrilled. With this million plus my $500,000, it would be enough for me and my baby to live on for a long time. Helen Turner’s expression changed from contempt to scorn as she watched my reaction. “A million buys you off so easily? I thought you’d demand more.” I didn’t care about her opinion of me. All I could think about was the million dollars in my hand. With this money, I could leave Alexander right away. “Thank you, Mrs. Turner. I’ll keep my promise. I absolutely won’t have any more…” “Won’t have any more what?” A cold voice suddenly rang out beside me. I turned to see Alexander’s exquisitely handsome face. My body froze. I inhaled sharply. “What kind of deal are you making?” Alexander’s gaze swept over the check in my hand. His thin lips pressed together, his eyes icy. I immediately lowered my head, not daring to look at him.

Helen Turner proudly said, “Son, look at this woman. A million dollars is enough for her to leave you. She only wanted our family’s money.” Alexander let out a cold laugh and roughly grabbed my hand, dragging me to his car. He glared at me, his eyes filled with rage. “The check.” Terrified and silent, I carefully handed it over with both hands. He took it and tore the check to shreds. My heart bled, but I didn’t dare show any reaction. His piercing eyes turned to me, filled with indecipherable emotion. “Does it hurt? Sage, am I only worth a million to you?” My heart clenched. I didn’t know why he was putting on this show of hurt and accusing me of betrayal. He was the one who said we’d only talk about money, not feelings. Now that I was talking about money, why was he angry? He was the one getting engaged. I didn’t answer his question. A million might be pocket change to him, but to an ordinary person like me, it could be everything. I’m very dissatisfied with him now, but I can only try to please him, after all, I haven’t gotten the money yet. “You’re getting engaged, aren’t you?” I lowered my voice, my eyes filling with tears. I looked pitiful and vulnerable. Seeing me like this, the coldness in Alexander’s eyes lessened, replaced by a somewhat guilty and reluctant look. After a long moment, he uttered three words: “Maybe so.” What did he mean, maybe? He was clearly getting engaged, yet he was still pretending to care deeply for me. I deliberately let tears fall silently, looking devastated. “We’ve been together for three years. My feelings for you are more intense than I imagined. But I respect your choice. I hope you’ll always be happy.” Now it was my turn to stand on the moral high ground and reproach him. Hearing my words, Alexander was overwhelmed with guilt. His embrace tightened. “I’m sorry.” “I know it was my mother who forced you to leave me. I’ll transfer the million from my own account. If anyone needs to compensate you, it should be me.” It worked! I let out a huge sigh of relief. My anxious heart settled down again. Thankfully the million I’d been promised hadn’t slipped away. We were both silent for a long while. He suddenly looked up at me tenderly, seeming conflicted as he spoke: “Let’s… let’s break up next month.” What the hell? Since when could breakups be scheduled in advance? At that moment, I was truly furious. Alexander acted so proper, but was he treating me like a robot? But the money hadn’t hit my account yet, so I didn’t dare act out. I could only nestle against him like a little bird, pretending to love him deeply. “Even though I’ll miss you terribly, I’ll do as you say.” Hearing my words, Alexander felt even more guilty. He pressed his face close to mine and said softly, “I’m sorry.”

For the next few days after returning home, I had to pretend nothing had happened and continue taking care of him attentively. Today was Alexander’s birthday. Alexander was very picky about food and only ate custom birthday cakes from Crown Bakery. I wanted to surprise him, so I’d secretly been learning from the private chefs at Crown. I hoped he would enjoy a cake I made myself. Early this morning, I went to Crown planning to personally make a cake to bring back. As luck would have it, I ran into Chloe Parker, Alexander’s ideal woman, before I even started baking. I instinctively wanted to avoid her. But to my surprise, she recognized me. “Sage, right?” Since she knew who I was, there was no point in hiding. She was from a wealthy family – finding out my identity would have been child’s play for her. “I didn’t realize Miss Parker knew me,” I replied casually, gathering baking tools and ingredients. “Are you making a special cake for Alexander?” She watched me with displeasure, as if I wasn’t taking her seriously. I let out a noncommittal “Mm-hmm.” “I’ve already pre-ordered Alexander’s birthday cake. There’s no need for you to make one. No one will eat a cake you make – it would just go to waste.” Hearing her words, I felt angry. I snapped back at her, “How do you know no one will eat it? Alexander can eat yours during the day and mine at night. After all, he spends every night at my place. His relationship with me is much closer than with you.” Chloe’s face darkened. “How vulgar!” “How could Alexander get involved with a woman like you?” “Why don’t you go ask him? Why are you questioning me?” I ignored her and continued working, infuriating her so much she stomped away. I’d spent Alexander’s birthdays alone with him for the past three years. Now that his ideal woman was back, he didn’t need me anymore. But that was fine. If he didn’t eat it, I’d eat it myself. I’d been craving cake lately anyway. Cake-making was difficult. My decorating skills were terrible, and it took over a dozen attempts to get it right. But I was very interested in learning, and the chef was patient, teaching me again and again. By the time I finished a successful cake and returned home, it was already afternoon. Due to the pregnancy, I’d been extremely sleepy lately. After a morning of baking, I was exhausted. I fell asleep as soon as I lay down. When I woke up, the sky outside was already dark. An inexplicable loneliness washed over me. The house was utterly silent, and a sense of loss swept through me. Alexander hadn’t come back. In his heart, Chloe was clearly the most important. No doubt he was happily blowing out candles with her right now. I closed my eyes, trying to fall back asleep. But suddenly the mattress dipped beside me, and a familiar scent of pine enveloped me. I opened my eyes to hear a warm, magnetic voice: “You’re awake? Aren’t you going to celebrate my birthday?” I looked at that familiar yet strange handsome face. My nose tingled inexplicably, and my heart filled with grievance. Tears welled up in my eyes as I asked in a thick voice, “Why did you come back so late?” Alexander raised an eyebrow. “I got off work at 4:30 and came straight back. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up for almost two hours.” “I thought you weren’t coming back.” “Why wouldn’t I come back? Didn’t you say last time you had a surprise for me? Don’t tell me you didn’t prepare anything!” “Oh, I did prepare something.” I quickly got up and went to the living room to take the large cake I’d made out of the fridge. “Ta-da! I made this for you myself. Is it a good surprise?” I asked with a smile. “It looks great. You must have put a lot of effort into it.” “I did. So where’s my reward?” I pouted playfully. “I’ll have my secretary transfer a million dollars to your account, plus the deed to this apartment.” Hearing the unexpected gift of property, I couldn’t contain my excitement. But I had to act very sad. “Alexander, I don’t care about those things.” He gently cupped my face and kissed me. “But I care. I want to make it up to you.” We happily ate the cake together, then cuddled on the couch to watch TV. Alexander usually only ate a small piece of cake on his birthday, but today he surprisingly ate a lot. I rested my head on his lap. Looking up, I could see his perfect jawline. This man may not be a good man, but his looks were certainly top-tier among men. Thinking this, I touched my flat belly. My baby would surely grow up to be beautiful too. Alexander said he came home right after work. Did that mean he didn’t eat cake with Chloe? Could it be that he still cared for me? Thinking this, I couldn’t help calling his name. He was engrossed in the movie and just let out an indulgent “Mm?” without looking down. “If I got pregnant, would you want the baby?” “Are you pregnant?” He finally looked down, his large hand covering my belly as he gazed at me intently. I felt my heart race at the heat of his palm on my stomach. “No… I’m just saying if.” Alexander thought for a few seconds. “I don’t want children, and I don’t like them. But if there was one…” I listened intently, waiting for the rest of his sentence. But we were interrupted by a familiar ringtone. Alexander’s phone rang. He hesitated for a moment before answering. I faintly heard Chloe’s voice on the other end. My heart sank. Alexander’s tone remained very calm. He only spoke a few sentences before hanging up. I wondered if the two of them had a fight. Is that why Alexander came to me? Sure enough, after hanging up, Alexander said, “Sage, I need to go back to the family home for a bit. Don’t wait up for me tonight. Get some sleep.” I softly replied “Oh” and stared blankly at the door as it closed behind him. He was probably going to be with Chloe now.

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When I gained the ability to read minds, Keith Portillo, who had been looking out for me for years, thought to himself, “Too bad I didn’t put a camera in her bathroom…” Keith had looks, wealth, and a gentle personality. I thought I had misheard him, but I found a tiny camera in my bathroom the next day. In the midst of my panic, Anthony Osborne, the pure-hearted guy who had been chasing me for half a year, suddenly showed up at my door. He thought, “If you don’t say yes today, I’ll just put you to sleep. I’ve wasted too much time.” My head buzzed, and with trembling hands, I smiled awkwardly and let him in. The young man sat on the couch and gave me a shy smile. “Eliza, I bought the Mille-feuille you like.” He handed me the dessert, and the bashful look in his eyes made it hard to refuse. My mind-reading ability wasn’t always reliable. But the moment Anthony walked through the door, it stopped working. A chill ran through me. I acted as casually as I could, placing the dessert on the coffee table. “Thank you. What brings you over today?” With his light brown eyes, Anthony looked at me and smiled sheepishly, “For you, I always have time…” Then, just like always, he hesitantly asked if I would be his girlfriend. I instinctively turned him down, and I could see the sadness flash across his face. But thinking of the thought I had heard when I opened the door, I suddenly felt a little uneasy. “I knew it would be like this,” he sighed softly, changing the subject. “I waited in line for a long time to get this Mille-feuille. Try it, Eliza.” I was afraid he might do something drastic if I rejected him again. So I took a bite of the Mille-feuille and said it was sweet. Anthony stared at me intently with a strange smile. “Is it?” I froze. The dessert felt like sand in my mouth, and it was almost impossible to swallow. Oh no.

Ding ding ding… My phone rang just as Anthony shed his harmless disguise and began to eye me with a predatory gaze. I quickly dropped the second piece of Mille-feuille and answered the call. “The club has an event tomorrow. Can I come by puck you up to help set up?” Keith’s voice felt like a lifeline, bringing me relief. I immediately agreed. After hanging up, I realized my palms were covered in cold sweat. I didn’t even notice when Anthony had moved closer and sat beside me. Suddenly, his strong arms wrapped around me. “Eliza, I really like you,” he said, resting his head on my shoulder and sounding a little aggrieved. “Can’t you give me a chance?” I swallowed hard, too scared to move. “Keith’s about to be downstairs. Let’s talk later…” “Keith Portillo?” His arms tightened around me. I tried to push him away, but he suddenly grabbed my neck and forcefully pushed me down onto the couch. “I can’t take it anymore. You’re always so close to him. Do you like him?” I thought, “You are the same to me.” “No, he’s just a friend. Get off me.” Before I even finished speaking, a violent kiss shocked me into silence. I struggled with all my strength, but he didn’t move an inch. I was about to suffocate when he finally pulled back. “Eliza, I’ve been chasing you for so long, but you still don’t like me… “What should I do with you?”

My father died in a car accident during my sophomore year, and I spent every day in sorrow. That was until Keith appeared. He was like a big brother to me, comforting me and helping me get out of the shadow of losing my father. Over time, I became more and more dependent on him. Looking back, he was like a patient hunter. Everything he did was to make me walk willingly into his trap. Now, even though I knew he was as dangerous as Anthony, I felt that no one but him could give me peace. “Your lip… How did it get wounded?” Keith looked aloof, but his voice was gentle. His eyes always made their hearts race when they locked onto anyone. He looked down, staring directly at my lips. “The air conditioner was turned up too high, and my lips cracked from being too dry.” I hadn’t looked in the mirror since I ran away from home, but I was sure the blood on my lips was obvious. Anthony had kissed me too hard. My lips still felt numb. Keith glanced at me, his expression unreadable, and then fell silent as he drove. When we arrived at the club, I rushed to the restroom and rinsed my mouth with water for a few minutes. The scene setup was finally finished by evening. “I’ll drive you home,” Keith said suddenly. I politely made up an excuse to decline. He didn’t argue, only telling me to go home and get some rest.

I didn’t dare go back, afraid that Anthony might still be at home. He thought, “I wish there was a camera here…” Wait!?! He thought, “Too bad I didn’t install a camera in her bathroom.” This meant Keith had cameras set up elsewhere, but I had only removed the one in the bathroom. No wonder his call came at just the right time… It was Keith calling. For some reason, I felt uneasy. I ignored his calls and let them ring. I found a hotel to stay the night. The next day, I went to school, and everything seemed calm. But the more peaceful things felt, the more uneasy I became. After class, I heard from a friend that Anthony was in the hospital and asked if I wanted to visit him. I made up an excuse and didn’t go. When I got home, the box of Mille-feuille was still on the coffee table. I had gotten a little dizzy after eating a piece yesterday, so I was glad I hadn’t finished it. That night, I dreamt of a giant snake. It coiled tightly around my body, making it hard to breathe. My mouth felt blocked, and I could only take weak breaths through my nose. The next morning, I woke up to find a large red mark on the inner side of my thigh and a sore waist. I couldn’t make sense of it and went to class with a sense of confusion.

