Category: English

On the eve of signing our marriage contract, I discovered my fiancé was hiding a girl. That day, I slammed the mafia marriage contract on the table and gave him two choices. Either tear up the contract, or send her to the asylum. Matteo Rossi smoked all night at the firing range, but ultimately picked up the pen and signed. Later at the wedding, a girl with scarred wrists suddenly rushed to the altar. “Matteo, my brother died for you, won’t you even give me this last bit of love?” The bouquet handed to me fell to the ground, and he only left me with a hurried back. I tore off my corsage and held down the Don’s hand. “If you walk out that door today, our marriage contract is void.” His footsteps paused, but he still left. … The wedding music stopped, and the guests’ whispers pierced my ears like needles. I froze at the altar, staring at the empty doorway. My parents walked up and draped a coat over my shoulders. “Elena, let’s go home.” I nodded and followed them down the aisle. Passing the Rossi family’s table, I stopped. The Donna grabbed my hand, her eyes red: “Elena, Matteo didn’t mean it, don’t blame him.” I pulled my hand away and bowed to them. “I am sorry.” After speaking, I didn’t linger and left the cathedral with my parents. That night, Matteo didn’t come back. The next day, neither. On the third night, he returned reeking of alcohol. He stood at the door, looking at me sitting on the sofa: “Why haven’t you slept?” I didn’t answer and pointed to a document on the table. “Read it.” He walked over and picked up the document. It was Sofia Conti’s involuntary commitment order. Because she self-harmed at the wedding and violated the Family’s code, she was sent to the mob sanitarium. “You did this?” he asked coldly. “It’s the rules,” I said flatly. He crumpled the document and smashed it to the floor: “Elena, she is just a patient, her brother died to save me, I owe her!” “What you owe her shouldn’t be paid by me.” “Can’t you be a little considerate of me?” I looked at him, suddenly feeling he was a stranger. We had known each other for ten years, and he had never spoken to me in this tone. I stood up and walked back to the bedroom. “Matteo, let’s separate for a while.” I closed the door, listening to him smashing things outside. Lying in bed, I was sleepless all night.

When I woke up the next day, Matteo was already gone. A note was left on the table. [I went to take care of Sofia.] I threw the note into the trash and went to the underground trauma center. I was the youngest neurosurgery director in the Family’s medical network. Today there was a highly difficult surgery. I stood for thirteen hours. Finally walking out of the operating room, I was almost too exhausted to stand. A colleague handed me a bottle of water: “Dr. Vargas, you broke the record again.” I smiled and said nothing. Returning to the office, I saw a thermos on the desk. It was delivered by Matteo. I opened it, and inside was my favorite squab soup. The soup was still warm. I put the lid back on and pushed it aside. My phone rang; it was a call from Matteo. I didn’t answer. He sent another message: “Did you drink the soup? Made it just for you.” I replied with one word. “Yes.” He replied quickly. “I’m sorry, I was impulsive yesterday.” “Elena, after all our years together, let’s not fall apart over this small matter.” I stared at that message and didn’t reply for a long time. At night, I returned to the Manhattan penthouse we prepared as our marital home. Someone was standing at the door. It was Sofia Conti. She was wearing a hospital gown, pale-faced, and looked at me timidly: “Dr. Vargas.” “Why are you here?” I asked. “Matteo brought me out.” She lowered her head: “He said the sanitarium is too depressing.” I took out my keys to open the door: “Do you need something?” “I… Can I come in and sit down?” “No.” I refused directly. She bit her lip and tears fell: “Dr. Vargas, I know you don’t like me, but I really have nowhere else to go.” “Matteo said he would take care of me, just like my brother took care of him.” “I just want… to have a home.” I looked at her, only finding it ridiculous: “Your home shouldn’t be my home.” I pushed the door open to go in, preparing to close it. She suddenly stuck her foot in the doorway and tumbled inside. Her forehead hit the doorframe and immediately turned red. “Ah!” she cried out in pain. Matteo rushed out from the elevator lobby. He shoved me aside and helped Sofia up. “Sofia, are you okay?” Sofia trembled in his arms, crying and shaking her head. Matteo looked up and glared at me: “Elena, do you have to be like this?” “Did I push her?” I asked. He didn’t speak, just held Sofia, his eyes full of disappointment. “She is my fallen friend’s sister, he died for me, she is homeless now, and her mental state is unstable.” “I just want her to stay here temporarily, is it that hard?” “This is our marital home.” I reminded him. “It’s just temporary!” he emphasized. I looked at him, unable to say a single word. He carried Sofia past me, walking into our home. Into our master bedroom.

Sofia moved into the master bedroom. Matteo didn’t leave that night; he also stayed in the master bedroom, claiming he was “afraid something might happen to her at night.” I locked myself in the guest room, listening to the low murmurs of comfort and sobbing from next door. The next day, I went to work as usual. Coming home after work, the house had changed. My favorite landscape painting in the living room was taken down and replaced with an oil painting. The orchids I grew for three years were gone, replaced by a pot of lucky bamboo. Sofia was wearing my nightgown, busy in the kitchen. Seeing me, she smiled somewhat embarrassedly. “Dr. Vargas, you’re back. I made dinner, I don’t know if it suits your taste.” I stared at the nightgown she was wearing. That was hand-sewn for me by my mother, and I had never even brought myself to wear it once. I walked over and pointed at the painting: “Who told you to touch that?” “It… it was Matteo.” She spoke timidly: “He said the landscape painting’s colors were too depressing, not good for my recovery.” “And the flowers?” “Also… also Matteo, he said orchids are too delicate, I wouldn’t know how to keep them alive.” I walked right up to her. “Take it off.” She froze: “What?” “Take off the nightgown you are wearing.” Her face instantly flushed red, tears welling in her eyes: “Dr. Vargas, I’m sorry, I just thought this dress was pretty… I didn’t mean anything else.” Matteo walked out of the bedroom. “Enough, Elena!” He walked to Sofia’s side and shielded her behind him. “It’s just a nightgown, is this really necessary?” “She likes it, just let her wear it. You have so many clothes, are you short of this one?” I looked at his self-righteous expression. The last bit of feeling I had for him in my heart was gone. “Matteo, make her leave.” “Impossible.” He answered categorically. “Fine, I’ll leave.” I turned and returned to my room, sorting out my treasured manuscripts and notes. I placed the manuscripts on the desk to start packing my luggage. Just as I turned around, Sofia walked in holding a glass of water. “Dr. Vargas, drink some water, don’t be angry anymore.” She handed the glass over. I didn’t take it. Her hand tilted, and the entire glass of water splashed over my notes. The water rapidly seeped into the paper. My brain buzzed loudly. I rushed over, grabbed the notebook, and desperately soaked up the water with tissues. But it was useless. The ink was already a blurred mess. I looked up at the panicked Sofia. She kept apologizing: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry Dr. Vargas, I didn’t mean to…” Matteo also came in. Seeing the scene, he frowned, pulled Sofia over, and checked her hands. “Did you get burned?” Sofia shook her head, crying even harder: “Matteo, I ruined Dr. Vargas’s things…” Matteo glanced at the soaked notebook. “Isn’t it just a book? I’ll buy you a new one.” He said indifferently: “Sofia didn’t do it on purpose, stop holding a grudge over it.” Holding the ruined notebook, my hands were trembling. That was left to me by my mentor. It was the only copy in the world. I looked at Matteo: “You’ll replace it?” “How will you replace it?” He choked on my question, looking a bit embarrassed. “Elena, stop being unreasonable.” I laughed. I threw the notebook on the floor, turned around, pulled out my suitcase, and began packing. Matteo stood at the door, watching me: “What are you throwing a tantrum about now?” “I said, I’m leaving.” I didn’t look back. “You’re running away from home over this little thing?” “Elena, can’t you be a bit more mature?” I ignored him and continued packing. Sofia cried softly on the side: “It’s all my fault, Matteo, don’t fight with Dr. Vargas…” Matteo sighed, walking over to comfort her. “It has nothing to do with you, she is just too childish.” I zipped up my suitcase and stood up. Walking past Matteo, I didn’t spare him a single glance. Reaching the door, I stopped. “Matteo, this is what you chose.” With that said, I pulled my suitcase and left the place I once thought would be my home. That was my first time walking out on him. Three days later, Matteo found the hotel I was staying at. He brought my favorite desserts and a beautifully wrapped notebook. “Elena, stop being angry, come home with me.” “I had someone restore that book, look, it’s as good as new.” I opened the notebook. The handwriting inside was forged, and many of the data didn’t match. I handed the notebook back to him: “Matteo, just go.” The smile on his face froze: “Elena, how long are you going to keep making a scene?” “I already sent her away, what more do you want?” “Can’t you stop blowing things out of proportion?” I looked at him. “I never blow things out of proportion.” I closed the door. He stood outside the door for a long time, but eventually walked away.

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The night I miscarried and nearly bled to death, I was trapped inside an apartment with the door bolted shut. And my godfather-turned-husband was at the hospital, kissing his mistress. He’d cut the water, the electricity, the phone line. He’d even tried to force me to kneel before Rowena and apologize. He called it a little lesson—because I, his “vicious wife,” had dared to compete with his mistress for his affection. But what he didn’t know was this: That night, he killed his only heir with his own hands. … … It was just past nine months into the pregnancy when a sharp, plummeting pain tore through my abdomen. My pants were already soaked through with dark red. Something was horribly wrong. I grabbed the bathroom doorframe for support and called out to Colby, who sat by the window. “Colby, I’m bleeding. Take me to the hospital.” He was on a phone call, brow furrowed, murmuring something in Italian. After he hung up, he walked straight to the entryway and picked up the hospital bag I’d packed for labor. “Rowena’s gone into labor. It’s an emergency. She’ll need these first.” I stared at him in disbelief. “I’m bleeding, Colby. Our baby might be coming!” He picked up my phone from the coffee table, slid it into his suit jacket along with the building access card. “Your due date isn’t for another two weeks. You heard me on the phone just now, didn’t you? This is another one of your pathetic little tricks to compete with Rowena. It’s cheap.” “Stay home. Don’t bother me.” Then the door slammed shut behind him, the deadbolt sliding into place with a sound that was dull and final. I dragged myself to the door, gripped the handle with both hands, and pressed down with everything I had. It didn’t budge. He’d locked it from the outside. Another contraction hit—the pain exploded from my lower spine outward—and then a warm rush of liquid coursed down my inner thighs, splattering against the oak floor. My water had broken. He’d taken my phone. Gritting my teeth, I crawled toward the landline on the side table by the couch—I remembered, I remembered there was still— The instant my fingertips touched the receiver, I saw it. The phone cord had been snipped cleanly from the jack. A neat cut. Deliberate. I had no time to process it. The contractions were coming closer together now, the stabbing pain blurring my vision. I slid down the wall inch by inch until I collapsed on the floor. Survival instinct drove me to summon one last breath and crawl toward the balcony. I shoved open the glass door. December night air rushed in, so cold it sent my entire body into spasms. We lived on the second floor. The balcony overlooked the apartment building’s parking lot. “Help! Is anyone there? Call an ambulance!” Nothing. Empty. Colby had reassigned every single bodyguard to protect Rowena—his mistress, about to give birth. No one answered my screams. Every avenue of outside help had been sealed shut. All I could do was stumble back inside. The baby seemed to sense the danger, kicking frantically, each strike sending white-hot pain through my organs, my vision going black in waves. Suddenly my knees buckled and I crashed to the floor beside the coffee table, my arm sweeping the crystal fruit bowl off the surface. Shards exploded across the floor, mingling with the blood pooling beneath me. A scene of utter devastation. The spike of sharper pain jolted a brief moment of clarity back into my mind. I cannot die here. My palm groped across the floor and closed around the sharpest piece of glass I could find. I have to find a way out. I have to save my baby. That’s when the red light on the ceiling-mounted surveillance camera blinked on. “Serena, are you done with this little tantrum?” Colby’s voice—low, cold, detached—ricocheted off the walls of the empty room, dripping with condescension. I tilted my head back and fixed my gaze on that blinking red dot. He actually had the leisure to check the home security feed. I raised my blood-soaked hand toward the lens, making sure he could see it clearly. “Colby, I’m bleeding. I really am going into labor. Please—save our baby…” “Cut the crap.” A scoff. Contemptuous and impatient. “This again.” “Last time you used red ink to fake bleeding. What is it this time? Food coloring?” “Rowena is in so much pain she’s about to pass out, and you’re holed up at home putting on this little sob show.” “Serena, you are truly a disappointment.” My body was convulsing with pain. I didn’t have the strength to argue. Watching the blood pool into a dark puddle beneath me, soaking through my nightgown, all I could do was beg. “Colby, for the sake of our child.” “Call me an ambulance.”

