Category: English

I woke up and realized I was in a family-pampering story. A powerhouse CEO big brother, a medical prodigy second brother, and a movie-star third brother. I thought I was the adored heroine. Turns out… I’m just the supporting character? Wait, why do my brothers dote on me so much? And the real heiress… is actually me? Content I landed in a story all about a beloved family member. My adoptive parents were wealthy, doting, and provided everything I could want. I figured I could just sit back and relax. But then, one day, a woman showed up claiming she was the real daughter, pointing a finger at me and insisting I’d stolen her place. She demanded a DNA test. And the thing is, my adoptive parents half-believed her and actually did it! Turns out, yep, I wasn’t their real daughter. Wait, what? It hit me—I’m in that book I barely read because the plot was so over-the-top, Battle for the CEO’s Heart: The Real vs. Fake Heiress! Oh, no way… I’m the “fake heiress”? What kind of plot twist was this… “Mom, Dad, Roni missed you both so much…” I sat on the sidelines as the “real heiress,” Veronica Harper, cried her heart out, clutching her mother and telling her all about her hardships. “Life at Brookfield Children’s Home was so hard! I suffered so much, if only…” She shot me a resentful glance, voice steady but full of misery, “If only you hadn’t taken my place… But I don’t blame you. I’m just happy to have found you, and I’ll be glad to get along with my sister.” They cried and hugged together, with her mother repeating how sorry she was and promising to make it up to her. That was my cue. I shouldn’t be here; I should be under the car, not in it. I slipped out to get some air. When I returned, my adoptive parents’ attitude had completely changed. “Madison, what your real parents did was absolutely selfish! They left my daughter to suffer all those years in an orphanage!” Excuse me? I looked back at Veronica, who was smirking. I could piece together what happened. Clearly, she blamed everything on my biological parents. My adoptive mother clenched her fists, saying, “After all these years, it’s time we move on. I’ll contact your biological parents and have them come pick you up.” I nodded, sincerely thanked them for everything, and volunteered to leave. But my calm acceptance gave Veronica the perfect chance to play the “sweet sister” routine, feeding my adoptive parents all sorts of things about how I was just as ungrateful as my biological parents. Of course, that made my adoptive mother even angrier, and she immediately called my biological parents.

According to Veronica, my biological parents were simple farmers who had switched our bassinets at birth, which led to my being raised in this family while she ended up in an orphanage. I was speechless. I mean, it was so dramatic it felt like something only a novel could pull off. But with my years of reading experience, I figured there had to be more to this story. Maybe a big twist was coming? In any case, I was here now, and maybe going back to the farm life wouldn’t be so bad. I waited, and soon enough, my biological parents arrived. Wasting no time, my adoptive mother quickly packed up my belongings and practically shoved me out. “Your parents are outside. Go to them.” She shut the door without a backward glance. This woman was a completely different person from the warm, gentle mother she’d been just hours ago. I couldn’t help but laugh and headed toward the door with my stuff in tow. Free money, right? I’d take it. Outside, I saw a Bentley parked out front. Standing by it was a bodyguard-looking guy and a well-dressed woman who rushed toward me as soon as she saw me. “Madison! Are you Madison?” I nodded, “And you are…?” “I’m your mother!” She pulled me into a tearful embrace. “Have you been living here this whole time? You must have suffered so much!” I paused and glanced back at the sprawling mansion behind me. Uh… sure. “What are these things you’re carrying? Were they treating you badly, sending you off with junk like this?” My real mom could tell quality, I’ll give her that. On the way to her home, she and my adoptive mother had the same reactions to finding their long-lost daughter. My new mom told me about the chaotic hospital mix-up that led to their losing me and assured me I’d be well taken care of from now on. I was starting to feel like I’d just scored big. When we arrived at the massive estate that looked like a castle, I understood why she’d thought I was suffering. Rows of servants and housekeepers stood at attention, all calling out, “Welcome home, Miss!” My new mom mentioned their farming business was actually a major, high-tech agricultural empire. We’d just sat down when I heard a deep, anxious voice outside, “Where’s my daughter? Where’s my girl?” My dad had aged like fine wine, tall and fit with barely any signs of age. After we reunited, my mom said, “This surprise was so sudden, but your brothers are all on their way home to meet you.”

By dinner, we had a full family reunion. Honestly, I nearly lost my cool when I saw them. Big brother Ashton Lockhart? Six foot two, CEO aura that screamed authority, like the quintessential boss. Second brother Dr. Alexander Lockhart? He was known in the medical world as a “miracle healer.” Gentle and courteous, his smile alone was like a breath of fresh air. Third brother Ethan? I hadn’t seen him yet—apparently, he was still on his flight home. In short, this family had looks, money, and power. If this were a dream, I’d be laughing in my sleep. Wait, don’t let me wake up! This script was heaven-sent, and I was here for it! “Oh, Maddie, aren’t you at Northview University? I’ll arrange a transfer for you to Woodcrest Private Academy,” Dad offered. Big brother pulled out his phone to make the arrangements, but I quickly stopped him. “No need, Dad. I’m almost done here, and I’d rather keep things low-key.” “Our Maddie wants to keep a low profile? Alright, as you wish. We’ll cover all your meals at Northview so you’re well taken care of.” “Thank you, Dad and Mom.” Big brother smiled as he elegantly rolled up his sleeves. “I approved that project Northview submitted last week.” “Thank you, big brother.” Second brother wasn’t about to be outdone. With a raised brow, he said, “In that case, we should make sure the clinic there is well-staffed. I’ll send two of my students to help.” “Thank you, second brother.” I was honestly winning all around. And that wasn’t even the end of it. After dinner, big brother handed me the keys to a limited-edition Rolls-Royce. Second brother gifted me a million-dollar watch, and even third brother, though he wasn’t here yet, had sent ahead a designer gown that A-listers would kill for. Mom and Dad were no exception—they gave me several platinum cards and a pile of property deeds in my name, telling me to ask for anything else I wanted. That night, lying in the princess suite they’d prepared for me, I couldn’t even sleep. Who could understand this?

The next morning, determined to keep a low profile, I left the car big brother had gifted me in the garage and took a less flashy one to school. The watch, though—second brother’s gift was so beautiful, I couldn’t resist wearing it. At the classroom door, I overheard people talking about a new student transfer who’d arrived with great fanfare that morning. I didn’t pay much attention—it’s common at Northview. But someone turned to me, “Hey, Madison, I heard the new transfer is from the Harper family. Could she be your sister or cousin?” With that hint, I wasn’t too surprised to see Veronica Harper in my class. “Hello, everyone, I’m Veronica Harper. Please take care of me.” She quickly blended in with her “sweet girl” act. After class, she came over and greeted me warmly, “Sis!” This school was a mini society, with everyone scrambling to cozy up to those with power. She could easily signal she was from the Harper family, but that “sis” left me slightly stunned. What was her game? It seemed like she wanted to play the “sisters united” role, asking if my studies were tough or if anyone was giving me a hard time. I raised a brow at her. Nearby, someone asked, “Madison, why didn’t you ever mention you had a sister? You two seem close.” Veronica jumped in, “It’s because I just came home recently!” I could guess what she was up to. Right on cue, Veronica looked pained, “Sis, I know… oh, never mind, you’re probably not used to things after leaving the Harpers.” With that, she pulled a credit card from her purse, “Mom and Dad didn’t want me to help, but as your sister, I wanted to give you a little something. I hope it’s not too little for you.” I looked at her, chuckled, and accepted the card with a smile, “How could I mind? It’s the thought that counts, right?” The “sister” routine had me questioning if I’d stepped into a drama. People around us were clearly puzzled, and Veronica took the chance to drop the real bombshell. “Actually, my sister isn’t a real Harper. Her biological parents were just farmers, and years ago, they arranged for her to end up with the Harpers. I’m glad to be home now, and I don’t blame her for what happened.” I toyed with the card in my hand, watching her act with an amused smile. “Madison… is that true?” The people listening were now casting doubtful glances my way. Unfazed, I nodded, “Yes, my biological parents were farmers.”

After my casual confirmation, everyone instinctively huddled closer to Veronica Harper. Seriously? This was supposed to be a heartwarming family story, not some royal court drama where everyone fawned over the wealthy. “Alright, everyone, settle down! We’re holding a quick meeting,” our advisor announced, sweeping into the classroom with a spring in her step. “There’s a major signing event today, important for the university’s future, and we need a student representative to give a speech on stage.” Her gaze swept the room. “Veronica Harper, you’ll do,” she declared. Me: ??? Veronica had barely transferred into Northview, and suddenly she was speaking for the entire university? “Thank you, professor, for trusting me,” Veronica replied smoothly. “I know Madison has always been the one on stage before, but I promise to do even better and not let everyone down.” She rose gracefully and turned to me with a look that made me uneasy. As expected. “I hope everyone can look past my sister’s background. She spent so many years with the Harpers, and to me, she’ll always be a dear sister.” Oh, please! Was she really pulling this “sister act” in front of everyone? My only thought: Get me out of here. Veronica’s act of innocence had me livid. Did she want the spotlight so badly? Fine. I wasn’t about to let her get away with it. “Hey, Ashton.” I called my big brother, Ashton Lockhart. By the afternoon, Northview had set up a grand stage for the signing event. Veronica had her makeup done to perfection and was even in a formal dress, looking more suited for a gala than a university event. “What? Mr. Lockhart, I—?” The university president sounded panicked.

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After six years of marriage, I brought up divorce with Joanne, my wife who’d insisted on a child-free life. She broke down, sobbing that she’d finally have children with me—until I pulled out a breast pump from her moving box. Next to it was a prenatal checkup report for twins. “I found this while packing,” I said. “The twins you’ve been asking me to look out for…they’re yours, aren’t they?” Content While packing, buried beneath some clutter, I found a box that belonged to Joanne. The lock popped open easily, and inside was a used breast pump. Although carefully cleaned, the faint scratches showed it had seen a lot of use. My heart lurched as questions raced through my mind. I’m a cardiologist, and Joanne is the head pediatric nurse at General Hospital. She’d always said she was fed up with all the screaming kids at work, claiming she didn’t want any of her own. That’s why she wanted to be child-free—or so she said. I thought she was just venting. Not long after we married, she became pregnant. I pleaded with her to keep the baby, but she refused and got an abortion. Reluctantly, I supported her decision for her health. So she wouldn’t face that pain again, I even agreed to a vasectomy at her suggestion. I looked at the pump, wondering if it could have been some mistake, maybe even misplaced. My curiosity got the better of me, and I kept digging until I found a prenatal report. My mind went blank. My fingertips tingled. It was a checkup report showing twins, with detectable heartbeats. A corner of the form with the patient’s name was torn, but the listed age matched Joanne’s. Too many coincidences to ignore. The woman who’d insisted on a child-free marriage could very well have two children in secret. I intended to ask her about it that night. But Joanne texted that she’d be covering the nurse’s station overnight. The next morning, I dragged myself to the hospital and barely made it through surgery. As soon as I was done, Joanne waltzed into my office, dropped a kiss on my neck, and said, “Guess what I made you for lunch today, sweetheart?” She handed me a container of pork stew, telling me how nutritious it was. She set the table, chattering on about the twins in her department, whose condition had worsened and urgently needed a rare surgery—one only I could perform. “I know you’re slammed, but could you just move them up in the line?” she asked, her eyes narrowed in a honeyed smile. The sun was shining, but cold dread crept over me. This was unlike her. Joanne, who’d never shown special treatment to a single patient, had become deeply invested in these twins. She’d mentioned their single dad, how hard he had it. She even checked on them every night, and during critical times, would stay by their bedsides until morning. What kind of nurse did that for strangers? Unless they weren’t strangers at all.

Staring at that familiar face, I wanted to confront her, to scream. But it felt pointless. Three years ago, I’d been sent abroad for eighteen months. It was plenty of time for her to have twins. She’d pursued me intensely when we first met at the hospital, making every excuse to be close. I was flattered. Before long, her tireless care wore down my defenses. Over the years, we’d become the “model couple,” or so everyone thought. Even I had believed it. But it was all a lie. Joanne, who’d been so relentless in capturing my heart, was now the one who’d betrayed me. I pushed the container away and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I can’t move them up. That’s unfair to the other patients waiting their turn.” Joanne’s face darkened, and she almost snapped. “It’s just a word from you. Those twins can’t wait any longer. The others can.” The words—coming from a head nurse—sounded foreign and cold. In the past, even in the most tragic situations, she’d always said, “That’s life.” Now, she was trying to pressure me into an unethical favor. She leaned in, squeezing my hand and pouting, “Come on, honey, just this once?” Normally, a little of her sweetness would have been enough to sway me, but now, her begging just felt wrong. I gave a bitter smile. “Seeing how desperate you are, anyone would think you were their mother.” Joanne flinched, forcing an awkward laugh. “You’re so silly! Of course not. I just don’t want to see them suffer any longer.” She quickly got up and straightened her clothes, as if to shake off the conversation. “Think about it. This can’t wait.” As she left, she accidentally left her phone on my desk. A strong hunch made me pick it up and unlock it with her birthday. I went straight to her shopping app and checked her purchases from three years ago.

Seeing the breast pump purchase was like having my shame nailed to a wall. It was followed by an endless list of baby bottles, diapers, blankets, and baby gear. Each item drove a spike through my heart. Joanne hadn’t even bothered to delete the receipts. The memories started piecing together. Once, while scrolling social media, I stumbled across a photo she’d posted. There was a boy and a girl, grinning as they held cotton candy. The caption read, “My little sweethearts are growing up.” She’d told me she was attending a conference, so this post threw me off. But as soon as I clicked into her profile, it vanished like some glitch. I’d asked her about it, and she’d laughed, saying, “Must be a bug. How could I have secret twins?” Another time, I found a lease agreement with her name on it, though she always came home after late shifts. When I asked, she explained that a friend in financial trouble needed a place, and she’d stepped up to help. Touched, I even sent her three grand for her generosity. In hindsight, I’d been played for a fool. She’d taken my trust and sold me out. I heard her heels clacking as she came rushing back to my office. She grabbed her phone, hesitated, and asked, “Did you look at my phone?” Feigning confusion, I replied, “No. Why?” She looked relieved and smiled awkwardly. “Nothing.” I was more certain than ever. She was hiding something.

That evening, I stayed at the hospital an extra hour before dragging myself home. Opening the door, I found the house dark, the only light coming from the candles flickering on the dining table. Joanne stood there, a forced smile on her face. “Welcome home. I’ve been waiting, love.” She was wearing a black backless dress, her curves shadowed by the candlelight. She swayed her hips as if to lure me in, but I barely managed to shrug off my coat, uninterested. Sensing my lack of response, she pressed close to my back, her breath hot on my neck. “Do you want to be a dad?” she asked, her voice low. I froze. Encouraged, she held me tighter. “Why don’t you get that reversal surgery? The success rates are high. We could have a baby.” I almost laughed. Once, I’d practically begged her to keep our child. She hadn’t even flinched, refusing until I finally caved. The day of her abortion, I’d waited on the bench outside the procedure room, crying until my eyes burned. I even got a vasectomy so she wouldn’t face the possibility again. To keep the peace, I’d even lied to my parents about the reasons we couldn’t have children. But now she was asking for them. What did this mean? She pulled me over to the table, piling food onto my plate. “You’d be a great dad, honey. And maybe if you knew what it was like, you’d understand our patients better.” My fists clenched as she went on, urging me to “just think about it” as if she were doing me a favor. I pushed the plate away and said coldly, “Being child-free works fine for me. Enjoy your meal; I’m not hungry.” Her smile twisted into fury. “Mason, what’s that supposed to mean? After all this, you won’t even eat?” “I’m tired. I’m going to rest,” I replied. Through the door, I could hear her muttering complaints. I did want a child—just not with her.