After class, my friend Rose Grant excitedly came up to me and said. “You’ve known Keith for so long. I thought you two would end up together.” I was puzzled. She saw my reaction and asked, “You didn’t know?” “What?” “Keith’s dating someone! Beverly Fields from the next department!” We hadn’t been in touch since I stopped picking up his calls. I didn’t expect him to have time to start a relationship. Honestly, I felt a bit melancholic and empty. For the past two years, he had been looking out for me. Even though he wanted to do evil things to me, I couldn’t just walk away immediately. I knew what I felt for him wasn’t love. I felt like a helpless fool who couldn’t function without an older person around. How had I become like this? Was it because of Keith? My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a ringtone. I hesitated but answered the call. “Eliza?” His deep, gentle voice came through the phone. I responded with a complicated “Mm.” “The club has a social event coming up in a few days. Do you want to join?” To be honest, I wasn’t in the mood to see him. “No, I need to focus on my paper.” There was a brief silence. “Alright. But could we grab a meal sometime? I’d like you to meet my girlfriend.” I felt a mix of emotions. “I don’t think I’ll have time anytime soon.” “It’s okay. Whenever you have time, we can meet then.” Why did we have to meet? Would the world end if we didn’t? I sighed, feeling exhausted.

Since staying at the hotel, I had been thinking about moving. After a few days, I finally found a new place. This neighborhood felt safer than the last one. I also submitted my resignation from the club, which was a huge relief. Keith once said that joining the club would help with social connections and make things easier once I entered the workforce. So I had been part of this club for two years. But the truth was, I didn’t like socializing at all. At the time, I joined to keep myself busy and stop thinking about my father, so I followed Keith’s suggestion to sign up. Not long after I submitted my resignation, Keith called. “Why do you want to quit the club?” Keith’s voice sounded colder than usual. “It’s written on the application form.” “Eliza, you’re about to be a senior. The position of president…” Keith went on and on about the downsides of quitting and the benefits of staying in the club. But I remained firm. He sighed and finally gave up. “Fine. If you want to quit, and then quit.” In class, my friend Rose secretly leaned over to gossip with me. I quietly listened, but suddenly my face froze. She thought, “She’s always trying to get close to Keith, saying Keith likes her. Now that Keith has a girlfriend, she’s probably going crazy. If it weren’t for trying to talk to Keith, I would never have stuck around with Eliza, that delusional girl, for so long…” My fingers curled into a tight fist, and I stared at the textbook in front of me, letting out a bitter laugh.

This sudden mind-reading power was really unsettling. When did I ever say that Keith liked me? When did I ever try to get close to him on purpose? Accusations, unfounded and one after another, piled up on me. “Eliza… Eliza?” I turned to look at Rose. She furrowed her brow and said, “I’m talking to you. Can’t you hear me?” I silently studied her face before looking away. She poked me with her finger in annoyance. “What’s up with you? Is it because of Keith? Don’t be upset. Anthony, the guy who used to chase after you, was really handsome, you know…” I fought the urge to snap at her and interrupted, “Keith and I are just friends. And by the way, I already have a boyfriend.” She looked shocked. “You have a boyfriend? No way! You’ve always been single!” I quickly made up a story. Once she realized I didn’t like Keith, her expression grew heavier. The mind-reading ability disappeared at that point, and I couldn’t understand why she was making that face. But thankfully, I didn’t want to think about it anymore.

That night, I had another strange dream. This time, there were no images, just voices. A voice kept calling my name over and over again. The sound of heavy breathing seemed to come from right next to me, warm and close. It felt like something was pressing down on me, and no matter how hard I tried to push it away, I couldn’t. It only got heavier and tighter. At 8 a.m., I woke up feeling completely drained. Looking down, I froze. Red marks on my calves, thighs, waist, and the inside of my arms… it was hard not to let my mind wander. In a state of confusion, I skipped class and went to a store to buy a few tiny cameras to install in my room. I went through every one I could suspect in my head. Finally, I settled on Keith. A few days later, I ran into him at the club. But now, I didn’t have mind-reading anymore! The handover of club matters was done, and as I was about to quietly leave, Keith approached me. “All set?” he asked with a slight smile. I stopped and replied, “Yeah, all done.” “Summer break is coming up. Didn’t you want to go to Srborea? My family gave me a few tickets. Want to go together?” I was about to decline, but my eyes froze on the hickeys on his neck. It was faint, but I was quick to notice. He lifted his hand to touch it, and I quickly looked away, trying to pretend I hadn’t seen it. But he was candid. “It’s from my girlfriend. Is it that obvious?” I thought for a moment, “It’s not too bad. From far away, you can’t really see it, but up close, it’s a bit obvious.” He chuckled lightly, “So, you wanna go?” I shook my head. “You and your girlfriend should go. I’m not really interested in tagging along.” He nodded gently. “Alright. So, do you have any plans for the summer?” I answered, “Going back home.” “I really want to lock you up in my bedroom forever. Summer vacation is a perfect opportunity.”

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On our fifth wedding anniversary, I carefully selected a luxury sports car as a gift for Jack. Just after completing the payment, I happened to see an Instagram update from Lily Reed, the scholarship student I was sponsoring: “Celebrating my birthday with my beloved, enjoying the most beautiful scenery.” In the photo, her sunglasses inadvertently captured the reflection of a familiar male figure. I smiled, liked the post, and left a warm wish. Not long after, Jack called in a hurry, his voice filled with displeasure and reproach: “We’re not what you’re imagining. How can you be so narrow-minded? Are you jealous of someone young and beautiful?” “Stop doing things that make people look down on you.” When Jack walked in, I changed my mind. I slowly put the fifth anniversary cake I was about to throw in the trash back on the table. He saw the cake on the table and frowned, “It’s not anyone’s birthday, why are we having cake?” I remained silent and opened the packaging in front of him. The cream was covered with fruit. When he saw me insert the “5th Wedding Anniversary” topper in the middle, his mocking expression instantly froze. In just a moment, he quickly regained his composure, but his guilty eyes didn’t dare meet mine. “I… I was too busy. I forgot about such an important day. I’m sorry…” I dodged his attempt to touch me and cut a piece of cake, putting it on a plate and shoving it into his hands. “Eat up, at least you made it in time.” He was displeased. “Opal, what do you mean? I just forgot, do you have to give me the cold shoulder? We celebrate our wedding anniversary every year, what’s wrong with missing one?” Since I had put effort into preparing the cake early in the morning, I decided to cut a piece for myself as well. Seeing that I wasn’t responding, he snatched the knife from my hand, and due to using too much force, he cut my palm. I cried out in pain, clutching my bleeding wound, tears streaming down uncontrollably. Jack frantically searched for gauze and antiseptic to stop the bleeding. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…” I walked to the third cabinet on his right, took out the first aid kit myself, and proceeded to treat the wound step by step. I winced in pain. He tried to help me disinfect with a cotton swab, I avoided him. He tried to help me bandage, I avoided him. He tried to check how I was treating it, I avoided him. This time he finally frowned, “Is this about what happened earlier today?” “Is it really necessary? I was just helping take a few photos.” How could it not be necessary? My husband had time to help someone else celebrate their birthday and enjoy beautiful scenery, but forgot our own wedding anniversary. How ridiculous? I finished cleaning up and continued eating the remaining cake. He grabbed my wrist, advising, “It’s dirty, don’t eat it.” Following his gaze, I finally saw the spots of red plum on the cake that I had stained. What a pity, I hadn’t even taken a bite. If it’s dirty, let’s throw it away. Before I could act, Jack beat me to it and put the cake back in the box, “Don’t move, sit and rest, I’ll go throw it away.” Bang. The sound of the door closing behind me came, separating my world from his. I sat at the table for a long time, long enough for Jack to leave and not return. The next day, I indeed saw Lily’s update on Instagram again. “Glad to have you by my side.” It was a side profile of Jack listening intently to a doctor’s instructions in the hospital room. Last night, Lily’s mother had a cancer relapse, and he was urgently called to the hospital. I very generously liked the post. Jack’s call this time came a bit late, probably because he had to run errands for everything at the hospital, and Lily hadn’t had time to “pour out her troubles” to him yet. “Opal, can you stop making a fuss? Lily is young, and it’s only right that I help take care of her a bit in this unfamiliar city? Don’t be so cold-hearted?” Lily was also on the other end, begging me not to misunderstand. Her affected voice irritated me to no end. I pinched the bridge of my nose and said, “Jack, I got hurt yesterday too.” I thought I could use his causing my injury as a reason to evoke his guilt. He should be taking care of me, not some irrelevant person. Unexpectedly, he suddenly flared up: “Is that little injury worth constantly dwelling on? Lily’s mother has cancer, you should be able to distinguish what’s important, now is not the time for you to make unreasonable demands.” I fell silent. He noticed my lack of response and realized his attitude had been a bit too harsh. So he softened his tone: “Does your hand still hurt? Be good, I’ll come home early today and we’ll…”

Huh. I hung up the phone. I went out and got into the car that came to pick me up, heading straight to the hospital. Seeing the wound on my palm, the doctor scolded, “It’s so deep, why didn’t you come earlier? Any later and you might have needed a tetanus shot.” I was at a loss for words, after a while I replied, “I forgot because I was angry.” Walking out of the hospital, I ran into Jack and Lily walking side by side, going out to eat. I felt instantly annoyed. I wanted to avoid them at first. But then I thought, I’m the legal one after all, it would be too cowardly to just walk away like this. I didn’t approach them, but Lily’s sharp eyes noticed me. She clung to Jack’s arm, her challenging gaze meeting mine. They were chatting and laughing, occasionally whispering in each other’s ears, looking exactly like a perfect couple. Just as Jack was about to see me, Lily’s exaggerated performance voice rang out: “Jack, your wife is here. Did she misunderstand something? Is she jealous of someone young and beautiful?” Jack pulled her behind him, clearly taking on the role of her protector, frowning impatiently as he questioned me: “Why are you here? Opal, can you stop picking on a young girl?” I laughed bitterly. “When did I pick on her?” I hadn’t even opened my mouth or moved my hand, how was I picking on her? “You came here just to make things difficult for her, didn’t you? If you have any issues, come at me. Her family situation isn’t good, I’m just helping her out, don’t make a big deal out of nothing.” As Lily’s scholarship sponsor, I knew which hospital her mother was in. I couldn’t be bothered to argue with this delusional couple, and had specifically asked the driver to avoid it this morning. I didn’t expect they had changed hospitals. And made me run into them again. I turned to leave. Ouch, Jack grabbed my injured hand as he tried to stop me. I’m particularly sensitive to pain, and tears immediately welled up in my eyes. Seeing this, he let go, his expression changing to panic. The hand that reached out to grab my bandaged hand was dodged as I hid it behind my back. “Go ahead and take your little girl to eat, don’t let her starve.” Ignoring Jack’s ashen face, I strode past them, leaving them behind. Arriving at the parking area, I indeed saw the sports car I had bought a few days ago waiting for me. I opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. Maddox’s concerned voice came through: “You were fine this morning, why do you look like someone bullied you now?” I shook my head, “It’s nothing, take me to the law firm.” “Alright, considering you gave me that car, I’m at your beck and call.” While waiting at a red light, Jack walked past the front of the car holding Lily’s hand. Maddox’s surprised voice sounded beside my ear: “Wow, that guy who just passed by really looks like your husband.” “If it weren’t for him holding the wrong person’s hand, I would have mistaken him for Jack.” I pressed my lips together and nodded, “You didn’t see wrong.” “What?” Going to work, I saw Lily’s figure at the company. Jack had arranged for her to intern at the company. The company recruits some soon-to-graduate students to work every year, and if she could contribute to the company’s revenue, I certainly wouldn’t object. What I didn’t expect was that a week later, Jack assigned her a big project. If she succeeded in negotiating it, she would get a higher commission. If she didn’t negotiate well, the company would suffer a significant loss. Such actions that harmed the company’s interests were opposed by many people, including me. But Jack didn’t listen. As the project approached a crucial point, he came to me. “Lily doesn’t understand many things, can you guide her?” I stared at Jack indifferently: “Now you remember me?” I heard that Lily’s negotiations hadn’t gone well, and the other party demanded a change of personnel, otherwise they wouldn’t continue cooperation. They didn’t outright say they would stop future cooperation only because of the pleasant cooperation in the past few years. I didn’t expect him to be so muddle-headed, confused in emotions and now confused in work as well. Entrusting such an important matter to the newcomer Lily. I started to not understand him anymore. Did I really make the wrong choice back then? He put his arm around my shoulders and sighed: “Still so angry? Still upset?” “No.” He lowered his head to kiss my cheek, but I pushed him away. “We’re at work, mind the impact.” I noticed his body go from stiff to relaxed. The frost on his face melted instantly: “Mm, I’ll kiss you when we get home.” The next second, he remembered he hadn’t been back to that so-called home for a long time, and his eyes flashed with discomfort. “I’ll definitely come back today.” I agreed to go save the situation. The RG boss and I were old acquaintances. Back then, they were willing to cooperate with a small company because of me. Jack was clear about this point. To salvage the company’s reputation, this trip was necessary. After work, I thought I wouldn’t see Jack’s figure as usual. I had just prepared my own dinner. The doorbell rang. Opening the door, Lily greeted me with a bright smile: “Sister-in-law, I’ll be troubling you again tonight.”