He was silent for two seconds. Then he sighed, his tone carrying a thread of exhaustion, as though my desperate plea was nothing more than a tired plot point in a bad soap opera. “I looked at your prenatal report before I left—the doctor’s notes in black and white say everything’s normal, and you’ve still got two weeks until your due date. You’re lying on the floor playing dead because you want to trick me into coming back from Rowena’s side.” “These little games of yours are pathetically juvenile.” I gasped for air, each word requiring every ounce of strength I had left. “My water… already broke… the baby will lose oxygen…” “Colby, this is your own flesh and blood.” Through the speaker came a rustle of movement—the friction of fabric, Rowena’s low moan, and Colby’s voice going suddenly, impossibly soft. “Rowena, is it hurting again? Don’t be scared, the doctor’s on his way.” After soothing her, he turned his attention back to the microphone. His tone shifted instantly from tender to cutting. “Serena, Rowena is an orphan. In this entire world, she has no one but me.” “And you? You already have the Donna title that everyone envies. Why do you insist on competing with a girl who has nothing?” “She borrowed your hospital bag—that’s all—and you pull this disgusting stunt to force me back.” “You’re rotten to the core.” My cheek pressed against the cold oak floor. Tears and cold sweat mixed together, splashing onto the back of my hand—warm yet desolate. I stopped looking at the camera. I clenched my jaw, braced my elbows against the floor, and began crawling toward the entryway. Glass shards pierced my palms, punctured the skin, embedded themselves in the flesh. I couldn’t feel the pain. Only one thought remained in my mind: Get out. Get out alive. I made it to the entryway, pushed myself upright, and smashed the largest piece of broken glass against the door lock. Time was precious. The agony had already drained me of any energy to search for a more suitable tool. The glass shattered on impact, the jagged edge slicing open the skin between my thumb and wrist. Blood sprayed onto the cream-colored wall. The lock didn’t budge. Colby’s voice came through the speaker again, barely containing his rage. “Serena! What are you doing! If you damage that door, there will be hell to pay when I get back!” I ignored him. With blood-soaked hands, I tore through the shoe cabinet. I vaguely remembered a spare key kept here. Colby’s housekeeper often locked a spare key in a hidden compartment at the very bottom of the shoe cabinet. He thought I didn’t know. If I could find the key, I could get out. I could survive. I dumped everything from the cabinet onto the floor, and finally—in a small tin box at the very bottom—my fingers closed around a cold brass key. I braced myself against the wall and stood, legs shaking, aligning the key with the lock. It wouldn’t go in. I leaned in close, squinting in the residual light from the hallway. The keyhole had been filled. Dried industrial-strength adhesive had sealed every millimeter of the gap. The lock cylinder was completely blocked. “Don’t waste your energy.” Colby’s voice carried a note of satisfaction. “You think I don’t know what a temper you have? Stubborn, impossible to control, always looking for a chance to bolt. I was afraid you’d use the opportunity to run out and cause trouble for Rowena.” “So before I left, I personally sealed the keyhole with Gorilla Glue.” “Serena, the rules are simple. All you need to do is be a good girl, admit you were wrong, and promise never to harass Rowena again. Once she delivers safely, I’ll come home and be with you. Understood?” I stood there, numb, listening to my husband’s calculated confession of attempted murder. My back slid down the door panel, my body sinking inch by inch. This wasn’t negligence. This wasn’t carelessness. This was premeditated. He meant to strip me of every right to survive. I tilted my head up and stared at the surveillance camera—its lens trained unflinchingly on my trembling body, like the barrel of a gun ready to fire. “Colby, let’s get a divorce.” The speaker went briefly silent. Then came the explosion. “Threatening me again! Serena, is this the only trick you know? You think saying ‘divorce’ will make me cave? What else can you do besides cry and throw tantrums!” I closed my eyes. I didn’t answer. The contractions stacked on top of each other, wave after wave, like someone was taking a dull blade to my body. Something was descending—heavy, unstoppable. I could feel it. “Colby Blackwell.” I called his full name one last time. “I don’t want you anymore.” When I said it, I didn’t cry. Then, very calmly, I raised the brass key—metal slicing through the air—and hurled it with perfect aim at the surveillance camera. The housing shattered on impact, the circuit board popped loose, the red indicator light flickered twice, and went permanently dark. The living room returned to silence. I lay in a pool of blood, gulping air that grew thinner by the second. And then, without warning, the darkness came.

Every light in the living room died in the same instant—the chandelier, the wall sconces, the motion-sensor nightlights in the hallway. Even the hum of the air conditioning and refrigerator cut off abruptly. “Ah—” The scream left my lips the same moment I understood. It was Colby. He’d used his phone’s smart home system to kill the apartment’s main power supply with a single tap. The only thing still functioning was a Bluetooth speaker, its ring of pale blue light glowing in the darkness. Colby’s voice emerged from that circle of blue. “Serena, since you insist on being ungrateful, you can sit in the dark and reflect on what you’ve done.” “When you’ve come to your senses and apologized, I’ll turn the lights back on.” “Don’t expect me to go soft. You brought all of this on yourself.” His voice was ice-cold, controlled. As though he’d completely forgotten that ever since his rival faction locked me in a warehouse for twenty-four hours three years ago, I’d developed nyctophobia. That day, he’d held me in his arms and promised that as long as he was with me, the lights in our home would never go dark. But now… Colby had apparently forgotten that promise entirely. Forgotten the wife he’d locked in the dark. I curled up on the floor, biting down hard on my lower lip, fighting the physiological terror. Blood was still leaving my body. The abdominal pain surged like a tide, each wave more brutal than the last, and with every crest, my consciousness blinked out for seconds at a time. I can’t give up. I can’t give up. The bathroom had scissors. Towels. If no one was coming to save me, I would have to deliver this baby myself. I forced myself to stay calm, feeling my way toward the bathroom in the dark. I crawled until my elbows and knees were raw and bleeding, and just as my fingertips brushed the bathroom doorframe, the bedroom television screen blazed to life. A video call had been force-cast onto the seventy-five-inch LCD. The sudden light illuminated the entire living room—and the long trail of dark red I’d left behind me. On screen, Rowena reclined against her hospital bed, complexion rosy, makeup flawless enough for a magazine cover. Colby sat on the edge of the bed, his arm around her, my hospital bag beside him. “Colby, is Serena mad at me?” Rowena’s voice was coy and aggrieved, each word pitched with just the right amount of a quiver. “I didn’t mean to take her things—it just came on so suddenly… Maybe you should go back and check on her. I can manage alone.” Colby pressed a tender kiss to the back of her hand. “Forget about her. She just can’t stand seeing me be good to you. The moment she notices I’m over here, she starts pulling stunts.” “She smashed the security camera at home. She’s probably in some corner breaking things and throwing a fit right now.” He turned to face the camera, his gaze turning razor-sharp. “Serena, look at how considerate Rowena is. How thoughtful.” “Now look at yourself—smashing things, lying, acting like a complete shrew.” “I’m warning you one last time.” His voice dropped low, the kind of quiet menace that needed no volume—like a warning issued to a traitor who’d tried to flee the organization. “If you dare make one more scene that upsets Rowena—” “Tomorrow I’ll cut off every penny funding your brother’s hospital stay. And you can watch him die.” My heart felt like an invisible fist had clenched around it. Ethan. My eighteen-year-old brother. After the car accident three months ago, he’d been lying in the ICU, kept alive by machines maintaining his most basic vital signs. He was my only remaining family in this world. And Colby knew it. He wielded Ethan like a noose suspended above my head, ready to tighten at any moment. On screen, the loving couple nestled together. And I lay in my own blood, watching this broadcast from the darkness. A violent wave of nausea churned in my stomach. “Colby Blackwell.” I screamed it with every last shred of strength. “You make me sick.” On screen, Rowena immediately shrank into Colby’s arms, her voice trembling. “Colby, Serena is so scary… my stomach hurts so much…” Colby’s face went iron-gray. “Serena, you’re asking for death.” “Since you love acting insane so much, you can stay in there and rot.” The video cut to black with a single click. Then came a hollow rumble from inside the walls—the sound of water flowing through the pipes vanished all at once. He hadn’t just cut the power. He’d remotely shut off the main water valve. I dragged myself to the sink and twisted the faucet. A few residual drops fell—plink, plink—and then nothing. No water. No electricity. No communication. He’d driven me into a dead end, then turned around to be with another woman while she gave birth. My back against the cold bathroom tile, I gasped for air. The blood beneath me had soaked through my entire nightgown, and the metallic smell filled the cramped bathroom, so thick it tasted sweet. The baby was getting quieter. The little feet that had been desperately kicking moments ago now only produced faint, intermittent squirms. “No… no…” I pressed both palms against my swollen belly, and the tears finally broke free. “Don’t be afraid.” “Mama will fight to the death to save you.” Gritting my teeth, I fumbled through the storage cabinet beneath the sink. My fingertips touched something cold and metallic—a pair of rusted scissors. This was my last tool.

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I was reborn. In my last life, the zombie virus destroyed everything. My husband, Mark, only cared about hiding out with his first love, Krystal, in our mansion. He locked me, pregnant and helpless, outside the door. He left me to be torn apart by a horde of zombies. Now that I’m back, I’ll use my father’s industrial park to hoard supplies and build a fortress that no one can break into. In the chaos of the coming apocalypse, I’m done with being naive and kind. Anyone who gets in my family’s way will be left to die. … One second, I was feeling the searing pain of my flesh being ripped from my bones. The next, I found myself back in the master bedroom Mark and I shared. The memory of being eaten alive was still fresh, and my head was splitting open. I instinctively reached out to steady myself on a tall figure next to me, but he violently shoved me away. “Jessica, that’s enough! You got the wedding you wanted, so start acting like it! Don’t you dare think you’ll get anything more from me!” I looked up at the sound of his voice and saw Mark’s handsome face, twisted with disgust. Without another word, he stormed out. I was… back? Fifteen days before the zombie outbreak? I’d been obsessed with Mark since we were kids. In my last life, a drunken night led to me getting pregnant with his child. He only married me because my father forced him to, and he hated me for it. To be with him, I put up with everything. I even looked the other way when I knew he was still messing around with Krystal. After we were married, I was nothing more than his full-time maid. He barely glanced at me, his pregnant wife, let alone took me to a single prenatal appointment. When the apocalypse began, he tricked me into going out, claiming we needed more supplies. It was just an excuse to get me out of the house so he could move Krystal in. When I came back, exhausted and loaded down with groceries, they had locked the doors. They left me outside to be eaten alive by zombies. The gut-wrenching pain is a feeling I’ll never forget. I felt my life draining away, along with the life of my unborn child. Now, I scanned the room. This was a huge, isolated mansion in an upscale suburban community. It was the largest property on the block. No wonder Mark was so desperate to kick me out and bring Krystal in. But wait. There had to be another secret about this house. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have risked coming back here. I searched every corner of the house, tapping on the walls. Finally, I found something strange behind the wall-mounted TV. There was a hidden emergency shelter. I went down the stairs and discovered a massive space. It was perfect for stockpiling supplies. And it was already half-full. Could it be? Did Mark know the zombie apocalypse was coming all along? It all suddenly made sense. That’s why he was willing to marry me, even though he hated my guts. He just wanted my family’s money to buy this house. My parents never liked him, but I was blinded by love. My dad finally caved and paid for the house, hoping Mark would treat me right after we were married. But he never gave me a second glance, not even as I was dying outside his door. I’ve seen how horrible the zombies are. I’ve felt it firsthand. Now that I have a second chance, I refuse to die a fool’s death again.