Aside from my work in the OR, I was preoccupied with planning the divorce. When I returned to my office, a container of sweet and sour fish—my favorite—sat on my desk. Joanne must have left it when I didn’t come home. Joanne despised the smell of fish. Yet she’d cleaned out the bones just so I’d enjoy the meal. She was meticulous in caring for me. My clothes, always hand-washed, were pressed to perfection. She stayed up late to make me liver broth, never complaining. Her friends used to tease her for acting “too much like a mom,” but she’d always brush it off, saying, “He’s my everything. Of course, I want to take care of him.” During my year and a half abroad, we’d video-chatted every day. She never seemed to tire of asking about my meals and sleep. She’d cry when I lost weight, saying, “I knew you couldn’t take care of yourself without me.” Eventually, she stopped calling as often, and I figured her workload was just too much. I didn’t ask questions. It’s only now that I realize, during those long time-zone gaps, Joanne was with someone else, raising the children she never let me have. When I’d been sure of our love, she’d been nursing another man’s twins. I thought we’d shared something real, but it was all an act. For six years, I’d trusted her completely. Now, I drafted the divorce papers and called my lawyer. It was time to end it. While finishing up the final sutures in the operating room, my student, Blake Ashford, called me unexpectedly. “Dr. Lake, the twins’ condition just worsened. Ms. Taylor’s in the room and really upset.” Blake shouldn’t have called me while I was in surgery, but maybe he was considering my “special relationship” with Joanne. Besides, I normally wouldn’t have answered, but by chance, this procedure went smoothly, and I’d finished early. Maybe this was fate. I handed off the case to the assisting team and stepped out of my scrubs. Crossing the pediatric hallway, I could already hear Joanne’s cries. I quickened my pace until I reached the door. Inside, a team of medical staff frantically attempted to resuscitate a child whose lips were turning a sickly shade of blue. Joanne looked shattered, her voice breaking in desperation as she shouted, “Please! Save my children!”

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One drunken night, I ended up in bed with Adrian Wells, and before I knew it, he became my live-in husband. No matter how much my family and I humiliated or belittled him, he never lost his temper, always wearing that calm, considerate mask. But just when I started falling for him, he asked for a divorce. The once-submissive man had become someone entirely different. Life flipped—my family lost everything, and he rose to success, turning into the powerful figure who now held all the power I’d once had over him. My husband is a live-in son-in-law. Originally, I’d liked his younger brother, but after a night out with friends, he saw his chance while I was drunk, and the scandal was all anyone could talk about. My father had no choice but to marry me off to Adrian, under the condition that he’d live with our family and answer to us. Adrian’s father, who’d remarried after divorcing Adrian’s mother, had always kept him at a distance. But with our family’s status, I’d been my parents’ pride and joy since birth. His father didn’t mind handing Adrian over to our family. And so, we got married. But I couldn’t stand it. My heart belonged to his younger brother, after all. Resentment simmered inside me. I treated Adrian with contempt, making him sleep on the floor, never allowing him to share the bed. At meals, my brother and I mocked him, denying him even a single dish from the table. When he’d show up in the rain to bring me an umbrella, I’d yell at him in front of everyone. No matter how much we berated him, Adrian never lost his temper. He acted like it didn’t bother him, always calm, always there to serve. He was undeniably attractive, but he’d been shy and awkward in school, scraping by academically, his grades a disappointment. His brother, by contrast, was bright, athletic, and admired by everyone. Thinking about how my budding romance with his brother had been wrecked by Adrian only made me despise him more. One night, I kicked him awake from his spot on the floor, claiming I was thirsty. He quickly got up and brought me a glass of warm water, even remembering to make it lukewarm as the weather got colder. But when I thought about how he’d taken advantage of me that night, I threw the water in his face. Even then, he didn’t react, just silently went to the bathroom. I felt a hint of guilt as I watched his tall, silent figure, but the anger over him ruining my life erased any sympathy. This went on for three years. Three years is enough time for a lot to change. My family went bankrupt. I started to feel something for him, but then… he handed me divorce papers. When he told me his “one true love” had returned, a pang hit my chest so sharply I felt I couldn’t breathe. But my pride—instilled in me since birth—kept me from showing any sign of hurt. I signed the papers quickly. After I signed, his cool voice broke the silence beside me. “Need a driver to take you somewhere?” It was only then I remembered this house—my home for over twenty years—wasn’t ours anymore. We’d lost it in the bankruptcy. Adrian, whom we had once humiliated as a live-in husband, had quietly built his own empire without touching a dime of my family’s money. He’d even bought the house. I had no right to resent him. Everything he had, he’d earned, painstakingly, from scratch. And yet, he looked at me with the same calm expression, the same unbothered patience he’d shown all these years. “No, I can manage,” I replied, rushing out. I ran out of the gate, clutching the gift in my hand as rain started to pour. It was our three-year anniversary. I’d never given him a kind word before, but realizing my feelings had started to shift, I’d wanted to finally celebrate with him. But instead, all that waited for me was divorce. I forced a laugh, letting the rain soak me. The next day, I was sick, bedridden, but I couldn’t ignore the loud arguments coming from outside. I dragged myself to the door, finding my dad sitting on the edge of a peeling brick wall, looking distraught. “I don’t want to live anymore,” he muttered. We’d ended up in a run-down apartment, but the rent was low, and that was what we needed. My mom was crying next to him, saying she’d jump too if he jumped. I tried calming them, saying, “It’s only bankruptcy, as long as we’re alive, we can recover.” My dad gave me a piercing look, the kind that sends a chill down your spine. “You could ask Adrian to help us, couldn’t you? He’s our son-in-law; he’ll help us,” he said. My mom chimed in, “Yes, yes, I’m sure he would! Even if we didn’t treat him well before, for your sake, I’m sure he’d help.” I forced a laugh; they had no idea he’d left me. I refused to ask him, but my dad practically threatened his own life. Defeated, I finally agreed. Before leaving, my mom spent our last bit of money to doll me up, putting me in a deep V-neck dress and chic heels. She even hired a stylist for my hair and makeup. Looking at myself in the mirror, I felt a wave of cynicism. I looked less like someone begging for help and more like someone looking to seduce. But I knew, deep down, that even if I showed up like this, Adrian probably wouldn’t even look twice at me now. I still couldn’t understand why he’d taken advantage of me that night at the party. Maybe he’d been drunk too, maybe he’d thought I was his “one true love.” I forced those thoughts away and braced myself to see him. I heard Adrian was at his office, so I headed straight there, while my parents waited downstairs, hopeful. Entering his office floor, I ignored the stares and mutters, keeping my head high. When I finally reached his office, I hesitated. Adrian sat in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, watching me with that same calm, piercing gaze. I twisted my fingers, feeling embarrassed but explained why I was there. His gaze turned cold, and he gave me a faint smile. “And why should I help you?” I forced a laugh. “Never mind. Forget I came.” I’d known all along he wouldn’t help us, not after how we’d treated him. How shameless could I be, thinking I had any right to ask for his help now? Turning to leave, I heard him say, “Wait. Tell me, what are you offering in return? If it’s worth my time, maybe I’ll consider.” I stopped, struggling to think of anything I could offer. This body, maybe? But that was absurd. We’d been married three years and he’d never touched me. With my head down, I mumbled, “Just… forget it.” Then he approached me, his towering height making me feel small, and he leaned in close. “Dressed like this, you could’ve saved yourself the act,” he murmured with a knowing smile. Blood drained from my face, and I wanted nothing more than to escape. But then he wrapped an arm around my waist, his smile darkening. “Three years I slept on the floor; three years of patience. So how about… you offer yourself this time?”

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Chapter 1: A Second Chance To save on rent, my sister-in-law Jessica teamed up with my mom and sweet-talked their way into moving into my newly renovated house. Later, when my nephew Ryan died of leukemia, Jessica blamed me for it. “It’s you! You deliberately used the cheapest materials, which killed my son!” she screamed, her eyes wild with grief and anger. She lunged at me with a kitchen knife, stabbing at my swollen belly. “Since my son is dead, you don’t get to have your brat either!” Eighteen stabs. Neither my baby nor I survived. Perhaps Heaven took pity on me and granted me a chance to be reborn. … I was reborn five years in the past. Still reeling from the pain of being stabbed to death in my previous life, I overheard my sister-in-law Jessica and my brother Jack’s scheming voices outside my room. “Nora’s house is newly renovated. Why don’t you talk to Mom and see if we can stay there with Ryan for a year?” Jessica suggested. “Will she agree?” Jack still had a shred of conscience, saying it was my new house for when I got married, and it might not be appropriate for them to live there with a child. Jessica glared at him. “We’re family. What’s the big deal? Besides, it’s a three-bedroom apartment. We won’t be using her master bedroom.” Hah! They said they wouldn’t use the master bedroom now, but after moving in, the whole family slept in my king-sized bed in the master bedroom. They had the audacity to say the bed was bigger and more suitable for sleeping with a child, plus it had an en-suite bathroom which was more convenient. My nephew frequently wet the bed, soiling my expensive mattress with urine stains. What’s more infuriating was that they lived in my house without paying for utilities or property management fees. When I mentioned this to my mom, she sided with my brother and sister-in-law, saying, “It’s just a few hundred dollars for utilities and fees. As a sister, isn’t it your duty to help your brother?” At the time, I thought they would keep their word and move out when my nephew started first grade. Little did I know that getting rid of them would be harder than inviting them in. They stayed for four or five years, refusing to leave. Until one day, my nephew was diagnosed with leukemia, and they blamed his illness on me. After my nephew passed away, Jessica smashed everything in my new house. “It’s you… you did it on purpose. You deliberately used the cheapest materials for renovation, intentionally killing my son.” She grabbed a knife and stabbed viciously at my belly. I instinctively tried to run, but six months pregnant and already wounded by her first strike, I couldn’t outpace her. I barely made it two steps before she dragged me back. “Nora, you bitch, die!” Jessica screamed. Blood gushed from my body, staining the new carpet red. I felt like a broken sack, holes everywhere, bleeding profusely. Jessica’s face twisted and distorted before my eyes, her screams and curses echoing in my ears, but I was powerless to respond. I never imagined she would be so brutal. I had softened my heart and let them live in my new home, never asking for a penny in rent. I even paid for their utilities and property fees. In the end, she killed me and my child, stab by stab. By the time I breathed my last, Jessica came to her senses. As my soul left my body, I watched my brother and mother frantically help Jessica dispose of my corpse. They initially planned to hide my body to protect Jessica. To quote a popular internet saying: Those who kill often know that while murder is easy, hiding a body is hard. The truth came out. My mother knelt before my husband Iker, begging for his forgiveness and pleading for a letter of understanding. That woman who gave birth to me and raised me was now kneeling for the murderer who killed me. “My grandson was killed by Nora, and Jessica just lost her mind for a moment. Iker, please forgive her… Even if you kill Jessica, it won’t bring Nora and the baby back,” my mother pleaded, tears streaming down her face. Seeing my mother’s tear-stained face, my heart turned cold. I was her daughter, after all… I could understand my brother protecting his wife, but why was my mother like this? Talking about a momentary lapse, begging my husband not to press charges. Hah, a momentary lapse that ignored my desperate pleas and stabbed me 18 times? I closed my eyes, and everything that happened in my previous life flashed before me. Chapter 2: A New Beginning I composed myself and pushed open the door. Jessica greeted me with a bowl of freshly washed fruit. “Nora, you’re up from your nap? I washed some fruit for you, have some.” Jessica’s fake smile overlapped with her twisted face when she killed me in my previous life. I mustered all my strength to hide the overwhelming hatred in my heart and replied coolly, “No need, I’m heading out.” I saw Jessica nudge my brother with her elbow. Jack quickly asked, “Will you be back for dinner? Mom said she’s roasting a chicken tonight.” I vaguely remembered that in my previous life, it was on this very night that they sweet-talked their way into moving into my newly renovated house. They said my nephew needed a place to stay for school. My newly renovated house was empty, so they asked to stay for a year, promising to move to the city next year when they bought their own place. I softened and agreed, and the result was… “I won’t be back. I have plans to go shopping and have dinner with friends,” I replied. They must be racking their brains now, trying to get me to agree to let them stay in my new house when my nephew starts school. Especially my sister-in-law Jessica. Jessica was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. In my previous life, to get me to agree to let them live in my new house, she sucked up to me for days. Usually stingy, she went out of her way to buy cherries, my favorite fruit, and even gave me a set of skincare products. Later, I found out that the skincare set was a return from a customer at her shop who had an allergic reaction to it. In my previous life, after they lived there for a year, I saw no signs of them moving out. I hinted both subtly and directly that they should move out, saying I wanted to move back in. My mother cried and yelled, calling me ungrateful for wanting to kick my own mother out of my house. Not wanting to cause a big rift, I endured it. The consequence of my endurance was being killed by them, losing two lives. In this life, I won’t endure it anymore! Not only will I not endure it, but I’ll also make them pay for what they did in my previous life. I planned to keep them on edge for a few days, then refuse when they’re desperate… That day after going out, I didn’t return to my old home. Instead, I stayed at my new apartment in town for a few days. Regarding my nephew’s leukemia, I expressed confusion. Worried that there might really be an issue with my renovation materials, I secretly called a professional formaldehyde testing company to check. After a week of continuous testing, the conclusion was that the formaldehyde levels were within the normal range. This house was renovated last October, more than half a year ago, and it had good ventilation and lighting. So Ryan’s leukemia had little to do with my house. It must have been due to his own constitution and other factors. As long as it wasn’t my house’s problem, I felt relieved. I stayed in my new house until the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, not long before school was set to start. They couldn’t sit still anymore. My mom called me several times, asking me to return to the old house. I made excuses about some unfinished work in the new house and didn’t go back. Early on the eleventh day, my mom brought my brother’s family of three to my door. “Why are you here?” I asked. Jessica smiled and said, “Well, the New Year just passed, so we brought Mom down for a look around. Ryan was also bored at home.” My brother’s family came uninvited, making themselves completely at home. My brother and sister-in-law used to work out of town, always renting places to live. Jessica lost money on her store last year and transferred the business. Now she planned to work in our small town. That’s why they set their sights on my new house. “Ryan, isn’t your aunt’s new house beautiful?” Jessica asked her son. My nephew nodded repeatedly, “It’s beautiful.” They used to rent in old, run-down neighborhoods to save money. My new house had a great environment, and I had put a lot of effort into decorating it nicely. My nephew’s eyes lit up when he entered. At five or six years old, he was curious about everything. Before I knew it, he had run from the living room to the bedroom. “Ryan Sullivan, don’t go into my room!” I called out. Suddenly remembering that in my previous life, the first time he came to my house, he also curiously went to play in my bedroom and broke my expensive floor lamp. Fortunately, this time I stopped him in time. I pulled him out and firmly closed the door. Seeing his innocent expression, remembering how pitiful his death was in my previous life, my voice softened a bit. “Go play somewhere else. The bedroom is for sleeping.” Jessica was very displeased when she saw me stop her son from entering the bedroom. She pulled him into her arms and said unhappily, “Son, your aunt’s new house is too precious. We don’t have such luck to live here. Let’s go.” Her sarcastic tone made me feel sick. In the past, I would have immediately comforted my nephew: “That’s not what I meant. We’re family, of course you can stay. How could you not be worthy?” But now, I let her angrily pull her son away without saying a word or trying to stop them. “Jessica, what’s wrong? Don’t leave,” my brother immediately pulled his wife and son back. Chapter 3: Family Tensions My mom glared at me and played peacemaker, “Nora, Ryan is your own nephew. He’s so young, why are you scolding him? What’s wrong with him being curious and wanting to look at your bedroom?” “What kind of guest goes into someone’s bedroom without permission? Mom, I’m not just saying this to you. It’s fine since it’s my house, but if this happened at someone else’s place, wouldn’t people say you have poor manners? He’s five or six years old, just starting to understand things. You need to teach him properly.” As soon as I said this, my brother, sister-in-law, and mom’s faces fell. “Nora, what do you mean?” My brother, always quick-tempered despite his lack of ability, said, “You think you’re so great because you bought a house? You’re putting on airs now?” “What airs? Can’t you tell right from wrong? I’m trying to reason with you, but you won’t listen. Forget it, pretend I didn’t say anything.” In my previous life, I was too weak and easily manipulated. Whenever my brother yelled at me, I would get so nervous I couldn’t speak, letting him have his way. Living this life again, I understood that my brother was a bully who only preyed on the weak. If he was fierce, I just needed to be fiercer. Seeing my impatience, he and my sister-in-law looked surprised. They exchanged a glance, and finally, my mom spoke up: “We’re all family, what’s there to argue about? Nora is also saying this for Ryan’s good, and she’s not wrong.” My mom patted my brother, clearly meaning that they were the ones asking for a favor from me, so they should hold their tempers. My mom was always like this, always taking my brother’s side. Although I already knew their true colors from my previous life, at this moment, I still felt hurt. After all, she was the mother who gave birth to me and raised me. Blood is thicker than water, as they say. I originally thought that if I was good to them, they would be good to me and treat me like family. But some people are born selfish and will never treat you as family. “It’s getting late. Nora, you haven’t been home for days. I brought half a chicken and bought some pork tripe. I’ll make some chicken soup with tripe, your favorite.” I did love chicken soup with tripe, but every time the soup was ready, my mom would take out the tripe and give almost all of it to my brother and grandson, along with the chicken legs… She would always tell me: “Nora, drink more soup. The soup is the most nutritious.” Bull***t, the meat is the most nutritious. As she spoke, my mom headed towards the kitchen with the groceries. “Mom, don’t bother. My kitchen can’t be used for cooking right now. The range hood isn’t installed properly and leaks smoke. The repairman said he won’t have time to fix it until after the Lantern Festival.” This was true, though in my previous life, they only discovered it after cooking for a while. By the time they noticed, my cabinets had already been blackened by smoke. Afraid they wouldn’t believe me, I opened the cabinet and shook the loose range hood, saying, “See? If we don’t fix this, it could fall and kill someone while cooking.” “Oh?” My mom clearly hadn’t expected this problem. “Then what about this chicken and tripe? They’re fresh.” “You can take them back tonight.” By saying this, I made it clear I didn’t want them staying at my place. Jessica’s face darkened even more. “Mom, are you going back tonight? I’m not planning to. I have dinner plans with my girlfriends tonight.” My brother chimed in, “I’m not going back either. I have plans to play cards tonight.” Seeing the situation, my mom immediately said, “If you both have plans tonight, then I have to stay and look after Ryan. Who else will take care of him if you go out?” It was obvious they had already planned to sleep at my place. Jessica pouted, all her previous anger gone, looking at me with a hint of pleading in her eyes. “Nora, your new house is newly renovated, and we haven’t stayed here before. You don’t mind if we sleep here for one night, right?” After saying this, Jessica brought in the things from the doorway. “Although we’re family, we can’t come empty-handed the first time we stay at your place. I bought you some cherries, your favorite.” “Oh, and this set of skincare products. I saved it for you when I transferred my shop. The set costs several thousand dollars.” My mom patted my hand and said, “See how good your sister-in-law is to you.” How good to me… I closed my eyes, the pain of losing two lives in my previous life still sharp and stinging. “Since we can’t cook at home, why don’t we go out for lunch? Nora, what do you want to eat? It’s my treat,” my brother offered. “Dad, I want to eat steak,” Ryan chimed in. “Alright, let’s have steak then.” “Yay! We get to eat steak today and stay at Aunt Nora’s new house.” I opened my eyes, looking at their happy faces, and said coldly, “Who said I agreed to let you stay?”