I was confused. Jack spoke up behind her: “You have to go to RG early tomorrow morning, right? Lily lives far away and definitely won’t make it in time tomorrow, so she’ll stay at our place tonight.” I watched him brazenly bring another woman into our home. He showed Lily around the layout of our house. I walked back to the dining table and suddenly lost my appetite for the dinner I had just served. In my ears was the sound of Jack patiently answering Lily’s curious inquiries about the decorations in the house. “Jack, this ceramic doll is so cute. Where did you buy it? I want to buy one too.” She picked it up and waved it at Jack. “This was a gift my wife gave me back then, she painted it herself, isn’t it cute?” “Wow, your wife is so talented, can she paint one for me too?” She looked at me expectantly. Before I could speak, the ceramic doll I had once given to Jack fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. Just like my mood, broken into pieces. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry… It’s all my fault, I wasn’t careful when I put it back.” My face darkened. Lily apologized repeatedly, making a show of crouching down to pick up the pieces. Her hand had just reached out when it was cut. Jack’s eyes suddenly tightened as he glared at me: “What are you doing scaring her, it’s just a broken doll?” That ceramic doll was something I bought when we traveled abroad together after he successfully proposed to me. When I first bought it, it was all white, and I used paint to change its colors. When I gave it to Jack, he said it looked like me, and he would treasure it like he treasured me. I never thought that in just the fifth year of our marriage, it would become a “broken doll”. Jack went to the cabinet to find the first aid kit. Only Lily and I were left in the living room. She changed her weak demeanor, smirking as she said proudly: “Looks like I do have some status in your husband’s heart.” I nodded and said, “Then I wish you success.” The next morning as I was leaving, Jack’s car was parked by the roadside waiting for me. Lily’s head popped out of the passenger window, waving at me: “Hurry up and get in, we’ve been waiting for you.” Maddox’s car had just arrived. I said perfunctorily, “Let’s go separately.” Before Jack could say anything, I walked around his car and got into the sports car behind. Arriving at RG Company, Jack and Lily were waiting for me in the lobby. He looked at Maddox following behind me, and the arm he was about to put around my shoulders tightened. His eyes flashed with anger as he smiled insincerely: “Opal, aren’t you going to introduce us?” I pried his fingers off, saying coolly: “A friend.” Lily smiled and spoke up: “Let’s go upstairs quickly. Don’t keep everyone waiting.” Unexpectedly, Jack’s face turned cold, and he yelled at her: “Isn’t this all because of the trouble you caused?” Lily’s smile froze on her face, and she looked at Jack awkwardly: “I’m sorry, Jack…” Her pitiful appearance made even me feel sorry for her. No wonder she could hold onto Jack. As we went upstairs, Maddox whispered in my ear: “Is this the man you insisted on marrying back then?” “Your taste is much worse than mine.” I followed his gaze to Jack walking in front, not refuting. Walking into RG’s CEO office, Jack and Lily were left outside. Jack was stunned, pointing at me and saying: “I came with my wife.” The secretary apologized: “I’m sorry, you can’t go in.” He then pointed at Maddox: “What about him?” “He’s a friend of our CEO, of course he can go in.” The secretary led Maddox and me into the office. Jack’s burning gaze felt like needles on my back. The RG CEO was Maddox’s good friend, and we had known each other for a long time. The communication went smoothly, and they didn’t make things difficult for me. I agreed to their reasonable requests and finalized the terms for renewing next year’s cooperation. After saying goodbye, Maddox and I left together. Jack caught up and grabbed my wrist tightly, causing me pain. Maddox’s eyes darkened as he also grabbed me, telling Jack: “Let go.” Jack, overcome with anger, swung a punch at Maddox’s face: “I’m grabbing my own wife. What’s it to you?” Lily and I quickly pulled them apart. I shook my head at Maddox, apologizing: “Go wait for me in the car, I’ll come find you after I resolve this.” After he left, Jack said in a low voice: “You’re not allowed to leave with him.” I pulled my hand away, looking at him seriously and said: “Jack, let’s get a divorce.” He frowned, incredulous: “Just because I hit him?” I pressed my lips together, not knowing where to begin. I had previously consulted a law firm about divorce matters. “If that’s what you say, then so be it.” I turned and left without looking back. Behind me, Lily spoke up to persuade: “Jack, she must be saying it out of anger. I’ll go help you talk to her.” He said: “No need.” “When she’s done throwing her tantrum, she’ll naturally come back!”

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After our honeymoon, my husband and I returned home with hearts full of joy, eagerly anticipating our sweet life together as newlyweds. To our surprise, my mother-in-law had intentions of clearing out my house to use it as a wedding home for my husband’s younger brother. I was shocked and looked at my husband beside me. He mumbled vaguely about “being one family” and even tried to persuade me to endure it for his brother’s sake. “Charlie, hurry up and open the door! I’m exhausted!” I called out. With a click of the lock, the door swung open. The sight that greeted me was the same decoration from when Charlie and I had our wedding. I quickly kicked off my shoes and dashed towards the bedroom, thinking of taking a nice, long nap. But as soon as I opened the door, I saw my mother-in-law and a strange woman sitting in my bedroom. I froze, wanting to question them but not knowing where to start. My mother-in-law was the quickest to react. She stood up and said to me, “Opal, you and Charlie are back so soon! Let me introduce you – this is Jack’s girlfriend, my future daughter-in-law, and your future sister-in-law, Snow.” The woman called Snow blushed shyly. “So you’re my sister-in-law! I’ve heard so much about you from Jack. He said his sister-in-law is capable and beautiful. Now that I see you, it’s all true,” Snow said with a warm smile. Although I was annoyed by their unexpected presence in my home, sitting on my marital bed, I still maintained a friendly facade, following the principle of not hitting a smiling face.

“What? You want her to live in our house?” I suddenly raised my voice, utterly incredulous! My mother-in-law quickly stood up and covered my mouth, “Opal, keep your voice down. Don’t let Snow hear in the next room.” She glanced towards the doorway several times. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. Trying to keep my expression neutral, I asked my mother-in-law, “Mom, if she lives here, where will Charlie and I stay?” “Opal, Snow came all the way from another state because of her love for Jack. She doesn’t have any friends or family here except us. Whether out of kindness or courtesy, I can’t let her stay in a hotel. It’s my fault for not being capable enough. I haven’t saved much money over the years, I can’t even help my son with his marriage…” Her response only made things worse. She started pouring out her grievances to me. I couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Wasn’t I a new bride too? I glanced at my husband beside me, Only to see him looking at his mother with sympathy, completely oblivious to my discomfort. Great! He’s no help either!

Before I could say anything more, Charlie jumped in: “Mom, please don’t be like this. It breaks my heart to see you this way.” Charlie grabbed his mother’s hand, his face full of concern. I didn’t say anything, just sat quietly watching the scene unfold before me. After a while, Charlie finally convinced his mother to go to another room, Leaving just the two of us in the spacious room. Charlie looked at me, his lips quivering a few times, hesitating before finally seeming to make up his mind to speak, “Opal, you know my family’s situation. I’m married now, I’ve got a good wife. My brother has finally found a girlfriend who’s willing to be with him. I can’t just stand by and watch my brother’s marriage fall apart… Opal, can you bear with it for a while?” Charlie was almost pleading with me. I looked at the man before me, nearly six feet tall, now hunched over like a shrimp, bowing and scraping, I couldn’t help but recall how vibrant and energetic he was when we first met.

Charlie and I met during a basketball game in college, Charlie’s team represented our department in the finals, and we girls acted as cheerleaders to support them. He stood out in the crowd, a tall guy over six feet, with a muscular build. Through his loose jersey, I could even clearly see the abs hidden underneath. He was sweating freely on the court, making one cool shot after another. What girl doesn’t have a crush? The youthful Charlie captured my heart in an instant. Perhaps it was fate, but later I was chosen to be a cheerleader. This gave me the opportunity to interact with Charlie, Later, I found out we were from the same hometown, which gave us even more to talk about, so we often chatted and ate together. We were interested in each other, just never expressed it openly. Until that year, when Charlie’s father suddenly passed away. This hit him hard. When Charlie returned after the mourning period, he was depressed all day, surrounded by a gloomy aura. I couldn’t bear to see him like this, so I stuck by him every day. Until one day, I took Charlie out drinking to drown his sorrows, In his drunken state, Charlie poured out his grievances to me. It was then that I learned Charlie’s life wasn’t as good as it seemed, quite different from the sunny and positive image he always portrayed.

Charlie’s family background was very ordinary, even poor, you could say. Charlie lived with his parents and younger brother in a small house less than 500 square feet in a small town, His father did odd jobs, while his mother was a traditional housewife, taking care of the household and doing mending. So when Charlie’s father passed away, it was as if the sky had fallen on the family… Listening to Charlie’s story, I felt both sympathy and admiration for him. I felt sorry for his poor background, but admired him for working hard to get into this prestigious university despite his circumstances. I was moved by Charlie’s resilience, and I also wanted to help him out of his gloom, So, Charlie and I started dating. We were a handsome couple, the envy of many on campus. I was convinced by Charlie’s resilient and hardworking qualities, So even though his family conditions weren’t good, I was willing to stay with him without hesitation. I had feelings for Charlie, Seeing Charlie in this state now, I ultimately couldn’t bear to refuse his request. However, I made it clear that the house was only for her to stay temporarily, Once she and Jack got married, she should move out and live with Jack, as Charlie and I still needed to live in this house.

When Charlie and I got married, his family was poor and couldn’t afford decent gifts or a grand wedding ceremony, I knew Charlie, as the eldest son, had it tough, so I never pressured him about anything. My parents, worried about my well-being and afraid I might suffer, bought a house for me in full. That house was meant to be our marital home. After the wedding, my parents paid for Charlie and me to honeymoon in Bali, We had just returned today. I hadn’t even lived in this marital home for a few days, and now I was being asked to give it to someone else. Although I was displeased, considering Charlie’s feelings, I didn’t want to say much more. Seeing my agreement, Charlie was moved to tears. He hugged me tightly, saying I was suffering and he would make it up to me in the future. That night, Charlie and I went to his mother’s house to stay for the night, As soon as we entered, I could see the cramped space, The old furnishings, and the smell of cooking oil that filled the entire house made me very uncomfortable. But I looked at Charlie beside me and ultimately held back, saying nothing. After Charlie’s father passed away, as the eldest son in the family, Charlie naturally shouldered more responsibilities. I lay on the slightly loose bed board, covered with a quilt that smelled faintly of mildew, I forced myself to close my eyes and sleep, but the result was a sleepless night. The next morning, I faced Charlie with two panda eyes. He looked at me, wanting to say something but hesitating, Without asking, anyone could see that I hadn’t slept well last night.

After breakfast, Charlie and I hurried to a nearby real estate agency to look for a house, We both knew well that I couldn’t adapt to his family’s environment and couldn’t live there. Through the agent’s introduction, Charlie and I chose a fully furnished apartment that we could move into immediately. Soon, we signed a three-month lease. I thought that no matter what, three months should be enough time for Snow and Jack to settle their marriage, right? So that day, Charlie and I moved into this temporary rented apartment with all our belongings. During this time, I also became quite familiar with my future sister-in-law, Snow. Snow was very kind and warm towards me, always sweetly calling me “sister-in-law” whenever she saw me, Eating, drinking, shopping, and taking walks together, for a while, I felt as happy as if I had gained a sister. Through our interactions over these days, I learned that Snow was an orphan who grew up in a foster home, Looking at this girl who was always smiling, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her in my heart. Snow and Jack met online, and she had traveled thousands of miles to pursue her love and marry Jack. She was a very brave and free-spirited girl. Days passed, and before we knew it, more than a month had gone by, On this day, while the whole family was having dinner together, Jack announced his marriage to Snow, The date was set for the beginning of next month. I glanced at Snow sitting across from me, she was like a white jasmine, smiling shyly.

As the wedding date approached, I could feel Snow becoming more nervous. Out of sympathy for Snow, and out of care for someone who would soon be family, I often spent time with her during this period, Helping her with various tasks, hoping to ease her nervousness and help her relax. On this day, while chatting with Snow, I casually mentioned where she and Jack would live after getting married, Snow looked at me with confusion and said, “We’ll live in the house I’m staying in now, why do you ask, sis?” Hearing Snow’s words, I felt my heart tighten, and I repeated, “You and Jack will live in the house you’re staying in now?” Snow looked at me, though confused, she patiently said, “Yes, sis! Jack said the house I’m living in now will be our future marital home, and he had already decorated it before I came. Jack is such a thoughtful man…” I watched Snow’s face grow happier as she spoke, while my heart grew colder. That evening, as soon as Charlie got home, before he could even change his shoes, I ran up to him, “Charlie, your brother wants to use our marital home as his marital home.” Hearing my words, Charlie was visibly stunned. “Honey, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.” Could it be that Charlie didn’t know about this? Looking at the confused Charlie, I couldn’t help but wonder. “…, That’s how it is. I found out accidentally while chatting with Snow today.” As I explained the situation to Charlie, I observed his reactions, but until I finished, he just frowned and remained silent. My face was cold as frost, “Charlie, whether you knew about this before or not, you should understand the situation now. I don’t care if it was your brother’s or your mother’s idea, you’d better give me a satisfactory answer.” Actually, before Snow finished speaking, I had already guessed that regardless of whose idea it was, the ultimate goal was to give my house to Jack as his future marital home. Charlie seemed unnerved by my stare, “Honey, don’t be angry. Let me go ask Mom and Jack about this.” Without waiting for my response, Charlie grabbed his coat and hurried out the door.