Seeing this underground space, I knew Mark had been preparing for a long time. And if he knew in advance, he was definitely keeping it from me. I had to act fast and build a real safe house for myself and my family. Mark’s mansion was isolated, but it was still in a rich neighborhood with too many people around. Once society collapsed, this place would become a target. It wasn’t safe at all. Then it hit me. My father owned a huge, abandoned industrial park dozens of miles outside the city. I remember questioning him about it, saying it was a bad investment. But my dad said that business wasn’t just about profit. He said buying the land helped the previous factory owner out of a tough spot. Who knew that piece of land would end up saving our entire family? It was far from the city, massive, and perfect for stockpiling a mountain of supplies. It was the ultimate location for an apocalyptic fortress. With a rough plan in mind, I drove straight to the industrial park. But when I got there, I realized it wouldn’t be so simple. The place was a wasteland, overgrown with weeds. The huge warehouses were old and falling apart, with leaky roofs that wouldn’t stand a chance against the horrors to come. Looking at the mess, I felt a wave of despair. That, combined with my morning sickness, made my stomach churn. I knew I couldn’t handle this alone. I drove straight to my parents’ house. The park was a wreck, and I had no idea how to renovate it, but I had a father who could get anything done. When I got home, I didn’t waste any time. I told them everything—about my rebirth and the coming zombie apocalypse. My parents were stunned for a long moment. But seeing how deadly serious I was, they fell silent and began to think. “Dad, Mom, you have to believe me!” I pleaded. In my last life, Mark didn’t just betray me. He also stole the credit card my father gave me, using our family’s fortune to buy his own supplies. Meanwhile, my parents were trapped in their city home. They starved to death. This time, I would not let history repeat itself. “It’s okay, Jessica. My poor daughter, you’ve suffered so much,” my mom said, her eyes telling me she believed every word. “Robert, you heard her!” My dad slammed his fist on the table. “I told you that son of a bitch Mark was no good! Why didn’t you tell me how much you were suffering?!” I said nothing. I knew how stupid I had been. “Alright, Robert, don’t blame her now,” my mom cut in. “The most important thing is to listen to Jessica. We need to start gathering supplies immediately. Survival is all that matters.” My eyes welled up with tears. The feeling of being eaten was still terrifyingly real, but I had no time to get emotional. I immediately laid out my plan to turn the industrial park into an “underground Noah’s Ark.” My father’s anger vanished. He took my rough sketches, glanced at them, and immediately called one of the top security construction firms in the city. “Dave? It’s Robert. I need a favor. I’ve got an industrial park that needs an urgent overhaul. That ‘off-grid survival’ design you mentioned to me once sounds a lot like what I need. Can you send a team to the site today?” “Money is not an issue. I care about quality and speed.” “Of course, Mr. Robert. We’ll see you on-site in an hour.” You can’t beat experience. My dad has been in the business world for decades; his connections and efficiency were second to none.

When we got to the industrial park, I showed the foreman, Dave, my sketches and list of requirements. He was incredibly efficient. His team generated a 3D model on their computer right there on the spot. Their process was seamless. My dad and I gave him a credit card with no spending limit. We gave him our list of required materials, from steel and concrete to solar panels, and laid out the exact zoning for each area. Most importantly, all exterior walls and security systems had to be built to the highest military-grade, blast-proof standards. “Dave, as long as you can meet all our requirements as quickly as possible, money is no object.” The foreman took the card, nodded seriously, and immediately got his crew and equipment moving. The workers started right away, tearing down the old asbestos panels and laying a new foundation. The whole place was a whirlwind of activity. My dad took the design plans and pointed to the sewage system. He told Dave, “Don’t connect this to the city’s grid. I want an independent biogas energy recycling system.” I immediately understood what my dad was thinking. Biogas could be used for electricity and heat. I quickly added that the construction company should dig a massive underground bunker in the farthest corner of the park. This would ensure we had enough storage space and a final escape route. My dad immediately called the head of the construction company and added a few hundred thousand dollars to the budget. He demanded they double the number of workers and run three shifts around the clock to get the job done in the shortest time possible. With my dad’s money backing us, things moved at lightning speed. We became their top priority. They brought in more workers, and their efficiency was astounding. Digging the bunker, reinforcing the warehouses, installing blast-proof doors—they didn’t miss a thing. In just a few days, the rundown industrial park was completely transformed. The most impressive part was the underground bunker. All the living quarters could be accessed through secret passages. Even though we already had three layers of protection on the surface, it was always good to have another way out. One day, the foreman, Dave, couldn’t hold back his curiosity. “Boss, this underground space is big enough to build an apartment complex. Do you really need it to be this large?” My dad was quick on his feet. “In business, you always have to plan for future expansion. Just securing the space in advance.” The workers nodded, not quite understanding, and went back to their work. The construction was on track. I showed my mom the shopping list. She frowned, crossed off some of my choices, and wrote a new, more professional list. The staples were replaced with vacuum-packed rice and flour that could be stored long-term, ordered by the hundreds of pounds. We were buying shipping containers full of compressed biscuits, military MREs, all kinds of canned goods, antibiotics, first-aid supplies, and toiletries. We also needed to buy tons of frozen chicken and pork, and hundreds of large freezers to store it all. “No, wait,” my mom said suddenly. “According to you, the power grid and internet will go down completely. We have to be prepared for everything. Go buy more chicks and feed. We have plenty of space, we can raise our own!” “Dad, Mom, thank you for trusting me without question. I need to go home for a bit so Mark doesn’t get suspicious about what we’re doing here.” “Silly girl! Be safe. Your mother and I will always have your back. Don’t worry about things here, we’ll stay in touch.” After returning to the house, I received the final design plans from the construction company on my phone. After a careful review, I told the crew to add another layer of steel plating to all interior and exterior walls. Our fortress was nearly surrounded by mountains, making it difficult for zombies to climb over. The entire park covered a huge area. Once completed, the outer perimeter would be the first line of defense. Inside, there were layers upon layers of protection, plus a double-layered dome and a natural air circulation system. We could survive normally even without external power and water. I was extremely satisfied with the overall design. There were still about two weeks left. Plenty of time. Just as I was feeling relieved after reviewing the plans, the front door of the house suddenly opened. Mark shouldn’t have been home at this hour. But the person who walked in was Krystal.

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Isabella Grey, Harbor City’s richest heiress, has one rule in relationships: she only keeps boyfriends for a month, never letting feelings get in the way. Men are lining up all over town to date her, and honestly, who can blame them? If you’re lucky, she might throw a villa your way. If not, a million-dollar breakup check is still yours. Everyone in Harbor City loves laughing at me behind my back. They call me the most pathetic kept husband in history, and they aren’t wrong. Everyone thinks I’ll just take it forever. Then Isabella brought home this college kid named Trevor Mason. He was completely average looking, nothing special about him at all. But somehow, he broke her one-month rule. She actually kept him around. One day, Isabella gave me two choices. Option one was to accept an open marriage and let Trevor have equal standing with me as her partner. Option two was to divorce her, take half her assets, and we’d call it even. Her friends were all standing around watching this go down, and I could see it on their faces. They were absolutely sure I’d pick the money and keep playing the fool. I didn’t even hesitate and took the divorce. See, in my past life, I chose to put up with it. I thought I was being smart and playing the long game. But Trevor just got worse and worse. He told Isabella she couldn’t touch me anymore. He told her she couldn’t have my kids. By the time we got old, I watched Trevor surrounded by his grandkids while I had nobody. And when Isabella finally died, her will didn’t even mention my name. Every single thing she owned went straight to Trevor. I spent my whole life being known as Isabella’s husband, but I ended up completely alone. This time around, I finally get it. Take the money and leave. Cut all ties with her and never look back.

I grab the divorce papers and read through everything carefully. Then I sign my name without hesitating. Isabella actually speaks up, and there’s this tension in her voice that she probably doesn’t even realize. “Caspian, you better be sure about this. Once you sign, there’s no going back.” My hand doesn’t stop. The pen glides across the paper in one smooth stroke. Signed. Done. “I’ll pack my stuff and get out of here today.” Regret? Not a chance. In my past life, I thought bringing Trevor home was just another twisted way for her to get back at me. I was naive enough to believe that after all those years together, she had to feel something for me. What a joke. She and Trevor had two kids within three years and stayed madly in love until they were old. Meanwhile, I was just this awkward piece of furniture in the house, embarrassed for half my life and laughed at for the other half. It wasn’t until we were old that I finally overheard her talking with Trevor in the hospital room. She told him that whole scene where I got “caught” cheating with the maid, the one who was half-dressed and everything, she’d arranged all of it herself. “I was just bored with him and didn’t want things to get too messy,” she said. Her eyes were clouded, not a hint of guilt in them. “So I set that whole thing up. That way, whatever I did after that looked totally justified.” So that’s how it was. No wonder every time I tried to explain, all I got from her was cold disbelief. She knew the truth the whole time. She didn’t love me, but she used that fake accusation to trap me for 50 years. She could’ve just made a clean break, but instead, she chose to torture me slowly until the day I died. I look up at her face now, young but just as cold as ever, and I don’t feel any love left. Just this churning hatred deep in my chest. She stares at the signed agreement like she can’t believe what she’s seeing, completely shocked. Outside the door, the sounds of people eavesdropping suddenly stop. The next second, my “wonderful” in-laws burst through the door looking absolutely thrilled. Isabella’s mother grabs Trevor’s hand and examines him from every angle, gushing the whole time. “Oh my, young people are just so much better! Look at how energetic he is!” Isabella’s father, who’s always looked at me like I’m dirt on his shoe, suddenly has this warm smile on his face. He shoots me a loaded glance and says, “Finally got rid of that dead weight. How many years has it been? Not even one grandkid to show for it.” Trevor lowers his head like he’s being modest. “Mr. Grey, don’t say that. I’m not that much younger than Mr. Wilde…” He pauses and his face turns red. “Actually, Belly is already a month pregnant. We just haven’t said anything because it’s still early.” I raise an eyebrow. Of course. Same passive-aggressive bullshit, same disgusting tone as always. The difference is, this time I don’t care anymore. For years, I worked myself to the bone at Grey Group during the day just to be a good husband. Then I came home at night and had to wait on these two demanding assholes hand and foot. I’m barely past thirty, but I already have gray hair at my temples. Yeah, I look old. I turn around and head to the bedroom to pack my pathetic little collection of belongings. I’m already thinking about where I should go first once I get my money, somewhere I can actually relax. I don’t notice Isabella following me inside. “It’s late. You don’t need to leave right now. Just go tomorrow,” she speaks softly. “That villa on the west side is still empty, right? You can stay there for now, and I’ll come visit you when I have time. “Caspian, I know you love me. Stop being stubborn.” She gently rests her hand on her flat stomach. “But I can’t stay married to you anymore. I can’t let my child be born with the stigma of being illegitimate.” I don’t respond. I just grab my suitcase, walk past her, and head straight for the door. “I’ve got nothing to say to you. I’m happy we’re getting divorced. If you actually have any conscience left, just hurry up and send me the money you owe me.” The night, wind hits my face and carries tiny snowflakes with it. It’s freezing and sharp, but it can’t put out the fire that’s burning hotter and hotter inside me.