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When I returned to school after participating in an art competition in New York, everyone told me Orion Gray and Violet Ross were together. Who is Orion Gray, you ask? He’s my current boyfriend who chased after me for three whole years in high school. You’ve got to be kidding me. When I stormed into Orion’s classroom angrily, I didn’t see him, but instead found his group of roommates. These three roommates of his each had their own distinct personalities – the oldest was quiet and reserved, the second was always joking around without a serious bone in his body, and the third had always shown hostility towards me. Orion was the youngest, the baby of their dorm. Perhaps due to his youthful appearance and gentle nature, he had always been the one they looked after the most. “Well, if it isn’t the beautiful Zoe back from her trip,” the second oldest greeted me with a teasing smile. “Where’s Orion?” I wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. “Oh, he might be in the cafeteria, or maybe on the sports field. Who knows, he could even be in the little forest!” He laughed after saying this, which only irritated me more. “Forget it, I’ll find him myself.” Knowing I wouldn’t get any useful information from them, I tried calling Orion again, but still no answer. “Don’t listen to him. Orion is in the study room,” the usually silent oldest one suddenly spoke up. I glanced at him, muttered a thanks, and turned to leave. Since I got back, not only did he not come to pick me up, but he didn’t even send a single message to check on me. Instead, he gave me this huge surprise. Orion Gray, you’ve really done it this time! There weren’t many people in the study room. At a glance, I spotted Orion sitting near the window. The girl next to him must be Violet Ross that everyone was talking about. I knew of Violet Ross, but wasn’t very familiar with her. If she hadn’t gotten involved with Orion, I probably wouldn’t have even known we were at the same university until graduation. I gently tapped on the desk next to Orion. He looked up at me, not seeming particularly surprised. Looks like he knew I was back. “Come out for a minute, I need to talk to you,” I said quietly. Orion closed his book and got up to follow me out. “Why didn’t you answer my calls?” I asked. “My phone was on silent, I didn’t hear it,” he replied nonchalantly. “Did you know I was coming back today?” I asked again. “Yes,” he answered. “So?” I pressed, “You knew I was coming back today but didn’t come to pick me up, didn’t answer my calls, and instead came to study with another girl.” “Did you forget we’re still in the middle of a cold war?” I nearly choked on my own breath, momentarily at a loss for words. Orion was great in every way, except when it came to arguments and sulking. For anything he believed he wasn’t wrong about, he would never be the first to back down. So most of the time, I was the one who had to reach out first, and then the matter would be considered over. This time, I had been too busy with the competition to keep in touch, and he actually thought we were still in a cold war. I had even forgotten what this cold war was about in the first place. “Are you and Violet Ross together now?” I knew the answer was definitely no, but I still wanted to hear what Orion had to say. “No,” he replied firmly. “But that’s what everyone is saying.” “I said no, and that means no.” He was being stubborn, but I knew his personality – he always told the truth. However, not being together didn’t mean there wasn’t any ambiguity between them. “I don’t like her,” I said bluntly. “Because I’ve been spending time with her?” he asked. “Not just because of that.” The name Violet Ross reminded me of some things from the past. “I might not be able to completely distance myself from her right now,” Orion hesitated before continuing, “But I’ll keep my distance from her.” I couldn’t help but laugh, “Orion, don’t you think what you’re saying is contradictory?” Orion fell silent. “Is there something you can’t tell me?” I teased, guessing it was probably his overflowing sympathy at work again. Orion was such a kind-hearted person. “I can’t tell you right now,” Orion was still firm on this issue, but he did make his stance clear to me, “But please trust me, there really isn’t anything between us.” As far as I could tell, Orion didn’t seem to be hiding anything major. I nodded, understanding, and asked, “Is it because she has depression?” Orion looked surprised, “How did you know?” “Severe OCD plus mild depression, right?” I mused thoughtfully, “Orion, when she told you all this, did she mention that she, you, and I were all classmates in high school?” “She never said that, and I never asked,” Orion replied. Why didn’t she say anything? Was it because she was afraid of being called out if she brought up the past? Violet Ross, didn’t you do your homework before targeting Orion? “I don’t object to you having friendships with other girls, but her – she’s off limits!” I made my stance clear as well. “Okay, I understand,” Orion didn’t press further, and I didn’t say more either. If he wanted to know, I would tell him eventually. If he didn’t want to know, there was no point in telling him anyway. “Let’s go get something to eat then,” I took his arm, considering the cold war over. As for his situation with Violet Ross, I decided to wait and see. Our meal together wasn’t very pleasant. His group of roommates seemed to have some kind of radar – I had barely ordered when they showed up right on time. Well, since they’re here, might as well eat together. “Oh, looks like you two made up,” the second oldest teased when he saw us. “You have no idea how miserable our little bro has been these past few days. He couldn’t eat or sleep properly.” Orion coughed lightly and turned to look out the window. “Is that so?” I asked disinterestedly while scrolling through my phone. “He didn’t send a single message or call in all these days. I thought he had forgotten he even had a girlfriend.” “Come on, don’t be like that!” The second oldest tried to smooth things over. “You know you’re the officially recognized sister-in-law of our 305 dorm, right Leo?” He nudged the third oldest with his elbow, signaling him to say something nice, but Leo didn’t play along. “That’s just what you guys say. I never agreed to it.” “Well, looks like there’s some disagreement within your group,” I put down my phone and looked at Leo. “Seems like I’m not good enough in your eyes, huh?” Leo’s hostility towards me seemed to come out of nowhere. I had asked Orion about it before, but he said there was nothing and told me not to overthink it. But eyes don’t lie – Leo’s hostility was far too obvious.

I had mentioned this to my best friend Chloe before. With her wild imagination, she asked, “Could it be that he likes your Orion and sees you as a love rival?” I rolled my eyes at her. “You need to stop reading so much BL.” “No, seriously! Your Orion always looks so soft and gentle, and his roommates keep calling him ‘little bro’ more affectionately than we do. It’s hard for me not to think in that direction,” Chloe insisted as if it was an established fact. “Give me a break. Orion is as straight as they come,” I retorted. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chased after me for three years in high school. “Straight guys can be turned too,” Chloe seemed to be quite knowledgeable on this topic. “He might be straight, but his roommates might not be.” “Stop right there. Even if Orion was into guys, which of his roommates looks like boyfriend material?” I countered. “You have a point there,” Chloe pondered, stroking her chin. “The oldest one might have a chance, but he looks pretty straight too. As for Leo, forget it – two bottoms won’t work out. Zoe, looks like your boyfriend is safe for now.” I dismissed Chloe’s wild theories as a joke. While Leo did show hostility towards me, he had never openly expressed it. But this time, it seemed he was making a clear statement. “It’s not that you’re not good enough. I just don’t think you and Orion are a good match,” he replied. Okay, he finally said it out loud. I’m sure they must know about the Violet Ross situation, and might even be encouraging it. After all, they’ve never really approved of me as Orion’s girlfriend. “Shouldn’t the question of whether we’re a good match be asked to Orion himself?” In other words, who are you to judge whether we’re suitable or not? “Alright, Leo, Zoe and I are doing fine. Please don’t interfere in our relationship,” Orion sighed, sounding a bit exasperated. “I just don’t understand why Violet Ross isn’t good enough for you. At least she genuinely likes you and treats you well!” Leo exclaimed. The implication being that I don’t genuinely like Orion and don’t treat him well? Interesting, very interesting. I’ve only been gone for a short while, and this Violet Ross has already infiltrated Orion’s inner circle. “My relationship with Orion is between the two of us. What does it have to do with you? If you think Violet Ross is so great, why don’t you go after her yourself? Why try to set her up with Orion? Do you think I’m just a placeholder girlfriend, or do you think I’m easy to push around?” I paused for a moment before continuing, “Have you been hiding under our bed or something? How do you know I don’t treat Orion well? Are you a mind reader or somehow connected to his thoughts? Do you know better than us whether we like each other or not?” It had been a while since I’d verbally sparred with someone. I was a bit rusty. There’s no point in being polite to someone like this. Did he really think I was a pushover? Leo was left speechless by my tirade. He put down his chopsticks and stormed off angrily. I looked at Orion innocently, “Aren’t you going to go comfort him?” Orion pushed a glass of water towards me. “You must be thirsty after talking so much. Have some water.” The second oldest across from us burst out laughing, and even the usually stoic oldest one had a hint of a smile on his face. I looked at Orion suspiciously, “He doesn’t actually like you, does he?” “What are you thinking?” Orion rapped me lightly on the head with his chopsticks, sounding annoyed. “You need to stay away from Chloe in the future.” Seeing the second oldest across from us laughing uncontrollably, I once again confirmed that Chloe’s speculation was completely baseless. I didn’t see Violet Ross again until a week later. During that week, Orion spent most of his time with me. I thought the matter had been put to rest, but I didn’t expect her to actively seek me out. It was during an elective class. I had deliberately chosen a seat at the back and pulled Orion to sit with me. As luck would have it, Violet Ross also came to this elective class. Seeing the empty seat next to Orion, she sat down beside him. “What a coincidence, Orion,” she greeted him. “Mm,” Orion responded coolly. “So you’re taking this elective too? I think Professor Brown’s lectures are really good. I come to listen to his class every week,” she continued, seemingly very interested in the course. Orion shook his head awkwardly, “I’m not.” “He’s here to keep me company while I earn credits,” I turned to look at her. Was she pretending I didn’t exist? “He’s not interested in these dry, boring courses.” “And you are?” she asked, feigning ignorance. “Zoe Quinn, Orion’s girlfriend,” I extended my hand politely. “Oh, I see,” she acted as if she had just realized. “I’m Violet Ross, Orion’s friend.” “You two must have just met recently then,” I withdrew my hand. “I’ve never heard Orion mention you before.” “Yes, we’ve only known each other for less than a month,” she always had this soft, fragile demeanor, just like in high school. “But I feel like we clicked instantly, as if we’ve been friends for a long time.” “Is that so?” This level of subtle provocation had no effect on me. “After all, we all went to the same high school, right?” “Really?” She looked both surprised and delighted, as if she genuinely didn’t know. “Yes, indeed,” I nodded, resting my chin on my hand and tilting my head to look at her. “Orion had a really good friend in high school named Jack Brown. Do you remember him?” Violet Ross’s smile became a bit stiff, and her expression started to look unnatural. “I don’t remember high school classmates very clearly.” “That’s a shame. No worries, I’ll make sure to introduce you sometime,” I responded generously. “Mm,” she answered softly, opening her book. “Class is about to start.” I turned back, the smile on my face only growing. Orion leaned in and whispered, “Who’s Jack Brown? I don’t remember having a good friend by that name.” I blinked innocently at him, “Don’t you remember? You two were really close in high school.” “Cut it out,” Orion didn’t believe me at all. “I can say with certainty that I don’t know anyone by that name. So, who exactly is Jack Brown?” Great, now he’s jealous. I quickly waved my hands, “I don’t know him well either.” “If you don’t know him well, why did you bring him up and say he was my good friend?” Orion pressed on. “Just because I don’t know him well doesn’t mean others don’t,” I glanced towards Violet Ross. “Her? Didn’t she say she doesn’t remember?” Orion still seemed doubtful. “You believed her when she said she doesn’t remember, but you doubt me when I say I’m not familiar with him. Orion Gray, who exactly is your girlfriend here?” I was getting annoyed.