It wasn’t until late at night that Charlie returned, looking exhausted. He turned on the light, only to see me sitting in the darkness, “Honey, why aren’t you sleeping so late? Why are you sitting here?” “Waiting for your solution,” I said, raising my almond eyes to look at Charlie calmly. We stared at each other for who knows how long, Charlie’s mouth opened and closed, not knowing how many times, before he finally seemed to make up his mind and said, “Honey, let’s lend that house to Jack for a while.” “Lend it to him for a while? How long? Ten years or twenty years? Or lend it to him for a lifetime?” My voice carried a coldness that even I hadn’t noticed before. “Honey, I only have one brother, and besides, don’t we have a place to live now? What’s wrong with letting him use it for a while?” Charlie’s tone even carried a hint of taking it for granted. Later, Charlie tried to persuade me for a long time, but I neither agreed nor rushed to refuse. Instead, I told him I would think about it. I don’t know what kind of nonsense Charlie’s mother and brother had fed him, but this Charlie was one I had never seen before. That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep thinking about this matter, Then I heard Charlie’s phone buzzing non-stop. Annoyed and distracted, I picked up the phone intending to switch it to silent mode, but accidentally glimpsed a message from his mother to Charlie, “Charlie, how’s it going?” Out of curiosity, I opened the chat history between Charlie and his mother.

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After losing control while drunk, I slept with the boy next door. He’s an extremely responsible person, so he proposed to me after sobering up. It wasn’t until later that I found out his most beloved woman had left the country that night. So I hid my deep feelings and became his obedient and virtuous wife in name only in this wealthy family. On countless quiet nights, we were incredibly in sync, yet kept our distance. My friends all said I would never be able to lGronaeave him, and I thought so too. Until one day, when I discovered his second phone. While he was in the shower, a girl sent a selfie of herself. “Mr. Brown, thank you for the birthday gift.” She was a very young girl with delicate features. But she was wearing expensive clothes that didn’t match her age, so she looked a bit uncomfortable. I stared at it for a long time, until my eyes stung. I had always known there was someone in Arlo’s life, but I never imagined it would be a girl like this. Beyond my heartache, I was also surprised by my husband’s preferences. I thought to myself, I’m sorry for discovering Arlo’s secret. A moment later, Arlo came out with steam rising from his body. “How long are you going to look at that?” He snatched the phone from my hand, glanced at me, and started getting dressed. There wasn’t a hint of embarrassment on his face at being caught by his wife. I knew his confidence came from his control over the family finances. Because I was the one being kept at home, even though I used to be a well-known pianist in the country before we married. I didn’t confront him about the photo. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. Seeing he was about to go out, I quickly spoke up. “Arlo, I have something I want to talk to you about.” He fastened his belt leisurely and looked at me. “I have five minutes. The driver is waiting downstairs.” I guessed where he was going and my eyes darkened. “Arlo, I want to go out and work.” Arlo turned to look at me, staring for a while. Then he took out a checkbook from his pocket, wrote down a number, tore it out and handed it to me. “Isn’t it nice being a full-time housewife at home? Work isn’t suitable for you.” He was about to leave after saying that. I chased after him, taking a very humble stance. “I’m not afraid of hard work. I want to go out and work. I can play the piano.” The man had no patience to listen further. In his mind, I was like a delicate vine. Used to being taken care of, completely unsuited for working outside, and unable to endure hardship. Arlo looked at his watch. Time was up. He left this home without any reluctance. I couldn’t stop him, only managing to urgently ask as he gripped the doorknob. “My dad’s birthday is on Saturday. Do you have time?” Arlo paused. “We’ll see.” The door closed softly. A moment later, the sound of a car starting came from downstairs, gradually fading into the distance. A few minutes later, the housekeeper came upstairs. “Sir is going to H City for a few days. He said it’s for something important.” “Also, a batch of Sir’s clothes just arrived for washing. Madam, should we send them to the cleaners or would you like to hand wash and iron them yourself?” They knew my relationship with Arlo was strained. In this house, they were the messengers between Arlo and me. I knelt on the sofa, taking a while to come back to my senses before softly saying, “I’ll wash them by hand.” Because Arlo didn’t like the smell of dry cleaning solvents. So almost all of Arlo’s clothes, including suits and coats, were hand washed and ironed by me. Besides this, Arlo had high standards in other areas too. He didn’t like eating out, and he didn’t like any mess in the bedroom, so I learned cooking and flower arranging. He never took this wife to heart, only marrying me because of an accident. I gradually became the perfect housewife, and my life revolved almost entirely around Arlo. But Arlo still didn’t love me. I lowered my head and stared at the check. Last year my family business failed. My father suddenly fell ill from the shock, costing over six figures every month. Every time I went home, my stepmother complained that I took too little from Arlo. “He’s the CEO of Brown Pharmaceutical Group, worth billions.” “Grona, isn’t he your husband? Doesn’t that mean everything he has is yours too?” I smiled bitterly. How could anything of Arlo’s be mine? Arlo didn’t love me and was very cold to me usually. Our marriage only had sex, no love. He wouldn’t even let me have his child. Every time we slept together, he would remind me to take birth control. Yes, I had to take the pills. I felt for the pill bottle, took one out, and swallowed it numbly. After taking the pill, I gently pulled open a small drawer. Inside was a thick diary, filled with 18-year-old me’s deep love for Arlo. Ten years. I had loved him for a full ten years. I quietly closed my eyes. This one-sided play seemed like I could no longer keep acting it out. I didn’t wait for Arlo to come back. My dad had another acute attack and entered the ICU. The situation was very critical and he needed immediate surgery. I stood in the hospital hallway calling Arlo over and over, but no one answered after several tries. Just as I was about to give up, Arlo answered. Afraid he would lose patience and hang up the next second, I spoke rapidly: “Arlo, my dad—” But my words were still cut off by Arlo. His tone carried a hint of impatience: “Do you need money?” “I’ve said many times, if you urgently need money just ask Secretary Quinn. Grona, are you listening?” I looked up at the electronic screen, my expression dazed. It was playing today’s news. The CEO of Brown Pharmaceutical Group had rented out the entire Disneyland for a night of fireworks to please a beauty. Under the dazzling fireworks, a young girl sat in a wheelchair, smiling sweetly and innocently. And my husband Arlo stood behind the wheelchair. He was holding his phone, talking to me. I blinked slowly. After a long while, my voice carried a hint of brokenness: “Arlo, where are you?” There was a pause on the other end. He seemed very unhappy with my questioning, but still perfunctorily said: “Still busy. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. Contact Secretary Quinn.” He didn’t notice my near-tears tone, but his gaze looking down at the person beside him was very gentle, so very gentle. My vision blurred. So Arlo could be this gentle after all. My stepmother’s voice came from behind: “Did you get in touch with Arlo? If Arlo doesn’t help, there’s no way we can handle this.” But her words stopped abruptly, because she also saw the scene on the electronic screen. After a while, my stepmother finally found her voice again. “Grona, I just don’t believe that when Arlo was in a coma, this Maeve girl playing the piano could wake him up.” “Even if that’s true, is this how you repay someone? He can’t even remember your birthday.” My stepmother got more and more angry as she spoke. Thinking of the Grona family’s situation, she couldn’t help but shed tears. “But Grona, you have to be clear-headed. Don’t cause trouble with Arlo at a time like this.” I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms, but I couldn’t feel any pain. Cause trouble with Arlo? I wouldn’t. Not because I’m a sensible Mrs. Brown who knows better. But because I have no right as the unloved wife. The title is just an empty shell. I stared at the sky full of fireworks and said very softly: “All those fireworks must cost a lot of money, right?” My stepmother didn’t understand what I meant. I lowered my eyes and started dialing Secretary Quinn’s number. Disturbing someone’s sleep in the middle of the night is always unpleasant. Secretary Quinn had been by Arlo’s side for a long time and held a high position. Moreover, he knew Arlo didn’t care about this wife. So after hearing my request, his tone was cold and aggressive. “Mrs. Brown, you need to apply first and have Mr. Brown sign off before you can get a check.” “Just like the jewelry you wear, it needs to be registered before use.” “Madam, do you understand what I mean?” I hung up the phone. I lowered my head, very quiet. After a while, I looked up at myself in the glass, gently raised my hand. On my slender ring finger was my wedding diamond ring. This was the only thing on me that didn’t need to be requested from Arlo, didn’t need to be registered and reported to his secretary. How pathetic I was as Mrs. Brown. I blinked dazedly and suddenly said: “Help me find someone to sell the wedding ring.” My stepmother was stunned: “Grona, have you gone crazy?” I slowly turned around. In the desolate lobby late at night, even my footsteps sounded lonely. After walking a few steps, I paused, then said firmly: “Auntie, I’m very clear-headed. I’ve never been this clear-headed before. I want to divorce Arlo.” Three days later, Arlo returned home. Arlo pushed open the bedroom door to see me sitting at the dressing table organizing items. He put down his luggage, loosened his tie, and sat on the bed examining me. After marriage, I always enjoyed doing housework, organizing things, making snacks. If I didn’t still hold the title of Mrs. Brown Group, in Arlo’s heart I was really no different from a housekeeper. For a long time I didn’t speak. Arlo was also tired from his business trip. Seeing I didn’t speak, he was too lazy to say anything. He went straight to the closet, took a bathrobe and went to the shower. While showering, he probably thought that with my weak personality, by the time he finished I would have calmed down. Then I would continue to be a gentle wife. He was so certain I would always love him like this. So when he walked out of the bathroom and found his suitcase still in its original place, he felt it necessary to talk to me. Arlo sat down on the sofa, casually picked up a magazine to read. After a while, he looked up at me and said: “How is your father’s condition?” “I’ve already reprimanded Secretary Quinn about that night.” He spoke lightly, without much sincerity. I put down what I was holding and looked up to meet his gaze in the mirror. In the mirror, Arlo’s features were deep-set and his aura was noble. Even a bathrobe looked better on him than others. I looked for a long time, until my eyes were sore, before saying very calmly: “Arlo, let’s get divorced.”

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### The day after I said yes to Isaac’s proposal, I accidentally logged into his messaging app on my laptop. A new message popped up: “Thank you for the ring, babe. In my heart, I’m already married to you.” Attached was a picture of the ring—a perfect match for the one Isaac had used to propose to me. Except hers was real. Mine was a cheap knockoff. In that moment, I finally understood the distant, unfocused look in his eyes when he proposed. It wasn’t me he was looking at—it was her. Without hesitation, I took off the ring and tossed it into the trash. I’ve never cared for fake jewelry. Or fake love. Almost the moment I saw the message, a notification popped up on the screen: “You’ve been logged out.” Then my phone started ringing—it was Isaac. “Mia, why were you logged into my account?” he demanded, his voice sharp and accusatory. “Were you trying to spy on me?” I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. It was always the same. He was the one who couldn’t stay loyal, but somehow, he always managed to twist things around and make it seem like I was the one in the wrong. But today… I didn’t have the strength to argue. I hung up. I was exhausted. Completely, utterly exhausted. The phone immediately rang again. “Mia, what the hell? Did you just hang up on me?” Isaac’s voice was furious. I swallowed the lump in my throat and said hoarsely, “Isaac, let’s just end this.” There was silence on the other end. Then, all at once, his voice exploded with rage. “End this? Mia, who do you think you are to end things with me?” “You still think you’re the same rich little daddy’s girl from back then? That you can just throw me away like garbage whenever you feel like it?” “Don’t forget—your mom is still in the hospital, and she’s relying on me to pay her medical bills!” He wasn’t wrong. Years ago, he’d used my mother’s surgery as leverage to force me into staying with him. But what Isaac didn’t know was that earlier today, my mother had passed away. “It’s just a ring,” he sneered before I could respond. “You’re really breaking up with me over a stupid ring?” His laugh was cold and filled with disdain, cutting straight through me. “Let me make something clear, Mia. You don’t deserve anything better than a fake ring. Women like you—” His voice was like a swarm of buzzing mosquitoes, loud and unbearable, making my head spin. Without thinking, I hit the end call button. Then, I blocked him on everything. For the first time in what felt like forever, the world around me fell silent. I sat there in front of my laptop, staring blankly at the screen. Minutes passed, maybe longer. When I finally snapped out of it, I realized my face was wet with tears. In a single day, I had lost my mother, and the man I was supposed to marry had humiliated me beyond belief. And yet, in this moment of overwhelming grief and betrayal, I felt strangely calm. It’s funny how the human mind reacts when pushed to its absolute limit. I don’t remember how I packed my things. I just remember looking around this cold, empty apartment and realizing that everything I truly owned fit into two suitcases. Dragging them behind me, I wandered aimlessly through the streets. With my mom gone, I felt like a tether inside me had snapped. When she was alive, she had once threatened to take her own life unless I broke up with Isaac, who was then a struggling entrepreneur, and left the country to study abroad. Later, when my father went bankrupt and took his own life, and my mother’s health began to fail, Isaac used her medical bills as a chain to keep me trapped by his side. For years, I’d been like a kite, bound by a string someone else was holding. Now, the string was gone. “Beep! Beep!” A blaring car horn jolted me from my thoughts. I looked up and realized, far too late, that I was standing in the middle of the street. The headlights grew brighter, and the screech of tires tearing against asphalt filled the air. I didn’t have time to move. The impact sent me sprawling onto the pavement. I opened my eyes to see a man stepping out of the driver’s seat. He looked panicked as he rushed toward me.