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When I rushed to the hospital, my mother-in-law’s family was already on the brink of death. The doctor said this kind of venomous snake was extremely rare, and only my husband’s company had the special antivenom serum. I kept calling my husband, Trent Lester, but every call was rejected. When I pressed the dial button for like the hundredth time, he finally answered. “Tonight is Karen’s birthday. I’ll keep her company for one night. Stop calling me!” Worried about the people in the emergency room, I swallowed my questions and rushed to say, “Our parents and younger sister were bitten by snakes. The hospital doesn’t have antivenom for this kind of snake. Only your company has it. Hurry and bring the serum here!” Before I could finish, Trent impatiently interrupted me, his tone mocking and cold. “One dose of antivenom costs more than a hundred thousand. Bella, are you serious?” “Your family got bitten and you come to me for free antivenom? What do you take me for, a sucker?” “Leave me alone, alright?” He hung up mercilessly and blocked me. I sat there blankly in the hospital chair, unable to believe those words had come from my husband. A notification popped up on my phone. It was from a Chanel sales associate, informing me that my parents had ordered a birthday gift for me, a limited-edition bag worth tens of millions. And it had just been picked up by my husband. No need to guess. That bag was probably hanging on Karen’s arm. He had done such things before, stealing my things and giving them to his crush, Karen. Every time I objected, he would sneer. “You’re already married. Carrying such an expensive bag out to show off? No one will even pay attention to you. Let Karen have it. She’s negotiating deals lately.” “Don’t be so petty. Karen is like my own sister! If you love me, you should tolerate my concern for her.” Karen was at the very center of his world. Limited-edition bags were given to her at will. He brought her sports cars and luxury houses, one after another. He’d literally done everything he could for her. And I, his real wife, wasn’t even worth a few life-saving doses of medicines. How ridiculous. Just as I was typing a message to the Chanel sales associate, Trent posted on social media. “The most valuable bag, for the one I love most. Tonight belongs to us.” Karen soon followed with her own post. “Your medicine didn’t just save my family-it saved my heart.” The photo showed the two of them cuddling intimately. Karen had my bag on her shoulder and held the special antivenom serum in her hand, smiling radiantly. My anger surged, and I nearly fainted with rage. Trent was truly heartless. To satisfy Karen, he spent money without hesitation, yet he ignored his own family! The doors of the emergency room slowly opened, and the doctor walked out. I hurried over. “Please give me a little more time. I’ll definitely get the medicine as soon as possible.” The doctor shook his head and removed his mask. “There’s no need. The patients no longer have vital signs. Please accept our condolences.”

My nose stung, and pain filled my heart. Just two hours ago, they were still laughing and chatting. In the blink of an eye, they had become five ice-cold corpses lying in the hospital, while their son was still enjoying himself outside. He was a total dick. I forced back my tears and sent a message to the sales associate. “I haven’t been to the store to pick up the bag. It must have been fraudulently claimed by someone else. Please call the police immediately.” The doctor said the venomous snake that bit my mother-in-law’s family was almost extinct in the country. That’s why the hospital didn’t have any antivenom. It was a strange coincidence. A venomous snake rare in the country got into my mother-in-law’s family tent. And five people died at once. The police took the case very seriously and launched an investigation right away. It didn’t take long to find out that someone had bought venomous snakes in bulk online and released them. The suspects turned out to be Karen’s parents. However, Trent actually tried to save them. When he learned the truth, he would go mad. The police explained to me, “Ma’am, although we’ve established the facts, these two suspects are currently undergoing emergency treatment in the hospital. So we can’t bring them in for questioning yet.” I replied expressionlessly, “They were also bitten by snakes, but the poison has already been neutralized.” “It won’t affect your interrogation. You can go over right now.” The police looked at me again, clearly puzzled by how I knew this. But seeing my exhausted expression, they didn’t ask further questions. “Rest assured, we will thoroughly investigate and give you an explanation.” After the police left, I filed a lawsuit on my phone. A sudden call interrupted me. Trent was furious and said, “Bella, are you deliberately causing trouble? I’m your husband. Can’t I help you pick up your bag?” “And you even called the police? Were you bitten by a venomous snake too? Is something wrong with you?” His rapid-fire accusations and curses showed no concern at all for how I felt at this moment. I said coldly, “That doesn’t make sense, because I never saw that bag at all. You said you picked it up for me. Fine. Then tell me, where is the bag now?” Trent fell silent. After a long stalemate, his tone softened, and he changed tactics. “You and I have been married for so long. Why be so calculating? Isn’t it all marital property anyway?” “Karen wanted a limited-edition bag. There’s only one in the domestic boutiques. Today happens to be her birthday. I just wanted to make her happy.” “It suits her perfectly when she carries it. I’ll tell her it’s from you. Don’t be so petty.” He was utterly shameless. I shot back, “How dare you say that? Why don’t you spend your own money to buy it for her? Damn bastard!” Trent froze for a moment, his voice full of disbelief. “What did you just say? Are you crazy?” In the past, I would have spare his pride and been very careful with my words. Looking back now, there was no need for that. I didn’t want to give him a chance to argue. I snapped, “If you’re even human, hurry to the hospital morgue and see the stupid thing you’ve done!” “They’re already dead. Me going there won’t bring them back! It’s such an auspicious day. Don’t bring bad luck on me!” Trent roared angrily, then added, “Don’t cremate their bodies yet. See if they can be sent to my company to be used as cadavers for teaching.” “Karen’s parents had an accident. She’s crying nonstop. I’m gonna stay with her first.” The call ended, and I laughed. So he thought it was my biological parents who had died. I had originally planned to let his parents be laid to rest as soon as possible. Now, I directly ordered five large freezers. Just as Trent wished, I had his entire family brought out of the morgue and sent to his company in a freight truck.

After a whole morning of chaos, I had just gotten home and was about to take a nap. But Trent rushed in and slapped me across the face. “Karen cried so hard she was about to pass out! Her parents just came out of the operating room, and you actually sued them. Do you have any humanity at all?” Covering my burning cheek, I sneered. “At least they’re still alive. Didn’t you give them all the remaining serum? The people bitten to death by the snakes they released are still lying in freezers, unable to rest in peace!” Trent’s eyes flickered as he craned his neck and yelled at me, “That serum is mine. I can give it to whoever I want! Your parents were crazy enough to insist on going camping in a park. Death was just their fate!” “Karen’s parents have already been taken in for questioning at the hospital because of this. Your whole family is dead. Can’t you show a little consideration for the living?” “Maybe your parents being bitten to death is the retribution for how vicious you are!” The more he spoke, the more self-righteous he became. “They’re elderly people. How could you bear to send them to prison? They didn’t mean to do it!” “Maybe your parents were destined to face this calamity. If not snake bites, they would’ve died some other way!” “Now that your entire family is gone, I’m the only one you can rely on in the future. Don’t be ungrateful.” Seeing that my expression remained cold and that I wasn’t persuaded at all, Trent softened his tone. “Bella, I know you’re in pain. But the dead can’t come back. The living still have to go on with their lives.” “Karen is kind-hearted and willing to compensate you fifty thousand. I’ll chip in as well. Let’s make it one million for you. That’s enough, right?” He spoke so calmly as if nobody had died. Five living, breathing lives were worth only one million in their eyes. Trent had been doted on by his parents since childhood. Thinking about how he would react when he opened the freezers and saw his parents inside, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “What are you laughing at?” Trent frowned. “Stop acting crazy. Say something.” “Fine.” I wiped away the tears and held up the payment QR code on my phone. “Transfer it to me now.” “Received a transfer of 1,000,000 dollars.” Karen put in fifty thousand. The remaining nine hundred and fifty thousand that Trent covered for her was probably all the liquid cash his company could scrape together. Seeing that I’d taken the money, Trent’s expression turned smug. “I’ll be straight with you. This morning, I issued a letter of forgiveness in your name as your spouse. Karen’s parents have long been cleared.” “You should thank Karen for being soft-hearted. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even have this one million in compensation. As for the bag, go explain it to the officer and say you made a false police report. Don’t let them bother Karen anymore.” I sneered, took the divorce agreement I had prepared that morning from the bedside table, and slammed it in front of him. “Sign it. Return my bag, and we can call it even. Otherwise, I won’t let you go.” “Just for this, you want a divorce?” Trent’s face was full of anger. He was reluctant to lose my father’s connections. But he then remembered that my family was already dead. And Karen had cried to him yesterday, saying she wanted someone to rely on. Gritting his teeth, Trent quickly signed his name. He threw the divorce agreement back into my arms and turned to leave. I called out to him. I checked his signature carefully to make sure there were no mistakes. Only then did I say calmly, “Trent, even though we’re divorced, there’s still a one-month cooling-off period. After all, we were husband and wife. Let’s go to your company together and see your parents one last time.” “I’ve already followed your instructions and sent them to your company to be used as cadavers for teaching.” Hearing that I had sent them to the company, the coldness on Trent’s face finally eased a little.