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Heather and I gave birth on the same day, both to baby boys. That night, while we were under observation in the hospital, I saw Heather sneakily switch my baby with hers. I said nothing. Years later, Heather’s son, under my care, became an Ivy League PhD graduate. Meanwhile, my biological son dropped out of middle school to work in a steel factory, overworked himself to illness, and developed cirrhosis. When Martha begged me to pay for his treatment, Heather scoffed, saying, “Why waste money on that mutt? Better to save it for Ezra’s future wedding!” After my son’s death, Heather decided to reveal the baby swap at Ezra’s wedding, planning to reclaim him as her son. I simply smiled, knowingly. Content “You filthy mutt! Who said you could sit at the table to eat?!” Heather slapped Calvin so hard he fell to the ground. Martha rushed to help him up but was shoved aside by Heather. “Trash like you should have been smothered in the hospital!” she snapped. Heather’s tirades always lasted for hours. Whenever Martha or I tried to intervene, she’d deflect, blaming “poor discipline” during his childhood as the reason for his supposed failures. In reality, she was venting her resentment toward me. Heather gave Calvin his name—a throwaway, as insignificant as lint. “Mom, I’m home!” Ezra’s cheerful voice broke the tension. He ran to my arms, proudly holding up a perfect test paper for me to see. Before I could take it, Heather snatched it away. “Ezra, you’re amazing! Auntie has to reward you for this!” She pulled a hundred-dollar bill from her purse and stuffed it into Ezra’s pocket. “Buy yourself something nice! If it’s not enough, just come to me for more!” Ezra, though thrilled by the gesture, hesitated. He glanced at me for permission, his upbringing keeping him cautious. Meanwhile, Calvin, his face swollen from Heather’s earlier assault, silently watched as she handed Ezra the money. “What are you staring at?! It’s not for you!” Heather sneered, pushing Calvin. “With grades like yours, you’re not even worth a fraction of Ezra’s talent!” Calvin lowered his head, too scared to respond. But Heather wasn’t finished. She grabbed Calvin by his shirt collar, dragging him to the door. “Don’t you dare covet things that aren’t yours,” she spat. “You’re nothing more than a guard dog—a lowly mutt!” “Mom,” Calvin suddenly mustered the courage to ask, “Can I go do my homework? I’ll work hard to catch up to Ezra, I promise…” He looked at her pleadingly, desperate for any acknowledgment. Heather’s response was a harsh kick, sending him sprawling to the floor. “No matter how hard you try, you’ll never measure up to Ezra. You’re destined to be beneath him for the rest of your life!” I watched as Heather’s cruel words crushed Calvin’s fragile hope, snuffing out the light in his eyes. Martha couldn’t take it anymore and shielded Calvin. “How can you treat your own child like this?!” she scolded Heather. “You don’t get it, Mom,” Heather retorted. “This is tough-love parenting!” Unable to hold back, I countered, “Even tough love has limits. Constant belittling will only destroy a child’s spirit.” “Stay out of it, Clara,” Heather snapped, bristling like a porcupine. “You focus on Ezra. Calvin is none of your business.” In truth, I only ever spoke up—I never truly saved Calvin from the hell he endured. 2 Martha fretted over Calvin’s treatment but didn’t say much. After all, Heather’s pregnancy had been the result of her teenage recklessness. Back in high school, Heather spent all her energy chasing boys, particularly Trey Walters, a local delinquent with bleached hair. When Martha found out, she warned Heather to stay away from him. Instead, Heather ran off, dropping out of school and moving into Trey’s house. Trey quickly lost interest after their fling. He threw her out, dumping her belongings onto the street. With nowhere else to go, Heather returned home, visibly pregnant. Martha believed Heather’s resentment toward Calvin stemmed from him being Trey’s child—the result of that humiliation. What she didn’t know was that Heather, on a cold, foggy night, had swapped the babies. She abused my son without guilt because he wasn’t hers. “Let’s just eat,” I said, calling Calvin over to join us. Heather coughed and said smugly, “I didn’t know you had so much free time, Clara—worrying about someone else’s kid.” “Calvin’s not hungry. He’s like a little bird—barely eats and never starves,” she quipped. But Calvin’s growling stomach betrayed her. His gaunt frame screamed malnourishment. I was about to insist when Heather hurled a slipper at the door. “Get out! Have you finished the laundry yet? Why are you standing around?!” “Sorry, Mom. I’ll get to it now,” Calvin whispered, carefully picking up the slipper and placing it by her feet before quietly leaving the kitchen. “You can use the washing machine for all those thick winter clothes,” I remarked. “Machines don’t clean as well as hands,” Heather replied. “Calvin’s too dumb to study. If he’s not diligent, he’s truly worthless.” She turned to Ezra, piling food onto his plate. “Ezra, my smart boy, you’ll go to Harvard or Yale one day. Leave the servant work to others.” Heather’s favoritism was blatant. She might as well have tattooed “Ezra is my real son” across her forehead. But I stayed silent, choosing to watch from the sidelines. Later, Heather pulled Calvin out of school, claiming she’d arranged a job for him in Detroit for $800 a month. Martha protested. “He’s just a boy! He can’t handle that kind of labor!” Even Richard couldn’t hold back. “That steel factory is brutal! You’re sending Calvin to ruin himself!” “He’s not cut out for school, so why not earn money while he’s young?” Heather argued. “It’s his choice.” “Right, Calvin?” she added, glaring at him. Calvin nodded obediently. Richard placed a hand on Calvin’s shoulder, asking gently, “Why do you want to go?” “Mom said we owe you and Aunt Clara for taking us in. I should help Ezra with his education…” Hearing this, Richard and Martha were heartbroken. Richard snapped at Heather, “We’re not so poor we need a child’s help!” Heather burst into tears, throwing a fit. “I’m doing this for the family—for Ezra’s future!” When Richard wouldn’t relent, Heather pinched Calvin hard, prompting him to grab a pair of scissors from the table and press them against his neck. “If Uncle Richard won’t let me go, I’ll end it right here!” 3 I stood by, cold and detached, as Calvin pressed the sharp edge of the scissors to his neck. Blood seeped through a tiny cut, but I still didn’t move to stop him. Richard and Martha were frozen in fear, their voices trembling as they tried to calm him down. They promised to let him go to work, begging him to put the scissors down. Only then did Calvin lower the blade. His tearful gaze darted toward Heather. Heather’s tears vanished instantly. She beamed at Calvin and said, “Good boy. Work hard, make lots of money for Ezra!” “You’re useless for anything else. But if you can support your brother, at least your life will have some value.” Calvin nodded numbly, a sign he had completely surrendered. Years passed. Under my care, Ezra flourished—earning a PhD from the Ivy League. He was brilliant, well-mannered, and had found himself a bright, accomplished girlfriend. Meanwhile, Calvin toiled away in Detroit. Word reached us that his health was failing. The factory docked his pay frequently because he wasn’t as strong as before. After saving every penny, he could only manage to send home $200 or $300 a month. Whenever his money arrived, Heather would berate him over the phone: “Useless piece of trash! Raising you was a waste of time!” “This little bit of money? It wouldn’t even cover Ezra’s pocket change!” Every time I overheard Heather’s tirades, I tuned her out. Ezra was preparing to bring his girlfriend home, and I wanted everything to be perfect. Heather was ecstatic at the news. She rushed out to curl her hair and buy a few new outfits. She smeared makeup onto her lined face, muttering complaints about her dull skin. Then, she came to me for cosmetics. “Why the sudden makeover?” I asked, feigning ignorance. “Really, Clara? You’re managing my makeup routine now?” she snapped. I handed her the cosmetics, casually adding, “You know, Calvin and Ezra are the same age. Isn’t it time Calvin found someone too?” Heather’s cheerful mood soured instantly. Her face darkened as she replied, “Calvin ‘dated’ someone at the factory last year, but she was probably just a tramp. What decent girl would be interested in Calvin?” “But for someone like him, even that’s not bad,” she added, brushing foundation on her face before changing the subject. “Speaking of which, I heard Ezra’s girlfriend is a PhD too—pretty and wealthy. She’s barely good enough for our Ezra!” Heather gushed about Ezra’s girlfriend, beaming as though it were her own engagement. By evening, Ezra and his girlfriend arrived. She was just as Ezra had described—polite, poised, and eloquent. Her words flowed gracefully, each one perfectly chosen. I served her food and asked, “How’s the meal?” She smiled warmly. “Mrs. Dawson, everything’s delicious. You’re an amazing cook.” “This whole spread was made by me!” Heather interjected, unable to contain herself. She began listing the ingredients she’d chosen and her meticulous preparation process. Richard sighed, “Let the girl eat, Heather.” Reluctantly, Heather quieted down, though her constant interruptions had already made the dinner awkward. Ezra, oblivious to the tension, suddenly noticed an empty chair and asked, “Isn’t Calvin coming home this year?” 4 The mention of Calvin cast a heavy silence over the table. “He’s staying in Detroit for the holidays,” Heather replied curtly. Ezra frowned. “I’m getting married this year. I was hoping Calvin could be my best man.” “Exactly,” Martha chimed in. “That boy hasn’t been back in years. I miss him. At least let him visit for the wedding.” Heather, clearly uncomfortable discussing Calvin in front of Ezra’s fiancée, forced a smile and made the call. The phone rang twice before it was picked up. “Hey, your grandma and cousin want you home for the wedding.” Heather’s tone was clipped, but with everyone watching, she softened it slightly. “We all miss you. You should come back.” The silence on the other end was long. Finally, a woman’s voice responded. “Hi, is this Aunt Heather? Calvin’s in the hospital. He’s been under observation.” “In the hospital? For what?” Heather demanded, standing abruptly. “What’s so serious that he needs a hospital stay? Must be a waste of money.” The woman’s tone grew sharp. “What do you mean? He’s gravely ill and running a constant fever. You don’t care, fine, but how can you complain about the cost? Money doesn’t outweigh someone’s life!” But to Heather, Calvin’s life truly was less valuable than money. Martha and Richard, hearing Calvin was sick, rushed to the phone. Heather ended the call abruptly, brushing them off. “He’s fine. Just being dramatic,” she said, smoothing her hair. “He’s probably faking it to get out of work.” Ezra, worried, asked if they should visit Calvin in Detroit. Heather shot him down. “There’s nothing to see. Right now, the priority is planning your wedding.” I watched Heather’s indifference to Calvin’s illness and couldn’t help recalling how, years ago, she had demanded hospital observation for Ezra over a minor cold. She had questioned the doctor’s competence, accused him of negligence, and fussed until Ezra fully recovered. She had even made him chicken soup every day, so much that Ezra grew nauseated at the sight of chicken. When Ezra caught chickenpox, Heather became his shadow, never leaving his side. She checked his fever constantly, ensured he didn’t scratch the sores, and even scolded me for walking too loudly, claiming it disrupted Ezra’s rest. Richard and Martha had often wondered aloud why Heather adored Ezra so fiercely. Even for an aunt, her devotion was extreme. Three months later, it was Ezra’s wedding day. Heather clutched Ezra’s hand, her tears streaming. “I’ve waited so long to see you start your own family.” “Watching you marry the woman you love—this makes my whole life worthwhile.” I watched as Heather’s emotions overwhelmed her. Her tears intensified, and I realized she was about to confess the truth. Standing on the stage, she grabbed the microphone, tears streaming down her face. “Ezra, my wonderful boy…” “I’m actually your mother!” 5 Ezra didn’t seem to take Heather’s words seriously. He smiled and said, “Aunt Heather, you’ve always cared for me like a mother.” “No,” Heather blurted, “I am your mother! You’re not Clara’s son—you’re mine!” She pulled out a document—paternity results. The report stated, with 99.99% certainty, that she and Ezra were biologically related. The room erupted into gasps. All eyes turned toward me. “Clara Dawson, you’re not Ezra’s real mother! I’m taking my son back today!” Heather declared, her voice trembling with emotion. I didn’t flinch. My face betrayed no shock or distress. It was as if she had casually asked me what I had for breakfast. I smiled faintly and nodded. “Fine. Take him back.” “What nonsense!” Richard snapped, his eyes reddening. “Ezra is our son! Clara, what’s going on here?” Even the guests, friends, and family stared at me, bewildered. After all, I had devoted years to raising Ezra, pouring my heart into him. “Clara, explain yourself!” Richard demanded, his voice shaking. I simply repeated Heather’s statement. “Ezra isn’t our child. I saw her swap the babies that night.” The guests broke into murmurs. Some glared at me in horror, while others openly accused me. “She knew her son was switched and still let this happen? How could she ignore her real child, working himself to death in Detroit?” “She let Heather abuse Calvin for years, knowing he wasn’t hers!” another guest hissed. I laid the truth bare, my tone calm, as though recounting an unremarkable story. Richard staggered backward, his expression twisting into disbelief. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