The man’s face initially carried a hint of impatience, but the moment he saw me, a flicker of surprise crossed his expression. “I’m so sorry, it’s my fault—I’m fine, really,” I said, forcing a weak smile, trying to ignore the searing pain in my leg. After all, I was the one who broke the rules and wandered into the street. I just hoped I hadn’t caused him much trouble. I tried to stand, but the sharp pain in my leg sent me stumbling back down. “Don’t push yourself,” the man said, catching me quickly before I fell again. Without another word, he pulled out his phone and called for an ambulance. It arrived quickly. Maybe it was the exhaustion from days spent sleepless by my mother’s bedside, but as soon as I was inside the ambulance, I blacked out. When I woke up, it was already the next afternoon. The sound of my phone ringing jolted me awake. It was an unfamiliar number. The moment I answered, an all-too-familiar voice barked through the line: “Mia, so now you’ve got the nerve to block me?” Isaac’s voice was full of venom. “You faked a car accident just to get my attention? How desperate can you be?” His words hit me like a slap in the face. “If only the car had actually finished you off,” he added coldly. Suddenly, I remembered the EMT asking for an emergency contact while I was barely conscious in the ambulance. I must have given them Isaac’s number. “I really was in an accident. I’m in the hospital right now—” I started, trying to explain. But he cut me off, his tone dripping with disdain. “Enough! You’re such a liar. Do you think I’m stupid?” “Lola asked her friend at the hospital. She said no car accident victims were admitted last night. So what was your plan? That I’d drop everything and come running to you out of guilt? Keep dreaming!” I glanced down at my leg, still wrapped in bandages, the pain radiating like fire. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them back. Why wouldn’t he believe me? I knew why. Isaac had never forgiven me for leaving him when he was at his lowest point. But he didn’t know the full story. He didn’t know how my mother had taken my phone, broken it in front of me, and forced me to end things with him. She had locked me inside the house until I left for school overseas, ensuring I couldn’t reach him. It had taken everything I had to slip a letter to him before I left. I poured my heart into it, explaining everything, telling him how much I loved him, begging him to wait for me. I even left him all the money I had at the time, hoping it would help him get back on his feet. But when we finally met again years later, he’d looked me dead in the eye and said, “Mia, you dumped me when I had nothing. It was Lola who sold her house and loaned me the money to rebuild my life.” Maybe he was right. Maybe I was a fool to think that letter had meant anything to him. If Lola had done so much for him, then why didn’t he just marry her? What was the point of dragging me back into his life and blaming me for everything? “What’s wrong? Did I hit a nerve?” Isaac sneered, breaking the silence. “You’re just a manipulative, gold-digging woman who’ll stop at nothing to get what you want.” I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice. “Isaac, my mom passed away yesterday. You don’t need to worry about paying her medical bills anymore.” “I’ll pay back every cent I owe you. And after that, let’s just… end this, okay? Please.” The line went silent. For a second, I thought he’d hung up. Then his voice returned, colder than ever. “Wow, Mia. You’re so twisted you’d even lie about your own mother’s death? Do you really think I’d fall for that?” I stared at the phone, his words slicing through me like a knife. So this is what he thought of me. When he finally hung up, my hands were trembling so badly I could barely hold the phone. I thought my heart had already been shattered beyond repair, but somehow, the pain still felt fresh, sharp, suffocating. How do you let go of someone you’ve loved for so long? The same person who had broken you again and again? It was a while before I calmed down. When I finally glanced toward the bedside table, I noticed a small yellow sticky note sitting there. “Had to step out for a bit, but I’ll come check on you tonight.” It was signed, “Logan.” It must’ve been from the man who hit me—the unlucky driver who’d ended up stuck with me.

I didn’t wait until evening. There was still so much to do to settle my mom’s affairs. Ignoring the doctor’s disapproving glare, I signed myself out of the hospital against medical advice. It took me a full week to handle everything. When it was all done, I stood in front of that small, lonely grave, and something inside me broke. For the first time, it truly sank in—this woman, who had spent her life controlling mine under the guise of love, was gone forever. I collapsed against the cold headstone, sobbing uncontrollably. It was only after some time had passed that I realized something was missing. The necklace. The only thing my mom had left me. I must’ve left it at Isaac’s place. If it weren’t for that necklace, I wouldn’t have set foot in that suffocating house again. All I could do was pray that Isaac wasn’t home, so I could grab it and leave without any drama. But life isn’t that kind. Isaac wasn’t there, but Lola was. “Mia? What are you doing back here?” Lola asked, leaning against the doorframe in her silk pajamas, arms crossed like she owned the place. “I came to grab something. I’ll leave as soon as I have it,” I said, not wanting to waste a single second more on her. Whatever happened between her and Isaac was no longer my concern. But she wasn’t about to let me off so easily. “Let me guess,” she said with a smug grin. “You’re just using that as an excuse to worm your way back into Isaac’s life, aren’t you?” She covered her mouth, pretending to stifle a laugh. “Did you know that the moment you moved out, he couldn’t wait to have me move in? If it weren’t for you, I’d have been Mrs. Carter a long time ago.” As she spoke, she held up her hand, showing off a ring that sparkled far too brightly. The same ring Isaac had used to propose to me. “Some people,” she sneered, “are only good enough for cheap knockoffs. Pathetic, isn’t it?” I clenched my teeth, my nails digging into my palms. Without thinking, I raised my hand and slapped her across the face. “You are not in any position to mock me!” At this point, I had nothing left to lose. If she wanted a fight, I was ready to give her one. Lola let out a sharp scream, clutching her cheek in disbelief. “You hit me?! Do you have any idea what Isaac will do to you when he finds out?” Then, as if suddenly remembering something hilarious, her expression twisted into something malicious. “Oh wait,” she said, her voice dripping with mockery. “Didn’t you say your mom’s dead now? Good riddance. Too bad you didn’t die with her.” That was it. I snapped. Grabbing her perfectly styled hair, I yanked her forward and slammed her head against the wall. Her shrieks were ear-piercing, but I didn’t care. “What the hell are you doing, Mia?!” Isaac’s voice roared through the room as he stormed in, grabbing my arm and shoving me to the ground. He immediately knelt down to cradle Lola, whispering softly to her as if she were made of glass. His face was full of tenderness, but when he turned to me, his eyes were filled with disgust. “Mia, I’ve been way too patient with you!” he shouted. Lola, ever the actress, sobbed quietly into his chest. “Isaac, it’s my fault. I upset her… I deserved to be hit. Don’t blame her anymore, okay? I’ll just leave so she won’t be mad anymore.” Her performance was Oscar-worthy. Even I wanted to applaud her dedication. Isaac, of course, fell for it. “From now on,” he snarled at me, “you’re not getting another dime from me. Let’s see how you like watching your mom rot in the hospital without my money.” I laughed bitterly, ignoring the sharp pain shooting through my leg. Blood was already seeping through the bandages, staining my jeans. Isaac noticed, pausing for a moment. “What’s wrong with your leg?” he asked, his voice softer for a second. “None of your business,” I spat, swatting away the hand he reached out. Without another word, I limped toward the bedroom, grabbed the necklace, and headed back out. But before I could leave, Isaac snatched it from my hand. “Give it back!” I demanded, trying to grab it, but he held it out of reach. “Everything you have—your clothes, your jewelry, even your mom’s hospital bills—was paid for with my money. If you’re so high and mighty, why don’t you take off everything I’ve ever given you and walk out naked?” “You bastard!” I snapped, biting down on my trembling lip to keep the tears at bay. Isaac just smirked. “Go ahead. Strip. Do it, and I’ll let you leave.” I stared at him, his mocking smile twisting the knife deeper into my chest. Fine. If this was what he wanted, I’d give it to him. I started with my jacket, then my shirt. Soon, I was standing there in just a tank top. As I reached for the hem of it, Isaac suddenly shouted, “Enough!” “Have you lost all self-respect, Mia?” He threw my clothes and the necklace at me, the chain hitting me square in the face. “Fine. Get out. But don’t you ever come crawling back to me, begging for help.” With that, he wrapped his arm around Lola and walked away, not even bothering to look back. I stood there, clutching my clothes and the necklace, watching his retreating figure. What was he so angry about? This was what he wanted, wasn’t it? To see me humiliated. To see me crushed under the weight of everything I’d lost. To see me as nothing more than a broken shell of the person I used to be. He should’ve been happy. Shouldn’t he?

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## The guy next door keeps stealing my food deliveries. The man with gout from across the hall has a nasty habit of swiping my takeout. And yet, he still has the audacity to trash-talk me in the neighborhood group chat: “Only prostitute order takeout!” I just smiled coldly at his nonsense and started doing some research. “Foods that people with gout should never eat.” “Which foods spike uric acid levels the most?” If he wants to steal my food so badly, I might as well help him out. The guy next door keeps stealing my food deliveries. The man with gout from across the hall has a nasty habit of swiping my takeout. And yet, he still has the audacity to trash-talk me in the neighborhood group chat: “Only people who don’t know how to cook order takeout!” I just smiled coldly at his nonsense and started doing some research. “Foods that people with gout should never eat.” “Which foods spike uric acid levels the most?” If he wants to steal my food so badly, I might as well help him out. On my way home from work one night, I decided to order some spicy crawfish. The delivery driver arrived a minute before I did, so I told him to leave it by my door. When I got off the elevator, though, the food was gone. Looking around, I noticed a trail of crawfish sauce dripping on the floor, leading straight to my neighbor’s door: Mrs. Jenkins. Well, specifically, to her grandson Jake Jenkins. He’d just moved in a few weeks ago and was apparently… a “character.” I knocked on the door, and a greasy, sweaty guy with pockmarked skin opened it. “Excuse me,” I said politely, “have you seen my food delivery?” He waved me off, annoyed. “I’ve been home all day. Why would I have seen your food?” If it weren’t for the trail of sauce on the floor—and the telltale grease on his lips—I might’ve believed him. Before I could say anything else, he slammed the door in my face. I sighed and shook my head. Maybe I was just too hungry to think straight. But deep down, I knew I’d been right. This wasn’t the first time. I’d lost count of how many deliveries had gone missing. Burgers, milkshakes, donuts—he didn’t discriminate. As long as it was food, he’d take it. But tonight’s timing was suspicious. The delivery driver had barely left before I came back downstairs. It couldn’t have been anyone else. And now that I thought about it, all of this started happening right after Jake moved in. He’d already made a stellar impression when he first joined the neighborhood group chat: “Nowadays women don’t know how to live within their means. Always ordering takeout instead of cooking like real women. Total waste of money!” At the time, I’d just rolled my eyes and ignored him. I thought he was just another internet troll who happened to live next door. But then he doubled down a week later—and even had the nerve to tag me directly. So, of course, I clapped back: “Look, I know you’re not the brightest bulb in the box, but maybe don’t let your mouth bypass your brain next time? And seriously, if you’re so obsessed with other people’s business, why don’t you go sample the septic truck outside to see if it’s salty enough?” After that, Jake gave me death glares every time he saw me. Hungry and furious, I called my best friend to vent. “You’re such an idiot,” she said, exasperated. “Don’t you have a security camera by your door? Just check the footage!” I smacked my forehead. Of course! I’d installed a camera after the last time my food got stolen, but I’d been too hangry to think straight. I opened the app on my phone and rewound the footage. And there he was: Jake Jenkins, in all his glory. The video showed him sneaking out of his apartment, snatching my food from the floor, and running back inside. Crawfish sauce dripped everywhere as he muttered under his breath: “Crawfish? What a spoiled little brat. Must be nice to have the money to waste on food like this. Stupid gold-digger!” I was so angry I could feel steam coming out of my ears. Mrs. Jenkins seemed like such a sweet old lady. How could her grandson be such a nightmare? When I told my best friend what happened, she just shook her head and laughed. “Haven’t you ever heard the saying, ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’? Check your footage again—I bet you’ll find something even worse.” I didn’t believe her. But oh, how wrong I was. 2 When Jake opened the door, he casually snatched up my delivery like it was his own. Standing beside him, Mrs. Jenkins, the sweet old lady from across the hall, was on the lookout, her eyes darting left and right. She didn’t look like the kind, grandmotherly woman I knew. Her face twisted with disdain as she spat on the ground. “Takeout again? That little tramp sure loves wasting money. Whoever marries her is gonna have their family rolling in their graves!” Then she crouched down and inspected the flowerpot she’d placed near my door. “Jake, does this thing need new batteries? If it dies, we won’t capture anything useful.” I froze as I zoomed in on the screenshot from my security footage. A chill ran down my spine. The flowerpot had a plum blossom design on it, but hidden in the tree’s trunk was an incredibly tiny hole—just big enough for a pinhole camera. That flowerpot had been a “housewarming gift” from Mrs. Jenkins. When I’d told her I wasn’t great with plants, she’d said, “Don’t worry, just leave it by your door—I’ll help water it when I pass by.” Turns out, it wasn’t about watering at all. It was about surveillance. Jake suddenly cursed, snapping me back to the present. “This stupid chick is such a pain in the ass! I’ve already taken the deposit, and the guys in the group are waiting on something good!” He spat the words out, pacing angrily. “Every day, she goes out dressed like a damn nun. Who does she think she’s fooling?” Then he turned and barked at Mrs. Jenkins, clearly irritated. “Didn’t you say you’d already earned her trust? Why are we still getting nowhere? Get your act together and cozy up to her so we can plant the equipment inside her apartment already. “The guys in the group love her prim-and-proper act. If we catch something juicy, I’ll be rolling in cash once I sell it!” The two of them kept whispering by my door, but I’d heard enough. Jake wasn’t just a petty thief. He was the ringleader of an online group that profited from secretly filming women and selling the footage. And Mrs. Jenkins? She wasn’t just his doting grandmother. She was his accomplice. I shuddered. Thank God I always dressed conservatively when I went out. If I hadn’t, who knows what they might’ve already captured? Their scheme was disturbingly calculated. They used Mrs. Jenkins’ frail, grandmotherly appearance to lower the guard of women living alone. She’d bring over cookies, make small talk, and offer help until she gained their trust. Once inside, they’d install hidden cameras to spy on their victims. If it weren’t for Jake’s habit of stealing my food, I never would’ve discovered what was really going on. Judging by how smoothly they worked together, I was sure I wasn’t their first target. God only knows how many women had already been victimized. As I continued watching the footage, their actions proved even more disgusting. After their whispered conversation, they carefully sliced a small hole into my doormat and installed another hidden camera—this time angled to capture upskirt shots. When they’d finished, Mrs. Jenkins lovingly patted Jake on the head. “My smart boy. You’re gonna make your grandma proud!” Then she laughed cruelly and added: “That little tramp acts so innocent, but I’ve seen through her fake act. Spending $50, $100 on takeout like it’s nothing? She’s definitely making her money the dirty way, probably sleeping around to earn it! “We’re doing her a favor by filming her. If anything, she should be thanking us for helping her… advertise! Who knows, maybe one day she’ll come begging us to film more!” There were only two apartments on this floor, and they clearly hadn’t noticed the hidden position of my security camera. They thought I was an easy target. They thought I wouldn’t fight back. But as the video ended, my blood ran cold—and then boiled with anger. The sweet, grandmotherly Mrs. Jenkins wasn’t just a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She was a predator in human skin. It wasn’t too late to stop them. Let’s see who’s really tougher when the fight begins. 3 The next morning, Mrs. Jenkins knocked on my door bright and early. She stood there with her usual sweet smile, holding a trendy preserved flower arrangement in her hands. “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice dripping with kindness. “I’ve failed you. I should’ve kept a better eye on things for you. “You mentioned how real flowers are such a hassle to take care of, didn’t you? Well, I heard these preserved flowers are all the rage now. They smell lovely, and you don’t have to water them! Please, take this as my apology for not looking out for you properly.” If I hadn’t seen the security footage, I might’ve genuinely fallen for her act. But if it’s a performance she wants, then I’ll play along. Feigning excitement, I gasped and took the flowers from her hands. “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe this! I’ve wanted one of these forever, but they’re always sold out! Mrs. Jenkins, you’re amazing for finding one. Thank you so much!” The preserved flowers were vibrant and fragrant, radiating charm as they sat in my arms. But all I could think was: Where’s the camera hidden this time? Back inside, I placed the flowers on my dining table. I didn’t want to tip them off just yet. If they wanted to spy on me, fine—I’d give them something to watch. Sitting directly in front of the flowers, I started a mock “mukbang.” I stuffed my face theatrically, smirking at the thought of them getting frustrated on the other side of the camera. Let’s see if watching me eat drives you crazy. As I ate, I replayed everything in my mind, plotting my next move. Letting people like Jake and Mrs. Jenkins get away with this wasn’t an option. My philosophy has always been simple: Never let the wicked walk free. Jake was a disgusting creep, and Mrs. Jenkins was a manipulative old hag. People like them deserved to rot behind bars. But before that, I planned to have a little fun. They needed to understand what it felt like to mess with the wrong person. I was halfway through my “show” when I heard shouting in the hallway. Quietly, I crept to the door and peeked through the peephole. Jake was standing there, his bloated face red with fury as he screamed at Mrs. Jenkins. “You useless old hag! Can’t even cook a decent meal! What the hell are you good for?” He jabbed a finger at her face, his voice dripping with venom. “If it weren’t for you killing my parents, I wouldn’t be stuck in this miserable situation! You screw up one more time, and I swear, I’m kicking you out! I’m done taking care of dead weight!” He slammed his door shut with so much force, it rattled the hallway. Mrs. Jenkins collapsed onto the floor, sobbing loudly. If I hadn’t known better, I might’ve felt sorry for her. An elderly woman, humiliated and berated by her own grandson—it was pitiful. Hell, I might’ve even opened my door, invited her inside, and tried to comfort her. But I knew better. She was cunning, and this was all part of their game. If I let her in, it would only give her more opportunities to worm her way into my life. Still, she committed to the act. Between sobs, she kept glancing toward my door, her eyes darting back and forth. Ah, so this is the plan. A little “pity party” for me to see through the hidden camera. She started wailing even louder, slapping her thighs dramatically. “Why am I still alive? Why hasn’t the good Lord taken me yet?” she cried. “I’m doing this for you, Jake! The doctor said your uric acid is high, and you can’t eat those foods anymore. I’m just trying to help you!” Her words carried a sharp edge of bitterness, as if she were airing her real grievances with Jake while keeping up the charade. I couldn’t help but laugh quietly. The performance was impressive, but painfully transparent. I walked away from the door, leaving her to stew in her fake misery. “Don’t worry,” I thought to myself. “The storm that’s coming for you is already on its way.”