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The bedroom smelled like betrayal. Sex and stale smoke. Liam didn’t panic. He just sat there, arm around Bella, checking his watch like I was late for an appointment. “If you’re going to vomit, do it outside,” he said. “I’ll call the cleaners.” I stood frozen in the doorway of what was supposed to be our wedding suite. The man who swore to protect me was looking at me like I was a glitch in his software. Red lipstick. Black lace. The sheets we picked out together. “Get out, Sarah.” My legs wouldn’t move. Bella giggled. Twenty-two years old, influencer-perfect, wrapped in my fiancé like a designer accessory. The next morning, I heard him muttering in the kitchen. Not to himself. To *It*. “Algorithm, suspend the Sarah Protocol.” His voice was cold, mechanical. “Pause it for a year. I want to focus on Bella. Full optimization.” A voice materialized in my head—robotic, inevitable, like an automated message you can’t skip. **[REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGED. WARNING: SUSPENSION WILL RESULT IN PERMANENT DATA LOSS FOR SUBJECT.]** He didn’t care. He didn’t know that “data loss” meant my love. The Interface turned to me. An invisible prompt waiting for a command. **[DO YOU ACCEPT TERMINATION?]** I was frying eggs when it happened. My hand slipped. Hot oil splashed across my palm. I gasped. “Is breakfast ready yet? You’re being so slow…” Liam was urging me on, because his little secretary had already arrived at her workstation, waiting for the loving breakfast he had made with his own hands. But how could the busy President Carter have time? I, his actual girlfriend, had somehow become a helper for their love affair. I felt resentful, tears hitting the floor. With a spatula, I cut the fried eggs into pieces, turned off the heat, dumped out the water, and slammed the kitchen door. The man in the living room holding a jewelry box startled, frowning at me. “What’s your problem?!” My throat felt dry. After a long while, I choked out: “I burned myself.” He impatiently dropped what he was holding and came over perfunctorily. “Such a small injury, stop being so dramatic!” As he spoke, he pulled burn ointment from the drawer, his movements irritable. I watched his fingers moving in circles, suddenly remembering the video my friend had sent me. Bella had frowned from the pain of a blood draw, and he had been so heartbroken he cried, kissing her hand in public to comfort her, not caring about the onlookers. But my casual complaint had become a burden in his eyes. “Done! If you don’t want to make breakfast, then don’t. Don’t hurt yourself trying to win sympathy, Sarah. I’m busy!” I lowered my head and pressed my lips together. Busy caring about Bella’s menstrual cycle timing, busy discussing wedding details, busy transferring most of his assets before I found out. Indeed, very busy. The door slammed. The air still carried traces of Bella’s perfume. Liam’s phone on the table buzzed. I looked up, and the Chat contact name “Sweetheart” pierced my heart like a thorn. He found it troublesome and never gave me a contact name. Once, when I changed my username, he didn’t message me for three days. When I finally got angry, he replied matter-of-factly: “You changed your name, so I couldn’t find you!” Back then, I was madly in love with him, truly blaming all the problems on myself, trying to please and apologize. From then on, I kept the same name and profile picture for many years. But now it seemed his bottom line was only set for me. The phone buzzed again. Possessed, I picked it up. The password was easy to guess—Bella’s birthday. It used to be mine, then he changed it to hers. Even Liam’s habit with lovers was the same. “Honey! Have you arrived yet? I’m starving to death!” Three angry emojis in a row. “Also, tell Sarah not to toast the bread too long! It hurts my throat when I eat it!” She added another line, and my eyes grew hot. With trembling hands, I scrolled up. Every complaint and grumble from Bella had a reply. “The weather’s bad today.” Liam replied: “Having me who loves you is enough.” “Met a cute cat downstairs.” Liam replied: “How cute? Cuter than you?” Those simple sweet nothings were pipe dreams for me—after all, nowadays even a reply from him felt like charity. The Algorithm saw I hadn’t spoken for a long time, just kept crying, and prompted again. **[Does the conquest target agree to terminate the relationship? Once…]** “Agree!” My response was firm. I was too tired of living like this. I didn’t want to consider everything for Liam anymore, having to mind his schedule even when getting angry. Didn’t want to be what others called a desperate woman who couldn’t keep her man but refused to leave. Even more, didn’t want to become Liam’s last resort after he’d had his fill of fun. He was supposed to be conquering me, but in the end, I’d become the pathetic one. **[Conquest target agrees. All feelings will be purged within seven days.]** My chest ached, and I collapsed to the floor. The sound of the door opening. Liam grabbed his phone from the table. His eyes fell on the emojis, smiling sweetly, but he didn’t spare a single glance for me curled up on the floor.

When I woke up again, it was already dark. I looked up at the photo in the corner and felt surprisingly little emotion. The fried eggs in the pot had swollen from soaking, just like my relationship with Liam—unrecognizable. The first day I met Liam, a Algorithm appeared in my mind. It told me that the nervous boy in front of me, who was trembling when he spoke, wanted to successfully conquer me. I didn’t understand and asked what “conquest” meant. **[Conquest means making you fall in love with him!]** The Algorithm’s response scared me terribly, so I knocked the candy out of the boy’s hand, scattering it on the ground, and fled in panic. My mother fell in love with my father, but in the end, he beat her so badly in domestic violence that he broke three of her ribs. I just wanted to live safely. Loving someone was too dangerous for me. But Liam did everything possible to resolve all my concerns. When my parents’ divorce got violent, he kicked down the door and took me away from that suffocating home. When classmates bullied me, he took a stick and fought a gang of thugs alone, getting beaten until his head bled. Later, I was dumped at my grandmother’s place in the countryside, almost forced to marry an old bachelor. Liam drove a broken biker and brought me out from the mountains. So falling in love with him seemed to become natural. And he continued to be good to me year after year. He took care of all three meals a day and all the housework. He used his meager wages to support us both. When a crooked boss scammed him out of every penny, he would only hide outside and cry, never bringing any negative emotions to me. I became a useless person who couldn’t do anything as long as Liam was around. Everyone said that Sarah meeting Liam was the luck of several lifetimes. I believed this in my heart too. Until Bella appeared. She was twenty-two then, fresh out of college, lively and bright. Liam and I had already stumbled our way to twenty-seven. We had lost the vitality of youth. All our love was hidden in the thick clothes prepared when it got cold. I thought gentle warmth was happiness, but I forgot. When Liam and I first fell in love, we loved intensely too. He started habitually going on business trips, forgetting our anniversaries. His bag had cute sticky notes and plush toys. When I found them while cleaning, he dismissively threw them in the trash, muttering in annoyance. “That new secretary really doesn’t know the rules. I’ll fire her tomorrow…” But Bella stayed by his side just fine for three years, and the things he’d thrown in the trash, he secretly retrieved late at night. Later, his favoritism became more and more obvious. On Valentine’s Day, the bracelet he gave me was a free gift that came with Bella’s present. Intimate photos posted on social media: “Little troublemaker insisted I post this. Guess I’m learning to document life like young people!” The tone was indulgent. Many mutual friends replied below. “Liam, you’re not old at all! An age gap is perfect!” “She makes trouble, he smiles—I ship it!!” … Only one comment stood out awkwardly: “Did you block Sarah from seeing this?” Three minutes later when I refreshed, I could no longer see that post. There was even a period when he put me on his blacklist, only removing me when he needed me. I confronted him, crying until I was hoarse. He just replied impatiently: “I’m really busy lately. Weiwei told me to block people unrelated to work. It improves efficiency!” Seeing my red eyes, he sighed heavily and transferred me 100,000 yuan. “Is this compensation enough?” The door slammed. I collapsed on the sofa. The transfer notification on my phone burned my heart. Liam, when have I ever been with you for money? But that question fell in the empty house with no answer.

Three days later, I was already frequently forgetting about Liam. Bella had added me on WeChat at some point, and her feed full of wedding preparations looked exactly like showing off. **[Today my honey showed me the wedding dress he designed himself. It’s really beautiful!]** I looked at the picture. That wedding dress was Liam’s graduation project from his design school days, created during the most passionate time of our love. That wedding dress that embodied all our feelings ended up being worn by the mistress. How ridiculous. I actually laughed, my heart still aching densely, just not as heart-wrenchingly as before. I couldn’t help but feel grateful that the Algorithm could control my emotions. But even so, the bitterness and joy that Liam had brought me in those memories still made me choke up. A moment later, another social media update popped up. **[Wedding gift! Making you both a husband and a father at the same time!]** The ultrasound image clearly showed that Bella was already three months pregnant. That barely-formed fetus was like a harsh slap across my face. The calm I’d achieved through self-comfort instantly crumbled. I clenched my phone screen tightly, my right hand trembling, wanting to look closer, to see more clearly. But tears poured out uncontrollably. Through my blurred vision, I broke down sobbing. No wonder! No wonder Liam suddenly requested to temporarily terminate the conquest relationship. No wonder he’d been secretly transferring assets. My stomach suddenly churned. I rushed to the sink and dry-heaved, but nothing came up. After a long while, I looked at my wretched self in the mirror—face pale white, hair plastered to my face, swollen eyes no longer looking like they once did. Why? Why should I suffer alone? I picked up my phone and, without hesitation, screenshot that social media post and sent it to the alumni group chat. **[Congratulations, Boss Carter, on becoming a father.]** The tone was flat, but it shocked the group into instant silence. I didn’t know what waves that message caused, but I figured it must have had quite an impact on Bella. Otherwise, Liam wouldn’t have rushed over from the company in just half an hour, seething with rage. “Sarah, what do you mean by this?” “How is Weiwei supposed to hold her head up after you posted that photo in the group?! A girl’s reputation is so important! Why are you so vicious?!” He slapped our photo, shattering it. I looked at the man’s twisted face and couldn’t find a trace of how he used to be. “Don’t most people in that group already know about your relationship?” “What are you still pretending for?” I picked up the fallen photo, glanced at it, felt annoyed, and tore it to shreds right in front of Liam. His surging anger stopped for a moment. Suddenly, he slapped the scraps out of my hands. “What are you doing?!” He glared at me, his eyes full of incomprehension. “I’ll handle this. Why do you have to make such a scene?!” My chest ached terribly. His “handling” meant giving the wedding he’d promised me to Bella, or using the wedding dress he’d designed for me as a love token for his mistress? I couldn’t even ask. After a long while, I looked up at him. “Do you still love me?” He froze, his fingertips curling, hesitation flashing in his eyes. I waved my hand: “Never mind. If you don’t love me, then you don’t. Soon, I won’t love you either.” As I said this, I looked down, the pain in my chest reaching its peak. Tears pooled in my eyes. I took a sharp breath to keep them from falling. “Sarah, you’re not a twenty-year-old girl anymore. This tantrum will only make me annoyed!” His tone was cold and hard, as if certain I was just being stubborn. He probably never knew that the Algorithm agreed to his request because I had agreed too. Our relationship—he was the one who gave it up first.

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Today was my daughter’s one hundred days’ celebration. It should have been perfect. Until the ‘dead man’ showed up at my gate… My former fiancé… “Eva, darling. I’m back!” Holt Ashford. The Beta who’d faked his own death on our wedding day three years ago to run off with his hooker Omega mistress Willow. And now he was standing on my doorstep like he’d just returned from a pleasant vacation. “Willow and I’ve done,” he climbed the steps without invitation. “Do you miss me, honey?” Did he just— Did this motherfucker just say that? How did he dare be this shamless? “I know the fake death thing was… unfortunate,” His tone suggesting he was discussing a minor social faux pas. “But really, Eva, you’re an Alpha female. A few rumors about being cursed? That’s nothing. Willow, on the other hand—she was a hooker and an omega. I ruined her reputation. I had to marry her.” My temples throbbed. He spoke of his past mistakes and betrayal so casually? Mother fucker! I’d loved him once. Stupidly, naively loved him. Then on our wedding day, he’d “died.” Dropped dead right before he could mark me. The same night, Willow—the most famous courtesan in Silvermoon City—had hanged herself, leaving a note: “I wish to be the west wind, forever in your embrace.” The scandal had been immediate. Brutal. I was the cursed Alpha Princess. The mate-killer. The monster who’d destroyed true love. Father had dissolved the engagement. Three months later, my father had arranged a new match… Alpha Jasper. War hero. Orphan. Alpha blood. My True Mate… My true love. “You mourned me for three years. Very touching, really.” He smiled like he was bestowing a great honor. “I even heard you adopted a pup to continue my bloodline. So loyal. So devoted.” Wow! Was he high? Was he actually fucking high right now? “Don’t worry,” Moving closer. “You’ll be my Chosen Second Mate—equal to Willow, of course. I’ll treat you both fairly. You can even manage the household finances.” Three years ago, this man had shattered my heart. I’d mourned him. Cursed myself. Believed I’d somehow caused his death. Now? Now I felt absolutely nothing. “Get. Him. Out. Now.” My voice came out flat. Cold. The Alpha command rippled through the air—not loud, but unmistakable. If my present husband Alpha Jasper sees this Beta on our doorstep, he’s going to lose his shit. Holt didn’t move. Worse—he smiled?