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My Boyfriend’s first love was crying uncontrollably. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come between you two. I should be the one to leave,” said my boyfriend’s first love, the famous actress, as she sobbed. My boyfriend pointed at me and scolded me for being too harsh. He immediately left me behind to chase after her. Well, well, with acting skills like that, she calls herself an award-winning actress? I immediately called the billionaire, “Didn’t you say you wanted to marry me? Let’s get the marriage license tomorrow.” That afternoon, Caspian took me to the civil affairs bureau. When we came out again, I, Zinnia, was now a married woman. Caspian tapped the marriage certificate in his palm, his expression smug and irritating, completely overshadowing his handsomeness. “Didn’t you say you’d never marry me in this lifetime, and that if you married me, you’d be a dog?” I nodded, “That’s right, I married you, so you’re the dog.” “You…” Caspian gritted his teeth, “Zinnia, that mouth of yours is really…” “Really what? Asking for a beating?” I tilted my head slightly, my expression probably a bit provocative, “You want to hit me?” Caspian suddenly laughed and slowly approached me, looking mischievous in every way. Then I heard him say “asking for a kiss” before he grabbed the back of my head and kissed me. “!!” I pushed him away and wiped my mouth vigorously, “Caspian, what are you doing?” Caspian looked very displeased, “We’re married now, what’s wrong with me kissing you? Not only am I going to kiss you, but you’ll have to consummate the marriage with me tonight.” “…” “I’ve been waiting for this day, Zinnia. Just you wait, I’ll show you how I’ll deal with you tonight.” Caspian was arrogant and domineering. After saying that, he got in the car and left, even lowering the window to wave at me, his expression was really… He’s just an annoying jerk. How did he become the richest man in the country? I put away the marriage certificate and prepared to return to the company. Henry called, telling me, “Zinnia, let’s break up.” Hadn’t we already broken up? Why bother calling to tell me? When he scolded me and abandoned me for his first love, we had already broken up. I pursed my lips in annoyance, “You’re the most troublesome of the lot.” Henry: “…” I hung up the phone and suddenly remembered something… Damn it, Caspian brought me here, and now he’s driven off, how am I supposed to get back? Jerk! I called a ride-share and returned to the company. My dad saw me and looked me up and down several times, “Who’s this? I don’t recognize you. Who are you looking for?” “…” I went straight to the point, “Dad, I broke up with Henry, and also, I got married to Caspian.” My dad’s face immediately lit up with joy, showing a kind fatherly smile, “Isn’t this my precious daughter!” “…” See, even my dad has better acting skills than Henry’s first love, a hundred expressions in one second. My dad suddenly snorted coldly, “How did you break up? I thought you two were very lovey-dovey? I told you not to date him, but you wouldn’t listen.” “That’s all because you kept pushing me to marry Caspian.” If it weren’t for my parents pressuring me so much about marriage, I wouldn’t have been so rebellious and grabbed the first decent guy I saw to date, only to end up being cheated on. Caspian isn’t a good guy either, he has quite a few women outside too, don’t think I don’t know. Marrying Caspian was just a spur of the moment decision out of anger, now that I think about it, I regret it a little. No, I need to make things clear with him. “So you’ve come back to take over the company? Haha, that’s great, your mom and I can finally be free.” My dad jumped up and rushed out, his legs surprisingly agile. I quickly grabbed his arm, “Don’t go, Dad! Where are you going?” “To find your mom, of course. She wants to go to a small island for a couple of days. She’s always complaining that I don’t accompany her. Now that you’re back, I can finally go back and be filial to your mom.” Perhaps realizing his words sounded too submissive, my dad coughed lightly and changed his tune: “Compensate, it’s all because of you. You’re never home, I don’t even have time to accompany your mom.” “…”

“Dad, you probably can’t spend all your time with mom just yet. I didn’t plan on taking over the company.” “Look at you… Alright, you don’t need to come back either. Every time you come back, you just make me angry. Go on, get out.” I was kicked out of my dad’s office. So he doesn’t want this unexpected child anymore? Caspian’s SnapChat message came in at this time, reminding me, [Don’t forget to come back tonight for our wedding night.] “…” I gritted my teeth, [Would it kill you to be a bit more subtle?] Caspian’s voice message came right after, “This isn’t subtle enough? I haven’t even said to come back and sleep with me yet.” My dad’s secretary came towards me, looking at me with an ambiguous gaze, “Miss.” “…” I think I should consider living on another planet. Caspian is such a big mouth. He’s such a big shot billionaire, how come he doesn’t have any of the aura of a tycoon? Always fooling around like a playboy, it’s so annoying! Caspian sent me another address, which is where he’s living now. He also said to come back early, we’ll have dinner together tonight to celebrate. What’s there to celebrate? Is he so happy about marrying me? Well, my family is also rich and powerful, and he knows I definitely won’t bother to manage him, of course he’s happy. … At around seven, I arrived at Caspian’s apartment. As soon as I entered, the luxurious decor and flamboyant atmosphere hit me in the face. Caspian was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed casually, wearing a white T-shirt and orange floral shorts, holding a glass of red wine. “You’re back.” “…” I walked over, “Didn’t you say we were going to eat? Where’s the food? I’m hungry.” Caspian pointed to the kitchen, “It’s being prepared. Sit.” He patted the spot next to him. As soon as I sat down, he leaned in close. I leaned away, “Stay away from me, or you might get hit.” “Why did you suddenly decide to marry me? What about that unreliable boyfriend of yours?” Caspian looked like a curious puppy. He’s the unreliable one. Ahem, I’m not defending Henry. Henry’s cheating can’t be described as merely unreliable, it’s downright despicable. I cleared my throat quietly, “Because… well…” “Alright, you don’t need to say anymore.” Caspian held up his hand. Just when I thought he was being understanding for once and not forcing me to do something I didn’t like, he came out with… “You got dumped.” “…” I suspect Caspian’s head has been kicked by the donkeys on the production team more than once, I suspect this more than once. Caspian suddenly had a realization, “Wait, doesn’t that make me your rebound? So I’m your backup plan? Is that it?” “If you don’t want to be the rebound, then let’s get divorced. Besides, aren’t I your rebound too?” He’s acting like he’s the victim here. Caspian nodded, “You’re right, I am quite popular.” “…” Psycho. The person in the kitchen came out at this time to tell us dinner was ready. After eating and resting for half an hour, I did some yoga, and Caspian was beside me trying to learn. He suddenly commented on me, “Zinnia, your flexibility is pretty good.” I kicked at him, “Can’t you be more serious?” Caspian looked a bit wronged, “What’s wrong? How is complimenting you not serious?” He looked genuinely aggrieved, so maybe I misunderstood him. I got up to go upstairs to wash up, and he followed me up like a little tail. Even when I was about to enter the bathroom, he was still following behind. I turned around, and he bumped right into me. “Why did you suddenly stop?” “I’m going to take a shower, why are you following me in?” Caspian scratched his head, “To take a shower together, of course.” I gave him a hard knock on the head, and Caspian yelled out in pain: “Ouch! Zinnia, you’re trying to murder your husband!” “Don’t come in!” Who wants to shower with him? Jerk!

While soaking in the bathtub, I suddenly felt a bit dazed. Am I really married to Caspian now? I had resisted countless times in the past, even saying I’d be a dog if I married him, but now I’ve actually married him. Caspian and I could be considered childhood sweethearts, but this sweetheart of mine was truly unreliable. He liked to bully me since we were kids, either pulling my hair or tattling on me, telling my parents I was dating early, and exposing to my parents that I received love letters… And so on and so forth, I was almost annoyed to death by him! So when my parents wanted me to marry Caspian, I said I’d be a dog if I married him. Caspian immediately stated, “I don’t even like you. I have plenty of girls I’m interested in.” Later, when my parents pressured me too much, I rebelled and went after Henry. I don’t know what kind of madness possessed Caspian, but after he found out I was pursuing Henry, he actually said to me: “Why don’t we just get married? I’ll marry you, and you won’t have to go through all the trouble of chasing someone else. I don’t think you can catch him anyway.” That nasty mouth of his deserved all the beatings I gave him, thinking about it now, he really had it coming. Caspian was urging me to hurry up outside. It seems his big house only has one bathroom, doesn’t it? I got out of the bathtub and only then realized I hadn’t brought any sleepwear in with me. This is my first time here, and I don’t know where to get any. The yoga clothes I wore earlier were ones he found for me, they looked new so I wore them. I wrapped a towel around myself and walked to the door, “Caspian, do you have any new sleepwear?” “You didn’t bring sleepwear in with you?” Caspian’s annoying voice came from outside, “It’s so late, why don’t you just not wear any?” “Are you sick? You don’t wear clothes at night?” “That’s right, I don’t.” I abruptly opened the door, “Go get me some sleepwear quickly!” “Alright, alright, why are you so fierce?” Caspian glanced at me and turned to leave. Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and looked at me, “Zinnia.” “What?” Caspian smiled and said: “You have a great figure, very sexy.” I grabbed a towel from the cabinet and threw it at him, “Get lost!” He’s just a… Pervert! Caspian caught the towel and left, looking very pleased with himself. After a while, he came back with two sets of pajamas and handed one to me. I looked at the ones in his hand, “Didn’t you say you don’t wear any?” “Then I won’t wear any, I’ll take them back.” He said as he turned to leave. I quickly grabbed him back, “Stop fooling around. Let me ask you, where did you get these women’s pajamas? Do you often bring women here?” “How could that be possible? I don’t bring women back here, you can rest assured about that. I bought these new for you today.” Caspian looked very proud, “The size is just right, I can tell just by looking at you. After all, I’ve been looking at you since we were kids…” I kicked him, almost making him unable to have children. “Zinnia, not only are you trying to murder your husband, but you’re also trying to kill our future children, you heartless woman!” Caspian bent over, instantly becoming a member of the crotch-protecting club. “Get lost!” I couldn’t be bothered with him anymore and went in to change. Behind me, Caspian’s annoying voice rang out again, “Zinnia, I saw your underwear just now.” I turned and rushed back, determined to finish him off today! “Ah…” Caspian’s scream echoed throughout the room. Half an hour later, Caspian came out of the bathroom, and I was sitting on the edge of the bed with my arms crossed, “Come here, I have something to tell you.” Caspian came over while drying his hair with a towel, “Go ahead, I’ll agree to anything except not consummating the marriage.” “I’m not talking about that.” I pursed my lips helplessly, “I want to set some ground rules with you. Sit.” I patted the spot beside me. Caspian came over and sat down obediently. After washing his hair, his bangs had fallen down, making him look much more docile, like a little puppy instead of a little brat. Not bad, not bad. I patted Caspian’s head, “Good boy.” “Don’t be disrespectful.” Caspian brushed my hand away. “You’re only one month older than me, why are you acting so mature?” I rolled my eyes and continued with the main topic, “Since we’re married now, I have a few rules I need to tell you first.”

“First, I don’t care how many women you have outside, but you can’t have children with them.” “Second, if you really find someone you like, tell me, and we’ll divorce immediately.” “Third, during our marriage, at least make people believe we’re a loving couple. I don’t want our families’ companies to be affected.” I stated these three rules in one breath, then continued: “Now it’s your turn. What rules do you have? Say them.” “I agree to everything you said. I only have one condition.” Caspian held up one finger, “In our marriage, you can’t get too close to other men.” “That’s natural.” I agreed without even thinking. But wait, that’s not right. “This is a double standard. Can you cut off all ties with other women?” “Of course I can. I can do that in a minute.” Just as Caspian finished speaking, his phone rang. I glanced at his phone screen, the contact was saved as “Baby”. I rolled my eyes dramatically. Caspian answered the phone, made a few noncommittal sounds, then hung up. I sneered, “It’s fine. I said as long as you don’t have children, I don’t care about you.” “What are you talking about?” Caspian casually tossed his phone aside, “Let’s go to sleep.” “…” Forget it, there’s no point talking to him. He won’t even give me a chance to be upset. I turned and crawled into bed, and he followed. “Um… lights on or off?” he asked me. What’s going on? Why do I feel like he’s a bit nervous? It’s making me nervous too. “Turn them off.” Caspian turned off the lights, then pressed down on me and started kissing me. I resisted the urge to push him away, “Do you even know how to kiss? You’re biting me.” “You’re the one who doesn’t know how to kiss.” Caspian coughed lightly, “Zinnia, you’re trembling. Could it be that this is your first time?” “No… of course not.” I took a deep breath, “Don’t tell me it’s your first time?” “How could that be?” Caspian’s tone was quite proud, “I’m very experienced.” … After a night, my conclusion is that Caspian was bluffing. How could someone with such poor skills be experienced? Who is he trying to fool? Caspian was still sleeping, holding me tightly. Just thinking about last night made me angry. I pushed him away and got out of bed. I put on my clothes and went to the bathroom. Suddenly, Caspian’s voice came from behind, “Zinnia, does it hurt?” “It doesn’t hurt.” I gritted my teeth. It hurts like hell, okay? “Zinnia.” Caspian called my name again. Why is he so annoying? “What?” I turned around and glared at him. Caspian pointed with his eyes at the small bloodstain on the bed, “Didn’t you say it wasn’t your first time?” “…” I closed my eyes in frustration. How could I have forgotten about that? Caspian seemed to be in a very good mood. I was just annoyed, so I deliberately tried to upset him, “That’s because your technique is so poor. I’ve never seen anyone with such bad skills. Do you even know what you’re doing? And you call yourself experienced, you’re just bluffing.” The smile on Caspian’s face instantly disappeared… No, the smile didn’t disappear, it just transferred to my face. I hummed a tune as I walked towards the bathroom. Behind me came the sound of Caspian angrily hitting the bed. He shouted at my back: “Zinnia, you just wait. I will… I will…” I laughed and turned back to ask him, “You will what?” Caspian paused for a moment, then suddenly struck a sexy and charming pose on the bed, “I will definitely make you succumb beneath me.” “Are you sick? Pervert!” I gave him a disgusted look and entered the bathroom. “I don’t know who it is, still lying about it being their first time when it clearly was, getting caught red-handed. I was wondering why you wanted the lights off, turns out you were just shy…” I grabbed another towel and went out, rubbing it up and threw it at Caspian’s face.