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The day my wife gave birth to a child for her terminally ill first love, my in-laws stationed ten bodyguards outside the delivery room. Yet, even after the delivery was over, I didn’t show up to cause any trouble. My mother-in-law held my wife’s hand, sighing with relief. “Don’t worry, Ottilie. We’re here to make sure he doesn’t come anywhere near you.” “Your father even has people guarding the hospital entrance. If he dares to come and try to stop you from having this baby, we’ll call the police!” Ottilie nodded weakly, but she still instinctively glanced towards the elevator. Seeing it empty, she finally relaxed. She couldn’t understand why I couldn’t just be supportive of her helping her first love leave behind a legacy. Looking at the wailing newborn in the nurse’s arms, she smiled contentedly. She thought that if I came to visit her tomorrow, she would forgive all our previous arguments. She’d even be willing to let me be the child’s father. But what she didn’t know was that I had just submitted my application to join Doctors Without Borders. In seven days, I would give up my citizenship and become a stateless doctor, never to return.

The day Ottilie was discharged from the nursing home, I had just finished handing over my work at the hospital. As I reached the doorway, I heard laughter coming from inside. “This child is beautiful, with big eyes just like his father’s.” My mother-in-law was happily playing with the baby in her arms, while Kieran was bringing out a steaming bowl of chicken soup from the kitchen. “I made this soup myself. Your body is still weak, you need to eat well to recover,” he said, sitting by the bedside and tenderly feeding Ottilie. The atmosphere was that of a happy family. My father-in-law was holding a rattle, grinning from ear to ear. “This child is so adorable, just like his father. It’s a good thing he’s not Jude’s child. Having a doctor for a father would be such a burden.” My hand tightened on the doorknob. I remembered the first time I met my father-in-law. He had patted my shoulder, saying being a doctor was good, that saving lives brought honor to the whole family. He had told me he was once a doctor too, and if it weren’t for an injury caused by a violent patient, he wouldn’t have retired early. But now, he was saying doctors weren’t fit to have families. I had only been away for a year of advanced studies, and this family had already completely shut me out. I lowered my head, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. Ottilie and I had been married for three years. She had said she didn’t want children, and understanding the risks of childbirth, I didn’t pressure her. I still remember the day I left for my studies abroad. She had cried, saying she would miss me terribly. For the past year, we had called each other every day, sharing our lives. Even my colleagues would tease us, saying we still acted like newlyweds after three years of marriage. But just a month ago, when I finally managed to get some time off to come home, despite being exhausted from an eight-hour flight, I rushed back without complaint. Only to find Ottilie heavily pregnant, standing next to her first love. My thoughts were interrupted by Kieran’s words. “Jude, when did you get back? Why are you standing in the doorway?” Hearing him, the others in the room looked towards the entrance. When my father-in-law saw the resignation letter in my hand, his brow furrowed deeply. “How could I have entrusted my daughter to someone like you? What bad luck. Now you’re quitting your job, expecting us to support you?” “Is this how you act as a husband?” my mother-in-law chimed in accusingly. “You can’t even handle such a good job. What else can you do?” “Ottilie’s body is delicate now. She and the baby need money for everything. If you don’t work, are you expecting a family of three to live on air?” Hearing this, I could only laugh bitterly. “Whoever’s wife and child they are, it’s their responsibility to provide for them.” “Jude Wilson, what are you saying? How can you be so irresponsible?” Ottilie finally couldn’t hold back, shouting at me with reddened eyes. Seemingly overcome with emotion, she clutched her chest and began coughing violently. “If Kieran hadn’t saved me from that car accident three years ago, I might have died already. His parents are both gone, and now he’s been diagnosed with terminal cancer. In a short while, there might be no one left in the world to remember him.” “Why do you always have to be against him? Do you really think I’m that kind of dirty, immoral woman?” Kieran stroked her back soothingly, while turning to me with a pained expression. “Jude, please don’t say anymore. I know this is all my fault. I promise I won’t appear in your lives again after this. Please don’t let me affect your marriage.” I looked at the four people before me, who had clearly already formed a united front against me, and found it increasingly laughable. So this was what a real family looked like. Just then, Ottilie suddenly spoke up: “Jude Wilson, my patience has limits too. If you dare to target Kieran again without reason, don’t bother coming back to this house!” “If you still want to continue our life together, just keep quiet. At next week’s full-month celebration for the baby, I can announce in front of all our relatives and friends that you’re the child’s father.” Next week? I glanced at the baby, now asleep in the carrier. Next week, I would be embarking on my journey abroad. But before I left, I didn’t mind giving them an unforgettable surprise. I nodded, my expression unchanged. “Fine.”

After saying that, I turned and went back to the bedroom to pack my things, ignoring their reactions. Since I had decided to leave for good, I didn’t want to leave any trace of myself here. The sounds of laughter from the living room filtered through the door. I paused briefly as I was folding clothes. “Kieran, I want to give this child your surname. That way, even if he calls someone else ‘Dad’ in the future, he’ll always remember that you’re his true father.” Even without seeing it, I could imagine the loving expression on Ottilie’s face as she said this. And my heart, already riddled with wounds from her, ached once more. I suddenly thought back to last month when I had rushed home, carrying souvenirs I had specially bought for Ottilie from abroad. But at our doorstep, I saw Ottilie and Kieran returning from a walk, hand in hand. Unlike the look of horror on Ottilie’s face, Kieran had eyed me with confusion, asking if I had the wrong apartment. I said nothing, my gaze fixed on Ottilie’s swollen belly. After eleven months away, my wife was pregnant. There was no way I could deceive myself into thinking this child was mine. Until Ottilie hurriedly stepped in front of Kieran to introduce me. “This is my husband, Jude Wilson.” I had thought that hearing this, Kieran would show some restraint. But instead, he invited me into my own home like he was the man of the house. As we passed each other, he said in a voice only I could hear: “I heard you’re quite a bit older than me? I guess I should call you ‘brother’ then, considering your wife is carrying my child.” Hot blood rushed to my head, and I could no longer contain myself. I swung my fist, landing a solid punch on his face. I had completely lost control, the eleven months of longing for Ottilie during our separation transformed into pure rage. If I had had a knife in my hand at that moment, I might have killed them both. It wasn’t until the neighbors heard the commotion and called the police that we were all taken to the station. But because it was a domestic matter, the police couldn’t intervene much and just sent us home. As soon as we got back, my in-laws, who had rushed over after hearing the news, started berating me without even asking what had happened. They scolded me for causing such a scene as soon as I returned, making us the laughingstock of the neighborhood. They even berated me for wasting all those years of education, resorting to violence, and threatened that if anything serious had happened, they wouldn’t let me off easy. It turned out they had known all along about Ottilie and Kieran being together, and were even strongly supportive of it. In just a year’s time, Kieran had become their perfect son-in-law. Only I had been kept in the dark. There was a bitter taste in my mouth, and I felt utterly miserable. Ottilie tremblingly walked to my side, trying to take my hand and reason with me. “I never meant to betray you. Kieran is very ill, the doctors say he has at most six months to live. I couldn’t bear to see him leave without an heir.” “I had thought about discussing it with you before, but you were so far away, and I didn’t want to worry you and disrupt your studies. That’s why I planned to wait until you returned to tell you.” “If you’re willing, can we raise this child together?” Such a major life decision as having children, yet she spoke of it so casually. I put the last piece of clothing into my suitcase just as my mother-in-law pushed open the door and walked in. Seeing the suitcase at my feet, she wore an expression that seemed to say ‘at least you know your place’. “You haven’t been back for so long, so I let Kieran sleep in your room. Now the study has been turned into a nursery too. You’ll have to make do with the living room couch tonight, or maybe you should just go stay at a hotel?” I was truly exhausted and didn’t have the energy to go find a hotel. I nodded, prepared to make do on the sofa. But deep into the night, the baby’s cries kept coming from the bedroom. I turned over, about to put in earplugs, when I heard Ottilie’s complaining voice. “Can’t you do something about the baby? He just keeps crying.” “Aren’t you my baby? I just need to take care of you. A little crying is good for the baby’s lungs.” Ottilie giggled and said, “You’re terrible.” Followed by the sound of the bed creaking. I pulled the blanket over my head, trying hard to ignore those unbearable sounds. But when I closed my eyes, I seemed to see Ottilie as she was when she first confessed her love to me. Back then, she was pure and beautiful, her eyes full of nothing but me. But that Ottilie no longer belonged to me.