“You’re so beautiful when you’re angry.” I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly detached a retina. “Look, I get it. You’re upset. We’ll have a proper ceremony in seven days. I’ll make it up to you.” He actually winked. “Holt.” I kept my voice level, though my wolf was snarling. “What makes you think I’ve been waiting for you?” “Father already arranged another match for me. I’m married. I have a daughter!” Then he laughed. “Who would marry a woman still in love with another man?” He looked genuinely pitying. “Maybe some desperate Gamma trying to climb the social ladder married you, but I know you. You’re too proud to actually… consummate anything. You’re saving yourself for me.” I must have been blind three years ago to fall for this delusional Beta!! “The pup,” Holt continued. “I know you adopted her to give me an heir. How thoughtful.” My jaw clenched. “And I’ve been watching, Eva. Princesses of other packs move into their estates after marriage. But you? You’ve been living here alone, waiting at Mountain Moon Estate. Waiting for me.” I’m going to have an aneurysm. “Your Alpha father is ill. And your Alpha brother Dominic has no heir. But I’m virile, strong. If you give him a son to adopt, think of the political advantage—” “Holt.” I cut him off. “How many times do I have to say this? You died. I got married. I have a daughter. My own daughter. And I’m not giving her to anyone!” I wanted to laugh. “Eva.” Holt’s voice dropped to what he probably thought was seductive. “You’re still so bold. Flirting with me in broad daylight.” “Go home. Get your wedding dress prepared. Seven days. We’ll have a proper ceremony.” “Close the gate!” I ordered. The gate slammed shut with a satisfying crash. Outside, Holt’s laughter echoed. “Still throwing tantrums! So adorable!” The whole situation was absurd. Infuriating. — [In the afternoon] My mate. My Alpha. My husband. Jasper was a Alpha male through and through—all muscle and intensity, with a possessive streak a mile wide. He was gentle with me, patient with our daughter Pearl, deadly to everyone else. And when he got jealous? He’d “punish” me while he was fucking me on the bed. Thoroughly. Just thinking about it made me tremble… His huge penis… But my husband seemed don’t know this… He’d planned an outing—Stellar Restaurant had new menu items, and he’d reserved a private booth on the second floor. Unfortunately, right as we reached the restaurant, his Gamma arrived with some urgent matter. “Go ahead,” Jasper said, kissing my forehead. “Order whatever you want. I’ll join you soon.” I entered Stellar Restaurant alone. And immediately heard a familiar, insufferable voice from the second floor. “Stalking me AGAIN?” I looked up. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me?! Holt Ashford stood at the top of the stairs. “Really, Eva. I said I’d marry you. You don’t need to follow me everywhere.” He descended the stairs, shaking his head. “The fake death thing won’t happen again. I promise.” I turned to leave… Holt followed me into the private booth.

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After I returned to the company from a six-month business trip, the lunch my housekeeper brought me had been stolen seven days in a row. Today, I saw my husband’s newly hired assistant trying to take my lunch again. I grabbed it back without hesitation. But I didn’t expect her to start cursing at me. “Who the hell are you? I can have you fired with a single word.” I didn’t respond. She shoved me without warning. “Listen up, this company belongs to my husband. You should be honored that I like your food.” “Better learn your place. Go buy me some snacks now.” I nearly laughed at how absurd she sounded. I’ve never seen such a self-righteous person. I immediately called my husband, Chris Green. “Chris, is your new wife so poor she can’t even afford a meal?” I had just hung up when the assistant grabbed my collar and started shouting insults. “Everyone knows that here. Gifts from home or takeouts, you have to offer me a share first!” “This lunch of yours is obviously homemade. You should be honored, not so petty!” I was so furious I almost laughed. I’ve never seen such a shameless person. As she spoke, she reached out again to snatch the lunch box from my hands. Her tone grew even more arrogant. “You must be new, right? You don’t know who I am?” “Let me tell you, Mr. Green is my husband. This whole company belongs to me. Who do you think you are, daring to offend me?” “Let go.” My voice turned cold. It was ridiculous. How could Chris allow such a parasite to grow inside his own company? She was actually stealing employees’ lunches? How did she even get hired? My calmness made her angrier. Her grip on my collar tightened as she shoved me against the wall. “Let go? You don’t understand human language? I’m eating this lunch today, and if you know what’s good for you…” Before she could finish, I grabbed her arm and applied a bit of force. She screamed. “You fucking dare touch me?” Her face twisted in pain. “I’m Mr. Green’s wife. Touch me, and he will make sure you’ll be kicked out of Shorecity!” The employees gathered around when they saw this. I naturally assumed they were being exploited too and had come to confront this assistant with me. But instead, their faces were full of flattery. “Karen helps us handle so much work every day. What’s wrong with eating your lunch?” “Exactly. Newcomers who don’t know the rules do need some lessons.” “Everyone knows Karen under Mr. Green. Offering her things is an unspoken rule here.” “What’s wrong with you? Karen eating your lunch means she thinks highly of you. This newcomer really doesn’t know her place.” With people backing her up, Karen didn’t forget to threaten me even while baring her teeth in pain. “Did you hear that? Everyone in the company knows this. Hurry up and apologize, then respectfully hand over the food. Otherwise, you’ll be kicked out!” I scanned those bootlicking faces and felt confused. I’d only been gone for half a year. How had Chris let the company’s culture rot like this? He had always been strict. Once, a department manager was scolded so badly that he resigned on the spot just for having an employee pick up takeout for him. It seemed this assistant had been abusing her power while Chris was away. I looked at Karen’s smug face and sneered. “So what if I don’t give you my lunch?” As soon as she heard that, Karen raised her hand and slapped me. There was a sharp crack. Half my face instantly burned and went numb. I reacted quickly, grabbed her wrist, and slammed her against the wall. Her head hit the wall and she screamed in pain. “How dare you! You actually hit me?” I sidestepped, lifted my leg, and kicked into her knee. With just a bit of force, she staggered and dropped to her knees. That completely enraged her. “Someone come here! Teach this crazy woman a lesson!” Several burly men in black suits rushed over. Karen pointed at me and shouted, “It’s her! She dared to defy me. Break her legs if you have to!” The bodyguards reached out to grab me. I frowned and stopped them. “Stop! You’re Chris’s people? You don’t even recognize me anymore?” They paused, clearly finding me familiar. Hesitation showed on their faces. I shook free of their hands. “I’m Chris’s legal wife. Don’t you know who you should be listening to?” Before I could finish speaking, Karen suddenly laughed. “Legal wife? What the fuck are you talking about? Everyone in the company knows I’m with Chris!” She pointed at the two bodyguards and said, “They were personally assigned by Chris to protect me. Who the hell are you?” The bodyguards exchanged a look, as if they had thought of something. They reached for me again. “Mr. Green gave instructions. Karen’s safety comes first. Anyone who interferes with her doesn’t deserve mercy.” Someone suddenly kicked me hard in the back. I stumbled forward and fell to the ground. The food spilled everywhere from the lunch box. Before I could push myself up, the two bodyguards pinned my shoulders from either side. Their knees pressed hard into my back. Looking down at me, Karen said, “How dare you pretend to be Chris’s wife? Today I’ll show you who really runs things here!” She raised her hand and slapped me again and again. The sound echoed down the hallway, mixed with the sharp intakes of breath from the surrounding employees. Half my face quickly swelled. Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth, and the metallic taste filled my mouth. “Stubborn, huh?” The slapping continued. “Do you know you were wrong yet?” I was pinned down and couldn’t move. I could only grit my teeth. “Keep hitting her. Beat her until she gives in.” With the order given, the bodyguards continued to beat me. “Stop hitting my mommy!”

I jerked my head to the side and saw Elsa being dragged by Eric. Her small body struggled desperately forward. “Elsa!” I wanted to tell her not to come over. But the moment I opened my mouth, the taste of blood surged up my throat. “They’re bad people! They’re bullying my mommy!” Karen was startled by the sudden disturbance. The viciousness in her eyes deepened. “Where did this little brat come from? You dare meddle in my business?” Elsa had never been shouted at like this before. She trembled in fear, yet still craned her neck and shouted back, “You’re a bad person. You stole our food and hit my mommy!” “You’re asking for it!” Being talked back to by a child humiliated her even further. She lifted her foot and kicked toward her. Eric reacted quickly and shielded Elsa behind him. He took the blow himself and bent over with a muffled groan. “This is Mr. Green’s daughter. How dare you?” “Mr. Green’s daughter?” Karen laughed as if she had heard the biggest joke. She reached out to grab Elsa. “I think she’s just some bastard. How dare you pretend to be Mr. Green’s child? Get lost!” Elsa was frightened by her ferocious expression and burst into tears. She clung tightly to my arm and refused to let go. “Let go of my mommy! If you hit my mommy again, I’ll ask Daddy to fire you!” “You still dare to mention Chris?” Karen raised her hand and swung it toward Elsa’s face. “Get away from her!” I suddenly threw off the bodyguards pinning me down. They hadn’t expected me to still have the strength to fight back. They stumbled back a couple of steps. As I lunged forward, Karen’s hand had already landed on Elsa’s arm. It didn’t hit her face, but it shoved her so hard she staggered. “Elsa!” I pulled my daughter into my arms. The wounds on my back screamed in pain, but I held her tightly and refused to let go. She was shaking all over, but she still asked me carefully, “Mommy, does it hurt? They’re bad people. I’ll tell Daddy!” “You little bastard! How dare you bite me?” Elsa had left teeth marks on Karen while struggling. Karen was livid, her face twisted as she kicked toward the back of my knee. “So ill-mannered! You got it from your mother?” Holding Elsa, I twisted aside to dodge. My knee buckled and I nearly collapsed. “Karen.” I looked up. Half my face was swollen and numb. “If you touch my daughter again today, I’ll make sure you get serious punishment.” She was startled by the viciousness in my eyes. Then she sneered. “You think you can scare me? Useless trash who got beaten to the ground still dares to threaten me? I think you’ve been beaten stupid!” As she spoke, she reached out again to grab Elsa. “Where did this bastard come from? Get her out of here!” I shot to my feet and shielded Elsa tightly in my arms. Veins bulged on my forehead. “She is Chris’s daughter. Don’t you dare touch her again!” Karen burst out laughing. “Chris’s daughter? How come I’ve never heard he has such a bastard?” She stepped closer, her gaze sweeping over the trembling Elsa. “Since you failed to educate her properly, I’ll teach her how to behave for you.” “Drag her away. Teach her some manners!” The bodyguards hesitated for a moment. In the end, they still reached toward Elsa in my arms. Seeing this, Eric stomped his feet in panic and rushed forward to stop them. Another bodyguard roughly pinned his shoulder. “Stay down!” Eric stumbled into the wall and let out a painful groan. He still roared, “You can’t touch Elsa! Mr. Green won’t let you off!” Karen stepped on the hand I was using to protect Elsa and ground it under her heel. “I make the rules here! Today I’m not only going to slap the kid, but also make you watch her cry!” She shouted at the bodyguards, “What are you standing around for? Do it!” My daughter was on the verge of tears. “Mommy…” At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded from outside the door. “What’s all this noise about?”