I received a call from Lily, she wanted to meet me. Lily is Henry’s first love. Henry and I have already broken up, why does she still want to see me? Only after meeting did I realize that she just wanted to show off her victory to me. “Zinnia, you should actually thank me. If I had gone back to find Henry earlier, he would have been mine long ago. You wouldn’t have had the chance to date him at all.” Looking at Lily’s smug face, I found it amusing. “Is Henry some kind of trophy to be shown off in your eyes?” I sneered, “You’re so inexperienced, tsk tsk, I almost feel sorry for you. How about this, I’ll introduce you to a couple of better guys, what do you say?” Lily chuckled lightly, “You don’t have to do that. We’re both women, I understand how you’re feeling right now…” “Don’t say you’re a woman, you’re really giving women a bad name.” I smiled as I interrupted her words, “But I understand. I advise you to read more books and improve yourself.” Lily’s phone suddenly rang. She answered it right in front of me, “Hello, Blue Planet? Movie or TV series? Okay, I’ll be right there.” She hung up the phone and looked at me, “Ms. Chen, I have to go now. I have an audition. By the way, order whatever you want, it’s on me.” I smiled and said, “Thank you.” After seeing Lily off, I immediately returned to the company. “Dad, give me some money. I want to invest in a few IPs.” “That has to come from my own account. Ask your mom to transfer it to you.” My dad said, then added: “You should practice investing and such now.” “Got it, thanks Dad!” … Soon I contacted the crew of “Blue Planet”, expressing my intention to invest. Of course they were willing. I put in 200 million, becoming the biggest investor, which means I have the final say on this show. I also got news that Lily had already gone for the audition, and it was for the female lead. She had a very high chance of being selected. But with just one word from me, she would be immediately eliminated. However, I didn’t do that. I let her pass the first few rounds of auditions. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fun. Actually, I hadn’t planned to do anything to her originally. But being a mistress was one thing, she shouldn’t have come to show off to me. If I don’t teach her a lesson, wouldn’t I have lived these twenty-some years in vain? Since that’s the case, I won’t let Henry off either. He should really thank his precious first love. I waited until the final round of auditions before I showed up. The audition location was in a hotel. I was about to enter the elevator when someone pulled me out. “Didn’t you see our Miss Brown was about to take the elevator?” I looked up and saw Lily walk into the elevator. She gave me a proud and challenging look. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, she spoke up: “Oh, Zinnia, it’s you. Why don’t you come up too?” The assistant beside her, acting high and mighty, said, “Who does she think she is? How could she ride in the same elevator as you, Lily?” Lily just smiled without saying anything more. The elevator doors closed. I shook my head with a smile. My phone rang at this moment. It was Caspian calling. “You want to invest in a movie? Why didn’t you tell me? I have a film company, I can give it to you if you want.” I was a bit surprised, “Why are you being so nice and generous today?” “Zinnia, you ungrateful wretch. When have I ever not been generous to you? Tell me!” I thought about it, and it was true. Although Caspian is a terrible person, from childhood until now, on my birthdays or holidays, the gifts he gave me were always extravagant. Okay, I wronged him then. “We’ll talk about it when I get back tonight. I’m at the audition location now, selecting actors.” I hung up the phone, and the elevator came down. I got in. For the final round of auditions for the female lead, there were only three actresses left, with Lily being the first one. I sent a message to the casting director to move Lily to the last spot. So when I came out of the elevator, I saw Lily storming out of the audition room. “What’s going on? How could they put me last? If the director takes a liking to someone else first, won’t I lose my chance? It’s already the final round, I must get this role. Quick, call Chen!” Her arrogant little assistant was still flattering her, “Don’t worry, Lily. Those two’s acting skills are no match for yours. Being last is actually better. After the director sees their terrible acting, he’ll definitely be impressed when he sees you. He’ll make his decision on the spot!” I have to say, this little assistant’s flattery skills are quite impressive. It’s partly thanks to her that Lily, with such poor acting skills, is still so confident… The other half of the credit goes to the other staff around Lily who praise her day after day, leading to her current blind confidence and arrogance. Lily looked up and saw me. Her little assistant, ever the bootlicker, immediately came over, “Why are you still lurking around? This is not a place for you to be. Get lost quickly!” I hadn’t even dealt with Lily yet, but this arrogant little assistant caught my interest. “Little girl, I advise you to watch your mouth and leave yourself a way out. Don’t you understand the principle of not burning all your bridges?” The little assistant rolled her eyes dramatically, “Even lowly people can talk about principles now. Fan behavior has its limits. I don’t care who your idol is, but this is the audition area for the crew, not a place for you to chase stars. Get out, get out, get out quickly!” “Very well, I’ll leave then. But I’m afraid you’ll be begging me to come back later.” I smiled and turned to enter the elevator. I booked a room on the top floor and waited there. The producer sent me updates on the situation and clips of the auditions. One of the actresses named Zoe caught my eye. Her eyes were indeed quite good. I had already made up my mind. Soon it was Lily’s turn to audition. The casting director told Lily, “Not everyone is here yet. Let’s end today’s auditions here.” I was on a video call with the casting director. On the phone screen, I saw Lily’s expression freeze, her displeased look barely contained. “But I’m all prepared. Weren’t the other two able to audition when not everyone was here?” “The investor has already seen the audition clips of the other two. Originally, the investor had high hopes for your acting skills and wanted to come see you perform in person, but was stopped and chased away halfway here.” “Chased away? How could they be chased away? Where are they now? I’ll go find them right away.” Lily was extremely anxious. “She’s very angry now. Even if you go beg her, she won’t come. I’m afraid your audition is probably off.” The casting director sighed. Lily was even more regretful, “That’s not possible. I’m going to find her now. I’ll definitely impress her with my acting skills.” The casting director nodded, “Alright then, go find her.” He then gave Lily my room number. I ended the video call. After a while, there was a knock on the door. Here she comes. The knocking continued. I slowly went to open the door. When Lily saw it was me, she was naturally shocked. “Zinnia, it’s you again?” “I should be the one asking you that. What are you doing here?” I asked coldly with a sneer. Lily paused, looked at the room number, and after confirming several times, she looked at me in disbelief, “You… you’re here. Is there anyone else inside?” I raised an eyebrow, “Just me.” Lily turned around and slapped her assistant hard across the face. The assistant was stunned. Lily, however, turned back very calmly and gave me a slight smile. She spoke as if nothing had happened, “Miss White, if you’re still not satisfied, you can hit me yourself. I won’t stop you.” The assistant finally reacted and knelt down, “Miss White, I was wrong. I was blind and didn’t recognize you. Please forgive me this once, you’re a big person who doesn’t hold grudges against small people.” I gave her a chance, but she didn’t know how to take it. She can’t blame me now. Seeing that I wasn’t softening, Lily said again, “I will blacklist her from the entire industry. Is that enough?” I was very dissatisfied with her attitude. The assistant was just being arrogant because of her backing. How could she still try to distance herself? “Miss White, please give me a chance to live. I’m begging you.” The assistant pleaded tearfully. But I wasn’t moved by this. “Why are you begging me? Did I tell you to be arrogant and look down on people? Beg yourself.” I said, then looked at Lily, “Do you have anything else to say? If not, I’m closing the door.” I gave her one chance to apologize to me. It’s up to her whether she knows to cherish it or not. Lily narrowed her eyes slightly, “Zinnia, are you sure you want to go against me?” “…” Are actors so powerful nowadays? They dare to confront investors now. Does she think her backing is very powerful? Fine. I directly closed the door. Lily left. I received a call from Henry. On the phone, Henry said, “Zinnia, can we meet?” I asked with interest, “What’s the matter?” After two seconds of silence, Henry spoke again, “You’re the biggest investor in Lily’s new show. I hope you won’t make things difficult for her. The person who wronged you was me. You can come at me instead.” His words made me laugh, “What makes you think I would let you off?” Henry: “…” “Lily’s matter has nothing to do with you. It’s her own problem. Your first love doesn’t have very good character. I don’t care if others fall for her act, but she’s messed with me now, and I won’t indulge her.” I laid it out there. Henry paused again, “Zinnia, do you still love me?” “??” Did my ears stop working? “What did you say?” “I know you still love me. Everything you’re doing is because you can’t let go of me, so you want to take revenge on me…” “Didn’t you say you wanted to see me?” I interrupted Henry’s words, “Where? When?” Henry: “…” … The place where Henry and I met was in a very quiet club. I entered the private room, and Henry slowly stood up. Without a word, I went up and slapped him hard across the face. The sound of “slap” was crisp and loud. Henry was first incredulous, then his expression turned to anger. I smiled and asked him, “Are you angry? Do you want to hit me? You’re angry, you want to hit me, that’s because you still love me, so you want to take revenge on me.” Henry choked, his lips pressed tightly together. I sat down, “What did you want to tell me? You can say it now.” “Lily said you’re making things difficult for her. I said, if you have any dissatisfaction, you can come at me.” I looked up slightly, “I also said, I won’t let you off. Don’t be in a hurry.” “Are you sure you want to go against me?” Henry asked in a deep voice. “Go against you?” I couldn’t help but laugh, “No, no, you’ve got it wrong. I’m not going against you, Henry. I’m unilaterally crushing you.” Henry nodded, his voice still heavy, “Alright, Zinnia. Don’t blame me for not giving you a chance later.” 8 Although Henry and I left the club one after another, we were still photographed and quickly made it to the financial news section. That night when I returned to Caspian’s home, as soon as I entered, I saw him reading the newspaper. I went over to look, and there was such a large section about Henry and me. Looking at Caspian’s face, it was so dark it looked like the bottom of a pot. I quietly cleared my throat and sat down beside him, “The reporters only caught us going out one after another. They didn’t capture me slapping Henry inside.” Caspian scanned me, seeming to become interested, “You hit him?” I nodded. He half-believed, half-doubted, “Really?” I raised my hand, “Do you want me to demonstrate for you?” Caspian suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his arms, leaning down to kiss me. Is he sick? I pushed him away, “What are you doing?” “You’re shy?” Caspian seemed to be in a much better mood, smiling as he asked. I rolled my eyes, “Which eye of yours saw that I was shy? I just… I’m not used to it.” Although we’re married, I’m really not used to being so intimate and lovey-dovey with Caspian. It always feels a bit awkward. I’m more used to bantering with him. “Then we’ll get used to it with more kisses?” Caspian’s tone was matter-of-fact. “…” He put his arm around my shoulders, “Come on, tell your brother, what are your plans?” “What plans?” Caspian’s face instantly darkened, “Zinnia, you’re using a double standard. You’ve been going against me for so many years. I say one thing and you have ten things waiting for me. He cheated on you, and you’re not even getting revenge? Do you still have lingering feelings for him?” “Oh, you mean this.” I smiled, “What, do you have any good suggestions? Let’s hear them.” Caspian whispered something in my ear. My ear tickled, and I couldn’t help but shrink away a few times. But he’s really quite mischievous. However, I like this suggestion. “Alright, I’ll take your advice then.” “So how are you going to repay me?” He looked at me, his gaze gradually becoming heated. I vaguely sensed something changing in the atmosphere and couldn’t help but swallow. The next second, Caspian leaned in and kissed me. This time, I didn’t resist. … Just as Caspian said, Henry indeed invested to get resources for Lily. It was another movie. After I got the news, I immediately increased my investment, becoming the largest investor, and changed the female lead. When Henry found out, he threw in another 50 million. So I threw in another 100 million. After all, mine was money. Henry had limited funds and couldn’t compete with me in this bidding war. He withdrew his investment. He invested in another project, and even though it was kept confidential, I still had channels to get the information. I also withdrew my investment from the previous project and followed Henry to invest in his current project, determined to be the largest investor, then replace the female lead. When Henry withdrew his investment, I immediately withdrew mine too. After several rounds like this, Henry finally couldn’t hold back and found me again. “Zinnia, I said, if you have any issues, come at me. It has nothing to do with Lily!” “Alright then, I’ll come at you.” I’m really considerate, doing whatever he says. I really went after Henry. He invested in another project, and I pushed the funding to a peak before backing off. Henry invested three hundred million more in this project than he originally planned. Next, I was going to go after Henry’s company. Competing with him for projects. I have money anyway, and he’s spent all his liquid funds on getting resources for his dear Lily, so he has no more cash flow. In a few months, I had snatched three or four of Henry’s projects. My dad even started praising me. Actually, Caspian taught me these underhanded tactics. Caspian was very proud of this, smugly asking me, “Isn’t your husband smart?” Seeing how pleased he looked, I didn’t have the heart to burst his bubble, so I nodded. In fact, how is this smart? It’s clearly just being mean. 9 I got the latest news that Lily’s new show was cancelled due to lack of investment. Lily asked to meet me, wanting to know what it would take for me to let her off. I blinked innocently, “I never thought about letting you off. If you’re doing well, I’ll feel upset. You know, people shouldn’t get angry, especially women. Holding in anger is very bad for your health.” Lily took a deep breath and straightened her back, “You think this is enough to bring me down? I can completely quit the entertainment industry and be content as a rich man’s wife.” “Then why don’t you go be one and let me see?” I smiled slightly.

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My social-media-famous sister-in-law came to St. Grace Medical Center late in her pregnancy, demanding I deliver her baby. I rushed to prepare everything for her delivery. During labor, I suffered an allergic reaction to something I ate. The baby didn’t survive, and I thought it was my fault. She went live on TikTok and accused me of killing her baby. My husband, Ethan Rivers, publicly claimed I was just jealous of her online fame. The hospital fired me, saying I lacked professional ethics. The police cleared me of intentional harm, but my reputation was ruined. Wandering by the Chattahoochee River, heartbroken, Ethan revealed he’d framed me to be with Raina Ward, my sister-in-law. Then he pushed me into the river. When I opened my eyes, I had gone back in time to the day my mother-in-law begged me to help. I sidestepped her outstretched hand, my voice cold and firm. “I can’t.” …… Content “Nina, I’m begging you! Please, save your nephew.” “Have mercy; this old woman is on her knees for you.” The icy water of the Chattahoochee River stabbed through me, the suffocating fear forcing me to gasp for air. “Nina, say something!” The familiar voice jolted me. I instinctively looked up to see a wrinkled face. The sharp scent of disinfectant hit my nose. Was I in a hospital? No, I remembered being shoved into the river. I had died. Then it dawned on me—I had been reborn. I was back on the day my mother-in-law, Dorothy Rivers, had begged me to deliver Raina Ward’s baby. In my past life, I had fallen for this pitiful act. I worked tirelessly for my influencer sister-in-law, but during delivery, I had an allergic reaction. The baby was stillborn, and I became the target of everyone’s wrath. Ethan Rivers, my husband, told the media I had deliberately eaten something to provoke the allergy and create an excuse to kill the baby. Dorothy accused me of being jealous because I hadn’t conceived in our three years of marriage. Raina told her fans I nearly killed her during surgery. Followers on TikTok mobbed me online: “This woman is pure evil.” “Someone like her has no place being a doctor.” “She should die. Who knows how many more pregnant women she’ll kill out of jealousy?” No one listened to my explanations. The police investigated but found no evidence of foul play. Still, St. Grace Medical Center fired me for “ethical violations.” Numb, I wandered along the riverbank. That’s when Ethan told me he framed me to make his relationship with Raina legitimate. Then he shoved me into the river. “Mom, please get up.” I fought the bile rising in my throat and pretended to help Dorothy to her feet. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Raina. Let me call an ambulance to bring her to the hospital.” “No, Nina, we want her to give birth at home,” Dorothy protested, kneeling again, halfway through standing. “Mom, hospital policy forbids doctors from making house calls, and the hospital is safer, right?” Dorothy hesitated, but my firm refusal forced her to relent. Later, she brought me a container of shrimp and grits. “Nina, I heard from Ethan you didn’t eat much this morning, so I made this just for you,” she said as the rich smell of meat filled my office. Finally, I understood why I’d had that mysterious allergic reaction in my past life. That morning, I had only grabbed a Southern-style sausage biscuit. Ethan had gotten up early, cooked, and insisted I eat, but I had surgery scheduled and didn’t want to risk needing the bathroom, so I skipped it. The problem wasn’t Ethan’s breakfast—it was Dorothy’s shrimp and grits. I’m allergic to Cajun crawfish, though my symptoms are delayed, making the timing suspiciously perfect. In my past life, the symptoms hit right before Raina’s surgery. A shiver ran through me. What had I done to this family to make them conspire against me like this? “Fine, leave it there. I’ll have it later.” Dorothy reluctantly left, turning back repeatedly to remind me, “Nina, make sure you eat it!” I opened the container, took a small bite in her presence, and smiled.