I dozed fitfully through the night and left at dawn with my suitcase. I went to the administration office to cancel my household registration and process the relevant paperwork for going abroad. Because I had government-approved documents, all the procedures were completed quickly, and the staff didn’t ask many questions. Just as I was leaving, the staff member suddenly called out to me and handed me a handful of fruit candies. “I hope all your wishes come true.” I smiled gratefully at her and then found a hotel nearby. After putting down my luggage, I was about to go out to find something to eat when I ran into Ottilie and Kieran with my in-laws. Kieran was wearing an expensive custom-made Armani suit, looking the picture of health, nothing like a dying man. “Jude, I thought I saw you from a distance, but Ottilie insisted you couldn’t possibly be in this area,” he said. His gaze fell on the recruitment flyer in my hand, and he smiled knowingly. “Oh, so you’re out looking for work? But with your frail build, isn’t working at a construction site just torturing yourself?” I said nothing. The flyer had been handed to me by a young girl on the street. Seeing her handing out flyers in the cold winter, I had just taken one to be polite. Seeing that I remained silent, only gripping the flyer tightly, Kieran smiled arrogantly. “You should have said earlier that you were job hunting. Maybe I could have helped. We’re all family now. If you’re doing well, Ottilie will have someone to rely on in her later years, and I can rest easy.” My silence at this point was as good as confirmation. Ottilie, who had been looking confused, now had a complete change of expression. She frowned deeply, her eyes full of contempt as she looked at me. “What’s there to recommend? He insisted on quitting his good job as a doctor. Now even if he starves on the street, he doesn’t deserve anyone’s sympathy.” “Jude Wilson, you really have no sense of responsibility. Do you think this will force me to give up the child?” I looked at her familiar face, but now it felt utterly foreign. I remembered when we first got married, there was a time when I considered quitting due to internal competition at the hospital and changing careers. Ottilie had just hugged me then, gently patting my back and whispering in my ear: “We’re in this together. Whatever decision you make, I’ll support you.” “Quitting isn’t a big deal. I believe a true gem will always shine. I’ll always be by your side, honey.” But the person who said she would always be by my side was now letting another man humiliate me. She had forgotten the words she once said to me, and it seemed she had also forgotten the deep love she once had for me. Even my in-laws were shaking their heads in disappointment. “I was truly blind before, actually thinking of entrusting my daughter’s future happiness to your hands!” “It’s a good thing we’re still around. Who knows how you’d mistreat our daughter if we weren’t here.” The more they spoke, the more exaggerated it became. Passersby were starting to cast curious glances our way. I slowly clenched my fists at my sides. Just as I was about to speak, Kieran suddenly stepped forward. “We were just about to go take a family portrait. Why don’t you join us, Jude? After all, I’ll be counting on you to take care of Ottilie and the child for the rest of their lives.” Ottilie immediately cut him off, scoffing coldly. “Look at how shabby he looks. He’d only lower the quality of our family photo.” With that, she turned and headed towards the photo studio, not forgetting to urge Kieran to hurry up and follow. “Well then, we’ll be going. Don’t let us keep you from your job hunting,” Kieran said, patting my shoulder meaningfully. Watching him walk away, I felt no ripples in my heart. To outsiders, what a harmonious family they must seem. If this was what Ottilie wanted, why should I not let go and give her my blessings?

Three days before my departure, I received a message from the hospital director. He said the specialist I had asked him to contact was coincidentally attending a forum in the country and could take a look at my father-in-law’s coronary heart disease. My father-in-law’s heart had never been very good, and he had been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment years ago. So during my studies abroad, I had also asked colleagues to help me collect relevant case studies. No matter what, years of family ties still existed. After doing this, I would have no more debts to them. But when my father-in-law heard I wanted to take him to the hospital, his face immediately darkened. “Why go to the hospital when I’m perfectly fine? Are you trying to curse me? My previous heart bypass surgery was successful, what’s there to check?” “A top specialist in cardiology happens to be in the country today. You could go for a check-up, maybe for some preventive measures for the future…” Before I could finish, my father-in-law smashed his water glass at me. “You and your pretty words. Do you think a top specialist is someone an unemployed bum like you can just make an appointment with? All you do is brag! Look at Kieran, he stayed up all night to get me an appointment with a specialist. Where were you then?” He kept comparing me unfavorably to Kieran, his attitude making everything clear. So no matter what I did, it was wrong. No matter how I did it, I couldn’t compare to Kieran.

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In the third year of my marriage to Ethan Williams,his “first love” reappeared in his life, this time as a struggling sales clerk. Ethan, overcome with sympathy for her fall from grace, bought the entire store as a “reunion gift.” His grand gesture caused a sensation through our social circles. Meanwhile, I, his wife, became the joke of the town—Mrs. Williams, the pitiful fool. But I said nothing. Instead, I sent the newly opened store a polite bouquet of flowers. Then, clad in black, I went to his brother’s grave and cried my heart out. “Ethan,” I whispered, my tears soaking the cold marble, “I’ve finally found a way to break free from your brother. He may have your eyes, but he’s nothing like you.” My words hung in the air, heavy with grief, until I heard a familiar voice behind me: “What the hell did you just say?” The day after Ethan’s lavish display of affection, the group chat was buzzing with gossip. [Ethan really went all out for her. Buying an entire store? Must be true love!][It has to be her—the infamous first love. When’s he going to introduce her to us? We’d love to see what the real deal looks like.] Their comments were mocking, dismissive. None of them cared that I, Mrs. Williams, was still in the group. My hands trembled as I read their messages. For once, I didn’t swallow my anger. Instead, I quietly exited the group chat. Ethan’s call came not long after. I was pinning a white flower to my lapel when my phone buzzed. I put him on speaker, freeing my hands. “Zoe,” he said, his tone sharp, “what the hell were you thinking, sending flowers to Claire?” “I’m your wife,” I replied calmly. “Sending flowers to a friend is just basic courtesy.” He let out a short, scornful laugh. “Don’t think I don’t see through you. You just wanted to flaunt your status as ‘Mrs. Williams’ and humiliate Claire.” “Let me remind you,” he continued coldly, “any status you have, I gave it to you. Don’t forget your place. Go pick up your pathetic flowers and apologize to Claire. Now.” His voice was so loud it startled me, making my hand slip. The pin pricked my finger, and I let out a small gasp of pain. On the other end of the line, Ethan sneered. “Zoe, don’t play these cheap little tricks with me. They don’t work. If you don’t show up today, don’t bother waiting for me to come home. Ever.” “Oh, and one more thing—quitting the group chat? That’s disrespectful to my friends. I’ll deal with you for that later. You chose to marry me. You knew what that meant. This is what you signed up for.” The line went dead. I looked down at the crimson stain blooming on my blouse. The sharp sting in my chest was nothing compared to the ache in my heart. Ethan always knew exactly how to hurt me. He wasn’t like my Ethan. The Ethan I once knew would never have spoken to me this way. I lowered my eyes, pinned the flower in place, and thought back to the choice Ethan had mentioned—the choice that had led me to this life.

I first met Ethan Williams in college. Everyone on campus knew I liked him. I wasn’t subtle about it. Among the many girls who admired him, I was the most shamelessly devoted. One day, he finally asked me, “Why are you so nice to me?” I looked up into his deep, shining eyes and answered with all the sincerity I could muster: “Because I like you, Ethan Williams. I like you so much it hurts.” That night, for the first time, he invited me to a club dinner. I was over the moon, thinking he was finally starting to notice me. But during the party, I caught him watching Claire Moore. When he saw her laughing with another guy, his expression darkened. When it came time for a game of truth or dare, Ethan tossed aside the “truth” card and picked a dare instead. His challenge? To kiss someone of the opposite sex for one full minute. Without hesitation, he turned to me, grabbed my face, and kissed me. My eyes widened in shock. His lips tasted faintly of mint, his scent intoxicating. But just as I was about to close my eyes and savor the moment, I noticed his gaze had shifted. He was looking at Claire. I didn’t need to guess why. She must have reacted just how he wanted, because when he pulled away, there was a triumphant smirk on his face. That night, Ethan declared that we were officially a couple. Looking back, it felt less like love and more like a consolation prize. He asked me to move into his off-campus apartment, and of course, I agreed. I thought if we spent more time together, he’d eventually fall for me. To the outside world, we were a picture-perfect couple, “madly in love.” But the truth was, I slept in the guest room, while Ethan treated me more like a live-in maid than a girlfriend. I cooked, cleaned, and kept his home spotless. Over time, he even gained a little weight, thanks to my cooking. People joked that I was Ethan Williams’s personal housekeeper. I didn’t care. As long as he let me stay by his side, I was happy. It reminded me of how my Ethan used to take care of me. For two years, we stayed like that. He never broke up with me, but he never fully committed either. Then, the day Claire left for graduate studies abroad, I saw them kissing outside our building. Their embrace was so intimate, so tender, it felt like a knife to my chest. I panicked. What if he left me for good? What if I never saw those eyes again? That night, Claire boarded her flight, and Ethan came home drunk. He stumbled into my room, reeking of alcohol. What followed was a night of pain and tears. I cried through it all, but I couldn’t stop myself from memorizing every detail of his face, every flicker of emotion in his eyes. The next morning, Ethan leaned over me, his voice cold and detached. “Zoe, let’s get married.” He pulled out a ring and handed it to me. The diamond gleamed faintly in the dim light, like a spark in the darkness of my hollow heart. “This… this was Claire’s, wasn’t it?” I asked, my voice hoarse. His eyes darkened, a flicker of anger crossing his face. “Take it or leave it,” he said flatly, pulling the ring away. Desperate, I snatched it back and slid it onto my finger. It was too big, the band loose around my knuckle. It looked absurd, like a child playing dress-up with an adult’s jewelry. Ethan laughed, but there was no warmth in it. His gaze was filled with mockery. I turned away, unable to bear the sight of him. And that’s how I became Mrs. Williams—a role the world saw as enviable, but one I knew was hollow. To everyone else, I was the picture of a devoted wife—gracious, patient, long-suffering. I never questioned Ethan’s affairs or his late nights. My only condition was that he come home every evening, no matter how late. When he stumbled in, reeking of perfume, I would get out of bed to make him tea or heat up a glass of milk. More than once, he sneered at me in his drunken haze, calling me pathetic, spineless, and boring. I would only smile in response. I knew what I was. I hated myself too. But I couldn’t let go. I couldn’t give up those eyes.

It was a sunny day when I left home, driving toward Claire’s boutique. Outside her store, two perfect rows of extravagant flower stands lined the entrance, each adorned with bright, colorful ribbons glinting under the sunlight. They were Ethan Williams’ grand display for her—a gesture impossible to miss. Ethan stood beside Claire, holding a little girl in his arms. The way they laughed together, so carefree, they could easily be mistaken for a family. I walked closer. Claire caught sight of me, and for a brief moment, a flicker of unease crossed her face. Then, she gently took the girl from Ethan’s arms and spoke softly: “Sweetheart, don’t cling to Ethan like that. Come to Mommy now.” She glanced at me, her voice warm and deliberate. “This is Mrs. Williams. Say hello to her.” “Mrs. Williams!” The little girl’s voice was bright and sweet, like a crisp apple freshly bitten into. I smiled and nodded, but before I could respond, Claire added casually, as if by accident, “You’ve been married for years now. Still no plans to have kids?” Her words landed like a blade, sharp and cutting. My face paled at the memory of what I’d lost, while Ethan’s expression darkened, guilt flashing briefly in his eyes. It happened early in our marriage. I had just found out I was pregnant. But when I told Ethan, he didn’t look excited or happy. Instead, he frowned, his voice cold and detached as he said: “A child will only complicate things between us. Our relationship is already unstable. I think it’s better if we don’t have this baby.” He said this barely an hour after Claire had posted an emotional breakup message on social media. His precious first love was single again, and Ethan wanted to leave himself a way back to her. In his eyes, our child was an obstacle. Something to be discarded without hesitation. The doctor warned me that terminating the pregnancy could leave lasting damage. My body was too weak, they said. If I went through with it, I might never be able to conceive again. But Ethan didn’t care. “You’re still young,” he said dismissively. “You look perfectly healthy to me. If something goes wrong, I’ll pay for the best doctors to fix it.” He made the decision as casually as if he were choosing a restaurant for dinner. But bad food can be replaced. A wrecked body cannot. That day, lying on the hospital bed beneath the blinding fluorescent lights, I felt my first pang of regret for marrying Ethan Williams. Tears streamed down my face as I stared blankly at the ceiling, the weight of his words crushing me. Later, Ethan came into the room holding a massive bouquet of lilies, their cloying sweetness filling the air. He wiped my tears away and spoke gently, his tone almost tender: “Zoe, don’t be sad. We can always have another child.” A slap in the face, followed by a sugar-coated lie. It was his favorite tactic. Through blurry eyes, I stared at him. For a fleeting moment, his face resembled someone else’s—someone who would have known I hated lilies and loved baby’s breath instead. But I swallowed the words I wanted to say. I didn’t ask for a divorce. Claire eventually got married, and the Williams family began pressuring Ethan to have a child. Suddenly, he wanted one too. But the doctor’s warning turned out to be true. I never got pregnant again. Ethan, ever the master of appearances, brushed it off when people asked. “Zoe’s health isn’t great,” he’d say with a sympathetic smile. “We’re just not planning for kids right now.” It was a convenient excuse, one that painted him as a caring husband while subtly shifting the blame onto me. What he never mentioned, of course, was the real reason—the child he’d forced me to lose, all for the sake of leaving the door open for Claire. A truth that would tarnish the perfect image of Ethan Williams, the golden boy of the Williams family. But to me, he was nothing more than a coward. Selfish, spineless, and cruel. Claire, however, wasn’t about to let the matter drop. “I didn’t realize Zoe’s health was so bad,” she said, covering her mouth in mock concern. “I guess I shouldn’t complain. I thought my body was weak too, but I had no trouble carrying my daughter. From pregnancy to delivery, everything went so smoothly.” Her words dripped with false sympathy, but the implication was clear: There must be something wrong with you. I didn’t take the bait. I hadn’t come here to trade petty insults with her. Instead, I turned and walked toward the flower stand I had sent, intending to take it back. But as I reached for it, a sharp, searing pain shot through my stomach. It felt like a thousand knives twisting inside me. My body trembled as I clutched my abdomen, struggling to stay upright. Before I could react, Ethan was at my side, grabbing my empty hand.