It was Chris. He strode quickly to Karen’s side, his face full of concern. “What happened? Are you hurt?” Karen shook her head. She looked aggrieved. “I was just caring about the employees. I was curious about what she was eating. I didn’t expect her to say I wasn’t worthy of knowing…” Chris turned to look at me and frowned. “Rachel, can’t you stop making trouble for me?” He spoke with clear impatience in his voice. “You’ve only been back from a six-month business trip for one day and you’re already causing trouble. Do you think the company is too peaceful, so you have to stir things up before you’re satisfied?” My arms tightened around Elsa. “She was the one who stole…” “Enough.” He raised his hand and cut me off. “I don’t care who’s at fault. The whole company is watching a joke right now.” “Look at yourself. You’re fighting like a shrew, and you even brought your kid here to make things worse. You’re not ashamed, but I am.” “Daddy, that’s not…” Elsa tried to explain, but he silenced her with a glare. “This isn’t your place to speak.” Chris’s gaze fell back on me. “You’re nothing but trouble. You’ve always been this way. I’m already exhausted dealing with company matters. Can’t you behave yourself for once?” He pointed at the red mark on Karen’s arm. “Karen is a high-priced talent I hired. And you went straight to using violence. If anything happened to her, could you afford the consequences?” “Chris, can you get your facts straight? She stole my lunch and even called Elsa a bastard…” I clenched my fists. My heart went completely cold. “It’s just food. You should be honored that she wanted your lunch.” Chris let out a mocking laugh. “I know you were the one making a scene first.” “Rachel, no matter what you do, you still reek of small-time thinking. No wonder you’ll never amount to anything.” Small-time thinking? I laughed. He had stayed in a position of power for too long and had forgotten what kind of charity case he used to be. Elsa was shaking as she cried. “Daddy, how can you say that about Mommy…” “Don’t call me Daddy!” Chris shouted coldly. “I don’t want a daughter as ill-mannered as you. Leave now. Stop being an eyesore here!” I looked at the man in front of me, who felt utterly unfamiliar. My heart finally turned to ice. After I went on my business trip, Chris said he was busy with work and sent Elsa to stay with my parents. In just half a year, he had not only forgotten me. He was even this heartless to our own daughter. “Chris, you really are something.” Looking at the impatience written all over Chris’s face, I suddenly laughed. I said, picking Elsa up. “Fine. Since I’m such an eyesore to you, I quit.” Chris raised an eyebrow, as if he had heard a joke. “You think quitting will solve the problem? Rachel, do you think this is child’s play?” “Not just that.” I stared straight into his eyes and spoke slowly, word by word. “Chris, we’re getting a divorce.” The moment those words fell, the surroundings went completely silent. Even the smugness on Karen’s face froze for a split second as she looked at Chris. She seemed to realize, in shock, that I really was Chris’s wife. I thought he would at least hesitate. He didn’t. He only frowned and said, “Fine. If that’s what you want.” He noticed Karen’s gaze and reached out to straighten her collar. “Yeah, she is my wife, well, she was. From now on, I only want you.” Then he looked back at me. “You can resign, but you’ll have to pay the breach-of-contract penalty. And Karen was frightened today. So you still have to pay the compensation for emotional distress.” He seemed to think of something and then said, “Well, you can just transfer that riverside villa you own in Shorecity to Karen’s name. That will cover both amounts.” Karen’s eyes lit up instantly. She might not know the villa’s exact value, but the words “Shorecity riverside” alone were enough to make her excited. She immediately hooked her arm around Chris’s and looked at me provocatively. “Chris, you’re the best!” I raised an eyebrow and turned to my housekeeper. “Eric, call my father’s assistant. Tell him to bring over the property deed for the Riverplex villa. The sooner, the better.” Eric froze for a moment, then nodded. “Alright.” There was a hint of coldness in the way he looked at Chris. “Seems you really don’t know who you’re living off. Your good days are probably coming to an end.” Chris’s expression shifted slightly. He clearly hadn’t expected me to agree so readily. That villa was my premarital property, worth nearly a hundred million. He had assumed I would argue or feel heartache. He hadn’t expected this. His tone tightened. “Rachel, stop pretending to be generous here! Do you think I don’t know that villa is your only…” I smiled. Whether it was my only property would become clear soon enough. They waited for about ten minutes. When no one showed up, impatience crept in. “Rachel, did you even ask anyone to deliver the property deed? Are you deliberately stalling so you can call the police?” Karen immediately chimed in. “I don’t think she has it. Maybe that villa was mortgaged long ago. She’s just putting on a brave front here!” She stepped closer. “Doesn’t that make sense? A gold digger like you, dumped by her husband, probably won’t even have money for food tomorrow.” The employees around us started whispering again. Some were sympathetic. Some were contemptuous. Most were watching the spectacle with schadenfreude. “Stop wasting our time.” Chris took out his phone. “Since you refuse to compensate, let’s call the police. Let them judge what punishment someone who disrupts company order and assaults others should receive.” I stood there holding Elsa. I didn’t even lift my eyelids. “What’s the rush? They’re on their way.” “Still acting tough?” Karen sneered and reached out to grab my phone. “I think you’re just playing us. Today I’ll make sure you…” At that moment, a fleet of black Rolls-Royces pulled up neatly in front of the company. Several men in suits stepped out and opened the doors respectfully. When Elsa saw who it was, her eyes lit up. “Grandpa!”

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After two months away on business, I returned to find my office transformed into a playground for my assistant’s son. Every important document had been turned into drawing paper—the walls, the desk, nothing was spared. I went to confront my wife, but she was the one who got angry. “You’re a grown man picking a fight with a child? Can you be any more petty?” “Do you have any idea how hard it is for Ryan, working while raising a kid as a single father?” I tried to explain, but she cut me off right there, stripped me of my position, and gave my office to Ryan. That evening, Ryan posted on Instagram—a photo of Victoria’s back as she sat at a parent-teacher conference. “Finally found Tyler the mom he deserves. ❤️” I smiled and left a comment. “You three make the perfect family. That’s what matters most.” The next day, Victoria had Ryan take over my key clients. I announced my divorce on the spot. Walking out, I sent a text to my father: “Pull all Westfall investments from VictoriaTech.” I turned off my phone and collapsed on the couch, lighting a cigarette. Five years of marriage. Five years of my parents hoping for grandchildren. But I knew Victoria didn’t like kids—she hated them, actually. I’d fought with my parents countless times because of it. After enough arguments, they’d given up and accepted that the Hayes bloodline would end with me. But today shattered everything I thought I knew. My phone rang. It was Victoria. Was she calling to apologize? Part of me wondered if my comment had been too harsh. But the moment I answered, her voice came through dripping with fury. “Ethan Hayes, has your brain been kicked by a donkey or eaten by a dog? So what if I went to Tyler’s parent-teacher conference?” “Delete that comment and apologize to Ryan right now, or you’ll regret it!” She slammed the phone down before I could respond. My hand froze around the phone. I hadn’t expected an apology—but I definitely hadn’t expected her to call and tear into me. She was playing mother to another man’s child. What right did she have to yell at me? A sharp pain lanced through my stomach. Years of business dinners and drinking had given me chronic gastric bleeding. I checked the time—today was my hospital follow-up appointment. Victoria had promised to come with me. But now… she was probably still busy being a mother to her perfect new son. Cold sweat broke out across my forehead. The pain was making my vision darken. My phone suddenly vibrated non-stop. Ryan had posted in the company group chat. “@Ethan Hayes, I feel terrible about the misunderstanding today. Tyler’s young and didn’t know better—he probably made a mess in your office playing around. I know those files were important. You have every right to be upset. It’s my fault for being a single dad, trying to juggle work and childcare—I just couldn’t keep an eye on him properly. That Instagram post didn’t mean anything bad. I was just thanking Victoria for taking care of Tyler. I used the wrong words and caused this misunderstanding. If you’re still angry, take it out on me. Don’t let this damage your relationship with Victoria.” What a textbook guilt-trip performance. The pain in my stomach made it hard to hold my phone. Before I could respond, Victoria replied almost instantly. “Ryan, you don’t need to apologize. I’m the one who said Tyler could stay in Ethan’s office. Those files are important, but are they more important than a child’s happiness and a single father’s struggles? Drop the petty attitude. This office situation is over. Anyone who brings it up again is crossing me.” With the boss taking that stance, all the yes-men employees jumped in to condemn my pettiness and defend Ryan. Everyone knew Ryan was Victoria’s golden boy now. Who cared about a CEO’s husband in name only? I didn’t bother watching the show unfold. I exited the chat, grabbed my car keys, and headed to the hospital. The stabbing pain eased somewhat during the drive. One of the company employees called me. I frowned but answered anyway. “Ethan Hayes, Ryan has a client dinner tonight but something came up. Victoria says you need to go immediately.” A junior employee calling me by my full name, dropping even the courtesy of “Mr. Hayes.” I laughed bitterly. The lapdog barks when the master points. “I’m not available.” My voice was flat, emotionless. The caller clearly hadn’t expected a refusal. “Victoria said if you don’t go, don’t bother coming back.” “Oh?” I let out a soft acknowledgment. “That’s what Victoria said?” “Yes!” The employee thought they had me scared. “Victoria herself said it! If you don’t go, you’re fired! If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get over there right—” “Perfect.” I cut them off. “Tell Victoria for me…” I paused. “I quit.” I hung up without hesitation. Instant silence. As I stumbled along the wall toward the registration desk, clutching my stomach— A commotion erupted in the hospital lobby. “You quack! What kind of doctor are you? My son’s head is killing him and you examine him for half an hour just to say nothing’s wrong?” It was Victoria.

She was glaring at a middle-aged doctor in glasses who looked exhausted. I’d never seen her this unhinged before. My feet stopped dead, like they’d been nailed to the floor. “Ma’am, please calm down!” The doctor’s voice carried helpless frustration. “We’ve examined your son. His temperature is normal at 98.6°F. Chest and lung sounds are clear. His mental state seems fine. He says his head hurts, but it might be from getting excited earlier or playing too hard. We genuinely haven’t found anything physically wrong. You can’t accuse me of incompetence just because a child is crying—” “Bullshit!” Victoria cut him off viciously. “What do you know? You’re a useless quack! If you delay treating my son, can you handle the consequences? Get me your supervisor. I’m filing a complaint!” “Mommy…” Tyler lifted his head from her arms, his face flushed and healthy-looking—nothing like a sick child. Victoria immediately looked down, her fury melting into tenderness and concern. “Tyler, sweetheart, don’t be scared. Mommy’s here. Mommy will find you a good doctor.” I leaned against the wall, watching this scene, feeling the pain shift from my stomach to my heart. Five years of marriage. Countless careful hints and hopes from my parents, all ending in resigned sighs. Because Victoria didn’t like children. She hated them. To honor that wish, I’d defied my parents again and again, shouldering all the family pressure. I thought that was respect. That was love. But what the hell was this? Here she was with my assistant’s son—a child with no blood relation to her—so anxious she’d lost all composure, screaming at a doctor over a minor complaint. She turned with the child in her arms and spotted me. Her brows immediately knitted together. “Ethan? Are you following me?” I ignored her and kept moving toward my scheduled appointment. “Stop!” She caught up, her tone like she was scolding an employee. “Why didn’t you go to the Anderson dinner? Kevin said you hung up on him? Are you trying to sabotage us?!” I didn’t turn around, my voice ice-cold. “I have a doctor’s appointment. For my stomach.” Silence behind me for a beat. She seemed to remember. “Your stomach? You… today was your follow-up…” Her tone softened slightly. “Why didn’t you say something earlier? Can’t you just tough out the old problem? The Anderson deal is crucial! Ryan can’t make it—you’re the only one who can step in!” Didn’t say something? I’d told her weeks ago. “Can’t you just go to the dinner first and… I’ll come with you tomorrow instead?” The pain had my vision going black. I grabbed the handrail to stay upright. Seeing my condition, she conceded reluctantly. “Fine. Which doctor are you seeing? I’ll come with you to speed things up, then we’ll head straight to the hotel…” Even now—even like this—she still wanted me to go drink for business. Victoria. Do you even have a heart? She took a few steps toward me, Tyler in her arms. “Wahhh!” Tyler suddenly burst into tears, kicking his legs violently. “No! I want to go home! I want Daddy! Mommy, find Daddy!” His crying instantly consumed all of Victoria’s attention. “Tyler, sweetheart, don’t cry!” She stopped immediately, patting him anxiously. “Where does it hurt? Mommy will take you home right now. We’ll find Daddy, okay?” She didn’t spare me another glance. Carrying the crying child, she turned and rushed toward the exit. “Yes, we’ll find Daddy. We’re leaving now! Good boy, Tyler. Mommy will get you something yummy…” She moved fast, her figure disappearing through the door, the crying fading. I caught Tyler making a face at me over her shoulder. The hallway was empty except for me. The stomach pain exploded. Something sweet and metallic rose in my throat. I swallowed it down hard, cold sweat soaking through my shirt. The door opened. The doctor emerged with my results, his face dark as thunder. He slapped the report on the desk, his hand actually trembling. “Look at this yourself. Your ulcer is this severe—you’re almost perforated. And these bleeding spots—if you keep ignoring this, it’ll turn cancerous! How old are you? Do you understand?!” The doctor’s voice rose with anger. “How did you destroy your stomach like this? Do you have a death wish? Drinking like water, aren’t you? Your stomach is worse than an eighty-year-old’s!” I opened my mouth to explain—the business dinners, the sacrifices for her company, for her… But my throat felt blocked. I couldn’t get a single word out. A stranger cared more about me than my own wife did. Seeing me in too much pain to speak, the doctor was both furious and anxious. “Immediate hospitalization. One more incident like this and even God can’t save you. Sign here.” “Doctor… can I delay admission a few days?” I forced the words out through the pain. “I need to… handle my resignation paperwork.” The old doctor’s eyes widened. “You’re in this condition and you’re still thinking about work? What job pays enough to be worth your life? You—” He looked at my pale face and the cold sweat on my forehead. His words caught in his throat, and he let out a heavy sigh. “Delaying a few days… should be manageable. But absolutely no more alcohol.” “Thank you…” My voice came out hoarse. The next day, my stomach still burned like fire, but it was better than yesterday. I forced myself to go to the company. The moment I reached what used to be my VP office, my feet stopped cold.