In my past life, I had been so busy after a surgery that I didn’t notice Dorothy’s sudden shift to “caring mother-in-law.” I had thought it was genuine concern for Raina. Dorothy had treated me decently—until she found out I couldn’t have children. Then her attitude did a 180. What she didn’t know was that her beloved grandson wasn’t biologically hers—her son was the one who was infertile. “Thank you, Mom. It’s delicious,” I said, and she left satisfied. I finished the food and took an amoxicillin pill. I’m allergic to amoxicillin, and the reaction would serve as my excuse to bow out of the surgery. Soon, Raina arrived at the hospital, TikTok Live rolling as she waddled in. “Don’t worry, my lovelies. I won’t stop streaming while I’m in labor. My sister-in-law Nina will be delivering me. She’s, uh, strict, but I’m sure she’ll do fine.” She didn’t look like someone at death’s door as Dorothy had claimed. Raina’s glowing complexion and cheery chatter showed she was basking in the attention of her fans. Despite her enormous belly and unsteady stance, she was all smiles, chatting away to the camera. Someone with that determination could’ve done anything—why settle for a loser like Ethan? After we married, Ethan quit his job, claiming he wanted to “focus on family,” which really meant mooching off me. I cooked, cleaned, and paid all the bills. This morning’s rare breakfast from him had been part of a setup. Nina, what were you thinking marrying this man? Raina sat in front of me, and I began asking the routine questions. “How many weeks?” “Twenty-seven,” she answered. I eyed her near-full-term bump. “Are you sure?” “Of course! Nina, are you doubting Raina?” Dorothy interjected, nearly jumping out of her chair. Her hysteria confirmed my suspicion: Raina’s baby wasn’t Ethan’s. “I see, Mom. Don’t worry, I just asked because her belly looks different from others at this stage.” “What’s different? It’s not a girl, is it?” “No, no, probably just a big baby from eating too much during pregnancy. It could make delivery harder.” “Oh, thank goodness. Nina, don’t worry; Raina knows what she’s doing.” “Mom!” Raina interrupted, clearly annoyed. “I’ve just read a lot of books on the subject.” I ignored her and continued, “Have you given birth before?” Dorothy jumped in again, “No, she hasn’t!” Her eagerness to answer before Raina spoke made me suspect she was hiding something. “Mom, let Raina answer. Maybe you could wait outside. And, Raina—no live streaming in the delivery room, okay?” The viewers weren’t happy with my tone. “This doctor is so rude!” “Raina deserves better!” “She should be grateful Raina trusts her.” But I wasn’t going to let public opinion sway me this time. I scribbled some instructions and handed them over. “Alright, go for a checkup.” “Why?” Raina asked. “To check on the baby,” I replied, typing into my computer. “I don’t see any prenatal records for you, so we need to ensure everything’s fine before surgery.”

In my past life, I had believed Raina Ward’s words and ended up falling into her trap. I suspected that the baby inside her now was already a stillborn. Last time, she had injected herself with labor-inducing drugs right before going into the operating room. Only with our team’s frantic efforts had the baby been delivered—otherwise, both mother and child wouldn’t have survived. “Nina Woodson, what do you mean by this? Are you cursing Raina to have complications? What kind of doctor are you?” Dorothy Rivers shot up from her chair and pointed at me, her face red with anger. “Raina’s already in this state, and you still refuse to arrange the surgery?” Tears immediately welled up in Raina’s eyes, spilling over as if on cue. “Sister-in-law, I don’t know why you dislike me, but I’m holding on, supported only by the encouragement of my fans. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even have the strength to sit here and talk to you.” Her followers on TikTok erupted with rage. “What kind of doctor is this? Raina’s in pain, and she’s still stalling with tests?” “She’s just out to make money. A set of tests must cost thousands. Half of it’s probably going into her pocket!” “She’s scamming us live on TikTok! Imagine what shady things this hospital does behind the scenes.” “We have to stand up for Raina and expose this corruption to the world.” Raina’s phone pinged nonstop as gifts poured in from her followers. Even when some viewers pointed out that testing was standard procedure, their voices were drowned out by the mob focused on “justice.” Ethan Rivers arrived, storming into the room. He jabbed his finger toward me, furious. “Nina, you’re deliberately trying to harm Raina’s baby, aren’t you?” I opened my mouth to respond but quickly shut it. What was the point of reasoning with this group of idiots? It was a waste of time. “Brother, I need to use the restroom,” Raina said softly, tugging at Ethan’s sleeve. “Of course, let me help you,” he said tenderly, taking her hand as if she were the most precious thing in the world. The display was so nauseating I almost gagged. I couldn’t resist a snarky comment. “Wow, Ethan, you’re so attentive to Raina. Anyone watching would think that baby is yours.” The two froze mid-step, their backs stiffening. Ethan whipped around, glaring at me. “What nonsense are you spouting, Nina? She’s my sister!” Raina looked at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. “Brother, maybe you should stay away from me. I don’t want to upset Sister-in-law.” “Don’t pay attention to her, Raina. Come on, I’ll take you to the restroom,” Ethan said, leading her away. Dorothy didn’t follow them. Instead, she stayed behind, glaring at me like a hawk, likely afraid I’d leave the hospital or refuse to operate. Raina returned shortly, and I noticed her TikTok live stream had hit number one on the platform. The comment section was filled with hate for me and the hospital. Rumors spread like wildfire, and media outlets announced plans to cover the story. In my past life, this storm of controversy erupted after the stillbirth. This time, it was happening earlier. But I wasn’t going to let history repeat itself. I would make every single one of them pay for what they did to me. Ethan and Raina refused to get the tests done, demanding surgery immediately. I ignored them and focused on my phone. “Sister-in-law, my stomach hurts. I think I’m about to give birth,” Raina suddenly cried out, clutching her belly dramatically. As if on cue, my phone rang. It was Dr. Leonard Caldwell, the hospital director. “Nina, do you know what people are saying about us out there? You’d better get Raina into surgery right now.”

Oh, how could I have forgotten about Dr. Caldwell? Looking back, it made sense. Why was Raina allowed to livestream in the hospital without anyone stopping her? Why hadn’t the hospital stocked allergy medication? Why was I fired despite being cleared of any wrongdoing? Clearly, this was all Caldwell’s doing. But why he conspired with Ethan was still a mystery. “Dr. Caldwell, I don’t feel well. I ate the shrimp and grits my mother-in-law brought me this morning, and now I’m having a reaction. Could you send another doctor to handle this?” “Useless! I’m coming myself!” he barked before hanging up. Dorothy’s panicked expression didn’t escape me. I feigned weakness, holding my head. “Mom, did you put something unusual in the shrimp and grits? I’m feeling really unwell, like I’m having an allergic reaction.” “Mom!” Ethan hissed at her, his lips moving soundlessly. What he didn’t know was that I had studied lip-reading for years to better communicate with patients. “I told you to use less!” Dorothy slumped to the ground, playing the victim. “Oh, woe is me! I made you a meal out of kindness, and you accuse me of poisoning you? Do you just not want my grandbaby to live?” My back itched, and red welts began appearing on my arms. “Mom, did you add seafood this morning? I’m seriously allergic.” Dorothy and Ethan exchanged nervous glances, clearly rattled by how quickly my reaction was progressing. “That… that can’t be! How is it happening so fast?” Dorothy stammered, unable to control her words. Meanwhile, Raina doubled over in pain, unable to speak. I knew it wasn’t labor—her cervix wasn’t dilated. It was the labor-inducing drug kicking in. Raina’s fans softened slightly, seeing my visible reaction, but they still criticized me relentlessly. “She’s faking it.” “Raina’s mom seems clueless. Bet she thought cooking it longer would make it safe.” “What a mess! This hospital’s best doctor is out of commission. What now?” “Why isn’t another doctor stepping in?” I had a suspicion why. If no one else showed up, I’d be forced to operate despite my condition. If the baby died, the blame would fall squarely on me. Caldwell arrived in a flurry. He slapped me hard across the face. “What are you waiting for? Get her into surgery!” Dizzy from the allergic reaction and the slap, I struggled to keep my balance. “I… I’m having an allergic reaction,” I rasped. “Impossible!” Caldwell exclaimed, his face betraying genuine surprise before he quickly schooled his features. “Didn’t you take medication?” “I didn’t have time. Her family wouldn’t let me leave,” I said, glancing pointedly at Dorothy and Ethan. Caldwell shot them a glare of frustration, silently calling them incompetent. Then he turned to Raina with uncharacteristic concern. I suddenly understood. “Dr. Caldwell… I think I’m going to be sick.” I grabbed his arm tightly, digging my nails into his skin. “Find her bag!” Caldwell snapped. Ethan sprang into action, rummaging through my belongings until he pulled out a bottle of allergy medication. “Dr. Caldwell, I found it!” he announced triumphantly.

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My childhood friend’s girlfriend barged into my house and slapped me across the face. She even smashed my most expensive tea set. “Manly, you shameless homewrecker! Don’t you have a man of your own? How dare you flirt with someone else’s boyfriend in public? Have you no shame?” she screamed. After the misunderstanding was cleared up, she put on an innocent face and said, “I only did it because I care about Tyler so much! Manly, you won’t hold a grudge against me, will you?” I smiled and said, “Of course not!” I’m the type of person who gets even immediately. So I slapped her back and made her pay for the damages. A week later, she started trying to seduce my husband. It was the middle of the night, and Chris and I were both sound asleep when his phone suddenly rang. He was sleeping like a log, not moving even after I kicked him a few times. I reluctantly reached for the phone, answered it, and put it on speaker next to his ear. Chris mumbled a sleepy “Mmm.” I was also about to drift off again. Suddenly, a sweet girl’s voice came through: “Hello, Uncle Chris!” That voice was an instant wake-up call. I was wide awake in a second. “Uncle Chris, I’m on my period and feeling awful. Could you bring me some sanitary pads?” I turned on the light with a snap, and Chris shot up in bed the next second. He looked at me with terror in his eyes. He tried to grab the phone. I stopped him with a single glare. “Your uncle doesn’t know anything about these things! Come on, tell Auntie what you need! What brand do you like? Day or night use? With wings or without? Auntie will bring them to you!” There was silence on the other end of the line. After a while, the girl let out a light chuckle. “Oh, it’s Manly!” I finally recognized her voice. “Snow?” “Yes, it’s me. Good evening, Manly and Uncle Chris!” Chris and I looked at each other in disbelief. A moment ago, I was already planning where to bury Chris. But now, I was willing to believe in his moral integrity. After all, Snow was Tyler’s girlfriend. And Tyler was our childhood friend. “Have you been drinking?” I asked. Snow giggled, “Manly, you’re so sharp! No wonder even Uncle Chris is afraid of you at drinking parties!” Before I could figure out if there was any hidden meaning in her words, Snow changed the subject: “I was playing Truth or Dare with my friends. I lost, so I had to call Uncle Chris as a dare. Sorry, Manly, for disturbing you and Uncle Chris while you were sleeping. You won’t be mad at me, right?” I replied calmly, “Of course not! But calling Chris was quite a risky dare. After all, he’s a married man. If I hadn’t kept my temper in check and said something nasty, wouldn’t that have been embarrassing for you?” “Married man? Oh, I see. I learned something new. Well, I’ll keep that in mind, Manly! Alright, Manly and Uncle Chris, bye-bye!” The call ended abruptly. I didn’t even have time to respond before I was left stunned. It felt like something was stuck in my throat, and I couldn’t spit it out or swallow it. “Honey, are you okay?” Chris asked cautiously, looking at me. “Was she insulting me?” I asked with a dark expression. “Uh…” “It’s okay, don’t get upset!” Chris hugged me, trying to comfort me and calm me down. “She was just drunk and talking nonsense. Don’t pay attention to her!” I pushed Chris away, “I haven’t even asked you yet, why did she call you?” Chris swore to heaven, “I don’t know, I really don’t know! Look at my phone, I don’t even have her number saved. I’ve never contacted her before!” “You can check my call history if you don’t believe me. It’s completely clean!” I gave him a look and snatched his phone. He laughed helplessly, “You’re really going to check?” I snorted, “What? Are you afraid?” Chris sighed resignedly, “Fine, fine, check all you want!” I made a sound of disapproval and casually looked through the call history. There really weren’t any other calls. Then I was about to exit and check his WhatsApp. But Chris suddenly hesitated, “Uh, you want to check that too?” I immediately sensed something was off. “Chris!” Chris almost got down on his knees. “Look, check whatever you want! But honey, you have to believe me, no matter what you see… I absolutely didn’t do anything wrong! I swear, if I did anything to hurt you, may lightning strike me down!” I soon understood why Chris looked so scared! Compared to the empty call history, their chat window was quite lively. The most eye-catching thing was Snow’s nickname: S’s Snow. “Huh, S’s Snow? Your Snow?” I asked coldly. That’s right, Chris’s nickname was S, the first letter of his name. Chris used this nickname because we started dating in the summer. Chris put his hands together and looked at me pitifully. “Honey, it’s a misunderstanding, a coincidence, it has nothing to do with me, really!” I glared at him coldly and started checking the chat history. The most recent message was from yesterday: “Uncle Chris, I got some delicious ice cream. Should I bring one for you too?” Below was a selfie of Snow biting into an ice cream cone. To describe it in one word: seductive! Looking further up, three days ago: S’s Snow: “Uncle Chris, how long until you arrive?” S: “About ten minutes. You guys start eating, don’t wait for me.” S’s Snow: “Okay, okay. No rush, Uncle Chris. Drive safely!” S’s Snow: “Uncle Chris, can you bring me a bubble tea? The usual!” S: “OK.” S’s Snow: “Love you, muah!” Going back further, a week ago: S’s Snow: “Uncle Chris, be careful driving home alone. Let us know when you get home safely, don’t make us worry.” S: “OK.” S’s Snow: “Then get some rest early, Uncle Chris. Good night!” The earliest message: “Uncle Chris, I’m Snow. Looking forward to getting to know you better!” This screen full of “Uncle” made me almost forget what the word meant. “Chris, you’re a grown man. You’re not going to tell me you didn’t notice how clingy these messages are, are you?” The angrier I got, the calmer I became. Chris knew this. He stopped trying to make excuses. “I really didn’t notice at first.” “The first time Tyler brought her to have dinner with us, she insisted on adding us as friends, asking us to tell her embarrassing stories about Tyler. Frank and I couldn’t refuse, so I agreed.” “This first message was sent to both Frank and me in front of Tyler.” “The later chats, thinking about it now, might have been her own idea. But at the time, I really thought Tyler had asked her to send them.” “I always replied briefly when I had to, and didn’t respond at all when I could avoid it.” “It wasn’t until she sent me that selfie that I realized something was off. It was too flirtatious, so I ignored her!” “I was planning to find a chance to talk to Tyler about it…” But she stirred up a hornet’s nest with me first. “Honey, I was wrong. I’ll delete her right now!” “Wait!” I interrupted him. “Keep everything. Call Tyler!” “Why?” “We’re going to pick up his little girlfriend together.” I’m the type of person who gets even immediately, or I can’t sleep. Just like last time, when she slapped me, I slapped her back. A week ago, I had just returned from a business trip and hosted a small gathering at home. Frank and Olivia arrived early, and Tyler showed up shortly after. “Where’s your little girlfriend?” I asked. “She just got out of class. She’ll be here soon.” So we left the door open, waiting for her. Frank got bored and found a deck of cards, insisting that Chris play with him. Olivia was busy editing a video on her phone. Tyler pushed Chris aside and started brewing tea for me while discussing the design of his new house. He was the pickiest client I had ever met. Honestly, if he wasn’t a childhood friend, I would never have taken on his project. He shared a few ideas with me. The ideas were good, but I was exasperated! “Bro, it’s over budget! Really, there’s not enough money!” He waved his hand dismissively, “No problem, I’ll ask my dad.” I shook my head repeatedly, “No way, your dad told me not to listen to you!” “Then you can earn a little less!” “How about I pay you to do it?” I said sarcastically. “Really?” he asked eagerly. Just then, Snow burst in. Her footsteps were loud and forceful. “You…” Before Tyler could even stand up, she had already rushed in front of me. She raised her hand and slapped me across the face. “Slap!” Everyone was stunned, including me. It was the first time I had ever been hit. My ears were ringing. The next second, Snow started cursing, “Manly, you shameless homewrecker! Don’t you have a man of your own? How dare you flirt with someone else’s boyfriend in public? Have you no shame?” Chris rushed over and hugged me. His face was dark with anger, his eyes full of concern. “Does it hurt?” Olivia moved quickly, finding some ice from the fridge and wrapping it in a towel to press against my face. “Ouch!” Tyler was holding Snow back, but she was still trying to lunge at me. She struggled and cursed. The sweet little girl from before was now spewing the foulest language. “Enough! Everyone shut up!” Chris shouted. But Snow acted as if she had been greatly wronged, “You’re all protecting her, even though she’s the one behaving inappropriately. And you’re scolding me!” Saying this, she grabbed the tea set from the table and smashed it on the ground! “Stop!” “No!” “Ouch!” “Crash!” That crisp shattering sound wasn’t just the tea set, it was my heart. I stared blankly at the ground. Tyler roared, “Snow, have you had enough? What’s wrong with you?” But Snow? She burst into tears. Then she explained brokenly that when she came in, she saw Tyler and me hugging and kissing, which was why she got so angry. I laughed bitterly. Olivia commented from the side, “So, we’re all invisible?” “Let’s check the security footage,” I said. It’s better to have evidence than to argue pointlessly. After all, not everyone deserves a rational discussion. Facts speak louder than words. Snow fell silent. But she clearly had thick skin. She pitifully grabbed Tyler’s hand. “I’m sorry! But I only did it because I care about you so much! Manly, you won’t hold a grudge against me, will you?” Ha, moral blackmail? I nodded, “Of course not!” I never hold grudges. Because I always get even immediately. Taking advantage of everyone’s distraction, I stepped forward and slapped her across the face. “Slap!” “Whoa!” That was Olivia’s exclamation, enjoying the drama. Frank quickly covered her mouth. “You!” Snow glared at me fiercely. Tyler held her back. She was about to cry, but I stopped her. This was far from over! “The slap debt is settled. Now let’s talk about compensation!” Snow was stunned, “What compensation?” I pointed at the shattered pieces on the floor, “Original price was 12 , 000.