“Zoe, you still owe Claire an apology.” Ethan Williams’ voice buzzed in my ears like an annoying fly. I couldn’t even turn around from the pain coursing through my body. “Zoe,” he continued, his tone laced with irritation. “How many times do I have to tell you? These tricks don’t work on me. Stop playing games to avoid responsibility.” His words were meaningless noise to me. The pain in my stomach twisted deeper, spreading like fire through my chest and into my very bones. My legs gave out, and I slowly sank to the ground. Only then did Ethan seem to notice that something was wrong. For a brief moment, I caught a flicker of panic in his expression. “Zoe, are you serious right now?” he asked, hesitating as though unsure if I was faking. He finally moved to step toward me, but before he could reach me, a sudden, sharp cry came from behind him. “Ah! Mommy, are you okay?” I turned my head slightly to see Claire sitting on the ground, clutching her ankle, her face twisted in pain as tears welled up in her eyes. Ethan immediately dropped my hand and spun around to rush to her side. I stayed where I was, hunched over, beads of sweat dripping from my forehead onto the ground, leaving dark marks on the pavement. Slowly, the sharp pain in my stomach began to subside. When I finally managed to stand, the space around me was empty. My husband—my husband—was kneeling beside another woman, his hands gently touching her pale, uninjured ankle, his face filled with concern. My throat burned, and my eyes stung with unshed tears. Five years of loyalty and love, wasted on a man who cared for me less than a dog. At least a dog would wag its tail when it received affection. Ethan? He didn’t even have the heart of a beast. Without a word, I strode toward the flower stand bearing both our names. The gaudy display stood tall, a symbol of everything I had endured. With a single, violent push, I sent it crashing to the ground. The sound of flowers scattering and the collective gasps of onlookers filled the air. I didn’t care. I walked to my car, my steps unsteady, and drove away without looking back. I ended up at the cemetery. A streak of vibrant sunlight filtered through the trees, landing directly on a small gravestone. The black-and-white photo on it gleamed in the light, the boy in the picture smiling warmly. He looked so much like Ethan—the same face, the same eyes—but there was a softness to his expression that Ethan never had. The sunlight made his smile seem alive, as though he were standing right in front of me. I crouched down and gently placed a bouquet of white baby’s breath on his grave. Then, as the tears I had been holding back all day finally spilled over, I whispered: “Jared… every year, I bring you stars. But no matter how many times I do, they’ll never shine as brightly as the ones in your eyes.” I paused, my voice breaking. “Jared, I’ve finally come to see you.” From my bag, I pulled out a folded piece of paper—a medical report. I placed it in front of his photo and continued, my voice trembling: “This isn’t me giving up, okay? But the doctors said… that even if I go through treatment, I won’t make it past a year.” I laughed bitterly, wiping at my eyes. “So, I figured when the time comes, when I can’t hold on anymore, I’ll come find you. We’ll be together again.” I tried to smile, but my lips quivered. “In a way, I’m grateful for this illness. It means I can finally leave this world—a world without you. I don’t have to keep pretending Ethan is you anymore. He might have your eyes, but he’s nothing like you. Not even close.” My hand shook as I reached out to touch Jared’s photo. If he were here, he’d probably scold me for not taking better care of myself. But now, all he could do was smile at me from inside the photo, frozen in time. He couldn’t stop me now. He couldn’t stop me from running toward the destiny I’d always believed was ours. But just as I closed my eyes, ready to let the quiet surround me, a voice shattered the stillness. “Who the hell did you just say I look like?” My eyes snapped open, my heart pounding in my chest. VIP part

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Lucas and I had been bitter enemies for half our lives. On our deathbeds, we stared at each other, spitting out the most venomous words, hoping never to meet again in our next lives. He hated me for tying him down with marriage and children, robbing him of his chance to become a singer in New York. I despised him for his constant partying and drinking, leaving me to care for his sick parents and our two children. And in our mutual hatred, we were reborn. We locked eyes in the crowd, then turned away without hesitation. This time, we hoped, neither of us would have any regrets. The day I changed my college application, my dad walked into the study, glanced at me, and nodded approvingly. “Good. With your high scores, you should attend a top university! Stop chasing after that Wilson boy. What’s so great about him anyway?” My mom, hearing this from the kitchen, rushed in and pulled my dad away, giving him a stern look. I watched my parents leave, smiling, but suddenly felt a lump in my throat. In my previous life, I had run out late at night to find Lucas at the train station. My parents, searching for me, were killed by a drunk truck driver. I never got to see them one last time. Fighting back tears, I moved the mouse and clicked the confirm button to change my college application without hesitation.

In my previous life, Lucas, my childhood sweetheart, suddenly announced he wanted to become a singer and pursue his dreams in New York. But before that, he had always said being with me and attending the same college was his dream. I had even wasted my high score of over 600 points to apply to the same average college as him. But two days before the acceptance letters arrived, he suddenly said he was going to New York to chase his dreams. His sick parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, came knocking on our door in the middle of the night, begging me to help find their son. In my previous life, I went. My parents, worried about me, followed and ended up in a car accident. Lucas was later found by me. When he heard his parents say that my parents’ deaths were his fault, they insisted he had to make it up to me. So they forced Lucas to get engaged to me, planning for us to marry right after college graduation. But I got pregnant in my sophomore year and had to take a break from school. We hastily got married, I went through pregnancy and childbirth, and took care of the baby. Two years flew by, and just as I was excitedly planning to return to school, his parents fell seriously ill and came to stay with us for treatment. Lucas told me to be understanding, saying his parents had already worked so hard for his education, and now they were sick and needed care. As for him, of course, he had to go to work to support the family. At the time, to save Lucas’s face, I didn’t mention that his monthly salary of $3,500 wasn’t even enough to cover the children’s formula and normal household expenses. Later, I had to sell our old house to pay for his parents’ medical bills and raise our two children. But while I gave up my education and struggled to manage the whole family, he was out making a bunch of fair-weather friends with his meager $3,500 salary. What little money he had left, he spent on making music, claiming he was fulfilling his dream. Crushed by the pressure of family life and after several failed attempts at communication, we started having huge fights. He began calling me bitter and narrow-minded, saying if it wasn’t for me forcing him to come back, he would have already become a big star in New York. He even accused me of using my parents’ death to emotionally blackmail him into marrying me. I didn’t hold back either, calling him delusional, saying his terrible voice made his dream of becoming a singer nothing but a pipe dream! When he brought up my parents’ death, I went crazy, lunging at him to shut him up, only to be violently pushed away. After that, Lucas deliberately started staying away from home. His parents, unable to see their son, blamed everything on me, complaining that I was immature and petty, only knowing how to anger their son. They completely forgot how they had begged me to find their son in the first place. In this miserable life, I gritted my teeth and tightened my belt to do odd jobs and earn money to support the family. But the children I had worked so hard to raise were never close to me, instead being affectionate towards the irresponsible Lucas. I thought the children would understand when they grew up, but I waited for over twenty years, until they were married with families of their own. But they competed to have Lucas live with them, while remaining cold and distant towards me. “Mom, you controlled us too much in the past. We don’t want to hear your lectures anymore.” “Dad’s youthful dreams were stifled by you. Now that he’s older, we want to take him to New York to chase his dreams again.” “Grandpa and Grandma were right. You just want everyone to live according to your plans. You’re so selfish!” I never expected my children to say such things. Devastated, I returned home to find Lucas smugly packing his bags, gloating that he was about to leave me for a better life. After dedicating over twenty years to this family, all I was left with was a reputation for being selfish and controlling. Why did Lucas get to be so carefree? Never taking care of the family or responsibilities, yet ending up as the open-minded father in our children’s eyes? I rushed forward and pushed Lucas. He was stunned for a moment, then immediately grabbed a vase and smashed it towards me. “Damn you, you dare to lay hands on me? I’ll beat you to death…” So our deaths were actually the consequence of our mutual assault. As we both fell to the ground, I was still praying in my heart: if there’s a next life, please don’t let me meet Lucas again.

The day I was reborn happened to be the day I changed my college application. Seeing my parents still by my side, I was determined not to get involved with anything related to Lucas again. After the college entrance exam, parties came one after another. I had just finished a gathering with close classmates when I saw Lucas in the distance, laughing and chatting with his buddies. “I heard Lucas isn’t going to college. He’s going to New York to be a singer!” “Wow, isn’t that the trendy thing now, chasing dreams in the big city? If he becomes a big star, should we ask for some autographed photos now to keep as investments?” “Ava, didn’t you grow up with Lucas? Did you know he was going to New York?” My friend nudged me, and my gaze happened to meet Lucas’s as he turned his head. With just that one look, I was certain that Lucas had also been reborn. “I don’t know. I have something to do. I’m leaving first.” I turned away without a second thought. If he wants to go to New York, let him go. What does his life have to do with me?

As the day of Lucas’s departure drew near, I whined to my parents about missing Grandma and wanting them to take me to see the new pony at her place. My parents always doted on me, so they packed up without hesitation and took me out. Just then, Mrs. Wilson opened her door and was surprised to see us leaving. “Going out?” My dad nodded with a smile, “The kid misses her grandma, so we’re going for a few days.” Mrs. Wilson smiled and nodded, watching us leave. I pretended to be nonchalant, but in reality, I was clenching my fists tightly in hatred, trying not to let my emotions show. It was laughable how in my previous life, I thought Mrs. Wilson truly cared for me. It wasn’t until later that I realized her intentions were never pure from the beginning. She had long had her eye on our house, which was why she worked so hard to bring Lucas and me together after my parents passed away. Back then, having lost my parents, I was crying every day. The gentle and good-natured Mrs. Wilson took care of me daily, making me let down all my defenses. Add to that my feelings for Lucas, and I naturally agreed. Little did I know that they had been planning this all along. I took a deep breath, hiding the slight trembling caused by my anger, and started chatting with my parents about Grandma’s new pony, while catching a glimpse of Lucas hurrying away out of the corner of my eye. Lucas must have realized that I had also been reborn, so he had to move up his plan to run away and chase his dreams. My parents and I had just arrived at Grandma’s house and were enjoying dinner when Mom received a call from Mrs. Wilson. “Lucas is insisting on going to New York to be a singer. He’s not going to college anymore. Now he’s acting like it’s a matter of life and death, and his father and I can’t talk him out of it… Could you ask Ava to come back and try to persuade him? After all, the two kids are close, and Lucas listens to Ava!” The script was almost identical to my previous life. Mom looked at me, a bit troubled. After all, it wasn’t easy to go back at this time from the countryside. I calmly put down my chopsticks and took the phone from Mom’s hand. “Mrs. Wilson, this is Lucas’s own decision. I have no right to interfere, and even if I did, he would resent me for it. I think you should respect his choice!” I hung up decisively, not forgetting to block Mrs. Wilson’s number. My swift series of actions left even my parents stunned. Grandma was the first to speak up, telling them to continue eating, muttering that other people’s business is their own karma, and we shouldn’t interfere. I thought Grandma’s words couldn’t be more right! After dinner, I was crouching in the yard, petting the dog’s soft head, when my parents came over. “Ava, what’s been going on with you lately…” Mom hesitated, “It feels like you’re different somehow.” Dad didn’t say anything, but he looked at me with concern. Their gaze made my nose tingle, and as I wiped my eyes, I realized there were actually tears. “Mom, Dad, let me tell you something. I had a dream.” I lied about having a dream and told them everything that happened in my previous life. When they learned that after their deaths, I had been manipulated by the Wilson family all along, Dad’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. They always believed me, especially since I said the story began with Lucas wanting to go to New York and Mrs. Wilson begging me to find him. They also understood why I suddenly wanted to come to Grandma’s house and why I adamantly refused to go find Lucas. “Oh, my dear child, my precious baby.” My mom was always easily moved to tears. Even though she knew it was just a dream, she quickly hugged me, her tears falling on my head one by one, feeling incredibly sorry for me. Dad lit a cigarette nearby and made a decision. “Ava having this dream might mean that the Wilson family is bad luck for us. I’ve decided, we’ll move as soon as we get back! Get far away from them.” I didn’t expect my parents to support me to this extent. My nose tingled, and I nodded tearfully. At the same time, I hugged Mom tighter, feeling her warmth. We stayed in the countryside for half a month, and I noticeably tanned quite a bit. When we left, Grandma packed a car full of food for us. We still had to live in the old house for a while before moving. As soon as we arrived at our front door, Mrs. Wilson quickly opened her door. With red, teary eyes, she looked at us, unable to hide the traces of resentment in her gaze.

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