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Dad waited ten years for Mom to bring her three-year-old daughter and mate with him. He was my mother’s second chance mate. After I was born, my sister Selene developed severe appetite loss. Only when feeding me would she smile and eat a few more bites. So whenever Selene held the spoon, Mom would press down on my shoulders, gently forcing me to open my mouth. When I was five, my teacher said pups should bravely refuse things that make them unhappy. So when I was so full I couldn’t swallow another bite, I refused Selene’s feeding. She cried until her face turned blue, as if she’d suffered the greatest injustice. Mom rushed over like a madwoman, her nails digging deep into my flesh. “You already have Dad and Mom’s love. Why do you need to compete with your sister for attention?” “Can’t you just be obedient and eat more for your sister’s condition?” Dad looked at Mom with heartache in his eyes. He picked up Selene, saying he’d take her to the pack grounds to cheer up. I rolled on the floor in pain, but Mom thought I was lying. Furious, she slammed the door shut, saying she needed to punish my disobedience. I clutched my stomach, tears covering my entire face. I’m sorry, Mom. Next time I’ll definitely eat my meat obediently to make Selene happy. I pressed my small hands tightly against my stomach, curling up into a ball. But my mind drifted to how every time Mom’s stomach hurt, she’d take pills from the cabinet and feel better. When I finally managed to open the pill bottle, my stomach suddenly clenched in pain, and pills scattered everywhere. Just as I was about to pick them up, I heard the door open. My eyes lit up—Dad was back. I reached out to him: “Dad, there are so many bugs biting me inside my stomach…” Dad rushed toward me in panic, but Mom grabbed him. “She doesn’t speak a word of truth.” “Have you forgotten how she stole jerky the other day, then when I caught her, she blamed Selene!” “Now she’s lying about stomach pain, just trying to fake sick so we won’t take Selene out to play.” That’s not how it was. Last time, Selene brought the living room snacks into my room. She tore open the packages, showing off as she stuffed them in her mouth. I told her to eat less jerky, or she wouldn’t have an appetite for dinner. But Selene puffed her cheeks and waved the spiced jerky in front of me. When Mom opened the door, she shoved the jerky into my hand. She wiped the grease from her fingers onto my clothes. I happily told Mom that Selene’s condition was better. But Mom angrily dragged me out of the room and made me kneel in the living room to reflect. She called me a liar. Said I stole the jerky myself, then tried to frame my sick sister. I cried, saying I didn’t steal anything. Mom’s face turned as cold as the snow outside. Ice-cold. She threw me out the door, saying she’d throw away lying pups. I cried for so long, begging Mom not to abandon me. Finally, Dad took pity and secretly slipped an egg into my hand. He told me to quickly admit my mistake, not to make Mom angry. The sky gradually darkened, and my stomach growled with hunger. Mom held a steaming bowl of broth and asked if I knew I was wrong. Smelling the fragrant broth, I sobbed and said I knew I was wrong. That time, I really did lie. And Mom forgave me. Thinking of this, even though I had no idea what I’d actually done wrong, I still carefully tugged at Mom’s dress hem, saying over and over that I was wrong. I thought this way Mom would hold me like last time and say she loved me too. But when she noticed the pills scattered on the floor, she angrily kicked me away. “Stella, have you really become this troublesome?” “First you deliberately refused to eat to starve your sister, now you’re trying to wreck the house!” “Today I must punish you!” Dad was about to speak when Mom’s glare silenced him. “Lucas, if you interfere with me disciplining Stella one more time, we’re getting divorced!” Dad sighed helplessly. He took me from Mom’s hands. Just when I thought Dad would carry me to the Healer’s Den, he personally locked me in the bedroom. Dad touched my head. “Stella, for this family, be good, okay?” I clutched Dad’s sleeve tightly, crying my heart out. “But Dad, my stomach really hurts.” Mom’s dissatisfied urging came from the living room. “Lucas, are you favoring Stella again?” “When we mated, you swore you’d love Selene like your own daughter!” “If you keep favoring the younger one, there’s no point continuing this!” Hearing this, Dad suddenly pushed me away. He left quickly. He didn’t even notice that because of his force, I’d been pushed to the floor. My head hit the corner of the table, making everything fuzzy. Through the unclosed door crack, I saw Dad lifting Selene high in the air. Mom’s face finally showed a smile. She turned her head and locked eyes with me. Mom frowned and slammed the door shut. The room plunged into darkness. I couldn’t see anything, but I heard Mom’s words even more clearly. She said: “Stella is spoiled by you.” “Eating is such a blessing, yet she’s learned to waste food.” “Good. Lock her up for a day. Let her learn that every grain is hard-earned.”

Then came her gentle voice. She said: “Selene, you’ll always be Mom’s precious one.” “It’s okay if you don’t like eating, but when you’re hungry, you must tell Mom.” The house gradually quieted down. Pitch black darkness. My heart pounded wildly. But I was too short to reach the light switch. I had to climb onto the bed myself. If I fell asleep, my stomach wouldn’t hurt. I’d always gotten through it this way before. But this time, my stomach really hurt so much. I imitated how Mom coaxed Selene to eat, gently patting my swollen stomach. “Please stop hurting!” “It’s your fault, making Mom think I’m disobedient.” But it wouldn’t listen to me. Instead, it made me hurt even more. So when Mom scolded me for disobedience, did it hurt her like this too? Tears dripped down. I’m sorry, Mom. It’s all my fault for being disobedient, making you hurt so many times. My head started hurting too. I wiped the sweat from my head. It was sticky. Remembering how last time I was locked outside for grease stains on my clothes, I frantically tried to wipe my face clean. But the sweat wouldn’t wipe off. I felt colder and colder. Even after burrowing under the covers, I still shivered with cold. Gradually, I felt so tired, and fell completely asleep. When I opened my eyes again, I found my stomach didn’t hurt at all. I started jumping around excitedly. My body passed straight through the locked door. I saw Dad and Mom who’d just returned. Mom was patiently feeding Selene small cakes. “Selene, eat one more bite, okay?” Selene turned her head away. “No, no. I feel sick just looking at it.” Mom sighed, her brow furrowed. I raised my hand to smooth it out, but found my small hand couldn’t touch Mom. I vaguely realized—I seemed to have died. Just like the kitten Selene killed. That was something Selene had begged to buy. But after just a few days, she found the kitten’s litter box disgusting. Mom gave me the task of caring for the kitten. I didn’t mind the kitten’s mess at all. The first thing I did after training each day was change its water and add food. After spending time together, the kitten would let me pet it and act cute with me. With it around, I no longer felt sad that Dad and Mom only had eyes for Selene. Okay, I lied again. Actually, I was still a little sad. Just a tiny bit. When Selene discovered the kitten liked me more, she snatched it from my arms. The kitten meowed in fear, scratching her while struggling. That night, Mom’s face was especially dark. After Selene got her shot, the kitten hid under the bed, too scared to come out. I knelt before Mom, crying and apologizing for the kitten. But Mom said animals that hurt people couldn’t be kept. She also said I was heartless. “In your heart, is your sister’s safety worth less than a vicious animal?” I cried, saying it was different. Selene had Dad and Mom’s love. The kitten only had me. If I couldn’t protect it, no one else could. Mom said I was being unreasonable and told Dad to tie me up with a belt. She grabbed the kitten and brought it to Selene, letting her decide its fate. I struggled desperately, but could only watch helplessly as the kitten was killed. I cried until my voice went hoarse. But Mom only cared that Selene ate three more bites today. As for Dad, he only cared about Mom’s mood. When the kitten died, at least I was there to mourn. But when I died, no one cared at all.

Dad set down various toys from the pack grounds on the couch. He also held a red potato, knocking on my door. “Stella, are you asleep? Dad brought you something good.” Selene, who’d been playing with dolls, jumped down from her stool and whined to Mom: “Mom, I want to eat the red potato Dad’s holding.” Seeing Selene’s rare appetite, Mom immediately swapped the potatoes with Dad. Watching Selene eat bite after bite, her eyes reddened with excitement. Maybe because Mom couldn’t see me, I said loudly that I hated Selene most. She was always so unreasonable, taking my things. Even with two identical portions, Selene always thought mine was better. Even Mom would suspect Dad secretly bought me better things. So what I got was always what Selene didn’t want or left over. Even dresses and shoes were Selene’s hand-me-downs. Thinking of this, I sighed heavily. Mom always said she envied how I was young and carefree. But I had so many worries. Mom said Selene didn’t have a real father, so she needed to be extra good to her. My real father also said he needed to be good to Selene. He said he was a stepfather, had to treat us equally, or people would gossip. Dad and Mom both said to be good to Selene, repeatedly telling me I needed to be good to Selene too. I counted on my fingers. Five is clearly smaller than eight. So why did five-year-old me have to give in to eight-year-old Selene? When he noticed Dad still standing at my door, Mom got angry. “Didn’t I say to starve her for a day?” “If you go soft on her, you’re sleeping in the study tonight!” Dad said nothing, calling my name again. Still no response from me. I floated to his side, saying over and over that I was here. But he couldn’t hear me. Dad finally lost patience, muttering: “Why is this pup so stubborn?” Mom was even more smug. “See, I told you!” “Stella’s an ungrateful wolf. It’s only been three hours of confinement, and she’s deliberately ignoring you.” “Who knows how rebellious she’ll be when she grows up.” “Not like our Selene—obedient and clever.” Selene proudly raised her head, quickly swallowing the food in her mouth. Seeing this, Mom praised Selene in endless variations. I enviously watched Mom feed Selene. She’d never fed me. Mom said I already had a dad, so she needed to give more love to Selene. She was busy making food for Selene, busy taking Selene to the Academy, busy taking Selene to see healers. I was left with the neighbor lady. Over time, other pups mocked me for having no one pick me up. I frowned and loudly argued they were wrong— because not only did I have no dad picking me up, Mom never picked me up either! When I got a bit older, I’d learned to eat by myself. But Selene volunteered to feed me. The food was too hot, the spoon hurt my tongue, my stomach was too full… But whenever I mentioned these things, Mom said I was being delicate. She told me to eat more, saying only then would Selene be happy. When Selene was happy, her condition would improve. When her illness got better, Mom said she’d have time to love me. But I waited so long. And never waited for the day Mom would love me.

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