�� l l g i v e y o u a f r i e n d d i s c o u n t , 12,000.I ′ llgiveyouafrienddiscount,10,000!” “A few broken cups for $12,000? Are you crazy about money?” I raised my chin, “Ask your boyfriend. He knows the value.” After all, he’s the kind of person who would pay $8,000 for a single tea cup. Tyler nodded gravely. Snow’s eyes widened. “I don’t believe it. You’re all in this together, ganging up on me!” With that, she ran away crying. Her footsteps clearly showed her panic. In the end, Tyler wanted to give me the $12,000, but I didn’t take it. “When you two get married, I’ll put this on your tab.” I thought that if she behaved herself, I’d let it go. But if she caused trouble for me again, she’d better watch out. After all, as Olivia said, that slap of hers seemed too deliberate! Chris called Tyler. Tyler asked the million-dollar question: “So, I’ve been cheated on?” Chris gasped, “I’m a married man, don’t talk nonsense!” Both men fell silent. When we found Snow, she was crouching pitifully by the roadside. Seeing Tyler, she reached out her arms, “Hug me!” I winced and hissed. Chris asked me what was wrong. I said my tooth hurt! “Oh, Uncle Chris and Manly are here too. I’m sorry for causing you trouble!”

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While setting up the wedding bed, I found an unfamiliar stain on the sheets. Someone else had been staying in my townhouse! I couldn’t think straight and immediately video-called my fiancé. Unusually, he picked up right away. “The new bed is soft. I tested it for you.” The person on the video wasn’t Liam Prescott but his assistant, Sienna Vaughn. She smiled at me, sultry and smug. Alright then, I’m done with this man. Content “Where’s Liam? Get him on the phone.” TSienna Vaughn answered the video call. I froze for a moment but quickly regained my composure. Sienna glanced around, pretending to examine the room I was in. Then she smirked. “Oh, Miss Reese, you’re at the townhouse?” She leaned closer to the camera, her voice dripping with mockery. “The bed’s so soft. I tested it for you.” I felt the ground drop out from under me, my mind buzzing loudly. I glared at the woman on the screen, unable to speak for a moment. Sienna’s gaze shifted to the stained sheets, her tone oozing triumphantly. “The groom’s not bad either. I tested him, too.” I finally noticed her surroundings—a room at The Franklin Hotel. Suppressing my burning anger, I steadied my voice. “Where is Liam?” Sienna made a show of glancing off-camera, feigning hesitation. “Oh, Mr. Prescott? He’s working late and very busy.” Then I heard his voice—his all-too-familiar voice. “Sienna, come help me scrub my back.” I froze, my mouth opening and closing with no sound. “You just want me in there with you. You’re such a tease!” Sienna giggled as she tossed me a victorious look and hung up the call. All my strength drained from me, and I sank to the floor, overwhelmed by a mix of fury and heartbreak. I don’t know how long I sat there before I laughed bitterly, tossing the stained sheet into the dumpster. Tomorrow was supposed to be my wedding day. I was busy decorating the townhouse while Liam shared a bubble bath with his assistant. Sienna had aimed to ruin my wedding—and she succeeded. I texted Liam: “We’re done. The wedding is off.” A soiled bed I can replace. A filthy man? Never. I stared at the wedding-themed figurines of a couple kissing, dressed in bright red gowns and tuxedos, and threw them in the dumpster. Then, I smashed the framed wedding photo on the wall. One by one, I destroyed the decorations I’d lovingly prepared for the townhouse. Finally, I sent a mass message to all the guests canceling the wedding, powered down my phone, and returned to my parents’ home. That night, I drowned the memories of the past years in cheap whiskey and passed out in a haze. The following day, loud, frantic knocking woke me up. Standing at the door were Liam and his groomsmen, dressed to the nines in tailored suits, looking all smug and polished. Liam clutched a bouquet of roses, now crushed and falling apart. His expression was furious as he took in my unkempt, half-asleep state. “Delilah! Are you out of your mind?” His twisted, contorted face was so grotesque it almost made me laugh. That laugh pushed him over the edge. He threw the mangled bouquet to the ground, yelling, “Do you even realize what day it is? It’s our wedding day!”

Rubbing my temples, still groggy from my hangover, I snapped. “I told you I’m not marrying you. We’re done! Didn’t you understand the text?!” Liam’s bloodshot eyes flared with suppressed rage. Finally, he shut his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth. “Change your clothes and come with me. I’ll forget this ever happened, and I’ll forgive you. Just this once.” Forgive me? Did this man think I was desperate for him? That I couldn’t live without him? I glanced past him at the groomsmen, whose faces ranged from uncomfortable to entertained. “Liam Prescott! You’re the one who messed up. Are you here to talk about your relationship with Sienna Vaughn?” “Leave! We’re over. Understand?!” Liam froze for a second before his expression crumbled. The arrogance evaporated, replaced with a nervous, almost pleading tone. “You’ve got it wrong. This is my fault. I didn’t explain it to you properly.” “Do whatever you want to punish me later—yell, scream, whatever. But today’s our wedding. It’s the most important day of our lives. The guests are waiting for us. Let’s just go, please?” His fake sincerity was laughable. The way he suddenly switched tones—one second arrogant, the next groveling—was almost impressive. One of his friends, clearly feeling sorry for him, stepped forward. “Sis, today’s not the time for this. Get through the wedding, and then you can settle everything however you want.” Oh, Liam was trying to force my hand now? Fine. Let’s see who ends up regretting it. I nodded. “Alright. Wait here.” I washed up, wore a simple dress, and left the house. I waved him off when Liam asked about my hair, makeup, and gown. His frustration was visible, but he couldn’t stop me. Only William’s family and guests were present at the hotel. My friends and relatives had already received the cancellation message. The guests’ expressions turned from confusion to amusement when they saw me in casual attire. A few older women couldn’t resist commenting: “A wedding isn’t a time for tantrums, sweetie. Only Liam would tolerate this—anyone else would’ve called it off ages ago!” “That’s right. With so many guests here, why didn’t she call it off sooner if she didn’t want to marry him?” “Alright, alright, she’s here now. Let’s not make a scene.” Mrs. Prescott pulled me to the main table, her demeanor warm and welcoming. “We were so worried when we couldn’t reach you, Delilah. Did Liam upset you? Tell us, and we’ll sort him out.” Mr. Prescott chimed in, his voice kind and steady. “Yes, we’re all on your side here.” Liam’s parents were genuinely wonderful people. Marrying into their family would’ve been a dream—if only their son hadn’t been a cheating coward. I stayed silent, unsure of how to break it to them. Mrs. Prescott mistook my hesitation for a lingering grudge. She patted my hand gently. “Delilah, listen to me. Get dressed and made up first. I’ll make sure Liam apologizes properly later.” “Yes, let’s not ruin such a joyous day,” Mr. Prescott nodded. I sighed heavily, ready to explain the truth, when the heels clacking interrupted me. Sienna Vaughn strutted in, wearing a striking red gown that hugged her figure. Her makeup was flawless, a stark contrast to my bare face. “Am I late?” she asked sweetly, eyes locking onto mine with a pointed, provocative gleam. “Congratulations, Miss Reese. Happy wedding day.”

I smiled back, though it didn’t reach my eyes. Sienna Vaughn looked stunning in that red dress, almost like the bride. She waltzed over to the main table and casually sat in the seat meant for Liam Prescott. As she leaned down, a glint around her neck caught my eye. My chest tightened, and I stared. It was a diamond ring. Not just any ring—my ring. The one I had designed myself. It’s the only one like it in the world. Now, it hung around Sienna, the mistress’s neck. I couldn’t imagine what ring Liam would’ve handed me if my wedding had gone ahead. A cheap stand-in? Or had he planned to pluck this one right off her neck? Either way, the thought turned my stomach. Despite my efforts to stay composed, my nails dug into my palms as I fought the anger boiling inside. At that moment, Liam entered the room with the officiant. “Where’s the bride? Not wearing her gown? A red dress would work too—very pretty,” the officiant remarked approvingly, clearly mistaking Sienna for the bride. Sienna glanced at me, feigning surprise, and quickly waved her hands. “Oh, no, no! I’m not the bride! Miss Reese, don’t be upset.” Liam stormed over, his expression thunderous. “Why aren’t you dressed yet? Do you even care about our wedding?” He reached out to grab my arm, but Mrs. Prescott intervened, pulling him back. “Liam, speak to her properly! Don’t be so harsh.” Sienna jumped in, her voice syrupy sweet. “Miss Reese is just a little emotional. Liam, you should calm her down. We can’t let this ruin the wedding.” But Liam’s frustration only deepened. He turned to me and barked in front of the whole room, “Delilah, enough of this! Get changed now! Stop embarrassing yourself!” Sienna placed a soothing hand on his arm, murmuring, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you apologize to the guests. Everything will be fine.” I let out a bitter laugh. “Why don’t you just finish the wedding with him while you’re at it?” I was done pretending, and the time for quiet dignity had passed. Raising my voice so everyone could hear, I announced, “Sorry to make this such a spectacle, everyone. Please enjoy the food and drinks. But as of today, Liam Prescott and I are officially over. Consider yourselves witnesses.” Liam’s eyes burned with fury. “When are you going to stop this nonsense?” Sienna’s face contorted in mock alarm, her high heels clicking as she stomped in frustration. “Miss Reese, you’ve misunderstood! I was just trying to help manage the guests!” Her act was as transparent as a windowpane, and I crossed my arms, watching her smugly. “You weren’t just managing guests, were you? Didn’t you also manage the wedding bed?” Her smug grin faltered for a split second before she quickly recovered, tears welling in her eyes. “Miss Reese, I think you’re mistaken—” Slap! The little snake was a master of putting on an act, but I had no interest in arguing with her.

“Delilah, have you lost your mind?” Liam panicked, pulling Sienna into his arms as if to shield her. Sienna hadn’t expected me to slap her and froze, her large, teary eyes trembling like she’d just suffered the greatest injustice. Slowly, she leaned into Liam’s chest, her tears soaking his shirt. Liam glared at me as if he wanted to tear me apart. “Delilah, you’re nothing but a crazy shrew! What about you even compares to—” “Shut up, Liam!” Mr. Prescott yanked him back, cutting him off mid-sentence. Beside him, Mrs. Prescott stepped forward to pull Sienna away from Liam’s arms. “Miss Vaughn, this is a family matter. I’m afraid we’ll have to ask you to leave.” Sienna hesitated, glanced at Liam, and then turned to me with a slight, triumphant smirk before strolling out of the room in her heels. Liam wasn’t finished. “Are you happy now? You’ve turned our wedding into a circus! No man in his right mind would ever marry someone like you!” “Liam Prescott, shut your mouth!” Mrs. Prescott tried to intervene, grabbing his arm, but he shoved her away. “Mom, stay out of this! If this wedding is ruined, I’ll ensure she regrets it for the rest of her life!” Well, wasn’t that convenient? Because I was planning to teach him a lesson. I slammed my hand on the table, standing up. “You’re right. There won’t be a wedding. But the lesson? That’s coming from me.” Ignoring everyone’s shocked expressions, I strode toward the officiant standing awkwardly near the screen at the front of the room. “Miss Reese, uh… what do you need?” he stammered, inching aside as I walked past him to the computer. I plugged in my phone and transferred a video to the big screen. It played immediately. Sienna’s face filled the screen, smiling wickedly. Her voice echoed through the silent hall. “The groom’s not bad either. I tested him, too.” “Where’s Liam?” “Mr. Prescott? Oh, he’s working late. So busy.” “Sienna, come help me scrub my back.” “You just want me in there with you. You’re such a tease!” The video ended, leaving the room so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Slap! “Bastard!” Mr. Prescott’s hand came down hard on Liam’s face. He slumped back, his shoulders caving under the weight of disappointment. My chest ached as I watched. I had truly respected his parents, and ending things with Liam meant cutting ties with them, too. I faced the stunned crowd, my voice steady despite the storm in my chest. “Liam Prescott, who betrayed this wedding, wasn’t me. It was you—the man who defiled our wedding bed with his mistress.” “And that… mess you left behind? Do I need to spell out what it was? You’re disgusting.” I couldn’t hold back anymore. My voice cracked as the floodgates opened.

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